A Wind of Change

by Bella Forrest

  River was beginning to ask questions about life as a half-blood—questions she had already asked me. Lucretia responded kindly. Another good sign.

  After about twenty minutes of chatting, River suggested that they get something to eat from the snack table. Lucretia agreed. She kissed Jeramiah, then took River’s arm, and they both made their way over to the food.

  Even now, Lloyd was continuing to talk to me. Fortunately, he seemed to prefer the sound of his own voice to mine. I just nodded and grunted occasionally.

  Lucretia was serving up different snacks to River, advising her on what she might like, and then the two of them stood to one side and ate as they watched couples dancing. After they finished their snack, they chatted some more and finally River shivered, rubbing her shoulders.

  “I’m freezing,” she said. “Aren’t you?”

  Lucretia shrugged. “Not particularly… But I wouldn’t mind some time in the sauna. I’ve been out here for quite a while already and the desert air can be cold at this time of night.”

  “Should we go to Joseph’s sauna, or Jeramiah’s?” River asked.

  “Jeramiah’s is closer,” Lucretia replied, taking the bait.

  The two of them left the area and disappeared from my sight as they headed back down into the atrium.

  I waited three minutes, then left Lloyd with the excuse that I needed some time to prepare myself mentally for the hunt later on.

  I left the area as fast as I could without appearing to be in a hurry. Descending the stairs toward the atrium, I took the elevator down to the level where Jeramiah’s apartment was. I hurried forward along the veranda and stopped at the sight of the two girls standing outside Jeramiah’s quarters. Lucretia had pulled out a key, and was just in the process of opening the door. Lucretia pushed it open and the girls stepped inside. The door was seconds from closing when River said, “I’ll shut the door.”

  I raced to it within seconds. River was keeping the door ajar, waiting for me. As soon as she felt me holding it, her hand disappeared and she continued down the corridor with Lucretia toward the sauna.

  I waited until their voices had faded, and for the sound of the sauna door opening and closing.

  Although they were in the sauna, I still had to be silent. Half-bloods’ hearing might not be as sharp as a vampire’s, but it was still acute.

  Easing the door open only enough for me to squeeze through, I slipped inside and left the door resting on its latch.

  Then I looked around the dark apartment.

  Keys.

  Where would Jeramiah keep his keys?

  Chapter 18: Ben

  I’d been careful to look Jeramiah over when we were upstairs, looking for any bulges in his pockets, but I hadn’t seen any. I hoped that meant his keys were in his apartment.

  Moving silently from room to room, I began looking in every cupboard, in every drawer, and on every shelf that I came by. I stopped every now and then, tuning in to the conversation that River and Lucretia were having in the sauna to make sure that they were still occupied. It wasn’t until I reached the room at the very back of the apartment, some kind of storage room, that I found a large cluster of keys hanging from a hook in the wall.

  Removing them silently, I placed them into my pocket. Then I continued searching the rest of the apartment for keys, and on finding no more, I had to hope that the ones in my pocket would be all that I needed.

  I crept back through the apartment and slipped back out through the door. Again, I was careful not to close it fully, resting it against the latch so that it remained ajar.

  Then I headed straight down to the ground floor. I ran across the gardens to the room that held the entrance to the prison. Before entering it, I looked inside to make sure that it was empty. Then I crossed the room and lowered to my knees so that my eyes were level with the lock.

  I splayed out the keys in my palms, looking at each of them and trying to decide which to try first. I opted for a large bronze one. It didn’t fit. Then a thinner black one. Still no luck. I tried four more keys before finally arriving at the right one. I breathed a sigh of relief as the lock clicked open. I hurried though the door and locked it behind me from the inside.

  The smell of human blood was intoxicating on this side of the door. Fumbling for the container of River’s blood in my pocket, I pulled it out and opened the lid. I inhaled its bitter scent, trying to calm my nerves. Then, stirring the liquid around, I put the container to my lips and tipped some blood onto my tongue. I closed the lid again and returned the container to my pocket.

  Holding my nose and keeping the disgusting blood on my tongue, I hurried forward into the depths of the prison. I headed first for Hassan’s cell, since it was on the way to Lalia’s. Looking through the window, I saw that he was huddled in a corner, knees drawn up to his chest, his head buried in his hands.

  I spread out the keys in my palms again and looked at them. These cells would have to share a common key. There were just too many in this prison.

  It took me ten keys before Hassan’s cell door clicked open. Hassan gazed up at me, stupefied. Then he rushed toward me. I shot away from him, backing up against the opposite wall.

  Breathing deeply, I hissed, “Keep your distance from me!” I took another sip from River’s blood, then looked back at him. “I’m here to help you. But I’m also a risk to you. Wait here in your cell while I fetch River’s sister. I’ll knock on the door when it’s time to come out. Understand?”

  He looked bewildered, but nodded.

  Then I darted off. Although River’s blood in my mouth was helping to overwhelm the scent of human blood surrounding me, just the sight of a human so close to me was enough to ignite my bloodlust. I dreaded arriving outside Lalia’s cell. Her young flesh would be so tender to sink my fangs into, her blood so pure and sweet…

  My hands shaking slightly, I opened the container of River’s blood again and took another swig. I’d consumed half of it already. I had to pace myself. If we got held up for some reason and I ran out of River’s blood… That was a scenario I didn’t want to think about.

