by Terry Spear
His arm hung limply at his side. She bit back the tears and thrust her bloodied sword at his heart. Before she struck him, Kostya slammed into her, sending her into the wall with a thud.
Weaker than Nicolai, he was still stronger than a gladiator-strength human, and her shoulder ached from the blow. Again, she attempted to strike the other vampire as he bared his fangs at her while Kostya backed off.
The other vampire held his good arm up, still not attacking her. Was he too weak from not having fed? There wasn’t an ounce of color to his skin, and he reacted slowly to every attack she made. She sliced through his arm as it blocked the path to his heart.
Before she could strike at him again, Kostya dove for her and tackled her to the floor. She landed hard on her back.
30
Crystal’s face heated. Again she’d made a fateful mistake. She chastised herself for not going after the real danger first…Kostya.
He held her arms pinned underneath his body. His pearly white fangs extended. “Give up, Crystal, or I’ll have to take you for my own.”
“And then…” Crystal tried to take a breath with Kostya’s weight pressing against her. “Nicolai will make…short work…of you.”
The other vampire crouched next to her. “Let me feed off her.”
Kostya shook his head. “You can’t feed off a huntress. You know that. She’ll poison your blood.”
The vampire looked back at Kostya’s room. “Don’t even think of touching Lila,” Kostya warned, his voice deepening with the threat.
Crystal squirmed, trying to unsettle Kostya from her body. She had to free her hands. If she could only use her wrist blade...
A siren peeled down the street, and the vampires looked toward the open door. “Close and lock the door,” Kostya growled to the other vampire. When he didn’t move from his crouched position, Kostya hollered, “Lila, close and lock the front door.”
He turned his body slightly away from Crystal to give the order, giving her the advantage. She shoved him from her stomach and jumped to her feet. With sword raised, she swung the blade, severing the other vampire’s head from his body as he still crouched in place.
Immediately, Kostya lunged at her, knocking her down the stairs.
Every stair she managed to strike in her tumble sent pain streaking through her body. Before Kostya followed her, Crystal grabbed her sword and its companion cane. Then she jumped to her feet and dashed across the living area. Without hesitation, she ran outside. If he came after her now, he’d die in the sun’s midday rays.
She hesitated as she stood on the brick walk. Seeing the police car’s flashing lights headed in the direction of Kostya’s house, she dashed for the back alley.
Robert rose from the couch in his living room. He was finished with the discussion for the moment with his older brother. “I’ll ask her again if she’ll go with us. If she won’t, I’ll stay behind. You can tell the family, I’ll return when I’m able to bring her with me.”
He didn’t wait for any objection as Thomas blew out his breath.
Robert strode down the hall, then hearing the television on in the bedroom, was glad that Crystal wouldn’t have heard their words. Her family had already rejected her. She didn’t need to hear about how much his family objected to her joining them, too.
It would be enough to give anyone a complex.
He knocked on the door. When there was no answer, he wondered if she’d fallen asleep. He opened the door. Immediately, his heart dropped a beat. He glanced at the bathroom. The door was wide open, and the room was dark. He stormed across the bedroom, peered into the bathroom, then hurried back to the living room.
He couldn’t believe it. No way could she have left the house on her own again.
“What’s wrong?” Samuel asked as all three men jumped to their feet.
Robert didn’t say anything, but grabbed the door to the garage and yanked it open. The rental vehicle was gone.
“Damn it to hell!”
When Crystal reached the rental SUV on the side street, she hurried to climb in. Once safely inside, she sped off down the side road, avoiding the police car parked in front of the house.
Certain Nicolai would want her dead for killing his and Dimitri’s converts during the daylight hours, she had every intention of finding his lair and ending his life first. The vampires could no longer trust her, and she drew a sense of comfort from being loyal to her own kind once more.
She slowed her speed and headed back in the direction she’d started out with toward Nicolai’s house.
Her stomach rumbled again. To think if Robert’s brothers hadn’t made their untimely appearance, she could have eaten the lasagna Robert planned to fix them for lunch instead. Then her brow wrinkled.
What were his brothers up to? And how would Robert react when he discovered her missing?
He’d be angry with her. Could she blame him?
She hmpfd. Served them right for keeping her out of the “family” meeting, that was all about her.
She continued down the road. It didn’t matter what he wanted. Now that she’d slain Yorovitch, it was time for Robert to leave. Still her stomach tightened with the notion. Being with him had improved her life considerably. For the first time in a good long while, someone had showed her tenderness who didn’t want something from her in return.
When she arrived in the vicinity of the house where Nicolai had taken her, she parked, watching for any signs of hosts. She still wasn’t sure she was on the right street, as dark as it had been the night he’d abducted her. And her attention had been drawn to the white convertible when she first fled the house, not at what Nicolai’s place looked like, or where she was exactly.
For some time, she idled the car. No one moved from any of the houses. The blinds or curtains remained shut in most of them, indicating that the owners probably were still at work.
