Stalking Dead (Vampire Hunter Book 2) (6 page)

BOOK: Stalking Dead (Vampire Hunter Book 2)
9.5Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads
Chapter 17

I had known something was wrong, was
off
, as soon as I’d seen the setup. There was a huge chair with shackles attached to it. That’s where they had put Lucas; at first I didn’t understand how someone could overtake Lucas – he was huge and powerful – but then I saw that there were two men.

They must have jumped on him be
fore he could react and shackled him down to the chair. I could see him struggling to lift his arms and legs, but it looked like a pointless effort. Lucas wasn’t going anywhere.

As for me, I was a little easier to contain. I’d been bound to a chair, hands tied behind me and feet tied to the chair legs.

The men were identical. It was quite a sight, actually. They were tall – not as tall as Lucas, but close. They had dark brown hair and pointed chins. One guy was wearing his hair long, in a ponytail; the other had a spiky hairstyle.

“Do what you want with me, but let her go,” Lucas growled.

Ponytail simply laughed. “Nice to see you, again, Lucas,” he said, ignoring Lucas’ demand.

“You know these guys?”
I blurted out before I could stop myself.

“We have a history,” Lucas replied through gritted teeth. He looked like he was about to explode.

“Ah, yes, where are my manners?” Now spiky hair was talking. He turned to me. I shuddered involuntarily. His eyes were a piercing blue.

“My name is Thomas,” he continued. “And my brother here is Bartholomew.”

Ponytail – who had now been identified as Bartholomew – smiled, revealing sharp, pointed teeth. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from them.

“Let the girl go,” Lucas tried again.

Thomas walked over to him, leaning down so that his face was inches from Lucas. “Oh, but we haven’t gotten to the fun part yet.”

In response, Lucas spat in his face. Thomas jumped back and wiped his forehead. “You’re going to be sorry you did that,” he hissed.

Please don’t antagonize them,
I silently begged Lucas.

I watched helplessly as Bartholomew wheeled out a hospital IV.

“What are you doing to him?” I shrieked. My panic was rising.

“Just giving him a taste of what he craves,” Bartholomew replied. He twisted Lucas’ arm inside the shackle so that his palm was facing upwards.

“No,” Lucas tried to protest as Bartholomew stabbed the IV into a vein in his wrist. Lucas winced but didn’t say anything else.

Bartholomew pressed a button on the machine. Thick, dark
red liquid flowed through the tube as I watched in horror.

Lucas gasped. “I’m so sorry, Aurora,” he managed to say.

“Please!” I yelled frantically. “What are you doing to him?”

Neither of the brothers would answer. “Please! Please!” I shouted over and over.

“They’re giving me blood – human blood.” Lucas was doubled over now in the chair. He had gone a deathly pale color.

“You’re killing him!” I screamed.

Thomas just laughed. “He wishes.”

“We’re just giving him what he really wants,” Bartholomew said. “He thinks he’s better than us, living off that synthetic shit. This will make him a killer again.”

I felt like I was in a dream. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion. Lucas looked up at me. His face had gone from ghostly pale to flushed. When he spoke, I could see that his pointed vampire teeth were out.

“Aurora, I’m so sorry
,” he said again.

“You didn’t know.” I was frantic now. The blood was making Lucas look wild. Maybe it wouldn’t kill him, but he obviously didn’t have a tolerance for the real stuff anymore.

“Don’t pity him,” Thomas said. His eyes were blazing. “If you knew what he did – what he
really
is – you’d beg us to kill him.”

“But that’s in the past,” I said desperately.

“You might as well shut up now,” Thomas ordered. “He killed our brother. He can never be made to suffer enough for that.”

There were once three of these monsters?

“It’s your turn next,” Thomas continued.

And that’s when I saw it. Bartholomew rolled a small cart to the center of the room. On the top was what looked like a
punchbowl. And next to that bowl was Max, the stuffed elephant from my grave.

Chapter 18

This is it. They’re going to send me back and turn Lucas into a cold blooded killer.

I looked at Lucas again, praying that he could fight whatever this intoxicating drug was doing to him. But he had an expression I had never seen before. He looked crazed, possessed.

I felt like I was watching some scene unfold in a movie. It didn’t seem like I was really there, that this was actually happening.

Bartholomew held up Max. “Recognize your little friend?” he asked.
He smiled and waved Max in front of my face.

I just sat in numb shock.

Next to the bowl on the table was a pile of unrecognizable items. One looked like a chicken’s foot, but huge; the talons had to be at least two inches long. I could also make out several vials of liquid and what appeared to be some type of organ – from what animal, I had no idea. It looked mushy, bloody, and full of veins.

Thomas opened a book, a huge leather-bound book with gold engraving on the cover. He started to read something, but I couldn’t understand the words.

Is that Latin?

The liquid in the punch
bowl started smoking.

I’m a goner.
For the second time.

While Thomas continued reading from the book, Bartholomew added items to the bowl, one by one.
First a vial of liquid. Then the huge talon. Next another vial of liquid.

I looked over at Lucas, who was also watching the ritual, but his eyes were glazed over, glassy. I wasn’t sure if he comprehended what was happening.

