Russian Roulette (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 1)

by May Freighter

  She snorted. “What a convenient superpower.”

  Karl returned a chuckle. “For someone who supposedly killed Andreaz, you sure know little about us.”

  Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the main door sliding open. A heavy pair of booted feet advanced towards them. Helena shut her eyelids, hoping it was not someone here to pick her up. As the heavy footsteps drew closer, she knew her luck had run out.

  Norton stopped beside her cell with an unsettling grin plastered on his face. He dialled a sequence of numbers on the panel that appeared too small for his chubby fingers, and the glass door unlocked. He stepped into the cell. “You’re first on the list.”

  “What about me?” Karl called out.

  Norton rolled his eyes. “You are still here? Get out of the cell and get back on duty, you moron.”

  Wasn’t Karl a prisoner?

  She glared at the arm waving at her from his bench. His door wasn’t even closed. And here she spent the whole time thinking he was in the same predicament as her. She was played for a fool.

  “Sure, after I finish napping,” Karl replied.

  “Why did Eliza bother hiring you?” Norton asked.

  “Because I’m the best at what I do.”

  Grumbling something under his breath, Norton grasped Helena’s arm. Her skin ached under his inhuman grip.

  Outside of her cell, she turned her head and saw who she was talking to. Deep brown eyes looked at her from under the mop of dark curls. A long, curved scar climbed Karl’s chin and parted his stubble. He was closer to a cheerful pub owner than one of the Council’s hounds.

  Norton tugged at her to move and led the way to the lift.

  Once inside, Helena gathered her courage and asked, “Where are we going?”

  “To your trial.”

  “My what?” her voice came out as a high-pitched squeak.

  “No more questions.” He pressed the ‘B3’ button and took a step back, snubbing her further queries.

  The trial came too fast. Her stomach sank while her brain pieced the past together. Lazarus was telling the truth, she was going to die today. Having accepted her fate didn’t keep the fear from getting its hands on her. She hugged her sides. It didn’t help stop her body from shaking.

  Lucious and Alexander parked the car and waited at the location given to them by Ghoul Master. The metal gate remained closed as the sun set over the city. Alexander approached the gate and knocked on the thick metal.

  At once, multiple shutters rose, and they ducked inside. They were met by a short, chubby man whose beady eyes assessed them with suspicion. Lucious scanned the storage room. Mountains of stacked brown boxes reached the ceiling. There was only one way in and out.

  “Master’s guests?” the dwarf-like ghoul asked.

  “Why else would we be waiting in such a place?” Alexander grumbled.

  Their plan was too ridiculous and risky to work. Get in, find the human, and disappear. Whatever could go wrong? Lucious continuously felt a prick of uncertainty about taking Alexander in. He was a good friend and had more than proven that in the last twenty-four hours. Endangering him was the last thing Lucious wished to do.

  “I have to get back to work. The cameras will be disabled soon enough,” the man nattered on.

  Lucious grabbed the ghoul’s forearm. “What floor are the holding cells on?”

  “Basement two.” He wiped his palms on his filthy trousers and waddled away to the control room.

  Alexander sighed. “I have a bad feeling about this trip.”

  “It’s not too late to leave.”

  “And let you have all the fun? I don’t think so.”

  They hurried towards the main door. Once they turned the corner, a lift came into view.

  They waited in silence, watching the red light on the camera until it stopped blinking.

  Lucious nodded to Alexander, and both of them fleeted inside the lift. Meanwhile, he concentrated on Helena’s presence. She was close. He could feel her like his own arm. An unpleasant shudder ran through him overshadowed by a wave of fear.

  She is scared.

  The doors languidly opened on level ‘B2’, and both of them got out. Lucious power walked the length of the corridor, checking rooms on either side of him.

  When they reached a dead-end, Lucious’ dark brows drew together. “Where are the cells?”

  The white wall ahead of Alexander slid to one side. “Ghouls are quite handy. I should try making one.”

