Title: Midnight Love
Author: Icebyrd67
Type: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes Fiction
Book: Midnight Predator
Rating: Pg-13
Disclaimer: All rights belong to Amelia-Atwater-Rhodes. I'm just borrowing her world and characters. Unknown characters are mine.
Chapter Two
She groaned, reaching up to grab the back of her head as she did so. Danica jerked into full awareness when she heard the clank of chains. She glanced down at her wrists and cursed.
Why couldn't they have just killed her? She thought, as she examined the shackles. With the right tools, they shouldn't be too hard to get out of, she decided.
A groan to the left of her caused Dani to shift her attention to the rest of the darkened van. Dani blinked a couple of times to better adjust her eyes to the shadows. She could make out two people, coming into consciousness to her left and one to her right.
"Are you guys alright?" She called to them.
"I'm fine." The girl to her right whispered in a cracked voice.
"Me too. Amy's just now coming to. I think she's fine. She's not bleeding or anything." One of the girls on Dani's left answered. "Where are we?"
"I think we're in a van. We're moving at least. Are you girls chained to the walls, too?" Dani asked.
"No. We're chained, but not to the wall." Amy's friend answered.
"I'm not either." The vehicle passed through a wall of pure magic, causing Dani to shudder involuntarily. The hair on the back of her neck rose as did her shields.
"Then I guess I'm the only one. Does anyone have a paperclip or something? And a bobby pin? Because I can pick locks." Dani carefully broke down the shields she had thrown up only to reconstruct them the way grandmother Kennan had taught her. Make the walls solid, layer by layer, like you would with bricks. Make the walls solid so nothing can break them down.
"I've got a bobby pin." Amy finally became coherent enough to be of help. "Lena, you sold a bunch of paperclips from the library earlier. Get them out." The girls crawled over to where Dani sat, chained to the sides.
"Here." Lena handed her the small items. Dani accepted them gratefully and unbent the items. She slipped them both into the keyhole of her right shackle and let herself fall into the actual lock.
"Crap!" she cursed when the vehicle suddenly screeched to a stop. Danica quickly slipped the paperclip and the bobby pin into her pocket, praying that they wouldn't fall out.
The doors of the van flew open to reveal six vampires, each armed with daggers and whips. Two of them handed their weapons to one of the others and jumped into the van. Dani resisted the urge to reach out and kick them. If she did, it would guarantee that the other girls would get hurt.
The two vampires undid the chains that held Danica to the walls. And shoved her out of the van. They moved her several yards from the van before stopping to wait for the others. When the other girls were out of the van, they marched them forward, towards the building. When Danica resisted, one of the vampires unleashed his whip at her, catching her by the wrist, cutting a thin ring of blood around it. The other girls screamed as Dani quickly followed at the risk of making the vampires madder.
Fury boiled inside Dani as she was forced down a marble walk, through several pairs of imposing doors and finally, into a darkened office.
"Jaguar." The vampire who had used the whip on her stepped forward. Clearly, he was the leader. The vampire glanced up from his desk. Dani glared at the vampire, Jaguar.
He was beautiful. She had to admit that. He wore his black hair long and straight, loose over his deep, golden tan. He lived up to his name, with his various muscles well defined and well kept gleaming on his unclothed chest. He did indeed look very much like a jaguar. His eyes were blank black endless holes. He caught Danica's eyes with his and she suddenly felt naked. Exposed, and completely unprotected. She couldn't take her eyes from him. He blinked, relinquishing his hold on her.
"Are these the girls you called me about, Kestral?" The expression on his face was carefully blank. Kestral nodded.
"They're completely unbroken. I only acquired them in the last few days. They're all harmless, except for this one." He shoved Dani to her knees. "They're smart enough to do as they're told, though. If not, there'll be hell to pay."
Jaguar didn't answer, but began to circle the girls, examining them carefully. He stopped behind Dani. He ran a finger down the small of her back as she fought the sudden urge to hurl.
"Why is she dangerous?" He asked, absently making circles and shapes with his trailing fingers.
"She's a witch. And a shape-shifter." Jaguar's eyes jumped to surprise.
"Witches and shape-shifters are born free." He murmured, taking his hand away from her.
"I know. This one was sold." Kestral laughed.
"By?" Jaguar raised an eyebrow in question.
"Her father." Dani snarled at the mention of the man who had never been in her life.
"I have no father." She hissed. Kestral reached up and backhanded her without thought. Dani staggered backwards into Jaguar, who caught her.
"I'll thank you not to hit my things." Jaguar said in a quiet, threatening tone. "How much for them all?"
"Twenty for each of the humans, fifty for the witch." Kestral answered.
"Done." Jaguar reached into his desk and removed a checkbook and quickly scribbled the check. "Now get out." The other vampires quickly scrambled to heed his orders. Only Kestral stuck around for a few moments.
"What are you going to do with them?" He asked with semi-curiousness.
"I thought I told you to get out, Kestral." Jaguar returned his attention to the girls before him. Kestral bowed, mockingly before disappearing.