Secrets Of Sanctuary Hospital Nightmare Of The Dark Shadows (20 page)

“David thinks that I am Lucas wife and my
family is his. He is seeking revenge for Lucas saving you and the
werewolf plague that he believes Lucas brought upon his land
because of you. He came after my children and during our attempted
rescue, he saw that my son is unique and decided that he would be
more use to him alive than dead, but since he lost my remaining
family in the ambush, he sent two of his family back home with mine
to destroy Lucas and his entire family. Now they are seeking me so
that I can’t warn my family or interfere with their plan.”

Grant interrupts. “How did you know? Were you
with Jacob? Are my children still alive?”

“They were when I was there, but then David
left to attack the scouting party.”

“Mia, that happened an hour ago and there is
not much more time before they will kill them, my pack is searching
feverishly for you and almost caught me, that’s why I brought my
children here. I couldn’t risk having them stay there.” He must
have turned to Ken.

“I know this is more involvement than I said,
but do you think that you could get my children to the tower at St.
Steven’s until we return. I have no place else to hide them. If my
pack finds them, they will try to use them to find me and Mia and
if David finds them, he will kill them. Please Ken, you know they
are good children and I desperately need your help.”

“Dad, we can help, especially if you are
going back to the estate.” The young voice pleads.

“No, you are not old enough or strong enough,
please just go with Ken.”

Although Ken does not reply, I hear
retreating footsteps and then Grant’s impassioned plea. “I need
your help to save my children, the way my grandfather saved you and
your men. Please I would not ask, but I have nowhere else to
turn.”

“Grant why is your pack hunting you, instead
of helping in the rescue?”

“My sister convinced them that Mia bewitched
me and that she is in league with David in an attempt to destroy us
because of what happened today.”

“Grant you have to admit that what you are
saying does not add up. Although I know David can change, we never
heard that any of the others could, and they have never hunted
outside of their own lands, not even for revenge. Besides you know
how we were fooled once with the idea of Lucas’ return. What is to
say that we are not being fooled again?”

I have to interrupt. “Elizabeth, please, you
are not being fooled and there are lives depending upon your help.
How can I convince you that what we are telling you is true and
that not only the lives of the captures are in danger but Lucas and
our whole family that returned to the States as well as those we
have living with us are in grave danger from the two barbaric
vampires that returned with them especially if they contact others
to help?”

“If you are truly Lucas wife and he told you
my story, you would know who ran away with me. I have never given
that name to anyone.”

Without even a second hesitation, I answer.
“Florence was the woman that you and Lucas stayed with the spring
that you escaped, you were on the estate of a distant relative of
Lucas’ in France and Florence had a son. One day, when Lucas went
to work she ran with you and her son. Lucas did find you, but knew
that you could have a normal life with Florence and he even ensured
that she was hired by a new nobleman, that you were taken care of
until Florence remarried and you had a family. Then he left for the
states and hadn’t returned until now. I am not his wife though, I
am his sister-in-law and the children that David is trying to kill
are my children, not Lucas’. David was mistaken, but they will die
and so will Grant’s children if we don’t act soon. The first thing
we have to do is to turn me over to David so that he will not
attack Grant’s pack or kill the captures and you have enough time
to plan an attack.”

I hear several gasps around me.

“Mia, you can’t be serious. We won’t allow
you to be handed over to this David. I’m sure that he will kill
you.”

“Jackson, if I don’t he will kill them. What
if he decides that Jacob can’t help him or that it is too much
trouble to keep him alive and kills him. At least if you turned me
over, you could have time to plan an attack. Maybe I can even get
Jacob to transform if he knows that you are waiting for him. I
can’t just stay here and do nothing while that monster has my son!
You know as well as I do that vampires can’t change, what if he is
also a demon. We know all too well how lines can be crossed. What
if he were to discover...” Sobs rip through my chest, giving me a
moment of clarity to realize we are not alone and I stop
abruptly.

