Violet Path (21 page)

We were silent as the wind bit our noses and whipped our cheeks. The frost-covered leaves cracked under our feet. The body-warmer and my boots kept me warm.

And then it happened.

A blow to the right side of my head.

I slammed into a tree, then fell to the ground, my staff rolling away. A throbbing pain took over. I couldn’t think straight. I closed my eyes and tried to catch my breath, but someone punched my back around the kidneys. Rough hands grabbed me and slammed my chest against a tree. Someone grabbed my hands, positioned them above my head, and started to search me. I wanted to turn around and kick the hands that were running along my hips. I couldn’t see who my aggressor was, but I guessed that it was Keith.

Another hit to my back, and I was violently turned around, my spine smashing against the tree. I stood face-to-face with Orion. Keith stood behind him with a laser gun pointed at me. Orion took my body-warmer and threw it next to my staff.

All this time and Maxime was right . . . Orion searched me again in silence, while Keith and I glared at each other. When Orion knelt down to search my knees, I kneed his nose and hid behind the tree before Keith could shoot me. Orion cursed, and Keith was yelling at him. My heart pounded faster and faster as I heard them approaching. I didn’t know where to go. Keith had a gun, but Orion was weaponless. I would rather face Orion, but I didn’t know who was on my left and who was on my right. I could hear them closing in and my lungs tightened. I was running out of time and had to act quickly. I decided to go to my left.

I turned and was greeted at gunpoint. I quickly spun around, hoping I still had time to run, but a strong fist slammed into my jaw sending me against the tree. Orion punched me again, as a jolting pain vibrated through my cranium.

“Not the face; we need him to speak,” Keith said.

Orion punched me in the abdomen. Pain flowed throughout my body. Every blow cut off my breathing.

“Tie him up. You’ve done enough,” Keith ordered.

“He broke my nose!” Orion was furious as blood dripped down his face. Flames burned in his emerald eyes.

“Just tie him up. You can continue later,” Keith said.

Finally, Orion pushed me against the tree, the bark scraping my cheeks. He pulled my hands behind my back and tied a rope tightly around my wrists, cutting off my circulation. He then turned me around and pushed me to the ground. He yanked under my armpit, forcing me to sit up on my knees. He kicked me in the stomach a couple of times, and all I could do was lie there like a wounded animal. Every blow was more painful, more brutal, more damaging.

Finally, he stopped.

“Okay, Alex. Here is how it’s going to work: we ask the questions and you answer truthfully. Pain pays for every lie,” Keith said.

My eyes were drenched in tears. Keith paced in front of me with his gun pointed at my heart. Orion stood behind him holding three shiny daggers. They all had a curved, silver blade and black handle, but the precious stones connecting the two parts differed from red to blue to gold.

“Let’s start off with a simple question: What is Matthew’s plan?”

I blinked as my eyes widened with confusion. I didn’t have the slightest idea of how to answer that question. Keith kicked my stomach, then repeated the question. I twitched with pain. I couldn’t answer his question.

“I don’t know,” I said truthfully.

His foot met my abdomen again, only with more force.

This went on for a couple of minutes until Orion stepped in. He squatted and looked me in the eyes. I flinched as he raised his hand, afraid of what he was going to do. He lifted my chin, then turned to Keith and said, “He definitely has violet eyes.” Orion then turned me around, pulled the top of my left collar down to reveal my shoulder. “I don’t see a scar, but judging by the looks of it, it was healed. It is definitely him.”

“You might as well answer us. We have all the time we need. No one’s coming,” said Keith.

It dawned on me that I hadn’t cried for help. I tried to, but my call was weak and pathetic as my ribs crushed my lungs. I had never been able to scream. Orion darted toward me and plunged his blue dagger into my right side. A burst of burning, stinging, sparkling pain unleashed like a million sharp, broken shards of shattered glass. I could hardly move. Warm blood stained my clothes and the earth. Cold tears cleaned my cheeks.

“What was that for?” asked Keith irritated.