Then a car pulled into the street behind her, catching her eye in the rearview mirror. A white SUV. She straightened her back while her stomach constricted.
The vehicle slowed down as it neared her, then pulled in front of her and parked. Robert and his brothers. She considered backing up and dashing off. But where to? She couldn’t get into Robert’s house without the garage door opener or a house key. She wasn’t certain Nicolai’s house was even located on this street.
She waited, barely taking a breath.
Robert, Mark, and Samuel piled out of the car. Thomas remained at the wheel.
Crystal swallowed hard. From their dour expressions, none of the men looked pleased to see her. Robert reached her door first, while Samuel joined him. Mark waited on the other side of the car.
Surrounded by hostiles, a twinge of claustrophobia tightened her chest.
Robert grabbed the door handle, but found it locked. “Open up, Crystal.” His demanding words chilled her body with irritation. He had no right to order her about.
Even so, she rolled down her window. As soon as she did, he reached in and pushed the button to automatically unlock all the doors. Mark yanked the passenger’s door open and climbed in. She took a couple of deep breaths trying to curb her annoyance.
Robert grabbed Crystal’s arm and waited. “Coming?” His hand gripped her gently, but firmly. He meant business.
“Where to, Robert?”
“A mutual acquaintance’s home. Samuel’s doing the driving.”
She grimaced. Despite not liking that he showed his male prowess toward her in front of his brothers, she wasn’t certain what else to do for the time being. “All right.”
When she stepped out of the SUV, Samuel jumped into the vacated driver’s seat, and Robert led her to the middle bench seat. She slid over as he nudged her to, then he joined her.
“Okay, what do you think you’re doing, Crystal?”
“Looking for Nicolai’s house.”
Samuel snorted.
She frowned at him.
Robert wrinkled his brow at her in response. “You’re several streets
over from his place, and four blocks too far south.” His voice sounded angry and put her on edge.
She folded her arms.
“She can’t be trusted,” Samuel remarked. “Remember, we agreed.”
Crystal cocked her head as she considered Robert. His gaze shifted from her to his brother. “Signal to Thomas we’re all set.”
Samuel flashed the headlights on and off. They reflected off the bumper of Thomas’s SUV. In response, Thomas pulled out and Samuel followed him.
“Are we going to Nicolai’s house?” She gripped her seatbelt in her fingers.
“You’re staying in the car.”
31
Crystal clenched her teeth. “You can’t tell me what to do, Robert.”
“I thought you said you could control her.” Mark winked at Robert.
Annoyed as hell, she unbuckled her seatbelt and moved over to the window seat, leaving an empty place between Robert and her.
Samuel glanced up in the rearview mirror. “It was the only reason we agreed to this. She’s to do as you say.”
“She killed Yorovitch. She avenged our sister’s death. We owe her.”
Samuel watched the SUV in front of him. “If she was one of us, certainly. She’s not.”
Crystal shook her head. “Listen, you take Robert home with you. I’ll deal with this myself.”
Mark laughed. “She’s just your type, Robert. I can see why you’d want her.”
She glanced over at Robert whose ears had reddened at the tips. What in the world had he told his brothers? Or maybe his youngest brother just assumed Robert wanted her. She took an exasperated breath. Getting involved with him or any other man wasn’t ever going to happen.
“My brothers are right, Crystal. They agreed to help you, if you stayed behind.”
“Why?”
He looked out his window.
She knew why. They feared her reluctance to kill a vampire would get them killed. She tapped her fingers on the door handle.
He glanced at her. “Where have you been all of this time? Lost?”
“I’ve been busy. You know, taking care of business.”
“You’ve already been to Dimitri’s house this morning. They wouldn’t return there. Not for a good long while, if ever.”
“Nope.”
He stared at her, waiting for her to tell him what she’d been up to.
“I found another vampire’s lair. The home of one by the name of Kostya.”
“And?” His brows arched with the level of his voice while he glared at her, undoubtedly still angry she’d stolen away without his knowledge…and borrowed his vehicle again.
“I killed two of his converts.”
“But not him?”
She looked out her window this time.
Samuel hmpfd. “She can’t do it. I told you. Once she knows their name, that’s the end of the killing game for her.”
“What happened, Crystal?” Robert unbuckled his seatbelt and slipped over beside her. He took her clenched hand into his and kissed it.
His tenderness stirred longings in her all over again. She wished they were human lovers and had no part of this deadly business.
“Crystal?” he prompted.
“He pinned me to the floor. I couldn’t get to my weapons. That’s all. After I managed to sever the head of the other vampire, Kostya pushed me down the stairs. The police were on their way there. I couldn’t be found in his house. I took off.”
“None of us would have ever been pinned to the floor in the first place,” Samuel said. “How had he distracted you?”
“There were three of them.”
Silence ensued. Were they considering how it would have been for their sister had she had to face three bloodsuckers at once all on her own?
Mark directed his question to Robert. “Did he bite her?”
Robert turned to Crystal. She pulled her hand free and folded her arms.
“Did he?” Robert asked.
“No.”
