“Stop!” I froze in place.
Hallow turned to Maxie and barked, “Help her.”
Maxie crawled around Victoria to kneel in front of me. She pulled my jeans off, one leg at a time, and threw the pants out of the circle. I leaned over and stroked her hair. Her head jerked up, a surprised expression on her face.
My bare feet looked so pale against the dark floor. Hadn’t I worn shoes? I tried to think about that for a few seconds, but became distracted by Hallow’s loud voice.
“Move away.” He kicked out at Maxie. She flinched and returned to her original location.
“I told you there was fantasy sex in our future.” He turned to me and smiled. “My fantasy, of course.” He tugged at the drawstring waist of his flowing pants, and the tie came open. The silky fabric pooled at his bare feet and he stepped out of it, nude.
I was mesmerized by Hallow’s fantastic form. White marble skin over well-toned muscles and a thick, long erection jutting out from dark hair between his legs. I couldn’t force my gaze away as my hand floated in that direction.
He laughed and assumed his favorite, spread-leg, fists-on-hips stance. “Patience, my good doctor—or whoever you are now.” He nodded at his penis. “I can assure you it’s worth waiting for.” He pointed to the filthy mattress. “Lie down.”
I stretched out on the thin pad, unconcerned about anything but persuading Hallow to suck on my neck. I knew there were other people in the room, but they were only faint blips on my radar.
“I’m ready! Bloody Marys for everyone!”
Hallow knelt at my feet and said, dryly, “How charming. I’ll have to do something about getting the rest of you back. This mindless part of your personality is becoming a mite boring. Who knew your psyche was so fragile?” He smoothed his hands up my legs, hooked his fingers into the elastic band of my panties, and pulled them off. He crawled up my body, his soft hair sending pleasure ripples along my skin, until he completely covered me. I turned my head, offering my vein, and he grabbed my hair, lining my lips up under his.
“Don’t skip ahead,” he scolded. “You’ll make me lose my place in this tedious ritual.” He slanted a glance at Victoria. “If it wasn’t for the hag of a witch who originally cursed me, making me jump through all these ridiculous hoops, we’d be off to the next adventure by now. But, since the crone stuck her warty nose into my business, turning my usual process into a Wiccan fairy tale, we’ll have to accomplish this the slow way. Not that you’ll complain, of course.”
“But don’t you want to bite my neck?”
He pressed his lips against mine in a rough kiss, which only lasted a couple of seconds. “Shut up and pay attention.”
Angling down my body, he licked and kissed his way to my breasts. As he focused on one nipple, then the other, my body trembled. His rumbling chuckle vibrated my stomach as he finally shifted lower.
Moving glacially slow, he spread my legs and knelt between them. “Bend your knees.”
My body’s quivering escalated as my breathing hitched, making my heart flutter in my chest like the wings of a hummingbird. A continuous, low moan escaped from my throat.
“Do you freely choose to become my slave, my sweet Kismet?”
I’d just opened my mouth to yell, “Hell, yes,” when Hallow’s face slammed into my crotch and something heavy landed on top of me.
“No fucking way!” Tom screamed.
Chapter Twenty-Three
All hell broke loose.
In the seconds it took me to gasp, then scream, after being squished by an unidentified flying object, I watched Hallow and Tom wrestle, rolling sideways.
“Hey! Come back!” I sat up, pissed that my fun had been so rudely interrupted. They ignored me.
In the blink of an eye, Hallow pinned Tom to the ground. He grabbed a handful of Tom’s hair, exposing his neck. He paused briefly, flashed his long, sharp fangs, then sank them into the frantically pulsing vein. Tom shrieked and wailed, wildly flailing the arm and leg that weren’t trapped under the vampire’s body.
Hallow’s loud sucking sounds mesmerized me—I couldn’t shift my gaze away—until a rush of movement on my other side drew my attention. I was surprised to find Maxie crouched over Victoria, slapping the sides of her face, demanding, “Wake up!”
