A/N: Done extra early! :D As promised, chapter 21 :) This one took me FOREVER in my opinion, but it turned out AMAZING :D Trust me... Go ahead and enjoy, everyone! ;) This chapter might contain one of the biggest foreshadowings in Antoinette Drake history! See if you can spot it as you read chapter 21! Thanks for reading! <3
Chapter 21: Abomination
"It's magnificent, isn't it?" Robert strode into the room, closing the door behind him and locking it... for good measure, of course. I nearly rolled my eyes at the over-the-top gesture. I mean, it's not like I was going anywhere.
Not with a psychotic, mind-reading newborn and a freaking master vampire in the same room.
This wasn't going to end well... for me, that is.
My uncle nodded at his creation in acknowledgement before he straightened and walked past me, white-gloved hands clasped behind his back. Per usual, Robert was dressed up in a jet black suit and matching black tie. Some strands of his hair bled into the dark of his padded shoulders. My uncle wore a knowing smile as his gaze shifted from Stephen to me, a purpose in his dark eyes.
The newborn let out a hiss when I took an unwilling step toward Robert. The master vampire chuckled, eyes flashing a dangerous red. Glancing at Stephen, I'd finally come to a conclusion: he was beyond help, and it was my duty to end it before it got out of hand. To end him before he killed more. If only I had a more suitable weapon that wasn't out of my reach. If only Henri were here in the room with me. If only, if only.
I was in such deep shit.
"Is this yet another test, uncle?" I bit out, barely managing to avert my eyes from Robert's pulling gaze. "Another challenge to force me into vampirism?"
Robert only continued to smile as he watched me intently, his stance suddenly guard. "Now, why would I do that?"
Because you're just like that, I thought, but refrained from speaking aloud. It was probably smart of me to keep my damn mouth shut. It has gotten me in – and sometimes even out – some pretty bad shit.
Like now, for instance.
"I'm surprised you came here, Antoinette. Especially when you knew the consequences. Then again, you had a job to do, didn't you? The Order assigned you to this suicide mission." He shook his head, chuckling a bit. "They must've thought that you were invaluable. Replaceable."
"What are you trying to get at?" I questioned through clenched teeth. I didn't like where this conversation was going, and I sure as Hell didn't like how nonchalant my uncle was acting. A few nights ago, he was forceful and chock-full of threats. Now? Nothing. It made absolutely no sense, and I didn't like that.
"Kill the killer before the human population drops some more, huh? Is that what they told you?"
"The Order?" I asked, eyebrow raised in question. He was focused on the hunters... why? "The Order-"
"Never mind," my uncle waved it off, his conversation switching gears as his coal-black eyes fell upon Stephen. The master vampire grinned suddenly. "I wonder... what's worse, Antoinette?" Robert asked as he took another slow step toward me, a predatory glint in his eyes. "Being turned into a never-dying, practically indestructible vampire, or dying? There is a difference, my dear, I can assure you that." He chuckled, his eyes settling once again on Stephen.
Again, I didn't answer, afraid of the reaction. I frowned at my uncle, clearly not enjoying this situation one bit. Then again, who would? Locked in a room with a dead corpse and two vampires was surely not a good thing, especially when I had a heartbeat to hold on to.
The newborn advanced on me until he was closer than my uncle was. I barely flinched from his closeness.
Don't show fear, Toni, I told myself mentally.
"What now, master?" Stephen asked in a cold voice. He sounded somewhat like Liz, like a mindless being or even a robot. Capable of no emotion, whatsoever.
Robert scratched his chin with a gloved hand as he contemplated his slave's question. Finally, after a string of unbearable silence, my uncle shrugged and turned my way. "Where's Henri, Antoinette? I was sure he'd be with you. You two are bonded again, after all."
Uh-oh... So Russ had told him about what I'd done...
As he spoke, my uncle slowly removed one of his gloves, and took another slow, careful step toward me. I didn't move an inch. "Why do you want to know where he is?" I asked softly, unsure.
"I'm afraid he's in trouble with the clan; with me," he explained in a dangerous voice, his smile melting into a grim frown. "He's disobeyed his master, and he must be punished."
