Riah sprang from the chair. Similar to Colin, she moved like a cat, silently and predatory. From beneath the folds of her black leather coat, she also pulled a gleaming sword. “¿Qué diablos?” Ivy exclaimed.
Was she the only one who didn’t have medieval weapons stuffed in her outerwear? She cut a glance Adriana’s way, relieved to see she wasn’t pulling weapons out of her clothes. The most lethal thing Ivy had on her person at the moment was a set of car keys. Nothing like showing up at a sword fight with…well, nothing.
Before she could worry about her lack of weaponry, she shifted her attention back to Riah, who moved so quickly, she was a blur even in the brightly lit room. In a flash, Riah stood before the pasty-faced man whose name tag read Andrew. What she saw was less than reassuring. In the years since Riah’s secret had been revealed to her, she’d watched as Riah took the heads of vampire victims in order to spare them from an existence of not-quite-life and not-quite-death. In each case, those victims had been flat on their backs and, more often than not, on a stainless-steel table just like the one in front of her now. She’d never seen one rise.
Until now.
“Who made you?” Riah demanded of the security guard in the wrinkled, filthy uniform.
By the look of him, she’d have said he’d spent an entire week sleeping in his clothes. She knew better. Twenty-four hours ago, this same guard stood in the door of the facility, watching her get into her car. His clothes had been clean, his eyes alive, and his soul intact.
Tonight, he smiled and Ivy shivered at the sight of his pointed canines, glistening damply red. His eyes were empty, as if the person he once was no longer existed inside his youthful body.
“You know,” he murmured. “Our friend.”
“I’ve no friends like that,” she spat back.
Riah’s battle stance never changed and her eyes were hard.
“I think you’re wrong.” Andrew laughed.
The sound was brittle and ugly. It sent goose bumps racing up Ivy’s arms and she took a step back. Another step and she was behind Colin, who still stood on alert with his sword at the ready. It made her feel just a little safer to be behind his strong back while he held a sharp weapon in strike position. She stuck her hand in her pocket, curling her fingers around the car keys.
“Who?” Riah’s voice rose to a near-scream and the sword in her hands trembled. Ivy wasn’t sure if it was from fury or fright.
“Meriel.” Andrew drew the name out in a long, wistful breath. Then he licked his lips and his dead eyes narrowed. They were black slits in his pasty-white face. A thin thread of red dripped from the corner of his mouth.
The name hung in the air only seconds before Riah’s sword flashed. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as the dark head tumbled through the air before falling to the floor with a wet thump.
Stifling a gasp, Ivy turned away. The sight of the young man’s head turning over and over through the air was something she wished she could erase from her vision. His eyes were open, a hint of a smile curving around the bloody fangs. Drops of crimson blood sprayed everywhere, landing on the walls, the floor, and the stainless-steel table. Colin lowered his sword to his side and used his free arm to pull Ivy close to him. He felt strong and real while everything around her seemed dreamlike.
He kissed the top of her head. “Maybe it would be better if you left,” he said gently against her hair.
She trembled, though his words made her straighten up. For a moment she was tempted to flee. It’d be easy to run and hide, to pretend none of this was real. Except it was, and even if she ran away, it wouldn’t change a thing. Vampires would still exist and one of them had killed Jorge.
Ivy looked into Colin’s face and was warmed by what she saw in his eyes. It gave her strength. “No,” she said as she squeezed his hand. “I’m staying.”
“He’s probably right,” Riah added. “In fact, I think both you and Adriana should get out of here now.”
She turned her gaze from Colin’s face to Riah’s. “We can help you.”
It was important to stay and to help. It was more than simply avenging Jorge’s death. Among other things, Ivy didn’t want to leave Colin. If she did, she might never see him again.
Riah’s gaze was hard as she met Ivy’s eyes. This woman she’d never seen before both scared her and made her more determined not to leave.
“Colin was right before. A.J. is just the first. There’ll be more and they’ll be more powerful and more dangerous,” Riah said.
