by J. D. Brown
“Wait,” Naamah shouted.
Oh, thank God. I hoped he had a plan. The thug ignored Naamah though. We stood next to a long wooden table. With his free hand, he cleared off the junk cluttering it. I couldn’t see Naamah as Zombie-man kept me firmly facing the wall, but I listened carefully, hoping like hell he would clue me into an escape.
Naamah hesitated and then continued. “You swore you’d set my wife free if I brought you the girl.”
My breath hitched. His wife? Maria? So I was just payment, a part of the bargain to save Maria. There was no elaborate scheme to save the day, to save me? I wheezed as my chest deflated. A hollow hole took root inside. I wanted to fill that hole with anger, but I couldn’t. I was being used, but it was to save Maria. How could I object to that? Apollyon was my responsibility. Leena and I were the ones to raise him from death. Leena had already paid the price with her life. The rest was on me. I wouldn’t have anyone else suffer for my mistake, especially not Maria.
“A deal is a deal.” Apollyon’s throaty voice growled softly when he spoke more than two words. More than just my name. “Your wife is in the prison at Svalbard. You understand why I cannot travel with you.”
Naamah growled. “Where’s the key?”
“You are a smart man, Naamah, so I know you will not take your freedom for granted, nor mistake it for mercy. But your mate enjoys finding ways to intercept my plans. Keep your woman in line, Naamah, or you will not be able to save her again.”
“Where is the key?”
“You will remember our arrangement.”
“Tell me where the key is!”
Zombie-man whirled around at the sound of Naamah’s raised voice, forcing me around as well. I whimpered as my hands went to my burning scalp.
Apollyon raised a dismissive hand, calling off his dog while keeping his gaze locked on Naamah. Naamah’s fists clenched, his fangs gnashed together. He held his ground against Apollyon, meeting the psycho’s blood-burning gaze. Apollyon stood perfectly relaxed. He cocked a brow and his grin turned sly as it inched further along the left side of his face. “The key is somewhere at the bottom of the Greenland Sea.”
Naamah paled, but immediately turned on his heel and bolted toward the door. I expected the thin wood to explode on impact, but he phased at the last second and shot outside without as much as a ripple against the solid wood.
Apollyon laughed. “Send my condolence to your wife!”
The zombie guy grunted and then faced the table, forcing me around with him. He thrust my head forward, bending me over the surface as he shouted orders. I couldn’t understand him and tried to fight against his iron grip. Naamah is gone. I was completely alone in Apollyon’s lair. I didn’t have time to think about it, though, as Zombie-man pressed his other hand against my back, shoving me harder against the table while yanking on my hair. If he pulled any further, he would decapitate me.
“Stop it,” I yelled. “I don’t understand what you want me to do.” I gripped the edge of the table and pushed back, trying to breathe. He released my hair and then wrapped his nasty fingers around my neck, creating a whole new problem as I gasped for air. His other arm hooked under my legs as he hoisted me onto the table top.
The female zombie came forth and I caught sight of several thick chains in her arms. Ice-cold fear gripped my insides as every muscle froze in realization. Then a mad panic seized my mind.
“No! No, no, no, no!” I scrambled in attempt to jump off the table, but the male’s arms wrapped around my waist and held me down. He jabbed his shoulder into my gut and pressed all his weight on top of me, anchoring me to the table. I kicked my legs and thrashed at his face. He grunted in annoyance, but he didn’t let up.
The woman fumbled for my wrists, but the chains in her arms were bulky and constricted her movements. I wriggled and thrashed at both of them, not slowing down, each punch and kick just as swift and strong as the last. None of it made a difference though. The zombies were just as strong and tireless as I was.
The woman shouted over me as I fought. Apollyon appeared by her side, his face looming over mine. My breath hitched at the deep curdling red of his eyes. That split moment of distraction gave me away. He snatched my right arm and pulled it over my head while quickly forcing a string of chain around the metal cuff.
