by Leeah Taylor
Caleb pulled her closer to him and the two disappeared.
Becca felt a slurred physical reaction when they seemed to vanish into darkness. A blanket of nothingness pulled at her, threatening to rip her to pieces. She held tightly to Caleb, despite her hatred. Out of nowhere they hit hard ground and she collapsed.
She coughed and held to her stomach, the feeling of being ripped apart still strong. Her eyes darted in every direction. Nothing looked the same. They weren’t in the farmhouse anymore.
“Where the hell are we?” She coughed hard, looking around her.
Caleb grabbed her by the arm and twisted up and to the wall, bringing them nose to nose. Again he inhaled deeply, finding her unbearably intoxicating. She stiffened as she felt him at her neck.
Stone walls and hard floors surrounded them. Nothing else on the walls to give her a clue. No windows to give way to the outside world.
“You are intoxicating,” he growled against her ear. “Must drive William’s Beast absolutely wild.”
“Beast?” Her eyes widened.
A searing pain cut into her shoulder, and her mind went foggy. She no longer had control over her body as the toxins coursed through it, and she fell limp into his arms.
He pulled her up and bit down hard, his fangs easily melting into her skin. The thick substance exploded into his mouth and he was overcome with euphoria. It was like no human he had tried before. Coating his mouth and throat it came to life inside of him, coursing into his body like an electric fire ball. Like it was somehow its own being with its own life. Caleb became so engulfed in her that he didn’t hear when the massive door behind them opened. And he didn’t notice that his father was standing there.
“Caleb!” It made him jump and release her. He stood rigid with her in his arms and gave his father a sideways glance. “If you’re quite done sampling, then take her to my bedroom.”
He cleared his throat and lifted her up and over his shoulder. “Yes, father.”
Pushing past his father, he turned and made his way down the corridor. He wasn’t so much embarrassed by his actions as he was upset he got caught. Drinking from humans was just another law in place that drove Caleb mad. There were many things that he didn’t see eye to eye on with his father.
Slowly Becca started to come out of her groggy haze. The corridor going by upside down. She noticed walls donning renaissance era paintings, open air windows covered with red velvet drapery. She couldn’t help but think she was in some kind of castle.
Caleb stopped and pushed the door open. He set her down on two feet and shoved her in. She stumbled some, still not quite herself. There was a dull pulse in her head and a tingle resonating throughout her whole body.
It wasn’t until she heard the door close and the sound of a lock clicking into place that she snapped back to reality. She screamed and pulled the handle hard, but there was no one who helped her. No sound came back. And that door wasn’t budging.
She turned, and assessed the room. As she realized that she was in a bedroom, her stomach dropped and the air suddenly left her lungs. Like she had been kicked hard in the stomach. Her heart pounded against her chest. A four post bed sat in the center of the room. Velvet covers draped across it. Books lined the far wall, filling every bit of space on the shelves that housed them.
A large, beautiful mahogany desk was placed just across from the bed. Just beyond the desk were several terrace doors. Only one set was open, a light breeze pushing the long red curtains into the room. She took a few steps and stopped, still feeling woozy, and held tightly to one of the posts of the bed.
Once the wooziness passed, she walked over to the open door, hoping that she could find some kind of escape. But as she stepped out onto the terrace her eyes widened and her hand cupped around her mouth. A small gasp escaped.
Skyscrapers filled the skyline. The hustle of the city night carried its sound up to her. She could hear cars whizzing past the castle just below her. Off to the left, ocean waves crashed against a short shoreline. In the sky, the most beautiful, fullest moon she had ever seen.
“Oh my god, how is this possible?” Her hand cupped over her mouth. “They were just dreams. This can’t be real.”
Becca walked back inside and into the closest corner she could seek solace in. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she brought them to her chest and closed her eyes.
“Please, William, I hope you’re coming for me,” she whispered.
Chapter 9
“Shit,” he cursed, pulling his shirt back on. “Shit!”
William hurried down the stairs. “I’ll fucking kill him. I swear to god. I’ll kill him.”
William knew exactly where to go. To the person who had told her lies. Because if he was telling lies that meant he had answers. William got in his truck and threw it in reverse. The tires dug deeply into the grass as he took off down the driveway.
He had suspected that there was a connection between Becca and Tobias Lorde. Although he wasn’t sure if he was her father. But now, now he was sure. It meant Becca was in grave danger. Whatever her parents had done to her, she had no idea what she was. Or even who she was.
It occurred to him then what Benton had meant when he said that William’s mother knew. Caroline was keeping her own secrets. It was the only thing that could explain all the oddities.
He pushed his truck to the limits as he sped down the country roads. It whined and protested as it kicked up dirt and dust. Nothing made sense to him. His mother had lied to him and his brother about her true relationship with Tobias Lorde. For a moment it made him wonder if the stories she had told them about Merrick were true. Had he been set up? But he thought not.
“Fuck!” William brought his fist down on the steering wheel. “How could I be so stupid?
