Chapter Eleven (Alexander)
We left Zander behind to watch over Slade while the rest of us raced outside to flag down a taxi. The sun was hot on our skin as we stood on the sidewalk, all of us antsy to hurry up and get back to the hotel. Especially with Vladimir not picking up his cell phone.
"Father, it's Storm again. I need you to call me as soon as possible. This is an emergency regarding the rebellion." Storm left a fifth voicemail before he hung up as we managed to get a taxi. Storm gave the driver the directions in Italian before turning to us.
"We need to get to the hotel. I'll check the rooms and see if I can find Kristophe's cell number anywhere. Maybe he'll be avaliable." He muttered nervously, tapping his foot and glancing out the window. I could feel the same uneasiness spread through me. It was safe to assume that William had either turned on us or was killed, resulting in Newell's freedom.
But who was leading Newell? According to Slade's vision, Newell was being led by someone and he was still blindfolded. So whoever it was didn't trust Newell either. Could it be someone from the rebellion, or William, or maybe someone stronger than Newell?
That thought sent an icy cold chill coursing up and down my spine as I nibbled my lip nervously, glancing at Mark, who was pursing his lips and bouncing his knee impatiently. The driver pulled up to the hotel and Storm threw more money than necessary, making the taxi driver gape after us before Storm slammed the door shut and led up straight into the hotel.
"What if no one picks up their phones? What do we do?" I asked nervously as we rushed to the lift and Storm hit the number to our floor, glancing up at the glowing numbers over our heads.
"We'll contact the Morettis. If what you say is true, Vincent will be able to tell us something." He informed me, making me frown.
"But Zephyra is threatening him. He won't be very happy to tell us anything." I pointed out, making Mark nod in agreement. Storm narrowed his eyes, hitting the button harder in impatience. I could see a tic forming in his jaw, making me grimace.
"No offense, but I couldn't possibly care less what happens to those Oneiroi. It's their fault for turning their back on my father and right now, he's my main priority." He stated and as soon as the doors to the lift opened, Storm was rushing through the hallway to our room as I whipped out my key card, inserting it into the lock on the door before we burst in and froze.
The room was destroyed.
There was no other term for the torn sheets and curtains that hung halfway off the windows, letting the blazing hot sunlight bleed into the room. Pillows were ripped open, feathers loose and flying as well as the thousands of papers Vladimir had stuffed into his briefcase. Clothes were strewn everywhere and even the walls looked as if they had been viciously clawed.
"What the hell?" Mark gasped in shock, looking at the grand piano that sat in the living room. It had been cracked in half, all the strings torn and coiled as the keys lay scattered around it. I cringed, touching a pair of claw marks on the black shiny surface before I looked up as Storm rushed past me into the bedroom.
I followed him, waving Mark to follow as Storm stooped to pick up papers, throwing them away before looking through more before he reached his father's suitcase. He tore it open and fumbled through the pockets.
"Why would they do this to the room? Vladimir hasn't been here all day, right?" I asked, confused, then looked at Mark when Storm didn't answer. Mark nodded, shifting uneasily.
"Vladimir left early this morning after calling Archibald. He told us he was going to go have a meeting with some people over something. I'm guessing he already knew about Newell and William. Didn't he say anything to you?" He asked. I shook my head, grimacing before I turned to Storm, who ripped a little booklet out of the pocket. He flipped it open quickly and took out his cell phone, dialing one of the numbers before dropping the booklet to listen as he set it to speaker phone so we could hear.
It rang a few times, filling the silent room with a dull ringing. It actually gave me chills as it continued to ring for the longest time before someone picked up. We didn't say anything as we listened to some crackles, then a familiar voice spoke, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
"Hello, Kristophe's busy right now and can't come to the phone, but I'll gladly take a message for you." Claude's voice crooned, giving me goose bumps as I gasped and took a step away from the phone. Storm gritted his teeth.
"Where the hell is he?! And my father?!" He demanded angrily, surprising me as his fangs flashed with how angry he was. Even Mark looked nervous as he withdrew. Claude answered with a relaxed laugh. I didn't like the sound of that.
