Twice Cursed

by Marianne Morea

  “Chen this is the wolf’s seer. See that she isn’t injured.” With a single nod, he launched himself with one leap off the side of the battlement.

  “Impressive,” she said, staring off after Rémy. “Can all vampires do that?”

  Chen shook his head. “Skills like flying come with extreme age. I’ve only been dead for fifty years, so, nope. Just your run-of-the-mill vampire,” he said, adding a very 1950s Draculaesque hiss for effect, followed by hearty chuckle.

  From the top of his shiny black pompadour to the bottom of his blue suede shoes, the Asian vampire looked as if he’d walked off the set of an Elvis movie. Chen seemed a tad more likeable than the others of his kind, relaxed—except for the fact he would drink Lily dry in a heartbeat.

  He jumped up to sit on the wide stone railing, and leaned so far backward it looked like he’d either topple over or snap his back. With his arms over his head, he stretched. “Not exactly the way I thought I’d be spending my night,” he said, taking a pack of Lucky Strikes out of his pocket. He stuck one in his mouth then held the pack out toward Lily. “Want one?”

  She shook her head. “No thanks.” Her fingers itched for a cigarette, but she needed to keep her hands and her mind on target.

  Chen shrugged, cupping his hands to light his own. “Probably better you don’t,” he replied, blowing a cloud of smoke out the side of his mouth. “You’ve still gotta watch out for cancer and shit. Me, I’m already a walking corpse.” He laughed, flashing a fangy grin.

  Lily couldn’t help but smile back, half expecting him to drawl ‘thank you, thank you very much,’ the first chance he got. “Were you the one that spotted Améile?”

  He shook his head. “I haven’t seen a thing all night. To tell you the truth, I was a little confused when Etienne instructed me to signal my position to Rémy so he could land with you.”

  That same creepy feeling now walked itself from her shoulder to latch its cold fingers around her throat. “This doesn’t add up,” she muttered, gaze moving toward the wall overlooking the pond and the footpaths that lead to the road. She walked to the edge and rested her hands on the stone. Where the hell were Jack and Ryan? And why was it taking so long for Sean to get here? She shook her head dismissing the nagging feeling as ridiculous. Jack had to have gotten his information from one of the other vampires, otherwise this made no sense.

  The water looked black, despite the moonlight, and the ice floes gathered along the rocky slopes of the embankment were eerily in shadow. Lily wheeled around on her heel. “I’m going to head down toward the water’s edge. Keep me covered, okay?”

  Chen busied himself blowing smoke rings. “Later gator.” With a smirk, he saluted, cigarette in hand.

  Lily ducked down the winding staircase, the sound of her boots clattering like gunfire off the masonry walls. Perhaps something down by the water could give her a clue as to what was going on.

  She stepped out of the main keep, and scanned the rocks sloping down towards the water. They were slick with ice, but there was no other way to get to the water’s edge short of scrambling down the side wall.

  “Lily! Help! Up here! The vamp bitch is up here!” Jack shouted from the castle terrace above.

  “Jack!” Lily raced back inside, her heart pounding in her chest. Why hadn’t she sensed him? She unclipped her crossbow and deftly grabbed a stake from her boot as she took the stairs two at a time.

  Inside the arched doorway, she paused to listen, pressing herself as close to the stone wall as possible. There was an agonized scream, and she pushed herself away from the wall, crouching as she ran through the entry, her crossbow cocked and ready.

  Chen was sprawled across the wet stone floor, his limbs broken at odd angles. A puddle of blood spread beneath his torn throat, and there was a gaping hole in his chest where his heart should have been. She blinked as flakes billowed past. The cool Asian vamp was already turning to ash.

  In the corner was another body Lily didn’t recognize. She couldn’t tell if it was human or supe as the scents were too intermingled. All she knew, was he was dead, as well.

  “Jack!” Lily hissed. “Where are you?”

  From the shadows, a gray wolf menaced forward with his head low, four large canines dripping red as he bared his teeth. Jaws snapping, he let out a snarl and leapt forward, his large paws hitting the stone with a thud a few feet from where Lily stood.

