"We've arrived," he broke in, abruptly stopping us in front of an impregnable metal door complete with a numeric keypad. He then used his free hand to type in the code, all the while, keeping me shifted aside to ensure its secrecy. A muffled click later, the lock disengaged. "Go on inside, Luna. I know you're angry. In time, I hope you'll understand and come to forgive me."
"I hate you!"
"I'm aware of that," he groaned, releasing my arm and nudging me through the doorway.
I cringed at the idea of being locked up again, but I refused to show it. Obstinately, I squared my shoulders and shot him the stank eye. "You're a lying sack of shit! I'll get outta here, and when I do, your ass is going to prison! I don't care if you are my dad!"
He winked and bowed smugly, unfazed by my outburst. "Bathe and dress in the clothing that's laid out on your bed. I'll return for you in a few hours."
Chapter 6
As the lock engaged with an audible click, I noticed a light on a nearby keypad change from green to red. Logically, I knew the door was secure as a fortress. Nonetheless, I still jiggled the metal handle and pulled with all my strength. No luck. Surprise, surprise. My captors had trapped me, yet again. I desperately wanted to curl up into a ball of tears, but I didn't.
Instead, I turned from the door to inspect my new prison and was absolutely blown away by the extravagance. A crystal chandelier hung from a high vaulted ceiling, spreading sparkly light over crimson walls and cream colored carpet. The center of the room contained a black leather couch and matching love seat, while two ornately carved wooden doors were positioned along the room's sidewalls, opposite each other.
Despite my eagerness to explore where the doors went, my stomach's growling drew me toward a mini-bar, complete with chrome bar stools, that was conveniently situated along the far wall. I quickly found a number of fresh juices, several different types of alcohol, and a six pack of Mountain Dew, my favorite pop. A definite change from my cement hell! And you know what else? A meat and cheese plate sat on the counter, all laid out on a shiny silver platter. Thank you god!
Literally seconds later, I'd chugged two pops and inhaled half the meat and cheese, stuffing myself to the brim. Regardless, hunger pains kept pawing relentlessly at the edges of my awareness. Apparently, five days of starvation couldn't be rectified in one pig out session. Sigh. The longer I stared at the food, the more I craved it. And, with the understanding that even one more bite might make me puke, I decided to remove myself from temptation and go back to exploring.
Of the two of wooden doors, I chose the smaller one first and immediately entered into a pair of sparsely furnished bedrooms connected by a tiny bathroom. The space felt institutional with its cement walls and floors, all unpainted, and its simple electric lighting. And, honestly, it reminded me a little too much of the pit for my taste.
In contrast, the larger door led to a gorgeous master suite. The walls and floors matched the living room seamlessly. And it, too, had its very own chandelier. A wrought-iron canopy bed, along with its red velvet comforter and pillows, brought the room's boutique hotel vibe to fruition. In short, it totally kicked ass.
And, as promised, a white garment bag and shoebox rested on the foot of my bed. Shuddering, I hastily came to the conclusion that it'd be better for me to take a peek at my new clothes later. God only knew what they had in store for me. Lingerie? A freaky fetish outfit? A vampire cape? Jeesh.
I yearned to go collapse onto the incredibly soft and inviting mattress, but I also knew that I smelled worse than a trash can. And I refused to soil its beautiful, clean, fluffiness. A bed, though! A marvelous, wonderful bed! The realization flooded me with so much happiness that I actually jumped around and giggled a few times. No more sleeping on concrete! Yay!
After collecting myself, I walked into the master bathroom which was attached to my bedroom and, as expected, it radiated pure opulence. The floor tiles were black marble, the faucets were gold swans, and yet another chandelier decorated the high ceiling. I felt overjoyed at the lavishness and had almost slipped into another giggling fit when my eyes focused on the large mirror in front of me.
I looked like dog shit. Sunken cheeks, pale skin, clumps of hair mixed with dried blood. And, even though I don't remember throwing up, I must've since chunky stains were covering the entire front of my robe.