  I tried using the same key that I had used for Hassan’s cell for Lalia’s, and it worked. The door swung open, and Lalia and the older girl who was with her looked toward me in shock. Then relief washed over their faces and they rushed toward me just as Hassan had done. I leapt back down the prison corridor.

  “Where’s my sister?” the little girl asked.

  “I’ll take you to her,” I whispered, my voice strained as I tried not to tempt myself by looking at her. “Just follow me, okay? You can come too,” I added, addressing the older girl.

  Careful to keep at least ten feet between us, I led the two girls through the winding network of cells, urging them to hurry up every now and then. It was frustrating that I couldn’t just pick them up and carry them both myself. The other girl ended up carrying Lalia on her back, which made things a little faster.

  Arriving at Hassan’s cell again, I was glad to see that he was waiting inside his room and opened it only when I knocked. He looked at me, and then at the two girls. I backed away again, now with full access to three humans.

  I lengthened the distance between them and me even more, and continued traveling back toward the exit. We reached the stairs and I opened the door again before we hurried into the small room. Still maintaining as much distance from them as possible, I instructed them to huddle in one corner as I fumbled with the keys and locked the door once more. River’s taste was beginning to fade from my mouth again. I took another swig from the container. Now I barely had one full mouthful left.

  I cursed myself. I should have thought to take more blood from her.

  We had to move fast.

  As we stepped outside, I had to hope that we wouldn’t bump into anyone on our way back to my apartment—and that nobody would notice three humans were missing from their cells before the hunt tonight. There were so many humans down in that prison, my hope didn’t seem too unreasonabl
e.

  There was no way that I was going to get into the same elevator with them, so I called two elevators to the ground floor simultaneously. I stepped into one of them while they bundled into the other. I instructed them which floor number to press, and then we ascended. We arrived on the right floor at the same time. The doors slid open. I rushed out before they could and, running up ahead of them, ordered them to follow me. Hassan picked up Lalia and carried her on his back as they raced after me, trying to keep up with my speed. Rushing to the door of my apartment, I opened it and then ran down the hallway. I waited in the doorway of my bedroom for them to arrive.

  “Shut the door behind you,” I whispered as they entered.

  Hassan did so. Then all three eyes fixed on me. Their faces were deathly pale and sweaty with fear.

  “Now listen to me,” I said, looking at them sternly. “Take a left down the corridor, and at the very end you will see a sauna. Lock yourselves in there and don’t make a sound. Do you understand me?”

  They all looked petrified, but nodded.

  “Where’s my sister?” Lalia whispered, her eyes wide with fright.

  “I’m going to get her.”

  I waited until they hurried down the corridor and stepped into the sauna. When the door clicked shut, I approached it and, reaching into my pocket for the last of River’s blood, I poured it into my palm and then spread it up and down the wooden door, hoping it would help to mask the scent of hot human blood at least somewhat if a vampire passed by.

  Then I washed my hands in the kitchen and ran back out the front door. I headed straight back to Jeramiah’s apartment. I was glad to see that the door was still ajar, as I’d left it. Pushing it open, I slid inside.

  To my discomfort, River and Lucretia had left the sauna by now. I heard their voices coming from the living room. Creeping past, I was careful to hold the keys in such a way that they didn’t clink and made my way back to the storage room at the back of the apartment. I replaced the keys on the hook in the wall slowly, rearranging them against the wall to look how I remembered finding them.

  Now I have to get out of here.

  I was about to head back to the front door to leave when I heard a sound that chilled me to the bone.

  The front door slamming.

  And then Jeramiah’s voice emanating from the hallway.

  Chapter 19: Ben

  “Lucretia?” Jeramiah called through the apartment. “Why was the front door open?”

  Footsteps sounded as Lucretia made her way along the corridor toward Jeramiah.

  “It was open?” She sounded confused. “Oh, I’m sorry. River said she’d shut it.”

  “River?”

  “Yes. Joseph’s half-blood is here with me.”

  More footsteps.

  “Hi,” River said. I could detect the nervousness in her voice.

  “Why are you two down here? Come up and enjoy the evening with everyone else.”

  “We were cold,” Lucretia said. “We just had a session in the sauna and then we got to chatting in the living room.”

  “Well you can continue talking upstairs,” Jeramiah said. “I’m just down to check on the new half-blood again, and then I’ll join you.”

  No.

  My eyes fixed on the keys dangling from the hook, then I looked around the storage room for somewhere to hide. It was small and although cabinets lined the walls, they weren’t large enough for me to hide inside.

  “Okay, I’ll see you back up there,” Lucretia said, and footsteps moved toward the front door. Then more footsteps proceeded toward me.

  I backed up into the furthermost corner of the room. If Jeramiah stepped inside, there was no way he wouldn’t spot me. He was a split second from entering as the door creaked. Then Lucretia’s voice sounded again.

  “Jeramiah?”

  The door stopped moving.

