Broken Heart 03 Because Your Vampire Said So (12 page)

“Would you look at that!” Nonna flew around her corpse. “I look just like I did when I died.”

“I told you we buried you in the pink dress. See?”

She was nodding happily. “And I’m wearing my wedding ring, too. Oh, and the gold cross my mother gave to me on my thirteenth birthday. “

I had never seen anyone as thrilled to see their own dead body as my grandmother. Actually, I’d never seen anyone thrilled when faced with the proof of their own demise.

Poppa burst out of his coffin. He’d died ten years before Nonna. My ghost grandma actually tried to straighten his tie. “It’s not really him,” I hissed. “Stop that!”

“He never could tie a knot properly.”

“He didn’t tie that one for sure,” I pointed out. I stood up and dusted off my dirty hands. “He was dead.”

“Well, your father never could tie worth a damn, either.”

I rolled my eyes. My parents had requested to be cremated and I was thankful for that. I didn’t think I could face the shuffling dead feet of my grandparents and my parents. Good Lord.

All throughout the cemetery, coffins were bursting from the ground like demented daisies on an ugly spring day. Whatever occupied the coffin crawled out, and I was surprised to see skeletons as well as deteriorating carcasses and the embalmed.

“I’m going to hell,” I said. “I’ve just desecrated more than a hundred years worth of Broken Heart dead.”

“I don’t mind,” said Nonna. “I can’t wait to see me kick ass.”

Getting zombies to move fast, much less as a unit, was not easy. If something obstructed the walking dead, they just marched in place instead of trying to find a way around it. I understood now why Khenti said they were puppets. They couldn’t think. They were only in motion because of me.

Some of them were really disgusting. The smell was worse than what we endured in the sewer, but I wasn’t complaining. I felt much braver going to face Koschei, even if my new recruits weren’t exactly up to snuff.

I don’t know how many of Broken Heart’s undead we had marching along (well, they were trying to, at any rate), but it was in the hundreds. In recent times, a lot of citizens had buried their relatives in Tulsa graveyards or seen to arrangements in other states.

After what seemed like ten hours, but was really only one, we were finally approaching the compound.

At the edge of the entrance to the compound, I saw Durga with her hands facing the demon shield. I could see her lips moving, but we weren’t close enough to hear the words.

I was outraged that she’d chosen the side of evil. What was wrong with these people?

A sleek gray wolf shot past us. He bounded across the field and knocked down Durga.

“Arin,” said Gabriel proudly.

The demon shield wobbled like a bowl of melting Jell-O. Then it vanished. Several black shadows appeared where the dome had been, then dissipated. If those things were the demons, I hoped they’d gone back to hell. Broken Heart had enough problems, thank you.

The wolf sat on Durga’s chest, his jaw clamped on her throat. She wasn’t moving an inch. She needed her voice to call to her demons, and there was no way she was talking with a wolf’s teeth embedded in her neck.

Gabriel and I walked to the prone Durga. Her eyes were wide and fear-filled. She probably hadn’t contemplated her death in four thousand years.

“You are banned,” I said softly. Gabriel joined hands with me and magic flowed from our palms. “We cast you into the world-between-worlds, Durga the Ancient.”

Arin climbed off the woman and sat on his haunches, watching as Durga slowly faded. Gabriel and I stood up together.

One bad guy down.

People poured out of the compound.

Now the battle began in earnest.

Fireballs whizzed through the air. Screams and growls issued from all directions.

“Wheee! Look at me!” The body of Nonna jogged toward me, the arms flopping crazily and the neck lolling. It whirled around, then bowed in front of me.

“What the fuck?” I scurried backward and stared at the animated corpse.

“Watch your language!” chided Nonna. But her lips weren’t moving.

“Oh. My. God. Nonna! You’ve possessed your own body?”

“You were the one bellyaching about how slow going it was,” said Nonna. “At least you got two recruits who can get their butts moving. “

“Yeah, we’re a pair.” Dottie’s voice issued from Poppa as he ambled up next to Nonna. They grabbed each other’s arms and did a wild dance.

“Out of all the corpses you could choose, you picked Poppa?”

“It was her idea,” said Dottie.

I was speechless. Gabriel put his hands on my shoulders and rubbed them until I relaxed. “Okay. Um, stay close. And pay attention. And remember you’re in corporeal form, okay? You can’t pass through walls or anything.”

They nodded, then walked ahead of us. The other zombies continued shuffling forward. I made sure no one was trapped behind a tree stump or car or had tripped on a blade of grass, and then I moved through the swaying bodies. Gabriel caught hold of my hand, and just that little gesture made me feel so much better.

