by Maya Daniels
Marcus takes my elbow, leading me towards another arched entrance inside the Towers. Whispers drift from there, all the voices creating a constant hum in the air. Mutt occasionally bumps into my leg, telling me that he is still at my side. No one bats an eye at the dog, and I refuse to look a gift horse in the mouth. Steeling my spine, pushing down the panic that is doing its best to overwhelm me, I let the two vampires lead me to the throne room.
I have no idea what I was expecting. Crowns and the Council holding court, maybe? Whatever it was, it goes down the drain as soon as one foot of mine steps inside the room. Eight thrones made out of crystal are here. At least that is not a make-believe story. On each of them sits a member of the Council. I recognize Khan straight away. His Asian features are hard to miss when he has his chest puffed up, his sword at his side while he looks down his nose at everyone. The other seven look like they’ve been picked, one from each continent, and brought here. The United Nations of monsters at your service. A snort is ready to pass my lips, but it gets stuck in my throat when I sweep my gaze around. All the vampires—and there are a lot of them in this place—are standing around the middle of the room. On the outskirts, humans are displayed like modern art, varying degrees of life left in their bodies.
Marcus grips my elbow tighter, his fingers digging into my skin. It snaps me out of the rage, and I swallow the rising bile down. In my anger, I must’ve moved towards the humans, making him apply pressure on my arm to stop me. Good thing, too, because my heart skips a beat when I see one of the Council members squinting our way. Her platinum blonde hair is tied in a high ponytail, a thick braid also looped around her head like a crown. Focused intently on the blonde, I jump back a step when another woman steps in front of me.
“Eshe.” Andrei and Marcus both bend at the waist. I only stare at her like an idiot.
Thousands of thin braids fall around her face, the jewels at their ends blinking in the candlelight. Her skin is as dark as ebony, and she is not wearing a shirt. Her breasts displayed proudly, only a skirt covers her midsection to the tops of her muscular thighs. This woman looks like a warrior, and the only thing missing is a long spear in her hand to complete the look. Judging by the look in her black eyes, she would use it to skewer all of us.
“Get her out of here.” She hisses at the two vampires with me. “You have all lost your minds.”
Taken aback, all three of us slink away from her. Andrei and Marcus look stunned, and their mouths open and close but no words come out. The woman, Eshe, takes a breath to say something, but a voice stops anything that she is about to say.
“Eshe, I see you found our naughty little Italians.” It’s the blonde that was watching us from her throne.
“Yes, they obviously don’t understand English very well since they were told to stay away.” A muscle jumps on Eshe’s face. “Or they are stupid.”
“Oh, don’t be such a spoilsport.” Her thick accent makes her playful words sound harsh to my ears. “Maybe they want to play. Where else would they be able to find as good of a time as they could here with us?”
“Irina.” Marcus is the only one acknowledging the blonde.
Neither one of them bends at the waist. Interesting. This whole thing is like watching a catastrophe happen while being unable to do anything about it. Her eyes turn to slits, but whatever was going to come out of her is cut off when the ground under my feet starts vibrating. A cruel smile twists her red, painted lips, while Eshe presses hers in a thin line with displeasure. I don’t have long to wonder what is going on. Irina moves away from me, and my hand goes up automatically, covering my mouth. The two women glide back to their seats.
Sentinels roll in a crystal casket to the center of the room, stopping it in front of the thrones. My arms are gripped tightly on both sides by Andrei and Marcus. I’m not sure they are trying to hold me back, but I have no intention of moving. It’s more like by touching me they are holding themselves back. Sebastian is inside the casket. They’ve dressed him in a white suit that matches the pale color of his skin. The color has been drained out of him, making him appear like a corpse. That’s if his eyes were closed. But they are open and very much aware. Silver chains as thick as my thighs are wrapped around him from shoulder to ankles. He glares at the Council members, promising murder.
