"Well let's go then." Kayleb said stepping forward. Jake growled and stepped between the demon and his family.
"Wait Kayleb. This is a demon."
"Yeah, you can trust a tick more than you can trust one of those things." Lane added moving Joey behind him. Jake tried to do the same with Angela but she threw him a look that clearly said, don't start and stood by his side.
"You can trust him." Kaylee said matter of factly as she walked around Jake and stood beside the tall blond demon.
"He's a demon?" Joey asked.
"He looks more like an angel." Angela added. Jake growled.
"That's how they get innocent mortals to trust them, just before they lure them to their deaths."
"I don't give a shit if he's Satan himself, come up from the fiery pits of hell, if he says he knows where I can find Vanessa then I'm going with him!" Kayleb said angrily.
"We can trust Damien." Kaylee said.
"All demons are evil, Kaylee." Charles spoke up while shaking his head. Kaylee rolled her eyes and glared at her family who all seemed to be in agreement with Charles, except for Joey and Angela who were staring at Damien as if he were an alien instead of a demon.
"Yes and all vampires are cold blooded, blood sucking murderers. And all werewolves are brain dead dogs who walk around sniffing each others asses all day. And all mortals are weak and ignorant."
"I am not a dog... I'm hot." Bethany said tossing her blond hair over her shoulder and dusting imaginary dirt from her arm.
"I think she was trying to make a point, honey." Greg said matter of factly.
"I know that, but she didn't have to insult me to do it."
"Yes she did." Greg said. "That was the point."
"Shut up!" Kayleb snapped and he looked at Damien. "How do you know where Vanessa is?"
"Kaylee told me about Vincent and the trouble going on with your family so I checked into it. I know where he keeps his pets."
"Been there a few times, huh?" Lane asked and Kaylee glared at him as he shrugged and gave a sheepish grin.
"Yes, actually I have." Damien replied matter of factly.
"How do you know this when I do not." Frances asked.
"Because I run in a slightly darker circle than you do vampire." Damien replied. Kayleb was weak on his feet and his skin was on fire from Frances's bites. He had built up a fairly good resistance to vampire venom over the years but it still hurt like hell.
Angela must have noticed because the next thing he felt was her gentle hand on his arm and her energy flowing through him.
(We'll get her back, Kayleb.) Angela said so only he could hear.
"You all need to put aside anything you have against demons for right now. What matters at this moment is getting Vanessa back and nothing else. If Kaylee says we can trust Damien then we trust him. End of story."
"How do you know this demon, Kaylee?" Charles asked with an edge of anger to his voice.
"His name is Damien and he is my friend." Kaylee replied and then she looked up at Damien. "Can you take us to where she is?"
"Of course. Though I must warn you he is not alone there."
"Come on, let go down to the office and we can talk about how many there are and what the place is like." Jake said going into hunting mode instantly.
***
Vanessa looked around the dimly lit concrete room she was chained in. Her naked body was a mess of cuts and bruises from being tossed carelessly onto the rough stone floor. She was cold and this room was damp. Her skin was covered in goose bumps and she shivered as she wrapped her arms as tightly around herself as she could. There was a manacle around her wrist and she was chained to the wall with a four foot chain.
She had been left alone so far. Vincent had tossed her into this windowless, small room hours ago and she had seen no one since. She closed her eyes and saw Kayleb's face and nearly started crying. She wondered if he knew yet that she was gone and she wondered how much he must hate her for walking away from him.
Did he understand that she had done it to save them all? What about little Faith? Was she awake and looking for her mommy? Vanessa was about to give into the tears that were building in her eyes when she heard the lock on the door slide open and she quickly blinked her tears away and stood straight.
"Hello, my pet." Vincent said with a cold smile as he walked into the room. When Vanessa didn't reply he hissed and took three long strides across the room before backhanding her across the face.
The sting of his slap brought tears to Vanessa's eyes but she held them back and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out. She forced herself to look back into his violet eyes even though the sight of them made her blood run cold.
"When I greet you, I expect a response." Vincent said harshly. Vanessa squared her shoulders and glared up at him.
"Go to hell." she spat. Vincent laughed and squeezed her cheek so roughly she was sure it would bruise but still she worked hard to keep herself from showing pain. Vincent must have seen the flash of pain in her eyes though and he smiled at his victory.
"You will be so much fun to break, my pet." Vanessa felt her stomach turn at the lustful look in his eyes. She had never thought about him trying to make her have sex with him but now that thought was scaring her to death.
"Are you hungry, pet?" Vincent asked and on cue four sub demons came into the room. Two of them were carrying a round table, one of them was carrying two chairs and the fourth had a covered metal dish. Vanessa nearly vomited at the sight and smell of these sub demons. She had never seen any up close before and they were really nothing more than walking corpses, all rotted flesh and rancid sores.
