Beautifully Unnatural: A Young Adult Paranormal Boxed Set (35 page)

Fane’s tormented gaze meets his and a flicker of hope flares to life. “Yes. She needs blood.” His gaze darts to the platform where the shirtless boy’s blood drips uselessly onto the floor. “Without it she will die.”

Nicolae blanches. He raises his crossbow, aiming it directly into Fane’s heart. “So you are a vampire.”

Sadly, Fane shakes his head. “No, I’m not a vampire. I’m not evil enough to live up to that myth.”

“Well, what the heck is that supposed to mean?” the girl cries, pressing against the bars. Fane can see that it is killing her to be in there, locked away, unable to help her friend.

“It means I’m not the sadistic murderer Sorin assumes I am,” Fane snarls, glaring at the man in mention. Sorin rolls his eyes, clenching his teeth against the pain. The bone is pressing tightly against the skin of his ankle. A bad break, but he will live.

“Then what are you?” the brother asks, growing bold behind the bars.

“I’m an immortal.”

Nicolae frowns. “If you’re immortal then why is Roseline dying? Her wounds—” he breaks off as his stomach rolls. He has seen death and more than enough blood to fill a thousand horror films, but he has never seen such a mangled body. Roseline’s flesh is actually hanging from her body, bloody strips clinging to Fane’s hands. It is a miracle that she is still alive, if death really is an option.

“Blood is life…even for us. She has lost too much. She needs more.”

“Take mine.”

Fane’s gaze follows the hoarse whispers to the boy atop the platform. It is the first time he has spoken. With great effort, the boy rolls his head and locks his glazed eyes on Fane. “Save her. Please.”

“You,” Fane gasps. “This is a trap.”

He curls Roseline into his chest and crouches low, preparing to fight his way out. He scans the dark recesses of the room, sure that others must lie in wait to ambush him, but he hears nothing. Sorin’s greed and pride have blinded him to his need for his hunters on this night.

“No,” Nicolae cries, stretching out a hand toward Fane. “Wait. It’s not what you think.”

Sorin’s harsh laughter echoes throughout the room. “It’s exactly what you think, vampire. You have been set up. Elaborate, eh?”

Fane vision shifts into red hues as his blood boils. “Before this night is through, I will have your head.”

Sorin grins, leaning heavily on the sword in his hand. “Why wait? I’m right here.”

Fane’s arms flinches, desperate to pummel Sorin, but he still holds Roseline in his arms. Nicolae shifts, pulling Fane’s attention away.

“Whose side are you on, boy? Choose now,” Fane growls.

Nicolae casts a worried glance at the girl in the cage. Her lips tremble as she looks back. “Help her, Nicolae.”

His shoulders straighten as he faces off with Fane. “Will you let Sadie live?”

“You fool,” Sorin sneers. “You’re making a deal with the devil. He’ll rip her throat open as soon as he’s done with us.”

Nicolae refuses to look at his uncle. He takes a stand for the first time in his life. “Well?”

Fane nods. “You will all go free except Sorin. He’s mine.”

“Please,” Gabriel begs. His voice is barely above a whisper. “There isn’t much time.”

“Will she kill him?” Sadie asks, glancing at her best friend. Roseline’s blood drips onto the floor, pooling around Fane’s feet.

“More than likely,” Fane replies evenly. He doesn’t try to hide his remorse at the thought. No one knows the effects his death will have on Roseline more than him. Saving her life by taking his might destroy her, but at least she will be alive.

“Do it,” Gabriel croaks, struggling to lift his arm to Fane. “Save her.”

Glancing to make sure Sorin cannot reach him, Fane leaps onto the platform. He lowers Roseline’s head to place her open mouth directly under the blood dripping down the leather straps but it’s much too slow. Gabriel’s life is waning too quickly.

“What’s happening?” Sadie cries, desperate to know the details. Her head cranes as far as it will go but she can’t see anything.

Nicolae swallows back his revulsion. “He’s feeding her.”

William gulps down the bile rising in his throat. He clenches Sadie tightly to his side. “Is it working?”

Nicolae shakes his head, unable to look away from Roseline. “No. She’s not moving.”

Fane shakes her unconscious form, his desperation mounting as her pulse dips to comatose levels. “Please, Roseline…don’t leave me.”

“How touching,” a sinister voice snakes out from the darkness. All eyes turn toward the tunnel entrance, each one widening in terror at the sight of Vladimir and Lucien. “It looks like the party has already started,” Vladimir croons, stroking the sword hilt at his side. His eyes gleam black, maniacal and bloodthirsty.

