Any other time, I’d have whipped his ears off for speaking to me like that. “Yes, then we can go.” Sucking energy into my palms, I released it as an air blast that was strong enough to blow her cell door open. As we all stepped inside, she didn’t react other than to slowly turn her head to look at us.
When her eyes met mine, her frown melted away. “You…You c-came.”
I wanted to go to her side and give her some form of comfort, but the eleven males with me were feeling mighty overprotective right then and had planted themselves in front of me. Managing to shove Salem aside just enough to have a clear view of the female, I asked, “What did they do? What’s happening to you?”
She swallowed hard and her eyes drifted shut. “D-d-didn’t work.”
“What didn’t work?”
Her words weren’t audible even to vampire hearing.
“Do you have any idea who they were or where they would have gone?” Jared’s voice was gruff with anger.
Without opening her eyes, she stammered, “O-Orr-in.”
Jared frowned. “Orrin? Is that a name, a place, what?”
She gasped as a spasm hit, making her back bow from the floor. Even through her groans of pain, she heard my wince. Her expression was almost sympathetic when she looked at me. “Y-you c-c-can’t help m-me.”
“What were they trying to do?”
“Make…m-make me—” She was cut off as yet another bad spasm racked her body. It was agonising just to watch. Her eyes shut and she seemed close to drifting off, but then they fluttered opened again. “Kill me,” she croaked out.
I stiffened. “No.”
“Pain. Hurts.” She cried out as a particularly violent spasm shook her body and her back arched so unnaturally that I heard a bone break. There were tears in her eyes when she looked at me again. “Pl-please?”
“I’ll do it, Coach.” Chico squeezed my shoulder.
Salem nodded. “Yeah, you go see Antonio. We’ll take care of everything. We’ll make sure there’s nothing left of the place.”
I might have told them to stop coddling me if I hadn’t sensed that Jared was going to lose his composure any second now. No sooner had I slipped my hand in his than we were back in Antonio’s mansion. We found him in one of his many posh parlours with Luther.
Jared didn’t even give them a chance to speak. “Sam got hurt. I don’t know what the fuck they did, but you need to do something.”
Antonio double-blinked. “Hurt? Hurt how? And who are ‘they’?”
“We have no idea.” He told Antonio about what had happened, giving full details on the condition of the captives, and carefully quoting every word the brothers had said. “All we could really get out of the female Sventé was the word ‘Orrin’. Do you have any idea what she could have meant?”
“I’ll have my researchers look into it.” Antonio studied me intently. “How are you feeling?”
I took stock. “Fine. The pain’s gone. I don’t feel ill. I don’t feel any different at all.”
Releasing a heavy sigh, Antonio shrugged. “I suppose all we can do is watch and wait.”
“Watch and wait?” repeated Jared. “You’ve got to be kidding me. They could have done anything to her!”
“Exactly, it could have been anything. Sam says she feels fine. You say you do not know what their gifts were. I have nothing to go on. Until I know what type of help she needs, I cannot know who I need to summon to help her. I doubt that my own gift will do her much good, no matter the problem.”
Jared scrubbed a hand over his face. “Maybe we should postpone the celebrations.” Well that got my back up, and he obviously felt it because he raised a placatory hand. “I want that Binding ceremony, Sam − you know that. But I don’t trust outsiders around you; not when those vampires said they’d be seeing you again soon.”
I snorted. “They wouldn’t be stupid enough to try to infiltrate The Hollow.”
“Bennington tried it, and he was just as fucking weird as the brothers.”
“They wouldn’t even know where to find me. They don’t know who I am.”
“No,” agreed Antonio. “But they will have known who Jared is. He’s recognised worldwide; he needs to be. However, I do not believe it necessary for the Binding ceremony to be postponed. I appreciate that you are feeling particularly protective at this moment, Jared. I fully understand that, as does Sam. But she is very well protected here, and nothing can get in or out of here without my knowledge or permission. It is also worth noting that having the High Masters here for your ceremony will mean that she is even better protected than usual. And I know that the last thing you really want is to postpone the ceremony.”
