Kapitel 19: The ring

I followed the vampire through the darkness and noticed that there were many twists and turns, which made it impossible for me to memorize the way. If the bloodsucker would betray his promise, it would be hard to rescue Sasha from his clutches.

Finally, we stopped before a muddy iron door with a small fenced window. I directed my flashlight throw a gap in the window. The room consisted of stone walls and floor. In the center, I could perceive a silhouette of a person on a chair.

"Sasha?"

A low moaning sound reached my ears as I saw the person move slightly. I immediately directed the light downwards and saw a rusty door handle, which I grabbed to push open the door.

"Sasha? Are you alright?"

I walked forward and saw her slowly turn her face towards me. Her eyes soon locked with mine.

"Mel?"

"Yes, it's me. Are you hurt?" I asked as I quickly scanned her body, which was unharmed as far as I could see.

"I... I don't think so. What happened? Where am I?" She looked down and saw her bound to the chair. "Who tied me?"

"Probably the man that almost ripped off my throat." I took a sneak peek over my shoulders, but couldn't see anyone at the door. Had he left? That didn't seem very likely. He probably was watching outside the room.

"Ripped off your throat?! Who the hell did that?" Sasha's eyes widened before narrowing as she shouted in aggression.

"You don't remember?" My head jerked back and I stared at her in disbelief. Had he manipulated her memories? "What is the last thing you remember before waking up here?"

"I was lying in my bed listening to Sam Smith... tell me, how the hell did I end up here? And who almost killed you?"

"Ehm..." How was I going to explain this? How much was I even allowed to explain?

Since the vampire erased her memories, then he probably wouldn't like me to give away to much information. Though I didn't understand why he didn't wait until he decided to release her. If he ever was going to...

But still, I couldn't help but wonder if she was aware of the existence of his species anyway. Otherwise, why would she be involved in this? Why would I otherwise get captured to force an answer from her?

"A... vampire kidnapped you and me." I slightly adjusted the flashlight so that any possible changes in her facial expressions wouldn't be left unnoticed.

"A vampire?" Her eyes narrowed slightly. Was that a sign of suspicion?

"Yes." I nodded.

"Are you sure? You are not joking, are you?" She looked at me seriously.

Since she wasn't laughing or making fun of my statement, I probably was right. She knew about their existence.

"Yes, I am sure."

Sasha closed her eyes for a moment and it almost looked like she was in pain, before she locked eyes with mine once again.

"The vampire was the one that almost killed you?"

"Yeah."

"He threatened you to make me talk?"

"Yupp."

"I dragged you into this mess?"

"I guess you did." I gave a wry smile.

"Sorry." She glanced at the dark entrance. "Is the vampire close by?"

"Probably."

She cursed, before turning towards me. "So why are you not bound to a chair or something?"

"You would like me to?" I asked as I lifted my eyebrows in surprise.

"No, of course not! I just thought it was weird."

I nodded and was just about to reply when I felt coldness radiate at the back of my neck, which caused me to freeze. I saw Sasha's shocked face and concluded that the kidnapping bastard was probably standing right behind me.

"Enough." His cold voice almost froze my ear drums.

Maybe he didn't appreciate listening to the long conversation between her and I? Or maybe I had leaked too much information? Or maybe he changed his mind and decided to kill us both?

"Tell her, hunter, everything she needs to know to enter the Hunter's Headquarters."

"I don't know what you are talking about." Sasha stated as she tried to glance down discreetly at her hands on the armrests.

"Looking for this?" The vampire stretched out his arm and showed a tiny ring between his fingers.

When I adjusted the flashlight, I managed to distinguish the details of the ring. It should be the one Sasha wore at the party. I looked back at her and was confirmed by her somewhat paler face.

"To be able to wear a ring of the finest silver and vervain, your position within the Hunter's Association must be quite high." He stated as he played with it within his palm. "Especially considering the imprints..."

"Hunter's Association?" I inquired. Was it a gathering for hunters of vampires? Was Sasha truly one of them?

I didn't think of it when the vampire first mentioned the request of me traveling to the Hunter's Headquarters, since I was pretty disoriented and scared of his mere presence. I still was, but had managed to calm down a bit now.

But it would make sense that if there were vampires hunting humans, then humans would also retaliate by hunting them to protect themselves. Still, I couldn't grasp how the vampire hunters would be able to overcome their natural shortages compared to the vampires. Unless they also weren't humans? I internally shook my head at the mere thought. If Sasha was one of them, of course they had to be humans. Right?