Chapter Thirty-one
Gabriel
He walked over to the bed, retrieved two white towels and then offered them to me.
I flinched and hugged my knees to my chest.
“You don’t need to fear me, Jade.” He assured. “I asked that you not be harmed and Mona disobeyed me. That is why she met the fate you just witnessed.”
“What do you want from me?” I asked.
“Well.” He sighed. “I want a lot of things, Jade. I want to see your father suffer for killing my mate. I want to be the president of the vampires in your country, I want to be adored and obeyed by all, and I will be. But for now…I want to walk under the sun, Jade, and you are my ticket.”
“How?”
He crouched beside the tub and stuck his hand in the water beside my legs. The moment he did, the water chilled instantly.
“Your potent, power-absorbing-virgin blood will please them, and they will grant me a favor for my service. You are special, Jade. I was first attracted to your unique scent when your path crossed mine during your little investigation. I knew you were Lucian’s daughter, and if I didn’t snag you, his rival packs would beat me to it and use you for their own personal vendettas. It took a lot of watching and listening, but now I have you, and I am that much closer to daylight.”
My bones quivered with fear but I tried calming myself enough to speak. “You have the girls too,” I said.
“I do.” He admitted while taking his hand out of the water and standing up. “Their virgin blood and familial connections to the ladies would have been sufficient for a small favor. Perhaps a month in the daylight but not nearly enough for such a grand gesture. Now that I have you, they are an added bonus. Another bartering tool. Your blood is equivalent to one hundred virgins.” He opened a towel. “Come, Jade. The water has cooled and you are cold. I could hear your heartbeat changing with your temperature drop.”
I didn’t want to admit that he was right, but I was cold. I stood up and yanked a towel from his hand. “What do you mean their familial ties?”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “Without the young blood of their relatives, the ladies may not be so pretty to look at and come sunlight, they’d become one with the wind.” He joked. “Perhaps they’d perish for good, but who is to know? Every seventeen years they find the virgin blood they need without much effort. I planned this seventeen years ago because I wanted to make sure I was the one to have what they desire. All of their fathers are from Alexandru’s bloodline, and all of their mothers were cursed not to procreate without the help of my witch.”
“You killed Carlisle Cross, and you are the one that cast me out of his mind so that I do not find the girls…”
“I had Cross killed because he was sloppy and weak. And I had my witch cast you out because I couldn’t have you ruin everything. But enough with questions.” He stopped. “Anica will bring you some food and clothes.”
“You have me, why not let them go?” I asked.
He shook his head and smiled. “You think me a fool, Jade. I will not allow them to slip from my grasp. They are still useful to me.” He headed toward the door. “Oh, and in case you haven’t noticed, I had my witch bind your power after your little attack on Mona. She also cut your ties to your pack. No one can hear you. No one can detect your scent.”
“My father will find me.” I assured him.
He laughed as he walked out the door. “Well, he has until midnight to do so, Jade.” He looked at his watch. “That’s thirty minutes. Tick-tock.” He tapped his watch and walked out.
As soon as he was gone, I ran to the French doors and opened them, but I couldn’t step outside. An invisible wall kept me inside.
I tried focusing all my energy into reaching my father. But I felt nothing. Heard nothing. I was powerless.
The door opened and the same woman from before hurried inside with a white garment over her forearm.
“Help me, please,” I whispered. “How do I get out of here?”
She didn’t speak.
“Please.” I implored.
She shook her head.
I grabbed her shoulders and made her look at me. “I need to get out of here. Please, help me.”
Tears fell down her round cheeks as she opened her mouth but no words came out. Instead, I got a view of her tongue and gasped. It was cut in half.
She pulled herself out of my grip, handed me the dress and left the room quickly.
Maybe I had to face the truth. I would be sacrificed. The girls would be sacrificed.
No one could find us.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
With no other choice, I put on the dress and stared into the blazing flames until Gabriel came back into the room. He was wearing a white unbuttoned shirt and black pants that hung from his narrow waist. His long black hair fell in careless waves to his shoulders.
“It’s time, Jade,” he said, casually.
Though inside I shuddered with fear, I raised my chin and walked forward, down a set of marble stairs and out the front door, where a black coach with four horses awaited.
Gabriel offered me his hand.
I sneered at it and climbed in.
Already sitting in the coach was an older woman with red hair in loose braids, wearing a crimson top with gold embroidery and a bright green ankle-length skirt.
“Who are you?” I asked, even though she fit the description of the witch the girl’s parents had described.
She didn’t answer.
Gabriel climbed in and sat beside her.
“She is my witch, Jade. She is here to make sure everything runs smoothly.”
“Is she the one binding me?”
Gabriel laughed but didn’t answer.
