Antun and Michael drove to the pier, hoping beyond hope that they could pick up the signal. They’d been there for about ten minutes when it picked up, all the way at the other end of the pier. But they had her now! Antun sped toward the area the map was indicating. Michael’s gut was roiling with worry, praying that they weren’t too late…

  ? ?? ?

  Nikola was in the cell again, feeding me. My fear won out, making me eat regardless of how hungry or nauseous I actually felt. He had fed me about a third of the tray when Syla’s voice came over the speaker.

  “Nick,” Nikola instantly put down the plate, staring at the speaker. “There’s a car here with two men.”

  Nikola dashed for the door. It was already opening before he was completely off his feet. The hatch shut behind him, locking automatically.

  I looked at the tray he had left behind. I lunged for the fork, the friction on my wrists bringing tears to my eyes. The door opened – too soon! I barely managed to tuck the fork into my waistband before Syla burst in.

  “You don’t have a lot of time. Your friends are distracting Nick right now.”

  She pulled at the knots on my wrists, trying to get them loose. Deciding that there was no time, she looped my arms over her head, carrying me piggy-back style.

  “Syla! What’re you doing? Where are we going?” I did my best to hold on with my knees squeezing her waist.

  She kept running. Soon, I heard the sounds of fighting, yells and grunts as punches swung and struck.

  We made it onto the deck of a large yacht. It must’ve been Nikola’s personal vessel. She ran toward the gangplank.

  “Syla!” Nikola roared, his beautiful voice harsh.

  She stopped so fast that we crashed to the floor. I heard my friends calling my name, but it seemed distant.

  “Now you’ve gone and done it.”

  He landed blows on both Antun and Michael, blasting them several feet away. Antun landed on his feet, but Michael tumbled and rolled to a stop, groaning as he returned to his feet.

  “Oh, Syla. Pick up Ms. Nelson and take her back in.”

  She came to her feet, her eyes pained, turning to me. She was shaking her head, her whole body quivering. She couldn’t resist him. “I’m sorry!” she cried. “I tried!” She knelt down to scoop me into her arms. I squirmed away, trying to get to my feet to run. She caught me by the ankle and drug me back toward her. “I’m so sorry!” she yelled.

  He was compelling her. Somehow, Nikola was compelling Syla to recapture me against her will. Tears ran down Syla’s face as she lifted me over her shoulder fireman style. No matter my struggling, I could not get out of her grip.

  “Michael!” I screamed. “Antun! Help!”

  At the sound of my voice, the men rallied. They ran, catching up to Nikola before he got to the gangplank. They started fighting again, but Syla continued to carry me back inside.

  “Fight me!” Syla whispered loudly at me to be heard over the fight. “Fight me and give yourself another chance!”

  Her words registered in my mind. I tried to plank my body to try to tilt my weight. Then, I swung my legs down as hard as I could, forcing Syla’s grip on me to start slipping. I swung my legs again and managed to slip just enough that my weight forced me from her hold.

  “Run!” she yelled even as her hands reached out again for me. I ran across the deck as fast as I could, my legs wobbling.

  Nikola stepped between me and the gangplank, between me and them. I spun to bolt, but his hand clamped down on my arm like iron.

  “When you want something done right…” he bemoaned.

  I couldn’t get out of his grip, he was too strong. He used one hand to sweep my hair off of one side of my neck. The night air chilled my skin, sending goosebumps skittering over my flesh. I thrashed, and he pulled my hair down from the back of my head, further exposing my neck.

  NO, STOP!

  Michael and Antun both roared. They had to know what was coming next, if not by the obvious positioning of my neck then by the sheer terror on my face. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks, dripping down the inside bend of my neck.

  I don’t want to die, was all I could think as he spun me around to face him, holding me by the waist and pulling my hair back. Then instead of biting my neck, he bit into the skin above my heart and began to drink. Light burst from my chest where he bit.

  I grabbed the fork out from my waistband and stabbed Nikola in the gut. The darkest color of blood came out, spraying me. There was screaming. I wasn’t sure who was doing it, if it was me or Nikola or someone else, but the sound began to quickly grow distant in my ears. My vision grew dark around the edges, a deep vignette-like edging that kept creeping in.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  No! I don’t want to die! I don’t! Please God, anybody! I haven’t told Michael–

  I heard, somewhat distantly, a female voice ask something?

  What?

  “Do you want to live?” she asked again.

  Yes, yes!

  “Then hold on!”

  Wait, when did I begin to float?

  I felt a pull back into my body as if a thread in my chest were yanked. It was slow at first, as if I was being pulled through syrup, but then it accelerated at an alarming rate, like I was on a speeding train.

  With a jolt, my body jerked upward and my eyes flew open and I gasped. I was immediately pulled into a hug.

  What was going on? My hands pushed.

  Nikola! He’s holding me!...

  Blood rushed in my ears, I couldn’t figure out where I was. I fought against the man holding me, determined to get free.

  “Drew!” That wasn’t Nikola’s voice. I stilled. Musk and citrus filled my nose. This was Michael.

  “You’re still here! You’re still here!” He held me to himself, one arm on my back, the other around my shoulders, a hand twining into my hair. I felt his cool fingers on my scalp as he held me to him. He rocked back and forth as he continued, “I can’t believe you’re alive! Nikola dropped you and, and you had no pulse! Oh God, oh God!”

