Blood Rebel [COMPLETED]

Chapter Thirty Seven - Ultimatum

Selene's hands trembled as she gripped the railings and hoisted herself up off the floor, only slightly, so she could see Hector.

"Stay low," hissed Virgil, pressing a hand on her arched back.

"One minute!" She snapped back.

Hector had changed into a fresh suit and a dazzlingly white shirt, but under his arm he carried the body of a girl, who struggled and spat, squirming like a worm in a dog's shit. Her hair was dark and knotted, with a ripple of red beneath the filth, and her skin was streaked with a rusty dirt.

"What is this, Hector?" Asked Diana, stepping towards him.

"This," he said, throwing the body onto the floor, where the impact shot through it making a noise like muffled gunshot, "is yours."

Hector put his hands in his pockets and stood over the girl, whose wrists and ankles he had tied with thick rope.

"Please, I can explain..." The girl whined, but Hector didn't let her finish, instead kicking her in the stomach. She squealed and curled up into a ball. Virgil's head snapped up, and he too pulled his body up to get a better look.

"It's Jackie," he whispered.

Selene nodded, disconcerted by the fact that Hector had chosen her as his prisoner from all the men up on the Heath; that Hector had carried her body pressed close to him for miles across the city. 

"What have you done to her?" Asked Diana, moving towards Jackie's huddled form. She looked more upset than Selene had ever seen her look, her hand reaching towards Jackie's retracted body.

"Don't touch her. She's a criminal, Diana. She was working with those dancers that escaped from the ceremonial dance. She kidnapped Selene." Hector stepped between Diana and Jackie, his gaze unwavering as he stared at Diana.

"I didn't, Diana, please -" Jackie got up on her knees and raised her bound hands in supplication to her owner.

"She needs to be punished." Hector paced around Jackie, glaring down at her. "I'm sending her to Epershand."

"But Hector, she's mine. I own her. Shouldn't the punishment be up to me?" Diana's feet were barely still for a moment as she moved up and down the room, pacing back and forth in front of Hector and Jackie.

Selene peered down at the remaining prisoners, who were all looking towards Jackie and Hector, relieved that the focus was not on them. For a moment, they had gained respite. The other Vampires in the room were also watching Hector, waiting patiently for their opportunity to draw blood.

"She's my prisoner," said Hector. "And I say she's the first to go to Epershand."

"I know where Selene is," said Jackie. The voice came from nowhere and the words were unexpected. Selene felt a cold hand slide into her chest cavity and squeeze her heart. Virgil and Xander exchanged glances, and all three shuffled back from the edge of the balcony, but not so far that they couldn't see what was happening below.

"It can't be true," hissed Xander.

Hector squatted down to Jackie's level and looked her in the eye.

"You're lying," he said, and slapped her across the face. The sound reverberated through the hollow room, and everyone paused, captivated by the display of violence. Not even Diana made a move.

"I'm not. It was part of the plan, so she could escape with -"

Before Jackie had finished speaking Hector struck her again.

"Stop it Hector, let the girl talk! Escape with whom?" Asked Diana, moving back towards Hector and her human. Her heels clicked rhythmically with each step, her strides purposeful.