Cold Blooded jm-3

by Amanda Carlson

  “Now you finally die, asshat,” Ray yelled. He was on his knees, hovering over the Screamer, his entire arm inside its back. I watched in fascination as he slowly pulled something out of Conan’s abused body.

  It was a shimmery half-formed mass.

  Once it was out of the body, Ray struggled to hold on to it. Tyler and Danny barked like mad, clearly uneasy. It was quite a sight.

  Rourke stood near me now, a snarl ripping from his chest. “If that thing gets near Jessica, I will kill you, vampire.”

  “Hold on to your pants,” Ray grumbled. “This thing is like glue in my hands. I just don’t know exactly what to do with it now.” His eyebrows quirked in concentration. “There isn’t a mind manual for this shit.”

  “He must consume the energy,” a breathy voice filtered in my ear. “The reaper must eat it.”

  “Ben says you have to consume the energy,” I called to Ray, my hands still deeply buried in my father’s fur. “It sounds fairly revolting, but I’d trust him on this.”

  “Who’s Ben?” Tyler asked, running up to us. He and Danny had both changed back once they saw Ray had harnessed the Screamer.

  “He’s the resident ghost,” I answered. “He says Ray has to eat the energy to get rid of it.”

  Ray said, “I heard him.”

  I was beyond being surprised by anything. “I guess if you’re a reaper that would make sense.” My father stirred beneath me. “Ray, you need to get a move on, because my father needs you much more than the Screamer.”

  Ray seemed to notice what was going on with my dad for the first time. “What’s wrong with him? He smells like death.” He paced closer, still holding the squirming mass.

  Rourke stepped in his way. “Don’t come any closer. That thing is unpredictable.”

  “My father’s been cursed,” I answered. “You’re supposed to be able to help, but I don’t see how.” My voice was beginning to edge toward panic. “Ray, please, you have to do something.”

  Ray’s voice was somber. “I’ll give it my best shot once I’m done with this.” He turned his head to address the ghost. “How do I get rid of this?”

  “You must consume it.” Ben’s voice came out a little stronger. “The Strigoi’s soul must be ripped from its power source. You hold the power source in your hand.”

  “How?”

  “You must drink it.”

  Ray eyed the thing squirming in his hands with distaste as his incisors snapped down and his face started to shift. “They don’t pay me enough for this job,” he muttered as he reared up and sank his fangs into the wiggling mass and sucked.

  “That can’t be good,” I said as my lips curled.

  “He is dislodging the soul from its shell,” Ben said next to my ear. “Without a host, its energy will crumble and it will be gone.”

  “I thought you said there was no way to defeat it before?”

  “You never told me you had a reaper in your midst. They are very rare.”

  I had no idea I had a reaper in my midst either. Seeing Ray in action was totally surreal. Salvation indeed. He was a maniac.

  After a minute Ray unlatched and threw his head back, gasping. He opened his mouth toward the sky and a shimmering mist erupted like hot breath on an icy day and shot skyward. “Hannon,” Ray gasped, still emptying his lungs. “It won’t—”

  “It seeks.” Ben’s thin, breathy voice shook with fear. “It still holds too much power.”

  “What’s wrong?” I asked urgently. “What are we supposed—”

  Before I knew what was happening, Ray dove for my father right as the shimmering mist plunged into his body.

  My father convulsed once on the ground and his legs began to kick.

  Tyler collided with Ray before I could stop him.

  He grabbed him around the throat and dragged him away from our father, moving quickly.

  “Tyler!” I shouted, running after them. “What are you doing?”

  “He’s going to bite him,” Tyler yelled, his voice full of emotion and panic. It swirled in my veins, his instincts coming to the forefront, more wolf than human. “I can’t let a vamp bite him. My wolf won’t allow it to happen. He’s our Alpha.”

  “Tyler, listen to me. You’re not thinking straight. If you don’t let him do this, Dad will die,” I said as calmly as I could. Tyler snarled and gnashed his teeth and I held my hands up. If Tyler broke Ray’s neck, it would take too much time for him to heal. “You have to let him go. That thing is in Dad. Ray is the only one who can help him. And if we don’t hurry, he dies.”

