Tegan's Power (The Ultimate Power Series #4) (22 page)

“Go. Now,” Ethan tells
him but Theodore shakes his head slowly and waggles something in his hand. It
looks like a tiny black remote.

“Ever heard of a nail
bomb?” Theodore asks and Ethan’s form grows very, very still.

“What have you done?”
he seethes.

“No?” Theodore chirps,
ignoring Ethan’s question. “Well, I’ll tell you. A nail bomb is just like a
regular bomb, except it’s packed with nails in order to maximise the injuries
it causes. I’ve always found it a fascinating idea and decided I’d come up with
my own version: a stake bomb.” There’s a collective intake of breath. “Much
larger in size and slightly more cumbersome, a stake bomb is a wonderful device
when taking down vampires.”

Theodore speaks as
though he’s a presenter on the Shopping Channel describing the latest design in
electric toothbrushes. A heavy sweat breaks out on my skin and I feel myself
beginning to hyperventilate.

“I’ve rigged several of
these bombs in a number of locations around your club, Mr Cristescu, and oh
look,” he stops and presses a button on his remote, “I’ve just activated them.”

A clock in the centre
of the ceiling that I hadn’t noticed before lights up and begins ticking down
from fifteen minutes. A number of vampires advance on Theodore but he holds his
hands up to them.

“Now, now, don’t be so
hasty. I can deactivate them just as easily, but the deactivation requires a
spell that only I know how to cast. Also, if you kill me now the bombs will
instantly go off, so hold your horses and hear me out.” A titter of a laugh
escapes him before he continues. “All I want is for you to play my little party
game.”

Ethan looks as though
he’s ready to commit mass murder when he says, “What is this game?”

“Oh goody,” Theodore
exclaims, clapping his hands together in glee. Rita has been standing stoically
by him all the while, not uttering a single word. “Well, this is how it works.
Before you there are five humans and five vampires. Actually no, I stand
corrected. Five vampires, four humans and a dhamphir.”

Theodore slips his hand
into his pocket and pulls out a small black gun. “So, what you need to do, Mr
Cristescu, is play a game of pseudo-Russian roulette. There are no empty
chambers in this gun, it’s fully loaded. However, if you shoot a human in the
head, they will die. If you shoot a vampire, they will heal. Obviously, what
you need to do is figure out who are the humans and who are the vampires.”

Theodore stops speaking
and walks to Ethan, handing him the gun. There’s a brief second as the gun is
transferred from Theodore’s hand into Ethan’s that my lover looks like he might
kill Theodore anyway, even if the bombs are going to go off. But he doesn’t. He
takes the gun calmly and turns to look at the line up in front of him.

“If I play this game of
yours,” says Ethan. “Who’s to say you won’t allow the bombs to go off anyway?”

“Trust,” says Theodore
with a sickening grin. “Blind trust, and the fact that you don’t exactly have
another choice.”

Once the words leave
his mouth I suddenly realise what’s going on here. Theodore might not have the
physical strength to go up against Ethan one on one, but he has cunning. This
whole scenario has been very cleverly constructed to make Ethan lose face in
front of his people, just the same way Theodore lost face when his chalk circle
plan with the humans didn’t pan out.

“Go ahead, my friend,”
says Theodore. “Pick a number.”

Everything seems to
move in slow motion as I focus my attention on the line up. My gaze lingers on
each individual and panic seizes me. This isn’t ten random people. The first
person I recognise is number three, Finn. Then I make out Amanda, Gabriel,
Alvie and I’m thinking Allora, though I don’t know her body well enough to be
sure. The rest are five vampires, and I’m willing to bet they’re the ones Ethan
left to keep guard over his house while he was gone.

I feel like I’m going
to be sick.

Ethan doesn’t know my
friends like I do. He won’t recognise them like I have, not with those fucking
bags over their heads and black jumpsuits on anyway. I dash from my spot and
run straight out onto the dance floor, screaming one word, “Wait!”

