Chained by Blood

by Holly Hook

  I thought of Bathory's burn scars, the ones hidden from all but me. I couldn't believe she'd kill to keep that from getting out, but some scars hurt forever. Bathory was in pain and she lashed out, only much worse than Brendan had.

  "I don't know," I said. Even the ringing alarm in the security room had stopped. "I have to feel for a draft."

  That was hard with staff and freed prisoners rushing around. Everything was a draft and a storm of footfalls. Nurses ordered vampires to fight. Somewhere behind us, Grimes yelled at everyone to hurry. He sure wasn't counting on the military to save him.

  "Janine," Trish said, running up behind me. "You said there's an underground creek that runs under this place?"

  "I heard it," I said. "We have to find the basement and then we can get out." In another hall, three huge beasts made a charge towards the back doors. A woman screamed as they passed.

  "Then we need to go there," Trish said. "We can swim out before we drown. I don't trust the ATC even if we're on the same side right now."

  I was the best person to find it. "Follow me," I said.

  The glass of the back doors shattered as the three werewolves broke out and ran into the open. I didn't stay to see if George leapt over the fence. I burst into a run as gunshots fired outside. One struck flesh, but the werewolf growled and kept going. If we went out there, we'd stand less of a chance.

  We brushed past two red-eyed men who were just trying to escape. No one in here was fighting. We all had a common problem. Then, at the mouth of a narrow hallway, I spotted a door labeled STAFF ONLY. The running water noise came to my senses, and I knew this was the right door.

  Somewhere at the front of the building, glass shattered. Xavier was making it inside. A purple flare of light chased away my gray vision for a moment even though the hallway forked and I couldn't see him. Another guard screamed and flew against a wall. I heard nothing collapse. Maybe Xavier was getting a grip on his powers. If I didn't know better, I'd think he'd become a regular War Mage again.

  I yanked open the basement door, breaking the lock. Stairs led down into a brick space and it was pitch black down here. The three of us rushed down. I hoped the others would find the exit. We had no time to warn everyone with the military on the way. I couldn't even turn back to warn Xavier, but I was sure he already knew. He had the best chance of surviving an attack.

  But I couldn't shake the feeling I was abandoning my friend. Alyssa might even be here with him.

  I went to turn back, but Trish rammed into me. "Go!" she ordered.

  "But Xavier and Alyssa--"

  "They're safe!" Brendan shouted.

  Hadn't he seen the magenta light? No one could have missed it. But Trish pushed me further down the stairs. The worst thing was, I let her.

  This part of the basement was full of pipes and boilers and it wasn't attached to the underground transfusion area. The space was big, but musty. Water rushed through pipes but no electricity hummed. We only had our gray vision down here.

  "Where's this creek?" Brendan asked.

  "Over...there!" I shouted, pointing to the far wall. The rushing water sound increased over there. Several pipes from above snaked into that wall. The sewer lines. At least no one would flush toilets right now.

  "Can you break through that?" Brendan asked. "This is one place we could use Xavier."

  "He's coming," I said. "Maybe once he gets here--"

  "That's not him!" Brendan shouted. "See if you can break it, Janine."

  Confusion stole over me, but the panic in his voice made me rush over to the wall. It was thicker than I feared and I'd break a bone or two trying to get through, but I raised my foot and kicked. Some concrete broke off the bricks and rained to the floor, but it wasn't enough. I kicked again, with similar results. This would take a while.

  "Great," Trish said.

  "Can you do better?" I asked. The past couple of days had filled me with a new attitude.

  "There might be a service entrance for plumbers," Brendan said.

  I searched. "There isn't one," I said, kicking again. More of the wall crumbled, but I guessed this would take a few minutes. I'd underestimated how thick the wall was. Things weren't perfect.

  I kicked again, so hard that it made my foot hurt. A hole formed. Silty water poured onto the basement floor, cold and unforgiving. An earthy smell filled the room. The thought of having to swim down this tunnel, maybe even for miles, before reaching breathable air filled me with terror.

