Chapter 85

Chuck's sigh was heavy as he looked at his best friend. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Rossi huffed as they looked at the run-down building. "I can't even believe Aaron would go in there."

"Things aren't always whet they seem, Dave, you should know that," Kahlan told him as her eyes cut to him.

He ran a hand down his goatee. "Are you sure you can even get us in there?"

She looked at him. "There's no 'us', David Michael. I have to go in there alone."

Chuck's eyes snapped to her. "You never said that!"

She sighed. "It will be more believable if I go alone."

"But they might. . . you could. . ." he stammered, but he could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't going to listen to reason. He pouted. "I really don't like this."

She gave him a small grin as she cupped the said of his face. "I know, and I'm sorry, but I have to at least try."

Chuck's eyes shot to Rossi's, and the younger man's pleaded with him to do something. Rossi stood up straighter. "You know, Kiddo, Aaron wouldn't. . ."

"Don't! Aaron's the reason I'm doing this! If I can get something in there that will help us find him, then great! If not. . . Well, it's worth the risk!" she argued.

Rossi held up his hands. "I was just going to say that Aaron would not want you doing this without back-up, and. . . I. . ." He sighed. "I may have called somebody."

Her eyes narrowed. "Somebody?"

He shrugged. "I'm just trying to protect you, Kiddo."

She snorted. "Well, he isn't here, and I'm not waiting."

"Who'd you call?" Chuck asked him.

"Sebastian, obviously," she told him and then ran her hands through her hair. "How do I look?" she asked Chuck.

He smiled. "You look like some socialite going to a dinner party."

She laughed. "Just the look I was going for."

Rossi shook his head. "You're gorgeous as usual," he told her as he pulled her into a hug. As his hands ran down her back he pulled back and frowned. "Is that vucana wool?"

She smiled as she pulled away from him. "You're not the only one with fine clothes." She took a deep breath, let it out, and then gave him a grin. "I'm going in."

Rossi glanced at his watch. "He should be here any time. Can't you give him at least five more minutes?"

She held her chin up as her eyes turned hard. "No, because that's five more minutes that Aaron's in the clutches of those bastard!" She took a calming breath. "Besides, this will be even more believable if I go in without a vampire."

"Alright," he agreed and then pulled her back in for another hug. "Please be careful."

"I will."

"We'll send him in as soon as he gets here," Chuck told her.

She nodded and then looked toward the van parked behind them. "You ready?" she asked Cameron.

He nodded. "Yep. We'll be watching and recording everything, and if you need us. . ."

"I know the signal," she assured them and then went across the street.

After she disappeared into the run-down building, Chuck looked at Rossi. "If something happens to her, Hotch is going to kill us."

Rossi nodded. "Oh, I know."

XXXXX

After what seemed like eternity, a little of Hotch's strength did return, and he could finally lift his head up allowing him to look around his new home. It was bare except for the straw scattered about on the concrete floor and a small metal pail over in the corner. So is my dinner in there, or was he lying? He shook his head and tried to push himself up, but he could only lift his upper half enough to brace himself on his forearms. He took a deep breath through his nose and then cringed. He could smell blood, but he wasn't sure if he smelled his own in the traces that had dried on his body or if there truly was blood in the pail. When the hunger fueled pain in his gut demanded that he at least go and see, he pulled himself across the floor.

Once he was close enough, he dropped down onto his side and reached for the pail with a shaking hand. His fingers fought with the thin handle, but he eventually got it up enough to grip it and pulled it to him, slowly and carefully. If it was his dinner, he didn't want a reason to have to lick it up off the dirty floor because the pain was so strong that he knew he would if he had to. Once the pail was close enough, he looked in it and a pitiful chuckle escaped him to see the think, red liquid.

