Rayne and Layla stared at each other, tears of horror staining their cheeks as they sat bound in the back of the car. The silver duct tape covering their mouths prevented them from screaming, and the same at their wrists and feet to keep them from escaping nearly was suffocating.
Her bright green eyes stared across the dimness of the vehicle as it sped away from downtown Seattle, trying to console her best friend. She wished she'd told Layla about everything. The poor girl had no clue what was going on or why it was happening. For all she knew, they were the victims of a random kidnapping.
But Rayne knew better. She immediately recognized the blonde-haired vampire as Christophe, and although she'd never seen the other, he oddly reminded her of the one from the hotel.
Her black-haired friend sobbed and squeezed her eyes shut as if she were trying to wake up from a nightmare.
"I'm sorry," Rayne mumbled inaudibly against the tape. "I should have told you."
Layla shook her head and continued to pull against her restraints.
"Hey! Cut it out back there!" the large vampire barked.
The girls jumped at his command and immediately stilled.
Every possible scenario was running through Rayne's head. Would they kill them both? Would they be tortured? Would Camden come for them? Of course, he will. She tried to reassure herself.
She closed her eyes and began to pray to whoever was listening that they would make it through this. How had she even let it happen? How had Camden let this happen? One moment, they were laughing over clothes, the next, both of them were grabbed from behind, their mouths covered, and dragged from the department store at incredible speeds.
It was all so surreal, and fear twisted her gut.
Christophe never said a word the entire ride, only stared straight ahead and refused to have any interaction the with two other than their restraints. He wasn't a fan of forcing others against their will, no matter the cause. He only did it because he had to. There was no other choice.
Pulling the vehicle into the driveway of an old, abandoned house on the outskirts of town, he killed the engine and exited the car. He and his companion flipped the seats forward and pulled the hostages from the back, Layla kicking and screaming with everything she had.
Rayne didn't bother. She knew they could crush the both of them in an instant if they wanted. She cut a sideways glance to her best friend and tried to calm her, shaking her head and encouraging her to stop.
But she didn't. It only served to invigorate her efforts.
Christophe and Ed brought them inside the dirty-smelling building, with grass and weeds growing from between the cracks in the wooden floor. It looked as though it was going to fall in around them at any moment, the boards creaking and cracking with each step.
"Hey Ed, is that you?" An unfamiliar voice came from somewhere in the back of the house.
Ed pushed Layla down into a wooden chair that looked just as decrepit as the rest of the house, and Rayne expected it to collapse under her weight. Surprisingly, it held. Layla stumbled, trying to catch herself from falling out of it.
"Yeah it's us," the large vampire called back, almost frustrated. "What the hell are you two doing here?" he asked as he stepped through an open doorway and into what Rayne assumed was the kitchen.
"Boss thought you two would need help."
Ed scoffed. "The hell we do! We brought her and an extra back, no problem."
"You got her?" the voice asked incredulously. "Well, let's have a look, shall we?"
Another vampire emerged from the room, his average build and dirty appearance making him look more like a bum than an immortal being. His dirt-colored hair was slicked back and only added to his already greasy look. "Well, well," he said, coming to stand in front of them.
Christophe still held onto Rayne's arms; he kept her steady. He stood silent and motionless.
"A little on the heavy side, but still not bad to look at," he said, and gave Layla a sleazy grin.
"That's not her, you idiot," Ed piped up from the door. "She's the other one."
The new vampire turned his attention to Rayne, and her eyes narrowed and seemed to spew anger and hatred in his direction. She wasn't afraid anymore. She was mad. Mad as hell.
"Now that's more like it," he said, his grin widening as he strutted in her direction. He ran his tongue over his teeth as if he were about to sample a big, juicy steak.
Christophe pulled her backwards and angled her behind himself. "Watch it. Strict orders. No one touches her."
Ed came around to join his companions and looked down at Layla. "Yeah, but no one said anything about this one."
A new slew of tears ran down the pudgy girl's face, and she turned her head to look away from them, curling her legs up to her chest into the fetal position as best she could without slipping from the chair.
