Surface Below: Dark Secrets (The Surface Below Book 1) (8 page)

Becca held tightly to herself, her eyes darting in every direction. She shook with fear. The memory of Caleb attacking her still too fresh in her mind. The effects had worn off but a dull pain still pulsed in her shoulder. She tried to shake it off, wanting to pretend it was nothing but a nightmare.

The world on the outside was all too real to her. Straight from her dreams to reality. From the sound of the waves crashing against the shore to the moon hanging in the sky, she remembered it intimately.

The massive wooden door opened and it made Becca flinch. A man walked in; he was older with thinning gray hair. His face was worn and starting to wrinkle some around his eyes and lips.

He looked at the corner of his room where she sat hugging herself.

Closing the door behind him, he smiled but not in a welcoming way. No, it was evil mixed with something more. He crossed the room to the bar on the far side and took a glass down from the cupboard. From the back shelf he grabbed a clear crystal bottle with a red substance in it and poured it into the glass.

Becca began shaking harder, watching him come and sit down in the chair near her. He leaned back in it, took a healthy glug of the drink and studied her. Finally he leaned forward and stared down at her. She recoiled further around herself.

“Becca Lorde.” He took another sip of the drink and chuckled to himself. “I heard stories of Tobias having a child. Do you know who I am?”

Becca shook her head and fought back tears that threatened to spill over.

“Becca, my dear, I mean you no harm. I’m Viktor and I can be a very reasonable man. Just tell me where your father is and you can go back to your William.” He was lying – even she could hear it in his voice.

Becca continued to stay quiet, keeping her glare forward.

“No? Nothing? Not even a lie? You’d rather protect your murdering father than yourself?” Her head whipped up at him now and his brow lifted. He’d finally gotten a reaction from her.

“My father was not a murderer,” she snapped. The accusation had awakened anger inside her. “He died an honest man.”

“Died? Tobias Lorde is dead.”

Viktor got up from his chair, a low guttural chuckle coming from him as he lowered in front of her. She began shaking again and tears threatened to spill over.

“Yes, when I was a little girl.” Her voice quivered and cracked.

Viktor smiled a vicious smile and pushed back up.

“My dear, you are lying. Where is Tobias?”

Becca fell silent and hugged to herself even more tightly.  “Okay have it your way. Maybe she can talk some sense into you. Caleb!”

She jumped at the mere mention of his name, and when the door opened and he entered, she looked away from him. Her heart pounded hard just being in the same room with him, and her stomach knotted.

“Yes sir.”

Caleb scanned the room and stopped at the far corner. A desire and want for her grew instantly as her aroma hit him in the face. He barely acknowledged his father standing in the room.

“Bring her in.” Viktor brought his son’s wandering mind back to reality. Caleb left the room and a second later returned, with the last person Becca ever expected.

The woman he dragged in had shoulder length red curls much like Becca did. But hers was a brighter red. The same blue eyes and pale skin though. Her hands were bound together with some rope.

Viktor went over to her and smiled wide.

“Aw Sarah, glad you could join us.”

The name made Becca look up. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the woman.
It couldn’t be, that’s impossible,
the thought went through her head loud and clear.

“Momma?” Becca muttered.

Sarah looked up and locked eyes with the young girl, and tears filled her eyes. Her shackled hands reached out for her.

“No, Viktor, what have you done?” Sarah pleaded. “Not my Becca.”

“Mom, I thought. You’re…”

Becca was speechless, trying to rationalize in her mind what was happening. She started believe that she was stuck in some kind of bad dream. That would explain the world just outside the terrace door. Her mind was trying to work through her emotions about her parents. Reminded her how much she wished they were still alive. That was it. She was dreaming, she was sure of it.

“Now Sarah, tell Becca it is in her and your best interest to tell me where Tobias is,” Viktor said, setting the glass down on the desk and slowly looking up at Sarah. Their eyes met and Sarah narrowed them. She couldn’t believe he would stoop so low.

Sarah shook her head, tears streaming down her face, and she nibbled at her bottom lip. Much like Becca did when she was upset or angry.

“I told you my father is dead.”

Becca jumped up from her place on the floor, and her hands balled up into fists. Viktor came at her with open hand. It stung as it made contact with her face. She fell to the ground, holding the spot tightly. Blotches of blackness filled her vision and a subtle ache creeped up into the back of her head.

“You tell me where your father is! Or so help me!” He raced over to his desk and grabbed

Viktor walked over to her mother and pressed the muzzle of the gun against her head. “I will kill her.”

“I told you he’s dead. He died when I was a little girl. Please…please don’t hurt her.” Becca pleaded for her mother’s life. Her voice cracking and tears streaming down her face now.

He cocked it and pressed it harder against her skull. “Last chance!”

“Please, I don’t know where he is…he’s just dead.” She cried harder.

“Viktor, she’s telling the truth. It’s what she believes is the truth,” Sarah admitted, and a heavy sigh passed her lips. “To her, her father and I are dead. Okay.”

Viktor lowered the gun in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“We took her memories, replaced them with new ones when she was about six.” Sarah breathed hard, adrenaline pumping through her.

Becca’s forehead creased. Memories replaced? She didn’t understand what her mother was saying. Was she lying? Just trying to protect her?

“Wait…what.” She stuttered. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, family drama.” Viktor got excited. “Now why would you do that?” He paced the room. “Why would you…?”

He spun on his heels and looked down at Sarah, pausing mid-sentence. His eyes gave it away. The two puzzle pieces came together in his head and he was starting to understand.

Viktor walked over to Becca and came back down to her level. “Oh oh oh…..” he chuckled, turning to give Sarah an evil smile.