Samuel glanced up at his mirror. “You sound disappointed.”
“Whose side are you on? Of course I’m not disappointed. I’m just annoyed with Robert for thinking I wouldn’t say something about it. I mean, if they bit me, I would have to tell you, and you could end my miserable life for me.”
Samuel chuckled. “She’s not been turned. Certainly not with that hostile tongue of hers. She’d extend her canines instead.”
“Uncle Walter’s not going to want you to keep her, Robert,” Mark said.
Robert rubbed his smooth chin as Crystal faced him. When he didn’t say anything she figured it was time she cleared the air.
“For your information, Robert’s not keeping me. He’s returning with you to Oklahoma. End of discussion.”
Samuel and Mark laughed. “You picked a live one,” Samuel said. “Keeping her safe is going to be a constant struggle.”
“I can take care of myself.”
Samuel shook his head. “Robert said how Nicolai came for you last night. He won’t stop until he gets you, or dies trying.”
When they reached Nicolai’s house, Mark said, “I doubt they’re here.” He pointed to the open curtains.
“Perhaps it’s a ploy.” Crystal grabbed the cane and opened her car door.
“Uh-uh,” Mark said trying to stop her as he seized her arm. “You’re to stay in the vehicle.”
His firm grip on her arm made her reconsider. She didn’t figure anyone was in the house anyway. After she climbed back into her seat, he shut the door.
Robert patted her thigh. “We’ll take care of any of them, if they’re here and be right back.”
She ignored him, curbing the urge to sock him.
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “It’s the only way my brothers would go along with this.”
He joined his brothers, and the four of them marched toward the house, undoubtedly with resolve stirring in their blood. Her heart saddened with the notion. She could have had the same camaraderie with her own brothers if she hadn’t been so different.
When Robert and his brothers barged into the house, a person peeking out from behind curtains in the one-story, French provincial styled house next door, caught her eye. The black clothes the woman wore made Crystal suspicious.
She grabbed the cane she’d grown attached to and exited the SUV again.
When she strolled up the stone walk, her heart pumped more rapidly and perspiration freckled her brow. She worked out her plan quickly. She’d just knock on the door and ask if someone lived there. Most likely, any human hosts in the house would come to see who visited, and she’d recognize them for what they were. If they weren’t human hosts, she’d just apologize for having the wrong house.
Before she reached the front porch, the door swung open. Her heart skipped a beat. She steeled her back and strode toward the entryway.
When she reached the doorway, she peeked in. Three women dressed in black jeans and T-shirts, watched her from the living room, their faces emotionless. Female hosts had never attacked her before, but still she remained wary of them. They definitely wanted her in the house.
A doorway opened into a dining room to the left. She imagined beyond this was a kitchen. She took a couple of steps into the living room.
To the right, a long dark hall extended. Four doors cut into the walls. To the left, another long hallway extended off the living room. She couldn’t tell how many doors in that direction.
To her relief there would be no stairs to a second floor here. Her joints still ached from the earlier tumble she’d had. And riding in the SUV had caused them to stiffen.
Finding no resistance from the human hosts, Crystal headed to the set of rooms down the hall to the right.
The front door slammed shut, sending a shard of terror into her soul. Was she being misled? Ambushed? She attempted to quash the worries. Finding Nicolai remained her main concern.
She reached for the first doorknob, but a woman said behind her, “Drop your weapon, mistres
s.” Her voice quavered.
They knew who she was. Nicolai’s intended. After all the killing of vampires she’d done today, she was certain he’d want to rip out her throat, rather than make her his consort. There was no going back now.
She turned around slowly.
The woman’s hand shook slightly as she gripped the gun in her fist.
“You don’t want to shoot me.”
Would the woman accidentally fire the weapon as nervous as she appeared? The woman might not even know how to shoot a gun.
The woman swallowed hard a couple of times. Her eyes grew wide with fear.
The situation was getting desperate if the hosts were now arming themselves.
Crystal considered the distance she’d have to move to reach the woman’s gun with her cane. Too far. If she took a step forward, the host might pull the trigger.
She was still contemplating what she could do to disarm the woman when the door creaked open behind her.
Her heart stopped dead when a hiss met her ear.
32
Robert and his brothers stormed through the house, searching room after room, but discovering not a soul. “I really didn’t think we’d find anyone here,” Robert said as he rejoined his brothers at the base of the stairs. He was angry beyond words that they hadn’t located Nicolai. They had to terminate the bastard to protect Crystal once and for all.
“What now?” Samuel asked.
Mark peered out the door. “She’s gone.”
“What?” Robert hurried to the doorway.
“She’s not in the SUV!” Mark said, dashing for it. “I’ll check to see if she’s just lying down.”
Robert and his brothers considered the houses in the surrounding area. Thomas pointed at windows painted black on the side of the house next door.
“She’s not in the vehicle!” Mark confirmed.
Robert could wring her lovely neck!
“She’s supposed to do as you say,” Thomas said. “I warned you, she’s not like our huntresses.”
