Secrets Of Sanctuary Hospital Nightmare Of The Dark Shadows (23 page)

Thrusting me forward, my head smacks the
concrete floor, pain radiates excruciatingly through my body, I can
barely concentrate. “It can’t be her.” He is becoming more irate by
the moment. I need him to move away from the others.

“I…” He’s on me, his sharp teeth graze across
my neck over the bite that they had left, tearing it open anew. The
blood spurts, I can feel him drink, and then he’s off me. “Marlena
and I definitely bit her there. I taste Marlena’s lips and teeth in
the bite marks. Grab her and follow me, we will see what happens to
her and get our answers.” They grab my collar once more.
Automatically, my hand whips up holding the seam, right before they
drag me across the cold, hard floor. Gabriel and Eva scream “No”
while pulling at their shackles.

The door slams and I am like a rag doll being
dragged as my legs again whack the stairs. The darkness veiling my
visions is becoming lighter and lighter. Hazy, yellowing concrete
walls pass swiftly by, along with statutes of armor and large
ornate oil paintings. The lights are dim. The doors are dark wood
and closed. A tall, burly vampire brings up the rear. He appears
nervous and is staring at the one dragging me.

My pounding heart speeds the blood flow from
my neck. I must calm down, I must calm down. I repeat my mantra, I
need to slow my anxious heart, drag out my death to give the others
time. I’m gone anyways, the least I can do for all they have given
me is to fight to give them time.

From everything I heard from David, he likes
to see the fear in someone’s eyes as he drains their life force. I
know when I cannot provide him answers, he will thoroughly enjoy
watching me die slowly, unless his temper gets the better of him
and he just throws me against the wall a few more times, which will
hasten my death from blunt force trauma. My mind drifts momentarily
and I’m not sure which outcome I’m hoping for.

The one carrying me rushes through the only
open door, knocks me to the floor just before standing by the
opening.

David pulls me up by my hair as his long
fingers dig into the open wound on my neck. Screaming out in pain,
trying to recoil from his grasp, he digs in deeper and then slowly
brings his bloodied fingers to his lips before placing them in his
mouth. “Still human”

Digging in once more, I scream again, but
cannot even move a muscle, he has locked me into place. “Tell me
what you are really to survive a vampire bite or I promise you the
pain you are feeling now will be nothing compared to the pain and
suffering I will inflict upon you. You want to tell me, you want to
spare yourself the pain, you want your death and the death of your
loved ones to be quick and painless.”

Staring into my eyes, his pupils grow larger
and smaller. Despite the throbbing, my spiked adrenaline clears my
mind. He is trying to hypnotize me in some way, yet I do not feel
influenced at all. Digging his nails deeper, he lifts me by my
shoulder and sends me sailing through the air. Crashing into a
chair, I am surprised and grateful for the landing considering I
expected to be propelled into a wall. David licks his fingers and
then is instantly upon me grabbing my arm and digging his long nail
into it causing yet another gash. “Tell me what I want to know or
you will bleed to death slowly and we will feast upon your
corpse.”

His words churn in my mind and I know how I
can draw out my death. “You’re going to kill me and my family
anyway. Why should I tell you anything that would give you more
power to continue your terrorizing ways?”

His features turn slowly from irate to cold
and calculating as my words register with him. As they transform, I
can’t help but stare, something about his face seems so familiar,
but I cannot determine quite what it is. Moving from me, he stops
at a table, picks up a wine decanter and a beautiful crystal goblet
and pours himself a drink of what I assume is blood. My stomach
lurches as he holds his hand over the goblet allowing the remnants
of my blood to drip slowly from his fingers to drip, mixing with
the liquid.

Looking at me, a slow feral smile touches his
lips and he moves toward an antique, overstuffed leather chair
before an oversized fireplace. Snapping his fingers, a roaring fire
instantly appears.

Sniffing the glass like a wine connoisseur
would sniff the bouquet of an expensive wine, he takes a sip. “Mia
is it?”

