Crumbling Control (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 3)

by May Freighter

  “Do you need anything?” Phil asked from the doorway.

  “Rope,” he replied.

  “Plenty in the barrel in the corner. Anything else?”

  Lucious shook his head, and Phil closed the door behind him. This was not the time for meaningless discussions. He needed answers.

  He bound their naked bodies first. Then, he secured them to the metal pipes which ran throughout the room. Standing stock-still, he waited for the hunters to stir. Each of them had been branded with a black snake tattoo, slithering its way up their necks. They had to know where the hunter base was located and who took Helena.

  The first one to wake up was the girl. Her grey eyes instantly focused on him. She kicked the two men on either side of her with her tied feet. The men didn’t stir.

  “What’re you going to do to us?” she demanded.

  Lucious selected a curved dagger off the table and ran his index finger along the blade, relishing the burning of silver against his immortal flesh.

  The hunter’s eyes bulged, and she screamed, “Vampire!”

  Her companions awakened and the rope jerked them back from the sudden movement. They grunted in pain and struggled against their restraints, which Lucious found to be amusing. They always struggle…at first.

  Lucious set the blade aside and squatted in front of the trio. “When is the wedding?”

  The hunters glared at him in defiance. The burly man on the left of the girl shouted profanities at him. Lucious’ hand caught the man’s meaty neck and twisted it. A second passed and a satisfying crunch bounced around the freezer.

  Silence claimed the room as two glares wore holes in him. He did not care for their emotions. What he needed was fear. Only the woman had it reflected in her eyes for an instant.

  Lucious let the body fall to one side like a chopped tree and returned to his initial position of squatting in front of the remaining hunters. He said nothing, waiting.

  The male hunter sneered at him. “Once I get out of these, I’ll—”

  Snap. His neck twisted to an unnatural angle once Lucious backhanded him with enough force to punch through concrete. The second man collapsed to the other side, dead.

  As the hunter’s heart gave its last beat, Lucious’ cold stare returned to the girl.

  “Why don’t you kill me already? I won’t tell you a thing,” she yelled.

  A sluggish smile tugged at Lucious’ lips. “I won’t grant you the quick death you seek.” He stood and trailed his frosty finger along her cheek. “You will tell me what I want to know…in time.”

  She moved her head, knocking his hand away. Her ponytail came undone and blonde locks fell over her weathered face. “I took an oath!”

  “And I made a promise,” Lucious replied. “There comes a time when we break our promises sooner or later.”

  “I’d rather die!”

  Lucious truly wished he could grant her an easy death. Yet, he had picked her out of the group from the start. A silver wedding band snugly sat on her left hand. She would break her vows to the hunters sooner or later. No woman would want to die believing she was pregnant. It was a lie, yes, but in this situation he had no choice. He needed the truth.

  “What about your husband? Would he not be sad to see the two of you go?” Lucious asked softly.

  “Two? What are you talking about?” She gasped. “No…” Tears rimmed her eyes. She quickly began mumbling something in German.

  Lucious straightened his posture and picked up a dagger. He tested the sharpness of it by slicing the pad of his thumb. And, when he faced her again, she whimpered.

  No pity reflected in his eyes as he, for the last time, lowered his body to her level. Placing his knee on the tiles, he grasped her neck with one hand and brought the blade to her stomach.

  “What is your name?” Lucious’ voice was devoid of emotion.

  “Briella Wynn.”

  He pushed her back against the frozen wall of the freezer. She cried out when the ice crystals crushed under her bare skin. “Now then, Briella Wynn, tell me where and when the wedding will take place between the clans.”

  A violent shudder shook her body, and she continued biting her swelling lip.

  With the flick of his wrist, Lucious cut her stomach open.

  She looked at the horrifying sight of flowing blood. In her poor attempt to stop the bleeding, she covered the wide cut with her hands as more tears dampened her cheeks. “It’s in three days, but I don’t know where. I swear!”

  Lucious wiped the blade on her cheek and tutted. “Are you lying to me?”

