Laura: Sorry! Sorry to you and to anyone who's emailed me. I am sorry! But it had to be one of them with a human soulmate back at Thierry's mansion (you'll find out why later) and it couldn't be Thea or Gillian because they have their own story-lines in this, and it couldn't be Delos, because he isn't even at the warehouse. And oh…you're so going to hate me even more in a few chapters. Love how nobody's bothered about Blaise though lol.
I'm evil, I felt like writing a heartless fic. I know, My heart has turned to stone, perhaps I need to get a new one. I promise it will all turn out in the end. Ash will still technically be dead, but it will be okay.
shoes come flying oh fine, I'll just write the damn thing. Hehe.
Chapter 10
Elle Panter was fully aware that so many people hated her for abandoning her own daughter, for being the whole reason that this daughter was now suffering at the hands of some crazy who wanted to end the Shape Shifters hierarchy. She didn't care. They could hate her, all she wanted was Keller – back at Circle Daybreak.
She was so sorry for what she'd done. More sorry than anyone would give her credit for. She had thought about Rashka every day of her life ever since she'd left her in the cardboard box in fleeting depression. She had wrote that note in anger, in loneliness. She hadn't meant for it to be taken so seriously by her daughter.
Now, with Keller's half sister in her stomach, she knew she would never let this child go. So, she had failed yet another relationship and was coming out of it a single mother, again. This time though, she was going to do things properly, not feel sorry for herself while her baby suffered.
That didn't make anything up to Keller though, and she couldn't even hope to start her redemption until her daughter was back, with her soulmate, safe.
From what she had seen of Galen, she had approved. He was a mess, hardly knew what he was doing, and that somehow pleased her. He couldn't live without Keller; he wasn't like any of the men she had ended up with over the years. She knew she didn't even really have a right to approve or disapprove after what she'd done, but she couldn't help it.
"Oh God, let her be all right," she whispered, then drifted off to a fitful sleep inside her room at Thierry's mansion.
Keller lifted her head as yet another blow came down on her. Agony shot up her back and into her stomach, she felt sick, but the only sign of recognition she gave the pain was a small wince. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of hearing her scream.
But, Oh goddess, it was hard. They'd burnt her and hit her with heavy metal planks, once sticking a sword into her leg and pushing it so far down it took from her thigh to her ankle, leaving a wound gushing with blood that they hadn't bothered to close up. None of the Draches were going to be hurt – yet – until they had Prince Galen to finish the family and could kill them together. All they cared about was making Galen come looking for her.
Don't give in Galen, please…despite her earlier resolution not to show pain, one lone tear dotted her cheek and fell to the floor with a splash that sounded louder to her than anything possibly could be.
"Okay, That's enough!" The vampiress who she had spoken to in the van was yelling. Her red hair like flame, and Keller wondered if her captors had recently discovered compassion, until the voice called again, "we don't want her dead yet, or what reason would Galen Drache have to come to us?"
You heartless bitch, Keller thought, but kept it to herself as two thugs – a vampire and a werewolf – grabbed her arms and hauled her out back into her cell. Normally they would have just prodded her with spears or swords until she walked herself, but she was pretty sure that they'd broken her legs this time.
Damn these chains, she cursed, wishing she had the power to egt them off. If it hadn't been for them, she would have been going down fighting, the way she'd always wanted to die. She had little experience fighting as a human, but she would have tried it if she had even just a wooden stake, now, of course, she was going to be useless for a while...
As soon as she was half-dragged, half-carried into the cell. Galen's mother stood up, "what have you done to her, you bastards? You must know by now, my son's not coming. Leave her alone!" she moved towards the vampire guard, a six-foot-something mass of muscles, as though to strike, but he backhanded her across the room before she could even try.
Keller wasn't sure how she managed to talk, but somehow she did, she opened her mouth, fully aware that blood was dripping down her chin and spluttering out of her mouth with every syllable, "Just…just leave it, I'm okay."
"Like hell you are!" Galen's father hissed, but he had just seen what the vampire had done to his wife, and he had two children clinging onto him for dear life, he wasn't in a position to fight. As Keller sunk onto the floor, and the vampire and werewolf left, all she wished for was death.
But she still heard the calls from the other room as the vampire who looked like Jez Redfern screamed out, "I'm sick of waiting! We're going to have to make a direct infiltration of that Daybreak base! Or that Drache will never get his ass here!"
Then she let the blackness consume her.
