“I know the Foreseer only bothered to talk to you because it was convenient, and I know it devastated you when they decided to galivant around with the people that tormented you,” Henri said, and when Rosalie looked shocked, he added, “I’ve looked into your mind, Rosalie. I’ve seen every part of you, including your pain.”
Rosalie’s hand tightened around the knife as anger quickly replaced her fear. “They’re not bad people.”
“They abandoned you,” Henri said, softer this time.
Red began to cloud Rosalie’s vision, and before she knew what she was doing, she sunk the knife deep into Holly’s mother’s torso. The woman’s deafening screams reverberated throughout the entire room as Rosalie cut away, sawing off a huge, circular piece of skin. Blood instantly welled to the surface.
Rosalie suddenly dropped the knife as her anger diminished, horrified at what she had just done.
Henri beamed at her, proud.
And Rosalie met his gaze as realization took hold of her. Henri was a monster and a master at manipulation, and he had just manipulated her into doing his bidding. His caring nature was a façade, a means of gaining her trust so that she would obey him.
Rosalie bolted from the room as fast as she could, leaving Holly’s parents behind. Perhaps if she were fast enough, she could locate the exit and—
An invisible force suddenly coiled around her torso and suspended her in mid-air. Rosalie screamed, frustrated, as she kicked out at nothing.
“It gets easier with time,” Henri said from behind, and Rosalie shivered at his nearness. “You did well.”
As the immortal warlock entered her vision from the side, Rosalie narrowed her eyes. “I’m no murderer.” Not like you.
“No,” Henri agreed, “you’re not.” And then, he released her, watching her crash to the ground.
“Then, why have me do this?” Rosalie choked.
Henri outstretched a hand. “An introduction,” he said vaguely. “I thought I’d give you a taste of what you’ll become…and perhaps get revenge on Holly in doing so.”
Rosalie didn’t take Henri’s hand, and soon, he returned it to his side. “You’re a monster,” she said coldly as a new wave of fear slammed into her. Am I going to become a monster too?
“I’m going to kill Kiki and Stan White tonight,” Henri said, and it took Rosalie a moment to realize those were the names of Holly’s parents. “My original plan was to have you participate, but it seems you’re not ready yet.”
Rosalie spat at Henri, which caused him to strike her across the face with the back of his hand. She began to see stars, and her cheek throbbed with the impact. Then, Henri let his magic slam her into the ground over and over again until she finally lost consciousness.
~~~
Henri: Greenwich, England
For a moment, Henri just stared at Rosalie’s unconscious form as disappointment began to take hold. For weeks, he had been working with her, and yet, she had shown no improvement. Henri had never forced someone to become an immortal magic user before. In fact, he never heard of a case where one was forced to become one. Every single case he heard about, they all desired it in the end.
Except for Rosalie. Henri expected her to crack by now.
The immortal warlock grunted, unsure what this would mean for Rosalie’s transformation. Perhaps Rosalie’s unwillingness won’t matter, and she’ll become like the rest of them. Or perhaps her unwillingness could make something go terribly wrong. For a brief moment, Henri cursed Melissa for putting him in this situation, and he would have told her so if he knew where she was. Melissa and Victoria had left Greenwich days ago and have yet to come back.
Henri turned his back on the unconscious Rosalie. The time to deal with her would be later. For now, he had a job to finish. He marched up to Holly’s parents, pleased to see the gash Rosalie made was still bleeding profusely.
Stan and Kiki were shuddering violently, from both pain and fear. Kiki in particular met his stare and pleaded through chapped lips. “Please.”
Henri reached out and delicately stroked the side of Kiki’s face with the tips of his fingers. “It will all be over soon,” he said in the most soothing voice he could muster, and for a moment, that seemed to calm her. “I promise.” And then, he began chanting a spell, sealing Kiki and Stan’s fate.
“Perfusi ardoribus sempiternis
Quiescit spiritus tuus in mortem.
Exire de anima tua
Magia tua mihi.”
The magic in their bloodstreams was what set magic users apart from humans. It was like a part of their soul, and without it, they would die. Over the years, Henri had performed many transformations, which also meant he had stripped the magic away from quite a few mortal magic users. This time was no different, and as he did so, slowly syphoning off their very life essence, he remembered his transformation vividly, which happened the same time as his daughter’s. It was something that was offered to them by an immortal warlock whom Henri had immediately killed afterwards, which they underwent willingly.
Much like what he was doing to Rosalie, only she wasn’t willing. And Henri feared she never would be.
For over four hundred years—since 1565—Henri had been roaming the world as an immortal being, unable to feel any sort of emotion. As he watched the magic leave Stan and Kiki’s bodies and flow into the jar Henri just then produced, he still felt nothing. He felt no sadness, and he didn’t feel any happiness. Once all of the magic flowed into the jar, Henri sealed it and put it aside before leaning over each corpse.
Then, he went to work preparing what he was going to send to the ICW. First, he severed the head and then the limbs from the torso of each body. After cutting the torsos in half, Henri summoned a cardboard box and began to arrange the corpses in a decorative fashion inside.
