sanguineangels

by Various

  “Do I look like a bat?”

  “Well, no.” She sat up, pictured a blanket, and smiled when it appeared around her shoulders. She ran a finger over the stitching. “I can’t believe I did that,” she whispered in awe.

  Diego lifted up at an angle on an elbow. “What would you like to try first? I would say you could be able to do as much as myself. You are proving to be quite open to this.”

  “How long did it take you to learn?” She propped her forearms on bent knees.

  “A long time, but I had no one to direct me.”

  Titania thought. “I think I would like to fly. How do you do it?”

  “I take the form of an owl in most cases.”

  Her eyes rounded into blue pools. “You can actually become that small? An owl?”

  “Honey, I can become as small as a mouse.”

  “And it doesn’t hurt?” Her fingers touched him, poking at him to test his solidness. He still felt like Diego.

  Rolling laughter exploded at her expressions. “No, cara. It does not.” He enveloped one of her hands in his and stood, lifting her with him. “Let me show you.”

  She stood in silent wonder as wings and feathers took the place of arms, drawing into his body as it compacted. Legs shortened and talons formed. She swallowed as his head changed shape, a beak taking the place of that sinful mouth. He stared up at her with pale, unblinking eyes.

  She didn’t move, shocked speechless. The bird hopped once and, with a mighty thrust, became airborne. He circled twice, then landed on a low branch in a nearby tree.

  “Fly with me, cara.” It was a seduction, his voice honeyed and sweet.

  “I don’t know if I can do that.” She discovered her mouth was bone dry.

  “You made the blanket. Concentrate. I will be here.”

  Titania let her eyelids close. She could do this. If she could live on blood, she could do anything. She had to believe that.

  Taking a steadying breath, she concentrated on how an owl looked, the soft, downy feathers, the small body, imagined what it would feel like to fly over the treetops.

  She felt the contortions begin and fought down the wave of fear. Her eyes popped open, focused on the owl in the trees, keeping herself grounded in what she was attempting. It didn’t hurt, exactly, but it felt downright strange.

  She stretched out one arm, now a wing, and stared at the length of feathers. “I did it? Diego! I did it!”

  He hopped down from the branch with a single flap of broad wings. “Yes, you did. And might I say, I have never seen a more stunning owl in my life.” The words whispered through her mind with a lascivious leer, and she wanted to laugh.

  Wings popped out, and she ruffled her feathers at him. Laughter floated between them on the silence of the breeze, but it was bright and clear in her mind.

  “Stay close, cara.”

  “Let’s see if I can even get off the ground,” she told him. Diego tensed before her and, with a wide flap of strong wings, launched into the sky. She studied the animal briefly, the feeling of the muscles, then flapped her wings experimentally. Her legs seemed to buckle naturally, and with a push and a flap, she was airborne.

  She shocked herself so badly, she almost tumbled right back to the ground.

  “Titania!”

  Wings beat through the surprise, her heart pounding as shock turned into wonder. “I’m fine. We all have to learn to walk. Or in this case, fly.” She soared, finding a breeze at the treetops. She leveled off into a calm, enjoying the weightless feeling.

  “You are doing wonderfully.” His pride warmed her all over. He neared, flying over her.

  Titania was enraptured, seeing the forest floor through the eyes of the owl. Wind sliced over her body, and scents and sounds were accented, accumulating at an incredible rate. “This is amazing! I can see the cabin from up here!”

  She dipped, her heart pounding with the feeling of freedom. Diego paced her effortlessly. She weaved through a few branches, feeling laughter bubble up inside her. It was like the first time she had ever ridden her horse at a full, wild run. Her first kiss. The feel of the wind in her face on a cold morning. Exhilaration swamped her.

  “Cara,” came Diego’s chiding tones, trying to bring her back to earth.

  She did what came naturally. She thumbed her nose at him and became a bullet, racing, soaring, her wings maneuvering her soundlessly through the treetops, too carefree, wanting to enjoy every single breathtaking minute. Leaves fluttered as she swept past.

