Boris let go just in time. Alina gasped for breath, the periphery of her sight had begun to darken. She shook her head to clear it and when she looked up, Boris was gone.
“Hurry, we’ve got to follow him,” Lev said, tugging her to standing.
“Where did he go?” she asked slowly, her voice a rasp.
It took no otherworldly instinct to figure it out. “He’s got to be at the hotel with Carly and ZoZo.”
“How would he even know where they are?” Alina asked.
Lev gave her an astonished look. “I’m like a newborn babe, Alina. He read my mind!”
“Shit!” Alina said. He was right. There would be no better place for Boris to be right now then with the vulnerable people Alina and Lev left behind.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Alina and Lev were surprised to find Carly in the lobby when they arrived back at the hotel. She was pacing frantically across the vast marble foyer and when Carly spotted them, she looked at Lev and Alina with wild eyes.
“He’s got her! He took the girl.”
Lev grabbed hold of Carly and kissed the top of her head. Alina didn’t have to be a creature of the night to read his mind. He was relieved that Carly wasn’t taken as well.
Carly turned to Alina. “I’m so sorry. I tried to hold onto her but he was fast. He grabbed her out of my arms before I could do a thing.”
Alina imagined poor ZoZo, how scared she must be and she tried not to think about what that monster was doing to her right now.
“Think Carly, did he say anything? Did he leave a clue as to where he took the girl?” Lev asked.
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “He wanted me to give you a message.” The three of them walked to a private enclave of chairs at the far end of the long corridor. When they sat, Carly continued, “He said if you wanted to see ZoZo again, you’d better leave him be and that you’ll need him alive to get her back.”
“But where did he take her?” Lev asked. The same question was on the tip of Alina’s tongue. She wanted to grab Carly by the shoulders and shake the words from her. The woman’s thoughts were too muddled with anxiety to read.
“He said something about taking her back.” Carly looked confused as if her own memory was failing her.
Alina jumped to her feet. “Back? Back to where?” She turned to Lev. “He wouldn’t be foolish enough to take her back to his house. And since she was never his in the first place, he didn’t mean he was taking her from me as he would a possession.” Alina walked in a small orbit, pounding a first to her forehead and repeating the word, “back, back, back.” Then her eyes lit up. “Do you think he means back to the apartment? Where I was staying with ... well, by the time you two showed up, he was dead, but... ah, never mind all that. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Why would that make sense?” Lev asked. “Does that place have a special meaning to you or ZoZo?”
“Not really but it’s the only other place besides a couple of hotels and his house where we’ve met up. There’s literally nowhere else. That’s got to be it. The neighborhood is seedy. No one would bat an eye at the sight of Boris with ZoZo. Come on, we’d better get going.” Urgency colored Alina’s tone as she turned to head down the hallway to the doors.
“Wait,” Lev called. “It could be a trap. Shouldn’t we think about this? And what about Carly? We can’t take her there. She’s a mortal!”
Alina waved him off. “If she dies, she goes back to where ever the hell I brought you two back from. Is that such a big deal?”
Lev clamped a hand down on Alina’s shoulder and spun her around. “It’s not death that’s so hard, it’s the dying. I will not allow her to suffer!”
Alina threw his hand off and before Carly’s heart could patter out just one more beat, Alina was on her, her fangs plunging into the woman’s delicate white neck.
“No!” Lev screamed and fell to his knees. “What did you do?”
“One more soldier in this fight. She can help.”
Lev flew at Alina, knocking the breath out of her but she managed to keep on her feet. Alina glowered at Lev and pointed at Carly, who sat slumped in her chair. “Pick her up. We’ve got to go. There’s no time to waste.”
Lev tried to attack again, this time taking a swing. Alina ducked and his fist hit nothing but air. “Stop it, you fool. I am your maker and I am now her maker. You must obey me. If I kill you, neither of you will go back home. You’ll simply cease to exist. Oblivion awaits you and nothing more. At least now you’ll be together forever. I did you a favor.”
She walked down the hall and out the front door.
Chapter Twenty-Six
He was waiting for them, perched it a corner of the living room, high up the wall, near the ceiling. He clung to the walls like a giant spider.
The door to the apartment was wide open, a perilous welcome, beckoning and inviting.
Alina stepped through first and Boris slid slowly down the wall, a jackal’s smile lighting his face. A few paces behind her came Lev holding Carly by the wrist. The woman was weeping and holding a hand over her neck. Boris knew at once what had happened. It was now three against one. But he wasn’t worried.
“Where’s ZoZo? Where’s my girl?” Alina asked, her eyes searching the apartment. “ZoZo?” she called but got to answer.
Boris laughed. “She’s not here but if you want to see her again, you can’t do away with me. Run back and tell Those on High that the invincible Alina has finally been defeated.”
