ENTANGLED

by Eden, Cynthia; Kreger, Liz; Mayer, Dale; Miles, Michelle; Edie Ramer, Misty Evans,; Estep, Jennifer; Haddock, Nancy; Brighton, Lori; Diener, Michelle; Brennan, Allison

  She opened her mouth when he butted in, "And the truth. All of it." Reaching up, he clapped his hands to the side of his head. "This has got to be the worst hangover ever."

  She snorted. "Not even close. I need you to listen. We don't have much time."

  Holding his gaze, she highlighted the events of the last few weeks as she knew them since their parting. Leaving out a few of their more personal issues.

  "I've been here in suspension for weeks? Here? Seriously?" He glanced down as if just understanding he was nude. His gaze widened as he looked around the room. "Jesus. Are we in a morgue? Holy shit." He hopped off the table, and his knees buckled, sending him almost to the floor.

  Sian wrapped her arms around his chest, helping him to stand. "I died? Like really dead? Like a side of beef dead?" His muscles trembled with the effort.

  "Not quite. Drug induced to make it appear that way." She winced at the brown fury in his gaze. "You gave me the idea a while ago. Something you'd had to do with one of your patients. So when I needed a way to get you off the production line, that's the solution I came up with." Sian glanced at the camera and swallowed. They needed to get out of here. Fast.

  He blinked at her once, then again. "I gave you the idea? You could have killed me. You know that?"

  "And I could have left you to live the rest of your natural life pumping out blood for others to drink," she snapped, then immediately felt like shit. "I'm sorry. It's all I could think to do."

  He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "No. I'm sorry. You saved my life. I do appreciate it."

  When he opened his eyes, a warm golden glow shone deep inside. "So you don't want anything more to do with me, huh? Don't love me anymore, I believe you said."

  "I had to say that," she hissed.

  "Had to?" The note of incredulity made her wince. "You have a shit ton of explaining to do, Sian."

  "I know. And I will. Later. We have to get the hell out of here before we're both caught and terminated." She started to walk away when her arm was caught, pulled back and she found herself wrapped in an intimate embrace, her face only inches from his.

  His eyes glowed with love—for her. She closed her eyes, her heart so full she didn't think she could stand it. "I'm so sorry. I thought it would be better if we weren't together. If you stopped caring for me and went ahead with your life that...that you'd be happier." She stumbled over her explanation, unable to look him in the eye. There was so much more to tell. Only not here. Definitely not here. "There's so much more to explain."

  "Happier? Better off? More to explain?" Long smooth hands reached up to hold her head fast. "Look at me."

  She raised her gaze slowly until it was caught and held by his.

  "I love you. That's it. Period. There is no better if we're not together. There is no happier without you. More explanations won't matter. I couldn't believe it when you broke it off. You were my heart, my soul. You are still my heart and soul. I wouldn't believe you. I couldn't," he said simply. "I had to find you and persuade you to change your mind." He lowered his head until his forehead rested on hers. "I can't live without you."

  She sniffled, tears collected at the corner of her eyes. "And I don't want to live without you.

  He smiled, that long slow smile that sent her heart racing. Cradling her head, he placed his lips tenderly against hers. And just held them there for a long gentle moment. Sealing them together, two halves of a whole. A teardrop fell. Then another. His tenderness, her undoing.

  "Don't cry," he whispered in that thick warm voice she loved. She'd been afraid for so long, been scared that he wouldn't survive for so long that she couldn't quite believe that he was here. His arms held her as she’d wished, dreamt of, for so long.

  "I love you," she whispered.

  "I know. And I love you. We belong together. Got it?" His rich chocolate gaze searched the depths of hers.

  "Got it." She could only hope it felt that way when he learned the truth about her.

  "Then let's get the hell out of here. You how much I love having you as my blanket, but I need something a little larger or I'm going to freeze my ass off very quickly."

  "I know it's Halloween, but I don't think Nude God is the costume you were planning for this year. Although that undead look you had going on a little while ago would have been a hit."

  A garbled choke escaped his throat.

  Sadness crept over her at the stunned look on his face. She nodded. "Puts the length of your captivity in perspective, doesn't it?" Knowing he needed a little time to digest, she added, "Let me see if I can find you something to wear." Leaving the warmth of his arms, she hunted through the desk drawers and checked behind the doors. A lab coat hung on the inside of the bathroom door. Tossing it to him, she went on the hunt for pants. Casting a doubtful glance at the steel drawers, she strode across and systematically checked every one. The first four were empty. The next held an older female. She shuddered and slammed it closed. The one after that, a young male. At the last drawer, she got lucky. Obviously used for storage, it contained several changes of clothing, empty bags, and shoes. She didn't want to consider why anyone would need such things in this room.

  Grabbing up an armload, she dumped the mess beside Taz. "Get dressed. We need to move."

  Luckily, a pair of scrubs fit as did a pair of shoes. No socks. Giving him a once over, Sian nodded. "Let's go."

  Opening the door, she peered around the corner. "All clear. Move."

