by Brooklyn Ann
Before Jayden could wonder about that, Selena’s hand crept up to tug on a lock of dirty hair as her cloudy grey eyes darted about the room as if invisible imps were capering about.
“You are far prettier than I expected,” Selena crooned and took Jayden’s chin in her other hand. “What is your name, Seeress?”
Jayden swallowed. A knot of revulsion curled in her belly at the sensation of the vampire’s fingers so near her mouth. She could almost smell the torn flesh under her nails.
“My name is Jayden,” she replied, desperate for that sickening touch to go away.
Selena’s mind pressed against hers. It was powerful, but full of madness, imbued with stinking slithering things and an abyss where screams never died. Jayden knew that if she spent too long here, she would tumble into its depths and be swallowed up by the terrible insanity.
“Jayden,” the vampire seemed to taste the name. Her lips screwed up as if she’d sucked on something sour. “Do you know why you have come here to us?” Those fingernails scraped against her skin.
Jayden shook her head. She didn’t think that there was an answer that would appease the mad goddess.
Her feigned ignorance seemed to pay off, for Selena withdrew her hand and smiled as rapturously as a televangelist. “You have been chosen, Jayden. I have deemed your powers worthy of The Order of Eternal Night and I welcome you into the fold with a special task which you will perform. If you please me, I shall reward you with eternal life.”
The news didn’t bode well. As Jayden searched for a reply, her eyes took in the rest of her surroundings. The other vampires, Jessica and Michael, were on their knees at either side of their lord. Their twitchy, submissive postures indicated that Selena’s temper was unpredictable and formidable. Things were looking worse by the second.
The room was not what she expected the headquarters of a vampire cult to look like. Clothes and bits of paper were scattered everywhere. If a few beer cans were added, it would be the very image of a college dorm room. Candles and incense burners were arranged haphazardly on tables and shelves, giving no sign of ceremonial order.
“Are you not going to express your honor at being chosen?” Selena demanded and moved as if she were going to touch her again.
Jayden shrank back in her seat. “I am sorry…um…Ma’am. I’m very dizzy. Wh-what um…task do you want me to perform?”
As if a switch were thrown, Selena’s face warped into an expression of exaggerated maternal concern. “Oh, you poor thing,” she crooned. “You are still recovering from your ordeal at the hands of the terrible Lord Nicolae.” She turned to the vampires on the floor. “Jessica! Bring our new acolyte something to drink.”
“Yes, my lord.” The vampire scrambled up and fled from the room.
“Michael, leave us,” Selena commanded.
Her abductor departed with a bow.
Once they were alone, Selena returned to her side and stroked Jayden’s hair. Her head ached as she fought to keep her shields in place. But the vampire’s mind was like a battering ram and it was only a matter of time before her will would collapse.
“Do not worry, Jayden. I will take good care of you and you shall be recovered in no time,” the madwoman crooned.
It would be a good idea to pretend to be more hurt than she actually was. The dizziness had faded and besides the throbbing of her face and her stomach clenching in terror, Jayden felt relatively okay. Still, she let out what she hoped was a convincing moan of pain.
Selena clucked like a mother hen. “You will be safe with me. Razvan can never touch you again.”
It was funny how she didn’t acknowledge that it was her vampire who had injured Jayden in the first place. However, she didn’t dare mention that thought aloud.
As she looked at the scabbed and balding vampire with her bloodshot eyes and maniacal grin, it was hard to believe that both Razvan and Silas had slept with her. Then again, with her lush curves and classical features, she had likely been beautiful once, before her madness had taken over.
Instead of the expected pang of jealousy, Jayden felt pity for Razvan. He must have once felt deeply for Selena to have Changed her. And it must have traumatized him deeply when he saw what she had become. No wonder he was so distant with women.
Did Razvan know that she had been captured yet? She knew that he’d Marked her, but he’d never explained how that worked. Jayden had no doubt that he would come for her. She closed her eyes and prayed that he would come in time.
