Bound by Blood ch.7

We jump seven years into the future.

SEVEN 

Seven years later...

 

Blood permeated through the dank hall. Pungent and sweet. Burning. 

The piercing shrieks of monsters echoed, their howls of agony thumping like an erratic heartbeat against Marina’s eardrums. She staggered barefoot through a maze of tunnels, every part of her body curdling. Tearing apart.

I have to get out. Her steps slowed, then quickened, just like her heart. She needed to escape. Needed to get help. 

A soft chuckle whispered behind her like an echo. “Now where did you run off to?” 

Marina’s short black hair flew into her eyes as she looked behind her and searched. Finding no one. She clamped a hand over her mouth, the dull throb in her head intensifying each breath she tried to take in. She recognized the lilting voice like she would a boyfriend. It was the same voice as the one she’d followed out of the 16+ nightclub the moment he beckoned her forward. 

How he’d lured her outside when all of her senses told her to run she didn’t know. And now it was too late. 

The place where he’d injected her with the thick, black liquid burned as if ice was being held there too long. Tears begged to spill from her ink black eyes but nothing came out. Rejecting her. Rejecting her humanity.  

Even without knowing what they’d given her Marina knew she wouldn’t survive it. Like how her body attacked her after having shellfish, the hives and swollen throat her penance for foolishly eating any piece of it. 

A small price she’d gladly pay compared to the black liquid they’d pushed into her bloodstream. 

Moisture finally slipped free from her walnut eyes and ran down her cheek. Marina touched it and smelled not salt but iron. 

Blood. 

Marina’s grandma had once told her the story during a visit to the nursing home how she’d watched her roommate die of a cerebral aneurysm, blood coming out of her eyes, nose, and ears. 

She wiped the rest running down her cheek and ignored the sharp pang in her gums from the sight and smell. 

I have to warn them. I can’t die yet. The notion of death wasn’t nearly as terrifying as never relaying the message. Of letting them know what had returned back from the dead. 

The reminder of it made her push down on the leather jacket she’d worn-her mom’s- and feel the envelope with the signature seal. 

A sound caught her attention and she jerked her head down the hall. Is that... a horn? Marina listened for another split second hearing the tick of a car’s signal coming through the slab of concrete lining the walls. She forced her steps to move faster, towards it, pushing away the wheeze of her lungs and the blood slipping from her thin nose. 

Not yet...Not yet. A low whistle chased after her, a master searching for its dog. “Where did you go, little recruit?” 

Terror sliced through her. Keep going. Keep going. She hobbled faster down the hall and saw around the bend a concrete stairwell coming into view. Blood slipped down her throat and gagged her. Don’t stop. She reached the stairwell when it was finally too much, her body crumpling in on itself. 

Not yet, she repeated, relying on the mantra from her training at the GARD to push her forward-on hands and knees- up the stairs. 

Halfway up the cold steps the blood in her stomach pushed its way out of her, and every single one of her pores leaked out the stench of bile and death. 

She let out a dry sob, but moved around it and kept pushing herself to get to the landing. To the door. 

“I can smell your blood,” her kidnapper taunted. She imagined the angelic face and it made her crawl faster. Thinking about the liquid gold eyes that dragged her out of safety. 

Keep going. She’d reached the landing. A large storm door was only feet away from her. 

More blood purged itself from her and she choked on it. 

The pounding in her head slammed at a manic pace, and black patches rose to the top of her arms. Marina’s face screwed up in pain and determination, dragging her failing body to the door, shoving herself against it, all the while hearing her captor getting closer. 

“Look at this mess you’ve made.” 

Marina shoved her body against the horizontal bar and begged whoever existed beyond this world-  “Please...please help me.” 

The door opened, and Marina sobbed in relief, tears of blood streaking down her long face. 

Then she noticed the person standing in front of her. “My my... you do not look well, little recruit.” a foot lifted and pushed into her chest. The kick made Marina’s lungs fill faster with blood and she felt like she was drowning. 

The envelope with the insignia slipped from her coat and fell to the floor. 

The golden rose glinted as the sun caught it before the door closed behind her second captor. 

She blinked once and then let her eyes close. 

Then everything stopped. 

🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

Harmon airport was not the place to be at eight in the morning on a Monday in late August. It was small, crowded, and the only three runways it had were in a constant state of chaos- and today was no exception.  

August listened to the dim drone of the attendant on the airport’s speaker system relay the bad news of possible cancellations due to bad weather. He clicked his tongue. And waited for the yelling to begin, pushing down in the black nylon airport seat, his black zip up hoodie sliding up his back. 

