I sighed; I wanted to get this over with. I redialed the number that had called me.
Andrei picked up. “That was rather quick. But you always were good at giving people the slip, now weren’t you?”
“Yes, I am rather good at that.” I had a really bad feeling about this. I didn’t know what else to do though. That’s when I had a thought. I could text Dante as soon as I was far enough away that he wouldn’t find me too fast. “So where is it that you want me to go?”
“Ah yes. Do you know where the old cemetery for Western State Asylum is located?”
“Really? A cemetery? You couldn’t come up with a place that is little less cliché than that?” I snorted.
“It does seem an appropriate place for this, don’t you think?”
That’s about when I knew I really was dealing with a mentally disturbed vampire. I had no idea what he was talking about. I decided to just agree with him. I was beginning to suspect that he was losing it. That can happen to some of us creatures that live for long periods of time. We sometimes lose our grip on reality. I was thinking that maybe Andrei was doing just that. That could be both very bad and very good. Now how did I get Dante the message? I needed Andrei off the phone so I could text without Andrei knowing.
“Sure. Now I have to concentrate on driving. I’ll see you when I arrive.”
“Remember what I told you, Natalya. If I see any of your friends, then they will all die.” He hung up.
I quickly texted Dante; I didn’t know what to say to Radek so I didn’t bother. I told him where I was going and not to come. Within seconds of sending it, my phone rang. Typical. It was Dante, so I answered.
“I know, I know, I know, Dante. This is stupid. But this may be the only way we can get close to him. He has Val. Oh one more thing; I think his mind is going,” I got out before he could say anything.
“What do you think you are doing Natalya?” He was livid. I had never heard him sound like that. It scared me just a little.
“I’m doing what I can for Val and the rest of you. If I go, he’ll stop doing whatever he is doing to Val and will leave the rest of you alone.” I was trying to convince him that I knew what I was doing. I didn’t, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Interesting. What makes you think that he will keep his word?” he asked, still angry.
“I have no idea,” I told him honestly.
“So you are going alone to meet up with the vampire that wants you dead, knowing that he may be going crazy, and you expect me not to be upset? Radek is going to be furious. I know for a fact that Val would not want you to do this.”
“Oh, I expect you to be upset, but I also expect you to see it from my side. You know you would do the same thing if you were in this situation. If there is even the slightest chance that by going I can save the rest of you and maybe stop them from torturing Val, I have to do it,” I pleaded for him to understand.
“I can see it from your perspective. That doesn’t mean I like it or agree with you,” he said.
My phone was buzzing, telling me I had another call. I glanced at it – it was Radek. I really didn’t want to talk to him right now. “I know Dante, but I need to try this. I’ve told you where I’m going. You can track me with my GPS implant. He did say that anyone that shows up will be killed. What if by sacrificing myself, I saved everyone a battle. I don’t think I could handle knowing that there might have been another way if we lost someone in another battle.”
“Natalya, I know how you feel, but you’re way too valuable to do this. Please reconsider,” Dante was pleading.
“I can’t. You do what you have to, Dante, and I will do what I must. I’ve been responsible for far too many deaths,” I added softly.
“We all have, Natalya, we all have,” he said with great sorrow in his voice. “Please don’t make me have yours on my conscience as well.”
“I can’t see any other way right now. He said that he will torture Val unless I come. I know he meant it. I can’t be responsible for that and you know it.”
“I know I can’t stop you,” Dante said. “There is someone else we can call to help. There is more that you need to know, Natalya.”
“Find us and come get us. I will do what I can from the inside to make it easier for you. If something happens to me, you know where I stored my things. Contact the people on the list. They will need to know. I’m going now, Dante,” I told him. Then I hung up.
My phone was ringing. I knew who it was. I still didn’t know what to say to Radek, but I did need to tell him something. What if I never got to talk to him again? This time I answered.
“Sorry. I was on the phone with Dante.”
“What the hell are you doing, Natalya? And why did you steal my car? And what is this that Andrei has my father and you are going to go get him?” He was livid and breathing hard.
“I’m going to meet with Andrei.” I might as well not beat around the bush.
“You are doing what?” His voice got lower in his anger.
I spoke slowly so he would understand. “I am going to meet with Andrei. I just had this argument with Dante and don’t feel up to it with you too. Come and find us.”
“I heard what you said. I just can’t believe that you could be so stupid.”
I could actually hear his teeth grinding together. “If you don’t calm down I’m going to hang up on you.”
“Where are you meeting him? I want to be there.” His voice was lethal.
“No, you are not expendable.” My tears were near the surface. I needed to get off the phone before I started crying.
“Like you are?” I could hear the pain in his voice this time. It broke my heart. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I didn’t want him dead either.
“I’m here and I need to get off the phone. Come and save us, Dek.” I hung up the phone. I gave it one last glance and turned it off.
I parked down the street at a grocery store and walked the rest of the way. I walked through the night into the park. The smell of the ashy, rotten stench of the two vampires hit me before I could see them. The first one I would know anywhere, Andrei. The other, there was something familiar about his scent, but I couldn’t place it. I didn’t have long to wait though.