After a quick, steadying breath, I lunged at the witch. My nails dug into her face and scratched as deep as I could.
She shrieked and chanted in her tongue.
“Enough!” Gabriel snarled and peeled us away from each other. He took her jaw in his hands and squeezed until she cried out in pain. “I can’t offer them damaged goods.”
“You’re lucky.” She hissed tearing herself from his grasp. “Daca era dupa mine, te mancau viermii pana acuma.”
Gabriel laughed as he sat beside me. “She said if it were up to her maggots would have been long feasting on your flesh.”
A few moments later, the carriage came to a stop and Gabriel smiled. “We are here.” He opened the small door and climbed out.
“Come, Jade.” He coaxed. “Fighting is pointless. It’ll just be more painful.”
I climbed out and spit in his face. “I won’t be worth much if I’m damaged.” I chortled and shoved him as hard as I could into the carriage door.
He gasped and bent forward but didn’t fall. I tried running, but he caught me by my hair. “I’ve been patient, Jade. I won’t let you ruin this for me. Not now.”
Another carriage arrived.
One by one, Alexia Tate and the other two girls climbed out, bound at the hands and feet and wearing a similar dress to mine.
Each one glanced in my direction before disappearing into the forest.
Their heartbreaking gazes crippled me and tears fell down my cheeks.
“I will kill you.” I stated to Gabriel.
Angrily, he grabbed my chin. The silver glow of the moon shone on my face, and suddenly I hit the ground hard.
At that moment, the wolf inside me flared to life with a thunderous growl.
She clawed at the surface, and I hollered in pain as wave after wave of agonizing, bone shattering seconds ticked by.
“What’s happening?” Gabriel shouted.
“The moon is too strong. She’s shifting!” The witch cried.
“No!” Gabriel snarled. “You were supposed to stop her!”
My ribcage felt like it was being ripped open, the skin on my body rippled and gray fur exploded from the inside.
My jaw unhinged and a muzzle sprouted where my mouth should have been. I bowed backward with a howl when the bones in my spine snapped.
“Give yourself to me…” a voice whispered. “Surrender…”
I focused on my labored breathing.
In…and…out.
The pain slowly subsided.
I struggled up on all fours.
Very slowly, I started feeling stronger, until I felt invincible. I even felt the tissue and muscles on my neck begin to mend my previously inflicted wounds.
Everything around me became clear like high definition. I could hear the rush of blood in the witch’s body, the steady unnecessary breath of the vampire watching me.
I immediately turned my attention to the witch. She wanted to run, but I sprang effortlessly on top of her and tore the flesh from her throat.
Gabriel took off.
I followed.
“Jade?” I heard an echo in my head.
“Stephan?”
I heard him laugh. “I’m coming, Duchess! We’re coming, hold on!”
As I ran through the dense, peculiar vegetation, two wolves sprang from the darkness and flanked me.
I stopped my pursuit on the edge of a massive fire.
The black wolf came close and nuzzled me.
Lucian.
The dark gray one licked my face and whimpered.
Stephan.
More wolves emerged from the forest and stopped beside us.
I immediately recognized one of the scents. A light gray wolf came to me and put his large head against mine.
Adrian.
Lucian growled, and Adrian backed up.
“We have to hurry, Jade.” My father’s voice cut through me. “Your mother can’t keep us from their view much longer.”
That made me look into the flames and there among the licking flames, three half-naked women with bells around their delicate ankles danced wildly around the fire. Their beautiful faces were impossible to look at without falling victim to them.
Their sweet melody enchanted the already pregnant air.
“Don’t listen, Jade.” Lucian warned. “Don’t look at them.”
It was hard to look away, but once I tore my gaze from them, I felt freed of their charm.
“Let’s go, Jade.” My father urged.
“I won’t leave the girls,” I said, sternly.
“They are not my problem, Jade.” Lucian growled.
“Maybe not, but they’re mine.” I snarled.
I felt rather than saw my father shift into human form.
“Jade…”
“I won’t leave them, Lucian!”
He walked over to me and touched my head. My wolf silently pulled back, and I stood on wobbly legs.
One of the wolves immediately shifted after me and came forward with a garment in her hand. I took the flimsy, black nightgown and put it on. My father took the gray shorts and stepped into them.
I realized that this was her purpose in the pack. To carry the clothes so we wouldn’t remain naked once we shifted back to normal.
“We need to help them.” I begged.
Over the flames, on the other side of the fire, Gabriel scowled at me while petting one of the girls on the head as she wept.
The night got very still, the flames became mute, and the dancing women turned in my direction.
My heart dropped.
I watched her mother call to the moon with the sacrifice of a black chicken and a vial of Jade’s blood that we stole from the hospital lab. It was enough to reach Jade and allow her beast free.
Adrian