Chapter 15
Carissa fought the guard with what little strength she had left. After carrying her down the hall, he deposited her onto the floor of another cell. Before she could even protest, his mouth came down on hers. She tried desperately to push him off of her, but the entire weight of his body pinned her beneath him. As his tongue attempted to invade her mouth, Carissa whimpered, acting like she had no choice and opened further for him. The guard fell for her submission, and thrust his tongue inside her mouth. That's when she bit down.
Hard.
The man yelled and shoved her back as blood ran down his chin. Carissa tried desperately to crawl away, but he grabbed her legs and yanked her back to him. She screamed as she was flipped onto her back and pinned her down once more. She could feel the hardness of his groin through his pants pressing up against her thigh. He rubbed it against her while his hands groped her breasts through her blouse.
Oh God, she didn't want to lose her virginity this way! Could this really be happening? When his head dipped down to suck on her neck, she screamed again. He pulled back and slapped her so hard, Carissa's vision actually dimmed. Her mind was jolted back into reality when he began to rip open her blouse. She grabbed his hands, trying to stop him. But he only slapped her again.
She felt something trickle down her cheek and then she tasted blood. Cool air hit her chest and Carissa cried out as the guard began to lick the swells of her breasts, now barely hidden by her white lace bra. Her entire body was now shaking, her legs pushing against the floor and kicking in protest. She felt his hand change positions, trailing downward until his fingers reached between her legs. In one sudden movement, the guard ripped down her pants, her panties barely staying in place.
"No! Please!"
He laughed. "Just lie still. This won't take long."
A deep voice came out of nowhere, echoing in the room. "You're right, this won't take long at all."
The guard looked up and Carissa gasped as he was suddenly lifted into the air. She scrambled to a sitting position and found Tyrell standing in the middle of the room, now holding the guard with one hand wrapped around his throat. The man's feet dangling in the air, he gasped for breath.
Tyrell narrowed his eyes at the man. "It is my right to carry out justice on her behalf." He smiled. "As well as feed my strength." In a blur of blinding speed, Tyrell bit into the guard's neck.
Carissa scooted back until she hit a wall. Her pants were a tangled mess around her legs and she tried to pull them up. But she found they were ripped and useless, so she wriggled out of them, pulling her blouse down so the length covered her thighs. Because some of the buttons were gone, all she could do was hold the blouse together to cover her chest.
The guard was now translucent, as Tyrell was draining him dry of blood. Even though the man deserved it, something was very wrong. "Tyrell…stop."
Tyrell heard her voice, soft but strong. Why should he stop? He had every right to kill this human. Yet deep down he knew there was an old law he remembered…never kill while feeding or he would choose the dark path. He'd already chosen a dark path, so why did it matter? Who cared if he chose to kill this human while feeding on him? He was already a vampire.
"Please," Carissa whispered.
The guard managed to whimper. Tyrell licked shut the wound on the man's neck, setting him down on his feet. Slowly, he turned his head to look down at her. "Are you saying I should let him live?"
"You shouldn't torture him. Otherwise we are no better."
He stared down at her for a few heartbeats. Then Carissa cringed as in a flash of a second, Tyrell broke the man's neck. It happened so quick, she had no time to look away. He then tossed aside the body like a rag doll.
Carissa's heart was hammering, uncertain if the man who stood over her was vampire or Carpathian. Or maybe even something in between? He seemed to glide closer to her, his feet stopping just short of the pants on the floor she'd kicked off. Her throat dry, she spoke in a whisper. "Thank you."
He raised his eyebrows. "Why?"
Carissa swallowed. "For saving me."
Tyrell snorted. "I didn't save you. I just couldn't stand all your screaming."
Was that his sense of humor or was he truly trying to deny that he actually saved her? She tugged the blouse down, making sure it covered her. "Well, thank you for taking his life so quickly, then."
He shrugged. "I was bored with him. Now, if we are done with the pleasantries, it is time to go."
"You can escape now?"
Tyrell tilted his head down at her. "It is nightfall and I have now fed. We must hurry before anyone discovers what has happened."
"What about the camera? Surely someone will see we are gone from the cell!"
Tyrell let out an exasperated breath. "I am creating an illusion that I am still there, but I cannot hold it forever." He held out his hand to her. "Now, come with me."
