Secrets Of Sanctuary Hospital Nightmare Of The Dark Shadows (19 page)

Listening, I wish I could hear her response
as he reiterates what has occurred. He thanks her before telling
her where we are.

“She and some of her pack will be here in a
few hours. In the meantime, I need you to stay here.”

“Where are you going?”

“I need to sneak back onto our territory in
order to retrieve stakes and some makeshift guns which we
retrofitted to shoot them.”

“You can shoot them?”

“Yes and no. You see, I know that David is
untouchable with something like this, he can repel it. Also, some
of the older ones are very quick and their hearing is so good that
they can hear the stakes flying at them. However, I am hoping if
their younger ones are out patrolling on their own, we can
incapacitate them long enough to get the children out.”

Although I’m relieved we have a plan in
place, his returning to his land fills me with fear. “Didn’t you
say that it was dangerous for you to be caught by them, that they
would lock you up? Can’t you just call your son and have him bring
you the weapons?”

“No, I need more than the one that each of
our households are equipped with. I am going to have to break into
our armory in order to have enough for Elizabeth and anyone she
brings. I can’t get him involved in something like that. I will be
back before Elizabeth.”

“Grant it’s too dangerous for you to go back
now.” I can’t do this alone. If he gets caught would Elizabeth even
listen to me or would she think that I bewitched him and then got
him locked up. “Can’t they smell your scent?”

“They could if they are looking for me, but I
don’t think that they would ever think that I would sneak back on
to our lands. Anyone detecting it may think it is something
residual.”

Remembering the spell we told the kids would
make them undetectable to werewolves for a while, I hope it also
works on a werewolf. “Grant, can I use a spell on you that may mask
your scent for a while?”

“Anything that might help, I’m all for. Go
ahead.”

I cast the spell and then hear the window
open just before his fur brushes across my legs. He must be jumping
out the window. Alone in the darkness unable to move for fear that
those below will detect my presence, I decide to try to connect
back with Jacob.

All of a sudden, I feel as if I am back in
the car accident so many years ago with my body being tossed about
and broken. I am hitting a wall and being thrust against cold,
metal bars.

Fog clouds my consciousness as David’s
menacing voice pierces through the encroaching darkness. “Maybe
that will teach you. Tell me what I want to know now.” His voice is
closer and I feel myself moving upward.

Gabriel shouts. “He can’t tell you anything,
you knocked him unconscious. If you drop him again, you may kill
him and then where will you be!”

I’m descending and David’s response is even
more distant. “Do you know anything about this boy and what he
does?”

“I know that if you kill him with your temper
tantrums he will not be able to give you the information you are
looking for.” I heard a crunch, a door slam and an anxious
voice.

“David, three werewolves have been detected
at the outer perimeter. What do you want us to do? The young ones
are nervous and will not go on patrol after what happened to
Alexandra, Alex and Kristen?”

His angry response echoes off the walls.
“Must I do everything myself! Who caught the scent is it from their
pack? Do we know which ones are on the grounds?”

The sudden rattling of shackles, a thud, and
scream shock me and I almost lose my connection. “Stop it!” There
is more rattling and another thud. “Stop, they are just
children!”

“I don’t have time to deal with this, but
maybe when I come back I will deal with you and then I will get my
answers from the boy. Paul, I asked you if the wolves are from the
pack.” I shudder hearing the deafening crash, His weak response is
barely audible even to Jacob’s remarkable hearing.

“Only one scent is familiar, the other two
are not.”

Quick footsteps retreat as the door slams
again. Jacob fights through the fog to hear their fading
conversation. “Get Nathaniel and Edward, we will kill two and send
the one from their pack back bitten with a message that any further
interference will result in the death of our captures and their
lands will no longer be safe. Tell their member, they are to turn
the woman over if she is alive or her body if dead. We need to make
sure that there is no interference in our plan!”

