Deadly Captive (29 page)

Elah gave him a hard pat on the shoulder. "We're not done yet. Once we're assured that none of these bodies is getting back up, we hunt down the strays."

Daederich's lips curved in triumph. "There won't be many. We caught most on the way out."

Elah nodded slowly. He met Daederich's eyes. "Cyrus?"

Now Daederich shook his head and scowled. "I didn't see him."

The news didn't seem to bother Elah in the least. Actually, he appeared to be quite pleased. "Then the hunt's on."

Spreading out, we made quick work of putting the mass of bodies to rest. The wood floor gleamed crimson as the blood pooled on the floor, squelching underfoot as we left the room. Not even realizing I was doing so, I sucked my fingers as though savoring the last trace of some delicacy. It was only Daederich pulling my hand from my mouth that clued me in.

Laughing in delight, he kissed me again and pushed my hand down. "If you don't stop that, I'm going to forget why we're here."

Flushing at his lewd warning, I clenched my fist at my side. It shocked me that part of me was tempted to push him to carry it out, the rush of adrenaline changing from the need for violence to a need for pleasure. A sudden thought ripped both from my mind. "The children!"

Daederich draped his arm over my shoulder. "You'll have to work on that, my love. You were so battle-blind that you didn't notice Elah isn't with us. He and one of his men stayed behind to free them. His man will bring them to safety."

I nodded with relief. "And Elah?"

Daederich frowned. "He'll be here soon." He snapped before quickening his pace.

I grabbed his arm, forcing him to face me. "Don't be like that. We wouldn't be here, victorious, if not for him. He's our ally."

"And your lover." He crossed his arms and looked down at me.

I crossed my own and cocked a hip. "If you'll recall, that was your idea. Don't be petty. We still have more people to kill."

My words effectively cut down Daederich's jealousy. With an abrupt laugh, he pulled me to his side. "Bloodthirsty." He kissed me fondly on the brow. "Let's finish this.

I have some things in mind to use up the rest of that energy."

* * * * *

Clouds had gathered outside of the church, tumbling darkly in threat of rain. The wind dried my hair into course lumps caked with dried blood, and now that the rush had passed, my mind cleared enough to begin craving a shower.

Keening rose over the silence of the night. With not a movement about to show signs of life, we followed the sound, eager to end it. It was a woman. One I knew well.

Bruno's body lay motionless at the edge of the dark pool of water. The muscles in Daederich's arm tensed against my shoulders, and I knew he was bitterly wishing he had been the one to end the foul bastard.

Chrissie was on her knees, hands pressed to his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

The large gap between her fingers showed where his heart had been torn out.

So long as he was dead, I didn't care who had killed him.

None of us tried to cover our approach. Finally, Chrissie acknowledged us, her eyes spitting venom as she set them on me. It took me a while to understand the single word that left her lips. "Why?"

A course laugh left me. "Why? You can't be serious!"

Standing slowly, displaying an admirable amount of dignity as she faced her eminent death, Chrissie lifted her chin. "He gave you pleasure, you cold-hearted bitch.

He gave you nothing you didn't ask for."

I shook my head, unable to contain my smile. "Asked for? No, begged for. I was a fun toy, wasn't I?"

She sneered. "Not as fun as Mary."

Both Daederich and I had to be held back. I didn't understand the need at first.

She was going to die either way. Why stop us?

Elah, who had joined us at some point, pressed a bottle of hard liquor to my chest. "Think it through. A quick death won't satisfy you."

It took me a moment, but I finally accepted he was right. Drawing deeply on the harsh liquor, I eyed Chrissie, thinking it over. I wanted to bring her to death in a way that would put the demons of my shame to rest.

Slowly, thoughtfully, I sipped at the liquor. Motioning to Elah to show him I'd be all right, I stepped forward until I was no more than a foot away from Chrissie. I took another sip and smiled at her. Then I pulled a dagger from my belt, and spun it smoothly in my hands. She watched the dagger, transfixed.

I closed my fist around the hilt and smiled when she looked up at me. I had her full attention now. "I'm going to give you a choice, Chrissie." I flipped the blade deftly so the handle pointed her way, just within easy reach.

