Chapter Twelve
“Alanna? Alanna, wake up, please.”
I groaned. Surely it had to be much too early to wake up? I opened my eyes and sat up on my bed, blinking at the unfamiliar surroundings. It took a minute for everything to come back to me. Where I was, what I was doing there, and who I was with.
Quinten was sitting on the edge of my cot, and his warm hand was gently shaking my shoulder.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“You’ve been crying in your sleep for the last hour or so. I didn’t want to wake you, but you just sounded so terrified that I had to do it.”
I scanned the surrounding darkness around us, trying not to show how embarrassed I was, and noticed that Tyler and the others were all staring at me. “I woke everyone else up?” I asked surprised.
“Don’t worry about it, Alanna. What were you dreaming about?” He asked, rubbing my back soothingly.
I closed my eyes tightly as the dreams all came flooding back. “I used to have nightmares about my mother’s death, but this was so much worse than before. There were so many different things, all going on at once. There were all of these bodies lying around, stacked on top of one another. They were all children, and their throats had been cut.”
Quinten sighed, and he pulled me closer to his chest.
“Their eyes were wide open and they were staring at me. I was standing on top of the pile of children, and I had a bloody knife in my hand. Then I saw that little boy, the one that I killed yesterday. He called me a monster, and he kept asking me why I’d killed him.
“He was a rotting corpse, and they all kept pulling at my clothes, and my hair, and my body. They were all wailing for their parents to come and save them. It was so horrible,” I sobbed, clutching Quinten’s shirt. I pulled him closer, and he stroked my hair gently.
He allowed me to gently sob into his shirt until I was ready to continue.
“Then the dream changed, and I saw my mom get ripped to pieces.”
I felt him tense up. Quinten only knew that my mother had been killed; nobody had ever told him how it all happened. The only people that knew the real story were myself, Ray, Jax, and Ilene. Everyone else thought it had just been a psychopath.
“Alanna, what happened to your mother?”
I was aware that everyone else in the room was listening, and I tried not to feel self-conscious about telling Quinten the story of her death.
I was crying into his shirt still, and I pulled away to wipe my eyes with the back of my hand. “I was sick, so I stayed home from school that day. Mom went to the store to get me some medicine and something for lunch. I asked her to go; if I hadn’t, she wouldn’t have gotten caught on the way back.”
I took a deep, painful breath, and sighed. Quinten didn’t rush me, though he must have been dying to get some answers about the event that left Ray and our family devastated for years.
“A vampire caught up to her on her way home. I wasn’t there, but I know what happened. The police officer who found her body was an old friend of hers, one of her closest ones. She knew all about the supernatural world, and she was able to convince her partner that it was a madman. I heard her tell my dad later though that mom’s body had been found in pieces. The vampire ripped her to shreds…while she was still alive.”
I looked up at Quinten.
“We couldn’t even have an open casket. The police officer told Ray that there wasn’t much left,” I said, ashamed at how weak and pitiful I sounded. “Dad identified the jewelry that they found on the body. It was her wedding ring and the bracelet she always wore; Ilene and I had made it for her for Christmas one year. It was my fault that she was killed!”
Quinten rubbed my back comfortingly. “Alanna, it wasn’t your fault that she died. If it had been Ilene that was sick, or Ray, she would have gone to the store for them too. You can’t blame yourself for that. If you want to blame someone, blame the vampire that took her from you and your family. He’s the real monster here, not you. Remember that.”
I pulled away from Quinten so I could look up at him. “You really think it wasn’t my fault?”
He nodded firmly. “Of course I do. I wouldn’t lie to you, Alanna. What happened to your mother was awful, and I would probably have blamed myself too, but it was not your fault. You have to believe that.”
I nodded and wiped my face again. “I know, it’s just…I haven’t dreamed about her in so long. Seeing that boy’s body brought back all of these old, horrible memories that I thought I’d forgotten a long time ago.”
“Alanna, you know it’s not your fault that that boy is dead. The Champion,” he sneered at the word, “forced you to do it. Under normal circumstances, you would have never even considered killing anyone, let alone a child.”
“What makes you so sure? When I go out running with Ray or Ilene, we’ll kill deer on occasion. We eat raw meat. I don’t really feel any regret at killing an animal.”
“That’s not even remotely the same thing,” he argued. “You eat that deer. You don’t kill it for fun. Well, Ilene might have, but not you. And that deer is not a living, thinking, feeling child.”
