With every word Race said Merrick’s face became a darker shade of puce, his impressive musculature visibly trembling with tightly controlled rage until my mate’s last sentence. The vampire loosed a scream of anger and launched himself across the few feet still between them, which seemed the signal the others were waiting for, and the brawling resumed once more.
I crawled carefully out of the line of fire, stepping gingerly with my left front paw in order to spare my bad rib as much pressure as possible. Maneuvering into a corner near the hallway I’d come out of, I watched as Race and Merrick fought each other, punching, kicking, grappling as each tried to get the upper hand. Each time Race landed a blow I wooed, and each time Merrick landed one I cringed. I wanted so badly to rejoin the fight, to help the man I loved defeat his foe, but I was in no condition to fight a flea. Though werekind healed fairly quickly from minor wounds, when a bone was broken it took longer, from minutes to hours—it was why I’d been too weak to fight off Peter and Martin when they’d tied me to that bed in Diarmid’s mansion. And when a broken bone didn’t knit itself back together in the proper position, the healing could hurt almost as much as the injury.
I didn’t even want to think about the fact that I’d have to have the rib re-broken in order to prevent complications.
A yelp of alarm escaped me as Race and Merrick rolled across the floor then. Though there were still other fights going on—I was cheering inwardly each time I noticed a wolf getting the upper hand, because we were winning the battle—my focus was mainly on my mate and his opponent. They were fighting as men, and although I knew Race had several times the strength of a human man, I feared that Merrick might be just that much stronger. Both of them were bleeding, striking each other mostly on obvious points of injury in their attempts to weaken the other.
My fear for Race intensified as Merrick landed on top of him, his knees pinning my mate to the ground as he wrapped his hands around his throat. Alarm shot through me and I began barking madly as Race grabbed Merrick’s wrists and tried to force his hands apart. Two of the wolves abandoned their vampire counterparts to come to their Alpha’s aid, but the vampires scrambled to their feet and rushed to stop them. Race’s face began to turn purple, and in his thoughts I saw that he was, for the first time, beginning to entertain the notion that he was going to lose.
I refused to let that happen, and forced myself to my feet. Even if I provided little more than a distraction for Merrick I had to do something to help Race.
Suddenly a wild scream sounded and a gray blur rushed past me, heading straight for Merrick and Race. Caroline ran headlong into the fray, one of the chair legs I’d broken off clasped overhead in both her hands. I had only time to start another round of excited barking before she stopped next to them, just long enough to swing the makeshift club—sharp, pointy end down—straight into Merrick’s back.
He howled in pain, immediately letting go of Race and turning a hateful glare in Caroline’s direction. She stumbled away from him as I started running toward her, mindless of the pain in my side, and at the same time a silver wolf with a black streak down the middle of its back snapped the neck of his or her opponent, then sprinted across the room to stand between the vampire and the human with a snarl.
Merrick moved to stand but stumbled, though as I joined the wolf in protecting Caroline, I couldn’t be sure if it was because he was weak from the would-be stake in his back or because Race had just reached out and grabbed him. The vampire hit the ground hard and attempted to roll away from his attacker, but Race was quicker. He planted a knee in Merrick’s back and, grabbing his mother’s weapon in both hands, pushed it through until it touched the floor. Thick, dark blood, which already stained the back of Merrick’s white t-shirt, now spilled out of his chest, pooling beneath his suddenly still form. His eyes were frozen open, his mouth still a wide “O” of surprise.
Race stood and spit on the back of Merrick’s head. “Take that, cocksucker! You just got beat by a girl—a human girl. How do you like them apples?!”
Caroline sobbed and pushed past the wolf and I to throw herself at her son, who wrapped his arms around her tightly, cradling her head under his chin. The wolf next to me nodded once and trotted over to the prone vampire it had been battling a moment ago, took the she-vamp’s head in its mouth, and promptly bit it off, hurling the severed head across the room with a swing of its own.
