Midnight Sun

by Lyons, Rene

  With no idea how long she’d been knocked out, she didn’t know how much time went by since the two renegades brought her here. For all she knew it could have been hours or days. All she did know was that by now, everyone had to know she was gone.

  Hopefully that meant they’d find her and come charging in to rescue her from whoever it was who wanted her brought here.

  You have no idea what’s waiting for you…

  The renegade’s words came back to her. Sick dread rose in the form of bile in her throat as she searched through the darkness. Something nagged at her, whispering to her. Telling her she wasn’t alone in here. Violent tremors wracked her when she could feel eyes on her.

  Oh God, help me.

  Terrified or not, she wasn’t about to sit there and do nothing, waiting for whoever—whatever—was in here with her to leap at her through the dark. “You might as well say something since I know I’m not alone.”

  When a match flared to life her entire body went numb with fear. The light of it barely illuminated the man holding it. Still, she could vaguely make out long, thick brown hair that fell around a gorgeous and deathly pale, face. Twin burning silver eyes cut through the dark to pin her with a savage stare.

  The vampire brought the match down to a taper set in a wrought iron holder. Its light broke the complete dark, giving Allie an idea of the man who lit it and room she was in.

  She saw the vampire sat with his back against the wall. His long legs stretched out before him and crossed at the ankle, he looked extremely relaxed.

  Young, though not as young as the renegades who abducted her, what he lacked in years he made up for in the evil reflected in his chilling eyes.

  Taking advantage of the faint light, Allie gave the tiny room a quick once over. Stripped bare, the only furniture was the mattress she was kneeling on. The window was boarded up to keep out the sun.

  These creatures were faster and stronger than her, leaving her no hope of being able to either fight or sneak her way out if their guard happened to be down. They’d smell her wherever she went and drag her right back.

  The vampire pushed himself off the floor. Long and lean, he came at her in four long strides. He took up all the space around her. Allie fought down her fear, staying perfectly still, watching him as he set the candle down. When he sat on the edge of the mattress, she felt her heart slam against her ribcage as terror washed over her like an icy wave.

  “I was afraid you were going to sleep the entire night away.” His English accent added to his air of aristocracy.

  “Next time I’m knocked cold by one of your dogs, I’ll try not to stay unconscious so long.”

  His smile was unnerving. Even though she was used to seeing fangs, his caused fingers of dread to inch up her spine. “Brandon said you had spirit.”

  She imaged Brandon had to be the vamp with the good right hook. She hoped he was the first one Sebastian sent to Hell—if the Templars ever found her.

  The vampire took her chin in his hand. Allie’s skin crawled at the contact. He examined her swollen and bruised left cheek with an almost feminine pout. Allie knew he wasn’t as apologetic about it as he tried to appear. He was a vampire, and though that wasn’t always a bad thing—look at the Templars—he was a renegade. That made all the difference in the world. It made him a cold killer.

  “He shouldn’t have damaged your face.” How dare he have the nerve to look sincere? “A face as beautiful as yours was made to be cherished.”

  Oh, he was good. He had the whole charming Dracula thing going for him. Shame Allie wasn’t buying his bullshit. “So, is this what you did to Sarah, Jordan, and Amanda before you murdered them? Did the whole ‘nice-guy’ thing?”

  He released her jaw and fingered a lock of her hair. He inhaled softly, taking in the scent of her. She shivered with disgust, not wanting any part of her person to give this monster any pleasure.

  “I had nothing to do with their deaths.”

  Sure he didn’t. “Am I supposed to believe that?” she shot back.

  Scared to death, Allie couldn’t stop her shaking no matter how hard she tried. She knew the vampire could feel that fear and she hated that fact.

  “Stephan killed them, though I won’t lie and say I didn’t enjoy those women before he did.” He ran his knuckles down her cheek. He grunted when she pulled away from him. “Once he had what he wanted, he made good on his word and gave us what was promised.”

