Damien handed his cell phone over to Tomas. “Call your friend, Diego. Tell him to pick us up by the lake at dusk.”
When Tomas had finished, the three gathered around the map. Damien grabbed a pen and drew a circle around the city.
Tomas once again let out a long whistle. “I bet the Slashers can smell Sebastian’s blood a mile away. They must be freaking out.”
Two grim faces turned his way.
Tomas laughed. “They couldn’t get over that wall. Marek said it was really tall.”
Damien scowled.
Tomas shook his head and looked at Frank, then back to Damien. “They couldn’t possibly get over it. Could they?”
Doc Jenkins paced back and forth between the foot of Diana’s bed and the window.
Angelina tore her gaze from Sebastian and Diana and watched him peer into the darkness for the tenth time. “Doc, would you please sit down. You’re driving me crazy.”
They were the only two left in the makeshift hospital. The minute Katie, the nurse, had opened her eyes, she had taken in the scene on the bed, listened to the screams coming from the Slashers, then fled to the safety of her house.
The remaining few hours of daylight had dragged on. Sebastian’s breathing grew shallower with each passing minute.
At one point, John, the man who had carried Diana out of the city, had returned to check on her. Seeing her cradled in Sebastian’s embrace, he had left and returned with a bowl of cool water. He’d wiped the faces of the couple with a wet cloth, declaring gruffly that Angelina and Doc Jenkins should take better care of them.
His wife had arrived with enough food for an army shortly before dusk. Angelina virtually drooled from the aromas rising from the steaming dishes. She avoided asking what animal they feasted on, preferring to enjoy the succulent meat ignorant of its origin. Corn, broccoli and carrots melted in her mouth. But the food lodged in her throat each time a moan arose from the bed.
When John and his wife finally left, she and the doctor had nothing left to do but wait until sunset and pray that Damien had heard her calls.
An hour after the sky grayed, it sounded like all hell broke loose on the other side of the wall. While most of the Night-timers—too afraid to be near a full-blooded vampire again, too afraid that the scent of his blood would tempt them and awaken the beast they’d worked so hard to control—had stayed away from the doctor’s, it soon became apparent the Slashers wanted nothing more than to storm the town in search of that same scent.
Screaming and snarling, they clustered at the base of the wall closest to the doctor’s street. One by one, the residents of the town flew into the hospital with word from the lookouts.
“Every single Slasher in the city is clawing at the wall.”
“They’re killing each other!”
“The dead are stepping stones for the living!”
Then John charged in, his eyes filled with terror. “The pile of dead is almost to the top of the wall!”
One hour after dusk, a crowd of terrified residents gathered on the doctor’s front lawn and demanded he hand the vampires over to the Slashers.
“The Mayor’s here. He’ll calm them down,” Doc Jenkins said, moving away from the window to unlock the door.
The Mayor charged into the room, his eyes wide and his hat twisted between his trembling hands. “They’re going to reach the top!” he cried, his voice as shrill as a young girl’s.
Angelina placed her hand on the Mayor’s arm. “Calm down, Mayor. Sebastian’s stepfather is on his way. I can feel it.”
“Another vampire? Oh no! They’ll get over for sure if they smell another one. We’re doomed if they come over that wall. Doomed!” He crept over to the bed and peered down at the couple. “One might satisfy them.”
“Don’t even think about it, Mayor.” Angelina ran up and slid between him and the bed. “If you separate them now, they’ll both die.”
The Mayor held out his hands. “What can I do? I can’t sacrifice a whole town of innocents for one vampire!”
Doc Jenkins walked away from the window. When he spoke, his soft voice seemed to calm the Mayor. “If you take him, you’ll kill the girl. Give them a little more time. The Slashers have never scaled the wall before.”
“They’ve never had a full-blooded vampire on the other side before, either.” He dropped into a chair by the window and resumed twisting his hat. “As if this one’s scent weren’t enough to drive them over the wall, we have reason to believe he’s not the only vampire on the island.”
