Chapter 126

Tessa’s POV

The dark…

I liked the dark. Nothing happened when I was left in the dark. It was peaceful and I felt no pain. I felt as if I was serene. It was comfortable and I was left alone most of the time. Time didn’t exist to me in the dark.

It was only me and my thoughts that kept me company.

But as always, the dark didn’t last long.

I was soon woken but the sharp sensation of this new vampire’s fangs as he once again drank from me. I was dizzy and I wondered how much more blood I had left in me for him. I knew soon I would probably end up dying. Ryan would be angry with him for drinking every ounce of blood from my body.

I was surprised that Ryan hadn’t bothered to visit me since I was here. I wondered if he went back to the village and pretended as if everything was okay. I wondered if he was helping them in their search for me like a good little villager.

I wondered if there was a search for me.

There was no use in struggling against this new vampire; if I did, he would beat me. My entire face felt numb from his punches and kicks. I had multiple gashes and cuts around my body, not to mention teeth marks.

He had infused me with so many drugs that I could hardly think straight.

Even if I wanted to struggle against him, I wouldn’t be able to.

Despite how much pain he brought me, I still refused to cry in front of him. I wouldn’t show him that level of weakness.

The most I could do was close my eyes and allow him to take more from me.

I wasn’t even sure I was breathing anymore.

All I could think about was how much I missed the dark and I wanted to go back to it.

He bent down and whispered to my ear, “You’ll heal when he makes you his blood slave.”

He kissed the side of my face just before licking the blood off my cheek. I felt that familiar sharp pain in my neck and soon, I was back in the dark.

…

Joseph’s POV

It’s been over 24 hours since Tessa went missing. There hadn’t been any sight of her, or Ryan and my fury was rising with every minute she was gone. My trail kept getting cold, so I returned to the village, hating myself for going back empty-handed.

I spent a lot of time going over every ounce of the perimeter on a map to see what sections we hadn’t covered yet. We covered almost all of it. There’s no logical place Ryan would be hiding.

Bernard was unable to sense his whereabouts, which was odd because he could sense every tribe member being the overseer.

This makes me think that Ryan had gone rogue and found a way to disconnect himself from Bernard’s abilities.

It was difficult but possible.

There was a knock on my office door, bringing me back to the present moment. I looked up to see Anna standing at the doorway with a look of such remorse that it squeezed at my heart. I had been ignoring her these last few days; despite knowing I was the one to blame for this mess, I also couldn’t help but blame her the most.

She promised she would keep an eye on Tessa and keep her safe. I trusted her and she let me down.

She stayed silent for a few heartbeats before asking, “How are things going?”

“How do you think things are going, Anna?” I asked her.

Telling from her shocked and hurt face, my tone was harsh. She knew I blamed her for this. “You haven’t slept in over 24 hours. You should get some rest…”

“Until Tessa is back and safe, I’m not sleeping,” I said through my teeth.

She sighed.

“At least eat something. Dinner is being served in the dining hall. You should join us and—”

“The more time I waste the more danger she’s in,” I said, snapping her a look.

“I understand that…” she said, gazing downward. “But you aren’t going to be much use to her if you are exhausted. You need to be fully alert…”

I knew she was right. But I didn’t want to hear any more of it. I shook my head, dismissing her very presence.

She sighed.

“Fae is still here. She is much calmer. It’s probably best if you take some time to bring her to the academy,” Anna said softly.

I almost completely forgot about Fae; I also forgot about that new vampire that was still out there and probably terrorizing humans. I haven’t heard anything from the Nightwalker Police, so word hasn’t gotten back to them about it.

“Probably better if she’s not here when Ryan returns,” she added, keeping her eyes locked on mine.

I looked up at her and then after a moment, I nodded and stood to my feet.

“Yeah, I’ll take her there now,” I murmured, much to Anna’s relief.

When I got to the infirmary, Fae was sleeping. I sat beside her and touched her arm; she stirred in her sleep and when her eyes opened, they widened as they locked onto me.

“We are going to the academy now,” I told her, using my abilities on her so she would willingly go with me.