"What did he do, specifically?" I dared to ask. Oh, God, Henri... what had he done now?
Robert laughed a little at that, light entering his eyes in the form of terrifying joy. "He Marked you, for one. Protected you; shielded you." My uncle then began to circle me slowly, taking his other glove off in the process. Stephen continued to stare at me, unmoving from his spot. I immediately figured that he was simply reading my mind, and reveling in my palpable fear. The newborn's red eyes were glassy with hunger. I swallowed hard, and somehow managed to keep my body still.
All Robert had to do was snap his fingers, and I'd be dead. Well, not dead. I wouldn't die, no; he wouldn't allow that. I'd be turned into a vampire, with my terrible luck.
"Antoinette Claire Drake," Robert sighed slightly, tasting my full name almost hesitantly. I couldn't help but stiffen. What had I expected, though, really? Of course my own uncle knew my middle name.
"Do you know why your middle name is 'Claire'?" My uncle continued, piquing my interest slowly and gradually. Did my middle name really matter that much? I shook my head, my eyes focused solely on the vampire's footsteps.
"I'm surprised Henri never told you," he chuckled and stopped circling me for the time being. "Oh well. Henri knew your Mother when she was about your age. Before she became a vampire hunter. This, by the way, was all before Will and I became involved."
I tried not to react to this new, shocking revelation. Henri knew my Mom? I dropped my eyes to the carpet when my uncle stood just in front of me. Now that his gloves had been removed, I was nervous. Why? Well, if I became injured – easy to accomplish in a room of vampires – all Robert had to do was touch the wound, and things would go from bad to worse. I tried to slow my raging heartbeat, but it couldn't possibly have listened to me. If anything, it became even louder.
"Anyway, she loved him. He sure loved her. That sort of relationship, as you probably know," he paused for dramatic effect, "can only end in disaster." He made sure my eyes were locked on his as he continued. "Sound familiar, doesn't it?"
I couldn't keep quiet any longer, and I spat. "What I do with my love life doesn't concern you!"
"Even if it condemns Henri? He's already in so much trouble as it is," Robert closed his eyes briefly, his smile shrinking before my very eyes. Soon, it was gone. "Christina wanted her first daughter to be named 'Claire', a shortened version of the name she'd fallen in love with. She loved it ever since she met the one and only Henri Sinclair."
I still couldn't seem to get over the shocking fact that Henri knew – much less loved – my Mom. At first glance, it seemed almost creepy...
"Your point?" I ended up asking. Robert seemed to be finished, but his nostalgic gaze said differently. "That's why your middle name is 'Claire'. You're just like your Mother. She wanted to be reminded of her crush on a vampire. A vampire. Even after she swore to become a true hunter, she never forgot Henri."
My frown deepened. "How do you know all of this?"
"Christina told me about Henri when we dated. Henri confirmed it as the truth."
Of course... It still creeped me out, at least a little bit. Henri had been in my life before I'd even existed...before I was even a thought in my parents' heads. It was strange yet... oddly comforting. It was probably one of the reasons behind Henri's protective behavior towards me. I thought back to Henri's strange emotion back at The Blood Diamond. I'd seen love, but was it for me? I looked like my Mom, so was that why he chose to love and protect me? I'd ask if I ever got out of the nasty situation I was currently in.
I looked down at my uncle's hands. A quick glance forced my eyes to shoot upward in alarm. Robert's nails were sharp and dangerously pointed. Vampires regularly reminded me of cats, with their hissing and retractable nails. I was currently at a painful disadvantage. I sighed as steadily as I could manage, and looked past my uncle, at Stephen. He had moved across the room yet again, this time at the foot of the so-called 'bed', standing remarkably still. Unmoving as a statue of stone. Then I looked beyond the newborn, taking in the strange assortment of knives that decorated the white walls of the room. There were knives of every style, length, and – of course – sharpness. There were also... I squeezed my eyes shut at the sight of torture devices that easily ranged from medieval to modern times. Jesus, was I in Gavin's torture room of pain or something? I stared at the dozens of knives for the longest time. The knives could've helped me... if they were made of pure silver, of course.
Not betting on that one.
Stephen chuckled at me suddenly, a sure, annoying sign that he'd been reading my mind.