She eyed the dagger suspiciously. "I'm listening."

I nodded expectantly and took another deep swallow from the bottle. "You can take this dagger, plunge it into your heart, and die with some dignity. We'll even bury you so the animals don't get to you—" My mouth twisted wryly. "Although for all I know, they might not be too fond of putrid flesh."

She scowled at me and then sighed. There was no defeat in it. It was almost as though she found the whole exchange irritating. "And what's the other option?"

My lip quirked, and I felt my eyes glow in anticipation. I really hoped she would choose this one. "You resist and I kill you. Slow and painful."

Tears clung to her long lashes as she looked up at me. Her lip trembled. I half expected her to beg me to spare her, but instead she bowed her head. "Thank you, Lydia. Thank you for showing me mercy when I know I've shown you none."

Disappointed, but determined to follow through with my offer, I held out the dagger. She took it. Her head rose.

I heard Daederich shout, but it was too late. The dagger gashed over the flesh of my throat, and I felt my blood spill onto the front of my dress. I stared at her, amazed, but not really surprised. I'd half expected as much.

One hand on my throat, holding the wound closed, I used the last of my strength to kick Chrissie in the face and pressed my foot to her chest to hold her on her down.

Fighting to hold myself up, my mind scrambled for a way to end her before I passed out and another finished the job for me.

The idea played out before it was fully formed. I turned the bottle still grasped in my hand and splashed the liquor over her face, onto her dress, emptying it over her, deaf to her protest.

The flick of a lighter sounded near my ear. I glanced over to Elah who had a lit cigarette between his lips. Plucking it out with his thumb and forefinger, he held it to me, giving me a wicked smile. "You look like you could use this."

I smiled back and took it. Setting it loose between my own lips, I sucked the smoke into my mouth, closed my eyes as some of it worked its way into my lungs, and let my lips curve viciously as I leaned down as blew the smoke out into Chrissie's face.

"I think you need it more than I do."

I dropped the cigarette on her alcohol-soaked body and watched as the flames erupted, greedily working through the fuel, and eating through her flesh for more.

Daederich yanked me away from her when the flames threatened to take me as well and I still hadn't moved.

Without me pinning her down, Chrissie shot to her feet and ran along the edge of the water, her piercing screams more animal than human. The fire grew around her, dancing high as she ran, making her appear to be a great torch. Pain stole the obvious from her for a time, but eventually she saw the salvation of the water and dived in. The water swallowed her screams. But, before the echo of them could cease, she had risen again and resumed them.

Her skin, black as the water, cracked and bled. It was a sickening sight, but, still, I knew that the damage wasn't enough to kill her, probably wasn't even enough to scar her. I reached for my sword, but it slipped from my fingers. I didn't have the strength left to finish it.

Daederich reached down and took hold of my sword. "Let me finish it, Lydia."

No more. No less. Still, I understood all that he didn't say. Because he loved me, he wanted part of this vengeance. Because I loved him, I would give it to him.

Letting Elah hold me, Daederich waded into the water. He lifted the sword and waited until her eyes met his and her charred lips formed a silent "No!" Thrusting his whole body into the movement, he swung the sword down, the strength of the motion sending the blade effortlessly through flesh and bone. Her head dropped into the water several feet from her body, and what was left of her hair floated above it like dark, mangled weeds. Not a quick death, but not torture. Something in between. Now that she was dead, I realized it didn't really matter. She was dead. Bruno was dead. They couldn't hurt us anymore.

Cyrus. Cyrus still could unless someone found his body and could confirm he was dead. Even if he never came after us again, the fact that he still lived, somewhere, would haunt us forever. It would hold us both from moving on.

Daederich waded out of the lake and took me up in his arms. "I won't chance losing you just to find him, Lydia. These men are skilled. If he's here, they'll find him."

I clenched my teeth to hold back a moan. Now that things had calmed, my wounds demanded attention. I had lost a lot of blood when Chrissie had cut my throat.