  She didn’t know who Stephan was, having never heard the name before. “Why me?”

  The candlelight played off of his rich brown hair and the sharp planes of his face when he stood. He turned and stared down at her. It was unnerving to have him towering over her like that. “Ah, right to the point. I like that.” He moved around the room with astounding grace. “You have something I want.”

  Something he wanted? What in the hell was he talking about? “What could I possibly have that you would want?”

  What Allie didn’t add, but thought, was, What is so important that you would risk the Templar’s wrath for it?

  “The Daystar.”

  Well now, that surely was enough for any renegade to put their existence on the line for. To kill for.

  Allie’s blood ran cold. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  In a swift and seamless motion, he yanked her up by her arms. She held in her cry when the rope bit into her wrists. He set her roughly on her feet and pulled her to him. Only an inch or two away from his face, she was close enough to see that his eyes weren’t nearly as cold as she first thought.

  No, they weren’t cold at all. This close, she saw the fires of Hell blazed beneath that icy surface.

  And it scared her. She went to move away from him but his hand closed around her upper arm, his fingers squeezing her until she thought the bone might snap.

  “Don’t play stupid with me, Allison. You know exactly what I’m talking about. You have the Daystar and I want it.”

  The determination she heard in his tone was reflected in the depths of eyes. It chilled her to her bones.

  “Constantine, you’d better be listening. Get me the hell out of here. This crazy bastard thinks I have the Daystar.”

  Allie shook her head frantically. “I don’t have it. If I did, don’t you think I would have given it to the Templars by now?”

  He gave her such a hard shake her head snapped back and forth. “Stephan said you have it.”

  “I swear to God I don’t.” She tried to keep her terror out of her tone, but failed horribly.

  He brought her very close to his face. His growl actually had the power to pull a whimper of fear from her. “Mention that name again and I’ll cut your tongue out.”

  Allie shook with such violent force her teeth clashed together. “I’m telling you I don’t have the Daystar.”

  His eyes narrowed on her. He sniffed at her like an animal took in the scent of its prey. She heard a deep rumble coming from him that only added to her terror. “Then it’s you. You’re the Daystar.”

  For a second Allie thought she heard him wrong. When what he said finally registered, Allie choked out a sick sound and tried to pull away from him. “Are you crazy? Do you hear yourself? The Daystar isn’t a person.”

  With her hands tied behind her back, Allie couldn’t fight him when his other hand came around her throat like a vice. He squeezed hard enough to restrict her air without completely cutting it off. “No one knows what the Daystar is, do they? The legend was lost over the ages. So you see, Allison? The Daystar could very well be a person. It could even be you.”

  Blinking back tears, the same tears she swore not to waste her energy on, she fought for air. “You’re wrong. I’m just an ordinary human.”

  He tilted his head, his lips playing over the skin on her throat. Allie shivered with disgust. “Ordinary? No, I don’t think so.”

  His hold on her throat lessened even as his hand on her arm grew firmer. He sniffed at her again before glancing around her to
look down at her bloody wrists. He spun her around, his hands hovering at the rope. “I would hate to have to end our fun before it begins.” The warning in his tone damn near scared the life out of her. “If you fight me, I’ll make it hurt.”

  Allie went cold even as she began to sweat, fear lumping in her throat. “I won’t fight.”

  Her survival depended on her staying calm and rational. The Templars were going to find her. Sebastian was going to find her. That was a chant in her mind as she forced herself to hold onto hope. She couldn’t let herself believe this was where her life was going to end. Not here. Not at this creature’s hands.

  The Templars wouldn’t allow it.

  He broke the rope and turned her back around. Allie watched in complete horror when he lifted her arm and licked her bloody wrists. She wanted to tell him he would know if she was the Daystar by taking in her blood, but she knew she was standing on a dangerous edge. He’d do exactly as he threatened if she pushed him.

  Her death would be bad.

