The Stone of the Eklektos
Page 50
Her throat suddenly felt tight, constricting her airway. “Torture?”
“You still don’t know what Theron is really like, do you?” he sighed.
“I know he is evil,” she told him.
“Evil?” he scoffed. “Evil doesn’t even begin to cover what Theron is. I have met thousands of evil people throughout the years, and none of them have compared to Theron. Even evil people have a reason for what they do. They have a moral code of some kind, a line they won’t cross. They believe what they’re doing is right. Theron is different. He has no moral code. There are no lines he won’t cross. He kills because he enjoys it. He tortures because he likes to cause pain.”
She swallowed. “He is insane,” she stated.
“Yeah,” Kallias agreed. “I don’t know when he became this way. Perhaps the lust for power drove him mad, but I doubt it. I’ve met my fair share of power-hungry vampires, and none of them were as demented as Theron. Perhaps he was born deranged, and some moronic vampire thought it would be a good idea to give him immortality and supernatural strength to go with his insanity.”
Rose watched him as he talked about Theron, noticing the way his jaw tightened and his knuckles whitened. His voice rung with intensity, agitation, anger, and even worry. She felt a heavy, sinking ball of dread in her stomach.
“I should have left you that first night. You told me that you didn’t want my help. I should have given you your wish and just walked away. Any sane person would have,” he sighed. He glanced at her, pain flashing in his eyes. “Do you know why I couldn’t leave you? It’s not just that I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.”
“I can’t say I haven’t wondered,” she mumbled.
“Because all I could think about was what Theron might do to you,” he said. His voice sounded strained, as if he were actually hurting. “If you were lucky, he would just kill you. But if you weren’t… I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t want you to die, of course. Even then. But that? That, I couldn’t let happen.”
Rose suddenly felt nauseated as her mind began to piece everything together, arriving at a terrible, horrible conclusion. “Kallias, your scars…”
“Don’t,” he interrupted, his tone tight and final.
She stared at him, barely able to breathe. “Don’t what?”
“I know what you’re going to ask. Don’t,” he warned. “I won’t answer.”
She peered at him hesitantly. If she’d thought he seemed intense before, it was nothing compared to the way he seemed now. He sat rigid in his seat, his arm locked and his grip tight around the wheel, his gaze straight ahead. Her stomach lurched with unease and sympathy. “Do you think he will hurt Audrey?”
“If she knows where you are, he will jump at the chance,” he confirmed.
“No. No. I can’t let that happen,” she said, her voice cracking.
Kallias looked at her, startled by the fear that he heard in her voice. His eyes darted down to her hands, which lay entangled in her lap. “You’re shaking.”
Rose glanced down at her hands to confirm, that yes, they were indeed trembling. “Of course I’m shaking. Am I supposed to be calm after what you just told me?” she exclaimed. “I’d rather die than let him hurt someone I care about!”
His jaw tightened. “Don’t say that.”
“Why not? It’s the truth,” she stated, more calmly than before.
“I won’t let that happen,” he muttered. He held the phone out to her again. “If you tell her where you are, you’ll give Theron a reason to hurt her. He will do whatever he has to do in order to find you, so if you tell her, you’ll put both of you in danger. Do you understand why I don’t want you to tell her?”
Rose nodded and took the phone from him. “Yeah. I understand now.”
“Tell her not to return to your apartment until all of this is over, not for anything, not even for a moment. One moment is all he needs,” Kallias added.
She swallowed uneasily. “Okay.”
She dialed the number and placed the phone to her ear, hoping Audrey was awake. By the fifth ring, Rose assumed that Audrey had already fallen asleep.
“Umm… Hello?” answered a female voice, cutting the sixth ring short.
“Audrey!” she said quickly. “It’s Rose.”
“Oh! Rose!” she laughed. “I was worried you were a telemarketer.”
“At this time of the night?” Rose asked.
“I don’t think they sleep,” Audrey said. “Did you leave the country?”
Rose frowned. “What? No. Why?”
“The number you called from has a foreign area code,” Audrey said.
Rose rolled her eyes. “It’s not foreign, Audrey. It’s just out-of-state.”
“Yeah, yeah, same thing,” Audrey said dismissively. “So, where are you?”
“Uh…” Rose paused, glancing hesitantly at Kallias. “I’m with Kallias.”
That succeeded in steering Audrey’s mind away from the question. Audrey squealed into the line, “Holy bologna! You’re sleeping with him?!”
“There is nothing holy about bologna,” Rose muttered.
Audrey continued as if she hadn’t heard Rose’s off-hand remark, “I can’t believe you are actually having sex with him! I mean, I knew you were into him, but I never thought you’d actually… Well, I always figured you’d die a virgin.”
Rose blinked. “Wait… What? Audrey, I’m not having sex with Kallias.”
Kallias glanced at her, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
Audrey was silent for a moment. “But it’s almost four in the morning.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Rose asked.
“What else would you be doing with a man at this hour?” she asked.
“Lots of things. Lots of non-sexual things,” Rose muttered indignantly.
