Married to the Prince of Darkness (COMPLETED)

Chapter 65

I don't recall much of what happened after Martha's lifeless body crumpled to the floor. I just remember being in a state of shock. Casper grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me away from the house. Together, with Jacques, we had fled Challow Street by slipping through a break in the fence. After that we had done what Martha told us and snuck out the city through the old docks. Jacques and Casper stayed close to me the entire time, making sure I didn't fall behind, although it wasn't hard to keep up with them. Running away was easy when being tracked by Henrietta's homicidal guards. I kept thinking to myself - if you stop, they'll find you and kill you and the baby. So I kept going, putting one foot in front of the other until we had safely left the city boundaries, and the docklands were nothing more than a spec on the horizon.

We had fled the city by following a small coastal path that ran southwards away from the docklands towards the cliffs. Once we had reached the cliff tops we changed direction, turning away from the path and running eastwards across several fields. By the time we stopped to take shelter in a disused barn, I was close to collapsing. The emotional stress and the need for blood had over come me, and I was struggling to stay standing.

Casper recognised my need and looped his arm around my waist to support me. "You've done well, little sister," he said guiding me to an upturned wooden crate. "Sit here and rest. The guards will search for us for a couple of hours then be forced to return to the palace. We'll head back into the city at dawn."

I took a seat, quietly thanking him and stared numbly at rusty corrugated iron wall opposite me. Casper walked away and began talking to Jacques who was tentatively stood by the barn door on lookout. I couldn't hear what they were saying. It wasn't because I couldn't physically hear them, but because my mind was somewhere else. It was hard to think, process, or even feel, when my head was filled with the sound of gunshots and screams.

"Mia," Jacques voice called to me softly across the room. "You're shaking like a leaf."

"Am I?" I said absent mindedly.

He crossed the room and started to shrug off his jacket, I opened my mouth to protest but he stopped me dead with a hard stare. "Don't argue with me, just put the jacket on. Luc would kill me if I let you freeze to death out here."

"I didn't think vampires could die of cold," I replied candidly.

He draped his jackets around my shoulders and said, "They can't. But it would be incredibly ungallant not to take care of you after kidnapping you from your mate. Poor bastard must be going out his mind with worry."

"I know, and that's why I have to get back to him," I replied urgently. "I need to tell him about everything so he can help us stop Henrietta."

Jacques looked like he was going to agree with me when Casper suddenly interrupted him.

"You're not going anywhere. Luc can look after himself, but you, you're safer here - with us," Casper said firmly.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? You were there! You saw Henrietta murder those people and you know what's she's capable of. Luc is in danger, I need to see him and speak to him-"

"And tell him what?" Casper snapped. "That you've formed an alliance with his evil younger brother, or that you consulted a lunatic this evening who told you that Henrietta is evil... Or maybe you can drop the biggest bombshell of all and tell him what you've really been seeing in the shadows. Mia, let me reassure you that whatever you tell him, he won't believe you unless you have hard evidence to back it up."

"We have hard evidence! For God's sake, Casper, two of her murder victims are lying in a house by the docks right now!" I yelled at him.

He raked a hand through his blonde hair and replied, "I know, but Henrietta is smart. I doubt that she would have left without cleaning up first. Knowing her she'd probably burnt the place to the ground by now. And as for the bodies, she'll most likely have her guards dispose of them. We can't go to Luc without real hard evidence. He won't believe us."