by Alicia Rades
High above the island, I could see that the trees thinned into long, narrow strips that spiderwebbed away from the chateau. It looked like there were paths or roadways beneath me, but I couldn’t see through the forest to the earth. One pathway led far away from the chateau, ending at a wide clearing that housed a cluster of small wood cabins. There must’ve been at least fifty of them. They reminded me of the single-room cabins we slept in at camp when I was a kid. There’d been enough room for two bunk beds and a small table in the corner to keep our stuff.
A sandy beach stretched out from the cabin community and down to the shoreline. Two figures sat on the beach, but other than that, the community was quiet.
The cabins intrigued me. Why would the Soulless bother building cabins on their island if they already had a beautiful chateau to live in?
The answer struck me the moment I questioned it. The cabins were the blood slaves’ quarters.
I dropped lower in the sky, swooping down to land on a tree branch near the farthest cabin from the beach. I clutched the dagger in one talon and the tree branch in the other, spreading my wings out to keep my body balanced until the limb stopped shaking beneath my weight. Curiously, I peered into one of the windows, but all I saw was darkness. I jumped to the next branch over, closer to the window. Still nothing. It looked as if a pair of dark curtains had been drawn closed, blocking my view of the inside.
If Jenna was here—and I knew she had to be—she’d no doubt be in one of these cabins. Time to finally see my sister again.
Flying over to the next tree branch, I came in closer to the second cabin and looked inside. I saw that the curtains were open and the window cracked. The daylight spilled inside just enough that I could see a figure lying on a bed, the sheets pulled up to his or her chin. I couldn’t see the person’s face, though, just the shape of a body sleeping there.
It could be Jenna, I thought hopefully.
Then the figure shifted. A mop of blond hair came into view, and I noticed the broad shoulders. Definitely not Jenna.
Inching my way down the branch and closer to the buildings, I peered into the third cabin’s window. This one was arranged differently than the last. I could easily see two beds from my perch outside the window. Both were occupied, and each person’s chest rose and fell slowly.
I glanced to the sky. The sun was hidden behind the clouds, but it must’ve been the middle of the day already. If everyone was asleep, it meant the Soulless had them on a schedule, one that kept them awake at night with the vampires.
The sound of breaking twigs stole my attention, and my gaze snapped in the direction of the noise. A man with skinny arms and a long nose tore through the forest. He wore a tattered white t-shirt with jeans and black boots, and a pair of keys jingled in his hands. He threw frightened glances behind his shoulder.
I went completely rigid, hoping he wouldn’t spot me high above him in the tree. A huge black bird holding a dagger was more than a little suspicious.
To my relief, he didn’t notice me. His feet skidded in the dirt as he nearly missed his turn. He caught himself and raced between the first two cabins. The sound of a door opening met my ears. I inched down my branch until I had a better view inside the second cabin. The blond mop-headed guy I’d seen sleeping sat bolt upright in bed, frightened by the arrival of his roommate.
“What the bloody hell?” Mop Head snapped before lowering his voice, which carried through the open window. “What are you doing?”
“I’m done with this shit,” Skinny Guy breathed. “It’s time to go.”
“What?” Mop Head replied in disbelief.
“I said it’s time to go,” Skinny Guy emphasized. “We’re getting off this island.” He dangled the keys in front of Mop Head’s face, grinning.
Mop Head’s eyes widened in horror. “Are you insane?”
Skinny Guy shrugged. “Maybe a little.”
“Did you just steal the keys to the Soulless’ boat?” Mop Head hissed. “Do you have any idea—?”
I didn’t hear the rest of what he said as the sound of an engine roared through the forest. Not just one engine, I quickly realized. An entire fleet of them. And they were coming right this way.
I shrank further back into the trees to conceal myself, but I kept my eyes on the cabin window. Mop Head was out of bed now, his fists clenched tightly as he hissed in low whispers at his roommate. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but it did not look good. Skinny Guy tried to make a run for it, but Mop Head grabbed him by the collar.
