by Tina Donahue
Pressing her cheek against Nikoli’s shoulder, Regina fought to remain calm, to reason, not to react. In a whisper, she said, “They’re here.”
He didn’t comment. Through his sweater, she felt the fierce beating of his heart. She sensed his doubt.
“Nikoli, don’t,” she cried, grabbing his arm.
He wasn’t having it. Tightening his grip on her wrist, he removed her hand from himself, then bent down and whispered, “Go into the bathroom. Lock the door. Don’t listen to whatever Sazaar says. Don’t come out until day—”
“No.” She twisted free of his grip and edged away to the fireplace, her attention moving back to the ceiling.
Regina focused on the sounds, what seemed to be faint clicking noises. The bats landing on the roof? Their tiny claws trying to tear through the shingles?
“Let us in.”
“Regina.” Hands on her shoulders, Nikoli pulled her back.
Again, she wrenched free. Not only to stand at his side and fight with him, but because Sazaar’s entreaty drew her, enticing Regina with its alluring silkiness, its underlying comfort. No different than a mother’s soothing words to her child that everything would be all right, the father she loved still adored her, and someday she’d see him again; they’d all be a family.
“We’ll take care of you,” Sazaar’s words promised. “With us, you’ll never be alone.”
As she would be without Nikoli. As she had been before meeting him. Images flashed in Regina’s mind of her mother’s last hours, holding the woman’s limp hand after she passed, kissing her papery cheek, smoothing her wispy hair. Grieving not only for an end to the woman’s life, but for her own loss and loneliness.
She swallowed at the memory and spoke before she knew she would. “I couldn’t stand to go back to the way things were.” To wake up each morning alone, this time without Nikoli’s caress, the hope and peace she found in his presence. “Not again.”
Nikoli pulled her back forcefully. “Whatever she’s saying to you, Regina, she lies. Go into the bathroom.”
“We love you, Regina.”
She bit her lip.
“We’ll be your mother and father. We’ll be all that you need, along with Nikoli.”
“Now,” he snapped.
“He’ll come with us too.”
Yes. They’d all be together. They’d—
He swung her around to face him. Regina saw his terror and his love. It broke Sazaar’s unearthly hold on her.
“Lock yourself in the bathroom,” he said. “I can handle them.”
“No. I won’t leave you.”
“Regina, Regina, Regina, Regina, Regina, Regina, Regina, Regina…”
Her hands flew to her ears to quiet the echoing enticement. It continued, hounding her. Battling temptation, forcing herself to reason, Regina backed away from Nikoli, toward the dresser where he’d left the device. With it, she could open a portal, luring the vampires inside the void between the dimensions, away from Nikoli, keeping him—
Her thoughts stalled. She whirled around as Nikoli shot past her, grabbing the instrument. He bent his head to it, then glanced up suddenly, this time seeming to hear what she still did.
“Let us in, Regina. Let us innnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.”
She ran to Nikoli, grunting in frustration as he held the device out of her reach. With his free hand on her upper arm, he yanked her toward the bath. Regina’s foot caught on the area rug. Mouth open on a gasp, she stumbled, knocking Nikoli into one of the chairs. Its legs skidded across the hardwood floor. His hand fell from her to grab it for support.
Seizing the opportunity, she snatched the instrument from him, then backed up quickly.
He growled, “Save yourself.”
“Never. Not without you.” She pointed the device at the wall where he had watched her for weeks. Thumb poised over its screen as his had been, recalling what he’d told her about opening a gateway, she shouted, “Come in!”
The clicking and whapping stopped. Abruptly, a dog’s howl cut off. And then the wind quieted. Regina heard only the rush of blood in her ears and Nikoli’s strained breaths.
He lunged at her, sending the chair smacking against the window.
Regina spun away, the instrument cradled to her chest, keeping him from taking it, from dying to protect her.
Behind him, the last of a log popped, sending a spray of sparks shooting upward. Regina’s pulse pounded. She stared at a stream of soot falling from the chimney, dousing the bright beads of light. Hearing the faint sounds too, Nikoli snapped his head to the side.
More soot poured from the flue, releasing a cloud of dark gray dust.
