Page 44 of Fated Surrender

“November 14th. It will be Thanksgiving soon.” She kept her voice soft and even.

“Months. I’ve been here months,” the man said.

To Madison it sounded as if the man’s mind was clearing each time he spoke. She tried to keep him lucid in case the little psycho came back.

“We’re going to get out of here soon. Little Psycho was on the phone taunting my mate when I blacked out. He should be here any minute.”

“I don’t think we have a minute.” The man’s voice turned guttural.

Madison felt a shiver run down her spine. When the figure turned, two bright-red eyes watched her unnervingly. She was locked, bleeding, in a cell with a vampire. That’s what he had meant when he said Connor wouldn’t make it in time. Trembling, she took a deep breath.

“Please. You have to stay strong just a little bit longer. Help is coming,” she pleaded, as he inched forward.

“They’ll be too late. He hasn’t fed me this week, and now I know why. All of the others, I knew they died, but he gave me their blood from an IV bag. I didn’t kill any of them. But, I can’t help myself now. He’s killed you and damned my soul.” The man’s voice broke.

“It doesn’t have to be that way. My mate is Connor Arkadion, he knows Prince Gabriel, they are friends. I know that Prince Gabriel will be able to help you. Just hold on.” She watched as his body froze at the mention of the vampire prince. She decided to keep talking about the prince.

“I’ve met Prince Gabriel and his beautiful mate, Ashby. Ashby was upset, because he and the other Inner Court members had forgotten to plan the Thanksgiving dinner. He has been exposing the coven to different foods and was scared they would be hurt if they missed out on the biggest feast of the year. In the end the prince volunteered to bring wine. I can’t wait to see what is in his wine cellar.” She kept her voice light. At the word cellar the man flinched.

“French, Italian, reds by year. Whites in the refrigerator case,” the man mumbled.

“Do you like wine?”

He ignored her and began to inch forward.

“I’m not going to lie, I’m scared to death. I don’t want to get mauled and drained. Please, please try,” she begged.

He stopped his advance and began to breathe heavily.

“My name is Madison. Madison Claybourne Arkadion. What’s yours?”

The man crawled into the weak beams of light and turned his face to her. His appearance caught her off guard. Even though his hair was matted and dirty, it didn’t take away from the warm honey-blond color and white streak highlights. He looked like he loved to spend time in the sun. She looked in his eyes, which were fluctuating between a brilliant emerald green and a burnished red. The man pounded on the floor with both fists. When he looked up his eyes were green. He was weeping and looked like he was in so much pain.

“My name is Rhys.”

“Fan out. Knowing this sick fuck, he will want to witness Connor’s pain.” Baron directed the Sentinels as the Arkadians rushed into the building with Connor.

MadisonMadisonMadisonMadison.

Her name became a chanted prayer in his mind.

“Here!” Daniel yelled out, finding the long smear of blood first. They followed the thick trail down the hallway until they came to a cell door.

“Madison!” he yelled, pounding on the metal door. He looked at it helplessly. It would take them hours to get in without a key.

“Connor! Hurry! Rhys can’t hold on much longer,” she screamed.

Connor’s head snapped around to Gabriel, whose eyes suddenly blazed red. Wave upon wave of power poured off the man as he stepped forward and dug his fingers into the metal as if it were butter. Seconds later he had it ripped off its hinges, and he threw it to one side.

“Madison?” He ran into the room to see his mate huddled in the corner, a figure just inches in front of her.

“Rhys, hold on. Gabriel is here,” Connor said, then took a step back as Rhys turned his head. He saw the blank eyes he associated with killers. The pair of blood-red eyes followed his every movement as Rhys hissed at him.

Gabriel stepped past Connor and knelt beside Rhys.

“There you are, my son. You have been lost for a long time. Let me take you home.”

Connor felt Gabriel send his power into Rhys. For a moment the red rescinded, and his friend’s green eyes returned. Just for a second Rhys stared out at them before the red flared, eating the green color bit by bit.

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