And I know why he is here.
To claim his territory.
Sweat covers my body, I stink of terror. Suddenly, Henri doesn’t seem so bad. His mean hands would be welcomed. I would rather give myself entirely to Henri, or have him take me if that is what he wants. He can tear at my dress, he can tear at my skin, he can hurt me. I don’t care, just not this. Not this creature in front of me. I would rather die and be sent to hell. I could play in the depths, in the burning fires with Emily. Dance and sing songs of pain and fear. Anything, anything would be better than what Ludari is going to do.
Metal, I am made of steel.
Ludari speaks again, he is asking me something, a long finger points to the dress I wear. His eyes flash, a ripple in the dead water. His face remains even. I have no idea what the hell he means. Courage comes from somewhere and I walk forward, smoothing my hands over my red dress, wiping the sweat from my palms.
“Do you like it?” I ask. My voice doesn’t shake. I don’t know this woman that has taken over my body. She is brave, or stupid.
A smile spreads over his lips, exposing small fangs. They are sharp, mean and catch the light of the lamp. I expected bigger, though I keep that to myself.
Ludari is on me so fast I almost scream. Only demons move faster than the shadows they cast. He holds my wrist close to his mouth and his nostrils flare, smelling my skin. A dry tongue flickers out, touching the flesh, tracing the veins. The end is not split like the snake he is. I swallow my terror, but it sticks, thick in my throat. The evil glint in his eyes as he licks my wrist tells me what is in store.
I sink back into the desk behind me. Ludari follows, his giant body pressing into mine. His thigh separates my legs and he presses himself to me. He is flaccid, I don’t appeal to him. I try to hide my relief, but it is short lived.
Skeletal fingers pull at my dress, pushing the soft fabric up, exposing me. My stomach sinks and bile rises in my throat, choking me. I can’t breath. My hands move, shaking, over the desk behind me and I feel something sharp and cold. I wrap my fingers around it, arching my back, his pelvis presses into mine. I gulp down the sour taste of terror. He can’t feel my horror. He can’t know. I won’t let him.
Ludari moves his fingers up my inner thigh, scrapping roughly at the skin. Thick nails scratch at the flesh with hard snake-like patterns. His hand slips under my panties and rough fingers push into me, deep. I bite my tongue forcing the tears to stay behind my eyes, catching my scream behind my teeth. He brings his hand to his mouth, his tongue flickers out, tasting.
My armor slips. Terror breaks free as the metal structure collapses and he is on me. His body is hard and crushing. My heart beats wildly, the pulse in my throat threatening to explode. One of his hands grabs my hair, jerking my head to the side, exposing my neck. His cold tongue glides over my skin pressing into the pulse. His teeth dig deep and violent, ripping screams from my throat.
My ears fill with the sounds of my flesh tearing. The pain is unlike any other, each pull of his teeth drawing out more pain, more screams. It draws from my belly, ripping through my heart and scorches where his mouth clasps my neck; a thorny dagger. I am screaming, grabbing at his robe.
His body reacts and his excitement grows, he presses it against me threatening, feeding off my terror. A promise that I still have more, terrible things in store. I push hard, away from the desk, my hand holding the thin, long object pulls free, and I stab. The letter opener sinks into his neck, sick gushing sounds, as blood sprays out. His teeth release, and I dig it deeper, twisting. Dark blood spills from him, his hand goes to the blade and he steps back. His eyes stare, unblinking. Cold. Empty.
I watch as he steps back, a demented smile twists over his mouth, covered in my blood. I see the blade and the blood gush from his neck, dripping down his collarbone, collecting in the thick fabric of his robe. I see too, I have made a terrible mistake and will pay dearly for it. The flat , vacant look in his eyes tell me he will make sure I remember never to defy him. My screams stop, and tears pour out. I’m helpless, there is nothing to keep him from me.
The door flies open, and feral screams fill the air. My mother is on him, a monstrous, wild beast, unleashed and tearing at his throat. Blood splatters over her chest, her fingers clawing at Ludari’s neck. I hear her screams. They fill my head. One word, over and over.
Run.
Out the door, down corridor. Warm sticky blood oozes from my neck, I press my hand, trying to stop it, but it flows slowly, covering my chest, my hand, blending into the red dress.
