A horrifying screech rent the silence, and Caleb nearly jumped out of his skin. Something incredibly large threw itself at the other side of the wall, sending him scrambling across the floor with wide, terrified eyes.
“I wouldn’t get too close to the walls if I were you,” came a voice to Caleb’s left. He shot his gaze over to his captor. The man , clothed in black from head to toe, probably stood six feet tall. Skin of a pristinely alabaster white matched the long braid of snowy hair that hung over his shoulder and across the left side of his disturbingly perfect face. But the thing Caleb noticed most about him was his eyes, deep and fathomless pits of the darkest black imaginable. Gazing into them felt almost like falling into an abyss, snaking a chill of belligerence down his spine.
After rising slowly to his feet, Caleb did his best to pin the man with an intimidating glare. “Who the hell are you? Why the hell did you bring me here? What the hell was that? And why the hell is it so damn hot in here?” he fired off in rapid succession.
The man stood stonily against the barrage of questions, his face betraying absolutely no emotion whatsoever. He then cocked his head stiffly to the side by hardly more than a millimeter as he regarded his haughty prisoner.
“My name is Cynric. I brought you here because you are uniquely qualified to fulfill several of the conditions of my purposes. That was a Nightstalker. And it is so damn hot in here because you are standing in the center of one of the Vampire ore mines,” the man answered, his tone measured and slightly calculating.
Having had all of his questions answered at once caught Caleb off guard. Blinking rapidly and shaking his head to clear the fuzziness still lingering from the blow to his head, he narrowed his eyes at the man incredulously. “Did you say a Vampire ore mine?”
The man nodded once.
“That’s impossible.” The teenager shook his head, and crossed his arms across his chest.
The man lifted one of his ivory eyebrows. “Why?”
Caleb stared at the man as if he’d just been told that the sun had started revolving around the earth. “Humans can’t cross over the boundaries between realms, ass hat.”
The man’s expression never changed. “You make the assumption that you are fully human,” he stated simply.
“Of course I’m fully human. What else would I be?”
“You tell me. You are the one standing in a Vampire ore mine,” the man said, his tone laced with malicious wit.
“Okay, I know for a fact that I am in no way a Vampire. So try again.” Caleb tightened his lips into a tight line, and glared at the man who taunted him from the other side of the glass.
For the first time since Caleb had laid eyes on the man, a hint of emotion flashed across his pristine face, a dark smile turning at the corners of his pale lips.
“Perhaps yesterday that was true.”
A feeling of dread gripped Caleb’s gut. “It’s not physically possible for humans to turn into Vampires,” he reasoned, more for his own benefit than to correct his captor.
The man drew in a breath, and slowly paced to the other end of the cell. “It is not possible for Vampires to change a human into one of their own. However, it is possible for a human to cross genetics with other-realm species by way of reproduction. What I have done is alter your genetic material to more resemble that of a Vampire.” A mad gleam lit the depths of his bottomless black eyes.
“What the hell did you do to me?” Caleb forced out through clenched teeth. His breath came in short puffs as tremors of panic wracked his body, and the already fine sheen of sweat covering his body drenched his hair and clothes.
“Just wait. You shall see soon enough, my pet,” the man drawled, before he suddenly disappeared into the blackness around him.
Caleb swallowed heavily as hysteria began to set in. Clenching his jaw, he yelled into the darkness, “I’m not your damned pet, asshole!”
Chapter 8
Tyrian shivered and pulled his heavy wool coat around his shoulders, silently cursing the Hunter Association’s migrating headquarters. Yesterday the desert, today the Arctic. Starla had crafted the building itself from pure Druid magic, to follow the pockets of destabilization in realm energies. The building would go wherever the pockets happened to be strongest at the moment, even to the middle of a volcano at the bottom of the ocean.
Flipping up his collar against the wind, Tyrian trudged through the knee-deep snow to the door of the small igloo-like structure. Another safeguard Starla’s magic afforded. The office would blend in with its surroundings, completely inconspicuous, and therefore not worth more than a passing glance from those who might happen by.
He pushed open the small door and ducked inside, where a warm fire and homey, ornate wooden surroundings greeted him. No matter how many times he’d been there, the differences between the inside and the outside never ceased to amaze him. The Hunter Association headquarters also served as home to their Druid leader, who sat serenely in front of the roaring fire, facing away from the door the Vampire Hunter had just entered.
Tyrian shrugged off his coat and tossed it over his arm, then stepped forward and addressed the petite woman. “I’ve explained to Kaelyn about her heritage.” He sat in the chair opposite Starla.
The Druid turned the corners of her lips upward ever so slightly, and met his eyes with her pearlescent gaze over the glowing light of the flames.
“She has consented,” Starla stated, rather than asked.
“Yes,” Tyrian said somberly. He crossed one long leg over the other, and leaned back in the large green velvet and cherry wood chair. The dark antique chair and coffee table set contrasted starkly to the other occupant’s pale countenance. Starla’s taste in all of her belongings followed the theme of rich, dark fabrics and heavy wooden pieces. He couldn’t help but wonder if these reflected her inner self…
“Yet you have come alone?” Starla inquired, her form relaxed, but her gaze stern. Tyrian observed a tenseness in the Hunter leader, something almost unheard of. Clearly, Caleb’s kidnapping had taken its toll on more than just Tyrian.
