by Cheree Alsop
“He’ll hear you,” Angel warned, her voice tired.
“What’s he going to do that’s worse than this?” Leander asked.
Angel was quiet a moment before she said, “You’ve got a point.”
“There has to be a way,” Lisette said quietly.
“I hope so,” Everett answered.
“I’m not comfortable with you conversing with a ghost,” Leander said sullenly. He leaned his forehead against the bars as if talking exhausted him.
“Better than conversing with yourself,” Angel said.
Leander merely narrowed his gaze at her, but didn’t reply.
“I’ve tried everything I can think of,” Angel told Everett. “I’ve cried, tried to entice the guards with my blood, thrown fits, nothing catches their attention. All they care about is the blood.”
Everett looked up at the ceiling. The great network of roots from the pod plants tangled around each other with tubes stuck every which way to get each available drop of blood. A huge clump of roots sat high above the cages. The tubes in them were empty.
“I think I have an idea,” he said.
“You’ve been here less than a day. Your idea’s not going to work,” Leander muttered without looking up.
“Give him a chance,” Angel said. She turned her piercing blue eyes on Everett with a small smile. “What is it?”
Everett’s mind whirled. He gestured to the roots.
“Lisette, those are empty, right?”
She was silent for a moment. Everett assumed she left to check.
“Yes, there’s no blood in the tubes,” her voice said from a bit further away.
“How about those over there?” Everett asked, pointing to a group across the room.
A few seconds later, she returned. “All empty. Only those in the middle are running right now.”
“And yet they seem to be at full capacity,” Everett mused, studying the vat that churned the gathered blood.
“Rub in the fact that they have blood and we don’t,” Leander complained.
Everett ignored him. “If we can get animals into those other pods, the vat will be overrun. It’ll be chaos in here.”
Angel looked up at the ceiling. “If all the roots are filled with blood, and all the tubes running, the amount might be too heavy for the ceiling. It could collapse.”
“Maybe we’ll have a chance,” Everett said.
Leander settled on his back. “Wake me if anything exciting happens.
Angel rolled her eyes at the vampire. “Uh, Lisette?” she asked timidly.
“Yes?” Lisette replied.
Everett fought back a smile at the fact that she was willing to talk to the vampire, but not Adrielle or Vanguard.
“Can you guide animals into the pods?”
“I can’t really guide anything,” Lisette replied with a hint of loss.
Everett shook his head, his thoughts filling him with enthusiasm. “You can’t guide, but Adrielle called you a poltergeist for a reason. Lisette, when I first stepped into your room at the Monster Asylum, you scared me so bad I thought I was going to die! Do that up there. Scare animals towards the clearing. The pods will do the rest.”
“I can do that!” Lisette said with excitement. “Hold on, Rett. I’m going to get you out of here.”
Everett felt her brush past him. He knew she was a ghost and shouldn’t have given off a feeling, but it was as though someone touched his cheek, soft and gentle the way his mom did when he wasn’t feeling good. Then she was gone, and his hopes with her.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Everett’s ears strained. He kept glancing at the ceiling even though he was afraid of giving away their secret. The few times he dared to look around, none of the vampires in the blood processing room appeared to care the least about the prisoners.
He worried about Angel. Shortly after Lisette left, she had curled up in a ball on the floor with only quiet moans of pain escaping from her. Since then, the moans had stopped. Everett knew she was far past the pain he had experienced when low on blood. He couldn’t imagine how she felt.
“Angel?”
She didn’t move.
“Quiet, cur feeder. Let her die in peace,” Leander said from the other cell.
“Die?” Everett asked. “How long has she been without blood?”
The vampire lifted his bony shoulders in the slightest shrug. “I’ve been here four days. She was already here.”
Alarm filled Everett. When he was diagnosed with vampirism, the doctor told him going more than three days without fresh blood to revitalize the organs was a death sentence. If Angel had been there longer than that...
He dropped to his knees next to the bars. “Angel,” he called urgently.
She didn’t give any indication that she heard him. If she was breathing, it was so shallow he couldn’t see it. She was going to die with their chance of getting out so near Everett swore he heard hooves thundering in the distance.
Everett made a split-second decision. Without giving himself a chance to second-guess it, he bit deep into his palm, tearing the skin open.
“Angel, drink,” he said.
He held out his hand. Blood streaked down his arm. The coppery scent of the dark liquid filled the air. He couldn’t reach her and her body was as still as the corpse in the cage next to Leander’s.
“Angel!” he yelled.
He didn’t care if the other vampires in the room heard him. He didn’t care that they might see that he was trying to help her and attempt to stop him. All he wanted was to see her breathe again and smile again. He wanted her to live.
Everett squeezed his hand tight, pulling open the wound and forcing it to fill with blood. He made a throwing motion, sending the blood across her cell the way Donavan threw the baseball.
A patch of blood landed on Angel’s arm. To Everett’s amazement, it absorbed straight into her skin. She stirred.
“That’s it,” Everett urged. “Come on.”