“I’m not taking the fall for this!” he shouted.
Just then, an ATV came tearing through the forest at high-speed. It was just a blur on the other side of the cabins. The four-wheeler stopped abruptly in front of Skinny Guy’s cabin. He’d left the door open, so I could see some of what was going on. At least six other ATVs stopped behind it.
Skinny Guy and Mop Head were engaged in a scuffle now, fighting for the keys that had fallen on the floor. Mop Head was telling him to give the keys back, while Skinny Guy was shouting for them to make a run for it.
“Do you know what you’ve done?” Mop Head demanded. “You’ve killed us both!”
I stared through the window and out the open door, my eyes locked on the large figure riding the first ATV. Every inch of his body was covered in black clothing. He even wore a long-sleeved turtleneck shirt, with leather gloves and a tinted black motorcycle helmet.
He swung his leg over the seat of his four-wheeler and stood, throwing his shoulders back confidently. He must’ve been at least six-foot-five, with broad shoulders and thick biceps. His footsteps were heavy, thudding against the earth as if in warning.
Skinny Guy and Mop Head both went silent. Their bodies trembled as they turned to look at him.
It wasn’t until the guy stepped inside the cabin that he pulled his helmet off. He was hauntingly beautiful, with a straight nose, strong jaw, and piercing silver eyes. He had pale skin and dirty blond hair. Most girls would swoon over him. Me? I was already itching to drive my dagger through his heart.
Rage knitted in his tight eyebrows, and his jaw clenched. The man looked terrifying when he was angry, like he could snap a person in half in one swift, strong motion. Though he was conventionally attractive, there was nothing beautiful about him. It was like he brought a darkness with him when he stepped into the room. And I knew exactly why.
The man was Valkas.
I’d seen photos of him before. They always gave me an uneasy feeling, and my guts twisted at the sight of him. Seeing him up close was even worse. After everything he’d done, I prayed he would suffer a fate far worse than my dagger.
Valkas smirked. He didn’t even glance at the men as he pulled the leather gloves off his hands, finger by finger. “Well, well, well… what do we have here?” There was a hint of a British accent to his tone, but it was muddled, like he’d been to enough areas of the world that no single accent had stuck with him.
Skinny Guy dropped the keys at Valkas’s feet and backed up slowly. “We… we found these in the woods.”
Valkas finally looked up, then cocked his head. “Is that so?” The words rolled off his tongue like poison. “Because my men say someone with your description stole them from the boathouse.”
Mop Head dropped to his knees. “Please, sir. Spare me. I had no idea.”
Valkas’s arm swung out, and the back of his hand cracked against the side of Mop Head’s face. I flinched, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
“You’ll speak only when spoken to!” Valkas roared. His face twisted in rage, and spittle flew from his mouth. “And I will be addressed as Lord for as long as you live on this godforsaken island.”
Lord Valkas. Oh God. This guy was worse than I thought. And vain as hell.
I should’ve gone in there and killed him on the spot, but there were five other faceless guys standing behind him, their arms crossed. They all wore motorcycle helmets, so I couldn’t see their eyes, but I guessed they were all vamps. There
was only one man, a sixth one, whose skin was exposed. He was almost as big as Valkas, with tan skin and slicked-back dark hair. I was strong, but not strong enough to fight them all off at once. I had to attack Valkas when he was alone. And until then, I couldn’t risk exposing myself… no matter what.
“You,” Valkas snarled, turning on Skinny Guy.
“I-I’m sorry, sir—Lord,” Skinny Guy stuttered, lowering his head. “It won’t happen again, Lord Valkas.”
Valkas smirked. “No, I don’t imagine it will.”
In the blink of an eye, Valkas’s hand shot forward, slamming Skinny Guy into the wall as his hand sank into his chest. Skinny Guy’s eyes went as wide as golf balls, and his mouth hung open, as if he was trying to inhale a breath that didn’t come. My whole body gave a start. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, until Valkas pulled away, producing a deep red meaty organ the size of his fist. A heart.
