Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Serenity

Someone was shaking me gently. "Serenity, Serenity. Wake up, mademoiselle ."

My eyes fluttered open. Tears streamed down my face, and I couldn't stop trembling. Not from fear, but from missing my mom. It had seemed so real…but I guess not.

Elena's face hovered over me, her face filled with concern. " Mademoiselle , what's wrong?"

"Nothing, just a bad dream," I grumbled. I didn't want to talk about my mom with her or anyone. The only person who really understood how I felt was Joy. But I couldn't reach out to her, since Angelo had as good as threatened to kill her if I did.

" S'il te pla?t , you must come with me immediately." Her tone was tense and serious.

A chill ran down my spine as I noticed the wild look in her eyes. Why? Was Angelo hungry? Or did they all plan to feast on me? Here, I was nothing but prey.

I immediately put my hand over my neck and scooted away from her. "I'm…I'm not going to let anyone suck my blood."

Including Angelo.

She cast me a startled look. " Mademoiselle , no one would dare feed on you against your will." She put her hand on her chest. "Angelo has given strict instructions to that effect, and no one defies him. No, we have someone injured and Angelo said you might have the power to heal him."

Like a beast with sharp teeth, doubt gnawed at my gut. I didn't trust her or anyone else in this bloodthirsty place.

She cast me a pleading look. "Please, mademoiselle …He's dying."

I sat straight up in bed. "Who?" What did she mean, a vampire was dying? As in staked through the heart?

"Enzo. Please, come." Her voice choked on those three little words.

Elena's earlier warm and friendly demeanor had vanished, replaced by a sense of desperate urgency that sent my nerves jangling. She led me through the dimly lit hallways, her pace brisk and purposeful, as if every second counted. My mind raced with possibilities, each one more terrifying than the last. Who was this Enzo? How badly was he hurt? Why did Angelo think I could help him?

As we approached the bedroom door, I steeled myself, my heart pounding against my ribs like a caged bird desperate for escape. Elena pushed the door open, and I held my breath, bracing myself for the worst—perhaps the sight of a vampire covered in blood, his life hanging by a thread.

Even so, when I entered, a gasp flew from my lips, my body reacting before my mind could fully comprehend what I was seeing. A half-naked man lay sprawled on the bed, his chest a mangled mess of torn flesh and glistening crimson. Three deep, jagged gashes ran from his collarbone to his abdomen, weeping rivulets of blood that pooled on the sheets beneath him.

But the true nightmare was the gruesome wound on his neck. Blood spurted from the gaping hole, pulsing with each weakening beat of his heart. It cascaded down the side of his throat, painting his deathly white skin a sickening shade of scarlet. The metallic scent of blood hung heavy in the air, so thick I could almost taste it on my tongue.

My mind reeled, unable to comprehend the sheer brutality of what I was seeing. This level of violence was something I had only ever witnessed on a movie screen, a fictional horror that I could distance myself from. But now, confronted with the raw, visceral reality of it, my sanity teetered on the edge of the abyss.

OhgodOhgodOhgodOhgod

A scream bubbled up in my throat, but I clamped my hands over my mouth and nose, desperately trying to hold it back. My heart pounded against my ribs, and bile rose in my throat as the coppery stench of blood assaulted my nostrils again. I wanted to run, to tear my eyes away from the nightmarish scene, but I was rooted to the spot, transfixed by the horror of it all.

Angelo's piercing gaze locked on mine, his green eyes cold. "This is my enforcer, Enzo. You need to heal him." The ice in his voice matched the frostiness of his stare.

As my chest heaved, I gulped the air like a fish out of water. Did he really expect me to heal these wounds? If I couldn't, would I be lying next to Enzo in an equally bloody mess? I glanced around the room, frantically searching for any semblance of medical supplies. But all I saw was a wooden table covered in blood and various sharp objects scattered on the floor. He lay on the bed, his body battered and bruised, looking like a victim of Michael Myers. My stomach churned as I realized how serious this situation truly was.

I looked over my shoulder. The guard stood in the doorway like an immobile statue. I swallowed the terror in my throat. "How?" My meek and soft voice didn't melt the coldness in Angelo's eyes.

