Secrets of the Night Special Edition (112 page)

"Well, what have we here?” 

Like a satanic apparition, Rosalinda flowed into the cell, shining new shackles in her hands.

"Dear Galan, did you actually think you could escape? I had an idea you'd try a little trick like this. My womanly intuition again.”

A snap of her fingers brought the two revenants back.” Boris, hold him down! Caractus, bind his wrists!” She gestured disdainfully at Galan.” This foolish man wanted to leave us. My, my. We can't have that.”

"Damn bastards!” Galan shot Rosalinda a look of pure ridicule.” You puny, Godforsaken bitch!”

Rosalinda snickered.” 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. '"

The revenants' task completed, Rosalinda gestured toward the new manacles.” There now, that should do the trick. Let's see you try to escape now.” She shook her head, an expression of mock distress on her face.” Poor man, we all know how you want to return to your mortal lover. But you're my prisoner for as long as it pleases me.”

Aiming one last smirk at Galan, she left. Galan leaned back against the wall, every muscle aching, a painful, debilitating hunger torturing his insides.

He needed a miracle to escape this prison, but far worse, Stevie needed a miracle to escape the fifteenth century, to return to her own time. He'd never see her again.

By the blessed Virgin, how would she manage?

She was gone from his life forever.

* * *

"You think he believed you?” 

"You know what a good actress I am, a good liar, too.” Rosalinda faced Moloch in the great hall, where an intricate spider web adorned a far wall, draping from the ceiling to the floor and stretching from one window to the next. A stiff wind gusted through the open windows, molding her gown to her body and whipping her hair across her face, but the spider web remained intact, a durable work of art.

Moloch sipped his wine, his gaze leveled on her.

She shrugged.” With Galan, you never know what he accepts as truth. He keeps his thoughts to himself. But I think I convinced him that I'm acting on my own.”

Moloch narrowed his eyes.” For your sake, he'd better believe you. I don't want him to discover that I'm behind these kidnappings.”

"But you realize he rescued the mortal woman?” 

He grimaced.” Of course I know. And he will pay for his betrayal.” A sly grin crept across his face.” Or perhaps I should say the mortal woman will pay.”

* * *

Inside Galan's cell, one night drifted into the next until he lost track of time. Hunger prowled his insides, such a desperate need for sustenance he could think of nothing

else . . . but Stevie. Like red hot pokers, pain skewered his belly. He moaned, weak and out of his mind with his need. He stared at the four stone walls and the slime that coated their surface, trying to ignore the stench. Too weak to transport himself, despair sucked all the spirit from his body. He'd expire in this Godforsaken dungeon, never able to rescue Stevie, to embrace her once more, to kiss her and know the joy of her presence.

And if he managed to escape, what then? Give her up, let her find a mortal man to love, for surely they could never achieve permanent happiness together. He would love her forever. But he'd never expect her to spend all her tomorrows with him, even if he could escape, even if he were free of Moloch. The fiend owned him body and soul. His promises returned to taunt him, bitter reminders of his fate throughout eternity.

God, how it hurt.

What if Rosalinda sent one of her admirers to fetch

Stevie . . . and kill her? Tears slid down his cheeks, and he pressed his hand to his head. God, he prayed, please take care of Stevie. Nothing must happen to his beloved.

A strong scent of musk and the rustling of silk announced Rosalinda's presence. Had she changed her mind and decided to release him? In your dreams!

Finely attired in a fiery orange silk gown, she stood by the cell door, her emerald eyes glowing with satisfaction, her body twitching with suppressed excitement. Gold and diamonds glittered from her ears, wrists, and fingers, the slut!

She jabbed his leg with her slippered foot.” I'll release you if you tell me where the mortal woman is.”

"Not a chance!”

"Still the stubborn hero? Let's see if I can change your mind.” She raised her hand, her bold bracelet slipping along her arm. Reeking of decay, a revenant shuffled inside the cell, his fetid breath fanning over Galan like lethal gas.

"Take him outside,” she ordered.

By all the saints, no! Not outside, where the sunlight would find him! Panic froze his blood. Fear raced through his body. But he refused to beg for mercy. God, he couldn't even kick at the beast, couldn't raise his leg.

"Son of a bitch!”

The revenant tore the chain loose and lifted him effortlessly. Galan squirmed in his clutches, feeble movements that proved no match for the monster's strength.

Rosalinda sneered.” Daylight will come within a few hours. Let's see how obstinate you are when the sun's rays begin to burn you to cinders. Call me if you want me. You need only tell me where the mortal woman is, and I'll release you.”

"Go to hell!”

"No,” she cackled.” You will, and very soon.”

Within moments, he found himself alone on the hard, snowy ground outside the castle walls, with only the pine-covered hills and the snow-capped
Alps
in the distance. A fierce wind whistled through the trees, its keening sound reminding him of death. He remained fettered to the manacles, the chain wrapped around a tree. Soon, the stars above him would fade, heralding the deadly dawn.

To burn alive! Fear paralyzed him. He had to escape. In desperation he wiggled his arms and legs on the frozen ground, trying to loosen his bonds, but the shackles held fast.

For hours, he twisted and thrashed, strained against his manacles. With the last vestige of strength, he tugged, gritting his teeth, exerting every muscle. Despite the freezing temperature, sweat poured down his face and soaked his clothes.

Too soon, the stars faded, one by one, and the sun's torturous rays began to tint the horizon. Too soon, oh, too soon! A fiery glow defiled the eastern sky, like flames that licked at his skin and devoured his body until he became nothing but ashes.

"Please, God, no!” He begged for deliverance, prayed as he'd never prayed before.

He had to rescue his beloved Stevie. By the blessed Virgin, what would happen to her? Stevie, I love you so much.

