Descent (The Immortal Chronicles Book 1)

by Sloane Murphy

  ***

  “My patience is wearing thin Tyler. I’m at the end of being nice, with every second that you dick me around is another second of god knows what for Addie. Not that I expect you to care, but if you don’t start sharing real soon, you’re going to realise that I’m really not a nice guy,” I say to him. His nose is already broken, and his left eye is swelling, blood runs down his face onto his shirt, the red seeming so much more startling against the white material, and I have no emotion about any of it. I wasn’t lying to him; this is me being nice. I’ve been down here for nearly a fucking hour trying to find out where she is, and this dickhead hasn’t said a word.

  “I don’t know what to tell you man, I don’t know where she is. I don’t know anything,” Tyler moans.

  “I don’t believe you. I know you’re lying to me Tyler. Why would you want to hurt her like this?”

  I see him sneer, and I know I’ve reached him.

  “That little bitch had it coming to her. Leading me on all these years, and then sneaking around with you. Don’t act like it didn’t happen. I know. You’re a dirty Vampyr and she was all over you. Running with you every day, crying to you. God only knows what else, it’s just wrong! And then my two best friends die. BECAUSE OF HER!” he roars, it’s like he’s been taken over by a wilder version of himself. “That whore deserves to die. I hope they draw it out, make her suffer just like they did. I hope she remembers I helped them. I’ll never tell you anything. She’s where she belongs!” he spits.

  “You have no idea what you’re on about. Unfortunately for you, I know her, I know them, and this isn’t going to end well for you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  I press my hands to the sides of his head, and start wading through the dark and murky mess that are his memories. It’s harder because he’s hurt, but fuck it. I close my eyes and focus on the images in front of me, slowing them down. I can see them after the first attack, the edges of the memory already framed in shades of grey. Guilt. I go further back and that’s when I see it.

  Tyler and Kaden. Together. In the town, shit, that must have been the day they all went shopping for prom. I can hear them talking and I let the memory play out in my mind.

  “I know this is unusual for you Tyler, but believe me when I say that we’ve been watching you for some time. I’m not associated with the Academy or the Red Guard. My organisation is… Let’s say an alternative option to the one you’ve been made to think is the only one. Most of what you’ve been taught is the truth, but I know like me, you’ve noticed the holes in the histories you’ve been taught. Things that just don’t add up. That’s because they don’t. You’ve been lied to almost your entire life Tyler, and my Commander wants you to know the truth. Are you ready for the truth Tyler?”

  “I don’t know man. This is all a little weird, some guy I don’t know accosts me while I’m away from the Academy for the first time in, well, forever, and wants me to believe in some massive conspiracy. That my parents, my teachers, my peers have all lied to me. You’ll have to excuse my scepticism.” The sarcasm oozing from him. He stands and turns to leave when Kaden grabs his arm.

  “What if I could prove it? What if I could show you the truth?” Kaden asks.

  “And how the hell would you do that?” Tyler asks.

  “Sit back down and I’ll show you.” Kaden says, letting go of his arm.

  Tyler sits back down and Kaden touches his wrist then closes his eyes. Tyler’s eyes go wide, and his nose starts bleeding. Shit!

  “What the hell was that? How did you do that?” Tyler asks, wiping the blood from his nose.

  “That, Tyler, was just a hint of the truth,” Kaden says with a triumphant dirty smirk on his face, knowing he’s won this battle.

  “I can’t believe… how did you do that? That just… Why would they lie about that?”

  “Because they can, because keeping humans in the dark is what they’ve always done. I can show you more of the truth Tyler, I can teach you so much. But I need to know that you’re with us.”

  Tyler looks uncertain for a minute before resolve paints his features. The anger at being kept in the dark, the thirst for the truth and the power that comes with it. “I’m in.”

  “Good. Now I’m convinced, but he will need you to prove it to us….”

  I finish the rest and exit the memories, releasing Tyler’s head. FUCK! I knew they’d play dirty, but this? And this little insect thinking he could endanger her, without even questioning it. What a fucking screw up. He really doesn’t know a thing about why they wanted her or where she was. He was useless. I look over at him, passed out from me sifting through his mind. Since he knows the truth, I won’t bother to wipe him. There’s no point.

  Kaden had to know we’d take him after she was taken. Could he really know who she is? A long time ago, Kaden and I were friends, and I’d like to think he’d never be able to pass her over to his Commander if he knew who she really is. Would he? I hate not knowing any of this.

  I leave the basement and head back up to my office. I can only hope that Dimitri has had more success than I have.

  I have no idea what time it is, when I feel the covers being ripped off of me.

  “What the freaking hell!” I squeak darting to cover myself, the t-shirt I'm in isn't doing a great job of covering me.

  “Wakey, wakey sweetheart,” Celeste purrs standing at the end of the bed, her eyes raking over my body. Uncomfortable much! My discomfort must have shown because a dirty smirk crosses her face. “Oh sweetheart, you’d better get used to this. Being that delicious and innocent in this crowd will get you devoured.” She laughs and walks over to the window.

