Either Selene or Pedro could have put Tyson into a trance, making him the walking husk of uselessness he had become.
She stood and bent down in front of him so they were face to face. She gripped his chin with enough force to make him wonder if she tried to smash his jawbone into pieces.
“I’m truly not one for feelings,” she continued. “I find them cumbersome and a waste of energy. However, when you killed Pedro, you took not only my right hand man away from me, but also my lover, which, as you can imagine, greatly upset me.”
He didn’t dare stare at her too long, but instead moved his gaze to her chin. So not only had he and Sami ruined her businesses, they’d killed her main piece.
Damn.
Now he understood why she wanted him to suffer.
She stood, and he could feel her glaring at him, but he didn’t look up.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” she asked.
What did she expect? An apology? He wasn’t sorry for anything that he’d done. They’d stopped a lot of innocent people from dying, so he had no regrets.
Maybe she expected him to declare his allegiance to her?
He didn’t think he could do that, either, but maybe it should be something for him to consider. If he could gain her trust, then perhaps, he could get free. However, he highly doubted she’d allow him to do anything without putting him into a trance.
“I’m sure you have to relieve yourself, so I’ll have Tyson take you outside.”
Glancing up, he watched her walk away as he heard Tyson’s footsteps from behind.
Without a word, Tyson reached under his armpits and hauled him to his feet. He slipped some keys from his pants pocket and unlocked Connor from the chain, but kept his hands and ankles shackled.
“This way,” he murmured as he pulled him by the elbow.
Connor stumbled a bit before getting the hang of walking with his feet closely bound. When certain he wouldn’t fall on his face, he said, “You don’t have to do what she says, Tyson. You can fight the trance.”
He didn’t answer, just stared straight ahead as he led Connor through a darkened tunnel that seemed to incline with a bright light at the end of it. Was that the moon, or the sun? Either way, he craved for it to shine down on him.
“You don’t need to be under her control. If you can get out from under it, we can leave here before she kills us both.”
As they continued their walk, Connor’s stomach rolled. Was that the smell of rotting flesh? It only made him more nervous. Who knew how many caverns and tunnels this place had? There could be dead bodies everywhere. He needed fresh air.
“Listen to me, man. I—”
Tyson slammed him into a wall, the brutal contact making him hiss in pain, like he didn’t have enough of it railing through his body.
“I will never betray my Queen,” he growled as spittle landed on Connor’s face. “Don’t talk like that again, or I will tell my Queen it is time for you to die now, not later, as she prefers.”
“You know she’s going to kill you,” Connor whispered. “She’s going to kill us both.”
Tyson shook his head. “My Queen will always keep me in service.”
He tried to shake Tyson off of him, but only managed to scrape up his back more.
“She’s going to kill you, you fucking dumb shit!” he yelled.
Tyson stared directly at Connor, his gaze devoid of any emotion. “Shut up. You could never understand.”
Connor then noticed the bite marks on the left side of Tyson’s neck at his pulse point, just under his shaggy hair. When Sami had drunk from him, she’d always made sure that her bite mark didn’t show. She had told him it was considered a common courtesy between humans and the vampires’ lovers and donors that no markings would be left.
Apparently, the Queen, Selene, didn’t practice the same etiquette.
Two scabs that sat over his artery looked as if they’d been pierced many times over and would probably become infected at any time.
He realized then that Tyson was a goner. Maybe Selene, being so pure bred of a vampire, had the abilities to put others into trance like he’d never seen. All he had witnessed was humans walking along to their slaughter as if they were taking a stroll in the park.
Tyson stood upright and pulled him from the wall. As they made their way toward the light, he tried to harness his energy to escape his captors once he had the chance. He didn’t know how he’d do it, but he scanned the area for an easy weapon to grab with shackled hands. A piece of lumber or a tree limb would be ideal as he could use it as a baseball bat. If he could knock Tyson out and it was still daylight, he had a chance as Selene would never be able to follow him out into the sun.
When they met the light, Connor blinked a few times to try to get used to the glare, as well as blink away the tears the putrid smell caused.
As they reached the outdoors, he practically gagged on the stench. He tried to breathe, but found it difficult. He realized Tyson had led him onto a sort of cliff, and his heart sank.
Locating the sun rising in the east, he realized he’d been hanging from the chains all night.
About twenty feet below him, he saw the cause of the smell.
He counted ten dead bodies in shallow water surrounded by miles of trees, all in different states of decay as vultures tore at them. How many more lay below them, he had no idea.
Where had they come from?
He thought he heard voices somewhere off in the distance. Maybe the dead had been hikers or campers in the area?
As he glanced to his right and then to his left, his heart sank as any hope he may have had vanished once again. There was nothing he could do to escape. The slick rock walls ran above and below him.
“You piss down there, on them,” Tyson said. “Those are the ones my Queen killed.”
“Where did you find them?”
“Everywhere. They hike and camp. When my Queen is thirsty and I can’t give her any more blood, she sends me out to find others. She kills them, but not me. You were wrong when you said she’d kill me. My Queen would never do that.”
