by Jenn Windrow
Nathan, who had disappeared, reappeared in the center of the room, floated close and hovered over my lap. He placed his hand on mine. “I knew dumping his precious serum would get rid of Mr. Evil Man. Let’s get you healed.”
I had never been more grateful for my ghostly partner than at that very moment.
It took my last bit of strength to wrap my fingers around his hand and squeeze, wanting him to know how much I appreciated his presence in my life. Because without him, I wouldn’t be around much longer. The sparks flew, and Nathan solidified.
“Bloody huge hole you’re sporting here, China Doll.” His hand touched the edges. His touch tingled, almost tickled. A warmth I hadn’t felt for years spread through my limbs and settled over the wound.
I couldn’t tell if the wound was healing, but Nathan’s lowered brow gave me the impression that he was concentrating awfully hard. He sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, winced, causing his eyebrow ring to bob up and down.
“The blood stopped. Not sure if it is because you are running out, or I healed most of the damage.” His comforting touch left my flesh. “Still got a nasty wound, but you should heal the rest on your own.” Nathan sat back on his heels. “Feeling better?”
I tried lifting my hand to touch my wound, but it felt like there were invisible binds tying it to the ground, I couldn’t raise it higher than two inches off the floor. The fog hadn’t lifted from my brain and I still couldn’t manage a full sentence. Something was wrong. My vampire healing should be kicking in, but instead it seemed to be fading farther into the abyss.
The world around me grew fuzzy. My thoughts incoherent. My eyelids grew heavy. Consciousness blinked on and off.
Give me control. I don’t want to force it from you. I want you to trust me.
Never.
I’m sorry.
An unnatural howl left my throat. A howl that was full of all my vampire rage, and held no hint of the human I strived to be.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
My brain roared to life. My mouth suctioned over human flesh. My throat worked to fill my mouth with the metallic tang of blood. My gaze dropped to the struggling bundle in my lap.
My mind reeled at what was happening.
I quickly released my hold on the scared human. He scrambled away. I spit out the blood in my mouth and attempted to back away, wanting to put more distance between my victim and myself. I couldn’t move. A passenger in a body I had no control over, while Eddie fought for our survival.
Stop. I screamed through our bond.
Feed or die.
DIE.
You will live.
Eddie forced me forward, my hand wrapped around the man’s ankle. I pulled him back in my direction, my nails digging into his flesh. My fangs sank into the soft flesh of his neck. My mind screamed, “no”, but the beast hit the mute button and continued to feed.
The man in my arms struggled to push me off, shoved at me with his blood-lost-weakened hands.
“Stop, stop, stop,” the man folded on my lap begged, but the beast ignored him too.
How I wished I could.
The blood started as a trickle over my tongue. A bitter warmth that pooled in my mouth, heavy and thick before sliding down my throat, rushing to fill my empty stomach. My lips tightened around the open holes, my tongue pushed at the openings, causing the fluid to flow faster, and my sucking became more urgent, stronger.
Eddie rejoiced at the warmth that filled my mouth, filled my stomach. But emptied my morals. My hopes. My dreams.
The weaker the man in my arms became, the stronger my own body became. The leftover silver bullets Terrance pumped into my body, landed with a quiet tink on the dirty floor. The knife wound on my shoulder knit together and closed. My body may have healed all my physical wounds, but my heart hemorrhaged an emotional firestorm.
With the return of my strength, I managed to pull my mouth from the man’s neck, force Eddie to stop his drinking, but only for a moment. He fought against me. Fought against my will and bit the man a second time. Fangs clamped onto his neck, a chunk of his skin came loose in my mouth, mixing with the blood, and sliding down my throat.
My arms tightened around the body in my arms, his heart beat slowing to dangerous levels, limbs going limp, head rolling back with the strength to hold it up.
I was losing the battle I fought my whole life to win. I was taking a human life and too weak to stop myself.
If the man in my arms died by my hands, I’d let Terrance stake me and end it all.