  Slipping into the hallway, she led the way to the second door down, the supply room if her memory was correct. The back wall of this room lifted up like a massive garage door giving easy access to the loading area where the train, the only way in or out of here, stopped. This was the end of the line. The tracks stopped here. Not even a turnaround existed, which had to mean the train could drive in both directions.

  She'd downloaded and memorized the blueprints on her second day here, along with the train schedule. It brought in staff, equipment and supplies, and removed waste, including bodies. To where, she didn't know. She'd tried but hadn't been able to find out.

  She frowned. Not that it counted as a train, more like a mining cart system with an engine on the front. The passengers didn't ride in it, they rode on it. The trip in had taken less than an hour, maybe even half that. Hence her timing for this escape. The train should be arriving any time. And they needed to be on it.

  Or they walked out.

  The back garage door was open. "Shit," she whispered, "we might be too late." Together, they raced to the loading docks. Taz, gaining strength with every step, stayed one step ahead of her, shielding her. She had to laugh. Still recuperating human versus a female vampire in her prime. No contest. Except he still didn't know about her heritage. Warmth curled inside at having him back, strong and in command again.

  Sneaking a peak around his shoulder, she saw two men unloading the train.

  "We need to make that train. There's not another one until tomorrow. Or we walk the tracks out, which could take hours."

  He nodded. His muscles bunched.

  She worried on it. He wasn't up to full strength and going against healthy vampires...well, not a good scenario. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she whispered, "Let me go talk to them. Maybe I can distract them or get one to leave. You aren't back to full strength."

  "No." He growled. "Let me handle this. I need something to pound into the ground."

  "Vampires are twice as strong as you."

  "And I'm twice as pissed as they are. That's got to count for something. Not to mention I have the element of surprise." Striding forward, he walked up to the loading dock casually as if he was supposed to be there and grabbed one of the heavy sacks the first guy was unloading. He dropped it on the metal cart waiting to receive it. Sian walked over as if to help, too, when Taz grabbed a long carton, something heavy, if the rippling of his muscles was anything to go by, and swung it up, smashing the first guy on the chin. Hard.

  Mouth open, Sian watched the vampire dr
op in place silently—except for the slam of body against floor. Holy shit. Taz had an arm on him.

  "Hey." The second vampire lumbered over. Bigger, uglier, and from the looks of him, meaner, this asshole's fangs protruded at an odd angle. She couldn't help staring. He should have gotten those fixed. She suspected he liked the reaction they caused.

  "Shit." Sian raced in as the vampire jumped Taz, sending the two rolling to the ground. Spinning around, she searched for a weapon to use. Grunting sounds filled the air as the two men fought it out. Grabbing a long pole against the far wall, she turned, waiting for her opportunity. That's when she saw the first male stir. Racing over, she swung out and kicked him up the side of the head. He went down again. Good. Asshole.

  She turned back to the fighting pair in time to see Taz take a direct hit on the chin. He shook his head, squared his stance, and shot off his right fist in an uppercut that actually lifted the vampire off his feet and into the wall at the side.

  She blinked in shock, her gaze going from the vampire's comical downward slide to Taz, pumped in front of her.

  His fat grin beamed at her. She couldn't do anything more than stare at him in astonishment. "Wow."

  "Boxing."

  She raised an eyebrow. She hadn't known. He strode to the train, calling back, "Any idea if this is manned or automatic?"

  "I'd say automatic like so much else here. There's probably a button or lever to engage the return trip, or else it’s computerized with a pre-set time."

  Taz headed to the front of the linked cars the size of carts and checked the digital readout. Glancing back at the man he'd tossed against the wall, he eyed the clothes he wore. "Give me a hand. We have fifteen minutes before the train is scheduled to leave. Just time enough to get better dressed." He jumped down and raced to the fallen vampire. Unbuttoning the lab coat, Taz pointed to the several large stainless steel containers on wheels on the loading dock. "Do I want to know what's in those?"

  She shuddered. "They’re too small for blood, and I don't want to open them to find out more."

  "They'd be proof of what's going on around here. Maybe we should try taking one with us."

  She eyed them. "I don't know. They aren't exactly portable." Sian went to work stripping off the guy's jeans while Taz removed his own lab coat and pulled the vampire's t-shirt over his head. Within minutes, he was fully dressed and looked remarkably like the downed vampire. "Let's go."

  "What about him?" Sian eyed the man she'd kicked in the head. "Shouldn't we drag them off somewhere?"

  "Not if it means losing our ride." True enough, a short warning sound came from the front cart. "Hurry up. Get on."

  Taz reached out and snagged her hand, tugging her forward as he jumped onto the small train, just as it started to pull away. Shouts sounded as the door behind them opened. Sian caught sight of several goons pouring onto the loading docks as the train rounded the corner out of sight.

  Sian shuddered. "Do you think they saw us?"

  "I don't know. I hope not," he murmured against her hair. "They shouldn't have been able to."

