Chapter 100
Hotch ran a hand down his face as he started waking up. He started to absently stretch his body out, but froze when his hands were held taught by the chain shackled to his wrists. Suddenly remembering where he was, he sat up in a rush. Then immediately remembering what the maniacal leprechaun and his holy whip had done to him, he looked down at himself and then frowned. He was covered in streaks of dried blood, but he was completely healed; and when his hand flew to his ear and found it whole again he frowned some more.
How the hell did I heal? I haven't fed. As he focused on his body even more, his frown deepened. And yet I don't feel hungry anymore, either. He licked his lips as his eyes darted around. I actually feel like I've fed, and fed on something a hell of a lot better than that shit in the pail. He looked around. Would they have forced fed me? He felt around on his face but didn't feel any dried blood on his lips. Did Red give me something to heal me just so he could torture me some more? He huffed. But even if he wanted me healed, would he have fed me? As soon as he wondered it, he immediately pushed that thought away. No, they like making me suffer and hunger is just a part of their torture.
He bit his lip as he inhaled deeply. So what then? There's no way I could have healed this well and feel this good without feeding, is there? Knowing he would probably never figure out what had happened, but appreciating that it did, he ran a hand down his face again as he sighed. That's when he finally realized that while his wrists were still locked in the chain, the chain wasn't hooked to anything else.
With slow eyes, he checked the area around him more closely. Everyone in the cell seemed to be asleep. In fact, the whole place was quieter than usual. He ran a hand along the back of his neck. Should I try and see if I can find a way out?
He looked at the passages that led off from the area he was in. But you don't have any idea where those lead, Hotchner. He looked towards the passage he had been brought down. And that leads to Red, so that's definitely a no-go. He took a deep breath and tried to decide what to do.
He shifted into a more comfortable position, and when he did, the thing Gaylord had stuck in his pocket dug into his hip. Oh yeah, I forgot that was in there. After making sure no one had awoken in the cell, he reached into his pocket and grabbed it.
It was small, oval, cold, and shiny black. He frowned. It's a stone? He wasn't sure what it was made of, but he thought that it might be hematite. Why would a wizard give me a stone? And why would he tell me to keep it safe? He took a deep breath as he put it back in his pocket and then shook his head. He had hoped that it was some sort of weapon or something he could use to help him escape. Maybe it's something only a wizard can use; but I guess it doesn't matter because he asked me to keep it, so I will.
He grabbed as much of the chains in his hands as he could to stop them from jingling and then stood up. Knowing how damaged his feet had been, he did so gingerly but then smiled because there wasn't a trace of pain. After another deep breath, he took one step towards the passageways that led to the unknown, but then he halted.
A soft whistling was floating down the corridor that led to Red, and he winced. Shit! Taking another look at the other passageways and then a quick glance towards who he was sure was the diabolical Irish creature, his mind raced to decide what to do as it ran through as many different possible scenarios that his imagination could come up with.
After a few seconds, he sighed and flopped back down on the floor. I couldn't even imagine what I've already witnessed, so there's no way in hell that I could even come close to accurately guessing what's down there, so the safest thing to do is just wait it out and hope that another chance presents itself once I'm better prepared. He sighed again. You just better hope that you don't live to regret that decision, Hotchner.
XXXXX
While the angel got dressed in some of the hunter's clothes, Chuck busied himself with gathering up anything he thought was important and loading it into their vehicle. While he was doing that, Kahlan went out in search of the vampires.
She walked down the alley as she called for the detective, and he and Christian both suddenly dropped in front of her. She took a breath to tell them what had happened, but then stopped as she studied them. "What?"
Sebastian glanced at Christian and then back to her. "What?"
She sighed. "What happened?"
"I was about to ask you that."
She folded her arms across her chest. "Stop avoiding the question."
"I don't know what you're talking about, my dear," Sebastian tried with as innocent a look as he could muster.
