by Jackie Ivie
“Hunter. Close.”
“How... close?”
Movement caught his eye. Sebastian turned and slammed into the wall beside him, causing a cloud of dirt and dust. Stirring the center into a whirlpool was a spear. Coming out of seeming nowhere with incredible speed. Perfectly aimed. For where he’d just been standing. Sebastian reached out with his left hand, snagged the shaft, spun it, and sent it rocketing back. Using reflex action and little else. He’d been so right to make sure both hands were free! If he’d been holding Jill...
A loud cry came from the blackness. It was cut off almost before it made sound.
“That close,” he told her.
He didn’t wait for her to answer. Sebastian was on the move toward the Hunter, sword lifted and ready. The man wasn’t getting a second chance.
He didn’t need the sword.
The Hunter was on his back, the spear shaft protruding from his head. It had split his night vision goggles in two. The body was still jumping in death throes. Dressed in black and dark gray camo. Night camo. He had a silver-embossed broken-heart emblem just above his left pocket. Three ribbons protruded from it.
Three.
Akron had told him he faced two hunters with eight pair kills between them. This one must have wanted first shot at him. Bad move. But that meant he and Jill faced another Hunter. A better one. The one who’d earned five of the pair ribbons they awarded.
He had to think. He’d once made a study of the underground here.
The city of Paris sprawled for miles. It didn’t go up. This was why. The foundation. Beginning with the Roman Empire, and continuing for centuries, limestone had been quarried out of these tunnels and used to build the city. The result was a rat-warren of instability. According to estimates, there were over one-hundred-and-eighty-five miles of tunnels down here. Eight hundred meters were devoted to the Empire of the Dead. The macabre arrangement of skeletons known as the catacombs. The final resting place for over six million bodies.
He knew exactly where that section was.
The rest was unfamiliar. He’d heard of large sections being discovered and explored by illicit and illegal activity. Read something about several sections that were used as canvasses for graffiti artists. Seen a program on a large space that had been a brewery but was now an underground art exhibit, the walls covered in paintings. That same program had been devoted to tunnels that had been occupied by German soldiers in the last World War. Other sections had been used by the French Resistance in the same war. One particular tunnel led to the old railway system, known as the Petite Ceinture. From there it wasn’t far to an airfield. If he was lucky enough, that would be Cobley. In hindsight, he should have paid more attention to the network of tunnels beneath Paris. He wasn’t certain which tunnels were open. Which ones blocked. He might need to resort to crawling. It wouldn’t be easy. He needed to gain maximum speed and distance with minimum risk.
Sebastian!”
Jill hissed it at his ear. Sebastian instantly leapt upward, clinging to the roof while a Hunter passed right beneath them. Too close. Way, too close. The satin ties held Jill in place, and she’d tightened her limbs, making it a certainty. He dropped directly into the space behind the man, and with a sideways slash, beheaded him. The headless body sagged to the dirt floor, spurting blood in a rhythm that matched his still-beating heart. Sebastian didn’t wait around to watch.
Sebastian leapt the body and started running. Jill was meshed to him so tightly, she didn’t even bounce. She wasn’t as close to hyperventilating as before, and her heart was racing, but she didn’t make a sound. She was like an extension of him, exactly as he’d planned. All told, she was an excellent mate.
But he’d been so caught up thinking, he’d made a mistake. He hadn’t been aware of danger. That mustn’t happen again. They entered another tunnel, skimmed along the wall in the next one. This particular one was narrow. Tight. It led to a huge open area, with manmade pillars. There were all sorts of drawings and paintings along the walls. Was this the brewery then?
There was only one exit, a large opening that became a tunnel that kept getting smaller and tighter, then enlarging again. Smaller and tighter. Enlarging. Sebastian waited at every corner, his head lifted to scent, his ears and eyes honed for any indication of anything out of the ordinary. Something about this was wrong. Something at the back of his mind—
A metal canister hissed at his ear level, coming from a fissure in the rock. Sebastian raced back, gained a corner. Another. A flash of light and impression of moisture evidenced the weapon contained Holy Water. That was less debilitating than their wooden shrapnel bomb, but not by much. But, something was severely wrong. There’d been no tell-tale burning odor to warn him. No sign of anything human. No warmth from a body. No sound of breathing.
