Kindled (Page 47)

Joey groaned in disgust as he rolled his eyes. “Quick to defend your lover.”

Cassie glared at him, her teeth grinding tightly. “We don’t need him,” the other man said softly. “We have something just as good.”

A cold chill washed through her and she was almost forced to sit again as her legs buckled slightly. She would not give them the satisfaction of seeing such a weakness in her though. She absolutely refused to let them see her cower in fear. “What do you mean?” she choked out, terrified of the answer.

The man reached down and flipped another switch. A wash of light flooded from the window behind her. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as she felt a set of eyes burning into her back. A shudder tore through her. Her mouth was completely dry as she turned slowly, dread pulsed rapidly through her.

Julian was standing behind the glass, his arms raised above his head as he grasped hold of the top of the windowsill. His handsome face was hard, his eyes a violent shade of red as he stared murderously at the men behind her. Slowly, his gaze shifted to her. Cassie remained immobile, shock riveted her as his eyes turned slowly back to their startling ice blue color. Oddly though, the nearly white band around his pupils remained a violent shade of red. It was a startling effect that robbed her of her breath.

“Hello princess,” he purred.

Cassie’s breath exploded out of her, terror and confusion left her numb as she began to tremble all over. What the hell was Julian doing here? And just what the hell did they expect to have happen? She could hardly tear her gaze away from him, frightened by the power and anger she sensed rushing out of him, frightened by his strange presence in the same hell that she was trapped in. There were endless possibilities about what his presence here meant, and none of them were good.

Ever so slowly she turned back to her captors. “Julian is also an Elder with some amazing abilities from what I understand,” the strange older man informed her with a calm reasoning that shook her. For the first time, she began to understand that the man was truly crazy.

She couldn’t find words, could barely even find her breath. Unwillingly, she slid back to the cot, her legs unable to hold her any longer. “You plan to experiment on us,” she whispered.

“We plan to do a lot with you. Now I would suggest getting some rest, you’re going to have a very active day tomorrow.”

Her head snapped up as the light flashed off. Joey and the man disappeared from view. Bowing her head, her hands clenched upon the bed as she gasped for air, trying to get some oxygen back into her tortured lungs. “Don’t breathe too deep.”

She turned slowly toward Julian, trying hard not to shed the tears burning her eyes. “What?” she inquired dumbly, unable to think past the confusion and fogginess clouding her brain.

He lifted a dark eyebrow; a small scowl twisted his hard mouth. His muscles flexed and bunched as he leaned closer to the window, his electric eyes blazed with anger and frustration. “Don’t breathe to deep; they pump something into these rooms, some kind of tranquilizer. Though I don’t particularly need air, it still gets into my system. It also comes in the blood they give me, as I imagine it will come in your food, two things that we both need in order to survive.”

“Oh God,” she moaned, dropping her head as she began to rock slowly back and forth, trying desperately to soothe herself.

“There is no God here, only men trying to play God. Don’t fall apart on me princess, we’re going to need you to get out of here.”

She looked up at him in surprise. “Me?” she croaked

He nodded. “Well I can’t do it alone, and with that nifty little getting pissed off and destroying things trick you have, I’m thinking between the two of us we can escape.”

Cassie shook her head, trying hard not to completely fall apart. Trying hard to keep her wits through the horror and confusion beating against her. Was she really having a conversation with Julian about joining together in something? Was this truly happening to her?

Cassie blinked, trying hard to rid herself of the awful fogginess, and surreal reality surrounding her. Though she wanted to deny it, she knew that this was very real, and that she was in a lot of trouble. As was Julian. And if it meant having to help him to get herself out of here, then she would do whatever it took to get back to Devon, and her friends again. She would do anything she could to escape the madmen that now held her life hostage.

“I can’t…” she broke off as she inhaled a shuddery breath. “I tried getting mad already, and I can’t. It must be something that they gave me, or are still giving me,” she whispered, her gaze darting to the vents in the ceiling. They were too small for her to crawl out of, but apparently just big enough to constantly pump a stream of tranquilizer into her. “Plus, even if I could get mad, I can’t control it. I become something else, something dangerous and volatile. Something that has no reason or rationality, you don’t want that thing coming out. There is no way to know what the consequences of it happening would be.”

Julian was silent for a moment, and then a loud crash sounded from behind her. Cassie jumped in surprise, whirling as he smashed his hands against the thickly layered glass again. It rattled in the frame, but held firm beneath his fierce blast. Cassie stared at the glass, wondering just how thickly layered it was, and what they had used that could keep a vampire at bay.

Julian’s eyes were a bright blazing red, his face twisted in fury. “I don’t give a damn what you become,” he snarled. “Without it, we are going to turn into lab rats in here! They are going to poke and prod at us until they are satisfied, and then they are going to kill us. So princess,” he spat. “You need to tap into that little ability of yours, or we are both going to rot in here. And from the sounds of it, what they plan on doing to me is nothing compared to what they want to do to you!”

Cassie stared at him with wide, horrified eyes. Her gaze darted back to the thick metal door on the other side; she desperately searched for some way to escape this horrendous situation. But what could she do if she was tranquilized? What help could she possibly be if she couldn’t tap into the rage that helped to fuel her strength, and agility, to higher levels?

She turned back to the vents, studying them for a moment. The ceiling was a good twelve feet high; even if she stood on the bed she wouldn’t be able to reach it, wouldn’t be able to attempt to block the vents somehow.

Cassie glanced back at Julian. His strong jaw was clenched tight; a muscle jumped wildly in his cheek. His eyes were once more their chilly ice blue, the bands of nearly white around his pupils was back in place. His gaze was locked on hers, determination blazed from him. His normally spiked white blond hair hung limply against his sharply refined features. Even though he was a brutal murderer, and a vicious bastard, she couldn’t help but admire his harsh beauty. He was a creature that was used to getting and taking whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it. He was not used to being caged like an animal.