  With slow measured movements, she shifted the crossbow to her left hand and reached behind her back for her 9mm. “Jack, it’s me. I don’t know what you did or why, but if you can understand me, you need to stop and phase back to human.”

  He didn’t, though. He kept coming, his teeth snapping as he advanced.

  “Sean…Jack just killed Sébastien’s guard and swallowed his heart. He’s still in wolf form, and it’s like he’s been drugged or spelled or something. He won’t respond. I’ve got my gun drawn. I don’t want to shoot him, but I will.”

  Two men approached from the shadows behind the gray wolf. One had a coil of rope in his hands, the other a bottle and a rag, and Lily could smell the chloroform. In a snap of bone and muscle, Jack phased back to human and stood between them, naked, his mouth and chest covered in blood.

  “Jack! Have you gone crazy? What are you doing? Both Sébastien and Sean are on their way.” She was confident Sean heard her call, however, the smug look that spread across Jack’s face told her otherwise.

  “I’m afraid it’ll be too late by the time they figure things out. It’s nothing personal, Lily. I like you and I’m sorry it has to be this way. It’s just Sean’s made some serious enemies, powerful ones who can give me what I deserve. Unfortunately, you’re the bargaining chip.”

  “Sean! It’s a trap! Jack…” she tried again, but pain, white hot and piercing spiked through Lily’s ears. Her knees buckled, and her hand shot out to grab the lamp post next to the stone overlook. “Sean! Help!” The words seared her mind, the pain exploding behind her eyes, blurring her vision. Panting, she tried to straighten, but her knees gave out and she collapsed, her gun clattering to the ground.

  Jack kicked it to the corner and stood over her. “I’m sorry, Lily, but you’re just too smart, and I can’t have you blowing the whistle on me.” He squatted down, peeling her white knuckled fingers from her crossbow and helping himself to a handful of sharp stakes.

  She looked up at him, trying to see past the swirls and double vision. “Why, Jack?” she rasped, earning a scornful sigh from the wolf.

  “I’m surprised at you Lily, smart as you are that you didn’t figure things out. You were suspicious, I’ll give you that. Your instincts were right on target up until the very end, but you ignored them, buying into that goody-goody garbage Sean’s been feeding you.” His expression hardened, and the once handsome hunter suddenly seemed ugly.

  “Poor Jack,” he mimicked in a soft girly voice. “You and Sean, you’re both the same and both stupid. You were better as a vigilante, Lily, until you let emotions rob you of your edge. It’s weak. If it had been Edward at dinner with us the other night, he would have politely listened to my complaint, patted my hand and then shot me point blank in the head.”

  Lily stared at him in disbelief. “And that’s what you want for the Weres? A power junkie, unmerciful and ruthless?” she asked.

  He shook his head, his lip curled in distain. “You still don’t get it.” For a moment he stared at her, his expression almost disappointed. “It doesn’t matter, I guess. You’re a pawn now, and I get to call the shots. Using you to lure Sean back to the compound was only part of the deal. After that, you’re mine.”

  Lily lifted her chin and spit in his face.

  Jack stiffened. He wiped his cheek, then backhanded her across the face. “Like I said… mine.”

  Pain reverberated through her jaw and up into her ear. With a sharp intake she winced, but gritted her teeth, refusing to let him see her break.

  “Enough of this chatter, we need to get moving before Sean realizes
I’ve sent him and Sébastien on a wild goose chase. Stupid fool. In wolf form I told him Rémy and Etienne were behind this and were flying you toward Columbus Circle—that it was a vampire set up, and I killed the guard while trying to stop them.” Shameless, he drew himself up fully. “After all, Sébastien did say you’d make a wonderful addition to his group, and everyone knows vamps don’t take kindly to being told, ‘No, thank you’.”

  Lily stared at him, the puzzle pieces that had eluded her for a week finally falling into place.

  “Oh, and don’t worry. The telepathic block I’m using on you may be painful, but isn’t permanent. Just a necessary evil, until Sean is dead and Edward is in control. You see, I learned a few things working all those nights on bedpan duty. Hunters are trusted, no questions asked, and I took full advantage of that and the access it gave me to Volkmann’s research. Too bad Sean thought I was all brawn and no brains. Guess the joke’s on him now, huh?” He kicked at the pile of wet soot that used to be Chen.