"Good question! See, I destroyed that Porsche of yours, thinking your daddy would be inside. Figures that the fucker sent his lapdog out as a distraction, but whatever. That's fine by me because now I know exactly where you are. You, your pretty fiance, and Vladimir's prized dolly. I wonder what Vladimir will think when he finds that your entrails are pinned to our front door." He explained cheekily before stopping to laugh louder this time, as if he couldn't think of anything more hilarious.
"Your threats weren't scary before, what the hell makes you think they are now?" Storm demanded hatefully, making me wince and wave my hands around. He was letting his anger get the best of him. Mark looked between us nervously, then froze along with the rest of us as we heard a blood curdling scream from the other end of the phone.
I instantly recognized Kristophe's voice and gasped.
"Stop! Leave him alone!" I blurted, making Storm wince as he held the phone away from us. I heard Claude laugh bitterly now.
"Zephyra shows no weakness to the enemy. Vladimir should've done the same when he found my brother and I. Too late now, though. I'll see you brats in a few minutes." There was a click followed by the droning dial tone.
"We need to get out of here and find the Morettis as soon as possible." Storm announced, shoving his cell phone away as he made for the exit so quickly that Mark and I had to run to catch up with him as he threw open the hotel room door, heading for the lift.
"Wait, what's being around the Morettis going to do now?" I asked in disbelief as Storm practically poked the crap out of the lobby button.
"They'll know where the base is and hopefully where my father is. Wherever he is, he's safe. And he didn't send Kristophe out. If I know my father, I know he wouldn't risk putting Kristophe in danger. Something's wrong. We need to move quickly and this is the perfect time for all of us to be paranoid." He added with a grimace as we rushed out into the lobby.
However, even from the lobby, we could see a couple of sleek black cars pulling up. Storm instantly grabbed Mark's hand and I was right at their heels as Storm led us quickly off into the restaurant, heading straight for the kitchen and ignoring the Italian waiter, who was protesting angrily.
"How're we supposed to get from here to the Moretti Manor? They're on the outside of the city and we're at the heart of Rome." I told Storm as we pushed past chefs, who cried out and protested in disgust as Storm led us to the back exit of the kitchen into a very unappealing alleyway with a couple of filthy dumpsters that hadn't been emptied in weeks.
"I can solve that," Mark exclaimed, making Storm and I look at him as we quickly went down the stairs into the alley, "Let's go to the parking garage! I still have a few tricks up my sleeve that'll get us across Rome in no time!"
"Is it illegal?" I asked. Mark stared at me.
"Since when do I do anything legal?" He asked and I just shook my head as Mark sprinted ahead of us into the parking garage beside the hotel. Storm and I stayed hot on his heels as Mark scanned the parking garage, still running before he bolted toward a sleek deep gray Lamborghini Aventador that sat between a couple of Porsches.
"Wow," Mark whistled as he approached the drivers seat, studying it, "This'll work perfectly. Okay, you guys need to keep an eye out. If any baddies come, watch my back." Storm and I shared looks and obeyed, turning our back to let Mark do his thing as we scanned the parking garage.
"Please tell me he doesn't do this often." I told Storm as I searched between the cars before looking back at him to see him lifting a brow.
"Not particularly. He's done it a couple times out of habit until I bought him one of those Grand Theft Auto games."
"I can't tell if that's a good idea or a bad idea."
"Depends. If he drives like he does in the game, I think we'll have the Italian police after us as well."
"You know what, maybe you should drive."
"Oh, I can't drive very well."
"For the love of the Goddess, Storm."
"What? I didn't have time to learn to drive and when my father tried to teach me, he bought me a brand new Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. It's still sitting in our garage." Storm informed me, hardly bothered that an expensive vehicle was collecting dust at home. I rolled my eyes, then heard a click and Storm and I turned to see Mark popping the car door open. I raised an eyebrow.
"No alarm?" I asked, approaching the car as I watched Mark lean down inside upside down to open up the compartment under the dashboard. He snorted.
"Oh, please. I know how to get rid of an alarm... Uhm, which'll probably go off... right... about... Now." He added with a wince as the car's lights began to flare brightly, the alarm screeching through the parking garage. Storm and I both gasped in pain, covering our ears tightly as the pain exploded into our skulls, making our ear drums ring. Mark hissed past clenched teeth, but forced himself to continue working.
