I heard muffled voices as other people approached the limo, presumably our targets. But I was unable to make out what was being said.
Suddenly, Syrithia jumped back into the driver’s seat, beaming from ear to ear. “We’ve got them—locked in the back! Piece of cake.”
“You said that last time,” I reminded her.
She started the car and threw it into gear. “Well, this time it’s true.”
37
Fiona
Sitting in traffic all the way to Los Angeles gave me too much time to think about Matthew and our magical night together—how wonderful he made me feel and how much I dreaded leaving him in the morning. He’d shown me how amazing our future could be… But I knew what was coming, so my goodbye kiss to him was exactly that—a real goodbye.
Once I reached Fangloria, I needed to focus on the night’s mission, so I demanded to see Sean before we left for the True North Society compound; Mom assured me he was fine as she unlocked the door to his room.
He didn’t leap off the couch at the sight of me this time but instead viewed me as skeptically as anyone else entering the room. Maybe it was because Mom was a few steps behind me; she remained in the doorway like she was blocking it in case he tried to escape. I knew he wouldn’t try something so foolish. Sean was a good guy with a good heart, but he was no hero.
“I’m sorry I haven’t stopped by in a few days,” I said, approaching him slowly like someone would approach a cornered animal. “Are you doing all right?”
“Fantastic,” he said in a hollow voice. “I don’t suppose you’re here to let me out.”
I shook my head sorrowfully. “Not yet, but very soon. I’m fulfilling my side of the bargain tonight, so hopefully, you’ll be out by this time tomorrow.”
“I’ll hold my breath until then.” He was no longer even looking at me.
It angered me that he was treating me like one of the people holding him in here when I was doing everything I could to get him out—betraying all the people who trusted me, in order to save his life. And he was acting like I didn’t care about him at all, which couldn’t have been further from the truth.
“If only you knew how much I was doing for you,” I said, but tried to keep my bitter voice even. Arguing with him now wouldn’t help the situation and I knew he didn’t understand half of what was going on. So, how could I fully blame him for being upset? However, it still irked me.
“Yeah… if only I did,” he said, his gaze now moving between Mom and me. “If only I could say I knew who the both of you even were.”
“If only you knew the extent of the torture you’d be forced to endure if it wasn’t for our protection,” Mom said. “So instead of blaming my daughter, how about showing a little Goddamn gratitude.”
I hated her standing up for me, especially now. She wanted me to believe it was still us against the world, but I had a hard time believing there was an us left. After that, Frederick had promised I could get out and that he’d never bother Matthew or me again. I was even starting to believe that extended to my mother as well. But I was done with them both. Of course, I didn’t know how that would work with Becca and me being unable to abandon Mom at home, but I’d have to figure something out.
“You guys get me out of here, then we’ll call it even,” Sean said, adjusting his position on the couch and seemingly uncomfortable however he sat. “I’ll go my own way and you can go yours.”
“Okay. When I secure your freedom, you’ll never have to see me again,” I said. Since he seemed to want nothing to do with me, I didn’t try to give him a hug before leaving. I simply turned on my heels and marched out of the room.
“You didn’t have to snap at him,” I said to Mom as we made our way to Frederick’s suite.
“I know,” she said with a shrug. “I seem to get a little hotheaded when it comes to you.”
“Well, stop. I’m not your little girl anymore. I don’t need you fighting my battles for me.”
“I realize how capable you are, but you’ll always be my little girl—whether you like it or not.” Mom went for the handle of Frederick’s door, but it opened before she reached it; that obnoxiously beautiful blonde woman pushed past us into the hallway.
“Susan,” she said sourly.
“Taylor,” Mom said with equal disdain.
Taylor glanced my way before leaving but didn’t say anything else. She stomped away in her army boots and black leather pants, looking like some gothic warrior.
“Let’s go, kid,” Mom said, holding the door open and urging me to enter.
Frederick was on the phone, and when he saw us, he gestured for us both to sit on the couch before promptly ending the call.
“Everything is in order!” he exclaimed. His excitement gave me goosebumps yet simultaneously made me feel sick to my stomach. Then he sat on the coffee table across from me and extended his left arm. “Pretty nice, eh?”
He now had a compass tattoo of his own. Whatever mixture of angel blood he’d used, worked. And his pointed south—pointing to himself—just like Matthew’s did.
“Let me see yours,” he insisted, giddily.
I made a fist and grabbed my wrist, making my compass appear and positioning my tattoo alongside his. His smile widened as he examined them side by side. “They sure look beautiful. No one will notice the slight differences. How does it feel?”
That was the more important question. The design could be perfect, but if Frederick was sensed just the same as every other vampire, then it wasn’t much good. But it did seem to be doing the trick.
“You feel like Matthew,” I said, which was true enough. I certainly felt Frederick way less than the other times I’d been around him. But was the tingling sensation throughout my arm the same as when Matthew was nearby? Probably not exact, but close—close enough to keep people away.
