Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 03] Read online

  “I thought you were the queen?” Gypsy asked.

  “She is, but there is a higher queen, one all the vampires worship. Rajana is Basil’s mother and the first of all vampires. She reigns from the Realm of Mystics and gave Trinity special powers to help defeat Chaos and the king,” Dante explained.

  “I’m more lost now that I was before I asked.”

  Dante kissed the top of Gypsy’s head, smiling. “I’ll fill you in on all the details later.”

  Standing, Basil took Trinity’s hands in his. “I’ll try this time, my love. Perhaps she’ll see me.”

  “I can’t just sit here knowing Jonah’s in Chaos’ hands. I need to do something. What good are these fucking powers if I can’t use them to help us, to find Jonah?” She let out a long breath when Basil wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest.

  “We’ll find him.” Basil kissed her head. “I’ll go see my mother now.” He left her with another kiss before vanishing.

  “I wish I could do that.” Gypsy sighed. “How come all vampires can’t vanish or turn into things like Basil and Trinity?”

  “Only the purest vampires have special abilities, sweetie. That’s just the way it is.” Dante stroked a hand over her short green hair.

  “What if we let one of the prisoners out and follow him? He’s bound to head to Chaos,” Trinity blurted out.

  Dante scratched his chin. “We could try it but I’m not sure if it’ll work. You guys have keener senses. He’d know we were following him.”

  “He wouldn’t know I was following him,” Trinity added. “I can cloak myself and become invisible. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?” Her head had been muddied with worry is why. “Your brother would be our best candidate.”

  “No!” Dante stated emphatically.

  “Why the hell not?” Trinity demanded, her hair flipping around as she spun to face Dante.

  “Because I don’t want him returning to Chaos.”

  “You think you can save him? That you can change him? It’s not going to happen.” He was naive to think so.

  “How do you know that? I have to try. I lost him for twenty years and now that I finally have him back I am not letting him go.”

  “And you think keeping him a prisoner is going to sway him to your side?” Trinity snorted.

  Dante’s eyes narrowed. “Use someone else.”

  “Fine. Tell Basil what I’m doing when he gets back so he doesn’t worry.”

  Dante laughed with a shake of his head. “Oh sure, telling him you’ve gone invisible and decided to follow one of our prisoners in hopes of finding Chaos won’t worry him in the least.”

  “Just do it!” she demanded as she left the room. She knew perfectly well Basil would worry about her, but she’d be fine. She had her new found powers to protect her in any case.

  She pushed through the steel doors that led to the dungeon and tipped her head at the guard. “Got a minute, Barry?”

  “Sure thing.”

  She waited until the door was securely shut before speaking. “I need you to do me a favor. I want one of the prisoners released but I want it to look like an error. Anyone but Danny. Take them some blood and food and when you close the door on the big guy’s cage, don’t latch it all the way and make it obvious so he sees it’s not locked. I want you to leave the room and not come back for ten minutes.”

  “Why? What do you have planned?”

  “I want to follow him in hopes he’ll lead me to Chaos.”

  “What if he released all the vamps before he leaves?”

  “I’ll be in the room, invisible. If he does that, then I’ll put a stop to it. But I’m betting he won’t. He might try the other doors but when he finds them locked he’ll high tail it out of here. Leave this door slightly ajar so he has a way out.”

  “I’m not sure this will work.”

  “It’s worth a try.” She had to at least try.

  ***

  Never, in all his long life, had he ever come to this room to find it empty. Standing in the center of the dark, abandoned storage room, Basil scratched his chin. He’d called out to his mother several times, with his voice and with his mind, only to receive nothing in return. Why wasn’t she responding to him? Why was this room devoid of her, of everything that embodied her? The mystical room had always been her temple, and yet now, she was nowhere to be seen.

  “Mother, I beg of you to see me. It is of vital urgency that I speak with you.” His voice echoed in the empty room. Letting out a long breath, he took a seat on the floor and decided to wait. Not only did he want to ask her to help them find Jonah, but he wanted to know what the deal was that she’d made with Trinity. He didn’t like it, not one bit. And though Trinity insisted she only signed away her powers, Basil was skeptical of it.

  That was too easy of a gift for his mother to accept.

  Chapter Two

  “I thought we would try this again.”

  Startled out of his sleep, Jonah glanced towards the door as Raven entered. He’d been peaceful in his sleep, lying in the arms of his wife and stroking her swelling belly. And now that he was awake, he was reminded that it had just been a dream and the cruelty of reality was that he would only have her in his dreams from now on.

  “Since my threat of shoving a feeding tube down your throat didn’t come to fruition, I thought I would try to persuade you to eat and drink something. Again.” She set a tray with a sandwich and a cup on the table beside his bed.

  He glanced at it half heartedly then turned away. “I’m not hungry.”

  “We could go with that feeding tube then. Here, I brought you more ice.” She held up the bag as she walked around his bed and lifted the covers. “Can you roll onto your side, or do I need to help you?”