  He held me that way until I pushed against his chest. “What is it?” he asked, his eyes searching mine.

  “Did I… die?”

  He shook his head, “To be entirely honest, I’m not sure. You had no pulse for a bit, but you’re still here.”

  I checked for my pulse, ignoring the screaming abrasions. Thump-thump, thump-thump. A sigh of relief poured out of me. I wanted to know, “Did Nikola steal my reincarnation energy? Why would he drink from my chest like that?” I vaguely remembered from Davor’s journal that the heart had something to do with reincarnation…

  “I don’t know, we’re all still trying to figure out what happened. It was the strangest thing. After he bit into your chest, there was this flash of light. He didn’t run or fly that I could see. It’s like he vanished or something. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  He hugged me again and I returned it automatically, holding tight. I felt confused and sore and tired, my body aching.

  Antun bent down to where we were sitting on the deck of the yacht. “Nikola might be gone, but that woman is still here.” His eyes were mistrusting.

  Syla! I cast my eyes around and found her behind our group. She looked incredibly uncomfortable, her feet shifting and her gaze downcast.

  I was confused. “Syla, you saved me from the white room. Why did you do that?”

  She looked up at me. “We had an opportunity. Nick was distracted. Figured maybe I could at least get you out.”

  “But why?”

  Her eyes shut tight and she swallowed before saying, “You’re not the first person Nick has kept in the white room. They all begged and pleaded, but I never helped. I’m ashamed of that.” She looked miserable.

  “You’re the first one I met. You asked about the toilet and needed an escort. No one else has ever had the presence of mind to not freak out. You’re the first one who ever escaped.”

  “You helped with that too.”

  She nodded.

  “But earlier, you acted as if you had no hope at all. What changed?

  Syla swallowed. “It’s a bit of a story, if you’d allow me?”

  I looked around. “Let’s get out of here first. I hate this place.”

  She nodded in agreement, and the four of us made our way to the car. Michael sat in the back seat with me, working on the knots on my wrists.

  “I have a multitool up here, hold on.” Antun opened up the center console. He handed the tool to us. Michael picked a knife, pulling it out from all the other random gadgets, and went to work on a piece of the knot.

  “Syla,” she flinched at her name. Michael continued in a gentler tone, as he worked on the rope. “You were closest when everything happened. Did you see what happened to Nikola?”

  Syla looked at each of us, her gaze coming to rest on me. She swallowed and stated, “I didn’t see where he went, but… I think I’m finally free of him.”

  Michael started, his voice matter-of-fact, “Of course you are, you’re with us–”

  She cut him off, “That’s not what I’m talking about.” She sighed, “This might make more sense if I start back a little. He turned me about 300 years ago, in 1717. I was working as a barmaid in England at the time, just trying to make a living.”

  She cleared her throat before she went on. “Back in the 20s, the 1920s I mean, he and I ran into each other again. He didn’t remember me but I certainly remembered him.

  “I did my best to kill him, but he was faster than me, beat me before I had much of a chance to try. He let me live – barely – if I’d help hide his kills.

  “He never kept to a pattern, just hunger.”

  Syla shook her head, her brows crumpling in sorrow. “I watched so many people die in that damned white room of his. He came up with it in the 80s, wanted to muffle the sound better, so he used soundproofing foam and plush carpet to reduce the noise.

  “It didn’t change anything for me, I was still stuck under his thumb. He would force me to go without blood for weeks after only letting me hunt for a few hours on a single night. He’d starve me whenever I showed pity for anyone, so for everyone’s sake I stopped showing emotion altogether.

  “He might’ve nearly broken me by the time you came along, Miss. But then you wholloped him in the jaw and I gave a cheer for you clobbering the bloody bastard. When you closed the door behind you, I pushed the lock switch. I thought maybe I could finally be free too, but…”

  She trailed off. “He got out, he found me again because of that bloody bond, and he punished me for not letting him out immediately to catch you. He was furious that you got away. No one has ever gotten away from him before. But you did, so you caught his attention.

  “He waited for weeks for a chance to get you back, but one of these vampires,” she pointed at the men, “Was always with you, sometimes both. He couldn’t risk not winning.

  “He fed constantly. I don’t know how many people, but his mana was increasing with every feed. Then, you started to look for him and it made things easier for him.” Her sorrow felt genuine.

  “He waited for you to show up, knew he could overpower both of your friends for all the mana he had in his system. So he took you back with little trouble.

  “When I saw he had caught you again, I thought you were surely done for. I began to lose hope again. When the boys here showed up, looking ready for a fight, I thought maybe we might have a chance to get you away again.

  “After he left the yacht to confront them, I unlocked the door and got you out.” Her eyes grew haunted. “You all saw what that bond could make me do after that.” I shuddered at the memory of Syla carrying me over her shoulder back toward the white room.

  “That’s what I was talking about being free, that bond. I might actually be free.” She sounded as if she didn’t dare hope but couldn’t help it.

  Michael had cut through the rope and was examining the welts and blisters on my wrists. They were red, angry, burning.

  Antun looked back. “I have a salve that should help with the pain. We’ll head back to my place.” Antun got the car back onto the road and headed toward his beautiful home.

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