Frostbound (37 page)

One of the vampires stopped, called fire to his hand, and threw it with the efficiency of a sportsman. Talia itched to shoot, but she couldn’t take him and the other three in time to prevent return fire.

The vampire ran on. Talia waited a long moment until the sound of their footsteps had fallen silent before she stirred.

“Do you remember the way back?” Errata whispered.

“Baines is still down that tunnel. We’ve got to try finding him.”

“We don’t have Joe or the hounds.” Errata looked doubtful. She pulled out her cell phone. There were no bars in this part of the underground.

“We could at least go look for Baines,” Talia argued. “Yaref thought he was down here. It can’t be far. This tunnel has to end sometime.”

Talia could see Errata thinking, the call to adventure warring with caution. “Okay. Let’s look.”

They slowly slipped back into the main tunnel, stopping to look and listen every few yards. They stayed at the edge of the passage, close to the brickwork. In places, the floor was spongy, no more than rotten planks.

As Talia suspected, there wasn’t much tunnel left. Soon they could see the end of it, a round brick mouth looking out at the gray ocean. Flakes of snow made a diagonal curtain across the opening. The wind was freezing cold.

There was a power boat tied up at the tunnel mouth. Errata pointed the camera at it. “Want to bet that’s where those guys came from? Think they were patrolling this entrance?”

“Watch it!” Talia cried.

Errata froze, pulling the camera from her face. About twenty feet from the tunnel mouth was a gaping hole in the floor. Errata looked down. “Omigod! Baines!”

Talia rushed over. The detective had propped himself against the wall, his gun in his hand. He looked white-faced and pinched with cold.

“Are you hurt?” Talia asked.

“I blew my knee falling.”

“Maybe I can pull you out.”

“Watch out for the cat,” he said.

“Huh?” said Errata.

“A different cat. I used up my pepper spray getting it to back off. It’s still around.”

Errata pulled back from the hole, whipping her head around and sniffing the air. “Is it very big?”

“Let’s just say Fluffy’s on steroids, and he’s mean.”

With quick motions, she shut down the camera and stowed it safely inside her leather knapsack. “Take this,” she said to Talia, passing her the bag. “I’m going to get changed.”

Talia set the knapsack to one side and lay down on her stomach, peering into the hole. She remembered you had to lie flat when rescuing someone from an icy pond. She guessed falling through soft ice and rotten wood involved similar physics. Spreading out her weight would be a wise idea. Many vampires could levitate, but she’d never mastered the trick. “Can you reach my hand?”

Baines holstered his gun and hopped over on one foot, hissing through his teeth with pain. Their fingertips brushed. “Not quite,” he said.

She wriggled forward a couple of inches, listening for ominous moans from the flooring, and reached down again. This time, she got a firm grip on his hand. He was as cold as she was, all of the usual human warmth having fled his fingers.

It was at that moment she heard a low, feline murmur. She twisted to look behind her. “Oh, shit.”

Baines hadn’t been kidding. A long, wiry tabby was stalking around the hole, staring at Talia with brilliant green eyes. As cats went, it wasn’t pretty. One ear was torn. She could see its ribs. Its tail was missing patches of fur. And it was the size of a St. Bernard.

Talia froze, mesmerized by the lime-green stare. She could reach for her gun, but by the time she could draw it, she’d be vampire pâté.

“It’s there, isn’t it?” asked Baines.

“Uh-huh.”

“It’s fast. I’m a good shot, but I’ve only managed to wing it.”

“That’s so not what I want to hear right now.”

A second yowl rippled down the tunnel.
Errata
.

The cat sprang to attention, forgetting all about Talia.

Talia immediately took advantage of the reprieve. Bracing herself the best she could, she gripped Baines’s hand and hauled with all her vampire strength. She heaved him up, up until his other hand could grab the edge of the hole. That gave her a bit more stability, so she used her free hand to clutch a fistful of his coat and drag him forward. It was an awkward maneuver. He landed with a flop, using his elbows to lever himself the rest of the way out of the hole.