They set the table up beside Vanessa and Vincent and the one who had been carrying the chairs, grabbed Vanessa's arm and slammed her down on one. The cold metal of the chair was painful against her freezing bare skin.
"Eat, my pet." Vincent said in a gentle voice as he sat down across from her and dismissed the sub demons from the room with a wave. He removed the cover from the dish to reveal a plate of steaming chicken alfredo. Vanessa felt her mouth begin to water at the scent of her favorite food and she looked up at Vincent suspiciously.
"I know many things about you, pet." Vincent replied with a cold smile. "Now eat." he said and Vanessa saw the threat in his eyes. She picked up the fork from the plate and stuck a small bite of food into her mouth, surprised by how delicious the pasta tasted.
"Good, pet." he said once she ate her fill and pushed the plate away. "I bought you something." He snapped his fingers and another sub demon game into the room with an emerald green, silk shift gown.
"Keep it." Vanessa replied, keeping her voice just as void of emotion as his own.
"Do not test my patience, pet." Vincent said rising from the table and walking toward her. Vanessa knew she should just do as he told her but she had to let him know that she was not broken yet. She gripped the fork tight in her hand and then swung her arm and stuck the fork deep into his thigh.
He hissed in pain and grabbed her arm, throwing her roughly against the wall and causing her to scream in pain when the rough concrete blocks dug into her skin.
"You need to learn some manners." he hissed and he held her against the wall with his body as he lowed her mouth to the bare skin between her neck and shoulder. She shivered and would have collapsed with fear if he hadn't been holding her up when she felt his cold lips pressing against her and then she screamed in pain when he stuck his fangs into her skin and drank from her veins....
The pain was so intense she could not think as flames filled her blood and the burning heat filled her from her head to her toes and all she could do was scream.
When he finally pulled away his violet eyes were dark with lust and her blood was running down his chin. He ran his tongue over his blood covered fangs and she watched him shiver with pleasure and her pasta meal came back up in a quick rush and splashed across the stone floor.
"Don't worry pet, you will not die. I have learned how to drink from mortals without causing their deaths." Vanessa was not comforted by his words. How many times would she have to endure that kind of pain before he finally killed her? She could feel the blood from the two small holes he had opened in her skin running down her chest.
"Now put this on." he said handing her the tiny gown. He pulled a key from his pocket and unhooked her wrist and she rubbed the bruised skin before taking the gown and slipping it on. It had thin spaghetti straps and was low cut in front, barely hiding her breasts from view and the bottom of the silk gown barely covered her backend. Dark green lace served as a hem along the top and bottom of the gown.
"Lovely." Vincent hissed as he hooked the shackle back to her wrist. "I'll be back, my pet." Vanessa watched him leave the room and close the door behind him. She sat back down in the hard metal chair and as the scent of blood and vomit filled her nostrils and the pain from Vincent's bite continued to course through her veins, she buried her face in her hands and cried.
***
"Let's go." Jake said. Laney looked at her family all dressed and ready to go and she nodded.
"You look ready." she said.
"We will stay here but just call for us if you run into too much trouble and dad will trace us to you." Bethany said. She, Greg, Rebecca, Charles and Laney were staying behind with the kids while the rest of them were going. Frances and Kimberly had already left, their friendship with the family thoroughly destroyed since he had gone behind their backs and put one of their own in danger.
"I wish you wouldn't come." Jake said to Angela. Damien had let them know that Vincent had hundreds of sub demons that worked for him and served as his own personal army of guards.
"I am coming, Jake." Angela replied as she stuck the .45 revolver down into the holster on her waist. "If you die, I die remember? I will not stay behind and let you face danger alone. I'm going to be right there facing it with you." Jake sighed and nodded with defeat. He had learned a long time ago that arguing with Angela was pointless.
"So where exactly is this place?" Lane asked as all of them that were going joined hands so Damien could dash them.
"Greenland." Damien replied.
"Greenland? Are you fucking kidding...." Lane's words were cut off as the air shimmered and Jake, Lane, Angela, Joey, Kaylee, Kayleb and Hunter were gone.
"Please, let them come back home to us." Rebecca said and Charles wrapped his arms tight around her.
"They will Beccs." he promised.
****
"Damn, that's a big place." Hunter said looking at the huge castle that Vincent used as his hideout.
"So how are we getting in?" Kaylee asked her uncle.
"Why not use the front door?" Jake replied with a shrug.
"Are you serious? You will bring the whole army of guards down on us." Damien said matter of factly. Kayleb adjusted the tanks on his bank and gripped the flamethrower tighter in his hands.
"And we'll kill every one of the sons of bitches." he growled. Everyone nodded in agreement as they held tightly to the various guns they had brought along.
"Let's go then." Kaylee said. "Vanessa sacrificed herself to save us... It's time we save her back."