Initiation (17 page)

"No particular reason. I was just curious." Laughing nervously, Greg was looking around the room as if he were searching for someone. "I just assumed you were a mate by the…umm…" Shaking his head, he blushed a little when Addison caught him staring at her breasts, watching him curiously. "I guess you’re a scavenger then, huh?"

Addison smirked like a bad little girl, one corner of her mouth raised higher than the other. She didn’t answer him, a playful look in her eyes as she studied him.

"Did you know scavengers lose their fangs if they don’t drink blood for six months?"

"I’ve heard something like that, yeah." Addison wasn’t looking at him anymore, her eyes scanning for Darien or Christian.

"Are you seeing anyone? I—" Greg’s voice was cut off as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He walked into a nearby hallway to answer it, Addison unaware.

"Of course. I have a wonderful fiancé." Addison beamed as she looked over at the large group of people she had seen Christian with last. "And I’m very much in love." She turned to Greg, but he wasn’t there. Addison scanned the space in front of her quickly, "Greg?"

"Like a fine wine, it only gets better with age." Christian suddenly appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, speaking softly in her ear.

Addison giggled, twisting around in his arms and holding onto his waist. "I was waiting for my turn to come say hello to you, Master, but I see you’ve come to greet me instead."

"You don’t have to wait in line. You’ll always be closest to me, no matter the physical distance." Christian’s eyes sparkled as he spoke, the devilish grin on his face making Addison swoon. "We must leave here—there is a matter to be discussed with the family."

She nodded and took Christian’s hand, walking with him to another room, where just a few people had gathered. It was quieter here than the crowded ballroom, Addison's eyes turning to some familiar faces. Nicolette and the others were there as well as some other vampires she didn’t know.

While standing near the doorway, Christian kissed Addison’s forehead lightly. "Sit with Nicolette."

Christian sat down on a large chair near the fireplace, as Addison moved to sit with Nicolette and Victoria. There was a stern look on his face as he waited for the others to file in. He was leaning to one side, his index finger resting near the corner of his lips as he licked one of his fangs near it. There was a dangerous look in his eyes, that sinister, distant look appearing on his face when he was thinking of killing. Addison knew that look well, and it frightened her.

Addison whispered to Nicolette, her scared gaze still glued on Christian. "What’s wrong with the Master? He looks angry."

Nicolette leaned close to Addison, speaking into her ear softly. "Hunters have secretly entered the grounds. We must be careful because they are very dangerous. Brandon said their leader, Monroe, is in town and has organized an ambush on our party tonight. They killed some of our members and are hiding among the party guests. Monroe is a very dangerous hunter."

"I would like Jeremiah to stay here with the women. The rest of you…" Christian stood up from his chair slowly, an evil scowl twisting his handsome face. "Come with me."

* * * *

It was quiet now, a few hours having passed since the elites had left them alone and most of the woman were restless. They feared it may have only been a false alarm and that Jeremiah should release them. Even though he was going against his own good judgment, Jeremiah decided to go check on the others. He locked the door before leaving, securing the women inside.

Walking out into the hallway, Jeremiah looked around quickly. It was empty and quiet. His footsteps echoed, one after the other taking on a permanent, solitary sound. He paused near a bend in the passage, peering down to see if there was any activity farther on.

Sighing, Jeremiah turned around, the keys that were hooked to the loop of his pants jingling with his movement. "Fuck this hunter crap. I don’t see—"

A long sword plunged into his back, but didn’t go all the way through. A few more inches and Jeremiah would have been dead. There were now a few people standing behind him, one of them Carver, Monroe’s lackey. Greg was there as well, shaking like a scared little boy behind Carver.

"Keys?" Carver let the weapon pause inside Jeremiah as he got close to the vampire’s ear. He laughed as he reached around and slowly unhooked the keys from Jeremiah’s pants. "Thank you."