I stepped gingerly over to Race, nuzzling his side as I surveyed the once grand living room. Now it resembled nothing less than what it was—a war zone. Every piece of furniture I could recall having seen on my entry little more than an hour ago was broken. Glass from pictures and vases was scattered everywhere, as was splintered wood and plaster. There were also bodies, most of them vampires.
Two of them were wolves—Marcus Drewby and a female I didn’t recognize. I knew they were ours because they were nude, and because the wolves that remained standing were surrounding them and ignoring the rest of the bodies.
The silver wolf with the black streak trotted out into the foyer, returning a moment later and shifting into human form. I saw that it was Tyler and, because he was as naked as the day he was born, I respectfully kept my eyes on his face.
“Sir, the battle appears to be over,” he said. “All the leeches are either dead or have fled the penthouse floor. Should I call the ground crew to have them intercepted? They might alert building security.”
“Doesn’t matter if they do, the security crew are all vampires or human familiars,” Race told him. “If any of the bloodsuckers from the fight have escaped, the only thing they can report is that a bunch of wolves came in and just wiped the floor with Merrick and his crew. Do you really think they’re gonna want to fuck with us?”
Tyler laughed, and was joined by a brief chortling from the wolves in the room. He then glanced over to where Marcus lay, and then back at Race. “I know what to do with the leeches—we burn the fuckers. What are we gonna do with Marcus and Desiree?”
Race held his gaze. “We take them home with us—we’re not going to leave our people behind. They fought bravely, with courage and honor, and their sacrifice will not be forgotten.”
Caroline stood back from Race, sniffling. “You…you mean people died? Not the…the vampires. I don’t care about them. But your wolf friends? Somebody died?”
Reluctantly, Race nodded. “Yeah, Mom. We lost two.”
His mother started sobbing again. “No! No, that’s not right—I didn’t want anyone to die for me!”
“Ma’am, please don’t pity them,” Tyler said softly. “Marcus and Desiree were werewolves, and they knew the risk they were taking in coming here tonight—we all did. The lives of the mate and the mother of our Alpha are worth the risk of death. You and Juliette are alive, and you are safe now. The vampires have suffered a great loss in this battle as well, so Marcus and Desiree’s deaths are not in vain.”
It was at this point, when the flow of my adrenaline began swiftly to ebb, that I suddenly lost what strength I had in maintaining my animal form. I collapsed in a heap to the floor, crying out as I landed on my injured side.
Tyler immediately dropped to help me, but Race pushed him out of the way. “Juliette, you okay? Honey, talk to me.”
I waited until I was in a sitting position before I spoke. “My side is killing me,” I said through clenched teeth. “The rib that bastard broke will need to be re-broken and set properly.”
Looking into his eyes then, I asked Race, “Speaking of vampires, do you have any idea where his mistress is? Or how Merrick could have taken her out of the picture and stepped into Vienna’s shoes?”
He shook his head as he helped me stand once more. “I have no fuckin’ idea. But I intend to find out.”
It was not long before Vienna Silk’s fate became known.
I learned that sixteen wolves had piled into four vehicles to come to mine and Caroline’s rescue—four had remained in the underground garage with the cars while the rest had come upstair
s for the fight. The four weren’t happy about having to miss the action, but when Tyler called down to give them an update, they crowed about the pack’s victory…
…and mourned the price they had to pay to achieve it.
Caroline had insisted Marcus and Desiree be covered with blankets before they were carried down to the garage. She also suggested that we search the bedrooms for clothing that the wolves might be able to wear (though of course I knew they were all comfortable with nudity), and barring that, she added, we could tear apart the sheets and curtains to spare their dignity—she’d gone into “mother mode”, probably to spare herself having to think about what she’d just been through.