“No, no!” Selena tugged on Jayden’s hair, inciting a sliver of pain. “You cannot go to sleep if you have a head injury. “We must keep you awake.”
“Could you tell me more about your order?” Jayden asked. Maybe she could keep Selena talking long enough for her rescuers to arrive.
The evangelical smile returned. Selena lit a few nearby candles and, to Jayden’s dismay, rekindled the cloying incense. Apparently she wanted to add ambiance to the story.
“Eons ago, the dark god Mephistopheles created his own world. To expand his kingdom, he created an army of powerful blood drinkers who could live forever and replenish themselves by creating more. But somehow, they displeased him and he banished them to Earth. Only one of those first vampires still lives and I learned the truth when I found his writings.”
Jayden suppressed a smirk. Silas had told her that Selena stole them. “His name is Delgarias, right?”
Selena nodded approvingly like a teacher with a difficult pupil. “Yes!” Her brow furrowed in a frown as she toyed with the thread of smoke from the incense. “The years have not been kind to Delgarias. He is weak and misguided. He could not grasp the significance of his own writings.”
“What do you mean?” Jayden asked, eager for her to keep going.
“I had long prayed for a sign that our kind could regain Mephistopheles’s favor,” the vampire continued with breathless zeal. “My prayers were answered when I gained Lordship status and found the scrolls. Besides proving the truth in the old legends, they spoke of another world in which the sun would die. A world which will be a haven for our kind…” Her eyes narrowed. “Unless she ruins everything for us.”
“Who?” Jayden wondered whether she was getting sucked into Selena’s insanity already, or if the vampire was just that good of a storyteller.
Selena bared her fangs in a hideous grimace. “Xochitl Leonine is the daughter of Mephistopheles and the one who is prophesied to bring back the sun and thus destroy our nocturnal paradise. You must find her for me so that she may be stopped.”
Jayden couldn’t help her gaping disbelief. “What?”
Selena nodded solemnly. “You have been in her presence, Jayden. You have felt her power. Surely you knew that Xochitl was no ordinary musician?”
“Well, yes, but…” Jayden stopped. It was true that Xochitl wasn’t human…but the daughter of a vampire god and prophesied savior of another world? It was ridiculous.
Where was Razvan? Her longing for him and the sanity that he’d brought back to her life was an unquenchable ache in her heart.
Before Jayden could form a response, Jessica opened the door. “I am sorry I took so long, my lord. We had no human sustenance so I had to go to the store.” She held a steaming cup.
“Very well,” Selena said, waving a dismissive hand. “I must prepare for the ceremony. Attend to our new member. If something amiss happens, I will tear out your heart and feed it to one of those incessantly yapping dogs outside.” With that stomach churning remark, she swept from the room, muttering under her breath.
“H-here,” Jessica said, handing her the cup. “It’s spiced cider. I hope it’s to your liking.”
“Thank you,” Jayden said and took a sip before blurting, “How did you get mixed up with her?”
“Shhh!” Jessica admonished with wide eyes. “I was a nurse during the second world war. One of the soldiers got a little…over amorous with his thanks for my treating him. Selena saved me and I’ve been with her ever since. I don’t know
anything else.”
“What do you think of her…um…beliefs?” Jayden asked.
Jessica sighed and ran a hand through brown hair that looked like it had been hacked up by a two year old. “At first it seemed harmless, but now….”
She didn’t get a chance to answer. Michael thrust open the door. “Justin is screaming for you again. He says his legs hurt. I will take over here.”
Jessica nodded and hurried out of the room, casting Jayden an apologetic look over her shoulder.
“Tell me,” Michael said as he plopped down in a chair nearby. “Do you think Razvan and Silas will come to rescue you? I think they will try. I do hope that Akasha will come.” He bared his fangs in a parody of a grin. “I have special plans for her.”
Jayden glared at him. “I think it’s the other way around.”
Michael hissed but his retort cut off abruptly.
Selena had returned. “Come, Jayden. All is in readiness.”