  “I’m not! You have my word.”

  Anger flashed behind his eyes. The hunter spoke the truth. Her heart rate, although erratic, reflected that fact. She had no idea where they were going to hold the ceremony. Perhaps the hunters expected they would be tortured for information. He needed someone close to their leaders.

  “Then do you know where a young woman named Helena is?”

  “No,” she whispered.

  He shut down. No longer would he let the pain torment him. From now on, his task was clear. “I believe you are useless to me then.” He stabbed the dagger into her chest repeatedly, only halting when the hunter stopped moving. “Phil, get me the next batch!”

  10

  Broken Promises

  The darkness never went away. Like a haunting blanket, it covered everything around her. Whether it was day or night, she didn’t know. Helena huddled in her corner, shivering. She clung to the hope that Maya had a plan and was executing it while she tried to stay sane with the rodents. Their claws chipped at something on the other end of the cell, or so she thought based on the echoing scraping.

  Something furry brushed her leg, and she kicked the rat, propelling it across the room. It collided with the stone wall, releasing a loud squeak. She shuddered.

  “Helena, it will be alright,” Michael said next to her.

  Another lie… The odds were against her. The fact that witches from Aberdeen were helping these hunters didn’t necessarily mean Cullodena joined them. If she did, there had to be an explanation of some kind. Perhaps they were blackmailing her or…

  Helena strangled a sob in her throat. Why did Ben need to put her through this? Why not kill her and let it end? She wiped at her wet cheeks with her dirty palms. Crying won’t solve anything.

  As if to answer her prayers, the door creaked open and stinging light forced her to squeeze her eyes shut. She heard the cell door being unlocked and peeked out to find a pair of foreign boots in front of her. When she glanced up, Levile’s old partner, Norton, grinned at her. His bald head reflected the halogen light coming from the other side of the door. She caught a peek of the outside. They were in the catacombs with wine barrels lining the walls.

  “What are you doing here?” Helena demanded.

  Norton picked her up by the hair, forcing her to stand.

  “Let go!” she screamed.

  The vampire silenced her with his rough hand. He let go of her hair and grasped her waist, pulling her closer to him. The three days of starvation were reflected in her weak kicks and punches.

  Sharp teeth sank into her jugular, piercing her skin with ease. Her blood ran down her collarbone and shoulder while he lapped at her opened wound. Helena squeezed her eyes shut, unable to hide the pain. Her squirming didn’t help. The arm around her waist restrained any movement.

  Seconds ticked by and her efforts faded. The pain dulled, making her limbs grow heavy. She fought to stay awake.

  “That’s enough,” Ben’s authoritative voice came from the doorway.

  Norton let out a low growl and pulled back. “It was your idea, young hunter, to test my allegiance. As you can see, I couldn’t care less about this human or any vampire in the Council.”

  A dizzy spell washed over her. Helena fell and covered the bite with her hand. Touching the raw skin made her wince. She pressed her lips together, doing her best to not let Ben have the satisfaction of seeing her suffer.

&nbs
p; “Heal her neck before you leave,” Ben ordered, crossing his arms.

  Norton licked the remnants of blood from his pale lips and used a pocket knife to slice his hand. He yanked Helena’s hand away from her wound and pressed the bleeding palm to it.

  She let out a cry when his rough skin brushed her torn flesh. It took a few seconds for the numbness to settle in. When it did, she struggled to keep from shedding more tears under Ben’s stern gaze.

  The vampire joined Ben at the entrance. “I’m done here.”

  “I’m not finished testing you,” Ben said. “If you can bring me Lucious alive then you may join us.”

  “No!” Helena screamed in protest which conjured a cruel smirk on Ben’s face.

  “It won’t be a problem.” Norton fleeted out of the room with his vampire speed.

  It was hard to breathe. She clutched her chest and crawled to the hunter. “Ben, don’t do this! Maya wouldn’t want you to…”

  Ben’s eyes gleamed as he grasped her jaw in a painful grip. “And what would you know about Maya’s wishes? You were together for a few weeks while I lived with her for years.”