  He brought her close to him and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Allie wanted to slap him away from her, but instead stayed stock still as her stomach turned with revulsion. “I want to hear my name on your lips. Say it. Say ‘Daniel’.”

  She would rather eat broken glass. Nevertheless, her need for survival was strong. She didn’t want to give this sick bastard the satisfaction of killing her. That meant, if he wanted her to call him by name, then that’s what she was going to do. Even if it killed her pride to relent.

  Better her pride destroyed than her life.

  “Daniel.” His name was poison on her tongue.

  He let out a satisfied purr and ran his fangs over her neck. Her teeth bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep in her groan of disgust. She needed to keep her hands fisted at her sides so as not to attempt to try to fight him off.

  “By the time I’m done with you, I’m going to know you body and soul.”

  Without warning, his teeth sank deep into her neck. Allie hissed, unable to let loose the scream of pain caught in her throat.

  Instinct won over as she clawed at him wildly in her mad fight for life. When that didn’t work to get him off her, she slapped at him, fighting like hell to do everything she could to get free of him. His arms came around her like two steel bands. He held her so tight she was unable to move or even barely breathe, so crushing was his hold.

  The feel of his fangs in her, of him pulling at her blood revolted her. With tears spilling down her cheeks, all Allie could do was accept what was happening and hold on to the vision of Sebastian that filled her mind when she closed her eyes.

  As she felt her blood being stolen from her body she grew weaker and weaker until she was nothing more than a rag-doll in the vampire’s arms. When he finally pulled his teeth from her, he released her. Limp, drained, and repulsed, Allie dropped to the mattress. She felt as if this monster took a piece of her along with her blood.

  A tear slipped down her face as cold tore through her. Too weak to wipe it away, all she could think was how this monster robbed a small part of her soul.

  *

  The next time Allie woke, she was again engulfed in absolute darkness. This time, however, she knew she was alone. Thank God. She didn’t want to have another face to face with that renegade again. Not after what he did to her. Her skin crawled and she bit back a disgusted cry at the thought of his fangs at her neck.

  Her entire body hurt and she was so weak she could barely move. Shivering, she struggled to ignore the stench of the mattress, curling into herself in a vain attempt to keep warm.

  “I think she’s awake,” she heard someone say beyond the door. She jumped at least a foot at the loud bang on the door. “You up in there?” The voice belonged to the driver who kidnapped her. He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Yeah. She’s awake.” He yelled.

  Only a few seconds later she heard someone fiddling with the lock. Dread ran though her, turning her body numb and causing her mouth to run dry, her heart thundering painfully as she curled tighter. When the door swung open her breath caught and she threw her arm over her face at the sudden flood of light hitting her eyes.

  Assuming it was Daniel again, Allie didn’t even bother to look at him. She kept her arm over her closed eyes, refusing to acknowledge him.

  “Well, well, well,” the vampire said from directly above her. “Seems you got yourself into a bit of trouble, didn’t you, Allie?”

  Allie lowered her arm and forced herself to stop shaking. She went even colder when she saw the icy hatred in Jude’s silvery eyes.

  Holy shit…

  They’d turned Jude.

  He stood staring down at her with his usual smug expression. She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, even as every bone in her body protested the movement.

  All she could think as she stared at him was, he had absolutely no reason to look so smug. If anyone looked wrong as a vampire, Jude did. He was stuffed with too much false bravado and overblown arrogance to make what he now was a good fit on him.

  “Not nearly as much trouble as you seem to be in.” Her voice sounded weak and thin, even to her own ears.

  He smirked at her in the way that never failed to make her want to slap the taste right out of his mouth. “I don’t think so, Allie. I’m immortal and you, well, you’re pretty much fucked.”

  Allie wished she could stand, might have even attempted to if she thought her legs would support her. It galled her how Jude hovered over her.

  “Immortal?” she asked casually. “Is that what they told you? I have news for you, Jude, vampires can die. Why do you think every renegade this side of Hell wants the Daystar? Besides, you’re more fucked than me at this point.”

