I could feel the wind cross my face, my blonde hair tangling and falling into my eyes, and a chill shook my body. There was a pressure on my arms, and something holding my ankles down.
My eyes opened to a dark sky, cloudy and with no stars in sight. The pain at the back of my head stung, sending shockwaves down my spine and into the rest of my body.
I took a deep breath and remembered what happened.
The bar, Jesse, Carson, and Ian. My sister and that vampire, Anna. Was Rose safe?
'No, wait. The...? He knocked me out. I had left the bar but decided to come back. And then... where am I?'
For some reason, the fear did not immediately sink in. Maybe it was because for about a week, everything had been abnormal. I had been functioning only on adrenaline, my fight or flight responses, and maybe that was why, I rationalized. My body must have been exhausted.
I knew I should be scared, but at that moment, I couldn't even bring myself to shiver.
It was quiet, so quiet I could hear the breeze rustle the leaves on the trees above me as I laid on my back.
As I became aware of the uncomfortable positions my arms were, my wrists above my head stretching my torso, I tried to move them.
It was then that I felt the rusted metal scratch against my skin, and reflexively tried moving my feet, too. It became increasingly clear the I had been shackled down, somewhere outside, and it was likely I had been there for a good while.
I swallowed, closing my eyes and remembering to breathe. I couldn't think, my mind was blank of all rational thought or even an idea of escape. It was like, if just for a few minutes, I had given up, or given in to whatever the situation was.
But then, I heard distant footsteps and a muffled conversation, several men talking and laughing. Though I couldn't turn to look at them, it was obvious they were headed my way.
"...hunter's daughter. Isaias will be pleased. Cheers!"
I could hear bits and pieces of the conversation, enough to know they were talking about me.
Maybe I was drugged. Maybe they had given me something, I wasn't sure. I didn't have any will at the moment, not to be afraid, not to struggle against the shackles, not even to try and get a better look at where I was.
Soon enough, they had come close enough to surround me. It was too dark to really see, but I knew there were at least four of them. One stood right above me, seemingly studying my face. He was the only one with features I could make out.
The face from the reflection in the bar door. Pale skin, almost grey in pallor, with eyes of complete darkness. Even what should have been the whites of his eyes were completely black, at least it seemed so in the dark.
His jaw tensed as he looked over me. I could tell he wasn't human, just as I had deduced before. His aura, the way he carried himself, something was just off.
"Blair Coldwell... Who would have thought? It appears as though your father hid you well enough."
I opened my mouth, but was unable to speak. I furrowed my brows in confusion as I tried again, but no words came out.
'I'm definitely drugged or something.'
"William, don't tease her. Isaias won't find it funny." Another one spoke from beside me.
"Well, no matter. When he arrives, we finally become free men!" The man above me said, holding a bottle up as the men erupted into cheers.
For a few minutes, they drank and laughed, just hovering over my outstretched body as I laid there helplessly. Then, another figure approached. He was much taller than the others, and the atmosphere changed as he came.
The laughter halted, and the men seemed to cower under his aura. I could feel the tension, but still unable to speak, much less think or be afraid, I remained still.
"Ah, Arthur. I was under the assumption that Isaias was-" the one above me started. He was quickly cut off.
"He has much more important matters to attend to. You understand, don't you?" The new figure's voice was deep, in a similar vein to Carson's, and his silhouette towered above them.
He bent down to me, allowing me to see the familiar grey skin and dark eyes across his face. His nose got dangerously close to my face, but still no alarm bells went off.
"Are you a hunter, Miss Blair?"
I tilted my head when the words hit my ears, his putrid breath fanning over me. It was what I had imagined death to smell like.
Again, I opened my mouth, but all I could get out was a measly,
"...mrph..."
He looked inquisitively at me and then to the other men.
"She can't speak right now." One offered.
He nodded, knowing something that I obviously did not, and abruptly, And harshly, grabbed my chin. He clenched it tightly, causing my cheeks to puff, and lifted my head.
A smirk crossed his face and he said,
"You're lucky my loyalties lie with Isaias. Otherwise, I'd drain you right here."
I felt my heart skip a beat and thought,
'So this must be a blackblood.'
His cold hand on my face began to feel heavier and heavier, and I started to realize that some of my sensations had been dulled. I was beginning to regain feeling.
The figure above me let go of my cheek, my head collapsing against the cement below me. I winced, the pain in the back of my head sharpening.
"Premium product," the man from beside him spoke.
"Hunter or not, she's Coldwell's daughter."
The one above me moved out of my eyeline and agreed with a, "mm".
"We'll pardon you once we confirm. All crimes forgiven, and you'll be welcome to return to the city. So long as you behave."
My head grew oddly clear. Whether it be what drugs they'd pumped me with, or the lack of fear, I could almost understand the situation.
I was being sold.
These men were selling me for their freedom.
'My father... he must really have been a powerful hunter.'
My thoughts tingled in my face. I became aware of the magic shortly thereafter, the buzzing. I could almost fully feel again.
Then, the realization of how utterly terrifying this situation was set in. I was being sold, for what? Death, my blood? They thought I was a threat, so they were going to take care of me before I caused problems.
My cheeks flushed and my chest began to ache. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears as the men laughed and drank, unbothered by the sight of me.
What they were waiting for, I didn't know. It didn't make sense that this man wasn't bringing me to Isaias, whoever that may have been. Instead, they were standing around me, happily ignoring my body, shackled to the cement ground.
I thought about Rose, and her well-being. Of course, I thought of my father, and what a feared man he must be.
But I really thought about Jesse, and Carson. And even Ian. I recalled their faces through the glass, the way they jumped into action though they owed me nothing.
'Weren't they coming to help?'
The tingling in my face became stinging, and the pain became unbearable. It was like a tazer, lighting up my face at full voltage. I opened my mouth, and finding I was able to get a sound out, let out a, "..ah...!"
As I did so, I felt the shackle on my left wrist weaken. The metal seemed to bend away from my skin. It was curious at first, but then the memory of the cafe came back to me.
The sound of my voice was enough to send Ian through the glass door.
What if I could do it again?
I wasn't sure, in my still weakened state, I could shout. Nor was I sure it would work. But my heart had leaped into my throat at this point; the ability to be afraid had returned with a vengeance, clouding any part of my brain that wasn't 'fight or flight'.
And the electricity was light a tens unit, covering my skin to the point it was excruciating. Maintaining my silence was near impossible, but with the feeling of all their eyes on me, whether it was true or not, I had choked down sobs.
Now, I would have to try. I opened my mouth wide, inhaling as deep as I could.
'If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. You just have to try with the might that it will.'
And on one exhale, I let out the highest, shrillest and gut-wrenching screams I could. Like from a banshee, it filled the open area around us. I felt the tension release, the sparks leave my skin and consume the air.
At the same time, I felt the shackles break, the concrete beneath me jolted, as if it had been leveled. It ripped the metal from my arms and ankles, and felt like an earthquake around me.
I gasped for air, feeling winded from exhilaration and fear, and laid there unchained for several moments. The laughing had stopped.
It was silent. And it was brighter than before, like the sun had begun rising.
After catching my breath, I pulled my body up with as much force as possible. I still felt lethargic, heavy almost. But I sat up after the struggle. My eyes quivered at the scene around me.
The sight was gruesome.
Not one remained standing, all collapsed to their knees with their hands over their ears. There were more than I had previously thought, all bowing around me, even the one who had grabbed my face carelessly.
From their clenched eyes, and from their hands which covered their ears, black blood poured out like a movie scene. Some had their mouths open, and some began falling face first into the cement.
'I...did this?'