This was when I noticed that it also looked as if I had been dragged down into someone’s void. Then, just as the witch made a coiling motion with her arm, a tentacle snapped out and was now trying to curl itself around me. But this was when a light came from above and the same blue glow emerged as Trice’s sword tore through the opening of the void. Then the second it made it all the way through, his hand gripped my wrist tighter and swung me to one side and at the same time he thrust his sword down. This shot a freezing bolt straight down at the witch and the impact made the whole void start to shake with the sound of her pain.
The creature that had become a part of her also reacted, as its tentacles uncurled themselves from around me in order to protect the witch’s essence at its centre. I couldn’t understand how she had been able to suck me into her void… nobody had that kind of power…did they?
I quickly felt myself being lifted up and I glanced down, taking in the private world of the witch’s mind around me. I did this in the hope of seeing if anything in her memories could have been useful to us and I wasn’t wrong. I sucked in a quick breath when I saw what it held.
Over to one side, was a raised mound of grass with a tree growing at the top. Down from the hill was a woman burning at the stake, screaming about her revenge as the agony she experienced wasn’t great enough to stop her vow of vengeance. A whole village of people stood around watching as it happened, and a single cloaked figure was stood in the shadows next to the tree watching it all. The figure was small and most likely only a child, perhaps no more than ten years old and she simply remained stood there, as if frozen and unable to move away from the horrific scene.
The only movement the child made was the jerking of her shoulders, telling me that she was sobbing at the sight of the execution. The tree then started burning after the small hand reached out behind and touched it.
But then, just as I was being pulled back up, I noticed something about the crowd…they weren’t villagers at all…no…
They were all Vampires.
I was suddenly yanked hard enough that I disappeared through the darkness above and soon found myself back in the alleyway and falling into the strong arms of my saviour for the second time.
Trice.
Trice who had been about to kiss me.
I fell into him once more and before a re-enactment of events could occur I was swept up into his strong arms and carried from the alleyway, just as his brothers appeared from around the corner.
“You found her!” Gryph asked, his tone clearly suggesting he was relieved but then he narrowed his gaze when he took in the sight of me.
“Oh, thank the Heavens!” Vern said as he too stepped into view and was still clearly afflicted with the ‘posh curse’.
“Och! What happened tae her?!” Gryph asked and for once he sounded hard as nails, without a hint of humour lacing his words.
“Gosh, what befell the poor girl?!” Vern added as he too looked concerned, but Trice growled at him first, before snapping,
“Yer fucked up, that tis what happened tae her! Now both of yer, go deal wi’ that fcking Portal Void before something even bigger comes out of it!”
Vern tensed before he was jerked back after Trice’s shoulder barged him out the way. Then he continued onto the street, snarling at the first demon that got in his way, making him cower back. And I couldn’t say that I blamed them, as like this he was most certainly frightening. So, I raised a shaky hand and touched it to his scarred face to get his attention before telling him,
“Don’t be mad, it wasn’t his fault…it was…the witch…she lured me out and…”
“I know what fcking happened, Amelia!” he snapped and I winced but then frowned when realisation dawned on me,
“Wait…how do you know my…?” I never got to end this question as I felt myself falling, only this time it wasn’t my body, but that of my mind.
And as I did, I at least knew that I was no longer in any danger. Because this time, when I fell, I did so into the arms of someone who…
Cared for me.
Chapter 21
Cock Tease
The moment I started to hear voices was when I started to come around from my unconscious state. Although, from the sounds of the heated discussion that was going on, I thought it best to keep my eyes closed, so I could listen to what was being said… because it quickly became obvious, it was about me.
“Fur fck sake, Vern, tis always th’ same shit wi’ ye!” Trice shouted making me tense at how angry he sounded.
“How dare you accuse me in such a manner! Are you hearing this slanderous accusation?” Vern said in that new posh voice of his and I would have laughed if it hadn’t been for the ear bashing he was getting off his brother. But this last part was obviously said to Gryph, as his voice added to the conversation when he replied dryly,
“Aye a'm listening.”
“Well, speak then, man!” Vern snapped outraged.
“'N' what wid ye lik' me tae say?” Gryph replied.
“I would like you to defend my character!” At this even I knew that Vern was a hopeless case, as that was the last thing it sounded the biggest brother was prepared to do.
“I cannae do that whin yer character is bein’ a shite,” Gryph said obviously not agreeing with him and from what I could make out from his accent, he was calling his character shit. I was suddenly starting to feel very sorry for Vern.
“Good Gods man, don’t hold back on my account, will you!” Vern snapped.
“Ye were give one fcking job, Vern, ye ken how important this one is ‘n’ by leaving her fur five fcking minutes is all it can tak’ tae screw it up fur us all…blood bound Vern, how many more fcking years dae ye want tae be blood bound!” Trice shouted at him, with his accent getting stronger because of it and I winced knowing now that I was only a job to them.
But then, how could I expect anything more than that? Well, at least it explained why they were there at the battlefield and it had little to do with a war between neighbouring forests.
