Theodore speaks as though he’s a presenter on the Shopping Channel describing the latest design in electric toothbrushes. A heavy sweat breaks out on my skin and I feel myself beginning to hyperventilate.
“I’ve rigged several of these bombs in a number of locations around your club, Mr Cristescu, and oh look,” he stops and presses a button on his remote, “I’ve just activated them.”
A clock in the centre of the ceiling that I hadn’t noticed before lights up and begins ticking down from fifteen minutes. A number of vampires advance on Theodore but he holds his hands up to them.
“Now, now, don’t be so hasty. I can deactivate them just as easily, but the deactivation requires a spell that only I know how to cast. Also, if you kill me now the bombs will instantly go off, so hold your horses and hear me out.” A titter of a laugh escapes him before he continues. “All I want is for you to play my little party game.”
Ethan looks as though he’s ready to commit mass murder when he says, “What is this game?”
“Oh goody,” Theodore exclaims, clapping his hands together in glee. Rita has been standing stoically by him all the while, not uttering a single word. “Well, this is how it works. Before you there are five humans and five vampires. Actually no, I stand corrected. Five vampires, four humans and a dhamphir.”
Theodore slips his hand into his pocket and pulls out a small black gun. “So, what you need to do, Mr Cristescu, is play a game of pseudo-Russian roulette. There are no empty chambers in this gun, it’s fully loaded. However, if you shoot a human in the head, they will die. If you shoot a vampire, they will heal. Obviously, what you need to do is figure out who are the humans and who are the vampires.”
Theodore stops speaking and walks to Ethan, handing him the gun. There’s a brief second as the gun is transferred from Theodore’s hand into Ethan’s that my lover looks like he might kill Theodore anyway, even if the bombs are going to go off. But he doesn’t. He takes the gun calmly and turns to look at the line up in front of him.
“If I play this game of yours,” says Ethan. “Who’s to say you won’t allow the bombs to go off anyway?”
“Trust,” says Theodore with a sickening grin. “Blind trust, and the fact that you don’t exactly have another choice.”
Once the words leave his mouth I suddenly realise what’s going on here. Theodore might not have the physical strength to go up against Ethan one on one, but he has cunning. This whole scenario has been very cleverly constructed to make Ethan lose face in front of his people, just the same way Theodore lost face when his chalk circle plan with the humans didn’t pan out.
“Go ahead, my friend,” says Theodore. “Pick a number.”
Everything seems to move in slow motion as I focus my attention on the line up. My gaze lingers on each individual and panic seizes me. This isn’t ten random people. The first person I recognise is number three, Finn. Then I make out Amanda, Gabriel, Alvie and I’m thinking Allora, though I don’t know her body well enough to be sure. The rest are five vampires, and I’m willing to bet they’re the ones Ethan left to keep guard over his house while he was gone.
I feel like I’m going to be sick.
Ethan doesn’t know my friends like I do. He won’t recognise them like I have, not with those fucking bags over their heads and black jumpsuits on anyway. I dash from my spot and run straight out onto the dance floor, screaming one word, “Wait!”
I try to throw myself in front of Finn, but suddenly my body’s not moving anymore and my mouth is clamped shut. Rita is staring at me, her hand raised in the air in a spell to prevent me from moving or speaking. Furious tears run down my cheeks.
“What have you done to her?” Ethan fumes as he walks to me.
I want to say so much to him but I can’t move, can’t utter a single word. All he can see is my tears.
“We wouldn’t want our dear little treasure giving you any clues, now would we?” Theodore singsongs. “Tick tock, Mr Cristescu. You better get a move on.”
Ethan stares at him murderously, turning back to the anonymous bodies in front of him. He raises the gun and a look of indecision crosses his face. I stare at him, desperately willing him to make the right choice, and somehow I know that he doesn’t see what I see. He doesn’t see my friends. All he sees are anonymous strangers.
Then, quick as a flash, he shoots at number seven, and my gut squeezes in relief, because I know it’s a vampire. I have a disturbing thought that maybe Theodore wants Ethan to guess correctly, because that way he will be shooting his own people in the head in order to save a handful of humans.
