Broken Heart 03 Because Your Vampire Said So (10 page)

I laughed. Was he joking?

Gabriel seemed nonplussed at my reaction. “Submit, Patricia.”

I wrenched my wrists free of his grip; then I wrapped my hand around his cock. “Tell you what, stud. We can submit to each other or …”

He sucked in a sharp breath. “Or what?”

“Or I’ll pull off your dick and feed it to the demons.”

Startled, he stared at me. Then his lips stretched into a wicked grin. “You are definitely the one for me, Patricia.”

“Tell it to my vagina.” I fell backward onto the bed and nearly cried when he covered me and finally, finally, finally guided his thick cock inside me.

I met every thrust, moaning and mewling and acting a fool. But I didn’t care. In no time at all, I plunged over the edge into sparkling bliss and then he did, too.

I should’ve known that happiness like this was as fleeting as a good-hair day.

When Gabriel and I got dressed and entered the main cavern, we were met by a pissed-off Terran, an indifferent Zerina, and a happy-to-see -us Arin.

I stayed close to Gabriel. He smelled yummy, like chocolate chip cookies and sex, and he felt really good, too. Y’know, being bound to him wasn’t too bad.

“We’ve been worried sick!” yelled Terran as she marched over to Gabriel and gave him the stink-eye. “How many times have I told you to carry your phone?” She thrust the slim, red cell phone at him and he meekly took it.

“I thought you lost it in the woods,” I said.

“I found it. I always find it. I’m the cleanup girl.” Terran punched Gabriel in the shoulder. “Jerk.”

“We have a visitor,” said Arin, clearing his throat.

Patrick sat on the edge of the fountain, looking like someone had ripped out his heart.

“Jessica’s missing,” he said.

“He thought she was here,” said Zerina. She was looking as if she wanted to push him into the pool.

“When you didn’t show up at the shelter,” said Patrick, “I figured you came back.”

“I couldn’t get in to the shelter. The blood lock wouldn’t open for me.” I put my hands on my hips. “So, you thought we kidnapped Jessica?”

Arin looked nonplussed. “Why would we do that?”

“I can’t reach her by phone or through our mental connection,” said Patrick. “Everyone else is in the compound, so I thought … maybe she was here.”

“How’s Wilson?” I asked.

“He’s fine,” said Patrick. “He’s been helping out with the younger children. He asked if you were okay.”

That made my inner mama bear roar with happiness. Gabriel draped his arm on my shoulders, a sign of comfort or possession, I didn’t know. Who cared so long as his arm was around my shoulders?

“We have to help,” I told him quietly. “You know how many times I cried on her shoulder or stayed at her house when my ex-husband got crazy? I can’t count the number of times she took my son to the movies or for ice cream so he wouldn’t have to listen to me fight with Sean. I owe her. I don’t renege on my debts.”

“Your debts are my debts.” He kissed me. “We will save Jessica.”

Patrick’s phone rang. We were all startled by the sudden noise. He flipped it open and listened.

“It’s just static,” he said. He looked down at the display. “It’s her number.”

“Don’t close it!” I pointed at his phone. “Maybe she’s calling you, but she can’t talk. Use the GPS thingie to track her location.”

“The Thrifty Sip?” asked Patrick as we drove up to the abandoned convenience store. Terran owned a Hummer, of all things, which had been camouflaged in the woods. Arin stayed at the cave, which was real close to the cemetery. Patrick had pointed out that the cavern was near to where the Consortium had blown up the Wraiths.

The Thrifty Sip was a few miles from the town proper. It was also on the schedule for demolition—a security risk or some such. The compound had the only available gas station nowadays.

I didn’t have a car. Sean took ours when I told him it was over and I hadn’t been able to afford another one. Sometimes, I caught a ride with others, but mostly I walked to where I wanted to go. I got to places a whole lot faster after becoming a vampire.

We all piled out of the huge gas-guzzler and stared at the empty, dark building. I turned to Patrick. “Is she in there?”

“No,” said Patrick. “She’s right here.”

I didn’t want to second-guess him, even though I was dying to say something along the lines of, “Are you sure you know how to read a GPS?”

