My body readied itself for attack, but I had already expected retaliation from the blond and was prepared for the backlash. She never liked me.
Yeah, those memories came back too. This confrontation had been a long time coming.
Letting that beautiful, fiery rage fuel me, I spun and caught her wrist in midair before she could strike out with the stake.
“Bitch!” she snarled. “He’s going to kill you and your stupid boyfriend!”
Charming girl. Either way, she wouldn’t be around to see what would transpire. I yanked up her sleeve.
“I believe this is mine.” Finding the delicate silver clasp, I unhooked my charm bracelet and pocketed it in my jeans before turning my cold gaze back on her. “I may have a case of amnesia, but I do remember that I don’t trust vampires. In fact, I really, truly hate them.”
“But you are one!” she screeched.
And wasn’t that a bitch?
Real fear flared in her eyes when she glimpsed her death in mine. She tried twisting out of my grasp but I held on tightly, feeling bones crack. She screamed out, but I was done wasting time.
I cocked my free arm back and swung until my hand wrapped around her beating heart. Yanking it free from her chest, I watched the fear in her eyes fade to nothingness.
She lit up like a firecracker and disintegrated into black ash, floating off into the night. I closed my fist tightly around the cold beating heart until it, too, caught fire. It stung as it burned, but when I opened my hand, soot covered my completely healed palm.
Well, that felt almost as good as a super speed run. A flickering ember of concern for my mercilessness sparked. But I stomped it out, letting the coldness sink into my bones, because I was nowhere near satisfied. I clapped my hands together to dust off the ash and snatched her stake from the ground, tucking it away in my boot before reaching the door.
Entering the building, I had no expectations of the outcome, only anticipation for what I might find. A shift in my homeostasis drew me deeper into the dark hallway. Each step carved out a deeper hollow inside of me, like the other part of me was waiting nearby, guiding me. It moved me down the stairs and through the basement door. I knew whatever was down here was important.
He was important, and he counted on me. With each heavy footfall of my boots, his blurry image in my mind began to clear. My heart opened and warmth flooded my veins.
I waded through several large load-bearing columns while trying to make sense of the chaos in my head. When I rounded a middle column, I gasped out loud and dropped to my knees, nearly crippled by the sight. The past few months slammed into my chest with unrelenting force. I was coated in dread so heavy it plastered me to the floor. Fear soaked me to the core and rendered me motionless.
In a large open area, toward the back of the building, was a low-hanging beam. There were heavy chains draped over the beam, and attached to them was the root of everything. He was the center of this giant shit storm of tension.
I was glued to the floor. A thousand memories manifested themselves like a continuous picture reel in my mind. My unsteady heart burst open from the pressure of everything that had been tucked away and hidden inside of me.
“Gavin.”
His name fell from my lips in a broken whisper, like it was pulled out by a thin string and rescued from the swell of emotions that clogged my airways and filled them with choked sobs and ragged breaths. The very reason my memories had been locked away for so long dangled, helpless and incoherent, from those chains.
Attached to him were several IVs. Some siphoned blood while others injected something clear into his system.
There was a reason my brain denied me the memory of him when I woke. I was terrified to see him like this after what Shane had told me he had done to him. Gavin was the strongest vampire I have ever seen. He was the one who always protected me.
The sight of him so helpless and weak nearly destroyed me, and that image would haunt me forever. I didn’t know how long I knelt before him on the cold concrete listening to his slowed heartbeat, but I knew it wasn’t over yet.
I could still save him, and to do that, I had to be tough. Gavin needed me to be the strong one this time. I couldn’t be that foolish girl who jumped headfirst into a fight without thinking.
“I’m so sorry, for everything,” I whispered.
With great effort, he lifted his head a few inches and his eyelids cracked open far enough for his eyes to find mine. My greedy gaze absorbed every detail to ensure I would never forget that beautiful face again. I counted each mesmerizing fleck of blue revealed through those thin slits.
There was a fresh scar above his right eye that must not have been able to heal quickly. Dried blood and the sheen of sweat layered his chiseled features. That strong jawline and straight nose were exactly how I remembered them. The slight cleft in his chin was faintly shadowed in the low, sporadic lighting of the florescent bulbs above.
My gaze went to his left eyebrow, and I think I sighed when I saw the tiny, crescent scar there. It always reminded me of how human Gavin was compared to other vampires, who never retained any scars when they turned.
My attention traveled south over those strong shoulders and bare chest. He wore only his typical black slacks. Now was so not the time for inappropriate thoughts, but that didn’t stop them from making an appearance at this little reunion.
“Lu…Lucy,” he wheezed. My name on his lips was like a choir of angels singing. At least he was somewhat coherent. That was a good sign.
I picked myself up off the ground, and I wanted to go to him so badly, it hurt to hold myself in place. I didn’t trust this one bit. I knew Shane had to be close. I searched the shadows, but there were so many of them created by the army of cement pillars, and they moved every time the lights flickered.
“I know you’re here, asshole. You might as well show yourself,” I taunted. I may have wanted to be more careful, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t allowed to be pissed off. Anger and me went way back like old pals, and we were about to spend some quality time together catching up.