  Wrapping her weak, bloodstained hands around his wrist, she said, “She’s not dead, Ben.”

  He jerked his hand away, sending her abruptly downwards. Her body exploded with pain when tiny rocks embedded themselves in her exposed side where her sweater had rolled up.

  Ben placed his boot to her throat, pressing down on it. “Even if you lie, it won’t save you. Two more days, and you can watch me kill the one you love. Aren’t you excited?”

  Helena coughed. The pressure lessened and soon disappeared. She rolled onto her back, massaging her burning windpipe. There was no way of reasoning with Ben. Not until Maya appeared. She had no choice but to wait.

  “I almost forgot.” Ben retrieved a bar of chocolate from his pocket, which he unwrapped in front of her.

  Her mouth watered at the sight of food. The ache in her empty stomach built with each rumble. Licking her cracked lips, she waited for him to give it to her.

  Ben smirked and threw the chocolate bar to the rats in the corner. The rodents launched themselves at it.

  Helena stared at him with wide eyes. “Why?”

  “I forgot to feed my pets.” He walked out and, once more, bathed the room in darkness, leaving her to simmer with frustration in the corner.

  Lucious pried a hunter’s mouth open and poured his blood inside.

  The man spat the contents out but, once Lucious closed his nose, he couldn’t help swallowing.

  Stroking the handle of the serrated blade on the table, he gazed at the hunter’s wild eyes. It no longer mattered to him if the victim was a male, female, or a child. The emptiness in him kept growing and swallowing any and all hope he had of finding the location of the wedding.

  “If you die here tonight, you will awaken as a ghoul. If you do not know what that is…” Lucious traced the sharp end of the blade with his thumb. “I will explain.”

  He carefully cut the man’s fat stomach, making sure the hunter watched as his guts burst outwards and blood painted his sides. Taking pleasure in the fear of death reflected in the hunter’s eyes, Lucious added, “You will become my servant for an eternity, without a will of your own.”

  The hunter’s already wide eyes bulged out of their sockets and he thrashed on the spot.

  “Hush, old man. Unless you wish for the inevitable to come sooner?” Lucious whispered.

  The hunter stopped squirming.

  “Good. Tell me, where is the wedding going to take place?”

  Lucious studied the brief flash of panic on the man’s face. The hunter, much like the previous seventeen, possessed no knowledge of its location. With a tired sigh, Lucious flicked his wrist, cutting the hunter’s throat.

  Gargling sounds populated the freezer. Lucious wiped the blade on the man’s torn shirt. He looked around, seeing a pile of bodies almost as high as the ceiling. Blood flowed out of their corpses and escaped through the large metal drain in the centre of the room. Seeing he had no more hunters to question, Lucious placed the knife back on the table and left the freezer.

  As he opened the door, Phil’s spoke sternly, “Don’t you dare take a step out of that room before you change! You’ll ruin my carpet.”

  Lucious assessed his attire. The navy shirt he wore had splashes of red. His jeans clung to his legs and his boots left red shoeprints everywhere he went. Yet, he couldn’t picture how he could spoil Phil’s disgusting carpet further.

  “Are you going to provide a change of clothes for me?” Lucious asked.

  “I left some on the boxes by the door over two hours ago. Take whatever you like,” Phil snapped from behind his desk.

  Lucious stripped and used his ragged top to wipe the excess blood off his arms and face. He slipped on a new pair of jeans and a black shirt that felt strangely soft against his skin.

  Outside the freezer, he joined Phil and Byron in the office.

  “Anything?” Byron asked.

  “Like the others, useless,” Lucious replied grimly. He made his way to the free seat and swiped a glass full of whisky off Phil’s desk. “Based on the way the questioning is going, I am convinced the ceremony will not be a large event. The news will be delivered to the clan members via other means.”

  A grimace formed on Byron’s face. “Then your woman is running out of time.”

  Lucious stiffened. Every time he thought about Helena, his heart felt like someone drove a dagger through it. Perhaps the reason he could keep up the torment with such ease was because the hunters’ pain reflected his inner turmoil.

