My taste buds exploded. Saliva rushed into my mouth as blood, thick and sweet, coated every inch of my tongue and palate. Iron, the key ingredient I was most used to, but part of me was waiting for the bitterness of cranberries, which never came. No, it was creamy and rich, thick and indescribable, but as I gulped, it felt as though electricity was washing down my throat, sparking through every limb of my body, travelling to every point, and hitting that forgotten spot between my thighs.
My eyes snapped open, focus latched to the shrinking pool under my tongue, which I continued to lick and swallow like a starved animal. Each new gulp sent a fresh sizzle of heat around my body; each pulse landing in the ache throbbing below, an ache I only remembered having on brief occasions as a teenager and when I’d been around Seth, my first and only boyfriend...lover.
Awareness thrummed throughout my body. Each gulp caused my own blood to rush. My heart pounded in my ribcage, the giddy thump echoed in my eardrums. The agony I had felt earlier had already started to subside, the beat in my temples disappearing, the skin of my face tightening, an odd pinching sensation travelling along my cheeks.
My sight sharpened, my gaze fixed to the stones below me which now glimmered with spit—I had licked the slabs clean. Lifting my head, I surveyed the room, which seemed to have come to life, rich and vibrant. The colour, as neutral as it was, appeared to pulsate. I swear I could hear the crystals of the chandelier actually twinkling.
Energy coursed through me. I could feel it the same way I sometimes experienced the sizzle of warning that came when something was going to happen to me. Only, I felt at peace and in a way I had never known. I knew what I had to do, what I could do, and I didn’t feel conflicted. For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel torn.
My ears twitched as I picked up on voices below—muffled, yet, considering it was the first noise I had heard outside of the room, it brought home the point that I really didn’t have the time to just sit and analyse what the hell I had done. But clearly, the blood was working its magic.
Straightening, I looked down at the thick cuffs on my wrists and without a second thought, I tensed my arms and pulled. The chains broke in half, falling at my sides with a rattle. Perhaps I could have done that before drinking. Perhaps the chains were old and close to falling apart due to being over-used so anyone could have broken them. Or perhaps I was just really fucking strong. It was both terrifying and amazing at the same time, but all that mattered was that I was loose.
Crawling out of the fire place, I stood, surprised that my legs weren’t protesting after all the time I had spent cramped up on the floor. I stretched my arms, noting that the daggers were still embedded there.
Great, this is going to sting.
Gritting my teeth, I pulled all six darts out, one after the other. A sharp, shooting pain ran the length of my arms and a spurt of blood exited each wound on removal, but all six began to heal almost instantly.
Okay, I have to admit that is helpful.
Shoving the darts in my jeans pockets, I moved to the left side of the fireplace and grabbed the large, old key hanging from a random hook. I unlocked my cuffs, which fell to the floor with a large clang. Hopefully, no one had heard them since the room was supposed to be soundproof, but if I could hear muffled voices below, I was willing to bet that Vampires would at least detect a bump or two from in here.
Moving to the right corner of the room, I grabbed my leather jacket and sword from the floor and quickly put them on. The windows in the room were all boarded up, so the only choice I had was to leave the room and sneak out of the first available exit. I wasn’t sure how long I had been in the play room, or how long it had been since Brendan and I had been ambushed, but surely, Owen and the others were due to arrive any minute now, if they hadn’t already.
God, I hope it is the latter.
Moving to the old cabinet in the left, top corner of the space, I opened the double doors, blinking momentarily as the light from the chandelier bounced off the silver inside.
Jesus, how much silver do Leeches need? They were allergic to it, after all.
Grabbing a couple more darts for safe measure, I stuffed them into my jacket pocket and made my way towards the room’s door. Pressing my ear against the wood, I waited a heartbeat. Unable to hear anyone on the other side, I took hold of the handle and twisted.
Pulling the door slightly ajar, I slipped inside the formal sitting room which I had been escorted through earlier, happy to see that it was indeed empty. The lighting was more subtle in the darkly decorated room, for which I was thankful as I moved over to the windows on the right. I glanced out to see a tinted view of the public courtyard. Surrounded by buildings, the paved area was larger than it originally appeared, and there were quite a few civilians wandering around, meaning I would have an audience for my exit.
I turned back to the room, pausing as I caught sight of my face in a mirror across the way. Blood coated my face, smeared across my forehead and chin, caked on my right cheek where I had lain in my own blood. Moving closer, I could see dry crimson streaking parts of my hair and throat, but it was my eyes that scared me the most. Instead of dark blue, they had turned black.