I knew we should have flown out of Burbank. He silently cursed September for booking their flights and prayed his ears rang or his palms itched wherever he was currently at in the airport, doing God only knew what with God only knew who. 

August adjusted his dark grey bluetooth earbud in hopes it drowned out the woman feet away from him. She was pulling Karen moves, her tight fitted cream sleeveless dress tugging against her body when she pushed closer to the gate’s desk. 

“What do you mean there are delays? I have a meeting to get to in six hours! Do you have any idea how important I am?” she demanded haughtily to the pretty young flight attendant who to August’s amazement kept her expression impassive. 

He snorted. Important my a*s. August flicked a look of disdain at the woman’s back, wondering what she would do if he showed her how inconsequential she really was. Then he remembered Zed’s warning about not getting into trouble and he shook the desire to walk up to her out of his head. 

You’re lucky, he silently told her. Or else I would make sure you’d never speak again. 

The sound of blood thumping violently made him shift his gaze to the pretty attendant, her plum colored lips lifting in a stretched smile. “Ma’am, I completely understand your frustration, and I assure you we’re doing everything we can to get you to your destination...”

The woman cut her off. “Try harder!” she whacked her manicured hand on the desk and startled the agent, her black hair swishing behind her back.  

August ran his tongue over his teeth and tapped his foot. One second... All I’d need is one second. 

As much as he wanted to do it, the move was too risky. Although he and September had avoided meeting anyone in the GARD- the eradication unit that killed his entire family- it didn’t mean he was safe. They could be there now. Watching. Waiting for him to slip up. 

Forget Zed having to bail him out of jail. He’d have to come pick up August and September’s dead bodies if the GARD found out they were still alive. 

The thought cooled some of his anger. He reluctantly decided to turn up the volume all the way on his phone so he wouldn’t have to find out whether Zed would actually come for them or not. 

Yet Led Zeppelin just wasn’t doing the trick. Not with his damn incredible hearing picking up every word from Karen. 

Groaning, he jumped up from his seat. And walked away from the yelling. He didn’t care if September had to go searching for him. It would serve him right after he followed the drunk punk with a shaved head was a smart idea. 

September had no impulse control. He never had. It didn’t matter that they were in enemy territory. If September wanted to do something he did it.  

August wished he’d had that kind of reckless abandonment. Feeding on whoever tickled his fancy, the way September did. Maybe that’s why I’m so irritated....I haven’t eaten in almost two days. Alcohol would help take off the edge except he was considered too young in America to get a double pour of Johnny Walker on the rocks. Another reason he wanted to get out of this country and back to Spain as fast as possible. 

August wouldn’t have ever come back to his old home if he and September didn’t have to finish the paperwork to finalize selling the mansion. Prince Zed had kindly offered to send his human pet to take care of it for them but August felt like he needed to see to it himself. To know it was finally over. 

A pang of guilt smacked into him at not stepping inside of his family home one last time. Except he didn’t think he could handle the memories of his last day there. Remembering the screams of terror. Finding the main hall covered in black blood. Dull eyes and mouths opened in silent screams everywhere. 

Shaking off the chill the memory gave him he passed by the one bookstore and caught sight of a headline on a local paper. He backtracked and came to a stop, reading:

Famed Mansion to Become Super Mall.

His dark emerald eyes rose in surprise. Speaking of the sale. That was fast. He had just signed the papers yesterday and the media was already alerted. He shook his head. 

Humans...so pathetic. The things they concern themselves with never ceases to amaze me. They were so easily entertained. Simple. Like little puppies.  

He picked up the paper and scanned the front page, searching for any sign they cared about something actually important. It wasn’t until the fifth page did he find a topic other than being about what stores were going in the new upcoming mall and how exciting the size of the underground parking lot was going to be. 

A picture of a girl around his age smiled in black and white, her dark hair curling around her shoulders. The caption read: 

Anissa Levins Still Missing

August skimmed through the article quickly before slamming the paper back onto the metal wrack. Five girls had now gone missing in Jewel Beach City. 

There’s a serial kidnapper/killer running rampant and all they care about is capitalistic bullshit. 

His blood heated. None of this would be happening if his clan was still running the city. Nightrealm cared too much about young, lively humans to let them die in vain. To be killed when they were in their prime. 

He felt the heavyset clerk behind the counter eyeing him with a frown. “You gonna buy that?” 

August lifted his head and his gaze flashed with red, the stocky clerk’s small, dark eyes widening in fear. “Nope,” said August curtly.  “I’ve seen everything I need to see.” 

