Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

H e really was an asshole, Jill thought as she stumbled out of the closet and managed to grab onto the doorframe before her legs gave out. Closing her eyes, she slowly exhaled as she willed her trembling legs to move only to drop her forehead against the doorframe when another wave of dizziness threatened to drop her on her ass and-

“You need to eat, Angel,” came the softly spoken words from what sounded like a speaker that had her sighing.

“Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” Jill said, tightening her hold around the doorframe as she struggled to ignore the pain radiating from the last “demonstration.”

Slowly exhaling, Jill opened her eyes and used her hold on the doorframe as she forced her legs to move. She ignored the cramps tearing through her legs, the pounding at the back of her skull and the nausea that was making it worse and focused on making it to the bathroom and-

That was enough.

Right now, she didn’t want to think about how she got here, the fact that she’d died or that her worst nightmare had come true. She just wanted to focus on this one completely mundane task before she had to face reality. So, with that, Jill slid her hand from the doorframe onto the wall and kept moving, forcing one foot in front of the other as she focused on the doorframe only a few feet away and-

Released a groan when the move caused her legs to give out and dropped her on her ass with a pained grunt. Closing her eyes, Jill fisted her hands against the carpet as she tried to push herself back up only to have a wave of nausea keep her where she was. Biting back a curse, she slumped against the wall and swallowed hard as she willed her stomach to calm down. When that didn’t work, Jill dropped her head back against the wall and slowly exhaled.

“You shouldn’t need to feed this soon,” Logan murmured, sounding thoughtful while she debated pointing out that it probably had something to do with his lackey torturing her only to decide against it. Thanks to Candy, she knew better than to let anyone know how they could hurt her. That was one lesson that her mother taught her that she would never forget.

Needing something else to focus on other than the fact that she felt like she was dying, Jill opened her eyes only to immediately close them when the soft overhead light sent sharp pain tearing through her head. At least the excruciating pain tearing through her head was stopping her from having a nervous breakdown, Jill thought, feeling her lips twitch only to follow that up with a wince when the move somehow managed to send more pain shooting through her skull.

When the sound of someone walking into the room tore through her head, Jill found herself wondering if she was on the verge of bloodlust. That was followed by feeling like she was going to be sick when a heavy metallic odor teased her seconds before what felt like a plastic straw was pressed against her lips.

“It’s only going to get worse.”

She really didn’t think that she could handle much more of this, Jill thought as she reluctantly parted her lips and began pulling at the straw. That was followed by gagging when the cold, thick, metallic liquid hit her tongue. Remembering all those horror stories that she’d heard about bloodlust over the years from her father and a few vampires at the Sentinel compound, Jill forced herself to swallow.

Within seconds, she felt warmth spread through her stomach, chasing away the nausea before it spread throughout her body, taking away her pain with every mouthful of blood that she forced herself to swallow. She barely managed to get out the sigh of relief when she felt a surge of energy spread up her spine, down her limbs and to her fingertips as a tingling sensation spread through her gums before destroying her last hope that this was all just a bad dream.

She felt a slight shift in her teeth before she felt two sharp points tear through her gums so quickly that she barely had a chance to register the pain. Slowly exhaling, Jill ran her tongue over her teeth and swallowed hard when she came across the first fang. The second one had her hands clenching into fists as she opened her eyes and found herself looking at the asshole.

“The fridge has been stocked with blood,” Logan’s henchman said, pulling the cup away as his gaze flickered to his right.

Jill followed the move and noted the camera had been fixed. That was followed by watching his gaze flicker to the thick metal cuff wrapped around her ankle before his gaze met hers. She watched as his eyes flickered silver, letting her know everything that she needed to know.

He wanted to press the button, but he couldn’t, not as long as Logan was watching.

That was good to know, Jill decided, keeping her eyes on him as she stood up, watching the way that his gaze flickered to the camera before focusing back on her as she stepped into the bathroom, dragging the chain with her. When he didn’t move to stop her, Jill closed the door behind her, absently noting that the chain fit beneath the door.

