Ever After

Chapter 21

“William’s Point of View”

I woke up, Doc and Roth shaking me violently asking me a million questions. I couldn’t think at first, my head hurt and I had blood on myself. Roth helped me up and sat me on the couch, I saw it, then her bed, and she was not in it. I suddenly remembered all of it. I did not have to tell the story to Doc and Roth, when I saw it in my mind so did they.

This was my worst nightmare come true. The Dark Coven had my Corrine, and we had no idea where they took her or if she was even still alive. Doc quickly called a coven meeting after we got out of Corrine’s house. Doc stopped to tell Gran what had happened and they quickly devised a plan to Corrine’s father and stepmother. Gran was to call them the next morning and tell them Corrine had fallen ill again and needed to return to Maine to the treatment center.

Doc hoped they could get Corrine back in time so that no suspicions would be raised by her father. I could not think or even comprehend my life without Corrine, and I knew what severe danger she was in right now. Doc was not happy to hear Todd had joined the Dark coven, as he was dangerous and unpredictable, and now that he was a vampire, he would be worse.

I knew we had to get to her quickly, she was weak already, and this drastic change could cause her never to recover. Pratt was quiet, we had all been there when he told us what would happen if she missed doses of serum, or was not kept warm at a near steady body temperature. She could not regulate a body temperature of her own and it could be deadly.

I could do nothing. Doc refused to let me go look for her alone, as I was not at my strongest right now, but it did not matter. If I had to die trying to get her back to our coven alive, I would. She had sacrificed her humanity to save my life. I would not allow those animals in the Dark coven to take hers.

If I had to offer myself to them and return to their coven in exchange for her safe return I would do it as well. I was consumed by horrific images of what those animals might do to me sweet love. I knew Leo was sadistic and evil, I was not around him a great deal in the short time I was with the Dark ones, but I knew enough about him. The time I was there, Leo had been in Europe.

I only saw him once when he briefly returned to the coven in New Orleans. He had been angry with Vincent for creating a half blood, and letting me live. He told he should have killed me when I failed to change completely. Vincent would not do it, an open act of defiance against the chief elder. Somehow, Leo let him keep me, and he behaved as a father figure and he did protect me from hostile vamps that sensed I was a half blood.

I recall many times we would be confronted while out “hunting” in the seeder areas New Orleans late at night, by rouge vamps. They wanted to kill me. Half bloods to the Dark coven, and to rouge vampires were a special “hunt” much harder to catch but so enjoyable to kill and eat.

Vincent told me my blood to a vampire was like a fine wine, much stronger than a human’s blood. The life essence from the humans I killed in my past flowed in my veins, making my blood very desirable to other vampires. I wondered why, as I had killed very few humans, as I hated it from the very first day I was forced to do it.

I was concerned for Corrine, as her blood was like mine. Even though she was stuck in mid phase of the change, the blood units given to her while under Doc and Pratt’s care would make her blood a temptation to any one of the Dark coven. I hoped and prayed that Leo would be enforcing the fact he wanted her alive.

I knew he was using her to bait the Followers in for an all out war. I also knew my love was so very sick and weak, she could not take any stress, and this was the very last thing she needed. Doc and the other elders set a plan; we would go north and search for the Dark ones old house.

Long ago Leo and Doc as small children lived there with their parents; it was century’s old, but still standing. Doc knew Leo maintained it as it was extremely isolated and private. He was sure they would have taken her there. Leo wanted to have control of the situation and he knew every inch of the heavily wooded area around the old stone colonial house he and Doc had grown up in.

I worried how we would get to Corrine before they killed her. Doc had told me that was exactly what his brother would do when he knew we were getting close to the house. Leo would not ever negotiate Corrine’s safe return; he simply did not ever do such things. I was sick at the thought, it was all I could do not to go after her alone and steal her back.

Doc was quick to remind me if I did so, I would serve no purpose to Corrine. I would be killed the minute, they would know I was near the house even before I did. That was one thing I hated about being a half blood so much, was how much more skilled at detection of other vamps, full bloods were. I worked at it, but I simply did not have the ability a full blood did.

I was forced to wait until Doc and Pratt and the other elders were ready to go. I knew Doc had a plan set and he promised me we would get Corrine back safely. I hope he was right; losing her would be the very end of me. I could not fathom one more day without her it was ripping my heart out to think about it. I could only hope and pray she was strong enough to hold on until we go to her.

I also hoped the other evil vampires in that coven were kept away from her as well. Now began the wait to get to her and to save her and bring her back to where she belonged, in my arms.