Chloe and I were the only ones in our group who could not see in the dark, so we knew that the others already knew what we were approaching. On a raised stage was a woman. She was chained to a post that was cemented into the ground and secured to the ceiling. Her head was down and her chin was on her chest but we could hear her low moans of pain and agony.
“Mom?” I said, before I could help myself.
My voice cut through the silence and the moaning stopped. The woman’s body stiffened and her head came up slowly. Her skin was bruised around her mouth and left eye. Her complexion was lighter than mine but I could see that we shared the same nose. Her eyes, however, were almost milky white. I sucked in a breath and turned away before I started to cry. This woman had been severely beaten and tortured.
“Cheyenne? Is that you?”
The woman’s voice was almost phantom-like. Kind of like that voice you hear in your nightmares; the voice that is chasing you down a long and endless hallway.
I started to move forward when I was stopped, not by a member of the group, but by the next thing that came out of the woman’s mouth.
“Cheyenne, baby? Mommy's missed you.”
She began to ramble on and on about missing me and wanting to start over, but never once asked to be released from her prison. The entire situation was eerie and had an ominous feeling. Chloe’s face was streaked with tears as the truth became clear…regardless of the outcome of our mission, our mother was lost to us forever.
Zander signaled for us to remain quiet as he and Jordan approached the stage. It seemed too easy to break in and we still needed to get out of here. After checking for booby traps, Zander and Jordan returned to the group. We walked a small distance from the stage so that we weren’t overheard before they began to talk.
“She is definitely our mother but something isn't right. I've never seen eyes like that,” Zander looked pained.
“There doesn’t seem to be a trap on the stage. We should just cut her loose and get out of here,” Jordan grabbed Tabitha’s hand for comfort.
Chloe and I stood together waiting for the judgment call to come when our mother started to scream. The sounds were primal and ragged. She was no longer the concerned questioning mother. No, this person was much different. She was sounding an alarm.
Too late we realized that we had walked right into a trap. Violeta leapt onto the stage and silenced our mother with one clean slap across the face. She ripped the post out of its base and flung the unconscious woman over her shoulder. If I hadn't been afraid of Violeta before, I would have peed on myself just now.
Zander shut off the light, drowning the room with black, inky darkness. I felt a hand on my elbow and knew that Tabitha had my back. We swiftly took off in the direction opposite of the way we came. Jordan had studied the blueprints of the compound thoroughly. He had bribed the architect to obtain the remodeled version. I was certain that he was taking a secret passage…one that Grigor wouldn’t realize that we knew about. I could only hope that we were right.
The floor began to slant downward as we ran through an underground tunnel. The air quickly changed and Violeta’s relentless training kicked in as I had to recall my lessons in balance and coordination. It grew cooler the farther down we went, but it was also more humid. Chloe’s energy reached out to control the amount of moisture in the air.
About half a mile from the basement floor we stopped and Zander turned on a flashlight for Chloe and I. We had arrived at a fork; a cast iron gate that led to a path which went deeper into the Earth and a wooden door that led to an even darker incline. I had hoped that we were going to go back up when I heard noise from behind us.
It sounded like hundreds of footsteps approaching, but I knew it was just the echos making it sound that way. We stood there letting our scent penetrate the ground and stone around us. One of the Vampires was going to continue in the opposite direction of the group, carrying our scent with them to help us elude Grigor’s people.
Both the iron gate and the wooden door broke open at the same time as the light was extinguished. Tabitha pushed me toward the wooden door as she ran through the iron gate. She would be the bait while we escaped.
The sound of large dogs and running vampires filled the small chamber and proceeded past the iron gate in pursuit of Tabitha. From experience, I knew they would have to be extremely fast to catch her, but wasn’t so sure that they couldn’t. If Tabitha or anyone else, I would kill Grigor with my bare hands.
As if on que, our mother awoke and began to scream again. This time, being closer to her than before, I could plainly hear what she was saying.
“Grigor, damn you! I kept my word! I brought the little brat to you! Now give me my sight back! Embrace me!”
Her words stopped me in my tracks and Jordan ran right into the back of me. I ended up landing on the ground, hard, with almost two hundred pounds of Vampire on my back. I couldn’t breathe and panicked, sucking in so much air that the walls of the tunnel began to shake. Zola, because I refused to think of her as our mother any longer, stopped screaming for the lack of oxygen. Jordan threw me over his shoulder and began to run while Chloe tried to reverse the effects I was having on the air supply.
“Calm down, Sis, before we all pass out,” she was saying as we raced towards the surface. “Calm down and everything will be okay.”
Her breathing was pained and labored and I tried to concentrate and calm myself. I held onto Jordan for dear life as I deflated my lungs and tried to inhale slowly. This time, although it hurt like hell, I was able to get a bit of relief.
We rounded a corner and I struggled against Jordan’s hold. He let me down, mid-stride, and forced me to start running. We ran at top speed until we came to a door that led to a large room.
There was light in the tunnel allowing me to see Zola regain consciousness, bouncing back and forth over Violeta’s shoulder. She looked right at me with her milky eyes and smiled.