Willing his hands to keep steady, he lifted the pail to his lips and took a big gulp and then almost spit it out but he forced himself to swallow it. He licked his lips and then cringed as he looked into the pail again. What the hell did this blood come from? His mind and his taste buds wanted him to fling the pail away from him, but the vampire driven hunger that encompassed his whole being forced his hands to raise the pail again. Taking one deep breath, he tilted the pail up and drank it down and had to fight the urge to throw up the whole time.

Once it was emptied, he flopped onto his back and wilted against the cold floor as the pain receded. After a few moments, he frowned. He wasn't feeling any of the usual power surges that normally accompanied feeding. Is it because I was so drained? He laughed out loud. Drained? Really, Hotchner, you had to go there? He sighed. Or is it because of the type of blood? He cringed as he thought about that. Are they giving me that to keep me weak? That or maybe it's this damn collar. He huffed and wiped his face off roughly and then rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself up.

That time he got all the way to a standing position and his eyes immediately found the clothes and he moved to them. They had given him only jeans and a t-shirt, but he got dressed not caring about whether the dried blood streaking his body would ruin them or not. It's not like they gave me anything to wash with, anyway. Once he was dressed, he took a good look around his quarters. The eight foot high walls were made out of bars just like so many cells he'd seen in his life and it had more bars going across the top of them, but the ceiling of the room was at least ten feet above that. Yep, a fucking cage, just like he said and I saw on the way to that room. Biting his lip, he moved to the door and tried to shake it open, but it wouldn't budge. I'm too weak to make a difference. He reached up and pulled at the loose fitting collar, but it didn't budge, either. Shit!

Taking a deep breath, he looked around again. The massive room was lit with florescent lights hung from the ceiling, but there were also unlit torches lining the walls. There were also two other cages. The one right next to his was empty but the far one was occupied, but he had no idea what it was. Whatever it was, it was huge and curled up in one corner. He could see golden fur along the thing's back, longer fur like a mane by its shoulders, two long horns coming from what Hotch assumed was its head, and it had a tail that was swishing back and forth slowly. As Hotch studied the tail, his eyes grew wide. It's not a tail, that's a God damn snake hooked to its ass! Jesus Christ! What the hell are you?

He swallowed and forced himself to look away from it and back to the room around him. The three cages were lined up along the back wall but about fifteen feet away from it. There was also a door at each end of the long room. He thought back to his earlier thought of it being a monster zoo and he cringed. It's set up just like a fucking zoo. Son of a bitch! He pinched the bridge of his nose. Please don't let people actually come through here to gawk at us!

He took another deep breath trying to calm himself down so he could think, but his eyes went back to the thing in the far cage. Stop thinking of it as a monster, Hotchner! It's a nonhuman, just like you! You don't want people judging you on being a vampire but you're going to judge it just because it's not even a humanoid? How pathetic is that? He shook his head and then went and sat down in the corner. Just focus on your damn self, Hotchner!

He drew his knees up, rested his elbows on them, and cradled his face with his hands. You've survived captivity before. You can do it again, right? But as soon as he thought it, his eyes filled. But you couldn't even get out of that without help. There's no way you are ever going to escape here without it! Knowing he'd never get out of there on his own was bad enough, but knowing that if he didn't get out of there that he would have to live like that for all of eternity was almost enough to crush him. A few tears made their way down his cheeks. At least with Green, you knew you would eventually be released through death! And as much as he really wanted Kahlan or his team to rescue him, he really didn't want them anywhere near the warlock or his zoo. I don't even want to imagine what they'd do to humans.

"They cut them up for food for us monsters," rumbled through the room and Hotch jerked his head up.

He looked around and then frowned. Did I just imagine that?

"So only humanoids can speak, is that it, bloodsucker?"

Hotch looked at the only other living being that was in the room, the thing in the far cage, and frowned even more. It hadn't moved. Is it talking to me?

"I'm not an 'it'; I am a male," the voice reverberated as the being slowly uncurled itself, got up on its feet, and stretched like a cat.

