by A A Mize
50
The clanking of chains brought Rowan back to consciousness only a few minutes after the Rogues had knocked him out. Pain was fading from his head as the wounds healed themselves, but blood was still caked the side of his face, matting his hair against his cheek. His vision cleared slowly, focusing on the clock on the wall, counting the seconds that brought him back to clarity.
The one Yvette had called Samson was sitting on Rowan’s back, shackling manacles to his wrists. Rowan’s eyes shifted as far as possible to catch a glimpse of Samson, whom he hoped would get off him. The weight of the man on him made it difficult to breathe and Rowan found himself squirming to adjust for relief from the discomfort he felt in his ribs.
Samson finally stood, pleased with his work, and hoisted Rowan off the floor and onto his knees. Rowan’s head swam with the movement. He blinked a few times and the room stopped spinning for an instant before a blow to the side of his head knocked him over to the floor.
Samson laughed as he pulled Rowan back up to his knees.
“Let me go and see if you’re still laughing, coward,” Rowan threatened, only to get Goliath’s massive fist across his face, Samson holding Rowan up for his twin to pummel. The pair of them chuckled with delight at causing pain.
“That’s enough,” Yvette said, holding up a hand to call off her lapdogs.
Goliath glared at Yvette, then gave Rowan one more blow to his ribs, grinning maliciously as his victim spat out blood, his ribs cracking with the force of the punch. Blood trickled from Rowan’s parted lips and he glared up at her hatefully.
“Don’t look at me like that, love. You brought this on yourself,” she said gently, squatting before him on the floor.
“I did nothing.”
“You’re so beautiful with blood on your lips,” she said, kissing him tenderly before licking the blood from her own mouth. “Too bad it’s your own.”
“Don’t touch me,” Rowan growled, spitting a wad of blood at her feet.
“You used to be so classy. I guess you’ve been hanging out with lower vermin for so long they’ve started rubbing off on you. But I think my boys can fix that. Make you a fine upstanding gentleman again.”
Yvette snapped her fingers before walking back toward the couch. The twins yanked Rowan to his feet, his shoulders popping as the chains pulled his arms back awkwardly.
“Why are you doing this?” Rowan asked.
The twins paused, glancing at their boss. Rowan could feel the tension in the air grow thicker around them and when she turned to look at him, an icy chill ran down his spine.
“I told you before, I only want you, Rowan. All of this is for you.” She gestured toward the window, where the faint flashing of lights signaled a fire farther down the street.
“You killed Rachel.”
“You think so?”
“I know so,” he insisted. “You fed from Ivanka, killed her, and took her form. You came into the city as her in hope of killing a human and getting away with it. What was your plan? Kill her to frame Matthias? I bet that was it. You frame him for the murder of a human, and he’s hunted like a monster from both sides. You just didn’t expect the humans to get to him first and clear him, did you? You wanted the Elders to catch him and kill him. When that didn’t work, you hired Azazel to take him out, but that didn’t go the way you planned, either. Matthias is stronger than you know, Yvette, and if you go head-to-head against him, he will kill you,” Rowan threatened, a twisted grin curving the corners of his bleeding lips. He wasn’t sure if what he said was even true, but it didn’t have to be true—Yvette only had to believe it was. The shift in her demeanor told him it was something she hadn’t considered fully. “The only thing I don’t understand is why. Why kill Matthias? He’s not even been named my Heir.”
Yvette smirked down at him, a little pride put back in her stance. “Poor Rowan. Missing the bigger picture. You’re right. I did try to kill Matthias, but it has nothing to do with him being your Heir. It has everything to do with you. Your power. Your influence in our community. See, with Matthias out of the way and Rogues destroying the Quarter, you would lose your precious territory. Without it, you would be more likely to leave and come with me—back to New York, where the two of us could have our own section of the city. A territory far bigger than this pathetic little French Quarter. You know you deserve it, love. The Elders respect you and your Mentor adores you. We could have so much more than this. You know that New York City was my dream. I always wanted to make it there and now I have. Well, almost. You can make the rest of my dream come true.”