Angelina’s heart swelled at the thought of seeing Damien again. “You’ve seen him?”
He jumped as the demands outside suddenly surged. “No, but the field workers came in this morning with news that the helicopter that dropped off this young woman crashed. They were on their way to check it out when they saw the wreckage fall off the cliff.”
Doc Jenkins looked up from taking Diana’s pulse. “So what makes you think anyone survived?”
The Mayor smacked his hat down on his leg. “Vampires don’t die that easily, do they? And the Night-timers could smell it. The males said it was a female.”
“Olympia.” Angelina walked up to the Mayor. “Release the Slashers into the woods. Let them go after her.”
He laughed nervously. “The only way from the city to the crash site is right through the middle of town, woman. They’d feed on every Night-timer they found on the way, not to mention these two.”
“He’s right,” the doctor added, his hand now on Sebastian’s free wrist. “I just can’t imagine how they could scale the wall. Do you realize how many of them would have to die to create a mound that high?”
The Mayor and Angelina shuddered in unison.
If Damien didn’t get here soon, he’d arrive to find no one alive to rescue.
A soft whimper from the bed drew their attention. Diana’s eyes opened for only a moment, but the smile on her face as she tucked her head under Sebastian’s chin gave Angelina more hope than she’d had since she watched Olympia lower her granddaughter from the helicopter.
“I hope your vampire gets here in time,” the Mayor whispered. “I’d hate to see these two go through all this just to have to fall into the hands of the Slashers. It’d be a damn shame.”
“He’ll make it,” Angelina stated, her voice sounding surer than she felt. Ever since she’d landed here, her abilities had weakened. Past visions had never gone further than their rescue from the city.
John burst into the room. “The beach lookout said a helicopter’s coming this way.”
“Damien.” Angelina turned toward the door but halted and glanced at the Mayor, then Diana and Sebastian.
“Go on,” Doc Jenkins said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, “I’ll keep them safe.”
She ran to the door, then, with a weary sigh, turned away. “I haven’t seen him in decades.” Her hands flew to her hair as she glanced down at her bloodstained clothes.
John let out a bark of laughter. “You couldn’t look awful if you tried.”
The Mayor nodded and smiled. “You look fine.”
“The man flew across an ocean to save you. Don’t keep him waiting,” Doc Jenkins said with a wink.
Her heart lodged in her throat. “I’ve waited so very long for this moment. And now I find I’m terrified he won’t want me anymore.”
The sound of the helicopter finally met their ears. Doc Jenkins and the Mayor went to the window and peered out into the darkness.
“You’d better hur—”
Angelina ran out the door.
* * * * *
Olympia huddled against a boulder. Unable to stop shivering since she’d taken refuge in the dank cave when dawn had approached, she wished she had the courage to get closer to the band of fading light at the entrance. The remains of the rats she’d drained during the day were sprawled at her feet, along with the swarm of insects drawn to the blood surrounding them. She saw them, heard them, felt them crawling up her legs.
Olympia regretted ignoring her pilot’s pleas for help as he struggled to release his seat belt moments before the helicopter tumbled off the cliff and fell onto the rocky coast below. She could have used some help, someone to lick her wound clean, someone to toss to the Slashers. Someone to keep them busy long enough for her to get off this damn island.
The screams from the city made their way into the cave and kept her from moving toward the entrance long after dusk finally arrived.
She jumped up as some unseen pest pierced the tender skin of her inner thigh. “Ugh, they’re in my damn pants!”
Running out of the cave, her pants half down, Olympia screeched and started swatting at the red ants covering her legs. A rustle to her left sent a chill down her spine. Trembling, she searched the shadows surrounding her.