After watching two of the wolves carry our fallen comrades into the elevator, I headed back to the room Caroline and I had been locked in to retrieve my own clothes. Race followed after ordering the remaining wolves to start a fire and begin burning the bodies of the vampires that had been killed. His mother had gone in search of clothes for them all. I put on my jeans and slipped into my shoes without much problem but I needed Race’s help to get my shirt on, and it was as he was helping me slip it over my head that we heard Caroline scream.
I jerked the shirt into place and snatched up my jacket as Race ran out of the room. I followed him down the hall and out into the living room, then down another short hall on the other side of the fireplace where the wolves were standing in a naked line. Pushing past them, I came to a startled stop at Race’s side in the doorway of what had to be the master suite, where we saw Caroline pointing a trembling finger toward the bed.
In the middle, tied by her wrists and ankles, was an emaciated female body that could be none other than Vienna Silk.
I thought for a moment that she might be dead, but then her eyes fluttered open. She surveyed the gathered faces before her for a moment before her eyes settled on Race.
“Ah, my changeling son,” she said weakly. “Have you come to rescue me?”
“I didn’t even know you were here,” Race said, stepping past his mother to stand at the foot of the bed. “This is unbelievable… I don’t understand, Vienna. How did this happen? How the hell could Merrick, of all fucking people, get the drop on you?”
Her smile was bitter and weak. “Dead blood, my boy,” she said. “I should have smelled it, but he’d mixed it in with a glass of fresh. Dead blood is poison to us, as you know. By the time I realized what had happened, I was tied to this bed. The first few days he fed me his deadly cocktail a little at a time, just enough to keep me too weak to break free…and then he stopped feeding me at all. Though every once in a while he would be cruel enough to bring his conquests in here, fucking them brainless and then draining them dry while I could do nothing but watch. If I was lucky, I got a drop or two of blood from the arterial spray—he always was a messy eater after he’d come hard.”
Caroline made a noise of disgust and left the room, and she wasn’t alone. Seeing that the remaining live vampire posed no threat, the wolves all turned and headed back to their task, leaving Race and I alone with her.
Race crossed his arms over his chest, saying, “I still don’t get it. Why keep you alive at all? Why didn’t he just kill you?”
“Because the fool realized he would need more than my name to keep up the charade,” she replied. “Every now and again he would need my signature on something important—like that check that Lochlan Mackenna demanded you be paid. Although he gave it the old college try, Merrick could never get my unique scrawl just right. If I was a good girl and did as instructed, I would be paid with a few drops of blood on my tongue—just enough to keep me alive, if you could call this living—but never enough to regain my strength.”
She paused and took a deep breath, looking past Race at me. “She’s quite beautiful,” she said when her eyes returned to him. “I can see now why you quit.”
“I didn’t quit because of her, though she would be a damn good reason to,” Race replied. “I quit, Vienna, because I was finished with being your personal knee breaker. I finally realized I had to get out if I wanted to save what was left of my soul.”
Vienna lifted a bony shoulder. “I always knew that eventually the life would get to you—though I rather liked our time together, Race. You were always so magnificent at what you do.”
I could tell that while she was trying to appear agreeable, her words were meant to goad. Race had told me that he’d never slept with Vienna and I believed him. If it was a lie… well, that would hurt, but what could I really do about it? It was before my time.
Babe, I never fucked this conniving bitch once. Don’t listen to her bullshit, he told me silently.
I felt the conviction behind his words and felt my annoyance fade. Funny how the woman was hardly more than a talking mummy right now and she was still trying to play mind games. I heard Race’s mental snort at that thought and smiled.
Vienna watched us with interest, though only a moment had passed. She sighed again, perhaps realizing that she was not going to get the reaction she wanted, and looked again to Race, lifting her thin, frail hands. “Are you going to release me?”
“Six months,” Race said, ignoring her question. “Six months with nary a public sighting of you. How the hell did he get away with that?”
The weakened vampire rolled her eyes. “Surely you’re clever enough to figure that out—I’ve been on an extended vacation in the Maldives. I own one of the smaller islands, a very private one. No one would see me there, so… no one sees me here. It was a simple yet effective plan. Perhaps I shall actually go there to recover—that is, if you ever untie me.”