I sighed. “Right.”
“Alanna–”
“I’m fine, go back to sleep.”
I rolled over, away from him, and he finally moved back to his own cot. After a few minutes, his breathing slowed, and I could tell that he was asleep again. I envied him in that moment; I would have given almost anything to be able to fall asleep so easily.
Instead of sleeping, I stayed awake a little longer, thinking about everything that he’d said, wondering if I could believe him.
Is he right? Should I not blame myself? Ilene obviously blamed me. Does Ray blame me too?
No. Ray would never blame me for mom’s death. If he did, it wouldn’t have been possible for him to love me as much as he did. He knows that it was the vampire’s fault, not anybody else’s.
I tried to get back to sleep, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t drift off. Finally, I gave up, and crawled into the cot next to Quinten. He groaned softly and pulled me closer, before settling back.
I closed my eyes, and prayed for a dreamless sleep to take me.
I spent the next morning trying to teach Quinten some more moves, hoping that we’d be able to survive our second fight. But, after a while, we had to stop. Quinten didn’t have the stamina that I did, and he needed to rest.
When lunch came around, after we finished eating our crappy food, Tyler took a seat next to us. “Are you guys going to train today?”
“We just got done practicing a little, but there isn’t a whole lot of room to train in here,” I said, looking around. With six people in it, there was no way we could really move around without hitting each other.
“There’s a gym a few rooms away. In a few minutes, the vampires will come and unlock the door, and they’ll take us there if we want.”
“How come they didn’t offer us that option two days ago? Before our first match? What if that little bit of practicing could have made all the difference?” I asked, outraged that they would refuse us the opportunity to practice before our first fight.
“They do it every couple of days. Two days from now will just be a lazy day, a chance for us to recuperate after our fight. Then two days later, it’ll be another training day. So, are you guys gonna go or not?”
I nodded and looked over at Quinten, who was still choking down his hard jerky. “What do you think? Should we train?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, we might as well. If the two of us are going to stay alive, I could use as much training as I can get.”
“Good answer,” Tyler said. “You want to stay in shape. Every little bit of training helps.”
A few minutes later the door unlocked and opened, and the two vampires guards came in, armed with their dangerous cattle prods. “Alright, everyone that’s heading to the gym, get a move on!”
I helped Quinten out the door, trying to ignore the snic
kers that came from the guards, and we followed everyone else down to a large gymnasium filled with different types of training equipment. In one corner was a large mat that was used for wrestling. There were dummies used for boxing practice, weights for lifting, and machines to work on our lower bodies.
“There probably isn’t going to be much for me to do in here, is there?” Quinten asked.
“I’ll help you train, don’t worry about it.”
He sighed, but he didn’t argue. As we walked to the corner to be alone, I looked at him. He was frowning, his entire body was tense, and his shoulders were slumped in defeat. He didn’t expect to survive this.
And even worse, he expected to bring me down with him. No matter what, I couldn’t let that happen. I would not let Quinten blame himself for what might happen in this war.
I spent the first hour teaching Quinten a basic kick and helping him practice it. He wasn’t bad, as long as I made enough noise for him to track each of my movements. If I remained silent, he missed, and got frustrated. That only succeeded in making him even worse.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Tyler watching us. He shook his head and returned to his own training. He still believed that I was making a huge mistake in keeping an eye on Quinten during our fight. He was convinced that that was what would get me killed, but I disagreed.
Quinten wasn’t as useless as everyone else obviously thought. He may not have been able to see, but I knew for a fact that he would never abandon me if things turned bad during a fight. I could count on him more than anyone else here, and I wouldn’t have traded partners even if I’d been given that option.
After the kick, I decided to test Quinten in a little friendly sparring match. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,” I promised. “I just wanna see how you’re coming along.”
He nodded once. “I trust you.”
I cracked my knuckles and swung at Quinten’s head. Amazingly, he brought up his arm and blocked the blow. He turned his body, and kicked out with his right foot. I jumped back and circled him. He listened for my footsteps and managed to keep his body facing mine.
I jabbed at his midsection and he missed the block. He staggered back a few steps, rubbing the spot I hit. “Ouch.”
“Quinten I am so–”
He dove in, catching me off guard. He tackled me to the ground and worked to pin my arms above my head. I looped my leg around his and rolled, using my entire weight. I straddled his waist and placed my hands on his chest, forcing him down to the mat beneath us.
