Fang Me (10 page)

"Don't you think it's unwise for the vampires to reveal their presence by coming out to the population?"

"I don't know. Alejandro's ideals are good—he's hoping to regulate vamps through the laws, make it safer for humans."

Trevor sneered."Humans will never be safe around them. Why are you helping them?"

Gee, he'd never acted this way around Rosa or the other bloodsuckers he despised. Two-faced much?

"I had no choice." I explained my promise that demons wouldn't harm vampires, Josh and Andrew breaking that promise, and having to work for the Movement to make it up to them."I'm under contract now with Alejandro."

"Does that mean you have to persuade the Underground to come out with them?" he persisted.

"Not at all. I'm not sure that's such a good idea." I'd thought about it and realized that with each generation of demons interbreeding with humans, the demon strain was getting more and more diluted, our powers weaker. In a few generations, they were likely to be totally gone, so long as no more full demons found their way into our world. Why reveal ourselves when our numbers were dwindling so fast?

"Good," Trevor said."I—"

He broke off when the music stopped and Fang shoved his way between us, his red bow looking a little bedraggled. HATE TO BREAK UP THIS LOVE FEST, BUT MICAH WANTS TO SEE YOU.

Good—I was tired of being on my best behavior with this guy.
Thanks,
I told Fang, and relayed to Trevor what he'd said. I appreciate the rescue.

NOT REALLY A RESCUE. MICAH REALLY DOES WANT YOU.

Oh. Fang led me to him, and Micah pulled me out into the hall."Bad news," he said, looking worried.

"Did you find out about Trevor? Did you find the books?"

Micah grimaced."No, nothing like that. Alejandro's been trying to call you."

I checked my phone. Dead. I'd forgotten to charge it."It isn't midnight yet. My contract says I work for him midnight to dawn."

"I know, but his mansion is under attack."

Of course it was. When could I get a break?"By who?"

"The unaffiliated vamps who oppose the Movement. Apparently, they've banded together and decided to take Alejandro down."

I sighed."Well, fewer bloodsuckers in the world isn't a bad thing." Maybe they'd take each other out and end this. But Micah looked worried."Why does this bother you?" I asked.

Fang barked at me, sounding impatient. BECAUSE JOSH AND ANDREW ARE STILL THERE, he said.

Oh, crap.

CHAPTER TEN

I might be annoyed at Andrew and Josh for pulling their stupid stunts, but I didn't want them killed."I'll go."

"Why?" someone asked behind me.

I turned around. It was Trevor. He and Shade had followed me to see what Micah wanted.

"He never answered your question," Trevor continued."Why does this bother you? Do you and the vamps have some sort of alliance?" he asked Micah, looking disgusted by the idea.

"Not really," Micah said with an impatient frown."Not officially. But Alejandro and I agree the free agent vamps aren't good for either organization. Not only do they murder humans, but they have the potential to turn the world against us. Do you want to see another Inquisition . . . or Salem witch trials?"

"No, but—"

Micah cut Trevor off with an impatient gesture."Two of our own are at the mansion tonight. We're going to help them."

Trevor looked annoyed, but he couldn't argue with that. He compressed his lips into a thin line and nodded.

Relieved that Micah was going to provide some backup, I signaled the DJ to turn off the music and handed the mic to Micah.

Nodding his thanks, Micah spoke into the mic, glancing around at the curious crowd."I apologize for interrupting your good time, but Andrew and Josh are in trouble. They're at the Movement's mansion, which is being attacked by the independent vampires. We need to help them. Who's in?"

About two-thirds of the crowd volunteered, including Shade and Trevor.

Uh-oh. Some of them had no business battling bloodsuckers. I grabbed the mic."This isn't a picnic, people. Some of you will get hurt, maybe even killed. If you're not accustomed to fighting vamps or don't have a power that will help, stay here." Some of them looked mutinous, so I added bluntly,"We don't want to get hurt because we're worried about protecting you."

Micah took the mic back and was a bit more diplomatic."The Slayer has an excellent point. I don't want anyone hurt. I commend you all for wanting to go, but please don't unless you have a good reason to be there. I wouldn't want to have your injuries on my conscience."

That was a better way to phrase it. I guess that's why he was the boss and I wasn't.

YEP, Fang agreed, then poked me hard with his nose. LET'S RIDE.

Just a sec. I had one more thing to take care of."Shade, you stay here, too."

I couldn't see his expression, but his voice was hard as he said,"I may not be able to fight, but I can heal others."

"I know, but you can do that here, after it's over. Remember what happened the last time we fought at the mansion?" He'd lost his temper and almost lost control of his interdimensional energies. If I hadn't distracted him with Lola, he would've let more full-blooded demons pour into our world through the rift he created. With no human blood to give them compassion, they'd wreak havoc on San Antonio and the rest of the world.

Shade had vowed to kill himself rather than let that happen."It's too dangerous," I reminded him. And I couldn't be of any help if I had to worry about him.