“You’ve lost your mind. If I lost the Quarter, what makes you think the Elders would let me have another territory so soon? It’s ridiculous. Even if I did want to leave, which I don’t, I wouldn’t want to go with you.” He spat the words out, only to have them met with a dizzying blow to his right eye. Goliath’s fist knocked Rowan to the side but Samson’s tight hold on Rowan’s chains kept him from hitting the floor.
“You think I don’t have a plan for that, too? If it worked against you here, it would surely work well in New York. Do you have any idea how many Rogues I have under my thumb in that city? Money gets you far in this world, my dear, and you know I have more of it than I know what to do with.” Yvette picked up Rowan’s journal up off the floor. “If there’s anything I’ve gotten good at, it’s getting what I want. And I want you.”
“Not me. You want whatever influence you think I have with the Elders. You’ll have to kill me. I’m not going with you,” Rowan said defiantly.
“I thought you might say that. I don’t want to kill you, Rowan. But I also can’t have you ruining my plans. I will take everything from you. All of these distractions that stand in my way and you will come with me. You will learn to love me as you once did, and I will lavish you with everything you could ever want.”
“This is crazy, Yvette.”
She was going to hold him prisoner, or at least try to, as if the Elders wouldn’t notice. For the first time in a long time, Rowan couldn’t formulate words for the thoughts and emotions that flooded him. He simply couldn’t believe that she had lost touch with reality to that extent.
Yvette opened the journal and flipped through the pages, ignoring Rowan’s hurtful comment. She scanned the journal’s contents again.
“I’m very sorry about what has to happen now, my love,” she said, pity in her voice as she closed the book and tucked it under her arm. “I promise, these men will not kill you, but I know these chains won’t keep you forever and I need to know that once we are done with the next step of my plan, you will be here waiting for me. I will return for you, my love, once my job is finished.”
Rowan turned his face away when she leaned in to kiss him but it didn’t deter her. He could feel her lipstick on his cheek before she grabbed his crescent moon necklace and snapped the chain from around his neck. The pendant shone silver in her hand when she opened it to survey the trinket.
“Sophie. You love her, don’t you? She was never part of my plan. You brought her into this, you know?”
“No. That was you. You brought her into this when you killed her cousin in cold blood,” Rowan hissed through gritted teeth, his body shaking with anger. Yvette would go after Sophie. He didn’t have to worry as much for Matthias as the boy was capable and strong and would most likely have Artashir and Horus with him. But Sophie was human, guarded only by Samiell and Sarah. She would have no way of protecting herself against Yvette and her massive twin Rogues.
“You allowed her to stay. Do you think she would have found a place in this city without you? Had you turned her away, she would have gone home and everything that has happened would have played out without her being any wiser. She would have believed whatever the police told her, and she never would have known about the Turned. She would have grieved and moved on without any knowledge of you or our kind. You can’t deny that.”
Yvette was right. If Sophie hadn’t been allowed to stay with him, her
life would have been so different. Now there was a chance that her life would soon be over and there was nothing he could do about it. He felt defeated, wishing for the first time in a long time that he could turn back the clock and change the past. Cut himself out of her life and free her as he wished he could cut Yvette away and free himself.
“Not that it matters now. Soon enough, neither of us will have to worry about that filthy human ever again. Lucky me, I know just where to find her. You can thank Matthias for that. I’ll be back for you when I’m finished, love.”
Rowan’s eyes closed as he listened to Yvette leave, the sound of her heels clicking on the wood, echoing through the empty house in a way that made his stomach turn. A sharp pain pierced through him and his eyes opened to see the dagger Samiell had lent him protruding from his side. Blood seeped from the wound, coating Goliath’s hand. Rowan’s breath caught in his lungs as the man yanked the blade free, spilling blood onto the rug.