  “Don’t joke about such matters and hurry.” Lucious pointed at the cells. “You take the left and I’ll take the right side.”

  They sped through each one of them until they hit the end. She is not here.

  “Damn it,” Alexander spat out.

  Her panic flooded their bond, and Lucious stopped moving altogether to concentrate on the link between them. He was certain she was in the building, but not on this floor.

  Lucious cursed. “She’s a floor below us.”

  “Looking for someone?” A man with shaggy, chestnut hair relaxed against the wall. His brown eyes, although appeared pleasant and dismissive, observed them.

  Lucious knew a veteran when he saw one. Without taking his eyes off the vampire, he reached for one of the knives in his belt. They were detected by one of the hounds and, if he wasn’t mistaken, it was the same hound he met at Alexander’s club.

  Working together, Lucious and Alexander created a gap between them, preparing to fight.

  The stranger’s hands shot into the air, palms facing them. “Whoa, fellas, I am not here to fight. I have no orders for your heads yet. But if you are looking for a young lady who killed Andreaz, I believe she’s already with the others.”

  “I need to get her out.” Lucious shot Alexander a desperate look. “You don’t have to risk your life any longer.”

  Alexander shook his head in disagreement. His eyes never left the hound. “We’ve been through this.”

  The hound’s relaxed demeanour didn’t fool them. Alexander edged towards him, while Lucious remained in place, watching Alexander’s back in case this was some kind of trap.

  “Why are you, brave souls, coming here to save a woman? Surely, she can’t be that valuable,” the hound said.

  “It’s none of your business. Either let us pass or prepare to fight,” Lucious said.

  The hound chuckled and dismissed them with a wave towards the exit. “Please, be my guest. I want to see how you fare against the Council.”

  With a laid-back attitude, the stranger allowed them to leave. It unsettled Lucious. He pushed his concerns aside. For now, they had other things to worry about.

  Norton brought Helena to a grand, centralised chamber. Her eyes focused on a raised balcony that overlooked the whole room. Up there, Vincent sat next to two females. Helena assumed one of them was Eliza.

  Dark mahogany panels decorated the walls as her numb, bare feet glided along the cold black marble tiles. There was no furniture here other than a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling to brighten the room’s interior. It looked almost like the layout of an opera theatre, and she was the performer tonight.

  “Kneel, human,” a willowy woman with waist-long, straight, blood-red hair ordered from the balcony. She sat between Vincent and another woman with Chinese features who seemed disinterested in the process.

  “What?” Helena asked, unsure if she had heard her right.

  Prickling power filled the room. It originated from that same redhead. Pressure built on top of Helena’s body, pushing against her. It forced her to inhale deeper breaths in search of more air as her ribcage felt more constricted, like wearing a corset that was too small. The air grew thicker, and the pressure became unbearable. Her knees gave way, and she landed on her hands and knees. She hissed at the sudden contact with the tiles that sent a sharp pain through her kneecaps and wrists.

  “Good, let us begin,” the redhead said.

  Helena reasoned it had to be Eliza. No one else seemed
worthy of the rumours and stories she had heard.

  Eliza leant forwards in her throne-like seat. “You are Helena, a witch who helped Lucious Ellwood in his crimes. You later proceeded to murder my childe, Andreaz, in his home whilst under observation. Are these statements correct?”

  “You’re wrong,” Helena said between rasped breaths. It was next to impossible to speak with the pressure that never lessened. Her arms quivered, and she struggled to keep from meeting the floor with her face.

  Eliza scoffed. “Which part of my information is wrong?”

  Through burning pain in her neck, Helena attempted to tilt her head upwards. No matter the effort, she was forced to face her terrified reflection in the tiles. “I didn’t help Lucious, and Andreaz attacked me!”

  “I have observed her for a long time, Eliza,” Vincent said. “She did no harm to me or mine during her stay. Is it so hard to believe Andreaz could be at fault here?”

