Jean-Claude’s P.O.V
I had been carried in to the old alter room. It hadn’t been used in years. We had been waiting there for about 10 minutes, then I’d heard Anita shout out my name. I couldn’t struggle and give my self away. They’d been very lax with the security around me. Only one vampire sat and watched me while I lay on the uncomfortable stone floor.
The far door opened and A vampire I hadn’t seen in years and never wanted to see again walked through, carrying ma petite in his arms. She wasn’t moving. Mon Dieu, what had they done to her.
I moved with in the blink of an eye and was by him in less than a second. Of course, I wasn’t the only one. The one who had been watching me and a couple others who had just walked in came and tried to restrain me. I could not and would not let this happen.
“Calm yourself, Jean-Claude. I will not hurt her” He said.
Casspian. I should have remembered, all of those years ago, he came to see Nickolaos and asked one her flock to get close to the executioner.
I had already met ma petite, and we had started to build something. Then the murders happened, and I was called up on to recruit her. It had all fell through when ma petite killed Nickolaos. I hadn’t heard anything off Casspian. I had never given him a second thought. How stupid I had been.
He walked over to the alter and laid her on it, gently. I had never before wondered what he had wanted with her. I did now
“Why her?” I was still being held. I could feel the anger running through my veins, making me hot.
Casspian looked at me. He cocked his had to one side, then walked round to the other side of the alter. The locks. He moved her wrists, until they rested inside the locks, then snapped them shut.
“I don’t know. She is something fresh, new. She is powerful, naive and almost innocent. Isn’t that what the bad want? The innocent. Isn’t that the was it works, Jean-Claude? The darkness always wants the light” He was watching me as he said all of this. I wanted to argue, say it wasn’t true, but in my heart I knew it was.
“I have waited patiently and I wait no more. If you want something done, you had better do it your self”
“And I will kill you my self if you do not release her!” I could no longer control my self.
He smiled
“I am sorry, Jean-Claude....actually, I’m not!” He laughed. I hissed and pulled more against my captors. I think they were all surprised that I could move at all. I would not let him do this.
“If you do not calm down, I will wake her and squeeze her heart!” His voice rang through the cavern.
I had to stop struggling, for ma petite’s sake more than my own. Gretchen came in the room. She stalked over to Casspian and kissed him. Then walked over to me.
“Have you been a naughty boy, Jean-Claude?”
She was dead. She just didn’t know it enough to lie down. I struggled again, but the grip his vampires had on me was tight and uncomfortable.
“You had best control him, or I will kill him when the marks are separated”
“You cannot ! we have a deal !” Gretchen screamed.
I laughed.
“I would rather be dead than have to lie in your arms for my eternity ”
Gretchen whirled. She stalked over to me, hand raised.
“Do not touch him until the marks are separated” Gretchen smiled
“We are going to have fun Jean-Claude, oh yes we are” and she giggled. I was beginning to loose hope. Where was Asher? It was his turn to be the saviour now. Although I hoped he did a better job of it than I had done.
I stopped struggling. I didn’t want Anita hurt. I would rather her be alive, than lying dead in a grave. I looked away. I couldn’t think like that.
Ma petite stared to stir. She groaned. I can always remember her telling me she hated to have her hands above head. When I’d asked her why, she had said ; ‘ I always know I’m in the shit when my hands are above my head ’. Fair enough
“Jean-Claude” she whispered through the cavern.
“I am hear, ma petite” I said.
Casspian walked in front of her and blocked my view of her. I tried the marks again, tried to push through that so strong barrier he had erected between us. I couldn’t. He was a very strong vampire. Known as the Controller. Why hadn’t the council offered the place to him when the earthmover died?
Oh yes, that was it, they hated him and he hated them in return. I didn’t know why, and I didn’t care. There hatred of each other had run deeper and longer than I had been on this earth. And he was going to take Ma petite off me. Lord and Lady save us.
Chapter
26
Anita’s P.O.V
I started waked and stir. I had the biggest head ach and small pains were shooting through my chest. What the hell had happened. Then it dawned on me.
Casspian.
He had grabbed a hold of my heart when I had last run off. He must still have had a hold. This was not looking good.
“Jean-Claude” I whispered his name, there was nothing else I could do.
“I am hear ma petite” Jean-Claude’s voice rang through the room.
I turned to look at him, and then Casspian moved in my line of view. Gretchen came with him. I felt rage, hot and fine, run through my body, my veins. I gave Gretchen one of the most evil and deadly looks I could muster. She backed away from me, hissing.
