by L. A. A. Law
“This could give him a very interesting distraction. Maybe we can even watch him tear her apart. Throw her in the dungeon, Shawn and William are on guard, she won’t get past them and find David the sooner he gets in a better mood, the better for all of us.”
I can’t believe my luck, if they throw me in without chaining me, I can get to Jacob quickly and get him out. With the delay in taking me here, Andrew must be overhead by now. He can grab Jacob as soon as he’s clear and have Damian appear in the cage to fool David when he comes for me.
Taking in a deep breath, I need to ready myself, move past my fears. Once Jacob is free, it will be better and if I can find a way to occupy David long enough with my supposed talent, the others can escape. Someone grasps my collar, pulling me, grabbing my neck, I struggle to loosen my collar which now feels like a noose around my neck as my legs crash against the long flight of stairs.
My heart races with joy as I hear the door creek and they toss me inside. My face crashes against the floor and I hear someone gasp, but scramble to my knees as I hear a gruff voice.
“Lock the door. We’ll be back with David shortly.”
Moving to I don’t know where as the footsteps retreat, I hear the voice I long for.
“Mom”
My head whips toward his sound. “Jacob where are you? Keep talking.”
“Mom, what happened, how did they get you?”
Moving toward his panicked voice, I finally feel the bars. Reaching in, he throws his arms around me. “Jacob, are you hurt?”
“No, I’m alright.”
Hugging him tightly, I whisper as shackles hit the ground around me. The others are making noise to mask our conversation. “Jacob, listen to me, your father is probably flying overhead now and is waiting for you. Everyone is safe, but you need to leave here before David returns. You need to transform into the mouse again and get out of here. Once you are out, uncle Damian will project himself in the cage and we can make his energy look like you so it will look like you are still here. We will follow shortly, but you need to leave now!”
Mom, the transformation makes me very weak when I come out of it, what if I come out of it before I reach dad and the others are around, they could kill me?”
I didn’t realize that the transformations make them weak and wonder if that is why Gabriel or Eva did not transform and try to get him out before because then they could not help the others. Taking a deep breath, I make my voice sound confident, even though this new information spikes my fear. “Everything will be fine and your father will make sure that nothing happens to you. You don’t need to transform out of the mouse state until you are safely off of the grounds. Your father can fly with you in his mouth, so don’t worry, everything will be fine and you will be safe.” I hold him tighter, knowing that if he goes, he will be safe and that this will probably be my good-bye to him. “He is waiting for you so I need you to transform. Can you do that for me now? We don’t have a lot of time, they are looking for David now.”
“Mom, I’m afraid, what if they catch me?”
“They won’t your father will protect you, you know that.”
“I know he will, but what about you, I can’t leave you and everyone here. If they discover I’m gone, they’ll kill you.”
“Jacob, please, no one here will get killed and your father is flying as an eagle overhead. As soon as you clear the window start running and he will come down and get you, I promise you will be fine.” I feel for his face, stroking his cheek. “Jacob I need you to leave so that we can fight David and the others. We have friends coming our way to help us, but you need to leave before they realize who you are. Jacob, please do this for me now so that I can fight without distraction.”
“Mom, why aren’t you looking at me? What’s wrong?”
“Jacob, it’s alright, we can talk about that later. Right now, you need to go.”
“Mom, you can’t see me, can you?”
His tone tells me that lying to him won’t do me any good and that it is not the last thing I want him remembering about me. “Sweetie, it’s alright, I got hurt and my vision is impaired, but I’m sure it will come back soon. Don’t worry about that now. Do what I told you, please.” Hugging him one last time, his arms move from my back to my head. The most soothing heat emanates from his hands. It is the strangest sensation, passing through my bones. I can feel it reaching my very cells.
“Jacob, transform now. Dad is waiting and so is uncle Damian. Go quickly so he can take your place. I love you and will see you soon.”
After an all too short moment, his hands are gone and I can feel his retreat. Relief blossoms in my heart knowing that despite the risk, once he makes it out the window, Andrew will not let anything happen to him. I quietly call to Emma.
“Mia, turn around on your knees. I am almost directly behind you.” She whispers.
Turning, I crawl toward her as the vampires outside yell “Stop the racket.”
They stop immediately. We don’t want them in before Damian arrives. Stretching, I feel Emma’s hair. Placing my lips close to her ear, I tell her about Damian’s appearance and Reginald’s instructions to keep the image strong and solid to fool David if Damian is unable to do it on his own. Knowing Gabriel and Eva can hear, I tell her the others are coming.
I need to get to Julianne and Paul to let them know that their father survived and is on his way. “Julianne” I called out.
“I’m here. Who are you?”
“Keep talking.” As I get closer, she shuffles her feet. “Your father is alive and coming back for you, he is working with Elizabeth, just hold on. Don’t do anything to get them angry. I am going to try to distract David.
“What about my mother, did she make it back?”
Not wanting to upset her when she needs to focus and avoid inciting them, I can’t say too much. “Your father rescued me and then was isolated because the pack was nervous that they may have been fooled into taking someone in who is in league with David, so I don’t really know what happened to your family.”
