by Nina Bangs
Killing didn’t bother Al. He’d spent his whole life hunting down prey and tearing it apart. But this kind of killing bothered him. He preferred a clean kill. Torture wasn’t his thing.
Jenna. She’d seen Rap killed last night and now this. He wished he’d defied Fin and sent her back to the condo. Her body was pressed against his side, and he glanced down. Her face was so pale she would have fit right in with the vampires in the pews. But other than that, she looked calm. Unfortunately, he could hear her racing heartbeat and her quick shallow breaths as she tried to keep her nausea at bay. He could feel her body trembling with fear she had every right to feel.
He leaned down to her ear. “I’ll always keep you safe. That’s a promise.”
Jenna raised her gaze to his. He could see the silent scream in her eyes. “Always is a long time. Be careful what you promise.” She looked away, making sure her glance didn’t stray back to the altar and its gruesome scene. “Let’s get this over with fast before I throw up or pass out. And if Katherine is responsible for that unspeakable cruelty, then she needs killing.” A new hardness had crept into Jenna’s voice.
“Bring them to me, Kenny.” The vampire queen’s voice was as imperious as she looked.
Katherine was a big woman. Not heavy, just tall and solid. She looked like she could take out her smaller husband with one punch and not even break a sweat. Did vampires sweat? Something for Al to check on later.
Kenny seemed nervous as he led them onto the altar and over to his wife. Al decided he didn’t care what protocol demanded, he wasn’t doing any bowing to this woman.
Katherine studied them from eyes so black that Al couldn’t read any expression in them. He opened his link to Fin so his leader could see her. Fin would get past the surface stuff to what lived in her soul.
“Be careful. She’s dangerous, and she doesn’t have any allegiances. She’ll go to the winning side. Oh, and she’s thinking about asking for Jenna as a gift.”
The rage that exploded in Al caught him by surprise. His beast was already half out of its cave by the time he got his emotions under control. Al didn’t try to push his soul all the way back in; if he was honest with himself, he wanted this woman dead.
Katherine nodded at Al. “Introduce yourself and your friends.” Her gaze lingered on Jenna for a few seconds too long. Al’s beast growled.
He pointed at the others. “Spin and Jenna. I’m Al.” He’d offer as little info as possible.
The vampire queen’s thin-lipped smile didn’t give off any warm and fuzzy vibes. “I understand you lost a friend last night.”
Al tensed. He knew Spin would be doing the same, readying himself for his soul’s release and that first leap. “What do you know about it?”
Katherine glanced toward the suspended vampire. “He’s the only one of the ambushers who escaped. He was working for someone other than me. I demand loyalty from those who are mine.”
Suddenly Al felt a lot less sympathy for the tortured vampire.
“After a little…encouragement, he told us how he and the others lured some of your men into the trap. Of course, he exaggerated your ferociousness. And I don’t for a moment believe the dinosaur tales. Utter nonsense. I know all the shape-shifters in the area, and none of them can shift into anything bigger than a lion.”
Jude had evidently kept his mouth shut about the Eleven. Good. “We’re not shifters.” And we’re a damn lot bigger than a lion.
She shrugged. “Whatever. Now, let’s get down to business. From what my reluctant informant told me, you’re battling a group of immortals who intend to wipe humans from the face of the Earth on December twenty-first. And the immortal who’s recruiting nonhumans in Philadelphia to help do the job is encouraging his followers to start indulging their murderous impulses against humanity now. Is that correct?”
Al nodded.
Katherine leaned back in her throne. “Then it looks like I have a choice to make. I can support you and your leader, who’ve offered me no incentive to join your cause, or I can throw my power—and I control most of the vampires in this country—toward these immortals.”
She tried on a benevolent expression. It didn’t work.
“Before I make my choice, I’ll allow you to return to your leader so you can tell him that I would make a powerful ally or a deadly enemy. It’s his decision. Kenny will contact you with the time and place to meet me again. I’ll expect a generous offer.”
Fin was still in Al’s head, and he’d already decided. “Your leader will offer her a kick in her self-important ass.”
