Blood Land by J.R. Lawson (top ten ebook reader TXT) 📖

a black shirt and tie.  His all black clothing made his pale skin and blonde slicked back hair stand out, along with his dark red eyes.  Nora felt a surge of power almost consume her as his steps got closer to her and he then finally stopped right in front of her.  It was then that right after, another gentleman proceeded to step out of the other side of the car.  He was a huge vampire, dressed in the usual black trench coat that was buttoned all the way up.  His skin was the usual pale shade, his hair was black, in the style of a crew cut and his face held an extremely serious expression.  He, however, waited beside the car while Dagon stood in front of Nora.

“Everything go according to plan?” Dagon then asked.  Nora was still looking down, unaware of who he was speaking to.

“Yes,” Aaron answered him, “The girl gave us a bit of trouble, but Caroline did as she was instructed.  The wounds are open and ready.”

“Good, good.” Nora heard Dagon say, “I’m so glad I got to hear good news.  I love it when there’s good news.”  It was then that he paused for a moment to then lowered himself and squat right in front of Nora.

“Hello,” he then softly and almost gently spoke, referring to Nora, “Look up at me, girl.”

Nora hesitated for a moment.  She really didn’t want to.  Tears still covered her face and the last face she wanted to see right now was Dagon’s.  However, eventually she did and saw he was looking back at her with a smile on his face.

“What’s your name?” he then asked her.

Again, Nora didn’t want to obey him.  She didn’t want to play his game of fake sympathy. “Nora..” she hesitated to utter softly.

“Nora, that’s a pretty name,” he complimented.  It didn’t take much for Nora to notice just how charming Dagon was.  She wasn’t sure if it was imitative or genuine but it definitely was spellbinding. She could almost see how easy it would be to follow him. “Nora,” he addressed her again, “Do you know what I”m going to do for you?” Nora, however, didn’t respond to him. “I’m going to save you.  By healing you.  You see, those wounds you have, they aren’t going to heal themselves.  So I’m going to do that for you.  I”m going to keep you alive.  All I ask of you is something small in return..”

Nora kept quiet as Dagon now helped her to her feet.  She couldn’t help think of how much she hated where she was.  She never thought she would have even ended up here.  How could this have happened?  How could have Kale let this happen to her?!

“All I ask from you, Nora,” Dagon continued his speech, “Is that you serve me.  Do everything I ask of you.  Now, that’s not so bad, is it?”

Nora had realized that she wasn’t facing Dagon anymore. She had been looking off to the side, staring out into the shadowed trees that surrounded her.  It was then that she decided to look back at him.  His face was very handsome and his smile almost looked veritable, however Nora knew better.  She knew what she was really looking at was a very clever salesman with a seemingly appealing sale’s pitch. One that she wanted nothing to do with.

“No.” Nora finally found the strength to say.

“What did you say, girl?” Dagon now asked her, his smile beginning to fade.

“I said, I won’t go with you!  I won’t let you heal me!” Nora now screamed, as she broke away from his touch.

“You don’t have a choice in the matter,” Dagon seemed to chuckle now at her defiance. “You’ll die without me.  You’re precious Kale, who so cleverly had his claws dug into you, is now dead.  You have nowhere else to go.”

“I don’t care!” Nora shouted, “I’d rather die than go with you!” It was then, in that second, that Nora made a split decision.  She pivoted in her spot, turning to the lake behind her and bolted, hastening until she reached the icy surface and lunged into a slide, allowing herself to use her body’s momentum to glide her across the lake and slowly stop right in the center.  It was there that she felt the true flimsiness of the lake’s surface as she sat there, almost hearing the ice crack around her.

“God damn you!” Dagon now shouted at her.  He then turned quickly to Aaron. “Get her! Now!” he demanded.

“Uh..” Aaron nervously stammered, “No way...I don’t even want to land on that ice...it’s too thin...”

“Gah!” Dagon cried in outrage.  He then turned to Jay. “You get her then!”

Jay shook his head, “Sir, I have to agree with Aaron.  I don’t know how much time I would have to grab her and get back here.  Even with my speed, the ice is giving way as we speak now.”

“Fuck, you all are useless!” Dagon cursed.

Suddenly, before he could bark out another order, a swift dark figure swooped down and landed on the, soon to be snow accumulated ground, in between the lake and Dagon.

“Rogan?!!” Dagon angrily shouted.  Nora then looked up from where she sat, on the cold ice, to see the surprising backside of Kale facing her.

“How many fucking times do I have to kill you?!” Dagon screamed at him.  Kale, however, didn’t say a word, but flashed a condescending smile at him and leapt into the air, spreading his wings and flying upward, and then finally landing gently on the icy lake near Nora.

“Get him!!” Dagon now screamed with fury. “Caldwell!” he turned behind him and now addressed the big, quiet and unknown vampire beside the car. “Get them, get them, GET THEM!!” he pointed angrily at the lake as he shouted. Caldwell only silently nodded in response and walked calmly toward the lake.

