Retribution of Soul: Book 3 of the In-Between

by Senese, Rebecca M.

  “Are you going to leave him here?” Charlie said.

  Sebastian stopped and looked back. Brent’s body lay on its back, legs still curled underneath him. The toes of his cowboy boots poked out from under his thighs. His hands huddled on his chest.

  What could he do for the man? He wasn’t even sure if he was from Chicago. The memories he’d touched in Brent’s head hadn’t been specific enough. It could have been any town nearby.

  “I’ll call the police from the airport,” he said. “They’ll come and take care of him. Do you have any other ideas?”

  Charlie shook his head. “I guess not.”

  Sebastian turned away and trudged back through the underbrush. In the soothing darkness, everything was heightened. The cool breeze that brushed across his arms, the light scent of vegetation mixed with the heavy scent of jet fuel and car exhaust. The leaves gleaming silver-green in the dim light. And through it all, he could still smell the overlying warmth of blood.

  It still called to him, even after Bianca’s death. He’d killed her and it changed nothing. He wasn’t free, any more than Brent was but at least Brent didn’t have to suffer anymore.

  He still got to experience the joy and wonder of being an In-Between, and being a freakish one at that.

  Oh what fun.

  The lights of the parking lot glinted yellow between a pair of trees. Sebastian aimed for that. Car engines mingled with the rumble of airplanes. He could almost feel it vibrating in his torso.

  Something slammed into his back, sending him flying forward. He barely managed to get his hands out before he smashed into the ground. Dirt and grass mashed against his face. Pain flared in his mouth where his teeth had split his cheek. He tasted his own blood.

  Hands closed on his arms and flipped him over onto his back. A figure straggled him. A man, grey hair, pale skin, wiry body but with the strength to hold Sebastian down. The man’s mouth opened and Sebastian caught a whiff of sourness.

  Vampire!

  He bucked, trying to dislodge the man, but the man clamped his leg tight against Sebastian’s sides. He snarled and darted forward, aiming for Sebastian’s neck. The searing pain in his neck eclipsed the pain in his mouth.

  Sebastian screamed.

  The vampire reared back. He released his hold on Sebastian’s arms and scrambled away. He gagged and spit, retching until dribbles of reddish saliva trailed from his mouth. Finally, he glared back at Sebastian.

  “In-Between. Useless.”

  He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing Sebastian’s blood across his lips and cheek. His hands tightened into fists. Muscles bunched.

  Telegraphing movements. He wasn’t even trying to be subtle.

  When he lunged, Sebastian rolled to his right. Knees bending, he managed to regain his footing and spun to meet the vampire. Off balance, the vampire stumbled, falling to one knee. Sebastian brought his fist down on the vampire’s shoulder, aiming for clavicle. He felt it snap as he slammed the vampire down. The vampire screamed.

  Sebastian jumped on its back, shoving it face first into the ground. The vampire’s left hand flopped, useless, but the right hand tried to scramble at the ground. Sebastian grabbed the vampire’s arms and pinned them with his knees.

  “Talk,” he said. “What are you doing here? Were you with Bianca?”

  Face in the dirt, the vampire snarled. Even wounded as he was, he was stronger than Sebastian. Sebastian had only a few moments before it gathered its strength to toss him off.

  Better make the most of them.

  He focused on the back of his grey hair and pushed. He hadn’t pushed like this since the vampire in the alley, since sending it up to the roof.

  (Since the nose bleed and who knew how many brain cells he’d killed?)

  But he needed to do it now, needed to know who this vampire was, what it was doing here and what it knew.

  Any information might help him when he had to face Alexa.

  So…

  Just relax, lie on the ground, feel the earth press against him. Just relax. No need to struggle, no need to fight.

  Relax…

  Beneath him, Sebastian felt the vampire’s body sag whereas a moment before it had been tensing for battle.

  Good… good… stay relaxed.

