The Chalice (Luna Vampire Series) (34 page)

             
Even so, my hopes weren't set too high.  I knew I required a feeding for any major improvements to occur.  Still, as I plunged further into a dreamless sleep, my body relaxed and my pain slowly dissipated.  It was comforting, in some small way, the knowledge that
if I did cease to exist
the suffering would go along with it.

             
I'm uncertain how long I slept; it could've been a couple minutes or a couple hours.  Much like my other cement prison, there was no method of gauging the passage of time.  Regardless, the screeching of the metal door's hinge eventually woke me as it slid open. 
A visitor, surely not good.

             
Nope, definitely not.
  Instantly, my tension spiked when I recognized Tsedaka.  He looked much the same as on the first day we met.  Black dress shirt and pants, matching leather shoes, neatly combed brown hair, flecks of gray at his temples, and a face wrought with fine lines. 

             
Unfortunately, however, this time he carried a cat of nine tails in his right hand.  The heavy-duty red leather was tied into knots at the ends of each strand; a piece of gear straight from the fetish scene. 
I should know, several of the dancers performed bondage acts at the club.

             
"I'm glad you're home, daughter," he sneered, his gravelly voice just as decrepit as I remembered it.  "We must talk."

             
Wavering indecisively, a part of me longed to yell at him and demand that I be released.  Nonetheless, I also understood a course of action
such as that
would be a horrible mistake, for my throat as well as his anger level. 
And, for once, I actually listened to my more intelligent side. 
So, I simply kept my mouth shut and gave him the puppy dog face.

             
"I won't permit you to go on crime sprees throughout my kingdom!" he boomed, his words reverberating into my bones.  "You left this facility despite my express orders, created an unsanctioned vampire, robbed a bank, and then killed my favorite niece along with three of her guards.  You
will
answer for these crimes!"

             
Yep, that was it; I couldn't hold myself back for another second.
I had to object to his demented logic, no matter the consequences.
  "Look, old man, I never would've done any of that if you hadn't changed me against my will in the first place," I grumped, speaking softly to accommodate my hoarse, aching throat.  "And Isabella,
she
came after me.  I needed to defend my..."

             
"You didn't have authorization to kill a member of the aristocracy.  That privilege is mine and mine alone," he growled, tapping the whip on his leg to emphasize that he held all the power. 

             
"So what?" I quipped, unable to stifle my snarky attitude.  "I should've stood there and let her kill me."
  Anybody in my position would've defended themselves.  And it's real convenient how his goons showed up at our hotel room at the exact moment Lucien went to help me.  Sure sounds like a coordinated attack to me.  The manipulative bastard.
 

             
"You were to evade her and seek retribution within my court.  That's how we behave in proper vampire society.  We aren't a bunch of outlaws.  We have rules and they will be followed."

             
"And that's how my
blood slave
, Amelia, got killed," I muttered, inadvertently allowing a taste of my grief to sneak past my tough-girl façade.  "Your henchmen were
following the rules
."

             
"Cause and effect, my child, cause and effect.  You chose to leave, subsequently initiating the entire fruitless chain of events.  You should've accepted your station and abided by my commands.  That's the path of those who are
made
.  I never expected you'd possess this kind of power, enough to outmaneuver my will."

             
Whatever dude.
  The more I talked, the more sore my throat became.  And besides, there wasn't a bit of use in blabbering on, considering he'd assuredly blame me for everything regardless.  As a result, I decided to close my eyes and ignore the world.  Perhaps he'd take the hint and leave. 
Or maybe he'd beat me.
  Either way, the fight was gradually seeping out of me.  I needed food desperately and, as my energy level scraped the bottom of the barrel, sleep was a welcomed respite.

             
Obviously aware of
my solution
to our impasse, Tsedaka tried to regain my attention by slapping his leg harder with the whip.  "I've put you on a fast, my daughter.  Once it's clear you'll make no more escape attempts, I'll help you rebuild a portion of your strength.  After which, a formal trial will be held to decide punishment for your grievances against my authority."

             
Keeping my eyes squeezed shut, I refused to give him the faintest outward indication that I'd heard his little speech.  Nevertheless, on the inside my temper boiled.  When would somebody punish
him
for grievances against
my humanity
? 
The fucking son of a bitch.
  And he'd put me on a fast. 
Yeah, as if!
  More like I was being starved so I couldn't pull a repeat of the Isabella incident on every vamp here. 
The cocksucker.  If he didn't watch it, I'd...

             
"I will not tolerate belligerency!" he snapped, seconds ahead of grabbing a handful of my hair, flipping me onto my stomach, and sliding my face sharply into the cement in one swift thrust.  "Don't be fooled by my civility, I will break you!"  And then he proceeded to whip me. 
Hard
.

             
"Stop!" I screamed in my loudest raspy voice possible.  "Please!  Quit!  I'm sorry!"  And, of course, my begging didn't work. 
Surprise, surprise.
  Therefore, as the ordeal exceeded the very definition of agony, I propelled my nonexistent energy into the universe and willed my surroundings to freeze. 
Notta, zip, zilch.  Sadly, I lacked the strength.

             
On reflex, I wailed as each lash seared the once unmarked skin of my back. 
And, let me tell you, there were moments where I'd have done the unimaginable to get him to leave me alone.
  Helplessly, I clung to consciousness by counting the number of times he struck, praying each one would be the last.  He kept a steady pace, not pausing for an instant. 
Fifteen.
 