Trevor slapped him on the back with a rueful look."Val's right. I'll stay here with you, Shade. I won't be of any use there either, but I can help you get ready for any wounded."

I felt pulled in two directions. I needed to leave and help the two demons at the mansion, but had to make sure Shade stayed here. As Fang almost vibrated with the need for us to be on our way, I waited anxiously for Shade's answer.

He took a quick step forward then grabbed me by the shoulders."Okay, you're right. But I don't have to like it."

Relieved by the resolve in his face, I said,"Thank you."

"But be careful, damn it," he muttered."Come back to me." With that, he gave me a hard kiss.

Lola wanted to stay and linger, but now was
so not the time. I kissed him back fiercely, a promise to return
and pick up where we left off."I will." I gave him another swift kiss for good luck, then ran like hell out of there to grab my Valkyrie, Fang hot on my heels.

The hellhound jumped into his seat behind me and we didn't bother with his goggles—it would take too much time. I gunned it out of there and broke more than a few speed limits as I headed for the mansion. I passed a few of the other demons who'd left immediately and, because I could weave in and out of traffic on my bike, I was the first one there.

The iron gates had been smashed and lay broken off their hinges to either side of the entrance. Three vamps stood in the space between them, as if they'd been waiting for us. They snarled when they saw me and rushed forward, fangs gleaming. Okay, obviously
not part of the Movement. That made things easier.

Lola's lust for the fight sizzled in my blood, and I quickly sent Fang a mental picture of what I intended to do. As we got close, he leapt off the bike, launching straight into the face of the one on the far right. I turned my bike into a skid and leaned over parallel to the ground, right in the path of the two on the left.

They screamed as the Valkyrie's wheels hit them in the shins and flipped them, the bike going down hard. I scrambled off and grabbed my stakes out of my back waistband, cursing the pain in my side. Sure, they might not be going anywhere on those legs anytime soon, but two less bad ass vamps in the world was a Good Thing. I staked them, putting them out of their misery, then turned to see how Fang was doing.

He'd used teeth and claws to make the guy's face pretty well unrecognizable, and was now leaping up to take bites out of anything he could, while the bloodsucker screamed like a sissy, trying fruitlessly to kick Fang away. Another stake took care of him. So far, so good.

You okay? I asked Fang.

I'M GOOD, Fang said immediately. IDIOT COULDN'T EVEN AIM. His gaze focused beyond me. WATCH OUT!

Another bloodsucker, who must have been hiding in the bushes, tackled me on my injured side and took me down. The pain almost crippled me, and all I could do was lie there and fend him off as he lay on top of me, scrabbling to find my neck with his fangs. Then, as Lola's energy field took effect, he tried to feel me up even as his fangs scraped my neck, seeking my jugular.

The guy must be nuts. Repulsed and pissed off, but unable to breathe well, I gathered all of Lola's force and thrust it at him."Stop!" I controlled his mind utterly, so he had no choice but to do what I told him to. Annoyed, but stakeless at the moment, I snarled,"Go kill yourself."

He immediately stood, then took a running jump and leaped up with his arms spread wide toward one of the broken gates and smashed down hard on several of the
fleur de lis
spikes, impaling himself. He must have hit his heart, because he went limp and our connection faded and broke.

Ohmigod, I hadn't thought he'd actually
do it. I stared at his body, horrified that Lola could compel someone
to do something like that.

I heard a motor behind me and someone said, "Interesting. I didn't know you could do that."

I turned around to see Ludwig and several others staring at me from inside a car. Some looked as appalled as I felt.

"I didn't either," I snapped, struggling to my feet and trying not to show how much my side hurt."But the other option was to tell him to go screw himself." I paused to gasp for breath."And who wants to witness that?"

Ludwig gave me a lopsided grin as the others chuckled nervously."Out," Ludwig told the others."Let's clear this garbage out of the way. The others are right behind me."

As Ludwig and his helpers pulled the vamps to the side, I grabbed my bike and sped up the long driveway to the house, Fang running alongside. This time, I babied the Valkyrie, letting it down easy onto some grass on the side of the drive, and paused to assess what was going on in the chaos outside the mansion. I could see pretty well under the full moon.

Dozens of vamps fought other bloodsuckers fang to fang all around the house. Without a scorecard, I could n't tell which were the good guys and which were the bad. Either way, it didn't matter. I needed to make sure Micah's guys were safe. Were they in the house?

As I watched, a vamp tried to climb in a shattered window and a fireball blew him back out, the intense heat engulfing him in flames instantly. Since there were several other crispy critters on the ground near him, it looked like Andrew had been busy. Josh popped his head out and quickly blasted the flames licking around the window frame with a fire extinguisher, then ducked back inside. Ah, good. They were both still alive.

Determined to keep them that way, I ran over to the door, Fang right on my heels. Dang. The thing wouldn't budge.

THEY PROBABLY HAVE IT BLOCKED, Fang said.

