Nights master, p.19
Nights Master, page 19
part #3 of Children of The Night Series
I was thinking about going out for a late lunch, or maybe just closing up for the day, when Jackson showed up again.
“I figured since you wouldn’t go out for coffee with me, I’d bring it to you.”
I didn’t want to take anything from the man, but it smelled divine. “Thank you.”
He handed me one of the cups. “Careful, it’s hot.” He rested an elbow on the counter. “So, how do you like Oak Hollow, now that you’re settled in?”
I shrugged. “It’s a nice place.”
He grunted softly, then sipped his coffee.
Removing the lid from my cup, I took a drink and then frowned. “What kind of coffee is this? It tastes kind of…of…” I blinked, then rubbed a hand over my eyes as everything seemed to go kind of gray and hazy.
Travis smiled an odd little smile as he took the cup from my hand, and then everything went black.
Cold, so cold.
Hard floor beneath me.
Bad taste in my mouth.
I opened one eye, closed it, and opened both eyes. The scene didn’t change. Bare walls, a naked bulb overhead. I was dreaming, I thought, having a nightmare. I closed my eyes, waiting for it to end.
I got colder, the floor beneath me seemed to get harder, and I had to go to the bathroom.
I wasn’t dreaming.
I opened my eyes again and sat up. What the hell? In the faint light cast by the low-watt bulb dangling by a cord, I could see that I was in a room of some kind, but a very strange room. The walls were silver, the floor was silver, the ceiling was silver. I ran my fingers over the floor, thinking it was just paint, but when I tapped my fingernails on it, it sounded like metal, not concrete.
I tried standing, but my legs refused to support me, so I crawled toward the door, which was also coated with silver.
I frowned, trying to think why silver was important, but my mind was fuzzy, and I couldn’t concentrate. Reaching up, I tried to open the door. It was locked, of course.
I wrapped my arms around my waist and closed my eyes. This had to be a nightmare. It just had to be, but when I pinched myself, it hurt. It wasn’t supposed to hurt in a dream, so where was I and how had I gotten here?
The last thing I remembered was talking to Travis Jackson. He had brought me a cup of coffee. It hit me, then. Travis had drugged me, but why?
Rising to my knees, I pounded my fist on the door. “Travis? Travis, are you out there?” I pounded on the door until my fist ached. “Travis! Dammit, let me out of here!”
Sinking down on the floor, I blinked back the tears that stung my eyes. Crying wouldn’t help me now.
Closing my eyes again, I tried to focus. Travis had drugged me and brought me here, but why, and where was here?
I guess I dozed off, because the sound of the door opening woke me. Blinking, I stared at the figure hovering over me.
Now I knew I was dreaming.
“Hello, dear,” Pearl said. “We thought you might like something to eat.” She placed a tray on the floor in front of me. “I hope you like chicken salad sandwiches.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “What am I doing here?”
Pearl make a little tsking sound. “I’m afraid you’re the bait, dear.”
“The bait?”
She nodded.
“What are you hoping to catch?”
“Why, a Vampire, of course,” Edna said from the doorway. “We’re sorry it had to be you, but…” She blew out a sigh of regret. “Rafe chose you.”
“You want to catch Rafe?” I shook my head, hoping to clear it. “But why? And why do you need me? You know where he lives….”
“It’s not wise to go to a Vampire’s lair,” Pearl said. “We told you that, but you didn’t listen.”
“Why do you want Rafe?”
“We need another Vampire guinea pig, one with power. Now that all the other Vamps have left town, he’ll have to do.” Edna glanced at Pearl. “We’d hoped to get Rafe’s grandfather, or maybe Mara herself, although I’m not sure we could have held her.”
“We’ll get her, dear,” Pearl said reassuringly. “Sooner or later, we’ll get them all.”
I glanced from Edna to Pearl. “You’re hunters?” I looked at their colorful skirts, their outrageous hats and comfortable shoes, and found it inconceivable that these two women, both grandmothers well into their seventies, went around staking Vampires and lopping the heads off Werewolves.
