She was human. She was frail, mortal, delicate, and wouldn’t live nearly long enough. He’d been in love before. Love always ran its course, in time. It changed, morphed, died. A relationship with a human had always been impossible, but now it wasn’t, and he was caught.
It was too late. Love was rarely logical. Sometimes love was a choice, and other times it wasn’t. Sometimes it fell on a man like a ton of bricks, whether he wanted it to or not. She was human, he would inevitably lose her … and he loved her.
Fuck.
* * *
Nevada crawled into bed. She couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. With the windows in her room boarded up, she hadn’t had a true sense of time since being brought here. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d told Sorin that she wanted a clock, though he hadn’t brought one. Still, the days and nights usually unfolded naturally enough. She slept when she was tired, she worked when the vampires were most active, which she assumed was after dark and before dawn. The house that sometimes bustled had grown quieter in the past little while, so she could assume it was morning. Not that it mattered; the magic and the excitement of seeing her family, too briefly, had drained her.
She was scared, as well. Sorin knew she’d been up to something, he just didn’t know what. If he found out she could travel beyond these walls, if he knew she could see her family and actually speak to Emily—if he found out she was capable of spying on them all, she’d be dead before her body hit the floor.
She was going to die. She’d accepted that long ago. But not until she saw her family free, dammit! And somehow she had to find a way not to let Sorin and Loman and others of their kind loose on the world. Whatever she did, she knew it wouldn’t go over well with her captors. No, she didn’t have much of a chance at all. She might as well not even hope for a happy ending.
Tired as she was, eyes heavy and scratchy, Nevada lay in the bed unable to sleep. Her heart was beating hard, her mind raced. She’d love to peek in on her family again, or allow her spirit to roam the building, searching, listening for clues as to how she might see her family freed, but she was too tired for magic, too exhausted to do anything except lie in bed, wishing for sleep and blinking tears from her eyes.
There had been a time when she’d slept in complete darkness, secure in her own room, certain that nothing could touch her. That had been before she’d been taken, before she’d known who she was and what she could do … before she’d known that monsters were real. Now she slept with the bathroom light on and the door wide open, and a table lamp on—two lights shining, in case a lightbulb burned out in the night. She didn’t want to be in the dark ever again, didn’t want the freakily silent vampires to sneak up on her, not even Sorin. Maybe especially not Sorin.
Not that seeing the vampires coming would change where this was going. The end was coming. She felt it; she even embraced it. But was that end for her alone, or was it also coming for everything and everyone she loved?
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he never would’ve believed it. Jimmy followed the sword-toting man up the basement stairs, through the house, out the front door, where the sky was just turning gray with dawn.
Once outside, the man stopped, lifted his head, took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, as if the air smelled wonderful to him. Then he turned to Jimmy, his expression hard and serious. “We will need an army.”
“Uh, I don’t exactly have one of those handy. Who the hell are you?” He’d asked that question before, but hadn’t gotten an answer.
“I am Rurik.”
“Yeah, I kinda figured that out for myself, but that doesn’t really answer the question.” A name didn’t begin to answer all his questions. “I’m Jimmy, by the way. Jimmy Elliott.”
“I know,” Rurik responded impatiently. “You are my—” He paused, his brow furrowed. “You are mine,” he finished.
Oookay. Let’s don’t go there. “Why are you here?”
“To stop the vampires. To turn the tide. Without us, they will win.”
Jimmy scratched his jaw. He shouldn’t be surprised that Kate had been right. Vampires. He’d really wanted to believe that she was wrong on this one. “Without who?”
The sky was coming alive, the day beginning. The lightening sky washed across the strong lines of the man’s face as he answered. “The warriors who serve mankind for all eternity.”
“But …”
“No more questions.” Rurik turned toward the rising sun. “You must take me to Washington, D.C.”
