Thicker Than Blood (Marchwood Vampire Series #2) (14 page)

‘
I am grateful for your
help these past few months,’ the widow continued. ‘You have earned
your keep quite well. I would like you to know that.’

‘
Umm. Thank you,’ Aelia
murmured, before spooning in another mouthful.

‘
You are a good girl,’ the
widow said with a sad smile.

And that was the last thing Aelia heard
before the world went black.

Chapter Sixteen

Present Day

*

Okay, there was nothing else for it – Maddy
was going to have to brave the shower. She felt so disgustingly
grimy and vile that even a cold shower in the most rank bathroom in
the universe was better than feeling this gross. And anyway, the
thought of Alexandre seeing her like this, was too much for her
ego.

She was freezing to start with, so stripping
off her clothes was not enjoyable. Her teeth chattered and her
grimy flesh broke out in goose bumps. Maddy steeled herself for the
squalor and stench of the bathroom, opened the door, turned on the
light and strode in. She ignored the feel of the slimy floor,
trying not to gag, and stood under the rusty shower head. Bracing
herself for a freezing onslaught, she turned the metal dial on the
wall.

Cold brown water dribbled out onto her hair
and skin. Too late, Maddy realised she should have tested the water
before standing under it. She’d have to make the best of it now.
But to her surprise and delight, the water gradually grew warmer
and clearer until, after about twenty seconds or so, the muddy
trickle had turned into a steaming hot jet of heaven. Oh my God,
this was exactly what she needed. Her bones thawed out and her skin
glowed with warmth and cleanliness. She could have quite easily
stood there all day. Even without soap or shampoo, she felt a
million times better.

Eventually, Maddy felt sufficiently
scrubbed, and so reluctantly turned off the water and returned to
her room or cell or whatever it was. She used her vest top to dry
her body and sighed as she stepped back into her dirty clothes. Now
she just had to wait for that vampire chick to come back in again
and then she could work on befriending her. She felt like it was
only a matter of time before the girl came around. She’d brought
her a cup of tea and spoken a couple of words already. Next time,
she’d get a whole sentence from the girl if it killed her.

It wasn’t long before the girl came back.
She walked in and smiled at Maddy. It was small and quick, but it
was an unmistakable smile. Maddy returned it with a hundred watt
version of her own.

‘
Come on then,’ Maddy
said. ‘How long have you been a vampire? A hundred years? Fifty?
Five hundred? Put me out of my misery, ple-e-ease. At least tell me
your name.’

‘
My name’s Zoe Marshall
and I’ve only been a vampire for a year.’

Maddy was shocked that the girl had
answered. What a result. If she was honest, she hadn’t really
expected her to reply.

‘
Zoe … Hi … A year? Well I
was totally off the mark.’

‘
It feels like
forever.’

‘
I bet.’ Maddy was sitting
on the bed, leaning up against the wall, her legs stretched out in
front of her. Zoe put the tray of food on the bed and made to
leave.

‘
You can’t go now,’ Maddy
said. ‘You have to tell me how you got to be a vampire.’

‘
I don’t have to tell you
anything.’ Zoe’s face darkened.

‘
I didn’t mean … I just
meant, it would be interesting to hear your story. Sorry if I made
you angry.’

‘
No, I’m not angry with
you
.’

‘
Angry with who
then?’

‘
I’d better go,’ Zoe
said.

‘
No. Please.’

‘
Sorry.’ The door
slammed.

‘
Shit. Nice one,
Maddy.’

Suddenly the door burst open again and Zoe
appeared, sitting next to Madison on the bed in that disconcerting
way that vampires have of materialising right next to you as if by
magic. She leant back against the wall and began to talk.

‘
I don’t really get why
they told me not to talk to you. I mean, it’s not like I’m going to
tell you where you are or why you’re here or anything. And, even if
I did, what are you going to do about it? You can’t escape. This
place is serious.’

‘
Wow,’ Maddy
said.

