Cave of Terror

by Amber Dawn Bell

  He touched the back of his head and brought his hand out in front. Blood covered his fingers. “I got a pretty good knock in the head when I fell back."

  "Oh.” I didn't know if I wanted to kiss him or smack him. He had me so worried. Deciding on the kiss, I bent down and pressed my lips to his. When I raised my head back up, his jaw slackened and his eyes widened. “Looks like you're the one who's seen the ghost."

  A sharp pain bit into my back. I glanced down. The tip of a knife protruded from my chest. My white dress turned a dark red before my eyes. An ear-piercing screech sounded, bouncing off the walls of the cave. For a moment I couldn't comprehend what had happened or why I could no longer breathe normally. Then the tip went away and another sharp pain sliced into me. A bat flew into my view, then disappeared behind me. I heard a gurgling sound and a moan. Out of nowhere, Constantine now stood next to me, his eyes wide with horror as he stared at me. He wiped the blood from his mouth and dropped to his knees. What was he doing back here? I fell forward onto Ryan, my eyes slowly closing on their own.

  A scream rumbled deep in Ryan's chest, then I heard no more.

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  20

  Eternally Bonded

  Delicious warmth seeped into my body. I was so cold. So very cold. I snuggled closer to the source. Pain. I moaned. Sticky wetness covered me. Uncomfortable. Yucky. I sniffed. The sweet scent of something yummy tickled my nose. Mmm.

  "Cheyenne?"

  Ryan? My eyelids flickered open. A distorted version of a face loomed above me. I blinked to clear the image. I blinked again. As my vision became clearer, I recognized Ryan. I was safely nestled in his strong arms. But a tear flowed down his beautiful face. Why was he so sad? I reached up and caught the tear with my finger. The crystal drop glistened on the tip. So strange. Why did I feel cold? And why did it hurt to breathe? Or move? And why was Constantine hovering over me?

  "Cheyenne, you've been hurt and have lost too much blood. You must feed,” Ryan said in such a soft voice I wasn't sure if it was real or a dream. “Do you understand what I'm saying?"

  "Huh?” At the moment, I wasn't sure about anything. Everything around me was fuzzy.

  "Focus, Cheyenne. This is very important and we don't have much time. You need help now. You need blood. And it must come from a vampire."

  He seemed so serious. “Uh huh."

  "That leaves me."

  "No, that leaves us,” Constantine argued.

  "That's not an option.” Ryan's voice held a hint of a threat.

  What was going on? Why were they fighting?

  "Cheyenne?” Ryan shook me.

  "Huh?"

  "I need to tell you something. You need to listen to what I'm saying. Okay?"

  "Uh huh."

  "Once you take my blood, you'll be forever bonded to me. I've had your blood, so if you choose to take mine, we will be linked forever—mind and soul. You will have my memories, feel my pain, and much more. Make your choice. I will not force it on you. You must decide.” Ryan's hand trembled as he stroked my hair away from my face. “You don't have much time."

  "Cheyenne, listen to him. You have to have blood,” Constantine urged.

  I couldn't keep my eyes open no matter how hard I tried. So heavy. They fluttered shut and I felt myself fading ... fading...

  "Cheyenne! Choose!” Ryan's voice boomed into my head.

  I just wanted to sleep. So cold. I didn't even hurt anymore.

  "Choose!"

  I cracked one eye open and whispered, “I choose you. It's always been you..."

  I thought I heard a gasp coming from the side where Constantine knelt.

  Something warm and wet dripped onto my lips. It tasted so sweet. My tongue darted out for more. I wanted more. So good. I turned my head side to side searching for the source. More found its way into my mouth. I reached out and grabbed the first solid thing I could find and brought it to my mouth. Eagerly I drank more. My body warmed and I sighed in contentment. Tingles centered around two areas of my back. So strange.

  "Cheyenne?” Ryan nudged me.

  "Hmm?” I opened my eyes. “Hi."

  Ryan's beautiful blue eyes lit up as his lips spread into a grin. “Well, hi yourself, Sparkie. You gave me a pretty good scare."

  "Me, too."

  I jerked my head toward Constantine. The sincerity written across his face startled me. “What are you doing here?"

