In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete Second Season: Episodes 6-10 (39 page)

Tossing Alexander aside, Aeron chuckled with amusement. “I see.”

Alexander crumpled against the wall. Kneeling, Sheila stretched out her shaking hand to touch him. Though he appeared dead, she could sense his presence still lingering in his unconscious form when she rested her palm against his forehead. He wasn’t mortally wounded, but he needed human blood to heal.

The acrid smell of smoke touched Sheila’s nose, and she became aware of the thick haze starting to slither up the walls near the stairwell. The house was on fire.

“So you don’t have to worry about Vanora. Armando will bring her to you, right?” Emily continued as she approached.

The young woman’s words registered, compelling Sheila to look up sharply. Emily and Armando were in service to Aeron?

Angel’s voice was raw with fury. “Bitch, it was
you
that gave him the book of Roman’s Vampires!”

Emily nodded, smiling slightly. “I don’t want to die, Angel.”

Behind Emily, a bloody, naked, female figure stepped into view. The woman’s hands ended in long, black curved claws, and her eyes glowed golden in the darkness.

“He’s going to kill you anyway,
puta
! Zachary gave his life trying to save your ass tonight!” Angel was livid.

Emily shrugged. “Aeron promised he wouldn’t kill me if I assisted him.”

“He’ll just have someone else do it, idiot,” Sheila said with scorn, her eyes flicking to the approaching creature that was unquestionably not a vampire.

Aeron glanced at Sheila, approval in his gaze. “You’re a smart woman.”

Emily’s lips parted in protest, then slackened as the naked woman attacked. Her clawed hand burst from Emily’s ribcage, tearing through the fabric of her blouse and splashing blood across the floor and walls. Emily’s heart was clamped in the long, cruel fingers of the killer.

“Leto,” Aeron said, his voice chiding as he pivoted away from Sheila and Alexander to face Emily’s murderer. “I still needed her.”

Leto tossed Emily’s already moldering body away and crushed her heart into mush. “Sorry.”

Out of the smoke and fiery glow at the far end of the hallway appeared Lorelei. She was dragging a burning, screaming vampire by the ankle.

“Aeron, I found the head of security outside. She’s dead. Alisha is nowhere on the grounds.”

With a howl of fury, Aeron kicked Emily’s decaying corpse aside. “I want the sisters!”

With lightning-fast movements, Sheila grabbed Alexander’s arm, heaved him over one shoulder, and spun about to flee.

Angel grabbed her arm and pushed her toward the window. “We need to jump!”

There was no time to maneuver down the back staircase and out of the house. The only way out was the window.

“Not so fast!” Aeron’s voice was a hiss.

Sheila was almost to the window when Angel vanished from her side. Leaping, she held tightly to Alexander as she crashed through the glass. For an instant, she saw Angel scaling the wall and evading Aeron’s attack, then she was falling. As the starry sky spun overhead and she hurtled toward the garden, Sheila clutched Alexander and waited for the impact.

* * *

Vanora scrabbled at the car door handle. The violent tremors rippling through her body made it difficult for her fingers to function properly. The terror flooding her system overwhelmed her senses and wiped away all rational thought.

She had to be free of the car.

She had to save her sister.

Armando was too stunned by the spectacle of the inferno engulfing the Socoli Mansion to realize what Vanora was doing until she bolted from the car and ran toward the gated entrance. She heard him cry out her name but ignored the vampire. Beyond the wrought iron gate with the ornate S interwoven with the bars, the mansion burned brightly in the night. Thick smoke spewed out of the roof as flames licked along the edges of the windows. Flickering shadows danced eerily with the light. Over the roar and snaps of the flames, Vanora thought she heard screams.

Her friends and sister were burning.

Gripping the cold metal bars, she rattled the gates in a futile attempt to open them. Armando’s arm slid about her waist, hoisted her off her feet, and wrenched her about, breaking her hold on the gate.

“No! I need to save them!”

“Don’t be foolish! It’s too late,” he answered in a terse voice.

Kicking her feet and prying at his fingers, Vanora struggled to free herself from the vampire’s grip. “I need to save them!”

“You can’t!” Armando carried her to the open passenger door and attempted to shove her into the car.

Vanora fought him, attempting to wiggle out of his grip. There was no way in hell she was going to let her sister die. The throb of power was gradually building within her as desperation, anger, and frustration fed it.

“Vanora, stop fighting me! You can’t save her. Aeron is in there! Do you understand?” Armando’s fingers dug into her shoulders painfully. “Vanora, he’s here for
you
!”

The swelling wave of her power pulsed in time with her heartbeat. Breathing heavily, she stared into Armando’s golden eyes gleaming in the night. Vanora felt her heart, breath, and power synchronize. All she had to do was direct her magic and unleash it. Though angry red fires burned in her lover’s eyes, it was the love and concern emanating from him that infuriated her further. His love was a shackle around her power. With a cry of despair, she averted her eyes from his handsome face. Through the fogged windshield, she watched a portion of the mansion’s roof give way with a thunderous clap.

