Chapter 1
Vaid raged silently as he was dragged along a corridor and he could only guess what had happened. Ashdown was not volunteering any information yet, obviously perfectly happy letting his captive wonder. He didn’t even bother to accompany his subordinates on the trip down the winding corridors. Surely Pater wouldn’t have left him unconscious and vulnerable. He wouldn’t have been helpless, either. Distracted maybe but… how had he been captured? Where was Sera?
He tried to reach out to her but there was only pain. Trying to use his will to do anything resulted only in more pain and it was worse the harder he tried. The bastard had managed to catch him at his most helpless and until he had time to heal up, all he could do was wait. Surviving on the good graces of someone so petty and destructive was infuriating. He could only hope Sera was still free and able to help find him.
Finally he was taken into a room in what he could only call a dungeon. It was certainly deep underground and the stonework looked ancient. He was dropped against a wall with manacles bolted to it. They were locked around his wrists and ankles. As if he would be able to move. The silent duo who dropped him off left the room, locking it behind them.
It was a few minutes later he heard the soft click of another set of chains and a raspy sigh. “So they got you after all. Shit. Sorry about that.”
He looked in the direction of the voice to see the sunken visage of a starving Vampire. One who looked familiar. It took considerable effort to speak. “Burn?”
“Yeah. Not exactly where I figured we’d meet again.”
“What happened?”
“To you? No fucking idea. To me… Master Vampires don’t like hearing ‘no’. After seeing you take out that Shadow, I told them it was a bad idea to fuck with you. That next ritual would be overkill. Master Ashdown didn’t appreciate that. They tossed me in here and here I’ve been ever since. Waiting to go mad and get hunted like everyone else who crosses the Master.” He said bitterly.
“Where?” A hunting club, certainly… but he wasn’t even sure how many there were.
“It doesn’t matter. We’re not getting out. We’re here until we lose and you look half dead already.” Burn noted.
Vaid sighed. “Yeah.”
“I don’t suppose anyone’s coming for you?”
“Don’t know.” He admitted.
“It probably doesn’t matter. He’s got this shit down to an art. He’ll enthrall witnesses to plant a story in their head so they’ll believe they saw something that keeps suspicion off him. This place is warded and hidden. You might as well not exist. Just like me. We’re already dead, they’re just waiting for the right time to toss us in and let us finish dying. Well, me anyway. You, they’ll probably get fit enough to be hunted by the highest bidder until one of them succeeds.”
Vaid growled, not liking the sound of that. Normally he’d be excited for the challenge but normally he’d be here of his own free will and in control of his situation.
“Yeah, it’s not how I planned on going out, either.” Burn sighed. “How’d you end up being a decorative rug, anyway?”
“Soul damage.” He answered, not wanting to get into it beyond that.
“Oh shit… yeah… I’ve never seen it have that much of an effect - must have been bad. On the bright side, I guarantee Master Ashdown wants you recovered enough to get humiliated in combat so they’ll feed you more often than they do me. They make sure I have just enough to survive. So far. Though they either threw you in here to remind me I picked the wrong side or in hopes you’ll get hungry enough to take me out. Same thing, I guess.”
“Won’t do that.” He assured the man.
Burn snorted a laugh. “You may not want to, but if you get hungry enough you will sure as hell try. Just like I may snap and try to take you out. Let me apologize in advance for that. Chances are provided meals won’t be much more appealing, though. He loves fucking with his enemies and you’ve got a moral code to exploit. Your meals will be boring or cruel. You better hope it’s just a little cup of blood or you’ll end up hating yourself.”
“Going to kill him…” Vaid muttered, though he wasn’t sure how easy it was to understand with how little he could move his lips. He was already exhausted and felt sleep tugging at his mind.
“I applaud your enthusiasm but he won’t give you the chance once you have the strength to do anything. He’ll keep you weak one way or another.”
He was able to release another frustrated growl before his consciousness slipped away again.
Sera felt her mind swimming as she woke. She couldn’t remember getting drunk but… She groaned as memories slowly resurfaced. Vaid had donated part of his soul and she had seen…
Her eyes flew open and she sat up. Ashdown.