Alina knew what it would mean if she failed in her mission—the cost would be her immortal life. Those on High could turn her to dust with just a look. Fear surged through Alina, making her feral in her desperation. She needed to find ZoZo and she needed to live.
Lev and Carly were by her side now. Lev’s breaths came in quick, harsh exhalations and Alina felt his rage. He hated her now. Would he help or would he turn on her like he did his own brother? The only hope she had was her promise to release Lev and Carly so they could go home. Though it was a promise made in desperation and one she was unsure she could keep.
It was Carly and not Lev who made the first move. She was wild, leaping onto Boris, sinking her newly grown teeth into the flesh of his face. Boris threw her off as easily as flicking away a tick and she landed hard on the old wooden floor, her head bouncing off it like a rubber ball. She was on her feet at once and this time, Lev was by her side when she attacked again. Alina watched, waiting for an opportunity to jump in. She fingered the spear in her back pocket. But would it be wise to use it before finding out where ZoZo was?
Lev and Carly, newly made, were more than a handful for Boris, as soon as he threw one off, the other was one him in a constant barrage of teeth and fists and the scratching of nails.
“Where’s ZoZo?” Alina tried again, screaming above the growls and scuffling.
“Call off your dogs and I’ll tell you,” Boris answered as he kicked Carly in the stomach, sending her skidding into the wall behind her. She left a crater of crumbling drywall in her wake.
She had no choice. They’d deal with Boris once she found ZoZo. “Stop!” Alina called. But her command fell on deaf ears. Alina knew how difficult it would be to stop newly made creatures from feeding.
Alina stepped in front of Boris and shielded him with her own body. She turned toward his attackers. “I said stop!” Her voice reverberated in the small room. Carly’s hands flew to her ears, and she stilled. Alina could almost feel the flood of emotions coursing through the woman. Lev stopped too and Alina took a few steps forward to push them away from Boris then she turned to face the monster.
“Now tell me where ZoZo is,” she demanded.
Boris smiled and wagged a finger. “If I tell you, you’ll kill me and if you don’t kill me, you’ll die. You have quite the predicament, don’t you?” His smile broadened. “Don’t tell me you actually love the girl?” A giggle escaped him and it made Alina think of Alexei. But she quickly reminded herself that this was Boris she was de
aling with despite what her eyes saw and her ears heard.
His question had given her pause. Did she actually love ZoZo? Was she capable of loving anything or anyone other than herself? The thought of completing her job without knowing where ZoZo was almost unthinkable. Still, it would all be for naught if she let Boris live because then she would die.
Alina eyed Lev and Carly. If she died, ZoZo would die too because they were bound to each other but that wouldn’t mean the child would go peacefully. She might end up a meal for Boris, or quite possibly Lev and Carly. How could she trust these newly made creatures not to suck the child dry?
“Tell me where ZoZo is and I give you my word, I will let you live.” Alina heard Lev and Carly gasp in unison. Lev began to protest but she tuned him out, her expectant eyes boring into Boris’s. He was reading her thoughts and she let him. He’d know that she was not lying.
A slow smile blossomed on his lips, making him beautiful. “She’s down the hall. There’s a lovely group of grimy homeless men squatting in one of the apartments. They were eager to take her in.” He laughed. “I think you should hurry to her rescue. Some of them had a funny look in their eyes.”
Alina felt it before she realized what was happening. Lev had pulled the spear from her back pocket which had been conveniently facing him, and in one stride, he was past her. He plunged the ancient wood into Boris’s clavicle.
Boris’s eyes grew unnaturally wide and his hand flew to the place where the artifact stuck out of him at a ninety-degree angle. He pulled it free and let it clatter to the floor. Boris followed just seconds later, landing in the very spot Jack had died.
Death stole Boris away with greedy hands. Alina, Lev, and Carly watched as his once beautiful facade melted away. He was no longer the handsome Alexei. He was his true self again. Staring up at them was a heavy set creature well past middle age, thin strands of gray hair, oily and matted stuck to his scalp as if glued there. His nose was bulbous and blue-veined. His mouth hung open and stained teeth showed between thin lips.
And then he was gone, turned to dust. Alina let out a relieved sigh. She’d managed to accomplish both tasks. She knew where to find ZoZo and Boris was no more. Alina had to go now and rescue ZoZo but when she turned to leave, Lev was at the door. Was he barring her exit?
His hand found the knob and he twisted it open. “Let’s find the girl,” he said, stepping into the hallway of the decrepit building. Doors lined the hallway—there had to be ten on each side.
“Better get started,” Lev said. “You take the right side, Carly and I will take the left.”
