Bloodstorm (Heart of a Vampire)

by Amber Kallyn

  “Thank you,” Shane said, but his senses claimed he was alone.

  As he pulled his hands to his lap, Shane’s left arm screamed in agony, his shoulder throbbed. His wrist was broken, the shoulder out of joint. Biting his lip, he set the injured arm on his leg.

  As the last of the numbness faded, the pain screamed shrilly in his head, blocking out rational thought. He wouldn’t be able to get out of the magic containing him soon enough with this mind-numbing distraction.

  The only thing keeping him together was the image of Niki.

  She was facing Thomas. Shane had to save her, from the Master, and herself.

  He grabbed his side, palm on the grizzly bear tattoo, and pushed his last remaining strength into the ink. A roar built inside him and burst from his throat, echoing through the room. The noises around him, dim already, faded into nothing. Heat spread over his arm and shoulder, bringing the numbness back. This time, it was warm. He grew lightheaded as the power of the bear healed him.

  Then it faded as if it’d never been there.

  Shane thanked the great spirit of brother bear. Rolling onto his stomach, he sprawled on the floor, gasping through the nausea.

  Niki.

  Had to get to her.

  Slowly, Shane pushed to his knees and looked at the blackness surrounding him. He gathered the little bit of power still inside him and threw it at the dark magic.

  Nothing happened.

  ***

  More lights automatically flashed on as Niki headed down yet another cavernous tunnel. She was no longer in a basement beneath the pharmacy. It was as if the entire town stood on top of a vast cave system.

  And she was sure she kept going in circles.

  She’d only met two vampires and one wolf, so far. Those three were now trussed up and left behind.

  She reached a small, circular cave, with tunnels leading in five different directions. She stopped in the center, trying to figure out which way to go.

  Screams came from all directions as vampires and wolves flowed out, surrounding her. Niki fought with blades, fangs and claws.

  Blood and fur filled the air.

  She slashed with dagger and sword, taking blows. Teeth bit into her wrists and legs. Claws gouged her skin.

  Refusing to give up, Niki fought harder. Bodies fell, but more came. She slammed her sword into another vampire, then another. A cry came from behind her, but she couldn’t turn in time.

  An iron-spiked fist slammed into the back of her neck and she fell. Then they were on her, ripping her weapons away.

  Drenched in blood, Niki stared up into a sea of faces. A wolf in human form grabbed her arms and jerked them behind her back, holding them an inch from breaking, as a vampire took the medical tape and bound her wrists together.

  “Come with us before we hurt you more.” The musical voice contradicted the sight of a small girl, only twelve or so, bringing blood drenched fingers to her lips and licking them clean. “The Master wants that pleasure for himself.”

  Hands yanked her up and pushed her in the direction of the far right tunnel. She stumbled over the bodies on the floor. As she walked into the darkness, she kicked at the rocky wall. More hands pushed her. A wolf growled. Niki hid a grin as she continued on. She didn’t know how, but they hadn’t found one of the daggers hidden in her boot. The blade Shane had given her.

  As they continued to march her down the endless tunnel, weakness began to drag at her. She’d lost a lot of blood and it was starting to catch up. She bit her tongue. Niki would be damned if she’d stop now, when she was so close.

  They finally came to the end of the tunnel, and a door. The little girl opened it, pushing Niki into a receiving chamber. She stumbled and fell to her knees. The door closed, leaving Niki alone with the girl, another burly male vampire, and a wolf with ice-blue eyes flashing hungrily.

  The room had been decorated in old-world opulence, with red velvet curtains hiding the walls. Two Victorian-era chairs faced each other over a cherry-wood table. And on the far side, a closed black door stood sentry with two people chained to the wall on either side.

  On the left, a young woman, her short blonde hair streaked with hot pink, listed against the wall, held upright by chains. The kid, Robby, had mentioned a woman with pink hair tending him. He hadn’t known if she was a prisoner, but if the state of things in this room was true, the woman wasn’t there by choice.

  She moaned, throwing her head back, and Niki saw the punctures on her neck. So, Thomas had his own little buffet.

