Storm (Blood Haze: Book Two) A Paranormal Romance (19 page)

glaring angrily at Kai. Kai put his arms around

me and kissed me. It felt so good to be there with

him again.

“I’m going to go pack some stuff,” Max

mumbled.

“Wait!” I said, pulling away from Kai. “Max, I

don’t want you to go just yet.”

“I’ll only be a few minutes,” he said. “You

can spend some time with… Kai… until then.”

“Alright,” I conceded.

Max disappeared up the stairs, and Kai put his

arms around me again.

“You don’t know how much I’ve missed

you,” Kai whispered. “It’s been so hard being

away from you, not knowing what was

happening or how you were.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” I told him. “I think

about you every day. I dream about you every

night.”

“I love you,” Kai breathed into my ear.

“I love you, too,” I told him. “So very much.”

He enveloped me into a rapturous kiss, and it

felt like I would melt away in his arms. His lips

were warm and soft, and his arms made me feel

so safe and comfortable.

“Alice, I…” he started to say.

Just then, the front door flew open. I gasped as

five blurry figures swept into the foyer. They

appeared to be nothing more than gray streaks,

and they seemed to be hovering in the air. They

looked like ghosts or something.

Kai instinctively stepped in front of me and

tried to shield me with his body, but I saw the

vague shape of an arm rise from one of the

figures, and a glowing white orb shot out and

struck him. He slumped to the floor.

“Kai!” I screamed, starting to kneel beside

him.

Before I could, I felt myself being lifted from

the ground. The shadowy figures were suddenly

floating beside me, and I felt cold, clammy hands

grasping all over me and hoisting me into the air.

I heard a strange hissing sound, and I saw a

smoky, white haze floating around me. I started

to feel excessively tired, and I fought to keep my

hold on consciousness. I shook my head and tried

to clear it.

“Alice!” I heard Max shout, and I turned to the

sound of his face just in time to see a white orb

strike him. He fell forward and tumbled down

the stairs. His body came to a rest in a painful

posture at the bottom of the stairs.

“Max…” I whispered, just before I lost

consciousness.

*****

Chapter Thirteen – Dmitri

As I began to come around, I thought I heard a

voice on the wind. I could hear a breezy,

whispery sound whirling around me. It sounded

vaguely like speech, but I couldn’t distinguish

any words.

I blinked, and things slowly began to come

into focus. I was lying on the floor, and I could

see bars in front of me. I thought for a moment I

was in jail, but as my vision returned, I could see

it wasn’t a cell… it was a cage.

I struggled to sit up, and I saw the shadowy

figures twittering around me. They seemed to be

speaking to one another, but their words were

indecipherable to me. It sounded like a ghostly

wind, the tone slowly rising and falling in some

semblance of language.

As my eyes continued to adjust to my

newfound consciousness, I looked around the

room. The floors and walls were all made of a

pale, sand-colored brick. I could see something

that looked like a sort of platform, built of the

same material as the floor and walls, against the

far wall. The platform was flanked by huge red

curtains, which were held back by golden cords

with tassels.

The only light in the room came from two tall

candelabras, which appeared to be made of brass.

Each one held five off-white candles, which were

almost burned away. I noticed that everything in

the room, including the massive birdcage I was

in, cast tall shadows in the flickering candlelight.

Everything, that is, except the shadowy figures.

I strained to hear something in the distance. It

sounded like footsteps echoing hollowly. The

sound got louder and louder, and from behind

one of the red curtains, there appeared a robed

figure of a man. His skin was pale, but pinkish,

and he appeared to be very old. His short, spiky

hair was deep black, despite his obviously

advanced age. His robe was made of a deep

purple fabric, and it seemed to swallow his frail

frame.

The clack-clack of his heels echoed

throughout the room, and the shadowy figures

were silenced immediately. They all shrank to

half their normal size, appearing to bow before

the man. The man waved his hand, and the

figures scattered and flew away behind the

curtain.

For several long, awkward moments, the man

simply stared at me. He seemed to be sizing me

up – trying to figure out exactly what I was. I

licked my lips nervously and tried to avoid his

gaze.

Finally he spoke.

“Alice Wright, I presume?” he said in an

accent I recognized.

I clenched my jaw for a moment, trying to

stop my chattering teeth. I did not want to appear

weak or frightened.

“I am,” I said at last. “And you are?”

“Dmitri Dukas,” he replied. “I am an… old

friend… of someone I believe you know.”

“Barnabas?” I guessed.

“Very astute young lady,” he commented.

“What made you draw such a conclusion so

quickly and surely?”

“The accent,” I said. “You must come from

the same area?”

“You are quite observant. I am impressed.”

“Can we just cut the small talk and get to the

point?” I asked. “What do you want with me?”

He chuckled menacingly.

“Smart
and
brave. I like it.”

I glared at him.

“Answer me,” I said forcefully.

“Barnabas has something I want,” he answered

after a brief pause. “I have only taken you to

exchange for it. If he gives me what I want, I will

return you unharmed.”

“If you want something from Barnabas, why

did you take me? He hardly knows me. Why not

take one of his sons?”

“Because taking you would hurt the sons,

which would in turn hurt the father. Besides, you

are more important to all of them than you

realize.”

“How do you know all of this?”

“I know everything,” he answered.

“Everything?” I asked, and I felt my brows

furrow in confusion.

“Yes, everything.”

“What are you… like… God or something?” I

asked mockingly.

