29. Playing Games

Iwake up to a dim light surrounding me. It takes me a few minutes to regather my senses and recall what happened, but whatever that asshole vampire drugged me with wasn't so much to take me out completely, making it easier for me to collect my thoughts.

I will my fears down, trying to go over the facts. That vampire lieutenant from Richie's picture kidnapped me. I wonder if that idiot knew that he basically snatched me away a few miles from Silas's new coven. As if Silas wouldn't be able to tell where I am.

I'm not hurt… a lot. My head throbs a bit. Maybe I took a fall, or that lieutenant punched me unconscious.

I'm warm. I blink. Right, I'm not cold. I stretch out my arms, feeling a soft fabric beneath my fingers and a… mattress. A bed?

What is going on?

I sit up abruptly, ignoring the dull feeling in my head. The room spins around me, making me close my eyes to battle the feeling of nausea. Once I feel better, I open them again, surprised to find myself in a cozy guest room. The walls around me are brick, but it seems like that's how the building was built. It's clearly not a dungeon. There is even a window.

But dungeon or not, I'm clearly a prisoner here.

Yet, I'm covered by a blanket.

Nefeli.

Uhm… Her voice sounds tired. Still not fully there, sorry.

That's okay; I'm just glad you don't feel the effect of the drugs anymore. At least not much. Can you reach out to Dante?

I can try, she says. I can't link him over the distance, but I can make sure he knows we are alright.

Thanks.

Weirdly, they didn't give me a dose of wolfsbane. I could shift and fight my way out of here. That would probably be stupid of me to do, but it's still an option. I get up from the bed, noticing how there are clothes on the chair next to me. My wristband is still attached to my arm, so they didn't remove it. Again, it surprises me that they let me keep my belongings. Granted, I wasn't carrying around a lot, since I shifted only a couple of minutes before I was kidnapped.

I switch into the clothes and then walk towards the door, rattling at it.

To my utmost shock, the door opens.

They didn't lock it?

In front of my door is a man guarding it. He has black hair, wearing it rather short, and a handsome face. Must be a trait of the vampires for them to all be bordering towards pretty. Well, he is a guard, so they don't leave me fully unattended here.

The vampire turns towards me and smiles politely. "You are awake. That's good to see. Can I bring you something?"

I decide to test the waters. "You can take me out of here."

"I can," he says to my surprise.

"You are telling me I could just leave?" I ask with a humorless laugh.

"Precisely. You can leave whenever you want to."

"Why the abduction then?" I ask.

"To keep our anonymity and not to attract too much attention," he says, and for the first time here, I feel like that's probably the truth.

"I still don't believe that I can just leave."

"You can," he says. "But I would advise you not to leave."

"Why? Because you would kill me?"

He smiles and shakes his head. "No, because I think you will find answers here. Wouldn't it be smart to make the best out of your stay? Don't you want answers? If you leave now, there is no option for you to ever return. We are well hidden."

I stare at him. Do I want answers? Yes, of course. I'm well aware of where I am, and I know if I want to save Charlie, I need to find a way to either strike a deal with these vampires or make them believe Charlie isn't related to their leader.

That's what I want.

But what do they want? What kind of mind game are they playing?

I'm still on guard but decide to put their so-called hospitality to the test. "I want to make a call."

"Of course," he says promptly. "You didn't have a phone with you, but you can use mine."

"Please tell me you weren't the one to put me into bed and dress me in a nightgown," I say.

"No, don't worry, it was one of the maids." He rummages in his bags and hands me his mobile.

"I bet there is a tracking device on it," I say.

"Of course there is, but it's to track me, not you," he explains. "Also, we know who you are and where your pack is. You are the beta of Luna Annalise from Red Claw. We don't need to track you for that knowledge. My master has no intention at all to get into a fight with your kind."

This is all so weird, but I decide to give his words a test. They know where I live, but they might not know that I was just visiting Silas before. Which is why I don't call Annie but instead opt for Dante. He picks up on the first ring. "Yes?" he asks, clearly in a hurry. I can hear the tension in his voice.

"D?" I say. "Please don't worry about me!"

"Ella!?" he blurts out. "We have been looking for you. Luna Annalise just returned and said—"

"I'm with the vampires," I say, cutting him short because I'm scared he might reveal too much about what we did before. "Their master invited me." I pause. "Though invite is a stretch." I narrow my eyes to a glare while looking at the young vampire. He has taken a few steps back and is at the other end of the corridor. "He had me abducted and brought here, but they claim I can leave anytime. I'm not drugged or anything."

"Then Goddess, Ella, leave!"