“You cheater!”
He laughed and, for one second, we forgot where we were. We forgot about the fights, about Roger, and about everything. In that moment, I was almost happier than I’d been in days. It felt like it was just the two of us, and everything else fell away.
Then an old, dark, violent voice cut right through that happiness, and everything came crashing back down around us.
“Alanna, I’d like a bit of your time, if you wouldn’t mind?”
I looked up to see The Champion standing over us. The smile on his face made my insides twist painfully, and I swallowed rapidly to avoid being sick all over the gym mat we were practicing on. Something about those eyes, which were busy staring at me, sent shivers up my spine.
Quinten helped me to my feet and assumed a somewhat protective stance in front of me. “What do you want with her?”
He sneered at Quinten. “That is none of your business. If I wanted to divulge my reasons to you, I would,” he said, turning to me. “Alanna? A moment?”
What choice do I have? He’s probably not above killing Quinten just because I angered him.
I nodded and wiped my shaking hands on my jeans to rid them of the nervous sweat that covered them. I followed him out into the hallway and was surprised at the lack of guards. “Sir–”
“Please, call me Eli.”
I stared at him, dumbstruck. I was sure that I must have heard him wrong. “Eli?”
He nodded once. “I was born quite a few years ago, which I’m sure you’ve gathered. I’m almost nine hundred years old. My given name is Elias, but during this more modern of times, I’ve simply shortened it to just Eli.”
I continued to stare. He was tall, with long white-blonde hair and almond-shaped eyes that were an icy blue color. He was such an old, dangerous, extraordinary vampire. He’d probably killed thousands of people in the centuries that he’d been alive, he hosted the Arena Wars, and yet his name was Eli.
I almost giggled.
He seemed to sense my amusement. “You find my name amusing?”
“You’re pure evil. I guess I was expecting something darker and more mysterious, like Drake, or Hannibal.”
He laughed. “As in Hannibal Lector? Oh, no. I assure you, I am not a Hannibal, though both of us do share a passion for flesh.”
I shuddered. Suddenly, the way he was staring at me seemed almost disgusting and revolting, and I had the strong urge to cover myself from head-to-toe. I settled for crossing my arms over my chest, barring him from seeing my body.
“What did you want from me?” I asked him.
“I wanted to inform you that you’ll be joining me for dinner tonight.”
I stopped. “Dinner? You’re inviting me to dinner? You’re keeping me and Quinten here against our wills, and you’re trying to treat me like a guest? And besides, you’re a vampire, you don’t eat!”
He laughed again. “Of course not! An invitation would give you the opportunity to refuse me. This is a command. And yes, I don’t eat, but you will join me anyways.”
The pain in my stomach got worse. He was planning something; I just couldn’t tell what it was. “And if I refuse your order?”
He snarled and shoved me against the wall, his hand wrapped tightly around my throat. “You will do no such thing,” he hissed darkly. “You’re my property until I decide to be rid of you, and you will remember that.”
His eyes were crazed, and I realized too late that he didn’t have a problem murdering me right then and there in the hallway.
“Now, you will be attending dinner with me. Do you understand, or do I need to make myself more clear?”
I managed to shake my head. “I understand.”
He released me, and I crumpled to the ground, gasping for air. I could barely think straight. How does this keep happening? What is it about me that attracts the attention of these crazy powerful men? First Roger and now Eli…what is wrong with me?
“I’ll have an outfit sent down for you. I expect you to be clean and properly groomed. I am a civilized man, after all.”
If he hadn’t just tried to strangle me, I would have laughed. This man didn’t know the first thing about civilization.
“Oh, and if you know what’s best for you, you’ll do well to remember your manners.”
When the vampire guards brought in dinner for everyone else, they only had five trays. As they were leaving, they grabbed and led me from the room. They stopped at the bathroom and threw me inside, shoving a dress inside after me. “Wear this.”
The dress was a one shoulder taffeta and tulle mermaid style dress with mirrored gems, pearls, and sequins detailed with silk flowers at the shoulder and skirt. It was a deep purple color. I would have loved the dress if I hadn’t known who had picked it.
A note fluttered to the ground, and I bent down to pick it up.
Darling, I want you to wear this dress tonight. It will contrast wonderfully with your flaming hair.
Repressing a shudder, I pulled the dress on. Even though it killed me to admit it, it did look amazing. Surely Eli had ulterior motives rather than contrasting it with my hair?
