I Am Forever (What Kills Me) (29 page)

“I’m the transporter Cormac,” he said.

“I know,” I answered. “Come inside.”

“Who is this guy?” Ryka demanded and San shushed her.

In the light of the kitchen he looked like Brogan, which filled me with guilt and sadness. Her memory of him, however, had been human. With his hair pulled back into a ponytail and his eyes ablaze, he looked severe.

“It is an honor to be in the Divine’s presence,” he said.

“What is he talking about?” Ryka looked at us but we ignored her.

“Please, just call me Zee.”

Clearly confused, he glanced at San and Lucas as if looking for confirmation.

“She prefers it,” San said.

“Thank you so much for looking out for my family,” I said. “Your sister, Brogan, gave me your updates every week. They meant the world to me.”

“It is my duty to serve. How is my sister?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“Transporter, your sister—” San began.

I stepped forward. “Brogan was helping me escape from the palace,” I said. “It was under attack by the rebels. And...she was killed.”

“What did you say?”

“I’m so sorry, Cormac.”
I failed to protect her.

His chest seemed to go concave and he staggered back. Ryka covered her mouth, her eyes sad for this stranger.

Cormac shook his head. “No. I just heard from her.”

“It happened last night,” I said.

“No,” he repeated.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I considered her my friend. She was loyal and caring.”

“Brogie,” he whispered. He wiped his hand down his face. “Did...did she suffer?”

I shook my head. “She was thinking of you.”

“I was so short with her on the phone,” he murmured. “I sent her a cell phone and we left each other voice mails every week. The sound of her voice always...”

He turned away and cleared his throat.

“She wanted me to tell you that she loved you very much,” I said.

As if carried by a wind, Cormac drifted to the back door, teetered, and then leaned against the glass. He slid down to a crouching position and hung his head between his knees.

I ached inside. The steady tick of Ryka’s heart marked the passage of time like a metronome.

“I know this is a terrible time, Transporter, and I am sorry for your loss,” Lucas finally said. “But this is of some urgency. We are looking for Zee’s family.”

Cormac rubbed his eyes. “Of course, of course. I’ve watched your family from afar,” he said to me. “Last night I was on the roof of a neighboring home when a van pulled up. Two rebels got out, knocked on the door and went inside. Another rebel brought a large box into the home and a few minutes later, they carried the box out.”

It can’t be.

“What?” Ryka blurted.

“Oh no.” I grabbed Lucas’s shoulder, my mind a mess. “I saw this.”

“What do you mean?” he said.

“I saw this. But months ago. I was asleep.”
Did I dream it into reality? Or was this a horrible coincidence?

“Zee, you’re not making any sense,” Lucas said.

I walked away from them and leaned on the kitchen counter. “Last night? Oh no.” I whipped around. “My sister won’t last two days without her insulin! Where did they take them?”

“I don’t know,” Cormac said, “but there is only one den in the city. We might start there.”

“We have to go now,” I said.

Ryka stepped in my path. “Zee, this is screwed up. First you go missing. Then you appear here in the middle of the night with these guys and you all look like you’ve escaped from the prom from hell, and he has a really big knife and everyone’s talking crazy and now this guy is saying people took your family—”

“Ry, I know this all sounds insane but—”

“We need to call to police. You’ve gotten yourself into some sort of trouble and—”

“You need to listen to me,” I said, trying to move around her.

“—and your family is gone and—stop for a minute, Zee. I said, ‘Stop!’”

She gripped my arms and I think she tried to shake me but instead rattled herself.

“No, Ryka. I need to go find my family!”

A vehicle roared onto my street. It took the turn without braking and accelerated toward us.

San and Lucas left the room and were back in seconds. Their faces said it all.

“We have to go,” I said. I grabbed Ryka’s sleeve and pulled her toward the back door.

“We won’t make it with her,” San said. He had already drawn his sword.

No.

“Cormac, run,” I said.

“Meet me at the ruins.” He spoke quickly. “Do you know where the Trappist monastery is?”

“Yes,” I answered. “Now go.”

He disappeared out the back door.

A van had pulled into my driveway. As the door slid open and soldiers poured out, I turned to Ryka.

“Listen to me very carefully. Extremely dangerous people are coming for us right now. Don’t say anything. Stay behind me at all times. I won’t let anything happen to you. Do you understand?”

Ryka nodded and the vampires came through the door.

Taren walked into my kitchen with a squadron of soldiers behind him. My three guards stood to his right.

The shock of seeing his brother caused Lucas to lower both his swords for a few seconds. Taren glanced briefly at his brother, then focused on me. He put his hand to his chest.

“The Monarchy is relieved that the Divine is safe,” he said.

“Yeah, I’m fine. How did you know I was here?”

“The jet has a GPS. The Empress flew a battalion out immediately to retrieve the Divine.”

“I appreciate that, Taren.”

“The Divine may refer to me as the general—if she wishes.”

