Unfamiliar (The Vandran Legacy Book 1)

by Anna-Louise Dann

  “It was opened by my great grandfather back at the end of the nineteen hundreds as a gentleman’s only club. I inherited it and turned it into a nightclub after our father died. The women and gambling have always been part of the scene here, much to my mother’s distaste.” Dominic walked to the bar, filling his glass. “Do you see anyone you fancied out there? Any of my girls caught your eye?” Dominic said. There was a sneer in his voice, as if he was challenging him.

  “They are all beautiful wo men, but I prefer mine a little older and more experienced,” Colt said, feeling a little wary as to where this conversation was going.

  “I see... Miles said you were useful to us the last time you came in, he seems to think you would be a valuable member of our little team. What do you think, Mr McEwan? Can you keep a secret?” Dominic’s eyes were burning into him now.

  “I can,” Colt said, meeting Dominic’s stare with his own.

  “Good. I have someone I would like you to meet when Miles gets here.” Miles wasn’t t he humanoid, things just got a little more interesting. Whoever this was pretending to be Dominic was either eating his bullshit up, or things were about to get nasty. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and knew it had to be either Jake or Iris. Something had to be wrong.

  “Can I use the bathroom before Miles gets here?” Colt asked. “Of course, there’s a staff bathroom in the VIP area,” Dominic said, pulling a phone out of his pocket and scrolling through it. “Don’t be too long, Mr McEwan, we have a lot to discuss,” he said, not looking up.

  Colt exited the room and entered the dark club. He made his way across to the toilets, noticing the way some of the security watched him suspiciously. Colt felt unnerved all of a sudden. He entered the empty staff toilets and locked himself in a cubicle. Pulling his phone out, it was a message from Iris.

  Get out now they know who you are! Colt sent a quick text to Jake and Terrance to let them know what was happening then deleted all the messages and put the phone back in his pocket. He exited the cubicle and stood looking at his reflection.

  “Time to end this shit,” he told himself before heading out the door and heading back into the club to meet his fate.

  Clara Clara opened her eyes. Her head spun from whatever sedative she had been injected with earlier. She was no longer blindfolded, she was lying in a big bed in a pure white room. It was like the one she had seen in her vision when she saw Hope crying. Her hands and feet were free from the ropes and she had been dressed in a white nightgown. Her hair and skin smelt like they had been washed. The thought of them undressing and bathing her while she was unconscious made her skin crawl. What the hell did they plan on doing to her?

  She pushed herself up, trying to ignore the pounding in her head as she padded to the door and tried the handle, knowing subconsciously it would be locked. She was too weak for her magic to work at the moment. Whatever they were giving her suppressed the Cailleach inside her.

  The pumping bass of dance music coming from below told her she was either in a building near to the club or in a room above it. She looked around. Noticing another door, she pulled the handle down. It opened into a small en-suite bathroom, which was also entirely white. Whoever decorated this place had issues.

  She drank some water out of the tap to soothe her dry throat and caught sight of her face in the mirror. Her reflection startled her – someone had put makeup on her. They had covered up the nasty bruising on her cheek, although the swelling was still visible under the thick layers of foundation. She needed to get out of here.

  Emmie... Nothing, her head was too fuzzy. She tried again, focusing all of her strength and willpower into contacting her sister.

  Emmie... Emmie if you can hear me I think I am in the club, I am in a white bedroom... Emmie, can you hear me? No answer, but it sounded like she had connected, she just prayed her sister had heard her. Voices from out in the hallway averted her thoughts from contacting her sister, they were gradually getting louder.

  “They are just in this room,” a deep familiar voice boomed.

  Dominic. Her heart was racing as she heard the key in the lock, and they entered. She stood in the bathroom doorway and met the eyes of the man she loved more than life.

  “This is Clara, Mr McEwan, but you already knew that didn’t you, Colt!” Dominic hissed loudly into Colt’s ear. “Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of her. You, on the other hand, not so much,” he said as he plunged a large knife into Colt’s chest.

