Bear shook then trotted closer to me and Ian and in spite of the fact I knew there was humanity in the eyes of the beast, fear trickled down my back like ice water.
Then he opened that huge mouth and growled, ending it with something similar to a snicker of laughter when I jumped.
“Real funny, Bear,” I chided. “Perhaps you should consider a stronger mouthwash.”
Ian chuckled behind me as Shia returned.
She walked lithely with the grace of the predator she was and nudged Bear in the side with a friendly thump that said, “quit fooling around, we’ve got work to do.”
With an answering nod they sauntered away to patrol the surrounding area before we entered the building.
Ian and I kept to the shadows and moved around toward the back of the house. Ian’s head snapped up and I had a second to realize that he heard something I hadn’t.
A figure dropped from the branch of a mesquite tree. It was obvious by his movements he didn’t know we could see or hear him and for a moment I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
I took the time to make sure I only needed one shot for the kill, and then squeezed the trigger. He dropped a moment after the sound ripped open the silence of the night.
Ian walked over and ensured the newbie I’d just shot would not rise again. He moved his body from beneath the shade of the mesquite tree so he would incinerate with the rising sun.
Our cover was blown but it was time to move in anyway and now there was one less bad guy to deal with.
We moved to the front and stepped up onto the decaying floorboards of the low porch.
Ballsy, but it didn’t really matter. They had already heard my gunshot and if the vampire behind this were powerful enough, he would have sensed our arrival anyway. There was nothing to be gained by being discreet.
Ian pushed me behind him and toed open the door. It creaked from disuse and dust billowed up to greet us as we walked in.
A small figure came out of one of the darkened corners.
“Ivelisse.” I whispered her name in relief and started to move toward her but Ian grabbed my arm to halt me.
“Don’t.” He stepped so that he partially covered me.
A slow clap of hands alerted me to a man sitting on the remnants of a sofa. “We expected Miss Wolfe to arrive,” Henri stood and dusted off his clothes, “but to have Ian too. How did you survive the fire?”
“She must have gotten to him before the fire.” Sonya’s condescending voice chimed from behind Henri.
“Ah.” His face twisted into a sinister smile that sent shards of ice down my spine. “Of course, I would have summoned you anyway.”
My breath froze in my throat.
“What have you done, Henri?” Ian snarled, his hands clenched into tight fists.
“I thought you would have figured it out already,” Henri sneered. “Quite frankly,” he waved his hand dismissively, “I am somewhat disappointed in you.”
Realization crashed into me. “You son of a bitch,” Ian’s hand on my shoulder kept me from moving toward Henri, “you mind-fucked me!”
“I was somewhat surprised to find it so easy to manipulate you.” He breathed a heavy sigh. “Sonya worked up a little spell to prevent you from remembering our exchange. Your blood tasted divine, Miss Wolfe. I can see why Ian is so enthralled with you. Alas, Ian survived your attack on him. Pity you didn’t keep your weapon loaded with silver bullets that day.”
I felt the rage flow through my veins like ice water. It was Henri that used compulsion on me to shoot Ian. I would bear the emotional scars of that night for the rest of my life.
Ian’s hand in mine reminded me that I would have my vengeance. I swallowed back the fury.
As my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed two other men standing in the shadows of the room. They both wore similar smiles that had nothing to do with humor and everything to do with evil. The pale light glinted off their fangs and their eyes glowed slightly.
My first thought was Damn, they’re huge. They looked like they stepped out of a roadside biker bar. They were both dressed in black leather from top to bottom. Various metal spikes lined the arms of their jackets and one had a metal claw affixed to his wrist that extended down each finger in jagged lengths.
“Allow me to introduce you to Ozzi and Merc.” Each man nodded in turn as Henri spoke their name. “I hired them to kill you.”
I saw a gleam of metal and shoved Ian away just before the bullet ripped into my side. I would recover from a shot of silver. I couldn’t be sure that Ian would and I wasn’t willing to take that risk.
