by Ryans, Rae
Veric waited at the next set of steps and shook his covered head. Were all men eccentric in their headwear? Such a silly notion to think of at the time, but I clamped my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. Petre raised an eyebrow, and a slight smile tugged at his kissable lips. Once again, I wondered if my vampire had read my thoughts even though I knew better.
I breathed in, scenting a mouthwatering aroma. The scent itself I could not have placed, but reminded me of a sweet likeness to jam. My nose took over, and the men followed me with their weapons drawn. The swaying of my coat and skirts weren’t the only sounds. Soft crying filled my ears, and I halted. A tremble washed over my limbs, but my stilled heart hadn’t beat any faster; my heart hadn’t beat at all. At the sobs, my insides shredded. I knew those emotions. What these walls did to the soul, and what the men did to the innocents locked behind them. How I wished the brothels had crumbled back into the fiery depths of hell. Hard to think that I’d once found safety within them, afraid of the world outside. A month it had taken to open my eyes, but many more to follow until I’d heal.
Petre placed his hand on my arm, and I tensed from his touch. None of this was his fault, yet he remained by my side. He stormed the castles and slain the dragons, but it had no effect on the scars piercing and burning my skin. Revenge would not heal these wounds, but I bet their blood tasted sweet.
“Feed her, mate; I’ll check on the crying.” I shook my head and followed the demon. There were four doors, and one bathroom on the second level. We stayed together. Veric changed course and headed away from the sounds, and toward the second door. He placed his ear to the door. I didn’t understand and repeated his actions. A lone heartbeat pounded against the wood, and I jumped away. The agent hid his smile, and my hands fell to my hips. My mouth opened, ready to release my frustrations when another door flung open.
My fangs clicked out, and I pounced on the staggering half-nude man. No thinking as blood and hunger ripped through my veins. I sliced into his neck as the hot substance trickled down my throat. Worse than any whipping, it stung into my soul. My belly groaned at the filling, and I suckled his throat until the man had stopped thrashing in my arms. No one said a word. Breathless, I yanked myself back and wiped my hand. It shook, dripping with red blood, and I smiled.
“Sir can I have another,” Veric mocked in a childlike voice. My brow rose. “What you’ve never seen Oliver’s Twist?”
I shrugged and walked into the room the man came from. Two more slept near the fireplace. Four cots filled the space, and I approached each one. How would I know a friend from foe? I glanced to Petre, who remained silent, but his eyes trained on me. “Check their wrists and necks; bruises make them victims, luv.”
One by one, I looked them over, and each young man bore bruises. A tear slid down my cheek as we tiptoed to the next room. Every room held one uninjured man, and more battered boys. There were more now than yesterday according to Petre.
“Not a single demon either.” Veric removed his hat and scratched his dark head.
At last, we came to the room with the sobbing boy. I started to turn the handle when Petre shook his head. “You shouldn’t see—” Too late, I’d opened the door, and wished I hadn’t. A young boy hung suspended in the air from the ceiling, his body beaten to a bloody and bruised pulp, but his pain ended. He was dead; we were too late. The second boy lay tied to the bed and barely clung to life, whimpering in his unconsciousness. My heart crumbled into bits, and I grasped the doorframe for support. The door creaked wider, and my mouth dropped into a scream as the final beds slid into view.
My hands flung to my ears as my drums burst. On the last two beds slumped the corpses of Jobe and Mellissa. Bound by their wrists and their insides spilled, bloodying the sheets. Veric clamped a hand over my mouth, but the screams refused to end. I bit him hard, and his blood flooded my mouth. He yanked it away throwing curses.
Tears blinded my eyes as I struggled to stand. Petre ran to the boy’s side and slit his own wrist open. He turned the child’s head, and blood splattered against his dry mouth. I fought to free myself, but the demon held me harder.
“Bloody hell woman, calm down.” I blinked, realizing I wasn’t screaming anymore and faced him. My hand rose, and I slapped the bastard across the face. Fists tightened, and I pummeled into his acrid flesh until the strength had left me. “Hush now, luv, he’ll save the boy; we’ll save the boys.”