  “Are you defending this witch? Has she used her magic on you also?” Eliza asked in a tone that felt colder than the ground beneath her.

  “You have read the reports I’ve submitted,” Vincent said. “I am trying to say that Andreaz was no saint towards women.”

  A new high-pitched voice from above added, “I have to agree with Vincent. He was a menace to women. If she didn’t kill him, I would have at some point.”

  Helena listened to the prolonged quiet. Was Vincent able to convince Eliza of her innocence?

  “Your report also said she wasn’t a witch. She killed him with no weapon. Explain that to me.” After a brief pause, Eliza snorted. “Silence? I thought as much. So, do you have anything to say for yourself?”

  Helena could no longer stand the pressure piling on top of her. White spots ate away at her vision. She tried talking and, after a few heaving breaths, said, “I haven’t done anything.”

  “Lies!” Eliza screamed and burst from her seat. “For the crimes committed to this day, you are sentenced to immediate execution.”

  Norton crossed the room to where Helena was in a blink of an eye. He secured his hand on her throat, and she was effortlessly lifted off the ground.

  Eliza’s energy kept closing in on her, taking away her ability to breathe in.

  This is it. She was going to die. No miracle happened to save her. No one came to her rescue. She closed her eyes and gave in, accepting her imminent fate.

  The doors behind her burst open and the hold Norton had on her disappeared. Unable to find her balance, she fell. The last thing she heard was the gasps from the Council members.

  23

  The Council

  Lucious rushed through the corridors, and Alexander trailed behind him. They had agreed if he was unable to secure Helena prior to the trial, he was as good as dead either way.

  His throat burned. She was right there, beyond a set of doors ahead of them. Lucious’ vision blurred, and he reached for the wall. He cursed inwardly. She’s growing weaker.

  Alexander studied his friend and flung open the doors, interrupting the proceedings inside.

  Lucious rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. Once the dizziness vanished, he hurried after Alexander into the Council room. He noticed Helena was lying on the ground, too still to give him any comfort. The fact that he remained among the living was enough to tell him she was alive.

  Eliza glared at them from the balcony. “I did not expect you to join us so soon.”

  Lucious ignored the elder. He knew it was a stupid thing to do and, at this point, didn’t care. “Let her go. She’s done nothing wrong.”

  Eliza’s thin fingers grasped the railing. The marble crumbled under her hold. Many stories circled the vampire community about her and how she controlled the Council by placing those she had sired in the seats of power. Nothing other than perfect evidence would convince her to let any accused go, and that was an almost impossible task to accomplish, especially if she wanted the accused to die.

  The hound next to Helena took on a fighting stance.

  Alexander did the same, giving Lucious more time.

  The bulky underling grinned at Alexander in response, his fangs showing.

  Eliza’s thin lips stretched into a pleasant smile, but there was an ocean of animosity in her dark eyes. They were like two empty voids, waiting to engulf his soul. “Do you have proof? Or did you come here to participate in the execution, Mr Ellwood? I would be willing to reschedule your case to this fine evening.”

  Lucious didn’t waver. He bowed his head in respect to the other two members and met their curious stares. “Master Vincent, Mistress Xi Yi, I would like to appeal to you. I have tried conducting an investigation into who has brought me to your attention and found the information I needed. Eliza placed the charges against me.”

  “Why would I waste my precious time on you?”

  Lucious ground his teeth together. “It must be related to the disappearance of my blood-siblings.”

  Vincent turned to Eliza. “What is going on? You said someone came forth with the information.”

  “My dearest childe, you would believe the word of a desperate man over your sire?”

  “It is not a matter of who sired who, Eliza. We are a Council. We must seek out the truth and protect those under our guidance,” Vincent replied sternly.

  Lucious stared at them in disbelief. He never expected Vincent to criticise his sire. “I have no intention of interfering with the Council’s matters. I simply wish to find those responsible for Anna’s death, nothing more and nothing less.”

  “You are interfering now,” Xi Yi pointed out.

