23. The Council
I stared in horror as Rachel’s lips pulled back in a heinous smile, revealing perfectly symmetrical white fangs.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” she purred, casually taking a step forward.
Every muscle in my body went cold and rigid as terror gripped me. My mouth dropped open to scream but only a pathetic, strangled gasp escaped.
Cackling viciously, Rachel took another step to stop within arm’s reach. With wide eyes, I watched as her arm extended slowly and she gripped my chin in her hand, her thumb and forefinger clenching either side of my jaw. With no visible sign of exertion, she lifted me up off the ground. Her hold tightened, eventually bringing tears to my eyes. Still she squeezed, ready to crumble my bones to dust.
“Alright, that’s enough,” a male voice softly chided.
After a long pause and a low growl of displeasure, Rachel released her grip. I dropped to the vine–covered ground.
An army of torches lit the area around us then, the warm glow revealing a hollow, decaying room at least three stories high. There were gaping holes where windows and a ceiling likely once existed; the stone walls had crumbling heaps of stone at their bases. Thick roots heaved the concrete floor, and assorted vines and weeds had found homes within the fissures. At one end sat a large, rectangular stone on a raised dais. An altar, perhaps.
I barely noticed any of this, though, my attention riveted on the group of alluring onlookers surrounding me. Vampires.
Somehow feeling returned to my legs and my feet started sliding backward, trying in vain to get away from Rachel’s poisonous gaze, even though I knew it was pointless. I backed into something. Or someone. Holding my breath, I slowly turned.
Piercing white irises gazed back at me.
This time when my mouth opened, an earsplitting shriek escaped.
“Calm down,” the vampire mutant requested, cringing. It was too late for that, though. I was shaking uncontrollably. My eyes darted to his long, skeletal fingers as they reached for my shoulder. I flinched under the bone–chilling temperature of his skin, so unlike Caden’s warmth. He retracted it, instead raising both hands up in front of him, palms out, in a gesture of peace. “We won’t hurt you. Look! Over there—your friends are right over there.”
It took some effort to peel my focus away from his gaunt face, but I willed my eyes to follow his spindly finger. Slumped on the floor next to my statue, bound with Merth, was Caden. Amelie, Fiona, and Bishop were on either side of him, all in the same hopeless predicament.
“No!” I cried, locking eyes with Caden, watching his eyes shift from inconsolable grief as they fell on me to the worst rage conceivable as his gaze flicked to Rachel. I did breathe a sigh of relief to know they were still alive. For now.
A diminutive female vampire with Asian features stepped forward. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Evangeline,” she said in a soothing, motherly voice. She didn’t look much older than me, though I knew better. With her long, poker–straight ebony hair, black almond eyes, snow–white skin, and blood–red lips—the contrast as striking as it was sinister—she looked like a Geisha. But I knew none of it was makeup. She smiled warmly as I regarded her—a seemingly genuine smile, unlike one of Rachel’s toothy sneers.
“Hello.” My voice was unsteady and I was shaking violently, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.
“I imagine seeing Rachel was a bit of a shock to you, having disposed of her so effectively the last time you were here.”
My eyes darted over to Rachel to see her seething, intent on freezing the blood coursing through my veins. I think she may succeed.
“You should have killed her then. She’s quite angry.” The vampiress chuckled.
I hazarded another glance at Rachel in time to see her top lip curl back in a truly atrocious smile. That mouth touched Caden once. I wanted to gag. She wasn’t beautiful. She was a venomous snake.
“No harm will come to you under our protection, though,” the vampiress assured me, her voice as smooth as fresh–churned butter. “My name is Mage. This,” she rested her hand on the white–eyed vampire’s forearm, “is Jonah.”
I glanced at him but quickly averted my gaze, my skin crawling with repulsion.
“Not to worry. We understand it will take some time to become accustomed to his face. It can be frightening. Especially after your previous experience with that lunatic, Jethro.” Mage glided closer to me. “You should have come to us sooner, Evangeline. This—” she gestured around the giant, roofless room “—is the Council.”
My eyes trailed her hand, taking in the group. There were sixteen vampires in total counting Rachel, Mage, and Jonah; eight females and eight males of various races, including two more of the white–eyed mutants. And they had helped themselves to the clothing I brought over for Caden and the others.
I squirmed as sixteen pairs of brilliantly colored eyes studied me, the first human to stand before them for so many centuries. Are they wondering what my blood tastes like? Are they picturing how to best torture me to get the answer out of me that even I don’t know?
