by Khloe Wren
"You’ll be fine, piccola. I’ll keep you safe."
Karl felt like throwing up with their bullshit sweet talking and kissing. He was about to move out of ear shot to save his mind from turning to mush when he heard her say she was going to go to the toilet. Perfect. He quickly headed toward the restrooms and found the entry door to the women's. He casually leaned against the wall. He looked like any other bloke waiting for his woman and didn’t even get a raised eyebrow as he waited for Darcy to come around the corner out of the bathroom.
It felt like forever until she came out, stopping short when she saw him.
"Karl?"
"Hey babe, miss me?"
He watched as fury descended over her face. She stepped up to him and brought her hand back to slap him. He caught her right hand in his before it made contact with his cheek. Webbing his fingers in hers, he lowered and twisted her arm around so her fingers were bent back. He knew the pain now ripping through her would be enough to keep her from fighting him.
Karl wrapped his left arm around her right, so they would look like a couple to passers-by. Pushing her forward he began leading her down the hallway. He tensed when she dropped her weight. A twist of his hand, designed to shoot pain through her, quickly returned her to his control as she stopped fighting.
"Please, babe, don’t fight me. I can and will break your wrist. So, just be a good girl and do as you’re told."
"He’s going to kill you for this." She growled as she conceded to his control.
He chuckled as she scanned the open space before them, clearly searching for her vampire. Karl had been careful to lead her out of the exit where the vampire wouldn’t have been able to see them.
"Even if he does try to rescue you, he’ll just end up arrested and other Nobles will come to take you."
He quickly marched her out of the airport, trying to look as casual as possible, while ignoring her questions. As they passed through the outside door he tightened his hold on her fingers until he felt her shoulder drop in an attempt to relieve the pressure. He scanned the pickup line and saw the black windowless van waiting at the front of the queue. He dragged her over toward the van and as he approached, three men got out of the vehicle. They were all high up Nobles by the look of it. They had the long charcoal grey robes indicating their station. He knew when Darcy saw them. She instantly stiffened, pulled against him seemingly unconcerned about the pain he was causing to her hand and wrist.
"Keep moving, Darcy."
He moved his free hand to her lower back and shoved her forward. She started walking again but still strained against his hold. Between one step and the next, Karl found himself face first on the cement. She’d wrapped her leg in front of his and tripped him up. He quickly rolled and got back to his feet, looking to give chase to recapture Darcy. He didn’t get more than half a step before seeing Darcy in the arms of one of the elders. He’d obviously seen her intention and moved from the van to a position behind them. With a firm grip on both her shoulders, he marched her over to the van and into the rear of it.
"You too, Karl. Both of you are coming with us."
~ * ~
Darcy was spitting mad. She glared across the van at Karl as she sat between two robed men. Her wrists and ankles had been bound and she was strapped into the seat. Karl looked at her then quickly away again with guilt written all over his face. Damn it! How had she ended being kidnapped? And more importantly, why had she been kidnapped?
"Why, Karl? Why me?"
Karl opened his mouth to answer but before he could get a word out she felt a fissure rip through the air and he doubled over clearly in agony. She sat bolt upright, "What the hell?"
"Your questions will be answered once we reach our destination. Do not ask again, or you will be in as much pain as he currently is."
Darcy started shaking as fear crept through her system, images of Angelo’s face flashed before her eyes so she closed her lids to focus on him. She tried desperately to send a mental message to him to come save her and tell him she loved him; had been a fool to put off his claiming her. Oh how she wished she could really tell him. Darcy had a horrible feeling she wasn’t going to be alive at the end of this ordeal.
Focusing on an image of Angelo’s face in her mind she slowly relaxed her muscles and took several deep breaths. She was still daydreaming about Angelo when the van rolled to a stop. She was unbuckled from her seat and her ankles untied before she was led out of the van. She tried to see where she was but couldn’t make out anything familiar in the dark surrounding her. She was hauled along and led down dimly lit modern marble floored hallways. A mansion maybe?
She was brought into a small room with a simple bed and side table, and one other door.
"The bathroom is through that door."
Her hands were untied and she was left alone. Rubbing her wrists she walked over to the other door and peaked in. A windowless room the size of a walk in closet contained a shower, toilet and sink. At least it’s clean. She moved back out and tried the door she’d come in. Surprise, surprise—it was locked. She sat on the bed, scooting back so she could lean against the white wall. Flexing her fingers and rubbing her wrists she began to wonder what the hell all of this was about.
Before long she heard the lock on the door click. She straightened her back as a robed figure came into her room. The figure lifted the hood to reveal a man, whom she guessed was in his mid-fifties.
"You are Darcy?"
"Yes."
Darcy did not want pain like she’d seen Karl cop so she figured she’d play it safe and tone down her sass.
The man walked closer to her, "Stand before me please."
His gentle voice confused her. She’d been kidnapped and threatened with pain, but now he was using his manners and being nice? She slowly rose from the bed and stood in front of the man with her chin raised. No matter what, she would not show him her fear. He reached up and took her chin in his hand and tilted her neck first to the right and then the left.
