Walking over to her laptop, Samantha pulled up the ballet website that she and Leisha had designed years ago. She right-clicked on the ballet shoes icon at the very bottom of the page. After entering a password and going through a security questionnaire, Samantha was able to access the secure chat room that Leisha had programmed.
There were no messages waiting in it, so Samantha typed one to the vampire, then logged out and closed the computer. Staring at the wall, she started to chew on one of her fingernails. “She’ll respond soon,” Samantha said to no one in particular. “I’m sure she will.”
“I think it might be best if we stay here for another night,” Nik suggested. “If we hear from Leisha tomorrow, or even the day after, then we’ll know where we could meet her.”
“Sounds good to me,” Samantha said. “I’d love to see some of this country.”
Liam frowned. “You know, we’ve been moving nonstop for so long that I can’t remember where we are.”
Samantha chuckled because she could relate. “We’re in Rome right now.”
“That’s right.” His eyes lit up and he grabbed her hand. “Can we see some of the old sights, from Roman times? I would love to go to at least one or two.”
“We’re not on vacation here,” Nik warned. “We can’t go to tourist spots. It would be too dangerous.”
“What if we go while they’re closed?” Samantha offered.
Shaking his head, Nik looked out the window at the descending sun. “That idea is worse than wearing disguises while going with a tourist group.”
“It wouldn’t be so bad if we had really good disguises.” Samantha sat up straight. “What if I dressed as a man and we pretended to be a gay couple with our adopted son? No one would suspect a thing!”
Nik chuckled until his hazel eyes wandered over her figure. “No one would believe you’re a man for a second.”
Blushing, she looked away.
Clearing his throat, Liam said, “Well, we still need to eat dinner. So how about we just go to a restaurant for now and argue over everything else later?”
They went to a nearby restaurant and Samantha enjoyed pizza with eggplant, zucchini, and tomato for toppings. It was refreshing to eat what she wanted instead of red meat and other iron-rich foods.
When they returned, Liam checked the laptop. “There’s a message from her!” His emerald eyes sparkled in excitement. “She says that she’s with Tafari and Rinwa. They have a safe house, but they’ll have to meet us in northern England because it’s too difficult to find with just directions.”
Samantha sighed. It was good to know her friend was well and in good company. Turning to Nik, she asked, “How soon can we get to England?”
The vampire already had his phone out to check their options. “There’s a commercial flight that leaves at eight-thirty tomorrow night. That’s the soonest one after sunset. We’ll arrive in Liverpool close to one in the morning.”
The trio bided their time until then. Samantha decided to take Liam out while they waited for darkness to settle in the next day.
“I still think this is a bad idea,” Nik said as they got ready to leave for the afternoon.
“We’ll be fine.” She wrapped a scarf over her head and around her neck. “Liam will let me know if there’s any trouble and I’ll be sure to steer us in safe spots with a lot of people.”
Nik helped Liam with his cap and sunglasses before walking with them to the door. “If you’re not back by sunset, I’m coming for you.”
“Don’t worry. I promise to be back by six, okay?” She closed the door on his unhappy expression.
Once on the street, they headed toward the Colosseum. It was chilly and crisp, but the sun shined on them, taking out any bite from the cold. Samantha grabbed a map from a touristy little newsstand and figured the walk wouldn’t take them more than thirty minutes from their hotel.
“I see it!” Liam exclaimed when they were a few blocks away. “It’s so big! Do you think we could get a tour through the underground? I’ve read so much about it, and it’s even more impressive than I imagined.”
Samantha laughed. She’d never seen the boy so animated before and gave him a side hug. “I’ll see if we can get a tour.” Using her limited Italian, she discovered that they could access the underground easily through a flight of stairs, but tours to see the catacombs that day were already booked.
Liam grimaced in disappointment. “Well, at least we can still walk around and see almost everything.”
Ruffling his hair, she smiled down at him. “You’re incredible. I can’t believe how mature you can be at times.”
He shrugged as they followed the crowds of people around the large structure. “There’s only so much time on this earth. Why dwell over something that we can’t change? May as well enjoy what we can.”
Samantha’s brows rose toward her hair. “Are you sure you’re only three?”
Scanning everything he could, Liam responded without looking at her. “I believe I already said something to you about age being relative.” He smirked at her. “Are you sure you’re really twenty? You repeat questions like a three-year-old.”
Samantha snorted a laugh and covered her mouth as they giggled together.
The moment ended and they continued to walk and look at as many of the sights as they could. Samantha was impressed with how big the Colosseum was. The architecture was breathtaking and the smell of old stone made her feel like she was transported back in time. After exploring the underground as thoroughly as they could, they came up the stairs and wandered around above ground. When Samantha’s feet started to ache, they decided to sit on the steps where plenty of other tourists were resting. Samantha bought a couple of blood oranges from a nearby vendor and peeled one for Liam before working on the other for herself. The boy bit into the juicy slice while he seemed to regard her for several seconds before speaking. “Do you remember that story I started telling you when I brought your breakfast? The woman named Iliana?”
