Kneel Or Die (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 7)

by Michael Anderle

  Michael, the Patriarch of all Vampires easily lifted David’s whole body with his arm, hand still holding the bloody heart. David dropped his rifle and grabbed Michael’s hand, trying to push the heart back in his body.

  Then the venomous tone was speaking into David’s ear and told him all he ever needed to know. Not that it would do him one damn bit of good, now. There was no plan that was going to survive this contact with the enemy.

  Michael had finally caught up to him.

  Michael pulled David’s body close and put his mouth to his head. “I might have given you a painless death, David. But you never did learn.” Michael got right up to David’s ear. “Never, ever threaten someone I care about, David. Never!”

  Then, Michael changed the fingers of his left hand into sharp daggers, ripping through David’s neck slowly, painfully. Finally, he finished the job and the body stopped struggling. Michael was enjoying the satisfaction of killing David when life went upside down.

  Michael made a mistake. He was so intent on killing David he lost his situational awareness. There was one more person in the room who decided this was the best chance he might have to get his licks in.

  Yazarus aimed at Michael and emptied his pistol.

  —

  Michael wasn’t expecting to be tackled. He wasn’t expecting anything but to savor the death of this bastard who should have been killed centuries before.

  That was when the damn freight train struck him from the side and the pistol shots reached his consciousness.

  David’s body had been knocked off of his arm and what ended up in his arms was a whole lot of goodness. Wrapped up in some damned body armor that wasn’t soft at all!

  The two vampires turned after they came to a stop fifteen feet away and saw a white blur streaking across the room. The Wechselbalg on the wall threw the empty gun at the dog and changed.

  The fight was as vicious as it was short.

  Ashur slammed into the wolf, knocking it into the stone wall before he dove at the wolf, biting its jugular and ripping it out. Ashur didn’t stop until the head and the body wouldn’t be mending for … probably ever. He growled at the dead carcass for a few seconds before sniffing around. Satisfied he had killed the wolf, he turned to look at the two vampires who laid together staring at him. He shook his head, chuffed and started trotting back to the entrance.

  If Bethany Anne didn’t know any better, she would think Ashur had just said, ‘Vampires!’ Then she realized she was lying on top of Michael.

  She got off of Michael and reached down and he grabbed her hand allowing himself to be pulled up. The two of them were a mess. Blood was everywhere and anywhere. Michael was covered in blood from his very personal and up close killing of David. “Turn around.” Michael’s request sounded half concerned, half commanding.

  Bethany Anne wasn’t in a mood to argue so she did as he requested. She felt Michael push where David’s bullet had punched her in the back, sending her over the table. He could feel the hole in her armor. He saw the blood indicating that she had been shot and wounded, not just thrown off the table.

  “Bethany Anne, you play a dangerous game.” She turned to see true concern on Michael’s face.

  Her retort died in her throat.

  “We killed the bad guys.” Was all she said.

  Michael eyed the dismembered corpses around the room. What heads he could see usually had a bullet wound in them. “Did you have fun?”

  “Until the ass-hat with the elephant gun shot me so hard I thought I would have to swallow my own lungs again, yes.” She looked over at the ugliness that was left of David’s corpse. “You really seemed peeved at the end. Did you get your revenge?”

  Michael looked down at David. It wasn’t revenge, it was making sure David was never a threat to Bethany Anne again.

  Ever.

  “I am pleased with the outcome. Thank you for that timely … push”.

  She shrugged, “Seems like you were pretty focused on doing the job right. I had been coming around the table and I wasn’t sure I could get to him fast enough, so I chose to knock you out of the way.”

  Michael was opening his mouth to say something when Bethany Anne interrupted him, “If you say I hit like a girl, I swear to God I’ll kick your millennial old ass right now!”

  Michael just shook his head, “I was planning on asking you if chocolate would be good?”

  She looked down at herself and over at Michael. “I’m thinking we might scare the people behind the counter.”

  Michael looked himself over, “Ok. Why don’t we find a shower here? Then go back to South America and get changed, and then go wherever you want for dinner?”

  Bethany Anne put a finger to her lip, thinking. “Well,” she turned and started walking towards the door she had originally entered, “I suppose you did provide the opportunity for some blood and mayhem.” She put a little swing in her hips…

  Come along little doggy, she thought, come along!

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  The Queen Bitch’s Ship, Polarus

  Bethany Anne thought Michael looked damn good in his suit. Then again, thinking back to when they needed to wash all of the blood off at David’s castle, he had looked really good out of his clothes, too.

