by Harold Wall
guard—amazingly, there wasn't any blood. But the chair had busted. I grinned up into Rogue's pale face. "Well, that was an adventure—ever consider being a wrestler? They hit
people over the head with chairs all the time—you could make a living off of it."
Rogue gulped and closed her eyes, "Thanks but no thanks," She breathed, "Besides, I'd say that you're the one who needs to take up acting—you had him completely mesmerized."
I shrugged, "It's something every girl knows how to do," I got off the bed, "I really do feel bad for him though. How long do you think he'll be out?"
Rogue shrugged, "A pretty long while, I'm guessing. I hit him pretty hard."
I nodded my head silently—I really hoped he didn't get into trouble for letting us escape when it really wasn't his fault. But there was nothing I could do about that—I could only do
so much. I leaned down and pulled the wooden sword from the hilt of at the guard's side and slid it carefully into my skirt, concealed from the outside world. "Let's drag him into
the closet," I said, "And then you can get some clothes to put into the bag so that you can say you were just getting my dirty laundry or something."
We each grabbed one of his limp arms and started to drag him into the closet, where we grabbed a bunch of my tunics and covered him up with it. "That should do it," I breathed,
"Just grab a few tunics from the hangers and stuff them in the bag—it doesn't matter if they're clean or not." Rogue nodded and grabbed some and headed out of the closet.
I stared at the pile of tunics, wondering if it was really all that noticeable if someone walked in—teenagers had messy closets anyways.
Just as I was leaving the closet, the door to my bedroom opened and a dark, familiar figure walked into the room, his head held high like any other noble. I froze, my eyes drifting
to Rogue who had been in the process of stuffing my tunics into the bag but had also frozen in place, staring wide eyed at the man.
Blade.
I forced myself to look calm and collected—it was natural if Rogue looked terrified, because she was a servant and I'd noticed that servants always looked terrified whenever they
saw a Night Person…sometimes those looks were directed at me while I walked past. But I was the one who needed to look like nothing unusual was going on—I was the one who
needed to make the impression.
So I threw a bored look at Blade, who gave me his usual disgusted expression. "What do you want?" I asked, keeping it nonchalant. Blade glanced at Rogue and sneered.
"What are you looking at?" He snapped at her, "Hurry up with the clothes and get out." Rogue nodded sharply and quickly stuffed the rest of the tunic in the bag and hurried out of
the room, trying to give Blade as much of a wide berth as possible. Blade hardly noticed her. Instead he kept his eyes on me until the door closed.
"What do you want?" I repeated, allowing myself to sound irritated, "You let my food run off,"
"Haven't you already fed today?" He asked instead of answering my question as he sat down on one of the chairs—it was at that moment that I noticed we'd left the broken chair on
the floor. The moment I noticed it, Blade noticed it as well. He threw me a suspicious glance. I looked at the chair for a moment and shrugged.
"Human's are so clumsy, aren't they?" I asked, "I figured that since I don't get too many visitors, I didn't need to have so many chairs. She was supposed to be moving it, but it
dropped and, well…there's the result. She'll be up here with help later to clean it up." Blade didn't look convinced, but at the same time he didn't seem all too concerned about it.
"Where's the guard?" he asked instead. I once again shrugged.
"I don't leave the room much—I haven't seen or heard from him all day." Blade looked a little alarmed and black suspicion was forming on his face. But I kept myself boredlooking,
trying to keep the panic from showing on my face. If there was one thing that Delos taught me, it was to keep my emotions from showing when I needed to. And now I needed my
emotions to stay buried. "I'm going to ask you again—what do you want? I would appreciate it if you'd leave so that I could get some sleep."
Blade hesitated, obviously sensing that something was off, but he didn't push it further. "Prince Alec would like a word with you," he said. Mentally I smacked myself in the head—
he wasn't part of the plan. I was supposed to have followed Rogue into the kitchen in an hour. I didn't want to be tied down by a useless conversation with Alec. "I'm here to take
you to him."
