Chapter 23 ∣  Exhale

-Annika

"Mother?" My voice feels like it doesn't belong to me, the strain and surprise in it evident. I thought for sure I'm seeing a ghost as I attempt to push Locaine to move around his side, wanting to get a better look at the woman's voice I recognize. He holds me tightly, unsure of the situation while his muscles tense. My mother and the other female are dressed in tight leather pants, dark long-sleeve shirts with jackets over the top. She has her hair pulled back tightly in a bun, her eyes meeting mine in an unbreakable lock.

"Annika..." my father's voice trails off, my heart stopping in my chest at the realization both of my parents are standing in Locaine's ballroom. I never imagined I would ever be staring at my parents ever again, let alone in the vampire king's own mansion. Yet here they are, their eyes filled with so many mixed emotions. I don't recognize the other male and female that are with my parents, furrowing my brows as my gaze travels over all of them.

Rynn edges silently and carefully toward them, but Locaine signals for her as well as Michael and Adam to stay still, standing down for the moment. I can tell he is analyzing what is going on and doesn't want to make a hasty decision, especially regarding my parents.

I notice that Henri and Darius have appeared, circling around the group, waiting for Locaine's command. It seems they have come back early, their arrival signaling greater numbers the vampires possess compared to the group of four hunters.

"How..." tears well up in my eyes as I don't have the slightest idea how they even found me to begin with.

My mother takes a brave step forward while answering, "We saw you, on tv...with him." My mother is referring to Locaine as she motions toward him. I can hear Locaine hiss lowly, his fangs already showing between his lips. My body is shaking violently with uncertainty, my heart lurching from my chest at the conflicted emotions.

"I thought you were in Florida," my father places a hand on my mother's shoulder, noticing Flynn circling around to Rynn.

"I-I was," I pull slightly forward, but Locaine's fingertips dig into my side, and I wince, unsure of why he's hurting me...

...better yet, I now realize...why is he so protective?

They are my parents.

My mother holds a short sword in her right hand and points it at Locaine, "I remember you. You tried to kill Annika a long time ago."

"And I remember you," Locaine glares at my father, the anger coming through in his voice, "you killed my brother."

My father merely laughs.

Why is he laughing?

"You're the younger brother of the late Lord Enos aren't you?" His gaze is critical as a moment goes by before he expresses, "I expected more," he shrugs his shoulders.

Rynn hisses in response, the look of rage set on her face, holding back only because of Locaine's command. Without him restraining her, she more than likely would have already lunged for their throats. Michael and Adam are back on their feet, blocking the only entrance to the room and securing all of us within the ballroom. The two other hunters turn their backs to my parents' defending each other's blind spots.

"I managed to kidnap your daughter," Locaine growls lowly, threatening them to proceed any further.

My mother holds her sword to her side, gripping the handle hard while she states, "That is exactly why we are here."

"Annika, come here," my father motions, my feet frozen in blocks of ice as the exchange between my parents and Locaine is heated.

A perplexed look crosses my face the second Locaine's grip releases me, my gaze traveling up to see his features. He does not take his eyes off my parents, but I do notice that they are a black rose now. My heart beats fast in my chest, my mouth becoming dry as I remain still and unsure of what to do...

I feel the power behind his words for the first time when he orders, "Stay, slave." My limbs feel as though they are no longer mine to control, torn between them. I look at my parents, afraid of what is about to happen should I refuse either of them.

"What did you just call her?" My father narrows his eyes, pulling a sword from a sheath on his belt at the look of intent he holds.

Locaine crosses his arms in front of his chest and smirks, "Oh, you don't like that, do you?" He pauses a moment to nod, "I didn't just kidnap your daughter, I made her my slave."

I see my mother tense, her knuckles turning white as she grips the sword tighter. Her eyes hold pity as she shakes her head, "Annika, he can't hurt you any longer," she pauses a moment to narrow her eyes before encouraging, "step away from him..."

"I-I-I..." my voice is caught in my throat, feeling it constrict tightly as I'm unable to say anything.

"You know, Jared," Locaine releases a sigh of irritation, not wanting to construe the meaning of why I stand by his side, "your daughter stays here of her own free will."

