Bleeding Misery (Threatening Souls Book 2)

by N. M. Lambert

  Annabelle’s face paled, and Jason loosened his grip on Andre’s arms. “That means nothing,” Jason said adamantly, though Holly could tell even he was starting to doubt himself.

  “Does it?” Andre’s eyes fell on Jeffery. “Why don’t you tell them how you tried to kill Rebekah, Jeffery? How you willingly took her out past curfew and let her almost get speared by one of those things?”

  Jeffery groaned in response, and to Holly’s horror, he didn’t deny the accusations.

  Andre chuckled. “I should have let you die when you carelessly got scratched for what you did. So tell me, Jeffery. Where did Henri take Rebekah?”

  Holly froze. “She’s not in the room?”

  Andre visibly softened as she regarded Holly for the first time. “No,” she said. “She’s not.”

  “Jeffery,” Jason said sternly, “is all this true?”

  Jeffery quivered as he yanked the wooden splinter out of his arm, splattering blood everywhere. “I don’t know where she is!” he cried.

  “You don’t know, or you won’t say?” Andre questioned, and by that point, Jason had completely let go of her.

  “I don’t know! He didn’t tell me!” And then, his eyes met Andre’s. “Please, Andre. You have to help me.”

  Andre froze.

  “You’re so perceptive,” Jeffery continued. “You have to help me break free.”

  Jason narrowed his eyes at his son. “Break free from what, Jeffery?”

  Jeffery opened his mouth as if to speak. And then, he started screaming as if his body had suddenly been lit on fire. Horror lit up Holly’s features as she watched him.

  And then, Jeffery suddenly went still, a little too still. Then, he unnaturally pushed himself off the ground as if he were fighting himself. His eyes met Andre’s pleadingly as he began moving towards the door, and a look of pain flashed across his face.

  “Jeffery!” This time, it was Annabelle who screamed, as Jason began moving towards the door.

  “No!” Andre suddenly shouted, causing the king and queen to freeze in their tracks. “He wants me to follow him. He’s going to lead me to her.”

  “Speak, Jeffery!” Jason commanded. “Do you want her to follow you?”

  More pain flashed across Jeffery’s face, and Andre said, “He can’t speak. Just trust me.” And then, she took off on Jeffery’s heels.

