Chapter Twelve (Alexander)
I waited until Storm had managed to duck most of the bullets, but I watched with a cringe of sympathetic pain and worry as a couple bullets implanted themselves into Storm's arm and leg, bringing him down onto one knee.
One of the Zephyra members emerged from his hiding place behind the rose bushes at the front of the house. A tall man with long blonde hair to his shoulders, blistering cold blue eyes and wearing a sleek leather suit with a vest full of pockets. He smirked, lowering his machine gun as he held up his hand, shouting to his comrades to cease fire.
The other five Zephyra members, three men and two women, emerged from their places, all wearing clothes that reminded me of something out of a super spy movie. The only difference was their blinding Druid beauty and glinting fangs as they approached Storm, who was breathing hard in pain as blood poured to the green grass below.
"Well, well," The blonde man announced, smirking as he rested his gun againt his shoulder, peering down at Storm, who glared up at him, "What have we here? This is definitely a pleasant surprise. I was hoping to nab your hubby to drag you out, but you came right to me. What a good doggy. Daddy trained you well." Storm just bared his fangs, only to have one of the women kick her heel out, knocking Storm in the jaw so he hit the ground, spitting up blood.
"Calm down, Katerina," The blonde man told the red-haired woman who'd struck Storm, "He was only defending what little honor he has left."
"You men and your honor." Katerina spat with a strong Italian accent as she shouldered her machine gun, her green eyes rolling in disgust.
"What's that supposed to mean?" The youngest male demanded, freckles scattered across a pair face with caramel hair falling over a pair of ivy green eyes.
"Exactly how it's supposed to, little brat." Katerina responded, making the man scowl. The blonde man rolled his eyes before turning to Storm, who was pushing himself onto his knees, his head held down so he could drool streams of blood into the grass. I narrowed my eyes, gritting my teeth as I hung back by the wall. I threw a quick glance over my shoulder to see if Mark and Luca had made it to the house, but there was no sign of them. Had they made it?
I didn't really have time to ponder it because I heard a click and swiveled my head around in time to stare into a dark gun barrel.
"Oiii, Ollie, look what I found!" The brunette man announced with a smirk, keeping his eyes locked on me. I glared at him, tempted to just jump him, but he had a gun to my head and I had no idea if it would kill me or not-- nor did I want to find out.
I stepped out from behind my hiding place, holding my hands up. The brunette grabbed my wrist roughly, jerking me around and shoving the gun barrel against my temple as he led me toward the group.
"Oh, this is just the best fucking day of my life," The blonde man, Ollie, announced with a barking laugh, making me grimace, "I have the Spawn of Satan and his wife. How could this day get any better?" The brunette shoved me down onto my knees by Storm, who was having his hands roughly tied behind his back.
"I hate you." Storm muttered under his breath to me.
"Hey, I didn't even do anything." I responded, then winced as the brunette twisted my arms behind my back, wrapping them tightly with something that felt like wire judging from the way it cut into my skin.
"All righty," Ollie hummed, tapping his gun against his shoulder, "This is gonna be so fun. How should I make that son of a bitch cry, huh? Rip his lover and his son into tiny unidentifiable pieces, then wrap them in a gift box and send them to him? Or should I video tape you getting your tongues cut out? Or, even better..." He flashed his fangs and my stomach clenched.
"Tsk," Katerina elbowed Ollie in the ribs, making him glance at her pointedly, "Quit teasing them. We were told to bring them to the headquarters."
"Never said how." Ollie answered with a nonchalant shrug before turning to his comrades, giving them a nod that told them it was okay to take us back. I winced as I was torn to my feet, stumbling and almost falling before I caught myself. My eyes flickered quickly toward the houses, searching for Mark and Luca, but they were nowhere to be seen. I could hear the faintest of sirens in the distance, but they wouldn't find us by the time they arrived.
I could only hope Mark and Luca got away safely.
Storm and I were shoved into the back seat of a large, rumbling black Hummer. Both of us were smashed between a couple of brunettes while Ollie took the wheel and Katerina sat beside him as the car started.
The brunette to my side leaned in, sniffing me as her eyelashes batted in excitement. She smirked, showing off her fangs as she reached up to run her fingers along the side of my throat.
"Mmm, he smells so sweet, Katerina. Are you sure we can't take one bite?" She asked, parting her lips as she neared my throat. I cringed and moved away from her, pressing against Storm, who just sat there stiffly, hardly twitching at the gun shot wounds that were taking their time healing.