Nothing.
Jill was shaking. Sebastian cradled an arm about her as he waited for the area to clear. She nuzzled her nose against his neck. Sebastian’s knees wavered. He bent his legs slightly for stability. Mating was such an amazing thing! Such joy. Such wonderment. Such bliss. And these bastards were not taking it from him.
Everything on him hardened.
“Oh, Sebastian. I’m r-r-really scared.”
“It’s all right, sweet.”
“But they’re trying to kill us!”
“I know. I told you.”
“No! They’re really trying to kill us!”
He almost chuckled. “They won’t succeed, darling. Trust me. I’m a warrior. Fourteenth century. War was my life. I had a certain reputation. I never lose. Ever.”
“But they’ve booby-trapped the place!”
Oh, she was smart. That was it!
They weren’t being just hunted.
They were being trapped.
This Hunter was good. He wasn’t chasing his prey. He was lying in wait for the kill. The Hunters back in the suite had been the first diversion, sending him to the tunnels. Anyone they’d come across since, might have been used to direct and control Sebastian’s path.
He was being flushed out. Ambushed. And there were thousands of ambush points in these limestone tunnels. Sebastian had perfect vision, but a dead-end could be a death trap. The situation just got dire. And that meant, he’d have to get smarter. He didn’t need speed. He needed stealth.
“Jill?”
His whisper sounded loud. It wasn’t. He was just fine-tuning his hearing. Focusing on his sight. Using his abilities.
“Yeah?”
“We have to go back. This Hunter is—”
Something warned him. Some inner sense. Some instinct. Sebastian spun them one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, scraping his head on rock. The arrow that had been meant for Jill’s heart pierced him instead. Mid-back. Puncturing a lung. Maybe worse. He jerked at the contact. Gasped at the pain.
He finished the spin and stabbed blindly, since this hunter wasn’t wearing camo. He was in some sort of charcoal-colored material that refracted light. It was a new kind of cloaking device. Perfect for concealment. Useless as protection. Sebastian’s blade went right through it. He shoved harder, reaching flesh with the hilt. And then he ripped upward, yanking his bade out, spewing blood all over the scene. If he’d stabbed lower, this Hunter would have been split in half. As it was, he wore a look of shock on his face. Sebastian watched it go blank. And then bloody.
The man fell, blood and gore covering everything, including his silver, heart-shaped pair patch.
But his beloved had craned her head, and seen. She wasn’t gagging. She planted forehead against his shoulder, scrunched her eyes, and shuddered violently. And she was sobbing, and crying, and then she was hitting at him with her fists at his shoulders. Just above his wound.
“Get me out of here, Sebastian! Now! Get me out! Now!”
The injury was becoming agonizing. As if the bastard had somehow harnessed the sting of Holy Water and amplified it. Sebastian needed to get the arrow out. Get the wound sealed. Stop the blood loss.
“Now, Se
bastian! Get moving! Get us out of here!”
“But, sweet—”
“Please?”
Sebastian tightened his right arm about her. The pain was leaching into his left shoulder. Toward his arm. Sebastian held her close. Tried to absorb some of her shock. Warm her. Her sobs tore at his heart, overriding absolutely everything else. Even pain. He hadn’t known mating had that much power.
“All right, my love. Hold tight.”
She did. Her thighs tightened about his hips and her arms gripped about him as he raced endless tunnels. Debated multiple intersections. Stumbled more than once, before regaining his feet. He breathed shallowly. It matched her. He was trying to keep any blood seepage to a minimum. She was probably still in shock. And he was growing weaker. More than once, he had to steady himself before moving on. He couldn’t be lost. He wasn’t accepting that. They were too close to escape. He just had to find the one leading to the Petite Ceinture.
Skulls came into sight. Femurs. Walls of them.
He’d reached the Empire of the Dead. He should have known.