Claudette appears in front of me, an apparition. Her smile is sharp, the entire world is focused and clear, slow motion horror. No sound exists. She reaches for me, but she stops. Her body flies, hitting the wall like a rag doll. She crashes with such force, the wall cracks and I duck expecting the ceiling to crumble, my steps faltering and I almost fall.
Lucius stands before me, he is pointing. He grabs Claudette again and yells to me. My ears are ringing, and I can’t hear, there is too much noise and too much fear, but I run toward where Lucius points. Toward the servant’s passage as hungry wolves chase, their hot breath licking at my heels. My heart beats so fast, my breaths short and ragged. The front of me is covered in blood. My blood.
The doors to the Great Hall are stuck. I grab and pull, my fingers slipping, covering the gold handles in red. My screams are stuck in my throat, choking on terror. They finally give way and I run blindly, through the room toward the large french doors, my eyes barely seeing.
He is standing in the center of the room. He is waiting for me.
Aydin.
His arms wrap around me. My vision blurs and my head aches. The pain in my neck throbs, fear pulsates in my head making my breaths short and fast. Darkness weaves silken threads around the corners of my eyes, before they are swallowed by it.
I blink and we are outside. His movements are so fast I think my neck might break and my jaw will snap. I clench my teeth and wrap my arms around his neck as he runs crashing through the vineyards, towards the town. Horrendous sounds, screams, ripped straight from hell come from behind us. I grip him tighter.
Hills and the small town stretch out before us. Rows of vineyards blur past. The sound of wood breaking, crashing around us. The ink night sky fades into a stark aquamarine, blending into bright amethyst, turning the edges of the clouds pink. Golden rays peak out, over the tips if the distant hills. Night begins to surrender, slowly, to the bright white of the morning sun. The tips of the mountains turn pink, the sun casting long shadows over the crevices. Flat tiled roofs glow in the early morning light. I grip tighter at him. Panic sets in. Aydin is exposed. He has nowhere to go, but the village that is too far way.
The smell of burning flesh hits my nose. Tears run down my face and I choke. I want to cover him, but I have nothing. I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face in his chest. We are so close, so far. The sun peeks out over the horizon. The light and warmth hit my face. It is beautiful. Glorious. Deadly.
There is nothing for a moment, but silence. My eyelids droop, my hands lose their grip. A velvet layer of black falls over my eyes. I blink, trying to keep them open.
We crash into doors, the wood splintering around us. Picture frames fall, the glass shattering on the floor. Shadows touch the corners of my eyes, grabbing at me. Darkness tries to edge in again. I hear a voice, it is urgent and coarse and I lift my face from Aydin’s chest. Pierre. He waves his hands, pointing.
We are in the sign shop. Pierre leads us to a door, stairs carry us down into a cold and dark passageway. There was no light, no flicker of candles as Aydin runs farther into the tunnels. Only complete blackness, only the echoing of his feet hitting the floor and the scent of his brunt skin.
Aydin finally stops. He holds me close, his breath near my face. He whispers in my ear, soothing sounds, but I don’t know what he says, the throbbing in my ears has become too loud. His skin sticks to me as he moves me to sit. I am in his lap, enveloped by his body. My fingers
are weak, trying to hold to his clothes. There are things I want to say, but I can barely breathe, my entire body feels numb, my head dizzy. Aydin calls to me, but it is distant. Warmth falls over me, my pulse slows. His hand finds the open wound on my neck and he rubs gently and the pain fades.
His scream breaks through the darkness, a roar of fury. It comes from his soul, filled with such angst. It echoes off the walls, in my head and crashes into me, through my skin and crushes my bones.
I can feel it, a collar, tight around my neck.
I understand.
I am marked.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Screams fill my ears and the dull eyes rip me from my sleep. My breaths are coming fast, my heart pounds in my chest, terror grips my throat. Pain sears the side of my neck, like small needles. My hand shoots up in panic. Ludari. His teeth still cling to me.
I look around, full of fear. The room is dark, a candle burnt to a short nub is nestled in a carved out nook in the stone walls. The air is damp, thick with mildew. I am on a small bed, made of bright pillows and blankets. A wooden crate sits next to me, small books and a glass of water on top. My eyes clear and my heart slows, but my head feels full of cotton, dazed and lost.
