Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

SANCHITA

D amn this dress, damn these shoes, and damn it all.

All hell had broken loose, and when I mean hell . . . I mean literal hell. How could Marius have done this? Attacking the crown and the Blood Borns was signing a death sentence for any of the Night Spawn involved. My heart hammered in my chest, and I knew I was in deep shit. I wasn't where I belonged, but I didn't know the way out.

"Come on this way!" Marius yelled ahead of me. A sea of Night Spawn vampires followed in his wake as he darted down dark tunnels leading from the castle. I didn't want to be here, didn't want to be a part of this, but I'd been swept away with the tide of traitors. One of his lackeys had a hold of my arm and dragged me along.I'd gotten separated from Prisha in the attack, and now I was in the bowels of the castle in a tunnel that looked like it hadn't been used in centuries. There was no light, dust was thick on the floor, and giant spiderwebs hung overhead. The tunnel smelled of damp earth, coppery blood, and sweat.

I jerked against the pinching grip. "Let me go!"

My voice echoed off the rough cave-like walls surrounding me. The beefy vampire beside me jerked me closer to him and lowered his voice to a hiss. His face was large and square-like with beady eyes and fat lips. "Walk."

He shoved me forward and I stumbled into someone's back. I spun around and shoved my hands into his shoulders . . . he didn't budge. Even with my vampire strength, he didn't move. He glared down at me and grabbed my arms, lifting me off my feet. My heels slipped off and clattered to the floor. My legs swung there, and I wanted to kick him in the groin, but I froze.

"Drop her." There it was. That smooth, confident voice I'd grown familiar with over the years.

Instantly my feet hit the ground and the pinching grip left my skin. I tugged my dress back into place and tried to dust myself off. When I looked up, Marius stood before me. He was much taller than me, with wavy brown hair that fell to his chin and a scraggly goatee. He wore that same damn leather jacket with the thick fur lapel. His eyes bore into mine as he spoke. "You're either with us or against us."

Against . . . definitely against . But I needed to buy myself time to find a way out of this and away from him. "I don't even know what this or us is."

"This is the future," he whispered from low in his throat and moved only inches from me. His hot breath fanned over my face. His dark eyes were wild with excitement. "I am the future."

Voices sounded from behind us, and I knew in moments the guards would be at our throats. Marius stepped back and glared over my shoulder. "We must away. Come."

I hesitated, trying to find a tacticto get away from him without losing my head. When I didn't answer right that second, he leaned away from me. His eyes blazed with fury. His lip curled into a cruel sneer. "You aren't ready for the future. And if you aren't ready for the future, you'll die in the past."

"I— I . . ." The voices grew closer and panic ran through my body.

Marius didn't say another word, he just turned away from me with his long leather coat billowing out around him. His wave of Night Spawn closed in behind him, following him. With their vampire speed they darted deeper into the tunnel leaving a slight breeze and the smell of blood in their wake. I sagged against the wall and sucked in a deep breath. Darkness swallowed me, but with my vampire senses, I could see in the dank cave.

Three soldiers appeared around me. One stood in front of me. He was large and imposing with big muscles and the look of a soldier who'd been living that lifestyle for an eternity. His jaw was square and bulky. He had a flat nose and dark, almond-shaped eyes. Before I could say a word, he grabbed my arm and spun me around, shoving me into the wall. Rough rocks scratched against my skin. If I were human, I'd be bruised all over.

"You're hurting."

Thick cuffs were wrapped around my wrists and leather binding curled my fingers into a tight fist. My fingers went numb, and my instincts screamed for me to fight against the pinching hold. I held as still as I could. The King's Guard was not to be trifled with. I knew it, everyone knew it. Everyone but Marius it seemed. The guard yanked me back and shoved me toward two others. Each took one of my arms and lifted me up off the ground and carried me down the hall.

"I didn't do anything." Panic made my voice sound higher than it really was, and I hated it.

"You were found in the wake of Marius' exit after he attacked the crown. You'll forgive me if I don't believe you." His voice was deep and gruff as he moved to walk in front of us.

I wanted to scream that he was letting them get away, but the shock of everything unfolding made me fall silent. The night had been too much, and suddenly I found my body sagging into their hold. My bare feet dragged over the ground. They picked up speed. My toes warmed from the friction against the floor as they moved faster through the castle. We ran through a dark maze of tunnels and pushed through a door, and suddenly I was blinded by bright lights. I blinked against how bright it was and white dots swarmed my vision. The doors banged shut behind us, and the two guards dragged me in behind the bigger leader.

"Jester, is this one injured, sick, or something else?" An older-looking vampire moved closer to us. He peeked around the big military guy and stared at me.

He straightened his glasses and sucked in a deep breath as though exhausted. I couldn't believe they had a made-vampire working in the castle like this. He was an older-looking vampire. His sire changed him when he'd hit what looked like his late fifties, and though the change made him strong and fit, he still held some maturity in his face and grey streaks in his dark hair. The wrinkles around his eyes were nearly smoothed out from the change.

