Defiance

by Adrienne Monson

  The feel of Annette’s petite, bony fingers on her arms brought back all the horrible sensations from when the vampire had raped her mind last year. Samantha’s throat threatened to close up, and her stomach twisted violently. She’d had nightmares about Annette’s horrible psychic attack for months. Feeling the pull through her connection to Leisha, Samantha was beginning to feel weak. She trudged along with Annette, her spine straight so that she wouldn’t lean into the horrible vampire.

  As Ellery walked with them, Leisha in tow, the empath spoke casually. “I think we would get better results if we tortured Samantha first. After all, we both know that’s how she broke when Ptah first kidnapped her all those years ago.”

  Forcing herself to breathe out slowly, Samantha made her face as impassive as she could. She knew if she gave in to her fear right now, it would only make matters worse. That was one of the first things Nik had taught her about self-defense. “Just think of the book, Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy,” he’d said. “Don’t panic.”

  It was a lot harder to apply in real life than in theory. She thought about trying to break away and run, but knew she had no chance against a vampire. Especially one as ruthless as Annette.

  Leisha didn’t appear to have the same fatalistic instincts as Samantha. Instead, she turned suddenly and punched Ellery in the nose with the heel of her hand. It must have broken some cartilage because Samantha heard a snap, and blood gushed over Ellery’s lips and chin. It didn’t do any good, however. Ellery calmly backhanded Leisha and continued on without breaking stride.

  Glancing behind them, all Samantha could see were flames and smoke in the distance. There was not a soul in sight. She and Leisha had no hope.

  They approached a black Lexus.

  A vampire Samantha didn’t recognize climbed out of the driver’s seat and walked around to open the back door for them. As they approached the vehicle, Samantha felt a sudden dread, all the way down to her toes, that if they entered the car, they wouldn’t survive.

  Panic bubbled into her throat and Samantha began to struggle. Twisting her arms, she tried to throw her knee into Annette’s stomach. The vampire’s grip tightened to the point that it cut off Samantha’s circulation. Grunting, Samantha tried to kick out, but Annette was unphased. She couldn’t suppress a sob as Annette softened her hold.

  “You’ll never get away from me now, pet.” Annette smiled, her teeth gleaming in the night. “The sooner you accept this, the easier your life will be.”

  Ellery stood behind them with Leisha. “Go on,” the empath urged. “We don’t have much time. They’re on their way.”

  Resisting Annette’s shove was pointless. Samantha fell into the car, the vampire directly behind her, scooting her to the far side. Just as Ellery was pushing Leisha in, the blonde vampire stopped and whirled. She grabbed the driver’s head and twisted viciously. Samantha heard a distinct snapping noise and watched as the man slid down the car and onto the pavement.

  Samantha couldn’t see what was happening, but could hear flesh smashing against flesh and various grunts. Leisha disappeared and Samantha felt a moment of abandonment. It didn’t improve as Annette shifted toward her, an icy glare marring her features.

  Annette grabbed her arm with one hand and opened the door on Samantha’s side with the other. Just as the door cracked open, there was a jolt as something landed on the trunk. “Move it!” Annette growled. Before Samantha could react, the sound of tearing metal and breaking glass pierced her ears and she covered them with an agonized squeal. The roof of the car was ripped open. Nik stood over them with a crazy glint in his eyes Samantha had never seen before. He looked downright mad—and not the angry kind.

  Nik snarled like a wild animal as he jumped on Annette. The brunette bellowed and made to grab his face. Nik got her wrists first and held them back. He was trying to look into her eyes and Annette twisted her head to avoid it. Letting go of her wrists, Nik pinned her down with one arm while he clutched her chin with his other hand. Annette’s expression became determined and she met his eyes.

  Samantha wasn’t sure what to think about what happened next. The two seemed to be in a twisted kind of staring contest. A red sheen of sweat appeared on both their faces. Suddenly, Nik whimpered and Annette grinned. Samantha gasped. Annette was raping his mind right in front of her. His hold on her face faltered.