Everyone looked around. It was quiet and dark. Nothing and no one stirred.

“Spread out,” commanded Terran. “We’ll check a hundred feet in every direction and meet back here.”

I touched Patrick’s elbow. “Is your mind-mojo working yet?”

“No. I can’t sense her at all.”

While Terran barked orders, the rest of us walked down the road in both directions, behind the store, into the little pocket of woods nearby, and across the ditch to the empty field.

Jessica wasn’t here.

We met back at the Thrifty Sip. Patrick looked about ready to spit nails. “Where the bloody hell is my wife?” Patrick ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry.”

“I understand,” said Gabriel. “I would feel the same if it were Patsy who’d been taken.”

“Would you?” asked Patrick. “Because of the prophecy?”

“Hey, now,” I interrupted. “Let’s not forget all the crap you put Jessica through going on about your sonuachar.”

Patrick had the grace to look abashed.

“Is it just me, or does the air stink like testosterone?” asked Zerina. Gabriel sent his gold glare to the girl. She didn’t care. “Maybe Jessica would appreciate being found. Ya think?”

“The GPS pinpointed this location,” insisted Patrick.

“Maybe we need to look down,” said Zerina. She was dressed in a pink shirt, black jeans, and black leather ankle boots. She stomped on the circle of metal under her boot.

“Aw, hell,” I muttered. “She’s somewhere in the sewer.”

When Zerina pulled off the manhole cover, Patrick jumped the forty or so feet into the sewer line. Then Terran dropped into the hole. We heard one big splash and I flinched. The stink rising up from the manhole, especially to all of us with overdeveloped senses, was dis-gus-ting.

Well, if everyone else could stand swimming around in it, I guess I could, too. I just couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t yak.

Gabriel climbed down on the metal ladder that extended down into the dark, smelly space. Then I went. Zerina stayed topside to be the lookout.

Gabriel splashed into the water (yuck, yuck, yuck). It was waist-high on him. He waded to the side where there was a small concrete ledge that wound alongside the sewer water. I nearly died from the stench, but I remembered that I could fly, too.

So I drifted down the hole and over the nasty water. I stepped onto the ledge.

Terran asked, “Do you still have the Glock?”

“Er … it sorta got blown up in my trailer.” It seemed like that had happened years ago instead of just days.

“Don’t worry, Terran,” said Gabriel. “Patricia can handle herself.”

Patrick did some clever things with his hands and muttered Gaelic. Glowing orbs filled the air. Patrick flew about two feet above the water, staying between those of us walking.

Jessica was flattened against a wall on the left side, pinned through the shoulders with metal stakes. Each thigh had a stake through it, too.

She was unconscious.

The ungodly sound that issued from Patrick made every hair stand up on my body. Whoever had done this to his wife was going to pay with their lives.

We all ran toward her.

Patrick got there first. He grabbed the metal stake in her left shoulder and Gabriel grabbed the one in her right. Terran and I knelt to get the ones in her thighs. We all pulled with every bit of our supernatural strength.

Not one budged.

“Bespelled?” asked Terran, panting.

Poor Jess’ clothes were black with her blood. She was still blindfolded, too. Whoever had done this to her was cruel. They didn’t want to kill her. They wanted to torment her.

“We need Zela,” said Patrick.

“You’re the only one who can get to her the fastest,” said Gabriel. “We won’t leave your mate.”

Patrick nodded, and then he sparkled out of sight. While he was gone, the rest of us kept pulling on the ugly spikes.

God, Jess looked pale. Beyond vampire pale. And there was so much blood. I couldn’t begin to imagine the kind of pain that had consumed her when they drove those stakes into her body.

When Patrick returned, he was alone. “She’s on the way,” he said.

“What the hell is going on?”

I heard Jessica’s voice, so I looked up. Her eyes were closed and her mouth wasn’t moving.

Oh, no.

The spirit of Jessica stood next to her body.

I saw a thin silver line that connected her spirit to her physical form. If that chain broke, she would be free of this life for good. And then we would lose Patrick, too.

Jessica kept talking to Patrick, hands on her hips, her expression pure pissed off.