“Mia, he’s here.”
I scoot backwards to be near the cage again and hear Julianne gasp and then whisper to Paul. “That’s not possible.”
“It must be, you see him too.”
“We have him.” Heat from my elation warms my being and a genuine smile threatens to split my face in two. No matter what else happens, my children will be safe. Hearing the distant voices, I shut down, if they look in, they must see fear and desperation, I still need to give the others an opportunity to escape.
The voices are closer. “You fools, just because she is a witch that doesn’t mean she could survive a bite. Marlena and I were very powerful witches before we changed. She has to be an imposter.”
The door hits the wall. Instantaneously, the cage screeches across the floor, crashing into another.
Gabriel yells. “You’re going to kill him. Stop!” I scream out Jacob’s name hoping to help in the charade.
David grabs the back of my hair, pulling me to my feet. His nose skims my neck near the wound as he inhales deeply. “The scent is the same and she does look like the woman I changed Marlena into.”
Thrusting me forward, my head smacks the concrete floor, pain radiates excruciatingly through my body, I can barely concentrate. “It can’t be her.” He is becoming more irate by the moment. I need him to move away from the others.
“I…” He’s on me, his sharp teeth graze across my neck over the bite that they had left, tearing it open anew. The blood spurts, I can feel him drink, and then he’s off me. “Marlena and I definitely bit her there. I taste Marlena’s lips and teeth in the bite marks. Grab her and follow me, we will see what happens to her and get our answers.” They grab my collar once more. Automatically, my hand whips up holding the seam, right before they drag me across the cold, hard floor. Gabriel and Eva scream “No” while pulling at their shackles.
The door slams and I am like a rag doll being dragged as my legs again whack the
stairs. The darkness veiling my visions is becoming lighter and lighter. Hazy, yellowing concrete walls pass swiftly by, along with statutes of armor and large ornate oil paintings. The lights are dim. The doors are dark wood and closed. A tall, burly vampire brings up the rear. He appears nervous and is staring at the one dragging me.
My pounding heart speeds the blood flow from my neck. I must calm down, I must calm down. I repeat my mantra, I need to slow my anxious heart, drag out my death to give the others time. I’m gone anyways, the least I can do for all they have given me is to fight to give them time.
From everything I heard from David, he likes to see the fear in someone’s eyes as he drains their life force. I know when I cannot provide him answers, he will thoroughly enjoy watching me die slowly, unless his temper gets the better of him and he just throws me against the wall a few more times, which will hasten my death from blunt force trauma. My mind drifts momentarily and I’m not sure which outcome I’m hoping for.
The one carrying me rushes through the only open door, knocks me to the floor just before standing by the opening.
David pulls me up by my hair as his long fingers dig into the open wound on my neck. Screaming out in pain, trying to recoil from his grasp, he digs in deeper and then slowly brings his bloodied fingers to his lips before placing them in his mouth. “Still human”
Digging in once more, I scream again, but cannot even move a muscle, he has locked me into place. “Tell me what you are really to survive a vampire bite or I promise you the pain you are feeling now will be nothing compared to the pain and suffering I will inflict upon you. You want to tell me, you want to spare yourself the pain, you want your death and the death of your loved ones to be quick and painless.”
Staring into my eyes, his pupils grow larger and smaller. Despite the throbbing, my spiked adrenaline clears my mind. He is trying to hypnotize me in some way, yet I do not feel influenced at all. Digging his nails deeper, he lifts me by my shoulder and sends me sailing through the air. Crashing into a chair, I am surprised and grateful for the landing considering I expected to be propelled into a wall. David licks his fingers and then is instantly upon me grabbing my arm and digging his long nail into it causing yet another gash. “Tell me what I want to know or you will bleed to death slowly and we will feast upon your corpse.”
His words churn in my mind and I know how I can draw out my death. “You’re going to kill me and my family anyway. Why should I tell you anything that would give you more power to continue your terrorizing ways?”
His features turn slowly from irate to cold and calculating as my words register with him. As they transform, I can’t help but stare, something about his face seems so familiar, but I cannot determine quite what it is. Moving from me, he stops at a table, picks up a wine decanter and a beautiful crystal goblet and pours himself a drink of what I assume is blood. My stomach lurches as he holds his hand over the goblet allowing the remnants of my blood to drip slowly from his fingers to drip, mixing with the liquid.
Looking at me, a slow feral smile touches his lips and he moves toward an antique, overstuffed leather chair before an oversized fireplace. Snapping his fingers, a roaring fire instantly appears.
Sniffing the glass like a wine connoisseur would sniff the bouquet of an expensive wine, he takes a sip. “Mia is it?”
“Yes.” I reply softly.
“You know there is no chance of your escaping. Although you think that you are powerful, you’re not. I sent you flying across the woods with a mere flick of my wrist. You are no match for me, especially since you are human. Your kind’s physiology is so frail you know.” He shakes his head in mock sympathy. “I don’t know how you survived being bitten, but all that means to me is that I get to enjoy a tasty treat if you displease me.