“Of course, dear.”
“We used to run a school down in Texas,” Edna said wistfully. “Those were the days!”
Texas, I thought. Travis Jackson was from Texas.
Pearl smiled. “We were important then! People looked up to us, respected us.” She sighed wistfully. “Now, when the new hunters look at us, all they see are a couple of has-beens, but we’ll show them!”
“Yes, indeed,” Edna said, a hint of madness shining in her eyes. “We’ll destroy more Vampires and Were-creatures with our formula than all those hunters with their stakes and silver bullets combined.”
Hunters. A school in Texas. I frowned. “You said you’d always lived in Oak Hollow.”
“We’ve always maintained a residence here, dear, even when we lived in Texas. My grandson took over the family business when Edna and I retired.”
“Retiring,” Edna said. “It was a big mistake.”
Pearl nodded. “Yes, indeed, but they’ll remember us now.”
I shook my head again. It didn’t make sense. Edna and Pearl had told me about Travis, told me where the Werewolves met…warned me not to be alone with Rafe. Why?
“Travis,” I said with sudden clarity. “He’s your grandson, isn’t he?”
Pearl beamed at me. “Yes, indeed. Such a good boy.”
“And the best hunter to come along in years, except for my Jeffrey,” Edna added with a grin.
“Let’s not have this argument again,” Pearl said with some asperity. “Travis is the best, and he has the kills to prove it.”
I stared at the two of them, unable to believe they were standing there arguing about who was the best hunter while I sat on the floor suffering the aftereffects of being drugged and kidnapped.
“Eat your lunch, dear,” Pearl said, moving toward the door. “It’ll be dark in an hour or so, and we have a lot of work to do before the sun goes down.”
Sundown, I thought, and Rafe would be looking for me. He was the only hope I had, but I didn’t want him to find me, didn’t want his life to be in danger because of me. Closing my eyes, I tried to send him a mental warning to stay away, but I couldn’t focus, couldn’t think past the growing fear in my heart and the nagging pain in my head.
I stared at the food on the tray. How did they expect me to eat when my life, and Rafe’s, were in danger? Still, I forced myself to pick up the sandwich, to take one bite and then another. Even though I wasn’t hungry, I had to eat, had to regain my strength for whatever the night might hold.
When I was finished, I pushed the tray away, then curled up on the floor and closed my eyes. All I could do now was rest, wait, and pray.
I lost track of time as I lay there. I dozed and woke and dozed again, and then, as clearly as if I could see him, I knew Rafe was nearby.
Scrambling to my feet, I pressed my ear to the door, hoping to hear what was going on in the next room, but to no avail.
Though my legs still felt like rubber, I paced the floor, all the time wondering what was going on in the other room. Where was Rafe? Were Edna and Pearl still in the building somewhere? What about Travis? And Susie? Was she still with Cagin?
The ache in my head grew worse. Pressing my hands against my temples, I leaned against the wall, quietly cursing Travis Jackson and his crazy grandmother.
I jerked upright when the door opened and Travis sauntered inside, looking smug. Before I could ask what was going on, he cuffed my hands behind my back, grabbed me by the arm, and hustled me outside and into the back of a large, nondescript gray van.
“Where are we going?” I had to ask, even though I knew he wouldn’t answer.
My heart skipped a beat when he dropped a black hood over my head. Visions of being shoved against a wall and executed crowded my mind, making it hard to breathe.
I heard the door slam, and then the van lurched forward. I sat on the floor a moment, then lowered my head and shook off the hood. It didn’t help much. The inside of the van was dark, the windows painted over so that I couldn’t see outside. A sliver of light penetrated the crack in the double doors.
