The Violet Line (6 page)

Marianne guided Sam towards two large wooden, iron bolted black doors. Raphael opened the boot of the black Mercedes, and lifted the woman that Marianne had snacked on in the alleyway and flung her over his shoulders. It seemed she too had been knocked unconscious before they had taken her. Sam could feel the pity rising within him at this woman’s fate.

The force of Raphael’s movements must have stirred her because she began to move and struggle. Her movements never caused him to flinch and he continued on as though he wasn’t carrying anything more than Marianne’s handbag. Sam could hear the woman pleading to be released and something about her voice seemed very familiar to him.

He recalled breaking into the blood storage unit and a man and woman arguing further down the hall. She had been upset about something and stormed out, right into the waiting arms of Marianne it seemed. Sam could feel loathing and disgust well up within him. If he hadn’t broken into that particular storage facility, this woman would be safe at home and not on her way to being a snack for the animals that awaited her. The desperation that filled Sam was sickening; if he could help her he would no matter the cost.

The woman continued to struggle as they reached the front door, becoming more and more frantic. Raphael’s hand swooped down and slapped her across the buttocks causing her to jump and whimper in pain.

“
Please do continue to struggle; I love the panic and the fear. Marianne, do you think I can play with her for a while before we give her to the pets? She does struggle so deliciously.” Raphael’s voice held a hopeful and slightly pleading tone. “Please my love? She’s just so soft and warm and she struggles so well; we could have so much fun.” His voice grew lower and huskier as he watched Marianne’s reaction and he flashed his fully extended fangs as he smiled at her.

“
Of course you can, love, just as long as I can watch and play too.” Her voice became high and giggly as she leaned over and trailed her hand over the woman’s exposed legs and down onto Raphael’s chest. Sam’s voice interrupted them even before he realised it himself.

“
What’s your name?” he asked the woman, who had begun to sob quietly over Raphael’s shoulder.

“
Sarah; its Sarah.” She hiccupped as she answered through her tears. “Please don’t let them hurt me. I don’t understand; I only wanted to meet up with my boyfriend. He said he had to work late; we had such a terrible fight and I said horrible things and I don’t understand what happened or how I got here!” Her voice became more and more panicked with each word she spoke.

As she began to cry harder, Raphael laughed and ran his hands up and down her legs, distressing her further. The door swung inward and they were ushered inside by a tall rounded bald vampire, Sam could smell how young he was; the blood practically still flowed in his veins, he was so new. He didn’t look at Marianne or Raphael but as Raphael strode into the foyer with Sarah over his shoulder, Sam could see the new vampire’s fangs sliding down into place and his eyes began to darken with hunger.

“
I think you might have a problem,” Sam reminded Marianne, staring pointedly at the newborn who had begun to tremble and salivate.

“
Andrew! Control yourself.” With her words, she struck out with her right hand and scored three deep furrows into his cheek with her nails. He whimpered and threw himself on the floor, debasing himself at her feet. It seemed that Marianne still hadn’t lost her touch even after all this time.

Moving further they made their way down along the lavishly decorated hallway. Paintings of people frolicking and of course vampires feasting adorned the walls; ‘vampire art’. It made Sam ill; it always seemed so garish.

He shuffled just a few feet ahead of Marianne. Every now and then she would push him forwards, her long finger nails digging into the skin of his shoulders. Sarah still continued to sob, quieter now because Raphael was more intent on the job ahead than on thoughts of terrorizing his victim. Sam could hear the sounds coming from the room ahead; it brought back painful memories from his past, of all the feasts and parties he attended as part of the council’s elite group. The thought of once more having to endure one of those experiences made him feel sick to his stomach, but still they trudged ever closer to the closed door, behind which lay any amount of unimaginable horror. As they reached the heavily gilded and ornamented double doors, two more guards stepped forward but Marianne dismissed them with one wave of her perfectly manicured hands. The doors swung wide to reveal the vampire feast in full swing.