Sebastian’s groan carried fluid. He coughed on it. Jill lifted her head from his shoulder and looked toward him. He gave her a smile for reassurance. But then he coughed. And blood-coated bubbles came with it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Jill’s face came into view, her eyes soft. Warm. Golden-hued.
“Sebastian?”
“It’s all right, love.”
“Sebastian!”
Odd. It was dimmer down here than he remembered. Sebastian stumbled a final time and fell. He landed hard, hitting with elbows and knees, keeping her from smacking into the floor by a fraction of space.
“Sebastian?”
Her amber eyes were so beautiful!
“My... love?”
The word was a hiss as another froth of blood accompanied it. He should get the arrow out. He hadn’t much time. He slipped his blade beneath a satin strap and sliced, releasing one side. Her weight dropped her, despite how she clung. And then her hand moved down, reached the arrow shaft. When she brought her arm forward, her hand was coated with blood.
“You’re injured!”
He nodded.
“What do we do?”
“Break... the shaft. About... six inches out.”
Her eyes went even wider. “Me?” she asked.
Sebastian chuckled. It went awry as more blood-flecked foam spurted from his mouth. The view was getting even darker, too. Blurry. And very familiar. A glance upward confirmed it.
OSSIMENTS DE LANCIEN CIMETIERE ST NICHOLAS DES CHAMPS...
How was such a thing possible? He’d reached the place where Isabelle’s bones had been brought? That was ironic. He’d have chuckled again, but didn’t dare. He needed every drop of blood at his disposal.
“I can’t do it, Sebastian. I can’t!”
She was twisting the projectile, sending spasms of pain through him. He pointed to his sword.
“Hit it with... the blade.”
She did. And it might have worked, but it was the most intense agony of his entire experience. Ever. Sebastian was rigid with absorbing it.
“What do I do now? Sebastian! Don’t you dare die! You hear me! Don’t you dare!”
That was amusing enough he did chuckle. He’d been right. It spewed more precious blood from his mouth. He watched it for a few seconds as it soaked into the dirt floor, obliterating the mark of someone’s shoe. And then he lunged up, rolled, and slammed onto the floor. The hit sent the arrow out the front of him. Giving him something to grasp. If he had the energy. And the will.
“What should I do now, Sebastian? Huh? What? Tell me, what?”
Jill was on her knees beside him. Her tears wet his face. His chest. Sebastian put his right hand about the arrowhead. His left arm was useless. It matched his entire left side. Numb. Deadened. He pulled. His hand slid off. It took an act of will to grasp the arrowhead again. His body wasn’t obeying. He was shaky. Weak. And his hand slid off again.
“Here! I’ll do it!”
She grabbed the blood-covered, slick projectile, with both hands and pulled. Sebastian’s body rocked sideways toward her. The arrow didn’t budge. He would’ve cried out, but didn’t have enough energy. And that was bad. Everything was bad. He began to wonder if this might be his penance for betraying his vow. For putting another in Isabelle’s place. He was going to shrivel into non-existence. Right here. Right next to the bone pile that held Isabelle. And he was going to leave his mate behind.
Jill yanked on the arrowhead again. His body did the exact roll toward her and then back. The arrow shaft didn’t move.
“It’s not working! A-a-and I don’t know what to do! Tell me what to do!”
“It’s all right, sweetheart,” he whispered.
“No, it’s not all right! You hear me!”
Sebastian turned his head toward her and focused. She was hard to see. He had to narrow his eyes. She was surrounded by a gray blob of some kind.
“I love you... Jill.”
“Damn you, Sebastian Cole! You are not getting away with that! You hear me?”
Oh. She was adorable. Cute. He watched her. He almost smiled.
“Oh! You can stop that look, too!”
She shuffled about and then she was back in view. On her feet. She had strips of the cast-off satin sheet wound about her hands as she grabbed the arrowhead. And then she put a foot on his belly and yanked upwards.
Sebastian howled with agony. Death had to be better than this.