Carissa hesitated, the thought that he could still be a vampire weighing heavily on her mind. Then again, what did she have to lose at this point? Slowly, she took his hand and found his skin to be surprisingly warm. She let him help her stand, keeping one of her hands still clutching the blouse closed over her chest. "Can you make me some new clothes?"
He smiled. "Of course, my dear. But I believe healing you first would be the main priority." Tyrell reached out and touched her lower lip.
"Oh, right." She winced as she'd forgotten about the man hitting her. Now she realized her jaw was stinging and aside from her cheek bleeding, she probably had a few bruises. Tyrell seemed to be concentrating, apparently beginning to heal her. But just as she began to feel a warm glow on her face, she heard noises down the hall.
Tyrell turned and hissed when three large men came through the doorway. Without hesitation, he attacked them head on, grabbing the first one and throwing him back against the other two.
"The minerals!" shouted one man, "Get them now!"
Tyrell launched himself briefly into the air and went after the man trying to run down the hall. Carissa kicked the other man's feet out from under him as he was trying to stand after being thrown. She heard another hiss from Tyrell and she ran out the room to find him. But the third man was too fast for her and grabbed hold of her hair. Yanking her backwards, she screamed and fell.
A knife was held to her throat and she was pulled upward, against the man. He dragged her backwards. Tyrell had killed the one man down the hall and was rising up to come after her. Unexpectedly, Carissa's captor suddenly withdrew the knife and threw it at Tyrell. He dodged it easily but was taken by surprise by the second knife thrown by the other man. It hit him in the neck and Tyrell choked as blood gushed from the wound. He yanked out the knife and staggered back.
Carissa kicked her captor's knee that let out yell. She scrambled to get the other knife and when she turned around, the man was coming down on top of her. The knife pierced his stomach and he screamed. The third man's eyes widened and he ran down hall in the opposite direction.
"I have to stop him," gasped Tyrell. By now, he'd lost an enormous amount of blood. She could see the flow of it slowing as he tried to heal himself. Before she could protest, he once more launched himself into the air and flew down the hall to catch the remaining man. She heard him scream and Carissa closed her eyes. When it was quiet, she opened them to find the man dead on the floor.
Unfortunately, Tyrell was also on the floor. The loss of blood had weakened him and he slumped against a wall.
Carissa ran over to him, kneeling on the floor. "Are you still bleeding?"
"Yes," he breathed. "We have little time. I do not know when more will be coming for us." He tried to stand, only to find his legs weren't strong enough to hold him. "Go," Tyrell said in a low voice. "Hurry before they return."
"I can't leave you here!"
He gave a mocking laugh. "I am still their puppet. Even if I were to make it any further, they will use the minerals against me."
"Then we have to find where they keep them and destroy it," she said in a firm voice. "Please, you need to come with me."
Tyrell sighed. "I am not your lifemate. You are destined to save another male. One that is worth far more than me."
"How can you say that? Look what you did. You saved me!"
"I am too far gone, Carissa. My soul is lost."
"That's not true." She pressed her hand on his wound, trying to stop the bleeding. "If your soul was lost, you wouldn't have come after me."
His skin was turning more and more white. "I told you, I just hated all that screaming."
She looked him in the eye and actually saw…a hint of amusement? Carissa broke into a smile. "Since when do vampires have a sense of humor?"
He sighed. "In truth, I'm uncertain what I am. There is still darkness in me." Tyrell's eyes seem to darken. "Never forget that."
"I don't care," she replied stubbornly. When he didn't budge, she used another tactic, calling on his sense of protection for her. "Look, I can't do this alone. I need your help to escape. What if more of them are upstairs? Please just help me."
Something in his eyes appeared to flicker in response, as if once more a deep brown color returned. "I am weak. I need…"
Her chest grew tight, but she told herself to be brave. "Blood?" When he gave a slight nod, she held up her wrist. "Can you take just enough to heal yourself?"
"I won't harm you, Carissa." He was using her name more and more now, as if to make a point of respect. Tyrell noted her wrist shook slightly as he gently took it within his hands. His fangs elongated, and he tried to be gentle as he bit into her skin.
