Intervamption

by Kristin Miller

  The only other place he could’ve taken her is to mesh with the others in the great room.

  Which is why Savage was prowling around the crowd of dancing and mingling men and women like a panther, ready to spring.

  The haven walls dripped with thick swags of black and white silk with large bows scaling down the sides. Brightly shaded flares of crimson drooped from the ceiling in large whimsical balloons, lowering the great height, giving the feel that this fanciful event was cozier than a dragon’s embrace. The dance floor, a slick sweeping wave of black, enchanted those vampires with two left feet to give the Black Sea Dance a try.

  Along the edges, where Savage continued to peruse and spy on partygoers, tables were set, all draped in black cloth, grandeur candelabras cluttering the centers. In the back, where the main event would soon arrive, enormous silver fountains flowed red with the last of the khiss’s blood supply. Chalices lined up alongside the feeding station invited people to drink up. Soon, though, they’d only need a single sip of what Savage offered and they’d be fuller . . . stronger.

  Overall it was a hit. A celebration to mark the longest night of the year.

  No one had any idea what was about to go down. Good thing, too—otherwise they’d be overly prepared when shit hit the fan.

  As if on cue Savage’s cell chirped.

  “Savage here.”

  “We’re ready,” the voice grumbled.

  “Well, I’m not. Stay put until I give the go-ahead and stop bothering me with phone calls. It’s getting annoying.”

  “I’ve given you control over this situation so far, leech, because I didn’t have any other option. But don’t let that go to your head. From here on out you’re just one of them. Another greasy parasite who’ll have his fangs ripped from his mouth before the night’s over. If you wanna save your skin, steer clear.”

  Savage pushed through the crowd of writhing bodies in the center of the dance floor. “I should tell you the same thing, Moses.” Savage hissed. “If there’s one thing I hate more than transies, it’s egomaniacal leaders who don’t know when to lie down and let others lead. You just happen to be both.”

  “Looks like we’re on the same page, then.”

  Savage stormed back to Ruan’s studio. “All I know is, you better hope none of your therians cross my path tonight. Especially you . . . Tantem Statua.”

  Moses chuckled, sounding forced and nervous. Savage smiled from the victorious stab to Moses’s ego. His laugh quickly cut out. “If you think this is the only form I’ve got left, you’ve been misinformed.”

  “Really? And was I misinformed about the scrolls? Or about Dylan and the Valcdana? What about the Primus returning? No, I think all my sources are pretty accurate.” He’d be damned if he’d give up information about Eve. No. She was his for the taking . . . as soon as he found the broad.

  “Well you’re wrong this time, I can tell you that.”

  “We’ll soon find out. Watch your back, Moses.”

  “And yours, traitor.”

  Savage couldn’t help but grin as he hung up on Moses and approached Ruan’s door.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  “Family is the most important thing in the world—your lifeline. Love every member of your khiss as your brother or sister.”

  —Newborn Induction Handbook, Chapter 22: Khiss Life

  When Dylan opened her eyes, she was laying in the middle of her bed, with someone flush beside her. She flipped over, meeting Slade’s broad shoulder and that intricate therian marking flowing over and around his back.

  A relieved sigh left her body. She couldn’t help it. No matter what was going on in the world, he made her feel like everything was fine as fire as long as he was at her side.

  “We been back long?” he asked, his voice rough as gravel.

  She propped up on her elbow. “I don’t think so. I can’t remember how we got back here, though. Can you?”

  “No, but I bet Meridian had something to do with that.”

  “I still can’t believe you’re a hybrid . . . one of a kind . . . royalty.”

  His eyes fluttered open. “I’d rather not hash it over if that’s all right with you.”

  Yeah, she could imagine finding out his whole life had been a big fat lie would send him into one hell of a tailspin. Especially after finding out he shared part of his enemy’s blood. Or at least what he thought was his enemy. Even so. . . .

