“Perhaps she was better than he’d hoped,” Alexander added.
Lucious struggled with the urge to plant his fist in Alexander’s face. “Fine. Not a human. I—we are uncertain as to what she is.”
Master stared at him with the eyes that burned into Lucious. “I don’t care for such matters. Her existence merely piqued my interest. I only wish I could see Eliza’s face when she hears the news of an escape.” He traced his fingers over his bandages. “I can permit you entry through the delivery entrance preceding the trial. At such a time, most of the guards will be posted at other entrances.”
“So, you won’t help us once we’re inside?” Lucious asked.
Master nodded. “Correct.”
“And what would be the price for such cooperation?”
“If a time arises when I am in need of your assistance, you will answer my call without question. A simple transaction I believe.”
“So, if your request is to go and jump into a pit of silver stakes, he has to do it?” Alexander asked.
“Not a request I would make, but, yes, that is what I ask,” Master replied.
Lucious sat back in his seat. He glanced at Alexander who was shaking his head with disapproval. The time was slipping away. Owing a favour to the Ghoul Master of the Vampire Council would be something he was certain would be a mistake. Yet, his options were limited. It was either that or being turned to dust when Helena’s head rolled off her shoulders.
“Fine,” Lucious said.
“There must be another way!” Alexander snapped.
“The offer is fair, Alexander,” Phil cut in. “If everything you mentioned in the e-mail was to be believed.”
Master rose. His head was a mere inch away from touching the ceiling when he straightened his posture. He reached into his robe and retrieved a folded piece of paper. “Here are the directions to the entrance. Eliza likes to begin her trials at sunset. So, I suggest you arrive on time.”
Lucious accepted the note. “Just keep your end of the bargain.”
“I always do and hope you do the same,” Master said and left the room.
Lucious and Alexander glared at Phil. The man seemed to shrink into his sofa under their intense stares.
“You were the ones who gave me an impossible task to solve!”
Alexander sighed. “It’s fine as long as we don’t have to sit through another negotiation with that degenerate. I swear I will be surprised if he doesn’t double-cross us.”
“Master keeps his word,” Phil said, “but I must warn you, Lucious, if you don’t do as he says, you will be flayed until you beg him to take your life.”
“Sounds almost romantic,” Alexander said.
Lucious was dead-beat. He marched out of the room. Some fresh air and a bottle or two of good whisky would help him clear his mind.
Several hours passed and hope began budding inside of him. They found a way in and could remain unnoticed. All that was left to do was getting Helena out of there.
He glanced at Alexander who was on his third cup of coffee. His smiled faltered. “Are you certain you want to come along? This is a one-way trip.”
“What kind of friend would I be if I abandoned you here?”
“A living one,” Lucious replied.
Alexander shot him a half-smile and flopped onto the unfolded wooden chair. “True, but I always wanted to go out with a bang. If my story is ever told, I would be the guy who helped a criminal get into the Council and took on Eliza. My grave would have more visitors than Elvis’.”
Lucious couldn’t help but laugh at the outrageous thoughts his companion voiced. He had little time left to explain to Alexander how much his friendship meant to him. Alone, this task seemed almost impossible.
“What will we do about weapons?” Lucious asked.
Alexander seemed thoughtful for a moment. “If worse comes to worst, I believe it would be in our best interest to go unarmed.”
Lucious rubbed his tired eyes. “That’s suicidal.”
“If we go in unarmed and get caught, we can say we came to sort out the details of the trial and got lost. On the other hand, if we burst in with weapons… Well, we may as well shoot ourselves in the foot now.”
“If I was a hound, I would shoot anyway.”
“Then take a knife or two. No guns.”
Stretching out on the sofa, Lucious rested his head on the armrest. “Get some sleep, Alexander. Tomorrow we will need our energy.”
“I can’t disagree with that.” Alexander pulled out another chair from the stack, and placed it next to the first, making a makeshift bed. “I think I know what I’m getting Phil the next time I want to trade information with him.”
Lucious stared at the chipped, dark ceiling. His friend had fallen asleep some time ago, and he contemplated leaving Alexander behind. He could go to the location alone in case this was a trap designed by Eliza but knew this was not what Alexander wanted.
So many things had happened today. Alexander turned out to be a better friend than he deserved. Lucious was willing to burst into the Council and rescue a human woman he convinced to create a link with him out of curiosity and greed. What bothered him most was that the dark shadow around his mental barriers hadn’t left. The creature that marked her was after both of their souls.
Lucious held in his laughter as it was laughable that he had a soul to begin with. He was a predator, an evil being that lived for an unnatural amount of time, feeding off humans—nothing more than a demon of a different kind.
His thoughts returned to the job at hand. If luck was on their side, and they did manage to get out alive, he’d be stuck with her until they found a way to destroy the bond. Eliza’s hounds would track them wherever they would go, and he would protect her as he had promised. That thought did not bother him as much as he thought it would.
22
Light and Dark
Helena couldn’t tell how much time had passed since Hannah left the room. The tingling in her limbs told her she was regaining control of them but moving her legs remained troublesome. At least, her arms obeyed, so she used them as support and propped herself up against the bed.