“I was starting to wonder if you were going to wake up.” The smug Vampire Master leaned against the wall beside a heavy steel door. The garlands of flowers looped along the edge of the high ceiling seemed almost mockingly cheerful and friendly but it brought her awareness to the heavy sweet scent and explained the drunk feeling. Those damn Sidhe flowers….
“What now, then?” She demanded, looking around at the smooth concrete walls. While she suspected there was more steel behind them she’d have to find out once he was gone.
“You disappoint me, Serafina.” Ashdown ignored her comment, didn’t even bother looking her in the eye. Something he had always done before - first out of respect then if only to make her uncomfortable. “How many years did I put my reputation, my clan, my very life at risk to keep you safe and hidden from those who would control you? And how do you repay me for everything I had to do to guarantee your freedom?”
“I wasn’t free until I forced you to make good on your promises.” She countered, biting back the surge of rage. “I was a captive. I don’t even remember most nights. Sometimes days at a time were just gone. For years. Enthrallment isn’t freedom and you damn well know it. I was just another little trophy on your shelf. The Entaent used as bait for your damn hunting games.”
“No, you were to be more. Had you cooperated you would have Awakened to a strong reputation. You would have had a devoted Vampire clan by your side ready to do anything to prove to the other Entaent that you needed no partner. You would have been free, your city guarded by my people. We would have ruled any city you wished together but you chose to shun me. You chose to bow to those you ran from. And look where it’s gotten you. Such a shame.” Though he kept his tone even, she knew him well enough to know that internally he was both raging and gloating. He’d been planning this for a very long time.
“And where is this?” She pushed.
“My home. Since you and your Demon loving assigned mate have forced me into hiding, I’ve decided to bring you with me. In time the king will fall and I will control the pawns on the Council. Until then, here we stay. Somewhere they cannot find us. I have gone to great lengths to keep this location hidden and secure. Only my most trusted allies know enough to get word to me and none in full save those in my clan who live here with me. There will be no rescue. There is no hope. Now you will play a game of my choosing. The freedom you were once given has been taken back. You cannot win this time.” He stood, turning to the door.
“Where’s Vaid?” She demanded.
“Safe.” He said with a satisfied smile. “Relatively. Perhaps I will allow you to see him in due time. He is most certainly not ready yet. Look on the bright side, he will get to do what he loves most once he has recovered enough to do so.”
She clenched her teeth and didn’t give him the satisfaction of any of the responses that came to mind. He wouldn’t be so confident without good cause. She would damn well be testing that, though.
The cell wasn’t very large but big enough for a good pace so she walked circles, taking stock of the admittedly dire situation. Vaid, the idiot, couldn’t have just waited a little longer to secure the area. He just had to prioritize the ghost of that Demon and the futile effort to bring it back to life. She even told him she was surrounded and…
She sighed, regretting the deep inhale. They jumped her. It was absolute chaos for a moment then she was waking up here. It had to have been the moment he was out of commission. The clan stayed coordinated when hunting prey. How they’d gotten Vaid away from the Demons she had no idea. There’s no way his Pater would just let him get dragged off. Or would he really be that focused on his real child?
Her armor was gone leaving her wearing only the lightweight shirt and pants she wore under it. Blank walls, a foam mat on the floor as a bed, and a bucket toilet that would no doubt be emptied while she slept. A faucet that emptied into a small drain that was no doubt intended to serve as drinking water, sink and shower, a door with a pocket handle and small porthole style window on the opposite side from the handle. That was a bit strange but useless.
She tried punching the glass out but it was thick enough to do little more than leave her hand throbbing. She glared up at the garlands of flowers hanging out of reach, pretty sure they were affecting her strength as well as her ability to think clearly. Even without them it was unlikely she’d be able to do much. He was too confident. This place had to be protected well enough she wouldn’t be able to call for help or will herself out. The flowers just protected his lackeys from her.
There had to be a way to get rid of them… but the more she tried to think of a way, the more her head hurt. All she could do was return to pacing and wait. Ashdown never tolerated people defying him and she had a feeling she knew what to expect now. As much as she hated those damn hunts, she had seen enough to have an idea what to expect.
Chances were his least favorite people were all trapped in this place and he’d pit them against each other when they got desperate enough to accept that it was kill or be killed. The only act of defiance she had left was to accept death and that very much went against her nature. He knew that. All he had to do was wait until she was too hungry to care. It would be a very long wait.
