Twenty-One
Walker
"Remind me to ask Da if he's getting anywhere with the whole giving-Otherworlders-the-ability-to-eat thing," I said through a mouthful of samosa, and Ro hissed his assent. "As for going back, I don't know, Ro. I think even if we leave, that man won't stop haunting Caelan until he's taken care of, and I'd rather stay and see it through."
I wanted to keep Caelan safe. But I could see how much knowing that vampire was out there affected him, and I didn't think that would change even if he went home.
The elevator pinged, and I stepped outside, balancing the paper bags in my arms as I walked down the hallway. The open door of our apartment made me freeze, and Ro peeked out of my pocket to check why I'd stopped.
"Shit! Let me go in first," he said, slithering out of my pocket and disappearing into the apartment before I could say anything.
I followed him without a thought, dropping the paper bags on a cabinet near the door before racing inside. The living room and kitchen area were empty, and I headed for the bedroom, calling out Caelan's name as my worry mounted.
His phone lay in the middle of the bed, but the room was empty, and the bathroom door was exactly as we'd left it earlier. I still took a peek inside, but no Caelan.
I picked his phone up, smiling at the picture of me he'd set as a wallpaper. There was an unopened text from Nox, and I clicked it open. Maybe Caelan had just taken off to Otherworld to hang out with him or something?
Nox : Did you ditch me for your mate?
In the reply bar, there was a half-typed text that looked like a reply to Nox's previous message. Something had interrupted Caelan before he could send that message, but what? Had someone been at the door? But they couldn't have gotten inside. Why would Caelan go out? He'd promised me he wouldn't.
"Ro," I said, and he glanced up from the bed. "Get the dads."
Ro'Shassz disappeared, and I slumped onto the bed, burying my face in my palms. I shouldn't have left Caelan alone. Why hadn't he stayed inside the apartment?
Jumping to my feet, I started walking, unable to sit still as thoughts of what could happen to Caelan clogged my mind, dark thoughts that filled me with fear and made me want to break something.
"Walker?" Da's voice had me looking up, and I rushed to him, throwing my arms around him. He hugged me tightly, and I felt my insides untwist a little. "Shh, it's okay. We'll find him."
"He promised he wouldn't leave the apartment," I mumbled as I pulled away, and Dad stepped closer, rubbing my shoulder in comfort.
"Did you two fight?" Pops asked, and I shook my head.
"We had a great morning," I said, and Pops' eyes flickered to the messy bed. I could feel my cheeks heating up, but I ignored it. "We need to find him."
"Let's figure out what happened first. Maybe the camera caught something," Dad said, and my eyes shot to his.
"Camera?"
"We had one installed in the hallway outside the last time we came here," he explained, and I nodded. Pops left the bedroom, and we followed suit. Opening a cabinet, he pulled out a laptop I hadn't even known was there and plugged it in.
I watched as he pulled up the CCTV recordings, forwarding today's clip until I showed up, leaving to go to the store. Pops hit play from there, and we watched the empty hallway for five minutes before...before I walked into the hallway again. Except...
"That's not me," I said, glancing over at my dads. Pops' lips were pressed in a firm line, and Dad looked like he wanted to crush something. Da had a comforting grip of my shoulders, and he squeezed lightly as we watched the fake-me ring the doorbell.
Then they stepped back, waved their hand, and were suddenly covered in blood. They slumped back against the wall as the door opened, and Caelan hurried to them as they sank to the floor. I knew the moment Caelan realized it wasn't me, and the stranger whispered something to Caelan before they grabbed his wrist and he slumped forward, unconscious.
The stranger stood up, hauled Caelan over his shoulder like he weighed nothing, and strolled down the hallway, leaving the camera's range without ever revealing his face.
"I never should've left him alone," I murmured, and Dad turned to me.
"That doesn't matter now, Walker. All that matters is getting him back. Arty, play that back. I want to see if we can figure out what he said," Dad said, and Pops replayed the video, zooming in on the stranger wearing my face.
"He said 'I'm sorry,'" Da murmured behind me, and I turned to him, incredulous.
"He apologized? For what, kidnapping Caelan?"
"It's possible. Maybe he was forced to do it," Pops said, and I growled.
"Someone forced him to kidnap a man? And he just did it?" I demanded, unsure how anyone could be forced into doing something like that.
"Walker, has Caelan told you anything about Andras?" Dad asked, and I nodded. "Well, then you know how he made Caelan and others kill for him, fight for him. And that was when he was human. Now, as a vampire, he is even more powerful. We still don't know what he's capable of."
"And Caelan is all alone with him," I said, worry bleeding into my voice.
"We'll find him, kiddo. We will," Da assured me, and I nodded as Pops squeezed my hand, and Dad gave me a reassuring smile.
Don't worry, Caelan. We'll find you , I thought, hoping that wherever he was, he would hear me.
Caelan
I hissed at the pounding in my head, not used to getting headaches, and blinked my eyes open. My ears twitched as I tried to get the sense of where I was, and the utter silence of the room was the first thing that clued me in to the fact that something was wrong.