With a sigh, I stretched my legs out in front of me, gasped when my foot hit something. Peering into the darkness, I saw a large cage pushed up against one wall of the van. Looking closer, I realized there was a man locked inside, his hands bound behind his back. His feet were also bound. A thick black hood similar to the one I had shaken off covered his head, and even though I couldn’t see his face, I knew it was Rafe.
I took a closer look at the shackles around his ankles. I couldn’t be sure, but I thought the restraints were silver. A sense of hopelessness fell over me like a shroud as I recalled Rafe telling me that silver burned a Vampire’s flesh and rendered them powerless.
It was creepy, riding in the back of the van, unable to see where I was going. I kept hoping I was having another nightmare, but the ache in my head and the growing ache in my shoulders was all too real. I wondered what time it was.
It seemed we had been driving for hours before Rafe stirred. He lifted his head, as though sniffing the air. “Kathy?”
My spirits rose a little at the sound of his voice. “I’m here.”
“Are you all right?”
“I guess so. For now, at least.”
“Where are we going?”
“I don’t know. What happened? How did they get you?”
“Half a dozen hunters, including our old friend, Jackson, were waiting for me at your place. They’re good,” he said with grudging admiration. “They blinded me with holy water and had me trussed up in less than a minute. I should have sensed them,” he muttered, “but…”
“You were too busy thinking about me.”
“Yeah, but that’s no excuse. Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of this.”
I clung to his words as the vehicle made a wide right turn and came to an abrupt halt.
Travis Jackson’s expression was grim when he took hold of my arm and hauled me out of the back of the van. Night had fallen, though the moon had not yet risen. Gazing into the darkness, I couldn’t see much of anything except for a huge two-story building surrounded by a high block wall topped with barbed wire.
Once I was out of the van, four men built like pro line-backers climbed into the vehicle. I tried to hang back so I could see what they were doing to Rafe, but Travis dragged me down a narrow walkway that ran along the side of the building. Up close, I could see that the structure was built of stone and weathered wood. When Travis unlocked the door, two rows of recessed, overhead lights came on. He gave me a little push, and I stumbled inside. Before I could turn around, he was gone.
I glanced at my surroundings. I was in a large, sterile-looking room that was outfitted with two metal examining tables, complete with tie-down straps. The walls were puke green, the floor was gray and black tile. Several glass-fronted cupboards lined the walls; the shelves were filled with test tubes and beakers in varying sizes, along with several nasty-looking instruments that reminded me of the Spanish Inquisition. Two windows, set high in one wall, were covered by iron bars
Turning my back to the door, I turned the knob, but it was locked, of course. No surprises there. I was looking for another way out when the door opened and Travis stepped into the lab.
“Where’s Rafe?” I demanded.
“In his cage, like a good little guinea pig.”
A cage! “What are you going to do with him?”
“Whatever the hell I want.”
Taking me by the arm, Travis led me out of the lab, then guided me, none too gently, down a narrow corridor. He turned right into another corridor and opened the last door at the end of the hall. When he switched on the light, I saw a small, square room. The white walls and the tile floor were bare. The only furnishings were a narrow cot topped with a dark gray blanket, and a three-legged table. A pedestal sink and a toilet occupied one corner.
“Make yourself at home,” Travis said, and pushed me into the room.
It was getting to be a habit with him. One I didn’t like. I spun around to face him. “I want to see Rafe.”
Travis snorted. “I don’t give a rat’s ass what you want.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“It’s us or them, missy. Haven’t you figured that out yet?” He snorted softly. “Too bad you’re on the wrong side.” Moving behind me, he removed the handcuffs.
I rubbed my wrists. “How long are you going to keep me here?”
“Until the tests are over.” He winked at me. “You’re a guinea pig, too.”
My insides turned cold. “What do you mean?”
“My grandmother and Edna think they’ve found a way to cure the Weres and the Vamps and restore their humanity, but before we add their formula to the world’s water supply, we need to test it and make sure it’s harmless to the general population.”
“Vampires don’t drink water.”
“But they drink human blood. They’ll ingest the formula that way.”