At this, even Michael and Adam question him, unsure of what he means. I know Rynn already had an idea and him announcing it does not surprise her in the slightest.

"Annika?" My father shoots me a look of pure confusion.

I can't handle this.

I collapse to my knees beside Locaine, fresh tears cascading down my cheeks. My arms are shaking as I try to keep myself propped up, averting my eyes to the ground in the process. What Locaine says is the truth, it was my choice...

Yes, it still is my choice...

My mother takes another two steps forward before receiving a growl and low hiss from Rynn. Adam is ready to rip their throats out, Flynn crouching down and narrowing his eyes while awaiting the kill command. My mother halts at their disapproving vocalization, her eyes filled with sadness and pain. I know all she wants to do is hold me, but she can't even do that.

I can't describe the rage that comes from my father as he yells, my heart plummeting, "Are you fucking my daughter?"

The blood pounds loudly in my ears as I keep my eyes on the ground, feeling completely vulnerable.

"Some sick bastard you are to take a hunter..." my mother chimes in, only making things worse.

"Eh, I have exquisite tastes," Locaine replies while shrugging his shoulders, "your daughter happens to just fulfill them."

Everyone is talking about me like I'm not even here!

"So, you are sleeping with her," my father continues, this time I hear his boots collide with the marble as he marches forward. There is a massive outburst of screams as I shoot my head up, looking at Flynn. He has a slash starting from his hip crossing his chest to end at the top of his shoulder, blood spilling from the open wound. He falls back to the ground, kicking himself away to gain further distance.

Rynn darts forward, grabbing Flynn before my father can swing again. My heart is hammering in its chest as Locaine steps right in front of me, blocking my father's pathway.

Why is he acting like my own parents are going to hurt me?

"Jared," my mother takes two steps forward, catching my father's elbow, "no."

I shakily stand to my feet, Locaine shielding me still as I look fearfully to my father.

"Don't think I won't cut down my own daughter to kill you," my father's words cut me deeply, my heart stopping in my chest at his announcement.

Alyssa...

That's right, my father hadn't hesitated to kill Enos when he had Alyssa...

...so why would I be any different?

Now I understood why Locaine is protecting me.

How sad...a vampire protecting a hunter from her own kind?

The bloodcurdling screams pierce the silence as my mother and father whirl around to see their two associates. Their necks are being torn out by Michael and Adam, their eyes filled with bloodlust. Apparently, they were caught off guard when my father had moved away from the group, revealing an opening and they breached it.

They are silent. Their lifeless bodies being dropped on the ground like meat while the sound is horrible. Adam and Michael are flaring their nostrils, just begging my parents to try something so that they are given the command to end their lives.

My parents are going to die.

"Locaine, please...don't," I nervously grab the back of his shirt before begging him, "please don't kill them."

"They have no issues killing us," Locaine's chilling words make me freeze, knowing very well he's referring to me as part of their coven now.

I step to the side of him, coming into view of my parents. I notice that Michael, Adam, Darius, Henri, and Rynn are now circling them, the tension in the room growing with each passing second.

They are going to die...

"You have to choose, little hunter," Locaine states, his eyes flickering to mine briefly as I see the burden in his heart...

My parents have their backs to each other, swords ready for an attack on the circle forming around them. I turn around, gazing into Locaine's eyes as I know this is going to be hard either way. The monstrous creature I had come to love, has turned into a being more caring and loving than my own parents.

I am home.

"I choose you...I choose us," my smile is warm when it plays on my lips.

"Hell, no you aren't," I hear my father yell as the sound of a gunshot rings out through the ballroom. My eyes widen as the pain envelopes my body in a split second...

...I have never seen Locaine so shocked in the entire time I've been here. Not when I disobeyed him at the memory ball or when Theo raped me...

His eyes slowly shift, a rage filling them before I barely lift my chin any higher to hold his gaze.

My breathing is shallow, coming short with each passing second.

What just happened?

My thoughts are clouding as I break my gaze from Locaine's, slowly looking down at the floor between us. There is a hole on the left side of my chest, blood flowing down the front of my body.

