Stolen-Kindle1 (2 page)

Benedict laughed softly into the receiver. “One day, we really need to discuss why you have such a vendetta against poor Moira. Are you aware that she tries very hard to befriend you?”

Oh, yes. Gabriel was well aware of that fact. Moira constantly went out of her way to greet him at parties. She would incessantly try to make conversation with him, despite noticing his lack of interest to whatever subject or question she broached. What Benedict did NOT know was that she enjoyed watching the fury spark in Gabe’s eyes. The pure hatred was barely contained within him. Moira knew everything and she did not care what her family had done to his. Discreetly, she took great pleasure in letting him know that.

Gabriel tightened his grip on the phone. “I am very aware of her gestures.” He snarled.

“Gabe, why won’t you confide in me? This dispute had been going on for centuries. What do you have against the Verdons?” Benedict asked.

The Verdons
. The name itself always made his blood boil and quicken. Gabe wanted to share what he knew, but he had no official proof. He was basing his theories on something his uncle told him before his disappearance. It was quite difficult for Gabe to keep his secret from Ben. Never in his life, had he kept anything from him. Both their households have always been close, even after his family’s demise. Yet, Gabriel was not ready to divulge his private affairs; to explain how the Verdons so wronged his house.

“All in due time, my friend.”

“How dramatic…” Ben replied.

“I’ll leave you to your wife.” Gabe added. “I’m sure you hope to taste her once again before she fully becomes one of us.”

“I’ll see you soon, Gabe.” Ben told him as he hung up.

Benedict definitely wanted to taste her. Their kind became unaccustomed to human blood after the ban, and he almost forgot how rich it was. Ally’s blood tasted divine; a coppery taste mingled with something he could not quite put his finger on. However, she was now in mid-transformation and he would not drink from her again. Ally would be using up the blood left inside of her before gorging on her first meal. Benedict did not dare dream of taking one drop away from her, since he was unsure when they would have the time to feast.

On the other hand, Benedict knew of other places that tasted just as sweet.

Benedict stretched lazily before grabbing a cup of freshly steeped tea. The special herbs should help to ease Ally’s pain. It was funny how overly prepared he was for her. He spent countless hours researching what were the common problems that could arise during a transformation. Unfortunately, very little information was documented on the subject, but he was able to obtain a scroll that described how the metamorphosis could be quite unpleasant and very rarely, it could even be lethal. Benedict discovered that once the pain subdued, and the fangs were fully developed, Ally would be thirsty. She would be at the limit of being dehydrated. Furthermore, there was a possibility that she could crave for human flesh. Benedict understood that it was important that she received human blood in due time, or else she would get extremely sick.

He pondered about grabbing a pouch of blood that was in his fridge, but decided against it. Better to give her a full understanding of what was going to occur. Benedict did not want to freak her out. A pouch of crimson blood could do just that.

As Ben walked into the study, he noticed Ally was nowhere in sight. Odd, he did not hear her leave the room. Then, again, he was making arrangements with the High Council before calling Gabriel. They confirmed that it would be possible to grant a private meeting, but when asked for the reason, Benedict hesitated. As much as he knew that Moira would be happy for his union, he knew that her father would definitely be not. He was an activist against the interbreeding of humans and vampires. The saying went that if you were a human hater, than you were a friend of Vincent Verdon. Benedict explained to the Council that he wanted to discuss matters about his upcoming wedding. It was not necessarily a lie; he was just not referring to Moira.

Benedict placed the cup of tea on his coffee table and looked around. Nothing was displaced nor was anything moved.
Very odd
. Benedict was confused as to why he did not sense Ally. Even if he were focused on something else, offhandedly, he would always be able to detect her movements. Unless… Suddenly, a chill ran over his body. No. Impossible! He was only away from her presence for no more than 15 minutes. Benedict raced to the bathroom, but Ally was not there. Panicked, he started believing in the impossible.

How could this have happened? He took utmost precautions before leaving the Silver Bullet. He assured himself that no one had followed him from there or even from Flambé. Did anyone know about his penthouse? No, only Gabe knew about its location, even Moira was left in the dark.

Cursing, he searched each and every room in his penthouse, calling and finally screaming Ally’s name. He received no response. When he finally reached his balcony, he was able to confirm his worst fear. Ally was abducted. Her scent lingered faintly in the air. Benedict’s hands curled into fists as he stared at the empty balcony. Fool! There he was in the kitchen, chatting away on the phone like some teenaged vamp, while Ally needed him most.

The wind shifted direction, and Benedict took another deep inhale of Ally’s fragrance. Hers was mixed with whoever abducted her. He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to identify the foreign aroma. He never smelt a scent like this before. It was a blend of mint, rosemary, and wet earth. He memorized the odor and carefully stored it in his mind. It would not be soon forgotten.