“I wanted to speak with you first,” Tyrian said carefully. He’d never witnessed a blood bonding ceremony, and he wanted to be prepared for the journey he and Kaelyn would soon embark upon. Although he knew time was of the essence, he did not want to rush headlong into the most important decision of his life.
“The ceremony itself is relatively easy. I will take the hand of each of you, and blend your life force within each other. What comes after is more troublesome.” Starla rose fluidly from her chair, and walked up to the mantle on the fireplace. She picked up a picture from the surface, and stared down at it with a bittersweet expression.
“You will be drawn to each other inextricably. She will become the center of your being, your entire reason for living. You will never want to part from her.” Starla’s eyes never left the frame in her hands.
Tyrian couldn’t help but huff, “We’re like that now.”
Starla snapped her gaze up to his. “Not like this. It is a feeling I cannot describe to you in words. She will not want to let you go, Tyrian.”
“If you’re worried that Kaelyn will not let me leave to find Caleb, I think you may be underestimating her.” A smile threatened Tyrian’s lips as his eyes danced with admiration for his strong-willed and beautiful Medium. “If anything, I’d be more worried about her trying to come with me.”
Starla smiled herself, and placed the photo back on the mantle. “She is quite headstrong, isn’t she?”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Tyrian replied. “I was actually hoping you could tell me a bit about the Vampire realm. I didn’t think I’d ever be setting foot there, or I would have done more research on it.”
“It’s a very dark place. The entire landscape is littered with tunnels and caves, which the Vampires use to mine for the ores they build their cities from.” Starla returned to her seat in the large chair.
“It is likely that Caleb is being held in one of these
outlying caves. Unfortunately, since I cannot see anything pertaining to the person who took him, I cannot give you any further information than this.” Starla’s face and voice portrayed remorse.
“What you have told me is more than enough. Thank you, Starla. I will find him if I have to turn the realm inside out to do it,” Tyrian vowed with conviction.
Starla nodded. “Yes, I believe you will.” Holding out her hand, she smiled at the Vampire Hunter and inclined her head. “Shall we?”
Sliding his hand into hers, Tyrian nodded, and they vanished.
* * * *
Kaelyn wrapped a fluffy white towel around her body, and winced as she stepped out of the shower. Her evening activities with Tyrian had apparently taken their toll on her body. She felt as if she’d just run ten miles uphill after being stuck in bed with the flu for a week. Darkening bruises matching Tyrian’s fingers had formed along the curve of her hips, and her lip stung from where she’d bitten it to keep her screams from rousing the neighbors. After they’d had their little chat, he’d taken her again, slowly and languidly, until she sobbed for release.
She’d fallen asleep in his arms, and when she’d awoken, he was gone. So far, that had happened twice now. She certainly hoped it wasn’t going to be a habit of his. She liked waking up in his arms and kissing him good morning.
Good lord, she was a hapless, sappy romantic if ever there was one.
Brushing out her wet hair, Kaelyn stared at her reflection in the hazy bathroom mirror, thinking back on the past week in quiet reverence.
Well, she thought ruefully, at least she’d gotten her answers. Those answers, though, consisted of other realms, Vampires, a questionable prophecy, and the secret of her suddenly not-so-ambiguous heritage. But hey, hadn’t she always felt like something was off? Like there was something more than her everyday, humdrum existence? She’d never really been one for religion, but she couldn’t deny that she’d always suspected there was something bigger than herself out there. She just never thought she’d actually meet it. At least, not in this lifetime.
Bracing her hands on the counter and closing her eyes, Kaelyn let the reality of her situation sink in. She’d met a beautiful stranger in her bookshop, gone with him to dinner, before jumping into bed with him and giving him her most precious treasure. And now she had to face the glaring repercussions of her entirely too-trusting nature.
The man was certifiably insane.
Putting aside the fact that he absolutely believed everything he’d told her the previous night, he had then dragged her into his delusion as well. She’d played along with it so he wouldn’t get alarmed, and honestly, she hadn’t thought that it would do that much harm in the short term. Now, though, she couldn’t help wondering about Caleb. Hopefully, the boy was all right and just staying the night at a friend’s house somewhere, and his absence had caused some sort of mental break in her tall, dark, and handsome head case of a boyfriend.
Maybe Tyrian was a trust-fund kid who was shipped off and isolated so his eccentricities wouldn’t become a black mark on the family. She knew that some old British families still behaved like that nowadays. Perhaps Caleb was some sort of family caretaker, though he seemed a bit young to look after a man like Tyrian.
Whatever the case, Kaelyn knew that she would have to break it off with him soon, a thought that formed a pit of despair in her gut. Just when she thought she’d found the perfect guy, he had to turn out to be walking, talking, bat-shit crazy.
Just her luck.