She didn’t bother locking the door since she knew that it was pointless. Instead, Jill took in the large bathroom, from the oversized soaking tub in the middle of the room to the large shower in the corner and the black marble-topped vanity sinks while she searched for any signs of a camera. When she didn’t see any, she made her way to the sink, the sounds of her chain sliding against the tiled floor accompanying the move and…

“What the hell did he do to me?” Jill found herself wondering as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.

She just…

She just needed a minute, Jill thought, placing her hands on the counter as she closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. She could handle this, she told herself with a firm nod as she tightened her hold around the counter and opened her eyes. For a moment, she stared at the pair of silver eyes staring back at her before she slowly parted her lips and-

“Oh, God…” Jill mumbled hollowly as her legs threatened to give out when she spotted two white fangs in her mouth. Closing her eyes, Jill took a deep breath before she slowly exhaled and nodded her head once because she could do this. After one last deep breath, Jill opened her eyes and took in the proof that Jill Williams was finally gone.

Her long hair that had once been a deep red was now a dark brown, almost black, and ended with light curls. Her once alabaster skin that refused to tan no matter how many hours she’d spent by pool when she was a teenager was now a golden tan. And her blue eyes? Jill wondered as she watched the silver in her eyes slowly fade away, revealing intense green eyes similar to the ones that had been haunting her dreams for the past two years.

They were gone.

For a moment, Jill stood there, wondering if they did this to her. She released her hold on the counter to move her hair out of the way, looking at her roots for any signs of her red hair. When she didn’t find any red hair, Jill leaned closer to the mirror and looked at her eyes for any signs that she was wearing contacts. She blinked her eyes slowly and when she didn’t feel anything, she focused on her skin. She searched for uneven streaks on her face, neck and arms before she pulled the emerald nightgown away from her body so that she could look down and-

Quickly came to the decision that something went very wrong with her transition. For a moment, Jill stood there, staring down at the breasts that were definitely bigger than they used to be. She’d never heard of anyone changing during a vampire transition, but that was a problem for another time.

Right now, she had other things to focus on, like getting the hell out of here. With that in mind, Jill dropped her hand away and decided to have a better look at her new accommodations. She glanced back at the bathroom door, and when Logan’s henchman that she’d affectionately nicknamed Asshole, didn’t break down the door, Jill shifted her focus to the drawers in the bathroom sink.

Jill quickly checked the drawers and when she didn’t find anything, she checked the medicine cabinet, the shower, and finally, the closet, only to find everything empty. Debating her next move, Jill glanced back at the bathroom door only to take in the chain running across the tiled floor that ended with the metal cuff attached to her leg and decided to have a better look.

After one last glance at the door, Jill placed her foot on the edge of the large tub and shifted so that she could get a better look. When she didn’t see anything promising, she reached down and carefully grabbed hold of the metal cuff and slowly turned it around, looking for a keyhole or anything that she could pick only there was nothing. Biting back a curse, she ran her fingertips over the smooth metal, searching for where the cuff opened only to realize that it was part of the latch where the chain attached to the cuff along with several wires, taking away any hope that she’d had of prying the cuff off her leg.

That didn’t leave her with a lot of options, Jill thought as she reluctantly dropped her foot to the floor and found herself focusing on the bathroom door. The first thing that she was going to have to do was get past Logan’s henchman. She still wasn’t sure what he was yet, but she’d figure it out as she went. Right now, her biggest problem was Logan.

Slowly exhaling, Jill made her way back to the bathroom door, and after a slight hesitation, she opened the door. As she made her way back into the large bedroom, she noted that Logan’s henchman was nowhere to be seen as she took in all the changes that had been made while she was locked in the closet. The battered nightstands had been replaced along with the chair and all the damage to the walls had been fixed. Still wondering about that, Jill made her way to the bedroom door so that she could have a better look at her new prison.

“Done wallowing in self-pity already?” Logan drawled from wherever he was watching her as she stepped into a large living room.

