by L. K. Below
Terrence might as well have been carved from marble. His face gave off as much expression as a statue. He didn’t answer. Instead, he leaped into action.
His form was a blur. One minute behind her, the next–as she saw when she turned–in front of Pierre. Pierre suspended the stake between them easily, though his face betrayed some shock.
“You’re no longer the cousin I knew,” Terrence spat. “You haven’t been for a long, long time.”
Pierre grinned, completely unperturbed by Terrence’s barb. “Do you think that will make you sleep better during the day, knowing how I’ve changed? But I haven’t, Terrence. I’m the same boy you used to sneak off to the quarry with to go swimming. The same man you caroused with as a young man. The same man you joined in death, rather than see suffer alone. At the end of the night, I’m still the only family you have left.”
Terrence’s shoulders slumped. He wasn’t going to do it.
Lori tackled the knot, frantic to break free before Pierre killed the man she loved. Because while Terrence didn’t have the heart to kill a blood relative, Lori knew Pierre had no such qualms.
Her fingers grasped the knot. Nails digging into a crevice. Loosen, damn you! She picked at it, unable to take her eyes off the scene in front of her. Any minute now, Terrence would release his hold on the stake. It would be the last thing he did. Tears stung her eyes. She refused to let that happen.
The groove widened enough for her to wedge her pinky inside. She nearly wept with relief. It took all her self-control not to try to tear the knot apart and undo all her hard work.
Pierre continued, “If she was any other woman, I’d even let you have her. But you know what that woman did to me.”
Yes, Lori certainly did. She wondered if Pierre suspected that she had clairvoyant abilities, too. The knot now had a hole as big as her thumb. Soon she would be able to break free.
Terrence’s hand tightened on the stake. “I won’t let you hurt her. I love her.”
“More than your own flesh and blood?”
“More than anything.”
Lori’s chest tightened with emotion. She’d known Terrence felt something for her, of course, but something this strong? She was turning into a sissy. Carefully, she pulled one end of the rope free. Only one maneuver left.
Terrence’s shoulders tensed. He growled. “You’ll have to kill me to get to her.”
No. Her stomach wound itself into a knot a thousand times more complex than the one she’d just undone.
“Why didn’t you say so sooner?” Pierre abandoned his good-guy routine. He hauled the stake from Terrence’s grip.
Terrence stumbled, righting his balance just in time to dodge to the side.
Lori lurched to her feet. The gritty pavement bit into her tender soles, but she clenched her teeth and tried her best to ignore it.
How could they defeat Pierre when he held the stake? Lori didn’t know, but she refused to watch Terrence die. She bunched her muscles, preparing to launch into the fray.
The Spenta Michos gave a muffled yell, earning her attention. Unfortunately, he drew Pierre’s as well. Abandoning his fight with Terrence, he flashed before the gaunt man. Too quickly for Lori’s eyes to follow. Pierre lifted the Spenta Michos by the scruff of his shirt. He angled the stake at his victim’s gut.
Lori froze.
“Terrence, if you–”
Terrence roared. Lori had never heard such a feral sound. He leapt forward.
Pierre thrust the stake into the Spenta Michos’s stomach.
Someone screamed. Her? She clapped a hand over her mouth, but couldn’t stop shaking.
Blood dribbled over the Spenta Michos’s twitching body, soaking his shirt and pants. More gushed as Pierre yanked out the stake. Lori’s gaze fastened on the Spenta Michos’s agonized features. Twisted in pain, eyes wide, and gagged. Then Pierre dropped him over the side of the pier into the frothing waters below.
“No!” Lori’s voice was hoarse. She couldn’t get her legs to move.
The stake clattered to the ground as Pierre tossed it away.
“Monster,” Terrence snarled. Revulsion marring his face, he tackled his cousin.
Lori drew a gulp of air. This wasn’t over. They could still save the Spenta Michos. But they had to deal with Pierre first.
The stake gleamed on the ground, slick with blood. She lunged for it. Her fingers slipped on the metal before she firmed them.
Terrence grappled with Pierre. They appeared evenly matched, neither gaining the upper hand. One tiny distraction could destroy Lori’s hopes for the future or bring them to fruition. Readjusting her grip on the stake, she inched forward. Terrence, please don’t get hurt. Just hold out a little bit longer.
Pierre and Terrence stumbled to the side. She stepped back quickly to get out of their way. As they broke apart, Pierre spotted her. The gleam in his eye as he started for her didn’t exactly promise rainbows and kittens.
Terrence socked him on the unscarred side of his jaw. With a snarl, Pierre turned on him, circling.
Lori clenched the stake, calculating her next move.
The fighters exchanged a flurry of blows. Doling out and getting hit. They moved too fast for Lori to tell who had the advantage. Terrence…
Suddenly, Terrence was thrown from the fray. He hit the ground with a sickening thump. Pierre advanced on his prone form.
Not in this lifetime, buddy! Lori launched forward, driving her stake into Pierre’s back. Had she hit the mark? She withdrew the stake, holding it ready to strike again.
With a murderous look, Pierre turned. Right then, Lori wished she’d taken a course in vampire anatomy. If her thrust hadn’t struck his heart, where was it? He snarled.
