Witchblood (29 page)

         ‘Daniel, you are requested to go and see Sebastian immediately. I have been ordered to escort the girl to the cells,’ Aaron said curtly.

         ‘No, I won’t leave her alone. She can come with me,’ Daniel replied quickly, holding onto my arm.

         ‘You’re already in enough trouble my friend. You do not want to anger him more than necessary, I am sure,’ Lucius said smoothly. ‘We will take care of her; you can be assured of that.’

         Daniel looked into my frightened eyes apologetically, before releasing my arm.

         ‘You’ll be fine Jessie. I’ll come for you soon, don’t worry,’ he said, as Lucius opened the heavy door and held it open for me.

         It was pitch-black, but with my vampire eyes I could make out a large metal cage standing in the middle of the room. In fact the cage seemed to take up the majority of the room, and looking past the thick bars, I saw what appeared to be a comfortable bed, plus a table and chair. I shuddered, hoping I wouldn’t be here long enough to need to sleep in it.

         Aaron unlocked a large padlock on the cage door, smiling as he swung it open.

         ‘Your home for the immediate future, little witch,’ he said, a slow smile spanning his cruel face.

         I hung back, still terrified and Daniel gave me a little nudge.

         ‘Don’t worry Jess,’ he said.

         ‘Come,’ Lucius said gruffly, taking me by the arm and leading me in. The door to the room swung shut behind me and I was alone with the two vampires. Something told me that even though Lucius certainly looked the scarier of the two, it was Aaron who I needed to watch out for.

         Lucius had remained outside the cage, pushing me gently inside but Aaron stepped inside with me, blocking the doorway.

         ‘I trust you’ll be comfortable here, until Sebastian decides what to do with you,’ he said with a sinister smile, as he stepped a little closer. ‘Mmm, you smell delightful. I’ve heard from Sebastian that you taste quite unique. I haven’t tasted witch before!’ He paused, looking vacant for a moment, before his eyes flicked back to me hungrily.

         ‘Aaron, we should go’, Lucius said. ‘Sebastian said she was not to be touched, and we need to check on the club. It’s closing time.’

         ‘He only wants her all to himself. He won’t begrudge me a taste, Lucius,’ Aaron said, as the chill of my predicament settled upon me.

         Would I be strong enough to fight him off? I was pretty sure I wouldn’t have a chance with the bear-like Lucius, but he didn’t seem overly keen on the idea, and had so far stayed outside my cage. Aaron may be thin but he looked all muscle, like a snake about to strike. I wouldn’t stand much chance against him either. and then I recalled my conversation with Daniel earlier that evening. Could I call him? Would he hear me? The conversation started up again and I took a step back.

         ‘Lucius, why don’t you go and check the front doors? It will only take five minutes. When you get back I’ll be finished,’ Aaron said coolly.

         ‘You should come. I don’t like it, Aaron. I’ll have nothing to do with this,’ Lucius said, his gaze flickering over to me, and I thought I recognised a brief look of apology.

         ‘Please don’t leave me,’ I found myself begging him as he walked towards the doorway and into the passage beyond.

         ‘Hey little witch, you have nothing to fear, it doesn’t have to hurt,’ Aaron said.

         I didn’t trust his hungry smile one bit. I wondered if I could edge around him to the cell doorway and somehow escape, but he seemed to read my mind and took a step back, closing and locking the door, before putting the key deep in his pocket.

         Oh Hell!

         ‘Now, let’s have some fun,’ he said, as I backed away from him.

         The backing away didn’t do an awful lot to help my situation, because just as I’d used the incredible speed to scare the girls in the alley, he now used it on me. I blinked and he was suddenly standing next to me, wrapping his cold, snake-like arm around my shoulder and drawing me in.

         I fought him off, and found my fangs appearing, as I ducked from his grasp and darted to other side of the cell.

         ‘Oh, fancy a game of tag, do we?’ he sniggered, before darting towards me and knocking me down easily. I cried out and yelled Daniel’s name, using the seconds I had left as he scooped me up, to try and throw out a mental cry.

         He dropped me on the bed and instantly had my wrists pinned at either side of my head, my legs held down with the sheer, solid weight of his body. His cruel, cold face loomed above me, eyes glowing like the burning embers of a fire. With strength I simply couldn’t match, he moved his hands so he held both my wrists together above my head, and with the other free hand reached down and ripped my top free, pulling it roughly up over my bra.

         ‘Mmm, now I wonder if Daniel has told you about this very tasty pressure point, just here,’ he said, no doubt trying to sound seductive but instead having the effect of icy dread, as he traced his sharp, pointed nail down over the contours of my half-exposed breast. He opened his lips and ran his tongue over his fangs as I prepared myself for one last assault.

        
This man, this thing, would not take me! No!

         ‘No!’ I cried out, drawing on all the reserves of strength I could muster. With one almighty shove I bucked my body and let out a shriek, as several things happened all at once.

         Aaron was suddenly lifted from my prone body, and I opened my eyes, searching for my saviour. Simultaneously I heard deep, rich laughter ring out from the doorway and looking across and through the cage bars, I saw that Sebastian and Daniel had come running into the room. Daniel was looking somewhat taken aback and it was Sebastian laughing.

         ‘It seems she didn’t need our assistance quite as much as you thought, Daniel,’ Sebastian said.