But we couldn’t save our friends. The solemn look on Petre’s face confirmed my fears. The two people, aside from him, that made me feel worthy of air were gone. Their death rested in my open, bloodied palms. I’d opened the door; I’d let them in, and I’d argued instead of fleeing. How would Petre ever forgive me? Could I have forgiven me?
“Get her out of here,” Petre growled, and his eyes glowed. His bloody fist clenched and shook. “Now.”
I jumped back and crashed into Veric’s solid chest. “Come now, luv.”
The agent escorted me downstairs. Those I’d awoken with my banshee screams followed us and rubbed tired eyes. I had no words for them, and my hands refused to steady. He gathered the children and young men together in the living room. There were thirteen of them, and they ranged in age from six to twenty-three. My eyes swept over them, but Veric ushered me to a chair in the kitchen and guarded the door with his massive body.
My head fell into my hands, but it was too much effort. Vampires didn’t sleep, but the weight of the events crushed and buried me as I sat there staring at the lawman’s backside. Nice and well-sculpted like the rest of his perfect body, but he wasn’t Petre.
“Leave us,” my vampire said, and Veric relented with a heavy sigh. Petre shut the door behind him. I refused to speak, not knowing what to say. ‘I’m sorry’ just didn’t have the right ring when it sounded off in my head. Even under the cloak of darkness, I saw the blood and dirt covering his hands. Silver eyes swept to me, and his forehead creased.
I opened my mouth to speak, and he held up his dirty hand. “Don’t.”
Petre paced to the sink. The pipes shuddered and groaned as he washed his hands clean and wiped them dry over his jeans.
“Korrigan, what the hell happened?”
I hated the way he used my name and the barking tone. His hand slammed down on the table, and I flinched, but words wouldn’t form. Petre grasped my chin and forced my gaze, as tears broke free. My lip quivered in time with my hands. Nails sliced through my skin and blood ran down my cheek, mixing with the salty tear. Like a badge, I’d swallowed the stinging ache, and understood vampires felt pain.
A knock rapped on the door, and it opened. “What the bloody hell are you doing to her?” Veric accused more than asked. “You so much lay hand-”
Petre let go; his eyes widened until there was no white or black, just silver pools. He shook his head and backed against the counter. “Oh god … Angel ... What did I do?”
The man I thought I’d loved proved more than capable of hurting me too, but I had deserved it. He knew it deep down, and a day would come when he believed it enough to send me away.
Veric knelt by my side; he caressed the wound as I relished in the tender sting. “You’re not healing, ducky.” God punished me; I wanted to say it but said nothing. “Be a good chap and fetch me a first aid kit.”
“Why not give her my blood?”
“Don’t think that’s a brilliant idea, mate. Angel was halfway into shock when I sat her here. I think she’s gone over the edge.”
My teeth chattered and deafened the roar of their voices. Inside my mind, I retreated and prayed for those shadows. Petre hated me because Jobe and Mellissa were dead. That little boy was dead too. My fault, I’d sent him away, put this stupid idea in Petre’s head. At the other house, I’d taken my time. Blood boiled and roared in my ears as decaying filth burned my nose. Nails dug into my flesh. Fists balled on the table, and the warm blood splattered against the plastic surface. Comfort and pain melded; I understood those emotions and drew them close to my cold
heart.
Screams filled the sound waves as my mouth dropped open. Hands grasped and shook my trembling body. Rough and strange, they cupped my face as my bloodied fists lashed out. The shadows came for me, rising from the ground and lunging for my body. I tore free and ran right into Petre’s chest. “I’m sorry,” I whispered into his t-shirt.
“I never blamed you, and I’m not starting now, Angel.” His arms tightened. “Kor, I don’t know what came over me. God I swear I never meant to hurt you.”
He’d hurt me. Those words sounded like nails scraping down a wall, and I’d heard them before, hundreds of times after Jules beat me. Empty words, I reminded myself as he touched my cut cheek.
“Why aren’t you healing?”
“Blood,” the demon answered. “New vampires feed often.” He mumbled about my control and how I hadn’t eaten the humans yet. The thought of biting through flesh made me woozy, and I swayed. I’d done it before, but they’d hurt innocents.