She had to strain to hear him over the noise of all the other people around them. “Yes, of course.”
“Would you like to hear more?”
She nodded as she ate a slice of her orange. The juice burst over her tongue.
“This woman married the god before she knew what he really was. They left her village and traveled for some time. After a while, she discovered he was quite the womanizer. Then she noticed more and more about his personality and became frightened for her own safety.”
“You mean he hit her?”
Liam shrugged. “I don’t know. But once he found out she was pregnant, he meant to kill her and the unborn child.”
Samantha’s mouth popped open. “Why would he want to kill his own child?”
“Because the baby would be half god. The god who fathered it broke laws against both of our worlds. He was a force against the nature in this world. But he knew that a child of his in this world was something even he could not condone.”
“So he killed his wife and baby?”
“No, the woman escaped and birthed her child. But he spent all of his time tracking her down.”
Samantha mulled over the information he’d given. “But if you’re not supposed to cross worlds, how did Ptah get through? And how were you born here at all?”
“My situation is a little different from Ptah’s.”
She ate the last slice of her orange and wished she’d bought more, but was too interested in what Liam was telling her to interrupt him. “How so?”
“First, my journey was sanctioned by the guardians.”
Samantha held up a hand. “Wait. Why would they do that? I thought you said that there are set rules and they enforce them or something like that.”
“Yes, it’s true. But my coming here is supposed to help with that.”
Samantha dropped her arm. “How so?”
>
Sighing, the boy rolled his eyes. “We’ll get to that in a minute. One thing at a time.” He sat forward. “So, while the guardians helped me come into this world, they were still bound by the laws of nature. We had to wait for Ptah to die so his demon spirit would no longer reside in this world.”
“So you’re saying that there can only be one spirit from your dimension here at a time?”
“No. If someone from my dimension does not possess a physical body, there can be more than one. But to be from my dimension and have a physical body is different. It requires a certain magic and there can only be room for one of those in this world.”
“So Leisha killed Ptah. Then everyone became human for a while. Was that you or the guardians?”
“Yes.”
Samantha pursed her lips to the side. “But if you could make everyone human again, why couldn’t they just stay that way?”
“Because our magic doesn’t last long in this world. It was just enough time for Leisha to conceive me.”
“So are you one of the guardians?”
Liam smiled softly. “After this, I will be.” He glanced away as if embarrassed. “To be honest, I was one of the lowest demons from my dimension. They asked for a volunteer to come here and make things right. I knew it was the only way I could move up in the world—my world—so I did it.”
Touching his shoulder, Samantha whispered, “I don’t care if you’re from another dimension, or different bloodline; you’re my brother and I hope you never feel like you’re beneath others ever again.”
The boy blinked several times before looking back at her. “Thank you.” He put his hand over hers. “And now, if everything works according to theory, I will be a guardian. It’s a very prestigious position, Samantha. I’ll be happy there.”
“What do you mean, if everything works? You’re here. So what now?”
“Do you remember me telling you that I’ll need to ask you a favor soon?”
Samantha studied his serious expression and noticed his body was held stiff. “Yes. And I told you that I’d do anything for you.”
His shoulders rose a fraction toward his neck. “It’s not easy. Nothing I can do will prepare you, but you’re the key to making this work, to healing both of our worlds.”
Goosebumps broke out over her arms. “What do I need to do?”
Liam blew out a breath and hesitated before answering. “Soon, I’m going to ask you to kill for me.”
Blood drained from her face. Samantha didn’t know what to say. It was clear enough that Liam was very serious. Could I actually do that? Murder someone for a greater cause? Isn’t that how the immortals justify all their actions?
“You will never be like them, Samantha. It’s your integrity and pure heart that makes you the key to doing this.”
Her lips were dry and Samantha had to work up courage to ask the question. “Who am I supposed to kill?”
Shaking his head, Liam touched her hand. “You’re not ready for that yet. But please think on my words. I need you to believe me when I say it’s the only way.”
Samantha’s breath trembled as she continued to stare at him. She loved Liam, even when she had that scary vision of him killing, she fell in love with him as he grew. And she knew that he wasn’t malicious and would never ask something of her that wasn’t important. “I promise I won’t be able to think of anything but this conversation for a while.”
He gave a half smile, then pointed to her phone, which was resting on the cement between them. It was almost six. “We’ll have to continue this at another time.”
Samantha silently cursed herself for not paying attention to the time and they rushed down the stairs to make their way back before Nik flipped out.
As they waited at a crosswalk, the little hairs on the back of Samantha’s neck stiffened. She glanced around, not certain what to look for. She locked gazes with a woman across the street who was going in the opposite direction. Samantha recognized her, but wasn’t sure from where. The light changed for them to cross and she studied the young woman as they passed each other. The other woman sent her a curious glance but continued on. Just as they reached the sidewalk, Samantha realized the woman was a human servant to a vampire—one of the few human servants that had survived when the vampires went on a murderous rampage.
