Bete Noire (32 page)

“What is the trouble, Tristan?”

He huffed, dropping the pants and went over to the front of the cell to stick his arms out so she could see what he was bound up with. Too bad she couldn’t reach him to undo them.

“I see. What happened? Why are you so cognizant?”

Fussing with the pants again, trying to get them on, he told her all about Sebastian’s visit earlier and the things the fae had told him.

“So,” he sighed, leaning against the wall in his pants, finally, “that bastard elf drugged me so he could bind me up with this stupid-ass leather cuff thing. Fuck! I hate this thing.” His shoulders were aching and it was just plain frustrating. At least his double jointed elbows helped him twist his arms around inside the leather enough that he could use them more than a normal person would have been able too. The movement was star
ting to chafe though.

“Ash?”

She’d been quiet for a very long time.

“Hmm? Sorry.” It was only a whisper. “I—I was thinking.”

She was processing, but not pacing for once. He could picture the look of concern and concentration across her face. God, how he wanted to take her in his arms and hold her, comfort her, kiss her. Ash gave a little sob, the sound so close he imagined he could almost touch her. At least he could feel her presence, that alone was a small comfort to him. To them both.

Tristan let out a long breath. “Listen, Ash… Lucien is going to bite me. You and I both know I can’t stop it. Not like this. I… I’m not resigning to my fate. Damned if I’m not going to fight him the whole way, but, you know, it’s going to happen. I don’t see any way out of this.”

She put her back to him against the wall separating them, arms crossed over her chest. She was wearing the matching top to Tristan’s bottoms. She was thankful for the suggestion of modesty, even if her ass poked out the back of the shirt.

“I know,” she answered in a tiny voice.

“There’s something I need to tell you. Christ… I’ve been trying to tell you for days now—I don’t know maybe since the first time I met you. I guess—No, I knew. I always knew…”

Her eyes burned. She knew what he wanted to say to her, could read it off his mind as clearly as if he’d screamed it aloud. But she couldn’t accept it, truly understand it until she did hear him speak the words. She was frightened of what those words could mean, for them both. “Now is not the time.”

“No, I know, but I need to get it off my chest already.” The way he saw it, he was dying soon and after that? He just knew that Lucien wouldn’t let him and Ash stay together—no, he’d use her to keep Tristan in line, offering only glimpses and tiny moments of torture of not being able to be close to one another. He saw it as clearly as he saw his bleak cell.

“Ash, what I’ve been trying to say to you all week, what I want to say...”
Jesus, why is this so hard
? Why did his tongue always stop working when he got to this part?

Ash turned and touched the wall wishing she were face to face with him. She needed to hear this, to see the deep truth of it in his eyes. “Tristan…”

He opened his mouth but the creak of the basement door made him shut it again and groan. Ash gave her own dismayed sigh and turned to watch as their captors came strutting down the hallway wearing matching smug-ass grins. Lucien was poorly dressed again in nothing but a pair of pants, but Sebastian had gone all out and was in one of his expensive tailored suits complete with virgin gloves and freshly shined patent leather shoes.

The pair stopped outside of Tristan’s cell.

“Good evening, monsieur hunter,” Sebastian said, beaming with joy. “Are you ready to finally become what you were meant to be?”

“And what’s that?” he grumbled back.

“La mort ardente… Fiery Death.”

YOU always let your girlfriend talk for you, Lucien? And so fucking cliché...” Yep, he was being cliché too, but that was the best part. He shook his head in dismay. He was definitely feeling better than the last time he was conscious. He was ready to kick some ass. Now he just had to figure out how. Play it smart. And yes, playing it smart still meant running off his mouth.

The vampire responded with a laugh and a light shrug.

“Fucking elf,” Tristan snapped, “why are you here? Get your jollies off watching vampires kill? Or are you here to get your fucking lying elf-ass kicked?”

Sebastian growled a vampire worthy sound and leapt forward, reaching through the bars. Tristan jumped back seconds before the
taser clicked on.

“Ho
ho, hey now. Watch where you point that shit. Might hurt someone.”

Sebastian let loose a string of French curses as he pulled back at Lucien’s bidding. Tristan smirked at him, flicked him off with both
hands since they were both right there bound together. This only made the fae roar louder, screaming nonsense in French at him.

In her cell, Ash sighed and shook her head, but was smiling. It was a bad idea to rile up either one
of them, but she knew Tristan couldn’t help himself. And in truth, she found it amusing too. Served them right.

Lucien sighed and took the fae into his arm even as the angry man fought against the vampire to get to Tristan. When the fae refused to calm down, Lucien wrenched him into the crook of his
elbow against his chest and whispered into his ear. Sebastian fell silent as he listened to his master, those green eyes seething at Tristan.

Jaw stiff
, Sebastian answered, “As you wish, mon seigneur.” He shot Tristan one last simmering look and turned away.