Without a moment's hesitation, I turned on the shower, threw the nasty pile of fabric into the trash, and hopped inside. I proceeded to hurriedly lather my body with a bar of fancy smelling soap, rushing to reduce my chances of being interrupted by one of my kidnappers. And, as the layers of grime rinsed away, I noticed that my wrist and neck wounds had healed. I'm talking completely. No scabs or scars.
Granted, I wasn't exactly sure how much time had really passed. Nevertheless, the healing appeared to have occurred at an unusually fast pace. Had Tsedaka been telling the truth? Could I be a vampire? I shook my head in disbelief. Nah, that's just the crazy's brainwashing getting to me. They must've slipped me antibiotics or something.
Whatever the cause, I'd have to worry about it down the road. There were way more life and death matters to stress over at the present. Namely, how to escape and how to avoid being tortured again. Sigh.
Shower finished, I wrapped my head in a towel and pulled on a fresh terry cloth robe after finding both stacked on a shelf close-by. Then I rifled through the drawers below the sink in a desperate search for any instrument that could be used as a weapon. All I came across, though, were loads of bath products, makeup, and even more towels. No nail files or scissors. Damn.
Feeling hopeless, I returned to my bedroom to check out Tsedaka's horrid clothes and, surprisingly, found that my wardrobe wasn't the only thing waiting on my bed. A hunk of a man in his late twenties sat there, comfortably reclining against a pile of my pillows. He was dressed in all black except for a purple, velvet suit coat and oozed with confidence.
"Hey, trouble!" he chortled, playfully scrutinizing me with his sky blue eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you. We've met before. I'm Adrian, the duke of sector six."
"Ah, now I have a face to go with the voice," I quipped, taking in his wavy, chin length, blonde hair and light skinned complexion. "Still, that doesn't explain why you're in my room." I tried to sound bitchy, but I couldn't stop myself from smiling. For some reason, the guy made me warm inside which was a stark contrast to the resentment I felt toward Tsedaka.
"I thought I'd come speak with you for a bit to make sure you're alright, help you settle in, that sort of thing."
"Well, since you're here," I replied, batting my lashes in my best show of innocence. "How 'bout giving me the pass code to my door."
He chuckled dryly. "You get right to the point, don't you?"
"Yeah, I mean, if you really wanna help, there's no better time to start than now."
"You're going to be trouble, such trouble," he jested, recoiling in mock distress. "In all seriousness, darling, I don't have the code. And, anyway, you should stick around. Considering you're a newly changed vampire, it's essential for you to acclimate in a secure environment."
I released a deep, aggravated breath. "I'm not a vampire and neither are you guys. Vampires don't exist." I sounded like a damn broken record.
"Actually, princess, they do."
"Oh god, not that again too!" I growled, balling my hands into fists. "Look, if we're gonna talk about this crap, I wanna sit down. I'm not just gonna stand here while you lounge comfortably on my bed. Let's go to the other room."
"You could lay here, beside me," he teased mischievously, patting a spot next to him. "There's plenty of space."
"Yeah, you wish, buddy. C'mon, let's go." And with that, I marched into the living room, plopped onto the love seat, and cleverly stretched my legs out across it so he couldn't sit beside me. Moments later, he strolled in and settled himself on the only piece of furniture available, the couch.
"You have to accept your new reality," he advised, his demeanor sobering. "De
nial will assuredly weaken you during a time when being strong is of the utmost importance. This place isn't safe for you."
No shit, Sherlock, you guys kidnapped me. Of course, I wasn't safe. I wanted to scream in rage, however, I somehow put a damper on my emotions and managed a meager amount of control. "That's the reason I need to get the hell outta here. Why do you think I asked for the pass code?"
"You shouldn't leave, Luna. Remaining here is definitely the lesser of two evils. That said, you must have your wits about you. Several factions oppose your rise to power and they'll stop at nothing to usurp the throne."
"So, in other words, you're saying I've got enemies," I surmised, rapidly becoming disinterested as my stomach's rumbling once again signaled that it was ready for food.