  Lily stealthily slid her fingers over the outside edge of her boot. The single telltale bump under her fingers said she had one stake left, one chance for escape that Jack had missed.

  Jack’s back was to her, but there was still no chance to strike or get away. He had her crossbow, and her gun was in the corner out of reach. Time, though, was her ally for the moment. He had ordered his men to drag the remains of the dead guy down to the pond for the police to find, and the longer it took, the more of a chance there was Sean would figure things out and come for her.

  Lily didn’t recognize any of the men with Jack, including the dead one. They had to be Parr’s flunkies. The one he called Tony hooked his arms under the inert bulk of what was left of his pal. “Marcus, grab Leon’s ankles,” he said to the other, straining to lift the slumped over body. “Jeez, he’s heavy, no wonder they call it dead weight,” he snickered.

  Lily shot him a dirty look, catching his eye, and the man’s gaze drifted over her appreciatively. “I can see why Jack’s got a thing for you,” he said, his eyes lingering on the swell of her breasts.

  Disgust left her throat, and he chuckled. “Why don’t you make it easy on yourself, baby, and cooperate? And don’t do anything stupid like trying to reach lover boy again, not unless you want your brain to fry. Jack’s blocking frequency can be a little temperamental.”

  A feral hiss screeched through the air, pulling his attention, and both he and Marcus dropped the body, running for cover under the arch. Jack swore under his breath. “You pussies! The vamp bitch could be anywhere in the park!”

  The dead guy’s feet landed adjacent to where Lily sat still on the ground, and she fixed Jack with a scowl when he glanced at her. “Améile’s coming for you, Jack. You killed another vamp tonight and she knows your scent from the last time, remember?”

  Ignoring her, Jack kicked at Leon’s lifeless feet, hoisting him up to drag him toward the stairs, and yelling for his men as he struggled. “Come help me, you two, or I swear I’ll feed you to the vamps myself.”

  Lily gritted her teeth, waiting for him to get a little closer. Taking advantage of his inattention, she shot her leg out, nailing Jack behind the knees, sending him crashing down on his back, smacking his head on the pavement. The minute he hit the ground, she was on her feet, diving for her gun in the corner.

  He rolled to his side, quickly pushing himself up and yanking Lily by the shoulders, tossing her back against the stone structure like a ragdoll. “You bitch, I’m bleeding! And with all these vamps around…Arrgh!” Jack hissed, his hand moving to the back of his head.

  Jack used her momentum against her, but she had some skills of her own. Exhaling hard, she kept her wits and prevented her wind from being knocked out. At the last second, she threw her arms over her head and pressed her chin to her chest, deflecting the impact to her rounded shoulders instead of her lungs. Jack shouted for the others again, raising his leg to sidekick her in the ribs, but Lily was ready.

  She sucked in a breath and dropped her forearm in a downward shunt, blocking his kick and throwing him off balance. Turning the tables, she used his momentum against him now, and swept his supporting leg out from under him. He crashed to the pavement dropping her crossbow, and she scrambled to pick it up before he rolled to the side and beat her to the punch. All bets were off as she unlocked the safety and pointed the razor’s edge of the loaded weapon at Jack’s heart, but another screech sounded, this time directly from above.

  “Cochran, wake up! Vampire 12:00!” Marcus shouted.

  Perched on the extreme edge of the stone turret above them, was Améile. She had completely degenerated. Even the stringy hair that clung to her scalp had rotted away, leaving her nothing more than a skeleton with fangs. A cooing sound echoed from behind her, and all eyes watched as her progeny slid up next to her, resting her head on her maker’s bony shoulder, her fingers lovingly around Améile’s exposed ribcage.

  “Kill the bitches or we’re all dead!” Jack shouted, pushing himself to his feet, one of Lily’s stakes in his hand.

  The redhead’s chin lifted, and she sniffed the air, her nostrils flaring. Her eyes tracked Jack as he crouched, waiting for an attack.

  “Fuck! She smells the blood from my scalp,” he said, his eyes narrowing at Lily in a death look.

