Huntress Ch. 06

And then He had confirmed it for her. He had told her everything she'd needed to know about what her sister and her friends did when the sun went down.

"They destroy our kind in cold-blood," His voice had been so sad, and those blue eyes, had looked at her with such longing. She had needed him as much as he had needed her. At least back then, that had been the case.

A chill went down Victoria's spine.

Thoughts had passed through her mind, while she slept, as if her mind had not shut down. It had become apparent to her that he'd been the one to send those vampires after her. Most likely, he had also been the one to have her arrested, since she knew he had ties in every area of the city. Both of those had been her warning. A loud blaring warning as to what was coming next. Her time was up.

With a sigh, she hosted herself out of bed and towards the door, stepping over pieces of clothing. The hallway of her home was dark. On a digital clock that hung from one of the walls, it read 8:34 PM. A full night later. She had slept all day. Out of habit, she stopped at the last room in the hall and checked in on the boys.

They were in bed like they were supposed to be and by the depth of their breathing; she could tell they were sleeping. Good.

Victoria walked into the kitchen and was about to turn on the light when a shadow made her stop. Shaped like a tall, lean statue, it hunched over the bar in her kitchen. Victoria used her index finger to flip on the light.

The fluorescent light illuminated the kitchen, bringing a familiar body into the bluish light. He was looking through her mail, lazily flipping items away after reading their letterhead.

"Casimir."

Yeah, she knew. Her time was up.

"Good Evening, my sweet." The lightly accented voice that had once sent fire through her veins now froze her blood. Her heart seemed to stop momentarily then pick up beating faster than before. If she were lucky, she would have a heart attack soon.

"My Lord."

He stayed focused on the Victoria's Secret magazine in front of him, flipping the page every few seconds. "How are you this night?"

"Well, My Lord."

Inhuman blue eyes looked up at her, pining her against the wall. "I'm glad to hear it. I take it my message was not delivered to you last night?" Elegant and pale fingers flipped the magazine closed and pushed it away from his body, now suddenly uninterested in it. He looked away from her, down at the counter for another item to read but when he found nothing his gaze returned to her.

"I received no message," her voice trembled on the last word.

"Clearly."

Victoria forced herself to ask, "May I hear the message now, My Lord?"

Casimir flexed the fingers on his right hand and examined the nails before placing both hands behind his back and taking a step around the counter, towards her. Intuitively, Vicky stepped back. "You will hear the message soon enough. How do you boys fair? Are they well? Healthy?" For a second, Victoria wasn't going to answer. He didn't need to know about Jacob and Jordan. He had never asked before, never cared.

"I asked you a question, Victoria." Vicky nodded slightly. She could feel her body humming from fear and nerves.

She'd known that this was going to happen. Why was she so scared?

"Yes, girl," Casimir answered her mental question. "Why are you so scared? Do you feel that you had failed me in some way?"

Victoria looked around her kitchen. At the number of old food items and cans that littered the counter and floor. If Sage had asked her the same question, she knew how she would answer.

Yes. She would say. She had failed not only her, but also her boys. Herself. She'd been selfish. Childish. If she weren't so scared she knew she would laugh at herself. She was having a self-reflection. When was the last time she had done that?

"I asked you a question, Victoria." Casimir took another step forward and Vicky felt nauseous at the sound of her name on his lips. "Have you failed me?"

Victoria nodded, solemnly and looked at her feet because the unusual dark ocean blue of his eyes was making her heart thump painfully. There had been a time when she had found him exciting. Those blue eyes had put her in trances and those elegant fingers and taken her to heights she knew no man could ever take her. Those soft full lips had been her poison, her downfall, but she had relished in them, allowing them to rain their praises over her whenever they wanted. The white of his hair, while unusual, had been his most arousing feature. They gave ironic hints to his real age despite the young god-like face and body that it rested on.

