Secrets (The Serenity Series Book 1)

by Dawn Kirby

  As for the broken bones, that was a new experience for me altogether. I’ve never had to deal with a break before. Now I had several. I can honestly say I could go the rest of my life without ever having one again. The pain from them alone was unbelievable.

  I looked over at Donovan’s still body lying on the floor and cried. David was who I saw. I wanted to talk to him. I needed to talk to him again. It wasn’t fair that he was gone.

  The truth was I needed them both. Had Mom lived to find herself here with me, she would here be running her fingers through my hair, taking all the pain away. David would do exactly what he’d done this morning. Gently smile and tell me everything would be okay. The tender thoughts made me cry harder, intensifying the excruciating pain that continued to rack my body.

  Remembering the peace on David’s face as he died should have made me feel better, but it didn’t. It made me feel worse. His life should have been full of love, hope and laughter. Instead, Judith had taken everything from him; leaving him with grief and remorse over a decision he’d had no say in. He’d only gone through the motions of living for Mom and me.

  When there were no tears left and my body couldn’t take anymore, I stared up at the ceiling. The thought that I might heal with a little rest crossed my mind. If I could gain even a little strength, I could, with Donovan’s help, find a way out of this hellhole, and then, Raine would come back and take me home. I closed my aching eyes, willing myself to relax.

  I’d only had my eyes shut for a few minutes when I felt something cold brush against my arm. I sprang back to life quickly and scooted my body into the far corner of the bed. My eyes darted around the room looking for the source of the phantom touch. Being able to see only in red hindered my search slightly. What my eyes couldn’t see, my keen ears more than made up for.

  I listened for any sign of life. My heartbeat and Donovan’s shallow breathing were the only sounds I heard. Donovan was still asleep on the floor and the door was still closed. The odd sensation had probably been my body’s response to my injuries. I waited a few minutes before I left the safety of my corner and carefully lay back down.

  “Leah, wake up,” Donovan said, shaking my shoulder urgently. “Are you okay?”

  I opened my eyes to find him on his knees in front of me. His hands and feet were still bound. Although, the lacerations on his wrists didn’t look as bad as they had earlier. Then again, all I could see was red and the subtle glint in his eyes. Even that had a red tint to it.

  “Please don’t shake me anymore,” I whispered. I was wrong about healing. “It hurts too much.”

  “What’s happened to you?” he asked concerned. “I can smell blood.”

  “It would be easier to tell you what hasn’t happened,” I said quietly. “I’ve been beaten, cut, thrown around, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to breathe right again.”

  He put his hands around my face and really looked at me for the first time. The soft red glint in his eyes turned scarlet red. I guess I looked as bad as I felt.

  “Who do this to you?” Donovan demanded.

  “Dane and Mark mostly,” I whispered. “Judith got a few in before Michael killed her though.”

  “What did he kill her for?” he asked dropping his hands from my face.

  “Hurting me.” I swallowed hard before I told the rest. “Michael let Judith burn Mom’s body before he staked her.”

  Donovan’s mouth fell open. The angry glint in his eye was instantly extinguished. He put my hands gently between his and kissed the tips of my fingers.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get her back for you.”

  “You tried to do what you could, but Michael already had other plans.”

  “Please, tell me everything,” he said consolingly.

  Reliving it was hard enough. Telling him while I was bawling like a baby was twice as hard. My heart hurt worse than all of the injuries spanning my entire body put together. Donovan stayed patient and focused the whole time. When I finally finished, he just sat there, hanging his head.

  “It’s not fair. Even in death he can’t be with her,” I sobbed. “His afterlife is gonna be just as miserable for him.”

  “What do mean?” he asked softly. “David’s finally free of a life he considered to be a curse.”

  “But he can’t-” My voice cracked, leaving my statement unfinished.

  Donovan took my hand in his and smiled. “Leah, just because he was a vampire doesn’t mean his soul is damned.”

