His lips pressed together as he turned back to me. “I could just pick you up and whisk you out of here.”
I stared at him. “You really want to try that on me? I’m still holding the gun.”
He growled. “Okay, fine. Where are they?”
“Next level up. We’ll need to take the stairs.”
The sound of feet grew closer, men appearing from around the corner.
In a split second, Roman had darted to me and lifted me into his arms. “Hold on.”
I barely had the chance to clasp his broad shoulders before we were moving. I’d not caught my breath properly since being strangled, and this new movement caused the air to whip past my face and drag the remaining air from my lungs.
The footsteps didn’t follow, no yells of alarm chasing us up the stairs. The guards must have been human, something I didn’t doubt as I’d never seen other vampires here.
Would they think to check in the rooms, to open the door and release Madam? How long would it take for her to recover from a gunshot wound to the brain? If she’d recover at all.
Roman deposited me on the third floor, the same floor where my own room had been for the previous six years. Numerous locked doors ran along both sides of the corridor, and I knew exactly which room belonged to each girl. I took back the master key from Roman, needing it to open the doors.
Not even thinking about whose room I’d go to first, I automatically ran to the closest door.
Quickly, I worked the key into the lock and opened it.
“Annie?” I called out.
A small form cautiously climbed off the bed, her golden brown hair mussed from sleep, her hand rubbing across her eyes. She saw me standing in the open doorway and frowned. “Dakota?”
I ran to her. “Yeah, it’s me. I’ve come to get you out of here.”
Her frown deepened. “Out of here? Where are we going?”
“I haven’t quite figured it out yet, but we’re leaving this place, okay?”
I grabbed her pants and some sneakers, and hurriedly helped her dress.
Roman appeared in the doorway. “We don’t have much time, Dakota. Give me the key to open the other doors.”
I glanced between him and Annie. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. “Is that… is that…”
“He’s the vampire I was sold to. Don’t worry, he’s one of the good guys.”
Roman gave me a smile, our eyes locking, and my heart flipped in my chest.
“The key, Dakota.”
I threw it to him and he snagged the key out of mid-air.
“Just open the doors,” I warned. “Don’t go in the rooms. You’ll freak the girls out if you do. I’m right behind you.”
“The guards are going to be here any minute,” he said.
“I know. You’ll have to deal with them.”
He nodded and vanished from view.
“Okay,” I said to Annie. “You have to be really brave now. Can you do that?”
“Yeah, I can do that.”
I smiled and rubbed her back. “Good girl.”
Taking her hand, I pulled her from the room and back out into the corridor. Roman had used his vampire’s speed to move from door to door, unlocking each one in turn. A couple began to open, curiosity getting the better of some of the older girls. A familiar blonde head appeared from the doorway at the end of the corridor and my heart lifted.
“Christa!”
Her eyes sprang open at the sight of me and she stepped fully into the corridor.
“Dakota? Is that seriously you? Am I dreaming?”
I pressed my lips together, my eyes filling with tears at seeing my friend. There had been times when I thought we might never cross paths again. I managed to shake my head, squeaking out, “No, you’re not dreaming.”
Christa clamped her hand to her mouth, and then set off at a run toward me. I stood, rooted to the spot as she flew at me and jumped, her arms around my neck, almost throwing me off balance. I was laughing and crying, and so was she, and we stopped to look at one another and then hugged again.
The noise and movement had caused the others to emerge from the rooms.
Fifteen-year-old Rosa crept out like a frightened animal, staying half in and half out of the doorway.
Scarlet stood, staring at me in disbelief. She exchanged a glance with Kitty, who had also come out of her room.
“What the hell is going on?” said Scarlet. And then she caught sight of Roman. “And who is this?”
I knew Roman would have snagged Scarlet’s attention.
“This is Roman,” I said. “He’s here to help. We’re all getting out of here.”
“Like hell you are.”
I turned at the furious voice to see Madam standing at the top of the stairs where we’d exited. She was terrifying to look at. She still had a bullet wound in her forehead, though it was obviously healing now, but she also had blood smeared all across her face and her clothes, so her eyes stared out from what looked like a blood mask. She snarled, flashing her canines, and the girls all screamed.
Annie huddled in against me, and Christa caught my hand. Rosa darted back into her room. Kitty and Scarlet grabbed each other.
They didn’t know the woman they’d been calling Mother was a vampire; they had just thought she was the woman who’d been taking care of them. This was a massive shock to each of them and I wished I’d had the chance to warn them before she’d made another appearance. We should have killed her downstairs when we’d had the chance.
“Roman,” I said, hoping he’d hear more in my words than I’d said. Mentally, I pushed the thought toward him…
Kill the bitch, and I’ll get the girls to safety.
I didn’t know if he’d heard me or not, but his dark eyes darted to mine, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod.
The guards behind Madam lifted their weapons and pointed the barrels at us. I remembered my own gun, stolen from Warren, and yanked it out from where I’d stuffed it down the back of my pants. I aimed it toward them, trying not to show how my hands were shaking.
“Don’t start shooting, you idiots,” Madam snarled. “They’ll all end up dead. Do you have any idea how much money I have invested in these girls?”
