Eric
With squinted eyes, I analyzed the fortress by the sea where my brother had been hiding and keeping Beth prisoner.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Shane asked.
My faithful friend didn’t like the idea of me entering that place. I knew he hoped I would give up and return home to the safety of my kingdom.
I squared my shoulders and clenched my jaw. “Yes. Show me where she was kept.”
Shane combed his hair only to rub the back of his neck. “You aren't going to like it.”
“There's nothing about all of this situation to like. But I want to have a better idea of what she went through.”
“We’ve swept the premises several times looking for clues since we fought your brother’s men. The girls we found in the dungeons weren’t in a pleasant place or a healthy condition. If Beth spent several months in the dungeon, then …”
“Years, she spent years here,” I interrupted him. “But she told me, he put her in a bedroom after a while.”
Shane nodded. “Yes. We found her bedroom on the second floor. After interrogating a few of the prisoners, they told us that she was offered to Vincent, Alaric’s second in command.”
I snarled.
“And she killed him. A day before we attacked. She helped us, according to Jessica’s cousin.”
I looked at Shane. “You are stalling.”
“You need to be prepared. Vincent surrounded her with luxuries. Though I’m sure she was here against her will, the fact was that she wasn’t treated as badly as the other prisoners.”
“Because she slept in a better place, it doesn’t mean she wasn’t constantly abused,” I explained to him.
Shane ran his fingers through his hair. “I know. I didn’t mean to sound judgmental.”
I felt my body tense further. “Take me to her bedroom.”
“There isn’t really a lot to see, and I don't think she’ll wish to recover anything from her former life. Though, there are plenty of jewels and dresses.”
Narrowing my eyes, I questioned, “What aren't you telling me?”
Shane cleared his throat. “There are some toys ... or should I say, some twisted stuff he used to hurt her.”
My eyes blurred as I felt my fangs tug, asking for release. With a guttural voice, I ordered, “Show me.”
“It would be better if you didn't go there. I can only imagine the pain you’re feeling ...”
“Shane, I'm not a naive boy. I have lived long enough to know how twisted the creatures in this world can be. I want to help Beth. I can't do that if I don't have an idea of what she suffered here.”
“I don't think she wishes to remember.”
“She might not want to, but she’ll need to if she wants to heal. Plus, her nightmares won't let her forget.”
I raised my hand to stop Shane from finding any more excuses to delay and change my mind. Then I walked up the stairs to enter that cursed house.
Moments later, I was entering Beth's bedroom and prison.
It was a well-furnished and comfortable prison. All the furniture was expensive, but my gaze fell on the bed that showed signs of struggling and blood. I wondered if the blood belonged to Vincent or Beth. It was too dry to have a pungent smell.
Shane moved behind me. “Are you okay?”
My eyes were memorizing the bedroom, taking a special interest in the personal items. Pacing around, I looked at the books. They weren't many, and all showed signs of use. Beth had shared that she didn't have contact with the outside world. I didn't see a computer or a TV. Her only solace was her books.
“Did anyone take anything from here?” I questioned.
“No, everything is as it was. Our men aren't burglars. However, I have no idea of what to do with all of this.”
“My first impulse would be to burn everything to the ground. But we need to be reasonable. There are only a few things I want to take from this place. Everything else, I would appreciate if you arranged to sell the furniture, the jewelry, the clothes, and everything that can generate money.”
“Okay. And what shall I do with the money?”
I turned around to face Shane. My tongue wetted my lower lip as I cleared my throat. The emotion was taking over my body and tensing my muscles.
“All the money will be divided among the victims that my brother left behind. All the torture devices are to be burned, and the prison downstairs is to be dismantled.”
Shane's lips curled into a smile, easing his expression. His hands plunged into his pockets. “I'm rather fond of that idea.”
I walked to the closet and opened it to see my mate’s clothes.
“I want to believe that Vincent wasn't such a creep and that in a way she was taken care of by him. But I know that I'm just trying to find excuses to endure the pain I feel. I see all these pretty things he gave her,” I mumbled, touching the gowns, “but he just treated her like a doll and not a person. He raped her and used her to his own twisted ends. Despite the better conditions she had here than in the dungeons, I don't know what to do to erase all this hate that is taking possession of my soul for what was done to her in this place.”
“She killed him. She had her closure,” Shane retorted.
“Maybe. But I wish he was alive, so I could slowly torture him and make him pay for what he did to Beth. Use the torture toys on him,” I sneered with gritted teeth, staring at the part of the closet where Vincent kept his sex toys and other objects I had no idea what were meant for. “Or just peel his skin and let him regenerate only to do it again and again.”
Shane's hand fell on my shoulder as he closed the door so that I stopped looking at the gruesome view. “You shouldn't be here.”
