Gingerly, he shuffled in my direction, stopping in front of me as if he'd been apprised of my location all along. "I'm fine, girlie," he assured, scooping me into his arms while simultaneously allowing my gun to remain undisturbed in its newfound resting place. "The most important thing is for you to focus. We'll be in a world of trouble if your powers give out on us. You have to stay in control."
Following his instructions, I concentrated on my task. Stop! Stop! C'mon! Please stop! My brain felt like it'd recently underwent a lobotomy. Pure agony shot from my frontal lobes to the base of my skull and my body trembled constantly. I ached to release my hold, hungered to cave in to the need.
Regardless, I forced myself to multitask. I had to be my sightless man's eyes. "I see the helicopter; it's off to our left a bit, a hundred or so feet ahead of us, and the engine's running."
"I know, I can hear it. And I feel the wind from the blades. Tell me, though, how outnumbered are we?"
Glancing around, I saw upwards of twenty guards scattered throughout the property, a surprising amount of them. For real, you'd think that born vamps would be harder to come by than made vamps. But whatever. At least, they were all frozen for the time being. However, I could sense myself slipping. C'mon! Stop! Stop!
"Did you hear my question?" he asked impatiently. "Our telepathy's failing, we're both too weak. Answer me aloud."
"It's hard for me to think about anything other... ...OH CRAP, IT'S..."
And then I heard battle cries. The vamps were coming at us, weapons drawn. Shit!! Latching onto my gun, I aimed at our nearest attacker. I had no idea how many bullets it contained and I didn't care. I merely started pulling the trigger. Point and shoot. Point and fucking shoot.
In that same instant, Adrian rejoined us. Despite his sword being at the ready, he didn't charge our opponents. Instead, he allowed them to approach, raising his empty hand high in the air. I swear a purple glittery substance oozed from it. And I briefly wondered if I was hallucinating from using too much vampire mojo. Yet, I rapidly reconsidered the second it began taking shape.
The glittery stuff spiraled forth, surrounding Adrian in a protective bubble-like shield. Fortunately, it finished encircling him just as a ball of flames came hurling straight for his head. One of the old man's lackeys obviously wielded fire. Damn!
Unfazed by the attack, his shield expanded. Slowly, steadily. It'd nearly made it to Lucien and me when a musclebound thug approached, brandishing a razor-sharp knife. The creep must've got past my haphazard onslaught of bullets. And now my gun was empty.
Shrieking, I squirmed out of Lucien's arms and fell hard onto the half frozen grass. In turn, my protector lifted his hood with a menacing growl. Almost immediately, the sun scorched the delicate skin of his face and he flinched against the pain. Even so, he pulled a gun from where he'd tucked it at his lower back and fired five successive rounds into the guard's heart. Needless to say, it stopped the asshole in his tracks.
All the while, Adrian's purple glistening barrier grew and grew. It enclosed the three of us, then spread in the direction of the helicopter. "Keep moving!" he shouted, the chaos of exploding ammunition and fireballs making it hard to hear. "I can't sustain the shield for long! If the king's men arrive at the chopper before us, they'll sabotage our escape. Now go!"
Frankly, where my energy came from is beyond me. Adrenaline? The fight or flight response perhaps? Whatever the source, I lurched onto my feet and sprinted. My legs felt as if they were running in quicksand. Nevertheless, I pushed on. There was no way I'd ask Lucien to carry me again. I mean, he'd burned the shit out of himself in my defense once already. And Adrian couldn't help; the poor guy's body shook visibly.
Luckily, by the time I reached the helicopter, the glittery buffer had completely encased our ride. It was impenetrable, leaving us unharmed by the guards' offensive. And, coincidentally, none of the bastards beat us there. So, they weren't given the opportunity to cause even the smallest amount of damage. We might actually escape!
Buckling myself tightly into one of the rear benches, I waited for my companions. Adrian came next, rushing past me to take his place in the pilot seat. And Lucien, well, he hobbled toward us, no faster than turtle, with one gloved hand holding his hood in place while the other tried to feel the unseen world in front of him.
