Veronica spent the following week relaxing in Nathan’s sanctuary. He gave her complete access to his late father’s Deamhan research and his own research. She ransacked complete historical documents, learning everything she could on Lucius and Kei.

  She pushed The Brotherhood’s resurgence in Minneapolis to the back of her mind. Worried about Sean, she assumed that her father had taken him back to San Diego where he’d be reprimanded with disobeying orders. It wasn’t the end of the world for him. She knew plenty of researchers in her past who were reprimanded. Plus he was safer in San Diego anyway.

  But she couldn’t help but think about Murphy. Even though he tried to kill her, he was still human and Anastasia had him alone, locked up in the basement for her heinous pleasure.

  She didn’t understand how Nathan wasn’t affected by Anastasia’s actions. He rarely left Blind Bluff Manor, opting to conduct his business by phone in his private study. She didn’t question who he was talking to or where his information came from. She assumed his connection was within The Brotherhood because he knew their every little detail. The new Chapter had set up shop in downtown Minneapolis, only blocks from Dark Sepulcher under the disguise of a local bookstore. The researchers, including Kenneth, were seen frequently on the streets during the day and at night. However, her father had already left the city.

  When Veronica finally saw Anastasia, she was with Nathan in his study usually during the early hours of the morning. Her responses were fierce and quick to his questions. There was a friendship between both of them, a Ramanga and a human, that was more than just living in the same sanctuary. It was deeper than that, much deeper, and Veronica remained confused by it.

  In a bigger library on the second floor, she occasionally ran into Hallie but still kept her distance from the Deamhan teen. That soon changed when Hallie began to open up to her. The young-looking girl acted like a normal teenager; staying in her room, blasting techno music from huge stereo speakers Nathan had bought her.

  Sometimes she played video games and when she got bored, she’d run down the hallway, yelling at the top of her lungs that she wanted to leave the manor. One night, just after sunset, she stood in the doorway of Veronica’s room, secretly watching her.

  “Don’t you get tired of reading all the time?”

  Her remark startled Veronica who jumped from her chair. She watched as Hallie skipped over to her bed and purposely fell face first into the mattress. She then rolled onto her back and pulled out her iPod from her pocket.

  “No, not really,” Veronica replied.

  “Reading is so boring though. Unless it’s like gossip magazines and stuff.”

  She closed her book and she turned her undivided attention to her. “You haven’t read a good book.”

  “What you’re reading aren’t books. They’re researcher manuals.” Hallie pointed to the leather-bound book in her possession. “Nathan told me about those. I wonder if I’m like, all old and stuff, will I get a human to follow me around and write about me?”

  “It’s possible.”

  “Well it won’t happen now. I can’t even leave this place.” She stared at the ceiling. “I’m like a fucking prisoner.” She turned to Veronica. “I had way more freedom when I was human.”

  Veronica knew a little about Anastasia and Remy, but she knew almost nothing about Hallie. She grabbed a pen and her notebook from the desk drawer and started to write. “Let’s start by telling me your name.”

  Hallie raised herself from the bed. “Seriously?”

  She nodded. “We can start off with your name, a little about your history, like if you attended high school when you were human.”

  Hallie’s face beamed with curiosity and she moved to the edge of the bed with her elbows resting on her legs. “Okay. My name is Hallie Mortenson.”

  “Is Hallie your human name or Deamhan name?”

  “What?”

  “Some Deamhan choose to get another name after they’re sired. It’s a sign of rebirth.”

  “I like my name when I was human and I like it now,” Hallie answered. “It’s not my real name though. I don’t know my real parents. I was adopted.”

  Veronica jotted down her name in her notebook and she continued. “How old are you?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Human or Deamhan years?”

  “Both.”

  “Well, I was sixteen when I was turned. That was a few months ago.”

  “Do you know who turned you?”

  “Nope and nor do I care,” she replied.

  Veronica paused. “You don’t know who sired you?”

  Hallie shrugged. “It was at a rave. All I remember is taking the best pills in my life there. I was with my best friend and I lost her in the crowd.” She closed her eyes in thought. “Then I met this boy and his friends and they gave me more pills. I just remember being outside, under the stars drinking, then when I woke up, I was covered in dirt and it was dark.” She opened her eyes, which had turned from brown to the Deamhan trait of black. “I dug myself out of the ground and there was no one around. I was alone. I didn’t even know where I was and how long I’d been there. I was hungry and I felt strangely strong.”

  She stood up from the bed. “I could hear everything around me and people in the distance. I walked down the freeway, trying to find my way home. Before I reached my house, I saw a cop and I told him I was lost. But before he could help me, I had this urge to eat him.” Her eyebrows shifted. “It scared me, so I ran. And that’s when Anastasia found me.”

  “And she took you back here?”