He looked his old friend over. There was no sign of keys on him to unlock his restraints. There was no indication of remorse for the lost souls below. Tyson stared down at them, his face a blank slate.
As he heard the voices in the forest again, Connor knew he had to try to save their lives. “Run!” he yelled. “Run far away and don’t come back! Send someone to help me!”
Tyson shook his head. “They can’t hear you.”
Well, that seemed impossible. His voice had echoed all around the trees.
“What does that mean?”
“My Queen has put up a vapor. No one can hear you, and they can’t approach the mountain. It sends them away. I’m the only one who can bring them in.”
“We got to the base of the mountain just fine.”
Tyson sighed and looked over at him. “That’s because she wants you here.”
Hell. His situation just seemed to become more dire by the moment.
Sami had never talked about vampires who could make vapor, and he wondered if she even knew the ability existed among her race.
As he assessed the situation, Connor realized he had three choices. First, he could run at Tyson and knock him over the small ledge, but that could possibly leave him toppling down after him and breaking some bones, rendering him useless. Or, if he were lucky, he’d catch his footing and stay alive up here with Selene. He had no idea how to get out of the cavernous mountain, and if she did find him, which was likely, she’d gut him in an instant when she realized he’d killed her ‘pet.’
He could jump onto the dead bodies below, but again, a fall at twenty feet would most likely incapacitate him, if he were fortunate. If Lady Luck wasn’t on his side, he’d just be another rotting corpse.
Lastly, he could wait for a better time to strike. He had no hope of rescue. No one knew where he was, unless they had implanted some sort of tracking de
vice at Dedou’s, which was highly doubtful. If he beat the odds and got out of here, he’d bring it up for the future recruits. As he stared out at the huge mountain range, he knew he was truly on his own. No one would be coming to help him as there was no way to find him.
He glanced over at Tyson again. Yes, he did have to pee, but he wouldn’t urinate over the dead.
Instead, he turned slightly and aimed inward toward the cave. When Tyson finally came out of his reverie and realized what Connor had done, he’d finished and had walked a few paces inward so Tyson couldn’t throw him over the cliff.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Tyson hissed, his voice low. “If she finds you’ve sullied her home, you’ll regret it.”
Connor sighed. “Yeah, well, my life is full of things I regret, so why the fuck should I stop now?”
9
Sami stared out her window as the beautiful, sunny day, her gut churning with expectation and worry. Connor would be home today, and she couldn’t wait to see him.
She’d woken at six and had showered, taking extra time with the razor and the Shea oil so her body would be silky smooth when he arrived. Now that she stood at the window with a serious case of anticipation, she felt like a dog waiting for its master to return from a long day of work.
With a sigh, she turned, crossed her arms over her chest, and began pacing the floor.
She had expected to hear from Connor last evening, but she hadn’t. She’d thought for sure he’d send a text or call her, and she’d waited up late into the night for some sort of communication, but it had never come. When she’d finally laid her head on the pillow, she’d chalked it up to ‘guy stuff.’ Maybe they’d grabbed dinner or a few beers after the hike, and she hadn’t been in his thoughts. This hurt a bit, as he seemed to consume her every waking hour, and some of her sleeping time, as well. However, maybe when he’d realized the time, he hadn’t wanted to disturb her since she was in a later time zone.
Or, perhaps his phone had gone dead, or he’d dropped it in a river.
Whatever the reason, his lack of communication had worry niggling at her, no matter how she tried to ignore it.
At some point, Harper would know his anticipated arrival, and she’d let her know. It probably wouldn’t be until the afternoon, especially if beer and a late night had been involved in his visit with his friend.
A loud knock sounded on her door, startling her. She walked over to open it and found Dedou, her eyes wide, her dark skin ashen, as if she’d seen a ghost. She twisted her hands in front of her. However, even if Dedou had seen a ghost, it wouldn’t faze her. Something was wrong, and a hollow pit formed in her stomach.
“What is it?” she asked as she pulled Dedou into the room.
Dedou’s gaze darted all around, as if she looked for someone.
“He’s not here?”
A lump formed in Sami’s throat. “Who? Connor?”
“Yes! Dedou yelled. “Is the boy here?”
She walked around the room glancing into the corners.
Sami realized she’d been wrong to ignore her apprehension. Dedou was obviously very afraid of something.
“What’s happening?” she asked, her legs weak. She moved over to the bed and sank down onto the mattress.
Dedou sighed and looked down at the floor, her hands on her hips. Today, she wore a red dress with a matching headband, her dreadlocks piled high on top of her head.
Sami began to tremble as she waited for Dedou to speak. Something had happened to Connor. All the anxiety she’d been pushing away now flooded her system, and her stomach twisted as if she were about to become sick.
Dedou came over and sat down next to her. Taking Sami’s hand, she finally met her gaze.
“My spirit guides have shown me such horrible Evil, child.”
Oh, sweet God above.
“He was supposed to come yesterday,” Sami blurted. “I got a text saying he wanted to stay one more day and he’d be home today.”
“Yes, you have told me this,” Dedou said, squeezing her fingers. “But I fear he’s been caught up in something more vile than either of us can imagine.”
