Forever - 02

by Lauren Burd

  “This is ridiculous. We don’t even know if it’ll work. Are we supposed to stay here forever if it doesn’t work?”

  “Don’t worry. It’ll work.”

  I gave her a skeptical look. She had more faith in my abilities than I did.

  “Can I ask you something?” I bit my lip in nervous anticipation.

  “Sure.” Lucina finished pouring the tea and handed me a cup. I immediately put it on the coffee table.

  “Do you ever have strange cravings?”

  She chuckled. “Sometimes, I guess. But what exactly are you craving?”

  I hesitated. How could I answer her and not sound insane? “Blood.”

  “What?”

  “Blood.” I beat myself up mentally for finally revealing the secret I’d held in for two weeks. Since I had tasted Raul’s blood, my mouth watered every time he was near, and no matter what or how much I drank, I couldn’t satisfy my thirst. I dreamed about tasting that sweet liquid again, and I would wake up to my stomach growling. It was becoming unbearable.

  Her expression changed from inquisitive to concerned. “I haven’t craved it in a long time.”

  My eyes widened in shock.

  “It’s different for us than most Immortals. Most Immortals can bite a human or another Immortal with few ill effects. Their enemies are time and quantity.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The more people they bite, the more people they want to bite. They can usually last for a few centuries or even a few thousand years if they don’t taste the blood of many people.”

  “What happens if they bite a lot of people?”

  “The craving for blood grows with every person they bite until…” She paused.

  “Until what?”

  “There are reasons for the vampire myths, and not all of them have to do with Cast Outs.”

  I tried to swallow, but my mouth was suddenly dry.

  “Hunters are different. We don’t have centuries or countless victims. We have only a few people before we can get pushed over the edge, and once you go over, there’s no coming back.”

  I sat in stunned silence for a moment, then asked, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  Lucina looked at me apologetically. “Would it have changed what you did or what you needed to do?”

  She was right, but it still felt like a betrayal.

  “Hello, ladies. How are the lessons coming?” Raul asked as he entered the parlor.

  I cringed internally. I hadn’t realized it was time for his daily visit. I swallowed down my discomfort before answering. “They’re going well. Lucina is an excellent teacher.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  Raul took a small penknife from his pocket and began playing with it. “Where are the gentlemen today?”

  “They went for their afternoon walk,” Lucina deflected.

  He appeared uncomfortable. “I wanted to let you know that there is still no change.” He opened the penknife and ran it across his thumb. The wound closed as soon as the blade passed through his skin. “Not even a slowing of the healing rate.” His brown eyes bored into me, making my blood run cold.

  “We told you from the beginning this was an experiment,” Lucina commented, drawing his attention to her.

  “So you keep reminding me.”

  “Have you heard from Michael?” Lucina asked, changing the subject.

  Raul shifted his weight. “No.”

  “Then, perhaps we can call them.”

  He frowned. “I’ve told you already; the phone is for emergencies only.”

  “I would say three members of our party disappearing without a word is an emergency.”

  “I’ve already given you my answer,” Raul said through clenched teeth. He turned and stomped out of the room.

  Lucina shook her head. “He’s becoming more unstable. We’re not going to be able to stay here much longer.”

  Over the past two weeks, Raul had gone from a civil and accommodating host to a bipolar wacko with some serious mood swings.

  “Did you notice the smell?” I asked Lucina once I stopped shaking.

  She gave me a questioning look.

  “Raul’s scent is changing.”

  It was strange smell like a mixture of human and Immortal. I imagined it to be similar to the smell an infected human would have near the end of their conversion.

  “When did you start to notice the change?”

  “A couple of days ago, but I thought I was imagining it.”

  Lucina brightened. “Maybe it’s starting to work.”

  I was hopeful but not optimistic.

  We returned to our lessons, but I couldn’t focus. They guys had been gone for two hours and should be returning shortly. I hoped they’d found something instead of returning empty-handed yet again.

  The minutes ticked by, adding up to an hour. Lucina tried to keep her emotions under control, but I’d gotten to know her well enough over the past weeks to read her worry. I purposefully played the wrong note, and she didn’t even say a word in admonishment.

  “Where do you think they are?” I asked.

  “Huh? Oh. They’re probably in the billiard room. Did you want to head over there?”

  She wasn’t fooling me. She was just as concerned about the guys as I was.

  We walked over to the billiard room, where we had spent most afternoons since our arrival. No one was in there. I smelled the air; it didn’t smell as if anyone had been there since the previous evening.

  “Maybe they’re in the library,” I proffered.

  “Something is off.” Lucina began to chew her thumb as she thought about our predicament. “Let’s go back to your room.”

  Taking my hand, she pulled me along behind her until we made it to my room. She opened the door and dragged me inside before closing and locking it behind us.

  “I’m going to help you out of your dress, and I want you to change into your own clothes.”

  “Not that I mind getting out of this get-up, but do you mind explaining why I’m doing this?”

  “I’m going to have a talk with Raul. While I’m doing that, I want you to search for the guys. It will be easier for you to avoid the staff in normal clothes than in that dress.”

