Chapter 31 #2
I unlocked the door and pushed it open. Even though Vampires didn’t sleep, I expected to see an ordinary bedroom for some reason.
It looked more like a prison cell. Two electric lanterns by the door cast their light on Cleo, who was sitting against the far wall, hugging her knees, head down.
The adjacent door must’ve been the bathroom.
I knelt in front of her. “Hey, kiddo. Did you really think we’d leave you?”
She peered up but kept her face hidden.
Krys entered the room and squatted beside me. He touched her knee and softened his tone. “You okay?”
She nodded.
He examined her ankles. “No chains or ropes?”
“No,” she croaked before clearing her throat.
“You didn’t try to run?”
“I’m not stupid. They’re Vampires.”
He looked around at the empty space. “How did you manage to call us?”
“Someone came to their door, and they started arguing. When they both stepped into the outside tunnel and closed the door, I swiped one of their phones and tiptoed into the bathroom to call you. They didn’t always lock my door from the outside when they were home.
I turned on the water so they wouldn’t get suspicious, but then I got scared and hung up.
I didn’t know what to say, but I just wanted someone to know I was gone.
I never thought you’d find me.” Cleo shot forward and threw her arms around Krys.
He gave her a tight hug. “I need you to go with Virgil. I’ll be right behind you.”
She drew back and looked at his outfit. “What’s with the shorts?”
“Long story, kid.”
I clutched his shoulder. “And what exactly are you gonna do?”
When he rose to his feet, I stood with him. “Leave as fast as you can,” he said. “You don’t wanna see what I’m capable of.” With that, he marched out of the room.
I faced Cleo and smiled. “Ready to go home?”
“Virgil!” Darcy exclaimed.
“Not now.”
“Virgil! I’m leaving.”
Confused, I turned around and beheld a much different woman. Darcy didn’t have the rainbow hair or pinwheel eyes anymore. Her hair was a soft blond, and her eyes were brown.
She twirled around excitedly. “It’s finally happening!”
“You mean you’re moving to someone else’s house or to the big chariot in the sky?”
“Because I did a noble deed, I get a second chance.” Darcy hastily approached.
“I only have a minute.” She stroked her finger down my cheek, and I somehow sensed it.
“You’re the one who gave me this opportunity.
When I died, I stayed behind for selfish reasons, but now I get to leave.
Thank you.” A wide smile crossed her face.
“I remember my name! It’s…” She laughed.
“I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. Remember me, Virgil.
” Darcy walked to the door and then faced me again.
“One last thing.” She put one hand on her chest and held out the other before reciting a line from an ’80s movie. “Be excellent to each other.”
As fast as she came into my life, her spirit shimmered and faded away.
Krys watched Virgil and Cleo head out of sight before dragging the first Vampire inside and locking the door. After laying the men next to each other, he pulled up a chair.
“I learned a few things about impalement wood in my previous life,” he said while breaking off splinters from the wood he’d retrieved from beneath the sofa.
“There has to be enough of it to knock you down. Splinters don’t work unless there’s a lot of them and they’re large.
Damn shame.” He studied the pieces carefully, breaking one in half.
“In cage fighting, high rollers pay extra to throw in weapons. They didn’t always give us whole weapons.
Sometimes they’d fuck with our heads and throw in wood that wasn’t impalement.
Good fighters adapt. They think on their feet. ”
Krys unsheathed his push dagger to shave and sharpen a few pieces. Scorpius’s jacket was still smoldering as his remaining eye fixed blankly on the ceiling.
Krys examined his work with a studious gaze.
“Some impalement woods are more effective than others. Did you know that? Not every Vampire does. I also learned it works best when it’s closest to the heart.
A stake through the heart guarantees you’ll incapacitate them, but that rib cage is a bitch to get through. ”
He got up from his chair and knelt between the two men. “Which of you wants to talk?” In a swift move, he stabbed the first Vampire in the leg with his stunner. “Hold that for me.”
The ancients loved hearing themselves talk. They were so arrogant about winning every battle that many of them boasted about their intentions. Krys learned a long time ago that not all of them knew how to fight. They relied on their gifts, but sometimes that wasn’t enough.
He carefully inserted one of the fragments into Scorpius’s wrist, then the other.
