Magestorm: The Reckoning

by Chris Fornwalt

  “So, did you date Veronica long?”

  “Long enough.”

  Well, wasn’t this going great? He was such a talker, she might actually learn something in about a million years. She sighed audibly and he glanced at her with a frown.

  “I’m not here to talk about my personal life. You asked for help with Veronica, and it sounded like she might be in trouble, so I’m here.”

  “Thank you,” she said sharply. She wanted to say more, like ‘was that so hard’, but thought better of it. “Did you and her, you know, whatever it is you werewolves do? That thing where you can feel each other or whatever?”

  He almost smiled at her attempt to explain herself. Almost. This whole thing brought back painful memories. After six years he thought he would never see Veronica again, or even hear her name. The message from Samantha, just hearing the name, had wrenched him.

  “Yes, we did.”

  “Oh, good, then you can find her for us.”

  “Doubtful. When we split up, I removed the bond. If I still had it, I would’ve known sooner that she was in this much trouble.”

  Samantha stopped walking and wondered if there was anything they could do for Veronica at this point. Jackson was their last hope, and it seemed he couldn’t help either. The worry on her face pulled at him, so he offered one last beacon of hope.

  “Listen, we were together for some time. Maybe, if I get close enough to her, I’ll still be able to sense her. Can you give me a starting point for my search?”

  “Well, there’s the Grand Hotel. That’s where the vampires stay, the ones that had her at one point. I’m not really sure if they still do, but that’s probably your best bet. Just be careful, the vampires and werewolves in that area are hostile, very hostile. I really appreciate you helping like this.”

  “Yeah, well, if I do find her, I’ll call you and you can figure out the rescue part. She won’t want to see me, or even know that I was involved. We clear?”

  Once she nodded that she understood he marched off down the street in the direction of the hotel. Samantha watched quietly until he was out of sight. His words ran through her head, making her wonder what exactly happened between the two of them, that she wouldn’t want to see him even now, in her darkest hour.

  She turned and started back towards her motel room and hoped she hadn’t sent Jackson to his demise. He seemed capable of handling himself, but the numbers were against him, if they found out what he was there for or who he was helping.

  Arriving back at her room, she didn’t feel like eating. Instead she stacked the junk food on the counter and stared, waiting for something else to happen; a ringing phone, a knock at the door, anything.

  18

  The meeting finally ended and Heather returned, much to Dhane’s delight. At least, he knew he had to pretend that to be true to a degree. She locked the doors and her guards stayed out in the living room as she checked on her prey.

  “Miss me?”

  He rolled his eyes before he could stop himself. A laugh escaped her lips as she smiled and threw herself on the bed next to him. Running a finger down his chest, his stomach, and between his legs, he jerked. Then, much to her surprise, he grew strong down there.

  “I’d say you did! How about you put that thing to good use?”

  “Untie me and I will.”

  The response surprised her. His eyes were serious though, and she was utterly confused. She started undoing one of the straps, then stopped.

  “You know my men are right outside if you try anything.”

  “Exactly. So what have you got to lose?”

  After thinking about it for a moment, she decided to take the chance. Once one strap was off, he put his hand around her waist, then down to her rear and squeezed. She worked feverishly on the other straps, eager to have him inside her again. The last strap was off and he grabbed her and kissed her passionately.

  Before she realized what was happening, he threw her down onto the bed face first, climbed on her back and had a strap attached to one of her wrists. As he worked on the other, she couldn’t decide if this was good or bad. What were his real intentions? She couldn’t take the risk.

  Just as she started to call out for the guards, the other strap was done and he slapped a hand over her mouth.

  “Relax... just go with it.”

  His other hand ran down her body and between her legs, rubbing her through the jeans she wore. Her eyes closed and her head relaxed onto the bed. Now Dhane was free to do what he had to. Moving his hand from her mouth to her breast, he massaged both parts of her body until she started to move with the rhythm and moan.

  Standing up, he unfastened her pants and pulled them off forcefully. Underwear quickly followed suit, and then her shirt was pulled up to her armpits and her bra was unclipped to reveal her breasts. His hands returned to where they had been before, but now he penetrated her with his fingers, making sure she was ready for his entry.

  “Oh please... I need it...”

  Instead of giving her what she wanted, he teased her more, first with his fingers, then his erection teased her from behind. She tried to move towards him, force him inside of her, but he kept pulling away.

  “Damn it! Fuck me!”

  As he yanked her hair, he gave her what she wanted, good and hard. A loud moan escaped her at the sudden impact. She was so loud, the guards outside became concerned and they knocked on the door.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Stay the fuck out!”

  Her order was obeyed, and Dhane continued. Never before had he been this violent, ramming her with every ounce of energy he had. He pulled her hair, pinched her nipples, slapped her ass and even thought of choking her. Every bit of anger and hatred he had for this woman was unleashed in his hips as he continued drilling into her.

  She didn’t care what reason was behind this. The force was exactly what she wanted, and it took no time at all to reach her climax. The pounding kept going and she reached it again. Her moans and grunts were only interrupted by the slapping of bodies together. If this was what she wanted, she had figured out the right way to get it. Dhane hated her more with every thrust.

