10. What Have I Done?

TEN

what have i done?

Alexander drinks two bottles of goat's blood before moving to one of the couches in the living area.

"Did you like the taste?" I ask, sitting next to him.

"It was…drinkable," he repeats my words from earlier.

No one in the house is speaking, no doubt terrified Alexander will hear. Not speaking aloud doesn't make any difference. He can hear our thoughts. I work on keeping my mind clear of thoughts that aren't about what's happening at the moment.

"Would you like to play a game?" Amelia asks.

Alexander turns toward me. "Would you care to hear my plan?"

Every head in the house turns in our direction. "I would."

"Please turn off the television. I find it distracting." Alexander stands, moving away from the couch and me.

"Mother will have realized we're not coming back by now."

"Does that upset you?" Amelia asks.

"Not as much as it will upset her." He clasps his hands behind his back, standing perfectly still. "Mother doesn't think…rationally at times. She enjoys hurting others and my siblings."

"You don't?" Topher whispers.

"No. That's why I choose the ones that want to die or have done something bad to feed us."

"Like the man tonight?" Luna asks.

"Yes, like the man tonight." He looks at his feet. "When Mother took them, she crossed the line." The lycan share a look.

"The children from the restaurant?" I confirm.

He nods. "I suggested we take the old man who was having sexual thoughts about one of the princesses and several of the younger girls. She didn't listen. She wanted them."

"What happened to them ?" Micah asks.

Alexander clears his throat. "They were disposed of."

Tears well in my eyes with his words. The thought of those terrified children and the last thing they saw before dying breaks my heart.

"My sisters and I refused to eat from them."

"Did Mother notice?" Amelia asks .

"She was angry. She tried to force us to eat." He looks at me. "That's why she sent me with you tonight. As punishment. I was supposed to kill you before returning home with our meal."

"Why didn't you?" she continues.

"Because Mother is wrong. The vampire children…they're not natural. I'm not natural."

"We found Gretchen," I say without thinking.

Alexander closes his eyes. "Gretchen needed to die." He looks at Amelia. "You killed her." His words are more of a statement, than a question.

"She didn't feel any pain."

"Thank you," he answers. His words surprise me. "She's not the only one who needs to die."

"What's your plan?" Fynn interrupts.

"We go back to the church and take her with us." He nods toward Luna.

"Me?" Luna asks.

"Mother will think she's our meal."

"Patrice will recognize that Luna's a lycan," Topher interrupts. "I will not put a member of my pack in danger."

"I won't let Mother have her," Alexander says. "I'm stronger than her."

"Are you stronger than the immortal children who you described as monsters?" Anger sounds through Topher's words.

"Most," he answers honestly. "Autumn and Everly will help. "

"Look, little man," Fynn says, moving closer to the boy. "I realize you think you're all big and bad, but Patrice is an old vam…" Faster than the blink of an eye, Alexander has Fynn against the wall of the house with his teeth inches away from the lycanthrope's neck.

"And you are a six-foot-five-inch lycanthrope who a child just overtook," Alexander slowly pulls away from Fynn's neck. "I am stronger than her and most of my siblings. With your help." He turns toward me. "My sisters and I will be able to kill them all."

I stare at the immortal child, both in awe and terror. No wonder immortal children are against the rules. This kid is terrifying.

"I'm terrifying?" he asks. His voice loses the threatening tone.

Shit. Shit. Shit. "Your power is terrifying. I'm in awe of your abilities." I stare at the young vampire, hoping my words are adequate.

"Thank you, Mommy," he answers. "Mother never feeds the children the same day we receive the food. She likes to let them sit for a few days. She says the terror they feel makes their blood taste better."

"Sick bitch," Thorne mumbles.

"While we wait to eat, I'll talk to Autumn and Everly and fill them in on the plan."

"This is the plan?" Topher asks.

