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Lukas' behavior was peculiar, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly what was different. He'd been very quiet and detached. He normally loved to be the center of attention, thriving on it.
"Ok, Josie. Get your ass in here and sign this contract so you can be on your way. Lucky bitch," Anna called out from the kitchen, her voice breaking through my mental musings about Lukas.
Making my way into meet her, I took the pen from Anna and signed in the appropriate places. I was handing Anna her pen back when her eyes widened and her mouth opened in a loud scream. I felt something heavy hit the back of my head and everything went black.
Chapter 10 Wrong Until You Make It Right
When the room started to come back into focus, the first thing I felt was the back of my head throbbing. Attempting a groan, it was muffled, my mouth gagged, a cloth shoved between my lips. And my hands and feet. . . they were numb from the tight cord that had them bound, tied behind my back and strapped to a chair in the kitchen. The events leading up to this started to come back to me, flooding my brain in an overload of information. The last thing I remembered was seeing Anna's eyes widen in surprise and feeling the impact of the blow when everything went dark.
Anna and Lukas! Where were they?!? I instantly lost the last of the grogginess that was fogging my brain and forced myself to think. Bringing down my shields, I concentrated on trying to sense her emotions. Immediately I was bombarded with her overwhelming fear, her panic mixing with my own, amplifying and intensifying my own terror. Attempting to free my hands from my restraints, I heard a deep, condescending laugh from behind me. Struggling even harder, a male voice spoke, heavily accentuated with a Southern accent.
"You can't get away and you're wasting your time and energy. Are you looking for this?"
Derek stepped into my line of vision, gripping Anna by the back of her neck. Her hands were tied in front of her and as he thrust her ahead of him, I noticed that her face was streaked with tears and blood was running from one side of her nose, her cheek bruised and swollen.
"We meet again, Josephine. I'll remove your gag as long as your promise to remain quiet. One shout, one scream, and your friend dies. Got it?"
Glancing from Derek to Anna, a solitary tear escaped from my eye and ran down my face as I nodded to him.
Derek reached and yanked the rag from my mouth. I wearily watched Derek as he stepped back, still holding on to Anna tightly.
"Good girl. " He forcefully shoved Anna to the kitchen floor and she fell at my feet, her muffled cries of fear and pain renewing my efforts to get myself free. I frantically twisted and turned my wrists until they burned and I could feel the wetness of my blood trickle down my wrists.
"Humans are so easy to fool. Even half-breeds like you and your idiotic brother aren't much better. " Derek's voice distracted me for a moment, my eyes scrutinizing him as he wandered around the the room, stopping to pick up random items. As I observed him, the thought crossed my mind that if he wasn't such an arrogant, evil psychopath he'd be handsome with his dark hair and gray eyes.
I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to push my shield out to see if I could wrap it around Derek. Either I needed my hands to control it, or I was too frightened. My numerous attempts to direct it seemed useless. Sighing in defeat, I opened my eyes to resume watching him as he leisurely strolled around the kitchen.
Derek pulled another chair across the floor, the legs scraping loudly across the wood floor as he pushed it to sit directly in front of me. He leaned back, his gray eyes cold as steel as they looked over me. He then let his cold stare flicker to Anna, who was trying to hide behind my legs the best she could with her hands restrained.
"What exactly do you want, Derek?" I rasped. My throat was parched and dry from the gag that had been shoved in my mouth.
"What do I want? I'd enjoy this more if Stefan was here beside you. Unfortunately for your friend, she happened to be in the right place at the wrong time. "
He laughed again, his head falling backwards against the chair, his grating cackle echoing throughout the villa. He was still snickering as reached over and grabbed Anna by her hair and pulled her between his legs, his fangs at her neck. Her eyes went wide with fear and her entire body trembled as he let his fangs drag across her skin.
Derek wanted me, not Anna. She was a pawn in this sick game he was playing. A desperate mixture of dread and terror settled over me as I fully realized the seriousness of the situation we were in. "Anna, I'm so sorry. "
"Save your sorries. I've been sent to do a job. I was supposed to bring you back. I've decided that I'm going to say I had no choice but to kill you both. " He released Anna's hair and she dropped back to the floor. I repeatedly pulled at my restraints, wincing as the cord dug deeper into my wrists.
"Who sent you, Derek? And where is Lukas?" I asked, trying to keep him talking. The longer I could keep him occupied with conversation, the more time it kept us breathing.
Derek picked up an old magazine from the table and flipped through the pages, not really focusing on any of the articles. Without looking up, he snorted. "Like I'm going to tell you anything. You don't know what my ability is, do you? Lukas was never here, I simply took on his form. I can shift into any vampire I choose. It's a handy talent to have since you both bought it. "
He puffed up his chest and smiled smugly. Prick. He hadn't totally fooled me. I thought back to how strange Lukas' behavior was earlier. It didn't make sense then, although now it made my earlier suspicions seem justified.
"Derek, you know who my father is. If he finds out what you've done you'll meet your final death. And if Kian doesn't kill you, Stefan will finish you. Let us go now and it's over," I whispered, hoping he'd buy my lie.
Stefan would never let this go. He'd follow Derek into the depths of hell to have his revenge and Derek was smart enough to know it. I was simply stalling, trying to keep him talking and his brain, regardless of how little, occupied. I wondered how much time I could buy Anna and myself before Stefan realized I missing? Would we still be alive? Derek had been able to sneak around Stefan's ability somehow too. But how?
He closed the magazine, slapping his hand on the table with so much force that the wood splintered under the pressure. Anna and I both jumped and she cowered against me, letting out another terrified sob.
"You. You are nothing! You use Kian's name and your heritage when it suits you and you turn your back on your father any other time. " His voice faded, raising an eyebrow as a thought occurred to him. A cruel smile broke over his face. "Stefan will be too preoccupied mourning your unfortunate demise to worry about killing me. If I'm lucky, he'll seek out his own death. Pussy," Derek jeered, his words laced with hatred and resentment.
A new emotion surged through me. Anger. I struggled to remain calm, trying to concentrate on strategies to keep him talking, aware that it would be the only chance we stood to make it out of here alive. Derek was hell bent on killing us, regardless of the consequence.
"Derek, let Anna go," I begged. "She has nothing to do with this. "
A terrifying, reptilian smile broke over his face, his grin so wide it nearly split his face. "Why would I do that? I don't want her precious blood go to waste, silly girl. " He clicked his tongue against his fangs. "I'm going to make you watch me slowly drain your friend until she dies. You can see her life fade away while you sit there, helpless. I'm going to take my time with you, Josephine. It's a pity Stefan won't be here to watch you die. "
