The Violet Line (9 page)

Sam watched as Oskaar’s face lit up in anticipation once more. “Cassiopeia.”

Sam hadn’t noticed that she was still in the room. He glanced around for her and watched as she melted from the shadows at the wall; she couldn’t do that when he had known her.

“
Darling Cassie, could you escort our rebel Samuel here to the dungeon and teach him a few lessons in respecting his elders?” Oskaar turned to look at her as he spoke.

She nodded. “Of course, Oskaar.” Her husky voice purred over the words and as she turned back to Sam, her lips curled into a twisted and cruel smile. “It would be my pleasure.”

Sam watched without feeling as she grabbed him by the upper arm, curling her long fingers around the muscles that were corded under his shirt.

“
Come with me, Sam; it’ll be just like old times.”

He refused to show her any sort of emotion as she led him away to the darkened dungeon, but he knew that by the end of his time with her she would have dragged at least one scream from his lips.

* * *

Sam drew in a deep breath from the cool night air. It caused him to grimace. His back was a bloody mess from his time spent in the dungeon with Cassiopeia and it would take time to heal. She had used silver in his open wounds; this allowed her to keep the slash marks open for longer. She had enjoyed running her tongue along the inside of his open wounds, probing and biting him whenever it had taken her fancy.

Cassiopeia always did like to have full control. She could never control Sam. Their powers were too similar; except hers was forever and her victims did not fall into a trance, they simply bent to her will. Whatever she wished them to do, they would do it and somewhere inside their heads their real personality would sit locked away, unable to stop or refuse her anything she asked. She became mistress of their minds and she enjoyed watching the pain and torment she could inflict upon them. Anyone she could not control in this way, she would have chained up and she would unleash all her frustration and fury upon them.

Sam tried to block out the memories of what she had done to him that day; hours upon hours, he had endured her taunts torments and sexual advances. She could not understand why he would not simply give in to her allure; she had tried to persuade him that if he just gave in, they could indulge in each other’s bodies for old times’ sake. She had told him the pain would stop if only he would admit that he still wanted her. He told her he couldn’t do that and at first she had thought it was stubborn pride. That was until he had told her that to him she was ugly.

Sam would not betray what he and Jade shared. He could never be unfaithful to his soul mate; it would kill him to touch Cassiopeia or any woman in that way ever again. Sam had known what it would do to her and Cassie had flown into a rage. She had very nearly killed him, but Oskaar had intervened and stopped her. Sam had hoped she might kill him at least if that had happened, Jade wouldn’t be in danger anymore. But then he wouldn’t be able to see her one last time, hold her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her. If Cassiopeia had succeeded and killed him in the dungeon that day, Sam would not have the opportunity he had now to warn Jade of the danger that she was in. He wanted to hold her close again, drink deep of her sweet scent and properly say goodbye. He knew what he had to do. He would ensure Jade was safe and he would say goodbye. It was the only way he knew of to keep her safe. His being alive was the only thing that would allow the council to track her; with him out of the picture, they would never be able to detect or find her. It would be as though she suddenly no longer existed and the vampires would never have their prophecy fulfilled. His beautiful, talented, loving and gentle Jade would never have to suffer at their sick perverted hands; she would not have to constantly look over her shoulder in fear of detection. She could have her life and perhaps in the afterlife, if Sam was granted one, they could be together.

Sam continued the long walk back to his Jade. His injuries were slowing him down but he knew he would make it back to her before sunrise. He could taste rain on the air. The fine weather was finally going to break and the dawn would be delayed, allowing him more time to get back before the sun’s rays found him. The thought of holding her close lifted his heart and spirits and he found himself picking up his pace in anticipation of seeing her face. He dreaded the conversation he would have to have with her but he knew this way was for the best. He didn’t want to hurt her but he wouldn’t see her die and be reborn into the hands of those back at the manor. The one thing that was bothering Sam most was the final vision that Oskaar had allowed him to see before he left. Oskaar had shown him who would be the one to finally turn Jade into the cruel beautiful shell that he had seen standing on the stage. In the vision, Sam had held Jade in his arms and she had smiled up at him, tracing her fingers over his lips and jaw. She had smiled and pulled him in close to her as he had slid his fangs out and nestled his face against her neck, inhaling deeply the smell of her sweet blood. Jade had wrapped her arms around his neck as Sam sank his fangs deep into her neck, drinking from her until only a drop of her blood remained. He had watched, horrified, as Oskaar had shown him laying Jade out across his lap as he slit one of his wrists and smeared his blood across her lips, urging her to drink deeply and watching with a smile as she latched on. Oskaar had finished the vision there but Sam had seen enough of the possible future to know that it was he who would turn his beloved into the monster he had seen in his first vision. This disturbed him beyond anything else he had ever witnessed in his life. Sam would not allow this future to happen. He would see to it that Jade lived a long and full life; happy, and human with no threat from the vampires that haunted his constant waking thoughts. Three days and two nights was all the time he had to make his preparations. Despite the pain that ran in lines down his back and legs, Sam began to run to Jade.

Chapter Eight

Sitting in the darkness of the flat, lights from the cars flicked up onto the ceiling, before chasing across it like small children in a playground. Annie had gone home when it had still been bright outside. The landlord had rang her to say he’d fix the locks and she had wanted to go around and make sure he didn’t touch anything else. I’d offered to drive her back but she told me she needed the time to clear her head.

The heating had gone off hours ago and I watched, fascinated as my breaths caused little puffs of white fog to form near my face. Since Annie’s departure, I had thought of nothing except Sam; how his smile it crinkled up near the corners of his eyes. I remembered the feel of his skin under my hands and how when we touched, it felt like little sparks of electricity passed between us. I could remember every part of him but it wasn’t enough. I wanted more; I wanted him here in front of me so I could study every detail, every line of his body, the details of his face. I wanted to hear his laugh, his voice. I needed him here safe with me.