Then, he plunged the sword deeper, stabbing Jeremiah through the heart. Blood trickled out Jeremiah’s mouth, as Carver let his body fall limply to the floor. "Monroe has the Master and the elites occupied downstairs. Let’s rescue the donors and take them back to the base before any elites find us here."

Hearing the lock click open, some of the women ran to the door. Addison was sitting next to Nicolette. Her eyes were focused on the door Jeremiah had gone out of, not quite sure who was out there. Addison was clinging tightly to Nicolette, her arms wrapped around Nicolette’s waist, her head to Nicolette’s chest.

The door opened quickly and something was thrown inside before it shut again. White smoke filled the room, all of the women screaming and looking for a way out. One of them ran to the door and shook the handle, desperately trying to open it. A few broke a nearby window and jumped out, but most weren’t so lucky. The sleeping gas had already taken effect, and the remaining women passed out.

The men waited a few minutes for the gas to fade, all of them impatient. When it cleared, they unlocked the door and walked into the room. Some of the women they recognized right away as well-known vampires, Carver and the others killing them before they had time to wake up.

"Looks like we hit the jackpot here guys." Carver gestured toward Nicolette’s sleeping body next to Victoria’s.

He had wanted to kill these two for years and finally he had his chance because of Jeremiah’s bad decision. Carver laughed, raising his sword over Nicolette’s head and chopping it off. It fell into Addison’s lap before rolling off her and onto the floor. Addison was covered in Nicolette’s blood, her headless body slumping over to the side and resting in Victoria’s lap.

"Hey Carver." Greg was sitting on the couch next to a sleeping Addison. He had her head in his lap, checking her neck for any wounds. "This is the girl I was telling you about. She’s just a scavenger, so I’m sure it’ll be okay to take her back too, right?"

"Sure, if she’s starved of blood for a while, she’ll be good as new in a few months." Carver walked over to Greg and looked down at Addison as he put his sword back in its sheath on his back. "Good looking girl there too," he pulled Addison away from Greg and held her limp body in his arms, "Let me take her. She’ll make a fine prize from tonight’s hunt."

He turned from Greg, Addison’s lifeless legs dangling over his arms. "Did you find any other donors besides this girl here?"

"Yep." Another man was kneeling on the ground next to a girl some of the women had been feeding on earlier. "But just this one."

"Let’s get the hell outta here before the elites find us." Carver motioned for the others to follow him.

After exiting the room, they slowly made their way back downstairs with the two girls. They hid in shadows, sometimes for several minutes at a time, before they forged ahead. They were being extra cautious because they had no idea where the vampires were. They escaped through an old series of tunnels underground that were built hundreds of years earlier.

A few minutes later, Christian and the others were alerted to Jeremiah’s dead body lying in the hallway. Christian led the group, running faster when he saw the closed door to the room where their women had been hiding. He went to turn the handle, but the door just pushed open, having been left slightly ajar. His face filled with anger when he saw the dead bodies lying on the floor, his gaze immediately falling on Nicolette.

"Addison!" Christian bolted into the room, checking the bodies and seeing if Addison’s was among them. Speaking a little louder, he searched under some of the furniture and in the closets, "Addison!"

When he couldn’t find her, he kicked at some couches and chairs, letting out a giant yell as he knocked over a few things. His face was contorted into a demonic scowl, the anger so intense on his face one, could be killed by the sight of it. He was breathing heavily, his rage making something explode inside him. "Where the fuck is she? Addison!"

* * * *

Opening her eyes, Addison looked down at her hands and feet that were tied to a chair. The gag in her mouth muffled her words as she frantically tried to pull off her restraints. The chair jumped a little with her attempt, but she couldn’t break free.

Soon, her gaze settled on the hunter staring back at her, who was eyeing her like a display of fine chocolates. His tongue slowly ran over his top lip, his stare pausing at the rip in her dress near her breasts that gave a good peep show of the cleavage hiding underneath.