He walked away from the clerk and the shop, gritting his teeth and coming to a stop. 

I should be stopping these murders from happening. It is my responsibility as the eldest Lamia now. The guilt of forsaking his duties to hide under the protection of Prince Zed made his shoulders shake in rage. Not for the first time August found himself wishing Hatchet was still alive. He’d never have run. Never have tried to hide. The realization made August feel like a coward and a failure. Like he was letting his family’s legacy down. 

He shut his eyes as his mind cruelly reminded him- what family? There was no one left after the raid except for September and August. After seven years of searching and following half-leads and his foolish hope he’d finally accepted the truth. He’d grown tired of chasing ghosts. And after all the money he owed Prince Zed for those expeditions all over the globe, selling the mansion was the only way to pay off those debts. 

Zed had insisted it wasn’t necessary since he was richer than the Queen of England-his words, not August’s- but August refused the charity. If there was one thing August would do it was repay his debts. Even if it had killed him to sign the paperwork and sell his family home- he’d had to do it. He’d had no choice. 

August expelled a sharp breath. It’s better this way. Now September and I can put all of this behind us and move on. August would never admit it out loud but he was glad he still had September. At least they had each other to get through these dark times. 

Speaking of. . .

Where the hell did he go? 

August opened his eyes and was relieved to find the heat burning them gone. With his luck the GARD had already been alerted by the store clerk that someone with red eyes was there. He glanced around and searched for any people walking by who might exude that overbearing cockiness but instead he got the usual reaction: women sucking in deep breaths and their heart rates spiking. Men sizing him up while staring in begrudging awe. 

A downside to being a Nightrealm member. He was always noticed by the humans because of his impeccable genetic lineage. He clicked his tongue and tugged his hood down over the dark blue hair, wishing he’d not let September convince him that changing his hair color would help keep them off the GARD’s radar. 

That’s what I get for listening to September. It had sounded like a good idea then. Now, seeing the looks and hearing the gasps he wished he’d just bought a damn baseball cap like he’d wanted to in the first place. Out of all of the colors September had given him, it had to be dark blue. Not teal. Not pastel. Dark blue. 

He grumbled. Yeah, really inconspicuous, September.  

Two teenage girls proved him right as they came to a halt not far from him, gaping. 

“Oh my God...look at him.” August turned his back to them. He was going to kill September for this. 

His chance to leave was stopped when the other one squealed. “Do you think he’s with the purple-haired one? Maybe they’re part of a music group or something!” 

Purple hair? August spun on his red checkered vans and faced them. The two girls were wearing matching black sweaters with the words “Midnight Seven” written in dark red writing. 

He walked up to them when the first girl gasped, lost in her conversation with her friend. “You think? Girl! We should take a picture then before he looks. . .”

“Excuse me ladies,” he interrupted with a smile he hoped was charming. The girls both jerked their heads to look at him, their eyes nearly popping from their heads. The one who’d wanted to take his picture burned red, her freckles darkening all over her face. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but you said you saw someone with purple hair?”

Their mouths opened but no sound came out. They both nodded. 

His eyes narrowed. “Where did you see him?” 

Simultaneously, they pointed at a bathroom about twenty feet from them. He crooked his head towards their direction and saw the men’s bathroom sign. The faint scent of blood wafting out. 

Biting down his anger he forced his head to look back at the two girls and winked at them, resisting the urge to make both of them come with him so he could feed. “Thank you, ladies,” he rasped, his throat aching. 

The scent of blood wafting from the bathroom wasn’t helping him hold onto his self-control. He scowled. Damn it, September. 

August’s features hardened as he strode to the opening in the wall, envisioning his fist slamming into September’s face...again and again-

His vision flashed black and hot agony raced up the back of his head. He stumbled into the wall and growled at the familiar feeling. Come on...not now!

He knew there was nothing he could do until the vision fulfilled itself. It had been months since he’d had his last one, but it was nothing compared to the intensity of this vision. It slammed into him and his head felt like it was about to combust. He cradled it as he saw in his mind a shadow moving, gritting his teeth to keep from crying out. 

Thump, thump, thump. “Treasure...here.” 

August heard the sound of wood splitting and cracking before strands of light peeked through. Red eyes glowing through a jagged hole. 

Then it vanished. August sucked in a staggering breath and pressed his fingers to the back of his neck, dismayed to find it covered in sweat. What the hell did I just see? He hadn’t had a vision that powerful since the night of the raid. And it terrified him. 

Steadying himself against the grey wall he recalled what pushed its way into his mind. 