Talia got to her feet, grabbing Errata’s backpack. Baines got to his feet, but it was obvious he wasn’t up to much walking, much less running away. Talia wrapped his arm over her shoulders, taking his weight. Step one was accomplished. She’d found their man. The next order of business was to get him aboveground, preferably without getting chewed on along the way.

The first obstacle was the Evil Kitty. It was hunched into an unhappy ball, tail lashing, sending up a nonstop chorus of warbling yowls. Errata was answering in kind, her own tail whipping against the floor.

The werecougar was smaller than Talia would have expected, her body only about four feet long. Errata was packed with muscle, her fur a tawny golden brown except for her white chin and underbelly. Rather than hunkering down, she had one paw in the air, ready to swipe at her opponent.

The caterwauling blended into a continuous
meeeoww w w w w owrr
. Talia would have given a lot for earplugs.

She struggled to think past the racket. She’d never get Baines back through the tunnels to the Castle entrance, but there was a boat a short hobble away. Under the circumstances, a bit of piracy didn’t bother her, especially when the rightful owner was a villain.

A hop at a time, they started toward it. Baines was silent, his face gone ashen with pain.

“Do you know how to hotwire a boat?” Talia asked.

“Not. Done it. Long time,” Baines replied through his teeth.

But you have. Interesting
. Talia eyeballed the vessel as they got closer. It was a small Ranger, okay for traveling close to shore. “It’s got an old Evinrude outboard. There’s a red plug on the main wire harness. Disconnect it and jump the starter straight from the battery. Just choke it down to kill the engine later.”

Baines frowned at her. “I thought you were a Latin teacher.”

“English Lit, actually, but I can say all that in Latin if you want.”

The cat picked that moment to pounce on Errata. Talia and Baines wheeled around to see the tabby grab Errata’s head and flip her, clawing her belly with its hind legs. The cougar raked the tabby between the ears.

“Into the boat!” Talia ordered, grabbing Baines by the arm and half lifting him over the side. “Call the cavalry. Try the werebears. Tell them we need more help down here. Bring everything they’ve got.”

Baines gave a single nod, discipline warring with worry in his face. “I’ll do that.”

In the tunnel, the cats separated, but only for seconds. Errata boxed her opponent, using strength where the other had speed. The tabby caught her in another grapple, but this time Errata threw her weight against the cat, bearing down and gripping with her long, curved teeth.

Talia glanced back at Baines. He was already working on the motor.

“If you call in your cop friends, keep them out of the tunnels. This fight isn’t for humans. Your guys can make their arrests topside.”

Errata howled in outrage as the tabby clawed at her eyes.

The outboard motor sparked to life. Talia suddenly felt light-headed with relief. He would make it out of danger.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked.

“I’ve got to help Errata,” she said, getting to work on the rope tethering the boat to the mouth of the tunnel.

“Watch yourself.”

“Dead already, and I probably taste like it.” She cast the rope into the boat and walked away back into the tunnel.

One life saved. Now for the catfight.

She pulled her gun. This was getting to be one hell of a night.
Just call me Dirty Harriet.

She braced her feet apart, raising the Airlite in both hands. “Here, kitty, kitty.”

“
I
t looks worse than it is,” Errata insisted. She’d wadded up some paper napkins she’d found in her knapsack and was pressing them against her head. “Scalp wounds bleed like crazy.”

They’d come to another tunnel junction. Talia looked both ways, her gun cupped in two hands. In the end, she’d frightened off the cat, but Baines had been right—it was too fast to get a clean shot. Not without risking Errata, who’d already been giving her all. Now the werecougar’s hazel eyes peered out of a mask of blood. The cat had ripped open her scalp badly enough that she hadn’t completely healed changing back to human form.

Good thing werebeasts didn’t smell like dinner, because she was starting to get hungry. “You look like you’re trying out for a role in a slasher flick.”

Errata rewadded the paper napkins, looking for a dry spot. “Harsh. Remind me not to take you shopping for bathing suits. My self-esteem wouldn’t survive it.”

“Actually, you’ve impressed me. Not everyone can fight.”

Errata gave a low laugh. “I have four older brothers.”