With Andreaz’s life energy out of her body, an unyielding chill clung to her. Her skin had populated with gooseflesh. She ran her hands over her arms to bring back some of the warmth she had lost. Taking her time, she scanned the room. She mulled over whether she should wrap the bedsheets around her. That idea vanished as soon as she remembered Andreaz’s remains rested on top of them.
Her dress laid discarded a few feet away from her. Moving to retrieve it was an impossible feat in her current state.
She heard an approaching march of booted feet. Her right hand covered her chest when two strangers, dressed in dark coats, stormed in with Hannah at their heel.
A bald vampire with a crooked nose took one look at her and the bed. His dark brows skyrocketed. “The ghoul spoke the truth.”
“Gather the remains,” his partner said in an authoritative tone. He strode over to where Helena sat and knelt down. A strand of silver hair escaped from his ponytail, swaying in front of his youthful face. He reminded her of a younger version of Vincent.
“Are you responsible for this?” his voice was soft, almost caring.
Helena’s throat was as dry as a desert. She tried squeezing the syllables out. When no sound left her lips, she gave an awkward nod.
The vampire raised a brow and surveyed the room with his green eyes.
Holding her breath, her attention jumped between the two strangers. She had admitted to murdering a Council member and, in the state she was in, it was impossible for her to get away. She forced her legs closer to her chest as if shrinking in on herself would help her become invisible to their judging stares.
The silver-haired man pointed to the discarded material lying next to the bed. “Pass me the dress, Norton.”
Norton grumbled something unintelligible and tossed the dress over with a jerk of his wrist. The thin piece o
f clothing was caught by the second stranger safe of it hitting her head.
“I’m not here to do her laundry. You might be in charge today, Levile, but that won’t always be the case,” Norton growled and returned to gathering the ashes into a small plastic bag.
The tension in the room was almost palpable. Helena looked at Hannah who remained standing by the door with her eyes fixed on the bed. There was no emotion on her face. If she hadn’t witnessed the woman moving a short while ago, she would think her to be a wax figure.
Levile raised the dress above her head. “Allow me.”
Helena eyed him with suspicion. There was no reason for him to behave like a gentleman. She found that she, even with her legs closer to her body, hadn’t warmed one bit. There was no point in fighting him. She would be the one to get hurt in the end. Lifting her arms, she slipped into the torn material.
Helena didn’t dare guess what was going to happen next. There was bound to be some kind of penalty for the death of a Councilman. Why hadn’t these vampires taken her life? What are they waiting for?
Once Norton finished gathering the ashes, he strode over to Hannah. “I’ll take the ghoul and finish up with the other house.”
“Do as you see fit,” Levile replied. “I’ll take care of the suspect.”
Norton grabbed hold of Hannah’s upper arm and jerked her towards the door, making the woman stumble after him. She didn’t protest or make a sound at the sudden rough treatment.
Levile rose to his full height which wasn’t much more than Helena’s.
Closing her eyes, she waited for the final blow that would end this torment once and for all. When none came, she stole a peek to find his amused expression.
He offered his hand to her. “Can you stand?”
She shifted her weak legs. The chance of her being able to stand without help was close to zero. She shook her head, her loose locks falling over her eyes.
Levile undid his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders.
Trying to comprehend his kindness, she looked at the dark material covering her as if it was a foreign matter to this world.
He lifted her with little effort. “You should rest. We will arrive in London soon enough.”
Wholeheartedly, she had to agree. She couldn’t remember the last time she was in the comfort of her own bed. Helena blinked a few times. Each time, his face grew hazier until she saw a colourless dream.
The hum of the engine woke her up. How long had she been sleeping for? Her body rocked on something that smelt of old leather. A cold feel of metal restraints on her wrists told her she was treated as a prisoner.
When she peeled open her eyes, she was in the back of a van. Hannah and Levile sat in the seats across from her. Hannah’s hands were also bound with large metal bracelets.
Helena moved her head around until she was able to see Levile better. He appeared indifferent as he sat there, scribbling something in his notebook with a plastic ballpoint pen.
Hannah remained unchanged with the same blank look on her face she had at the mansion. Her usually immaculate hair was a mess of blonde waves covering the front of her face like a web.
Fine hairs at the back of Helena’s neck stood to attention. Levile, although was busy writing, was definitely taking notice of her movements.
“Where are we?” Helena asked in a grating voice.
“Look outside,” Levile said.
Moving around had become much easier for her. Her arms and legs were functional after her rest and no longer trembled. She stole a peek out the tinted window, and her jaw came undone. She stared at the London’s empty, street-lit office blocks. They were already here, too fast to give her any comfort. “Why London?”
“This is where you will be trialled and judged for your crime by the remaining Council members,” Levile informed her matter-of-factly.
A tiny ray of hope budded inside of her. Vincent would be there. She needed to talk to him, needed to convince him that what she did was in self-defence.
They drove through the isolated streets and arrived at a dead-end of an alley. Two metal gates blocked their path.