  "Help me," I said, leaning down into the flowing water and pulling away the concrete. Brendan and Trish yanked at the pieces, widening the hole. It was hard work and my arms ached. Another blast sounded from within the building though it was weaker than before. Xavier must be running out of energy.

  Or he was holding back. The guy must have practiced. His magic didn't sound as intense. Outside, the helicopter lowered. More vehicles roared into the drive. I imagined military jeeps full of guys with serious guns and pulled at the hole even faster. Concrete stuck to my hands. I cut them over and over, and each time they healed.

  The sound made me lose focus on the creek, and the way the flow of the water changed right before a hand grasped my wrist from inside the tunnel.

  I screamed, going into chipmunk mode.

  The hand yanked, but I pulled back. Brendan took my other arm and pulled while Trish tried to peer inside the hole and poke in her arm. That was hard since water continued to rush out and cover the floor. But at last, I broke free and fell into Brendan. The two of us went down into the ankle-deep water.

  As it filled my ears with a loud gurgle, someone walked down the basement stairs. The air heated with War Magic.

  Trish screamed at us to run. I shook the water from my ears and sat up.

  The first thing I saw was Trish crouching near the hole. Concrete burst out as if pushed from within. Then something else emerged. Water gushed out, forming a caul over a woman's face and a black veil. Bathory stuck her hands through the hole and pulled the edges away, making it large enough to fit through. She worked with less effort than I had. Her strength still eclipsed mine.

  The concrete flowed down the creek and out of sight. She stuck her head out as Trish yanked at a pipe, pulling it free from the wall, to use as a weapon.

  The Mother looked like a newborn monster as she crawled out of the opening and straightened. Her black veil hugged her doll-like face like an inky membrane. The water had washed away some of her makeup, making her burn scar super obvious. Brendan and Trish might even see it now.

  "Run!" Trish repeated.

  Brendan cursed. Bathory glared at him with silent hatred. His death would not be fast.

  I grabbed his hand and turned to the steps. Xavier would—

  The invader wasn't him.

  Instead, a woman dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt stood on the basement steps, both hands clenched into fists. War Magic swirled around them both, hot and dangerous, and it cast enough of a magenta glow on the surroundings to chase away my gray night vision. Behind me, Trish swung at Bathory, but the sound might as well have been a thousand miles away. Bathory grabbed the pipe from her and threw it against the wall.

  On the steps, Primrose shifted and faced the Mother. "The military has arrived," she said to her. "What do we do now?"

  Chapter Fourteen

  My mouth fell open.

  Primrose and Bathory were working together?

  Well, the fact that vampires got snatched from the Underground under everyone's noses made sense now. So did Primrose's refusal to do a thing. This was her real Italian vacation. But then, it made little sense at all. Why on earth would Primrose work with a monster like this? She had an ego problem but I didn't think she was a murderer.

  But her father, Leon, used to work with a half-demon crime boss...

  Maybe she would. Primrose was just like the guy.

  "Primrose?" Trish shouted, letting a growl seep into her voice.

  "Step aside," Bathory told Trish. "Your leader hired me to
rescue you from this place. Cooperate with us, and you will survive. Now, have they gotten the transfusion equipment ready downstairs?"

  It was a lie. I'd wondered how Bathory would get the captured vampires to work for her. She'd make them think Primrose had hired her and that she could be trusted. Most vampires didn't know about Bathory. Alyssa hadn't until recently. They wouldn't recognize her true evil until it was too late.

  The Mother stood there in the rushing water, her creepy black dress flowing around her legs like a billowing shadow of death. No one came out behind her. She'd come up that stream alone. Her old vampires had succumbed to dragon fire. Now she needed Primrose and trust.

  It was the only reason Brendan and I weren't dead yet. If she killed us, she'd lose Primrose's cooperation. Bathory might not know that Trish knew her identity. It was cover she couldn't afford to blow.

  The Mother pulled the veil from her face and shot me a glare. But with my enhanced vision, I could see more than that. I was right she wouldn't kill me right now--but she would later, when there were no eyes. This was a delicate operation. She hadn't expected me to be here. She needed all the vampires she could get to help her subdue the ATC and the military.