Maxie glanced at me before leaping toward one of the four thick spikes pounded into the end of each leather strap restraining Victoria. The other end of each strap was tied around one of Victoria’s wrists or ankles. She wiggled the spike back and forth, still loudly whispering to rouse the unconscious woman. “Wake up, damn you. Hallow really is going to replace me with her.” She jerked her head in my direction. “I agree with the asshole ex-boyfriend—no fucking way! Wake up and tell the blond stud how to tear down the magic bubble. Hallow will be pissed, but he’ll get over it. And I’ll have him all to myself again. Wake. The. Fuck. Up!”
Victoria groaned and pulled against the leather straps. Maxie must have sufficiently loosened the first spike because, with a feeble tug, Victoria’s arm came free. She coughed, then licked her lips. “Yes. Devereux,” she mumbled.
While Maxie crawled to the next anchor, Victoria took a deep breath and almost sang some foreign-sounding words, her voice weak, “patefacio veneficus, patefacio veneficus.”
I glanced over at Hallow, who was now licking Tom’s neck like a bloody lollipop, then boomeranged my gaze back to Maxie.
“Louder, witch!” Maxie ordered as she dislodged the spike binding Victoria’s other arm. “Before the master comes out of his blood trance.” She edged close. “This is going to hurt.” Maxie slid her arm under Victoria and heaved her into a sitting position. Victoria gasped with pain. “Again, witch! Louder.”
Victoria nodded, licked her lips and chanted, “patefacio veneficus, patefacio veneficus, patefacio veneficus …”
She paused for breath, and before she could take up the chant again, a deafening crash reverberated simultaneously from all directions. I saw a blond blur heading toward Hallow, followed by a herd of vampires.
Tall candles toppled like downed trees as the newcomers swarmed across the room. I watched for a moment to see if anything would catch on fire, but the ground was little more than hard dirt, so there was nothing to ignite.
Devereux yelled to the nearest vampire as he pointed at Luna, “Take her back to The Crypt. I will deal with her later.”
A Jean-Luc Picard look-alike swooped over to Luna, gathered her into his arms, and they vanished.
Interrupting Hallow’s feast, Devereux wrapped his arm around the fiend’s neck, pulled him off Tom, and the two men faced each other, snarling and hissing.
Devereux’s undead storm troopers spread out in a loose formation around the combatants, calling out graphic suggestions for subduing the dark-haired bloodsucker. “Do not interfere. He is mine,” Devereux roared at his companions as he removed his coat in a smooth movement and tossed it behind him. “I have waited long for this, Slayer.”
Naked, Hallow spread his bloody lips in an evil grin. He made a “come and get me” gesture with his hands, and laughed. “This night just keeps getting better.”
They leapt on each other, lethal fangs extended, blood spurting from bites and gashes.
Heart pounding, I sat up to get a better view of the fight and my gaze caught the limp, bluish-white body sprawled on the floor. Tom didn’t look so good. In fact, he looked dead. A strange, sad feeling coursed through me and I tried to shift my attention back to the two vampires, but couldn’t stop staring at Tom. Some distant voice in my head kept insisting I had to do something to save him.
Save him? What the hell? How was I supposed to save him? I was just waiting for one of the gorgeous, long-haired guys to finish what Hallow had started.
“Hey!” Maxie said.
I rose to my knees and swiveled my head toward her voice.
“What are you doing?” Maxie asked. She grabbed Victoria’s hand, which was tugging at the straps tied to her ankles.
&
nbsp; “Let go! I need to help him,” Victoria pointed to Tom. “He’s dying.”
“No, he’s not dying. He’s dead. Drained dry. Toast. There’s nothing you can do, Glenda.”
“You’re wrong.” Victoria wrenched her hand away. “I can still sense him.” She squinted her eyes and stared at Maxie. “He’s more alive than you are. Whatever you are. You’re not a vampire, but you’re not human, either.”
“Yeah, looks can be deceiving.”
“Not to me. I see you. Or what’s left of you. And I see Hallow, too.” Victoria locked eyes with me. “I’ve got to make Kismet see before it’s too late.” She slid her gaze back to Maxie. “If you really want to make sure Hallow doesn’t claim her so you can keep him for yourself, you’ll help me.”
“I did my bit,” Maxie snorted. “I helped you give Devereux the key to unlock the spell. The rest is up to the blond Sir Galahad and his knights of the round coffin. But just to be clear. I wasn’t helping you. I was helping me.” She gave a bitter laugh and nodded toward me. “Yeah, as if anything we do will keep her from giving Hallow whatever he wants. He’s been controlling her longer than you think. She’s basically one giant libido at this point.”