“You’re probably wondering what happened while you were away, correct?” Mage raised a pencil–thin eyebrow. Her mannerisms reminded me of a grade school teacher I once had—benevolence but with a hint of severity. It had been impossible to judge that teacher’s mood accurately. Mage didn’t wait for my response before speaking again. “You see, we caught wind of this intriguing treasure hunt Rachel had sent some of our Council members on. It sounded … interesting, but a tad bit suspicious. We’ve been hearing whispers of strange things happening in the mountains—disappearances, fires, werebeasts. As the governing body, we became … concerned. So we decided to get the truth right from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.” Mage chuckled as if she had made a joke. “We knew Rachel was up in Jethro’s mountain,” her firm gaze slid over to Caden, and she smiled sarcastically, “with her ‘soul mate.’”
I cringed.
“After some initial confusion, and a rather abrasive bear that I needed to deal with, we sorted everything out.”
“Big Brown?” I whispered, my eyes bulging.
“Yes, what a waste.” Disappointment flashed across her delicate features. “He was quite the fighter. Took three of my Council members out.” My Council members. So Mage is the leader. That meant she had to be powerful. “Luckily I got there to deal with him before any more perished,” she added casually. My eyes widened, understanding her meaning. Very powerful.
“Anyhow, your friends seem to have this gross misconception of us and our values. Just a misunderstanding, really. Right, everyone?” she asked, smiling sweetly, her eyes zeroing in on Caden. She couldn’t possibly expect an answer from them, of course. They were bound and being tortured.
“Why are they bound, then?” I asked meekly.
“Oh, that! Well, we didn’t want them doing anything rash when you arrived, before you had a chance to meet us and see that we are friends.” She paused for effect. “Would you like them untied?”
My head moved mechanically up and down.
Mage nodded once toward Jonah. He strolled over to them and, hooking his finger under their bindings, effortlessly pulled them off.
That’s right. The mutants are immune to Merth.
All four were on their feet immediately. I took a step forward but faltered, glancing first at Rachel, who looked ready to pounce, then at Mage.
“Go ahead!” Mage prompted, ushering me with both hands.
I didn’t waste another second in hesitation. I bolted forward to throw myself at Caden’s chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around me. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, planting a tender kiss on my forehead.
I heard a loud hiss and shouts and then the world spun as Caden whipped my body around, burying my face in his chest to shield me from whatever was happening behind us. He held me like that until the commotion died down. When his arms loosened their grip, I resurfaced to find Amelie, Bishop, and Rachel forming a protective ring aro
und me. I peeked over Caden’s shoulder. Rachel had been forced to her knees, four Council members restraining her. She glared at us like a feral animal, her pupils so prominent that her eyes looked completely black.
“Now, Rachel, we discussed this. If you can’t behave, we will have to assist you,” Jonah calmly warned, dangling a cord of Merth dangerously close to her nose.
“Of course, Jonah,” she said through gritted teeth. It took a few seconds but she managed to compose herself, even producing a semi–genuine smile. The bodyguards released her with doubtful expressions on their faces.
“Go on now, Caden. Please tell Evangeline the truth, as we discussed. She needs to know that she’s safe,” Mage instructed in an even voice.
I looked up at Caden’s face to see him staring defiantly at the vampiress, his jaw taut. They remained like that, the silence growing more awkward as the seconds dragged on, until Amelie’s raspy voice spoke up.
“We’re all fine, Evangeline.”
“And of course they wouldn’t hurt you. You’re much too valuable,” Fiona added excitedly—too excitedly for Fiona’s normally level demeanor. She sounded hysterical.
I caught Jonah’s white eyes touching hers. There may have been a hint of warning there, but it was impossible to tell. It was impossible to read anything in those dreadful eyes.
Bishop remained quiet, his eyes focused on the ground ahead of him, his arms hugging his chest tightly as if he was restraining himself. So far, if they were trying to convince me, they weren’t doing a good job.
I returned my focus to Caden, looking up at him questioningly. Those beautiful jade irises gazed down at me adoringly. His face softened. “Yes, of course. We were being too protective of you. We weren’t thinking rationally. You’re safe with the Council. You shouldn’t be afraid.” He smiled tenderly, pushing a strand of hair from my face. “You trust me, right?”
My stomach plummeted. There it was. That word. The word he had warned me of before. He was sending me a message. It meant that I was in terrible danger. “Yes, I trust you,” I said slowly, emphasizing that deceptive word, offering him a small smile and, I hoped, an indication that I understood him loud and clear.
He stroked my hair softly as Mage spoke. “Your friends here were very cooperative in filling the Council in,” she said, again smiling at the four of them.
How cooperative? What does the Council know? And how did they get that information? Eyes wide with concern, I glanced up at Caden to see him staring straight ahead now, his face expressionless. The others held the same blank, incomprehensible gaze. Had they been tortured?
“We understand you’re looking for a way to bring your friends back with you—a portal of some sort, like this statue,” Jonah said.
I nodded reluctantly. Rachel could have told them.