  "I came back for Dracul. We can't afford to leave any of our kind behind ... then I saw him with a knife in his hands.” His voice cracked. “I was too late. I'm so sorry.” He bowed his head.

  Constantine sorry? “I'm okay. See?” I waved my hand down my body. “But, what happened to Dracul?” I tried to sit up, but Ryan held me down.

  "He's dead. Constantine took care of that."

  He killed Dracul for me?

  Bats flew into the area, circling us.

  "I must go now.” Constantine stood. “I will miss you, my little Vanator.” His eyes turned and locked with Ryan's. “Take care of her, Ryan. As I would have.” Unshed tears glistened in his eyes as he glanced down at me one last time before morphing back into a bat and flying off.

  What had happened to him? He seemed so sincere and different. Ryan stroked my hair, snapping my attention back to him.

  "I don't know what I'd have done if I lost you.” His voice hitched.

  "I do believe you care.” I giggled, then coughed.

  The smile slid off his face. “It's more than caring, Cheyenne. Surely you must know that by now. Everything I did was for you—to protect you."

  "What do you mean?” I asked, puzzled.

  "The Liliacs. I joined with them to monitor their actions."

  I raised my eyebrows. “So, you're really not a Liliac?"

  Ryan lowered his gaze. “No, I'm a Liliac ... was one ... but it's complicated."

  I pushed myself into a sitting position. “I don't understand. You're not like them."

  "My family and several others left the Liliacs when it became obvious the clice was evolving into something much more evil. We couldn't join with the Panteres because they wouldn't have trusted us,” Ryan explained.

  "No, they would've understood,” I added.

  "You don't get it. We'd have been exterminated like the other Liliacs. They couldn't afford not to. We had no choice but to separate, to strike out on our own.” Ryan deepened his voice. “The Liliacs hunted us because we knew where they dwelled and had information the Panteres could use to find them. For a long time we had to go into hiding and form our own clice—Aperare."

  "Not another clice. I didn't know about another one."

  "There are several clices, but you wouldn't know about us because no one but us is aware of our existence. We're the self-appointed guardians of our race, making sure none of our kind becomes careless and makes our presence known to humans. We monitor the Liliacs closely. Much of the information your clice has gained has been revealed by us.” He paused and slid his finger down my arm causing goosebumps to form. “But then it became clear we had to do something, could no longer stay invisible. The Liliacs were planning to strike—and you were the target. It was no coincidence I showed up when I did. Your status as a Vanator has been known by our clan for a while."

  I frowned. “But I didn't even know until after my birthday. Neither did my family or my clice. How could you—"

  "Because that's our gift. Our senses have evolved out of necessity. My clice knew you were a Vanator when you were born. You're special."

  "Yeah, so I've been told,” I mumbled.

  "I'm just a little older than you, so they sent me to watch over you. And in order to ensure your safety, I needed to return to the Liliacs and monitor their actions. We had followed them to this area and you. Constantine used me to keep an eye on you and report to him on your progress.” He paused, then cupped my chin in his hand. His crystal blue eyes softened. “The problem is ... I fell for you. Constantine found out about my feelings and us
ed it to his advantage. I tried throwing him off by pretending to be interested in Val—that you were just a job."

  "Fell for me?"

  "Sparkie, I ... lo..."

  A muffled cry threw us out of the moment. We jerked our heads around, looking for the origin of the sound.

  "Omigod! Val!” I yelled.

  We jumped up and ran to Val's side.

  "It'll be okay, Val. Hang on,” Ryan reassured.

  He helped her into a sitting position and began working on her restraints. I tugged the duct tape from her mouth. Her body shook like she was a super charged electric toothbrush. Smeared mascara decorated the area under her puffy eyes. Dried blood caked her arms where she had been cut. The wounds weren't as bad as I had imagined—not much more than scratches. Constantine must have done it more for effect than anything—lucky for her. Her pupils were dilated and she had a vacant look in her eyes. I reached out and took her hands. They felt cold and clammy.

  "Val?” I tried to gain her attention, but she continued to stare off into space.

  "I think she may be in shock.” Ryan rubbed her upper arms, trying to infuse warmth with friction.

