CHAPTER TEN
Maggie held back a shudder, and bit down the urge to run into the arms of the vampire for safety, for the man in front of her was so, so much worse than any man who may simply suck the life from her veins.
He was rougher than she remembered, but somehow... groomed. And somehow this monster was her blood.
His short brown hair fell over his face, his pale skin almost glowing in the darkened room as he tilted his head to the side, his mouth stretching into a wretched smile that radiated a smugness only he was capable of.
But the eyes were the worst, the horrid, yellow eyes that bore into her, and made her skin crawl. They lay heavily on her, reminding her of heavy hands and hot breath. Unwanted attention.
"Vincent."
Hal was on his feet in seconds, his eyes shifting between Maggie and the stranger uncomfortably. Vincent barely noticed, his eyes on Maggie only.
"Sister. I've brought lunch. Thought you might be hungry."
He tossed something onto the ground in front of her, and she glanced down so see the raw meat, lying in a pool of it's own blood. The stench stung her nostrils.
"That's not what I am," she said, breaking their gaze as she tried not to gag, and kicking herself for being so weak. "And that's disgusting." Vincent simply chuckled.
"I've missed that," he mused, gesturing to someone behind him. Maggie swallowed as Gareth and Michael entered from behind him, approaching Maggie as Vincent did. Vincent had always been too "pretty" to be a wolf, slim, with dark hair and a functioning brain. Gareth and Michael, though they were Vincent's younger brothers, were large, and dirty and scarred. Stereotypical Murdochs. "That fire that burns inside you. I'm glad I waited."
Suddenly, realising what was happening, Hal lunged forward at him, sending a cracking shot across Vincent's jaw before the larger of Vincent's body guards, Gareth, spun around, punching him square in the stomach.
Hal keeled over, spluttering as the werewolf took him by the throat, pinning him to the wall.
"You don't touch her," he gasped, glaring at Vincent as best he could with the werewolf's hand around his throat. The hand tightened.
Maggie shot across the room, and no one stopped her.
"Put him down!" she yelled, hitting Gareth helplessly. "Now!"
"Oh, fond of this one, are you?" Vincent teased. "You really are your father's daughter, aren't you?"
"Just put him down, now."
"Gareth."
Vincent jerked his head and the Murdoch dropped Hal, who stumbled back against the wall, clutching his throat. Maggie shoved past him to stand beside Hal.
"Are you alright?" she murmured, quiet enough that Vincent couldn't hear. He nodded, righting himself, and they turned back to Vincent.
"What do you want, Vincent?" Maggie demanded. "Why have you brought us here? Why did you need to trick Adam into helping you, for heaven's sake?"
Vincent chuckled, pulling something from his pocket that glinted in the minimal light coming from outside. A knife. "So many questions, sister. I'll need time to answer them-"
"Cut the crap, Vincent."
He blinked in surprise, before a slow grin replaced it as he twirled the knife in his hands. "Well, it's a bit of a pointless question, isn't it? You know the answer as well as I do."
Maggie sighed. "How did you find me?"
Vincent took a step forward, and Maggie felt Hal tense up beside her. She moved to stay his hand, taking hold of his wrist.
"You may have been in hiding, Maggie, but I know the signs. Entire vampire clans don't just vanish over-night." She cursed under her breath, and he sauntered closer, lifting her chin with the crook of his finger so she was forced to look him directly in the eye, the knife strategically placed inches from her throat. "You've been busy."
"So why all the theatrics? Why all this? Why not just snatch me in the night; get it over and done with? Why involve them?" she demanded, and he knew who she meant.
"The same reason I do anything, Maggie. Because it's fun." He turned swiftly and returned to the side of his vacant-eyed brothers, slipping the knife back into his belt. "I was gonna take this one out before I did anything else," he said, gesturing towards Hal with a nonchalant expression. "I thought, if anything, the little one might have tugged at your heart-strings, but this one was just calateral damage. I suppose he can go last, now, if you're so fond of him."
"No one has to go, Vincent. I can't give you what you want."
Vincent turned suddenly, and with three swift steps had imposed himself on Maggie, his nose inches from hers. "You can," he snapped. "And you will. It is your duty, Maggie, as a Murdoch, to carry on the-"
"I'm not a Mother!" she cried, hunching up and flinching away, as if she was expecting a blow.
He didn't hit her, and Hal was glad for it, for he feared he'd have to go another round with Gareth if he had.
He stepped away, looking Maggie up and down.
"You're all that's left, Maggie. Our family will die out. Surely you see what you must do?"
"We're not family," Maggie said under her breath, and it sounded almost like a mantra to Hal.
"We were both born of Aleya, were we not?"
"Don't speak her name," Maggie spat, her eyes snapping up to glare at him. "She may have carried you for nine months, but she was my mother, and my mother only."
The werewolf took another step closer, and Maggie swallowed.
"You know that's not true. I was her first born."
