by T. S. Ryder
But if she was really married, why was there no sign of her husband in her apartment when he had taken her there to pack a bag? It had smelled of her powdered donuts and chai tea. There was no trace of another person in the room. And then there was more… She said she had never had fully experienced sexual pleasure. What sort of husband didn't ensure his wife was sated?
He needed the story, and he knew it would be better to ask her about it himself. But just the thought of going back to her and asking her to talk to him now that he had been so cruel to her made him wince. He was also afraid that he'd lose his temper again. The rage was still there, even if it was being tempered enough for him to want answers.
But there was another place he could go for answers. He finished putting on his armor and headed for the prison in the highest tower.
Thomas glowered at the human man who sat in the corner of the cell when he strode in. The man staggered to his feet. His guards had done a number on him. Numerous black bruises stood out in stark contrast to his pale skin. For a moment, Thomas felt like crowing over the fact that Adrielle's husband was so weak, but a well of shame quickly tempered him. The man was only protecting his wife.
"What is your name?"
The man licked his lips. "William."
"Well, William. You must love her if you would venture through vampires and utter darkness by yourself to get her back," the king spat at him.
William looked startled, then shook his head. Thomas narrowed his eyes. The man was going to try to deny that he loved Adrielle after making it all the way to the palace? He waited for him to speak, knowing that silence could be even more terrifying than threats.
"I didn't come through by myself," William wheezed. His voice was raspy, either from lack of water or from shouting while locked away. "A man named Samuel helped me. He guided me through the darkness and only left when I was on your doorstep."
Samuel? The demon had engineered this? What for?
Thomas lunged forward and grabbed William by the throat. He hefted the man into the air and thrust him against the wall. "What did you promise him in return? Did you tell him that he could take Adrielle to his bed in exchange for getting her back? Did you sell him your soul?"
"I—" William choked, "– don't know what you're talking about."
Calm down. Thomas took a deep breath and dropped the human. His chest heaved as he stared down at him, then retreated to the doorway. He couldn't afford to kill him. "Samuel never does anything without getting something in return. So, what did you promise him?"
William rubbed his throat and shook his head. "Nothing. He said that Adrielle was being held captive by a cult and I… I had to save her. It's the least I could do, considering…"
"Considering what?"
A look of surprise flitted across his face. "She didn't tell you?"
Thomas tried to ignore the ball of dread that slipped into his stomach and narrowed his eyes. Adrielle had tried to tell him something… He knew he was a complete fool for not listening to her. But no, she was married. What could she say that would undo that?
"Well, you're not a cult leader. I can see that now." William shook his head. "Vampires… Either I'm crazy or in purgatory."
"Tell me what?" Thomas roared. "What didn't Adrielle tell me?"
William flinched. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "That I abused her."
Abused? No. Thomas' blood ran cold. No, he was lying. He had to. Adrielle… She would have told him… She tried. She tried and I wouldn’t listen.
He didn't deserve her. His lungs weren't working properly. His head spun and he felt the urge to just collapse on the spot. Or throw himself off the tower. He struggled to make sense of it. How could anybody hurt Adrielle on purpose? She was so sweet and kind. But here was the man, admitting it himself. No wonder she had decided to leave. Why should she stay when he was acting in such a way?
His chest throbbed.
"We met when she was sixteen. I was thirty-two. Her parents weren't around much, and she was starved for attention. I wish I could say I didn't know what I was doing, but I did. I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew I was wrong. She was half my age and didn't have the experiences in life to protect herself. We married shortly after we met. I thought that she made me happy, but really it was just me needing to have control over somebody else because I couldn’t control myself."
Thomas shook his head. Was that what he was doing to Adrielle himself? No. He wasn't controlling her. He was very careful of that. Wasn't he? The ache in his chest increased. I really am a monster.
"I was very cruel to her," William continued. There was something haunted in his eyes. He regretted what he had done. "Leaving me was the best thing she could have done for herself."
"She could have divorced you."