All of our energy was going to healing and protecting us from the sunlight that was glaring down at us from outside the tinted Hummer. By the time we got to wherever their base was, we'd be defenseless and the idea made me sick to my stomach.
"You're as bad as Ollie, Minerva." Katerina scolded her lightly. Minerva grinned, glancing up at me as she batted her lashes again. She was a petite Druid and I could only guess she was a year older than me or less.
"I can't help it. I've never been this close to a pureblood before. They smell so... elegant. I just want to rip into that delicate white throat." Minerva purred, brushing her long fingernails through my hair, making me glare at her.
I wanted to make a comment, but the thought flew out my head as a pair of hands caught me by the back of my head, tilting my head back to see the Zephyra members behind us. A raven-haired male stared into my face intently, his eyes a strange gold color.
"Wow," He commented, glancing up at Katerina before looking down into my face again, "Mini's got a point. Purebloods are really pretty. I mean, not in a weird kinda way, but seriously. Look at him. When I was his age, I had acne so bad my face was bleeding all the time."
"I know," Minerva exclaimed in agreement, turning to face the male, who still refused to let go of my face, "Look at his skin, Xavier! And feel it too! He's super soft, like a doll! No wonder Vladimir chose him." Xavier blushed, letting go of my face to shift uncomfortable as I winced, craning my neck from side to side to get the feeling back into it.
"No way, that'd be weird." He muttered, making Minerva scowl.
"Quit acting like children," The last Zephyra member, who was seated by Xavier, deadpanned, his brown eyes staring straight ahead, "They are not displays. They are prisoners. There's a difference."
"Don't be such a stick in the mud, Ikuto," Minerva complained, "And you know you want to touch him too. Just feel his face!" Ikuto rolled his eyes and averted them, blowing a lock of deep brownish red hair from his face. The car ride mostly went like that and I was beginning to get a headache as well as uncomfortable as Minerva spent her time touching me. She'd run her nails through my hair and rub her cheek against mine, like I was some kind of doll.
I was getting really sick and tired of people comparing me to an inanimate object.
We were driving out of Rome, I realized with sickening dread as I managed to get a glimpse out the window. The lights were becoming fewer and we were heading toward the countryside where a couple farmhouses and warehouses sat.
We passed a freeway before heading deeper into the country. The sun was already going down by the time we seemed to approach our destination. It was a large stone farmhouse with three floors and a door to what looked like a basement. A couple barns and a warehouse sat on the property as well. We drove past the black gates at the entrance of the long driveway before the Hummer parked.
"I'm starting to regret not running away." I told Storm under my breath. He surprised me with a smirk that told me I was impossible before we were forced out of the car and onto the gravel driveway. We were led around to the back of the house.
Inside, I was expecting something more... well, honestly, more terrorist like. Instead, it was more like a giant community inside humming with activity. Italian music filled the brightly lit Italian farmhouse, the smell of olives and bread wavering through the air as well as chatter and occasional laughter.
That is, until Storm and I were forced into the house. We entered in through a short hallway before we found ourselves standing in a dining room filled with Zephyra members. Men, women, and even a couple children stood nearby, peering past their parents legs at us as if awed. One man stepped forward. He was in his mid-thirties, a bit older than Vladimir, with dark blonde hair brushed back from his face and he wore a sleeveless turtleneck and black jeans, his brown eyes narrowed suspiciously as he spoke in Italian.
Katerina responded and made the man's eyes widen. The people whispered and hissed amongst each other. One of the children tried to break free from her parents, but her mother gasped and tore her back, taking her up into her arms and looking at Storm and I as if we were the bad guys.
It made my gut churn. In her eyes, we were. We were on Vladimir's side and no doubt, Vladimir had killed her clan. She wasn't a pureblood, but she was a strong halfblood. Both her parents were halfbloods and so was her husband and precious daughter.
"You know how to ruin a festival." The man spoke at last, his eyes locked on Ollie, who stepped forward past Katerina to nod his head respectfully.
"I apologize. We have come with the prisoners and wish to speak to our master." He added, making the man frown as he looked past Ollie at Storm and I. He came forward and took Storm's jaw in his hand. Storm glared at him firmly, making the man narrow his eyes.
"You hold the same arrogance in your eyes as your father." He accused in disgust, tightening his grip on Storm's jaw.
"Good." Storm answered snarkily, making me grimace. A couple people from the crowd hissed in hatred, baring their fangs. Ikuto grabbed Storm roughly and dug his fingers into Storm's bullet wound, making him flinch in pain. The man let go of Storm and turned to me. He took my chin, studying my face.
