11.

A KSEL

I awoke with a blinding pain in my head, and when I tried to move, I found that it made the pain even worse. I stayed still as I took an inventory of my surroundings and found that I was in a confined space that was completely dark. My arms were spread out and tied painfully at the wrist, which made it impossible for me to turn over.

“Don’t worry, Aksel,” I heard Neema whisper. For a second, I wondered if she was speaking to my mind, something that I had worked hard to learn to block over the years just so I could have a modicum of privacy from the other powerful beings around me. When she spoke again, I realized that her voice was coming from just outside my prison, and in the background, I could hear the moans and whimpers of others who were in obvious pain. “Help is on the way, my friend.”

“Stassi,” I tried to say, but it came out more like a moan.

“She’s in here too,” Neema whispered. “I will check on her along with the others.”

“The others?” I asked.

“I believe Cas managed to escape, but no one else.”

“Run.”

“There’s a barrier spell I can’t get past. I came in with all of you and can’t get out.”

“Be careful. Help Stassi.”

“Of course.”

◆◆◆

STASSI

I came awake gradually but had the presence of mind to remain completely still in case there was someone watching me. I could vaguely remember being carried through a doorway and then down a long and brightly lit hallway, but I wasn’t sure where I had been taken before or after I came awake and then lost consciousness again.

I was terrified but tried very hard to regulate my breathing and heart rate, knowing that other supernaturals could pick up on those things very easily and would then know that I was awake. While I laid still, I assessed my surroundings and listened for movement around me. When I didn’t hear anyone or sense any danger nearby, I stretched out my legs until my feet hit something hard and metal. I used that leverage to push up, and when my head hit another set of bars, I realized I was in some sort of cage that wasn’t even as long as I was tall.

The memory of my mother in much the same type of enclosure made my eyes fly open, and then a sob escaped when I saw the bars just a few inches above my face. I didn’t even have to try and lift my hands to know that they were cuffed to the sides, not that it mattered since there wasn’t enough room for me to cross my arm over my chest for any reason anyway.

A flood of emotions came over me - shame, guilt, terror, and, worst of all, resignation. I was ashamed that for all these years, I’d thought I’d killed everyone that had held my parents captive, then there was guilt at the thought of how my mother had felt confined to such a small space while I was just a few feet away and able to pace around my enclosure, terror at the thought of being stuck here until my death just like she was, and resignation when I realized that even if Cas was able to bring help, there was no one strong enough to take on such evil.

“Stop that,” I heard Genji say angrily. I turned my head and found her just a few feet away in the same type of enclosure, but instead of defeated tears in her eyes, I saw blazing anger. “You will not give up, youngling.” She scoffed before she said, “As if this is the most dangerous situation you will encounter in your life.”

“There’s no way out of here, Genji.”

“Then how did you escape the first time?”

“My mother’s power helped me.”

“The power she transferred to you?” Genji interrupted.

“You’re one of the ancient ones, Genji. If you’re stuck, we’re all stuck!”

“They’ve given me tainted blood to weaken me, sweetheart. Whoever is holding us knows exactly who we are.”

“All of us?”

“I don’t know where the men are, but I can tell by looking at you that you’re not poisoned. They either want you awake and alert for whatever they have planned or they’ve underestimated you, Stassi. Either way, use that to your advantage.”

“Neema . . .”

“I have no idea where she is,” Genji whispered in a heartbroken voice. “They separated the men and women, and she’s not with us.”

“Cas tried to fly away, but I’m not sure if he made it or not.”

“Look around you, Stassi. Do you recognize any of this?”

“This cage is exactly like the one they kept my mother in for years on end,” I admitted with a sob. I turned my head the other direction and saw a small and dimly lit room. I could sense that there were people around us, but I couldn’t see them and wondered why they were hiding in the shadows. Finally, I asked, “Who is out there?”

“No! Come back!” someone whispered frantically before a child suddenly stepped out of the shadows.

I had a few seconds to study him, just like he was doing to me, before he finally said, “Hi.”

