Bloodline (18 page)

She wondered briefly whether he'd believed her, and knew that whether he had or not, he would be checking out her story. She was grateful that she and Ginger had planted enough information to satisfy at least a surface investigation. There was a Web site advertising her services, complete with testimonials from satisfied customers, all of whom were, of course, Sisters of Athena.

No matter what he thought at the moment, once he checked on her, he would believe her story. What other theory would explain the presence of a harmless-looking mortal woman in the home of a vampire?

Nothing he could imagine, she ventured.

After he drove away, she turned, noticing again the framed print that hung above the mantel. It was meant to depict the legendary first wife of Adam, the one who
refused to submit, and was expelled from the garden and replaced by the obedient Eve.

Well, obedient for a while, anyway.

Ethan must have cared a great deal for her daughter when they'd been at The Farm. Maybe he'd even loved her.

She hoped he still did. That he would continue to. That he would protect her, the way Serena wished she could do herself.

Moving to the window, she gazed out at the slowly fading night. “I'll find you, sweetheart. I will. And I'll make everything all right for you again. I promise.”

The sound of a car, moving far too quickly along the driveway, startled her, and Serena turned and rushed to the front door, fully expecting to see the faux cop and a dozen friends swooping in on her.

Instead she saw the familiar Taurus, Ginger behind the wheel, Terry gripping the dashboard as if for dear life.

Opening the door, Serena rushed outside, meeting them halfway as they hurried toward the house. Ginger was holding up her cell phone, her eyes eager. “We had a message from—”

“Not here!” Serena flung up a hand in traffic cop fashion, stopping her in midsentence even as she looked left and then right in search of eavesdroppers. When Ginger blinked in confusion, she said, “I had a visitor while you were gone. Can't be sure he's not still lurking.”

Terry and Ginger exchanged glances, then nodded. Terry had two bags in her arms, and Serena felt her stomach growl in spite of everything on her mind.

The three women went straight to the kitchen, where Terry set the bags down and began putting things away.

“Is it safe to speak in here?” Ginger asked.

“Yes, but softly.” She cranked on the water taps and turned on the range's vent fan just in case.

“Who was he?” Terry asked, opening the fridge and wrinkling her nose in distaste.

“DPI.” Serena grabbed one of the grocery bags, and, edging Terry out of the way, quickly put the blood into the bag and tucked it into the vegetable crisper, out of sight. “He said he was a cop, but he never showed any ID. I gave him the cover story, and I think he bought it.”

“For how long?” Ginger asked. “Not that it matters. We won't be here long anyway. Here.” She held out her cell phone.

Serena took it and looked at the screen, which showed the text of an e-mail. Glancing up, she asked, “From Callista?” The other two nodded.

Serena looked back at the phone and began reading the message aloud. “‘Sending this risky—but risks necessary now. E and L plan return to Farm to rescue rest. Everyone knows and they're waiting. It's a trap. Find this place and intercept them first. Stop them at all cost or they will both be killed. Farm is former military base, if that helps. Must return phone before missed. Will leave on. Number 555-0689. DO NOT CALL THIS NUMBER. Use to triangulate signal.'”

Serena tried scrolling down for more, but that was the end of the message, except for an odd little symbol, two zeroes with a V underneath them.

* * *

It vaguely resembled the face of an owl. Owls being sacred to Athena, and one of Her symbols, this simple design told Serena that the e-mail was genuine.

“How could they know?” she asked, and even she wasn't certain who she was asking. The phone? The woman who'd sent the message and could not hear her? The two who stood staring at her now? Or the gods themselves? Maybe all of the above.

“They must have told someone about their plan,” Ginger said. “Someone who betrayed them.”

Nodding, Serena fished out her own cell phone and placed a call to the Sisterhood's Appalachian headquarters—the place she called home. “It's Serena. I need you to find the location of a cell phone signal. Can you do that?” She listened, then nodded and gave them the information. “Call me back when you have it.” Then she hung up. “As soon as we know where The Farm is, we'll head out.”

“I'm not quite sure how we're going to do that,” Ginger said. “Lock the doors, ladies.”

Serena frowned, turning. Ginger was standing at a window, holding the heavy curtain aside and looking out. The other two quickly looked, as well.

There were people out there. Two at the end of the driveway. One near the stable. Three more in the trees to the right. Just standing there, pale as ghosts.

Terry jerked back from the window, ran to the door and threw the locks. “Are they…?”

“Vampires,” Ginger said. “And if they want us, I don't think locks will keep them out.”

Serena stood silently, staring at the creatures, wondering why they were lurking, what the hell they wanted. None of them were moving any closer. They were just
standing there. “Callista told us that the Chosen at The Farm are transformed when they reach adulthood and sent on missions for the DPI. I'd say we're their latest mission.”

