“I know what she said,” I snapped. “Just keep quiet. I’ll join you in a minute.”
I ventured deeper into the dungeon until it was beginning to appear less populated. I looked around, but the scent kept leading me further and further until eventually the cells I walked by had nobody in them… except for one.
I stopped short. I peered through the cell and saw a dark figure huddled in the corner.
I placed my hands against the bars and looked closer. It was a woman. She was sitting with her head resting against her bunched-up knees. She appeared to be… pregnant.
She looked up and gasped. She huddled closer into the corner, staring at me with fear. I took a step back. The color of her eyes had sent shivers down my spine. They were bright green. For one uncanny moment, it felt like I was looking at Sofia who had once been my own pregnant captive.
This woman’s hair was black though, and now that I could see her face, she appeared to be well in her thirties. But although she wasn’t Sofia, there was something about her that made me believe that I’d seen her face before somewhere. Green eyes, black hair. Soft, gentle features.
Think, Kiev. Think.
“Brother!” Helina called anxiously.
“I’m coming,” I yelled.
I stared at her once more. And then it hit me.
Anna. She was Sofia’s friend, and the only other immune who’d inhabited the Novaks’ island. She’d been there in Aviary too, just as I’d let Sofia go.
But how can it be? How could she have aged so quickly? I haven’t been gone long from Earth.
I remembered her as a young woman in her late teens or early twenties. Now, though still beautiful, she appeared to be at least thirty.
“I’ve seen you before,” I whispered. “Anna?”
“Kiev,” she breathed, her eyes widening. I was surprised she recognized me, since my eyes hadn’t yet returned to red since Mona’s disappearance. They were still green, like hers.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, eyeing her protruding stomach.
“Kiev!” Erik bellowed.
“Shut up!” I hissed. “I said I’m coming.”
I turned back to Anna, now looking at her with urgency.
“I-I was kidnapped here,” she said, her voice cracking. “I don’t know what they want with me.”
She looked terribly thin for a woman as pregnant as her and she had dark shadows under her eyes, her skin pale. They weren’t feeding her enough. I didn’t need to be a physician to know that she might not make it until birth if she remained here.
I didn’t know why, but panic coursed through my veins. I sped back over to my siblings and snatched the keys from Helina’s hands. Ignoring my siblings’ protests, I raced back toward Anna.
It was as though my intelligence had shut down and I was acting on sheer adrenaline, all consequences forgotten.
I unlocked her cell and ripped open the gate. She screamed as I towered over her. I crouched down and placed a hand over her mouth.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I whispered into her ear. “I know you’ve every reason not to trust me after everything you know about me. But I swear, I’ll not hurt you. You need to get out of here. If only for your baby’s sake, come with me. This is a risk you have to take.”
Her breathing became slower and she stopped fighting against me. Though her eyes were still filled with distrust and fear, desperation took over.
“Just don’t say a word and keep close to me.”
I ripped off my cloak and swung it over her shoulders, attempting to cover her large stomach as much as possible. I pulled the hood over her head to cast a shadow over her face.
Scooping her up in my arms, I arrived back just a few seconds before Isolde came walking down the steps, giving me time to place her feet down on the ground next to the other humans.
“You’re ready?” she asked, casting her eyes around the group of humans.
I gripped Anna’s shoulder, keeping her positioned close to me and shielding her as much as possible from Isolde’s view by guiding her to walk behind the other humans. It was a blessing that my siblings had picked out some tall men from the cells. My cloak did something to hide her bulging form, but it wasn’t enough for me to feel confident allowing her to walk in clear view of the witch.
Erik and Helina eyed me and Anna nervously but didn’t say anything now that Isolde was present. We herded the humans out of the prison and made our way through the castle back to the dungeon where the gate was. We gathered them all close to the hole in the floor and Isolde began pushing humans through one at a time. I kept a tight grip on Anna’s arm. As Isolde turned on the last few humans, I stepped forward.
“I may as well do the rest,” I said.
Her eyes rested on me questioningly. Then she grunted and jumped through the gate. I pushed the rest of the humans through except for Anna.
I looked at my siblings.
“You two go next.”
They stared at me and Anna again.
“Kiev, what is going—”
Before she could finish her question, I pushed her into the gate. Erik understood that now was not the time to ask questions and he jumped in after Helina.
Then I looked down at Anna. Her face had drained of all blood as she looked down at the abyss. She gripped her stomach.
“I don’t know if I can—”
“You’ve no choice. You either come with me… or you get locked up again in that prison.”
I held my hand out to her. She bit her lip and, trembling, reached for my hand.
“I suggest I go down with you at the same time. I might be able to cushion you somewhat on the other side.”
I fastened the cloak tighter around her, and moved her toward the edge of the tunnel. I stood behind her, her back as close to my chest as possible. I felt her shiver against me as I wrapped my arms around her waist. And then I pushed us both in.