She scrambled out of the chair and followed the Lord of Post Falls. Her head spun dizzily and she nearly fell.
Michael leered at her as she passed him. “I advise you to do your best to please her,” he whispered.
Selena led her down a dark hallway. The air had a faint familiar mildew odor that made her realize that they were underground. Panic ate at her throat. Would Razvan know where to find her?
They passed through a gaudy bead curtain and into a large chamber that looked a little more like a setting for a cult. Around fifty folding chairs were arranged in a semi-circle facing an ornate hand-carved throne. On the other side of the room sat what looked like a shrine dedicated to Rage of Angels.
Candles surrounded a table full of concert tee shirts, CDs, magazines, guitar picks and other memorabilia. Posters and photographs covered the wall behind it. Jayden shivered and wondered if John Lennon’s killer had incorporated similar décor in his home.
Selena led her over to the shrine. “Touch everything,” she commanded. “Feel her essence and find her.”
Jayden hesitated. She didn’t want to drop her shields, didn’t want to drown in Selena’s madness. The vampire grabbed her wrist and jerked her forward. “Quit shielding and do it!” she hissed.
Jayden’s mental barriers crashed down and she almost fell to her knees at the onslaught of the vampire’s mind. Desperation, fury, and paranoia flooded over her head in a chaotic tide. Desperate to find the equivalent of a psychic lifeboat, Jayden seized the first thing her fingers reached. It was the neck of an autographed guitar.
Immediately she was thrown into a vision.
Chapter Thirty
The rescue party parked on the side of the road across from the borders of Selena’s lair.
“How long do we have?” Razvan asked, surveying the cluster of nearly identical ranch style homes close by.
Silas checked his watch. “About two hours, maybe two and a half. We should be thankful that tonight is the Solstice, the longest night of the year.”
Razvan nodded and turned to Akasha and the other vampires. “Her four houses are on the end of the cul de sac on Riverview Terrace. I am sure all four contain passages to her underground lair, so we need to get inside only one. All are likely guarded. We’re going to split into two groups, led by Trey and Sarah. If all goes well, they will be able to kill the sentries quietly with none being the wiser.”
Trey and Sarah nodded.
Razvan continued relating the plan. “Since my gun is too noisy, I will fly above and serve as communication between the two groups as well as keep an eye out for mortals.”
Silas stepped forward and regarded them all seriously. “Remember, if a mortal sees you, you must clear their memories right away. Our immunity is null and void if there is exposure to human eyes.”
Razvan took to the air and the two groups split up. Sarah, Silas, Akasha, and Salazar piled into Jonathon’s van while the rest approached the housing development on foot.
The aerial view wasn’t as good as he hoped. The slanting snow blurred the houses, making them almost unrecognizable. There was no way to read street signs either. His gun swayed on its ill-fitting strap and he reached with one hand to steady it. Another thought struck him suddenly, making him lose altitude.
Could any of Selena’s vampires fly? In this weather he did not know how well he’d handle an attack from the air.
Flight was a rare power, and Selena did not enjoy the company of those who possessed what she lacked. Still, it would be best to be aware of the possibility.
By the time Razvan saw Jonathon’s van ease to a stop, his eyes throbbed in their sockets from darting around in all directions while being pelted by snow.
The quartet of houses below were the only ones on this street without Christmas lights. They sat cloaked in darkness without even the illumination of a porch light. The curtains were drawn, giving no view of the menace inside.
He watched Trey circle around the easternmost house, gun drawn. The remainder of his party fanned out behind him. Two kept a lookout for spectators.
Trey made it five feet before the front door opened and a vampire launched out. At the same time, two others came from around the sides of the house.
Trey dropped his attacker with two bullets to the heart. Chang seemed to materialize out of nowhere, breaking one vampire’s neck with his hands and catching the other in the throat with a roundhouse kick.
Another vampire came out the front door in a blinding rush and Trey shot her in the head before going in. The others picked up the bodies and followed him inside. Razvan smiled in approval. Things were progressing well on this end. He flew to the westernmost house. It was time to check on Silas’s party.