With tears in my voice, I smiled and softly said, “Hello.”

“Who are you?” the little boy asked.

“Who are you?”

“I asked you first.”

“I’m Anastacia. What’s your name?”

“Nate.” He looked beyond me to ask. “Who is that?”

“Her name is Genji.”

“That’s a funny name,” Nate said before he giggled. “I like it.”

“How old are you, Nate?” I asked. He shrugged his shoulders, so I asked, “Where is your mom?” When he shrugged again, I had to fight back a fresh round of tears before I asked, “Who is hiding in the shadows?”

A young girl, not more than twelve or thirteen, who was holding a baby on her hip, walked out of the darkness and stood beside Nate before she said, “I’m Kiera.”

I was horrified at the thought but I had to ask, “Is that your baby?”

“No!” The young woman laughed. “This is Emorett.”

“Where are your parents?”

“I don’t know. I think Father cast a spell to make me forget them, but I dream about them sometimes.”

“How old are you, Kiera?”

“I was eleven when I came here, but I don’t know how long ago that was.”

“Who is keeping us here?” Genji asked. When I looked over at her, I realized that her expression wasn’t angry anymore. It terrified me to realize that such a powerful woman was suddenly afraid. “What is his name?”

“Agmund.” Genji gasped, but Kiera continued, “He said we have to call him Father.”

“Is he their father?” I asked.

“I think so.” Kiera looked over her shoulder and said, “Come on.”

Two more children walked out of the shadows. A little girl wrapped her arm around Kiera’s leg and peeked around her to study me, but the other little girl didn’t stop until she was standing next to Nate.”

“Hi there,” I whispered as I tried to smile at her. “What’s your name?”

“That’s Natalia. I think Nate and Natalia are twins because she’ll only talk to him.” Suddenly, the little girl laughed out loud, and Nate started laughing too. “Sometimes, it’s a little creepy.”

“And the other little girl?” I asked.

“This is Jana,” Kiera said as she rested her hand on the little girl’s head.

“Are there any other women here?” Genji asked.

“There were two. Now I think there’s only one, but I’m not sure where they’re gonna keep her since you’re in their enclosures.”

“Who is ‘they’?”

“The monsters!” Nate whispered before he looked over at the door as if he expected them to come walking in at any second.

“They’ll come get us in a few minutes,” Kiera said with no fear at all. “It’s almost dawn.”

“They take you outside in the sun?”

“Oh, I’m not a vampire. Agmund’s witch said that I was too young for him to transform me, thank the Gods!”

“What are you?”

“I’m a witch,” Kiera said with a grin.

“And what are they?” Genji asked.

“I don’t know,” Kiera admitted. She lifted up the baby’s foot and spun the anklet she was wearing before she said, “I think these stop them from shifting somehow. I can feel a spell in them.”

“Where do you go when they take you out of here?”

Kiera rolled her eyes and said, “School.”

“They take you to school? In town?” I asked sharply.

“No, I have a tutor. I think they take the kids somewhere else to play, but I’m not sure. When they come back, they’re sweaty and tired like they’ve been running wild. That’s why I think they let them shift.”

“What is going on here?” Genji whispered.

“Do they feed you?”

“They do. We even get a snack before bed. The kids get a blood bag and . . .”

“They’re vampires?” I whispered in horror.

Kiera shrugged her shoulders and said, “I guess so.”

“Holy shit,” Genji and I said at the same time.

“How long have you been here Kiera?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I outgrew my shoes, so they had to bring me more.”

“Do you want to leave?” I asked.

“Of course!” Kiera insisted. “He said that when my magic gets stronger, he’s going to make me a shifter, but I don’t want him to.”

“Are you able to remember what your life was like before this?” Genji asked.

“Not really. I remember a lake with lots of trees and . . .” Kiera concentrated for a second before she said, “There were pink curtains with big white flowers in my bedroom.”

“Can you do anything, Genji?” I asked.