Again.
"How much do you think the Order has hidden from you, Antoinette?" The sudden question prompted an unnecessary gasp from me, and shock to fill my wide eyes. "What do you mean by that?" I asked slowly, unsure to say the least. Oh, and confused.
True, the Order had lied to me about my uncle, and there was no doubt that they had their secrets... but could there possibly be more? I almost snorted at my thought processing. I was seriously questioning my authority, the people who had helped me cope and prosper?
My uncle was playing some kind of game, and I had no intention whatsoever to start playing.
"What could they keep a secret about?"
Robert sighed lightly and placed a clawed hand gently on my shoulder. His gaze held mine as he spoke again. "Your Mother and I had an amazing life together before the... accident." His eyes darkened against all odds, and he seemed to have been pulled into the past. After I cleared my throat loudly, Robert continued on. "We were happy. I'd just proposed to her two months before it all went wrong."
Wait, proposal?! "You were going to marry her?" I sputtered, my eyes feeling unnaturally wide.
My uncle nodded. "We were mere teenagers at the time, and it could've been so perfect." He kept referring to his human death, but that didn't shake me one bit. Right now, he appeared almost... human. It didn't make anything he'd done even remotely right. Robert Drake was many terrible things... and moral wasn't one of his good qualities.
"Christina felt it was time to be with me for life," Robert explained, "but there were complications. There was a sense of urgency present."
"What do you mean? What happened?" I didn't mean to sound so hard and unrelenting, but this was my uncle we were talking to here, for shit's sake! I wasn't supposed to feel sympathy for someone who murdered my family out of jealousy, without a guilt-ridden thought in the world.
My uncle seemed hesitant, and he looked away from me when he answered. "Christina was pregnant. She was carrying my child, her first born son."
If I weren't so paralyzed by the vampiric powers wafting over me and the glaze of compulsion that held me securely in place, my jaw would've dropped to the earth's core. Did he just say 'pregnant' and 'first born son'?!
My eyes bulged in shock, and I quickly tried to hide the feeling.
Robert continued his story, not giving attention to my obvious expression of surprise. "She was a mere three weeks into it when we found out. Immediately, Christina was afraid. Her parents would be furious, and she feared that her friends would be disappointed. She was only a teenager, after all."
"How old was she?" I tentatively asked, finally managing to shake off the initial shock that had plagued my being.
"19 years old," my uncle told me, turning his gaze away once again. He apparently didn't like talking about his past – or specifically my Mom – and I let him vent and reminisce.
My forehead creased with a frown. "Did she have the baby?"
It shook my uncle from his seemingly vulnerable state, and he gave me calculating stare. "Yes. She gave birth to Gabriel not one week after I became a vampire. I missed him in the hospital after the first night, and before I knew what Christina was doing, she'd given our child up for adoption."
He'd mentioned Gabriel... that must've been his son's name. My half-brother/cousin... How come I never knew about him? Maybe I'd missed something...
Or maybe my uncle was more devious and conniving than I thought, and his convincing little tale was a load of shitty lies. Where was the proof? The evidence? I bit my lip slightly in thought. "Is that why I never met him? Gabriel?"
My uncle became unnaturally still yet again. "Yes."
So, my Mom had gotten rid of the so-called evidence. My theory was that she'd given Gabriel up as a result of the Father of the child dying and being brought back as a vampire. Gabriel would've been a reminder in my Mom's eyes... an abomination of sorts.
"Stephen, are you thirsty?"
The question yanked me from thoughts of my alleged half-brother, and my eyes shot unwillingly to my uncle. His dark eyes were on Stephen, his expression somewhat smug. Stephen sent me a cruel smile, licking his bloodless lips. "Should I be, master?" He couldn't possibly be hungry already, given that he'd drained someone not so long ago. Then again, the fellow hunter was still relatively young and painstakingly new. He was vicious, and a true monster with a flawless face. He could feed for hours, drain tons of helpless victims, and never be satisfied.
"I suppose you should. Have you had the privilege to taste a vampire hunter yet?" Robert glanced my way, challenging me with his starless eyes. I swallowed hard at his words. "I'm not going to become a vampire. How many freaking times do I have to say that?! My answer will never change. You'll have to kill me."
