Evil Allure (16 page)

Chapter 17

Moonlight was creeping in through the small window on the wall and shined down onto a single spot on the floor. The rest of the room was lit by several candles that burned around the room. Everything had a grayish tint, coming from the stone bricks that made up the walls.

I was in a room that looked like nothing I’d ever seen before. It was like something from medieval times. The structure of the walls and the columns that held up the roof consisted of cold granite, stones shaped so that they could fit on top of one another with cement filling in the cracks in between. The room was dusty and cobwebbed like nobody had been in it for hundreds of years.

At one end of the room, there was an opening. It was complete darkness. I couldn’t tell if it led down a hall, toward another room or absolutely nothing at all. I shuddered thinking about what was there in the darkness.

On the other end of the room, there was a short set of steps that led up to a raised platform. On that platform was a single chair. More interestingly, there was a man sitting on the chair.

He was wearing a simple outfit but out of place for any man during these times. He wasn't wearing a shirt, showing off his hard body. Hair trailed from between his chest and down toward his midsection. His pants were a black leather and his dark boots were the full length of his calves, resting just below his knees.

He wasn’t an ordinary looking man. His mustache was neatly trimmed over his lips. His long, brown hair fell just below his shoulders. The symmetry of his face was practically perfect. Two brown eyes with no expression coming from them.

I stared at him, waiting for a reaction, but there was nothing. His lips were tight, none of his teeth showing, as he solemnly stared straight ahead.

I took a step forward into the room. The dust kicked up underneath my heel with each step. Slowly, the room became brighter. But not entirely. I could only make out clearly what was directly underneath the moonlight coming from the window. Everything else was shrouded in shadows cast by the candles all around me.

I hadn’t noticed it before. I don’t know why because it was right in front of me. It was some device. An elaborate contraption I had never seen before, not even in a photograph. It was something my wildest imagination couldn’t even dream up.

It was a long plank, made from steel or iron. The metal looked cold and uninviting.

Holding it up were four metal legs resting at each corner. But they weren’t ordinary table legs. They were firmly implanted into the ground. Resting at the corners of each leg were sets of chains. The links were piled on top of one another, rusted and worn from use and old age. At the end of the chains were collars. I don’t know what they were meant for. Arms, legs, perhaps a neck. It didn’t matter. It all looked painful either way and I didn’t envy anybody who had the misfortune of being shackled by them.

It rested just below my knees. I didn’t understand why the platform was so low. It was too low for a chair or a bed. But it was easy to tell that this thing wasn’t used for any type of relaxation or pleasure.

I reached out and touched it. The cold underneath my fingertips was unpleasant. It felt more disturbing than it looked.

I turned to the man sitting in the chair at the end of the small room, just in front of the contraption. I looked into his eyes. Something told me that he had the answer I was looking for even though I had no idea what the question was.

But he didn’t move. The expression on his face didn’t change and he sat there, motionless and begging the question of whether or not he was even alive. But I could feel him looking back at me. He was staring at me, his brown eyes like a cold brick wall that could resist anything.

Then I saw it. His lips twitched. I stared at them and slowly but surely, they began to curve into a smile. But there was nothing friendly about it. It was a wicked smile. A grin that hid evil intentions behind it. Between his lips, I could see the pearly whites. Canines and incisors that looked like they were extended longer than any normal human being’s.

“Ariel…”

I heard the voice coming from him even though his lips hadn’t moved.

“Ariel, be mine…”

The voice again rang in my head. It was coming from him. He was communicating directly with my thoughts.

Suddenly, I was grabbed on both arms. I struggled to resist but it was pointless. Shadowy figures all gathered around me, lifting me up off of the ground. I kicked my feet in a futile attempt to break free but I felt the life draining from my body. I was completely exhausted.

I tried to scream but nothing came out. My throat was sealed tight. It was like I couldn’t gather the strength to just force the air from my lungs.

The figures lifted me up into the air. I felt the hands underneath my body. I was naked. The fingers were pressing against my bare skin, the nails digging into my flesh. I squirmed but was met with more hands that continued to hold me up. Without warning, I was slammed down onto the device in front of me.

“Uhh!”

I felt the wind knocked out of me but then it was over.

I found myself sitting up in my bed in the cabin. My heart was racing. The perspiration covered my entire body. I felt the air rush from my lungs but slowly felt it beginning to return.

Just another nightmare. But it couldn’t be. It had to be more than that. It all felt too real. I felt it underneath my fingertips. I felt the hands against my skin. And the man. His eyes. His voice. They were all so vivid in my memory, not fleeting like all of the other dreams I had.

I closed my eyes and took deep breaths to try and gather myself. When I opened my eyes, I realized that the night was over. Sunshine was shining through the windows. In the distance, I could hear the sound of birds chirping in the forest. There was a knock at my door.

“Yes?”

“Can I come in?” the voice asked me.

I looked down at myself to make sure that I was somewhat presentable and didn’t look like I just had a bad dream.

“Yes, come in.”

The door slowly opened and Sasha stepped into my room. I was still getting used to viewing her for what she really was and not the waitress I had known all this time.

“Are you okay?” she asked me.

“I-I’m fine,” I sighed deeply. “I-I’m okay.”

“Are you sure? You were making noise.”

“I-I was. What kind of noise?”

“It sounded like you were struggling. I thought I heard you scream.”

“Oh… I don’t know why that would be.”

“Is there something you want to tell me, Ariel? You know that it’s all right to talk to me.”