“Jess.”

She looked down at me. “Could you tell my stubborn husband that ignoring his wife is a no-nookie offense?”

“Honey, you’re …” I couldn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t know she was a wandering spirit.

Patrick reached over and grabbed my shoulders. “Please,” he said in a broken voice. “Do not tell me you see my wife. She is not dead.”

“ I’m dead? You mean, dead-dead?” Jessica smacked herself in the forehead with her palm. “Duh. Only you can see me. Of course, I am. Damn! This sucks.” She turned around and examined her staked body. “Wow. I look awful.”

“You’re not dead, Jess. You’re just having an out-of-body experience. You have to stay real close to yourself until it’s time to get you back in there.”

“Okay.” She looked down and saw Gabriel. “Hey, is that your wolfie? He’s hot. When Patrick started in with all that soul mate crap, I really wanted to punch him in the mouth. But he was right.” She smiled at me. “Does Gabriel make you happy? Do you go all gooey when he looks at you or touches you?”

“Yeah,” I said. “On all counts.”

“What’s she saying?” asked Patrick.

“She thinks Gabriel is hot.” The laugh burbling in my throat turned to a sob. Gabriel looked at me, sympathy glowing in his eyes. He was still kneeling at Jessica’s thigh, his hands gripping the metal.

“You’re definitely talking to Jessica.”

“Nobody’s hotter than he is,” said Jess, grinning. “He’s the hottest of the hotties.”

“She says you’re the hottest of all.”

Patrick tried for a smile, but didn’t quite make it. “I will see you soon, mo chroi. I love you.”

“Isn’t he sweet?” Jessica cupped his face, though of course he didn’t know it. “Tell him I said ‘back at you, babe.’ “

“She loves you, too.”

Passing along messages between spirits and people was a tiresome thing. And Jessica liked to jaw on more than anyone else I knew.

“How did they get you?”

Jessica looked embarrassed. “I went back to our house to check on the stupid pony. Jenny was worried about Glitter. I took a digital camera so I could take pictures and show her the horse was all right.” She shrugged. “I guess they figured I was better than no hostage at all.”

“She snuck out to check on Glitter. She figures the bad guys saw it as an opportunity to strike.”

Patrick’s anguish was palpable. “She should’ve told me.”

“She knows that,” I said. “She’s sorry.”

“Wow, Pats. You’re good. So, what’s the plan of attack?” asked Jessica. (See what I mean?) “Y’know, for getting me back into my body?”

“We’re waiting on Zela,” I said.

“Oh,” said Jessica. “She’s the one who has the metal mojo.”

“We need information about Koschei or we might all find ourselves staked to walls.” Terran’s voice was no-nonsense.

“Gah! Who’s the bitch?” Jessica’s words had no heat to them. She waved away her own rancor. “She’s right. Koschei is behind this whole thing. Man, that guy is such a dickhead.”

“She says Koschei is a dickhead.”

“We are aware of his personality,” said Terran, whose lips tugged into a reluctant smile. “We need to know his plan.”

“Well, he didn’t exactly tell me, now did he? He’s a helluva lot scarier than Ron. Anyhoodles, the only other thing I know is that they have a real hankering to raise the dead. Is that gross, or what?”

“What is she saying?” asked Terran impatiently.

“She says Koschei has been busy recruiting other vampires to his cause. And that he’s raising an army of zombies.”

At that moment a woman arrived. She was statuesque and cocoa-skinned, and very well dressed. Her silver hoop earrings jangled as she assessed Jessica’s staked body.

“Move away,” she said in a thick, exotic accent. “I need space to do this work.”

“Jess, this is your ride back to consciousness,” I said, as we all fell back. “At least, I think it is. Stay close. You’ll know when it’s time to go back in.”

Jessica nodded. Her gaze went to Patrick, who stubbornly stayed right where he was. This did not disturb Zela. “When I have freed her from the metal, you must catch her.”

Patrick nodded, his expression grim.

Spirit Jessica stood between her body and Patrick, her ghostly arms clasped around his neck.