  “What am I supposed to do once I find them?”

  “Go to the library. I’ll meet you there in about an hour; sooner if I can. Just make sure you stay out of sight and find them as quickly as possible.”

  She finished helping me out of the dress before leaving. I locked the door behind her as she headed out to meet with Raul. I found my jeans and T-shirt tucked in a drawer and slipped them on. I didn’t know what had gotten into Lucina, but something had set her off, and I didn’t want to be there when the fireworks started between her and Raul.

  I checked the hall for any signs of the staff before slipping out into the corridor. I felt strangely exposed, probably due to my clothing, or rather my lack of it, as I slinked down the hall to begin my search. I’d grown so accustomed to the layers of fabric that I felt as if I were in my undergarments, despite being dressed in normal street clothes.

  Slinking from one corridor to the next, I searched for any sign of the guys. I had to hide in a room or behind some massive statue occasionally so I could avoid the watchful eyes of the staff who patrolled the halls. I don’t know how long I searched or how many rooms I checked, but eventually, I smelled Samuel’s scent on a staircase leading further underground.

  When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I found myself in a small square hub with several doors leading off to every side. I smelled Samuel’s, Duncan’s, and Thanos’s scents wafting from behind the door furthest away. I walked over to the large metal barrier and peered through the small window. I saw the men chained to the back wall, apparently unconscious. I tried to open the door but it wouldn’t budge.

  I searched everywhere for the keys to unlock the door and chains but couldn’t find them. What I did find made my stomach clench tight in disgust.
Several bodies filled one of the tiny rooms, and I recognized the faces of the missing guards and Michael. The door to that cell was unlocked, and I went inside to check them, but I could tell from the smell that they were already dead.

  I heard the door at the top of the stairs open and smelled the scent of one of the butlers. He held a lantern and the light filled the tiny space, casting shadows at odd angles as he descended. There was no place in the room for me to hide, and once he got to the bottom of the stairs, I would be exposed.

  I crept over to the edge of the stairs near the back wall and hoped that I could conceal myself in the shadows and gain the element of surprise. He passed by overhead, and I held my breath in anticipation. He reached the foot of the stairs.

  Sneaking up behind the butler, I stepped onto the ledge of the stairs as stealthily as possible to gain the height needed to subdue him. He was just beginning to turn around when I slipped my arm around his neck. He bucked wildly as I jumped onto his back and wrapped my legs around him. He threw the lantern against the far wall, and it smashed against the hard surface. The oil from it spread out across the wall and floor, and the fire, free from its prison, began to spread with the fluid. Light and smoke filled the small square room.

  He grabbed my arm and dug his nails into my flesh. I held on firmly to his neck despite the pain. Stumbling backward as he began to lose consciousness, the butler started to fall. I didn’t have time to let go of him before he landed on top of me. I saw stars for a moment as my head struck the wood floor, and all the air was forced from my lungs. I didn’t release my hold until he relaxed his grip on my arm.

  I unwrapped myself from the butler and felt for his pulse. It was weak, but he was still very much alive. I grabbed the keys from his belt and ran over to the cell holding Samuel, Duncan, and Thanos. I fumbled with the keys as I tried to unlock their door. The heat and smoke from the fire made it hard for me to find the right one. Relief flooded through me once I found the right key.

  “Samuel!” I rushed over to his unconscious form. I unfastened his restraints, and he slumped to the side, moaning.

  I didn’t have time to be gentle. The black smoke was growing thicker, and flames licked at the ceiling. It wouldn’t be long before I would be unable to see. I slapped him across the face, and though it felt as if I’d broken several fingers, it had the desired effect.

  “Alina.” His voice held a mixture of relief and anguish.

  “I’d love a reunion, but right now, we have other matters to attend to.”

  I left his side to release Duncan and Thanos. It took similar efforts to revive them from their stupors, but I managed to get them all up and moving. We picked up the still-unconscious butler from the floor as we stumbled and coughed our way up the stairs and out of the dungeon.

  Fire

  The flames had already spread up to the ground floor of the manor. The art, wood, and fabric lining the walls were bursting into flames as we exited the stairwell. It was too bad Raul hadn’t opted for a sprinkler system as well.

  “Is everyone okay?” I asked, once we put some distance between us and the growing menace.

  “We’re fine,” Duncan answered.

  “I guess Lucina figured out something was up,” Thanos croaked.

  I nodded. “We need to get moving. Lucina is supposed to meet us in the library, and this place is going up like a tinder box.” I guessed Raul hadn’t heard of flame retardant materials or fire alarms, either.

  “What should we do with him?” Samuel asked, gesturing at the butler who was just beginning to regain consciousness.

  “I vote we leave him here,” Duncan said.

  I thought about what to do. No one else from the staff had come yet, despite the growing danger. There was no way we would have time to warn them and meet up with Lucina. I grabbed the man by the collar and shook him. His head flopped around like a rag doll’s.

  “We have to meet our companion and get out of here. We’re heading to the library. I want you to warn the rest of the staff and try to get them either to the library or the front foyer,” I ordered.

  He didn’t appear to understand.

