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“Ugh...”
Groaning, Gabe awoke from his slumber, and found himself in a strange cabin, staring at the ceiling. Goddamnit, he thought to himself. What in the hell had happened to him this time? He had a massive headache and his muscles felt stiff and sore. As he tried to lift his hand to rub his aching jaw, he quickly realized that he was tied up.
“Ah, fuck.” He muttered, recalling the recent events that had just unfolded. Moira must have knocked him out with his own polearm, then tied him up while he was unconscious. Just when he thought he couldn't possibly detest her more than he already did, she always managed to squeeze a little more hatred out of him.
He made a galvanic effort to free himself from his bonds, twisting and struggling, but finally let out a loud curse when his attempts failed. The smaller goon, who had been watching him since he began to stir, howled with laughter.
“Oi, Zud, he awake!” He cried in broken English.
“Bah! Now, we have an extra body to watch over. Make sure he doesn’t break free, Oot.”
Oot nodded, returning his attention back to Gabriel. “Pathetic half-bred, ropes are enchanted. No escape! Get comfy, you here for a while.” The goon explained, grinning at the prospect and pleased to be part of it.
Gabe stiffened. “Where are my runes? My relics? Your kind cannot hold them without my permission.”
The beast grunted. “I no need silly rocks! I no thief! I no—”
“That’s alright, Oot. Stand down.” Zud assured the smaller goon. He motioned for Oot to start a new game of dice. Hopefully, the distraction would save them all from his ill temper.
“Mistress Verdon took care to leave with them. Your runes are in her possession.” Zud added politely.
Gabe sighed, turning his back to the fiends.
Without any runes or relics, he knew he was in a pretty vulnerable position. Taking down two full-sized goons would require lots of skill, talent, and luck. So much for careful planning and preparation, he fumed. He inspected the ropes closely and realized that he would be hard-pressed to break the spell without help. Damn. This made things even more difficult for him. Without knowing the origin of the spell, or its class, he would be clueless to know the proper chant to counter the enchantment.
He decided that he needed to assess the situation and looked around the cabin. He spotted Ally, who was tightly bounded with her friends. The rope that was used on them did not seem enchanted. Good, a small victory. His gaze then fell on Pamela, and it lingered longer than necessary on those hazelnut eyes. She looked well, despite her plight. He was ever so thankful that Ally had not succumbed to her cravings. Both humans were safe and unharmed, for the moment.
All three were staring back at him with wide-eyes. He tried to smile, to reassure them that everything was going according to some plan, but his swollen jaw only made his smile grotesque.
“Am I as hideous as I feel?” He asked the group jokingly, as his gaze never left Pam’s face.
“Yes.” Ally and Trish replied instantly.
Pam, blushing, looked away without providing an answer.
Gabe was pleased. Although he was a little ticked off with her friend’s response, Pam’s silence and flushing of the cheeks, reinvigorated his determination. Still, part of him hoped that she wasn’t truly attracted to him, or, at the very least, felt bonded to him. The risks were already too high, and they could do without an additional problem. Yet, an enormous part of him wanted her to feel the intense longing that he was experiencing. Ugh, as if things were not complicated enough!
“How did you find us?” Ally interrupted his thoughts in a hushed tone.
Gabe was hesitant to mention Joanie. He wasn’t ready to divulge to anyone that she was an accomplice and the sole reason why he was able to find them at Helena’s Bog. Gabe wanted to keep her identity a secret. He had very few cards up his sleeve, and in any case, he didn’t want to risk her name being overheard by the goons. He was not about to lose the only advantage he had: the element of surprise. Besides, if Ally had any questions about her, he wouldn’t be able to answer them, since, well, he knew nothing about Joanie.
He shrugged. “Let’s call it a hunch.”
“A hunch?!” Ally snorted.
“Sometimes you’re just lucky?” Gabe offered weakly.
“Then, why couldn’t you prevent yourself from getting caught?” Trish questioned.
“My luck ran out?”
“Oh, brother...” Ally and Trish said in sync.