"Come on, Lucien! A little further!" I coaxed, my eyes searching the interior for the coffin. He'd definitely need it.
"It's behind you in the rear storage area," Adrian bellowed, his voice straining above the hum of the engine. "He's aware of its location; he can find his way back there."
A tension filled minute or two and Lucien was finally crawling through the door. Like Adrian'd said, he fumbled into the rear compartment without any major problems. Shortly thereafter, I heard a loud snap, evidently the coffin's lid shutting.
Meanwhile, the chopper lifted us into the air, a thin bubble of purple dust continuing to provide respite from the tirade of bullets and streams of fire assaulting us from the ground below. We did it! In spite of all the odds! I only wished I could see the look on the dear old daddy's face. The scumbag.
Chapter 26
At some point, I must've fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes the day had drifted into night. We'd landed and the helicopter's beating blades were in the process of powering down. I wasn't exactly sure what woke me. It could've been the jostling of our arrival, the blustery winter air seeping in from the open door, or the concerned conversation between Adrian and a couple of vamps I'd never met.
My mind was groggy and confused, but I knew one thing for certain. My toes were ice cubes, tiny stinging ice cubes. And the escape, what an adrenaline rush! I'd gotten so caught up in our departure that I hadn't even considered the state of my body. I mean, it was around thirty degrees outside when I ran barefooted to the chopper. Yet, at the time, I hardly felt it. My sole focus had been on survival. Now, with much less adrenaline, ignoring my frozen toes and the aching pads of my scraped feet were impossibilities.
Blinking several times, I mentally shook myself in hopes of getting my shit together. God, I felt like utter crap. My head throbbed worse than if I would've really tied one on the night before. My hands trembled and, every once in a while, an electrified jolt travelled the length of my spine. The consequences of using far too much power.
"..the infirmary," one of the men grunted, my comatose brain finally beginning to comprehend the discussion occurring right in front of me.
"Yes, take him there," Adrian affirmed in somber tone. "Tell the healer to spare no expense; I'll authorize any specialist to be brought in."
"Of course, your grace," the other man agreed. Then the pair bowed slightly at the waist and made their way to the rear compartment.
I heard the coffin's latch pop open and, moments later, Lucien was shuffling out of the helicopter with a vamp stabilizing him under each arm. He must've seen the worry on my face when he passed because he paused to say, "I'll be alright, girlie, no worries. My family will meet me in the infirmary. I'll get patched up and be back with you in a few hours." After that, he was gone, carried off into the darkness.
"Hey, love, glad to see you're awake," Adrian murmured as he sat down next to me and unbuckled my seatbelt. "We're here at my missile base."
"I s-see that," I stammered through chattering teeth. "I'm c-cold."
Glimpsing the bluish color of my toes, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh my god, I can't believe I forgot that you didn't have shoes. Everything happened so fast. Here," he lifted my feet onto his lap and covered them with his warm hands. "Is that better?"
"Yeah, a little," I mumbled, forcing a halfhearted smile to cross my lips. "B-but, seriously, you're in the same boat I am. You aren't wearing sh-shoes either."
He grinned. "I have socks, darling, and I'm a guy. I'm tuff." He punctuated his sentence by tickling my toes.
"Hey, none of that!" I scowled playfully, seconds before squirming away. "For real, I've got a k-killer migraine."
>
"Okay, okay," he teased, raising his hands in mock surrender prior to placing them back over my feet to share their heat. "All joking aside, I need to prepare you for what lies ahead."
Listless and exhausted, I merely stared at him questioningly. I mean, I was pretty sure our future consisted of Tsedaka hunting us down with a vengeance. Although, I hoped a bit of food and rest could get squeezed in there somewhere. Stomach growling, my fangs started to elongate at the thought of hot, delicious blood. Blood. Oh that yummy, satiating, wonderful, blissful...
"We have to make an appearance at my main hall," he admitted.
And, since he neglected to mention my craving for food, I figured my vamp mind powers were still out of commission. So, I simply nodded politely and waited for his explanation. Showing a little patience was the least I could do after the terrible danger our rescue had put him in. Regardless, my stomach kept on complaining at me annoyingly even though there was no reward in sight.