  “What do you mean? I thought vampires were destined for hell.”

  He caressed my cheek softy. “David didn’t ask to be a vampire. It was forced on him. He never killed. His fangs only came out was when he was with Mia. Some of us believe if we live our life right, there will be a place for us in Heaven when our time finally comes. David will surely spend eternity with Mia.”

  “Do you really believe that?”

  “Leah, listen to me,” he said gently. “I can’t answer every question you have about us. There is still some things not even I know. Are we human? Not really. Are we dead? No, not by definition. We have heartbeats. Our brains function. Ultimately we can be killed. Are we magical? Some might call us that.” He paused and looked away from me. When he turned back he had a slight light in his eyes. “I believe we are, in a sense a combination of all those things. We have a soul. We feel pain. We love as humans do. We live as humans do. We will one day die as humans do. When that day comes we will answer for all that we’ve done. We will be judged. David was a good man.”

  “But he was still a vampire,” I whispered.

  “If we weren’t supposed to be here, don’t you think He himself would exterminate us?” He watched my face intently. “Not all vampires are evil, Leah. Not all of us asked to be turned. ”

  Maybe he was right. He was after all the complete opposite of Michael. Where Michael enjoyed torturing people, Donovan defended them. He’d already told me he only killed to survive. I knew first hand Michael couldn’t say the same.

  “I am sorry you had to endure his death. David has done nothing to deserve Michael’s wrath,” Donovan said softly. “Did Michael happen to say why he did it?”

  “To set an example,” I said quickly. “Vampires learn not to defy him. I learn not to deny him.”

  “Can you get loose? We need to get out of this room.”

  “Dane tied the rope too tight. It’s already cut into my wrists.” I suddenly had an idea. “Give me your hands, maybe yours aren’t as tight.”

  Dane, I’m sure, bet the silver would weaken Donovan. Kale said earlier vampires and silver don’t mix well. Maybe he’d been careless and left his bindings a little looser. With me, he was thinking I’d try to get out or a werewolf would come to my rescue. Mine had to be tight.

  Luckily Donovan had already been able to work his hand out a little. I was able to work my fingers into the knot and loosen it enough for him to slide his hand all the way through. As soon as they were out his wrists began to heal. Since he’d managed to get the rope loose before, they didn’t have that far to go.

  Donovan worked quickly to get his feet loose. He managed to get the rope off fast enough to keep his fingers from getting burnt. As soon as he was free, he stood up and took the rope from around my feet. He stopped cold when I rolled over on my back. My torn shirt had caught his undivided attention.

  “Has someone taken advantage of you?” he asked cautiously. There was an audible tone of danger in his voice.

  “Mark tried, but after I landed a kick to his pride, Dane made him stop,” I said.

  “Can you walk?”

  “I can try,” I answered. “But my shin-”

  “Let me see,” he said, moving back down towards my legs.

  “Can we get out of here first?”

  He relented and freed my hands. Carefully and very slowly, he helped me sit up. Just then I heard two men talking. The voices moved closer and closer. I frantically looked around the room for a weapon. Donovan smashed t
he wooden chair Dane had been sitting in to pieces and handed me one of the broken legs.

  “I’ll hide. When one gets close, you hit him as hard as you can.” He melted into the wall beside the door. I lay back down on bed the so as not to arouse suspicion.

  It felt like an hour before I heard the key in the lock. I pushed all the pain as far back as I could and got ready to strike. Donovan allowed the first one in when the door swung open. The second guy wasn’t so lucky. The sickening sound of fangs penetrating flesh came from the hallway. It was shortly followed by the unmistakable crunch of a neck breaking. My stomach lurched into my throat when I heard the man’s body thud to the floor.

  The man standing over me never heard a sound. As he leaned over to pick me up, I sat up quickly and came down on the back of his head hard. His heart still beat, but he was unconscious.

  His body hit the floor and all my pain came back. The quick movement had ripped my thigh open again. Fresh blood began to flow. Donovan smelled it and was in front of me in seconds.

