A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait, but I think I'm getting better with updating more frequently. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.
Chapter Eight
Zoey, Morgan, Cal, and Stark made it up out of the underground bunker at a fast pace, arriving back in the night air. Cal urged the girls to keep running for the woods as Stark sealed the door behind them and continued running. They made it into the trees with silence still behind them, but they still ran. When they had run deep enough in the forest, they stopped for a quick rest and to regroup.
Stark still couldn't believe they got the girls out without incident. He ran his hands over Zoey's dark hair and around her neck, cupping her head between his hands. "I still can't believe you're here and safe," he whispered, smiling.
Zoey smiled back, closing her hands around his wrists. Her eyes wandered around the area. "Where's Stevie Rae and the others?" Zoey asked, then her eyes widened. "Are they alright? Are they hurt?"
"No, no, no, nothing like that," Stark explained, shushing her. "They went looking for the warehouse, Stevie Rae's idea. She thought they may have taken you there." He pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, and his hands slowly fell to his sides.
"Should we head back there, too?" Zoey questioned, turning to Morgan and Cal for affirmation, too. They were all in this together; they should finish it together.
Morgan, who had been watching the couple enviously, said, "That sounds like a good idea and that's where Hunter said he was going. I have a bad feeling something happened. But first," Morgan turned abruptly around to face Cal. Cal's heart nearly skipped a beat, this was the first time she had looked at him directly since they left the bunker. "What are you doing here?"
"He was helping me find the two of you," Stark supplied, coming forward.
"No, I mean, the last time I saw him, he was dead," Morgan explained, looking at Zoey and Stark, who narrowed his eyes. She turned back to Cal. "So, how are you here?"
Cal took a deep breath and decided to just say it. "Kalona brought my mother and I back to life," He held his breath, waiting for everybody's reaction.
"What?!" Stark was suddenly in front of Morgan, his bow and arrow aimed at Cal. "So, you're working for them?"
"No!" Cal said quickly. "No, I'm not. I don't want anything to do with my mother." He walked to a nearby tree and placed a hand on the trunk. "I told her I was leaving. I was planning on leaving town, but I just had to to see you again, Morgan. By the time I got to your house, you were already gone." Cal stared at Morgan, hoping she would believe him.
"Stay behind me," Stark told the girls, his arrow still trained on Cal's heart. He directed his next question at Cal. "Give me one reason why shouldn't kill you right now? Why should we believe you?"
"Because he died for me," Morgan spoke up from behind Stark. She didn't know why she said it, the words just came out of her mouth before she could stop them.
There was a tense silence as Cal and Morgan locked eyes for a minute, then Morgan hastily looked away. Zoey glanced between them, then cleared her throat. She stepped around Stark, though he tried to stop her. She placed her hand on his arm, lowering the bow.
"Okay, I don't know much of what is going on here," Zoey began, looking at Cal, Morgan, and Stark. She spoke to Stark. "But he came all this way with you to save us. He helped me get out of that room; he could have left me there. And, it is obvious that he's in love with her."
Stark held her gaze, and then flicked his eyes toward Cal. "He could have killed me when I was sleeping, but he didn't." Stark muttered, but Zoey still heard him.
Meanwhile, Morgan moved around both of them and walked slowly toward Cal. He followed her with his eyes, his emotions splayed all over his face. She stopped when she was just a few steps away from him. "Is it true?" Morgan whispered.
Cal nodded, "Yes," he said, in a whisper.
Morgan didn't know what to say. There was a time when she did love Cal, but that was before he betrayed her. And now, Morgan has found her murin beatha dan, her soulmate, in Hunter. She didn't know if she could believe what Cal was confessing. Cal had told her he loved her numerous times before and it turned out to be a lie. But now, there was something in his eyes that told her, he wasn't lying this time.
"You don't have to say anything," Cal said quietly. He brushed past her and cleared this throat. "Should we head back to Widow's Vale then?"