"I know of your ability," he said simply. "You need to draw on it to heal him." His low voice was a challenge, and I wondered again if I would end up like Enzo if I failed.

I watched in horror as the man lying on the bed struggled to breathe. He moaned, his throat making wet gurgling sounds and his body convulsing in pain. He was a vampire, stronger than any human. When I saw the panic in his eyes and the way he threatened to lose consciousness, my heart and lungs turned cold. I had only healed small aliments like when Joy bumped her head on the floor. "But he's…he's a vampire. Can't he heal himself?"

Angelo arched an eyebrow. "Does it look like he's healing himself?" Angelo's tone was surprisingly calm, but I could see the agitation in his green eyes.

My eyes burned, my throat squeezed, and a sob bubbled up from my chest. "Angelo, I can't heal him. He needs a hospital."

He rested his hand gently on the poor man's shoulder. "No, Serenity. He needs you." He lifted his cold gaze and locked onto mine. "This is why I bought you. You have a unique ability, and you're more powerful than you probably even know." His words spread over me like a bitter frost, freezing my heart, my lungs, and my will to move.

And there it was. The reason why I was a slave in this place. He'd bought me because he thought I was some mage or sorceress. If he only saw the marks on my lower back, he would know that wasn't true. I couldn't even heal my own wounds.

And yet he was Angelo Santi, the Angel of Death. If I disobeyed him and didn't heal his enforcer, I wouldn't be of any further use to him, and I would become one of his countless victims. Terror finally got my shaking legs to move. I stepped back like a doe ready to bolt to safety, but instead I ran into Jacques. There was no way I was getting out of here.

Elena clasped my arm gently. I looked at her wildly; I'd forgotten she was even here. "Serenity, please, you can do this." Her soft voice couldn't douse the panic flickering inside me, ready to explode into an inferno.

Angelo stepped around the bed like a panther stalking his prey. I could barely breathe. God, he was going to bite me again, rip my throat out until I looked like the poor man on the bed .

I wriggled my arm free from Elena and stood there quivering, a lamb ready to be slaughtered.

His eyes burning red, he grabbed my shoulders firmly. It was enough to startle me out of panic, but not enough to cause pain. Why were his eyes red? Was he going to suck my blood again?

"You need to believe in yourself, Serenity. You can do this." He stepped aside, clearing a path to the injured man.

If I didn't at least try, I knew my punishment would be even greater. I had no choice but to indulge in his delusion.

I forced my wobbly legs to move closer to the man and stretched out my trembling hand. I drew on my power—power that I knew wasn't strong enough to heal him. But I wouldn't give up. That wasn't in my nature. Even if this man was a vampire and had committed unspeakable acts, he didn't deserve to suffer like this.

Squeezing my eyes, I placed my palm on his arm. As I feared, nothing happened.

Please please please help him

I repeated the words in my mind, calling out to that small healing ability I had, but I was met with silence. Just as I was about to give up, a quiver rippled through me, starting at the base of my spine and spreading through me like wildfire. Nothing like this had ever happened before.

The tingling sensation danced across my skin, growing stronger with each passing second. I wanted to pull my hand away, but something kept it locked to the man's arm. Something was pulling the power out of me, something unknown, something that terrified me. Warmth rushed over me as if I was bathed in sunlight. But then my teeth chattered, and my body shook violently and uncontrollably. Tears streamed down my face and wetness gushed from my nose. Unable to control my movements any longer, I snapped my head back as the overpowering energy flowed through me.

Strong arms caught me and lifted me off the ground.

"See what you did?" Angelo whispered in my ear. I couldn't tell if he was angry or disappointed or happy.

Gasping for breath, I opened my eyes. The man had stopped bleeding and making that horrible gurgling noise. His chest moved up and then down, and I thought it looked like he could breathe normally, but I wasn't sure. His white, ashen color had faded, replaced with a normal hue. Angelo guided me to a red velvet Queen Anne's chair that I hadn't even noticed was in the room and sat me down.

"I don't understand how I could have done this," I whispered. "I can't even heal myself."

Elena rushed out of the bathroom with wet towels and wiped away the dried and caked blood on his chest and neck. His gaping neck wound had healed, but he still had three nasty cuts across his chest. I trembled in the chair, wondering numbly if Angelo was going to beat me, because I had failed to heal Enzo completely.

