“This can all be over,” he crooned. “You can be spared the pain. You can be freed from this place. All you have to do is take me to the portal. Then all will be forgiven.”
“The—there is no portal,” I cried.
“I think we both know better than that now. No amount of denial will save you. Would you like the nurses to stop?”
“Yes… yes… yes…” I moaned.
“Then you know what you have to do,” Frederick said.
“Please…”
“You’re so polite,” one of the nurses whispered into my ear, then tugged on the earlobe with her teeth. I felt the burning of another rip.
“They can visit you every night. Would you like that?”
“No… please…” My arms were on fire where the cool air in the room hit the long strips of skinless flesh. My arms were shaking uncontrollably, but the nurses held them firmly in place.
“I can ask them to stop right now,” Frederick said. “All you have to do is cooperate.”
“Just kill me… please, kill me…” I pleaded. I knew I was supposed to be a part of some grand plan to restart the Society in this time, but the future didn’t matter to me now. I just wanted the pain to stop but knew Frederick wouldn’t allow that; he wasn’t going to let me go until I gave him what he wanted. And he only wanted it because I had planted the seed. It was all my fault and I didn’t deserve to move forward and aid in the rebuilding of the great True North Society.
“You keep asking me for that, and what do I always say?”
“To ta—take you to the portal and… my wi—wishes will be granted.” I felt the skin on my arms was nearly gone. Soon those vile creatures would be healing me with their blood and starting over afresh.
“See? I knew you were a smart kid,” Frederick said with a chuckle. “Also, know that this is just the beginning. I can make life infinitely worse for you.”
I couldn’t see how, but surely wasn’t going to challenge him on it.
“You know Dr. Mercer has grown quite fond of this one,” one of the nurses said.
“I know,” Frederick mused. “She’s a hopeless romantic. Stop—don’t heal his arms yet. Leave them just as they are and move onto his legs.”
“With pleasure,” one nurse said and the other effortlessly ripped off my pants.
22
Susan
Frederick had called to tell me that Fiona had shown up at Fangloria. She hadn’t breathed a word of it to me, so I couldn’t imagine that her showing up on her own was a good thing. Luckily, I was already in LA, but even a few miles away meant twenty to thirty minutes in downtown traffic. I raced to the club as quickly as I could. I just hoped I was fast enough.
I almost barreled through the front gate and ran past security. Everyone knew me enough not to get in my way when I was on a mission. I sped downstairs and straight to Frederick’s office suite, pounding loudly on the door. Frederick had given me an emergency key, but I wanted to grab everyone’s attention as soon as possible.
I could hear crying coming from inside and pounded even harder. “Frederick, open the door!” I demanded, continuing to slam my fists against it.
Moments later, the door opened, with Frederick gesturing calmly for me to come in. “There’s no need for the hysterics,” he said, as he closed and locked the door once I was inside.
I feared the worst for Fiona, my mind reverting to that fateful day with Fiona, Becca and the dog. I couldn’t lose Fiona too. Frederick had offered us sanctuary—though there was always an undertone of sanctuary with cooperation.
But as soon as I saw Fiona, I realized immediately what had her in tears. She didn’t look harmed, but Sean was tied to a chair and didn’t look quite so unscathed.
What on Earth is he doing here?
I’d worked hard to keep him out of everything. He was a good kid and I’d thought he was leaving for school on the East Coast soon.
“What’s the meaning of this?” I asked, my attention oscillating between Frederick and Fiona. “Why is Sean here and bound like a prisoner?”
“He’s simply a little insurance,” Frederick said, strolling back toward the group.
Fiona wasn’t trying to untie her ex-boyfriend, but she was protectively standing over him. Her eyes were shooting daggers at Frederick and I could only imagine the conversation they’d already been having.
“What do we need insurance for?” I asked, my question now directed at Frederick.
“You said your daughter would come around—that you’d make sure of it,” he said.
“Yes…”
“Fiona, tell your mother what you came here to tell me.” Frederick’s voice was eerily calm, which was oftentimes more frightening than any emotional outburst.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Fiona cried. “I couldn’t do it—I couldn’t be the one to voluntarily betray Matthew and everyone else in the True North Society.”
“Couldn’t…” Frederick purred. “But that’s not entirely true anymore, is it?”
“I hate you!” Fiona spat. “Mother, make him let Sean go! I’ll do it, but he’s got to be freed first. Let him leave for school. He’s not even a part of this.”
“You care for him,” Frederick said. “Which is exactly why I can’t let him go, not until you’ve upheld your half of the bargain. He’s my necessary leverage.”
“There has to be something else I can offer,” I said. “I can’t allow this to continue. I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me for the better part of a decade. I only ever requested my family’s safety in return.”
“He’s not a part of your family,” Frederick argued.
“He’s close enough. They’ve been inseparable since they were kids,” I said. “Please… I don’t ask much. Let’s find another way. Fiona will get you in. I promise.” I could hear how pathetic I sounded but knew I had to grovel if there was any chance of changing his mind.