The two male guards looked at each other uncertainly. I kept my gun lifted, and looked toward Roman. He was staring at Madam, his face having taken on that frightening mask again, the ridges showing across his forehead and cheekbones. This was the woman who had taken his child and sold her into a life she’d never asked for. I didn’t blame him for wanting her dead.
The two vampires faced off, the tension in the space thick enough to cut. I reached out with my free hand to maneuver Annie behind me. I didn’t want her to get hurt if a shooting was about to start. I wished Christa would get behind me, too, but she remained stoically at my side.
Roman spoke. “I won’t let you walk out of this place in one piece,” he told Madam. “I refuse to allow you to continue using young girls like this.”
She barked a laugh. “Don’t be such a hypocrite, Roman. You can’t tell me you haven’t enjoyed using our lovely Dakota over here.”
“I haven’t used her,” he snapped. “We’re together now.”
I glanced over at him. His words warmed me. We are? I wanted to ask, but couldn’t.
Madam wrinkled her nose beneath the blood. “She used to be one of my favorites, though since she betrayed me and then shot me in the head, she’s quickly losing that status.”
“Dakota is special. She’s got more guts than you ever gave her credit for.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I knew if anyone was going to draw you out of hiding and make you face me, it would be her.”
Roman snarled. “I was always going to face you, bitch. You’re the one who’s been hiding.”
Madam gave a smile that was closer to a snarl. “Well, I’m not anymore.”
As though an invisible starter gun had fired, the two vampires flew at each other, a smear of c
olor in front of our eyes, and collided.
“Roman!” I cried.
The girls around me screamed.
“Go, go,” I told them, hustling them down the hallway, in the opposite direction of the guards. “Get out of here. I’ll catch up to you.”
Christa paused. “What about you?”
“I’m not leaving yet. I can’t. But, please, go and take the other girls to safety.”
She shook her head, though her gaze flicked wildly over her shoulder toward the warring vamps. “No, I’m not going without you.”
“Yes, you are. I won’t leave Roman.”
“And I won’t leave you.”
The guards had lifted their weapons toward the fleeing captives. “Freeze, all of you!” the older one yelled.
A couple of the younger girls skidded to a halt.
“No, keep going!” I shouted.
Roman slammed Madam up against the wall, but she fought back, throwing him away. I was frightened for Roman. Madam was older and therefore stronger, though she had been hurt when I’d shot her and would be weakened from that.
I wanted to help, but what could I do between two vampires? Besides, I remembered my promise to Roman—that I would look after the girls while he took care of Madam. Plus, we now had men pointing guns at us all.
I was frozen in my indecision.
Then a figure with long hair and broad shoulders appeared behind the armed men, and my heart stopped.
Lucas.
Unbidden tears filled my eyes and I opened my mouth to shout my warning to Roman. There was no way he would win with two vampires against one.
But as I stepped forward, I remembered I still had the gun. I had to help Roman, even if it meant being shot myself. The guards caught sight of the weapon as I lifted it once more.
“Drop the weapon,” one of the men shouted.
I ignored him, swinging the gun toward Lucas and Madam, trying to figure out who to shoot first.
A gun fired, but I hadn’t pulled the trigger.
In a knee-jerk reaction, I let off a return shot, though it was completely un-aimed.
Everything seemed to happen at once. The space suddenly filled with shots being fired, girls screaming, and people diving through the air to find safety. Instinctively, I dropped to the floor, just waiting for a bullet to hit me. I didn’t want to watch, but I had to know what was happening to Roman. Amidst the chaos, Lucas walked calmly up to Madam and tapped her on the shoulder. She took her attention away from Roman long enough to twist to see Lucas behind her.
“What the hell are you doing, Lucas?” she spat.
“Helping the friend you lied to me about.”
The distraction was enough.
Roman caught her by the back of her skull, and with a wet, ripping, bone-snapping crunch, he tore off her head.
With a roar of fury, he threw it to the floor. It bounced a couple of times, before coming to a stop, her eyes staring up sightlessly at the ceiling. Her legs gave way and the rest of her body thumped ungainly to the floor.
I clasped my hand to my mouth, and tried not to throw up.
The guards had realized they were on the losing side, and turned to flee back down the stairs the same way they had arrived. I exhaled a sigh. Thank God, we were going to be all right.
I turned to tell Christa, and a scream burst from my chest.
My best friend was crumpled like a puppet whose strings had just been cut. Red bloomed from a circle in the middle of her chest.
“Christa!” My yell was louder than any gunfire.
The two vampires were by my side in an instant.
“My blood,” said Roman. “Let me feed her my blood. It will heal her.”
But Lucas’s hand on his arm stopped him. “No, let me do it. Things could get complicated if she has your blood as well.”
I knew he was implying that a blood bond between Roman and my best friend might make things a little awkward for us, but, right at that moment, I didn’t care.
“Just someone do it!” I cried. “She’s going to die if you don’t!”
I cradled her head on my lap, her blue eyes staring up at me in fear and pain. From somewhere behind me, I was aware of Annie, and possibly a couple of the other girls, crying.