Zoey looked from Morgan to Cal and back again. She felt compelled to say some words of comfort to the other girl, but she also felt that it would be awkward, given that they didn't really know each other. Morgan nodded absently, in reference to Cal's question.
"Alright then," Zoey replied, with nothing else to really say.
Stark walked over to Cal. "If you are lying, I will put this arrow through your heart. For real this time." he whispered to Cal, so that Morgan and Zoey couldn't hear him.
"If I'm lying, I'll let you do it," Cal countered, with a glare of his own. They stared at each other for a minute, before Morgan interrupted.
"Do you hear that?" Morgan asked, frozen in a listening stance. They all stopped to listen, the sounds of the forest at night echoing around them. Then, came the distinct sound of pursuing footsteps, getting louder and closer with every thud.
"They've figured out that we're missing," Zoey stated, her voice low and with a slight tinge of panic.
"We need to move! Now!" Stark grabbed Zoey's hand and pulled her into a run. Cal allowed Morgan in front of him, and they, too, started to run.
Deeper in the forest they ran, with sound of pursuit directly behind them.
The Warehouse
Dallas walked into Rephaim for about the fifth time in a row, the last one was more of a shove than an accident. Rephaim just sat there, ignoring him and trying not to let it get to him. It wasn't working. Every time Dallas pushed him, he would grit his teeth in a glare. Dallas turned around again and made his way back to Rephaim.
"Dallas, stop it, alright," Stevie Rae couldn't help but blurt out, even though it caused both Selene and Kalona to look at her. Dallas, however, just feigned an innocent, who-me expression at her, and continued walking. "Knock it off. Please," she heard herself pleading.
"Stevie Rae, I'm fine," Rephaim whispered to her, so that she wouldn't cause a scene. She just gave him a look, telling him it wasn't okay. Dallas was back near Rephaim again, and, this time, he launched a kick straight into Rephaim's side. Rephaim fell forward to the floor with inaudible grunt. There was a collective gasp around the room.
"Dallas!" Stevie Rae exclaimed, but her voice was overpowered by Kalona's order:
"Dallas, other side of the room. Now. If you feel the need to kick something else, feel free to use our head witch as your target." Kalona stared long and hard at Hunter.
Dallas reluctantly moved on, for which Stevie Rae was relieved. It was then that she felt Bree's hand on her arm from when she stopped her from lunging for Rephaim after Dallas kicked him. Bree took her hand off Stevie Rae after she nodded, assuring Bree that she wasn't going to lunge after Dallas.
"What is his problem, anyway?" Bree wondered, whisperingly. She looked over at Dallas, who, even when he was across the room, still glared at Rephaim.
"It's my fault," Stevie Rae looked away from Dallas and Rephaim. Bree looked at her. "Dallas and I used to date. Then, I met Rephaim and..."
"And it's the classic old boyfriend vs. the new boyfriend," Bree finished for her, half-smiling to cheer her up as much as this situation warrants. Stevie Rae half-smiled back, showing her that she appreciated the gesture. Bree glanced around the room, then leaned into her. "Did you come up-"
Stevie Rae put a finger to her lips, pointing her eyes toward Kalona. Bree nodded in understanding. A minute later, Kalona stirred in his chair and stood up. "Be good, friends. I'm going to check on the rest of the hostages." he told the five hostages around him.
Both girls watched Kalona walk away, and then bent their heads together. "Ok, I'm not that good in hand to hand combat and my magick is being blocked..." Stevie Rae was saying.
"And I'm not that strong a witch, so...we need a weapon," Bree added. She casually searched the room with her eyes.
Stevie Rae searched as well. "But where are..." She trailed off as her eyes landed on Darius and the first aid kit beside him. Stevie Rae tapped the floor lightly to get his attention, which also got Bree's and Rephaim's attention, too. Darius looked at her, and she mouthed the work 'knife?' with a nod toward the first aid kit. He hesitated, touching the first aid kit questioningly, and then understood. Unfortunately, Darius gave a short shake of his head, telling her that there was no knife inside the box.