  Unfortunately, nothing happened.

  Yet.

  They had washed most of the blood out of their clothes, and then out of Ashur’s fur. Bethany Anne found a phone and called Stephen who was able to contact a cleanup team to come and take care of all the bodies and any other evidence.

  The two of them had grabbed a mother-load of papers and other things that they wanted to review and stuck them in the room where Michael was imprisoned. Michael had told Bethany Anne where she could pick up a battery operated lantern, and blood packs for him, in his house.

  She really needed to pop him into the pod doc, but he demurred the first time she approached him with the idea.

  By the time they got back to Michael’s house, she had barely enough time to get some new clothes. She threw away the bloody stuff and was in the shower getting the last of the ick off of her, when Gabrielle and Tabitha got back.

  It seemed that both she and Gabrielle had glossed over their events of the last 24 hours. It wasn’t like she was going to hide it forever, but she had called her dad and her priorities changed. Lance and Patricia decided on a quick wedding because of some advances Team BMW had achieved related to the moon base. So it was shower, do the ‘how was your day?’ conversation with Gabrielle and then Bethany Anne, Gabrielle and Ashur stepped back to Miami.

  When she gave Michael a kiss on the cheek goodbye, maybe she lingered a bit longer this time than she had before.

  Maybe just a little.

  Bethany Anne never noticed the smirk that passed between Tabitha and Gabrielle because she was thinking about the wink Michael gave her as they left.

  Then it became a busy forty-eight hours.

  Most of the team had been moved to the ship via the Pods, but she and Ashur went to pick up Michael and Tabitha.

  Bethany Anne wasn’t wearing her maid-of-honor outfit yet, as it was back on the ship after having been chosen by Ecaterina. Thankfully, it wasn’t taffeta! The wedding goddess had been nice to her this time.

  When she grabbed Michael’s hand, somehow her fingers slipped into his naturally. She never even thought about it when the four of them arrived in her closet and Tabitha started ‘oohing and ahhing’ in exquisite pleasure when she looked around the closet.

  Bethany Anne shooed Michael out and the ladies got down to getting dressed.

  She brought her mind back to the present when Michael started speaking to her dad and Patricia. Thankfully, it was a beautiful late afternoon in the Mediterranean and both ships had been squared away and looked fantastic. The crew had on their nicest clothes and it was a damned fine group.

  Michael started the ceremony, “Good morning and welcome. Patricia and Lance are so glad to have you here on this beautiful day. We are
gathered together to be overjoyed for, and with, these two souls who are so wonderfully suited to one another. Their future is the promise of possibility, the expectation of joyful surprise, no matter what age they are in life. We are here to celebrate and witness these two, who have found love with each other. May every desire you have for your love be fulfilled. May you be given the vision with which to clearly behold one another. The listening, with which to perceive one another most genuinely. And, the endless generosity of spirit with which to nourish each other’s soul and sweetly keep the promises you make here today.”

  “We are here to witness the marriage of Patricia Helena and Lance Reynolds. Patricia and Lance, I remind you that marriage is a precious gift. It’s a lifelong dedication to love and a daily challenge to love one another more fully and more freely through the many years you have left. May you consider what you have now and seek to carry it forward each and every day.”

  The wedding was a beautiful event, with the two exchanging vows and rings and following the ceremony form Michael had known for hundreds of years.

  Michael concluded, “By the power vested in me a very, very long time ago, I now pronounce you, Patricia and Lance Reynolds, husband and wife. You may now kiss your Bride!”

  When the two came up for air, Michael smiled to those in attendance. “Everyone please welcome for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Lance and Patricia Reynolds!”

  The whole ship erupted in joy and celebration. Everyone was pretty giddy on the first major downtime the ships had enjoyed in a while. The party went well into the evening. Those who had night shift enjoyed the party with only one drink, switching out with those on duty who had the opportunity to sleep off too much alcohol.

  Bethany Anne danced with anyone who approached her, but she tried to save her best for when Michael was around. It wasn’t like Michael’s dance card was empty, he was requested by the ladies on the ship a lot.

  Bethany Anne was taking in everyone enjoying themselves when Stephen came up beside her. “Quite a night, isn’t it?”

  Bethany Anne stepped closer to Stephen and laid a head on his shoulder, “Hello Stephen, my oldest vampire friend.” Stephen smiled and put an arm around her. “Cold?”