Tears filled my eyes, and I wiped them away. “It’s going to be all right, Christa. You’re going to be all right.”
“I love you, Dakota,” she managed to croak.
“I love you, too, but you can tell me again later. You’re going to be fine.”
Lucas bit his wrist and held the blood over Christa’s lips. She turned her face at first, but I guided her jaw back around.
“You have to take it,” I told her. “You’ll die otherwise.”
I didn’t know if I could trust this vampire. He’d betrayed Roman once already, but we’d be dead now if it wasn’t for him, so I figured we didn’t have much choice.
Her lips parted, the droplets spattering her pale skin.
She took a gasp, and healed, the gunshot wound knitting together, and color returning to her cheeks.
I hugged my friend, hard, tying not to cry with relief. I’d been so sure I was going to lose her.
Feeling wobbly, we both got to our feet.
I looked to Roman. “Let’s get out of here,” I said.
He nodded, but replied. “One moment.” Then, to my surprise, he reached out and took the collar around my throat in both hands. He gave a wrench, and the collar popped open.
Roman threw it to one side, and it skidded across the bloodied floor.
“You don’t need that anymore,” he said. “You’re free.”
Chapter Eighteen
A week had passed since we’d saved the girls from the training center, and killed the woman I’d called Mother for the past six years.
Roman and I lay in bed, both of us naked. We’d been spending a lot of time this way recently. I curled up against his body, my head on his chest. The first couple of days after the rescue had been a whirlwind of police interviews and statements, and it felt good to be getting back into what felt like a relatively normal routine.
Because all of the girls the Madam had taken were underage, Roman and I had taken them straight to the police.
Christa would be turning eighteen in a few weeks, so would only be under child protective services for a little longer. Roman had promised to help set her up somewhere close by once she was free to do as she liked. She, like me, had few memories of her real family, though the police said they were doing everything they could to track them all down. Annie had been reunited with her parents, as had Rosa, whose mom was on her own, we discovered, after her dad had left. When they were reunited, her mom had broken down and fallen to the floor, pulling Rosa down with her, so they cried together.
Scarlet had slipped out of police custody and vanished. I hoped she was all right. She was a strong character, but she was now alone in a world she didn’t even know, and I couldn’t help but worry about her.
I’d helped the police with their enquiries, and trying to figure out just how many girls the Madam had taken over the past one hundred years. An estimate was one every year, but I felt sure it had been more in the early days, so I’d guessed around the two hundred mark. I’d also not wanted to leave the younger girls alone, so I accompanied them to the hospital where they were kept for a couple of days to make sure they were physically and mentally all right.
Lucas had made himself scarce, though I wondered about the blood bond he now had with Christa. When I asked her about it, she said she hadn’t really felt anything, but I struggled to believe that was true, having experienced it myself. Maybe the fact she’d been dying at the time had weakened the effect, but part of me felt like she’d been thinking about the long-haired, broad-shouldered vampire just a little too much, but didn’t want to admit it.
Before he’d vanished, Lucas had apologized to Roman for betraying him. He’d said he came to the apartment that night because the Madam had asked him to,
claiming Roman was plotting some big conspiracy.
“I’m sorry, Roman,” the other vampire had said. “She lied to me. She said you were plotting against vampires because you blamed vamps for making you one of us. She said you were going to use blood courtesans to lure us in and kill us one by one. When I saw the two of you together, and you’d been so secretive about Dakota, I thought she was telling the truth.”
We couldn’t blame Lucas for his part in it. The Madam had fooled plenty of people over the years, and he was just one of them. Only when he’d come across Aiden in one of the rooms and had used his blood to heal him from the stab wound I’d given him, did he learn the truth.
I reached out to trace lazy lines across Roman’s chest. “I hope you’re ready to go again soon,” I said playfully. I couldn’t get enough of him at the moment.
He eyed me. “Are you using me for sex, Dakota? Because, you know I would be really hurt if you were just using me for my body.”
I suppressed a smile. “I thought you were the one who was supposed to be using me. And anyway, I didn’t think vampires had feelings.”
He caught my hand and pressed it against his chest, right above his heart. “Ah, there, my beautiful girl, is where you’re wrong. When we want to feel, we feel stronger than any human could ever possibly comprehend.”
“You do?” I didn’t want to press him, terrified I wouldn’t like the answer, but I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. “And what do you feel about me?”
“You are my everything, Dakota. I thought you knew that.”
I gave a small shrug. “I don’t know anything. You bought me, remember? I’m still yours to own.”
Roman shook his head. “I don’t want to own you anymore. I want us to be together.”
“Why?”
He laughed. “Are you going to make me say it?”
I thumped him on the chest, though I knew it wouldn’t hurt him. “Yes, I am!”
He propped himself up so he could look at me directly. “I want us to be a couple because I’m in love with you, Dakota. You’re fierce, and brave, and sexy. You’re also frustratingly stubborn sometimes, but somehow that adds to your charm. I love that you won’t let me push you around. It’s not often a vampire meets his match in a human.”
Stolen: A Vampire Blood Courtesans Romance Page 10