Shackles fall and Gabriel’s hushed voice is
in Jacob’s ear. “How badly are you hurt, do you think that you can
transform. I need you to try now.”

After several moments, I feel Jacob’s tears
trickling down. “I’m sorry, it isn’t happening.”

“It’s alright, you can do it, you have to
concentrate on releasing your fear, I know it is difficult, but
Jacob, I know you felt your mother, you know she is alive and I’m
sure that so are the others, we need to get out of here while they
are occupied!” His tone is strained, probably to sound calm for
Jacob, but he too is fearful.

“But Emma and the others, we can’t leave them
here, they’ll kill them.”

“We won’t leave them here, Eva and I will
work on the shackles, but you need to leave, these people are
dangerous and if they find...” He stops short. I know why he
doesn’t finish and am sure so does Jacob.

“I can’t go out there on my own. They are too
scary. If I involuntarily come out of my transformation and they
find me, they will take me somewhere else.”

He stiffens, paralyzed by fear.

“Jacob it’s alright, we will work on the
others’ restraints and leave together.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I just can’t...”

“It’s alright, relax. We are here. It’s
alright.”

Eva’s panicked voice alerts Gabriel. “I hear
footsteps approaching, you have to return.”

Gabriel must have shifted out of his shackles
and I now understood why they haven’t all shifted to leave.

David’s aggravated voice is close. “Make sure
you do not move from here and they don’t escape or I will kill you
both myself and promise you that it will be slow and piece by
piece.”

Others run past as David barks orders. I
wonder if Emma’s abilities are strong enough to protect them if
David returns before they escape and if they do, can they get off
the land. Knowing that it is extensive and not knowing how many
brutal vampires remain frightens me. As the realization of David’s
orders strike me, my own fear couples with Jacob’s, overloading my
senses and I have to fight with everything I have to hold on to my
connection. If Grant is still on the land when the remaining
werewolf returns, he may be too afraid to leave his family to
return or if the vampires don’t wait to attack, he could be caught
in the middle of it. I need to warn them, but don’t even know how
to get in touch with them.

Breaking my connection, I start to rise
hoping Ken can reach and warn them of the possible impending
attack. A cold hand clamps around my mouth and someone’s cool
breath is at my ear.

“Mia, it’s me, don’t scream.”

His hand quickly retreats. I turn and throw
my arms around Jackson and whisper. “How did you know? How...”

He sits down taking me with him and someone
sits on the other side.

“We were returning to the hospital to
retrieve the map of the area when we caught your scent off of
someone who entered. We listened and heard him inquire about us and
then followed him here, but we had to wait until the werewolf left
and we were sure no others were present.”

Rising quickly, he is next to me. “Jackson,
we need to warn the wolves! Help me downstairs.” Thrusting my hands
out in front of me, I begin walking, searching for the door.

Damian stops me. “Mia, what’s wrong?”

“I can’t see, you have to help me downstairs,
we have to warn the wolves that their party is or has been attacked
and they may be attacked too!”

Mia, the wolves are the ones that bit
Nicholas and Kayla.”

“It was a mistake, they didn’t mean too,
please, I don’t have time to explain right now, just get me
downstairs.”

He lifts me and we are downstairs just as a
door shuts. I call out to Kenneth. “How did you two get in here?
Where is Grant?”

“Father, please, you have to call Grant’s
sister and warn them that their search party is being attacked and
if they interfere, they will be attacked. Grant is there trying to
get supplies to rescue his family, they can all be hurt.”

As he leaves a message, Jackson questions me.
“What’s going on?”

“The werewolves that bit the children thought
they were part of the family that was shooting at one of their own.
The wolf that was shot rescued me and his children are trapped with
Jacob, Gabriel, Eva and Emma in a dungeon somewhere on that estate.
The family is pure evil and they are going after the wolves because
of me. You have to warn them, their scouts are being hunted and
they are going to send one back bitten demanding that the wolves
stay out of their plans and turn me or my corpse over to them
immediately.”