Angel’s head lifted. Her pupils were dilated in her bright blue eyes and she appeared confused. She looked at her arm where the blood had landed, then at the palm Everett held out. With a motion faster than Everett would have thought possible, Angel had sunk her fangs deep into the wound and sucked the blood that pooled there.
Everett closed his eyes at the strange chill that ran up his arm. With each draw, it got stronger. It streaked toward his heart. His willpower lessened. He needed to pull away, to tell her to stop before she took too much. His mouth was numb. He couldn’t find the words.
“Angel, stop,” Leander barked.
Angel’s head lifted. Her gaze met Everett’s. Her pupils grew large, then small and her eyes focused.
Everett withdrew his hand. She sucked in a breath and her eyes closed. He knew what she was seeing. It had been the same with Leon’s blood. The flood of his memories was hitting her with full force. She would see everything from his past; she would know what he had tried to hide for so long. She would hate him; of that, he had no doubt. He waited with abated breath, already dreading the sight of loathing that would fill her crystal clear gaze.
When she opened her eyes and looked at him, what he saw made his chest tighten with almost physical pain. He didn’t see loathing or even pity; instead, he saw understanding.
“Everett...” she began.
A deep rumble sounded from above. Shouts filled the blood room. Everett stared at jagged cracks that streaked across the ceiling. All of the tubes were filled with blood. He could hear the faint screams of the animals that were caught in the pods above. He couldn’t tell how many there were, but it was far greater than he had hoped.
Another scream followed and the dirt ceiling shuddered. Cracks deepened and spread from where the biggest roots gathered. The vampires rushed around the room, but they couldn’t stop it. Something echoed from above, a thunderous roar Everett had heard before. The sound rose, nails down a chalkboard, tinfoil and teeth, glass shattering, porcelain smashing into piec
es, a girl screaming, metal twisting, and the dark creature’s claws on asphalt. Lisette’s wrath would be their salvation.
The ceiling fell. Pods crashed into the vat and spilled distilled blood everywhere. Vampires were crushed beneath the great weight of the thick earth. Thin dawn light filtered into the room in a haze. The animals caught inside the pods struggled to free themselves. It was a mess of blood, dirt, and creatures fighting to survive.
Everett held the puppy close to him. He huddled against the bars next to Angel, hoping they wouldn’t be smashed by the ceiling cracking above them. Perhaps they had made a mistake.
Figures appeared through the chaos.
“Adrielle!” Everett exclaimed.
“And Vanguard,” the warlock announced; he grinned despite the dirt that marred his purple waistcoat. He carried something thick on his shoulder.
“What’s that?” Everett asked.
“A magic trick,” Vanguard replied with a wink. He shoved the thick metal bar through the door at an angle and pushed. The door refused to move.
Everett couldn’t help the smile of relief that spread across his face. “Let me try.”
“So you can make a mockery of my strength?” Vanguard asked in dramatic despair.
“Come on, Vanguard,” Adrielle urged, glancing around them at the disaster. “We don’t have much time.”
“Lucky for you,” the warlock said. He passed the bar into the cell.
Everett shoved it through the corner of the door and the cell. He channeled his strength and pushed. The door creaked in protest, then the bar bent and it swung open.
“I could have done that,” Vanguard pointed out.
“I know,” Everett replied. “I’m grateful you gave me the chance.”
Adrielle gave him a quick, tight hug as soon as he stepped out of the cell. “I’m so glad you’re okay!” she said.
“Thank you,” he replied.
He put the bar between Angel’s door and the frame holding it in place.
“What are you doing?” Vanguard asked in alarm above the chaos of the room. “You’re freeing another vampire? Are you crazy?”
“I can’t leave her here,” Everett told him. He shoved the bar and the door swung open.
Angel stepped out with a mixed expression of relief and fear.
“Don’t leave me,” Leander begged.
Before Everett had been to Bloodhaven, there was no chance he would let someone like Leander out who could potentially be a threat to his home and his family. Yet his brief visit with Leon and his time in the cage had proven that there were different levels of threat, and also opportunities for mercy that could drastically change a life.
“I’ll help save your city,” Leander pleaded.
“Hurry, Rett, they’re coming,” Adrielle said, her voice tight.
Everett glanced back at the doors half-buried with dirt from the collapse. It wouldn’t take long for vampires channeling their strength to force through.
Leander’s sunken gaze was beseeching. “I’ll bite wendigo for you, Everett. Don’t leave me to die.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” he demanded.
Leander stuck his arm quickly through the cell bars. “Drink my blood. I give it to you willingly, and I’ve little enough to give.”
Everett looked back at Angel.
She nodded. “It’s the only way to know for sure.”
Everett closed his eyes. He had never thought he would bite another vampire, but as unpleasant as it was, he had no choice. There was no time for debate. If Leander deserved any mercy, Angel was right; it was the only way to know for sure.
He sunk his fangs into Leander’s arm. The swarm of memories that hit him pounded into his skull. He didn’t have time to sort through them all. A few stood out.
He was sitting against a wall in a dark alley. The smooth walls of the buildings across from him were a strange green color Everett didn’t recognize. A stench of rot and something thick and metallic filled the air. Leander glanced deeper into the alley and the rotten odor revealed itself.