Slashers inhabited this island. Hovering above the beachfront entrance to the city, safe in her helicopter, she’d watched them rip each other to shreds over and over again. Ragged teeth slicing through flesh and muscle as if they were butter. Screams of agonizing pain giving her a little too much pleasure and no guilt as she tossed the newest resident of the island into their midst. She never imagined that her feet would ever touch Fentmore soil.
A twig snapped. Olympia leapt from the rock and ran toward the scent of the ocean. Branches whipped at her face, animals, catching scent of her weakened state, lurched from the darkness and nipped at her ankles. For the first time in her life, Olympia was terrified.
Father! Father!
She’d been trying to reach him last night and all day, but to no avail. She refused to believe he would block her from his mind, decided instead that something on this wretched island, something the elders must have installed to protect their kind from hearing the constant calls of the Slashers, blocked her own cries for help.
Taking a deep fortifying breath, she slowed to a walk. She had no idea how she’d get off the island, if ever, but sitting on a rock all night wouldn’t get her any closer to home and running in circles would only wear her out. If she could make it to the ocean without bumping into a group of Slashers, she would figure something out.
Something scurried out of the shadows. Expecting to see crazed eyes and rows of jagged teeth, Olympia flew into a tree. Down below a raccoon sniffed the ground. Blood from the scratches and bites covering her arms and legs cooled as a soft breeze rustled the leaves around her. The cries of the Slashers grew more frenzied.
Chapter Sixteen
Damien stared down at the town in amazement. He had expected huts, not well-built houses with electrical wires strung between them. It amazed him that this place had remained a secret for so long.
The crowd clustered around the town square parted as the runners of the helicopter touched the ground. He saw a figure charging down the path they’d created.
Angelina. Flinging open the door, he jumped out and ran to meet her. Her hair flew behind her as she sped toward him. Her eyes shimmered with tears as she called out his name again and again.
When she finally reached him, he swept her into his embrace and crushed her lips with his. Years melted away. They were together and nothing, nothing would ever take her from him again.
“Angelina. My beautiful Angelina,” he murmured against her lips.
She clasped his face in her hands and pressed her body into his.
Their tears mingled as they continued to kiss each other passionately, the crowd surrounding them forgotten.
“Mother?”
Angelina peered around Damien. “Frank? What are you doing here?”
Damien laughed and swept her up into his arms. “You’d be surprised how much your son and I have in common, Angelina. Did you know he hates golf too?”
Laughing at Angelina’s confused face, he kissed a bruise on her cheekbone, then carried her through the crowd.
Before they entered the doctor’s front yard, Damien brought his lips to Angelina’s ear and whispered. “Do you have any idea how much I want to dash off into the woods and tear off your clothes?”
She kissed her way up his neck.
“Unfortunately, we’re running out of time.” He raced into the house she pointed out, then gently put her down. Not bothering to take the time to acknowledge the three men gaping at him, he went directly to the bed and placed his hand around Diana and Sebastian’s bound wrists.
“The blood is still flowing, but much slower than I hoped. Just as I thought, the young fool only cut one vein. Get me sutures, quickly.”
He tore open the veins on their unbound wrists with his fangs and, faster than normal eyes could follow, sewed the veins to each other, then bound them with the strips of cloth he’d ripped from the clean sheet Angelina had handed him. Untying the strips binding their other wrists, he did the same.
By the time Frank and Tomas entered the room, Damien had cocooned Sebastian and Diana in sheets.
“Did you look around, Damien? It’s amazing!” Tomas moved around the room, checking out the crude instruments made from wood and clay and others that looked like antiques.
“There’s no time, Tomas. For everyone’s safety, we have to get out of here fast. Give me a hand.” Damien draped another sheet around the couple as Frank and Tomas ran up to help him carry them out to the helicopter.
In the helicopter, they gently laid Diana and Sebastian down on the floor. Angelina blushed when Damien wrapped his hands around her waist, then lifted her into the helicopter and onto his lap. He stole a swift, deep kiss before leaning out and yelling to the crowd. “We’ll draw the Slashers to the center of the city long enough for you to clear away the bodies. It didn’t look like there were enough left alive to create another mound high enough to scale the wall.”
