Thicker Than Blood (Marchwood Vampire Series #2) (17 page)

Aelia tried to block out the widow’s
melodramatic words. ‘But is there also a chance I could save my
family?’

‘
There is some hope. There
is always hope.’

Aelia paused for a moment before
speaking.

‘
I was almost sentenced to
death three years ago. This second life I live now is a blessing,
but I will risk it to save my family. There’s no other
choice.’

‘
Then it is decided. And
who knows, perhaps you will also live a third life. But now you
must leave the cave, my dear. This next part is too dangerous for
you to remain.’ Widow Maleina tied a square of material over her
mouth and nose. ‘Do not re-enter the cave until
nightfall.’

Aelia’s heart beat loudly now. This was all
becoming too real. What was Widow Maleina going to do that was so
dangerous?

‘
Why are you still
standing there?’ the widow snapped, her voice muffled by the cloth.
‘Out!’

Aelia backed away, stumbled out
of the cave and began walking. The best scenario would be if the
widow was crazy, then Aelia would reach her village to find her
family safe underground and she could start to rebuild her life.
The worst scenario … Aelia did not want to think about the worst
scenario. It was like a nightmare. Murdering barbarians or night
demons and death. And what was the widow
doing
in there? She would probably find out soon
enough.

Chapter Twenty

Present Day

*

As the hours dragged by, Maddy switched
between fear, frustration and mind-numbing boredom. She would have
to ask Zoe for a book or a magazine or something. Madison had even
attempted to do a few sit-ups and push-ups, which was a sign things
had become truly desperate, but her heart wasn’t really in it. She
didn’t need to get fit, she needed to get out of here, to get back
to Alex and Ben.

Whenever she tried to formulate an escape
plan, she got as far as: ‘ask Zoe to help’ but then her mind would
wander or go blank. And the chances of Zoe helping her were pretty
slim anyway. Even if she agreed (unlikely), the other vampires
would probably kill them both or worse. She would have to find out
why she was actually here and who was behind it. Maddy’s heart gave
a lift as she heard the lock rattle.

‘
Hi.’ Zoe entered the room
with lunch which she deposited, as usual, on the end of the
bed.

‘‘
Hey, Zoe.’

‘
Hey.’

‘
I just have to ask - do
you know if they’re keeping my brother here? Or Alex? Or the
others?’

‘
No, it’s just
you.’

‘
Are you sure?’

‘
Pretty sure.’

‘
So you don’t know for
definite?’

‘
Let’s say I’m almost
ninety nine percent sure they’re not here.’

‘
Good. That’s good.’ At
least that was something Maddy could stop worrying about. ‘So,
what’s going on?’ Maddy asked.

‘
The usual.’

‘
Which is?’

‘
Look, Maddy. All you need
to know is, you’re not in any immediate danger.’

‘
Great.’

‘
Don’t be like
that.’

‘
Well, how would you be if
you were being held against your will and didn’t know
why?’

Zoe sat on the floor and leant back against
the grimy wall.

‘
Maddy, I’m not here for
the fun of it. I’ve got no choice either.’

Maddy raised a cynical eyebrow. ‘Just
because you’re a vampire, doesn’t mean you have to stay here with
the rest of them.’

‘
Where else would I go?
Sergell turned me into this. He thought he was doing me a favour,
but he got that wrong.’

‘
What do you
mean?’

‘
I mean … I was as good as
dead, but he changed his mind and turned me into this.’

‘
How did you nearly die?
If you don’t mind me asking.’

‘
My life was normal. Some
people might’ve called it boring, but I was happy. Married with a
beautiful son, lots of friends, pretty outgoing. The usual.’ Zoe
spoke the words automatically, with no emotion.

‘
Believe me,’ Maddy
interrupted. ‘That is not the usual. I’d say you were
lucky.’

‘
Oh, I know I was lucky.
My life was as near to perfect as it could be.’

‘
So what
happened?’