“Do not fret. Anita will not harm you” He said, a slight smile playing on his lips, as though he knew exactly what I was thinking.
“Now, down to business” And he walked closer.
I suddenly didn’t want him close to me. Not that I did in the first place, but I just knew I didn’t want him close to me. I started to struggle again. These shackles shouldn't have been able to hold a human servant. They wouldn’t budge. I pulled down and felt a sharp pain.
Blades
The edges of the shackles were blades. Not good. I edged away from him.
“Don’t touch her, don’t you Dare touch her” Jean-Claude’s rang through the cavern again. There wasn’t much he could do about. Gretchen had slinked off somewhere. Probably to Jean-Claude
“Do not be frightened, Anita, the pain will not last long” He sat on the alter and touched my bear stomach, caressed me. The caress was soft, lingering, but then I felt him push his way into my mind. He touched one of Jean-Claude’s marks up on my body and snapped it.
Pain coursed through me like fire spreading through my body, my veins. I’d had vampires mark me before, while I was marked by Jean-Claude, but Casspian wasn’t lying his on top of Jean-Claude’s. He was breaking Jean-Claude’s, then placing his own.
Then he did it again, the second mark. I bowed my back against the shackles, involuntary. This was a new pain. The fire had frozen and the ice was splitting in side my, slashing me apart. I hadn’t felt anything like it. It was painful and numbing.
I was beginning to loose consciousness again. If I could have felt my body, I might have moved. If I could have breathed, I probably would have screamed. At the same time, I was frightened to move encase the pain started again and frightened to scream in case I couldn’t stop.
I came back to myself, enough to realise someone was stroking my face, and calling my name.
“Anita, give over to the pain, and it wont feel so bad” Casspian was lying the length of me again, stroking my face, trying to comfort me. It wasn’t working. The only comfort he could give me was his death.
And now that meant my death too.
“I can’t roll you, but I will try to make it as painless as possible”
I found my voice.
“NO!”
He struck down on my neck. His fangs went through my skin and released my pulse in to his mouth. In the back ground I could hear Jean-Claude screaming. I hadn’t heard him before. I didn’t want to. I did the only thing I could think of. I screamed.
He drew back, and wiped his mouth of my blood. One drop fell from his mouth on to the top I was wearing. He looked at it then looked away. He shouted something in German, but I couldn’t understand English at the moment, let alone any other language.
One of his men brought a knife to him. I looked away. I didn’t think I could take any more of this. I felt warn out. I had nothing left, there was nothing there. Oh God, save us, I prayed.
“Anita” His voice drew me back to him. He was about to cut his wrist. I couldn't watch. Wouldn’t watch. I felt eternity with him looming ever nearer. And there was nothing I could do. I hoped someone was out there. I didn’t like relying on people to save me, but in the case, I’d make an exception.
Chapter
27
Asher’s P.O.V
We had arrived outside Circus of the damned. It was lucky that the wolves had not been there. They had all been at work. The only people who had been taken alongside them were Merle and Micah. Jean-Claude had been in a bad mood and told everyone to leave him alone in Guilty Pleasures. He had even shut place for the night. That must have been when Caspian struck.
There had been vampires guarding all round the circus. They had been dealt with. We just had to deal with what was inside. Something I was not looking forward too.
Edward seemed to be having a very good time. I had never seen anyone be happy around a situation that could go so wrong. It was quiet unnerving.
It had dawned on me that it was my turn to be the savoir. 210 years ago, Jean-Claude had saved me and took me to Belle to be saved. 210 years after that, I had celled Belle to aid me in saving Jean-Claude. And once again, both of us loved the same human servant.
“Asher” Edward’s voice drew me back to reality.
“Oui?”
“Come on, we’re going” And he ran towards the back door.
The plan was simple. Get to Casspian before he did anything. Our only problem, was we had no way of knowing what he wanted with them. Edward was going to try and get one of his guards to tell us what he wanted with them. How he was going to do that, I didn’t know, and I wasn’t so sure I wanted to. The only thing I knew was I wanted them both back, safe.
I watched Edward draw a gun type thing and put it dead against the lock. I wondered how he was going to do this without Casspian and every other vampire and were animal in there hearing.
He started to turn it and eventually got what he wanted. He pulled back from the door and drew a shotgun. He motioned behind him, and some of the more experienced in this matter wereanimals went to him. The door was flung open and they went inside.
The Traveller appeared next to me. He looked at me. He was using his body again, which was refreshing to see.