It was like watching a scene from a horror movie, except it was playing out right in front of my eyes. I was beyond nauseous. Normally, I could handle this kind of thing, but my head spun, and I had to grip on tighter to the tree branch to keep from falling to the ground. The sick sensation that slammed into my gut only lasted a split second before rage bubbled up to replace it. Valkas was pure evil, and he was going straight to hell if I had anything to say about it.
Skinny Guy’s limp body slumped down the wall and to the floor. Mop Head kept his head low and didn’t make a sound, no doubt afraid that he’d be next.
Valkas didn’t even spare him a glance as he strolled out the door, the warm, fresh heart still clutched in his hands. He didn’t even bother placing the helmet back on his head to protect his skin from the sun. There was a thick enough cloud cover that I was sure he’d only walk away with mere first-degree burns.
“I know you’re all awake!” Valkas boomed. “All slaves are to be out of their cabins by the time I count to five. One… Two… Three…”
All throughout the community, cabin doors began to swing open. People flooded out onto the dirt paths. I couldn’t see most of them, but I could hear the scuffle of footsteps. Valkas paced along the dirt path and out of my view.
I hesitated. I didn’t come all this way just to be caught. But the temptation was just too great. I had to see if Jenna was somewhere in that mass of people.
I spread my wings and lifted off my perch, landing on the roof of the cabin. I clutched the dagger tightly in one talon and hopped forward until I could see Valkas below me.
He held the heart high above his head for everyone to see. “Four… Five.”
Men and women stood outside their cabins in their pajamas. I expected them to be clutching each other and crying in fear, but all emotion was hidden away. It was like they’d come to expect this level of violence from Valkas, like they knew they’d be punished for cowering in fear of him. One woman slid her hand into another lady's fingers, and a male had paled to the point where he looked like he might vomit. Other than that, the blood slaves swallowed down their disgust.
My eyes scanned the crowd, and my heart pitter-pattered in anticipation. I didn’t see Jenna anywhere.
“This is what happens to people who steal from me,” Valkas boomed. “See to it that it doesn’t happen again.”
Valkas flung the heart across the ground, snarling in disgust. He turned away before it finished rolling. It stopped at a woman’s feet, coated in dirt. She took a step back, unable to hide the horror in her expression.
Valkas didn’t even notice. He licked the blood from his fingers and turned to the guy with the slicked-back hair. He gestured to the cabin. “Clean this mess up, Rogers.”
Stoically, he placed his gloves back on his hands, like the remaining blood didn’t bother him one bit. One of his men hurried over with Valkas’s helmet. Valkas snatched it from his hands and situated it on his head as he swung his leg over the seat of the ATV. The engine roared to life, and he sped off into the forest. Three of his men took off behind him, while the other three stayed to follow orders.
Everyone remained frozen like statues as Rogers stepped forward. He waved his hand, and the next thing I knew, Skinny Guy’s body was floating out of the cabin like it was suspended by invisible ropes.
A witch, I realized in disgust. What kind of person would pledge himself to the Soulless? Valkas must've promised a very generous deal.
The witch dropped the body, slumping it over the back of one of the ATVs. My stomach twisted at the sight of Skinny Guy’s eyes staring lifelessly toward the sky.
It wasn’t until Valkas’s men had disappeared into the woods behind him that the people below me finally moved. They all took a collective breath, as if they’d been holding it until now. Even I hadn’t realized my lungs were about to implode from the pressure. I inhaled deeply through my beak, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling that had settled in my feathers.
For the first time since Valkas’s arrival, emotions began to cross people’s faces. The whole clearing broke out into whispers. People grabbed on to each other for comfort. One girl threw her hand over her mouth and raced behind a cabin to spew her guts. Another dropped to her knees and covered her face with her hands while she cried. Two guys came up behind her and settled gentle, comforting hands on her shoulders.
“We're here for you,” one of them told her.