  “If we talk about it, we might be able to make sense out of the whole thing, don’t you think?” Dylan prodded, knowing full well the conversation wouldn’t go anywhere if he didn’t want it to. She hoped he did, for her sake alone. The uncontrollable urge to compartmentalize what happened was liable to drive her batty.

  Slade stared straight through the ceiling. “There’s nothing to make sense of, Dylan—it’s just understanding the role I’m supposed to play versus the role I’m going to play. I’m not about to risk your priceless neck because Meridian claims to be my mother and I’ve suddenly got this royal blood in me that can bring vampires out of the woods. It’s not going to happen.”

  “It’s not as sudden as it seems. You’ve had royal blood all along.”

  “Yeah, and a family, though I guess I blocked that all out eons ago.”

  She was glad he was talking, even if he took a bitter tone. Soon the bitter would fade and compassion would take its place. She’d be there when it did.

  He swiped his hand over the therian marking on his shoulder. “And I still don’t know what the hell to make of this.” His lips pulled back, revealing his gleaming fangs. “Or these.”

  “Meridian said you’d become powerful after the Valcdana. The purest blood of the species.”

  He turned to her. “Under the circumstances I’m not sure which species she meant.”

  “Both.” She caught his mouth and kissed him slow and tender. “She meant both.”

  Two sharp knocks on her door jolted her out of bed, right onto her ass.

  Damn it. She was supposed to be knee-deep in Valcdana preparations, which entailed a two-night fast. By now she should’ve been dressed in her stifling corseted gown. She needed to be ready to address the khiss, her Primus, and her future mate.

  No, she couldn’t let those thoughts fester.

  Couldn’t even think about being with someone else. Especially not now.

  She checked out her appearance: jeans, white tank, rose pink camisole. Far from the whimsical attire required of the ceremony.

  “Who is it?” she called, right as they pounded again. Please don’t be Savage or Erock, she prayed. She frantically flapped her arms at Slade to get him out of bed. Directed him toward the closet. He gave her a sour, indignant look that spoke wonders—he wasn’t moving an inch.

  She grabbed the handle and closed her eyes, trying to gather her wits. If this was the time she’d reveal her and Slade’s relationship, so be it.

  “It’s Ruan Open up. Hurry.”

  Confusion and relief blended into one. Dylan opened the door and he and Eve fell inside. Their arms were wrapped tight around each other’s shoulders like they were supporting each other to freedom through a wounded, blood-soaked battlefield.

  Slade jumped up in a heartbeat to make room for them on the bed. Not that his pissed-off mug would’ve deterred their sloppy topple onto the mattress anyway.

  “What . . . what happened? What’s going on?” Dylan scrambled.

  Eve’s beauty stunned her even now. She was poised and proper, the grace of a beauty queen, her thin blonde hair swinging near-waist. Like the first time Dylan met her, she still didn’t smell like a mundane. Odd.

  When Eve spoke, her voice earned, rather than commanded, silence. “He’s been hurt. And we couldn’t think of anywhere else to go.”

  “I’m fine,” Ruan grumbled. “I just don’t want to run into Savage.”

  “That makes two of us.” Dylan kneeled before Ruan’s slumped form on the bed. “What happened?”

  He dug his fingers into his blo
odied shoulder and jerked it back and forth. “I was shot in Brookside while picking her up.”

  “Oh, God, this is all my fault!” Dylan cried. “I’m the one who told you to bring her here. I knew I should’ve done it myself. You would’ve never been there to begin with if it weren’t for my saying so.”

  “No, Dylan, it was Savage’s order that sent me.” His breath was heavy. Labored. “And I wouldn’t have let you go anyway.”

  “That makes two of us,” Slade hissed from the corner, mimicking Dylan’s earlier words.

  Ruan looked up, his eyes a foggy emerald. “I didn’t know you were still around, newbie.” He took a deep breath as if sensing something charging through the air. His glare shot to Dylan. “Wait . . . why do I . . . Dylan, why do I get the feeling you . . . that you and he are mated.”

  She moved into the kitchen and searched frantically for her first aid kit. “This isn’t about us, Ruan—it’s about you. If we don’t get that bullet out of your shoulder, you’re gonna have one hell of a time.”

