Crimson Groves (28 page)

Waves of tormenting pain spread all over my body. A prickling burn seared my skin—everywhere, all over. I couldn’t take it anymore. It was excruciating. My spine crunched. Did it break? I don’t know, couldn’t tell, couldn’t move. But at least I wasn’t dead. Feeling pain, no matter how bad it was, meant I was still alive. If the intentions of whatever, whoever, held me down were to kill me, then surely I’d be long gone by now.

Something grabbed the hair on the back of my head, low by my neck. A hand. Someone’s hand. It yanked up hard. I cried out, gasping and wailing. It let me go and I fell forward, dead leaves scratching and poking my face.

I lay there a minute, unable to move. My body hadn’t started healing yet. Crap! How was I going to get out of this mess? Think, just think. But my thoughts were cloudier than a sky with an approaching thunderstorm. There was something wet, slimy, slithering across my ear. I tried to shake my head but could barely move. My chest felt tight. My stomach turned and twisted. There were lumps in my throat, and my whole body ached and trembled.

I heard a voice—low, hushed, deep. “Hello Abigail. It has been too long since we last saw each other. Far too long indeed.”

20

Betrayed

I HAD NEVER FELT SO WEAK, or been in this much pain, since becoming a vampire. After hearing that all too familiar voice, I was knocked unconscious, and I have no idea how long I was out. Now, I found myself locked up in a room with no windows and absolutely no other way to escape. The door actually felt like steel when I kicked it, and the dark gray walls must’ve been made of iron. Yep, that pretty much removed any doubt that my powers were gone. Yippy for me.

I studied the room—or should I call it my prison?—and felt a vague familiarity. I’d been here before, but when? Maybe when I was human? Or maybe it was more recent? It was too hard to concentrate, my mind wavering between hysterical and delusional. I knelt down onto the rustic wood floors. Two metal-looking chairs and a small table were in the corner of the room, just a short distance away. I thought about crawling over to one of the chairs, but it seemed like too much work so I stayed where I was. I rolled over onto my back and stared at the ceiling. A faint light—very faint actually—shone from the direction of the chairs. I rolled my head sideways, catching a quick glimpse of a small lamp sitting on that table. Strike one hundred for me. If it weren’t for that stupid lamp, I’d be lying here completely blind. Just like a helpless human, which at any other moment in my life I would’ve embraced with open arms.

Countless times I tried tapping into my pyrokinesis, and any of my other abilities, all to no avail. Why hadn’t I thought to check this before leaving the pub? Becoming a vampire sure didn’t make you any smarter. Obviously. I lay there a little longer, pouting and whining. Eventually I realized it wasn’t going to help me, so I stopped. I rolled over, got on all fours, and crawled to the closest wall. I sat down, the wall supporting my back, and crossed my legs over each other. The only thing I hadn’t tried yet was prayer. Folding my hands together and closing my eyes, I started praying, meditating, and occasionally freaking out altogether, in no particular order.

The doorknob turned. I peered at it like I had X-ray vision. But since I don’t, all I saw was the door swing open. More light gleamed in so I looked away, then I heard heavy footsteps slowly get closer and closer. I shuddered and pressed back into the wall, but there was no escape, nowhere for me to hide. I glanced back and there he stood, staring down at me. He smiled, a broad glistening expanse of teeth and fangs. His dark eyes drilling into me like bottomless pools trying to flood over me.

“Why are you sitting down there on the floor, Abigail? These chairs are in here for your comfort. Please get up and sit in one.” His words were deep and slow and very intimidating. He took a few steps toward me, his boots squeaking and crunching, and then reached out his hand. “Let me help you up.”

Even though I was terrified, the words “no thank you” escaped my mouth as I lowered my face toward the floor, not wanting to make eye contact any longer.

In a flash I was raised and pinned against the wall, his hand around my neck. My feet dangled beneath me, perhaps a foot or so from the floor. He held me eye level; his eyes were like black winter ice. His smile was gone. His voice was so loud I wanted to cover my ears but was afraid if I took my hands off his hand, he’d choke me to death: “I did not ask you. I told you. I told you to sit on those chairs and I told you to let me help you up. You will obey me! Do you understand?”