“What guarantee do I have that you’re not going to attack me?” Race countered.
“My dear, sweet, simple Race… Look at me,” Vienna said. “I’m in no condition to attack a poodle. Although any fresh blood would be beneficial at this point, I’ve never cared much for your particular vintage. Nor would I be inclined to have a sip of your lovely friend there or those atrociously scented werewolves—nice company you’re keeping these days, by the way. That human, however… She’d be just what I need.”
Race growled. “You will not be getting a taste of my mother. Not ever,” he said angrily.
“Oh, she’s your mother? I had no idea.”
“Well now you do,” he snapped.
I stepped closer to the bed, examining Vienna’s condition. The dress she wore lay loosely over her too-thin frame. Her cheeks were sunken in, her collar bones and shoulders were clearly defined, her skin was sallow and pasty. Her hair was stringy and limp and scattered all around her head. In short, she looked like shit, and I admit it was an effort not to laugh at her—the mighty vampire reduced to nothing but a bag of bones. “What do you think, Jules?” Race asked me.
I looked at him, then back at Vienna. “She appears too weak to move, but if I’ve learned anything about vampires of late it’s that looks can be deceiving. Still, she looks like hell and it’s clear she hasn’t fed in a long time. When she does, she’s going to need a lot of blood, which means one or more people would have to die in order to satisfy her. I’m not okay with that.”
Vienna turned a sneering gaze my way. “Please, spare me your self-righteousness, dog. It’s a dirty business, but yes, sometimes people die in order that I may live. Cows die to feed your kind every day and no one mourns them. Don’t blame me for doing what comes naturally.”
“At least the cow’s purpose is to feed the living,” I shot back. “People aren’t meant to be food for the living dead.”
“Vampires aren’t dead, or haven’t you heard?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I know, they’re mutants. I’ve read Vivian Drake’s books too.”
“Look, I’m as much a victim here as the two of you. It’s not my fault Merrick tried to starve me to death,” Vienna said with a pout. “I’m not going to recover unless I get some fresh blood, so either I go out and get it myself—which clearly I can’t do, it simply won’t do at all for me to be seen like this—or it�
��s brought to me. What do you say, Race? Will you find me a couple of young, strapping men for old times’ sake?”
Race snorted derisively. “You’re out of your undead fuckin’ mind if you think I’m going to help you kill any more innocent people,” he told her in a harsh tone. “And even if I were inclined to help you, why should I, Vienna? You lied to me for over a year—you let me continue to believe I was alone in this world. Just like every other bloodsucker I ever knew before you.”
He braced his hands on the bedrail and leaned toward her. “I have enough blood on my hands because of you, so much that I may not ever be able to wash them clean. I refuse to add even one more life to my conscience.”
“Oh good grief, Race, don’t be so melodramatic,” Vienna said snidely. “I’m hardly the first vampire you’ve worked for, now am I? You knew exactly what you were getting into when you agreed to join my staff, and that conscience you’re suddenly so worried about sure as hell didn’t have a problem taking my money all this time. So get the fuck off your shiny white high horse.”
I felt Race’s anger through our bond, as well as a healthy dose of guilt and shame. I knew the things he’d done would probably haunt him for the rest of his life, and he didn’t need this bitch reminding him of what a fool he’d been. Besides, he was doing his damnedest to make up for his mistakes, and I wasn’t going to let her doubt himself anymore than he already had.
Putting a hand on his arm, I gave it a little tug. “Come on, Race, let’s go. The wolves should be done taking care of the trash by now. Your mother’s been through hell—I think we’d best get her out of here.” Silently I added, Remember what you just told me: Don’t listen to her bullshit. So don’t—don’t let her tear you down, Race. Not when you’ve come so far.
From the Shadows (A Shadow Chronicles Novel) Page 32
