BloodPledge

by Tima Maria Lacoba

‘Any fatalities?’ he said. My chest constricted. His lips were taut as he listened and stared into the distance. ‘Lock down. If the police come, you know what to do.’ He listened again before saying, ‘Excellent. Bring them to The Residence and make sure any altercations are cleaned up. And, Amanda, I don’t want any humans involved... Good.’ He pressed the “end call” button and slid the phone back into his jeans pocket.

  ‘What is it?’ I asked. The word “fatalities” had me worried, and who was “Amanda”?

  He refocused on me. ‘Rebels attacked one of the safe houses. Thankfully no one hurt. It was a drive-by shooting.’

  A cold pit opened in my stomach. This was it – the war Alec had predicted. Hostilities had broken out, as they say.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Jenny asked.

  ‘Jen, I need to tell you something,’ I said. ‘There’s a war –’

  ‘Which safe house was it?’ Terens appeared, sweat beading on his skin, and with the same towel draped around his hips. There was none of the playful teasing he’d exhibited earlier. His face was grim.

  Jenny swivelled on her bar stool at the sound of his voice and nearly slipped off.

  ‘I’ve received a frantic call too. Different safe house.’ Luc strode in. Either he must have been in the dining room the whole time – unlikely – or there were other rooms I didn’t know about on this deck. ‘Rebels have launched simultaneous raids.’ His eyes lightened.

  Jenny gasped and left her seat to stand next to me. ‘Him too?’

  I nodded. ‘That’s my father, Luc.’

  She glanced at me then back at Luc, before gulping down the rest of her wine.

  Jake came in, followed by the others. The room was suddenly crowding. ‘I got one, too,’ he said, holding up his phone. He, Sam and Cal also had towels draped around their hips. They must have been with Terens in the gym.

  ‘Are they all vampires?’ Jenny whispered, her eyes wide as she took in each new arrival.

  I nodded. ‘Don’t be afraid, they won’t hurt you.’

  ‘Right now, I don’t care. Check out the abs,’ she whispered in my ear.

  I found myself caught between two conflicting emotions, not sure how to react – whether with surprise at my best friend’s fearless admiration of male vampire anatomy, or apprehension at the turn of events.

  ‘Hey, new girl.’ Kari stepped out from behind Jake and sniffed. ‘Human.’

  ‘Everyone – this is my friend, Jenny,’ I said, when all eyes turned to her.

  ‘She’s staying with us for a few days,’ Alec added. He introduced each of them in turn. Terens gave her a curt nod. Then Alec spoke so low and fast I couldn’t follow, but whatever he said, the others nodded.

  I guessed he must have told them why she was here – and that she knew about us, for there were one or two raised eyebrows. Whether it was from disapproval or the fact she could be in danger, I couldn’t tell. But whatever, I felt responsible for putting her in this position. She had to stay till it was resolved.

  ‘Welcome aboard, Jenny,’ Luc said. ‘I hope you won’t feel uncomfortable with us around.’

  ‘Thanks, I’m fine.’ Jenny had a natural confidence that I’d always admired, but right now I wasn’t sure if that, or two glasses of red wine, made her appear so relaxed in the present otherworldly company.

  ‘If you don’t mind, we have important things to discuss.’ Luc looked at me. ‘Laura, ma petite, if you wish to join us you’re welcome.’

  And leave Jenny without company? That wouldn’t be right. ‘Thanks, but I should stay with my guest. You, or Alec, can tell me later.’

  ‘I understand.’ He turned to the men. ‘Get dressed and bring the weapons. My office.’ Luc turned on his heel and disappeared the way he had come.

  The men sped off. Jake whispered something to Kari before he too, left. She nodded, came over to us and perched on the bar stool Jenny had vacated.

  Before he joined Luc, Alec drew me aside. ‘Laura, until we can end this thing, the safest place for you and Jenny will be right here, on the yacht.’ He glanced at Kari. ‘Kari will be here to protect you. She’s well trained.’

  Kari flashed me a grin.

  ‘What about during the day?’

  ‘Either I or Luc’ll be here always. All the rules are being broken, darling. The Rebels have their own donsangs doing their bidding. It isn’t safe even during the day.’