"He has not claimed you yet."
It was more a statement than question, but she still answered him. "No, he hasn’t."
"So you are still human and therefore must be protected."
"Protected? From what? Angelo would never hurt me."
The man cocked a brow at her, "You think him biting you and bonding your soul to his is not causing you harm, pet?"
"Do not call me pet. My name is Darcy. Use it."
She was getting pissed off now. She wanted to go back to Angelo but she was rapidly getting the idea that wasn’t going to happen.
"Make yourself at home, Darcy. You will be here until we can capture your vampire or until he turns one hundred and dies from starvation because he cannot get your blood."
She reached out and grabbed his arm, "How long are you intending on keeping me here?"
Pain ripped through her hand and up her arm; quickly letting go she cradled her injured arm against her chest. Damn that hurt!
"Twenty years at the most."
He turned and left before she could utter a word more. She crumpled to the floor and curled into a ball. Twenty years! The mental image of Angelo dying crippled her further and she began to cry, loud soul deep sobs that expressed her withering heart and soul. How the hell had she ended up in this mess?
~ * ~
Angelo moved up the check in line as he waited for Darcy to return. By the time he made it to the counter, she still hadn’t made an appearance. After explaining the situation to the service lady, she offered to hold their bags while he went to check on Darcy. As he approached the hallway to the bathrooms he sensed a number of Elder Nobles were near and his system went into overdrive; panic set in at the thought of the Nobles getting a hold of his Bride.
He entered the hallway just as he saw Darcy being led away by a man who looked suspiciously like Karl. He held her in a way that meant he would be able to cause her great injury quickly if she tried to escape. Damn, he wouldn’t be able to grab her from him witho
ut causing her injury and getting them all arrested by the airport security. He stayed at a safe distance from them and followed them out of the airport. He was hoping once they got outside he could mingle in with the crowd and find a way to separate her from him.
Unfortunately once they stepped outside Karl moved his grip onto her arm, clamping her tight enough Angelo saw her shoulder slump down in an attempt to alleviate the pain. He ground his teeth and locked down his muscles to stop himself from ripping the bastard’s throat out. It wouldn’t solve anything, he’d end up in jail and another Noble would come and take his bride while he was locked up.
He watched as Darcy was all but dragged over to a big black windowless van, how unoriginal. He took note of the number plate, reciting the numbers over and over until they were entrenched in his brain. As three robed men got out of the van Angelo shuddered. These were the Elders he had sensed earlier. Shit. He was going to need some serious back up to get his bride free. He couldn’t take out three Elders on his own.
His heart ripped in two and his soul screamed as his Bride was ushered into the back of the van and it drove away. He headed for the nearest taxi and headed back to the apartment. As the taxi pulled out of the airport he grabbed his phone and rung his father.
"Hello my boy." His father greeted him in Italian. Angelo kept the conversation in his native tongue so the taxi driver hopefully wouldn’t understand what they were saying.
"Hello father, sadly this is not a social call. The Nobles have just captured my Bride."
"Merda! No one knows even the rough location of the Nobles' lair in Melbourne. Tell me what happened; how was she captured?"
"At the airport, we were about to leave for Italy. She went to the bathroom and they grabbed her. Three high level Elders and one low level—a previous lover of hers. They took her in a van. I did manage to get the plate number."
"Very good, see if you can find the registration details of the vehicle. I’ll charter a flight and leave as soon as I can round up a team."
"Thank you, father. Please hurry."
Angelo couldn’t prevent his voice cracking with his emotions.
"You know I will. We will do everything in our power to return her to you. Tell me, have you claimed her yet?"
"What has that got to do with anything?"
Angelo couldn’t help getting defensive. His father would surely laugh that his Bride had resisted him.
"I’ll take that as a no. You have nothing to be ashamed of, son, your Bride must be strong to have resisted the natural pull."
"But why did you want to know?"
"Have I ever explained what the Nobles do with the stolen Brides?"
"Only that they use them as bait, to capture and kill their vampires."
"If only it were that simple. A claimed Eternal Bride is a prized possession for the Nobles. For certain, they will capture the vampire, but not to kill him. That would be merciful. No, the vampire is locked away and fed only enough of his Bride’s blood to keep him on the edge of life. But the suffering of the vampire is nothing in comparison to what the Bride endures. Each fertile day, an Elder Noble will plant his seed within her womb. It is how they create such powerful Elders. The stolen Brides are treated like cattle. It is truly cruel and barbaric."
Angelo almost didn’t want to ask, but he had to know, "And what do the unclaimed Brides endure?"
"Ordinarily, one of two things, either they use her as bait to trap and kill you outright, or they will keep her captive until you age to one hundred years."
"You said ordinarily, what other possibilities are there? They won’t use her body like they do the claimed Brides?"
The very thought of his precious Darcy being forced beneath a Noble male had bile rising up his throat.
"No, she is still wholly human so they are honor bound to protect her. She will not be physically harmed. As for what else they can do... If they think she is special in some way, able to breed especially strong Elders, they will try to force you into a trap where you claim her. Then you both will be captured."