Again the blade sank hilt-deep into his body, pain radiating like fire through his muscles. His vision faded to black, the sound of the twins laughing accompanied the sickening feeling of helplessness as his body slumped to the floor. Unconsciousness came as welcome as sleep, but there were no dreams of hope in this darkness—only despair.
51
It was a miracle that Sophie made it past Walker and his barricade. The lieutenant had stopped her at first, demanding her to get back and stay away from the boundaries of the Quarter. He looked at her with distaste, as he had since he found out she was living with Rowan and Matthias.
Sophie had pleaded her case with the impatient lieutenant and he’d reluctantly let her pass, his eyes scanning over the black-and-red Ducati with extreme suspicion. As she passed the barricade and drove deeper into the Quarter, she felt the difference in atmosphere. The streets were devoid of life, quiet and still. People had been evacuated and those that remained peeked out of shuttered windows, afraid of opening them for fear of being spotted by the creatures outside.
Bodies of Rogues and humans alike were scattered about and Sophie had to slow down considerably to be sure she didn’t disturb any of the corpses. Bile rose in her throat at the sight of them, the need to vomit ever growing until finally she reached the Square. Wary of her surroundings, she put her feet on the ground and removed her helmet.
Night air filled her lungs, but her body kept shaking. She swallowed the bile and the urge to cry. Suddenly, the bike felt too heavy to keep up, her hands trembled from clenching the handlebars. She buried her face in the crook of her elbow, hoping the darkness behind her eyelids would drown out the images of what she had seen. Instead they flashed even faster and the tears became harder to keep at bay.
“Sophie?”
She jumped, startled by the voice, to meet the face of Matthias. Her friend rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Blood was thick on him and although the scent of it made her feel sick, she couldn’t make herself release him. He was all right. Alive.
“It’s not safe here, what were you thinking?” Matthias asked, holding her away from him to give her a once over.
“I couldn’t just sit there and wait. I had to find you. And Rowan.” She looked around Matthias’s broad frame to see Artashir and several other Turned a little way off, waiting. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know. Artashir said he went to confront Yvette but it’s been a while. Maybe he didn’t find her.”
“I have to get to him. Yvette can control him too much and I’m afraid of what she might do. She says she wants him but I don’t know if I can trust that she wants him enough to keep him alive if he pulls a knife on her.”
“I can’t let you go any further. It’s too dangerous here. You need to go back to Samiell’s and wait. Mamma... Mamma’s gone. I was too late.”
“I’m so sorry, Matthias. Don’t blame yourself. This wasn’t your fault,” she insisted, holding her friend’s face in her hands, forcing him to look her in the eye. He nodded a little but refused to hold her gaze for long.
Matthias’s hand gripped hers and pulled them down to his chest. “Look, we have a lot of work to do. You really need to get out of here.”
Sophie only shook her head and pulled her hands out of his. “I can’t go back. I have to find Rowan.”
“And what will you do if you find him? You can’t kill Yvette.”
“I don’t know, Matthias. Either way I need to find him. Something is wrong, I can feel it,” she replied firmly. With or without his help, she was going to find Rowan.
“Look, we’ll all go,” he said, waving Artashir and Horus over.
Horus spoke a few words to a lady Turned who was standing near him and she took the others and advanced northwest through the Square. Artashir adjusted his bloodied ax in his grip as he approached Sophie and Matthias. Golden eyes shifted to Matthias, then down to Sophie.
“What’s going on?”
“Aye, lass. Where’s the fire that brough’ that beast out?” Horus said, pointing to the Ducati, an amused grin playing on his lips.
“Rowan’s been gone for a while and Sophie thinks we should find him. I agree. Rowan’s been known to do irrational things when Yvette is around. I don’t know if he’s strong enough to kill her on his own.”
“She is powerful,” Artashir mused.
“What about you, Horus. You in?” Matthias asked.