  ‘Crap. I wanted to do Christmas shopping.’

  He cracked a smile. ‘Order online.’

  I knew the danger we faced and I certainly didn’t want to add to it, especially with Jenny in the picture. ‘I’ll have to warn her.’

  ‘Do that while I talk to Luc and the men. We have to work out our next move.’ He leaned down, kissed me then strode away.

  I ignored the sick butterflies in my stomach as I watched his retreating back.

  Kari slid off the stool and came towards us. She linked her arms through ours and said in a cheerful voice, ‘So, what are we doing tonight?’

  Chapter 22 - Round Two To The Principate

  ALEC

  ‘What do we do about these raids?’ Cal asked.

  He and the others returned, dressed and with swords strapped to their sides. Terens carried two blades slung across his back.

  Several Kevlar vests lay on the floor. ‘Put those on,’ Luc said and added through gritted teeth, ‘We’re going hunting. I want to find those rats.’

  ‘Pity these things don’t come with long sleeves.’ Terens picked one up. ‘I don’t fancy losing another arm.’ He unclasped the straps that held both swords in place and lay them on Luc’s desk.

  ‘Still better than taking a hit to the heart with white-oak,’ Sam said. ‘No doubt the Rebels will have an ample supply.’

  ‘Just give me Rasputin, that’s all I ask.’ Terens removed both swords from their scabbards. Holding them out at eye level, he sighted along their lengths. The light from the lamp on Luc’s desk caught the glint of razor-sharp edges. He crossed one over the other and snapped the hilts closed, bringing both swords together in a scissor-like action.

  I imagined Rasputin’s head caught between those blades. Only a matter of time.

  ‘How are we going to do this?’ Jake asked.

  Something bothered me about the drive-by shootings at the safe houses. ‘Jake, what time exactly did you get that call?’ I whipped my phone out.

  ‘Uh,’ he checked, ‘9.15.’

  ‘Where from?’

  ‘Rocks.’

  That was the safe house closest to us. We could be there in minutes. ‘Mine came 9.18 from Bondi.’ I looked at Luc.

  He had his phone out and was gazing at the screen. ‘9.20 from Parramatta.’

  ‘Less than two minutes apart, and each one further away. Anyone see a pattern here?’ I looked from man to man as I dropped the phone back into my pocket.

  Luc swore. ‘They’re trying to draw us out – away from the yacht.’

  I nodded. The Rebels were attempting to separate us from Laura. No one had to say it aloud. We all knew why.

  ‘Now what?’ Cal asked.

  ‘Give them what they want,’ I said. ‘And what they won’t expect.’

  Luc sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘When I spoke with Amanda, she said Brethren, here in the city, are retaliating by banding together to guard The Residence. She’s even organised a group to hunt down all the Rebels they can find.’ Amanda was Brethren, and she and her donsang ran one of the best safe houses in the country. Those without donsangs of their own found healthy, willing donors under her roof. She prided herself on the quality of blood she provided – drug, disease and cholesterol free. Not that the latter really mattered, but the blood simply tasted better.

  Luc nodded. ‘That’s good.’

  ‘The only place left for them to hide will be underwater,’ I said and glanced at my ring. The serpent’s eyes had turned black.

  Luc sat up and grip
ped the edge of the desk.

  ‘Hell! They’re probably right under us.’ Sam pulled out his phone. ‘I’m activating the underwater lights and cameras. Since we can’t sense them around water, I’ll catch ‘em the human way. I need to see the CCTV screens.’ He headed for the door.

  We raced behind him as he dashed out and up another set of stairs that led from the fore to the uppermost deck to the wheelhouse.

  He sat at the helm and pointed to a screen on the control console. ‘There! See that? A shadow.’ Sam had installed high-speed cameras to capture the rapid movement of our kind.

  We looked closely. A section of the screen went blank. He swore. ‘One camera’s been knocked out.’

  Terens stripped off his Kevlar vest, T-shirt and shoes, grabbed his sword and dived headlong into the water.

  ‘Damn! After nearly two-thousand years and he still doesn’t wait.’ Jake growled, as he struggled out of his vest.

