84: The Cost of Doing Business – Pt. 3

“Why is it any time one of you goes missing the other one thinks I had something to do with it or even care to help?” Rowan asked, leaning back against his chair. “I have no idea where your witch has gone off to, Mate. Perhaps she’s found someone more interesting to take to her bed?” Derrick made a threatening step forward and Rowan was instantly on his feet. “Careful now. We wouldn’t want to muss that pretty face of yours before your witch comes home now, would we?”

“If you’ve done anything to her…”

“Save your threats, Derrick. I’ve no interest in harming Victoria. She’s too important. Besides, I thought you had some clever way of always keeping track of her.”

“I do,” Derrick replied sullenly. “But I can’t sense her. Which usually means something bad.”

“Well then. No sense in dawdling here. Go and find your witch. We wouldn’t want the Elders thinking you’re incapable of protecting the poor dear,” Rowan grinned.

Derrick turned and quickly retreated from his Sire’s office with one goal in mind: finding Victoria—and soon.

“He may be on to something,” Marcel said, re-entering Rowan’s office. “What if something has happened to her? These guys are dangerous and perfectly capable of handling witches as we’ve seen. You don’t think…”

“Nonsense, Marcel. I’ve seen Victoria take on the toughest Amazonian warrior, and she’s quite the capable, little enchantress. If anything, I’m sure she’s giving them a run for their money.”

“Still, it wouldn’t hurt to check.”

“My, my, Marcel. Someone’s grown fond of our darling friend. Don’t tell me you’re that eager to be on the receiving end of her gun again?” Rowan teased. Marcel grunted and exited the room leaving Rowan to question whether he was right. Not giving it any more thought, he headed for the door and started toward Synergy Corp.

Standing outside the large building, Rowan tested the boundary of its fortification spell. It had been a week since he'd tried but now, it would appear the magic that had been keeping him out was no longer protecting the entrance. Once inside, he hurried to the ninth-floor conference room. Victoria was strapped to a table at the center of the room where five men had her surrounded.

“Victoria!” he shouted, frantically waving his arms to get her attention. He tried the doors and was instantly thrown back. Now it became clear why his entry was so easy. All of the energy needed to keep the premises secure was being channeled into this room to prevent interruptions of their ritual. Rowan pounded on the glass, looking for a chink; any vulnerability he could manipulate to get inside. But the walls held firm. Pushing with everything he had, he was still unable to shift the glass in his favor.

Music began playing, low at first before growing in timbre. Drums beat louder and louder and Rowan watched as one of the men moved toward a workbench situated against a back wall. Rather than wait and see what nefarious acts he intended for Victoria with those tools, Rowan again attempted entry into the office. It was then Victoria saw him. She tried to lift her head and quickly felt the effects of the drug. But she wasn’t so out of her mind she couldn’t conjure a spell.

“Aperite,” she muttered, directing her thoughts toward the solid, glass double doors but nothing happened. “Aperite.” She tried again. Rowan said these men had been stealing magic. Hidden in operation for weeks there was no telling how many of their victims were supernatural or, scarier still, how much of their power they had siphoned for themselves. Despite the odds being overwhelming in her captors’ favor, she wasn’t giving up. “APERITE!” she shouted as loud as she could with everything she could muster.

Together with Rowan using his vampiric strength on the outer wall they were beginning to wear down part of the defenses. Pressing against the jamb of the door, he heard a distinct crack before suddenly, the doors blasted open in a burst of glass and wind ripping through the men’s concentration.

Without delay, Rowan grabbed one of them around his throat and squeezed. Lifting him into the air as the others watched in wide-eyed terror. And before the bones in his neck broke completely, the other four fled out the back door and into an elevator.

“Are you ok?” Rowan asked, once freeing Victoria and helping her to her feet.

“I will be,” she replied, looking around the room. “Where did they go?”

“Scattered. They are still here, however. I can smell their fear.” He paused and took in her expression. “You know, these men cannot be placed in a traditional jail; arrest for them is out of the question. And, considering they’ve amassed a wealth of power from the supernatural creatures they’ve…sacrificed, there’s no way to ensure compulsion.”

“You do what you have to,” she said, standing more erect beside him. “And I’ll help.”

Rowan smiled. Good. Because what he intended to do to these men was not for the faint of heart. “Well then, let’s get to work, Little Witch.”

He led her through the emergency exit and down nine flights of stairs into the basement where the scent of her captors was strongest. Once the swinging metal doors opened, the stench of rotting flesh hit their noses. “What the hell?” Victoria looked around. As far as the eyes could see body bags were lined up in the middle of the space. Additionally, bodies were hidden under sheets, resting on stretchers arranged against the walls. “This is way more than 10 victims.”