“Well, it isn’t like I expected a witch to try and ensnarl the girl…I didn’t think for one moment that…” Vern tried again but Trice wasn’t having any of it.
“Na, ye dinnae think ‘n’ that’s th’ problem, brother! Now piss off before I strangle yer Wyvern arse!” Trice snapped angrily and just as Vern was about to say more, Gryph must have thought it best to intervene, as I opened my eyes a little just in time to see the big guy slapping a hand to Vern’s back before saying,
“C'moan, Laddie, let’s gaun 'n' git us some devil’s rum.” I heard and saw, as Vern released a big sigh and turned to face the door, but before leaving completely, he paused and said,
“I apologize, brother.” Then Vern left before Trice had chance to say anything more.
“You were a little hard on him, weren’t ya?” I recognised Nero’s voice but without making it obvious that I was awake by opening my eyes fully and having a good look around the place, I was left only to listen. Trice scoffed at this and I could only just see his large figure stood by the bed I was on, with his back against the corner post.
He looked formidable.
“Nae hard enough, he's lucky he didnae git me fist again!” Trice commented with exasperation.
“Trice, lay off the lad, will you!” Nero snapped back, clearly feeling the way I did, that he was being too hard on him.
“Look, ye maybe sweet on th' lad, bit he needs tae learn some fcking' responsibility!!” Trice replied making Nero gasp in horror,
“I…I am not sweet on him!” she argued, after first needing to clear her throat and if you asked me, this was a telltale sign that she was and Trice was right.
“Aye, alright, whitevur ye say, Lass.” I heard Nero’s growled response, but she didn’t comment more than saying a muttered,
“Asshole.”
“So, what are you going to do about the girl?” Nero asked making Trice warn,
“Leave it be, Nero.”
�
�So, you are going to take her to the King then, even though you know what might happen?” I held my breath at this, knowing that it didn’t sound good.
“What else can I do, we have bin looking fur a way tae break free of bein' blood bound fur centuries, ye really think we have much of a choice?” Trice said telling me exactly what their payment would be for my delivery…great, bloody great! I had been in Hell all of a day and I already had a bounty on my head! How was shit like that even possible?! Because I really didn’t remember posing for some damn wanted poster!
“I know that, but I also know you like the girl,” Nero said and suddenly not reacting to this was difficult. So, I hadn’t been dreaming or hallucinating last night, Trice had been about to kiss me?
“Aye, so she be a bonnie lass but me loyalty is tae me brothers,” he admitted making Nero scoff,
“Gods’ balls, Trice, you need to get laid man!”
“No, whit a’m needin is tae git this lass tae th' fcking King 'n' be on me way with mine 'n' me brothers’ souls back where we want em,” Trice replied and again, his accent came through heavier where he was obviously frustrated.
“And what if the King…”
“Dae nae say it, Nero.” She must have just given him an expectant look in return because he added,
“Th' King’s a ruthless ‘n’ vicious bastard, aye… bit he must want her fur something 'n' I dinnae think it’s just to kill her,” Trice argued and I had to say, his words didn’t exactly incite a world of confidence in me!
“Well, as for the King I can’t say, as who knows why the heartless son of a bitch does what he does, but what I can tell you is whoever this girl really is, then there is one really powerful witch out there that wants her!” Nero said and had I been awake, I would have said, ‘you can say that again!’.
“Aye, I git that, Lass,” Trice said wryly.
“I am not sure that you do, Trice…I mean, do you know how insanely hard the shit she pulled is to do! Hell on a stick, even I have never heard shit like that was possible!” Trice let out a frustrated growl and warned,
“This be the part ye git to explaining, Nero.”
“From the way you explained it, this witch tried to pull her through into her own void, one she first summoned Hafgufa in to give her the power to drag the girl in…that’s…well, fuck me, Trice, that shit is unheard of!” I started thinking about where I had heard that name before as it was better known as something else. I didn’t have long to wait as Trice got there first,
“Ye think 'twas a bloody Kraken inside that umbrella!?” Trice asked in astonishment and once again I had to try and not react to the name. The witch had summoned a fucking Kraken! How was that even possible!?
“Well, I don’t think it was a baby octopus in an aquarium, Trice!” Nero threw back making Trice hiss a curse.
“Who th’ fuck has that kind of power!?” he shouted and I had to say, after that outburst, then he would be an idiot to think I was still asleep, besides, the pain in my back was starting to come back to me, making me wonder what had been done to it to numb it in the first place.
“Th' salve must be wearing off.” Trice said obviously noticing my discomfort as I couldn’t help but moan as I shifted in the bed.
“Oh yes, that’s what woke her up, couldn’t have been your booming Scottish rants at all,” Nero replied sarcastically.
“Just go 'n' git me some more, woman,” Trice replied with exasperation making her huff and snap,
“Aye M'laird, anything you say M'laird!” Nero snapped mimicking his accent before I heard the slamming of the door.
“God’s woman, wake th' dead why don't ye,” he muttered and I opened my eyes to see him shaking his head to himself, before turning around to face the bed.