  As Cal and I dived in, I heard Luc tell Sam to stay behind and keep monitoring the CCTV screen.

  As I plunged into the water, my eyes adjusted to the watery murkiness. Keeping my back to the yacht’s keel, I looked around. I was face to face with more than a dozen snarling Rebels. They floated just out of reach.

  Terens tried to engage them, but with little success. He may be unequalled with the blade, but underwater his movements were slowed. The Rebels ducked out of his reach and his sword sliced harmlessly through water.

  There they stayed, threatening, yet not moving. What were they waiting for?

  When I lunged and tried to grab the Rebel nearest me, not only did he evade my grasp but he swam further from the boat and bared his fangs. Further and further out he went, turned and faced me again. And waited.

  It was more than a gesture of defiance. It was almost a game. Was he trying to incite me to chase him? I glanced around to see if they were doing the same to Luc. They were. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jake dive under the keel. Presumably, Cal was there. Was he experiencing the same problem? The Rebels ringed us, and every second that passed, they moved a few feet further out.

  It appeared as if they were trying to lure us away from the yacht, and there was only one reason for that – Laura. I decided to head back to the surface when Stockton appeared.

  The line of Rebels parted. He swam through and bared his fangs. I reciprocated, but headed for the surface instead. He shot forward and raised his fist to me, staying just out of reach. Six others gathered around him and did the same. That’s when I caught the glint of a gold ring, in the shape of a wolf’s head, on each of their hands. It was Timur’s personal insignia. Protruding from the wolf’s forehead was a small, dull spike.

  My God! White-oak! It could be nothing else. Stockton’s grin was confirmation.

  The men must be warned. But how? My voice wouldn’t carry underwater. Luc and Terens were on the other end of the keel, Jake and Cal on the other side. If I could only get to Luc... he and I were the fastest.

  Stockton, with his six companions, came at me like torpedoes, fists aimed and pointed at my chest. Just a scratch and my life would be over.

  I clenched my fists, waited till they were close, and then dived, hoping their momentum would propel at least one of them into the keel. The sound would carry and alert Luc and Terens. The thud of Rebel fists connecting with fibreglass gave me what I wanted.

  Luc turned his head. Several Rebels hovered near him, ready to attack. Yet they didn’t. Luc had a ferocious reputation in battle, and he was old. Very old; like his men. The older a vampire, the greater their strength and speed.

  The only reason I could stand with the “old ones” was by virtue of the Ingenii blood. It was the only advantage I had over the Brethren, and I was determined to use it.

  I pointed to the Rebels, then my ring and mouthed “white-oak”. His eyes lightened. ‘Cal, Jake,’ I added, and pointed with my thumb to the other side of the yacht. He nodded, dived under the keel and the Rebels went after him.

  Terens. I needed to let him know. Several Rebels bore down on him.

  Only one thing to do – force them to turn on themselves. If they desire to throw off all restraint, let’s see how far they’re willing to go. Would they return to the animal-like savagery of vampire-kind that existed before Marcus Antonius imposed order?

  Stockton’s gang regrouped and charged at me again. I surged upwards, twisted and grabbed one of them from behind, careful not to touch the ring. I squeezed his wrist till the bones gave way then ripped off his hand. The man’s mouth opened in a gurgled scream. I hurled him in Stockton’s direction. Even though our blood flowed slowly, sluggishly even, it was seeping steadily from both the man’s severed forearm, and the hand I held. I could smell it. So could they, and like hungry sharks at a fresh kill, they turned in blood lust on their companion and tore him apart.

  I had my answer. If they could do this to one of our own kind, I didn’t have to imagine what they’d do to humans.

  Before throwing away the severed hand, I removed the wolf’s-head ring. I placed it on my own little finger then looked around for Terens. He must have taken advantage of the momentary lull – one Rebel came hurtling through the water like a missile and struck another of Stockton’s group. The white-oak ring he wore struck home – within seconds, the victim’s body crystallised and disintegrated, leaving behind a gossamer trail as it floated away on the current.

  Several Rebels fled; those who hadn’t joined the feeding frenzy. But we had another problem. Enough blood had been scattered to attract a large grey shark, soon joined by others. The Rebels scattered as the sharks homed in on the scent of blood. They gulped down the dismembered remains of the other vampire.