“Let’s have some fun, brother,” Lucien grins.

Forty-Four

“Take her,” Fane roars as he shoves Roseline’s limp body into Nicolae’s arms. He doesn’t take time to pray that he has made the right decision in trusting the boy as he leaps from the platform. Soaring high into the air, Fane arches his back and lands just out of reach of Vladimir’s sword.

“Fane,” he snarls. “I believe you took something tonight that belongs to me.”

With his hand curled tightly around the hilt of his sword, Fane’s lips peel back into a triumphant grin. “I think you’re mistaken. I took Roseline many years ago.”

Vladimir’s eyes darken and a jolt of dread washes down Fane’s spine. Maybe that wasn’t the best thing to say. “How dare you touch what’s mine!”

The clash of swords shakes Nicolae out of his paralysis. It is hard to tear his gaze away from the man Sorin has called Dracula ever since he was a young schoolboy. This man brutalized his parents. Nicolae’s blood begins to boil.

“Watch out!” Sadie screams.

Nicolae ducks as his years of training kick in. He whirls out of the way of the oncoming sword. It whistles past as it grazes his ear. A tuft of hair slices away from his head, evidence of how close he came to losing his life.

“Behind you!” William shouts

Without thinking, Nicolae lunges to the side. He lets Roseline slip from his arms as he cartwheels away. Lucien growls in frustration as Nicolae flips over his head, snatching the crossbow as he goes. As soon as his feet touch the ground, Nicolae ducks behind a pillar.

He tries to squelch out his desperation as he fights to remember everything Sorin taught him—speed, agility, cunning. Nicolae knows he is no match for Lucien but he has to try to avenge his parents’ death. Hopefully Fane won’t kill Vladimir before he gets a chance at him as well.

Sadie burrows into William’s embrace as she watches Nicolae’s dance with death. She has never seen anything so mesmerizing before. Lucien’s eyes are the purest evil she has ever seen. If Satan became flesh and blood, his name would be Lucien Enescue. And to think he is Gabriel’s father!

“Nicolae, the keys!” she cries as she reaches her hand through the bars.

Three arrows streak through the air toward Lucien, each aimed perfectly to force him behind a pillar. Nicolae tucks his crossbow close and dives for the key ring that was knocked loose from his belt during the fighting.

Kicking off the wall, Nicolae spins and chucks the keys toward Sadie. He barely has a chance to appreciate William’s skillful catch when a sword flashes in front of him, slicing through his shirt to leave a shallow line from sternum to waist.

He grimaces as he pushes the pain aside and aims an arrow for Lucien’s heart. With a grunt, Lucien spins away but comes face to face with Sorin. For all the old man’s bluster, he doesn’t hesitate as he engages Lucien.

Sounds of the battle ring out around the room. The clanging of steel is nearly deafening. Fane fights to keep up with Vladimir’s flashing sword while Sorin finds himself backed into a corner. The instant he is free from attack, Nicolae leaps onto the platform and grabs a dagger from his boot, slicing through the bindings that hold Gabriel to the table.

Sadie slides to a stop at his side. Her jeans quickly soak up Gabriel’s blood from the floor. “Help me get him into the cell.”

Gabriel’s pained cry is weak as they drag him across the room. Fane catches a glimpse of their progress but instantly regrets his lack of concentration. Vladimir crows with pleasure as his sword plants itself firmly in Fane’s side. Fane staggers backward, clutching his wound.

William rushes out of the cell. He stoops to cradle Rose in his arms. He tries not to think about the feel of her raw flesh against his skin as he rushes back into their safe haven. Sadie and Nicolae pass by him and lay a nearly unconscious Gabriel on the ground beside her.

“Take care of them,” Nicolae shouts as he races back to the cell door.

“No!” Sadie lunges for him but comes up short as he slams the door in her face. Her fingers cling to his shirt. Blood stains her hands. She peels back his shirt to reveal his wound. “You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine.” Keeping the pain from his voice isn’t easy but he refuses to let her know how much it hurts.

“Let me help you,” Sadie pleads. “I’ll claw their eyes out.”

Nicolae smiles sadly. “I know you would, but Roseline needs you.”

Sadie’s lower lip began to tremble. “But we need you. I…I need you,” she whimpers as tears well up.

“Did you just say—” Nicolae’s eyes widen in surprise as he grasps her hand. “We will talk about this later.”