"Damn," Stevie Rae whispered, disappointed.
"Stevie Rae," Bree replied, with edge to her voice.
Stevie Rae turned her head to look at her, and Bree motioned to the floor behind her, almost under Kalona's chair. The metal pipe used to stab Alisa was lying just within reach. Bree and Stevie Rae shared a look.
Bree grabbed the pipe and gripped it close to her body, keeping it out of sight from Kalona and Selene.
X
Sky's eyes darted around the room, never staying on one thing for too long. She stared at Hunter, Alisa, Stevie Rae and Bree, and then, the red fledgelings scattered around the room. An idea was sparking inside her head, but she wasn't sure if she was willing to go through with it. Someone had to sacrifice themselves for the safety of the group. Sky turned to Aphrodite.
"You said before that all this blood had to be bothering them," Sky whispered. She gestured toward the red fledgelings, not caring if anyone saw her. She was done hiding, from now on all the fighting had to be done upfront.
"Yeah, and?" Aphrodite asked her, keeping her voice low, too. She glanced quickly at Sky.
"Well, I was thinking that a little more blood could set them over the edge," Sky looked at Aphrodite to see if she understood. She did. "We could use that as a diversion, and then-" Sky broke off when she felt a heavy gaze on her. Kalona stood across the room, staring at the two of them. He smiled a devilish grin when the girls met his gaze and started to walk over to them.
Aphrodite had to think fast in the seconds it took for Kalona to cross the room. She came up with some semblance of a plan. It wasn't that much of one, but it was something. "Follow my lead," she whispered hastily to Sky. Sky whipped her head around to Aphrodite, but Kalona was in front of them before she could get more information.
Kalona knelt down in front of them and addressed Sky. "Since that stunt you pulled with the knife, I've been very suspicious of you. What were you talking about with our dear prophetess here? Hmm." He raised his eyebrows.
Sky kept her gaze level with his. "Why would I tell you?" she dared to question.
Kalona was unfazed by her answer. "Well, if you don't, I'll kill your cousin over there," he said, with a light shrug of his shoulders. Sky's eyes flickered over to Hunter. "Well, what do you say?" Kalona asked.
I say we're all dehydrated and we're not thinking clearly," Aphrodite butted in.
Kalona turned his head to her, his eyes narrowed. "Oh, really?"
"Yeah," Aphrodite continued, in her regular bitchy tone of voice. Sky smirked to herself understanding where Aphrodite was going with this already. The other hostages looked on in confusion. "I mean, I'm just so thirsty, my throat is dry. I could drain a whole gallon of water."
Sky glanced around subtly, seeing a couple red fledgelings fidgeting. It was working. Her smiled faded, however, when Selene interjected, "Refreshments are off-limits."
Kalona chuckled and straightened up. "Relax," He spoke to Selene, but his eyes never left Sky and Aphrodite. "They are only trying to create a diversion by using our friends' weakness against us. I must admit sending a bunch of immature red fledgelings on a blood rampage is a good way to do it." Kalona leaned down closer to Aphrodite, and continued in a whisper. "No worries, my dear, every fledgeling knows that if they shall step out of line, their fate will be worse than yours."
X
"I've been thinking," Hunter whispered to Damien, after he pulled his gaze away from Sky. "We've been sitting here for awhile now, and we still don't know why. But what if they don't want anything, they're just keeping us away from what's really happening?" Hunter looked at Damien to see what he thought.
"I bet Neferet is in charge of all this," Damien said his chin in his hand. "She had Ciaran kidnap Zoey, probably Morgan too. And Kalona and Selene are here to keep us away. Whatever they plan to do with Zoey and Morgan, they don't want us stopping it."
