Survive the Dawn (14 page)

“Yes.”

“Because you are.” Nina’s smile broadened as she sidled closer. She reached down and placed her hand on Carey’s thigh. She caressed the length of her thigh, her fingers stopped at the waistband of Carey’s slacks.

Carey downed the scotch and groaned as she felt the zipper tugged downward. She put her head back when insistent fingers slipped between her legs.

Nina leaned in and kissed Carey’s neck. “Perhaps this is better than conversation,” she murmured.

Carey arched into her touch as Nina’s fingers slipped inside. “Yeah,” Carey moaned. “Much better.”

After stopping the brief time in Paris, they were on their way to Romania. While Carey twitched in her sleep, Nina sipped her cognac and wondered again why
Nicholae
needed Carey Spaulding so badly. What was she for? She watched Carey and glanced at the receptacle sitting on the seat opposite them. She raised an eyebrow. Now just what does
Nicholae
want with Leigh’s ashes?

She remembered when Tatiana had trusted her and gave her the box meant for Sebastian and only Sebastian. Nina couldn’t believe how easily it was handed over by the revered ancient one.

If she were human, Nina would feel a twinge of quilt. She grinned and sipped her cognac as she settled herself deeper in the cushion of the seat. Tatiana was destroyed, so there was no remorse, no worrying. Sebastian flashed through her mind now, and she gulped the amber liquid so fast, it dribbled down the side of her mouth. She wiped it off and tried not to think of how Sebastian would react once she found out Nina’s part in Tatiana’s demise.

At the time, she feared
Nicholae
more and shivered as she remembered his words.

“Retrieve that box, Nina. I don’t care how you get it. I don’t care what you have to do, but get it from Tatiana. I will not allow Sebastian to take her place,”
Nicholae
said evenly.

“What if—”

Nicholae
whirled around and snarled. “It was not a question.” In a flash, he was upon her, pinning her to the stone wall of the fireplace. The transformation from the elegance in the ancient vampire to the snarling thing now before her terrified Nina, who was now lifted in the air, her legs dangling off the ground.

His fingers, now gnarled and long, tightened around her throat. His rancid breath filled her senses. She tried to look away from the blood red eyes and the razor sharp teeth. “Never, never question me,” he commanded, his words muffled by the protruding teeth.

Nina strained against the long bony fingers as she gasped for air. He grinned evilly. He lifted her higher while she clutched at his hands. Suddenly, she was lying on the floor at
Nicholae’s
feet, gasping and rubbing her neck.

“Exactly where you belong, Nina. Never question me again.”

She was terrified of
Nicholae
that day. However, when she found out that Sebastian destroyed Leigh by impaling her to that wall in the warehouse basement and watched as Leigh burst into flames, Nina didn’t know whom to fear more.

Nina remembered Leigh’s words to her.

“Choose the right side, darling. The last vamp standing—you’ll want to be on that side. Tatiana is old and wise, true, but
Nicholae
has what Tatiana has lost through the centuries. He is as I am, my pet. He loves to play with the humans. Though I believe I have more fun with them,
Nicholae
understands where they belong in our world.”

“Where do they belong, Leigh?”

“On the blue plate special, my love.”

Nina laughed now. Oh, how she missed Leigh. She looked up when the co-pilot opened the cockpit door. “We’re approaching the airport.”

Nina nodded and glanced at Carey, who was frowning deeply in her sleep. Nina reached over and lightly tapped her on the cheek. Carey jumped and cringed away as she swatted frantically at the air. Nina let out an amused chuckle. “Bad dreams, Carey?”

Carey was wild-eyed as she blinked several times as if to register the fact that Nina was there. “Where are we?” she asked in a coarse voice and cleared her throat.

“Does it matter?”

Carey looked out into the darkness and said nothing.

Carey followed Nina obediently as she briskly walked toward the awaiting limo. “Come, come,” she said over her shoulder.

Carey glared at her but continued. She slipped in the backseat as the driver opened her door.

“He expected you yesterday,” the driver said to Nina.

For an instant, she hesitated, fear rippling through her. “I got here as fast as I could. So no dawdling, Damien, just get us there.”

They drove for nearly an hour in silence as Carey looked out the window. She had no clue what the landscape looked like through the darkness and the tinted windows. She reached for the button and rolled it down. The rush of cool autumn air swept across her face, and for an instant, she closed her eyes. And just as instantly, the itching, crawling feeling raked through her. She shivered and shifted in her seat, quelling the urge to jump out the window.

“Got the
heebie-geebies
?” Nina asked with a laugh.

Carey ignored her and the itching feeling. “Fuck you,” she said and continued to look out the window.

While they drove around a narrow curve, the burnt-out shell of a mansion came into view. Through the pre-dawn morning, Carey saw the remains, which stood alone on the cliff’s edge. It was then Carey realized how fast the driver was going. She strained her neck to look out at the edge and the steep drop-off below.

“Hey, pal, ya wanna slow down?”

