CHAPTER TWENTY—What did she do to you!?

Mason Hart Kali walked me into the cabin and escorted me towards the living room. Just as we reached the door she stopped abruptly and stood in front of me. My body stiffened when she grabbed both of my shoulders. A sadistic grin spread across her face and her eyes sparkled with enjoyment.

“I almost forgot! I have a surprise for you,” she said while practically vibrating with excitement. My heart sank, because I knew that any surprise, she had for me wasn't a good thing and I dreaded to think what she had in store. Her face dropped and her brows furrowed when she inspected my face. I knew she wanted me to be excited, so I smiled back at her, trying my best to look enthusiastic, when all I really wanted to do was run for the hills. She bought my fake enthusiasm and her sadistic smile returned. She turned around and grabbed the door handle, but before she opened the door, she looked at me and said sweetly, “I hope you like it!”

She gradually opened the door and made her way into the living room. I really didn't want to follow her in there, I didn't want to see what was in there waiting for me. I presumed that I'd stood out in the hallway a little too long because suddenly I heard her snap, “Mason! Come on, I don't have all day, chop, chop!” I took in a deep breath and held it in, as I cautiously entered the living room. I was not prepared at all for the horrors that awaited me in that room. I instantly dropped to my knees. Just a split-second of seeing what was in that room was enough to turn my stomach and as I held myself up on all fours, I leaned forward and vomited onto the floor. “It's glorious isn't it!?” Kali yelled as she walked to the middle of the room.

She held her arms out wide and tilted her head back, then spun around in circles cackling away to herself. Once she'd finished her dance, she made her way over to me and crouched down on the floor in front of me. Tears began to roll down my cheeks as I gave in to my emotions. I'm not afraid to admit it, I sobbed like a baby. She took my face into her hands then whispered into my ear, “I just knew you'd love it!” She suddenly stood back up and shouted, “boys, chain him to the wall, would you? I want him kept there until I return with his next surprise.”

I tried to stand up, but before I could even lift my hands off of the floor, two huge men grabbed me by my arms and dragged me towards the wall in front of me. I attempted to fight against them, but I'd never felt vampires that were so damn strong. Their grips were like steel shackles. I threw my legs forwards and pushed my feet into the floor trying to slow down our momentum. The vamp to my left hooked his leg around both of mine with lightning speed, sweeping them into the air and sending them backwards, so that they once again dragged along the floor behind me.

I screeched into the air and ascended as quickly as I could. I was hoping that my wings would catch one or both of them off guard, but they just dodged out of the way. I couldn't believe the speed of those guys. They were like machines. I'd never known anything like it in my life. The two goons finally managed to drag me to the wall, they turned me around and then threw me up against it. One goon pinned my arms up against the wall while the other one squatted down and attached two heavy iron cuffs to my ankles. The cuffs were connected to thick iron chains that were attached to the wall. With my legs secured to the wall, he stood back up and began placing another cuff around my left wrist, while the other goon put one on my right wrist. Once I was secured to the wall the two goons turned and strolled back to Kali. She stood there with her arms folded staring at me with a huge smile on her face. The goons stood either side of her and I was now able to take a good look at the monsters that had so easily overpowered me.

The guy on the left was around six foot five and built like an absolute tank. He had tattoos up both of his arms and they covered his thick neck too. He had messy light brown hair and was clean shaven. His eyes were green in color, not too dissimilar to my own, but they had the same gold tint to them like Kali's. The second guy was similar to the first, slightly shorter at around six foot three, but built just as big. This one didn't have any tattoos, but he did have the same color hair, which he wore short on the sides and longer on top. He had it swept back and also had styled stubble too. His eyes were exactly the same color as the other guys.

“I see you're admiring my boys. They are just amazing, aren't they?” Kali said as she held out her arms and ran her hands down each of their stupidly humongous biceps. I didn't feel in the mood to indulge her anymore, so I just rolled my eyes at her and stayed silent. “Hmmm, not impressed huh?” She questioned with me, then with a huff said, “fine! Boys show him what you're really made of,” she ordered them as she placed her hands on their backs and pushed them both forwards.

They stepped forward in unison then began to remove their shirts. Their muscles rippled and flexed as they took their shirts off and threw them to the floor. I stood shackled to the wall and watched as they both tilted their heads back and screeched into the air louder than I'd ever heard before. My eyes grew wide when they both put their arms out to the side and brilliant gold lights shot out of their eyes. Huge black wings then burst out of their backs and fanned out. Their screeching ceased as they finished their ascension. They stared at me with their green hunter's eyes, that now had Kali's vampire hybrid gold rings circling their pupils. They hissed at me when their fangs extended and as they did, their eyes turned raven black fully completing their transformation.