Marianne swept into the room just ahead of Sam, her long white dress moulded perfectly to her figure, enhancing every curve she had to perfection; her floor sweeping black velvet coat billowed out behind her. Marianne always did know how to make an entrance.

She stalked forward into the room and Sam was forced to follow behind when Raphael nudged him forward with his foot. The room, which must have been the ballroom to the house, was large and opulently decorated. All types of richly decorated tapestries hung on every wall, many of their scenes depicting Greek gods becoming vampires or some of the great battles that had taken place down through the years; all of them were decorated in rich vibrant reds and purple hues, warm colours.

Vampires were known for their egos and this certainly proved that point. There were no windows in this room; they had all been closed off. This must have been to accommodate some of the parties that went on well into the early hours and reduced the risk of them being caught out by the sunlight. The stone tiled floor was strewn with large cushions on which dozens of vampires reclined, either enjoying what each other’s bodies had to offer or enjoying some of the humans that had been brought in especially for this occasion.

Sam tried not to stare as one female vampire, who was naked from the waist up, sat astride her naked male partner. As she kissed him she held a young female by the hair, who was kicking and crying out to be released. The female vamp broke the kiss and dragged the young woman onto her lap between the two of them. Cupping the woman’s face in her hands, she stared into her eyes and Sam watched as the woman went limp in her arms, a blissful look stealing over her glazed eyes. Sam tried not to vomit as they took turns in biting into her skin and bathing each other in her blood, which ran freely from the many wounds that began to dot her neck and breasts.

Many of the groups were engaging in this type of behaviour or worse and the coppery sweet smell of blood filled Sam’s nostrils as he was led between the revelling couples and groups.

Marianne came to a halt before the stage that dominated the back wall of the ballroom. On it sat two tall black chairs draped in red satin; Oskaar sat on one and Cassiopeia draped her sylph-like form across the other. They both watched the proceedings with an air of bored indifference until they spotted Sam. Oskaar stood and glided down the steps to greet them. Sam watched with curiosity as he came towards them; he didn’t appear to have changed all that much. He was still the tall grey haired wiry man he had always been but the power that flowed off his skin now was far more intense than it had been when Sam had last been in his company.

“
Ahh, Samuel, you have returned to us at last.” His heavy Russian accent hadn’t changed and it added a strange lilt to his perfect English. He was all smiles as he approached Sam.

“
It wasn’t a voluntary return, Oskaar. You should know that I don’t want to be here anymore and the council allowed me to leave, nearly a hundred years ago now, is it? And you drag me back in here now like some sort of dog? Tied up; am I such a threat to you now that you must bind me to remain safe?” Letting his anger and fear fill his voice, he directed all his venom completely at Oskaar. He felt Marianne stiffen beside him and the room suddenly became hushed. Sam watched as Cassiopeia slid from her chair and onto her feet. She was clad head to foot in burnt red leather; it fit her form perfectly and emphasized her tiny waist. Her black hair fell about her in waves, resembling a satin sheet that shimmered with blue lights when she moved. It made her already snowy skin seem even paler and her azure eyes were framed by black lashes. She moved so quickly that she was suddenly standing beside Oskaar, her whip in hand; she vibrated with power and unchecked rage. She and Sam had been lovers many years before she had ever been promoted to the council and she had never forgiven him for leaving her and the council. He could see that the years spent apart had not mellowed her feelings.

“
Cassie.” Sam inclined his head in her direction in acknowledgement and suddenly Oskaar began to laugh. It started slowly at first and it startled everyone in the room, most of all Sam, but he began to laugh harder and harder until he was doubled over with laughter. Cassie, Marianne, Sam and everyone present in the room stared at him in incredulity. Straightening up he indicated Sam’s bound wrists.

“
Untie him please, Marianne. A threat.” He still continued to chuckle to himself as he waved at the rest of the room. “Continue on with your amusements, my children; it’s not every day we have the feast of the red harvest. I have some business to attend to but I shall return later to continue with the celebrations and I believe we have an extra special form of entertainment tonight to look forward to.”