I try to throw myself
in front of Finn, but suddenly my body’s not moving anymore and my mouth is
clamped shut. Rita is staring at me, her hand raised in the air in a spell to
prevent me from moving or speaking. Furious tears run down my cheeks.

“What have you done to
her?” Ethan fumes as he walks to me.

I want to say so much
to him but I can’t move, can’t utter a single word. All he can see is my tears.

“We wouldn’t want our
dear little treasure giving you any clues, now would we?” Theodore singsongs.
“Tick tock, Mr Cristescu. You better get a move on.”

Ethan stares at him
murderously, turning back to the anonymous bodies in front of him. He raises
the gun and a look of indecision crosses his face. I stare at him, desperately
willing him to make the right choice, and somehow I know that he doesn’t see
what I see. He doesn’t see my friends. All he sees are anonymous strangers.

Then, quick as a flash,
he shoots at number seven, and my gut squeezes in relief, because I know it’s a
vampire. I have a disturbing thought that maybe Theodore wants Ethan to guess correctly,
because that way he will be shooting his own people in the head in order to
save a handful of humans.

He really did think
this whole thing out so very fucking perfectly.

“Time to pick another,”
says Theodore. “You’ve only got eight minutes left before it’s staking time.”

Vampires all around
extend their fangs at Theodore and hiss, but they are powerless to do anything
other than that small show of aggression. Ethan successfully pin points another
vampire and shoots; the guy instantly drops to the floor as black blood oozes
from his head bag.

I momentarily wonder
how long it actually takes a vampire to heal from such a serious head wound.

Minutes pass and Ethan
shoots another two vampires. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now.
He only has to guess the final vampire and we’re home and safe. Unfortunately,
the relief lasts a split second before I see him aiming the gun at the person
who I know is Amanda. Thanks to Rita preventing me from moving or speaking, I’m
powerless to stop him from making the wrong choice.

Seconds later he shoots
and I can practically see the bullet whizzing through the air towards Amanda’s
head…but it doesn’t make contact. And that’s because Lucas has appeared out of
nowhere, having recognised who she was at the last minute. He dives into the
air in front of her and takes a bullet in the chest before dropping to the
shiny surface of the dance floor.

Blood gushes from the
wound and Theodore cries out in annoyance. “No, no, no that’s cheating. That’s
not how you play the game!”

His expression contorts
into that of a madman as he looks up to the clock on the ceiling. There are only
60 seconds left before the bombs are going to ignite.

Instead of deactivating
them like he said he would, Theodore disappears into his trademark cloud of
purple smoke with Rita at his side. Absolute mayhem breaks out and Rita’s spell
on me is finally dropped. I run straight to my friends, yanking the bags off
their heads and hurrying to get them out of the building before the bombs
explode.

I can’t see Ethan
anywhere, but I know that even if he gets stuck inside the club the bombs won’t
kill him. I’m not even sure if he
can
be killed anymore. If the myths
about my blood are true then he’s pretty much indestructible. It’s a pity that
indestructibility doesn’t always work against the sneaky games of a sorcerer.

The exits are all
clogged and a sense of dread consumes me. There’s not enough time. We’re not
going to get out of here. I look at Finn, Gabriel, Amanda, Alvie and finally at
Allora. I haven’t had the chance to get to know her properly yet, but having
seen the way Finn looks at her, I feel just as much affection for her as the
others. A sense of acceptance takes over me.

If I’m going down, I’m
going to go down with my friends.

I take a hold of
Alvie’s hand and then Amanda’s, as Theodore’s pre-recorded voice fills the club
speakers, an eerie countdown from ten. We’re still moving as fast as we can
towards the exit, but there are just too many bodies surrounding us, trying to
squeeze out.

There are only five
seconds left now, my heart is thumping…and all I can think about is how I never
got the chance to save Rita.

Even If I Quit There’s
Not a Single Chance I’ll Stop

Finn

This feels a lot like the times when
some vamp would manage to pull me under with their compulsion, just stronger.
The moment I saw Rita looking at me through the window in my room, I knew
something bad was going to happen. Her hands began to move in a spell and
before I could stop myself I was opening the window against my own will and
allowing her and Theodore to come inside.