  Hallie laughed. “Not at first. She attacked me!” Her eyes lit up. “She dragged me into an alley, saying she was going to kill me, and that I was too young to be sired, and she kept questioning me about who did this to me but I didn’t know anything. After begging her to not kill me, she stopped. When she took me to Blind Bluff Manor I met Nathan and he talked to me for hours. That’s when I knew what happened to me and that I could never go back to my family.”

  “You’ve only been a Deamhan for a few months?”

  “Yeah, and it sucks. Oh my God, I just want to get the fuck out of here; just once!” She pouted. “I miss my friends, I miss my family. I even miss high school.”

  Veronica scribbled vicariously in her notepad. “So, why can’t you go out?”

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  “Cause Anastasia always brings me back. I hate her so much. I can’t do anything around here without her watching me. Once, I got past the front gate before she dragged me back, threatening me with her fucking sharp teeth. I’d call the cops but . . .”

  “But what?”

  “Who’d believe me? Forever is a long freaking time to be here. I mean, how am I supposed to learn about what I am if they keep me prisoner?”

  “It’s not safe out there, especially for a young Deamhan.”

  “Yeah, whatever. I don’t care about Deamhan or other supernatural crap. I just want to get out of here.” She stood up. “Anastasia gets to eat whoever she wants. Why can’t I eat whoever I want?” Grinning, she licked her lips. “The closest I got to tasting a human was with that guy she’s been playing around with in the basement.”

  “Murphy?”

  Hallie nodded. “Yeah, right before she . . .”

  “What? Right before ‘she’ what?”

  “Never mind.” She got up from the bed and turned to walk out of the room.

  “Did she kill him?”

  Hallie stopped and looked over her shoulder. “I’ll show ya.”

  Veronica followed her down the hallway and down the stairs. They crept past Nathan, who sat in his study, reading, and then headed to a wooden door in the hallway near the back door of the manor.

  “She’s down there with him.” Hallie smiled.

  “He’s still alive?”

  “If you want to call it that.” Hallie hesitated. “I used to go down there during the day when Anastasia’s asleep.”

  The tiny hairs on the back of Veronica’s neck stood up followed by a small gust of wind and the smell of expensive cologne. She immediately turned around and jumped, bumping against the door and creating a loud thud. Remy stood with his brown eyes scanning her.

  “Now, now Veronica,” he said as he leaned against the wall. “That would be prying.”

  This time she forced herself to not back away. Unlike their first encounter, Remy’s appearance wasn’t intimidating. Dressed in a sleek black shirt with tight fitting blue jeans, he towered slightly over her. His brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, just like the last time she saw him.

  “Shouldn’t you be doing something angst related right now?” Remy questioned Hallie.

  She held out her hand. “Cigs?”

  Remy looked at Veronica and smiled. His eyes were hollow giving her mixed signals. “Kids these days.” He reached into the pockets of his jeans and pulled out an unopened pack of cigarettes. “Always want, want, want, but never give, give, give.”

  Hallie snatched the pack from his grasp.

  “I don’t know why you smoke. It does nothing for us.”

  “Because I want to.”

  “Off you go.” He patted Hallie on her head. “Move along now.”

  She gave him an evil eye before heading back up the stairs.

  Remy leaned against the wall, continuing to gawk at Veronica. It made her uneasy and she looked away. She tried her best to ignore his intimidating and somewhat attractive stare by hiding her thoughts.

  He smiled. “What can I say? I’m good with kids.”

  She brushed off his remark and she began to fidget with the knob handle on the basement door.

  “She’s been playing with Murphy for about a week now,” he continued. “She’s trying to get into that little brain of his. Gotta give that human credit; he’s stronger than he looks.”

  Veronica tried pushing her weight against the door but it didn’t budge. “So, Miss Austin. We never did finish that conversation.”

  “What conversation?”

  “Oh you know. The one where you blocked your thoughts, then ran off at the sight of me feeding.” He pouted. “You didn’t even say goodbye.”

  “Look, I’m not some whore who’ll fall for your tricks.” She faced him with her back to the door. “I know who you are and what you can do, so don’t try to insult my intelligence.”

  In Deamhan speed, he placed his hand on the door near her head. “And that’s why you fascinate me. You’re like no other researcher I’ve ever encountered. Plus you smell so good.”

  “I’m not a researcher.”

  His comments didn’t faze her. She moved his hand away and returned back to the door. The deadened noise from the other side became louder.

  “What’s she doing down there?” Veronica probed.

  “Questioning the human about Kei.” He moved in closer to her. “Anastasia is a weird one. She’s what you call old school. She does things her way.”

  “Open the door.”

  “A little demanding, aren’t we?”

  “I want to go down there.”

  “I don’t think she’d appreciate that.”

  She turned back around. “I have a few questions of my own for Murphy.”