“You said, ‘not the face.’ He had to learn his lesson. Don’t worry. It’s not deep or fatal. He’ll live . . . for now.” Orion’s expressionless response frightened me as he wiped his dagger clean of my blood on his knee. “Why can’t we just kill him? It’s not like we’re getting very far with the interrogation.”

I was gasping for air. A burning sensation ran down my body with every breath. I shut my eyes, trying to escape from reality. I wished and dreamed that Maxime would appear and save me. He had been right, and I desperately needed him here. I wanted to see those large, deep, blue eyes.

“If you can’t do it, I will,” Orion said.

I had lost. It was over. I would die completely helpless.

“I can do it. I can’t shoot him; it isn’t good enough. Hand me your dagger,” Keith’s voice rang with vengeance.

I was scared. I didn’t know why he wanted revenge so badly. What had I done?

“No. If he’s going to die by my dagger, I’m going to be the one slowly slicing his throat,” Orion said.

I heard a gun reload, so I opened my eyes.

“Slowly,” repeated Keith. He stood behind Orion with the gun aiming at me. Orion held his red-gemmed dagger in his right hand.

I was trembling from the cold and fear. This was it. I wasn’t afraid of death, but of how I was going to die.

Orion looked at me and sneered, “You deserve worse.”

I tried to quickly back away, but he grabbed my arm and jerked me back into place. My stomach hurt too much to pull away from his grip. When he eased up, I put a foot between us, but I was too weak to kick him. Instead, he yanked my leg down and leaned his knee on both of my legs, keeping them down and out of his way.

I didn’t understand what his motives were, why I was about to die by their hands, but it didn’t matter anymore.

He punched my abdomen again. I clenched my jaw, hoping to calm down the flaming sensation inside of me. I shut my eyes tightly as if trying to hold back my tears, but it was useless.

“You do feel pain. What about regret? Is that a part of you? Or is your heart too rock-solid to care about what you’ve done and planned?” Orion was tormenting me as he leaned with his entire weight on my legs.

“I don’t understand,” I muttered, though I knew it was useless.

Another blow to the stomach. My muscles tensed; my lips trembled.

“Most people repent when they know that they are going to die, not lie. Get up!” Orion screamed. He stepped back and relief ran through my shins from the weight being pulled off, but I was still too weak to move.

“Get up!” he yelled.

“I can’t,” I mumbled.

Orion ripped me up aggressively. I felt everything drain from me— energy, blood, life, but not pain.

He stood behind me, supporting me with his arms. I was getting dizzy. His blond curls lightly brushed my cheeks as he wrapped his arms around my abdomen and throat. He held the red-gemmed dagger inches from my face. I felt the cold blade gently rest on the left side of my neck inline with my jawbone and ear. I closed my eyes as the icy blade just rested there, elongating the torture. I wanted it to end.

“So you have a heart. It’s beating, surprisingly. I thought it was ice. You’re afraid. I love hearing your faint heart beat so quickly, pumping blood through all of your veins. Do you feel it? Fear. It slowly takes over. Something you’ve seen in all of your victims’ dying eyes, but never cared about. The last emotion they felt is the last emotion you’ll ever feel.” Orion’s words slithered into my ears. My knees weakened.

I closed my eyes.

I saw Lyli’s soft smile. There was a murky memory of us laughing late at night when we were supposed to be asleep. Then I saw a bright image of Maxime’s magnificent blue eyes, his warm hands, the smell of pinecones and honeysuckles . . .

A gunshot.

I quickly opened my eyes to see Maxime fighting Keith as they both struggled to gain control of the gun. The shiny, black weapon fell to the ground, and the two men fought bare-handed.

They were turning in circles—punching, kicking, jumping, and rolling. Orion pulled out another dagger, and I screamed for Maxime to turn around. He grabbed the dagger, spun Keith in front of him, and the blade tore through Keith’s abdomen. Keith fell to the ground. Maxime dashed for the gun and aimed it at Orion. Orion’s left hand was wrapped around me and I felt his heart racing against mine. The blade was still pressed against my neck.

