They were fed daily, taken to the restroom, and nothing else. They were being kept alive. The only time anything happened was when someone wanted to beat on the prisoners. They were hit with fists, night sticks, and even the barrels of the soldiers’ guns. Enough to cause severe pain, but never enough to kill. The guards asked questions about Jules, about the rest of the family, but Michael and Jolice never answered. They would rather die than give up their family. They both knew it may just come to that.
He tested the restraints once again, knowing they wouldn’t budge. A soft whimper came from Jolice’s cell. “I am so sorry,” Michael told her. “I hope this is over soon.”
“They aren’t coming for us, are they?” she asked.
“I hope not,” he replied. Michael hoped his family would know this was a means to get their attention. A trap.
There was noise coming from the opposite side of the thick metal door that led to freedom. Voices. At least five. From the sound of it, they were bringing in another prisoner. Michael backed away from the iron bars and waited. The door opened. The dark skinned witch was leading, the others following. The followers were soldiers, dressed in military uniforms. They were dragging someone. The woman opened the cell adjacent to mine, next to Jolice. He heard her gasp. Curiosity got the better of him and Michael inched toward the bars, trying to get a better look. The soldiers had their backs to him, so all he could see were the legs of the new prisoner. He hoped it wasn’t anyone he knew.
“Get in there and shut up!” the witch spat. “Lock it down. Incara besta wingatta,” the latter was a spell, Michael knew that. A spell to keep the cell locked. A spell to prevent Jolice from casting any spells. Jolice had tried spell after spell, but gained nothing but exhaustion.
“You all will be good, the Boss will be here shortly to talk with you,” the witch said to the prisoners as she pivoted on her spiked heel and turned to leave, taking the soldiers with her.
When they were gone, and the heavy metal door closed, Michael dared a look at the new prisoner. He was bleeding from his nose, bruised, but alive. “Andrew,” Michael whispered, his heart sinking. They were being collected, Michael realized. The Dark Alliance was collecting the humans that were important to his family. For what purpose, Michael couldn’t be certain. All he knew was they were being herded into a situation for, leverage, maybe?
Andrew told Michael of the tornado, and how they were staying in Jacksonville. Michael told Andrew of the things he had been through since being captured. They were silenced by the door opening. A man walked in, a petite redhead at his side. He was tall and dark haired, his accent thick. Michael thought the girl with him looked familiar, but couldn’t bring it to the forefront of his exhausted mind. “Welcome,” the man said, standing between the cells. “I am sure you are wondering why you are here,” he continued without pausing for a response. He paced the walkway between the cells as he spoke. “You will all serve a purpose, you will all be rewarded for your services if you cooperate. Will you join us? Will you carry out your duties?”
“Are you insane?” Michael sneered. “We will never join you; we will never help you.”
“Oh, you will, the question is, will you do it willingly? Either way, you will fulfill your purpose. It does not matter to me.”
“I would rather die,” Michael spat.
“In due time, don’t you worry.” the man smiled, bearing his teeth. Michael knew he was not a vampire, not a wolf, but not exactly a demon either. He was something else. Michael tried to remember where he saw a creature like this before, but his mind was so exhausted.
“Soon, we will have our final pawn, my wife, and things will be set in motion. The time has come, we will prevail.” the man continued talking.
“They will stop you,” Michael said.
“Ha! I have seen what this world is capable of! Where, do you suppose, they will find a pure human soul, willing to make the sacrifice necessary to stop me? Where will they find someone so selfless, so ready to give everything for the good of this world? I have never met a soul that was not corruptible.”
Michael knew what he was talking about. There were stories about the one who could stop this madness. A pure human soul with enough hope and love for the whole world. A soul who would stand for the side of all that was good, with no possibility of being enticed by evil. Michael knew, if his family knew what to look for, that they would find it. He had enough faith in human kind to know this person must exist; God would not allow this to happen without the possibility of redemption. But would they find it? Would they know what to look for? Michael had been unable to share this information with his family before he and Jolice were taken. He slunk back against his cell wall, defeated. All they could do now, was wait. Wait for a rescue that was most likely not coming. The rescue he hoped with all his heart would not come.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Kelly woke the next morning snuggled up in the blankets of Phoenix’s bed. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep there. She could smell his scent on the sheets. It was the same scent as a distant campfire, sweet and smoky. She scanned the room with her eyes, unwilling to pull herself from the comfort of his bed just yet, but discovered she was alone. She was disappointed that he was not there. Had he slept beside her? She remembered watching a movie and then drifting into the best sleep she’d had in weeks.
She saw her sketchbook on his dresser, and she was certain she hadn’t left it there. She got out of bed and walked over to it. It was open to one of the many sketches of Phoenix. The picture depicted him in flight, his wings spread wide and the sky was his playground. That triggered another thought in her head. He had heard what she was thinking. Not got an idea of her thoughts, heard her word for word. She had been very tired, but she was sure of it. He seemed to know what she was thinking a lot, actually. She recalled when they flew together that he knew that she wanted him to go faster. He had a tendency to answer her when she never spoke a question. She knew she had to find out for certain, and she was going to find out that very day.