"Damien was her first, and I was her last." Maggie blinked as she looked up at him. "She loved us."
"Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves," he murmured, leaning forward to run a finger along Maggie's jaw. Hal's hands tightened into fists. "Why don't we take this out side, somewhere more comfortable?" he said gently. "If you're good, I might even let you keep your pet."
In one swift movement, Gareth had hold of Hal, his arms yanked behind him, and Vincent had swung an arm around Maggie, leading them out of the room.
"She's a stupid girl... a stupid, stupid... human!" Alex shrieked, pacing back and forth in the living room. "And he's a stupid vampire for letting it get this far, and he's a stupid werewolf for starting it all! Where the fuck are they?"
She stopped in her tracks, looking around the empty room.
Great. She was talking to herself now. Brilliant.
It was true though. She didn't understand Maggie. She was human, so why get involved in all this... madness?! She had a choice for goodness sake!
What Alex wouldn't give for that choice...
It wasn't that she hated Maggie, it was just... it was just...
Well it wasn't the way Tom spoke about her; like a little sister, and lit up whenever she came into the room.
It wasn't the way Hal looked at her. And it definitely wasn't the way he'd dropped absolutely everything to go on this stupid search for her brother. Frankly, Alex was starting to think this Damien character was completely made up.
She definitely wasn't jealous. No.
It was the danger, she decided. Ever since Maggie had arrived, there'd been nothing but trouble. She had to keep her friends safe.
And they'd been gone almost three days now.
"Shit."
She supposed it was up to her to save their sorry butts after all.
The first thing she noticed were the cages.
The second was the people in them.
"You can't keep them in cages, Vincent!" Maggie protested as Tom and Allison got to their feet, moving to press themselves against the wire fences of the cages. "They're your kind."
Vincent chuckled, shaking his head as he walked her past them. She glanced back, sending Tom an apologetic look. "They're as much my kind as a Yorkshire terrier."
"Vincent-"
"We're above them, Maggie. We're above them all."
"Then let them go. You don't need them."
He pulled Hal's coat from Maggie's back and sat her down in a chair then, ignoring her pleas. Adam emerged from a side door, and Vincent threw the coat at him.
"Burn it," he said.
"But Yvonne... You said..."
"I said if you do as I say!" Vincent spat, "and I might return your girlfriend to you. Now," he turned back to Maggie, leaning towards her, his hand on the arm rests. She heard Hal grunt from beside her, and turned to see him struggling with Gareth.
"Don't."
Vincent's eyes swivelled around to Hal.
"He's not the cleverest, is he?" he mocked. "Does he know? Does he know what you are?"
"He doesn't know anything," Maggie said suddenly, turning to glare at Hal. "You're right, he's an idiot."
"Maggie-"
"But he's an idiot I can deal with."
"Because you've been doing so well up until now."
"Yup, brilliant. Now let me by," she said casually. Hal frowned, turning to stare at her. She didn't sound frightened anymore.
Maggie looked back at Vincent, a disapproving look on her face. "You have spoken with Damien, right?"
Vincent laughed. "Good one, sister. As if anyone knows where he is."
Maggie frowned. "He was supposed to find you. He was supposed to explain it to you. That was the plan."
Vincent frowned, taking a step back. "What plan?"
Maggie rolled her eyes, getting to her feet. "You're telling me you just barged in here, and risked ruining everything, because you're too ignorant to see what's happening here?" She gestured at Hal. "He's a fucking Old One!" she hissed. "Do you know what that means?"
Vincent blinked, and scowled at Hal. "Why the fuck isn't he dead already?"
Maggie sighed dramatically. "Are you really that stupid? Really?"
Hal was staring at Maggie disbelievingly as Vincent scratched his head.
"He's an Old One. He can fix us."
Vincent scowled. "I'm not stupid, sister."
"You'd think, from the way you're acting," Maggie grunted, and something shot through Hal's chest. He winced. "Gareth, release him. Let him stand on his own."
The voice coming from her was the voice of a leader taking charge.
"Maggie-"
"Oh, shut up..." Maggie rolled her eyes. "Five hundred years old, and you still can't take a hint. Nobody cares, Hal."
Gareth let go of Hal, who staggered forward to stand before Maggie.
"How do I know you're not lying?" Vincent said, squinting at Maggie. She looked over her shoulder at him and laughed.
"Vinnie... you know me," she said, sauntering towards him, and something about her walk reminded Hal of the yellow-eyed wolf. "You know I'm good at what I do."
Grabbing hold of the wolf's chin, Maggie kissed him roughly, using the belt loops of his jeans to pull him against her briefly, before pushing him away again.
"You were... always good," he agreed. "Perfect."
"Good," Maggie said, letting go of Vincent's face. She turned back to Hal. "Now that that's cleared up, can we get to what's really important?" She turned, squinting at Tom and Allison in their cage. "What were you planning on doing with them?"
