Ironic Sacrifice (19 page)

For a moment Jayden thought that Razvan wouldn’t back down, but there was some silent communication between him and Akasha and he nodded curtly. Akasha released him and walked out of the room, nodding at Jayden to follow her.

***

Akasha led Jayden into Max’s old room. She plopped on the bed and regarded Jayden with a determined look in her eyes. “You once told me that you wanted to be a counselor, so counsel me.”

Jayden gaped. This was the last thing she expected her friend to say. “What?”

“I accept that my drinking is out of control, but hell if I’m going into a bible-thumping twelve step program or checking into a rehab clinic with Selena’s bullshit going on.” Akasha lit a cigarette with shaky hands. “You mentioned that you took some college psychology classes, so you’re the best shot at help I can get. Are you willing to try? ‘Cuz it’s taking all my willpower to stay here talking to you and not get a beer.”

“Yes!” Jayden answered before Akasha could bolt from the room. “You just caught me off guard a bit. I’d be happy to help you but I just don’t know how well I’ll do because I didn’t get my degree.”

“Did you drop out because of the visions?” The concern in her voice made Jayden’s throat tighten again.

“Sort of. I was homeless and living in my car when the fall semester began, so by then I wasn’t even thinking of school.”

Akasha nodded. “That’s understandable. So can we start now?”

Jayden sighed. “I guess. Um, go ahead and get comfortable or something.” She sat down in an easy chair near the bed and did her best to look professional and welcoming.

Akasha lay down on the bed in a caricature of the typical Freud patient. “Now what?”

“Well, I think if we explored the reasons for why you drink when you’re upset, we might be able to go from there,” Jayden told her, hoping that she was doing the right thing.

At that thought, she added, “If I say anything that sounds like a load of crap, it very well might be, so don’t be afraid to call me on it, okay?”

“Okay,” Akasha said somberly. She took a deep breath and began. “I’ve been drinking since I was twelve or thirteen, I can’t remember which, but I didn’t drink to get drunk, y’know, or even to cope with a problem until a year or so ago.”

Jayden nodded and did her best to keep her expression passive but welcoming. “Why do you think it started then?”

“I dunno… maybe because I started to get lonely. I mean, Max was great company and all,” she added defensively, “and Silas is wonderful, I mean he’s my life, but…I guess I missed talking with another girl, especially one who was different. Xochitl and the others practically lived with us before they moved to Seattle and made their big break.”

Akasha sighed and shifted awkwardly on the bed. “Xochitl just had a way about making me feel better, about myself, about the world, whatever. Without her to comfort me when I had a bad day I guess I turned to the next best thing: beer.” She snorted derisively. “Like that came any close. I was such an ass, I knew it, but I couldn’t stop feeling that way.”

The self-loathing in Akasha’s voice brought tears to Jayden’s eyes. She blinked them away and said soothingly, “You lost your best friend, your only friend, really. Pain was inevitable.”

“But still, it wasn’t like I was all pissy because she was gone, I knew she had to follow her dream and all, just as I did. I was so damn proud of her, still am. I mean, that girl had determination. When she said, ‘I will,’ she fucking
meant
it…and somehow that determination rubbed off on everyone around her. That’s why Aurora’s the world’s fastest drummer and Sylvis is the best guitarist to walk the planet.”

She lit a cigarette and smiled, pride dripping from her voice.

“That’s why three
chicks
, one of them
black
at that, and a
gay
guy were able to play with the big boys in heavy metal. Not only that but I fucking know
I
wouldn’t have been so successful at my business if
I
hadn’t known her…and now look at me, I’m a fucking drunk who almost killed herself with alcohol poisoning the other day.” Anger crept back into her tone and she flicked her cigarette so hard that it broke.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Jayden said softly. “You had just attended Max’s funeral, and then heard that your friends disappeared on the same night. Anyone would have reacted strongly.”

Akasha laughed, but it was a harsh, brittle noise, like cracking marble.

“
That’s
not what made me lose it,” she said quietly. “Xochitl and the band are going to be fine. For one thing, Silas would have known if they were hurt, because of Marking them and all, and I really think I’d know, because, I dunno, but I think I would. No, I know they’re okay. Xochitl’s not afraid of anything and although I don’t know what she is, I know she can handle anything that anyone can dish out.”