It burned Regina’s throat, making her cough. It stung her eyes. Blinking quickly, her attention riveted to the fireplace, she lifted the device, pointing it at the wall. Her arm shook so badly, she had to steady it with her free hand.
Turned to the fireplace, Nikoli backed away from it and into Regina, shielding her with his body. She edged to the side so the vampires would see her too, seeking her instead of him. Anticipating her movement, Nikoli blocked her. She stepped to the other side. Again, he stopped her.
Damn! She couldn’t let him come to harm. With all of her strength, Regina shoved her shoulder into his back. Nikoli turned quickly, his bulk sending her reeling backward into the wall. Her hip and arm hit it with a solid whack.
A torrent of ash spewed on the center of the fire, leaving only the far corners burning—enough to eat away the shadows and reveal the coming horror. The first bat flew from the chimney, hovering above the embers, its eyes glowing red in the darkness, its mouth opened on a silent cry, its fangs prominent.
Once more, Nikoli stepped back, his length protecting Regina, hiding her from their attackers. Grunting with the effort, she shoved her body into his, desperate to keep him safe. He wouldn’t allow it. Feet planted widely apart, he braced himself against her assault.
She started at a sharp slapping sound. Quickly, others joined it. With her shoulder, she pushed hard enough against Nikoli so she could lean to the left and peer past his arm.
In front of the hearth, numerous bats hovered, their wings obstructing Regina’s view of the photos, their crimson eyes bright pinpoints in the dim light. More creatures descended from the chimney, joining the others. With the last inside, they rose to the ceiling as one, covering it like a writhing, living shroud.
“Soon you’ll know the ecstasy we do,” Sazaar murmured, her tone coaxing, taunting.
Regina’s stomach rolled. She felt Nikoli’s back and thighs tense. The bats spread out over the ceiling, into every corner…in front, to each side and behind, leaving her no protection from them, despite what Nikoli had planned. Quickly, he turned around, pushing Regina down, draping his body over hers.
Too late.
In a flurry of movement, bats dropped from the ceiling, while others scurried down the walls, all of them taking human form. There were so many, they left only a small circle of emptiness surrounding Regina and Nikoli.
No! her mind screamed. This couldn’t be happening. There had to be a way out. A chance for her and Nikoli to escape.
Several of the young men grabbed his arms, hauling him back.
Regina shouted, “Nikoli!” Reaching for him, she dropped the instrument.
As it fell to the rug, Andris grabbed her.
“Let her go!” Nikoli yelled. Shoulders bunched, he yanked his arms, unable to free himself of his captors. Still, he tried, shouting to be heard above their hissing sounds, “Leave her here unharmed and I’ll open a portal to E2! I’ll invite you inside!”
With his forearm to her throat, Andris pulled Regina away from Nikoli. To the side, Sazaar stood, her attention on Andris.
He ran his long thumbnail down Regina’s cheek. Sickened, she jerked her head from him. He chuckled, lowering his nail to her neck, resting his fingertips on her pounding pulse. “You’ll open the gateway, Nikoli. You’ll invite us in. And I’ll also feed on your woman.” He pressed his lip
s to her neck.
She shivered at his clammy flesh.
“Leave her!” Nikoli shouted. “Take me.”
“No,” Regina begged.
“Quiet,” Andris ordered, “I’m going to feed on you both. Nikoli will die quickly, of course. However, for you…” He lowered his hand from Regina’s throat, covering her breast.
She shuddered.
Laughing softly, he drew his thumb over her nipple and settled his cold cheek on hers. “For you, I have other plans. I’ll feed on you slowly, drawing it out so you know how much you please me.” He moved his hand to her other breast, fondling it.
A cry of fury tore from Nikoli. Again, he struggled to get free. The vampire on his right opened his mouth, baring his fangs.
Regina shouted, “No, don’t!”
Andris yanked her back into him, her shoulder hitting his.
“I’ll do whatever you say,” she told him, “just don’t let them harm Nikoli.”
“Harm?” Andris asked, his foul breath skipping over her cheek. “They’re simply playing with him. They know he’s mine. As are you.” He spoke quietly, as though he wanted no one else to hear. “After I turn you, I’ll enjoy you every—”
“Andris,” Sazaar interrupted.
