Chapter Twenty-Six

Torture

I can still remember, so many centuries later, my first night as a vampire. The hideous night I followed Khiara from the cemetery like a good little puppy. We left in a horse-drawn carriage then of course. Myself to experience, for the first time, many decades of bloodshed and horror. Grim encounters I have since tried to erase from my memory. Unfortunately, I felt sure the end to Trials would also be steeped in bloodshed, and very many bodies, if Khiara had anything to do with it.

The car drove smoothly away, taking me to whatever joys she had in store for me. We continued the journey in silence, neither of us being great fans of small talk.

We stopped outside one of my own houses in Hampstead – what a delicious irony. It was the house I had, in fact, allotted to Grigori initially, and presumably the same one that had also housed Katarina and Josephine. Interesting. Somehow, I had not expected Khiara to stay anywhere connected to me. Surely she must have realised that Luke would easily find me there. But perhaps that was the point? Perhaps she intended to take out the top people in London, leaving only the weaker and more malleable vampires.

I got out of the car and stood with my thumbs hooked in the belt of my jeans, as Khiara extricated herself elegantly from the back seat. She swept past me and, without a word, I followed her into the house. The moment I stepped over the threshold something smashed into the back of my head, and the world went away.

When I regained consciousness, I found I had been taken to the damp basement and chained to a wall. Without opening my eyes, I tried to reach Elinor with my mind, but the blow to my head prevented any clear thoughts for the moment. I remained still, instinctively feeling both Katarina and Khiara in the room. I kept my eyes firmly closed.

‘Is he dead?’ Katarina’s voice.

I heard Khiara make a disapproving noise. ‘Ridiculous child. A blow to the head will not kill an ordinary vampire, far less an Elder such as he.’

‘Then I want to make him pay for what he did to my face.’

‘I have no interest in your wishes.’ Khiara’s cold voice chilled the very atmosphere. ‘You will not touch any part of him, and you will certainly never touch his face.’

They were conversing in Italian, which I followed with some difficulty through the mists of pain permeating my skull. Mercifully, we vampires heal rapidly, unless we are attacked with anything holy or silver, and I doubted they had used either. The throbbing had already begun to lessen, although I remained motionless on the floor.

I heard light footsteps approaching, and knew it was Khiara. I felt her grab a handful of my hair, and she suddenly wrenched my head back viciously. ‘I know you are conscious William, do not play games with me.’

I opened my eyes and stared insolently at that perfect face so close to mine. ‘I thought you liked games.’

‘You would do well to respect me as your maker.’

‘What is it you actually want Khiara?’

‘Your humility will do for a start. Then your compliance and your allegiance.’

I gave a short, bitter laugh. ‘Like that is going to happen.’

‘It is the only way you get to survive.’

She stood with a swift, graceful move and, turning towards the door, snapped her fingers.

Two large men came in whom I did not recognise, although I did recognise the implements of torture they held, and I somehow knew we were not all going to be friends. They walked to stand behind Khiara, putting their hands behind their backs like good guard vamps. She looked down at me, her blue eyes cold, yet they gleamed with a manic light. I realised then that she had become deranged over the centuries, or should I say, more deranged.

‘Stand.’ She waved an imperious hand at me. Seeing no point in aggravating her at that point, I complied. ‘My men will torture you until you beg for mercy, and then they will continue simply because I allow it. It pleases me to make you suffer.’

I did not bother to reply. Twisted bitch. Torture and I were no strangers to each other. Let them do their worst.

I knew Luke would find me eventually, and if that was what it took to keep Elinor safe, then so be it.

Khiara made an imperious gesture, and the taller of the two men turned me to face the wall and shortened the chains to hold me still. I felt him rip my t-shirt almost in half. Bugger. One hundred and eighty pounds down the drain. ‘That was a Paul Smith, and is most certainly going to cost you.’

There was a sharp cracking sound and a searing pain exploded across my back, making me stagger. I knew the tips of the cat o’ nine tails were made from solid silver, in order to cause the maximum amount of excruciating pain to a vampire. I barely had time to regain my balance when a second crack heralded another bout of pain, then another and another. The pain accelerated with each stroke, the nine thongs with their deadly silver tips burrowing their insidious way through my flesh. I could feel the blood trickling down my back as the bastards opened the wounds more with each lashing. I wound the chains around my wrists and hung on, determined not to fall to the floor, as they continued to shred the flesh from my back. I had seen these particular toys used on vampires before. Somehow I never thought they would be used on me.

In my city.

In one of my own houses.

I forced my mind to go blank, and took the beating without a murmur. There was no way I would give the Wicked Witch of the West the satisfaction of knowing she had caused me insurmountable pain.

‘Enough,’ came Khiara’s voice after a while.

I never thought I would be glad to hear her voice again.

I allowed myself to slide to the floor then, my arms still held above my head because of the shortened chains. I turned to look up at Khiara. ‘Well, if this is what you call love, remind me never to piss you off.’

Khiara stared impassively back at me. ‘Always the funny man, William.’

She left the room followed by her cohorts. I could see it was definitely going to be a fun-filled night.

After the door closed behind them, I rotated my shoulders carefully, feeling the cool blood trickling down between my shoulder blades as the many lacerations throbbed. I knew the actual wounds would heal, but I also knew they would heal slowly because of the silver tips on the whips’ tails. I was in for a painful time.

Knowing Khiara, I felt sure she would also resort to using holy items fairly soon.

We all know they leave scars.

I opened my mind to Elinor again. I needed to open the channel between us, which I knew would be there. It was early in our relationship for such a connection, but I hoped the ring she wore would assist us both. I called to her, mind to mind, hoping the prophecy had been right about the ring … and about her. Elinor …