  “Did he hurt you?”

  “No, it’s my fault. I moved too fast,” I told him. My hands squeezed the mattress against the pain. Screaming would have brought us too much attention.

  “Do you know where Declan and the others are?”

  “I told him to take them back to my house,” I said quietly. “I’m not sure if they made it though.”

  He closed his eyes and tilted his head back a little. Hopefully he was thinking of a way to get us out of here. My mind was totally blank. It was dark and I knew sooner or later Michael would come looking for me. Raif was sure to be around here somewhere as well.

  “They made it. Kale is okay. Your friend says he has a concussion. She has sewed Raine’s arm up twice now. I’m afraid his temper got the best of him and took it out on the walls. May managed to calm him with a large dose of sleeping pills. Declan thanks you for the use of your basement.”

  I was stunned. I knew they could get into the minds of human beings, but I didn’t know they could talk to one another telepathically. How handy would that be?

  “Please tell Declan I owe him big time and I’m sorry Raine was such a handful.”

  He got quiet and closed his eyes again. A couple of minutes they were open again.

  “Declan says you owe him nothing. He is just glad you are alive.”

  “So am I,” I said honestly.

  “May has returned to Serenity with your friend. They know you’re hurt, but they do not know the extent.”

  “Are they coming?” I asked hopeful.

  “They are. I told Declan we would be waiting downstairs,” he said, watching the door. “It will be easier to move you quickly if we are closer to the door.”

  I braced myself and tried to stand up. Donovan caught me before I hit the floor, unable to support my weight. He put me back on the bed. He held up his hand to tell me to wait. Then he went to the hallway and pulled the dead man’s body into the dark room. He found the door key and gently lifted me up in his arms, leaving the dark room for good. Once the door was locked, we hurried downstairs.

  The atmosphere inside the house was still. I could hear the murmur of voices, but none of them sounded agitated. Maybe they’d stay put long enough for us to make a clean get away. It wasn’t likely, but it was nice to have the dream.

  Donovan went straight to the sitting room and eased me down on one of Michael’s antique couches. He switched on the lamp on the end table above my head and dropped to his knees in front of me. I could only take the soft light for a few seconds before my eyes snapped shut.

  “I had no idea you were hurt this badly,” he said angrily. “This should not have happened.”

  “We can’t stay here, Donovan,” I whispered. Though the room was secluded, it wasn’t safe and I knew it. “Michael was in here earlier with Raif. What happens if they come back?”

  “I overheard Michael telling Dane’s men to bring you up to his bedroom tonight,” Donovan told me. “I’m sure he’s upstairs awaiting your arrival. Now, I need you to stay right here and relax while I see what we are facing.”

  “Trust me, I’m not going anywhere,” I groaned. “Please turn off the light, it’s too bright.”

  Donovan promptly turned the switch and left me there, alone in the dark. I looked around the room just in case I needed to hide before Donovan got back. Not that there were many hiding places around. The only furniture in this room was the couch I was on, two fancy looking chairs, a couple of end tables and a coffee table. None of which stood high enough off the floor to squeeze under. Bookshelves lined all four walls. This may be a peaceful place to read, but concealing yourself among the many rows of books was impossible.

  I laid my head back on the couch and closed my eyes. They hurt so much worse than I’d remembered from the first time something like this had happened.

  A barely audible noise forced my eyes open. I’d been so wrapped up in my own thoughts I hadn’t heard Michael enter the room. I jumped to my feet when I saw him standing over me. In my surprise I’d once again forgotten about my broken shin.

  “Why dearest, what is wrong with your legs?” Michael asked, kneeling down beside me. I couldn’t help but notice the satin robe he had on. Obviously he had something besides nursing my injuries in mind tonight.

  “You know damn well what’s wrong with them,” I told him hatefully.

