~*~
Vitaliy was apprehensive. He hoped that Nicole was okay. If Jeshickah had harmed her at all, he would kill her himself. Or so he hoped. The closer they got to Midnight, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. Alexia was deeply asleep at Gabriel's command, and Fritz seemed paralyzed in fear. Gabriel was concentrating on driving and wouldn't speak. He had also repeatedly told Vitaliy not to turn the radio on. The silence was going to drive him mad. He concentrated on the landscapes that they flew by. The Celica must have been doing nearly one hundred miles an hour. Vitaliy had to admit that the little car handled well. He still didn't see the wisdom and taking this instead of Gabriel's four-wheel-drive truck. Who knew what they would have to do to escape Midnight. Then again, the flashy little car helped their image a little more. He imagined what a group they would make when they arrived at Midnight. He hoped that everything would go all right.
Alexia moved in her sleep, and her knees dug into his back through the seat. He tried to ignore it. Outside the window, it was a gorgeous summer day. The bright green leaves were dancing on the warm summer wind. The perfect blue sky overhead laughed at his dour mood. It would have been the perfect day to spend wandering the woods with Nicole. Now there's a heart-wrenching thought, little brother, Gabriel's voice floated through his mind.
Stay out of my thoughts.
I can't when you broadcast them so loudly. You need to try and ignore what you're feeling or someone might pick up on your thoughts and ruin our little scheme.
Vitaliy slammed mental walls into place, more to keep Gabriel out than anything. Unfortunately he was right. He knew that they weren't far from Midnight. The air was viscous with magics and the forest was no longer beckoning. Behind him, Alexia stirred awake. "Where are we?" She asked groggily.
"Not too far now," Gabriel answered. Vitaliy noticed that he gradually let the car slow down so that Alexia didn't notice how fast they were going. Alexia would most definitely try to kill him if she knew that they'd been going well over one hundred at one point.
She stretched as well as she could to remove the kinks in her muscles. There was a series of small pops as she twisted in the seat to crack her back. "Ah, that felt really good."
"That sounded painful," Vitaliy observed.
She shrugged. A quick glance at her arms showed that her "bruises" hadn't smudged. "I hope this works," she said.
"Me too. I can't believe I was so stupid! I never should have taken her there. She probably hates me now," he berated himself.
Alexia put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about that now. What's done is done. There's nothing else you can except get her back. And that's what we're going to do. Got it?"
Vitaliy nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak anymore. They came around a corner to see the new incarnation Midnight looming before them. The imposing building hadn't changed from the last. Black and red walls surrounded by a heavy iron fence, overgrown burgundy ground cover that he couldn't identify, the white marble path, and the black roses. He had a brief image of Nicole leaning over to smell the roses on their bushes. The black petals against her ivory face and white-blonde hair. Her mouth forming a surprised "o" as a thorn pricked her finger. He quickly banished that thought from his mind. It wouldn't help to keep thinking of her; Jeshickah was much stronger and would be able to read his thoughts with a whim.
"Ready?" Gabriel asked. A chorus of nods answered him. Alexia lowered her eyes as she had been instructed. Her demeanor went from strong and predatorial to meek and demure. She wasn't broken, but she would pass as a tamed slave. The change in Fritz was just as amazing. The normally hyperactive and annoying vampire now stood with his head held high and confidently. His cheeks were flushed with nervousness, but he seemed determined not to let that bother him. Vitaliy decided that he liked this new side of their roommate. Briefly he wondered what could convince him to act like this more often.
They fell into a loose formation as they came up the marble path. Gabriel in Vitaliy walked side-by-side, nearly identical in their bearing. Fritz walked slightly off to the right of them. Alexia fell into step exactly two steps behind them and to the left. Visible but ignored, just as a proper slave should be. A teenage boy greeted them as they neared the building. He couldn't have been more than fourteen. "Good day masters, what brings you to Midnight?" He asked brightly.
"We've come to see about acquiring a new slave. To whom would we speak about that?" Gabriel answered confidently.
The boy paused at that. "Follow me."
He led them inside and through the corridors. Vitaliy noticed that the interior décor had changed. Oaken floor, paneling, and chair rail were accented by a honey colored paint. Jeshickah definitely had not chosen them. They were as opulent as she liked, but too friendly. The boy introduced himself as Eric, but didn't say anything further. He paused at a door. "May I inquire as to your names, masters?"
"Gabriel and Vitaliy."
Eric stared at the answer for a moment. Either one of the names had taken him off guard or he had been expecting them to announce Fritz as well. He didn't comment, but turned to knock on the door. A stern voice bade him enter, and he fell into a kneeling position just inside the door with his eyes on the floor. "Master, I apologize for interrupting, but these gentlemen have requested to see you. They wish to inquire about purchasing a slave."
"Very well, show them in," the male voice answered.
As they entered, Eric introduced the brothers. Fritz stood beside them. Vitaliy was relieved when Alexia imitated Eric's pose. She fell to her knees beside Gabriel. Jaguar was sprawled shirtless on a leather couch. "Gabriel, how are you doing?"
Gabriel's voice was cool as he replied. "I am fine, and yourself?"
"If Jeshickah would leave me alone I would be much better. But, that can't be helped," he waved a hand in annoyance. "Brandon, I didn't believe that I would see you this soon."
Vitaliy wondered who she was speaking to until Fritz's posture changed. His confidence fled, leaving a shell of a vampire behind. "I go by Fritz now," he said in a faint voice.