Frank frowned. “Shouldn’t we send help to get them all off the island?”
Angelina shook her head. “I mentioned that to Doc Jenkins. He said the Survivors had married and borne children with the Night-timers. Here they all accept each other. He fears their children will be considered freaks if they return to the mainland. They have no intention of ever leaving.”
Damien couldn’t stop staring at her, couldn’t believe he held her in his arms. His fingers wove through her hair, then brushed over her lips, her eyes, the line of her jaw. When they came to rest on either side of her neck, he felt her pulse leap. He rested his forehead on hers and gazed intently into her eyes. “I thought I would die on the way here. I could feel your growing fear that we’d be too late.”
“I knew you’d find a way to save us, Damien.” Angelina kissed his neck. “I’ve missed you so very much. Every single day we spent apart, I called for you.”
His eyes burned. “Forgive me, Angelina. I’ll face banishment rather than spend another moment without you.”
“You won’t have to if I have anything to say about it.”
They both turned to Frank.
“What?” He nervously shifted beneath their gaze. “If you knew what this nut was willing to do for you, Mother, you wouldn’t look so shocked. Any man, I mean vampire, willing to offer himself to those animals for my mother and daughter is okay by me.” Frank hung his head. “God, he forgave me for—”
“Not now, Frank,” Damien cut in.
“Man, look at them,” Tomas yelled as he looked out the window of the helicopter.
Below, the Slashers clambered down a massive pile of bodies to follow the path of the low-flying helicopter. On the other side of the wall, the townspeople waited beside towering ladders already leaning against the wall.
Angelina shuddered, then turned her face into Damien’s chest. “Will Diana and Sebastian be all right?”
“I hope so, Angel.” He didn’t tell her he could barely hear their hearts beating. Didn’t dare reveal how close they both were
to stopping.
* * * * *
Carcasses of the sharks daring and hungry enough to approach floated behind Olympia’s kicking feet. The log she clung to had scraped her arms raw hours ago, but the stabbing pain as each rough edge cut deeper into her flesh was nothing compared to the pulsating agony of the infection deep in her shoulder. She kicked faster, terrified that dawn would catch her in this vast ocean.
Earlier a helicopter, one of her father’s, had soared over her head as it left the island. She had run to the shoreline and screamed out to its inhabitants, then tore at her own hair when it continued on its way. Within moments she had dived into the water, her upper body clasping the remains of the tree she had found.
She slammed her fist into the tender gills of another brave shark and cackled as its body soared into the air. Life was good. The fools aboard the helicopter had to know she had been there and believed her trapped. No longer a threat. Fools.
Kicking even faster, she began to devise a plan that would make them all rue the day Damien chose that whore over her.
Olympia had foolishly thought when she had snatched the whore’s young son from his dreams and mentally led him to the lake decades ago that she had succeeded. That bringing Frank Nostrum between Angelina and Damien would give her the kind of life her father had taken when he’d transformed her and snatched her from wedded bliss. Would give her Damien, the only man she ever wanted other than the groom she’d lost so long ago.
Certain that Damien’s heart was then hers for the taking, she had convinced her father to order him to become her mate. It didn’t matter that he had refused to mate. She had thought time would change his mind.
But it hadn’t taken her long to realize that Angelina still held Damien’s heart in the palm of her hand. After a few, measly decades, she had known she would never win his love as long as that woman lived.
She should have killed Angelina long ago instead of giving into her need to make the bitch suffer, make her lose touch with sanity. But nothing she’d done, not killing her husband or grandchildren had driven the woman mad. And when she’d sent Angelina’s daughter-in-law to Europe in search of a sister that never existed, wiping out all memories of her husband and daughter, she’d thought Diana’s grief would shatter Angelina’s heart, push her over the edge. Instead, she’d grown even stronger for her grandchild.
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