“Yes.” I reply softly.

“You know there is no chance of your
escaping. Although you think that you are powerful, you’re not. I
sent you flying across the woods with a mere flick of my wrist. You
are no match for me, especially since you are human. Your kind’s
physiology is so frail you know.” He shakes his head in mock
sympathy. “I don’t know how you survived being bitten, but all that
means to me is that I get to enjoy a tasty treat if you displease
me.

He pauses, letting the words sink in as he
takes a slow swig. “You and your son do have something that I want.
You look like a civilized person and I’m sure that you must have
been fooled into marrying Lucas. He is very weak and no match for
our kind, not really. He doesn’t like the kill. You know we will
kill him for the plague he brought upon my land which killed his
wife and my sister. He left her here to die, his own wife, just
like he has left you here with me to die. He is a coward and that
will cost him his life. Obviously you and your son are very
talented and much more than just a witch and half vampire. I know
the source of your son’s power must come from you. Lucas couldn’t
even make a strong vampire, so I am sure there is absolutely
nothing that he contributed to your children. Your son did not even
scream as I threw him across the room despite my hearing his bones
crack. I’m sure his vampire side has cured them however, but that
wouldn’t allow him to transform, not the way he did. It was not a
trick, he was really a mouse and then a man. I could smell the
changes in him.”

He pauses, waiting for me to speak. If I stay
calm and see where this change may lead, maybe I can keep him
talking long enough for everything to fall into place. “What would
be my incentive besides you’re not killing me to tell you
anything?” My voice sounds weak, probably from the loss of blood,
but deliberate.

He’s upon me immediately, grabbing my wrist,
holding it over the goblet allowing the blood to drip in. “No sense
in wasting good blood.” When the cup is filled, he hands me a
tapestry cloth. “You should tie it off or you will bleed to death
before we have an opportunity to finish our conversation.”

His voice turns icy. “I’m sure that you love
your children and know that our plans were to wipe you, Lucas and
your family out because of what your cowardly husband did to my
family and the plague which he brought upon my land after we spent
centuries eradicating this nuisance from our continent.” Pausing,
his voice turns gentle. “I am curious about something though and
wonder if you would tell me.”

“Try me.”

“Did Lucas know he was saving a powerful
werewolf when he rescued her?” I’m surprised at his change in tact,
but anything to delay the inevitable.

“You may not believe me, but Lucas never
meant you any harm. All he wanted to do was leave and get his kill
off of the land. He just couldn’t live hunting people. All he
rescued that day was a little girl. She was not a werewolf at the
time. It was actually you who made Elizabeth the powerful werewolf
she is today by killing her family.”

“I did hear that, although I’m surprised that
you would tell me.”

Realizing I gave away too much, I wonder if I
could use it to my advantage. “I told you, I am interested in
whether or not you and I could come to some deal considering your
desire to acquire information that can be used against your
enemies.”

His features turn contemplative. “I’m sure
you are aware that after I saw what your son could do our plans
changed slightly. That is why he is still alive and Marlena hasn’t
done anything to those you love at home.”

Wanting to keep him intrigued for as long as
possible thinking I’m strong in ways he is not, I decide to push my
luck and entice him with the only trick that I could possibly
attempt, since I have no real answers nor would I ever tell him
anything that could remotely place my children at risk. “Don’t lie
to me David that is not the way to start negotiations.”

I try to sound strong and determined, but in
my weakened state, my voice waivers. “Marlena hasn’t done anything
because she is awaiting the return of the rest of my children
before she attacks.”

His widening eyes betray his shock and I
seize my opportunity.

“Yes, I know why she is waiting, so don’t try
to fool me. I also know something else that you have done.”

Curiosity rages igniting flickering flames in
his eyes. I sit back, watching him silently as this information
sinks in.

“I know you have not contacted your family.
She is carefully monitoring that and has not left Nicole or Lucas’
side since they departed this land. Amelia assured me that the
wolves refused to even allow you close to a telephone before she
returned you to our land. She would not lie to me for fear of
losing more family members. She, out of all of them, is very clear
on what we have done to her family and what we will do if they
interfere with us ever again, so how did you know this?”