Hunter paled at the thought of something happening to Morgan. He shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. He had to stay focused on getting out of here and saving Morgan. "So, these two really don't want to be here," Hunter replied, watching Kalona stalk from group to group, while Selene glared at him the whole time. "Which is why they're always at each other's throats."
They both lapsed into silence after that. Hunter's mind was going a mile a minute, searching for answers, and he could tell Damien was puzzling over everything too. He knew one thing for certain; they were all going to die here, except three. Himself, Stevie Rae, and Rephaim. Hunter wasn't sure why though, until he did. His eyes widened at the realization that Morgan would willingly turn herself over to her father if it meant keeping Hunter safe. The same must be true about Zoey. Hunter wouldn't let that happen.
"What are you thinking?" Damien whispered to Hunter, seeing that he had become lost in thought.
"They need Stevie Rae, Rephaim, and I alive for leverage over Zoey and Morgan," Hunter told him. "So that they'll cooperate with whatever they plan to do."
"Makes sense," Damien nodded. Then, he tapped a finger against his chin. "They have to meet up at some point and when they do, Kalona and Selene will bring you three with them, probably leaving the rest of us for dead."
"If you ask me, they should just kill them both right now," Dallas muttered, speaking of Stevie Rae and Rephaim. He stood behind Hunter, with his hands behind his back.
Hunter gave Dallas a look. "Strangely enough, we didn't ask you," Hunter retorted. He was tired of Dallas' attitude, and he'd already hated him for what he did to Sky.
"Don't antagonize him," Damien whispered just as Dallas swung down in front of Hunter. His eyes were narrowed and his lips were curved in a sneer.
"You're awfully smart for someone who is about to die," Dallas said. He raised his left hand, sparks crackling off his fingertips.
"Careful, your boss is watching," Hunter replied, seeing Kalona sitting back in his chair, eyes intent on them. Hunter tried to stay calm as he glanced once at Dallas' sparking fingers, but his heart was racing. All he could think was he had to stay alive for Morgan.
"Oh, I think he would approve," Dallas grinned and reached toward Hunter.
"Dallas!" Selene scolded, yanking the vampyre up by his collar. She pushed him toward the doorway. "Take a walk. I'm tried of hearing your mouth." When Dallas didn't move, Selene said in a much louder and harsher tone. "Go!" This time, Dallas did leave, but not before looking over his shoulder and giving Rephaim one last glare.
Hunter and Damien shared a relieved look. Suddenly, a shrill sound cut through the room, rendering everybody completely silent. Everybody glanced over at Selene as she pulled a ringing cell phone out.
She answered the phone with a hasty, "What?"
The voice on the other end was smooth and clipped. "The plan has been rewired," Neferet replied, "Keep them there until further notice."
"What do you mean? What happened?" Selene questioned, lowering her voice and turned her back on the rest of the room.
"Nothing I don't have control over," Neferet retorted. "It appears that the two of you failed to secure everybody in that warehouse. That insufferable warrior and that son of yours got past the guard and escaped with the girls." Her tone grew in anger with each word.
"Hmm, it seems to me it's you who has lost control," Selene mused.
"I do have control!" Neferet nearly shouted. "Just do as I say."
"Just as long as you understand my son is not to be harmed," Selene threatened. "Or the deal is off."
"I will do whatever I have to do," Neferet warned, straightforwardly. "And that means anyone, including your precious son, is expendable." The call ended with a click.
Selene's hand curled around the phone, gripping it so hard her hand shook. She didn't turn around to face everybody for a long moment. Kalona sat up straighter in his chair, sensing something amiss. "What happened?" he asked.
At the sound of his voice, Selene spun around. She kept her gaze level with his as she raised her gun and then she pulled the trigger. The gunshot reverberated throughout the room along with Stevie Rae's scream.
A/N: I know, a big cliffhanger, but I'll try not to keep you dangling for too long. Please Review!
