by L. E. Wilson
He followed it for many blocks, in and out of a coffee shop, and then suddenly, it just disappeared.
Luukas stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, turned back to catch it again, and followed it again more slowly, ignoring the strange looks of the people having to move around him. He lost it again in the same spot at the edge of the sidewalk.
She hadn't crossed the street. It just disappeared completely.
Had she gotten into a car? A cab?
Had someone taken her?
Fighting down the panic, he tried to think rationally. Maybe she'd just caught a cab or something.
With no money?
She could've found cash, or a credit card, when he was gone earlier. It was all over the apartment if you knew where to look, or if you were good at snooping around.
But what if she had been taken? What if Leeha had someone watching them, just waiting for the right opportunity?
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to concentrate.
Relax. You can find her. Her blood is running through your veins and yours is in her. It will call to you if you just fucking listen.
Yes. He needed to stay calm. He would find her.
He stood solid as a wall, ignoring the humans as they hustled around him, blocking them out, blocking out everything. Concentrating only on his breathing and steadying his heartbeat, he reached out with his senses, and listened with every cell in his body.
It didn't take long.
There! Yes. He could feel her. She was calling to him, and now he knew where to find her.
***
Luukas' Hummer skidded to a halt outside of the entrance of Leeha's fortress. Slamming the door shut, he strode purposefully towards the mountain cave, following the creek to the interior.
By this time, his fear and anger were so intermingled that they radiated outward from him like sonic waves, pulsating through the air around him, fighting for dominance. The trees vibrated with it, leaves and small branches fluttering to the ground as he passed. The normally gentle ripples of the creek surged up into waves and splashed onto the bank. The very earth seemed to feel his anguish, trembling with the intensity of his feelings.
He entered the cave without breaking stride, determined to not let his emotions get the best of him. It was completely dark, with no torches lit to welcome him this time, but that didn't matter. He could see just fine.
And he knew his female was here. Her blood continued to call to him, stronger now, singing loudly in his veins. And her scent was fresh. She'd passed through here not long ago, and another was with her. A male he wasn't familiar with. Not vampire, but not quite human either.
His nostrils flared at the strange, male scent and he clenched his teeth, his protracted fangs cutting into the inside of his mouth.
How dare he touch what was his.
Without hesitation, he darted away from the creek and over to the tunnel that would lead him to the interior of the mountain. But upon entering the narrow passageway, his stride faltered.
A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. His heart pounded fast and hard in his chest. Closing his eyes, he swallowed hard and tried to breathe through the terror, but it was too much. The memories paralyzed him where he stood.
The pain, the hunger, the blood, the fire...
He was unable to go any farther.
No!
He clenched his fists at his sides. No. He would not accept this weakness. He was not a pale comparison of the male he once was. He was not unworthy of her.
Keira needed him.
Vehemently suppressing the horrific memories of what had happened to him in this godforsaken place, he focused only on his female, of what she must be going through.
And though he trembled with fear, he took a deep breath, and forced one foot in front of the other.
He took another deep breath, fighting for control, and took a few more steps.
Another deep breath, only this time, he could also smell her terror lingering in the air.
"KEIRA!" he roared.
Instead of trying to fight it anymore, he used the strength of his emotions to blast his way through the tunnel, widening the passageway as he passed through. Rocks and loose gravel flew outward from the path, clearing the way for the raw force of nature that he had become.
The mountain groaned and shuddered around him. Leeha would know he was here.
Good. He wanted her to know. He wanted her to hear him. Wanted her to sense the death that was coming for her. Wanted her to be afraid. Wanted her to try to run.
His lips curled up into a chilling smile. There was nowhere on this earth or beyond where she would be able to hide from him if she'd harmed one hair on his female's head. For he would find her, and when he did, there would be nothing left of her to harm anyone again.
He sped down the tunnel, not giving himself time to think, letting his rage fuel him. It possessed him, strengthened him, until rage was all that he was.
Reaching the cathedral-like main room, he stopped, gazing around uneasily. It was eerily dark and quiet.
His skin tingled and the hair rose on the back of his neck in warning. He searched the room warily, but saw no one else there.
Pictures of this room, of him on his knees while his power was drained from him, flashed through his mind, and he fought the urge to turn and run.
Rubbing his sweaty palms on his pants, he again forced himself to calm down, to focus. Keira's scent was stronger here - much stronger.
Dropping down into a crouch, he studied the area around him. Something had dripped onto the floor here, barely discernable among the pattern of the mosaic tiles.
It was blood.
He dipped his fingers into the fresh droplets, bringing them to his mouth to taste it, though it wasn't really necessary. He knew whose blood it was.
His lips pulled back from his fangs, a feral growl rumbling from his chest as he noticed more blood...and more still. His eyes following the path where she'd been dragged across the floor.
He stood and followed the trail to the gaping hole he'd left in the wall the last time he'd been here, and stepped into the passageway.
A lonely torch was lit twenty yards away, beckoning to him.