‘
Sergell happened.’ Zoe
sighed.

Maddy waited, hoping she’d continue.

‘
I was on a day course in
London for work. I missed my train home and had about four hours to
kill until the next one. I didn’t want to hang around the train
station, so I went for a walk.

‘
It was a warm night with
loads of people around, so I didn’t feel nervous about being on my
own. I thought I’d find somewhere to eat, take my time and then
head back to the station. I was going to call my husband and let
him know I’d be late home. But as I pulled my phone out of my bag,
I accidentally knocked my lip gloss onto the ground. It was one of
those little pots you dab your finger into, you know the
sort?’

Maddy nodded.

‘
Well, it fell onto the
ground and rolled down a side street. I didn’t think twice, I just
followed it. It was expensive stuff. It rolled along the pavement
right up to these shiny black shoes. I looked up and saw this
amazingly handsome man. Not as lovely as my husband of course, but
this man … he was out of the ordinary. He picked up my lip gloss
and handed it to me. I couldn’t even speak to say thank you or
anything. The man made me feel odd. Nervous. But at the same time I
felt like I knew him.

‘
I took back my lip gloss
and turned to go, but then I felt his breath on my neck. Part of me
wanted to scream, but the other part …’ Zoe stood up. ‘Sorry, my
story is probably the last thing you want to hear.’

‘
What!’ Maddy said. ‘No.
Carry on. Please. Of course I want to hear your story.’

‘
Well, if you’re sure
…’

Maddy gave her what she hoped was an
encouraging smile. It really did show how deceptive appearances
were. When Maddy had first seen Zoe, she’d assumed she was an
ancient vampire with no real feelings. How wrong could she have
been. She was just a normal person who had been in the wrong place
at the wrong time. Like Alexandre.

‘
So I felt his breath on
my neck.’ Zoe closed her eyes and clenched her fists. She was now
standing in front of the bed and Maddy reached out her hand and
took one of Zoe’s in hers. ‘I felt a sharp pain and then a warm
glow through my body. I lost consciousness pretty quickly.’ Zoe
opened her eyes again and looked at Maddy.

‘
So when you woke up you
were a vampire?’ Maddy asked.

‘
Pretty much, give or take
a few days of brutal agony. Sergell said he hadn’t planned on
turning me, but I reminded him of someone he knew. Someone special
from his human life. He treats me well.’

‘
So are you and he
…’

‘
God, no! No. He treats me
like a daughter or a sister. It’s weird, because even though he
looks so young, he acts like my father, only much, much stricter. I
suppose I’d be dead by now if he hadn’t turned me. But I don’t know
if that would’ve been better than this. He said I wasn’t to see my
human family again because they would be put in danger. And I miss
my son so much it’s like someone stabbing me in the heart every
day.’ Zoe’s breath caught in her throat and two blood tears slid
down her cheek.

‘
I’m so sorry.’ Maddy
tried to squeeze her unyielding hand.

Zoe wiped the tears across her cheek and sat
next to her. ‘Life’s a bitch and then you die and death’s a bitch
too. Only my life was lovely and I miss it so much.’

‘
Then go back to it,’
Maddy said.

‘
How exactly?’

‘
What Sergell said - about
how seeing your family would put them in danger – well yes, maybe
he’s right. But don’t you think they’d prefer that to thinking
you’re dead?’

‘
But I …’

‘
No!’ Maddy said, anger
flaring. ‘I grew up without a dad and then my mum went and died on
me. If I found out she was out there, but hadn’t come to see me
because it would’ve put me in danger, I would’ve said ‘stuff the
danger’. Do you honestly believe your family would be happier
thinking you’d died, than you’d become a vampire?’

‘
But it would freak them
out. How could I turn up like this? And what if Sergell’s right and
something happens to them? What if they get hurt by all
this?’

‘
Why would they get hurt?
You’re a vampire, you can protect them from anything.’

‘
I don’t know
…’

‘
Don’t be such a coward!
Your son needs you.’

