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Chapter Eighteen - So It Begins

Consciousness came back to her in slow degrees. She was cold and frightened, but didn't know why. A throbbing pain filled her skull, beating an incessant rhythm against her temples as she opened her heavy eyelids a millimeter at a time. The room around her was unfamiliar; a stark, cramped cell with walls fashioned from smooth, grey marble. A lone candle flickered in a sconce set above an oaken door, making demon shadows dance against the pale walls. She was laying on a thin pallet, the only thing between her and the stone floor a scant couple inches of straw encased in linen.

Something was wrong.

Olivia jerked upright, immediately regretting the impulsive action as a white-hot pain pierced her cranium. Cradling her head with shaking hands, she massaged her temples, willing the pain to go away. She was groggy and disoriented, her stomach rolling like a sailboat caught in high seas. A foul taste coated the inside of her cotton-dry mouth. Swallowing compulsively against the nausea, Olivia chanced a slow glance around. Her eyes were having trouble adjusting, the edges of her vision blurred and indistinct.

Where the Hell was she?

The room was empty save for herself and the thin mattress she was sitting on. There was no table, no chair, no fire to chase away the chill that had crept into her bones. She didn't remember coming to this place, wherever it was. Why wasn't she at home, curled up against Lucian beneath a thick covering of quilts, content in the knowledge that he would keep her safe as she slept.

"Think, Olivia, think!" She whispered, panic lurking just around the corner of her mind. The last thing she remembered was…what? A familiar voice shouting at her and…gunshots. Why would she be remembering gunshots? Had she been hurt on one of the practice ranges? Is that why she couldn't remember? Holy shit, had she been shot?

She searched her body as quick as her trembling hands would allow, looking for the tell-tale hole of a bullet wound. Her fingers skimmed through her mass of sleep tangled curls, down her arms and torso, legs and feet. All her body parts were intact. The only injuries she found were a few cuts and bruises. Maybe she'd hit her head and that's why she felt so out of it. It would explain why she couldn't remember anything, why she didn't recognize her surroundings. But Lucian would never leave her alone if she'd been injured. She knew that as surely as she knew her own name. So why wasn't he sitting here next to her, murmuring sweet nothings into her ear, telling her everything would be alright.

Olivia's tired eyes sagged shut. She was confused and overwhelmed, but as she fought back tears of self-pity, something tickled the edge of her consciousness. Somewhere deep within her fogged mind, a spark lit up and flashes of memory flew at her. Olivia strived to catch them, hording the images like a child collecting painted eggs on Easter. She remembered being shoved into the Jeep, hearing Raze's roar of pain and anger as bullets pierced his flesh. She remembered the searing stench of gunpowder. Slowly, but surely, her memories returned. But instead of bringing comfort, the knowledge only brought more terror.

She had been snatched away, kidnapped. By the Vampyres.

At least she knew why her brain felt so muddled. As soon as she'd entered the plane, one of the Vamps had injected her with something. The last thing she remembered before waking up in this stark room was wanting to kick the smug smile off Eston's face. She didn't even know how much time had elapsed since then. It could have been hours, days…months. Even so, not knowing where "here" was didn't bother her so much anymore. It was the knowledge that she was with Vampyres now that worried her.

A scraping sound caught her attention and she looked up at the massive door. She hadn't noticed the window before. It was cut high up into the glossy wood. A pair of eyeballs peeped in, roaming around the room before coming to rest on her. They were dark eyes, malevolent, and Olivia shivered under the hard stare. She didn't want to have anything to do with any of the Vamps, but her independent nature wouldn't allow her to curl up into a little ball and pretend to be invisible.

She stood on wobbly legs and took a tentative step towards the stranger, her hand held out in front of her almost pleadingly.

"Hey…" But before Olivia could say another word, the Peeper quickly slid the tiny door to the window shut, effectively cutting off all communication with her.

"Oh…well…fuck you too, buddy." Olivia said. The curse would have worked much better if her voice hadn't been quivering with fear and exhaustion.

Not knowing what else to do, she shuffled to the door. It was completely devoid, on her side at least, of any means by which to open it. Olivia ran her hands up and down the wood, looking for some kind of secret latch, but all she found was smooth oak. She tried sliding the barrier in the window open, but it wouldn't budge. Olivia gave the door a gentle tap. No one answered. She pounded a bit harder. Still no answer.

"Hello?" She cried out, her forlorn voice bounced back at her from the four stone walls. "C'mon, I know someone's out there!"

She continued knocking, hoping to drive the Peeper insane enough that he would open the door again, but the silence continued. The candle above her sputtered a few times, fizzing, popping. Then it went completely out, throwing her into a darkness so vast that dizziness assailed her. She couldn't even see her hand in front of her face. She was trapped in a well of blackness. It wasn't long before she started imagining nameless, shapeless creatures slithering across the floor towards her, needle sharp teeth ready to tear into her flesh. The Boogeyman of her youth, creeping out of her nightmares into reality.

Then another thought hit her, banishing her childhood demons and replacing them with real ones. What if there was a hidden passage in one of the walls? Suppose there was a Vampyre creeping up on her right then, intent on turning her into a carbon copy of itself? Olivia's fear rose to a fever pitch. She imagined the feel of warm, moist breath against the back of her neck, fangs resting against the delicate skin of her throat. She didn't want to be a Vampyre. She could never go back to Lucian if she was one of them, a Blood…a sworn enemy of the Lycans. She would be defiled. She could never face him again, could never face his clan. The clan that she had so recently begun to think of as her own family.

Olivia's panic quickly consumed her. She began hurling herself at the door, ignoring the bursts of fresh pain to her already bruised body. She screamed, hating the weak pleas that were spewing forth from her throat, but helpless to stop them. If only they would give her light. That's all she wanted. Just some light to chase away the darkness and her fears and her loneliness.

