Southern Spirits (The Southern Series Book 3)

by Shelley Stringer

  But unlike the kidnapping before Mardi Gras, I had no way to communicate my location. I had no cell phone. I recalled someone pulling it from my pocket and dumping it as I was removed from the SUV.

  “You stupid bitch, they can track this! We told you to search her,” a man had growled as I heard him slap Astrid hard. She’d hissed back at him, and there had been some sort of scuffle before I lost consciousness again.

  The twins! I began to cry. I was so angry, so helpless. I needed to get to my babies. I could imagine how scared they were. Elly would suck her thumb and cling to Matty. I hoped they hadn’t faded in front of the Orcos.

  A door swung open at the far end of the hold. I couldn’t turn my head enough to see who was approaching. As the footsteps neared, I could smell her.

  “I heard your pitiful cries. Shut the hell up. They’re bringing those half-breed brats to you, not for you, but so we don’t have to deal with them,” Astrid hissed, grabbing me by the collar. As I focused on her face, chills erupted at the base of my neck and traveling down my spine. She licked her lips as she studied my neck. I’d never seen her with her hair down. It fell in an array around her face, making her appear much younger.

  “I’ve never tasted someone after they’ve transformed. Not a Sange-Mele, anyway. I hear it’s sweet,” she whispered into my ear. “I haven’t tasted human blood in years.” I could feel her breath on my neck. I was so repulsed; the bile began to rise in my throat.

  “No, please,” I begged.

  “Oh, that was the wrong thing to do, bitch. That whine just made me want to taste you more,” she breathed against my neck. A sharp pain, followed by intense pressure seemed to pull me to the floor as my world began to swirl out of focus. Her bite was intense. She moaned as she drank. I wanted to throw up on her.

  “Stop! What the hell do you think you are doing, you Orco whore!” Lucien strode into the room, and struck her hard. As her head jerked back her sharp fangs tore at the flesh on my neck. Blood ran freely down my neck as I watched Lucien in horror. His fangs extended, throbbing with his thirst.

  He leaned over me, and I could feel his fangs as they pierced the spot where Astrid had just bitten me.

  “No, please…stop,” I whispered, afraid I was about to die. I was weak, barely able to hold my head up.

  After consuming what blood had already flowed down my neck, I felt the sting of venom as he injected it. My legs jerked involuntarily as I fought against the restraints on my wrists.

  He pulled away, his eyes wild as he licked his lips. He pushed me back violently on the floor as his head dipped toward my chest. He licked the blood from my chest as I whimpered. I then heaved, throwing up beside me.

  “Are you that revolted by me? You are lucky I injected my venom to heal your wound. After Dante is through with you, you are mine. You will get used to it and learn to like it. I will fully transform you, and you will pant like the dog you were born to be. Is that what you were? Everett’s little bitch?”

  Visions of what they had planned for me burned into my brain. Death would be better than this. I shuddered uncontrollably, the venom from his bite already working its way through my system.

  The door opened again, and a young male Orco carried both babies around their waists as they wailed. He dropped them unceremoniously into my lap. Elly squirmed around and crawled up to my breast, laying her head there and placing her thumb in her mouth. Matty pushed up and sat against me, watching Lucien warily.

  “You’re lucky Dante has such grand plans for them when we reach shore, or they would be dead already. I’ve had to fight the crew off them twice.”

  I found my voice. “Please, uncuff me, so I can take care of them,” I whispered.

  Lucien grabbed my arm and jerked me around. With one swift motion, he tore the metal cuffs open, the jagged edges cutting my skin around my wrists. I cried out as I brought them around. My skin was crawling and burning from the two bites I’d received, and my nerves were on fire already.

  “I’d stay quiet and keep them quiet. You don’t want the crew fighting to get down here to you. The sounds of your wounded voices bring their appetites out, much like a wounded rabbit to a bear.” He laughed as he strode from the room. Passing Astrid, he lunged at her, picking her up and striking her across the face as he strode to the door.

  “You are not to come back here. Dante will deal with you,” Lucien growled as she whimpered. He slammed the door, and I was enveloped in silence once again, the only noise the humming from deep inside the ship. I wept silently as I cuddled my babies closely.

