Before the Moonrise
Page 11
Jared nodded, not sure of what else to say. As she curled up against him and placed her hand on his chest, he felt the night take over and a smile crossed his face.
The darkness was a blessing, and in a room with no window, Damon certainly was enjoying his luck. He moved through the small space, a dull, iron pipe in his hands. Stopping just before the head of the bed, he could make out the outline of the animal’s head. Smiling evilly to himself before he swung, the loud thud let him know that the weapon had made contact. Nonchalantly, he slipped over to Lily’s side of the bed, watching as she slowly turned in his direction. He scooped her up into his arms, snarling at the fact that she smelled like the animal. He moved silently through the hallways, taking her out of the safety of the room, under the noses of her friends and protectors.
Collin would be proud, but right then he didn’t care what Collin thought. He wanted the woman all to himself, to do with as he pleased. When a shadow moved in front of him, Damon stopped and bared his fangs.
The woman—dressed in a long, flowing robe of a lavender color—held up the lantern towards Damon’s face. Her black hair was covered in a lavender wrap, and her ageless eyes wandered down to the burden he carried. She shook her head and crossed her arms, setting the lantern down on the windowsill.
“You have what you came here for, boy, now be gone!” Madame LaQue whispered, looking deep into the vampire’s eyes. Damon looked away from the power in them and nodded. “Then I trust you will deal with Collin when the time comes, as was our agreement.”
“You have my word,” Damon replied, moving towards the door and away from her. He paused momentarily, turning back to the voodoo priestess. “Why did you allow me to enter your sanctuary?”
“It was a simple trade,” she said, shrugging. “I needed something done, and you needed the girl, nothing more.
Damon nodded and moved swiftly out the heavy, wooden door. Stepping out into the night air he looked about the quiet neighborhood, knowing that it was close to two in the morning. He swiftly made his way towards Bourbon Street.
He entered the tunnels, the woman cradled in his arms, and stopped as he looked over the crowd of vampires before him. Collin, who stood up from his self-appointed throne, stared in disbelief at the sight of Damon and his prize. Casually he stepped down towards the vampire and stopped.
“You have done well, my friend,” Collin whispered breathlessly as he looked over Lily’s body. With shaky hands, he reached out to touch her. But Damon quickly turned her away from his sire and moved down through the crowd. “Where are you taking her?”
“To the cells. There is another night before the moonrise. The animal and her friends will not stop until they find her.” Damon scowled as he glared at Collin, who thought for only a moment before nodding and watching him walk on.
Damon drew in a deep breath, lucky to escape that room with his head since he held something so precious to them, and he stopped at the weatherworn door before him. With a simple thought, the door creaked open and Damon stepped in. He set the woman down on the bare cot in the corner, covering her with a light blanket as she shivered. He sighed, wondering just how he was going keep her for himself and away from the others.
Jared moaned loudly as he shifted in the bed, reaching his hand back to find the egg that caused him so much pain. He knew she was gone the moment he had regained his thoughts. He could still smell the vampire from where he lay, and that increased the outrage that filled him.
He moved quickly around the suite, and before Jean could stop him, he was out the door. The younger man followed, aware of Jared’s pain and anger. They stopped just as Madame LaQue stepped around the corner.
“You said she would be safe here, that vampires couldn’t enter,” Jared snarled at her. “But they have Lily now.”
“Then the vampires have the light?” she replied casually, cocking her head to the side, her hands folded in front of her. Jared bared his teeth, knowing that she knew exactly what had taken place the night before. He approached her quickly, his arms extended to grab her, but Jean placed a hand on his arm. “This will play out as it was meant to, Mr. Claverack, whether you interfere or not.”
“I will find her, and I will remove her from that creature’s hold. Your help or not!” Jared yelled, walking past her. Jean stopped to look at her.
“Are you sure this is the path you want to take, Madame?” Jean asked, looking deep into the Priestess’ eyes.
