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“You knew. Someone tipped you off.”
She smiles, baring her elongated teeth.
“He has more support than you think. Julian might be able to stop this auction, but our kind will rise,” she jeers.
“Marcellus?” I question. She cackles like that’s the most ridiculous thing she’s ever heard. My eyes narrow. “If not Marcellus, who?”
“Marcellus is a pawn. He’s no match for my king.” Her eyes are wild, and her pink hair glows a bit more red under the fluorescent lighting. She looks absolutely crazed.
“Nicely done, Ratilda. You’ve officially stepped into the batshit crazy category.” Katina taunts from behind her sister.
Ratilda frowns before turning toward her sister, placing her hands on her hips. “And you’ve gone soft.” The words are venom, hatred in every syllable. There is no love between these sisters. Two entirely different paths taken, and here they are at a crossroads. Based on the look in Katina’s eyes, one isn’t getting out of here alive.
Please let it be the evil sister.
Ratilda is so caught up in Katina’s presence, I see my window to strike. Kicking out, I aim for the back of her knees and despite the fact that she’s an ancient vampire, the unsuspected attack works. She cries out as she drops to the floor. I want to celebrate my momentary win, but it’s too short-lived. Ratilda pops up like a demented jack-in-the-box.
“You bitch,” she seethes.
My brain screams at me to run because I know I’m useless against Ratilda. She’s a vampire and I’m only human. I got my one shot in, and now she’s good and pissed.
“Go,” Katina orders.
I attempt to get around Ratilda, but she grabs my arm. “You won’t leave here alive, little one.”
In a flash, Katina has Ratilda by the throat, pushing her backward. My arm is still firmly in her grip, and I’m pulled along with them. Katina takes care of that, as with one harsh blow to her sister’s arm, she successfully dislocates it. Ratilda doesn’t so much as shriek, but her arm hangs loosely at her side, rendering it useless for the moment, which gives Katina the upper hand.
“Go,” Katina repeats, voice rising over the growing noise. “I’ll take care of her.”
The two vampires crouch into fighting stances, circling each other as if they’re in the center of a WWE ring. The last I see of their battle, Katina is winning, which allows me to focus on the task ahead.
I wave my hands to get the attention of the human girls on the stage. Maggie is right behind me, coming to my aid.
“Girls, run!” I yell, motioning toward the door leading to the back. If we can just find an exit, we’ll be safe. Julian said every door around the perimeter was being guarded by someone from our crew.
“We’re here to help. I’m human.” I try to give them one good reason to trust me, knowing full well they’re terrified and distrustful of everything currently.
An auburn-haired girl hears me and nods. She reminds me so much of Stacey that a pit forms in my stomach. Not long ago, it was she and I on that stage, frightened but heads held high. Just like this girl.
She begins directing the others toward me and it effectively shakes me out of my thoughts of Stacey. I’m elated to see them finally moving toward the hallway, all but two who have crumpled into a heap on the stage floor.
“Maggie,” I call out, “go help the others. I’ve got these two.”
“Are you sure?” she asks, looking wary.
“Go!”
She doesn’t question me again, and this time takes off toward the group of girls headed to the hallway. Hopefully one of them can direct Maggie where to go. I know from experience they’ve likely not gotten a tour of the place, but if they paid attention at all, maybe one of them knows where an exit is.I don’t remember ever seeing one.
“Come on, girls. We have to go,” I command. A short blonde is whimpering, curled up in the fetal position. “We’re all going to die if you don’t do what I say.” I’m not here to make them feel better. I’m here to get them out alive, and every second we remain on this stage, that chance dwindles.
The other girl, with red hair pinned to the top of her head, heeds my warning, and whispers something into the blonde’s ear. Whatever she said worked, because the girl places her hand in the redhead’s and allows her to pull her to her feet.
My head swivels around, checking the area to make sure we can still escape without being caught. The vampires from earlier are all crowded around Katina and Ratilda, who are still fighting to the death.
“Hurry,” I call to the girls, ushering them quickly down the stairs and into the hallway. We pass the room where Stacey and I were held and a sense of dread flows through me. I shake it off, continuing down the stark hallway. There are no windows. The only light comes from small lamps attached to the wall. They cast a small glow, but nothing that lights up the area more than a few steps in front of us.
The farther down the hall we wander, the larger the pit in my stomach grows. Memories of the time I spent inside these walls assault me, and my entire body locks up. I hadn’t prepared to be back here in the very halls where I was chained and forced to bathe in front of strangers. Not far from here was the very cell I was held in, where I witnessed a girl next to me drained of blood. This place is a literal house of horrors and I can’t help but shake from head to toe.
