Dragging hands through his hair, he ground out, “Your dream will come true if we keep doing this. I need to leave. We can’t repeat last night either, you could have been killed.”
But I want you to bite me, she wished to cry, yet found some way to keep the words inside.
“I need to see Benjamin. It’s the only hope we have left right now.”
She leaned up on her elbow, barely resisting the instinct to throw herself at him. “I’m scared.” The tide of tears returned. “I have a bad feeling about this. What if I never see you again?” Covering her tear-soaked face with her hands, she sobbed.
Gentle fingers closed around her wrists and drew her hands away from her face. Stroking the hair from her moist cheeks, he crooned, “Please don’t cry. I’ll be back. I swear it.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Today.”
“But what about Lucas?” she tried, knowing the move was a desperate one.
“The Order will watch over you, you needn’t worry about Lucas or Celeste. Just be careful, as before.” Could she really trust the merry band of repentant killers? When she thought of Max and even Beon she knew deep down she could. She still didn’t like the idea when she watched him leave via the window.
As the rising sun brightened her room, Danielle finally dragged herself out of bed, knowing she’d slept in. She paused in front of the mirror to see what she’d done to herself with all that crying. Sure enough, she looked terrible. Tracing the dark circles under her tear-ravaged eyes, she thought of that dream. That stupid dream! Ethan isn’t like that. He could never be like that. She wanted to forget about it, but it was the event that made him determined to go, determined to visit Benjamin, determined to find the cure to his evil curse.
Deciding she’d better take a shower to try and wash the tears away so her family wouldn’t ask questions, she wished she’d lied and said it wasn’t about him. Too bad she sucked at fibbing. He would have seen through it.
Chapter 21
Premonition
Patience remained a major weakness of hers as she tried not to think about Ethan and what he might be doing as he searched for a cure she wasn’t sure existed. She spent a lot of time painting and doing homework trying to quell the distress her personality flaw caused.
Creating another sad painting, she decided it made her feel a little better. But only a little. This time a distraught fairy emerged from her pencil. The little sprite sat curled up under a brown mushroom, her arms wrapped around her bent legs, her cheek resting on her knees, and desperate tears trickled down her tiny cheeks. Even her little wings drooped sadly. Danielle understood how she felt as she filled the fairy in with the wash of soft watercolors.
Her workouts became more aggressive, as did the music she listened to, but she was forced to do those inside since it seemed to rain constantly after Ethan left. Danielle hoped that wasn’t a bad omen. She also wanted to wear her favorite white cardigan to fight off the chill from the drizzle, but she couldn’t find it. Now she’d lost Ethan and her favorite sweater.
When three days had passed and she’d heard nothing from him, her prayers for Ethan’s safety increased, especially because he never answered his phone when she tried to call, or responded to her texts. And he never called. She wanted to hurl the phone across the room in frustration after another failed attempt to contact him.
Two and a half weeks? Had it really been that long? By now, worry had taken up residence in her gut. Could something be really wrong? He’d been so reliable and consistent in the past, that this seemed very out of character for him. But maybe she didn’t know him at all. Maybe it was just an excuse to leave her…. Wrapping one arm around her middle, trying to keep her insides under control, Danielle forced down the last bit of chamomile tea she’d been drinking, hoping it would help her sleep.
She’d thought of contacting the Order to see if they’d heard from him, but she just couldn’t bring herself to make the call. Were they still watching out for her? If they were, they never showed themselves and that simply added to her concerns.
The only relief Danielle had was that her restless sleep wasn’t ever again tormented with that horrible nightmare. Groaning as the morning sunlight slanted through her lace curtains, Danielle threw one arm over her eyes. Forcing herself to sit up, she stretched, then frowned when she glanced at her door. Why was it slightly open? She’d closed it, hadn’t she? Then her eyes landed on a folded paper on her bed. Danielle snatched it up and nearly ripped it open. Her heart soared when she recognized his signature at the bottom, and—she drew it to her nose—oh, how she’d missed the smell of his essence.
Danielle,
Meet me today at noon at the Library entrance. I’ll be waiting for you there.
Love always,
Ethan
P.S. Sorry it’s been so long. I’ll make it up to you.
He was back! Finally, he was back! It’s about freaking time, she mused angrily as she moved from the bed to her closet.
Wanting to look pretty and old-fashioned, which she knew Ethan liked, Danielle decided on her ruffled skirt that had a vintage-inspired floral print over a cream background. She topped that off with a white blouse with lace insets. She left her hair down to naturally cascade over her shoulders, and for makeup, just a simple rose-colored lip tint. She looked for her favorite cardigan again, but it was still missing, and opted for her denim jacket instead.
Brianna and Will dropped Danielle off at the library a little before noon with the plan that she’d just have Ethan take her home. However, after having waited for several minutes, she checked her phone for the time. It was now just after noon and Ethan hadn’t arrived. Could he be late? But he was never late. This can’t be right, she thought, and a sudden chill crawled up her spine, settling at the back of her nape.
