Chapter 6

Liz awoke with a start as her bed seemed to vibrate beneath her. Thinking this was very strange she felt around with her hands, not yet wanting to open her eyes. Her body was scrunched up on her side, and the bed seemed very hard. She felt that she was right on the edge of it, and attempted to stretch her legs to roll over. However as she kicked out, she met a hard wall at the bottom.

She started gaining her senses and forced her eyes open, blurry at first.

She shot up into a sitting position taking in her surroundings. She was no longer in her bed, but in a travelling car on the back seat. She had just the thin sheet on top of her, which now fell to her waist, and there was a dark shadow in the driver's seat.

"I see sleeping beauty has awoken." Growled a familiar voice.

She opened her mouth to start screaming, however she was cut off mid gasp by a voice in her head

"YOU WILL NOT MAKE A NOISE" It commanded, and she found it impossible to talk all of a sudden. Her mouth constricted and she tried to struggle for air but found it near impossible.

Her hands flew to her throat and she wrestled for breath and the imaginary clasp on her throat relaxed and she could breathe again.

Panic started setting in, and she looked all around her, trying to discern her surroundings, but was yet again met with a resistance of her throat cutting off her airways.

"Don't say anything and don't move" The voice in her mind commanded again and she was silent and still, only her eyes showing her terrified thoughts. "You will sleep again until I tell you to wake" It continued, and she felt heaviness behind her eye lids that caused her body to slump sideways onto the seat. She had the smallest of power to cover her exposed body with the sheet before she fell back again into a dreamless sleep.

Stefano sat in the driver's seat and glanced back at the young girl sprawled along the chair, her long blonde hair framing her beautiful face, only the worry lines in her small frown giving away the shock she has just received. She wasn't supposed to have woken up. Stefano was one of the strongest telepaths in the Night World, so strong he didn't even need to look at the person he was influencing, all he had to do was reach out into their mind and command them as he so wished.

Why was this girl different? Why did she not bend to his will as every other vermin he had influenced did?

Soulmates... the word bounced around his mind as he drove the car at a breakneck speed to his desolate home fifty minutes away from Liz's own house in the middle of the mountains. He shook his head. No, there was no such thing as soulmates. That was a myth... wasn't it? Things like this didn't happen to him. He only entertained vermin for food.

He was a privileged member of Circle Midnight, his record of killing and abusing female vermin teenagers superseded nearly all other lamia his age. He was one of the blessed vampires that could grow old, but had chosen to stop at the modest age of 18. It had only been 10 years since his true 18th birthday and so he was still considered quite young in vampire years, however his reputation had already become known to the council.

He had integrated himself into modern high school to find new ways of seducing the females into becoming his pets. He had already fed from that Jacqui Palmer girl a few times, but the blood connection between them was becoming too strong, and soon he would find a new vermin girl to abuse.

Jacqui had been very accommodating of his needs, and their time in the bedroom together had been very fun for him, however her obvious experience and cheap facade had worn thin after a while and he had wanted a more innocent beauty.

Looking back at the female lying across the seats now, her long toned legs were uncovered and the sheet he had used to make sure that electric connection was not repeated again had fallen at her waist.

He knew she was perfect for his needs. He had convinced himself that it was for these reasons that he had saved her twice now. There was so much he could do to that beautiful tanned body, why have it ruined by some wolf? Or trampled to death by a mob of scared teenagers? His overwhelming urge to protect her still puzzled him. How could he feel compassion for a human? He pushed this thought to the back of his head.

He didn't believe in the Soulmate principle, and so there was no need to be worried about the shock of recognition he had felt when he touched her, or think about the reason he wanted to protect her. That would be forgotten when he had her on his bed, drinking from her and experiencing the innocence that was now his to own.

It was just a shame that if he couldn't manipulate her mind to forget what she had seen, he was going to have to kill her for knowing his secret. But at least he could have some fun first.

Liz woke with a start, disorientated and panicked. She thrashed about in the sheets on top of her and pushed them off, jumping out of the large double bed she had found herself in. The sheets were black cotton and the curtains had been drawn, the room was almost completely bare save the bed and a metal nightstand with a glass top and glowing lamp, and there was one window to her right with a door to the left. Straight in front there appeared to be a small ensuite whose door was open revealing another sparse room with just a toilet and shower.

Recovering herself and forcing order into her mind, she refrained from screaming at the top of her lungs and tried not to draw any attention to herself. She was currently alone and had no wish to encourage the person who had kidnapped her to enter.

Tip toeing to the window she glanced out, seeing nothing but blackness. It was still night time evidently, and the more she looked out the lower her heart sank. She could only see countryside. No sign of life or people, no sign of any buildings. She was also on at least the 3rd floor of a very large building with a gravel driveway below, highlighted by the eerie light from the full moon.

How fitting she thought, glaring at the clichéd moon, as if it was the reason she was now in this compromised position.

Surely her day had been adventurous and terrifying enough without this extra hand that fate had dealt her.

She looked down at herself and saw with her immense embarrassment that she was still in the boxers and ill fitting top she had worn to bed. There was far too much of her body on show, and she cursed the cool air that reminded her she had no bra on.

Wrapping a large sheet around her from the bed she continued her inspection of the room.

The ensuite had no windows and the nearest to a weapon she came was a new toothbrush still in its box with a tube of toothpaste next to it. There was also a towel, shampoo, conditioner, a pack of ladies razors, hair brush, hair dryer, wash cloth and soap, and her own make up bag, of which she noticed the tweezers and nail clippers were gone, the two things she thought she may have been able to use.

Gulping she noticed the letter on the counter next to the items. It read;

"Please make yourself presentable. Look on the back of the door and I shall be with you 1hr after you wake up, and if you have not done my bidding there shall be consequences that you will regret."

A new fear gripped her as she looked at the back of the bath room door. There hung a beautiful white dress with a Grecian design and soft flowing chiffon. It was one of the most beautiful dresses she had ever seen, with a daring neckline that plunged between the breasts that reached down to the waist and was completely backless.

Realising that this was no ordinary kidnapping, Liz started to shake uncontrollably at the implications this dress held. However looking at the note she knew that the only way she might escape this without too much pain would be to do as he said, for she could only assume that the threat was serious. It was evident he had done this before.

Bathing in the shower making use of the razor and toiletries she scrubbed at her skin, warm tears flowing down her face as soft sobs escaped her lips.

Drying herself and her hair, she applied the make-up and slipped into the luxurious dress. It flowed along her body as she lifted it over her head and the hem settled gently at her feet, fitting her perfectly. She tied the ribbon of the halter neck under her hair and pulled the thin material over her braless chest to try and protect her modesty.

She felt incredibly on view as the gap in the front revealed more of her chest than any other item she had worn before. However there was a certain mystery to the dress, its beauty astounded her, and she was certain it was worth an awful lot of money.

Pushing these wayward thoughts to the back of her head she focused her mind and glanced at herself in the mirror, resolving herself to her fate and leaving the bathroom, ready for whatever was awaiting her on the other side.

r on the other side.