“I’ll leave before sunrise.”
“Where’re you gonna’ go?”
She didn’t know her destination. She hated Chicago and every other city in the American mainland. She thought about heading north into Canada, but she didn’t know much about Deamhan in that country and how they’d react to her in their territory.
Before she spoke another word, her superb Deamhan smell picked up on a vampire just a few feet from the front door. “Someone’s here.” Also in tune to the scent, Hallie staggered to the study’s doorway.
“Stay here.” Anastasia gently pushed her back and in Deamhan speed she rushed toward the front door.
“Is it them?” Hallie whispered. “The Dorvo people?”
At first she thought she smelled Lambert, but then she smelled something else—a dank musty odor that all vampires had. She noticed another Deamhan scent in the blended fray. That one she immediately knew.
She unlocked the door and hurriedly opened it. On the porch she saw Lambert standing over the body of an unknown male he had pinned to the floor with his boot on his chest. Behind him, she saw Alexis with dried tears of blood stained on her face. Her body shook uncontrollably and fear settled in her eyes. And standing on their right she saw Enlai.
“I found this one hiding on the property.” Lambert increased the pressure and his male victim moaned. “He’s Dorvo.” He tilted his head to the right at Enlai. “And this Deamhan says he knows you?”
1
DECEPTION. DEAMHAN CHRONCILES #3
CHAPTER eighteen
“I’ve always wanted to know what happens to a vampire when he enters a home uninvited.” Hallie stood in the foyer, enthralled, watching Lambert easily pick up the Dorvo vampire by his neck and lift him into the air.
Still taken aback by their surprise visit, Anastasia kept a close eye on Enlai. She didn’t expect any of the Deamhan at the orphan sanctuary to take her up on her word. His arrival and the way Hallie wrapped her arms around him as if she’d reconnected with a long-lost friend made her stand on edge.
“I guess you do know this one,” Lambert said. “Who is he?”
“He’s one of the orphans,” Anastasia replied.
“Oh, so it did work out for you?”
“No. It was a waste of time.”
“Oh.”
“It wasn’t a waste of time,” Enlai said, correcting her.
“Oh, is that because you’re here?” She folded her arms.
“I meant what I said to you earlier,” he spoke.
“I don’t trust you.”
He nodded. “I don’t trust you either, but you wanted support. I’m here to offer it to you.” His brown eyes turned to Hallie. “I’m not here to hurt anyone. Besides, I’m barely fifty years old. You have centuries over me. You showed that back at the sanctuary.”
Promptly, she moved toward him. Now standing just inches away, she leaned her upper body forward. Instead of stepping back, he stood his ground. In his eyes Anastasia saw nothing that indicated that he feared her.
“While I’d love to hear the rest of this conversation, may I remind you that there may be more of this Dorvo filth on their way,” Lambert said. “If you want to interrogate this one—and I suggest that you do—we should move this inside.” He glared at Alexis.
She lowered her head. “Ruby sent only him. I swear.”
“I’ll deal with you later,” he grumbled, putting his consort in her place.
“Yes. Inside.” Enlai moved toward the door.
Nathan’s shuffled steps garnered their attention. He stepped out from his study and, using the wall for support, made his way to the front door.
“I said I wasn’t going to come back. I lied.” Lambert’s warm smile disappeared once he had a long look at his friend. “You aren’t looking well.”
“I’m fine.” Nathan turned his attention to the subdued Dorvo vampire. “I invite you in.” He turned around.
“And my Alexis?” Lambert asked.
“Alexis, I invite you in.” He staggered back to his study.
Still holding the Dorvon by the neck in the air, Lambert made his way in with Alexis behind him. He let go and their captive dropped to the floor.
“So, can I come in?” Enlai asked Anastasia.
Unlike vampires, there wasn’t any need for a Deamhan to ask for entry into a home. Yet he asked out of respect.
“Come in!” Hallie grabbed his hand and yanked him inside.