As we fell, I did my best to keep her close to me, and on the other end, I just about managed to protect her from the fall by pulling her on top of me as we landed on the stone floor. Still, she looked like she was about to throw up and she clutched her stomach, gasping in pain.
I scrambled to my feet to block Isolde’s view of her and helped her to her feet.
Fortunately, the group of humans was standing in front of us so Isolde hadn’t seen me come through with Anna. I made sure the cloak was covering her properly and looked over the crowd to see Isolde was already forming all the humans into a circle with the help of my siblings.
I assisted them, making sure that Anna was next to me. Once everyone had formed a circle and we were all touching each other, we vanished.
Chapter 21: Mona
I was gasping for air by the time we reached the entrance of the cave. I breathed in deeply. Each second that Rhys delayed telling me what the witch had said was another second the knot in my stomach tightened.
“Tell me now, Rhys.” I gripped his shirt.
“She… she wants to test out your mind first. How strong, how obedient it is.”
I stared at him.
“So let me get this straight. The transformation in itself is a huge ordeal that most people don’t survive. Yet she wants me to do something else in addition?”
He nodded. He held my hand and started helping me down the boulders back toward the pebbly beach.
“What more does she want from me?”
“I don’t know.”
“What? How can you not know? I just saw her talking to—”
“She wouldn’t tell me exactly what it was she wanted. She just said that she wanted you in that chamber for a few hours… without me.”
I stared at him, barely believing my ears.
“But… all along the plan was for you to guide me through, be my rock—”
He gripped my shoulders and shook me.
“Yes,” he said, glaring down at me. “That still is the plan. I’ll be by your side. But she wants you alone with her beforehand.”
“Why wouldn’t she tell you what she was going to do with me?” I croaked.
“I don’t know. I tried to pry for an answer but she refused to give me details.”
“Alone, in there, for hours.” I repeated the words slowly, letting them sink in, images of that nightmarish chamber flooding my mind.
“You have an hour to decide. If we don’t return in an hour, she’ll assume you’re not serious.”
I bit my lip as it trembled.
Although the prospect made me want to forget gaining Rhys’ powers and just return to my old life, I knew that I couldn’t. I’d come this far. And now this was the final step. I just couldn’t give up now.
“I’ll do it,” I murmured.
Concern filled Rhys’ eyes as he held my hands against his chest.
We both remained silent as we looked at each other. Perhaps he was studying me to see if this really was what I wanted.
Then he nodded.
“Very well. If you’re sure. I’ll be keeping track of the time and I’ll return to the chamber as soon as the period is over.”
He walked with me back up to the entrance of the cave and through the first dark tunnel. Once we reached the first corridor that was lit, he let go of me and took a step back into the shadows.
“You need to walk alone from here,” he said.
“All right,” I whispered.
I glanced once more at Rhys, hoping to draw some sort of strength from him before I left him.
“Wait.” He removed his belt and fastened it around my waist along with the silver dagger that was attached to it. He pressed my palm against the hilt. “You might need this for whatever Lilith has planned.”
I gulped and looked down the shadowy hallway. As I turned to leave, he caught my arm and pulled me flush against him, kissing me hard.
When he drew away, his eyes were blazing.
“You’re strong enough to get through this.” He spoke the words aggressively. “Do you trust me?”
I stared at him, my lips still tingling from the force of his kiss.
“Yes,” I said. And for perhaps the first time in my life, I truly meant it.
Chapter 22: Kiev
We all reappeared outside the castle in the courtyard where we’d first vanished with Isolde.
We herded the humans up the castle steps and into the entrance hall. Then Isolde turned to me, since I was closest to her, and handed me another set of keys.
“Take them down to the dungeon and make sure the cells are shut properly. We don’t want any more escapes.”
I nodded and took the keys. She went in the opposite direction and my siblings and I led the humans toward the dungeon. I opened up the trapdoor and we bundled them inside. Anna was the last. I picked her up and walked down with her. I called up the trapdoor to my siblings, “I’ll take things from here. You two can go.”
When they looked hesitant to leave me alone I shot them both glares and they did as I’d suggested.
As soon as they had disappeared from sight, I picked up Anna again and, locking the trapdoor behind me, made a dash across the entrance hall up the stairs.
“Where are you taking me?” she gasped, clutching my neck.
“Shh.”
I was worried I’d bump into someone in the corridors or the staircases so I moved as fast as I could. I heaved a sigh of relief as we reached my apartment. I swung the door open and slammed it shut behind me. I walked into my bedroom, placing Anna down on the soft bed.
I ran around the apartment making sure all the windows and balcony doors were closed.
I returned to the bedroom to see Anna huddle up into the corner of the bed, breathing heavily as she clutched her stomach.
“Why are you doing this?” she croaked.
I stopped still and stared at her.
Why am I doing this?
I wasn’t sure that I knew myself.
I ignored her question and asked one of my own.
“How old are you?” I couldn’t contain my curiosity any longer.
“I-I’ll be thirty-five soon.”
Thirty-five.
“How old were you when I last saw you?”
“I was eighteen.”