Lucien stepped up to the bars, titling his head and looking as if he had some secret to share. “You should not be so cruel to him. You do know what he did to save your life? You should be grateful. You should be very honored, the blood of a true fae... of course he only revived you for me. It was a sweet thing for him to do. So thoughtful of his Master.”

“How much longer are you plan on keeping us here? ‘Cause I’ll tell you, the room service blows and I’m bored out of my fucking mind. I mean, come on, there’s no pay-per-view? This joint is so fucking lame.”

Ash smiled. Lucien on the other hand looked startled for a moment before bursting into laughter. Behind the laughing vampire Sebastian caught Tristan’s attention as he dug around in the piles of torture devices and evil toys.

Well, that can’t be good.

Lucien draped his arms on a crossbar, his hands hanging lifelessly on the inside of Tristan’s cage. “Oh, I am so happy to see your fire back. You were just so very pathetic without it. Speaking of fire, you do know
what I have planned for you, no?”

Tristan moved closer but
was careful to stay out of the vampire’s reach. The door was close, if only it was open. “Yeah, your elf told me before he drugged me again and put this crap on me.” He lifted his arms showing the leather bindings and leaned to the side to look at Sebastian around Lucien. “What, can’t face me like a man, you gotta cheat at every corner to win? Huh?”

Sebastian made a rude noise.

Lucien smirked showing his little fangs. “You really shouldn’t provoke him so. You’re only making him angry and while I won’t allow him to kill you, you don’t need to be conscious for me to bite you, just alive.”

“Yeah, yeah
, heard it all before.”

“It’s just a little bite. One little prick and then we’ll leave you alone for the rest of the night to enjoy the last few hours of Christmas in peace.”

That sparked a thread of worry in him. “What about Ash?”

“Oh well, she and I have other plans tonight. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t let her die
just yet. I need you both now, don’t I? Shall we get started?”

Tristan was so ready. He’d
find a way out or die trying. “You know, I’m going to fight you on this.”

The vampire smiled big. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Bring it fang face.”

Looking as happy as he ever had in his whole, long life, Lucien pulled a key from his pocket and turned as Sebastian joined him with a set of manacles. The fae
handed over the bindings and quickly backed away as Lucien turned his attention to back to Tristan.

Needing a distraction in his head to put Lucien off his thoughts, Tristan started to mentally sing.

“
And I don't want you and I don't need you
.”

Head bobbing, heart pounding, his who
le body was pulsing with energy. It was now or never, he had to fight back.

“
Don't bother to resist, or I'll beat you
.”

From the other side of the wall, Ash whispered his name nervously. She couldn’t read his mind, just as he i
ntended, and was afraid for him despite the fae at her door.

“What’s that you’re singing in your head there?” Lucien asked
as he fussed the lock. “Share for the whole class…?”

Tristan only smiled back, reciting more of the song aloud.
“It's not your fault that you're always wrong; The weak ones are there to justify the strong.”

Outside of Ash’s cell,
Sebastian was looking cocky and giddy as he whistled his way to opening the door. The tune seemed familiar to Tristan and threatened to distract him but when the sound of his cell lock engaged echoed all around him, his attention snapped into sharp focus again.

“
Hey you, what do you see?”

Dragging the length of chains affixed with the manacle cuffs behind him, Lucien pushed open the door and took his first step into the cell.

“Something beautiful, something free?” Tristan shouted before springing forward, throwing all of his weight against the door. The momentum forced the door shut against Lucien, trapping him against the frame. The vampire hissed an angry noise, dropping the length of chain.

Sebastian stopped and
spun, intent on helping his Master but a hand shout of the cell next to Tristan’s and grabbed the fae by the throat. Tristan saw it happen out of the corner of his eye and felt a surge of triumph.

Dumb bastard, stand too close to the tiger’s cage and you might get hurt.

Lucien growled and gave the door a shove. Tristan gasped as he slid backwards under the vampire’s strength, almost losing his balance. With a burst of energy, he yanked the door inward, freeing Lucien and reaching for him. He grabbed the vampire’s face and jerked him forward, at the same time lifting his right knee.

“Eat this, motherfucker,” he growled and caught Lucien square in the nose.

Hot blood burst from the vampire’s face and down Tristan’s leg. Distantly he heard the sound of Ash’s cell door opening. It wasn’t until he heard a defeated masculine grunt followed by a heavy thud that he knew Ash had subdued the fae. She’d freed herself and would be here any second now to help him take out Lucien. Hopefully before the kid vampire burnt him alive with his power.

Lucien bellowed an angry cry and grabbed Tristan’s thigh just above
the knee. “Not before I fucking beat you into submission, she won’t! You’re mine, Uruwashi!”

A twinge of panic and fear shot through him as Lucien’s mouth
twisted into a wide grimace even The Joker would have been jealous of.

