Torment (Soul Savers Book 6)

by Cook, Kristie

  I cringed. “No, I’m sorry. But we can save her. We can make sure she’s not like them. She’s going to wake up with a crazy-insatiable thirst, but we can help her stay good.”

  She blinked at me as she tried to comprehend.

  “Good vampires?” She didn’t seem to believe the possibility at first, but then her eyes flitted over to Vanessa and Solomon who stood at the other end of the couch. “Like them?”

  “Exactly like them.” Char smoothed Ammi’s dark hair away from her pale face. “That’s what we do—convert those who’ve been turned against their will to the good side.”

  “Will it be painful?” the girl asked.

  “Could be,” Char said honestly. “But since she’s waking up with us and not them, it won’t be as bad as it could have been.”

  Kristen gnawed on her lip for a moment, then nodded. “What choice do I have? We can’t throw her out on the streets.”

  “No, that would only be worse for her,” I said. “And then we might eventually have to kill her.”

  “Like you did the ones when I found you?”

  I nodded.

  “Then do it. Keep her good. I can’t … I can’t imagine her evil.”

  And I wondered then if Kristen was really the one who wouldn’t be able to handle Ammi’s change.

  “You should probably leave the room,” Char said. “All of you except Alexis and Tristan. Send Sheree in.”

  “I don’t want to leave her,” Kristen protested.

  Tristan wrapped an arm over her shoulders and lifted her to her feet. “Trust me, you don’t want to be here. She won’t want you to see her like this. And you’ll need to explain to your people what’s going on.”

  Kristen looked back at me. “It’ll be better coming from you, Alexis. They look up to you.”

  I glanced at Charlotte and Ammi.

  “Go on,” Char said. “We can start without you. But your power will help her most.”

  I nodded and followed Tristan and Kristen out with Solomon and Vanessa behind us. Questions immediately started flying.

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  “Is she okay?”

  “Where are the others?”

  Kristen stuck her finger and her thumb in her mouth and whistled, quieting everyone. “She’s going to be okay, but Alexis has something to tell you. Let’s go to the big room.”

  Everyone packed into the large room, chattering and speculating, and Kristen gained all of their attention for me. As soon as the words “vampire” and “turned” came out of my mouth, panic broke out.

  “Why would you bring her here?”

  “She can’t stay here!”

  “She’ll kill us!”

  “We need to kill her first!”

  “Enough,” Tristan said, and although he didn’t technically shout, the tone came out loud and frightening enough to shut everyone up. “Let Alexis explain.”

  A few crossed their arms over their chests or showed other signs of annoyance or confrontation, but they all listened as I told them more about who and what we were and how we could convert the turned to our side. They seemed to relax as I finished explaining.

  “Ammi will be good then?” Olivia, who stood up front, asked, her voice full of hope.

  “Yes. Unless she purposely gave her soul to the demons to become like one of them, she’ll be good,” I said.

  “She would never do that,” Kristen said.

  “So I have a question,” Terrence called from the back of the room. “If the Amadis side needs more numbers to be able to clobber the Daemoni side, why don’t you guys turn humans?”

  And I should have known that was coming.

  “We wouldn’t do that to a human’s soul,” Tristan said for me. “We wouldn’t take that risk.”

  “But if we’re volunteering to be on the good side?” Terrence pressed.

  “Right,” another guy said. “What if we wanted to? I’ve always thought it’d be brilliant to be a vampire.”

  “And to be immortal but not be evil? Have all that strength and speed and be able to kick those Daemoni’s arses? That would be fabulous,” a girl agreed.

  “It would be.” Terrence pointed his finger at me. “So what do you say? You could make us vampires, and we could fight for you.”

  Several others chimed in their agreement with Terrence’s proposal.

  “Trust me, you don’t want this life,” Vanessa said.

  “But we should get to choose,” Terrence insisted.