“I’m not a giant libido.” I fisted my hands on my hips. “I’m just the right size. Why are you two talking about me like I’m not here? What is it you want me to see? Hey!” Devereux and Hallow tumbled into me, knocking me, face-first, to the ground. My forehead bounced on the hard surface, sending a jolt of pain across my skin. I rolled sideways toward Victoria, trying to escape the violent frenzy. She’d managed to dislodge the last two stakes holding her legs and rose painfully to her knees.
Devereux yelled to one of his vampires—a refrigerator-sized, undead linebacker with a tight cap of wiry, black curls named Basil—gave him less than a glance, and pointed at me. “Move her to safety.” The second Devereux shifted his attention to Basil, Hallow planted some kind of martial arts kick on Devereux’s shoulder. He struck with such force, Devereux flew through the air, his body punching a deep indentation in the far wall before he crashed down into a pile of stacked-up furniture. Devereux’s bellow of rage was accompanied by the sound of wood splintering.
Time stopped.
Unbelievably fast, Hallow appeared next to me, dripping blood. Covered in the red liquid, he looked like a cartoon demon. The powerful, thick smell caused me to gag. He wound his wet fingers into my hair, grabbed a handful, and pulled my head tight against his sticky leg. He yanked so hard on my scalp, it felt like my hair was being wrenched out by the roots. I wailed, “Ow, dammit. That hurts. Let go.”
“Shut up. We have unfinished business.”
He swiveled to face Basil, who’d just stepped up beside me. Hallow knifed his fingers into Basil’s chest and, before the huge vampire even had a chance to notice the wound, Hallow grabbed Basil’s heart and crushed it in his dripping hand. Basil went down like a skyscraper in an earthquake.
Devereux reappeared as Basil’s body disintegrated into ash. He flung off the tattered remains of his bloody shirt, growled, and took a step toward Hallow, then looked down at me and stopped. The other vampires closed in around us.
Hallow tightened his hold on my hair and laughed. “Yes. I thought my hostage might get your attention.” Keeping his eyes on Devereux, he bent down, jammed his other hand into my armpit, and dragged me a couple of feet backwards. I slid through a pool of Basil’s blood. “As delightful as this interlude has been, I’m afraid my new slave and I will have to complete the ritual and be on our way. Of course, I could simply wait until the sun comes up, watch you and your minions die for the day, and then finish you off. You wouldn’t feel a thing. But that would be incredibly kind and … humane … of me, and I can’t have that. No. Better that I allow you to observe while I complete my business with your former significant other, and then I’ll destroy you all.”
He tugged me to my feet, wrapped his arm around my waist, and snugged me against his body. As soon as he pulled me in, I felt his limp organ stir to life.
I looked up to find Devereux staring at me. I met his beautiful eyes, felt a crackle of energy arc across my forehead, and heard, “Come to me.”
That sounded like a great plan to me, so I stepped toward him.
Yeah, Dracula baby.
Hallow yanked me sideways, breaking my eye contact with Devereux. “Nice try, laddie. You simply don’t have the juice to override my control of the delightful doctor. And, if you keep trying, her mind will simply collapse upon itself. But, of course, it’s your call. It won’t bother me if she’s a vegetable. She’ll still be able to attract emotions like a magnet, so her mental state is of no concern to me.”
Hallow strengthened his grip and spoke into my ear. His voice sizzled across my skin. The achingly ecstatic tone melted my bones, slowed my heart rate. I was beyond relaxed. “Do you choose me, Kismet?”
I wanted to say yes, but I couldn’t form the word. My lips wouldn’t work. I was unable to force any of my muscles to do my bidding.
He shook me roughly. “Fucking sensitive human! Even my voice is too much for you. Speak, slave. Do you freely choose me?”
I coughed, trying to clear my throat.
A hand reached out and grabbed my leg, shooting a quick burst of electricity through me.
“Aspicio!” Victoria screamed.
The strange word hit me like a lightning strike, sending a trembling wave sparking through my entire body. I jerked my gaze down to Victoria as she yelled again, louder, “Aspicio!”
Holy shit!