When its head turned towards Hotch, Hotch couldn't hide his shock. It, he, had two heads: one that looked goatish right overtop one that was a mix between a man's and a lion's, and the horns jutted out the back of his skull right between the two heads. It also had two different sets of legs, and while both of them looked lionish from shoulder to mid joint, the front ones ended in talons like a bird of prey and the back ones ended in cloven hooves like a deer. Hotch stood up. "You can read my mind?"

The bottom head smiled and the spiked teeth that showed made Hotch mentally cringe. The being snorted through its top nose. "I can do a lot of things, bloodsucker."

"I bet," Hotch offered. What the hell are. . . shit! "Sorry. I'm not used to having someone read my thoughts."

"Obviously." He looked Hotch up and down and then sat down on its back haunches. "I'm a chimera. Don't people study mythology anymore?"

"You don't look like any picture of a chimera that I have ever seen."

He huffed. "Pictures? You really think chimeras are dumb enough to get our picture taken?"

Hotch frowned. "No, I meant. . . I. . ."

The chimera laughed a chuffing type laughter and laid down and crossed its front legs. "Drawing, paintings, yes, I understand. We do come in different breeds just like modern dogs. The chimera that was so popularly depicted back in your ancient Greek and Roman times was the lowest and most unintelligent sub species. That's how humans got a glimpse of them."

Hotch's brows rose. Makes sense, I guess. He licked his lips. "My name's Aaron."

"So? I already knew that."

Hotch wilted and shook his head. "Never mind," he put out and moved back to his corner and sat back down.

The chimera sighed. "Fine, Aaron. It's nice to meet you."

"In today's society, when someone gives you his name, the polite thing to do is give him yours," Hotch instructed trying for the same haughty tone the chimera was using.

The beast smiled again. "I'd give it to you, but it would make your ears bleed."

Hotch studied him and wondered what he meant by that. Never mind, I don't want you to explain it. "Is there something that I can call you?"

"The last being that occupied that cell called me Leo, I guess you can use that."

"Thank you, Leo." Hotch swallowed. "What happen to the last guy who was in here?"

"Zola wasn't a guy, and she was killed in the arena just like you and I will be."

XXXXX

After finding her way through the dark building, Kahlan finally saw a large wooden door, and she had to stop and take a deep breath. You've got to slow your heart down, Kay. You know they can hear it. She took another deep breath as she closed her eyes and brought an image of her husband to mind. For you, Hun.

She opened her eyes, stood up straighter, and nodded. Then she advanced to the door.

It opened before she got to it and a tall, bald man eyed her as he blocked the entrance. "Can I help you."

She gave him her best smile. "I'm just here to buy a little something."

The man's brows furrowed. "I think you are in the wrong place."

An impatient huff left her. "I've been here before, I'm pretty sure this is the right place."

He locked eyes with her. "How many times have you been here?"

"Twice," she answered without hesitation.

"And what are you here to buy?"

"A bottle of Maltese Tiger, my man's favorite."

"Your man is a vampire?"

"Yes."

He looked her up and down, and then moved to the side. He had no reason to think his compelled questions hadn't been answered honestly. "Have a good time," he added with a smile as he gestured into the bar.

"Thank you," she called over her shoulder and then went around the corner.

She blew out a breath and let her eyes roam over everything. So this is how vampires party, huh? She mentally huffed. Looks pretty fucking boring to me.

When she saw a couple wrapped up in a corner booth and her feeding off of him as their hand groped each other, her heart ached for her husband even more.

"What's a beautiful morsel like you doing in a place like this all alone," a deep voice asked as someone slid up behind her.

She looked over her shoulder and smiled. He was tall, dark, and handsome, but the way his eyes feasted over her and settled on her neck, made her mentally growl. "Nothing specific. I'm just looking for a good time."

He smiled. "Vampires are very adept at giving a good time."

"Oh, I know," she agreed with another smile as she flipped her hair back over her shoulder exposing her neck even more.

He licked his lips. "I have a private room in the back. Care to join me?" he asked as his hand slid onto her back and started her in that direction.

She giggled. "Don't mind if I do."