Microsoft Word - Betrayal-Ashlynn_Monroe.doc (5 page)

"He disappointed me too. The boy rejected the skills I taught him, and he was too lazy to be of much use to me. I was a miller; our family had run the mill for many generations. The boy didn't want to work at the mill; he wanted to gamble and drink. Do you want to know what I did, almost as soon as I was turned?"

"What did you do, Sire?" She heard reluctance in Anthony's question. She too felt afraid of the answer.

"What's going on?" Bettia cut into her intense eavesdropping.

"Shh." Bettia was silent after the quick chastising.

Darius paused for dramatic effect so she hadn't missed his answer. "I killed him. He was my first kill. The little shit even pissed on himself. His worthless mother raised him to be nothing but a waste of talent. I quickly

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overpowered my sire and took the clan. I've been the leader of this clan for almost two hundred years. I'd like to think of you as a son I could be proud of, Anthony. I won't accept my family squandering their talent. Will you be a son I can take pride in?"

"Y-yes, Sire."

"Good, now get out there and show me you're loyal to this clan. I want to be entertained. The mortals think it's all faked for the holiday, but we know better, don't we?

Halloween is the one night of the year my club can reach its full potential. Show me how brutally you enjoy the bloodlust and how worthy you are to be a son in my clan."

She hurried away from the door; she and Bettia slunk into the shadows, out of sight. A moment later the door opened and Anthony started walking to the stage, but then he paused and turned in her direction. This was the moment she'd waited for during her year of self-imprisonment. His eyes caught hers and for a long moment, he gazed at her in disbelief. Deep pain appeared etched into his handsome face, and her heart stopped. She'd never said goodbye when she'd fled in angry confusion. Now a play of emotions fluttered across his face, and she could see how he'd suffered. Only a brief spike of guilt left her wondering if she should've told him she was leaving, or asked him to come with her. She'd wanted to get away from Darius so

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badly she'd feared telling him in case he turned her in as a defector. Dyanna wished she'd given him more of a chance.

He hadn't deserved it, but she could see he still loved her.

The pain and joy blended in a harmony of suffering in his eyes, speaking his love to her as if he'd whispered the words in her ear.

"Is that your husband?" Bettia broke the moment with her worried whisper.

"Yes." Her voice cracked as she replied with the simple word. How could she tell her friend she still loved the man who killed her? Being a vampire changed how your mind processed things, but not who you were at the very core. Was her Anthony still in there, somewhere, or had her love been a lie?

"He sees us." Bettia's voice was an octave too high.

Dyanna felt hysteria threatening to overwhelm her mind as she wondered if he'd drag them straight to his sire.

"I know." She couldn't do anything except give simple answers. It was just too hard to focus when his rich cocoa eyes were boring into her. His hair was longer than she'd remembered, but it still looked soft. What would it feel like now with her heightened vampire senses? She could almost feel her fingers running through the black strands.

Bettia grabbed her arm, shaking Dyanna from the

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intense connection long enough to spur her to action.

Vampires were easily distracted, but when they focused, it was almost like a trance. Dyanna grabbed her friend's shoulders and picked her up, speeding to the back of the club by the ladies' room in just a moment.

Bettia looked dazed. "This is getting dangerous.

You should leave; I'll take care of Darius myself. Give me the vial," Dyanna demanded.

"No way in hell am I leaving. He took Miguel from me, and I'm not going to run away. I know the spell forward and backward, and I'm going to say it. It's too complicated, even for your supernatural brain. I'm going to do this, Dy."

"There's a back door around the corner. It'll trigger the fire alarm. You go through it and get away from here as fast as you can. I'll use the distraction to my advantage."

When they'd talked about the plan, she hadn't realized how afraid she'd be of losing her only friend. Now she just wanted to know Bettia would be there for her when it was over.