Frederick excitedly jumped to his feet. “Then there’s no time to waste.”
Mom offered a hand to help me up but I refused and turned away from her as soon as we were standing.
Frederick guided us through the underground hallways. We passed through a locked door, opening to a room I never wanted to see again; it was the expansive open room of The Cellar. It wasn’t yet being used but still stank of sweat, sex, and blood. I knew that many of the people chained to those large wooden X’s on circular backlit platforms would be willing participants, but not all of them. Some of them played the part of the captive, but some of them actually were. I didn’t want to picture what happened down there when the club was in full swing, but couldn’t stop my mind from recalling images of all the bound humans on display for their vampire Masters.
I remained close to Frederick, wanting to get out of that room as quickly as possible.
We took a staircase up to the main level that I’d never seen before. Once Frederick unlocked the door, we stepped out into the warm evening air, on the backside of the building.
We crossed the pavement to another derelict and seemingly uninhabited building. Frederick lifted a roll-up garage door, revealing the building to be nothing more than a shell with an exterior framework and support beams. But a multitude of cars stood parked inside, totaling somewhere between fifteen and twenty.
We walked toward a navy-blue minivan with its back hatch open where a busty redhead was working with a short Pitbull of a man, trying to remove one of the rear bucket seats. The other bucket seat and third-row bench had already been removed and set onto the ground beside the vehicle. Then the woman began to roll up the carpet toward the front seats.
As we drew closer, I could see there was a secret hatch beneath where the carpet had been. The woman grabbed the inset ringlets and lifted the hatch door, revealing a large compartment in the bottom of the minivan.
I turned to Mom. “Are you going to be able to breathe in there?”
The redhead hopped down from the back of the minivan and grabbed a small oxygen tank. A mask I hadn’t noticed was attached to an inner wall of the vehicle. “She wi
ll with this,” she answered, holding it up.
It wasn’t until then that I realized the question had stemmed from my own inability to breathe upon seeing the vehicle I’d be driving to the Society compound. I’d be smuggling Mom through the gate and Frederick would join us once we were safely inside, avoiding scrutiny from the guards. Seeing the minivan brought all my fear and anxiety for the mission to the surface, to where I could no longer take in a full inhalation.
Mom laid a hand on my shoulder. “Breathe, kid. You can do this.”
But I wasn’t so sure. Everything seemed to be in line, but there were still a million variables once we were past the gate. We could run into any number of people in the North Building. I didn’t want any violence in the process of what I was doing.
I gasped for breath, trying to remember what was important and forget whom I’d be betraying in the process. My whole body was shaking, and I was afraid I might throw up.
But before I completely collapsed, Frederick clamped onto my arm and took me aside. “I know you don’t want to do this and I’m essentially forcing your hand, but this is a very important thing you’re doing today. Fiona, look at me. Your mother has worked faithfully for me for a long time in human terms. And she did it with the stipulation that I help keep you safe. I’ve done that. I’ve marked your house as off-limits to any vampire in the area. The members of Vampire Nation know who you are and they’re also looking out for you at my command. You have an entire army at your disposal. I know you think you’re powerful, just in being part of the True North Society, but there you are just another member. With me, you could be leading the charge with your mother. I know I told you that you’d never have to see me again after this, but I’d seriously suggest you reconsider. It’s not something you have to decide now.”
“You also said you’d let my friend go,” I said, my body shaking so hard that my teeth were now chattering.
“Whatever happens, just know that your friend, Sean, is safe,” Frederick said and removed his phone from his front pocket. He dialed and brought the device to his ear. His eyes remained on me as he waited for someone to pick up. As a result, I couldn’t look away. “Ajah, please release the boy we’ve been holding. Sean. Have him taken to his car and allow him to freely leave.” He promptly hung up and offered a wide smile. “Does that help?”
I nodded, feeling the slightest bit of relief.
“Then it’s time to go,” Frederick said, pulling me in for a hug and holding my head to his chest. When he let go of me, he added, “I’ll see you on the inside,” before turning and heading for the roll-up door.
The busty redhead was finishing rolling out the carpet in the back of the minivan. It truly looked empty. I wouldn’t have wanted to change places with Mom in that hidden coffin of a compartment.
“Here you go,” she said, tossing me the keys, then lowering the rear door. “I suppose you know what to do next.”
“Drive,” I said, weakly.
38
Matthew
1950
As much as I’d resented Catherine—at least, in the beginning—for turning me, I grew to love her as a newly turned vampire. Once I was released from my Sisters of Mercy room, she trained me as an orderly, telling me it was the best way to learn to control my urges around human captives. I wasn’t allowed to feed on them, so she took me hunting during our time off. And during those times alone, our relationship grew even more.
