Maybe you should kill yourself then, an inner voice mocked. While Alex lay in the next room, dead for the day, Rafir stared at the twinkling lights strewn across the living room window trying not to choke on the ugly misery crowding his thoughts.
He had to protect Julia and Alex, and the only way he knew how was to bargain with Bernard. If Julia left the city, it might at least solve one problem -- she’d be safe. A burst of panic and loss formed at the idea of Julia leaving for good. He’d never imagined life without her -- not ever.
Mid-afternoon and he still hadn’t heard from her. He’d continuously checked his cell phone just in case he’d accidentally turned off the ringer, or if reception was bad, but nothing. Surely Julia knew he would never hurt her -- never attack her. She would never push him the way Alex had…
God, he sounded like the abusers Julia had to deal with every day as a social worker. He couldn’t blame her for leaving, but he had to figure out a way to make it right.
Rafir left the apartment a little after one o’clock to track down Julia’s parents. She would be with them, and he had to try to win her back.
* * *
Julia woke up in a daze. Her head pounded, and her body ached. It took a moment for her thoughts to clear before reality set in. She’d been caged.
Again.
She pushed herself up off the cold cement floor and scrambled backward until her back pressed against the two-inch thick bars. “No, no, no,” she murmured. She’d been kidnapped and caged like an animal, and worse, a slave.
Julia looked around trying to find landmarks or anything that would help her figure out where her captors had taken her. The room was damp and dark with cement gray walls and no windows. A basement. She felt the fear rise in her gut like sudden madness. She gripped and yanked on the smooth bars before screaming her frustration. The darkness closed in. She felt disoriented. She had to pull it together. Think. What was the last thing she remembered?
She’d left the apartment and caught a cab to the Crown Plaza where her parents were staying. She couldn’t remember anything else. The cab driver had been a blond, middle-aged man, but Julia couldn’t remember anything distinctive about him.
He’d stopped for gas. Yes. She remembered now. He’d stopped at a gas station on Main. She’d pulled out her compact to see how bad she looked -- her mother was always so critical -- and she remembered seeing a flash of something in the mirror. Nothing else.
How had she ended up here? Was it a coincidence her parents showing up and this happening? Could they be responsible? Some crazy tactic to try and bring her home? And why now? No. She wouldn’t believe it of them. Her father was a powerful man in business, and if he’d wanted to pull something like this he would have done it ten years earlier. But if not them, then it had to be the vampires? Maybe Rafir hadn’t killed them all. Could this be revenge?
The cold fear rose again, quickening her breath. Please, God, not vampires.
A door creaked open, and Julia could see light drifting down a flight of stairs. A hulking figure lingered in the doorway before descending. Julia crab walked to the far end of the cage. She slid up the bars to a stand, ready to defend herself. Ten years with a ranger had not been for nothing. She would fight this time.
A large, shabby man wearing coveralls with the name Hank embroidered on the pocket stood at the door. He had blue eyes peeking through tufts of wildly unkempt brows and a beard with growth to the top of his cheeks. This didn’t look like any vampire Julia had ever seen. Possibly a Renfield, but even then, the vampires liked their human servants to be clean and well-groomed.
“Why am I here?” she asked with more courage than she felt.
“That’s above my pay grade, sweetheart.” He rattled the keys in the door and swung it open.
Julia noticed he was wearing gloves. Never a good sign. “Stay away from me.” She balanced on the balls of her feet.
The man held up his hands. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I bet that’s what all the serial killers say.”
The man chuckled. “You’re funny.”
“What do you want?” She wasn’t going to be anyone’s dinner theater.
“You’d have to ask Bernard.” He gestured for her to come forward.
“Who’s Bernard?”
Hank cocked his head sideways as if he couldn’t believe she didn’t know the answer. “Your man doesn’t tell you jack-shit, does he?” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We need to go to the medic room. Doc is waiting.”
