"Oh my, look at him," Vanessa whispered. "He's as handsome as Denzel."
He jabbed his sword into the ground, then pulled handcuffs from his jacket pocket and cuffed the guard. He patted the wolf on the head, then plucked his sword from the ground.
"Wow," Vanessa breathed. "Who is he?"
"He's amazing," Kristy added. "Did you see him tame that scary wolf?"
Since the girls persisted in their belief of Greek gods, Lara decided to use that. "He's… Ares, god of war."
"Ooooh," the maidens sighed.
Miss Forbidden pulled Lara aside and whispered, "Who is he really?"
"He's a good man who's come to help us," Lara said. "He can take you to the nearest town, so you can go home."
A tear rolled down Miss Forbidden's cheek. "Thank you." She hugged Lara. "My name is Sarah."
"Will you help him get the girls to safety?" Lara asked.
"Yes." Sarah pulled the chair away from the door and unlocked it. "Come on, let's go."
The maidens filed outside.
"Where are we going?" Vanessa asked.
Lara approached the black Vamp. "Hi, I'm Lara."
He looked at all the women and grinned. "Hello, ladies. Allow me to introduce myself—"
"Oh, we know who you are," Lara interrupted. "You're Lord Ares, the god of war."
"Say what?"
"You're Ares, the god of war," Lara repeated with a pointed look. "And you've come to rescue all these fair maidens."
"Oh yeah. That's me, baby. I'm the god of war."
Lara smiled. "And you're going to lead all these women down the road to the SUVs."
"Sure." He motioned to the gate. "Come on, ladies."
"Oh Lord Ares." Vanessa fluttered her eyelashes at him. "You're so brave."
"I love the way you tamed that horrible wolf," Kristy added.
The wolf grunted.
The black Vamp grinned at the wolf. "Oh yeah, he's bad. He's big and bad. But don't worry, ladies. I'll protect you with my mighty sword."
The girls followed the black Vamp to the gate. He opened it, and they all walked down the road. Sarah glanced back at Lara and waved.
Lara waved back. The girls were safe. Squeaky was on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back.
"There can be no survivors," he whispered over and over.
Lara shuddered. Apollo had intended them all to die.
With a jolt, she realized Jack could be fighting Apollo right now. She grabbed Squeaky's sword and started running to the temple.
The wolf dashed in front of her and stopped with a growl. Lara moved to the right, but the wolf moved, too. She ran to the left, but the wolf blocked her again.
"Oh come on," she yelled. This had to be the werewolf Jack had told her about. Did he understand English?
"Are you the delivery man who left the box of Cracker Jack?"
The wolf grunted and dipped his head.
"I need to get to the temple."
The wolf growled low in his throat.
"We can't just stand here all night, glaring at each other."
The wolf sat on his haunches and regarded her with his pale blue eyes.
"Look. I want to help Jack. He might need us. What if something happens to him while we're standing here? How could we live with ourselves?"
The wolf cocked his head. Then he turned and loped toward the temple.
"Thank you." Lara ran after him.
Where the hell was Robby? Jack asked himself for the tenth time. Apollo was a surprisingly good swordsman. Still, Jack could have defeated him five minutes ago if Athena hadn't arrived.
First the female vampire had shrieked at him, calling him a dozen foul names. Then she'd tried to free the two guards in handcuffs. When that failed, she'd picked up the sword from the first guard. She was obviously ignorant about fencing, didn't even know how to hold the sword properly. But she was able to be a dangerous nuisance.
While he parried with Apollo, she dashed behind him to try to stab him in the back. He spun, knocking the sword from her hand, then continued his fight with Apollo.
Where the hell was Robby? He was supposed to teleport the mortal Chosen One to Wolf Ridge, then come right back.
Jack lunged at Apollo, forcing him to retreat. Then suddenly, in his peripheral vision, he saw something flying at him. He ducked as a knife flew over his head. That damned Athena.
The doors opened, and Jack saw Phil slip inside. Good. Maybe he could take care of Athena.
