STEFAN (Completed)

Part 27

Chapter 27

Lorena woke up hungry. The scent of food caught her attention. She allowed herself be guided by the moon's rays to the tray of food which had been pushed into her cell earlier. Scared but very hungry, she lifted the tray and returned to the bed.

She wolfed the food down without even knowing what it was. It didn't even occur to her that the food might be poisoned. She was certain that the Shadows wouldn't give her a quick death.

She had to leave this place. Although she had nowhere to go, she had to leave. She was not safe her. Well, in Devonne, she was safe from the Renegades, but she was not safe from the Shadows. She had to escape.

She pulled at the sheets on the bed and tied them together. It didn't occur to her that she was being held in a tower. She believed that she was being held in a room with a high window. Ripping the sheets and the pillow dragged the bed to the window, breathing heavily.

"That's what you get for being too short," she told herself as she made several attempts to get to the window.

Her last attempt paid off and she slowly lifted herself to the window, praying that she would not be seen. She had to escape the Ruler's wrath. She held unto the artificial rope as she slid through the tiny window easily. She gasped when she almost lost her balance. She clutched at the sheets for dear life, breathing heavily. She began to lower herself slowly down with her eyes tightly shut.

"So far so good," she thought.

Then she got to the last piece of the sheet and yet her feet didn't touch solid ground no matter how hard she stretched. That frightened her. She looked down and gulped painfully. She gripped the sheets with all her might. She tried to get back up but only succeeded in loosening the knot holding the sheets to the bed post.

"This is not good." She thought as she hurried up, hoping that the sheets wouldn't come loose until she was back in the cell.

The artificial rope was becoming longer which only meant that the rope was almost free of the knot. She gulped painfully. She was going to fall to her death. Although she had a poor vision, she could still tell that it was a long way down. She was beyond frightened. She wasn't ready to die.

She began to utter every prayer she knew. When that didn't seem to give her an immediate solution she took her chances and screamed for help. At the same time, the sheets gave way and she began to fall.

Just when she thought she would surely hit the ground, she felt something knock her upwards and toss her to its back. It was an eagle and she held unto its neck as though her life depended on it and it did. It first soared to the skies before making a smooth dive down. She got off the moment it got to the land.

Before her eyes, the eagle shape shifted into a man. It was the Enforcer who had brought her to the palace.

"Muchas Gracias." She told him, hugging him without thinking. But it felt like hugging a rock.

"What were you trying to do?" he asked her. "Escape?"

"That was the general idea." She told him, moving away. "You would do the same if you were in my shoes."

He didn't say anything as he caught her wrist and pulled her with him as he went past several Enforcers and headed for the palace.

"Wait." She told him. "Uno momento."

He came to a halt but did not let go.

"I can assure you that I shall not try to make an escape. I shall be a fool to try that. I need the air. Please let me stay outside here for a few minutes."

"You are not entitled to any favours," she was told just before she was dragged through heavy doors in to a massive hallway.

Her attempt to pull out of his grip failed. She did the next best thing. She kicked his knee and he let her go. However, he caught her before she could make her escape. He tossed her none too gently over his shoulders.

"Have you no respect for females?" she asked, feeling the tightening in her stomach once more.

"I respect females but Familiars do not deserve respect."

"Why do you hate mortal Renegades more than the Immortal ones?"

"You're the worst of the bunch."

In the tower, he tossed her on the bed.

"Any more foolishness and you shall be shackled to the bed."

She trembled at the thought of being shackled.

"I'll be good." She promised.

He walked out of the room without a backward glance. She sat on the bed drawing her knees to her chin. She still couldn't believe how close she had come to dying. If she had fallen to her death, she would have missed the chance of being with the vampire she loved. She truly loved Stefan.

******

She had a nightmare that night and woke up screaming. In her dream, the eagle hadn't been there to rescue her. She lay back afraid to fall asleep. The nightmare was only part of what kept her awake. She was scared that the door might be unlocked while she slept and Miguel would glide into the room to punish her for leaving him.

He had beaten her all her life and she was in no position to stop him. She had had no one to talk to, no one to save her from the attack on her little person. The first time he hit her so hard she was unable to walk for days and had required stitches. She had been in so much pain that it hurt to cry. The doctors had said nothing.

When she was fully recovered, the abuse became a constant thing. She tried locking him out in her innocence but he always found his way into her room. Whenever she fought him, she was shackled in a closet and left to go on for days without food or water. She would remain there covered in her own filth. She was always released in so much pain that she endured his assault just to avoid the pain. She had always been a quiet child but he had succeeded in breaking her spirit completely.

She blamed herself for his attack. Her mother, Ricarda Banderas whom Lorena resembled so completely, had been heavily pregnant at the time of her death. As a result of this, she was unable to escape her attackers. They had left her lifeless body in the open and Miguel had found it. He had cut his daughter out of his wife's womb and taken her to Sergei. He had lived in Sergei's home from that moment on.

If her mother hadn't been pregnant, she would have survived but then Lorena would not have existed.

*******

Stefan tossed and turned violently. He was having a nightmare. In his dream he was still being held captive and forced to endure the attacks of the Renegades. He woke up screaming, but unlike the Renegade above, he was immediately surrounded by family.

Liesl was at his side. She lifted his heads to her bosom and held him close. He trembled in her arms and she sang to him in their native tongue just as she had done so many times while her children were growing up. Her voice was heavenly and could literally soothe the savage beast. Her voice itself was a weapon. Just as she could use it to calm a savage beast, she could knock one unconscious. This was one of her numerous gifts.

They never grew tired of hearing her sing.

Stefan began to calm down as she held him close, stroking his back as though he were a mere fledgling and not an ancient vampire. With her mesmerizing voice, she sent him to sleep and didn't let go until she felt that it was safe to do so. Then she returned to her true mate's embrace.

"I worry about him," she said.

"He will pull through," Nik assured his mother.

She smiled and held out a hand to him and he squeezed her fingers affectionately.