by P. A Ross
"Sorry," one of them said to us as they exited.
Thorn grabbed my hand and dragged me from the train. She scowled at me as we marched down the underground platform, her face in a rage.
"What's the matter?"
"What's the matter! Are you blind? They did that on purpose. A couple of them put their hands on me. I have found my meal."
"Excellent."
"Your partner gets touched up, and all you can say is excellent?"
"Sorry. But it is good that we found someone that deserves a beating."
"A beating? I am going to kill them."
"I thought that was against your moral code. Only if they hurt other people."
"They've touched me. You know the rules. I am Thorn. Touch me and you bleed. Anyway, check your wallet."
I padded my hand on my front pocket, but it was empty. "Bastards. I am going to rip their bloody heads off. How dare they? Do they not know who we are?"
"Good. I see you are getting into the spirit of things."
Further down the white-tiled tunnels, a couple of the men looked back at us as I shouted and it echoed up. They marched ahead to catch up to the front of the group, and all the men took a moment to glance back as they strode to the exit. Good, they were heading out into the night and we could take our revenge.
The tall man at the front stopped before the barrier and stood to one side. He talked to the others and they chatted to each other. He stared at me and smiled.
I let go of Thorn's hand a walked over. "I think you owe us an apology and my wallet."
"Sorry. Do I know you?" he said and smirked. His followers all laughed.
"Yes. We were on the train when you squashed us together and groped my wife and stole my wallet.
"I am not your wife. I am your partner," Thorn said as she joined my side.
"You can't even keep your little lady under control, let alone your wallet."
"You're right, I can't keep her under control, which will be a shame for you. Let's step outside and she can show you."
"I don't think so. Why don't you go about your business. No need for your night to end any worse."
"You don't understand. We came here for you. We ain't leaving until you step outside the safety of this station and the CCTV above us."
"If you think I did something wrong, why don't you go to the police. There are usually some that patrol around here. But I can tell you now, they won't find anything."
"Hey, mate," one of the younger gang members shouted back from down the tunnelled walkway. He had doubled back. "I just found this wallet on the floor. Is it yours?"
The younger man walked over and handed it to me. I opened it up but it was empty. "Where is the money and credit cards? I had hundreds of euros inside."
"I don't know. I just found it on the floor, I was just trying to give it back to you."
"Sure. The money just evaporated. You have nothing to do with it," I said.
"I am just trying to help. Why don't you go home? I am sure you are insured."
Thorn laughed. "Are you insured?"
The men shrugged and looked bewildered at each other. "Insured for what?"
"Life insurance."
"Go home tourists while you can," the leader said and stepped forward, so his forehead was against mine, and then he pushed it forward and shoved me back. I noticed a gold watch on his wrist as Thorn dragged me away to the tunnel wall, opposite the men.
"Not here," she said, as two policemen walked around the corner. "We get the gang to leave."
"You heard them. They aren't leaving if we are here."
"We make them leave. Give them a reason to follow us," she said and flicked out a claw.
"I can't believe they attacked us. I thought our dark auras would be enough."
"You would think. Must have been a temporary lapse or they couldn't sense it," she said and winked.
"You did this? You blocked our auras and encouraged them."
"Maybe. But it was their choice to attack us. They were looking for a victim on that train. If I hadn't attracted them, they were going for that old couple at the other end. I saved them."
"So you wanted them to grope you?"
"No. I didn't expect that. It was their own idea," she said and her eyes flashed red.
"But why? I am sure we could have found someone else outside the station."
"True but I wanted you to fight as well. I wanted to give you motivation."
"Why?"
"Part of your training, my young apprentice."
"Drop the star wars dark sith impressions."
"You need to regain your confidence. There is no better way than to dispatch a bunch of low life street criminals."
"Have I not fought enough recently, at the warehouse against the Turned and then against the bikers?"
"Both times you were in your Dragan form. You don't need any confidence as a Dragan. But as a human, you may still be suffering."
"Suffering from my tortures?"
"Yes. You need to remember how strong you are. Now let's get on with the night's mission. Then we can go back to the hotel, and I can give you extra reasons to miss me on your trip to England."
I smiled and then we smiled over to the gang, and we watched the two policemen walk around the corner and out of sight. The gang leader frowned back. I'm sure things didn't normally go this way.
With the policemen gone, Thorn strode across and I followed. "Give him his money," she shouted and grabbed hold of the man's coat, trying to go through his pockets. A gang member grabbed her arms from behind, but she kicked back into his shins. He hobbled away and I tripped him over. The leader grabbed her shoulders and tried to shove her back. But she twisted around so she was in the centre of the group.
I followed up. "Leave my wife, I mean partner alone."
I pushed my way into the group, and we wrestled through and out the other side and walked through the barriers.
We stood on the other side and smiled. I held up my hands with cash and credit cards and the leader's gold watch.
"Give me back my watch," he shouted.
"Boss!" one of the gang said and removed his hands from his stomach, to show a growing red patch. Another one dropped to the floor with his hands across his groin, blood dripping between his fingers.