  Think about why you’re here…

  Sebastian let his eyes close and his head drop forward until his chin touched his chest. After a moment, he couldn’t feel the cool night air on his scalp or the breeze rustle his shirt. Instead, he felt the press of ground against his body. Something heavy on his back… but that didn’t matter. It was unimportant. He just had to relax…

  And think about what he was doing here…

  Returning to Bianca. She was as close as a clan head as he, Thomas, knew. She’d turned him just recently and taught him to tether a food source to him. Thomas wasn’t so good at it just yet, he tended to get greedy, the blood lust too powerful for him to resist and he ended up draining every one he tried to tether, drank every last delicious drop of blood, the warmth flowing down his throat, staining his lips, dribbling down his chin to drip-drip onto his shirt, so messy, so wasteful as Bianca said, but he couldn’t help it, always had to be drinking drinking drinking, smelling that warm, delicious odor that called to him over and over, even now as he relaxed on the ground, he could hear it calling calling calling from just through the trees, a whole large building full of warm blood sources that he could just go and drink forever, fill his mouth, his belly, tasting and smelling and swallowing and feeding…

  Sebastian reared back, gasping in shock. The unrelenting blood thirst filled him with loathing and desire. He understood it in a way he so wished he didn’t. How easy would it be to just swallow a few mouthfuls, then all his worries would be over. He just needed to stop fighting his true nature…

  NO!

  He pushed himself back, scrambling off the vampire and stumbling away until his back hit a tree. He leaned against it, shaking.

  From the ground, the vampire raised itself up on its good arm. The left arm still hung useless at its side but already it was starting to flex the fingers.

  “See how fast we heal? Minutes instead of days. You’re so close to us. Just a little taste. Cross on over. You wouldn’t be a freak anymore, not like you are among them. Among us, you would be a king, the beginning of the new order. You have touched the book and the book has touched you. You feel it awakening power within you. All you have to do is claim it. You will be the new god.”

  The vampire lunged.

  Sebastian… PUSHED!

  The force of the thought lashed out, surging forward like it had at that gunman in the shop just a few days before. It stopped the vampire’s lunge. It’s body and clothes rippled as if in a strong breeze, then fluttered back. The vampire landed on its back, arms stretched out. Its head lolled then stopped, eyes staring upward.

  The strong, insistent telegraphed desire for blood that pressed against Sebastian’s mind just…

  stopped.

  Sebastian fell to his knees as his legs buckled. The pain in his head washed over him, almost as strong as the fatigue that swept through his body. He tried to lift his head, tried to open his eyes because that vampire was going to get up again, any minute now.

  But his eyes refused to open.

  He fell forward onto the grass.

  And relaxed.

  Sunlight warmed his face. He turned his head away from it, felt something rough against his cheek. The taste of dirt lingered in his mouth. He spat, smelled grass and vegetation.

  His eyes cracked open.

  Sunlight (too bright) poured in, forcing him to squint against it. His head pounded from it. God, he needed to remember to carry sunglasses all the time now.

  His hands pushed against the ground, lifting him up, and it suddenly occurred to him to wonder what was he doing sleeping on the ground? Why was he lying here in the middle of the day?

  Where the hell was here?

  Then even throu
gh his squint he saw the pile of ash and clothes in front of him.

  And the memories flooded back.

  Even after Sebastian had fallen unconscious, Thomas hadn’t attacked him. He had just lain there until the morning sunlight killed him.

  (If that was what killed him.)

  No, of course it had, what else killed a vampire that way? Certainly nothing else, certainly nothing that he could do.

  Nothing like just a thought.

  But it had been nighttime, just a short while after sundown. How could it be sunny now?

  “You’ve been out of it for a while.”

  Charlie’s voice came from his left. Sebastian looked over. Charlie leaned against a tree. He looked a little more faded now, Sebastian could see the trunk through his blond hair. He was back to wearing a black t-shirt and low slung jeans with a wide brown belt.

