by Mac Flynn
I shuddered and looked at the hole in the wall. The hole was the size of his fist, and only four inches deep. I glanced back at Simon. "So how do we get out?"
He pulled a strip of his shirt off and wrapped his hand in the makeshift bandage. "That is the riddle. Unless we are found by Certus and freed, there is only one choice." He nodded at the hole. "We force our way through the walls."
My mouth dropped open. I jabbed a finger at the hole. "But those walls could be a foot thick, and you barely got anywhere with that much burning!"
He stepped back to lean against the opposite wall as the hole. A bitter smile slipped onto his lips. "Therein lies the ultimate riddle. Even without blood a vampire is able to stay alive forever within these walls, but what price would be paid? Insanity? Suicide?" He nodded at the hole. "Or there is the choice to keep hitting the wall and hope one's body holds out longer than the wall. Judging by our fall we merely dropped into a lower layer of the sewers and the walls may not be very thick."
"Those are stupid choices!" I snapped.
He closed his eyes and shook his head. "They are the only ones available to us."
I tilted my head back and looked up at the ceiling. The thin crack around the trapdoor was barely visible. I nodded at the trapdoor. "What about the way we got in?"
He dropped his hands to his sides and scoffed. "The creator of this box would not be so stupid as to leave that without its dangers. The steel coating is probably thinner on those doors, and any attempts to pry them apart would result in quicker and worse injuries."
I threw my arms up in the air. "We can't just give up! There's got to be a way out of this without us getting singed!"
Simon leaned his head back and closed his eyes. I stalked up to him and waved my hand in front of his face. "Hello? Are you listening to-" His hand whipped out and caught my wrist in a gentle but firm hold.
"I am well aware of your words," he commented without opening his eyes.
I glared at him. "Then why do I still have the feeling I'm alone in this box?"
Simon's eyes flew open, but he looked past me. A sly smile slipped onto his lips. He leaned down and captured my lips in a long, passionate kiss that left me breathless when we broke apart.
I blinked at him. "What was that for?"
He chuckled. "It was thanks for your beauty and brains." A blush warmed my cheeks, but I didn't have time to soak in his praise before he tugged me to the hole in the wall. He turned us so we faced each other in front of the hole. "You must allow me to drink your blood so I may have the strength to free us."
I stepped back and glared at him. "I'm not some sort of energy drink you can sip off of! Besides, how do I know these bitings aren't killing me?"
He swept his hand over the small space. "If you have a better plan than I, I would be glad to hear its details."
My shoulders slumped and my face fell. "No, but-" Simon stepped up to me and grasped my shoulders.
His red eyes caught mine in their intense gaze. "Yes, your time as a human is growing shorter with each of our bites, but if we do not free ourselves from this room then your time will end here. Do you understand? You will never experience the sun again."
My eyes widened and my breath caught in my throat. "Then. . .then this really is killing me?"
He pursed his lips, but gave a nod. "It is sweeping away your mortality, but-" he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. A sly grin slipped onto his mouth. "Is an eternity with me so detestable to you?"
A warm thrill rushed through my body. I leaned back and pursed my lips. "Don't you ever know how to play clean?"
He leaned away from me and chuckled. "On occasion, but this is not one of them." He let his hands slip off my shoulders and took a step back to offer me his hand. The suave vampire partially bowed. "Will you allow me the pleasure of your sweet nectar?"
I ran a hand through my disheveled hair. My eyes swept over the cramped space. I took a deep breath and sighed. "All right, but don't take any more than you need, okay?"
I yelped when Simon grasped my hand and pulled me against his hard chest. I looked up into his pale, handsome face with that sly grin. "I make no promises."
He leaned down and bit deep into my neck. I gasped as a warm rush of lust swept through my body. I clutched onto him as he took me and drank my blood. The world around me grew darker. My legs buckled beneath me, but he held me up. A thick cold invaded my body. I shuddered.
Simon pulled away. His face was blurry, distorted, dark. He lowered me to the floor and leaned my back against the corner. I couldn't keep my eyes open, but I didn't have to. I felt the vibrations as Simon hammered away at the wall and heard his hissing breath as the silver ate away at his flesh.
