Music pounded and the stale scent of sweaty bodies filled the air. Beams of colored light cut through the darkness, a flashing strobe causing Serenity to blink.
No one paid the two new arrivals any attention.
There was no sign of any other vampires. Two bouncers stood with their arms folded across their chests, surveying the clubbers, and a couple of humans served behind a bar situated at the back of the club. The place appeared to be devoid of the supernatural.
“Come on,” Sebastian yelled over the music. “They must be in Demitri’s room.”
“We should look for Elizabeth first,” she shouted back. “If she’s being kept somewhere away from the vampires, we should try to get to her and avoid any confrontation with Demitri.”
Sebastian nodded and Serenity allowed him to guide her through the club.
Still hand in hand, the two made their way through the crowd of people. Relieved to get out of the deafening surroundings, he headed to the same exit Natasha and Vincent had taken them through. Taking Serenity by surprise, but not having time to explain, he scooped her up in his arms. He moved quickly and whipped open the door and vanished, too fast for any of the partygoers to notice.
They entered a corridor, the air stale with old beer and cigarette smoke—a ghost of the days when smoking was allowed in such places. The music was muffled now, a relief for Sebastian. The beat and volume had been unbearable.
Serenity stood beside him, her heartbeat and breathing now audible. While thankful to be able to hear such things again, he was also aware that if he could hear Serenity, there was a good chance Demitri and the other two might be able to hear them also.
He put a hand out and stopped Serenity. “Wait. I need to see if I can hear anything.”
Murmured voices came from a distance, but he couldn’t tell if any of the voices were Elizabeth’s or if she was close. Even so, he knew the vampires were nowhere near, leaving them free to explore.
Light on their feet, they followed the corridor past the fire escape door, which was also conveniently bolted with a metal chain. Several passageways led off the main one, but Sebastian allowed his senses to guide him forward, Serenity running on her toes beside him.
Elizabeth’s scent suddenly flooded his nostrils—her smell distinctive, so unlike any other. She had the strange non-odor of a vampire, but with the iron of life beneath.
Sebastian’s nostril flared. Something was different about her smell. The human part seemed fainter, less vibrant, and the bland nothingness one vampire picked up from another was stronger.
The change made him nervous and he picked up his pace, pulling Serenity along.
“She’s close, I can smell her.”
As he rounded the corner, he realized the sound of her heartbeat was missing. Dread hit him, making his stomach clench. Only two reasons jumped to mind about the reason for the missing heartbeat: Demitri had somehow found a way to make her fully a vampire or she was already dead.
The real reason soon became apparent.
At the end of the corridor, was a storeroom. The door had been left wide open. Boxes and crates of bottled beer and other beverages were stacked high against the walls. Large cylinders of draft beer were pushed toward the back. Just beyond the doorway, several cushions and a blanket lay discarded and rumpled on the hard concrete floor.
The reason Elizabeth’s scent had been so strong. Clearly, these few meager items had served as her bedding.
Sebastian left Serenity’s side and moved with speed, dropping to his knees beside the blanket. Elizabeth’s scent blasted from the material, causing his heart to contract. He hadn’t given thought to how much he missed her. He lifted the blanket to his face, taking some comfort in having something she’d touched against his skin.
Serenity touched his shoulder and he turned his face up to her. She bit her lower lip and looked around at the concrete floor and the cold, stark and uncomfortable surroundings.
“This is where they kept her.”
It wasn’t a question, but Sebastian nodded anyway.
“Son of a bitch,” she spat. “How could he keep a little girl locked up down here?” Sadness overcame anger and her voice broke. “My poor baby.”
“Demitri must have her with him,” he said, reached up to cover Serenity’s hand with his own. “Assuming they’ve not taken her out somewhere, she must be in his lair.”
Demitri’s lair was built directly below the club’s dance floor. What must have once been a cellar was now much deeper and, after having money thrown at it from every direction, had been turned into his luxurious room. Though the result was too vast to be called a room—it was more like a hall.
Being beneath the ground and having the noise of the club above, there was no risk of anyone hearing the screams of the victims the vampires fed on. As a further benefit, no safer place from the sun existed than beneath ground. Sebastian had learned that much himself several years earlier when he’d hidden himself away in an underground tunnel system in Turkey.
They took several turns, each time Sebastian following both his nose and the muttered voices he’d picked up on earlier. The corridors were a maze beneath the club, several new branches running from the main one which ran in a square around the outskirts of the club. The ceilings were low, causing Sebastian to duck in some places. The confined space was with lit with harsh, fluorescent strips of lighting.
As they got closer, both Elizabeth’s scent and the voices grew more distinct.
At the end of the corridor, the closed double doors of Demitri’s cavern blocked the way. Just beneath the subdued voices, Sebastian detected the fast patter of Elizabeth’s heartbeat.
Outside of the doors, they drew to a stop.
“I’ll go inside and distract them,” said Sebastian in a low voice. “You do what Bridget instructed and grab Elizabeth. Don’t pause for a second, whatever happens.”
Serenity looked up at him, her lips tight with worry, and nodded. They both knew how dangerous this was, how there was a good chance Sebastian might not make it out with them—if any of them made it at all.