"Alexander Lee Grey," He mused, making me blink in surprise, "You were very small the last time I saw you here in my country. You were being led on a dark path by your parents. It is a shame they have brought you up like this." I didn't know what to say to that because, in all honesty, I agreed with him. Not because they brought me up on Vladimir's laws and principles, but because to my parents, I was their star. I was their key to freedom and key to riches, only to have shot down their dreams when I introduced Mark and Storm.
"Who are you?" I decided to ask instead, frowning. He obviously knew me, but I couldn't remember his face at all.
"It does not matter," He informed me, letting go of my jaw to step back, "Ollie, you may escort them downstairs. Have Ikuto, Xavier, and Minerva watch over them until our master returns. He is very thirsty." Ollie nodded and nudged with his head for his comrades to follow. The Zephyra clan members ducked away to make a path for us to move through to a door near the side of the house.
We came down a couple flights of stairs into the cold basement where a bed sat in wait to be used. They undid the wire around our wrists, allowing me to rub them gently, grimacing at the red indents on my skin. They slammed the door shut and locked it, plunging Storm and I into darkness.
"At least Mark and Luca are safe." I spoke at last, my voice small. I heard Storm grunt in response, then a couple crunching footsteps on the dirt floor before there was a thud. I winced.
"Storm?" I asked in concern, reaching my hands out to find him. My hands bumped his head, making me frown in confusion when I realized he was kneeling on the floor.
"Are you all right?" I asked. He sounded like he was breathing hard.
"Fine... Just. Give me a second. Find the lights." He ordered and I obeyed, reaching my hands out and trying my best to see things in the dark before I managed to bring my hands up toward the ceiling, find the chain to the light bulb. I gave it a tug and the dim lightbulb gave light to the room to reveal that Storm was on his knees, bleeding onto the floor. I winced, coming to his side instantly.
"Is it healed yet?" I asked, grimacing as I pushed him up so I could see. I tugged his shirt off over his head, tossing it onto the bed before turning to see that the wound was halfway healed, but struggling as the bullet was still embedded in his muscle.
"Take it out." Storm ordered past clenched teeth.
"If I do that, it'll have to heal up again." I pointed out nervously, placing my hands on his arm, feeling the hard, rippling muscles underneath.
"If you don't, my body will retaliate against the foreign object. Just reach in and take it out." Storm commanded, pausing to breath hard. I nibbled my lower lip, carefully touching his arm, my hands slick with his blood. My fangs throbbed in my gums as my stomach did flip-flops. Oh, this was a really bad situation, I thought in distress.
"Do it, Alexander." Storm insisted, then shut his eyes tightly in preparation. I cringed.
"You owe me for this." I warned, then took a deep breath and shut my eyes as well, pushing a finger into the bloody wet wound. I almost gagged at the squishing sounds it made and the way Storm almost whimpered deep in his throat. He dropped his head against my shoulder, reaching a hand up to grip my arm tightly. I ignored his squeezing as I pried my fingers in deeper, brushing the hard metal bullet inside. I took a deep breath and pulled hard. Storm gasped and held onto me tightly, burying his face against my throat, breathing hotly against my skin.
I pulled hard and quick, tearing the bullet out and making Storm cry out in pain. I dropped the bullet to the dirt floor before watching as the wound slowly began to mend itself.
"The one in my leg too." Storm commanded, still breathing heavily. I looked at him uneasily, waiting for him to say something else, buty he just gave a hard, determined stare as Storm sat against the nearest wall, his leg stretched out in front of him. I rolled his pantleg up, spotting the wound that was still leaking blood down his leg. The wound sat just below and to the side of his knee, oozing blood out. I took a deep breath and dug my fingers in, making Storm throw his head back, gritting his teeth.
I threw the bullet aside, looking at Storm as he panted for breath. I watched the wound in his leg heal itself up quickly before I turned my face up toward Storm, who looked dizzy.
"You need to lie down." I advised, rising to my feet and coming over to help him onto his feet, letting him drape his arm over my shoulders.
"There's only one bed." Storm mumbled, blinking a few times. I frowned as I led him to the bed anyway, letting him sit on it.
"It's fine. I'll stay awake in case anyone comes back." I told him. Storm looked like he wanted to argue some more, then gave up and flopped back on the bed, closing his eyes and falling asleep the instant his head touched the pillow. I sighed in relief, then sat on the edge of the bed, scanning the basement.