  “I can manage.” He hoped. Grabbing the side rails, Jonah pulled himself over, shifting until he lay on his right side. He held onto the rail while she slipped the previous pack away and replaced it with a fresh one.

  “There you go.”

  He flinched when her hand touched his arm as he rolled himself back. “I can do it.” Jonah insisted and pulled the covers up to his chin.

  “You’re a contradiction, Jonah. You don’t want me to help you, insisting you can do it on your own, yet you refuse to eat or drink in hopes of…what? Starving yourself to death? Seems like a cruel way to die.”

  “Why would I deserve an easy death?” he muttered, folding his arms across his chest. The head of the bed rose, startling him. He needed to calm his nerves and be less jittery.

  She held the button until he was sitting upright, then released it to grab the tray. “I don’t know why you want death in the first place. Here, drink.”

  He glanced into the cup and saw the blood. Though his mouth watered and his body alerted him to the need for it, he rejected it with a turn of his head. “What do I have to live for?”

  “You’re like a child, turning your head away from the food like it’ll deter me from forcing it into you mouth. I will, you know, because even though you think you have nothing to live for, I believe differently. Now drink.” She shoved the cup to his lips.

  He slapped it away, knocking the cup onto his lap, spilling blood all over his bedding and himself.

  “Now look what you’ve done. You’re worse than a child. I swear.” Shaking her head, she marched from the room.

  He could literally feel his body begging for the blood that was soaking into his bedding and his clothes. It wasn’t a hungry sensation, but a need so great that it called to his blood, to his body to take. Slowly, he slid his finger along the blood soaking into the fabric, pooling some onto his finger. Lifting it, his heart speed up and his pulse quickened and before he registered what he was doing, his finger was in his mouth.

  “Thank God there are plenty of fre
sh linens. I’d hate having to go down into the basement alone to wash some.”

  Pulling his finger from his mouth quickly, he tried to look nonchalant as she walked towards him.

  She dragged the wheelchair to the bed after setting the fresh linens on his bed tray then began gathering the soiled bedding. “I saw you pull your finger from your mouth. Did you enjoy the taste?”

  He refused to acknowledge her comment and decided instead to stare blankly at the ceiling.

  “Have it your way.”

  His eyes jerked down when he felt her hands on the front of his nightshirt. “What are you doing?”

  “Removing the soiled shirt. I have a fresh pair of pajamas here for you.”

  He slapped her hands away again and unbuttoned it himself. “I can manage it.”

  “Suit yourself.” She stepped back and folded her arms across her chest, waiting. “What was your wife’s name?”

  That caused him to pause, then he swallowed the misery he felt and continued. “Ariel.”

  “That’s a pretty name. How long were the two of you married?”

  He had the buttons open and began pulling his arms free. “Four years.”

  “Still fresh. I’ll take that.” She took the shirt before he could drop it on the floor. “You’ll need to remove the bottoms as well.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “They’re soiled.” She pointed to his crotch and the huge blood spot soaking into the material. “You’ll probably need help removing them.”

  “I can do it myself,” he insisted, refusing to allow her to undress him. He wasn’t a complete invalid. “Just give me a fresh shirt.”

  Shrugging, she handed one to him in a pasty green.

  He slipped his arms, one at a time, into the sleeves then quickly buttoned them. “I’m not taking the bottoms off with you watching me.”

  “Do I need to remind you that I have seen you naked already?”

  He clenched his jaw. So she had. He’d been stripped naked when he’d been chained to Chaos’ wall. Still… “Just turn around.”

  “Whatever you say.” She turned her back to him, her arms once again folded across her chest.

  He lowered the waistband, but sliding them down his hips was a little more difficult. He had some mobility in his waist and hips, enough that he could swivel back and forth to wiggle the waistband down, but when he tried to slide them down his legs, he came up against an obstacle. His legs wouldn’t bend on his command, which made it harder to slide the pants all the way down. And when he tried kicking them to shake the pants down, that too failed. “Damn it!”

  “Need a hand?”

  He didn’t like the smugness in her voice. “No.” Yet here he sat, pants tangled at his knees, naked, exposed, and not able to get them all the way off. “Yes,” he finally said, deflated. “But close your eyes.”

  “I can’t help you with my eyes closed, Jonah.”

  He cupped himself as she turned around. She shook her head and rolled her eyes then grabbed a fresh pair of bottoms. Setting them on the foot of the bed, she grabbed the soiled ones and slid them free of his legs. “I should have thought to bring in a bowl of warm water. I’ll be right back.”

  And there he was, sitting in a hospital bed, naked from the waist down and unable to do anything about it. He hated what his life had become.

  “Here we go.” She set the bowl on the tray, then took the cloth from the water and squeezed out the excess before laying it on his thigh. “Since the blood stain was mostly over your crotch, I’m going to have to wash that as well.”

  “I don’t think so. I’ll do it.” He took the cloth from her then waved his hand indicating he wanted her to turn around.

  “You’re being ridiculous.”

