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Lucy Reynolds - Assamite

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Rescue
I peeked out into the hallway from between the bars, having heard footsteps from the direction of Christina’s cell. I was glad to see that Number One’s informants had once again been correct. I could see Antonio Moreno, Christina’s sire, standing next to Beth, and beyond them a tall blond man I hoped was Michael Moorecock. I didn’t recognize the other Kindred woman who was with them.

Christina sat on her cot and looked despondently through the bars into the hall. When she realized who was there, she carefully rose to her feet and walked hesitantly to the bars. Her movements were painful to watch and I could only imagine what was going on inside her head.

“This,” Beth said smugly, her voice carrying down the hall to me, “is my insurance.”

“You think this one’s safety will entice me to do your will?” Antonio replied, his voice icy and hard. I frowned; this didn’t sound like the doting sire Number One had told me about.

“Actually, I do,” Beth told him, her voice just as crisp as she moved to the bars where Christina stood. “Christina has been very strong since she has been in the cell. Although she has not been given nourishment, she has resisted feeding.” She shook her head as if she couldn’t understand the girl’s behavior.

“She is of no consequence to me,” Antonio stated, his voice thick with a Spanish accent.

“Antonio!” Christina cried, obviously devastated by his words.

“Sit down and be silent, childe,” he barked at her in a tone that would brook no disobedience.

She walked reluctantly over to the cot and sat. I could see blood tears spilling down her cheeks. My heart sank; it was the first time she had given into tears and I knew that she couldn’t resist another night of hunger.

With satisfaction I watched long claws rake Beth’s face and neck, knocking her to the ground. The smell of Kindred blood filled the air and I saw Antonio standing over her, the long sharp talons that now extended from his fingers red and dripping.

Before Antonio could move in for the kill, the Kindred I took to be Michael was on Beth’s prone body, striking her repeatedly, stopping only when she ceased struggling and slipped into unconsciousness.

I knew it was time to make my presence known. I hurried back to the cot and slid beneath it, crying loudly.

“Check it out,” I heard Michael say.

A few moments later, Antonio and the Kindred woman stood at the bars of my cell. I covered my hands and cried harder.

“Don’t be afraid,” the woman said. “Everything will be all right now, we’ll get you out.”

I looked up at her, wiping the water from the sink dripping down my face as if it were my tears.

Antonio motioned toward Christina’s cell, and the woman told me that they would be right back. I renewed my crying as they left me alone.

I crawled to the bars and peeked out, interested in what they would do next. They studied the bars and spoke quietly with Christina for several minutes. At first, she seemed upset with her sire, then he was able to coax her to approach the bars. I wondered if he truly cared for her, or if his real emotions had come through for Beth’s threats.

Antonio and Michael both spun at a small sound from the hallway to their right, pulling their guns. The woman moved back around the corner, also drawing a small pistol. After a moment the three of them relaxed and put their guns away.

“What are you doing here?” asked Michael.

“Christina,” came the reply. I glanced at my child’s watch and smiled; Jason was indeed as talented as I had heard, I had anticipated that he wouldn’t show up for another two point three hours.

“She is here,” Antonio said, gesturing toward Christina. “Be careful, the cell is warded.”

“‘Martín,’” she said, using his current alias. Her heart was in her eyes for everyone to see.

“Christina.” He looked at her for a long moment before asking if she were well.

“I haven’t been harmed,” she told him with an attempted smile.

“She is hungry,” Antonio said. “We need to get her away from that mortal.”

Jason looked over at the mortal in the inner cage. “I’ll get you out,” he said.

He turned to Antonio who had pulled his sword and was poking at the area around the cell lock. Sparks flew. As Antonio sheathed his sword, he told Jason that he could open the cell with an ancient ritual that would take two hours to perform.

“We may not have that long,” Jason said gravely.

“It is the best I can do,” Antonio replied shortly.

“Yes,” Jason said, and walked down the hall.

As he moved out of my sight, Michael and the other Kindred came toward me. I dashed back under the bed and laid on the cold floor watching until they came into view.

“She’s under the bed,” the woman said. “She’s frightened.”

