Ms. McCall snuggled in the raggedy blanket, shivering in the cold night air. Pangs of sympathy reverberated through him, making him want to grab her and rush out of here. He’d heard stories about her big Viking vampire, and personally, he didn’t want to come up against the giant hulk if he could help it.
“Not everyone can be a top student.” He shrugged. “I wanted to retire a general, but when you had low grades like me, a general is damn near impossible.” He paused. “Sorry for my use of obscene language.”
“No big deal. Go on.”
“Well, I was a captain in R. R. Cobb’s legion. It was ’round December thirteenth in eighteen sixty two if memory serves. We were trying to hold Prospect Hill, waiting for Burnside to make his move. All was tense that morning. We knowed they was there but couldn’t really find ’em. Sort like stretching rubber band until it breaks. You never know what’s gonna happen.”
* * * *
Christine reveled in his battle description, the soft lilt of his voice lending more authenticity to the story. “What did you do?”
“Waited. All we could do. Then, as dawn broke, a shot fired over the ridge. I took the platoon of men I’d been assigned, and we rode into battle in an effort to flank the enemy. Unfortunately, they’d thought of that and caught us by surprise.”
Despite the fear riding her insides, she remained enthralled with the story. “Is this when you were killed?”
Zach nodded. “Got shot in the chest.” He paused for a minute as if he needed to remember the rest of the story. “I remember lying there, waiting for death to come in and take me away like it did most of my men. I remember feeling my heart slowing down, slower and slower. Suddenly, this beautiful woman appears out of nowhere, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘She’s a nurse,’ and I almost told her to go away ’cause I was gonna die.”
“Zakara was the nurse, I’m assuming.”
“Correct,” he continued. “She offered me the chance to live then, and like a fool, I took it.” Shame colored his face. “I’ve regretted the decision every day since then, now more than ever.”
The desperation in his voice moved her to action. Rising from her spot, she leaned over and touched his chilly hand, closing her own over it. “We’ll get you out of this, I promise. Have a little faith.”
“I have faith in that, ma’am. It’s that I don’t think I’ll be alive long enough to see it happen.”
Chapter Twelve
The arrival of the new day came and went, finding Christine working on a code language with Zach so they could plan her escape. Zach was amendable to everything because he didn’t want to be part of Zakara’s minions any longer. He’d longed to live without killing, much like Drake and the rest of the clan.
Christine felt at ease with him, no threats intended. He was the epitome of a Southern gentleman. Every time she needed to get up, he helped her, and when she had to pee, he found her a spot in the cave. She definitely needed to help him any way she could.
They relaxed before the fire, not really saying much. “What time is it?” she asked him. Since there was no light in the cave, she didn’t know if it was day or night.
Zach glanced at a watch very similar to Drake’s. “Nine o’clock.”
“A.m. or p.m.?”
“P.m.” He looked at her curiously. “Is there medication you need to take?”
Christine let a sigh escape. “No. It means I’ve been here a whole day and no Drake.”
Zach scooted toward her, inching his way along carefully. He slipped a comforting arm around her shoulder. “Your man will be here soon. Just as you told me before, have faith. It’ll be all right.”
“I hope so.” Her voice sounded defeated, matching her current doubts. What if Drake didn’t want her anymore?
“Move away from her.”
Christine and Zach both froze at the sound of David’s menace-laden voice cutting through the dark shadows of the cave. They turned in unison. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean any harm. She’s upset, that’s all.”
David remained as still as the grave and warned, “Do as you’re commanded.”
Zach moved away from her in the same manner he’d approached her.
Footsteps echoing in the sand circled around her in a predatory gait. David came into a view, standing next to the small burning fire. Golden light spilled onto his pale face, highlighting his features.
Dark hair sprang up from his head, held in place by gel. Black eyeliner rimmed his eyes, and he was dressed in an ensemble composed of a black leather shirt, pants, and boots topped by an ebony overcoat with silver studs. “Why didn’t you meet me when I told you to?”