When I saw who it was, I stopped dead in my tracks. What the… I couldn’t even complete the thought. I had killed him, felt the blade slide across his throat. His blood was on my hands and soul. I thought I must have been mistaken. I had hoped so – until he spoke. My heart stopped. I didn’t know if it would start again.
“Hello, Natalya. It’s lovely to see you after all these years,” Isaac said.
Every hair on the back of my neck was standing on end. How had Andrei brought him back – and why? I was in shock, to say the least. And by that sneer on his face, I could tell he didn’t like me.
“I’m glad to see that you have followed my directions, Kitten,” Andrei was saying, but it barely registered. “Are you listening to me, Natalya?”
“No, I’m not. I’m trying to figure out why I’m seeing a vampire instead of a ghost,” I said, finally coming to my senses.
Andrei laughed. It grated on my nerves and sent shivers down my spine.
“That’s quite a story. I knew that at some point you would defy me. You gave me the perfect tool to use against you. The one person you wouldn’t kill unless forced to. When Viktor came and told me how he had found you two, I knew I had the perfect person. You chose the person, so the fault is yours. I felt how hard you fought me that day. I knew it would only be a matter of time before you broke my hold on you. This was my insurance plan, as it were.” He laughed.
“You’re a real bastard, you know that?” I spat out. I was furious and sick. “Where is Valdimir?”
“He is in the van awaiting your arrival.” I could see Andrei’s insanity in his eyes. I don’t know how it had happened or when, but this vampire had lost his mind. Isaac wasn’t right either. I could smell it on him. He hadn’t been made right. I remember
ed something from Dante’s mind about that.
“Isaac, if you would so kindly restrain her, we can be on our way before anyone else joins us.” Andrei sounded so proud of himself.
“Of course, master,” Isaac said.
I didn’t flinch as the rough rope dug into the sensitive skin of my wrists. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Andrei would die for this. He should have let Isaac just die. I knew the kindest thing to do for Isaac would be to kill him, again. I didn’t think I could convince him that I’d been forced to do it. I could see the insanity in his eyes, as well. I couldn’t remember the exact details, but it was something I had picked up from Dante’s mind when we had been connected. If a vampire was created incorrectly, the best thing to do for them was to kill them. I just didn’t know if I could do it twice. I guessed I was going to find out. I would take them with me if it came down to it, but I wasn’t going to go easily. For now, though, I needed to make sure the ones I cared about were safe.
I followed them to the waiting van. It had no windows in the back. I saw Val lying there when the doors opened. He looked unconscious, but I wasn’t sure. Isaac shoved me into the back. With my hands bound behind me, I couldn’t catch myself and I fell into Val. I think he actually cushioned my landing on purpose. I tried to roll away, but only managed to get as far as his shoulder with my head. His smell was comforting and so similar to Radek’s. I buried my head in his shoulder, inhaling deeply before looking up at him. Val’s eyes were open and golden, showing me that he was livid. He gave me a smile that said he wasn’t surprised to see me, but wished he hadn’t. I laid my head back down on his shoulder and stayed still.
It seemed like hours that we rode like that. I really have no idea how long it was. Val and I didn’t speak, we just laid there in agonizing silence. Finally the van came to a stop. My body was aching from being bounced around on the metal floor of the van. As the doors came open, the smell of the ocean hit me. So we were somewhere near saltwater. That covered a lot of ground in Washington, so it didn’t help me much in determining where we were.
I could only assume that it was somewhere away from people. I could barely see it through all the trees, but I thought I saw a barn around fifty feet from the back of the van. An eerie silence surrounded us. Even the forest creatures didn’t dare make their presence known. I hated the look of it right away. I glanced at Val; his jaw was set and his expression gave nothing away. I was pushed forward and caught myself before I fell. I went up the slight hill toward the barn and house that slowly came into view.
“Take him into the barn. I want to play with my little Kitten for a while,” Andrei sneered.
I was not going to like that. Val lunged at his words, but Isaac hit him and knocked him out. I went with Andrei – it wasn’t like I had any kind of choice.
Chapter Twenty-six
Andrei led me into the basement. I could smell the lingering fear and blood. This was a place of torture and death. I took shallow breaths so I wouldn’t get that stench permanently stuck in my nose. That was the least of my problems and I knew it. I had to think about something other than being alone in a room with Andrei. His quiet laughing made me cringe on the inside. I tried to hide my emotions.
He pushed me against one of the walls and I slammed into it. I couldn’t catch myself because my hands were still bound. It hurt, but it wasn’t anything that would do permanent damage. I used the wall to stand and turn around. Andrei was right there and I could smell his rotten breath. He was sick. Reaching behind me, he quickly had my hands and feet spread and in chains.
I barely held it in when he licked the side of my face. I closed my eyes so at least I wouldn’t have to look at him while he did whatever he was going to do to me. I had a good idea of what was in store for me. I’d seen some of his work over the years, even experienced it on some occasions.
“I wish you had not made me punish you, Kitten. I do so love your little body. I will tell you the rules of this little game we play. If you shift, I will bring Valdimir in here and do to him the things I have in store for you. Am I making myself clear?”