Michael crouched down. “How old do you think she is, Brenda?” he asked.

Brenda Thompson; that made sense. She had been Michael’s ghoul and lover until Antonio had embraced her. From the latest intel I’d gotten, now they barely spoke.

“Come out, child,” Michael coaxed.

Slowly, as if I didn’t trust him, I did. I stood near the cot and put a finger in my mouth.

“Come here,” he said softly.

I didn’t meet his eyes, knowing he would think me shy and afraid. I stayed near the edge of the cell and pretended fear as I approached the bars at a snail's pace. When I finally reached them, I peeked up at him through my lashes.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

I looked at him for a long minute as if I was trying to decide if I should trust him. “Lucy,” I whispered.

“Are you okay, Lucy?”

I nodded. “But Christina isn’t,” I told him.

“She’s not?” He seemed amused that I was thinking of Christina first.

I shook my head. “She’s hungry.” I didn’t know if she had told them she hadn’t fed in over a week, but I needed to make sure she didn’t frenzy or kill the mortal in her cell.

“We know,” he replied. “Martin is going to get her out real soon, and we’ll make sure she gets something to eat. Right now we need to get you out.”

He stood and studied the bars. This cell was not meant to hold Kindred, I could have escaped easily. He grabbed two of the bars and spread them apart enough for me to wriggle through.

I stood before him and looked up with eyes big with childish amazement. “Are you Superman?” I asked him. I’d read his file, I knew that would appeal to his ego.

He smiled. “Let’s keep it a secret, okay?”

I nodded. “Should I call you Clark? Is that Lois Lane?” I pointed at the woman.

“Call me Michael,” he said softly, still smiling. “This is Brenda, she is my friend.”

I took his hand. “Okay, Michael. I won’t call you Superman, I know that’s a secret.”

He grinned at Brenda, pleased at my apparent misconception of him. He led me back toward the others, and I saw Jason return from another cell. Christina watched him hungrily, but I thought that feeding might have been the last thing on her mind.

“Everyone move away,” he said briskly. “Christina, pull up the mattress and move against the other cell. Get that man awake and have him move against the far wall with his mattress.”

The rest of us moved around a corner to wait for the explosion. A few minutes later, the house was rocked. My ears rang and I burrowed my face into Michael’s waist as if I was frightened. He put his arms around me and I smiled; it wasn’t often a strong man held me when I was in my true form.

When I saw Christina again, she was in Jason’s arms. She pulled away and I could see the hunger on her face, blood hunger this time. Without a word, he offered his neck to her.

“I’m afraid,” she said, taking another step back. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I trust you, Christina,” he stated softly. “You need this.”

She looked into his eyes for a long moment, then stepped back into his arms. I turned away as she pressed her lips to the pulse point that beat beneath his skin, then gently sank her teeth into his skin.

“Thank you,” she whispered when she had pulled away.

I was suddenly reminded that it had been several days since I had fed. I was stronger than Christina was, I thought probably four generations stronger, so my body could sustain a higher blood count, but I was much smaller than she was, and that restricted what vitae I could hold.

I was still clutching Michael’s hand, but when we heard a noise from the stairway, he passed me off to Brenda. I looked up at her; I wasn’t quite sure if I had fooled her into thinking I was a mortal child. She smiled down at me and took me around a corner of the hall where we would not be in the line of fire.

Michael pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number from memory.

“Elvira,” he said loudly. “Your prince has fallen and can’t get up. There is an opening for the position, do you know anyone who would be interested?”

I couldn’t see what was going on but from what I had heard, Michael could handle it. I looked down at Beth’s disintegrating body and wondered who in Flint had betrayed the location of the box. I thought I knew, but I still had no proof. I hoped to find confirmation there in the house, and as soon as I found it I would return home to Flint and eliminate the traitor.

My job was to ensure peace in my city between the Kindred and mortals. The only person in Flint, Michigan who knew my true face and form was Stuart Williams, the prince. He had saved my life once, many years ago, and I had pledged my eternal loyalty to him that very night. Now I take care of problems in his city, which allows him to concentrate on business.

