Chapter Thirteen
Rescue
There was a good amount of time for peace. No one seemed to want to rush things, there were no questions for me to answer, and no more threats were being made towards Jove. As hours and hours passed, it didn't seem they noticed yet that he was coming for me, though how he could come after me and not somehow alert the VaMoS made no sense to me. Perhaps he wasn't coming yet and was looking for an opening. I kept hoping he changed his mind and figured out how hopeless it would be for him, who was less than truly immortal, to come barging in here for me.
At no point in time did Tobias completely leave me on my own, but rather sat patiently in his seat across from me for whatever thing they were planning next with the fangs he had ripped out from another vampire's mouth. It seemed to take forever, maybe a full day and night, before finally a group of vampires flowed into the room with a new contraption. I barely glanced at it, not caring for their new plan to obtain my blood.
"This should work," Tobias announced, "Let's begin!" He moved to me and grabbed my arm which I had pulled free from its binding. With a gloved hand, one of the vampires broke off the arm rest up to the part where my wrist would lay. Tobias used this wrist area to bend a piece of black steel, much like the one used in this building's structure, over my wrist and into the remaining arm rest. They did the same with my other arm.
"That's only so you know where to keep your arms, not to keep you restrained," Tobias told me as if to reassure me, which I didn't need. After that was done, two bowl-like objects were brought over and placed under my arms in the seat. There were tubes attached to the bottom of them that led down to multiple empty blood bags. I clenched my fists and restrained myself from trying to escape and possibly getting Jove killed.
Two bracelet looking straps were brought over. A glance at them revealed that someone had attached the fangs, now clean and top shape, of the vampires who had lost theirs not long ago. Tobias brought one bracelet over to me, opening it so that the fangs directed towards the under area of my arm, and bent down to just below my wrist. In his eagerness to see if it would work, he quickly jabbed the fangs upward, causing me to gasp against my will. With an expression of delight, he strapped the fanged bracelet around my wrist and indicated a second vampire to do the same to my other arm with the other bracelet.
The fangs did their job well. Automatically, blood began to flow around the bracelet and into the bowl underneath, slipping down the tubes and resting in the blood bags. The blood flow was indeed slow, but it was still there. I closed my eyes, not wanting to watch myself get drained in the beginning of the end for humankind.
"Just beautiful," Tobias cooed happily, "I really must thank you, Miss Draele. You deserve the Draele name, if I do say so myself... Such power you'll give us all… no more hiding in the shadows, picking off humans in the dark corners of the world. We'll be in their nightmares even during the day!" I expected him to start clapping his hands and hopping up and down anytime now. Really, it was ridiculous.
After a long time, the blood bags were being filled and switched out. I began to feel weaker, in a sense. I was getting hungry. I could feel it in my veins and taste it on my tongue. I could smell it in the dead bodies of the vampires watching me within the room. I began to scrape my fingernails against the remaining arm rest under the palm of my hands, feeling my control starting to be tested. The silver peeled away in thin layers under my nails like paint chips. I twisted my head to the side, popping bones in my neck briefly as a distraction. It didn't change things, my fangs crept out regardless.
A vampire bent down to take one of the blood bags, moving too close to me so that I could smell that familiar sweet fruit; not as appealing as human blood but definitely promising satisfaction. The vampire seemed to sense my hungry gaze and looked up to meet my eyes. Automatically, his eyes grew dazed as he moved closer, bending his head to the side so that I could get a clear shot at his throat. Against my own will, I had controlled his mind, without even voicing or thinking clearly what I wanted him to do.
"I'm about to be very uncooperative, Mr. Tobias Draele," I informed the vampire who wasn't paying attention to me but was talking to other vampires about the blood being collected. He glanced over at my statement and with what was probably speed as fast as a human's blink of an eye; he snatched the vampire offering his throat away from me.
"Very naughty, Miss Draele," Tobias scolded while the vampire hastily took all the blood bags filled so far out of the room. I only smiled, brandishing my fangs clearly.
"You all smell so delicious," I told him, purposely trying to freak him out. This is what you're making more of, I wanted him to hear behind my words, you're supplying your own death. Before Tobias could respond, an alarm went off overhead. At the same time, my mind was suddenly opened to Jove so clearly I nearly jumped physically. I would have automatically begun to order him to abandon me, to not try to find me, except that he was already here and he was in the middle of it all. Instead, I closed my eyes and watched through his eyes.
Jove had started flexing his mind control again, using it again in a way he hadn't tried often except once or twice. It had started with the vampires of VaMoS who were constantly watching him. One touch and they were frozen by his mind, unable to defend themselves while he killed all but the one who was giving constant reports back to headquarters. That one he kept with him up until he reached the underground dome, using him to keep the false reports up to the VaMoS headquarters.
Beginning as a pretend prisoner, Jove gained access into the headquarters, but when he entered the center room with the statue things escalated. He was approached by security, asking why he was brought to the headquarters, and Jove responded by attacking. Jove was quick… and gloveless.