  “I can fly, you meathead,” Ray grunted. “Do you want to go for a ride?”

  “Shut up,” Tyler spat. “I don’t trust you. You just let that thing go and because of it, it landed in my father. Why should I trust you?”

  “Tyler, you need to be reasonable. I know you’re freaked out and I am too.” I injected as much reassurance into our bond as I could. Tyler’s wolf was fighting him for control, rearing up to save his Alpha. “But we have to do whatever we can to save Dad.”

  “She’s right,” Danny added, treading cautiously. “You have to let him go, mate. He’s not just a vampire—he’s a bloody reaper. He sucked that thing clean. This is what the child oracle was talking about. This is why Ray is here. He can help us. He’s the only one who can help us. You must release him.”

  Rourke eased in behind Tyler.

  I nodded once. My brother’s irises swirled in anger and confusion as Rourke took him by the shoulders.

  “Get off me, cat,” Tyler snarled.

  Let go of Ray.

  “The reaper must do his job. The wolf will not last.” Ben’s voice was in my ear. “The Strigoi is too strong, and it’s gaining more power by the second.”

  Tyler, let him GO! I hurled power into the words like never before.

  Tyler dropped his arms and Rourke walked him backward. Ray lunged at my father, taking him around the neck, sinking his fangs in deeply.

  I closed my eyes.

  Rourke was next to me before I opened them. “I get it now,” I whispered as I watched Ray, wrapping my fist into Rourke’s shirt. “He’s a reaper, but not a vamp reaper. He’s a reaper and a vamp.”

  “You have to be born a reaper,” Rourke said, pulling me closer. “I’ve never heard of one being made. It’s an ancient race.”

  “My blood must have triggered something he already had inside. By all rights he should’ve died many times over on that journey. Eamon ripped his neck out and he still had a pulse. And he’s always been immune to persuasion. I thought I’d seen something in him once, but he never smelled like a supe, so I dismissed it.”

  “A vampire mixed with a reaper is a deadly combo if you ask me,” Rourke murmured close to my ear. “We’re going to have to watch him carefully.”

  Tyler paced ten feet away, his head in his hands. There was nothing I could do to comfort him. We both had to endure Ray as he tried to save our father.

  I glanced up at my mate, shivering. I was bone weary and the fight hadn’t even started. I could hear the sorcerers arming themselves outside the walls, and the Queen still stood on the roof, arms raised. We were running out of time. “Do you know what a reaper is exactly?” I asked while we waited. Ray was still hunched over my father. I tried to block out the noises.

  “I’ve never known of one,” he answered. “But from history, they are said to have control over souls, sending them to their next resting place when they die. It’s pretty clear he can catch them. Other than that, I don’t know.”

  “They can also pull a living soul from a body,” Naomi replied quietly as she neared. “Selene had one in her employ, before she got wary and killed her. They are an asset, but they can also be deadly. A reaper can kill by taking a healthy soul from its host. The stronger the reaper, the bigger the supernatural soul they can snatch.”

  That was a lot to take in.

  Ray made a gargling noise and finally staggered backward.

  Then he doubled over
and vomited.

  26

  The stuff pouring out of him was putrid. Globs of yellow mixed with blood.

  “Jesus, Ray!” I shouted. I broke away from Rourke and took a step toward him and then one back. I didn’t want to get close to whatever was ejecting out of him.

  My father twitched and raised his shaggy head slowly. I rushed to him, my hands grazing lightly over his fur. Are you okay? Is that you?

  Did you let a vampire drink me? His voice was sardonic and I almost cried out in joy.

  He sounded like himself, or at least on his way.

  I tentatively pushed some power into him, searching, but I didn’t feel the Screamer or the masses anywhere. That vampire just saved your life.

  Ray was still churning out the mess a few feet away. He’d managed to suck out the curse, but he was paying for it.

  “Good grief, man. That’s a nasty business,” Danny commented. “Glad I’m not in your shoes, then. I’d likely choke to death on the first go.”