  “It’s not going to kill me,” he said, rubbing a small circle over the wound.

  “Thank God for that,” Eve whispered.

  Their eyes locked, as if the entire world slipped away and the only thing in the room was the two of them.

  Turning tweezers and gauze around in her hand, Dylan approached his side slowly, measuring the change in his demeanor. His eyes were softer. His skin emitted a healthy—happy—glow.

  Ruan slipped his shirt off his head, grunting in pain as his arm came round like a broken windmill. Dylan pretended not to notice Eve’s stare, and the way her eyes trailed hungrily over his washboard abs.

  She hated to speak and ruin their moment, so she silently went to work on his shoulder. She picked and prodded with the tweezers, digging into Ruan’s skin to find the blunt tip of the bullet. As she pulled it out, he hissed.

  “Sorry,” Dylan breathed. “It’s done now.”

  “Dylan, I can’t thank you enough. I knew if I came here you’d know what to do and I can’t tell you how much that means.” He looked into her eyes. Surprisingly, the gaze was completely different than it had been merely one day before. There was no love behind the stare. Admiration and respect, maybe. Lust and need, absolutely none.

  Dylan couldn’t help but think Eve had something to do with that.

  The idea made Dylan ecstatic beyond words. Ruan deserved to be happy. To be with someone who could return his love with the same intensity with which he could dish it out. Judging by the heat Eve was throwing off, Ruan wouldn’t be having any more problems in the relationship department.

  The fact that she was mundane and that the ramifications of their relationship would be tremendous was for them to lose sleep over. If Ruan was all right with that and wanted to be with Eve, who was she to say otherwise?

  Hell, she’d gone through the Valcdana with a member of another race too, hadn’t she? The fact that Slade was half vampire had only come to light after she’d let him drain her. . . .

  As the memory skated to the forefront of her mind, her knees wobbled. His blood flowing strong through her veins . . . his mouth at her throat. Warm, tingling sensations flowed through her body every time she thought of Slade. Every time she touched him, fireworks went off in her core. She wondered if it’d always be that way. . . .

  God, she hoped so.

  Ruan stood, rolled back his shoulders to stretch them out, and stood back to the door. “So how was your trip to see Meridian?” he asked, his glare bouncing from Dylan to Slade. “She as loony as rumors have pegged her to be?”

  Slade and Dylan spoke in blurred unison.

  “More so.”

  “Not so much.”

  Ruan chuckled. “Yup. Sounds like the same Meridian I’ve heard about. People come back more confused than they left.”

  “Things aren’t more confusing,” Slade said, arms folded across his wide chest. “Just seriously complicated.”

  Nodding with understanding he couldn’t possibly have, Ruan turned to Dylan. “You have a chance to report the burglary yet?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Ruan spread his arms wide. “Haven’t you noticed all your things are moved around? I tried to put everything back as I remembered it being but I didn’t think I did that good of a job. Geez, maybe you’ve lost your organizational niche.”

  Dylan surveyed the room, spinning in a slow circle. Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my God. My computer.”

  “I know. I figured that’d be the first thing you noticed. Took your thumb drives too.”

  “When?” Slade grumbled, jaw tight.

  “Ah, last night. I came here to see if you’d figured out anything about Eve yet and your door was open. Don’t get me wrong, but I’m damn glad you weren’t here when I came by. That could’ve been real bad. Speaking of, I’m sure glad you guys made it out of that situation all right. What the hell happened with that therian?”

  Slade chewed over the bare bone details while Dylan tore through the empty drawers.

  “Don’t bother looking for those either,” Ruan cut in. “I threw out your secret stash of Blood-Blasters. They were attracting rodents the size of alley cats. Nearly scared me half to death as it tore-tail out of here.”

  Slade went rigid. “Dylan, when Meridian said . . .”

  She nodded, knowing where his train of thought was heading. Other therians were sent to kill her. They obviously knew how to get into their haven. And where she slept. Things were going to hell in a hand-basket faster than she could say Choco-mint Blood-Blaster.