  The man beside her didn’t move. Niki wasn’t sure he was even breathing. On the right of the door, two more men slumped unconscious in their chains.

  The black door creaked open. The vampires behind Niki grabbed her arms and drew her to her feet, then hustled her into the next room. This, too was decorated like the sitting room. But a bed took up most of the area, covered a red and black mosaic blanket. Niki gritted her teeth at the thought how the color would be good at hiding bloodstains.

  Thomas sat in a regal chair to the left of the room in front of a roaring fire, watching dispassionately as she was pushed to her knees before him. Hands forced her into a bow.

  Her forehead touched Thomas’ feet. After a long, drawn minute, the hands disappeared. She struggled to sit up.

  Thomas reached out and traced his fingers down her jaw. “Hello, Dear.”

  She fell back from his cold touch. “Where’s the sheriff?”

  He raised a brow, waving for the others to leave. The door slammed shut with a finality that wanted to steal her hope. She refused it, though the weakness creeping through her made her thoughts fuzzy. Blood continued to ooze from the cuts and bites covering her trembling limbs.

  “I thought taking the Keeper might get you here. Did you like my little magic show? Heard you bumbled right through it.”

  The dig couldn’t even raise her ire. “Where is he?”

  “Maybe I ate him.”

  “You wouldn’t dare, bastard.”

  His eyes reddened and his fangs pushed his lips apart. “Watch your tongue.”

  “Why should I?”

  Thomas snapped his fingers and pain shot into her temples. She gasped, biting her lip to keep from crying out.

  Jumping to his feet, Thomas strode around Niki. “Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me lately?”

  “A lot, I hope.” Her voice was a mere whisper.

  He faced her once more. “Yes. I’d heard you’ve turned into quite a smart ass since turning. Wonders never cease. You used to be so weak. It was really quite pathetic.”

  She said nothing, ignored his barbs.

  “Well,” he said, taking his seat once more. “You’ve at least kept things lively on occasion these last couple centuries. Unfortunately for you, I have no more time for your games of cat and mouse.”

  “Games?” she rasped. She’d been hunting him for over two hundred years, her very purpose to destroy him, and he saw it all as a game?

  “You didn’t truly believe you could ever best me?” He laughed. “Come, my dear. Even you can’t be that naive.”

  Niki tugged at the ungiving tape on her wrists. Not such a brilliant idea now that she was the one trussed up. She sat back on her heels, and met Thomas’ blood-red gaze, moving her hands slowly as to not catch his notice. She slipped her fingers inside of her boot, wiggling them until she touched the hilt of her lone remaining knife.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Something finally pulsed along Shane’s magic. The opening. He surged power into the hollow and the circle around him cracked. With a wet, ripping sound, the darkness disappeared.

  He sat in a cave.

  The walls were covered in chains, about ten of them holding prisoners. And on the far side, silver bars caged another three, only one in their wolf form. The other two, a young girl and boy, stared at him.

  The girl smiled. “I knew you could do it.”

  Shane closed his eyes, drawing in the earth magic now whispering to hi
m.

  “He passed out,” the boy said.

  “No,” the girl chided. “He’s getting ready.”

  Power and strength flowed into his body. He opened his eyes, then stood.

  “There are guards everywhere,” the girl whispered. “Be careful.”

  “I’ll be back for you,” Shane told her.

  She nodded, but the boy turned to face the back wall, his shoulders slumped.

  The pitiful sight of the kids, one with no hope remaining, the other, eyes shining with her belief Shane would rescue them, hit him hard.

  He wouldn’t let them down.

  But first, he had to get to Niki.

  Shane continued building his power as he moved out of the prison into a long, dark tunnel.

  ***

  Niki dug in her boot harder, and finally managed to get the dagger out. She palmed it, pressing the blade against the tape around her wrists.

  Her bones howled in pain at the strange angle, but she sawed back and forth, feeling her bonds loosen.

  The door behind her opened and the little girl came in, carrying the woman with pink hair.

  “Ah,” Thomas said, hands on his rounded stomach. “Dinner.”