I tried once again to remove my mouth from his neck, to unclench my arms and let him fall free. This nameless man in my arms, that was giving me his life. A life I didn’t want or deserve. A sacrifice that wasn’t mine to ask for. A violation of everything I believed in. A violation that would kill me.
My mouth nursed one last long suck, the blood, slowing to just a few drops again, the last remaining drops he had to offer. His heart beat, then stuttered.
Beat. Stutter. Beat. Stutter.
Then it never beat again.
Eddie killed him. We killed him. I killed him.
Fully satiated, Eddie retreated, ready to give me back control, now that the damage was done. But I didn’t want control anymore. Didn’t want to open my eyes and see the man, whose name I didn’t even know, laying on the ground, his body cooling. I didn’t want to look at the life I’d taken. Didn’t want to face my weakness. Couldn’t face the monster I had fully become.
I pushed the man off my lap, and crawled to the nearest wall, my eyes pinched shut the entire time. I settled my back against the plaster and paint. Curled my legs into my chest. Wrapped my arms around my knees and rocked back and forth. I gave up.
Gave up any hope that I would ever find my humanity. Malicious, murderous, monsters like me didn’t deserve to realize their dreams. The contract was broken, I’d killed a human, Caleb would end me, and I’d willing accept the stake through the heart.
“Alexis.” Nathan’s cool hand wrapped around my upper arm. “Alexis, they need your help. Reaper needs your help.”
“Leave me.” I pushed his hand away.
“You’ve got to get up. You’re healed. Help them.”
Listen to your ghost. Eddie’s voice seemed stronger, louder.
Fuck you, Vlad. I slammed the door on the connection between us, something I had never been able to do before, not without Julian’s serum.
I opened my eyes, the tears I’d been holding back slowly rolled down my cheeks. “I can’t help anyone anymore.” My gaze drifted to the man lying at my feet, his blank stare accusing me of horrible acts. He was older, probably a grandfather. The collar of his light blue golf shirt edged with the blood that had leaked from my mouth. “Especially him.”
Nathan floated in front of me, trying to block my view of my victim, but I could still make out the way his body lay slumped on the floor through his hazy form.
“You’ve got to get up. Forget about what just happened. Terrance is coming back, and when he does, Reaper will be turned into his sodding worst fear, Julian will die. Four other innocent humans will die. You. Will. Die.”
Anger rose, rushing through my veins, exploding out of my mouth. “I’m already dead. I have been for over one hundred and fifty years. It’s time I accept that the only thing keeping me alive, walking, talking, animated is the blood I steal from the living. This isn’t a life, it’s a lie.” I sucked back my sobs.
Nathan settled his hand over mine and for once his usual comforting touch just irritated me. “If you give up. If you let this one accident, this one slip up take you down a dark path, you won’t be the only one who suffers. The innocents that you swore to protect, they will suffer. Can you live with that?”
I lifted my shaky hand and pointed at the dead body at my feet. “I can’t live with his death on my soul.”
“His death served a purpose.” I flinched at his words, pulling my hand from his. “Without the strength his blood gave you, many more will die. Not just
the people in this room.” He pointed to everyone I had grown to care for and the few that I didn’t even know. “But more innocents, more women, children, families, torn apart because of Terrance.” Nathan grabbed my chin, twisted my head and forced me to look at the room full of destruction and carnage. “I didn’t sacrifice my own life so you could give up and die”
I looked at Julian lying on the floor, breathing shallow, slow. At Reaper hanging from the hook, blood dripping from the wounds on his neck into a bottle at his feet. At the four remaining humans hanging next to him. At the pain, and horror that Terrance continued to bring to the world, to those I swore to protect, to those I loved.
Forcing my head out of Nathan’s grasp, I focused on the dead man again. The man I killed. Not Eddie. Or the vampire I pretended wasn’t the real me. It was me. I killed him. Me. Alexis Black. I’d taken my first human life. And that knowledge marred my soul. A betrayal I could never forgive myself for. A blanket of black covered my heart.