Mouth watering, I jumped up and headed for the bar. After which, I quickly grabbed a pop and the rest of the meat and cheese plate, then returned to the love seat. All the while, he droned on with more of his, um, stories, tall tales, delusions? Whatever they were, I really didn't care. Well, unless he said the words 'escape' or 'pass code'. As a result, I scarfed more food and, boy, it was delicious. Yummy, juicy, finger licking...
"Are you listening? Hello! Earth to Luna!" he barked, obnoxiously snapping his fingers in the air.
As I glanced up from my platter, I realized from the look on his face that I must've been tuning out his ludicrous ramblings for quite awhile. Sorry dude. The food was just so good. Plus, the stuff he'd been talking about was plain ridiculous. Vampire wannabes. Sigh.
I leisurely washed down a chunk of ham with a big swig of Mountain Dew before finally discharging one of my snotty replies. "Look, mister sector six, no reason to get all pissy. I was listening, well, sort of. You were jabbering on about me supposedly being a half breed."
"At least you caught a portion of it," he grumbled, aggravation lining his face. "I was explaining that you're not a full blooded born vampire, like me and the rest of the aristocracy. You're what many of our kind call a half breed. Although, I prefer the term hybrid seeing that it's a bit more politically correct. At any rate, the main idea here is that born vampires are the ruling class and made vampires are the foot soldiers and servants. There's no intermingling of the two."
Totally bizarre. "Okay, hypothetically, let's say Tsedaka is my father. It still doesn't mean that I'm half vampire or whatever. I grew up the same as everybody else. No cravings for blood, no sleeping in coffins."
"Aside from intelligence and athletic capabilities, half vampires typically exhibit very few signs of their ancestry. Regardless of what you want to believe, you were born a half vampire. Your birthmark proves it."
I rolled my eyes. "Assuming you're a born vampire, as you claim. Then how did you grow, um, you know, from a baby? Because, in the movies, vampires are immortal and they don't age."
"That's a good question. We mature similar to humans until early adulthood when our development slows. Nonetheless, we do continue to age throughout our lives. That's the reason the older ones tend to have gray hair and wrinkles. Made vampires, on the other hand, more closely resemble the vampires portrayed by popular culture in that they remain the same age as the day of their change."
"Uh-huh," I muttered, not having a clue how else to react. For real, the number of layers to their delusion was truly amazing.
"Anyway, my point is that you were half vampire by birth. Once you reached a proper age, Tsedaka decided to turn you. Hence the kidnapping, chalice, and changing room. So, in effect, you're born and made with Tsedaka as both your father and your sire. A true hybrid."
"Okay, let me get this straight," I marveled, trying my best not to laugh. "In the world of the vampires, I'm basically considered a second class citizen because of my, um, my hybridization?"
"Yes," he affirmed with an eager nod of his head. "That said, being a hybrid isn't all bad. It's entirely possible that your unique lineage could make you exceptionally strong, more powerful than other vampires. By the same token, you might also end up being weaker. We'll know more as you develop."
"This is all interesting, in a fantasy novel kinda way. But, frankly, you guys have got major issues. I can't be a vampire. Look, I don't have fangs." I lifted my lips to show off my pearly whites. "And my heart's beating which means I'm alive. Also, check this out. Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. See, I'm not..." Then, at that exact moment, my straight-faced façade shattered and I started laughing so hard that it brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't help it, their charade was simply asinine. A sick joke.
Unbothered by my shenanigans, Adrian responded with utter calmness. "Nothing will happen if you eat garlic, wear a cross, go to church, say the lord's prayer, or take a swim in holy water. These are old wives' tales. And we aren't the undead, that too is a fallacy. Moreover, your fangs won't extend until it's time to feed..."
"That's just it, though," I panted, barely catching my breath in between giggles. "I don't wanna feed, as you put it. I'm hungry for food and all. But I'm not thinking about biting you or sucking your blood." I punctuated my words by forming a vampire-ish biting gesture with my mouth which, of course, caused me to laugh even harder.
"I'm a vampire; it wouldn't be very appetizing for you to feed on me," he explained, sincerity emanating from his voice. And, in a flash, it finally sunk in. To him, the whole vampire thing wasn't an act. He believed it.
I shook my head in disgust, honestly beginning to feel bad for the guy. He needed to see a shrink in the worst way.
