Chapter Two

Poughkeepsie, New York, 1801

 

I inhaled the crisp night air, saturated with the smell of fresh hay, and the sound of horses whinnying in the distance. Turning to the sound, I made my way toward the stable. Opening the door, I stepped inside                   and straight for one of the stalls. “Stellar,” I crooned, stepping into one of the four stalls. Stellar, a stallion, coat as black as night, looked up at my approach. I reached out a hand, and he trotted forward. I patted his head and smiled. He snorted as tingle ran up and down my back, telling me that someone was either directly behind me or approaching. I grabbed a curry comb and started grooming the horse. “Sire,” I said without turning.

“Jordana,” Sven said, coming to stand beside me. “How are you on this very night?” he asked, reaching out to pet Stellar. “Have you fed as of yet?”

My stomach clenched at the reminder. “I have not. I was going to perhaps feed after I go out for a bit of a short ride. It won’t be long.”

He sighed. “Why do you hold off on doing such a minor task?”

I shrugged. “Perhaps I’m not that hungry at the moment.”

“Very well,” he said under his breath. “But you will feed before the night is through.”

I nodded, even though it wasn’t a question. “I will, sire.”

He stepped back and ruffled my hair. “Are you going to saddle him up?” I shook my head and took the bridle he was holding out to me. After finishing with grooming and putting the comb and brushes away, I put the bridle on and led Stellar from the stall and outside. Sven sighed. “I will see you soon, Please be careful.”

I turned to him and smiled. “You know I always am.”

He chuckled. “That you are. That you are.” I turned back to my horse and led him to the town gate. “Let her through,” Sven called out to the watchmen standing guard. The two humans saluted me and raised the gate.

“Be safe, my lady,” one of them said and waved me through. I smiled at them and jumped on the horse, gently kicking him to start moving. I directed Stellar down the long dirt path, making my way toward the next town over.

Fifteen minutes in and not half way to my destination, I hissed and forced Stellar to a stop. I jumped off of him and directed him back home. He whinnied and kicked out with his hooves. “Go home,” I said to him. “Now,” I urged, pushing the command into his mind. With a loud snort, he galloped away. Not a second sooner, something slammed into my back, and I fell face-first to the gravel pavement.

“Grab her,” a female voice said from above me. “Well done, Kirstin.”

“With twenty of us, she won’t be able to escape,” Kirstin I presume, said cheerfully. Jordana, Sven yelled in my head. What is going on? Before I could respond, something landed on me and shattered. Purple mist surrounded me, and I was out.

I slowly came awake, but I kept my eyes shut, and my breathing even. With my other senses, I picked up several people standing outside a closed door, but I couldn’t hear what they were discussing. Must be a soundproof room, I thought and mentally growled. What happened to me? And where in the hell was I? I mentally reached out to Sven and froze when I came up against a shielding of some kind. What the hell? I thought. That was when I felt the tingle of magic along my skin. I silently cursed, slowly blinking my eyes open. “Hey!” I yelled and got to my feet. “What the hell is going on?” The door opened, and a vampire and a witch behind her, stepped inside.

“Ah, you’re finally awake,” the vampire said and smiled. “I’m Shilen Devoreau, and you are?”

I glowered at her. “Where am I?”

“You’re still in New York. Now please, tell me what your name is.”

“Jordana,” I snapped, all of a sudden very annoyed with her. “What am I doing here?” I looked around the small room. “Where the f**k is here?”

She sighed. “We’re in an abandon shop. We made some… modifications to the building. Such as this room we’re in.”

“I… see. Why have you brought me here?”

“You’ll find out,” she said with a sigh. “Soon enough.”

I scowled at her. “What is that supposed to mean?”

She ignored me and nodded to the witch. “But first, I’m going to re-sire you.”

I quickly took a step back. “You can’t re-sire me. My sire is not dead.”

“Oh I know,” she said smugly. “But I have a way to get around that. Once I’m done, he’ll feel the bond break just as clearly as if I've taken your head.” She smirked, and my hand itched to rip her heart out of her chest. “Do you know how painful it is for a sire to lose a child?” She glared when I just stared silently at her. “I heard it’s very painful for the creator.” A long minute of silence hung in the air and still, I said nothing. “So tell me, who is your sire?”