One punch ended not with a clang but with a crunch like a can opener. That was followed by more peeling of metal, and the next moment his arms slid beneath me and lifted me off the blood. The scent of his blood permeated my nostrils. My eyes fluttered open in time to watch us step through the opening in the wall and out into the familiar sewer.
Simon took a few steps before he stumbled and fell to one knee. My eyes flew open and I gazed upon his white face. He gasped for breath as blood poured freely from the wounds inflicted on him by the Phantoms. His blood dripped onto the wet floor beneath us and formed small puddles.
I wiggled from his weak hold and knelt on my knees in front of him. I grasped his shoulders and looked into his dim red eyes. "If you need more of my blood then take it." He shook his head. I frowned. "I'm offering it, so take it!"
He winced. "The amount. . .of blood I need. . .to heal these wounds. . .would kill you."
I felt the color drain from my face, but I swallowed the lump in my throat and pursed my lips. "But we can't get out of here unless you lead the way."
"I will. . .direct you," he offered.
I sighed, but sidled up beside him and hefted one of his arms over my shoulders. "Good thing you don't weight much," I grunted as I raised us to our feet.
My legs wobbled, but I ground my teeth and trudged forward. And off we went into the dark sewers.
CHAPTER 6
I trudged down the dank sewer with my vampire lover leaned against me. His raspy breath made me cringe. "You sure you're going to be all right?" I asked him.
"I. . .will be. . .fine," he assured me. He tried to put more weight on his own legs, but they wobbled worse than mine and he ended up tilting my direction.
I winced and righted him. "You look worse than death warmed over."
He managed a hoarse chuckle. "I. . .have been. . .in worse conditions."
I arched an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
He nodded. "Yes."
"Care to elaborate?"
He lifted his eyes and focused on the dark passage before us. "Some. . .centuries back. . .Certus and I found ourselves. . .in a difficult situation with a witch. She meant to. . .burn us and use our ashes. . .to make herself immortal."
I blinked at him. "Does that work?"
He shrugged. "She evidently believed so."
I swept my eyes over the ceiling and walls around us. "So how'd you get out of that mess?"
He chuckled again. "Certus managed to. . .hide some fuel in his mouth and. . .spat it at the witch just before she lit the kindling. It was she who perished in the flames. . .rather than we."
I sighed. "For once I really wish I could see Certus's face." I glanced at Simon. "Speaking of him, does Certus have something again me? I get the feeling he doesn't like me."
Simon pursed his lips. "Certus is. . .rather protective of me. He treats all others. . .as threats."
I snorted. "That's a hell of a way to think. Must be pretty exhausting."
Simon gave a shallow nod of his head. "Yes. I suspect. . .he taught himself to go. . .without sleep. . .in order to protect me." He lifted his head and dug his heels into the ground.
I frowned and looked from the dark tunnel in front of us and back to his strained face. "What is it? What's wrong?"
He closed
his eyes and his tense stance relaxed. A sly, crooked smile slipped onto his lips. "It seems that the old saying is true."
I arched an eyebrow. "Which one?"
"That when you speak of the devil, he will come."
My ears caught the distant sound of footsteps as they splashed through the puddles ahead of us. I felt my heart pound against my chest, and my instincts told me to find a place to hide, but there was only the blank walls around us.
Simon raised himself and dropped his arm from my shoulders. "There's no need for that."
I whipped my head to him and glared. "I told you not to read my-" Two shadows ran out of the darkness and rushed us.
"There you two are!" came Dolf's voice. He was partially transformed and his long snout glistened in the dark. Just behind him was Certus. The pair of them stopped in front of us.
I clutched my chest and frowned. "Couldn't you two have sent a telegram or something just to give us a warning?"
Dolf laughed. "We would if we knew what address you two were at." His playful eyes flickered to Simon. "I wouldn't have guessed you'd trade in a penthouse for a sewer."
"It was not our choice," Simon told him.
Certus stepped up to him and pulled a bottle from his jacket. He popped the cork and the scent of fresh blood wafted over us. My pulse quickened as I watched him offer Simon the bottle.