He shook his head. "She tried. The state of mind I was in… Always so angry, always high on drugs and alcohol… I found the divorce papers and I nearly killed her. If she had tried again, I probably would have."
Thomas fought the urge to break the man's neck. How dare he lay a hand on Adrielle?
"The reason I came was to try to make up for those mistakes even though I know there is no way to do that. She ran because there was no other choice."
A howl tore itself from Thomas' lips. His knees buckled and he sagged against the wall. She was afraid for her life. No wonder she hadn't told him about her husband! He was no husband – he was a slaver, holding her chains in his hands. The rage hit him hard and he wanted to kill this disgusting creature that hurt Adrielle. But he knew that it wasn't William that he was so angry with.
It was himself. Because as much as William had hurt her, Thomas had made it worse. Why couldn't he have just listened to her?
Erela. Thomas turned away, closing his eyes. Adrielle was right. He wasn't angry at her. He was angry at the woman who had ripped out his heart all those years ago. Erela had never given him the chance to be angry with her. Never even apologized. And in this situation, all he did was see Erela's face instead of Adrielle's.
"I'm only telling you this because I saw the way you looked at each other before," William said. "Don't make the same mistakes I did. Adrielle deserves true love. If you can't give that to her, then let her go."
Thomas turned back to him, studying the human for a moment. At least the man could own up to his mistakes. But that didn't mean that he deserved forgiveness. Do I? "Thank you."
He ran. The guards would lock up after him. He didn't care what they thought of the exchange. He needed to find Adrielle. Maybe it was too late, but he would still beg for her forgiveness. He would get on his knees and admit he was wrong and beg her to give him a second chance. One he didn't deserve, not after the way he'd treated her. He would ask for her forgiveness, and she would either give it to him or not.
If she didn't, he would accept her choice. And as soon as it was safe, he would send Clarissa to live with her above the surface, where she wouldn't be choked on this darkness.
And if Adrielle did forgive him? Then he would damn well make sure that he made up for what he had done.
"Adrielle!" he burst into her room, belatedly remembering that he should have knocked.
It was empty. The bag she had been packing was gone. His breathing hitched. Was he too late? He hurried to Clarissa's room. It was empty as well, and two packed bags were sitting by the door. His blood froze. Yet, Clarissa's favorite stuffed toy was still on top of the bags. They were still there. They were ready to go, but they hadn't left yet. That meant he had a chance after all.
Maybe they were trying to find him. He rushed to his office and stopped in the doorway. His chest heaved and blood rushed in his ears. A guard lay dead on the floor. From the smell and amount of blood below him, he'd only been dead for a few hours.
His telephone began to ring. Thomas jumped at the sound, then strode over to it. Somehow he already knew what was happening. Samuel's oily voice sounded on the other end when he answered.
"Thomas, I just wanted
to thank you. It was very good of you to drive Clarissa to come to me of her own free will – so to say. I would never have been able to take her if she hadn't wished to be away from your palace. And now I have just the weapon I've been waiting for. She's powerful. Of course, I'll have to get rid of this annoying light she has a tendency to produce, but that will just take time."
That's why he had brought William here. Because he knew it would drive a wedge between Thomas and Adrielle, and Clarissa would suffer for it. Thomas snarled.
"Don't you dare hurt her! I will kill you, I swear! I'll—"
"You can't." Samuel's voice hardened. "You know as well as I do that you're not strong enough. Yes, you might be a powerful vampire. You might be able to breeze through my armies, but when it comes to me? That's like an ant trying to stop an avalanche. I have roamed this world since humans were monkeys. Only an angel can destroy an arch-demon."
Thomas's hand clenched the phone. "Give her back. Please. I'll do anything you want, just give me my daughter back."
"Anything? So, you'll let me keep Adrielle and never try to get her back?"
Adrielle. No.
"You can have one or the other. Not both. So who is it? Adrielle or Clarissa?"
"I'll get them both back. I won't leave either of them in your clutches. I swear, I will find a way to kill you!"