"What happened with the angel? Is he able to help?" Christian asked to try and change the subject.
Kahlan studied them both and then her face scrunched up. "Oh God, did you sense that something happened to Aaron, is that what you're hiding?!"
Sebastian immediately started shaking his head as he went to her. "No! No, I would never hide something like that from you!" he insisted as he grabbed her shoulders and locked eyes with her. "I swear Kahlan. Nothing's happened to Aaron, and we were just out here chatting while we were waiting for you," he assured her as he pulled her in for a hug.
"Oh, thank God!" she gushed.
Sebastian's eyes locked with his friend's over Kahlan's head, and he shook his head. After a moment he pushed her away enough to look at her face. "Did the angel have anything that would help?"
She took a deep breath, wiped her face off, and then straightened herself out as she pulled away from him. "We know that Reese guy is dead, but nothing else, yet."
"Yet?" Christian asked as he glanced back towards the house.
"Don't worry. He knows you two are out here, so he won't come out without proper warning. We were going to take him to get some lunch, and he promised to tell us everything he knew. So I figured you two could go back to the plane to wait for us," she told them.
"Lunch? Angels don't eat, so if he told you he had to, he's lying and. . ." Sebastian started as he bristled.
"No, he told us that. I think he wants to do it just to get out of that house. He has been kept there for over a year," she explained.
Sebastian sighed. "I'm not sure I want you going somewhere with him."
She huffed. "I don't think you get to make those calls for me, Detective," she informed him with an edge in her tone.
He wilted. "I wasn't trying to tell you what to do, Kahlan. It's just that I don't trust him, and protecting you from the supernatural world is our job. It's what Aaron would want us to do."
She laughed. "You mean sort of like Christian did upstairs?" she asked and both vampires winced. "You couldn't protect me from him even if he was a bad guy, which he isn't."
"How can you be so sure? While most angels would be considered on the good side, they can put their own agenda above the needs of humans, Kahlan," Christian informed her. When she was about to argue, he held his chin up. "We do have a few more years' experience than you. You should trust our judgement."
A sly grin spread on her face. "This coming from the man who is certain there is something off about me? Trust your judgement? Yeah right!" she spit out and turned on her heel and started back towards the road. "Either wait at the plane, or we'll get our own," she hollered and then went around the corner.
Sebastian huffed. "We handled that really well."
Christian shook his head. "It's like she knew we had been talking about her."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure she did." He took a deep breath and started the other way down the alley.
Christian moved to catch up with him. "Do you believe me now?"
Sebastian huffed. "I'm still not convinced, but if you are right we have a major problem on our hands."
Christian's brows furrowed as he looked at his best friend. "What do you mean?"
The detective stopped and faced him. "All of these clues, all of her abilities – what species has all those? I don't know of any, and I've either known or read extensively about them all."
Christian's swallow was audible as his eyes grew. "You think she's some form of hybrid or something new that no one knows about?"
Sebastian shrugged. "I have no idea, but either way means trouble because that means we have no idea what she's capable of," he offered and then started walking again.
"She wasn't afraid of that akka," Christian pointed out as they rounded the corner.
"She wasn't afraid of me, either. In fact, she had a stake aimed at my heart within moments of me meeting her," Sebastian admitted.
Christian brought his friend to a stop with a hand on his arm. "She knew what you were before you told her?!"
Sebastian nodded. "I have no idea how, but she did."
A heavy sighed escaped Christian. "We must be cautious from here on out. That woman could be the death of us."
Sebastian huffed. "And at our age that would be embarrassing."
XXXXX
Red came to an abrupt halt as soon as the vampire came into view, and his eyes widened. Hotch couldn't tell if it was shock or fear that fueled the look, but he understood it because he felt the same way.
Red shook his head, advanced to the vampire on swift feet, and snatched him up by the arm causing Hotch to grunt from the rough handling. Red spun him around as he checked him over closely. "How the 'ell?" he muttered under his breath as he spun him around again.