“We have gathered tonight so we can send a message loud and clear to everyone. The Council is not weak, and will not tolerate rebelling.” Khan is the one that speaks. I can’t look away from Sebastian. “You have all heard by now that Sebastian thought he was above our laws. Just because we humored him, letting his younger nature run its course, he thought it was wise to work behind our back. Hiding runners.” Gasps echo around the room, making my blood boil. “Attacking Council members.” Louder gasps follow those words. “And when he realized his shortcomings, he struck a deal.” Khan grins at Sebastian like a hyena. “Sometimes striking a deal comes a bit too late.”
Marcus and Andrei stiffen next to me. The warmth and the pull I felt from Sebastian as soon as we entered the Towers turns into a glacier inside my chest. Something is horribly wrong here; I just have no idea what yet. Andrei pulls out his phone, talking fast to someone on the other side in Italian. People I saw in the apartment last night start slowly inching around us, forming a protective circle. My heart is trying to beat its way out of my ribcage.
“There is no mercy for those standing against the Council, be it human or one of our own.” Khan’s words cut like a blade. “I guess your Sire’s blood was too thick in your veins. I had such high hopes for you, Sebastian.”
With a shake of his head, Khan looks from one Council member to the next. Each of them nods. Eshe is the only one who hesitates long enough to make him narrow his eyes at her. With pressed lips, she nods, finally making him smile.
“By the vote of the Council, Sebastian is sentenced to death.”
Voices raise, words are spoken in so many different languages that my head starts hurting. Everyone moves, the sentinels around Sebastian already fighting off those that reach them first. The Guardians that are assembled in the lobby of the hotel pour inside the throne room like ants after someone stepped on the anthill. Heads and limbs start rolling, the blood coating the marble tiles like paint. Now I think I understand Andrei’s comment about the carpet being removed. Does this mean the Council knew about our plans? And if so, who told them?
Grabbing my hand, Marcus starts pulling me behind him towards Sebastian. Andrei is guarding my back, leaving the crunching of bones and the shrill screams in his wake. Through the throng of fighting people, their bodies twisting and turning, making them resemble acrobats, I spot Irina. She is fighting her way towards us, nails slashing throats and fangs ripping limbs. Blood covers her lower face and chest, blending in with her dress.
“Marcus!” Yanking on his hand that has a death grip on my fingers, I point at her. Stopping for a second, I pull the heels off my feet. Grabbing one in my free hand, I continue following Marcus. He redoubles his efforts to reach the crystal casket.
“Keep moving, April.” Andrei pants behind me.
“I’m trying.” Growling through clenched teeth, I jump and kick at the bodies at my feet.
“Almost there,” Marcus calls over his shoulder. How he manages to fight while never letting go of my hand, I will never know. His body moves like water, twisting and turning, evading kicks and punches but delivering his own with accuracy.
When a body barrels through from the side, I plant both feet firmly on the ground. Pulling my hand back, as soon as the snarling face is within reach, I slam the thin heel of my sandal in his forehead. “I don’t think so, asshole.” Jerking it back out, I watch him drop on the floor.
“Remind me not to piss you off.” Andrei chuckles, Marcus joining him right after.
They push me further inside the fray. So much for the plans we made for hours. Pulling on my hand, I try to free Marcus so he can fight better, but he refuses to release me.
“I’ll follow at
your back, you’ll fight easier if you’re not holding my hand.” Obviously, I have to tell him since he ignores my efforts.
“If I let go, I can’t move towards Sebastian. Remember the oath?”
“Oh, shit.” I totally forgot about that.
“Yeah.” Andrei chirps from behind me.
None of us see Irina getting closer. We are within reach of the casket, and I can almost feel the crystal vibrating from the thuds and screams. One second, Marcus is in front of me, the next, a cry is wrenched from my throat when he flies to the side, almost ripping my arm out of the socket. A cold hand with thin fingers and long, sharp nails wraps around my throat.
“Stop!”