Rats drained of their blood lay in piles along with alley cats and what looked like giant lizards. He could taste the putrid blood in Leander’s mouth. Leander held something in his lap. A glance at his hands showed Everett how young he was. He couldn’t have been more than twelve, the age Everett had been when his vampirism was revealed. He wondered how long the vampire had lived off rodents.
Everett’s gaze focused on what the vampire held. Within Leander’s hands sat a small kitten. Its fur was ratty and one of its eyes was closed, but the animal purred as though it felt safe within Leander’s embrace. Everett felt the vampire’s stomach clench with the pain of low blood. He could hear the beating of the cat’s heart. Each pump sent fresh blood through its veins.
It took all of Leander’s strength to lift the kitten. Everett’s breathing slowed. Leander brought the animal to his face. Everett wanted to shut his eyes, to turn away from the image, but he couldn’t deny the memory. He watched as an impassive bystander, cringing away from what he knew would be the sound of the kitten’s pain.
Instead, Leander rubbed his cheek on the soft fur of the kitten’s neck. The animal gave a quiet meow and purred louder.
“You better go,” the vampire said softly.
He set the kitten down. The tiny cat rubbed against his leg. Leander’s stomach clenched.
“Go!” he shouted.
The kitten jumped back in alarm.
“Get out of here,” Leander growled.
The kitten took off down the alley and disappeared from sight.
Leander set his head back and gave a quiet groan of pain.
The scene shifted. Everett found himself standing at a gate in the wall. Pumps, cranes, and factories revealed that he was in Vaporum, the industrial city.
“You have two choices, Monster,” a man said, spitting out the word with hatred. “Leave and never come back, or death by sunlight.”
“Did you come up with that all on your own, or did the Kingship tell you what to say?” Leander responded.
By the sound of his voice, Everett guessed he was a teenager not much older than the boy in the alley.
DRAK surrounded the vampire. Clubs, knives, and even a few guns were pointed at him.
“Choose your death,” the man in front of him said.
The sun was rising. Everett could feel the increased burning of Leander’s skin. The jungle tangled beyond the gate. It looked thick and impenetrable. At that moment, a yowl rose from its depths and ended in a scream that set Everett’s teeth on edge.
The humans closest to the gate moved back a few steps.
“I’m choosing for you,” the man in charge said. “You get the jungle.”
The blades were shoved forward, forcing Leander outside the wall. He watched in silence while the gate slowly closed. The grinding of gears and the pace of the closing was almost comedic. He would have had time to attack if he channeled his strength, but Everett felt no anger in him, only wretched acceptance.
“Good thing there’s nothing dangerous out here,” the vampire said. “It would have attacked by now. You might want to rethink having such a slow gate.”
“Shut up, Monster,” the man yelled.
The gate finally shut.
“There, he’s gone.”
“I can still hear you,” Leander pointed out.
“Just go away!” the man said in a high-pitched voice that indicated he was at the edge of his patience.
“Why?” Leander asked. “What are you going to do? Come and get me?”
“Let’s go,” the leader mumbled.
They left the vampire outside the wall with the jungle at his back and silence in front of him.
The memories shifted forward. Leander was bleeding on the jungle floor. A glance to the right showed the boar that had sliced open his stomach. He could feel the seeping cold of his lifeblood leaving his body.
“Drink this,” a voice said from behind him.
>
A younger Leon appeared in the vampire’s memory. He looked less cynical than Everett remembered, yet the reptilian smile was the same as he held out a glass bottle filled with blood.
Leander accepted with a shaking hand. He gave the liquid a suspicious look. “What is it?”
“Human blood,” Leon replied. “It’ll help you heal much quicker, something you could use right now if I’m not mistaken.”
Leander had no choice if he wanted to live. He put the decanter to his lips and drank. Everett could feel the healing strength that flowed through the vampire’s limbs. It healed the gashes in his stomach within minutes and the vampire could breathe freely again. He sat up.
“That was incredible!”
Leon nodded. “It’s always a rush.” He crouched so that he was eyelevel with the vampire. “I’ve been watching you for a while. You were cast out from the humans.”
Leander lowered his head without answering.
“It’s alright,” Leon continued. “I’ve built a haven where cast outs like us are in charge. Interested?”
“I don’t know,” Leander said warily.
“Come on,” Leon urged. “What could it hurt? Besides, there’s all the human blood you could want.” He held out a hand to help the vampire up.
Leander hesitated, then accepted the vampire’s assistance to rise.
The memories faded. There were so many more, but like Leon’s, Everett was able to push them to the background until he could process them. With the roof still caving in around the room and the screams of vampires trapped below, there wasn’t much time to escape.
“Give me the bar,” Everett said.
Vanguard handed it to him without a word. Everett could see the disapproval on the warlock’s face, but he was grateful Vanguard decided not to voice his worries at the height of their danger.
Everett snapped the lock and the gate swung open. Leander shoved past him and fell to his knees next to the nearest fallen pod. Before Everett could stop him, the vampire had sunk his teeth into the pod and was drinking the blood of the elk caught in the plant’s grasp.
“Come on,” Angel urged. “We’ve got to go.”