“Then what made you…lose it?” Jayden asked carefully, hoping she wasn’t going too far for this first session.

Her “patient” took a deep shuddering breath. “It was the way Silas looked at me when we heard the news. He was
afraid
of me. Afraid I’d freak out again and tear the place apart.” Akasha choked on the last word, but continued speaking between growing hiccupping sobs. “He’s my husband, the fucking love of my life…not only that, but he’s a fucking five hundred year old vampire! He’s… not… supposed… to… be afraid of me!”

A keening wail escaped her throat and she grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it to stifle the sobs.

With tears rolling down her own cheeks, Jayden stood up and crossed the small distance to the bed, and took Akasha into her arms, not caring if the visions came back, only needing to comfort her friend.

The two women held each other and cried for what felt like an eternity.

When it ended, Akasha slowly pulled away and wiped her nose with the bottom of her shirt.

“Thanks,” she said huskily. “I actually kinda feel better now. I know that sounds weird, but there it is.”

Jayden squeezed Akasha’s hand. She felt better too. Now that she’d actually helped someone, the healing light of purpose was a balm on her soul.

Akasha’s daily counseling sessions with “Doctor” Leigh continued…only from now on they did them before sunset to avoid interruptions from the men. Akasha told her about her traumatic past. Besides the things that Max had narrated to Jayden, Akasha also had been abducted by government agents, experimented on like a lab rat, and almost killed just before her high school graduation.

When Akasha began talking about earning her college degree and opening Resurrection Wrenches, Jayden interrupted her.

“You never really had a childhood, did you?”

Akasha blinked at her. “Well, no.”

It was then that they had another epiphany. Besides being her first and only friends, Xochitl, Sylvis, Aurora and Beau had been Akasha’s only link to a normal childhood. The same went for Max, as he was the closest thing to a father she’d had since she was eight.

Jayden had an epiphany of her own. With the suddenness of how she and Razvan got together, was it possible that her infatuation with him was childish? After all, he was technically her rescuer.

Maybe I should distance myself a little from him until I get it figured out,
she thought. But figure what out? Razvan had never given a hint that he harbored any deeper feelings about her than lust and possessiveness….and aside from a few heated glances, the lust seemed to have vanished. She forced the thought away and focused on Akasha.

Their mock therapy was going pretty well. A punching bag was installed downstairs for anger management and Akasha pelted it regularly. She was also down to an average of three beers a night instead of the usual half-rack and she only got drunk one night a week instead of every day. Jayden wished Akasha would just quit drinking completely, but she supposed she’d have to be grateful for some progress, especially since, most important of all, Akasha finally reopened her shop.

The fact that she was ready to re-embrace her love of turning wrenches was a clear indication that she was healing. Jayden accompanied her to work every evening to hold the flashlight and continue with the counseling sessions.

Silas and Razvan were also making progress. They were confident that they had eliminated all of Selena’s spies from their lands.

“When we get hold of her, she shall rue the day I Changed her,” Razvan said with an evil smile.

A possible opportunity came on the evening of December twenty-first. Akasha and Jayden had just returned from Christmas shopping when there was a knock on the door.

Yet again, when Silas opened the door, no one was there, but a note sat on the stoop.

“This ding-dong-ditch thing is getting old,” Akasha said.

Jayden nodded, but her pulse was in her throat. Who was Selena going to kill this time? Silas read the note, looked up, and smiled wickedly.

“Razvan, you’d better come here a minute,” he called.

“What does it say?” Jayden asked.

Silas waved his hand dismissively as Razvan came down the stairs. He smiled at the other vampire and held up the note.

“It seems Michael wants to meet us in a neutral territory. To ‘negotiate peaceably,’ he says.” His brows rose in disbelief.

Razvan laughed. “How diplomatic of him. When will this meeting take place?”

“Tonight, at seven o’clock.” Silas tore up the note and threw it in the wastebasket.

Underneath their banter, Jayden heard a hum in her mind. They were having a silent conversation along with their talk. She could almost discern the words, but it was as if they spoke underwater.