Bold words, even for someone like me. Nice going, Toni, a small voice snickered in the back of my mind. I completely ignored my own mental sarcasm.
Stephen chuckled darkly, bringing my attention to the bloodthirsty newborn. My uncle smirked at me as he backed off, coming to stand near the former hunter. "Have you ever fought and killed a newborn before, Antoinette?"
Fought? Sure. Killed? No.
Shit... I let out a nervous laugh. "No, why? What does that have to do with-?"
My uncle cut me off sharply, his tone like ice. "Do you really think you have the skills to fend for yourself against the youngest and most dangerous of our undead species?" His knowing grin tipped me off. So did his words. The master vampire's eyes left me and set on the newborn, who had suddenly appeared next to the torture devices.
What the... ?
"Stephen," Robert called calmly, his voice taking on an authoritative edge, "bring me one of those knives."
Obediently, the red-eyed vamp walked over to the special alcove of sharp objects and grabbed the largest of them. It was also the sharpest, appropriately.
Oh, great...
"Antoinette, we're going to have ourselves a challenge," Robert explained to me, admiring the dangerous sheen of the knife; one that promised pain. "If you manage to somehow survive and kill Stephen, I'll let you go free. If you don't... "
"If I lose, you turn me," I muttered with a grim expression. Robert chuckled in response. "Or Stephen kills you in the process."
My mind went frantic, and my veins ached in reaction to my uncle's words. I glanced over at the former hunter from my sector. Stephen sent a fanged smile in my direction, and my body threatened to shake.
God, this was so bad...
My uncle tossed the intimidating knife back to the newborn, who laughed softly.
Oh, no...
"What, no weapon for me? What happened to a fair fight?"
Robert didn't answer. Neither did the knife-wielding vampire before me, his red eyes glinting in sick satisfaction. Then I remembered that there had been no rules or regulations. Stephen could kill me with anything...
My uncle promptly left the room and shut the door behind him. Now that he was gone, the scent of blood nearly overpowered my senses, and I barely managed to keep myself from keeling over. I squeezed my eyes shut, and tried desperately to think up a plan. When I ended up with nothing at all, I met Stephen's blood red irises, barely managing to restrain a shuddering from coursing through me as terror sunk in. I was afraid of him, yes – afraid of dying at his hands. I was here to end him anyway, and that's what kept me from freaking out, I guess. It kept me alert. It kept me alive, at least for now.
"Your move, Toni," he hissed my name. "Go ahead. Take your best shot, hunter."
My concentration didn't waver. "I'm not weaponless, you know," I pointed out while backing up slightly. "Not incompetent either."
The newborn followed my movements, and his eyes scanned me. He obviously saw the apparent fear in my eyes, and laughed outright. "You're afraid of me."
"Of course I am," I bit out, feeling my muscles clench and tighten. "You have the knife. I know who'll win in this." I wasn't lying, at least. I would win, whatever the cost. This bloodbath would be almost over, and I'd get to go home.
Hopefully.
"How about you go first, Church?" I challenged with a chuckle, my voice low. Stephen's fiery eyes lit up even more. Oh, great. I'd taunted him...
"Sure, Drake. Whatever you say."
The newborn tackled me before I could blink, much less defend myself. I momentarily forgot how strong and fast young vampires were, damn it! I coughed and grunted under his oppressing weight but he refused to budge. The knife came down, and I couldn't hold back a genuine cry of pain as white fiery agony erupted from my right arm. In a downward swipe, Stephen had managed to cut my arm open, and the wound ran from the crook of my arm all the way down to my wrist. Blood almost immediately surfaced, bright and red. My pulse jumped into my throat madly as I looked down at the wound, then at the knife-wielding newborn. That sounded completely ridiculous, and the weapon was unnecessary, but I tried to look past that.
