Unraveling Mathias by Marisa Maichel (reading women TXT) 📕

I led Evan back into my bedroom, but someone was already there.

"Ambrose!" He was standing in the middle of my room, violet eyes glowing.

"Reese. And a boy who I do not know."

"Evan, get out of here!"

"This is Ambrose?" Evan asked, eyes narrowed. Ambrose's lip curled.

"A new lover, my love? No matter. I will kill him as well."

"No! Don't touch him!" Evan looked at me in shock. Ambrose leaped forward and wrapped his teeth around my neck without actually biting down. Then he turned to Evan and leaped on him, biting his throat. Evan screamed and kicked. I tried to pull Ambrose off.

Finally, he growled, grabbed me around the waist, and jumped through the window. He was not gentle as we whipped through trees, rocks and dirt flying. I cried out as my head hit a particularly hard boulder. I started fighting and kicking.

Finally, we reached a small clearing. Ambrose set me down, and I started to take off. He grabbed me around the waist.

"Stay still and be a good mate!" he cried.

"Don't fucking touch me! Let me go!"

"Got him, Ambrose?" I turned at the voice. it was Doyle, Ambrose's right-hand man.

"Yes. I'll have to thank Adam later."

"Excuse me?" I snapped.

"Shush," Ambrose said, grabbing my mouth. "Hush now. We don't want your father to find you. He will take you away from me again."

"That's exactly what we want," I argued. Ambrose hissed and leaned forward threateningly.

"You will stay with me," he growled. "You're mine, Reese Emerson. Mine! No one else can have you!"

"No, I belong to someone else!"

"The green-eyed boy? Or the green-eyed girl? They can't please you like I can."

"Don't touch them!"

"Such feistiness. That's why I like you, Reese. You will be a good prince beside me when I become king of the vampire world."

"That's just crazy."

"Oh? And what makes you think that your father will choose royalty over you?"

"Leave my father alone!" He hissed and bit me on the neck, drawing blood.

Slowly, I fell into a deep sleep that was racked with nightmares.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my fault. This is not my fault.

I was awoken by a loud purring. It came from Ambrose.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"In my private quarters in New York."

"What time is it?"

"Around noon." Even though it was noon in early June, the windows blocked out light. They were covered with plastic, blinds, and then black curtains. "You have been asleep for quite some time." He nuzzled my neck. He stopped nuzzling long enough to place a kiss on my collarbone. Against my will, I became excited. Ambrose growled.

"Mmm. You smell divine, my sweet mate." He crawled on top of me and started to undo my jeans. I pushed his hands away. "You're right," Ambrose sighed. "Now is not a good time. I need to get you away first."

I thought, if I ever get away from Ambrose, I will never take anything for granted ever again. He lifted my chin and looked into my eyes.

"My Reese, what is wrong?" Tears were pricking my eyes.

"Please, let me go."

"You know I can't do that. You are mine. You will be mine." He held me in such a way that I almost felt truly loved. My head was laid against his belly. He patted my back, trying to comfort me. I pushed him away. He growled and pulled me to him. He laid me back on the ground and started to explore my body. He lifted up my shirt and licked my navel. I gasped and tried to push him away.

He kept licking. He licked a trail from my navel downward. He started to undo my jeans again.

"Stop," I pleaded. He looked at me. "I'm...I'm not ready." He sighed, but stopped what he was doing. I realized that if I wanted to survive, I'd have to play along. Shoot. He picked me up like a baby. He purred softly, stroking my arm.

"Your hair is getting longer," he noted. He suddenly growled at a movement. "Oh, it's you, Doyle. What do you want?" I noticed that his accent seemed to deepen whenever he was stressed.

"A boat is ready," Doyle said. "It has a bedroom for you and him." He looked at me disdainfully.

"Excellent," Ambrose said. He looked at me. "Ready to go?"

"Go where?"

"Back to Germany, of course. Where we live."

"I live in North Hampton, New Jersey."

"Not anymore, my sweet. We will soon be married, and a castle is better than a mansion. You are a prince, not a mere noble."

"I-"

"Shhh. Enough questions for now. Sleep now. I will carry you."

His eyes swirled, and I fell asleep in seconds.

When I woke up again, I could smell the sea. I heard seagulls chittering, the scuttle of small crabs on the sand. I was in a bed with Ambrose beside me.

"You awake, my Reese?"

"Ambrose, where are we?"

"On my boat, silly."

It was so dark that even I couldn't see very well. He could, though, judging by his glowing eyes. He crawled on top of me, legs straddling mine. He leaned forward and kissed me. Our crotches touched, and I gasped. Ambrose growled.

"I can feel you beneath me," he said. "Especially with how young you are, and how much less experienced you are." My stomach quivered with anticipation. "I love you, Reese. I always have, ever since you allowed me to catch you the first time. That was an exciting experience for me. I love weak vampires. I love breaking strong vampires. I love looking into a vampire's eyes and watching him break, listening to him beg for life."

He nibbled my neck, and my belly tightened. He rumbled, purring and growling at the same time.

Father? I reached out.

Reese! Where are you?

I'm on a boat of some kind. Ambrose is...he says he wants to rule the vampire world.

Why does that not surprise me? Keep talking, I'll find you!

I sent him a mental picture of Ambrose. He growled. And then I felt us moving. I kneed Ambrose in the gut and sat up. He grabbed me around the waist and threw me back onto the bed. He ripped my shirt and started to tear my pants off. I kicked him again, this time hitting his head, dazing him.

I ran out of the room and jumped into the water. I saw a flash of blond.