"Now?" I questioned, sounding bored and irritated.
Blade's expression hardened into ice. "Now."
Subconsciously I noticed him pulling me towards the bed, but it wasn't until he pushed me onto it that that I snapped out of my mental breakdown. I suddenly noticed how low his
hands were going, the way he was kissing me like I was food…
I pulled my mouth away from his, "Stop that!" I hissed, too angry to be yelling…yet. But instead of getting off of me like I wanted him to, he only started to trace my jaw with
kisses.
That's when I started to seriously struggle. I moved and tried to wiggle out from underneath him, but he merely moved with me. I pushed against him, but he ignored it.
He was a whole lot stronger.
"Alec, stop it! Let me go!" I shouted, anger now mixing with fear. Alec chuckled as if this whole thing was a joke.
"Maybe I won't hand you over to Delos after all," Alec mused, "Maybe I should keep you all to myself…"
"You'd better stop it right now," I warned as Delos crossed my mind. I could just imagine his reaction to this, because when I got to him I'd tell him straight away. There would
definitely be no alliance after this.
"Or what?" Alec laughed, "You'll sic Prince Charming on me? Don't make me laugh—he doesn't even know where you are!"
I didn't think mentioning that I'd given Delos clues telepathically was a smart move so I refrained from doing so. But Alec had started to continue, kissing my neck hungrily while his
hands started to roam.
My heart was beating almost painfully against my ribs and my breathing became irregular, and before I knew what I was doing my entire mind locked onto one thing; Delos.
"DELOS!" I screamed both telepathically and aloud. I didn't care who heard, all that mattered was that Delos heard me. He might still be in Washington, a small voice reminded me,
but I ignored it. I was concentrating so hard, my mind throbbed with the beginnings of a major headache. "DELOS!"
"He's not here to hear you!" Alec finally snapped, "He can't save you! You're mine now!"
That broke my concentration. I snapped my gaze to him, the anger finally drowning out all fear. "Let's get one thing straight buddy," I spat venomously, "I'm not yours and I will
never be yours. Nothing you could ever do or say will ever change that!" I narrowed my eyes dangerously, "And he will always come for me!"
"How do you know?" Alec demanded, furious. "He's a vampire—he's probably already moved on…"
"Because he's my soulmate," I blurted without thinking, "I know him better than…"
"Soulmate?" Alec looked so stunned, it instantly shut me up. No longer were there anger, irritation and lust in his eyes. Alec suddenly looked dazed, as though I'd shoved some kind
of stunning powder into his face. For a moment he looked like broken almost, like a little lost child. "Is that so?"
I hesitated and then nodded reluctantly. Alec stared at me for a moment before chuckling bitterly. "It won't last—it never does."
"How do you know?" I asked, but not angrily.
Alec's expression cleared, becoming unreadable. "Because I once had a soulmate."
I stared at him, dumbfounded. Alec, angry Alec had a soulmate? Was that even possible? I couldn't imagine him ever loving anyone. "What…what happened?" I asked, hardly aware
"It was a long time ago—back when my father was still alive. She was a slave—I met her while she was cleaning my bedroom. And we fell in love with one touch.
"But father didn't approve—he didn't want his son to be in love with vermin. So he gave me a choice—let him kill her, or I do it myself." Alec stopped, taking a shaky breath, "There
was no other option and I couldn't bear it if my father killed her. So I did it. And she let me. She just stood there, her neck exposed to my fangs…and she held me lovingly while I
sucked the life from her." His voice grew angrier and angrier with every word. Now he glared at me, his lips curled into a snarl. "Why should Delos get to be with you?" Why should
he get to ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after with his soulmate?" He spat it as though it were a curse, "Why?" He demanded, shaking me violently, "Tell me why!"
He was completely unstable I realized, fear mixing with pity. I couldn't' think of what to say that might get him to release me and come back to his senses, but the longer I lay
there speechless the angrier he got. "TELL ME WHY!" He shouted.