Without warning her body slammed up against the wall, cracking the plaster as something large and heavy made violent contact. She moaned, in pain. Vampires could hurt, it just took a heck of a lot more trauma to make it happen. When she blinked up, Anthony was holding her

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into the wall. A snarl of rage came from low in his throat.

"What are you doing here, Dyanna? Why have you come back?" Did she detect a hint of sorrow under all that bitterness?

"Put me down." She spoke calmly, even if the monster inside of her wanted to snarl right back at him.

"No. Tell me why you're here."

"Can't a wife just miss her hubby?" Her sarcastic teasing seemed to break through his ferocity, and he released her. She slid down the wall and rubbed her shoulder when she was standing on her legs again. "Geez, have you been working out?"

"Stop trying to be cute. Tell me why you're here, and why you've brought a mortal. Your human isn't compelled."

"I know she's not, because I don't do that shit. I'm not a monster, even if you wanted me to be one. I didn't want any of this. I wish you'd just left me alone to think you'd left me because you didn't love me anymore. I would've moved on and gotten on with my life—

eventually." She lied, she'd have been devastated, but she'd have preferred feeling like hell to undead.

"I know." A depth of apology resonated in his words greater than anything she'd expected from him. How could she reply?

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Anthony sighed. "I still love you, Dy. Why did you leave me?"

"Darius is evil. I couldn't stay here. I don't want to be a killer. You aren't evil, Anthony. Why do you stay?"

"I stay because I don't have a choice. With what we are now, how can I leave? I don't want to go out every night and hunt strangers. Here, there are blood slaves. I don't have to kill. How have you been living, Dyanna?"

"No, you answer my question." She paused to take in the surprise on his face. "Why did you let that woman bite you last year?"

"I have to go. Darius is expecting me to do something for him, something terrible."

"I saw you on stage earlier. I heard you with him.

You tell me why I've been living in hell. I deserve to know."

"We don't have time for this." Bettia hissed, interrupting.

"Yes, we do." Dyanna's mind was set; she wanted to know.

"I didn't plan for this, love. I went out with the guys, and we were walking past. The bouncer called to us across the street, offering to let us in. We were curious and went.

Both Cale and Wil were compelled, drank from, and told to leave, but not me. I watched in horror, fought my captors,

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and then the worst began. She was so captivating. I went with her even after what I'd seen them do to my friends.

She compelled me; Darius lied to you. The woman looked like a goddess, but I couldn't understand why. I knew I had to be with her. The mind control blinded me to everything, even you. I'm not as strong as you are and couldn't fight the power as you tried to. I let her kill me while I fucked her. I came as I died, and I knew she was killing me. I'm going to go now. I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"Wait." Dyanna grabbed his arm. "You don't need a blood slave; we can drink bagged blood, and Darius lied about having to drink from live donors. I'm killing him tonight."

Bettia interrupted. "We're killing him."

Dyanna continued, corrected. "We're killing him.

I'll never forgive you, but I still want you to get away from here."

"Don't do this! I don't want to lose you again. Even if you don't want me, I'll know you're alive. Just go, before it's too late."

"No, it ends now. Oh, and you lost me the night you killed me."

"I'll buy you some time. I'll give the bastard a show he'll never forget, but Dy, please reconsider doing this."

"I can't. Goodbye, Anthony, promise me you'll get

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out of here and find another way to exist."

He just looked at her with intensity and regret. He kissed her forehead tenderly then gazed at her with an unreadable expression before turning away and hurrying off without looking back. Dyanna glanced at her friend.

"Let's go."

They moved toward the room where Darius waited.

He'd be watching for proof of Anthony's allegiance. She hoped her husband still felt loyalty to her. If he gave them away it was over; they'd die. She was already dead, but Bettia had years of life ahead. She didn't mind if tonight her unnatural life ceased, but she'd do all she could to ensure that wasn't the case for her mortal companion. They'd rehashed the plan so many times it seemed impossible to fail, but already the scheme was off kilter. She hadn't planned to spill what they were about to do to her husband.

