Chapter Twelve
My dirty finger tips brushed over the white material of the dress. The dress fit tightly on the top half of my body and fanned out at my waist; it stopped just before my knees. I was dressed for the spring formal. I had been told it was a party when the courts meet and sign new contracts. When I changed out of my pajamas and into the white dress, I put Revenge's ring in my bra to conceal it. I didn't want someone to take it from me. His ring made me feel more secure. The Court of Radiance was here today.
I stood in line with a group of around fifteen other human girls between the ages of sixteen and twenty five. I desperately wanted to save them from The Court of Shadows. We all had the same white dress on and the same black heels on our feet. The only difference between the other girls and me was my physical appearance. The girls who stood in line with me had their makeup on precisely. Their faces were flawless, and lip gloss shined on their lips. Their hair was all pulled back in perfect tight buns. They were clean, and they smelled good. I did not.
My brown hair hung on my shoulders limply. I hadn't taken a shower in almost a week. It was greasy and gross looking. Dirt collected itself on my skin from sitting on the floor of the dark endless room I thought of as a dungeon. My skin looked shades darker in some places. My face was free of makeup and splotched with dirt. A purple and yellow bruise surrounded my eye where a guard had punched me in the face a couple of days ago because I tried to slide my wrist out of the cuff.
This spring formal was my new escape attempt plan. My body ached. I ate only three times during the week. I felt dizzy, and worn out. I lost weight I didn't need to lose. I was too skinny. I looked down at the cut on my wrist. It was from the metal cuff that chained me to the wall. I irritated my skin to the point where it blistered and bled in some places. I was a wreak.
He was here. I could sense his presence; I felt more relaxed. The bond stopped pulling at me; it was like a void had been filled. It felt right. Nervousness hit my stomach at the thought of seeing him. I needed to see him. His name took the majority of my thoughts as I sat in the darkness for days. It was hard being separated from him. My body felt hollow and lost. I needed him.
The woman who dressed all of the girls and helped with their hair and makeup walked down the line fixing things on some of the girls. Our task was simple. We were to walk around with trays of blood and other food after the first hour of the party. It was a short task. If vampires gestured to us we were to go over and aid them in getting whatever it was they wanted. If we were to act out in any way it would result in death. As the around forty year old woman past me, she whispered to me.
"I'm so sorry." Her voice was soft. I smiled at her because I didn't want her to think it was her fault for me looking like I did. We were given trays as we stood in line next to a door. Every few minutes, the woman would open the door, and a girl would slip through with her tray. She didn't want us to all march in at once. Classical music seeped through the walls and into the hall we stood in. After our tray was full, we were to come back through the very same door we entered. I held my tray and waited until I was on deck. My name being whisper made me twist around.
"Blair, I have one last thing to give you before you head out," Sin said as he grabbed my hand to make me face him.
"You," he said as he pointed to the woman, "take her tray for a moment." She walked over quickly and took the tray from my hands. I stood there facing Sin with confusion. His blue eyes were so alike Zane's but so unlike his at the same time. They searched over me. Zane's eyes were like ice; they were piercing and strong. When I looked at Sin, I saw those same traits, but Zane's eyes had softness to them. They held forgiveness. Sin's blue eyes didn't hold forgiveness. His smile wasn't friendly.
"Someone is going to be very happy to see you," he said with amusement. With a sudden quickness the side of my face was backhanded so hard I bent over and clapped my hand over my cheek. My mouth pooled with blood, and my bottom lip cracked open. I gasped.
"Now… Perhaps he will be a little upset." Sin sounded happy about hurting me. I couldn't understand him. How did he like giving others pain? I wanted to be strong, so I stood up straight as quickly as I could. I took a moment to compose myself.
"Is that all you have for me?" I asked as blood trickled down my lip and onto my chin. I wiped it off with the back of my hand. Blood quickly gathered up once again.
"No, but that will have to wait for later," he answered. He took a step closer to me. In a slow motion, he took his thumb and wiped blood off my bottom lip. I tried to keep my expression neutral as he brought his thumb to his mouth. He licked the blood off of his finger. A smirk crept up onto his face.
"Have fun out there, Blair," he added before he turned around and walked away. My lip was swollen. I imagined how beat up I looked. My heart jumped as my name was called. I turned around to face the woman. Her brown eyes were sad as she handed me the tray. I balanced it as best as I could. My arms were so weak. I hoped the drinks would go quickly.
