Darlings of Darkness: A Vampire Anthology Part 177

"Get her out of here!" he shouted at the closest vampire to him who bowed her head and edged away from him.

"I need to say goodbye first," I said, stalling. "This is the last time I'll see her."

"True enough," Maximus said. The reminder seemed to cheer him up.

My grandmother swallowed a sob. I was only glad she had the peace of mind to keep quiet.

"Back off," I snapped at the vampires who held her. They moved away without argument. Maximus launched into an insulting tirade against them for not standing their ground. I saw it as an opportunity.

I grabbed my grandmother tightly then quickly slipped the dagger from the sleeve of my coat under her top to her waistband, hoping no one would notice. "Stay safe," I said.

Her chin quavered. "I love you, Ava. I'm so sorry for everything."

"I know. It's okay. I'll be okay. Go to Peter, call me, and let me know you're safe. Don't worry about me now." I didn't believe her, but I wasn't as scared anymore. I was sort of resigned to the fact something bad was going to happen to me. At least I had helped Carl; that counted for something.

Maximus gestured idly toward us. "Take her to her desired destination. See she makes it alive." He sounded bored, and I wanted to hurt him-force him to take our lives seriously. A couple of vampires grabbed my grandmother's arms and led her away. I watched her leave and felt completely alone.

Chapter Fourteen.

Maximus grabbed me from behind and sniffed my skin with a moan.

"Daylight and humanity. It's all over you, my dear. You'll be so useful. I reward loyalty, you know."

"Like Arthur?" I said, remembering how Maximus had repaid his loyalty.

Maximus threw me to my knees, enraged. "Don't speak to me of that name," he shrieked, hysteria in his voice. I was surprised by how easily he became unbalanced, not what I expected from a vampire.

Maximus lifted his arms, closed his eyes, and made a show of breathing deeply. He then sat down and relaxed with a smile. I attempted to get to my feet.

"Do not move!" he screamed at me, his face convulsing with anger. "Stay on the ground like the dog b.i.t.c.h you are!"

One of the vampires kicked me back down, not holding back. I grunted loudly, winded, amazed by the sheer force of strength. Maximus smiled happily again. He was completely psychotic, I realised. I wasn't going to survive for long, no matter how valuable he thought I was.

"Now," he said, as if nothing had happened. "Why don't you tell me all about yourself?"

I shook my head. "Not until my grandmother calls."

Tutting, he folded his arms. "I don't have time for that," he whined.

I eyed him, wary, waiting for him to do something unpredictable.

He smiled suddenly and looked all too pleased with himself. "I'll just have to tease it out of you."

He jumped to his feet. Before I knew what was happening, he kicked me hard in the stomach. He lifted his foot to strike again, but this time I was ready. I grabbed his leg and tore a chunk of flesh and cloth away with my fangs. Someone grabbed me back by the hair as Maximus howled in frustration and pain, his cry a major exaggeration. The blond vampire's eyes gleamed with excitement as he punched me in the face whilst the others held me still.

After my nose had broken noisily, they threw me forward onto the ground. Gasping with pain, I curled up into a ball as kick after kick rained down on me. My face, stomach, and back burned with pain as Maximus and his crew enjoyed their sport. It felt like an eternity, but finally, everything faded to black.

I awoke to something ice cold dripping onto my forehead. I was completely alone in pitch blackness, but I could sense it was daylight. The irritating drip persisted. I struggled to move my head away, but I was pinned down by something heavy. My arms were tied above my head, and it was cold in the room.

After a couple of minutes of futile struggling, I prayed for the intense pain of the night before so unconsciousness would claim me again. My arms ached, and the rope was so tight that my wrists burned with pain. The dripping was the worst; my head ached from it, but I couldn't even move a centimetre to ease the relentless pain.

After an hour, I was sobbing, and by the time a couple more hours had gone by, I felt like I was going insane. I couldn't relax for a second, unsure when the vampires or their human servants would come back-if they ever did. I s.h.i.+vered with a chill, and each movement felt like another kick in the stomach.

My arms had gone thankfully numb, but I had a persistent fear they weren't there at all. My head pounded until I wanted to scream, but my throat was so dry, nothing more than a croak came out of my mouth.