Simon nodded at me. "Give it to her."
Certus frowned and held the bottle closer to him. "You are in more need of it, sir."
I swallowed and took a step away. "H-he's right. Bottles up."
Dolf stuck out his tongue. "Nasty."
I glared at him. "Don't werewolves drink blood?"
He flashed a grin. "Yeah, but not without a chaser of meat."
Simon chuckled and took the neck of the bottle. He tilted his head back and drank deeply of the dark contents. My eyes widened as I watched the path of the blood repair the damage to his body. He lowered the bottle from his lips and handed it back to Certus.
"Excellent. We must compliment the donor," Simon suggested.
Dolf raised his hand. "Now that that's done, mind telling us why you two decided to go for a stroll through the sewers?"
I turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "How'd you guys even know we were in the sewers?"
Dolf grinned and tapped the side of his long snout. "This nose knows. Besides, I met-" he jerked his head towards Certus, "-near Simon's car, and from there we dropped into a manhole and followed the scent." He paused and swept his eyes over the area. His nose wrinkled. "I have to admit this place gave me a couple of wrong turns, and there were these shadow things we had to deal with."
"Phantoms," Certus corrected him.
Dolf shrugged. "Shadows. Phantoms. Same thing. Anyway, what made you two decide to come down here?"
Simon brushed off his tattered clothes. "Georgina of the Four Horsemen invited us to view her latest hairstyle, so we were fortunate only to drop into her graveyard of victims."
I started back and whipped my head to him. "Is that why you tackled me?"
He nodded. "Yes. She has performed the maneuver of removing her hat so often any warning of her gesture is nearly impossible to detect."
"Mind catching me up to speed about this Georgina?" Dolf spoke up.
"A gorgon, if the word is familiar to you," Simon explained.
Dolf shook his head. "Doesn't ring a bell."
"They are a mythical breed of women who hold a head of snakes rather than hair," Simon told him. "One look upon the snakes and the viewer changes to stone."
Dolf winced. "So it's a bunch of ladies who have bad hair days all their lives? They must be pretty bitchy."
"And crafty," Simon added. He glanced at Certus. "We must be led back to the car as quickly as possible and taken to the Silver Snake." Certus bowed his head. Simon turned to me and smiled. "Are you prepared for a short run?"
I cringed. "I don't think I'm prepared for a short shuffle-hey!" Simon had scooped me into his arms.
That conniving rascal grinned down at me. "Then allow me to escort you."
I clutched onto him as the pair of vampires rushed down the tunnel. "Hey! Wait up!" Dolf yelled behind us.
The three men and I zigged and zagged through the mess of tunnels for a few minutes until we reached a ladder set into the wall. At the top of the ladder was a manhole with a few round holes in its surface that allowed natural light into the darkness. I never thought I'd be glad to hear car horns honking and people yelling, but those wonderful sounds drifted down to us and I sighed.
Simon set me down and helped me over to the ladder. "Ladies first."
I dug in my heels and frowned. "Oh, hell no. I'm not going up there until I'm sure there isn't a lady up there with snake hair who's going to give me a stone facial."
"I'll go," Dolf offered as he stepped forward. There was a goofy grin on his face as he grasped a rung of the ladder and put his foot on a lower one. "I'm always willing to meet another myth."
Dolf climbed the rungs and slid the manhole off. A quick peek and he glanced down at us. "Come on. It's safe."
I was the next to climb up, followed by Simon and Certus. The manhole came out in an alley behind the Four Horsemen. Dolf helped me out and soon the four of us were comfortable in Simon's limo, courtesy of Certus. I sat beside Simon and Dolf was opposite us.
Dolf leaned back and stretched his arms on the back of the seat on either side of him. He slid down and grinned. "I don't know why you go out on these wild rides, Simon. I'd be happy just living this life."
"You forget this matter concerns me personally," Simon pointed out.
Dolf sighed. "I guess even the mighty Simon Cruor's fortune is nothing compared to that fleece." He sat up and leaned his elbows on his knees. "So what's the plan now? Got any fleece leads from the snake lady?"