  “No!” the girl screamed. Samantha’s hands flew as if of their own accord. Her fingernails clawed at whatever skin they could scrape through. Annette continued boring her gaze into Nik, unfazed by Samantha’s wild assault.

  Shrieking in fury and helpless frustration, Samantha braced her index finger and jabbed as hard as she could into Annette’s eye. Soft, warm tissue collapsed around her finger. The vampire howled as Samantha pulled back. The girl thought she might throw up at the sight of the white and red mess on her finger. Annette’s hand clamped around Samantha’s throat and suddenly she couldn’t breathe. As the skinny fingers tightened, Samantha’s vision began to fade to black.

  Bones crunched loudly, and then Annette’s hand slid away. Samantha gasped deeply and coughed.

  Glancing over, she saw Annette’s unconscious form draped on the seat. And then Nik was there, crouched over Samantha, his hazel eyes shining with concern.

  “Are you alright?” he asked.

  Still choking with tears streaming, the teenager nodded.

  Gathering her in his arms, Nik picked her up and cradled her to his chest. Then he stood and jumped over the mess to land in the street.

  Tafari was supporting Leisha just a few feet away. Rinwa ran towards them, bloody and winded, but apparently not badly hurt. Though her clothes were practically shredded and dried blood caked her body, Rinwa looked more exhilarated than anything. And maybe a little frustrated. “Ellery got away from me.”

  “Let’s get moving.” Nik’s voice vibrated against Samantha’s cheek. “Some of the vampires didn’t die in the fire and I can hear them coming.”

  Rinwa went to the nearest vehicle that wasn’t totaled and broke in. Unlike her mother, Rinwa didn’t break any windows. Instead, she pulled some sort of kit from her bag her bag and went to work. In just a few seconds, the door was open, and Rinwa climbed in the driver’s side. Nik settled Samantha in the back, next to Tafari and Leisha, then climbed into the passenger seat.

  Rinwa headed toward the freeway. “What direction should we go?”

  “West, toward Columbia,” Tafari answered. “There are plenty of forests to hide in around there.”

  Gently touching her bruised neck, Samantha came to a horrifying realization. “This is never going to end, is it?” Her voice was hoarse from strangulation. “We’re always going to be hiding and running. And fighting. It’s going to be like this for the rest of my life.” Her eyes misted.

  Leisha’s face was a mixture of concern and guilt as she placed a hand over Samantha’s knee. “I wish I could change things for you,” her friend whispered.

  “But you can’t.” The girl’s tone was as bitter as her tears. “No matter how much you love me, you can’t do a thing!”

  “I’m sorry, Samantha.”

  Exhaustion filled her bones and Samantha deflated. She couldn’t deal with it now. Her reality was too depressing to face.

  Chapter 31

  Rinwa pulled into a gravel parking lot just as the sun was rising. Leisha moved to wake Samantha, but Tafari stopped her.

  “Let me,” he said.

  Leisha understood. Samantha needed time away from the vampire who had destroyed her world half a year ago. Chest tight, she watched Tafari crawl over her and lean into Samantha’s face.

  Leisha climbed out and stretched her back. The muscles around her spine were sore. It was a curious sensation for a vampire, but with all the fighting and her pregnancy, Leisha wasn’t surprised. Still too worn out to think much, she watched as her daughter broke into a different car with perfect skill. Rinwa popped the trunk and Leisha walked over to inspect how large it was. It looked
about the same as the last one Nik had ridden in.

  “Will you be okay in here?” Leisha asked as Nik approached. “Won’t you boil like you did the last time?”

  “Probably,” he answered. “But I’ll heal. We need to keep moving. As soon as I get out of there,” he gestured to the trunk, “I’ll feed.”

  Rinwa came back to them holding a wool blanket. “Don’t know if this will do you any good, but in case there’s any sun streaming through cracks, here you go.”

  Murmuring his thanks, Nikita climbed in and contorted his tall frame to fit. Leisha placed the blanket over him.

  Wishing there was another way for him to travel, she sighed as she closed the lid.

  “Let’s get going.” Rinwa gave one pat on Leisha’s back and climbed in the back seat, by Samantha. Folding her enormous belly into the passenger side, Leisha closed her door. Tafari put the car in gear and they were once again on their way to nowhere.

