SV02-06. Slave to a Vampire

by Katrina Kahler

  “I shall bury the human bodies and then we will find cover for the day,” Tula said, springing into action.

  Bastian kept the vampire bodies burning, moving them farther into the flames while Tula gave the two dead women a decent burial on the island. The night wasn’t even halfway over, but it would take them that long to find shelter from the sun and make their plan for the night. Bastian hoped that when the sun set once more, he would have Catherine back in his arms and Victoria would be dead. Then he could try to understand why the monster who changed him all those years ago, wanted him back.

  Chapter 8

  Catherine ducked down beneath the trees, holding her breath and trying not to panic. The vampires had been yelling for her and she’d managed to stay ahead of them, following the coast line as she tried to think of a way off the island. The surrounding islands were too far for her to swim, in the dark, especially with the other vampires chasing her.

  But then again, if she simply sat there in the dark, they would find her before the night was over.

  She was trapped and the only thing keeping her going was Bastian. Earlier, she swore she heard his voice in her mind, telling her he was coming for her. Where he was, she didn’t know, but if what she heard was true then there was hope that she would make it out of this alive. If she had to channel the darkest part of her to do it, then she would. To survive and see him again, she would do whatever she had to.

  The coastline had turned uphill and she found herself nearing a cliff, waves crashing up against it. She meant to turn back inwards to the island, but rushing footsteps had halted her moves. Frozen to the spot, her lets began to cramp and scream in protest.

  “Catherine! I can smell your fear,” Charlotte called out, much too close for comfort. “You cannot hide forever, my dear friend. Come out now and I promise to go easy on you.”

  Catherine shrank further back into the brush, covering her mouth with her hands as Charlotte’s steps neared.

  “You were my friend. I thought we understood each other and then you betrayed me.”

  To the left came more crunching steps as Charlotte’s voice called out from right in front of her. There was nowhere to run. If she backed up any farther, she would leave the cover of the trees and be standing on the edge of the cliff.

  “Oh Catherine. So innocent. I thought you would disappear into the background of the plantation, disappear, but you had to win the heart of Master Lavelle. The man I wanted for myself.”

  Charlotte snarled from the darkness and Catherine’s body shivered at the sound, a tear slipping from her eye at the rage in her friend’s voice. “He was mine! And you manipulated him! You stole my chance at freedom!”

  Catherine shook her head in silent protest, but didn’t dare say anything. The footsteps to her left receded and Charlotte fell silent. For half a heartbeat, she thought she was safe until two pale hands crashed through the brush before her and yanked her out by her shoulders. Catherine screamed, struggling to get away, but Charlotte’s nails dug into her, drawing blood and her head lowered to Catherine’s neck to feed. She was brutal and Catherine shuddered as pain wracked her body and the screams turned hoarse, cracking in her throat.

  Catherine’s strength started to wane and black spots filled her vision.

  This is it. Charlotte is going to drain me and I’ll never see Bastian again, she thought, trying to stay conscious. Bastian…

  She was falling. The ground rushed up to meet her and she cringed as she hit the dirt hard. Charlotte stood over her, licking her lips and grinning madly in the moonlight.

  “If only I could finish you off, but Victoria would not be too pleased with me.”

  Catherine shook her head and glanced around. The cliff. She was near the cliff. Her thoughts muddled, but she dragged herself closer to it, the sound of the waves drawing her near. Maybe she should jump and save herself from a terrible death?

  Or maybe you should send Charlotte over the cliff.

  Catherine never thought the day would come when she would consider killing someone she had once called friend, who had been by her side when her life was taken from her, but now that same friend was bent on revenge. She had fallen in love with Bastian. She was not to blame for that, but Charlotte would never understand.

  Grimacing in pain and knowing she was drifting deeper into the darkness, Catherine forced herself to her knees and then with a deep breath, stood.

  “You should learn to stay down,” Charlotte snarled. “It is your rightful place. You will always be a slave.”