I was exhausted, mentally and physically, but the waiting was the worst. It was so dark, I was so alone, and I couldn't sense a thing. I wept for what seemed like hours. Each minute was both hopeful and devastatingly anticlimactic as I waited for something to happen, someone to come, somehow for it all to end. I couldn't see a way out.

Night came at last. I sensed the vampires awakening. The doors of the room opened, flooding the place with light that burned my eyes. A figure approached me. My eyes were too screwed up from the light to see who it was, but I recognised the voice.

"How lovely to see you, my dear," Maximus said. "Did you have a nice rest?"

I kept my eyes closed. I couldn't manage speaking.

"Get her out of here, take her into the main room, and quench her thirst."

I wasn't thirsty. I wasn't anything anymore. I wasn't sure if I was alive. Hands grabbed at me roughly, setting me free and carrying me off. The light was too much for me to bear. My arms still existed. I could tell by the sudden burning pain as blood rushed to my fingertips.

I was barely conscious by the time they lay me down on a flat surface. My breathing sounded funny, harsh and jerky. I remembered my nose had been broken, but the thought drifted idly around in my head.

"Are you ready to talk to me now?" Maximus said, pacing up and down. "Your grandmother didn't call, I'm afraid. Perhaps she had a heart attack on the way."

I heard his words, but they flitted about my brain, never quite holding down in the one spot. They sounded slow, like they moved up and down a spectrum of sound, each one echoing until all of the words had been heard. His voice bounced around my brain until, finally, I understood.

"Get her a drink, I said!" Maximus shouted, sounding furious. I drifted off only to be woken by a warm splattering of liquid on my parched lips. I licked then opened my mouth willingly, letting a stream of blood fall down my throat until I choked on it. The flow stopped, and I coughed for a minute then licked at my lips steadily. Eventually, I even managed to open my eyes, feeling less broken than before.

"There she is," Maximus said, standing by my shoulder, rubbing his hands together in delight. "Nice to see you back with us, my dear. Now, can you talk?"

At first only a dry, dusty sound came from my throat. Finally, I managed one word as Maximus eagerly leaned over me to hear.

"Granny."

He tutted. "I told you, she's gone. Now, tell me about your creator. Do you know his name? Do you remember what happened?"

I nodded slowly, feeling like every cell in my body was aching.

"Tell me!"

"f.u.c.k... you."

I could barely hear myself, but apparently Maximus got the message loud and clear. He thumped hard on my stomach. My body jerked of its own accord as blood gurgled up into my mouth. I leaned my face to one side and let the blood flow out of my mouth and down my cheek. I was going to die.

Maximus picked up a scalpel, but I didn't have the energy to panic.

"Don't you think she's had enough?" the blond vampire said. "We need her alive, remember?"

Maximus squared up to him, his nostrils flaring. The blond didn't back off, but he stayed silent as Maximus shouted in his face. "I decide when she's had enough!"

He returned to the table, smiling brightly, and carefully drew the blade along my stomach, cutting away my clothes, a little piece at a time. He sliced my skin, lightly at first, then piercing jabs that jolted my whole body. I closed my eyes, ignoring the pain. I heard Maximus scream with fury, but I felt a cool breeze against my cheek and retreated into myself.

His voice grew distant as I concentrated on good things. Crus.h.i.+ng on Peter, Carl volunteering to stick around and help me, the sun on my skin, chocolate, and the colour of daffodils in spring. I smiled and sensed Maximus going into a rage. He could hurt my body all he liked, but my mind was safe, locked up in my own world. I drifted away again, and this time I didn't expect to wake back up.

"Ava!" A familiar voice brought me back into the world. I groaned as pain hit me as hard as a wall. "Jesus! Look at her!" It was Peter.

"Not possible," I tried to say, but my mouth was too swollen.

I opened my eyes and saw a vague shape ahead of me, but my vision was blurred and scarily bad.

"You went too far, Maximus," a woman's voice said. A figure leaned over me and poured more liquid into my mouth. Blood, tasting wonderfully citrusy. I instantly felt further away from death. My vision cleared, but the figure was gone. I blinked at the ceiling, focusing on the lights, and listened instead.

"It's nothing to do with you," Maximus was saying.

The woman hesitated, as if waiting for him to apologise. When he didn't, she spoke again, her voice harsher this time. "I'm leader for a reason. Do I need to put manners on you yet again? I want her out of here."