Lucas made a snorting noise and Taren ignored him.

“Congratulations,” I said.

“Now, might the Divine come with us so that the Monarchy can protect her?”

“I appreciate your concern but I can’t do that right now. The rebels have taken my family and I need to find them.”

“Please leave the matter to the Aramatta and we will take care of everything. It is not safe for the Divine to be—”

“The Divine is not going anywhere with you,” I said through my teeth.

His eyes narrowed. I suspected he shared Lucas’s dark disposition. But if Lucas was fire, his anger always ready to flare, Taren was endless water, calm on the surface but with a bottomless capacity for danger.

“The Divine puts the entire Monarchy in peril by being outside of our protection,” he said. “The terrorists wish to take you for their own nefarious plans.”

“Tell the Empress I promise to return once I find my family,” I said.

“The Monarchy is the Divine’s family.”

“She’s not going with you, brother,” Lucas said.

“This has nothing to do with you, Swordsmith,” Taren replied. I bristled at the impersonal reference.

“I strongly advise you to step away from the Divine,” Taren continued. “My orders are to return her to the safety of the palace.”

“If you haven’t noticed, the palace isn’t safe,” San said.

“The attack has been contained. Come, it is time to return home.”

The guards stepped toward us and I stepped back, brushing Ryka behind me. Her ragged breath blew against my neck.

“We must take the Divine back now,” Taren said. My guards unholstered their stun guns from their belts.

“Oh no, you didn’t,” I told my guards. Lucas moved in front of me.

“Step out of the way, Swordsmith,” Taren said.

“You’re going to have to come through me,” Lucas said.

In response Taren unsheathed his sword. “Don’t challenge me.”

“I see you still have the sword that father made you,” Lucas said bitterly.

“I do.”

“He’s dead, you know.”

“I know.”

“Not that it matters to you.”

“Father made his decision to part with the Monarchy long ago.”

“You’re still the same. Selfish and egotistical. Always looking after yourself.”

“And you’re always courting disaster.” Taren shook his head. “You’re hundreds of years old and you’ve yet to mature.”

“You were never a match for me, brother.”

“We will see about that, Swordsmith.”

The brothers rushed each other. Lucas attacked and Taren blocked several of his blows before they separated. My three guards ran for me while the soldiers went after San, who waved his hand as if to say, “Come on.”

One of my guards vaulted over the counter. Ryka screamed and stumbled back. I stuck my hand in one of the slots of a toaster and used the appliance to strike my guard across the face. I hit her so hard that her head twisted right around. Her stun gun fell onto the floor and I kicked it away.

“Cover your eyes!” I shouted at Ryka.

Another guard tried to stab me with her crackling stun weapon. I slapped her hand away and grabbed her by the throat. Then I slammed her down on the counter, breaking through the marble top and the wood beneath it.

Oh crap. I’m destroying my mother’s kitchen.

In the living room San stood surrounded by five soldiers, dodging, ducking, and deflecting their strikes. He did a spinning kick and shot one of them against the wall, snapping a painting in half and cracking the plaster.

“Hey!” I yelled. “Try not to wreck the house!”

“Will try my best!” he called back before lopping a vampire’s head off. “That might stain your carpet!”

I heard a zap and I bit down hard. A streak of pain dropped me to the floor. The third guard crouched over me, pressing her stun gun into my neck. Agony immobilized me.

I heard another zap and the guard collapsed beside me. I looked up and Ryka was standing over us with a stun gun.

“Oh, good girl,” I said, struggling to my feet, my body aching. “Hang on to that.”

She stared at me, her eyes wide. I realized then that my fangs were extended.
Oh, great.
I covered my mouth, and with the other hand I took her sleeve and ran into the foyer.

Lucas and Taren were trading hits. Lucas scissored Taren’s sword between his blades and pinned him against the stairs. But Taren kicked him back and swiped at him, cutting him across his chest.

“Quick, in here!” I opened a closet, swept Ryka inside, and slammed the door.

Before I could help Lucas, two soldiers trapped me. Because my body was weak from being shocked, they were able to twist my arms behind my back.

“Get off me!”

I broke free, grabbed one soldier’s head, and smashed his face against my knee. I shoved the other one through a closed door, the wood splintering everywhere. He rolled to his feet across the carpet and leaped back toward me. I caught him in mid air and brought his neck down on the jagged wood of the broken door, cutting his head off.

As I ran past the living room, San was still fighting a quartet of soldiers. He had a smirk on his face.

“Stop fooling around!” I shouted.

With a spinning jump he fanned his sword out and sliced off all four heads. Their bodies tumbled to the carpet.

Lucas and Taren were locked in combat, their fangs bared, their faces strained, their blades inches from each other’s throats. They broke apart and attacked again. Sparks burst from their weapons. Taren thrust his sword at Lucas’s face but Lucas moved just in time. The blade nicked his neck but he ducked under it and it skimmed his shoulders.