I couldn't take it any longer. I reached into my skirt and pulled out the wooden dagger and in the blink of an eye I pressed it's tip into his chest, right over the heart without actually
piercing his skin. Alec's face froze, his eyes wide with shock and surprise. "Because," I shakily answered in a breathless voice, "If you don't I'll stake you right here, right now."
Alec, for once, was speechless and I was in the position of total control. "Get off me," I ordered, trying out my new power. Alec instantly got up and I followed, keeping the tip
pressed firmly against his chest. "I'm sorry it didn't work out for you, but that doesn't mean that it has to be that way for me." I didn't know if Alec was listening to me, but I didn't
care. I reached down and pulled Alec's sword from his hilt and held it's tip up to his neck, "I'm going to go to him now," I whispered, "Its been fun, but I think I'll take my leave
now."
Alec stared at me incredulously, "You're insane," He blurted, "Do you seriously think you can just waltz out of here?"
"Maybe," I said, my mind working fast, trying to come up with a plan as I went.
Just then the door burst open and Blade strode angrily in, a few guards behind him…and stopped cold, frozen to the spot. I glanced from the guards to Alec, an idea forming in my mind. "Turn around," I hissed. Alec scowled and yet obeyed without question. I placed one dagger's tip at his back and the other at his neck. "May I help you?" I snarled at Blade
and the guards.
"Let him go, Maggie." Blade kept his voice even, but I could see the surprise—and maybe even respect—in his eyes.
"Oh I will once I get what I want," I answered back calmly, "But if I don't, he'll be dead before you can blink." I paused, suddenly wondering why Blade had known to charge in here
with a bunch of guards. "How did you know?" I asked suspiciously.
"The guard you hit over the head woke up and informed me immediately." Blade answered, "So what is it you want?"
I glanced at the wooden daggers in each of their hands. "You can start by lowering the daggers," I ordered.
A scowl crossed Blade's dark features but nevertheless he nodded to the guards before dropping his.
I waited till they'd all dropped their daggers before issuing my next order. "Kick them away." Reluctantly, they obeyed.
Wow this is fun, I thought in amusement. I was in complete control. "Now let us pass." Blade instantly tensed.
"Are you insane?" he snarled, absolutely furious.
"Yup," I answered—there wasn't really any point in arguing on that one any longer. Maybe I was insane.
Blade looked like he was about to screw it and attack, regardless if I killed Alec or not. I pressed the wood closer to Alec's neck. "I'm serious about this Blade," I warned.
I met Blade's eyes, keeping my face as serious as possible while thinking, it feels so good to be the one in power. Finally Blade cursed and nodded to the guards.
"Move," I ordered Alec, digging the point of the dagger into his back. Alec, obviously not happy with the arrangements, snarled but nevertheless moved forward.
As we passed the guards, I called back, "Oh, and if any of you follow me, I'll gladly kill him."
I led Alec down the corridors, heading for the kitchen where I knew Rogue was waiting. The entire way there, anyone who passed stopped cold when they saw the position I had
their prince in. but no one made a move to stop us. Human servants looked shocked and confused, and yet pleased at the same time.
"You'll regret this Maggie; mark my words you'll wish you never tried this," Alec warned in his most dangerous voice.
"Looking forward to it," I answered simply as we entered into the empty kitchen—it was long after dinner, so most of the servants were either heading to bed or just tiding up a few
rooms for the next day. "Stop," I ordered. Alec stopped, hissing in fury as he did so. I ignored him.
Keeping the daggers pressed against his neck and back, I called out into the empty kitchen, "You can come out now Rogue—don't worry about this loser, I've got it under control."
Ever so reluctantly, a neighboring cabinet opened up and Rogue scooted out, her eyes wide with horror. "What are you doing?" She asked, her voice frightened, "Are you nuts?"
"That's what I want to know," Alec grumbled, and I continued to ignore him. Instead, I addressed Rogue.
"He's our hostage and our ticket out of here." I answered her, "Are you ready?"