  “No, I am unaware of what pains you. When I left you last you had full use of them,” he reminded me. “I left orders that you were not to be touched.”

  “I don’t think Dane really cares.”

  Michael picked me up and placed me gently back on the couch. Once I was settled, he sat on the coffee table in front of me, his cold hand resting on my knee. I could see the smell of blood was getting to him. Even through the veil of red, I could see the hungry glaze in his eyes.

  “Tell me dearest, what has he done to you?”

  “After you left, he broke my shin.”

  “Has the bone broken through, I can smell blood.”

  I lost all my patience with him at that point. If he’d look at me instead of getting drunk off the smell of blood this would go a lot faster. Donovan was right. Vampires are useless when blood comes into play.

  “That’s the gash on my thigh. Or it could be from one of the cuts on my face. Just look at me, Michael! It’s not that hard to figure out!”

  I had to hold my breath for a few seconds after my little rant. My ribs felt like they were going to burst. I laid my head back and closed my eyes waiting for relief from the pain. When it came, I opened my eyes and ever so slowly exhaled. The hurt was by no means gone, but at least I could breathe again.

  My tantrum seemed to have a sobering effect on him because he reached over me and turned on the lamp. I cupped my hands over my eyes protectively. I wanted to be able to see red for as long as possible. Seeing one color may not be ideal, but it was better than being blind.

  “What’s wrong with your eyes?” he asked furiously.

  “Sunlight,” I answered, through my hands.

  “How?” his angry voice asked. “You were to be left alone.”

  “Dane and Mark felt it was their duty to do a little experimenting with me. Now, thanks to them, I can’t see, my thigh is bleeding, I can barely move and my body isn’t healing the way it should.”

  Michael tore Mark’s shirt from my thigh as he tried to inspect the damage. My jeans kept getting in the way. Every time he got one side out of the way, the other side just slid back over the cut.

  “Take them off,” he demanded.

  “No,” I said defiantly. My jeans were fine right where they were.

  “Take your pants off,” he demanded again. “NOW!”

  “I don’t want your help,” I told him defiantly. “I’ll be fine.”

  He lifted my hips roughly off the couch and ripped my jeans from my body. Cold hands moved over my thigh. I held my breath as I watched him press my skin together, as if he expected the wound to fuse
and heal. I cried out after his fingers slipped inside the wound. He leaned forward and kissed the top of my head.

  “Please forgive me,” he said whispered. “I did not mean to hurt you.”

  His hands gracefully moved down my thigh. I had to brace myself against the couch when I felt his fingers on my shin. His light touch was meant to be soft and gentle, but to me it felt like steel wool.

  “You may not want my help, but I need you healthy,” he said furiously when I jerked my leg out of his grasp. “Where else have you been hurt?”

  “There is not one place on my body that doesn’t hurt,” I sighed.

  “Why won’t you look at me?”

  “I told you, Michael,” I said, trying to maintain calm.

  “Dearest,” he said coaxing me sweetly. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. How did you hurt your eyes?”

  “Ask your guard dogs.”

  It was silly, but the way he phrased the question made me furious. I certainly would not voluntarily do this to myself. With more than a little pain, I rolled over and put my back to him. Every muscle in my body ached due to my awkward flip flop on the couch. Michael laid his hand on my waist, tugging gently to get my attention. I refused to respond.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The pacing I heard behind me came to a halt. I listened intently and heard three sets of footsteps coming in our direction. The smells of ash and ocean erupted into the room. Donovan obviously hadn’t gotten too far on his quest for a way out. Michael stepped in front of me and turned off the lamp. I rolled my head around in time to see Dane and Mark bringing Donovan in. Once again, his wrists were bound with silver wire.

  “Take it off,” I said loudly.

  “What’s that dearest?” Michael asked gently.

  “The rope,” I clarified. “Take it off.”

  Neither one of us was going anywhere. We all knew it. What, besides torture, was the point in keeping his hands tied up? He smiled at me and turned around to face them.