Angelo didn’t dare think about that outcome. The only way he would be forced into claiming her would be to save her life. He couldn’t even entertain the thought of his Darcy being grievously injured.
"Father, be honest with me, how many stolen Brides have ever been rescued?"
His father’s sigh came through the phone, "Not many. Not enough. We’ve lost so many good vampires and their Brides over the centuries. But if you can find the location of their hideout, that all changes. We can gather teams and stage a planned attack. We may even be able to rescue all who are held captive."
"Just the thought of her injured in any way... is ripping my soul apart."
"I know, son, I know. We will be there as soon as we can. Gather as much information on the location as you can. Use that van to guide you. Follow the freeway cameras, use satellite. Use whatever you can to locate that hide out. Then we’ll help you rescue your Bride."
"Thank you, Father. Call me when you know your flight details and I’ll meet you at the airport."
He hung up just as the taxi arrived at his apartment building. He paid the driver and slowly made his way to the entrance. He walked through the front door and could do nothing about the tears which began falling. His Eternal Bride was gone, stolen from him. He walked numbly over to the glass wall and stared at the blue liquid in the pool. He could visualize Darcy’s body gliding through the water as she swam and closed his eyes against the memory. He could not fail; he had to get her back. He turned away from the pool and headed to his office where he would start the process of locating his Bride.
Chapter Five
Karl knelt on the floor before the High Elder with his head bowed. Fear shivered through his body. He thought they would be happy. He’d helped capture an Eternal Bride.
"She is unclaimed. How can that be? How long was she with the vampire?"
"Six days, Sire."
Karl could see the High Elder’s feet pace back and forth before him.
"Six days you say... Interesting. She must be strong."
He stopped pacing before him, his shoes stopping in Karl’s field of vision.
"Stand, Noble."
Without wasting a second Karl rose to his feet but kept his head lowered.
"You know this Eternal Bride quite well I understand. It is now your job to soothe her and make her comfortable being around Nobles. She is going to be with us for some time."
"Yes, Sire."
He watched the feet leave his field of vision and waited until he heard a door close before he risked looking up. Guess he wasn’t getting his life back as soon as he’d hoped he would. At least they hadn't killed him.
He left the chamber and headed down the hall to the room where Darcy had been placed. As he approached the door he could hear her sobbing and his chest tightened. He might not love the woman, but after five years with her, he did care deeply for her, and didn’t want to see her hurt. Taking a deep breath, he unlocked the door and stepped into the room. She was curled up on the floor in the fetal position. Her body jerked with each sob. He quickly moved over to her, scooped her up off the floor and sat on the bed with her.
"Shhh, Darcy. You’ll be okay."
His voice seemed to get through to her and she shoved him away, hard. She moved over to the top corner of the bed and curled into where the walls met and turned her gaze on him. Her red-rimmed blood shot eyes were shooting daggers at him.
"It will not be okay, and this is all your fault! You lying, cheating sack of shit!"
Oh boy, how the hell was he going to calm her down and get her used to being around Nobles when she was still this mad with him?
"There are things you don’t understand, Darcy. My life is not my own, and I had no say or choice in anything that has happened."
"So you were just dating me because you were told to? You never even liked me—or cared?"
Karl watched her begin to shake. Oh she was really mad now.
> "Calm down, Darcy. Of course I care for you. We spent six years together. I never wanted to see you get hurt, I still don’t."
"So why kidnap me away from Angelo then? Why not just walk away from it all."
"Because they would have killed me, then sent someone else after you. You would still be here in this room. The only difference is that you would have someone you didn’t know explaining this to you because I would be dead."
"My life for yours. You are so selfish. I would never rate my own life over that of someone I cared about."
He sighed, "You’re not hearing me. It wouldn’t have mattered. Even if I sacrificed my life for yours, you still would have been caught and taken."
She wiped her eyes with her hands and sighed heavily, "What do you want, Karl? I’m pretty sure you didn’t come in here just to say hi."
Karl contemplated up how to deal with Darcy. What would work better? Total honesty or sugar coated fantasy? Darcy was a fairly straight up kind of girl so he figured honesty would work best in his favor.
"I’m here to look after you. Make sure your transition into our world is smooth."
"I’m locked in a small windowless room, Karl. How exactly do I 'transition' into that?"
"You’re not going to stay in this room all the time, Darcy. This is just where you’ll sleep. You’re not the only rescued bride here. There are many that live here. If you can calm down, I’ll take you to meet them."
He watched her eye him with a cocked brow. She didn't believe him.
"Honest, cross my heart. There are twenty-six rescued brides here, and twenty vampires. Six of the women are like you, unclaimed."
~ * ~
Twenty-six women! Bloody hell! These bastards needed to be stopped. Darcy was so shocked, she couldn’t say anything in response. She just sat and stared at Karl.
"So, like I said, you will sleep here in this room. I will come and get you in the morning and take you to the main area where all the brides spend their days. I’ll again come for you at the end of the day to bring you back to your room."
Darcy stiffened, "You don’t stay with me do you? I will not have sex with you, Karl. Never again."