Chapter Fifteen (Storm)
Cold.
That was the only thing that described how I felt. Not just physically, but mentally. I felt cold inside and outside. To the core of my soul. I sat on the bed, keeping watch and fighting off the chills that kept coursing up my spine. I spared a glance behind me at Alexander, who had finally fallen asleep an hour or so ago.
Despite the fact that I had fed him as much blood as we had, he was already looking pale and weak. I could feel the beginnings of it settle in my bones, making them feel heavy. I didn't even want to move anymore, just sit there and hope that no one came for us.
We were both starving. Our stomachs kept chiming a chorus of growls, like angry dogs. My fangs throbbed in my gums so much that I had begun to get a headache because of it. It didn't help that it was so cold in the basement at night, especially.
The sound of footsteps overhead filled my ears, joining Alexander's steady heart beat and soft breathing. Voices speaking in Italian and English, the joyful music earning laughter from the Zephyra members. I wasn't as surprised as Alexander to see that the clan had become larger, including other halfbloods and their children.
The fact that there were children here disgusted me, but I kept it to myself. I wasn't about to provoke them now after what they'd done to Alexander.
My stomach churned in disgust as I remembered how ruined his back was. Bloody and blistered, completely torn apart from what I guessed to be sunlight and a whip. The skin had been peeled from his bones and it was any wonder he healed so quickly. I took a deep breath and lifted my face to the ceiling.
But that was done and over with. Now I had something else on my mind.
My father was out there somewhere.
And I could only hope that he had Mark and Luca with him. It made my heart clench tightly in my chest as I took a deep breath. I didn't know if my father knew who was behind all of this or not, but Alexander was right.
It wasn't Newell this time.
But one thing was for sure and that was that Newell had escaped and was most likely somewhere in Rome. If anything, he could be here as well. What if he was where Kristophe was? Would they torment him for something like this? Or maybe they were releasing him?
I had no idea.
The playing field had just gotten larger and it didn't help that they were calling upon the help of the oneiroi and oni to do so. My people weren't prepared to deal with an army of oni, especially. It sounded like the oneiroi were being forced, unlike the oni. And that Xed man. He wasn't either things. At least, that's not the vibe I got off him. There was something else about him.
And whatever it was, it had to take someone extremely powerful to control him, oneiroi, and oni.
Hell, even Zephyra.
The rebellion had gotten bigger and stronger, I realized with a grimace. And thought I had full confidence in my father's abilities, part of me wondered if any of us would make it out of this alive. It made me sick to my stomach, so I gave up on thinking too hard and fell beside Alexander in bed. I pulled the blankets over us and scooted so close to Alex that his body was pressed up against mine, his arms drawn up to his chest as he mumbled something incoherent in his sleep.
He was shivering every so often, so I put my arms around him and sighed, resting my chin on his head as I stared at the wall behind him.
Alexander was doubting my father. He didn't say it, but I could see it on his face. It was only because he was scared, I reminded myself. Alexander didn't know what to think anymore and after their last session of tearing at his back, it didn't surprise me. I wanted to assure him that my father would come, but for some reason, the words caught in my throat. I couldn't say them.
No. I knew he would come.
He had to.
He always did.
He didn't always make the best of entrances, or choices for that matter, but he was still my father and he would not let us die like this.
I had no idea when I fell asleep. I just knew that I woke up to the sound of the basement door being kicked open. I jumped and startled Alexander out of his sleep, making him gasp quietly before we sat up and got to our feet as Ollie came down the stairs. Right behind him was Minerva, Xed, and Ikuto.
"Good, you're awake," Ollie drawled, hoisting a machine gun onto his shoulder to give us a once over before smirking, "We have a little surprise for you, but you'll need to follow us to see it." I felt dread churning in the pit of my stomach. I glanced at Alexander, who looked at me nervously before we came forward. There was really no other choice, but to follow Ollie as he led us out of the basement.
Minerva walked in front of us, pausing every so often to wink at Alexander, who looked sick to his stomach as he averted his eyes to anywhere, but her. Behind us, Ikuto and Xed walked side by side. Ikuto was carrying an AK47, but Xed just walked empty handed with bored mismatched eyes. Something about him made me wish he wasn't at my back.
Ollie led us through the house toward the back door. The music and chatter was coming from a room further away, leaving our path clear and silent as death. We stepped out into the night, the moon glaring down at us and stars sparkling as the only witnesses to what was happening. We walked across the dirt and gravel yard, some patches of grass still trying to come up. We were heading toward one of the warehouses that sat nestled amongst the taller grass, giving it the appearance of being abandoned.