"Father! How did you find me so fast?"

"I wasn't that far away," he replied, grabbing me. "Reese, are you all right? Did he violate you?"

"He tried," I told him. He squeezed me, almost cracking my ribs. "Did you find Mathias?" I asked. Father shook his head. "Ambrose mentioned Adam."

"Adam? From Zeke's clan? Shit. He and Janna are in Canada by now."

"How's Sarah?"

"She's fine. She's worried, but safe."

"Uncle Soren?"

"He hates himself at this point, but he's fine otherwise. So are Louis and Grandfather. Dimitri! What took you so long? Ambrose and Doyle are on that boat!"

Dimitri and Spencer ran and climbed onto the boat, followed by Toby.

Father took me to a waiting car, which Louis was driving.

"Is he okay?" Louis asked, looking at me.

"I'm fine," I answered before Father could. "I'm hungry."

"Try to sleep," Father said. He kissed my forehead. "Sleep."

CHAPTER TWENTY - BELIEF

The next day, I wondered if I'd actually gone through that, or if it was a dream. I was in bed again, dressed in one of my father's old shirts and a pair of sweats. I started to sit up, then fell back down, hitting my head on the wall. I had a massive migraine.

"Daddy?" I said. He appeared in my room seconds later. He sat on my bed and held my hand. "Dad, did that really happen?" He felt my forehead.

"Unfortunately, yes. Mathias is gone. We have Doyle, though, but Ambrose got away."

Damn. "Where's Evan?"

"I'm right here, Reese." My ex-boyfriend came and stood on his knees beside me. "God, I was so worried. You were gone for two days."

"Was I? It felt like one night."

"That's because you slept most of the time," Father said. "You were in such a deep sleep that I was barely able to connect with you. You don't know how happy I was when you reached out to me."

"What about Sarah?"

"Still worried, but she's okay," Father said. "So are your mother and Alexander."

"Father, I need to talk to Doyle."

"Um, no. I think not."

"Oh come, Mordecai," Uncle Soren said from down the hall. "If the boy wants to speak to Doyle, let him speak to Doyle." He came into the room next. "Are you all right, Reese?"

"I'm fine," I said. "Just hungry. And I need a shower."

After my shower, I felt much better. I'd already hunted with Father. Veins full, feeling clean, I changed into jeans and a black shirt. I put boots on and went downstairs. I went to the secret entrance in the yard and opened the door to the dungeons.

It was damp and smelled strangely like cabbage. I walked over to the cage, trying to ignore what the material was made of, and looked at Doyle, who regarded me with cold eyes. Father, Uncle Soren, Grandfather, and Louis were right behind me. Even Alexander was there. Alexander approached the cage.

"Where is Ambrose?" he roared. Doyle smiled coldly. Alexander undid the latch to the cage and pulled Doyle out of it. He hung Doyle by chains hanging from the ceiling.

"Stand back, Reese," Alexander said to me. Louis held me back. Alexander grabbed Doyle's head and twisted it, breaking several bones at once. Doyle cried out in pain. "I'll ask again: WHERE IS AMBROSE?"

Doyle smirked, his head hanging limply on his chest. Alexander snarled.

"Do you know who I am, chit?"

"You're Ambrogio Nicolai," Doyle said, still smirking. "The father of the vampire race."

"Yes, I am," Alexander said. "Do you know what you've done to attract my attention?"

"No, I don't. Nor do I care."

Alexander reached up and yanked on the chains, causing Doyle to crash to the ground.

"You kidnapped my soulson. And you let Ambrose get away. I'm going to enjoy hearing you scream if you don't talk. Of course, I may just decide to kill you now and ask questions later."

"If you do that, you won't know where Ambrose is," Doyle hissed.

"There are other ways of finding out information that I need. Reese, come here." I walked over and stood by Alexander. "Do you know who this is, Doyle?"

"Who doesn't? He's the reason why Ambrose is in America in the first place."

"Tell me where Ambrose is, or he'll pull a finger from your socket." I looked at Alexander. He ignored me. "Very well, then. Louis?"

Louis walked over to the wall and pulled a table out. Chains were on both ends. Father and Uncle Soren grabbed Doyle and set him on the table, putting chains on his wrists and ankles. Louis pushed a button, and the chains pulled in both directions. Doyle grimaced.

Father tried to cover my eyes, but I snapped my teeth at his hand. Louis pressed a button, and the chains stopped pulling.

"WHERE IS AMBROSE?" Alexander shouted.

"I don't know where Ambrose is, but I know where Adam and Janna are," Doyle replied. Alexander looked at me.

"Ambrose mentioned Adam," I said.

"Where is Adam?" Alexander asked.

"Getting ready to cross the border into Canada. Head straight north, and then five miles west. That's where you find Adam and Janna."

"Dimitri! Stephen!" Father called. The two guards came into the room. "You know what to do. And hurry." The two guards took off. Louis pressed the button, and the chains pulled on Doyle's arms and legs. Alexander stepped over to Doyle, put his hands around Doyle's head, twisted and pulled, beheading Doyle in seconds.

"How are you, Reese?" Father asked.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "I don't know what to think." He felt my forehead. "Are you ill?"

"For Thor's sakes, Mordecai, he just witnessed his first torture session," Uncle Soren snapped. "We all felt similarly after watching our first tortures."

I headed back into the house and went upstairs. Alexander came in shortly after.

"Your real name is Ambrogio?" I asked.

"Yes, it is," he nodded. "At least, that's the name I was born with. How are you?"

"I'll be