His truck shot into the cul de sac and came to a screeching, crooked halt on the asphalt. Jumping from the truck, his door left wide open, he raced up to the front door. William banged hard on it.
“Danny!! Open the door!!” he yelled. “Open the damn door now.”
When it opened it was to meet the muzzle of a shotgun. Danny had a disgruntled look on his face, searching for any threat or danger.
“What in the hell is the matter with you?” Danny asked.
“What in the hell are you?” William demanded, pushing the gun out of his face. This caught the man off guard and he lowered the weapon.
“Where’s Becca?” Danny asked, realizing she wasn’t there. “William? Where is my niece?”
“Stop with the façade.” William stopped and a feeling built up in his chest. He narrowed his eyes at him now. “A Conjurer?”
“Yes.” Danny nodded. “Where is she? What’s happened?”
“Viktor has her.”
“Viktor Burm has my niece?” Danny turned away and his free hand balled up into a fist. Then he turned on William and grabbed hold of his shirt. Pushing the boy into the door, he glared at him. “Why the hell would you let that happen? You know what that man is capable of?”
William pushed him off. “Do you? What the hell is going on?”
“Get in here.” Danny forced him inside. The man went through the house and into the kitchen.
William could hear him mumbling curses. His stare stayed intent on Danny but wavered slightly when he passed a wall of family photos. A picture of Becca, Z and Nikki caught his eye. Something about Z rattled his core.
“Shit.” Danny brought his fists down hard on the table. “I knew this day would come. I told them it was a bad idea. That we should have just told you all a long time ago.”
“Us who? And told us what exactly?” William demanded. “Is Tobias Lorde her father?”
“So many mistakes we all made.” Danny lowered into a chair, resting his forehead against the palm of his hand. “Tobias Lorde had not one but three daughters.”
William narrowed his eyes at him and he twitched slightly.
“Who?”
Danny sighed and his eyes came up to meet William’
s. “Becca, Nikki and Miranda.”
“Wait a minute? That’s impossible. Craeden is Miranda’s.” William paused though. The look in Danny’s eye told nothing but the truth. “What did you guys do to us?”
“Look, William, I know there are a lot of things you don’t understand right now. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. But there are only two people that can get Becca out of the castle,” the man said calmly, putting the phone to his ear. “And that’s what is important right now.”
“And that is?”
“Merrick Marks and Tobias Lorde.” Danny revealed. “I’m calling your mother.”
William stared off. He never thought that the secrets his own mother was keeping ran this deep. He couldn’t figure out why it was so important that Becca and Nikki be separated from Miranda. Or why they didn’t know what they were, or why they didn’t even know that they were sisters. But then something odd hit him and he turned to look at the wall of pictures again. The ones he had passed on the way in. Facing the wall of pictures, he once again looked at the one of Nikki, Z and Becca. If the girls were triplets, where did that leave Z?
He lifted it from its place on the wall and stared down at it. Studying Nikki and Becca closely, he could see it now. The similarities, the subtle physical likenesses. He then thought of Miranda, who although a blonde, had the same traits. Their big, inviting beautiful eyes. The way their hair framed their faces just right and in the same way. Their smiles; so bright, welcoming and happy.
When you stopped to look at them, it was impossible to deny.
Then he looked to Z and he saw something there too. He’d seen the eyes before, the crooked smile, the dark brown hair. In his brother Markus. Slowly the pieces started to fall into place in his mind. Putting together an impossible puzzle.
“Oh my god,” he whispered.
Danny walked slowly into the room and saw William staring at the picture. Nothing was going the way it should. All the secrets were spilling out in front of them and they weren’t the least bit prepared.
“William?” It was his fatherly tone; gentle and knowing.
“He’s my brother?” He looked over at him. Danny pursed his lips and said nothing. “Danny? Is Z my brother?”
“Yes, William. You are brothers. Three sisters and three brothers, destined to be together.”
His eyes widened at the last part and he looked back down at the picture again. If they were destined to be together, it could only mean one thing.
“Impossible.” He said out loud to himself. “Are you saying that…it can’t be…”
“It can and it is. You are all the last first born of the Royal Vampyr lineage. Deep inside all of you, bound years before you even had your first budding fangs is the Heir and Heiress.”
“What have you all done?” William whispered, still looking at the picture. “Danny? What have you and our parents done?”
Danny looked down at the floor and shook his head, now seeing the ramifications of their wrongly kept secrets. He had been against it from the start but was left with no choice but to agree. If it meant keeping this child safe, these children safe, he would do what he had to. But he wasn’t proud of it.
Placing the picture back in its place on the wall, William turned to the man. “What now?”
“Now we wait for your mother,” Danny told him.
Chapter 10
Becca held tightly to herself, her eyes darting in every direction. She shook with fear. The memory of Caleb attacking her still too fresh in her mind. The effects had worn off but a dull pain still pulsed in her shoulder. She tried to shake it off, wanting to pretend it was nothing but a nightmare.
The world on the outside was all too real to her. Straight from her dreams to reality. From the sound of the waves crashing against the shore to the moon hanging in the sky, she remembered it intimately.