He really did think this whole thing out so very fucking perfectly.
“Time to pick another,” says Theodore. “You’ve only got eight minutes left before it’s staking time.”
Vampires all around extend their fangs at Theodore and hiss, but they are powerless to do anything other than that small show of aggression. Ethan successfully pin points another vampire and shoots; the guy instantly drops to the floor as black blood oozes from his head bag.
I momentarily wonder how long it actually takes a vampire to heal from such a serious head wound.
Minutes pass and Ethan shoots another two vampires. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. He only has to guess the final vampire and we’re home and safe. Unfortunately, the relief lasts a split second before I see him aiming the gun at the person who I know is Amanda. Thanks to Rita preventing me from moving or speaking, I’m powerless to stop him from making the wrong choice.
Seconds later he shoots and I can practically see the bullet whizzing through the air towards Amanda’s head…but it doesn’t make contact. And that’s because Lucas has appeared out of nowhere, having recognised who she was at the last minute. He dives into the air in front of her and takes a bullet in the chest before dropping to the shiny surface of the dance floor.
Blood gushes from the wound and Theodore cries out in annoyance. “No, no, no that’s cheating. That’s not how you play the game!”
His expression contorts into that of a madman as he looks up to the clock on the ceiling. There are only 60 seconds left before the bombs are going to ignite.
Instead of deactivating them like he said he would, Theodore disappears into his trademark cloud of purple smoke with Rita at his side. Absolute mayhem breaks out and Rita’s spell on me is finally dropped. I run straight to my friends, yanking the bags off their heads and hurrying to get them out of the building before the bombs explode.
I can’t see Ethan anywhere, but I know that even if he gets stuck inside the club the bombs won’t kill him. I’m not even sure if he can be killed anymore. If the myths about my blood are true then he’s pretty much indestructible. It’s a pity that indestructibility doesn’t always work against the sneaky games of a sorcerer.
The exits are all clogged and a sense of dread consumes me. There’s not enough time. We’re not going to get out of here. I look at Finn, Gabriel, Amanda, Alvie and finally at Allora. I haven’t had the chance to get to know her properly yet, but having seen the way Finn looks at her, I feel just as much affection for her as the others. A sense of acceptance takes over me.
If I’m going down, I’m going to go down with my friends.
I take a hold of Alvie’s hand and then Amanda’s, as Theodore’s pre-recorded voice fills the club speakers, an eerie countdown from ten. We’re still moving as fast as we can towards the exit, but there are just too many bodies surrounding us, trying to squeeze out.
There are only five seconds left now, my heart is thumping…and all I can think about is how I never got the chance to save Rita.
Chapter Twelve
Even If I Quit There’s Not a Single Chance I’ll Stop
Finn
This feels a lot like the times when some vamp would manage to pull me under with their compulsion, just stronger. The moment I saw Rita looking at me through the window in my room, I knew something bad was going to happen. Her hands began to move in a spell and befor
e I could stop myself I was opening the window against my own will and allowing her and Theodore to come inside.
They rounded us all up, told us to put on black overalls and bags on our heads, and being under some kind of magical thrall, we all did it without protest. Don’t get me wrong, inside my head I was protesting something fierce, but I was powerless to do anything with my actual body. Then we were loaded up into a van and I couldn’t figure out where we were until it stopped and we were brought inside a building.
When I heard Theodore talking to Cristescu I knew we were at Crimson, and then when I heard what Theodore was proposing there was no denying the sick game he was playing. The whole time Cristescu took those shots I was praying he got them right. I was also praying that he cared enough to shoot only vampires and not us humans.
Since we’re all still alive and kicking, I’m guessing that he did. Who’d have thought it?
Unfortunately, it’s just like life to go and throw another spanner in the works. Theodore decided to skip out on us before deactivating his bombs.
Total wanker.
Everybody’s pushing and shoving to get out and Tegan’s looking at us all like this is the last chance she’ll ever lay her eyes on us. Well, fuck that for a game of soldiers. I’m getting out of here come hell or high water.