The rain had begun to fall outside and soft grey mist enveloped everything on the other side of the window. It felt as though the dawn would be coming soon; I had grown accustomed to knowing the feeling it left in the air and now was no exception. It was still dark outside but instead of being the blackness of night, it had developed a slightly navy blue colour, allowing the mist to become clearer.

The dawn would be later today, I thought, rising stiffly from my place on the couch. It seemed I had been sitting there longer than I had realised. Crossing to the window, rain splashed against the glass growing heavier with each drop and I pulled the heavy curtains against the onslaught. Walking into the bedroom, I grabbed Sam’s jumper up from where I had left it folded on the bed this morning and pulled it on over my head before crawling under the duvet. Closing my eyes, I prayed for sleep to find me – anything to take me out of this waiting and uncertainty.

A noise stirred me under the duvet and I felt the bed dipping under the weight of somebody else.

“
Sam?” My voice was groggy and hoarse.

“
I’m here.” His voice was like music; it filled me with warmth and happiness and I struggled to escape from underneath the blankets.

“
Oh god, I’m so happy you’re back. I was so worried and I thought you’d never come back to me. Where were you? I was sure something had happened and when you didn’t answer...” He pressed his fingers against my lips, cutting off my landslide of questions and garbled concerns.

“
Jade, I’m ok. I’m here, see?” he said, spreading his hands wide. Looking at him sitting on the side of the bed in a dark shirt and black jeans, I flung myself against his chest, pulling him in tight against me. The tears flowed hot down my cheeks. Whispering against his shirt, my voice was still hoarse.

“
I thought you were gone, that I’d never get to hold or see you again.” Even though my words were muffled against him, I knew he heard me. Untangling my arms from where I clung tightly to him, he pushed me away and looked down into my face.

“
I told you I’d come back and I have, but Jade we need to talk. Something very serious has happened.” His voice held the gravity of the situation, causing me to sit up and look closer at him.

“
What happened to your face? You’re black and blue, and there are scratches all over your hands. Sam, what did this to you? Because I know it couldn’t have been human.” I stared at him as he looked down at his battered hands that were holding me.

“
This is what we have to talk about. The council caught up to me the other night when I was hunting. They sent their best tracker, Raphael, and his partner, Marianne; those two never go anywhere without each other. Marianne has a gift; she can look into your head and tell if you’re lying. Even if you don’t really know it yourself, she will; it’s just what she is. The council likes to use her to question those they suspect of going rogue; or if they just want some sort of particular information, Marianne is the girl to get it for them.”

“
But I don’t understand what this has to do with you. I mean, you certainly haven’t gone rogue and you don’t know anything that they might want.”

Sam stared at me hard, his face held a look of incredulity. “Jade, think about it! What might the council want that I know about and love?”

His question triggered a thought in my head. “You mean they want to know about me?” It was my turn to look incredulous.

“
They know all about you; they weren’t interested in asking me about you. They want me to bring you to them.” His words hung in the air between us.

“
So you came back to get me?” My voice held no emotion but the lines of my body betrayed how tense I felt about what his answer might be.

“
No I haven’t, Jade. I’ve come back so I can warn you. I need to think of a way to stop them from getting to you but I haven’t fully figured it out yet. I won’t let them hurt you; I love you too much for that.” He grabbed me hard by my arms and pulled me into his embrace. I slammed against his chest hard enough to make him wince but he continued to hold me tight against him.

“
Sam, what did they do to you,” I asked him, dreading his reply.

“
Jade, I can’t tell you that.”

Pulling out of his grip I began opening the buttons on his shirt. What I saw there made me gasp in horror; it hurt to look at him like that and he had come back to me in this state. The shirt stuck to him where the blood had begun to dry. The wounds were still open although I could see the edges where some of them had begun to heal a little. Deep furrows ran from his neck and shoulders down across his chest; it was as though somebody had attempted to gouge his heart out. The wounds were deeper over his heart. Pushing the shirt back, I realised it was also stuck to his back. Gingerly, I slipped around behind him and began removing the shirt from his back. The same type of slash marks ran down his back. They began at his shoulders, some of them even ran into his hairline. I followed them over the skin of his back, down to where they disappeared into the top of his jeans. They had destroyed my beautiful Sam. Sure, he would heal but what had he suffered and endured because of me? Tears fell hot and heavy from my eyes, causing my vision to blur. I felt dizzy and my pulse thundered in my ears. Sam moaned and stiffened up as if in pain. My tears ran down his back as I wrapped my arms tight around him and refused to let go. Warmth filled me and my head felt fuzzy but holding Sam tight seemed like the right thing to do; the thought didn’t enter my mind that I might be hurting him.

The next thing I realised, Sam was dragging me around from his shoulders and onto his lap. My vision was still a little blurred.

“
Oh god, Jade, what have you done? Wake up, love; please wake up.” He cradled me in his arms. My fingers traced up over the skin of his chest, I expected to feel ridges of skin trying to heal; but everywhere my fingers touched felt smooth. Sam grabbed my hand in his and pressed it to his cold lips. He kissed the palm of my hand and the tips of my fingers.

“
Jade, what did you do? The marks; they’re gone? I don’t understand.” He shook his head as if to emphasise the point and continued to stare down at me.

“
I just wanted to make you feel better; I couldn’t bear the thought of what they had done to you because of me. It hurt to see you in pain. I wanted to take it away from you and I did.” I continued to run the backs of my fingers over his smooth chest.

“
You don’t feel cold anymore either,” I noted absentmindedly. Sam continued to look stunned as I lay there staring at him. My head began to clear a little but my body was tired..