  Only Stockton and two women I recognised remained – the same two who had attacked me in the car park. One bared her fangs before she turned and swam after the others. Her companion followed, leaving Stockton behind.

  Something touched my shoulder. I spun around ready to attack.

  ‘Rasputin?’ Terens mouthed.

  I’d been too preoccupied to give Rasputin a thought. A sickening realisation went through me. If he hadn’t been on the other side of the boat, then the Rebels had been nothing but a diversionary tactic that may have allowed Rasputin to sneak onto the yacht. There was no knowing how many Rebels were involved in this, but if my guess was right he wouldn’t have gone on board alone as Sam was too dangerous an opponent. It would take at least five of them to overpower him, leaving Rasputin free to go after Laura. And Sam wouldn’t know about the deadly wolf’s-head rings. Nor would Kari, and she was guarding Laura.

  I spun around again, only to see that Stockton had gone. He’d done his job.

  I shot to the surface.

  Chapter 23 - We Meet Again

  LAURA

  Kari’s cheerfulness bolstered me. My father and Alec had everything under control, so there should be nothing to worry about – at least, that’s what I told myself. But shutting off those pesky doubts was another matter. I looked at the serpent ring on my hand. It’s little, red eyes twinkled up at me. That was a good sign – for now.

  Jenny was peppering Kari with questions. She was insatiable for everything about vampires. Kari seemed happy to comply and Jenny’s eyes got wider with each of her answers.

  ‘You’re how old?’ Jenny’s eyebrows had risen halfway up her forehead.

  ‘Young compared to some,’ Kari replied.

  The sound of a splash followed by one, two, three others had me running to the windows. They were locked, but strong lights lit the watery depths to a few metres.

  ‘What’s happening, Kari?’ Her extraordinary hearing could pick up the men’s conversations.

  She and Jenny were soon on either side of me.

  ‘They think there might be Brethren down there. They’re checking.’

  I glanced at my ring again. This time, the eyes were black. My hands began to tremble, so I tucked them under my armpits. Not only was Alec in danger, but I’d brought Jenny here f
or her safety and now that appeared to be a mistake. ‘How many?’ I asked Kari.

  She shook her head. ‘Dunno. We can’t sense each other around water, but Sam’s got the underwater lights on. C’mon. Top deck.’ She took my arm and started for the door. Then she stopped and hissed.

  The sound made the hair on my nape and arms lift. I grabbed Jenny’s hand and pulled her behind me. The door flew open. A tall man stood there silhouetted against the night sky, his inky hair a dark cloud over his low brow. Those unnaturally large and mesmerising eyes could belong to no one else.

  Rasputin.

  I’d hoped never to meet him again.

  ‘Good evening, ladies.’ He smiled, revealing gleaming white teeth – and fangs - framed by a jet-black, ducktail beard.

  If I’d thought he looked evil the first time, the creature who stood before me embodied the very essence of malevolence – an almost-physical darkness, one that could squeeze hope from you. It clutched at my heart like an invisible hand, and I shivered from its icy touch.

  As he stepped into the room, two other men appeared in the doorway and moved to stand by his side. Like him, they were dressed in black and water dripped from their clothes. They swam here?

  Kari sniffed and hissed again. ‘They’ve got white-oak.’ She locked me behind her with one hand before crouching.

  Rasputin’s reptilian eyes were mocking as they scanned the room, looked past her and settled on Jenny. My blood froze. He pulled something from his pocket, and I recognized the missing photograph from my ransacked flat.

  ‘Looks like we have both little birds, but I’ll only be needing one.’ He ripped the photo in two and let it drop to the ground.

  ‘What the hell does he mean by that?’ Jenny whispered in my ear.

  My stomach somersaulted. She would have to be told. ‘They nicked the photo of us at the Melbourne Cup, and that book you lent me – it had your scent. I was worried they’d go after you to get to me.’

  She inhaled sharply. ‘That why you asked me here?’

  ‘To keep you safe, yes.’

  ‘And yet you’re not, are you?’ Rasputin grinned.