‘
Yeah,’ Zoe replied.
Although Maddy hadn’t said ‘wow’ in response to what Zoe had said.
She said ‘wow’ because it was weird hearing all those words come
out of Zoe’s mouth. Zoe, the quiet vampire chick who never
spoke.

‘
You have no idea how
serious this place is.

‘
Serious in what
way?’

‘
Oh, you know,’ Zoe said
airily, waving her hands in a dismissive gesture.

‘
No, tell me,’ Maddy
replied.

‘
Well, it’s ultra-secure.
It’s not like a normal building or anything.’

Maddy suddenly remembered her journey here
when she’d woken up to that strange engine sound. Something
occurred to her. ‘Am I still in England?’

Zoe laughed. ‘I guess it won’t hurt to tell
you that much. Nope, we’re not in the UK.’

So that engine noise must have been a plane.
That wasn’t how Maddy had pictured her first trip abroad. She’d had
dreams of travelling first class to some sunny exotic destination
with Alexandre, just the two of them for a few weeks of
uninterrupted bliss. Instead, she’d been drugged, blindfolded and
abducted to the Costa del Grotty Bathroom. At least the room
service was alright.

‘
Can you tell me what
country we’re in?’

‘
Better not,’ Zoe replied.
‘I’ve probably said too much already.

‘
Thanks for bringing me
that cup of tea … before.’

‘
I used to love a cuppa,’
Zoe said. ‘That’s the kind of thing I really miss about being a
human. It’s weird, the blood thing is amazing, but it kind of takes
over. Whereas with food you have these little rituals and treats.
It’s more interesting. More varied.’

Maddy glanced sideways at Zoe. It was odd
how comfortable she felt in her presence. She supposed that was
because she lived with a bunch of vampires who were the loveliest,
kindest, funniest people she knew. A wave of emotion made her eyes
bright with unshed tears. She took a breath.

‘
I hope you don’t mind me
saying, but you don’t seem like the kind of person who would keep
someone else locked up.’

Zoe pursed her lips and stared at the
wall.

‘
Zoe?’ Madison
prompted.

‘
You know, you’re not the
only one who’s here against her will. I’m not exactly …’

Suddenly the door opened. A man swept in.
Except it wasn’t a man. It was another vampire.

‘
Out,’ he
hissed.

Zoe moved out of the door so fast she was a
blur. Maddy stood, her heart hammering in her chest. The vampire
was medium height with thick dark hair. His face was that of a
teenager, but his black eyes and bearing were much older. He stared
at Madison for a moment. She wasn’t usually lost for words, but the
man had such a presence she felt fear like a palpable thing on her
shoulder. Was he going to drink from her? The thought made her want
to scream in terror. Then, just as suddenly as he had entered, he
turned and left the room.

With a thud of dread, Maddy
realised he was probably going to be her new jailor. And what about
Zoe? He’d looked really angry with her. Would she get into trouble?
She hoped he wouldn’t hurt her. What if Zoe didn’t return? What
would she do
then
? That male vampire didn’t look like the sort you made
friends with. He was one scary dude. She was never going to get out
of here.
Think. Think, Maddy. What are you going to do
now?

*

This was more like the Cappadocia Alexandre
remembered, only now he was seeing it not as a mortal, but as a
vampire. Last time, he had viewed the countryside from the back of
a camel, gently swaying through the rocky landscape along a
man-made trail, his eyes wide with naïve wonder. This time, he
skimmed the dark surfaces of stone and rock and jumped any
obstacles in his way. He climbed up rock faces, freefalling down
valleys and stepping across streams as though they were small
puddles.

The others travelled close by
and they matched each other’s speed, silently covering the dark
miles. There were more settlements now and new roads stretched
smooth and wide, where before had been only dusty tracks or nothing
at all, but most of the terrain was still as it used to be. They
were nearing the village of Zelmat and Alexandre thought back to
the old woman who had originally told him the legend of the blood
demons. What was her name?
Havva Sahin
. She would be long dead of course, as would her
sweet grandchildren. Perhaps her descendants still lived
here.

