“Because Sunaria’s connected the dots wrong.”
“Then how should they be connected?”
He moved away, head down.
“Something must have happened for Sunaria to assume Paradom is Dominion.” I said, pushing Lucas for an answer.
“Jacob’s visited Paradom for decades.” Lucas’s face flushed as though with remorse for not telling me. “Sunaria followed Jacob a week ago. By the time Jacob realized she’d tracked him, it was too late.”
“Go on.”
“About one hundred years ago, what happened to you also happened to Paradom. His ashes were joined with another vampire.” Lucas looked nervous. “Jacob visits him out of guilt.”
“Why?”
“Paradom looks the way he does because of a failed attempt by Jacob to separate him.”
I wave of nausea hit me.
Lucas looked grave. “Paradom is no longer joined with anyone.”
“What?”
“The failure of the attempt left Paradom looking the way he does.”
“What happened to the other vampire?” I asked, my voice tense.
Jacob’s eyes were downcast.
“He died?” I said it for him, my legs unsteady.
Lucas gestured his reassurance. “That won’t happen to you. We’ll get the scrolls. Fabian and I will ensure your survival.”
I tasted fear.
“Jacob sent you to see Paradom because he didn’t want you to disappear.” Lucas shrugged. “You seeing Paradom was meant to motivate your desire to revert.”
“He’s lucky Paradom didn’t tell me what happened to him,” I said. “I might very well have changed my mind and disappeared.” And then it dawned on me. “Paradom still thinks he’s joined with another vampire?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so.”
I cringed. “So who the hell is Dominion?”
“Jacob refuses to tell me anything,” Lucas admitted. “All I know is he’s hidden where no one will ever look.”
“Lucas, why do I feel I’m caught in the middle of your refusal to trust me.”
“Orpheus was unpredictable,” Lucas said. “I’m trying to protect you from yourself.”
“I’m not Orpheus.”
“That’s partly true.”
“So I’m not going to end up looking like Paradom?” My voice broke. “Unless you fuck up my reversal?”
“We won’t.”
My shoulders slumped, the tension promising to lift.
“We should have told you the truth about Paradom,” Lucas conceded. “I’m sorry.”
I lowered my chin acknowledging there was an apology at least. “Have you any idea of the absolute fear you’ve all put me through?”
“Forgive me,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“Anything else you’re not telling me?”
“I’m afraid the rumor that Paradom is Dominion has spread.” He caressed his temple. “Fear breeds lies.”
“Paradom,” I said, “can nothing be done for him?”
“I’m not sure.” He reached out to me needing to see he’d regained my trust. “William . . .”
I gave his arm a squeeze and then pointed to the Champagne. “Nice touch, by the way.”
“I didn’t order it. We thought you did.”
I studied the bottle and then the china plate where a single strawberry was left uneaten. “I fed them to her.”
Lucas bolted over to the window and I quickly joined him.
Across the street, standing on the pavement was Raven, and in his hand he was dangling a set of car keys.
I flung open the window and flew toward him landing a few feet away.
Raven held his hand up. “If anything happens to me you’ll never see Ingrid again.”
“What is this?” I snapped.
“Bring us Paradom and Ingrid is yours again.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, already suspecting the answer.
Raven took a step back. “Just bring him. He’s been captured by Sovereign.”
“What? When?” I balled my fists, ready to punch him.
“Last night,” Raven said warily.
“How do you know that?” Lucas asked.
Raven sneered. “Paradom didn’t go quietly.”
My anger rose. “And you didn’t help him?”
Raven looked surprised. “You’d be hard pressed to find any vampire willing to confront them.”
“Where?” I asked.
“They were followed back to Bodiam Castle.” Raven’s narrow gaze slid over to Lucas.
“They’ll kill him,” Lucas said.
“We can’t assume anything,” said Raven. “If Sovereign hand him over to the Stone Masters . . .”
“That place will be locked down,” I reasoned. “Impenetrable.”