Part of her wanted to laugh at his outfit because this wasn’t the David she loved and remembered. That man had died the night at the club, replaced by this repulsive creature. “Something inside me warned me not to.”
“Bad move. You shouldn’t have listened to the Viking bastard who knocked you up.” David swept the edge of his coat aside and crouched low by the fire with the posture of a tiger ready to spring, his eyes glowing with some sort of demonic fire. “He’s not who or what you think.”
Christine held her emotions in check. “He’s more than I’ve ever dreamed of, if that’s what you mean.”
“Not exactly.”
David snapped his fingers, and she noticed his fingernails had been painted black, complemented by fingerless gloves. She narrowed her eyes. This wasn’t David at all.
A young vampire appeared conveying a copper basin filled with water. She handed the vessel to David with a nod. He flashed a devilish smile to the girl, and she left with a slight giggle on her lips. He returned his attention to Christine, his stare very hypnotizing. “Look into the bowl and see the bastard for who he is.”
“I won’t look,” she said and turned her head away. “Anything I see will be a lie.”
His black brow lifted. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. Look into the water.”
“No.”
“I command you to look.”
Without warning, her head automatically turned to the basin before her, the muscles of her neck beyond her control. The surface of the water shimmered for a moment as ripples ran from the middle, the tiny waves dappled with the glow of the fire.
A thick fog rolled through the water for a moment then cleared, giving her a complete look into Drake’s bedroom. Moonlight streamed through the open window near the bed, falling on four naked forms on the bed. Three nubile females with Drake.
Two sucked his nipples while the third impaled herself on his glorious cock, riding him for all he was worth.
“Where’s your woman?” one woman purred seductively. “She should be here with us.”
“I don’t care about her. She was just a fling,” Drake in the vision said. “I knocked her up, but I’m praying she decides to get an abortion. I didn’t want any kids.”
The woman riding him leaned forward and kissed him long and lingeringly on the mouth. He seemed to enjoy them…
Her flaring anger ripped through whatever hold he had on her and she flipped the bowl over, sending water all over the place. “Enough!” she screamed and shot to her feet. “That isn’t the truth. He’s out looking for me right now.”
David stood to his full height and crossed his arms in front. “Maybe or maybe not. Who’s to say?”
He took a step forward and enveloped her in the sickly sweet smell of death. She recoiled. “Help me, Drake!”
David’s grin deepened. “There’s no one to help you now, bitch.”
* * * *
“Can you hear me, Daddy?”
The baby’s terror-filled thoughts crossed his mind, and instantly, rage surged through him, his fingers flexing with the sheer magnitude of raw emotion. Yes, baby, I can hear you.
“I’m awake, and I think I can help you find Mommy and me.”
“Go ahead, son. Tell me what you know.”
“When they first took Mommy, she heard running water and some old wood creaking
. She thought of an old house with brown boards and a big wheel. She called it the old stone mill. They made her walk a good distance. Then they took her to a cave. They were real mean to her and made her scared.”
“It’s okay, son. You’re doing well. Is there anything else you can tell me?”
“She called the cave Dufty’s Cavern—”
“You mean Duffy’s Cavern?”
“Yes, Daddy. That’s it.”
“What else?”
“There’s a nasty man telling her all kinds of lies about you, but Mommy wouldn’t believe them.”
Drake breathed a sigh of relief. He imagined David and Zakara would try some of their mind-bending tricks. They were probably trying to convince Christine that he lolled in bed with another woman instead of out looking for her. From what his son said, Christine hadn’t taken the bait. “Good, son. Keep going.”
“Mommy’s real scared because they told her she would have a lot more babies like me.”
“She will, son, but they’ll be from me, no one else. Is there anything else you can tell me?”
A long frightening pause. “She’s afraid they’ll hurt me.”
“They won’t. I promise. Nobody will hurt while Daddy is around.”
