“There, you see?” One of the men yanked the hood off the smaller man and Rhett sighed.
The wild terror-filled eyes of the female they had captured seemed to settle onto Rhett for a second. She couldn’t see him, where he stood was too dark. The torches three of the men held cast shadows, nothing more.
For a moment, the female struggled and kicked out wildly at a man’s groin. She was successful making the man howl in pain while grabbing his privates. Rhett almost laughed wondering if he’d been hit while he had a hard on. The woman had spirit.
“Ha, I’m guessing Marty goes last.” All the others laughed except the man named Marty who hobbled around the room swearing at the top of his lungs.
“No one goes at all,” the woman screamed.
Again she lashed out but the others were wise to her blows and held her easily. That didn’t stop her from head butting another. Rhett winced when skull crashed into soft face. The man bellowed in rage as blood spurt from his nose.
“Bitch.”
Rhett chuckled. Dinner and a show. The little spitfire wasn’t done. She clamped her teeth onto a small patch of open skin on another man. He had removed his mitts for a better grip and suddenly found his wrist missing a good sized chunk. The little female was pushed to the ground with the largest man on top of her; the man raised his fist to strike. Rhett debated interfering, she was of breeder age. He wouldn’t allow her to be injured. Something on the woman’s face held him back.
The man plunged his fist downward. The female slipped to the side last second and the man’s fist connected with ice. Bones broke and Rhett felt certain satisfaction as the man’s fingers crunched and he screamed as he shook out his hand. At the same time, the woman kicked her feet out and tripped the fourth man onto the ground.
Ballsy little thing.
When the last man standing with no physical harm raised his foot to crush it down onto the female’s neck, Rhett moved in. He had decided who would die first. As the man brought his foot down Rhett leaped at him sending them into an icy wall. The man’s back broke from Rhett’s power. Every vertebra snapped. In seconds Rhett ripped his throat out and gorged. The sweet nectar flowed down his throat. Tender skin tore apart as he bit harder.
The screaming followed from those left, as Rhett knew it would. He let his victim slide down the wall, head wound leaving a trail of blood illuminated by a flickering torch. He had died too fast for Rhett’s liking; he wanted more—now. Rhett turned and knew the whites of his vampire eyes shined bright, turning everything black and white to aid in his focus. A trickle of blood slipped its way down Rhett’s throat in a teasing fashion. Rhett laughed. It was an evil predator warrior laugh that would make goose bumps rise and hair stand on end. The first man to reach an exit from the room was grabbed from behind. Rhett groaned in satisfaction as he sunk his fangs into the side of his throat and sucked him dry.
The man who the female had tripped was on his feet and limping away. Rhett snatched him up and slammed him into the glacier ceiling, pinning his body against him. The warmth of the man mixed with his blood. The man’s terror was so incredibly flavorful. The vein burst as he gulped. Rhett was calming. Blood lust was losing gravity as his feeding frenzy slacked. Rhett dropped the man to the ground, where he bounced on impact.
Looking around, Rhett carefully chose his next victim. The largest man who had smashed the bones in his hand was paralyzed with horror. The one with the broken nose couldn’t see, as his eyes swelled shut. The female was crawling and sliding like a seal towards a dark corner where Rhett could see a smaller exit. He was unconcerned. The female’s heart pounded like a little rabbit running from a wolf. He would hear it for miles. A beacon to his prey.
The man holding his hand screamed when Rhett gripped him by his furs. Rhett could smell the man’s fear. His blood reeked of it. The pulsing pounding of his heart thumped out a staccato of words the man couldn’t form. The heart spoke to Rhett. The harder it hammered, the more words it said. Only a vampire knew a heart could beg for mercy. Rhett didn’t have any.
Rhett smiled at the man before burying his fangs into his throat. He drank leisurely while the man kicked and flailed his arms. The satisfying sounds of his sucking made Rhett feel heady. When through, he was content to let the man slide down his body to the cold floor, instead of simply dropping him.
