Bloody Freak (A Bloody Series Book #1) (12 page)

    "I'm sorry I got us into this Bren." Alex started crying,
finally breaking down under the stress of it all.

    "Oh, babe. It's not your fault. I'm the one who fell for that pricks bullshit lies. If I hadn
’
t got caught they never would have found us." She hugged her, smoothing a hand over her hair.

    "No, Bren
, you don't understand. Ethan has been here for two days. He was Ken's replacement. He's been on to us for that long at least. I don't understand why the act. He could have taken me at any time." Some things just didn't make sense. Maybe she would get a c
h
ance to speak to him before they cut her up and displayed her remains in a courtyard somewhere.

    "I don't understand either. It doesn't matter. The jig is up, so to speak." Brena laughed a little. That surprised Alex. She was never one for a defeatist a
ttitude. "I hope they don't take us in front of the King." She sighed.

    Brena hated the royal family, and had forever as far as Alex knew. She wasn't sure of the original cause but she would have thought Brena would have loved the chance to spit in the
Kings face. But she didn't ask. They just rode along in silence, deep in thoughts of the past and the uncertain future. After a short drive they stopped and were let out of the trunk.

    "We only put you in there because you were fighting, I'll have you know," Adam said as he wearily stepped beside them, showing them to the small jet that was waiting on the tarmac at the airport.

    "Well kidnapping isn't high on my list of events fo
r this evening. I've had about all I can handle, thank you," Brena claimed lightly.

    "Kidnapping," he chuckled.

    They got on the plane and were given seats, which surprised them both. It was a short flight to New York.  She caught Ethan staring at he
r a few times but she never acknowledged him. They flew over Manhattan and Brena turned to her. "You remember the first time we saw The Rocky Horror Show?" They laughed together. "Damn it Janet!" They sang. It made the time together bitter sweet. After th
e
plane landed, there was a stretch limo waiting for them. Nice, she thought. Better than a horse drawn cart to the gallows. They all piled in. As they drove downtown, she was surprised to see they had pulled up to a twenty story skyscraper. Not a manor ho
u
se or a small castle. Everyone got out of the car, but when Alex was sliding across the seat Ethan grabbed her and pulled her over to his side of the limo.

     "What the hell?" She fought him for a second. He shook her.

     "Listen to me. I may never get
to say this again. I never meant for any of this to happen. I've been watching out for your safety since you took your first breath. If nothing I ever did meant a thing I can be proud that you are who you are because of my diligence.  I love you Alexandr
i
a Lambert." He kissed her then. More deeply and more passionately then before. If she could believe anything he said she knew she was going to die tonight. This kiss was born of desperation, of fear. He kissed her one last time, then pushed her out of the
limo. She was so baffled she walked where they led her, too stunned to fight. The guys pulled Joseph out of another vehicle and dragged him along. They were taken up to a penthouse after a short elevator ride. Adam led them to a suite and told them they c
o
uld freshen up if they wished. He would have clothes brought up. Which made the moment that much more surreal. Limo ride to a fancy penthouse, given their own room, and a change of clothes were being brought to them. Next there would be cabana boys with g
r
apes. She didn
’
t protest however. She was covered in Were blood, and it was getting sticky as it dried.

    "Dibs on the shower!" She called out.