  They’d traveled for a few hours before Tafari spotted a small food cart at the side of the road and stopped. The sun wasn’t even at its peak and it was already getting hot. Leisha hoped that Nikita wouldn’t bake again, but knew it would happen anyway.

  The pain in her lower back was becoming more intense. The vampire’s eyebrows drew together. What was wrong with her?

  She didn’t bother to get out with the others. Leisha simply sat and waited until they would be ready to go. Interestingly enough, she wasn’t very hungry at the moment. Tafari opened her door and squatted in front of her, holding out a bottle of water. “I bought you some fruit.” He offered up a papaya, but Leisha shook her head. The vampire didn’t feel like talking much. She forced herself to sip at the water, but dropped it when she felt a sudden cramping low in her belly.

  “What’s the matter?” Tafari asked. She could hear the apprehension in his voice, but was in too much pain to comfort him.

  Another contraction hit and she bit her lip. After it faded a bit, she met Tafari’s gaze. “Can you find us a place to crash?”

  After pulling a map out of the glove compartment and consulting it, he answered. “It does not look like we are close to much civilization right now, but there is a small town close by. We should be there in about forty five minutes.”

  Leisha shook her head, then doubled over her protruding belly as another cramp overtook her. “Drive like the devil’s on your tail. This baby might be here before then.”

  Tafari’s face paled a bit. “Bloody hell!” He practically dove into the driver’s seat, slammed his door closed, and started the engine. Rinwa and Samantha barely got in before the car was spitting gravel and zooming down the highway.

  The contractions were about the same for the rest of the ride. They were more painful than she’d had with Adanne, and they were very close together. But they didn’t seem to be coming any more frequently, so she hoped that meant they had time to reach whatever place Tafari could find. Sweat sprouted over her forehead and upper lip, but Leisha concentrated on taking deep breaths through the pain.

  It took another twenty five minutes before Tafari pulled off the highway and onto a small gravel road. “I spotted a house through the trees,” he explained. “It looks like it may be abandoned.”

  Pulling up to the house, Leisha thought it looked like a glorified wood shack, but under the circumstances she couldn’t complain too much. She didn’t pay much attention to the details, since the contractions were too much. They were starting to get closer.

  Opening the car door, Leisha was met with a rush of humid, hot air. It made breathing even more difficult than before, and she found that it was almost impossible to walk. She took about two steps from the car and started to fall.

  Tafari was there instantly and lifted her into his arms. Leisha grabbed his shirt and twisted it while she buried her face into his chest. Even through the haze of pain, she was able to draw some comfort from his musky scent.

  The next thing she knew, Tafari was laying her on a small, creaky bed. She realized she had temporarily lost consciousness after Tafari had picked her up. Samantha was propping dusty pillows behind her back so she was in a sitting position. Rinwa was pulling Leisha’s pants and underwear off and also found a blanket to put over Leisha’s legs for modesty.

  Leisha’s body was almost completely covered in bloody sweat, no doubt making her a gruesome sight. Not only were the contractions getting worse, but the pressure she felt low in her abdomen was almost too intense to bear.

  There was a sudden gush of her water breaking and Rinwa jumped back. “Now that’s just nasty.” The blonde grimaced and wrinkled her nose. “Smells horrid, too.”

  Unclenching her jaw, Leisha looked at her daughter. “How do you think you came into this world? On a magic flower?”

  Rinwa turned away and went down the short hall into the little kitchen.

  Leisha couldn’t keep herself from screaming with the next contraction. Tafari grabbed her hand and allowed her to squeeze it.

  “There’s too much pressure,” Leisha got out between gasps. “He’s coming. I can feel it.”

  Samantha ran into the kitchen, and then came back. “We still need to boil water. You’re gonna have to wait.”

  Leisha snorted. “Like hell! Tell that to the one who’s forcing his way out.” Screaming again, Leisha let go of Tafari and grabbed her knees. Clutching them as high as she could, she started to push.

  She could feel and hear her skin tear apart as she hollered through another contraction.