  They played tag, rolling between the trees, swooping down until the grass swayed beneath their bellies with their kamikaze flights. The sky opened up for her, each burst of speed taking her places she’d never dreamed.

  Titania heard his sharp warning just as she broke through the trees, zipping wildly out into the meadow. The eagle’s triumphant cry was her only warning before the large bird torpedoed from the sky, talons flexed for its attack. Dark, beady eyes burned into her, red with hatred.

  She whirled, racing toward the nearest tree. “Diego!” The other bird missed by millimeters when she twisted to escape, the harsh wind of flapping wings echoing through her ears. Its screech was high and furious, somersaulting to find her again.

  Titania spotted a thick branch and aimed for it. She tried to clutch at it and missed, falling to the ground in a jumbled heap. She landed hard, losing the shape of the owl when she knocked the wind out of herself. She screamed, hearing the beating of wings behind her, trying to scramble to her feet.

  The thud of colliding bodies was deafening when Diego crashed into the eagle. Feathers rained down as they plunged from the sky. Titania stared frozen with fear as the two birds took their human shapes.

  Brakka! Terror coiled within her as she watched the two men stalk each other. Why hadn’t she been more careful?

  “This is not your fault, cara. I was lax, enjoying your excitement.” There was nothing in his expression to show his concern for her, but the caress of his love was in every word.

  “Don’t worry about me, Diego. Concentrate.” She stuffed her knuckles into her mouth to keep quiet.

  “I warned you, Brakka. She is not to be harmed.”

  “She will die!” he snarled. “And will watch as I destroy you!”

  She gurgled on a scream when Brakka struck hard and fast, a blur of movement. Ugly, gashing furrows began to bleed from Diego’s side. He didn’t stagger as blood welled up. He swept a palm down his side, his hand coming away red, but the bleeding slowed almost instantly.

  Brakka’s lips lifted, exposing long, garish fangs. “You are getting slow, Diego.”

  “And you are too arrogant.” Diego’s expression hardened. “You will not escape. It is time this is over.”

  Brakka’s clawed hands curled. “It is. I will enjoy your woman before I kill her!”

  Diego smiled, a chilling, mocking threat. “I doubt that. You are nothing.”

  Brakka threw back his head and bellowed in rage. Sleeping animals fled from the treetops at the explosion of hatred. In the next instant, a huge wolf lunged at Diego, foam dropping from snapping jaws. But the place where Diego had been standing was empty. He had simply vanished.

  Frantically, she searched for him. She didn’t dare move. She was afraid she would draw Brakka’s attention to her hiding place in the shadows of the trees. Fear made it hard to so much as twitch.

  The attack came from nowhere. Brakka snarled and snapped at the empty spot, right when a huge black wolf charged from the tree line. Diego launched himself at Brakka, landing squarely against his shoulder, rolling him over several times.

  Growls reverberated through the night, a flurry of fur, claws and teeth. Blood matted down black coats in shining splotches of darkness. She was scared to blink. They were both so dark, so fast, it was hard to distinguish one from the other. The fight seemed to go on forever, neither man tiring.

  The snap of jaws was loud in the still night air, low growls of anger sounding from both animals. They rose up and ch
arged simultaneously. Teeth rent flesh. She winced, fearing for Diego. They circled mercilessly, each charge hard and deadly.

  With fresh blood drawn on both sides, she realized the match was too equal, both men trained warriors of a time long past. Relentless, unwavering. They knew each other’s moves before the blow was struck. They blocked and parried and attacked with equal grace and force. Could she do something to help Diego? Could she do something to lean the fight in his favor? She did the only thing she could think of that could even possibly help. She began to sing.

  Her voice was weak, her throat dry, but she refused to let that stop her. Brakka could not escape. She pushed the fearful thought from her mind. She could not envision death. She needed to give Diego a chance, her belief, her support in his own creed and code of honor. He could not die. She focused on him, her voice growing, the notes enveloping the meadow in a beautiful wave of sound. She poured her strength into Diego, into the darkness, her arms opening wide, embracing the night.

