Southern Spirits (The Southern Series Book 3)

by Shelley Stringer

  Noah returned with a larger piece of the foam, and placed it next to me. Gratefully, I stretched my legs across it.

  “Miss, you need to bathe now. Dante will be angry with me if all of his instructions are not obeyed,” he whispered, his eyes wide. Come, I will show you where, and I will watch the babies while you bathe,” he blushed as he took my hand. I checked the twins once more, and finding they slept deeply, I moved to follow him. As he led me around two large crates close to the steel door my eyes widened. There was a large silver galvanized tank, like the ones the farm supply stores back home sold for animal watering troughs. It was filled with fresh water, and I discovered it to be lukewarm as I trailed my hand in it. I could stand the temperature. Noah motioned to a small crate at the foot of the makeshift tub, and there were rags and towels piled up, and a bar of soap.

  He left silently, to go and watch over the babies. I looked around and shuddered. The grating overhead offered me no protection against unwanted eyes, but no one seemed to be up there. I quickly shucked my clothes, holding my side and gasping as I tried to move. I grasped the sides of the steel tank, and struggled to raise my leg over, the pain prohibiting me from moving freely. I finally sank down into the water. I washed hurriedly, wanting to return to the babies as quickly as I could. As I soaped a cloth and washed my face, I winced, discovering bruises and faint swelling with my fingers.

  “Miss?” Noah called out from the darkness.

  “Yes?” I grabbed a towel and covered my chest over the water.

  “I pulled your bag here. I will leave it so you can find what you need,” he whispered, and then I heard his footsteps retreat. I climbed out of the water and wrapped two small towels around me. I quickly braided my wet hair over my shoulder, and then walked slowly back toward where I’d heard Noah’s voice moments before. Tripping over the bag in the floor, I cried out as I grabbed my ribcage. My ribs were broken. I could tell by the constant searing ache and the piercing pains when I moved the wrong way. Searching through my bag in the dim light, I found my familiar favorite pair of sweat pants, camisole and sweatshirt. I dug hurriedly through the bag but found no panties or undergarments. Do Orcos not wear underwear? I thought in irritation. I snorted…that was the last thing I needed to be concerned about at the moment.

  There was nothing to put on my feet, so I slipped my feet into the boots that I’d worn since this morning, grabbed the rag I’d washed my face with, and two more rags that I wet in the water to wash the babies with when they woke. As I crossed the cargo bay to our pallets, I hurriedly brushed my teeth with my rag, trying to get the awful taste out.

  Noah sat by the babies, his arm around them protectively. It was comforting to see his display of a protective instinct. He nodded to me as I approached, and started to move.

  “No, stay there. Your presence is a welcome comfort,” I murmured as he nodded at me once. I sank down carefully on the larger piece of foam, and placed my hand gently on Elly’s back. She stretched and turned her head toward me, her eyes opening only briefly, and then shutting again slowly.

  “Noah?”

  “Yes?”

  “What kind of blood was in the babies’ milk?”

  “Miss?” he whispered apprehensively.

  “Was it animal blood?” I held my breath as I shut my eyes, dreading his answer.

  “There are no animals on this ship, Miss.” He answered softly.

  My insides turned over. The Orcos had given my children human blood. I was horrified. Bits of a remembered conversation floated in my unconscious, something Everett had said about his father…drinking human blood, never the same…changed him.

  I pressed my fist against my lips, holding in a sob. What would all of this do to my children? Forget the blood thing…what would the hunger, the trauma…seeing me beaten, tortured…what would they remember? They were so bright, already acting like they were a year old in so many ways. I prayed they weren’t old enough to remember any of this. As I drifted to sleep, my mother’s voice came to me, dreamlike and soothing.

  “Chandler, you can’t imagine the love you will feel for your own children. The urge to protect them is like no other feeling in the world. You will know that kind of love someday.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The screech of the bolt on the steel door to my dungeon startled me awake. I pushed up, crying out as I sat upright. I quickly checked the twins, not believing they slept all night without waking. I was grateful they had, because the Orcos hadn’t brought me anything else to feed them. Noah rose hurriedly beside me and ran to the door. An Orco female entered the cargo bay, carrying a basket with four bottles in it.