  Tafari was at her feet, ready to catch the baby. It looked like his eyes were about to bug out of his head. He glanced at Leisha, and then down again.

  “What?” Leisha ground out. “Is he coming?”

  Licking his lips, Tafari nodded, but she could see he wasn’t telling her something. Rinwa walked in with a large bowl. When she saw what was happening, she dropped the steaming water. Leisha glanced at Samantha. The girl wasn’t simply pale, but had a yellow cast to her skin.

  “Wha—” Leisha was interrupted by another of her own agony-induced shrieks. “It feels like he’s clawing my body into hamburger meat!”

  Tafari swallowed, then cleared his throat. “What it looks like, too.”

  Before Leisha could comprehend what he meant, the need to push again overwhelmed her. Grunting, she bore down as hard as she could. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when suddenly, there was a wet plopping sound. The pressure was instantly gone.

  Her loins felt as if they were on fire, but even that was driven from her mind when she heard a high pitched wail. Looking up, she saw Tafari holding their squirming baby while Rinwa cut the umbilical cord. When Rinwa stepped away, Leisha could see that Tafari was holding their son’s wrists away from the man’s body while he carefully cradled the child. And then she saw sharp, bloody claws slowly retracting into the newborn’s fingertips.

  Jaw dropping at the realization, Leisha was suddenly very glad she couldn’t see the damage done to her body. She shook off the sick sensation before she looked back up and studied her baby. He was crying ceaselessly. The babe had a full head of dark hair, matted with drying fluid, and creamy, chocolate-brown skin. While he was small, his body was nice and plump.

  “He’s beautiful,” she croaked.

  The sound of his mother’s voice caught the baby’s attention. He stopped crying and opened his eyes to look at her. Her breath stopped when she saw his tiny arms reach for her. It was utterly bizarre to see such an action from a newborn.

  Leisha held her arms out and Tafari handed him to her. The boy started to root at her chest and Leisha pulled her shirt up. Once she had bared a nipple, the baby smiled to show a full set of teeth. He promptly bit down and started to suck, drawing both milk and blood.

  Leisha jumped, but forced herself to keep him snuggled against her.

  Tafari watched with a horrified expression. “What have we created?” he whispered.

  Giving a one shoulder shrug, she said, “It looks like he needs blood as well as regular
food.” She tried to shift, but her lower body was still in too much pain to move.

  “You can accept it that easily? This is okay to you?” Tafari asked.

  Narrowing her eyes, Leisha answered. “Of course it is. How can I have a problem when I drink blood to sustain myself?” Looking down, she lightly stroked the side of her son’s face. The babe’s eyes were fully alert, studying her face. Instead of the typical newborn blue eyes, they were the same vivid green as Leisha’s. She smiled. “Don’t you think he’s beautiful, Tafari?” She looked up again to see her husband swallowing. He didn’t answer.

  Samantha broke the tension when she came forward and grinned at the newborn. “Congratulations, you guys. He’s gorgeous!”

  Rinwa was studying the baby. Her voice wavered as she spoke. “I don’t care if he is my brother. There’s no way he’s sucking my blood.”

  Leisha was able to read between the lines and see the tender emotion that her daughter tried to hide. She sent Rinwa a tender smile. Rinwa gave a brief one in return, then looked away when tears misted her eyes.

  Putting a hand on Samantha’s shoulder, Rinwa steered her toward the bedroom door. “Let’s boil some more water so we can give that slimy thing a bath.”

  The girls left the room, and Leisha was surprised to find that her son was already giving signs to switch sides. Again, he bit through her skin and sucked both milk and blood at the same time.

  “So,” Tafari said. “Have you thought of a name? I really do not want to call him Prophecy Child anymore.”

  “I wanted to talk to you about it first, but I guess I was too distracted this last month we were together.” She paused to focus her fatigued mind, before she continued. “I was thinking of Liam Mudiwa.”

  Looking thoughtful, he took her hand. “Does Liam mean protection?”

  “Something like that.”

  Tafari studied their child. “Do you think that is the boy’s purpose? It seemed the prophecies spoke more about destruction when they mentioned the child.”