Terrence reached forward, latching onto Pierre’s pant leg. Lori took advantage of the distraction. Now wasn’t the time to be softhearted. She plunged the stake into Pierre’s chest, withdrew and plunged again.
She knew the moment she struck the bulls-eye. Pierre gaped, uncomprehending as his skin started to rot before her eyes. It turned gray and flaked off his bones, piece by piece. His muscles beneath softened and turned to ash until his body collapsed in a heap of bones, grime, and clothing. Her stomach bucked. When the stake fell from her numb fingers, it cracked the yellowed skull.
Terrence slowly stood, backing away from the mess. Swallowing, she met his gaze.
“Lori…”
“Do you hate me?”
“Hate you?” Terrence’s eyebrows knit together.
Although she didn’t want the reminder, she jerked her chin at all that was left of Pierre. “I killed your cousin.”
Terrence’s expression hardened. Clasping a hand over her mouth, she backed away. He did hate her. She’d done what she’d had to in order to save his life–to save their future–but it didn’t matter, anyway. She bit the inside of her cheek, refusing to cry.
Skirting the ghastly mound, Terrence stepped forward. “It needed to be done.” When she stared at him in disbelief, he added, “You probably saved my life.”
“So…you don’t hate me?”
He glided to a stop in front of her. He cradled her face, forcing a weak smile. “I could never hate you, Lori. I love you.”
She choked back tears. What was it about today that transformed her into such a crybaby? “I–” love you, too. But she couldn’t say the words. She glanced away. “I feel the same.”
Turning her face back to his, he smiled. “I know. I always had faith you would.”
Faith. She glanced toward the side of the pier. The Spenta Michos was down there somewhere. If he was even still alive. “What do we do now?”
The Spenta Michos had been such an essential part of her existence for so long, she didn’t know how to continue without him. Without the Order. Surely, they would fracture without their figurehead.
Terrence seemed to sense her turbulent emotions. Stepping even closer, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. A moment later, she felt the whisper of his lips agains
t her hair. “Whatever happens, we’ll face it together.”
Epilogue
“I don’t understand,” Lori moaned. “Why haven’t we received a text?”
Terrence slid his arm around her waist. The rough fabric of her shirt chafed his palm. She’d taken extra care to don her darkest clothing this evening, in a maneuver he now knew to mask her vulnerability. Better people judge her for her appearance than perceive her deeper feelings.
She hadn’t stopped staring at her cellphone since they’d left the dorm room. Glancing up, she waved the device at him, like he couldn’t see for himself.
“We should have received a text by now.”
He brushed the hair back from her face, moving it onto the opposite shoulder to bare her neck. “I could send you a text. A very special one.”
When she glanced up only to glare at him, he sighed.
She tucked the phone away. Her fingers twitched on her thigh, like she resisted the urge to pull it out again. “It’s been a week, Terrence. Why haven’t we been notified of the Spenta Michos’s death?”
They’d searched until dawn that night, hoping to find a sign of his fate. But they hadn’t found a body–alive or dead.
Terrence mused, “Maybe the Spenta Michos was the Big Boss.”
Though Lori shook her head, Terrence thought the idea held merit. According to her explanation, the unseen leader of the order guided them. Important duties, recruitment of new members, along with the all-important message when the Spenta Michos had disappeared. It stood to reason, if he truly had died, that he was in fact the mastermind being the Aka Druj Spenta Michos. But Lori refused to consider the possibility.
“He doesn’t even know we exist.” A morose frown tugged down the corners of her lips. “Didn’t. He didn’t know.”
When she lifted her head, tears glistened in her eyes. “How am I supposed to tell everyone?”
Terrence wished he could spare her. Shelter her from the harsh reality they’d witnessed. “I’ll be right there beside you.”
A single tear snaked down her cheek as she looked at him. “They’ll blame me.” Then, in an even smaller voice, she confessed, “I do.”
Terrence didn’t care that she hated public displays of affection. Heedless to anyone who might happen upon them, he gathered her close. “It wasn’t your fault. Trust me on that.”
The heat of her tears stung him to the core as he wiped her cheeks. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Are you ready? I can do this alone.”
She shook her head. “I’ve been a member longer. They’re more likely to believe me. In fact…” She tore her cellphone from her pocket and tapped in a message. “I’ll warn them myself.”
When she tucked the phone away, Terrence held out his hand. “It’s time.”
Nodding, she slipped her hand into his. “We’ll do this together, right?”
“Lori, you’ll never have to face anything on your own again.”
She sent him one of her rare smiles, as dazzling as a thousand-dollar gem, and led him to where their fellow Order members had been instructed to assemble. In his coat pocket, his cellphone vibrated as it received her text. He flicked it out with his free hand to read the finite words.
RIP Spenta Michos.
L.K. Below
L.K. Below began The Order trilogy while still in high school, shortly after she declared that she had no talent or wish to write mystery. Thankfully, Lori proved her wrong and is still dragging the author into unknown worlds of fantasy, mystery, vampires, and secret organizations.
LK’s Website:
www.lbelow.net
Reader email:
[email protected]
Also by L.K. Below
Beauty In His Bed
Never A Princess, Always A Frog
Stone Cold Kiss
The Order Series
Stalking Shade
Out of the Shadows
The Blackened Night
Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2012 L.K. Below
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.
First Electronic Edition: September 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1-61650-406-9