Then Jack did a double take when Lara came in, carrying a sword. Merda. She was supposed to be safe with the other girls, not putting herself into danger here.
Athena spotted her. "You bitch! Kneel before your gods!"
"Go to hell." Lara moved toward her, holding her sword in both hands.
Athena flung her knife at Lara. Jack froze a second in fear, then jumped to the side as Apollo took a swing at him. He glanced back. Lara had ducked in time. Thank God.
With a ferocious growl, Phil charged at Athena, but she dashed with vampire speed to pick up her sword. She retreated around a column, swinging the sword wildly to keep the wolf from pouncing on her.
Athena squealed as Phil chased her around another column. She passed by one of the tripods holding a lit brazier. Lara kicked the tripod over, and the brazier crashed onto the floor next to Athena.
Athena screamed as the fire leaped onto her long purple toga. The flames spread quickly. She fell on the floor, rolling and screeching. Her body writhed, then went still.
"Athena!" Apollo roared with rage. He charged at Jack, abandoning all form in a wild quest for revenge.
This was exactly the opportunity Jack had been waiting for. He knocked Apollo's sword aside and skewered him in the chest. Apollo's eyes widened just before his body disintegrated into a pile of dust.
Jack turned to Lara. "Are you all right?"
"Yes." She looked at the floor and grimaced. "Is that what happens when you—"
"Look out!" Jack ran toward her.
She spun around. Athena was charging at her, her body blackened and burned. She lifted a sword with her charred arm and bellowed with rage.
Lara held her sword steady. With a growl, Phil leaped on Athena from behind. The force pushed her right onto Lara's sword. Athena crumbled into a pile of burnt ash.
Lara dropped her sword and stepped back. Jack grabbed her in his arms. Her body was trembling.
"It's all right." He tossed his sword down and held her tight. "It's all right. It's all over."
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I was so scared for you."
"I was scared for you, too." Jack rubbed her back. "You should never try to fight a vampire. It's too dangerous."
"I had help from the wolf. What's his name again?"
"Phil Jones." Jack looked around the temple. Phil had crossed the room to check on the guards. "Thank you, Phil."
"Yes, thank you!" Lara added.
Phil looked back at them with a wolfish grin.
"Are the girls safe? What happened?" Jack asked.
"They're fine. They're with the black vampire."
"He's Phineas McKinney, also known as Dr. Phang."
Lara laughed. "I have a whole new world to get used to."
The door opened and Robby rushed inside, holding his claymore ready.
"And that one is Robby MacKay," Jack drawled. "Also known as mud."
Robby looked around and grimaced. "I guess I'm a wee bit late."
"About ten minutes late!" Jack yelled. "Where the hell were you?"
"Bugger." Robby slid his claymore into the sheath on his back. "I did as ye asked and found the mortal woman in the back behind the red door."
"The Chosen One Aquila," Lara said. "Was she all right?"
"Nay. The guard had already stabbed her in the chest. She was near death, so I teleported her straight to Romatech." Robby sighed. "Roman tried to save her life, but she had too many internal injuries. I wiped her memory and took her to a hospital. I do
ona know if she'll survive."
"That poor girl," Lara whispered.
"You did all you could," Jack said quietly.
Robby crossed his arms, frowning. "So is everything done here?"
"Just about." Jack motioned to the guards. "They have to be teleported to town."
"And there's another guard by the kitchen," Lara said.
"I'll get him." Robby strode from the temple. Phil trotted alongside him.
"Where's the wolf going?" Lara whispered.
"He's probably going to his clothes so he can shift back. Lara, we're the only ones who know that Phil can shift when the moon isn't full. Don't tell any of the people in Wolf Ridge. I'm not sure why, but Phil wants to keep it secret."
She nodded. "Okay. I guess I'll have a lot of secrets to keep from now on."
He touched her cheek. "It's no secret that I love you and adore you and want to spend my entire life with you. You can shout that from the mountaintops."
She grinned. "I'll just shout it from the top of a certain bell tower I know in Venice."
Jack laughed. "It's a date."