I couldn't help but stare at him. Jester, I was assuming that was the name of the leader, glanced back at me with a hard look on his face. "Something else."

"There's too much." The doctor shook his head. "How could they . . . What I mean to say is the cruelty . . . the . . . the suffering they've caused."

It was then that I took the time to look around. Chaos filled the lab, injured vampires lay strewn across tables. Science equipment was shoved off to the side. Lab technicians hurried about. Their pristine white coats were spattered with blood. Each of their faces held the same panic that deep down inside I felt. Groans of the injured filled the air, their cries of pain and shock would forever be burned into my memories. They were vampires and they would heal, but their injuries were so substantial. They needed more blood, more help, more medical attention. All because of Marius.

Blood coated the floor, and the smell permeated the air. Instead of it seeming appetizing, my stomach rolled. It was the opposite of what tonight was supposed to be. They were all dressed in their Christmas ball gowns. The glitter and glitz mixed with the gore and injuries made it that much more horrifying. They'd all come here to celebrate, be unified, and show their love to the crown. Now everything was destroyed between the Night Spawn and made-vampires. I'd always thought Marius was shady, but now I knew he was a downright insane bastard.

"Then away with her." The doctor motioned to a door at the back of the lab. No! I didn't want to go back there. To whatever death trap they had hidden back there. It was bad enough out here among the injured, but back there gave me the feeling like I'd never return. A small whimper escaped my lips as the soldiers dragged me toward it. I tried not to look, I tried to search out anyone or anything that could help me, but all I was faced with was more troubling sights.

We passed by cells. Looking through the glass, I saw they held vampires that'd been overcome by the sickness. One stood there exploding into water only to re-form moments later. Another stood in the corner of her cell sucking blood from her own arm. I could feel the sickness within them all. The terror of not knowing where it came from or how it came to be sat heavy in my stomach. Would I get it here? Would my fate be to remain trapped behind these walls forever? Before, I thought it couldn't be explained. But now with the vampires infected with the sickness following Marius, I knew deep down that he was involved somehow.

They dragged me through the doors, and we were in a dark tunnel once again. "No, please, I'm telling you I've done nothing wrong."

Jester glanced over his shoulder at me. "That's what a liar would say."

"I'm no liar." I somehow managed to add a little venom to my words. I was a lot of different things, but a liar was not one of them. I prided myself on being honest.

They dragged me toward a dark cell, and the moment we reached the bars, they tossed me in like I weighed little more than a feather. I fell to the ground in a heap at Jester's feet. He squatted down in front of me and placed his finger under my chin. He lifted my chin until our gazes met. "I've put down a lot of vampires in my day. You might be the loveliest. Shame."

I yanked my chin back from his grasp. "I am innocent."

He stepped out of the cell and the metal bars slid into place between us with a thunderous clang. "We shall see. Atlas Savage will be with you in a moment."

A chill seeped into my skin, and I leaned back against the damp jagged wall. A shiver went down my spine. I didn't know if it was the state of the cell or the thought of Atlas Savage, the right hand of the King, the deadliest hand of all. The rumors were that he'd kill his own family, if he had one, for The House of Shade. Rumors swirled about how deep his connections ran and how far he would go for them. But I did not want to find out. I curled myself into a small ball at the corner of the cell.

"Hey, pssst ." A low hissing voice traveled from across the way toward me.

I huddled in on myself. I didn't want anything to do with this. This place, this cell, was a side of the castle I never expected to find myself. Nor did I want to. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. "Piss off. I've got nothing to say to you."

"You are no one," the voice hissed from the darkness.

"I am Sanchita, and I'll have nothing to do with you. Thank you very much."

A vampire slid into view in the cell across from me. He too was crouched on the floor but there was a madness in his eyes. His dark hair was all disheveled and greasy. Dark circles surrounded his eyes, and his skin was sickly pale, nearly gray. His clothing was ripped to tatters. He leaned on the bars and let his boney hand hang over the bars. "He will rule us all someday."

I glanced into the darkness down the corridor between the cells. "Who?"

The vampire slithered to his feet as if he were in a drunken stupor. He wobbled from side to side with a dark smirk on his face. "Join us, Night Spawn."

"Who is us?" I didn't know why I was engaging in this conversation. I had no intention of joining whatever the hell he was talking about. I wouldn't join Marius or anyone else who stood against The House of Shade. They wanted better for all of us.

He chuckled and wagged his eyebrows. He wiggled his fingers and black smoke seeped from his hand onto the floor like a creeping fog. I hopped to my feet and pressed myself to the wall. Panic flooded my body, and a chill went down my spine. Made-vampires weren't supposed to have powers like that. I didn't want it to touch me. I had no idea what it would do to me. But in the world of vampires, witches, warlocks, and more, anything was possible. A wild laugh escaped his lips as he watched that black smoke slither toward me.

"Stop it! No!" I scrambled back, trying to get as far away as I could.