"Get them," the boss shouted and hurtled towards us.
"Run," Thorn shouted and bolted down the street. "This way," she said and veered off to the left. I chased after her, but it wasn't difficult, she was going slow enough for the gang to keep up. We ran across the roads, forcing cars to slam on their brakes and blare their horns as the gang pursued. She took us on a few turns until we ran into a dead-end in a dark street.
The gang ran in and slowed up. They spread out, circling around us and a few reached into their pockets for knives. "What's the plan?" I asked.
"We smash them, of course."
"But there is about twelve of them. You only need one for a feed."
"The rest is practice. I go first and take the initial blows and stabs, as I can heal. Follow up in the chaos and take them out. I want the gang leader as my meal."
The gang encircled us and moved in. The gang leader stood at the back. "Who do you think you are? You could have just walked away minus your money."
"But you can't take back your filthy hands on me," Thorn shouted.
"Oh, please. You should be grateful that a real man touched you and not this arrogant boy."
"He is mine," I shouted and charged. Thorn darted in front of me, her weapons at the ready. "No way."
The sight of her red eyes and claws paused the gang's response, and she carved through them. She slashed at the wrists holding the knives, and they dropped them to the floor and applied pressure over the wounds to stop the bleeding. She kicked one in the groin and punched another on the nose. I followed up and roundhouse kicked the two men holding their wrists. They crashed to the floor, uncovering their wounds. The men behind us moved in. I scooped up the knives in eac
h hand and waited for their attack. Thorn finished off her group and chased down the gang leader.
The group of six moved in. I spun the knives around in my hands, holding one pointing up and the other down. The sight of my skills with the blades panicked them, and two of them dashed around the sides and out of the dark street. I threw the knives away. The point of the fight was training, so I decided hand to hand would be best.
The final four all charged at once. I front kicked the first one onto his back and the rest scattered. I side-kicked another one off his feet. Then blocked a punch and jumped in with a head butt into the man's nose. Bones crunched and blood streamed out. The man clutched his nose and stumbled away and crashed to the pavement.
A gang member hit my face but only hurt his hand in the process. He cradled it in his other hand. I stepped in and whipped in an elbow into his cheekbone, dropping him to the floor. The two I kicked to the floor stayed down, pretending to be knocked out.
I spun around to see if Thorn needed my help, but only found scattered broken bodies. Thorn was crouched against a wall with the gang leader, clasped in her jaws.
I wandered up the alley to keep a lookout while Thorn finished her dinner. After twenty minutes of draining his blood, she strolled up to my side, the blood disappearing into her glowing skin. She grinned. "How do you feel?"
"Much better. You were right. I forgot how superior I am to humans and how good it is to beat up criminals."
"Good. I am glad you enjoyed yourself, so did I. Now we've had dinner we can move to dessert," she said.
"Back to the hotel?"
"Yes. Back to the hotel for our farewell."
Chapter Three
My toes and fingers were on fire, sweat dripping down my back, my heart beating faster. My eyes popped wide open, and I stared up at the blank white drapes of the four poster bed while the air conditioning hummed in the background. The duvet rubbed against my agitated body. The phantom pain from the torture still revisited me, along with the nightmares of Patrick inflicting them. I breathed in slowly, trying to calm myself down. I gripped the sheets between my hands and rolled my head to one side to see where I was.
Thorn's pale, serene face greeted me, and my hands released their grip from the sheets and my heart slowed. I was safe, I was with her, I was with my Queen.
With her eyes closed, a hand moved out and touched my shoulder and then she lightly kissed my cheek. She then rolled around to face the other direction. I was glad that she had noticed my abrupt awakening. Although there were no words of comfort, it was enough to know she was there, as knowing she was there meant I was safe.
That day I would have to leave her. She had given me a train ticket to find Kieran and finish my revenge. Even though I didn't want to go, I had to see this through. I had to put my life back together again and stop being scared all the time. It seemed ridiculous that I could be scared considering the formula could transform me into a Dragan. But the Hunters had proved to me that no one was safe. Any of us could be captured and hurt, if the circumstances were right.
I continued staring up at the top of the four post bed while focusing on slowing my breathing and heart rate. My body began to calm down, and my heart rate restored to normal. I flung the sheets off and slid out of bed. I picked my watch off the side and clicked it on. I had scanned the instructions, and we had tested the GPS functionality last night. If ever in trouble, I could spin the wheel, press a button and a signal would be sent. Thorn's phone would automatically notify her with a map of my location. It provided some comfort for when the Turned and Hunters came for me again.
The time was 9 AM, and I had only been asleep for just a few hours, but as I was awake, I decided to get the train back to England.
I left the lights off to allow Thorn to sleep. I trudged into the white marbled en-suite, and I flicked on the light. The shower was sectioned off with curved glass. I switched it on and a wide circle of water burst into life. I stepped in and washed off the night sweats, and then stood under the shower allowing the water to roll down my body.