Samuel laughed. "Now, where have I heard something like that before? Oh, right… After sweet Erela came to me. You came frothing at the mouth, swearing that one day you'd end me. It didn't work then and it won't work now."
"I won't give up. I will get them back!"
A satisfied chuckle. "No, you won't."
He hung up, leaving Thomas holding the phone. Terror raced through him, freezing him to the spot. He had to go after the demon and get Clarissa and Adrielle back. If anything happened to them… My fault, he thought. It's all my fault.
"No. I'm not giving up."
He dialed Richard. They had made progress against Samuel's demons but hadn't garnered their full strength against him. It was time. It was time for the war to reach its fever pitch. This time, he wasn't going to back down.
Chapter Fourteen – Adrielle
Everything hurt.
Sweat dripped down Adrielle's neck, pooling in her collarbone as she hunched against the wall. The air was freezing, yet she was burning up from the inside. Fire flashed through her veins and she couldn't pull in a proper breath. Her back felt tight, and there was a repeated stabbing pain to the left of her spine. Her hands curled into fists and, though she had already thrown up everything in her stomach, she kept heaving.
She knew she was dying and wanted to lash out in anger at the fact. She wanted to wrap her hands around Samuel's throat and squeeze the life out of him. She wanted to go back to William and break his bones before ripping out his jugular. She wanted to find the man who put her into that auction and put a bullet in his head, then track down every single man that had been there and make sure they died agonizing deaths.
The door opened and Samuel came in. Adrielle fought the urge to growl and hiss like an animal, curling in tighter around herself instead.
"I had a little chat with Thomas," he said, smiling toothily at her. "I thought you might want to hear what he said."
The demon held up a cell phone – how did he get a cell phone to work down here? – and hit a few buttons. Thomas's voice echoed in the small room. Adrielle let out a cry of relief, too absorbed in hearing his voice to understand what he was saying at first.
"I'm not giving anything to get her back," he said, though his tone was odd, somehow. Flat. "I'll kill her before I give you anything."
Adrielle froze. A moment of disbelief held her captive, stopping her from even breathing. Her heart pounded in an irregular rhythm and a pained howl twisted from her lips. She launched herself at the demon, her fingers curled like claws. Samuel laughed as he easily stepped out of her reach. She stumbled around like a drunk, spitting out curses even as she gasped for breath.
"Don't be mad at me, Adrielle. This was Thomas, not me."
Thomas. He didn't believe her. He wouldn't listen to her.
"No!" she shouted, lunging at him again. This time, Samuel pushed her aside. She stumbled into the wall and collapsed there, blackness closing over her vision. "No. No. No."
Her body heaved, and by the time she could see again, Samuel was gone. Tears streaked down her face, making it even more difficult to breathe. An icy numbness started to creep in from her fingers and toes, but she found herself with no energy to try to stop it. She slumped here, sobbing and helpless as paralysis started to climb up her spine.
He wouldn’t listen to her.
After all the years she put up with William, all the nights she spent lying beside him, terrified that he'd kill her the next time, Thomas wouldn't listen to her. She had given him everything, yet he wouldn't give her two minutes to explain. The anger warmed her, bringing feeling back into her hands. The pressure on her chest eased. Who did he think he was? Why wouldn't he just listen? And now he wouldn't so much as lift a finger to save her.
No! It wasn't him. Samuel must have manipulated his voice somehow. That sort of thing happened all the time, even without demon magic involved.
The door opened again and something was thrown in. A deep, rich scent hit her nostrils and her head whipped around. It was a person. A man. Her jaws ached, two points in her upper jaw taking on a throb. A whimper burst from her throat. The man who stumbled in stared at her with wide eyes. She crouched low, snarling under her breath.
"You! You're the one who forced me into that auction." As she spoke, there was a strange clicking noise. Something caught on her tongue, and she swept it over her teeth. She found two sharp fangs lengthening in her mouth.
