7. Salem
Chapter seven
My eyes feel sticky as I try to open them. My eyelids droop and feel heavy as I try to sit up but fall back down. What happened? I try to focus and ask my shadows, but they don’t respond. Anxiety grips my chest, and my heart speeds as I jerk awake, panic overtaking my system as I hear no response from them. I can’t seem to move, and the room is dark, but there are no signs of my shadows anywhere. Where are they?
My vision clears as I attempt to sit up, yet I still feel sluggish. My neck is aching, and I have a massive headache. I glance down and see a straight jacket confining my arms. With the wall’s support, I sit up, with my butt resting on the floor. Damn, even the prison guards had the decency to at least throw me onto my shitty cot. The smell of bleach from the floor lingers, burning my nose with the scent. Once again, I reach out for my shadows and find nothing. My arms jerk in their confinement, and I realize they must be keeping my magic at bay.
I have to give Dr Vic props for his tranquilizers. The ones this hospital uses don’t leave me feeling like I lost days at a time. Sure, I feel groggy and a bit disoriented, but that’s nothing new. A small laugh escapes my lips as my memory returns to me; so much for Simon’s advice. I did well obeying his rules and being on my best behavior. I was barely snarky to the doctor, who came in to discuss Fae’s Edge with me.
Okay, so that was a lie. It wasn’t exactly my fault that something about his presence triggered me. He came in wearing a mask and a surgeon’s cap with scrubs. It felt like Dr Vic had found me, or at least Dr Vic 2.0. They set me up as if they expected me to attack him. My shadows attacked without thinking, not expecting the nurses to be packing tranquilizer guns.
I shift my body to look at the new bane of my existence—the clock. Its damn ticking has become hard to ignore. They turned off the TV that I used to drown out the sound. Even that had me feeling annoyed; the sounds felt foreign and fake. Everything is so loud anymore. My fingers have been itching to rip the clock off the wall, but I’ve been on my best behavior. Now, look where that got me, unable to rip the damn thing off its plastered wall.
“Damn it, Constantine, give me a fucking second.” A whisper yell comes from the corner of the room.
“We don’t have time for that!” he whispers, yelling back, “Get her now! We have maybe 10 minutes tops. Go do your thing.”
“Simon?” I whisper out loud, wondering if it’s him. My throat hurts with words. I need a glass of water to help with the effects of the tranquilizer. He assured me he would be back during visiting hours. It doesn’t feel like visiting hours, considering the two seem very cloak and dagger in this instance. I like the style of whoever the new person is. The Simon I met a few hours before seems like a black-and-white type of man, a rule follower who plays everything by the book. This feels like they went rogue.
“Salem. We have to take you out of here.” He glares over at the other man with him. “Apparently, right now.”
The man disappears and comes back a second later. “They are here, expecting her to be still passed out. You had enough tranquilizer for two grown men. Grab her and let’s go.”
Simon’s arm grips mine, and he looks alarmed when I look up at him. “I can’t open a portal,” he says, slightly panicked.
“We don’t have time. Figure it out, man.” The large man practically yells at Simon before starting to pace.
I motion with my body to my self-hug vest. “Take this off. I think it’s warded.” My body leans forward so he can assess the back.
He sucks in a breath. “Powerful magic. They weren’t fucking around with these.” I feel the area around my back warm and a burning smell trickles upward from my back. The cuffs fall to the ground, and before I can enjoy the feel of being released, Simon grabs the fabric, yanking them, and grabs my hands.
He opens a circular portal and pushes me through before walking through himself. I land on a white couch in what looks like a living room. I feel a connection to my shadows again. A sigh of relief escapes my lips, but I am left gasping as they wrap themselves almost lovingly around the man Simon calls Constantine. His face breaks out into a smile as they are greeted with his shadow energy. It’s almost as if they have known each other their whole lives. I can’t find it in myself to care, as I am relieved that I am no longer confined.
He gathers them in his hands and arms, practically cradling them like a baby, as he walks over to me. His black hair is messy and unkept, yet it almost looks like it was done intentionally, making him look rugged. His smile halts when he stands before me. “I didn’t know, I swear.” When he reaches out, my shadows leap to greet me. “Your mother never told me.”