“We each have our own reason for doing what we do, Mr. Morton,” she replied, as she turned and took a few steps from him before glancing over her shoulder. “You, above anyone else, should know what my reason is.”
“Indeed, my lady, indeed,” he answered and walked on after Jared.
Lily woke with a start, pushing the blanket off from her as she sat up on the cot. Her eyes scanned the room, looking at the cement walls and hard floor. There were no windows in this little cell, except for the six by eight inch one on the door. Even then, there wasn’t enough light coming in to make her believe that she was anywhere above ground.
She covered her eyes as the dim glow from a lantern filled the room. As her eyes adjusted, she opened them slowly to look at the person holding it. His hair was the same blond color it had always been, but as he sat in the corner on a three-legged stoop, he looked much younger. Lily sighed, trying to hold back the tears. She knew that he had made good on his promise and she was now his prisoner.
“So, how long before I die?” she whispered, looking up at the ceiling, and listening to him laugh.
“The moonrise is tomorrow night,” he answered, his voice sending tingles through her body. “But you’re not going to die, girl, you’re going to live forever.”
“I don’t want to live forever, vampire,” she replied sarcastically, turning to look at him. “I have children to raise. I have a home of my own. What goes on in New Orleans amongst your kind is no business of mine.”
“Wrong, girl, you are the light. It flows through your veins, in your very blood, and that alone ties you to everything in New Orleans.” His voice was quiet, without an ounce of menace in it, and Lily turned her whole body to face him. “Do you realize what you could bring to us?”
“I don’t care!” she yelled. “I want to get out of here, live my life. You and your buddies can go to hell.”
“Ha!” He laughed, shaking his head. “Do you know what it is to live in perpetual darkness, girl? To never see the light of day without the fear of bursting into flames?”
“Do you know what it’s like to be the prisoner of a group of monsters that aren’t supposed to exist?” Lily sighed and sat up, shivering from the dampness of the room. The vampire stood and walked over to her, handing her his long, black coat. Lily took it, without taking her eyes from his, and slipped it on. “If I was this light that you’re all talking so much about, wouldn’t you have felt some sort of change when you decided that you made a ‘good choice for dinner’ the other night?”
“I don’t know how the legends work!” he said in frustration.
“Who are you, anyway? Obviously you’re not one of the vampires on the high end of the food chain, or you wouldn’t have spent all of your time hunting me down. But you’re not the low man on the totem pole either,” she questioned, staring at him as he paced the cell. “And what are you doing in here watching me, anyway? Where do you think I’m going to go?”
“My name is Damon. No, I am neither high nor low in the ranks of our society. I just happened to be the one that found you in the crowd that day.”
“Ooh, lucky me!” she said, rolling her eyes.
“And as for me staying here to watch you, I find you fascinating,” he replied, stepping closer to her. Lily stood up and moved away, backing into a corner as Damon closed in on her. He reached up and touched the bare skin of her neck. “I’ve never been quite so intrigued by a girl before.”
“My name is Lily
!” she snapped as she stared deeply into his eyes, her frustration at being trapped beginning to shine through. “And if you call me girl again I’ll punch you in the face!”
“Now that I would like to see.” He laughed and brought her to him, kissing her deeply on the mouth.
Lily pushed at him, trying to get away, but he was too strong as he wrapped his arms around her and slipped his cold tongue between her lips. He tasted of death and old blood, the coppery taste filled her senses and she felt herself gag. Damon grabbed her wrists and held them high above her head as his body pinned her against the cold wall.
“What do you want from me?” Lily whimpered, the fear evident in her voice. Damon sliced her shirt, tearing it to expose the upper part of her breasts.
“I want you, all of you.” He kissed her cheek and he blew in her ear. “This is something I haven’t felt for decades, the mortal physical need for a woman. I know it has to do with your blood, with the small amount I took before. What I want is more.”