"I ordered most of the able bodied vampires across my lands to come here under the auspices of fighting the group of black demons in Denver. I didn't tell them the actual reason for I feared the information might be leaked to Tsedaka. Everyone seems to have bought the story, seeing that the city's only an hour west of here and the black demon attacks were supposedly my reason for visiting the king. All the same, my security forces are aware of the truth; I felt it necessary to clue them in on the plan."
"So, basically, you called in reinforcements," I replied, relieved that my feet were dethawing and my teeth no longer chattered.
"Yes, however, those reinforcements don't understand what they're here for." A tense expression glided over his face. "We must go clarify the situation."
"Right now?" I asked reluctantly, briefly taking in the state of my clothing, hair, and my more or less blood-caked body. I was absolutely disgusting and I kinda smelled like roadkill.
In turn, I shifted my attention onto Adrian, giving him a once-over and quickly realizing that he wasn't much better. His black dress shirt and pants were encrusted with dried blood. And his normally fluffy blonde curls, which had fallen out of their ponytail, were matted to his head in a sticky crimson glob.
"Yes, right now," he affirmed, self-assured and confident.
"Just look at us, we're hideous. Don't you think it'd be a good idea to take a bath first? And, besides, I need to feed so I can regain enough energy to be coherent."
"It'll be better for us to go as we are, darling. You see, most commoners believe that Tsedaka's a fair king. When the populace sees you in this state, it'll cause outrage. It'll give them reason to rise up against him. And don't worry, I'll do most of the talking anyway. You can simply sit there and appear to be injured."
Well, that wouldn't be too difficult. Sigh. "So, um, I'll get blood after the meeting though, right?"
Adrian chuckled and patted my leg reassuringly. "Yes, once the meeting has ended, you can have all the blood your heart desires. I've already taken the liberty of selecting several new slaves for you."
I cringed at the idea of creating more bonds. However, I decided not to argue about it at the present. Instead, I fake smiled and said, "Okay, let's do this."
"Wait here, I'll return shortly." And, without another word of forewarning, he disappeared only to poof back literally moments later carrying a pair of pink house slippers. They were the really soft, fake fur kind. "I thought you'd like something to keep your feet nice and toasty during the meeting."
"Shoes'll definitely help," I agreed, my eyes locking with his appreciatively. "And, um, I haven't gotten a chance to say this yet, but thank you for coming to get us. I don't know what would've transpired if you..."
"There's no need to thank me, love," he interjected affectionately. "I've waited a long time for you and I refuse to give you up easily." He placed a delicate kiss on my forehead, then gently slid the slippers onto my feet and helped me stand.
Immediately, my legs shook and the world seemed to wobble beneath me. And, frankly, I felt as though I might collapse at any second. So, I gladly leaned into his strong arms while I haphazardly stumbled from the helicopter.
With my feet on solid ground, I soothed myself by sucking in a deep breath of the crisp night air. I imagined it cleansing me, removing the atrocities that'd been beaten into my soul. Somehow I'd escaped from dear old daddy's clutches, yet again. And I could only hope that the nightmarish experience didn't give me PTSD. The sadistic bastard, he was gonna pay for this shit.
Nonetheless, I struggled to dampen my growing need for revenge by surveying the area. Adrian's compound was completely different than Tsedaka's, despite the fact that a similar chain-link and barbed wire fence surrounded it.
A cluster of barn-like structures were situated on the inside of the barrier along with a small pond and, of course, the helipad on which we landed. There was also a parking lot populated by a rather intriguing collection of vehicles. It held a couple large farm trucks, a harley, three midsize family cars, a black convertible porsche, and a purple school bus with the words "New World Church of Light" stenciled into the paint. Freaking strange.
Beyond that, rows of small houses speckled a decent portion of land beyond the fence. There must've been a hundred of 'em, all connected by dirt roads. Honestly, the scene would've had a homey, small-town vibe if it wasn't for the dozen or so wind turbines. The monstrosities moved lazily in the breeze, soundlessly occupying one whole side of the property.