  Colt fell to the floor on his knees. His eyes never left hers. Her hands went to her mouth to muffle a scream, tears blurred her vision as she threw herself onto her knees and crawled towards her beloved. She was viciously dragged back by her hair.

  “You belong to Dominic, be glad he still thinks you’re worthy, you dirty whore. Now watch him die and know you did this when you decided to betray your Master,” Miles snarled in her ear. Colt tried to stand with the knife still stuck out of his chest; the blood pooled around it, seeping onto his shirt. Miles let her go and punched Colt in the side of the face. He went down again landing on his side. He was too weak to fight back; his breathing was erratic.

  “Please, please,” she sobbed. “Let me at least stay with him until the end,” she begged. Dominic looked bored with her pleas.

  “I’ve got a few things to do in the club, you have an hour and then we leave. You shouldn’t have tried to trick me, Clara, this is your fault,” Dominic spat. “Miles, I need you to get the cars ready.”

  They slammed out of the room, leaving her alone with Colt. She raced over to him, taking his hand in hers.

  “Colt, please stay with me, I can’t lose you.” His eyes opened – they were full of love.

  “I am so glad I got to call yo u mine, Clara. You are so beautiful.” His voice was weak. “I am sorry I couldn’t save you.”

  “Shh, it’s ok, baby. Don’t talk anymore, I’m going to perform the healing spell, you’re going to be alright,” she said, brushing the hair that had fallen on to his face.

  “I love you, Clara,” he gasped before his eyes rolled back and his breathing shallowed and then stopped. His big body grew limp. “No, Colt, no!” she cried in despair. His lifeless body lay before her. Dead.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Jake Jake tore d own the motorway in Colt’s van. He had to make it, he couldn’t let these fuckers rip apart his family. There had to be something he could do – he couldn’t just sit in the back of that shitty van and wait, Colt was in trouble.

  He was currently breaking all the legal speed limits to get to the address Heather had provided. He pulled up outside the gated mansion in just over ten minutes, thankful the roads had been clear. His nerves were shot and he was ready for just about anything thrown at him. He got out of the van and slammed the door, rushing over to the big steel gates. They were like prison bars, keeping in the monster who lived here.

  He had read stories about Dominus and his followers as a child, what they did to people was the stuff nightmares were made of. This wasn’t the time to dwell on horror stories and folklore tales, his uncle needed help and the man living here could help him.

  He pressed the button on the fancy intercom system, hoping someone would at least listen to him and he wouldn’t end up having to go into battle with anyone.

  “Who are you?” a voice spoke out from the speaker. “My name’s Jake, I’m here to speak to Dominic. Emmie’s sister is in trouble and we need her help,” he said into the speaker. There was a couple of moments’ silence, before anyone spoke again.

  “Pull your van into the drive, someone will be out to meet you.” He was surprised they had believed him. The gates opened, he got back into the van and drove it down the long driveway towards the mansion, praying luck was on his side tonight.

  The grounds looked amazing. The immense picturesque lawn and flowerbeds were all lit up by spotlights, there must have been at least an acre of land surrounding this place.

  As soon as he got to the building he parked
up and jumped out, quickly striding towards the massive front door. He spotted a woman he recognised as Emmie straight away, standing on the doorstep. She was the image of Heather. Her skin was free from makeup but flawless – she was beautiful. Her big blue eyes were full of worry as she ran towards him.

  “Jake? What’s happened to my sister?” she asked. He could hear the fear in the waver of her voice. “They’ve found her Emmie, they took her. Sarah’s dad betrayed us, now they know about The Sanctuary. They have Colt as well, he went into the club to get Clara back before we realised,” he said quickly. His heart was pounding in his chest; with all the stress of the day he could feel his beast trying to claw its way out of him, but he had to control it. Once his beast was free, there would be no stopping the carnage.

  “Come with me, we need to tell Dominic everything. He needs to know what’s been happening,” Emmie said, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside the doors.