Khan’s voice sounds like a boom inside the closed space. My ears are ringing for long moments after that sound. Everyone stops at once. The silence that follows is louder than anything I’ve heard before.
“Well, what do you know.” Coming down from his throne, he glides towards me. “The runner is not lost, after all.”
Irina’s hand tightens around my throat. She rips the mask that somehow stayed on my face until now with the other. Twisting her mouth as if not impressed, she glances at Andrei over my head. “I see nothing special,” she tells him like they are talking about livestock.
“Neither do I.” Scowling at her, I lift on my tippy toes when she pulls me up.
“And why do you suppose they go to great lengths to protect her?” Khan finally stops next to Irina. Prepared for shit to hit the fan, I put my own plan in action.
“They were bringing me as a gift to you.” Rasping through my crushed windpipe, I glare at the blonde. “They were not protecting me.” She tightens her grip so much I can feel my head going numb.
“Let her speak.” Grabbing Irina by the shoulder, Khan flings her away from me. Lucky for me, she releases my throat. “And why is that, human? Why would they bring you now after sacrificing their Sire for you?”
“How should I know why you monsters do the things you do?” Rubbing my neck, I gulp much-needed air. “I would rather be anywhere else but here.”
“That, I believe.” Turning to Andrei who hasn’t left my side, Khan looks expectantly.
“It’s true.” Clenching his fists at his side, Andrei watches the Council member without an expression on his face. “We saw the error of our ways, so we found her and brought her here. You took a liking to her.”
“That I did.” Smoothing his goatee with one hand, Khan looks me over. My skin crawls from having his eyes on me. At least Andrei is playing along. “That will still not save your Sire.”
“We brought her to you. There must be a way to let him live.”
After Andrei’s words, I’m holding my breath. I don’t even know why I want to hear that they won’t kill Sebastian, but I do. I want to hear it with ever part of my being, even though it doesn’t matter because I just signed my own death sentence. At least the others will live, my mind reminds me. There is that.
“For hiding a runner, he would’ve lived,” Khan tells him nonchalantly. “For starting a revolution, he dies.”
“Or you die.”
Startled at my own words, I watch like I’m standing outside of my body when my hand lifts and slams the heel of my sandal between Khan’s eyes. You can hear a pin drop. He locks his eyes on me, an incredulous expression on his face. Very slowly, he lifts his hand and pulls the dangling shoe off his face. The hole trickling blood down his nose closes in front of my eyes.
“Oh, shit.” My whispered words make Khan smile.
Everyone starts moving at the same time. Marcus comes out of nowhere, throwing himself at Khan, tackling him to the blood covered floor. Andrei follows his example, jumping on Irina and taking her down with him. The Guardians, still around us, go after whoever is closest to them. Not wasting time, I run to Sebastian. Yanking my dress up, I lift myself on the frame holding the casket. Fumbling around, looking for the latch keeping it closed, I pay no attention to anything around me. Awareness slams in my chest, and I duck to the side. A fist cracks knuckles on the crystal where my head was supposed to be.
Wide-eyed, I stare up at Sebastian. He told me to move. Not in so many words, but I felt him inside me, felt his anxiety, and followed his lead. The vampire controlled my body from inside a crystal coffin. Blinking like a fool, I swing my gaze at the one trying to turn my head into a pancake. He has blond, spiky hair, and eyes so light blue they look like glass where he glares at me. Niklas, my mind supplies, and I swear I hear Sebastian’s voice.
The blond vampire moves. Everything around me slows down, and I see him in slow motion reaching for my throat with his fangs bared. My hand shoots out, my fist connecting with his face. Everything returns to normal, and I watch him stupefied when he flies all the way to the other side of the room, taking everyone in his way down with him. “Oh, my God…”
Sebastian projects—or whatever it is that he does to communicate with me—his urgency. Snapping out of my astonishment, I return to my search for the latch. There is none. I can see where the two pieces of crystal connect to each other, but there is nothing that I can take hold of to pull them apart. Marcus bellows from somewhere, making my heart jump in my throat when hearing his pain.