As they continued further, they found the front half of the room were the men’s attempts to cover up their crimes, but it appeared they soon gave up the notion. More bodies were scattered throughout the large area with little to no attempt to hide them. Dismembered appendages were stacked one on top of another, some putrid with gangrene, some freshly removed. Some limbs were tattered, some cleanly cut. It was a horror show with no end in sight.

“Where do we go from here?” Victoria asked. Past the death room were two hallways leading in different paths through the building. She tried to breathe, but her mouth and nose were filled by a putrefying gore that made her retch.

“I’m not sure,” Rowan said. He had lost the scent; it had become buried somewhere in the mound of severed bone, rancid blood and fetid flesh. “Anything you can try?”

Closing her eyes, she concentrated. “Sequere Vestigia.” A path lit up through one of the opened doors. But the moment the spell took effect, the strain of it doubled her over. (Follow the steps.)

“Victoria!” Rowan bellowed and scooped her up before she fell. “Bloody hell. That drug is doing the rounds in your body. If we’re going to do this, we’ll need to move fast.” She nodded and he helped her balance.

The trail led to an area beneath the conference room that appeared to be a dungeon; likely where they kept their victims prior to performing their rituals. Beside that was a storage room. Rowan could smell them again. All three men were hiding inside. He could hear the low rumblings of chanting as they desperately tried to protect themselves. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Wait,” Victoria said, feeling weaker by the minute. “I don’t know how much help I’ll be in there. I don’t feel well.”

“I can see that, Luv,” Rowan replied, placing a steadying arm around her waist. “However, we no longer have the element of surprise. If we don’t do this now, there’s a chance they’ll have buggered off later.”

“I know,” she paused and turned so they stood face-to-face. “You’ll need to drink from me.” The proposal took the hardened vampire by surprise, and he had her repeat herself. “It’s no secret to you at this point that my blood has certain…unique qualities. If you drink from me, it’ll enhance your supernatural abilities. You’ll be stronger, faster and deadlier than you normally are.”

The last adjective caused a smirk to briefly appear on his face. “And what about this drug in your system. It wouldn’t be prudent for us both to be bollocksed before battle.”

“You’re a vampire, Rowan. Don’t you have supernatural healing?”

“Indeed,” he said, seeing the nervous look on her face. “Are you certain you want me to do this?”

“No. To be honest, I don’t trust you.”

“Come now, Luv, you think I’ll drain you dry and leave your body to rot with the others? Victoria, don’t you think if I wanted to after all this time I would have done so already?”

“You mean after the first time when you compelled me?” she asked. Anguish flashed across Rowan’s face, and his eyes held a fleeting look of remorse before he graced her with a wolfish grin. “I’m also not sure if you’d want to either. Caveat, I kinda made Derrick go crazy.”

“Fairly certain I can handle it, Princess.” Running a finger along the edge of her hairline, Rowan tucked a rogue lock of hair gently behind her ear. Victoria looked up at him with her warm brown eyes, and he felt a rush of tenderness in his chest.

“Fine,” she nodded, her eyes lazily blinking as the desire to pass out resurfaced. “Let’s do this. Quickly.”

He turned her around and leaned close, moving slowly as though she might scare at any moment and change her mind. Before she could reconsider her offer, his lips gently trailed down the delicate skin of her neck and he softly dipped her head. Victoria arched her back, her body riddled with unease. She gasped when his lips rested on her collar, his cool breath fanning her feverish nerves. “Try and relax, Luv. I promise, this won’t hurt.”

Victoria took in a deep breath, calming herself. Her carotid throbbed beneath his lips. Rowan closed his eyes, took in her scent and slowly his fangs pierced her flesh. The spicy, crimson ambrosia that poured on his tongue was like nectar of the gods. Rowan’s eyes rolled back into his head as he tasted Victoria. The intimacy of the feeding sent chills down his spine and the moan that tore from her throat told him she was feeling the same and he indulged himself, making deep, sensuous growls as he fed on her. Blood freely pumped into his mouth, and he hungrily lapped it up. Very soon he felt the sensation move toward his lower anatomy; the ache in his loins intensifying the longer he remained attached to her throat.

For a moment, his thoughts moved into fantasy as he listened to her soft, feminine moans. It was tempting fate and pushing him down a dark path, one where he’d have her bent over, watching her face the moment he brought her to ecstasy. The electrical charge of her magical plasma threw his senses into overdrive and the surge of power he felt was intoxicating. Victoria buckled; dizzy and weak and felt Rowan’s strong arms tighten around her. Again, his eyes closed, and he slowly counted down from five, forced himself to release and back off before her body reacted to the drain. Piercing the tip of his thumb on a fang, he pressed down until a pearl-shaped drop of blood appeared and then he gently dabbed her neck, watching it instantly heal and Victoria turned to look at him. “How do you feel?” she asked, rubbing a hand over the area.