  “Feed them and get them ready. Dante will be here shortly, and you will take care of them,” she pointed to the babies who now lay awake on the foam pallet beside me.

  As terrified as I was of Dante’s impending arrival, the knowledge that Noah would care for the twins was comforting. After the female left, I checked the babies, both of their eyes glowing. I found disposable diapers in the duffle and changed them quickly. They were barely wet, no doubt because they’d been starved the day before. I left them on the pallet with Noah as I went to re-wet the washrags and put some soap on them. As I returned, Noah was already feeding them, Matty lay in his diaper on the foam pallet, nursing and playing with the blanket. Noah held Elly as she sucked hungrily on the bottle.

  “Thank you, Noah.” I said softly as I sat back down to clean them up.

  “They were hungry,” he replied simply, gazing down at Elly.

  The twins finished their breakfast, and then after I’d dressed them in some of their footed pajamas I found in the bag, proceeded to romp on the pallet. Noah left without a word, disappearing behind the crates where I’d bathed last night. I could hear him moving some things around, and then he re-appeared.

  “I’m sorry, Miss. It’s time, I will take them now.”

  My eyes widened. I could hear footsteps coming toward the steel door. I nodded silently as tears formed in my eyes. Leaning over, I kissed Elly on her forehead, and then Matty. I shut my eyes briefly as I took in the scent of his hair, wondering if this would be the last time I would ever see them. When I opened my eyes, Noah grabbed the twins hurriedly and scampered off in the direction of the tub.

  My stomach turned over. Whatever Dante had planned for me, Noah and the babies were going to hear. They weren’t leaving the cargo area. I took a deep breath, and steeled myself for whatever lay ahead. The bolt screeched once more, and the large steel door swung open violently, slamming against a crate. I jumped once more, my nerves on edge from the obvious dread I felt as well as the venom still circulating in my system.

  I refused to look in the direction of the door, but I could sense his presence. His large bulk filled the space around me, seeming to loom large over even the storage crates in the hold.

  “You don’t look happy to see me,” Dante’s deep, commanding voice vibrated through me like shockwaves.

  I took a deep breath, and then glanced up at him. He was just as I’d pictured him… dark complexion, animal-like build. He appeared to be three or four inches taller than Banton, and his bulk indicated well over three hundred pounds.

  “Look at me!” His voice thundered through the dark chamber. I could hear the twins whimpering somewhere in the darkness. Yes, they would hear everything that happened.

  I looked up at him, not wanting to anger him further. I willed myself to stay passive as I repeated the mantra in my head, “don’t fight him, don’t fight him.”

  “Rise!” he commanded. I hurriedly pushed against the wall, and winced as my ribs protested against movement. He reached out to grasp my chin, and I instinctively ducked away from his hand.

  My heart skipped a beat. Waves of emotion poured over me, startling me to my core. Unbelievably, I was connecting with this monster of an Orco on an emotional level, much as I had Brie or Banton. Sickness seemed to spread in my veins, as first one emotion after another struck me…loathing, despair,
hatred, betrayal, and vengeance. His soul, or what was left of it, was tormented. He ached for something…what he was about to do to me, or to the babies. It was his sole focus in life, and I could feel what he felt. The sickening feeling was overwhelming.

  “You will obey me, and you will tolerate my hands on you!” He bellowed as he struck me. His movement seemed like a swat, but I found myself three feet away from the pallets, face down against the wall. He strode over to me in three short strides, and grabbed me by the hair, picking me up off the floor completely. I cried out, my hair feeling as though it were being pulled out by the roots. He dragged me around the corner of another large crate, and I paled, deathly still. In front of us was a large mattress covered in a sheet. He dropped me unceremoniously, and then sank down on his knees in front of me.

  “So I finally have the fader. I keep you alive only to breed you, and for you to take care of my sacrifices. If you disobey me, I will kill you and let the crew have you. Do you understand me?”