  As if from a dream, she saw the two heaving forms stop, break apart. Brakka snarled loudly, shaking his lupine head, changing to his human form in a distracted fashion.

  Sending all of the love and belief she held in her to Diego, she walked forward, unafraid. She would give anything to keep him alive. In that moment, she knew what it meant to have fallen in love. If she died in that moment, she had loved deeply and completely. Moonlight engulfed her, glowed off skin in a pearly luminescence. Brakka stood entranced, stunned, his dark eyes flaming with hatred and lust. She could see through Diego’s eyes the vision she created. A goddess offering the moonlight to her lover. A creature of nature.

  Diego regained his form, claws slicing through skin and bone as he did so, Brakka caught off guard in that instant for the first and last time. It took mere seconds for the advantage to be grasped by Diego. Brakka’s headless body crumpled to the ground, disintegrating immediately. Skin, bone, blood, everything became a fine dust. Silence became deafening in the meadow.

  Diego swayed on his feet. “Diego!” She ran to him to wrap her arms around him, and became engulfed in his extreme exhaustion. Brakka had inflicted hundreds of little seeping wounds, draining his strength.

  He linked his arms around her waist. “I am fine. However, you are naked,” he stated in his imperial way, his voice raspy.

  She looked down. I am? She shook her head. Unimportant. “You need to rest. You need blood.”

  His forehead rested on her shoulder. “In a moment.” He sagged where he stood, determined to prove he was fine when Tani knew better.

  “I always knew you needed someone to care for you,” she muttered. Jeans and a blouse appeared on her. “Quit that! You are weak enough as it is.”

  “A man hates being told they are weak, cara,” he informed her in a disgusted, manly tone. Then he ruined it by stumbling when he tried to stand straight.

  She eased one of his arms across her shoulders, staying pressed into his side to give him something to lean into as he needed. “Point me toward home,” she told him. He turned, though his steps were slow and sluggish. She studied the worst of his gashes and found that several had stopped bleeding.

  Titania frowned when they reached the stream. “Great. How am I supposed to get us across this?” It wasn’t very deep, but was at least a couple yards wide.

  “I can manage.”

  Big blue eyes shot up to his. “Diego. I can’t let you.”

  “Too bad,” was all he said, sweeping her up against his chest. “I am not dead, cara. Only a little sore.”

  “A little sore?” she cried, floating across the water again when he refused to listen to reason. “You are covered from chin to hip in cuts and gashes.” She pressed her hands to several on his chest.

  “And I will rest as soon as we are home. I promise, honey,” he said. He brushed a kiss to her temple. “You scared me, cara. Let me hold you.”

  Every nerve burned with his intensity. “I scared you? You fight, I sing, and I scared you?”

  “You purposely drew his attention. What made you think of such a thing?”

  She touched his cheek with a tender palm. “I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you.”

  “Cara.” He stopped on the bank and claimed her mouth. Fire surged, consuming her. Every fear he had experienced flooded her through his kiss. Fear of losing her, of Brakka being faster. She found in his thoughts he had learned to never underestimate the other vampire.

  “Never put yourself in such a position again, cara.” Her fingers dug into the thickness of his hair. He dropped little kisses to her face.

  “Stop being macho all the time, and I’ll think about it.”

  He groaned. “I was right to pity Houston.” When he held her closer, she didn’t protest.

  When they arrived, the house was silent. “They have gone to bed,” Diego informed her.

  “Are they all right?”

  “They are safe here.” She still kept his arm braced around her shoulders. He was walking steadier, but she knew he was drained.

  He searched and found the niche in the paneling that opened the concealed door in the wall. When they reached the bed chamber, he fell onto the bed with a deep grumble. “Just lay with me, cara. Let me feel you next to me.”

  She curled into his body easily. Light hands stroked the lines from his face. He rolled to his side and buried his face in her neck.