  “Can you hear me?”

  He shook his head. “We’re all going to die.”

  I rolled my eyes. “If you don’t listen to me, then I’ll make sure you do.”

  The man shook his head a second time. I gave him the instructions again.

  “I’ll do it, but Raul is the only person with the code for the exit doors.”

  “Get everyone to the foyer, and I’ll make sure we get the code.”

  “I’ll come with you to make sure we can get as many people out as possible,” Thanos told the butler.

  I didn’t like the thought of him separating from our party, but he was right. “We’ll meet you in the front foyer. If it starts to get too hot, though, try to get out.”

  Thanos and the butler took off to warn the staff. Samuel, Duncan, and I moved perpendicular to the fire, heading for the back stairwell that led to the second floor.

  “I don’t like this plan,” Samuel commented.

  “I don’t think we have a lot of choices at this point,” Duncan said.

  “What exactly did you three find out that landed you in the dungeon?” I asked as we ran up the stairs.

  “Raul has a few skeletons in his closet,” Samuel answered.

  “Like what?”

  “Vampire myths are based on some facts,” Duncan chimed in.

  “I already know that.”

  “It’s a little more complicated than what I originally told you.”

  “When isn’t it?”

  “She doesn’t need to know any of this,” Samuel interjected.

  “Stop trying to protect her from everything,” Duncan spat. “Every time you do, we end up in some new mess.”

  Samuel didn’t respond, but I felt the anger and guilt rolling off of him in waves. I knew he wanted to keep me sheltered, but Duncan was right. There were things I needed to know to stay safe and not telling me put us all in danger.

  “It’s not just Cast Outs and the fact that we have to bite people that spread the vampire myths. Every time we bite someone and taste the blood, it’s like taking a little bit of a drug. If you only do it every now and again, nothing bad happens, but it adds up over time. Eventually, the lure of the blood gets to be too much, and in some cases, it can push an Immortal over the edge.”

  “Lucina already told me all of this.” I didn’t let them know that the edge for me was a whole lot closer than they thought.

  We fell silent as we ran down the corridor to the library. We arrived well before the fire had made it there, but no one was in the room.

  “Where could she be?” I asked.

  “Do you think we should wait for her?” Samuel asked.

  “I don’t think we have time,” Duncan replied.

  He was right. We had beaten the flames, but the heat and smoke were already finding their way here.

  “Let’s try Raul’s study,” Samuel suggested.

  I didn’t want to go on a wild goose chase. I hoped Lucina was there. Samuel led the way to Raul’s study. We had to take several detours on our way, since the fire had spread faster than we anticipated.

  “Did you honestly think I would let you keep living after what you did?” Lucina yelled as we approached the study.

  “I never meant to hurt you,” Raul answered, his voice despondent.

  “You never once considered me or anyone else in your entire existence. You’re worse than Ethan ever was or could be. At least he knows what he is, but you still pretended like you were my savior.”

  “I should have left you on the streets, you ungrateful wench.”

  A loud shot echoed through the hall. The three of us burst into the room and found Lucina holding a gun and Raul bleeding on the floor. Several sets of blood stains colored his shirt and pants attesting to other injuries that showed slowed signs of healing.

  “It looks like you do have the cure i
n your saliva,” Lucina commented.

  “What are you doing?” Duncan asked.

  “What does it look like? This bastard stole everything from me, so I’m going to take everything from him.”

  “You already took everything,” I said, trying to calm her down. “All you’re doing now is helping him with what he wants most.”

  Raul appeared perplexed by my statement.

  Lucina scoffed and slightly lowered her weapon. “I guess you’re right.”

  “We need to get out of here,” Samuel said. “A fire started at the other end of the manor, and everyone is waiting for us in the front foyer.”

  “Then let’s get going.” Lucina handed her gun to Duncan.

  “You… you killed Carmen,” Raul said in a whisper.

  “She died far more quickly than John.”

  “How could you? I gave you immortality.”

  “You stole my life.”

  “We really don’t have time for this,” I said. “Give us the code to the doors, Raul.”

  He smiled.

  “Search for the code,” Samuel ordered.

  We spread out and began digging through all of the drawers and books in the office. The room grew hotter as we searched.

  “Tell us the code,” Samuel said, picking up Raul by his collar and shaking him.

  He laughed. “Have fun burning.”

  Raul reached into his pocket and pulled out a small revolver. Placing the gun to his head, he pulled the trigger. I screamed as his blood splattered against the wall, and he went limp. The room was quiet as we waited for him to heal, but his body showed no signs of mending itself.

  “We need to get to the foyer. Maybe we can pry open the door and get out,” Samuel said.

  I stood with my feet rooted to the ground.

  “Alina, we have to go.” Samuel shook me and I tore my eyes away from Raul’s body. “Can you walk?” I stared at him, unable to utter a reply. Shaking his head, he picked me up in his arms and began to run.

  Out

  “Do you have the code?” Thanos asked as soon as we entered the foyer.

  Samuel shook his head.

  “How are we supposed to get out of here then?” one of the maids asked in a high-pitched shriek.