  My stomach turned over again, and I knew I was going to be sick. Think about your babies, Andie…only the babies. And Banton. Think about Banton. I shut my eyes involuntarily as I felt his hands on me. He yanked the sweat top up over my shoulders, and I screamed out in pain, my ribs feeling as though they’d just punctured a major organ.

  “Quiet, bitch!” he roared as he shredded the camisole I wore. The tears rolled unbidden down my cheeks as I tried frantically to get my emotions under control. I was calm, my heart, without warning, detaching from my head, just as the day my parents had died…much like when Banton had been declared dead. I felt nothing as I glanced back up at Dante. Seeming to anger him once more, my actions brought another blow, this time his fist to my cheek. My last thought as my head bounced against the steel of the wall beside us, was Banton’s beautiful face.

  * * *

  As I struggled to wake, piercing pains shot through my skull. I opened my eyes, and everything appeared upside down and out of focus. I moved my head slightly, and the motion sent waves of nausea through me. I heaved, throwing up violently.

  “Miss…Chandler, please…Shhh. Be quiet, you are safe now. I am here,” Noah’s voice called out from the darkness.

  “My babies,” I choked out.

  “They are sleeping on the pallet. What can I get you? How can I help you?”

  “How long have I been sleeping?” My voice was raspy and hoarse.

  “Almost two days. I was afraid you would never wake again.” I could hear tears in his voice as he spoke.

  I felt the mattress underneath my cheek. I was still on the mattress that Dante had dropped me on. What had happened?” I raised my arm and felt a sheet draped across me. I tried to raise my head, and my neck wouldn’t allow me to move. During his assault on me, Dante must have dislocated something, or something was broken. I raised my other hand and placed it on my ribs. I was naked beneath the sheet. I moved my hand slowly downward, and stopped. My sweatpants were gone, and I could feel sticky, dried blood on my legs and abdomen. Trying to move my legs, I realized I was disjointed and sore. I hurt everywhere. Tears stung my eyes as the realization dawned. Dante had raped me.

  “No…God, please…No!” I gasped out as dry sobs choked my throat.

  “Miss, please don’t let them hear you, or someone will come to hurt us. Please!” Noah’s voice begged, his hands on the side of my face. I tried to jerk away from his touch, but couldn’t move.

  “Miss, let me help you, I know you are hurting. What can I do?” Noah’s young voice pleaded again in my ear.

  I needed to be clean. All I could think about was washing, scrubbing everything away.

  “Tub…bath, please…oh, please!” I managed to cough out as I heaved and threw up again.

  “I’m going to lift you, Miss.” Noah’s voice sent shivers through me, his breath in my ear. Although I knew he had nothing to do with my attack, I still shuddered at his touch. I wanted to die as I felt him hug my naked body against his as he carried me around the crates in the room and back to the tub. He gently lowered me into the water, and I cried out. I was raw, down there… everywhere. The water hurt. The steel of the tub hurt. My tears hurt as they ran down my face.

  Noah wordlessly began to wash me, and I tried to focus on his eyes as he soaped the rag and ran it over my limbs. My skin crawled at the feel of the rag, but I was grateful for the bath. I wanted to bathe in bleach.

  “More soap….please, more soap. More soap,” I sobbed out, not even being aware of my choice of words.

  “Okay, Miss…please, shhh. You are okay, now.” He tried to reassure me as he continued to wash me.

  I moved my hands to grasp the sides of the tub. Motion was getting easier, and I realized the water in the tub was warmer than it had been the first time I was in it. Numbly I thought it must be the warmth of the water that was freeing my movement. I tried to move my legs and cried out. For a moment, I thought Dante had crushed the bones in the lower half of my body. As I tried again, I was able to raise my right knee a small degree.

  “Do you want this, Miss?” Noah offered the rag to me. I tried so hard to focus on the rag, and focus on his face. All I could see were shapes and shadows. Had my eyesight been damaged from the blows to my head?

  I nodded and took the rag. As badly as it hurt, after soaping the rag heavily, I scrubbed my abdomen, my thighs, between my legs…I cried out in pain as I scrubbed hard. I had to get clean.