Carissa tried to sit still, but she was also terrified. What if he took too much? But before she could worry more, he licked her wrist and then raised his head. The wound on his neck was now closed. Slowly, he stood, rising above her which was both a relief and frightening. He was so tall and dark. Tyrell's hair was long and smooth, the kind most women would kill to have. But his looks were nothing compared to what she saw he could do when it came to overpowering those men. She had a feeling that when he was at full strength, Tyrell was a force not many could stop.
As he looked down at her, Tyrell felt something stir, but not sexual. No, he only had the urge to protect this female and deliver her to the male she would eventually save. He could not allow a precious gift such as this to be wasted. And as one who experienced the darkness overtaking him, Tyrell felt he knew firsthand how horrible turning into the darkness could be.
Helping her stand, he thought about this for a moment. Why should he care? He could take this female and keep her for himself. What if he spoke the words? What if he mated with her? Tyrell frowned. His thoughts still had darkness. He was now thinking more clearly, and knew she wasn't meant for him. But the darkness was still strong, calling him to return to his pleasurable state as a vampire.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
He blinked and realized he was frowning. "Yes, now let's go."
They cautiously made their way up the stars. In the lab, there were only a few lights on, leaving the room relatively dark. They rounded a corner and Carissa held back a gasp as she saw flames. It was some kind of huge furnace, with an opening that was burning, the flames so hot, it was almost unbearable. "That's one heck of a heater," she whispered.
"That is the crematorium."
Carissa froze in horror. "Are you saying…"
"They have to do something with the dead bodies, do they not?" He pulled her in another direction. "I feel something this way."
She was hanging onto his whole arm at this point, scared to death that she would never make it out of here. Did they kill psychics and burn them afterwards? Tyrell said something but she wasn't paying attention until she saw the long table at the far end of another room.
Oh God! It was a body!
"Autopsies," murmured Tyrell. He gently pulled her away. By now she was shaking so badly, he was almost ready to carry her.
Carissa was now terrified. She jolted to a stop when she bumped into Tyrell. Looking up, she trembled as she saw him bare his fangs and hiss. She followed his gaze to find a man holding the tube of minerals at him. He wasn't very tall and he had a smug look on his face.
"You will do as I say," he commanded.
The minerals in the test tube seem to glow in response. She felt Tyrell hesitate, the look on his face one of confusion. She reached out to him, realizing the pain in her head might stop her. Do not listen to him!
Tyrell blinked. The pull is too strong, Carissa. I am…losing my battle to do what I want.
His voice was strangled, as if he was trying with every ounce of strength to avoid obeying the man. Before she could even think, Carissa rushed forward and grabbed the test tube. It took the man by surprise and he couldn't stop her in time. She ran back to the crematorium and threw the test tube in the in flames.
"No!" shouted the man. He was right behind her and went Carissa turned around, he grabbed hold of her shoulders and shook her in anger.
Until Tyrell reached him.
Carissa barely had time to register that the man was about to hit her when he was yanked away. Tyrell lifted him up into the air easily, and then threw him into the flames. Carissa covered her ears while the man screamed and screamed. Tyrell glided over to her and held her close until the man's cries finally ceased.
"He would have killed you," said Tyrell in a gruff voice.
She looked up at him. "I know. I just…I don't like to make anyone suffer."
"That is because you have a good soul," he soothed.
"Can you still…feel?"
He actually smiled. "Yes, I can. Even without the minerals, there has been a difference. It's as if the minerals do in fact have some lingering effect. For how long, I do not know." Tyrell tilted his head. "And you used your blood connection with me telepathically."
Carissa blinked. "And I didn't feel any pain! It must have worn off! Whatever they gave me must be out of my system!"
"Good. Then you can soon call your lifemate. But I fear more humans will be soon arriving as I've sensed a silent alarm has gone off. I need to lead you to a safer place."
She nodded, excited that she was finally going to be free. But as they moved down a hall to the main outer doors, a swirl of wind hit both of them and Carissa was astonished to find herself being pushed away from Tyrell.
When the wind died down, Carissa saw Pierce.
No, it was Pierce and…another Pierce? Her relief turned into confusion as she watched both of them look at Tyrell with blazing eyes.
Author's note: Thanks everyone for the reviews - they really help to motivate me and keep going. -Anne