Stephen let out a constricted howl at the mere sight of my blood, and bent down to my bleeding arm. Now that I thought about it, letting him have a blade was almost a kindness. The blood was already easy to access; the skin had been broken. If a knife hadn't been thrown into the mix, the newborn would simply get his blood the old-fashioned way. First, he'd lick and probe the skin, pinpointing a vein or artery. Then would come the painful part: biting down. The blood loss alone wouldn't kill me quickly or smoothly, but it would hurt like Hell. I tried hard not to worry about that when a tongue slid along my arm, lapping up the pooling blood with little to no effort required. I pushed at him, kicked, lashed out, tried to pry the newborn off, but his grip on my arm was tight and unshakeable.
"T-this wasn't part of the-" My words cut off as a scream left my throat. Stephen had bitten down on the wound, his fangs easily piercing the vein just below the surface. The scream turned into a moan of excruciating pain as he pulled more and more blood from my body. He wasn't too gentle about it either. Being a newborn mean that he had no experience where the proper way to feed was concerned.
Well, great.
"Stephen... " I whimpered weakly, my body eventually giving up the struggle. The more blood that left my body at a rapid pace, the less I would fight. Maybe I wouldn't die so soon... but I would pass out eventually. That was inevitable. My vision was gradually blurring, and my breathing was coming out in short, erratic gasps. I must've been so numb to everything because I never felt the newborn's teeth leave my arm. I saw him sit up through the haze as black dots danced before my slitted eyes.
God, I was going to pass out...
"Toni."
I rolled my head to the side, catching Stephen's scarlet orbs in an instant. At least he wasn't trying to compel me. That would've been pointless, wouldn't it? The vampire holding me down smiled full-fang, and my eyes unconsciously focused on his bloodied mouth. That was my blood...
The blood loss had struck me hard, and it was too much to overcome in the small time I had before Stephen ended me. I tried to force my body to move, willing it to do anything in defense. Nothing happened.
Typical.
"Fight back," Stephen whispered, his rust-tinted breath frighteningly closed to my face. My limbs flailed, but the newborn continued on, as if I hadn't moved at all. "Come on, Drake, make this more worthwhile, more interesting. You're pathetic." He put a sharpened nail on the torn vein in my arm and pressed down lightly. Well... lightly enough for more blood to flow. I cringed. I would've fought him... if I had the strength as well as the skills, that is. Stephen was too strong, and I was outmatched as reflexes went.
"Hurry, before I bleed you dry. Do you want that?"
I shook my head slowly, careful not to worsen the vertigo I was experiencing.
"What in Hell's name happened to the strong, invincible Antoinette Drake?" he taunted, bringing his face closer, nails digging into flesh. I let out a strained whimper of pain. "She died."
"No," he told me, holding my unwilling gaze with his eyes of fire and hunger. He bent down once again, this time to teasingly lick the crazy pulse in my throat, and whispered. "She's about to die."
That was when I should've fought back with everything I had, but I'd lost all strength, as if it'd been drained from me just as my blood had previously been. My mouth was painfully dry as Stephen grabbed my chin to hold me in place, the tips of his fangs barely grazing the vulnerable flesh of my throat. He was playing with me. He wanted to kill me, but... Why, for God's name, was he holding back? His words registered as fact. I was going to die. I knew it would happen eventually happen sometime in this dangerous, risk-taking life of mine. I could already see my headstone in St. Patrick's churchyard. I had been wrong about my Grim Reaper, though. Stephen hated me in life, sure, but he wouldn't murder another hunter...
As a vampire, however, Stephen had ultimately no choice, thanks to my uncle. The newborn chuckled suddenly, his glowing vampire eyes boring down into me. He'd read my mind again!
"Fight back." Stephen's voice was low and dangerous now. This was all a game to him, after all. It was considered a challenge, as my uncle had rightly called it. Ha, sure...
"Stephen," I barely managed, and my voice threw him off guard. "Just shut up and kill me already."
As I expected, Stephen's new expression was a nice little mix between triumph and shock. "You're sure?"
No, of course not! All of those innocent people who died because of the careless monster standing before me. I was still on a mission no matter what the circumstances, but I had to get Stephen off of me and fight. As if he expected me to grapple with a newborn while he pinned me down.
Right.
There was something hooked onto my pants, looped into the bel that held everything in place. I tried in desperation to remember what it could possibly be. Something long and metal... silver, maybe? Not sharp like a knife but... Goddammit!