  “I am sorry for you,” Catherine said quietly.

  Charlotte’s fangs, still covered in blood, took a step forward. “Sorry for me? I am freer than I ever thought possible! I will rule those around me and will never be held beneath a man again. I am free to do as I will.”

  “I am sorry,” Catherine went on, “that you believe I lied to you. Bastian would never have loved you Charlotte, because you do not know how to love. You never did.”

  “You dare speak to me like that?”

  “Yes I dare,” Catherine snapped, pulling on her love for Bastian and knowing what he would do if he were here. She stepped closer to the cliff. “He saw you, several times, and yet he chose me over you.”

  Charlotte gnashed her teeth, her hands stretching closer to Catherine. “I will tear your head from your shoulders!”

  “You wish to bring down Victoria’s wrath on you?” Her voice shook out of fear, but she didn’t stop and took another step backwards. Her heels rested on the very edge, stones crumbling beneath them and cracking against the cliff as they fell. “You will never be anything to him or anyone. You are cold and heartless. I should have known it the moment we reached the plantation!”

  Charlotte growled and lunged forward. She was fast, but Catherine fell with a scream to the dirt, pressing herself flat. Charlotte blurred over her and scrabbled to catch the edge of the cliff. Her nails dug into the ground and she held on, ready to pull herself back up until Catherine yelled and kicked Charlotte hard in the face. She lost her hold and fell backwards, screaming as she plummeted down into the waves.

  Catherine groaned in pain, her vision blurring once again, but managed to crawl to the edge and peered over.

  Charlotte’s head broke the surface, but then something else dragged her back under. There was thrashing and then nothing. Catherine’s lips curled into a dark smile, she thought that Bastian would be proud of her, then collapsed at the edge, her hand dangling over into nothingness.

  A few moments later, she heard voices surrounding her and was yanked up to her feet by her hair. Too weak to hold herself up, she let her head loll on her shoulders until someone smacked her hard across the face and she screamed. Victoria hissed in her ear, but she couldn’t understand the words. Everything was muffled. She was smacked again, but this time couldn’t find the strength to do anything, except take the pain.

  “Charlotte! Where is she?”

  The question penetrated her mind that time and Catherine tried to raise her head to glare at Victoria, a triumphant smile finding its way back to her face. “I think she went for a late night swim.”

  Victoria released her grip and Catherine crumpled to the ground once again, her own words running through her mind. When had she turned so violent, ruthless? Had Bastian been right to worry about changing her into a vampire?

  Would she become a monster like Victoria?

  “Bring her! We do not have time for this. Bind her legs and wrists and do not let her out of your sight Ridley or you will end up over the cliff with Charlotte,” Victoria snarled.

  Catherine let herself be repositioned as her hands and feet were bound. She had lost her chance to escape, but it did not compare to the dark seed sprouting inside her. She had killed Charlotte and she wanted to kill again. She wanted to rip Victoria’s head from her body. If given the chance, she would do it without hesitation.

  What is happening to me? Worry consumed her and she was carried off once again into the jungle
with the heavy realization hanging over her that she could never go back to who she used to be. Maybe that was not such a terrible thing. As Ridley picked her up once again, her hand brushed against his side and she felt something hard there, a dagger! If she could get it, maybe she could take out one more of her captors.

  And send yourself farther into darkness, the voice warned.

  But Catherine didn’t listen to it. She couldn’t if she hoped to live.

  Chapter 9

  Victoria did not want to wait for the sun to set, but she had little choice. Soon enough they would reach the others, the trap would be set, and then Bastian would be hers again. She would rid herself of this mortal and return triumphantly to her master.

  “How did she break the compulsion?” Haddie asked.

  Victoria snarled, hating the woman for always sneaking up on her. “I do not know. It happens.”