"While you leave me locked in a room, waiting to become…to become food for immortal children va mpires, you're going to recruit your friends?" Luna asks.

"Yes," he answers simply.

"What if Patrice changes the plan and decides to feed me to her children tonight?"

"She won't. Mother likes to keep certain things the same. This is one rule she won't change."

"What's the plan after you get your sisters on board?" I ask.

Alexander smiles, and chill bumps cover my skin. "We will kill them all."

"This isn't a game, Alexander," Amelia scolds. Her boldness brings chill bumps to the surface.

"I'm not playing a game. There is simply no other way." He moves closer to Luna. "Are you ready, lycanthrope?" he asks Luna. "The longer we wait, the angrier she will become."

"How will you explain the fact that we're late? You said she will have already figured out we're not returning?" I slide away from the immortal child as I speak.

"Leave that to me." He turns toward Luna and repeats his words from earlier. "Are you ready?"

"I…I don't know if I want to be bait." Terror sounds through her voice. She turns toward the rest of the group. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Topher wraps his arm around her protectively.

"I'll go," Amelia interrupts. "I'm part lycan. My blood might fool her. "

"It won't," Alexander answers plainly. "You smell like a vampire, not like her." He nods at Luna. "It has to be the girl."

"What if we get the man from the beach?" I ask, hoping to spare Luna from the terror.

"Why are you questioning my plan, Mommy?"

"I'm not. It's just that Luna is my friend. I don't want anything to happen to her."

He sighs. "They all can come, but they have to stay far enough away that Mother won't sense them."

Luna's eyes close. "Okay," she whispers.

"You don't have to do this," Topher repeats his words from earlier.

"I know." She wipes a stray tear.

"Will Mother be upset that you didn't follow her orders? You're supposed to kill me."

Alexander shrugs. "I'll simply explain that there wasn't an opportunity and that I will take care of it after we eat."

"How do we get there?" Luna asks.

"We run of course." Alexander smiles with his answer. "I'll carry you."

"Give us a head start," Topher interrupts. "It'll take longer to drive there."

"I understand," Alexander answers. "Will ten minutes be adequate?"

"Not really," Fynn answers honestly.

"I'll go with you and wait for the lycan at a distance." Amelia stands, moving closer to her husband.

"Aye, me, too," Thorne agrees.

"That will be fine," Alexander agrees. I'm not sure who put him in charge, but no one is questioning his control.

"If something happens to any of them…" Topher doesn't finish his statement directed toward the immortal child. He follows Micah and Fynn to the awaiting SUV. They speed out of the driveway, heading toward the abandoned church.

We sit in silence, waiting for the second hand to move slowly on the clock. Exactly ten minutes later, Alexander moves toward the door. "Are you ready?"

"Is no, an acceptable answer?" Luna says, with an awkward laugh.

"You will be safe," he says, as Luna approaches.

"No offense, but you're half my size. Are you sure you can carry me?"

He lifts her and throws her over his shoulder like she weighs nothing. "Are we ready?"

"After you." I motion to the stairs, and the rest of us follow the boy down the stairs. Once we're on the road, we begin moving at vampire speed, heading toward the worst plan ever.

Several miles away from the church, Alexander stops in the middle of the tree-lined road. "This is as far as you can go," he warns Amelia and Thorne. "She'll sense you if you come any closer. "

"Oh, dear God, I feel sick. Is this how you people move all the time?" Luna dry heaves from Alexander's shoulder. "Set me down, please." He follows her request, and Luna falls to the ground. She sits cross-legged on the grass, lowering her head to her ankles. "If the immortal children don't kill me, the mode of transportation will."

"We must go," he reminds everyone. "There is no time to waste."

Luna stands, wobbling slightly. "Okay. I'm ready."

Alexander pulls a piece of rope from his coat pocket, wrapping it around the lycanthrope's wrists, along with a piece of fabric, covering her eyes before picking her back up and moving quickly to the church. "She knows we're here," he announces. "Stay by my side. Act scared," he whispers to Luna.

