It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I shimmied my way to the front. The front of the crate was easy to swing open. There was a small amount of light coming from outside and with my night vision I could see almost as well as if it was day. I stuck my head in from the top and saw Dante. His eyes were a deep glowing red and he was paler than I’d ever seen him. Not a good sign. I’d better tread carefully, I thought.
“You can come out now. Do you think this makes us even now?” I asked lightly. I knew he could smell the blood. I hoped he wasn’t too far gone. I didn’t want to hurt him.
“Of course, Natalya,” he said. “I thank you. Now you need to get out of here. It’s you that they set this little trap for. So get down here, you and I need to get out of here fast.”
“I’m bleeding, not like I really need to tell you that.”
“I know. You’ve nothing to fear from me. I can control myself. We need to hurry though.”
I grabbed a hold of the doorjamb and folding myself in half, slid out from the top and dropped in front of Dante. I went to the front of the container. He was right behind me.
“Follow me. Radek parked the car about a mile from the gates,” I said, turning to Dante. I was about to say something else when a pain shot through my head, bringing me to my knees. It was blinding. I hit the ground hard, clenching my head. I felt Dante’s arms come around me. I wanted to scream, but bit my tongue so that I couldn’t. I could taste my own blood. White hot flashes of pain went through my head.
I heard Dante’s voice, “Dek, get to the car now. Nat is down. I have her, but we have to get her out of here now.” The others must have caught up with me.
“Give her to me,” growled Radek.
“We don’t have time, Dek – we need to get her out of here.” Dante was holding me firmly against his chest. I could hear footsteps behind us as Dante ran. I wanted to scream in pain, but knew that it wasn’t a good idea. I didn’t want to cause more of a disturbance than we already had. I felt Dante slow. I couldn’t open my eyes to see where we were, but I could smell the vehicle that we’d come in, and I could hear running footsteps. I guessed it was Radek. I was right.
“What the hell happened?” he said.
I could hear the distress in his voice. I forced my eyes open and looked at him. His brown eyes were glowing yellow. I could smell his fur close to the surface.
“Just get us out of here. Now,” Dante said. He jumped into the back with me still in his arms.
I heard the keys go flying. Madon must be driving. I saw Gregory jump in the front passenger seat. Radek was already in the back with us. I let out a scream of pain and thrashed around, desperate for it to stop. I could hear Dante saying something to Radek in a low voice, but couldn’t make out what it was. The pain intensified.
It took the two of them to hold me down. I was fighting them blindly. I really didn’t want to hurt them, but I didn’t have any control over my body at the moment. I could feel the warm tears making their way down my ice cold cheeks. I tried not to cry out, but the pain was excruciating. Dante was holding my legs on his lap as I tried to kick out. My head was resting in Radek’s lap and he had my arms pinned. My whole body was going into spasms of pain as they held me tightly to keep me from hurting myself or anyone else.
“There’s a very powerful vampire in her head,” Dante whispered to Radek.
If I’d been able to speak or think, that might have made sense, but it didn’t.
“What? I thought you vamps couldn’t do that kind of shit to us,” Radek snarled. He was close to shifting.
“We can if the creature is willing or young enough and we’re powerful enough,” Dante snapped back.
I could smell the anger coming from both of them, and it wasn’t helping.
“So you’re saying that she let someone do this to her?” Radek’s voice held disbelief.
“It’s one explanation. Another would be if it happened when she was a child. It would also explain her memory lapse.”
The thoughts weren’t connecting in my mind, but I knew that what they were saying was significant.
“What do you mean?” Radek was still snarling. The scent of him was helping with the pain. I knew he would make it stop. I didn’t know how I knew that, but I did.
“If she tried to break the hold of the vamp, it would explain why she can’t remember anything before she woke up.” I could tell from Dante’s voice that he was trying to calm down.
“So why is this happening now?” Radek asked.
“That vampire is in the area. They’re after her. I heard that much just before you got here.”
“So this is about her. Why did they grab you then?” Radek asked.
“They thought I was her lover. They had seen us out together and figured she would come for me,” Dante said.
“But you’re not, right?” Radek asked, the stress evident in his voice.
The pain was too much; I let out a moan. Radek was rubbing his hands along my arms.
“Of course not, you idiot. Not that it matters. Anyway, the first thing we need to do is create some distance between her and the vampire,” Dante said.
“Does it work like with you and Gregory?” Radek asked.
“No, he won’t be able to find her. He’ll only be able to affect her if she’s in the same area as him. The closer he is, the more control he has. She’s fighting it – that’s why it’s causing her pain.”
“How much longer can you go without feeding?” Radek asked.
“I need to feed tonight.”
I could feel that Radek was calming down as well. My skin felt raw, but the feel of his hand stroking my face and head was soothing. The pain in my head was decreasing. I wasn’t struggling anymore. My eyes were still closed and my breathing still ragged.
I’d only gotten one thing out of that whole conversation. The faster we got away from this place, the less pain I would be in. A tear ran down my cheek and Radek’s thumb caught it and rubbed it across my skin. I turned my head into his abdomen, breathing in his scent. My muscles were still twitching like I had been electrocuted. Radek gently pulled me closer. His warmth spread into me.