Anastasia felt the eyes of the others all tuned to her next move. She closed the door and looked out the peep hole before bolting it shut.
Taken aback, Enlai glanced around the room, immersed in the Greek statues posed in the foyer. Hallie continued to ogle at him as they stood in a circle around their captive.
“So, Ruby sent this one?” She pointed to the Dorvo vampire on the floor.
With his head tilted slightly to the right, Lambert responded. “Things have become rather complicated in the city. It’s a lot worse than I imagined.”
“That’s why I’m leaving,” Anastasia said.
“Leaving?”
“Yes.” She didn’t want to tell him, but not because she feared that the information would somehow get back to Ruby. The idea of being forced out of Minneapolis didn’t sit well with her. In fact, she hated even thinking about it. Plus, running only served to prove her cowardice. “They want Maris, and when they find out that she isn’t here—if they haven’t found out already—they’ll come for me. If I leave now, they’ll follow.” From the corner of her eye she looked at Enlai. “The Deamhan here are too weak and young to stand a chance against them.”
“That’s a horrible plan.” Lambert smacked his lips.
“But it’ll work.”
“Maris? The Deamhan in the center of Revelation?” Captivated by the mention of the name, Enlai looked to Anastasia for an answer.
“Yes.” She scanned him as if dissecting a weird abnormality.
He cleared his throat and kneeled next to the Dorvo vampire. “He isn’t going to talk.” He looked up to Lambert. “What does your consort know?”
The Deamhan in the room turned to Alexis and, instead of fear, she showed hostility toward their question. Only Lambert proved able to temporarily pause their suspicions.
“My Alexis has been a bad girl,” he said. “However, if she told them anything about this place, I assure you that it wasn’t sufficient enough to cause great harm.”
“You’re assurance isn’t enough,” Anastasia replied.
“It is.” He remained assertive and protective.
“She must know something,” Enlai said. “They trusted her enough to send her here.”
“Ruby trusted her enough,” Lambert corrected. “The only thing my Alexis knows is what she saw.”
“And what exactly did she see?” Anastasia demanded he order Alexis to reveal what she knew, even if it somehow went against his vampire code.
“I don’t have to answer to you.” Alexis’ snippy remark moved Lambert to put her back in her place.
He nodded toward his consort. “Tell them what you told me.”
“Ruby thinks that Remy knows the incantation that released Amenirdis from Limbo. She wants him to tell her word for word. That way she won’t need the tablet. Just Maris’ blood and sacrifices.”
“She’s after Remy?” Anastasia pondered. “He left Minneapolis.”
“No, he’s at Dark Sepulcher.”
It didn’t hit her right away that, of all people, Remy would somehow trip feet-first into any sign of trouble. “Impossible. He was hell bent on going to San Diego for Veronica’s sake.”
“And I’m telling you that he never made it. Ruby’s had him for a few nights now.”
“I tried to get him to leave,” Alexis added. “I tried to warn him, but he didn’t listen to me.” She mumbled. “Stupid idiot.”
Several thoughts traversed through Anastasia’s mind about Remy’s welfare. He brought his state upon himself due to his half-witted a
ctions. But now she had every reason to be concerned. Suddenly Ruby turned into the biggest threat for her kind.
“So I wonder if that’s even possible,” Lambert asked. “I thought they’d need the tablet itself and how to read the incantation? I was hoping that your offspring would tell us, but she’s not in the city.”
Hallie eyed Anastasia. “Do you know?”
“How would I know?”
“You were there during the ritual,” Lambert replied.
“Yes, but that’s it.”
“But,” Hallie spoke up, “Amenirdis has been visiting you in your dreams. Maybe, somehow, you can ask her if that’s possible?”
“Excuse me?” he said in awe. “Did you just say that she’s in contact with Amenirdis?”