A small, biting pain cleared my head, at least temporarily. My eyes went to Stephen, who had rested the edge of the knife against my left leg, dangerously close to the femoral artery. If he sliced it open, I'd be dead for sure. I'd bleed to death! My jaw tightened as fear seemed to grip me even harder.
"So, Drake," Stephen replied smugly, brining my attention to his face now. He smiled down at me, his eyes sparkling with sickening exhilaration. "Are you going to fight me, or do I open you up with this big, nasty knife?"
My pulse pounded in my ears, thudded in my head, nearly drowning out all voices and noise in the process. My left arm – the uninjured one - moved slowly, almost crawling, toward my back pocket, where the mystery weapon was. It wasn't easy to get to due to the thickness of the leather trench coat I had happened to be wearing.
Not a dagger made of stained silver, not a stake... Then what the Hell was it?
As soon as my trembling fingers wrapped around the object, I knew exactly what it was: a gun. I'd almost forgotten about it.
Stephen sighed, using the knife to cut my pant leg open, and revealing a patch of skin; the skin of my inner thigh.
Oh, shit... he was serious about cutting me open.
What a sadistic bastard!
The newborn chuckled darkly. "10 seconds, Toni. Fight me." He was so insistent and focused on my immobile body that he didn't seem to notice the gun coming into view with measured movements. He probably had read my mind, though.
Shit, this wasn't going to work, was it?
One way to find out.
"10." I could do this.
"9." Take a deep breath, he hasn't tried to restrain me.
"8." 'Don't squeeze the trigger until his eyes go to your leg,' a voice told me mentally, and I vaguely wondered if it had been Henri.
"7." Come on, come on. This was taking forever... focus! He still hasn't reacted to my thoughts. 'Focus, Toni...'
"6." I couldn't do this. 'You have to,' the voice returned, coaxing me, 'Do you really want him to kill you?' I bit my lip.
"5." God, I have to do this...
"4." He's going to kill me if I don't defend myself; if I don't end him first. The voice seemed to agree as it caressed my mind gently: 'Yes.'
"3." Almost there... 'Pull the trigger. Don't lose focus... '
"2." And...
"1."
The newborn ended his countdown with an animalistic snarl. His heated gaze went to my exposed leg, but I was numb to the biting touch of the knife as it pressed against me. I focused all of my strength and concentration on bringing the gun to his pale forehead. Stephen stiffened instantly under the weight of the weapon, and there was a dangerous flash in his bright red eyes as I pulled the trigger. Now, I'd never shot a gun before in my life. It was both a terrifying and exhilarating experience all at once. That feeling... Whoa. So much power, one little bullet that could do so much damage on a human.
The former hunter's head snapped back as the force erupted from the winking silver weapon, and the bullet entered his tough vampire skull. He landed on his back, the knife fell from his white-knuckled grip.
I sat up slowly, carefully, my own breathing sounding unnaturally harsh to my ears. Stephen sat up as well, practically mirroring, and touched his forehead, where a bullet-sized hole was clearly visible on his pale – now stained with dark vampire blood, of course – forehead. He barred his fangs as an enraged hiss escaped past his lips, eyes full of uncontained rage. He staggered to his feet, closing in on me until he was towering over me.
"Y-you wanted me to fight back so I did," I whispered hoarsely. Stephen growled in natural response, his eyes searching the room for the knife that he'd dropped, the knife that was still covered in blood.
My blood.
I pointed the gun at the vampire, trying to once again will my body to move. I had to get up...
"Go for it, and I'll gladly shoot you again, Stephen."
Sudden laughter erupted from Stephen's fanged mouth, and it threw me completely and utterly off guard. I'd never in my years of knowing him had heard him laugh quite like that; a sound that was so loud or hard. It sounded so genuine, too, and I dared to know why he found this situation funny at all.
The newborn touched his forehead again, black blood coating his long, pale fingers, and he gave me a sly smirk. "What's in that gun of yours again, Drake? Wood? Vampires don't die from a wooden bullet. You should've used silver. Might've put me out of my cold-hearted misery."
At his words, I stupidly dropped the gun. It had been rendered useless anyway.