“That’d do it. Are you sure you don’t need to rest for a minute?”

“And risk a repeat visit from Whiskers? I don’t think so.”

When Errata fished her camera out again, Talia decided she had to be feeling okay, and kept moving. By now, they had to be near the spot with the hotel signs. She’d been hoping to meet up with Joe or Yaref, but no such luck.

“Sh!” Errata cocked her head, listening.

Talia strained her ears. Footsteps in the passageway. Silently, Talia got to her feet and slipped around the corner to see who was nearby.

She saw a man up ahead wearing a vest with the crossed-sword design. Max.
What’s he doing by himself?

Errata was behind her. “Isn’t that your brother?
The one who shot Perry?
”

“Yeah. I need to talk to him.”
He risked himself to save me
.

“Are you sure he wants to talk to you?”

Her words sliced through Talia. “This might be the only chance I’ll ever get.”

“And after that?” Her words were cool.

Talia didn’t answer. Half of them might not make it home alive. She wasn’t going to make promises.

With vampire speed, she closed the distance between herself and her brother. When she was a few steps behind, she paced him, step for step, letting the emotion that jammed in her throat crest, and then drain away. She blinked hard, clearing her vision before she spoke.

“Max.”

Her brother wheeled, bringing his rifle to his shoulder with the speed of long practice. Then he fell back a step, his mouth falling open.

“Talia.” Her name came out in a croak. “Get out of here.”

“We have to talk. I’m still your sister. We played on the snow hill together. We sat at the same table every breakfast and dinner.”
Until Dad effing stole my chair
.

Max’s face twisted with fear. “Talia, for the love of God get out of here. If Dad finds you . . .”

Talia heard a scream, half-human, half-enraged feline.
Errata!
She whipped around, her gaze searching the tunnel. She couldn’t see the werecougar, but there were more figures wearing the Hunter symbol on their clothes. The Hunters were converging on the spot Talia had left Errata.
They have her!

Perry’s face flashed through her mind. They’d show no mercy to a werebeast, and what they could do to a female was even worse.

Max pushed past her, running toward the group and leaving her alone. He wasn’t brave or foolhardy enough to be caught talking to the enemy, even if it was his sister.
Damn him!

Talia took a deep breath, shifting her grip on the Airlite. She wasn’t leaving Errata at their mercy
.
She started running toward the Hunters, her mind scrabbling for a plan.

Hard hands grabbed her from behind. “What are you thinking?”

“What the hell!” Talia twisted around. An enormous vampire loomed there, wearing a leather jacket and a ferocious scowl. Where had he come from?

“If you don’t stop and think, they’ll have you, too,” he said grimly, his ice-blue eyes so pale they looked almost white in the gloom. “Come on.”

He dragged her down the tunnel, not stopping until they reached a hollow in the stonework where they could take cover.

“Who are you?”

“Darak.”

So this was the mysterious rogue from the Empire. “Aren’t you supposed to be fighting topside?”

“I did my bit there. I had a promise to keep about dragging your ass out of the fire. Now I know why. You’re a bloody cowboy.”

“Lore made you promise?”

“No. Michelle.”

A sick feeling burned her.
He talks to ghosts
. “Was she all right?”

“Yeah. And she loved you.” His voice had the finality of a slamming door.

Talia turned away, hiding the tears that choked her. “Thanks. I guess..”

He grunted.

They were close enough that Talia could count the men. There were four, including Max. She knew all of them by name. One had been her neighbor.

Another was her father. Tall and lean, his gray hair shaved close to his skull, Mikhail Rostov was definitely in command. He turned her way for an instant, and Talia caught sight of his face. Deep lines cut from his nose to the corners of his mouth, emphasizing his unbending expression. Waves of anger and longing sang through her. She wanted to smash that expression off his face, to make him bend. In an anguished part of her heart, she wanted him to hold her and tell her she’d been a good girl.

She’d killed Belenos, but just seeing her father was infinitely worse.

Cold sweat trickled down the small of her back. There would be no reconciliation. The only thing she could do was make sure that he didn’t hurt her friends. She hoped that meant capturing him, but it might mean more.