Page 5 of Blood Bonds

“No, just me… you stay here, okay? Get your reading. I’m gonna go for a walk, clear my head… I just need some air,” I told her, and she nodded, despite looking like she wanted to arguemore. But she knew me. She knew I liked to be alone whenever my emotions got the better of me. She knew the signs.

“I’m sure your reading will go better,” I said, looking back at the horrified woman who was watching our exchange with a strange look on her face.

It was almost like she knew me now and I hated that. I hated the idea of her knowing anything about me. But my words had been a warning… and one she didn’t miss because she nodded at me.

So, with nothing else to say, I left, feeling like the longer I was there, the more my lungs struggled to breathe. The scent of incense was suddenly suffocating, I left the room and practically ran out the old store, surprised to find it dark already. Had we really been in there that long?

What had she seen? What was so horrendous that she had recoiled in horror? I didn’t know, but it had freaked me out enough that I needed to escape.

Escape… now why was that word striking a chord with me? Why was that one action clinging to me, as if a seed had been planted? Exactly what was I supposed to escape from?

“ARH!” I yelled in pent-up frustration because I just didn’t know.

The icy-cold malevolent feeling still crawled along my skin like I had been infected by a simple touch. I looked back at the door and wondered if I should have left Stacey in there after all. Perhaps I should go back in and check on her? Strangely, the second I thought this, another desire, one far stronger, came over me. I started walking down the road toward an old cemetery we had passed on the way here, like something was pulling me that way. The small stone wall was easy enough to step over if I wanted to, but I soon realized that wasn’t where I wanted to go.

So, I continued walking along the sidewalk, glancing nervously at all the old gravestones I could see paled by the full moon. But even as I asked myself what I was doing or where I was going, my feet continued to walk me closer to what I could now see was a large brick building. An old warehouse of sorts on the opposite side of the road to the cemetery… and one I found myself crossing the road to get to.

I looked around, not seeing anyone but hearing voices all the same. They were muffled, only getting louder as I approached an open piece of fence that surrounded the warehouse. It was as if it had once been a gateway inside to the back but now it had been taken down. A sleek black SUV was parked close by, and it looked out of place in this part of town.

What was I doing here…? I just didn’t know. All I knew was that I couldn’t stop. It was like something was compelling me to move closer, despite another part of my brain, no doubt the rational side, screaming at me to run. But run from what?

Or from who?

The thought took me off guard, like somewhere deep within me knew something that the rest of me didn’t. Like my mind had been carved in two and the less cautious one was now leading the way. So, I continued walking until I was in full view of the back of the building, one littered with discarded pallets in front of what appeared to be a loading dock. I spotted a huge industrial sized dumpster, and decided it would be an ideal place to see what’s going on without being seen myself.

Seconds later, I was thankful for my instincts to hide because I wasn’t alone. Three darkly dressed figures came from around another part of the building, and I had to hold back a gasp because the sight was such an intimidating one. I instantly became frightened.

The men looked huge, with the tallest one in the middle and striding with strength and purpose. I had never felt like prey somuch in my life and they hadn’t even spotted me yet. Fuck, what had I been thinking coming here?!

Idiot, Vanessa!

Okay, so why wasn’t I running yet? The fear was certainly there and the panic was making my heart hammer in my chest like it was close to saying fuck it, before giving up and stopping altogether. But I couldn’t seem to move, despite knowing that I should. Especially when I caught another shadow from the corner of my eye. Someone else was hiding but unlike me, they didn’t have a chance at running because the men knew he was there. I knew that when I heard a strong, confident voice call out,

“Here Piggy Piggy… come out come out wherever you are!” The man in the middle was the one talking, his tone dangerously mocking, making my mouth drop open.

The rough timber of his voice made me shiver, and I held my arms around myself, wishing for more than just a zip-up hoodie. Perhaps a bulletproof tactical vest. Perhaps an Ironman suit.

“Ah, here you are,” the man in the middle said, before jerking his head toward the man trying to scramble up onto the loading bay.

I couldn’t see any details in any of their features from my position, but for some reason my eyes remained glued to the man who seemed to be in charge and calling the shots. Because at his signal, the two men either side of him stepped forward and dragged the man referred to as Piggy down from the raised platform.

“Please, Mr. Erebus! I didn’t do anything!”

The main man started laughing, the rolling timber of his throaty laugh a hypnotic sound. I would have loved to see the smile to go with it. Although that was most likely just as dangerous as hearing the sound I could have quite easily become addicted to.

“Oh, Dennis, dear Dennis, you stupid little fucker you. What are you to tell me next? That fucking fairies floated down and stole our shipment?” I frowned, wondering what they were talking about.

The man he had called Dennis was now being manhandled to his feet before being slammed into the wall by the bay, making him wince in pain.

“No, it… it was the Draconians, they came out of nowhere and… AH!” He stopped on a scream when the man in charge hammered a punch to his gut, making him double over.

My hands flew to my mouth to stop the frightened noise that wanted to escape. The sound of bones cracking echoed in the open space, floating to my ears, and that alone should have startled me enough like a siren to run. But I was rooted to the spot, unable to move a useful muscle that would have assisted me in escaping.

Escape… there was that word again.

Then why couldn’t I move?

“Now let’s try this again, should we?” The leader stated calmly, like he hadn’t just crushed part of a man’s ribcage with what looked like very little effort. “Who has our shipment?” he asked.

---