Too late

Slipping through his fingers

Jack's point of view

Alishia was on her way home after a date with Kian. He had his arm around her shoulders and they were chatting lightly. The moon was up, so we were alert, just not alert enough. The attack was planned, they hit us, guards, first with a blow to the head knocking us unconscious.

I for obvious reasons don't know what happened next, but when I woke up we were in a room with absolutely no windows, our hands tied with plastic strips to chairs, and four human guards. The scenario Haley had described to me about when she was held captured with Brendon by a group of vampires flashed through my mind, I immediately regretted letting my thoughts wander. Haley. It had been over a year since I gave her to them. A year where we had been waiting for a devious, strikingly beautiful vampire to attack but nothing had happened. In the end, the court had declared her dead. They had worked out a theory that she was too great of a treat to the vampires and that they had decided to take her out. Though it pained me, I knew it was better than the alternative. Yet how could I live knowing she died thinking I didn't love her anymore. Knowing the last thing I did for her caused her death.

I had caught Kian's eye, he and Alishia were placed in the other end of the room when the door opened. Two vampires walked in one was obviously very old and had been a dhampir before he was turned, the other was more fairy looking, but possibly older than his companion. He took charge so my assumptions were right. He walked straight to me and bowed down.

"Well hello, finally awake I see." I glared at him refusing to speak and he chuckled. "Feisty I see. Don't worry I am not here to cause harm, I just want information." I still glared and he laughed again. "I see. Well, let me start then. When we captured you I was planning on a little game before killing you off but then I got interested: Two fairies with this many guards? Something wasn't quite right. So my question is: Who are these two fairies?" I tried not to let it show, but my blood turned cold at that moment. If they found out who Alishia was… no I wouldn't let them. He tilted his head and made a mocking sad expression. "I see: Still not talking? Well, I know how to make you talk then." "Bring in the b***h!" he yelled to one of the humans and two of them quickly disappeared.

"Now when they come back they'll be bringing a lovely young woman along with them and every time you refuse to answer me, I'll take out my rage on her, okay?" I clenched my jaw, an innocent girl would be suffering because of me, but if I let them know, they would kill Alishia. This girl was properly going to die anyway, I had to earn time to come up with an escape plan. The door opened and they pushed in a girl in black underwear and heavy metal cuffs behind her back. Her hair was hanging in front of her face, and her skin was already bruised. My heart ached for her but I couldn't let it show. She fell to the floor at their force but quickly looked up, her hair swinging slightly back, so she could see us. She was looking at Alishia first, whose eyes widen as she gasped at the same time as the girl gasped "Lis?"

Crap so much for keeping her name secret, but as the girl looked at me that concern flew from my mind. It was Haley. She was alive, I just couldn't believe it-

"Well well well, look at this we are already getting somewhere." He walked to Haley and lifted her chin.

"You know them?" Haley sent him a glare.

"What makes you think I would tell you?" a horrific sound rang through the room, as he smacked her so hard I was afraid her jaw would break.

"You know that is the problem with you. You always like to TRY, but I think I have already taught you that when I ask you to do something you WILL do it, sooner or later, so you might as well speak." She looked up and gave him a glare before sighing. Oh no Haley please don't.

"His name is Bill Clarkson, but he is irrelevant. It is her you should be interested in. Her name is Lissette Kanovach, her father is a big front person for Dhampires rights so there are a lot of people trying to hit him through her: She needs protection." She was lying through her teeth, but it was working.

He let out a frustrated cry. "So WE can't use her for anything?"

She continued glaring at him and he sent her a threatening look. "Well, you could send a photo with her name and a letter demanding ransom for her. I know you could use the money." Smart Haley very smart. He gave her a glare but asked.

"How much do you think we'll get?" The court would give them anything they asked for but Haley couldn't say that.

"Her dad isn't rich but there are high powers behind him. If he is mourning he is useless. I'll say somewhere in between 2 and 5 million."

He nodded and turned to the humans. "Take photos and writhe them a letter demanding 5 million dollars for these two sweethearts, 7 and they'll get the guards back too, I don't like dhampire blood anyway."

Haley snorted and he whipped around to face her with a cruel smile.

"You of course is a special case. Take her back." And they took her away. I tried to meet her eyes to tell her some kind of thank you but she was gone.

About 13 hours later we were sitting tied in other ways empty van when the doors opened and the head of security, Thomas Richard along with a group of other guards helped us out.

"Thank god you're alright. Who in the world came up with telling them her name was Lissette?" I wasn't sure how to tell him, but Alishia didn't waste time.

"The best guard this world has ever seen." He looked at me, but she shook her head.

"Mr. Richard… Haley is alive."

Two weeks later, three vans were packed with guards, heading towards what we had located as the place we had been held, about to kick some ass and hopefully get Haley back. Thomas had agreed officially because if she was being held, other guards and fairies might be too. It was board daylight, they wouldn't see it coming and we could make a quick escape.

The cars stooped and we readied at all entrances before striking all at once. Moving through the floors some searched up while my party was going through the underlying floors. Instead of taking out all vampires at once, we let some guards take the fight while we ran further into the nest. And as we searched I was getting more and more frustrated. The longer down we got the more empty rooms we meet. Thomas had been right through, several rooms were filled with captives of all kinds. When I had been undercover in a similar organization we didn't keep prisoners but apparently, this group worked differently. Each time we meet a room with captives some guards had to stay and help them out, making our troop smaller and smaller. Finally, we reached the last room on the last floor and still hadn't found Haley. One kicked in the door then quickly moved out of the way. The vampire who had been in charge was standing there smirking, waiting for us. I immediately had him pinned up against the wall with my stake at his neck.

"Where. Is. She?!" I demanded and his eyes showed confusion.

"Well, see who it is! I knew letting you go was a mistake." He tried to keep the upper hand but with my stake digging into his neck, we both knew he didn't stand a chance.

"Answer!" His smirk didn't flatter.

"Well, I would love to, if I knew who you were asking for?"

I growled and pushed harder. "The girl who gave you our identity, where is she?!"

His smirk grew in understanding and I felt my stomach drop. "Oh her? Why are you so interested in that thing?" I growled at him again and pushed more making him flinch.

"We can make this quick or painful. Tell me where she is!"

His smirk gone he actually looked a bit scared. "I- *gasp*- I sold her *gasp* to some other vampire. He didn't - ahhh – tell me where he was going." I let out a frustrated cry before staking him in the heart. We had been so close yet still too late, and once again I felt that she had been taken directly from my arms.