  “What do we do?”

  Slade linked an arm in hers. “We get you out of here. Leave a note for Erock and let him deal with Savage and your Primus. Then we give Eve to the khiss and let them do what they will with her.”

  Ruan stood in an angry rush, pushing Eve behind him. “You’re not touching Eve. Neither is anyone in this khiss. She’s with me.”

  “Oh yeah, Turbo? Well it’s now common knowledge that your new lady has the blood ReVamp’s been hunting for. You think everyone’s gonna lie down and die for her like her buddy David did?”

  Eve’s gasp was drowned out by Ruan’s guttural hiss. “Not everyone. But you may if you don’t watch your mouth.”

  Dylan cleared her throat, cutting the tension between them. “Ruan, you know we at least need a sample. Something to test against. Something to duplicate. If you wanted to be the one to feed from her, we could use you to show the strength of her blood.”

  “I will not feed from her vein.”

  Eve rubbed his arm, soothing little strokes back and forth. “It’s all right, Ruan. If that’s what it’ll take for this all to be over, then it’s fine with me. Dylan, I’ll do whatever it takes, just tell me what you need.”

  “No. I won’t have it. No one is sinking their fangs into you. Period.”

  “Well, doesn’t that put you in a pickle,” Slade said. “Your lady or your family. But it’s not our war or our decision, so we’re out of here.”

  A rattle of earth-rumbling drums shook the studio.

  “What the hell?” Slade jerked back the sliding door, peeked out into the space.

  From the great room, a voice carried over a high-pitched mic: “Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment we’ve waited for is upon us. Our Primus has arrived.”

  Wild applause and cheers filled the great room, flowed down the hall, reminding Dylan how little time she had left before she’d be called to address the khiss.

  The MC continued after an ear-piercing squeal of electric current. “In five minutes time, we shall have Savage’s formal welcome of his return. Thus shall begin the proper blessing of the Valcdana ceremony, along with ReVamp’s final sentence. Party hard, khissmates. We’re about to have ourselves a rocking Solstice.”

  Body-jiving music—the likes of Swing Kings—took the place of his words.

  Slade stepped into the hall as Dylan remained still, an arm-length behind him. He turned back. “Come on, baby, we’
re gonna get you out of here.”

  Time slowed to a crawl. If she left with Slade, the only problems that would disappear would be her own. Everything she’d worked for would fall. Vampires would continue to be persecuted, acting out on a genetic deficiency rather than evil tendencies. Misunderstandings would continue to be the downfall of their race.

  The answer became clear.

  “Slade, I have to stay.”

  “No. You don’t. I have to get you somewhere safe.”

  “You don’t understand. My whole life I’ve worked to promote the strength of the vampire race, so we could prove to therians that we’re not the evil creatures they’ve painted us to be. Now, with Eve’s help, I have that chance. If I turn away now, what would that make me?”

  “Smart.” He pulled on her arm. “Let’s go.”

  “Slade . . .”

  He hesitated for what seemed like hours before he sighed. A full body concession. “If you stay to clear up this blood thing, it’s under one condition. You don’t leave my sight. Not for a single second, got it?”

  “Loud and clear. But I can’t address the Primus looking like I was just dragged off the street. Give me two minutes to change?”

  He kissed her square on the mouth, then softly on both sides of her neck right over her veins. “I’ll be right outside.”

  “Eve?” Dylan said, as they all turned to leave. “Would you mind staying with me for a moment?”

  She nodded, worry and doubt glossing her eyes.

  Before Ruan followed Slade out the door, he brushed his arms over Eve’s shoulders. A reassuring touch that left Dylan wondering how it was possible that Ruan had become so attached to her in such a short amount of time.

  My oh my, how things had changed, she thought, as she slipped out of her clothes and into her gown.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  “Tell the truth, honor your khiss, and respect mundanes. Those are the pillars of a morally righteous citizen of the vampire race.”