It was over an hour before he woke again. This time he didn’t reveal he was awake, instead concentrating on what he could discover about his surroundings. Slightly moving each hand, he realized his wrists were bound. Checking his legs, his ankles were tied also. He was lying on a bed, naked beneath the covers. Music could be heard from the next room and he hoped that meant he was alone.
Opening just one eye first, he glanced around quickly and closed it. He tried it again and this time was sure he was alone. Opening both eyes, he moved around and pulled on his restraints to test their resilience. They were sound. Plopping his head against the pillow, he noticed something on the headboard above him.
It seemed to be some weird black wooden piece of garbage, which had a round disc-shaped spot cut out. Why would she have that nailed to her headboard? Then he realized what it was.
Oh fuck me.
Now he realized just how trapped he was. It may be days, weeks, or months before he would get any opportunity to escape. Perhaps he had made a mistake in trying to do this all alone. The others were willing to help, but he didn’t want to put them in danger for his own quest for revenge.
The door suddenly opened before he could pretend to still be unconscious. Heather smiled at seeing him awake and jumped on the bed to lay next to him.
“Hello there, lover. Did you miss me?”
“Yeah, like a urinary tract infection.”
“Oh how you flatter me.”
She forcefully pushed his head to the side and rubbed on the puncture wounds on his neck, like she was checking that they were healing correctly. In reality, it was just an act to show him who was in control.
“I need to take a leak. Do I just go here?”
“Of course not, you use the bathroom. Here, let me undo your straps...”
Once both straps were undone on his wrists, he shoved her away from him, slamming her head against the wall. With his captor dazed, he quickly unstrapped his ankles and jumped off the bed. He reached the door just in time to get thrown back by two of her vampire henchmen.
“I like it rough, but not that rough.”
With fury in her eyes, she got off the bed and walked over to where he had landed on the floor. Grabbing him between his legs with a death grip, he cried out and took hold of her throat. With the others behind her, he was in a losing fight.
“Don’t even think about it,” she spat. “You belong to me now, and you’ll follow my rules.”
Her fingernails started to dig in, so he released her throat and glared at her defiantly. The smile that crept across her face made him want to puke. She released him and ordered the others to take him to the bathroom. Before he could hurry through the door, she stopped him.
“Hold on, I have a gift for you.”
A metal collar was put on him, around his throat, and locked into place. Hanging from the collar and a strong metal chain was the silver disc missing from the piece of council table attached to the headboard. The bitch had thought of everything.
An image flashed into his mind and almost made him laugh out loud. It was Christopher Reeve in the first Superman movie. The arch villain, Lex Luthor, put kryptonite on a chain and hung it around his neck to keep him weak. Yeah, comparing himself to Superman now. No delusions of grandeur there.
Once it was secured, the other two men escorted him from the room. With a quick glance around the rest of the living areas, he quickly realized he was in familiar surroundings. This psycho was holding him captive in his own room.
He thought about where essential decorating items might be, such as stakes to kill vampires. Surely he had some hanging on a wall or stuffed under couch cushions, right? Not quite. If he survived, he would damn sure make sure to have some hidden weapons in the future. That was a big “if” at this point.
After using the bathroom, the vampires escorted him to where Heather sat on the couch. Shoved down onto a chair, he waited for what was next, just thankful to be getting his strength back.
“So, have you settled down now?”
“Sure, if by settled down you mean waiting patiently for my next chance to get away from you. Haven’t you figured it out by now? I’ll never be with you, this little fairy tale will never happen. I don’t love you; quite the opposite in fact.”
“Well, let me tell you something. This little fairy tale will happen, even if I have to make it happen. I could give two shits if you love me. But you will be my husband, you will fuck me on command, and you will become the great wizard. By the time that happens, you’ll understand that I’m actually helping you. This is all for you, for us. We will rule.”
Dhane shook his head and wanted to laugh. The sad truth was that she believed what she said, and she would do anything to make it happen. The urge to laugh left him quickly.
“What about Elisabeth? I thought you were following her now, making her into the next great wizard.”
“That bitch is crazier than me,” she exclaimed. “Besides, she’s so narrow sighted. All she cares about is destroying you and your friends, even with all the power she holds right now. Afraid of you, who I captured so easily.”
Standing and stretching, Heather walked over to Dhane and sat on his lap. An arm around his neck, she ran her fingers along his chest, up his neck and across his cheek. She leaned down and kissed him, which he accepted for now. Once she leaned back from his face, a wicked smile covered her face.
“That’s better. You will find things much easier on my arm instead of tied up in my bedroom. Together, we will be unstoppable.”
15
When Samantha awoke the next morning, still lying in bed naked, alone, she looked over to Dhane’s bed with disappointment. It was empty however. He hadn’t simply spurned her, he hadn’t even shown up. There was no telling whether this was good or bad.
She jumped out of bed and got dressed as quickly as she could. Over to Cassandra’s room, she knocked softly in case they were still sleeping since it was just past dawn. After a moment, Amber answered the door.
“Hello Samantha. How may I help you?”