  Lucious’ lungs burned. He glanced at Helena. Every cell in his body was telling him to get closer. He wanted to touch her. Instead, he balled his hands at his sides. Allowing Eliza to see that Helena was his weakness was out of the question. He tore his gaze away.

  “Lucious’ case is not one we are currently presented with. Tell me, young one, why are you trying to save a witch?” Xi Yi asked, flicking her braid back and forth with her fingers.

  “It was my fault she became involved with us.”

  “How chivalrous of you, but, you see, she managed to kill one of us already. Doesn’t this prove you had plans to use her against us?”

  Full of grace, Eliza took her seat between the other two Council members. A victorious smile played at her red lips, and Xi Yi added, “So give us a reason to doubt the obvious. You broke in here, interrupted a trial, and gave us nothing other than your word that you weren’t planning to disrupt the Council’s dealings.”

  “I will stake my life on his word, Masters,” Alexander said. “I’ve known Lucious long enough to be able to vouch for him. He is telling you the truth. You should be able to sense the truth from lies.”

  “The boys speak the truth,” Vincent agreed. “You know full well the human was also honest when she spoke in her defence.”

  Eliza shot him a glare. “Let us vote on the matter at hand. Xi Yi, what do you suggest we do with them?”

  Xi Yi dropped her braid and observed the intruders. “It would be a shame to dust such pretty faces.” She paused, her eyes meeting Lucious’. A glint of unmistakable mischief shone in her eyes, and Lucious already knew her answer. “But, they did break in here without any kind of evidence.”

  Vincent shook his head in disapproval. “I vote against both executions. I, unlike you two, can tell when someone is speaking the truth.”

  Eliza’s smile withered. The pair of her dark eyes reflected no hint of mercy. “As Head of this Council, I deem you are to be eliminated at once.”

  Without delay, the hound cracked his neck and launched an attack on Alexander with two blades already in his hands.

  Lucious concentrated on getting close to Helena. Moving her away from the fighting became his priority. When he was within touching range, a sharp pain shot through his left shoulder. He looked at it and saw blood oozing from a wound that had suddenly appeared there without a single trace of the weapon.

  Helena echoed
his pain, seemingly unconscious to what was going on around her.

  His eyes darted to the balcony where Xi Yi sat on the ledge, swinging her legs like a toddler on a swing.

  “Since Norton is dancing with your pretty friend, I will be your partner.” She blew him a kiss and jumped down. Her long silver dress fluttered around her, splaying at her feet as she landed.

  Lucious cursed under his breath. There was no other choice. He fleeted a safe distance away, leaving Helena behind, and unleashed the energy he desperately wanted to hide from the elders. It worked as a good distraction to get their eyes fixed on him.

  The raw energy he had gained from Helena had developed into an ability he didn’t have time to try. He cleared his thoughts, allowing for his eyes to further adjust to the energies in the chamber. Colourful streams of energy swam in the air. A long chain-like link that came from Eliza had encircled Helena’s body.

  Xi Yi’s wild energy twisted around her dress. She took out a small blade with an opal handle out of her braid and toyed with the sharp end. “I never would have guessed you had any power in you.” Her energy morphed into a spear, and she launched it towards him.

  He stepped to the right, avoiding the weapon that smashed into the wood panelling behind him. It dispersed into a stream of raw energy and retreated back to its conjurer.

  Xi Yi’s eyes widened, and she grinned. “I am going to enjoy this.” Vines of her power divided into two, each forming into a spear that hovered around her five-foot frame. Without much warning, both of them surged forwards.

  Quick on his feet, Lucious moved to dodge them to the left. A sudden burning in his stomach told him he wasn’t able to avoid all of her attacks. Taking a quick glance down, he found her small knife lodged in his gut.

  “Silver,” he hissed.

  Searing pain travelled across his gut, almost making him lose his footing. With a shaky hand, he pulled it out by the handle and tossed it to one side.

  “You may be able to see my attacks, but I am a better tactician,” she said.