Christina gave Jason the key to the inner cell where the mortal was being kept. I was not surprised to find out that the man was Brenda’s father, but he seemed to be okay. Jason, Antonio and Michael decided it would be best if Jason took the rest of us out. Brenda insisted on going with her father and Michael agreed.

When we got to the secret panel that led to the underground passage to the garage, a Gargoyle joined us. I jumped a bit as I hadn’t expected him, and Brenda patted my hand to sooth me. I moved closer to her leg; many adults felt protective of children and I knew it was the best way to keep my cover.

We walked into the passage and Jason closed the panel behind us, leaving us in complete darkness. Brenda turned the flashlight in her hand on, and I could see that the walls and ceiling were all made of stone. Number One had told me about the passage, but I was glad that Jason had found it. It would have seemed suspicious if I had known about it or somehow stumbled across it.

As he began to walk down the passage, Christina touched Jason’s arm. “Do you have an extra weapon?” she asked him.

He studied her face in the dim light. “Are you sure you’re steady enough to handle it?”

She smiled grimly. “I’m fine.” She did look much better, and I had every confidence that she was back in control of herself.

Jason opened his jacket to reveal a holstered Glock under his arm. Christina reached for it, running her hand lightly across his chest before taking the gun by its grip and pulling it out. They grinned at each other and we started down the passage.

At the first turn, Jason sent us on ahead while he and Dagan, the Gargoyle, took another secret passage. Brenda led us through the tunnel to the bottom of a flight of stairs. She turned my hand over to her father, and I looked up at him, my eyes wide and innocent.

I could smell the blood within him, and my hunger grew. I knew I needed to feed in case something came up. I had enough blood to last for about a week if I didn’t have to use any of my abilities, but I didn’t want to take the chance that I would need the blood and not have it. I waited for an opportunity to feed.

Brenda gestured us forward and we came up the steps and into the garage. There were several cars parked inside, and we waited for the others to join us. Five minutes later, Jason, Dagan, and another Gargoyle exited the passage. A moment later, Brenda’s cell phone rang.

When she hung up, she told us that Elvira had arrived and Michael had told her we could go into the house. Jason opened the side door of the garage and we followed him toward the back door of the house. Two guards stood duty, neither of them Beth’s men. One went inside to clear our entrance.

I tried to look frightened and shrunk against the mortal’s leg. He put his arm around my shoulders and patted me comfortingly. I looked up at Jason with wide eyes and he smiled at me.

Christina crouched at my side. “Are you okay, Lucy?”

“I’m okay,” I told her truthfully. “I’m hungry. Did you get to eat? I know that you’re hungry too.”

She smiled at me and smoothed my hair back from my face. “I’ll eat something later,” she told me. “Maybe we can get you something soon.”

The guard returned and led us into the house. In the entry, Jason stopped and gestured at the Mortal and me.

“Perhaps I could take these guys into the kitchen to get something to eat,” he said meaningfully.

Christina clutched his hand. “You don’t want to stay with me?”

He shook his head. “It’s probably not wise,” he said softly. “I know you have family business to discuss.”

She blinked as if she had forgotten that he was mortal. “I understand.”

The guard gestured toward the kitchen, which was to our left, and Jason took us into the room while the guard led the others off.

Jason made sandwiches and soup for the three of us. The mortal ate quickly, but I picked at my food in little girl fashion. Jason ate his fill and tried to encourage me to eat more, but I told him I was a slow eater. He left the room to talk with the guards, and I scrambled up on the mortal’s lap. We were alone.

Ten minutes later, Brenda reentered the room. Her father seemed weak and tired, but I hadn’t taken enough blood to harm him. She led us upstairs to bedrooms we could use, but I whined and said I wasn’t tired. When I spotted Jason walking down the hall, I ran to his side and took his hand.

“I don’t wanna go to bed,” I told him, my finger poking into the side of my mouth. “Do I have to?”

He smiled down at me. “No, Lucy. You can stay with me if you’re good.”

I grinned, grateful for the chance to get to know this mysterious man better.
For questions regarding Lucy Reynolds, please contact the author.
Note: Some fiction contains explicit content and is not meant for children under the age of seventeen.
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