“Not my concern,” Raven said.
“If you so much as lay a finger on Ingrid,” I warned him, “I will rip your heart out with my bare hands.”
“Where shall we meet you?” Lucas asked.
“Stonehenge,” Raven said. “I’ll give you until tomorrow night.”
Lucas grasped the back of my shirt, preventing me from attacking him.
Raven threw me a look of disdain and then disappeared.
Lucas’s grip slid to my arm. “William, you can’t go. It’s too dangerous.”
“They have Ingrid,” I snapped.
“Fabian would never forgive me if I let you anywhere near that place,” he said.
“Lucas, they have the scrolls.” My stare stayed on him.
“Still,” he reasoned. “You’re not going alone.”
Chapter 33
I CAME UP FOR AIR, having navigated the murky moat of Bodiam Castle.
The stale water tasted fourteenth century. I coughed several times as I pulled myself up the side of the dank underwater cavern. An echo magnified my every move and even my breaths came back exaggerated.
Lucas’s head appeared out of the water. I grabbed the back of his shirt to pull him up and onto the ledge beside me.
“Going through the front door doesn’t sound so bad now,” Lucas whispered, resting back against the brick.
Just up ahead the tunnel turned in a westerly direction; the echo of the water lapping was the only sound.
“Bodiam was built to fend off a French invasion.” Lucas tugged at his soaked shirt.
I raised an eyebrow. “The French again.”
His expression changed. “I’m going to die down here, I just know it.”
“No you’re not. Why don’t you stay here? You’ve got me this far.”
“I’m not letting you go in there alone.”
“Less conspicuous if it’s just one.” I peered down the tunnel.
“We get Ingrid, and then the scrolls,” Lucas said, “and then we get the hell out of here.”
“Let’s not forget Paradom.” I stood up.
“I don’t have a good feeling about any of this.” Lucas rose and sidled toward me. He jolted back and shoved me up against the wall, trying to hide us from the flashlights sweeping up and along.
There was a loud splash and the water swirled near our feet.
Lucas edged his way further along the ledge again and peered around the corner then held up four fingers indicating the number of men. Suddenly to our right the drawbridge came crashing down, splashing through the water and sealing off our exit.
Lucas grabbed my arm. “They’re coming this way!”
“We have to get back in.” Though even as I said those words I doubted it was the best idea.
Lucas’s eyes widened. “They’ll kill us.”
Easing myself back down into the water, I gestured frantically for Lucas to follow. He too lowered himself in, his face full of fear. I dragged him under until we were resting on the bottom of the tunnel.
Above us torches swept the surface.
Out of the murkiness a blur drifted behind Lucas’s back. Sensing something, Lucas turned to look behind him. A wrinkled bat-lik
e face shot toward his, the eyes black as night, the twisted mouth gasping for air.
Lucas sprung upward, quickly reaching the surface.
Above, there came a scuffle and then yelling, as Lucas was being dragged out of the water.
I sprang out of the water, landing on the ledge—
And flinched.
A silver tipped arrow was just inches from my forehead, pulled taut on a bow. The teenager holding it was dressed in a doublet emblazoned with a knight’s coat of arms.
Lucas was gone.
My throat tightened and I swallowed my fear.
A bloodied and ravaged Paradom thrashed at the drawbridge, trying to claw his way out.
“Who are you?” I asked the teenager.
“The one holding the weapon is the one who asks the questions,” he replied.
His name rippled as though out of the ether . . . Aiden Crowther.
“Paradom,” he called out, “I have one of your own here. If you don’t return to your cell, I’ll kill him.”
“How quickly can you reload?” I glanced over at Paradom.
Aiden drew back the arrow heightening its tension. “Once this lodges in your brain you won’t much care.”
I sent a trance wave directly into Aiden’s mind but it had no effect.
Paradom disappeared beneath the surface, leaving behind a trail of bubbles heading back into the castle.
“Who told you about this place?” Aiden asked, now directing the bow toward my heart.