Patsy. You’ve done well, my minion. Come to me. And bring your army of the dead. They are exactly what I need.

“Minion, my ass,” I yelled.

“Patricia?” Gabriel looked at me, his eyes flashing with fear.

I fought off Koschei’s glamour, but he was strong and he had more experience. All the same, that bastard was not getting into my head.

Without my direction, my army of the dead was going all over the place. Zombies were running into each other, falling down and getting trodden on, and going off in opposite directions.

Y’know, zombies just didn’t seem like effective fighting tools.

I pushed Koschei out of my head and slammed shut the gates to my mind. I couldn’t see him. Not yet. But I knew he would find me.

Lycans fought other lycans. Vampires sought to destroy their kindred. I saw the pink hair of Zerina as she moved among a group of battling creatures I didn’t recognize.

This was Broken Heart. This was the place where we wanted to create a place of peace and hope for parakind. And yet, here we all were clawing each other to bits.

I’d had enough.

Power surged through me. I felt all seven gifts of the Ancients intertwine and pulse from my fingertips all the way to my toes.

“Gabriel,” I said. “It’s time.”

While he took his wolf form, I directed my zombies to attack our enemies. It didn’t matter if they succeeded. Causing confusion among those fighting was just as useful.

Koschei appeared at the edge of the battlefield. His gaze was directly on mine, but he couldn’t get into my head anymore.

The waves of fighting men and women who dared get in his way were flung into the air. He didn’t care if they were friend or foe.

It was as if the darkness itself parted for him as he walked toward me. He strode arrogantly forward, his eyes gleaming with the insanity born of droch fola.

I stayed where I was, allowing him to come to me. In my left hand, I cupped a pure ball of energy. My other hand was on the furry head of my husband, the white wolf.

Koschei stopped a couple of feet away.

My nonna marched her body right up to him and slugged him in the mouth. God, I loved that old lady.

Koschei reared back, obviously flummoxed that he’d been assaulted by a grandmotherly corpse.

Dottie had taken to tormenting Koschei, too. My poppa’s hands were socking him in the backside, but none too effectively. I don’t think Dottie or Nonna remembered much about operating a human body.

I heard the roar-squawk about a second before the dragon swooped out of the sky. Koschei escaped his two attackers and backed away, smirking.

Lia made a bow of fire. She notched two flaming arrows and shot them toward Nonna and Poppa.

Thwump. Thwump. The bodies jerked around, then fell to the ground.

Screeching, Nonna and Dottie jumped out of the burning bodies. They hopped around as if they were on fire, realized they weren’t, and then stared down at the fiery corpses.

Lia laughed (why do evildoers always laugh?). She pulled on the dragon’s reins and it banked right.

I threw the energy ball at the underside of its belly. White light exploded. It shrieked in pain, and rolled through the air. Lia screamed as she tried to get her pet under control.

Gabriel, my knight in white fur, stayed at my side. No one approached me. Most were too busy fighting each other or knocking over zombies.

Koschei, in the meanwhile, was doing something else. I couldn’t understand the words he spouted, but I began to understand their intent when other vampires gathered behind him.

Gabriel and I stood as one. I felt energy pulse between us. The binding made us strong; love made us stronger. Prophecy or not, my place was with him. And there was no other place I wanted to be.

As we advanced on Koschei and his minions, I saw Ruadan, Patrick, and Lorcan fly over the group. They landed next to us. A sword of pure light shot out from Lorcan’s hands; Ruadan had half swords and so did Patrick.

Koschei hesitated at these new threats.

I heard barking and growling. Three sleek, black wolves loped across the field and took their places: Damian, Darrius, and Drake.

Khenti, Velthur, and Zela arrived next. We formed a half circle—and I could see that Koschei was recalculating his odds.

I focused on the zombies. I raised my hands and shouted a spell. Blue light arced from my palms to the zombies. They stopped wandering the field and formed a tight circle around us.

People still fought outside the barrier, but I knew the real fight, the one that mattered most, would happen in the next few minutes.

Koschei stepped behind his minions. Then, he obviously gave them an attack order.

The first row of idiots charged us, some held weapons, but most had nothing but their Family powers.

Fire shot out from the hands of two vampires. Velthur stomped the ground and it split. Water showered upward. He drew it into his hands and tossed it at the fire-wielders.

Lorcan, Patrick, and Ruadan were quick and clever with their swords. Heads were severed and bodies collapsed into ashy piles.

The lycanthropes went for the throats, knocking down those vampires without the wits to run.

