Chapter Eighteen
Lilith
“Mom?” I heard Cass’ voice, but the black hood was still on my head, and I couldn’t see a thing. They had placed them on our heads the moment we left the castle, and they still hadn’t taken them off.
“I’m here, baby,” I replied.
I could feel two hands keeping a firm grip on my upper arms, as they led us down a chilling corridor. I could smell a faint scent of mold and flour. Somewhere in the distance, mice squealed as they probably scattered before we even reached them.
Suddenly, they stopped us, and the hands disappeared from my upper arms. I was no longer controlled. But I knew that I didn’t want to risk taking off my hood just yet. I listened intently to the sounds around us. As the heavy door was locked behind us, I called out to Cass.
“Cass, honey?”
“I’m here, mom,” I could hear her reply.
I pulled the hood off my head and saw her do the same. She lunged towards me, wrapping her arms around me. I did the same, burying my face into her hair, and kissing her a million times. When she pulled away, I inspected her hastily.
“Are you okay?” I asked, breathless, checking every inch of her body. “Did they hurt you?”
“I’m fine,” she assured me. “They didn’t hurt me.”
“Bastards!” I hissed angrily, looking around.
The room, while far from luxurious, appeared relatively comfortable. There was still that smell of mold, lingering heavily in the air.
Cass was still clinging to me, her arms wrapped around my waist, her wide eyes filled with fear and confusion. I held her close, pressing my lips to her forehead and murmuring soothing words to reassure her.
“Where are we?” she asked with a whisper.
“I don’t know, baby,” I replied honestly, still surveying the room, to see if there was any way out, other than the door.
The room’s walls were made of weathered stone, and the cold, damp air seeped through the cracks. A solitary window allowed the moonlight to filter in, casting an eerie glow on the room’s worn wooden furniture. It might have been a way out had it not been for the iron bars. The presence of the vampires outside the door was a constant reminder of the danger that loomed. We could hear footsteps, murmurs, constant noise that reminded us that we were not alone.
I wondered if Adrian would find us here. I wondered if anyone would find us here, hidden away from the rest of the world. I knew that waiting for him to come to our rescue was not enough. I had to explore every single possibility to ensure our safety.
I tried the window, although I could tell that would probably be an unsuccessful effort. I tried to pry it open, but I quickly realized that it was firmly sealed shut, and the iron bars outside made it impossible to pass through.
I turned my attention to the door next. Even though I had heard the lock, I still had to see whether I could open it. I tugged at the handle, rattled the latch, and even pushed against the door with all my might, but nothing changed. It was firmly shut. The vampires had taken precautions to ensure we couldn’t easily leave.
I continued my search, scouring the room for any hidden passages or secret exits. The rooms corners, the floor, and even the ceiling were scrutinized, but I found no hidden mechanisms or concealed doors that might lead to freedom. The mounting frustration and fear weighed heavily on my shoulders, and I realized that our escape would not come easily. It was a simple room, with only two exits, the window and the door, both of which were inaccessible to us from the inside. Our hopes now rested on Adrian’s arrival, although I still had no idea if he would even be able to find us.
“How will we get out of here?” Cass asked the same question that had been swarming inside my mind since we got here. Unfortunately, I still didn’t have an answer for it.
“We’ll find a way out, don’t worry,” I tried to reassure her, although I could barely believe that myself. Cass and I huddled together, our breaths trembling, seeking solace in the warmth of each other’s embrace.
We remained like that, embraced for what felt like an eternity, when suddenly, we heard a key in the door. Our eyes focused on it, as it swung open, revealing a commanding figure standing in the threshold. I knew immediately who it was, and instinctively, I stood before Cass, to protect her.
Constantine’s tall, lean frame was draped in a deep, flowing cloak that billowed around him like the wings of a dark angel. The fabric was as dark as midnight, adorned with intricate patterns that seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly, iridescent quality in the dim light. His eyes, a mesmerizing shade of silver, held an enigmatic allure that seemed to pierce into the very soul of anyone who met his gaze.
His features were chiseled and refined, his complexion as pale as alabaster, and his long, ebony hair cascaded like a waterfall down his back. His presence was both regal and unsettling, a testament to the power he held as a vampire of ancient lineage.
A part of me knew that it would end like this, but I was hoping that when this moment came, Adrian would be by my side. Despite the pulsating fear, I stood boldly between this vampire and my daughter, showing him that I would not go down easily. He wasn’t smiling, but there was no frown on his face either. He was strangely indifferent to seeing us here.
