First Drop of Crimson - Jeaniene Frost

by First Drop of Crimson (lit)

  However, once proper hellos were exchanged and all of them were seated in the dining room, except for Fabian, who floated, Mencheres stunned him.

  “I received a call from Web earlier,” his sire stated. “He wondered if I knew the vampire I sired and my co-ruler had raided his home to steal his property. When I suggested that Web complain to the Law Guardians if he had an issue, he bade me to give you a message, Spade.”

  Denise’s face paled, but Spade didn’t let any of his emotions show. “And that message is?”

  “Web said, ‘I know what she is and what you want, so I propose a trade.’” Mencheres replied, his charcoal gaze flicking to Denise in interest.

  Spade ground out a curse even as Crispin muttered, “How the hell did he find out? We sank the boat so none of her blood could be retrieved.”

  Spade replayed that awful moment in his mind when Web attacked the boat. He’d held Denise in front of him, but her gloves were on, so Web couldn’t have seen the demon’s brands. Then he’d stabbed her in the stomach, but Web hadn’t put his bloody hand to his mouth—unless he did that later?

  “He must have seen my hands,” Denise said quietly. “They were changed when I grabbed his arm.”

  “That’s right,” Spade breathed, remembering the claws ripping through her gloves and the gouges she’d dug into Web’s arms. “After holding Nathanial so long, he’d know what had caused that change in you.”

  Mencheres raised an inquiring black brow. “Am I to be let in on the secret?”

  “Not here,” Spade said, with a meaningful jerk of his head indicating the rest of the house. Everyone at this table knew what was in Denise’s blood and all its effects, but that was as far as Spade wanted the information spread.

  Though now Web knew, too. Spade stifled another curse. Whom had he told? Were there others, even now, gunning for the chance to snatch Denise away for their own sordid Red Dragon trade?

  He could only hope Web’s greed would keep him silent on the subject. After all, Web hadn’t wanted to share news of what Nathanial was with others. Perhaps he still sought to corner the Red Dragon market by not revealing the other source of the drug.

  Either way, there was no possibility Spade could let him live. Even after Denise got the brands off, Web might still pursue her in the hope that her blood was still somehow a drug. And if Web was successful in taking Denise and then realized her blood was normal…he’d have no reason to let her live.

  A wooden hunk snapped off the table in front of him. Spade glanced down, realizing he’d unconsciously gripped the edge until it broke.

  “Apologies,” he said, though he couldn’t care less about the table. “Did Web leave a number for me to ring him at?”

  “He did,” Mencheres replied. “You’re going to call him?”

  “Yes I am. Right now.”

  Mencheres raised his shoulder in an elegant half shrug, then punched a series of numbers into his mobile, holding it out to Spade when he was finished. At the second ring, Web’s voice flowed over the line.

  “Have you relayed my message to Spade?”

  “He has,” Spade said tightly. “What sort of trade do you propose?”

  Web let out a false, pleasant laugh. “Spade, I must say, you surprise me. Killing my associate in Vegas. Murdering my guards. Stealing my property, all to take the source of my business from me—when you already had a source. If I’d realized you were so unscrupulous, greedy, and enterprising, I might have gotten to know you before this.”

  “I’m also impatient,” Spade stated in a cold voice, “so get to your offer for a trade.”

  “Give me the girl, and you can have the knife. You’ll still own half of the Red Dragon trade through Nathanial, which should be more than enough for you.”

  Spade swallowed back the murderous rage that made him want to list all the terrible ways he was going to kill Web into the other line. Instead, he forced his voice to remain cold and steady.

  “I rather like the girl. What about trading Nathanial for the knife instead?”

  Web laughed. “Because without the knife, Nathanial is a liability, as you must know by now. I don’t know how the girl came by her marks, but Nathanial’s demon, should he ever return, will seek him out with all the vengeance of hell. And we both know the girl’s worth more than Nathanial. I’m being generous allowing you to keep what you stole from me, but if you don’t give me something in return…well, I’ll have nothing to lose by pursuing you all over the earth, will I?”

