That’s the last thing I want.
Ethan told me vampires eat and drink like normal humans, except we need to replenish our emotions by drinking of their emotions too. Many vampires have a small, dedicated “family” of humans just for this reason. They take care of the humans, protect them. In return, the humans are happy to share their essence and be bonded to them.
The only person who I want to touch that intimately is my devil.
It's one reason I wanted to set off right away to rescue him, while I still sense the connection to him, one that keeps me emotionally replete.
Besides, if I stayed any longer, I'd have to face the stranger in the mirror: a half vampire.
Closing my eyes, I reach inside, searching for the silver-green thread that ties me to the devil.
There…it's there.
It's become stronger. It’s not just a thread; it's a chord. Heat pulses through it, through me.
"He's here." My eyes fly open. Through the dark, I peer at the looming shape of the island. Ethan cuts the motor, letting the little boat drift. He insisted on coming with us. He spent years living on this very island when he was under Daniel's control, so he knew his way around the place.
In the quiet that follows, the only noise is the lapping of the water against the hull of the little boat.
Cain touches my shoulder, indicating he's going into the water. I slide in, followed by Ethan. None of us have weapons, to keep the weight we are carrying to a minimum.
In a few seconds, we are swimming through the choppy waves. I propel myself forward, keeping pace with Cain and Ethan. For once I’m not left behind.
But then, I’m not human any more.
Not human.
What does that even mean? Is it the white-hot strength pouring through my veins as I push myself forward, or the adrenaline thrumming at the edge of my consciousness? Or is it that something inside that simply latches onto the silver-green thread with a tenacity that is so strong, so overpowering, that it sweeps all thought aside, an arrow locking onto my mate?
Mate.
Just thinking about Kris sends blood racing through my veins, making the space where my heart should be throb with intense pain, a phantom pulse that insists I push on.
When I was human, the emotions overpowered me, crippling me until I was unable to move.
As a vampire, I can block out the voices in my head.
It's freeing, allows me to focus and lock onto the cord that joins me to him.
With a surge of adrenaline, I pull ahead. I'm the first to reach the shore, followed by Ethan and Cain. My toes touch the pebbles on the sandy beach; and making sure I bend to stay low, I run lightly toward the cover of the trees.
Catching up with me, Ethan nods to me to follow; and I fall in line between him and Cain, who brings up the rear.
When we reach the edge of the trees, Ethan hesitates. We are at the foothill of a steep incline. At the top, the hacienda-like house glows pale in the moonlight. There is no wall surrounding it. No one’s guarding the house. I pause.
Ethan turns, his eyebrows raised in query. I gesture to the house, signaling I suspect a trap.
He cuts the air with his palm, indicating it's safe to go on.
I follow Ethan as he begins to climb the steep surface.
Cain grabs the stone protruding from the surface. His nails slice out, dig into the side of the hill. Muscles bunching, he hauls himself up.
Above, Ethan climbs fast, almost halfway to the top already.
Yet I hesitate. I’m not human, but I’m only just beginning to understand what it means to be a vampire. It should be easy to climb this slope.
But I've never done it before.
Cain stops and looks down. Tilting his head, those amber eyes glow. Then after retracing a few steps, he holds out his hand.
I grasp it, and he hauls me up next to him.
For a second I'm suspended in midair, sure I'm going to fall back. Then something surprising happens.
The years of training needed to become part of the Guardians kicks in and combines with my new skills as a vampire.
I grab the stony surface and hold. And I don't fall, clinging to the side. My fingers seem to know how to find the right nooks; my feet feel around, find the next niche in the wall. And just like that, I’m climbing.
Without another glance, Cain continues, and I follow. Keep going now. Don't hesitate.
Don't look back.
Don't look down.
By the time I’m three-fourths of the way up, my body has settled into a rhythm. I feel more confident in this skin with all senses tuned into the task at hand. And then I'm almost at the top. I’m not panting, not even winded by the climb. A slight breeze comes in off the sea, fanning my skin as I continue. Almost there.
Then, as if I've crossed an invisible barrier, pain slices through me, deep, so intense it almost blinds me.
My fingers lose their grip, and I begin to fall. Flinging out a hand, my nails brush against the rocky surface and then slip again. This time my elbow smashes against the side of the hill, dislodging stones that go tumbling down.
27
Tara
The breeze from the sea slashes through me as I fall. I fling out my hand a last time. This time it's caught and held. A rough, callused palm grips my forearm.
"Hold on," Cain growls.
For a second I’m suspended, legs and body swaying in the air. The weight of my body yanks at my underarm, pain screeching through the limb already gone numb.
Sweat drips down my forehead, breath coming in short gasps. The sound of blood pumping in my ears is the only thing I can hear.
My mind, however, is clear.
None of the panic I expect to feel, no chattering of thoughts as they buzz around my head: there’s nothing except a throb of tension that forces me to focus even more.
Grunting with exertion, I manage to get my other hand up and grasp Cain's forearm, feeling his muscles bunch as he pulls me up. Then shouting to Ethan to hold his legs, he grabs my hand with his other arm.