He hesitated, staring at that torch uneasily, a cold sweat breaking out all over his body. As he watched the flickering flame, a faint, metallic smell rose in the air around him.
The smell of blood, but not Keira's blood.
His blood.
It was so strong he looked down at himself in fear, convinced he would see his stomach slashed open and his guts hanging out.
But there was nothing. He twisted his torso around, looking everywhere. He wasn't bleeding. It was all in his head.
Wiping the sweat from his face with his forearms, he eyed up that torch again.
What the fuck are you waiting for? Quit standing here like a fucking pussy. Your female is down there somewhere.
The smell of his blood grew stronger, and he jumped as a scream echoed past him through the passage.
The voice was his own, yet he hadn't made a sound.
Squeezing his eyes shut, Luukas gripped the sides of his head.
Get it together, man. They're just fucking with you. It's all in your head. You're not helpless anymore. You're in control! You can fucking annihilate this place on a whim. Go. Get. Your. Female.
But what if he'd been right about her all along? What if she was just the lure that would enable Leeha to capture him again?
What if she was in on it as he'd suspected all along?
He snarled at the walls around him. Fuck it. Throwing his shoulders back, he took a deep breath through his nose, catching the scent of her blood again.
Rip her open! Suck her dry! Kill her! Burn her!
If that were true, if she'd been playing him all this time, then he would kill her first.
The air around him began to stir as he confronted the empty passageway, a burning rage filling him again. His fangs ached and his eyes began
to glow a grey-green. A deep growl rumbled in his chest.
Yes, he would go get his female, for better or for worse.
His boots pounded down the tunnel, increasing in speed, until he broke into a jog, then a full out run, following the pull of Keira's blood. He knew where he would find her, but it didn't matter.
He ran blindly, descending farther and farther into the depths of hell. Jumping down the last stairway, he landed with a heavy thud outside of the doorway of his old cell.
What he saw inside arrested him where he stood.
Keira hung unconscious against the far wall, like a sacrifice. For him? Her delicate wrists and ankles were enclosed with silver shackles, her arms and legs spread-eagle, her head hanging down limply on her chest. Her beautiful, long, dark hair covered her face and breasts.
She was half-naked, an unfamiliar white slip of a gown ripped nearly off of her, and she was covered in blood - on her neck, her bare arms, her breasts, her thighs.
Luukas stood motionless.
Can't hurt her!!
His dark side had dreamt of this exact scenario, and now it rubbed its hands together with delight. He'd nearly believed that side of him to be gone, but it wasn't. Not at all. It rejoiced at the sight of the witch strung up as he'd been, of seeing her suffer just as he had. It wanted to wield a knife and join in, to slice her open and cackle with glee as she slowly bled out. It urged him to sink his fangs in her, and to set her afire to finish her off.
Rip her open! Suck her dry! Kill her! Burn her!
He could still see the stains of his blood on the dirt floor, now joined by the witch's; could still hear the sounds of the rats as they chewed on his wounds; could still hear his own screams echoing off of the walls.
His glowing eyes roamed over her bare legs, revealed through the slits in the gown, and up the curves of her hips and her full breasts to the top of her head.
MINE.
Can't hurt her!
The darkness howled in anger as he pushed it deep into the recesses of his mind.
He needed to get her down. Yes. Get her down now!
Forcing his legs to move, he cautiously entered the cell, glancing around warily. His head swam as he crossed over the threshold, and his lungs were unable to take a breath, but he kept going.
Halfway in, he began to shake violently, and a loud humming sounded all around him. Sweat dripped into his eyes as his fear threatened to overwhelm him. He blinked it away. Shaking his head hard, he focused on his witch.
He was only a few steps from her when he sensed another presence in the room. A malevolent presence, but it wasn't Leeha. No, it was something even worse.
The scent was familiar, and he knew immediately who was in the room. This was the male who'd brought Keira here.
With a hiss, he whipped around towards the open door.
A masculine figure stood there, concealed in a black cloak with the hood pulled up, petting a raven that was perched upon his shoulder. His aura infused the room, and Luukas realized that it wasn't only his fear of this place intensifying his terror to such a degree.
"Welcome home, vampire."
The cloaked figure lifted a hand towards him as the raven croaked in protest, and made a flicking motion.
Luukas was lifted into the air and thrown across the room like his large frame weighed no more than a spec of dust. A grunt escaped him as he slammed into the wall hard enough to knock some of the rock loose, and he slid to the floor as it fell around him, coughing on the crushed stone. He'd barely landed when he was again flying across the room to slam into the wall opposite, even harder this time.
He told himself to move! To fight back! To do something! But he was overwhelmed with the site of Keira, the fear of being in this cell again, and the shock of what had just happened to him. He couldn't think, couldn't move.
He could do nothing.
He had been wrong earlier. He was not worthy of her.
The sound of metal creaking drew his eyes up to his witch. The wooden beam she was chained to swung out from the wall seemingly of its own accord, and before he could process what was happening, he found himself sailing backwards through the air.
