Eternal Changes (Mikah) (20 page)

Chapter 18

Lucy jerked awake and sat up. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. Where was she? The cool air of the caves caressed her skin as she hopped down off the bed. The room had a few pieces of furniture, but none of it was familiar. Where was Ashton?

“Good evening,” a voice rasped from the corner of the room.

Lucy spun around and looked at the man staring back at her. His black eyes matched the clothes he was wearing. Blue veins popped out of his pale skin and pulsated. His brown hair was scattered in small patches on his head.  “Who are you and where’s Ashton?” Lucy asked as she backed away.

An evil smile creased his face. “Oh, is
that
his name?” he asked. “He’s just fine. He’s enjoying his visit with us.” He sauntered over to her and bowed in front of her with a flourish and looked up at her. “My name’s Karver.”

Goosebumps rose up on Lucy’s arms as she backed up. “Where am I?”

Karver spread out his arms as he spun around the room once. “Welcome to the home of the Haemon, my dear.”

Lucy’s eyes widened and her heart dropped to her stomach. “You’re one of the Haemon?”

Karver glided towards her. “I’m the
leader
of the Haemon.”

 Lucy dodged to the right and ran as fast as she could towards the only exit she could find. Arms wrapped around her stomach as she reached the door.

“Nooo!” She screamed as she tried to kick and claw her way out of his grasp.

Karver’s voice lowered to a whisper. “I’m not going to hurt you. I want to be friends.”

Lucy stopped struggling and looked back at him. Did he just say
friends?
“Why would you want to be friends? I’ve heard all about you and your people,” she spat as Karver released her from his grip.

Karver held a hand to his heart. “We’re
family
, my dear,” he said as he took a hold of Lucy’s hand. “Of course, I want to be friends.”

Lucy jerked her hand from his as she backed up. “Family?”

“Yes,” Karver stated. “I’m your uncle.”

Lucy held out her arm to keep Karver away as she shook her head in denial. “You’re lying.”

Karver held out his arms. “Why would I lie?” he asked as he stared into her violet-brown eyes. “How about we start fresh and you tell me your name?”

Lucy started to shake her head in denial, but she couldn’t break her gaze from his. “It’s Lucy.”

“You and I are going to be together for a very long time, Lucy,” Karver said as he stared at her. “You’ll eventually realize that I’m telling you the truth. When you do, I’m going to show you the world. There’ll be nothing more powerful than
us.
”

Lucy heart raced through her veins. “
Ashton? Are you there?”
she asked as she whispered into his mind.

“
Oh God…Lucy!”
Ashton said with relief pouring from his voice.
“Are you ok, baby?”

“
Yes, but I’m scared Ashton,”
Lucy said as she stared into Karver’s black, soulless eyes. “
I’m with the Haemon. Karver said that he had you.”

Worry laced Ashton’s voice.
“Karver?”

“Yes,”
Lucy said.

“The Haemon don’t have me, Luce,”
Ashton said.
“They have Michael.”

Lucy stifled the gasp before it slipped from her mouth. “
Why would they take Michael?”

“I’m not sure,”
Ashton said.
“but I need you to try to get away from Karver, Luce. The first chance you get.”

“I can believe that,”
Lucy said as Karver released her from his gaze. She turned away. “
Karver also said that he was my uncle. Is that true?”

 Ashton’s sigh whispered through her mind.
“Yes, but he only wants you because of the power dwelling inside of you. Karver will use you to strike out at you his brother. Your biological father,”
Ashton said.
“Your father and Karver have been at war with each other for centuries.”

“That’s just wonderful,”
Lucy said. She rubbed her forehead as her head started throbbing. “
I need to concentrate on what Karver’s saying before he figures out something’s going on.”

“Ok,”
Ashton said.
“We’re trying to find where they’re located. Be safe, baby.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She faced Karver as he finished speaking.

Lucy turned to Karver. “Where’s Ashton at?”

“The Ashton boy you mentioned earlier is perfectly fine. I won’t harm a single hair on his head,” Karver said as he walked towards her. “However, the moment you try to escape, his life will end. Do you understand?”

 “Is this how you treat all of your family?” Lucy asked.

“Lucy, Lucy, Lucy…in our world you have to make sure you have all your bases covered,” Karver murmured as he took her chin in his hand. “If you won’t stay on your own volition, then I’ll force your hand.” Karver paused as he stared into her eyes. “If he dies, it will be
your
fault.”

Lucy jerked her chin from his hand. “Even if I stay here, I’ll
never
do your bidding.”

A loud, boisterous laugh left Karver’s lips. His eyes glittered as he loomed over her. “Once the bloodlust takes over, I won’t have to ask you to do anything. You’ll do it entirely on your own.”