Al risked a quick glance toward Jude. The vampire looked more than pissed at Katherine’s claim to national dominance. Al wondered if Katherine was too puffed up with her own importance to realize how dangerous Jude really was.
She evidently decided to end her pre sentation by demonstrating her power. Turning her head toward the hapless vampire, she snapped her fingers. He immediately burst into flame. No screams, so he was dead or unconscious.
Then she returned her attention to Al and the others. Al didn’t need to read the expression in her eyes. He could see the hunger and greed in the twist of her lips.
“And as proof of my good faith, I’ll tell you that our dearly departed friend said the immortal operating in this city calls himself Stake.” She scowled. “A rather insensitive name. I’ll have to suggest he change it.”
Spin spoke up for the first time. “What do you want?”
Katherine slid her gaze to Jenna, and Al knew what she’d say before she said it. He allowed his soul to crawl a little farther out of its cave.
“Leave the woman with me as a token of your good faith. I’ll return her to you when you deliver the offer from your leader.”
“Bitch.” Jenna said it loud enough to carry to the queen.
Katherine smiled. “Spunky. I like that.”
The vampire was a coward and a liar. Al knew Jenna would be dead or worse ten minutes after Spin and he left the church. And Katherine had made it clear she didn’t want to meet Fin in person. She wasn’t taking any risks with her royal person. Her mistake was in thinking that Spin and Al weren’t powerful enough to threaten her.
“Sorry, Jenna stays with us.” Al made sure Katherine saw that he wasn’t sorry at all. “And you might not want to hold your breath waiting for our leader’s offer. He doesn’t hire mercenaries. They can’t be trusted.”
Katherine’s face twisted into an ugly glare. As vampires went, she was an unattractive specimen. She stood, her gaze fixed on them.
Then she turned to her followers. “Kill them. Stake will reward us when he finds that we eliminated two more of the Eleven. In a few minutes, they’ll be the Eight.”
She’d made a fatal mistake. She’d said too many words. She should have stopped after the first two. All the extra babbling gave Spin the time he needed to turn his soul loose.
Al grabbed Jenna and dived for the door.
“Aren’t you going to help?” Jenna didn’t take her gaze from Spin, who stood facing the queen. “God, he’d better change before she can snap her fingers.”
The only thing I’m going to do is keep you safe. “Only one of our souls will fit in this room, and she won’t snap her fingers. She wants her followers to rip us apart. I see someone with a camcorder back there filming this. A bunch of vampires ripping three people apart makes for great footage.” Besides, Spin was fast. By the time she thought about snapping her fingers, it would be too late.
Al stopped talking as Spin’s soul burst free. For just a moment, a random thought hit him. He didn’t remember ever seeing a Spinosaurus when he’d last walked the Earth. And Spin was distinctive enough that Al wouldn’t have mistaken him for anything other than what he was.
Spin was an impressive sight. Over fifty feet long, he had freaky skin-covered spines sticking up at least six feet from his backbone. And even though he had the same powerful hind legs and short forelegs as an Allosaurus, his head was something else. Spin had a long
narrow snout with equally long sharp teeth.
And Spin put those teeth to good use. He was probably thinking about Katherine and her snapping fingers too, because before the screaming could even begin, he leaped on the vampire queen and tore her head from her body. Then he turned on her followers.
Except her followers were gone. Or at least in the act of leaving. They’d evidently taken one look at the massive dinosaur filling up most of the church and decided not to stick around to see if they could take it down. And with their queen dead, they were left rudderless. In the ensuing confusion, Spin had no trouble picking off the stragglers.
Al fought his soul. The scent of blood, the battle, the dying tore at the thin tether connecting him to his human body. He wanted to roar his challenge and lose himself in the slaughter. Gritting his teeth, he held it together as his soul shredded his insides with its need to be free.
Then he glanced at Jenna. She stared at him, horror in her eyes. He knew exactly what she was seeing—all the bloodlust of an ancient predator trapped behind the eyes of a man. Not something she’d soon forget. He tried to convince himself that he didn’t give a damn what she thought of him.