“No! Stop. Please stop…”
He yanked my arm to the side. The back of my hand hit the corner of the table and the woman quickly wound another length of chain around it, tying me to the table leg. Then Apollyon grabbed my left arm and forced it against the opposite corner. I kept trying to wriggle out of their grip to no avail. They ignored my pleas. The pain in my gut from the weight of the thug pressing into me throbbed.
I watched wide-eyed as Apollyon wound the chain tightly around my wrist, covering the cuff, pressing the prongs underneath deeper into my skin. My chest heaved in shallow gasps of air. Beads of sweat ran down my temple. My heart drummed in my ears. Panic closed in on all attempts at logic.
This is it. Apollyon won. I’m going to die.
Something deeply rooted inside me shifted. Like an ember fallen on a dry haystack, a proverbial fire erupted in my blood and my entire world tuned red. I bent the knuckles on my left hand as hard as I could toward my wrist, bringing my fingertips to touch the layer of chain. In a heartbeat, I phased the chain, freeing my arm. I swung as hard as I could and thrust my thumb into Apollyon’s eyeball.
He shouted and staggered back, cupping his eye with his hands. Zombie and Zombie-ette faltered in surprise. It was just a tiny increment of shock, but it was enough for me to gain leverage. I twisted around and phased the chain on my right arm. Then I grabbed both zombies, phased them, and threw their molecules across the room. The instant their essences disconnected from mine, I shifted into a bat.
A zap of electricity crackled from the metal cuffs as they fell away along with my clothes. The current caught a tuft of fur on my neck and my muscles stiffened. I immediately dropped to the floor. Desperate, I shifted back into a vampyre, forcing my body to work the hot electricity out of my system. The searing pain clenched tight, fighting me. For a moment, I thought every bone in my skeletal system would shatter. Somehow, I pushed through it, mad, crazed, and blinded by red hate. I forced myself to my feet and glanced over my shoulder. It felt like I’d spent an hour on the floor trying to get my bearings, but really it had only been a couple of minutes.
The thugs convulsed on the floor. The electric shock must have caught them while they were phased. I didn’t see where Apollyon had gone, but I didn’t dare wait to find out. I shuffled my feet as best I could, willing my calves to work properly while inching closer to the wooden door.
Too slow, I worried, and my fingers were still too stiff to work the handle. I phased and flew past the roof instead, past the walls of the courtyard, straight up into the sky. I didn’t know where I was going, but it didn’t matter. My instincts drove me as fast and as far away as possible.
A blast of hot air assaulted my molecules, halting my escape. Like a fish on a hook, a strong force pulled me slowly toward the surface.
No! I fought with all my might, pouring every ounce of willpower into propelling myself forward, towards the sky, towards the horizon, away from Apollyon’s blood-red gaze and undead minions. My essence strained, drawing my molecules close until I solidified. Still, I wrestled against the force. I fought despite the pain of my fingernails digging into the flesh of my palms. I fought despite the taste of copper in my mouth as my fangs bit into my lip. I fought on, despite the fact that I was losing.
My body ebbed closer and closer to the earth, my efforts fruitless. The force was stronger, and I was receding back the way I’d come, farther and farther down. I could scent the energy of the ground, of plants and stones and cool air wafting off a dusty plain. The courtyard came into view and then quickly grew larger, nearer.
No, I won’t go back there! No, God, no…
My bare back thudded against the sandy ground. I laid slick
in my own sweat, panting, and unable to move. The invisible force cinched tight around my middle like a layer of rope, binding my arms to my sides and my legs together. It slowly gathered into a dark mist that quickly thickened into a black cloud. It billowed over the length of my body and then took the shape of a man. The form solidified and Apollyon lay on top of me.
I screamed and tried to phase, but his touch kept my molecules tethered together. His face loomed just inches above mine. The eye I stabbed had swollen shut. The other locked a sweltering red glare with my own startled gaze. His lips pulled back to expose his fangs and he growled a low throaty sound. His weight pressed flat against me, pinning my arms to my sides. I was acutely aware of my nakedness as his long coat flapped around us and his bare chest pushed against mine. My imagination jumped to the worst possible thing a man of his wickedness could do to a woman. Bile rose to my throat at the idea and I whimpered.
