chapter eleven

THE BLOOD THAT BINDS

 

Lulach and Christopher watched as the six of them approached.

“Sorrow, anguish, and agony draw near,” Lulach told his companion.

“It’s a shame,” Christopher replied. “They’ve been involved with so much trouble in such a short span of time.”

As they neared, Link raised his hand in greeting and Lulach gave a slight nod of his head. “Our dear girl is in great distress again,” he said.

“We have no idea where she is,” Link sighed, his voice heavy with worry.

“And your mate?” Lulach asked Eve.

“Marcus is missing too,” Eve answered. “Along with Charity’s mortal friend.”

“You can help us, can’t you?” Link asked Lulach.

“Yes, Lincoln, I can indeed. Our blood bond led me to this spot and to you. My bond with Charity is even stronger. It will pull me toward her location. The intense sadness in her blood calls to me. I was on my way to this city, hoping to surprise her and celebrate your wedding with you. While in route, I found myself feeling her great distress. You were the closer of the two, so I sought you out first.”

“Charity disappeared just minutes before we were to meet at the wedding chapel,” Link explained.

“We’re pretty sure that Elizabeth, a Witch friend of ours, is with the three of them,” Catherine said.

“Ex-friend, now enemy,” Lincoln seethed.

Catherine closed her eyes and blew out a long breath. Then she looked at Lulach. “If she has them in her custody, I will use my every resource to assure her demise. But part of me is clinging to the possibility that she has been captured too.”

“I think you are clinging to false hope,” Lulach responded.

Catherine’s eyes watered over and a tear slid down her cheek. “I think I know that. It is just so hard to accept.”

James wrapped his arms around her shoulders and squeezed her in a tight hug. “If any of us had known she was capable of this, we never would have remained in close contact with her.”

“Heck, one of my powers lets me know when someone is being truthful. But she’s always been a creature of half-truths, so I rarely look for facts in her statements. I should have been testing her. I might have known,” Cozmo hung his head.

“I blame no one for this. Really. We should just focus on finding her and forget everything else,” Lincoln said.

“A logical statement indeed.” Lulach nodded his head in approval. “Logic is what will help us make the correct next step in finding our missing friends.”

“So, what is our next step?” Link asked.

“Why don’t you come with me, Lincoln? The rest of you, please follow in your vehicle. I will direct Christopher to where I feel my connection to Charity is the strongest. This may take some time. But as long as her heart is beating, I will have a sense of which way to go. Right now, we head north,” Lulach said.

“I want to be in the car with you, if that is alright, Lulach. That is my twin brother out there. I have a strong connection to him as well,” Cozmo stated.

Lulach stepped to the side and motioned to Christopher, who immediately opened the door. “Very well, come,” he told Cozmo.

Cozmo kissed Lizabelle and whispered, “I’ll be just a car away, my love.”

“I know,” she whispered. “Go on then. We’ll follow you.”

The three men entered the back of the limousine, while Christopher took his place up front. As they pulled out, onto the street, Link started to tap his fingers on his leg. Lulach watched this nervous tick until Link noticed the attention he was drawing. “I need to find her,” Link stated, grabbing onto his leg to still his fidgeting hand.

“We will, I promise,” Lulach answered. “Christopher, how many times have I been unsuccessful while we were in pursuit?”

“That would be none, Sir,” Christopher replied.

“Do you have any suggestions, my friend?” Lulach asked him.

“Well, you said north. So I’ll be getting on the freeway and heading in that direction, until you tell me otherwise. If we are dealing with a powerful Witch, then a slow stealth approach would be in order, I believe,” Christopher suggested.

“Agreed,” Lulach responded.

The two men conversed easily. It was evident that they had often discussed their plan of attack, when on the search for one of Lulach’s latest victims... if one could truly call them victims. Murderers, rapists, and serial abusers kept Lulach supplied with blood. He was one of the very few Vampires that sustained themselves almost exclusively on the blood of the wicked. He brought many to justice, where the legal system had failed.

Christopher was more than a simple driver. He filled the role of both partner and companion to Lulach. They worked together in a seamless fashion.

“Her blood flows strong, Lincoln. Though I will not lie, I feel her misery and her fading hope. She must not lose hope,” Lulach said.

“Charity is one heck of a girl,” Cozmo said and smiled as if he were remembering some intimate detail from their past together, before Link.

Link looked up and glanced at Christopher in the rear view. He moved his gaze over to Cozmo and then locked eyes with Lulach. “She is my life!”

 

*****

 

“You’re bothering my ears, dear girl. Stop screaming or I may be forced to remove your ability to make any sound at all,” Nikola raised his voice so it could be heard over the sounds of my anguish.