“Yes,” I managed to say. Well there went that idea. I needed to meditate. One of the things we had been taught in training was how to deal with torture. I could handle this. At least that’s what I told myself.
“Yes, what?” he insisted.
Damn, I knew what he wanted me to call him, but I thought I would choke and die from saying it. I used everything I had to make the words come out of my mouth. “Yes, Master.”
He giggled like a little boy. “Oh, you are learning so well. Now I must start your punishment,” he said just as Isaac walked down the stairs.
Andrei turned to the other vampire. “Oh good, you are back. I need you to turn her around and secure her. I must hand out her punishment. Give her a dose of Dr. Cushan’s special mixture first. We don’t want her healing too fast.”
Whatever they were going to give me didn’t sound good. I didn’t think I was in a position to fight right now. Before I could come up with a strategy, Isaac had turned me and ripped the clothes from my body. Being naked wasn’t usually a big deal since I’m a shifter, but this just made my skin crawl. I pressed my face into the cold damp cement wall. I shut my eyes and tried to come up with something to stop me from thinking about what was being done to me. The only thing I could think of was that with these two concentrating on me, they were leaving Val alone.
I felt the prick of a needle, and fire started spreading through my veins. I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t cry out. I could taste my own blood. I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of hearing me scream.
I was trained in how to endure torture, and the teaching was coming back to me. I took deep breaths, ignoring the smells, and focused on removing myself from my head. Once I was able to reach that state of mind, I knew I was going to make it through. It really didn’t matter what they did to my body if they didn’t touch my mind or soul. I stayed in the trance-like state as they proceeded to whip me. It seemed it was happening to someone else. I held it together and didn’t make a sound. I kept out of my own head. I knew I could withstand this. The smell of my own blood was heavy in the air. I don’t know how long this went on, but it felt like it took forever. Finally, they were done with me.
I was surprised they didn’t bite me. Maybe it had something to do with what they had injected me with. I knew my wounds weren’t healing as they should. I was losing a lot of blood. I didn’t have the energy to worry about that now. I needed to get through this. Dawn had to be approaching soon. It couldn’t come soon enough for me. They finally released my hands and feet from the chains.
I collapsed onto the ground, lacking the strength to hold myself up. My back felt like it was on fire every time I took a breath. I wanted to let the darkness take me, but I resisted. The need to stay awake and aware was stronger. I was blocking out what they were saying. Someone pulled me up and threw me over their shoulder. I was powerless to stop him. My nose was deadened so I couldn’t tell who it was. I hung limp as he walked with me. It wasn’t long before I was thrown to the ground. I heard a metal door squeak and the only thing I could think of was that someone needed to oil that damn thing. Then I heard the click of a lock sliding into place. As the footsteps retreated, I managed to open my eyes.
“Natalya?” It was Val. His voice was harsh to my ears. I must have let out some kind of sound because he spoke again. “You shouldn’t have come. What did they do to you?” He sounded different. The drugs or lack of blood must be affecting my brain because I could barely understand what he was saying. I knew that I needed to say something to him, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around any thought. I tried breathing again and his scent finally registered. That snapped me out of it. It was another minute or so before I could speak.
“I’m fine,” I managed to say.
“You don’t look fine. You’re still bleeding. Why don’t you shift?” he said, his voice thick with emotion.
“Can’t,” I told
him.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Hurt you. Drugged.”
He was quiet for a while. I really didn’t know how long. The blackness was still threatening to overtake me.
“Rest, just rest,” he said.
I thought I heard tears in his voice, but I wasn’t awake long enough to figure it out.
* * *
I let out a groan. The rancid smells hit my nose and I sneezed. That brought out another groan. I hurt everywhere.
“Are you conscious now?” came a voice I knew well, even though it was strained with pain.
“Yes Val, I’m all right,” I assured him. I managed to sit up some.
“There is some water for you over by the door. Drink slowly; you have been out for over a day,” he said.
I didn’t look at him as I made my way over to the small plate of food and cup of water. Well at least they mean to keep me somewhat alive, I thought. I left the food alone knowing that I couldn’t handle it at the moment. I made myself drink the water slowly. I looked around my cage, for want of a better word. There was a blanket in the other corner. Once I had drunk enough water to satisfy me, I slowly made my way to the blanket, taking the plate and cup with me. I curled up in the blanket and faced Val. I cringed as I saw that he too had been beaten. I guess Andrei hadn’t kept his word on that one.
“How did they manage to get you, Val?” I asked. I was taking small bites of the meat that was on the plate. I didn’t want to eat too fast and get sick.
“Never mind that, just keep your strength. I’m sorry that you have ended up in this horrid situation.” He sounded tired and almost defeated. I understood that he wasn’t going to tell me for whatever reason. I was going to just have to let him have his little secret. It really didn’t matter anyway.
“I’ve been through worse, so don’t worry about me. I can handle whatever he dishes out.” I sounded more fearless than I felt.
This brought a small sarcastic smile to Val’s face. “Sure you can. Why aren’t you healing as quickly as you should?” he asked.
Seizing Darkness (Fur, Fangs, and Fairies) Page 26