Three men and at least twenty women were being held captive in a small, dank room, with only four buckets to relieve themselves in, and no visible source of water. It was hot and smelly in the small space. Most of the captives wore few items of clothing, while others had on period costumes. They were kept in chains. About half of them appeared drugged, while the other half simply sat there, trembling in fear, or scampered to the corners of the room.
“Tell them we’re here to help,” I said to the woman we saved.
Her lips parted, and slowly, she spoke. “They saved me from . . . Gair.”
At least half the women in the room winced.
Gair must have been a real asshole. I was glad we’d eliminated him.
“They’ll save us,” the woman finished, as if she couldn’t believe what she was saying.
“Yes. We’re witches, the good kind, and we’ll get you out of here.” Diana stepped forward. The command in her tone was severe after the woman’s meek voice. “But you must cooperate. And don’t just run off. That puts everyone in danger. Can you do that?”
I wasn’t sure if they knew witches existed before, but no one looked surprised. Maybe already knowing vampires were real, made anything seem possible. Or perhaps they were just so desperate to be freed, we could have said anything. Whatever the case, most people merely nodded at Diana’s proclamation. Those who didn’t appeared so drugged that I wasn’t sure they even knew we were there.
“Okay, good.” Diana moved to the closest woman. “Now, hold out your hands, I’ll sear off everyone’s chains. Legacy, watch the door. No one comes in or out.” She tossed me her stake. “We’re all leaving at the same time.”
I did as she said and watched as Diana moved from one person to the next, breaking their chains. Only one woman tried to escape right away, but a captive with filthy blonde hair and scratches all over her face stopped her.
“Didn’t you hear them,” the blonde hissed. She shook the runner. “Don’t go running off and getting us all caught again, you idiot.”
The runner calmed after that, and we had no more trouble. Once Diana had seared through the last chain, she turned back to me. Sweat shone on her forehead, and I winced. I should have insisted on helping.
“Are you okay?” I whispered as Diana joined me.
She grunted and smirked. “Okay? That was nothing, Legacy. Wait until the real fighting starts, because ten to one, it’s coming.” She turned to the crowd. “Do they keep captives in other rooms?”
A man shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of. They keep the other rooms open for . . . their pleasures. I heard a vamp once refer to this room as the ‘human corral’. I think we’re the only ones, and everyone is present.”
Two other women echoed his belief.
“Good. We can make a run for it right away,” Diana said.
My eyes took in the captives. Most of them were too skinny, and some were so drugged they needed help to stand. I gulped, sure that Diana was right about a fight coming, and knowing that not everyone in this room would make it out alive.
Thank the universe I’d left breadcrumbs of magic to guide my way back to the surface. We found our way without having to backtrack, and wound up on the ground floor of the apartment building next to the bar. The exit sign twenty feet away shone like a beacon, and my heart leapt.
We made it!
Of course, that was the moment a trio of beefy vampires entered the corridor from the bar side.
The women and men who had been following us screamed, and my jaw clenched. There was no way Diana and I could fight off the vampiresandkeep these people alive. This was the best chance that they had to run.
I blasted magic at the vampires, hoping to slow them, as I sprinted toward the bloodsuckers. Steps sounded behind me, and a wave of purple power flowed over my head to slam into a vamp. Diana was right behind me, and I maneuvered to one side so she could sidle up next to me.
“Run!” I directed the captives, and pointed as we passed the exit. “Get the hell out of here!”
I tossed another bolt of power at the vamps, trying to keep them back long enough for everyone to escape.
The sound of footsteps followed, and I knew the humans were doing as I instructed. A few seconds later, a door slammed against a wall. I took ten more steps before I dared to glance back. My stomach clenched. The tail end of the group was just disappearing through the door, but one of the heavily drugged women lay motionless on the ground not far from where we’d entered the hallway.
I stopped in my tracks, spun around, and created a shield around the unconscious person. Diana swore loudly, and then something knocked me to the ground.
“Thought you could pull a fast one on us, little witchling?” the vampire who’d rushed me growled as he ripped my stake from my hand and threw it to the side. “Well, it seems you just earned yourself a new position down in our basement. We’ve never had a witch before. I’m sure some of our clients will pay handsomely.”
“Over my dead body!” I bucked and kicked, desperate to escape. The vampire had pinned my hands so I couldn’t fight back or use magic. For the first time in my life, I was totally at another creature’s mercy.
The vampire watched me, amused, and began to chuckle. “How about an undead body? Some humans have a definite predilection for female vamps, but we don’t have any as pretty as you. Until now.” He began lowering his mouth to my neck.