“Did Dhane come back last night? Come by here, I mean.”
“No, is he missing?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t return to our room.” Samantha was now getting worried.
There was a message for him yesterday, and he had to go somewhere. Perhaps it is taking a while, whatever it is.”
“Oh.”
The witch nodded, satisfied with that answer. A smile and a goodbye, and she returned to her room. After a short time, though, she needed more of an answer than that. She left the room again and headed straight back to where Dhane had met with the vampire friend of his. The message must have come from him.
Of course, the cemetery was empty and the vampire wouldn’t be showing up, not in the daytime. The sewer was where he had come from, so that was where Samantha would seek answers.
Down below, the smell was not pleasant and she struggled to keep from gagging. Once she had calmed herself, she started down the tunnels and hoped she would find Demian and nobody else. If one vampire was living down here, who’s to say there weren’t more?
The thought gave her a chill and she began to second guess herself. After walking aimlessly for several hours, she realized there was a noise coming from the tunnel behind her. Somebody was following. She picked up her pace, searching for a manhole to get back out of. Eventually she found one and hurried up the ladder. The cover wouldn’t budge, and the noises from the tunnel were closing in.
Desperately, she pushed on the cover, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Dying in the sewer wasn’t what she planned for today. With every ounce of her strength, she grunted loudly as she shoved her shoulder against the disc, but it just wouldn’t give.
“You will hurt yourself up there,” a voice called from below. “I will show you another way, another way.”
Glancing down with terror in her eyes, she recognized the vampire and nearly fell off the ladder. Climbing down slowly on wobbling legs
and weak arms, she became aware of the pain in her shoulder from her futile escape attempt. Reaching the bottom, she nearly fell to the ground, but Demian caught her.
“You are too weak to be here. We are near the home of the bad people. You must leave.”
“I’m looking for Dhane. He didn’t return last night. Did you leave him a message?”
“Yes, a message, a good message. If he hasn’t returned, he may have found what he was seeking. You must go quickly.”
The vampire was trying to pull her along, back in the direction she came from. Finally getting control of herself, Samantha pushed away from him and refused to go any further.
“We need to check on Dhane! What if something happened to him? Where did he go?”
Demian didn’t want to tell her. If she rushed after him and got herself captured or killed, surely Dhane would be angry with him. She wasn’t going to just leave though, that much was obvious. He needed to compromise.
“I will go look for him, but you must go. I will tell him to return to the motel so you know he is safe. All is well, I am sure. But you must go, must go, must go!”
“Fine. But if I don’t hear from him or you by tomorrow morning, I will be back, and I won’t be happy.”
Storming away down the tunnel, Demian watched her curiously. She was clearly a strong and determined woman looking to help her friend. That was a bad idea. Here, in the city, she would find many more enemies than friends.
There was only one way to make sure she didn’t come back, and that was to find Dhane. If their friend was in any trouble, he would find him and help him. He just wished he wasn’t an army of one.
16
Nightfall was close at hand, and the Grand Hotel began to fill up. Before they started another full-scale search for the mage, Elisabeth wanted to meet with everyone so they could coordinate their efforts better.
Vampires were filing out of their rooms and down to the lobby. Soon, the werewolf population joined them, along with Rachel, the only other witch on this side of the fence. The room was nearly full as they prepared to start.
“Has anyone seen Heather? I want everyone here.”
Rachel, Sebastian, and Charles looked at each other and shrugged over Elisabeth’s question. Reluctantly, Rachel stepped up.
“I’ll go get her.”
The witch headed up the elevator and marched to the vampire’s room. She didn’t like Heather. The blood-sucker was erratic and odd, and just gave her the creeps. Nobody else liked her, either, so there wasn’t a line of people wanting to come and knock on this door.
With a deep sigh, she balled up her hand and rapped her fist on the door. Noises could be heard inside, scuffling and moving about. She knocked again louder and called out for Heather. A door slammed shut and keys jiggled, then the front door finally opened.
“Yes? What is it, witch?”
“Elisabeth wants everyone in the lobby, including you. I’m knocking on a few doors to get everyone there.”
The vampire wasn’t happy as she huffed. Rachel didn’t care. She would just as soon turn this woman into a toad if she could. Heather turned to her henchmen standing in the living room.
“Guard both doors. Nobody in or out.”
“She said everyone attends. That includes your lackeys.”
The anger on Heather’s face was priceless. Of course, Elisabeth had only mentioned Heather, but she didn’t know that. And if there was something she wanted protected, Rachel wanted to find out what.
“Fine.”
The three vampires exited the apartment and Heather locked the door, handle and deadbolt. She looked suspiciously towards Rachel, who was moving to another door and knocking, though she knew it was empty.
“It’s Rachel. There’s a meeting and Elisabeth wants everyone there.
She called out loudly so the others could hear her, even if she was actually talking to herself. Once the vampires were on the elevator and gone, she rushed back to Heather’s door and used the unlocking spell on each lock.
Slipping inside, she knew exactly where to look. Using the unlocking spell again, she was surprised to find the door wouldn’t open. She tried it again, but still, nothing.