  “Danny,” I called. “Run into the house and find my father some clothes. Take whatever you can get your hands on.”

  “I’m on it.” He saluted as he turned to leave.

  “Naomi.” I flicked my head. “Go with him, in case he runs into trouble.” Eudoxia was still on the roof; who knew what the vamps were doing.

  “Of course,” she answered.

  “Try Conan’s room. He’s about the right size and he won’t be needing them any longer.” A shot of pity ran through my body. I disliked Conan, but seeing him die so violently had been awful.

  “Conan?” Naomi cocked her head at me.

  I pointed to the bones in the yard. Once the Screamer had exited, the vamp had decayed immediately.

  “Oui,” she said. “That was Francis. He will not be greatly missed. Eudoxia had him changed on a whim. She was curious about his body, but he was not … an intelligent being. I know where his rooms are.”

  Tyler paced tentatively to us, running a hand over his face. “Is he okay?”

  “It looks like it,” I said. My father was still in his wolf form. “I don’t want to be overly excited until we know for sure.”

  My father’s body began to vibrate, and I stepped back as he started shifting into his human form. That was a good sign.

  “Listen, Jess,” Tyler said. “I didn’t mean—”

  “Tyler,” I cut him off, “it’s absolutely fine. You were protecting your father. Totally understandable and I wouldn’t expect any less. It’s all finished. He survived.”

  It took my father no time to shift.

  He appeared haggard in his human form but was regaining his color quickly. “What did that vampire do to me?” He rubbed his neck.

  “I’m not sure.” I glanced over at Ray, who was still bent over, hands braced on his knees. For the moment it appeared he was done regurgitating the nastiness. “I think he sucked the curse out of you along with the Screamer. It was incredibly lucky he was here.” There was no time to explain everything that had happened over the past few days. My father would get a full report once we were out of danger.

  My father nodded once. “I am indebted to him, then.” He sat up, looking more aware by the second. “But that will have to wait. We need to prepare for battle immediately. My wolves have told me internally the fracture pack is aligning just outside the city limits. We need to amass the Pack in here and ready ourselves for war.”

  “The Queen has the perimeter warded,” Rourke said, coming up next to us. “No entry is possible at the moment. The fracture pack is a problem, but that’s not the only thing we have to fight. The sorcerers have been summoning demons, and as of right now, they line the perimeter three-fourths around the mansion. We have staked out a fourth, outside the front entrance.”

  “Eudoxia will have to open the ward, then. I want my Pack in here.” My father’s voice was firm. “We can’t defeat any opposition without any fighters.”

  “That won’t be an easy task.” Rourke pointed to the roof. “It’s taking everything she has to fuel the ward. The magic from the outside is pushing back against it already. She has to keep a constant stream going or it will fall. It’s the only reason why the sorcerers and demons are not inside yet.”

  I felt the magic building, the two sides pushing against each other, fighting for power. One had to give eventually. I just hoped it wasn’t hers. “Dad,” I said. “Nick is on the outside with the rest of the Pack and has been joined by the witches. I hope Tally’s presence means they will stand and fight with us. We have a better chance of winning by aligning with them on the outside. I say we go over the wall if the ward fails and regroup there.”

  Danny loped over, waving a pair of jeans and a shirt. “Just in time, I see,” he said, nodding to my father. He tossed them with a chuckle. My father caught them and without pausing ordered, “Daniel Walker, get to the highest point on that house. I want a full report of what’s happening around us.”

  “On my way,” Danny said immediately.

  “Go with him,” I told Naomi, who had come up behind him. “If he’ll let you, fly him up.” I had a twinkle in my eye when I added, “He’d do almost anything to get himself into a woman’s embrace, so this should be a no-brainer.”

  “Well”—Danny turned, glancing back at Naomi—“why not, then? I’ve always had a hankering to fly.”

  Naomi put her head down for a moment. I couldn’t tell if she was blushing—if vampires even could blush. “I will take you,” she finally said, lifting her face toward his. “But … because of your size, I cannot guarantee I will not drop you.”