Ollie led us around to the side through the side door before we came inside. The lights were dim and the air colder inside, giving me goose bumps. Alexander walked closer to me, our arms touching as we gathered inside and Ikuto was the one to close the door behind us.
For a moment, I didn't notice the smell as we stood inside the dimly lit warehouse. But my stomach lurched suddenly and bile rose in my throat. My mouth suddenly went dry, my throat as dry as cotton as I stood there, parting my lips as my fangs throbbed.
Blood.
The thick, heavy scent of blood was so strong that it actually made me feel sick. Beside me, Alexander made a little noise of surprise and disgust. He sneezed a couple times, making Minerva giggle and pinch his cheek until he brushed her off to step closer to me. Ollie chuckled, using his gun to gesture for us to follow him.
Alexander and I shared uneasy looks before following Ollie. The warehouse was very large, probably give enough to fit a plane instead, but there were sections cut off by plastic tarps. A couple of them I could plainly see were covered thickly with blood. I forced myself to glance to the side and I instantly recognized Luca's father, Mr. Moretti.
Or, at least, whatever was left of him.
The only reason I recognized him was the pocket watch hanging from the pocket of his suit. Everything else was torn to pieces as if a wild animal had come in to make a lunch of him. I didn't look at the other bodies beside him, because I had a strong feeling I knew who they were. Alexander went to look, but I blocked his view and forced him to look forward. He peered up at him, confused, but I just shook my head in warning.
We kept walking past the sections blocked off by tarps before we approached one with a scent so familiar that it made my temples throb. My fangs pulsated in my gums, dripping with saliva as we neared the final section in the warehouse.
My stomach dropped instantly, feeling heavy with ice, my whole body going stiff and frozen as we came near the section. While the others were just concrete floors with blood splattered everywhere, this one looked more like a lounge. There were a couple sofas and a large plush chair in one corner. In the chair sat Claude, one leg drawn up to rest over the arm of the chair and in his hands was a leather leash that ran straight to a dog collar that was tightly fitted around Kristophe's throat.
Kristophe was sitting in Claude's lap, a black blindfold tied over his eyes and a black leather mask over his mouth with a couple bars so he could breath through it. However, blood was bubbling past it and running down his chin, falling to his pale skin. A pair of leather cuffs kept his hands binded in front of him. He wasn't moving either. Just resting with his head against Claude's chest, sitting there, and naked.
Alexander gasped and his hands flew over his mouth, which caught Claude's attention. At first he looked confused before a smirk slipped across his face, one of his arms around Kristophe's waist before he reached up, grabbing a handful of Kristophe's hair, jerking his head back.
"Look who came to see us, Krissy. Say hello." Claude crooned, then let go of Kristophe's hair, making his head slump against Claude's chest again. I flinched. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Kristophe was dead. No part of him was moving. He just sat there like a naked doll... Until his head twitched a little. He looked like he was trying to lift his head, but gave up and slumped against Claude again. Claude smiled pleasantly and ran his hand from Kristophe's shoulder to his hip.
"What'd you do to him?" I demanded angrily. Kristophe may have been part of the rebellion at some point, and made me question his loyalties, but he did not deserve this. Especially from his own brother. Claude barked a laugh at me, tilting his head to rest it on Kristophe's. Kristophe seemed to try and say something, but only blood gurgled past the bars across his mouth.
"Nothing. He did it to himself. Sorry, he's being extremely disobedient today." He added, glancing at Kristophe, who didn't respond and became nothing, but a limp ragdoll again. I glared at Claude hatefully, watching his eyes flicker and lock on me as he pushed himself up into a straighter position.
"And just why do you give a fuck? You never trusted him in the first place, did you?" Claude snapped, making Alexander flinch. I glanced at him, then at Claude. I felt my lip curl back from my fangs as I bared them in a snarl.
"How ironic. You didn't seem to trust him too much either when he saved your life." I returned. Claude's eyes glowed and for a second, he looked like he was going to rip into me before he remembered that Kristophe was still in his lap. Claude's expression very obviously softened as he nuzzled Kristophe's hair.
"I'll be back." Claude said in a low voice in Kristophe's ear. Claude rose to his feet, dropping the leash and letting Kristophe slump across the chair, his head resting on the arm rest. He didn't even move, just let Claude do whatever he wanted before Claude turned to us. Claude gave me a look that dared me to speak. Part of me wanted to, but I wasn't that stupid.
I remained silent as Claude joined Ollie, who raised an eyebrow at him.