“Concentrate, Asher. Do not let this situation cloud your better judgement”
“It has not. I am well aware of what I have to do” I told him
He nodded his head.
Edward appeared at the door and then the were’s came out dragging two people with them. We rushed over to meet them. I didn’t recognise either of the two....wereanimals they had dragged out.
They were dropped on the floor and told to stay where they were. Edward and a few others had guns pointing at them. I bent down by the youngest looking one. I tried to stay calm. I had to stay calm.
“What does Casspian want with Anita and Jean-Claude” I asked him.
The other wereanimal made movement. Edward started to shout at him to ‘fucking stay still’
“Don’t tell them, Ste” He said.
“I would shut your fucking mouth if I were you, or I’ll fucking shut it for you” Edward sounded very angry. It was radiating off him.
The one called Ste looked at me. I could feel my eyes bleeding into the blue. I could feel myself getting angrier and angrier. Wereanimals might have been strong, but they were nothing compared to vampires. He gasped at my eyes.
“I suggest you tell us what is going on, Monsieur, other wise I might not be held accountable for my actions”
I let him see that I would hurt him, I let him see what I would do. I let it show in my eyes that I would kill him. He broke.
“He said something about markings, taking some markings off and putting others on. He’s giving the vampire to another one, I can’t remember her name, but he wants to keep the woman with black hair. Other than that, I know nothing”
He was telling the truth. He giving Jean-Claude to another vampire. Who?
“What does the vampire look like? The one he’s planning on giving the black haired one too? what does she look like?”
“She’s got blond hair. I think she’s a traitor, one of the black haired ones flock”
Gretchen.
There was no other blond haired female in his Jean-Claude’s flock, other than Hannah and she had been there when I opened Gretchen’s coffin. She was supposed to be dead. She must have faked her own death and gone to Casspian.
“How many guards are there all together” Edward asked. The man seemed to think about that.
“I dont know for sure but, about 15 or so”
“Thank you, you have been most helpful” I stood up and walked away.
“What do you want us to do with them?” Edward asked
“Kill them” I didn’t even look round as I said it. I heard one piteous squeak. I didn’t care
I’d had enough now. If no one else was playing fair, then neither would I. I would get Jean-Claude and Anita back. I would do anything to have them back again. To hear their arguments, to watch them make up, to watch Anita sleep between me and Jean-Claude. I had eventually gotten over almost everything.
I was healing. Not just physically, but, mentally. As we began to walk through the back door, vowed to myself that I would do anything and everything to put this right. not just for Jean-Claude and Anita but for me, too.
Chapter
28
Jean-Claude’s P.O.V.
Casspian had stopped blocking my marks to ma petite. He was ripping mine away and replacing them with his own. Ma petite was in immense pain. This had happened before, but the marks of another had been laid over the top of mine.
I knew that ma petite was close to pacing out, but because I hardly had any hold of her anymore, I couldn’t help her or talk to her. I didn’t understand why Casspian was doing this. I couldn’t bare to watch her in this much pain, not when I knew there was nothing I could about it.
I Needed to get to her. I hadn’t stopped struggling once he’d started to rip the marks away, but now, I was beginning to get tired. I had lost my second base of power, my servant, and Richard, we still hadn’t heard anything off him.
I was tired and weak, but I knew if I stopped struggling, I would give up completely. I didn’t think I was strong enough to beat Casspian at full strength, let alone in the state I was in now. And he now had a very powerful servant attached to him.
Vampires had wondered for centuries why had Casspian never taken a servant. He had always said he was waiting for the right one. He said he knew who it would be when he found them. He obviously felt he had found his perfect match. From where I was, it looked like a match made in Hell.
Casspian liked to be in control, he wanted a servant, not a partner. Anita was either your partner or nothing. For me, it didn’t matter. For him, it would, and he wouldn’t tolerate it. He would hurt her to make her listen to him, which would only make her worse.
Casspian called to one of his followers. I wasn’t strong at any language’s, other than French and English, but who ever he had called to, walked up the steps with a silver knife in their hand.
The Fourth Mark.
I started to struggle again. I wouldn’t get over loosing someone else I loved. I knew I wouldn’t. Where was Asher ? Was he getting back at me for not being there? I hoped not.
He settled himself on top of her and slit his wrist. He called her name and she turned her head to face him, then turned away.
“No!” I shouted, as though it would have made any difference.