Rayne tried to lunge forward, a mess of muffled yells straining against the tape. Christophe effectively kept her from pulling away. She spouted off curse words and her green eyes narrowed to daggers as she dared him to touch her best friend.
"This one's got something to say," Ed said, and moved to rip the duct tape from her mouth.
Her lips erupted in stinging pain, and she was sure that skin had been stripped away as well, but she still didn't miss a beat. "I swear if you so much as touch her!" she screamed and tried to lunge forward again.
This time, the young vampire had to use both hands to keep her stationary.
"You'll do what?" the large vampire asked, as he stepped forward so that he was inches away and looking down at her.
She wasn't the least bit frightened by him, not anymore. She didn't think that this Christophe character would let them hurt her, but she decided that getting him into a fight with his comrades and potentially getting him killed wouldn't bode well for her sake.
She only stared up at him, her eyes ablaze with hatred and loathing. "I'm going to enjoy watching you burn," she said matter-of-factly, and looked away.
Layla stared wide-eyed at her best friend, full of fear and confusion. She didn't have the slightest clue what was going on, and where did her newfound courage and spunk come from?
Christophe tugged at Rayne's arms and pulled her away from Ed, positioning her against the wall next to the door, where she slid to the floor. He looked down at her but made no move to replace the tape against her mouth and moved into the kitchen with the others.
Layla stared across the darkened space with wide-eyed fear. Rayne could only shake her head apologetically and check out the room they were held captive in. There had to be something that she could use to her advantage.
Then, a thought hit her: I still have my cell phone! They hadn't checked her pockets. Wiggling as quietly as possible and maneuvering so that she could slide her hand into her back pocket, all traces of hope left her when she realized it wasn't there. It must have fallen out when they grabbed us back in the department store.
She sighed and hit her head against the wall behind her in frustration, one, two, three times. This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Layla could see the disappointment on her friend's face, and she slumped down in her chair, defeated.
"I'm sorry, Layla," she said quietly. "I wish I could have told you. Should have told you, anyway." She continued staring at the dirt-covered floor.
Her friend's hopeless eyes glanced up at her.
"They're vampires," she whispered, but she knew that it did no good. With their superior hearing, they would be hearing her anyway. She might as well have screamed it. "When I was sick and my grandfather gave me the injection, the same medicine could allow vampires to walk in the sun." She shrugged. "Long story short, they all think that I know where it is or how to get more."
Layla's brows furrowed. Was she really hearing her friend correctly? Was this some kind of sick joke?
Rayne could see the questions etched on her friend's face. She shook her head. "I know it sounds crazy, but you have to trust me. That's why I've been in Louisiana. Camden is a vampire, too." She bit her lip in thought. "Layla, they killed my grandfather before I ever got to meet him."
Her friend could only stare, whether it was because she was feeling sorry for her, or she was debating on whether or not to believe the tale that she was told.
She heard the voices of the beings in the next room and strained her ears to listen.
"Vergall said no one touches her," she heard Christophe say sternly.
"Yeah, but how are we supposed to get her back to him if we have to wait till dark. Her boy toy will be looking for her. He obviously knows what she holds. He doesn't seem to have any trouble with his blood lasting."
Rayne tilted her head to the side. He knows what I hold?
She pushed herself away from the wall in an attempt to get closer.
"We will do what we have to. No one touches her," he repeated.
She shook her head. Who is Vergall?
Camden paced the sidewalk outside of Rayne's apartment. Where were Connor and Paul? They should have been there by now.
He ran his hands through his short black hair and sighed worriedly. How did this happen? How was I so stupid and careless? I never should have turned my back for even a second.
He'd been mentally beating himself up for the last three hours and wasn't satisfied enough to stop now. The setting sun was beginning to make his skin tingle and he knew that he needed to get back inside before his treatment completely wore off, but he wouldn't do it. He was going out of his mind wondering where Rayne was and if she was ok. There wasn't enough room in that tiny building for him to get out his nervous energy.
