I had no idea why bunnies would be unhappy, so I guessed it was some kind of Earth idiom I wasn’t familiar with.
“We’ll be down in a minute, Penny.”
“Okay. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said with a sly shrug and then headed down the stairs to the shop.
“We’d better go down.” I started to head toward the door, but Katie grabbed me by the arm and spun me around. “What is it?” I asked, concerned that she was looking very worried still.
“I don’t like this.”
“What don’t you like about it?”
“I don’t like that unimplanted vampires are here for a start.”
“But you’re an unimplanted vamp,” I said. I was puzzled as to Katie’s reaction. I would have thought she would be pleased that they had found more vampires in the same situation as she was.
“I’m aware of that, Jevyn. Try to think about this for a minute. How do I and my group keep our urges at bay?”
“Human blood, dragon blood, or dragon blood plasma.”
“Right. And if more and more vamps join us? What will we need more and more of?”
I was starting to see where this was heading.
“More blood.”
“Specifically, more dragon blood.”
“What’s the problem? You have some in store, and plasma, and sprays.”
“I know, but that’s enough just for the six of us. I don’t know how many people are waiting for us downstairs, but now that word is out, there could be tens or even hundreds more vampires who are trying to find out where we are. As far as I know, we’re the only group who knows about dragon blood, but if others find out, all hell could break loose.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look around you, Jevyn. We’re living in a broken world. People will do anything to survive. I can imagine people setting up factories for blood extraction, and people on Earth don’t have the best record when it comes to the welfare of those we need something from. I can’t really see this ending well. Maybe you should stay up here out of sight in case they have some clue about what you are.”
“Nope. I told you back after Kam left. I’m going to fight to get what I want. No way am I going to let you walk into a situation without having me there to back you up.” I meant it too. I was fed up with having to think about what was best for the family, for my mother, for Dracos. The time had come for me to take control over my own life and start to do things that were for my own betterment and the benefit of people in general—on Earth or on Dracos.
“Okay. But I’m telling you here and now, if these people get a whiff that it’s dragon blood that keeps the hunger at bay, you, and anyone like you, are going to be fair game for target practice. Come on, we’d better get down there and see what these people want before I kick them out on the street.”
“You’re not going to tell them?”
“No, I’m not.”
“What if they take it badly?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
I thought back to the last time we’d tried to cross a bridge, and right then I got a very strong feeling that this could go very wrong, very quickly.
I followed Katie down the stairs into the dark.
Chapter Sixteen
Katie
Lynnette’s shop
Boise, Idaho
“SO, YOU’RE THE leader, huh?” I didn’t like the look of the guy who stood opposite me once I’d gotten down to the shop and then down another flight into the basement. I was glad to see they had been allowed downstairs into Derek’s den, but only because it meant there was less chance anyone from outside would be able to see or hear what was going on. The man was short, only just a couple inches taller than me. He was doing the double-denim thing with jeans and a denim jacket over a grubby dark-blue T-shirt. A pair of heavy-duty hiking boots made up the rest of the outfit. The woman standing behind and to the side of him looked completely worn out, exhausted. She wore similar jeans and boots, but she had a fleece jacket on that hid whatever was underneath it.
Their group was rounded out by two boys, maybe ten or eleven. Very pale and with the dark eye rings that were a giveaway for a vamp that had been bitten for blood. They were standing on either side of Derek, looking at what he was doing on his screen.
The most notable things about both of the adults were the pistols they each carried in holsters. Right then, I wished I had a gun, because these two looked like trouble with a capital T.
“I’m Katie,” I said, forcing a smile onto my face. The tension in the room was palpable. Nova was itching, fidgeting with his hands while he leaned on a wall. Frankie was on edge, which was sign enough on its own that something was amiss. Sparks wasn’t fiddling with something electronic, instead she was sitting next to Marty with her arm looped through the crook of his arm as if she was having to hold him back from leaping up and laying into the man.
“John. This is Suzy. My two boys are over there with the nerd,” he said, tossing a thumb over his shoulder toward Derek. Derek didn’t react, not even a flinch. I supposed he was used to people calling him a nerd.
I was standing just away from the bottom of the stairs. Jevyn was behind me, still on the last step, so I guessed he looked pretty intimidating with an extra six inches of height. I saw John’s brown eyes flicker at him and then come back to mine. He pushed a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair to sweep it away from his eyes. I’d have pegged him as mid- to late-thirties.
“What can we do for you, John?”
“Who’s he?” He flicked his chin up to indicate Jevyn but kept his eyes on mine.
“That’s Jevyn. He’s part of the group. So . . .” I allowed the word to drag, hoping John would tell me what it was he wanted, although I could have taken a shrewd guess.
“You guys are getting a name for yourselves.”
That was the last thing I wanted to hear.
“How so?”
“Word is you’ve found a way to control the hunger without the need for an implant.”
I didn’t answer for a few moments, considering how much to tell the guy.
“It’s not a cure, John. That’s what we’re working on right now. Something that will get rid of the virus altogether.”
“But you have a way to control it in the meantime, right?”