  “Not usually.” Haddie glanced back at Catherine, still unconscious and sitting between Ridley and another vampire. “Curious what drives this girl to continue to fight. I dare say her love for Bastian is quite strong, if it drives off your power.”

  “It is not love,” she snapped. “It is mere attraction, something I will break with her death.”

  “Or you will drive him to insanity at the loss. I have seen it once before, a vampire losing the one he loved. Drove him to kill his own and slaughter an entire village.”

  “Why do you tell me this?”

  “So you understand the consequence of playing with a fire you do not understand.” Haddie glanced towards the ceiling of the second abandoned shack on the island, along the coast and close enough for them to reach the meeting point before the sun rose on the following day. “Come, it is time to move. The master does not like to be kept waiting.”

  “How do you know him?” Victoria asked.

  Haddie’s smile was bitter and filled with regret, but all she said was, “I know many things about many people, Victoria. Come, we cannot linger.”

  She left the small confines of the shack, leaving the door open. The sun hovered over the horizon, but it was low enough for them all to file out. The vampires that could not fit inside came out from the cover of the dense jungle. Ridley emerged with Catherine tossed over his shoulder. Victoria wanted to feast on the girl once more, but Charlotte had nearly drained her at the cliff.

  The young woman had potential, but sadly she did not know when to put her anger aside. Victoria glanced at those with her and scented the air. No Bastian, not yet, but if he truly loved this woman, he would not be far behind.

  The crossing between islands was not far. They would swim. Victoria told Ridley to make certain he did not let Catherine drown; she needed her to be alive. Ridley repositioned her so her head was near his and followed the rest of them into the water. They had swum halfway across when Victoria heard Catherine sputter and cough behind her, but Ridley had her head well above the water. Catherine kicked and struggled fighting to get free, until Victoria yelled at him to shut her up. His eyes flared and a moment later there was silence.

  Victoria would hear her screams soon enough, on her terms and not before.

  When they reached the beach, she waited for them all to climb out of the water. Ridley still carried Catherine, her lips clamped tightly closed and her eyes were filled with a fire Victoria hadn’t noticed before.

  “You enjoyed killing Charlotte, didn’t you,” she said, but Catherine could not open her mouth to speak. “Perhaps it is time Bastian learns of your true nature, that you are just like me.”

  “I am nothing like you.”

  Ridley flinched to hear her voice and Victoria snarled. Her eyes flared red and she silenced Catherine once more. Her face scrunched as her lips shut once again, but a moment later, Catherine laughed.

  “I do not listen to you.”

  Victoria’s hand reached up, her mind racing as Haddie’s words repeated themselves in her mind. “You will be silent or I will rip out your tongue.”

  Catherine quieted her laughter, but her eyes did not lose their fighting spirit. Soon enough, Victoria would break her. The master did not care about Catherine; there was no reason not to destroy her once they had Bastian…and Catherine realized this.

  “Move! We must reach the center of the island.”

  Victoria turned her back on Catherine and stalked into the jungle once again, trying to ignore the way Haddie watched her. No one could resist compulsion, certainly not a mortal. It didn’t make sense and yet the woman seemed to grow stronger instead of weaker.

  Firelight appeared in the distance through the trees and Victoria sped up, ready to get to the end of this.

  “Rupert! You best have food for all of us,” Victoria called out, but the man before the fire didn’t turn to face her. “Rupert?”

  Yells erupted behind her and she whirled around to see a line of fire spread through the trees, separating her, Haddie and Ridley from the rest of those following her. A figure raced between them, blood covering their faces as several were relieved of their heads. She tried to rush forward, but a dark cackle stopped her. She turned slowly and watched as the man who stood before the fire, turned slowly to face her, the firelight flickering against his beautiful face and the shadow of his body.

  “Bastian.”

  “Victoria. So glad you finally arrived to your own trap. Please,” he said and stepped forward, “let me show you my gratitude.”