  “Miss, are you ready to get out? You must get out now,” he urged as I felt a towel brush against my shoulder.

  “No, I have to get clean.” I shuddered again as I soaped the rag.

  “Miss, you are clean. You are making yourself bleed, scrubbing too hard. Miss, you are clean. Please, let me help you out,” Noah pleaded again.

  His voice sounded so young and desperate. Something about his plea sparked the mothering instinct in me. He needed for me to snap back. I shut my eyes tightly against the images that were threatening to come to the surface. I would not go there. I would not allow my imagination to go there. For the first time since I woke up, I was thankful Dante had beaten me unconscious before he violated me.

  I pushed against the sides of the steel tub to stand and cried out again. My ribs wouldn't allow it.

  “Please, let me pick you up. I have to pick you up,” Noah urged me as I nodded to him. Before he could lift me from the water, the sound of the steel door opening startled both of us. Noah backed up, and I could sense his apprehension. I shook all over, frightened that Dante had returned or Lucien was coming. Footsteps stopped beside the tub.

  “So she survived? Lucien sent me down here to check on both of you and to make sure the twins were well.”

  That voice…. I turned my head slowly, and I could barely make out his form. He was strangely familiar. My fuzzy brain struggled with memories, flashes of scenes in my head. How could anyone else on the ship be familiar to me?

  “Let me get her out,” the voice was closer to me now as he leaned over the tub. A whimper escaped involuntarily from my lips. I didn’t want Noah touching me, much less any other stranger. He slipped his arms under me and picked me up easily against his chest. Grabbing a towel quickly, he wrapped it around me as I reached out to grab another as he passed the crate by the tub. I struggled against his chest, shaking uncontrollably as I fought the fog in my brain. When we passed under the light, I gasped.

  “Ben? Ben, is that you?”

  He walked slowly back toward the mattress where Dante had attacked me.

  “No, please, no…not there. Please take me to the pallet,” I begged him as he changed direction. He knelt beside the foam as I drew the second towel over me. The twins lay sleeping peacefully on the small piece of foam. Noah stood behind him and reached down and pulled the corner of the blanket up and over me as I shut my eyes tightly, trying to shut the world and all that had happened to me out.

  Ben stood over me, watching silently. I opened my eyes, trying so hard to make out his expression in the darkness.r />
  “We thought you were dead. What have they done to you?” I choked out as I held my hand up to him. He knelt down beside me and touched my cheek. I winced, knowing my face was badly bruised and swollen.

  “You don’t want to know,” he finally answered, his voice low and menacing.

  “Julia will be so glad you are alive,” I said, hoping that would spark some sort of positive response. I still couldn’t tell if he would be friend or foe.

  “Julia…yes, Julia.” I could see him raise his eyes toward the moonlight. When he looked back down at me, I could see well enough to know his eyes glowed and fangs extended. He’d somehow been fully transformed.

  “Oh, no…Ben,” I whispered in horror.

  “Yes…I’m Ben. Or I was,” he snarled as he drew closer to me. “I thought I could do this, An…Andie. John called you ‘Andie-girl,’” he whispered as if to himself. He muttered something else, and then moved closer. I shuddered, but didn’t have the strength to move away.

  “Wanted to…try…to help you. I’ve killed for blood. I’ve killed and I enjoy it. I’m in the dark,” he hissed as he seemed to fight with himself.

  “Ben, please! I know you are still in there! I could feel it, when you carried me just now. Please, help me? Help the babies?” I pleaded as I watched him study me, turning his head first one way, and then the other as if he didn’t understand.

  “The babies?” He looked down past me to their sleeping forms on the foam pallet.

  “Yes. Banton’s babies. You remember Banton?”

  “Banton. Banton, Ty and John,” he mumbled as I nodded furiously.

  “Yes! You remember!” I tried frantically to reconnect with his human emotions.

  He reached out and stroked my hair. Without warning, he dove at me, sinking his teeth into the flesh on the upper part of my right breast. I cried out weakly, unable to push him off. As he drank, I could feel the blood leaving my body.