Angelo took one of the damp towels and wiped the blood off my upper lip. "Does this usually happen when you heal someone?"

I frowned as I tried to process his unexpected question. "What?" The word fell from my lips, barely more than a breath, as I struggled to comprehend the sudden shift in his demeanor .

He reached out, his fingers surprisingly tender as they brushed against my skin, wiping away the dampness on my face. The gentleness of his touch sent a shiver down my spine, so unlike the fear and tension that had consumed me mere moments ago. I found myself leaning into his touch, craving the comfort it provided, even as another part of me recoiled at the thought of finding solace in my captor's touch.

As he withdrew his hand, I noticed the crimson stains on his fingertips. "Do you get a bloody nose after you heal someone?" he asked, his voice softer now, almost concerned.

I nodded. "Yes." It was all I could muster.

Please don't bite me again.

"You saved my enforcer's life." Angelo looked down at me, his face was still hard as a stone, not a crack of emotion coming through. "Not just my enforcer. My closest friend. I will not forget that."

I wasn't sure where this was going. "Meaning?"

"Meaning thank you. I am in your debt. Is there something I can do for you? Other than granting your freedom, of course. I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Please don't bite me again?" I whispered. The plea was worthless. He was an ancient vampire, and I was just food for him.

Elena blinked, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Angelo's look was calm, but there was a hardness there, the same hardness I had seen when he first attacked me. I had struck a nerve somehow, one that could involve punishment .

"I suggest you think of something else." Meaning he would feed on me at will?

I let the question that had been haunting me escape my lips: "How about information, then. Did you kill Detective Louis DuPont?"

He studied me curiously. "He's important to you?"

I hated giving him the slightest bit of intel about me, but I had to know that he hadn't killed that sweet man. "Yes. Did you?"

A small glimmer of surprise flickered in his gaze before his eyes hardened once again. "No, he's alive. He hasn't crossed me…yet."

My heart thudded as I took in his words, realizing that this powerful mobster and vampire had control over the life of a man I cared about deeply. I narrowed my eyes. "But if he does, his life is forfeit?" The sharp words stung my mouth like a wasp.

He held my gaze steadily, not saying a word. My blood thumped in my temples as I waited for his answer. Finally?—

"He will pay the ultimate price, yes." His words cut through the tense silence like a knife.

A twinge of anger pricked me at the unfairness of it all. "He's a cop. You're a mobster and a vampire. Of course he's going to cross you."

A slight smirk formed on his lips. "Detective DuPont and I have played this game of chess together for quite some time. The only thing that would cost him his life would be if he tried to take you from me."

With Angelo threatening another person that I cared about, now both Joy's and her father's lives were at stake. I sagged in defeat, refusing to cry, much as I wanted to.

"Is there anything else you desire? Something I can actually grant you?" His offhanded question sent rage swirling through me. Two could play this game. I'd make him think that I was a meek and mild victim.

I swallowed back a sharp retort and instead forced a demure smile, trying to mask the turmoil raging inside me. "Could I please have a small television in my room?" My voice sounded distant, as if it belonged to someone else. I looked down at my trembling hands, still stained with Enzo's blood. The crimson streaks stood out starkly against my pale skin, reminding me of the horror I had just experienced.

My gaze then drifted to my blue sundress, once a symbol of innocence, now marred with the same sickening red. The blood had smeared across the fabric, leaving what looked like macabre finger-painted flowers. The sight made my stomach turn, and I fought the urge to rip the dress from my body.

"And I need to take a shower right now," I added, my voice barely audible. I couldn't bear to look at the blood any longer, couldn't stand the feel of it drying on my skin. I needed to wash it away to cleanse myself of the physical reminders of the nightmare—even though I knew no matter how hard I scrubbed, the memory of healing Enzo would be forever etched into my mind.

Angelo's face softened. "I'll escort you to your room." He turned to Jacques. "Send someone to purchase a television for Serenity."

Jacques immediately left to carry out the order .

I glanced up at Angelo's wooden face. He wasn't looking at me, but at the man stretched out on the bed. I couldn't believe he had granted my small request so quickly. Maybe this was my way out. If I continued to please him, maybe…just maybe…he would grant me my freedom.