Pulling out his cell phone, he looked at the time. With the private jet, his companions should already be here. He placed the device back into his pocket and looked up just in time to see a black Audi pulling into the parking lot. In less than a second, he was at the door, climbing inside.
"Where to?" Connor asked without so much as even a hello.
Camden shrugged. "Back to the department store. We'll start there and work our way outwards. That's the only thing I know to do."
He shook his head and sighed, thankful that both of his friends knew him well enough to know that he was being harder on himself that anyone else would and didn't feel the need to reiterate the fact that he'd screwed up.
"It happened so fast." He began quietly as Connor maneuvered the car into downtown Seattle. "They were literally a few feet behind me." He shook his head. "I was in shock from what Dr. Brennan was saying and I let it get the best of me. That's all it took," he said matter-of-factly.
"What did he tell you?" Paul asked, leaning forward in the back seat.
He sighed. "He said the sample of blood that Rayne had given him was just as strong as the original treatment she was given twenty years ago."
Paul shook his head, and Connor glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
He'd forgotten that the two hadn't heard the whole story about Brennan and braced himself to start from the beginning.
*****
Rayne shifted uncomfortably in her spot on the floor. She'd been sitting in the same position for what felt like hours, and her backside was tingling in the few places it wasn't completely numb. The fullness of her bladder made it almost painful to move, and she winced.
She glanced out the window. Her view was mostly obscured by overgrown weeds and plants, but she still could tell that there was some daylight left.
"Excuse me?" she called out, startling her friend, who apparently had dozed off, exhaustion overcoming her.
"What do you want?" Ed's gruff voice came from around the corner.
"I need to use the facilities," she said matter-of-factly.
Rayne heard him grunt, and then the sound of what she imagined was a wooden chair scraping against the dilapidated, dirt-covered floor.
"Why can't women hold their piss?"
"I got it," she heard the familiar voice of Christophe pipe up.
His slightly quieter footsteps drew closer, and she almost was relieved to see him round the corner into the room.
Without a word or so much as a second of eye contact, he grabbed her by the arm and lifted her from the filthy floor. "Come on," he said gruffly, and nearly dragged her from the tattered building.
He led her around the side of the wooden house and into a thicker area of shrubbery. "Make it quick."
She turned her bright green eyes on him, with anger more than fear flashing in them. "And how do you expect me to accomplish this?" she asked, wiggling her bound hands behind her back. "You're either going to have to untie me or assist me. Take your pick. I don't really care either way, I just have to go."
Christophe rolled his eyes and easily snapped the tape from her wrists.
She rubbed the raw spots on her skin and quickly disappeared into the bushes. The thought to make a run for it had crossed her mind, but she knew that it would be of no use. They were so much faster and stronger than her, and with darkness falling, there would be nothing stopping them from coming after her.
"Hurry up!" the young vampire called over his shoulder.
He heard the brush rustling and turned to see Rayne standing there expectantly. It wasn't as if he really wanted to tie her up again, he just didn't have a choice. He was in this now, and he had to continue, or it would be the end for him. The permanent end.
Rayne brought her wrists around in front of her and held them out.
He looked down at them before glancing back up at her with a raised eyebrow.
"It's painful the other way," she said quietly.
Christophe stared, fighting an internal battle with himself before deciding that she really wasn't a risk. Neither girl was a match for any of them.
Reluctantly, he nodded and wrapped a zip-tie around her small wrists.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly, looking at the ground, rather than him. "What are you getting out of this?"
He said nothing, only pulled her back toward the house by the arm.
"You don't have to do this," she continued almost pleadingly.
The vampire turned his bright blue eyes on her and gave a stare that seemed to burn straight through her soul. "I do what I have to," he growled, and resumed their course.
Rayne jerked and pulled her arm free from his grasp, standing her ground as he spun to glare. "Why? What are you getting out of it?" she asked, the desperation evident on her face.
His eyes flared with anger. "What choice do I have?" he whispered angrily. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm in it, and there is nothing that anyone can do."