I tilted my head and saw a group of people a few feet away. Daimhin, Eddie, Peter, Carl, and even my grandmother. My head swirled in confusion. How was that possible?

"She's mine," Maximus said, his tone sulky.

"I claim her," Daimhin said.

"Why? To kill her?"

"Probably," Daimhin said. "But Eddie here has an interesting proposal. I'd like him to talk to the girl right now."

Maximus made an infuriated noise but didn't stop Eddie as he approached me along with Peter.

"Ava," Eddie said under his breath. "Daimhin is willing to take you from here. All you have to do is agree to work for her."

I shook my head slightly. From one monster to another, how was that making it better? Eddie made a frustrated sound, and Peter moved closer to me.

"I know what you're thinking," Peter said. "But my rule is this, do what keeps you alive right now and figure out the rest later. We'll think of a way out, but for now we have to do what we can to get you out of this mess. Listen to Eddie this time."

I stared at Peter, but I felt numb. I didn't know what was right anymore.

"She said yes," Eddie called out.

"Did she really?" Daimhin asked. I couldn't tell if she was happy or disappointed. I couldn't work for the one woman who wanted me dead. At least Maximus needed me alive, whether he had the self-control to keep me that way or not. I gazed at Peter pleadingly, but he shook his head.

"Yeah, she agreed," he told them all.

I heaved a weary sigh, my chest spiking with pain.

"Let's get her out of here then," Daimhin said. She lifted me carefully and carried me past my grandmother and Carl. She seemed physically okay, but Carl had a b.l.o.o.d.y bandage wrapped tight around one wrist. It barely registered that I must have drunk his blood.

Daimhin carried me to her own car, giving me the chance to take one last look around. A whole fleet of cars had been parked outside; it looked like she'd brought along an army. Maximus didn't dare challenge her. He just stood there swearing instead. I knew the others were following, but only my grandmother was allowed in Daimhin's car.

"Drive to her apartment," Daimhin ordered. The woman in the pa.s.senger seat inclined her head and gave me a quick glance. I realised she was Peter's girlfriend. Daimhin's a.s.sistant? I blacked out before I could process the thought.

Chapter Fifteen.

I woke in my own bed. Aching all over, I licked my lips and tasted blood. I tried to sit, but my entire body protested so I gave up.

"You feeling okay?"

I tried to look around without moving my head. Carl sat beside my bed, big black bags under his eyes. His stubble was turning into a proper tawny beard. I tried to speak, but no sound came out. I rolled my eyes instead. It was a stupid question, anyway.

"Hold on. I'll get help."

Like I was going anywhere. My eyes closed again, but before I could lose myself completely, voices filtered through the film of pain around me. A cool breeze blew on my neck, clearing my head. Opening my eyes, I saw Eddie holding a blood bag over me. I tried to mouth the word no, but he ignored me. I was terrified of being overwhelmed by the thirst. I didn't want to feed the built-in addiction I was carrying around with me.

"Take this quietly, Ava. You'll heal faster this way. All of the damage is on the inside."

I opened my mouth obediently as he carried on speaking, his tone hypnotic.

"We've been forcing it down you for days now. You've been unconscious for that long. We couldn't take you to the hospital because your fangs wouldn't retract. Besides, a human doctor can't fix a supernatural being."

Days. How many days? Not that it mattered. I was alive. I hadn't expected to get out of Maximus's place alive.

"If you took some fresh blood, from the source, you would heal up much more quickly," he said. "They won't let it happen until you agree, though. What do you think?"

I shook my head as hard as I dared, glaring at him. The bagged blood didn't taste quite right, but it was better than knowing someone in my life cut themselves open to feed me.

I slept after I drank, but the pain wracking my body was less excruciating than before.

When I next awoke, it was night. My grandmother sat by my bedside, wide awake and alert. She looked better than the last time I'd seen her, but she was pale, and her head was still noticeably wounded with a deep cut. The bruise around her eye had turned yellow and somehow that looked worse to me.

"Come 'ere," I mumbled. She leaned over me like I was about to say my last words. I raised my hand to my lips as slowly as possible then licked. She c.o.c.ked her head, looking first confused and then disturbed as I pressed my wet fingers to her wound. I watched it heal rapidly. She felt the area with cautious touches, her eyes widening as she realised what I'd done.

"Wow."