  I took a deep breath, my nose buried in their hair. They smelled so good, like their baby wash and Banton’s cologne. I remembered how he’d held them both on the couch before the family all left for William’s service.

  The babies were calm. Elly held her thumb in her mouth. Matty curled up on my shoulder. As I rocked them to and fro, Matty’s little hand patted me on my shoulder in rhythm as though he was comforting me.

  “Oh, babies…Mommy’s here. Shhh, Mommy’s here, I’ve got you,” I assured them as I began to cry.

  “Mommy,” Matty muttered as he continued to pat my shoulder.

  “That’s right, Mommy.” I smiled. Just their heartbeats calmed my racing heart. I remembered the afternoon after the second time I’d been bitten, when Banton had held me and rocked me until I was calm. Banton. What was he doing right now? Had he figured everything out? Was he making plans, following us somehow?

  I hadn’t heard anyone say where we were headed, but I had my suspicions. Lucien had said it was lucky Dante had such grand plans for the babies once we were on shore. I shut my eyes and clutched the babies tighter. Visions of the story Olivia had told me while I was pregnant haunted me. A tribal priest of some sort, a ceremony, twin babies…a machete…

  A sob escaped my lips as I continued to rock them back and forth. I would die protecting them. I had to bribe someone somehow to sneak them away. I would have to find an opportunity to escape with them. There had to be a way to get them out of this.

  The babies dozed peacefully, one on each shoulder. I shut my eyes and began to drift, exhaustion setting in and taking its toll. Dreams flitted quickly through my head as I dozed…visions of Banton, our dreamy night in the greenhouse, surrounded by a gauzy tent…the babies giggling as Banton and I bathed them…running in exhilaration down our street as Banton playfully tried to catch up. In a flash, it wasn’t Banton, but a large, grimy hand clutching my shoulder, dragging me back into his filthy chest…

  “No!” I gasped out, waking suddenly. The babies jumped, but quickly settled back in slumber. My arms ached with their weight, but I had nowhere to lay them down.

  Voices echoed from somewhere in the ship, increasing in volume as they neared, and as I strained, I could hear them.

  “She was not to be harmed or touched in any way. You struck her repeatedly, and then you drank her blood to the point of rendering her unconscious,” the eerie deep accented voice from my past berated Astrid as she whimpered in protest.

  “Kill her and dump her for the sharks,” Dante said coldly. I could hear screaming and grunts of pain as the faint sounds of limbs being torn passed through the metal walls of the ship. I wanted to hold my hands to my ears, but I clutched my babies instead. There was nothing to drown out the awful sounds of Astrid dying a slow, painful death. As much as I hated her for what she’d done, my stomach turned over at the thought of what they’d just done to her.

  My babies and I were a heartbeat away from meeting the same fate. I shut my eyes and struggled to control my thoughts. As the babies woke from their nap, my immediate worry was feeding them. Surely Lucien would know I had to feed them. Or did he? The Orcos didn’t know how far the babies had transformed, unless Astrid had told them. They might assume I could still nurse them.

  I wanted to call out again. Wouldn’t it be better for them to hear my voice than to hear the babies crying? I shuddered at the thought that any noise might arouse the other Orcos on the s
hip.

  “Hello?” I called out. “Can anyone hear me? I have to feed the babies, please?”

  I listened, but heard no one coming. I could still hear faint sounds, like conversation and arguments from somewhere inside the ship. I decided to explore my surroundings, now that my feet were no longer bound. Clutching both babies to me, I pushed against the crate and rose to my feet. My legs were like jelly, surely the after-effects of adrenaline and venom. I walked around the large crate, only to find ten or fifteen more of the same. They were all stamped with letters, all foreign to me. I peered through the slats of one crate and found the contents wrapped with foam rubber. At least it looked clean. Searching around, I found a reasonably clean spot on the floor. I placed both babies on the foam mat against the wall.