Zela turned her hand up and pointed it at the metal stake in Jess’ left shoulder. She clenched a fist and the spike jerked out of the wall and hovered. She put her palm down and it clattered to the concrete.

“How the hell can she do that?” I asked.

“Her Family power is the ability to control metals of any kind,” said Patrick.

Zela worked her magic three more times and Jessica flopped forward. Patrick grabbed her and held on tightly. I watched her spirit rejoin her body. Relief cascaded through me.

Patrick scooped Jessica into his arms and sparkled out of the chamber.

Zela stepped forward and offered her hand. I took it. Power surged through me. “It is done,” she said. She lowered her head. “My queen.”

“Er … thanks.” It figured I’d gained the last of the seven powers of the Ancients in a sewer.

A scream echoed.

“Zerina,” whispered Terran.

All of us ran toward the entrance, even the Ancients, though they had the power to leave.

Zerina plummeted through the manhole, her body flailing as she hit the nasty water. She didn’t come back up.

Fire whooshed down from the manhole. The huge wave of flame rushed toward us.

Everything happened so fast. Zela grabbed Terran, who was closest to her, and in a flash, they were gone, out of danger’s way.

In the blink of an eye, Zela returned and reached for me, but Gabriel was between us. I pushed him into her arms and they disappeared, both horrified by what I’d done. Hey, if I was the queen, then I got to say who freaking got saved.

The only thing I could do was jump into the water. I tried not to think about what I was swimming through. I just kept under the muck and moved away from the manhole. I didn’t have to breathe, so it made getting the hell out of there much easier.

When I finally broke the surface, the flame was gone. I wasn’t sure what to do next. Find another way out?

I climbed onto the ledge and thought about which way to go. I was disoriented and unsure of how far I’d gone.

I crept down the ledge toward the manhole, hoping that Lia and whoever else might be up there were gone. I couldn’t decide if I should try to get up on that ladder and escape, or try using my new powers.

Then I heard splashing and froze. Zerina poked through the dark water. Her pink eyes darted around the tunnel and found me, a quivering mess, huddled against the wall.

“Did everyone get out?” she asked. She swam toward the ledge and hoisted herself up.

“Seeing as I’m the only one not gone, then yeah, you could assume everyone of importance got out.”

She grinned at me. “Don’t get your panties in a wad, Patsy. Why do you think I screamed and fell into the water?”

“You did it on purpose?”

She squeezed out her shirt and brown water dribbled onto the pavement. Yuck. “Stupid Koschei sent a minion from the Family Hua. No matter how good you are at mind-screwing, you can’t get that slightly glazed look out of your victim’s eyes.” She shook her head. “Besides, I’m a fairy. You can’t glamour me. I wished I hadn’t gone for the big splash.”

Oh, yeah. She was Sidhe. She could fly.

“So, you’re sure it wasn’t Lia who sent the fire down here?”

“Nah. Lia would’ve fried me on site.” She looked down at her ruined outfit. “This stuff reeks. Humans are disgusting.”

I could agree with her since I wasn’t a human.

Nausea swished in my stomach. The smell was getting to me. I looked at the ladder. “I guess we’d better get out of here.”

“Why’d they put the ladder in the middle like that? You have to go into the sewage!” complained Zerina.

Good question. But not one I could answer.

Zerina walked off the ledge and floated in the air. She looked back at me and waited with pink eyebrows raised.

“I’m all out of magic dust,” said Zerina sweetly. “Let’s go, queenie. I smell like manure-filled, sweaty socks.”

I rolled my eyes. I’d flown down here. I could fly out of here, too. I thought about flying, told myself I could fly, and stepped off the ledge.

And dropped like a stone into the sewer water.

Zerina’s laughter pealed like church bells.

“Oh, shut up,” I groused as I swam toward the ladder. This time, I imagined floating upward, and within seconds, I was rising out of the water.

Zerina insisted on going up first, and who was I to argue with a pink fairy? She poked her head through the hole. After a few seconds of looking around, she climbed out.

I followed.

We headed toward the Hummer, which the minion had thoughtfully not blown up.

“What’s that?” I asked, pointing toward town. A huge red bubble bumped against the night sky. “That’s where the compound is.”