“Aye. Lead the way.”
“Stay behind me, Sophie,” Matthias warned before sprinting across the Square and down the street.
The night air was cool on Sophie’s skin, easing some of her nausea. She shoved the helmet back down on her head and followed, keeping pace easily on the Ducati. She was relieved to have him in front of her. It meant that she needed to watch him closely to avoid hitting him and kept her eyes off the bodies that littered the ground. She felt suffocated in the helmet, wondering why she even bothered to put the thing back on to travel the last few blocks toward the house.
At the end of the street the group stopped, listening to the silence that seemed to lay over this part of the Quarter like a thick blanket. It felt unnatural, but not strong, as if whoever had caused it was gone but hadn’t been gone long. Whether or not the power was dissipating because she was dead or because she had moved on was impossible to tell.
“Artashir, keep an eye on the door,” Horus said. “I’ll go check further down the street. Good luck in there and if ye need anythin’ don’ hesitate ye yell.”
Sophie removed the helmet once they were outside the house, her eyes searching the windows for any sign of movement. Artashir held the motorcycle with one hand as she dismounted and entered the house, abandoning the helmet on the sidewalk.
She stood at the base of the stairs, the silence in the house making her ears ring. Her heart hammered against her ribs and beads of sweat formed on her brow as she stared up into the darkness of the second floor. Behind her, she heard the click of the light switch by the door, but nothing happened.
“Power’s out,” Matthias stated.
“I’ll check upstairs.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” she said before beginning her slow ascent.
Pale moonlight filtered through the curtains at the end of the landing, casting an eerie glow on the floor. Sophie noticed Rowan’s study door was slightly ajar and her hand gripping the handrail tightly. Her tongue flicked across her lips, suddenly dry from fear.
“Rowan?” she called weakly.
No reply. She pushed the door open with her fingertips, and when she thought the room was empty, she stepped in. The study looked the way it had a few days prior. Moonlight dimly lit the shelves of books, an old desk, and a wingback chair. Sophie scanned the room, finding Rowan laying still with a heavy chain binding him. She rushed to his side and rolled him onto his back, hair sticking to the floor with half-dried blood. His body was riddled with wounds, partially healed while others were wide open and fresh.
“Matthias!” she screamed, clutching at Rowan’s s
hirt to pull him into her lap. With shaky hands she pulled out her phone for light, a chill running up her spine at the sight of Rowan’s eyes staring up at her, half open. Their color was almost completely gone, replaced with a pale gray. Immediately, she thought of what Artashir had said about the Turned and their eyes turning gray and her chest tightened.
“What’s going on?” Matthias slid to a halt in the doorway, bracing himself in the opening. He spotted Rowan and needed no other explanation. He knelt next to Sophie on the floor, hands hovering over the body of his Mentor.
Deep guttural laughter from the hallway caused Matthias to whip around and face the door, his arms out protectively. Sophie’s gripped Rowan, shielding him from what lay beyond the light of her phone.
A figure stepped toward them, ducking to enter through the door. The silver blade in his hand caught the light, reflecting it through the blood that dripped from its surface. Matthias stood slowly, his eyes locked with those of the unknown Rogue. How had he not sensed him? Smelled him?
“Yvette thought you might come for him,” the man laughed, pointing the dagger at Matthias. “But you...”—he shifted his attention to Sophie—“you should be at Samiell’s. I guess I’ll have to kill this whelp first and then I can take you to Yvette. She’d be tickled pink to have you all to herself.”
Sophie shuddered at the memory of what Yvette had done to her before, but she knew that this time she wouldn’t be allowed to walk away. The man’s eyes scanned over her hungrily and she lowered farther onto Rowan, clinging to his cold body.
“Don’t look at her,” Matthias growled, stepping between the stranger and Sophie.
“My name is Goliath,” the stranger announced, taking another step toward Matthias. “You’ll need to know it when you’re begging for your life.”