He brought Hotch to a halt right in front of his face. "Is that what being an alpha is? Ye heal quicker than other bloodsuckers?"
Hotch frowned. No, that can't be the reason. I've never healed like this without feeding or external help before. He swallowed and shrugged as well as he could being suspended in the air. "I don't know," he admitted.
Red huffed. "And 'ere me thought ye wouldn't be able to partake in today's festivities." He giggled. "Now they'll be interesting."
Hotch inwardly groaned. Festivities? Somehow, I don't think any of us would call them that.
Red started to put the vampire down but then brought him back up to eye level. "How come ye didn't try to escape, git? Ye didn't even move from the spot I dropped ye to."
Hotch glanced down at the whip hanging at the man's hip and then back up to his face. "Because you didn't tell me I could."
That made Red smile. "Maybe ye ain't such a slow learner after all, git."
XXXXX
Kahlan shared a small smile with Chuck as they watched the angel devouring a stack of pancakes. Chuck just shrugged and then continued eating. Once Emerell took his last bite and wiped his face, he leaned back with a sigh of content. "I'm glad to see they haven't changed the recipe."
"Sure you don't want any more?" Kahlan asked. She figured if the hunters hadn't worried about letting the angel lay down, they probably never worried about feeding him.
He shook his head. "No, eating more would almost border on gluttony."
Chuck half choked on the fistful of fries he'd just shoved into his mouth. He'd already eaten his whole meal and was working on finishing up Kahlan's after she'd pushed it away signaling she was done with it.
Kahlan shook her head at him and then leaned in closer to the angel. "So what else can you tell us about the hunters?" He'd already given them a list of names, descriptions, and general information on them, but Kahlan was hoping to get more.
He took a drink of his coffee and shrugged. "I'm not sure what else I can tell you. They never really even came into that room unless one of them was hurt or they needed information from me."
"How did they find you?" she decided to ask.
"Probably the same way they found your husband and every other supernatural being they have gone after; they use the woman, Lillian."
Kahlan frowned and leaned even closer. "I don't follow."
"She's. . . well, she has the ability to see a being's aura. That is how they find us."
"Aura? What's an aura?" Chuck asked wide eyed.
Emerell took another drink of his coffee as he sat back. "All beings emit an aura, and its shape, color, and size depends on what type of being he or she is, and a few special people have the ability to see them," the angel explained.
"So they knew Aaron was a vampire by the aura he emits?" Kahlan asked to clarify.
He nodded. "Yes, same with me. She saw mine, and that's what made them go after me and then hold me for over a year."
Chuck huffed, threw down his napkin, and leaned closer to the angel. "Even if you couldn't have stopped them from getting you, why did you go along with them? You could have refused to help them."
Kahlan shot her best friend a look. "Chuck. . ."
"No," Chuck insisted as he gestured to the divine creature. "Him healing them God knows how many times is what let them continue and eventually go after Hotch."
"You don't know that," Kahlan told him with stern eyes silently telling him to shut up.
"He is right, though, but I couldn't refuse to help them." He sighed. "I would have welcomed death over helping them do what they did, but it wasn't my existence they were threatening should I refuse."
"They threatened someone you knew?" Kahlan asked.
He nodded. "They must have followed me once Lillian figured out what I was. I had no clue, but that's what they must have done. They found out who I was here for and once they captured me, they threatened to kill her if I didn't help."
"Who you were here for?" Kahlan repeated as her eyes grew. "You're a guardian angel?"
Emerell sighed as his eyes turned sad. "Yes, and she's just a little girl. She wouldn't be able to protect herself from those monsters even if she knew they were coming, so I had to do what they said." He sat up straighter. "And while I hated healing and helping them, I would do anything to keep that little girl safe! That's the reason I'm here after all."
Chuck snorted. "And that's all the more reason we need to find these sons of bitches and make them pay!"