  Niki drew back as much as she could as the child draped the woman on Thomas’ lap. His gaze struck Niki. He stared at her as he sank his teeth into the woman’s unprotected throat. Pink-hair jerked, moaning. Her hands fluttered up, slapping at Thomas’ head, but she was weak and he paid her struggles no heed.

  The woman’s green-blue eyes opened and she met Niki’s gaze. Niki stared into endless depths, caught in something she didn’t understand. Outside in the receiving room, a man screamed. Niki broke from the woman’s captivating gaze and ripped the blade through the tape. Free, she crawled forward, getting closer to Thomas.

  She glanced at Pink-hair, then quickly away as the woman’s strange magic tried to suck her under again.

  Outside, more shouts and screams rose. Something crashed against the door and the sounds of fighting grew closer.

  Thomas rose, letting the woman fall to the floor. He started for the door.

  Niki pushed to her feet and stumbled toward him. She wrapped her arms around Thomas’ throat, letting her blade lay on his unprotected neck.

  “Ah, my dear. How trite.”

  “You’re going to die for what you did to my family,” she rasped hoarsely.

  He laughed, the sound a rumble beneath her hands. “And what did I do to them? Hmm? Ended their pitiful short mortal lives a few years early? So what?”

  She dug the blade against his skin.

  Thomas hissed, flinging her against a rocky wall. Pain exploded in her body, singing down her arms and legs. She crumpled to the ground like a rag doll, urging herself to move. Her body wouldn’t respond.

  Behind Thomas, the door crashed open.

  Shane stood in the broken doorway, his golden eyes ablaze as he took in everything. “Thomas Montgomery. You are under arrest by power of the Keeper.”

  Thomas threw his head back and croaked out a laugh. “Of course.”

  He raised his hands, and Shane flew backwards out of the room.

  In front of Niki, wisps rose from the floor. She stared at her family, feeling their pain, drawing strength from their presence. “I will kill him for you.”

  The woman with pink hair crawled into Niki’s sight. “Take what you need.” She pressed her throat to Niki’s mouth.

  Instinct took over and Niki bit down, strength flowing into her on the woman’s warm blood. Seconds or hours passed, she wasn’t sure. The woman’s blood was sweet and powerful, not quite like Shane’s, but not ordinary human.

  Power filled Niki with each deep drink. Tiredness was shoved away, leaving her fury burning hot. The woman cried out. Niki pulled back, staring at the pulsing beat at Pink-hair’s throat. It enticed, called her to take more.

  The woman moaned, rolling onto her back. “Kill him.”

  Niki dug deep, finding the will to pull away from this addictive, intoxicating woman. She pushed to her feet, then swayed, feeling drunk.

  Somewhere, seemingly far away, Shane yelled. Thomas laughed.

  Niki’s gaze locked on Thomas. He fought Shane in the outer chamber, sparks lighting the air as magic crashed. The fire roared, flames shooting through the air at Shane.

  Energy continued to build inside her, but not fast enough. Had to get to him.

  Would be too late.

  Her heart beat heavy, her breath came in gasps as the sight froze in her mind. She refused to let Shane die.

  Niki grabbed the special dagger he’d given her from the floor near her feet and raced from the bedroom, staring at the pulse on Thomas’ throat.

  Cut him. Stop him from harming anyone else she... cared for.

  Shane brought up his hands and the flames stopped as if hitting a shield. He shouted from the effort, and Niki heard pain in the sound.

  Red washed through her vision. She narrowed in on Thomas, launching through the room and jumping at his back.

  She drove the tip of the knife into the side of his throat.

  Blood gushed from the wound as he bucked, trying to get her off. Niki pulled back, then plunged the knife into his neck once more.

  Already, the first wound was healing in front of her eyes.

  “No!” she screamed, trying to cut deeper.

  Shane barreled into them. Hands grabbed Niki’s aching wrists and pulled her away.

  She stared blankly at Shane as he pried the dagger from her fist. “Why?” she whispered, unable to comprehend anything through the fog of fury in her mind.