Sarah had shot three of Selena’s vampires. Jonathon and Salazar were gathering up the corpses while Akasha studiously covered the bloodstains with snow while avoiding looking at the guns. The blood would disintegrate when the sun rose.
Razvan, Silas spoke in his mind, we have a witness. I am going to take care of him.
A car had turned onto the street, illuminating the fight in its high beams. The driver gaped dumbly at them like a landed trout. Razvan blinked and then Silas was beside the driver’s door.
By the time Sarah was leading her party into the westernmost house, the human was driving away, gazing forward with a dreamy look on his face. His memory of seeing them had been obliterated... and likely McNaught had gotten a snack for the trouble.
Akasha and Silas drew their swords as Razvan landed beside them. He unfastened his gun from the strap and partially drew it from his coat. The handle was so cold that he wondered if his skin would stick to the metal.
Using the blood bond he held with his subordinates, he sent a thought out to Trey: what is happening at your end?
Trey sent him an image of a living room that would resemble the set of a television sitcom, if it weren’t for the raucous bloodbath.
The group fought about six vampires. Four others were down on the floor, possibly dead. One of Silas’s vampires had a gash on his forehead, but he appeared to be the only one on their side who was injured....so far.
I gotta let you go, boss. Trey’s voice sounded in his head, it’s hard to shoot like this and I need to reload.
Very well, Razvan replied. Let me know when you find the underground passage.
He came back to himself and followed Silas and Akasha into the house.
Ten of Selena’s guards were already in action. Sarah crouched behind an overturned sofa firing at whatever came into range. Jonathon had a large male in a headlock as he sliced his throat open with a scalpel. His gun was at the small of his back, undrawn for now.
A female ran at Akasha with a kitchen knife. Akasha decapitated her in a smooth swipe of her sword. Silas saluted a male who had his own sword before their blades met in clanging combat. Razvan was beginning to think he wasn’t going to get any action.
He caught a flash of movement at the corner of his eye and spun in that direction, fangs bared and eager to devour his ene
my.
A bedroom door was open a crack and to his disbelief, a hand had emerged, waving a white pillowcase. With wary steps he went down the hall and crouched, aiming his gun at the center of the door.
“Tell me who you are and what you want.” His voice rang out in command. “Or I will shoot through this door and blast you through the heart and whatever else I can hit.”
“My name is Jessica. I am with another vampire who is badly hurt,” a quavering voice replied. “I hear you have a doctor with you. We would like to surrender if you help him.”
Razvan cursed under his breath. He hadn’t expected to take prisoners. “I assume you are referring to only yourselves. The ones out here do not seem to be in a surrendering mood.”
He heard a defeated sigh and a moan of pain from further in the room.
“Open the door and we shall negotiate,” Razvan said, writhing with impatience. “And make it quick.”
Before the door opened all the way, he bolted inside and seized the female by the throat. A quick glance around the small bedroom assured him that she was telling the truth. A male lay on the bed in a contorted position, panting in agony.
“What happened to him?”
The scrawny female struggled to take a breath and he loosened his grip slightly. “Justin displeased our lord and she broke his back. It’s healing wrong and pinching his nerves. He needs treatment.”
“And what of your mistress?” Razvan asked silkily.
Jessica shuddered. “She’s gone mad. We just want to escape, don’t we, Justin?”
Justin whimpered in what sounded like assent.
“Tell me how to get to Jayden and how many more of Selena’s minions lie in wait and I’ll think about it,” he told them.
“But you said,” Jessica protested, but he cut her off, tightening his fingers around her throat once more.
“I am the one in power here. It would do well for you to obey me, girl,” Razvan hissed and released her.
The female shivered. “Jayden is in the chambers below. Selena is seeing if she can locate the missing band. Michael bruised her a bit but she is otherwise unharmed.” She smiled weakly at Razvan’s relieved sigh and continued. “The last time I saw, there were about fifty members of the order down there.”