  “You know he was not the man you grew up with. That man died the night he lost his soul to the change.” Her voice was soothing, a caring hand running up and down his arm. There had been no choice in Brakka’s destruction, but she could feel the loss tearing through him. “He would have killed you had he been given the chance.”

  “He would have killed you had he beaten me.” A hard tremor shook his body. “That terrified me more than the pain of his loss.” He was silent for several long moments, her hand traveling over his body in slow, easy strokes. “Never leave me, cara.”

  The entreaty was so quiet, so torn, she had to blink to keep the tears from falling. Never in her life had she expected someone to need her so desperately, so completely.

  She held him for hours, his arms wrapped around her, until the weight of the morning sun sank her into oblivion.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Tenorio made the first move,” Houston advised them when they rose the following evening. At Diego and Titania’s questioning looks, he informed them, “David is missing.”

  Titania jerked on her feet like she’d been struck. “No!”

  “He arrived home, but no one has seen him since.” Houston’s expression was grim, and Laney’s eyes were red.

  “Is anyone else suspect?” Diego asked.

  Houston shook his head. “There’s no proof of anything. He’s just gone. But I know him. David doesn’t take off.”

  “Where’s Justin? And the main crew?” Titania immediately needed to know.

  “Justin was warned. He left for his aunt’s in Mississippi. I didn’t contact everybody. It would have been mass hysteria.”

  “He is right, cara. Only those who could be directly used against you will be threatened. Trying to warn everybody would not be wise.”

  She slid onto a barstool. “Do vampires get headaches?” she asked, rubbing her temples. Diego began to knead her shoulders. “When did he disappear?”

  “We think late last night.”

  She looked at the others. “We have to find him. I will not let Tenorio do this to us. He almost killed me. I refuse to let him hurt my friends.”

  “Any ideas on where he might be?” Houston looked at her, then at Diego. “Because I don’t have a one.”

  “He’s probably still in San Francisco,” Laney said. “He has connections all over town. The night he took Tani, he was at the Senator’s mansion for an evening garden party. That party and the guests were all over the papers.”

  Titania looked over a shoulder. Diego was pale. Last night had drained him, and he needed to feed. She returned her atten
tion to her two best friends.

  Diego told them, “Meet us in Chinatown by tomorrow night. We will leave tonight. We may find something before morning. He will be found.”

  “All right. What about Brakka?”

  Diego’s hands never left her shoulders, his fingers a warm weight on her. He barely winced at the question, but she felt the grip, the flinch through his touch.

  “This could get messy,” Houston added.

  “It already is,” she told him, her lips tightening into a thin line when she slipped from the stool. “Brakka is dead. Chinatown. Tomorrow night.”

  Laney’s gaze sharpened, flew up to Diego. His expression was implacable, harsh. The truth of the battle and its price was in the cold slash of his mouth.

  “We’ll be there,” Houston said, his arm wrapping protectively around Laney.

  Titania followed Diego into the inky darkness, her hand firmly in his.

  “Keep yourself linked with me, cara.”

  “How are we going to get there?”

  “Do you think you can bamf?” he asked her, using her own description.

  “Are you serious?” Her fingers tightened on his automatically.

  “It is not as hard as you may think. Picture where you want to be.”

  “Which is?”

  “We need to investigate the lab.”

  “But I never saw any of it,” she told him. “Just the little I saw before I was incoherent again.”

  His hand weaved through her hair. “Link with me, follow my lead. I will not lose you.”

  “You better not,” she warned him. She closed her eyes and merged with him, seeing the house before the fire. The white of the walls, the large trees surrounding it. The tall, solid rockwork fence.

  She followed his lead, focusing on a group of trees out of range of the house itself. The sensation was wrenching, shocking. Almost as if she was being pulled from her body.

  One moment her feet were on his front porch, the next she stood on a graveled road shoulder with pebbles under her feet and the smell of the mountains and woods gone. The stench of old smoke, sodden wood, and charred everything hung like a heavy pall in the air.