For a second, and another, I’m suspended as he grips both my arms and pulls me up. With another heave, I’m over the side. My chest slams against the side of the wall, sending flashes of pain through my head. Then I’m lying next to him, facedown.
"You okay?" Ethan touches my shoulder.
I nod, too winded to speak.
Next to me, Cain is already on his feet. When he holds out his hand, I take it, and he pulls me to my feet.
"What happened?" Cain's eyebrows furrow. "You were doing so well. And then you just seemed to lose control."
He peers into my face.
I’m not sure what he sees there, but understanding dawns in his eyes. "You sensed him...So, he's definitely here."
Ethan sets off on the path leading through the trees. I follow with Cain next to me.
All I want to do is find the devil.
Then what?
Will he accept me in this new form?
We burst out of the line of the trees and keep moving. The house is in plain sight when a wave of white noise assails me, strong enough to fill the space in my head with static. His psychic scent is now so strong I can feel his emotions, the racing of adrenaline and an overwhelming need to fight.
Fight!
The force of his thoughts is a pounding dark blue, his pulse speeding fast, so fast. I feel his helplessness.
He's in danger.
A pulse of red-hot fear races through me, pushing all other thought out of my head, everything except this need to go to him.
Go!
I'm not even aware I've broken into a run, not until Cain tackles me from behind. I go facedown to the ground. Grabbing my legs, he pulls me back into the tree line.
Once in the shadows of the trees, he lets go. I spring back up on my feet, not caring that I’m bathed in dust. A cut on my forehead bleeds from the fall.
"I have to go to him," I snarl. "He needs help."
"You're not thi
nking rationally," he replies. "If you just burst in, you’re going to be discovered. Those vampires are vicious. They won't hesitate to kill you, not even if you are more like them now."
"At least we have the element of surprise." I set my jaw. "You can't stop me; I'm as strong as you. Either you come with me, or I go on my own."
"Stubborn female. You remind me of my headstrong sister back home," Cain groans, but underneath I sense a reluctant admiration.
"Well?" I look from him to Ethan. "What's it going to be?"
28
Kris
Rohan stumbles to his feet and lurches to me, the whites of his eyeballs showing in a face gone pale.
A rush of adrenaline pours through my veins, and my heart slams against my rib cage. I push away all other thought, everything except that focus which years of training have drilled into me.
"Keep going," I rasp, holding his gaze.
I don't look at where Noah has entered the room, standing with his arms folded over his chest. He's waiting to see what Rohan does next.
It strikes me, then, that all of this was a trap, just a way for him to play with us, to see what Rohan would do.
Perhaps Noah simply wanted me to infuse new life into the corpse Rohan has become? Well, he succeeded. Compared to the half-dead man he was, now color flushes Rohan’s cheeks as he scuttles toward me.
"Go around me," I bite out, pushing him to keep moving, to focus on anything else but the immortal by the door…or the two massive vampires who've just come in behind Noah and are covering the floor between us.
Fuck!
"Grip the chain to the collar, Rohan; pull it out of the wall."
"I…I can't."
His knees knock, and he stumbles, falling to the ground in front of me.
"You can," I snarl. "You fucking can. Do. This. Even if you have to crawl to get around me. Move. Your. Ass. Now!"
My voice booms out, spurring him into action. He does exactly that. He crawls around me, grabs me, and pulls himself up. Then leaning heavily on me, breath coming in pants, he grabs the chain.
I hold onto the collar, and together we pull, straining against the chain. I shut my eyes against the sight of the vampires, shut out the scent of ozone and dry ice mixed with rotting fruit. The footsteps are almost on us.
The collar snaps.
At the same time, a groan from behind me rumbles through the room as the chain breaks away from the wall, whipping Rohan on his back and shoving him down. He doesn't get up.
I pull the collar off, not caring when it takes the skin off my neck with it, and fling it at one vampire, hitting him in the dead center of his forehead. He crumples to the floor.
Before he's hit the ground, I swing the chains still attached to one of my wrists, catching the other dead center in his chest.
I follow up with the chains on my other arm. This one snakes around his neck, once, twice, in the parody of a noose. I pull with enough force for the bones to snap, breaking his neck. He goes down too. I tug the chains off and leap on the first vampire, grabbing his neck and twisting. Two down.
Only then do I look up…in time to see Noah pull out my sword, tossing its scabbard aside.
He moves toward me fast enough to blur, silent, dangerous. He's faster than me. There's only one way out. I must surprise him.
I heave the body of the dead vampire, holding it up just enough to get enough momentum, and then I throw it at him.
He doesn’t expect it, doesn’t even see it coming. Noah crashes to the ground, the body of the vampire on top of him. The sword goes flying, light glinting off the blade.
Driven by instinct, I leap at it, the chains attached to my wrists weighing me down as I grab the sword by its hilt. Body twisting as I hit the floor, I roll to soften my landing. Then I’m on my feet, sword in hand.
Noah's already stirring, though. He throws off the vampire's body and is back on his feet. He runs past me, making for…Rohan!
Fuck.
Swearing, I move toward the fallen man, but Noah's already there. He grabs Rohan by his throat and holds him up.
Rohan's body dangles, eyes closed, blood tricking from his mouth. His neck flops over.