His grip around my neck was so tight, it left me unable to speak. I nodded my head, or at least tried to. To be sure he understood me, I tried moving my eyes up and down. They were trying to say, “Yes we understand, yes we will listen.”

The features on his face softened. He released me. I caught myself against the wall before falling and rubbed and massaged my sore neck. Without hesitation, I walked over toward the chairs. Each step was forced, like heavy weights were tied to my feet. After what felt like an eternity, I sat down and looked up at him. I wanted to slap that prideful expression right off his face. Fat chance right now, I knew. He came over and sat down beside me. Interrogation style.

He leaned over and pointed at my stomach, his finger just a few inches away. I didn’t move. “There is blood all over you. I will bring you some fresh clothes in a moment. I never meant for you to bleed so badly.”

My eyes welled up with tears. Just perfect. Now I was going to cry like a baby
and
not have my powers.

“What…have…you…done…to…me…Bronx?” I fought back tears between each word.

A smirk puckered his lips. He slowly pulled his pointing finger away. “Now Abigail, if I told you that, I would have to kill you. And it is very important that you stay alive for me. My plan cannot work without you.”

“What plan?” I demanded. Vague memories of the time Stone told me Bronx would use me for my powers began swirling in my mind.
He’ll overpower you and use you with his mind control. He must need you for something, Abby, that’s why he turned you into one of us. No vampire has ever developed powers as great as yours.

“You will be with me forever. What part of that did you not understand?” His eyes slanted, piercing me with a spiteful glare.

“Where’s Lily?” I glared at him—hard. A few tears spilled. I knew I couldn’t hold them back forever. I cradled my arms around my chest and held on tight, hoping I could find some comfort. So far, it wasn’t helping at all.

“Do not worry about your donor friend. She is unharmed and will remain that way as long as you cooperate with me.” He leaned over and slid his thumb across my cheek, wiping off some of the wet trails. But more tears fell and replaced what he wiped. I couldn’t control it. “There is no need for you to cry. I will not hurt you again. I needed to be certain that you were powerless. Knocking you unconscious was the only way.” He cupped my face. I was too weak to pull away.

“How? How did you strip away my powers, my advanced senses? Am I human again?” I stared at his chin.

He grinned. A chuckle popped off his tongue. “Do not be ridiculous. You are still a vampire. You will be a vampire forever, unless, of course, you are killed. You can never be human again.” He slipped his hands away and leaned back in the chair. “I am not sure what you know, but I am certain you know how powerful you are. So tell me, what does your pyrokinesis feel like when you use it?”

Feeling my eyes widen, I quickly glanced down at the floor. “What are you talking about?”

“You hold no secrets, Abigail. Do not waste time lying to me.” His hand reached for my chin, pushing up, forcing me to look at him. “Answer my question.”

“How?” I said, my voice steady. “How do you know what power I have? How did you know?” I shook my head violently side to side, shaking free of his grasp. “You targeted me! You turned me into a vampire because you knew I would become this! How the hell did you know?” I swallowed hard.

“Now that is a question that I would love to answer for you.” He burst into a sinister laughter, his watchful eyes still on me. “The truth will hurt you, Abigail, which I do feel you deserve. You are mine and I will never share you with anyone else.”

I couldn’t speak. I just stared at him, wondering what he was talking about. Of course he felt I deserved pain and suffering. I did leave him. The only reason I came back to Florida was for Lily. I was supposed to defeat Bronx and had been so confident that I would. I’d never planned on losing all my powers and getting ambushed in the woods.

There was a knock on the door, the sound rippling through the silence. Bronx grinned, his cheek muscles rising. “You may enter.”

I stared down at the floor—all I could do was listen to the footsteps. But that didn’t identify my new visitor. I slowly raised my head and froze, one hand touching my chest. Oh my God, what the hell was he doing in here? I shook my head, unable to grasp what I saw, who I saw. “Oh…my…God!” Each word stretched out. I couldn’t believe it. Why would he be standing there? It didn’t look like he was here to help me escape. And he didn’t look scared of Bronx. My waterworks reignited. I couldn’t hold back the tears, even though I really wished I could. “How could you do this to me? I trusted you.”