“Why does it matter when you’re going to re-sire me?”

“My curiosity is eating away at me,” she said dryly.

“All right, I’ll enlighten you even though it won’t make a difference.” I smiled, knowing full well that I wasn’t going to likely escape. “My sire is Sven Skarshlen,” I said, and laughed as Shilen stumbled backward, out the door, eyes widening in shock. “I hope he haunts your every waking moment, and every time you close your eyes.” Knowing I wasn’t going to be able to kill them all and make my escape, I lunged for the confused witch. I snapped her neck before she knew what hit her. I was a blur as I hit Shilen, sending her crashing into the wall behind her.

“Kirstin!” Shilen shouted. “Stop her!” I grabbed Kirstin, her hands raised to cast. With not a second to spare, I wrenched her head around, dropping the lifeless body to the floor. Six more dead bodies hit the floor, before I felt the painful tug in the very center of my being.

“Necromancer,” I wheezed and catapulted to the ground. I grabbed another witch, and her bloodcurdling scream died off abruptly, as my hands locked around her neck. My body arched as the pain of being torn in two grew. With my very last breath�"before darkness and the bright yellow ball of light consumed me�"I broke the witch’s neck, taking her with me as I fell backward into the embracing darkness. My last thought was how pissed off, Sven was going to be.

When I came to, I groaned and winced as I sat up abruptly. My stomach clenched in hunger, and I hissed, flashing to my feet. I reached for the door and yanked it open. The two witch standing guard on either side of the door gasped. I grabbed the brunette by her hair, and before a single syllable of a spell could leave her lips, I snapped her neck. I grabbed the blond and yanked her compulsion necklace from her and tossed it aside. One hand around both of her wrists and one hand clamped over her mouth, I pulled the witch into the room, kicking closed the door. I snapped her wrists, and she screamed. Her eyes flew open, and I rolled her. Her expression went blank, and I smiled. “Silence,” I hissed softly. Her screams cut off abruptly, and I removed my hand from her mouth. “I have a couple of questions,” I growled, staring deeply into her blue eyes. “Is Shilen my sire?” I asked and braced myself for the answer. I didn’t even dare reach out with my mind to find out.

“Yes,” the witch replied tonelessly.

I inwardly shuddered. “How long have I been… sleeping?”

“Two days.”

“Good, now tell me, are there any chance I can escape? If not, tell me why.”

“No chance of escaping, because you were ordered not to leave, and the shop is surrounded by magic.”

“Brilliant,” I muttered. “Just f*****g brilliant.” I looked up to the ceiling and groaned. Sighing, I looked back at the witch and nodded. “Very well,” I said. “Then you are going to do something for me. You’re going to follow it through exactly as I command. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.”

I smiled. “You, my sweet witch. You are going to play spy. You’re going to follow Shilen’s every single order. When the time comes, whether it's a year, ten years, centuries from now, you’re going to convince her to contact one of her children. Whatever it takes, you’re going to convince her to make contact with Liana. Once that is done, you’re going to wait a while, and then you’re going to send an anonymous message to the head of the Vampiric Council, informing him that I am either dead or alive, and tell him who re-sired me. After that, you’re going to get a blade and slit open your own throat, deep enough that it will kill you in matter of seconds. If you think you are close to being caught before your task is complete, you will kill yourself the same way you would if you were to complete the task.” I leaned in. “Now, do you understand your instruction?” I whispered.

“I understand.”

“Wonderful, you will not scream until I tell you to,” I said and sank my fangs into her neck, drinking deeply. I groaned at the sweetness of her blood and regretfully pulled back after one last mouthful. I cupped her chin and sighed. With a hiss, I ripped open my wrist and pressed it to her mouth. “Drink,” I commanded. The witch pulled hard at my wrist, and I smiled as hot flashes of sensation coursed through me, creating an unbreakable bond between us. To break a blood bond, one must die, and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be me. I pulled back my healed wrist and stroked her chin with a thumb. “What is your name?”

“Angelina.”

