The Blackwater Legacy (The Bloodlines Legacy Series Book 2)

by Apryl Baker

  “I thought I would develop your talent a little more just to get an idea of what you could truly do, but then I found this.” She takes something out of her pocket and holds it out to me.

  I don’t need a light to tell me what she’s got. I can feel my face drain of color.

  It’s the photo of me and my friends.

  Chapter Nine

  Aleric goes completely still. His breath hisses out, and Madame’s eyes narrow. He has to be thinking of his brother. Alex means nothing to him, but Luka does. I can’t even imagine the terror playing havoc with him.

  “Why would you hide this, ma chere?” Madame asks softly, the edge of something dark flavoring her words.

  “I wasn’t hiding it.”

  “Then why was it in a drawer under your clothes?”

  She must have found it when she went to get me something to wear. Why didn’t I hide it better? “I tried to put it up in the mirror like I had the one of my family, but it kept falling down. I just threw it and the other one in the drawer until I find some tape to hold it up.”

  “Do you know who this is, cherie?”

  “My friends?” I am slightly proud of not letting my fear show.

  “Don’t be smart, girl. It’s not going to help you right now. You aren’t stupid. This is Sabien Blackburne’s niece. The same girl who has a hefty bounty on her head. The girl the entire magical community would love to get their hands on so they can drain her power.”

  She looks every bit the crazy voodoo lady I’d imagined on the drive here. Gone is any semblance of civilization. Raw greed bleeds off her. She wants Alex for herself even though her power has nothing to do with necromancy.

  “And this one. Do you know who he is?”

  “Luka?” I do my best to sound confused and bewildered. If she knew Aleric already admitted Luka is his brother, there’s no telling what she might do to him.

  “Yes, Luka,” she snarls. “Do you know who he is?”

  “He’s Alex’s boyfriend and he’s Romani. Other than that, I don’t know what you want me to say.”

  She slaps me with such force my head whips back into Aleric’s chest. He doesn’t so much as grunt. I spit the blood out of my mouth and glare up at her. She’s gone mad.

  “Tell her who this is, Aleric.”

  The venom spewing from her mouth causes me to cringe, and I shrink as far into Aleric’s chest as I can.

  “My brother.”

  The words are wooden, emotionless. If I hadn’t seen his panic earlier today, I would think he didn’t care about Luka. I know better, though.

  “Yes, Saidie, it is the brother that I was refused. I wanted the pair, and now it seems that is exactly what I am going to get.”

  The hell she is. She’s not getting her hands on either Alex or Luka.

  “I see the defiance in your eyes, chere.” She trails a finger down my cheek. “You will tell me where they are, and you will tell me soon.”

  She’s crazier than I thought if she thinks I’ll tell her where either Alex or Luka is. Never mind he’s Aleric’s brother or that he may despise me, but Alex adores him. I’d never let anything happen to him for that reason alone.

  “You think you can defy me, little girl?” Madame grins at me. “You will tell me where they are before this night is out.”

  “I’m not telling you a damn thing.”

  Chapter Ten

  The swampy water around us begins to bubble, and Aleric tenses. I smell his fear. Whatever’s in that water terrifies him. Madame’s power builds, and my skin tingles with the force of it. The water churns, and I hear the first heavy groans start to wail from beneath the murky surface of the swamp. The sound is horrific. What the hell is down there?

  Madame starts to speak, her voice clear and strong, but it’s in what sounds like Latin. I don’t know, but I can’t understand a word of it. The louder her voice gets, the more Aleric stiffens. My eyes widen. Is she doing something to him? Is that what’s causing him to behave like this instead of what’s in the water?

  I twist in his arms, trying to get a look at his face. His gaze is fixed on the water. At least it’s not Madame controlling him. Then again, he hasn’t let me go either, so I can’t rule out he might help her hurt me. He did say he’d kill me in a heartbeat.

  But she can’t kill me just yet, can she? She wants to know where Alex and Luka are.

  Something heavy and wet thumps against the wooden bridge. As much as I don’t want to look, I can’t help when my gaze skates in that direction. I blink, trying to reconcile what I’m seeing.