I spun in the mirror a few times, searching for any patches of exposed skin that might tantalize him. My shoulders and arms were almost completely exposed, aside from the single strap, but I didn’t think my pale shoulders would be very interesting to him.
The neck.
That’s what was the most exposed. That was what he would probably
be thinking about all through dinner. That thought scared me so badly I couldn’t even open the bathroom door. The vampire guards had to practically drag me from the room and lead me to Eli’s chambers.
Is Eli planning to bite me tonight? If he does, will he kill me, or keep me alive to prolong the torture?
I’d never been fed on before, other than the initial attack with had left me a werewolf, and I thankfully couldn’t remember the experience. I knew though that if the blood wasn’t given willingly, being fed on was one of the most painful experiences imaginable.
Sometimes humans had been known to end up in asylums after a vampire attack. They were left screaming at the walls and digging at their faces until they bled. Others had night terrors that ended with the victim screaming in the middle of the night.
God, please don’t let him feed from me.
Eli’s chambers were large and beautiful; the walls were covered with ancient tapestries and paintings, and the floors were covered with thick, colorful rugs. The furniture was all a hard, dark wood, including the dining table that had been set up with just two chairs, which I assumed would be for the two of us.
In the far corner of his chambers was a large canopy bed with what looked like blood-red silk sheets and comforters.
I tried not to shudder.
Eli was already seated at the dining table, and he smiled when I stopped just in front of him.
“Ah, yes. I knew that color would be perfect for you. You look splendid, darling.”
I forced myself to answer. “Thank you.”
He waved his hand to the empty chair, “Please, sit.”
Good manners would dictate that he pull the chair out for me, but I wasn’t going to complain since it kept him as far way from me as physically possible.
A man in a black and white suit entered the room. He carried a tray in one hand, and what looked like a bottle of red wine in the other. He set the bottle in front of Eli, and placed the tray down in front of me. He pulled the top off, revealing a steak, medium rare, with a roll and vegetables.
I stared at him. “Steak?”
He nodded. “Yes. I wasn’t sure how cooked you’d want it, but I figured you’ve probably had it rarer than this before, am I right?”
I nodded, trying to be polite, hoping it would keep me alive for the night. “Yes, I often go hunting with my father and sister.”
“Ray and Ilene.”
The fork stopped halfway to my mouth. “What?”
“You’re surprised that I know of your family?” He asked with a chuckle. “My dearest Alanna, when my Seekers first brought you to me, I thought for sure the gods were smiling down on me. You see, I’ve been waiting for many years for just this opportunity.”
“Why?”
Ignoring me, he opened the bottle and poured himself a glass. I tried not to gag when the smell hit me; it was the same color, scent, and consistency of fresh blood. He saw my horrified look.
“It’s the freshest my kitchen has to offer. The cooks donate this blood themselves. If they don’t…well, it isn’t that hard to find new employees,” he chuckled darkly.
I picked at the food on my plate, not wanting to give him any reason to lash out at me. “So what opportunity have you been waiting years for exactly?”
He smiled. “Ah, yes. Alanna, I would like to show you something, if you don’t object?”
He stood and, unbuttoning his black shirt, slid it down around his shoulders. An inch above his heart was a long, jagged scar. It was the sole blemish of an otherwise perfectly sculpted body.
I frowned. It looked as if someone had tried to stake him, and had missed the heart.
“What’s the matter, Alanna? Don’t you recognize your own father’s handiwork?”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Ray did that to you?”
For a minute, I stupidly wondered if Ray was a secret vampire hunter by night.
He nodded. “Yes, he did. You see, about fifteen years ago, my mate and I were hunting in some small backwoods town in Michigan, and I came across this delightful red-headed child, playing hopscotch in her preschool playground.”
My stomach clenched painfully.
“I wanted her, and all I had to do to get her was make eye contact and persuade her to leave the gated area. She came willingly into the forest to play with me. I wanted to taste her, and feel the life leave her body. I almost succeeded.”
He paused, staring longingly at me.
“Luckily for you, your father arrived just in time to save you. He followed you out to the trees and tried to stake me through the heart which, I assure you, would have most definitely killed me. Luckily your cries startled him and he missed. My mate was not so lucky. Your father stole the most important person in my life from me that day, and I intend to repay the favor,” he hissed, eyes glowing wildly.