One thing was certain. They were hiding something from her and Akasha.

Again.

Well this time, they’re not getting away with it
. She forced her face into a compliant smile and turned to Akasha, winking at her as she hoped her friend wouldn’t ruin everything by asking too much.

“Are you gonna kill him?” Akasha asked. “Please say you are.”

Razvan chuckled. “If he gives us the opportunity, you can be sure of it.”

“Cool. Can we come too?”

Silas sighed. “Unfortunately not. He only wants to talk with Razvan and myself. Besides, it’ll be more difficult for us to get our chance at destroying Michael if we’re too busy keeping an eye on you both.”

Akasha frowned. “I can take care of myself.”

“We know that, but if you would please indulge us, I would feel so much better.”

To Jayden’s surprise, Akasha didn’t argue further. “Fine. I have a lot of work to do anyway. Just don’t get yourselves killed. It might be a trap.” She headed out of the room. “Come on, Jayden,” she called over her shoulder. “We gotta get ready for work.”

Once Jayden joined her, Akasha whirled to face her. “You know something. Give.”

She nodded and said quietly, “They’re hiding something from us…again.”

“No shit, Sherlock. Do you have any clue what it is?”

“I only know they were having a silent conversation over the one they had aloud.” Jayden paused. “I do have an idea on how I might be able to find out more. Do you think you can get the wastebasket out of the living room without them noticing?”

Akasha nodded. “You bet. Are you going to try using your psychic mojo on Michael’s note?”

“I sure am,” Jayden said with a grin, for once grateful for her freakish ability.

Akasha was back with the wastebasket in less than five minutes. “It was easy. They were shut up in Silas’s office so they can conspire in peace.”

Jayden rifled through the trash. It was mostly paper waste, thank God. As she gathered up the pieces of Michael’s note, brushing away cigarette ash from the paper, flickers of thoughts and images teased at her mind. This was going to work.

She clutched the shreds in one fist, shut her eyes and focused.

When she’d gleaned all she could, she opened her eyes. “You’re right, Akasha. There will be a trap. But it’s not for Silas and Razvan. It’s for us.”

Akasha raised a brow and lit a cigarette. “Talk.”

When Jayden finished explaining, her friend laughed with such sinister evil that she could be competition for Razvan. “I have a plan.”

Razvan’s heart lurched painfully as the ladies left for work. Instead of a kiss or at least a warm smile, Jayden gave him an indifferent wave and a muttered goodbye.

It had happened already. Jayden’s affection for him had passed. At first he’d hoped she had merely been preoccupied with helping Akasha, but now Silas’s wife seemed better off than ever and Jayden was still distancing herself from him.

He cursed Selena and her cult to the foulest pit of hell. If the bitch hadn’t launched her obsession with his woman and killed Max, perhaps he could have had more time with Jayden.

Silas interrupted his thoughts. “The guards are already in place near the shop to keep an eye on our women. I’m going to make some calls. If this is a trap, it would be good to have backup nearby.”

Razvan grinned at his friend. “We think alike. I already called my best vampires. They’ll remain hidden unless we need them.”

A few minutes later they were in the car and headed to State Line Showgirls.

“I really hope there won’t be a battle,” Razvan said. “I think a bloodbath would frighten the poor strippers.”

Silas laughed as he navigated the icy roads like an old hand. “I’m more afraid of Akasha’s reaction if she finds out where this meeting is taking place. She can be a jealous wench at times.”

“You have a point there.” Razvan frowned as he gazed out the window.

He couldn’t let Jayden go this easily. He pictured her statuesque beauty, remembered the feel of her warm soft skin, the silk of her hair through his fingers, the way her eyes grew wide with surprise before he stole a kiss. The thought of returning to a life without her was unbearable.

Silas guided the car into the crowded parking lot. The ice crunched under the tires. “I cannot fathom that so many men risk their lives to come here in this weather.” He gestured at a group of men laughing jovially as they approached the front door. “All for the sight of a pair of likely false breasts.”

Razvan chuckled. “Actually, I had one of my subordinates investigate the place beforehand. He says that the majority of the dancers have natural endowments, just little to speak of. But then, I believe he admires the falsies. Many young ones do.”