    "Hey!" Brena laughed at her. It was good to see she still could. She hoped it meant Bren hadn't given up.
She walked over to the only other door in the room and stepped into the finest bathroom she'd ever set foot in. It was magnificent, all black marble and gold fixings. Giant potted plants set in the corner gave the room a natural feel. After she started th
e
shower, she peeled off her bloody clothes and stepped into the spray. As she rinsed off the gore and let the hot water soothe her tired muscles, she thought about what Ethan had told her in the limo. What did he mean when he said he had been there since
h
er first breath? That couldn
’
t possibly have been true, could it? She would certainly have seen him if he were following her. But it might explain why Brena though he was part of some team out to get her. Maybe Bren had seen him before and that was why th
e
y were always on the run. But why not tell her until now? It didn
’
t make sense. None of it did. The only truth she could believe was that Ethan did love her. She has felt it the night in his car as she fed on him. Was it really only two nights ago that he
appeared? As her thoughts ran themselves in circles, she washed her hair and body and stood for a few minutes just letting the water pound her back and shoulders. Brena eventually yelled that she had been in there long enough. By the time she was dried of
f
, the clothes had arrived. Beautiful dresses made with fabrics that must have been from India. The cut was perfect for her slight frame and they flowed wonderfully as she turned to see in the mirror. They had matching slippers too. She picked the blue and
violet to bring out the natural blue in her hair. Brena washed in record time and took the green and white dress. It brought out the green in her hazel eyes and made her long, curling hair look like fire. She looked beautiful, but her face had a sallow sh
a
de that brought out the light dusting of freckles on her nose and checks.

    "They must not be planning to behead us." Alex said looking at herself in the full length mirror.  Brena chuckled.

    "No. Something much worse I imagine." She sat on the bed
facing the door. She braided her wet hair down her back and then helped pin Alex's hair up in a twist. After a few tense minutes, a servant came to show them to the throne room. As they approached they saw Joseph being dragged down the hall by a man so la
r
ge he seemed to take up the space from floor to ceiling. She almost felt sorry for poor Joe. Almost.

    "That was Master Orleans," Brena whispered as they passed. She would know, she knew everybody.

    The servant stopped in front of two large doors. He
pushed them open and swept his arm out to signal them inside, and then walked away. The throne room turned out to be a board room of sorts. The right side of the room was all windows overlooking the harbor. It was a beautiful view. There was a long rectan
g
ular table in the middle, and a half circle against the far left, that held computers and other types of office equipment. Ethan stood at the back of the room in front of a man seated at the head of the table. His head was down as he scribbled in a notebo
o
k. They had stopped in the doorway of the room; both presumably too scared to enter. Ethan waved them in. He looked very resigned, with his hands clasped behind his back. Perhaps he had come to terms with her death. She hadn't yet. The man she was assumin
g
was the King still hadn't noticed them, so they waited. After a few moments Ethan finally cleared his throat.

    "Your Majesty, may I introduce Miss Alexandria Lambert,”
a pause and then, "And Miss Sarah Kilkenny."

    "What?" Alex asked, confused.

    T
he King looked up then, shock written clearly on his face. He jumped up out of his seat, knocking it over in the in the process. He stared wide eyed at Brena as if he were seeing a ghost.

    "I hope you don't expect me to curtsy," Brena said, staring at h
im as he stared at her.

    "Never," he said. Then he rushed her. At first Alex tensed because she assumed he was attacking her. But he wasn't, he was devouring her face. And Brena wasn't doing a damn thing to stop it. Actually she was crying, kissing him
back for all her worth. And that was by far the strangest thing she'd seen all night. Alex looked Ethan for an explanation. He just watched them,  looking almost pleased. So this was good? She was so confused.

    "Um, sorry, am I the only one who doesn't
know what
’
s going on?" She asked loudly because the King was still sucking face with her best friend.

When they came up for air, the King answered without turning away from Bren. "No, I too would like an explanation. Ethan?"

Ethan actually dropped to his
knee and bent his head in subjection.

    "I will explain everything, your Majesty."

    "Oh, stop with the Majesty crap!  You know damn well I hate it." The King exclaimed.

Brena scoffed. Alex had to admit, it was pretty funny.

    "I apologize...John. I
owe you much more than an explanation." He paused. "Where would you like me to start?"

    "The beginning is usually best." He glared.

    "Whose beginning John?"  His eyes turned to Alex, and then all three turned to look at her. The King looked to Brena
and she gave a slight nod of her head. He choked for a second. Then he grabbed her and squeezed the life out of her.