You’re one of them now, Blood Drinker.
Pulling my focus away, I glanced at the set of double doors opposite to the ones of the play room. I had no idea what lay behind them, whereas the set to my right, which were slap bang in the centre of the main wall, led out onto the first storey hallway.
The first storey landing was clear as I opened and peeked through the gap in the doors. I inhaled—ancient earth, colognes, perfume, blood, humans, and sex—a mixture of mismatched scents that sent my heart pounding for a million different reasons, not all ones I wanted to think about. All I knew was this Colony was large, and I wasn’t sure if anyone lurked behind the other three doorways I could see, or if anyone was hanging out on the landing above, but I wasn’t planning on finding out. And as much as I wanted to embed some silver into some Leeches and test out all the perks of being almost one myself, I didn’t have time, and it didn’t even have anything to do with what Mini Vamp had said; I could feel it in my gut. Time was running out. I needed to get out of there. I needed to find Brendan and the others, but where did I even begin?
Shoulder pressed against the wall, I moved to the first window on my left and glanced out into the night. It was dark outside, mainly due to the way the building formed a giant U. The odd light lit random windows across the way, providing a minuscule amount of illumination for me to see what lay below... Water. No surprise there, then.
Movement caught my eye. Pressing my face against the glass, I watched as two hooded Vampires climbed out of a medium-sized speed boat, joining another four hooded Vampires on a small dock.
The Leeches who had poisoned and taken Brendan? I hadn’t seen their faces earlier, but there seemed to be the right amount of hooded figures, and they were getting out of a boat. Well, shit, God only knows where they have taken him. All I could see at the end of the rectangular space of water was another building, water running to the right and left, like a path.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Fuck. They could have taken him anywhere.
“... it is quite haunted.”
What the fuck kind of cryptic shite is that, anyway? What does he even mean—that they are in a haunted house? That the location is apparently haunted? That I will actually find ghosts in white lab coats experimenting on Loups? What?
I would know for sure if they were Brendan’s escorts if I got close enough to the boat, as I was willing to bet it would have his scent in it, which would definitely be a start, but even with my peaked senses, I doubted the wind had made a perfect trail for me to follow. As much as I hated to admit it, Brendan’s only hope, my only hope, was that Owen and the others would be able to find him through their Pack bond like they did in Farr. Rocco had said the bond was stronger for those who spent time together. Well, by the looks of it, the United Pack spent a lot of time together. Owen and Eve were related. Eve’s husband was coming. Surely, that was a strong enough link for them to tap into?
Voices sounded from below, the steady footfalls of a group ascending.
Shit.
I moved again to the double doors of the formal sitting room and slipped back inside, closing the panel quietly behind me. The play room wasn’t an option, and although I really was pumped for a fight, drawing attention to myself by hanging out of the windows in view of a handful of humans wasn’t really a smart idea, which left door Number Three.
Moving swiftly across the large, multi-coloured rug, I paused at the door, listening. Taking a dart from my pocket, I opened the panel carefully and slipped inside, dart aimed and ready. Another empty sitting room.
How many do they need?
Gold, paisley-patterned wallpaper, mahogany floors and furniture, a purple chaise longue and arm chairs... It was certainly decorated better than the last room. The atmosphere even had a buzz of authority about it, but it was the open window dead ahead that had my attention. I inhaled—the faint trace of a rich perfume touched my nostrils. A perfume I had spent too long getting acquainted with this evening. Marie had been in here.
Without hesitation, I crossed the space, not stopping until I stood on the small stone balcony.
The Grand Canal was directly below me. Perfect. I took a deep breath. Scents of food and a mixture of sweet, floral, and spicy aromas met my nose, and the water. Jesus, Brendan had been right. What a potent and dominant odour. It kind of made me wish I had my rubbish sense back, because it would have been nice not knowing what my escape route was going to make me smell like in the next few seconds.
A door opened; voices smothered in the Italian accent echoed in the other room.
Shoving the dart back into my pocket, I climbed up onto the short stone wall, thankful for the enclosed walkway below and the fact that there was no walkway at all on the other side of the canal. Someone screaming at the sight of me plummeting into the canal was the last thing I needed right now.
“At least, you taught me how to swim, Gran. Guess you knew it was going to come in handy one day, huh?”
With a deep breath, I jumped.