“Call the number back.” Jaja urged Jamie. “The number Rosetta used to call you… Call it back. Now.”
Jamie tapped the screen nervously. His hands were shaking.
“I think you should calm down, Jamie.” Drakys III said. He turned and whispered to one of his men beside him. The Fey drifted away into a side door. “You look like death, Jamie. Just take deep breaths.”
Claude collected the phone from Jamie, whose hands were shaking.
Claude, with precise composure, scrolled on the phone’s screen and found the recent number and called back.
“It’s ringing.” He mouthed to his companions.
The Fey that had gone out few moments before drifted back into the throne room holding a glass cup with was filled with a white milkish liquid.
He handed the glass cup to Jamie.
“Drink it. For your nerves.” Drakys said.
Jamie collected it and took a small sip.
“Rosetta.” Claude said into the phone.
Jamie and Jaja looked up at him simultaneously.
“COME ON GUYS.” Mart said in a fake cheerful voice. “It could be worse.”
We all looked at him with dead are-you-serious eyes.
“Seriously though, I mean, we could be dead…” Mart continued.
Arthur groaned. “Shut up, Mart.”
I nodded in agreement.
Rosetta wanted me. Maybe I could cut a deal to let the other go free and she could do whatever she wanted with me.
The thoughts made me shiver.
I stood up and went to the gate and banged on it.
The boys stopped their bickering to look at me.
“Jason, what are you doing?” Jake asked.
“Trying to get the attention of any one of them.” I muttered, still hitting my hand on the gate. It made a dull sound that echoed down the hall.
I heard the outer gate open and someone grunt and came around to where we were. It was a dark haired vampire of medium height and weight. He looked like a laundry or UPS man.
He looked at me with eyes void of any emotion except hate and anger. “What?”
“Um, could I…” I faltered at the way he stared at me. “I want to talk with the lady. The elder vampire lady.”
Zach’s voice piped from behind. “Rosetta.”
I nodded at the man. “Yeah, Rosetta.”
He gave a humourless laugh and said, “Rosetta’s gone… and she won’t be here until its time for each of you to die.”
I gulped. I was sure the boys behind me gulped too.
“But I really want to talk to her. Can you get a word out to her?” I tried again.
He scoffed and walked off.
“I have a feeling Nina won’t be bringing our meals anymore.” Zach said.
“Must you think of food all the time?” Arthur snapped.
“I need food.” Zach said.
“Who is Nina?” Jake asked, looking at each of them.
“The black lady.” Jeff said, then he turned to me and said, “You killed her boyfriend.”
“I did?” I asked.
“Yup.” Zach nodded. “Big black vampire guy.”
I remembered him. He was the one going head to head with Jake.
Jake came over to stand beside me. “What was that about? What do you want with Rosetta?”
“She wants me. I’m the one she wants. Maybe if I offer myself, she would let you guys go.”
“That’s funny… and brave too.” Jake said but he wasn’t laughing. “And very stupid.”
“Stupid? I’m trying to bargain for you lives here.”
“Did we tell you we want you to be a bargaining chip?” He whispered fiercely. “You are not even the oldest one here.”
I turned to look at the boys behind us. They were quiet and had been listening in.
“But why would she want you? I mean, you are not even a werewolf.”
I was lost for words for a second but jake jumped in.
“Because he killed her favourite vampire, that’s why.” He said.
“Ohhhh” They said in unison as understanding dawned over their faces.
“But we don’t need you sacrifice yourself, though.” Arthur said.
“I don’t mind.” Jeff said, jokingly.
I smiled and punched his arm. “Shut up.” I said.
“Now, come together guys…” Jake said. “Let’s plan our escape.”
“Escape? Sofia said we shouldn’t make plans.” Billy said.
“He’s obsessed with Sofia.” Mart said. “I think he may have a little crush on the witch.”
We paid Billy no mind and gathered together in a tight circle.
“Rosetta would want to kill us on the full moon.” I blurted.
Why did that come from? I asked myself.
Long term memory. My Cat said in my head
They turned to look at me. “Why?” Arthur asked.
I shrugged and said, “Evil sentimentality, I guess.”