  I tried again. “Val? Look at me."

  Slowly, she turned her head and met my gaze. She blinked several times, and then the distant look in her eyes faded and reality set in. Squeezing my hands like a vice grip, she screamed—hysterical screams that caused the tiny hairs on the back of my neck to rise. Shrill, animalistic cries I never wanted to hear again.

  Instinct took over and I pulled my hands from her grip and slapped her across the face. The screaming stopped. She looked as if she saw me for the first time and threw her arms around me.

  She sobbed, “Oh God, oh God, oh God."

  "Sssh. Everything is okay. You're safe. I've got you,” I comforted.

  She sucked in a breath and pulled away. “You ... you're ... one of them ... I saw you ... but you saved me."

  "No, Val, I'm not one of them. I may be different from you, but I'm not like them."

  What was I going to do now? Val knew too much and she hated me enough that she'd probably thrive on the information once she came to her senses. She'd gain great satisfaction bringing me down. Oh, God, and Nicoleta. She'd be beyond furious. And what would she do to Val?

  As if on cue, Nicoleta, Amarande, and Mandy came rushing into the area. Mandy led the way like a warrior charging his enemy. Her mouth dropped opened as she got closer and surveyed my appearance. The blood on my gown now looked like the inkblot designs used for psychological testing. I'm sure I looked a fright.

  "Cheyenne, omigod, what happened? Are you hurt? Why is there blood all over your clothes? What's with the outfit you're wearing? How did Ryan get here? And who is that you're holding?” As Mandy took a moment to inhale before continuing her tirade, Val turned her head. Mandy's eyes popped open even wider, and she opened and closed her mouth several times before speaking. “Val? Omigod, what's she doing here? Why is she so bloody? And what is Ryan doing here? Someone say something. I'm freaking out."

  Gently, yet firmly, Amarande picked Mandy up by the arms and moved her out of the way as if she weighed no more than a paperback book. When she began to speak, he put his finger to his mouth in a ‘hush’ signal. With Amarande, it was more of a ‘shut-up’ signal. Mandy snapped her mouth shut and didn't say a word—just sat quietly waiting.

  Note to self: mark on calendar—Mandy quit talking when told to shush.

  Nicoleta took Mandy's place next to me. She grasped my chin between her fingers and turned my head side to side studying me, staring into my eyes, then glanced at Val and frowned.

  Oh boy, this was not going to go well.

  Val scooted closer to me. She trembled under Nicoleta's scrutiny.

  "Why is she here? Who is she?” Nicoleta asked without taking her gaze off Val.

  "She's a girl from school. Constantine had her brought here.” I leaned toward Nicoleta and lowered my voice so Val wouldn't hear. “He planned to use her as the feast after the ceremony.” I bit my bottom lip in anticipation of her reaction.

  She narrowed her eyes. “She was going to be the feast? Of all the barbaric practices to bring into this century.” Huffing out a breath, she continued, “And why exactly was she chosen to be the ... feast?"

  "He thought to use her as a gift of sorts.” I glanced at Val. “We don't exactly get along."

  Val jerked her head around and stared at Nicoleta.

  Nicoleta placed her hand on Val's knee, her gold bracelets clanking as they slid down her arm and settled at her wrist. “I'm guessing you witnessed some rather disturbing things,” she said in a calm, soothing voice.

  Val bobbed her head up and down.

  "I think I can help you with that.” Nicoleta glanced at me.

  Afraid she had something in mind that would harm Val, I blurted, “What do you mean by that? You're not planning to hurt her are you? She didn't do anything. She won't say anything. I'll keep an eye on her."

  "Hurt me?” Val whimpered.

  "Relax, girls. No one is going to be hurt. It appears there's been enough of that already,” Nicoleta said.

  The sound of running feet and barking caused us all to turn around and watch to see who or what now invaded the cavernous room. Roxie came into view, then my parents—my mother out of breath and my father not fairing much better.

  Roxie jumped on me and licked my face, whining all the while.

  "Hi, girl.” I scratched her behind the ears. “I'm all right.” She backed away, then moved in circles, her nose in the air, sniffing the area.

