Chapter Ten
From where Sam stood, she noticed that one of the other vampires she didn’t know stood near the entrance, one arm missing. She didn’t know when he’d lost the arm, or if it would grow back, but he had clearly lost his ability to fight early on.
The last of Lee’s power drained from her, washing away with the rain. By mere fingertips, Sam held back her gift from taking the other vampires. Her control was weakened after stealing and using so much power. Slowly, she reined in her gift. As she did so, she lowered herself to her knees. No doubt the ungraceful collapse would leave bruises on her knees, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She was too tired to think beyond getting out of the rain and avoiding Heywood’s ire for killing his man.
She dragged the beanie off her head. It had grown too wet to be comfortable.
Sam glanced around the perimeter of the courtyard, amazed that the guards had not taken notice of their battle. She would have to ask Heywood how they had managed that. As she continued to scan their surroundings, she noticed a figure standing in the shadows of the opposite housing complex; they hadn’t gone completely unobserved.
Even in the darkness, and without Lee’s night vision, she knew who watched them. Her gift pressed against her boundaries, as though it too knew who watched them, and, like before, her gift wanted to taste him.
Roman stepped out of the shadow of the building until she could see his face. His eyes ran over the remains of the battle, finally resting on her. Though she didn’t know him well, she could read the disappointment in his eyes.
Sam pushed herself to her feet and turned away. How dare he despise her! He didn’t know her. He didn’t know the reasoning for her action. She worked to save a friend, and he could just go straight to hell.
Sam stomped over to Heywood, no longer worrying about the vampire punishing her for killing Lee. Heywood smiled at her as her stomping turned into limping. During the battle, she had forgotten about her ankle, but as the adrenaline faded from her bloodstream the pain returned. She hadn’t had Lee’s power in her long enough to heal the damage done to the muscle.
“Good work, Sam,” he said with a smile.
Sam wondered if he was even aware of Lee’s death. Heywood gripped her shoulder squeezing gentle.
“I’ll help you back to the house to rest. You can go home before daylight.”
Sam nodded. She wasn’t about to argue, as much as she didn’t want to remain in his presence. Heywood slipped his arm around her waist, helping to support her as he walked over to the fading pile of ashes. Sam glanced over to where Roman had stood, but he was already gone.
Screw him, she thought to herself as she pulled her gaze back to the pile of ash.
“Oh, Lee. Always the fool,” sighed Heywood.
“Why do you say that?”
“I’ll explain when we’re alone.”
Sam glanced around, noticing the two vampires she didn’t know mingling around the dead bodies, stripping them of anything valuable.
“What do we do about the bodies?” she asked, doing her best to ignore the intimacy of Heywood’s arm wrapped around her waist.
“Leave ‘em. The feds will start an investigation, but like all other investigations, it will dwindle into nothing. At worst, Jerry over there will do some time in Solitary. He deserves it after losing his damn arm.”
“It doesn’t grow back?”
Heywood laughed as he used his free arm to scoop her up. Within seconds he had raced back to the row-house neighborhood and up the steps of his house. He gently lowered her back to her feet before opening the door. Sam hobbled in, not wanting his help anymore. She didn’t like the way his fingers messed with her clothing, somehow finding skin despite her layers.
“Where shall I wait?” she asked, not wanting to just assume she was supposed to go upstairs.
“You can stay in my guest room,” he said, motioning up the stairs.
Dammit, she thought as she started to hobble.
“Are you always this obstinate?” he asked from the first floor.
“Pretty much,” she said, making it up two more steps.
Without any warning, Heywood grabbed her waist and carried her up the stairs, his arms alone taking her weight. Sam gasped as they reached the second story and the vampire carefully settled her on her one good foot.
“Which way,” she growled.
“This way, my dear,” he said smiling again.
Sam hobbled into the room. It was nothing like the only other room she had been in. Where the other room had been all black and gothic, this room held a pretty little white day bed, clothed in lavender sheets and a darker purple quilt. Matching curtains hung over the windows, covering the blackout curtains used by all vampires. A white wardrobe and dresser with a delicate mirror sat against the walls, leaving the center of the room empty. Sam reveled in the space. Had Amber been with her, one of them could have taken the bed and the other on the floor—a luxury neither of their rooms afforded.
“Pretty,” she said when she realized Heywood was watching her.
Sam hobbled forward and sat on the little stool that belonged to the fancy dresser with the mirror.
“How come the guards didn’t notice what we were doing?” she asked before Heywood could leave.
“We vampires are violent creatures. It is within our abilities to mask our fights from human eyes if need be. If we couldn’t do this, we would have been discovered centuries ago.”
“Is that why you guys weren’t moving as fast?
Heywood nodded. “It takes some of our powers to work the magic.”
Sam nodded. She didn’t know when the vampires had arrived in the human realm. Most of the origin histories had faded into legends, and from legends into myths. Now there was little left but whispered theories.
“Now, Miss Gollet, I think we ought to discuss your future,” he said as he leaned casually against the doorframe.
“My future?” she asked, looking up at him. “What do you mean? I did my part. You saying you won’t keep Carl’s secret?”
“I would have, but you have left me without my enforcer.”
Sam frowned, her stomach beginning to tie itself into knots.
“Don’t play innocent with me, Miss Gollet. I know about Lee’s romance with Becky and about her death. I also know that you and that little Amber, the empath, have been investigating it. Don’t think for a minute that I am dumb enough to think a mage took Lee out while simultaneously dealing with you. You drained his power, completely.”
Sam sat very still. Had her ankle not been injured, she would have risen to her feet. Instead, she held still, defying his words with her lack of nervous activity.
“Are you suggesting I killed your enforcer? The most powerful vampire under your control?” she asked, forcing her voice to remain calm.
“I’m not suggesting it, Miss Gollet. I’m stating it outright. The question is, what do I do about it.”
Despite her effort to appear calm, Sam felt her throat swallow the enormous lump that had built up. Besides, Heywood could easily hear her heart racing around her chest.
“Oh, calm down. I’m not going to kill you. At least, not yet. I don’t waste the gifts that have been given to me. I wouldn’t be in control of the vampires if I did.”
“You think I’ve been given to you?” she asked, all façade of calm forgotten.
“I know it. You gave yourself to me by killing Lee. From now on, Miss Gollet, you serve me. You answer to me. Do you understand?”
For a split second, Sam considered fighting him, but she knew she would never win. Just as the one-armed vampire was nothing compared to Lee, Lee was nothing compared to Heywood. Even if half the stories about him were made up, she would never be able to drain him in one gulp, and while she paused to dispel the stolen magic, he would break her neck. Without some sort of distraction, she would never have enough time to bring him to ash.
And as the realization hit, she heard t
he utter truth in his words. Somehow, in just a few short days, she had worked herself into the position of enforcer for the head vampire of the Reservation.
Within days, the whole Res would know her true abilities. And they would fear her.
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To continue reading Sam’s story, check out Misguided Allies.
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Cornered Magic Page 16
