Chapter 41 Fight for Your Life
forty-one
Fight for your Life
*NOVA*
The view from the window gives me at least some indication of how many hours have passed. I have now been in this room for a whole day and night already, well aware that we are running out of time. If it’s true that they are testing Maddie, then it will be done soon.
I can’t allow that to happen. Maddie and Benji need to get out of this alive and healthy.
I owe that to them. I can’t let them down, and I can’t let my pack and my brother down, or Julianus.
I know this creepy vampire lord is Julianus’ personal nemesis, I know of his guilt and of his regrets.
One wrong decision made his whole life crumble, and he lost his future beloved, his home, and the safety of his coven.
I want Julianus to feel safe and to be able to move on… with me.
The door to my room opens, and a young guard enters with my breakfast. Good, it’s not Atticus. The latter is too smart and certainly too perceptive, but this guy looks young. I can test my newfound acting talent with him. “Thank you,” I say, jumping up and hurrying towards him.
While doing so, I stumble, almost dropping to the ground, but the knight in his white armor catches me, just like I hoped he would. “Careful,” he chuckles.
“Sorry!” I look like a flustered damsel in distress again while I cling to him. “I am so clumsy.” Good thing Cassian doesn’t see me like this, he would tease me for the rest of my life.
The guard clumsily pats my head before letting go of me. I take a step back, bowing my head submissively. “I am sorry.”
“Don’t mention it,” he hurries to placate me. “Oh, Master Atticus told me you wanted to do the laundry?”
“Yes,” I beam.
“I am supposed to show you around later,” he says. “Honestly, we are really busy right now. Cleaning isn’t exactly our top priority.”
I can’t believe my luck! He is chatty, much more so than any of the other men I’ve seen until now. “What’s going on?” I ask, making sure I sound worried. “Are you okay? I hope you are not overworking yourself!”
“Nah, I am fine. Just that loser in the cells; we have to deal with him at one point, and then that little kid. It’s crying non-stop. None of the guards want to be in a room with her.”
Wait… is he telling me that Maddie is alone? My heart breaks for her; she must be so scared. All alone and with these scary people all around her. But at the same time, this might mean we have a chance to get her out of here.
Also, he just told me that they are still wondering what to do with Benji, so at the moment, he is alright.
“Lord Aloysius will be furious if he knows she is alone,” the guard continues to blab. “Hopefully, he won’t find out.”
“Oh, if he isn’t always here, you should be fine,” I reassure him. “And if you need a woman to take care of that kid, you know where to find me.”
The guard looks at me, surprised. “Right, we have you here! Maybe the little brat needs a female presence.”
“Is it a girl?” I ask.
He nods.
I pretend to be lost in my thoughts. “Yes, men might not be able to understand her like I could.”
“I will think about this,” he says, already looking much happier than he did when he came here. What an idiot! I can’t believe he bought all the bullshit I just said.
He promises to return to me soon to show me around.
Once he is gone, I finally reach out to my waistband, where I have tucked the knife I stole from him when I stumbled and he caught me.
I shift it between my fingers. He was truly an easy victim.
Cass and I both learned how to do this shady stuff from Isla’s father.
Isla herself might be shallow, but her father and her younger sister are great.
Her dad told us it’s important to find a way out in case of an emergency, and to resort to dirty tricks when it’s necessary.
Both Cassian and I know how to steal and how to overpower someone sneakily.
Who knew that it’s a lesson I’d need to put to the test so soon!
*BENJAMIN*
In the distance, I can hear the sound of liquid slowly dripping down, making me wonder if it’s raining.
I haven’t heard from anyone. Just one time, a guard shoved food towards me, and that was it.
Other than that, I am in this Goddess-forsaken cell, not sure how much time has even passed.
I do hope that Nova is safe, and already working on a plan.
The longer I just lie here and stare at the ceiling, the more worried I get. Time is not on our side.
Are Marcellus and Silas already looking for us?
I shake my head, annoyed at my own thoughts.
Of course they are. I linked Marcellus before I chased that creepy vampire.
And Lori was with Sheila, too. Goddess, I hope Sheila is okay.
And I hope that Lori is holding up. I have refused to even think about her until now, because it hurts too much.
We kissed, and I believe we began to date each other.
I think she started to accept me, but I never dared to ask her straight out, too scared of rejection.
I need to get out of this shithole alive. I don’t want to die without telling her that I am head over heels for her, and that I want to go all in. I just want her to know.
With a loud screech, the door opens, and the elitist-looking guard comes inside again. The man who took Nova out of the cell. “Get up,” he huffs.
I scramble to my feet. Finally, a change of plans! He looks at me like I am a despicable piece of trash, but I don’t mind. I am used to this type of look, and couldn’t care less. What matters more is that he is going to do something with me now, and it gives me a chance to get out of here.
Another guard enters my cell, putting my hands into silver cuffs, before dragging me outside. “Master Atticus,” he tells the other man. “Everything is prepared.”