Suddenly, Natalia and Nate started to growl low in their throat, and Nate took a few steps back before he bared his teeth and let out a roar. I felt a change in the air right before Kiera asked, “Who’s there?”

I felt a soft breath next to my ear before I heard Neema’s voice whisper, “Are you okay, Stassi?”

“Yes! Where is Aksel?”

“He’s a prisoner, but he’s alive and well along with Adair,” Neema whispered.

“Oh, my friend, I was so worried about you, but I should have known you’d land on your feet,” Genji said with a weak laugh. “Go get us help.”

“The perimeter is spelled, and I can’t leave,” Neema said.

“Who is talking?” Kiera asked. “Is that a ghost? I read a book about one and have always thought it would be so cool to live in a haunted mansion!”

“Can we trust her?” Neema asked.

“I can’t sense any artifice in her, but she’s young,” Genji replied.

“I don’t think we should.”

“I agree,” Neema whispered. “Genji is weakened. I can sense it. How do you feel, Stassi?”

“I’m . . .” I gasped when I realized that there wasn’t any pain in my body other than my wrists where I’d tugged against the cuffs. “I’m fine! There’s still a pull, but it’s not bad at all. The hole that I felt deep inside is filled now.”

“She’s here somewhere,” Genji whispered in awe.

“Anna?” I asked.

“You know my teacher?” Kiera asked cheerfully. “Isn’t she the greatest?”

“Your teacher’s name is Anna?”

“Yeah. She was in here with us for a little while, but then they realized she was sick with something that won’t ever get better, so they found something else for her to do.”

“Something else other than what?”

Kiera laughed and said, “I really don’t know!”

“She’s just a child,” Genji whispered with tears in her voice. “She has no idea.”

Suddenly, the light in the room got brighter, and the toddlers started rushing around in excitement. The baby in her arms began to squirm, so Kiera set her down on the floor at her feet.

“Kiera, you said that they should be coming for you soon, right?”

“Yes. The lights come on just a few minutes before they open the door.”

“Has Anna ever spoken about someone named Ivan?”

“Ivan is her mate. She misses him so much it makes her sick.”

“You want to leave this place?” Genji asked.

“I want to go to school and have friends like the kids on television,” Kiera said wistfully. “Agmund said that I can’t ever leave because the people in the world won’t understand me like he does.”

I heard Genji growl as Neema made a hissing sound and knew they understood that Agmund was grooming Kiera.

“Do you like Agmund?” I asked. “Do you trust him?”

“No,” Kiera whispered. “There’s something about him that . . . Anna said I should be very careful when I’m near him.”

I heard footsteps in the hallway and hurriedly whispered, “Tell Anna that Genji is here. She knows her and will understand what that means.”

“What does that mean? You’re stuck here too.”

“Just tell her that we are here, but do it carefully so that no one gets suspicious that we’re trying to communicate with her.”

“I’ll go with the girl,” Neema whispered.

I felt a slight breeze and knew that Neema was moving away from us, especially when Nate started growling again.

“Stay away from the little ones, Neema. They’ll give you away,” Genji whispered right before the door opened.

I craned my neck to see who was in the doorway but only got the impression of a large shifter of some type that was covered in hair but stood on two legs. Natalia and Jana cowered behind Kiera as she picked the baby up from the floor, and Nate started growling again.

The person . . . animal . . . thing - I had no idea what to call it - didn’t speak, just beckoned the children to come with him, and they did so without looking back, walking out of the room as if in a trance.

Once the door shut again, Genji whispered, “I have a very bad feeling about the situation we’ve found ourselves in.”

The fact that the usually self-confident vampire who had more experience and power in her little finger than most beings on earth seemed afraid absolutely terrified me, but instead of letting that take over, I pushed the fear down and made a conscious decision to stay positive.

I told myself that Cas had escaped and didn’t let myself even entertain the thought that he was a prisoner too. I tried very hard to believe that he was busy rallying the troops right now and getting ready to storm the place and rescue all of us.

And the second he did, I was going to burn it down just like I had done to the compound where I lived as a child