They nodded.
“I figure the next full moon would be in two days time.” Jake said. “So we have a little over a day to plan.”
I glanced at the steel bars. Jake followed my gaze. “We can break ourselves out. Those are just steel bars.” Jake said.
Billy sniggered. “Those are not just steel bars.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “I bet even Harry could break those.”
“Billy’s Sofia did something to them. They’re reinforced with magic.” Zach said.
“She’s not my Sofia.” Billy said from the corner. He didn’t join us in the circle. “And she saved us from multiple wolfsbane burns.”
I looked at Arthur who explained. “The bars had Wolfsbane on them. Sofia removed the bane and made the steel about 5 times stronger.”
I bet I could break it. The voice whined in my head.
I got up and walked to the gate. I held a bar in my hand and felt strength flow to my fingertips. I squeezed lightly and the bars bent a tiny bit.
Yep, I could break it. I nodded to myself. But breaking it would bring up a lot of questions that I wasn’t ready to answer.
“What’s wrong with him?” Jeff asked Jake.
I turned back just in time to see Jake shrug. “So what do you propose?” I asked Jake.
He turned to Arthur. “How is the security here like?”
It was Billy that answered from his dark corner, “Occasionally Nina would come here before the sun rises to drop off our meal. Then we might have Sofia for company till evening when Ellie would come to stay over night… sometimes with Nina.”
“Not much.”
“Except now, the vampire guards may be doubled with the arrival of you two.”
I nodded in agreement. Our best chance was for me to break the gates and we make a run for it. But I wanted to see if Sofia would come. I wanted to see her in real life.
“We should get some sleep before sun rise. We don’t know the type of day we would have.” I suggested.
Jake looked up. “But I just woke up.”
“How about we both keep night’s watch while the others sleep?” I suggested.
“I agree with that.” Mart said, he yawned.
“Yeah.” Arthur said.
They scrambled to the back of the cell while me and Jake sat with our backs to the wall.
We stayed silent for a while. The sound of five boys snoring rented the night air.
“You can break the gates, can’t you?” Jake whispered.
I nodded in the darkness. He must have sensed my head’s movement because he sighed.
“And you’re not ready to tell them.” He nodded towards where the boys slept.
“No. They might not accept me as you did.” I said.
“What are our chances of escaping this place?”
“Very slim.” I said.
He sighed again.
“I want to meet Sofia.” I said wistfully.
I heard him turn his head to look at me. “What did Alpha salvatore tell you about her?”
“Just rumors. Stories.” I said.
“Tell me.”
“Well, she was said to be Henri’s mother.”
“Henri? Who’s that?” Jake asked.
“I think he’s the elder of elder Vampires. They said she turned him.” I said, trying to remember everything that Alpha Salvatore had told me that night, but mind was all in jumbles.
“How did she turn him?”
I closed my eyes and tried to go back in time in my mind. “Dark magic.” I said. “She was the first witch to dabble in dark magic. I think she was sent out from the coven.”
“Wicked!” Jake cursed under his breath.
“I know right.” I agreed. “And then Henri brought in Rosetta to be turned too.”
“But why?”
“Love.” I said.
“But there are more than two elder Vampires, right?” Jake asked.
I nodded. “I know of only three. Henri, Rosetta and Clyde.” I paused and then continued, “I think Clyde is Rosetta’s brother.”
“And Rosetta wants us dead.”
I shook my head. “It’s me she wants.”
I flashed my Jaguar’s eyes. It shone like two green beams in the night. My vision got brightened.
“You have control over it now.” Jake commented. He flashed his wolf eyes too. Gold with a tinge of red. He was alpha blood.
I smiled. I did have some control over my spirit animal now.
“Atleast we still have a few days to live before the full moon.” Jake said. His eyes gradually changed colour to normal as he relaxed back and rested his back on the wall.
And it was at that moment that the thought hit me.
What the fuck?!
“Jake!” I called him. “It’s a leap year.”
“And so?” He asked before his face changed he caught my point. “Oh shit!”
The leap year changed the lunar cycle. Especially around this time of the year. Tomorrow’s night would bring a new moon.
We had less than 24 hours to live.