Without a word, Commander Claesson flashed to the door where several of the resident scientists were already gathered, and checked the weapon in his hands, which was loaded with heavy tranquilizers, and then his side arm, which was loaded with actual bullets. He prayed that he wouldn’t need the back-up gun. Claesson quickly entered the security code and lowered his head for the retinal scan to gain entry to the containment unit. “Dr. Jones, come with me, everyone else wait here,” he ordered as the door slid open and immediately closed behind them before anyone could object.
Cami pushed her way to the entrance, with Jared close on her heels. “Fuck!” she yelled, startling most of the people in the general vicinity.
Jared reached up and stroked her temple gently, indicating that he wanted to hear what she was thinking.
Cami sighed and looked up into his eyes. As hard as it was for her, she was learning to be vulnerable with him, to let him see and hear what was in her head and heart.
I’m so afraid of what we’re going to find in there. I’m not sure I can bare it if Alexa was wrong, if Ethan isn’t cured. They could all be infected now, or worse.
Jared pulled her into his arms, surprised by how willingly she came, given all the people surrounding them, and kissed the top of her head. He understood her fears; he shared them.
If Ethan or Layla were out of their cells, it was more than likely that Commander Claesson would have no choice but to use deadly force against them, given the great advantages of strength and speed the infection gave them. Not to mention the fact that Ethan was already stronger and faster than any vampire the ancient Commander had ever encountered. With the short amount of time that had passed and the lack of human blood to fuel the transformation, if the others were infected, they would be easily incapacitated by the tranquilizers and, though their use could have damaging effects on their transitioning bodies, it was better than the alternative
✧
"Ethan, we have to get back in your cell; they’re coming,” Alexa stated, pushing him back towards the door as the thick silver-plated panels rose; her voice laced with panic as she sensed the Commander drawing near. Due to the current state of mind he was in, he was likely to shoot all of them before they had a chance to explain, so the cell was the safest place. There had been so much happening when the scientist spotted them and pulled the alarm outside, that she hadn’t sensed his approach in time. She shot a glance over her shoulder at Martinez, who opened the door. As he was about to pull the lever to close them in, Alexa continued. “I’m so sorry, John, but we did what we could to protect you. Tell the Commander we forced you. Dante and I took Rachel and threatened to hurt her if you didn’t help us.”
“No one’s going to believe that,” he replied, looking nervous as his eyes went to the door where the Commander would soon appear.
“They’ll believe it because part of it is true; we did take her. We had to so they would believe you. Please just trust me; I will explain everything, but right now you have to close that door and get back against the wall,” she pleaded, her heart pounding as she willed the glass, which was the only thing that would keep Ethan safe, to close.
Even as his anger began to rise, Martinez knew better than to refuse. He knew his friends wouldn’t hurt Rachel, but the thought of her being involved in any way made his stomach turn. She was everything to him, which is why he didn’t have a choice, and he did the only thing he could. He closed the cell, faced the wall, and placed his hands behind his head.
A second later, the outer door opened and Commander Claesson barreled in with weapons drawn and anger pouring off of him in palpable waves.
He looked around the room, stopping on Martinez’s back along with the aim of his weapon. “Have you been exposed?” he growled.
“No, sir.” Martinez replied immediately.
“Turn around slowly and show me your eyes.”
Martinez did as commanded. Claesson pulled a set of silver-plated handcuffs from his belt and tossed them towards Dr. Jones, whose gaze was so focused on Ethan’s cell that they hit his arm and fell to the floor. He jumped in surprise before the scientist who’d pulled the alarm scooped them up. “Put those on him and loop them through that pipe over there, just in case,” Claesson ordered, pointing to the metal rod in the corner. When it was done, he holstered his weapon and turned his attention to the cells.
He scanned Ethan’s, then Layla’s. “Motherfucker,” he said to no one in particular, as he took in the scene unfolding in the cell on the right, knowing that the four in the cells couldn’t hear him. It was impossible to tell, given the amount of blood and the tangle of naked limbs thrashing around. “Is it safe to assume that that’s Dante in there with her?” he asked of Martinez, as he gestured to the couple.
“Yes, sir. I tried to stop him, sir, but—”
“Shut the fuck up, Martinez!” Claesson spat. Disgusted, he stormed over to the glass where Alexa was waiting and pressed the button to talk to her, though with how he was feeling, he was pretty sure he could produce a yell loud enough for it to be heard through the barrier.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” he bellowed, his eyes going to her bloodied wrist. “He bit you?? Why the fuck didn’t you listen, Alexa? Now another one of my men has this filthy virus and you’ll be infected any moment, too!”
“I’m sorry, for all of this,” she replied softly, as she looked to the wall separating her from Dante and Layla. “But he’s my husband, my mate; I had to save him.”
Claesson opened his mouth, but then snapped it shut as Ethan placed a gentle hand on Alexa’s shoulder and gave him a hard look. “She’s not infected, sir. And thanks to her, and her friends, neither am I.”