“Something like that,” he agreed.

“You don’t look like God.”

“You know what God looks like?”

“Well, no. But isn’t he supposed to have

white hair and a beard or something?”

Dmitri erupted into a sharp cackling laughter,

which continued for several seconds. It was so

comical I almost laughed with him, and I

probably would have if I hadn’t been so irritated.

Finally, he took a deep breath.

“Are you comfortable, Alice?” he asked.

“You mean am I comfortable lying on the

cold, hard floor of a giant birdcage dangling in

the middle of a cold stone room in a location I

don’t know, with creepy ghost-like things

floating around and whispering? If so, then no.

I’m not.”

He chuckled.

“I can bring you a blanket or some food,” he

said. “I mean you no harm. I only need to impress

upon Barnabas the seriousness of my request.”

“Request? Seems more like a demand to me.”

“Perhaps. Either way, he must relent.”

“What exactly do you want from him?”

“That is none of your concern.”

“Alright, fine. Well… do I get a phone call or

anything?”

“Not at this time. But I will have some food

brought to you later.”

I sighed and leaned back against the back of

the cage. This movement caused the cage to rock

back and forth, and the chain squeaked loudly

against the ring that suspended it from the

ceiling.

“I will check in with you later,” Dmitri said,

stepping backward.

I said nothing, and after a brief pause, Dmitri

left the room.

I scanned the room, looking for a way to get

out. The cage bars were all very strong, and there

was no way for me to squeeze through. The chain

looked extremely sturdy, and there were no signs

of cracks around the ring where it was attached

to the ceiling. I tried pulling the bars apart, but I

was weak from not feeding in some time. They

wouldn’t budge. I sat back and banged the back

of my head against the bars of the cage angrily.

I thought about Kai and Max, and I

desperately hoped they were okay. I thought

about them lying there, motionless as though

they were dead, and a lump swelled in my throat.

I had no way to know if they were alive or dead.

Then I thought of Alexi and Liam. What

would they think when they came home and I was

missing. Would they realize I hadn’t run away if

Kai and Max couldn’t tell them? I remembered

how pleased they both were when they thought of

taking me to the cabin. Would they think I had

just left?

Kai. Precious Kai. It horrified me to think of

him lying there, helpless and silent. I thought of

all the time recently I couldn’t have spent with

him and didn’t. I finally dissolved into tears as I

thought of his beautiful face, his gentle kisses,

and his strong arms around me.

Please let them be okay
, I prayed.
I’ll do

anything. Just please let them be okay.

I lied down on the cold metal floor of the cage

and cried until I finally fell asleep.

“Alice? Alice. Alice, hear me,” I heard a

whispery voice say.

“Who’s there?” I asked, sitting up and looking

around.

“Alice, can you hear me?” the voice

whispered.

“Yes, I hear you,” I said.

“Alice? Alice, I know you can do this. Use

your mind. Say something to me.”

Use my mind?
I thought.
What does that

mean? Like… telepathy?

I concentrated carefully, and I thought,
I hear

you.

“Alice!” the voice whispered. “I knew you

could do it!”

Who is this?
I thought.

“It’s Alexi,” the voice echoed in my mind.

“Liam and I are connected. We won’t be able to

communicate for long before we are drained.”

Alexi!
I thought.
Are Kai and Max okay?

“Yes, they are fine,” Alexi said. “Liam and I

found them when we came home, and when we

revived them, they told us what happened. Are

you okay? Have you been harmed?”

I’m fine, Alexi.

“Thank goodness,” he said. “Where are you?”

I don’t know. I’m in a cage in a dark room.

Some old guy named Dmitri has me.

“Dmitri!” Alexi gasped. “What does he want

with you?”

He said your father has something he wants,

but he wouldn’t tell me what it is. He said he

wanted to trade me for whatever it is.

“Alice, Liam and I are weakening quickly. It

takes too much energy to maintain this

connection. I will contact you again as soon as

we regain our strength. We’re coming for you. I

promise. We’re going to get you out of there.”

Please don’t come for me! I don’t want you

to get hurt.

“We won’t. We’re not going to leave you

there. I’d rather die.”

Please, Alexi. I’m begging you. Don’t risk

your lives for me.

“You
are
my life, Alice,” Alexi insisted.

Alexi…

“I must go. I will come for you soon.”

Alexi. Alexi! Please…

It was too late. The connection was broken,

and I was alone again. I wanted to desperately to

convince him not to come for me. I knew what

those shadowy ghost things could do, and I didn’t

want to risk any of them. But I knew he wouldn’t

listen.

The hours crawled by. No one came with food

or water. No one checked in on me. The voices

were silent in my head. It was cold and lonely,

and I felt afraid. I wasn’t so much afraid for what

might happen to me as I was for what might

happen if they came for me. To think of Kai,

Max, Alexi, and even Liam getting hurt because

of me was unimaginable.

I finally fell asleep again. There was nothing

else to do, and I hoped sleeping would make the

time seem to pass faster.

“Alice? Alice. It’s Alexi. Wake up,” I heard

the whispery voice echoing in my head.

Alexi
, I thought.
I’m awake.

“Stand up,” Alexi instructed. “We have a

friend here to help. I need you to stand up and

move against the wall of your cage.”

Without stopping to ask why, I immediately

complied.

“Hillary is going to open a portal in the floor

of the cage,” Alexi explained. “It’s taking the