Within a few minutes Jude was the only living vampire inside the church. But the danger wasn’t over. In their rush to escape, the vampires had knocked over the candles. A healthy fire was feeding on the old wood of the building.
“Let’s get out of here.” Al grabbed Jenna’s hand as they fled back down the corridor, Jude and Spin—back in his human form—close behind.
“Use one of the windows,” Al shouted over his shoulder. If any of the surviving vampires felt particularly brave, they could be waiting at the back door to try a surprise attack.
Al guided Jenna into the first empty room and then kicked out what remained of the window. Spin and Jude went out the windows of other rooms so they wouldn’t be caught all together.
“Someone’s probably called the fire department by now.” Jenna didn’t sound as though she was about to fall apart.
“Yeah. We need to be away from here when the trucks arrive.” He edged along the outside wall toward the back of the church.
By now most of the building was blazing, and the heat was growing unbearable. When he finally got close enough to see the parking lot in the back, the only ones there were Spin, Jude, and Kenny. But there was also a car. That was important.
Jenna said it for him. “Kenny?”
Al didn’t have time to puzzle over the presence of the vampire queen’s husband. He ran toward the group. “We need to get out of here right now.”
Kenny nodded. “That’s my car. Climb in.”
“Why would you help us?” Jenna was learning fast.
Kenny wasn’t smiling, but he didn’t look devastated either. “Hey, I don’t hold a grudge. Katherine liked to throw her power around.” Something in his expression said he’d been the recipient of some of his wife’s power blasts. “And after what I saw to night, I’m throwing in with you guys.” His gaze slid to Jude. “And whoever the new leader is.”
Jude must’ve seen Al’s hesitation. “From what I’ve heard, Katherine wasn’t a beloved ruler. She wouldn’t have allowed Kenny to walk away even if he wanted to.” He glanced at Kenny. “And I’m guessing he wanted to.”
Al didn’t sense any danger from Kenny, so he got Jenna into the car and climbed in beside her. The others piled in, and Kenny didn’t waste any time peeling out of the parking lot. They heard the sirens when they were a block away from the church.
“Where’d you leave your car?” Kenny aimed his question at Jude, who sat in the front passenger seat.
Jenna was squished between Al and Spin in the backseat, but Al was enjoying her closeness. The only bad part was that Spin was probably enjoying it too.
Within a few minutes, Kenny pulled up beside Jude’s white Lexus. “Umm, when you want to get everyone together, call me.” He pulled a smudged card from his pocket.
Jude smiled. “I’ll remember your help, Kenny. Sorry about your wife.”
Al didn’t think anyone was sorry about Katherine, especially her husband, who was looking pretty liberated at the moment.
Once Jude pulled out into traffic, Jenna spoke. “What was Katherine’s official title?”
Jude glanced in the rearview mirror. “She was in charge of a ten-state area like I am. Only it seems she liked to think of herself as a lot more powerful than she was.” He shook his head. “Not too smart. Only someone stupid would meet with strangers without a lot more protections in place. Only someone stupid would underestimate you guys. She didn’t deserve those ten states.”
“Who does deserve them?” Spin sounded like he knew the answer.
Jude’s smile was wide and for once sincere. “I guess I do, for the time being. But as much as I like the power trip, I don’t want the added responsibility. So I’ll give it up as soon as someone can take it from me.”
“Take it from you?” Jenna wiggled her behind as she worked herself into a more comfortable position.
Al’s body reacted to the stimulus in a predictable way. He suspected, though, that Spin would have a similar reaction. Bastard.
“We earn leadership over an area by being stronger than everyone else.” He shrugged. “So when someone stronger comes along, they can have Pennsylvania and the other states.”
“How do you decide who’s stronger?” Jenna wasn’t going to leave it alone.
“We fight.”
