Stolen
By
Merrill Gemus
Copyright 2011 Merrill Gemus
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission in writing by the author.
Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
ASIN: B005J5CZHW
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Table of Contents
PROLOGUE. 5
CHAPTER ONE. 7
CHAPTER TWO.. 13
CHAPTER THREE. 18
CHAPTER FOUR. 24
CHAPTER FIVE. 29
CHAPTER SIX. 34
CHAPTER SEVEN.. 43
CHAPTER EIGHT. 50
CHAPTER NINE. 57
CHAPTER TEN.. 64
CHAPTER ELEVEN.. 70
CHAPTER TWELVE. 77
PROLOGUE
Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot.
In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.
- Oscar Wilde
If Benedict could have sensed the tiniest shift in the air, if he had detected the smallest hint of Moira’s fragrance, than it would have been enough to warn him of the dangers that were lurking nearby. Perhaps, he could have prevented the circumstances that would soon arise. Maybe, he would have convinced Moira to drop her scheme and to let him and Ally be. Should have. Would have. Could have. On hindsight, it was useless to dwell upon these suppositions. No matter what the outcomes were, Moira was no fool and she came well prepared.
Alice Korman (aka Ally) was but a small and stupid obstacle for Moira. A thorn at her side, which needed to be swiftly plucked away. Moira was a determined woman with dreams of wielding great amounts of power within her own realm. She was completely unfazed by Ally’s sudden appearance in her life. Yes, this human happened to be Benedict’s object of desire and in some small scale, Moira completely understood him. She knew that he was only a hopeful man who wished upon himself what anyone would have wanted: True love. Did she not, as well, long to spend the rest of her inhumanly long life with a companion? Perhaps, but she would have stopped at nothing to achieve her goals and to appease her household. If she could not have both love and power in her life, she would choose the latter.
Moira knew very well that it was imperative that she was properly equipped and honed to execute her plan. Though she knew Benedict was considered to be quite advanced and skilled in runic training, she also knew that she mastered spells unknown to him; Spells that were stolen from a coterie of powerful vampires; Spells that were long forgotten and only remembered by the very few. Therefore, to perfect her abduction, she studied how to combine these chants with their respective relic. Benedict never would have gotten the slightest of warnings that his ambitious fiancée was close-at-hand.
As a result, the invisible veil that descended upon her and Ally made it utterly impossible for Benedict to have detected her. He would not have realized that Ally was moments from being taken away from him. For if he knew, he would have surely destroyed Moira, or anyone, to protect his beloved Ally. Allowing his blind rage to overtake him and inadvertently making himself a fugitive within his own realm.
CHAPTER ONE
November 1st
3:45 AM
Benedict, ending a conversation with a friend, placed the telephone on its receiver. He smiled slowly to himself. He was still reeling over his good fortune. After all these years, and after everything he had gone through, he finally found her.
It was still all too surreal to him. How many decades had he searched? How many false leads led him to despair? He remembered celebrating each New Year, only to realize that once again he had failed to find her.
For the past few months, he was agonized with the prospect of living his life without her. With his wedding date looming by, Benedict was no closer at finding his true mate and would have to settle for his arranged marriage.
After postponing the date for the fifth time, he knew it was impossible to delay the matrimony any further. His soon-to-be father-in-law took precautions to guarantee that the union between Benedict and his daughter would take place on November 4th. Not a moment later. The only loophole that would nullify the marriage was if Benedict found and bonded with his human mate before the ceremony. Benedict agreed to the arrangement and would uphold to it since he was, and always will be, a man of his word.
Before he hung up the phone, he informed his childhood friend, Gabriel, of his good news. Gabe could not believe Benedict’s luck AND good timing. In less than four days, Ben, his closest friend, was to settle for an arranged marriage with Moira. Yet, against all odds, he found his human counterpart. How? It had been said that it could take centuries to find a mate, even a lifetime. Most vampires would not even bother with the search, and for one to actually find and bond with their mate… Well, it was almost like some sort of a myth. Gabriel simply could not get over it.
“Christ, man! Talk about playing it close.” Gabe replied. He was relieved at how everything turned out.
Benedict chuckled at his comment. Playing it close, indeed. Ben knew that as optimistic as Gabe was during his search, it was getting quite difficult to stay hopeful. Gabe never disguised his feelings towards Ben’s looming engagement with Moira. He overtly and loudly disapproved of it. For some reason, that remained unknown to Benedict, Gabe was profoundly against anything remotely related to the Verdons Household. In his opinion, Moira Verdon would have slowly poisoned the life of his good friend.
Gabe resumed. “If I were you, I would get all this paper work done as soon as you can. I still can’t believe you agreed to such an arrangement with her father, but at least you won’t have to marry that heartless woman.”