  A black mass of what looks like goo has wormed its way up on the bridge and is slowly crawling toward us. No, not goo. I can make out the distinct shape of a human skeleton under all the black slime. What the hell is it?

  More of them climb out of the water, their cries gaining strength as they make their way to us. The land creatures are as silent as death, and it creeps me out more than anything else.

  “Saidie.”

  I ignore Madame and watch the thing creep closer to us. Aleric is statue still; even his breathing has stopped.

  “Where are they, Saidie?”

  “Go to hell.” The black, slimy trail behind those things is disgusting, but the hand that reaches out to me from the middle of all that mess causes my heartbeat to run wild. It stinks of rot and decay, of malevolence and pain. That thing will hurt me if it touches me.

  “Aleric…mon chere, tell her what these lovelies will do to her.”

  “Dey…melt de skin, liquifyin’ as it consumes you.” His voice is tortured, his eyes haunted.

  Madame smiles. “It is unpleasant. This is one of the ways I teach my children to obey.”

  “Let him go.” I keep my tone hard but steady, despite the fear crawling through every fiber of my being. “You can let them do what they want to me, but leave him alone.”

  “What’s this, now, chere?” Madame cocks her head curiously. “Why do you care what happens to Aleric? He is just a vampire, a tool to be used as we need him.”

  “He’s not just a tool.” The thing is almost within touching range, and the first tremors hit Aleric. This is too much for him. “Let him go, and you can let that thing do whatever it wants to me.”

  Why the hell am I volunteering to be the hero? For a guy who wants me dead just as much as his brother does?

  Because he’s more terrified than I am.

  “You doan know wha’ you’re saying, Draga.”

  I make a note to ask him later what Draga means and keep my focus on the spiteful bitch in front of me. “I do know what I’m saying.”

  “Bravery and chivalry, all in one small girl.” Madame considers my request for the longest while. It’s not until the thing is almost upon us that she gives Aleric leave to move away. “She will understand your fear soon enough, Aleric. Come stand by me.”

  He looks so torn. I don’t think he’s ever had someone stand up for him against Madame. There is a grudging respect starting to grow within him for me.

  “I…” He clears his throat. “She migh’ no’ stay still.”

  “But that is part of the fun, Aleric. You should know this. Now, come here. I won’t ask you again.”

  Aleric’s arms fall from me, and he backs away slowly, but his eyes never leave mine. His nostrils flare and his green eyes get swallowed up by some unfathomable emotion. What is he thinking?

  The hand that had been steadily drawing nearer snuck up without me knowing. I’d been too obsessed with Aleric and what he was thinking to notice it, but when those skeletal fingers wrap around my arm, I notice.

  Blistering, burning pain radiates up the entire length of my arm. I twist, trying to shake it off, but the hand is followed by a body, a grotesque bloated corpse that climbs up my body, forcing me backward until it’s on top of me. Every inch of my flesh it touches is on fire. I buck, trying to get the thing off me, but it hisses and sinks its teeth into my shoulder.

  The thing is a flesh eater? Like The Walking Dead zomb
ies? Oh, hell no.

  Before I can even utter a scream, the most awful scent hits my nose. Something pops, and I look down to see the decayed flesh begin to bubble then turn to some liquid substance like wax melting. I gag and try to get away, but the more I move, the more it wraps around me, melting onto my already burning skin.

  A strange mewling sound whispers around me. Like a kitten lost in a storm. Its cries are pitiful. Even amid all the pain, I look for the little thing, only to realize I’m the one making those sounds. The pain is blinding me to everything but the goo, slick and wet, sliding over my skin, coating me in its icky substance.

  A person’s mind will sometimes retreat into itself when the body is overwhelmed. That’s what I’d always heard, and I wish to God in this second that it would happen to me, but unfortunately God isn’t listening. I can’t escape the sound of my own cries, the smell, the pain. Shudders wrack me and I gag, turning my head to heave up the contents of my stomach.

  More of them are coming, within striking distance. I need to do something, to find a way to break free, but I am as trapped as an animal in its cage.