Images came back to me. Ludari’s snake tongue, his cruel hard body, pressed to mine. My mothers crazed screams as she tore through his neck, Lucius, Aydin.
Aydin.
His burning skin. His anguish. I stand and crash into the wall, my legs weak and my head spinning. My hands shake as I sit back down. I reach for the glass and drink. The cold water feels good in my dry throat. I stand again, this time prepared and place my hand for balance on the wall. A large metal door with a small window up high is the only entrance to the cell. There is no handle, no latch. The candle flickers, the light dims and sputters out. The cell is thrown into complete darkness.
“Aydin.” I can’t keep the panic out of my voice. “Aydin!” This time I scream. My fists pound at the metal, hollow sounds ring out.
“Calm down,” Aydin’s voice sounds far away. “It’s not locked.”
I almost collapse in relief. The door opens finally, after I push my entire body against it. My head rushes and I almost fall again, but catch myself on the door frame. It is so dark my eyes are almost blind, I walk down a narrow hall toward a faint yellow light.
The hall opens into an enormous cavern, jagged, rough walls, the ceiling curved. A pale light flickers, a small dot in the far corner, barely casting any light into the space. It is something from a nightmare, my palms start to sweat, and my hands shake. Chains hang from the walls, the links beaten into the thick stone, metal cuffs at the ends. There are more objects around, but I can’t make them out in the low light. A faint sound, dripping water, like voices, echo off the walls and tickle my ears. I swear I can hear distant screams, lost souls trapped in the cavern. Scattering sounds come from near my feet, making me jump.
A table sits in the corner where the dim light shines. I can see Aydin’s shape, his thin body sprawled out in a wooden chair next to it. I walk slowly toward him, my steps unsteady.
As I walk closer, his face comes into view. My hand flies to my mouth and I freeze. His face is covered in burns and angry blisters. The skin is peeled off in places, revealing the light pink raw skin underneath. His eyes pale and watery look back at me.
“It looks worse that it actually is,” he says. He is a liar. It is bad. Worse.
I can’t find my voice, there are no words. I close my eyes sink to the ground in front of him. He risked his life to get me away from Ludari. He has gone against his creator, his family. I am glad my eyes are almost blind in the darkness of the cavern. There is no way I can bear to see just how badly hurt he is. I wouldn’t be able to carry the weight of it. I’m not that important. Not for this. Not for his sacrifice. Not again.
“You’ve lost a lot of blood,” Aydin says. I want to lay my head on the floor and weep. “You need to eat and rest.”
“I’m not the one who is injured.”
“Lucius will be here soon,” he tells me. “Then I can leave to hunt.”
My stomach churns, the memory of Ludari’s bite assaults me. The searing pain and terror that it invoked. The image of Aydin inflicting the same pain on someone is unwelcome.
Aydin shifts next to me, small squeaking sounds come from my left, too close. I grab at Aydin’s leg and I stifle a scream. I hate rodents. All rodents. Especially ones that scurry in dark corners in a dungeon. That is where we are, a dark, hideous dungeon.
“Where exactly is here?” I ask. The floor is barely visible around me, my eyes almost unable see my hand inches from my face. Aydin’s leg is thin through his pants and I cling to him. I want to stand and act brave, but my skin is crawling. He is the only anchor in the vast darkness.
“We are on the coast, near Italy. You slept a long time. I may have helped with that.” He sounds strong. I find a small amount of comfort in that. Even though his face is so badly burned, the rest of him is still solid. “This is one of the safe-houses.”
I look back at the dark opening behind me, the outline of the chains on the walls. “You mean torture chamber.”
“I prefer safe-house. This is temporary. Until the threat dies down.”
The threat. Like a really pissed, really old vampire. I wonder how much damage my mother had inflicted. My mother. Oh no.
“My mother, is she alive?” My hands tighten on his leg. She had attacked viciously. There is no way she would have escaped Ludari’s wrath.
“Your mother is ingenious, I have a feeling she is just fine.” He speaks with confidence. I want to believe him. “Abigail has a way with words.”