  Spade was silent for a long moment, staring at Denise, who knew enough from hearing his side of the conversation for her to look sick.

  “Fine,” he said, holding out a hand when Denise gasped. “Where do you want to meet?”

  “Right here in Monaco, of course,” Web replied at once. “The Fontvieille pier. I’m sure you’ll remember where it is.”

  The pier Web had under surveillance. Spade’s jaw clenched. He would be walking into a trap where Web had home court advantage. His gaze flicked to Mencheres. But I have a trap of my own.

  “Fine, then. Tomorrow at midnight.”

  “Looking forward to it,” Web said lightly. “Oh, but you must understand that if I hear Mencheres is anywhere near Monaco, I’m going to assume you intend to double-cross me and our trade is off. And the hunt is on.”

  “You can’t expect me to show up without protection,” Spade snapped. “Come now. I’m a businessman, not a stupid one.”

  Web made a noise of exaggerated patience. “Fine. Bring your little firestarter friend, if it makes you feel better—though she had some trouble with that the other day, didn’t she? Maybe the tales I’ve heard about her powers were exaggerated.”

  “Crispin would never allow his wife to go without him. You must know that, so your offer to have Cat come isn’t real,” Spade said, his tone hardening. “In that case, I assume your offer to trade the girl for the knife isn’t real, either, so we have nothing else to say. Hunt me as much as you like.”

  “Wait!” Web shouted, just as Spade was about to snap his mobile shut. “Fine, bring the bounty hunter, too,” Web said, sounding put out. “But only the two of them and the girl, or I’ll think the worst.”

  Web must have a large amount of force at the ready, to agree so readily to both Cat and Crispin coming with him.

  “A driver and Nathanial, too,” Spade stated. “Else how will I know you’ve brought the right knife and not something you picked up at a hunting outfitter?”

  Web let out another low laugh. “Smart and ruthless. We might have a very beneficial partnership ahead of us. Oh, and your driver has to be human. Can’t let you sneak in another strong vampire, can I?”

  Clever bastard. “Until tomorrow night.”

  He clicked the mobile shut, silently looking at the faces around the table. Everyone but Denise had heard the other end of the conversation. Mencheres looked grim.

  “Why would you agree for me not to come, Spade? You know he intends to kill you, and he’ll know if I’m near. Web has spies all over Monaco.”

  Spade stared at Mencheres. Then slowly, his gaze swung to Cat, the former half-breed who was now the only vampire in existence who derived sustenance from drinking nosferatu blood instead of human.

  “Because your power will be there, Mencheres, even if you won’t be.”

  Chapter Thirty-three

  The SUV pulled into Fontvieille harbor, stacks of glamorous hotels behind them and luxury boats in front. The lights along the harbor were dark, however, the only consideration to the many hotel windows that would have a view of the parking lot. Since Denise could hardly see and she was down here, the cloak of darkness would be sufficient for concealing whatever would take place in the next few minutes from any high-rise onlookers.

  Spade glanced back at her from his place in the passenger seat. He said nothing, but his face spoke volumes. Denise forced herself to smile. Spade shouldn’t spend any of his energy worrying about her. He, Bones, and Cat had enough to deal with try
ing to stay alive tonight.

  And once again, she’d be sequestered safely while that was happening. Denise was so sick of being the person her loved ones fought for, instead of facing the danger herself. If she could have traded places with Spade, Cat, or Bones, she would have done it in a heartbeat. But of course, none of them would let her.

  That will change, Denise promised herself. She knew the world she was committing herself to, so she’d learn the best way to live in it. It meant toughening up, but she was ready. In fact, though she hadn’t told Spade, she wasn’t ruling out becoming a vampire one day. Drinking Spade’s blood on a regular basis would be her trial run. She wasn’t the same person she’d been before, willing to wait on the sidelines. Or in the basement.

  But first they all had to survive tonight.