  “We cannot turn anyone even if we wanted to.” Solomon’s deep, booming voice quieted everyone. “We would be breaking the very vows that saved our souls in the first place. It is not an option, so let it go.”

  I let him and the others deal with the grumblings while I returned to the office to help with the conversion. We spent over twenty-four hours with Ammi, but because she was newly turned and hadn’t asked to be, she converted rather quickly. Sheree wouldn’t even need to spend much time with her for faith-healing since she’d never lost any of her humanity. If only all conversions could be so easy.

  She cried when we told her what happened.

  “I always had a thing for vampires, thanks to you, Alexis,” she said through her sniffles. “But I’d never wanted to be one.”

  “I’m sorry this happened to you.”

  She sighed. “I suppose it could be worse. Thank you for saving me.” She let out a breathy laugh. “I can’t believe I’m really talking to you. But then again … I’m a bloody vampire. Which is more preposterous?” Her brows pinched together. “What happened to George and the others?”

  “We hoped you could tell us,” Kristen said. We’d allowed her into the room once we knew Ammi would be okay—that she’d be safe around her own sister. This was a whole different situation than Sonya and Heather had been in.

  Ammi shook her head, but then her eyes sparked. “I do remember one thing he said when he paused from sucking all my blood out of my body. He said, ‘Don’t worry. We won’t kill your friends. We’ll take good care of them, actually. We’ll need some Normans around for food, after all.”

  “What? They’re starting human farms or something?” Sheree asked, and I sucked in a breath.

  “Kristen,” I said, “you mentioned something about bizarre-o military camps. What did you mean?”

  She snorted. “It’s where all the stupid humans are going. You know, not like us. They’re following the military guys like sheeple into this fenced off place over there by Parliament. They’re basically being held hostage. Why? You don’t really think it’s a human farm, do you?”

  I rubbed the back of my neck, and said, “I’m thinking we need to check it out.”

  Chapter 17

  “The camp is run by the military and government, though,” Kristen said, “not the supernaturals. Not the Daemoni.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure there’s a difference,” Char muttered.

  “Our queen wouldn’t allow such a thing!” Ammi gasped, clapping her hand against her chest.

  Your queen might not be alive … or human. Something else I didn’t dare say out loud.

  “So she’d allow concentration camps?” Char asked, and both girls frowned. “That’s what this sounds like to me. You’re right, Alexis. We do need to check it out.”

  The next day, at high noon, Owen cloaked Tristan, Vanessa, himself, and me, and the four of us followed Kristen’s directions down the road and across the street toward Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster. I wanted to stop and gawk at the historical Gothic structure, but pillars of smoke rising into the sky and the sharp odor of burning buildings filling the air served as constant reminders that this was no sightseeing tour. We were on a mission.

  Kristen had warned us that we wouldn’t be able to see much until we moved farther down the street—seemingly farther into the heart of our enemies. As we passed an old church and a sign showing Westminster Abbey straight ahead, though, I began to wonder if this camp, or whatever it was, possibly had no
thing to do with the Daemoni after all. Maybe the Normans had realized the evil ones couldn’t enter sacred grounds, so they’d found refuge there. But before we reached the abbey, the barricades broke wide enough for a car to pass through, into an area where perhaps dignitaries were once dropped off, but was now full of several dozen rectangular boxes that looked like the big shipping containers used on cargo ships. A twelve-foot high fence with rounds of razor wire spiraling across the top of it surrounded the entire area, and a line of soldiers spread out along the fence, one about every fifteen feet. No other people could be seen, but we could hear their heartbeats, and I could sense their mind signatures.

  Hundreds of Normans packed into the metal boxes.

  As we watched, two uniformed soldiers and a man dressed in black exited the building and came into the camp. The civilian glanced up at the sun showing itself from behind scattered clouds and scowled. The show of contempt for the sun gave away his true species: vampire. The threesome walked over to one of the pods and opened the door, ordering everybody out. A couple dozen Normans shuffled out of the box, blinking against the daylight. The soldiers stood on guard while the vampire inspected the people.