Casspian barked out another order. I didn’t like the sound of this one though. I knew a little bit of German. I understood the words hair, neck and back. As I guessed, I was grabbed by the hair and my head was snapped back at a painful angle. I was forced to my knees and my hands were pulled behind my back.
This could not get worse.
Anita’s
P.O.V
Jean-Claude
screamed out “No!” and I looked back at him. Casspian said something I
couldn’t quite comprehend. I watched as Jean-Claude’s head was pulled back
by his hair. He was forced to his knees and his hands were pulled behind
his back.
I
could barely feel him now. There was only one mark of his left on me. I
didn’t have any energy. I didn’t even have the energy to be angry or annoyed.
The thing I felt was a sick feeling at the thought of not being with Jean-Claude
any more.
One of them put a silver knife to Jean-Claude’s throat while it was pulled back. I couldn’t watch, but I couldn’t let them do this either.
“No, please, don’t hurt him” I meant to shout it, but it came out as a whisper. It made Casspian look at me.
“They will not hurt him. I just dont want him doing anything stupid ” He smiled.
“Now, back to business”
And he re-slit his wrist. The knife was silver and the cut was nearly healed. I hadn’t seen healing powers like his in years. Oh God. How deep of a mess were we in? Could we get out? For once, I doubted it.
“Anita”
I didn’t look this time. I was not going to take his blood. I didn’t care what he did to me, I would not take his blood.
“Do not be awkward, Anita, just turn your head to me” He put his hand on my chin and gently, but filmy, turned my head.
He put his wrist against my mouth, but I had it shut tight. Another vampire had come over to help his master. He held my head and forced my chin down. Blood went into my mouth. I tried to spit it back out, but because I was lying down, all I succeeded in doing was choking and coughing and swallowing the blood any way.
Oh God, save me.
Then Casspian spoke the words I’d heard twice before
“Blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh,
Two minds with but one body, two souls wedded as one”
I felt Jean-Claude’s mark slide away and Casspian’s click into place. There was too much power and I wasn’t strong enough to block myself from it. I knew something was wrong when I started to go into convulsions.
I was panicking and not breathing properly. I reached out and where I normally would have found Jean-Claude, I found Casspian.
“It will be all right. I’ll help you through it”
But
he was lying. I knew he was lying. Something was seriously wrong and he
knew it. True to his word though, he tried to help me. He grabbed on to
my heart and my body and calmed it. My heart stopped beating like a caged
thing and calmed and the convulsions started to die down then stopped completely.
When my vision cleared, which I hadn’t even realised became clouded, I looked over to Jean-Claude and wanted to cry. I was no longer his ma petite. My eyes filled and I cried silently. I wanted to go to sleep. I wanted to pass out. But what I wanted more than anything was
Jean-Claude
Chapter 29
Jean-Claude’s P.O.V
The fourth mark was ripped from Anita’s body and I collapsed into my captors arms. I couldn’t feel any part of my body. What I did feel was eternity alone, with out ma petite. That was something I didn’t think I could face.
I didn’t even have enough energy to protest when Gretchen rolled me into her arms and lap. I felt empty. I didn’t want to know any more. I felt like I had no purpose.
Gretchen was stroking my head. No amount of comfort, affection or ‘love’ she could give me, could compensate for what I hade lost hear tonight. And Asher. He hadn’t come. It made me wonder if he had been killed. I hadn’t seen any of my vampires or werewolves. I couldn’t call out for them either, as Casspian had blocked me from contacting them.
I looked over at ma petite. She was crying, and was very weak. I felt like there was something missing. Casspian was undoing her restraints. She looked close to passing out. I hoped she wasn't in pain, but I doubted it.
Casspian sat with her lying in his arms. She looked very ill. I wasn’t feeling too bad now. I wonder why it had affected her more? I began to worry and come to myself. If I could just regain some energy, I might be able to do something.
Then I heard the door bang open.
I looked round to see wolves, rats, leopards, Asher, Edward. And to my great surprise The Traveller, Belle, Morte D'Amore and The Queen Of Nightmares.
I tried to hide the smirk playing over my face as Asher walked over to me. He held down his hand and I took it. He pulled me out of Gretchen's grasp and we embraced, as of old.
“I am so sorry, Jean-Claude. I did not do this on purpose, I swear” He whispered in my ear.
I knew he hadn’t, because I knew how much ma petite meant to him. In the back of my mind, I knew how much I meant to him, too.
“I will get her back, do not fear, mon amie” I told him. I made sure I said it loud enough for it to carry through the cavern. We walked over to the council.