Helena lifted her eyes to assess the structure. It appeared to be a normal office building. Scattered lights on upper floors indicated a couple of employees had remained behind to finish their paperwork. She frowned. This was not what she expected the Council to look like.
Where are the gargoyles and hordes of vampires?
Norton rolled down the window and stretched out his long, tanned arm covered in tattoos which consisted of numbers and names. His beefy fingers assaulted the intercom button.
After a loud beep, a female voice flowed through the speaker. “Name and ID?”
“Norton Sills, number two-three-eight-one-seven.”
Levile bent over the seat.
His partner grunted at the sudden closeness.
Dismissing Norton’s obvious displeasure, Levile moved closer to the speaker. His words came out clear and concise. “Levile Frost, number one-one-seven-eight-four.”
There was a sound of quick typing, and the woman approved their return. The gates languidly unlocked, allowing Norton to proceed.
They descended a few levels and parked in what appeared to be a half-empty underground car park.
Norton turned in his seat and looked at Levile. “I’ll take the ghoul to the GM. You can deal with the witch by yourself.”
There it is. That ‘ghoul’ word again. From college, the myth she recalled about them was that they feasted upon dead human flesh. She cringed, imagining Hannah chomping on someone’s limp leg.
As if being controlled with a remote control, Hannah opened the back door and climbed out without as much as a word. Her movements had lost their fluidity and became rigid and unsure. She stood there with her eyes fixed on the ground.
Norton killed the engine and clambered out of the car. Striding over to the ghoul, he grabbed Hannah’s upper arm roughly. When no protest came from her, he dragged her towards the lifts.
Helena couldn’t help but be grateful she was leaving here with Levile and not his partner.
Levile indicated for Helena to get out.
Careful not to trip, she made her way out of the van. With her hands handcuffed like that of a criminal, the situation was becoming more real by the second. She set her feet on the tarmac and smiled at Levile who outright ignored her.
They took one of the lifts to floor ‘B2’. He hadn’t once tried forcing her to follow him. Instead, he led the way, stopping occasionally, which allowed her to catch up with his stride. Sometimes, she caught a look of wonder on his face. That short-lived expression never remained there long enough for her to be certain.
With long, winding corridors behind them, Levile paused at a key panel on the wall. He typed in a four-digit code, and the wall slid to one side, revealing a white corridor lined with prison-like glass-and-steel cells.
Helena stopped in her tracks. Were they going to jail her until they decided on what to do? She didn’t want to stay here.
She took an unintentional step back.
Levile observed her, his face impassive. “You may enter by yourself or I can carry you in. It is your choice.”
She bit her lip and examined the bright corridor which, to her dismay, revealed nothing else. With nerves twisting her stomach, she trailed after him. Her eyes lingered on the occupied cells in which vampires lay on metal benches. Their hungry stares tracked her.
She quickened her pace, desperate not to be left behind.
Levile stopped abruptly, making her bump into his back. His hands grasped her shoulders, steadying her. “Depending on how urgent the Council sees the matter, you will remain here until someone comes for you.”
“Can I speak with Vincent?”
The look of complete outrage spread across his face as soon as she uttered Vincent’s name. “Preposterous!”
None too gently, he pushed her into the nearest empty cell. He fished out a key from his trousers pocket, und
id the locks on her handcuffs, and dialled some numbers on the keypad. A glass door slithered across, and Levile stormed away without as much as a glance back.
Helena stared at the place where he stood a moment ago. Her mouth was wide open with shock at the sudden change in his behaviour. Why would asking for Vincent summon forth such a reaction?
Vampires are like Pandora’s Box, she thought, you never know what to do or say around them. Sighing, she slumped on the metal bench.
“At least, they were kind enough to give me an en-suite,” she muttered when she saw a toilet through another glass door.
Helena heaved a sigh. She no longer had any of her belongings. They remained behind at Andreaz’s home. There was nothing she could do here to pass the time.
A shuffling noise from the other side of the wall told her she wasn’t alone.
“Hello?” She stood and pressed her ear to the cold steel barrier.
“I can hear your fluttering heartbeat, little girl. That’s music to my ears,” a merry, male voice came from the other side.
Helena jerked away. She wasn’t planning on being too close to a prisoner, even if the walls here appeared sturdy enough to contain an elephant.
“Ah, scared you off already? My deepest apologies for that. Tell me, what’re you in for?”
Helena contemplated whether she should talk to him. She nibbled on her dry and aching lower lip. There wasn’t much else to do here.
“You aren’t going to ignore me, are you? Sure, I sound hoarse, but that’s ‘cause I’ve not eaten in…” He paused and added, “six days.”
“I’m sorry. I’m Helena, and you are?”
“Is that manners I hear? I like you already. You can call me Karl. Well then, what they got you in here for, kiddo?”
“I killed Andreaz.”
Karl burst out laughing. Once he managed to contain his outburst, his voice was filled with mirth. “Good one but, seriously, did you steal some vampire’s boyfriend? Or did you get adventurous and stab the wrong vampire when he wasn’t looking?”
Russian Roulette (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 1) Page 34