It was a few moments before Jared exhaled a heavy sigh and nodded.
Distracting myself from the shard of pain I’d felt at hearing him propose to postpone the ceremony, I asked Antonio, “How could they have mutated those vampires like that?”
“There are vampires who have the gift of genekinesis and similar abilities which allow them to manipulate a person or animal’s DNA. In fact, my Sire’s life-partner – who you will meet at the informal gathering tomorrow evening – has such a gift. But these gifts would not work on vampires. It is a shame that the female Sventé in the cell was not able to tell us more.”
I thought about mentioning Luther’s earlier vision, but there was a good chance that Jared would kill him for not having warned him. Instead, I waited until Jared was in deep conversation with Antonio before approaching Gandalf’s doppelganger. He had remained uncharacteristically mute and made himself busy in the far corner of the room. “What’s going to happen to me, Luther? The vampires tried to change me in some way. What did they do?”
His expression was sad, apologetic, and anxious. “Do you know what one of the hardest things is about having my gift, Sam? That sometimes I can see a very trying time ahead, but I also know that to do something would be to affect the future.”
“There you go again with those sodding riddles. Is it something bad? At least tell me that much.”
“That depends on what way you look at it.”
“Oh for the love of God, Luther, throw me a bone here.”
He placed a hand on my shoulder. “All I can tell you without possibly meddling with the future is that you have a difficult time ahead of you, Sam. I know you do not like to rely on others, but you must accept what support Jared tries to give you. You’re going to need it.” And then the confusing bugger walked off.
CHAPTER THREE
(Sam)
Panting and shaking with the aftershocks of my orgasm, I griped, “Now will you untie me?”
“No,” mumbled Jared, who was using my breast as a pillow.
“You can’t leave me to sleep like this all day.”
“You’re so wrong about that.”
“We’ve had sex five times. You were supposed to have stopped brooding by now.” Although Jared had long ago stopped snapping at me and pacing like a caged tiger, he hadn’t quite calmed down. I could sense that he was trying to block what had happened from his mind in the hope of calming, but even five bouts of sex hadn’t been able to mellow him. “Untie me.”
“Could you shush? I’m trying to sleep here.”
“Jared.”
“Hey, I told you that if you got hurt I’d strap you to the bed. You knew I wasn’t kidding.”
Trying a different approach, I softened my voice and injected a little sensuality into it. “But if you leave me all tied up like this, I can’t wake you up in style at dusk.”
A snort. “I’m offended that you think I’d fall for that.”
“Well if you really insist on being a plonker…” Sucking the surrounding energy into my palm, I formed my whip and cracked it at him.
He flinched and rubbed the healing gash on his lower back. “Now that was just plain mean.”
“It’ll be your ears next.”
Grunting, he untied one wrist, leaving me to free my other wrist and then my ankles. The se
cond I relaxed back into the bed, he rested his head on my chest again. Then he flung an arm over me, cupping my hip possessively.
Although I very much wanted to disappear to dreamland where I wouldn’t have to worry about anything, there was something nibbling at me. “I need to ask you something.”
“Hmmm?”
“Are you having doubts about the Binding?”
He lifted his head, frowning. “Baby, why in God’s name would you think—” As realisation dawned on him, he sighed. “I would never, ever have suggested postponing it if it hadn’t been for what happened tonight. I’m on edge right now, and I don’t like the idea of outsiders being around you.”
“Binding is a big thing,” I reminded him. “It’s a lifelong commitment, and considering we’re never going to die, you don’t get one more serious than that. I never would have envisioned you being prepared to make that kind of commitment to anyone.”
“In all honesty, neither had I, baby. But you’re it for me. I don’t think you get what it would do to me if you walked away. I’ll always remember something you once told me. You said that sometimes people only love each other for a little while and then it’s over. That plays on my mind all the time; I worry you might suddenly stop and decide to leave. Not that I’d let you leave me, but you get my point.”