“Dang it. You really are going to die a virgin,” Audrey complained.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Rose said sarcastically.
“So, why are you with Mr. Tall-Hunky-Scary-Guy?” she asked curiously.
“His name is Kallias. And I’m with him because…” she trailed off.
“Because?” Audrey prompted impatiently.
“Because…” Rose sighed, “he is taking me somewhere safe.”
“Uh…Rose…” Audrey said suddenly, a disapproving note in her voice. “Do you remember when I ran off to Vegas with that guy in the prison costume, and you went on and on about how you didn’t think that was a wise thing to do?”
“It was a mime costume, not a prison costume,” Rose sighed.
“Whatever,” Audrey said. “You told me he might be an axe murderer.”
“Oh, come on. I didn’t jump straight to axe murderer,” Rose objected.
“You said I didn’t know him well enough,” Audrey continued.
“You didn’t even know his name. You still don’t,” Rose pointed out.
“Yeah, well, now you’re doing it,” Audrey said irritably.
“I’m going to Vegas with a fake mime?” Rose asked.
Audrey sighed, “You’re trusting someone you don’t know anything about. You just met him a few nights ago. Rose, he could be anything!”
Rose looked at Kallias. “I know exactly what he is.”
“Fine,” Audrey said. “At least tell me where you are, just in case.”
Kallias shot a concerned look at Rose as he overheard Audrey.
Rose just stared back at him warily. “I can’t tell you,” she told Audrey.
“Excuse me?” Audrey snapped.
Rose sighed into the phone. “It’s dangerous for you to know. If I tell you where I am, Theron might hurt you. I can’t let that happen. Please understand.”
Audrey huffed. “Rose Melanie Foster, if you don’t tell me, I will…”
“Use my full name again?” Rose teased.
“I will hunt you down, woman,” Audrey threatened.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you. It’s too dangerous,” she said ser
iously.
Audrey blew out a frustrated breath. “When will you be back?”
“I’m don’t know yet. Once Theron is…dealt with, I suppose,” she answered uneasily. “And speaking of going home, that’s why I called. Theron knows where I live, Audrey, which means he knows where you live. You can’t go home. He broke into the apartment once already, and he might go back for you.”
Audrey inhaled sharply. “It happened,” she realized.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “But I’m all right. He didn’t hurt me.”
Silence filled the line for a moment. “Did he…” Audrey trailed off.
“Did he what?” Rose prompted.
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it,” Audrey said a little too quickly.
Rose paled. “You knew,” she accused. “You saw him try to… You saw.”
She heard Audrey breathe a sigh of relief. “Try? So, he didn’t succeed?”
Her stomach turned. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“How could I?” Audrey sounded sad and breathless. “It was so terrible.”
“You should have warned me,” Rose insisted.
“I’m sorry, Rose. I don’t expect you to understand,” Audrey muttered.
Rose heard a hint of pain in her friend’s voice, and her anger melted. It wasn’t Audrey’s fault, after all. “It’s all right,” she sighed. “Just…please, promise me that you won’t go home. Stay out of town for just a little longer. Stay safe.”
“I promise. Don’t worry about me. I have plenty of places I can stay,” Audrey told her. “Are you sure that you can trust Mr. Tall-Hunky-Scary-Guy?”
Rose rolled her eyes at the ridiculous nickname. “Yes, I’m sure.”
Audrey yawned. “Well, I should probably go. Henry’s waiting for me.”
“Henry? Your ex-boyfriend from high school?” Rose asked.
“Yeah, he still lives next door to my grandparents,” Audrey said.
“With his parents?” Rose laughed.
“Well, yeah,” Audrey said. “Anyway, we’ve been catching up and stuff.”
Rose frowned. “And stuff?”
Audrey cackled loudly, “Why else would I be awake right now?”
Rose sighed. “Sixty years from now, you’ll be an old woman, sitting in your rocking chair, reflecting on your life, and you’ll think, ‘What on earth did I do with my first thirty years of life?’ And then, you’ll remember, ‘Oh. That.’”
Audrey laughed. “A girl’s gotta sow her wild oats, Rose.”
Rose shrugged. “Not me.”
“That’s because you don’t have any wild oats. Your oats are all organic and wholegrain,” Audrey said, her disgust for the healthy food almost audible.
“My oats are not organic and wholegrain!” Rose objected. She didn’t realize how strange her declaration had sounded until Kallias started laughing.
Audrey snorted. “Goodnight, Nerd.”
Rose sighed, “Goodnight, Weirdo.”
She ended the call and handed the phone back to Kallias. She scowled at him as he returned the phone to his pocket. “Were you listening the entire time?”
“I can’t help it. Sensitive hearing.” He tapped his ear with his forefinger.
“Great,” Rose muttered sarcastically. “That’s not embarrassing at all.”
He grinned. “If it makes you feel any better, I agree with you. You do have a bit of a wild side, buried underneath that cautious, anal-retentive exterior.”
She twisted in her seat to glare at him. “Anal-retentive?!”
