Chasing Shadows (Shadows 2)

My father's eyes narrowed but then he just shook his head. "Fine, take her." He reached behind him and pulled out a gun from his waistband, handing it to Lenore. "If she tries to escape, shoot her. I'd rather have her dead than have her escape."

Lenore rolled her eyes but she took the gun. She motioned for the boys to untie the rope around my legs and I felt a brief reprieve when one of my wrists was released from the handcuffs, but it was immediately shackled again after they had threaded it out of the chair slat.

One of the boys shoved me forward and I stumbled, my legs numb from sitting in one position for so long. I struggled to stay standing.

"Come on, hurry up. Otherwise I'll regret being sympathetic." Lenore waved the gun, motioning for me to walk towards the bathroom next to the basement door, and I staggered to it. I looked back at her when she stepped into the bathroom with me.

"Don't I get any privacy?"

Lenore looked amused. "How stupid do you think I am?"

I looked down at my pants, mortified by the fact that I couldn't undo them with my hands handcuffed behind me. Lenore saw my difficulties and sighed, reaching over to help me relieve myself. I didn't look her in the face, embarrassed despite everything else that was happening.

When she pulled my clothes back up and turned to open the bathroom door, I started speaking rapidly.

"Lenore, please don't do this. You can't work with them. They'll destroy us all. Please!"

Lenore turned to me and lifted an eyebrow. "Save it. I don't want to hear it."

My voice turned more urgent. "You can't trust them. After they're done using you, what do you think they're going to do to you? There's no room for human souls in thei

r world."

Lenore ignored me and opened the bathroom door, pushing me in front of her. The two boys immediately grabbed me and hauled me back to the chair in the living room, securing me tightly to it. I was again left with just the two boys standing watch, as my father and the women went to the kitchen and I heard the back door slam. I wondered if they were going to the backyard because they didn't want me to overhear their conversation.

They were gone for hours. I attempted to get a response from the boys a few times, asking for water or for something to eat, but they just looked at me in stoic silence. My arms and legs were killing me from being restrained, and my shoulder and head throbbed from the punch and from falling.

I knew that I would be kept alive at least until tomorrow, since they wanted to put me under hypnosis again. I wondered what Simon's family would do when we didn't return home tonight. I fervently prayed that they would call the police and that would lead them to my aunt's house. I didn't know any other way to get out of this, but I had no idea if the human police force would be able to contend with vardogers.

It was getting dark by the time they returned, walking in by the front door instead of the back. I hadn't heard a car starting so I didn't think they had gone anywhere, but I couldn't imagine what they could have been doing outside this entire time.

They went upstairs instead coming into the living room, except for Marie who went into the kitchen. When she came back out, she was holding a tray with a glass of water and a sandwich. She set it down on the coffee table and looked at me.

"I'm going to feed you, but if you try anything, I'll let the boys take over. And they'll be much rougher with you."

"Marie, you know this is wrong. Why are you going along with it?"

Marie glanced at the two boys but they just stared at her impassively. She turned back to me and lifted the glass to my lips. I didn't refuse the water as I gulped it down greedily, soothing my parched throat. While I didn't want to accept anything from her, I had to keep my strength up if I was going to get out of this alive.

She picked up the sandwich and held it up to my mouth. I took a large bite and chewed it. I had been desperate for water but I had no appetite. I simply ate for energy.

"You don't understand, Caitlin." Marie whispered, so that the boys couldn't hear her. They were sitting in armchairs by the window across the living room, periodically scanning outside as they kept watch over me.

"I didn't know Lenore's true intentions the first time we saw you," she continued, her voice barely audible. "I had no choice."

I whispered as well, but my tone was fierce. "You do have a choice! This is going to end badly for all of us. Why does Lenore think she can trust them? All they want to do is destroy human souls and overtake bodies. Why does she think she'll be spared?"

Marie pushed the sandwich towards my mouth again and I took a bite to keep up the guise of her feeding me.

"Lenore has always been power hungry. She was never satisfied with the calling of a seer. I think she resented it. She sees this as her chance to break free from it. And Cecelia does whatever Lenore tells her to do. It's always been that way."

I swallowed the bite of sandwich. "But what about you? You can put a stop to this!"

Marie shook her head sadly. "I can't, Caitlin. They have my sister. If I don't cooperate, they'll kill her."

"Marie, if you cooperate she's already dead. We're all dead."

Marie pressed her lips together but didn't answer. Instead, she dropped the sandwich back on the plate and turned to the boys. "Feed her." She walked away and up the stairs without a backward glance.