“You’ll do whatever I want you to do,” Gates taunted cruelly. “Your pleas are wasted on me, bitch. She dies. I’m going to rip her heart out and make you feed on it.” He laughed caustically. “Her death will be my gift to you, and I always want you to remember it as a symbol of our love.”
“No!” Brooke begged, dropping to the floor. “Don’t hurt my baby!”
“Mommy, I’m so scared. Please don’t let him hurt me,” Jessie sobbed helplessly, rushing to them.
“Shut up! It’s high time that I teach you a lesson, little girl. Count yourself lucky that I’ve spared you this long,” Gates said callously.
Though the pain had hardly ebbed away totally, Nicole straightened fully.
Anger surged through her.
His abuse was going to end.
She laid a reassuring hand on Brooke’s shoulders, and surprisingly, the woman’s sobs halted.
“Leave them alone! They’ve done nothing to deserve your cruelty!” she screamed in turn. “They don’t deserve to be prisoners so you can live out your twisted games. You’re demented---sick. And I could never love a monster like you. I don’t want you. I don’t love you.” Now, her tone was filled with hostility. “Let me give you the cold hard truth---I hate you.”
Gates released a string of violent curses.
“You will not deny me, Nicole!”
At once, the window pane pulsated violently, and briefly, she feared that it’d shatter into a pool of glass at their feet. The pressure intensified. At once, they were hurled from the window and sent flying across the room.
In an instant, she slammed into the hard wall.
Stunned, she slid to the floor.
The seconds ticked by slowly, and then finally she sat up dazed.
“Brooke, Jessie---are you okay?” she asked confusedly, taking a shaky breath. Her hands clawed against the tile floor as she crawled across it. She shivered as the coolness seeped through the thin hospital gown. The flimsy material was hardly a barrier against the cold floor.
“We’re over here,” Brooke gasped weakly across the room. “Next to the door.”
“Get Jessie out of here. I’ll stall him. I’m the one he wants. Please go.”
“No, he’ll hurt you,” Jessie sobbed. “Please come with us.”
“She’s right,” Brooke protested again. “We can’t---”
“And I’ll never forgive myself if anything happens to you and that little girl,” she stated firmly, forcing back her tears. “What good is it if we all die? We have to put an end to his reign of terror. Someone has to survive. We can’t let him win.”
“Please forgive us,” Brooke whispered again. “I’m sorry, so sorry.”
“I know,” she said gently, swallowing hard. Still, the bandage couldn’t hold back her fresh tears as they seeped through the gauzy fabric.
The second hand ticked slowly on the wall clock.
Finally, the door creaked opened.
It closed behind them softly.
She released her pent-up breath.
Hopefully, they’d be safe.
Where that was in her new alternate reality, she reasoned quietly, fighting against the hysteria.
Her movements were soundless as she crawled further.
More relief surged through her when she bumped into the bed.
At least now, she had some semblance of the room’s layout, she mulled before grasping the rails gently.
Using the rails for support, she staggered slightly before pulling herself up.
A monstrous cry filled the night sky.
She shivered uncontrollably.
Should she dare to embrace the lunacy of these last moments?
Was she truly expected to suspend her beliefs and think that vampires existed outside Hollywood blockbusters?
Suddenly, the world outside hushed.
And only her beating heart penetrated the silence.
She made a tentative step before connecting with the IV cart.
The wheels squealed lightly as she sent the IV cart rolling across the floor. At once, she halted its trek before reaching out into the darkness again. She grasped the back of the chair tightly as her trembling hands landed on it.
Her fear crept through her again.
She gulped slowly.
Was it foolish to hope that Xander would rescue her like he did in her dreams?
“He can’t save you. Not this time,” Gates warned softly, his eerie voice carrying past the glass pane once more.
She shivered again.
Was the vampire staring back at her with glaring red eyes? And was venom dripping along his fanged pearlescent teeth as he waited to devour her whole?
But, maybe he didn’t resemble Hollywood’s usual depiction, but instead was more hideously grotesque in reality.
“What do you want from me?” she asked, her voice quivering slightly.
“I just want you. Can’t it be as simple as that?” he inquired softly. “Don’t you realize what you are? You’re a diamond in the rough…a beautiful jewel to be adored and idolized shamelessly.” His words were low and seductive now. “And your innocence---it’s become everything. I want to devour it until nothing else matters. I can show you a life that you’ve never imagined. Let me give you that eternal gift.”
She fought the vertigo as it swam over her.
She gripped the chair tighter.
“What gives you the right to decide what I want? You don’t have the right,” she said angrily. “And your victims, is this what you did to them---terrorized them relentlessly while you fed your sick obsessions?” Disbelief filled her tone. “How can you even claim that you care about me or anyone for that matter? Love isn’t pain, hurt, or fear.”
“You truly are an innocent, aren’t you?” the man-creature chided. His voice trembled with a violent undertone. “Love is a mystery, but that’s the beauty of this convoluted emotion. And that’s what I’m afraid that you don’t understand. It’s not a clear-cut black or white, and it’s expressed in so many ways---totally, passionately, obsessively, and yes even violently. Don’t you get it? All these things that I’m describing, I can give them to you. He can’t.”