    Ethan didn't know whether to be proud or shamed that this was his doing. Not all the blame could be placed on his shoulders but he was
the only one left alive, so he must carry the weight.

    "I don't know whether I should thank you Ethan, or kill you," the King said, still hugging a confused and gasping Alex. He would choose now to start throwing his weight around. Not that Ethan could blame him.

    "I would prefer to live, but it is your
prerogative of course," Ethan said dryly.

    "Please...can't...breathe...," Alex choked out.

    "Oh my, I'm sorry, Love." The King let go and smoothed her hair down. It was then that Ethan saw Alex really look at the King. She was seeing his black hair
and green eyes.  She looked to Brena for answers. Ethan decided to speak up for them all. He cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him.

    "Once upon a time, there was a Prince. He was a young Prince. As the youngest of three brothers he felt no pre
ssure to involve himself with courtly politics. Instead his desires lay with science and discovery. His Father, the King, built the Prince a laboratory even though the King thought it was a waste of time." John smiled. "He loved creating new potions and d
i
scovering what would work and what wouldn't in an experiment. He discovered the beginnings of a potion that could allow his people to walk in the sunlight. This pleased his Father greatly. The King allowed him to have servants to serve under him, to aid h
i
m in his discoveries. One day is Father sent a bonny Irish lass to help him in his lab." Brena flipped him off. "They worked everyday together in the lab. They grew to enjoy discovering together. Then they grew to love one another. Soon they were so consu
m
ed with their love of each other and science, they wished to discover if one of their kind could make a child together." Alex's eyes grew quite large. She was picking up where this was going. "Until that moment, their kind only had 'children' when they tu
r
ned another of their choosing. But they wished to conceive through natural methods. They worked very hard at making this possible. One day, the bonny Irish lass had wonderful news for the Prince. They were going to have a child. Both were so happy they wa
n
ted to tell everyone. The Prince had a servant that he was close to, considered his friend, and this friend knew the King would not be pleased with this news. Not only because it would seem blasphemous to the King, but because the bonny Irish lass was not
high born and they were not wed at the time of the childs conception. So the Princes
’
friend concocted an elaborate deception to steal the bonny Irish lass and send her and the babe far away where the King couldn
’
t touch her. To get her to stay away the s
e
rvant told the lass the Prince had sent her away, and would come for her when he was able. He had to lie to the Prince, his friend, and tell him the bonny Irish lass had run away, which was very hard for the Princes
’
friend. The Prince looked far and wide
for his Lady, but he never found her." Brena started crying again. "After a time, the King and his heirs were killed in an accident and the young Prince had to take the throne. He never forgot his bonny Irish lass but he could no longer afford the luxury
o
f searching for her. The friend was never far away from his Lady though.  He grew sad watching the Lady become embittered to the loss of her love. She grew tired of waiting and grew angry that he must not love her as she had once loved him. Since the Prin
c
es
’
servant had told the Lady that the King had discovered the existence of her child and wanted it murdered, she feared retribution from the royal family if they were ever discovered. So when she gave birth to a beautiful, healthy, seemingly human girl,
s
he was terrified. The bonny Irish lass wasn't human. She couldn't look after a human child. With much sadness, she gave the girl to a Catholic orphanage, the faith of her youth, for safe keeping until she was grown. What she didn
’
t know, was that the girl
child was not completely human. After a few years the sisters and other children came to fear her. Eventually, they cast her out into the streets. The Princes
’
friend saw to it that she was safe and kept an eye on her whenever he could. Making sure she al
w
ays had somewhere safe to go. He grew to admire her, her tenacity and her will to survive. And then he grew to love her." Ethan had to stop for a second. After a few deep breathes he continued.  "The bonny Irish lass came back to her daughter after a time,
and they traveled together. She had invented a new life for herself, so as to forget the old one. She never told her daughter the truth. She was content just to be near her." Alex looked to Brena and smiled. They were both crying now.  "She wanted more t
h
an anything to go to school, so he guided certain paths for her so she could."