"Shit, Mark, hurry up." Storm warned, looking at something past me. I snapped around to see a couple guys coming down the alleyway and judging from the way they were moving, they weren't friendly and they weren't human. Storm turned to face them as one sprinted toward him, flashing a pair of pearly white fangs. Storm sidestepped the guy and grabbed him by the back of the head, slamming his face into the hood of one of the Porsche's.
The attacked yelped like a kicked puppy and writhed in Storm's grip, whirling to try and bite him, but I swung my fist into his gut, making him choke. By this time, the other two were lunging at Storm, who brought his leg around and kicked one of them hard in the gut, slamming him into his partner.
Storm dropped the first attacker and moved onto the other two as I quickly looked at Mark, who was cringing against the car alarm.
"Hurry it up, Mark!" I shouted over the noise.
"I haven't done this in a while! It's not like the video games!"
"Mark!" I cried in exasperation, then whirled around to see the first attacker rising on wobbling legs to attack Storm from behind, but I rushed at him and caught him around the waist, slamming him into the hood of the Porsche, making it dent inwards. The car clicked and two seconds later, its alarm blared, joining the Lamborghini and making my ears ring.
Everyone ducked in pain at the alarms screaming through the parking garage, hands over our ears before Storm took his chance and attacked the two that were disoriented by the noise. The first attacker went after me, but I ducked and managed to catch him around the waist, flinging him over my shoulder and slamming him into the pavement with a sickening crack.
I winced, whirling around to see blood oozing from the guy's cracked open skull. My stomach churned and I quickly looked at Storm, who managed to shove the other two over the hood of a Ford Focus before he whipped around just as Mark gasped.
"Got it! I got it!" He exclaimed and Storm and I bolted for the car. It was a two-seater, so a tight fit was made as I managed to sandwich myself between Mark and Storm in the middle. Mark yelped and slammed the door shut as one of the attackers slammed into the door. Mark locked it, jerking his head up to stare at the man, who bared his fangs.
"Mark, hit the gas!"
"Don't gotta tell me twice!" Mark hit the gas, gripping the wheel as the car surged forward. Storm and I both gasped, bracing ourselves as Mark swung the car around in a full donut to face the exit before he hit the gas and we flew forward. I gritted my teeth tightly, grabbing onto Storm's arm as he gripped the door handle as we flew out of the parking lot, zooming past the Zephyra members and shooting out onto the road.
Cars screeched and honked, angry Italian screaming curse words out their windows as Mark fishtailed out onto the street before racing off down the road at a speed that was definitely illegal.
"Mark! You don't even know how to drive!" I protested, gasping and wanting to shut my eyes at the horror of Mark's driving, but I was too afraid of what would happen if I did. He swerved and zigzagged through traffic, honking the horn every so often to warn people we were coming.
"I've played enough games, be quiet! This is fantastic!" Mark exclaimed excitedly, his eyes sparkling as he tore through the streets, shooting past buildings so far that they were a blur to me. I glanced at Storm, who had his eyes shut tightly.
"I will never, ever step foot in a moving vehicle again. Plane, car, train. Forget it. I'm walking, even if I have to walk to France for my father's annual wine party." Storm moaned, gripping the door handle tightly. I almost smiled when I remembered the whole reason we had to steal someone's car. I looked through the windshield, trying to catch sight of the signs, making me wince.
"Mark, turn right up here!"
"Aye, aye, Cap'n." Mark declared, then spun the wheel so sharply that we almost flipped over if it wasn't for the fact that we smashed against another car that bounced right off us like some kind of bouncy ball before it smashed into a store window. Mark zoomed straight toward the Morettis, and I swore I heard sirens far behind us, trying to catch up.
"I think I'm going to join you on your modern technology strike." I managed, glancing at Storm, who peeked his eyes open to look at me with the faintest glimpses of a smile before he shut his eyes, gritting his teeth so his fangs were bared. Thank goodness the windows were tinted, but then again, we were going so fast that we probably looked like the blur of a bullet.