Her apprehension heightened.
How did he even know about her feelings for Xander?
Anger surged through her.
“Don’t make Xander a part of your sick, obsessive game. Leave him alone,” she stumbled over her words. “He’s done nothing to deserve---”
“That half-breed bastard,” he spat nastily, not bothering to hide his hatred. “Is he your hero, Nicole? Does he come gallantly to your rescue and fill your head with pretty promises? Is that what he does? Tell me.” Then, his voice turned stone cold. “Do you love him?”
She raised her chin. “Yes,” she whispered with boldness. “I love him.”
“Does he love you?”
She hesitated.
A part of her believed that he did.
“Yes,” she finally stammered.
“But, you don’t seem so sure,” he mocked before his voice dropped low. “He is a liar. And he’s been filling your head with faulty truths from the day you’ve met him. I would never lie to you like that!” Then, he taunted her cruelly. “Do you want the hard ugly truth? He’s using you! You’re nothing but a pawn in his deadly game. And it’ll destroy you once you realize it.”
“I will not let you turn me against the people that I love and care about! It’s not going to happen. So stop it!” she screamed uncontrollably. “You know nothing about Xander and me. And you will never begin to understand how we feel.” Her next words were boldly defiant. “Kill me. Do whatever you want to me. But, you will never change the fact that I love him, and I always will!”
“I’m warning you, Nicole!” the vampire yelled violently. “Don’t push me!”
A new energy surged through the room, and now the space pulsated with an invisible intensity.
At once, tiny electric currents pierced her.
She gasp
ed in pain. “You’re hurting me.”
“You pushed me to this!” Gates raged violently. “You’re being totally insensitive to my feelings, and I won’t accept that. This is the violent side of my love, Nicole! Embrace it fully!”
The hospital bed shook uncontrollably, and she heard the side guard rails as they dropped down. At once, the chair vibrated underneath her hands, and it seemed that it was wrenched away from her before it went flying across the open room.
She screamed out as it slammed into the wall.
“Do you like this part of me, Nicole?” the man-creature raged again. “Do you?”
The bathroom door opened and banged closed continuously, and fervently, she wondered when it’d fall from its hinges.
She couldn’t stifle her ragged cough.
The room was chillier now as a biting coldness exuded from the bathroom. And she was certain that both the shower stall and sink had overflowed, especially since a steady stream of cold water pooled at her feet.
A violent shrill pierced the night.
“No!” she screamed, slapping her trembling hands over her ears. But, still it wasn’t enough to block out the deafening sound. Immediately, she fell under vertigo’s tide as she crumpled to the floor. Like a frightened child, she rocked against the floor as the violent pain split through her.
Her hot tears soaked through the bandages.
Was she finally meeting her end?
“Xander---”
Her words ended on a broken sob.
She wasn’t going to make it out of this alive.
“I love you, Xander,” she sobbed. “I don’t want to say goodbye to you.”
“Then don’t, baby,” he said hoarsely from the opened doorway.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Was she imagining him, she thought wildly, and her breath caught on a ragged sob.
“Xander?” she whispered, weakened, and her voice was barely audible. The hope surged her as she reached out to him. “Please tell me you’re really there.”
Within seconds, he’d treaded across the room.
She couldn’t control the broken sobs as he crouched down beside her, and then pulled her trembling body into his arms.
“I’m here, baby. I’ve got you,” he muttered thickly, resting his chin on her head, and hugged her closer. “I’ve got you.”
Her hands shook as she touched him all over. “I was so afraid that I’d never see you again. Please, tell me that you’re real---that I’m not imagining you.”
“Baby, feel me. You don’t have to be afraid anymore,” he rasped, framing her face with shaky hands. “Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”
“No, he didn’t hurt me physically,” she shook her head, sagging against him weakly, and then shuddered at the memory of her stark mental terror. She pulled back slightly. “What about everyone else? My parents, Leslie, Princeton---”
“The hospital’s on lockdown,” he added edgily, and it seemed he wasn’t being totally forthright. “They’re in the west wing. They’re safe.”
“Thank God,” she murmured, but her relief was short. “We have to get out of here. Gates is here, and he wants to kill us---”
“I know,” he quipped firmly as he stood, and she couldn’t hold back her gasp as he swept her up in his arms. “I want you to hold on tight, and don’t let go of me for anything. Do you understand me?”
She burrowed her face against his nape before nodding. “Yes.”
She’d never let him go.
And that was a promise she intended keeping.
“Sullivan!” the vampire raged. “Give me what’s mine!’
Already, Xander was running towards the door with her clenched tightly in his arms. “Hold on!” he shouted.
A loud whir erupted in the room.
The window shattered, sending the tiny shards of glass flying into the room with unrelenting force.
Hugging her close, he shielded her from the flying debris. But, as they passed through the open doorway, tiny pieces still dusted her bare arms and pricked her tender flesh.
Once they ventured outside her room, he stopped suddenly.
“What are you doing? We can’t stop!” she exclaimed, frantic. “We have to get out of here!”