  “Now how do you figure that?” The sarcasm in his tone left no room for doubt that he believed he was unstoppable now that he was a vampire.

  Allie slapped on a smirk that could rival Jude’s on his best day. “I don’t have the Templars gunning for me. You do. And when they get you, it’s going to get real ugly for you.”

  If Jude were smart he would have realized the threat. Obviously a few brain cells short of smart, he backhanded her hard enough to split her lip.

  “You stupid bitch!” he roared. “I was bitten because of you. They know you have the Daystar. They thought to use me to get it from you.”

  Allie touched a finger to her lip and came away with blood. Jude’s eyes narrowed on her mouth. She quickly licked the blood away and threw her hands up to protect her face when Jude went to hit her again. Much to Allie’s surprise, Daniel grabbed his arm, preventing that second blow from coming.

  “They’ll be none of that, Jude.” Though Daniel said it calmly, it was an order meant to be obeyed. “I’ll not have her face ruined until I’m done with her.”

  Daniel’s hot gaze raked over her, making her wish she was draped head to foot in baggy black wool instead of the low-rise jeans and white half-shirt that revealed way too much of her.

  Jude yanked his arm away from Daniel and stepped back, obviously affronted but wisely keep his mouth shut about it. Her ex might be ballsy when it came to beating on a woman, but he was smart enough to know that against a vampire with some years behind him, he didn’t stand a chance.

  “She’s not yours,” Jude muttered pathetically.

  “You don’t think so?” He tilted his head and regarded Jude for a pregnant moment, a cool grin lifting his lips. “Take yourself out of my sight, Jude, before I’m forced to end you.”

  Jude took another step back when he saw a fire ignite in Daniel’s eyes. She knew he wasn’t used to being second fiddle. Not in a town where he was the prized son of Grant and Michelle Summers. It had to sting his pride something awful to have to bow down to someone.

  Allie prayed the two of them would fight it out. Just tear each other apart in their ridiculous testosterone driven battle.

  Much to her disappointment, Jude spun on his heel and strode from the room. His anger and indignation lingere
d after he was gone.

  When Daniel turned his attention back to her, Allie wished he’d kill her. Fast and painless, over and done before she even realized what happened. She didn’t want his hands on her again, erasing Sebastian’s touch.

  When he sat down next to her she instinctively moved to put more distance between them. Daniel wasn’t too pleased by that. He took hold of her arm and pulled her back to him. “You don’t ever move away from me. I own you.”

  To prove his point, he shoved her down on her back and climbed on top of her. At that moment, Allie didn’t care one bit about consequence. All she wanted was for him to get off of her. His threat of a painful death went right out of her head as she fought him for her very life.

  Even if she weren’t so weak, she still wouldn’t have been any match for his vampire’s strength. He overpowered her easily, taking hold of her wrists and pinning them over her head.

  “I like your fight, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to break it out of you.”

  “Get the fuck off me,” she gritted out between clenched teeth.

  He smiled, his fangs reminding her of sleek ivory daggers. Cold fear gripped her, disgust riding close on its heels as he ground his body against hers

  “The getting off part isn’t going to happen.” He licked her neck. “As for the fucking part, that, I can assure you, definitely will.”

  He took hold of both her wrists in one hand. With his other, he shoved her shirt up. Everything in Allie went cold, her mind rejecting what was happening.

  His hands on her, running over her stomach, inching toward her breasts, his mouth above hers, saliva dripping from his fangs, her mind snapped and she did something so utterly ridiculous it had Daniel laughing down at her.

  She screamed.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  At the exact moment the sun set behind the mountains, Sebastian, Constantine, and Raphael headed out to find Allie and Lucian and bring them home.

  With some “gentle persuasion” they convinced Tristan he had to stay behind with Lexine. The last thing they needed was for the Guardian to be caught in this fight. Like Constantine liked to remind him, his fight was coming soon enough.