A fortyish bearded monk appeared, donning black rimmed spectacles and carrying his own bow. “Why haven’t you shot it yet?” he asked, reaching for an arrow, readying it in his bow and pulling it taut.
Aiden’s right eye twitched. “Dad, I can handle this.”
I turned my mind gift onto the monk and attempted to trance him out.
“I can feel that,” the monk said, and fired.
* * * *
When I came round I couldn’t move.
The clang of chains wrapped around my body told me why. I’d been secured to a table. There was a strange tangy scent in the air that I couldn’t isolate and despite the age of the castle, this room had been modernized with stark walls and low hung cabinets.
Aiden’s face came into focus. “Incredible how they survive that.”
“You have to tell your dad it woke up,” the youthful voice came from behind me.
Aiden glanced up. “Not yet.”
“Don’t engage it,” the voice came again. “Remember?”
“Bring me that knife.” Aiden unbuttoned my shirt, though boredom soon struck and he ripped it open, popping off the buttons.
“Aiden?” I said.
“It read my mind,” Aiden said. “He’s not meant to be able to do that.”
“Maybe you need to take more . . . you know,” his friend vaguely suggested.
Aiden was now holding a knife. “Even if I cut out its heart it can survive, want to see?”
“I’m not an it.” My terror turned in on itself as my thoughts turned to Lucas.
“Screaming’s permitted, talking isn’t.” He sliced into my chest and then lifted the blade and blood oozed from the cut.
With my jaw tightly clenched, I barely held back.
“Heals instantly.” Aiden snapped his head up again. “Come closer. You can’t see from there.”
Whoever was behind me stayed put.
I caught a glimpse of the signet ring on Aiden’s small finger. The crest was an engraved snake wrapped around a skeleton key.
I tried to breath through my panic. “Who’s in charge? I need to speak with them.”
Aiden’s tongue licked the tip of the knife and he rolled back his eyes, spacing out.
“Let’s go now,” came the voice.
“My dad doesn’t need to know.” Aiden offered the knife back to his friend and a hand came out of nowhere and took it.
The room started spinning.
“Not sure if anyone’s ever told you this before but you’re a perfect specimen.” Aiden peered over at his friend. “And like all specimens he must be cut up.”
“Lucas?” his name slipped out, but all I could think of was him.
“That’s the other one he came with,” said the discarnate voice.
“Why did you come here?” Aiden asked.
Nausea welled and I lifted my head an inch and glanced over toward the door.
Aiden bit his lip in feigned concern. “You’re friend’s probably dead.”
His friend gasped. “Shit, don’t rile it up.”
“It’s tied down,” Aiden insisted. “Can’t do anything with this much silver wrapped around it.”
Aiden fiddled with my trousers. “I’m going to castrate you if you don’t start talking.” He clicked his fingers to get the knife back.
I sent a willful command his way, trying to trance him out.
Aiden’s head shot up. “Did you feel that?” His frown deepened. “Shut your mind down,” he warned his friend.
I willed a shockwave through the chains and one by one they snapped and fell, clinking when they hit the floor. I clambered off the table and stood before Aiden and swiped his knife, turning it on him. Holding it firmly, I pressed the tip against his neck.
Aiden’s eyes widened in terror.
“Where’s my friend?” I asked.
“With my dad,” he muttered.
I glanced over at Aiden’s timid accomplice who was slightly taller than him; pimple faced and teenage thin. “What’s your name?” I asked him.
The boy cowered.
“Shawn?” I asked. “Where are they keeping him?”
“Don’t tell him,” Aiden said.
I narrowed my gaze. “What are you taking to block your thoughts?”
“Nothing,” Aiden lied.
“Shawn, say goodbye to Aiden,” I threatened.
Shawn mumbled, “Mercury.”
“Shut up,” Aiden snapped at him.
“Vamps can’t metabolize it.” Shawn’s words spilled with his dread. “It affects their central nervous system.”
