‘Maybe I should have. But none of that matters now. All that matters is getting the hell out of here. Please.’
Alisha studied her eyes pensively for a moment. Then she nodded, following her down the steps.
They burst through the door at the bottom of the stairwell.
Alisha stepped up to the first doors, the first code panel. ‘I’m telling you, I only have the internal ones though.’
‘We’ll get as far as we can,’ Leila said, glancing anxiously over her shoulder.
Alisha keyed in the code and the door unlocked. They hurried through and stopped at the next set of doors.
Keying in the next code, Alisha glanced across at her sister. ‘You’re shaking, Lei.’
‘I know.’
Alisha led the way through, her and Leila all but running down to the next set of doors. She keyed in the next code and they burst through the next set of doors.
Leila stepped up to the fire-exit doors and tried to force them open. She rattled the handle before slamming her hand. ‘No!’ she snapped.
‘I warned you,’ Alisha said.
Leila looked anxiously over her shoulder in the direction they had come from then ahead again. ‘We keep going.’
‘To where?’
‘That goes into the club, right?’
‘And it’s all sealed, just like the rest of the place.’
‘The same code might work.’
‘It might, but…’
‘No buts, we have to try.’
Alisha keyed in the next code and yanked open the door.
Leila hurried over to the door that she recognised. ‘Do you know the code to the office?’
‘It’ll be the same as the others – 4328. But it’s a dead end in there.’
‘There are things we can use though. Get the next door open ready,’ she said, keying in the code and stepping into the room.
Leila marched over to the desk, to the sword displayed on the wall behind it. Placing her sandals on the desk, she lifted Caleb’s sword from the holder, the weight of the cold metal bringing the tip of the blade thudding to the floor. She caught her breath with the shock of it, her shoulders nearly wrenched from their sockets.
She grabbed her sandals and, conserving her energy, dragged the sword behind her towards the door.
Alisha stood at the open door in the corridor, her eyes widening when she looked down at the weapon. ‘What the hell are you expecting to do with that?’
‘It’s the only bit of defence we’ve got,’ Leila declared, leading the way, metal scratching against stone.
‘Defence? Just how bad is this?’
Leila looked over her shoulder. ‘Just keep moving, Alisha.’
Alisha got in front of her and keyed the code into the next set of doors. ‘You can’t use a sword? Are you crazy?’ She stopped at the next set of doors and led them out into the main club.
It was eerily silent, its emptiness emphasising their cavernous surroundings, the lighting too dim for Leila to be able to detect the corners of the expanse. She stepped forward onto the hardwood floor and looked over her shoulder at the bar that extended along the length of the back wall. Even empty it still had the lingering scent of smoke, alcohol and sex – all no doubt the very core of the booths that surrounded what she guessed to be the dance floor.
‘That’s the main door,’ Alisha said, hurrying ahead.
Leila took a few steps forward, lifting the sword from its nail-like scrape on the wooden floor.
Alisha slammed her palm against the keypad before trying another, then turned to face her sister, giving her all the right signals that they were trapped.
❄ ❄ ❄
Caleb paced as he counted, just as much about keeping himself calm as the fact he’d worked out the barrier was weakening roughly every minute or so.
She was moving fast, that was for sure.
After another minute, he placed his hand on the barrier again.
The sparks were definitely weakening.
Another minute, two, three, four passed until, thrusting his hand into the force-field again, there was nothing more than the dying momentum of a sparkler consuming its last shred of oxygen.
And he was out.
Without hesitation, he kicked the door full force, once, twice, three times. Despite it being inward opening, it buckled at the fourth kick, even the solid mahogany unable to withstand the force of his fury.
Pulling the splintered door open, he stormed out into the hallway, marched down towards the lounge, his stomach wrenching, his heart aching at the prospect of what he would find.
The lounge was empty but, as he looked up, he saw Jake striding towards him from his end of the penthouse.
‘What the fuck’s going on?’ Jake demanded, his eyes flashing concern. ‘What the hell was all that noise?’