Gavin coughed and my head snapped back in his direction. “Be. Careful,” he stuttered. My fury saturated the stagnant air seeing him like this.
“I’m going to get you out of here,” I vowed.
“That’s very touching, baby. Really, it is.” The smooth voice echoed off the cavernous space, and I whipped around to see him leaning casually up against a column, less than twenty feet away. “But you shouldn’t lie to the man. You have a very slim chance of fulfilling that promise.”
Without another word, he shot across the room so fast I almost couldn’t track him. Almost. It was a good thing I had these fancy new super senses. He stopped at another column to the left of Gavin. The three of us formed a triangle, equal distances apart. He looked over to Gavin and nodded his head toward him.
“So sad isn’t it? That a simple little drug could bring down a strong, strapping vampire like him.” A superior smile plastered his face while he spoke.
“I’m not sure why you’re smiling. You know I’m going to kill you, right?”
He laughed. “You always thought you were stronger than me. That’s what pisses me off about you. But don’t worry. After I kill your boyfriend over there, I’m going to kill you. You’ll finally learn your lesson. You should have never messed with me, baby.”
“Is that what all this is about, Shane? Getting me back?” I asked, still unclear on the whole point of this.
“Hmm. I’m going to educate you so you understand just how pathetic and miniscule you really are in the grand scheme of things, sweetheart.”
“Miniscule? That’s an awfully big word for you, Shane. I’m shocked you know what it means.”
He smiled. “Yeah, well, I’ve learned a few things recently. For instance, I know that you are an extremely rare type of vampire. I know you can walk in the sun, and I really wanted a taste of the kind of power that runs through your veins. I was actually there the night West
bit your mother. I was in the neighborhood and heard the commotion. When I saw how strong he was, fighting off the other vampires, I became obsessed with him.”
I snorted, but he ignored me in favor of listening to the sound of his own voice.
“I was desperate to gain strength like that. I even approached him years later to ask about it, but he ignored me. I assumed it might have had something to do with your blood but couldn’t be sure, so I watched as you got older. I saw your strength. So I did everything I could to get close to you while I asked around about blood that makes vampires stronger. Everyone I asked either had no clue or they mentioned the old theory of drinking vampire blood. Of course, they warned me against that method because of the whole taking the other vampire’s death into you when you consume it. So I came to a dead end, until I came across one particular vampire who opened my eyes to all kinds of things. He told me there was a way it could be done successfully. He even offered his help in setting up my business.”
“I knew you didn’t have the brains to pull it off yourself,” I interjected.
He continued again as if I hadn’t spoken. “Hell, he also had a role in setting you up for those murders after you became such a nuisance to the business.”
“You mean the trail of bodies you left in the streets,” I said evenly, but my palms stung when my fists clenched so tightly that my nails drew blood as they dug into the flesh.
“Yes, good times. But having you in hiding from the cops got boring. Plus, the assassins were drawing closer, so I had to get you out on the streets again in order for them to find you.”
“You used me as bait so you could feed off of them,” I noted.
“And, boy, were they powerful. I was ready for your blood. I wanted to change you into a vampire myself to taste it in its most pure form. But my partner informed me that it would kill me to drink from you no matter how strong I got. Because our blood doesn’t play well together, baby. Such a waste, too.
“That had been my original plan, but since it isn’t going to work out, I’ll have to settle for killing the two of you. Although, it did make me curious about how your boyfriend got so strong without dying from your blood. He even inherited your ability to walk in the light.” Shane flicked his eyes over my face. “Oh, did he not mention that to you?”
I had suspected as much but never saw it with my own eyes. Yet another detail to add to the mystery that was Gavin West.
“Before you ask, the answer is yes. I have already had a taste of your boyfriend’s blood. It burned like holy water going down, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure I would make it through that one. Unfortunately, his little sunlight tolerance didn’t rub off on me. I already tried. No matter. I am, however, much stronger than before. Strong enough to kill you, and that’s all that matters to me after the amount of shit I put up with.”
“So that’s it, huh? You’re just going to kill us both.”
“Well, I would be willing to spare your boy toy if you helped me with one last thing.”
He paused to let me consider another option. “The suspense is going to kill me before you get the chance. What is it you want?”
“You bring me back the blood of the First, and I let him go.”
He made it sound so simple, so black and white. But I knew it was never simple when it came to Shane.
“You know, Shane, I’m really sick of being bribed and blackmailed. I hate being told what to do. I won’t be manipulated by you anymore.”
“You mean by us,” he corrected.
“Right. Who is this silent partner of yours anyway, and what does he have against me?”
He smiled a wolfish and completely untrustworthy smile. “He’s shy, but don’t worry. You’ll meet him when the time is right. He and I share this common interest of killing you. We’re both kind of big on being the biggest badass.”
“I’m the common enemy. So what happens if I die? You kill each other?”
“You got it, baby.”
I stood there weighing my options, but I refused to play any more of Shane’s games. So that left me with one option. Kill him before he killed me. The two things I wanted to do were to get Gavin out of here and inflict a lot of physical pain on Shane.