Sooner than we wanted, we showed up at the Morettis, ditching the car about a block down so as not to cause anymore trouble. Storm led the way up the walkway, moving quickly so Mark and I were running again.
"Do you think they followed us?" I asked, looking up at him.
"I don't want to stick around to find out," Storm admitted as he hit the doorbell a couple times with urgency, "We're just here to get answers, then we're out."
"What if Vincent's not here?" Mark asked.
"Then you can park the Lamborghini in their living room." Storm promised, making Mark grin as I rolled my eyes. We waited impatiently, but no one answered the door. Storm glanced at us, then reached out and twisted the handle hard in his grip, breaking the lock instantly before he pushed the door open.
Mark and I shared looks before quickly stepping in behind him. We walked into a large foyer with a gigantic chandelier hanging above our heads, making the creme marble floor under our feet sparkle. The black staircase led in a half circle on the other side of the room to three hallways that went in different directions.
"Mr. and Mrs. Moretti!" Storm called, then paused as we listened. The house was eerily silent. Storm narrowed his eyes as he went off to the right toward what looked like an oversized living room that was probably the size of my college courtyard.
"Did you see any cars in the driveway?" I asked Mark, who cocked his head thoughtfully before frowning.
"I thought so... Maybe I was just imaging things? I don't know." Mark admitted with a shrug. I sighed, looking away as I peered into the dining room that was off the left, opposite of the living room. I left Mark in the foyer to wander into the dining room. My shoes clacked on the hardwood floors as I made my way past the ridiculously huge dining table and into a very modern, fancy kitchen.
I frowned suspiciously, moving carefully toward one of the hallways before I stopped to peer out a glass door looking into a large backyard complete with a pool and hot tub. Something about this felt weird.
"We should head back to the car!" I called at last, hearing Mark call back in agreement. I started to come around when I heard something click. I cocked my head curiously, turning to scan the kitchen. My eyes searched carefully until my eyes landed on a closed pantry. I approached it cautiously before reaching out, opening the door.
It was mostly filled with canned foods and crackers, but I noticed that some if it had fallen off and was spilled at the bottom. A trail of tomato sauce was leaking toward the back of the pantry and I realized that there was a door to this. I reached out, gripping the shelves and pulling hard in time to hear a gasp.
Luca bolted out from behind the hidden door, but I managed to catch him around the waist, making him writhe against me, trying to push me away.
"Luca, it's me! Alexander!" I exclaimed in surprise, catching his fist before he almost caught me in the face. Luca was breathing hard, his cheeks flushed and his blind eyes wild in an attempt to find my face. I noticed that he was wearing only a pair of silk pajama pants and a matching button up shirt, his hair disheveled.
"Alexander? Lee Grey?" He asked me hopefully.
"Yes. Luca, what're you doing here?" I demanded, lowering his arm as he stepped back, his hands still holding onto my arms, though, to know where I was. He snapped his head toward Storm and Mark, who came rushing in before pulling up short at the sight of Luca.
"Who else is here?" Luca demanded, gripping me tightly.
"Storm and Mark Gothica. We came here to find Vincent, but..." My voice trailed as Luca cringed and finally let go of me to step back until his back hit the closed door of the panty.
"I do not know. I was sleeping when Vincent woke me and told me we had to go elsewhere. I did not understand what he meant by this. My family was attending a show on the other side of town, but I was feeling ill. We were down here and Vincent was doing something. I could only hear him breathing hard and throwing items. Seconds later, he was panicking and shoved me into the box behind the closet. I tried to call to him, but he would not listen. I do not understand what is happening." Luca explained nervously, his blue eyes searching for something, anything.
"Damn it," I muttered, glancing toward Storm and Mark, who grimaced, "Vincent's not here. He must have figured we'd show up after I found out."
"Found out what?" Luca asked, confused. I glanced at Storm, who frowned as he looked at Luca.
"Your caretaker is working for Zephyra. They've been threatening to kill you if he didn't submit to their demands." He informed Luca without emotion. Luca looked toward each of us, confusion written all over his expressive face.
"What? I... I do not understand. Vincent knows nothing of your people and your battle--"
"Apparently he did," I interrupted, watching Luca flinch as if I had slapped him before I cleared my throat and spoke more gently now, "But we don't have time for that now, Luca. Zephyra is probably on their way here to find us. We need to get out to the car and go somewhere safe."