“Let me go, Damon,” Lily pleaded. “I’ll give you what you want, anything, just let me go.”
“I can’t, my sweet,” he said as he gazed deeply into her eyes.
She watched in horror as they began to burn a bright red and his fangs extended before her eyes. Lily screamed, trying not to struggle against the fear that possessed her. He suddenly leaned down and those sharp points pierced the soft skin of the swell of her breast, above her heart. The tears ran freely down her cheeks as she felt the life draining from her body. The pull of her veins was almost more than she could bear. She screamed out again, fighting the blackness that filled her vision.
Bracing his side against the red brick of a building just off from Bienville, Jared fell to his knees, covering his ears with his hands as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. Jean reached down, touching his friend on the shoulder, feeling Jared’s pain as he held in the panic that flowed through his body. Her scream pierced his ears, filling his heart with pain as he tried to use the connection to find her.
“LILY!” he roared, sitting up straight, his voice rising to the heavens. He could suddenly smell her. He stood, ignoring the appeal for an explanation from the two people behind him, and moved in the direction of Bourbon Street.
Damon released her quickly, tossing her onto the bed as he doubled over in pain. Lily, on the verge of unconsciousness, held onto what little hope she had left and locked her eyes on Damon, who had fallen to his knees. He glanced up at her, blood dripping from his lips as he pressed his hands against his stomach, as if he had drunk poison.
“What did you do to me?” he gasped. The pain in his voice brought fear to Lily, for if he died, she would never get out.
“I don’t know,” she answered, shaking her head.
He placed one hand on the floor as his stomach convulsed again, but the sudden pain in his chest made his bright red eyes go wide. The thump was more of a burn, much like a muscle that had atrophied. The second brought his hands from his stomach to his heart and he clutched at his chest in agony.
Lily found enough strength to pull herself to the edge of the bed to watch the strange happenings before her.
Damon could feel the electrodes firing, as the heat flashed through his body with every thump of his dead heart. The blood he had taken from Lily was mending the withered muscle, and the sound of each beat in his ear seemed to echo through the small cell. He covered his ears, as if to block the sound out, but it only made it louder. Once the pain died down, once the newly born heart thumped rhythmically in his body, he was able to look up without pain.
He drew a deep breath in, as if needing the air. When he felt his strength return, he crawled over to Lily, who hadn’t moved from the spot she had pulled herself to. He glanced over the blood that seeped from her wounds. He leaned down, touching his tongue to the two small holes, running it gently over them to help the blood clot. Pain seared through him as he took in another taste of her blood and felt the burn through his entire body.
“Agh! What is this sorcery?” he demanded, feeling his fang extend as he ground his teeth together.
He placed his hands on the side of his head, as the burn became worse and he lifted his eyes to the ceiling. Lily watched as they began to glow a bright red, then slowly turned black before fading to a light brown. Images bombarded Damon’s mind, filling him with remorse and hatred of himself as he relived every kill he had made. He remembered his life before turning, but he lost the feelings of the pain it had caused when Collin had ripped him away from his family.
His body changed color, going from the stark white of death to a pale peach, giving him some resemblance of a mortal. He viewed the stench of death that surrounded him evaporate before his eyes. His skin felt as if it was on fire, burning from the sun’s rays, but he felt nothing else as the fog dissipated. With real tears streaming down his face, Damon came to rest on his hands and knees. He looked up at Lily, whose eyes had half closed as she gave into the darkness.
“Welcome to the light,” she whispered in a voice that was almost non-existent. Damon reached out to touch her, but she was already gone. Quickly, without thinking, he scooped her up and opened the cell door. He had to get her out, had to get her away from the others, for she had barely survived the blood he had taken. They would surely kill her during the moonrise.
Chapter Six
Collin looked up as the two dark figures walked into the room. The vampires before them seemed to part like the Red Sea, letting them move through without a fight. Slowly he stood as the two drew nearer, a smile crossing his face, but it faded as he felt the power that emanated from them.