  He pointed to an elderly man with a hunched back and bowed legs. “No. No good.”

  The soldiers pulled him to the side. The vamp said the same about an old woman and a younger man who hadn’t stopped coughing.

  “Get him out of here,” the vampire ordered, and the soldiers dragged the sick man apart from the others, and without even a heartbeat of hesitancy, shot him in the head. My heart jumped into my throat.

  “Oh no,” I whispered as I clamped my hand over my mouth.

  “They’re good,” the vampire said, indicating the remainder of the Normans who’d been in the box. “Send them on.”

  I focused in on the Normans, looking for anything helpful. Several had bite marks on their necks and wrists. They’d definitely been fed on.

  “Look at that one’s wrist,” Tristan murmured from right next to me. “The one with the red shirt.”

  I zeroed in on what he saw on the guy’s arm: a fresh tattoo of angel wings and the initials A.K.

  “There’s one accounted for,” Vanessa said.

  Before we could inspect anyone else’s wrist, the soldiers rushed the Normans back into the box. All except the two older people. The vampire dragged them both inside, presumably for lunch. I wanted to be sick.

  “That definitely was not a place of refuge,” I said once we returned to the bunker, and I told Ammi, Kristen, and the woman with the silver bun, all of whom seemed to have taken leadership roles here, what we had seen.

  “The military and government are obviously working with the Daemoni,” Tristan said.

  “And it sure looked like they were harvesting humans,” Vanessa added. “Weeding out the frail and keeping the strong.”

  Kristen and Ammi both frowned and shook their heads.

  “I can’t believe this has happened,” Kristen said.

  “Did you see Steven or Josie?” Ammi asked with a touch of hope. “George? Any of them?”

  “We saw a blond guy with a red shirt and a tattoo like yours.” Tristan tapped his finger against the inside of his wrist.

  Ammi nodded. “Steven was wearing a red shirt. We’d argued about why he’d worn such a bright color when we’d gone out, but he’d spilt kerosene on his only black one. I’m sure he’s not there alone. We have to save them!”

  “We have to save all of them,” I agreed.

  We spent the rest of the day and the next scoping out the Norman farm and making our plan of attack. It wouldn’t be easy when the House of Commons was full of military and Daemoni. We’d have to be sneaky as foxes, hoping the Normans would recognize we’d come to free them and not scream for help. On the second day, we prepared to head out. Ammi joined us.

  “You need to stay here,” Charlotte said when she noticed the girl.

  “I can help,” she protested. “Those arseholes changed me. I want to hurt them!”

  “You’re not ready,” Tristan said.

  She scowled at him. “I have to go. I promised everyone.”

  I cocked my head as I looked at her. “What do you mean you promised everyone? What did you promise?”

  She sucked in her bottom lip and turned her face away from me. “I promised them if they didn’t come back, I’d come and get them.”

  “Who, Ammi? If who didn’t come back?” I wracked my brain, but couldn’t recall anyone being sent out for supplies or survivors. But, on closer thought, there were some people noticeably missing. Tristan realized it at the same time I did.

  “Where did Terrence and the others go?” he demanded.

  Ammi didn’t answer.

  “They’ve been gone for a couple of days, haven’t they?” Tristan asked.

  She gave the slightest nod. My stomach sank at the thought of more of their group being captured. We’d be severely outnumbered, and there was no guarantee we’d be able to help anyone escape.

  Tristan jabbed a finger in her direction. “You’re staying here.”

  She looked at me with pleading eyes. I could only shake my head.

  “The last thing we need is another of you getting captured,” I said as we headed for the door.

  We’d barely made it up the steps, however, when the door to the outside banged open, and several bodies blocked the gray light of day. Three stumbled through, dragging two others along. I smelled them instantly.

  “What have you done?” I demanded as I ran to them.

  The three on their feet were mostly fine … except for the deep fang gashes in their shoulders. The other two—Terrence and the girl—lay unconscious, but the scent of vampire blood ran through their veins.