"We were gonna kill them," Vincent said, looking a little dazed.
"I want to keep them."
He frowned. "You can't. They're not like u-"
Maggie spun to glare at him. "You have Gareth and Michael," she snapped. "I want my own. Wolves without any... alterior motives for keeping me safe."
"Of course, Maggie. Anything for The Mother," he said, lowering his head. "Michael!" he hissed, and the second wolf hastily rushed to the cage.
"Whatever you think I know," Hal piped up suddenly, glaring determinedly at Maggie, despite the sting of betrayal in the pit of his stomach. "You're wrong. I can't help you. You might as well kill me now."
Maggie looked at him for a moment, before bursting into a cackle. Hal couldn't help wondering if this was what he looked like on one of his bad cycles.
"That was the plan anyway," she said, shrugging. "It's your blood we need. So I guess... I guess everyone's happy."
"I'm not," a voice murmured, and Maggie turned. Adam stood at the edge of the room.
Vincent moved to strike him. "I'll sort thi-"
"Stop," Maggie ordered, holding up a hand. Vincent froze, glancing at her. "Allison?"
"Yes... Mother," Allison said, bowing her head a fraction, the hesitance in her voice barely noticable. Tom and Hal both turned to stare at her in astonishment.
"Take the boy away," Maggie said.
"And do what with him?"
Maggie reached into her pocket and pulled out a stake, tossing it carelessly in Allison's direction.
"Whatever you see fit," she said pointedly.
Allison moved to take hold of Adam, Tom following behind, trying to pull her back.
"Allison, Allison! What are you doing? This ain't right!"
Michael yanked Tom back by his coat, and Allison turned slowly.
"I'm sorry Tom. It's survival," she said, before disappearing out of the room with Adam.
Tom turned to Maggie, his eyes blazing with anger. "You monster! I trusted you!"
"Yes, yes, I'm sure this is all very disappointing for you," Maggie sighed, turning her attention away from him and back to Hal. She strolled towards him, a smirk on her face. "But I have work to do."
She patted Hal on the cheek patronisingly.
"Now, how to kill you..." she mused.
"You sound like me..." Hal whispered. Somehow, he had to talk her out of this madness. "You don't want to be like me."
She leaned towards him to whisper in his ear.
"Yes. I do sound like you, don't I? I'm rather clever."
He frowned, not understanding, when he felt her press something into his hand. He glanced down, to see Vincent's knife between their interlocked fingers, snatched during the kiss.
"Gareth's right hand is weakest. It's been broken several times," she murmured, glancing at the lumbering beast stood behind Hal.
"How do you-?"
"I watch," she said quickly. "And I mimic. Rather well, don't you think?" She raised an eyebrow, and Hal tried his best not to let Vincent see his smile.
"Splendidly," he said.
She nodded, letting go of the knife. "Good luck."
She turned away from him. "Tom," she said clearly, walking purposefully towards Vincent. "Michael is partially blind in his left eye. Use it to your advantage."
Hal spun on his heel then, plunging the knife deep into the left side of Gareth's rib-cage, and catching the right handed counter-blow aimed in his direction. Tom turned to see Michael lunge for him, barely dodging out of the way in time. Shock and rage exploded through Vincent and he cried out as he reached for his knife.
"Looking for that butter knife of yours?" Maggie teased. "I'm afraid I let my friend borrow it." She shrugged. "Oh well. Guess your soft little baby hands will just have to do."
"You bitch!" Vincent shrieked, and lunged for her.
She dodged the attack quickly, falling into a crouch and spinning on her heel, her right leg extended, tripping Vincent as he ran. He flew through the air, scraping his face along the stone floor. She jumped to her feet, ready to attack again, when she heard Tom cry out.
"Maggie! Maggie, watch out!"
She turned to see Michael thundering towards her, and dived out of the way, but he caught her by surprise, turning at the last second to catch her, sending her flying with a fist to the stomach.
She felt a skull-splitting pain shoot through her as she landed, and opened her eyes to a world of coloured splodges and bright flashes of light.
"Are you alright?" Tom asked, and she could see he was next to her, holding out a hand to help her up. She took it, turning to find Michael and Hal throwing punches.
Hal was losing.
"I can't fucking see!" she hissed, but not seeing wasn't an option. Where was the knife? Hal wasn't using it.
She glanced around, searching the ground beside her. A few metres away, the knife lay, as if it had been knocked across the room. She scurried over to it, gripping it tightly.
Desperately trying to stop the shaking, she held it up over her head.
It was time. She could do it. She wouldn't miss this time.
Tom cried out as Maggie hurled the knife across the room, sending it shooting towards the ever-shifting muddle of Hal and Michael.
She held her breath.
Hal froze as Michael slumped to the ground before him, the knife deep in his temple. He turned to stare at Maggie in awe.
"You did it," Tom murmured, staring at the now dead wolf.
"Ten years too late, Tom," she said, numb. "Ten years too late."