“I need to be here,” I protested, closing my eyes and rubbing my forehead to clear my thoughts.
“Do you think she might want some of her clothes?” Shane asked.
Opening my eyes, I turned to stare at my friend. “Beth doesn't want anything that reminds her of this.”
Turning around, I walked to the dresser where a jewelry box was placed next to make-up items and perfumes.
“He was trying to buy her affection with money, it seems,” Shane whispered. “In his twisted way ... he cared for her.”
I opened the box and added, “Beth is stunningly beautiful and a pureblooded vampire. For a turned vampire like Vincent, she was a treasured prize, a trophy.” I sighed and resumed my speech. “Is it wrong for me to wonder if she didn't care for him even if a bit? I keep thinking about all she had to tell him to keep him happy. I can't blame her for that, but ... a lot of victims form a bond of dependence and loyalty with their abusers.”
Shane shook his head. “That's your jealousy talking. But if she had feelings for any of them, she wouldn't have killed him or ran away from Alaric.”
I stopped touching the necklaces and rings so I could unwrap a velvet cloth. It had an ornate heart-shaped locket in a gold chain. It looked ancient and different from all the other jewelry. Opening the pendant, I found two portraits of a man and a woman. The woman had similarities to Beth. I assumed the pictures belonged to her mom and dad. It had sentimental value to my mate, so I kept it in my pocket to restore and give it back to her.
Closing the box with a loud pop noise, I told Shane. “Sell everything else.”
“Anna knows someone who can take care of this,” Shane informed.
“Good because I don't want to see all this again. I don't want anything of this stuff to show up in town.”
My eyes fell over the balcony, and I remembered our conversation in the garden, staring at the sky. Walking to the door, I opened it and stepped outside. The breeze slapped my face, and the smell of the ocean hit my nostrils. It had a beautiful view, but not in the eyes of a prisoner.
Resting my hands on the railway, where I assumed Beth had been hundreds of times, I leaned down and saw the deadly fall. My stomach twisted with the notion of what would have happened to her if she had jumped. I knew she had thought of doing that several times. Dropping to her death, harming her body, and leaving to never be found by me terrified me more than anything in the world. But how could I blame her if she had done that?
I would never meet her. But she would be free. They wouldn't hurt her anymore. She was so brave. I loved her even more for that.
The happiness of being lucky enough to find her and the sadness for all she had to endure until I found her made tears prickle my eyes.
“It sucks!” I breathed out. Hoping that exhaling, the pain soothed, and my soul wouldn't shatter.
“What?” Shane asked, leaning against the door.
I leaned back and looked at the horizon. The sun was shining bright and leaving a trail of silver on the ocean.
“It sucks that I couldn't feel her pain. I couldn't hear her cries for help. It sucks that we can only feel each other in this world after we share each other’s blood. It’s unfair that I couldn't feel that my mate needed my help. Do you know what sucks even more?” I spun around to face Shane who waited for me to vent it all out. “It really sucks that she's living for as long as I am, and we never met before.”
“Destiny ...”
“Destiny blows!” I cut off my friend before he could make up some excuse for Beth being apart from me for so long.
“You have her with you now. You can take care of her. You can protect her. Do you think I didn't feel useless once I found out what Anna had lived and experienced before we met? But each one of us has our own demons and tragic pasts. It is what makes us stronger and braver. Even after all that Beth went through, she still survived, and she still cares enough to want to find and save her sister. So, stop feeling sorry for yourself. Stop thinking about what you could have done and think about what you need to do to fix her.”
Shane straightened up and went inside, leaving me staring at the wall with shining and emotional eyes. As much as Shane's words felt cruel, I also knew he was right.
“You just want her books, are you sure?” Shane asked, shouting from the bedroom.
I smoothed my shirt and tousled hair before entering the bedroom.
“Yes, but make sure they are delivered to my home, not dad's. I don't want her to see them. I just want to understand what she likes to read. Or at least what she was able to read while she was here.”
“Okay.”
Before Shane could leave to call his men, I added, “And Shane, next time I feel sorry for myself and act like a selfish brat, just punch me in the face!”
“Will do,” Shane agreed, smirking and waving.
I caught him before he could close the door.
“I still have some things I want to do. Ask one of your men to pack the books. I’ll be going back home.”
“Aren't you curious to see your brother's bedroom?”
“Not at all.” I folded my arms, my muscles flexing and tensing. “The only thing that mattered here was Beth's belongings. Unless Alaric’s belongings can tell us where he is, I’d rather stay away from his private quarters.”
“It’s not a pretty sight. The guy had an obsession with chains and round couches. Also, a lot of velvet.”
I frowned in disdain. “I'm eager to get back home and see Beth. Just keep our trip here to yourself ... and Anna. I don't want to upset Dad and Mom.”
With that said, I left.