“What
is the meaning of this” Casspian's voice rang over the air. I knew how
much the council hated him. I knew that they had been looking for the perfect
excuse to get rid of him for years, but the vote kept going to his favour.
Obviously his luck had just run out.
Chapter
30
Jean-Claude’s P.O.V.
Casspian laid Anita back on the table gently. She was on the verge of passing out. Dangerously close for one of her power. I had to put Anita at the back of my mind for now. I didn’t want to, but if I kept thinking about her, I would get distracted and that could get me killed.
Asher and I walked over to the council. I was surprised to see Morte D’Amore hear. He and I had never been friends. We had never liked each other. Ever since I held the favour of a human he had fallen in love with.
I bowed at the council out of common courtesy. I was now a council member, so formalities were different for me. I looked towards The Queen of Nightmares. She was the head of the council.
I was about to say something, but she held up a hand, shook her head and closed her eyes.
“Nothing needs to be said now, Jean-Claude, just know my motives are my own” She said.
The Queen of Nightmares was placed the head of the council while the Dark Mother slept. That had been for a millennia or two now. I nodded. There would obviously be a price for their aid in saving ma petite. I just hoped I didn’t have to pay in blood.
I turned towards Casspian. He was standing in front of ma petite. She was still conscious, but barely. What could I do now? How could I take her back without causing her pain? The first task at hand was sorting out Casspian.
“What do you think you are doing?” He asked.
“We, Casspian, are about to bring something to you that has been coming for a long time” The Traveller’s voice floated through the air.
“Oh?” Casspian put his head to the side. “And what would that be?”
“ Your death” I finished.
He started to laugh. He doubled over, holding his stomach, laughing. None of us found it funny.
“ I fail to see what is so funny, Casspian” The Queen said. I doubted she would take to being laughed at.
He stopped laughing, but the condescending grin did not disappear from his face.
“You must see the humour of this, my Queen. A four hundred year old vampire, standing against me”
I lunged forward. Someone's arms stopped me from going any further. I would kill him for this. I felt my eyes well with tears. Tears at loosing ma petite. Tears at knowing I could do nothing about it.
Asher started to whisper calming words into my ear. Nothing would calm me down. I wanted ma petite back in my arms where she belonged. Anger was back, and was chasing away the fear and distress.
“I will have your heart in my hands before the end of this night” I said. I put it into my eyes that I would do it. I think he believed me.
The Queen moved forward, and walked right up to Casspian. She put her finger under his and pushed his head up to meet her gaze. She was a very tall woman.
“We will not condone what you have done. If it was any one else in the same situation, we probably would not have come. But we dont like you, I dont like you”
And she sliced her finger in to his throat and darted towards the blood. The only way to kill a vampire as old as Casspian was to completely drain them. Casspian pushed the Queen off him. I couldn’t stop my eyes from widening. He must have accumulated a large amount of power.
We watched as his throat slowly re-knit, into a perfect neck.
“Your going to have to try harder than that ” He said with a grin. I wouldn’t dare challenge him. Now that I had lost my servant and he had gained one and powers on top of that, I wouldn’t win.
Edward cleared his throat. I had forgot about him for a while. I turned to look at him. He had a rather large weapon in his hands. It had a flame under a nozzle. My guess was a flame-thrower. He walked forward and a flame shot towards Casspian.
He went up in flames, but we couldn’t only hear his screams but another scream. Ma petite. She would feel everything. I tried to get to her, but Asher and the Traveller had my arms. She was a fresh servant to him. That might just save her.
As Casspian screamed, I managed to fight off Asher and the Traveller. I walked over to Edward. One of his many knives were sticking out of his pockets. I touched his arm and pulled the knife out of his pocket. He turned his sunglass covered eyes towards me.
“I will finish this” I said.
Smiled and stopped the gun. The Queen said something and two men walked forward and put Casspian out. He fell on the floor. I held up the knife and walked over to where Casspian was lying on the floor. He was trying to breathe. I knelt next to him. He was turned black with flames.
I laid the knife on his chest, point ready to be driven into his heart. He looked at me and I think he was trying to speak. I dare not bend closer. If he fed from me, he would regain his strength.
I didn’t care about what he wanted to say, I would kill him and it would be the end. I raised the knife and plunged it in to him. He bowed against it. I pulled upwards with the knife, our eyes never leaving the others.
I dug my hand into his chest and he closed his eyes. He made muffled sounds. I tore his heart and threw it in the general direction of the wolves. Funnily enough, they didn't dive for it. I stood up and turned away from him.