Rogue looked suspiciously at Alec, but nodded her head and turned around, pulling the bag out of the cabinet. I could smell the food in there, most of which would be eaten by
Rogue since I didn't really need human food. But I could also smell the rich, wild scent of water and leather inside, and I assumed that she'd grabbed some canteens as well.
"Alright then, lead the way." Rogue had planned the area where we could get out—since I already had the Prince for hostage, I figured I didn't need a disguise. I'd just use Alec till I
was about to make my escape.
I quickly guided Alec after Rogue, following through the kitchen door and into the empty of Night People court yard. And yet there were many slaves watching in awe as we headed
to a hut that stood in the corner.
As we approached the hut, a familiar and yet horrid smell drifted into my nostrils, making me groan. "We're not going down the pipes again, are we?" Rogue glanced back at me in
surprise.
"You've done this before?" She asked, clearly never expecting someone like me to be hanging around in the pipes that guided bodily waste into the…did they have a moat or a river?
I wasn't sure what they had here since I'd never been outside the walls. Or the castle, for that matter.
"It's a long, disgusting story." I told her, indicating that I didn't want to revisit the experience—frankly I didn't want to go through it again either.
We entered the empty hut and looked down into a hole that could just barely slide the both of us through. "Nice," Alec sarcastically commented, reminding me that he was still
along. Rogue glanced at me.
"Are we keeping him?" She asked her voice barely above a whisper. I watched the muscles in Alec's body tense and I knew what he was thinking.
"We're not going to kill him, if that's what you mean." I answered her. "But no, the journey with him ends here." Before Alec could ask any questions, I raised the hilt of the dagger
and slammed it down over his head as hard as I could—which was pretty hard considering I had rock hard muscles from soccer. And I was told soccer would never benefit me later
in life…ha.
Alec slumped to the ground—unlike the guard, there was blood spilling from a gash in the back of his head. "A nice little memento of our visit together," I mumbled, not at all
feeling sor
ry for this man.
"Did you kill him?" Rogue squeaked.
"Nah just knocked him out pretty good. But we need to hurry—the guards will figure something out any moment now." Instantly a look crossed Rogue's face, one that was filled with
worry and guilt. "What's wrong?" I asked instantly.
"What about the others?" She whispered, casting a look towards the door of the hut.
"Already have that figured out—when we get out, we'll contact Circle Daybreak. They've got some people who can get them all out safely without drawing too much attention from
the human world." Rogue looked at me, her dark eyes piercing.
"Is there a road leading up to the pass where I live?" Delos reminded her—Rashel didn't say another word after that, merely nodded to Quinn who roughly turned off the road with a
sharp turn, the car suddenly bouncing around like crazy from hitting the uneven surface.
Delos sat back in the seat, his hands gripping the edges of it to keep from being flung around against the seat belt and he nervously glanced at the clock on the dashboard.
6:45 in the morning. The rising sun was glinting off the ocean surface in the distance—it might have been a peaceful setting if the car wasn't rocking madly.
Delos could feel his stomach start to bunch up more in anticipation and fear—about nine hours ago, he'd heard Maggie's distressed voice calling his name distinctly in his mind…
twice. Since then he'd been trying to reach her, but no longer was he able to get to her. She was no longer concentrating solely on him—which worried him. He didn't expect for Maggie's life to revolve around him of course—the whole point of her going to see her parents six months ago—but for some reason this worried him.
If Maggie wasn't concentrating on him, he thought solemnly, then something very wrong was going on, something Maggie had to keep her full attention on.
"Earth to Delos?" Rashel's voice pulled him back into the present, and he looked her way to find her looking back at him curiously.
"Yes?" He asked a little embarrassed that she'd caught him off guard in his own little world. Rashel looked at him for a moment before she asked,
"How do you know this is where she is?" Delos paused, thinking it over for a moment. In reality, he didn't know. His father had visited Alec's kingdom a few times, and he'd told