Terry was shaking visibly. “So what do we do, then?”

Ginger backed away from the window and strode toward the fridge. “I don't know about you, but I'm going to get something to eat.”

* * *

“I'm going to take a quick look around before the sun rises.”

“Hell, Ethan, there are two hours before dawn. At least.” Lilith leaned on a post inside the barn as he headed for the door. The place smelled of musty hay long past its usefulness.

“I know. But still…just to be on the safe side,” Ethan said.

Lilith nodded, then returned to her task, spreading her blanket-cum-cloak over the straw on the floor to create a soft place to rest.

Ethan stepped outside and swung the barn door closed behind him, but he walked only a short distance before he lowered himself onto the grassy ground, closed his eyes and focused on blocking his thoughts from everyone except the one to whom he spoke. There was no longer much reason to keep James in the dark. He couldn't find them now, even if he wanted to. They were walking into the lion's den of their own free will.

James? James, can you hear me?

I've been waiting all night! Where are you? Are you still all right?

Ethan nodded, letting the feeling of the motion move from his mind to his brother's.
We're fine. But she's re
membering her way back, and I'm beginning to think there's no talking her out of this insane notion.

Then stop trying.

Ethan went still, shocked into silence by his brother's suggestion.

Maybe she's right, Ethan. Have you thought of that? I've entertained the notion of returning to that place and freeing everyone there ever since I left.

But you didn't.
The thought rushed from him before he could censor it.

And you resent it, don't you? That I didn't come back for you. But think about it. You didn't go back for Lilith, either. You left her there, because you knew you would have no chance.

No, that wasn't why. I was waiting.

For what?

For you! I knew that if I could find you, you'd help me. You'd know things, you'd have ideas, you'd…help me.

He felt his brother's hesitation before he finally replied.
And that's exactly what I'm going to do, Ethan. I'm going to help you. There are three of us now. That's three times the chance of success.

Three times zero is still zero. I can't believe you're going along with this insanity.

I thought you said you planned to go back yourself?

For Lilith!
Ethan shouted mentally.
But she's free now, and there's no reason to risk my life for the others. They don't even want our help.

Some of them might,
James returned.
Just tell me when you get there. I'll be waiting.

We'll hit the road again at sundown, and we don't have far to go. I'll delay her, try to steer her off course,
pray to God she can't find her way and that we aren't spotted while she tries. But if we get there, we'll be there before sunrise tomorrow. Well before, I imagine.

I'll be there,
James promised.
And, Ethan…I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't come back for you.

“Ethan?”

He started, spun around and tried to wipe the guilty look off his face as he spotted Lilith standing there staring at him. And then he didn't need to try anymore, because she was completely naked. She'd pulled her long hair around in front of her shoulders, so that the endless coils spilled over her breasts and waist and hips, all the way to her thighs. But they hid nothing, only made the tantalizing glimpses even more erotic.

He felt himself growing hard, and he wanted her right then, more than he'd ever wanted anything.

“If you don't hurry it up, we won't have time for sex before we sleep.”

He felt his lips pull into a smile. “I thought you said we had two hours,” he said, rising and moving toward her slowly.

She walked toward him, holding out her hands. “It was so good before, Ethan,” she whispered. “I want as much of that as I can get. Don't you?”

“Oh,
hell
yes.”

She flashed him a smile that was more than pleased, but then, as he reached for her hands, she dropped them to her sides, turned and walked away from him, back into the barn.

Ethan practically ran after her.

I
relished Ethan. Every touch, every sensation, every incredible, mind-bending orgasm. And maybe part of the reason was that I knew we might not get another chance. The very next nightfall would bring us to our goal—well,
my
goal, not his. And I knew we could die in the effort if things went badly.

And yet there wasn't a cell in my body that truly believed that could happen. We would be successful, I knew we would. We would free them all. We would shut that horrible place down for good. I felt buoyant. And I knew part of that was because of him. Had I been facing this challenge alone, I thought I would have been much less optimistic about my chances. But I honestly felt as if there was nothing I couldn't accomplish with this man by my side.

I lay there then, in his arms, and he held me as if I were the most cherished thing in the universe.

“We're going to make this work,” I told him. “We'll be successful, and we'll escape unscathed. I know we will.”

“I hope you're right,” he said. “And if we do…then what?”

I felt my brows furrow in a tight little frown. “What do you mean?”

“I mean—what's going to happen afterward?”

I lifted my head from his shoulder to better see his face, but there was no reading his expression. “We'll live freely. Without being hunted. We'll have others of our own kind to interact with.”

He shook his head slowly. “Not of our own kind, Lilith. Not really. We're vampires. The captives at The Farm are the Chosen—not the Undead. They're
not
like us.”

I lowered my eyes and nodded reluctantly.