“Surround them, do not let them move,” he ordered, and locked onto the animal’s eyes.
The noise level in the upper chamber hit Damon’s sensitive ears before he stepped into the room, but he knew the scent of the animal and the historian from past dealings. He stood silently in the corner, holding the black-coated woman close to him. He observed as the two approached Collin, who stood upon the stage with his scepter in hand.
“What a sight to see! An animal and its master here before the vampire council!” Collin laughed.
“Where is the girl?” Jared howled, his fingers stretching to claws as he clenched them by his side. Again, the vampire smiled down at him, looking over at the twins that stood on the stage beside him.
“You will not leave here with her, at least not alive.” He grinned; stepping down towards Jared, his scepter drawn from its sheath became a sword. Jean—who had been quietly standing back—stepped forward, placing himself between Jared and the vampire. “And what, pray tell, do you think you can do against me, mortal?”
“You have taken a mated woman, Collin. Let her go,” Jean snarled at him.
“Mated?” he cawed, laughing triumphantly. “Mated to this animal? Pish posh, it matters not! We will still have her for the light she holds within her. If her mate wishes to join her fate, then so be it, but we will not give her willingly.”
“You will give her to me,” Jean spoke with authority. Jared watched as the man before him—the quiet, non-violent Jean—transformed before his eyes. The younger man’s eyes turned blood red and his eyeteeth extended to fangs, and Jared couldn’t believe that Collin was stepping back.
“Impossible!” he hollered, swinging his arms. “You live in a church, you survive in the daylight! How can this be?”
“I am Jean-Luc de Martien!” Jean snarled through clenched teeth. “And you will give me the girl!”
“You are not allowed here! By order of the council, you were banished from this place,” Collin yelled, stepping up to Jean, who stood six inches above the vampire.
“Do not recite the council’s codes to me, fledgling. I was there when they were made,” Jean barked back, turning in the direction of Damon, who held the one he came for in his arm. “The girl, vampire, give her to me, now!”
Damon, still unsure
of what had happened to him and of what was taking place, stepped closer to the creature that stood in the room with him. He looked past Jean to the animal, whose snarling face seemed more possessive than angry. He leaned down, running his cheeks over the dark hair of the woman in his arms before placing her gently on the floor.
Jared looked over the condition of her shirt and glared at the blond-haired man. He was instantly upon Damon, backing him up against the wall. His canines bared at the vampire’s throat as his clawed hand wrapped around his neck. Jared inhaled, confused at why he no longer smelled the scent of death on the creature before him, causing him to step back. On the vampire’s breath was the hint of Lily’s blood, but there was something strange about this young one. Unfortunately Jared didn’t have the time or patience to figure it out.
He stepped towards the motionless body of his mate and scooped her up from the floor, cradling her close to his body. He looked at Jean, his long-time friend and protector. Again unsure of what exactly was taking place, he backed slowly towards the entrance of the cavern.
“You have your prize for now Martien, or Morton, whichever you choose to call yourself. But mark my words, we will have her back before the moonrise.” Collin laughed as Jean turned and moved to follow Jared.
“You have no idea what you are up against, Collin,” Jean replied, looking back at him before stepping into the narrow hallway. “But if it is a war you want, then so be it.”
Jean turned and walked away, leaving Collin to sit and wonder what just happened. He turned and looked at Damon, instantly knowing that there was something different about the vampire before him. He stepped up to him, looking into Damon’s brown eyes and he hissed, baring his fangs at the younger man. With a snarl, he swung his sword, slicing across Damon’s chest. The blond-haired man looked down, placing his hands on the wound that bled profusely, and then looked up at Collin as he fell sideways to the ground, eyes wide open still in shock.
Jared looked over at Jean as he set Lily down on the bed in his apartment. Kylie watched from the doorway as the two men stood facing one another, fearing a battle between them, but Jared lowered his eyes and shook his head.