“Viktor, let her go. She doesn’t know anything,” Sarah begged. “There is nothing she can do to help you. She might as well be human.”

“When was Becca born, Sarah?” Viktor asked, still staring at the girl. Searching her face for any reaction. He could see now that she had no recollection of what, who or where she was. “Sarah?”

“Right after the Fall.” Sarah sighed. She hoped that Viktor wouldn’t put it together.

“Tobias was Vampyr, wasn’t he, Sarah?”

Tears threatened to spill over again. She stayed quiet.

Growing impatient, Viktor wrapped his hand around Becca’s throat and slowly squeezed. She could feel the life drifting away from her as he squeezed harder. Her fingers scraped at his, trying to loosen them, even a little, to gasp for a breath. “Sarah? Was Tobias Vampyr?”

“Yes, my god, Viktor, yes,” Sarah cried, seeing the life starting to drain away from Becca.

“And Merrick Marks? Royal as well?” He pushed for more information, his grip tightening just slightly around Becca’s throat.

“Yes Viktor, Merrick as well.” She said.

Everything around Becca started to go blurry and her eyes started roll into the back of her head. Blackness was about to claim her.

“Viktor!” her mother pleaded.

Viktor released her and she collapsed to the floor, choking and coughing. Her hand rubbed at the spot.

“Interesting, that would mean not only William Marks but Markus Marks are both of the royal Vampyr bloodline.” Viktor talked to himself, slowly walking the room and standing in the open terrace door. His hand stroked his chin while he had his one-sided conversation. “Making them all, technically, the next Heirs and Heiresses. Very interesting.”

“Caleb!” Viktor yelled.

Caleb was quick to appear in the doorway.

“Lock them up.” He gave Becca a sideways glance and smiled with evil intent.

Caleb went for Becca first, already playing out the scenario in his head. The little taste he’d had earlier was surging through him and he could feel the little bit of power it gave him. And now he wanted more of it.

“Better yet, leave the girl. Just take her.” Caleb froze and gave him a jealous look. Sarah’s eyes widened and she jumped up.

“NO.”

Caleb grabbed her around the waist. But she jerked back and nearly went down to the ground.

“Viktor, don’t do this. Keep me, Viktor! Keep me!”  Sarah fought hard for the chance to save her daughter. She knew what he would do to her. What he wanted to do and why.

“Get her out of here.” Viktor waved her away, not fazed by her outburst.

Sarah fought against Caleb as he dragged her out of the room. She pleaded with him, begged him to stop but it fell on deaf ears. Her screams echoed throughout the corridor until they were nothing more than a murmur. 

Becca had backed up into the corner again, holding tightly to herself. It was all like a bad nightmare and she couldn’t wake up. None of it made sense to her.

Please wake up, Becca.
The words played over and over in her head.

“Why don’t you come up here on the bed?” Viktor suggested to her, patting the spot next to him.

Becca started crying, wishing William would come for her.

Rolling his eyes, he got up and grabbed her by the hair, forcing her to stand up. “I said the bed. You will learn to obey me.”

“Ahhh!!” she cried as he pulled her over to the bed and threw her down on it.

Viktor dropped his robe with a smile and slowly made his way onto the bed, and onto her.

Becca kicked him hard in the face. A rage spilled over him as he grabbed her by the thighs and pulled her under him.

“When you fight, I fight,” Viktor growled.

Grabbing her jaw, he jerked her head to the side. She fought hard against him, but Viktor was the stronger species. He took in her scent and growled loudly.

He unleashed his fangs. “Let’s see how the Heiress tastes.” Viktor sank his fangs deep into the meat of her shoulder, savoring the way her screams filled the air of the castle.

Pulling back from her, he felt a drunkenness wash over him. He gripped her tighter and brought his fangs back down into a new spot, and the blood rushed into his mouth again. It slid down his throat and took off into his system. Releasing her, he brought his lips to her ear. Blood dripped from his mouth.

“Oh Becca, my dear, you can’t even fathom what you hold.”

She wiggled away from him, trying to grab for the edge of the headboard, anything to give her some leverage. He reached up and wrapped his strong hand around her wrist, and forced it up above her head.

Using his free hand, he forced her shirt up to her breast and plunged into the tender skin of her belly. Another cry passed her lips and she jerked away from him, his teeth tearing at the flesh. It sent a piercing scream into the air.

Drinking greedily from her, he could feel a power growing inside him. It tingled and burned as it filled him. He bit her again and again, covering her body with fang marks

Becca started to feel dizzy and foggy, everything around her starting to fall away as the toxins built up inside her. Her body began to numb against the pain and as Viktor ripped her jeans down and bit down on the inside of her leg, she faded away. Succumbing to a restless dream land.

Viktor couldn’t get enough; he began to understand why his own son had been drinking from her. The power her blood held was unprecedented and he could feel it building. His eyes played with the sight of her pink cotton panties. He smiled wide and let his fingers slip under them.

Viktor spent hours with her locked in that bedroom with him. Violating her, drinking from her, marking her. It gave him a thrill knowing William would have to look at her, and know that Viktor had her for himself.

Pushing up from the bed, gorged on her blood with a super high keeping him in a euphoric hazy state, he redressed. He stepped out into the hallway and eyed his son at the end of the hall.

“Caleb!”

His son turned from the two guards he was speaking to. “Yeah.”

“Take Becca down to the cells. Put her with her mother.” Viktor waved his son off as he passed him.

Caleb glared as he watched him join the guards and disappear down the corridor. He growled silently, pushing the door open. Becca was coming around more and more now, the toxins already done running the course of her body.