Building From Ashes

Chapter Thirty

Dublin

January 2013

Carwyn could hear before he could see.

“…realize what’s happening to you, Axel.”

“Jack said I shouldn’t talk to you.”

It was Brigid’s voice, but it echoed. Where were they? He kept his eyes closed, trying to remember.

“Someone is coming toward the house.”

“It’s fine… Just one of the boys from work.”

“Not Murphy?”

“No, not Murphy.”

“Jack, you’re never going to believe what I did earlier tonight.”

Shattering glass and a sharp pinch on his neck. He’d been so occupied trying to sense who was approaching from the front that he’d forgotten to check the back. He’d been entirely focused on Brigid. A bright flash of light followed by blackness. What had hit him? Had he actually been… unconscious?

“Axel, we were friends. I know you didn’t mean to hurt Emily, but she’s dying now. And you’re ill. You must know that something is wrong. You must know that he’s lied to you.”

She continued speaking calmly. She didn’t sound hurt, so he kept his eyes closed and tried to sense around him, slowly filling with dread when he realized where they were.

Under water.

Of course they were. Jack and Axel were both water vampires. Brigid and Carwyn were definitely not. A ship? A freighter, perhaps. Surrounded in a chamber that echoed like metal. They were probably in a cargo hold of some kind. His amnis creeped out, looking for some trace of his element to connect with, but he could feel nothing. They were far from land. The only energy he felt was Brigid’s warm fire across the chamber and the rippling, unsteady energy of their captor.

Why wasn’t she attacking him? If she could get away, he could tear a hole in the belly of the ship and escape.

Carwyn finally opened his eyes, still keeping them lowered to avoid notice. He caught movement from the corner. In the corner Brigid was tied up with what looked like wire, her arms, legs, and neck secured by a thin gauge metal cutting into her skin. A line of blood trickled down her throat every time she spoke and a long electric cattle prod was pointed at the base of her neck. He stifled the growl that rumbled in his chest and concentrated on his own surroundings.

“Jack says he knows how to cure me. He says that the condition is only temporary. He watches out for me.”

“Think, Axel, have you ever seen him drink from a human who had taken the elixir? Did he ever use it on himself? Think about human drugs. Did the dealers—the smart ones—ever use? No, because they knew not to use the shit they sold, Axel. Why do you think Jack’s never taken it? Think.”

From what Brigid had told him, Axel thinking before the elixir was hit or miss. After was going to be practically impossible. Still, he would let her reason with him while he tried to get his bearings.

How the hell had they taken him? Nothing had ever knocked him out before, but Carwyn had a feeling the electric gadget that was pointed at his mate had something to do with it. Normally, any electronics would short out in close proximity to them. But a contraption made to electrocute? Well, that might be an entirely different thing. It didn’t matter. Whatever the reasons, it was keeping Brigid from fighting back, which meant she was afraid, which made him furious.

He could feel his anger mounting and Brigid started to talk faster. “Axel, I don’t want you to get hurt. Think. That vampire you have locked in the corner is going to get out, no matter what kind of cage Jack has put him in, and he is far more powerful than either of us. After all, the metal’s not very thick and there appears to be a distinct gap in the frame that connects it to the freighter hull. If he happened to pull it open, we would both be at his mercy, even though he’d need to be very careful to not rip open the hull of this leaking old bucket whose rivets appear weak from age and probable past structural damage.”

Axel sounded even more confused than before. “What are you talking about, Brigid?”

Of course, she could sense him now. Carwyn kept his eyes closed and stifled a smile.

“And if he gets out or you poke me with that cattle prod, then I would feel threatened, which would make me burst into flames in a small space, killing all of us. I don’t think any of us wants that to happen, do we?”

A warning for them both. Carwyn’s previous optimism dampened, but didn’t flee.

They were trapped in an old freighter, which was leaking and unstable. Their hosts, being water vampires, would be quite comfortable and far more powerful surrounded by their element. Brigid would be at her weakest in water. Carwyn would also, despite his age. Add that to Brigid’s natural volatility and they were in an interesting situation.

He tried not to smile. This was more fun than he’d had since almost being burned alive in the Caucasus Mountains the previous year! But Brigid might worry.

Axel said, “Jack will be back soon. Don’t light up, okay? By the way, it’s really good to see you, Brigid. You’re looking very well. Is the big earth vampire your boyfriend? That’s good. Have you seen Emily? How is she? She stopped returning my phone calls, and I don’t like it.”

Poor sod was so lost. Had he always been this dumb?

“She’s not well, Axel.” Brigid spoke in a softer voice while Carwyn thought. “If you help us out of here, then I’ll take you to see her. I know she’d love to see you.”

Thank God they had exchanged blood. For a young immortal like Brigid, that would be more helpful in keeping her grounded and in tune with him than anything else. Though blood exchange wouldn’t give her the ability to sense his emotions or thoughts, it did mean that their amnis was in tune, which would give them a greater awareness of each other while fighting.