“What about Lucius?”
Aydin stands, he feels like solid steel. Nothing comes from him. He is blocking the pain of his burns no doubt. He holds his hand out, I can see faintly in the light that they are not burned. There is a faint charge as I take his, but nothing like the fire of before. He pulls me up fast and my head swims. I feel drunk and stagger against him.
The small sounds of tiny rodent feet and a light tickle over my bare toes makes me scream. I grab Aydin’s suit, gripping heavy material. I see now, the dark splotches of blood on the front of his suit, my blood. We are both covered in it. Stepping back, I look back down at my dress, as if really seeing it for the first time. The blood is caked thick in the fabric, it covers my chest and flows down into the space between my breasts. My stomach lurches into my throat.
“You need to bathe.” Aydin’s voice breaks through the panic that is settling in my limbs. He leads me by the hand to a large metal door near where we are standing. It opens into another small room, the dim light reveals this one is lined with wooden boxes and large trunks. A tall hand pump stands in the corner over a raised stone sink. The room comes to life as he lights a hurricane lamp sitting on one of the boxes. “There are several supplies here, it should be everything you need Enough to last at least a few months.”
“Months?” I almost scream again.
Aydin ignores me and walks to another door that sits further into the room. “There is a small tub and everything else you will need, is in here.” He points to the hand pump. “Water comes from the cisterns below. I checked it earlier, there is plenty of fresh, clean water. We can’t risk a fire so your baths will be cold.”
“Why can’t we risk a fire? Why do we have supplies for months, Aydin?” I squeeze my eyes shut, unable to look at his face. It is too horrific.
“There are some more clothes for you in the trunks, I don’t imagine you will want to stay in that dress much longer. And, quite frankly, you stink,” he says, again ignoring my questions.
Before I can ask any more, he backs out of the room and shuts the door. I stand for a few minutes, looking at the boxes and trying to absorb everything he said. It is useless. I walk to the crates and open one, inside are dry and canned foods, another holds jugs of water. One trunk contains several articles of clothing and other items that tell me a woman had pa
cked. I pull a small bottle out and smile when I see the label reads sandalwood soap.
The entire room holds everything I will need, indeed, for several months. The realization of my situation finally comes to me. My escape had been planned. All the way down to where I was to be kept. My mother’s attack wasn’t a fit of rage over her daughter being hurt. Lucius’ prompt and perfect timing outside the drawing room was no coincidence. Aydin had stood waiting for me, right where he knew I would run. I can’t think further, I simply act, grabbing my supplies and walk to the small door.
The bathroom, if that’s what it can be called, holds what is the smallest wooden tub I have ever seen, complete with a bucket to carry the water. In the corner is a raised stone crevice covered in a wooden seat, a hole in the center. The sight brings tears to my eyes. My life and my freedom I value, it just really sucks I am stuck with no plumbing.
After I take what is probably the coldest bath in my entire life, I dress in the clothes from the trunks, the hint of sandalwood on my hair and skin. A small mirror hangs on the wall, held up by a thick metal peg rusted by time. Large blue eyes, filled with fear, look back at me. I blink and look away.
The cavern is dark, so I carry the lamp with me. Aydin has disappeared, the cavern empty. My steps echo in the open space as I make my way toward the hallway lined with cells. Another door stands open in the back of the chamber, faint sounds come from beyond it. I follow the sounds as they grow louder, through a narrow tunnel. Thunder deafens me and lightning flashes as I round a sharp corner. The crashing sound of waves fill the large opening, the wild ocean and dark night spreads out before me. Aydin stands, his body in silhouette in the mouth of the cave. The blue light of the moon and the lightning flashes off him.
“Leave the lamp back there.” His voice drifts back to me over the roar of the ocean.
Thunder echoes off the walls, making my ears ring. Aydin turns and walks toward me. He takes my hand and leads me to the ledge. Wind whips at my face, the smell of the sea fills my nose. A light spray of water washes over us as the waves crash violently below. My fingers intertwine in his and I lean out, looking over the ledge to see how far up we are. My heart beats fast, and he pulls me back. We are up high, maybe as much as a hundred feet above the ocean.
In the Shadow of Angels: The Guardian Series 1 Page 29