She nodded once and sat up in bed.

I helped her up and she followed me through the infirmary. I said nothing to anyone as we made our way outside. We walked silently until we reached my car and then she slid into the passenger side.

She leaned her head against the door and gazed out the window as I drove.

“How are you feeling?” I asked after a while of silence.

“Hungry…” she answered hoarsely.

“You’ll be able to feed once you get to the school,” I told her. “They ween you off blood gradually.”

“What if I don’t want to be weaned?” She asked, peering over at me.

“Every vampire needs to learn to survive without blood,” I answered. “You’ll be okay.”

“Can’t I have a blood slave like Ryan?”

“You need to learn control first,” I told her.

“Ryan doesn’t know control,” she muttered, leaning her head back against the door. “It’s the only reason he wants Tessa.”

I clenched my fist as they gripped the steering wheel; hearing about this was beginning to piss me off.

“Did you know he actually turned a human into a vampire so he could use him as his little minion?”

Without thinking, I slammed on the brakes and the car squealed to a stop.

“What the hell did you say?” I asked, glaring at her.

Her eyes were wide and alarmed; she visibly swallowed a lump in her throat.

“He turned a human into a vampire so he could use him as his minion,” she said, her tone much softer. “He didn’t trust another rogue, so he made himself a follower.”

“I would have known if a new vampire had awoken,” I told her firmly.

She nodded.

“You did,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me. “You brought him to the academy. He just broke him out…”

My heart fell into my stomach upon hearing her words.

“He wanted his followers to have a little restraint, so he had him stay at the school for a while. He broke him out when he needed him,” she explained, staring out the window again.

This new vampire I was searching for was helping Ryan? Which meant this new vampire was probably with Tessa.

“This new vampire is helping him keep Tessa hidden until tomorrow night?” I asked through my teeth.

Her head shot up and her eyes looked at me; I saw a completely shocked look in her eyes.

“Wait, he already has Tessa?” She asked. “She’s missing?”

“She’s been missing for over 24 hours,” I answered.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked panic now in her words. “You have to get her. She’s in danger. If he turns her into a blood slave…” her voice trailed as she shuddered.

“You weren’t exactly in the right mind, and you’ve been in and out of sleep for the last 24 hours,” I explained. “Do you know where Ryan could have hidden her?”

She thought about it for a moment and then she nodded.

“He has an underground hideout in the rogue territory,” she answered. “It’s North of the border. The entrance is very hidden though and unseen unless you know what to look for.”

I was still close to the village where I was able to link Bernard and tell him to gather the warriors and send them North of the border. I put the car back in the drive and turned it around, pressing on the gas with all my strength.

“Woah!” Fae gasped, grabbing onto the door for dear life. “What are you doing? I thought we were going to the academy?”

“First, you are going to show me where this hideout is,” I said through my teeth.

“Okay…” she said, gritting her teeth nervously.

The warriors were already gathered when I arrived, along with Bernard and Connor. When I got out of the car, Fae followed closely behind me, wrapping her arms around her body. She wasn’t used to her vampire form, and it was probably a bit overwhelming for her to be out in the open and not in the infirmary.

Her senses were heightened, and she was looking around wildly.

“What’s going on?” Bernard was the first to ask. “Why is she here and not at the academy?”

I glanced at Fae who looked between the three of us. “I know where Ryan’s hideout is…” she said in a whisper. “Which means, I might know where Tessa is.”

Everyone looked shocked, but they stepped aside for Fae to lead the way. As we walked, I kept getting small whiffs of Tessa, but the scent would fade quickly. We only walked for a few minutes before she stopped and glanced down at a dirt pile with some leaves on top of it.

“It’s under there?” I asked, frowning.

“This is the door,” she answered. “It’s made to look like a dirt pile. He lost the key a while ago and hasn’t gotten a new one. So, it should be unlocked.”

She grabbed one of the twigs that lay on the pile and that’s when I realized it wasn’t a twig; it was a handle.

The door latched open immediately, revealing a dark passageway into his hideout.