The woman opened the door for me. Light music flowed into my ears in a relaxing tone. The ball room had only a few people laughing and dancing on the dance floor. Most of the guests sat at the circle tables that were laid out. I was shocked to see some guests eating. Surely they weren't human, and they weren't vampires so what were they?
I got distracted by the circular ceiling over the dance floor and stopped walking without noticing. It was beautiful. The silver and gold coloring made the room feel welcoming. I didn't know why I was surprised. I was expecting a dark party not classical music and a ball room. Everyone was dressed up, and the bright room clearly showed my distressed appearance. I felt awkward but uncaring at the same time. Those people deserved to see how they treated me. I hoped it bothered them too. Sin sent me in here looking horrible for a reason. Why would he do that? A copper taste sat in my mouth. Fresh blood. A hand took a glass from my tray. The weight of the tray became a little lighter.
"Oh, hello there, Blair," Sin's voice entered my ears again after no more than two minutes after I saw him. I stayed silent as I searched the room for exits. I needed to come up with my escape attempt. Sin's persistent voice interrupted my planning.
"I think Prince Sebastian wants a drink, Blair." I followed Sin's eyes over to where the royals sat. There table was up three steps from the regular floor. They all sat next to one another and looked over the party. I spotted Sebastian with a bored expression and papers in front of him. All of the royals had papers in front of them. My arm was already tired from holding the tray. My body was so weak. My eyes were dry and tired. My muscles were flimsy. I just wanted a nice meal and sleep. I sighed and decided to just go give Sebastian a drink so Sin would get off me. Then perhaps I could find a way out. The heels hurt my feet as I walked over to the royal table.
I felt his eyes on me before I saw him. My heart jumped in my chest. I turned my head. I watched his iced blue eyes lock onto me; his stare never strayed. His hands were clasped in front of him. His jaw clenched together. Dax was standing beside him, and Torture was standing on his other side. Torture's black hair was down and not pulled back. The stands of his hair hung in his face. Tortures arm was out a little in front of Zane. I wiped the blood away from my cracked lip and pushed myself up to stand taller. All three of the assassins were standing against a wall next to where the royals of The Court of Radiance sat. I had to pass The Court of Radiance's table in order to make my way up the stairs to Sebastian. Watching Zane's haunted eyes follow my slow steps, I realized the purpose of my appearance. They wanted to upset Zane. I had to keep him calm.
My arm muscle was starting to ache from the weight of the tray. A fake smile graced my lips as I past The Court of Radiance royals. As I passed by Zane, I watched his iced blue eyes start to change. Anxiousness hit my stomach. I wanted to badly to go to his side. I ignored that urge. I couldn't get them in trouble with the courts. I stared into Zane's unstable eyes transfixed. Red crept into his iris. Zane's hands fell from their clasped position and were fisted at his sides. Torture's arm pushed against Zane's chest, reminding him to keep composure.
I took an unsure step up the first stair. It was hard to keep my balance in heels and tired. I made it up and the royals brought their attention to me. My heels clicked on the black tile as I made my way toward Sebastian.
"Sin said you would like a drink." I held the tray out in front of his seat. A smirk fell onto his face. His silver eyes took in my appearance.
"Why thank you, Blair. You look rather lovely tonight." He let the words slip past his lips in a mocking tone. His hand reached forward and grabbed a glass. The tray lightened. His hand reached my free hand and his lips brushed against my hand in a soft kiss. His eyes were not on me, but they were staring in a direction over my shoulder. I turned my head to see Zane with one foot stepped forward. Dax's hand was on Zane's shoulder. Torture's hand was still pressed against his chest and holding him back. I took a deep breath and threw my eyes back on Sebastian who had a smile on his lips.
"You are dismissed. Why don't you go say hi to Zane?" he mocked as I turned away from him. I wanted to see him. I just had to decide if I should or not. Would it make Zane worse? A door was next to Torture; it was only a couple of feet away. I made my decision. I stepped down the stairs with only four glasses left on my tray. My arms still ached though. My stomach growled with hunger. I made my way towards Zane with butterflies dancing in my stomach. The plan was initiated.
"Zane," his name left my lips in a wanting sort of manor, it surprised me. I stopped in front of him. My heart squeezed when I glanced at his sharp face.
"My human," he replied with his red eyes shifting over me. The question I was afraid to know the answer to became voiced.
"Revenge?" I just said his name. I knew they would all catch on.
"Still has not woken. Otherwise, fine," Zane answered. Talking to Zane seemed to help. Blue swirled back into his eyes. I glanced over at Torture then over at Dax. Dax gave me a worried expression and a sad smile.
