Death's Servant

Pain radiates through my skull as my surroundings slowly come into focus. I'm lying on a cold, gritty floor. Weakness drags at my limbs, making it hard to raise my head. What the hell happened?

In a flash, the memory of intense pain and fear spiral through me, drawing a hard shudder in response.

A rustle nearby draws my attention to a blurry figure a few feet away. "Thank God," Raine's concerned voice reaches me. "You're finally awake." She sounds strained and nervous. Considering she's living with a group of blood sucking parasites-ones that will apparently jump on anything on their property and suck it almost dry-I can sympathize.

A cup is pressed to my lips, while a gentle hand slips behind my head to support me. "Here. Drink this."

Warm water flavored with something lemony trickles past my cracked lips. "If we get fluids in you it should speed up your healing." Despair clouds her pretty gaze. "Why? Why did you follow me, you stupid bastard?"

I sputter, but continue to drink. She takes the empty mug away and refills it from a nearby pitcher. I struggle to a seated position, finding my actions slowed by chains binding my limbs loosely to the wall behind me.

My vision clears as I glance around the room. Dim light from the naked overhead bulb does nothing to enhance the starkly empty space. Or should I call it a cell? The cinderblock walls and steel door emphasize my assumption.

What the fuck is going on here?

My coordination slowly returns and I reach for the full mug she's offering. I gulp half the contents before bothering to respond her question. "You really think my following you is the biggest issue to discuss, right now? What is this place?"

Raine settles on the floor next to me, resting the carafe on one splayed thigh. "I used to call it Hell." She smirks and meets my eye. "But after meeting you, and dreaming about freedom, I realize this place is worse."

I drain the cup and reach for the pitcher. "Worse than Hell?" I pour the tangy water, eager for more as my strength returns. "Sitting chained to a wall after being drained by two vampires... well, it's not Hell but it's not great, either."

Tears trickle down the young woman's face. "What would you call it after five years? What would you call it when you watch your friends die? What would you call it when you're forced to lure more of your kind here?"

"That depends. What exactly is 'here'?"

Raine looks toward the partially open door, her gaze distant and sad. "It's a pretty prison. Not this room, obviously, but the big house. A prison decorated with lavish parties and forced entertaining."

I drink my lemon water, which is strangely making me feel a lot better than one would expect, and watch a shiver run over her. "This blood brothel is run by Cecil Davies. He's a vampire addicted to Were blood."

"Addicted to Were blood? A blood brothel? I didn't know the first was possible or the second even existed."

She looks at me and shakes her head in remorse. "Apparently the addiction is more common than I would've have guessed. Cecil has my whole pack bound to him as vampire servants. We can't refuse his commands--even ones that go against every fiber of our being."

Her overly flirtatious behavior when I first pulled into town makes more sense. She was ordered to bring more werewolves to feed this vampire's addiction. Maybe ordered to flirt with me as well.

"I don't understand. How many of you are here? How much blood can one vampire drink?"

"I don't know how much they can drink at once, but several feedings too close together have killed a quite a few of us. Our pack was small to begin with, only twenty. Half of them died in the last eighteen months." She trails off and hangs her head, staring at the floor. "But I've brought in nine more over the years-three of which also died. And I'm not the only wolf bringing in victims."

A chill creeps down my spine. She meant to lead me here, just like the others. But she also warned me, telling me to leave town. Something doesn't add up. How did she resist her orders to bring me in?

"How did you lie to him about me?"

"I'm not sure. There is the obvious compulsion to obey burned into my brain, but apparently I could lie just enough regarding you to make him believe me." She looks at me with longing. "I wondered if it might mean we were destined to be... more to each other... if the situation was different."

My mind whirls, desperate to figure out a plan to save these wolves and myself. What is Cecil's security like? I recall two who attacked me as a third stood close by, feeding on Raine. "How many vampires live here?"

"Just him. The others come and pay to feast on werewolf blood... among other things. They use us like rag dolls, knowing we can heal from any damage they dole out."

Sickness coils in my stomach at the thought of all these people held against their will and made to service any vampire with enough money.

"How did all this happen? Where is your alpha? What happened to him and his mate?"

A sad look crosses her face as she fills my mug once more. "He was the third one taken. After that we all dropped like flies, bound to his call as our leader."

"Third? That means he knew what was going on...and..." The bastard lead them into this Hell.

"Yes. He knew. He had no choice."

"Really, no choice?" I haven't even met the guy and I'm not sure I like him.

"He told me later that he'd hoped we'd ban together and overpower the vampire... Somehow find a way out."

Disgust crosses my face at the situation she's describing. How could've it gotten so bad, so fast?