  Sebastian pushed against the ground until he sat up. The dirt taste lingered in his mouth. He spit it out. His face felt flattened where it had rested on the ground. He hadn’t stirred for hours. He rubbed his face and felt something crinkle above his lip. He pulled his fingers away to look.

  Flaking redness.

  Dried blood.

  From a nose bleed.

  Maybe it wasn’t just the sun causing his head to ache.

  He climbed to his feet, grabbing hold of the tree trunk behind him as a wave of dizziness swept over him. The image of the trees around him dimmed. His fingers tightened on the trunk. He focused on the rough bark that dug into his palms, scraped his skin. He felt himself waver, as if he was on water instead of land.

  Steady, steady.

  After a moment, the wavering motion faded. The brightness of the day returned, making him wince. Okay, at least he could stand now.

  “What time is it?” he said.

  “Do I look like I have a watch?” Charlie said. “I dunno, it’s early.”

  “My flight,” Sebastian said.

  “I’d say you missed it. Unless you had a hell of a layover here.”

  “You’re so helpful,” Sebastian said. He pushed off from the tree and aimed for the direction of the airport. His feet dragged on the ground. He missed the pile of ash by an inch. He flinched and stumbled away from it.

  “Something wrong?” Charlie said. “You killed him. Aren’t you happy about that?”

  “What’s the matter with you?” Sebastian said.

  “Funny. I’m asking you the same thing.”

  Sebastian shook his head. Oh, bad idea. The dizziness came again. He stopped and closed his eyes. He could feel his body wavering on his feet as if he were being buffeted by a strong wind. After a moment, the dizziness passed.

  He opened his eyes.

  “How can you say I killed him?” Sebastian said. “The sun burned him up.”

  “The sun burned his remains but he was already dead. You killed him with that mind thing you did.”

  “No way,” Sebastian said. “I couldn’t possibly.”

  Charlie crossed his arms over the black t-shirt. The tree trunk looked a little less distinct.

  “Oh really? You were the one reading vampires in London, then you sent that one up to the roof and blasted that other guy in the shop. Seems whatever you got in your head is getting stronger, Sebastian.” He shrugged. “Taking a toll as well, it seems.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Sebastian started moving again, heading for the airport. There had to be another plane leaving soon. If not, he could take the train or rent a car. It was only a five hour drive home from here. He could do that.

  What he couldn’t do was think about what Charlie was saying.

  Instead, he could think about what he’d learned from Thomas.

  So Bianca had tried to set herself up as a clan head. That made sense, it was what she wanted all along. But this tethering, that was new. He didn’t think vampires could do that.

  Could they?

  Obviously they could. Maybe they just hadn’t bothered before but now with their social structure in tatters, a steady food supply would be very attractive. Also, without the clan heads to enforce their order, vampires could do whatever they wanted.

  But why wouldn’t clan heads want vampires to tether food sources to themselves?

  He kicked at the asphalt as he reached the parking lot. Like last night, the lot was full with cars neat in rows. A heavy tinge of exhaust hung in the air, making him wrinkle his nose. Sunlight came at him from all sides, reflecting off windshields, chrome bumpers, polished painted fenders, side mirrors, and windows.

  He put his hand up, trying to shield his eyes even as he closed them to slits. Didn’t help much. Pain like lava poured into his eyes. His skull tightened. His shoulders hunched.

  Only halfway through the parking lot. He had to keep going, aiming for the large white building to his right. Keep going.

  Ignore the sun. Think of something else.

  Vampires.

  Why tether now? Why not before? Wouldn’t a ready food source make the most sense? Hadn’t the clan heads been planning to use the first vampire’s book to convert massive numbers to vampires? Why wouldn’t they want to ensure they could be fed?

  The airport lay just ahead. The air shimmered in front of him. A low hum started then grew in intensity, finally sounding like an engine. Above the airport, he caught sight of a plane soaring into the brilliant blue sky. Going where? Somewhere south? Vacation maybe? People with no real cares in the world escaping like in all the ads he’d ever seen for island vacations. Sitting on beaches, drinking umbrella drinks.