  And Holly, unsure of what else to do, took off after Andre.

  ~~~

  Andre: Munich, Germany

  As soon as Jeffery entered the hallway, he broke out into a run. In response, Andre took off after him, speeding down hallway after hallway. After a while, she began to hear Rebekah’s screams, and determination coursed through her.

  “Andre!” Holly shouted from behind.

  Wait, Holly? Andre thought, but she kept going, fueled by her need to keep Jeffery in her sights.

  She heard the thumping of footsteps behind her, and she quickly shot one look back before continuing forward. “What are you doing, Holly?” she questioned, fighting the urge to tell Holly to turn around and go back to Jason and Annabelle. Holly could take care of herself; Andre already saw evidence of this in Roseway when Holly wielded not only her power but the power of two spirits as well.

  “She’s my friend!” Holly bellowed. “I have to help her!”

  In that moment, Andre had to admire Holly. She had already been through more than others her age have, and yet, she still kept going. “Keep me in your sights!” she ordered. “I’m still on Jeffery’s tail!”

  As Jeffery continued to lead the two cousins to where Rebekah was being held, her screams grew louder and louder. Andre winced as she thought of the torture Henri must be subjecting Rebekah to, and a cold resolve suddenly washed over her. She would find a way to make Henri pay for what he did.

  Within moments, a door appeared in front of them, and Jeffery instantly barreled through it into the next room. Andre briefly caught sight of a cauldron tipping over, spilling its contents onto the floor, before her eyes found Rebekah. The Innocent was currently shackled to the wall, getting electricity delivered to her system by someone who was definitely not Henri. And Henri, who stood off to the side, was evidently relishing in the torture.

  A bloodied gash was on Rebekah’s arm, and her hands looked crushed. But what alarmed Andre the most was how Jeffery suddenly stopped in the middle of the room as if he were a puppet on strings.

  All eyes soon turned towards him, and the witch who was torturing Rebekah’s electricity fizzled and then died.

  “I see you brought guests,” Henri said in a tone that suggested he was not at all amused. “No matter. They can join in on the fun.”

  Jeffery winced but didn’t move from his spot. His previous words still haunted Andre, and something wasn’t adding up. “Please, Andre. You have to help me.”

  And then, within the blink of an eye, Henri was upon Rebekah, grabbing a fistful of her hair and yanking her head back. “How much do you care for the boy who stands before you?” he said as he lazily traced a finger down the side of her neck.

  “You’re despicable,” Rebekah spat, and Henri slammed her head against the wall.

  “Jeffery hasn’t told you yet, has he?” Henri let go of Rebekah as his eyes fell on Jeffery. “Burn her. I want to see skin melt off bone.”

  Andre watched in horror as flames licked Jeffery’s hands. His pained look returned as he tried to fight the command. She watched him approach Rebekah with those hands, still fighting against an intangible pull.

  And then, he placed each hand on the sides of Rebekah’s face and neck. She screamed, and smoke whiffed up from where flames made contact with flesh.

  “Stop this!” Jeffery said as his body started trembling, but his hands stayed rooted to Rebekah, and she screamed as her flesh started blistering and peeling.

  And finally, Andre made the connection. “Jeffery’s in thrall to him,” she said suddenly, and her eyes went wide.

  Beside her, Holly looked just as mortified. “What?”

  “Jeffery’s in thrall to you!” Andre said, louder this time. “You made him hurt her!”

  “You may stop,” Henri said to Jeffery, who tore his hands away from Rebekah and sagged in relief. To Andre, he said, “Yes, he is bound to me. It was perfect, really. Force the mortal prince into my service, and then stage his escape with Katherine Reid.”

  “Then…you made him cut off his own finger!” Andre said. “You made him take Rebekah out that night!”

  “You’ve always been so perceptive.” Within a second, flames appeared in Henri’s hands, licking the sides of his arms. “Unfortunately, that perceptiveness will also lead to your downfall.” And then, he shot them at Andre.

  “No!” Holly bellowed as she leaped in front of her cousin. Then, in a fit of strength Andre had never seen before, Holly threw up a glistening shield, and the flames skirted around it.

  Andre cautiously took a step back, throwing up a shield of her own. Yet Holly’s seemed ten time stronger than a shield should be at her level, and Andre was once again taken aback at how strong her cousin actually was.

  Soon, the flames died down, and Holly let down her shield—only to be lifted off the ground by an intangible force and thrown across the room like a ragdoll. Holly landed on the floor with a giant thud, her head nearly smacking into the wall, and Andre didn’t need someone to tell her that Holly was unconscious.

  “Now, Andre,” Henri said, diverting Andre’s attention away from Holly as he summoned the flames again, “where were we?”

  ~~~

  Rhiannon: Munich, Germany

  It’s time.

  Telepathically, Rhiannon sent that message to Melissa with the hopes she would get it and bring the rest of the rebels with her. Now that Rosalie had been transformed, she knew it was now or never.

  Next to Elyse, she watched Holly crash to the ground from Henri’s doing. Is she dead? she questioned, for she couldn’t tell. She could barely see Holly’s body from where she stoo
d.

  Suddenly, Elyse moved away from her side, and it took Rhiannon a while to realize that she was going to restrain Andre. Elyse, no! she wanted to shout, desperate for another distraction for Henri while Melissa showed up, but she realized Elyse had other plans.

  Immediately, Andre whirled on Elyse and countered her attack, and Rhiannon avoided them like the plague. Henri, whose attention was once on Andre, now paid no attention to them as his eyes diverted to Holly. She must still be alive.

  Before she knew it, Henri suddenly flew backwards. At first thinking it was Holly who caused such a thing, she soon thought otherwise, for Holly still hadn’t recovered from her crash. And Jeffery was still parked in front of Rebekah, frozen until Henri ushered another command.