“Why?” She felt cold and frightened and alone. What had Rafir known? Why had he kept it from her? Oh, God. Bernard had to have been a vampire from her past. Maybe Monte, only he’d changed his name for whatever reason vampires did anything. He’d been a sadistic fuck. Was Rafir trying to handle it on his own? Adrenaline started her hands shaking. She would not be taken to him alive.
“No,” she yelled while launching herself at the shabby man.
Julia slid to her knees and punched him in the groin before sweeping his legs with her feet. His bare forearm sizzled when it came in contact with the bars. He bellowed as he landed on the ground with a dull thud. He was warm. Human. She rolled up onto her feet before dropping a knee into his chest and landing a palmed blow to his nose.
The man recovered quickly, roaring as he threw her across the cage. Julia crashed into the bars with enough force to knock the air from her lungs. Pain blossomed in her chest and head.
The man stalked forward his eyes shifting from blue to gold. He unzipped his coveralls and dropped them to the floor.
Julia shook her head. “Just kill me. I won’t be a blood slave again. Not again.”
He dropped to all fours, his muscles shifting and squirming under his skin like baby snakes trying to wriggle free. Fur sprouted thick and black along his skin. His face changed, his features more pronounced and exaggerated, while his ears moved toward the top of his head, and his teeth grew sharp and feral. He stopped in front of Julia, who was too stunned to speak, and roared. Hot breath and saliva hit her in the face.
Not vampires.
“Okay,” Julia said, after catching her breath. “I guess we’re going to the medic.”
Chapter Eight
Rafir had been all over the city, including the hotel where Julia’s parents were staying. Julia was missing. Her parents hadn’t seen or heard from her since they’d left the apartment, and she hadn’t called to check in with Rafir. She could still be mad at him, but he didn’t think she would disappear without a word to anyone. She hadn’t even called work.
Could she really be so pissed she’d just leave? Possible.
He remembered the shell of a person she’d been when he’d found her in the Saudi palace. She’d recovered from so much pain and abuse, and had in turn worked for a degree in social work so she could help other victims.
No. They might not be a proper pack, but Rafir could feel Julia was in trouble. The sensation sat like a cold stone in his stomach. He wished Alex were awake. Rafir needed the closeness of his pack. The thought made him feel weak. Pathetic. As long as the sun was up, he was on his own. He considered calling someone from his old unit, but it would take too long for any of them to show up in time to be helpful. He’d isolated himself when he’d moved to Kansas City. He’d done it on purpose. He’d wanted to make a safe place for Julia.
He snorted derisively. He’d wanted to keep Julia safe.
The deadline had passed for Bernard’s twenty-four hour ultimatum, and if he’d taken Julia, she would be alone, frightened, and vulnerable to whatever atrocities he had in mind for her. A dozen scenarios fired through Rafir’s imagination. His resolve hardened. One problem would be trying to find Bernard’s headquarters. Wolves were secretive and hard to track for obvious reasons. He’d never been invited into the pack’s confidences, nor had he wanted to be a part of their world. Now, he wished he’d been a little more curious. He would get the answers in one place and one place only.
Guillermo
Perez surprised Rafir. It was the boss’s office at Corazon de la Muerte, but at a little after three in the afternoon -- a couple of hours until sunset -- it was too early for a normal vampire to rise. Rafir supposed the vampire had learned his fair share of tricks over his half a millennium, but he was sure it was a trick Guillermo didn’t want the world to know about. He hadn’t expected to run into anyone in Perez’s office. He’d planned a quick in and out. Just a peek at Bernard’s file. The master had a file on all supes in his city.
“Rafir,” the vampire said. He leaned forward in his chair, elbows on the desk with his fingers steepled together. “Can I help you?”
“Gui,” Rafir replied. “You’re up early.”
The dark vampire with his hypnotic brown eyes leaned back in his chair and placed his bare feet on the desk. “Is that why you’ve come? You are interested in my sleep schedule.”
Rafir debated a lie. Guillermo Perez and Bernard Peat had an alliance. And while Gui might like and respect Rafir, alliances went deeper than friendship. Guillermo and his husband, Nathan Greer, had saved Rafir’s life more than once. But he wasn’t sure Gui would risk a war with the wolves for the sake of a human.
