Chapter 8

I narrowed my eyes into his and tried to find any trace of jesting. There was none and I could feel my stomach tie up in knots. Alania had returned from her grave. The evil queen would once again maintain her insistant, harsh rule. I loathed to the time when this would happen. So many innocent vampires out there; about a third of them even knew who Alania even was! Fright consumed me and I trembled. He placed his hands on my waist as he whispered, "Yes, all of our fears have come true. I also denied wanting to see this day, but we have and now we have to deal with it, I suppose." "You make it sound so easy, but it ain't," I sighed, "Once she knows that we are still gone, she will continue her search for us!" "Jayden..." he began, lowering his eyes before exhaling deeply, "Alania has already found most of us." "Most of us?" "Yes. She has captured my friends and I am certain that she already has yours." "No. No, no, no! I refuse to believe it!" "Jayden, calm down!" "How can I?! My friends just got snatched from me and once again, I have to run away. I am sick of running!" "You are going to have to if you want to maintain your freedom!" "Let Alania come. See if I give a rat's ass!" Then, I saw horror fill Paige's dark eyes that were once dead to the emotional world. I turned around quickly and gasped. Alania was standing in the shadows and the faint lily smell of her perfume overwhelmed my nose. "My dear Paige. My dear Jayden. How have you been these past centuries?" Alania grinned. Her pointed teeth were like reflectors of those on a bike. Her silver eyes bore a hole through the both of us and my knees almost fell out from underneath me. Paige placed his arms around my waist to help hoist me up. "I missed you, my Dark Children. Did you obviously think you could escape from ME? You were nothing but wrong and now, you must suffer for it." As soon as she declared the last sentence, a cloth was put over my mouth and nostrils and was placed tightly against my face. The stench of something wicked made my eyes droop with heaviness. Paige's grip loosened from around me and I could tell that he had gotten the same treatment. Before I was knocked out cold, I heard Alania give her scornful laugh of victory... to be continued