He paced a step or two. This very predicament had plagued him for weeks now. He knew it wasn't right, and the little conscience he had left constantly nagged him about it.
"We can," she whispered, green eyes trained on the ground.
Christophe barked out a laugh. "And what can you do?"
"If you help me out of this, and you help us figure this mess out, you can come with us." She glanced up at him. "We will defeat this. We have to. If we don't, then what is left?" she asked. She looked around, searching, racking her brain for any way that she could get through to him. "If you had the choice," she paused. "If you could go back to before you were..." she gestured to his being, "before you were this." Her green eyes softened and she stared. "Would you choose to become what you are now?"
The blonde-haired vampire didn't hesitate. He shook his head forcefully. "No."
Rayne shrugged. "Then why are you trying to force the rest of the world to be? If you continue, then that is exactly what will happen. Everyone will be forced to become one of you or be food."
He stared, unblinking. There was no denying that she was right. He knew that was exactly the fate he was playing with.
"If we can't stop this, then the world as we know it will end." She shook her head and stepped forward, allowing him to resume leading her. "And I don't know about you," she began quietly, "but I do know that I wouldn't want the future of mankind to rest on my shoulders that way."
She pushed past him and began making her way toward the wooden house without him.
The young vampire stood still, staring at the spot where she'd just been standing. As if his own conscience wasn't bad enough, now he had her words ringing in his ears to add to the jumbled mess.
But what can I do? If I continue on, then the world is doomed. If I help them, then I am.
Both situations were unappealing, but he knew he had to make a decision, one way or the other. Christophe took a deep breath and followed after the human girl.
This was not going to be easy.
*****
Camden, Connor, and Paul climbed out of the black car and separated to begin searching the area.
Camden's mind was so busy elsewhere that he wasn't actually paying attention to what was in front of him. Every scenario possible was swirling in his brain and coalescing in the pit of worry that was his stomach.
"There's nothing here," Paul said, joining up with his companions at the back of the department store where Rayne and Layla had been carried through the back door.
"Have you tried tracking her cell phone? I mean, if it's not here, that must mean that she still has it with her, right?"
Camden shook his head. "I doubt that they would be stupid enough to let her keep it."
Connor shook his head. "It's worth a shot. What do we have to lose?"
Camden nodded in agreement and pulled out his phone. He pulled up an app, and his eyes widened when it actually showed a signal about thirty miles away.
Without a word, the three were back in the vehicle and headed in the direction it was leading.
"I should have done this sooner," Camden muttered, scrubbing his hands over his face.
"Don't get your hopes up," Connor said. "We don't know that they didn't just throw it out the window when they found it."
"I just hope we find her in time. If they find out that she IS the formula...Then they'll drain her just to get a taste of her blood."
The three sat in silence for the rest of the ride, all fervently hoping that they weren't too late.
*****
Rayne was back in her place on the dusty floor, staring at her exhausted friend across the room. The black-haired girl slumped sideways in her chair in the most uncomfortable-looking position with her eyes closed, and she only could guess that she was asleep.
She couldn't imagine what she was feeling at that moment. It had been a shock to Rayne when she had found out about it, and that certainly wasn't under the dire circumstances of their current situation.
She could hear the low mumbles of voices in the next room, but she was only able to make out every other word. Every so often, she would see Christophe's blonde head peer around the corner to stare at her almost skeptically, as if he were judging her or weighing something. She couldn't be sure why.
After the sun finally had disappeared, the two unfamiliar vampires emerged from the kitchen area and smirked down at them as they passed and exited through the front door.
Rayne watched them curiously, and an excitement grew in the pit of her stomach. If they are leaving, this could be our chance to get out of here. We can't elude all three of them, but we may be able to slip past just one.
Layla stirred from her position in the chair. How'd she managed to stay in it for that long, who knew. She blinked her dark brown eyes repeatedly, trying to clear the fog that had settled over them. They darted from Rayne to the front door and back again, widening as she began to realize the same scenario that Rayne just had discovered.