It was basically just a hole in the ground with stones embedded into the dirt walls, a pair of rickety old stairs going to the first floor. I could hear the music start up again, but the festives were over from the sounds of the murmuring. I frowned, listening to footsteps move overheard. The little pitter-patter of children ran by the basement door, a parent scolding them in Italian.
I felt like I sat there forever, listening and watching the basement door, staying alert so that I could wake Storm in case anything happened. In fact, I was on the verge of falling asleep myself until I heard the locks on the door click open. I got to my feet, inching toward the stairs, peering up to see Ollie coming down, holding a couple bottles of blood. My stomach clenched and growled the moment I saw the blood solshing in the bottles. I withdrew, though, as Ollie came to the second to last step, holding the bottles out to me.
"You will only receive these for your stay here. Make them last." He ordered, shoving them at me. I managed to catch them before they almost fell, making me glare at him as he started to go back up.
"Wait! How long are you going to keep us down here? Isn't it a little unsafe, for you, I mean?" I demanded, making Ollie smirk as he glanced over his shoulder at me.
"You ask too many questions. I think it'd be nice for once if the pureblood was the damsel instead of the halfblood. And if I were you, I'd stay quiet. You could end up like your friend." He added, turning away, making me blink and rush back to the bottom of the stairs.
"Kristophe! What did you do with him?" I demanded angrily. Ollie stood at the top of the stairs now, holding the door in his hand as he smiled smugly at me.
"I did nothing. Claude did everything. And he's hardly finished." He tacked on, then slammed the door shut and did the locks again. I cursed under my breath before coming back to the bed where Storm was still deep asleep. I sat his bottle at the legs of the bed before I sat beside him, screwing open the top to my bottle and taking a little sip before recapping it.
He still hadn't answered my other questions. How long did they plan to keep us down here? And who was the master they kept referring to? Was it really Newell? I had a sickening sensation in my gut that something bigger was behind all of this, but what? Who?
Newell was the leader of Zephyra. He'd already told us, and Vladimir. Newell was the one who started the whole thing. If he wasn't the one leading them, who'd taken his place while he was gone?
And it definitely had to be someone popular if they knew Oneiroi and Oni.
It made my gut churn as I finally laid on my side, my back to Storm as I stared at the door, waiting intently for someone to come by. The longer I laid there, the more I realized how cold it was getting. My fingers felt numb and so did my nose as I kept my eyes on the door, blinking hard every so often to keep myself awake.
It was getting harder to think too, I noticed, blinking a few more times. I grimaced and sat up, shaking my head as I popped open the bottle of blood, holding it to my lips to take a drink before I stopped.
I looked at the bottle suspiciously before sniffing the nose of it. The strong scent of blood filled my nostrils, practically burning them. It was strong blood. AB negative. It smelled a bit familiar too, I noticed as I sniffed it a little more.
I stuck my tongue in it to taste it again before pulling it back.
Then it hit me and I gasped, throwing the bottle across the room so it splattered everywhere across the floor. My stomach clenched and I felt sick as I realized they'd given us bottles full of Kristophe's blood. I spit on the floor repeatedly, breathing hard before I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand.
I flopped back on the bed, curling my knees to my chest as I cringed. I had no idea where Kristophe was, if he was even on the property, but one thing was for sure, that Claude was not going easy on him. I could only hope that Claude wouldn't let his temper get the best of him, resulting in Kristophe's death.
And Mark and Luca. They had disappeared after Storm and I got caught. Had they gotten away? If so, where had they gone afterwards? Were they at the hospital with Slade and Zander? Or did they manage to find the Morettis?
And the one person I wasn't sure if I wanted to see or not.
Vladimir.
Where had he gone? He obviously knew something was wrong, otherwise, he wouldn't have left so quickly and early. He also didn't take the limousine if Kristophe was caught and not him, or was he caught and they were refusing to tell us? That thought made me sick to my stomach.
The only person I could think of who could save us right now was Vladimir. Now if I just knew where he was...
I think I fell asleep because one moment I was staring at the door at the top of the staircase and the next, I was curled up under the blankets with Storm's warm body pressed against me from behind. I blinked sleepily a few times before tilting my head back to see Storm still asleep, his head resting on the pillow right behind me. I shivered a little, yawning and turning my head back to stare at the door.
How long had I been asleep? How long had we been here?
My stomach shuddered and growled at me, but I ignored it as I rolled onto my back, turning my head to look at Storm as he slept. The wounds in his arm and leg had healed so there wasn't even a scar left, only dried blood caked to his skin. I sighed in relief, then sat up and slid out of the bed quietly.