I took a moment to contemplate the days ahead and reflect back on the wonderful time I had enjoyed with Thorn since our Union ceremony. But I couldn't stay on holiday forever, life had to go back to normal, if you counted being on the run with the vampire Queen as normal.
I rinsed off the last of the body wash and turned off the shower. I walked out and grabbed the nearest large white fluffy towel and dried off. I brushed my teeth and checked my stubble. I could get away without shaving for a few days. I wrapped the towel around my waist and went back into the bedroom to get dressed.
I left the light on in the shower room and left the door ajar to offer some light while gathering together my clothes and packing my bag. We were staying in the honeymoon suite in a top hotel. The rest of the room matched the elegance and grandeur of the shower room. The bed was a large four poster with drapes that could be pulled all the way around but were left tied to each corner. The room had a leather sofa and a polished oak table and chairs. The balcony looked out over Paris. We had spent most early evenings scanning the city and plotting our night's adventures.
I pulled on a clean pair of jeans, suede boots, a T-shirt, and a black fleece. I packed the rest of my stuff in a backpack, grabbed my train ticket and put it in my pocket. Inside my backpack, I also had three of the vampire formula needles. And I had a test kit to ensure I took the formula at the right times.
I was all ready to go, ready to leave Thorn again, and ready to venture out by myself. But this time, she knew where I was going and I had her permission. This time I wasn't abandoning her and running away. Last time I left her, I went out the door without saying a single word and without her knowledge. I wasn't going to make the same mistake again.
I placed the backpack by the door, walked over and clambered onto the bed. She rolled around and opened her sleepy eyes. She smiled and flashed her eyelashes.
"I want to make sure I said goodbye properly this time," I said.
"Good. I would have been annoyed if you run off without saying goodbye."
I leaned down, and she put one hand up and wrapped it around the back of my neck, pulling me down to kiss her on the lips. She held me there for a while savouring our farewell. She let go and lay back in the bed, then rolled around to face away from me again.
I clambered off the bed, walked to the door and picked up my backpack. I opened the door and had one last look back at Thorn lying in bed, her pale back curving down to her hips, and her raven hair cascading down her neck. It reminded me of the time I ran from her when on the road from Vegas to Seattle. I said goodbye this time in the knowledge she knew exactly where I was going. I looked around the room once more at its plush surroundings and realised I would be roughing it for the next few weeks in comparison. I blew her one last kiss and whispered goodbye. Then I heard her thoughts in my head. Good luck. Come back safe. I love you. I replied back, closed the door and marched down the corridor.
I got a lift down to the lobby and walked to the reception desk where I asked them to get me a taxi to the train station. I took a seat on one of the large leather sofas and waited for my taxi to arrive.
The bellboys pushed luggage trolleys in and out of the hotel, the wheels echoing off the marble floor and terracotta tiled walls. A waitress carried over steaming cups of coffee to guests sitting on the big sofas and tables. The guests exchanged conversations in many different languages, and the receptionists answered the phones and dealt with a queue of customers.
I listened into their conversation with my enhanced senses and matched them up with my psychic abilities to gauge their real emotions. A man sat at a table sipping his coffee while watching the spinning hotel doors. He was obviously waiting for someone. I dug into his mind to see the image of a woman and with it came intense desire. He tapped his pocket to check the hotel key, and he wished she wasn't married.
A group of suited men sat on the sofa next to him. They all had a small suitcase and a second
small bag for a laptop. They chatted about the conference, but their minds were elsewhere. One man wishing he was at home. Another man was looking forward to a night away from his nagging wife.
The concierge fetched me for my taxi, which dropped me at the front of the Gare du Nord train station. I caught the next train from Paris all the way through into London, St Pancras International station via the Channel Tunnel.
I spent the journey making plans for the week ahead. I would visit Miss Jones, and then grab the late train up to Leeds. I would do the house hunting on my return. I couldn't delay in London as I had to catch Kieran leaving prison.
I knew what time Kieran was released. Once there, I would follow him and wait for a suitable moment to take my revenge. I hadn't booked anywhere to stay in Leeds, as I didn't know how long it would take me to confront Kieran for the last time. I could stay in the city centre as I had the money to pay over the odds if necessary.
I spent the rest of the journey taking a nap, trying to adjust my body clock. I had spent so much time awake at night with Thorn that I was still feeling tired after our night's exertion. I hoped the sleep on the train would allow me to adjust, so I could get used to being awake during the day and sleep at night.
I awoke as the train slowed up, and the other passengers grabbed their bags from the overhead shelves and packed away their food and devices. I sat next to the window and left everyone else to fight their way out before making my exit through the empty train.
I followed my planned route via the tube stations to get within a twenty-minute walk of the shelter where Miss Jones worked. I climbed out of the underground at the last stop and headed off towards the shelter using Google maps to navigate my way through the maze of streets. Finally, I got onto the last street, Winchester Street, and headed down the road.
The buildings were broken down and boarded up, and on the street corners, gangs of young men and boys hung about. I kept my eyes focused straight ahead as not to draw any attention to myself. Further on, I walked past some police tape flapping around on the floor and tyre marks on the road.
