Page 41 of Hell Storm

The fall I’d taken was bad enough, but then to be drugged and locked in some foreign place left me even more disoriented. However, a few things were clear. I only needed to do a quick scan of the room to understand what sort of facility this was. With its aged, padded floor and walls, solitary cot beneath a barred window high above, and reinforced door.

An asylum—one long abandoned.

It’d been years since humans were brought to places like these. As Ianites became more detached from our kind, their‘primitive’ancestors, they no longer saw the need to accommodate our infirmities. It became common for those with failing mental health to simply be put down, instead of dedicating resources and personnel to run places like these. From what I’d heard, the last institution was shut down nearly one-hundred years ago. And considering the condition of our surroundings—aged and outdated, but somehow relatively clean—that valuation sounded about right. Still, I was desperate to know who’d taken the time to repurpose a facility like this?

And for what reason?

Levi surveyed the space, letting his gaze settle on the door straight ahead—the only way into or out of this room. A panicked stare met mine and the urgency within it made my heart race.

“Someone’s coming,” he whispered.

Instinctively, I squeezed his hand tighter and didn’t complain when he positioned his body in front of mine.

The unnerving metallic screech sent a chill down my spine when the lock disengaged. I was both curious and terrified of who would enter; keeping my eyes stretched wide when the door flung open, and two large figures stepped inside. Leading the way, was a burly vampire, with scars on his face that resembled a roadmap.

Like the ones I bore on my back and legs.

Despite the fear that gripped me, I was more intrigued by him than anything as he gawked, evaluating Levi and I from afar. These were not burn scars he bore—the only injury from which an Ianite did not heal fully. That meant that, at some point, he’d been human—making him eitherreallyold, or illegally turned somewhere along the line.

Interesting.

The brute noticed me staring.

“Are you sizing me up, human? He asked in a hard, gruff voice. Typical fashion for his kind, as his smaller, younger sidekick observed with an oddly timid expression. “Because if you’re thinking of trying something stupid, you may want to reconsider. Make one false move and I swear I’ll eat you alive.”

I didn’t doubt his promise for one moment, so wisdom urged me to keep my thoughts to myself. No matter how badly I wanted to mouth off to him.

However, much to my surprise, I didn’t have to come to my own defense.

The brute’s red stare faltered a smidge when Levi stepped closer, never releasing my hand despite the growing distance between us.

“Touch her, and I swear hellhounds will feast on your head by dawn.” He towered over the minion, returning the threat.

The small-framed one swallowed hard, hearing Levi’s words. “Jax, I think that’s enough. This isn’t why we’re here.”

I noticed more about the boy now, more than I had a moment ago. Like, how he seemed a bit … fresh. As if he’d only recently joined whatever operation this was, and hadn’t fully learned the ropes. My guess was that our brutish friend, Jax, was acting as his mentor perhaps? Either way, it was clear the young one wasn’t yet as heavily invested as his partner.

And there was something else that stood out, a purple strip of material tied around his dark sleeve, encircling his bicep.

To the average person or Ianite, it would have seemed like nothing more than a sad attempt at starting a fashion trend. However, I supposed I wasn’t the average person, because I had a hunch it meant much more.

I kept my theory to myself because, in this situation, it wasn’t apparently clear who I could trust. Even with Levi’s suspicions of me heightened just before we were captured, I had to be careful around him as well. The last thing I needed was to confirm his curiosity that I was‘associated with Blackbird’.

It seemed the kid’s attempt at resolving the tension that brewed between Levi and Jax worked. The brief standoff between them came to an end when a walkie talkie at Jax’s hip chirped.

He ignored the device, never lowering his gaze from Levi’s.

“The two of you will be here for quite some time, so get comfortable,” Jax chuckled, finally conveying the instructions he’d been sent to give. “You’ll take your meals here, sleep here, and bathe here,” he added, pointing toward a large, tub-like bucket filled with clean water, and the small stack of towels beside it. “And one of us will be by after each meal to escort the girl to use the facilities. Until then, or unless the boss says otherwise, you’ll be in this room until further notice. Understood?”

“Why were we brought here?” Levi asked, ignoring the original question.

The vicious stare Jax returned made it clear he didn’t appreciate being over-talked. He stepped closer, getting comfortable in Levi’s personal space.

“Seems you haven’t gotten the picture just yet.” Jax’s voice billowed from his throat with a surprising air of calmness. “Whatever authority youthinkyou have, it doesn’t extend inside this building. Here in the fringes, we answer to one man and one man only.”

“And who might that be?”

“Be patient.” Jax flashed a wicked grin. “You’ll find that out soon enough.”

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