“Are your people in place?” Silas asked as they got out of the car, pulling their coats tight against their bodies to ward off the cold.

“Yes, I sensed their arrival a few minutes ago. I only wish Sarah could have come. She would be invaluable if it comes down to a fight.” He opened the door and surveyed the all male clientele. “Alas, she would stick out like a sore thumb in a place like this.”

Silas nodded. “I am only now getting petitions from females with any sort of fighting ability. Before Akasha, the only ones interested in joining me were those escaping a cruel master or hoping to sleep their way into a position of power.”

Razvan snorted. “I assume your bride frightened those away? Really, you need to develop a mean streak before you’re stuck ruling over a populace of weaklings.”

They settled at the bar. Immediately a waitress dressed in a scrap of shiny fabric that hardly could be called a dress made a beeline for the handsome gentlemen.

“What can I get you this evening?” she asked, bending low to display her cleavage even as she eyed their designer clothes with predatory avarice.

The vampires ordered hot drinks to warm their hands and did their best not to encourage her flirtation. She left, trailing a noxious cloud of gaudy perfume behind her.

“It seems we are early,” Razvan said, looking at his watch. “My people have just arrived.” He nodded at the door where two large vampires were just being checked in by a bouncer. “Jake and Trey are going to be close by in case Michael plans to start a ruckus. The rest will remain outside with your people.”

“Speak of the devil,” Silas said as Michael entered the club with his usual arrogant sneer plastered on his narrow face.

Michael grinned at them, barely concealing his fangs. He seemed genuinely happy to see them and that made Razvan extremely nervous.

Selena’s head “apostle” sat down next to them and pulled out a sheaf of five dollar bills. “Nicolae, McNaught.” He purposely omitted their titles. “It is a pleasure to renew our acquaintance! I hope the roads weren’t too bad this evening.”

“We have little time for small talk,” Silas said brusquely. “Tell us what you hope to gain from this meeting.”

Razvan leaned forward. “Because if you think to convince us to spare your worthless hide for the crimes you and your mistress have committed, you are wasting our time and your breath.”

Michael waved his hand languidly. “Please, have some patience and indulge me. I do not have the pleasure of getting out much.” He waved his money in the air to beckon a dancer before they could protest.

The dancer gave him a false smile as she came forward and Michael ordered lap dances for the three of them.

“You fool,” Razvan growled. “What are you playing at?”

“Come now, Nicolae,” Michael said with a leer. “Don’t you want to enjoy some feminine charms after being stuck guarding your new pet for so long? Although I do hear she is a rather exquisite thing.”

To hear the bastard equating Jayden with the strippers as if she were just an object designed for a man’s pleasure, to hear him, in fact, call her a “thing,” made Razvan quiver in fury.

The dancer saw his reaction and, mistaking it for arousal, strutted over to him and began wriggling her derriere mere centimeters from his groin to the tuneless music. The scent of baby powder and perfumed oil was cloying.

“No thank you, Madam,” he said, nearly choking on the miasma of her odor.

She moved away, wide-eyed in surprise, whether it was because of his refusal or his polite manner of addressing her, Razvan didn’t know or care, for he just realized something that made his heart cringe in abject shame.

He
had
treated Jayden like an object. In fact, his words to her the second night they were together were,
“Sometimes my kind will keep a human companion. We call them ‘pet mortals.’ I think you’d make a nice one.”

And then, the night Selena had first demanded he turn over Jayden, she had thanked him for refusing to give her up. “
You are mine,”
was all he’d said, as if she were a fancy piece of furniture. It was no wonder she’d gotten over her infatuation with him so easily.

But he couldn’t let her go. He had to try to win back her affection. He must speak to her as soon as possible. He had to tell her he was wrong, he had to tell her that…he loved her.

“My God,” he chuckled, overcome with the irony that it took this many centuries and this gaudy locale for him to realize his foolishness.

“What is it?” Michael asked suspiciously.

Was it Razvan’s imagination, or did the bastard look worried? It was hard to tell with the stripper writhing all over him.

Silas thrust his hands in his pockets and frowned at them both. He suspected something as well.