I jerked upright, wincing when something wrenched against my right wrist. Glancing down, I found a thick, iron shackle wrapped around it, the other end tied to the bed frame. My other hand was free, and so were my legs, but I could feel the black magic woven through the shackle, and it was strong enough to keep me from magicking away.
"Fuck," I cursed, and then realized that I was in my true form. I hadn't thought to change back before I opened the door because I'd thought I was opening it for Walker. It hadn't been him, though, and I'd been too worked up at the sight of blood to realize that until it was too late. I tried to change back into my human form, but pain shot through me when I tried to use my magic, and I glared at the shackles. Curling my fingers, I sighed when my nails slid out. Maybe I could use them to unlock the shackles somehow. Or rip into Andras's throat.
I glanced around the room, cataloging each detail in case it became useful later. The room was well-furnished, a little dated but in good condition, with a mahogany dresser and cabinets, a huge mirror in one corner of the room, and a door that I assumed led to the bathroom on the other side. I glanced down at the bed, noticing the silk sheets, and froze when I realized someone had changed my clothes. I'd worn sweatpants and Walker's T-shirt, but now I was dressed in a silk robe...and nothing else.
I pushed back the fear that wanted to consume me. I wouldn't be afraid, not this time. I wasn't a kid now, and I was more than a cage fighter. I was a warrior. I'd fought dark souls, helped run a realm, and I now knew what love was truly supposed to feel like. I wasn't going to get fooled by Andras now, and I definitely wasn't letting him anywhere near me.
The door to the room opened, and I jerked against the shackle holding me to the bed, using all my strength to try to wrench it free even as it burned my skin.
"Oh, you're awake!" Andras exclaimed, his delight clear in his voice. "Look at you, my warrior cat. You look magnificent."
He strolled into the room as if he had no care in the world, draped in a loose white shirt and black pants like some retro pirate. His long brown hair had streaks of gray in them, and his skin was marred with wrinkles. He mustn't have turned into a vampire until his mid-fifties, to look as old as he did. He was still a stunning man though, the man I'd fallen into the trap of all those years ago, the man who'd made me believe he loved me and I loved him, when all he'd actually done was use and abuse me.
"Get me out of these and I'll show you how magnificent I can be," I growled, and he chuckled.
"Such fire. I always loved that about you. I like the new ears. And that tail? Oh my. I'm excited to see what I can make you do with them," he said with a grin, and my stomach turned. I curled my fingers into fists, gnashing my teeth as I tried to figure out a plan of action.
"What do you want from me, Andras?" I demanded, mostly to keep him talking while I figured something out. The person who'd impersonated Walker to get me out of the house...they'd apologized, hadn't they? Before I went unconscious? Maybe I could convince them to help me.
"I was so sad when we lost you in that fight. You were always my favorite, you know? I never forgot your face. Imagine my surprise when I saw you strolling down the street, smiling and happy and alive all these years later," he said with a shake of his head. "You were always my most prized warrior. Of course I had to get you back."
"I'm not yours," I told him with a scowl, and he waved me off.
"You will be. I'll make you mine just like I did last time," he said, stalking closer to the bed. He gripped my chin and jerked my head up, and in my mind, I begged him to come just a little closer so I could rip his throat out.
I tried to pull my chin out of his grasp, but his nails dug into my skin, holding me still. "I will make you mine, Caelan. You'll remember whom you belong to, and then you will sit at my feet, at your rightful place, my pet."
I gritted my teeth and wrenched my chin free, wincing, when it left a bit of my skin between his nails. Raising a brow at me, he lifted it up and gave it a lick, humming softly.
"Your blood is unlike anything I've ever tasted," he murmured, and I swallowed hard. How was I supposed to get out of here without revealing what I was to him? Not that he could ever even guess what I was, but every little difference was a clue that he shouldn't have.
I could feel the droplets of blood trailing down my chin, and I watched his eyes darken as he followed their journey. I knew the moment his control snapped, and then he was on me, pressing me into the bed as he lapped at my neck.
I was frozen solid for a moment, the feel of him pressing me into the mattress sending me into panic. I squeezed my eyes shut, and suddenly, Walker was there, comforting me, assuring me everything was okay. That I was okay.
Snapping my eyes open, I soundlessly reached up with my left hand, my claws sliding free as I ripped them across his throat. He jerked back, his hand flying to his throat as blood poured down his chest, soaking into his white shirt. His eyes were wide and blazing hot as they met mine and he scrambled off the bed and stumbled out of the room without a backward glance as I lay there, my hand soaked in his blood and the damned cuff digging into my other hand.
I needed to get out of here and find my way back to Walker. If only I could get out of these damned shackles.
Ro'Shassz
I'd been playing the blame game for hours now, but at the end of the day, it was only one man's fault: Andras, and we were going to make him pay.
Step : Get Caelan back and make sure Andras can't hurt anyone else ever again.