“He’s here for you,” Armando repeated but in a more soothing timber. “If you try to rescue your sister, you’re surrendering yourself to him. Do you understand that, Vanora?”

With a cry of anger, she beat her fist against the dashboard. Her power found its target. The windshield exploded outward in a gush of splintered glass.

“I can’t lose her,” Vanora wailed. “I can’t lose her, Armando. She’s all I have left!” The vampire’s downcast expression confused her for a moment, then she recognized the hurtfulness of her words. Pressing trembling hands to his cheeks, she leaned toward him, her gaze imploring him to understand. “She’s all I have left of my
family
. I know you’re trying to protect me. I know you’re here for me. But...” She lost her words in a hiccupping sob.

Armando kissed her palms, nuzzling them with his soft lips. “Vanora, I know you love her, but you can’t rush in there and allow him to take you. You know what he wants with you.”

“Come with me,” she said, her gaze darting toward the inferno. “You’re old and powerful. We can fight him together.”

“But not nearly as old and powerful as Aeron,” Armando answered while crouching beside the car. The glass from the windshield crunched beneath his shoes. “I can’t fight him.”

With a shattered heart, Vanora sensed he was speaking the truth. It seemed impossible that there was nothing she could do to save her sister. Her mind rushed over various plans and scenarios, yet her instincts told her if she attempted to rescue Alisha she would fail and be captured. What would follow at Aeron’s hands was too horrible to even dwell upon.

Pulling her phone out of her purse, she attempted to steady her hands so she could call Alisha. It took two tries to call due to her trembling fingers. When the call immediately went into voice mail, Vanora let out an anguished cry. It was even harder to text her sister. Armando said nothing but rested his hand against her neck as she desperately tried to reach her sister. There was no response.

“Vanora, the phone may have been destroyed in the fire.”

“I know...I can’t just sit here,” she said after a long beat of tense silence.

“No, we can’t. We need to go,” Armando said, ignoring the obvious intent of her words.

“Please, don’t make me leave her,” Vanora pleaded.

Fury and despair were threads of molten lava in her veins. She couldn’t bear to just leave her sister to her fate. Armando’s desperate need to protect her only heightened her frustration. Again, the pulse of her power awakened, preparing to strike.

“Vanora,” Armando said in such a way that she knew exactly what words he would speak next.

“Don’t say it!”

“Alisha may be already dead,” he finished.

Instead of lashing out, Vanora pressed one hand to her brow. The pounding in her head was unbearable. She couldn’t and wouldn’t accept that her sister was dead. “I would feel it if she was gone!”

“Would you?” Armando lifted his brows, obviously doubting her.

“Yes!” Even as she replied, uncertainty struck. When she had tried to summon Alisha with telepathy the night Roman had died, Alisha hadn’t come. Maybe their sisterly bond was disrupted by Alisha’s vampire nature. “Maybe. I don’t know.”

“We need to leave. We’ve lingered here way too long, Vanora.” Armando tucked his hands under her knees, lifted her legs, and rotated her about in her seat. This time she didn’t fight him, and the relief on his face was very clear. “I don’t want to lose you to Aeron, Vanora. I don’t want to lose the only person that matters to me. Do you understand that?”

Through blurry eyes, she witnessed fear, love, and desperation play out along the lines of his elegant features. At last, she bobbed her head, admitting that she did understand but also acquiescing. Alisha would
not
want Vanora to do something as foolish as run into the arms of their enemy. Alisha would
want
her to fight. Ironically, Vanora knew Alisha’s first impulse if their roles were reversed would be to move heaven and earth to save her younger sister. That knowledge was a cold comfort but also made her feel guilty and angry. The complex tapestry of her emotions had her reeling.

Standing, Armando shut the door and rapidly dashed around to the driver’s side. He was just a dark blur in Vanora’s sight. Again, she realized how vulnerable she was when in the presence of creatures that could move so speedily they were not much more than flickers of shadow.

Armando settled into the driver’s seat, slammed the door shut, gunned the engine, shifted gears, and directed the sports car away from the mansion. The cold wind howled through the broken windshield, freezing her. Vanora huddled in her coat, pulling her scarf over her nose and mouth. The wind stung her eyes, so she dug a pair of sunglasses out of her purse and put them on.

Armando kept their pace just at the speed limit, but the tension in the lines of his body made it clear he was worried about an attack.

There was a loud thump as a dark shape landed on the hood of the car. Vanora screamed, and Armando shoved his foot down on the brakes, bringing the vehicle to an abrupt halt. Instead of flying off, the vampire remained perched on the front of the car, pale fingers wrapped around the window frame. It took Vanora a second to realize it was Sheila beneath the blood and gore. Draped over her shoulders was Alexander, his lean body resting heavily on her.

“Were you followed?” Armando demanded as Sheila surveyed the interior of the car.