Jaguar ignored him. "I recognize this girl. Luke's get, I believe."
"Yes, that is his daughter. Her name is Alexia," Gabriel replied.
"That's right. How is Luke?"
"Dead."
"He should have been that a long time ago."
Vitaliy found himself nodding. "Yes, he should have."
"I never thought that I would see you two dealing in slaves. Especially this one. After all, you did save her life, didn't you? She would fetch a good price if you're willing to sell though."
"No thanks, we're here to buy," Gabriel took over before Vitaliy could say anything. "My brother has seen the advantages of having a slave and would like one for himself. Fritz may also be interested, but he hasn't decided yet."
"Of course, of course. Will you be staying long?"
"As long as it takes."
Jaguar nodded and sat behind his desk. He gestured for the men to seat themselves so that they could discuss the matter further. He dismissed Eric, and bade him take Alexia with him. Unless, of course, Gabriel felt he needed her close. Gabriel allowed her to go.
~*~
Alexia's neck was beginning to hurt from staring at the floor and there was nothing she could do about it. She was trying not to betray herself. It was much harder than she thought to remain motionless and perfectly obedient, but she was never very good at either. She was eternally grateful when Gabriel said that she could go with Eric. She hoped that she would get a chance to find Nicole. Hey, try and do some scouting or get some information if you can. Just don't get caught! Gabriel floated through her mind. She was still getting used to that. She rose to follow Eric out the door. "Alexia, try not to do anything stupid. I don't want to have to apologize for your idiocy," Gabriel said in a dry tone of voice that she had never heard before. It made her shiver to hear it.
"Yes Master," she heard herself say. She inclined her head in a half-bow and trailed Eric out the door. Surprisingly, Eric was very chatty after they left Jaguar's office. He nattered on about Jaguar, himself, and life in general at Midnight. It wasn't the slave den that Gabriel had described to her. In fact, there were only twenty other slaves in Midnight right now, not including Eric. They paused when two girls passed. Neither seemed to be more than six years older than Alexia. Eric introduced them as Audra and Ravyn. Alexia nodded as she was introduced. "New slave?" The one called Ravyn asked. Her cranberry colored eyes and hair unnerved her.
"No, old slave. My master's brother decided that he needs a pet too," Alexia lied, rolling her eyes as she said so as if it were an everyday occurrence to discuss such things.
"Who's your master?"
"Gabriel."
Rayven's eyes widened slightly. "Oh?"
"Not your Gabriel," Eric said.
"There's more than one?" Alexia asked before realizing that it wasn't all that uncommon of a name.
"Of course, your master chose not to be involved with Midnight as it was. I don't know why he chose to now. Although, you are quite a fine specimen of a slave. I can see why he keeps you around," a voice behind her said.
She turned to see who it was. When she realized that the speaker was a vampire, she immediately lowered her gaze. She debated whether or not to kneel, but decided against it as the others hadn't.
"Gabriel," Ravyn cooed. She moved towards the vampire.
"Hello Ravyn. Shouldn't you be cooking something?" He replied dryly.
Ravyn spat at him before spinning on a heel. He was beside her in the blink of an eye. Alexia had seen vampires do that before, but to see them move over such a short distance was more than slightly disconcerting. Eric pulled her back the other way. "Jeshickah brought a new slave in yesterday who probably needs tending to. Would you like to help me?" His eyes were pleading. This new slave must have been a real mess.
"Lead the way," she gestured.
The room that he led her to was cold and stark. The walls were plain, the white linoleum floor was cold, and one end of the room had been transformed into a cell. A figure lay huddled in the corner. Alexia bit back a gasp when she recognized the battered form. It was Nicole. Blood was dried on her clothes and her right forearm was bent at an impossible angle. Nicole didn't stir when Eric unlocked the door to the cage and let himself in. Alexia followed him silently. She immediately knelt beside her friend. "Nicole?" She begged.
Nicole moved slightly. Her entire body shuddered with pain even at that. "Alex?"
Eric was horrified at the exchange. "You know each other?"
Alexia nodded. She refused to say anymore than that. Let him think whatever he wanted. "It's okay Nicole," she whispered to her friend. "I'm going to help you sit up, okay?"
Nicole moaned slightly. Alexia took the frail girl in her arms and moved her into a sitting position. She knew that Nicole's arm was broken, so she moved it as little as possible. Nicole seemed to be in a state of shock because she didn't scream when Alexia moved her arm. "You said that you were going to tend her. What are you going to do?" She asked Eric.
He stood frozen. "She screamed for the first fourty-five minutes, then she was silent. Jeshickah was really angry. I guess she... Nicole?...fought back. I didn't stick around. As mad as Jeshickah was, she'd have killed me if she caught me lurking around..." He rambled.
"Eric! What can we do for her?" Alexia snapped.
"There's nothing you can do. I see that Jaguar is letting his pets roam around again. I really do need to break him of that habit," the speaker made a move as to strike Eric, but he had just dropped to his knees and managed to avoid the blow. Alexia moved to kneel as well. "I don't know who you think you are, but you will leave my slave alone. She is being trained and does not need this interference. Leave, immediately!" The woman barked.
It tore Alexia's heart to do so, but self-preservation forced her to flee with Eric at her heels. She wondered how Vitaliy and Gabriel would take her news.
~*~
End Part II...