“Ready for battle,” he replied, noticing the act as he reached up to lightly caress her cheek. “Are you ok?”

“I will be.” Shutting her eyes, Victoria muttered a few words. Her hands glowed light blue and sparkles of light the same shade fell over the two of them. “Protection spell,” she answered to Rowan’s curious expression. “Now I’m ready.”

He led the way into the room, bursting through the locked metal door and over a chain-link fence. “Working with a witch? Have you forgotten who you are, Rowan?” The man asked as he aimed his weapon toward the vampire’s chest. And just before Rowan could react, Victoria sent a gust of cool air forward.

“Congelo!” Victoria shouted, freezing the man in place. (Freeze!)

Rowan shifted his weight and glanced over at her. “What a way to make an entrance, Luv,” he teased as he quickly got his hands on the man.

“Thanks. Do you need me to take care of him?”

“No,” Rowan smirked. “But I appreciate the offer.”

Effortlessly, Rowan tossed him across the room, watching as the block of ice shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. Another rushed forward while his friends continued their intonation. Rowan met him with a flurry of fists, his hands moving at a blindingly fast pace. Victoria watched in astonishment at the vampire’s speed both alarmed and impressed. When he finally stopped, the man’s face was a mangled mess of blood and bone. His left cheek was caved in, and his eye nearly popped out of the socket.

A third attacked Victoria from behind, tackling her to the ground. He swiftly worked to get his hands around her throat as she struggled to throw him off. A closed fist crossed her jaw and she instantly tasted blood before he again started strangling her. Pulling up a little, she was able to get a few inches of space between her neck and his fingers; just enough to take a breath. “Liberatas,” she uttered while continuing to fight off her attacker. As the words left her mouth, the man was thrown a few feet into the air before he came crashing hard to the ground. (Release.)

A large, slow-forming puddle of blood emerged beneath the man’s head. Victoria got to her feet and watched as his eyes closed and a faint breath rolled from his lips. He was gone.

“The last one’s scarpered,” Rowan shouted as he finished up with his opponent, bashing the man’s head against the wall and quickly ending him in a spray of blood and brains before taking off after the runaway.

Gripping the stray by the neck, he pulled him back, twisted his neck into a very awkward position and yanked until his head was completely separated from his shoulders. His body fell limply at his feet, the last of the businessmen defeated. Rowan roared, leaning back for full effect as he felt the heat of Victoria’s blood surge through him. It was unlike any high he’d ever felt before and he didn’t want the rush to end.

He watched Victoria as she started forward, the look in his eyes causing her to hesitate before reaching her hand toward him. “Rowan?”

“Right as rain, Luv,” he said to reassure her, the staccato of his accent generating comfort while her hand tenderly slid into his. “Actually, I’m better than fine. And daresay I’d not refuse your offer for another taste. I quite enjoyed that.” That familiar smirk spread across Rowan’s face as he regarded her, and she felt her face redden as he leaned forward to give her knuckles a gentle peck.

“Yeah well, I’m sure Derrick wouldn’t be too fond of that.” She noticed his expression sour at the mention of his name, and he fell back into their usual rapport.

“I’m sure Derrick will have a lot to say about what went on today. He had already come looking for you, properly brassed off I might add.”

“Great. I’m not looking forward to that conversation. There’s no telling how he’ll react to this; especially knowing I did it with his Sire of all people.”

“Right. Well, you’ll manage, you have a way with him.”

“And these guys? I thought you said you only wanted to permanently compel them,” Victoria said, looking around at all the gore.

“And I thought you said you had no intentions of putting anyone down. I guess we both lied, Luv,” Rowan replied, wiping his hands on a towel he’d grabbed off a table.

“That was an accident,” Victoria defended.

“Sure, it was, Little Witch. Whatever you say,” Rowan winked as he moved closer to where she stood. “Besides, after what they tried to do to you, they deserved nothing short of death.” Again, Victoria flushed. Rowan’s behavior toward her had been off all day. It seemed more forward and flirtier than his normal facetious demeanor. And she was certain the smolder in his gaze was not misread. “Well, now that that’s done, what do we do with these bodies?” he asked, clearing his throat and allowing her to regain her composure.

“I’ve got this.” Victoria closed her eyes and began conjuring a spell. “Incendio.” Instantly, the four bodies were set on fire. The flames burned hot and fast, quickly incinerating them. (Fire.)

“Not bad. I knew you were the right witch for the job,” he said, crossing his arms into his chest. “Now, I should probably get you back home before your lover comes looking again.”

“Right. And Rowan?”

“Yes, Victoria?”

“Next time you need a favor, ask someone else.” His laughter echoed as he wrapped her up in his arms and carried her through a back door.