  “Stay right here, Matty…Elly, stay for Mommy. Don’t move,” I held my finger up as they watched me, seeming to understand me. I turned quickly and placed my hands through the slats, tugging the foam out. A large piece loosened, and then came free as I jerked backwards. It was large enough to curl up on, and I could lay the babies down on it. I took it around beside the crate where we’d been, moving down a few feet away from where I’d thrown up. The floor was cleaner here, and there was more light, the air seeming fresher as I smelled the salt water of the ocean. I ran back and retrieved the babies, and then placed them on the foam as I sank down beside them.

  At least I had a large space to roam around in. The thought occurred to me if I had to relieve myself like I did in the tunnels, I could at least find a far corner to use. I smirked disgustedly. I was finding my silver lining. I shook my head --some silver lining

  I watched the twins as they played together, crawling around me, rolling over each other. Elly giggled every time that Matty made a sound. They were so precious to watch. After a while, Elly became silent and laid her head down, sucking her thumb hard. I knew they were both hungry. Matty reached up to me as he began to whine.

  “Shhh. Little man, I know you are hungry. We’ll figure something out.”

  As he continued to whimper, the tears rolled down my cheeks. Watching my children go hungry, their tummies rumbling, was one of the most heart-wrenching experiences I’d had so far.

  “Please, someone…I have to feed my babies! Please, help me!” I didn’t care anymore, I was sobbing. I knew it had been hours since they’d eaten, and the light was fading. It had to be eight thirty or so at night. They hadn’t eaten since ten o’clock this morning.

  “Orco bastards, you have to feed them!” I screamed as the babies began to wail now, their tummies grumbling so loudly it was echoing in the large chamber.

  Without warning, the steel door swung open and Lucien entered, striding toward me with the duffel bag I’d seen in the entry this morning. As my eyes widened, he stood beside me and dropped the bag. I jumped at the noise.

  A noise behind him startled me again. I peered around him and gasped. Olivia and Patrick’s brother Noah stood, his eyes wide, with two bottles in his hands. I started to call his name in recognition, and then stopped myself. If Lucien didn’t know I knew Noah, he might be able to help me. I stayed silent, watching him warily as he crossed the space between us and handed the bottles to me.

  I sniffed one of the bottles, and the familiar smell of milk and blood greeted me. I wondered fleetingly where the blood came from, but pushed the thought from my head. The babies were hungry, and I couldn’t question the food source. Matty grabbed his and sucked it hungrily. I left him to nurse on his own as I turned to Elly. She weakly held the bottle between her hands as I cradled her to my breast.

  “Keep them quiet. Someone will be here in the morning to collect them,” Lucien said icily as my heart constricted.

  “What do you mean?” My voice rose in panic.

  “For a time. Dante wants a few moments alone with you,” he said menacingly as I grew chilled. “I’m leaving him here with you tonight,” Lucien pointed to Noah. “He has instructions and knows what to do. Don’t give him any trouble,” Lucien hissed as he leaned down close to my ear. I pulled away instinctively as I shut my eyes.

  Lucien growled at me and rose. Before he turned to walk away, he kicked me in the ribs, narrowly missing Ellyson’s head. I cried out in pain as he back-handed me swiftly across the face.

  “You will get this every time you pull away from me, you little bitch. You and your Aldon friends think you are better than we are. Everett has made this a most interesting game,” he snarled as he turned swiftly and left the cargo hold. The steel door swung shut with a loud groan and a slam, and I jumped again. I cried out as my ribs protested the motion. I began to sob out in frustration.

  “Banton,” I whispered as I laid my cheek over on top of Elly’s head.

  “Chandler, isn’t it? Do you remember me? I am Noah,” Olivia’s little brother came forward from the shadows. I’d almost forgotten him. My tears turned to tears of relief as he knelt in front of me.

  “Noah, I’m so glad you’re here,” I whispered.

  “Olivia and Patrick? Do you know what happened to them?” he asked, large tears pooling in his eyes.

  “Yes. Your Olivia and Patrick are safe and well, and living with my friends in Baton Rouge. Olivia has been so worried about you, and the SEALs searched for you for days. A new life waits for you there.”

  His shoulders sank in relief at my words. He finally looked up at me and smiled.