“My father’s funeral is—”
“You will honor your father after the battle is done.” Rurik turned his head and glared at Jimmy. “You will honor his death by defeating those who took his life. Do you have a weapon?”
“Hell no!” Jimmy responded, glancing at the hilt of the warrior’s sword.
“You will need one.”
“I’m not … that’s not … I think there’s been a mistake. I’m not a warrior.”
Rurik smiled. It was white and wide and terrifying. “You will be before I am finished with you.”
Melody was lying back on the hard hotel bed, waiting out the daylight hours, waiting for sleep to come, plotting how she might kill Jimmy Elliott the younger, when her cell phone rang. She couldn’t drain him, she reminded herself. There would be no more draining the conduits. She repeated that a couple of times, making it a mantra. From here on out she’d follow the rules. She’d have to, if she wanted to keep her head. She simply wouldn’t drink from the conduits at all, that way she couldn’t get carried away.
The cell rang again, and she grabbed it from the bedside table, smiled when she saw Sorin’s number. She missed him. Maybe he was a hard man—a hard vampire in the midst of hard vampires—but he was also hot. And great in bed. And powerful. With the coming of a new order, it couldn’t hurt to align herself with someone who was up there from the get-go.
“Miss me?” she asked as she answered the phone.
“You’re too late,” Sorin snapped.
“Too late for what?”
“The conduit you were sent to kill has brought his warrior through.”
Melody sat up, no longer at all tired. Daytime or not, she was fully awake. “Well, crapola. What do I do now?”
“He’ll be coming here,” Sorin said. “He’ll try. It’s your job to make sure he doesn’t make it.”
The one window in the room was covered with lined curtains, but Melody could see the tiny crack of light that edged the fabric. Daylight had arrived in full force.
“I’m not strong enough to go out in the daytime.”
“You’d better get strong enough,” Sorin said, his voice so soft she almost couldn’t hear him. “You can’t let the warrior have a twelve-hour head start.”
“He can’t fly, either without a plane or on one, not without ID and such. He won’t have time for rounding up a fake ID if he’s already headed your way,” Melody said as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. “He’ll be traveling by car, maybe with his conduit, maybe on his own, if he knows how to drive. Can Jonas still pinpoint him?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Melody threw her small suitcase onto the bed and opened it. The clothing she’d packed for this trip wasn’t sufficient for her to go out in the daytime, since most of her outfits were designed to show a lot of skin, but she’d manage. She’d call the front desk. With a decent enough tip or a touch of glamouring, she could get someone to make a trip to WalMart for long pants, a floppy hat, a scarf, and gloves. The sparkly flip-flops she’d packed wouldn’t do, either. She couldn’t let the sun touch her toes. Talk about ruining a pedicure! “I won’t be at my best today, but I can make some headway.” She didn’t have any choice. “I’ll finish the job tonight.”
“You’d better, or don’t bother coming back.”
Melody wasn’t smiling, but she tried to put a hint of good humor into her voice. “Come on, sugar, you wouldn’t hurt me. I’m your own child.”
“
You’re right. I couldn’t kill you.”
Now Melody managed a smile.
“But neither would I stop Regina from doing it.”
Sorin ended the call without even a simple “good-bye.” Great. Both as a human and a vampire, Melody had always been on much better terms with males than she had with females. Women never liked her; men always did. Regina wouldn’t hesitate to take Melody out if the warrior she’d been assigned to stop reached D.C.
Which meant if she didn’t complete her task tonight, she might as well get her ass as far away from Washington as possible. Not that she wasn’t going to try to do as she’d been ordered; the idea of being with Sorin was too attractive to give up without at least trying.
Melody put her cell on the bedside table, picked up the hotel phone, and dialed the front desk. She wished she had the power of Voice, the way some older vampires did, but she had to be looking into her subject’s eyes when she glamoured them. Luckily, she didn’t need any special powers to get men to do as she asked. All she had to do was get one of them to her door, and then she could do her thing and get what she needed.