  "No, but they saw the men we left behind. They won't be long in following us." She stared anxiously behind them. "They could probably run faster than this train."

  Just then the little train slowed down, rolling to a complete stop.

  "No. No. Don't stop." Taz raced to the front of the car and started pushing buttons.

  "They must have a control box back at the loading dock."

  "With a kill switch." He punched several buttons but nothing responded. No lights, no codes flashed, nothing. "There should still be a way to control it from here."

  Sian raced through their options. "They're going to be here any minute."

  "Yes. We can do this."

  "Depends how many come. Maybe we should run?" Sian looked up the long winding tunnel ahead. "What's the chance of escaping in the tunnel?"

  "They're just going to hop on the train and chase us down."

  "Damn." Of course they were. She wasn't thinking clearly. To have come so close and not get away didn't bear thinking about."

  "Any idea how many will come after us?" Taz sounded distracted.

  "No. They have dozens they could call on from the warehouse. Could be two or twenty."

  He spun around to stare at her, then shook his head and went back to opening containers.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Looking for weapons. Something to help even the odds."

  "I might be able to help with that."

  He turned slowly to face her. She held up her hands and let her nails slide out and down. Then her fangs.

  And once again he surprised her.

  He grinned. "Is this where you finally tell me that you're a vampire?"

  "What?" Shock slowly filtered through her stunned brain. Her nails retracted on their own. "You knew?"

  "Of course. Do you think I'm stupid?" Deep dark chocolate eyes glared down at her. "You never ate, rarely slept at night, alabaster skin? I am a doctor. I understood right from the beginning."

  "You knew?" Her world spun. "You already knew and you accepted it?" Her voice rose at the end. All she'd done, the pain she'd put them both through—and she hadn't needed to?

  "I was waiting for you to tell me the truth."

  She searched his gaze. "And here I thought I was saving you. That you'd be better off without me. You knew and you didn't care?"

  "Of course not. I love you."

  There it was. He loved her. Therefore, he accepted her.

  So simple. "I am such an idiot."

  "I'm not going to argue that." He nodded behind them. "At least not now. Don't suppose you have something big in your vampire bag of tricks for a situation like this, do you?"

  "Shit." She watched five large male vampires approach in full fighting form. "They're out for blood."

  "They've had all of mine that they're going to get."

  "They won't stop this time. We've tricked them. This is a fight to death."

  "Good. I'm ready to kick some vampire butt. Except, you don't die easily like humans, do you?"

  "No. Sunshine. Ultra violet light, silver, or cut off their heads."

  He shot her a disbelieving look. "Wow. You don't make it easy for me, huh?"

  Sian hopped off the small train. "Nope. We have only one predator—humans. I'll take out the two in front. They're the leaders."

  "Two?"

  "Yeah, watch." Sian walked over toward the two men, her own fangs and claws out. The first man reached for her. Like shifting sand, she slid to the side, out of the way. The second man had her in seconds. She smiled and slipped her right hand into her pocket to retrieve her spare needle. This one, full of a toxic substance in case Taz had been turned, was guaranteed to take out anyone, human or vampire, for a very long time. She was hoping the one dose could do two men. Palming it, she stabbed the hairy forearm tight against her throat.

  "Shit. You fucking bitch." His arm dropped away. "She stabbed me. With a fucking needle."

  "Quit being a baby. Maybe she just wants to take some of your blood"

  The second vamp, just as big and as nasty looking as the man Taz had dropped back at the loading station, lunged and grabbed her. Sian let him. Then stabbed the rest of the contents of the syringe into his arm.

  "Yeah, and I save some for you, too, asshole."

  "Shit. What is that stuff."

  "Coraltinoxalate."

  He frowned and shook his head as if to clear it. "Whaaaa....t." He collapsed forward, his face smacking against the train tracks.

  Sian checked both men on the ground. The first man taking longer to go out as he'd gotten the smaller dose.

  Taz. She spun toward the train, to realize Taz wasn't on it. He was beating the crap out of two vampires. She stared in amazement as he used kicks and blocks she'd never seen. Boxing, he'd said. There had to more to it than that. No human took on vampires as easily as he was doing. She frowned. He was human, right? Sure, he was. He had to be. She
knew that. Then how...

  "Hey bitch." Closed in a vice like grip, Sian struggled to get free. So mesmerized by Taz's fighting skills, she'd forgotten the fifth asshole. Without warning, his teeth sank into her throat. She cried out in agony and fear. This couldn't happen. She fought back, using elbows, knees and heels, but he countered her every move. His fangs dug deeper. He'd be able to rip her throat out with the grip he had on her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Taz take a brutal blow to the chin. His head flipped up and back and he went down hard.

  No. Not fair. They'd come so close freedom. It couldn't end here. She couldn't let it. Letting her weight fall toward the ground as if unconscious, she pulled her attacker off balance. Twisting free, she spiked her nails into his eyes, gouging, digging and finally popping them free of their sockets. He backed up, bellowing like a bull moose, his hands slapping over his eyes.