“What did you do?” I screamed at him.

“It was a simple power transference. Elizabeth coveted Marcus’s powers. She wanted them for her own,” Nikola laughed. “She is a greedy girl, that one.”

“You killed him,” I accused.

“He’s not dead yet. However, a Witch cannot survive for long without his powers. That will be the death of him.”

“You removed his powers. You are the death of him.”

“In a roundabout way, I suppose I am,” Nikola shrugged and the flames began to diminish from his eyes.

When the red was completely gone, his eyes returned to being a black hole, an emotionless void.

“There is no roundabout,” I insisted. “You took his powers from him. Powers that you said he needs to live! How long can he survive without them?” I asked.

“A day. Maybe more. Oh look, they are awakening,” Nikola turned from me, ending our conversation.

Elizabeth and Andrew each let out a small moan. I watched as Elizabeth struggled to push herself up to a kneeling position. Drew still lay behind her with his eyes closed. He was going to take longer to regain consciousness.

Summer also stirred. She exhaled with a sigh and turned onto her side. Nikola cocked his head in her direction and studied her while she slept. His black eyes narrowed, as if an idea had just struck him.

“What are your plans for that one?” he asked Elizabeth.

Elizabeth held onto the side of the wall, bracing herself as she stood. “I hadn’t thought that far. I guess I’ll have to dispose of her eventually,” she answered.

“Elizabeth, please. No!” I uttered a small plea.

Nikola glanced in my direction and then lifted The Book of Spells from where it still rested on Marcus’s chest. He cradled The Book in one arm, tapping the spine with his index finger.

“I can turn her into a willing servant. She will do whatever you ask, without question. It won’t wear off like your powers eventually will. How long can you keep a mortal entranced? Twenty-four hours or so, isn’t it?” Nikola asked.

Elizabeth nodded her head in agreement.

“Well a spell of mine will last for the duration of this mortal girl’s life... or until I release her. You could have her for decades, if you don’t abuse her,” Nikola said with a smile.

“Like a pet? Look around, Nikola. I don’t keep pets. They require too much care,” Elizabeth grumped.

“Better than a pet,” Nikola countered. “Just feed her. Tell her what to do and when to sleep. She’ll do exactly what she is told, without question, without testing your patience. You could always try it for a while. If she doesn’t please you, get rid of her then.”

“I guess I shouldn’t argue with a trial run,” Elizabeth shrugged.

I gasped at their inhuman attitude toward my friend. “Please just leave Summer out of this,” I begged.

This is the only way I’ll keep her alive, Charity. So don’t argue dear girl. Just close your mouth and let Nikola cast his spell. Her life depends on it. Elizabeth projected into my head.

“Fine,” I muttered aloud.

“Oh, good! It still works,” Elizabeth said. “I always worry that the power will diminish or disappear during the transference.”

“Has that ever happened, in all this time?” Nikola asked. Shock, mingled with a hint of annoyance, was present in his voice.

“No, it has not,” Elizabeth answered.

“Show some faith in my abilities. Sometimes I don’t know why I do this for you.” Nikola shook his head.

“Because you love to cast the spells in that book of yours, and I give you another reason to use it.”

“I’m getting bored of the transfer spell,” Nikola warned. “I won’t repeat it for you again.”

“That is why Charity is here. She is most definitely something new for you to experiment with. I hope you locate the correct spell in The Book soon,” Elizabeth purred, placing a finger on his shoulder and running it down his arm.

Nikola took a step back and turned his body, moving slightly out of her reach. Elizabeth, in turn, moved immediately closer to Nikola and rested her hand on his arm. She gave him an intimate smile that hinted at much more.

“I’d be happy to make this trip a very memorable one for you,” she said, and leaned forward, placing her lips on his.

Nikola stilled. He did not return her kiss. He did not move a single muscle, until Elizabeth pulled away.

“You are not my type, Elizabeth. We’ve gone through this before,” Nikola said with a harsh smile. “I like them much younger, and nowhere near as headstrong as you. I want a mindless follower, a young mindless follower.”

“You are correct. I am not a mindless fool. I asked you here because I want her Immortality, Nikola. Get it for me!” Elizabeth huffed.

“I will,” he answered, “simply to prove that I can.”

“My Immortality? That’s why I’m here? How could she possibly get it?” I wondered aloud.

Being an Immortal One wasn’t a power I possessed or an attribute obtained through the sharing of blood, like Vampirism. It was contained in my DNA. It was what I was born to be.

“I’ll need your blood, Charity,” Nikola answered.

“Take some then,” I told him. “Then you can let us go.”