The Commander looked back toward the doctor, who was still shocked by the discovery that he’d been noticed and had been watching since they’d entered the room.
Hearing Ethan refer to Alexa’s friends served only to remind the Commander that not one, but two of his men, had disobeyed his direct order, regardless of the outcome of their disobedience, and reignited his anger. Sensing that, Alexa spoke up again. “It was all my idea, Commander. I used Dante’s feelings for Layla to persuade him to help me, and we forced Martinez. He didn’t have a choice; we took Rachel and threatened to hurt her if he didn’t help. I had to do it; no one would believe me if I didn’t show you,” she blurted.
“This is utterly remarkable,” Dr. Jones said, moving closer to the cell as he stared at Ethan’s eyes, which no longer showed any sign of infection. “I’ll, of course, need to take a blood sample, but he seems to be completely cured. And he actually bit you?” he asked of Alexa, who nodded her affirmation “Sir, she would certainly be showing signs of infection by now if she had the virus. To be sure, I’ll need to confer with the rest of the team and we’ll need to collect samples and interview these two and the others if we can convince them to speak to us; though based on their state, I’d guess it may be a couple of days before the bloodlust subsides. It would be wise to get them some human blood before they hurt each other; a lot of blood,” he said, watching the couple with the curious gaze of a scientist.
The good doctor couldn’t mask his enthusiasm as he began rushing around the room, gathering materials to collect blood samples, stopping occasionally to tap out notes and mumbling excitedly to himself.
Claesson hated to admit it, but Alexa and Dante’s little stunt had just provided the first real breakthrough they’d had in several centuries of researching Lucias’s virus.
CHAPTER 8 - Sex, Love, and Lies
Lucias remained frozen, staring with eyes full of wonder as Molly struggled to stand. She locked her blue eyes on him, full of confusion and hunger. A wide smile spread across his face. If the change in her eyes hadn’t been evidence enough, the shift in her scent was undeniable. She was vampire.
He didn’t know how or why, but he’d never been a man to question good fortune. Without a word, Lucias scooped Molly up into his arms and whisked her out of the room and to his playr
oom, which contained the closest supply of bagged red cells.
“Don’t try to speak; just feed” he said to Molly as he stroked her hair and passed her a bag of AB negative from his private stores. She obeyed without hesitation, his eyes darkening with desire as her new fangs punched through her gums, and she closed her eyes, and tore into the thick plastic.
She downed several bags in a matter of minutes before finally stopping and opening her bright eyes to look up at Lucias, who watched her carefully.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry; I, I thought it was all a lie!” she blurted; an edge of panic in her voice for what she had done. Lucias was not a patient or forgiving man; no one knew that as well as Molly, who had witnessed his wrath being visited on countless others during her time with him.
“Shh,” he whispered, pushing his hands into her blonde hair, “all is forgiven, my pet.” He fisted her hair and yanked her head back hard as his fangs, which had been out since he’d discovered her lifeless body in Chloe’s room, dropped even lower. He lowered his head and scraped one sharp point up the length of her neck. “How do you feel now?” he asked, placing both fangs against her artery without breaking the skin, applying just enough pressure for her to feel it and build the anticipation. He’d fed on her more times than he could count, but this was different. He could feel a new power coursing through her veins; Chloe’s power; a magnificent and unexpected gift.
“Strong, alive,” she husked, straining upwards against Lucias’s bite. She wanted it with a desire unlike any she’d ever known; but more than his bite, she wanted to taste his blood, to feel her fangs pierce his flesh and drink in the warmth moving through his body with every slow beat of his vampire heart.
Sensing her need, Lucias bit down, his eyes widening as her life’s essence flowed over his tongue. The power was undeniable and his first thought was of how it would taste if taken directly from the source. If Chloe’s blood could do this, if she could change an ordinary human into one of their kind, what effect would it have on him? Even as he continued to drink from Molly’s neck, his lips turned up in a devious smile at the thought.
He would have everything he had ever dreamed of and more. His wait for Chloe was over. He would take her and make her his, finally completing the bond and reaping all of the benefits of her awesome power.
Releasing Molly’s neck, he stood, his mind now focused on Chloe, but before he could take a step, Molly was on him and, using the full force of her new strength, pinned him to the wall next to their rack of toys. She held his arms at his sides with his hands up by his ears and looked at him with a challenging smirk and a question in her eyes as she pressed her hips against his erection.
I’ve waited this long, it can wait just a while longer. he thought, giving Molly a slight nod before he turned his head and willingly exposed his neck to her. She bit down with a ferocious hunger and desire that only served to increase his own. He’d often wished to see Molly like this, as one of his kind, even though it had only been an impossible fantasy. She took several long pulls on his vein and his eyes drifted to the array of tools lining the wall, his cock hardening further as ideas for their use flashed through his mind. Chloe could definitely wait.
