Disclaimer: All characters from BTVS belong to Joss Whedon and the world of Kindred the Embrace belongs to FOX, Spelling Television Inc, White Wolf or the copyright individual...
Chapter 12: NightmareTuesday: 11:00 p.m.
Burke jerked awake, as if from a nightmare, but what he awoke to was worse than any nightmare. It was real. He was gagged and chain to a wall; his head was sore. At the back of his head, an open wound throbbed making him squint in pain. Or maybe his squinting was due to the fact he had lost his glasses, rather than the wound on his head. His hands and feet felt numb and his mouth felt dry from the gag. He turned his head cautiously and looked around what he saw caused him to scream. The screams came out more like whimper, because the cloth tied around his mouth muffled his screams. He closed his eyes, but the image he had seen was imprinted on his brain. It was like a scene out of Dante's Inferno. Men, woman, and all weird looking creatures were writhing around the dirt floor, in an orgy of lust, feeding from each other with blood and gore matting their face. In one corner of the room, bodies were stack high in plies to rot, while dogs, big as horses gnawed on them. Burke tried to close his eyes tighter to block out the images, but no matter how much he tried the images stayed with him. In the meanwhile, he could hear the sound of someone's lifeblood being sucked out and sicken crunch of their flesh being torn apart by the dog's huge teeth.
He shook his head, moaning and tried to curl himself into a ball. His chain wouldn't stretch that far.
Hearing a noise, a vampire separated himself from his snack and walked over to Burke. "Hey," he called over his shoulder. "Our supper is awake."
Hearing that, Burke cringed. He started muttering incantation behind his gag, hoping against all hope that it would work.
The vampire walked up to him and ripped Burke shirt open, exposing his scrawny chest. "Look at this," he drawls dryly. "Not enough to fill a bird," the vampire said, extending one clawed finger to draw a line down Burke chest leaving a bloody trail. He put the bloody figure in his mouth, and sucked on it. "But his blood is rich," he said.
Burke whimpered, reciting more incantation's quickly beneath his gag, but the incantations needed to be uttered aloud before they could work.
"Are you trying to tell me something," the vampire asked, cocking his head in amusement.
Burke's eyes widened in alarm, and he frantically shook his head.
"I guess not," the vampire drawled.
The scent of fresh blood in the air drew the others towards the bound man. Some sauntered, some crawled and some undulated in a sensuous walk. They circled the hapless man in a rather synchronized dance, each vying for the first to taste him.
Burke watched with numbed horror, his fear scenting the room like a fragrant flower. The vampires reveled in it, drunk with blood lust. Burke heart started to pound and his chest felt as if it would burst any minute as a sickening wave of terror welled up in his stomach. He tried to scream, but the cloth binding his mouth muffled each sound. At that moment, he knew he was going to die and without a thought, he release his bladder.
"Assez! Enough," a voice said with authority. Slowly the vampires parted to show a beautiful woman walking out of the shadows. She didn't as much walked as glide. "Did I say that you may taste him?" she demanded, slapping the offensive vampire with Burke's blood on his lips.
"No mistress," he said, cowering.
Eyes narrowed in warning she shouted. "Hear this, this one is mine! No one touch him but me."
There were hisses and growls.
She gave them a look that stopped them in their tracks.
Shamefaced, the group slunk back to their corners to continue their orgy of pleasure.
"Cut him down," the woman ordered. "I want to see him in my chamber in the next five minutes." And with a dramatic twist, she swirled her cloak and moved to the rear of the room, knowing that her orders would be obeyed.
The vampires acknowledged the woman with a regal bow. One of them quickly grabbed Burke, unchaining him while making sure that he was secure, and then dragged him to a smaller room. A bedroom. The vampire pushed him forward, and he stumbled on his weaken knees over the threshold. He gritted his teeth and clamp his eyes shut against the pain of his bruised body.
"Non, non," said a throaty voice. "S'il vous plaît ouvrir vos yeux." "Please open your eyes," she said this time in English, while caressing his face.
Burke's eyes flew open, shuddering under her amused gaze. He received an intense stare from her bright and curious eyes and he quickly looked away. She gave a tingling laugh that shivered down his spine. She grabbed him by his arms and held him up. "Don't be afraid," she said. "I won't bite, at least not yet."