  More jeeps roared up to the building.

  And there was something else in her reddened eyes.

  The Mother begged for silence.

  She begged for me not to reveal her secret. Her vanity was her weakness.

  I wouldn't. Not now. Things were delicate for me and Brendan, too. Behind her, my only escape waited. The helicopter continued to circle outside.

  "Say nothing of this to the Elders," Primrose said to Trish. "I did this to keep this conflict away from the Underground."

  Trish leveled her glare on the War Mage. "It was you who let my captors into the Underground, stole our blood supplies, and sold us out to the ATC? Do you know what they do to vampires here?"

  Trish's mouth was her weakness.

  Bathory whipped around, striking the doctor with one outstretched hand and throwing her against the wall. Trish's bones cracked as she hit, fell unconscious, and slumped into the water.

  "Trish!" I shouted.

  The fact that she knew what was really going on was out. That left no more witnesses. I balled my fists and stepped in front of Brendan. I had the best chance of surviving.

  The Mother turned to me. I raised my hands to defend myself.

  "Stop!" Primrose shouted. "If you want my help, leave them alone. Let them escape through the water."

  Bathory stopped, facing me with pure hate. I had never seen such an evil red in someone's eyes.

  Primrose trembled on the steps. She was walking on razor wire. That betrayed the fact that she didn't want to be here.

  "You need my help to hold the military back," she said. "You know you can't do it alone."

  A low growl came from the Mother's throat as she faced Primrose. I should strike, but I now knew she was stronger than me.

  Men shouted outside.

  "And you need my word that I won't attack the Underground," Bathory said to Primrose. "Remember our deal? Go fight the troops. Knock them out. I'll do the rest. They will be the first to Turn. I can take care of them all. Think of the lives I will take if you do not help me with this operation!"

  I understood.

  Bathory had caught Primrose at some point and blackmailed her. If she didn't help the Mother with her plan, the rest of the Underground was in danger. Primrose was trying to protect its citizens.

  It wouldn't work. The Mother was too monstrous.

  "I need your word," Primrose said. She smelled of wood smoke like any other War Mage, but the scent of metallic nerves took over.

  Upstairs, the front doors burst open. Boots hit the floor. Soldiers ordered staff back into the rooms. Another ordered a patient to get on the ground. Guns cocked and men told each other to fan out.

  Bathory wanted vampire soldiers, too. Already-trained killers. A bunch of them were coming inside, not knowing the fate she had in store for them. If the military didn't decide to bomb this place, she'd soon have the world's most terrifying army.

  And then she would go to war.

  "You have my word," Bathory told Primrose. "Follow me and I will ignore the Underground." She faced me. "Get out if you want to live."

  The Mother shot me another glare, silently warning me to stay back. She wanted me to leave through that tunnel. I had a weapon, and it was the truth. It could stop everything. Her plan was everything right now.

  She and Primrose ran up the stairs, leaving us. Trish groaned as her body popped and healed. I had forgotten that Primrose was a Lovelli and in the most powerful magical family in the world. She might be human, but even most other Abnormals wouldn't cross her.

  But she didn't dare fight Bathory. It was a bad sign. I still hadn't battled her with anything other than words.

  Could I?

  "Now what?" Brendan asked. "Leaving sounds good."

  "We have to warn the Underground," I said.

  "Xavier already figured it out about his aunt."

  Trish opened her eyes and focused. "The two of you. Hold your breath and escape. You can manage at least twenty minutes. This is no place for you. I'll try to get the truth to the other vampires. With Primrose on her side, she'll overtake--"

  "What is that?" a soldier shouted.

  "Open fi--"

  A single gun went off before War Magic roared through the corridor above. Soldiers hit the floor and a few of them flew into the wall. Once things quieted, Bathory shouted, "You. Over there. If you want to escape this place, drag these soldiers to the transfusion room. We'll hold them and take their weapons. Strap them to the beds so they can't escape."