Clenching his fists, Rafir readied himself to fight Guillermo if necessary for the information. Most likely, Guillermo would kill him if it came to blows. Werewolves were strong and lightning-fast, and the army had trained Rafir well, but Guillermo was awake at three twenty in the afternoon. The power it took to do something so miraculous deserved a great deal of respect and a healthy dose of terror.
Guillermo canted his head. Curiosity plain in his expression. “I can see you have a lot on your mind, mi amigo. We are friends, si?”
Rafir forced his body to relax even as his mind raced. “Yes.” He licked his lips, and decided to chance the truth. “My Julia --” He forced down the tightness in his throat. “She’s missing. I think Bernard has her.”
A barely perceptible twitch in Guillermo’s cheek was enough to convey his surprise. “Tell me.”
Rafir laid the situation with Bernard out for Gui, but skipped the part where he’d been the one who had driven Julia from their home. He winced with a pang of guilt.
“Can you be certain Bernard has her?”
“No.” Panic stirred in Rafir. Guillermo wouldn’t help him. And why should he? Rafir had no proof Bernard did anything more than invite him into the pack. Guillermo hadn’t survived this long by taking stupid chances.
Guillermo dropped his feet back to the floor and grabbed a piece of notepaper, scribbled down an address, and handed it to Rafir. “Be careful, my friend. I can be of no help to you until after dark, and even then, my position is precarious. You may have to fight Bernard if he really has your Julia and you wish to save her.”
“Thank you,” Rafir said. “I wouldn’t expect you to get involved. You have your own family to consider.”
“Is Alex safe?”
The question hit Rafir like a kick to the gut. Alex had been fine when Rafir had left to find Julia, but he had no idea now whether the young vampire was safe or not. He’d been so focused on Julia, Alex’s welfare hadn’t even crossed his mind.
Guillermo raised a questioning brow.
Rafir didn’t have an answer. Did Guillermo know something he didn’t? Oh, shit. Alex. “I’ve got to go. Thanks for the help.”
“Don’t mention it, Rafir.” The r’s rolled off Guillermo’s tongue. He phrased his next words as a command. “Seriously, chico. Don’t mention it.”
Rafir raced back to the apartment, nearly hitting an elderly woman who had stepped out into the street in front of him.
In the hallway he saw the door to the apartment cracked open. Anxiety welled like pressure in his chest. He’d left Alex alone and vulnerable, and with a broken door. He hadn’t even considered the possibility they would come after him. But Alex’s day state made him no better than a corpse -- easy to move, easy to damage, and easy to kill. Rafir roared and charged into the apartment. He smelled wolves, at least two. The bedroom was empty. He felt a mild sense of relief when he didn’t find Alex’s headless body on the bed. The top blanket was gone. Which meant they’d probably wrapped him up like a present and carried him right out. If they took him, then Bernard meant to keep him alive, at least long enough to get what he wanted from Rafir.
His fingers formed into clawed weapons as he fought his transformation. Wolfing out would have to wait. He had a pack master to find and kill.
Chapter Nine
Alex immediately knew something was wrong the moment his soul animated his body. The cold cement floor against his naked skin was a dead giveaway. He sprang to his feet, ready to fight and defend, but other than cage bars and concrete walls, there was nothing to defend against. The bars were shiny, not solid silver, but coated in the substance if he had to guess. He yanked and pulled on the two-inch rods. They didn’t bend even in the slightest. This was a special cage, meant to hold werewolves, if the silver was any indication.
Silver didn’t affect vampires. Neither did crosses, running water, holy water, or garlic. And while their bodies were technically dead during the daytime, sunlight didn’t cause them to burst into flames. A wooden stake through the heart would paralyze a vampire, but cutting off the head was the most effective way to ensure the undead stayed dead.
However, silver worked excellently on werewolves. That part of the mythology had been true. But how and why had he ended up here?