Within a few seconds, Christophe briskly came around the corner and knelt beside her on the floor. "You don't have long. When you get out of here, run as fast as you can in whatever direction you can. They've gone out to hunt, and they'll be back quickly." His tone was quiet and hushed, maybe even a little shaky as he began to remove the ties at her wrists.
"No, not me. Let Layla go. They might believe that one of us got away, but not both. You can use the excuse that I was more important, and you didn't think it was necessary to chase after her. It will help you with them."
He shook his head. "What you said earlier is true. If they get what they want, everyone is pretty much gone, anyway. Just go," he nearly commanded.
Rayne nodded and bolted over to Layla, quickly untying her restraints. Her friend wobbled on her feet slightly, but regained her balance, and within seconds the two were bounding out the door. She stopped just long enough to look back at Christophe. "Come with us!" she said frantically.
The vampire shook his head. "When they come back, they'll come after you. I might be able to hold them off for a few seconds. Go! Now!" he yelled.
Rayne nodded her thanks and chased after Layla.
Christophe stood in the door of the house, trying to figure out exactly what he had just done. He knew that nothing certain awaited him, but there was some form of deep satisfaction in knowing that maybe his soul wasn't completely damned after all. If he could gain back some of his humanity by saving the lives of countless others, then maybe, just maybe, a higher power would smile down on him, for however brief a time it might be.
The two girls ran frantically through the underbrush and dense shrubbery surrounding the decrepit old house. Branches, thorns, and bugs of every kind hit them in the faces, arms, and legs, leaving cuts and nicks here and there.
"Wait, stop," Rayne finally panted out as she doubled over and grasped her side.
Layla was just as out of breath as she was, and only momentarily stopped to turn and look at her best friend.
"We need to split up," Rayne gasped.
Layla's eyes widened, and she shook her head. "No. We stay together."
Rayne held up her hands. "I'm not asking, Layla. I'm telling." Bright green eyes connected through the darkness with dark chocolate. "They only want me. If we split up, they'll leave you alone. It's your only chance to get away."
The girl grabbed her by the arm and began pulling her forward. "We are not doing this. Not here. We stay together, and we are getting out of this mess."
A loud commotion from the vicinity of the building had them both snapping their heads in its direction.
Rayne jerked her hand away, her eyes full of desperation and pleading. "Just go!"
*****
The car hadn't even come to a complete stop before Camden was out and barging over the threshold of the shack. The smell of Rayne's perfume and some kind of blood filled his nostrils, making his stomach churn with sickening worry.
As he neared, he realized the stench was not human blood, but from one of his own. A trail of crimson liquid splattered the floor and led into the kitchen. The closer he got, the more he was able to observe and imagine just what type of battle had taken place. The furniture that looked newer than the house itself was broken and splintered, littering the floor and blending into the decaying establishment. On the kitchen floor were a pile of ashes that he recognized as the aftermath of the death of a vampire. He only could imagine that most of the blood belonged the deceased, but there was more that had a slightly different scent.
"Doesn't look like this one turned out good for him." Connor's deep voice came from behind him.
Camden shook his head. He didn't want to think about what could have caused such drastic measures to be taken.
Could Rayne have done this?
"There's more out here!" Paul called, and immediately his companions were at his side and staring down at the red drops marring the bright green of the shrubbery.
Bright blue eyes searched through the darkness and listened intently.
Where are you?
******
Rayne watched as Layla's face twisted in fear and she turned to bolt further into the woods. Thinking quickly, she grabbed a stick and bent it over her knee, easily snapping it to create sharp splinters at the break.
Closing her eyes, gritting her teeth, and holding her breath, she dug the points into her forearm hard enough to break the skin and cause a trickle of crimson liquid to spill out. She threw down the makeshift weapon and headed in a different direction from Layla, allowing her arm to rub against nearly every branch and plant as she passed. None of this was Layla's fault. It was all hers. She would make sure her best friend got out of this, even if it meant she didn't.