  “Do you know where we are going?” I asked the question to which I hoped I didn’t already know the answer.

  “Home. To Somalia,” he answered sadly. As he confirmed my deepest fears, I sighed and lay my head back against the wall.

  “There are things in the bag for you and the babies. Dante is being unusually generous in his instructions for you,” he offered, moving around me and zipping the bag open.

  “Lucien said you knew what to do. What did he mean?”

  “You will find a large tub of water behind that crate. You are to bathe, and also bathe the babies, and change your clothes. There are other things there too for you to use. A woman will come and get me and the babies in the morning. I am afraid for you,” he whispered.

  I steeled myself against my imagination running away with me. Take this one hour at a time, Andie. One hour at a time.

  I smiled a shaky smile at him. “Just keep my babies safe for me, okay Noah?”

  “I will, I promise. We all have instructions to keep them healthy and safe until we reach land,” he said softly as my heart clenched again.

  Until Lucien gets them ready for his little ceremony, my thoughts snapped back. NO! I couldn’t go there. I shook my head as Noah watched me, sympathy etched on his face.

  Trying to change the subject, Noah motioned again across the room.

  “We have food for you. Are you hungry? I will get it for you,” he offered as he crossed the space and disappeared behind one of the crates I hadn’t explored.

  I took a deep breath and glanced down at Matty. He’d finished his bottle, and his cheek was pressed against my lap as he’d fallen fast asleep. Elly’s eyes threatened to close as she sucked the remaining substance from the bottle. Before long, both of them were in a deep sleep.

  I placed Elly down beside Matty, and then curled beside them. The cooler air of the evening blew softly through the grating above, chilling me slightly.

  Noah appeared with a blanket and a tray of food. I sat up, ravenous.

  “I don’t know what all of this is, but here,” he offered awkwardly. I remembered his sister’s aversion to human food when she’d first stayed with us after Christmas, and I smiled. Taking the tray from him, I found pudding cups, Vienna sausages, and crackers. I popped the top on the sausages and ate hungrily. My stomach contracted as the food entered my system. I realized I hadn’t eaten since yesterday at lunch.

  I eyed Noah warily between bites. I knew I could trust him from my experience in the tunnels. He had a kind heart, just like his siblings. I silently thanked God that he was here…my one bright sp
ot, my one hope.

  “Noah, can you help me find a way to get the twins to safety? I know what Dante has planned for them. Your sister told me the story of the twins from a neighboring village.”

  Noah paled and swallowed hard. “I am afraid for them too, and for you. I will try to think of something,” he said, settling back against a crate.

  “What is he going to do to me, Noah? What is happening in the morning?” I whispered as I put the tray down. Now that I had something in my system, my appetite left me.

  He shook his head and looked up at me, his beautiful green eyes wide. “I am not sure,” he said quietly. “But I know what he has done to other Sange-Mele women. I do not want that for you.” He looked up at me. “Please, do everything he says. Don’t fight him. He will kill you quickly if you do,” he warned as my heart constricted so hard I thought it had stopped beating. He continued to gaze at me pleadingly.

  “You must stay alive, Miss. You must stay alive, for your little ones, and for me. You will get me back to my Olivia. Please,” he pleaded as I nodded bravely. This poor boy needed me as much as I needed him. I held my arms out to him, and he surprised me by flying into them as he buried his head in my shoulder.

  After a moment, he pulled away and murmured, “I will go now and find more of this.” He tugged on the foam that we sat on. I nodded to him as he rose and left us. Noah looked like he’d aged ten years since I saw him last. His black hair was longer, curling around his face and down his neck. His eyes still glowed with the deep emerald green of the untrained Aldon, but the hard life he was living was chiseled into his young face. My heart ached for him, knowing he’d been surrounded by all these monsters for months without his sister or Patrick to help him.

  I curled up again, pulling the twins against me. They both shuddered in their sleep, for the air was becoming quite chilly now that darkness was upon us. There were several bulb-like lights scattered around the top of the bay, casting eerie triangular shaped light across sections of the large space. It was just enough to see by. I reached over and grasped the blanket that they’d brought, and pulled it up around the twins.