Apollyon raised a flat open palm high into the air, and then swiftly let me have it. The impact whipped my head to the left, slamming the opposite cheek against the hard desert ground. My eardrums rang and the right side of my face sizzled to a tender numbness. The scene spun as stars danced in the periphery of my vision.
A tiny voice in the back of my mind told me to stay down. Instead, I lifted my wobbly bobble-head as best I could and then hawked a spitball at Apollyon. My blurred vision didn’t catch where it landed, but I did notice a rather large amount of blood splatter across his features. It surprised me to know my mouth was bleeding.
Apollyon’s gaze went savage. He raised his arm again. This time, his hand was a fist. I squeezed my eyes shut and tensed my cheeks. This is going to hurt like hell.
Maria
The sounds of rapid footsteps pulled me from my numb stupor on the jail floor. My heart sped as I pushed to my feet. I had assumed the Master was done with me, and wasn’t expecting visitors. What if I am wrong?
The sounds ceased and a wave of nitrogen alerted me to the essence present somewhere in the darkness. I considered phasing so that I could get a feel for the other vampyre, but logic kept me firmly in the three-dimensional plane. The presence solidified and his sandalwood scent eased my nerves. I sighed, but I wasn’t sure if it was in relief or disappointment. My breath shook as I said his name.
“Naamah.”
“Maria.” The urgency in his tone cut through the pitch black space, turning my attention to the right. Though neither of us could see a thing in here, I knew we both looked straight at each other. “Maria, my love, are you all right?”
“Yes,” I breathed while raising my palms to the Plexiglas walls. “Are you?”
His footsteps came closer and I could hear his pulse through the cell. “You can phase out now, darling. I cut the electricity and broke the generator.”
My jaw went slack. I hadn’t noticed when the electric current stopped. I had tuned out the crinkling noise hours ago.
“You… you came alone then?”
“Yes. I came for you.” His essence touched me, a warm tingle of air gliding over my palm, through my fingers, along the top of my hand. He phased my arm with his caress and I followed through with the rest of my body, letting him pull me safely past the glass panels, past the mesh of hot metal wires, to the other side. We solidified in an embrace, his scent and physique all around me, but it was short-lived. I pushed back until we were at arm’s length.
“What happened in the ambush? How many days have I been in here, and where is here exactly?” I had more questions. Like, what did you do to get the Master to agree to let me out? I bit my tongue and held in the thought, knowing he couldn’t see the accusation in my eyes.
“Svalbard and it’s been six days.” His hands gently gripped my wrists and then slid along my forearms to my elbows. He took a step toward me, closing the gap between us. “We will get you nourishment first, then we’ll go to Germany.”
My throat tightened. A lot could transpire in six days and the meaning behind my husband’s words was not lost to me. We were going to Germany. Not back to the Master. Oh, Naamah, what did you do?
We stopped by the castle in Lapland which, my husband informed me, was now empty, and helped ourselves to the blood stocked in the cellar. We rested for what felt like an hour, but was really only a moment. As much as I understood my husband’s compulsion to free me from the confines of the jail in Svalbard, I could not ignore the sinking feeling in my gut. He still had not told me what happened during the near week that I’d been gone. I decided not to press him, knowing full well that everything would come to light when we got to King Nikolas’ castle.
Rain pelted my essence through the long flight to Germany, making the trip twice as exhausting. At least the heavy clouds shaded us from the summer sun and the breeze was warm against my molecules. It was dusk when we reached the castle grounds and lowered near the gate; the customary sign of a peaceful visit. The moment we solidified, two German Shepherds emerged from the fortress shadows. The Alpan soldiers ambled toward the gate while sticking their noses in the air, nostrils flaring.
My husband looked them in the eyes and nodded. “Naamah and Maria ta Korento, Hands of the Neo-Draugrian Clan. We have urgent news for His Majesty, King Nikolas.”
The two dogs glanced at each other. One shifted into a tall broad-shouldered man with heaps of curly body hair and tightly coiled muscles. “Pass, Neo-Draugrians,” he said, while waving his arm in wide horizontal arch, indicating permission to approach the castle.