Colin had tossed out to them earlier the idea that Destiny had crossed the country creating an army as she went. He didn’t know why, only that the number of victims found didn’t equal the number of those missing. The simple math pointed to the potential of a cadre of young vampires. Earlier when Colin floated his theory, Ivy thought it was out there. Way out there. Now—not so much.
Of course, if he was right, and an army was on its way, it didn’t make sense for either her or Adriana to leave. Once again, simple math meant four fighters were bound to be more useful than only two, even if those two were very, very experienced. Oh, and don’t forget, one of the two just happened to be a vampire. Still, it didn’t change the numbers, and in Ivy’s mind, right now, numbers ruled. Mathematics always won the day.
“I’m not leaving.” Ivy tightened her grip on Colin’s arm. Beneath his coat, she could feel the slightest tremor. Fear or adrenaline?
He shook his head. “It’s not safe for you or Adriana. You’ve no idea what you’re up against.”
She raised an eyebrow and pointed at the bloody remains of the security guard. “Wrong there, Sherlock…I’ve got more than a clue.”
Colin sighed and shook his head again. “Damn it, Ivy. This is nothing. Nothing!”
“He’s right,” Riah chimed in. “A.J. wasn’t a threat. He was a warning. What’s coming for us is old and dangerous, and backed up by young, hungry vampires. You’ve no idea how vicious the young can be. They have only one thing on their mind: blood. They’ll tear you apart. If I’ve seen it once, I’ve seen it a hundred times, and it isn’t pretty.”
She understood Riah and Colin’s scare tactics. If she was in their shoes, she’d do the same thing. It changed nothing.
“I’m not leaving.” Ivy looked over at Adriana, who nodded. She saw her own resolve mirrored in Adriana’s face. “We’re not leaving,” she added, and dug her fingers into Colin’s arm.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake.” Riah exploded. She whirled to glare at Adriana. “Don’t you get it? I know you’re not stupid but what you’re doing is. If you stay here, you’ll die. I can’t protect you.”
“I’m not leaving,” Adriana whispered, not backing away in the face of Riah’s angry outburst. “I can’t.”
“Neither am I,” Ivy said.
Before anyone else could protest, an explosion made them all stop. At the same time, the walls shook and the doors rattled.
“What the—” Riah turned and raced to the desk tucked into a corner of the big room. She clicked furiously at the keys on her computer. The emergency-call system came alive with the sound of frantic voices.
It didn’t mean much to Ivy. An explosion on Northwest Boulevard had emergency personnel on the run. The preliminary report said that a home in the quiet residential area was completely destroyed.
“Oh, my God,” Adriana cried, and clapped her hands to her mouth.
Riah pulled Adriana into her arms and looked over her head at Ivy and Colin. “It’s Adriana’s house,” she explained.
“Not good,” Colin said, a dark look on his face. “I don’t like coincidences.”
“Oh my God, oh my God,” Adriana muttered into Riah’s shoulder, her entire body shaking.
“It’ll be all right,” Riah murmured into her hair.
Adriana pulled away. “You don’t understand. This isn’t just terrible. This is catastrophic.”
“You can stay with me,” Riah told her.
“It’s not that.” Adriana
’s voice rose.
“Tell us,” Ivy urged softly, hoping to calm the panic rising in Adriana. The look on her face made Ivy nervous. Whatever this was, it wasn’t about having a place to live.
Tears began to stream down Adriana’s face. “I succeeded. I found the cure.”
Riah’s sword clattered to the floor and she took a step away from Adriana, appearing totally shocked. “You did it?”
Adriana nodded. “That’s what I really came down to tell you tonight. I found the cure. I could’ve made you human again.”
“Could have?” Ivy asked. She didn’t miss the past tense even if it seemed to fly right on by Riah.
Adriana’s tears came harder. “Everything was at my home. All my notes, all my research, everything. I even thought I was so smart because I backed everything up on a flash drive.”
“You left the flash drive at home,” Ivy said.
Adriana nodded and began to cry even harder. Ivy wanted to cry right along with her.