         I followed their line of vision to where I could only guess Lucius was holding Aaron off me, but there was no-one there; and then I followed my eyes up. Aaron was suspended in mid-air, his arms and legs flailing helplessly, but as I quickly shuffled back on the bed to a sitting position, my concentration lapsed and he fell the short distance to the floor. It took him less than a second to recover and he came at me, anger pulsing visibly through his veins, as his teeth went straight for my neck.

         ‘Get off her!’ Sebastian’s voice was cold as he commanded Aaron from the doorway.

         ‘She needs teaching a lesson, little witch,’ Aaron said defensively, unwilling to let me go.

         ‘Get off her right now Aaron, before I rip you apart. She’s mine,’ Daniel said through clenched teeth, as he prowled the perimeter of the cage, trying unsuccessfully to find a way in.

         Sebastian calmly removed a huge set of keys from his pocket and within a split second had opened the cage door, grabbed Aaron by the scruff of his neck and flung him across the cell. I watched horror-struck as Aaron’s head and back connected with the heavy metal bars, heard the sickening crack and watched as he slumped for only a second before he was suddenly on his feet again in a feral crouching position, a hiss emanating from his curled back lips, his eyes wide and black.

         ‘Get her out of here, Daniel. Take her to Eva’s room. I will be with you momentarily,’ Sebastian said, turning back to face Aaron’s crouching form. Daniel was by my side instantly, lifting my shocked body and carrying me effortlessly out of the cell.

         As we left the cell and headed towards the doorway of the room, Lucius reappeared, startling me.

         ‘You’re a bit late!’ Daniel spat at his apologetic face.

         ‘I had no choice, you know that,’ he said.

         ‘Of course you had a choice – you’re over two hundred years old. I’m younger than you and I’ve been released,’ Daniel said.

         ‘Uh, can you put me down Daniel?’ I said, wriggling and feeling a little silly being cradled like an infant now the shock had worn off.  OK, I had to admit, it had initially felt rather romantic being rescued and scooped up like a heroine in a movie!

         ‘Lucius, get in here,’ Sebastian shouted. ‘I’m afraid Aaron has done me yet another disservice. I think I will have to rethink your partnership. Aaron, give me the keys,’ he continued, walking calmly towards the fearsome Aaron.

         ‘Lucius, you know
I
am your master,’ spat Aaron. ‘I could, and should be a master level vampire by now. Do as I bid. Attack him. I will have Manchester and you will be my number two.’ He spoke so quickly and with such venom that I struggled to follow him.

         Sebastian and Daniel obviously understood though, because Sebastian immediately took a defensive step back. Without warning Daniel dropped me and I landed on my ass with a thud, but there was no apology. Daniel had instantly leapt the short distance to the cage entrance, blocking the way from Lucius, who had a strange glazed look in his eyes and had taken an immediate offensive position towards Sebastian in the cage.

         At the same time, Aaron sprang at Sebastian with the speed and grace of a cheetah. It all happened so fast that if I’d blinked, I would have missed half the action. Strangely, Sebastian stood his ground, and I noticed that in the split second that Aaron left the floor, flying murderously towards him, his body seemed to visibly harden, his muscles contracting.

         As Aaron reached his target, his hands outstretched ready to break Sebastian’s neck. His fangs fully extended, ready to rip out his throat, Sebastian remained perfectly still.

         A split second later as Aaron’s finger tips reached their destination, I blinked as I saw something unbelievably beautiful. Around Sebastian’s body, a glowing white arc of swirling translucent mist formed, and Aaron suddenly screamed as his body was thrown the length of the cell.

         Once again he smashed into the bars, this time falling, shivering and convulsing on the floor. Wordlessly Sebastian walked over to him, retrieved the keys from his pocket, turned around and walked over to the cell door, where Daniel calmly stepped out of his path, allowing him to close and lock the door on the unconscious Aaron.

         As this all happened in the space of about three seconds, I was still in a somewhat dishevelled heap on the floor. I picked myself up and stood back against the wall, silently staring at Sebastian, who had lost his beautiful glow the minute Aaron crashed into the bars. Daniel stood respectfully to the side without a word, seemingly unsurprised by what he’d just witnessed, but Lucius was a different matter. His eyes had lost the glazed look and he too stared at Sebastian in disbelief.

         ‘You ... Aaron, how ...?’ he stumbled, in a strange, gravelly voice.  He stood with his huge, hulking body still blocking the exit, but all aggression seemed to have left him.

         ‘A little party trick of mine Lucius. I will appreciate it if you tell no-one of course. A vampire’s best defences are those which are a surprise,’ Sebastian said, as Lucius nodded. ‘You answer to me from now on, and I’d appreciate it if you could go back out front. I believe there was a tussle outside the club at closing time and the police are now involved. See what you can do to diffuse the situation. We do not need any more bad press.’

         ‘Of course, my liege,’ he said as he nodded once again and left the room.

         A quiet moan emanated from the cell and my eyes were dragged back over to Aaron’s still twitching body.

         ‘He’ll survive, though I’ll have to replace him, for he’ll be of no use to anyone,’ Sebastian said calmly, making me jump as I’d not noticed his fluid appearance by my side.

         He briefly touched my shoulder and smiled before continuing his speech.

         ‘Jessica, I am most apologetic for the deplorable behaviour of my staff. I knew Aaron was becoming troublesome and had ideas above his station, but I did not think I was putting you in danger. I merely wished for you to have some thinking time before I spoke to you. Now come,’ he said, as he led the way from the room, closing the heavy door behind us and bolting it.