Tension coiled in her shoulders, and Samantha didn’t dare look back. Does she remember me?
Liam grabbed her hand. “She recognizes you, but can’t place from where. I don’t think she’ll make the connection soon.”
She let out a slow breath and relaxed. “If she does figure out who I am, we’ll be long gone by then anyway.” She let the near-incident slide from her mind. “Don’t tell Nik that happened,” she said to Liam. “I’d never live it down if he found out.”
Liam nodded. Moving quickly, they made it back to the hotel about eight minutes after six.
Nik opened the door before she could get her keycard out. “You’re late.” His tone was stern, but she could see relief in his eyes.
“Sorry. Time got away from us, but we’re back and everything went just fine.”
Sighing, the vampire stepped back to let them in. Once the sun was close to setting, they headed to the airport.
The plane touched down in Liverpool right at one o’clock. Nik had already reserved a rental car, and they were on the road within thirty minutes of landing. They headed toward a hotel in Dumfries. It was one Leisha had designated. She and Tafari were to meet them there later in the morning.
The sun wasn’t even close to rising yet, and Nik drove with Samantha in the passenger seat. Liam slept in the back. There was no snow, but a frost blanketed everything in sight.
“I haven’t driven on the left side of the road for years.” Nik commented. “I keep wanting to go onto the other side of the freeway.”
Samantha shrugged. “I’ve been driving on that side for the last six months, so it doesn’t seem so bad to me.” She looked over at him. “Do you want to pull over and let me drive instead?”
“And be completely emasculated by a girl half my size,” he joked. “I don’t think so.”
Chuckling, Samantha parried. “You don’t need me for that. You’re the most effeminate man I’ve met.”
Nik suddenly tossed his head dramatically and batted his lashes at her.
Samantha snorted from laughing so hard. She quickly covered her mouth and tried to pretend she hadn’t done that.
Nik chuckled quietly beside her. “Your face lights up when you laugh,” he said. “I like seeing it. It transforms that sober expression you try to keep in place.”
“I don’t have a sober expression all the time,” she protested. “I’m just passive and ambivalent.”
Huffing, Nik said, “You may think that’s what you’re telling the world, but I can see that you’re somber. I can’t blame you, though. You lost your childhood too early.”
Samantha straightened. “I think I’ve done pretty well considering what I’ve seen.”
“Yes, you most definitely have,” Nik agreed. “What I meant was that I’m sorry you were thrown into our world, and especially at such a young age.”
Deflating under his praise, she glanced out the window into the empty night. So far, she hadn’t seen any other cars on the freeway, and the lighting from the lampposts lining the road gave off an ominous ambience. “You’re too nice to me,” she said softly. There was a long pause. Samantha could feel tension building up in the small space between them.
“Samantha,” Nik started. “I never—”
A jarring crash interrupted him and Nik’s window shattered, spraying slivers of glass everywhere as Samantha was slammed into her door. The car slid to the side of the road and tilted a little before bouncing back down.
For a moment, time seemed like it didn’t exist. There was just a fine mist of dirt slo
wly descending in the dim light outside and Samantha’s heart beating painfully with adrenaline. Cold air seeped into the car, and she felt it go straight to her bones.
Just as suddenly, time came back to its normal pace and she could move. With trembling fingers, Samantha shook glass shards from her hair and tried to see past Nik, who was working to get the engine started again. The vampire glanced out his window, and Samantha could see the car that hit them. It was all the way on the other side of the freeway, which made Samantha realize that they were on the wrong side, facing what would be oncoming traffic if anyone else were driving right then.
Their attacker’s headlights turned on, blinding her. She heard the other vehicle’s engine rev and knew that it was heading toward them again. Chest tight with fear, Samantha glanced back to check on Liam. The boy was sitting, and blinked at her with a calm, enigmatic expression that he tended to have at the oddest times.
Nik quickly pumped the gas pedal and turned the ignition. The car roared back to life and peeled out onto the road again. Samantha’s head flew back into the headrest, her neck muscles straining against the whiplash.
Within seconds, the car that hit them and another vehicle caught up to them and drove parallel on either side of Nik’s rental. The cars moved in simultaneously and squeezed into the rental, preventing Nik from maneuvering away. Metal crunched and screeched.
Two of the passengers from each side were climbing out the side windows and crawling over the roof to their car. It looked like they were trying to board them while speeding down the freeway.
“Vampires,” Liam said.
Nik tried to slam on the brakes, but since they were so tightly wedged, the car didn’t even slow down. Sparks erupted by Samantha’s door, and then the side panel stared to dent inward. The stench of burning rubber and smoke assailed her nostrils.
A blonde woman dropped onto their hood from the car closest to Samantha, slamming her fist through the windshield. A burst of glass sprayed both passengers in the front and left a large hole where the vampire’s fist went through. The woman grabbed Samantha by the front of her shirt and Samantha screamed. Her seatbelt kept her from being flung through the windshield but it felt like she’d have a bruise over her torso for weeks.
Deliverance Page 8