Whirling around, she made for the library entrance, and gasped when a strong arm twisted around her waist simultaneously with a palm slapped over her mouth. Being pulled backward toward the street, she tried to see who it was, hoping it was Ethan, but was pulled into a car parked next to the curb before she could see. Her purse was ripped from her fingers as the car door slammed closed. Lifting her horrified gaze, she recognized Lucas on one side of her and Celeste on the other. Her stomach turned upside down as she wondered.... Had her two worst enemies actually teamed up?
“I was waiting for Ethan,” she said hanging onto the crazy hope that the note was from him.
A wicked grin split Celeste’s painted lips.
“Who left the note for me?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
But that didn’t stop her heart from sinking when Celeste confirmed it. “I did, of course.”
The very idea of that made her shudder. Just as she was wondering how Celeste had gotten in, the vampire answered the question. “Someone should really lock that window.” As Danielle realized it was probably the same one Ethan had come through when her windows had been locked, Celeste added, “All I had to do was wait for your guard to leave after sunrise and then it was way too easy. Your uncle sure does snore loud.”
Ignoring that comment, she wondered about the other things that didn’t make sense. Like how did they fake Ethan’s handwriting and his smell? Could Celeste have broken into Ethan’s place too? Figuring she’d never know the answers to those questions, because Celeste wasn’t offering them up, she shifted her thoughts to something more important. Escape.
They had her seated between them in the backseat, and she knew she would have to reach over one of them to get to a door. Even if she could manage that, the car was moving dangerously fast through the busy traffic. She would never survive the jump.
Of course, even if she could get to a door, she’d never get past two vampires however weakened by the sun their magic was. Ethan had proven that to her in Uncle Nick’s garden when he’d sparred with her.
Noticing the driver, Danielle realized these two no longer worked alone. Returning to her earlier thought, she wondered if maybe a m
ember of the Order was helping them and that’s how they got access to Ethan’s handwriting and fragrance.
But that didn’t matter either and the information, even if she did figure it out, wouldn’t help her get away. She decided to pay attention to where they were going, and then when the car stopped, she would fight.
What a miserable car ride this was, Danielle mused as Celeste started stroking her hair in the same belittling way she’d done before, raising goose bumps along the back of her neck. Danielle hated that the first time, and she hated it now. She could also feel the evil vampire staring at her with those sinister, yet beautiful eyes of hers. Keeping her eyes focused out the front window, trying to memorize the street signs as they swept past far too fast for her to even read most of them, she wrapped her arms around herself. She had to keep calm or her chances for escape would be hindered.
The car pulled into a tree lined driveway, and a house rose up at the end of it. Surrounded by thick woods, it was three stories tall. The dark stone walls were covered with moss and ivy. The landscaping was simple and plain. It wasn’t cheerful at all and Danielle decided it looked like the perfect place for vampires to dwell. Figures.
“Welcome to Lucas’ place,” Celeste whispered.
Danielle shivered again as that formidable tone drifted uninvitingly into her ear.
When the vehicle came to a halt, Celeste opened her door and pulled Danielle out with a tight grasp on her arm. Danielle was sharp enough to see this as her chance to fight. As soon as she cleared the car, she shoved her weight into Celeste, trying to knock her off balance. It worked. Celeste stumbled backward, not having expected Danielle to do that. She pried Celeste’s loosened grip from her arm, and lunged to jump past her.
Unfortunately, Lucas was quicker. He tackled her to the pavement and shoved a grunt from her lungs, then jerked her to standing and kept his grip in place while Celeste collected herself. Danielle knew she’d made her angry with that move, and wasn’t surprised when Celeste drew her hand sharply across her face. It hurt, but she just clenched her teeth and glared back.
“Come willingly, Danielle, or this will be a more painful experience for you,” she threatened.
More painful? Less painful? What difference did it make when she knew they meant to harm, or more likely kill, her? Danielle said nothing as she felt her molars clench.
They escorted her to the front of the building, and she reasoned that if she was going to try anything else, she had better try it now. There would be little hope left for her if they got her inside. Quickly she moved into one of her techniques meant specifically for the way they were holding her. She managed to get her arm away from Celeste’s grip again, but not Lucas’. He was just too strong. Celeste recaptured her arm, digging her polished fingernails into her skin.
“Lucas, if you wouldn’t mind…” Celeste said angrily.
Lucas’ gaze passed over her briefly before he punished her with a swift punch to the stomach. Danielle realized as the wind whooshed out of her that he could have hit her harder than he did, but held back for reasons she didn’t understand.
Weakened and helpless, it was easy for them to drag her toward the house, but a prayer rose from her heart that maybe she’d get another chance if they left her alone.
After jerking her inside, they turned to the right, and entered a dark staircase, probably leading to the basement. The smell of mold assailed her senses as it wafted up from the darkness. At the bottom was a long hallway. It was carpeted with an ornate old-fashioned rug, and dimly lit with electric sconces on the walls.
“Nice place, Lucas,” Danielle mumbled in the most sarcastic voice she could find.
They ignored her comment, but she did grimace as Lucas’ grip tightened on her already bruised flesh. They finally stopped in front of a cement door with huge metal locks on it. Why would they need to lock her up in something so secure? And how would she ever escape that? Defeat twisted her stomach and, feeling desperate, she tried to escape one last time.
