Caleb

by McCarty, Sarah

  It was hard to discern night from day this deep in the mountain, but the fact that his brothers’ war cry shivered along his own battle instincts meant it was night. The Johnson brothers were on the warpath, and the Sanctuary was coming down. The Johnson brothers didn’t kick shit fancy, but they did kick shit well.

  Allie’s tongue licked over his chest in little darts of flame, her hunger primitive and demanding, uncaring of an audience, uncaring of danger. Her body drew on his in long, slow contractions. His cock leapt. He pressed her mouth tighter to his chest as she did it again. Vincent stepped forward, reaching out. Caleb only had time to send one thought before the buzzing began again.

  Get ready, Allie.

  Caleb locked on the buzzing, linking his mind to the rhythm and the flickering light, moving between the patterns. Against them, Allie quivered and kissed his neck, her lush breasts rubbing against him. He countered her moves with his, feeling Vincent’s confidence that he was too far gone to protest, using the distraction to sneak behind Vincent’s mental barriers, looking for the loophole that would make everything possible. He found it, breached it, and then all hell broke loose.

  20

  VINCENT struck first.

  A blinding flash of brilliant agony shot into Caleb’s brain wrenching a scream from his psyche. He contained it as he grabbed hold of that betraying beam, following that energy back, knowing if he backed off now he’d never have the opportunity again. Knowing if he failed, Allie was gone.

  Blood pooled red behind his eyes. Sparks shot inward from the perimeter of his mind’s eye, and in the center of the mental confusion glowed the bright yellow light that was the power Vincent wielded with such skill. The control center for this whole compound. The barrier he needed to breach.

  The mental calls of his brothers grew louder as he probed deeper, three of the hundreds of threads of energy making up the rays of light. With every call, they telegraphed to Vincent where they were, what they were planning, unwittingly giving their enemy all the information he needed to ambush them.

  Caleb gritted his teeth. It wasn’t going to happen. Vincent wasn’t getting his wife and he was not killing his brothers. Not if he had any say about it. And he did. A lot.

  Tapping into the threads, he pulled himself deeper, riding the tendrils of his brothers’ energy, sheltering himself within the familiar, but they weren’t a straight path. They looped and spun, forcing him to loop and spin with them. Every time he touched Vincent’s power, thousands of synapses in his brain writhed in agony. And he betrayed his presence. He could feel Vincent searching for him. His brothers’ tendrils swirled into the center becoming completely entangled in Vincent’s. Hiding time was over.

  As soon as he hit the wall, a bolt of energy flashed outward, hitting him square on. The world went black. Allie’s scream ricocheted around him, hatred and violence blending with desperation and determination. His brothers’ voices grew louder and more distinct. Their power brushed his. Too far away to help. He closed his eyes and fought on. He would have to; he couldn’t let Vincent win.

  And then he felt it. Another presence in his mind: soft, feminine, it came alongside, attached to his force before branching out along the light, surrounding it in pale pink ribbons of feminine power. Allie. Damn it! Once again, where she didn’t belong. Putting herself in danger in an effort to save him.

  Another raw burst of energy shot out from Vincent heading for Allie. Caleb pulled the energy into himself to keep it from striking, imprisoning it as blistering fire seared up his spinal cord, tearing along his nerves. His body spasmed. His talons dented the steel table as he arched his back and released the agony on a roar of rage. A whisper skated along the edge of his consciousness. Hold on. Hold on.

  Allie didn’t have to worry. He wasn’t letting go until the son of a bitch was dead. Caleb tried to redirect the light, but it was too powerful, a breathtaking burn consuming his brain, one cell at a time, eating away at his strength. Debilitating shudders racked his frame as he took more of the assault into himself, giving Allie time, watching the little bits of feminine strength stretch like veins into the outpouring of energy, weaving through the pattern, finding key spots in the sequence, marking them with visible color. Every pink line that twined around that burning light was his woman, fighting with the same stubbornness and determination that had defeated the wolves. Vincent didn’t stand a fucking chance.

  Hurry, Allie!

