by S. J. Wright
The SUV’s computer announced the caller through the Bluetooth connection.
“Call from Alex.”
Michael almost let it go to voicemail. The liquid that had hardly resembled blood at all in the parking garage had begun to eat its way through the plastic bag. The fumes, although not harmful to Michael, were incredibly distracting. He grunted out a command to the computer.
“Accept call!”
He merged aggressively into the heavy traffic on 278.
“Michael!” Alex’s voice was cutting in and out. “….in Arizona!”
“What?”
“Christ, Michael. I shouldn’t have done it. She…”
The connection went completely dead. Michael turned the SUV onto the nearest exit and searched for some dark alley where he might finish the job on William.
Whatever Alex had done, Michael had a feeling he had to get to Arizona. His intuition hadn’t failed him very often in the past. He had to get rid of William’s body. He finally found an unoccupied alley between two novelty stores in East Harlem. He didn’t have time to go to the island.
He double-checked the alley for possible vagrants before he took out the bag from the front seat. The bottom fell away from the bag. The head rolled out and landed next to one of the brick walls in the alley. Michael watched the eyes roll around in dreaded wonder. What kind of magic was responsible for this monstrosity?
Chapter 18
Michael didn’t want to leave Sam behind. Taking her to Arizona was a very dangerous idea, but he wasn’t sure what else to do. Teddy was out of the country. He called Alex back twelve times on the night he killed William.
On the twelfth attempt, he finally got an answer.
“Hello?” That wasn’t Alex’s voice.
“Jones?”
“Bloody hell, I’m glad it’s you.”
“Why do you have Alex’s phone?”
“We’ve hardly got any cell signal up on the mountain. Alex sent me down to try to reach you.”
Michael smirked. “Since when do you take orders from Alex?”
“Beginning today, mate. He saved us from that Turkish rogue as well as … well… Let’s just say we ran into some additional problems that hadn’t been anticipated.” The strain in his friend’s voice made Michael a little nervous.
“What happened?”
Jones sighed into the phone.
“Alex and Kate went into the perimeter to look for Mahdi Lone and the other vampires.”
“Kate? Katie?”
“I’ll explain everything once you get here. Everyone is okay now. Sarah is with us.”
An explosion of rage blasted through Michael. Fiery anger sent electricity surging through his limbs. His eyes changed color in a fraction of a second. Straight to silver.
“You better be joking, Jones,” Michael said.
“She’s fine. We just had a few close calls. Listen, you better get down here.”
“I’ll be there in the morning.”
He clicked the end call button and stalked over to one of the many large windows in the apartment.
The Big Apple was bright, full of life. Over eight million citizens kept all the machinery in motion. Investment firms. Corporate offices. Schools, banks, sidewalk cafes, homeless men in Central Park. Carriages drawn by thick-limbed plodding horses pulling tourists from one historic site to another. The hoof beats were always lost in the noise of the traffic. That had been a sound that always brought certain contentment into Michael’s soul.
Michael hadn’t relayed to Sam any of the information about the events in Arizona. She had actually asked him to take her to the children’s museum when they’d talked before bedtime on the night of Michael’s run-in with William. He had been surprised by that request. It was very rare for Sam to take part in activities usually reserved for human children; swinging, climbing, riding a bicycle.
She was an excellent judge of horses though and was a better rider than anyone Michael had ever known. But, it was something she could do on her own. She had to be careful at public stables though. Many barn managers automatically assumed she was six or seven years old. Every now and then, she’d find a stable where she hadn’t yet ridden. In Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana, Sam was given free rein to visit all the stables she could find. Teddy indicated that a friend of hers on the council oversaw these states. If there were ever any real trouble, it could be easily remedied.
Anne would occasionally join her sister for these expeditions, but was more interested in getting ideas for her artwork. What fascinated her were the silhouettes of grazing horses standing in a deep meadow with mountains all around. She mentioned to Sam once why it seemed important.
“Look at the contrast between the pieces in this setting,” Anne said lightly as they watched twilight descend over the Rocky Mountains. They had been to a ranch in Wyoming to go riding. For Sam to ride and for Anne to lose herself in the landscape and all its mysteries. It was hurtful to Sam that Anne barely conversed with her during these outings. Her sister preferred quiet places above almost anything else in the world.
“Contrast?” Sam asked.
Anne had pointed to the seven horses grazing in the field below them.
“They’re so vulnerable. Anything in the world could come out of the woods and devour them. But the peaks all around us are infinite. They’ve been here for thousands of years.”
Her brown curls were turning the gentlest shade of periwinkle blue as the sky lost its light and began the inevitable nightly rotation that turned minutes into hours, hours into weeks, weeks into centuries.
“Older than any vampire.”
“No one knows that for sure. There could be some secretive elders who never meet with their own kind.”
“Perhaps,” she said.
Anne shifted slightly and looked over at her sister.
“I would want that kind of life if it were ever offered.”