"You'll see what I'm saying in the days to come," he rebuffed with an air of certainty. "You haven't been around any humans since your change."
"Well, that remains to be seen, I guess."
"You really must take this seriously," he cautioned, leaning forward in his seat to stress his point. "There's no way to outrun your destiny and you're endangering your life by ignoring it."
"Destiny? More like karma, if you ask me. I mean, I must've done some horrible shit in a past life to deserve being kidnapped by a bunch of vampires." As I said vampire, I rolled my eyes and immediately cracked-up again. I just couldn't help it. Vampires, yeah right.
And that's when his patient attitude snapped. "Stop laughing!" he yelled. "Focus! Right here with me! Now! This is important!"
His sudden outburst caught me off guard and brought my amusement to a screeching halt. "Okay, okay, simmer down," I backpedaled, knowing I needed to weasel a little more information out of him before irritating him further. "So, um, where's here anyway?"
He inhaled deeply, attempting to curb his emotions. "You're at high court, princess."
"God! I'm so tired of getting the runaround!" I blurted, unable to keep a lid on my temper. "You want me to be serious, yet you keep giving me your dungeons and dragons, sci-fi channel explanations. If you can't start shooting me straight, you might as well go."
He slumped back into the couch as if I'd slapped him. "I apologize, princess, upsetting you isn't my intention. I'm merely unaccustomed to speaking with those who don't already understand a lot about our world. You're at high court; I gave you a truthful answer. That said, you're also in a decommissioned missile base about an hour outside of Topeka." He paused briefly to make eye contact. "Is that the real world answer you were looking for?"
"Um, sort of." This story was growing stranger by the second. "A missile base? Like from the military?"
"Yes. Several decades ago the United States government decommissioned around one hundred missile silos throughout the country. They built the facilities for the cold war, originally. However, once it ended, they had no use for them. The nukes were removed and the empty underground compounds were auctioned off to the highest bidder. Since then, our people have purchased many of them."
"Well, I guess that explains why there aren't any windows."
"No windows, although still quite extravagant." He motioned toward the chandelier. "As you can see, the king enjoys making a statement."
I didn't respond right away. Instead, I just stared at him in silence, secretly moving closer and closer to ripping a few handfuls of hair from my head. It wasn't enough to simply be kidnapped by these maniacs, I had to go and find out that they'd trapped me in a goddamn bunker. How in the hell was I supposed to escape a setup built by the military? Why me? Why fucking me?
After watching my tension rise for a couple minutes, he eventually walked over and knelt at my feet. "I'm here for you," he murmured, grasping my hand tenderly. "You have my loyalty. I swear it on my crown."
Instantly, tingling sensations cascaded across my body awakening memories of purple sheets and warm skin. Loving, cuddling, nightly visits. In turn, my heartbeat quickened and my eyes grew incredibly round. Could he be the guy from my dreams? Nah, no way. Sure felt like it, but no. Not possible.
As if hearing my thoughts, Adrian's face filled with one of the kindest smiles. He nodded almost imperceptibly and then, out of nowhere, the mood dissipated. He turned his head to the side, features going stone cold, as he seemed to be listening to a nonexistent sound. Of course, more crazy crap.
"Someone's coming. I must go," he announced in a hurry. "Like I said earlier, when we spoke in the changing room, it's prudent for you to keep our alliance private. Don't mention our conversations or think of me while others are around."
As soon as the words finished leaving his mouth, he bent down, kissed my hand, and proceeded to disappear right in front of my eyes. Yeah, I'm talkin' vanished, or evaporated, or, well, some other weird ass shit.
Freakishly baffling. I mean, I'd heard the same strange whooshing sound as in the pit and, well, he poofed. How in the... My mind whirled as shock and confusion trampled my sanity. Nevertheless, a knock at the door interrupted me before I got the chance to process a bit of it.
Shortly thereafter, an all too memorable voice shouted, "Princess, are you ready?" And in that split-second of recognition, every last shred of bewilderment was replaced by hatred. Deep, penetrating, murderous hatred.
The Chalice (Luna Vampire Series) Page 5