With his words, Alina raced down the hallway, kicking in doors. The first few apartments were empty. Lev and Carly called out their reports. They called, “No” each time they were met with disappointment. One after the other, doors were shouldered or kicked open. Some of the apartments were littered with empty liquor bottles and drug paraphernalia; others held only the musk of mold and decay.
“Here!” Carly called and Alina raced to their side. It was the last of the apartments and Alina’s breaths came in ragged gulps. Finally, she’d have ZoZo back. Poor child must be scared, she thought and quickly remembered Jack and the toys he’d bought her. She’d take ZoZo out and buy her anything she wanted, any toy any food, anything.
Lev and Carly parted to make way for Alina. She entered the apartment to find three mattresses, empty packages of cigarettes, bottles and an old pizza box. Something scampered just feet in front of her. She heard the squeak of a rat, followed by more squeaks but there was nothing else. No ZoZo. The room was rank with the scent of cigarette smoke and of humans. The room had been occupied not long ago.
“This had to be where she was,” Lev said.
Carly placed a hand on Alina’s shoulder. “She’s gone. We’ve done what you wanted. Give back what you stole from us so we can return home.” Her voice was tinged with acid.
Alina sunk to her knees, all strength suddenly drained. “ZoZo,” she whispered and then wept for the first time in decades.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lev pulled Carly aside but Alina heard their conversation as clearly as if they were standing in front of her.
“We can’t leave yet,” Lev said. “We’ll help find the girl and then we’ll go.”
Carly let out a growl of displeasure. “I won’t stay another minute. I hate what I’ve done. I hate what I’ve become. I hate what she made us!”
Then Lev’s voice again, soft and comforting, “Think about it, Carly. We’re at her mercy. We can’t leave. We are creatures of the night now. Like it or not. And...and, I’m not so sure she can send us home even if she wanted to.”
“What?” Carly shrieked. “What did you say? Please, Lev, tell me that’s not true.”
“Shhhhh. Keep your voice down. We owe it to the girl at least. Think of the child, that poor imp. Think of how scared she must be. Think of what might be happening to her right now. What tortures—”
“I am not yet creature enough to let those worries go. Of course, I’m worried about the girl.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “But I don’t think anyone can save her now.”
With Carly’s words, Alina jumped to her feet and was at her side in an instant. “As your maker, I can disown you; leave you to make your way in this world on your own. Ask Lev what that’s like. I’m sure he has many unsavory tales. The one thing I do have is my book of spells.” Alina turned to Lev. “Actually, I found it in the attic of your brother’s house. Did you even know it was there?”
Lev shook his head.
“We can take it from you,” Carly said, her lips twisting into a smile.
“Yes, I’m sure the two of you could manage to wrestle it away from me but can either of you understand Latin?” She got no response. “That book is the only hope you two have of getting back to ... to where ever the hell you came from and since I can read Latin, I’m you’re only hope.”
“We’ll help you find ZoZo,” Lev said, looking at Carly and giving her a nod as if compelling her to agree.
Alina smiled through her sorrow. At least, she’d have help. It shouldn’t be too hard to track ZoZo down. The child was in the company of stupid humans after all.
“I need to grab my book. It’s back in the apartment where Boris was killed.” As Alina started down the hallway, she heard Lev call, “I know the perfect place to stay while we search for the girl.”
She knew the place he was referring to before he’d even alluded to it. Lev, she thought, may want to go back to where she’d conjured him from, but for now, he’d have to settle for just going home—to the place where he’d lived his immortal life with his brother before Boris claimed it as his own.
Before Alina left to fetch the Book of Spells, something caught her attention. In the corner by the window lay a purple crayon. She scooped it up and held to her unbeating heart. ZoZo had been here! Something else caught her attention. Why hadn’t she noticed it before? It was a scent beneath that of the foul humans who’d just occupied the room but this scent was feral. It was the acrid smell of the undead.
Fear took her in rough hands. ZoZo may not have been taken by mere mortals after all.
~About the Author ~
Other books by Jeanne Bannon:
Invisible
Nowhere to Run
Lost and Found
Beautiful Monster — The Exchange (Book 1)
Jeanne Bannon is an award winning, international best-selling author. She has worked in the publishing industry for over twenty-five years, first as a freelance journalist, then as an in-house editor for LexisNexis. She currently works as a freelance editor and writer.
When not reading or writing, Jeanne enjoys spending time with her daughters, Nina and Sara and her husband, David. She’s also the proud mother of two fur babies, a cuddly and affectionate Boston Terrier named Lila and Spencer, a rambunctious tabby, who can be a very bad boy.
Discover more about Jeanne Bannon
www.jeannebannon.com
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Beautiful Monster: The Hunt (Book 2) Page 9