She had thought herself in love with him once. Now, as she looked into his eyes, she felt none of it. She didn't see the man who had locked her in his bedroom for three nights and made love to her almost non-stop. She didn't see the man who had helped pay her rent and give her a five thousand dollar allowance every month. She didn't see the man who would love her until she was numb or dead. No. She saw the vampire that he really was. The vampire that her sister would slay with a smile on her face. The vampire that had struck the deal that would bring about her death.

"I will give you anything you like, but you must do one thing for me."

"Anything, my lord."

"Bring your sister to me. Bring all of the Huntresses to me."

She had accepted the deal gladly, in exchange for his money. For sex. For what she thought was love. But she had not delivered. In fact she had done the opposite, doing everything in her power to keep her sister out of his grip. She cleared her thoughts perfectly when in his presence, she burned birthday cards that were sent in the mail, she kept her boys away and their thoughts occupied even in conversation, and she hid family photos (even though there weren't many). Vicky made certain that Casimir would never know where her sister lived let alone what her sister or her friends looked like.

"Why don't send your men to get them"

"I don't know how to find them, angel. You are the only one knows. And besides, they have a witch amongst them so they will kill any man that I send. Even my best."

"My love, you are the best. Why don't you go?"

"Because these woman are peasants work. I am no peasant!"

The memory faded from her mind with the sound of a resounding slap. The slap of his hand meeting her face. How dare she ask such an absurd question?

"Yes, I do believe that you have failed me, because I have yet to have the five girls delivered to me that I requested. Victoria, my sweet." Casimir shrugged. "As you're human's would say, what gives?"

Victoria had to look to the side, anywhere but down, as she shook her head. "She's my sister," she whispered. "They are my friends. I can't do it."

Casimir took another step forward. One more step and he would be a hair's breath away. Like a whisper, his mind brushed against hers, almost erotically, searching. Vicky didn't have to work hard to keep him out, but just as suddenly as her thoughts blanked, she felt him tear through her mind, like nails on a chalkboard.

His touch, his mental touch, had always been soft, coaxing, but this...? She felt a drop of blood trickle down her nose and onto her bottom lip. But he still didn't get through, and he withdraw quickly, making her head spin.

"If you want her so bad, get her yourself." As a challenge, she met his eyes, unblinking. Casimir stared at her intently before laughing out loud. The sound almost made Victoria's knees buckle from fear.

"I have a better idea, my sweet," he whispered taking another step forward. When she tried to look away again he used a finger underneath her chin to guide her back to his eyes.

"She will come to me. They all will. One by one." The smell of blood wafted from his mouth and made her stomach turn. His straight perfectly white teeth, curled into a malicious smile.

Victoria felt the cold wetness of a tear run down her cheek. Her body shook uncontrollably. All she wanted to do was run into the room with her boy's and kiss them. Tell them she loved them and that everything would be okay. Just like Sage had done when it was jus the two of them.

Vicky felt her bottom lip quiver, and when she tried to yank her chin away from his finger, he used one hand to grip both sides of her cheek, roughly.

She wasn't afraid to die. She never had been. Not since watching her mother die right in front of and seeing her father make the change into a monster on the floor of a warehouse. Nothing scared her anymore. She was just sorry. She wished she could get one last phone call. Just to apologize. To tell the truth, so that Sage knew what she knew.

Vicky watched as two fangs ominously extended from his k-9s. She had seen it so many times, had been aroused by it before, and yet now, it made her want to scream.

He was teasing her. He wanted to see the fear in her eyes, and because of that Vicky took a few calming breaths and forced her body to stop its shaking. She wasn't going to die a coward. Sage would hate her for that.

"I warned you, Victoria, what happens when I am not pleased." Casimir leaned closely and breathed the words against her lips. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" His cold elegant fingers, wrapped themselves delicately around her neck. His lips traveled along her jaw line down to her neck, leaving feather light kisses along the way. Vicky nodded slowly.

Casimir pulled away and looked at her, a small smile showing off his needle sharp fangs.

"What, my sweet?"

"Fuck you."