She threw on a pair of jeans and black t-shirt that was lying across the dresser. They were new, tags still on them. It wouldn’t have normally been her first choice, they were very plain. But they had lost almost all of their clothes in the tornado so she didn’t have the pleasure of being picky. At least they fit. She left the room and went down to the community kitchen. No one was there. She went back upstairs to her mother’s and Nick’s room.
“Come in,” Jules’s voice answered when she knocked.
The first thing Kelly noticed was that her mother did not look good. She was even paler than before with dark, bruise like circles under her eyes. The other vampires in her family looked just as bad. It seemed that while she was sleeping, everyone had gathered in that room for a meeting she hadn’t been privy to.
It was the look on Phoenix’s face that disturbed her the most. He looked like his puppy just died.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Andrew didn’t come back last night,” Phoenix said.
“We called, we searched. The car is missing, his phone isn’t working.” Jared said.
“I thought you guys left together,” she said.
“We left at the same time, but he took the Porsche, and I took the Mustang. I went to Wal-Mart to get some more clothes, sorry about that by the way, there isn’t much in the way of shopping around here, when I got back, Andrew wasn’t here. And he hasn’t come back.”
“Did you check the hospitals? Maybe he was in an accident?” she offered.
“Yes, no luck.” Jared looked horrible. His eyes were red and swollen. He had been crying. He looked as if he were a man sentenced to burn at the stake.
“You don’t look good, Mom, did you find what you were looking for?” Kelly asked, changing the subject.
“No,” was her reply.
“What will happen if you don’t find some blood soon?” she asked. She knew they hadn’t fed in over a week. At first, the idea grossed her out, but
she got used to it. It was no different than seeing them drink wine or something else red. Kelly had even gotten used to the coppery smell.
“We will get weaker. It won’t kill us, so don’t worry about that. It will just be very uncomfortable,” Victor explained. She hated that it was causing them pain. She wished there was something she could do. But then, wasn’t there? Kelly wasn’t completely helpless in this department. She nodded to herself as the plan began to form.
The vampires and Phoenix were going to go out searching. Of course, Kelly had to stay with Jared, for protection. No one was to be left alone now. They all knew something crazy was going on. Before they left, Kelly decided to test her theory. Phoenix, will you join me in my room real quick before you leave? She thought. She thought it really strong, looking right at him. Then she turned and went down to the kitchen before going to her room.
Kelly didn’t wait for a response from him; she just left. When she was inside her own bedroom, she left the door ajar. Within minutes, Phoenix appeared in the doorway.
“Got to make this fast,” he said. “I need to fly over town and see if I can find Andrew.”
“Why did you come to my room?” she asked.
“Because you asked me too, what was it you needed?”
“Two things,” she explained. “The first, was to prove a point. I only asked you to join me in my head. You heard it.”
“Don’t be silly, we don’t have time for games,” he said irritated. He started to leave when she tried it again.
Look at me. At my face. She thought.
He turned and looked. He was looking right at her face. She tried it again. You can hear me, can’t you?
“Holy shit!” he exclaimed. “How are you doing that?”
“I don’t know. But I suspected as much when you started answering my thoughts. As far as I can tell, it’s only you. Can you hear anyone else?”
“Not as far as I know,” he answered while shaking his head.
“This is so cool. I never talked to anyone with my mind before,” Kelly said.
“We are not done with this conversation, but we need to move things along,” he said. Kelly could tell this was just as fascinating for him as it was for her. His bright orange eyes glimmered a little. They were beautiful. Just like him.
“Well, now that’s out, there’s the other thing I needed you for,” Kelly didn’t wait for him to say anything. She took the two glasses she picked up from the kitchen, along with the pocket knife she always carried. She brought the knife over her wrist, and before he could protest, Kelly drew the blade deep across her arm. It hurt. A lot. Deep crimson red blood poured from her arm.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he demanded. Phoenix tried to grab her arm, alarm on his face. But she stopped him. Wait, she thought. This is the one thing I can do for my family, let me. It won’t be much, but it will help some.
“You’re insane,” he said, but made no other move to stop her. She allowed the blood to trickle into the glasses. When she began to feel lightheaded, and Phoenix took his arm. His hands pressed over the wound, stopping the bleeding. His wings shimmered a little, a small but hot blue flame spread over them. It looked like the low flame on a gas stove. His hands got hot. He looked like he was concentrating very hard. When he let go of her arm, it was healed. Not even a scar.
“Lay down until I get back. Jared will stay with you,” he commanded. Since she still felt dizzy, Kelly did as he asked. She saw him pick up the two glasses and head out the door. She heard his footsteps to her mother’s room. She also heard him announce that she had lost her ever-loving mind. They weren’t happy about it, but Kelly understood that the vampires were hungry enough, they didn’t argue about it.