  The third time she finished, she was almost crying. Pleasure and pain in perfect harmony, it was almost too good. It had to stop for her to recover and fully realize how much she enjoyed this. A tear strolled down her face and Dhane was reaching his finish. Finally, mercifully, he was done before she reached a fourth.

  Angrily he threw himself onto the bed. He hated doing that with her. It was done though, so now he could move on and hope he would be gone before she wanted to roll around again. Now he could think of nothing but taking a shower to wash her smell off of him. A quick glance toward the clock told him he still had more than an hour to go.

  “I’m going to take a shower.”

  He reached over and unstrapped one of her wrists, but she didn’t move. Instead she stayed silent, and he took that as approval for him to leave the room. Opening the door, the guards were quickly in his face.

  “Relax, I’m just going to the bathroom.”

  Inside, he flipped on the shower and turned to shut the door. The vampires weren’t having it though, not that he blamed them. They shouldn’t trust him. With a shrug he climbed into the shower and felt the warm water run over his body. He turned it up even hotter until it almost burned and scrubbed himself with soap.

  After twenty minutes he figured it was time to get out. He could only avoid her for so long. Turning off the water, he yanked a towel off the rack and dried himself. Stepping out of the shower, his nemesis was waiting for him, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

  “Nobody’s ever done that to me,” she whispered. The words sounded like he had done something bad to her, but the spark in her eyes told a different story. “You will do it again.”

  Once he reminded himself that he needed to play nice a little while longer, he walked over and ran his hands down her bare sides. One of them slipped downwards, between her l
egs, and she jumped back.

  “No, not now. I’m a bit sore down there.”

  Swiftly he pushed her against the sink and had her off balance over it. The surprise in her eyes was priceless. Slowly a smile crept across his face.

  “I’ll do it whenever I want to.”

  His hand slid up her body and clutched her breast, then moved gently all around it, feeling the soft curves against his fingers. She didn’t speak, but she didn’t have to. Putting his palm on her chest, he could feel her heart race with excitement.

  When he stepped back she dropped back to her feet and wanted to pounce on him. The ache between her legs and soreness of her back made her reconsider. It wouldn’t be long, before she would pay him back with the same kind of force.

  She stepped into the shower and he took a deep breath. By the time her shower was done, it would be time for his escape. At least, he hoped that was the case. The question was, could he trust Rachel? The answer was, he could not.

  Instead of worrying about something outside his control, he returned to the bedroom and dressed before heading out to the living room. He sat on the couch and the henchmen sat on either side of him.

  After a short time, Heather returned from her shower wearing nothing but a towel and walked into the living room. A glare towards her vampires told them to move or else, and they responded quickly to the command given by her eyes. Once they were out of her way, she sat down next to, practically on top of, her man. She snuggled into him and he reluctantly put his arm around her.

  “I need to feed again,” she looked up at him. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  Unable to give the answer he really wanted to, he just shrugged. Taken as an open invite, she stood, threw off the towel, and climbed onto his lap. She kissed him at first, then arched her back, turned her head, and bit forcefully into his neck. He grimaced, but did his best to ignore the pain. Rachel couldn’t get there soon enough.

  19

  Nearly an hour of lurking around, dodging patrols, and peering in windows kept Demian busy. So far, there were no signs of his friend, the mage, anywhere to be found. The patrols were thinning out, at least, as they headed outward from the Grand to seek Dhane. That gave him hope that there was nothing to worry about.

  The sound of footsteps filled the air again, and the vampire slipped into the darkness to wait for it to pass. Instead of an actual patrol, it was the traitorous witch with the red hair. Demian knew of her, running around with a werewolf. Surely she would know if his friend was a captive.

  Once he was satisfied that only the two of them were around, the vampire stalked his prey silently in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity. A corner ahead produced just what he was looking for. A burned out street light and a manhole nearby. He made his move.

  Knowing what the witch could do if she had the chance, he had to incapacitate her as quickly as possible. That forced him to do what he hated to do. With a quick pounce and swing of his head, his sharp teeth punctured her neck with a thud. The impact threw her off balance and she fell to her hands and knees with the vampire securely on her back. His arms and legs around her, he sucked with force and weakened her within seconds.

  As she blacked out and fell to the concrete, Demian was surprised at himself. To take her down so easily, even if it was by surprise, was beyond what he thought he had in him. There was no time to admire his work, though. Surely another patrol would come this way eventually.

  He ran over and yanked the manhole cover off, and then pulled her up and over his shoulder to carry her down. Once she was laid down at the bottom, he replace the cover and hauled her down the tunnels until they were under the old werewolf area. Few people ventured in that area any longer.

  Swiftly he pulled out rope and a handkerchief and tied up his prisoner. Once she was secured, he realized there was a flaw in his plan. How did he get answers from her if she was gagged? And did he risk removing the gag, where she could then use her magic to get free?