  Even as he said it, Caleb didn’t know if she could. She was expending a tremendous amount of energy. He could feel her desperation. She sensed he was losing the battle. His brothers’ curses grew louder, Vincent’s mental blows stronger. Caleb deflected what he could, learning as he went the rules of a battle fought solely in the mind. And he held on. Held on to that violent, sickening pile of hatred, keeping it from lashing out, keeping it still so the sweetness of Allie could rip it apart. Who knew feminine strength could be so devastating?

  The pattern of light wavered. Energy ebbed and flowed. Caleb tested his bonds, needing to be free, ready to take this war to the physical plane. Soon, it would be soon.

  Beyond the mental battle he could hear his brothers’ war cries, the staccato thunder of gunshots, the crash of glass, hoarse yells punctuated by the cold methodical feel of vengeance being wrought. The light wavered again. Trying to maintain his stronghold’s defense was weakening Vincent’s mental strength.

  Lightning shot down the light Caleb held, knifing into his brain. His body bucked, his hold loosened. He heard Allie’s scream as his strength faltered. Vincent’s laugh echoed in his head.

  You cannot win.

  Watch me.

  And from Allie, her own personal war cry. Fuck you!

  That was his woman. Grit to the bone. Strong enough to weaken Vincent’s hold. Strong enough to keep fighting no matter what.

  Caleb felt Allie gathering strength. An incredible amount. More than was possible for her to have. More than she could spare if she unleashed it all at once. Instinct, vampire and human, said to drive her back, shelter her. Protect their baby.

  A start of surprise rippled through Vincent’s shield.

  So she’s breeding.

  Caleb gritted his teeth. Shit. He knew. Adrenaline pumped. Rage hammered out the imperative, Vincent needed to die. Icy calm centered Caleb’s purpose. He searched the pattern of Vincent’s energy, found the center of the stream he held, and drove straight up the middle, striking at the heart of Vincent’s mind, expecting his parry, slipping around it, looking for the spot behind, that tiny break that would flash. Catching it at it’s widest point, he thrust through.

  Vincent’s howl echoed inside and outside his head. Caleb struck again and again, until his mental gash gushed energy. Then he changed targets and aimed for the pink markers Allie had left. Beneath each pink thread, the light spilled in a rushing stream. Caleb didn’t know what Allie was doing, but whatever it was, it was working. Vincent was hemorrhaging faster than he could repair.

  Caleb sent out a mental call. Jared!

  This time there was an answer.

  On our way.

  Allie?

  I feel her.

  Get her out of here.

  How badly are you hurt?

  Bad enough.

  Shit.

  There was a pause.

  You okay?

  Another one of these wuss ass banditos.

  Wuss ass?

  The term fits.

  How soon can you get here?

  Keep talking and I’ll let you know. The place is a labyrinth.

  Work fast.

  Light flashed in the perimeter of his mind’s eye in a warning. The energy blow that came at him was incredibly strong but wild. Caleb easily evaded it. Vincent was getting desperate.

  Caleb wrenched at his bonds, the light surrounding the steel bands flickered and weakened. He yanked again, the bones in his right wrist broke, but the band broke. He absorbed the agony, freeing his feet with equally brutal yanks, swearing when Alli
e’s attention immediately diverted to him, freeing Vincent.

  He rolled off the table, dragging her with him as the other man struck with savage force. Steel groaned and rattled as Vincent’s fist punched down. Caleb shoved Allie under the table. She glanced up. Her face turned paper white at the perfect outline of fist and talons above her head.

  “Stay.”

  His fangs made the order a guttural exhalation.

  Her gaze cut to Vincent. He no longer resembled the smooth, urbane gentleman they’d met at the gates. Fully morphed he was as ugly as his energy. The ridge of his brow thrust over his eyes, eyes that were no longer cold but burned with the fires of a man who knew he was on his last chance.

  Allie’s gaze cut back to him. Her eyelids flickered as she caught a glimpse of his face. Caleb knew he was fully changed and to her eyes must look as hideous as Vincent. He didn’t have time to reassure her beyond a light touch on her cheek. His talons were obscene against the delicacy of her skin. “You did good.”