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows and said, “It’s not quite that easy, dear girl.”

“You see, I’ll need all of your blood,” Nikola clarified.

“All of my blood,” I whispered and stepped backwards until I felt the wall behind me. I wished I could disappear into the cold hard surface at my back. If only I had the power to pass through it and escape.

If they drained all of the blood from me, would my body be able to produce any more of it? Or would that be the end? Would I cease to exist? I honestly didn’t know. I had never heard of an Immortal One being drained, unless it was after a beheading.

“I might be able to leave you a little. I’m not quite sure yet. I’m still trying to find the correct spell. You see, I’ve located the section, but... I’ll know by morning,” Nikola clipped with a quick nod of his head. “You should wake him now, Elizabeth.”

“Oh yes, Andrew. I almost forgot about him,” she glanced over to where he still lay.

“Elizabeth!” I screamed.

She slashed her hand through the air, toward me, and I felt that familiar static electric pop. She had thrown up another barrier. As I attempted to rush forward, I slammed into it. It was the same barrier Drew had used on me just a short while ago. She was borrowing his power.

My voice was starting to lose its strength as I continued to yell at the two of them. “Let me out of here!” I croaked.

Elizabeth ignored me as she curled her hand into a loose fist and lifted it up to her mouth. She blew softly into the opening, where her thumb and index finger met. When she pulled her hand away from her face, it glowed. A tiny flame danced within the confines of her grip. She turned toward Drew and swung her arm, as if pitching a baseball. But it wasn’t a baseball (of course) it was a fireball. After it was released, it danced through the air landing on the concrete floor, inches from Drew’s head.

Drew’s eyes flashed open as the fire burned brightly, near his face. It fizzled out within a few seconds, having nothing to grab onto and further ignite. He sat up, when the last remnants of the flame had vanished into the air, and started rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand.

“How fun!” Elizabeth smiled. “I like the firepower.”

“What did you do to me?” Drew asked Nikola.

“I gave you a new power. Elizabeth didn’t want it, it had to go somewhere, so I passed it onto you.”

“Okay, gotcha,” Drew mumbled as he stood.

“See, Drew darling, I promised that you’d begin to benefit. Now you have a brand new power to play with,” Elizabeth told him, her smug smile beaming.

“Thanks, I guess,” Drew rubbed the top of his head. “What does it do?”

“It’s some kind of item locator. You’ll figure it out,” Elizabeth assured him. “Nikola, can you please float the mortal out of here? I’d rather you cast your spell on her in another room. Charity is giving me quite a headache,” Elizabeth glared in my direction.

“Absolutely. She is unexpectedly loud for a person of her size,” Nikola agreed.

“What are we doing with her?” Drew asked, having been asleep during the talk of spells and servitude.

“Later,” Elizabeth shushed him.

I watched as the three of them exited the room, with Nikola directing Summer as she was floated behind them, still asleep and being taken away from me.

The static buzz disappeared as soon as I heard the click of the lock within the door. I rushed over to where Marcus still lay, sprawled across the butcher block table. I grabbed onto his hand and felt the sticky wet blood that was beginning to coagulate. I listened for his heartbeat. I breathed a sigh of relief that it was still there, but it was weak and faint. A thin wheezy breath escaped Marcus’s lips as his mind registered my touch. His fingers twitched.

I crumpled to the floor. My body shook with the sobs that I had been restraining since we were thrown in The Red Room and since I’d realized that Elizabeth was up to no good. A flood of tears streamed from my eyes. My fear and grief engulfed me. I gave in to sorrow.

 

*****

 

“Charity?” Link gasped.

“You felt her too,” Lulach answered. “I see that the blood bond you share with her is starting to emerge within you. I was wondering if it would take hold at all. You see, I can feel Charity but she cannot feel me. Your unique qualities make you a bit of a mystery.”

Link closed his eyes and concentrated on the brief flicker of Charity that had come to him. “She is crying. I feel her misery and I feel her fear. I don’t have a clue where she is. I just feel her.” Link opened his eyes. “If I can’t find her, how can I help her? It’s not enough.”

“Give it time, son. The bond will develop. It will change, evolve, grow stronger. I am here with you now and I can feel her too. My bond pulls me toward her and as her distress intensifies, so does my connection to her.”

Cozmo sat beside them, pale and unmoving. His mouth had dropped open and his eyes were unfocused, staring off into empty space. “It’s gone,” he whispered.

“What’s gone, Oz?” Link asked.

“My twin connection. I don’t always know where he is, but I can always feel him. I can’t feel him. It’s gone. I think Marcus may be... gone.”