Chapter 14

Carissa warily held her head within her hands. The consistent throbbing of her head was taking its toll. If she could just make it stop or at least go to sleep for a while…

Tyrell whispered something in a language she could not understand. She raised her head and looked at him.

"What did you say?"

"You must reserve your strength and rest," he replied.

Was it her, or did his eyes now look more brown than black? "I can't sleep. My head hurts too much."

"If you allow me, I will help you."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because I'm the only one who can keep you alive until your lifemate finds you. That is, if he has any intelligence."

"Pierce Falkland is one of the most intelligent Carpathians ever born."

Tyrell's eyes flashed black for a brief moment. "Obviously he wasn't intelligent enough to keep his lifemate from being captured," he said in a mocking tone.

Carissa held back her tears. "That was my fault. He wanted me to go somewhere safer. I shouldn't have allowed Kylie to go to the bar. I should have just called her husband."

Tyrell rolled his eyes. "Humans. Why do you even care for them?"

"Didn't you ever care about them?"

"Only when my prince ordered me to do so. But why should I care about them when time and time again they hunt our kind? Look where you are right now, my dear. And do you dare to tell me that you precious Kylie will still think of you in the same way when she sees what you become?"

She shot him a glare. "She's my friend! Of course she will still see me as the same person." Carissa shook her head. "I think someone hurt you long ago which made you think that all humans would never accept Carpathians."

Tyrell looked at her now with weary eyes. "Do you wish for sleep or not? Although I have no idea why I'm even asking you when I could simply just do so."

"What will you do?"

"It's a simple command to your mind."

"But Pierce cannot connect with my mind, so why can you?"

"He is miles away and the sun is high. Although the minerals can impact me in painful ways, Sebastian also formulated another serum which gives me strength. With the sun high, I'm usually quite sluggish. But now, my mind is sharp from what they gave me. While I cannot escape, I'm quite certain I can send you to sleep."

"Why would you help me?" she whispered.

He turned his head away from her. "Because I despise letting them win, even if it means you being claimed by another male."

Carissa cringed a little when he reminded her that Pierce would 'claim' her. "Will it hurt?"

Once more she swore Tyrell's eyes seemed to soften. "No. Do not fear, little one. You will not be harmed."

"Why am I called 'little one'?"

He actually gave a pleasant grin. "Because you are so petite. I speak other languages. Would you prefer ma petite?"

Even though she was annoyed, Carissa found herself smiling back at him, feeling like she was actually happy for him when he was probably feeling like his true self before his darker times. She was beginning to believe those minerals were in fact changing Tyrell. She could only hope she was trusting the right person with her life.

Then again, what did she have to lose at this point?

"Okay," she said.

The next thing Carissa remembered was the sound of Tyrell's voice and her eyes were opening. "I thought you were going to put me to sleep."

"I did," he replied, his voice much stronger now. "The sun is setting, ma petite. And I think we are about to have visitors."

She'd hoped for a second he meant Pierce was coming for her. But when the cell door opened, Todd was once more shoved inside the room. He fell to the floor and Carissa was horrified to see his shirt off and several whip lashes on his back and chest.

Brett, the bodybuilder, spat on him and quickly closed the door.

Carissa remembered what Tyrell had said about Todd, but she was still unsure of what to believe. Tentatively, she reached out to him. "Todd?"

"What?" he snapped. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing with pain.

Carissa glanced at Tyrell who was watching him with narrowed eyes. She bit her lip and then tried to be cautious. "Did they ask you anything?"

"Of course not. You heard Sebastian. He just wanted to frighten you. If you don't tell them everything you know, I'm going to die, Carissa."

"How did you know the thin man's name was Sebastian?"

He looked at her with confusion. "What?"

"His name. How did you know."

"That muscled guy called him that. Why?"

"Oh. I just…didn't know his name."

He stared at her for a heartbeat and then shook his head. "Look, he's coming back tomorrow. Can't you think of anything to tell him? Anything at all? Are you really serious about this Pierce Falkland?"

"I told you. He's not a vampire."

"Right. He's not a vampire…yet. He's some other species. Not that I can tell any difference. Are you sure you can?"

"Todd, he's different."

"Okay, as in how? Does he drink blood?"

"Well, yes."

"Does he burn in sunlight?"

"Yes, but-"

Todd slammed his fist on the floor. "Then come on, Carissa! How can you even care about someone who kills humans?"