All eyes quickly locked on her and Anastasia blurted out, “She’s been invading my dreams. Yes, that’s true, but it doesn’t mean that I know more about the curse than you do.” She angrily jabbed her finger at the Dorvo vampire. “We need to interrogate this thing.” She stomped toward him and, with her right foot, kicked him in the ribs. Blood spewed from his mouth and into the air, making them step back. She felt a small speck land near her neck and with her index finger, she wiped it away.
“Well now. This changes everything,” Lambert said.
“No, it doesn’t.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Anastasia. The other piece of the tablet is still safe?”
“Yes. I made sure Nathan didn’t tell anyone where he hid it.”
“But for how long? We all witnessed the extent of Amenirdis’ control over other Deamhan. She can easily control you into forcing Nathan to reveal the location.”
“It’s safe!” She raised her voice, causing those around her, besides Enlai, to silence their voices.
“If this tablet is that much of a threat, then why not destroy it?” he asked.
“For a Deamhan, you don’t know much about Deamhan history,” Lambert replied. “The stone holds more than just incantations to release the Pure Ones. It’s also said to have other important secrets and even older incantations that can empower your kind. We should be questioning if Ruby can actually dig that information from Remy’s mind instead of why the tablets weren’t destroyed.”
“Oh, in that case,” Enlai’s eyes filled with darkness, “I guess we should get this Dorvo vamp talking.” He kicked their captive in the chest and, to protect himself, he curled his upper body into a fetal position. “How many of you are in Minneapolis?”
The Dorvo vampire remained silent.
“Hallie, grab his arms.”
She did as she was told and pulled him back to extend his body.
“I think you should answer before they kill you,” Lambert said, trying to encourage the individual to speak, but his words fell on deaf ears.
Still immersed in the possibility that Ruby could conjure up the incantation without the Dark Curse tablet, Anastasia telepathically spoke to Nathan. Is the tablet needed for the ritual? She waited for him to reply, but he didn’t respond.
She marched into the study. “Nathan, I called to you.” She saw him in his chair. At first he looked sound asleep, but she panicked when she saw his chest struggle with each breath he took. He looked to be on the cusp of death. She hurried over to him.
“Open your eyes,” she whispered as she felt her own beginning to swell in size. Without so much as a thought, she raised her wrist to her mouth. He wouldn’t die on her watch, even if that meant turning him into a Ramanga Deamhan.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
She looked over her shoulder at Lambert who stood just inside the doorway. She slowly moved her wrist away from her mouth. “He needs vampire blood.”
“He doesn’t want it.” He walked farther into the study. Upon seeing Nathan, he rubbed his chin.
“He’s dying.”
“We all know that.”
“So help him.”
“It’s his choice.” He knelt in front of Nathan. “He does smells like death.” He placed his hand on Nathan’s cheek. “And he’s cold.”
“Something needs to be done. You know your blood can at least heal him.”
He stood up and glanced at the room’s bedraggled environment. “What has he been doing in here?” He walked over to the table and picked up a journal. “How many of these does he own?” He placed it back on the table.
“A lot. Now give him your blood.” She spoke in an authoritative tone.
He grabbed another one. From a distance, she saw that this journal had her name written on the spine. “This one is about you.”
“I don’t care to read what a researcher wrote about me.”
“I do.” He tucked it under his arm.
In accelerated speed, she placed herself in his space. He didn’t flinch. Instead he removed the book from underneath his arm and placed it on the table.
“I understand your displeasure about the situation, Anastasia. I also understand that it can be difficult for Deamhan to realize they can’t get everything they want.” He stared into her eyes. “Nathan had made it clear that he doesn’t want vampire blood, nor does he want to be sired by myself or by any Deamhan. As his friend, you should respect that.”
Anger surged within her, reaching to an almost boiling level. “As a friend, I would do whatever I could to save him.”
“It sounds like you’re concerned with your own interests rather than his well-being.”
“You call this ‘his well-being’? He’s dying and he’s in pain. I don’t want you to turn him. I want you to help him.”
“This is me helping him.”
