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"Skye Winters is my beloved, sir," Dante stated, and the Master was visibly shocked.
“Your beloved?” He had to make sure he heard it correctly.
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.” Master DuCane pondered the information for a moment before speaking.
“That complicates things.”
“He isn’t aware of our connection yet. I want to figure him out first and determine if any one from his kindred is following him. He has hidden himself since his escape and has not noticed anyone following but I may have to visit Scottsboro.” His comment brought a smile to the Master’s face.
"It's always best to eradicate any threats. If you find it necessary, you have my full support. Now, it is important that we determine the relationship between your Skye and my Ezra." That was the crux of this entire meeting, and Dante understood why. The Master's beloved must be safe, happy, and protected; any discomfort is not tolerated.
"I will take my beloved, and we will find another coven if staying becomes a problem. I appreciate my time here at Coven DuCane and value the training I have received and the responsibilities I have been entrusted with. I understand the difficult position this puts you in." Having served Louis DuCane for as many years as he has and leaving in good standing would open many doors for him. He had no worries either way.
Beloveds were worth every inconvenience and all suffering necessary to secure their favor. He didn't know his beloved, but he would never give him up; it was just the way vampires were wired. Beloveds trump everything.
Master DuCane was about to comment when Ezra came rushing into the room from a back entrance and hurried over to the Master, who stood up and welcomed him with open arms. "What is it, my love?" He asked in a tone that was reserved for Ezra alone. Ezra pressed his face to the Master's chest and took several deep breaths before looking up at him.
Dante stood ready to leave, reading this as a private moment, and began moving toward the door. "Don't go, Dante." Ezra blurted and gave him a quick glance before returning his gaze to the Master.
"Skye is right. We were both apprentices, and I never witnessed him hurt anyone. He stood next to his Master, Adam, just as I stood next to Albert. He was someone who appeared to have it better than the rest of us; he never looked pained but rather oddly serene during moments of horror. He had nice clothes, and his Master seemed to care about him. The others and I were jealous of Skye and the easy life he had with his Master, but he never hurt me or anyone I know." He paused and closed his eyes for a moment.
“I think it was just seeing him and having all those horrible memories of my life with the kindred come back at me that was upsetting. I guess I haven’t processed that time of my life as well as I thought.” Dante was impressed by Ezra’s statement and the fact he took responsibility for his own reaction.
"Please don't hurt him," Ezra added emphatically.
"He will not be hurt, my love." The Master looked over at Dante, and he took that to mean their meeting was over, so he headed for the door.
"Dante," Ezra called out, and Dante stopped and turned. "Tell him that I'm sorry for causing him so much trouble."
“I will.” He said and left the office. Instead of going to the cells located in the sub-basement where Skye had been taken, he went to his apartment on the third floor. He wanted to think about what he had been told and what he had learned about his beloved. Skye put forth an image of a victim, but was he? Dante couldn’t get into his thoughts, so he had to trust him and that did not come easily.
“Get me everything you can find on Skye Winters of Pittsburgh and later Scottsboro, Alabama. He appears to be in his mid to late twenties. I’ll send you a picture.” He decided to put Easton’s highly skilled research department on it and see what they could dig up. He’d promised not to send him out to his prior Master, so he asked that they be as discreet as possible.
“If you need his fingerprints or a clearer picture, he is presently in one of the cells in the sub-basement.” He felt an odd pang of discomfort as he discussed Skye in this manner, but he pushed it aside. “He claims to have been held by a kindred in Scottsboro under the control of a warlock named Adam. He escaped approximately four or five weeks ago.”
"I'll get back to you as soon as possible."
"Thank you." He closed the call and noticed that the feeling of discomfort continued to churn in his gut. There was something he wasn't understanding; either Skye was the poor wounded sufferer he claimed to be, or he was a liar with an agenda.
Magics and those trained by magics could not be trusted. Regardless of their connection, Skye had to be held under the same scrutiny as other magics and their followers. Perhaps it would be of value to have someone else question Skye, someone completely unconnected to him. Their connection could be coloring his views and perceptions.
CHAPTER FOUR
The guard brought him something to eat on a tray but didn’t enter his cell. There was a little opening in the door that was accessible from the outside. He pushed the tray in and then closed the door. Skye looked at it and set it aside on a ledge near the door. It was probably okay, but he wasn’t hungry. He returned to the edge of the bed and sat down.
Meditation was his superpower and had saved him many times throughout his years with Adam and the kindred. Mentally, he could transport himself to somewhere pleasant and peaceful and cut himself off from the pain and horror of his reality.
Adam hated what he referred to as going out of body and would do his best to beat it out of Skye, but he never succeeded. The more he abused him, the more Skye leaned into dissociation, for it allowed him to separate and disconnect and not be broken by the trauma.
Skye closed his eyes and began with the vision of his grandmother in the kitchen of their old apartment. He analyzed every detail remembering everything and then he would listen to her voice call to him and tell him that it would be okay, and life would get better. The sun coming through the window was warm and the breeze was soft on his face. He was there and no longer on the bed in that cold cell.
"Wake up!" The shrill tones of a demanding voice tried to reach into his unconscious, but he resisted. "Open your eyes, or I will open them for you." The threat was solid, and the man intended to carry it out, but Skye was too deep, and he didn't want to come back. This was an encounter unlike the previous one. This was not a kind man. This was someone else, and they were intent on results. Playtime was over, and Skye braced himself for the worst.
He went deeper, escaping the reality that came down upon him like a hammer. It was something to be endured, and he'd learned how to survive and come out the other side as best as possible. This man was more physical than the others, but he was still holding back and not giving Skye all he was capable of. He shouted commands and demands in rapid-fire as he took Skye's head and forced it back against the wall. "Open your fucking eyes!" He shouted.