Zoe’s eyes flashed and she put her face up
close to Maddy’s with a snarl. Then she crossed over to the other
side of the room and hung her head.

‘
It’s too risky. Look at
you. You’re involved with vampires and you’ve been abducted and
locked up in a cell. And these vampires, they won’t just let me
walk out of here and go back to my life.’

‘
Well, it doesn’t look
like you’ve tried very hard. Maybe your perfect life wasn’t so
perfect and you’d rather stay here and deliver room service to
prisoners for the rest of your eternal life.’

‘
You’re quite a bitch, you
know,’ Zoe said.

‘
No I’m not. I’m just
telling it how it looks.’

Zoe flashed her a dirty look and left the
room.

Maddy was too cross to call her
back in. If she’d been in Zoe’s situation, she knew she would do
anything to get back to her family. Saying that, wasn’t she
jeopardising
her own chances of getting out of here by
making Zoe angry? She was supposed to be befriending her, winning
her trust and getting her to help her escape. Instead, she was
giving her a hard time. The trouble was, Maddy was genuinely
starting to like her and wanted to reunite her with her family.
Poor Zoe. Maybe she had been a bit harsh on her. She’d had the
courage to spill her guts and all Maddy had done was
criticise
. Maybe she
was
a bitch.

*

‘
I think we should take
our chances and attack tonight,’ Alexandre said.

They were gathered in the sitting room area
of their hotel suite, the blackout material firmly secured against
the large window. Tension and worry was painted across the
vampires’ faces.

‘
I agree,’ Freddie said,
his blue eyes glittering. ‘We have to attack.’

‘
Well I do not agree,’
said Isobel, rising to her feet. ‘We risk Madison’s life if we rush
in with no real plan.’

‘
And we risk her life if
we do nothing,’ Alexandre replied.

‘
May I suggest something,’
Morris interjected.

‘
Of course,’ Isobel
said.

The vampires turned towards him. He was
sitting at the dining table, his thick fingers drumming the
polished table top.

‘
Why don’t you just go and
talk to them,’ he said.

‘
We tried that last
night,’ Alexandre said. ‘It didn’t work. They want us to present
ourselves tomorrow night, like obedient servants.’

‘
I think it’s a good idea,
Morris,’ Leonora said. ‘Maybe a couple of us could go tonight and
see if they will talk, tell us what they want from us.’

‘
But whoever went would be
putting themselves in greater danger than if we all went together
and attacked at once,’ Freddie said.

‘
No,’ Isobel said. ‘We
should only attack as a last resort.’

‘
I will go and ‘talk’ to
them.’ Alexandre drew imaginary quotation marks in the air. ‘And
while I am there I will attempt a rescue. Maddy will be in that
place and once I’ve located her, I will get her out.’

‘
But you’ll need our
help,’ Jacques said. ‘How can you hope to …’

‘
No.’ Alexandre cut his
brother off. ‘If we all go, they will expect an attack. If I go
alone it is less suspicious. More … conciliatory.’

They all began to talk at once, voicing
their objections and putting forward alternative suggestions. But
Alexandre couldn’t listen. He left the sitting room, went into his
bedroom and closed the door. He couldn’t think clearly with
everyone chattering, trying to press their opinions on him. He
sighed. He supposed he was doing the same – trying to impose his
will. But Madison was his responsibility. It was up to him to get
her out of there.

He sat on the end of the huge four poster
and rested his chin in his hands, his mind spinning this way and
that, not able to settle on any semblance of a watertight plan.
Every choice involved a massive risk, with Madison at the centre of
it. At least if he went alone, it would be the simplest way. The
least messy.

‘
Are you alright?’ Leonora
came in.

Good, she had closed the door behind her. He
couldn’t face another planning committee session with everybody
talking at once. It was too exhausting and confusing. Leonora sank
into a leather armchair and gazed up at him.

‘
It will turn out well,’
she said. ‘I know it.’