Master. So, it’s true, he is a high-ranking vampire here. I know that the vampires in Sunset Hills refer to Lucian like that, so I assume this Atticus is of similar rank.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
Atticus glares at me, clearly annoyed that I talk at all.
He probably thinks he is threatening, but I grew up with a cruel father, and in comparison to him, none of these vampires truly scare me.
Maybe that’s going to be my downfall, maybe I should be more careful and less numb.
After all, I do want to get out of this alive… to get back to Lori.
We walk for a couple of minutes, getting deeper and deeper underground.
I have counted four staircases. This place is huge to have such a massive underground area.
My heart sinks at the knowledge. Having such a large underground base means there is probably less on the surface, which further means Marcellus and Silas will have more trouble finding us.
I don’t get to wallow in my thoughts for long, as soon enough Atticus pushes me into a room.
It’s a round room, surrounded by thick stone walls, and spreading from these huge stone walls is a tribune.
Almost like it’s a theater, but I doubt they want me to sing for them.
While I am still trying to sort through my thoughts, the door opens again, and two more vampires step inside.
I haven’t seen them before, but they certainly look strong.
My gaze wanders around the room before moving to the tribune again, suddenly noticing that Atticus is standing there with a few of the guards next to him.
A smirk curls his lips. “We decided you need to get your mind off helpless girls.”
“What?” I snort. “And you want them to beat me up again? Or kill me?”
“You are supposed to fight,” Atticus says. “Fight for your life.”
“With these?” I ask, raising my hands that are bound by silver ties. “Are you vampires that weak that you need to turn me into a literal human to fight me?”
My comment must have hit a nerve, because Atticus frowns in annoyance. “Take them off him,” he snarls.
Werewolves and vampires have one thing in common: We are both too proud.
The moment I feel the ties around my hands loosening and dropping to the ground, I can sense my surroundings again, my ears catching even the smallest noise around me.
My senses are freed from the silver cell and the ties that bound them, and I can feel my spirit instantly rising again.
Not wasting any more time, I take a fighting stance, instantly dodging the first punch that’s delivered to me. The vampire looks surprised that I dodged him so swiftly, but if I have learned one thing, it’s to never let my guard down.
Another lesson I learned from my father. That, and a high pain tolerance.
My body goes into survival mode instantly. With Lucian’s and Marcellus’ help, I have slowly worked my usual flight instinct into a fighting one, and fuck, I wasn’t aware how much I would need Lucian’s lessons.
My ears pick up some whispers on the tribune. “Master Atticus, why is he so good? How does he know how to fight a vampire?”
“Silas, and Lucian, that bastard,” Atticus snarls, annoyed, obviously starting to put together who might have taught me about vampires. I cast a glance upwards, noting how he has turned to two of his guards. “Get inside!”
Part of me feels proud that he realizes they need more warriors to beat me, another part is starting to feel worried.
I am not a superhuman, and I can’t keep up against a whole bunch of well-trained vampires.
I dodge the next attack and land a punch of my own, making sure to recall all of Lucian’s lessons.
Now I know why he trains us so hard. These vampires fight differently, and they are much more cunning to make up for the lack of strength.
Instead of three vampire warriors, there are five now. I use all my knowledge from Lucian and some tricks Marcellus showed me, not caring if I am playing dirty or not. They are five against one. We passed the chance of having a fair fight long ago.
I manage to dodge some punches and deliver a couple of my own. I wish I could shift to give myself a chance to win this, but the silver I was surrounded by is still showing its effects.
One particular nasty punch sends me flying to the ground. I can taste iron on my lips.
The limbs of my body grow heavier. It’s like every single movement, even the smallest, is exhausting.
My body is giving in. Well, at least I know I’ve put up a good fight.
They struggled against me, and hopefully this will have bought Nova enough time to save Maddie and get the fuck out of here.
Sunset Hills will thrive without me. I know they will.
They will survive.
Marcellus will survive and move on. So will Micah, and Nova.
And Lori.
Lori…
I see her image in front of me, her smile, the guarded look in her eyes.
The way she constantly tries to appear composed, believing she doesn’t deserve anything good.
Her former pack assaulted and used her, yet she strongly believes it’s her fault.
She constantly puts her own gifts and talents down.
She is like me. The goddess put us together for a reason.
Dolores and Benjamin. For her, I want to become the best person I can be, the best gamma.
I want to fight against the shadows of my past, and grow, and prove to her that she deserves so much more than she believes she does.
I want to have a family of my own, and I promise to the goddess that should I have a child one day, I will treat it with love and kindness and be the father I never had.
But I can’t have any of that if I am dead.
My instinct pushes me to the only presence that can save me now.
I don’t know your name, I say. We have never met.
I know deep inside you are hiding because you are still healing me for what our father did to us, but you don’t need to heal me anymore.
We have a rank, a pack and a mate. Come out now.
Let’s kick these vampires’ asses and return to our mate. And then let’s heal together.