  “That’s all right by me,” Danny replied jovially. “Won’t be the first time my massive frame has been hard for the ladies to handle—”

  Naomi had him around the waist and up before he could finish his sentence.

  My father cleared his throat.

  “That was Naomi,” I told my father. I couldn’t read his expression, but he wasn’t overly excited that a vamp had taken his head of security for a ride. “She’s the vamp tracker I told you about briefly on the phone when we left Selene’s lair. I have so much to share with you, but she and I are now bonded by blood and she has proven herself loyal again and again. I trust her with my life and with his.”

  “This is indeed a new world,” my father said, shaking his head as he pulled on a black shirt. “Vampires have never been our allies. This is unprecedented. It’s going to take me some time to figure out a new way to handle things.” He met my eyes. “And I will agree to examine all the new developments on a case-by-case basis, but that’s all I will promise at this time.”

  That was enough for me.

  My father was a savvy leader. You don’t stay in charge if you don’t learn to adapt. I was confident we would figure out a new way to move forward that included all of us. And I was content to wait until the right time to fight for what I wanted.

  “Jessica,” Rourke said. “I think your father, Tyler, and I should scout around the gate to see if there’s a way to get in or out. Once the wards come down, we have to find a way to stand united, whether it’s in here or out there. If we split up we can cover more ground.”

  “Sounds good,” I said. “I’ll wait here with Ray and see what Danny and Naomi have to report once they come down.”

  My father nodded once at my mate, appraising him. There was a glimmer of respect growing there, but I knew it would take time for them to get to know each other. I was exceptionally proud of my man for being respectful of my father and not fighting him for control. I would see that he got an extra special gift as soon as I could. My wolf yipped her agreement.

  As they trotted around the house, I walked over to where Ray stood. “I can’t thank you enough, Ray. That was heroic and … bizarre, but you saved my dad’s life. If you hadn’t been a reaper all along, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

  “Honestly, Hannon, I have no idea what a reaper is,” Ray retorted, spitting on the ground and easing himself upright. “All I k
now is that I’m attracted to dead stuff and my mind is telling me I can fix it. But with all the other vamp info clogging my brain up, it’s confusing as hell—a swirl of shit all getting stuck in the drain at the same time.”

  “You’ve only been a supernatural for a few days,” I said. “It’s a lot to take in. It will likely all sort itself out soon.” I hoped. “And I think that’s exactly what a reaper is. I don’t know much about them, but they do fix dead stuff. And if you ask me, it kind of suits you. Did you ever talk to dead people as a kid?” I chuckled. “Or see your grandma floating around the house?”

  “No,” he said gruffly. “I never paid attention to any of that kind of crap.”

  “It all means you’re a very powerful supe—”

  Simultaneous Orbs crashed into the walls all around us. There must have been ten. We hit the ground.

  The sound was deafening. It was a concentrated effort. I was actually surprised it had taken them this long to ramp up an attack.

  Ray and I stood from our crouched positions as wolf howls echoed in the night and a cloud of sulfur surrounded us. More Orbs crashed into the ward, but before I could react in any way, the Vampire Queen landed in front of me.

  “See what you’ve done! My wards will not hold with this continued onslaught,” she snapped. “You have a lot to answer for—bringing war to my doorstep.” She stalked closer, challenging me. “There is no reason for me to protect you any longer.”

  The next assault shook the foundation of the entire Coterie. The wards were indeed cracking. I faced her. This was between Eudoxia and me and no one else. “Bringing war to your doorstep was not my intention,” I said. “I came here for protection only.”

  “I should break your neck and drink the spoils of your blood right now for putting my entire Coterie in danger,” she hissed.

  “You can try,” I growled, taking a step toward her.

  Her eyes glittered with a threat. “You come here with your newfound power and think you are stronger than I am.” A strange laugh, bordering on manic, escaped her throat. “You have no idea what I am, or what I’m capable of. Once again you tarry where you do not belong—a very dangerous place for a lone wolf to be. You are no match for me, Little Wolf Girl. It’s time for you to cut your losses and move on from here, and take your trouble with you.”