Frederick wasn’t too pleased when he found out I’d been turned and was no longer his human toy to rip apart as he pleased, but he wasn’t as vengeful as I’d expected. He was still much stronger than me and knocked me to the floor, then demanded I get to work. I would not be released from his service until I gave up the information he wanted. Then he took Catherine aside and reprimanded her in private; she never spoke of what happened but for months, he left us alone.
Catherine taught me how to blend in with society and I gave her someone to fully love again. As I grew stronger and more disciplined, I realized my greater purpose—that I was meant to be the catalyst in restarting the True North Society. I had intimate knowledge of the monsters we had to face, and access to technology far superior to anything in this time—technology and knowledge that would give us a competitive advantage, conveying the ability to grow into something grand and mythical.
The problem was, by that point, I didn’t know if I could even find the portal again. And once I began my search, I had to be extremely careful I wasn’t being followed by Frederick. I was already convinced he wanted to covet the information for himself, so he hadn’t told others about it which meant it wasn’t a task that would be delegated.
After multiple trips into the foothills, I finally found the clearing where I’d come across the red convertible with Ashley’s teenage parents cuddled together on the front bench seat. Then I began to use my vampire abilities to leap into the air, searching for the invisible portal. I’d remembered falling from a height I wouldn’t have been able to jump as a human. And after many failed attempts, I finally landed on a metal grate flooring instead of the moonlit rocky terrain.
I’m home, I thought as I cautiously stepped out of Portal Chamber 3 and into the control room of ParallEarth Sector 7.
“Matthew Sanders?” a technician asked, sitting at one of the computers. Her name was Sarah something. “We all thought you were dead.”
“Still breathing,” I said, feeling my vampire pulse quicken at the smell of her. Catherine had been working with me to control my urges, but that’d been under her supervision and in controlled environments. Now I was on my own, and more people were spilling into the control room wanting to shake my hand and embrace me. It took everything inside of me not to slaughter them all right then. Eventually, my sense of duty and obligation won through, reminding me that I was the catalyst for everything we’d be asked to fight against—and everything the True North Society was built for. And so, it was up to me to build it in this new time.
“A large group of us left a few weeks after you, but you’re the first to return. We assumed you’d all succumbed to the same fate, so no one else has been permitted to leave,” someone said.
I would have known if Frederick had found any one of them. If that had been the case, all these people would have been dead as well. Many things could have happened, but the most likely was that those people wanted out so badly they ventured off to start new lives and never looked back—even knowing what the universe would ultimately do to them. A few years of freedom in a more stable time was worth more than being bound to the station and rekindling the fight against vampires.
During my first few times back, no one realized what I’d become. Like me, many of them didn’t have any direct experience with vampires, and those who did had forgotten the subtle signs across twenty-seven long years in space. It was better to keep it that way for as long as I could manage it.
I told them about the threat outside—not that anyone was specifically looking for us, but that there were vampires nearby, all leaving grisly murder scenes for the local police. Then I told them about a double homicide, two teenagers found not far from there.
When I’d stumbled upon the scene and tried to help, I’d been indicted in the murders and that was the reason I’d been gone for so long. Now was a simpler time but it was still dangerous and less forgiving than the one we’d escaped.
39
Fiona
The imposing gate of the True North Society loomed ahead. Of course, there were no signs for the Society on the gate or its surrounding electrified fence, only one for Maximum Security Facility; Department of Corrections. To the outside world, Silverado State Prison hid behind the trees.
This should have been the easy part, but I didn’t want to jinx myself.
Two guards with high-powered rifles stood by the checkpoint gate. There were always at least two.
One stood in the middle of the road with his hand outstretched, gesturing for me to stop. I slowed and rolled down my window. My
compass tattoo was already visible, ready for me to show him like a company badge.
Once he recognized me behind the wheel, his stern face softened but I showed him my arm through the open window anyway, wanting to appear as cooperative as possible.
“This is one of Matthew’s new vehicles,” I said. “It can hold more cargo than the Land Rover.” I gestured toward the back. “But as you can see, I’m not hauling anything tonight.”
“I know,” he said, standing close to the window and raising a small flashlight to shine the beam on the open and empty back of the minivan.
I couldn’t tell if he was trying to pretend he was as well informed as I was, even though my explanation was a lie… or if he was somehow better informed than I was.
“I can open the rear door, if you want,” I said, trying not to read too much into his comment.
“That won’t be necessary,” the guard said, stepped back, and waved me through the checkpoint. “Have a good night.”
I waved and inched forward over the traffic spikes, raising my window. My heart was racing, my sweaty palms sticking to the steering wheel as I followed the road into the forest.
“We’re through,” I said to Mom, confined to the hidden compartment behind me. I didn’t know if she could hear me from in there, but if she could, then it was now the right time to climb out. But there was no reply, which I didn’t mind. It saved me from extra small talk I didn’t want.
The North Building and penitentiary were a few miles up the road. There was main level parking where we’d agreed I would go. Instead of taking elevators from the underground parking, we could take the stairs from the main level and hopefully avoid most people.
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