“Hi, you little brat!” she spat in my direction. “It’s about time you were worth the cost of labor.”
Violeta and Zander had stopped at the door and, just as she set Zola down, I grabbed her by the throat. At first no one moved to stop me. Violeta looked at me with pride and admiration while Chloe and my brothers looked on in sadness. It was Zander who stayed my hands and separated us.
The room around me was eerily quiet. There were several sets of bunk beds and three cribs. We were in a nursery and I feared Zola was the mother of the former inhabitants. I walked over to the nearest crib and saw the blankets were rumpled in a pile, the slats on the side covered in dust and cobwebs. Each bunk bed, however, was well made with hospital corners and fluffed pillows. It looked like this room was meant to house about 8 children, but none of them were to be found.
“You were the one he really wanted,” Zola continued, blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth. “The Prophesied One! Not the others. I delivered all of the others for nothing. All of them were worthless, little brats. All of them but you, Cheyenne! Well, now he can have you!”
I crumbled to the floor, horrified by the realization that my mother had betrayed me. This woman, who had brought me into the world, did so for her own gain. I thought of Efia and Pleasant, of their love and loyalty, wondering how they could be related to her.
I was The Prophesied One and, for that reason, this woman hated me. She continued to spit insult after insult at me. I wondered why no one shut her up. Their faces, sad but determined, offered nothing but love and support. I needed to hear this; I needed to know that this woman did not love me and I needed to hear it in the worst way.
The last three months of my life raced through my mind. I recalled running away from Tabitha in New Mexico, believing that my mother was finally sending for me. Meeting Chloe for the first time and wondering why she had only been concerned with killing Grigor but not saving her mother. I would say that I had an epiphany if it wasn’t for the fact that I felt so stupid. Everyone knew but me. Everyone knew this wasn’t a
true rescue mission. We just had to remove her so that she would stop producing children for Grigor.
It had been a trap all along and Tabitha was still out there. A trap designed to capture me and me alone. If I had just listened, my family would be safe at the compound. Chloe would be safe and Tabitha wouldn't be hunted like a dog. I didn’t want to think about it.
Standing, I walked straight up to Zola and slapped her, twice, hard. I was reaching back to slap her again when I heard laughter from the corner of the room. We all turned towards the sound as a tall slender figure emerge from the shadows. Grigor stood in an all white robe with gold accents. Identical to Efia's dreams, he looked like an angel until you looked more closely. He was the epitome of pure, unadulterated evil.
“My Lord,” crooned Zola. “Here she is. I told you I would deliver her to you.”
From behind us we heard more noise. This time it was not laughter. The dogs we encountered earlier had been joined by their Vampire handlers. We were thoroughly surrounded.
“Lord Oleander, they must have had an animal with them earlier. We found no trace of another intruder,” one of the Vampires who had just entered must have followed Tabitha's scent in the opposite direction. She had lost them.
“No, they had…,” Zola began.
Reaching back, I punched her with all of my strength. If it was my sentimental nature that had us trapped, I would do everything in my power to make sure Tabitha got away safely.
Her body sagged to the floor. After all of the years praying for my birth mother, the hatred I felt was a startling change of emotion. I hated this woman and really wanted to do her harm. I did manage, however, to control my energy so that Grigor was unaware of its existence. Knowing I was an Elemental Vampire, with control over more than one element, would only make me more valuable to him
Three of Grigor’s Vampires placed themselves between Zola and me. They were obviously ordered not to hurt me because the others appeared to be manhandling my family.
“So, this is The Prophesied One? The One that will become the greatest Vampire ever. And a girl at that!”
Grigor said the word 'girl' like it was an affliction. His eyes were black orbs, without conscience or sympathy and we were doomed unless I thought of something.
He walked over and placed his hands on the side of my head. He was trying to tell if I had any powers and I prayed my training paid off…I held on for as long as I could, then passed out.
Chapter 24
“Chey, wake up. Chey,” Chloe’s face was so close to mine that my eyes had to cross to look at her.
We had been moved into another room; alone. There was a couch with expensively embroidered pillows, a table and a high window that was so small that even Chloe was too big to fit through. The door looked like it was thick and reinforced with steel. There was also the sound of a motor or generator.
“Where are we?”
“I’m not sure. They brought us here right after you passed out. Good work! Grigor has no idea about your powers.”
Admiration shone in Chloe’s eyes as if I had done something more than simply faint. I couldn’t stand to look at her. If it weren’t for me and my need to find our mother she wouldn’t be there with me.
“Where are the others?”
“Grigor took them. He’s going to kill them, Chey.” Chloe broke down, then. Gone was her hard-as-nails attitude, replacing it was the 15 year old she truly was.
“No, Chlo, he isn’t. We'll figure something out.” I hoped I was right.
I stood up and walked to the door, feeling it with the palm of my hand. I wasn’t sure why I did that, but I could feel the air from inside the steel. Remembering my nerdy science teacher trying to get students to join the science club. He had said that very few things were 100% air tight. Most things have air in them, he had said. If he were right, then I could manipulate the air in the door. I reached out with my powers to look for air and found minute molecules of it throughout the door. It might just work.
