Chapter 26 – Lily #2
With Cass blocking me from view, I close my eyes and picture myself standing at the window with my hands at the edges of the frame.
I nudge it closed, but nothing happens. It doesn’t comply—in fact, it edges open a little more.
An inch. I push harder, but it only widens further, letting more voices in.
A fresh wave of voices lurches forward, babbling and clamoring for attention.
The sound of the room fades away, muffled by the chorus of them thirsting for blood.
I’m aware of Cass’ voice somewhere in the distance as I search my purse for the bolsita.
He’s talking to the twins about something to do with a vow, but I can’t make it out.
My fingers clutch desperately at my keys, my wallet, a pack of gum, but it’s not there.
I need grounding. I have to focus, have to find Megan. Have to save her from this terrible place. Have to protect myself.
Except it’s not there.
Shit.
With a sinking feeling, I realize I’ve left it at home.
I can picture it, sitting on my coffee table.
I took it out when I was changing my bag, and I must have forgotten to put it back in.
Tonight, of all nights, I am without my protection.
The revelation causes the floodgates to open, and now there’s no stopping them from coming.
Fresh meat in the back corner—
I’m high as fuck
Should’ve seen her beg when I—
Rip her throat open and let her bleed into—
Lexi’s alone in the Acheron, someone should—
The voices crash over me in waves, each one more violent than the last. I can’t filter them, can’t focus on just one thread. They’re all screaming at once.
Break her fingers one by one until—
Shift supervisor forgot to lock—
Blood tastes better when they’re crying—
Wait.
Lexi. Megan.
The Acheron.
My heart pounds as I try to catch that thread again, but it’s gone, swallowed by the chaos of hundreds of the most depraved minds all thinking at once.
I put my head between my knees and thread my fingers through my hair, using all my strength to reach out.
Cass, I think I found her. I think I found Megan.
He turns to look at me abruptly. Breaking away from the twins, and when he sees me crumpled in a heap, he grasps my shoulders and eases me up to look at him.
Propping me against the bench and brushing the hair out of my face.
I don’t know when I started crying, but the strands stick to my wet cheeks.
“Where?” he breathes, his face knotted in concern.
Somewhere called the Acheron I tell him
You’re sure?
I’m sure. They’re changing shifts. She’ll be unguarded for maybe five minutes. You need to go right now.
I’m not leaving you Lily, not like this and not with them.
You won’t get another chance.
“Is little Nurse Lily upset by all the big bad vampires at the big bad vampire club?” Roel, or maybe it’s Ronan, coos from somewhere behind Cass. “Poor thing. First time? How tender she is.”
“If she thinks this is bad, she should see what’s happening downstairs.”
“Maybe we should take her?”
“We should take her.”
Cass’ nostrils flare, and his hand clenches into a fist. He doesn’t even look at them, but the depth of his voice roars through the heavy sludge metal droning through the speakers.
“You will not touch her.”
That only makes them giggle, both of them protesting and tittering about it all being a big joke, but I see inside their heads. I know what they want to do with me. I know it’s not a joke. Despite everything, despite the fear coursing through my veins, I know what has to be done.
Hurry up and go. Please. I’ll be fine. Just promise you’ll be back for me? Promise you won’t leave me behind.
His face searches mine desperately, and I know he’s trying to figure out another way, but he knows it’s futile. He bows his head and shakes it slowly. Sending me a final message.
I promise.
And then he’s gone.
He disappears into the crowd, and without hesitation the twins close in on either side of me like predators who’ve been waiting for their moment to strike. Amber kneels at their feet, drunk on lust and shivering with each wave of drug-induced euphoria.
“We’re going to have a little party. You should join us,” Ronan says, raising his scarred eyebrow. “I bet your daddy won’t mind.”
“He’s not my daddy,” I bite back, but it sounds meek.
“Of course he is,” Ronan says, running his icy hand down my shoulder, and a fresh wave of images cloud my mind. My naked body splayed beneath them, their silhouettes looming toward me with fangs bared. “We’re all daddies, and we love taking very good care of our girls.”