Already, the sun's lethal rays scorched him, a precursor of the horrible death to come. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Fire erupted in every cell in his body, a burning agony that made him wrench and jerk and moan with pain. His outer skin turned red and peeled, soon sloughing off his body. Smoke drifted skyward, his singed hair heating his scalp.

No hope. No escape. He was destined to burn to death.

Galan, I miss you so much. In faded jeans and T-shirt, Stevie brooded on the bank of the
Thames
and gazed across to the other side, where the light of the setting sun sparkled like gold on the water, the tall trees along the opposite bank reflected on its surface. The scent of lavender and wild roses drifted her way, carried along by a light summer breeze. How she wished Galan were with her now to enjoy this English countryside.

With her legs drawn up and her arms crossed over her chest, she closed her eyes, wanting to forget her worries, to pretend Galan was with her now.

But wait--She blinked as vague, hazy images filled her mind, drifting among smoky mists, weaving in and out of her consciousness.

A vision of Galan materialized, then vanished.

Braced on her elbows, she raised up, her heart thudding against her ribs. She eased back on the grass, trying hard to grasp these images, to make sense out of her visions. She'd seen Galan, but where? She had to think, to concentrate.

How could she see these things? Like an earthquake in a phone booth, the answer exploded in her brain and sent heat rushing to her face. The blood he'd given her in prison had created a spiritual bond between them, the only logical explanation. Her breath caught, her heart beating fast. It couldn't be true. But it was.

She closed her eyes again, more visions emerging. There! She saw Galan, bound and feeble in prison, the same cell she'd languished in, with its pitch blackness, its slimy mold, its atmosphere of hopelessness.

She jumped to her feet and hugged her arms, then paced back and forth along the riverbank. No other images came to her, but that vision alone was enough to send shivers racing from her head to her toes, cold fear churning in her stomach. Did this picture mean he'd never return?

How could she rescue him? She was stuck in another century, as helpless as a fly caught in a spiderweb.

Galan had to escape, had to! What if he died alone in prison? God, she prayed, please bring him back to me.

* * *

"Galan, quickly!” Staccato fast, Octavius beat out the sparks in Galan's hair and unlocked the manacles that bound his wrists and ankles. With infinite care, he helped him to his feet.

At Octavius's touch, Galan groaned with pain.

The maverick threw him a look of apology.” Sorry, mon ami.” "Not your fault. After all, you are rescuing me.” On wobbly legs, Galan sighed with relief, trying to maintain his balance.” Rosalinda?” he croaked.

"Dead, sans doute. I killed her and burned her body. I shall tell you more later. Come, we must hurry! The sun . . .” 

The sentence remained unfinished, the sun's burning rays leaving no doubt of his meaning.” I know of an abandoned coal mine close by. Do you have the power to transport yourself?” 

Galan struggled to get the words out.” May need help.”

"Very well. I shall carry you. . . .”

Weak and starving, Galan awoke hours later within the troglodytic confines of the coal mine. Raising up on his elbows, he looked around in confusion. He ran a hand through his hair as everything came back to him: Rosalinda and the revenants, his imprisonment, Octavius's rescue. With his acute night vision, he saw his friend sitting across the train track from him, the maverick vampire viewing him with concern.

In one fluid movement, Octavius rose and brushed the coal dust from his hands.” So you're back in the land of the living, or should I say returned to the world of the undead.”

Galan forced a laugh, his mouth raw and sore. He pushed himself upright and leaned against the wall, shifting his position as an outcropping of coal gouged into his back.” Returned, thanks to you, my friend. You have done much for me. How can I ever repay you?” 

"Tut, tut.” Octavius waved a languid hand.” Think nothing of it. Remember all the things you've done for me throughout the centuries. It all evens out.”

Questions crowded Galan's brain.” The key to the manacles? And how did you kill Rosalinda? How did you know I was outside the castle?” 

Octavius held up a hand.” One thing at a time. Killed Rosalinda first . . . in the early hours of the morning, shortly before I came to you. On a tip from Morcar, I found her in a
Paris
cafe. Told her how much I missed her, how I wanted to be her lover again.” He snickered.” You know how conceited she is, so she fell for the bait. With my inimitable charm, I enticed her to a chateau I own in the
Loire
valley. Drove a stake through her evil heart. Then I took her body outside and burned her, to ensure she was truly destroyed this time.” He smiled with satisfaction.

With long, delicate fingers, Octavius smoothed the folds of his toga.” When we first arrived at the chateau, would you believe she actually bragged about capturing you. Even showed me the key to the manacles she wore around her neck. Naturally, I grabbed the key before I disposed of the body.” He snorted.” Stupid, wicked woman. But she is gone for good.”

Galan nodded, dizzy with the movement.” Thank God! As soon as I gain my strength, I must fetch the mortal woman.” The prospect alone was enough to make him forget his imprisonment, his weakness, his hunger. How could he bear the wait? He struggled to rise, bracing his hand against the wall of the mine.” First, I must feed.”

"I fed before I uh, did away with Rosalinda and came to you, so I'm not hungry. But you will need assistance.”

"Again, I fear.”

"No matter. There's a serial rapist in
Frankfurt
you can feed from. Lures the prostitutes of the city to a dark alley and ravishes them there, then chokes them to death. Should have taken care of the bastard myself, but Lilith and I usually feed together. Didn't want her to know about the scum.” He giggled.” I try to protect her from the harsh realities of life.” 

Galan straightened to his full height.” Lead me to

him. . . .”

After he fed, Galan arrived back in
Miami
shortly before daylight. Several more hours remained until he could fetch Stevie, too many! By then, he'd recover from his burns and his hair would return to normal, for the undead heal quickly.