  Both Phil and Byron stared at him. Byron broke the silence first by saying, “Listen, maybe I should take over from here…”

  Lucious raised a brow. He never expected to see concern in that werewolf’s eyes. It was an emotion unsuited for the situation they found themselves in. “Do not fret, I will do my job just fine.”

  Phil swatted Lucious on the back of the head. “You are not fine. You went through those hunters faster than a knife through butter. We are banking on your knowledge and experience here. Any mistake can lead to an all-out war.”

  “I know the stakes, Phil,” Lucious snapped, “better than anyone here.”

  Phil pointed at the ceiling. “Take a shower and get some rest in the spare bedroom. I’ll summon you when we need you again.”

  Lucious headed for the staircase. Taking two steps at the time, he climbed them in no time. When he entered the second room on his right, he collapsed on the single bed and buried his hands in his hair. He had not slept since Helena disappeared. Every cell in his being screamed for rest, but he could not give in. The haunted faces of his victims surfaced the instant he closed his eyes. Their muffled screams and terror-filled expressions never left. They remained under the surface and chipped away at the dam of the past horrors he committed.

  His hands slid to his chest, and he concentrated on the link. Helena stayed in a place where he could not find her. Why keep her alive? Why take her and not demand anything from me? If they wanted to manipulate him for their cause, they wouldn’t hesitate to act. So, why wait? His jaw clenched at a possible reason—revenge.

  Lucious sat up and balled his hands into fists. The possibility that Ben had her never abandoned him. How many more hunters did he need to kill before he could get her back?

  The knock on the door had him putting his assumptions aside. Lucious slid off the bed and opened the door with a jerk of his wrist. “What is it?”

  Phil’s expression revealed worry. “We are being summoned to the Council building.”

  “Why?”

  “Eliza is gathering vampires in London for an emergency meeting. That’s all I know.”

  A bad feeling formed at the pit of Lucious’ stomach as he followed Phil out of the room. Never in the history of the Council’s rule did they summon everyone to one place. Things have, indeed, become dire.

  Upon arrival at the Council building, t
he ghouls ushered newcomers to the central chamber. Vincent and three Councilwomen sat on their high-backed chairs on the balcony, overseeing the crowd below.

  Lucious scanned the room, recognising over twenty faces, some of which came here from the outskirts of the city. He shot a questioning look to Anna who sat on Eliza’s left. She gave a shake of her head, and he figured she couldn’t talk until Eliza got the announcement out of the way.

  Quiet murmurs and conversations charged the space with agitation.

  A vampire woman at the front said, “You gonna tell us what we’re ‘ere for?”

  Nods of agreement followed, and Eliza stood. She rested her hands on the marble railing. “We are gathering all vampires in England to come here and aid us in the fight against the hunters. Henceforth, you will be given a room on the premises.”

  Phil raised his hand. “Are you saying we cannot leave?”

  Eliza inclined her head. “I am.”

  The room erupted with protests.

  “This is madness!” the woman at the front shouted amidst the cacophony of complaints.

  “I assure you, dear friends, this is for everyone’s safety. Our enemies have already claimed four of us in the past two weeks and many more in the Archives’ fire,” Eliza explained.

  Lucious ground his teeth. He didn’t have time to hide in the Council’s building while Helena remained unaccounted for. Splitting off from the group, he hurried for the door when Eliza’s voice rose. Her words froze him mid-stride.

  “Anyone who wants to leave will be locked in a cell until the danger passes. So, I suggest you accept our hospitality and follow the ghouls to your designated quarters.”

  Lucious’ head snapped in her direction. Is she taking pleasure in confining everyone here? The tiny smile curving the corner of her lips only reinforced his guess.

  Once the Council left the balcony, the noise levels rose as ghouls strode into the room with digital tablets in their hands.

  “Phil, I need to find a way out of here,” Lucious hissed.

  “You are not alone. I cannot take care of my Princess being holed up in here!”