"Blood wine." Ollie stated. Alexander's eye twitched and I felt a growl threaten to come up my throat in disgust. Claude nodded, taking a handkerchief out of his jeans pocket to wipe Kristophe's blood from his hands before he paused to inhale the scent off the cotton.
"And plenty of it. Too bad he keeps falling asleep." Claude added, looking disgruntled. Ollie smirked, then turned his head away with a frown.
"Also, Xed delivered the message to Vladimir and the two whelps in his possession. We only have one oneiroi to worry about now." He added under his breath. I blinked and snapped my head to look at him, then quickly looked at Alexander, who masked my look of uneasiness. That meant Mark and Luca were with Vladimir, right? And if so, Luca knew about his family. It made me want to grimace in sympathetic pain.
"And we're meeting at The Colosseum tomorrow, right?" Claude asked, tucking his handkerchief away into his pocket again. Ollie nodded.
"We'll be bringing these two and Vladimir, if he's as smart as they claim, will meet us there. We'll do the exchange, then be on our merry way. I can't wait to get out of this country, though," He added with a snort, making Claude smirk, "It's too warm here."
"Used to those Alaskan winters, hm?" Claude asked, making Ollie sigh blissfully at the memory. I would never understand why anyone enjoyed winter, but I wasn't going to comment as we walked in silence toward the back of the warehouse.
"Where are you taking us?" I demanded at last, impatient. Ollie flashed me a sideways smirk that made my blood boil. I really couldn't wait to plan my fist into his mouth and knock his teeth in.
"You'll see. In fact, I think this surprise may please you." He added. I was suspicious now. I looked at Alexander, who shared a nervous glance with me before Claude and Ollie led us to a door that opened up to reveal an elevator. We stepped inside, cramped, especially with Xed here. He was much bigger than the rest of us and just stood silently in one corner with Alexander right in front of him.
I could tell Alexander looked uneasy about being so close to the monster. I stood closer to Alexander, brushing my fingers against his to get his attention. He looked at me and I tried to give him the most reassuring look I could muster and he just smiled wearily before the elevator shifted down for a few seconds before halting. The door opened to reveal a small lobby and two hallways; one that went straight ahead and one that went to the right. A man was sitting at a desk, typing rapidly on a computer with a pair of headphones on before he dropped them to his shoulders at the sight of us.
He was pretty thin and small, definitely meant for desk work and not physical labor. His hair was dark brown and cut shorter in the back than in the front, his green eyes peering at us uneasily.
"Can I help you?" He asked. He was American, but his voice was so soft that it was almost hard to hear him from where we stood in front of the desk now. Ollie leaned forward, putting a hand on the desk.
"We're here to see our latest addition. I want a key card to get in, Kyle." He commanded. Kyle glared at him past his hair, then shrugged his shoulders sassily before popping open the desk drawer to take out a black and white key card.
"You have to return it after an hour, or I'm coming in after you." Despite the threat, his voice was still small. Ollie hardly looked intimidated. In fact, he smirked and reached out, grabbing Kyle's wrist, then plucked the card from his fingers. Kyle curled his lip, revealing his fangs, but Ollie just leaned forward and pecked a kiss on his forehead before releasing him. Kyle bleghed, rubbing at his forehead before jamming his headphones back on, hitting a switch on the side to blast Nazareth's Hair of the Dog.
Ollie gestured for us to follow and we really had no choice, but to obey as we followed him down the hallway that went straight ahead. I was starting to get a tingling sensation in my body. Something was coming, something bad. I could feel it right down into my bones. And judging from Alexander's expression, he could feel it too.
The further down the hallway we walked, the stronger the scent of blood got. It burned my nostrils and throat, making my stomach shudder. Ollie approached a door on the left and slashed his key card through, pausing as the sound of locks clunked and undid themselves. The door creaked and clicked before Ollie took the handle and opened the door.
The scent of blood almost suffocated me now as Alexander and I froze in the doorway.
Newell was sitting in a chair, his hands nailed down into the wooden arms, his feet nailed down to the hardwood floor. Some kind of metal bolt was shoved through the underside of his jaw, through his mouth to keep him from speaking. It didn't, however, stop the blood from pouring past his teeth into his lap. He still wore the tattered children's coat and torn little black slacks he'd worn the night my father had captured him.
This was bigger than Newell, I realized in sick horror. Newell had been a terrorist. One of the best with a strong mind and ability to manipulate anyone he wanted. He was clever and sneaky, like a fox. He was also rude and enjoyed teasing people. He had created Zephyra.
And now they were torturing him.