“Come on, come on, come on…” chanting under my breath, I scramble around the crystal, my frustration building. Another warning sounds through my head, and I immediately relinquish control of my body to Sebastian.
Like a passenger, I watch myself twist, bend, and turn in ways I never think I will be capable off. If I end up broken after this, I’m going to be really pissed. You are going to die, being broken is better, my mind reminds me, but I ignore it. My adrenaline is pumping through my veins, and I’ve never felt more alive.
Maybe I am crazy.
The sentinel attacking me stands no chance. I can see his punches before he even moves. Grabbing his larger fist in my tiny hand, I crush his bones with no effort. His screams make me feel giddy. The April that is taking a ride in her own body feels sick because of what I’m doing, but I ignore her. This is wonderful. They should all pay for what they have done. A head rolls at my feet and I watch the sentinel’s headless body drop like a rock. How did that happen? It doesn’t matter, he is gone now. Looking down at the white silk dress I was wearing, I marvel at the red color covering it. It’s beautiful.
A nudging makes me look up and go back to Sebastian. The sounds of fighting slow down. A glance shows me many must’ve fled from the throne room, including the Council. Cowards, all of them. Licking the blood off my lips, I look at the crystal again. No latch, no dip, and no hollow space. Tilting my head, eyeing the crystal, an idea hits me.
“Close your eyes.” I’m hoping Sebastian heard me because I’m not even looking at him.
Swinging my hand back, I slam my fist into the crystal. It cracks slightly. Shaking off the numbness, I swing at it again. And again. It keeps cracking, veins opening like a spiderweb through the surface. Some of them are filled with red blood from the broken skin on my knuckle. All sound stops, silence blanketing the room around me. I don’t look away from my task. Placing one hand flat on the cracked crystal, I raise my fist again. With all the strength in me, I hit the center of the casket. It shatters under my hand like a glass dropped from great heights.
Wrapping my fingers around the thick chains, I pull them apart as if they are made of nothing. Sebastian tumbles out from his prison, his arms wrapping around me. With a sigh, I press my forehead to his chest. “I saved you.”
When he says nothing, I lift my face up to look at him. Sadness meets me, twisting my stomach with uneasiness. The question is left on the tip of my tongue when he steps away from me, and someone grips my shoulders tightly. A sharp pain rips through me and fangs pierce the skin of my throat. Reaching behind me, ready to kill whoever dares to bite me, my hand is left up in the air when I see Sara rushing to Sebastian, offering her neck to him. Her eyes flick guiltily at me before they close while Sebastian feeds.
Everything r
eplays through my head. The sickness that Eddie had and how I had to go find medicine. I met them two weeks ago, around the time Sebastian became aware of me. The bundle left at the sewer with a blanket from the hotel mocking me. As my life is drained from my neck, I see the person behind me clearly through Sebastian’s eyes. It’s a woman that they called last night to iron down the plans. Mary is her name, if I’m not mistaken. Sebastian planned this to the last detail, knowing full well how the Council would react, counting on my stupidity to fall for it all.
And I did.
My body feels too heavy, my feet unable to carry my weight any longer. The woman behind me goes down to the ground along with me. With my last heartbeat, I hear her last as well. Darkness embraces me.
I’m burning alive.
Fire is raging inside me, and my mouth opens in a silent scream. No sound can come out of my raw throat. My tongue thick in my mouth, I think I’m going to die of thirst. My skin hurts where someone is holding me tightly. Cold fingers brush the hair from my sweaty face. When they pull away, I chase them with no luck. That bitch Luck screwed me again. Luck and Hope suck. Big time. Voices float to my ears. At least I haven’t gone deaf, as I feared.
“…if she feeds she will get better.”
“…don't lecture me on how to take care of her.”
“…it shouldn’t be taking this long.”