As if sensing my unease in the facts laid out, she continues. "First, the creature took his eight year old daughter." Her words drive a spike through my heart. "When his wife tried to find her, against her mate's orders, she was abducted as well." A heavy sigh escapes her and she sags against the cold wall, exhaustion and defeat etched into her skin. "By then it was too late for little Pamela. She'd lost too much blood to Cecil's addiction and couldn't bounce back." She motions to the pitcher, with the strange lime-lemon tasting water. "We found out about the blood replenishing additives later."

Power floods my limbs at her mention of the drink. I gesture with my cup. "What's in it?"

"I don't know for sure. We grow the plants out back at the vampire's direction. But he won't let us give them to Cliff and Kristin, our alphas." Sadness crosses her face. "My sister, Jennifer, was killed when she tried to sneak the herbs to them. Cecil keeps them chained and weak for a reason. I think together they would eventually overpower him. Their draining is very specific; they aren't used at the main house, but depleted here in the cells. He makes sure they remain on the cusp of death."

The return of my strength encourages me to test the chains binding me to the wall. A slight tug loosens their hold in the stone, confirming my suspicions. The water is working on me the same way it would work for Cliff and Kristin. In ten minutes I'm back to normal, like my blood loss never happened.

Raine reaches out a hand and touches my forehead. "Your gash, from the fight-it's gone already." Confusion mars her features. "It would normally take hours after that much blood loss to heal perfectly, even with the herbal-infused water." She gasps and hope lights her eyes. "Oh my God. Are you an alpha? That's the only thing that would explain it."

I nod, staring deep into her eyes. "Yes, I am." I wrap the chains around my fists. "You know what that means, don't you?"

"What?"

I rip the chains from the walls and stand. "I'm going to get us the hell out of here and find a way to save everyone."

Raine's hand flies to her throat, her mind whirring behind her startled eyes. "You've got to get out quick. Before he checks on you." She scuttles toward the door, gesturing me to follow. "I'll show you through a back door they can't see from the house." She checks the watch on her wrist. "You've got very little leeway until he'll come to test your recovery time. If he suspected you were an alpha he never would have ordered the enhanced water."

"You're coming with me, right?" We glance up and down the hall and then scurry along the deserted passageway to a dimly lit staircase leading up.

"No, I can't," she whispers. "If he suspects I've helped you he'll kill one of my packmates in retaliation." We make our way to the top and down another dark hallway leading to a back door. "Each of us knows the penalty for running when we're let out to work and attract other Weres to his net." She faces me at the threshold, rising up to kiss me lightly on the mouth. "I'm so sorry I got you into this. You're our only hope. Get out and find help. Even the local police if you have to-anyone!"

A grim expression settles on my face. "I won't let you down. No matter what."

A sound from the front of the building draws Raine around. "You don't have much time. He will follow your scent trail. He'll come after you even outside the property. I've seen him do it to non-pack wolves before." She grabs me and kisses me, desperation seeping from her pores like cheap cologne. "Be careful."

Without another word, she slinks down the passage while I creep silently out the backdoor. The light from the moon reveals I'm near the rear of the property, the outline of the mansion looming way too close for comfort. I angle deep into the woods, hoping to come out near my jeep parked along the main road.

My beating heart thunders in my ears as I slip between the tree trunks, trying my best to make as little noise as possible. The urge to run as a wolf burns under my skin, tempting me to succumb to the raw fear pulsing through my veins to let the animal side take control of my safety. A shout sounds far behind me and it takes every ounce of restraint I possess to maintain human shape. I can't waste time changing back to a human and I can't drive in furry form.

Increasing my pace, I emerge from the dense growth, unsure if I'm being pursued or if my overactive imagination fears the worst.

Unwilling to waste any time finding out, I hightail it to my jeep. I'm seized by a momentary blinding panic when I realize my wallet, keys, and cell phone are missing from my pockets. What the hell was I thinking? That they wouldn't search me and take my stuff? Sure, let's kidnap someone and give them access to their car keys and cell phone, just to make things interesting.

Fucking idiot!

Relief surges through me as I recall the backup set. I lost my keys on a job site and had the foresight to stash a second set in the spare tire hanging on the back.

I dig them out and scramble into the jeep, turning the engine over-the noise shockingly loud in the quiet night. I pull away from the side of the road, returning the way I came, when a figure steps out from the trees directly into the jeep's path.

I fumble in the darkness and turn on the headlights, flooding the night with the harsh blue-white of the halogen bulbs. The angry face of Cecil, fangs extended, fury etched in every feature, leaps into clarity, pulling a startled shriek from me.

Instead of swerving, I punch the gas, heading straight for the son of a bitch. Hatred burns in his maddened gaze as he jumps to the side, just missing my front left fender. I floor it, getting the heck out as fast as I can, my pulse drumming loudly through my ears.

Glancing constantly in the rearview mirror, I sigh in relief when I reach Route 7.

Holy shit. What have I gotten myself into?

It's only when I cross the city limits into Leesburg does it hit me: that bloodsucker has my wallet and knows where I live.