Ice trickled through Lucy’s veins. Her stomach rolled as image after image poured through her mind. Her eyes matched the blood she was shedding as she ripped through a brunette. A smile creased her lips as she let the girl’s body drop to the ground. Recognition ran through Lucy as she stared at Sam’s lifeless body. Lucy’s head jerked as she looked up at Karver. “No,” she murmured.

Karver nodded. “Oh, yes,” he said as he turned to leave. “I’ll leave you alone and let you think about it.” He glanced back at Lucy from the door. “We’ll continue this conversation later.”

Lucy waited a few minutes and headed for the door. “Please be unlocked,” she murmured as she pulled on the handle made of rock. The door hedged open. Sweat broke out on her forehead as she pulled even harder. “Come on,” she grunted. The door creaked open enough for her to squeeze through.

 Lucy took a deep breath as she leaned against the door poked her head out the door. A small sigh of relief left her lips as she looked up and down the hall. It was empty. She paused and listened. She didn’t hear a sound coming from either direction. She inched her way out of the room and stayed close to the wall. Lucy’s heart skipped a beat as a screeching sound echoed throughout the caves. Where was the sound coming from? She looked up and down the hall. Still nothing. The loud screeching and the sound of wings flapping grew closer. Lucy looked up. Hundreds of bats hung from the ceiling. Lucy quelled the urge to scream as she watched one dip and turn in the air. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as its screech pierced the air as it flew down the cave.

Lucy clung to the wall as she hurried down the hall. She came across several doors not too far from the room she’d just left. She chewed on her lip as she looked at each door. What if she picked the wrong one? Her eyes slid shut. She could hear her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Her eyes flew open. Voices floated down the hall and were coming closer as each second ticked by. Lucy spared a quick glance at each door before running to the one diagonal from her. She pushed against it with every ounce of strength she had and it slid slightly open. She squeezed in sideways, closed her eyes as she leaned against the wall, and waited for the vampires to pass by.

“Lucy?” a voice whispered.

Lucy’s heart stopped as her eyes flew open. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she saw Michael stand up in the corner of the room and come walking towards her. His face was paler than she’d ever seen it and his hand shook as he rubbed his upper arm.

Lucy ran over to Michael and hugged him to her. “Are you ok?” She asked him as she stepped away and looked up at him.

“I’m fine,” Michael said as his gaze dropped to the floor. He paused and looked back up at Lucy. “What 'bout you?”

“I’m ok, but we need to get out of here,” Lucy said as she glanced back at the door. “We can’t take a chance on waiting for someone to come save us.”

Michael’s voice lowered to a whisper. “Do you know these people?”

 “They’re not people, Michael,” Lucy said as she stared into Michael’s eyes. “They’re monsters. We’re stuck in caves with a bunch of vampires and we need to get out.
Now.
”

His eyes widened as his voice dropped to barely a whisper. “Vampires? Are you sure?”

Lucy nodded. “Yes.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” Michael said as he started pacing. “Maybe they just like to think they’re vampires,” he said as his arms flailed out. He stopped and looked over at Lucy. “There are people out there that get fangs. It’s like a fad or something.”

Lucy walked up to Michael and grabbed him by the arm. “We don’t have time for this, Michael. We need to get out of here.
Now
!”

Michael’s eyes widened. “How are we gonna get out of here, Lucy?” he asked as he looked around. “We don’t even know where ‘here’ is.”

“We’re going to walk out of this room and find a way out,” Lucy said. “It’s better than sitting here until they’re ready to make a feast out of us. If they spot us, we’ll run for it. What do we have to lose?”

“Good point,” Michael said as he took hold of her hand. “Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

Lucy stifled a laugh as she looked at Michael. Did he really just say that? She shook her head as she led him to the door and stopped. She listened for the voices she’d heard earlier. She was met with silence. Lucy took a deep breath and poked her head around the corner. The hall was empty.

Lucy glanced back at Michael as she gave his hand a squeeze. “Here we go,” she whispered. She looked in front of her as she slid out of the room and hugged her body up against the cave wall. The cool rock grazed her skin as she scooted across it. She looked over at Michael and gave him a small smile. She sped up.

Lucy looked around. All of the halls and doors looked identical to each other. How was she ever going to find her way out of here? She finally stumbled across a place that forked off into two separate directions. She glanced over at Michael and pointed to each direction and shrugged her shoulders at him. He pointed to the right. Lucy looked down the dark corridor Michael had pointed at and hedged towards it.

The blanket of darkness washed over Lucy as she stepped forward. She paused and blinked as her eyes adjusted. She looked back at Michael. He was trudging along with his arm touching the wall. She could see him perfectly in the darkness as if she was in a black and white movie. There was no color, but she could see.