Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty

Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty
Jaslyn 

I always prided myself on the fact that nothing could ever surprise me. But at that moment, as I stared at the laptop's screen, I'd never been so shocked. The person in the video looked so much like me. Infact, if I wasn't so sure that I hadn't done it, I'd have agreed with them. But it wasn't me. I'd never stoop so low as to cause another person pain. Not intentionally anyway. Even when I fed on my unsuspecting victims, I always implanted the thoughts of pleasure in their minds. And I always took care not to take too much blood than what I needed.

“What do you have to say for yourself?” Zeeland's crisp voice pulled me out of my shock. I stared down at him.

“I didn't do it.” I insisted. 

My mind was swirling with different thoughts, and I couldn't think straight at all. Thoughts like who the person in the video was. 

“Quit denying it, Jaslyn. We aren't fools.” Darlene narrowed her eyes on me.

“I can take it from here, Mother.” Zeeland told her. After hesitating for a moment and glaring hard at me, she left the room. Left alone with Zeeland and Dmitri, I didn't feel any better.

“You’re wasting time, Jaslyn. Just tell us why you did it.” Zeeland prompted.

I sighed in exasperation. “I didn't do it!” I rasped, feeling that familiar stab of anger in my chest. Soon it'd mount until it became unbearable. I really hated being accused of something I didn't do, nor have any idea of. And that was exactly what they were doing. But I couldn't blame them. Not when they just saw ‘me’ in the footage.

“You have a clone then?” Dmitri put in quietly. I ignored him, and resorted to keeping quiet. Talking or arguing wouldn't do much anyway. I pursed my lips and kept my head bowed.

“Take her to the lower cells.” Zeeland ordered. His Beta hesitated.

“Is that nece-” He started to say but Zeeland cut him off.

“The lower cells, Dmitri. You can keep her in the one our visitor is being held in.” Zeeland said in a tone that brooked no arguments.

“Yes, Alpha. Come with me.” Dmitri came over, grabbed me by the arm, and led me out of the room. I'd been puzzled by their interaction, and I didn't bother resisting. 

He winded through different paths and came upon a green door that I hadn't seen before. Not that I'd ever come to this part of the Fort. He opened the door, and darkness welcomed us. Dmitri had no difficulty going through the darkness, and down the steps. Yes, steps. As I soon discovered, we were going down to the basement.

Well, not a basement as I soon found out. I closed my eyes out of instinct as lights greeted us once more. I took the opportunity to look around when my eyes adjusted to the light, and my jaw dropped. Zeeland wasn't kidding when he called this place ‘cells.’ Different cell rooms packed closely together stood on both sides. It was lit by the torches on stands in the narrow space beside them.

I followed him like a docile lamb, as he led me to a cell room at the far end, all the while looking out for a secret door that I could escape through if the need arose. 

“Don’t bother thinking of it,” Dmitri suddenly said. I jumped, a little bit startled. He was looking at me closely.

“Thinking of what?” I asked innocently.

“Thinking of escaping. The lower cells are addressed that way for a reason. Not even the strongest werewolf or Vampire can escape from this place.” He sneered, the pride in his voice evident.

“I wasn't thinking of-” I decided against arguing any further, and snapped my mouth shut.

As we stood in front of a wide cell room with double beds, and a center table, I frowned. I'd never seen a cell room that, well…furnished.

“Go in,” Dmitri prompted, unlocking the door and pushing me in.

I couldn't resist fixing him with a hard look.

I looked around my new room, and turned back to Dmitri. “Where is-”

My words trailed off when I realized he was gone.

“Well, it is what it is.” I said humorlessly in an attempt to cheer myself up. 

“Gavreta?” A hard voice called out behind me, and I whirled around. The young boyish man standing behind me was a good looking fella in that seductive kind of way. Stubble covered his chin, probably from days of not shaving. He stood at six foot and some inches tall, was dressed in a full leather outfit, and looked every bit like those biker studs I've ever read about. Well, except this ‘biker,’ didn't have tattoos. None that I could see anyway.