Sam felt a chasm opening up between them. Something had started to change between them after Michael was imprisoned. Anne mourned the loss of their father as if he had died. Sam had hoped that her sister might begin to share more of herself after the mourning period was over. But Anne began disappearing for days at a time.
Sam knew Anne was alienated herself from other vampires as well. She couldn’t do that with Teddy, of course. Wherever Anne had run off to, Teddy would be able to find her. Sometimes she just waited for the eventual return of the little vampire runaway.
In Wyoming, standing there with such a glorious panorama spread out before the two of them, Anne basically said Sam didn’t matter to her.
How could she?
After everything they had been through together. Being turned by Michael, learning so many wonderful things about the world around them. Trips to Italy. The nights when they both cried over their plight.
How could she?
Michael himself had been aware of a significant shift in the relationship between the two girls. He tried to talk to Sam about it first. She wouldn’t say much. When he did finally get Anne to say something about it, she was vague.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts. The people on bright streets below continued in their limitless pursuits of success, fulfillment, and romance. Michael’s thoughts began to sing Sarah’s name. His inner geography was stamped permanently with the image of her sweet face and the depth of her love for him. How could he have imagined staying away from her would bring him any peace? What he’d done was unforgivable. He should have sent for Selena immediately and demanded that she change the girls into humans. They all could have stayed where they were happy. Instead, he left her completely alone. Self-hate bloomed into a lump in his throat, chasing away the honor he thought he’d displayed by putting the girls first. It should have been all his girls. All three of them. They could have all packed up and moved out of the country.
Whatever was happening in Arizona, he had to know if she would ever allow him to try to make things up to her. He wanted to believe
that no matter what kind of separation they might go through, she would always want him back. Was that a foolish notion?
He closed the electric blinds with a remote button. He went quietly into Sam’s bedroom and sat on the side of her bed with a sigh.
“Hey, kiddo. I need you to wake up.”
She rubbed at her eyes and turned over to face him.
“What’s wrong?”
“We have to go to Arizona. Tonight. As soon as possible.”
Sam yawned and sat up.
“What’s happening?”
“I’ll explain on the plane. Pack a few outfits. Shorts and t-shirts. I’m going to pack up some blood for you to take out there. Hurry.”
As he left the room, Sam had groggily moved into her closet and began throwing clothes into a black leather backpack. He called the hangar where his new private jet was kept and ordered it ready for flight within the hour. The pilot knew he would be rewarded well for providing it on such short notice.
When he and Sam got into Teddy’s SUV to make the trip to the airstrip, Sam asked if Sarah was going to be there. The hopeful light in her eyes made him pause. But, he wasn’t about to lie to her.
“Yes. Sarah is there.”
The smile on her little face made him want to believe that everything would turn out well for everyone. But, Sam had been sheltered in a lot of ways. She didn’t know anything about romantic love or how complicated it could get. All she knew was that she would soon be with Sarah.
Once they boarded the jet, he tucked her into the bed in back and called Teddy.
“Where are you?” she asked tightly.
“Heading to Arizona. Would you like to explain to me how Katie ended up out there?”
The anger had slowed down to a simmer, still hot as hell but under control.
“You were the one who wanted to send her there. Don’t try to tell me that you didn’t have a part in this.”
“I did what I felt was necessary.”
Her voice was aloof.
Michael gripped the armrest of his seat, trying to maintain some level of self-control.
“It’s not your job anymore.”
She hesitated for a few seconds before she responded. Finally, she spoke and her voice was anything but deferential.
“There are certain situations I need to have settled before I retire fully. The Turkish rogue in Arizona is one of those.”
“But why Katie?”
“Dumas predicted she would be the one to kill Mahdi Lone.”
Michael sighed.
“How specific was he when he told you about this?”
“It was just a vision. Katie on a throne with Lone’s head on a spike beside her.”
He smacked his hand against the seat in front of him, startling the flight attendant who was in the process of bringing him his briefcase.
“How about a time and place, Teddy? How can you know this is going to happen out there?”
“I need that vampire dead, Michael.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s a spy. He was sent here to gather more information about our organization. There’s a takeover in process.”
His tone was black with vehemence when he asked the next question.
“Who?”
“Marrok’s children.”
Chapter 19
Alex and Kate got up there about twenty minutes before sunset. Alex led the way and before they even reached the ruins, he smelled a rogue. He seriously considered the idea of insisting that Kate go back to the cabin. He’d already tried to reason with her, but it was no use. With Jackson’s warden powers out of commission, she had to be there in case Alex couldn’t get through the perimeter boundary. She kept up with him easily enough. When they came out of the cave, they both stopped. Several minutes went by, then something slammed into Katie and dragged her into the shadows. It moved faster than Alex could even follow with his eyes. He knew where Kate was because her scent was so familiar to him.