“Okay, Daddy. Have I been a good boy?”
“Yes, you have, son. Now I want you to go to sleep, and I’ll be there soon to take you and Mommy home.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
“I will be a good boy and do as you say.”
Silence greeted him once again, and he slumped onto a nearby rock, his fingers massaging his temple. Relief flooded him.
“Did you find her?” Alex asked, her Spanish-lilted voice full of concern.
He nodded and jerked to his feet. Anger pounded against his very soul, hot and scorching. Zakara would pay with her life for taking Christine, of that he’d make sure. “That I did. She’s near the old wheat mill outside of town. There’s a cave about mile away called Duffy’s Cavern, where they took her. It’s dark, dank, and a perfect place to stash her.”
Liz gave him a hug. “Good. Now let’s go get her and see what we can do to put Zakara away for as long as possible.”
Together, they changed into a whirling black mass, rising into the din of the night. With the speed of summer lighting, they traveled to Duffy’s cavern. Carved out millions of years before by miles of underground rivers, the God-forsaken place could harbor a lot of vampires quite easily with its miles of unforgiving tunnels.
“How many minions do you think she has with her?” Nicholas said mentally as they alighted down on top of the rocky structure.
“Not many,” Drake said, his senses keen to the presence of Zakara’s vampires. “I sense they’re young vampires and not into their full strength yet.” Thankfully, it took two hundred years for that to happen. Poor Liz didn’t have the strength of Tatiana, but she would in time. He and Raphael would have to keep on the lookout for Liz. “We’ll move on my mark.”
* * * *
Christine shivered inside of the cave, hugging herself hard. A day had come and gone without any sign of Drake.
“Daddy is here, Mommy. He’s just outside the cave waiting for the right time to come in.”
“Are you sure?”
“He told me so, and I sense he’s here.”
“Is he going to save us?”
“Yes, Mommy. He loves us.”
Christine stopped her slight rocking. David continued to watch her with a predatory gaze, leaning against his silver-handled cane.
“You think you’re so smart, Christine, but you’re not. You had to be a blind fool to not see how much I loved you all the time we were together.”
She fisted the hem of the sundress to hide her fear. The steady thrumming of her heart made her breath hitch slightly. “I loved you, too but not in that way. I loved you like my brother.”
Anger blazed in his pale eyes. “I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to lay you down, spread your legs, and fuck the daylights out of you.”
She shook her head. “It wouldn’t have worked then, and it sure as hell won’t work now. I don’t love you like that.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” His gaze flicked to Zach. “That pathetic thing over there isn’t going to breed that army the Queen wants.” He crouched low. “I’ll finally get my chance to fuck you.”
“Yes, you will, my minion,” a woman cooed, the voice belonging to Zakara. She walked with quiet footfalls around Christine to David’s side where she ran her long nailed fingers up his leather-clad shoulder. “You’ll breed a new army for me that will do my bidding and help me take over the world.”
Christine looked up. “I’ll die first.”
Zakara’s evil smile spread across her exotic yet hateful face. “That can be arranged, I assure you, but not before I get what I want.”
“You’ll have to get through me first.”
Drake’s rich baritone voice ricocheted through the cavern, sending hard echoes into the deep depths. Once she heard his timbre, Christine shot to her feet and launched herself into his arms. “God, how I’ve missed you,” she said, smothering her face into his leather-clad chest. “I knew you’d come.”
“Of course.” He tightened his grip on her. “How could you think otherwise?” Drake kissed her forehead and slid her behind him. “I’ve got a little business to take care of, and when I’m through, I’ve got a few questions for you.”
He looked to Zakara with a hardened stare. From where she stood, she could see the tenseness ride along his jaw, making the muscles in his face twitch. “Your time has come, Zakara. Face your punishment.”
“Not so fast, Drake.” She snapped her fingers. More figures melted out of the darkness, dressed in identical clothing.
