Sickly, Sweet - Book One

Ch. 17 - Innocent Victims

Valentine holds the large bullet between his fingers and I watch it with a scrutinizing gaze. His expression said it all - that we are never to escape danger. That our lives were at risk. It was getting on my very last, very irritated nerve. This was not heading anywhere and I could think plenty of other things I could be doing instead of running in aimless circles.

The bullet glints with lethal power, held compact in a small container waiting to burst. The liquid contained in the bullet began to glow with a bright hue.

"What is it?"

"The only thing that can kill a royal vampire," he stands and helps me up. We both look down at Chelsea, "I don't think she was supposed to kill you - you just happened to be in the way."

I drove off with his car, I conclude in my head. It's him they want. It was starting to make a little more sense.

"Augustine?"

"Maybe," was his only answer. His voice was low and gravelly and it rang with doubts and unexpressed emotions.

"Okay, let's take her with us, maybe she has the answers we need." I point down at Chelsea who gives a slight moan. She was deeply unconscious and lost plenty of blood. It was enough to keep her uncomfortable and give us any information she has. I was never an advocate of torture and probing, it's an act that I refused to put into practice.

Valentine lifts her up and carries her in his arms. Her brown hair sways as he takes her to the car and sets her in. I bend down to grab the dagger, gun and collar before following him into the car.

As soon as I sit in the passenger seat, the engine revs and we were off. For some reason, I felt like we were two bandits running off with our victim in the back seat. Chelsea has been my assistant for fifteen years, I found her when she was just eighteen years old. She discovered my true identity when she noticed my lack of aging. She was my most trusted confidant, she would never betray me like this. There must be a reason why she has taken it upon herself to do this. One just doesn't go off and kill friends, unless heavily influenced by someone very powerful.

"Where are we taking her?"

He keeps his gaze forward and his hands tightly on the wheel. "We can't take her to Astor or Amaryllis, they have already done too much and having her in the castle will just cause more problems," he explains and I silently agree. "I hoped we wouldn't have to go to this particular place, but our circumstances demand it."
I look out in the direction we were heading and notice that I had no inkling of where we were going. Of course, I couldn't go home - my residence was most likely crawling with Datura's minions. Obviously, this was his last resort.

There was one thing I did notice as we accelerated down the road, and it didn't make too happy. My body becomes rigid in response. "We're going to Talmira Cove?"

The kingdoms of the underworld each have borders and you can only enter if you belong or if invited. There's a town in the very center of the Kingdoms where all creatures and creeds can enter. It's not a place you would like to vacation but a place where people go when they are incarcerated, like a prison.

"Yes." The way he said it sounded like it was question.

My teeth clench. "Turn around, now," I demand.

"Why? We're almost there." He knows damn right that I can't go into that forsaken town without a fight happening or death - someone always dies.

"You think this is funny, Valentine? You know damn well more than half of the people there want me dead." My frustration had me thinking of rolling out of the car while he's driving.