Her heart pounded in her throat, and she couldn't breathe, but she didn't let that stop her for even a second. She knew they would be on her heels, and she didn't have time to spare. However, even with so many things happening, and her main focus on surviving, she couldn't get Camden from the back of her mind.
Where is he? Isn't he looking for me?
She could see his smile, the familiar hue of his blue eyes, and could still smell his cologne and feel his hard body pressed against hers. There wasn't one thing in the world she wouldn't give just see him, hug him, and kiss him, one last time.
I love him.
The footsteps were on her so quickly that she didn't have time to react before a large body wrapped around hers and pushed her to the ground. They tumbled and rolled for what seemed like hours before the being came to rest on top of her, pinning her to the ground.
"Thought you were going to get away without giving me a little goodbye kiss?" Ed's putrid breath pelted her face, and she attempted to turn her head away from his grasp. "Poor little Christophe ain't here to save you now, is he?"
Rayne's bright green eyes widened with anger. "What did you do to him, you piece of filth?!" she screamed.
"Hey, I like it when they fight back, give me a little challenge." He licked his brown teeth and his face descended upon hers. "Your friend didn't."
"Layla?" Her heart sank and she knew that she was going to be sick. She began to kick and writhe helplessly beneath his weight, tears streaming down her face. "What did you do to her? Where is she!?"
His mouth inched toward hers. "Don't worry, you'll be joining her soon enough."
The instant before his mouth touched, there was a force so fast and so hard, that she wasn't able to see it, only feel the wind from the impact and hear the grunt of air leaving Ed's lungs as he was thrown sideways off of her.
The movements were so rapid, and she was in such shock, that she wasn't capable of even attempting to keep up with them. Her ears were ringing, and she had a tunnel vision effect to her sight as she rolled to her side. Her stomach churned, and she felt as though someone had a vice around her heart. She couldn't breathe, couldn't see.
She only knew that she had to find Layla. Rayne frantically scratched at the dirt as she tried to clear her disorientation enough to stand. She managed to get her feet under her and stumbled in what she thought was slow motion.
She paid no attention to the sounds of fists on bone, grunting, and of huffing and scuffling. She never glanced back to even see who her savior was.
I have to find her.
Finally on her feet, she bolted in the direction that she'd last seen her best friend. Rayne tripped and fell into a tree, the rough bark scraping her shoulder and a stray branch stabbing her cheek. She winced, but never missed a beat.
Until large arms wrapped around her torso and jerked her backwards.
"Let me go!" she screamed and pelted the muscular being with her fists. The tears began to flow freely, and she knew that her attempts were doing her no good. "I have to find her!" she yelled incoherently.
"Rayne!" Connor's deep voice boomed. "Calm down. We have you. You're safe."
"Put me down! He did something to Layla! I have to get her!" She continued to struggle against him but was no match for his superior strength. He easily dragged her back to where the fight was taking place.
"Stay here with Paul and I will find her. It'll be faster," he said calmly.
Rayne wouldn't have it. "No!" she yelled and shook her head forcefully, her tears leaving fresh stains on her bleeding cheek.
Connor's massive arms spun her around to give her a stern glare. "We can't protect both of you if we don't know where you are. Stay."
Looking up into his dark brown eyes and familiar face, something about it seemed to calm her, and she trusted him. Reluctantly, she nodded, and Connor disappeared just like that.
She couldn't catch her breath, and she wasn't quite sure what was happening. She blinked repeatedly to clear the tears and barely managed to make out the scene before her.
Paul was restraining a nearly unconscious Ed and a merciless Camden hit him over and over. Blood poured from his mouth, and his face was so disfigured that he was unrecognizable. Still, his onslaught continued.
Paul's attention turned briefly to her, and it was just enough to make Camden hesitate to see the cause for his sideways glance.
Rayne stumbled, unable to breathe, and her vision began to go dark. It was too much. She couldn't hold it together. She felt herself falling backwards, and the last thing she remembered seeing was Camden's outstretched arms and bright blue eyes locked onto her before she hit the ground.