  Rosalie then took a defiant step forward, and that was when Rhiannon understood. Rosalie had attacked Henri. The new immortal.

  She had betrayed them already.

  Oh, God, Melissa! Where are you?

  Rhiannon felt her breath catch in her throat, for Rosalie was supposed to be joining the Rebel Coven. She wasn’t supposed to be on the side of the mortals.

  “Rosalie!” she found herself shouting. “Stop! Please!”

  Rosalie didn’t respond and instead continued to advance towards Henri. Right when Rhiannon was about to take a step towards Rosalie, the door flew open. Melissa! thought Rhiannon, who became even more disappointed when she realized it wasn’t the rebels who stood in the doorway but the mortals, led by Jason. Oh, shit! Melissa, I’ve changed my mind! Please don’t come here! Please—

  She wasn’t able to finish her telepathic message to Melissa, for at that moment, the rebels appeared in the room in a rebellion that could only end in disaster.

  Or maybe it won’t.

  With Henri preoccupied with the arriving mortals, the rebels began to assemble together—and Rosalie was among them.

  “Rosalie, you’re with us,” Melissa said before turning to Rhiannon with accusation written in her expression. “You said this would be the ideal time to strike!”

  “I didn’t know the mortals would be arriving!” Rhiannon said in defense. “We could just leave, and he would never know about our intentions.”

  “No,” said Melissa before turning to the fray and bellowing, “Stop!”

  When no one listened to her, she used her magic to fling the mortals into the walls and pin them there.

  “I said stop!” she said once again, and the room fell silent. “If you don’t comply with me, I will not be afraid to kill each and every one of you!”

  “Melissa,” Henri warned, taking a step towards her, “think before you act.”

  “I’m sorry, Henri,” said Melissa, “but I no longer follow your commands.” Then, she lunged herself at him as she unsheathed a knife that Cody had given her—one that was coated in liquid emerald.

  Effortlessly, Henri evaded her attack and instead forced the knife into her side. She cried out in pain as he physically pinned her against the wall.

  Rhiannon had trouble believing how effortlessly Henri had gained the advantage over Melissa.

  “Remember what I said before. Think before you act.” And then, Henri pulled the blade out of Melissa’s side and examined it. “Emerald. How did you come across a weapon such as this?”

  Melissa spat at Henri, and he in turn backhanded her across the face. Much to Rhiannon’s horror, she could tell Melissa’s movements were slowing as the emerald was taking effect.

  “How many have you managed to amass?” Henri inquired as he tilted her eyes upwards to meet his.

  Rhiannon began to see Melissa start to tremble, but still, she said nothing.

  “How many?” Henri tried again, and then, his expression became cold. And that’s when Rhiannon knew Henri was going to kill Melissa right in front of them.

  “Henri—” Rhiannon began, but before she could utter another word, Victoria barreled into Henri, catching him by surprise. Before he had a chance to recover, Victoria grabbed Melissa and instantly teleported out of the room. Kat teleported as well, and before Rhiannon had a chance to comprehend what she was doing, she quickly grabbed Rosalie and did the same, teleporting them back to Cody’s prison in Barcelona.

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-NINE

  Rebekah: Munich, Germany

  R

  ebekah could barely concentrate with the pain her body was subjected to. Her skin still burned from where Jeffery scorched her, and internally, she was battered. At that point, she would have gambled away anything for her death, if only to stop the pain.

  “Rebekah,” Jeffery croaked, and it took Rebekah a while to remember the mortal warlock who betrayed her was still directly in front of her. “Rebekah, I’m so sorry.”

  “How long were you working for him?” Rebekah rasped.

  “It wasn’t by choice. Henri, when he took me, he forced me—” And then, Jeffery clammed up, and Rebekah could tell he wanted to say more but couldn’t.

  But fortunately, Rebekah had heard Andre when the witch pieced everything together. “You’re in thrall to him,” she said. “But what does that mean?”

  Before Jeffery could speak, he was flung off the ground, and soon, it was Henri who was in front of her. Henri, who once again yanked her head back and then pressed a cold blade against her throat.