Three other women quickly joined them, surrounding the younger woman to make sure she was all right. At least six people entered the cabin I was perched on top of. I could hear their voices reassuring Mop Head.
“It’s not your fault,” a male voice said.
“We’ll get this cleaned up,” a woman added.
It struck me how much these people cared for each other. No one turned into their cabins to leave the mess for someone else. They acted like one big family, like a community.
It should’ve warmed my heart, but I was still shaking in rage. Valkas had aptly named his gang of vampires. Soulless. How could anyone with a soul be capable of such evil?
The young woman couldn't stop her sobs. The group surrounding her helped her to her feet and into a nearby cabin. My breathing grew ragged as the sound of her cries echoed in my ears.
This is what happens to people who steal from me.
Surely theft wasn't worthy of a death sentence. The man was an innocent captive; of course he wanted a way off this island. I didn't even want to think about what the Soulless had done to him to drive him toward risking his life like that.
Whatever it was, I couldn't sit around contemplating the possibilities. My gaze swept across the clearing again, but Jenna was nowhere in sight. Every fiber of my being told me that Jenna was somewhere on this island. If she wasn’t here with the other blood slaves, that meant she must’ve been up at the chateau. I’d go there, find Jenna, and kill Valkas. Once he and his men were gone, I'd get all these people safely off Gregor Island.
Mind made up, I launched myself into the air in the direction of the chateau.
4
I swooped down at a back entrance to the building. The trees were close and concealed me, but since I didn’t see anyone nearby, I shifted into human form. It’d be easier to navigate around the chateau that way. Glancing upward toward the tall windows, I saw that the curtains were drawn on all of them. After determining the coast was clear, I raced across the space between the trees and the backdoor, keeping the dagger clutched tightly in my hand.
The doorknob twisted easily, and I peeked inside. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that the hallway was empty. Quietly, I slipped in. I was careful to close the door behind me as softly as I could. As a shifter, the vampires wouldn’t hear me coming by my heartbeat or my breathing, but they’d definitely hear a door banging shut and announcing my arrival.
I started down the narrow hallway, taking soft steps. Light flickered across the walls from the fire within the sconces on the walls. It definitely gave off a haunted house vibe, which only made me smile. Haunted houses were totally my thing.
The various doorways on either side of the hall were all closed, so I couldn’t see where they led. I itched to peek into one of the doors just to see if Jenna was inside, but I wasn’t too keen on waking a group of vampires. I’d scope everything out first to get a feel for where Jenna might be.
I reached the end of the hall and came to a second hallway. This one was wider than the last, with big arches cut out in the wall that revealed a huge seating area. The drapes were drawn, and a huge candelabra chandelier hung from the ceiling, lighting up the room. There were no lamps or overhead bulbs, no electricity of any kind, and that gave the place an even more unique, antique vibe.
I could hardly take in the grandeur of the chateau. Whoever had designed it certainly had good taste. The floors were all polished hardwood and the walls were plain white, but there was an architectural beauty to the place. In the large room beyond the arches, sofa upon sofa sat elegantly arranged in various seating areas, with a big grand piano in the corner. Had this really been where Valkas had been imprisoned all those years? I’d been picturing him hanging out in a deep, dark cave or something on a deserted island. This place was practically a castle.
A door banged loudly toward the end of the wide hallway, where I could see it opened up to a large foyer. I caught sight of a group of men in dark clothing and immediately crouched down low. Peeking around the corner, I saw Valkas’s three men remove their helmets. As I predicted, they all had matching pale skin.
“Caleb, wake the girls and bring them to my room.” Valkas’s voice carried down the hall. “Punishing slaves makes me thirsty.”
The girls? Blood slaves?
Jenna!
I shot up from where I was crouched but hesitated. My eyes followed the men as they dispersed. Valkas started up a grand staircase, while the other men went in opposite directions. I had no way of knowing which one was Caleb. Otherwise, I would’ve followed the bastard to find my sister.