“When we get to the house, you take off to go feed and don’t be long. I’ll pack everything. Once you get back, we’ll go to the coast. Will that be far enough for now?” Radek said, his voice getting softer as I relaxed against him. His hand was still petting my hair. It felt so good after the excruciating pain.
“Yes. That should do,” Dante said.
I could feel the vehicle slowing. We must be getting close, I thought.
“Gregory, Madon, thank you for your help,” Radek said.
“I’ll stay here and do a little weeding. I found out tonight who has betrayed me,” Gregory said in a dark voice. The car came to a complete stop.
“Very well. Go in peace,” Dante said. “We’ll talk later.”
Gregory disappeared.
“Go Dante; I can handle this. Madon, you take off as well. I’ll call you with information later,” Radek said.
My eyes opened a small amount. I could see Radek putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Dante looked down at me, his eyes still rimmed in red, then slipped out of the vehicle and disappeared into the night.
I felt Radek slide from beneath me and out the door. Then I was in his arms again. I wanted to stay right there. I buried my head in his shoulder as he carried me into the house. He set me on the couch. I couldn’t tell him not to go, my voice wasn’t working yet. I grabbed his arm as he moved to stand, my eyes still closed.
His hand covered mine and gently lifted it from his arm. “I’ll be right back; just hang tight for a moment,” he whispered.
Radek took the stairs two at a time. I concentrated on breathing while he was gone. I heard him drop a couple of heavy bags on the floor when he returned. Dante came in right then. I still didn’t open my eyes. I just laid there.
“How is she?” Dante asked.
“I’m not sure if s
he is conscious or not, but she doesn’t seem to be in any pain at the moment,” Radek spoke in a quiet, calm voice.
“That’s good. We should get moving – are you all ready? Gregory has agreed to wait to take action against his people until we can figure some things out. He is going to be keeping an eye on them for now. He’s beyond furious.” Dante was speaking in quiet tones as well.
“You weren’t gone that long.”
“I’ve fed; don’t worry your furry head about that. You need to relax – she’ll be okay. Have you called Father yet?” I’d never heard him call Val ‘father’ before. It seemed strange coming from him.
“No, we can call him on the way,” Radek said as he lifted me in his arms and carried me out the door.
“Well I’m just going to crawl in the back and sleep, then,” Dante said.
I heard the back of the Hummer open and shut. I took a chance and peeked up at Radek. He was shaking his head at his brother. Then he carefully put me in the back seat. He left and I heard the back open and close again as he put things in. I felt a blanket being placed over me. Radek’s hand lifted my head and a pillow was slipped beneath. I felt his hand brush the hair from my cheek. Then his lips were on my forehead. It was a brief kiss, but it warmed me clear to my toes. The door was closed and another opened. The engine purred to life.
“Just hang tight, Nat. I’ll get you far away from that soon-to-be permanently dead vampire. Sometimes I really hate bloodsuckers,” Radek said.
“I can still hear you,” Dante’s voice came from the back of the vehicle.
“I’m going to call Father now and tell him we saved your bloodsucking butt,” Radek said, and dialed as Dante was calling him interesting names in several languages.
I would have smiled, but it hurt too much. I was going to have to remember a few of them.
“Well, I guess you retrieved Dante then?” I could hear Val’s voice through the phone. He had obviously heard Dante’s rant as well.
“Yes, but another problem has presented itself.” Radek went on to explain as best he could what had happened.
Dante was already dead to the world and regaining his strength, so he wouldn’t be able to help explain until the sun went down that evening.
“I’m coming out there. I’ll be there tonight,” was Val’s answer. Then he hung up.
“Well, that’s that then. Father is coming here and I’m in trouble again.” Radek sounded tired.
“Great, then we can be reamed out in person,” I managed to get out of my scratchy throat.
“Back to the land of the living, are you?” There was relief in his voice.
“My head is killing me. Do you have any water?” I asked as I tried to sit up and groaned.
“If you reach into the back next to Dante there’s a cooler with water in it.”
I smiled, then groaned. “Don’t make me laugh. That hurts. I see you packed everything. Clothes, food, water, mostly dead vampire…” I couldn’t help but laugh at my own stupid joke.
Radek laughed too. “I’m glad you’re back to joking around. You scared a few years off my life. Will you toss some water up here as well? We have about another two hours or so until we get there.”
“And exactly where are we going?” I asked as I tossed a couple of bottles to the front. I guzzled half of my bottle and lay back down.
“South of Ocean Shores. We have a house near the coast,” Radek responded between swallows.
“I haven’t been to the beach yet. It’s winter though,” I said. I wasn’t quite making sense yet.
“You should go back to sleep.”
“What happened to me?” I asked. “It was so strange – one moment I was fine; the next, the pain was indescribable.”
“You’ll have to ask Dante when he gets up. It has something to do with a vampire.” Radek’s voice dropped a little when he said vampire.
“I knew I didn’t like vampires,” I said under my breath. I must not have said it softly enough because Radek laughed. “Doesn’t it bother you that you have a corpse in your trunk?” I asked, referring to Dante. During the day, vampires took on corpse-like attributes.