“And it just blew sky-high.” Colin stated the obvious.
*
Her children were waiting just as she’d instructed them to. They were an obedient bunch. Destiny did so love the young. They were excited and awed by the new dimension to their existence. Everything she showed them was intriguing. They were quick to learn, loved to kill, and were always up for a challenge. Not just for the food either. Whatever the reason, killing appealed to young vampires.
Oh, yes, there was the occasional odd-ball, the vampire who took exception to the nature of his or her changed existence. They were the ones who couldn’t reconcile their immortality with the necessity of blood to survive. They either died quickly or became outcasts in the vampire society, living in the shadows and surviving off the blood of animals. These lesser vampires, in Destiny’s opinion, were a waste of time and energy. Well, except for one. One of these oddities held a very special place in Destiny’s heart.
“Is everyone here?” Destiny directed her question to a lovely young woman of about nineteen with long red hair and sky blue eyes. Bella was one of her oldest children and far from the ragged girl she’d turned in a filthy London alley.
Stinking and near-starvation, Bella at first seemed nothing more than a meal. But beneath the dirt and stench, Destiny glimpsed something special. She hadn’t been wrong.
“All but the newest of our flock,” Bella answered.
Destiny wasn’t surprised. Bella wasn’t only beautiful, she was efficient. “He returned to the morgue?”
Bella nodded. “Just as you wished.”
“Perfect.”
Five sets of eyes watched her, waiting. Outside the upscale restaurant, they captured little attention as they stood in a cluster on the sidewalk. Just a small group of friends out for a night on the town, because they were well-dressed and beautiful, their unusually pale skin, the dark eyes, or the elongated canines weren’t readily apparent.
“Shall we attack?” Bella asked, licking her lips. Her eyes sparkled in the darkness, and the others, seeming to anticipate a bloody battle, gathered close.
Destiny laid a hand on Bella’s arm. “Easy, my love.”
“But I’m hungry,” whined Ford, a tall, muscled twenty-something hottie she’d found in the flatlands of Nebraska.
Beautiful as he was, Ford was also very young and difficult to control. He possessed a voracious hunger for both blood and sex. Anytime, anywhere, with anyone. He loved women and men. One at a time was fine, or two, or three. Destiny had Bella keep a really close eye on him so he didn’t get into trouble.
Destiny kissed Ford on the lips. “Patience, my prince. You’ll have plenty to feast on soon.” She pressed her hand into his crotch, smiling at the instant hard-on. “I promise.”
Ford smiled and pushed his hips into her hand. “After it’s done?”
“I’ll fuck your brains out.”
“Deal.”
“Me too,” chimed in Emily.
In a low-cut top and tight jeans, Emily should look like a tramp except she didn’t. She was a rare beauty who looked barely old enough to drive but had, in fact, been thirty-two years old when Destiny turned her.
Destiny ran a hand over Emily’s breasts, smiling as her nipples sprang up hard. “The more the merrier.”
The twins didn’t say anything but they didn’t have to. The invitation was issued and accepted. Always quiet, Mara and Markus listened, learned, and became hunters of the first order. In any battle, the twins were a definite asset. In bed, they were even better.
Overhead, the moon glowed bright in the clear night sky. When she’d left the black woman’s house, the moon had been just cresting the mountains. Now, it was directly overhead. Perfect.
“Come, my loves, it’s time to get this party started.”
Chapter Nineteen
Riah sank once more into a chair, her boots hitting her sword where it lay on the floor. God, she was tired. What was the point of any of this? It didn’t matter what she did or how she tried to make things better, it ultimately all blew up.
Adriana knelt beside her and took Riah’s face in her hands. “Don’t,” Adriana said softly.
Riah met her gaze and frowned. “It doesn’t make any difference.”
“It makes a difference to me. I love you, Riah.”
Didn’t she see? “I’m not Riah. I wanted to be. I wanted to be something besides the unwanted child of a King, the unwanted sister of a King, or the sidekick of a master vampire. I wanted to try to make things right and be human again. Instead, I’ve managed to put you all in danger and destroy the one thing that could have helped.”