  Silence permeated the air, and it took Rebekah a while to realize the rest of the mortals had infiltrated the room, led by Jason.

  Jason took a step forward, and in response, Henri pressed the blade further into her skin. She whimpered.

  Jason suddenly stopped, regarding the scene warily. “Now, now. There’s no need for that,” he said. “Perhaps we can arrange some sort of agreement.”

  “The time for agreements has passed!” Henri bellowed. “Come any closer, and she dies.”

  Jason’s eyes briefly fell to Rebekah before landing on Henri again. “And I hear you enslaved my son.”

  “Anything that has happened since William’s demise is your own fault, Jason,” Henri said calmly. “You could have refused the crown.”

  Jason’s mouth twitched. “You’re an abomination. Immortality shouldn’t even be able to exist, and yet, here you are.”

  Within a moment, Rebekah felt the blade leave her neck, and relief briefly flew through her. It was short-lived, however, once Henri dug the blade deep into her gash and began cutting downward. Another shrill scream scratched her throat.

  Just then, someone barreled into Henri, and the blade fell to the floor. Rebekah barely had time to register that it was Andre who had saved her before she blacked out.

  ~~~

  Mandy: Munich, Germany

  Mandy was huddled in the living room with the rest of Eternal Division, silently waiting out the chaos taking place just outside the door. Though she knew about the raging fire that threatened to tear down their building, the others remained oblivious, for fused into the wards that encompassed their entire room was a spell that hid anything that would frighten the normal participants. And though the illusion offered Mandy some sense of comfort, she knew it wasn’t real.

  The rest of the participants were mindlessly watching TV—a show about house flipping that Mandy didn’t particularly care about. Frequently, she found herself glancing at the clock hanging on the shelves, wondering when the magic users would come back for them and if the news they came with was good or bad. Rebekah wasn’t in the room, and neither was Holly, and Mandy feared for both of them.

  A cool draft soon entered the room despite all the windows being shut. Sabrina and Sam both shot up, shrieking about the sudden draft, and Jamie questioned, “Who left the window open?”

  Though Mandy knew the truth, and that truth was reinforced when the sudden coldness hovered near her as if trying to get her attention.

  “H-hello?” she called out, which made the other members of Eternal Division stare at her in shock. However, she paid no mind to them when the door to her bedroom suddenly slammed open.

  All four members
of Eternal Division screamed.

  And Mandy, even though accusations of “Are you crazy?” and “She must have a death wish” were hurled at her, calmly left her seat and made her way to the bedroom. Once she was inside, the door suddenly slammed shut again, eliciting more screams from Eternal Division.

  “You’ve got my attention,” Mandy said into the still, cold air. “What do you want?”

  The spirit did nothing at first. And then, it flipped Rebekah’s bed over as if the bed weighed nothing. Mandy flinched as the bed slammed into Holly’s bed, sure the impact would have splintered the wood. But what was underneath the bed was what caught Mandy’s attention the most.

  It was Rebekah’s knife.

  Though Mandy wasn’t completely sure what that knife did, the fact the spirit revealed it to her told her it was of some importance and that it shouldn’t have been on the floor, forgotten.

  “What do you need me to do?” Mandy questioned as she approached the knife and picked it up.

  As if on cue, the window started fogging up as the room plummeted in temperature. Then, she watched as letters started forming on the window as if they were materializing out of thin air. When the letters finally stopped materializing, Mandy was just barely able to make out the jagged lettering:

  Find Rebekah.

  Mandy stared at the message a beat longer then she should. And then, a thought suddenly came to her. “Is this Ava?”

  There was silence. And then, more letters began to form.

  Yes.

  Mandy took a step back, both in awe and in fear. “How do I find her?”

  More letters began to appear.

  I will show you the way.

  And then, the door suddenly slammed open again, and Mandy had no choice but to follow with the knife still in her hand. She ignored Eternal Division’s questioning stares as she continued to follow Ava out of the room and into the hallway. And Ava started to clear a path for her through the fire.