Benedict sighed. Once again, he had to remind Gabe that marrying Moira was not such a terrible and abominable fate. Why would it be? Ben thought Moira was beautiful, smart, and witty. He heard, like every other vampire that her family was apparently involved in orchestrating and participating in the Old Hunt, but no evidence was ever produced. Besides, the last Hunt occurred more than a thousand of centuries ago. It was prohibited and would never manifest again.
In addition, Moira was also extremely kind and caring. Benedict still marveled on how patient she was during his search, how she encouraged him and told him not to lose faith. If he had never found Ally, Benedict would have gladly accepted to spend the rest of his life with Moira.
Gabe snorted derisively. Kind? Caring? In the same sentence? Was Ben trying to aggravate him? He gritted his teeth. He understood how Ben could think Moira Verdon was such a person, but he knew better.
To put it bluntly, she was an expert liar and a deceitful bitch. Traits inherited directly from her grandmother. Perhaps Moira was capable of playing the innocent-as-a-lamb act with Ben, but Gabe was not easily fooled. He despised her and her household. He barely spoke to her and, at best, remained icily polite, never anything more. With the announcement of Ally and Ben’s bond, Gabe would be able to relax a little, but he would not let his guard down until Benedict and Alice got their bond officiated by the Councils.
“Count your lucky stars, man. You averted a life no man would wish upon themselves.”
Benedict laughed softly into the receiver. “One day, we really need to discuss why you have such a vendetta against poor Moira. Are you aware that she tries very hard to befriend you?”
Oh, yes. Gabriel was well aware of that fact. Moira constantly went out of her way to greet him at parties. She would incessantly try to make conv
ersation with him, despite noticing his lack of interest to whatever subject or question she broached. What Benedict did NOT know was that she enjoyed watching the fury spark in Gabe’s eyes. The pure hatred was barely contained within him. Moira knew everything and she did not care what her family had done to his. Discreetly, she took great pleasure in letting him know that.
Gabriel tightened his grip on the phone. “I am very aware of her gestures.” He snarled.
“Gabe, why won’t you confide in me? This dispute had been going on for centuries. What do you have against the Verdons?” Benedict asked.
The Verdons. The name itself always made his blood boil and quicken. Gabe wanted to share what he knew, but he had no official proof. He was basing his theories on something his uncle told him before his disappearance. It was quite difficult for Gabe to keep his secret from Ben. Never in his life, had he kept anything from him. Both their households have always been close, even after his family’s demise. Yet, Gabriel was not ready to divulge his private affairs; to explain how the Verdons so wronged his house.
“All in due time, my friend.”
“How dramatic…” Ben replied.
“I’ll leave you to your wife.” Gabe added. “I’m sure you hope to taste her once again before she fully becomes one of us.”
“I’ll see you soon, Gabe.” Ben told him as he hung up.
Benedict definitely wanted to taste her. Their kind became unaccustomed to human blood after the ban, and he almost forgot how rich it was. Ally’s blood tasted divine; a coppery taste mingled with something he could not quite put his finger on. However, she was now in mid-transformation and he would not drink from her again. Ally would be using up the blood left inside of her before gorging on her first meal. Benedict did not dare dream of taking one drop away from her, since he was unsure when they would have the time to feast.
On the other hand, Benedict knew of other places that tasted just as sweet.
Benedict stretched lazily before grabbing a cup of freshly steeped tea. The special herbs should help to ease Ally’s pain. It was funny how overly prepared he was for her. He spent countless hours researching what were the common problems that could arise during a transformation. Unfortunately, very little information was documented on the subject, but he was able to obtain a scroll that described how the metamorphosis could be quite unpleasant and very rarely, it could even be lethal. Benedict discovered that once the pain subdued, and the fangs were fully developed, Ally would be thirsty. She would be at the limit of being dehydrated. Furthermore, there was a possibility that she could crave for human flesh. Benedict understood that it was important that she received human blood in due time, or else she would get extremely sick.
He pondered about grabbing a pouch of blood that was in his fridge, but decided against it. Better to give her a full understanding of what was going to occur. Benedict did not want to freak her out. A pouch of crimson blood could do just that.
As Ben walked into the study, he noticed Ally was nowhere in sight. Odd, he did not hear her leave the room. Then, again, he was making arrangements with the High Council before calling Gabriel. They confirmed that it would be possible to grant a private meeting, but when asked for the reason, Benedict hesitated. As much as he knew that Moira would be happy for his union, he knew that her father would definitely be not. He was an activist against the interbreeding of humans and vampires. The saying went that if you were a human hater, than you were a friend of Vincent Verdon. Benedict explained to the Council that he wanted to discuss matters about his upcoming wedding. It was not necessarily a lie; he was just not referring to Moira.