I draw a feeble breath.

Did he just shoot me?

Did my own father just shoot me...?

My hands reach out to control my blood, but my concentration falters and fails before I ever get a chance to connect to the warm light. Instead, my hands land on Locaine's chest, my breath hitching in my throat.

That went through my heart. I can't heal...

My head tilts upward, my vision going in and out of focus as I find Locaine's' face. It all feels like everything is happening in slow motion, but I know it's a few quick seconds if that...

"ANNIKA!!!" Locaine's voice must be loud, though I can barely hear anything save for the blood rushing through my eardrums. I cough a second later, blood spewing from my mouth and hitting Locaine on the neck.

My eyes are fluttering shut, though I attempt desperately to keep them from closing.

My body finally gives way as I crumple forward and fall. However, I never hit the ground...

I feel so cold, an icy chill spreading beneath the top layer of my skin and spanning out across my entire body.

My vision is filmy as I take in the sight of Locaine hovering over me, his movements slow through my eyes. I know then that I'm in his arms, laying across his lap as he kneels.

I can't hear anything, I just see his mouth moving, his focus looking out as though he is saying something to someone. Tears slide down the sides of my cheeks, my heart slowing to almost nothing.

He's mad.

I cough again, my body convulsing as the pain sparks deep. Locaine looks down at me, my eyes trying to hold his gaze. It becomes tough to breathe, blood filling my lungs...It feels like I'm drowning, and I have no way of breaking through the water's surface.

He's mouthing something to me...what is he saying?

I attempt to make out what it is he's telling me, but my eyelids are just too heavy.

I'm so tired.

I feel myself slipping away, my eyelids coming to close slowly as a cold blanket tug at the corners of my mind, blinding me in abyssal darkness.

Locaine...

**

-Locaine

"Restrain them!" I growl with such anger and furiously glaring at her so-called 'parents,' catching Annika in my arms as she falls against me. Her vision goes in, and out of focus, her shaking body is so fragile as I sink to my knees, cradling her in my arms.

My little hunter...

"Locaine!" Rynn catches my attention as I glance up to see what she's calling about. Darius and Henri have both Jared and Ericka pinned flat on the ground, their arms practically broken behind their backs. Their cries fall on deaf ears as Rynn waits for my command, wondering the hesitation I hold behind why I won't order them to kill.

Annika coughs weakly again, letting me know she is still alive...

...for the moment.

My eyes meet hers, those white irises of hers are glassy and distant. I can't even tell if she knows what is going on.

"Little hunter..." she is still with me, her eyelids fighting to stay open as the look of shock remains on her face. I run my hand over the wound on her chest, noticing that the bullet went clear through her and barely scrapped me.

Just like with my brother...Jared wanted to take out both of us, though that doesn't make sense because a gunshot wound alone wouldn't have fazed me...

...he meant to end his daughter's life, regardless of how she feels or the decisions she's made.

Her body isn't healing, and she is slowly falling in and out of consciousness.

"If there is a chance to save you...I'm willing to take it," pain rakes through my body, watching my little hunter dying before my eyes, "I don't even think I can live without you anymore..."

I was supposed to protect her.

I promised her.

"ANNIKA!" My voice roars as my heart drops out of my chest. My eyes search hers as her eyelids flutter, finally becoming too much and shutting completely.

"Don't you fucking dare!" Jared barks with full rage, seeing what I am about to do as I lift her slightly.

He's still talking...

"Rip his tongue out!" My voice thunders, carrying across the room. His high-pitched screams echo through the ballroom. Ericka sobs are loud as she screams at what my coven members do to her husband.

I hold Annika back in my left arm as I lightly touch her chin with my right hand, tilting it upward to the ceiling. I feel my blood pulsating through my veins, my fangs elongating as the many things my little hunter had worried about comes flashing through my mind. I bring her neck to my lips, brushing the tips of my fangs against her cold and fragile skin.

I hone in on her vein, the pulse of it slow as if it's almost nonexistent.

Forgive me...

...for I know it's not what you wanted to be...if this works.

I hold her tightly, the tips of my fangs piercing through her skin and sinking gradually into her flesh.