He just offered her an infectious, wolfish grin.
She wrinkled her nose, feeling somewhere between baffled and amused. “Why on earth would you think that I have a wild side?” she asked incredulously.
He shrugged. “You crave adventurous stories that excite and scare you.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” she asked, confused.
He smiled. “It proves that you have a thirst for adventure, for things that get your adrenaline pumping. And then, of course, there is the way you kiss…”
Her eyes widened. “What do you mean? How do I kiss?”
He laughed at her panicked tone. His gaze darted toward her lips, and his voice lowered, became more accented, more seductive. “Like you’re on fire.”
Rose blushed. “I’m not wild,” she sputtered. “Everyone knows I’m not.”
“People only see what you let them see,” Kallias told her. “You hide that part of yourself: your passion and your fire. I think that you’re afraid of it.”
Rose felt an eerie chill travel through her veins, as if something deep inside of her agreed with that statement, as if Kallias knew more about her than she knew about herself. She looked away, deciding to focus on the rain, instead.
As they merged lanes, their vehicle joining a few others on a new, smoothly paved street, Rose noticed the faint outline of a lit skyline in the distance, blurred by the rain cascading down the windows. She leaned closer to the window, squinting as she tried to see through the blurry layer of water.
Kallias answered the question she hadn’t asked yet. “New York City.”
She glanced at him, her lips curving in amusement. She wondered how often he did that: answering thoughts before they were spoken. He didn’t even seem to realize that he’d done anything out of the ordinary. She leaned back, relaxing in her seat, the soft leather of the seat cooling her skin. “So, when we get to your house, what should I expect? Like…how many vampires are we talking?”
His eyes darted briefly toward her, his brows furrowing. “Vampires?”
“Do you live with one of those creepy covens?” she asked.
He snorted, “Vampires don’t have covens, Rose.”
“Packs?” she guessed.
“No,” he said, shooting her a disapproving scowl.
“So, none of you live in groups or anything?” she asked in surprise.
“Groups, yes,” he clarified. “There are many vampires that live together in extremely large groups, but we call those groups colonies, not covens or packs.”
“Oh,” she said with a grimace. “That sounds so normal.”
Kallias laughed at her disgusted tone. “It sounds normal, perhaps, but if you set foot in one, you’d change your mind about it. Vampires that live in human society, like I do, tend to act more human than vampires that live in colonies.”
Her eyebrows lifted in disbelief. “You think that you act human?”
He chuckled. “Compared to them, I do.”
“So, then, you’re not part of one?” she asked.
“No,” Kallias said. “Erik and I live at the house alone. Geoff and Emma have their own place. Erik lived in a colony, though, back when I first met him.”
“How long have you and Erik known each other?” she asked curiously.
Kallias frowned thoughtfully. “I believe it was sometime around 800 AD when I met him. So, I suppose that would mean…about twelve hundred years?”
“Wow. Most countries can’t even stay together that long,” she muttered.
Kallias snorted at that. He pulled into the outermost lane to take the exit.
Rose noticed that the streets had started to become increasingly darker again, the streetlights fewer and farther between. “So, how did you meet him?”
He frowned. “Well, I…tried to kill him.”
“That’s always a great way to make friends,” Rose said sarcastically.
He glanced at the mirror as he shifted lanes. “Erik had earned quite the reputation in his early years,” he sighed. “Hell, even I had heard of the infamous Erik Olafsson, and I kept to myself back then. Well, I guess I still do, really.”
“A reputation for what?” she asked warily. “Killing?”
“Erik has always been a man of insatiable appetites,” Kallias explained hesitantly, “whether that be his appetite for alcohol, sex, or…well…blood.”
She nodded. “Right. So, killing. He was well known for killing.”
She frowned curiously. “Then, what did?”
He paused reluctantly. “His unique method of torture.”
Her eyes widened. “Torture? Your friend tortured people?”
He sighed, “You don’t know the whole story. It’s not what you think.”
“Okay,” she said, deciding to hear him out. “What was unique about it?”
“I have already told you that Erik is an empath. What I didn’t mention is that he is an exceptionally powerful one. His ability to manipulate emotions goes beyond anything you can imagine. His power still pales in comparison to that of a telepath. But that doesn’t make him any less dangerous,” Kallias explained.
“How could empathy be dangerous?” she asked, frowning.
“When I say empathy, I’m not referring to the character trait, the kind of empathy that you have. I am referring to the supernatural ability, the ability to create and manipulate emotions. That is what Erik can do,” he clarified.
“Yeah,” she said, “but what does that have to do with torture?”
Kallias swallowed, flexing his fingers to force his grip around the wheel to relax. “Physical torture is… Well, it is horrible, terrible…” he said, stumbling over his words, “but emotional torture is, in many ways, worse. You see, Erik can create miserable emotions, as well as the pleasant ones. He can project happiness, or he can project terror. At least when you are tortured physically, there is still a small chance of retaining your dignity. You can refuse to show your pain. You can refuse to cry. But even monsters cry if they’re tormented with pure terror.”