For a long moment, he didn’t respond. Regina froze as she awaited the worst, feeling it in the way he bristled.
Slowly, Andris lifted his face.
Sazaar drifted forward, reducing the small space that separated them, her feet not touching the floor. Regina saw the young woman’s anger, along with unbearable pain, the same she’d shown each time she came for her appointments. What seemed to be years before, rather than only a day.
“She serves no purpose on E2,” Sazaar said. “Nor does Nikoli.” Bending down, she lifted the device from the floor. “With this, I can open the gateway into our home. There, you and I can rule.”
Andris regarded the instrument even as his fingers played with Regina’s nipple.
Fighting revulsion, she forced herself to remain still, to give the creature what it wanted.
Sazaar’s brows drew together in a frown. “You’ll have your pick of those on the other side, their rich, thick blood to fill your belly.” Drifting closer, she murmured, “With Nikoli’s invitation, we can enter the void between dimensions so it no longer burns and destroys. As a newly turned, I can still withstand E2’s atmosphere long enough to change it, to allow you and the others inside.” She made a sweeping gesture that included all in the room, including the ponytailed barista and her friend.
Regina stared at the young women’s pale skin, their predatory expressions.
Sazaar continued. “We need Nikoli for no more than a few moments. We don’t need Regina at all. Come.” She extended her free hand to Andris. “We must go.”
“To our new home?” he asked, sounding innocent and curious.
“Our kingdom.” She smiled.
He released Regina. Stunned, she edged away from him toward Nikoli. Andris didn’t appear to notice. A thread of hope cut through Regina’s fear. Was he only going to use Nikoli to get past the void? Was Andris’s desire to return to E2 so great, she and Nikoli no longer mattered?
Andris extended his hand to Sazaar. With no hesitation, she reached for it. Their fingertips touched. Rapture filled her beautiful face.
The vampires stopped hissing. No one moved.
Expectation bristled in the room. Why? Regina glanced from face to face. All of the creatures stared at Andris. He regarded Sazaar as a scientist might contemplate a specimen in the lab.
And then he struck, drawing back his hand, swinging it at her face, his claws lacerating the length of her cheek.
Sazaar’s head snapped back with the blow.
Regina gasped at the gaping wounds, the lack of blood. Hand flying to her face, Sazaar stared at Andris in surprise. Beneath it, Regina saw the young woman’s rage and finally her desperation.
“We don’t need her!” she cried.
“I want her,” Andris said, his manner no different than a petulant toddler or a bullying teen. His hand shot out, his fingers circling Regina’s wrist, hauling her back to him. “I’m bringing them both to E2, her and Nikoli. He’ll watch while I turn her. She’ll watch as I kill him. I’ll give her the last of his blood.”
The room lurched. Regina’s knees buckled.
Andris pulled her into him, using his body to support her weight. In a corner of her mind that still functioned rationally, Regina heard Nikoli’s pants quieting, his futile attempts to free himself finally at an end.
Had he given up? Had he accepted their fate?
Inching closer, Sazaar begged, “Andris, please, say that you want me too.”
“You expect me to lie?” he asked, the brutality of his words ringing through the room. “Never did I want you. Not from the moment you first crossed over. Not now. Not tomorrow or the next day or the next.”
“Don’t say that,” she cried.
He laughed.
Sazaar continued to plead.
Regina focused on Nikoli. He seemed at peace, not defeated. Why?
And then, she knew, her mind snagging on something he’d said this morning when they’d been in the inventor’s house.
“I left my father a message about crossing over to this dimension and my plans to destroy the vampires. This evening, he will have read my communication and taken action.”
“They’ll make certain no one will be able to enter.”
He knew what Sazaar did not. Once in the void, she and the others would have no place to go, unless they returned to this side.
An outcome Regina intended to stop at all cost without putting Nikoli at risk. When the vampires were inside the void, she’d get Nikoli back through the gateway first, shoving him through it if need be, then grab the device from Sazaar and close the portal before any of the creatures could react.
A hopeless plan, perhaps, but it was all Regina had.