I watched as he duck, flipped, twisted, and attacked the vampires now coming at him in higher numbers. Just a touch, his mind was reminding himself as he planted just a brush of his skin against any skin of vampires he could. I winced with every scrape of silver being cut across his skin and every claw grasping at him.
Then Jove touched his limit, fell down to his knees, grasping his head over his ears before using an amazing amount of concentration. Freeze! It was a hit or miss. Either it would work or it wouldn't and he would find out soon. Jove opened his eyes slowly, looking around at the vampires all standing in ways that indicated their advances towards him. But every last one of them was still as statues.
More were coming, though, so Jove took the chance to run down the hallway he knew would lead to me. The bond called to him just as I knew how much closer he was getting. I needed to help. I pulled my thoughts out of his mind, focusing back into the room I was in. Tobias was currently yelling things into his phone, ordering Jove to be captured.
"ALIVE," Tobias snapped into the phone before hanging up. I started to pull my hands from the straps holding me to the remaining armrest. But amazingly I felt… weak. They didn't just come right off, though I knew I would still be able to pull them off. That is, until Tobias was holding my hands down himself. "Oh no, my darling, you're going to stay right here."
I glared at him, tugging at his and the straps grip, but now with the vampire added strength to my containment I knew that I was too weak to just lift myself out of the chair. "Let go of me, Tobias, and perhaps I'll kill you quickly," I growled dangerously. I could feel Jove struggling to reach me, struggling with the concentration over the vampires he had still frozen along with what ones he was adding with each touch.
"You're weak, drained of blood and thirsty, don't think I can't tell," Tobias responded haughtily, smirking that same cocky smirk. "You're stuck here now. Silverstone may have some tricks up his sleeve but something tells me he doesn't have the stamina for it."
I could smell Tobias' blood drifting from him towards me as he held my hands down. It reminded me of something I could do still. I smiled slowly, tilting my head to the side as I met Tobias' gaze hungrily. "You're right. I am thirsty. Maybe you could help me with that," I said easily, watching as his eyes began to relax and his grip slowly got weaker. He moved forward even more, closer until I could just reach out and…
I lunged, my mind blank like a wild animal. Suddenly there was nothing but blood coating my tongue, cool like aloe spread across the burn of the hunger. Then there was the link; the mind of another in my head. I could see Drewdon as a child, dark and dangerous so that he appeared appealing to Tobias. I could feel Tobias' hatred of humans, his disgust and wish to be more than what he was. I kept creeping away from memories, away from thoughts, and surfaced to the immediate terror he held in his heart as a girl he thought he could control was devouring him just like he would devour a pitiful human.
"Hailence," I heard a familiar voice call, causing me to pull away from Tobias. I dropped him to the floor, standing up to face Jove, who was holding out his hand desperately. Without thinking, I had ripped the bindings off of my hands and legs in mid-feed. I knew Tobias still lived, I could still feel him inside me, but Jove's thoughts were clear. We needed to leave, now.
I bolted ahead of Jove, running past him with renewed strength provided by rather old vampire blood. Out of rage, I swiped at any vampire I saw coming at us and didn't even watch as they decomposed under the death blows I delivered. We ran past the group of frozen vampires and with ease, I slammed my fist into the door to our escape. Again and again, I delivered blow by blow with as much speed as I could muster until the door caved and left us open to the exit dome.
"Jump," Jove urged, indicating to the roof of the dome which was closing slowly in an effort to contain us. I bent and jumped. I never had jumped before since becoming a vampire, always remembering Mikel's words telling me how he feared he'd leap out of the Earth's atmosphere and into space. Knowing me, I would probably actually do that, and now I was going to find out if I would. I rose higher and higher, so fast it was… amazing. I was lifting higher still, reaching up to the night clouds, watching the stars above me until I couldn't help but close my eyes and smile.
My lifting speed slowed considerably and it felt like I was halted in the air. It was peaceful. It was freedom. I lifted my arms as my body tilted and started falling back towards the Earth. I opened my eyes to see the Earth coming back to me quickly and I didn't even fear it. Instead, I focused on Jove's mind, and found him still being chased by vampires who also weren't so capable of the kind of leap I had just done. I closed my arms to my side, driving myself towards them, tilting my body so that I'd land feet first.
I crashed into the Earth causing something of a crater, my aiming not so straight but well enough that I landed not too far from Jove and his followers. Without hesitating, I ran towards Jove which he noted in his own mind. I felt his smile as I collided into him instead of the VaMoS following him. In my collision, I wrapped my arms around Jove and while laughing I kicked off the ground once again to go back up into the great sky, taking Jove with me.
"Woooooohhooooo!" I cried out as we shot into the air together, Jove now laughing at me.
"You're crazy, Hailence," He called over the wind, bending forward to press his lips against mine. I met his lips, feeling that burst of energy our touch always gave and humming in the comfortable pleasure.
"Thanks for coming for me," I said to him as we began falling back to towards the ground.
"What can I say, I've missed you," Jove's green eyes shined, "Though I've got to say, you probably did most of the rescuing."
We hit the ground, giddy with laughter, and ran free once again.