  He shook her. “I will not allow you to die.”

  Before she could move, he faced Thomas.

  “Do you yield?” Shane demanded.

  Thomas raised his hands to use his magic. Niki blinked as power blasted into the room. Shane grasped Thomas’ dark hair and swung the blade at his neck.

  The vampire let out one short cry as the boundless power exploded and the dagger slid through his throat, decapitating him.

  Shane dropped the knife and pulled Niki to his side as Thomas’ body disintegrated to ash.

  “He’s dead.” She couldn’t quite believe it.

  The ghosts of her family wavered. Niki stepped towards them, hands out. Her mother smiled, and Niki’s eyes burned at the bright, joyous sight. Then, as one, they all floated up, disappearing into the rock ceiling.

  She wobbled, about to fall, but Shane grabbed her and pulled her to his chest. He buried his head in her neck.

  ***

  Niki woke once again in the white room. Shane’s grandmother bustled in with a tray and held a cup to her lips. She drank the blood and herbs, feeling stronger with each swallow.

  “How long?” Niki whispered through her sore throat.

  “Three days,” Morning Dove replied, brushing hair from Niki’s forehead.

  Impossible. “What?”

  “Yes. Days.”

  “How?”

  “You needed much healing.”

  Niki looked down at the nightgown, but even as she moved, she realized the pain wasn’t horrible. “I didn’t... hurt anyone, did I?”

  “No.” Morning Dove’s black eyes flashed. “The young man Jordan brought what you needed.”

  Niki grinned at the King being called a young man. Then she realized the repercussions. “Is he still here?”

  From the door, Shane spoke. “Jordan told me to assure you there is no obligation.”

  She drank in the sight of him standing there, alive and unharmed. “Thomas is dead, right?”

  “Yes.”

  Morning Dove rose and quietly left the room, patting Shane’s shoulder as she walked by. Shane stayed in the doorway.

  Niki tried to swallow past her dry throat. “And the others in the cave?”

  “Free. Between the Council and Jordan, we’re getting them the help they need.”

  Niki nodded, trying to figure things out. Shane hadn’t let her kill Thomas, he�
�d done it himself. Which meant the Council would not be coming for her.

  She didn’t have a clue what to think of that.

  Niki glanced at Shane. His eyes were dark, full of emotion she couldn’t name. Circles lay heavy beneath them and he seemed drawn, as if he hadn’t been sleeping.

  “Why...” She swallowed, then grabbed the courage to push on. “Why did you kill Thomas rather than letting me do it?”

  His lips thinned and he shrugged.

  Ignoring the pain, she pushed up, leaning against the headboard. “Why?”

  “I told you, I wouldn’t let you die.”

  And now she wouldn’t. She almost felt giddy at the knowledge she didn’t need to run. She was free, but Niki didn’t know what that meant.

  Maybe... maybe she could think about the future now. Warmth blossomed in her chest for this man. She looked back at Shane, but he was gone. Niki thought about what he’d said to his sister and realized how stupid she was to hope. He didn’t want her, would never trust her. There was nothing for her here.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Shane couldn’t stop thinking of Niki, lying in that wide bed, seeming so fragile even though her strength rivaled his own. But, before he could claim her as his heart desired, he had something to do.

  He pounded on Glory’s front door, waiting for his little sister to answer. The slide of the peep-hole seemed to drag on forever, as did the time it took for the door to creak open.

  His sister scowled at him. “Go away.”

  He shook his head. Not until he finished what he’d come to do. “I was an... idiot.”

  “More like an asshole,” his baby sister replied.

  He cringed at her words, but didn’t deny them as an image Niki filled his head. “Yes,” was his simple reply. “Love happens where it happens.”

  His sister raised a brow, her dark eyes blazing. “Change of heart ‘cause you fell in love with a vampire?”

  “Perhaps.”

  Glory grasped his hand, and led him into the living room. Blake, her boyfriend shifter, sat on the long purple couch, trembling at the sight of Shane. Glory smiled at him, and in her face, Shane read the emotions he himself felt so deeply for Niki.