"He doesn't kill humans!"

"How do you really know? And why is he so interested in you, anyway?"

Carissa frowned. "You're certainly asking a lot of questions."

"You think? My life is at stake here, damn it!"

"I'm trying to make you understand. I know Pierce sounds like a vampire but he's not. There is a difference."

"Fine, let's just say your story is true. Where are these Carpathians? Can you find more of them?"

She glanced at Tyrell. "I can find them."

"How?"

"My psychic ability. But I need Sebastian to stop giving me whatever serum he developed. When it blocks my mind, I can't sense other Carpathians." This of course was a complete lie, but it would help her communicate with Pierce.

"Good. Then maybe tomorrow, he'll allow you to use your ability. Then you can tell him where to find one."

"What about tonight? Why not now?"

"I think he went home. Unlike vampires, he probably sleeps at night. You know, like we should be doing?"

"But what about escape?"

"Do you have psychic abilities to get us out of these chains?"

Carissa looked at Tyrell. "What if he could help us?"

"A damn vampire? Yeah, right. Hey buddy, despite the fact that she's going to allow Sebastian to hunt down your kind, can you help us out here?"

Tyrell, however, gave no reaction other than calmly looking at Carissa. While she still wasn't sure, she was beginning to believe him about Todd. Especially when the door once more opened and Brett came into the room. Todd yelled as Brett grabbed him.

"Wait! Where are you taking me?"

"We need to run a few more tests," grunted Brett. He dragged Todd out of the room and slammed the door shut.

Tyrell had a look of disgust on his face. "How convenient that he came in, asked a few questions, and then was dragged back out. I suspect he's going home to sleep as well." He shifted in his sitting position, the chains chiming on his arms and legs. "What I wouldn't give to pay a visit to him while he was asleep in his bed."

"If the sun is setting, why can't you escape?"

"Although I still have some powers, the minerals keep me here. If you didn't notice, that little vile they flashed in front of me a while ago was quite painful." He pointed to the ceiling. "They are always watching. When I attempt to escape, the power of emotion from the minerals is used against me. When they remove all emotion, I'm in extreme pain, like a withdrawal from a drug. It leaves me physically weak for quite some time."

She looked at the ceiling. "So, can they hear us too? Do they know what you think about Todd and what you told me?"

Tyrell shook his head. "No, I would detect such a device with sound. There is only one secret camera watching us."

Carissa looked at him with skepticism.

He shrugged. "Believe what you will, then."

"That's just it. I don't know what to believe." She shivered and held herself. "What would you do if you were to get free?"

Tyrell raised an eyebrow. "I think you know the answer."

"What? Kill all humans? Rule them?"

"The thought does come to mind."

"What good would that do? And not all humans are guilty of persecuting vampires. Pierce has a few that are very loyal to him."

"How touching," he replied in a mocking tone.

"Why do you hate them so much?"

Tyrell lifted his wrists, bound in chains. "Need I really say more?"

"Most humans don't even know vampires exist. And what about me? I'm human."

"You, my dear, have psychic powers, possibly inherited from a mixture of breeding in the past. You are not the same."

"I am the same! I was born human. Don't you think it's a little scary to me now that I know I'm about to change into another species?"

"Aside from the physical pain in the conversion process, if it were me, I'd look forward to it."

Carissa's eyes grew wide. "Pain?"

"Ah, obviously the great Pierce Falkland forgot to mention that little detail as well. If our chemistry was correct, I would have been a far better lifemate to you."

Great. What the hell else did she need to know that Pierce hadn't volunteered to her? She glared at Tyrell. "Well, with how evil I thought a vampire would be, why do you even wait for Pierce? You said earlier the Prince took all the women to give his favorites. So if you got free, what's stopping you from taking me?"

Tyrell stared at her, almost as if he wasn't sure what to say in response.

She swallowed hard. Maybe that wasn't exactly the smartest idea to give him. She looked away and then heard him sigh.

"I should take you," he said in a quiet voice. "But you deserve better than me."

Carissa looked at him. His face was filled with…sorrow? "You're not really evil…are you?"

A soft laugh escaped him. "By far more than you know."

"Those minerals, they've changed you somehow. Like a part of you is waking up, and realizing you actually have a good soul."

Tyrell raised his eyes, the color suddenly black again. "Do not give me your pity."

