Seduced by the Night (40 page)

The vampires immediately zeroed in on the shaft and hurried toward it. Beside her, Dirk swore. Then there was a violent flurry of movement between their bodies, as if the rat was attacking. Dirk struggled beside her and then she felt the brush of fur against her face just before she heard something smack against the far wall of the tunnel.

There was a scurrying sound and then the vampires' excited growls grew fainter.

Bethany felt Dirk squirming beside her and seconds later she was being hauled bodily out of the shaft and into a pair of well-muscled arms. She was vaguely aware of the chains, still wrapped around Dirk's forearms, biting into her. She didn't care.

"Beth, honey. It's okay. They're gone."

She clutched his shirt in her fists and looked around, even though she couldn't see a thing. "Where's the rat?"

"He ran down the tunnel."

 "And the vampires?"

She heard the smile in his voice. "Gone for now; chasing after that rat." Then he sobered. "I don't know how long it'll take them to figure out that was a human scream they heard, so we should get moving again. Do you think you can?"

She nodded. "Yes," she whispered.

"That's my girl." He tipped her face up to him and quickly kissed her. Then he took her by the hand and led her down the tunnel.

They walked for what seemed like hours and Bethany had no idea where they were and prayed that Dirk did. Fatigue rode her, but she knew she couldn't be as tired as Dirk. The fights with Patterson and Harris left him weak and with the chains weighing him down, he had to be exhausted. Finally, he stopped so they could rest.

"We can sit here for a while," he said, lowering himself to the ground.

"But for how long?"

"Not very. The vampires are still out there."

Despite her fatigue, Bethany found it difficult to relax. Robbed of sight, every noise seemed amplified. When she first heard the snarls of several vampires echoing off the walls around her, she thought it was her imagination reacting to the recent scare. When she felt Dirk tense beside her, she knew it was far worse. Not only were the sounds real, but there was no echo in the tunnel. They were trapped, with vampires approaching from both directions.

She didn't see any way to avoid a fight and knew if it came to that, in Dirk's weakened state, they'd both die. Unless…

"I can help you," she said.

"No. You can't fight them."

"But I can give you the strength and energy
you
need to fight."

He went still beside her. "I'm not going to drink your blood." His tone and refusal were adamant.

She placed her hands on either side of his cheeks and pulled his head down to hers so she could kiss him lightly. "You have to," she whispered. "It's the only way."

"Beth, biting you in the throes of passion is one thing. If I bite you now, it's going to hurt."

"Not as much as those vampires will hurt me if they get hold of me." Still he hesitated and she grew desperate. "We don't have time to argue. Do this, please. I promise, you won't hurt me."

She pulled his head to her neck. "I want you to do this," she whispered, her heart already pounding in anticipation.

The sounds of the vampires were louder and she prayed they had enough time for this to work. She felt Dirk's warm breath on her neck and it was hard not to react. Running her hand up his back, she pulled him close. She felt the prick of his teeth when he bit her, but instead of the sharp pain she'd felt with Patterson's bite, a spear of desire shot through her. Dirk's hands gripped her shoulders and head, holding her while he drank, and she heard the ragged sound of his breathing that told her of his arousal.

A tension built between her legs and she shut her eyes until tiny white lights burst behind her closed eyelids. Dirk was breathing hard when he finally pulled his head away from her neck and a small wave of dizziness hit her, causing her to hold on to him to keep her balance.

 Immediately he steadied her. "Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"I feel drunk, I feel so good." She heard the smile in his voice.

"Good."

The vampires were close now, though Bethany still couldn't see them.

"Wait here," Dirk ordered her.

"Be careful." She wouldn't allow herself to think about what would happen if he didn't come back.

The sounds of the fight drifted to her as she leaned against the wall and listened, trying to make out what was happening. She should have been terrified, sitting in the dark, vulnerable, dizzy and weak, but all she felt was tired; bone-weary, mind-numbing fatigue. Gradually, her thoughts grew vague and her eyelids grew heavy.

With no weapon to stab through the vampires' hearts and no way to behead them, Dirk knew his options for killing the vampires were limited. The blood he'd taken from Beth sang in his veins, giving him an energy rush like nothing he'd experienced before. Moving with a speed even faster than normal for him, he rushed the vampires, catching them unawares. He broke the neck of the first one and flung him into a second while he tackled the third. More animal than human now, their fighting skills were minimal and he was able to dispatch them quickly. They still weren't dead and he worried how he might dispose of them.

For now, though, they weren't moving and the vampires on the other side of Beth were coming too close, so Dirk raced back up the tunnel to meet them. When he passed Beth, he saw that she hadn't moved, but sat with her head bent forward. Something about her pose sent alarms pinging in his mind, but there wasn't time to check on her. He had to deal with the remaining vampires first.