Then he lifted Scorpius’s pant leg and did the same with each ankle.
Krys knew how big they needed to be collectively to keep the Vampire subdued while still allowing him to speak.
Once he finished, he slowly extracted the piece lodged in the Vampire’s throat.
“You can’t regrow that eyeball with wood in your body, can you? Ain’t that a bitch? Are you warm enough, or should I start another fire?” He tapped Scorpius on the nose with the bloody instrument. “Some men can only grunt with this much wood in them, others can talk. How strong are you?”
A vein bulged in the Vampire’s forehead, and Krys guessed the idiot was trying with all his reserved power to attack. But he couldn’t.
Under complete impalement, the body only allowed natural reflexes, such as breathing, blinking, swallowing, and even hiccupping. But reducing the wood to the correct amount and applying it especially to the limbs allowed them to speak. It didn’t always work.
“Why did you want the girl?” He tapped him on the nose again.
“Either you can answer my questions, or your friend will… after he watches me cut off your limbs. Is he your youngling or just one of your henchmen? Either way, weak men sometimes say too much when under duress. I wonder what he’d say about you.
” Krys contemplated changing plans and getting the info he needed from the other guy while Scorpius was forced to listen, but he really wanted to hear the worthless sack of shit beg for his life.
“You can’t outsmart me or bribe me. I’m going to find out either way, but it’s up to you how much you want to suffer before death.
Accept your fate and go out like a man.”
Krys knew better than to remain close. The fanghole might spit blood in his face or charm him. After lighting a few more candles, he returned to his seat and folded his arms over the back of the chair, his boot tapping against the push dagger lodged in the second man’s thigh.
Minutes ticked by as Scorpius remained stoic.
Krys coolly rose and went into the kitchen. After filling a tall glass of water, he stood by Scorpius’s head. “You must be thirsty.”
He gripped the Vampire’s chin and forced his mouth open before slowly pouring the water. At first, Scorpius tried swallowing, but the continual stream made him cough and choke until he clamped his jaw shut.
Krys continued pouring water into the Vampire’s nostrils until he sputtered.
It was interesting to watch, especially since Vamps could survive without breath.
They coughed if water went down the wrong pipe, and their lungs ached for air like everyone else’s.
This slow, methodical torture was often more effective than sinking them into a swimming pool and depriving them entirely of oxygen.
If Scorpius could move his jaw, it was obvious he could talk. But he couldn’t move his head away.
“More? Maybe you prefer hot tea.” He stood and walked toward the kitchen.
Gurgling sounded, then a cough. “I’ll talk,” he rasped weakly.
Krys turned on his heel. “Yes, you will.” He squatted beside him. “Why did you buy the girl?”
A smile appeared in his eyes. “Because she is unnatural.” Scorpius coughed again. “I sell her kind to poachers.”
Krys’s blood chilled.
“Wealthy men are bored hunting Shifters,” he continued before gathering more breath in his lungs.
“They seek a challenge. The coveted trophies are those who are both man and animal. Intelligence of a man, instincts of an animal. Harder to catch.” After a moment, he added, “Let me go, and we’ll split the profit. Only I know the buyers.”
Krys pulled the dagger from the other Vampire’s leg.
“I’m going to use this to cut off your head.
It might take a while, so you should use that time to think about the innocent people you’ve hurt.
When I’m done, I’m going to add your fangs to that tooth collection of yours.
” Krys shoved the stake back into Scorpius’s neck.
“The last thing I want to hear is your voice ever again.”
His rage was fully realized, and he slammed the dagger into the Vampire’s other eye. There were a number of nefarious things these men could’ve wanted a young girl for, but not once had he considered poaching. He was aware of the illegal activity… but hunting a child?
His thoughts switched to Virgil and Cleo, who were waiting topside. As long as they were in the area, they were still in danger.
“This won’t last as long as I’d like, but I can promise you one thing: It’ll hurt less than the hell you’re going to. She’s a fucking child! All for what? Money? What the fuck do you even need money for? You’re living in a bat cave.” He pulled out the dagger and then stabbed him in the groin.
The Vampire wheezed.
After unlatching his leather collar, he let it drop to the floor and stood. “Wanna meet my wolf?”