“Please, stay here,” Mike said.
The please made her shoulders slump. She didn’t care what lay below; she wanted to plunge down those stairs and discover whatever it was, but the look on Mike’s face froze her words. He seemed in control now, but anguish etched his features, and his eyes had grown more red than blue.
“Okay,” Mollie relented. “But take Doug with you. Scott is secure, and there’s no one else in the house. You may need help down there.”
“No, he’ll stay here with you, and no arguments.” He glanced at Doug who looked about to protest his decision too, but Doug closed his mouth. “I’ll be back soon.” Drawing Mollie close, he kissed her forehead before releasing her.
Pulling the steel door further open, he discovered a switch on the wall. When he flicked the switch, a bulb at the bottom blazed to life and revealed all the steps. He kept hold of a stake and slid Scott’s keys into his pocket before descending.
Mollie’s shadow fell over the stairs, and he glanced back to find her standing at the top, anxiously watching his every move. When he reached the bottom, he turned to discover another steel door on his right.
He pulled Scott’s keys from his pocket and searched for the one that opened the door above. Hoping it would work for this door too, he slid the key into the lock and smiled grimly when it clicked. Cautiously, he pushed the door open.
Scurrying sounds followed when light from the hall spilled into the room beyond. Whimpers filled the air, and the reek of terror drifted to him. In the back of the room, people huddled together and held each other while they gazed at him.
Beside the door was another switch; he turned it on. The humans cowered further away as they turned their heads away from the single, glass-encaged bulb hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room. The light stung his eyes as it reflected off the white walls, floor, and ceiling.
All the mattresses spread across the floor had a blanket and pillow on them. A tray sat beside each mattress, and judging by the remains on some of the plates, the prisoners had last dined on steak and potatoes. In two corners of the room, open doors revealed the bathrooms beyond.
None of the people looked at him again, and of the sixteen humans, all the women wore black, flowing gowns and were barefoot. All the men wore black shirts and pants and were also shoeless. They also all had bite marks covering their exposed flesh.
Suddenly, he understood what these people were for. The Savages had come for the hunt, but they had to feed while here, and they couldn’t drink from the captives in the barn as they would weaken their game more than the orchestrators of this hunt wanted them weakened.
To deal with the food problem, they selected certain humans and removed them from their cages. From what he could see of their faces and figures, only the best-looking humans were chosen.
These people were meant to keep those above satisfied and fed. The Savages could inflict suffering on these victims by tormenting them and forcefully draining their blood until the other captives were freed and the vamps could hunt. But the club would have to keep the humans here well-fed and clean to make their clients happy, which also explained the kitchen.
“I’m going to get you out of here,” he told them. They only whimpered and clustered closer together. “Is Aida here?”
A ripple of movement came from the group in the back corner, but no one responded. Noise from above drew his attention to where he’d left Mollie. Doug went to grab her when she started down the stairs, but she’d already fled beyond his grasp as she ran.
He stepped in front of her before she could see into the room. “Mollie, wait.”
Whispered words sounded from within, and then a single head popped over the group. Wide eyes, more gold than brown, met his before the girl ducked again.Aida. Lowering his arm, he allowed Mollie to slip past him. She hesitated on the threshold, and her hand flew to her mouth as she gazed at those within.
“Aida,” Mollie breathed.
From the back of the group of people, her sister’s head emerged. Mollie gasped and struggled to accept that what she was seeing was real. After everything they’d discovered, it was almost too good to be true to find Aidaalive.
Aida blinked at her, seeming to feel the same way as Mollie as she didn’t separate herself from the people who were turning their heads to gaze at Mollie and Mike.
“Mollie?” Aida asked.
The sound of her small, much-loved voice broke Mollie’s paralysis. With a cry, she ran toward Aida as her sister separated from the group. Aida staggered toward her with her arms open before they reached each other. Tears streaked Mollie’s cheeks as she embraced her sister and they fell to the ground together.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
With her headburied in Mollie’s chest, Mike only caught some of Aida’s rushed words, but it was enough to confirm what he suspected. These people were the food supply until the hunt was over. They’d been forced to shower and change daily as well as eat the meals brought to them. Their blood was taken against their will, which made the experience excruciating for them.
While the sisters spoke, the rest of the people started separating from each other and creeping toward the door.
“Are you really going to get us out of here?” a man asked Mike.
It would be more difficult to reach the boat ramp with a bunch of shoeless humans in tow, but he couldn’t leave them here. “Yes.”
The man, whose neck was covered in bites, released a small sound and looked to the ceiling as he blinked back tears.
Grasping Aida’s cheeks, Mollie pulled her sister away to gaze at Aida’s beloved, beautiful face. Her ivory skin was paler than normal, but that only made the gold in her eyes stand out more. Her waist-length, curly black hair shone in the light.