Jackson wraps his arms around me. “Mia, we
will get them back, Jacob is a very smart and powerful young man,
he will come home to you, but you are in no position to turn
yourself over to them, you couldn’t even see an impending attack to
try to protect yourself. You know what will happen to you if your
heart or brain is impaired, you will die. Stay here and we will see
what we can do. Andrew should be back soon and Reginald and some of
his contingent are still here, we can meet up with them and form a
plan.”

“But I can buy you some time. If he thinks
that he is getting what he wants and can proceed with his plan, it
will buy you time. I’m telling you that David is irrational and if
he doesn’t get me, people will die and not just here, but at
Sanctuary. Please trust me. He has already killed so many.”

I grab his arms and my tone reflects my
resolve. “If you won’t take me I’ll find a way to get there. I
won’t take a chance with Jacob’s life!”

“She is right.” Elizabeth responds
authoritatively. “Turning her over may buy us time to formulate a
plan. I know that she at least must have been with Lucas to know
that Florence took me and ran with her son. Only he and I know this
and if you are with Lucas, maybe we could work together to rescue
everyone involved and put an end to this family and their reign of
terror once and for all.”

Damian’s response surprises me. “We can take
out those who might be attacking, but we cannot take out anyone who
is not a direct threat to the rescuers or captives.”

“What do you mean you can’t help take out the
family? They need to be stopped!”

“I’m sorry, but we can only rescue those
captured. We cannot openly attack.”

“Does that mean if you were to come with us
you would interfere with our plans?”

“It means that our goal is to get those who
should not be on that land off; and that is what we are going to
do.”

“Fine, but if your friend wants to go and buy
us time, you need to let her go. If we can gain any advantage at
all in an attack on this family, we have to take it. They will be
expecting an immediate attack because of the scouts, but if she
were to be turned over, and they thought the wolves would go back
to being docile because of the loss of Grant’s family and the
scouts, maybe we could plan a proper attack and catch them off
guard. Trust me; we need any advantage that we can get to even hope
to get out all of those being held. We’ll have our people try to
take out as many of them or all if we can. Since you refuse to help
us take them out, you will be in charge of retrieving the captives
and getting them safely off of the land. I owe that much to Grant,
just don’t interfere with our plans. How many do you have in your
party and would any of them be willing to help us take them
out?”

From Jackson and Damian’s hesitation, I know
they have no idea. “Grant, where did they instruct your pack to
leave me? Did they give them any point of destination?”

“Yes, but Mia, your friend is right, you
aren’t in a position to do anything but go there to die.”

“Where am I supposed to go?” I say more
aggravated than I hoped.

Cold hands grab my arms. “Mia, please be
reasonable, you can’t do this.”

“I have to, you know what could happen. I
have to get to Jacob. I may be blind but I’m not weak and I can buy
you time.” Frustration at this delay wells within me and I send
Jackson flying across the room. As he crashes against something, I
sink to the floor. I have never turned on anyone close to me and
although I know he isn’t hurt, I know I’m losing control. “I’m so
sorry.”

He enfolds me in an embrace. “You didn’t hurt
me.”

“I shouldn’t have done that.” I hug him
closer. It’s just...”

“I know, you’re frustrated and afraid, but
Mia do you really think giving him another hostage is going to
help?”

“Jackson, I know that my son is in trouble,
his cousins have been bitten, his sister almost died and he has
witnessed atrocities that I always hoped to keep from him. He may
even think we’re dead. He needs his mother and he has to get out of
there. If you were close and he could come to you, at least he
would be safe. I even have an idea to possibly confuse and distract
them, but we need to speak with Reginald on the way to see if it is
possible.”

“What are you considering?’

Knowing the company and my desire not to give
them any more information to make them suspect us or for David to
use against us if they are captured, I want to speak with Jackson
and Damian in private. “We can discuss that in the car, we need to
get going. Jackson, please I need your help! I’m going with our
without you, but I would feel much better if I could tell Jacob
that you and Damian are waiting for him.”

“You know that Andrew would be against
this.”