“Not in the slightest,” Radek said with a laugh.
“What happened to Gregory and Madon?” I asked, rubbing my hand down my face. My whole body hurt.
“They’re staying back and watching things while we figure everything out. You should rest and stop with all the questions.” He was irritated, but I didn’t think it was at me.
“That’s my evil plot to annoy you to death with questions,” I said dryly. “Why’s Val coming?”
“Mostly because he’s worried. Also to tan my hide for letting something happen to you and Dante.”
“Oh stop being such a pain in the ass, Dek. You know he doesn’t blame you. In fact, you had nothing to do with what happened to me. Unless you’re secretly a vampire as well as a weretiger, which I know is impossible. I don’t know how I know that, but if I try to remember, my head hurts worse. So I try not to think about my past. What’s happening to me?” I said. I turned onto my back, putting my hands behind my head. I was trying to will the lingering pain away. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.
“It’ll be okay, Nat,” he whispered hoarsely.
“I think I’ll sleep now.” I yawned and let myself drift off to sleep.
Chapter Eleven
I woke as the vehicle came to a stop and the motor was turned off. I laid there blinking for a few moments until I heard the door by my head open and Radek’s face appeared.
“Morning,” he said with that killer smile.
“It’s afternoon. What took so long? I thought you said it would only be a couple of hours.” I was grumpy, hungry, and disoriented, but the pain in my head was gone. I sat up.
“Yes, it is afternoon. I stopped for fuel, food and took a couple of rest stops, if you must know.”
“Are you really going to mess with me when I’m in this condition?”
“You would do the same and you know it,” he said and laughed when I stuck my tongue out at him. “That’s a very ladylike gesture. I have one question for you. Is that a threat or a promise?”
“Only in your dreams, furball. Now get out of my way. I want a hot shower and food before I deal with you. You better make me coffee and it better be fully caffeinated.”
“Oh really, you’re going to deal with me?” he said, his eyes sparkling with humor and something else.
It was that something else which had my fur standing on end. I didn’t know whether to be scared, excited or just plain confused. I narrowed my eyes at him as I got out of the car. I started to stumble and put a hand on his arm to keep me from falling.
Our eyes met. There was an animal-like hunger in his eyes. I took a deep breath. The smell of the nearby ocean mixed with his scent sent shivers down my spine. I knew that if I didn’t step away from him, he would kiss me. He was giving me the option, and I took the out. Too much was happening too quickly. I stepped back and my head started to spin. I stood still and closed my eyes. It took a moment, but the dizziness soon subsided. I was stepping away when he grabbed my arm, stopping me.
“Why?” he asked in a low voice. His eyes were searching my face for an answer.
I knew he was wondering why I’d pulled away. Had I hurt him somehow? I could hear it in his voice. I looked him in the eyes. “I can’t right now. Just not right now. Please.” I implored him with my eyes to understand.
He nodded his understanding. “Go inside. I’ll bring your things in.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but I didn’t know what to say so I just turned around and went into the house. The stairs inside the house led to three bedrooms. The back one had blackout curtains covering the windows. No light entered that room. Dante could have that one, I decided. The other two rooms each had one large bed. They looked the same, so I took the one closest to the bathroom.
“Are you settling in?” Radek said, silently coming up behind me and making me jump.
I just glared at him.
“I’m going to crash for a few hours. If you need anything, just come and get me. There should be enough food for you until I get up. You can walk down to the water, but don’t stray too far. Keep your phone on you. We should be safe enough here for now. Is there anything I can do for you before I go to sleep?”
“I think I’m good.”
“See you in a few hours,” he said, his eyes studying me again.
I knew what he wanted, but I didn’t think it would be a good idea. For one, I barely knew him. Second, I had no memory of my past. Any kind of relationship right now would be a bad idea. I’d avoided men this past year, but it looked like that wasn’t going to be possible anymore. I just didn’t know what to do about it.
He finally broke away, entering his room, but leaving the door open. Joining him was very tempting. I turned and went back into my room, knowing that I was running away. Glancing out the window, I noticed it was raining. That was the norm for the Washington coast in the middle of winter. It was bitterly cold outside, too. Almost cold enough to snow.
I rummaged through my bags until I found the winter jacket that I’d bought only the day before yesterday. Was it really only two days ago? I pondered. So much had happened in the last few days. I put on the jacket and found my boots, replacing my shoes with them.
Then I followed my nose to the water – it was at least two miles through the trees. By the time I got there, I was starting to relax. The headache was long forgotten. I was thinking of Radek. He was growing on me. I remembered the feeling of sleeping in his arms yesterday. I had felt so safe and secure.
What was I going to do about it? I really wanted to talk to Val about it, but did I dare? After all, this was his son I was thinking about. I was drained. Ice cold rain was disguising my tears as they ran down my cheeks. Ignoring the fact that my pants were getting wet, I sat on a pile of drift wood. I wanted to hear Val’s voice. He was like a father to me. I grabbed my phone and dialed before I could talk myself out of it.
Seizing Darkness (Fur, Fangs, and Fairies) Page 11