“Hey!” called Jessica as she flew over my zombie barrier. “Did I miss the fun?”

Velthur

Translated from the Memoirs of Ruadan

Velthur’s people lived and died on the land that became Italy; they were the ancestors of the Rasenna, more commonly known as the Etruscans.

He was a simple farmer who lived alone. He’d always had the ability to manipulate liquids and used his gifts to find water, even in droughts, for his own crops. Other farmers were jealous and mistakenly believed it was his land that held the key to his success.

I befriended him and after a while, he guessed my true nature. He was not afraid of me, and in fact, he offered himself as a meal every now and again.

Here, I had found my sixth vampire.

Velthur accepted my offer. Other than Koschei, Velthur was the only one I hadn’t Turned under duress. He liked the idea of immortality, and that he would be able to make others who would also have his gift.

He sold his farm and traveled with me.

We seven became the Ancients: the leaders of seven Families who inherited our special gifts. Because of my grandmother’s prophecy, I knew we would rule for a long time.

But not forever.

Jessica landed next to Patrick, and dispatched the creep he was trying to disembowel. They grinned at each other and charged forward.

I kept my gaze on Koschei, who was throwing his followers at us without putting himself in jeopardy. What an asshole. Eventually, he’d run out of vampires. But maybe that was the point.

No one approached me. I’d like to think it was because they were terrified. More likely, they’d been told that Koschei would deal with me.

Honestly, I was feeling left out.

I rose into the air and flew over the fighting vampires. Koschei saw me coming, but what could he do? I landed in front of him.

Gabriel skidded next to me, baring his teeth and growling.

“You won’t win,” said Koschei.

“Yeah. I will.” I cocked my fist and punched Koschei in the jaw. He flew across the field and skidded on the grass.

Koschei didn’t stay down for long. He got to his feet and dusted off his clothes. Then, he zipped toward me, his fangs bared. Gabriel snarled as he dove in front of me, effectively heading off the Ancient.

Koschei used his glamour to draw fighting companions. A big vampire male went after Gabriel. Two female vampires jumped in front of their Master. They each held wicked-sharp swords.

With a wave of my hand, I made the swords fly out of their grips. Then I created two fireballs and lobbed them at the vampires.

The flames consumed them instantly.

Gabriel dispatched the vampire and returned to me, his mouth bloody and his fur matted with mud.

We advanced on Koschei.

His confidence was flagging. I couldn’t kill him. I wanted to, though. Badly.

Gabriel’s bark seemed to acknowledge that he wanted the Ancient’s death, too.

Koschei wore a slim, silver chain. I called forth Zela’s metallurgy. The necklace tightened against his pale flesh. His eyes widened and he clawed at his throat.

He might not breathe, but being choked was no fun. I resisted the urge to throw a fireball at him. Instead, I landed nimbly in front of him.

Minions crowded around Koschei, trying to protect him. I reached into their minds and told them to walk away. I told them not to listen to Koschei.

They left and kept going, even when it was obvious their Master was trying to call them back.

I faced Koschei. Ruadan appeared on his left, Velthur on his right, and Zela behind him.

“No!” Koschei’s eyes were wide, panicked. “You would give up to her your right to rule? She’s a Turn-blood!”

“And a beautician,” I said.

I looked down at Gabriel. His gaze locked with mine, and I knew it was time. I touched Gabriel’s furry head. Magic flowed from both of us and covered the man in a gold glow. Velthur, Ruadan, and Zela stepped back. It was symbolic, what they did … the old guard relinquishing their power.

Like it or not, I was the new ruler.

“I ban you, Koschei the Ancient. Go into the world-between-worlds.”

He tried to run, tried to reach out for Ruadan, but in the end, he couldn’t escape his fate. Just as I couldn’t escape mine.

His gaze latched on to mine and in those empty eyes, I saw droch fola. He was soulless, but he was not without hatred. He faded from sight.

I knelt next to Gabriel and hugged him. He licked my face and barked joyously.

“Sit!” I commanded the zombies.

They all sat.

“Koschei has been banned,” I shouted, amplifying my voice with my new glamour power. “The fighting is over!”

Koschei’s minions and supporters fled. Consortium members gave chase, but it didn’t matter to me if they were caught or not. The biggest threat Broken Heart had faced was gone. Forever.

I had forgotten about Lia.

She and her dragon roared out of the sky. She lobbed the fireball straight at me. I saw Gabriel try to intercept it, but with one flick of my wrist, my energy pushed him back.

It was all I had time to do.

The fireball engulfed me.

Oh, big whoop. I stepped out of the flames. The magic of my fairy dress certainly helped protect me, but I also had Lia’s power, which made me less vulnerable to fire.