He was a wild card now, and she wasn't happy about it. A lot can change in twelve months.

"You know what to do. After you say the words, I want you to run. Don't look back. I'll stay to make sure it's finished, but you have to go. I can't worry about both of us." Dyanna watched Bettia nod in response. "One more thing," Dy's friend paused and looked up at her. "Thanks for being there for me, and putting up with my growing pains. Being a vampire sucks, but you're the only thing

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that's made it suck less." Bettia gave her a small sad smile.

"No goodbyes. We'll be talking about tonight for a long time, and I don't want you to get all defeatists on me now." As confident as her friend sounded, the tone had to be all an act, but she was grateful nonetheless. She'd needed the pep talk.

They went back out, and no one paid them any attention. Dyanna glanced at the stage and gasped. A sweet, angelic looking human stood on the stage naked, her arms suspended above her head. She gazed out with a blank expression. Anthony suddenly stood before the woman. A leather-clad male vamp rushed up to the stage and knelt before Anthony, offering a sharp, curved dagger. He took the weapon from the other man and immediately began intricately cutting her body. Each brutal, graceful move left more red trails over her flesh. Each cut seemed to make her expression more euphoric. The woman moaned. His face was emotionless as he used the dagger to cut the petite blonde's pale skin, licking at the wounds he inflicted. The woman appeared to be experiencing sensual pleasure, but Dy could see she was under compulsion.

Anthony hadn't been cruel as a human, but seeing his methodic actions now she wondered if he'd had a dark side she'd never seen before. He pulled the woman's head back, yanking her long locks of hair to pull her head to the

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side and sank his fangs into her neck. She moaned, and her eyes opened. Dyanna gasped softly as the woman looked right at her, for a moment she saw pain in the blue eyes staring helplessly from the stage. Then the expression returned to pleasure and her eyes closed, freeing Dy from the power of her pitiful gaze. When he'd finished, he released her carelessly, and she hung limply from her restraints. Dy turned away, feeling bile rise in her throat.

Darius sat watching, transfixed by the horror he relished.

Now was a perfect time to act. Her husband was either buying them time, or he was saving his own ass. It didn't matter; she'd never get the awful sight out of her head.

"Ready?" She whispered firmly.

Bettia looked at her watch. "Ready. It's a minute to midnight." Bettia replied confidently.

She turned the knob. The door to Darius's lair remained locked, keeping them from their goal. Cursing softly under her breath she twisted the knob hard, breaking the lock and praying Darius wouldn't be paying attention.

Bettia held the vial, her own potion. They'd been unable truly to test it. The small amount they'd applied to Dyanna's thigh had left permanent damage, so the whole vial, combined with the spell to end his unnatural life, should be enough. The spell could backfire and kill her too. It was a chance she was willing to take. The wording was just right.

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She'd never taken a life, and even if he was evil, she regretted what had to be done. Dy wanted to survive but was willing to have her unnatural life end. If Darius's mind worked like other vampires and was focused on Anthony, they'd have a chance. Breaking focus for a vampire was a challenge, and the moments it would take him could be their salvation.

"Now." Dyanna opened the door, and Bettia rushed in and threw the vial at Darius. Anthony had given them the advantage. The moment it took Darius to pull away from the video monitor gave Bettia the chance to perform her spell. When the vial hit his face it imploded, melting his pale skin until it was a mass of blisters; even some bone showed through.

"Vilis daemonium, interfectorem innocentiae,
adolebit in inferno scelerum. Vocare elementa ad finem te.

Eicio fecisti mala et mater omnium reddere stateram
magna. Natura, exaudi vocationem et videre fiat.

Benedictus."
Bettia carefully called out her spell in Latin.

Then for good measure, she threw out her arms, crying the words in English.

"Vile demon, killer of innocence, burn in hell for your crimes. I call the elements to end you. I cast out all the evil you've done to restore a balance to the great mother of us all. Nature, hear my call and see it done. Blessed be."