The sound of a key in the door stopped me from telling Chloe what I had discovered. I jumped back to the couch, not wanting to give my plan away, and waited to see who was there. The door swung open to reveal Raphael and his twin flunkies. The three of them looked from me to Chloe and back, as if trying to choose between the two of us. Raphael appeared to be sizing Chloe up as if she were some sort of prize show horse
“So, we finally meet. I am Raphael,” his arrogant tone was not simply an act, he actually believed it.
He walked over to me and extended his hand. I held his gaze, refusing to be the first one to look away, I was rewarded when his sea foam green eyes dipped slightly from my glare. Satisfaction welled up inside of me.
“Well, we have been waiting for you for quite some time. Grigor says that you are the key to our longevity, kind of like a savior of sorts.”
“What do you want with me?”
“Your blood”, Raphael said, as if it was common knowledge.
“You and your family have just the blood that Lord Oleander needs to cure himself and his flock. He is thinking about breeding one or the both of you, but your mother proved more trouble than she was worth. He should simply drain the lot of you and be done with it.”
Raphael’s twin flunkies were standing near the door nodding with his every word. Wondering if there was a way to use their loyalty to him as a tool, I took a deep breath and sent a tiny bit of energy in their general direction. The twins immediately stiffened but did not move from their positions. I realized that they had no idea whose energy they were feeling. They probably thought Raphael was becoming excited by the prospect of spilled blood.
I sent another pulse towards them while keeping my attention on their leader. This time both of the twins stepped away from the door and joined Raphael in the middle of the room. Chloe sat on the couch with her arms wrapped around herself crying like a baby. My stomach clinched and I reached for her. Just then, as Raphael turned to look out of the window, Chloe glanced at me and winked.
Still lamenting about our deaths, Raphael spoke about the dynasty Grigor was birthing and how our blood would be the catalyst to his success. His ranting and Chloe's crying, concealed the small noises coming from Chloe's task. Upon closer examination, I noticed that she was removing the metal wiring that held the decorative braid around the pillow. She was so sly, in fact, that she had already done the same with two other pillows by the time I figured it out.
“…but, you would not understand the power of Lord Oleander,” Raphael went on. “He has telepathy and can control the weak-minded. I am proud to call him Sire.”
Then, Raphael turned to me and frowned. His power washed over me and I wondered how long I could hold out before I pushed back. I could see that he was beginning to sweat and his face was beginning to blur as a result of his exertion.. Standing, and without taking my eyes off of his face, I took and deep breathe…
“Raphael?”
Grigor stood in the doorway with Zola hanging on his arm. She looked like she had been drugged and she fought gravity to remain upright.
“Raphael, I thought I told you not to come in here. I do not want you or your men to be tempted to drink from these two. They are far too valuable to us.”
“My apologies, My Lord. I only wished to…well, to insure that they were not harmed by our men, Sire.”
Raphael sent me a harsh look before he turned and gazed submissively at Grigor.
“I want the ceremony to be perfect, My Lord.”
“You liar!” Zola screamed at Raphael. “You have always wanted to gain honor by draining them yourself. To gain power and prestige.”
Zola had let go of Grigor’s arm and was wagging her finger in Raphael’s face. Her words were slurred and she was teetering on her high heels. She wore a long ivory dress with a neckline down to her naval. The contrast of the dress against her brown skin made her look exotic and beautiful. The crazed expression on her face made her look crazy.
“Now, now, Zola. I am q
uite aware of Raphael’s motives.” Grigor said with a bored expression on his face. “Sit down, I have some news for you.”
Zola looked at Raphael with smug satisfaction as she made her way across the room. Chloe scrambled out of the way just as our mother made her less than graceful decent onto the couch. It was embarrassing to watch her as she righted herself and attempted to look important. She looked at me and Chloe as if she wished we were dead, before returning her attention to Grigor.
“I have good news for the two of you,” Grigor began. “As you now know, your mother and I have had plans for you since your births. It was always my intention that you would be raised here, so that you might learn the delicacies of our world, but that was not to be. The mere presence of your blood was too tempting for my flock. The very best that we could do was allow Cheyenne to be raised in ignorance of our world. Chloe, poor thing, has had her view of us tainted by those who do not understand our motives.”
Chloe looked at him with the contempt he deserved, but she remained silent. Her hands were clinched into fists as she fought to control her energy. She was using every bit of her training to remain subdued. I didn’t know what I would do if anything happened to her but I knew that I would die for this kid.
“…so, since the two of you have been without your mother for so long,” Grigor was saying, “I have decided to reunite the three of you.”
“What?”
Zola was on her feet in an instance. She tried to rush toward Grigor but tripped over the train of her dress. From the floor she looked up at Grigor with a mixture of fear and anger. Chloe and I, unlike our traitorous mother, were watching the four Vampires to see if there was an opening for an escape. Chloe pointed to the leg of the couch where she had stuffed the metal ribbing from the pillows. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do with them, but I knew they would come in handy.
Blood Descendants (St. Clair Vampires Book 1) Page 24