Silver cuffs clamped down over his wrists and ankles, the metal weakening him immediately. He found himself back to back with his witch, chained spread-eagled as she was.
The cloaked male began to chant, his voice strong and sure, and he felt himself falling into the blackness he knew so well.
Chapter 31
Keira
Keira tried to open her eyes, tried to warn Luukas, but the cloaked one, and his evil magic, were holding her there motionless, making it appear that she had passed out.
She was the bait.
Tears ran down her cheeks when she heard her vampire falter in the doorway. She could feel his terror, and it pierced her heart.
RUN, LUUKAS! She screamed in her head.
But he didn't run. He sucked in a ragged breath, and she heard him slowly but surely making his way towards her.
The evil one entered then, the one who had grabbed her off of the street, and her heart stopped. He was powerful, that one. More powerful than she was. More powerful than Luukas. He'd swatted away her magic like it was nothing but an annoying gnat, forcing her into the van and bringing her here from Seattle.
Anger surged through her as she heard Luukas being thrown around the room like a ragdoll.
She felt a moment of relief when he slammed into her from behind and she heard the cuffs closing around him, but it swiftly fled as she felt him go slack.
A moment later, her own cuffs opened, and she could move again.
She was free.
"You bastard!" she screamed as she fell from the chains. "Release him! Release him NOW!"
She looked up as the wooden beam swung against the wall again. Luukas hung there as he had for seven years, and she let out a sob at the sight.
The cloaked one mumbled something to his raven, petting her with calming strokes, and tickled her under her feathers.
"Or you'll do what, cousin?"
Keira opened her mouth, only to snap it shut again.
"Cousin? You are not my cousin!" she spit out. "I have no family other than my sister."
His head lifted, just enough for her to catch a glimmer of golden eyes under the hood of his cloak. "So I guess your parents didn't tell you everything, then."
Her hands fisted at her sides. "What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded through gritted teeth.
But he just gave her a small, secret smile, his eyes cutting to the doorway and back to her. "That story will have to wait for another time."
Leeha swept into the room a moment later, her emerald green gown a striking contrast to her red hair and eyes.
She looks like Christmas gone horribly wrong, Keira thought snidely.
The cloaked one smirked.
Why is he smirking? It's not like he can hear what I'm thinking...She frowned. Can you?
He lifted an eyebrow.
Holy shit. Keira's skin began to crawl. What was this guy?
A sharp pain burst through her cheek and her head whipped around as Leeha slapped her, successfully gaining her full attention.
"You dare to bond with my male?" she shrieked. "You dare to try to take him from me? I can smell him in you," she hissed. "And you in him. How is this possible?"
She slapped Keira again, so hard she felt the bones in her cheek break.
She cried out, and threw up her arms to try to protect herself.
"Answer me, witch! How is this possible? First Nikulas bonds with your sister and now Luukas bonds with you. You! This should not be possible!! I demand an explanation!"
Keira lowered her arms slowly. In her wrath, Leeha's eyes were nothing but swirling nightmares, trying to suck her in, and she quickly looked down at the dirt floor to avoid their pull, sneering, "Because I added a little something to that curse you made me do on all of them."
Leeha became as still as stone. "What exac
tly did you do, witch?"
Keira risked a glance at her. What the hell? The bitch was probably going to kill her anyway now that Emma was safe and couldn't be used to control her.
She hoped.
"I added a small caveat to your little curse is all. A loophole."
Leeha took a step towards her, her hand raised again.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the evil one said casually. "You need her. She'll be no use to you knocked out or dead."
Leeha's harsh breathing filled the room for long moments.
"Wake him up," she finally ordered. "Not completely, just enough to allow him to feel it."
"Feel what?" Keira asked, although she was afraid she already knew the answer. "Feel what?" she demanded again.
She spun around when she heard Luukas moan softly.
"Luukas?" Leeha placed a hand on his hair. "Luukas, you need to wake up, my love," Leeha told him.
His head lolled on his chest as his eyelids fluttered.
She turned her blood-eyes to the cloaked one.
"Do it," she spit out.
Panic welled in Keira's chest. "What are you doing? Leave him alone!"
"Keira?" Luukas' voice was raspy.
She turned to find him staring at her, confused.
"Keira, what are you doing?"
"It's ok. I'll get us out of here..."
She went to go to him, to reassure him, but her feet were stuck to the floor. Try as she might, she couldn't move them. Her eyes widened in horror as an unexplainable paralysis swiftly moved up her limbs, taking over her body.
That bastard!
"Do it!" Leeha shrieked.
As Keira watched helplessly, a tear appeared in Luukas' T-shirt, and he grunted in pain. Blood began to seep down his abdomen, soaking his clothes.
Looking down at himself, he began to shake violently as he raised horror filled eyes to her shocked face.
She shook her head frantically, but he didn't seem to really see her.
"It is you!" he accused. "Why, Keira?"
Chapter 32
Luukas
Luukas screamed as he twisted his torso back and forth, trying to escape the pain of the blades slicing through him.