Jill dropped to his side. She had the wad of satin atop his exit wound, pressing it into the hole. She was sobbing his name over and over, and sometimes she was stammering through it. He could barely hear her. He was watching the arrowhead and about eight inches of shaft that she’d launched. It flew upward, arcing over the carefully assembled display of skulls and bones that made up the walls of the catacombs. It landed somewhere is the mish-mass of discarded bones behind the decorated wall. It felt like more desecration somehow. More violation.
A bit more defilement to those unable to defend against it.
A glint of something metallic caught his eye. It seemed to fly outward from where his arrow had landed, following the same path, only in reverse. It landed beside Jill, and spiraled several times before dropping. Within inches of his rapt gaze.
No.
It wasn’t possible.
Sebastian reached for the bit of wrought gold, formed from thin strips of gold, entwined into a ring. He recognized it easily. He still wore the twin to it. It was his signet ring. The one he’d given Isabelle. His hand shook more than before as he reached for it. Lifted it carefully. Brought it close to his nose to refute the proof before his eyes.
Was Isabelle giving him her blessing? Releasing him to love another? And this was proof?
No.
It wasn’t possible.
That’s when he realized he was using Jill’s phrasing. If she had to believe in vampires, then he had to believe in this. The gray shade moved back a bit. And he easily heard Jill lamenting beside him.
“Sebastian! You hear me? Don’t you dare leave me, you hear? I love you!”
Jill was rocking forward and back. Forward. Back. The next motion forward, Sebastian snagged her hand. Put the ring in her palm. Closed her fingers around it.
“What is this?”
“Take... it.”
Damn this loss of blood! The pain was starting to ebb, leaving nothing but weakness. He was even shakier. He really needed an infusion. He’d even take it from a Hunter if he had one handy.
“You’re giving me a r-r-ring?” She looked it over, almost like he had, and then turned her gaze back to him.
“Get... to Cobley. Show it... to Ivan.”
“Oh. Not without you. No way.”
“I’ll... follow... shortly.”
“Oh. You are very bad at this mating thing, Sebastian Cole.”
“Pardon?”
“You are my mate. I am yours. I hope
you meant forever, because I accept. You hear me? I’m accepting your ring and your proposal. And that means I am not leaving you here. I’ll carry you first. I don’t care how much you weigh.”
He chuckled. A slight smattering of bloody froth emitted from his lips. Good. The wounds were closing. She came closer. Inches away. Focused on him with her gorgeous amber-shaded eyes.
“I need... blood.”
“Fine. I have it. Take it.”
She lifted her hair off her shoulder, giving him a perfect view of the line of her neck. His canine teeth responded. Lengthened. Feral. Sharp.
“I can’t take... from you, sweet.”
“Why not?”
“It... will change you.”
“Is that all? Fine. Good. I accept.”
“You’ll be... a vampire.”
“Are you growing hard of hearing, too? I accept. I do.”
“Be certain... love.”
“Oh. I am. I agree. Didn’t you hear me? I love you. Okay? I’m your mate. And you are mine. Forever. Okay? What else do you need to hear? Hmm? Well? What?”
He grinned. And then he stabbed into her neck.
~ ~ ~
Cobley Airfield wasn’t empty. Sebastian snagged an arm around Jill and lifted her against him. His plane was in Hangar Three. There was another jet in the first hangar. It was getting loaded with passengers. Sebastian watched from the shadows, his back plastered to the wall, and Jill glued to him. Breathing in tandem. Every beat of her heart a match to his, in depth and rhythm. He touched a kiss to her temple.
“Aren’t those... Hunters?” Jill whispered.
“Yes.”
“Those bloody bastards. I thought that Akron fellow told you it was safe.”
“They’re not here for us. Look.”
The small group of Hunters was surrounding someone. Someone young. Lean. Tall. Blond.
It was Nigel.
Sebastian slid his cell phone pack out. He only had one phone left. He didn’t bother punching numbers. It was pre-coded for VAL headquarters. His worst fears were confirmed when a woman answered.
“You’ve reached the Vampire Assassin League. Lizbeth speaking. Name your poison, please.”