I had to smile a little at that. “I’m not going to leave.”
“That’s good. I’d rather not have to keep you here against your will.”
“All that aside, I’d understand if you didn’t feel like celebrating when your mum’s just died.” And down went the shutters. “You have to stop doing that.”
He lowered his head to my breast again, nipping it lightly. “Sleep, baby.”
“Talk, Jared.”
A sigh. “Maybe tomorrow night. Now sleep. We only have one last evening to ourselves before all the guests arrive. After that, we’ve got a big week ahead with the Binding.”
If Luther’s vision was right, we had much more than a big week ahead of us. A part of me wanted to warn Jared, to talk to him about it. But doing that would risk Luther’s life, and talking in riddles wasn’t a reason to die. So I’d have to do as Antonio said…watch and wait.
(Jared)
“So you have an assignment for us.” Ordinarily, I’d be pleased. But this time, I didn’t have even an ounce of enthusiasm. After what had happened in the bungalow, the only thing I wanted was to lock Sam in a room where no one could reach her. Seeing her in pain had knocked me into a hyper vigilant state that I couldn’t snap out of, no matter how hard I tried. But the oh-so-stubborn female was insisting on going.
“Yes,” replied Antonio. “Luther had a vision. Unfortunately, it wasn’t entirely clear.”
Like that was anything new.
Luther spoke to Sam. “As I once told you, my visions do not always make much sense. Sometimes, it is the feel of the vision that I am left to rely on. What I do know is that this is something that hasn’t happened yet, but will happen very soon – in just a few hours’ time, in fact.
“In my vision, there was a park. It was the evening. There were two women; one was a vampire, one was a human. A pregnant human. I could feel that the vampire had every intention of murdering the human, who she had bound to a tree. The vampire’s rage and pain hit me hard.”
That wasn’t good. “Not to be disrespectful,” I said to Antonio, “but surely you could select another squad to deal with this.”
Antonio’s expression was apologetic. “Believe me when I say that I would have assigned this to another squad had it not been for one thing − you and Sam were in the vision. To remove you both from the equation might have a very negative impact on what happens.”
Fuck. Well now there was definitely no getting out of it. “Do you have any idea who the women are?”
Luther shook his head. “No. But when I have a vision about unfamiliar people, it means that one, or all, of the people in the vision will become important to The Hollow somehow.”
“And you think the human will be important?”
Luther sighed. “I do not know.”
I scrubbed my nape, agitated. “What is it you want us to do exactly? Obviously we can’t allow the vampire to kill the woman, but then what? Do you want us to bring one, or both, here?”
“I trust that you will know what train of action is appropriate once you decipher the situation,” said Antonio.
“If it’s only two women we’ve got to worry about, I suppose it’s not necessary to take the squad,” Sam concluded, but I shook my head.
“I’ve had plenty of experience with Luther’s unclear visions. They always seem like simple situations and turn out to be anything but.” That was another reason why going on this assignment pissed me off.
Antonio nodded in agreement with me. “I’d recommend that you take at least three of the squad with you.”
“Where will we find the two women?” I asked Luther. He handed me a sheet of paper with coordinates written on it.
“I believe it would be best if you left as soon as possible.”
So that was exactly what we did. It turned out that the place from Luther’s vision was actually a redwood forest north of San Francisco.
After hours of searching, I halted, sighing. “I can’t hear or smell anyone nearby.”
Sam stopped beside me. “Neither can I.”
“This is the only area of the woods that we haven’t covered,” said Butch, his eerily dark eyes taking in everything around us.
“Maybe we missed them.” David shrugged as he nervously ran a hand through his coppery hair. “Maybe we were too late.”