She was already flying away on her dragon, but she’d seen me step from the fire unscathed.

I pointed to the ground and water sprang forth to douse the burning grass.

Gabriel launched himself at me and I was flung to the ground. He barked and growled, then licked my face.

“Okay, okay!” I laughed. “Jeez!”

I stood again, and looked at the three Ancients.

One by one, they bent down on one knee and inclined their heads. The three royal princes of the lycanthropes joined them, lying on their bellies with their heads lowered.

I looked around and saw that everyone else— even Jessica—was kneeling.

Well, now.

I guess that makes me queen, doesn’t it?

I woke up in a twin-sized bed with Gabriel nearly crushing the life out of me. “Hey!”

“Scooch over,” he said sleepily.

I did. We had almost no space between us, but that was okay. “How do you feel?” I asked.

He grinned, that gold gaze aglow with the kind of fire I didn’t want to put out.

“The shelter accommodations suck,” I said. “I want to go back to the cave.”

“Okay. But there is the question of what to do with the bodies sitting in the field next to the compound.”

“Oh, crap. We’ll have to march them back to their graves.”

“Indeed.” He kissed me.

And everything was all right with the world.

I took a shower and changed clothes before I tracked down Wilson.

He was staying in a large room with the other kids. Bunk beds lined the walls. Some kids were watching television, others were reading, and Brian—Jess’ oldest—was playing his PSP.

Wilson was reading Goodnight Moon to Ralph’s toddlers while Ralph watched. I stood in the doorway and listened. My heart squeezed. It was sweet watching my son be so nice to two little ones.

When Wil was done with the story, he tucked in the boys. Then he walked to a nearby bunk and sat down on the bottom bed. He looked tired and worried.

“Hi, Wilson,” I said. I sat on the end of the bed, hoping he wouldn’t shut me out again.

“Mom,” he said. His voice broke and he put his arms around me. I held him while he wept and I got the sniffles, too, thanking God that he was okay, that we were together again.

Sniffling, he raised his head, his eyes red and snot running out his nose. He solved that problem by wiping his nose on the sleeve of his shirt.

“Honey, haven’t I told you not to do that?”

He laughed. “I’ll try to remember.” He looked away, then back at me. “I love you, Mom. I know I’ve been a jerk.”

“Yeah. Me, too.” I brushed his hair away from his face. “I love you, honey. Nothing will ever change that.”

He hadn’t quite let go of me. It had been such a long time since we’d hugged or shared a laugh. I missed him, and the way he used to be. The way we used to be.

“Are you really married to that guy?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said carefully. “He’s a good guy. I… like him.”

“Just like, huh?” He waggled his brows and I grinned.

“Okay. Maybe more than like.”

“Well, he likes you, too. I can tell.”

“Oh, really? How?”

“By the way he looks at you.” Wilson cut his eyes toward the doorway. “He’s watching you right now.”

I looked over my shoulder. There was Gabriel, waiting patiently, smiling as he watched us.

He had saved my life again. Maybe in a way he hadn’t realized yet.

“Do you want to say hi?”

Wilson looked at Gabriel. “Hey.”

Gabriel nodded. “Hey.”

I rolled my eyes. Men.

Wilson looked troubled again. “I got problems, Mom. I need help.”

“I know, baby. We’ll find the answers. Together.”

He hugged me again.

Gabriel walked me down the hall to my room, which was a single. It was like a hotel suite, plain white with basic amenities, but I was just grateful to have a bed to sleep in.

Gabriel smiled at me and brushed his lips across mine. Yummy. If I had a working heart, it would be trying to beat out of my chest.

I sat on my bed and Gabriel sat next to me. He took my hand. “You are my life mate.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “I mean, look at me. I’m a beautician with a high school education, I have a kid with a drug problem, and I carry a whole lot of emotional baggage.”

“That is not how I see you.”

“Would you have me if not for the prophecy?”

“Yes, damn it!” He looked at me, really looked at me, as though he was trying to see my soul. “Maybe you’re just trying to find a reason not to be with me.”

I pressed my hands together, my mind whirling. If not for the whole prophecy thing, Gabriel would’ve never met me. We wouldn’t be together at all.

And he wouldn’t have met his true life mate.

Me.

“What about that whole thing where we’re supposed to save the werewolves? Not only am I undead, I’m missing the parts necessary to have children.”

“We’ve trusted the prophecy so far,” he said. “Maybe we need to have faith a little longer.”

Gabriel kissed me hard. I responded because … okay, I admit it. I loved him.