Something about it made me sick to my stomach. Alexander looked like he too was about to vomit as we were shoved into the room. Xed closed the door behind us and stood in front of it with Minerva and Ikuto. Ollie and Claude came forward, both of them highly amused by our reactions.
Newell's eyes were closed for a while before flickering open. They were bloodshot and icy cold as usual.
"Doesn't this please you," Ollie asked calmly, placing on hand on Newell's head, ruffling his black hair, "After all, he's caused you so much pain. He's the one who started this whole rebellion in the first place too. He killed so many people close to you. Doesn't it make you happy to see him like this?" I wanted to answer that quite frankly I couldn't care less, but Alexander spoke first and surprisingly, he was angry.
"How could you think this would make anyone happy?! It's disgusting and cruel! He may have caused the deaths of so many people, but that gives you no right to torment him! It makes you as worse as him!" He snapped, fuming. I stared at him.
I would've thought Alexander of all people wouldn't care about this. This man had gotten his human lover killed. He manipulated him and toyed with him, then in turn had him killed off. And at the same time, I felt a small pang at the last sentence.
My father had also been tormenting Newell. Granted, nothing this harsh, nothing this sick. My father only starved him and kept him locked up alone in a cell in our basement.
Ollie laughed at Alexander's words, though, before kneeling down by Newell, who was breathing hard past clenched teeth, blood gurgling past the bolt in his mouth to dribble down his chin. He grabbed Newell by the chin, making Newell's eyes flicker in pain.
"Do you hear that, Newt? Your enemy even pities you!" He exclaimed, then shoved Newell's face away. Newell seethed blood past his teeth, glaring daggers at Ollie, who then came up behind him and covered his eyes. The room shuddered, the floor trembling under our feet. Alexander and I stepped back as one before pausing.
"Doesn't his power seem familiar to you?" Ollie asked, keeping his hands over Newell's eyes. Newell tried to twist his head away, but Ollie held him still. This caused the room to shudder again. I narrowed my eyes. Newell was causing it and if he was causing it, that meant he had the same abilities as my father. He too was telekinetic.
"How is he able to do that?" I demanded. Ollie smiled lightly, keeping his hands over Newell's eyes.
"We haven't quite figured it out yet, so we've been trying to piece it together. What have Vladimir and Newell done to bring about such a power? Such inhuman abilities? We suspect gods can do it, but these two are no gods. They've both done something horrendous. Something so awful to have been blessed by the Shadows." He explained, making me blink. Alexander scowled.
"That makes no sense. The evil comes from...." His voice trailed as it seemed to click in his mind. It took me a moment longer before I understood.
There was technically no Devil. The only Devil existed within ourselves.
And that was how my father had gained his power. The power to move objects without touching them. The power to make things explode without lifting a finger. The power to break bones with so much as a breath of air.
"They've given themselves this power," Ollie concluded, "That's the basic of our understanding. Anything detailed has yet to be revealed. We have people working on it. You see, our employer wants the power, but he's not sure how to get it. All we know is that it's brought about by the devil inside us. So he's committing all the devilish sins in the world in order to grab a hold of it."
"That's sick." Alexander managed. Ollie shrugged and let go of Newt's eyes, revealing them to be closed now. Newt's head fell to the side to rest on his shoulder limply. He'd passed out again. I lifted my eyes to lock with Ollie's as he wiped his hands on his pants.
"War is a harsh game, child. You do what you can to gain the upper hand. And if that means killing and torturing, so be it. After all, you're the enemy." He added. I frowned, folding my arms over my chest.
"But Newell was on your side." I pointed out. Ollie scoffed, glancing in disgust at Newell, reaching out to grab a handful of his hair to pick his head up before letting it drop to Newell's chest.
"This little ingrate was a test run. He began what we will finish. We, Zephyra, the new and only clan of our kind. No longer will people call us vampires or leeches. We will be Zephyra. We will kill the humans and the government that opposes us. We will rise against the powers of weakness and smash them to pieces so small that they can no longer be fitted together. That is the goal of Zephyra. The true goal of Zephyra." Ollie announced, lowering his gun to his side.
I narrowed my eyes, lowering my arms to my sides to clench my fists. I wanted to kill him. It was enough to fuel my energy again. I wanted to rip into this man and leave nothing behind, but this wasn't the time or the place. I knew what was a stupid idea and what wasn't.
And I knew not to get involved with whatever my father was plotting.
He had a plan, I know he did. In two days, my father was going to destroy whatever was left of Zephyra, including Newell. We'd get everyone back home safely, vow to never come back to Italy, and prepare for a new year.
At least, I hoped that's how things would go...