"No," Luca protested, looking distraught, "I cannot leave. Vincent is not here. He is my eyes!"
"Unfortunately, we don't have time to argue about this. Either you come with us or you can stay here and let Zephyra kill you and trust me," Storm added, his tone a deadly kind of serious, "Zephyra will take its sweet time killing your kind. Just because you're sleep gods doesn't mean they can't torture you."
"But--"
"Sorry, Luca." I stated, then moved quickly and caught him around the waist, making him yelp as I managed to sling him over my shoulder. He was rather light, like a kid, but he was squirming as I nudged my head for Storm to move quickly. He obeyed and rushed through the dining room to the main foyer and the door with Mark right on his heels.
"Let me down! Alexander, stop! Vincent--"
"Isn't here! Stop squirming! If you want to live to see your caretaker again, just shut up and come with us!" I ordered, surprised at how angry I was. Luca fell silent, but he was still squirming and whimpering as he grasped at the back of my shirt as we came outside. That was far as we got, though, as a gunshot went off and Storm barked in pain, stumbling back.
"Get back in the house!" Storm ordered, waving at Mark and I. My eyes widened and my fangs throbbed at the scent of Storm's blood filling the air as I watched red stain his bicep. I instantly went back into the house, though, grabbing the back of Mark's shirt and ripping him in with me as he cried out in distress.
Storm ducked and dodged a few more fired shots and ducked back into the house, slamming the door shut. I dropped Luca, making him yelp as I rushed to Storm's side, watching the blood stain his shirt as he pulled up his sleeve. The wound was mostly healing already, much to our relief, but it still had the bullet lodged into it.
"Stay away from the door." Storm ordered as he pressed his fingers into his gunshot wound. I hissed past clenched teeth as Storm gritted his teeth to fight back a scream, digging his fingers into the wet, bloody flesh. Mark and I both winced as blood gushed freely from the wound, dripping down his arm and off the ends of his fingers to the floor at Luca's feet.
Luca reached his hand forward in curiosity, then gasped as his fingers touched it and he withdrew instantly.
"Who is bleeding? What is happening?" He managed nervously as Storm finally tore the bullet out and threw it across the room, gritting his teeth as the wound began to stitch itself back up anew.
"We need to get out of here," Storm ordered, "It's Zephyra. They were aiming for my head." We winced as the sound of gunshots fired off again and we ducked away from the door, watching the bullets slice right through the wood door, leaving little holes of sunlight to pour through.
"But--"
"No time to explain," I told Luca as I looked at Storm quickly, "We can sneak out the back. There's a wall that seperates this yard from the next one. We can swing around and see if the car is still there."
"Sounds good to me." Storm agreed, and this time, he grabbed Luca up, easily heaving him up under his arm that was now completely healed. Luca yelped and wiggled a little as we bolted through the dining room, ducking the bullets that pelted the house.
"Was that the dining windows? Those were very much money!" He cried, but we ignored him as we bounded toward the sliding back door. I threw the door open first, poking my head out to glance around before emerging cautiously.
"Be careful." Storm warned me, stepping out in front of Mark, who followed close behind him. I nodded and gestured for them to follow. They headed for the stone wall that was a good six feet, but Mark was obviously skilled in climbing as well as car theft because he easily latched his nails in between the stones and heaved himself up. He sat on top of the wall, holding his arms out for Luca, who was complaining in Italian, but we ignored him as Mark heaved him over the wall and they climbed down the other side.
"Go ahead." Storm told me, nudging his head at the wall. I frowned at him.
"We'll both go at the same time. I don't want you to be the only one shot." I informed him, making Storm snort.
"I can handle it. Can you?"
"Only one way to find out."
"And I rather not." Storm responded and pushed me at the wall before he began to climb. I did the same just as I heard the sound of a gun shot firing off, the bullet bouncing off the stone wall. I hissed as the bullet raced past my ear, making my eardrum ring. Storm grabbed me and jerked me over the wall, both of us losing our balance and yelping out loud in surprise as we fell over the side of the wall.