Trying to make sense of his words, I frowned. “Who is Gavreta?” 

He didn't look impressed by my response. “Quit pretending. How the hell did the oh-so-powerful-queen get captured?” He mocked.

My confusion deepened. “What are you talking about? A queen?” I was flattered that he thought I looked like a queen, but I wasn't. Or maybe I had the traits of one? I really should ask him. Cheered by the indirect compliment, I smiled at the man.

He was now looking at me so intensely that I suddenly felt uncomfortable.

He sidestepped me and went over to sit on one of the beds on the left side of the brown painted cell room. “If you aren't Gavreta, then who are you?”

Without taking the frown off my face, I answered him honestly. “My name is Jaslyn. I am an Omega.” Since I didn't know him, I held the vampire part.

“Oh, I know what you are.” He interrupted me quietly.

“Pardon?” I glanced at him.

“You’re a hybrid. I sensed that even before I read your mind. And I don't look any bit like a biker.” He added the last part with a wink.

“W-what? You did what?” I stuttered.

“Jaslyn- Jaslyn,” He repeated my name, as if testing the sound of it. “You aren't Gavreta.” He declared.

“First of all, who is Gavreta? Secondly, what do you mean by saying you read my-” I cut myself off before I even finished my sentence. I looked at his eyes closely again. His green eyes had flecks of gold in them. A Vampire.

“Yes, a Vampire.” He agreed, obviously reading my mind again.

“You do it too, so you can't blame me.” He added with a twinkle in his eyes.

“I don't. At least, not intentionally. I don't go around reading people's minds unless it's really important.” I said irritably. 

“Easy, easy. It's a habit at this point.” He chuckled.

I shook my head, went to sit on the bed at the opposite side and leaned my back against the wall without taking my eyes off him.

“What are you doing here? Sorry, what's your name?” I murmured apologetically.

“I was captured.” He simply replied. “My name is Zayne.” 

“Zayne? Zayne who?” I asked with a little frown.

His eyes dimmed. “I am Zayne, prince of the Vampires.” 

I gasped. A Vampire prince?

“Then how, how did-” I trailed off, not able to bring myself to ask how he was captured. The werewolves were cruel when it came to Vampires. Most times, I couldn't help but think if the Vampires were as evil as rumors made them to be. 

“We are peaceful people, Jaslyn. You of all people should know that.” He cut in quietly.

“I don't know anything about you guys.” I argued.

“But you're one of us.” He countered.

“I wish I wasn't. Maybe my inner wolf would have woken up long ago. Instead, I'm stuck here as an Omega, an abomination, and accused of something I didn't do. And yes, also locked in with a biker Vampire.” I hissed.

He recoiled at my words, and turned his face away.

“I’m sorry.” He finally whispered.

“You don't have to be. How long have you been captured?” I asked, trying to change the topic.

He obliged. “Weeks.”

“Oh. What do you think they want with you?” I asked, the question sounding silly to me once it was out.

“What else?” He asked with scorn. “To get me to lead them to where we are hiding, and kill me afterwards.” 

I gasped. “Surely, surely they won't do that.” I tried to argue.

“Oh, they will. I'm not bothered anyway, they'd never know where we are.” He said, beaming with satisfaction.

“How do you feed?” I asked the one question I'd been bothering about, myself, since Dmitri brought me here.” 

I fed in the morning before we set out for the competition. But it was only a small amount.

He made a face. “I don't want to think about it.”

“Do guards come here to check on you?” I asked, coming up with a plan.

He read my mind again. “That’s what I do.”

I glared at him. “You really should stop doing that.”

“Why? It's more convenient. At least you don't have to talk out loud.” He shrugged.

“And now, who's Gavreta?” I asked the question that'd been boggling me.

He stared at me for a moment before turning his face away. “Someone dangerous.”