  On the balls of her feet, Lily slid into a defensive stance, adjusting her grip on the crossbow. The feel of the string in her fingers gave her focus and strength as she pulled it back, relocking it into place. Where the hell was Sean? She didn’t need telepathy to know he was going crazy trying to reach her. If she felt pain on her end, he probably did, as well. Or maybe he sensed nothing but dead air. Either way, she was on her own. If she tried to reach him again, the pain would disable her, and she couldn’t afford to lose the small edge she’d just gained.

  Lily glanced from Jack to his men, her mind running the averages. If she shot one of the Weres, the blood would draw the vampires, and she’d have a chance at staking at least one, but that left the other for her to deal with, and even in a weakened state, the vampire was still too strong.

  Shifting her gaze to the turret, she watched the vampires, taking in every nuance of their behavior. They were wrapped up like mother and child, with the redhead tucking herself under the other’s arm, while she still tracked Jack’s every move.

  Lily focused on the redhead, as there wasn’t enough of Améile’s face left to give any semblance of expression. The younger vampire was completely ensconced by the other. If Lily took out the mother, there would be a split second of shock before the daughter attacked. In her rage, she would lose focus and Lily could nail her then. If she missed, it was anyone’s game.

  Lily took aim at Améile’s exposed ribs. If she could just angle the trajectory, she could hit her dead in the heart. She lowered her chin and held her breath, her own pulse beating in the tips of her fingers on the trigger.

  The stake soared through the air, hitting its mark, and Améile’s body jerked back. Her arms flew wide, and a bloodcurdling shriek echoed through the night. If that didn’t bring Sean and Sébastien, nothing would. Lily had just killed the master’s progeny, and she had no doubt he’d felt it. The tainted vampire burst in a cloud of ash, the particles wafting in the breeze, almost peaceful in the way they floated along.

  The redhead stood on the turret like a disheveled goddess, her hair billowing out and her eyes blazing crimson. Lily took cover, pressing her back against the stone, her black clothing giving her just enough camouflage for the vampire’s scrutiny to pass her by.

  Instead, the redhead settled on the largest of Jack’s men, swooping down like the angel of death, snapping his neck as he turned to run. Her jaws opened, exposing lethal fangs dripping with yellow, fouled saliva, and she drained him in seconds, tossing his dried husk of a body to the side.

  Her nostrils flared, and she turned in Jack’s direction, her head jerky and puppet like. He was still bleeding, and her eyes opened wide with recognition and deadly thirst. “You
!” she slurred. “You smell like my mother’s tormentor!”

  Wild-eyed, she launched herself at Jack, her fury overriding her instincts. She never saw the stake in his hand. The redhead crumbled to the floor, Améile’s name on her lips as her body imploded.

  Jack slumped against the stone battlement, panting. “Marcus, let’s go. Grab Lily and let’s get the hell out of here. The master vampire will be here any minute. We just killed his daughter and granddaughter, and I guarantee he’s not going to be happy about all this.”

  Lily dive rolled over Leon’s corpse, and got to her feet at the entrance to the stairs. Without looking back, she clamored down the steps, but Marcus was on her heels, tackling her at the bottom. Her head snapped back, slamming against the stone, and the last thing she registered was the scent of fresh blood and stale urine.

  Jack ran down the stairs after them, stopping short at Lily’s prone body. “Please tell me, you didn’t kill her.”

  “She’s not dead, just unconscious.”

  “Good. Now let’s get her into the van. It’s parked in the trees of the 79th Street Transverse Road.”

  “What about Leon and Tony?” Marcus said, gesturing up the stairs. “We can’t just leave them. They have family back in Maine.”

  Jack snarled, pushing past Marcus to hook his arms under Lily’s shoulders. “Are you insane? I may have said Sean was stupid and weak, but only when it comes to her,” he said, jerking his chin toward Lily. “He didn’t get elected alpha for nothing. Don’t underestimate him. By now he knows Parr is behind this set up. What he doesn’t know, is that I’m part of it too, and unless Edward has sold you out, Sean doesn’t know about you either. Don’t fuck this up. It ain’t over till it’s over.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  ***

  Sean paced back and forth on the castle terrace, Lily’s gun and crossbow in his hand. Her scent and the scent of blood were everywhere, yet the only thing that stopped him from going crazy, was that it wasn’t her blood.