I'm not sure how to convey what I want or think. These vampires are playing their games, clearly. I doubt they want to kill me, but they seem to do an awful lot to make me feel safe. I want to play along for my family's sake. Although I hate to admit it, this vampire guard is right… I have questions. "Should I really do that?" I ask Dante.

It's silent on the other side of the line, but I can feel through our bond that Dante is much calmer now. "You are not in any danger?"

"No, Nefeli is on alert, but it seems to be fine so far," I say.

"Whose phone is this?"

"It belongs to one of the guards. He gave it to me when I asked to make a call," I say.

"I understand," Dante mutters. "For whatever reason they want you to feel comfortable and like a guest. How freely can you talk?"

"I'm not sure," I admit. I'm one hundred percent certain that I'm here with Aloysius and his vampires, and from Silas, I know what kind of person he is. He killed a newborn. There is no way I can trust him.

"Annie told us what happened," Dante says, leaving out any details that indicate where we came from and who we visited. He caught on fast, which isn't really a surprise judging by the experienced beta he is. "You truly think this is a chance to… you know…"

"Yes," I say promptly. "What does Alpha Liam think?"

In the background, I can hear Dante and Liam discussing something, then Dante is back. "He says you should listen to your gut feeling. He is not opposed to you staying… as a guest." He puts emphasis on the word guest. "He also said that if they harm you in any way, he will march onto their lands and bring war upon them. Tell your hosts that we are well aware of where you are."

"I will," I say. "Do you trust me, Dante?"

"I do," he says quietly. "But I'm still very worried about you."

"D, I think I'm the last you should worry about," I say. "You need to get in touch with Lorenzo. Talk to Annie as to why. And you have the rogues to question."

I say rogue, while I actually mean Imogen and her men. I'm starting to believe that the vampires being after Charlie and the hitmen hunting her are two separate incidents. The lieutenant might have consulted with the mercenaries, but going by what Silas told us and by how they treat me here, the vampires' approach is a lot different than what we have encountered so far.

Dante catches on instantly. "You think the two issues aren't connected?"

"Yes, that's what I believe. It's on you now to find out what's going on." I pause. "I found a picture of my necklace with the rogues, and I don't know why."

"Got it," he says.

"Dante," I say with insistence. "You need to tell her. You need to tell her who she is. I wanted to do that, but I can't at the moment. Now you need to step up."

"Ella," he sounds terrified. "Goddess, Ella, I don't know how… I…"

"You are her uncle and her dad," I say. "Just like I am her aunt and mom. You need to leave your trauma behind, D. She needs you now."

"I will be there for her," he promises. "I'm not sure if I'm going to do well, but I will try. I will protect our family."

"So will I."

The vampire guard shows me around the building, or rather castle, after I finish my call. "In case you try something funny with me, I'm supposed to tell you that my alpha won't hesitate to attack," I say shortly.

He nods. "I figured that much. And we have no intention to alert the Council or go to war with the lycans."

"What's your name?" I ask him.

"Julianus," he says. "And you are?"

"You don't know?" I ask in surprise.

"My master likes to keep things to himself," he says, and for the first time, I can see him looking a bit upset.

"I'm Ella," I say. "So, how does this work? You are vampires, aren't you? Full-blooded?"

"Yes, we are proud of our bloodline," he says. "What else do you want to know?"

"Where do you get your blood from?"

"The master and his lieutenants organize the blood. We have vessels in the human world who volunteer. Against popular belief, we don't need to feed on blood constantly; we just need it once a month."

"So, you only kill humans once a month?" I ask. I decided to play ignorant. I'm well aware of how the vampires get their blood reserves and that they can be outside in the sun, although their skin is sensitive to it.

"No, why would we kill our food supply?" Julianus asks simply. "If we kill every human we feed from, then we would run out of good blood fast."

"And what's your role here?" I ask. "Babysitter?"

"No, I'm one of the elite guards here," he says.

So, they didn't leave me with just anyone. Aloysius probably chose one of his most entrusted men to attend to me. The vampires aren't idiots. Going by what Silas told me, his brother is actually a cunning mastermind. He probably sent Julianus to guard me because he is a capable and smart man himself.

"Do you want to see the master now?" Julianus asks.

No, I don't, but there is no way around it, so I just nod. Julianus leads me to the second floor and down a long corridor. At the end of it is a huge wooden door with beautiful intricate engravings. Julianus knocks on the door. "It's me, Master, with our guest."

"Come on in."