  Denise glanced at Cat. Her friend looked rattled, not that Denise blamed her. All their hopes for victory hinged on an ability Cat didn’t fully know how to operate. Bones and Spade were confident that when the moment came, she would rise to it. Denise both feared and envied Cat for that awesome responsibility. When had Denise ever been the person trusted to lay it all on the line for those depending on her?

  “All right,” Spade said quietly. “Let’s do this.”

  Oliver, the human driver for this event, stayed behind the wheel, keeping the SUV running, but Denise, Spade, Cat, Bones, and Nathanial got out. Denise looked around, not sensing the other vampires that she knew were there. Web’s people. They were probably hidden behind every shadow.

  The spot on Denise’s palm itched even though the small wound healed after Spade rubbed his blood over it. Nothing was visible on the outside, but inside her palm was a minuscule transmitter capsule. Nathanial had one implanted in the same place, too. Just in case we’re separated, so Mencheres can track you, Spade had said.

  Denise knew the harsher reason behind the trans mitter, even though Spade didn’t say it. In case Web wins and the rest of us are killed. Web wouldn’t kill her or Nathanial; they were too valuable. But she and Nathanial were the only ones Web intended to survive this evening.

  She thought she’d throw up.

  Spade’s face cleared of all expression as he took her arm in one hand and Nathanial’s in the other. Her relative hadn’t spoken at all, either on the plane ride to Monaco or the car ride to the harbor. Denise knew Nathanial had been apprised of his role tonight, but she wondered at his silence. Was he afraid of being captured again by Web? She certainly would be, if she were he, though what she intended for Nathanial was so much worse than that…

  Denise reminded herself that she had nothing to do with Nathanial making the bargain with Raum in the first place, but the rationalization felt hollow. She glanced at the tattoos covering the brands on her skin. If only there was another way to remove them.

  Her attention was snapped away from that when Web appeared on the end of a pier. He must have been there the whole time; that was where Spade had been walking, but not until she was on the pier did she notice him. Web’s tousled sandy hair was visible in the darkness, but those scary cobalt eyes were still too shadowed for her to see.

  “Good evening,” Web called out, as if this were a social call. Then he spoke into his phone. “Are we good, Vick?”

  Denise didn’t hear the reply, but when Web’s casual stance relaxed even more, she could guess what it was. Yes, only the six of them had come to Monaco, just as agreed, which must be what Web’s spies relayed to him.

  “Don’t you trust me?” Spade asked, a hint of amusement in his tone.

  Denise didn’t know how Spade could sound so coolly unaffected. She was almost quaking at the circumstances, and she was the safest person on the pier aside from Nathanial.

  “Just being cautious,” Web replied lightly. “You were a bit rude during our last encounter.”

  Spade chuckled at that, letting go of Denise’s arm. “I’m sure you’d have acted the same way, were you me.”

  Now Denise was close enough to see the gleam in Web’s eyes. “Very true.”

  She’d known it, of course, but seeing Web’s eyes flick behind them with false nonchalance hammered home that this was a trap. Web had no intention of letting Spade, Bones, or Cat walk off this pier. Her heart started to beat faster. What if this didn’t work?

  “You see I’ve brought the girl,” Spade said, not looking away from Web. “Now, show me the knife.”

  Web pulled out a thin black case from his jacket, similar to a jewelry box for a bracelet. Denise blinked. Was the knife really that small?

  Web opened the box, revealing a pale blade that was all the same cream-colored substance from sharp tip to thicker etched handle. Demon bone.

  “Slide it over,” Spade commanded. “And then I’ll send you the girl.”

  Web didn’t argue, which made Denise even more nervous. They must really be surrounded for him to feel so confident. He closed the box and then slid it along the pier, watching them with a glinting smile.

  Nathanial went and picked it up, taking the knife out and holding it up in the moonlight. He nodded.

  “This is it.”

  “And now the girl,” Web said silkily.