Ian cradled me and lowered me to the floor, his hand cupping the back of my head. I was on my way there anyway but the soft landing was nice.
“You will suffer for this, Henri!” Ian snarled as he stalked toward him.
The two vampires stepped in his path, followed by a few others, likely newbies that were hidden in the shadows of the room. Ian didn’t even break stride as he flung one, Ozzi, into a nearby wall so hard that he left a man-size hole in the wall. Merc moved quickly by trying to swing Ian’s legs out from under him while slashing at him with the perilous-looking claw. Ian dodged the move and landed a punch on the side of his face, splaying blood across the room to splatter as crimson drops amid the decades-old dust covering the walls and floor. Merc recovered and tried to jump Ian from behind. Ian ducked, tossing him over his shoulder so he crashed down on top of what remained of a table, splintering wood and dust through the air.
Ozzi took another swing, using the spike-studded arms of his leather jacket, and this time he connected with Ian’s stomach and momentarily bent Ian over at the waist.
It was four vampires against one and I so wanted to help end this. I kept my hand on my gun, loaded with silver, and my fingers itched to pull the trigger. But we had a plan—well, getting shot wasn’t part of it—but I had to stick to the plan, so I just lay on the floor, the bleeding already stopped thanks to my Mark from Ian. Merc, Ozzi and Ian exchanged punches, jabs and kicks. The moves were lightning fast and showed all the speed and power a group of vampires possessed.
Henri, Sonya and Ivelisse took advantage of the distraction to creep from the room and that was exactly what I had been waiting for.
Bear crashed through the boarded-over window at the front of the house and pounced on one of the newbies, his massive jaws clamping down on his head and twisting, the sound of flesh ripping as the newbie screeched in agony.
I crawled to the doorway to follow Henri, Sonya and Ivelisse.
I hated leaving Ian there alone. He was still weak from the silver chains and at the moment was getting pummeled, but holding his own. I had to trust that he and Bear would handle the other vampires even in his somewhat compromised condition.
Once out of sight, I stood, wincing as a fresh wave of pain seared my side, and sniffed the air. An explosion of odors filled my head and I sifted through them to find the ones I was looking for, ignoring the others, particularly the more putrid ones.
I followed the scent to a trapdoor in the dilapidated kitchen. Cabinets hung loosely from the walls and something was growing on the old stovetop like a science experiment gone horribly wrong. The floor by the opening of the trapdoor was the only semi-clean spot in the room. I tugged open the door and descended into a darkened cave beneath the floorboards.
The last occupant of this house had been a vampire and Ian was well acquainted with the layout the house and part of its hidden underground. A series of hallways carved from the rock led into larger caverns where the previous owner “slept” in the daytime hours. The problem was finding which cavern Henri had decided to use and without them to lead the way, it could take hours to find.
Ian had gone through the layout with me over and over until I finally convinced him that I had them memorized and he needed to rest. He wasn’t completely healed and may have permanent scars as a lasting reminder of the chains, but he was whole and for all intents and purposes, he was alive.
&n
bsp; I followed the right side of the walkway, guided by the faint light Henri and Sonya had with them. I was astounded at the lack of sound coming from my own footfalls. It was as if I were walking on air, making no noise whatsoever.
I crouched low and felt my way with my hands, the cool and jagged walls keeping me grounded until they opened into a larger cavern.
Joaquín, Cougar and Chaos were separated by chain link fences that I assumed to be silver. Cougar was pacing the small area looking like the caged animal he was named for. His face was twisted into a scowl of anger and frustration. Body bags shredded by various degrees lay at their feet. That must have been how they got them out of the house without exposing them to the sun.
Chaos leaned against the one solid wall of his enclosure, his forehead furrowed as he no doubt planned a way to escape.
Joaquín had been beat up pretty badly, his lip and eye on the left side of his face swollen and ugly dark bruises along his brow. It seemed Ian was right and Joaquín hadn’t developed enough control to shift at will and was unable to turn into a wolf and defend himself.