  "Cheyenne!” My mother ran toward me, then stopped dead in her tracks, my father almost plowing into her back. “Are you hurt? There's so much ... blood."

  "Blood? What's this?” My father stepped to the side of my mother. His jaw slackened and his complexion visibly paled, even in the low light cast by the candles. “Cheyenne...” He sucked in a breath, his body tensing.

  For a minute, I thought my poor dad would fall over in a dead faint at the sight of my blood soaked dress.

  "Dad, I'm okay. Really.” I turned to Ryan. “Thanks to Ryan."

  Dad exhaled, his color slowly returning to normal, his shoulders relaxing. “Thank God."

  My parents started toward me, but Nicoleta blocked their path. “We were just about to perform a repression. It appears Constantine brought one of Cheyenne's friends into this mess against her will. She's seen too much. And I'm sure you'll agree that we cannot allow her to remain as she is.” Nicoleta turned to Amarande. “Shall we?” She glanced back at my parents. “Would you both like to join in as well?"

  They seemed to all understand what Nicoleta expected, but I sure didn't. And poor Val continued to shake like a frightened Chihuahua. If I was her, I'd be shaking too. I at least had a little warning before being thrown into this nightmarish world.

  "What's going on?” I had to know. After all, it wasn't Val's fault for what happened to her. She didn't ask to be kidnapped and almost used as part of a ritual. This time, she was innocent. What irony—me defending Val.

  "You may join, too, Cheyenne. It may seem a bit strange now, but you'll need to know how to do this.” She motioned for me to join the circle that had formed around me and Val.

  I started to get up, but Val grabbed my gown and forced me back down.

  "What are they going to do to me? I know this is about me. Help me,” Val pleaded, her pale, blue eyes bright with tears.

  "I don't know exactly. But, I won't let anyone hurt you,” I whispered. “I promise."

  I stood and moved next to Nicoleta. “What's happening? What's a repression?"

  "She's seen too much, Cheyenne, and we can't take the chance she won't reveal our secret. We are going to permanently repress her memory of this event."

  Frowning, I said, “But Constantine said it's not possible to erase someone's memory."

  She smiled. “We can't ‘erase’ someone's memory, but we can bury it so deep it will never surface. Certain
things will puzzle her, but she'll never quite be able to wrap her mind around it."

  We all joined hands, forming a circle around Val. She glanced around at each of us, her lips trembling and perspiration forming along her brow. I felt sorry for her. I could relate to the helplessness of being thrust into the middle of a situation you didn't understand. I gave her a reassuring smile.

  "What am I supposed to do?” I quietly asked Nicoleta.

  "Just follow our lead. We'll be combining our energy and directing it at your friend."

  My friend? Now that's something I never thought I'd hear—twice in one day no less.

  Amarande began to chant in a language I didn't understand, much like the Liliacs had during the bonding ceremony. Everyone else joined in—the same phrase over and over.

  A slight tingle raced through my left hand, into my torso, and out my right hand. Again and again it happened, speeding up in frequency until the pulses became a continuous cycle. The chanting sped up as well. Then, I felt the energy being pulled from my body, centering somewhere inside the circle.

  Val stiffened. A yellow halo of light surrounded her. She swayed, then slumped forward and rolled to her back. Her eyes closed and her breathing became shallow. I watched her chest rise and fall, assuring myself she lived and remained unharmed. I sighed in relief. Everything would be okay.

  "We'll clean her up and take her home. She'll wonder how she got the marks on her arm, but she won't remember how it happened,” Nicoleta explained. She turned and raised an arched brow. “And, young lady, you have some explaining to do. You broke the number one rule and put yourself and your clice in danger. Don't think it will be forgotten."

  I swallowed hard. Thank goodness Mandy came to the rescue.

  "Oh, my God, Cheyenne. That was the coolest thing I've ever seen. I wonder if Val will be like nicer or something...” Pausing, she studied me. “What's wrong?"

  "Let's just say I may be missing a large chunk of my butt come tomorrow.” I glanced at Nicoleta who still stared me down in that fashion only she could manage. Not even my mother put the fear of God in me like her.

  Mandy followed my stare and grimaced. “Oh ... I see what you mean."