  “Would that get me a sympathy card?”

  “Well, considering you can’t really feel it, no.”

  “Damn. Well, that still doesn’t get you out of being my favorite vampire.”

  He smiled, “I’ll be happy to do that for centuries to come if God permits.”

  “He’s pretty happy, isn’t he?” Bethany Anne was watching her dad take Patricia around the dance area one more time.

  “Your dad?”

  “Yes.” Her eyes strayed over to Michael.

  “I’d say he’s a man that has everything he has ever wanted. He has his daughter, he has a partner and he has a cause he believes in. Both of his loves are focused on the same cause.”

  She sighed, “I hope he gets a little quiet on this trip.”

  “He should, the crews have all been working on it.”

  She pulled her head off of Stephen’s shoulder and looked at him, “What have you guys done?” Her eyes started to narrow.

  Stephen put up his hands, “It’s all proper! The captains pooled their knowledge and found the most beautiful and secluded island possible. Nathan’s team put up an early-warning system on the island and we will have coverage over them the whole time. The teams have three Pods of supplies already there and they pre-built a short term abode including electricity from one of the small engines for the retreat. They won’t have anything to do but swim, eat and spend time with each other. If anything comes within thirty minutes of their area, we will know about it. We have two Guardian teams on call ready to take off within ninety seconds if a call comes in. They will hopefully have seventy-two hours of uninterrupted bliss.”

  Bethany Anne bent over and kissed him on the cheek, “Thank you, Stephen. I thought maybe the guys were going to do something to embarrass him.”

  She looked back out over the dance floor, “Not that my dad wouldn’t deserve it, God knows he has harassed most everyone here enough.”

  “I’ve been asked to present a gift, from the ship’s crews, to you.”

  She looked back, “To me? Why?”

  Stephen shook his head slowly, “Why is it when someone wants to treat you nice, you get defensive?”

  “I don’t get defensive!” He looked at her and she replayed how she had just acted, “Much.”

  “Come with me, please.” Stephen started walking towards the helicopter landing pad at the stern of the ship. She noticed the Ad Aeternitatem was pulling up beside them just fifty yards away. She felt she could jump to the other ship it was so close. She turned her attention to walking again and noticed a Pod was waiting for them. Both Captains were resplendent in their uniforms. She smiled to the Captains and all of the main crew that could fit there. She was tearing up by the time she hugged everyone.

  She wiped a tear away, “Ok, give! What’s going on here?” All she got was smiles and everyone pointing to the Pod. Stephen went up and held out his hand. She took it and allowed herself to be seated to the right in the Pod. Not her usual position.

  TOM, do you know what is going on?

  Yes.

  You’re not going to tell me, are you?

  No.

  Traitorous Alien Symbiont.

  I understand that is how all good friends act.

  Prick.

  I love you too, Bethany Anne.

  And I you, TOM! … and I … you.

  Stephen entered their Pod and closed the door. He didn’t bother with the controls because he knew TOM would take care of everything. The pod lifted slowly above everyone’s heads. It moved to stay between the two super-yachts. Then, the pod slowed and let the two ships pull ahead. Bethany Anne was enjoying the beauty of everything when suddenly bright lights lit up the sterns of both ships. There on the transoms were new designations. The left ship was now “QBS Polarus” and on the right was “QBS Ad Aeternitatem”.

  She looked over to Stephen, “Queen Bitch’s Ship, right?” He nodded.

  “After each of the terrorist strikes the news of each operation went around both ships. These men and women could not be prouder than being a part of the group that helped, if only a little, with the retribution they felt was long overdue to the terrorists. When the Guardians came back, the video from the Pods was shown all over both ships. It seems Team BMW made sure a lot of video was taken in order to confirm the effectiveness of the Pods and their parting gift, of course.”

  She echoed, “Of course.” Bethany Anne straightened up in her seat. “I’m damn proud of every person we have Stephen, every one of them.” She surreptitiously wiped a tear away. She noticed another pod coming to land a little off to the left on the QBS Polarus.

  Stephen said, “It’s time to go back, it looks like Lance and Patricia are calling it a night.” The pod started moving back over to the QBS Polarus, a group of people moving aside to let them land.

  Bethany Anne noticed a handwritten sign on the back of the Pod. It read, “Don’t lose the mood - Get there fast while the feeling is still hot! Call Team BMW.” She laughed. She guessed the Pods were, in fact, the fastest way to get from here to there.