Relief soared through him, his brother’s bewildered gaze telling him he really was clueless.
It would be her only saving grace.
‘Leila’s out,’ Caleb declared.
‘What?’
Caleb marched up the steps towards the door.
‘What do you mean she’s out?’ Jake asked, following behind him. ‘How?’
‘The clever little witch bound me in a wax circle.’
‘She bound you?’
‘Yes, Jake – bound me. Tricked me, trapped me, bound me.’
‘How did she do that?’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Caleb said, marching down towards the elevator. He stepped inside, Jake close behind him. ‘And she’s gone for Alisha.’
‘But she can’t get out of here. She’s got to know that.’
‘She will now.’
‘What are you going to do?’
Caleb looked back at him and the troubled gaze in his eyes. He stepped out into the corridor and headed to the stairwell.
‘Caleb,’ Jake said, catching hold of him. He stepped in front of him, blocking his way, his hands to his chest. ‘Caleb, take it easy, will you?’
‘I’ll take it easy when I’ve got her,’ Caleb said, brushing past him.
Jake blocked his way again. ‘Not like this, you’re not. You need to calm down. You go after her like this and you’re going to break her in two. You need to get your head straight.’
‘My head is straight.’
‘No, it’s not,’ Jake said, pushing him back again. ‘So she tried to escape. You can’t blame her for that. But she’s going nowhere. Just calm down and then we’ll go and get her.’
‘And give her time to concoct something else?’
‘You’re furious she outsmarted you, fine. I know why you’re angry but I’m okay, Caleb. She could have come after me, but she didn’t. You must be able to see that. If she wanted me dead, I would be.’ He cupped his brother’s neck. ‘I’m okay.’
Caleb broke from his gaze and paced the width of the corridor. ‘She should have taken you down, Jake. Any self-respecting serryn would have taken you down.’
‘She’s not like them. You know it and I know it. And that’s just as much what this is about, isn’t it? You can’t get your head around it, but you’re going to have to.’
Caleb brushed past him but Jake caught his arm.
‘No,’ Jake said. ‘Sorry, Caleb. This is not her fault. She doesn’t deserve your fury or your vengeance. Don’t make her suffer for this, Caleb. Don’t make her suffer for how you feel. If you hurt her off the back of your temper, I will lose all respect for you. I mean it.’
❄ ❄ ❄
Leila scanned for other options – windows, other doors – her pulse racing at a painful rate. ‘There has to be another way out of here. You know this place. Is there a cellar? A window we can get through? The ladies’ toilets?’
‘Every window is reinforced, just like the shutters that come down. Unbreakable. Bulletproof,’ Alisha declared.
Leila dropped the sword and her sandals to the floor and swept past her sister. She rattled the handles to the front door but they didn�
�t budge. Instead she resorted to kicking the door with so much force that Alisha stepped back.
‘Lei!’ Alisha said startled. ‘You need to calm down. We will sort it. I will talk to Caleb. Jake will be on our side—’
‘Oh, how I’d love to live in your world for just ten minutes, Alisha,’ she said spinning to face her.
Alisha folded her arms. ‘Don’t snap at me.’
‘Then don’t say such bloody ridiculous things!’ She marched over to pick up the sword again. ‘Not every problem has a solution – not if it doesn’t involve hair, make-up or boyfriend troubles.’
‘Why are you being like this?’
‘Because I’m here because of you! I’m here because of what you got yourself involved in! Because you wouldn’t listen to me! And now everything Grandfather taught us about is going to happen. The world we know is going to be over because of us!’
Alisha’s startled gaze narrowed in confusion. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’
‘There’s a leader, Alisha. A destined vampire leader. Surely you remember that from Grandfather’s teachings?’
‘I remember something about it. But that’s just a fairytale.’
It came out before she had time to even think of the implications. ‘No, Alisha, it’s not. And it sure as hell isn’t for me. The vampire leader needs to sacrifice a serryn to instigate the prophecy.’