  ***

  Bastian saw Catherine thrown over Ridley’s shoulder, hands bound, neck and face bloodied and bruised. His fury rose white hot within him, but he kept it in check. He would do her no good to charge in and let himself be caught off guard. His eyes met hers and he was startled to see the determination burning in their depths. Her voice brushed against his mind again and he fought to keep his face blank. He had heard her earlier. However she was doing it, it had kept her strong.

  “You…how did you…” Victoria stared at him in disbelief.

  “Enough of this,” Bastian growled. “Your two men are dead and all your followers will be dead soon as well.”

  “One vampire cannot take on ten.”

  More yells and screaming erupted from behind the wall of fire and Bastian’s lips twitched. “Tula is very skilled at one thing…decapitation. I trust my man to stand against your newly turned army.”

  He watched her glance over her shoulder, her face falter before she turned back. “You could have avoided all of this, if you had just come with me.”

  “To meet your new master?”

  Victoria’s face paled. “How did you know?”

  “Torture is quite effective,” he said. “You want to drag me back to the monster who turned me? For what purpose? What have you told him about me?”

  “Come with me and you can find out for yourself,” she crooned and took a step forward until he snarled. “You still refuse even when I hold your woman captive?”

  She waved her hand and Ridley stepped forward, slinging Catherine from his shoulder and holding her tightly against his body. Her dress was covered in blood. Bastian knew it was hers and he took a step forward, desperate to snatch her away, but Ridley placed his hands on her neck and squeezed.

  “One more step and he will snap her neck and pull off her head. She will die instantly and even you cannot turn her.”

  Bastian….

  He froze. Catherine’s voice in his mind again. His eyes focused solely on her.

  Bastian…kill her…for me.

  He frowned. How did she expect him to do that? Ridley would snap kill her without a moment’s hesitation…her eyes narrowed and he glanced at her body, her hands bound behind her back. A glint of silver was in her hands. A knife. Somehow she had grabbed it from Ridley’s body and held it behind her. The ropes bonding her hands had loosened. He saw her wrists moving, but the vampire holding her was too worried about watching Victoria to notice the danger he was in.

  Bastian would have to move quickly otherwise it wouldn’t matter if Catherine was armed
or not.

  The longer he stared into those eyes, the more he realized this was not the same Catherine who had been taken from him. She had changed and he had been a fool to think she could not handle being turned. She was strong. Witnessing her strength, made his heart ache even more. All he wanted was to have her in his arms, to tell her how wrong he was. Show her how much he needed her in his life.

  He tilted his head to the side, his gaze shifting back to Victoria. He was faster than her, but he had to be faster than her and Ridley. Catherine shifted slightly, the bonds loosening even more.

  “You will come with me or I will kill her right now,” Victoria snapped. “Decide!”

  “I did,” he whispered. “A very long time ago, Victoria.”

  Her eyes narrowed as she opened her mouth to reply. Bastian didn’t wait to hear it. He charged forward silently, tackling her to the ground. A muffled cry of surprise came from where Catherine and Ridley had stood, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Victoria to see. She scratched her claws down his face, snarling and snapping her jaws at his neck. He bashed her head into the ground until she managed to kick him off into a nearby tree.

  “You bastard! I would have given you everything!”

  “You want me broken,” Bastian snarled back as she came at him. He moved to the side and rammed her into the tree before throwing her across the fire. “You will never have me back Victoria!”

  Victoria threw herself over the fire at him, but he grabbed her shoulders and threw her to the side again, sending her sliding into the trees. He caught sight of Haddie leaning against another tree, but the old vampire appeared bored. He expected her to intervene, but she simply glanced his way before turning her gaze back to Victoria’s charging body.

  Bastian met her hit for hit, his rage at what she had nearly cost him fueling his attack…until finally he had her down on her knees, his arm tight around her throat.

  “The woman you think you love,” she muttered against his grip, “she is just like me. Bloodthirsty, ready to kill. Admit it; that is what you truly want.”