His senses weren’t as keen as a wolf’s, but he could smell something familiar in the cage. He ignored the hunger cramping his gut. The initial surprise had worn off, and his nature fought to take over. He let his vampire out. His forehead bulged, and the darkness of the room turned bright and vivid. He could see into every corner as if the ceiling had peeled away and flooded every square foot with daylight.
The beast inside him sniffed, drawing in the stale damp air. Recognizing the scent, he went stock-still.
Using the breath he’d inhaled, he bellowed, “Julia!” His voice ricocheted in echoes off the subterranean walls. “Julia,” he yelled again. She’d been here in this horrible place. But why?
The door at the top of the stair opened. Two men, one in coveralls and another in jeans and biker jacket walked down the steps. Coveralls carried a pale, limp Julia in his arms, while Biker Jacket held a quart jar full of a dark substance.
The whiff caught Alex off guard. Blood. He licked his lips, and his gut tightened with pain. Vampires could go a couple of days without blood, but the resistance to their hunger could make them crazy. Unfortunately, Alex’s past victims had found that out the hard way. But this much blood in the air… Alex’s fangs slid down.
The man holding Julia stopped in front of the cage door. “You stay on the other side, fanger, or the girl is going to join you with a broken neck. Get me?”
Alex growled, but backed away. He could rush the wolf and snap him in half without breaking a sweat, but Julia might not survive. Even his vampire wanted her safe and protected. The guy holding the blood opened the door with gloved hands. Coveralls set Julia down inside the cage. Biker guy smiled, baring his teeth. With one hand on the door, he dumped the blood on Julia and immediately slammed the cage shut behind her.
Alex flew across the cage, trying to catch the door before it latched. The werewolves jumped back, but when the door wouldn’t open, they regained their composure and laughed.
“Have a good reunion,” the guy with the jacket said. They both left, laughing and joking.
The sweet scent of blood pulled at Alex. He looked down at Julia. Her face and naked body were covered in scarlet. “Julia,” he said, his voice tight with anxiety. He was afraid to get closer. He didn’t want to hurt her, but the blood called to his hunger. “Julia,” he said again.
She stirred. A low groan escaped her lips. Blinking, she raised a fist and rubbed blood from her eyes. “Alex?” She blinked again, then looked at her hand, covered in smears of red. She gasped and struggled backward.
“It’s okay,” Alex said, trying to sound more calm than he felt.
“I’m covered in… Oh my God, Alex. I’m covered in blood,” she whispered. “And why am I naked?”
Her fear quickened her pulse. Her quickened pulse poked Alex’s predator. “You need to keep calm.”
“I’m naked and covered in blood. How am I supposed to stay calm?” Her hands flew to the bend of her arm. Alex could see the pin-pricked hole, even from a few feet away. “I think it’s my own.”
Alex bit his lower lips, splitting the skin between his teeth. “It is yours.” He’d smelled and tasted her blood once before. It was definitely Julia’s.
She stared at him, her mouth gaping as the horror settled in. It was the moment, Alex knew, where she realized she’d been caged with a vampire.
“Uhm, I don’t suppose you’ve fed today?”
Alex shook his head. “Nope.”
“Shit.”
“Yep.” He licked his lips again. The cut he’d made with his teeth had already closed. The blood looked so good. He could clean it off her without actually feeding from Julia. A good compromise, his vampire thought. Somehow, he didn’t think Julia would feel the same.
“Alex.”
“Yes, Julia,” he replied.
“Why are we here?”
“I don’t know. I was in bed then poof -- here. Wherever here is.”
“They took me last night. At a gas station. It really feels like I’m in a bad slasher film.”
“And the part of the serial killer will be played by…” Alex didn’t finish with his name, but he knew Julia understood. “I’m really hungry.”
“I know.” She kept an eye on Alex as she backed farther away. “I think this is all about Rafir.”
Alex snorted. “Yes. We’re dealing with werewolves, so the chances are really good.”
“Do you think he knows we’re in trouble?”
“I don’t know.”
“He knows,” she said with determination. “He knows, and he is going to find us.”
A Pack For Christmas (Kansas City Vampires Book 7) Page 5