“Or too early,” suggested Chico. He said something else, but it didn’t register as my hearing had locked onto a distant moaning sound. Did you all hear that? I asked Sam and the guys. They each nodded. Be as quiet as you can – we don’t want the vampire hearing us approach. The guys stealthily followed Sam and I as we wound through the trees.
Finally, my vampire enhanced vision picked up the source of the sound in the far distance. Just as Luther had described, there was a pregnant human sitting against a thin, tall tree with her hands bound behind it. The plan had been to make the job quick – disable the vampire, save the human, and decide if either of them should be taken to The Hollow. Instead, I held up my hand, signalling for Sam and the guys to remain in position. I wasn’t sure why, but every single cell in my body told me to wait, told me to listen. Sam arched her brow questioningly. I mouthed, ‘Trust me’, glad when she shrugged and focused her attention on the spectacle ahead.
The moaning had now stopped and the human was waking. Her forehead was creased in a way that hinted at pain – probably a headache. It was a few seconds before she realised that she was in fact tied to the tree. She struggled, but it seemed that the knot was very secure. That was when sheer and utter panic took over her face.
“You can shout for help if you want,” began a voice, “but even if someone came, I wouldn’t let them help you.” A tall brunette stepped out of the shadows and stood directly before the human. Malice literally gleamed from her eyes. I could see even from here that her irises weren’t glowing. If she was that pissed off but her irises weren’t glinting red or amber, she had to be a Sventé like Sam.
“Who are you?” the human asked, her lips quivering. When the vampire didn’t answer, she rambled, “Look, whatever Leon owes you, I can get it. But if you’re mistakenly thinking – like others have before you – that if you call him he’ll rush here like lightning to save me, you’re going to be very disappointed. He’s out of town, and he hasn’t got the money to give you anyway. He spends what he steals before he even steals it, trust me.”
“So you’re the breadwinner?”
“I have to be, or we’d have nothing.”
“For someone who’s financially struggling, you’re dressed very smartly, aren’t you?” The vampire was right; the woman was clothed in a black maternity suit – jacket, pencil skirt, and a white blouse. “W
hat’s your name?”
The human seemed taken aback by the question. “What’s yours?” she returned cockily.
The vampire’s mouth curved into a smile. “Jude. My name’s Jude.”
“If I were you, Jude, I’d let me go. I’ve told you, I can get you your money.”
“I don’t want money.”
“Well whatever you want, I can get it. But hurting me would be a really stupid thing to do on your part. You’d be upsetting my employers, for a start. You don’t know who I—”
“Yes I do.” Jude squatted down in front of her. “Maybe I don’t know your name, but I know something about you…something I doubt that many other people know…You’re a Scout.” The human’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open. “You really don’t remember me, do you?”
When the human didn’t respond, Jude explained, “We met in a supermarket. We both reached for a velour baby sleep-suit at the same time. You told me that you were so sorry, massaging your pregnant belly. You said you had eight weeks left before your due date, that you were having a boy. I told you that I had four weeks left to go, that I was having a girl. Any of this jogging your memory?”
The human still didn’t speak, so Jude continued. “Just as I was walking away, I felt a sharp prick in my arm that made me flinch, but I never thought anything of it. Why would I? A few minutes later, I was suddenly dizzy. Uncoordinated. My eyelids felt like they had lead weights hanging from them. With blurred vision and shaky legs, I stumbled outside. I just kept thinking that I needed to get to my car and go to a hospital. To any non-dizzy person, driving would have seemed nothing short of suicidal. But for me, the equation had been a little different: something was wrong and my baby might be at risk, therefore I had to hurry to get to a hospital.
“Then a car pulled up and the window lowered. A woman asked me if I was okay, if I needed a ride to the hospital. I said no, but she kept insisting that I couldn’t drive in my state. I would have said no again, but then I saw a toddler in a babyseat in the back of the vehicle, clapping his hands and grinning. It made me relax, made me think I could trust this perfect stranger. So I hopped inside the car. Seconds later, I passed out.