He was in human form now and was standing near Henri. His hands were shackled together but he wasn’t caged.
What shocked me the most was seeing Maxwell Palmer standing near a fourth cell that held Ben.
Ben was contained in the same manner as the others and I knew, I just knew, what had happened to him.
Ben was a vampire. A very agitated and out of control newbie but a vampire just the same.
Ivelisse stood just on the other side of the doorway. She was talking with Henri and Sonya as they scurried about the room. Obviously my arrival with Ian had screwed up their plans and they were rushing to stuff various items into canvas bags, trying to make their own escape.
I pulled my gun from its holster and waited for a clear shot at Henri. As a vampire, he would be my toughest opponent and it wouldn’t be much of a rescue if I got captured myself. I needed to take Henri out first or wait for Ian.
I hated waiting.
Henri wheeled and slid a long sword from a sheath on the tabletop, pressing it into Joaquín’s chest so that any movement would have it piercing his skin. “Come now, Miss Wolfe,” Henri spoke calmly, “surely you don’t want me run him through?” His lip curled into a bone chilling sneer. “I assure you, it will kill him.”
Maybe I should have waited.
Chaos and Cougar, startled by my sudden appearance, stood tense and ready to fight.
I stepped forward, keeping my gun aimed at Henri.
“Shouldn’t you be dead?” He tipped his chin toward the already healing gunshot wound in my side, but something in his expression told me he already knew my secret.
I turned my neck to expose the small puncture marks, my own wicked smile spreading across my face.
“You let Ian Mark you?” Cougar breathed in disbelief.
I was now Ian’s bloodslave and if Ian died, I would likely die with him.
It was worth the risk.
In less than a week the only evidence of being shot would be a scar, and that too, would disappear.
“I just lost fifty bucks to Falcon,” Cougar sulked sarcastically.
“Now isn’t the time, Coug.” I advised him.
“Would you care to make a wager,” Henri continued. “I’m sure I can skewer Joaquín before the bullet hits me.” He arched one bushy eyebrow. “I may die.” He pursed his lips and sliced the blade down Joaquín’s chest to emphasize his words, drawing a thin line of blood down Joaquín’s torso. “He will most definitely be dead.”
I swallowed the lump forming in my throat as the gash in Joaquín’s chest grew wider. “What makes you think I give a damn what happens to him?”
“If you didn’t care about him, you would have killed him already for kidnapping you.”
I slid my eyes over to where Sonya and Ivelisse stood, momentarily stilled from stuffing various items into duffel bags.
Justice started to appear behind them. She was faded, like she was having trouble becoming fully corporeal and mouthed something to me that I couldn’t decipher.
Sonya’s lips were moving silently and furiously and for a moment I thought she was praying. That’s when Justice became solid and I heard the one word she had been repeating, “Spell!”
I felt a shimmer of electricity and knew that Sonya was casting a spell. I turned my gun to her.
“Don’t,” Henri warned and slid another slash along Joaquín’s chest.
“This wasn’t part of the plan, Henri.” Maxwell walked over to Henri…
“Shut the hell up, Max.” Henri’s hand moved in a blur of speed and connected with Maxwell, knocking him unconscious.
“Tell Sonya to stop weaving her spell, Henri,” I warned. “Or I will shoot her.”
Ivelisse gasped and Sonya froze.
“I hope that whatever you gained by this was worth it. It has cost you your existence.” I kept my gun steady on Sonya.
“I believe I am the one wielding the sword, Ms. Wolfe. But if you must know, Mr. Palmer here has been kind enough to—how do you say?—clear the way for some of my product to move freely around the United States.”
“Product?” I asked, wishing he’d get on with it. It didn’t matter how much you trained or how much strength you had, holding a gun in your hand extended from your body was going to start getting difficult.
“Blood,” Sonya supplied huskily, fear lacing her voice.
“We had begun making new vampires to act as procurers and distributors for our product.”
“Procurers?” I asked.
“Humans aren’t always so eager to part with their bodily fluids and newbies don’t have the best restraint. It was easiest to pick those who would not be so easily missed.”