I closed my eyes. I couldn’t watch anymore.

I
tried to drown out the sound of both of these lunatics chanting, saying some spell to send me back to my grave forever.

Will I completely cease to exist?
I thought frantically.
Or will I still be alive, trapped in the coffin, pounding on the top for all of eternity?

When I heard the
humongous crash of glass shattering, my eyes flew open in surprise.

Someone had crashed throu
gh the window.

With a scream, the intruder
knocked the entire table over. The punchbowl went flying and shattered into a million pieces on the floor. Deep red liquid cascaded across the ground.
Is that blood?

And then
the person was on top of Thomas, tackling him maybe?

It wasn’t until my savior
stepped back that I saw it. A huge wooden spike covered in blood. And Henry was the person holding it.

Chapter 19

Bartholomew was crouched over his brother. He looked up at Henry and bared his teeth. “I’ll kill you for this!” he screamed.

Henry was holding the bloody stake at arm’s length. “Stay back or you
’re next!” he shouted. Henry didn’t look scared – he looked
determined.

“Please, brother,” Thomas whispered. “I need help. We can deal with them later.”

Bartholomew seemed torn. He obviously wanted to rip Henry to shreds. And probably finish killing me.

“We can’t take care of the girl until we gather the stuff again,” Thomas was saying.

With one final snarl, Bartholomew effortlessly picked up Thomas and rushed through the broken window.

Henry was at my side, untying my arms. “Wait, wait! Help Lucas first,” I said frantically. “They’re giving him blood. It’s hurting him.”

“I’m almost done untying you,” Henry replied. As soon as I was free from the ropes, we both rushed over to Lucas. I carefully removed the IV from his vein while Henry unplugged the machine from the wall.

“Get away,” Lucas said to Henry.

Henry looked confused. “I’m trying to help you!” he shouted.

“Thank you,” Lucas choke
d out, “but you can’t be around me like this. Please, Aurora, don’t take the shackles off. Not until he’s gone.”

“But why?” Henry questioned. He looked around nervously. “We all need to get the hell out of here!”

“Because I don’t want to kill you!” Lucas bellowed. “And I can’t control myself. I have to leave. I have to go home and detox.”

Henry started backing up slowly. “But, but, how can you even drive in this condition?”

“I can’t,” Lucas said. “I really can’t. Aurora will have to drive me home.”

Somehow I didn’t thin
k now would be the time to bring up that I’d never driven a car before.

“We’ve got to get out of here. Henry –
go!
” Lucas screamed. It was a command, not a request.

“I’ll be okay,” I assured Henry. “He’s right, we have to go
! I’ll call you from Lucas’ house.”

I could tell Henry didn’t want to
leave, but there wasn’t any other choice.

I reached out and hugged Henry. “I’ll be fine,” I whispered in his ear. “I promise. And
thank you
for what you did tonight.”

Henry raked his hands through his hair. “Goddammit,” he muttered. “I guess I’ll see you at home.” He shrugged helplessly and turned to leave.

As soon as Henry was out of the room, I leaned down to undo the shackles. “Wait,” Lucas protested. “I can tell he’s just outside. Don’t let me out until I say it’s safe.”

I squeezed Lucas’ hand. I felt terrible for him. He looked so vulnerable.

“Okay, he’s gone now,” Lucas finally said.

Thankfully the shackles weren’t locked. They popped open easily. Lucas started to stand up,
then clasped his hand across his forehead, slumping back down into the chair. “God I’m dizzy,” he said.

I was really worried. What if these vampire freaks came back for us
now
? We really did need to get out of there.

“I can make it,” Lucas said through gritted teeth. He stood up again and this time managed to stay standing.

“Put your arm around my shoulder,” I instructed. I slid my hand around his waist. “I’m stronger than I look; you really can lean on me.”

I could
tell Lucas wasn’t putting any of his weight on my shoulder, but at least this might help him stay steady.

“Can you pull my hood up before we get outside?” Lucas asked.

“Of course,” I said.

Lucas reached into hi
s pocket and handed me his keys. “My head is starting to clear a little bit, but it’s probably safest if you drive.” I noticed that his vampire teeth were still out.

I bit my lip and nodded. How hard could it be, right?

Chapter 20

Although it was true that I
technically
hadn’t learned to drive, my father did let me get behind the wheel and practice in an empty parking lot once. So I felt pretty confident that I could get us back to Lucas’ house; it just might not be the smoothest ride ever.

But my newfound confidence went right down the drain when I climbed into the driver
’s side and saw the stick shift next to the seat.
Shit! How did I forget that Lucas drives a manual car?

“You don’t know how to drive a stick shift,” Lucas guessed, seeing the horror on my face. “It’s not too difficult. I’m sure you can master it by the time we’re back to my house.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. I was glad somebody believed in me.
Come on, Rory, you can do this.

“Just remember to press the clutch in when you switch gears. Once we’re on the highway you’ll be fine.”

I looked at him blankly.

“The pedal on the left side – use your left foot,” he explained.