"Hello, beautiful," he said lacking his normal excitement. I thought I was looking anything but beautiful at the moment.
"Why hello there, Dax. You still owe me three café trips," I said trying to lighten the mood. My lip had just stopped bleeding. It felt swollen.
"You still owe me a week of slavery," he responded glancing at my worn out expression. I smiled.
"My human," Zane's voice was low, "your current state of wellbeing angers me."
"I know, it's sort of crazy cuz I thought you guys were bad," I tried to make it a joke, but no humor came from it. I glanced toward the door beside Torture.
"Who did it?" I glimpsed up at his eyes again which were starting to flood with a very bright red. He stared at my black eye.
"It isn't important, Zane." I didn't want him to get angry. My eyes hit the door beside Torture again. I needed to get out of here. If Zane wasn't going to help me last time, he wasn't going to help me this time.
"Don't you dare," Zane's voice was soft and forceful.
"Don't I dare what?" I asked as I saw his eyes pierce through me.
"My human, if you decide to walk out that door they will kill you. They are not like us. We are not allowed to leave our positions. We will not be able to help you." His hand almost grabbed my wrist, but it stopped half way to me.
He was going to leave me to die at The Court of Radiance. The thought made my lips turn into a grin. He wasn't going to help me, and that's what I needed to prove to Sin and Sebastian. They needed to know they couldn't use me to get to Zane.
"My vampire," I said in a smooth whisper, "I'm not really one to follow orders." He seemed taken aback by what I had called him. He finally caught meaning to my words, but there was nothing he could do. To me, getting out was worth the risk.
"Now, if you would excuse me," I said as I stepped away. I glanced over at Zane who looked furiously at me. If I attempted to leave and get hit or injured for punishment, and Zane doesn't interfere they will realize I'm not his weakness. I hoped they would assign me to a different task once they knew Zane didn't care. I'd rather be cooking meals in the kitchen for this court rather than chained to a wall. It would be easier to escape that way. I'd be in a better position. I was also going to really try and escape, but if I failed then that was my sort of plan B. The only problem was that I didn't know how sever my punishment would be. Zane said it himself. If something happened to me he wasn't going to interfere.
The three were standing on guard duty for The Court of Radiance royals. I spotted the princess at the table. They were all reading over papers just as The Court of Shadows was. She glanced up at me, and a smirk fell onto her lips. I narrowed my eyes at her in confusion. I didn't understand why she had helped me…or why she had given me to Sin. Somehow she was talking to The Court of Shadows. She broke eye contact with me and glanced down at the papers once again.
I glanced over at Sebastian who wasn't paying attention to me or the room. He was reading the papers. I glimpsed over the room that I seemed invisible to. I just had to slip through the door. It was simple. I hoped it lead somewhere close to an exit. There had to be an entrance somewhere near if guests were here. I stopped by the door I eyed earlier and set the tray on the ground. The door didn't even have a code pad. I smiled. I twisted the knob and stepped through the door.
Two guards were on the other side. There was a ten foot long hall way then two double doors which I assumed led outside. They stared at me with shock, and I glanced back at the door shutting behind me. Just as I thought the door was going to click shut it was pushed open quietly. A familiar figure slipped through.
"Blair, Blair, Blair." Sin shook his head as he said my name in disappointment. I stood still afraid of what might happen. I wanted to escape so badly. Just through those huge double doors the outside world was waiting for me. The guards relaxed when they saw Sin and stayed in their positions.
"Escaping leads to the death penalty, Blair." His smile grew as he looked at me. I didn't show him any fear.
"You're not going to kill me," I announced not fully believing the words.
"It isn't death you should be afraid of, Blair. It's pain." His words sent the chills crawling down my back. I swallowed loudly.
"For instance," he announced as he grabbed my hand in his. With a single jerk on my finger I heard a sickening pop. I wanted to cry out in pain, but I contained it. Barely. I whimpered as tears of pain gathered in my eyes. "That was a small amount of pain. I only dislocated your left pointer finger. I could have easily broken it." Pain shot from my hand; it was hard to hold my tears back. I wanted to cradle my hand, but I didn't want to give him that pleasure.
"Or I could always add additional damage to my previous work." Before I could recover from the pain in my hand, he backhanded me exactly where he had only an hour ago. My lip split open once again and the taste of copper collected in my mouth. I stood up straight and swung a punch in his general direction. I leaned all my weight into the punch, just as my brother Jason taught me. I was suddenly swinging at empty space, because he was a vampire and much faster. His laugh filled the small entrance way.