  “Now you have to convert us,” one of the guys said with a smirk that I wanted to slap right off his face. “They got the vamps, but we found the wolves.”

  “You idiots!” Charlotte snapped as she and Owen picked up Terrence. “You have no idea what you’ve done.”

  “Sure we do,” said the girl. “You’ll convert us, and we’ll be able to fight for you, just like we said we would. And now we can’t be killed.”

  “You’re not immortal,” I growled as I leaned down to pick up the unconscious girl. Tristan beat me to her and scooped her up into his arms. “Vampires aren’t even immortal.”

  “But we’re practically impossible to kill now.”

  “Not until you go through your first transformation,” Sheree snarled, following us down the hall. I’d never heard her so mad at a patient.

  “Good on us tonight’s a full moon then, isn’t it?” the guy said.

  Charlotte dropped Terrence’s feet, leaving Owen to hold him at the shoulders, and spun on the guy. “Which means you can’t be here! You won’t be able to control yourself with the smell of human flesh tempting your taste buds and your beastly needs.”

  “But you’ll convert us,” the girl said, not sounding quite as sure of herself anymore. “Right?”

  Charlotte strode up to her and glared down at the shorter girl. “You don’t know what you’ve done. By choosing this, you may not be able to convert! And certainly not between now and nightfall.”

  “But … but we still have our souls. We still have hope. You said as long as we have hope, even just a little ….”

  “It means we can’t kill you. Not on purpose. It does not mean we’ll succeed in converting you before you die.” Charlotte spun on her heel and stalked back to Owen and Terrence, muttering, “Idiots.”

  “I don’t understand,” the girl whined, and it almost sounded like a puppy’s whimper.

  “The conversion process has been known to kill in some cases,” Sheree said. “And if it doesn’t kill you, your first transformation might. Or, at least, you’ll wish it did.”

  We took them into what had apparently been a packing and shipping room before. Three long rows of tables stretched across the center of the large room and shelves of boxes lined the sides.
Owen and Charlotte magically bound the five of them to the tables.

  “I sure hope this holds, because they’ll be a mess tonight,” Charlotte muttered.

  The magic binds held, although it seemed questionable at times. The conversions were grueling, taking every bit of Amadis power we managed to build. We took turns, forced to pause for breaks over the next several days, until the full moon phase passed completely. On the last night, we thought we might have succeeded in easing them through their first monthly cycle when the guy’s human body exploded into were-goo and a large, red wolf appeared in his place. We’d been through many transformations over the past few nights, so this one’s appearance wasn’t our dilemma. The fact that evil and hatred still radiated from the wolf was the problem.

  He stood on the metal table, still bound to it, and his black nose sniffed the air. The huge head swung toward me, and the lips curled upwards, baring his fangs. A growl rumbled up his throat, and he lunged forward, snapping his powerful jaw at me. Although I knew he couldn’t reach me, I jumped back instinctively. Hunger—a primal need for living flesh—shone in his black eyes.

  “Calm down,” I ordered, but he only continued to growl.

  Sheree strode our way, and as soon as he caught her scent, he spun on her, snarling and snapping more intensely than ever.

  “Yeah, I smell like your enemy,” she said, “but I’m not. I’m here to help, remember?”

  He barked and bit in her direction, either not understanding her or not caring. I silently moved up behind him, close enough to push Amadis power into him, and I turned it on full blast. The canine body reared back as he let out several yelps, twisting and turning like a mean bull with a rider on its back. His fangs nearly latched onto my hand several times, grazing my knuckles more than once, until finally his moves came slower, with less power.

  The wolf collapsed. I lightened up the intensity but continued pushing Amadis power into him, even as he morphed into a naked man lying on the table.

  “I … I lied,” he panted, curling into a fetal position on his side as though he suffered tremendous pain. “I didn’t do this … to help. I just wanted … to be powerful. I don’t want … to be weak … like you.”