Christine looked over Drake’s shoulder and noticed Zach hovering in the corner, appearing like a scared rabbit caught in a trap. She waved and tried to catch his attention, but he remained fixed on Zakara, almost frozen in his spot.
Damn, how could she attract his attention without Zakara seeing? “You’ve brought stronger ones with you, ones we’ll have trouble subduing.” Anger radiated from him in waves, sending ripples of hostility through the already tense atmosphere. “It doesn’t matter. They’ll be brought to order, and you’ll be punished.”
“Not so, Viking. It will be you who will be punished. I am the one who made you, and I’m also the one who can destroy you.” She took a menacing step toward Drake, her long fingers outstretched, slightly resembling claws. “I see you’ve forgotten all the times you shared my bed and how happy it made you.”
A stab of jealousy pierced Christine’s heart when she heard that, but she remained stoic.
“I was never happy in your bed but merely entranced. That wore off quickly once I realized your true nature.”
Zakara’s hand caressed Drake’s cheek with her right forefinger. “We could have those times again.”
He threw Zakara’s hand away. “Never again. I’ve found the woman I love, who is having my baby. Nothing will ever change that.”
Pride and love stormed through Christine, making her heart swell. Once this was through, she would tell him exactly how much she loved him.
Zakara’s eyes hardened. “Then die.”
Before anyone could move, Zakara clamped a mouth onto Drake’s neck and started to feed. Liz pulled Christine away, though she’d fought to stay while the others attempted to tear Zakara away from him.
She watched helplessly as the Tatiana and Siobhan tried to pry Zakara off, but she merely pushed them away with a wave of her hand. Nicholas, Raphael, and Alex made a second attempt, but Zakara shrugged them off as easily as one would a coat. Just as they readied themselves to charge back, Zakara’s minions jumped into the fray with fangs bared. Fists flew in all directions, and the bodies hovered in the air with no visible means of support.
Christine kept her eyes on Drake as tears rolled down her cheeks. He grew limp from Zakara feed
ing on him like a side of beef. “Someone help him!” she cried above the din of noise.
Vampires buzzed around her head, attacking each other in a wild frenzy. Where would it end?
Zakara let Drake’s limp body fall from her arms. Blood ran down her chin in crimson streaks, dripped onto her gauzy white gown. “Die, Berserker,” she spat and turned to the others and joined into the fighting frenzy.
Before Christine could rush to him, she saw something she never expected to see. Zach ran over to Drake and scooped his hands underneath Drake’s arms and dragged his unmoving form toward her.
“Your man needs help, ma’am,” Zach announced and laid the unconscious Drake at her feet.
Christine dropped to her knees next to him. She took his face in her hands, the pale skin even more so. His dark blond lashes lay against his cheeks like brown smudges. Tears erupted, falling from her eyes to his cheeks. She patted his face and begged, “Please, wake up, my love.”
“Daddy says the mean lady gave him poison.”
“What, son?”
“Daddy said to give him some of your blood. He will be all better then.”
“Did he tell you this?”
“Yes, he did. He can hear you, but he’s very weak now. The poison has almost taken over his body.”
“Tell Daddy since he’s taken care of me, I’ll take care of him.”
She knew what she needed to do. “Give me knife,” she demanded of Zach.
His brow lifted. “What are you going to do?”
“He needs blood, and I need to cut myself.”
Zach sighed. “I don’t have a knife, but I have my fangs. I’ll help you.”
“Good.” She held her wrist out to him. “Try not to make it too painful.”
Zach nodded and laid his cold lips against her flesh and bit down. A sharp sting, much like a syringe needle, was the only pain. He tasted a bit of her blood before pulling away.
“That should be enough.”
Christine leaned down close to Drake’s ear. “Drink deep and hard, my love. Get better.” She opened his mouth and laid her bloody wrist against his lips.
Ranson, Tracy L. - Prince of Darkness [Bloodborn 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 19
