Seduced by the Night (38 page)

The announcement shocked her. "I don't believe it."

His gaze was cold and hard as he stared at her. "
Well,you'd
better. Oh, don't get me wrong, I have no desire to create a special ops vampire team. My interests lie elsewhere."

"Where, exactly?" She was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"You may find this hard to believe," he began sarcastically, "but I once had a real life, before Burton stole it all from me. I want that life back. I want to be human again. And I expect you to help me."

Bethany froze as the full weight of his words hit her. There was no way to give him what he wanted. That much she knew. Even if she could duplicate the venom perfectly, even if she could find a way to reverse the effects, Harris wouldn't be human again—he'd be dead.

"If you want my help to escape," he continued, "then you have to help me in return. Your choice, but make it now."

Guilt stabbed through her. This man, this vampire, had done nothing but help her and she hated to lead him on, but she had to do what she could to save Dirk and herself.

"All right. I'll help you."

Harris nodded and walked to the door. "Patterson gave you the day to finish the synthetic. Spend that time learning how to reverse the effects of the venom instead, because we leave when the sun goes down."

Hours after Harris left her, Bethany paced the lab, looking for a way to escape. So far, the only way out appeared to be the door and it was locked. She smashed two stools against it trying to break it down before realizing it was made of steel.

She'd half expected Dirk to show up to save them both, but as more time passed and he didn't appear, her concern for him grew. He would have come for her if he could have, but he'd been in bad shape when they'd taken him. If Patterson had fed off him again…

She forced her mind away from the thought. Dirk was alive. She had to believe that. And if he wasn't in a position to help her escape then she'd have to find a way to help him.

With that goal uppermost in her mind, she studied the chemicals available in the lab. With the right ingredients, she might be able to make a bomb or two. She dug through the equipment, pulling out what she needed when she came across a journal.

She didn't recognize the handwriting, but after reading only a couple of pages, she knew it was the work of a highly intelligent scientist. The notes on each experiment were meticulously recorded and supplemented with the writer's private theorems and hypotheses. She wondered if this might be the work of Dr. Weber,
Lanie's
father. She was about to close it when a notation caught her attention. Eagerly, she read
on.Dr
. Weber had developed an antiserum that destroyed the venom in the host's system. Though he didn't come right out and say it, his goal, she could tell, was to find some way to destroy the vampires. More amazing to Bethany was that his concoction had worked. Suddenly the idea of reversing the venom and restoring life wasn't as far-fetched as she'd originally thought.

Unfortunately, figuring out how to do it was going to take a lot longer than a single day. It could take a lifetime.

She sat on the cot and continued to read, fighting to keep her eyes open as she pored over Dr. Weber's notes. Just maybe…

Exhaustion stole over her and it wasn't long before she fell asleep.

Something jerked her awake and she felt herself hauled roughly off the cot. Patterson stared at her, his eyes blazing with anger. "What the hell are you doing asleep?" he yelled, slapping her across the face as he held her upright. "Where's my venom?"

Bethany tasted blood at the corner of her mouth where her lip had split. Her heart raced from the combination of  adrenaline and terror coursing through her. She opened her mouth to say something, but never got the chance.

"If you're not going to do what I tell you, then I have no use for you," he spat out.

She barely had time to anticipate the pain before he'd yanked her to him and sank his teeth into her neck. Agony ripped through her, spreading along her veins as Patterson drank. She fought against him, hitting and clawing, but her efforts didn't faze him. She thought of the admiral's herb in her bloodstream and hope filled her—until she remembered its twenty-four hour limitation. Her last cup of coffee still sat, untouched, on the kitchen table. As hope died, her strength failed and only Patterson's hold on her kept her from falling. She was dying, but too weak to care.

"What the hell—?"

Suddenly released, she fell to the floor, landing in a crumpled heap. Harris stood over her, confronting Patterson, and though she tried to focus on their words as they argued, she only caught bits and pieces.

"… crazy? We need her," Harris was saying.

"She's no better than Meyers," Patterson shot back. "We're better off killing her and finding someone new."

"No, it's too late for that." Harris clenched his hands into fists. "Let me take care of this—you go deal with Adams. I'm sure he's awake by now."

Bethany saw the way Patterson stared at the other Prime. There was a decided lack of trust between the two. As if sensing Patterson's hesitation, Harris said, "Leave her to me. I can be very persuasive—or have you already forgotten that time in Iraq?"

Patterson still seemed hesitant, but he finally nodded.