Benedict placed the cup of tea on his coffee table and looked around. Nothing was displaced nor was anything moved. Very odd. Benedict was confused as to why he did not sense Ally. Even if he were focused on something else, offhandedly, he would always be able to detect her movements. Unless… Suddenly, a chill ran over his body. No. Impossible! He was only away from her presence for no more than 15 minutes. Benedict raced to the bathroom, but Ally was not there. Panicked, he started believing in the impossible.
How could this have happened? He took utmost precautions before leaving the Silver Bullet. He assured himself that no one had followed him from there or even from Flambé. Did anyone know about his penthouse? No, only Gabe knew about its location, even Moira was left in the dark.
Cursing, he searched each and every room in his penthouse, calling and finally screaming Ally’s name. He received no response. When he finally reached his balcony, he was able to confirm his worst fear. Ally was abducted. Her scent lingered faintly in the air. Benedict’s hands curled into fists as he stared at the empty balcony. Fool! There he was in the kitchen, chatting away on the phone like some teenaged vamp, while Ally needed him most.
The wind shifted direction, and Benedict took another deep inhale of Ally’s fragrance. Hers was mixed with whoever abducted her. He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to identify the foreign aroma. He never smelt a scent like this before. It was a blend of mint, rosemary, and wet earth. He memorized the odor and carefully stored it in his mind. It would not be soon forgotten.
Swiftly, he examined the balcony for any clues, but it was devoid of them. Benedict knew that he needed to stay calm. No harm would befall Ally. She was in mid-transformation, as a result no human or vampire could harm her. A human would be at her mercy and vampires would fear being exiled. He sighed. Evidently, this little stunt was just a minor inconvenience for them.
He started to walk towards the kitchen, when he froze. His fist still clenched, he remembered that he had less than three days to find Ally, or he would be marrying Moira. Shit. Was it for this exact reason why she was abducted? Could someone, from Vincent Verdon’s circle, possibly saw him with Ally? Was she hurt?
“Once I find you, and trust me I will, you’ll pay dearly for trespassing into my affairs.” He said icily before re-entering his penthouse.
CHAPTER TWO
November 1st
5:41 AM
Ally awoke in a gasp. Dazed and slightly confused, she tried to grasp the fleeting vivid dream that roused her. Something about a screeching banshee and a small bat? Oh, well, it must have been something she ate. She opened her eyes and realized that she was lying face up on a cold, dank floor. Turning over her stomach, she gasped and became aware that she was in …a jail cell? Where the hell am I? She muttered. What happened?!
The room was dimly lit, and slowly her vision was able to make out her surroundings. She sat and confirmed that she was unbelievably inside a jail cell. How did she get here? Was this a drunk tank? No, there was no way she consumed THAT much alcohol! Yet, here she was. In jail... Arrested! Like some criminal! For the first time ever, Ally really hated Halloween. Honestly, what other holiday would cause you to get so massively drunk that you could be arrested WHILE dressed as a vampire? She rested her case.
Ally turned her head left and right, trying to register as much as possible her situation. She seemed to be locked in a small, stony square room, no bigger than the size of a janitor’s closet. The smell of mold, humidity, and rosemary oil assaulted her nostrils. Damn it! Her mother was going to kill her when she found out about this! Ally knew she did some crazy stunts in the course of her life but never had she been arrested before, and without any recollection of it to boot!
As her vision adjusted, she noticed, through the bars, that she was locked inside the last cell of the room. It faced a small hallway, with an impressive metallic door at the end.
Her head was throbbing. Her mouth was parched. With shaky hands, she lifted them towards what she assumed would be a large bump at the right side of her temple. She stopped mid-way when she heard the clink of her shackles. What the hell was this? They locked me in this cell and felt the need to shackle me on top of that? She fumed.
As she inspected the chains, she saw two small red punctures glistening on her tiny pale wrist.
All at once, her memory came rushing back to her. That bat-shit
crazy woman locked her in here! After practically smashing her skull in, Moira must have imprisoned her while she was knocked out. Geez Louise! She was in a much worst situation than she thought. And Ben? Has he noticed her disappearance? Would he think that she changed her mind and ran away? Desperately, Ally rose to her feet. The chains were long enough to allow her to stand and to walk over to the bars.
“Hello? Anyone?” She whispered urgently.
Ally heard a scuffle coming from the adjacent cell. She turned her head to the right and tried to peer at the bars.
“Ally, is that you?”
Ally’s heart sank. Of all the voices, she was hoping to hear, this was definitely not one of them. The voice belonged to Pam, and Ally remembered what Moira had told her before knocking her out. Yes, Moira said that she took Pam and Trish as hostages. Ally promised herself that if she ever got out of this cell, she was truly going to kick Moira’s ass.
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