  “What?” Jeramiah called.

  “River’s just cut herself on the doorstep. Could you lend a bit of your blood?”

  “All right.”

  I thought for a moment that he was going to fall for the distraction and leave, but to my horror the door continued moving until it was wide open.

  I was bracing myself to be seen when his arm shot into the room. He reached for the hook and grabbed the keys, then disappeared again, his footsteps fading down the corridor.

  Once I sensed him move to another part of the apartment, I crept to the door and looked out. The corridor was empty, and I could hear voices coming from the living room. I could not have felt more grateful to River than I did at that moment. She must’ve moved herself in there on purpose, to grant me a clear exit through the front door. Without another moment’s hesitation, I hurried out of the storage room, silently racing toward the hallway. The door was ajar again—perhaps also River’s doing after she’d cut herself. I looked down at the step on my way out. The sharp marble ridge was lined with her bitter blood.

  I launched into a sprint and didn’t let up until I arrived back outside my apartment. Breathing heavily, I leaned against the doorway and looked back across the atrium toward Jeramiah’s quarters. I wasn’t ready to enter my apartment yet—not with those three humans locked up in there. I had run out of River’s blood to distract myself.

  I remained watching Jeramiah’s front door. After five minutes, he appeared, keys clasped in his right hand, and he made his way toward the elevators that would take him down to the ground floor. River and Lucretia exited the apartment soon after him. There was no sign of a limp from River—Jeramiah’s blood must have finished healing her.

  If River followed the plan, she’d stay upstairs for another twenty minutes or so, and then come back down again. I had no choice but to wait in silence.

  I caught sight of her across the veranda almost forty minutes later. Her face was tight with worry as she made her way toward me.

  “Did you find them?”

  I looked around, unwilling to speak a word out here. I just nodded and led her inside the apartment.

  “They’re in the sauna,” I whispered.

  Her face lit up and she motioned to rush there at once, but I gripped her hand and held her back. “I need some more of your blood.”

  I took her into the kitchen and placed the container in the center of the table. She winced as I cut her skin again with my claw and filled the container with more blood. Then I set the container aside and raised her wrist to my mouth. I closed my lips over her skin and sucked. I was careful not to swallow too much, so that some blood remained in my mouth, soaking my tongue. Then I healed her wound by feeding her more of my own blood. Even with her blood in my mouth, I still wanted to stay as far as possible from the humans. I didn’t want to tempt fate.

  “This is so weird,” she said, eyeing the container of her blood with disgust.

  “Better than watching me slaughter your sister,” I muttered.

  Chapter 20: River

  I hurried to the blood-smeared door of the sauna and pushed it open. On seeing my sister safe there with Hassan and the other girl she’d shared a cell with, I burst into tears. Lalia jumped into my arms, clutching me tight as I showered her face with kisses.

  “Oh, my God, River!” Lalia gasped. “Why are you so cold?”

  I didn’t want to start explaining to her. She’d been through enough trauma as it was. There would be time for that later.

  “I’ve just been worried sick about you,” I said, running my hands through her hair. “How are you? How’s your asthma?”

  “She had an attack,” the older girl next to her said. “Some woman came in and helped her.”

  “What’s your name?” I asked her.

  “Morgan,” she replied.

  “Someone came in to help Lalia?” I asked. “Who?”

  “She was a big fat woman,” Lalia mumbled against my shoulder.

  “And she helped your asthma? How?”

  “She gave me some horrible juice.”

  “Juice?”

  “
Tasted real sour,” she replied.

  “And how is it that you two ended up sharing a cell together?” I asked.

  “I guess because Lalia is only six,” Morgan replied, “they didn’t think it was wise to put her by herself.”

  Lalia was still holding onto me so tight she was practically choking my neck.

  “So you’re okay?” I said. “What have you been doing all this time?”

  “Just sittin’ on our butts,” Lalia muttered.

  I looked toward Hassan. “And how are you?”

  He looked shaken. “As well as I can be, I guess—certainly much better than a few hours ago now that I’ve escaped that place.”

  “Where are we?” Lalia asked. “And who was that tall man who saved us?”

  Again, I wasn’t sure how to explain without freaking her out more than she already was. Once we were out of this place, I would explain everything to her.

  I also realized that we’d been making too much noise. I raised a finger to my lips. “That tall man’s name is Joseph,” I whispered. “He’s going to try to help us all out of here. But now, we just need to be quiet, okay?”

  * * *

  I spent the next two hours holding my sister in the sauna. I told her to stop asking questions, which she did. She seemed content to just be in my arms.

  Then it was time for me to leave.

  “I’ll be back soon,” I whispered.

  “Huh? Where are you going?” Lalia looked panicked and clung tighter to me.

  “I need to go speak to Joseph. I promise I won’t leave you long. Just stay here and keep quiet.”

  Lalia looked like the last thing she wanted to do was let go of me, but I detached myself from her, and placed her in the furthest corner of the room on the bench.

  I found Joseph pacing up and down in his bedroom, the container of my blood clutched in his hands.

  He looked toward me as I entered.

  “So… are you ready for what’s next?” he asked, his voice deep.