“I must apologize for the manner in which you were brought here,” he spoke in a way I didn’t expect him to.
As he stepped into the room, the aura of authority that surrounded him was palpable. Every move he made was deliberate, every gesture calculated. His confidence was unshakable, and his presence, while captivating, was tinged with an unsettling undercurrent.
“I gave them specific orders not to harm you,” he explained. “The situation required a certain urgency, and for that, I regret any discomfort that you may have experienced.”
I remembered seeing the lifeless bodies of guards through the window of my castle. “Why didn’t you give them that order for all those people they slaughtered?” I demanded to know, fueled by rage. “Those were all people with families, fathers, sons and brothers,” I told him something he already knew.
He shrugged. “It is the cycle of life. Don’t you humans call it the survival of the fittest?”
“The fittest do not attack in the night, like cowards,” I snapped at him.
“We are not of the same origin, Queen Lilith,” he spoke calmly and with respect, so I almost felt rude talking to him like this. Something told me this was exactly what he wanted, to force me to lose control.
“Why did you bring us here?” I demanded to know. “Why did my daughter need to be involved in this?”
“Ah yes,” he eyed Cass, who hid from his gaze behind me. “The halfling you have created. It is almost… pretty.”
“You watch how you talk about my child,” I warned him with a snarl. It amused him so much that he actually smiled.
“Spoken like a true mother,” he told me. “I commend you for it. I can see why he has chosen you.”
“Adrian?” I asked. “What do you want from him?” I demanded to know, although it was obvious that he knew the truth as well.
“Nothing,” he smiled in a way that sent chills down my spine. “I just want to get to know my brother. Since he kept refusing my… invitations, I had to come up with another way to get him to come to me.”
“Is that why you kidnapped us?” I asked, incredulous.
“Among other things, yes,” he admitted, his voice confident and assured, a subtle acknowledgement that we were in his power. “I tried reasoning with him last time I spoke to him.”
“You mean last time you kidnapped him!” I growled.
He grinned. “Yes. That. Unfortunately, you came charging in to save the day before I could reveal everything to him. I had to bide my time, wait for the right moment. But in all honesty, one cannot wait forever. Even vampires grow tired of waiting.”
“My dad will find us!” Cass unexpectedly interrupted our conversation.
I turned to her, hiding her with my hands, but her defiant little face peered from behind me. Constantine was looking at her in the same way that a hunter watched its prey. Biding its time.
Not this prey.
“Oh, I am counting on it, little one,” he told her. “You see, I thought that his first instinct would be to save himself. That is how vampires function. The selfishness principle. Feed first, rest first, kill first. We don’t care much for the needs of others, until our own are met and we function just fine like that. But Adrian… his upbringing has ruined him. It has made him forget who he is and he’s gotten soft. But I can fix that.”
“He is not soft,” I snarled back at him.
“Let’s agree to disagree,” he said, sounding exasperated, as if he had gotten tired of this conversation. “I truly don’t understand what he sees in humans, but I guess it has a lot to do with the people who brought him up.”
“His family, you mean?” I reminded him.
He frowned. He didn’t like that. “They were not his family.”
“That’s not how he feels,” I continued, seeing that this was pissing him off.
His brow furrowed even more. It was working.
“I am his family,” he hissed. “He just needs to be reminded of that, but that knowledge, that animal inside of him is in there. I will awaken it.”
“Don’t you dare,” I stared him down, despite the fact that from where I was standing, I was powerless to do or change anything.
He smiled. “There is nothing you can do, other than serve your purpose, which is to be bait. That is all you humans are good for.”
He turned around without another word and closed the door behind him. My heart was beating wildly, echoing inside my ears. Cass’ little body was still trembling, and so was mine.
That was what he wanted. Adrian. I should have known that this would happen. I should have been better prepared, but you just can’t predict some things in life.
Adrian would surely come for us. I knew that. But coming here might also be his undoing.
I turned to Cass and wrapped my arms around her, feeling more helpless than ever. Adrian would leave no stone unturned to find us. He had always been my protector, the one I turned to in times of need. Now, we had only each other. Everyone else had departed. Constantine was counting on this, fully aware of the fact that Adrian would never leave his family.
“Mom… I’m scared,” I heard Cass whisper in a trembling voice.
So am I, I thought to myself, but I bit my tongue before I could say those words out loud. Instead, I hugged her even tighter.
“Everything is going to be alright, baby,” I told her.
One way or another…