“Hey, honey,” she said in a friendly tone, wondering if the man who answered the phone was the same one who’d checked her in, not too long ago. She hoped so; he’d been checking out her boobs and wouldn’t hesitate to rush to her room to get another look. “I need a really big favor …”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE
Luca woke early. Chloe slept against his side, her soft breath brushing over his chest, his arm around her. The sweet scent of her filled his senses. Lying there with her, he felt dangerously content. Contentment had no place in a battle; it dulled the edge that kept him alive. But with her, at this moment, he was content.
He allowed himself only a few moments to savor the feeling, then he turned his thoughts to Jonas. It bothered him that Jonas was involved with the rebels. Maybe he shouldn’t be surprised, but he was. Not only surprised, but worried, and with good reason. Jonas was capable of locating anyone, anytime. Which made him wonder: If Jonas had detected Chloe’s energy outside the rebel compound, why hadn’t he also realized that she wasn’t alone? That Luca, whose energy signature Jonas knew well and would surely recognize, was also nearby?
He had to at least consider the possibility that Jonas had known very well that he was sending those three vampires toward Luca, and that he hadn’t warned them they’d have something more than just a human to deal with. Was he working with the rebels or against them? That was two strong vampires dead and a weak one neutralized, and Luca didn’t imagine the rebels had a lot of members to spare.
Unexpected violence aside, the night had been successful. He’d gotten what he’d been looking for. He knew where the rebels were gathered, he had a good idea of their numbers, and he’d confirmed for himself that Jonas was involved. While he didn’t have a precise number, he’d detected enough energy within the mansion to realize that even with his enhanced abilities, he couldn’t take on that many vampires by himself.
Calling in the Council was out of the question. He didn’t trust them; hell, he’d turned them away when they’d tracked him down. Even Theodore, who’d sent him the warning to stay away from headquarters, wasn’t entirely trustworthy. The majority of Council members were likely steadfast and intent on stopping the revolution, dedicated to maintaining order as they knew it. The problem was, he didn’t know who those particular Council members were, and when dealing with vampires as individually powerful as they were, even he used caution. One on one he could handle them; if two of them came after him, that was a different story.
He had slept for several hours, enough to feel refreshed. The bedroom wasn’t quite as dark as he’d have liked, but the morning had been overcast and the curtains were thickly lined, so he’d rested well enough. He could have slept in the bathroom, but then he wouldn’t have Chloe curled against him. That was enough to make enduring the light worthwhile.
She was sleeping deep, hard, worn out by the long hours and brutal violence. Between the excitement, the sex, and the fear for her life, she’d been emotionally drained and physically tested. He looked down at her sleeping face, feeling the hot ties of the bonding, both emotional and physical. If not for her he might be back in Scotland by now, letting this drama play out without him.
Wouldn’t he?
No. For one thing, he’d never been able to keep his distance from a good battle. For another, a traitor had murdered Hector, and that alone called for vengeance. With or without Chloe, Luca had chosen his side.
By late afternoon, Chloe still slept on. It was still hours until summer sunset, but periodically he closed his eyes, stilled himself, and searched for vampire energy anywhere close to their hotel. A couple of times he felt a brush of energy, but it wasn’t close by and was soon gone, so their location was still safe. He’d let her rest as long as he could.
He sat in the single chair in the room with his cell phone in hand, thinking. He was a part of the vampire community; he wasn’t the most social of the kindred, but he did have a few friends he could call on in an emergency, and this was definitely an emergency. He couldn’t afford to waste time. With every hour that passed, the odds increased that Jonas would send hunters directly to Chloe’s location, no matter where Luca tried to hide her. He needed to strike at the rebels soon, before they had a chance to prepare for him.