He squeezes her hand before rushing off to join the fray. Sorin yelps as Lucien’s blade slices through his arm. His sword clatters to the stone floor. A wicked grin stretches along Lucien’s lips as he kicks the weapon out of reach.

Nicolae frantically searches for another sword and spies a glint of steel poking out of the shadows. “Yes!” He dives to the side of the room and clasps the sword in hand. It is weighty, much heavier than the swords he uses in practice. Upon closer inspection, Nicolae realizes this is the blood-tipped sword from Sorin’s wall. He must have gone back for it. That’s why he left Nicolae to leave the blood trail.

He doesn’t take the time to ponder why the sword made its way to the dungeon when he tosses it to his uncle. “Sorin, catch!”

His uncle’s fingers latch onto the familiar weapon. He bellows as he leaps at his enemy. Lucien twists and twirls, ducking and dodging as he fights Sorin blade and Nicolae’s crossbow.

Fane grits his teeth as he pushes Vladimir past Nicolae. The fighting is intense as he struggles to remain focused. The pain in his side is agonizing, his strength weakening as blood seeps from his wound. He has no chance of winning this fight. Vladimir is too skilled, too quick, and he knows it.

“I should kill you slowly,” Vladimir snarls, lunging once more. Fane parries and whirls just out of reach. “I will settle for having your head mounted on my bedroom wall so you can watch as I reclaim your precious Roseline over and over again.”

Fane waits for Vladimir’s advance before he grasps a chain overhead and swings through the air. His legs lock, braced for impact. Vladimir realizes Fane’s intentions too late to stop his forward momentum as his sword slices the air just under Fane.

Vladimir grunts as Fane’s feet slams into his chest, toppling him end over end.

“Fane!” Sadie shrieks. He spins around and launches himself toward the cell. He nearly faints with relief when he sees Roseline safely locked away, but his joy is short lived. “I think Gabriel is dead.”

Vladimir roars like a rampaging lion as he shoots across the room, sword lowered and aimed directly at the betrayer’s heart. Fane spins out of the way with a second to spare. His ears train on the cell, desperate to hear four heartbeats. Two of them race madly, pumping blood with dizzying intensity. One is slow but definitely there. The fourth is horrifyingly weak.

“He’s alive…but only just,” Fane grunts, knocking Vladimir’s sword to the side then instantly whirls around to parry his next blow. “You have to wake Roseline up. She has to drink directly from his artery.”

Sadie meets William’s terrified gaze. They look down at their friends; both appear lifeless on the cold stone floor. “Help me!” Sadie screeches, yanking William down next to her.

“How do we wake her up?” William asks. How is he supposed to know how to save a vampire, an immortal, or whatever the heck she is?

“I don’t know.” Her desperation is beginning to melt into sheer panic. “Slap her.” William hesitates, horrified at the idea of hitting any girl, let alone a dying one. “Oh, move over, you big lug.”

Sadie pulls her arm back and brings it down with more force than she knew she possessed. Her hand smacks against Roseline’s head, tossing it forcefully to the side.

“Easy, Sadie,” William hisses. “I think her neck is already broken.”

Rose groans but doesn’t wake. “Should I do it again?” Sadie asks hesitantly. She doesn’t want to hit Rose but she will if that’s what it takes to save her life.

Without waiting for William’s response, Sadie slaps her again. This time Rose’s eyes flutter open.

“Oh, thank god.” Sadie exclaims, shaking her shoulders. “Rose, you need to eat.”

Her mending arm feebly tries to push Sadie away, but she is too weak to fight. William grabs Gabriel and whispers a prayer of thanks that he is unconscious for what comes next. He places Gabriel’s arm over Rose’s mouth and waits.

The scent of fresh blood hits her hard. She sniffs the air as saliva pools in her mouth. Her lips close around the wound, sucking deeply. A contented sigh escapes her lips as blood slowly trickles into her mouth.

“Is it working?” Fane shouts, narrowly missing another precision lunge. He throws himself horizontally down the length of the solid oak slab. The maneuver gives him a couple seconds to breathe before Vladimir is on top of him again.

“She’s drinking…I think,” William calls.

Vladimir casts a murderous glare at William. He shrinks back. “Sadie, are you sure these bars will hold?”

She looks up to find Vladimir’s gaze on her. She stares evil in the eye and shudders. “I don’t know. That looks like one really ticked-off dude.”

“Hurry,” Fane shouts, launching himself at Vladimir.