My stomach cramped and I bent over. I pressed a palm against my tummy and wished I had the ability to take deep, calming breaths.

“Fuck,” said Zerina, yanking open the driver’s-side door. “That’s the work of demons.”

By the time we got to the cave, we were both a mess. Me, because I was feeling sick. Zerina, because we were stinking up Terran’s pride and joy so much she was gonna kill us.

Zerina got us into the hidey-hole the same way Terran had. When we stumbled into the cavern, Arin was pacing and pulling at the hair on his head.

“You’re all right!” he cried, hurrying toward us. He stopped short and slapped a hand against his nose and mouth. “You smell like—”

“Shit,” Zerina and I said together. I didn’t care about the fancy couches. I plopped onto one and squeezed my eyes shut. “That’s how I feel, too.”

“You feel that way because you’re separated from Gabriel,” said Arin. “That’s the way it works with life mates.”

“Vampires, too,” I muttered. “But I didn’t think it would be like this.”

“You ladies must bathe.” Arin backed away, waving his hand in front of his face. “Then we will discuss the plan to free the others.”

My eyes popped open. “Does this have something to do with the demon bubble?”

“The Consortium evacuated everyone into the shelter beneath the compound,” said Arin. “They’re trapped.”

Amahté

Translated from the Memoirs of Ruadan

Amahté was the high priest of Anubis and a favorite of Pharaoh Amenemhet II. He brought offerings to Anubis and cared for his shrine. Anubis rewarded his faithful service. The god gave him the ability to speak to the dead and he also gave him the ability to raise the dead.

He was a tall man with a shaved head and always wore a white garment that looped over one shoulder.

I became friends with him and his family. One night, I went to meet Amahté and found him outside the temple, bleeding from a slit throat. Later, I learned that jealous rivals had attacked him.

“My friend! It is me, Ruadan. We have talked much these last few nights, remember?”

Amahté’s eyes clearly showed that he did.

“I can save you. But my gift has a price. You will not be able to see the sun again, my friend, but you will live forever. You will be among those I have chosen to rule our kind. Do you accept my offer?”

Amahté took an inordinate amount of time to decide. Blood seeped from between his fingers and pooled blackly on the ground. Finally, he managed a weak nod.

Here is where I will describe the process for Turning. The first six vampires required seven symbols. Turning others requires only the symbol of the Family.

I removed Amahté’s hands from the wound. The blood poured out. I watched the life drain from my friend.

Amahté lay still, his caramel skin going gray, his eyes wide and unstaring. I muttered the spells over Amahté, pressing my palms against his chest.

After I secured Amahté’s soul, I removed a small, gold knife tucked into his wide belt. I punctured my forefinger and rubbed it on Amahté’s neck wound.

The skin started to mend.

Then I carved symbols into Amahté’s flesh: one on each wrist; one on the top of each foot; one on the forehead; one on the chest; and one on the belly.

I pierced my finger again and with my blood, I retraced all the symbols I’d cut into Amahté. As I did so, they all glowed gold.

I slit my wrist and pressed it against the lips of the man I hoped to save.

Amahté began to drink.

Minutes passed, but it felt like years when I finally pulled his wrist away.

Amahté’s body started to convulse. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and his arms and legs went wild. The symbols went bright white and Amahté screamed.

He went still. The symbols burned into his skin. The blackened marks faded slowly, until they couldn’t be seen anymore.

I finished my gruesome work. Blood splattered the man on the ground, staining his white clothes. I fared no better—my own clothing was soiled with his blood.

I found a deep, dark cave to hide in. When we awoke, Amahté insisted on seeing his family. He thought it better they believe him dead. However, he refused to leave Egypt.

His son, Khenti, was already full grown. Not long after his father became deamhan fola, Khenti became a high priest.

He met the same fate as his father. As Khenti lay dying from stab wounds, Amahté came to him and Turned him.

Amahté was the fifth vampire I Turned. He refused to leave Egypt with me, but agreed to be on the Council and to attend the meeting with the others. I was restless and decided to leave the lands of the Nile.

I headed north once again and crossed the water until I reached what is now called Italy.