“Oh, nothing,” Razvan said nonchalantly. “I just find it amusing that your mistress keeps you on such a tight leash that you use this meeting as an excuse to seek such cheap titillation.”

The stripper gasped in outrage at his remark, but he hardly cared. It was Michael’s reaction that he wanted to see. The sooner they discovered his motives and the sooner Razvan was back with his love, the better.

Michael’s eyes spat daggers. “You know nothing of our relationship or my sacred duties.” The dancer stood up and he pulled out another fistful of money. “I didn’t tell you to stop.”

As the stripper sighed and put the money in her g-string, Razvan met Silas’s gaze. They came to the same conclusion. Michael was using her as a shield.

“Enough of your delays,” Silas said. “Tell us why you have arranged this meeting, or we leave.”

Michael smirked at that, confirming their suspicions that something was off.

“Is that one of your enforcers, I see?” He nodded over at Trey, who was shaking money at another dancer with an eager grin that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Enough stalling,” Razvan said with a glare.

The music, which was supposed to sound provocative, was starting to annoy him.

The stripper’s gestures had gone from seductive grace to a half-hearted sway. Her eyes darted nervously around the room and her lips moved as if she were at the verge of calling for aid from the hulking bouncers.

Michael laughed, his posture oozing triumph. “You brought most of your people here, haven’t you? Or at least, the very best?”

“You should keep that in mind in case you consider trying something foolish,” Silas whispered, low enough that only the vampires could hear.

Razvan gripped his coffee cup so tightly that the handle snapped off and the beverage slopped over onto his hands. Something was wrong.

“You
did
bring them. Splendid!” Michael clapped his hands, still wearing that infuriating grin. “That means your women are quite alone, doesn’t it?”

“Dear God!” Silas gasped and leapt to his feet.

His eyes went distant as he sent out a call to the vampires that were supposed to be guarding the women.

The Lord of Coeur d’Alene grimaced and Razvan knew the guards were dead.

They had to leave now.

Michael glanced at his watch, unperturbed as he spoke too low for the dancer to hear. “Oh, I am certain you are too late. By now Akasha will be dead and the seeress will be safe in the hands of the high priestess.”

Razvan bared his fangs.

Michael grinned at them over the dancer’s shoulder. “Go ahead and try it. Then you will have to contend with them.”

He nodded at a pair of nearby bouncers standing with their arms crossed under a sign reading,
“Don’t touch the dancers or you will be escorted from the premises.”

Ah, so this was why he was using a shield. Razvan smirked. That could work both ways.

With a blur of inhuman speed, he grabbed the stripper’s breast and squeezed just enough to cause pain. The squeak of the silicone was so sharp it hurt his teeth. He rubbed his hand on his pants as if he could wipe away the unnatural sensation.

To mortal eyes, he looked as if he hadn’t moved. The dancer shrieked and leapt away from Michael, cupping her breast and pointing an accusing finger at the vampire. The bouncers marched forward and seized Michael by the arms.

“The rules are posted, asshole,” one of them said. “Time for you to go.”

Michael turned bright red with impotent rage as he spluttered, “But I didn’t touch her!”

“Yes he did!” The stripper cried, clutching her breast. “He squeezed my tit!”

“The lady speaks truly,” Silas added, suppressing a smile.

The other bouncer nodded. “Now how about that,” he said coldly. “Don’t come back here again.”

The two dragged a still protesting Michael out the door as Razvan handed the flustered dancer a twenty dollar bill.

“Have a pleasant evening, Madam,” he said as he and Silas left the club.

By the time they got outside, Michael had fled, no doubt back to his insane mistress.

“Do you think he spoke truly?” Silas asked, practically vibrating with panic. “Could we be too late?”

Razvan’s stomach plummeted at the possibility, but he refused to entertain it.

“Perhaps not.” He tried to sound confident. “If I fly, I just may get to them in time.”

The vampires gazed up doubtfully at the rapidly falling snow.

“It will be dangerous in this weather,” Silas said. “You could be blown clear to Canada.

“I must try.” Razvan rose up in the air and flinching as the icy wind tried to carve up his cheeks. “Drive as fast as is safe, my friend,” he called over his shoulder.

His voice was swallowed in a snowy gust.