Julianus opens the door and lets me step in first before following me. He bows in front of a regal man who is sitting behind an old mahogany desk. It looks like he was in a meeting with one of his men, but once I enter he nods at the guy. "You can leave," the regal man says. I don't need him to tell me his name; he looks so much like Silas. It can only be his brother, Aloysius. The man he has been talking to turns to leave, and I recognize him as the douche who abducted me. I'm startled to see his cheek weirdly swollen and a bruise forming under his eye.

"Oh." Aloysius smirks when he notices my gaze. "I told him to bring you to me without a scratch. He clearly didn't deliver as I've heard." He gazes at Julianus. "You may leave too."

"Of course, Master," Julianus says before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

"Please have a seat, Beta Ella," Aloysius says.

I sit down and decide to meet him eye to eye. "Thank you, Lord Aloysius."

"Oh I see." He smirks. "You know who I am."

"Well, you know who I am as well. Isn't that just fair?"

Aloysius looks at me, tapping his fingertips against each other. "You had contact with my brother, hadn't you?"

For a split second, my heart stops beating. Does that mean he knows I've been meeting with his brother right before the douchebag abducted me?

"When and how did you meet?" Aloysius demands to know.

"I met him only briefly," I say, feeling relieved that he has no idea about my meeting with Silas. "A few months ago, during a meeting with some high-ranking lycans." I make sure not to drop any names in case he will want to verify anything.

"I see," Aloysius says. Apparently, it makes sense to him that his brother would mingle with our kind. "And what did my brother dearest tell you?" Aloysius asks while pouring us a glass of wine.

I decide to be honest—as much as I can. I've gotten my own taste of Silas by now, and I'm aware these ancient vampires aren't going to believe just any bullshit. At least I coincidentally ate that candy before, so Aloysius's tricks won't work on me. I need to appear confident and in control. "That you think everyone who is not a vampire is dirt."

"Hm," Aloysius hums, clearly amused. "You don't sound scared of me."

"Why would I?" I say. "I've met your brother. You won't shock me anymore."

Aloysius's eyes glint at the hint of Silas being as strong as he is. He doesn't like that, clearly. "You are interesting," he says. "Pity you are mated."

Goddess, he didn't just say that!

"What do you want from me?" I ask. "I'm sure I'm not your guest for no reason."

"Oh, but Beta Ella, you can leave anytime," he says with his signature smirk.

"I know, and I appreciate that, Lord Aloysius," I say. "But if you don't give me a reason to stay, I will indeed take my leave."

He shifts the glass between his hands. "You have a child in your care, don't you?"

"Yes," I say. "What's this to do with her?"

"You didn't notice anything weird about her?" he inquires.

"Like what?" I say, well aware of what he is talking about. But it seems he knows much less than I anticipated. Good for me.

"Your sister." Aloysius leans forward to look into my eyes. His gaze is gentle all of a sudden, and I can feel his presence pushing against the walls of my mind. Here he is, the vampire prince and his mind games, just like Silas warned me.

Yuk, Nefeli grunts. Can he stop looking so creepy? He is so old, at this point he has to be decomposed already.

I decide to play along and pretend to fall for his charm, smiling at him dreamily. "She passed away, unfortunately," I say sadly.

"That's truly unfortunate," he says, his expression somber as if he truly mourns her. Wow, he is good.

"Do you know the father of her child?" he asks. "I would like to give him his condolences."

"Oh," I say, smiling joyfully at him. "I thought you could help me with that. It seems she was with a vampire at that time!"

"Oh, was she?" he smiles. "If you have a name, I could look for him."

"Unfortunately, I don't," I say sadly. "Maybe he wasn't impressive enough to be worth a mention."

I can see a glint of annoyance in his eyes while Nefeli can barely contain her laughter in my mind. Targeting his ego seems to give me the best results—both ways. I can stroke it and I can hurt it. That's probably his biggest weakness.

"You have no clue at all?" he asks.

"I would need to research a bit more," I admit.

"Very well." Aloysius is back to smiling dashingly, and I make sure to return it. "Do you want to do that here or go back to your pack? We can meet when you know more."

Unfortunately, I can't leave this place before I've gotten my answers. "I'd like to stay," I say. "But I want one of my own guards with me."

"Was Julianus's service not to your satisfaction?" he asks a hint of venom in his voice.

Wow, I could totally throw anyone under the bus here, but I have an inkling that I might need one person here to talk to. I don't trust Julianus at all, but the way he reacted earlier, the short moment of him showing he was upset, was interesting and worth digging into. "No, he is fine. But I want someone I know around me. I'm sure you understand."

"I do," Aloysius says. "Make your call, Beta Ella. And we will have the person of your choice picked up."