Too late. Too late.
I turn, wanting to make a dash for the door. To Tara.
And yet I can't force my legs to move, can't leave Rohan behind. I must find a way to get him away from here. Instead of leaving, I move toward them, sword held out.
"Think before you do anything rash. You don't want to see him die, do you? His blood runs in your veins. Hand me the sword, and I'll let him go."
When I hesitate, he grasps the unconscious man's neck with both hands and begins to squeeze.
"Wait!"
Without taking my eyes off Noah, I bend and place the sword on the floor.
"Kick it toward me," he says.
I nod toward Rohan. Noah lets go, and Rohan's unconscious body drops to the floor.
I slide the sword toward him.
Then Noah does…just what I expected. He grabs the sword and aims at Rohan.
I leap toward them, already knowing I am too far away to save him, when the door flies open with enough force that it bounces.
The scent of green apples flows in with the cool morning air.
Tara runs in, her movements fast and sure.
Taking advantage of the diversion I fling myself at Noah. The force of my body hitting him causes him to drop Ruby's sword.
"No!" As he reaches for it, I head butt him. Making sure to throw my entire weight behind it, I shove him toward the window.
Staggering, Noah crashes against the window and falls right through the glass, shattering it. His scream is cut off with an audible thump of a body hitting the ground.
It pulls me out of the haze I've let myself fall into, and I grab Ruby's sword off the floor.
The scent of copper and dry ice hang heavy in the air. I look toward the door to see flashes of steel as Tara picks up the sword from a fallen vampire. Swirling it around, she slices through the two other vampires who've appeared.
She's magnificent as she moves. A fluidity to her actions has me in thrall.
A zinging sound jerks my gaze to the door, in time to see a sword come straight for her.
"Tara!" Sheer terror ripples through me. Covering the ground between us, I throw myself in front of her, shoving her aside as I twist.
The blade nicks my cheek as it whizzes by. Already, I've thrown my sword at the culprit. It finds its mark.
"Let's get out of here before more arrive." After pulling out Ruby’s sword from the fallen body of the vampire, she swings the scabbard over her shoulder before running for the door.
I heave Rohan's limp body over my shoulders and follow her out.
29
Tara
Muscles bulging, Kris throws the unconscious Rohan over his shoulders. I was at the temple when Leana and Mikhail harnessed the power of the sword to take out Daniel. Rohan had also been swept away by the power of the sword. Yet here he is.
Alive. His thin, emancipated body looks fragile enough to shatter as Kris runs past me with him.
I follow Kris toward the staircase. The latent power in those muscles of his back, his thighs, is evident as he takes the steps two at a time.
When we reach the door that opens onto the courtyard, complete pandemonium greets us.
Cain, in lion form, is facing down three vampires who rush him all at once. A roar echoes around the space, and Cain shakes his massive head. The vampires are all tall and well built; but Cain is stronger.
Even as I watch, he jumps, taking down one of them. He swipes at another with such force that the large vampire goes flying all the way to the end of the courtyard. The third leaps on him with a sword and brings it down. The blade slices through his hide but doesn't stop him.
The lion roars; and opening his jaws, he clamps them around his attacker's neck.
He tears off the vampire's head like it was a toy doll and flings it aside. The head
rolls toward us, streaming tendons and blood in its wake, forcing us to leap apart so it doesn't hit us.
The headless body stays standing for a second. As it begins to topple over, he walks over to us, big paws padding on the ground.
Ethan runs in from the other side, blood smattered on his clothes, holding a bloodied sword.
"More coming," he gasps. "We need to split up to throw them off."
"How? We have only one boat," I reply.
"There's another at the pier," Ethan points to the direction opposite of where we'd arrived.
Rohan groans. He's still unconscious. Ethan darts a look at him then looks at Kris.
The two stare at each other, an unsaid communication between them.
Kris nods. "You and Cain take Noah's boat. Get Rohan back to the infirmary," he commands.
Hurt he may be, but that hasn't dimmed his dominance one bit.
"Tara and I will lead the vampires away. We’ll meet at the temple near the cages. I'll draw Noah there before he causes any further damage to the city."
"What if he doesn't take the bait?" Ethan asks.
"Noah wants the sword." Kris nods to the sword in my hands. "And he needs me to activate it at the temple. He'll come." Once more he sounds like the arrogant devil I know.
"Even with his ability to heal fast, it'll take Noah a day, at least, to recover from his wounds." I bare my lips in satisfaction.
Tilting his head, Kris turns to Ethan. "That gives us just enough time to regroup."
"Regroup?" Ethan asks.
Kris nods. "Without the blood red moon to activate the sword, I need to harness the power of Mikhail and my fellow Ascendants."
"And when did you decide this?" I ask.
"It's the only course of action left. You were right; we must steal a lead on Noah by harnessing our joint power to destroy him before he uses us to get what he wants."
The look in his eyes is half tender, half proud. But I can't meet his gaze. My eyes skitter away, but not before I see those eyebrows slash down over his forehead. He's confused.
Claimed: Paranormal Romance (Immortals, Vampires and Shifters) (Many Lives Book 4) Page 11