Stephen sighed albeit dramatically and pulled the bullet out with ease to show me the goddamn truth. Sure enough, the bullet was made of wood, not silver.
Crap.
Leave it to the Order to develop such crappy weapons that were absolutely no help whatsoever.
"Looks like you're defenseless yet again," he murmured with a devilish smile. "Can I get back to ripping you open now?" He dove for the bloodstained knife. I grasped for the gun again, and when it rested in my clammy grip, I aimed blindly and fired, hitting him in the neck this time. All it seemed to do was humor and irritate him simultaneously.
Damn it!
Stephen picked up the blade casually and began to stalk toward me, his eyes now locked on my throat. All thoughts of my leg being cut open were quickly forgotten. He'd found a new target: my throat. My heartbeat quickened in a fear response, and Stephen's grin widened, relishing in my terror.
"Now, hold still, Drake," he gave a chuckle before he thrust the weapon toward my heavy body at a swift pace, causing me to scramble backwards, my heart hammering against my rib cage. The newborn was panting with effort again, and his stance was predatory to say the least. I fired another bullet into his head, but this time he didn't react at all. It was as if he hadn't felt anything hit him.
Oh, great...
"Is that all you got?" Stephen taunted. "Come on, I know you can fight better than that! I've read your thoughts, I've trained in the same arena as you. Show me something I haven't seen, hunter. Surprise me!"
"Stephen Church!"
The sound of Henri's voice made my limbs ache with relief. Finally, he'd come. Stephen glared at the arrival of the older vampire, who'd appeared in the doorway, his lean body stretched out against the frame. He'd made no sound of entry, and the newborn hadn't been smart enough to enter the vamp's mind. Could mind-reading vampires even read another vamp's mind?
A theory to test for later.
"What do you want, Sinclair?"
"Hmm... I think I – we – want you dead," Henri replied with a slight smirk, his gaze swiftly sliding to where I was on the carpeted floor of the 'bedroom'. "Am I right, Ms. Drake?"
I nodded, and soon dropped the gun again, done with the useless piece of crap. Henri turned back to the raging newborn with a calm expression. "Give me the knife, Stephen."
"No!" the newborn bellowed so loudly that my eardrums shook in effect.
"Yes," Henri pressed, his calm demeanor confusing Stephen, and even me. The vamp didn't seem at all fazed by Stephen's murderous gaze, or his threatening body movements. He was having a tantrum, I deduced.
Wow.
Henri didn't fear the newborn's behavior; maybe because he'd experienced it himself. He was old enough to handle this situation at best due to his staggering age and experience as a vampire.
The numb sensation in my body was gradually ebbing away as pain burst through it all. "Henri!" I gritted out through clenched teeth. The pain in my arm had returned at full force. The wetness of the carpet told me that I was still bleeding pretty heavily.
Shit.
Henri took his eyes off of the unpredictable newborn for about a second. It was all the scarlet-eyed killer needed, really. He surged forward at an almost invisible speed, and quickly pinned Henri to the floor.
"Henri!" I cried out, driving my throat sore. God, it hurt. I couldn't help my vampire lover; I was about as useless as the gun at my side.
Damn it...
"Toni! Grab the knife and use it!" Henri yelled from his current defensive position beneath the raging newborn. I paused, taking in the vamp's seemingly logical command. Using the big, bloody knife wouldn't... wait. I hesitated for a split second more before diving for the knife. Stephen was far too busy with Henri to notice me picking up the sharp, blood-coated blade. I had to be quiet and stealthy. My mind also had to stay purposefully blank. He'd know what I was planning to do if the newborn read my mind.
Henri was pushing all of his strength on Stephen's shoulders, barely managing to avoid his snapping teeth and keep the newborn at bay.
At least for the time being.
Henri wanted me to use the knife on Stephen, and at first glance, his request seemed insane, the very thought seeming nearly impossible from a human's perspective. What chances did I have against a newly turned vamp that could unfortunately read my mind?
No chance, from what I could gather.
Yet...
"Hey, Stephen!" I called loudly, a quick plan popping into my head. The newborn immediately jerked his head upward, and he took his attention from Henri, giving me a full-on glare, hissing and all.
Well... here goes nothing.
