The second Vampire she’d stopped had been able to direct her to where she wanted to go. On the far side of the Estate, set away from the rest of the cottages and apartments, was a squat, unadorned building. Inside that building was an underground bunker that Gabi had known nothing about. The underground vault was secured by foot-thick metal doors and contained four small rooms, each complete with a bed secured to the floor, a small washbasin, and a viewing window of steel-reinforced, bulletproof glass.
If Gabi had had the slightest inkling of how harrowing the first few days of the Turning were, she might have made a different choice for her friend. Mac hadn’t been Mac at all. The sight of the raging monster inside the tiny room had brought tears to her eyes as surely as seeing him at death’s door. Wild, unshaven, his clothes torn and streaked with blood and grime, Gabi hadn’t quite been able to believe that this crazed creature could ever have any visage left of her friend. He’d screamed and ranted, her presence on the other side of the steel walls, the scent of her blood, sending him into a mindless frenzy of bloodlust. Fergus had bodily removed her, carrying her up the stairs when she’d been unable to tear herself away, appalled at what she’d done to him.
Outside, in the cool crisp air of impending sunrise, Fergus had explained the process, promising her that Mac would become more himself as time went on. Never exactly the same but, with patience and mentoring, a close facsimile.
She was more than a little angry with Julius for not explaining the harshness of the Turning to her, even though she knew there simply hadn’t been time. She collected herself enough to thank Fergus for what he’d done, both for Mac and for her. Then she puffed out a breath and planted her crutches in the grass, heading determinedly back towards the mansion. She had to push her anxiety about Mac to the back of her mind; there was something she really needed to discuss with a few people, and it could only be with a very select group.
The sun was already fully in the sky, too late for any other Vampires to still be conscious, when Gabi led the way to Julius’s office. She was getting more nimble on her crutches and had even managed the stairs without stumbling.
“Alex, are you sure you’re okay?” she checked as the men found seats. Julius at his desk, Kyle fell into a chaise longue near the window, and Alexander took one of the other office chairs.
“I’m fine, Hellcat,” Alexander assured her, “even though it’s a pretty novel experience.” His ascension to Master level brought several advantages, not least of which was the ability to stay awake during daylight if he so chose. “Now what’s with the secret meeting?”
Gabi hadn’t taken a seat, the cast on her leg made sitting uncomfortable, and she needed to pace anyway. The men waited while she collected her thoughts, listening to the tap of her crutches on the carpet.
“Mariska is only just pregnant,” Gabi finally said into the tense silence. “We know that the babies are probably Gemini’s, and Athena suspects they were conceived during dark sex rites to add to the power pool they were all drawing from,” she explained, regurgitating what Athena and Benedict had been discussing before Julius and the others had arrived at the Source. “We also know that they used Vampire blood as part of those rituals.” She drew in a deep breath; there was a slight hitch in it. “Have you considered that Mariska may well have consumed Vampire blood after the time that she conceived?” She fell silent, letting the revelation sink in. Before anyone could answer her, all three men turned their heads towards the closed door.
After a second Julius said, “It’s all right. It’s just one of the Werewolf staff, a cleaner, walking past. Even if she overheard, it wouldn’t mean anything to her. She’s moved away now.”
“Holy mother of God,” Alexander finally whispered. “Those babies could be Dhampirs.”
“Magus Dhampirs,” Kyle inserted, his voice strained.
“One light, one dark,” Gabi confirmed. “And what exactly will a Dark Magus Dhampir be capable of?”
No one spoke; only fate and the gods would know the answer to that question.
EPILOGUE
Caspian could barely contain the excitement that rippled through him. The inexorable pull of daysleep dragged at him. He wouldn’t be able to resist it for much longer, but now he didn’t need to.
With a sigh of relief and renewed expectation, he released his hold on the Werewolf female. His gamble had paid off spectacularly. He no longer needed to kowtow to Julius. He didn’t need Gabrielle; she was a lost cause anyway, so good riddance. He was already fixated on his new ticket to Master level. What were a few more years to a Vampire?
He just wished he could be in two places at once, be a fly on the wall to witness their faces, hear their cries of anger when they found that the Maleficus had made her escape. She was good at escaping, and he was good at disappearing. He didn’t think it would be hard to persuade her to leave with him. They had a common enemy, after all, and where else did she have to go? He allowed himself to drift into the daysleep truly happy for the first time in many, many years.
I hope you have enjoyed this fourth instalment of the Hellcat Series.
If you would like to keep up with what I’m writing and when the next instalment is due, connect with me at one of the following links;
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Sharon-Hannaford/244568828958484
www.hellcatseries.com
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5626833.Sharon_Hannaford
Twitter @shazfly
I humbly thank you for your continued support.
Sharon.
Other books by Sharon Hannaford:
A Cat’s Chance in Hell (Hellcat Series Book 1)
All Hell Breaks Loose (Hellcat Series Book 2)
A Cold Day in Hell (Hellcat Series Book 3)
To Hell and Back (Hellcat Series Book 4) Page 30