"We're into going green," Adrian explained, apparently noticing me gawking in the direction of the windmills. "My court is fully self-contained and off the grid. We provide our own electricity, grow most of our food, and drink well water. The majority of the neighbors think we're a hippie commune. That said, a few think we're," he paused to adopt a country bumpkin accent, "one a' tha-em newfangled drug cults."
Facetiously, he attempted to keep a straight face. Although, after several moments, we both burst into a flurry of laughter. I couldn't help it; the idea of his hick ass neighbors sitting on their porches and watching that purple "New World Church of Light" bus drive by for the first time was absolutely priceless. They'd be spittin' chew and callin' their neighbors with the scuttlebutt.
Believe me, I knew the type. My hometown was full of 'em. Plus, the locals needed some sort of a story, right? I mean, anything was better than the truth. A blood slave farm owned by a bunch of vampires. Yeah, that'd go over real well.
Chuckles were still escaping my lips when we stepped through the door into the underground. Regardless, the eerie similarity between Adrian's and Tsedaka's facilities abruptly spoiled my jovial mood. The main tunnel appeared to be exactly the same as the one at high court and it could've easily been mistaken for it, if I didn't know better.
As a result, apprehension filled my emotions while we pushed onward. We never passed a single human or vampire, oddly enough. However, as we got closer to the main hall, the murmur from the crowd's hushed conversations became increasingly perceptible. My pulse quickened at the plethora of unknowns awaiting me. Would the vamps believe my story and take my side? Or stay loyal to Tsedaka? And how would this affect my life?
Sensing my unease, Adrian held me closer as we entered the large room. Its decor was quite pleasant and not at all similar to my creepy father's place. Thank god. Dark purple walls accented white marble floors while an intricately carved wooden throne sat upon a raised platform at the far end. A beautiful lavender tapestry hung on the wall behind it with Adrian's symbol, three circles arranged to form a triangle, stitched into it in gold. Additionally, the ceiling had been painted Sistine Chapel style with images of vampires feeding, making love, and using their powers.
I feasted my eyes on the artwork, wishing I had more time to examine its magnificence. But I didn't. Surprise, surprise. Out of nowhere, an old man who I knew to be Michel from Adrian's memories came running at us. His hurried approach was accompanied by a soft hush that blanketed the room and a consequent uncomfortable lull.
"Oh, great queen!" he boomed, his voice scratchy with age. "We meet at long last!" Then he abased himself in front of me. For real, he actually laid down flat on his stomach and smashed his face into the floor.
As if following suit, everybody in the room simultaneously dropped to their knees in deep bows, including Adrian. And that's when I finally recognized the sheer number of onlookers. Hundreds and hundreds. Five times more than at my crowning ceremony.
Fidgeting awkwardly in the horrible silence, I felt my cheeks flush hot with embarrassment. Talk about being put on the spot, jeesh. What the hell did they expect me to do? And great queen? What was that shit?
Smiling knowingly, Adrian stood from his crouched position and took his place at my side. "Brethren, please be seated," he bellowed, his tone sounding practiced and official. "We have much to discuss."
Promptly, the masses obeyed, situating themselves into compact rows along the floor. Nevertheless, a line of vamps remained standing in a circle around the stage. In spite of the their run-of-the-mill street clothes, I assumed the men were guards and was grateful for the extra layer of protection. God only knew what might happen next...
And so, I relied on Adrian for support as we moved forward. My poor feet ached and my energy levels were rapidly declining. Moreover, my furry shoes kept tripping me up every couple steps. So, by the time we finished climbing the stairs, my legs were a quivering mess.
Still, my prophesied hubby maintained a solid grip on my elbow, eventually seating me in the only available chair in the room. His throne. After which, he winked at me and turned toward our audience to begin his speech. "As you all can see, we've both been badly injured..."
Cutting him off, many of the attendees started talking amongst themselves in a rush. Panic. Worry. Confusion. And, when the noise didn't die down in short order, Adrian raised his hands to silence them. "I understand there have been some misconceptions regarding the purpose of my visit to high court. That said, my ruse was a necessity. While there truly is a cell of black demons in Denver, we will not be fighting them on this day."
The Chalice (Luna Vampire Series) Page 23