“You call those fangs?
” he spit out. “Ash has a bigger set than you, pal!”

The vampire moved to strike and Tristan did the only thing he could think of in the moment. Using all of his strength, he tossed his other leg
up into the air. His foot connected with the underside of Lucien’s chin with a sickening crack just before he slammed to the floor, laid out flat and winded, foot throbbing like he’d broken something.

The vampire screamed as a spray blood erupted from his mouth
, the momentum of the kick knocking him to his ass. But the blow only stunned him for a second. His vampire speed had him up on his feet before Tristan could even sit up. Lucien flung a harsh curse at him, stopping long enough to wipe the spit and blood from his chin and then dove.

Tristan flung a foot up and took the vampire in the stomach. The impact of the hit jarred all the way down Tristan’s leg
, felt as if he might have twisted his ankle. Lucien growled, reaching for him as if the blow never happened and Tristan jabbed the heel of his other naked foot into the vampire’s chest and wrapped his hands around Lucien’s neck. Using that skinny chicken neck as a pull, Tristan pushed with both feet and tossed Lucien up and over his head.

Mortar and brick cracked to tiny pebbles under Lucien’s weight. Tristan flipped over to his hands and knees facing his enemy, though his balance was bad, poised on his fingertips with that terribl
e leather sleeve binding his hands so close together. He needed to be on his feet. Hell, it was a miracle he did this well for this long in his condition.

Any second now, Ash.

Lucien scrambled to his hands and knees, and grinned, mocking him. “It’s just you and me.”

There was a sudden rumble then, the whole room shuddered. Tristan gasped as the bubble of pressure in his head exploded and his middle ignited with cold fire.
Ash, she just
—Chunks of brick the size of fruit rained down from the ceiling, mortar crumbled all around them like snow. Somewhere nearby a rat squealed in protest.

“
Connasse
,” Lucien snarled and then let out a war cry that made Tristan shiver. The vampire was on his feet and turning towards the door within seconds. The moment he reached the door, the earthquake cut off as abruptly as it has started and then a blur of black and white shot in.

Tristan sighed in relief—both for the relea
se of pressure in his head and the knowledge that Ash was okay—as she slammed into Lucien. She lifted him off of the ground and took them across the room. They crashed into the back wall, cracking the brick around them. Lucien cried out and drove a fist into the side of her face as they tumbled together to the ground. Ash grunted and didn’t hesitate wrapping her body around the front of his, pinning arms, and driving her fangs into his neck.

Tristan jumped to his feet and started to move towards them but stopped after two steps. He needed a weapon, any weapon, and to get
his arms free. Giving Ash one last quick look as she and Lucien tumbled around on the dirty floor, he decided he had a moment to spare since Lucien didn’t seem to be able to get free at the moment.

Hang in there, Ash. 

He forced himself to move and darted out of the cell and across to Lucien’s torture room. His hip caught on the table by the door on the way in almost putting him off balance and dumping him on the floor. He stopped in the middle of the space, panting and hot, eyes darting over the assortment of tools and devices—hip throbbing. God, it felt good to be alive.

He recognized a few of the items, but most looked like they belonged in a horror movie. Tristan
grabbed the one thing he knew how to wield with confidence: a knife a long as his forearm. He sat on the floor with the knife between his knees, blade up and started to hack away at the toggles on his binding. The whole time he could hear Ash and Lucien fighting, screaming, cursing and beating on each other.

Rubbing his sore forearms, he found his feet again and was moving towards his cell. Something drew his eye to Ash’s and he stopped for only a second to get a better look. It was Sebastian. The fae was crumpled in the back corner, forgotten. Tristan couldn’t tell if he was breathing or not. Blood covered most of his shoulder where Ash ripped his shirt open, a pool of it gathering under him. Tristan’s daytime buddy, the rat, was creeping in to investigate the broken fae.

“Serves you right, asshole.”

Ash yelped and he forgot all about the fae, jumping into motion again. Lucien was on top
of Ash, pinning her against the back wall with her fangs clamped down onto his neck. But Lucien he was trying to convince her that she didn’t want to kill him, thrusting against her in an almost frantic rhythm, desperate to change her mind. She moaned; it was half desire, half desperation to kill. The vampire in her wanted this. The part loyal to Tristan cried.

Tristan roared with anger and stomped up behind Lucien, raising the knife in his hands. Both hands on the hilt, he drove the knife straight down, intent on burying it into the back of Lucien’s neck. But despite his deep interest in Ash, Lucien knew what was happening and moved at the last moment, sacrificing a
chunk of his flesh. The vampire was fast, but not fast enough and the thrust caught him down his side, slicing a clean line of flesh open to his hip. Tristan’s forward momentum was overkill and he lost his center of gravity.

Ash’s eyes widened and she gasped, catching him as he fell onto her with a grunt. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Tristan quickly righted himself, turning to face their enemy. “I’m good.”