I started to stretch when the basement door flew open, making Storm wake up instantly as I stepped back against the bed. Storm got to his feet as Ollie, Minerva, Ikuto, and a new member came down the stairs. The newer member was muscular and thick in a way that reminded me of William. His hair was dyed a pale blue color and punk styled with his bangs brushed across his face, a beauty mark dotted in one corner of his mismatched brown and green eyes.
"How rude," Minerva exclaimed when she saw the bottle of blood spilt on the floor, "He didn't eat his breakfast!"
"Too bad," Ollie smirked, glancing at me with narrowed eyes, "You could've put that to good use now, but whatever. Far be it from me to be merciful." I glared at him, clenching my fists.
"That's Kristophe's blood! Let him go, you have us to bargain with! You don't need to torture him!" I snapped angrily. Storm suddenly looked sick to his stomach, making a face of disgust before glaring at the Zephyra members, who hardly looked remorseful.
"Kristophe betrayed our cause," Ikuto informed sternly, folding his arms over his chest, "He must suffer the consequences. He should be lucky, though, that it's Claude punishing him and not one of us. Claude is going easy on him. You won't be so lucky." I stiffened and Storm instantly tensed, his muscles growing taut under his skin as he stepped in front of me. I glanced at him, then quickly at Ollie, who kept that wicked evil smirk on his face.
"Down, puppy," Ollie spoke calmly, hardly considered with Storm's actions, "We're just gonna take the bride here and give him VIP treatment. We'll give him back to you eventually."
"I don't think so." Storm deadpanned, his blue eyes darkening. I grimaced, then glanced at Ollie.
"What do you need me for? If it's about Vladimir, then don't bother. I don't even know where he was, even if I did, I'd kick his ass before any of you could." I told them in irritation. Ollie laughed, taking a step toward us. Storm clenched his fists and took a protective stance in front of me, putting his arm back across my chest to keep me from moving as well.
"Oh, trust me," Ollie drawled, "You don't need to worry your little head about anything like that. In fact, we may have an idea of where your lover is, but he won't come out of hiding unless we give him a bargaining chip. We already sent him photos of his precious little son bleeding out. Now it's your turn." He glanced at the new member, inching his finger for the man to come forward.
He obeyed, stepping toward us, but Storm stayed in front of me. I almost didn't argue when I remembered that Storm too hadn't drank any blood since yesterday. He wouldn't be able to fight off this guy as easily as he could have last time. I reached out, grabbing Storm's arm and giving it a tug. He looked at me, frowning.
"Storm, let them take me. You won't be able to recover if you get hurt." I warned. Storm glared at me, turning to face me now.
"And what about you? You haven't had anything either. You should've just drank what they gave you." He scolded, making me blink at him in disbelief.
"That was Kristophe's blood! I am not drinking his blood!" I exclaimed in shock.
"I don't care who's it was, you should've drank it."
"I would've puked! I almost did!"
"Goddamn it, Alexander."
"Don't yell at me," I protested angrily, "I can't help that I have morales! What about you? If you don't care, then you shouldn't care if they take me away." Storm glared at me for the longest time, but said nothing. Ollie cleared his throat and gestured for the man to grab me, which he did. Storm caught the man by the wrist threateningly, but I snapped my head and flashed my fangs at Storm, who reeled back in surprise.
My fangs throbbed in my gums at being exposed to the cold air in the basement before I closed my mouth and let the man tug me toward the staircase. Storm watched me go, glaring after me with his fists clenched and body as stiff as a board. The man led me up the stairs and the others followed.
The house was quiet and it seemed most everyone was asleep, probably to avoid the sunlight that was pouring through the windows. I grimaced as we passed through some rays in the hallway. I watched the way my skin turned pink, then red before returning to normal before we stood near the front door.
"Take him to the barn," Ollie ordered firmly, watching his clans members as they nodded obediently, "Get good lighting and once you're finished, bring me the tape." I looked at him confused when he flashed me a smirk before he left the room.
"All righty," Minerva sang, catching me by the back of the neck and making me wince, "Time to make a movie! And your director will be moi! This is gonna be so fun." I didn't like the sound of that, grimacing as my stomach churned. I winced as she shoved me in front of them. There were too many of them and it was like I told Storm; without any blood, I wouldn't be able to make a dent in them, so escape was impossible. We were also in the middle of nowhere practically. The nearest civilization had to be miles upon miles away.
I was trapped.