Death Deceives: Book Three (Mortis Vampire Series) by J.C. Diem Read Free Book Online Page A

mob when they found us.
    We listened for any sounds of movement and I sent out my senses once more but came up blank. It was far too quiet for anyone alive or undead to be hiding on this level. After a glance at Luc and Gregor, Igor shrugged at their reluctant nods and took another staircase downward.

Chapter Six
     
    Geordie squeezed in front of Luc so he was directly behind me. He was so close he was all but treading on my heels. I trusted his instincts so if he showed any signs of nervousness I’d know we were in trouble. “I do not like this level of the catacombs, Natalie,” he whispered suddenly, almost making me jump.
    Neither did I and I didn’t have any particular reason for it. “Why not?” I asked just as quietly.
    His response was gloomy. “It is said to be haunted.” I threw a look over my shoulder to see if he was joking or not . His grin was weak and half-hearted as if he wasn’t sure whether to believe the stories he’d been told or not.
    “Haunted by what?” We were the walking dead. If anyone was haunting the earth, surely it was us.
    “By the ghosts of those who were slain as food or entertainment for the Comtesse, the Council and the Court,” Igor intoned. He cast a dark look back at me that didn’t ease me at all. “This is where the humans are kept.” Gesturing to a long, pitch black tunnel, he nodded for me to precede him.
    Luc had once told me that there were no such things as ghosts. Maybe that had been wishful thinking on his part. He seemed to be just as uncomfortable as the rest of us at being down here.
    Ok, I told myself as I squeezed past Igor, remember that you are Mortis, mistress of death. You are the bane of vampirekind. You are strong and powerful and you aren’t afraid of anything. That was a big, fat lie. I was afraid of plenty. I was especially afraid of making a fool of myself. It happened all too frequently for my liking.
    Luc gave me a reassuring nod and Gregor gave me a smile that didn’t quite make it all the way up to his eyes. My friends were spooked and were hiding it badly. They also seemed to be ashamed, either of themselves or simply from being members of the Court in their various ways. Even Gregor, who lived as far apart from the Court as possible, hung his head a little. I suspected their shame revolved around the deaths of generations of poor human captives who had provided food for our kind.
    It was far too quiet down on the lower levels. It was still pretty early and humans were noisy creatures even when they were asleep. I should have been able to hear them breathing, twitching, crying, farting and making all the usual sounds humans couldn’t help but make.
    With a serious case of the heebie-jeebies, I pulled my second sword free and passed my backpack to Geordie. I was the fastest, strongest and most impervious to death so it only made sense for me to go first.
    A heavy metal door waited at the end of the tunnel. It swung open at my light shove with a rusty creak that added to the overall creepy atmosphere. A nauseous smell hit me and I understood why the humans were so quiet. Geordie muttered something beneath his breath about the odour as I stepped through the door.
    Cages lined a room that stretched too far into the distance for me to see the end of. Humans were crammed in together, up to twenty per cage that should have only housed fifteen at the most. Their living conditions were equally as appalling as the captives I’d dreamed about in the cavern of doom. These poor souls had only bare dirt to lie down on and would have to take it in turns to sleep. Naked and malnourished, they wallowed in filth like penned animals. I resisted an almost overwhelming urge to turn and rake a scornful glare across my companions. I reminded myself that the Council was at fault, not my friends. If they’d made any kind of protest, they no doubt would have been punished for it.
    It wasn’t just the smell of human waste that tainted the air. It was also thick