But did others deserve to suffer because I was selfish, weak?
I only had to forget long enough to get everyone else in this room out alive. Just a few minutes, a small amount of time, to push past my pain and revulsion and do the right thing. I could still save the others. Not myself. I was beyond saving, but the others who deserved to live. To see the sunrise. Raise their families. Find happiness. Those were the people who deserved to be saved.
And I would. Then I’d let Caleb send me to hell, a place I should have gone long ago.
“Nathan.” My voice wobbled. “Find Terrance. Tell me what he’s doing.”
Nathan placed his hand on my face, cradled my chin, a soft caress. “That’s my China Doll.” His words soft, full of respect I hadn’t earned and didn’t deserve.
I didn’t move from the wall, but I stretched out my legs, let my arms fall to my side, prayed that my blood on my shirt covered my healed wounds. I needed Terrance to think I was still weak, close to death. I needed the element of surprise on my side.
Terrance may have taken my sword, my stake. Left me with gaping silver filled holes. But he didn’t take away my determination. Determination to kick his revenge-seeking ass back to whatever coffin he crawled out of.
“China doll, we have a problem.” Nathan’s tone full of fear and disbelief.
“Is he gone?” I pushed off the floor, forgetting I was playing possum.
“Terrance, was never Terrance.” Nathan floated closer. “The man in that room is Delano Melazi.”
“That’s not possible. I would have known if it was Delano. His face is scarred.”
“Your ghost is very correct.” The deep voice of my enemy spoke from behind me and cold chills filled my already aching bones with dread.
“But witches make such wonderful glamour spells. Spells that can erase even the most evil imperfections.”
I turned on my heel, forcing myself to face the monster.
Delano stood behind me. Gone were the good old boy looks, the perfect skin, and slicked back hair. What stood in front of me was a nightmare created by his own kind.
Deep furrows of ruined flesh ran across half of his once handsome face. Rivers of scars started at the base of his skull, through his hair, leaving bald patches in the wake of their destruction. The damage traveled down his forehead and over his eye, taking with them his eyelid, leaving only a cloudy orb. His once succulent red lips were gone on one side. In the sections that had the worst damage the flesh was so thin the bone was visible. The flesh was ruined from the top of his head to the hand that clutched an ancient looking amulet. “This is what the face of betrayal looks like. I’ve kept it hidden while I set my plan in motion.” He dropped the amulet to the ground and stepped on it, smashing it beneath his boot. Tendrils of green smoke floated in the air. “But now it’s time for the world to know who they are truly dealing with. It’s time for me to be in charge of the future of the vampire race.”
“You forget that I’m still standing in your way.”
That’s a good vampire. I ignored the sarcasm in Eddie’s tone.
“Even with the extra strength and speed the angels gave you, you don’t have what it takes to defeat someone as powerful as me.”
He let go of the leash that held his power. It spread through the room, circled around me and squeezed. His power called to mine, taunted and teased, showed me what an almost six-hundred year old vampire felt like. All those years of knowledge, strength, and hatred, housed in one man with his eye on destroying the very people who turned him into the creature who stood in front of me. A creature bent on murder and revenge.
For once I agreed with the vampire in front of me. I wasn’t powerful enough to defeat Delano Melazi.
No one was getting out of this room alive.
Chapter Thirty
There have been very few moments in my life that I’ve felt intimidated. Speechless. Totally and utterly scared shitless.
This moment topped that very short list.
Standing in front of me was the most feared. Most vicious. Most hated vampire in the world. The only vampire in existence who had escaped his public execution at the hands of the VAU. Once a revered leader of the vampire race and a member of the Sovereign Seven. Now a mad man bent on destroying those who stood in his way of world domination.
He wanted to see me dead.
Honestly, if there weren’t other lives at stake, I’d gladly lend him my pointy-wooden-vampire-ender.