He sealed the box shut and then addressed it to Holly White at the ICW facility. After whispering an incantation, he sent the package with the hope it would shatter Jason’s illusion that the building was safe and secure.
He retrieved the jar that was full of mortal magic from where he had temporarily placed it and went back to where Rosalie had fallen. Carefully, he picked her up, cradling her head against his chest as he held the jar at her side. And then, he went back to his chambers and deposited both of them inside.
Even though all three of his spies could no longer help him, Henri knew enough about the facility in order to plan and stage an invasion, where he would finally succeed in killing Holly and the Innocent. Like he had tried to do back in Roseway.
This time, however, he would make sure he was the one that succeeded.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE
Rebekah: Munich, Germany
R
ebekah decided right then and there that she didn’t much like Christmas. To her, the holiday came with too much baggage and represented the end of a life she could no longer go back to. One of her last fond memories concerned the mini celebration that occurred last Christmas, and even that came equipped with the start of her new life.
Rebekah had no plans to attend the optional holiday dinner, and neither, it seemed, did Holly. With Mandy still cooped up in the infirmary, the two of them spent the day alone in their shared bedroom like two real-life versions of Ebenezer Scrooge.
The novel Bleeding Misery lay open in Holly’s lap as she flipped through it on her bed. It had been almost a year since Rebekah had first read it, and though she remembered a great amount, she didn’t recall the book having anything that depicted how to combat the clawed vampires. The fact that the Bewitched—the supposed clawed vampires—roamed the ICW halls was what made Mandy’s book of particular interest, especially since the idea spawned from a Foreseer-induced dream.
Rebekah sat across from Holly on a separate bed, staring at her with curiosity. “I thought Courtney or Andre were supposed to take a look at that,” she noted. “At least, they said they would.”
Holly shrugged. “Being ICW chaperones doesn’t allow th
em to have much time for anything, I guess.” She paused as she turned the page. “To be honest, I’ve been meaning to read this novel again as a refresher, but I hadn’t found the time with everything else going on.”
“Like your parents?”
“That, and…” Holly stopped as she shut the book. Her eyes met Rebekah’s. “N-never mind.”
“You know Jason will do his best to try and get them back, right?” asked Rebekah genuinely.
Holly scoffed. “He sure as hell says that, but I wish I could believe him.” She paused. “My parents aren’t really favorable among the mortals right now, especially the members of the royal family.”
“Why?”
Holly seemed shocked by this. “Didn’t I tell you?”
Rebekah shook her head. “I don’t recall.”
“A few years before I was born, my parents were both accused of being a part of Henri’s mortal army,” Holly explained.
“Henri’s mortal army?” Rebekah questioned. “That exists?”
Holly’s eyes narrowed at Rebekah. “No, it doesn’t exist! It was just a rumor that got way too out-of-hand!”
“Oh.” Rebekah’s facial expression fell. “I’m…sorry.”
“And now that he actually has them as his prisoners, I doubt Jason will do anything!” Holly hopped off her bed.
“You can’t assume that,” Rebekah declared. “If your parents were really Henri’s…allies, I don’t think he would have taken them like he did. And if they are, then why isn’t he trying to recruit you as well?”
Holly shrugged. “I have a right to assume that, considering the fact that Jason has done nothing so far to get them back!”
“Holly—” Rebekah started to say as she left her bed right as the door knob to their bedroom began to twist and turn.
Holly noticed this as well, and she took a step back in order to give the door enough swinging room. At first expecting it to be one of the chaperones, predominantly Andre, Holly was surprised to see that it was neither.
Jeffery was who stood in the doorway.
“Let me guess,” said Holly. “You’re here to see Rebekah.”
Jeffery chuckled slightly. “As much as it delights me to see her, that’s not why I’m here,” he said, taking a deep breath. “My father asked me to retrieve you and Andre. He needs to discuss some things with you.”
“Really?” Holly questioned in disbelief. “Why?”
Jeffery turned towards Holly. “A package came for you today, and there’s no sender information.”
“A package?” reiterated Holly. “But who would send me a package?”
“Exactly,” said Jeffery, “and since Andre is the closest you have to an authority figure, she needs to come too.”
Holly gave Rebekah a shrug. “I won’t be gone that long, okay?” she said before heading out of the room with Jeffery, leaving Rebekah alone. She sighed as she collapsed back onto her bed. Bah humbug!
~~~
Holly: Munich, Germany
Holly nearly laughed at the absurdity of the situation. A package with no sender information came for her on Christmas Day—and she didn’t even really celebrate Christmas, not really. Instead, she as well as the other mortal magic users celebrated the Pagan alternative, Yule, of which that celebration would be taking place later tonight after the human participants had already gone to bed.
Andre waited for them by the front door of the living room with an expression that showed as much confusion as Holly’s.
None of them spoke to each other as they each filed out into the hallway with Jeffery leading them. Holly tried to think about who would possibly send her a package. Obviously, it wouldn’t have been her parents, since they were currently being imprisoned by Henri. Then, she pictured Cleo and her legal guardian, Roslyn. The only people she knew of who would possibly send her something. However, she knew Cleo. She knew that if Cleo was going to send her a package, Holly would have known about it ahead of time, and there would be sender information. The same goes for Roslyn.