I hear paper unfolding.

“Can you show me where the wolves are
located?” Damian must be asking Ken.

“Mia, are you safe to stay here?”

“Yes, go please.”

The door flies open, but I feel someone’s
back to my front, as several angry growls fill the room. Someone
has backed me up to the wall and I can feel a hand around me. The
growls turn even more vicious. There are too many, this is not
Grant. One must have lunged at whoever is before me, I’m pushed
into the wall and there is a yelp.

Realizing who it must be, I scream.
“Elizabeth, these vampires are part of Lucas Master’s family, not
the ones that hunted you! Stop please, everyone!”

The growls continue, but movement seems to
have stopped. Jackson’s voice rings out. “We mean you no harm. Our
family is being held by those vampires and we were leaving to warn
you of their attack.”

A woman’s authoritative voice inquires, “What
attack.”

I interrupt. “Elizabeth, they are attacking a
search party that the elders from Grant’s pack sent out to assess
the situation and will attack the wolves if they try to interfere,
they have to be warned. It may have already happened.” I grumble
before Elizabeth retorts. “Why should we believe this is any more
than a trick so that you can escape? Where is Grant?”

“He went back there for weapons. He may even
be caught in the middle of it now.”

“How do we know that you didn’t kill him and
are now trying to escape?”

Ken intervenes. “They just arrived and the
girl came in with Grant, she is injured and he is helping her. He
said he trusts her and that some family has her children and
his.”

A pounding on the door silences us all. Grant
bursts into the room. “Elizabeth, we have to get on to the estate
now, they attacked one of our pack members and two in the scouting
party are dead. David has two of my children and will kill them if
we don’t rescue them.”

The shuffling continues and the room feels
quite warm. “Grant, what happened? Why are these vampires here
claiming to be family of Lucas’?”

“I don’t have time to explain that now, if my
pack finds me, they will find her and drag me back.”

“If you want my help, especially against
David, you have to tell me what is going on so that I can prepare
my pack, they are over at the church, waiting. When we smelled the
vampires, only a few of us came in while the rest stayed behind
getting ready to attack.”

“Elizabeth, these vampires are not with
David, they are with Lucas.”

“Then why is your pack looking for you and
why are your children with you?”

I hear a deep sigh. “We were sent to David’s
estate to monitor and determine if there was any way to attack them
successfully. Before we completed our assessment, David decided to
hunt my family. We made the mistake of thinking that we were strong
enough and could take out a few of their men before returning to
our pack. My children were not ready for the stress and did not
transform in time. I lost Charlotte, Steve and Pauline and thought
Paul and Julianne were also dead, but they were captured along with
Mia’s children and some of her family and brought down to the
dungeon.”

“David doesn’t take humans prisoner, he
converts them or devours them, there has to be something that you
are not telling me.” She must sense I am not a vampire.

“Your right, David saw Mia’s son transform
and wants to know the source of his power and how to use it.”

“You can’t be correct, even David knows that
vampires can’t transform into werewolves.”

Grant’s response is hushed. “He didn’t
transform into a werewolf, he was a mouse and then was a
human.”

“That’s not possible! Don’t lie to me! I
won’t go up against David blind. You know what happened to my pack
the last time.”

“I’m not lying to you I swear. I saw him
transform with my own eyes. They are different. I even saw Mia send
David flying through the air before she got thrown up against a
tree and hurt. I’m telling you there is something about her family
and that is why David is keeping captives.”

“But why keep your children?”

“When I avoided their capture, I came across
Mia and took her back to our lands. They don’t want her to
interfere with David’s plan to wipe out Lucas and his family after
learning their secrets. David transformed two from his coven and
sent them back to the states with Mia’s family to take out all of
her children and family members.”

“Why does David want to take you out?” She’s
addressing me and moving closer. I try to move around whoever is in
front of me.