Annika groans weakly.

She's still alive.

In the next moment, I apply added pressure, puncturing deeper into her vein as the only thought running through my mind is...

...please don't let her skin darken, knowing if I pull away and I see the blackness begin to plague outward that she's not compatible.

Her body twitches slightly beneath my grasp as an almost inaudible exhale leaves her lips.

Please...little hunter...

A force radiates through her body, pulling through her bones, muscles, and flesh and finally contacting my fangs. Her breathing is almost nonexistent as I withdraw my fangs from her neck, glancing down at her gentle features and the puncture marks left behind on her neck.

That's when I notice the rapid eye movement beneath her closed lids and a small bit of tension releases from my shoulders. I exhale slowly, pulling her closer to my chest as I stand to my feet, holding onto Annika tightly.

"L-Lo-Locaine..." Rynn's voice trails off as I meet her gaze, her gaze quickly falling on Annika and then lifting to stare at my features. She staggers backward, standing closer to Ericka and Jared when I give her no response in return.

I begin to stride toward the ballroom doors, walking right past her parents. My eyes catch a brief sight of Ericka cowering in fear while blood drips from Jared's parted lips, the anger still set on his face. He'd rather see his daughter dead than in the arms of a vampire...when we could have coexisted peacefully a very, very long time ago despite the events that have led our species to this moment.

It takes everything within me not to rip both of their throats out at this moment, my revenge to end Jared's life not only the promise I made to my late brother...but now my anger is fueled by him almost ending his own daughter's life. However...

...I promised Annika that I would stop my search to kill her parents and even though they found their way right into my home...she'd never forgive me if I acted impulsively without considering her feelings...

"Lock them in the dungeon," I growl, my fangs normalizing just as I reach the ballroom doors.

"If they try to-" Adam begins, opening the doors to allow me to exit with Annika however, I cut him right off.

I turn briefly to them all, my coven members looking quite frazzled and unsure as they had expected me to want the hunters dead. Instead, I order, "Nail them to the bloody wall if you have to. I don't give a fuck what you do to them so long as they are kept alive for the time being...just make sure they are secure."

I continue out the entrance of the ballroom, stepping over the two dead hunters that litter the doorway. I take the familiar walk up the marble staircase, glancing down at Annika's unconscious appearance. Her once warm skin is now ice cold, my touch not able to bring back the light of her own body.

I approach the door to my room, pressing down on the handle and nudging it inward. I lean my back up against the door, shutting it completely once I'm inside. Crossing the space to the bed, I carry her gently, my gaze dropping every so often to check on her.

The bed dips as I kneel on the covers, placing Annika smoothly onto the surface. Blood soaks her clothes, covering and spilling down her body...

So much blood...

I sit there, pulling the stray hairs behind her ear and revealing my fresh bite mark, reassuring myself that for some reason it hasn't altered. I unlace her bodice, finally able to get a glimpse at the gunshot wound that penetrated through her chest. The wound has stopped bleeding and is slowly beginning to seal shut.

Good.

I begin to change her out of her maid uniform, casting away the clothes into the clothes hamper, my heart skipping a beat with the guilt I feel for what I've done.

I push off the bed, walking into the bathroom and filling a small bowl with warm water, grabbing a cloth on my way out. As I emerge from the bathroom, I see her small form shaking, making me stop in my tracks momentarily.

The worse is yet to come...

I lower myself down on the bed beside her once again, quickly scanning her features. Wiping the blood from her body, I release a sigh, "This is not the way I would ever have wanted to turn you, my little hunter."

Once I've finished cleaning her, I dress her in simple black sweatpants and a white shirt.

I can't leave her side now...

...not until this is complete.

I unbutton my black long-sleeve shirt, walking toward my wardrobe and hang it up on an empty hanger. I slip off my slacks, kicking off my dress shoes while I put on a pair of dark blue sweatpants and leaving my chest bare.

I crept beside her, holding her gently against me as her muscle twitched involuntarily. My eyes slowly slide shut as my breathing evens out.

**

-Annika

"Annika, it's alright..."

Locaine?