  Denise cast one last look at Spade before she walked forward, slowly. Web’s eyes slid over her in a way that felt like footsteps on her grave. Package deals. Blood selling. His plans for her would make her life a living hell, if he succeeded tonight.

  Denise was almost within Web’s reach when the smile slipped from his face. A hiss came out of him and his eyes turned green.

  “What is this?” Web grated out. His hand slowly lifted from his side as if being pulled on by a great weight.

  Behind her, Denise heard Cat grunt. She glanced back, seeing Cat’s hands extended outward and green blazing from her eyes.

  “Mencheres sends his regards,” Cat growled.

  “Run!” Spade snapped to Denise, drawing several knives from his sleeves.

  Shouts erupted from the dark, and the empty-looking harbor was suddenly awash with movement. Denise grabbed Nathanial’s arm and they ran down the pier, almost colliding with a vampire who appeared as if out of nowhere. When the vampire went to grab her, though, his reach slowed, like he was moving under water. Before he could touch her, Bones hacked a silver knife through his heart.

  “Go,” Bones ordered.

  Several more vampires tried to stop her, but they swayed almost drunkenly, as if they’d lost coordination in their limbs. She and Nathanial managed to duck under their grasping arms and kept going, toward the parking lot and the SUV.

  “Hurry,” Cat called out, her voice sounding strained. “I can’t hold them much longer.”

  Oliver appeared, running toward them, slashing and hacking with gruesome efficiency at every vampire he came across. With their movements reduced to that of a sluggish human and Oliver hyped up on vampire blood, Web’s people were almost helpless.

  “Quickly,” Oliver said. The three of them ran to the parking lot, jumping into the SUV and speeding off before Denise caught her breath.

  Web struggled to pull out a knife as Spade approached, but he couldn’t move his hands to his jacket in time. By Christ, she did it, Spade thought. Cat hadn’t absorbed Mencheres’s power to immobilize people, or she didn’t have time to learn to wield it like his sire did, but she’d gained enough from drinking Mencheres’s blood to reduce Web and his men to slower than human speed. Thankfully, she’d managed to deflect it away from him, Crispin, Nathanial, Alten, and Denise, which had been their biggest concern. If none of them could move, the power would be useless. But with only Web’s people affected, no matter how many of them there were, they didn’t stand a chance.

  He’d almost feel sorry about killing them when they were so hampered, except for what they’d intended with Denise.

  Spade looked into the Web’s eyes as he held his knife to the other vampire’s chest. And smiled.

  “You will never use her,” Spade said before ramming the knife into Web’s chest. No Kevlar hin
dered its path as it sank to the hilt. Web truly had expected his trap to be sufficient.

  “Don’t,” Web whispered.

  Spade ignored that. With two hard jerks, he twisted the knife, shredding Web’s heart. When he yanked it out, Web was lifeless on the pier, his skin starting to shrivel in the way that all vampires did once they experienced true death.

  Cat was on her knees, her hands extended out, waves of Mencheres’s borrowed power emanating from her to cast a net around the harbor. Her bright green gaze met Spade’s.

  “Hurry. I can’t hold them much longer,” she said.

  Spade looked behind her, seeing Oliver, Denise, and Nathanial jumping into the SUV. Relief coursed through him. Oliver would take them out of the city, where Mencheres and Ian waited on the outskirts. Denise would be safe.

  Spade joined Crispin to move lethally through Web’s people, cutting them down with precise, swift slashes of his blade. He showed no mercy. Each vampire of Web’s was a threat to Denise, if Web had revealed what was in her blood. Nathanial’s words rang in his mind. You don’t know what normally happens when someone pounces on me while I’m asleep…Even the guards, who were forbidden from tasting me, constantly snuck sips. That’s what these vampires would have done to Denise. All of them deserved to die for it.

  With a loud cry, Cat’s power over the vampires snapped. Roars of rage tore through the harbor as Web’s remaining men fought back with all the speed and power of their vampire heritage. Spade’s hands tightened on his knives as he released his own roar of rage into the night.