Finally, her legs gave out and she found herself sliding down the door, kneeling before it like a sinner supplicating before God. Olivia swiped at the hot, salty tears coursing down her cheeks, smelling the coppery blood that oozed from injuries she'd done to her hands during her mindless, frenzied beating of the door.

For the first time in Olivia's young life, her courage failed her and she wrapped her arms around herself, rocking, sobbing. Her mind was numb. Her body ached. Her heart was shattered.

"Lucian, where are you?"

Her whispered plea faded away into nothingness in her dark prison.


In the elegant hallway outside Olivia's cell, Kraven listened to the woman's sobs with his preternatural hearing…and laughed softly at his good fortune. Even hearing her speak Lucian's name couldn't dampen his high spirits.

Markus hadn't touched her yet. That meant there was still time for him to put his own plan into action, but he'd have to act quickly. Now that she was awake, he knew it wouldn't be long before Markus summoned her and if that happened…his last chance to hold the ultimate power over the coven would be destroyed.


"Lucian, I don't think…"

He cut Selene off before she could finish, giving her a cold stare. "We've waited long enough. I can only hope it hasn't been too long."

"Selene's right, Lucian." Michael interjected, holding up his hand to ward off the Lycan leader's burst of temper. "Look, we all want to get Olivia back, but it just isn't a good idea to go storming in there when we don't know exactly where they're holding her. What if she ends up getting hurt in the crossfire?"

"None of you need to worry about Olivia. When we go in, it'll be my job to get to her. I don't care if she's fifty feet underground, I'll find her as long as the rest of you keep the damn Vampyres busy." Lucian's voice was deceptively quiet. "All I need to do is get in there. We've been here a week already and I'm not going to waste anymore time discussing our options. I'm going in there, tonight. Now…who's with me?"

Verbal assents sounded throughout the stark basement where the group of Lycan's had gathered. Selene and Michael exchanged worried glances, but in the end they had no choice but to agree with Lucian's plan. He was right that they'd waited too long, but the need to get as much information as possible before making a move was a strong instinct, at least for Selene. She stepped up to the blackboard, pointing to various marked spots on the diagram she had drawn up there.

"I'll take my team in here. Michael, you're here. We'll place Raze and the others here, here and here." She pointed out the various other doors to the huge mansion, looking to the massive Lycan for approval. He was a smart soldier and she welcomed his strategic ideas. At Raze's nod, she continued. "Lucian…"

Selene paused, turning to him with a quizzical look creasing her brow. "You never did say where you wanted to be placed. Are you going along with one of us?"

Lucian shook his head, a small smile playing about his lips as he pointed to the map. "No. I'm going in right here…alone."

The silence in the room was overwhelming as Lucian's finger came to rest on the diagram, pointing at the front door. Heartbeats passed before anyone spoke.

"Are you insane?" Michael hissed, "What good are you going to be to Olivia if you're dead?"

"Dead?" Lucian scoffed. "Please, Michael, give me some credit. The Vampyres have never been ones to expect the unexpected, no offense Selene." He gave her a regal nod which she returned with a smirk. "I guarantee you the other exits will be well guarded, but this one? They'll never expect to see the enemy walking in the front door."

"Bloody brilliant." Selene commented, shrugging at Michael's shocked look. "He's right. Besides, that's probably where they brought Olivia in. Her trail will be easy to follow from there." With a brisk nod, she went back to handing out orders. "Drake, we're going to need your team at the guard barracks. You remember the details?"

Drake gave her a lazy grin as he leaned nonchalantly against a pillar, arms crossed over his chest. "Of course."

"I'll be going with him then." They all turned to find Kahn standing in the doorway, decked out in clothing he'd borrowed from one of the Lycans. It was a decidedly strange way to view one of her fellow Death Dealers, but at least he was still around for her to see. He'd been back for two days now and though his mind was once again his own, his body was still struggling to catch up.

"You're not up to full strength yet, Kahn." Selene reminded him, noticing the tired shadows beneath her friend's eyes.

"No, I'm not." He willingly admitted, with a self deprecating smile. "But I know the guards. They're all that's left of the Death Dealers, Selene, and they'll be willing to help if the right person asks."

His meaning was clear enough. If a pack of Lycans strode onto the grounds, the Death Dealers would do what they had been trained to do, but if one of their own was there to give them guidance...

It didn't take her long to agree.

"Alright then." Selene turned to Lucian, "Just after sunset?"

He nodded his assent, galvanizing the teams into action. They had weapons to prepare and more concise strategies to organize, but come Hell or high water, Ordoghaz was going to belong to them in just over two hours.

For his part, Lucian wanted some time alone to think, so he left the crowded room and took the stairs to the upper level of the abandoned farmhouse, wandering out into the sunlight with his hands clasped behind his back. He turned his head up to the sun's rays, closing his eyes against the brightness. It could very well be the last time he ever felt such glorious warmth.

He wondered if Olivia was warm? Was she frightened? Was she even still alive? Lucian shook his head to dispel such thoughts. If Olivia was no longer breathing, he would know. They had a connection between them. A strong one that only death could break.

As the sun began its slow exodus towards the horizon, shooting fingers of scarlet, orange and gold throughout the sky, Lucian contemplated his fate. He would be walking out of Ordoghaz tonight with Olivia on his arm or he'd kill every last Vampyre left in that mansion unto his dying breath.

"And so it begins." Lucian murmured as the sun blazed it's farewell. He was a few short hours away from releasing the rage that had been building inside him ever since Olivia's kidnapping. "Love and vengeance live together as one. I'm coming, Olivia."