“No. We weren’t. A fuckin’ two seater? Dammit!” Sheila shifted Alexander. “Fuck! I used too much blood while escaping. I can’t fly.”

“I’m small,” Vanora said, pushing open the door. “You’re both skinny. We can do this.”

“Hurry it up!” Armando grunted, his golden eyes burning red in the centers.

It took only a minute for Vanora and Sheila to squeeze into the seat and hold Alexander on their laps. If any of them had been any larger, it never would have worked. As it was, they were dangerously close to hitting the gear shift, much to Armando’s disapproval. The little car tore along the neighborhood street again, leaving the Socoli Mansion. Fire trucks roared past in the opposite lane, buffeting them with icy wind. Sirens filled the air. Vanora closed her eyes so she wouldn’t stare at the side mirror that perfectly framed the burning mansion.

Teeth chattering, Vanora wished vampires had warmer body temperatures. Sheila and Alexander were both cold as marble.

“Where are we going?” she finally asked.

“One of our rentals. That’s where we told people to go if anything went wrong at the mansion,” Sheila grimly answered, then rattled off an address.

Armando took a sharp turn and headed in a different direction.

“How do you know it’s safe?” Vanora tried to ignore Alexander’s elbow digging into her ribcage. He was unconscious but didn’t appear to be in peril of dying. That was some relief.

Sheila was very still, and her thin face wore a pinched, frightened look. “We don’t, but what choice do we have? Aeron knows where we all live. Emily gave him the book of Roman’s Vampires.”

Armando pounded on the steering wheel but said nothing.

“What?” Vanora gasped.

“She was a traitor,” Sheila explained, her eyes darting toward Armando briefly.

That one tiny action stabbed deep into Vanora’s heart.

“And now she’s dead. I’ll tell you everything when we get to the house.”

“Alisha...” Vanora finally dared to ask the question burning on the tip of her tongue but had been afraid to utter. Did she really want to know if her sister was dead?

“I’m sorry, doll. We didn’t see her. We had just gotten back when it all went to hell.” Sheila gave her a sorrowful look.

“It was him, wasn’t it?” Vanora’s stomach clenched, and the power that had been building earlier awakened again.

Sheila’s flesh was slowly absorbing the blood covering her. It was unnerving to witness and reminded Vanora of Roman’s death. “Yes. We saw him.”

Vanora caught the quick look Armando shot her way. There was a warning in it, but she disregarded it. “What was he like?”

After a short hesitation, Sheila said with fear and awe in her voice, “Beautiful and terrible.”

Vanora knew exactly what Sheila meant by those words and briefly nodded. “He is.”

“We need to feed,” Armando said abruptly in a terse voice. “We need blood, and Vanora needs actual food.”

Vanora studied their surroundings and saw that Armando had gained a good distance from the mansion. Sirens rent the air, and pale orange light illuminated several spots on the horizon. Twisting about in her seat to survey their surroundings, she observed the fiery glow was widespread.

“They just didn’t attack the mansion,” she said at last.

“It’s all over the news. Hundreds of fires. He’s killing us then burning our remains.” Sheila touched Alexander’s still face gently. “He needs to heal if we’re to stand against Aeron.”

“You know his name. I just realized that. How do you know who he is?” Vanora’s arm was going to sleep, and Alexander’s elbow was really starting to dig into her.

“He introduced himself. Aeron the White and Terrible.” Sheila tilted her head to look at Armando. “You know him, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Armando answered briskly, then turned into the parking lot of a rundown strip mall. “There’s an area behind the bar where a dealer does business. We drink him and the people with them.”

“How do you know about the dealer?” Sheila asked, narrowing her eyes.

Vanora tried to shift Alexander but failed. He was heavier than he looked. She didn’t want to know why Armando knew about the dealer or this location. It was difficult to accept that there was so much more to him than she knew. Ignorance was bliss, and she didn’t want to let go of it and face reality. The truth would most likely tear everything apart.

Armando drove around to the side of the long building, brought the car to a stop, and turned off the lights. “I know about this place because as a vampire I always make sure I have feeding spots I can rely on. I’m sure you found yourself instinctively hunting more than once despite your adherence to drinking just animal blood. The instinct born of hundreds of years of survival does not go away merely because you have a new religion.” His golden eyes finally shifted toward the two women crammed into the seat next to him. “Am I right?”

Sheila met his gaze, then sighed. “Yes. You’re right.”

“I spotted this place a few weeks ago. It’s isolated. Dark. Perfect.” Armando tapped his fingertips against the steering wheel. “For Alexander to recover, he needs a lot of blood.”

Sheila let out a long exhalation, snuggling Alexander closer. “I know.”

“He has severe damage that could take
nights
to heal normally. He needs to be at full strength
tonight
. We all do. Do you understand?” Armando’s voice was calm, but Vanora could hear the regret in his words. Did he regret killing or that he had to speak about killing in front of her?