“No,” Frederick said, not taking any time to consider my pleas. “This is the path forward. And besides, it’s not like I just randomly plucked him from his home. He was here—in the club—and apparently enjoyed himself quite immensely.”
“What? Sean, you were here? On your own?” My eyes met his, and I could see the guilt and regret in them. His mouth quivered with the gag between his jaws, which was now soaked with saliva. “I can’t believe this. How? Fiona, did you know about it?”
“Yes. I saw him the last time we were here, and tried to get him to leave right away.” She didn’t move from her ex-boyfriend’s side. “How could you? Just when I thought I couldn’t trust you any less!”
“I had nothing to do with this,” I said. “Frederick, tell her. Tell her I had no part in this.”
“I’m not here to turn mother against daughter,” he said, turning to Fiona. “This was the result of another one of my associates. Your mother was not informed about it ahead of time for just this reason.
“But again, I will not let him go until our agreement has been completed, then he will be safely returned to his family.”
“What other associate?” I asked.
“That is not your concern,” Frederick said.
“How can we be partners when you keep leaving me out of important decisions?”
“We have complete transparency outside of matters concerning your daughter. But where Fiona’s concerned, there has always been ambiguity. Now she’s been brought into the fold, I need to protect my interests as well.”
“She’ll do it.”
“I will,” Fiona pleaded. “Please, just let him go.”
“Enough!” Frederick shouted, silencing the room immediately. His composure only flickered for a moment, then he was calm again. “I’ve told you both what will happen. I will keep the boy here until I have stood on the space station and looked down at our future. If everything goes smoothly, then he will not be harmed.”
“He’s already harmed!” Fiona argued.
“That?” Frederick pointed to Sean’s face. “You think that’
s harmed? I have not touched him. If my girls want to slap him around a little, then I will allow them to do so. It will help keep you focused. If you want to test me, I’ll show you what harm I can really do.”
Fiona hugged Sean like it would make a difference, only revealing more of her weakness for him. I never had anything against the boy; he’d treated her well but I’d thought he was out of our lives. Apparently not.
I’d killed a lot of vampires since I’d been working with Frederick and was tempted to pull out my gun right then and hit him with our own design of sleeper bullets. He knew what I could do—he’d helped train me to be the lethal assassin I’d become. But I couldn’t do it—I couldn’t take the risk. I knew he was more powerful than the vampires he’d sent me after. Even Matthew was a mere child compared to Frederick.
“He’ll be okay,” I said to my distraught daughter, but she didn’t even want to look at me.
“Of course, he will,” Frederick boomed. “Because Fiona is going to help us like the obedient daughter we all know she is.”
“What other choice do I have?” Fiona asked, spitefully. She kissed Sean on the temple and stood up. “I won’t let them hurt you.”
“It’s time to get to work,” Frederick said. “The clock’s ticking. Sean is counting on you.”
Fiona gave Sean one more hug before heading for the door. “Are you going to let me out?”
Frederick casually unlocked the door and held it open for Fiona with a winning smile. “Thank you for stopping by. It’s always a pleasure to see you.”
“The feeling’s not mutual.”
“Fiona, wait up,” I yelled after her, making a move to follow her.
“Don’t… just don’t,” she said, stopping for a moment and flashing me a warning glare, before disappearing into the hallway. “I can show myself out.”
23
Fiona
I was subconsciously pulled homeward. I’d wanted to return to my condo when I’d jumped into my Land Rover and raced out of the Fangloria parking lot—to go and hide in a place no one could find me—but the little girl inside of me led me home, where no matter what happened between Mom and me, it would always be.
Once I got there, I ran inside, afraid Mom had been following me and was close on my heels. I rushed straight into the bathroom and locked the door. At that point, my bladder was protesting as much as my heart. I didn’t have the luxury of my own en suite here. When I was done, I listened through the door for any sounds in the apartment, then raced from the bathroom to my bedroom, but not before grabbing the Oreos on the way.
Then I locked the bedroom door and dragged my desk over to barricade it from opening. I didn’t know what Mom was capable of anymore. Maybe she could pick locks? I wasn’t taking any chances of her breaking her way in here.
It felt strange that after everything, this was the one place I still truly felt safe—as if some force nobody could penetrate was shielding my room whenever I was holed up inside.
I dropped my purse and shoulder holster onto the floor beside the bed, threw back the covers, and crawled onto the mattress. My heart was still beating a mile a minute and it was impossible to take in a full breath, but as I covered my shaking body with the same comforter I’d had since junior high, I felt no one could touch me. I hugged the bag of Oreos like it was a stuffed animal until I calmed enough to open it and split a cookie.
“What’s wrong, Fee?” a soft voice asked as I crunched on the bittersweet treat.
“The whole world is collapsing around me, Becks,” I said. “I don’t know what to do anymore. I mean… I know what I have to do, but don’t know if I can live with myself if I go through with it. And I certainly can’t not go through with it. I—I’m in so much trouble.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, her voice as sweet and calming as ever. She was the reason I couldn’t go anywhere else when things got so bad—the reason I could never truly leave.