“For now,” Jill said absently as she took in the empty room from the black shades that matched the ones in the bedroom, the large staircase to her right, and the kitchen on the other side of the large living room before she shifted her focus to what she was really hoping was the front door and couldn’t help but wonder something. “Where’s your henchman?”

“Gray?” Logan asked, sounding amused. “He’s going to be busy with something else for a while. I’m afraid that you’ll have to survive without him.”

“I’m devastated,” Jill said dryly as she made her way past the stairs and headed for the door only to sigh when the chain stopped her before she reached it.

“You really didn’t think that I would make it that easy, did you?”

No, she didn’t, but she had to try, Jill thought as she slowly turned around and took in the cameras in the room watching her every move. “What is he?” Jill asked as she glanced back at the camera above the door.

“Planning on killing him?” Logan asked, sounding bored as she shifted her focus to the hallway on her right.

“Yes,” Jill said as she moved to head down that hallway and was taken by surprise when the chain suddenly went lax. Curious about that, Jill moved to head towards the door again only to have the chain pull tight.

“He’s a shifter,” Logan said as Jill stepped back and took a step towards the hallway only to feel the chain instantly go lax on her again, letting her know that the floor was probably lined with sensors.

“Good to know,” Jill murmured absently as she made her way down the long hallway, only to pause to explore a bathroom, an empty linen closet, and three empty bedrooms before she turned around and made her way back to the living room.

“You want to tell me what he did to piss you off?” Logan asked as she made her way to the stairs.

“Not really, no,” Jill said as she caught the unmistakable scent of chlorine. “Where are you?”

“Miss me, Angel?” Logan asked as she made her way down a small hallway and into a large room with a pool that took up most of the room and noted that the back wall was lined with the same black shades as the ones downstairs.

“Just want to know how long I have to escape,” Jill said, slowly making her way around the large pool as a soft hum filled the room followed by a click as the black shade slowly began to recede, leaving behind an unbelievable view of Central Park below.

“You’re not worried about the men I have guarding the door?” Logan asked as Jill turned around and made her way back the way she came, dragging her chain behind her as she went.

“That depends,” Jill said as she made her way downstairs.

“On?” Logan drawled as she made her way to the kitchen, absently noting that the black shades were gone, and began searching the drawers and cabinets only to find a single row of glasses, a refrigerator filled with bagged blood, a notepad on the counter, and nothing else.

“Write down what you need and I’ll have my men get it for you.”

“How many men are stationed at the door and what are they?” Jill asked as she gave up her search of the kitchen and made her way down the hallway, past an empty dining room, another bathroom, and finally, to a large bedroom at the end of the hallway.

“Two demons,” Logan admitted, which wasn’t exactly helpful. She knew how to deal with vampires and shifters, but with demons, she could be dealing with anything.

“Are you going to tell me how to get past them?” Jill asked, taking in the only other room in the penthouse that was furnished.

“And make this easy? I would never forgive myself,” Logan drawled as Jill took in the leather chair in the corner, the large bed in the middle of the room and the bureau before shifting her focus to the three doors in the room.

Jill noted the cameras mounted on the walls as she made her way to the first door and opened it to find a large bathroom with what looked like Logan’s toiletries on the counter. Wondering if one of those items in question was a razor, Jill moved to take a closer look only to sigh when her chain stopped her.

Turning around, Jill made her way back into the bedroom and headed for the next door. She opened it to find it filled with expensively tailored suits and nothing that she could use at the moment. Closing the door, Jill headed for the next door only to have her chain once again go taut, letting her know everything that she needed to know.

She needed to get her hands on whatever was behind that door.

“So, what’s the plan?” Jill asked as she made her way back to the living room.

“Revenge. What else?” Logan said while Jill debated her next move.

“And where do I fit in this revenge scheme of yours?” Jill asked as her gaze shifted back down to the cuff wrapped around her ankle.

“You don’t,” Logan said, taking her by surprise.

“Meaning?” Jill asked as she took another look around the living room only to go still at his next words.

“That as soon as I figure out how to remove my mark from your neck, I’m handing you back to the Sentinels.”