He studied her, taking in her long dark lashes, doe-eyes and smooth, soft skin. Her beauty had always been obvious to him, even when she’d been left emaciated and ravaged by Jackson.
She reached up, placed her hands around his neck and stood on tiptoes to place her cheek against his, eyes closed.
“I love you,” she whispered, her soft lips brushing against the lobe of his ear.
“I love you too,” he said. “And I love Elizabeth. If I don’t make it out, make sure you tell her how much I love her.”
Taking him by surprise, Serenity pushed his shoulder with the palm of her hand, breaking away from him. “Don’t talk like that!”
He caught her by the wrist. Tears trembled in her dark eyes and he imprinted the sight of her on his mind. If things went as he expected and he ended up as Demitri’s prisoner, this might be the last time he saw her.
“Elizabeth is on the other side of that door,” he said, fixing her with his gaze. “Once upon a time, you told me if you had to choose between her life and your own, you’d choose hers every time. You said you wouldn’t want to live in a world with her not in it. I took you at your word and saved her that night in the mine and I did so at your expense. Elizabeth is my daughter as well. At least allow me to make the same sacrifice.”
He reached out and traced his knuckles along the fine line of her jaw. Serenity took hold of his hand and pressed his fingers to her lips.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Okay.”
Inside the room, the voices fell silent.
They’d been heard.
“They know I’m here,” he hissed.
Sebastian gave her one last, fierce kiss, relishing the taste of her on his mouth, before moving at his vampire’s speed, flying through the double doors, leaving them banging in his wake.
He came to rest in front of Demitri’s desk,
“Daddy!” Elizabeth yelled, trying
to jump up from where Demitri held her on his lap. But the older vampire held her firm, his long pale fingers on her small shoulders. The sight of his old comrade holding his daughter so intimately made him want to leap across the desk and tear the other vampire’s head from his shoulders.
In his mind, he saw himself standing over Jackson, plunging his hand deep into the monster’s chest to rip out his cold, hard heart. This time it wasn’t Jackson he envisioned himself standing over, but Demitri.
But his wishes were empty. He could no more rip Demitri’s heart out than he could his own. Sure, he could fight Demitri, attack him, but if he tried to take the vampire’s life, his strength would melt away and he’d be left weak and helpless.
The blonde, Natasha, stood just behind the huge black leather chair Demitri sat in, her hand resting on the back. Her fingers, tipped by blood red nails, drummed the leather.
Upon seeing Sebastian, no surprise registered in Demitri’s handsome features. Instead, a slow smile spread across his face.
“Sebastian! We’ve been waiting for you. How good of you to grace us with your presence. Of course, your clever child here had already told us you were on the way.”
Elizabeth’s lower lip poked out, her small face crumpling. Tears trembled in her dark eyes, matting together her thick lashes. The look was so reminiscent of Serenity that it stung his heart.
“I’m sorry, Sebastian,” she said.
His lifted his hand slightly, wanting to comfort her but not daring to take a step closer to Demitri until he’d assessed the other vampire’s intentions.
“It’s okay, Elizabeth. None of this is your fault.”
Natasha moved forward, bringing herself in line with the chair. Sebastian wondered where the other vampire, Vincent, was.
“What shall we do with him, Demitri?” asked Natasha. “Bury him beneath the floor? He could be there for centuries and no one would ever hear him screaming.”
Sebastian snarled. “You couldn’t do a thing to me, and you know it. I’m stronger than you’ll ever be.”
She snorted. “Not with Demitri’s help you’re not.”
Demitri lifted a hand to silence her, releasing one of Elizabeth’s shoulders. Sebastian watched his every move, his mind whirring over ways in which to get Elizabeth away from him.
“Hush, Natasha. We already know how this is going to play out, thanks to our little Dhampyre here. We must wait for her mother to get here before we make any decisions.”
Sebastian stiffened. If this thing had gone to plan, they shouldn’t even have been aware of Serenity’s presence.
Chapter Twenty-two
Serenity stood on the other side of the door, listening to the voices of the vampires. It became clear Demitri was aware of her involvement in trying to get Elizabeth back, she just wasn’t sure how much he knew.
Feeling faintly ridiculous despite her fear, she took the small fabric pouch from her pocket. Sweat slicked her palms, leaving damp patches on the silky material. Her heart felt as though it had crawled into her throat, its pounding filling her whole body. The amount of adrenaline pumping through her veins made her sick, but her only focus was Elizabeth and Sebastian. No matter how frightened she was, she’d do anything to get them back.
Bridget had stitched the pouch shut—apparently necessary to keep in the magic—so she tore at the stitches with her blunt nails. At first the cotton held, but then the threads began to fray until they finally popped.
Please let this work, please let this work…
She repeated the chant over and over.
I’m doing it now, Bridget, she called out in her mind, hoping somehow her thoughts would be transported through the ether and Bridget was doing her part of the process.
Serenity pulled open a split in the pouch. The thought that she was doing something people on the outside might view as crazy washed through her again, but she ignored it and tipped the contents over her head and shoulders. Bridget had burned the hair and herbs down to a fine powder and Serenity barely felt the dust fall over her.