“Move!” I shout, gathering everyone in front of me and surging forward. Allora’s holding onto my arm and I can’t imagine how scary this must be for her, given that she can only hear the desperate cries of those around us.
A second later I notice someone jump over the crowd and then Cristescu’s at the exit, tearing the doors off their hinges and kicking down walls like they’re made of nothing but sand. The opening allows everyone to get out quicker and with only seconds to go I feel the cold outdoor air hit my face. Cristescu picks up Tegan, Amanda and Alvie in one swoop and zooms with vampire speed away from the building. I throw Allora onto my back and begin to run like our lives depend on it – and they do.
I only manage to round the entrance to the parking lot when the explosion goes off and I feel like I’m being deafened by the sound. I stumble and hit the pavement, taking most of the impact of the fall with Allora on my back. I get to my feet again and keep running, smoke and ash filling my vision. I can’t see a thing anymore, all I know is that I have to get as far away as possible.
When we’re about two streets from Crimson I finally stop to catch my breath. I let Allora down from off my back and run my hands over her, searching for injuries. I suck in a harsh breath when I discover a piece of glass lodged firmly in her shoulder. It’s not too deep, so it’s safe enough for me to pull it out. A trickle of blood seeps from the wound and I rip a piece of material from my shirt to stay the bleeding.
She’s shaking all over as I remove Theodore’s coveralls to check the rest of her body, but I don’t find any other wounds. She’s only got leggings and a T-shirt on underneath, so I wrap my arms around her to keep her warm.
“Fuck, Goldy. We were almost goners there for a minute,” I say breathing harshly, pulling her in tight and feeling how her curves mould to my body. I need to hold her just as much as she needs to be kept warm. This whole episode has really taken the wind out of my sails. I feel her chest heave up and down and when I raise her chin to me I find that she’s crying.
“Aw, honey, don’t cry. You’re safe now, I’ve got you,” I murmur to her softly, kissing the top of her head and then her wet cheeks. I capture her face in my hands and rub my thumbs under her eyes to dry her tears.
She snuggles into me closer, gripping me tight, and a wave of emotion overcomes me. I barely know this girl, yet she makes something deep inside of me ache for more. More of something I’ve never felt before, not like this.
I want to take care of her and make sure nothing hurts her ever again.
Lowering my mouth to hers, I take her lips in a tender, exploratory kiss. My tongue slides along hers and she responds with a gentle moan. Jesus, as soon as I can get her alone I need to be inside of her. Coming face to face with death makes you realise just how vital every second really is.
“Finn!” I hear someone call from down the street. Reluctantly, I stop kissing Allora and look up to see Tegan and the others running toward us.
“Tegan, where’s Cristescu?”
“We can’t find Lucas anywhere. Ethan’s gone back inside the club to find him. He thinks that because he was shot he didn’t get the chance to recover and leave the building before the bombs went off.”
“He could be dead. There were stakes in those bombs.”
I immediately regret having said it when Amanda bursts into tears. Tegan gives me an exasperated look.
“What?” I whisper uncomfortably. “I thought she hated him.”
“You couldn’t see because you had a bag over your head, but Ethan mistakenly chose to shoot at Amanda on his last shot. Lucas threw himself in front of the bullet before it could hit her,” Tegan explains.
Ah, so maybe the seemingly careless vamp does have a heart after all. Or did, as the case may be.
“Ethan said to find you and get everyone back to the house,” says Tegan.
I’m about to argue with her, because the fact that we all got taken from there means it’s not exactly safe. But then when I think about it, nowhere is really safe anymore. Not in this city.
“Yeah, we need a vehicle though,” I reply, just as a town car comes barrelling down the road to us. It stops just shy of Tegan and Ira’s sitting in the driver’s seat with Delilah beside him.
“Get in,” Delilah calls and I usher Allora in the back.