Shaking her head in dismay, Kaelyn turned around and headed out of the bathroom, then stepped across the hall and into her small bedroom. After sitting down at her vanity, she flipped her head over, and gently palmed the towel over her wet locks before tossing her hair back over her shoulder. After a moment, her eyes finally focused in on the mirror in front of her.
Tyrian and the palest, most beautiful woman Kaelyn had ever seen stood before her. She whipped around and opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Consternated, she reached a hand up to grasp her throat.
“Do not worry,” the woman’s soft voice chimed in her ears, “I simply thought you would rather not alarm your neighbors.”
Her eyes bugging out of her head, Kaelyn could only blink rapidly and stare open-mouthed at the woman who had stolen her voice. The tiny thread holding her fragile sanity together threatened to snap at the slightest tug.
“And yes, I’m afraid, it’s all real,” the woman answered the doubt that had crept into her consciousness.
Her vision swimming, Kaelyn had one last thought before drifting into unconsciousness: This must be how Dorothy felt...
* * * *
Tyrian cradled Kaelyn’s head in his hand, half an inch above the ground, where he’d caught her as she collapsed.
Starla sighed. “I think you may have given her a bit too much credit, Tyrian.”
He settled the unconscious woman on the bed, then tossed a disgruntled look over his shoulder at the Druid.
Starla offered him a piteous glance. “She may have believed you, but she thought you were crazy.”
Tyrian sighed in turn. “I know. She was entirely too accepting under the circumstances. Although most people are loath to admit it, seeing is believing. Even still, I had hoped—”
“I am sorry, Tyrian,” Starla offered in consolation.
“If everything were so easy, the result would not be nearly as rewarding. She will come around, eventually. After she sees the truth.” Tyrian ran a hand over Kaelyn’s damp brown locks.
“And if she doesn’t?” Starla warned.
Tyrian pinned the Hunter leader with a resolute grimace. “I have to have faith that she will,” he stated grimly.
“We can wait—” Starla interjected.
Tyrian shook his head. “Yes, but Caleb can’t. We have to do this now.”
“She will not be happy with you when she wakes,” Starla commented in a guarded tone.
“I trust you will explain that there was no other choice at the moment,” Tyrian stated more than asked, not meeting the Druid leader’s pale gaze.
Starla sighed.
“Do not say I didn’t warn you. Give me your hands.”
* * * *
Kaelyn awoke slowly, the room swimming sharply into focus. It took a moment for her to get her bearings and realize that she was no longer in her small apartment in Southie. Rich, dark wood and deep-hued velvets surrounded her in the room she currently occupied. She drew her brows together. Something tugged at her brain, something important, but a sudden wave of anxiety kept it at bay. Whatever her mind wanted to tell her, rationality kept it silent.
For now.
She glanced around the room, and located a door. It was slightly ajar, a good sign. At least no one held her captive. She hoped. Swinging her feet over the edge of the large four-poster in the middle of the spacious room, she tiptoed to the open door. While no one had locked her in, she didn’t necessarily want her captors to know that she had awoken.
She consciously ignored how she knew that someone had kidnapped her, leaving that issue behind a door that part of her held closed for the sake of her sanity.
Peering around the corner, she looked left, then right. Finding the hallway empty, she slowly and carefully eased her way into the open stretch of space. Hugging the wall tightly, she eased down to the end of the hall. A soft light spilled in from the next room, and she cautiously chanced a glance around the corner.
The room, also, was empty.
Nothing but furniture and the glowing light of a fireplace greeted her. Releasing the breath she hadn’t realized she held, Kaelyn swept the room with her gaze, which settled on a heavy oaken door to the left of the fireplace. Swallowing heavily and bracing against the sudden and intense trepidation in her gut, she forced her legs to propel her in a mad dash for freedom.
Kaelyn reached the knob. She twisted it, and it turned; she almost cheered. Using both hands, she pulled hard on the old brass handle and flung open the
large door.
Snow.
As far as the eye could see, mountains and rivers of snow. Wherever the hell she was, it wasn’t Boston. She suddenly doubted she was even still in the United States. The intense cold of the wintry landscape forced her to slam the door shut.
Again, something important tugged at mind, something that she wouldn’t let herself remember. What was she doing here? Where was here, and why did she have the sinking suspicion that she didn’t want to know, but at the same time, needed to?
Kaelyn leaned back against the door, and again looked around the room, taking in every detail. Squinting in the low light, she softly pushed off the door and made her way back to the room.
On the other side of the hallway, a soft light shone under the edge of another door. As she reached for the handle, a low whine began to sound in her ears, and grew louder with every millimeter that she moved her hand toward the handle. Her blood rushed through her veins like a tidal wave, and her entire body seemed to shake with the force of it. Her head began to throb as her mind screamed at her to turn back, even as her body pulled her forward.
The whining in Kaelyn’s ears reached a crescendo as she closed her hand around the handle. Her knees threatened to buckle against the tremors that wracked her body in an effort to shield her from whatever horrible reality awaited her behind this door. Knowing that the action would forever alter her life, Kaelyn turned and let the light tug her through the open door.
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