That silenced Jenna. Her expression said the whole idea was barbaric and she’d thought better of Jude. Personally, Al’s opinion of Jude had just gone up. Call him primitive and savage, but Al respected a man who fought for his territory, or his mate. He sent a glare in Spin’s direction. Mate? He’d better lose that thought fast.
When they finally got back to the condo, Fin was waiting for them in the media room. Jenna took the decision of who would sit next to her out of Al’s and Fin’s hands by dropping into a leather recliner. She sighed her relief.
Al masked his disappointment by taking a nearby chair. Then he waited for everyone else to be seated.
For once, Fin seemed satisfied. “Things worked out a lot better than I expected.”
Jenna didn’t agree. “A power-hungry vampire bitch set one of her own on fire just to prove she could. After that she threatened us with death and Spin had to kill half a church full of vampires to save our lives. I don’t know about you, but I expected a better ending to my day.”
Al wondered what held her together, and why she didn’t run. Just a few days ago she was an ordinary woman living an ordinary life. Now she was witnessing death and horror everywhere she turned.
If she was staying just for her sister, then why did she agree to go anywhere with him? She could refuse. Fin wouldn’t drag her kicking and screaming from the condo. Fin might be able to keep her from going along with Kelly and Ty on their nightly hunts, but he couldn’t stop her from visiting her sister each day. And that was all she really needed to do to assure herself that Kelly was okay.
“We have to look at the big picture.” One of Fin’s favorite phrases. “We got rid of Katherine, who would’ve signed up with Eight, and replaced her with Jude, who’ll fight on our side. This Kenny guy looks like someone we can use. And we even found out what name Eight is using.” He shook his head. “Dumb name.”
“Speaking of names, Infinity is an interesting choice.” She looked as if she was trying to work through something. “Numbers are a big thing with you, so naturally you’d see yourself as a forever kind of guy.” Her gaze sharpened. “Infinity also means something that’s not subject to any limitations. Do you see yourself like that?” The questions kept on coming. “You call your enemies immortals. What about you guys? Are you immortal?”
Fin held up his hand to stop her. “No more. This whole question thing must be a genetic weakness in the Maloy family. You’re even worse than your sister.”
Al wondered how many of Jenna’s questions Fin would answer. Fin o
nly gave out information on a need-to-know basis. But he was loosening up a little. Al now knew that Fin had manipulated his memory and that Jenna was the ticket to Eight’s trip home.
“Our enemies are true immortals because nothing can kill them. Our only hope is to ban them from Earth until the end of the next time period. In a few million more years we might have the power to keep them out permanently.” His expression spoke of his frustration with the good guys’ limitations. “The Eleven? They don’t die natural deaths. Old age, disease, or even life-threatening injuries can’t destroy them. But they are vulnerable.” The silence was filled with the memory of Rap. “They can still lose their heads.”
Jenna mentioned the obvious. “You said ‘they’ not ‘we.’ You didn’t include yourself.”
His smile was classic Fin—warm, open, and as fake as the rest of him. Al shook his head. He needed sleep. Fin might not be his favorite of the Eleven—okay, so his feelings came close to hate sometimes—and Fin might drive him crazy with the things he refused to tell them, but Al always held onto his core belief that Fin was on their side. Fin was the only reason they’d survived to fight in the year 2012.
“I didn’t include myself, did I?” Fin yawned. “I’m tired. See you all in the afternoon.” Then he simply rose and left them all sitting there.
Al glanced at Spin to see what he thought of Fin’s side-stepping. Spin was fast asleep. He looked at Jenna.
Her eyes were alight with excitement. “I’m going to find out what Fin is.”
Al closed his eyes. Oh, hell.
Chapter Eleven
Jenna was having a quiet crisis. She sat cross-legged on the couch in the sitting area of her room trying to figure out why the formula that had worked her entire life was no longer enough.
When she’d realized she couldn’t be as perfect as Kelly in school, she’d stopped competing and proclaimed she didn’t care. When she’d recognized that she’d never be as good with animals as her parents were, she’d given up on her plans to be a vet and switched to an English Lit major. It was for the best. She never could stand the sight of animals suffering.