I looked over at the lifeless form that hung from the beam and winced. He was completely out of it now. I thought about how Shane weakened Gavin, stripping him of his power and reducing him to a helpless victim while he stole his blood and took some of that power into him. I thought about Holly and all those brutal murders he was part of, and I saw red.
“You may have stolen strength, Shane, but I think you forget one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I am stronger and more powerful than you can imagine. And you made me this way.”
For the first time, anger and a hint of insecurity flashed in his eyes before he raced across the room into the darkness. “We’ll see who has all the power.”
A shadow flew by me, but my eyes were able to track it well enough for me to reach out and grab ahold of his wrist. With everything I had in me, I yanked him back, throwing him into the nearest cement column. Pieces of it crumbled and fell to the ground. His face contorted into pure rage. He quickly righted himself and charged me.
Unable to dodge his advance, he barreled into me like a freight train, our arms locked to one another’s as he pushed me backward. I dug my feet in but they slid across the concrete, easily turning it into gravel. I couldn’t get traction under the loose rock, and Shane used the momentum to throw me off balance while he landed a jab to my face. I stumbled, and that slight fault cost me.
He came to my side and kicked my ribs with all his strength. Gavin’s strength. My ribs shattered, and I was thrown several feet, skidding across the smooth cement. By the time I sat up, my ribs were only bruised instead of broken, but the pain was still present. I stood cautiously, and it was immediately reduced to a dull ache.
“Come on, baby. I thought playing with you would be more fun,” he taunted from the shadows.
He came at me again from behind, knocking me into a pillar. Its surface crumbled under my impact. I heard him sneak up behind me, but my fist was already swinging by the time he could make contact with his own punch. It was a direct hit to his nose, and I used that slight advantage to lay into him repeatedly. Striking with both fists and feet, I reduced him to a bloody pulp and plowed through three columns in the process.
When I neared his battered form, I prepared for another kick, but he spun quickly, throwing rock debris into my face. Blinking freed most of the dirt from my eyes, but he was already striking out again. It was no use having my vision back when my eyes were swollen shut from his blows. His hands clamped down on my sides and the feeling of weightlessness replaced gravity, followed by the crunching of my bones upon collision with a stone wall.
The running total of demolished pillars was unknown at this point, but I was sure the structural integrity of the building had been compromised about ten broken bones ago. It was only a matter of time before we were all buried under a pile of rubble and mangled steel. I had to get Gavin out soon.
His heart was still beating at a slow but steady pace, and I glanced over to see him hanging limply.
Shane snuck around and stood above me on the pile of debris behind my head. The tread of his boot drew dangerously close to my face. I snaked an arm out, grabbing a handful of his jeans, and yanked him down next to me. I rolled over with a firm grip on his shirt collar.
My knuckles ached from delivering a continuous stream of hits. My hair had fallen completely free of the ponytail holder that restrained it. It cascaded around my face, making it more difficult to see where my punches were landing.
I grabbed Shane’s beaten body and flung it as hard as I could. The resulting crash preceded a loud cracking sound. I glanced up at the ceiling to witness a fissure splintering across the middle. This place couldn’t handle much more abuse. I needed to end this quickly, one way or another.
Reaching into my
boot, I pulled the pilfered stake free and raced over to hide in the shadow of one of the few columns that remained. I glanced over at Gavin, who was now a mere thirty feet from me. I looked back at the exit and tried planning an escape. Shane stepped in front of me, blocking my view of Gavin.
He looked straight at me. “Come on, baby. Don’t quit on me now. I thought we were having fun.”
“Who said anything about quitting?” I asked, gripping the stake tighter.
The small movement drew his attention and he tsked me. “You’re bringing weapons into this. I thought you were better than that. Where did you even find one on short notice?”
“Stole it from your girlfriend, actually,” I said, taking a step closer.
“Where is Emily?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Part of her might be on my hand. Other parts are probably scattered around the block by now.” I shrugged a shoulder.
“You bitch!”
“Oh, don’t act like you gave a shit about her. You never thought to ask about her until the subject came up.”
“She was a good helper, and incredibly giving,” he said salaciously. Gross. “I’m going to revel in killing the both of you. I’m going to-”
His words were cut short when I threw the stake toward him. He dodged quickly.
“You missed, sweetheart.”
I looked directly into his eyes and let the corners of my mouth tip up in an ‘I gotchya’ grin. “I never miss,” I told him.
He looked at me questioningly before turning in the direction of the stake’s trajectory. It took him another moment to process what happened. His eyes bulged when he noticed the IV tube that was no longer connected to Gavin’s arm.
I knew he would be weak, but I only needed him to be conscious. If he was conscious, he could at least pull the other tube out that was siphoning blood. Hopefully it would be enough to get him to walk out of here with me on his own, or at least give him time to escape without me if it came to that.
Before Shane could react and do more harm to Gavin, I tackled him with a force that put us both into the wall. Another boom sounded above, but I couldn’t afford to take my focus off him. I had to keep him distracted long enough for Gavin to recover.
Blinding Light (The Bloodmarked Trilogy Book 2) Page 3