It was right around that time that Sarah went mad. Jones and Victoria were in the cabin with her. They had been playing cards to pass the time. One minute Sarah was dealing the river card for Texas Hold ‘Em and the next she was laying on the floor, writhing in agony and screaming. None of them knew what was wrong with her. Jackson came running in saying that Katie had been hurt. They got Sarah’s attention when they told Jackson to stay with Sarah so that she might try to calm down. She got up off the floor with a crazed look on her face and then was out the door.
She knew to follow Jackson’s scent trail back to the cave dwellings. Victoria and Jones followed. When she got to the cave entrance, the rock that usually blocked the entrance was still set off to the side. Sarah raced through the cave and came rushing out into a dark landscape that reeked of vampire blood. Her sister’s blood.
The sun had risen over the Eastern horizon like a bomb going off. Its rays trailed decadently over the mountainous rocky landscape of northeastern Arizona. Michael’s rented Jeep handled the terrain well. Sam had never been out in the desert before and found it fascinating. She eagerly pointed out armadillos, different types of cacti and a single coyote that eyed their vehicle with sharp interest.
Michael wasn’t in the mood for sightseeing. His primary focus was to make sure his team was safe. And that Sarah was safe. The idea that Katie had become a viable weapon to be used at the council’s whim didn’t sit well with him. She was Sarah’s sister. The audacity of Teddy’s actions still had him rattled.
As soon as they were within two miles of the perimeter, Michael could smell everything and everyone there. His instinct was to hone in on Sarah, but the only human he could detect was Jackson Bennett.
“Something’s wrong here, Sam,” he muttered. “I need you to be very careful and follow my directions. Okay?”
She nodded without saying a word. Sam’s sense of smell was stronger than Michael’s. She had noticed the change happening to her over the past few months, but she hesitated to mention it to anyone. If her sense of smell was getting stronger, what else could be changing inside her? It was unsettling.
What was really disturbing her was the smell of a vampire who she had not yet encountered. She had caught the scent of plenty of vampires in her time, but none like the rogue up on the mountain. And there were others with him, but they weren’t exactly vampires. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what they were. They smelled like dead things but there was animation in them.
The Jeep came to a sudden halt. Above them, standing on a ledge above the switchback that led upwards to the cabin was a familiar face. Alex. Michael could see he wanted to talk to them before they came up.
Michael turned off the engine and got out of the Jeep. Sam had already jumped out of the vehicle and hurtled herself upward with her inhuman speed. She was caught in Alex’s arms and held there.
“Hey, sweet girl,” he said, forgetting for the moment the importance of the conversation he was about to have with Michael.
“I wasn’t expecting you to come with him.”
Sam giggled when he tried to tickle her and jumped down from his embrace.
“It was a surprise to me too. But I’m so glad to see you again.”
The imposing figure of her adopted father rose from the road below and landed softly in the dirt several yards away from Alex. They regarded each other with respect. It had been a long time since they had been face to face. Alex hadn’t really changed. Michael looked more powerful than ever and was dressed better than Alex had ever seen him.
“Michael.”
“Alex. I assume you wanted to talk to me before I met with the others?”
Alex nodded. He glanced quickly at Sam then returned his gaze to Michael. “You’re not going to like what I’ve done. Before you let your temper override your intellect, I want you to remember that this situation is already volatile.”
“What did you do?”
There was one particular suspicion permeating Michael’s thoughts, but he recognized the necessit
y of caution. Especially considering the fact that Sam was watching him carefully.
Alex looked over his shoulder and said quietly, “It’s okay. Come out.”
A female vampire emerged from behind a boulder a few hundred feet from them. Sam squealed and darted forward, moving faster than either Michael or Alex had ever seen her. In less than a second, the little vampire was wrapped in the embrace of her adopted mother.
“Sarah?”
Michael took a step forward. It couldn’t be. His gaze flashed towards Alex.
“This is what you did? You turned her?”
The vampire that Sarah had become wasn’t much different in appearance from the woman she had been. Perhaps her hair was more lustrous. Her eyes were brighter in color. The rest was all Sarah. She wore a pair of pale denim shorts and a smoky gray tank top that accentuated her slender tan shoulders. Her hair was not gathered up into its customary ponytail. It was falling around her shoulders in silky dark golden waves. Michael had never seen her like this and after being without her for weeks, all he wanted was to lose himself in her glory.
She came forward, moving towards them both while holding hands with Sam. The smile on her face increased in intensity when she realized Michael was truly happy to see her. There had been a few doubts roving around in her mind, but they had been weak. In her heart, she had known he would always want her with him.
Michael enfolded her in a tender embrace, his head lowering to take in the full essence of her through his extraordinary sense of smell. Her skin smelled of jasmine and when he inhaled that delicate scent, he felt the weeks of separation slide away.
“God, I’ve missed you,” he whispered against the delicate curve of her ear.
Sarah grinned.
“I was hoping you might say that.”
She turned her head towards Alex but kept her arms around Michael’s waist.