I swore.
Seventeen years.
“How is that possible?”
She swallowed hard before replying, her voice still trembling. “I think time passes differently when you’re here in this realm… with these witches.”
“How do you know?”
“I overheard a couple of vampires talking, back in the dungeon. Time passes slower compared to on Earth.”
I rubbed my head, trying to let this insane truth sink in. Several minutes passed in silence.
“The Shade,” I muttered. “That still exists and… the Novaks still rule it?”
She nodded.
The Novaks. My own distant family. Another insanity I was still trying to wrap my head around.
Noticing she was shivering, I snapped back to the reality I now faced. The challenges I had to overcome. I untucked the blanket from the bed and handed it to her. She wrapped it around her, still staring at me suspiciously.
“Stay here,” I said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I warn you—do not leave this room.”
I flew out the door and rushed down the staircases toward the kitchen.
I knew that we had proper food in this castle because I’d seen witches eat it. They drank blood but they also ate regular food.
I hunted around the kitchen and found soup in one of the big cooking pots. There was bread on the counter too. I found a tray and, heating up the soup quickly, poured a portion into a bowl. I grabbed the whole loaf of bread, a water jug and a metal goblet, placing everything on the tray.
I covered the tray with a towel I found hanging on a hook and hoped I wouldn’t bump into anyone on my way back up. I rushed back up to my room and slammed the door shut behind me. Anna hadn’t moved from where I’d left her.
I placed the meal on the bed next to her and removed the towel.
“Eat,” I muttered.
She looked at the food doubtfully, but she soon gave into her hunger. She swallowed down the soup and finished the whole loaf of bread in less than ten minutes. Then she drank half the jug of water.
While she was eating, I lit up the fireplace, warming the cold room.
When she was done, she leaned back on the bed. Some warmth had already returned to her cheeks.
Now that she had some food in her, my next concern was the smell of her blood. This castle was filled with vampires and her scent was a siren call to my kind. I’d closed all the windows and doors and drawn all the curtains. But I feared that some might have already detected her scent. I feared it was so strong they might be able to smell it through the walls.
I looked back at her.
“Take a shower,” I said.
She raised her eyebrows at me but she didn’t protest. I guessed that she was grateful for the opportunity to clean herself.
I placed a clean towel and a fresh set of my own night clothes in the bathroom. They’d be too large for her but she’d have to make do with them.
While she was in the bathroom, I sat down on the bed.
What am I going to do?
The scent of her blood was getting to my head, making it hard to concentrate. I fought back the urge to dig my fangs into her soft neck.
Hell, never mind hiding her from the others, I’m going to need to hide her from myself if I don’t get a hold on myself.
I forced my mind back to the matter at hand. How do I mask the scent of her blood?
I racked my brains, trying to recall any smell that was stronger than immune blood.
I knew there were ways to dilute the scent—like placing jugs of regular human blood in my room. Still, it wasn’t foolproof and having lots of human blood in my room in addition to her sweet smell could just attract more attention.
One of Mona’s charms really would be useful right now…
>
I realized that for now, the best thing I could do was steal some of Helina’s perfume and have Anna coat herself with it. I’d have to leave the room as little as possible, and not allow anyone in.
“What happened to you, Kiev?” Anna’s soft voice broke through my thoughts.
She was standing leaning against the bathroom door, wearing my pajamas.
“What?” I frowned at her.
“Well… your eyes, for one thing.”
“Don’t get too used to them. They flicker back and forth.”
She walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, stretching out her legs.
“I don’t know what this place is, why you rescued me from that dungeon or what you intend to do with me but… I don’t know. You just seem different to the man I knew in Aviary, who stole a newborn from his helpless mother.”
Her green eyes were full of honesty.
I cleared my throat and stood up, suddenly uncomfortable beneath her gaze.
“Whose child are you bearing?”
“Kyle’s, my husband’s.”
Kyle. The name rang a bell. He was one of the last vampires I’d seen back in Aviary. He’d been taken there along with Anna and another human boy. He was there the night I let them all escape.
Silence fell between us for several minutes.
“I don’t know why I saved you,” I said. “And I also don’t know what I’m going to end up doing with you. So don’t get too comfortable around me.”
I walked closer to her. She flinched as I reached out to touch her forehead.
Her temperature seemed normal. “If you lie down flat, I’ll check on your baby,” I said.
She looked at me doubtfully, but took me up on my suggestion. She lay down on the bed and lifted the shirt up to reveal her stomach.
She shivered as I placed my cold hands over her bump. I ran my hands over her skin, feeling her stomach at various points. Then I spread out both of my palms flat. Finally, I placed my ear against her stomach.
Sensing a healthy amount of movement, I pulled the shirt back over her. I stood up and she sat back up in bed, still staring at me.
“I need to get back to Earth,” she said. “My family and everyone at The Shade will be worried sick about me. I don’t know how much time is passing there each second that I’m here, but I’m scared it will be too long and they will lose all hope. I have two other children, Kiev.”