“Shut up,” Nina said and damned the nervous tenor of her voice. She glanced out at the pre-dawn sky.

With that, the limo skidded to a halt. Carey and Nina were nearly thrown from their seat.

“Damn it, Damien!”

Carey glanced out the window to see some animal running off into the heavy woods.

“Fucking wolves,” Damien said and continued.

“I told ya to slow down,” Carey mumbled. “Where the fuck are we?”

Nina let out a laugh as she saw the confused and stunned look on Carey’s face. She leaned in. “Like something right out of Bram Stoker, isn’t it?”

Carey looked back at her and grunted.

Nina laughed again. “He had no idea how close he was to the truth.”

“What truth?” Carey asked. She stopped and Nina saw the thoughtful pose, as if she were trying to remember. She grinned as Carey’s eyes widened.

“Remembering the night?” Nina asked.

Carey swallowed and shivered violently but said nothing.

“I thought as much,” Nina continued. “There is much you will remember, Carey. Not that it will do you any good.”

Damien turned onto a narrow gravel road that wound through deep woods, allowing Carey a last look at the remains of the mansion; she wondered what had happened.

She looked ahead, another huge mansion burst into view as the limo turned off of the road and onto a circular drive. There were two torches on either side of steps leading up to the front door of the manor. They offered no friendly invitation whatsoever.

Fear rippled through Carey as the limo stopped at the steps. Damien got out and opened her door. She hesitated for an instant, then jumped when she felt Nina’s strong hand on her forearm.

“Get out, Carey,” Nina said firmly.

Taking a deep breath, Carey exited the limo and glanced at her surroundings. She couldn’t see much, though she knew they were surrounded by dense woods. To the east, the dawn was breaking. She saw the sun start to climb over the tree line.

Behind her, she felt Nina urging her up the steps. Damien rushed to open the huge wooden door; Carey glanced back as Nina scurried in front of her.

“What’s the hurry?” Carey slowly walked up the steps.

“I’m not a morning person.” Nina whirled around and pulled Carey inside.

When they stood in the damp foyer, Nina and Damien let out a sigh of relief.

Nina straightened her coat and ran her fingers through her hair. “That was close, Damien.”

Damien glared at her. “We would have made it in plenty of time if it wasn’t for that wolf.”

Carey stood there unnoticed. She glanced around the foyer while Nina and Damien continued to argue.

“You nearly killed us,” Nina went on. “You fool.”

Damien grabbed her by the arm and pulled her around to face him. “Don’t start with me.”

Nina’s nostrils flared with anger briefly, then she smiled and patted Damien’s cheek. “We’ll continue this fun later, darling. Right now, I need to show Detective Spaulding to her room. I’m sure she’s exhausted.” She turned to Carey. “Between the long flight and all that swatting, you must be tired. Come, come.”

She slipped her arm through Carey’s and led her up the long winding staircase. Carey heard Damien laughing as he disappeared down the dark hall.

“Did you forget to pay your electric bill?” Carey asked as they walked up the dark stairs.

“Amusing,” Nina mumbled as they approached the top of the stairs and proceeded down the long
hall
. She stopped and opened a bedroom door. Carey cautiously followed into the room.

The room was enormous, with a large four-poster bed situated in one corner. In the other was a fireplace, already lit and glowing. On the far wall were floor-to-ceiling windows; the long shutters were open, framing the window. If Carey wasn’t so apprehensive, the room might have had a warm feel to it. However, she shivered uncontrollably.

“Cozy?” Nina whispered in Carey’s ear.

Carey flinched and walked over to the fireplace. She turned back into the room. “What’s going on? Why am I here? I did my part.”

Nina grinned and walked to the door. “Make yourself at home. All will be revealed when it’s necessary and not a moment before.” She then walked out and quietly closed the door.

Carey took a deep breath as she heard the click of the door lock. She ran over to the door and twisted the knob. She pounded on the door but stopped when she heard Nina’s fading laughter.

“Sleep tight, my pet.”

My pet. Why was that term so familiar? Someone called her that, but who? She thought of Alex but knew she never used that term. While she desperately tried to remember, the itchy feeling started again. She shivered and shrugged her shoulders as if something were crawling on her back.

Carey walked over to the window; that too was locked. She peered out at the two-story drop and knew she probably wouldn’t survive the fall.

She watched the sun rising above the trees; Carey strained to hear the sound of a wolf baying in the distance. “What the fuck is this place?”

She really didn’t want to know.

Chapter 12

Alex sat back on the couch but said nothing as she set the coffee cup next to Mr. Scanlon, who was looking in the briefcase he had perched on his lap.

Sebastian watched Alex’s worried face, a wave of regret rippled through her. She glanced at Mr. Scanlon, who was intent on the briefcase. “Mr. Scanlon, I detect an Irish brogue.”

He looked up and smiled. “Yes, I’m from Ireland, Galway to be exact. My family was there before the Normans. I can trace my lineage back to the time of St.
Brigid
herself, nearly back to the third century.” He stopped and let out an amused laugh.