  “This can stop, ma chere.” Madame’s voice whispers in my ear. “Just tell me where they are. Speak the words and the pain will end.”

  Bitch. I spit in her face. If she thinks I’d hand my friends over to her, she’s got another thing coming.

  Madame’s cackle is ominous. “As you wish, child. Perhaps in a few hours you will change your mind.”

  If she and the others leave, I have no idea. After that, all I feel is pain. Bone tearing, soul scorching pain. It consumes me, but my mind won’t shut off. It’s on sensory overload, but it only makes everything more intense. The smells are sharper, brighter. The slime rolling down my face becomes a blanket of darkness I can’t escape.

  Hours. Days. I don’t know how long she leaves me there. I’m not even aware of when it stops. All I know is pain and fear. Fear and pain.

  I am nothing but fear and pain.

  Chapter Eleven

  The cold, hard floor is the first thing I become aware of. It smells dusty, dank. Stone. I’m on a stone floor, or maybe concrete, if not stone. That makes no sense, though. The next thing I take note of is the complete lack of sounds. The quiet is unnerving. Where am I?

  My head hurts like nobody’s business. When I finally manage to drag my eyes open, all I’m met with is the dark.

  Quietness and darkness.

  Like a tomb.

  I swallow around the lump of fear rapidly growing in my throat. Why am I here? I try to stretch out my hand, but I can’t move. Panic crawls along my spine. Why can’t I move? Am I tied up? Dammit, I can’t see a thing!

  Calm down, Saidie. Can’t figure this out if you panic. I attempt to wiggle my fingers, but even they won’t move. Maybe I got drugged? That’s the only reason I can come up with for my paralysis. Who would have drugged me? Crap on toast, as my favorite book character, Mattie Hathaway from The Ghost Files, would say. She wouldn’t be sitting here about to go to pieces. She’d be fighting. It’s why she’s my favorite character. She kicks ass and doesn’t make bones about it.

  The last thing I remember is…oh, crap. Yesterday’s memories fall on me like a tidal wave, and I can’t stop the whimper that’s torn out of me. Those things…melting on me, biting me. How could their touch feel like acid? My body starts to shake, and that I am aware of, so maybe I’m not paralyzed like I assumed?

  I’ve never been afraid like that in my life. Never, not even when Tom Carpenter almost managed to rape me in tenth grade. That was a threat I was equipped to deal with. My parents made sure we could all defend ourselves, so when he got violent, I kneed him in the balls and ran. What happened yesterday? Those things…there is no defense against them. All I could do was lie there, trapped, while it felt like I was being simultaneously eaten and burned alive.

  I understand Aleric’s fear now. I don’t know what I might do if those things come near me again. I can’t handle it any more than Aleric could. At least I blacked out at some point. I guess the mind really can only take so much before it tries to protect itself.

  I have to find a way to get the hell out of this place. No cell, no internet, no roads. We came here in a boat. Swimming in the swamp is out of the question. Those things live in it. They trump any fear I have of alligators. Nope, not touching the water. Will they know I’m in a boat floating across them? Could they smell me?

  Stop it. That line of thinking won’t do me a bit of good. I am Saidie Walker, daughter of Amanda Walker, deputy sheriff and all around bad-ass. My mom is the bravest person I know. I am her daughter, hence, I need to be brave.

  I’m brave. I’m brave. I’m brave.

  First order of business is to figure out why I can’t move. The current tremors that have decided to take up residence in my skin assure me I can feel things, so I am not paralyzed. If only I could see!

  Footsteps. I try to move my head, but even that refuses to listen to my brain. Whoever it is, they’re coming down the hallway outside this room. Is it Madame? Does she plan on taking me back to where those things can get me?

  The door opens and a beam of light streams across my body. I gasp when I see I’m curled up in a ball, my knees tucked under my chin and my arms locked tightly around my legs.

  Who is it? They just stand there like some kind of freaking serial killer. I try to strain my ears, but I hear nothing. Is it one of her vampires? Oh, God, maybe it’s Kristoff? A wave of fear rolls over me and my stomach heaves. Not Kristoff. Not after what Aleric alluded to. He likes women with blonde hair…please, please don’t be Kristoff.