It’s my turn to be shocked. I didn’t realize
he had direct contact with Grant’s sister, but thankfully he
appears to be under the misapprehension that the wolves brought me
back onto the land and never lost control over me.

The longer he stays focused on me, the better
the chances of our attack and their escape, so I continue my rouse.
“When Marlena bit me, I connected to her tying us together. Not
only can I feel her when I channel, but I also know her thoughts.
When she arrived at our home, she learned of the anniversary
gathering that we are having and the return of my other children to
celebrate. She contacted you to let you know that she would not do
anything until they arrive and then she promised to wipe out my
entire family and my husband. She promised she would not fail you
and would even try to learn the source of our power before taking
them out.” His eyes grow colder, sterner, but still betray his
shock. After a moment, they also betray his desire and longing to
possess this type of power.

“Do your other children possess such
powers?”

“Are we bargaining David?”

“We could be.” He notes calculatingly. “You
do appear to have something to offer me that I don’t have.”
Suddenly, he doubles over grasping his stomach. Straightening
himself, his features appear confused, afraid even before turning
steely.

“Tell me how did your son transform from that
mouse into himself, the only ones who have ever been able to
transform were the wolves and even they used to be governed by the
full moon.”

I decide to try something hoping to peak his
intrigue with just me for now. “David, you haven’t offered me
anything in trade for such information. Besides, that is not what
you really want to know. You want to know if my son’s
transformation was real and if that is how he escaped when you had
his cousins. You want to know if his transformation is not an
illusion the way your transformation was all those years ago when
you made yourself appear as Lucas to seek revenge against Elizabeth
or the way you are now trying to fool my family into believing the
illusion of Marlena and whomever you sent to portray my son is
real.”

His resolve slips and features waiver, my
gamble is working and he is considering my words. In his
distraction, I loosen the tourniquet knowing he won’t be able to
resist coming back for more blood.

His nose flares, he rises and is upon me,
grabbing my arm again allowing the blood which is once again
flowing to fill his goblet. Pulling me closer to him, his voice
turns harsh. “I am offering you your life. Now tie that tightly,
you cannot afford to keep me fed, although I do appreciate your
noble attempt at a distraction.”

It’s strange, but at this moment, he is not
at all the irrational individual I heard all day. He seems more
refined, calmer. I tighten the band as he returns to his seat.
“Since you know about the replacement of your son, tell me, is your
Jacob also tied to my Alexander?”

“Again you are seeking answers but all you
offer me is my life. My life is meaningless if you are going to
take my family from me, so why don’t you release my son, he can’t
give you what you want, only I can. Release him and the others and
then you and I can talk.”

Taking a slow, long sip, he appears to be
contemplating his next move. “If I release the others, I lose a
very valuable bargaining chip and your incentive to give me what I
want.”

“David, stop toying with me. You still have
Marlena and the other one at my home with my other children and
husband. Knowing what you are capable of, I’m sure that they would
take out my family before I could even find a phone to warn them.
Consider my offer. In fact as an incentive, I will even answer one
of your questions. My son is not capable of reading the thoughts of
your Alexander. He is young and you know how young ones can
be.”

“Yes, but if I release them, they could warn
your family.”

“David, my family is an ocean away. You know
those in the dungeon don’t have cell phones. Even if you were to
release them, it will be hours before they are even off your vast
estate. If I don’t give you your answers within the first ten
minutes, not only would you be able to recapture those you freed,
but you would be able to wipe out my entire family.”

He stares silently at me, hopefully
considering my offer. If I could get Gabriel and the others at
least moving, they would have a better chance at being saved when
the others arrive. David blurs before me as fog creeps into every
facet of my system, I’m becoming weaker with each passing moment
and wonder if it is only because of the loss of blood and lack of
food or sleep or if I am actually going through the transformation
Andrew warned me about.