Later that morning, as the sun peaked over the horizon, I listened on as Petre offered freedom and jobs to the adults, whereas the minors headed home with us to Nova Scotia. All opted to remain with us. He acted surprised when they’d accepted his offer, and I’d witnessed the argument he held with Veric.
“I don’t trust them.” Petre raked a hand through his disheveled locks. “What if they make a move on her?”
The demon snorted. “Flash your fangs, mate.” Both men silenced when I coughed.
Petre caressed my cheek. “How are you holding up Angel?” Veric glanced away.
I snapped, “Fine.”
A slow breath released from his tight jaw, and he glared at me. “Don’t lie to me.” Petre pressed me, and I backed into the wall. My eyes darted down and back to his eerie gaze. “You can’t save everyone.” I blinked, and his lips twitched. My hands fidgeted as he leaned closer. The intensity of his presence washed over my skin, and I had to glance away before I did something foolish. “Kor, there’s too many.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. Flashes of last night should’ve sounded a warning, but I fought them. If Petre wanted me to forgive him, then this was a fine place to start.
I licked my parched lips. “You think we asked for this life?” My head grew hot as the rage induced inferno spread. “We chose to become sex slaves?”
“Some do, luv.”
“Shut up.”
Petre’s lips tickled my forehead. “One day I may say no to you.” He marched from the room and barreled upstairs. His boots might as well have been a herd of elephants.
I winced. “Say no to what?”
“Your insane demands,” the agent whispered. Veric blinked and cocked his auburn head. In the dark, I’d assumed it was brown. The light skimmed his scar; I wondered where and how he’d gotten his. Interesting that we’d all have that in common, scarred, battered, and broken. Who’d broken the big bad demon?
A sigh fell from my lips, and a pained expression crossed Veric’s hardened face. I brushed it off and concentrated on how to pull off transporting everyone. Tomas had been successful, true, but he wasn’t here yet. The downside remained a huge hurdle. Tomas held all the documents, and it would take a few days for them to arrive. He’d deliver them himself. Until then we had to bunker down and stick together. More so, we all had to survive and evade Jules.
I fought the memories again as they reared their ugly heads. Would love ever be enough to burn through the internal demons tearing at my soul. Between my past and the blood on my hands, I was doomed and deserved no one’s love.
“Your mind’s churning.”
I shrugged and wandered outside. Petre followed. The sun rose higher, and I squinted, shielding my eyes from the new brightness burning them. He handed me a pair of glasses with dark lenses. I laughed, betting Tomas owned goggles for such occasions. Part of me hoped he owned a pair that dulled the senses. My life had changed overnight. Colors grew brighter than I’d ever witnessed before, and my head ached from their beauty.
“Two visitors came to the back door a week after you left. I’d just come inside from a walk.” I took a deep breath and explained every detail I could recall. Sometimes I blacked out and awoke in a new area. Countless times Jules had assaulted me, and my voice trembled as I retold of the abuses. I fought for as long as I could. The difference, this time, was the knowledge Petre shared. Worth more than my body even if I hadn’t believed him before. In those moments with the monster, I’d felt it in my heart.
Petre sniffed, but if I so much as glanced at him, I’d have lost my courage continue. It was why I refused to turn my back on the men inside. As long as they were human, they couldn’t fight back. My knees crumpled into the snow, and my head dropped. No matter how hard I tried, I’d always be a whore, and pieces of me forever haunted the brothel walls.
“Please, I need to be alone.” He said no and plopped beside me.
“I can get us through customs once we cross the border.” Veric paced the rear foyer and glanced over his shoulder. Even through the door, I’d heard him. “It’s this side I’m worried about.”
Petre sat there and explained how Tomas had ushered the girls across the border. I listened, grasping his hand and clinging to his comfort. My body trembled, afraid he would leave me again. He must have sensed it too and held me tighter.
“When we return, you and I are going to have a nice long talk.” The tone staggered, and I had a feeling it’d be anything but nice. The door slammed behind us as Veric left to gather supplies. His energy brushed against my skin, and I longed to ask the strange demon about the dreams.