At the same time, rushing into battle was stupid; it was bad planning, and Luca had fought too many battles to get sucked into that trap. As angry as it made him that Chloe was targeted, he had to keep a cool head. Guarding Chloe was his first priority. He’d keep on the move, take the time to pull in reliable reinforcements. Every time he had that firmly fixed in his mind, though, his gut would insist that he take the fight to them now. It was urgent that he attack now. Tonight. There was no other way.
Some of the vampires he’d normally call wouldn’t see anything wrong with the rebels’ plans. Some of them might have already joined with them. A lot of the kindred were fed up with the status quo, and wanted to exist openly, free to use all the strength and power they possessed. He had to be very sure about who he called, who he trusted, because Chloe’s life depended on it.
Finally he began to dial. Like it or not, he had to take the chance even though nothing was certain and no one could be implicitly trusted—no one except Chloe.
“I’ve never been to Memphis,” Jimmy said, still nervous even though he and Rurik had been on the road since just after dawn. Maybe it was the sword the warrior riding in the passenger seat held so confidently, the sharp tip resting on the floor mat, the intricately designed grip caught in big, rough hands. Maybe it was the shotgun in the backseat. According to Rurik, that was Jimmy’s weapon. They’d bought it at a flea market just off the interstate, three hours after heading out of town. Jimmy had never owned a gun before, though he’d gone hunting with his dad a few times, years ago. Hunting hadn’t been his thing, he’d been bored stiff, and after a while his dad had stopped trying to get him interested.
“I hear they have great barbecue around here,” he continued. “It’s probably not as good as Texas barbecue, but maybe we should give it a try. You know, just to compare the two.” They’d stopped twice for food already. Rurik had a huge appetite.
“We can stop if you are hungry, but we cannot linger.” Rurik’s fingers beat a steady rhythm on the hilt of his sword, as if he were anxious to use it. He definitely wasn’t much of a talker. He issued orders, ignored questions, and fiddled with his sword. Now and then the sunlight caught the blade, and a glint that reminded Jimmy of the weird flashes of light he’d been seeing lately would fill the car. He had to wonder: Was that what he’d been seeing all along? Light bouncing off the shiny blade of a long sword? If he’d understood that sooner, he might never have invited Rurik in.
He needed to make a pit stop, too, so he pulled off the interstate at the next exit. He spied a weathered sign for a barbecue place, which turned out to be attached to a gas
station and convenience store. That would do. One-stop shopping: he could fill up the tank, take a piss, and get something to eat. With Rurik as his passenger, the fewer stops they had to make, the better.
Rurik would want to eat in the car again, rather than taking the time to sit at a table in the restaurant, and that was fine with Jimmy. A six-foot-four dude wearing what looked like homespun and carrying a very sharp sword was tough to explain, and he refused to leave the sword behind in the car. Best to get Rurik in and out quickly, wherever they had to stop.
The Warrior remained in his seat while Jimmy filled the tank. When that was done he pulled to the front of the building, put the car in park, and turned to Rurik. He tried once more. “Look, nothing has happened the other times we stopped. You should leave that thing in the car.”
Rurik knew Jimmy was talking about the sword. They’d had this conversation before. “And be defenseless? No. You should carry your weapon as well.”
Yeah, that would work. Two men, a sword and a shotgun, and a convenience store; it sounded like the makings of the lead story on the evening news. “No, thanks. I’ll take my chances.”
Jimmy wanted to call Kate and explain what was going on, but what the hell could he say that he hadn’t said in the note he’d left sitting by the coffeepot? Emergency. I have to go. Call later. Love you. He’d even turned his cell phone off, once Kate and his mother had started to call. There was simply nothing he could say to ease their worry.
It tugged at Jimmy’s heart that his dad was probably in the ground by now, and he hadn’t been there. He couldn’t get that out of his head, as he and his passenger hit the restroom and then headed to the attached restaurant to order barbecue sandwiches. He wondered if the funeral service was over, if the rest of the family had made it in … if Kate and his mother would ever forgive him. Thinking about things like this could make him crazy, if he let it.
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