  Ads…

  Discovery!

  He stopped moving.

  That was it. The vampires hadn’t wanted to risk discovery, not until they were ready. So nothing to make regular humans suspicious. No tethering because that would cause people to act like Brent, kind of spacey, leaving his home for no reason. Maybe it could work occasionally, with people who were alone, but if it got too widespread, if too many people started disappearing, started acting strangely.

  It would raise too many questions.

  But now the vampires didn’t have their social structure to guide them.

  Free for all.

  Now they didn’t necessarily think long term. Now it was about survival.

  And when you backed a predator into a corner, fighting for its survival, it would lash out with everything it had.

  Things like tethering humans and who knew what else?

  Maybe stuff like what was going on in Rome and other places.

  Had he been selfish to leave?

  No, he had to look after his family, his parents, his little brother. But once he took care of Alexa, once he made sure they were safe, he’d return to Europe and help the In-Between.

  He’d make it up to Jessica. Somehow.

  If she ever spoke to him again.

  But this tethering, this was new behavior and he should tell her about it, about his theory about how vampires were now fighting for survival and willing to do anything.

  It wasn’t just an excuse to call her. He owed her. He owed the In-Between.

  He dug in his pockets. No cell phone. Where had he left it? In that ugly khaki bag he’d bought, along with the sweat shirt and whatever else he’d found in the airport to stuff into it to make it look like he at least had carry on baggage.

  Wait a minute, where was the khaki bag?

  He remembered having it in the airport, in the washroom, even when he followed Brent through the parking lot into the wooded area. Then?

  Had he dropped it after fighting with Bianca?

  Dammit, he had to go back.

  He turned, wincing at the sunlight. It seemed to beat even worse than before. He remembered the first few days after being bitten. The confusion, the pain. He’d been sensitive ever since, even more than the other In-Between, but it was getting worse now.

  He was getting worse.

  What exactly was he getting?

  Shut up, just shut up and get the damned phone.

 
Sweat trickled down his sides as he hurried back across the parking lot, ducking his head to avoid the worst of the glaring light. He was sweating because he was hot.

  Not nervous.

  Not scared.

  Dammit.

  Being under the trees brought a welcome shade that allowed him to open his eyes a little wider. He pushed through the underbrush, moving branches and leaves out of his way. It was just through here…

  And he came face to face with the muzzle of a gun.

  CHAPTER 10

  A glove covered hand held up the strap of Sebastian’s khaki bag. “Looking for this, mate?”

  A dark, not unamused face, framed with a short graying afro gazed at him. The In-Between man wore a black pullover top and black jeans tucked in black ankle boots. He looked familiar but Sebastian couldn’t remember his name.

  “Friend of yours?” Charlie spoke from behind him.

  Sebastian ignored him.

  “That is my bag,” he said to the man. “Are you going to use that?” He gestured to the pistol in the man’s hands.

  The man glanced at the gun as if surprised to see it in his hand. “Just making sure who you were,” he said. “Can’t be too careful these days. Not with the latest tricks the vampires are pulling.”

  He slipped the gun into the holster at his side and tugged his top down to cover it. Then he extended the strap toward Sebastian.

  Sebastian took the bag and slipped it across his chest, onto his shoulder. He patted it, feeling the soft cushion of clothes and at the bottom, the hard, squareness of his cell phone.

  “Looks like you’ve had a busy night, Sebastian,” the man said. “I can see why you haven’t made it to Grand Rapids yet.”

  “How do you know? Who are you?” Sebastian said. “You look familiar.”

  “We only worked together once,” the man said. “I’m Gareth.”

  Now Sebastian remembered. Some little town in northern France. Gareth had been the lead In-Between for the mission. Even Nigel had deferred to him, although he’d grumbled about it.

  And one other thing Sebastian remembered: Jessica had known Gareth well.