Swiftly, he examined the balcony for any clues, but it was devoid of them. Benedict knew that he needed to stay calm. No harm would befall Ally. She was in mid-transformation, as a result no human or vampire could harm her. A human would be at her mercy and vampires would fear being exiled. He sighed. Evidently, this little stunt was just a minor inconvenience for them.

He started to walk towards the kitchen, when he froze. His fist still clenched, he remembered that he had less than three days to find Ally, or he would be marrying Moira. Shit. Was it for this exact reason why she was abducted? Could someone, from Vincent Verdon’s circle, possibly saw him with Ally? Was she hurt?

“Once I find you, and trust me I will, you’ll pay dearly for trespassing into my affairs.” He said icily before re-entering his penthouse.

CHAPTER T
WO

November 1st

5:41 AM

A
lly awoke in a gasp. Dazed and slightly confused, she tried to grasp the fleeting vivid dream that roused her. Something about a screeching banshee and a small bat? Oh, well, it must have been something she ate. She opened her eyes and realized that she was lying face up on a cold, dank floor. Turning over her stomach, she gasped and became aware that she was in …a jail cell? Where the hell am I? She muttered. What happened?!

The room was dimly lit, and slowly her vision was able to make out her surroundings. She sat and confirmed that she was unbelievably inside a jail cell. How did she get here? Was this a drunk tank? No, there was no way she consumed THAT much alcohol! Yet, here she was. In jail... Arrested! Like some criminal! For the first time ever, Ally really hated Halloween. Honestly, what other holiday would cause you to get so massively drunk that you could be arrested WHILE dressed as a vampire? She rested her case.

Ally turned her head left and right, trying to register as much as possible her situation. She seemed to be locked in a small, stony square room, no bigger than the size of a janitor’s closet. The smell of mold, humidity, and rosemary oil assaulted her nostrils. Damn it! Her mother was going to kill her when she found out about this! Ally knew she did some crazy stunts in the course of her life but never had she been arrested before, and without any recollection of it to boot!

As her vision adjusted, she noticed, through the bars, that she was locked inside the last cell of the room. It faced a small hallway, with an impressive metallic door at the end.

Her head was throbbing. Her mouth was parched. With shaky hands, she lifted them towards what she assumed would be a large bump at the right side of her temple. She stopped mid-way when she heard the clink of her shackles. What the hell was this? They locked me in this cell and felt the need to shackle me on top of that? She fumed.

As she inspected the chains, she saw two small red punctures glistening on her tiny pale wrist.

All at once, her memory came rushing back to her. That bat-shit crazy woman locked her in here! After practically smashing her skull in, Moira must have imprisoned her while she was knocked out. Geez Louise! She was in a much worst situation than she thought. And Ben? Has he noticed her disappearance? Would he think that she changed her mind and ran away? Desperately, Ally rose to her feet. The chains were long enough to allow her to stand and to walk over to the bars.

“Hello? Anyone?” She whispered urgently.

Ally heard a scuffle coming from the adjacent cell. She turned her head to the right and tried to peer at the bars.

“Ally, is that you?”

Ally’s heart sank. Of all the voices, she was hoping to hear, this was definitely not one of them. The voice belonged to Pam, and Ally remembered what Moira had told her before knocking her out. Yes, Moira said that she took Pam and Trish as hostages. Ally promised herself that if she ever got out of this cell, she was truly going to kick Moira’s ass.

“Yes, Pam. It’s me.”

Trish squealed in delight as Pam sighed in relief. The two were deeply worried when they witnessed Moira dragging an unconscious Ally across the room.  Happy that her friend was alive, Trish squeezed her hands through the bars and reached out to her. The gesture moved Ally. She was nearly brought to tears, but she refused to shed one drop. Once she had avenged the wrong that was done to her and her friends, then, and only then, would she weep for them.

Ally took Trish’s hand and gave it a light squeeze. “Are you o.k.?”

“Yes, we’re fine. What about you?” Trish replied.

“Angry, to say the least… Who brought you here?” Ally asked urgently. She already knew the answer to her question, but she wanted to be positive that no other persons were involved in their predicament.

Pam cleared her throat. “The same woman who brought you: Moira.”

Ally straightened up. “Ok, girls, I need to know everything that has happened since you guys were brought here.”

“Well, after I got your text, saying you up and left with that dude at the bar, Trish and I went looking for you.” Pam said. “You know, you’re absolutely out of your mind to have followed that stranger without telling us where you were going! God, Ally, seriously?” Pam said, truly chafed.

“Pam, it’s not like that. I didn’t mean to put us in danger.”

“Well, here we are, Ally! Who knows when, if ever, we’re getting out!” Pam cried. Trish dropped Ally’s hand and immediately went to Pam’s side to put an arm around her. The two have been dreadfully terrified for Ally since Moira abducted them.