  As they entered the massive hallway a tall blondhaired man was racing down the stairs. “Amelia, who is this? What is going on?” he demanded, looking pissed. Jake felt the pull of his magic straight away; this guy was a force to be reckoned with. Jake wouldn’t stand a chance if this turned nasty. Emmie gave his hand a squeeze as if sensing his sudden nervousness, and introduced him.

  “Dominic, this is Jake, he’s a friend. I have something I need to explain about my sister Clara, and your club. I should have told you earlier. You’re not going to like it,” she said. If she was scared she didn’t show it, Jake thought. This woman was awesome, no wonder Clara looked up to her. Dominic glared between the two of them and then his eyes landed on Emmie; his stern expression softened for a second.

  “Explain,” Dominic snapped, making Jake flinch.

  Clara This couldn’t be happening. Why did he have to come for her? Stupid, foolish, beautiful man. Fresh tears streamed down her face as she nursed Colt’s head in her lap, wishing that this was just a nightmare she would wake from. Her mind was in chaos, it was too late to try the healing spell. She was so weak from the drugs that were still coursing through her – she didn’t even know if it would work anyway now his heart had stopped beating. Fresh tears rolled down her face and she hiccupped on a sob.

  She laid his head back onto the carpeted floor; she would need to remove the knife before trying another spell. She had to try, she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him.

  She tore his shirt open, exposing his chest, and froze, her eyes glued to the blade. How did she do this? She gripped the handle of the knife and pulled it out of his flesh, crying out in anguish as blood seeped out of the opening. She placed one hand over his heart and the other on his forehead. She needed the resurrection spell, but she hadn’t had time to learn it properly. She closed her eyes trying to calm her mind and seek out the right words she needed to conjure her magic.

  Her subconscious mind drifted, something was pulling at her. She allowed her mind to willingly be dragged along, taking her to wherever it needed to be. She found herself standing in the aisle of the church from her dreams. Annabelle stood like she had in her nightmare, arms held out, her hands like claws, red eyes burning into her very soul. Something felt different. She wasn’t afraid of the woman in front of her anymore – they shared a bloodline connection.

  “Help me save him, please help me bring him back,” Clara pleaded. Annabelle charged like she had before and threw herself, entering Clara’s body. The flames engulfed her. Clara heard Annabelle’s voice whisper in her ear.

  You’re ready. The power inside her was stronger than she had ever felt before. With Annabelle’s magic joined with hers, she could hear Annabelle chanting the resurrection spell in her mind, teaching and guiding her.

  Quod animae resurgent

  Vulnera sanat

  Ad reducendum

  Clara repeated the words, amazed that she knew their English meaning so she chanted both. “Great goddess

  Resurrect this soul

  Heal his wounds

  Bring him back to me.

  Deam Magna

  Quod animae resurgent

  Vulnera sanat

  Ad reducendum.”

  She kept her eyes tightly closed and chanted the spell over and over until she felt the familiar warmth passing through her body. Only then did she dare open her eyes which were glowing red with the utter strength of the magic that was flowing through her every fibre.

  She could see the wound in Colt’s chest closing, but she kept on chanting, needing to be sure. His heart started beating again. Tears formed in her eyes and she allowed them to fall; the magnitude of what she was doing was so overwhelming.

  When she saw his chest began to rise and fall, only then did she allow herself to rest. Exhausted, she laid her head on his chest and listened to his heart beating against her ear – it was the best sound in the world.

  The haunting figure that stood before her was a far cry from the one she had witnessed in the church in her nightmares. Annabelle watched her, a genuine smile on her lips. She was dressed in a beautiful red gown, her long dark hair cascaded around her shoulders reaching her waist, framing her stunning features. She had a sense of pride in her beautiful dark eyes as she gazed down at her. Clara could hear Annabelle speaking inside her head.