Boneless, I slid out of Hallow’s grip onto my knees, staring into Victoria’s wide, peridot eyes.
“See the truth, Kismet! Take my hand and see what I see.” She held out her hand, palm up.
“Silence, witch!” Hallow commanded. “I’ll make sure you’re obedient, and this time there will be no traitorous slaves to intervene.” He reached for her golden curls.
Devereux leapt over me, smashing into Hallow. The forward motion pushed them backward, where they upended more of the tall candleholders, all the while snarling and growling. The smell of fresh blood saturated the smoky air.
Maxie, who’d been a silent observer on Victoria’s other side, suddenly stood. One of Devereux’s vampires moved in to restrain her. He clutched her arm in what must have been a painful grip. “The master told us not to interfere in his fight with Hallow.” He smiled wide, displaying a perfect fang and a chipped one. “But he said nothing about you. I think you’ve caused enough trouble.”
Devereux and Hallow continued their battle behind us. Guttural growls, rumbling hisses, and the sounds of ripping flesh and wrenching bone provided grisly background music for the surreal confrontation.
I’d been staring blankly, still unable to move. I was aware of everything around me, but frozen. Victoria reached over and took both my hands, squeezing hard. “Aspicio! Excito!”
My head flopped back, my mouth gaped open, and then my chin thumped forward, down onto my chest. Victoria’s words reverberated like a cattle prod to my brain. Electrical impulses radiated through all of my nerve endings; energy rushes danced along my scalp. My toes cramped. I slowly lifted my head and met her gaze. My eyes felt twice their normal size.
Expression intense, she leaned in close. “Keep hold of my hands and look at Maxie.”
The worst migraine I’d ever experienced commandeered and threatened to explode my skull. I blinked, licked my lips, and turned my attention to Maxie, who was struggling to break free of the snaggletooth vampire’s grip.
“Stop, witch! Don’t do this!” Maxie yelled.
She looked as she always did, right down to her cynical smirk. Her long, white hair flowed along her body like silky snow, her model’s figure showcased in her tight T-shirt and pants. Confused, I turned back to Victoria, not sure what she thought would happen.
She squeezed my hands again, so hard I felt the bones crunch together. “Aspicio! Excito!” she repeated. My body twitched like a frog in a
high school biology class.
A loud buzzing filled my ears—like white noise times a thousand. I tried to raise my hands to block the annoying sound, but Victoria held them in a death grip.
I studied Maxie again, and this time her image melted. Her face blurred, and the blue eyes I was accustomed to seeing morphed into green. Then brown, silver. All her features swam, gel-like, creating an image that resembled a double exposure. I opened my eyes as wide as possible, blinking several times to clear my vision, but the bizarre transformation continued.
The beautiful woman with the quick smile no longer stood in front of me. Instead I stared, uncomprehending, at a tall, brown, dried-up husk with vaguely human features—empty holes where eyes should be—surrounded by a murky dark green-gray energy field. Her aura bubbled and churned like chemical sludge in a toxic waste tank.
The unexpected, hideous sight so shocked me, I gasped and slumped back against Victoria, who encircled me with her arms.
“Look at Hallow,” she demanded.
Everything slowed. My eyes watered and my vision fuzzed. The pain in my head hammered relentlessly, pressing with such intensity against the bones of my skull, I knew I couldn’t possibly survive. I must be dying. This had to be death. Victoria’s voice seemed far away.
“Kismet! Look at Hallow!”
She grabbed the sides of my face and turned it toward the two vampires fighting.
Hallow and Devereux floated in the air, mouths yawning, fangs displayed menacingly, covered with blood from the gashes and lacerations crisscrossing their bodies. For a second I thought Devereux had embedded his powerful fingers into the skin of Hallow’s neck, but then—like switching channels—Hallow, the beautiful man I’d momentarily desired, faded from my sight, and something unbelievable appeared.
Devereux levitated inside a massive, energy field filled with thousands of skeletal shapes, all slithering around and through each other like bony serpents, each with huge, bulging eyes. It looked like a loathsome, vast amniotic sac—the fluid thick, nebulous, and toxic—containing the partially formed embryos of a demonic breeder. Or the undigested remains in the distended stomach of a psychic cannibal.
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