My thoughts have steadied over time, beginning to form memories and dreams though I'm not entirely sure if they're figments of my reality. A racing fire spreads through my body, burning everything in its path and causing me to plummet further into the chaos plaguing me.

Is that me screaming?

A whole new level of pain erupts when I begin to feel everything. It feels like my bones are being broken, one by one at such an agonizing rate...the tendons strained. My veins become coated in a fire, burning everything in its path as they rise to the surface of my skin, ready to pulsate and break through the surface. When I believe it's going to happen, my heart racing faster than it ever has before, they sink back down, my heart hurting.

Yes, that is me...

...I'm the one screaming.

I vigorously thrash my head from side to side, wanting the sudden pain that explodes within my mind to dissipate. The side of my neck is searing, an illuminating scorching feeling overtaking me. I claw at the painful spot, trying to desperately make it go away.

"No, Annika...don't do that, leave it be love."

Cold hands take hold of each of my wrists, pulling them away from my victim that I'm trying to destroy with my nails. The hands pin my wrists down next to either side of my body, securing me from attacking any further.

The oxidizing agony sets ablaze once again, this time though...I can't move my arms. I can't attempt to alleviate the pain, and it just drives me mad with anguish.

"No! No! No!" I scream loudly, whipping my head again, trying to push my body up away from its resting place.

It doesn't get far, as I feel strong legs on both sides of my thighs, keeping me in place. "NO!" I shriek once again as I feel like I'm going to lose any sense of sanity I have through this pain.

"Shhh. Shhh."

The flames unexpectedly cease, my body laying still at the eerie occurrence.

Is it over?

A wave of numbing cold frosts my body over, creeping through my veins. I feel myself release the tension, but the hands and legs that hold me do not let go for a second.

I respire a breath, my eyes snapping open and my shoulder blades lurching from what I'm lying on.

Locaine...?

My eyes lock with the familiar icy blue eyes that hover above me. He searches my eyes, his brows furrowing for a moment before they shift and show a sign of concern.

"Lo-Locaine, w-wha-what? I-I, what happened?" My shoulder blades dip back down onto what I now know is Locaine's bed. His eyes are warm, the winter white hair falling on the right side of his face while he breathes steadily.

"You were shot in the heart," Locaine's sweet voice resonates in my ears.

It really is him.

I'm here...with him.

But, why is he still holding me down?

"M-my blood m-magic?" I start to ask, something sparking in my eyes at the confusion, many thoughts racing through my mind. I try to think of how I'd survived that gunshot wound, knowing my magic had to have been the only way I could heal fast enough.

Locaine's eyes sadden for a moment, a reflection of guilt lingering in those eyes as he lowers his voice, "No."

"I-I didn't?" Dread fills me at his single word.

That's when I feel the severe desiccation rising in the back of my throat, an unquenchable thirst building within me.

I cry out to Locaine as an unfamiliar feeling erupts from my canines. He notices the bewilderment cross my panicked stricken face and attempts to reassure me, "Annika, shhh, please...calm down."

The fire burns once again on the side of my neck, causing me to pull harder away from Locaine. For the first time, I perceive his full vampiric strength as he clamps down on me with his iron vice grip. His muscles are flexed while he keeps his hold on me tight, even when I believe I can wriggle out of his grasp.

"Locaine!" I sob, wanting it all to just come to an end. Tears trickle down my cheeks, shaking my head from side to side as I beg him to let me go so that I can attempt to end the pain.

Before I have a chance to break away from him, the pain dissipates once again as my body stills under his.

"You...you bit me, didn't you?" My voice is wavering, a cold chill spreading throughout my being at the realization of how I'm alive...

"Yes," Locaine replies, his lock on me does not loosen.

Tears fill my eyes, "Why?!"

"You were going to die. There was nothing else I could do, but give you a chance at immortality," Locaine stiffens as I growl lowly at him, my anger coming to the surface.

"This pain is worse than any torture you could put me through!" I bark back at him without even thinking about what I'm saying.

Locaine releases a heavy sigh, the hurt in his eyes clear when he says, "It will be over soon. Please forgive me, my little hunter."

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The Slave That I Am by K. A. Young.

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