"How funny," Sin said as his blue eyes searched over me. I saw a knife gripped in his hand. I pressed my back against the wall. I needed to get back through that door and into the party once again. I inched my way toward the door as his smirk grew.
"You are not getting out of here until I allow you to." His hand was suddenly running down my swollen face. I stopped moving.
"I can see why Zane likes you. You have this will power that is so strong." He held my neck with one of his hands. I struggled in his hold as I lost oxygen. He was chocking me. Sin's free hand went to my arm with the knife. He drew the blade across my skin without cutting into it with a smile on his face. He was teasing me. I tried kicking out at him and failed miserably. The blade ran down my right shoulder, and then at my elbow, the blade pressed into my skin. Blood accumulated in a huge drop around the cut. I couldn't control my tears anymore. The water in my eyes collected until it flowed over the rim of my eye. Sin's sadist smile grew as he drew the blade through my skin. My lungs stated to get the cracking feeling in them. I needed air. I needed it right at that moment. He withdrew the blade after the cut marked from my elbow half way to my wrist.
Blood flowed down my arm and hit the white tile under my feet. His hand let go of my throat, and I coughed as I gasped in air. Tears fell from my eyes. The blood leaked from my arm, and I didn't know what to do. The pain was too much. I took in air greedily. I almost fell to the floor, but Sin's arm caught me by my waist.
"Blair, I'm still not done conversing with you." I tried to pull away from him and walk toward the door. The strong red blood soaked onto the white dress I was in. With a sudden shock to my heart I could feel him through the bond. I could feel him so so so strongly. My heart ached, because he was all I wanted.
"Come on, stand back up." I tried falling to the ground to make him unhappy and be rebellious, but he held me up. My eyes wandered to the two guards still standing at their posts and watching with no emotion. Pain surged through my body, and I wanted to scream so baldy. My right arm was covered in blood, and it ran down onto my hand before dripping onto the ground.
Sin pushed my back against the wall once again. I brought up my leg to try and kick him but missed completely. I lost my balance when I kicked and almost fell, but Sin's hands held me up.
"I just love it. You don't give up," Sin said with that stupid smile on his face. I felt like a doll being tossed around. His hand held the knife, and I pressed further into the wall. I was so weak. I was malnourished and losing blood. I was starting to see the room tilt. My head tilted as dizziness swirled around me. His knife lingered over my left arm this time.
"I can watch as you just bleed out on the white floor-" His hands were torn away from me, and I fell to the floor without the support of Sin's hands. Blood streamed down my right arm where the large cut was. I took my injured left hand and tried to hold the skin together as if by doing so the skin would mend together.
I glanced up at him. My breath caught in my throat just because his presence felt so strong to me. It made my heart thump in my chest. His silver hair fell into his bright red eyes as he pinned Sin on the floor. He was out for blood. Zane held the silver knife that Sin held to my skin just a few minutes ago. The guards snapped out of their position and began running toward Zane. The knife left Zane's hand in a single second and dug into the skull of one of the guards. He stopped after a few more steps then slowly fell forward. The other guard glanced over at the other one falling and suddenly he was falling with a knife dug into the very same spot. I realized why Zane was the leader of the group. Zane's distraction with the guards gave Sin the chance he needed to push up on Zane's chest and throw Zane off him. Zane flew back and landed on his feet. My fingers shook as I started to remove the clasp on the high heels I was wearing. I needed them off in order to get up. Zane had come to help me. My heart clenched. I was wrong.
"Why don't we do this the old fashion way?" Sin asked as he removed a sword from underneath the long black jacket he wore which was so similar to Zane's. Zane quickly drew out his sword with the metal scrapping sound entering the small entrance way. Their swords clashed together as I hurriedly removed one of my shoes. At any moment I knew the guards were going to come running in. In triumph I managed to get the other heel off of my foot.
I glimpsed back up at Zane and Sin. Zane had Sin pinned against the wall, and Sin's sword was on the ground a few feet away. Sin's dark blue eyes had red in them now.
"Apologize to her," Zane's angered voice said those three words. It surprised me. I used the wall to get to my feet. Zane held the sword to a bloody faced Sin. Sin just smirked without saying a word.
"Say it!" Zane screamed at him as his fist made contact with Sin's face. Blood spattered onto the wall from Zane's punch. Blood ran down Sin's face as his smile still held. I winched as Zane's fist came up repeatedly and hit Sin over and over again.