I landed on top of him, gasping in pain as our heads smacked together. Storm grunted past gritted teeth and I pushed myself up, stumbling before grabbing his hand and helping him to his feet as we turned to see Mark and Luca standing nearby.
"What was that?" Luca asked again.
"Luca, we're being hunted down by Zephyra; if you don't shut the fuck up, I'll hand you over myself!" Mark snapped in irritation, making Luca flinch, then yelp as Mark grabbed his hand and led him along side the wall. Storm and I followed closely, all of us listening to the sound of gunshots fading. I could make out the footsteps crunching through the Moretti backyard and voices in a low murmur before we crossed through a few more yards.
"Do you see the car?" I asked Mark as we approached the end of the wall near the street. Mark peered around, then swung back and hissed, averting his eyes toward us as we stayed up against the wall.
"Son of a bitch. Yeah, but it's not fit for driving. If you thought I was bad before, I'd be even worse with blown out tires." He muttered, making me grimace and snap my head to look at Storm, who cursed under his breath.
"And flagging down a taxi in the city is difficult, let alone this far out." Storm said in a low voice so as not to alert Zephyra to our position. Mark sighed, slumping against the wall as he let go of Luca's hand.
"This sucks. I really liked that car." He mumbled, glancing out the corner of his eye toward the car.
"I'll buy you one when we get home," Storm assured, making me raise an eyebrow at his confidence that we'd even make it back to the hotel, let alone America, "We need to get away from here. Right now, I can't think of anywhere safer, but the nearest police station. Zephyra wouldn't be stupid enough to attack us in front of human authorities."
"But it's getting from point A to point B that's impossible." I pointed out with a grimace, pausing to listen to the sound of footsteps moving across the Moretti yard toward the street. Any further down the street and our cover would be blown.
"Do you have a car anywhere in your garage?" Mark asked Luca, who cocked his head toward Mark, raising an eyebrow.
"I would not know. I have never been inside. Nor could I tell you where the keys are." He added, making Mark scowl.
"You've never been inside your own garage?"
"Of course not. I have never had a reason to do so."
"I'm really starting to dislike you."
"The feeling is mutual, vampiro." Luca retorted smartly, making me roll my eyes before I looked at Storm, who was concentrating on the ground before he pushed off the wall to look at us.
"Make a run for the nearest house. Luca, tell them someone broke into your house. It'll bring the authorities to us." Storm commanded, moving past Mark, who caught his sleeve and tore him back before he could leave.
"And just where the fuck are you going?" Mark demanded angrily, tightening his grip on Storm's sleeve. Storm put his hand over Mark's before leaning in to cup Mark's face, giving him a firm kiss on the forehead, making Mark blink and pull back in confusion.
"As soon as you start running for a house, any house, they'll see you. I'm going to go out there and give them something else to look at." Storm told him, making Mark's eyes widen. I pushed off the wall, frowning.
"Then let me go with you." I stated. Storm scowled at me.
"As if. That's like asking my dad if I can take his new Hummer limousine for a spine on Mount. Everest." He responded, making me look at him in disgust as I put a fist on my hip, pointing out toward the other side of the wall.
"Yeah, and me letting Vladimir's kid sprint into gunfire is basically the same fucking thing. You'll need backup. From the sounds of it, there's six of them out there. Six against one is not fair. Mark and Luca will go to safety and we can take out our anger on them." I explained firmly. Storm glared at me impatiently.
"I do not mean to interrupt your... how you say? Cute? Argument, but we are wasting time standing here." Luca muttered. Mark opened his mouth to throw in his two cents worth, but Storm grabbed him and linked his hand with Luca's before shoving him toward the nearest house, making Mark stumble.
Storm moved past the wall and I started to go after him before stopping at the end of the wall just as a couple gunfires went off, but Storm ducked and dodged. He moved in a way that was painfully similiar to Vladimir.
And Vladimir had gotten himself sucked into supernatural politics so bad, it made human politics look like child's play. Vladimir didn't have to worry about a failing economy or whether it's right or wrong to marry the same sex or any other trivials. He had to worry about keeping those close to him alive, and right now, one of those people was running into a rain of gunfire.
Goddamn it, I was so going to hate myself for this later.