  “It’s called dignity.” He waited until she’d turned to wash himself off. Holding his limp member, not being able to feel his palm against the flesh was an ugly revelation he was having a hard time dealing with He was even discouraged when he washed it off and couldn’t feel the warm water. “Done.” He set the cloth in the water while cupping himself with his other hand.

  She turned around and pulling the cloth out of the water, proceeded to wash his legs and waist. “You have nice muscles in your legs. Do you work out?”

  “No.”

  “Hm, what do you do for a living?” She washed down his leg, bending it at the knee and moving it up and down.

  “I work with computers. What are you doing?” He shifted one hand to cover his now exposed balls.

  “Flexing your muscles, keeping them limber. I’ll need to do this several times a day so they don’t stiffen up. What sort of computer work do you do?”

  “Everything from computer repair to debugging or reconstruction.” He wished he felt at least something when she moved his legs up and down.

  “Sounds fascinating. My guess is that it’s mostly desk work. Sitting for long periods?” She moved to the next leg.

  “More or less.” Couldn’t she do this when he had the pants on?

  “Yet you stay fit. And without exercise. Interesting.”

  “I walk. Well…I did at least.” That was another thing he’d never do again. He’d loved walking once. Long walks with Ariel on warm summer evenings. He’d never have that with her again.

  “Well, if you eat and drink it’ll help strengthen your body, which will enable it to heal faster.”

  “Nice try.”

  She looked up at him as she flexed his other leg. “If you’re comfortable being a lump for the rest of your very long life, so be it. Do you know what happens to a vampire if they don’t feed regularly?”

  “Yes.” He knew it all, well most of it, given the fact his best friend was a vampire. He missed Trinity and he hoped she had listened to him and stopped looking for him. He didn’t want anyone else harmed because of him.

  “How do you know?” she inquired.

  “My best friend and colleague is a vampire.” That had her pausing. “You might have heard of her. Trinity Ford?”

  Her eyes went so wide that the whites nearly took over the rest. “Get out. The queen of all vampires is your friend? The one Chaos is after?”

  “Yeah. Do you think we could get me into some pants now?” He felt more than a little awkward having a conversation with her while he was partially nude.

  “If you know her, why the hell aren’t you calling her to come get you?” She lifted his left leg and slipped his foot through the pant leg.

  “Because I don’t want her to come for me.”

  “Why not?” She slipped the other foot through then slid them up his legs.

  “Because I don’t. I can manage it from here.” He pushed her hands away, then waited until she turned around before he pulled his pants all the way up.

  “That’s a stupid reason. Because. What is it with men when they’re sick or injured that they revert back to being children?”

  “I’m done,” he grumbled and that was the only response he was giving her.

  Turning back to him, she pulled the wheelchair closer to the bed then reached over him, pulling his legs to the side of the bed. “You know, you’re actually very solid for a slender man.”

  “Men don’t like being called slender.” And they didn’t like being rag dolls incapable of moving themselves. Yet here he was, unable to even slip off the bed and into a wheelchair.

  She slid her arms under his, wrapping them around his chest, her face a breath’s touch away from him. “Men are too self-conscious as far as I’m concerned.” She grunted as she lifted him off the bed, then shifting, set him in the wheelchair. “Comfortable?”

  “Hunky dory.”

  She chuckled as she removed the soiled bedding. “I haven’t heard that one in a long time. So that’s why Chaos had you.”

&n
bsp; “What?” She confused him, jumping from one thought to the next.

  “You’re a friend of the queen’s. That’s why he wanted you. He knew if he held you hostage, she’d do anything to get you back. Very smart.”

  He’d completely forgotten she was one of Chaos’ minions. “So why are you doing this? Why did you take me out of there and bring me here if you’re working with Chaos?”

  “I’m not working with Chaos.”

  “Yet you were there, with him the whole time I was there.” She wasn’t a vampire, he could sense that, so it baffled him why she had been with Chaos.

  She started putting the fresh linens on as she spoke. “I’m not working with him. I was working for him. I was his blood slave. I’ll just take these to the laundry chute. I’ll be right back.”

  She left him with her shocking words and no chance to comment.

  ***

  It was still something she was getting used to. It wasn’t every day that a person could will their body to become invisible. Standing near the back wall, Trinity watched Barry as he fed the prisoners. He did as she’d suggested, leaving one cell unlocked and she was pleased at how casually he did it without making it look obvious. He was good.

  Trinity stood watch as Barry left the room, once again, leaving the main door slightly jar. And she saw as the big guy noticed his cell was unlocked. What a look on his face. It was of shock and skepticism. He inched forward, his eyes held vigilantly on the main door, watchful for it to open. His big hands gripped the bars, then slowly he pushed it open. His eyes were still on the main doors.

  “You gotta let us outta here, Troy,” one of the other vamps called out to him.

  “I don’t got the keys. You guys are on your own.”

  And just as she’d predicted, he headed for the main doors without freeing the others. She followed him as he headed down the corridor and could smell the nerves as they came off of him in waves. His head swiveled left and right as he hurried down the hall in search for an exit. When he spotted it, he ran for the door, and throwing it open, stepped out into the tunnels that led to the outdoors.