Alisha took a step back, horror merging with confusion.
‘Caleb’s the leader, Alisha.’
Alisha’s eyes flared. She shook her head. She laughed nervously. ‘This is some kind of wind-up, right?’
‘Do I look like I’m winding you up? He needs to kill me. The freedom of his entire kind depends on it. Now do you understand? I can’t be near him, Alisha. He triggers things. Things I can’t control. And for every moment I spend with him, I become more and more what he wants me to be.’
Alisha heaved a shaky sigh. ‘What have I done?’
Regret struck Leila deep. She stared at her sister for a moment then stepped back over to her. She gently brushed Alisha’s hair back from her face. ‘I’m sorry, Alisha. I didn’t mean to go off on you like that. You didn’t know. You couldn’t possibly. This isn’t your fault.’
‘It looks like it from where I’m standing. It looks like this is all my fault.’
Leila sighed heavily, lowered her head before scanning the room and looking back at her sister. ‘Alisha, I need you to listen to me. It’s really important.’
Alisha stared at her with her glossy eyes.
‘If we don’t get out of here, I need you to take every opportunity you can to drink a vampire’s blood – Jake’s preferably.’
Her eyes widened. ‘What?’
‘It’s more important than you know.’
‘Why? What’s going on?’
‘It’s the only way to stop the line jumping.’
Alisha stared at her.
‘It doesn’t work if you’re a serryn already,’ Leila explained. ‘But if anything happens to me—’
‘What do you mean, “if anything happens”? It only jumps if…’ She grabbed her sister’s hand. ‘No. No, you are not going to do anything stupid.’
‘You’re going to be okay. As soon as this place opens, the first opportunity you get, you’re going to be gone.’
‘I’m not leaving you.’
‘I will find a way through this, but I can only do that without you here. You always go on at me to let you take some responsibility, so here it is. You do everything you can to get yourself out of here.’
‘And do what? Go where? With vampire blood in me I’ll have nowhere to go. I’m not doing this. I can’t.’
‘You can,’ Leila said, grabbing her hand and squeezing. ‘And you will. You need to contact the VCU. You need to tell them everything. They have to know what’s coming. And you have to find Sophie.’
‘Sophie can look after herself. She knows what she’s doing.’ She heaved a frustrated sigh, pulled away, her hands clenched in her hair. ‘I should have told you. Why the hell didn’t I tell you? Then none of this would be happening.’
Leila frowned. She knew a guilty look on her sister’s face like no one else did. ‘Tell me what?’
Alisha shook her head, but Leila could see the panic in her eyes.
‘Alisha?’ she said again, despite the gut feeling that she didn’t want to hear what was to come. ‘What should you have told me?’
But the door burst open, two outlines appearing in the dimness across the dance floor. She didn’t need to see him clearly – every single hair that stood up on the back of her neck told her Caleb had found her.
Leila caught hold of Alisha and tugged her behind her. With all her strength she lifted the sword off the floor, unable to do anything but let the flat of the blade temporarily fall onto her shoulder, nearly buckling as it did so. She’d swing with all she was worth if he came a step closer. She knew she’d only get one attempt but she’d do whatever small amount of damage she could.
Caleb strolled towards her, each step steady but purposeful, Jake close behind him.
He stopped just a couple of feet away, glanced down at the sword, his eyes glinting with amusement as he looked back up at her again. ‘There was a time when handling a male’s sword was a crime punishable by death.’
‘You stay away from us.’
‘Have you any idea how difficult it is to wield a sword? To penetrate anybody with it, let alone a vampire?’
‘I’m willing to give it a go.’
He took another step closer. ‘Go on then.’
She took an instinctive step back, knocking into Alisha, her grip tightening on the hilt. ‘I’m warning you.’
‘Still so much to learn, fledgling.’
‘And I suppose you know it all.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘A hell of a lot more than you.’
‘Leave her alone,’ Alisha demanded, stepping between them before Leila had a chance to catch her.