I realize that this must be my father. This has me sitting up a little, trying to take him in to see what made my mother stray from Marcus. He has that whole bad boy thing going on for him. Maybe my mother is a bit of a rebel and just never showed it. “Nobody knew.” I shrug my shoulders, giving him a tight smile. A small laugh escapes my lips. “Pretty fucked up way to find out you have a kid.”
He chuckles, “Quite right. It’s been a big day for us. Are you feeling okay from the tranquilizer?”
I wave him off. “No worries about that. It felt like a small catnap. I’m told I’m building an immunity to them.” Is it slightly messed up that I feel a little proud of that?
Constantine’s jaw clinches. “We will make them pay for it. They don’t get away with this.”
A warmth fills my chest, and it’s a weird feeling. Do I have an ally? A lump appears in my throat, and I clear it. I turn away from Constantine and look back at Simon. “Looks like you were right. I lasted four hours.” I nod to him. This will be the closest I will get to thanking him. “Since Operation Jailbreak was successful, what’s the plan now?”
Simon rolls his eyes and lets out a huff. “Please note that Operation Jailbreak wasn’t my idea.” He holds up his finger and shoots a glare over to Constantine.
I feel like my childish self as my eyebrows draw together. “Well, duh. Where are we currently?”
Constantine clears his throat from a laugh. “Oh, we are at Simon’s place on Black Rose.” This makes sense, and I nod my head as Constantine continues. “I read your doctor’s files while in the veil, waiting for the right moment to get you.”
My face pales, and I sit down, not thinking about how my body and DNA will change without the cuffs’ intervention. We barely got time without cuffs to heal. Dr. Vic was worried about us becoming too powerful too quickly. I have no choice but to put my trust in these two. “Did they have the facility notes? From Dr Vic?”
Simon nodded, “Kind of. The only notes found were those being written moments before they shut down. From my understanding, they thought you died. Perhaps, for now, we let them believe you died.”
‘Don’t tell them about the dream, at least not yet. Play dumb.’ My shadows whisper, and I trust them. “I think my heart stopped for a bit. Maybe it’s a strange side effect from the vampire venom?”
“That’s the type of facility you were in?” Constantine walks over to the counter height bar top, wrapping his hand around a crystal bottle and tipping it back, drinking the liquid from inside. His jaw unclenches, but his eyes still seem to burn with fire. “Tell me everything.” He takes another swig. Maybe in preparation? I know nothing about the man in front of me. Every part of me has wondered about who he is over the years. I can’t sit here and not ask the questions that have plagued my mind for so long because there is so much I have wondered about for so long. So many years of being punished for being his daughter. A daughter that he knew nothing about. Yet, in my life, it has caused me the most pain imaginable. I can’t find it in myself to hate him for it. After all, he didn’t know, and he is innocent of the crimes against me.
“Can we start with you? Who are you to my mother?” I feel I am owed this much. This is the one question that has plagued me for all these years.
He sits down on the couch beside me and nods. “Your mother and I met years ago. We became friends, of sorts. She wasn’t my mate or anything like that, yet I felt pulled to her first by her dreams. I visited her and got to know her in her dreams. Keira was charming. I wanted to help her, but she pushed me away. She was dating Marcus and ended up marrying him. The pull and the friendship I felt for her never stopped, even though she was married. Perhaps it was the companionship I missed so much. I had little to no connections in this world. She helped me feel something I didn’t know I could be capable of. Her nightmares called to me; she wanted to leave him, and I helped her. Friendship lines were crossed as we spent almost two weeks together. Then, she went back to him to get your sister. She was supposed to come right back. However, when she didn’t, I became worried. When I finally got to her, she told me never to contact her again. That I was a foolish mistake, and she wanted to stay with Marcus.” He takes a breath and shakes his head. “I’m not the type of man who deals with rejection well. Hell, she had a kid already with him. She chose him. It was my first experience with heartbreak.”
“She tried to talk him into letting her take me to you that day. It didn’t work out.” It seems impossible not to think back to that last day.
“If I could, I would kill him for what he did. With him being in the ministry…” he trails off. He doesn’t need to elaborate because security will be tight.
I nod my head, “Exactly. He will not make it easy.” My breath catches in my throat, creating a weird gasping, choking sound to fill the air. I fall to my knees as my eyes bulge within their confinements. I can barely see or make out the two men before me. It feels as if something is choking me. I can’t breathe as I cough, trying to dislodge whatever seems stuck inside that’s blocking my breathing. Something seems to move inside of me, taking over as it attempts to claw its way to the surface. My hands dig into the carpeted floor, and pain seems to overtake my body. My back arches back, and the bones in my hands snap and twist as my beast tries to take form.