“Well, Angelina, one last question. What is Shilen’s planning to do with me?”

“She is planning to break you, make you insane.”

“Ah, f**k me,” I hissed. I was going to make breaking me, an awfully difficult one for her. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes and blew out a breath. “Very well,” I said and making sure there was no trace of my blood on her mouth, I led her out of my room. “You will not tell anyone, not even your closest friends about your task. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“When I release you, you’re going to grab your necklace, and then you are going to scream. Loud,” I said, and lifted the compulsion. Smiling, I watched her walk to her necklace and pick up the jewelry. A split second later, my ears throbbed painfully, as she gave a bloodcurdling scream. I stood there, until I spotted four witches headed my way. I flashed to the still screaming witch and bashed her head against the wall, hard enough to knock her out. I turned and screamed as four red balls of light struck me simultaneously, sending me crashing to the floor several feet away. Two of the witches closed in and grabbed me, dragging me back into my room. My hand locked around the wrist of one of them, and I yanked until she fell on top of me. The same red ball of light that was meant for me, hit the witch. She was dead before she drew in her next breath. I painfully got to my feet and tossed the lifeless body into the witch in the doorway.

“Eleanor!” a witch I couldn’t see shouted. “Get clear!” Eleanor, the witch I threw the body at, ducked and quickly got out of the way. Something rushed past my ear, and I hit the floor as magical binding held me in place. I f*****g hate being a fledgling, I silently snarled. I seethed. I cursed up a blue streak, glaring at the three witches watching me�"an excited gleam in their eyes.

“Well well well,” Shilen drawled from the hallway. She came into view, and I sneered at her. “What do we have here?” My foot up your f*****g a*s! I mentally shouted, not giving a s**t if she heard me or not. “Jordana Leivlend,” she said, smirking and stepping into the room. “You’ve killed eleven of my witches in cold blood.”

I smiled. “And I plan to kill many, many more.”

She laughed, and I wanted to punch her. “Oh, you won’t be killing anymore of my witches after I break what’s left of your sanity.”

I laughed. “And how long do you think that will take?”

She growled and took a step toward me. “By the end of the week, you’ll be nothing but a slave,” she hissed. “From now on, you will address me as mistress. Is that clear?”

“I rather tear out my own f*****g heart than address you as such,” I hissed.

“You dare to disobey me?” she snarled.

“Oh,” I said and grinned. “Oh, I dare.” I jerked my head to the magical binding around me. “And you don’t have the guts to speak to me without your precious group of witches watching your back. Tell me Shilen. Are you afraid of me?”

“Never,” she spat.

I smirked. “Then tell your friends to release me.”

She turned and snapped her fingers. “Release her,” she said and spun back around to face me. The magical binding lifted, and I slowly got to my feet. She stalked over to me, until we were standing nose to nose. “You will obey me in all manners,” she hissed.

“Oh, I think not,” I hissed. “You can’t force me to do your bidding.”

She smiled. “Oh, but I can. The command of a sire to child is strong. You won’t be able to resist.”

I took a step back and laughed. I laughed until tears streamed from my eyes. I couldn’t help it. “You are going to resort to the bond between us to control me? That is low, even for you.” I took in a deep breath and let it out. “But I shouldn’t be surprised in the slightest bit.” Shilen screamed and rushed me. I flashed several steps back before meeting her midway. I snarled and punched her, so hard that her head snapped back with the force of my blow. In her momentary of shock, I shoved her across the room. I leapt for the witches in the doorway. I grabbed one around the throat and punched my hand into another’s chest. I snapped the neck of one and ripped out the heart of another.

“Kieran!” Shilen shrieked. Eleanor screamed an incantation, and I dodged the green ball of light aiming for me. I ran for the window, but before I could reach it, I gasped and doubled over as the pain of being torn in two came over me once again. Eleanor shot a spell at me, and I screamed, falling to the floor. Shilen flashed over to me. Pulling out a dagger, she stabbed me in the chest, missing my heart by an inch. As I lay in the middle of my own pool of blood and in tremendous pain, I knew that it was only the beginning. The beginning of many more endless nights of pain. And suffering.