Part 22 (2/2)
”Continue,” I grunted.
”We're holding your son and daughter captive. We've given your twins a rough time already, so I suggest that you don't make this more difficult than it needs to be.”
”What are you?” Sofia said, her voice weak.
”That's not important. What's important is that you pay attention.”
We waited with bated breath for him to continue.
”We know that you hold an immune on your island. In exchange for the return of your children, you will hand over the immune to us.”
All eyes shot toward Anna. Blood drained from her face as she sat resting her hands over her pregnant stomach.
I picked up the phone, my resolve disappearing by the second.
”Why do you want an immune?”
”Is that Derek Novak speaking?” The man chuckled. ”You know the value of immunes. And since most of them are locked away in the depths of Cruor now, they are almost impossible to find.”
”We no longer have the immune,” Sofia said. ”She pa.s.sed away a few months ago during labor. But our witches took samples of her blood. We have large stores. We could hand them over to you instead.”
Stellan laughed.
”Only the fresh, hot blood of an immune is of use to us. So if your immune has indeed died, then you've nothing to offer us in exchange for the twins. You'd better think long and hard if that immune really is dead.”
We all paused, staring at each other. After a few moments, Stellan said, ”I'll give you time to think things over and not make any rash decisions, eh? Call me back once you have an answer. You have my number. I'll be waiting.”
The phone buzzed as the line cut off.
”They're not getting Anna,” almost everyone in the room said at once as soon as the vampire hung up.
I held my hands up for silence. I needed to think fast. Sofia's panicked eyes settled on me.
I sat down in my seat and closed my eyes, resting my head in my hand.
There was no way we would ever hand over Anna. That much was for certain. But we had to find a way to get our twins home unscathed.
I sat for several more minutes in silence as every pair of eyes in the hall bored into me, waiting for my solution.
Finally I looked up. ”Hand me the phone.”
I dialed our twins' number and waited. Stellan answered after two rings.
”Yes?”
”We do have the immune,” I said. ”We'll offer her to you in exchange for the twins.”
”Hm,” he said. ”Good. You are to meet us tomorrow night. I suggest you write down the location.”
I noted down the details.
”Make sure that immune is with you, Novak. And don't bring any witches. If you breach this agreement, I'll snap the spines of both of your children with my bare hands.”
He hung up.
Everyone in the room was looking at me like I'd gone mad.
”What did you just say?” Sofia exclaimed.
”We won't bring Anna with us,” I said loudly, quietening everyone's protests. ”She will remain here.”
”What?” Sofia said.
”We need to turn this into an ambush. We'll bring our best fighters, along with as many witches as we can spare. All we need right now is to have these people within reach. Once we meet them, we won't leave until we've got Rose and Ben safely back with us.”
Anna stood up for the first time.
”What if they do something to Rose and Ben once they realize you've tried to deceive them?”
”They won't have time. We'll make this ambush fast. As soon as we lay eyes on them, we'll rush in.”
”But we don't even know what Stellan and his companions are,” Anna said. ”We don't know for sure that they are vampires. How can you be so sure that you'll be able to overpower them and get your twins back?”
”Anna,” I said, my chest heaving. ”It's our only option.”
Everyone quietened down and sat back in their seats.
”So how are we going to go about this exactly?” Xavier asked.
”Listen carefully,” I said, flattening my palms on the table as I prepared to voice the plan in my mind.
Vampires and a few witches filled up each of the submarines we had on the island. Sofia and I boarded the smallest submarine alone. We made sure to travel a long distance ahead of the other submarines. We couldn't afford Stellan detecting them.
Eli had given me a pager before we left. He also placed them in each of the submarines. When I pressed mine, the others would take it as a signal to close in.
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