  You set me free, Clara. I am free from the shackles that bound me to that church – thank you. If you ever need guidance, I will be here for you, just seek me out and I will come. Trust your magic and you can become more powerful than I ever was. The blood of our goddess and my mother Airmid flows through your veins. You are a true Cailleach. Goodbye for now, Clara.

  “Thank you, Annabelle, thank you,” she whispered as Annabelle’s silhouette faded to nothing. More tears left her eyes and wet Colt’s bare skin. She lifted her head and watched Colt breathe, running her fingers through his long hair. Her heart was so full of love for this man.

  She would have to wake him soon, they had to get out of this place and find a way to stop these evil bastards from hurting anyone else. They had obviously underestimated her; now she had finally allowed herself to embrace her true calling she would make sure they never misjudged her strength ever again.

  “Colt, I need you to open your eyes now, baby. We need to try and get out of here,” she said, stroking his cheek.

  He stirred and his big dark eyes opened. He sat up quick as if someone had slapped him and looked down at himself, looking for the knife.

  “Clara – I – you.” He looked so bewildered. She threw her arms around his neck and feathered kisses on his confused face. “I brought you back, Colt. You died, I thought I had lost you forever. Annabelle helped me. I couldn’t say goodbye to you. I love you so much,” she said in- between kisses.

  He caught her mouth in his and kissed her passionately; she kissed him back with just as much hunger until they were both breathless.

  He laid his forehead against hers. “You really are something special, Clara. I am the luckiest man in the world... Marry me, Clara... After all this is over, be my wife. I can’t imagine my life without you, I love you more than anything.” There were tears in his eyes as he bore his soul to her.

  “Yes, oh a million, trillion times yes, my beautiful man. Of course I’ll be your wife. I love you too, my life is meaningless without you,” she said, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “I can’t believe you performed the resurrection spell on me. Did you say Annabelle helped?” Colt said, looking amused.

  “It was so weird, Colt. I was so devastated and was trying so hard to remember the words to the resurrection spell. In all my thought process, I somehow channelled Annabelle. It was our magic combined that brought you back. She was here in this room with us just now, I think me seeking her out set her free. Those nightmares I had was her trying to get me to believe in myself, even though they scared the shit out of me. She told me I was ready, that the blood of the goddess Airmid runs through my veins,” Clara explained.

  “You’ve always had it inside you, baby. I have alw
ays been able to feel the power you carry, you just had to release it. Maybe me dying wasn’t such a bad thing if it made you realise your potential,” Colt said with a smirk. She shook her head aggressively at him.

  “I never want to do that again with you, so you have to make sure you don’t get yourself killed ever again, ok?” She stood, offering her hand to him to help him up. “We can talk later, let’s get the hell out of this room before fake Dominic and Miles come back.”

  “Too late, someone’s coming,” Colt said.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Clara Clara adjusted the blanket she had just thrown over Colt, who was now lying back on the floor, pretending to be dead. She sat on the bed forcing the tears to flow, which wasn’t difficult considering the last few hours of hell she had endured. She heard the lock open and in walked Miles carrying a bag. She was surprised to find he was alone, his usual goons weren’t with him. That just confirmed to her how much they had underestimated her – she would enjoy making him regret that mistake.

  She kept her head buried in her hands, keeping up the pretence of mourning the death of her beloved. “Hello, whore,” he said, the amusement obvious in his voice. “Well, killing that fucker was easy. Thought he’d be a challenge for the boss, pathetic really.” He snorted.

  Her anger bubbled over at his amused tone. “You wouldn’t put up much of a fight either if you had a knife rammed into your chest,” she snapped. “Ooh, developed some balls have we, whore? Maybe you’re forgetting what I am capable of. Do you need a reminder?” he spat.

  She shook her head and looked at the floor. Just you wait, asshole.

  He threw the bag he was carrying at her, it landed at the end of the bed.

  “Put those on, now. Do it here,” he ordered. Clara opened the bag, finding a tracksuit and trainers. “Take off your night dress before you put them on, I need to check out the merchandise before Dominic claims you for himself.”