Lucas leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. I started the car and hit the gas. We lurched forward and the car died.

“I guess resting on this journey is out of the question.” Lucas gave me a feeble smile.

“I don’t know if I can get the hang of this,” I said morosely.

But miraculously, after two more failed attempts, the car
jolted forward and didn’t die.

Lucas placed his hand on top of mine. “I’ll help you shift gears,” he said. “Hit the clutch when I tell you to.”

I tried to ignore his hand and focus on the road – and his instructions. With Lucas’ help, we were on the freeway in no time.

“You can rest now if you need to,” I offered.

“Thanks, let me know when we’re close to my house.” Lucas leaned back again and shut his eyes.

I was really glad dead girls didn’t sweat, because my sundress would have been drenched.
Wow, that was stressful!

But I felt proud that I had done
it. By the time we arrived Lucas’ house, I was ready to be out of the car. I would definitely like to try driving again, but I thought I should start with an automatic before trying to master a stick shift!

I helped Lucas into the house. He didn’t seem like he needed my arm around his waist this time, but I liked the feel of it. I liked how it made my skin tingle. I wanted to squeeze him close to me, to run my hand over his
six-pack abs. But I didn’t.

Once inside the bedroom, Lucas collapsed
down onto his bed. He was groaning and sweating.

“Are you okay?” I asked in alarm.

“I will be,” he said. “Right now it’s still so strong. How long were they pumping me full of that stuff? Five minutes? Ten?”

“Everything was moving in slow motion for me,” I admitted. “For all I know, it could have been an hour.”

“The problem is that now I have a taste for it. I – I need you to do me a favor. I feel terrible asking you for help, after what I put you through, but I don’t have anyone else.”

“It’s no problem,” I assured him. “What do you need?”

“For you to lock me up.”

“What?” That was the last thing I’d expected him to say.

“I’m serious, Aurora. In my closet. There are two pairs of handcuffs. Please get them.”

I laughed nervously. “Who keeps handcuffs? Please tell me I’m not about to touch some kinky sex toy.”

Lucas chuckled. “Nothing so exciting I’m afraid. I keep them for…if I have a relapse. It’s the only way to make sure I don’t go hunting. I have to stay locked up while this shit is in my body.”

“How long will that take?” I asked.

“That’s why I was trying to figure out how much they gave me. I think I should be okay tomorrow. Trust me, I’ll be able to tell.”

As requested, I opened Lucas’ closet and located the handcuffs. He turned on his back, stretching his arms to either corner of the bed frame. Wordlessly, I cinched one cuff around each wrist and one to the frame.

“Thank you,” Lucas said softly. “I’m sorry you have to do this, babysit me like a fucking two year old.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind.” I really didn’t.

“I just can’t believe I thought we were going to see Nicholas. I should have been more careful. I could never forgive myself if something had happened to you.”

“Who were those freaks?” I asked.

“They hate me because I killed their brother thousands of years ago.”

“Why did you do that?” I asked.
“Was this before or after you were reformed?”

“Before. He turned a girl into a vampire. It was someone who
I
wanted to turn, and he beat me to it. I was so angry I staked him through the heart.”

“Were you in love with her or something?”

“In
lust
is more like it. There’s a special connection between two vampires when one has turned the other. I was jealous that he was going to share that with her, so I made sure he didn’t have the chance.”

“You saw those guys tonight
,” Lucas continued. “Their older brother was no better. I actually had no idea Bartholomew and Thomas were still around, or that they still had it out for me, after all these years. That will teach me to be more careful.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” I argued. “As much as you’ve done for me, as much as you’ve risked for
my
case, I could never be mad at you for an honest mistake.”

“Thanks, I do appreciate you saying that. I really thought it was Nicholas who called me.”

I had been standing awkwardly at the edge of the room. Lucas cocked his head towards the bed. “You can sit down. I won’t bite. Not you, at least,” he quipped.

I ch
uckled and sat down on the foot of the bed. Lucas still didn’t look normal, but I was glad to see he seemed to be a little bit better.

“Are you sure they don’t know where you live?” I asked.

Lucas sighed. “I would have said yes, but after tonight I’m not trusting my instincts so much. Henry did a real number on Thomas. They’re going to have to find help if they want him to live. So, at least for tonight, we’re safe.”

“You mean like a vampire doctor?” I asked.

“I guess you could call it that.” Lucas laughed. “How did Henry know we were there anyway?”

“I was supposed to call him when we got back here. Are you okay if I leave you alone for a few minutes?”

Lucas wriggled his wrists. “I’m not going anywhere,” he assured me.

BOOK: Stalking Dead (Vampire Hunter Book 2)
9.5Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Editor's Choice Volume I - Slow summer Kisses, Kilts & kraken, Negotiating point by Stacey Shannon, Spencer Pape Cindy, Giordano Adrienne
Shooting for the Stars by Sarina Bowen
Stepbrother's Gift by Krista Lakes
Destiny: Child Of Sky by Haydon, Elizabeth
The Prize in the Game by Walton, Jo
Saviour by Lesley Jones
Finding Home by Ali Spooner
The Older Man by Bright, Laurey