“What the fuck is happening?” I hear someone yell, but it’s all background noise. The creature inside is taking over my body. It doesn’t care if I am here when it does. I feel helpless as I know if this continues, I am going to die.
I do the only thing I can as I reach inside, trying to connect to my shadows for help. My shadows seem to be pressed up against the corner of my mind. My pleading has given them more power as they scream out. ‘You will kill her, beast! Wait your turn, or you end us all.’ As suddenly as it began, the creature inside me that felt like it was tearing me apart stopped its movements. The beast pauses as if to consider my shadow’s words. My body feels like it has snapped in half to make room for the creature. I can feel it growl, almost as if it has realized its host body is dying.
Once more, the thing huffs, and I can feel it move throughout my body. The feeling starts at my fingertips, and I feel it move as it drags itself back within me. It takes all the pain and pressure away as it retreats. Sweat covers my body as I feel my body touching the ground once more. It feels like my body is slowly uncurling itself from within. My system tries to calm itself as I stare at the popcorn ceiling. “Salem?” I’m sure it’s Simon, but I can’t be sure. Exhaustion is overtaking me.
“I need a minute.” My lips feel dry as the words come out. If I thought I was thirsty before, now I feel parched, as if my body hasn’t had a drink in years. Everything aches, and tears stream down my face as I cry silently. I keep my eyes closed until I can control my emotions once again. When they reopen, my eyes narrow on the ceiling. Is that blood? My fingers reach up and touch my face. When I inspect them, blood lingers on them. I am a terrible house guest. I’ve been here for less than five minutes, and I’ve already bloodied the upholstery. Mentally, I prepare myself for the yelling that is about to occur. The white couch will never be the same as it looks like I exploded before piecing myself back together.
“What the fuck was that?” Constantine’s voice seems to tremble slightly. However, my ears are popping, and all the sounds seem muffled. I don’t have a suitable answer to his question, so I continue to lie there. The pain seems to lessen with each second that I remain still.
The smell of blood hits the air, blood that isn’t mine. My nose twitches, and I feel the blood drying on my flesh, making my skin feel tight as I sit up and look around for the source. Constantine kneels and hands me a cup. “Hold that.” He helps to adjust my body before maneuvering me, so I am now leaning against the couch. “Now, drink that.” I bring the cup to my lips and practically moan into the cup. “I’m sure it’s better from the source, but the only bites I allow are in the bedroom.”
Constantine’s hand begins to knit itself back together as he leans against the wall, watching me. Simon shakes his? head, throwing his hand up to gesture towards me. “Seriously, she is your daughter.”
“Your point?” He narrows his eyes at Simon, who throws his hands up. “But seriously, what the fuck was all that about?”
I continue to drink, taking my time and relishing the feeling. ‘The blood is helping the beast stay at bay.’ It has my anxiety relaxing its grip, and I feel like I at least have some slack in the metaphorical noose around my neck. “Power shift in my system. The beast wants to be the dominant power.”
“The beast?” Simon asks before continuing. “The doctor’s notes from the facility mentioned a shift occurred finally. Is that what you’re speaking about?”
“I believe so? It’s not like I have a map for all of this. The blood has helped, and my shadows reasoned with it. I’m unsure if there is space for all these entities.” My hand grips the cup tighter while my thoughts wander about if, after everything, I will end up dying from one of these shifts. Despite the godlike intervention, I still may yet die. Of course, when I want to live, my body is fighting against that goal.
“We will stay here for the night. Tomorrow, we will regroup and figure out the next moves. You need to rest after that, and there should be no unnecessary stress, if possible. Shower or bed first?” Constantine asks with one dark eyebrow raised before he shoots Simon a look, daring him to say no.
“I should say shower, but I don’t think I can stay awake long enough.” I try to stand, but Constantine lifts me.
“I’m carrying you. That shit freaked the hell out of me.” I open my mouth to argue, but stop when his gaze practically begs me. As bad as that felt, I bet it probably looked worse. “Let me do this, please?” I am too exhausted to care. My eyes droop. I don’t even remember hitting the sheets.