by Sharon Green
So instead of playing the good little victim, I crouched down some as I used my right hand to knock the gun even higher, then shot my left elbow into the crotch of the man with the gun. A high-pitched shriek came as the man dropped the gun, but that wasn't the end of the fight. Two other bodies jumped at me out of the dark, and their snarls showed they were both vampires. I side-kicked the one on the right and then tried to get the second into position for a throw, but the second avoided my grab.
And then something hit me hard in the back of the head. I staggered from the blow, trying to throw off its effects fast enough to keep moving in attack, but it was already too late. The vampires I'd been fighting with came in so fast I didn't even see them move, and they didn't just grab my arms. The first punch to my middle added itself to the throb in my head, and by the time the second punch came it was so distant I never even felt it. The dark of the room had spread itself to me, and then there was nothing.
For a while at least. When the darkness began to recede a bit, the first thing I noticed was that the incense sticks had been put out. Beyond and beneath the lingering scent of incense was the heavier smell of vampires, which had to be why the incense had been lit in the first place. There were more than a couple of vampires in the room, and two of them took me by the arms and dragged me to my feet. Standing up wasn't easy, but with kneeling as my only other option I made the effort. I'd been placed only two or three feet away from the seated female vampire, and she seemed to be amused again.
"If this is a joke, I'm missing the punch line," I got out, distantly wondering how long I'd been unconscious. It couldn't have been all that long, not when the smell of incense hadn't disappeared more completely. But what had disappeared was my gun and knife, belt and all… "What's going on?"
"I really detest imprecise instructions, don't you, Ms. Bell?" the woman in the chair commented as if I hadn't said a word. More candles were being lit even as she spoke, which made it possible to get a better look at her. She had long blond hair that looked kind of faded with pale eyes to match, and her very beautiful face wore makeup but not the kind that disguised a vampire. Most of her skin was pale white, making her light brown eyebrows and red lips look really dark in comparison.
She sat languidly in the chair with her legs crossed, her red silk dress on the long side but matching her shoes perfectly. Her hands were long-fingered, making her gestures graceful, but her smile just didn't manage to reach her eyes. The look in those light eyes was very cold, and that despite the sense of distant satisfaction in their depths.
"I'm Eileena, of course, but you haven't answered my question, Ms. Bell," she said as if we faced each other over cups of companionable drinks. "Don't you hate it when people don't give you enough information to avoid a mistake? We were told to eliminate the shapeshifter, but there turned out to be two shapeshifters rather than one. My agent decided that eliminating both shapeshifters was the best idea, but being male himself he chose to make certain of the male shapeshifter first. That turned out to be a definite mistake in judgment, didn't it, Ms. Bell?"
"Your - agent is a liar," I said, pretending that my heartbeat wasn't almost deafening me. "He could have killed me easily before Eric got there, but all he did was knock me into a wall. That says he was only going to kill who he thought was the dangerous one of us."
"She's the liar, master," a snarl of a voice said from my right, and then a fist tangled in my hair and forced me to my knees. "There just wasn't enough time to finish her off before the male would have been right on top of us! I would have killed them both just to be sure!"
"Good help is hard to find these days, isn't it?" I got out. The vamp had forced my head back by the fistful of hair he held, all but snapping my neck. He was the one who had attacked Eric and me, and he was not only angry he was also scared.
"Be more gentle with our guest, Albert," Eileena ordered with a faint snap to the words. She also pronounced the vamp's name Al-behr, the way the French do it. "If you had done your job properly to begin with I would not now have this opportunity, but I would also be in a much … safer position. I'm still trying to decide whether to reward you or punish you, so you'd be wise to do nothing to bring yourself to my attention until the decision is made."
"Yes, master, of course," Albert answered immediately, his fist suddenly gone from my hair. It looked like Eileena had changed her mind about wanting me dead, but as I got back to my feet and rubbed my neck with the one hand I had free I couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad one. Being dead is very final, but whoever first mentioned a fate worse than death knew what he or she was talking about.
"Would you like to explain what's going on?" I said to the still-seated woman. "My guess is that Detective Webster isn't part of whatever-this-is, not when you went to so much trouble to distract her, but I'll admit I could be wrong."
I was working very hard to pretend that I wasn't terribly impressed with what was happening, that I was calm almost to the point of boredom instead of scared right down to the bone. With the incense fading away rapidly, I was able to tell that there were more than just three vampires in the room. They all smelled of blood without making any attempt to mask the odor, and although the sale of human blood was the second or third largest industry in the world I would have bet that the vamps in this room hadn't gotten their blood out of a plastic package.
"Serena is a fool," Eileena said, and now all trace of her phony smile was gone. "Instead of joining with those of her own kind, she uses the second name Webster and pretends to be one of the human herd. She doesn't seem to understand that working for and with humans is demeaning for beings like us. But she'll get hers. When things have changed she'll find herself out in the cold, one of the servants instead of one of the masters. I'll get a good laugh out of the situation, but she won't find it possible to do the same. But you were asking about what's going on, weren't you?"