They really were the ultimate weapons, seeing them up close and personal helped me realize why the hunter's council wanted them so badly. They were outstanding and I couldn't help but stand there in awe. Distracted by the hybrids in front of me, I hadn't noticed that Kali had left the room. Suddenly the two goons turned and left the room too, closing the door behind them and leaving me alone in a room full of blood and corpses. I slid down the wall and sat on the floor. I didn't want to look around the room, but my eyes wouldn't listen to me as they scanned over all of the horrors that sat in front of me.

Chained to the wall opposite me was Brad, his wings had been brutally cut off, leaving a trail of blood that flowed down the wall and pooled on the floor where he and his mutilated wings lay. His neck had been ripped to shreds, chunks of flesh were missing, leaving gaping and still oozing holes. My eyes betrayed me again as they looked over to the person chained up next to Brad. It was Trent. He was obviously mid ascension when he was killed, because I could only see the tops of his wings poking out from behind him. His throat had just one huge hole in it and his neck had been broken. I held on to the hope that his death had been quick and that he didn't suffer. Tears streamed down my face when I saw ten more mutilated and tortured hunter’s bodies chained to the walls around me. Each one was more horrific than the last. I couldn't take it anymore, so I folded my arms and rested them on my knees. I dropped my head down onto my arms and sobbed. I couldn't believe what I'd seen, and I felt so guilty.

Would she have done this if I'd gotten back sooner? Would they have died if I'd done as she asked? I chose Freya and they paid for it with their lives. What have I done? Is her life worth all of theirs? I don't know anymore. My thoughts took a journey down a very dark path. A path I didn't know that I could return from. A gargled noise snapped me out of my dark thoughts. I looked to my right and laying on the floor chained to the wall next to me was a man. He began to move but not much, he let out a groan then passed out. I reached over to him and tilted his head back so that I could see who he was.

“No! Please, no. Not you, too. Elijah, my dear sweet uncle, Elijah. I am so sorry. I'll get us out of here, I promise.”

As I stroked his hair, Kali burst back into the room with a set of chains in her hands. When she walked further into the room, I could hear scraping noises along the floor. She continued to step towards me and as she got closer, I saw that she was dragging something behind her. I leaned to the side and looked behind her.

“Evan!” I screamed when I spotted him curled up in a ball on the floor behind her.

I furiously threw myself forwards trying to get to him, but my chains firmly held me back. I kept trying to get to him, I didn't care that the iron cuffs were cutting into my skin and splitting it open. The physical pain I was feeling was nothing compared to the emotional pain that was ripping me apart from the inside. I yelled out when Kali's foot connected with my head sending me hurtling into the wall. I slid down the wall and collapsed onto the floor.

“Quit it. I'm trying to show you another surprise and you're ruining it…” She hissed at me but then paused when she saw my uncle reach out for me. “Oh goodie, you found him. I was worried he was going to die before you got here,” she said as she roamed over towards him.

She picked his weak and broken body up by his collar and pulled his head to the side. I scrambled to try and grab his arm and pull him away from her, but she pressed her foot onto my neck pinning me to the floor. I laid their helplessly as she sank her teeth into my uncle's neck and bled him dry.

“No! You bitch, get off him,” Evan screamed.

He dragged himself onto all fours and crawled towards her. He was so weak, but he did everything he could to get to her. Sadly, it was too late, and his father had taken his last breath. Kali threw his body down onto the floor like it was trash. She took her foot off of my neck and spun it around kicking Evan right it the stomach. He clutched his gut and dropped to the floor in agony. I laid there trying to catch my breath and all I wanted to do was get to Evan, but I knew it was pointless fighting against her. I'd never felt so useless and weak. I couldn't think of any way out of this. I rested my head on the floor and stretched my arm out to Evan, he did the same and we just looked into each other's eyes, knowing that we'd been defeated. Kali squatted down in front of me and grabbed my face with her hand. She pulled my face up so that I had to look at her, then said, “I have one more surprise for you, Mason. I know where, Freya is…” She paused when she saw my eyes grow wide with fear. “See, I had to kill all of these hunters because Evan wouldn't tell me where you were. He was such a strong little angel. He did you proud, but then his daddy came to save him and once we started playing with him, Evan quickly ratted you out.”

