Seduced by Crimson (8 page)

Well, Charlie—his surfing vamp friend—had thought it was funny back when they were sixteen. So, maybe it wasn't so funny as lame jokes went, but that was no reason for one of them to lunge at him.

He countered easily. He'd sparred with vamps often enough to be prepared for their faster reflexes and extra strength. There were lots of vamps at the dojo, where there was less of a sun problem than surfing.

He growled, "Guys, you're ruining my date here. What gives?"

"
She
gives. To us. Right now." One vamp lunged for Xiao Fei, but she slid out of the way and gave a quick wrist-breaking kick while she was at it. The vamp pulled back with a howl of pain. Patrick was impressed.

"A little martial arts training, my dear?" he asked as he surreptitiously reached for the wooden knife he carried.

"A little," she answered. "I did grow up in a temple."

He was surprised. "I didn't think there were any fighting temples left."

She shrugged. He couldn't see it because his eyes were still on the vamps, but he felt her pride. "We weren't typical Buddhists."

That was all the time the vamps gave them to chat. Patrick didn't see the signal, but once again, he felt the energy shift. They lunged forward all at once. The vamp nearest Xiao Fei went down, Patrick's wooden knife in his heart. There was no time for him to shudder at his first vampire kill, but he did manage to thank Mother Earth that he'd practiced obsessively since the last time he'd seen an honest-to-godness fang attack.

Fortunately for him, the vamps were more interested in grabbing Xiao Fei than him. Not so fortunate for her, but at least that gave him room to fight them off. It helped that they didn't seem to want to kill her, just to grab her, and that Xiao Fei wasn't all that easy to grab. In truth, a whirling dervish would be easier to catch.

The vamps fell back in surprise. Obviously they weren't used to such stiff competition from mortals.

"What'd you do?" the brunette demanded. "What'd you do to Stan?"

"Never met him, don't know him," Patrick said. He knew the question was directed at Xiao Fei, but since she wasn't talking, he felt the urge to fill in the gaps. He prayed the vampire girl kept talking. That was better than fighting.

"You!" screamed the other woman—the busty one—as she lunged for Xiao Fei, claws and fangs fully extended. Xiao Fei ducked just in time for the vamp to land on Patrick's fist.

Ow
! Those fangs were sharp! His knuckles stung. Fortunately, there was no impairment in function. His hands flexed just fine as he snatched his other wooden knife. "Guys, really. This isn't necessary," he growled.

"She killed Stan!" bellowed the vamp with the broken wrist.

"I did not!" she shouted back. "I cured him!"

Patrick frowned. "Cured him of what?" He'd never heard of a vamp getting sick, but he supposed it could happen. But if Stan was cured…

"He's dead, you bitch!" The brunette hissed, and again she and all her friends lunged.

Didn't they know any other method? Surround and grab—that was their whole MO? Unfortunately, it would work. Eventually. Vamps had a lot more stamina than humans, and Patrick and Xiao Fei were outnumbered.

Still, he did what he could. He knocked the nearest arms away, putting his shoulder into a fang as best he could. Both he and the barrel-chested vamp grunted at the heavy impact. Then he pivoted and threw, praying that the vamp landed on his neighbor.

Bingo. Well, sort of. The pair collided but combined their momentum right into Xiao Fei as she was ducking around the vamp girl with the big boobs.

How much longer could they keep this up? Around the vamp's heaving breasts, Patrick could see Xiao Fei breaking free, panting with exertion. She threw a neat kick, but that left her open to another pair of grasping hands. Patrick took care of those with his own power punch—broke the wrist, too—but that left him open to a strong set of hands on his back.

There was too little room to maneuver. Things were starting to look grim. The fight descended into that moment-to-moment flash of total focus, partial understanding. He saw an attack and countered it—a fist that he beat back. Saw another body encroach and shoved it away, adding a punch for good measure. But he couldn't go on the offensive, and he couldn't comprehend the strange sounds he was hearing.

"Aie! Aie! Aiyiyiyiyiyi!" A new voice. A Chinese Tarzan?

"Ow!
Ow
! Geez, woman!" That was a vamp.

"Huh? Hey! Yah!" And a middle-aged male grunted.

"Come on!" Xiao Fei tugged on Patrick's arm.

He grabbed the brunette vamp's ponytail and whipped her around by it. She landed—by his design—right in another vamp's arms. Which was when Patrick caught his first flash of what was on the outside of the circle of his attackers: a score of middle-aged Asians attacking the vamps with brooms and… trowels? Even a pair of wooden chopsticks.
Wow
.

And just beyond them, at least a dozen more were rushing forward brandishing whatever they had in hand. A backpack. A skateboard. A set of keys shoved between fisted fingers. And the vamps were going down amid the onslaught.

"Patrick! I'm gone!" Xiao Fei ducked and maneuvered out of the melee. The nearest vamp made a lunge for her, straight out from under a dripping mop, but Patrick was able to shove the jerk backward to trip over the mop bucket.