Andris squeezed her wrist. With her fear receding beneath conviction, Regina glanced down at his bony fingers, barely aware of the pain they caused. Looking up, she saw Sazaar’s wounds had healed. Her cheek bore no scars. Her eyes, though…
The anguish they’d revealed just seconds ago had disappeared. In its place, Regina saw the numbing effects of shock. Of one’s world spiraling out of control. Of loss so great nothing mattered any longer.
“Open the portal,” Andris ordered.
Mechanically, Sazaar lifted the device, running her thumb over its screen. Symbols blinked on the display. A rush of cold air, familiar now to Regina, swept across the room…stronger than when Nikoli had opened the gateways.
Unlike those times, the wall near her bed didn’t retain its shape, appearing to be solid. It shimmered. Artwork, plasterboard, beams, nails seemed to liquefy as they became transparent, revealing the void. Its intense brightness spilled into the room. The creatures hissed in what sounded like awe and fear, backing away so the light wouldn’t touch them.
“Bring Nikoli forward,” Andris said.
Two of the largest vampires flanked Nikoli. With their brutal grips, they escorted him past the others, stopping just short of their leader and the light beyond.
Smiling, Andris addressed Nikoli. “Enter the void. Invite us in.” Slinging his forearm around Regina’s throat, he placed his other hand on the side of her head. “Or I’ll break her neck.” He tightened his arm, his fingers digging into her scalp.
Regina froze. With one forceful twist, he could easily sever her spine.
Color drained from Nikoli’s face, turning his rich skin a chalky color, matching that of their captors. Within the last few seconds, he seemed to have aged a decade, the lines around his mouth and at the corners of his eyes more pronounced.
However, when he spoke, he betrayed none of his feelings. “I’ll give you whatever you demand. I won’t do anything to bring her to harm.”
“It’s the truth,” Sazaar said listlessly. “He loves the woman.”
“That remains to be seen,” Andris said. His body tensed against Regina’s. He growled, “Make one mistake, and you won’t have the pleasure of seeing me turn her. I’ll drop her lifeless body at your feet before I kill you.”
Nikoli regarded Andris with fathomless hate that he replaced quickly with apathy. “I won’t make any mistakes.”
Andris lifted his chin in a gesture for his followers to release Nikoli. Freed, he went to the portal and slipped inside.
The vampires stirred, excitement, anticipation, rippling through their ranks. Regina watched the void’s cold wind whipping Nikoli’s hair and clothing. He turned to face the room, regarding Andris, Sazaar and all of the rest but not her.
I love you, her thoughts whispered to him, Somehow, you’ll be safe. I will not allow you to die.
For a moment, his features relaxed, as though he’d heard.
Andris’s arm tightened around her neck. He gripped her skull. “Say it!” he shouted to Nikoli.
Inhaling deeply, Nikoli spoke on a ragged sigh, his mouth moving soundlessly, his words reaching Regina’s mind.
“Come in.”
Chapter Sixteen
The vampires reacted like the abominations they were, their mouths stretched open, fangs bared, saliva dripping from the needlelike points. Those behind Andris and Sazaar pressed forward in their haste to get to the portal, to cross over into E2.
Watching the chaos, Nikoli avoided looking at Regina, concerned as to what her terror would do to him.
“Your mind is your salvation,” his father had said shortly after Nikoli’s mother had died. “It can deliver you from pain. It can bring you peace.”
It alone could save Regina.
Reason, don’t feel, he ordered himself. Reason.
With the detachment of the scientist he’d been only the day before, Nikoli regarded Andris. The vampire turned to those behind him, hissing and spitting like a feral cat, his fangs deadly, cautioning the others to hold back.
The ponytailed barista didn’t heed his warning. Shouldering her way through the crowd, drawn to the void as some insects are to light, she slipped past Sazaar but not Andris.
Releasing Regina’s head, he flung out his arm, his hand cupping the barista’s scalp. The girl screamed shrilly, like a creature from hell, her eyes rolling up. With little effort, Andris crushed her skull. The sound of her pulverized bones echoed through the room. Still holding on to Regina with his other arm, he slung the barista into the void.