A blur of movement shot between the two of us and my eyes widened. The breath caught in my throat. The very air around us changed. A dark figure reached through the smoke and in between the bars. He grabbed onto the other vampire's shirt and jerked him toward the bars, slamming his head into them with a loud banging sound. He jerked him back and forth three more times in rapid succession, slamming him into the bars with a loud bang each time. He did it until blood trailed down the vampire's face and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. When he went limp, the black smoke stopped, and the vampire fell in a heap at the dark shadow's feet.

He flicked his hand and blood splashed across the floor. When he turned to the side to look at his hand, I glimpsed his profile. His face was all sharp planes and pale, smooth skin. His eyes nearly glowed in the darkness. They were an odd coloring with dark brown around his pupils that faded to the most vivid blue. He lifted his hand and let his tongue dart over his fingertips, tasting the blood. He spat on the floor and wiped the back of his hand over his lips. I didn't dare move or breathe, and yet his eyes locked onto me.

"I didn't do anything." The words tumbled from my mouth before he even moved to fully face me. When he did, I sucked in a sharp breath. Atlas Savage. There was no mistaking who this was. I'd heard stories of him, with his white hair with black streaks and raven tattoo across his chest. His black shirt hung open just enough for me to spy the dark ink over his skin.

His face was covered in sweat and spatters of blood. Steaks of dirt covered his cheeks, giving them an even sharper effect. His voice was deep and gravely as he spoke, "Didn't you?"

"No." I wanted out of here and away from him now. This vampire was absolutely terrifying. That was when I heard the distinct sound of a drip, and another. In his other hand he held a sword with blood dripping from the tip onto the floor, creating a small pool. I hadn't noticed it before with him slamming that guy's face into the bars. But now that I had noticed, goosebumps broke out on my skin. "I swear I didn't do anything."

He ran his eyes over me from head to toe. "And the sickness?"

"Wh-what about it?"

He stepped in closer to the bars. "I don't have time for daftness . . . Do you have it?"

"N-no?"

He arched his eyebrow, and it made him look more sinister. "You don't sound so sure."

"I was just here with my sister and my friends. The Prince invited us personally. I had no idea any of this would happen, or that I would be dragged down here." I glanced around the cell, suddenly feeling like the walls were closing in on me. "All I wanted was to hang out with Piper and my sister."

"Piper?" His eyes snapped to mine. His whole demeanor changed. I didn't think it was possible, but now he was even more terrifying, with fine red mist seeping from his skin. The tattoo on his chest rippled as though it was going to leap right off his body. "Where is she?"

"I-I don't know. Don't you know?"

"I find your panicked reasoning tedious. Why would I ask if I already knew?" He sighed and then bellowed down the hall. "Jester!"

A moment later, the vampire who brought me here was at his side. "Sav."

He waved his hand toward me like I was nothing at all. "Release her. She's of no use to us."

The tight knots in my chest started to loosen. Jester glanced in my direction. "We found her in the tunnel in the wake of Marius' retreat."

"What were you doing there?" Atlas snapped in my direction.

"I got grabbed in the chaos, and they dragged me with them. I tried to get away, but it wasn't until your soldiers started to chase after them that Marius let me go."

He waved his hand and the cell bars slid open. There was nothing between the two of us. This close he could take my head before I even realized his blade had moved. The scent of blood and death lingered on him, and a chill ran down my spine. His gaze never wavered from mine. "Let you go?"

"I didn't believe in his cause." It sounded stupid even coming from my own lips.

He narrowed his eyes. "He just killed countless vampires on this night, and you expect me to believe he just let you go ?"

"I'm telling you the truth. Please, if I could just speak to Piper, she'll tell you. I would never do anything to hurt The House of Shade."

"She has disappeared," he said through gritted teeth. "Last seen with Theon, a devout follower of Marius."

"He wouldn't hurt her." I didn't know why I sounded so sure of this. Theon annoyed me for all his devotion to Marius and his views, but I couldn't see him doing anything to actually hurt Piper. That said, I never thought Marius would take his ramblings this far.

"Take me to him," Atlas demanded.

"I-I'm not sure where he is." My eyes darted around like I'd find the answers here in this cell.

He reached out and snagged my arm and jerked me toward him. "Then you will sit in here until your memory returns."

Bloody hell, this was going to be the death of me. Atlas Savage was going to cut off my head, or burn me alive, or turn me to ash just from looking at me. How was I going to say goodbye to Prisha? I turned to look at Jester. "If I die here, tell my sister I said goodbye and I love her."

Atlas gave a humorless chuckle. "So sure you're not going to remember."

"I have nothing to remember because I don't know, so I'm bound to fail," I admitted honestly.

"And if you succeed, then you won't die and you'll see your sister soon." Atlas leaned in closer, and I felt his breath fan across my hair as he spoke through gritted teeth. "If you fail, then you'll die, and I promise you'll see your sister that way too."

My stomach sank to my toes. If Prisha died because of me, I'd never forgive myself, even in death. I tried to show him no fear. "Seems like a win-win."

"Think hard," he growled.

We're all gonna die .