"I'm not. I just-"

"What?" he snapped, "You think I can be saved? I don't need to be saved because it is the prince who lies to his people! For so long, I served him. And yet, I received nothing in return. No, he saves the few females left for only certain males he has interest in surviving."

"How do you know that?" Carissa challenged.

"It's obvious enough when the prince's own daughter suddenly mates with the Dark One!"

"The Dark One?"

"Gregori Daratrazanoff, second in command to the prince himself."

"But maybe they were really meant to be lifemates."

"All of those close to the prince conveniently find their lifemate. He never respected me! I was condemned by him long ago. I began to understand why so many turned against him." Those black eyes narrowed. "And you. The Prince must protect his wealth and that of his people. Pierce Falkland must have a lifemate to be a continued guardian of that fortune."

"No, that's not true."

Tyrell gave way to a slight hiss. "Then you are blind."

"Or you just keep feeding yourself lies to justify your hatred."

"You are lost in a dream world. In fact, I'm not sure why I even bother to convince you. Let's wait and see if your precious lifemate arrives soon to save you. He will be sure to feed you all the correct information…or what you want to hear."

"Fine!" shouted Carissa, "then why tell me about Todd or Sebastian? You say you don't want them to succeed in winning, yet I'll be with Pierce who is loyal to the prince you hate. So why do you care what happens to me?"

"I don't!" he snarled.

Carissa curled into herself. Briefly, she thought of Pierce and tried to reach out him again. But the pain sliced through her head. She backed away from the vampire, scooting until she was completely up against the wall. Then she buried her head within her arms, refusing to let herself cry.

Pierce and Samuel burst through the ground and into the night sky. Together, they raced over the city, finally landing on a rooftop to observe the street below.

"This is where Graham said the accident happened."

"If she was in a bar, it can't be far away."

"Great," muttered Samuel, "I always wanted to go bar hopping to find out information about where our lifemate may be."

"Fine, you go research plate of the car the taxi was following. Graham reported it to the police but there was nothing in their system."

"It was probably hidden somehow in the database. If Kylie was taken by someone linked to those that caused the viruses, chances are they would find it easy to hack into the BMV." His twin was about to take off but Samuel stopped him. "Hold up. You hack into the system. I'm the club and bar expert, remember?"

"How could I forget?" asked Pierce dryly. "Now let's stop wasting time and find her."

Carissa had dozed off but was woken by a noise out in the hall. She lifted her head and saw Tyrell also looking at the cell door. "Isn't it late? Like around midnight?" When he gave the barest of a nod, her chest grew tight. For just a moment, she hoped it was…

"It is not your lifemate,"

She trembled in response. "How do you know?"

Before she could get an answer, the cell door opened and a man she'd never seen walked into the room. He was of medium build, dressed like some type of guard with a uniform. In the dim light, Carissa's eyes widened as she made out a long scar on his face that went from his chin down though his neck. He smiled while his eyes roamed over her body.

"What do you want?" she asked, as she tried to flatten herself against the wall.

The guard, or whoever he was, took out a set of keys from his pocket. "I always get to have fun with a few of you. One of the perks for me working here at night." He glanced over at Tyrell and then began to unlock Carissa's chains.

"Where are you taking me?" she cried. He roughly pulled her to her feet. She was so weak, there was nothing she could do. "Tyrell! Please!"

The man laughed. "Oh please, like a fucking vampire is going to help you?" He hoisted her over his shoulder. "Still, some things do call for a little privacy." He made his way out of the cell, not even bothering to lock the door, knowing Tyrell was still chained to the other wall.

Tyrell could hear Carissa scream as the man carried her down the hall. He turned his head away, looking at the walls, trying to dim the sound in his ears. But Carpathians could hear the smallest sounds even far away.

He paused for a moment. Did he say he was Carpathian? For the last few years, he'd actually liked the thought of being called a vampire. In the past, his honor would have meant too much to even think of being called such a thing. But with no emotion, the temptation to feel anything was too strong. And now, a feeling he could not describe was leaving what felt like a hole in his chest.

Carissa screamed again, the sound reaching far more than his ears.

Tyrell began to strain against the chains, pulling them until they actually seem to groan under the strain. He paused and closed his eyes, suddenly focusing all his energy, his strength within his body and mind.

Another scream from Carissa was heard, followed by the sound of a slap to her face.

And then Tyrell broke free of his chains.

Author's note: Haven't gotten a lot of reviews lately - please let me know if I'm on the right track. -Anne