I stepped away to one side, toward the area where a coffee machine was bubbling away. I got two mugs—one for me, one for Jevyn—and filled them up. Jevyn had stepped down onto the floor from where he was as I came back and handed him the mug of steaming, dark coffee.
“You guys are welcome to coffee if you want,” I said as I stood back in front of John.
John’s eyes flickered, and he licked his lips. Suzy straight-up stared at where I’d just been standing making my coffee. It was one of the items that had become rationed.
After a few moments, John looked back at me. He had evidently overcome the desire for coffee. “No, we didn’t come here for tea and biscuits. We came here to find out what it is you’re using to stave off the hunger.”
“You need to leave, John.” I said. “You and your family need to go and get away from here.”
John laughed a harsh, bitter hoot. “I don’t think so.”
“Then you need to think again, because there’s nothing here for you.” I sipped hot, bitter coffee and kept my eyes on his. I knew how these kinds of confrontations panned out. I seriously hoped this one wouldn’t go badly, but I hadn’t gotten a read on John yet, so I couldn’t be sure exactly which way he was going to go.
All I knew at that stage was that he was armed and that put him at an advantage. I hoped the presence of two kids might make him more cautious about pulling out a gun.
He’d made his play, and I’d set out my stall, so he was clear about the situation.
“I’m sorry, Katie, but that’s not going to happen. Do you even know what it’s like out there?”
“Of course I do. We’ve all been through the mill h
ere.”
“Then you know how bad it is. We’ve been on the road for weeks, trying to find somewhere safe from stay. Somewhere where we can find someone or something that’s going to help us out. You know, make it easier to control the hunger.” He turned and looked at the boys. “They were fine, you know. Both of them. They weren’t infected, although Suzy and I both were. We did that to them.” His eyes, reflecting the dim lights that were illuminating the room, looked like they were shining and wet.
I couldn’t blame him for being upset. The very thought of coming to from an episode of bloodlust to find that you’d attacked someone you love, your own child, was one I just couldn’t imagine. I looked at Suzy. She was outright crying, tears streaming down her face.
I felt so badly for her and John. I felt incredibly guilty for what I was about to say to them, but if the secret of dragon blood and its restorative properties became widely known, it would spell danger for all dragons, not only on Earth but also back on Dracos, if the ability to travel through rips also became widely known. I had to stick to my position for the safety of Jevyn and all the other dragons.
“Look, John, I appreciate that you’ve been through some horrible things and I’m sorry about your boys, truly I am, but there is nothing here for you.” I heard one or two murmurings from some of the others, so I shot them quick glances to tell them to stay quiet and let me deal with it. I knew what I was doing, why I was saying what I was saying, and it wasn’t going to help things if I had a running commentary from the sidelines. Then, I heard a gasp from Penny.
“Look, Katie. I don’t want to be doing this, but you have something I want, something I need, something I’m willing to do almost anything to get.”
I heard the gun being readied and snapped my head around.
He had it pointed at Jevyn.
“John,” I said, trying to stay calm and avoid the whole thing escalating any further. “Do you really think this is the right way to go about this?”
“It’s the only way,” he said, running his hand over his jaw, the bristles of his stubble scratching on his skin.
“Threatening us isn’t going to get you the answer, John. It’s going to get you in a lot of trouble that you might not be able to manage.”
“See, now, that just sounds like a threat to me and mine.”
“I’m not threatening. I’m just explaining what’s going to happen to you and yours if you carry on this way.”
“It’s simple. If you don’t tell us what the secret is, I’m simply going to start shooting you all, one by one, starting with him.”
John nudged Suzy, and she drew her pistol, although I noticed she didn’t fiddle about with the safety. She aimed it directly at Frankie, who was on the sofa almost next to her. When he saw the gun, he immediately froze and raised his hands.
“Katie,” Jevyn said from behind me.
I put up a hand . . . slowly . . . to stop Jevyn from saying anything. As things stood, I didn’t want John to have an excuse to start blasting away with his gun.
“So, how have you been surviving, John?”
“Same way as the rest of the vampires who don’t want the implant. We find people willing to trade blood for goods or . . .” He hesitated slightly. “. . . we take it without trading, if we have to. I’m not proud of some of the things we’ve had to do. I’m not proud of having to do this to you either, but it’s my family. I have to.”
I understood completely. I felt exactly the same way, and although we had been incredibly lucky not to have ended up in the same place as John, I still had my people to care for, and him waving a gun around at them was starting to piss me off more than just a little.
Keeping my hands in plain sight, I took a couple of steps toward him.
“Look, John. I know what you’re doing seems like the right thing to you, but we’re on the track of finding a cure for this whole thing, a way of getting rid of the virus entirely. Killing anyone here is going to put that in danger and could condemn every vampire in the world to trying to scrape around for a source of blood. Look at your kids, John. How long are they going to survive with the amount of blood you and your wife are having to take? Not long, are they? And when the other vampires find out that they’re not infected, they’re going to become a target for all of them. Look at their eyes.”