Before long, they reached the rushing river
where Alexandre had dived down into the cave all those years ago.
He hoped he would still be able to recall where the entrance used
to be. The fairy chimney markers were no longer standing and so he
would have to trust to his memory. He scanned the river bank.

‘
Is this it?’ Leonora
asked, coming to rest at his side. ‘Is this the place?’ Her hair
had come loose and she began pinning it back into place.

‘
This is the river, but
I’m not sure if this is the exact spot. Wait here a moment.’
Alexandre travelled along the river bank for a few miles. It only
took him a minute or two. He suddenly remembered the cave had been
located at a particularly wide section of the river and also, there
had been a cliff on the opposite bank. Here, there was flat ground
opposite, so this was not the spot. He retraced his steps and
called to the others to follow him. Soon he came to an area which
looked promising.

‘
I think this is it,’ he
said. ‘It may not be the exact location, but it’s near
enough.’

‘
So what do we do now?’
asked Isobel.

‘
We walk. We listen. We
scent the air and the ground. We use all our senses to find
her.’

‘
Let’s spread out,’ said
Jacques. ‘We’ll cover more ground if we …’

‘
No,’ Alexandre
interrupted. ‘We stay together as agreed.’

‘
How about if Freddie and
I go together and you and …’

‘
I said no!’

‘
Fine. We’ll stay
together,’ Jacques grumbled.

‘
We stay in sight at all
times.’

‘
I said
okay
.’

They travelled more slowly this time.

Alexandre concentrated on everything around
him. He smelt the frost on the ground and the fresh tang of pine
needles in the wind. The earth beneath him felt solid and dense.
Insects, lizards, snakes and rodents moved below him, but he could
not sense anything more.

‘
I cannot get a feel for
anything below the surface,’ Isobel said giving voice to his
thoughts. ‘I just feel the rocks beneath my feet. Nothing
more.’

The others murmured their agreement.

‘
Perhaps the rock is too
thick for our senses to penetrate,’ Leonora said.

‘
I think you’re right,’
said Freddie. ‘It just feels like normal ground to me. I can’t tell
if there are any caves below or not.’

‘
And I definitely can’t
tell if there are any people down there. Human or vampire,’ said
Isobel.

‘
Sshh.’ Alexandre held up
his hand for silence. ‘We have company.’ He tensed his body. There
were four of them coming this way, travelling quickly. He knew they
were about to have a confrontation with these creatures and he
wished he could send the others away to deal with it on his own.
The fear for his siblings and friends was worse than his
apprehension at meeting these powerful beings.

They came to a stop only a few yards away.
Four male vampires dressed in modern clothing.

‘
No need to be nervous,’
one of them said. ‘We don’t bite.’

The other three laughed at their companion’s
humour.

‘
Where is she?’ Alexandre
asked, praying his voice would remain steady. It did.

‘
Hello, pleased to meet
you. My name is Sergell.’ He looked young, but Alexandre knew this
vampire was old. Older than him. Much older.

‘
Where is she,
Sergell?’

‘
And you must be
Alexandre,’ he continued.

Alexandre took a step forward.

‘
Now, now.’ Sergell held
up a hand. ‘We are soon to be family. We don’t want any
unpleasantness.’

‘
You started this
unpleasantness when you took Madison.’

‘
I can see this is not
getting us very far. Return to your hotel. Relax, enjoy the scenery
and come to the city in two days’ time as agreed.’

‘
Nothing has been agreed,’
Alexandre snarled. ‘Nothing!’

Leonora put a warning hand on
his arm. ‘We will return on the 21
^st
,’ she said.

‘
Very good,’ Sergell
replied.

The four strangers left as quickly as they
had arrived.

‘
Why did you say that?’
Alexandre growled at Leonora.