She held her breath, expecting a different sensation to wash over her, but there was nothing; no tingling over her skin, no prickling of the hairs on the back of her neck. Nothing.
Oh God, it’s not working.
She knew it as certainly as she knew her own name. She didn’t understand much about magic, but when she’d been in its presence the air had been charged. Right now, she felt no different than if she’d just sprinkled the contents of a teabag over her head.
Her stomach sank and her throat closed with despair. She heard a thin, whining sound and realized it had come from her own mouth. What did they have now? What should she do? She could hardly leave Sebastian and Elizabeth here and go back to the hotel to see Bridget and find out what had happened.
She reached back into her pocket and fingered the second pouch Bridget had given her—the ‘insurance’ Bridget had thought to give her.
Had Bridget somehow known she’d need it, that the spell wouldn’t work? Surely Bridget wouldn’t have sent them in knowing the magic wouldn’t work.
No, Serenity shook the thought from her head. The vampire blood must be to blame. Damn it.
She couldn’t just turn her back and walk away from her family. The idea was unthinkable. She had no other choice; she needed to go in, face Demitri, and get her daughter back.
Serenity closed her eyes for a moment, centering herself. To show fear to the vampires was like waving a chunk of steak in front of a tiger’s face. She needed to go in with her shoulders back and her head held high.
Taking a deep, shuddery breath, she forced her legs to move. She placed her hands against the double doors and pushed.
The moment she entered the room, Demitri’s gaze turned to her.
“Mommy!” Elizabeth cried out in delight, her dark eyes brightening.
Sebastian spun to face her and she crossed the room toward him, wanting to take her place beside him in front of the evil bastard who sat behind his pretentious desk with her daughter on his lap.
Though she trembled all over, she put her hands on her hips and stared back at Demitri.
“Give us our daughter back, you son of a bitch.”
“What are you doing, Serenity?” Sebastian exclaimed. His eyes had taken on a glint of panic she was unused to seeing in his face.
“I won’t simply exchange your life for Elizabeth’s. I love you both and I intend on taking my whole family home with me.”
Demitri threw back his head and laughed. “This is all too good to be true. The whole family here together. How touching.” He released his grip on Elizabeth and she sprang from his lap and raced over to Serenity.
Serenity scooped her up in her arms, burying her face in her daughter’s soft hair. Elizabeth clutched her, her arms around her neck, her legs locked around Serenity’s waist.
“I’m sorry, Mommy,” she mumbled against Serenity’s neck.
“Shhh, you’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”
“I told them what was going to happen. He gave me blood to drink, and I really liked it, and that’s why I told them.”
Sebastian’s head flicked back to Demitri, glaring at him, eyes blazing. “You fed her blood?”
Demitri shrugged. “I needed to make her vampire side stronger.”
“You sick piece of shit.”
“Now, now, Sebastian. I know you, remember? I know all the things you used to get up to before you went all…” He made a circular motion with his hand as if searching for the word. “Humanized on me.”
Wanting to keep her hands free, Serenity untangled Elizabeth’s limbs from hers and set her down between herself and Sebastian. Sebastian reached down and placed his large palm on Elizabeth’s head. The little girl looked up at him with wide, adoring eyes and Serenity wanted to cry. She couldn’t let anything tear them apart, she simply couldn’t.
Elizabeth tugged on Sebastian’s shirt. “You’re going to get hurt, Daddy. I saw it!”
Serenity fe
lt as though someone had just punched her in the stomach, an automatic ‘oh’ of shock bursting from her lips. Sebastian, however, didn’t react to the news, at least not on the outside.
“Shhh,” he stroked Elizabeth’s hair. “I’m going to be just fine. You wait and see.”
“But I saw it happen! I saw you getting hurt.”
Demitri watched, making no effort to stop Elizabeth from telling them. Perhaps he felt sure the future couldn’t be changed, that her telling Sebastian of his fate wouldn’t affect the outcome.
Serenity prayed he was wrong.
Demitri walked around his desk and stopped in front of Serenity. Like Sebastian, the vampire seemed to take up more space than a real person—as though his aura were a tangible part of him. His long dark hair shone like silk and, as she watched, he reached up and tucked it behind his ears. His slightly too broad nose did nothing to diminish his features, instead making him appear even more masculine. His dark eyes, with their gold rims, bore right through her.
He stopped—his body only inches from hers—and stared into her eyes, focusing on her with his intense gaze. She forced herself to stare back, hoping he didn’t pick up on the tremors which seemed to wrack through her body.
Demitri lifted a hand and touched her cheek with cool fingers. Beside her, she heard Sebastian’s sharp intake of breath. The air between them seemed to stiffen as Sebastian held himself back from what Serenity felt sure was his desire to attack.
“Maybe I should keep you too,” said Demitri. “You are very beautiful and it’s been awhile since I had a human companion.”
From behind Demitri’s desk, one hand still resting on his chair, Natasha glared at Serenity.
Serenity forced herself not to flinch from Demitri’s touch. “I’ll stay with you if you let me take care of my daughter.”
The Serenity Series: Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 62