I peered over to Evan, and he looked so sorry and guilty. I smiled softly at him to let him know that it was okay. I didn't blame him at all, I would have done exactly the same. I was proud that he managed to hold out as long as he did. I was feeling guilty and sorry for myself when I saw all of the dead hunters in the room. I couldn't imagine what Evan must have gone through having to watch each one being killed, knowing that all he had to do to save them was tell her where we were. Evan smiled back at me, then laid his head on the floor and passed out. I looked back up to Kali and she was watching Evan too, when she turned back around, she grinned at me.

“It won't be long now, Mason.”

I furrowed my brow at her in confusion. Two new guys walked into the room and by their auras I could tell straight away that they were normal vampires. They looked very similar, they were either brothers or twins. They were slim but muscular and very tanned. They had black hair, and they both wore it short, and they had hazel-brown eyes with a red tint.

“We are ready when you are my Queen,” the brothers said in unison.

She looked at them and sniggered.

“Right, we're setting off now to go pick up my darling niece. It's a shame because I wanted to stick around and see your face when you get your final surprise, but alas, work comes first.” She bent over and kissed my lips, making my body cringed at her touch. I still found it difficult to even look at the woman, she was the epitome of evil, but she looked exactly like my beautiful Freya. She stood up and walked over towards the door, then waited as the brothers unshackled Evan. They strolled past her and left the room. She took one last look at me and winked. “Now, you boys play nice, you hear.”

She slammed the door leaving me alone with dead loved ones and a passed-out Evan.

***

Freya Rose “What do you mean Kali's on her way?” I asked Samael and jumped up off of the couch in a panic.

“Selene went back to the cabin to check on things, well to be nosey and she saw Kali and the twins. She said that they know where you are and that they have just left to come and get you.”

“Did she see, Mason or Evan? Are they okay? Does she know who told, Kali where I am?” I rambled off lots of questions, one after the other, not giving him a chance to answer any of them.

“She didn't say anything else. I can ask her to go in and check on them if you'd like?” He said sweetly.

“Yes! Yes, please, Sam. That would be great.” I thanked him and sat back down on the couch.

I don't think my legs could have held me up much longer anyway. I was freaking out. Kali coming here was the least of my worries. What I am more concerned about is if she's killed Evan or Mason. Because if she has, then let the bitch come. As soon as she steps one foot through that door, I'll fucking kill her or die trying.

“Freya? I can't get a hold of her, can you?”

I quickly tried calling out to her, but all that met me was silence. I looked at Sam and shook my head.

“It's okay, we have more important things to worry about right now anyway, like getting you somewhere safe. I'll keep trying her on the way,” he said as calmly as he could, but I had other ideas.

“I'm not going with you Sam!” I said as I stood up off of the couch. I screeched up into the air and ascended. The screech made him crouch down to the floor and cover his ears. I used that opportunity to run past him and right out of the front door. As soon as my feet touch the soft grass I jumped up into the air and flapped my wings. “I'll be there soon, Mason. Just hold on!” I yelled out as I took off into the sky.

***

Mason Hart I must have passed out or fallen asleep because I found myself being woken up by a loud and disgusting slurping sort of sound. It took a little while for me to remember where I was and what had happened, but boy did I remember. It hit me like a thousand volts, all the pain and sadness hit me all at once and I gasped when it knocked the wind out of me. When I gasped, a low hiss replied. I thought all the vampires would have gone with Kali when she left, or did she leave some behind to torture us? I glanced over at Evan to see if he was okay and furrowed my brow when I saw that he wasn't there. I sat up and scanned the room trying to find him, my eyes tried their best to avoid looking at all of the dead hunters, but it was near on impossible, because they were everywhere.

I heard the hiss again coming from over in a darkened corner of the room. There were two bodies there, one laid out on the floor and the other on top of it. Wait! I'm sure there was only one body over there earlier, I thought to myself. Suddenly the top body began to move, it moved extremely slowly as it climbed off of the dead body beneath it. It began to crawl on all fours towards me. It had its head down so that I couldn't see its face. As it got closer and closer, I began to back away. All of a sudden, it let out a deafening screech that was so loud, even I had to cover my ears. Wings as black as the night began to rip through the skin on its back, then quickly burst through the slits and fanned out. I closed my eyes as a gold beam from its eyes shone right into my face and almost blinded me. I sat there for a few seconds trying to get myself together, I thought I would have had more time, but within seconds I felt a cold breath blowing on my face. The breeze was tickling the hairs on my face every time that thing exhaled. A metallic smell entered my nostrils, and I knew that was the smell of blood on its breath, and the thought made me feel sick. I cautiously pulled open my eyes to see what monstrosity was sitting in front of me. As my vision focused, I was startled by two raven black soulless eyes staring right back at me.

“Evan? What did she do to you!?”

To be continued in book 4, Heartbroken by a Hunter, also available on Readict!