“It’s not your fault,” Adriana said.
“It’s all my fault. None of you would be here if not for me.”
Adriana stroked her cheek. “Well, I can’t speak for Ivy or Colin but I gotta tell ya, Doc, that while things might be a little screwed up right at the moment, my life has been more exciting since I met you than ever before. I can’t imagine not having you in it.”
Riah closed her eyes and sighed as she rested her cheek in Adriana’s hand. She’d love to believe Adriana and to allow herself the comfort she offered. She didn’t dare let her guard down or put any of these people into more danger.
Slowly, she stood and took a step away from Adriana. “Thank you, Adriana. I think now, however, it would be a good idea if you all left.”
Ivy was the first to speak. “What?”
“Seriously,” Riah said. “You three should get out of here before the shit hits the fan.”
“Not a chance,” Colin said in a low, quiet voice.
“Look,” Riah countered. “I know you’re experienced and all, but this is my fight. I don’t see any reason for you to stay. Unless…”
Colin’s eyes held hers. No need to finish the thought. He was on the same wavelength. She’d give him credit, he was sharp.
“Unless what?” Ivy demanded.
Riah’s gaze never wavered from the man’s face. “Do you want to tell her or shall I?”
“Somebody better spill it.” Ivy gave Riah a quick glance before turning her gaze on Colin.
Colin winced when Ivy stared at him, her dark eyes full of sparks. He didn’t speak. Riah had the impression he was afraid to.
Adriana’s voice was soft. “I think Riah doesn’t see any reason for Colin to stay unless he plans on taking her head.”
“She’s a vampire,” Ivy whispered.
Colin nodded.
Ivy grabbed him with both hands. “You can’t.”
Riah felt bad for her friend. Ivy didn’t really get it even though she’d been at Riah’s side for years. “It’s what he does, Ivy.”
“Colin.” Ivy pleaded. “Tell me you won’t kill her.”
“She’s already dead,” he murmured, his eyes on Ivy’s face.
“He’s right, you know,” Riah said. “I’ve been the walking dead for five centuries. He’ll just be putting me out of my misery.”
“No!”
All thre
e of them turned to look at Adriana. Her hands were on her hips and her eyes blazed. She was breathing hard.
“Enough from all you. Pull your heads out of your asses. We’re on the same goddamn team. Do you get it? The same fucking team!”
Riah was probably more startled than any of them. She’d never heard Adriana raise her voice. She was one of the calmest, most level-headed people Riah’d ever met.
“We’re in this together, boys and girls. Nobody’s leaving, nobody’s destroying anyone, and we’re fighting side by side. Got it?”
Silence hung for a full minute as they stared at Adriana. Then Riah started to laugh.
“This is fucking bizarre,” she said when she caught her breath. “But I’m in, if you are.”
“Colin?” Ivy asked.
He shook his head and sighed. “The monsignor is going to have my hide.”
“Is that a yes?” Ivy touched his cheek.
He took her hand and kissed the palm. His eyes were on Riah’s face as he answered. “That’s a yes.”
*
Colin wasn’t kidding when he said the monsignor would have his hide. He was breaking the absolute rule of a hunter. His mission had one goal: to destroy vampires. All vampires. Not only was he about to let one live, he was getting ready to fight beside her. It went against everything in his life.
Of course, things had changed over the last few weeks. He’d felt it before he even saw Ivy. Something in the universe shifted and he was caught in the wave. Then he’d seen Ivy on the shores of Moses Lake and something else gave way.
Whatever he might have to reconcile with later would have to be dealt with later. The immediate problem was somewhere outside that door and required every ounce of his concentration.
The young man whose remains lay bloody on the floor was only the first. Destiny was coming, and she wasn’t coming alone. This would be something akin to the fight at the OK Corral. It was the final gun battle except guns wouldn’t help. A nice shotgun might slow Destiny and her minions down, but that was all. This would be a bloody battle of wits and swords. The last man standing would be the one who still had his head.
Crimson Vengeance Page 18
