Page 27 of Bound by Vengeance
“We thought you’d forgotten us,” Sistersaid.
“Never.”
Sister June studied Vicky with her tooshrewd eyes. “What happened?”
“Nothing good, but I’m okay.”
Sister patted her hand and released it as ifshe suddenly understood Vicky didn’t like being touched anymore.“One way or another, dear, we always make it okay. It’s how wesurvive after all.” Her gaze traveled beyond Victoria, and she gavea low whistle. “Who is this tall drink of water?”
“Careful, Sister June, you’re giving awayyour age,” Vicky teased.
“I’d never!” she replied with a wink and ahand on her chest.
“This is Nathan,” Vicky introduced, “andwe’re hoping you can help us with something. I also wanted to makesure you’re safe.”
“No one is going to bother us down here, andif they do, I’ll take them down. If we can help, we will. Come onin.”
Nathan had no idea what to make of any ofthis as he gazed from the wizened old woman to Vicky and backagain. Sister June wore baggy, faded pants and an overlarge, tornsweater. He couldn’t begin to guess at her age. Her eyes were thatof a twenty-year-old, her face that of a centurion.
There was also something off about thewoman. When Sister June turned and walked away, she did so with thegrace of a vampire. He’d never seen one so old before, but heknewthat’s what she was.
Nathan pushed through the blanket to enter alarge, concrete chamber as Vicky climbed down three steps to theroom. He kept his shock hidden when he spotted six children sittingnext to each other on a ledge across the room.
“Hey, Vicky,” some of the older childrengreeted with a wave.
“Vicky!” two of the younger girlssquealed.
They jumped down and ran across the room tohug her. Vicky forced herself not to cringe while she hugged themback. Would the human children be so enthusiastic to greet her ifthey knew she’d drained one of their kind dry?
She winced inwardly at the reminder of thesin darkening her soul. Tears burned her eyes, but instead ofslipping from the children’s grasp, she held them closer.
“Where have you been?” April asked as shesurveyed Vicky with round brown eyes.
Those eyes tugged at Vicky’s heartstringsand caused guilt to rear its ugly head. Sure, part of her time awaywas because of her status as a living blood bag for vampires, butshe’d spent far more time free of her captivity than she’d spent init.
Like her inability to return home to herfamily, she hadn’t felt worthy of coming here and seeing thesekids. She hadn’t felt worthy of much, and she still wasn’t sure shewas, but she wouldn’t avoid them again. They had so little in lifealready; she refused to be another disappointment to them.
“I was detained by something,” she replied,“but I’ll be around again more.”
“Good.” April squeezed her.
Nathan studied Vicky as she released thechildren. He’d seen the subtle stiffening in her body when thegirls embraced her before she’d hugged them back. There was also aflicker of apprehension on her face when Sister June took her hand.The warm way they greeted her told him Vicky once openly acceptedtheir touch, but something changed that about her, and he suspectedit was her imprisonment.
“Hey, rug rats,” Vicky greeted the rest ofthe children with a smile and a wave.
Nathan returned his attention to thechildren. All of them wore sweaters and pants that lookedrelatively new and were in excellent condition. Open books sat onthe laps of most of the kids, but the tomes were forgotten whilethe children focused on the new arrivals.
Twelve mattresses, piled with clean blanketsand linens, lay on the floor. Beside each bed sat a crate; whenNathan glanced inside one, he spotted clothes, shoes, and a bookstashed neatly within. On the righthand side of the chamber, foodwas stocked all the way to the ceiling along with bottles of water,a couple of buckets of water, and half a cord of firewood.
The left-hand side of the chamber heldshelves lined with books. More books were next to the shelves; theystretched from the floor to the ten-foot-tall ceiling. Many weretextbooks, most of which were shiny and in pristine condition, somewere classic literature, and the rest were books for children’senjoyment.
Maps hung on the wall, a globe sat in thecorner, and Nathan realized Sister June was educating the childrenthe best she could in this technology-driven world.
On the other side of the room, a brickchimney rose from the ground and flames crackled within. The smokerising from the fire was directed down the tunnel opening on theother side of the room, but enough heat remained in the chamber tomake sweat bead across Nathan’s brow.
“What is this place?” he asked.
“You didn’t tell him about Duncan and me?”Sister June asked Vicky.