She took one hand off the sword only to feel the strain on the wrist left behind. She grabbed it with both hands again. ‘Alisha, don’t,’ Leila warned with a hushed whisper, as her sister blocked Caleb’s way.
‘No,’ Alisha said firmly. ‘He can’t do this to you.’ She looked up at Caleb just as Jake pulled alongside him, his eyes brimming with concern. ‘You gave me your word, Caleb.’
‘Things change, Alisha.’
‘I can’t believe you’re allowing this,’ Alisha said, turning her attention on Jake. ‘You promised we’d be okay.’
‘Alisha,’ Jake said, reaching out to her. He looked genuinely troubled; more than that, he looked worried – a fact that chilled Leila even more.
‘Get her out the way, Jake,’ Caleb said.
‘No,’ Leila said, clenching the sword tighter as she tried to sidestep her sister and get between them.
Despite Alisha recoiling, Jake caught hold of her with ease, pulling her to him.
‘You leave her alone!’ Leila demanded, preparing herself to swing, however futile her effort would be.
But Caleb snatched the sword from her hand in an instant and pulled her back against him. He wrapped a vice-like arm around her, keeping both of hers pinned to her waist, his chest a solid wall against her back as he gripped his sword in his free hand.
‘Take Alisha back upstairs,’ Caleb said.
‘Get off my sister!’ Alisha warned, trying to pull Jake’s hand away, anger emanating in her eyes amidst the pain of betrayal.
Leila kicked and flailed, but Caleb held her tight against him. ‘Temper, temper, serryn,’ he said, turning her away from Alisha’s equal protests.
‘You get your hands off me!’ Leila warned through gritted teeth.
‘You’re so lucky he’s still alive,’ he uttered softly against her ear.
‘If he hurts her…’
‘He’s not going to. Not if her big sister stops with the escapology stunts.’
She kicked at his shins, tried flailing a
gainst him again. But even then, trapped against him, the stirring inside astounded her, irritated her.
She looked across her shoulder to see Alisha disappear back through the doors with Jake.
‘No!’ she snapped again, as much out of despair as protest.
‘We can stay like this until the place opens up in a few hours, if that’s what you want,’ Caleb said, holding her tighter, managing it with ease despite only having one free hand. ‘We could give all the guests a floor show, or you can calm yourself down before I’m tempted to do some really bad things to you. You’d better believe I’m just in the mood.’
After a few more moments, she stopped struggling. As she reluctantly stilled, he let her go.
She turned to face him as she backed away.
Enticing eyes locked on hers, Caleb lifted the sword to her collar bone, forcing her to freeze, the blade poised but not touching her, his hand impressively unwavering.
‘You worked out how to get out then,’ she said, trying not to let resentment cloud her tone.
As cold metal met her skin, she caught her breath.
He slid the tip of the blade gently from her collar bone down her cleavage. ‘Unlike you.’ He looked back at her, his eyes glinting.
Her gaze didn’t falter from his, her breath held, her body tense as he slid the sword back up her neck to under her chin, knocking it up slightly, the blade caressing her skin with lethal control.
She glowered at the taunting amusement in his eyes.
‘Take a seat,’ he said. ‘We need to talk.’
He stepped over to the bar. Leaving his sword on the counter, he returned with a bottle and a couple of glasses. He carried them to the nearest booth and indicated for her to follow.
Reluctantly she did, taking the seat opposite his.
He looked painfully at ease, worryingly resolute, as he placed a measure of whisky in each tumbler before sliding one to her.
She didn’t dare take her eyes off him as he leaned back, placed a foot up on the seat beside her, blocking her exit.
He stretched one arm across the back of the booth and knocked back a mouthful of drink, his stony gaze chilling her as it rested squarely on hers. A stony gaze that lacerated her somewhere deep. Eyes that she had mistaken as being capable of affection now looked back at her as if she was nothing more than a commodity.
02 Blood Roses - Blackthorn Page 26