“Here, drink this,” Jared said as he stood over her. She must have dozed off. He was holding a glass of orange juice in one hand and a plate in the other. On the plate was a glazed donut.
“Thanks,” she told him, pushing up on her elbows.
“That was a dangerous thing you did. You could have given too much.”
“They wouldn’t have let me, you know that. That’s why I asked Phoenix to come in here. I knew he could fix me. I wouldn’t have done it without him.”
“How did you convince him to let you do it in the first place?”
“I didn’t ask, I just did it. I knew Andrew saved Nick by letting him drink, so I thought, there’s no reason for my family to suffer if I can help.” She saw Jared wince a little at the mention of Andrew.
“You are crazy, you know? It’s no wonder Phoenix likes you so much.”
“You think he likes me?” she asked, chewing on her donut.
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s making your mother crazy.” he said. His expression led her to believe he enjoyed her mother’s unnecessary angst.
“He can hear what I’m thinking,” she blurted out. “It’s really weird.”
“Really? Does anyone else know this?”
“Just me and Phoenix, and now you. I just figured it out for sure this morning. What do you think that means?”
“Well, I know Phoenix isn’t a mind reader, so it must be you. Can you hear him?”
“Don’t know,” I said in between gulps of orange juice. “Never tried.”
“Try thinking something at me,” he said.
She tried.
“Anything?” she asked.
He just shook his head. “Nothing.” After a moment of thought he continued, “Some people think that, especially in the circles I travel in, that soul mates can hear each other’s thoughts. Maybe that’s what you guys are.”
“Now who’s crazy?” she laughed. That was the silliest thing she heard in a long time.
“I’m just saying...” he said. Kelly smiled at him, but she was too tired to respond. She sank down into the bed and fell back into a dreamless slumber.
Phoenix was flying over the city of Jacksonville at about thirty thousand feet. It was a good thing he had super keen eyesight. He was searching for the Porsche, or any sign of Andrew for that matter. He flew for hours, then he decided to fly back to Boston. That made three members of his family that were missing. They had left a note on what was left of the mansion in case Michael came back, but he wanted to check anyway.
The note was still there. As far as Phoenix could tell, no one had been there whatsoever. It looked exactly the same as it had weeks earlier. There was nothing new. No new scents, no sign of Michael or Jolice. Phoenix considered writing where they were staying on the tattered note, but decided against it. He couldn’t help but wonder if someone was watching him. He felt it boring into his back like a light through a magnifying glass. He looked around, but didn’t see anyone. He shrugged his shoulders and shot back into the air.
In the air, Phoenix let his mind wonder. It was so strange, people disappearing like this. He worried about Kelly even though he knew her parents and Jared wouldn’t let her out of their sights for even a minute. It didn’t matter though. Phoenix knew he had to be there to protect her. Even if it meant giving his life for her, permanently. It was then that he realized without a doubt that he was in love with her. For the first time in his long life, Phoenix had found the other half of his soul.
It was even stranger to hear what Kelly was thinking. How many times had he answered her thoughts instead of spoken words? He wondered, what was she thinking now? He concentrated on her but all he got was flashes of memories, faces and words that had no meaning to him. He was surprised as hell to even connect on that level.
When he finally returned to North Carolina, he saw it. A flash of red against green. He circled around and flew closer. It was the Porsche. Rachel’s car. It was hidden in thicket of bushes on the outskirts of town. Phoenix looked around and saw no one, and then dropped from the sky like a bolt of lightning.
He approached the car, prepared for the worst, ready to heal if it wasn’t already too late. He expected to find a corpse, but the car was empty. The keys were still in the ignition. He checked the license plate
to be sure, but he already knew he was right. Andrew’s phone was in the passenger seat. Phoenix squeezed in and turned the key. The car jerked to life and he folded himself into the seat and drove it back to the inn.
On the way, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Getting to it was a task. After a considerable challenge, he freed his phone and answered it.
“Phoenix, it’s Michelle. Are you there?” her voice was panicked.
“Yeah. What’s up?”
“It’s Heidi. I can’t find her anywhere. I tried her phone, but, Phoenix, I think someone took her. Her sword and her bike are here. You gotta help me. You have to help me find my sister.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Phoenix broke more than one speed limit law on his way back to the inn. He found Kelly sleeping in his room and Jared sprawled out on the other bed reading quietly. Bram Stoker’s Dracula, of all things. Phoenix rolled his eyes. When Jared saw him, he dropped the book on the bedside table and sat up.
“She’s been asleep since you left,” he said in a whisper.
“Where’s everyone else?” Phoenix whispered back.
“Not back yet. Find anything?”
“Yeah, I did.” Phoenix reluctantly told him about finding the car. The look on Jared’s face was something far beyond worry. Beyond pain. It was a mask of anguish and horror. Phoenix felt his own heart pulling apart as he explained that there was no sign of struggle, no sign of Andrew. He told him about the conversation with Michelle, and how she had the police looking for her sister.
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