“Becks, Mom’s gotten herself involved with some very dangerous people,” I said. “And now she’s gotten me involved too. And I don’t see a way out of it.”
“No, Mom wouldn’t do that.”
“I know she always said she was looking out for our best interests, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. I don’t even know who she is anymore. It’s like she’s been living this double life the whole time.” And when I stopped to think about what I’d just said, I heard the hypocrisy in my own statement, with the double life I’d been leading for the past six months. But mine was different; I was aligned with the good guys. Mom had aligned herself with the enemy, and for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why she’d done it.
“Mom said she’d found a guardian angel—someone to look over you two.”
“Have you seen this guardian angel?” I asked.
“No,” Becca said, sadly.
“I always wanted to, but she never brought him home. I thought I could see him where I am, but I guess I’m in a different place.”
“A better place,” I said. “She didn’t find a guardian angel, Becks,” I said. “She sold her soul to the devil, and now I’m being offered up to him against my will. The problem is, if I refuse, he’s going to start hurting those I love.”
“Why would anyone do that?”
“Because there are bad people in this world who will do bad things to get what they want.”
I popped another split cookie into my mouth and chewed to keep the anguish from completely consuming me. When I closed my eyes, I could clearly picture Sean’s bruised and battered face with the thick cloth in his mouth, keeping him quiet. But he didn’t have to say anything. His eyes told the whole story. He was petrified because he didn’t know what was happening, and I was petrified for him because I knew exactly how much danger he was in. All I could think was that if he’d never come to the club, then all this wouldn’t have happened. How had he even found out about it? How did he get in?
Mom had seemed surprised to see him, but then again, she’d fooled for me for years, so why should I believe this was any different? If my guardian angel, as Becks so aptly put it, had been watching over me all these years, then it made sense that Sean would have been on his radar. Maybe it was how the situation would have played out regardless.
I’d gone to the club tonight to tell Frederick I was out, but he had already anticipated my move against him. I couldn’t bear the thought of betraying Matthew and the rest of the Society, but what choice did I have now? Sean’s life was on the line. And after him, who’d be next? Alexis? Candace? Abigail? At this point, I didn’t know how much Frederick and Mom knew. Did they know about Gillian and Abigail? Did Mom know I’d been talking to my new-found half-sister?
I chewed on another Oreo as a weak attempt to keep my emotions from boiling over.
I didn’t know how to get Frederick into the compound. It was heavily guarded at the perimeter and I didn’t even know what other security measures were set up inside. All the people in the Society were trained vampire killers and would be able to sense him coming. Trying to smuggle him in seemed just a surefire way of getting us both killed. And then I was sure Sean’s fate would be just as doomed as ours.
If by some miracle I was able to sneak Frederick into the North building and up to the inconspicuous wall panel concealing the time portal, how would I get us in? It wasn’t like I knew the code and I highly doubted I could simply ask someone for it. Since it hadn’t been freely given out after initiation, it seemed to be another level of clearance that I’d yet to earn. But I didn’t know what next steps were needed to reach that level, and equally weighing on my mind was the fact I didn’t have time to waste.
However, when I closed my eyes again, a new vision came to me. Sean was replaced by Matthew and me in the North Building, the two of us standing before the hidden panel. Matthew typed in the code and I hadn’t been paying close attention, but I’d been watching. He hadn’t tried to conceal his actions and unknowingly—until now—my mind had unwittingly logged the informatio
n.
I could picture Matthew typing in the code, and now wondered how accurate my memory was. Maybe I could get us in after all? The new revelation gave me the slightest glimmer of hope.
“Fee, you’re so quiet,” Becca said, causing the vision to fade away like morning fog.
“Sorry, Becks,” I said. “I was just thinking.”
“Are you feeling any better?”
“Talking to you always makes me feel better. You know that.” I closed the bag of Oreos and dropped it onto the floor next to my purse and gun. It was no use making myself sick again. As I repositioned myself on the bed, I froze when I thought I’d heard something.
“Mom’s home,” Becca said.
“Tell her to leave me alone,” I whispered, my gaze glued to the barricaded door.
24
Susan
“This has gone way too far!” I shouted. I’d run to the doorway of Frederick’s suite and watched Fiona storm down the hallway. I was about to chase after her, but at the last second, turned back to face Frederick instead.
“You’ve become a great ally over the years, but remember your place,” Frederick said. “I am still in charge. As long as I can count on you, you and your family will have my full support and protection. Remember the conditions of our agreement.”
“I’ve done everything you’ve asked and feel I’ve earned a little bit of leeway,” I argued.
“I feel I’ve given you a great deal of leeway. I’ve brought you in as a partner of Vampire Nation, so you can be on the frontline when we rise to the mainstream. I want you by my side, but need total trust and loyalty if this partnership is going to continue.”
“I don’t want Sean hurt.” I walked over to Sean and knelt beside the chair to which his shaking body was bound. I put a hand to his bruised cheek, making him flinch. “If he’s going to remain here, then he has to be given better accommodations. He can’t be tied to a chair for the next so many days or more.”
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