The ice rushed back into her veins. It made sense. The pain. The anger. The boiling hunger as she looked at the man in her cell. Samuel had turned Thomas into a vampire. Now he was doing the same to her. As the realization hit, so did the hunger. She wanted blood, and she wanted it now.
"I'm sorry!" the man blubbered, pressing away from her.
The door was open, a demon's pale face peering in. Adrielle inched forward, her gaze focusing on the human. She could smell the sweet blood running just below the surface of his skin and it made her stomach grumble. One taste… That was all she needed… One little mouthful… Was this what Thomas felt every time he was near her? This longing – this desire? Wanting to drain her dry? And he had fed on her anyway.
Because I wanted him to. Because I trusted him.
"Please, please. I'm sorry. I have a wife. I have daughters. If I didn’t sell you, they would have ended up there. I have debts of my own."
Adrielle let out a piercing shriek as she attacked. The speed at which she moved surprised her as she leaped on the man. The scent of urine hit her as she dug her fingers into his arms. His heart pounded, such a fragile little instrument… Her fangs ached to plunge into his flesh, but a snickering sound behind her caught her attention. The demon.
The door.
It was open. With another shout, she yanked herself away from the man and lunged for the door. It crumpled open as her body smashed against it. The demon on the other side squealed like a pig, and her hands were out and around its throat before she realized what she was doing. She threw it into the room behind her and slammed the door. Pausing only a moment to collect herself, she ran down the corridor. Though there were no lights or torches, everything was perfectly visible.
The scent of fresh flowers drew her to the left, and soon she heard soft sobs. Her heart, which had slowed to beating only once every few seconds, gave a mighty thud. Clarissa. Adrielle ran for the sound. She had to get Clarissa out of here!
"This is why Thomas never loved you, Clarissa." Samuel's voice, thick with anger, overrode Clarissa's sobs. "How could anybody love someone as weak as you are? You're such a baby – a stupid little girl. Nobody loves you because you're not worthy of love. Stop your crying or I'll give you some
thing to cry about."
The voices were coming from the left. Adrielle threw herself against a door. It held tight, so she scrambled with the doorknob. It slipped in her sweating hand, but she finally found purchase and yanked it open. Clarissa sat on a chair, thick robes wrapped around her body. Tears streaked her face. Adrielle's heart lurched again and she launched herself at Samuel.
Like it had at the palace, a black streak shot from his hand. It rushed through her chest, knocking her back. This time, however, she was able to maintain her consciousness and attacked again. Samuel sidestepped her and caught her by the throat. He slammed her against the wall.
"No, don't!" Clarissa screamed. "Leave her alone!"
Adrielle scratched at Samuel's face, struggling to breathe. He punched her in the abdomen. Pain exploded over her vision.
"Stop!" Clarissa screamed again.
A burst of light. Beautiful, like pure sunlight. Then it started to burn. It was like white-hot pokers were being stabbed into her eyes. Like branding irons were running down her arms. It reached inside of her and started to tear her apart. Adrielle dropped to her knees, grasping her head. A soundless scream tore at her throat. It was too much, too bright.
"Stop!" It was Samuel, not her, to gasp it out. "Clarissa… stop that right now! You're killing your friend!"
The light flared brighter, and this time Adrielle couldn't stop herself from screaming. Then it was gone. She collapsed to the floor, shaking. She heard Clarissa's sobs and her heart ached. It was hard to force herself to move, but she managed to get to her hands and knees. Samuel was on his knees nearby, face pale, panting. Adrielle filed that away as she crawled over to Clarissa. The ropes were knotted too tightly for her to undo.
"Don't cry," Adrielle gasped. She wrapped her arms around Clarissa and held her as tightly as she could. "Clarissa, you are not weak. You are perfect and compassionate. That is nothing to be ashamed of. He wants you to think that your kindness and your good heart is a weakness. It's not. It's strength. It's what makes you stronger than him. You are so much stronger than he will ever be. We love you. I love you. Thomas loves you."