“Kale!” Nora was able to break from her silent shock to finally acknowledge Kale’s presence beside her.

Kale, in response, turned to her. “Nora, are you o.k.?”

“I am now,” Nora answered with tears still in her eyes.

Unfortunately, neither of them had any more time to continue their short conversation because Caldwell, who was now standing at the edge of the lake, raised one of his giant arms and then brought it down, slapping his palm forcefully on the surface of the ice.  From his hand then grew a large crack, that seemed to travel, as if by Caldwell’s intent, across the lake and straight toward Nora.

Kale’s eyes widened at the sight, as he then allowed no hesitation in lunging forward and pushed Nora away from the path of the cracking ice, causing her to slide far away from him.  Once Nora felt herself sliding to a halt, the sound of another crack and a shake of the surface under her heightened her nervousness.  She looked up at Kale for reassurance, however Kale had no time to react as Caldwell slapped the ice again, creating another crack that headed for Nora once more.

“Nora!  Come to me!” Kale shouted across the ice.

Nora tried to move, but the ice kept cracking every move she made. “I don’t know if I can!”

“O.k. I’ll...I’ll come to you!” Kale then answered as he attempted to stand.  However, there was no time, as the large crack created by Caldwell finally reached Nora and the ice crumbled beneath her.

“Kale!” she managed to shout as she then disappeared beneath the ice.

“Caldwell, you fucking idiot!  Look what you did!!” Dagon then shouted furiously from the clearing.

“NORA!!!” Kale screamed as he then wasted no more time and rushed, over to the hole where Nora fell and leapt through it as well, also plunging into the cold water.

“Alright that’s it!” Dagon shouted again from where he stood, “I’ve had it with this fucking circus! You two, Aaron and Jay!” he turned to the two who looked back at him in response. “Go find Caroline! Obviously something happened to her or she fucked up!  Regardless, I want her back here!”

“Yes sir,” both Aaron and Jay said in unison as they then flew off together.

“And you!” Dagon now faced Caldwell. “Wait until Rogan brings her back out.  Then grab her, and seal him back up under there.  I want to make sure he’s dead this time, damn it!!” He didn’t wait for Caldwell to nod in response as he then angrily took his leave, climbing back into his sports car and driving off.

Meanwhile, Nora held her breath as long as she could as she felt herself sinking further down into the deathly cold water.  She kept her eyes tightly shut until she suddenly felt the touch of someone grabbing onto her.  She managed to open her eyes under the water long enough to see the image of Kale in front of her, wrapping his arms around her and then lifting her, swimming upward toward the hole in the ice that was above them.  All of a sudden, Nora took a gasp of cold air as she broke the water’s surface.  She immediately grabbed onto the edge of the ice and attempted to pull herself up.  However, she never got the chance because a large pair of hands grabbed her arms and forcibly yanked her upward and all the way out of the icy hole.  She looked up to see none other than the huge vampire, Caldwell.

She didn’t know what else to do but gasp as he then tossed her to the side and stood over the hole, looking down and waiting for Kale to emerge as well. As soon as he did, Caldwell put his face right in front of Kale’s and uttered, “Thanks for getting her,” in the only words Nora ever heard him speak.  He then proceeded to put his hand forward and push Kale back down into the water and use his other hand, making ice come right from it, to instantly cover up the hole, and seal Kale under the water.

“No!!” Nora screamed in agony, but she couldn’t do anything because Caldwell, grabbed her again and, easily tossing her over his shoulder, began to walk away with her.

“Kale!!!” Nora screamed as she watched them walk further and further away from the lake. “Kale!!! No!! Please!!!” she knew her screams were useless, but she couldn’t help it.  She felt so helpless as she knew Kale was trapped and there was nothing she could do.

Underneath the water, Kale pounded on the newly covered ice as he tried to free himself.  He couldn’t admit defeat; not even now.  He just had to find a way out and get to Nora.  However, his hope was dwindling as it was beginning to get harder to hold his breath with every second and his pounding on the underside of the ice seemed to not be making much difference.  It was with this thought that he finally stopped.  He just let himself relax, suspended in the water.  He had to think.  Think hard before his time ran out.

All of a sudden, his answer as to what to do came to him in the form of darkness.  It seeped through the top of the ice until he and the water that surrounded him was all encompassed in its blackness.  This was it.  The sun had set finally.  Kale looked down at his hands under the water and noticed they had changed into long and gnarly ones with large claws jutting from the finger tips.  This was it.  He was a hellion now.  One that most likely had the strength the bust through the ice.  He took no time at all to swim downward a bit and then position himself right under the spot that was covered up by Caldwell.  The water around him became agitated with bubbles and waves as he instantly spread his gigantic wings and began to flap them, powerfully jutting himself upward toward he icy ceiling.  Not too surprisingly, it didn’t take much of his hellion power to break right into the ice once he hit it and after gasping