“Maybe it’s Kyle,” Holly said out loud after eliminating the possibilities that it could have been either Cleo or Roslyn. Kyle was one of her neighbors back in Marywood and had also developed an unfortunate crush on her that she didn’t return.
Andre glanced in her direction. “The one I briefly met back in August?”
Holly nodded. “It would only make sense. I mean, he has a crush on me; it would stand to reason he would send me an anonymous package.”
“Does he even know where the ICW is being held this year?”
At that point, Holly eliminated the possibility of it being Kyle. Ever since she had returned from Roseway, she hadn’t seen much of him and therefore wouldn’t have had a chance to tell him that she was going to the ICW, let alone reveal to him its location. “Then, who would…?” She let her question trail off.
“I don’t know,” Andre said to Holly before addressing Jeffery. “Are you sure there was no sender information?”
Jeffery nodded. “The package didn’t arrive by a mail carrier, indicating it was a magic user who had sent it, but we checked everywhere for such information. We found nothing.”
Holly’s pulse quickened. “You don’t think that…”
“I’m sure whoever sent it means well,” said Jeffery. “However, in case they don’t, we’re trying to take as many precautions as possible.”
“Jeffery, what if they don’t mean well?” Andre questioned.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” said Jeffery. “After all, it’s Holly’s package; she can choose what to do with it. She can either open it or not, but if she chooses to open it, we mustn’t crowd her.”
“I’ll open it,” Holly declared as they reached the headquarters of the Speirs family. “It might be important.”
“Are you sure?” said Andre as Jeffery motioned them into the room.
Holly nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
As they entered the living room of the headquarters, Holly noticed that both Jason and Annabelle were sitting on couches. In front of them was a big, cardboard box that had been taped shut. On the box, Holly could make out her name and the address of the ICW facility. To her, it looked like a normal human-sent package; yet, she did notice the sender information wasn’t present. She gulped.
“Do you still want to open it?” asked Jeffery. “You don’t have to.”
“No, I…want to,” said Holly as she approached the package. Jeffery sat with his parents, and Andre stood off to the side.
After whispering a spell that made the tape vanish, Holly began to pry the box flaps open and revealed the contents of the package.
The first thing she saw was a severed arm, and she let out an ear-piercing scream. Jumping back, she nearly fell on top of Jeffery in an attempt to get as far away from the package as possible. Her heart threatened to burst out of her chest, and tears started to flow out of her eyes.
Quickly, Andre went over to the package and peered inside. To Holly’s surprise, she began to shuffle through its contents as if they weren’t severed body parts
“Andre, what are you doing?” questioned Jason.
“Trying to see if the sender left a note or something,” said Andre before stopping dead in her tracks. Instead of taking out the note Holly guessed she found, she took a step back as her face paled.
“What is it?” questioned Jason.
“Whoever sent this didn’t just send her random body parts,” Andre said coldly.
“What?” Holly leaped off the couch and once again peered into the package. Instead of a severed arm, her eyes made contact with the dead expressions of her parents. It was evident their heads had been severed from the rest of their bodies. She screamed in agony as more tears clouded her vision, and she fell to her knees.
Jason approached her side and laid a hand on her shoulder as he took a look for himself. “Kiki and Stan White,” he said, recognizing their faces. “Henri had sent this package. He killed them.”
Jason didn’t glance in Annabelle’s direction. “I don’t know. That was what I was told. We know he took them in order to get to Holly, but unless—”
“There was never a such thing as Henri’s mortal army!” Holly spat. “That was merely a rumor! And now…” She broke out into a sob.
“I was just following what William had done beforehand,” Jason said. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, Holly.”
“Jason, you didn’t think.” Andre pulled Holly away from the package. “Whether that rumor existed or not, you should have done something to get her parents back. Who do you plan on giving custody of her to?”
“She will have to go into foster care,” said Jason. “There is a house in Ivanestible that would be more than happy to take her in.”
Holly’s eyes widened at the mention of that. If she went into foster care, she knew she wouldn’t be able to see her friends in Marywood for a long time.
Before she could protest, Andre said, “Let me have custody of her.”
“Andre, you’re not eighteen yet,” Jason pointed out. “It would be illegal for me to grant you custody of Holly.”
“I’ll look after her,” Andre said. “Just please do not send her to a foster home, especially since there are those in Marywood who still need her.”
“Very well,” Jason agreed, much to Holly’s disbelief. “But she is not allowed to live with you in Ivanestible. Only in Marywood is she permitted to stay.”
“That’s fine,” Andre said.
Holly was still shaking slightly at the sight of the cold corpses of her parents. What made her shiver even more was the fact that Henri had left no note, even though it was evident that he was the sender. He had sent the package anonymously, and she had no idea why he would choose to do such a thing. She watched as Jason closed and sealed up the box.
Bleeding Misery (Threatening Souls Book 2) Page 27