Eileena showed that smile again, making me know that I preferred seeing her pissed. The mind behind that smile was picturing something painful and horrible being done, something she was very much looking forward to.
"When you weren't killed the way you were supposed to be, an interesting thought came to me," Eileena went on. "I wasn't told more than that you were very dangerous and had to be put out of the way, but when Albert failed I began to wonder. Having control of someone dangerous to my … associates could prove to be of great benefit to me in our present situation. For that reason I had Serena bring you here, supposedly to let you convince me to cooperate with the police department. The true reason I wanted you here is something else entirely, of course."
"Of course," I agreed, still sticking with unimpressed and bored. "How much are you willing to pay to have me on your side?"
Eileena actually laughed then, and matching laughter came from too many places around the still mostly-dark room. I'd asked my question to give the impression that I could be bought, but I didn't think the offer was that funny.
"That was very amusing," Eileena said after a moment, and all the surrounding laughter quieted at the same time. "You're still more human than not, aren't you? But why would I consider paying you when it will be much more convenient - and safer - to have you under my complete control? You'll go and fetch your personal possessions from wherever they are and bring them back here, and then you'll sit down in a corner somewhere and wait for your next instructions."
"Just like that?" I said, trying to quiet the flash of very intense rage that tried to spread all through me. Getting mad would have been stupid, but knowing it as a fact wasn't helping to stop the mad. "There are other people involved besides me, and if I disappear they'll know I didn't do it on my own."
"The only one who will know for certain that you aren't acting on your own is that partner of yours," Eileena purred, almost giggling at the thought. "Right now he's being kept from using his abilities as a psychic by somewhat involved methods, so as soon as you get back to your motel room you'll kill the intrusive little wretch. The
police will assume that you two had an argument that got out of hand, and that's why you chose to run away."
I couldn't keep a small snarl from forcing its way out, the rage inside me flaring like a sun when Eileena and her cheering section laughed again. They had it all figured out, and I almost committed the stupidity of pointing out that I couldn't be forced to kill George. Eileena didn't seem to know about George, and even though I hadn't seen George since leaving Webster's car I refused to believe that Eileena had done something to get rid of my partner. George was still around somewhere, and he'd show himself when I needed him most.
"We'll get it done right now, and then Serena will be able to take you back to your motel," Eileena said. She and her flock had been having fun, but now it was time to get serious again. "Serena will be assured of my complete cooperation in catching that terrible rogue who attacked you and the other shapeshifter, so she'll certainly leave happy. You, on the other hand…"
Her voice trailed off as I felt her power begin to creep toward me, the look in those light eyes intensifying. I hated to be touched by a vampire's power, hated it and felt the icy clutch of fear ready to clamp down. But I also felt the shrieking rage flaring inside me at what she meant to force me to do. I didn't know if the rage would be enough to keep her from taking control of me, but I sure as hell meant to try using it like that.
A hand came to my right arm again, bringing me the awareness that I'd tried to take an unconscious step back. But they didn't want me to step back, so I was pulled forward that half step again and held in place. Eileena's power began to curl around me like smoke from a dirty fire, sharp-edged and demanding, slimy and chokingly hot. The power tried to pull me under as soon as it reached me, her glittering eyes adding to the demand. A small part of me was more than ready to whimper and cringe and maybe even to beg, but the rest of me…
The rest of me kept hearing her say I'd be sent to a corner to wait for my next orders. Like an animal, a pet, a thing that wasn't even remotely human! Fury ignited from the flames of rage, burning through the slimy mists trying to cover me over. Small holes appeared in the mist, and distantly it came to me that my hands were fists held up in front of me.
"Stop fighting me, Ms. Bell," Eileena's voice came, annoyance coating the words. "You can't hope to win, and if you don't stop fighting this minute I'll give you to Albert to be punished. He doesn't like you, Ms. Bell, and although he won't kill you you'll end up wishing he would."
The hand holding my right arm tightened well past the point of pain, forcing a snarl out of my throat. Except for the few small holes I'd managed, the mists surrounded me completely. I could hear and feel but couldn't see anything past those mists, but there was a fact I knew beyond all doubt: If I stopped fighting I'd fall into those mists and be lost forever.
"Fuck you," I choked out, trying to struggle against the hands on my arms. "You and Albert together, bitch."
Heavy anger strengthened the mists even as my arm felt like it was about to be pulled out of my shoulder. I'd pronounced Albert's name without the fancy French twist, and it was clear the vamp didn't like it. But that was perfectly all right, because the more he hurt me the easier it was to resist Eileena's power. Not easy, not at all, but a taste, a touch, easier.
"Breaking you will be a delight, Ms. Bell," Eileena snarled, her power trying to smother me completely. "You'll serve every one of my followers in whatever way they want to be served, and your inner mind will be completely aware of every bit of the pain. But you won't be allowed the escape of insanity, and you won't be fed on more than every once in a while. You won't escape in any way at all, not later and certainly not now!"