We phased through the thick iron bars of the gate and then followed them to the castle doors, one in his birthday suit, and the other on all fours. The former escort reached for the handle. Before he could grip the knob, the vast double doors swung open as if by their own accord. His hand fell to his side as the four of us came face to face with King Nikolas, Tancred, Prince Jesu, and twenty Alpan soldiers behind them. They wore black combat uniforms, including Jesu. Weapons were strapped to their backs, sheathed inside coat pockets and leg stays, making the group appear bulkier than usual. The three men at the head of the troop eyed Naamah and me with raised brows and a frozen air of surprise.
“Your Majesty.” Naamah nodded in a quick informal bow. “Please forgive the intrusion, but I must speak with—”
“You,” Jesu spat. He grabbed my husband by the collar and flung him against the doorframe. A dagger appeared in Jesu’s hand and he pointed the blade at Naamah’s throat. “Where is Ema?”
Naamah didn’t struggle. He eyed the weapon as his haggard breath expanded his throat and pushed his flesh against the tip. Blood trickled across his collarbone. He wiped his pale sweat-laden brow and then attempted an answer.
“It w-was the only way to s-save Maria.”
My heart sank. So he had given Ema to Apollyon in exchange for me. I suspected as much, but I hadn’t wanted to face the truth. I wanted to be wrong. I wanted to hope that my husband was stronger.
Jesu’s glare intensified. His grip tightened around the hilt of the dagger, his elbow raised for leverage. Naamah would let Jesu stab him without a fight. He had to. He served the royal family. Yet I knew my husband wasn’t in any real danger. Jesu was far less impulsive than his brother, and that blade wasn’t meant for Naamah. My breath hitched in apprehension.
“You’re going after her. Take Naamah with you.”
Baffled gazes fell upon me. My husband tilted his chin, his dark gaze searching mine. “Maria…?”
I bit my lip, knowing full well the repercussions my influence could wreak, but desperate times call for desperate measures and my husband had a mess to clean. “You know exactly where she is, don’t you?”
Naamah’s gaze darted to each of the men standing behind Jesu. “Yes, but—”
“Then you can help them save time,” I urged. “You can help save Ema.”
Tancred scoffed and then muttered under his breath. “If she’s not already dead.”
A low growled lifted Jesu’s lips from his clenched fangs as sharp rapid breaths punched from his
nostrils. He drew the dagger away and then got in Naamah’s face. “You better pray that she lives, or I will boil your flesh with my bare hands and watch it melt off your bones.”
“Then it’s settled.” Nikolas’ baritone command sliced through the tension with an inappropriate lightness. He grabbed Naamah’s shoulder and shoved him to the front of the group. “Lead the way.”
Naamah stumbled down a step and then righted himself before facing the large king. “I-I need a weapon… armor at least.”
Nikolas stroked his chin. “How ‘bout this; I’ll let you keep your head.”
“Apollyon’s Saga-Giga will kill us all! We watched him slaughter half of the Neo-Draugrian Council. You cannot just—”
“We are well aware of what the Saga-Giga can do. Now move.”
My chest tightened as Nikolas pushed Naamah forward. He descended the stone steps, admitting defeat. The troops bounded after him, marching toward the gate as the guards pulled it open. I leaned against the door frame, heavy hearted. This could be the last time I ever saw my husband or Jesu, but we needed Ema. She was our only hope. Could I live with the regret if Ema was already lost and they all met their death as well?
My lips parted and my lungs inhaled, ready to call my lover’s name back to me—to embrace him one last time and wish him luck, but I couldn’t guarantee that I’d let go again. My lip quivered as I silently exhaled. Be strong.
As though he heard my thoughts, Naamah glanced over his shoulder. Our gazes met despite the distance. My heart swelled and I took my chance, mouthing the words I wanted to say. I love you.
His lips lifted in a small smile and then returned the silent message. I love you, too.
A gentle touch against my arm alerted me to the presence of a young girl. Princess Sara met my gaze with a kind smile. “Mother and I are about to have supper. Won’t you join us?”