“Let her go,” Maxime said through gritted teeth.

“Her?” Orion yelled. “What do you mean her? Do you know who this is? He deserves to die a slow and painful death after having—”

Another gunshot, and Orion fell to the ground, nicking my throat lightly as he fell. Maxime cradled me in his arms. Blood oozed slowly from my neck. His embrace warmed and protected me. His large, warm hands slid down my arms and untied my wrists. I buried my face in his chest.

“I’m so sorry.” His voice played in my ears as his hands gently held me tightly against him. I couldn’t speak.

He leaned me against a tree. We were drenched in my blood, and I started to shiver.

“Just say it,” I muttered and smiled because he was here, that he had saved me once again.

“What?” He pulled my collar down to see the cut on my neck.

“Told you so.” I managed to laugh a bit, but quickly stopped from the pain in my abdomen.

“Don’t move,” he said calmly. Then he quickly stitched my neck to stop the bleeding. He took off his sweater and wrapped it around my abdomen to bandage my wound. I was getting very dizzy. He picked me up and carried me. The S.S. Pill was helping me survive, but I was still very weak and failed to hide it. I looked away from Keith and Orion, their bodies motionless.

Everything faded to black as Maxime held me in his arms.

Chapter 20

“Alex . . . you’re going to be fine. Just stay strong.”

My eyes felt so heavy, my head dizzy. I couldn’t tell if it was a dream or not.

“Alex, can you hear me?”

I opened my eyes reluctantly. It hurt to swallow. Where was I?

“I’m terribly sorry. This will hurt. I’m sorry,” Maxime’s voice said.

What had happened?

Suddenly, pain ripped through me, and my eyes shot open. Maxime was placing his hands on my abdomen, and it hurt. I clenched my teeth and bit my lip, trying to hold in a piercing scream as tears streamed down my cheeks. I closed my eyes. Every part of me was aching.

Then I remembered Keith and Orion, and Maxime carrying me . . .

I sat up, pain lancing through every inch of my body.

“You must stay still,” Maxime said. “Try to relax.”

Tears fell from my eyes.

“Keith and Ori—”

“You’re safe,” Maxime said. He gently placed his hand on my forehead. “Thought I had lost you there.”

I heard someone enter, so I opened my eyes again. Sam stood in the doorway holding a big, red bag. He set it down next to me and signaled Maxime for space.

Maxime walked over to a small sink opposite from the door and cleaned my blood off of his hands.

Sam’s elbow hit my side by accident, and a small squeal escaped from my lips. He quickly apologized.

Maxime started to wipe away my tears and smiled. I needed his comfort.

“What needs to be done?” Maxime asked Sam.

“I can’t do anything until I know the damage, but looking at all of the bruises, it’s probably worse than we think.”

“Then find out what the damage is and start improving the situation instead of being bluntly pessimistic.”

“I’ll need a scan.”

“Then get it done!” Maxime yelled.

“Yes, right away,” Sam said and went through his bag. He pulled out a black box, pressed a couple of buttons, and held it over my abdomen wound for a couple of seconds. He then brought it closer to him and examined it. His eyes widened. He showed it to Maxime, who also looked perplexed.

“Well, you’re very lucky, Alex. The cut is exceptionally shallow and didn’t cause permanent damage. The owner of the blade definitely knew what he was doing. If you don’t mind me asking—”

“Just take care of the wound,” Maxime snapped.

“Yes, sir.” Sam pulled out a needle. “I can’t give you any anesthetics, but this should keep you sleeping deeply. You’ll be back to normal when you wake up,” Sam reassured me as he took my right hand. “What are these marks on your wrists? What happened? How did you get this?” Sam asked when he saw the marks from the tight rope Orion had used to tie me up.

“Just get on with it,” Maxime ordered.

My heavy eyes closed.

Gradually, the blur became a clear image. Ryan was sitting on a wooden chair, watching me. My body ached all over. Someone had tucked me in with clean sheets and had placed a plush pillow under my head. I wasn’t cold.