There was something familiar about that wood. The voice. 

His heart thumped in his broad chest. It was too much to hope for. The disappointment had been too great every time he’d discovered the leads he’d followed had never brought him to his family. Only liars. Scammers that wanted to try and rob August and September of their money. 

But this one didn’t come from emails and half-assed written letters. It came from a vision. And his visions had never misled him. 

Ignoring the concerned looks from passersby-including the two girls- August straightened and walked briskly into the men’s room. Heading straight for the last stall where the stench of alcohol and blood permeated the air. 

He rapped his knuckles on the door. “September.”

A muffled moan came through the aluminum. August banged on the door again, louder this time. “September, we need to go.” He had no idea when his vision would take place-something that would have been really helpful. All he could count on based on past incidents was that it typically ranged from a few minutes to several hours-always within the same day. 

Not that September cared a lick about the urgency in his tone. 

A musical voice responded, annoyed. “I’m a little busy right now, brother...” 

Some of the men who’d made the mistake of entering the bathroom glanced over before walking out. He was drawing too much attention. Soon there’d be TSA agents watching him-or worse- and he couldn’t have that. Not now. Not when he had to see if this time was real. 

“Make yourself not busy,” he snapped, knocking again. “We need to head back to the mansion. Now.” August was tall enough to look over the stall door and see the shaved head of September’s victim. Another soft moan answered him and it took everything in August to not rip the door from its hinges. 

Thankfully, September had the uncanny ability to test his patience right before it frayed. Right as he went to bash his fist through the metal the lock clicked, the door cracking open. A man with a shaved head and flushed cheeks pushed past August and stumbled for the exit. September took his sweet time to come out of the stall, wiping his bottom lip with the pad of his thumb.

He grinned up at August, his emerald eyes shining. “I have to say I was worried about him being bitter...but he turned out to be quite delectable.” August looked at him with barely-contained patience. “What?” 

August didn’t fall for the innocent facade and grabbed the back of September’s draping black sweater, dragging him from the bathroom. “If we get found out I’m going to request watching you die before they kill me.” 

September lifted his head and laughed. “You know, you wouldn’t be so testy if you’d just feed, brother. You’d be just as happy as I am all the time.”  

“Shut the hell up.” 

“What? Afraid someone will overhear us and guess our meaning?” September covered his mouth and pointed when they’d emerged from the bathroom. “Maybe they already have,” he said with a dramatic gasp. August went rigid as he inspected where he was gesturing, his blood running cold. 

The two girls noticed his stare and broke into a tizzy. 

“Oh my God-”

“-they are together!” 

September wrapped his arms around his stomach and let out peals of laughter. August silenced it with a sound slap to the back of his head, messing up his layered purple hair. “Hey! That’s abuse!” 

“Keep talking and I’ll show you abuse.” 

When they got outside of the airport August hailed down a cab, finally releasing his hold on September who had remained incredibly silent since August threatened him. 

Now freed, September shot him a look and fixed the white collar of the shirt underneath the sweater.  “Care to tell me why we are leaving the airport and getting back into a smelly cab?” 

The smelly cab in question pulled up with an abrupt sharp turn against the sidewalk and August opened the back door. 

September pinched his small, straight nose and made a face. But August didn’t have time to appease his childishness right now. 

“Get in.” When September just stood there, arms crossing over his lean chest, August glared. “We have to go back to the mansion.” 

September lifted a thin brow at him that disappeared under his bright purple bangs. “For what? I thought our business was done here.” 

August let the clench of nerves settle in his stomach before relaying the truth. “I saw something,” he began slowly, already seeing September’s expression turn skeptical. “I don’t know what it is, but I know it’s important.” 

September’s nose scrunched up as he looked like he was contemplating his answer. After all of August’s other failed visions he didn't blame September for his reaction. Out of the two gifts he’d been born with, his visions were nearly useless, always warning him that something was going to happen, but never exactly what.  

He almost decided to leave him behind and go see for himself what waited at the mansion when September surprised him, stepping off the sidewalk and standing close to the open door. 

“If you’re wrong, and you wasted my very precious time again,” warned September, looking up at August with a humorless look, “you can’t say anything for the rest of the trip about who I spend my time with. Got it?” 

Before August had a chance to argue, September slid into the back of the cab and ordered the cabbie who was watching them with an irritated look- “turn around and drive.” 

August barely slid in next to him before the cabbie put the beat up yellow car into drive and turned his blinker on.  

“164 Mountain Road,” commanded August. 

“And step on it.”

Author's Note

Who is your favorite character so far and why?