Along with the last of her words came an intensifying thrust of her power, so heavy a thrust that I couldn't breathe. The mists grew teeth and claws that tried to force their way inside me, not giving a damn even if I ended up shredded. I didn't care if I ended up shredded either, as long as I didn't get taken. Terror rose to reinforce the rage and fury, and then -
And then the power disappeared so suddenly that I would have fallen if I hadn't been held by both arms. Snarls of outrage and anger sounded all over the room, and after taking a couple of gulps of air I put a side kick into Albert to get him to let go of my arm. The vamp on my left side had already let go, and for a very good reason. The door to the room had been thrown open, and some kind of horde was rushing inside to attack everyone but me.
I usually hate to be left out of things, but this time I didn't mind at all. Most of the attackers seemed to be vampires like the ones in the room, and for a minute I had the horrible feeling that the people Eileena was trying to screw over by not killing me had found out what she was doing. But then I saw Albert being knocked down from behind just before his head was twisted hard enough to break his neck, a disabling it would take the vamp quite a while to heal. And the one who had done the twisting was no one other than Eric Wellman.
That, of course, answered a few questions even before I spotted Grail and Jaril. Eileena had jumped out of her chair and hurried over to the back wall of the room, but right now she just stood there with one hand up and reaching, frozen in place. One of the twins was responsible for that, no two ways about it.
"Taz, are you all right?" George suddenly demanded from where he'd appeared right next to me. "Did I get them here in time?"
"The timing was just about perfect," I said as I stared at him. I could have added that before I walked into the room would have been even better timing, but that would have ruined George's delight. "And you're the one who got them here? I knew you were good, George, but I never dreamed you were this good."
"It was pure luck, Taz," George said, his grin about three feet wide. "I decided to take a quick look around the house even before you and Detective Webster went in, and I saw something that didn't make any sense. A vampire stood near a bank of circuit breakers holding a walkie-talkie, an arrangement that made me suspicious even if I didn't know what he was up to."
"As soon as they grabbed me I knew it had to be something like that," I said. "When my escort brought me close enough to the door, Eileena must have used the walkie-talkie to tell her vamp to cut the power."
"I'm sure she did," George agreed. "I got back to the front hall in time to hear that female tell you and the detective about the 'faulty' wiring, and that let me know the house was a trap of some kind. Warning you to run would have been a waste of time, not when you wouldn't even have made it back to the car, so I had to do something else."
"The something else was stopping me once I was out of sight of you and Marla," Webster put in with a smile as she came up to us. She also had my weapons belt, and handed it back to me without hesitation. "George told me that someone was going to be playing games with the circuit breakers, then urged me to call the task force. I would have preferred calling my own people, but anyone not a vampire would have been at a disadvantage in the fight that would definitely be happening. So I called the task force at the motel, and between the two of us we convinced them to get here as fast as possible."
"Which we were more than happy to do," another voice put in while I closed the belt around my waist again. One of the twins had also joined us, and it turned out to be Jaril. "My brother was only just in time to stop Eileena from disappearing, and he now has her under his control. Can you tell us anything about why they tried to gain control of you? We could feel Eileena's efforts even before we entered the room."
"Eileena's the one who sent that vamp to attack me and your pet shifter last night," I said after the briefest hesitation. I hadn't changed my mind about the task force, not when I had a definite grudge to add against them, but unfortunately I owed them for the rescue. "She was under orders to have me killed, but the idiot she sent made a mistake and concentrated on the wrong shapeshifter. When she found out I wasn't dead she decided to play games and save me as a possible tool to use against whoever gave her the orders, but things didn't work out like that."
"No, they wouldn't have," another mal
e voice added, a voice just like Jaril's. "Eileena had no idea who she was dealing with, and she's not very bright. We all tend to be arrogant, but there are times when allowing the arrogance free rein is the worst thing you can do. If I don't know that, no one does."
I could feel the way Grail looked at me, but I made no effort to return the stare. Or to comment on what he'd said. I owed these people whatever information I could give them, but friendly chats didn't come under the same heading.
"Ms. Bell, do you have any idea what they were all up to?" Webster asked after a painfully silent minute. She was tactfully changing the subject to get rid of the awkward silence, so I helped her out.
"According to Eileena there are going to be a lot of changes," I answered Webster. "Vampires are going to be in complete charge, but not all vampires. Ones like you who soil themselves associating with humans and other lesser entities won't be allowed the same privileges. What she didn't say was who was going to be making all these changes and when it would be happening."
"So that's what our people have been sensing," Jaril said, his voice sounding tired. "Another fool with stronger than average talent who's decided to take over the world. And I considered it something different and serious. You'd think even the fools would have learned by now."
"Fools never learn," Webster said, actually showing her fangs in disgust. "The last time this happened it took decades before all the animosity died down, and it wasn't the fools who started the trouble who got the worst of it. They were dead and out of it, but the rest of us had to live with the resulting mess."
"If we can get it stopped soon enough, we should have an easier time of it," Grail told her. Oddly enough his tone was gentle with support and understanding, as if he were trying to soothe her. "Once we get this bunch to your lockup I'll question Eileena, and hopefully that will tell us who to go after next. You called for the transport vans?"
