Charlotte & Sebastian (9 page)

Chapter Seventeen

Feeling refreshed, Charlotte stretched. Her hand came into contact with something hard and her eyes blinked open to stare at a clothed chest. Raising her eyes they locked with Sebastian's sapphire ones and they shared a smile. “Evening.”

“Evening,” he greeted and then bent his head to kiss her at length. “How do you feel?”

She sighed. “Truthfully? Amazing. Your blood does wonders for me.”

His soft chuckle had her lips twitching.

He pressed one last kiss to her lips before throwing the covers aside and getting out of bed. “We're going to move Lucien to another safe house out of the capital in a few hours.”

Charlotte sat up straighter at the news. “You are?”

“
Yeah. We're going to send some of the better trained men with him, in case he has anything planned. If we have enough manpower it should be enough to put him off whatever he's planning.”

“
I want to go, too.” She told him.

Seb glanced across at her, his eyes searching her face for long moments. He eventually shook his head. “No. You're too emotionally involved in this, Charlie. You're not going.”

Anger washed through her and she shot out of bed to stand toe to toe with her lover. “How dare you! I have every right to be in that vehicle with that monster. Yes, I might want him dead but I'm also one of the more powerful people at the Agency. I have the same speed, strength and agility as he does, I can—”

“
No!” He growled, his eyes flashing icy blue fire. “You are not going! You're nowhere near as strong as he is. He's older than
me
, Charlie. Even
I
don’t have the power, alone, to take him down.”

His words sunk in slowly but when they did she slumped forward into his body and his arms came around her in support. “I still want to go, Seb. If he escapes and hurts someone else like he did me and my family... I'll never forgive either of us.” His body tensed under hers and she waited for his reaction.

Sebastian finally muttered a curse and pressed a kiss to her temple. “All right. You can go with them, but if you go, I go.”

A smile played about her lips so she kept her head hidden in his neck. “Thank you.”

Two hours later, Charlotte watched a cuffed Lucien be led into the back of a white van. The back doors were open to reveal a metal cage, like those used in police vans to escort criminals only this one looked more durable. She hoped the metal was strong enough to deter this old vampire.

Lucien glanced over his shoulder, as Mitchell and Harry secured him inside the cage, and his eyes locked with hers. He cocked his head to the side as he looked her over, obviously sensing something different about her from the last time he'd seen her. Then he smiled.

It sent chills down Charlotte's spine and she quickly looked away, her eyes finding Mikey and Sebastian who were stood together, arms crossed, watching Lucien. They followed his gaze and when they realised he'd been looking at her, they straightened and moved to her side to block her from view.

“
This is a bad idea,” Mikey said, his voice grim as he loomed over her. “You shouldn’t come with us. He knows you're not human any more.”

Charlotte avoided their gazes, feeling a little freaked out by Lucien's look herself, and readjusted her weapons at her waist. They'd been for show so that Lucien would think she was still human but it seemed he'd figured it out anyway. “It's too late; I'm going.”

“Charlie—” Sebastian started.

She put up a hand to cut him off and asked, “If he already knows, what does it matter? You need me.”

Eyes flaring blue, he pulled her closer with an arm around her waist and crushed his lips to hers. She responded greedily, her fingers spearing into his hair and holding him close.

It was only as wolf whistles filled the garage that they pulled apart and her lover stared deep into her eyes. “If something does go down, don’t try to be a hero,” he told her quietly.

“I could say the same to you,” she murmured.

His lips quirked and he pressed a light kiss to her lips before letting her go. Turning to the rest of the group he asked, “Is he secure?” Harry and Mitchell nodded. “Right then, let's get on the road. I'll drive. Daniel, you can be with me up front. Everyone else in the back. Mikey? Keep an eye on her for me?”

“Sure, man.”

Charlotte placed her hands on her hips and glared at them, “I'm right here!”

Sebastian flicked his eyes to hers and winked before heading around the front to climb in the driver's seat.

Charlotte climbed in the back and looked around the interior. The cage where they'd put Lucien wasn’t visible from inside though there was a doorway that she assumed led to it on the back panel. It was bare of seating so, like everyone else, she slid to the floor, resting her back against one of the walls.