  She didn’t respond with her usual humor, just a nod and a glimmer of something he didn’t understand. Her blue eyes abruptly flew wide. A shadow passed over their surface. Shit! Caleb twisted and blocked Vincent’s thrust, using the other man’s speed to offset his balance.

  Caleb leapt to his feet, stepping back. Vincent followed, swiping at his midsection. Caleb sprang back, away from Allie. Son of a bitch, he was fast. But not fast enough. Caleb bent over, clutching his midsection and waited. He had only one chance to make this right. He sent Allie a mental command.

  Run.

  Allie got to her knees. The door was only a few feet away. Slightly ajar, no doubt from the hopefuls’ rapid departure. She’d make it. That left only Vincent to contend with. Caleb let his anger settle around him, draining his world of anything but the cold clarity that sharpened his senses.

  Vincent was scared and determined. He wanted Allie. A breeder for the super race he thought his genetics would create. Caleb tackled him mid-lunge as the man made to cut off her escape. “No fucking way, you bastard.”

  “She’s mine.”

  “Never.”

  “Yes!”

  “Caleb!” Allie screamed in warning.

  Burning agony ripped through his chest, back to front. Once, twice. Son of a bitch. He looked over his shoulder as he dropped to his knees. Four more vampires had entered the room.

  RUN.

  Caleb’s order screamed in Allie’s mind as he went down. The newcomers leapt onto his back with evil hisses of victory. She held her breath.

  Get up, get up, get up!

  The chant thundered in her pulse as she watched the battle. Blood suddenly spewed in a horrifying spray. Caleb’s or one of the others’? One of the lesser vamps stumbled to the side.

  She released her breath. Not Caleb. Caleb was alive and he was fighting. Making the ultimate sacrifice to buy time. For her.

  She dug her nails into her palms as she got her feet under her. And it would be all for nothing, because no way in hell was she leaving him there, but what could she do? Even Lara Croft would be no match for that much muscle. She needed help. There was only one place she knew to look for it.

  Slade? Nothing.

  Jace? Still nothing. Damn. She took a breath.

  Jared?

  At first nothing, but the void wasn’t as empty as it had been with the other brothers. There was a silence that was something more. Almost invisible static. Like maybe she wasn’t quite tuned to where she needed to be. She screamed as one of the attacking vampires went flying, blood following from him in an arc. The cry died in her throat as the second vampire, a black-haired monster, landed a blow to Caleb’s side. Adding more blood to his already covered torso. It didn’t slow him down. He launched the other vampire to the left. Straight into Vincent. Oh God. She hadn’t even seen him stalking her.

  The order came again. Run.

  She stared at Caleb helplessly. She couldn’t leave him. He bared his fangs, no doubt trying to scare her. Like that was going to happen. Beneath the morphed form was a man ready to die for the chance that she and her child could have life. It was hard to be afraid of someone like that.

  Allie refocused, summoning the memory of Jared’s anger that first day, locking onto the determination she’d felt from him. Jared!

  Calm smoothed over her panic. Coming.

  She shoved back at his calm. They’re killing him.

  We’re almost there.

  Almost wasn’t here. And Caleb didn’t have any more time. There were only two other vampires and Vincent facing Caleb now. The other two were motionless, scattered across the room like so much bloody debris. But Caleb was still standing, battered and bloody, but he was standing, muscles tensed, head thrown back, an image worthy of a movie poster with all that rampant masculinity, power, and challenge. Her man. She stood up, took a step forward . . .

  Get back.

  She ignored Caleb’s and Jared’s combined order, frowning as the vampires converged on him again. His blood splattered the wall. The agony flowing from him to her unchecked a split second before he cut it off. The next blow Caleb took shattered something deep inside her, releasing something primitive and feral she didn’t recognize. But welcomed.

  The two vampires hauled Caleb up, imprisoning him between them, dangling him as a gift for Vincent. A growl erupted from within. Her face tingled and numbed.