“But that wasn't what I meant by my question,” he said softly. “I meant, what will
you
do if we survive this?”

I blinked, my head coming up again, my eyes meeting his. “I don't know. I…could stay with you, I suppose. If…if that's what you're asking.”

He smiled. “I guess it is. I feel like we have something together, Lilith. Something more than just this physical bliss we've been enjoying. And I'd like to take some time to find out just what it is.”

“Oh, I already know what it is,” I told him. And I ran a hand over his cheek. “It's trust.”

His eyes shifted to the left, away from mine.

“I don't think I've ever trusted anyone before,” I told him. “It's a new feeling for me. All those years at The Farm—I've been remembering more and more, and I know I didn't trust anyone there. Or anything they told me.”

“Does that include your fellow inmates?” he asked.

“Oh, yes. I cared about them, but I wasn't stupid. I don't think I've
ever
been stupid. So no, I didn't trust them.” I lowered my head to his shoulder again, pressed
small kisses to his neck. “But I trust
you.
” It felt so good to be able to say that to another being, and to mean it.

His arms tightened around me, but he didn't say a word.

* * *

Ginger put her superior on speaker, so the others could hear the entire conversation. They all knew this was going to be a delicate negotiation. While the heads of the organization knew about the existence of The Farm, they didn't know that Ginger's branch of the Sisterhood had placed a woman inside. They didn't know that Serena was the mother of an escaped vampiress. They didn't know that Ginger, Serena, Terry and Callista had been waging a four-woman campaign to uncover the DPI's secrets and rescue Lilith for her mother.

When Phaedra answered, Ginger said, “We have discovered the location of The Farm.”

“How?” Phaedra asked.

“Anonymous tip.”

“Anonymous?” Phaedra hesitated. “Do you realize that would suggest that someone not of the Sisterhood has learned of our existence?”

“Well, we already know there are a handful of vampires who know. It may have been one of them.”

“But you don't know for sure?”

“No, Lady Phaedra, I don't know.”

There was silence on the other end. Ginger glanced from Serena to Terry and back again, cleared her throat and said, “There's more.”

“Do tell.”

“Well, we know of two vampires who escaped captivity. And we believe they're on their way back there to
try to free the others. We suspect the DPI knows it, too, and are waiting in ambush.”

“This anonymous source of yours seems to have a lot of information.”

“Yes,” Ginger said. And Serena knew the other woman had also heard the skepticism in Lady Phaedra's tone, the suspicion. “We'd like to intercept the vamps. To warn them.”

Phaedra sighed into the phone. “And you believe this meets with our criteria for intervention?”

“I do. Humans—the DPI, in this case—are tampering with the supernatural order. It's our sworn mission to prevent that kind of tampering, to protect that order and allow it to evolve as it's meant to. Besides,” she added, “they won't stand a chance if they walk into that trap.”

Serena could almost see the older woman nodding slowly, eyes narrowing as she considered every option. She was thinking, and Serena, Ginger and Terry stayed silent, giving her time to strategize.

“I agree,” Phaedra said at length. “Although I'm going to insist on a full accounting afterward, you realize.” Her voice had a water-over-gravel quality, probably from years of sneaking cigarettes, despite the Sisterhood's ban on smoking. The Sisters of Athena had to be healthy and strong, and Phaedra was both, in spades. But she still loved her Marlboros. “What is your plan?”

“I'd like to send several groups out today. Have them waiting along every route to The Farm, with orders to intercept the vampires if and when they try to pass.”

Serena nearly held her breath as she awaited the reply. Terry was listening, too, but also constantly peering outside at the vampires standing sentry all around them.

They hadn't tried to come inside yet. They hadn't
attacked. They were just…watching. Waiting. Probably for Ethan and Lilith.

“Ginger, you'll have to keep your women far enough from The Farm to be safe. You'll have to make it look innocent. As if they've stopped along the road to—I don't know—change a tire. That sort of thing.”

“Yes, naturally.”

“And they'll need to be armed with tranquilizers—every single one of them. I will not risk my women being killed by vampires who may not realize they're only trying to help.”

Ginger swallowed, her eyes shooting to Serena's. “All right.”

“I want the intervention to be fast. Instantaneous. If the DPI forces catch you, God only knows the damage that could be done. We cannot risk the government getting a clue as to our existence. They would destroy us.”

“They would try,” Ginger agreed.

“So this is how it will unfold. The vampires begin to pass, our women stop them, tranquilize them and get them to hell out of there. Immediately. No conversation. No reasoning. You strike, and you get out.”

Serena closed her eyes, not liking the plan at all. And yet it was probably the only thing that would work.

“Once you get them to safety, they are to be physically restrained until they wake and we can explain the situation, and determine that they are not a threat. And even then, I want most of the Sisters well beyond their reach. Understood?”