In the dead of winter, fuel remained scarce. This block didn’t attach into the main biofuel line, but even after Petre explained the process, I had not quite understood anything he’d said. Time passed, but I didn’t have a watch. One moment it was light, and next the clouds arrived. They offered relief from the blinding light and dumped another blanket of snow over the grounds. Petre rose and tugged me up too. I could’ve wallowed in the weather, but he dragged me inside.
Our demon friend returned some time later. I’d clattered around in the kitchen searching for pots and pans. Veric brought root vegetables, loaves of bread, and something he called fish. Although from where, I didn’t ask. I laughed when he unwrapped the large-scaly beast and curled my nose at its salty scent.
“Sea bass.” Its mouth lay open, and the silvery body shimmered in the pale light. The massive fish would provide plenty when combined with the bread and vegetables.
I poked at the half frozen scales. “But how do I cook it?”
Veric chewed his lip and stormed outside. His massive frame moved as fast as a vampire did. Clinkering noises rattled my brain, and I poked my head outside to investigate. He set up a large metal box with metal slats over the top. Below it sat little black squares. Those he lit with a long match. “Before … the … this is charcoal, it burns hot, and cooks food.”
“Before the what?” Petre asked. The metal door slammed behind him, and I grasped my temples. “You’re hiding something, and I want to know what it is.”
Veric shrugged, pushed past him, and retrieved the fish from my hands. He asked me to venture inside and seek out any seasonings. My eyes darted to Petre, not for permission, but in case he wanted me to stay. He gave a curt nod, and I scurried back inside. The cabinets were bare of most items, but I managed to find salt, pepper, and a spice I couldn’t pronounce. With the items in tow, I brought them back outside.
My eyes looked up as I heard another crash. Petre and Veric were fighting. Fists slammed, knees jerked, and my eyes darted around catching their increased movements. The items had toppled from my hands and thudded into the snow.
“Stop it,” I cried out. They ignored me. Demon Spawn snorted, and trotted closer, but my eyes stayed on the men. Blood painted the snow, but each man healed from the blows. The horse’s feet crunched closer. I knew it was the wrong word, but I wasn’t an expert on animals, and I’d been around the large beas
ts for a month.
His nose nudged me, and I faced the horse. Red eyes stared at me, and I stepped back. Shadows, he bore the shadows. He stepped forward, the snow sizzling beneath his feet. My hands trembled, and my eyes sought out Petre. Steam rose up from the ground, and I backed against the wall. I saw nothing, but his black head and crimson eyes.
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. My lungs constricted, pressing, heaving for air they didn’t require. The air grew thicker on my damp skin. Sweaty palms pressed against icy brick. My mind swam with confusion as the images of a young woman’s death flickered before my eyes. The murderer looked like my Petre until his azure eyes glanced over his shoulder. Another man shouted; his pale hands trembled with the length of his body. “What have you done, brother?”
The man didn’t flinch; his bloodied hands rose above. “It begins.”
The strange memory jumped in time. He transformed into an ebony stallion, rearing up and kicking Petre’s face. He shrieked and dropped to his knees; fangs pierced through gums, and his head flung back. The two faced off, circling one another. Every strike against his flesh burned. Pink streaks rolled down his face as the skin knitted back together, but the first scar remained.
“Kor, Angel.” Hands shook my body, and I blinked. Slowly the two men came into focus, and Demon Spawn was gone. My fingers curled around Petre, and he dragged me into his arms. The woman’s eyes, cold and lifeless, and his words echoed in my ears. Something changed that day, and it was more than the curse. A bond between brothers shattered. My body shuddered, not from the cold, but from the deed.
His lips fluttered over my cheeks, and he repeated my name. Words wouldn’t come. The girl in the vision, she might’ve been me. She even looked like me. If Petre hadn’t saved me … would I have become a lifeless corpse with cold black eyes? Jules proved himself more than capable of despicable deeds. After all, he’d snapped my … my hand rubbed my neck.
“She needs blood, mate.” Blood, the word sounded odd. I didn’t drink blood; I wasn’t a … pressure built in my gums. My eyes watered into blackness, and my head shook. I was … how had I forgotten? “For God’s sake mate, she’s going into shock again.” A slap sounded in my ears, but no one struck me. Warmth flooded my mouth, and my throat roared with hunger.