“How do you know my name?” This was the first thing I asked. He dragged a hand along the back of his neck, and I could see now that all his hair had been pulled back and knotted into a messy bun of dark auburn waves. But this wasn’t the only thing changed about him as now he wasn’t wearing a shirt.
Holy mother of a God, did the guy really need that many muscles!? Although, it was also clear to see now that the scar on his face wasn’t the only one. Talk about battle scarred, wow, this guy looked to have survived them all! And with how solid and powerful he looked, well I wasn’t exactly surprised!
He released a sigh and came to sit on the edge of the bed, one I knew if I tried to move from, it would only end up causing me pain. Because now I had to say that I didn’t quite trust him. Because his reasons, as personal as they were, meant that I was considered collateral damage. And as much as I couldn’t blame him for wanting to free himself and his brothers from being blood bound to this King, I also knew that he was fine by taking me to this ruthless bastard, without first knowing my fate.
Not exactly the hero I had made him out to be in my head. But I didn’t think it was good time to point out this fact, as well…there was still the whole tying me up and gagging me option to think of.
“Yer were a job,” he admitted.
“Was?”
“Are,” he corrected making my shoulders slump and I felt the tugging pain of doing so on my back, knowing they were right, whatever had been used on me was now wearing off.
“Right, that’s what I thought,” I said in a deflated tone, replacing the one of anger that I felt had been rising. So instead, I looked around the room and focused on my surroundings during this silence. One he looked thankful for.
As for the room, it looked as if I had stepped back in time as it most definitely had a medieval vibe to it. This with its plain rustic floorboards and the stone walls of mis-matched blocks that rose up into four connecting arches over the bed. And speaking of the bed, it was big but that was the only bonus, as it was unfortunately lumpy and uncomfortable. However, what it lacked in comfort, it made up for in style, as it was decorated in a colourful array of emerald greens, plum purples and orange reds in the many cushions and different layers of blankets and throws that covered it. There were sequins and tassels, fringes and even some with bells. It also had four posts framing the corners, and each were draped with swathes of matching material, leaving the roof part exposed.
As for the rest of the room, there were different styles of trunks in different sizes and a sideboard that looked filled with everything a girl needed to make herself feel pretty when getting ready in the morning. This included the obvious things, like a hairbrush, a free standing mirror, lotions, creams, pots of makeup and randomly, a bowl of what looked like figs cut into sections.
Over the opposite side of the room was a corner sectioned off by a fold out wooden screen that had an Aztec design of decorated squares and symbols framed in different sizes. Clothes and towels were thrown over the top, along with the same ‘girl mess’ decorating the few chairs and a green sofa that looked well used. Piles of books, a few threadbare rugs, bottles and other nicknacks adorned the room.
However, there were no windows, so all of the light came from a basic iron chandelier that hung from the ceiling. This and a stone ledge that was two feet down from the ceiling, which ran all the way around the room and was filled with hundreds of candles. These were in every shape, size and colour you could think of and each one was lit, telling me someone either had too much time on their hands or they had been lit by supernatural means.
I was betting my dirty clothes on the second. And speaking of dirty clothes and where they were, along with me,
“Where am I?” I asked.
“This is Nero’s place,” he answered and I had to say, that even without his shirt on, he still looked at the ready for a fight, as his gleaming sword wasn’t far from his grasp. This being on a chest next to the bed, along with all his other weapons, armour and belts. He saw me looking and said,
“Ye lost quite a bit of blood from ye wound, most of which went over me as I carried ye back ‘ere,” he told me, making me wonder just how much of Lucius’ ‘protection’ I had lost, seeing as having his essence i
n me was what would have helped me heal. Gods, but even just thinking about Lucius now and not knowing what he could be going through at the hands of the witch! Would she have found a way to torture him?
The pain of these thoughts must have shown on my face as it was something Trice took for another reason.
“Yer in pain,” he stated and then he reached to take hold of my shoulders, when I pulled back which made me wince.
“What are you doing?”
“I need tae git yer wound tae heal it, Lass.” The second he said this I tensed so hard it hurt my back but despite the pain it didn’t stop me from crying out in outrage,
“You can’t do that!” He frowned at me, pinching the scar on his face and making me wonder if it hurt him to do so. Just then Nero came back inside with a tray full of stuff all balanced on the small space, making her walk towards the sideboard so she could put it down.
“And why not?” he asked, now raising his brow and this time barely sounding Scottish. Which I had started to notice happened sometimes. I swallowed hard before I shot a look to Nero who had her back to us, and I grabbed onto to his bicep so I could pull myself closer, and hiss,
“You know why!” At this he first looked to where my hand was gripping him, which made me let go and then he looked back to me now with a very obvious smirk playing on his lips.
“Nae, I don’t, bit I a’m very interested tae know what ye think it is.” I must have blushed to my roots at this and Nero had now turned around and said,
“I see her bloods back at least…better get a shirt on Trice, before the poor girl faints.” Then she winked at me and laughed at my scowl in return.
Kingdoms Of Hell: Vampire Paranormal Romance (Transfusion Book 7) Page 18