Twenty-five.  Thirty-one.  Thirty-five
.  Finally, he left me to writhe on the floor. 

             
After that, time moved slowly, each breath labored with the weight of my injuries.  I felt hopeless, isolated.  And I silently cried out for my mom, imagining her warm touch soothing my misery.  I wondered how she could've fallen for a guy as horrible as him. 
He must've used vamp mojo on her; that's the only reasonable explanation.  Any person in their right mind can sense that he's the darkest evil, satan incarnate...

             
Just then, a muffled knock came from my cell's sturdy door, jostling me from my scattered musings.  Halfheartedly, I hoped it'd be Lucien or Adrian, there to rescue the princess and save the day.  Although, intuitively, I knew that was merely a pipe dream.  My life wasn't a fairytale; escaping this mess wouldn't be as easy as before.  And, unsurprisingly, my instincts were affirmed when my visitor started to speak.

             
"Princess, it's Petrus," he whispered, distress heavy in his eyes as he gaped at me through the small window.  "I'm putting myself at great risk being here.  Nonetheless, I wanted to provide you with a piece of advice."

             
"P-piss off, you piece of c-crap," I hissed, teeth chattering from shock.

             
"It's best if you concede to the king's will.  Otherwise, he'll keep this up until you're nothing more than a shadow of your former self.  I've seen him do this to many.  Please, princess, heed my warning."

             
I rolled my eyes, not caring in the slightest about what my father's lackey had to say.  Tsedaka could try to
mold me to his will
all he wanted.  And, sure, I might even act like his mini-me robot if it'd give me an edge. 
But deep down I'd never surrender my freedom.  And, by no means, would I forget how he irreparably destroyed my life. 

             
Still, I decided to use Petrus's presence to my benefit.  Maybe, if I played nice and took control of the conversation I'd get a few answers.  "Look, if you really w-wanna help, t-tell me of Lucien.  Is he alive?"

             
"Yes, he lives.  We're keeping him in a cell at the end of the hall..."  Abruptly, he turned from the window to briefly squint into the distance.  "I must go, princess, another guard approaches."

             
"Wait, can you b-bring me some b-blood?  I'll die if Tsedaka k-keeps me here without food."

             
"I apologize.  I cannot blatantly disregard the king's orders."  And with that, he marched off, disappearing into the maze of tunnels that connected the sections of the facility.

             
Yet again, I was alone. 
Alone in my private concrete hell.
  And, in the face of blinding agony, my thoughts drifted back toward Lucien.
If he lived, why couldn't we communicate? 
We'd always been able to join our minds in the past. 
Was I too weak?  Or was he? 

             
"Lucien!  Are you there?"
I sent to him, hesitating in the uneasy silence. 
"Okay, for whatever reason I can't hear you.  Although, you might hear me.  So, uh, I wanna let you know that we're gonna make it through this, somehow.  Thank god you're alive.  And, um, I love you." 

             
Halfway into the message, tears began streaming down my cheeks.  Accordingly, I basked in relief as a flood of suppressed emotions spilled forth from my soul.  Until that moment, I hadn't given myself permission to cry.  It would've shown vulnerability to Tsedaka, made me seem weak, easy to manipulate.  Now, however, in the solace of my isolation, I could let go. 

             
I allowed my frustrations to pour out of me, my true emotions to surface. 
Tears and sobs.
  The fear of being trapped, tortured, and most likely ending up dead.  The torment of my throbbing wounds.  And mourning over Amelia's unnecessary death.  I even felt sadness about Dawn, though I hardly knew her. 

             
How'd my life spiral into this wretched nightmare?  Would I ever escape again?  And, beyond everything else, how in the world was I gonna continue to resist Tsedaka's brainwashing?
Another round or two with the cat of nine tails and I'd surely cave...

Chapter
24

             
In the torture session's aftermath, I lay on my stomach while I vacillated in the dark space between awareness and unconsciousness.  The severity of my back injuries made it so that I couldn't have anything beyond the remnants of my blood caked t-shirt touching them.  And, yeah, the shirt had been completely shredded during the whipping, along with my skin.

             
Time passed agonizingly; each breath inciting sharp spasms in my throat and unbearable twinges throughout the muscles cradling my spine.  I prayed for percocet, or morphine, or even heroin.  I didn't care which.  And, of course, I received no answer.
  Simply the blinding pain of being awake and the cold emptiness of being asleep.

             
"Holy hell!  What has he done?" a distinctively familiar voice sputtered, jolting me from one of my numerous catnaps.

             
Cracking open my eyelids, I shifted around just a smidge to squint up at my visitor.  "A-Adrian, is th-that you?" I stammered in a raw whisper.  "Are you t-truly here?" 

             
Hurriedly, he dropped to his knees, inadvertently letting me see the tears glistening in his eyes.  "I would've come sooner, although the king denied approval for my visit until today.  I can only stay for the sunlight hours and, since it's already mid-afternoon, that leaves us very little time."

             
Tentatively, I reached over to touch his black combat boot, feeling as if laying my hands on him might make his presence more real. 
Honestly, a part of me figured I had to be hallucinating.  I mean, I'd called for him on dozens of occasions and he never responded.
  "H-How long have I b-been here?" I eventually groaned, my disbelief gradually fading.