The door flew open. Five Court of Shadow guards ran at Zane. The classical music from the party was still playing in the background, and since the door was open it echoed into the small hall. Zane dropped Sin and turned to the five guards. Zane was death. In one hand he held a gun, and in the other he kept his sword. He was able to take down three of the guards before more came filing in. He didn't give up the fight. Guards were dropping down and blood was spraying everywhere. A bullet struck Zane in the chest, but he kept fighting.
He disappeared from my view as guards crammed themselves in the hall. I used the wall to get to my feet. I stumbled with dizzy vision. The fighting came to a halt, and the music in the background ceased. I finally came to see him. I took slow steps forward, trying to keep my balance. I coughed and fell forward a little. I pushed myself back up. Zane's body lay motionless on the bloodied white tiled ground. His silver hair was in a pool of blood from all of the downed guards.
The eyes in the hall watched as I limped over to him. I kneeled on the ground and ran my hands over his cheek. I pushed his silver hair out of his face. Zane's eyes were closed. I glanced around to see Sin starting to stand up where Zane had dropped him. Bodies covered the ground in a mess. I ran my bloody hands over Zane's chest. I tried to pull a knife out of his shoulder, but with my injuries I was unable to. I grunted as I tried and failed again. A tear drifted down my face as I glanced at Zane's bloody body.
I glanced around the circle of people that were surrounding us. At this point, people from the party had come in to see what had happened.
"Stay away!" I shouted at the crowd as I tried to shield his body. I shook his shoulders.
"Zane!" I yelled trying to get him to open his eyes. I knew he was alive. It was the silver bullets they had probably used that made him unresponsive. I was furious because he was mine, and they had hurt him. I had never felt such raw anger before.
"Don't fear death now, Blair." Sin's smile still held as blood dripped down from his face and to his chin. I turned toward Zane's still body. He had cuts and wounds everywhere.
"Everyone clear out of the hall!" Sebastian's voice held authority. People started unwillingly leaving the hall. I looked down at my own cut and made a quick decision. Zane's blood had healed me. Could mine heal him? I hurriedly opened his mouth, and with no hesitation squeezed my arm so that blood ran down and dripped into his mouth.
"Grab her!" Sin called out and guards pulled on my arms. I grunted and tried with the little strength I had left to pull away.
"Don't touch him," I said quietly to Sin as the guards started leading me toward the door. It hurt to be separated from Zane. I needed to be near him, but I was in so much pain and my vision was growing spotted.
"And why can't I touch him?" Sin said as he mockingly reached a hand out toward him.
"Because he's mine," I said in a soft but strong whisper. I couldn't hold on to reality any more. My vision grew black as I heard Sin's laugh echo. Blood coated my dreams.
:::
Hello there, everyone! Here is a quicker update than usual! I've got two tests, two quizzes, and a speech this week :/ wish me luck lol I hope you all are getting better luck with your school work! What do you all think will happen next OR what do you want to happen next?
***Thank You to Every One Who Reviews***
Lovesfairytale- ahhhh you're right! Zane wasn't very happy to see Blair there at all :O haha loved that you were able to guess that. Thank you for reviewing!
yusagi710- Hey :) Thank you for taking some time to review and give me some motivation! I really appreciate it!
Miss Kristina- Hello! Awwww :( I hate when that happens! That's happened to me before too, oddly enough I read a story with one of the main characters spelled Zain, and it was hard for me to read lol. I don't think Cain will be in the story tooooo much! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
DJShayShayxx- Hello there! :D Awww I know :/ it's still poor Blair :/ Hopefully I can give her something positive to do soon! Hehe, I love that you're loving War! Prince Cain is one of the better Court of Shadow's princes so I can see a little bit of tolerance for him. I really appreciate your reviewing on all the chapters! Your reviews are some of the ones I look forward to the most! Thank you :)
Forever-Buckskin- Hi! I'm so SO excited that you said that it was getting great! One of my biggest fears involves people not liking where the story is going and then they stop reading, so I was very happy to receive your review! Thank you for reading and taking the time to review!
Katie0616- Oh my goodness :) Your review made me feel wonderful! It's awesome to hear that someone checks back every day! Hehe, I'm happy to have another Zane fan! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!
Tamika- Hello! :) It's always good to get a review from you! Thank you for always taking time to write one! It really motivates me!
Catsrcute 567- Well hello there! I am so happy that you took some time out of your day to review! Believe me when I say that I value every review I get, which is why I take the time to write back and communicate with every one! :D Thank you SO much for the compliments! I love description! Ah, I'm so happy you mentioned my description lol Thank you again for reviewing and reading!
Have a great rest of your week, every one!