Tyler stood a few feet away from Bronx. “I’m sorry, Abby.” He frowned, looked down at his feet.

I stared at him, anger flaring up in a rush. My head was about to explode. “Get out! Both of you get out! Now! Get out!” I cradled my knees against my chest, rocked back and forth, and cried. Who cared if I was being a wuss anymore. I sure didn’t. The amount of tears falling from my eyes could easily make a river and carry me away. Wishful thinking, I knew.

I heard receding footsteps and the door closing behind them. I held tighter around my legs, my body trembling and shaking. What was Tyler doing with Bronx? They seemed too familiar with each other to have recently met. But how far back did they go? Was Tyler working with Bronx when he’d kissed me? When he’d told me he loved me? But wouldn’t my vampire senses have picked that up? Wouldn’t I have noticed something was off?
Off!
I gasped, sitting up straighter in the chair. Something had been strange. Stone had noticed it too, but I’d shaken it off. I’d blamed Tyler’s ability; I’d even blamed my own guilt, giving Tyler the benefit of the doubt. But those weird vibes had been right in front of my eyes. How could I have been so blind? Damn it! I’d trusted him! I’d let my guard down with him, and I’d told him everything—well, almost everything. What I didn’t tell him, I bet he just saw in one of his futuristic visions. And then he conveyed everything to Bronx.

Tyler, Tyler, Tyler! Tyler was nothing more than a liar. He used me and then betrayed me to the one person on this earth that I needed salvation from. He never loved me. His touch, his kisses were empty. My chest tightened—perhaps the closest thing I could feel to a broken heart, but it still hurt like hell.

There were moments, while sitting alone in the dimly lit hellhole, when I’d try to convince myself that Tyler was just one of Bronx’s puppets and that he was under the influence of Bronx’s mind control. But in my heart I knew that wasn’t the truth. For Bronx’s mind control to work, he would need to be in close proximity to the one he was using it on. And I knew for a fact that he was nowhere near Tyler and I when we fled to Savannah. I would’ve sensed him if he had been.

All these questions left me so confused. I was lucky I knew up from down. The facts that I’d uncovered, willingly or not, cut into me like a knife. And then there was Lily. She’d been thrown in the middle of all this, like a fishing lure going for the big prize. And I took the damned bait. Tyler knew this would happen all along. Was this how it played out in his vision? What a fool I was for believing his feelings were sincere; his jealousy of Stone had seemed real. The vengeance he’d promised to help me achieve had been so believable. But it was all crap. His words were lies. His actions were empty. He’d been in alliance with Bronx all along. But why would Bronx allow Tyler to take me away in the first place? It just didn’t make sense that he’d willingly let another man take me away from him. Unless, somehow, Tyler had used his visions to convince Bronx that this would help his master plan. And that meant Tyler was even more involved in all of this.

I let go of my legs and grabbed my head, pressing into the temples, trying to release some of the pressure. I felt angry, hurt, and torn. And to top them off, I was growing weaker.

After fleeing from Bronx, I’d developed my powers and learned how to use them. If I were still with Bronx when that happened, I could’ve easily escaped. And perhaps killed him in the process. Did Tyler’s visions show that to Bronx? Maybe Tyler had only gained my trust to give Bronx time to figure out how to take away my powers. And with that knowledge, I was ambushed in the woods—because Tyler had already seen me traveling there in his freaking visions. That’s the only way Bronx would’ve known where to find me. Tyler really
did
have a huge role in all of this.

I wrapped my arms back around my legs, rocking back and forth, my heart maxed out with despair and sadness. The truth about Tyler blared out brighter than the sun, or at least as bright as I remember it. All the tender moments we’d shared weren’t real. The passionate kisses really meant nothing. Flashbacks of the time spent together in his Savannah house—if it was even his house at all—tore through me like a sharp sword slicing me into pieces. Bronx would’ve never allowed Tyler to kiss me or tell me he loved me unless it was only to gain my trust, which he’d done successfully. But Tyler had earned my trust without all those things. I guess he’d just used the romance to keep me distracted from sensing the truth.