“What’s going on?” the last man cried out.
The scraping of the man’s fingers against the ice as he pulled his way to the last torch irritated Rhett. As he reached the flame, Rhett went to it and crushed the light out under a booted foot. The man whimpered and struggled to his hands and knees.
“Who’s there?”
“Death.”
Rhett could hear this man’s heart pound louder than the others had. He was whimpering, sobbing, begging. Sated, there was no more need to feed. In a quick motion, Rhett leaned down and snapped the man’s neck. Tavish wouldn’t have allowed any of these men to live if he found out they intended to rape the female. Rape was punishable by death in the coven. Rhett lived by the law.
“Where did you sneak off to, little seal?” Rhett called. He laughed when hearing the pounding of a heartbeat.
The hole she had escaped through was narrow, but Rhett wore no furs. It was a tight fit for his broad chest, but he made it through to the other side. The slick walls wet his t-shirt and black jeans. Icy coldness invaded his lungs to mix with the pungent smell of blood, but Rhett was far from cold. A smaller room with a number of connecting chambers came into view. Rhett cocked his head.
“Eeny, meenie, miny, moe, where did my little female seal go?”
An expelled breath was heard from the third chamber. Rhett moved slowly, enjoying the hunt. He needed no fire to light his way, though; there were tiny cracks above his head to give a small measure of light. The men had been easy, a smorgasbord; this was the best part of a hunt. Who wanted to eat at a table of prepared food when you could first stalk your prey?
The female was huddled near the end of the tunnel, she had boxed herself in and Rhett wondered why. Granted, it was dark; perhaps she had made an error from fear. She shifted as she listened for him and Rhett could make out the sharp wooden stick she held tight to. He wanted to chuckle and tell her it would take more than a splinter to kill a Roman warrior.
“Little seal, little seal, let me in. Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin,” Rhett chanted sinisterly.
The female was obviously of childbearing years, no more than twenty three. Rhett could see youth on her otherwise strained features. She was a lucky little thing. Tavish’s laws were strict. No one was to harm a breeder female. Rhett had no intention of harming her. Terrorizing her was a different story. By rights she was his, he had found her. He doubted he’d keep her, though. Not one more woman in his life would betray him.
Rhett stopped three feet from her. He lounged against the icy wall. “Can you see me now?” he whispered and chuckled, knowing she couldn’t as she cringed and gazed in his direction.
“Get away,” she said, her tone would have been threatening if she hadn’t squeaked mouse-like.
“No.”
“Is the blood of five men not enough? What kind of a monster are you?”
“Well, you’re about to find out.”
Rhett swaggered towards her. He knew the second she saw his white eyes begin to glow. No doubt they exposed for her the view of his generous fangs still covered in blood. Like a flashlight, his eyes would light up sinister facial expressions. His stalk was slow, easy. She shakily rose to her feet. The dagger of death in her hands was gripped hard enough for Rhett to see the whites of her fingertips. Rhett knew she would come at him fast. Humans had a silly way of yelling before they attacked, as if the sound added to their courage. All it did was warn of an impending assault.
The stick came within inches of his left eye as she thrust forward. Rhett was impressed, the female was quick. He held her wrist in a tight grip until she cried out and dropped her meager weapon. Her head cam
e to below his chin at his chest line. Rhett stood almost six foot four, six five in his boots. He enjoyed the way she trembled. Leaning closer he inhaled, wanting the smell of the fear-laced blood to dance across his lungs. Tavish wouldn’t deny Rhett just one little taste of her nectar. Closer he bent as she struggled with her miniscule power.
As his head dipped, Rhett noticed something he hadn’t before, as before his nostrils were filled with the sweetest scent of blood and fear. The woman’s mop of brown stringy hair stunk. In fact, she stunk. Rhett pushed her to arms’ length.
“What the hell, woman? Were you rolling in shit?”
Rhett’s eyes widened as she glared defiantly up at him. “Yes.”