"See that she's cooperating when I get back. Her only value lies in her ability to duplicate the venom. If she's not going to do that, then we might as well enjoy her."

Bethany felt cold fear lance through her at his words and she watched him walk out of the lab. Then she looked up to see Harris standing over her, his expression unreadable, and she didn't know whether to be relieved or afraid.

Dirk woke to find he was alone in an empty room except for the decaying corpse of some unfortunate soul chained to the wall next to him. When his captors had carried him in hours ago, he'd been too weak to put up much of a fight. They'd secured him in the iron cuffs that were chained to the wall and left him. He'd thought if he could find the strength and energy, he could use the time while his captors slept to escape and find Bethany, but as the sun rose, he'd been overwhelmed with fatigue. Unable to fight against it, he'd slept.

While he did, his body had used its special abilities to recuperate. Now, looking at the wall behind him, he saw where the chains were bolted and felt a spurt of hope. The mortar and brick looked old. Cocking his head to listen for the sounds of someone approaching, he heard nothing.

There was enough slack in the chains that if he took a step closer to the wall, he could grab them with his hands. With his feet spread for balance, he strained, pulling with all his might until the muscles in his arms and chest shook with the effort. Sweat broke out over his body and his groans filled the room.

Then one of the bolts moved. Encouraged by this small victory, he renewed his effort. Little by little, the bolts ripped from the wall, sending cracked mortar flying.

Suddenly free, Dirk fell to the ground and stayed there, exhausted. His muscles ached beyond belief and he wasn't sure he could move, but he needed to. He had to find Bethany, if she was still alive.

He refused to consider any other possibility and forced himself to his feet, his chains dangling from the iron bracelets at his wrists, weighing him down. There was no way to get them off, so he didn't waste time trying. He swung his arms around in circles, winding the chains about his forearms to act as a cumbersome type of chain mail.

He'd taken only a step toward the door when it burst open and Patterson appeared. His face was clouded with anger, but at seeing Dirk, he smiled.

"I'm going to enjoy this, Adams," he taunted as they squared off. "I've just enjoyed a taste of your girlfriend— she put up quite a fight. If Harris hadn't come in, there's no telling what I might have done."

Dirk fought to keep his emotions under control. If he lost it now, Patterson would have the advantage. He had to remain calm and look for an opportunity to attack.

"Yes, indeed," Patterson went on. "She was quite a treat. I definitely want another taste—provided there's anything left. You know how Harris gets when he's… negotiating. You remember what he did to that Iraqi terrorist responsible for bombing the mission a couple of years ago? Do you think anyone ever found enough of the body to figure out who it was?"

"I guess some things never change, do they?" Dirk scoffed. "I thought you were in charge of this little underground operation, but I see now that it's been Harris all along."

The barb hit its mark and Patterson roared as he attacked. Dirk threw out his arm, pain ripping through the already stressed muscles. The weight of the chain added to the power of his punch and Patterson flew across the room. He recovered quickly and with another yell, charged. This time, he was ready for the impact of the chain and Dirk wasn't able to throw him off.

Patterson jumped on Dirk, bearing him to the ground. For the second time, Dirk felt the vampire's fangs sink into his neck and the warm trickle of blood ran down his skin.
Akeady
weak, Dirk struggled to knock him off. Unsuccessful, he pushed himself off the ground, carrying Patterson on his back. Finally, getting his feet under him, he stumbled to the wall and slammed Patterson against it. He had to repeat the move several times before Patterson loosened his hold.

Reaching up, Dirk grabbed the vampire and hauled him over his shoulder. As soon as Patterson landed on the floor, Dirk hit him, breaking the vampire's nose. Patterson rolled to the side, freeing himself from Dirk's grip, and they both staggered to their feet.

Dirk knew that if he didn't beat Patterson soon, he never would. Letting a length of chain unravel off his arm, he waited for Patterson to lunge at him. As he did,
Dkk
swung a loop around Patterson's neck and caught the other end. Before the Prime knew what Dirk was up to, Dirk pulled the chain tight.

Dirk's original intent was to decapitate the vampire, but between his weakened muscles and the bulk of the chain links, it proved impossible to do, so he pulled the chain as tight as he could and prayed that the vampire needed air to breathe.

 Patterson fought to get free, doing everything he could to cause Dirk to loosen his grip, even slamming him bodily into the wall repeatedly. Through it all, Dirk held on, pulling the chains
tighter
and tighter. Slowly, Patterson's efforts weakened until, finally, he crumpled to the ground. Dirk didn't let go of the chain, worried that Patterson might be faking.