"Good morning, little lady." Carver was sitting backward in a chair, his hands reaching up and grabbing onto the back of it. He smiled when he saw the fear in her eyes. There was a sweet innocence reflected back at him, an innocence that hid what she really was behind the delicate mask of an angel.

Her face squished together as she began to cry, giant tears falling down her cheeks and soaking the gag in her mouth. She reacted differently than the other members of her family would have, her age making her more emotional and soft.

"
Awww
. Is that the kind of greeting you give someone who saved you?" Carver laughed, the giant scar on his face paralyzing the right side. "If you’re a good girl, I’ll take that thing out of your mouth, okay?"

Addison nodded her head quickly, the hair that had fallen out of her once fancy
updo
cradling her cheeks.

"Okay." Carver moved off the chair and untied the heavy piece of cloth. "Feel better?" He stroked the side of her face, his smile growing when she didn’t bite at him.

Addison’s words came out shaky and whisper-like, "Thank you."

"Are you…" Carver slowly knelt down on the floor in front of her, his eyes looking up from his downcast face as he licked his lips once more. She could see his longing as he slowly pushed up her dress and revealed her bare skin. His dirty calloused hands settled on her knees. "A vampire?" His fingers massaged her skin, wanting to venture farther up her leg, but remained there as he awaited her answer.

She shook her head quickly, "Scavenger."

"How many times did the Master bite you?"

"Only once." Addison sniffled, her bottom lip trembling furiously as she focused on the hands covering her knees.

Taking a knife out of his pocket, Carver smiled as he placed the sharp tip of it against his skin. "Let’s see if you’re telling the truth."

His nose wrinkled up tightly, his brow almost meeting it as he gritted his teeth. Pressing down on the blade, he slid it across the surface of his skin. Addison flinched and turned from the sight of the bright red blood that pooled over the wound. Some of it fell down the side of his hand in thick clotting lines, the harsh metallic smell of it filling her sensitive nostrils.

"Bite me." Carver shoved his hand to her face, making her cry harder. "Do it!" His blood transferred onto her lips, and Addison held back the urge to lick it.

"I don’t want to!" Addison was sobbing, squeezing her lips tightly shut as she moved her head from side to side, trying to get him to stop. "Please…stop!"

"You’re not hungry?" Carver laughed, pulling his hand away. He took a rag out of his pocket and tied it around the cut, a satisfied expression on his face.

"I’m hungry, but not for your blood." Addison sniffled again, pulling at the ropes binding her. "Can I have some…" She paused, her scared eyes scanning the room before she looked back at Carver, "Water…something to…drink? My mouth is—"

"
Ooo
. An unwilling little scavenger. How sexy is that?" Carver chuckled as he began kissing her neck. His hands reached farther up her legs, but Addison held her knees tightly together and didn’t allow him passage to what lay beyond. "I think I want a taste."

"No!" Addison began squirming in the chair, screaming as she tried to break loose. "Leave me alone! Don’t touch me!"

Carver’s hands shot to his belt, his fingers stumbling to get it undone as fast as he could. The metal buckle opened and closed against itself a few times, making soft tinkling noises as he dropped his pants. He was about to take down his underwear as well, but a sound from the other room made him pause.

He heard a few banging noises, like something had slammed against the wall. Turning his head toward the sound, he listened closely as he looked at the closed door ahead of him. It was now quiet, and he could no longer hear the voices of his men talking happily in the other room.

Addison was listening as well, her voice rising after she heard a faint but familiar voice. "Let me go!" Twisting her hands in circles frantically, she tried to break loose but couldn’t. The ropes dug into her skin, but she blocked out the pain, her only thought to get the man’s attention in the next room. "
Ahh
! Help me! Somebody help me!"

"Shut up!" Carver tied the fabric around her head again, gagging her and not letting her scream. His attention was focused on silencing Addison, and he didn’t notice the door slowly open.