He swallowed dryly and peered around the room. Someone had painted the room with subtle shades of yellow and cream. There weren't any window in the room, and the only light came from white candles strategically place on all available surfaces. In the middle of the almost empty room was a huge four-poster bed, and Burke knew what was in store for him wouldn't be a picnic. Part of him wished to be torn apart quickly, rather than being eating, inch-by-inch.
This was the end of his life, he thought. When he had thought of the end, he hadn't foreseen this. He has many regrets that he could be barely count them. One of those that were he never had a chance to say good-bye to his parents. Here he was cowering like a little child. He was no coward. If he was going die, at least he should have some dignity. He was going to make both himself and his parents proud. Suddenly he was no long afraid, and all the pain and emotion he was feeling was put into a hate-filled glare.
One hour later, the body of Burke Levy stared lifeless at the ceiling, his body a broken and bruised mess, as he lay in a tattered heap with blood seeping sluggishly from various wounds.
"He was a great present," Sabine said, licking her fingers. "Son sang etait riche et doux. Mmm, she murmured, luxuriating on the taste and the scent of blood. Everything is going according to plan."
"Mistress?" Peter called, nervously shifting at the door. He swallowed the little ball of apprehension that had lodged itself at the back of his throat. He did consider not saying anything, but that could be much worse for him in the end.
"What is it?" she snapped, turning towards him.
"The cop seems to be missing," he replied in a small-frightened voice.
"What do you mean he's missing?" she asked savagely, fixing him with a venomous stare.
"I tried to contact both him and the woman," Peter babbled. "And they weren't answering the phone."
"Argh!" she screams in inarticulate rage. "Do I always have tell you what do!" she raged, her hand fisted in her hair. I don't want anymore excuses," she growled. "Trouve-les! Find them!"
"Yes-yes mistress," he said struggling to control his quavering, slowly backed out the door.
"Attends!" she ordered. "Have you checked their homes or that pitiful excuse for a headquarters?"
"Yes I did my lady," he said nodding. "They were nowhere to be found."
"Merde!" Sabine snarled. "I will find them!" she snapped. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and muttered a few incantations under her breath. Soon her brows furrowed in puzzlement, she was being blocked. She took another deep breath, centering herself and uttered a searching spell, but she had to give up after a few minutes because of the lack of results. "She got them," she said her face hardening.
Who?" asked Peter, with a sinking feeling. "Oh no," he moaned. Don't let it be so, he thought closing his eyes in despair.
"Julian Luna's bitch!" she said stalking out of the room. Her rage was so terrible that the building started to shake. She screamed and it echoed throughout the room. A gust of wind built slowly to almost hurricane size winds.
"My lady! Please stop!" shouted Peter.
"I want her now!" Sabine continued to scream, her eyes a stormy gray, her hair flowing behind her like a banner. "I want her on her knees begging me to live," she raged thru gritted teeth. "I want her destroyed! As suddenly as the winds had begun, they calmed, and Sabine took a breath. "Get me the other human woman and the werewolf," she demanded. "If she took my mortals, then I can take hers."
"The werewolf? Are you sure?" Peter said tentatively.
"Are you questioning my orders?" Sabine asked coldly.
"No, no," said Peter backing away from her in alarm. "We'll get both the Were and the human."
"And Julian's whore," she said. "Peter," she called her back stiff and unyielding. "Don't fail me again."
"Yes mistress," he said swallowing dryly. He walked backwards through the door with a low bow.
Tuesday-Wednesday: 12:30 a.m.
Buffy checked all possible place that Sabine was reported to be. She even checked obscure places. Earlier she had received a call from Julian saying that Cash had lost Sabine. How could he lose her? She wondered. San Francisco wasn't that big a city. She would have understood if it was Los Angeles or New York. But right now she was frustrated and she was taking it out on everyone in her vicinity. That's why Victor chose to follow up on other leads.
She still have found any physical evidence linking Sabine to the crimes and she didn't want to start a war with the Toreadors, because Sabine's perfume smelled like evil. She could imagine telling the council that. She smelled like evil, that's why I had her killed. She didn't want another Toreador death on her hand. But in her gut, she knows that Sabine was the one that did it.
Although it was Julian that had called a blood hunt upon Lillie, people thought that if Buffy wasn't in the picture, then Lillie wouldn't do what she did. Buffy tried to explain that it was about free will. No one made Lillie do the things she did, But Buffy's arguments were always ignored. Lillie had a choice and she chose to do what she did. Since then, Buffy was always on pin and needles regarding the Toreadors. She needed to be sure and have evidence linking Sabine not just one murder, but all.