  I've been in here on my own for what feels like weeks now, with food and drink being brought to me occasionally. If it wasn’t for the window, I wouldn't know how long I'd been here. This might be a fancy cage, but it is still a cage, and I needed to remember that. No matter how nice these people appeared, they had kidnapped me and I still had no idea why.

  “What the hell do you want?” I ask, faking more confidence than I feel, I get up looking her in the eyes, my arms crossed on my chest.

  “Well now sugar, we’ve got to get you ready for your debut party.” She grins wickedly, and the way she calls me names wasn’t fooling me. She was a total bitch when I saw her last.

  “I'm not going to any stupid party. I want to go home. Why am I even here?”

  “Tut, tut sweetheart. Asking all the wrong questions. You'll see in time. Now jump in the shower and wash off all that stink, so we can make you the treat of the ball,” she says in that honey voice, which makes shivers run down my spine. I don't know who she is, but I know she's dangerous.

  “I already told you, I'm not going to your stupid party, so you might as well just leave me the hell alone,” I spit out at her. Faster than I can blink she's on me, her hand around my neck lifting me from the floor. I claw at her hand and kick my feet at her, but it's like she's made of steel, she can't feel a thing.

  “Now listen here you ungrateful brat. Your life could be much fucking worse right now. Kaden is being a very gracious host. Too fucking gracious if you ask me, and you dare throw it in his face? Now you're going to do exactly as I say and get ready, and then you're going to put on a smile, fake it if you have to, and make everyone believe you're having the night of your fucking life. Do you get me?” she whispers to me, my face inches from hers. I try to nod but can barely move, but she must understand as she drops me to the floor.

  My feet are too unsteady to catch me, and I crumble to a pile on the floor. I gasp for air and it almost hurts as it fills my lungs. I look up and she's back by the window. Fucking Vampyrs and their speed. Assholes! How fucking dare she treat me like this. I shouldn't be here. I have no fucking clue what I’m doing here, and after leaving me for days, I almost hoped no one would come back. I prayed for a search party, but nothing. Maybe Tyler got away. Maybe they think I ran off with him. What if no-one is coming? Panic rises up and I feel the bi
le rise in my already battered throat, and run to the bathroom to puke up what little was left in my stomach. As I hug the ceramic bowl, hopelessness tries to creep in on my senses. Not a fucking chance. There is no way I'm giving up. I’d sooner die. Though at this rate, I think that might be coming sooner rather than later. I’ve spent the last four days trying to think of a way to escape, but even if I could get out of here, I’d have to cross the water to get to civilisation. I flush the chain and splash my face with cold water after washing my hands. I look into the mirror. Man, was that a bad idea. Red rings are forming around my neck, matching my red bloodshot eyes.

  Celeste marches into the room, her heels clicking on the tiled floor staring at me with a scowl.

  “I can shower without supervision you know. I've done it plenty.” She rolls her eyes before grabbing two towels from a cupboard below the sink and throws them at me.

  “You might be pretty sweetheart, but you really need to work on that charm of yours if you want to survive around here. Being a bitch will only get you so far,” she says before walking back into the main room, leaving me in the vastness of the bathroom alone. I turn the shower on, then go back and close the door. I can't see her, but I can hear her in the closet. Oh hell! I don't even want to know what the hell she's concocting. I take off my t-shirt and stand under the running water. This shower is almost like my happy place. The hot water beats my skin until it's almost painful, then I lather up my hair and body before rinsing off. I shut the shower off before wrapping myself up in the big fluffy towel, and then wrap another around my hair.

  I take a deep breath and psyche myself up to deal with the monster in my room. Why can't they stay hidden under the bed? I can get through this, I know I can. These past few months have been horrendous, but I survived. If I can survive losing Livvy, I can handle these assholes. I take another deep breath and walk through the door, into what looks like an explosion of clothing. There are rails and rails of dresses, along with rows upon rows of shoes, and a dressing table has been set up by the window. What the hell! Ok, maybe I can’t handle this. I have no idea what the fuck is going on anymore.

  “Erm… Celeste?”

  “Yes?”

  “What the hell is all of this?”

  “I told you, we’re having a party. This is you getting ready.”

  I look around at everything and despair tugs at me. Only twice in my life have I dressed up like this. Prom with Livvy, and then… I can’t even think about it, otherwise the darkness swirling inside of me will take over. It threatens to swallow me whole at least once a minute, but I don't have time to think about it, or deal with it, so I swallow it back down and pack it away. Tears threaten to spill over just thinking about it, I wipe them away and pull on my metaphorical big girl panties.

  I walk over to the dressing table and throw myself onto the stool waiting there. A knock on the door startles me and I wrap my arms around myself, my towel doesn’t make me feel all that covered. A face peeks around the door, and the squeal that comes from the guy stood in front of me shocks me more than anything I think I’ve ever seen or heard.