Of course. Turning to the side, I yelled,"Josh, Andrew, let me in!"

Josh looked out at me in surprise, then nodded and disappeared. I heard a thump, then Rosa opened the door and gestured me in urgently. Three vamps with stakes in their hearts lay scattered among the Christmas decorations in the great room, broken glass glittering on the floor. Luis guarded the window on the side next to Andrew and Josh, while two other vamps I didn't know covered the windows on the other side. I don't know if Luis even realized he had a bloody shard of glass sticking in his back.

Rosa pushed the door closed and dropped a large wooden bar into the iron brackets on either side of the door. It settled with a thunk. Sheesh—now I realized why that door was so massive. It could withstand a siege . . . and probably had. I'd never noticed the bar before.

"Josh, Andrew, are you okay?" I asked.

They gave me a thumbs-up then quickly returned their attention to what was going on outside.

Rosa said,"They are fine. Come, Alejandro needs you."

"But I have to—"

"We will protect them." She tugged on my arm."Please, you must see Alejandro now. The prophecy said you must be by his side."

Sheesh, they were taking it a bit literally, weren't they?

Go, Fang said. THE BOYS ARE OKAY AND I'LL WATCH, TOO. I'LL CALL YOU IF WE NEED YOU.

They'd kept Josh and Andrew safe so far, so I guessed it was all right."Where is he?" I asked her.

"At the back of the house."

"Okay, I'll go. You stay here." Then, hearing a pounding at the front door, I remembered Ludwig and his friends."Some of the Underground are right behind me. If you let them in, they'll help you defend the house. We can't tell friend from foe out there."

Rosa nodded, then pushed me toward the back of the house."Go quickly."

I went.

Alejandro was at the more vulnerable back door, barricading it with the dining room table and the help of Austin and two other vamps. Something thumped against it and the door bulged inward."Hold fast," he shouted."Do not let them have our home!"

A fist smashed through the top half from the outside, splintering the heavy wood. Sheesh, I knew they were strong, but that had to hurt. Why were they so desperate?

Alejandro cursed, and Austin said,"They must be crazy."

As two hands tore at the hole in the door, I asked,"How can I help?"

Alejandro glanced at me in surprise."Slayer—excellent. Perhaps you would be so good as to use your powers to stop these creatures?" Even hard-pressed as he was, he still had time to be gracious.

I hesitated for a moment. Use my powers? I didn't care to dip into that well too often. Not only because I feared one day I would go too far, too deep, and Lola would take over forever, but also because I hadn't wanted to undermine Alejandro's authority again."But there are some women out there, not all our side." There weren't that many, but what if I enslaved the men and left the women free to murder at will?"My powers only work on men."

"But mine work on women," Micah said from behind me.

I whirled around. He certainly had gotten here fast.

"Excellent," Alejandro said with a grim smile."Between the two of you, you can contain this."

"Okay," I said,"but it's difficult to be selective. It'll affect everyone," I warned him. Including Alejandro. Again.

"I know, but please, do it quickly."

I glanced at Micah."You ready?"

He nodded."Let me know when you're ready so we can do this simultaneously."

I'd never tried to enslave this many before. I braced myself in a wide stance, closed my eyes, and dug down deep. Lola was ready, waiting in anticipation. Knowing how many men were out there, I couldn't do this piecemeal, couldn't let her out slowly through my barriers. It had to be all or nothing.

Yet still I hesitated, unsure how to maintain control.

A loud crash sounded from the area near the door."Ms. Shapiro, please," Alejandro pleaded.

Oh, crap. Guess I just had to let go and find out what happened."Now!" I told Micah.

I let loose and Lola exploded from my core, blasting out tendrils of energy like heat -seeking missiles, each honing in on a prime lusty male. As Lola found each one, she hooked into their sacral chakra, the center that housed the source of their sexuality.

I was spread too thin to let the energy reach out into their other chakras, so I had to be content with this one. Lola certainly was, and she was soaking up their energy like she was a dry shriveled -up sponge. It became strangely quiet inside and outside the mansion as Micah did the same.

I fought against Lola, struggling with the tightrope act of trying to hold onto them all while simultaneously trying
not
to draw in too much of their energy. I fell to my hands and knees with the effort, feeling like a black widow at the center of her web. I tried to isolate the sticky strand holding Alejandro hostage, but I had so many threads going in so many directions, it was impossible. The sheer vitality flowing into me, from all around me, was intoxicating and distracting. Besides, I feared if I let one go, I had to let them all go.

I felt Fang lick my face. ARE YOU OKAY IN THERE, VAL?

I couldn't spare any effort for speech.
Not . . . really.
I was barely holding onto control, trying to throttle Lola's siphoning down to a trickle as I desperately tried to figure out what to do. They were immobilized all right, but how could I sort friend from foe when most of them couldn't even see or hear me? All they knew was that they were drawn to me, completely enthralled by the succubus inside me.