The massive wooden door opened and it made Becca flinch. A man walked in; he was older with thinning gray hair. His face was worn and starting to wrinkle some around his eyes and lips.
He looked at the corner of his room where she sat hugging herself.
Closing the door behind him, he smiled but not in a welcoming way. No, it was evil mixed with something more. He crossed the room to the bar on the far side and took a glass down from the cupboard. From the back shelf he grabbed a clear crystal bottle with a red substance in it and poured it into the glass.
Becca began shaking harder, watching him come and sit down in the chair near her. He leaned back in it, took a healthy glug of the drink and studied her. Finally he leaned forward and stared down at her. She recoiled further around herself.
“Becca Lorde.” He took another sip of the drink and chuckled to himself. “I heard stories of Tobias having a child. Do you know who I am?”
Becca shook her head and fought back tears that threatened to spill over.
“Becca, my dear, I mean you no harm. I’m Viktor and I can be a very reasonable man. Just tell me where your father is and you can go back to your William.” He was lying – even she could hear it in his voice.
Becca continued to stay quiet, keeping her glare forward.
“No? Nothing? Not even a lie? You’d rather protect your murdering father than yourself?” Her head whipped up at him now and his brow lifted. He’d finally gotten a reaction from her.
“My father was not a murderer,” she snapped. The accusation had awakened anger inside her. “He died an honest man.”
“Died? Tobias Lorde is dead.”
Viktor got up from his chair, a low guttural chuckle coming from him as he lowered in front of her. She began shaking again and tears threatened to spill over.
“Yes, when I was a little girl.” Her voice quivered and cracked.
Viktor smiled a vicious smile and pushed back up.
“My dear, you are lying. Where is Tobias?”
Becca fell silent and hugged to herself even more tightly. “Okay have it your way. Maybe she can talk some sense into you. Caleb!”
She jumped at the mere mention of his name, and when the door opened and he entered, she looked away from him. Her heart pounded hard just being in the same room with him, and her stomach knotted.
“Yes sir.”
Caleb scanned the room and stopped at the far corner. A desire and want for her grew instantly as her aroma hit him in the face. He barely acknowledged his father standing in the room.
“Bring her in.” Viktor brought his son’s wandering mind back to reality. Caleb left the room and a second later returned, with the last person Becca ever expected.
The woman he dragged in had shoulder length red curls much like Becca did. But hers was a brighter red. The same blue eyes and pale skin though. Her hands were bound together with some rope.
Viktor went over to her and smiled wide.
“Aw Sarah, glad you could join us.”
The name made Becca look up. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the woman. It couldn’t be, that’s impossible, the thought went through her head loud and clear.
“Momma?” Becca muttered.
Sarah looked up and locked eyes with the young girl, and tears filled her eyes. Her shackled hands reached out for her.
“No, Viktor, what have you done?” Sarah pleaded. “Not my Becca.”
“Mom, I thought. You’re…”
Becca was speechless, trying to rationalize in her mind what was happening. She started believe that she was stuck in some kind of bad dream. That would explain the world just outside the terrace door. Her mind was trying to work through her emotions about her parents. Reminded her how much she wished they were still alive. That was it. She was dreaming, she was sure of it.
“Now Sarah, tell Becca it is in her and your best interest to tell me where Tobias is,” Viktor said, setting the glass down on the desk and slowly looking up at Sarah. Their eyes met and Sarah narrowed them. She couldn’t believe he would stoop so low.
Sarah shook her head, tears streaming down her face, and she nibble
d at her bottom lip. Much like Becca did when she was upset or angry.
“I told you my father is dead.”
Becca jumped up from her place on the floor, and her hands balled up into fists. Viktor came at her with open hand. It stung as it made contact with her face. She fell to the ground, holding the spot tightly. Blotches of blackness filled her vision and a subtle ache creeped up into the back of her head.
“You tell me where your father is! Or so help me!” He raced over to his desk and grabbed
Viktor walked over to her mother and pressed the muzzle of the gun against her head. “I will kill her.”
“I told you he’s dead. He died when I was a little girl. Please…please don’t hurt her.” Becca pleaded for her mother’s life. Her voice cracking and tears streaming down her face now.
He cocked it and pressed it harder against her skull. “Last chance!”
“Please, I don’t know where he is…he’s just dead.” She cried harder.
“Viktor, she’s telling the truth. It’s what she believes is the truth,” Sarah admitted, and a heavy sigh passed her lips. “To her, her father and I are dead. Okay.”
Viktor lowered the gun in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“We took her memories, replaced them with new ones when she was about six.” Sarah breathed hard, adrenaline pumping through her.
Becca’s forehead creased. Memories replaced? She didn’t understand what her mother was saying. Was she lying? Just trying to protect her?
“Wait…what.” She stuttered. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, family drama.” Viktor got excited. “Now why would you do that?” He paced the room. “Why would you…?”
He spun on his heels and looked down at Sarah, pausing mid-sentence. His eyes gave it away. The two puzzle pieces came together in his head and he was starting to understand.