  "Huh?" a man asked.

  "Primrose sent me. Do you want to escape or not?"

  "Get out of here," Trish said. "I don't know what that witch is planning, but you won't want to see it."

  Nobody knew about Bathory's plans but us. The prisoners were pawns, and they didn't know about the killing test she'd have for them. That was the purpose the doctors and orderlies would serve. They weren't tough enough to be Turned. Any vampire who wouldn't kill for her would die. Maybe Primrose didn't even know about that part. Bathory wanted the strong and the beautiful.

  I stood in the water with Brendan. It rose to my knees. A fish broke water on the other side of the basement.

  "Is Xavier coming?" I asked Brendan. "Do they know I'm here?"

  "I told them you must be."

  "When will he get here?"

  "I don't know."

  "Out!" Trish shouted, trying to stand. But she was healing slowly and fell back down. "I'll stay behind and see what she's planning."

  "You're not my mom," I said. "And she'll kill you."

  "Well, I'm Xavier's second mom," she said. "Speaking of him, I want you to go out there and warn him not to come in here. I don't want him seeing his aunt like this or messing with Bathory. I don't care how powerful he's gotten."

  "Why don't you do it?"

  "Because he doesn't listen."

  "Xavier knows his aunt's in on this," Brendan said. "He followed her last night and saw her talking to Bathory. He thought something was fishy--"

  I eyed the hole again. I could get out and swim . It might dump me and Brendan in a river.

  But would I find him on time?

  And what if he wanted to charge back inside?

  Bathory would kill innocent people and ruin the lives of others. Once she got soldiers, none of us might have the ability to stop her.

  Could I, before it reached that point?

  Was I capable of taking her on without screwing up as I had a million times before?

  The commotion continued upstairs.

  "Who are you?" one of the vampire men asked.

  "I'm here to break you out," Bathory said. "We won't kill the soldiers. Take them and strap them down to the table. Do you think Grimes will simply let you walk out of here?"

  "No." A body dragged.
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  "Then disarm them and drag them downstairs. Strap them in. It's your only chance of surviving."

  Bathory was winning sympathy. It was the first step. None of the vampires knew it was her who had gotten them here.

  "You can't fight her," Trish said. "Most don't even know who she is. I'll stay behind and try to get some Normals out of here."

  "She'll kill you," I said before turning to Brendan. "Get out of here."

  "I'm staying with you." He was shaking.

  There was no time for this. I bolted for the stairs. Trish made a grab for me, but I shook her hand off my arm without effort. She flew back a few feet before falling back into the water.

  If the Mother led her army across the area, they'd kill Mom, Maisha, and every other Normal person I knew.

  And I knew her weakness. She was counting on me to flee as I had before. There was no way I'd give her that and put more people in danger.

  I burst up the stairs. Another shot fired. A bullet whizzed down the hall.

  A fist closed and flesh sizzled.

  Bathory could catch bullets.

  I shoved the door open and burst into the hall. Two vampires dragged unconscious soldiers towards the ramp. They shoved past me, not caring. Staff shut themselves in another room two halls away and locked the door. Some women were crying. The air reeked of smoke and adrenaline. I sniffed, but the doggy smell had gone. George had fled. He wouldn't be coming back inside to back me up. As far as he knew, I was swimming my way out of here now. He'd check the rivers and streams, waiting for me to appear.

  Bathory stood in the middle of the hall. She whirled with a lightning motion and faced me. Her veil was drying, but I could still see her scar if I focused.

  And now she was surrounded by witnesses that she needed on her side.

  "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I gave you the chance to leave."

  I froze with terror. "No," I said. "What are you going to do? I was wondering. You know, if you made a deal with Primrose--"

  Another War Magic blast lit up the area around the corner. Two more bodies flew into the wall. A soldier groaned. Primrose was keeping them back.

  Another vampire dragged a soldier past the Mother. "I already made you a deal. Leave and survive." Her dainty voice dropped to a dangerous pitch. She still didn't want to risk killing me. The trust she'd gained would evaporate.