We drive by Crimson, which is nothing but a pile of burning rubble now, only to see Cristescu emerging from the wreckage carrying a limp body in his arms. I know it’s Lucas when I hear Amanda let out a whimper of relief. The vampire silently slides into the car with his unconscious friend in his arms and Ira starts the engine back up.
Fifteen minutes later we arrive back at the house and there’s a mournful atmosphere among the group. Everyone is tired and silent – and suffering from a touch of after-shock, I think.
Cristescu hands Lucas over to two waiting vampires and they carry him to an upstairs bedroom where I presume he’s going to sleep and heal. I’m vaguely aware of Tegan going from room to room, searching for something. When she comes up empty after looking through the entire house she begins to panic.
“Rebecca,” she says in a low voice. “Theodore’s taken Rebecca.”
Oh shit.
What with everything that’s been going on, I’d completely forgotten about the little girl.
“He’s probably given her to Emilia as a gift,” says Alvie shakily. “You know, to secure her loyalty or whatever.”
Tegan’s face goes red with anger as she storms from the room and then there’s a loud shatter as she breaks something in the kitchen. Cristescu hurries in to her and then everything goes silent. I tug Allora down onto a chair with me and wrap my arms around her middle.
A couple of minutes later, the two return from the kitchen and Tegan looks considerably calmer. Judging by how swollen and red her lips are, I’m thinking Cristescu might have had to kiss the panic out of her.
Any other time I might have felt angry about that, but now I don’t feel anything. Instead my heart is beating for the curvy blonde woman sitting on my lap.
“Theodore cannot be allowed to get away with this,” Cristescu announces as he stands by the window with his arm around Tegan.
“What exactly do you propose we do?” Gabriel speaks up. “He basically manipulated all of our bodies to do his bidding with magic. You might be unkillable, Ethan, but the rest of us certainly aren’t.”
An argument ensues between the two half siblings, but I’m lost in my thoughts, thinking about what Gabriel just said.
“Hey, quieten down the lot of you,” I say. “If Cristescu can’t be killed, then what we have to do is figure out how to kill a sorcerer. Once we know how to do that, Cristescu gets Theodore
alone and kills him”
“I already know how to kill a sorcerer,” Tegan volunteers. “You chop off his head and then burn his body.”
I grin and nod at her before looking at Cristescu. “There you go. Find out where Theodore’s staying and go to work on him with a blade and a blowtorch. Simple.”
He gives me a wry smile, and I think this might actually be the first time he’s ever genuinely smiled at me.
“Finding him is the hard part though,” he says.
“I could ask Roman,” Tegan offers and Cristescu grits his jaw.
“Who’s Roman?”
“My grandfather. He’s a sorcerer.”
“He also wants to get in your pants,” Cristescu snaps.
“Your granddaddy wants to get in your pants? Eww, TMI, way TMI,” says Alvie with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah, apparently the magical families are down with the whole incest fandango,” Tegan replies.
“Enough,” says Cristescu, silencing everyone. “A number of my people did not manage to escape the bombs tonight and have perished. As a mark of respect I am not going to act on this until the morning. Tonight we rest. Tomorrow I will find Theodore and I will kill him.”
His voice sounds so determined that even I don’t doubt him.
I’m glad, too. Theodore needs to die so that we can all get to work on fixing this city. Ethan strides from the room and Tegan follows him out. When I look back to Allora I find her asleep in my lap, wiped out from exhaustion. I carry her to my room and lay her down on my bed, stripping off as much of her clothes as I can manage. When I go to slip my trousers off I discover a piece of red plastic buried into my shin and I wince.
I’ve been injured so many times over the years that my body is starting to become immune to certain levels of pain. It’s not that I don’t feel it, it’s just that I can handle it now. Clenching my jaw tight, I pull the plastic out of my leg and manage not to make a sound even though I kind of want to swear up a storm. I toss the plastic onto the floor and grab some bandages from the main bathroom to wrap around my leg. When I return I find myself staring at the piece of red plastic and I suddenly recognise where it came from. It’s a piece of the glowing red Crimson sign that used to hang over the front door of the club.
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