As he finished speaking the vampires in the room returned to their fun, leaving Sam with Oskaar, Cassiopeia, his two escorts and their victim. Marianne released his wrists from the silver chains and Sam rubbed them. Two small lines had been scored into them from the chains; they would take longer to heal but he wouldn’t feel the marks in a few minutes. Oskaar turned on his heal and motioned for Sam and the others to follow him out through a small wooden door beside the stage. They followed him as he swept down the smaller carpeted hallway and into a smaller room behind the ballroom. The room was just as lavishly decorated as all the others that Sam had been inside. Down at the far end of the room stood a small girl holding a china doll by the hair. She herself looked like the perfect representation of a china doll; perfect blonde ringlets framed a rounded childish face that was now contorted into rage as she engaged in conversation with two other vampires. Sam could just make out the end of her tirade.

“
I want it, I want it, I want it, I want it! Why can’t I have another one! It’s not my fault that the other three broke! That’s your fault for not bringing me stronger werewolves to play with. I can’t ever have anything I want; you won’t even let me have playmates! I hate this, I hate you all! You’re simply horrid to me all the time and never do as you’re told. I will kill you if you don’t get me what I want!” She spoke the last threat in a much quieter voice, her blue eyes flashing as she watched each of their reactions.

“
Lissie!” Oskaar’s voice boomed throughout the room, his anger evident. “Please do tell me, child, that I didn’t just hear you threatening your guards.” Lissie’s blue eyes grew wide and innocent; she was the perfect picture of childish adoration as she looked at Oskaar.

“
No, uncle, I wouldn’t do that. I was simply asking would it be possible for me to receive a new pet because my other three that we brought with us from home all died of the flu. This country is just simply so wet.”

Oskaar looked at her. “Lissie, your pets did not die of the flu. I know what happened to them; do not take me for a fool. For goodness sake, child, they were raised in the Carpathian Mountain Range; it snows there near constantly.” His voice filled with impatience as he spoke to her. “Why haven’t you attended the festivities? There is plenty of fun to be had at them.”

“
I hate it here, uncle; you know that. Why won’t you send me back I promise to be good?” She looked at him pleadingly, her blue eyes filled with unshed tears.

“
No. Now stop this nonsense and go join in the fun. I have business to attend to.”

Her little child’s face grew dark with anger and she clenched her fists at her sides. She never noticed when the china doll in her hands broke. Looking at him, she drew herself up to her full height of four foot ten and in a commanding voice announced, “I want to go back now! Send me or else!”

She stamped her foot and the walls and floor began to tremble; a fine layer of dust fell from the ceiling, coating everything. Sam continued to watch in interest, a smile playing around his mouth at this little vampire’s temerity. Oskaar’s voice remained measured even in the face of her little temper tantrum.

“
Lissie, I will personally put you in your box if you do not stop this rubbish immediately and I don’t think you want that because as part of the celebrations tonight, they are bringing the revenants up from the dungeon.”

Lissie looked slightly panicked as he mentioned her box. “I’ll be good, I don’t like my box. Are they really bringing the revenants up? Oh goody!”She cooed and skipped past Sam and down to the door. Looking at Sam, she smiled; there wasn’t a fang in sight but then she was very old.

“
Hmmm, you know, if I ever happen to meet your girlfriend before everyone else here, I will eat her.” She smiled her angelic smile and skipped out the door, her guards rushing to keep up with her.

Sam could feel the bile rising in his throat from her words.

“
Don’t worry, Samuel; we don’t plan on letting that happen. Lissie is just a little bit jealous and doesn’t like the sound of your Jade at all.” Oskaar’s voice had a reassuring quality but Sam didn’t feel at all reassured by the fact that they all knew about Jade. Raphael stood in the corner with Sarah in a heap at his feet. She must have passed out at some point and Sam envied her unconscious state. Oskaar regarded Sam with his cool stare.