Mikey settled next to her, taking his role far too seriously for her liking, and the sliding side door was slid shut causing the interior to go almost pitch black, apart from a little light filtering in from the front windows.

Low conversation started up amongst the men about sports and she zoned out, the topic not being something she was interested in.

Charlotte used her senses to test for anything out of the ordinary in relation to Lucien. She couldn’t sense anything. She wasn’t sure if that was normal or not in the van, having no idea if it had some sort of blocker on mental practises. Turning slightly in place she pressed her hand to the interior wall, the one separating her from Lucien, and pushed her senses wider. Something seemed off, a slight disturbance in the vehicle. Closing her eyes she waited for the images to come.

Her eyes flew open and she backed away from the wall, bumping into Mikey.

“You okay?” He asked, sounding concerned.

“
You were right, he did plan something! He—”

The van lurched suddenly, the tyres squealing as they fought for traction on the road. Sebastian righted the vehicle and swore colourfully. “Fuck! Three black hummers are following us.”

“Lucien's men,” she said.

“
We can't outrun them, not in this,” Sebastian called over his shoulder as the van was hit again from behind. We need to fight.”

The sound of guns being loaded and checked filled the inside of the van and she got her own out of her holster.

“Charlie, stay in the van!” She opened her mouth to protest but he carried on. “I'm going to stop the car on three, we ready?” Sebastian called.

“
Ready!” Chorused the men.

“
One! Two! Three!” The van swerved to a stop and they quickly threw open the door and started firing. She stayed behind since Sebastian was her superior but at every shot she flinched, knowing those bullets could be hitting him or the other guys.

She only managed to stay still for a few minutes before she snuck out of the van and moved around to the back to check on their prisoner. When she saw the back doors were open, she raised her weapon and crept closer.

Using her senses, she knew exactly where the guy was and pushed the van door hard, knowing he wouldn’t see it coming. It hit him in the back of the head and he dropped like a stone to the floor.

One down, many more to go.

Circling the door, she froze when she saw Lucien was no longer in his cell and raised the gun as she spun around, only for it to be roughly pulled from her grip as another hand fastened around her throat and squeezed.

She clawed at Lucien's hands but it was no use, he was too strong. Black spots filled her vision and she passed out.

Chapter Eighteen

Her mouth was dry. Again.

“Open,” someone said, and she felt the brush of something at her lips.

Charlotte's lips parted, remembering yesterday as Sebastian fed her ice chips. Something dripped onto her tongue, something thick and bitter and she turned away.

A hand roughly gripped her chin and forced her face back. “Drink!”

She shook her head, “No.” Charlotte tried to raise her arm to knock the person's hand away from her face but they wouldn’t move. She tried again. They were stuck at her sides with restraints. Her eyes flew open and she blinked a few times to bring her surroundings into focus, her gaze locking on Lucien who was stood over her.

Charlotte snarled at him and yanked at her restraints but it was no use.

“
Metal, much like the one used to detain me,” he explained. “Very hard to break.” Lucien moved away from her and sat in the plush chair at her bedside.

“
What do you want with me?” She asked through gritted teeth.

The corner of Lucien's mouth curled up, “Several things. Did you know you are one of only a handful of women to make it through the transition? Hundreds have died over the centuries but you lived. You've intrigued me and I find myself fascinated by you.” His eyes tracked over her face before moving down her body. “I tried to turn a lover of mine many years ago and she died during the transition. I was angry for a long time after that and killed many people. Decades later I met another woman who I grew to love, Sara, and I tried to change her too. She too, died in my arms. I went on another killing spree after losing her and unfortunately for you, your family was one of my victims.”

“You're a monster!” She snarled. “Grief is just an excuse.”

Lucien inclined his head in agreement. “I am. So is Sebastian. So are you.”

“We are nothing like you!”

“
I agree your history as a vampire is clean, your lover, on the other hand, is not. He murdered innocents in the past.”

“
Because his Mistress told him to; not out of bloodlust and anger.”

A chuckle left the other vampire and he leant close. “I like your loyalty to him; your belief in him.” His finger skimmed her arm lightly and she shuddered in revulsion. “You are such a pretty little thing,” he murmured. “Beautiful, in fact.” His finger trailed higher, moving up to her neck. Charlotte turned her head away from his touch and jerked at her bonds reflexively.

