Hunters

Chapter 21

Rachel's eyes fluttered open and a white wall came into view. A tall, narrow window let in the feeble light of morning. She'd expected to be in some sort of eerie, underground dungeon. She tried to lift her head and observe her surroundings, but her body felt as though someone had replaced her insides with lead.

She groaned. Feet shuffled toward her and the world dissolved into nothingness again. And so it continued for what seemed like forever. She would open her eyes, catch a glimpse of light, and be put under again. Every time she woke up, the sunlight was different, turning from shades of light yellow to ruby red as the day progressed into night.

At one point, she didn't open her eyes, didn't move, just waited. She didn't fall unconscious and silence surrounded her. Her body felt normal, but her senses were still numb. She mentally checked her wounds, but nothing throbbed or ached anymore.

Something creaked and footsteps tapped into the room .

"Is she up?" an unfamiliar male voice asked.

"No. And it was about damn time she stayed under." A second male voice, also unfamiliar. "Honestly, every hour? That thing was supposed to keep her under for a whole day. I've heard the other one's even worse. They have to sedate him every twenty minutes."

"They shouldn't be sedated in the first place." The first man sighed. "We don't know what big doses of those tranquilizers can do."

The second man huffed. "Who the hell cares? If it didn't take the Council so long to clean up the mess they made, they'd be dead by now."

"As her doctor, I say don't give her any more drugs."

"Angus is her doctor, and he doesn't give a shit about her health."

"Angus has no clue what he is doing. She could change everything. And we need them sane for the trial, either way."

"Yeah, Doc. Suuure."

Rachel's stomach clenched. Not another trial. The last one wasn't to their advantage, and they'd been nowhere near as guilty as they were now. She wondered where Vlad was. Bringing him down must count for something in their defense.

As the door slammed, Rachel did her best not to flinch. She and Daniel were obviously being kept under until the High Council returned. But where were they? And how big was the mess they'd made?

She shut her eyes tighter and concentrated on Daniel. She couldn't pick up on his aura. Damn this numbness! Daniel? Daniel? Danny, can you hear me?

Ack! Rach, don't scream. I have a monster headache.

She almost cried aloud with joy. Heavy footsteps approached the bed and someone poked her in the ribs. She tried her best to keep her body limp. Thank God she wasn't ticklish.

What's going on? she asked as soon as the man walked away.

Screw that! Did they hurt you? How's your stomach?

Rachel took a second to register the tone of his voice. He didn't usually freak out over anything. Not that he was freaking out now, but he did sound worried. I'm fine. Where are you?

I have no idea . In some room filled with Hunters. I think there's about four or five of them. Still too numb to tell.

All the concern in his voice was gone. Why did he sound amused? This was no laughing matter.

Actually, it is. I've been pretending to be knocked out for the past twenty minutes. I'm charging up nicely. As soon as I get my energy back, I'm making these assholes bounce around the room.