She placed her hands on her hips and leaned her head back in exhaustion. “I won’t ask again. Give him your blood.”
“And I will tell you again: I won’t do it.”
The area fell into silence as she contemplated her next move. In the foyer, the sound of Enlai repeatedly kicking the Dorvo vampire turned into the only ruckus wrecking and debilitating her thoughts.
“I don’t understand why he doesn’t want to be saved,” Lambert added.
Their captive’s groans grew louder, forcing her to scream out, “If he isn’t saying anything, kill him already!!” She turned toward the foyer.
Enlai held himself back from his next attack. “I thought you wanted us to question him?”
“I don’t care how you do it, but just shut him up!”
He didn’t stammer his next movements. He placed his hands on their victim’s chest and started to feed from him like a Lugat Deamhan would their prey.
The Dorvo vampire’s wrangled movements stopped and Enlai quickly removed his hands. “He tastes terrible.” He smacked his lips and stood to his feet. “Anyone else want a taste?” He looked around the room. “Hallie, are you hungry?”
With her arms wrapped around her midsection, she shook her head.
Enlai raised his foot and quickly stomped down on the Dorvo vampire’s neck. The sounds of bones crunching under his own weight echoed in the air. He stepped back just in time to see the Dorvo vampire’s eyes sink into the back of his skull followed by his body that melted right before their eyes. Alexis scrunched her lips together, sickened by what she saw yet Lambert didn’t seem affected by the macabre show.
“Now, if you’re done flexing your muscles, we need to deal with this vampire situation,” he said to Anastasia.
She folded her arms. “I guess so.”
“You all will have to leave this place.”
“I already told you I’m leaving.”
“Not just you. All of you. Nathan and Hallie can’t stay here. It’s not safe.” He rubbed his hands together. “Once Ruby realizes that her lackey and my Alexis haven’t returned, she’ll send more.”
“Where would we go?” Hallie’s worry-filled eyes looked to him for an answer.
He took a small break before replying. “I own a property in Renville County, about a hundred miles from the city. Just a few miles from a little town called Sacred Heart.” He lea
ned against the table. “The area is small, quaint. The human population is around five hundred people.”
Anastasia huffed. “You can’t be serious.”
“It’s a safe and rural location. There’s a lot wildlife so finding something to eat shouldn’t be a problem for you Deamhan.” He sighed and nodded toward Nathan. “I’ll call a few humans who I trust to take you all there. This is only temporary until we figure out this Dorvo problem.”
“So you want us to run and hide?”
“I wouldn’t call it ‘hiding.’ More like surviving.”
“I don’t run.”
“So what do you call your previous decision to leave the city?”
She sighed, shook her head, and loosely agreed to his plan. “Fine. Call your human friends.”
“I’ll call a doctor as well. Perhaps he can do something to help Nathan.”
“Whatever.” She looked around the study. “Tell them to bring a truck. We’re not leaving his journals or anything of importance here.”
“You might have to.”
“We are not leaving anything of importance here,” she repeated to solidify her decision.
“If you say so.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “What about the other one? Enlai? Do you trust him?”
Anastasia looked beyond the study, watching the Lugat Deamhan poking at the liquid remains of the Dorvo vampire. “No.”
“What are you going to do with him?”
She didn’t think that far ahead to consider his presence and how he fit in with what occurred around them. “If he is a threat, I’ll deal with him.”
“If he causes any damage to my property and to Nathan, you won’t have to worry because I will deal with him.” His voice returned to normal. “Oh, and one more thing. My consort will accompany you all to my property.”
Not a second later, an infuriated Alexis began to scream. “What the fuck? You can’t leave me with them!”
“I can’t take you with me,” he replied.
“Where are you going?”
“Back to the club.”
“No, I’m going back with you.” Immediately, she ran to him. “You can’t go back. Ruby will kill you.” She wrapped her arms around his midsection.
Deception (Deamhan Chronicles Book 3) Page 18