  “Oh my god Celeste, you didn't tell me she was so delicious! The girls and boys are going to weep in delight with this one” he says clapping his hands together. He stands at about six foot, with electric blue hair, which is shaved on one side from the parting, the other side of his parting his hair is long and flicked over the shaved side, it’s weird. Like a Mohawk gone wrong, but it looks epic. He's in a pair of leather pants, that's it. His skin is covered in ink that almost looks like it's alive. The patterns accentuates the muscles of his torso, he’s lean and toned, and just downright beautiful. What is it about these bloody Vampyrs? Why can't any of them be hideous? It's really not fair on the rest of us!

  Celeste laughs at him as he walks towards me. He stands behind me and winks at me through the mirror in front of me, as he unwraps the towel from my hair, drying my hair as he does.

  “Hey there gorgeous, I’m Michael, and believe me, the pleasure is all mine! Just look at this beautiful clean slate I get to play with!” he squeaks as he runs his fingers through my hair.

  “You can’t play with it too much. Kaden gave me orders,” Celeste says to him and his whole body droops.

  “What a party pooper,” he sighs. “Well, I guess I’ll just find other ways to play,” he says as he grabs the hair dryer and starts blowing out my hair. I sit as he moulds my hair to his will, before spinning me around and applying makeup to my face. I have no idea how long he’s been preening, but when he stands back and claps his hands together, I know he's done. Celeste leers at me approvingly, I go to turn and look in the mirror when Celeste yells at me.

  “Wait!” I stop and look at her as she jumps to her feet and heads over to one of the rails and pulls off a long black dress, though I call it a dress sparingly, there's hardly anything to it.

  “Oh hell no,” I protest, shaking my head and putting up my hands. “I cannot wear whatever the hell that is.”

  Celeste smirks that dirty smirk at me again, and I know my fight is already lost. She’s already proven once today that she can overpower me, I could do without any more bruises today, and I get the feeling I'm going to need all my strength for whatever the hell this party is later.

  “Fine, give it to me,” I sigh and she walks to me handing me the dress. I can hear Michael’s excitement behind me, it's like he oozes it out of his pores. I’ve never known such an excitable Vampyr. I look at him and to the dress, wondering if I should just head to the bathroom to get changed.

  “Oh doll, don’t you worry your pretty little head. You’ve got the wrong bits to make me hot. It's not me you need to worry about,” he chuckles, tipping his head in Celeste’s direction, resulting in her throwing one of my pillows at him.

  “Shut up you jerk. Addie, just put on the goddamn dress. We don't have all night you know,” she says, before stalking back into the closet. I unwrap my towel and pull on the black thong that was around the top of the hanger, before stepping into the dress. I guess there was no bra for a reason. I slide the dress straps over my shoulders and run my hands down the material, earning a wolf whistle from Michael. I turn around and smile at him.

  “Oh sugar, you need to smile more, it lights up your whole being,” he sighs.

  I walk over to the mirror and look at my reflection. I hardly look like myself. My hair is in big barrel curls waving down my back, with streams pulled back in twists and red ribbon running through it. My face pale, with dark smoky eyes, silver gems in each corner, finished with blood red lipstick. I look like one of them, I think absentmindedly. My dress is a cut out bandage dress, a triangle from the shoulders dipping very far down into my cleavage, with two triangles cut out at my waist, showing off my toned abs. The skirt hugs my ass and thighs, stopping just below the line of my ass. Michael appears behind me, making me seem even shorter than normal, his arm drapes over my shoulder with some blood red satin peep toe stilettos.

  “These will finish you off perfectly sugar. Pop them on and we can go get this party started.” He squeezes my shoulder as I take the shoes from him, before bending down to slip them on my feet. Holy crap these are like stilts! “Stunning,” he whispers in my ear, before stepping away. I think I might like him, he’s the nicest person I've come across here yet, and I need someone I can trust. Maybe it's him? Maybe he’ll help me? Who am I kidding?

  At that minute Celeste appears from the closet looking like she's ready for a runway. “I knew hoarding all of those clothes across the centuries would be a good idea!” she says in that sultry, husky tone she seems to take on when she’s in a good mood. She's in a white full length dress that looks like something from the history books I’ve seen; the Greeks I think. There's a white rope circling her neck, the material falling like a waterfall down her front to a cinched waist where a slit runs down to the bottom of the dress, the dress swishing around her, the effect makes it look like she's floating. She's got it on with heeled sandals that have
white ribbon running up her calves. Much as I hate to admit it, she looks stunning. The white contrasting with red of her hair makes her look like a fiery goddess.

  “Come on sweetheart, let’s get this show on the road,” she says to me, while looking over me approvingly. She strides out of the room and Michael takes my hand and puts in through his.

  “Come on doll, best not keep the witch waiting, she's a beast when she’s late,” Michael whispers to me with a sparkle in his eye. I giggle when I hear Celeste yell at us.

  “I can still hear you asshole!”

  Michael laughs and leads me out of the room. He walks me through a maze of corridors that I can't even begin to try to remember. Escaping this really is impossible I think, and my shoulders drop.

  “None of that sugar. They’ll eat you alive. Chin up for now, and no matter what, keep that game face of yours on tight tonight.” Michael says to me, but it doesn't reassure me at all. What the hell am I walking into?

  We follow Celeste to two huge oak doors, before she stops and turns back to me.