“What the fuck?”
The whisper barely escaped her lips when she heard movement inside. Just what was Heather hiding? She had to find out. Out of her hair she pulled a pin and stuck it into the keyhole. After nearly ten minutes of fishing around, the lock turned with a ‘click’ and the door could be opened. Carefully and quietly she turned the handle and pushed on the door.
“Holy shit!”
Lying on the bed, tied up and naked, was the very mage the entire hotel was looking for. The irony nearly made her laugh out loud, but instead simply put a grin on her face. A good fifty vampires, werewolves, and witches would be out looking for the man who lay in their very home.
“And into the fire.”
It was all he could muster of the saying when he saw the witch with fiery red hair enter the room. He was a dead man now, and he started to wonder how they would do it. The witch Elisabeth had failed to kill him recently. Before that, the vampires took a shot and came up short. Perhaps Rachel would have her boyfriend, Sebastian, tear him limb from limb. Hopefully death by werewolf would be quick.
“Of all fucking things... to find you here right under everyone’s noses. Tell me, did you really kill those vampires they found?”
“Yep. There are more bodies where those came from, too.”
A look came across her face as though she was impressed. She strolled into the room casually, circling the bed. Dhane wondered why Heather had given him up, then the scratching sounds at the door revealed their true source as she put the hair pin back in. His would-be vampire lover didn’t know her secret was out.
“So, your weirdo vampire girlfriend is keeping you as a pet or something?”
“Something like that. Apparently she’s not so enamored with your leader after all. It doesn’t really matter what she wants, though. I plan to take down your master either way.”
That was music to Rachel’s ears. The bitch was sleeping with her man behind her back, and she hadn’t yet figured out how to get rid of her. Now, right before her, was a way to do it while keeping her hands clean should anything go wrong.
“Let me make sure I have this right. If you escape, you plan to overthrow Elisabeth? You, who are lying here trapped by a psychotic vampire?”
“That’s right. I made a mistake with Heather, one I don’t intend to repeat, assuming I ever walk out of here.”
“Perhaps I can help with that,” she sat down on the bed next to him, “assuming you can help me in return.”
“Seriously? What do you want?”
Dhane waited for the worst. Surely she wanted all the power contained in the spell books, to lead the vampires and werewolves, and maybe even the world. Making that kind of deal wouldn’t work for him. He wasn’t trading one bitch for another. Her answer surprised him.
“I want Elisabeth dead. Not removed from power, not stripped of the books and exiled. Do you understand what I’m saying? D. E. A. D. Dead and buried.”
“So, not maimed?”
A serious expression came across her face. The time for jokes was clearly over. He nodded and she proceeded to unstrap one of his arms before standing up and letting him work the others himself. She noticed the injury on his neck from the vampire bite.
“Listen carefully. Around two in the morning I’ll return here and set loose a spell in the living room to put everyone to sleep. You just need to play nice so you can make sure Heather is out there and has her guard down. Oh, and keep that necklace on, or you’ll be knocked out too.”
He nodded and she slipped out the door. It was odd that, of all people, a traitorous witch would be the one to help him get free. Now there was just the suffering of being nice to his captor. He felt like puking.
17
Samantha walked down the sidewalk away from the motel, determined to get her mind
off Dhane. A simple walk to the local gas station would supply her with snacks of sugar and salt. Hopefully that would be enough.
When she arrived at the gas station she noticed a man out front leaning against the wall. He was over six feet tall, wearing cowboy boots and a cowboy hat, which was pulled low, hiding his face. The t-shirt he wore did nothing to hide his muscular frame, and his blue jeans were very worn.
Once she realized she was staring, she hurried inside and gathered her groceries together. The clerk behind the counter rang it all up and announced the total. Samantha reached into her pocket for her money when suddenly a hand slammed down on the counter, slapping down a fifty dollar bill.
“Keep the change.”
She looked up at the cowboy and her heart skipped a beat. His rugged features included the beginnings of a beard and his blue eyes were cold and focused… focused on her at the moment.
“I, uh, I can take care of it myself.”
The clerk hurriedly grabbed the fifty and shoved it into the register. He wasn’t about to lose this great tip if he could help it. The cowboy didn’t miss a beat.
“It’s already done. So, I hear you been looking for me.”
“I have?”
His eyes narrowed and Samantha wondered how fast the clerk could dial 9-1-1 if this turned bad. The man finally softened his face, if only a little. It was just enough to try and show he wasn’t there to harm her.
“My name is Jackson. You left me a message.”
A wave of relief ran over her as she realized it was Veronica’s ex. As her heart began beating normally again, she suddenly became angry.
“You could have just said that in the first place.”
“I could have.”
Samantha gathered her groceries and Jackson held the door for her to exit. The man was ruggedly handsome, but also kind of an ass. She wondered which part drew Veronica to him, and which part drove her away.
Silently he walked with her down the sidewalk. She expected him to ask questions, but he stared straight ahead and waited for her to speak.
Magestorm: The Reckoning Page 5