Tear stung her eyes. “Is he dead? What did your spirit guide tell you?”
“He’s not dead, yet. I’ve seen a mountain crying blood. I’ve seen bodies lying in water, as if cast aside without a second thought to the welfare of their souls.”
“H-have you seen Connor?”
Dedou shook her head. “No. But I feel his presence in these visions. He is there.”
Sami stared down at her fingers intertwined with Dedou’s, wishing she could see what Dedou did and she could understand what it all meant.
A mountain. Connor had said he’d be going hiking. Did that mean that something had happened to him on the hike? If so, how in the world would she find him?
“We must figure out what to do,” Dedou muttered. “I feel time slipping away, like we don’t have much more of it.”
Sami blinked back the tears and looked around the room, as if the answers would be written on the walls.
If Connor had found trouble, why hadn’t he called her?
The phone.
She stood, excitement tearing through her. “His phone! Harper can look for his phone through the Internet!”
Dedou stared at her a moment, then nodded and got to her feet. “Yes, I’m sure she can. Come. Let’s go visit the little one.”
They hurried out of the room and up the stairs to the third floor. She heard Harper singing ‘I Got You, Babe’ by Sonny and Cher at the top of her lungs before she laid eyes on her.
After knocking on the door, it became apparent that Harper had the music up so loud, she couldn’t hear them.
Dedou said something in a foreign language that Sami would bet was a curse, then the woman slammed her fist on the panel three times, causing Sami to startle, but yet, conveyed the urgency of the situation.
“Hang on!” Harper yelled once the music had been turned down.
Opening the door, she glanced from Sami to Dedou. Today, she wore a pair of green Converse and a vintage Sonny and Cher T-shirt. For its age, it had held up very well.
“Whatever happened to knocking politely? Were you trying to break down the door or something?”
Sami grinned, despite the seriousness of the situation.
“Connor is in trouble, Harper,” Dedou said, pushing her way in. “We need you to track his phone.”
Harper’s grin faded, and she turned and sat down in front of her bank of computers.
“No one messes with my marine,” she mumbled as her fingers flew over the keyboard.
Sami stared at the computer as Harper typed. She didn’t bother to correct her that Connor was her marine.
After a moment, Harper spun in her chair. “Here we go. Here’s his phone.”
The dot on the screen blipped at them.
“Is it moving?” Sami asked.
They stared at it a few more minutes.
“Doesn’t look like it to me,” Harper said with a sigh. “Let me run this other program. It’s got a lot more power, and I’ll be able to tell more.”
A moment later, her screen went black, then came back up a bright, fluorescent green.
Sami knew this wasn’t a normal color, and whatever Harper had done, she’d gone somewhere on the Internet that very few people knew about.
They waited in silence as Harper worked, muttering to herself, most of which Sami did not catch.
“Okay, here we go.”
The green screen disappeared, and suddenly, they were looking down onto a forest, the image as crystal-clear as a high-definition movie.
“His phone is somewhere down there,” Harper said. “Before we try to zero in on it, let’s take a quick look around.”
She tapped on the keyboard, and the picture moved. To the right, they saw a mountain surrounded by miles of trees, as well as some sort of fog encompassing it. Sami exchanged glances with Dedou. So far, it looked like Dedou’s visions
had been correct.
As they scanned to the left, only more trees could be seen.
“Okay, well, we can assume he’s out in the middle of nowhere,” Harper said. “Let’s get a good lock on his phone because I’m sure NASA will want their satellite back any minute.”
She zeroed in on where the phone was, the speed causing Sami to become dizzy for a second. Harper scrawled something on a piece of paper, then moved the camera around a bit more. They saw nothing but treetops.
“Okay, we better get off this thing. They seem okay with my hijacking it for a couple of minutes, but then they get all pissy and start trying to find me. They don’t share very well.”
With a few taps of the keys, the screen went black.
She turned to face Sami and Dedou. “Well, the good news is that we didn’t see his body lying in a pool of blood or anything like that.”
Sami glanced over at Dedou. “And what’s the bad news?”
“Well, we don’t know if he’s lying under a tree dying, or if he was out enjoying nature and lost his phone. Either way, someone has to go get him.”
She didn’t hesitate. “I’ll go.”
Harper nodded. “Better you than me. I prefer the indoors, in case no one noticed.”
Now that she’d mentioned it, Sami had never seen Harper step outside the house. However, if demons were hunting her, she’d never leave, either.
“Sami,” Dedou said. “Have you ever been out in the forest like that?”
She’d been camping with her father once when she’d turned thirteen. They’d stayed out one night in a tent, and it had rained the whole time. They hadn’t been able to light a fire, and she’d been freezing and had been kept awake by strange noises all night. She’d been afraid and miserable, and she’d never been so thankful for electricity as she had been when she’d stepped back into their home the next morning.
She decided to ignore the question.
“Dedou, we don’t know if he’s there. Like Harper said, he could have dropped his phone.”
“I would think he would contact us if he did lose it and tell us so,” Dedou surmised.
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