Wednesday: 1:00 a.m.
Buffy was on her way home after getting Connor, Dudley and Jocelyn settled, when her cell phone rang. It was John Levy.
In a few terse sentences, he told Buffy that Burke hadn't come home. Concerned he had gone back to A.D.A.P. and found Burke car empty in the parking a lot. He had also gone inside the building using Burke spare key, but there was no sign of Burke.
Buffy frowned, worrying her lips between her teeth. "I am on my way," she said, slowly hanging up the phone.
"What is it?" Victor asked, noting her frown.
"It's Burke. He's missing," she said gazing through the windshield.
"What do you want to do?" he asked giving her a sidelong glance.
"We are going find him," she said.
Victor had a quick and disturbing thought. "Do you think the killer has him?"
Buffy opened her mouth to deny it, then her mind made the connection between Burke and the dead young men. "Damn," she muttered. "He fit the profile."
"Shit!" said Victor turning the car around. "Where are we going? The Levy's or A.D.A.P.?"
"A.D.A.P. first, then the Levy's," Buffy said quietly. "I should have warned him," she said.
"Maybe he's just late getting home," said Victor. Just thinking about Burke sends a wave of apprehension through him. Burke's not dead. Burke's not dead, was the mantra he repeated to himself. "Maybe he met a girl."
"Maybe," Buffy said doubtfully. "Oh my God, it's all my fault," she said, her voice cracking.
"Why do you think it's your fault?" Victor asked startled.
"Because I brought him into A.D.A.P.," she said her face twisted in anguish.
"It wasn't your fault," he said gruffly.
"But."
"No buts!" he said sharply. "It could easily be my fault."
"How?" she said startled.
"I could have warned him too," said Victor in a wooden voice. "But I didn't know that the killer was going after him. Therefore, it's much as my fault as it's yours. It wasn't anyone fault," he said. "It's no one's fault except the sick bastard that grabbed him."
She nodded her heart aching, she said. "I change my mind, drop me at the Levy's and you go to the office. If we split up, then maybe we'll find some clues as to where they've taken Burke."
Twenty minutes later Buffy stood outside the Levy's door. Suddenly sheer black fright swept through Buffy making her hesitate. She frowned, as her pulse began to beat erratically. What's going on, she thought. Is there danger inside or outside? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Victor was waiting on her to enter the house before driving away.
"Is everything alright?" he asked, his hand tightly grasping the car's steering.
Buffy breathed in shallow, quick gasps and shook her head. "I don't know," she said frowning.
"Do you want me to stay," he asked, noting her frown. "We could both check this place out, then go to A.D.A.P."
Buffy hesitates, shaking her head. "No, you go ahead," she said, turning towards the door.
"Are you sure," he asked.
"I'm sure," she said, but her hand tightens surreptitiously on the door handle. "Victor," she called.
"Yeah," he said, watching her carefully.
"Take care of yourself."
"You too," he said and drove away.
She watched him drove away, then turned back to the house half in anticipation and half in dread.
After spending a half hour "looking" around, Buffy walked down the step of the brown house. She hadn't found any clues to Burke's whereabouts. All she had picked up were random thoughts and images, which were interesting but had no bearing on his disappearance. She scowled after looking at her watch. She had called Victor ten minutes ago and he had told her that he was on his way. It was times like this, she missed having a chauffer, but she couldn't see her self being chauffeured to a crime scene. Although what a spectacular scene that would make, she thought, her eyes crinkling in amusement.
In mid contemplation, her cell phone rang. Thinking it was Victor; she answered the phone with a causal "yeah." She was surprised at the voice on the other end. It was Cash. He told her, he knew where Sabine was hiding out, and asked if Buffy could reach there in ten minutes. There was a slight catch in Cash's voice, but Buffy chose to ignore it.
After waiting a few more minutes for Victor, Buffy started walking to Sabine's hideout. She made an excuse to herself, saying Victor could easily meet her there, after she check out the layout.
It took seventeen minutes to reach the building, but Cash wasn't around. Buffy took a few steps, and a noise echoed in the alley. Instinctively her hand went towards the stake that she still in the habit of carrying. She was relieved when a rat scurried onto the road. "I must be tenser than I thought," she said with a laugh. Another sound echoed behind her and she turned… but it was too late. Everything went blank, as her phone rang and rang….
In the shadows, bright eyes alight with madness watched, as Buffy Summers was quickly subdued.
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