“Well then it’s a good thing he’s not here.
Come on, is there a car available, and then you can tell me how you
knew and what the plan is at home on the way.”

“Let me call Reginald and let him know that
we found you and what is going on. Elizabeth, would you be willing
to work with those we send this way and then you can meet up with
us at the drop off point?”

“Have these vampires you are sending also
been with Lucas?”

“No, these individuals are locals who came to
help us try to rescue the children and most of them are
witches.”

“Can they be trusted?”

“They were sent to us by someone Lucas trusts
implicitly and they risked their lives on the estate to rescue the
children and our party when David and his entourage ambushed us to
grab Jacob and replace Mia.”

“Send them our way.”

Grant grabs my hand. “Mia, my car is outside,
we can take that.”

“Grant, you should stay and coordinate with
Elizabeth, but if we could take your car that would be very
helpful.” As much as I trust Grant and know we have the same goals,
I need to talk with Jackson and Damian alone. He hands the keys to
someone.

“Mia, please be careful and if they take you
to the dungeon please tell my children that I love them and that we
are coming for them.”

I hug him. “I will get them the message
either way, I promise.”

Jackson takes my hand and leads me to the
car. Placing me in the back, Damian sits next to me. “You want to
send another message don’t you?”

“Yes, I do, but it will be very dangerous
without Emma so I understand if you don’t want to do it.”

“You are about to enter a barbarian’s den
blind and you are worried about me. When do we go?”

“First I want to ask you something. Have you
ever apparated as something other than yourself?”

“No. Why?”

“I was wondering if I could get Jacob to
leave, if we could fool David and the others for a while with you
appearing to be Jacob still in the cage they have him in and then
fool them into believing that he escaped at the moment of attack so
that they will be preoccupied with finding him. Maybe that would
give us the advantage we need to get everyone off the grounds
safely. I know that it is risky, but maybe Reginald has something
that could protect your energy to minimize the risk to you.”

He hesitates a moment. “Mia, I am willing to
try, but I have never appeared as anyone other than myself. I’m not
sure if it is possible, but maybe Reginald knows how I can change
my appearance.”

A moment later, he is speaking to Reginald.
“We found Mia. We were right, the Mia and Jacob who returned are
part of the family... No, we can’t call them and have them take her
out, they have Jacob, Gabriel, Eva and Emma along with two children
of a werewolf who rescued Mia that they will kill...No, it is no
longer just about killing Lucas’ family. David knows that Jacob is
special and can transform. He is trying to force Jacob to reveal
how he has this power...I’ll put her on.”

“Reginald, David is not just a vampire, I
have been told he is like you, also a witch, but he is dark and I
wonder from what I have been told, if he also has some connection
to the demon world. There is a man back at St. Ann’s named Grant
who knows a lot about this family. You and the others need to go
there and meet with him and Elizabeth, she is there with her pack
and they are planning on attacking. I have to warn you, they also
plan on trying to destroy the family and will ask you if any of you
are willing to help. We told them our goal is only to get the
captures out, but I needed to warn you...No, I am not there, we are
heading toward the estate now. David knows that a werewolf either
took my corpse or rescued me and is insisting that I be delivered
back to the estate to ensure that I cannot interfere with his plans
or he will kill again. I have to get to Jacob and get him out of
there... No there is nothing that you can say or do that would
change my mind...I understand that I am under a lot of stress
because this is like a hostage situation, but you also know that if
I am correct and David is in league with demons and he finds out
who he really has that I will never see my son again. I have a
plan, but need to know if it is possible if Damian apparates to
take Jacob’s place if there is something that we can do to make his
energy appear as the image of Jacob. If we can do this, then you
can go with the others and formulate a plan to rescue us, but
ensure that Jacob is hidden away somewhere where no one will find
him until we can get him back to Sanctuary. Yes I know Emma is
there...She does. Could you also tell me how to manipulate the
energy to make it appear as Jacob in case Emma is incapacitated?”
Listening intently as he instructs me, I am more confident in my
plan. “Yes I can put Damian back on.”