“Very good care.” Roel picks up my beer and sniffs it, before passing it to Ronan, who wrinkles his nose in revulsion.
“A little too vanilla for my tastes.”
Cass? Are you there?
Amore, I’m almost there. Stay calm.
“We’re doing molly tonight.” Roel leans in and tucks my hair behind my ear. Then comes a burst of laughter. “Actually, we’re doing Amber, but she’s getting nice and high for us. Maybe we could give you some acid and candyflip. I hear it makes it even better.”
“Yummy. We love hallucinogens, don’t we, Roe?” Ronan purrs. “Especially when it’s a bad trip.”
“This one’s got bad trip written all over her pretty little face.”
“It is pretty, isn’t it?”
Roel’s brow furrows. “A little too pretty. I prefer my girls with more character.”
“Maybe we should cut her?” they cry in unison before collapsing into a fit of giggles.
“This is good shit,” Ronan says, gesturing to Amber, who’s swaying in time with the music, eyes closed and lost in euphoria.
I squeeze my eyes shut and ride the wave of nausea, but the bile in my throat burns like acid.
I drain the last of my beer to soothe it and try to hold on for dear life.
A minute passes, and another, but it doesn’t get any better.
The room just gets hotter, the sounds more intense.
Through my haze, I realize I just need to get to a bathroom and splash some cold water on my face.
But when I try to stand, the ground wobbles beneath me. I’m passing out, but I fight it. I have to fight it. Not long now. Just a few more minutes. I can hold on for a few more minutes. When Cass’ voice comes, it steadies me for a moment, and I’m flooded with relief.
Found her. She’s in bad shape but alive. There’s a service exit. Getting out now.
Then my vision narrows to a pinprick, and the darkness swallows me whole.
I’m groggy, but I’m okay, I think.
Cass has me. I’m in his arms. I’m safe. Everything is going to be okay.
When I open my eyes, it’s too dark and too blurry to focus, but I can just about make out the industrial piping on the ceiling. A crisscross of metal supports and exposed ductwork. We must be in some kind of utility corridor.
I try to shift closer to him, to press my face against his chest, but something feels wrong. The scent isn’t right. Instead of Cassini’s familiar mixture of leather and earth, I smell something sharp and chemical. Antiseptic mixed with heavy cologne.
My vision starts to clear, and panic floods my system as I realize the arms carrying me are too pale, too smooth. No tattoos. No familiar marks.
“Ah, Sleeping Beauty awakens.”
The voice from above me makes my stomach lurch. The twins. I can’t make out which one, but it’s definitely them.
I push weakly against his chest, but it’s no use. He’s an immovable slab of granite, and my aching limbs are cast in lead. There’s something alien coursing through my system, making my movements sluggish and uncoordinated. I’m sure they slipped something into my beer.
“You’ll wake up in a few minutes. Don’t worry, darling. We don’t want you to sleep through what we have planned for you.”
“No, we want you wide awake,” the other voice chirps. “We want you to feel everything.”
Cass, help me. Please. They have me. I don’t know where I am, but I need you to find me.
My head lolls on my neck as I desperately search for something to identify this place. A mark, a sign, a door. Anything, but there’s nothing but concrete and metal. An anonymous corridor in the bowels of a building. An industrial wasteland.
That’s when I see him over my captor’s shoulder, and my heart leaps with relief. He’s already here. Thank fuck for that. He’s here. Everything is going to be okay.
Cassini is edging toward an open fire door with an unconscious girl draped across his arms. Her mouth gaped open. Her tight, spiral curls drenched in blood. He has Megan. We’re all going to be safe.
The twins are focused ahead, navigating the corridor, completely unaware of what’s happening behind them. When I manage a weak smile, Cassini doesn’t return it. He has to see me, right? He has to know it’s me.
I try and call out, but no sound comes. Instead, he lifts a finger to his lips and gestures for me to stay quiet.
Cass?
He backs toward an exit door and drops his eyes to the ground. He won’t meet mine.
Cassini?
And then he leaves me behind.