“Gross. That’s fucking disgusting. Forget the stick, you could kill me with your smell.” Rhett shoved her away, releasing her fast, she landed on her ass. “Fuck me, man. Those guys must have been desperate.”
“Now will you go away?”
Rhett thought about it. He could go back to the coven and tell Tavish about her. His coven leader might be a bit peeved with him though if she died from something else before he got to her. Breeder females were valuable, they aided with the blood supply. Rhett studied her for a moment. He was about to reach out and grab her fur when he noted the suspicious dark areas on her parka and leggings might not exactly be different colored fur.
This was a nightmare scenario for a vampire who’s every sense was heightened. Standing in the small cavern which began to overflow with her stench, Rhett was hard-pressed not to gag. He hadn’t barfed in centuries.
What now?
“You are going to bathe little seal, little stinky seal,” Rhett informed her.
“Not likely.” She smugly crossed her arms over her chest. A blob of something fell to the ground.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
As an afterthought, she then uncrossed her arms and played with a small piece of the dark fur. Round and round she twirled her finger into something molded that squished. Rhett felt his hair stand on end. She pulled her little brown finger away. Oh shit, literally oh shit. Rhett was prepared to run screaming like a girl.
“You wouldn’t,” he said trying to sound as menacing as possible.
What the fuck is with this woman?
She began to rise and to his shame he backed up with each step she moved forward. “Tell me.” The little bitch was actually purring. “What kind of a monster are you?”
“I sure as fuck ain’t gonna be the covered-in-shit monster,” he bellowed as she lunged forward.
Oh my fucking god, I’m running from crap.
Rhett took off. He watched her from the ceiling while she preened around looking for him. He ran a quick hand over his face. Blood he could take—obviously, guts, not a problem. But holy hell, any man would understand his position, when Acca was a baby and the crap had oozed up the back of her diaper right to the back of her neck, Rhett had run from the room. At the time, Rhett had no clue something so small could make such a big stink. Thank goodness Cecily had never seen him like that.
There had to be a way to strip this female from her furs and wash her without her freezing to death. There had to be somewhere she made camp. Not everything would be covered in shit. Please not everything. Rhett decided to wait it out. She would have to eat and drink some time.
The female’s heart had calmed with her victory. Something was there that wasn’t before. The woman’s heart must have been hammering too hard for Rhett to hear earlier. Thump, thump…thump, thump, thump… Another heartbeat. Rhett listened. No she wasn’t pregnant. The noise was coming from another direction.
Rhett landed a few paces from the woman. It was his turn to be smug. There was only one reason a woman would behave the way she was.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are, little baby seal.”
The woman screamed as Rhett took off.
Chapter 2
It took Rhett all of three seconds to find his little prey. He could hear the child’s mother screaming for him not to hurt her child. Threats, pleas, sobbing filled his ears. Entering into another small chamber, Rhett could see the meager way the woman lived. There was no food to be seen, no furniture. Only a small place for them to lay their heads, it was pitiful. The minute child was curled into a ball covered in fur near a fire. Thankfully, the child didn’t stink. From the steady even breathing, he surmised the child to be asleep.
Crouching, he bundled the little thing into his arms. It was almost weightless. He was gone from the room in a moment. He’d let the smelly little hellfire of a mother stew for a while. Rhett took the child out into the sunshine. He knew glacier dwellers went out little, females if at all. He wondered if the child had ever felt the sun on its face.
Cradling the child to his chest he was able to hold it in one arm while slipping the hood back. Rhett almost fell to his knees. The girl was six or seven. Dirty long brown hair the same as her mother’s fell across the hood. Her dainty features were beautiful to Rhett. They were the same as Acca’s. Rhett pulled the child closer. He had never in his life hurt any child; it was women who betrayed as they grew older. Acca hadn’t lived past eight.
Cecily had betrayed him; she couldn’t have left fast enough after their daughter died with a man who was beneath her station. Rhett could have forgiven her, until she muttered to the man asking him for a normal child. She was sick to death of being hidden away as though she had committed a crime when the fault had to lay with Rhett. Rhett’s anger had fueled his fury. No child could have been as precious as their little Acca. Sweet pure little doll-like child. Just like the one he held close now.