  His eyes drifted to her chest. “If you ask nicely.” Remy grabbed the knob and with his Deamhan strength, he yanked the door open. It splintered and the metallic lock flew past his head, landing on the floor. He stepped away and gracefully bowed. “Done.” He smiled.

  The dark area forced Veronica to reach her arms out to the side and slide her palms against the cold concrete wall. Remy watched her while she proceeded down the steps cautiously, trying to not make a noise (she was sure that Anastasia knew someone was lurking on the top steps) and at the same time trying not to fall.

  Reaching the bottom steps, she smelled the stringent scent of a damp basement. A candle with a flickering flame gave off an eerie glow. She swallowed and walked alongside the concrete wall. She felt herself step on a soft object, but she continued forward. Her foot stepped onto a lower portion of the floor and she lost her footing. She tumbled forward slightly and caught herself, but not in time to feel her hip brush against another table. The table shifted and a small box filled with debris fell to the floor.

  She felt a brush of wind, and in front of her, she saw Anastasia’s face outlined in the dark.

  At first Anastasia didn’t say anything. Instead, her eyes darted to Remy who smiled briefly.

  “She wanted a tour, Anastasia,” he replied.

  Anastasia reached out to the side and flicked on the light switch. The room lit up. Ropes and chains hung on the opposite end of the wall. The floor was spotless and the area opened. Veronica saw Murphy, naked and chained against the far end of the wall. She watched as Anastasia walk over to him. Small tiny cuts covered his chest and his legs. His mouth was swollen and his teeth were covered with blood.

  Veronica also noticed something else; something that jolted her. His skin showed no signs of being shot and wounded. His brown eyes were now dark. He had the eyes of a Deamhan.

  Upon seeing her, Murphy began to struggle in Deamhan speed. He moved rapidly in accelerated convulsions; too fast for her eyes to focus on. Her head tingled as if someone attempted to scour her thoughts. She immediately blocked them. He smiled at her but his lips were too swollen to form the shape.

  Anastasia swiped him across the face with the back of her hand, and the tingling sensation in Veronica’s brain immediately stopped.

  “What did you do to him?” she asked.

  “You can see for yourself,” Remy, who stood behind her, answered.

  Anastasia hit him again with a closed fist. His head plopped to the side and he turned back, giving her an evil look. She sired him. She had made him a Ramanga and Veronica wanted to know why.

  Murphy tilted his head back and laughed, revealing his new fangs. Veronica walked over to him, stopping within a safe distance.

  “I gave him what he wanted,” Anastasia said.

  “Oh,” Murphy replied. “And what is that?”

  “Immortality.”

  “As a fucking Ramanga?” He laughed sarcastically and this time Anastasia aimed her punch for his stomach. He bent over in pain and she grabbed him by the hair to lift his head.

  Her actions surprised Veronica, yet it wasn’t enough to cease her questioning. Like Anastasia, she also wanted to know where his master was. “Where’s Kei?”

  Blood dripped from the corners of his mouth. “Like I fucking told her,” he spurted. “Fuck off.”

  “Where is he, Murphy?” she asked again.

  “Your mother is long dead.” He huffed between his words. “And so is your fucking researcher friend. Kei drained him dry. You should have heard him cry for his life. It was beautiful.”

  “Don’t bother asking. He doesn’t know anything about your mother,” Anastasia said as she walked to the back of the room and later returned with a small butane blowtorch in hand. She turned the knob and Murphy stiffened. A blast of hot fire exploded from the barrel and he screamed.

  Veronica quickly looked away from the torture. She found herself disgusted, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell her to stop.

  “And he doesn’t know where Kei is.” Anastasia turned the knob and the flame extinguished.

  “If he doesn’t know anything then why are you still torturing him?” she asked.

  Anastasia placed the blowtorch on the ground and she viewed the dark splotches of burnt skin covering Murphy’s chest heal themselves. “Because I can.”

  Murphy puffed. “He’ll come for you both.” He continued his threat. “Kei will come for me and he’ll make you his bitch.” He looked at Anastasia and chuckled.

  “Kei isn’t coming for you.” She walked to a nearby table and grabbed a wrought iron poker. She calmly approached him and quickly jabbed the metal piece into his stomach. He screamed in pain, and she held onto the knob and began to twist.

  “Now this is the Anastasia I know.” Remy’s mouth opened and he began to rub his forearms.

  Veronica saw his excitement in watching the torture spectacle. He enjoyed it. She turned away, disgusted at the horrific display. She never imagined being an eye witness to a Deamhan torturing one of their own. It was like nothing she’d read in researcher manuals and books about them.

  Anastasia tilted her head to the side in amusement at Murphy’s screams of pain. “He’s no longer your master. I am.” She placed her hand on his shoulder and raised his body upright. “And you, my dear Ramanga, I have for eternity.”