“There’s a small vial in my front pocket,” he said quickly. “Take it out!”
Her hands shook as she removed it.
She closed her hand around the slim vial tightly. “What-t is this?”
His hesitation was brief. “I don’t have time to explain. But, it’s something that’ll work in our favor.”
“You won’t get away with this!” Gates shouted with a feral cry, hitting the floor with a hard thud. His harsh breathing filled the space as he crossed the room. The broken glass was crushed further under his heavy footsteps as he moved dangerously closer.
“Xander, he’s inside my room,” she said fearfully, and the panic seared through her. “We have to---”
“Baby, I need you to trust me. Throw it now!”
Releasing a heart-wrenching cry, she threw it.
***
The small vial shattered across the floor.
The yellow-green elixir spread across the floor like neon liquid fire, and he watched as the flames lapped against the tile.
He tensed.
Their survival hindered on Charity’s strange concoction.
At once, the fiery flames heightened, and the entire corridor seemed ablaze. The hot fumes filled his nostrils as the fire instantly died out, and then transformed into a gas. Quickly, it dissipated before forming a transparent barrier between them.
The vampire approached with rapid quickness. “I’ll kill you!” Gates screamed wildly as he careened into it. “I’ll kill you!”
But, the barrier withheld his weight easily.
The vampire’s enraged cry filled the entire level.
Xander’s stare was unwavering as he watched him.
A sense of victory washed over him.
Finally, Gates realized that he was calling all the shots.
Not him.
His intent was clear as he stepped closer to the barrier.
“Xander, what are you doing?” Nicole whimpered softly, her fingers digging into his shoulder. “We have to get out of here.”
Still, he didn’t voice a word, but instead watched his nemesis.
The silence was deafening as the vamp approached.
Finally, their gazes clashed as they faced each other.
Like the Dark Riders, Gates was dressed gentlemanly in black suit and tie. His black mane was well kempt and sleeked back in a ponytail. A crazed looked filled his light eyes, and it was blatantly evident that his hatred matched his own.
“Bastard,” Gates seethed. “What will it take to finally be rid of you? Like a bad penny, you just keep turning up, over and over again.” The vamp turned away from him in disgust before facing him again. “I should’ve killed you sooner. I’ve realized my mistake and plan to rectify it.”
“Our time hasn’t come yet, Gates. But, when it does, I’m going to kill you. Bit by bit, piece by piece until nothing’s left but your rotten carcass. Trust me on that.”
“Cut the act,” Gates seethed callously. “I want to see the real you, that beastly side---”
“Son-of-a-bitch,” he said coldly, tensing as the veins bulged at his temple. He shuddered brutally, holding back his shrill cry. At once, his body quaked violently as the dragon fires lapped within him, begging for release. “I’m going to rip you apart.”
“Xander?” she mumbled in confusion. “What’s going on?”
As he stared down at her, the shame filled him.
He stiffened.
He’d be playing right into Gate’s hands if he lost all self-control. More than that, she wouldn’t be prepared for it.
“Here he is world! The real Xander Sullivan. Embrace that monstrous side of you, bastard! Go ahead! Do it!” Gates prodded, banging his fists against the barrier. “Be what you truly are!”
His tone was crazed. “Look at him, Nicole! See the truth! Take a hard look at your hero.”
“Xander, don’t let him get to you! That’s what he wants. Don’t let him win,” she said breathlessly, reaching out. “Please.”
Quickly, he averted his face.
Her slender fingers barely grazed his chin.
He sobered instantly as hurt filled her features.
“Let’s get out of here,” he muttered uncomfortably, taking a deep breath. The relief surged through him as his features relaxed. “Just hang onto me.”
“You won’t get away with this!” Gates warned, diverting their attention again. “I’ll find you. And when I do, I’m going to take her over and over again. You’ll be forced to watch as I make her mine.”
Before his hatred and rage could best him again, he turned away from the vampire without a further word.
He held her close as he ran for the stairwell.
The corridor seemed endless as he retraced his steps, and soon the exit sign beckoned him. Quickly, they made a sharp left. Without loosening his hold, he wrenched the stairwell door open. Within seconds, they were barreling down the stairs at breakneck speed.
Finally, they reached the bottom.
The cool air rushed past them as he kicked the door open.
His silver gaze swept the wide open space cautiously.
There were no bloodsucking occupants.
For now, at least.
He stepped away from the safety of the building, and then headed towards the parking deck’s rear.
“Where are we now?” she asked tentatively. “You can put me down---”
“Parking lot G-4,” he muttered quietly, glancing down into her tight features. “And don’t get started.”
“What?” she demanded as her face softened.
A tiny smile curved her lips.
His heart flip flopped.
Only Nicole could take a maddening moment and make him believe that anything was possible.
“Don’t start making demands, at least not yet,” he added with a hint of humor, and he resisted the urge to kiss her full pliant lips. “But, as soon as this is over, you can make as many of them as you want.”
“And I plan to, once we’re out of this. Please promise me something.”
Dragon Reign: A Paranormal Love Tale Page 37