The girl’s eyes fluttered as the cold wind kissed her warm cheeks. She looked at him disorientated. Her brown eyes filled with an innocent smile. Rhett wondered if she had ever laid eyes on a man.
“My name is Rhett, little one. You are safe with me. Your mommy is a little busy. Did she tell you she would be busy?” The child nodded. “How would you like to go where the sun is warm and you can play all day with other children?”
“Mommy too?”
Rhett felt the tears well in his eyes. The same sweet twittering voice of Acca filled his ears. “Sure. Mommy can come.” Then under his breath, “after she stops smelling.”
“Dooder too?”
“Dooder? What’s a Dooder?”
“My dolly, silly.”
“Of course, Dooder can come. Mommy will bring it with her. What’s your name?”
“Ann.”
“Ann.” Rhett chuckled; he used the same nickname he had for his daughter. “Well little Andra-Ann, who is strong and courageous, let me take you home.”
A child such as Ann couldn’t be compelled. Rhett wasn’t certain why. All children were innocent but the babies and toddlers he had come across could be compelled to sleep when suffering from teething or an injury. He wasn’t going to stash the girl. It would be too dangerous for her. He would let the mother ponder awhile longer than intended. He felt certain nothing could kill an enraged terrified mother on the lookout for her child. Nothing smart enough was brave enough to get close to something that smelt so horrible.
* * * *
Rhett stopped only once while taking Ann to the coven. The child needed to have a drink. They weren’t too far from home and Rhett helped her shed her furs. She had no need of them on this continent. Jungle foliage surrounded them, warmth would bathe her skin. She was a tiny little thing, stick arms and legs as Acca had been, she was either small for her age or not the age he had first surmised. The sun had set while Ann slept in his arms and was now high in the sky. Rhett noted the child slept a great deal. He wondered at malnutrition, most ice dwellers suffered from it.
Ann wanted to touch everything once set loose. Rhett found her fruit which she ate with wide-eyed wonder. He wandered after her unconcerned, enjoying her curiosity. It was as though he were spending time he should have had with Acca. Playing in the sunshine. Instead of brief night visits while the house slumbered. A thought occurred to Rhe
tt. He had found the child and so she was his, which meant he would have to keep the mother. No child was separated from its mother.
For just a second, he had the cruel thought of leaving the mother where she was. Then Ann would be his daughter. A child he could watch grow. Rhett would make her a good father. The woman had left her alone, after all, with men roaming the glacier. The terrified screaming that he had heard from the woman caused him pause. Ann’s mother had been sick with worry. Ann was a wanted child. It wouldn’t be right or responsible to separate them if what Ann needed most was her mother. The idea angered him but it was real.
A butterfly landed on Ann’s forehead, she spun round and round trying to gaze up at it, her eyes skyward, then crossed, never having seen one before. Rhett laughed. Only this laugh was pure enjoyment, not some manifestation of cynicism. Rhett could watch Ann play all day. Each discovery was new to the child.
Tired of her game, Ann walked over to him. She looked shy as she touched his hand. Rhett crouched before her. Spindly arms and legs covered in bruises made Rhett angry. He knew her mother didn’t beat her. He had seen these types of bruises before on the ice dwellers. It was the many falls from the slick ice. Rhett had stripped her to her leather undergarments, a small tank top and breaches to the knee. He studied her black and blue elbows. Her limbs were so tiny in his huge hands, hands made to wield a sword. Acca had fallen a lot. But ice was not to blame; she had been a bit clumsy.
“I need to pee.”
Rhett was surprised then smiled. Like Acca this little Andra-Ann of his knew what she needed when she needed it. He gazed around listening for any dangers. He detected nothing. Rhett reached for her hand and led her to a small bush.
Vampire Coven Book 3: A Vampire's Embrace Page 3