Then Patrick was off and running after Xiao Fei. And damn, she was fast. Plus, she had this way of fading out from sight if he didn't focus really hard on her. It wasn't like earlier, when he had followed her just by concentrating. Her energy was so bright, so powerful that he'd had no trouble finding her when she'd dashed out of the restaurant. But this time…

He shook his head. Damn, she was good. If he'd doubted she was the One before, he now knew the truth. It was like she lifted the energy of the Earth right through the concrete. And she could wrap herself in it and become virtually invisible.

"Right here!" she called, reaching out her hand. Good thing, because he'd lost her again.

He grabbed her, and
wham
, Earth-force slammed through him, surrounded him, became an all-consuming power. It was him, and he was it. Earth. Peace. Silence. Ever-present, and yet invisible. Xiao Fei was making him as invisible as she was.
Wow
. She was amazing.

They started moving. One block away. Around the corner. Two blocks…

And then the world ripped open. Patrick felt it, but only distantly. He felt a punch in the gut as the air was sucked away. Except it wasn't air; it was energy—Earth energy pouring out of some open wound. He felt it. He knew it. But Xiao Fei was living it.

She cried out in agony. If he hadn't been holding her, she would have dropped right there in the street. As it was, he completely supported her as she curled into herself.

The protective barrier of Earth energy ripped away. They were completely exposed, but Patrick barely noticed as Xiao Fei began moaning.

"No. No, no, no, no."

"Xiao Fei. Come on. We can't sit here in the middle of the street. Xiao Fei!"

She didn't hear him. She was trapped in her head, so it was up to him. He looked up. No one was around. She'd taken them down a back alley, but he thought he saw a larger street ahead.

He looked down at Xiao Fei. She was chanting, her eyes clamped tightly shut. He knew what was going on. He had felt the fluctuations in the demon gate before: momentary flashes when the portal opened and closed. This time was different. It wasn't closing back up. If anything, it was growing larger, splitting wider, and—worst of all—staying open. He kept waiting for the rip to seal, but relief never came.

Whoever had been toying with the portal had screwed up big time. Now the rip was self-sustaining. It would stay open until someone—until
he
—closed it. He looked down at Xiao Fei. Her eyes had rolled back in her head, but her lips kept moving. She was chanting something, but he didn't know what.

It didn't matter. Earth had just run out of time. He and this semicomatose woman were its only hope. Steeling his resolve, he knelt down and wrapped his arms around Xiao Fei. Murmuring softly in her ear, he spouted lies while his stomach churned in disgust. He told her that everything would be fine, that he would take care of her, that nothing bad would ever happen to her again. Then he hoisted her into his arms. She was a slight woman, not much heavier than a long board. So with surprising ease, he began to walk.

No one stopped him. He caught the surprised look of one late-night shopper, but he simply shrugged and said, "Chinese girls can't hold their liquor." And in this way, he carried her into his own private hell.

From Patrick Lewis's journal.

September 5, 1985

My parents are so lame! They won't let me go to LA. to compete. I went last year and won. But no. 'Cause I didn't take out the stupid garbage.

They're making me do that stupid essay for ugly Mrs. Wormbreath. Like she can read! And I have to pay for my own Sex Wax now, too. Like I can buy anything on five dollars a week for chores.

Jason says I should go anyway. He learned how to drive from that bum Leonardo. We'll ditch school and just go. I can sleep on the beach, and Mom just bought a boatload of Chee-tos.

When I win I can use the prize money for that new surfboard.

From a letter stuffed into Patrick Lewis's journal.

September 10, 1985

Dear son,

I am writing this letter because you are not here. The police have called and are bringing you home. Your father is so angry he's started smoking again and watching Jeopardy. He hasn't turned a single page of Chaucer since we discovered you and the car were missing.

Oh, Patrick. How could you do this? And for what? A surfing competition? We do not tell you no lightly. We have reasons behind our decisions. As your parents, we judged you too irresponsible to go to a competition in Los Angeles. And we were right. Stealing my car to go on your own demonstrated just the lack of foresight and maturity that we feared.

Where would you have stayed? What would you have eaten? Son, did you even think of these things?

It was irresponsible, Patrick, and reckless. You have harmed not only yourself, but Jason as well. By involving him in your scheme, you have put his entire future at risk. You know how disadvantaged he is. A criminal record would be disastrous for that young man. Why would you hurt your best Mend's future in that way?

There are dangers in the world, Patrick. Serious dangers that you can only imagine. Not just junkies and gangs. There are other, darker things to fear.

Jason's father knows. As Draig, he daily fights horrors that your young heart cannot even comprehend. Why would you expose yourself to that? Or Jason ? Like it or not, both of you boys have knowledge that puts you in danger. What would you have done if something magical attacked without us there to defend you?

I have never been more disappointed in my whole life. We love you so much, Patrick. Why would you hurt us this way? Do you know what could have happened?

I cannot write any more. I am too sad.

—
Your mother