“You can’t do this! What if it doesn’t work? What if…what if it kills the Werewolves and destroys the Vampires?” Surely Pearl and Edna realized their so-called cure wouldn’t work on the Undead. Vampires didn’t have a disease. Did Pearl and Edna really think they could restore life to the Undead? And what about the shape-shifters? They weren’t made or brought across, they were born that way.
“If they die, they die,” Jackson said with a shrug. “Either way, there will be a sudden decrease in the Supernatural population. Either way, we win.”
“I’m not a Supernatural creature.”
“True, but that’s why you’re here. We need to test the effects on a few regular people, too.” He ran his hand across my cheek. “I’m sorry you had to be one of them.”
I jerked away, repelled by his touch and the merciless look in his eyes. “What happens when the tests are over?”
A muscle worked in his jaw.
It was all the answer I needed. Whether the cure worked or not, they couldn’t leave any witnesses behind. Feeling suddenly numb, I sat down on the edge of the cot. What they were doing was not only against the law, it was inhuman, immoral.
“Try and get some sleep.” Travis looked at me a moment, the way a man might look at a pet dog that was about to be destroyed. “I’m sorry you got involved in this,” he murmured, and left the room.
The rasp of the key turning in the lock sounded ominous.
And final.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rafe took several slow, deep breaths in an effort to breathe through the pain. The silver binding his wrists and ankles burned his skin like the very fires of hell, stripping him of his strength, making it hard to think of anything else. All he wanted to do was sleep and escape the pain sizzling through him, but rest eluded him.
Lying there in the dark, he quietly cursed himself for being caught like a rat in a trap. If he had been paying attention to his surroundings, Jackson and his cronies would never have taken him unawares, but he had been thinking about Kathy and how good she had felt in his arms the night before, and how much he missed her when they were apart. In spite of the obstacles between them, he couldn’t imagine his future without her. He had been trying to decide whether or not he should propose to her again when Travis Jackson had stepped out of the shadows and thrown holy water in his face.
Rafe had yelped in pain. Before his vision cleared, Jackson and five of his buddies had wrestled him to the ground and cuffed his hands behind his back. He had tried to dissolve into mist, but the silver manacles had quickly drained his strength, leaving him weak and powerless.
Bound like a hog for the slaughter, they had shoved him into a cage and dumped him in the back of a van. Hours later, he had been carried out of the van, cage and all, to wherever the hell he was now. He tried to shake off the hood that covered his head, but it was tied in place, leaving him in darkness. He reached out with his feet, measuring his prison. The cage was barely large enough to hold him. He swore under his breath. Trapped in the dark and bound with silver, he was virtually helpless.
Where was Kathy?
He closed his eyes, focusing on her image. She was near, he was sure of it, but he couldn’t find her, couldn’t concentrate.
Dammit, where was Mara when he needed her? And then he remembered; she had gone to Rome to confer with the Italian Vampires. She had taken Roshan and Brenna with her; his parents were still in South America. And Rane, who the hell knew where he was?
Rafe swore softly. For the first time in his life, he was truly alone. He swore again, wondering if Kathy, like the woman in his dreams, would be the means of his destruction.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The hours dragged by. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and I collapsed onto the cot. Pulling the blanket over me, I closed my eyes and slept. My dreams were fragmented, filled with images of Cagin caught between the transition from man to beast, his face and body hideously distorted. I turned away from him, running for my life. Seeking shelter, I clawed my way up an icy mountain to Susie’s house, realizing too late that there would be no help for me there. She was one of them now, no longer human, no longer my friend. Travis Jackson rose up out of a dark mist, the blade of a knife shining like molten silver in his hand. Edna and Pearl loomed behind him, their faces wreathed in insincere smiles. There was only one person I dared trust, one man I could turn to, and I ran on and on through the endless night, chased by the fear of what I might become if I couldn’t find him….
I woke to my own screams echoing off the walls and ringing in my ears.