Simon gave one of his famous crooked grins. "Georgina was kind enough to give a hint about its whereabouts before her attempted murder of us."
"So that's why we're going to this Silver Snake place?" Dolf guessed, and Simon nodded. "Any chance this Georgina will be there already?"
Simon shrugged. "Quite a bit, but it is our good fortune her 'cousin' and she are not on good terms, and she is barred from entering the Silver Snake."
I shuddered. "So is this guy sporting a head of snakes, too?"
Simon shook his head. "No. They are not truly related through blood, merely by association."
I arched an eyebrow. "Because of the place he owns?"
Simon chuckled. "Something like that, but what is important is Georgina doesn't have access to Sarpa, and we do."
I blinked at him. "What's a Sarpa?"
"The name of the owner of the Silver Snake," he explained. The limo slowed down and Simon glanced out the window. His eyes lit up and his slick smile grew longer. "It appears we have arrived."
CHAPTER 7
The Silver Snake was a classier joint situated at the end of the club district. The dark back alleys and tired-looking brick buildings were replaced by business-owned parking garages and glitzy restaurant fronts. People in top hats and dresses mixed with the more casual attire of polo shirts and skirts.
The Silver Snake itself was a mix of club and restaurant with a valet at the covered entrance. A red carpet led the guests through the glass doors and into a lobby guarded fiercely by a tall man who stood behind a slightly shorter podium.
Certus parked the car on the curb and opened the door for us. I watched the classy people walk by and glanced down at myself. "We might have a problem."
Dolf grinned. "We could just say we've been exploring the fine facilities offered by the city."
Simon chuckled. "I will handle our seeing Sarpa."
We stepped out and immediately the people around us skirted our bubble of toxic smell. Many of them clapped their mouths over their noses and quickened their pace. I swept my eyes over the crowds and unconsciously licked my lips. The scent of their pumping blood caught my nostrils and elicited a growl
from my stomach.
I started when Simon grasped my hand in his palm. He didn't look at me as he watched the humans walk past us. "Sarpa would not appreciate our eating his clients."
The valet turned a strange shade of green, but stepped forward and held out his hand for the keys.
"If I may," he squeaked.
Certus clutched the keys to himself. "I will-"
"I would rather you came with us, Certus," Simon spoke up. He glanced at the pair of glass doors and smiled. "The more the merrier."
Certus grudgingly handed the car keys to the pimpled valet, and all four of us stepped inside. Our lovely scent du sewer invaded the luxurious lobby.
The man at the podium swung around his block of wood and waved his hands at us. He spoke in an accent as French as I was. "Shoo! Shoo! You cannot come in here smelling of such filth!"
Simon stepped to the front of our group and bowed low before the strange skeleton of a man. The astonished man stopped and blinked at him as Simon raised his head. "We wish to have an audience with Mr. Sarpa."
The man's pencil-thin mustache twitched and his eyebrows crashed down. "Non! Zis will not do!" He snapped his finger at the door. "You get out zis instant!"
Simon shook his head. "We will not leave until we have seen Mr. Sarpa."
The thin man stalked up to Simon and stuck his face in that of the vampire. "Who are you to be demanding zis?"
"He's Simon Cruor."
All eyes turned to the arched opening to the club. A ramp led down to the restaurant floor, and up this ramp wheeled a middle-aged man in a wheelchair. His face was wrinkled at the pair of chins he sported and tucked in one corner of his mouth was a thick cigar. He wore a gray suit down to the waist, and below that a blanket covered him to the footstool. His silver hair was slicked back and resembled a snake skin.
The thin man started back and momentarily lost his French accent. "M-Mr. Sarpa! Y-you know this man?"
Sarpa's eyes flickered to his employee. "Only an idiot doesn't know Simon Cruor." He wheeled himself up to Simon and sniffed the air. "Smells like you've been in a sewer."
"Courtesy of your cousin," Simon told him.
Sarpa arched an eyebrow. "I see. Let's get into my office before my guests lose their appetite, and I lose money."
Sarpa led our little group through a smaller arched doorway to the right of the front doors. It led to a small hallway, and against the wall opposite the arch was an elevator.