“Yes, Lady Phaedra.”

“All right, then. It will take place tonight?”

“I'm almost certain of it,” Ginger said.

“I'll expect a report as soon as it's done.”

“Yes, ma'am. Thank you.”

“Be extremely cautious, Ginger. Your main objective is to protect the anonymity of the Sisterhood of Athena. That above all else.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Ginger said again. “I'll call you tonight, when it's done.”

“Do that. And text me the location of The Farm as soon as you hang up.”

The click of Phaedra disconnecting seemed to be the period at the end of a sentence. “In case we die tonight,” Ginger whispered. She sighed and lowered her head. “It's the best we could have hoped for.”

“You didn't mention that we were sitting here surrounded by DPI-trained vamps,” Terry said. “You should have had her send help.”

“We won't need help,” Serena said softly. She nodded toward the grandfather clock, with its slowly swinging pendulum, in the corner of the room. “It'll be dawn in another hour. They can't very well stand there watching us while the sun comes up. They'd be toast.”

“You really think they're alone?” Terry asked. Then she shook her head slowly, in answer to her own question. “Their mortal puppetmasters must be nearby. They'll take over watching us like vultures once the vamps take cover for the day.”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” Ginger said. “It's vampires they were sent to find, after all. Ethan and Lilith. And they have to rest by day, too. Once they fall asleep we'll be able to slide right out of here unnoticed.”

Serena nodded. “We'll have to make sure of that. I don't want to find Lilith, only to learn that I led the DPI
right to her.” She thinned her lips and began picking up the empty plates. They'd made bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches for their predawn dinner. “We need to get out a map and start planning this out in detail.”

“We have everything we need back at Athena House,” Terry said.

“Yeah, and that's where we're heading, the minute the sun comes up,” Serena said. “Let's try to rest, okay? I'll set my phone alarm to wake us in an hour.”

“Yeah. Like I'm going to be able to sleep,” Terry muttered.

* * *

As dawn came, I fell asleep—perhaps for the last time—in Ethan's arms and that was where I awoke at dusk. I tugged myself free and sat up slightly, so I could look down at him. He was a beautiful man. Reluctant to help me in my mission, yes, but surely he would soon see that it was necessary.

He opened his eyes slowly, and his lips pulled into a soft smile as he saw me looking at him. Drinking him in.

“You look happy this evening,” he said.

I let my smile grow. “I am. Tonight's the night we're going to find that place and free the captives.”

He blinked, his smile fading a little. “Oh. I thought—Never mind.”

Realizing my mistake immediately, I hurried on. “Besides, what woman wouldn't wake up happy after the time we spent together and sleeping in your arms all day long?”

He nodded, but I didn't think he bought it. Not entirely, anyway. He knew I had a one-track mind, and right now that track was leading me to The Farm.

Still, he pulled me to him for a deep kiss that grew deeper and hotter in a hurry. I enjoyed it thoroughly, until I began to suspect his intent. And then I pulled away and blinked at him.

“Are you trying to distract me?”

He sighed and let his hands fall away from my shoulders. I missed his touch immediately, but I knew it was necessary. “I was hoping to. But I didn't think it would work.”

“You know me very well, then, Ethan.”

He nodded. “I like to think so. Listen, once we locate the place, we should take enough time to do some careful surveillance. Map it out, note all the ways in and out. We should know how many guards there are, when they change shifts, what weapons they carry, things like that.”

I sat on my heels. “You
are
trying to delay us.”

He sat up, too, smoothing my hair as if soothing my temper. “I'm only trying to keep us alive. And we'd be more likely to stay that way with more help.”

I rolled my eyes. “Not this again.”

“Lilith, my brother—”

“I don't trust him. I don't
know
him.”

“He's one of us. What more is there to know?”

“How about whether or not he's working for
them,
Ethan? How about whether he's only in touch with you now because he's hunting you? Or me?”

“He's my brother.”

I lowered my head, lifted it again and got to my feet, then gathered up our few possessions, walked to the Bronco and tossed them inside. I moved to the barn doors to open them wide.

The night spread out before me, smelling of alfalfa and wildflowers. It was warm, and barely a breeze stirred the air.

I heard Ethan sigh, but he got up and pulled on his clothes. Then he joined me outside, looking around, but not listening to the night birds and crickets as I was, I thought. No, he was searching for signs of trouble.

His caution irritated me. I went back inside and got into the vehicle, and then, growing impatient when he took his time joining me, I turned the key, starting the noisy engine.

He took the hint and got in beside me, shoving me over to the passenger seat. “I've never seen anyone in such a hurry to face her own demise,” he muttered. He said it as if he was joking, but I knew that deep down, he wasn't. Not really.