“You mean murderers and dealers.” My blood boiled with his casual flippancy at the loss of life and I wondered how many people had died to supply him with blood. He could have taken blood without draining them of their lives.
He gave me one slight nod. “Crude, but if you prefer that terminology, then yes. Once Maxwell’s son died so inconveniently,” he directed a half smile at Ben, “we traded services.”
“You saved Ben by turning him into a vampire. What do you get out of it?”
“The new vampires became too difficult to manage and began to bring the unwanted attention of the human authorities. I have obtained certain access to areas that had proved difficult to conduct business in.”
“What about the VRA?” I asked.
“We had the same views on that. We both want it repealed. I would have a hard time selling product to vampires who could just as easily get it themselves. There have been many willing donors since the VRA went into effect.” He pursed his lips and winked at me. “You yourself have experienced the benefits of such an exchange.”
My face flushed with both anger and embarrassment, mostly anger.
“It’s cutting into your business.” My arms twitched and I saw Sonya move closer to Ivelisse.
Henri nodded toward Sonya. “She wanted some new supernaturals to play with. She likes to experiment her craft on live specimens.” He casually lifted a shoulder and grinned. “So I gave her a shifter and a vampire. The fact that we got a Marquis in the bargain,” he jerked his head toward Chaos, “well, it was just my lucky day.”
“What’s in it for you, Ivelisse?” I shifted focus to her and like a good little vampire, Henri waited for her response.
“Chaos told me he was powerful.” Enough venom dripped from her words to singe the hair on my arms. “Only it was me he used that power on,” she continued. “I’ve been looking for an opportunity to be rid of him for decades!” She pinned Chaos with a glare. “I’m not your bloodslave anymore,” she screamed in Chaos’s direction and he winced, as if her very words caused him pain.
Sonya jumped and dodged toward a hall at the back of the chamber.
I squeezed the trigger and fired.
Chapter Fifty-Four
The first
shot hit Sonya in the back of her shoulder. She turned and I fired again, lodging the bullet in her chest. She clutched her hands to the wound as shock and pain widened her eyes.
Henri dropped his sword and rushed to her side.
She was dead before he got there.
He whirled toward me. “You stupid bitch.” Sorrow darkened his eyes and I could see and feel the rage build within him. It was so potent that it leaked through my carefully constructed shields and prickled my skin like tiny burning embers from an out-of-control fire.
In a lightning flash of speed he heaved a chair at me.
The wood splintered as it connected with me, knocking me to my knees. I clutched both hands over my head as the room spun and my eyes glazed white. I tried to stand but only fell further onto my ass, the contact sending ripples of excruciating pain from my tailbone to my skull.
Through my hazy vision I saw Henri gulp huge mouthfuls of air as his face twisted in a hatred so palpable I could feel it crowding around me.
With a sudden scream he then turned and yanked a dagger from a sheath on his belt, crossed the room and thrust it into Joaquín’s shoulder.
“Do something, Leah,” Chaos growled, yet the sound only echoed through the hollows of my mind.
Henri pulled the dagger from Joaquín and the sickening suction of it leaving his flesh reverberated around me.
I heard the echoes of footsteps in the stone halls that surrounded the cavern and I knew Ian would not get here in time.
Henri turned to me, his eyes wild with inhuman rage. “You will watch him suffer before he dies, Miss Wolfe.” He thrust the blade into Joaquín again.
I could see Joaquín’s skin twitch, his muscles and bones trying to shift. Sweat flowed off him but he was unable to make himself Change.
He didn’t know how to control it yet.
I gave up trying to stand and looked around the room for some source of fire to mentally thrust at Henri before he killed everyone while I helplessly watched. There wasn’t so much as a candle burning so I did the only thing I could think of.
“Rise,” I whispered, “rise and kill Henri.” I thought the words over and over, willing the body to move until the corpse rose with torturously slow movements, clambering silently across the room.
The Order of Chaos Page 27