Lara sighed as hot water sluiced down her body. She hadn't wanted to spend one more minute in that white gown. While Jack stayed in the temple, watching the guards, she'd gathered her old clothes from the trunk in the side room. Then, she'd run back to the dormitory to shower and change.
It was all over, she thought, as the last of the soap and shampoo spiraled down the drain. No, it was actually just beginning. Her life would be an exciting adventure with Jack. He'd assured her that he just wanted her to be happy. She could return to her job as a police officer on the night patrol. She could continue to work toward her detective badge. Or she could start as a detective right away, working for MacKay Security and Investigation.
It was tempting. Very tempting. She already knew about Vamps and Malcontents and shape shifters. How could she go back to her regular job when she knew about this strange new world? She would have to find a way to explain it all to LaToya. She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower stall.
"Hello, bellissima."
She gasped. "Jack." He was standing across the bathroom, leaning against the vanity with his arms folded. His reflection didn't appear in the mirror behind him. "How long have you been here?"
"Long enough." His golden brown eyes twinkled.
She snorted and grabbed a towel to dry off. "I thought you were going to stay in the temple to watch those guards."
"Robby just teleported the last one away, and I was there all alone, getting worried about you. I wanted to make sure you were all right." He smiled slowly. "You are definitely all right. All over."
She grinned as she towel-dried her hair. "You should have joined me in the shower."
"I seriously considered that. I also considered using one of those beds in the dorm room. But they're expecting us to teleport to Wolf Ridge. If we don't show up in a few minutes, they'll come here looking for us."
"Oh, I'd better get dressed." She pulled on some underwear.
Jack watched with a wistful look. "Well, it was nice while it lasted."
She grabbed her bra. "Thank God I can wear this again. I was so tired of flopping around in that gown."
"Yes, it was a very sad thing to watch."
She scoffed. "I was afraid my breasts would start sagging."
"They look perfect to me." His gaze focused on her chest. "They perk right up when I see them."
She laughed and put on her bra, then her jeans.
"Jack, are ye here?" Robby's voice called from the dormitory.
"Merda," Jack grumbled. "Coming!" He strode into the dormitory.
Lara quickly donned her T-shirt, then her socks and shoes. She ran into the dorm room.
Robby nodded at her. "I was just telling Jack that we've altered the memories of the guards and most of the lassies. There was one, though, who wanted to retain her memory Her name is Sarah."
"Oh, right." Miss Forbidden. Somehow, Lara wasn't that surprised. "Sarah was starting to figure things out. She was given to some creep who called himself Zeus, and he abused her."
"Aye." Robby frowned. "She couldna remember Zeus, so I helped her regain those memories. It was verra hard on the puir lass. She knows now that he raped her and bit her."
"Then she knows about vampires," Jack said.
"Aye. We'll have to be verra careful with her. I'm teleporting her straight to Romatech, where we can keep an eye on her until we decide whether or not to let her keep her memory." Robby turned to Lara. "Ye know her better than we do. Do ye think she can be trusted?"
"Yes, I do." Lara had to admire Sarah. She'd made a tough decision to keep those awful memories. It would have been so much easier to have them simply erased.
"Normally, I would just erase her memory anyway," Robby continued. "But she's studying to be a schoolteacher, so I thought I'd let her talk to Shanna first."
Jack nodded. "I heard she needs more teachers."
"Teachers for what?" Lara asked.
"A school for special children," Jack said. "Shape shifters or kids like Constantine who have some Vamp DNA. I'll tell you about it later."
"Please do." Lara was really curious about the possibility of having children with a vampire.
"One more thing," Robby said. "When I brought back her memories of Zeus, she was able to describe him. Tall, dark eyes, Russian accent, and a left arm bent at a strange angle. He wore a glove on his left hand."
Jack stiffened. "Nine circles of hell."
"What?" Lara asked. "Do you know him?"
"We've been hunting him for several years," Robby explained. "The most recent reports had indicated he was in Eastern Europe."
Jack gave Lara a worried look. "He's Casimir, the leader of the Malcontents. And he's here in America."
Lara gulped. This had to mean more battles. More deaths. More mortals in danger.