  He walks closer, dropping down to his knees in front of me. The lantern he’d been holding is set down to the side, casting a shadow on the wall. A hand smooths my hair. It’s a scent I don’t know. Leather and tobacco.

  “Calm yourself, girl.” The accent is Spanish. Antonio. Is he going to hurt me, though? “I know you’re afraid, but she can do so much more to you. Best to just tell her what she wants to know.”

  “Wha…wha…what…” The words won’t come. My throat is too dry.

  “Why am I here?” He leans down, so his lips are right against my ear. “We heard you, Lucien and me. We heard you protect Aleric, heard you tell her he’s not just a tool. Lucien’s his sire, and he’s my friend. Madame delights in torturing him because he won’t bend to her. You protected him at the cost of your own life. Never had anyone do that before. We wanted you to know we respect that. It’s why we want you to tell her what she wants to know. Your death will be quick that way.”

  My death? What the hell?

  “Si, chica. Every necromancer ever come here, she drains them of their powers. It’s how she’s become the most dangerous necromancer around. No one can stop her. She’ll make you hurt in ways you can’t even imagine. Tell her what she wants to know.”

  “Can’t.” That would mean betraying Alex and Luka, and it’s not something I’ll ever do. I love that girl like my own sister.

  “Then you suffer, and you suffer hard.” Antonio stands and picks up the precious light and leaves me there on the ground, curled up, unable to move.

  He’s probably right. If I would tell her what she wanted to know, I wouldn’t suffer. But really, what would telling her the truth accomplish other than my death and her getting her hands on my friends? Nothing. These people have a sense of loyalty. Yes, they might care about Aleric, but if it came down to them or him, they’d feed him to the monsters and run.

  That’s why what I did yesterday shocked them all so much. I stood up for someone other than myself. Put their fear ahead of my own. Hell if I know why I did it. Aleric wants me as dead as Madame does. Well, that’s not exactly true. I do know why I did it, outside of it being the right thing to do.

  Aleric pulls out feelings in me no one else has. They’re confusing, but they do run deep. Which only confuses me even more. I don’t know him. The only conversations we’ve had are ones involving him snarling at me every secon
d, and me wanting to throw something at his head. I am attracted to him too. I’ll admit that to myself. Yes, he’s a vampire, but vampires are cool, right? Just ask Stephenie Meyer.

  Sparkly vampires. Ha.

  Vampires are terrifying.

  So why do I spend my time wishing one would kiss me?

  Because I am officially a freak who needs to stop worrying about a guy who could care less about me and concentrate on getting my ass out of here.

  My body is locked tight, and I’m pretty sure it has something to do with how scared I was yesterday. No, not scared, terrified out of my mind. I need to calm down, relax, and try to convince my muscles I’m safe. Closing my eyes, I try to summon up a memory. The one that springs to mind first is the day I took Alex home to watch a Twilight marathon. Everyone was there—Luka, Bree, Conner, Micah, me, and Alex. All of us squished in between those beautiful men laughing while they made snide comments. They hated those movies, but they sat there with us and suffered through it. Well, except Alex and Luka. They snuck out after the second movie, but I rooted for her. She liked Luka. Luka liked her. We all knew it. They just needed some time to realize that.

  I’m not sure what happened when they left, but after that day, the two of them were inseparable. The way he looked at her…I can only hope one day someone looks at me like that. Maybe the crazy Cajun.

  Ha. As if.

  I shake my head and…oh, wait. My head moved! I can’t believe that worked! I try my fingers, and they uncurl from around my legs which I then straighten out. The stiffness hurts, but I will deal with muscle pain over yesterday’s nightmare. I stretch, forcing my muscles to constrict. I groan when the muscle in my left thigh decides to cramp up so badly, my foot curls and won’t relax. It takes me a second, but I finally convince my fingers to rub the distended muscle. I must look hilarious, lying on my back, one leg in the air, groaning for all I’m worth. Conner would love it. He’d have it posted in some meme all over social media.