These were two of Patterson's more recent recruits. Dirk recognized them as the two who'd held him captive earlier and was glad for a chance to get a little payback. When they saw him, they stopped in their tracks and Dirk used their momentary hesitation to attack.

They were harder to disable, but again, Patterson had been recruiting average citizens and their fighting skills were no match for Dirk's. Limited in options, he broke their legs, making it impossible for them to come after him.

Once he had Beth safe at the mansion, he promised himself that he'd come back with Mac and they'd finish off these creatures.

With the two vampires writhing on the ground, Dirk hurried back to Bethany. She didn't move when he leaned down to wake her. Checking her pulse, he found it faint, but steady. Scooping her up in his arms, Dirk started back down the tunnel and hoped he could remember how to get out of there.

He carried her for as long as he could, traveling a great distance before he finally had to stop and rest. Sitting down, his back against the wall, he cradled Beth in his arms. When he'd rested as long as he dared, he lifted her again and walked on.

His muscles screamed in agony, but he refused to put her down. At some point in the night, her breathing changed and he thought that maybe her body had recovered enough  to move from unconsciousness to sleep. At least he hoped so, but he didn't try to wake her.

Once, when he'd heard the snarl of vampires, he stood still and the creatures had gone in the opposite direction. After several wrong turns and what seemed like hours, Dirk reached a dead end. Looking at the side of the wall, he noticed the rungs leading up and saw the faint outline of the round iron plate covering the exit.

He couldn't climb up and open it with Beth in his arms, so he laid her gently on the ground. He stood and stretched, trying to ease his body's aches and pains, and then he tackled the rungs. Each step required greater effort and Dirk knew that the effects of taking Beth's blood had worn off.

Reaching the top, he peeked through the holes in the plate, making sure that in the event this wasn't the park exit, he wasn't about to lift the plate and crawl out into oncoming traffic. All he saw were trees and gave t
hank
s that something, finally, had gone right.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed up on the plate and shoved it to one side. The night sky was now a light smoke-gray and Dirk realized that it had taken all night for them to escape. He also knew that dawn was imminent and as soon as it came, he'd be too tired to move. It was imperative that he get Beth to safety now.

Climbing back down, he went to her side. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he gently shook her. "Beth, honey. Can you hear me?" It took several attempts, but finally her eyelids fluttered open.

"Dirk?" Her voice sounded weak and there was a lost expression on her face as she looked around. Then she reached out and gripped his arm as it all came back to her. "The vampires?"

"Incapacitated."

"What about you—are you hurt?"

He smiled, hearing the concern for him in her voice. "I'll live." Then he grew serious. "Beth, I found the exit but I don't think I can carry you up. Can you climb the rungs by yourself?"

She followed them up with her gaze, then turned to him. "You carried me all this way?" She sounded amazed.

"Piece of cake," he lied.

Her expression turned determined and she held out her hand to him. "Can you help me up?"

He stood and pulled her to her feet. She swayed a little and Dirk was afraid she'd be too weak to climb, but then she steadied herself and let go of his hand. "I'm okay." Her first steps were hesitant, but she made it without needing his help.

Staying behind her, they started up together, Beth trapped between his arms in case she got dizzy and fell.

They'd only climbed a few rungs when something slammed into Dirk from the side, knocking him to the ground. When he looked up, Patterson was staring down at him.

“This time, Adams, I'm going to kill you." Patterson drove his fist into Dirk's jaw, almost knocking him unconscious. In his current state, Dirk had little hope of surviving. As long as Beth got away, Dirk was okay with dying.

As the stars in his head faded, he glanced up the rungs and saw that Beth had stopped climbing. She stood midway, staring down at him, fear and concern etched across her face. "Keep going," he called out to her, afraid she would try to help him. He saw her hesitation and was about to yell at her again when Patterson kicked him.

This time, he tasted blood as his own fangs cut into his lip. From the corner of his eye, he saw Bethany moving and with a feeling of relief realized she was going to escape. All he had to do was keep Patterson busy until she was completely out, then if Patterson killed him, he hadn't died in vain. He only wished he'd told Beth how much he loved her.

Braced for Patterson's next blow, he was surprised when Patterson moved away from him. Then he noticed the direction of Patterson's gaze. Dirk struggled to his feet just as Patterson reached the first rung. He lunged forward, grabbing the Prime by the ankle, and pulled.

They both fell, with Dirk landing on his back. He lay there a second, stunned. Beth, he noticed, had reached the top and was almost out. Behind her, he saw the skies growing lighter. She was safe.

Then suddenly Patterson attacked, falling on Dirk, his mouth going for Dirk's throat.

Dirk twisted his body, knowing that if Patterson bit him, it would be all over. With strength born of desperation, he pushed the vampire away and scrambled to his feet. Patterson jumped up and hit him. The blow knocked Dirk back, but he didn't go down. As he shook off the dizziness, a shadow of movement flickered above him. He realized it was coming from Bethany, standing overhead.