He pauses, letting the words sink in as he takes a slow swig. “You and your son do have something that I want. You look like a civilized person and I’m sure that you must have been fooled into marrying Lucas. He is very weak and no match for our kind, not really. He doesn’t like the kill. You know we will kill him for the plague he brought upon my land which killed his wife and my sister. He left her here to die, his own wife, just like he has left you here with me to die. He is a coward and that will cost him his life. Obviously you and your son are very talented and much more than just a witch and half vampire. I know the source of your son’s power must come from you. Lucas couldn’t even make a strong vampire, so I am sure there is absolutely nothing that he contributed to your children. Your son did not even scream as I threw him across the room despite my hearing his bones crack. I’m sure his vampire side has cured them however, but that wouldn’t allow him to transform, not the way he did. It was not a trick, he was really a mouse and then a man. I could smell the changes in him.”
He pauses, waiting for me to speak. If I stay calm and see where this change may lead, maybe I can keep him talking long enough for everything to fall into place. “What would be my incentive besides you’re not killing me to tell you anything?” My voice sounds weak, probably from the loss of blood, but deliberate.
He’s upon me immediately, grabbing my wrist, holding it over the goblet allowing the blood to drip in. “No sense in wasting good blood.” When the cup is filled, he hands me a tapestry cloth. “You should tie it off or you will bleed to death before we have an opportunity to finish our conversation.”
His voice turns icy. “I’m sure that you love your children and know that our plans were to wipe you, Lucas and your family out because of what your cowardly husband did to my family and the plague which he brought upon my land after we spent centuries eradicating this nuisance from our continent.” Pausing, his voice turns gentle. “I am curious about something though and wonder if you would tell me.”
“Try me.”
“Did Lucas know he was saving a powerful werewolf when he rescued her?” I’m surprised at his change in tact, but anything to delay the inevitable.
“You may not believe me, but Lucas never meant you any harm. All he wanted to do was leave and get his kill off of the land. He just couldn’t live hunting people. All he rescued that day was a little girl. She was not a werewolf at the time. It was actually you who made Elizabeth the powerful werewolf she is today by killing her family.”
“I did hear that, although I’m surprised that you would tell me.”
Realizing I gave away too much, I wonder if I could use it to my advantage. “I told you, I am interested in whether or not you and I could come to some deal considering your desire to acquire information that can be used against your enemies.”
His features turn contemplative. “I’m sure you are aware that after I saw what your son could do our plans changed slightly. That is why he is still alive and Marlena hasn’t done anything to those you love at home.”
Wanting to keep him intrigued for as long as possible thinking I’m strong in ways he is not, I decide to push my luck and entice him with the only trick that I could possibly attempt, since I have no real answers nor would I ever tell him anything that could remotely place my children at risk. “Don’t lie to me David that is not the way to start negotiations.”
I try to sound strong and determined, but in my weakened state, my voice waivers. “Marlena hasn’t done anything because she is awaiting the return of the rest of my children before she attacks.”
His widening eyes betray his shock and I seize my opportunity.
“Yes, I know why she is waiting, so don’t try to fool me. I also know something else that you have done.”
Curiosity rages igniting flickering flames in his eyes. I sit back, watching him silently as this information sinks in.
“I know you have not contacted your family. She is carefully monitoring that and has not left Nicole or Lucas’ side since they departed this land. Amelia assured me that the wolves refused to even allow you close to a telephone before she returned you to our land. She would not lie to me for fear of losing more family members. She, out of all of them,
is very clear on what we have done to her family and what we will do if they interfere with us ever again, so how did you know this?”
It’s my turn to be shocked. I didn’t realize he had direct contact with Grant’s sister, but thankfully he appears to be under the misapprehension that the wolves brought me back onto the land and never lost control over me.
The longer he stays focused on me, the better the chances of our attack and their escape, so I continue my rouse. “When Marlena bit me, I connected to her tying us together. Not only can I feel her when I channel, but I also know her thoughts. When she arrived at our home, she learned of the anniversary gathering that we are having and the return of my other children to celebrate. She contacted you to let you know that she would not do anything until they arrive and then she promised to wipe out my entire family and my husband. She promised she would not fail you and would even try to learn the source of our power before taking them out.” His eyes grow colder, sterner, but still betray his shock. After a moment, they also betray his desire and longing to possess this type of power.
“Do your other children possess such powers?”
“Are we bargaining David?”
“We could be.” He notes calculatingly. “You do appear to have something to offer me that I don’t have.” Suddenly, he doubles over grasping his stomach. Straightening himself, his features appear confused, afraid even before turning steely.
“Tell me how did your son transform from that mouse into himself, the only ones who have ever been able to transform were the wolves and even they used to be governed by the full moon.”
I decide to try something hoping to peak his intrigue with just me for now. “David, you haven’t offered me anything in trade for such information. Besides, that is not what you really want to know. You want to know if my son’s transformation was real and if that is how he escaped when you had his cousins. You want to know if his transformation is not an illusion the way your transformation was all those years ago when you made yourself appear as Lucas to seek revenge against Elizabeth or the way you are now trying to fool my family into believing the illusion of Marlena and whomever you sent to portray my son is real.”