“Are all members of Sovereign taking it?” I asked.
“Please let him go now,” Shawn begged.
“Answer me!” I snapped.
Whirling arrows found their mark and pierced my flesh, sending jolting pain, penetrating deep into my back and trailing behind each one were thin silver chains. I slumped to my knees.
The men who’d shot them were all dressed as monks and they were encircling me, wrapping the chains around my chest and binding my arms to my sides. Aiden wore a look of arrogant pride.
“Did you unchain it?” Crowther seethed with fury.
“No,” Aiden replied hastily.
Crowther strolled around me. “You’re playing with fire,” he said to Aiden.
Aiden’s friend was hopping from one foot to the next.
Crowther peered over his lenses at him. “Didn’t we discuss the importance of following orders?”
Aiden’s voice trembled. “We were trying to get it to talk.”
Crowther removed a pistol from his pocket and aimed it directly at Shawn. “Shall I show you what happens when you disobey?”
Aiden flinched. “Dad please.”
The shot rang out and the bullet lodged in Shawn’s chest; he puffed out his cheeks, his face scarlet, his breath gone from him. He fell forward, his face striking the floor—
Dead.
Crowther glared back at Aiden. “Did I make my point?”
Aiden’s stifled moans filled the room.
They dragged me to my feet and we passed Shawn’s body out and along the corridor. The shock of each arrow coursed through me, the pain of their tug in my flesh blinding my way. We passed door after door and I sensed other vampires were trapped in those rooms. I was shoved inside a small cell and the monks bullied me to my knees; the chains dangling around me, all strength to fight my way out of them gone.
Crowther appeared in the doorway. “You got inside my s
on’s mind.”
“Your son needed no encouragement,” I said.
Peering over his spectacles, Crowther said, “You’re damned.”
“You just shot a boy in cold blood.” Struggling to break free I cursed my inability to read his thoughts.
“Imagine what I’m going to do to you.” He knelt before me. “During the second world war, Bodiam’s dungeons were adapted as a secret bunker. We’ve updated them since. Reinforced the walls. It’s sound tight. Bodiam’s secluded location makes it ideal for our purpose.”
Words failed me, my gut wrenching with regret for failing Lucas, failing Ingrid, failing everyone.
“No one will hear you.” His intensity deepened. “How did you find out about this place?” Crowther yanked on one of the chains.
Sending a jolt of pain into my flesh. “The entire underworld knows about Bodiam,” I bluffed.
Crowther twitched. “It’s lying.”
“My name’s William.” Concentrating hard, I sent a burst of energy straight into his front lobe.
Unaffected he said, “Your name is abomination.” Crowther gestured to his men. “We’ll use this one instead.” He rose and headed out.
The door slammed shut behind him.
Chapter 34
AFTER WHAT MUST HAVE been the twenty-fourth hour came and went I struggled to hold onto my aimless thoughts; a stream of internal dialogue that was no longer assuring I’d survive, but had taken on a threatening tone, decimating all hope.
I’d been left alone with nothing but my crazed deliberations and the agony of knowing I’d missed the deadline of meeting Raven at Stonehenge. Although I’d sent mind messages to Lucas, I’d gotten nothing back. The only sounds were the terrified cries of vampires locked up in the other cells.
In between long, chilling silences.
Silver tipped arrows were still embedded, though the shooting pains had lessoned; perhaps my flesh was growing used their intrusion.
Too fraught to sleep, I waited for Crowther’s men to return.
And eventually they did, dragging me out down endless corridors. I staggered to keep up with their disregarding strides. We entered a large hall.
Roughly I was secured upon a central table. Taking in the high beamed ceiling, I tried to fathom the mistakes that had brought me here, full of self-hate for delivering myself into their hands.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I told myself this wasn’t the ritual of torture once used by the Stone Masters. Though when the long line of monks streamed in, I knew it was. With brutal determination by the men who surrounded me, my arms were stretched out wide to either side of me.
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