  He sat down to think, going over how he could make this work. Nothing came to mind. When all was said and done, the only way he could get answers was to risk letting her speak. It took over half an hour for her to regain consciousness, but finally she began to stir. With a deep breath he prepared himself for whatever was to come.

  Rachel opened her eyes and slowly adjusted to the darkness of the sewer. Something had happened to her but she couldn’t remember what. A pain in her neck revealed the truth about what had happened. A panic hit her as she wondered if Heather had somehow learned of her plan. If so, she was fucked.

  “You do not know me, but I know you,” Demian whispered in her ear. “You are the witch traitor who turned on her own kind for a werewolf, are you not?”

  She nodded. The voice wasn’t Heather, but she didn’t know whose it was.

  “I seek the mage, and I will do anything to find him. Do you understand what I mean?”

  Another nod.

  “I will remove your gag. If you try any spell, I will tear your throat out. Got it?”

  A final nod and it was time for the moment of truth. In reality, there was probably any number of spells she could use before he could hurt her. Demian was sure of that. His hands shook as he untied the handkerchief and carefully removed it. He waited for her to start spouting spells or something, but she didn’t.

  “Are you going to untie me also? You’ve just released my greatest weapon, there’s no point to having me restrained.”

  Though he didn’t really want to release her, she did have a point. It wasn’t as though she could physically overpower him. A vampire bite was always the difference in close physical combat. He untied her and stepped back so she could stand up.

  Once she was on her feet, she brushed her clothes off and pretended to ignore the vampire for a moment. Suddenly she spun around and grabbed Demain by the throat, slamming him backwards against the concrete wall. His eyes were wide as she leaned in with rage written on her face.

  “You don’t ever put your mouth on me again, understand fangs?”

  Though the vampires were supposed to be superior predators to humans, he nodded his head quickly and regretted untying her. She released her clench on him and looked around the tunnels. Clearly she had no idea where she was.

  “How far are we from where you grabbed me?”

  “About twenty minutes away.”

  “And how long was I out.”

  “Half an hour or so. Now tell me where the mage is.”

  “Fuck! Which way back?” she demanded to know.

  “First tell me...”

  “I’ll tell you when we get there. I’m late already. If you fucked this up, I’ll be sure the mage knows why his escape was compromised.”

  Demian was confused by her comments. Was she really implying that Dhane was captured, and she was going to help him escape? It couldn’t be true. She was either lying or delusional.

  “Hello? I said I need to go. Which way back?”

  Reluctantly he raised a finger and pointed and she started marching down the tunnel. Perhaps he could find someone else to abduct. If she was telling the truth about Dhane being captured, all the residents of the Grand would likely know.

  “Are you coming or what?” Rachel called back.

  Confused, he could do nothing else but follow the witch. It may be to his own death, but now his curiosity had the better of him. He started walking down the tunnel, following the red-headed witch and wondering what lay ahead.

  20

  The clock ticked towards three and Dhane knew he was alone in this now. The traitor had failed them again and left him hung out to dry. At least she hadn’t told Elisabeth where he was, or he’d already be dead. Still getting his energy back from Heather’s feeding, there was no window for his escape now.

  Weakly he sat on the couch, trying to formulate a new plan. His brain just wouldn’t work, bouncing out thoughts as quickly as he could have them. And to make matters worse, it seemed Heather was feeling frisky again.
/>   “So, it is my turn to get forceful with you?”

  Barf.

  “I doubt it. You took too much blood, I don’t think it will get up and stay up.”

  She stuck out her bottom lip as if to pout. All he could think was how pathetic she was. Clearly she was the type of woman his mother would have approved of. It was also one path he would not follow his father down. Instead of pushing the issue, she moved away from him and crossed her arms. At least he had bought himself some time for now. If only there was a way to escape this hell.

  “Make him a sandwich or something,” she ordered one of her men. “He needs his energy, and so do I.”

  The man headed to the kitchen and the other guard was clearly uncomfortable. He started to pace and then did a routine check of the apartment. While he roamed around, the other was finishing the sandwich, basic ham and cheese, and started back towards the living room. Suddenly he stopped and sniffed at the air as though something was off. He smelled at the sandwich, but that wasn’t it.

  The vampire sat the sandwich on the counter and was about to pursue the smell when suddenly he dropped to the floor in a heap. When the second guard reached him, he confirmed he was unconscious but alive. Standing up to investigate the smell himself, he teetered and fell to his knees. A moment later he was out as well.

  “What the Hell? Dhane, is this you?”

  He shook his head and pointed to the necklace still hanging around his neck. Just beneath the surface of his face, a smile lurked however. This had to be Rachel, finally. Now he hoped he still had enough energy to escape.

  Heather jumped up and turned to run for the front door. With every ounce of energy he had, the mage pulled himself off the couch and lunged at her. Wrapping his arms around hers, they fell to the floor hard.

  “Let me go!” she cried.

  He didn’t despite her struggles to push him away. Soon, she succumbed to the spell and drifted into la la land. With a sigh of relief, he rolled off of her and gathered his strength. As he struggled to his feet, a knock on the door told him he was out of time. If he didn’t get out now, he wasn’t going anywhere.