“I've always wondered whether a vampire couple could reproduce but with the lack of females...” he trailed off and watched his finger as he drew it back down her neck and over a breast, pausing deliberately to circle her nipple several times until her body betrayed her and reacted to his touch. She gritted her teeth and glared at him as he ran his finger down to her stomach.

“
I'll kill you for this,” she vowed. The older vampire just smiled and circled her naval lightly causing goosebumps to break out on her body. “I never had you down as a rapist.”

“
You just don’t like the fact that you're responding to me.” He growled, obviously disliking her allegation.

“
My body, yes. My head is shouting no; I'm saying no! No!”

Lucien's finger disappeared from her body and he took a step back from her. She could see the effort he was putting in to stay civil, his baser instincts both as a man and a vampire telling him to take and dominate. He was visibly shaking as he stood off to the side. “In that case, it seems you'll be gracing our research wing and will be tested to see why you survived the change and others have failed.”

Anything sounded better at that minute than being raped.

With his statement hanging in the air, he turned on his heel and left the room slamming the door behind him so hard the furniture rattled.

Dropping her head back against the pillows she let out a shaky breath.

Sebastian would come for her. He wouldn’t leave her here at the hands of Lucien. He'd find her somehow and get her out of here. He had to.

The door opened and she sat up as best she could as four armed guards walked into the room with a scientist. They must be here to take her to the lab to start the experiments. Her heart thudded noisily in her chest.

They unlocked the chains from the bed and two of the guards clipped the shackle to their own wrists so she couldn’t escape without having to drag a dead body with her. She let out a resigned sigh and followed them from the room.

Feeling groggy, Charlotte forced her eyes open and glanced around the tiny cell she was now an inhabitant of. It was a quarter the size of her old one with nothing but a toilet and bed in.

Her head hurt, it was pounding like a bass drum, as did her arm, and she reached up to press her hand to the pounding sensation and felt something wet against her fingers.  Bringing them back down she saw flesh blood on her fingers and snarled.

It was then she noticed the long gash running from wrist to elbow of her other arm. It hadn’t been closed by stitches which explained its long healing time. Reaching over with her other hand she pressed the skin together, her eyes filling with tears at the agony of the wound and banged her head against the wall to try and numb the pain she felt with a different one. When the skin was closer together she pressed it against the wall with her body and used her free hand to rip a strip of fabric from the bedding and wrapped it around the wound hoping it would hold it together good enough until it healed.

Once done she collapsed back on the bed feeling exhausted. It had been a while since she'd fed and with the loss of blood from the tests they'd performed her hunger was beginning to build much like that first time she'd felt it.

It only got worse as the hours passed until she felt like she'd go mad with it.

The cell door opened suddenly and Lucien walked in. He wasn’t alone. He had a man with him who looked about the same age as her. It would have seemed friendly if not for the hand Lucien had wrapped around the nape of his neck or the wide eyed terror on the man's face.

“I brought you a present, my dear,” Lucien said and shoved the man closer to her. The newcomer stared at her in trepidation wondering what was going to happen next.

Charlotte gouged her nails into her thigh to stop herself from reaching out to the man. She couldn’t give in. The temptation to feed from him was almost too much for her though. “I don’t want him!”

Lucien's dark laugh filled the cell. “You'll have to feed eventually,” he said and grasped the other man by the neck and hauled him from the room. He turned back to face her, once he'd closed the cell door, and yanked the man's head back before sinking his teeth into the man's neck in a vicious bite that had blood dripping in thick rivulets down his throat. The man jerked, his mouth opening in a silent scream.

The smell of the blood hit her nose and she went through a violent struggle with her more baser instincts to deny herself the blood that was flowing down the poor man's neck.

Lucien dropped the now twitching man to her floor and kicked him closer to her cell in case she decided she wanted to drink from him after all.

“
You're sick!” She growled, her eyes on the dead man at his feet.

His lips drew down in a snarl, “Enjoy your meal.” Then he left her with the dead body pressed up against the bars of her cage and the blood creating a pool around him.

The tangy coppery scent teased her taste buds and her belly cramped painfully. After several minutes she couldn’t stand it any longer. Closing her eyes she moved her head away from the wall and then quickly smacked it into the bricks.

Everything went black.