It was unlikely that I'd be conscious much longer. "Daederich, we can't let him get away."

He kissed my brow and gave me a tight smile. "We won't. If he's not here, we'll hunt him. One day. Let him fret about it. Wonder when that day will come. We can take our time; we've got plenty. Every second he lives will be granted by us."

I relaxed against him, liking the idea. Cyrus wouldn't be so complacent now, now that he'd gotten a taste of what we could do. Whether or not he'd be afraid was another matter, but I let myself believe he would be, deep down inside in a place he wouldn't face.

Elah stepped up and clenched his hand to Daederich's shoulder, then leaned over to give me a light kiss on the cheek. "You both did very well. If you ever feel like taking on another job, let me know."

Too tired to answer, I simply rested my head against Daederich's chest.

Daederich watched Elah turn away, an intent look on his face. "How will I get a hold of you?"

Elah glanced back over his shoulder and gave Daederich a challenging grin. "I'm sure you'll figure something out. You're quite resourceful."

I wanted to ask what Elah meant, but something about the look in Daederich's eyes stopped me. At first, I thought he was angry. He looked around, sighed, and started walking.

"Son of a bitch." He muttered.

It didn't take me long to figure it out. He wasn't angry; he was annoyed. They had left us to fend for ourselves now that we were no longer useful. It irked me at first that Elah could be so callous, considering what had passed between us. It was then I understood. He'd made a clean break, and what appeared to be cold abandonment was actually a show of respect. He knew we would manage, and, more, he was making sure both Daederich and I knew there were no lingering ties.

I knew Daederich might not see it that way, but I didn't see the need to explain it.

Deep down inside, I was grateful to Elah. He'd made it so our brief encounter meant nothing and wouldn't hover over Daederich and me, tainting the strong bond we shared. From this point on, we could move forward and create a life together without bitterness or guilt.

Elah had been right about Daederich's resourcefulness. It didn't take him long to find the car of one of the guests, one who would never need it again, and settle me comfortably into the backseat. Well before the sun had risen, he found shelter in a quaint little motel, and, after binding my wounds, he found blood to help me heal while I slept. It was warm and fresh and so very sweet. I didn't ask where he'd gotten it.

We stayed in the motel until my strength returned. Then we discussed where we would go. I wanted to go to Germany, give him a chance to see his son. He rejected the idea and suggested Chicago out of spite. In the end, we agreed on Los Angeles. Since New York was off limits, it seemed as good a place as any to hunt. There would be plenty of guilty fare. Neither of us wanted to confine ourselves to cold blood. The appeal of feeding off criminals and having fresh blood every night made it an easy choice.

When we left the motel, it was with a touch of regret. I felt it within, like the aftertaste of something far too sweet. Our vengeance had been rewarding, even though Cyrus had slipped through our grasp, but it left an empty feeling behind. With no past and no idea of what the future held, the idea of never-ending life was a little frightening. What was there to live for? What was there to keep us going year after year?

Daederich tried hard not to answer my private thoughts too often, but this one he did. Taking me in his arms, he held me close, kissed me hard, and met my eyes. "I don't know about you, Lydia, but I plan to give you a life's worth of memories to make up for all you've lost. That'll take about twenty years. How 'bout we worry about forever after that?"

Twenty years. Daederich knew me too well. The morsel of time was much easier to swallow than trying to absorb it all at once. Twenty years worth of memories built with him. I liked that idea very much.

I couldn't wait to get started.

"You keep stuffing your face like that, and you're gonna make yourself sick again." Daederich warned, not taking his eyes off the target.

Licking the cotton candy from my fingers, I flashed him a grin. "Don't worry so much."

He rolled his eyes toward me now. "Must you act like such a child?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. "You didn't think I was childish last night."

Lowering the bow and arrow, he gave me a lusty grin. "I never thought those dance lessons would pay off quite so well." He looked me over slowly and then growled, turning his attention back to the target. "I don't see why we have to stay here

'til closing."

With a little shrug, I took another pinch of the fluffy pink candy and let it melt on my tongue. "What I don't get is why you're concentrating so hard on shooting that arrow."