Of course that attempt was as futile as the others had been. Lucas held her captive while Celeste reached to unlock the door. The blonde vampire paused to look at her before she opened it. “Danielle, Ethan is very thirsty right now.”
Eyes rounding, Danielle’s gaze shifted to the solid door and back. Ethan? Wasn’t he in Moldova? “What do you mean?”
A slow wicked smile curled Celeste’s mouth. “Lucas wanted the honors, but revenge is so much sweeter forcing Ethan to kill his love. You will be the first mortal blood he has ever tasted.” A round of laughter tumbled out of Celeste. “How ironic is that?”
Incredulous she asked, “Ethan is here?”
“You’re rather thick, aren’t you, Danielle?”
“But how?”
Apparently Celeste was done answering her questions when she passed a withering look to Lucas, who curled his fingers around Danielle’s neck and forced her against the wall.
“When you see the demon that emerges from your prince as the sun sets, you’ll wish I had killed you,” Lucas spat his, tone dripping with heinous intent.
“He won’t do it,” she said, her tone as cold as the fear constricting her heart.
“Ethan should have let me have you that first night. Killing you himself will destroy him. He won’t be able to save you from the ravenous monster he is right now. It is perfect poetic justice.” Lucas let that hang there a moment, then added, “Oh, you will likely have a sweet little reunion, but as the sunlight diminishes, your prince will disappear and a devil will crawl from his cursed soul. That is the Ethan who will drain the life from you mercilessly.”
Certainly those words reminded her of her dream, but still, she couldn’t doubt Ethan, could she? He just couldn’t, she thought, and shook her head.
“Your precious blood will be irresistible to him,” Celeste said.
“He won’t do it! You never knew him, you don’t know him!” she argued, trying desperately to stand on shaky ground.
“You’re a fool.” Celeste pulled open the alarmingly thick door. As soon as the gap widened enough for her to fit through, they shoved her into the dark room beyond. Blinded, Danielle stumbled and fell, landing hard on her chest with a huff. Before she could gather herself enough to get off the floor, she heard the door slide shut just before the grinding of metal against metal signaled the lock driving into place.
Danielle’s eyes hadn’t adjusted, because there wasn’t even a hint of light. She then heard a clicking noise and then the sound of more cement sliding heavily against cement. She guessed it had to be another door. This dungeon, or whatever it was, had a double door entrance. Why was that necessary?
Chapter 22
Trapped
Still sightless because of the thick blackness surrounding her, Danielle practically jumped out of her skin when a fierce roar rent the air, and then a loud thud sounded as someone blew past her and slammed into the first door. After that she heard sobbing ... desperate, anguished sobbing, and then, “No, no, please no,” spoken in the deep British voice that she knew so well.
“Ethan.”
She remained where she was, until her eyes adjusted to a shaft of muted light filtering down in the middle of a chamber past the second doorway. It appeared to be coming in from outside, through some sort of small skylight. This place must have been under the garden behind the house, which was certainly possible with how far they’d taken her.
The room was sparsely furnished, with only a rug in the center and an old sofa against one wall. With walls, ceiling and floor constructed completely of cement, she could see that Ethan had been trying to escape because he’d put many deep dents into much of the surface as well as around the skylight. Chunks of broken cement and dust cluttered the floor underneath each crater. He had done a great deal of damage, but the cement was simply too thick for him to break through.
Turning her head, Danielle could see him leaning against the door, with his whole demeanor broken. She realized the fierce angel who could t
ake on anything had been oppressed. She got up and ran to him, putting her hands softly on his hunched shoulders. “Ethan? What have they done to you?”
With her back to one wall she pressed on his shoulder, and curled her fingers into his shirt, trying to bring him away from the door. Because he was looking down as he turned, she let one hand rise to his jaw, which was covered in whiskers. He seemed reluctant to let her see his face, but he did allow her to encourage it upward. When the soft surrounding light caught onto his face, she gasped—as Celeste had said, he was thirsty. Very thirsty. His beautiful, sapphire-set eyes had been replaced with chips of cold, reflective steel, and his complexion was a sickly pale shade of gray.
“Oh, Ethan,” she whispered with intense sadness filling her. This is my dream.
With his despondent appearance, her heart fractured into shattered pieces, and tears filled her eyes. How could they do such a cruel thing to him? How dare they?
His eyes flashed with determination as he wrapped his arms around her. “Danielle ... I’ve missed you so much.” He pulled back, lifted her chin with one gentle finger, and she saw a tear trickle down his cheek.
He studied her face for a long moment, and she watched as several emotions passed over his expression: joy, sorrow, fear, longing, and pain. He then closed his eyes and pressed a delicate kiss to her lips. When he opened them again, perseverance still reigned fiercely in his gaze. “I won’t let them make me do this, Danielle. I won’t kill you,” he said, his usually smooth voice was hoarse. “Your dream won’t come true. I won’t let it!”
“I trust you, Ethan. You know I trust you.” The tears continued to flow down her face.
“How did they capture you?” he asked, visibly tracking the moisture as it trickled to her jaw.
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