“That’s so gallant of you,” Mage crooned, smiling. She was trying to win me over with kindness and flattery. She walked toward me, her hand outstretched, beckoning me to come forward. She stopped halfway, forcing me to peel myself from Caden’s side, something I dreaded doing, but I knew I had no choice.
“And this necklace will tell you how, right?” Mage reached up to the collar of my shirt, her fingertips grazing my skin. I fought hard against the urge to cringe. Her long nail hooked the chain. She pulled at it until my pendant slid out. “Beautiful,” she murmured, gazing at the bright orange swirls. She let go, the pendant landing softly on the outside of my shirt, visible to all.
“Your friends told us about these vampires on the other side. How they’re using you.” She made a tutting sound. “It’s just awful, how that witch deceived and cursed you. You can’t protect yourself against them. What do they have planned for you once you get there?”
“I’ve made arrangements to be adequately taken care of afterward,” I answered vaguely.
Mage gave me a doubtful smile. “And you trust them?” She took a casual step forward. “We could help you. Protect you. This group of us around you—” she motioned to the group of vampire onlookers “—are extremely powerful. Much more powerful than those three. Even the witch. After all, we would forever be in your debt. You could have anything you wanted. Absolutely anything.”
So that was it. That was their angle. Nurture distrust in Sofie, offer their allegiance and protection—my own personal bloodsucking bodyguard—and all the riches imaginable. All I had to do was bring them home with me. To infest Earth. To start another war, annihilating another world of humans. Clever vampire, but I’m on to you and this won’t work. Thank God the pendant masked my skepticism. “That would be great,” I said slowly, forcing what I hoped looked like a genuine smile. “I hope I can figure out where the portal is.”
“Oh, so do we! For your friends’ sake, you must!”
I frowned. “I don’t understand. I thought you said we were all safe here.”
“Oh, yes, you are. But, you see, there’s a throng of vampires outside this rubble. Hundreds of them. They saw us carrying this statue here, and your friends, bound with Merth. The Council is powerful, but there are only sixteen of us. We can only hold them back for a few days. Then, when they break through and find out … well, if they found out that your friends were planning an exodus without even considering them … your friends would not last long,” she explained soberly. “After that, when you return … well, that group is not nearly as civilized as we are.”
And who would tell them about our plan? I wondered bitterly. It was as plain as day, the threat Mage was laying before me. Transport us now or we throw your friends to the horde. Then, when you come back, you get to die a horrifying death too.
I glanced back at Caden and the others. They seemed so far away. I swallowed the painful lump forming in my throat, feeling the unbearable weight of the situation pushing down on my shoulders. “Well then, we need to get everyone out of here before that happens.”
Mage beamed, pleased with herself.
“The scamp is lying,” Rachel growled.
Mage chuckled softly. “She would never risk doing something like that—give us such expectations, only to try deceiving us. Especially when we’d see it coming and have to react accordingly,” she added, smiling as she delivered another silent but clear, equally deadly threat.
What a silver–tongued vampire.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Rachel scoffed with an arrogant smirk. It was promptly knocked off as Jonah lashed out, striking her cheek and sending her flying. Rachel was on her feet instantly, wiping a drop of blood from her lip. She was seething with rage.
“I warned you, Rachel,” Mage calmly said, glancing at Jonah. Another strand of Merth magically appeared in his hand.
Rachel growled. Her eyes darted to me, sizing up the distance between us. I knew what she was thinking. Could she get to me before Jonah or Mage intercepted? No. She decided she couldn’t.
With a deranged shriek, she lunged for the next best way to tear my heart out of my body without needing to lay a finger on me.
Caden.
It was like witnessing a horrific car crash in slow motion, though I knew they were moving at warp speed, fast enough that I shouldn’t have been able to discern any of it.
Thankfully, Caden outmaneuvered Rachel’s flying, clawing hands before she could grab hold of him. She plowed into the statue with enough force to make it teeter several times before finally toppling. The ground shook with the crash.
“Now look what you’ve done, Rachel!” Mage scolded. “You’re lucky it didn’t break. Evangeline may not have been able to come back!”
Rachel had no opportunity to reply, though, as Jonah threw a cord of Merth around her neck. She dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, immobilized but facing me, her icy glare still boring into my body.
The statue’s new horizontal position gave me a clear view of the woman’s hand. I had never seen it so close before. The statue’s hand. Sofie’s request. My return into the clutches of the Council and Rachel had banished Sofie’s suggestion from my thought
s—until now.
I crouched to peer closely at the hand. Her fingers were contorted into an unnatural, uncomfortable pose, as if to hold something small and awkwardly shaped. Like … a heart.
My pendant.
I yelped in pain as a jolt of electricity shocked me at the same time that an eye–popping burst of blue light exploded from my pendant.