Gabe shamefully remembered how he managed to get caught. He was distracted by Pam’s beauty and was worrying about her well-being. While stalking the cabin, he heard Ally’s howl and knew that she was finally caving in. It would only be a matter of time before she sunk her fangs into her friends... and he feared deeply for Pam. He wouldn’t allow her to die in front of him. So, while he was completely focused on saving Pam, he let his guard down and didn’t sense Moira closing in on him. With lightning quickness, she bashed him squarely in the face and brought him down. He didn’t have a chance. In retrospect, it was not his finest moment.
“Speaking of the witch, where is she now?” Gabe asked.
“She’s off to marry Benedict.” Ally replied flatly.
“Like hell!” Gabe shouted, forgetting anew about the goon’s warning.
Oot, annoyed that he was being interrupted, marched towards the prisoners. He was flushed and irate. His tone was sharp, teetering on the edge of anger.
“You prisoner! You be quiet! LAST WARNING! Byttu tup, stu! Y po cro, urllo OT!”
“Huh?”
Zud smiled. “He said if you’re unable to hold your waggling tongue, he’ll have no qualms ripping it out and ending this problem.”
Gabe nodded to the elder goon. It surprised him how well-spoken he was. “Okay... we’ll keep quiet from now on. Consider his warning heeded.”
Oot squinted his eyes and stared at Gabe for a moment. He then nodded and returned to Zud, resuming their never-ending game of dice.
The girls were surprised by Gabe’s compliance but were glad for it. The goons were starting to lose patience with them. It was palpable. They figured it would be best to keep silent for now... until Ally couldn’t help but let out a small shriek. Oot turned around, incredulous. Have these vampires lost their will to live? Ally quickly and profusely apologized, all the while glaring at Gabe.
- Sorry, Ally, I forget that you’re new to this and sending messages telepathically can be a bit unnerving.
- You could have warned me!
- Yeah, and remind those oafs what we can do? You need to get used to being a vampire already!
- Ok, whatever.
- Now, listen, do you remember how long I was out?
- Uh, maybe half an hour? You looked pretty bad when you were first dragged in, but now, not so much. Your wounds are still open, but you’re no longer bleeding out. I mean, it’s weird. Blood is oozing out but it’s being sucked right back in!
- It takes a little longer for me to regenerate.
- Because you’re a half-breed?
- Yes, but that’s a story for another day. Look, I’m really sorry for letting you all down. I was careless, and now I’m not so sure how we are going to get out of this predicament. But, I promise you that no harm will befall you or your friends.
Gabe, then, took a moment and quickly glanced at Pam. He smiled warmly at her, hoping to put her at ease. She meekly returned his smile, blushed again, and turned her gaze away from him.
Ally, catching this private interaction, didn’t like what she was seeing.
- What was that about?
He shrugged.
- Nothing. We should start planning on how we are going to escape from here.
Ally nodded.
- I agree, but I don’t think I have the energy to fight off the goons. I have been slipping in and out of consciousness ever since we arrived here. I was even considering... Ugh.
- What?
- Pam and Trish made me an offer and I’m having a hard time refusing it.
- What are you talking about? What offer?
- They told me that if ever my cravings become too strong, well, I could drink a bit of their blood.
Gabe stiffened, his face whitened by the horror of such an act. Ally noticed his reaction and felt ashamed.
- What’s wrong, Gabe?
- For every action, there is a consequence. And as long as I’m breathing, you will never sink your fangs into Pamela. Is that clear? There’s no telling what could happen if a morphed bit into a human.
- Do you think I want to do this? I rather die than hurt my friends.
- Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.
Ally was furious. Where did he get off? She didn’t need to be chastise by Gabe. Hell, she didn’t need it from anybody! Of course, she would rather not put her friend’s lives in danger, but she really couldn’t help herself. It’s not like she chose to be in such proximity to her friends, while heavily craving blood and human flesh.
And now, to add to their problems, she was convinced that Gabe was completely infatuated with one of her closest friends. She already knew that Pam was overly concerned with his welfare when he was unconscious. She kept glancing over his body, asking if he was seriously hurt. Could they really be each other’s match?
Clearly, things were bound to get even more complicated before they could get any easier.