Every vampire had heard the rumors. How the Sovereign Seven had betrayed Delano. Used him in their attempt to stop the total annihilation of the vampire race at the hands of the very upset humans. They needed a scapegoat and Delano had never been considered a team player. Two bats. One stake. Problem solved.
Until Delano surprised the world with a Houdini act and disappeared in the middle of his comeuppance. I guess no one figured he’d be back and with a very large chip on his horribly scarred shoulders. Can’t say I blame him, but that didn’t mean I was going to let him end my friends.
Over six hundred years against my measly one hundred and fifty. The odds were not in my favor.
Eddie, do we stand a chance.
Not if you keep me on mute.
Last time you took control you betrayed me.
Last time I took control I saved you.
Another drop of human blood and I will find a way to end you.
Agreed.
“Still think you have a chance against me?” Delano’s sarcastic tone told me what his thoughts on the subject were.
“No. But it’s better to go down trying, knowing that I did what I could, than to run away like a coward and live with the guilt. Plus, I have a secret weapon.”
“Brave little girl, aren’t you?” He tilted his head, squinted his one remaining eye and sized me up. “Such a shame your bravery will only get you killed.”
“Depends on how you look at it?” I spread my legs and put my hands on my hips. “Now are we going to fight or do you want to continue to try and mind-fuck me?”
Nathan came up next to me. “Alexis, you’re stepping onto a killing field with a known crazy man.”
I looked at Nathan and smiled. I hoped he could read all the emotions I tried to convey in that one little tilt of my lips. Love. Respect. Friendship. The knowledge that I was going to miss him when I was gone. “There’s no one else more qualified for the job.”
Nathan placed a kiss on my forehead. “I love you, China Doll.” Then he floated over to Reva and kicked her with his toe. The blade slid across the floor and stopped at my feet. At that moment I was thankful I had let him leach my energy.
“By all means, let’s make this a fair fight.” Delano dropped the gun in his hand and produced a dagger from the waist of his pants.
Eddie sucked in a breath. That’s my dagger.
Then let’s go get your property back.
Be careful, there is a secret compartment filled with liquid silver.
Thanks for the warning.
I picked up
Reva, took one last look at those I wanted to save, then shut down the thoughts of, “this is crazy” and “you’re going to die.”
I didn’t wait for Delano to make the first move. That was just prolonging the inevitable. Instead, I held my dagger high above my head and charged. He met me halfway, Vlad’s dagger in hand. I thought I had the advantage until he threw his blade. It hit my thigh and stuck.
A pop, a hiss, and then pain sliced through my leg. Liquid silver being injected into my system. Hopefully not into an artery. I reached down and removed the blade, tossed it to the ground behind me, and continued forward. My leg growing numb. Weak.
Delano didn’t back down.
When we met in the middle. I had my blade. He had his overly confident smile.
Something wasn’t right.
I realized what it was when it was too late. Delano was a lying and cheating bastard.
The stake he pulled from his pocket and launched in my direction just missed its intended deathblow to my heart by millimeters. The wood stuck out of my chest, the liquid silver on its tip entered my system and caused me to stagger back a few steps.
Delano advanced, but I swung Reva wildly in front of me, fending him off until I could manage to remove the stake. I continued to lash out with the dagger and heard a satisfied hiss when it connected with flesh.
The pain was going to be excruciating when I removed the wood, but that knowledge didn’t stop me from wrapping my fingers around the base and yanking it out of my chest. Blood that an innocent man had sacrificed to keep me alive pumped from the wound. His death would count.
I called to my beast, begged him to come play, help me take out the monster in front of me, so we could fight another day.
The beast complied. For the first time ever we worked together, as a team.
We sliced Reva through Delano’s arms, chest, and legs. Opened up wound after wound. Kept him on the defense instead of the offence. Backed him away from his victims.
I had his stake in one hand and a whole lot of pissed off in my gut. This was one battle I wouldn’t lose. We backed Delano into a corner. Stuck between the wall and the pointy hunk of wood poking him in the chest.
