Page 72 of Abiding Blood

I was in a small wooden building, roughly the size of a three-car garage. Windows lined two sides, the floor was strewn with straw and dirt, and I wasn’t alone. Six other people huddled with me: three women, two men, and what looked like a child of about four or five. They were all filthy and thin, looking weary. Each was shackled at the ankles and tied out of reach of the others. Most were lying down with their eyes closed, but two were sitting up, gazing back at me.

“Hi,” one of them said. She was an older woman with soft gray hair and copper skin. She didn’t smile, but something about her seemed friendly.

“Hey,” I said. I started to nod but stopped as the throbbing in my head intensified.

“You okay?”

“I don’t know. I think so.”

“Where did they get you?” she asked.

“I was on the road, driving.”

The woman shook her head. “No one new has come in for a while before you and the girl showed up. Are you two together?”

“I was alone,” I replied.

“Hmm. Do you remember anything from last night?” she asked.

“No. Not really.”

“Well, you’re in for a surprise,” she said with a wry tone.

“No, not really,” I said. “I know who took me.”

The woman raised her eyebrows. “Oh, really? Well, I hope you can hold up. You don’t look so great.”

I chuckled. “I don’t feel so great either.”

The only other person awake narrowed his eyes at me. “You’ve been captured before?”

“No, but my… I’ve encountered them before.”

“How did you get away last time?” the man asked.

“I had help,” I said, without much enthusiasm. I was fairly certain Vincent would come looking for me, but it was impossible to know whether he’d actually find me. I had no idea where they were holding us or how far away Vincent was. I also knew the person who’d taken me held a personal grudge against Vincent. I wasn’t sure how that would play out. Of course, if Anna had wanted me dead, I’d already be dead.

Over the course of the day, I learned what life had been like for the other captives. I needed no convincing that I was in trouble or that escape was futile. I understood my enemy’s capabilities all too well, yet I kept that knowledge to myself.

The others had been held for several months, except for the little girl. They’d been moved from place to place. There had been more people before, but some had recently died. I spent the rest of the day wishing I hadn’t been so foolish and hoping Vincent would arrive soon after darkness fell. But part of me hoped Vincent wouldn’t come. What danger would he face against the vampires living here? Based on what the others said, there were three of them: two men and Anna.

My stomach grumbled again as the light outside took on a different quality. Sunset was nearing, and at that moment, terror won out over hope. No matter how quickly Vincent put it all together and tracked me to this location, assuming he could, the other vampires in the house next door would reach me first.

Not long after, as the last of the evening’s light disappeared, the lock on the door jingled. My body jerked, sending pain shooting through my bound arms. The door opened, and Anna entered, holding a lantern, her eyes zeroing in on me.

“You’re still alive. That’s good,” she said as she walked over. She wore the same form-fitting dark clothing and boots. Her hair was short, and her features were sharply illuminated from below by the lamp she carried.

Anna seized me by the back of my jacket and pulled me to my feet. I nearly blacked out from the abrupt change in position, what little blood I had left rushing from my head. My vision flickered as she dragged me across the ground, leaving furrows in the dirt floor. She glanced down in frustration, then paused and set her lantern in the dust. Reaching to the small of her back, she drew a knife and sliced through the rough rope binding my ankles. I struggled to walk; my legs were stiff and sore from the crash and from sitting in the same position all day.

I half-walked, half-stumbled the distance between the shed and the main house, propelled by the vampire’s hand twisted in the cloth at my back. Even if I somehow broke away, I knew there was no hope of escape. There was no running from someone who could move with her incredible speed or hiding from someone with her inhuman sense of smell. Survival was the best I could hope for.

I was shoved face-first through the front door and into a large room. A fire burned in the central hearth, and lit candles were scattered around the room. I supposed it gave the room a cozy glow, but I couldn’t help but feel a chill.

It took me a moment to realize someone else was in the room. The blond-haired stranger rose from a large chair near the fireplace. He was slightly shorter than me but more muscular. His clothing was nothing like Anna’s. He wore khaki pants and an expensive-looking sweater, an outfit more suited to a country club than a surplus shop.

“What have you brought me now, Anna?” he asked as he walked toward us. “I hope it’s more appetizing than what you dragged in last night. I could really use something fresh.”

“That wasn’t for eating. This should be more to your liking,” Anna said, her voice different. She nearly purred as she spoke to him. I guessed her tone was meant to be seductive, but I found it revolting.