  “I’m going to enjoy this,” Vincent gloated, squaring off against Caleb as he struggled between the two vamps.

  The statement echoed around her as reality shifted. Vincent’s image blurred behind a strange light. She saw Caleb’s lips move, but she couldn’t hear. Sound distorted. Time froze in a deadly tableau. Only she could move. Only she had control. She drifted through the fragmented spectacle, focusing on Vincent. She reached out. The light luminesced, flowing forward, toward the bright yellow light that was Vincent, finding the black tendrils perverting his energy that were so obvious now. So obvious.

  Elation boosted her rage as she slipped into the flow of energy, ignoring the distraction of its discordance, focusing on the center pulse, pulling it into her. More and more. An endless amount, expecting the initial resistance but not the ease that followed. And it was easy, so easy to draw off his power. To drain him. And so damn satisfying. More. She had to take more until there was nothing left and Vincent was just an empty shell. A threat to no one.

  “Allie!”

  Caleb’s voice slid along the edges of her consciousness, drawing her attention, drawing Vincent’s. She held Vincent harder, too afraid to let go. If she let go, Caleb would die. That couldn’t happen. Ever.

  “I’m okay, Allie girl,” Caleb said again, his mental touch stronger. “You’ve got to let go.”

  She shook her head, frowning as her hold weakened. Vincent had to die.

  Caleb’s whisper in her mind was as gentle as his touch. But you don’t have to be the one to do it.

  No. She couldn’t kill.

  “Let go, Allie.”

  Hands tugged at hers. She opened her eyes. And blinked. She could have sworn her eyes had been open before, but they hadn’t been, because no way would she have forgotten the sight of her hands wrapped around Vincent’s head, her talons sunk like tentacles into his skull. “Oh my God.”

  She leapt back into Caleb’s chest, turning into his arms as she fought to erase the image of Vincent’s lifeless body slumping to the floor, ten perfect punctures staring back at her in accusation.

  Caleb’s left arm came around her. “Shh, baby.”

  She shook her head, her cheek sliding in the blood covering his big form. Then she was saying “Oh my God” for another reason as she checked him head to toe for damage. She cradled his broken wrist in her hands. Tears dripped onto the red swathe, making clear circles in the crimson pool. “I’m so sorry.”

  His kiss landed on her head rather than her cheek.

  “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” she whispered.

  “No, it was
n’t.”

  There was no accusation in his voice. She heard footsteps. Jared and Slade joined him. Both men’s clothes were torn and spattered with blood and stuff she didn’t want to identify. Slade knelt beside Caleb. He dropped a kit on the floor and pulled out an air splint. After probing the wound on Caleb’s right side, Slade asked, “How many times have I told you not to drop your right hand?”

  “I was distracted.”

  By her. Allie bit her lip. “When did you get here?”

  Slade’s smile was more a quirk of his lips. “About the time you started sucking the life out of Vincent.”

  “I didn’t bite him.” And the horror of that was greatest of all. Without biting a man, she’d killed him.

  “He’s not dead.”

  She could have kissed Caleb for his habit of reading her mind.

  “Going to be in a minute though.”

  She quickly buried her face back in Caleb’s chest as Jared jerked the man up. He hung limply in his grip, all sophistication gone. The scent that was uniquely Caleb’s reached her through the stench of blood. She clung to it, riding the rapid rise and fall of his chest, slipping her arms up his back, taking more and more into her. Just needing something familiar to cling to.

  “He’s not going to kill him right now,” Caleb said so easily, so at ease with the violence around them.

  “Does it make me a failure as a vampire if I say ‘good’?”

  “No.” His hand cupped her skull, his fingers curling into her hair. “It just makes you human.”

  She ignored the small tug that was an invitation to look at him. “But I’m not human anymore.”

  “Not strictly, but you’re still the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “That’s an evasion, not an answer.”

  This time she couldn’t ignore the tug on her hair. She tilted her head back. Caleb, the human, looked back at her. She touched his cheek. “Your face is back to normal.”

  Beneath her thumb, his lips tugged into a wry grin. “No longer a monster, eh?”