"That won't be a stretch," Luna whispers back.

He opens the door to an empty room. "Where is everyone?" I ask.

"In their rooms." We move through the remnants of the sanctuary to the hallway door. Patrice is standing at the end of the hallway.

"What took so long?" she asks with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hello, Mother. The one we found got away," Alexander answers. "We found this one in his place."

Patrice sniffs the air. "It's not a human."

"I know." He smiles .

"We thought you might enjoy the blood of a lycanthrope," I answer for him.

Patrice smiles. "It's been ages since I've tasted lycan blood. Where did you find this one?" She moves closer.

"At the beach," he answers. "It took a while to catch her."

"She smells wonderful ."

I can feel Luna's fear from here.

"You know where to put her." Patrice claps her hands. "She'll marinate well. I'll forgive you for your indiscretion , Alexander."

"Thank you, Mother." He opens a door to our right. The smell of rotting flesh and mold slaps me in the face. He begins moving down a set of stairs with Luna still thrown over his shoulder. "Alexander!" I scream through my mind. He stops, turning toward me. "We can't leave her down here." He nods and continues moving, ignoring my words. Damp soil makes up the floor of the basement. Four freshly dug mounds of dirt are in the back corner. No doubt, they hold the bodies of previous victims.

He moves to the corner on the opposite side, setting Luna on the only dry ground in the basement. "She won't have to be here long," he speaks through my mind like it's something we've done all along.

"One minute is too long." Tears stream down Luna's cheeks, and I fight the urge to free her.

Alexander moves to a shelf, pulling out an antique lantern and lighting it. He sets it next to Luna and draws a line in the soil surrounding her. "Take her blindfold off," he demands.

I follow directions and move in front of her. "Don't react," I whisper into her ear. She takes a deep breath and nods. Lifting the blindfold, I make sure she sees my face before anything else in the basement. I mouth the words in silence that I whispered seconds earlier. Her eyes close as tears drip from them. Slowly, I step away from my lycan friend, allowing her to see the horror of the space she's in.

Luna sucks in a breath, biting her lip to hold in her reaction. Alexander points at the hastily drawn line and then motions the room around her. I don't understand what he's trying to tell her, but Luna nods in understanding.

"What does this line mean?" I ask.

"She's safe if she stays inside." He holds a finger to his lips, warning Luna to stay quiet before he turns, moving to the stairs. I link my fingers through Luna's and squeeze before following him. Once the door is closed, Luna's silent whimpers pound through my mind. She's terrified. If anything happens to her, I'm responsible.

"If something happens to her, I will make sure everyone in this building is dead," I warn. "Everyone."

"I understand."

"Is our meal marinating?" Patrice asks, standing in the same spot as earlier.

"She is, Mother. Where are my sisters? "

Patrice looks down. "In their rooms, where you should be."

"The lycan are here," Thorne says through our connection. "Is Luna okay?"

"Physically, yes. Mentally, I don't know."

"Amelia and I are closer than the lycan. We can be inside in less than a second." He pauses. "I love you, acushla."

"I love you, too."

"It's time to go into your room, Mommy," Alexander says.

"Yes, it is. Thank you, Alexander. I enjoyed hunting with you today."

The vampire boy turns, entering a door not far from the basement.

"He is such a sweet boy," Patrice says, moving into a room next to where she's standing.

"He is," I whisper before going to the room I spent several hours in earlier. The smell of sulfur slaps me in the face, reminding me of the never-ending connection between Kragen and the insanity of my life.

Sliding to the floor, my mind won't stop thinking of my friend, tied up in the basement. Did I just sacrifice her to a horde of immortal children? Is Alexander playing a game, tricking all of us? Holy shit, this is a nightmare.

"Rest, Mommy. I'm not playing a game." Alexander's voice echoes through my mind. Now, my thoughts aren't even my own.