I looked down at the blanket covering the rest of my body. I wondered whether I should have even wasted Sasha’s time. Maybe there was something more to the nightmare I had. Or maybe it was just a bad dream that I needed to get over. Maybe it was just because my mind was still trying to comprehend everything that I was going through.

“I’m fine,” I reiterated. “I guess I’m just not used to the bed yet.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Breakfast is ready whenever you are. I’ll be waiting outside for you.”

“Thanks.”

Sasha closed the door and left me in my room.

It goes without saying that I didn’t get much sleep last night. I wasn’t used to living in the city but my apartment was more familiar to me than any of this. There wasn’t much here besides the bed and the belongings I had brought with me. There was a dresser with a mirror resting upon it and I thought about unpacking my things. But this would all be over sooner rather than later. At least, I had hoped it would. It was just a minor inconvenience but I didn’t plan on staying out here much longer than I needed to.

I made my way slowly through the cabin, the wood floor creaking underneath my bare feet. When I stepped outside of the cabin, I could appreciate the difference between here and the city I had been living in.

The sound of the wildlife among the trees replaced the ambient sound of horns honking and people having spats with one another. The sun was shining down and it felt like this was the first time in a long time that there wasn’t a cloud in its way. Even the air smelled fresher out here. The smog and exhaust from all of the buildings and cars driving around was nowhere to be found. The dirty gray tinge that seemed to paint every building in city was replaced by the green and brown of the pine trees reaching for the sky and the grass underneath my feet.

Sasha had something roasting over an open flame. Next to her was a table that she had pulled out from the cabin. When I took a seat, it felt like the last time I had gone camping. It was a long time ago. I didn’t have time to do anything that didn’t involve trying to make ends meet.

The smell coming from the fire filled my nostrils. The rumble in my stomach was a friendly reminder that my hunger was now my top priority.

“What is that?” I asked her. “It smells good.”

“Do you really want to know?” she said as she turned to me, raising one of her eyebrows.

“Um… I guess as long as it doesn’t kill me that it’s not important.”

“It’s deer. Have you ever had it before, Ariel?”

“Deer? No… I didn’t even think it was something that was available.”

“Not at any of the supermarkets you shop at. But don’t worry. It’s safe.”

She pulled the chunks of meat off of the spit and put them on a plate before offering me some. Steam came off of the freshly roasted deer meat in front of me, inviting me to take it in. For some reason, I didn’t even bother waiting. I just dived right in with my bare hands.

The meat was juicy and tender. It melted in my mouth. The flavor bounced off of my tongue. I tore into it with my teeth, ripping it apart so that I could eat it as quickly as possible. I didn’t know what had come over me and when Sasha took a seat in front of me and looked at me, only then did I realize how boorish I looked.

“Hungry?” she asked me.

“Yeah… Hungrier than I thought,” I said, half-embarrassed at my gluttonous display.

“There’s no need to be ashamed,” she said with a smirk. “There’s no one out here to see what you’re doing. You’re safe here, Ariel.”

“But for how long?”

I remembered everything she told me. I didn’t belong out here. I was in danger. There was an ominous threat lurking and I didn’t even know what it was. I just knew that I had a terrible presence hanging over me and it was there even when I tried to sleep and get away from it.

“Irvine is doing everything he can to try and figure this out,” she said, trying to reassure me. “The Agency hired Irvine for a reason. He’s the best. He’s never missed his target.”

“Never missed his target? So he’s killed every—”

“There’s a reason he goes by Irvine Gold. He’s considered the gold standard. He has a reputation not just with The Agency but within every werewolf community. They’re aware of his presence by now. Irvine being here should speed up the process. Whatever the Rucai are planning, they’re going to execute it. Most likely on the next moon.”

“But… does he really have to kill all of them? Can’t he just bargain with them? Can’t he negotiate some sort of peace?”

“That’s not really Irvine’s style. And I don’t think the Rucai are intent on making any deals with anybody. I told you, Ariel. There’s something going on here that's deeper than anybody has been able to figure out yet. Only the Rucai themselves know and that’s what Irvine and I are trying to learn.”

Sasha and I ate our breakfast in the peace and serenity of the forest. It wasn’t just being out in the open that made me feel more comfortable than I had been in the city. The woods seemed to be projecting some kind of aura that instilled a calmness within me that I hadn't felt just moments ago laying in my bed.

“Where is he? Is Irvine still here?”

“He left earlier this morning while you were still asleep. He’s doing some reconnaissance and scouting the possibilities of where they might strike next.”

“Can he really figure that out? I mean… there are so many people in the city. Can you guys actually pinpoint who’s going to be next?”

“We got lucky when we found you. Vaughn happened to stroll right in and made this a lot easier. But I’m beginning to suspect it wasn’t just random chance.”

“What do you mean?”

Sasha looked at me and didn’t say anything. She looked like she was holding something back. She had a secret and from the look on her face, I could tell that it was something that I didn’t want to hear. But again my better judgment disappeared. I wouldn’t let her walk away without giving me an answer. And she knew that, too.

“Your connection with Vaughn,” she started. “That’s not something that can be broken so easily. But Vaughn also has a connection to the rest of his clan. That means that you have a connection to all of them as well. They’ve already seen you even though you haven’t seen them. They know who you are and what you’re thinking. They can invade your mind when you least expect it.”

I swallowed nervously. I had flashbacks to the nightmares I was having, the latest one still fresh in my memory. The vivid images that seemed so real even though I didn’t want them to be.

“Sasha, I… I had a dream last night. I was in a room. A small room that was tucked away in the corner of some building. But not any ordinary building. It was like a castle or something.”