✧
After enduring several minutes under the scalding hot spray of her shower, Chloe accepted that no amount of water could wash away the pain and guilt of what she’d done. With a trembling hand, she turned off the water and stepped out into the steamy fog of the room. Wrapping a towel around her body, she lowered her mental shields slightly and said a prayer of thanks when she found that Lucias had gone. But as quickly as the relief had come, it was chased away by fear and regret. Molly’s lifeless body would still be there in her room. It was too much to hope that Lucias would have taken her away. No, indeed, he would like nothing more than for Chloe to be trapped there with the painful reminder of her own darkness until she could no longer stand it and was begging for him to save her from it.
Chloe swiped her hand across the clouded mirror and stared into her own eyes. No. I can’t give in to him.
Her thoughts turned to Alexa and Ethan and she wondered if they were together as she had foreseen. She smiled even as her eyes welled up with tears, thinking of the joy she knew they would find in being together again. She saw flashes of Jared and Cami, and her grandparents, and all of the soldiers who had tried to protect her, and Asana and her daughter, and finally, she saw Kaleb as clearly as if he was standing right before her. For all of them, for everyone she loved, she couldn’t let Lucias win no matter what it cost her in the end. She just wished she knew what that cost would be. Try as she may, she still couldn’t see anything past her vision of Lucias bringing Anna there to punish Asana.
Standing up a little straighter with a renewed strength, she stepped out of the bathroom ready to face her demons, both imagined and tangible. Though the floor was stained with blood, hers and Molly’s alike, much to Chloe’s surprise there was no other sign of her or Lucias. She dressed quickly in a light-colored gown, like always. Despite his dark thoughts and intentions towards her, Lucias liked to dress Chloe like the proverbial virgin in some variation of a white gown that covered her body conservatively. Chloe knew from his thoughts that he liked seeing her as pure so that when he finally corrupted her as he desired, the victory would be that much sweeter.
Fully dressed, she took a deep breath and focused her mind, searching for Kaleb’s stream of consciousness. With the surveillance focused on her room, she would need to use every fiber of her supernatural power to move the distance to Kaleb’s quarters undetected and she needed for him to have the door open for her in order to avoid the camera in the corridor. They had often talked about sneaking to meet in such a fashion, but one of them was usually sensible enough to talk the other out of it.
Before she could zero in on Kaleb, Chloe stepped back from the door, surprised to hear the steady strum of two heartbeats approaching. Fearful it was Lucias returning, she sped to the other side of the room and concentrated on raising her other powers to the surface. During her time as Lucias’s captive, she had been practicing the controlling and calling of her abilities at will. She could now aim her mind blasts, which had once been controlled by her emotions and would impact anyone within range, zeroing in on a single target or group of them.
Her fear quickly melted into relief and then excitement when Asana stepped through the door, followed by Kaleb. Without hesitation, Chloe threw herself into his waiting arms with all the power of her love carrying her. Kaleb stumbled back a step, wrapping both arms around Chloe’s back as she slung her legs around his waist. Asana closed the door, trying to control her anxiety and giving the young couple at least one peaceful moment together before all hell broke loose. Though her mind was full of fear over the consequences of the choice she’d just made in coming to Chloe without Lucias, the sight of her and Kaleb together, of the love that was evident between them, increased the hope she’d only just found again, after centuries of despair, when she first met Chloe.
Seeing a single tear slip down Kaleb’s cheek as he continued to hold on to Chloe for dear life, Asana couldn’t hold back her own. Her thoughts turned to her daughter, to Anna, who Chloe reminded her of and she hadn’t seen for so very long. She often wondered if Anna knew any sort of happiness or love living under Lucias’s thumb, and if she was even really still alive.
“I’m so sorry,” Kaleb said against Chloe’s hair, as he loosened his grip on her and lowered her to the ground. “I’ve never been as afraid as I was, knowing what that evil bitch had planned. I had to see you, had to know you were okay. I don’t care what my father does to me so long as you’re safe.”
“Oh no, Kaleb; I, I killed her and Lucias will kill you!” Chloe said stepping back from him and shaking her head as the memory of what she’d done rushed back, accompanied by the fear of what Lucias would do to his son if he found him with her.
“She’s not dead, Chloe,” Asana said from where she sat on Chloe’
s bed, her eyes fixed on the blood covering the floor. “You gave her your blood, yes?”
Chloe nodded when Asana looked up. “Then you have ended her life as a human, but you have given her another in its place.”
“I don’t understand; I didn’t think it was possible to turn a human.”
“It’s not; or at least it wasn’t, before you,” Kaleb responded, stroking Chloe’s cheek with his thumb as he stepped closer to her again. “But that’s why she’s not here; my father took her to feed, to complete her transformation. It’s strange; it was something he had promised her even though he knew it could not be done. Now it seems he has kept his word, thanks to you.”
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