"I'm going straight to Romatech to alert Roman and Connor," Robby said. "Then I'll call Angus. He'll want to transfer every available man here."
Jack nodded. "Go. I'll take Lara to Wolf Ridge."
Robby vanished.
"Let's go." Jack wrapped his arms around Lara.
"Wait." She pressed her hands against his chest. "Just how bad is this? What does Casimir want to do?"
"He's building an army of vampires who were criminals in their mortal lives. He plans to kill every decent, bottle-drinking Vamp like me. And then they'll terrorize the mortal world, feeding and killing with no one to stop them."
Lara shuddered.
Jack brushed her damp hair away from her face. "I'm sorry, cara mia. I didn't mean to drag you into this."
"It's all right." She touched his face. "After the car accident, I wanted to do something really important, something that made a difference in the world. This is it. I can't think of anything more important than this."
"You are so brave, cara mia." He kissed her brow. "But I have to disagree with you. There is something much more important than Casimir and all his nasty followers."
Lara smiled. "Are you talking about love?"
He nodded. "Amore. With love on our side, we can never be defeated."
EPILOGUE
Three nights later, Lara was standing in the campanile of the Piazza San Marco, gazing over the moonlit rooftops of Venice. She leaned back against Jack's sturdy chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.
"It's so beautiful, so peaceful," she whispered.
He rubbed his chin against her hair. "This is where I first told you that I love you."
"Mmm. It was very romantic." She jumped when music started below. "What's that?" She peered down from the bell tower and laughed when she saw Lorenzo playing his accordion. The strains of "Bella Notte" drifted up to her.
"Oh Jack." She touched his face. "You're so sweet."
"I wanted everything to be perfect."
She gave him a wry look. "Are you trying to recreate that first date?"
He winced. "Not really.
You left me at the end of that date."
"Well, yes. But you did make me scream. I'm afraid I permanently traumatized the pigeons."
He held up his hands. "I learned my lesson. Tonight, we will teleport to my bedroom at the palazzo, and there, I will make love to you all night long. I promise to do my best, but the screaming will be left to your discretion."
She laughed. "You rascal. You always make me scream."
He grinned. "And then tomorrow, while I'm totally useless in my death-sleep, you will be taken on a tour of Venezia. Gianetta's niece works at a museum, and shell spend the day as your personal guide."
"Oh, that's wonderful. Thank you, Jack."
His eyes sparkled. "And I have another surprise for you. You won't be sightseeing alone. I gave LaToya a first-class ticket to Venice. She'll be arriving in the morning."
Lara gasped and pressed a hand to her chest. "Jack, that's the most wonderful gift ever."
"She's been a good friend to you. I don't want you to lose her just because you're with me."
Lara's eyes filled with tears. She hadn't told LaToya everything yet, but it shouldn't be difficult to convince her best friend that Jack was the most wonderful man in the world. Because he simply was.
She leaned from the bell tower window. "I love Giacomo di Venezia!"
The pigeons, startled from their roosts, flapped wildly around the tower and piazza.
Jack laughed. "There you go, scaring the poor pigeons again."
She flung her arms around his neck. "I do love you, Jack. I will always love you."
He held her tight. "You are my angel, Lara. I have another surprise for you in my pants."
She snorted.
He placed her hand on the bulge.
She glanced down. "I seem to remember you being a lot bigger than that." She moved her hand to the center. "Oh yeah, now we're talking."
He chuckled and removed the smaller bulge from his pocket. "I think you'll like this, too. At least I hope so." He opened the small black box.
Lara gasped. It was a beautiful sapphire surrounded by glittering diamonds.
"I know it's not exactly traditional, but the sapphire reminded me of your lovely blue eyes."
She stepped back. Her skin prickled with goose flesh. She knew this was a moment she would cherish for as long as she lived. She would remember the cool night air blowing through the campanile and the sound of "Bella Notte" drifting up from the piazza. And she would remember Jack, standing there with a ring and so much love glimmering in his golden brown eyes.
Secret Life of a Vampire las-6 Page 29