The second he turned his head, I moved. I stepped forward, twisting myself into a roundhouse kick that connected solidly with the side of his head with a satisfying thud and then followed that up with a doublehand chop across his wrist that might have broken it but definitely knocked the gun out of his fingers. I shoved him out of the way and then shoulder-barged Suzy as she was leveling up her gun, so she went stumbling across the room, crashing into the wall with a heavy crunch and dropping to the ground. She dropped her gun to try and save herself from the impact. I stepped over, picked up both guns, and then stood back where I was while the two of them groaned and tried to stand. I worked the racks. Neither gun had any bullets either in the chamber or in the magazines I flicked out to check.
Eventually John and his wife managed to get to their feet and stood leaning on each other. I could see an imprint of the sole of my boot on the side of John’s head, and I was very, very grateful then for my martial arts training. I’d never had to use it much, but that one occasion was enough, even though the guns were harmless.
“You really are a dumbass, John,” I said, handing the weapons off to Frankie who did his own checks before putting them behind himself on the sofa. “If we were some group of gun crazies, you and your family could be lying dead on the ground now. I’d suggest if you’re going to point a gun at someone, next time make sure it’s loaded.”
“I’m sorry,” John mumbled. “I just need something for my family. We’re desperate. It’s getting worse and worse out there.”
I looked at him and at Suzy who still hadn’t said a single word the whole time she had been there. Then I looked at boys whose tired, drawn faces were almost devoid of any signs of fear. They were clearly exhausted from being drawn upon by their parents so often. What a horrible, horrible situation.
“Wait there, and whatever you do, don’t do anything so goddamned stupid again.”
I signaled for Jevyn and Nova to join me in the board room, otherwise known as the back room up the stairs.
“That was impressive, Katie. Good to see all those hours of practice paid off,” Nova said once the door was closed.
“I think I might have broken my ankle on that idiot’s head,” I said sitting down on one of the sofas and unlacing my boot before gingerly pulling it off and massaging the throbbing joint. Jevyn came over and took over, working his hands over my ankle, a feeling of warmth spreading through it seemed to be soothing the pain just a little.
I leaned back a little and let Jevyn tend to me.
“What are we going to do with that asshole and his spookily quiet wife?” I pulled my boot back on and laced it up and then stood up to get to something close to the same level as the two guys.
“I say we kick them out with nothing to show for pulling a gun on us,” Nova said. I could see the anger in his eyes, although I wasn’t sure if he was angrier with them or with himself for not having acted before I did.
“I’m not sure about that, Nova,” Jevyn said, after rising to his feet as well. “The danger is that they will spread around the news about this place. I think they’ll do that anyway even if you do give them something. Maybe it’s time for you guys to find another place for your home base.”
“Well, this place was never meant to be permanent anyway,” I said. “We were only staying here until that crazy Lynnette showed back up again. Trouble is, if we do move on, what happens to Derek? I’m not sure he could last here on his own without Lynnette. He doesn’t exactly seem like the most competent person, you know?”
“That really is the least of our worries though. Derek’s a grown man, well kind of, so he should be able to look out for himself. He has powers, don’t forget. He
can open rips a whole lot better than Lynnette, so if push came to shove, he could head off through a rip and try to find her.” Nova raised his eyebrows, asking me to knock him back on that point, but I couldn’t. If we did move, Derek was going to have to be on his own.
“So, what about those two?” Jevyn asked.
“My first inclination was to agree with Nova,” I said, “but I’m concerned for the two kids. Their parents are bleeding them dry. I mean, they look bad enough now, so think what they’ll be like in a few weeks if we don’t do anything for the parents.”
I looked around at the two most important men in the world to me right then, looking for something, some inspiration about what the right approach was going to be.
They glanced at each other. I was so glad there was no petty jealousy between the two of them. It would have been so easy for Nova to be upset at the amount of time I was spending with Jevyn. I just hoped Jevyn would be the same when it came to spending time with Nova. Jevyn was special to me for obvious reasons, but Nova was my best friend, and I wasn’t giving that up for anything or anyone.
“I think we should give them something.” Nova spoke first, and I was pleased to see Jevyn nodding along. “I know I said throw them out earlier, but I hadn’t considered the kids. What about we give them a couple of the sprays but don’t tell them what’s in them. Nobody around here is going to have the equipment to analyze what it is, so there’s little chance of anyone finding out what it came from. We give them the sprays, we kick them out, and then we decide between the group if we’re going to move and where to. We can make the point to them again that if they spread it around about us the chances of a cure are reduced, but I’m not sure that will make a lot of difference to John.”
“You agree?” I asked. Jevyn nodded without adding anything. “That’s it then. Let’s go and deliver the news.”
When we got back downstairs, nobody had moved except Derek, who seemed oblivious to whatever was going on around him. He had just taken a ready-made meal out of the microwave and was trying to carry it back to his desk without burning his fingers, alternating it from one hand to the other and blowing the fingers of the spare hand all the way back. It smelled vile, so I hoped it wasn’t going to poison him. It did make me think he might be able to cope on his on if we did leave.
Riding Rifts (Vampire's Elixir Series Book 2) Page 14