Henri had Stephen in the correct position for what I was about to try out. I knew vamps could be killed in a number of practical – yet scarily creative and macabre – ways, ranging from humane – theoretically, anyway – to downright torture. There was one form that I'd never tried, mainly because it was a messy way to go, even at vampire standards. Taking a deep, cleansing breath, I swung the large knife down on Stephen's bare neck. Nothing happened, except of course for the spurt of blood now leaking from a portion of his pale neck.
Damn it, that didn't work...
My hands shook, and I nearly dropped the blade. Henri met my gaze and nodded for me to continue my work.
Decapitation was much harder than it looked.
The older vamp managed to push Stephen over so that the newborn was on his back, a truly vulnerable position to be in. Without a second thought, Henri wrenched the blade from my weakened grip and brought the knife down hard. I heard a disgusting crunch, then a squishing noise that made me gag. I refused to look down at the body, but I knew that Stephen was dead and quickly decomposing at my feet. Henri's suddenly relaxed stance told me that much. The carpet was now drenched in black instead of just bright red.
Oh, gross...
"Antoinette."
I couldn't help myself; I had barely enough time to prepare myself before tears sprung in my eyes. I was so close to death just minutes ago, and I couldn't even fulfill my hunter duty.
"Henri," I groaned his name as the vampire's pale arms wrapped around me securely, comforting. I was pulled to my unsteady feet. I realized that I wasn't crying because I'd almost died, or even because I was bleeding and Henri could still be so unpredictable. No, I cried now because I felt so utterly helpless. I was weak; not even strong enough to behead a vampire. A newborn, at that.
I clung to Henri's body as we slowly trudged toward the door of Gavin's 'torture room'. Henri glanced over at the useless gun just as I was grasping for my stake; the one that had been knocked out of reach. Henri gave me a frown, shaking his head. "Toni... You do know that wooden bullets only make us angrier, don't you?"
I might've been extremely exhausted from the stress, adrenaline, and blood lost, but I managed to roll my eyes at him. "I do now." I finally looked down at Stephen's decaying body. What was left of it, of course. The newborn's body was nothing but a pile of ashes, but the head remained intact.
Oh, God...
At first, my mind refused to see it for what it was, and it told me that I wasn't staring down at a body, just a mess of white, black, and... gold. My stomach tightened when my eyes recognized Stephen's golden blonde hair from the mess.
"Antoinette," Henri murmured, putting a hand gently against my cheek and turning my head thankfully away from the ghastly sight. He continued on when I locked eyes with him. "Do you need his head as proof to the Order? Robert has no more use of Stephen Church."
I swallowed hard. I'd nearly forgotten the reasons for killing Stephen. I'd just gotten myself out of being turned... for now, that is. I, of course, knew for a fact that my uncle wasn't about to give up on me so easily, or anytime soon, for that matter. I ended up nodding slowly, not really sure why I wanted the head. Anything to get me out of there, I guess. The smell of decay was engulfing me, and I just wanted to get out.
Fast.
Henri, reading my expression, sighed. "Let's get you home."
"First," I stopped him with a quivering hand when he started to pick me up. "I can walk. Second, can you heal me before I faint?"
The vampire's mouth flattened into a straight line, and he turned his body from me. "I don't want to risk-"
"Do it." No more than those two words left me before a bleeding wrist was forced against my mouth, open and ready for the healing properties of Henri's vampire blood.
Oh, the healing...
The pain must've been too much for me. That, or exhaustion had taken over my body. Either way, I didn't remember anything after Henri fed me his special blood, mostly because I'm pretty sure that I passed out.
A/N: Oh, no! Not another cliffhanger! Afraid so XP So much happened in this chapter, don't you agree? Next chapter won't be so hectic and action-filled, but it will contain more foreshadowing (maybe not as major as this one) and possibly a certain werewolf's backstory. Hmm... Remember to vote + comment your thoughts! :D I love to hear 'em ;) <3 Chapter 22 will be up on Wattpad on Wednesday, December 24 (AKA Christmas Eve!) See you then! :D
Picture: Alexander Ludwig as newborn Stephen Church...!
Song: Bleed for Me by Digital Daggers
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~ Fangs & Kisses ~