They rounded us all up,
told us to put on black overalls and bags on our heads, and being under some
kind of magical thrall, we all did it without protest. Don’t get me wrong,
inside my head I was protesting something fierce, but I was powerless to do
anything with my actual body. Then we were loaded up into a van and I couldn’t
figure out where we were until it stopped and we were brought inside a
building.

When I heard Theodore
talking to Cristescu I knew we were at Crimson, and then when I heard what
Theodore was proposing there was no denying the sick game he was playing. The
whole time Cristescu took those shots I was praying he got them right. I was
also praying that he cared enough to shoot only vampires and not us humans.

Since we’re all still
alive and kicking, I’m guessing that he did. Who’d have thought it?

Unfortunately, it’s
just like life to go and throw another spanner in the works. Theodore decided
to skip out on us before deactivating his bombs.

Total wanker.

Everybody’s pushing and
shoving to get out and Tegan’s looking at us all like this is the last chance
she’ll ever lay her eyes on us. Well, fuck that for a game of soldiers. I’m
getting out of here come hell or high water.

“Move!” I shout,
gathering everyone in front of me and surging forward. Allora’s holding onto my
arm and I can’t imagine how scary this must be for her, given that she can only
hear the desperate cries of those around us.

A second later I notice
someone jump over the crowd and then Cristescu’s at the exit, tearing the doors
off their hinges and kicking down walls like they’re made of nothing but sand.
The opening allows everyone to get out quicker and with only seconds to go I
feel the cold outdoor air hit my face. Cristescu picks up Tegan, Amanda and
Alvie in one swoop and zooms with vampire speed away from the building. I throw
Allora onto my back and begin to run like our lives depend on it – and they do.

I only manage to round
the entrance to the parking lot when the explosion goes off and I feel like I’m
being deafened by the sound. I stumble and hit the pavement, taking most of the
impact of the fall with Allora on my back. I get to my feet again and keep
running, smoke and ash filling my vision. I can’t see a thing anymore, all I
know is that I have to get as far away as possible.

When we’re about two
streets from Crimson I finally stop to catch my breath. I let Allora down from
off my back and run my hands over her, searching for injuries. I suck in a
harsh breath when I discover a piece of glass lodged firmly in her shoulder.
It’s not too deep, so it’s safe enough for me to pull it out. A trickle of
blood seeps from the wound and I rip a piece of material from my shirt to stay
the bleeding.

She’s shaking all over
as I remove Theodore’s coveralls to check the rest of her body, but I don’t
find any other wounds. She’s only got leggings and a T-shirt on underneath, so
I wrap my arms around her to keep her warm.

“Fuck, Goldy. We were
almost goners there for a minute,” I say breathing harshly, pulling her in
tight and feeling how her curves mould to my body. I need to hold her just as
much as she needs to be kept warm. This whole episode has really taken the wind
out of my sails. I feel her chest heave up and down and when I raise her chin
to me I find that she’s crying.

“Aw, honey, don’t cry.
You’re safe now, I’ve got you,” I murmur to her softly, kissing the top of her
head and then her wet cheeks. I capture her face in my hands and rub my thumbs
under her eyes to dry her tears.

She snuggles into me
closer, gripping me tight, and a wave of emotion overcomes me. I barely know
this girl, yet she makes something deep inside of me ache for more. More of
something I’ve never felt before, not like this.

I want to take care of
her and make sure nothing hurts her ever again.

Lowering my mouth to
hers, I take her lips in a tender, exploratory kiss. My tongue slides along
hers and she responds with a gentle moan. Jesus, as soon as I can get her alone
I need to be inside of her. Coming face to face with death makes you realise
just how vital every second really is.

“Finn!” I hear someone
call from down the street. Reluctantly, I stop kissing Allora and look up to
see Tegan and the others running toward us.

“Tegan, where’s
Cristescu?”

“We can’t find Lucas
anywhere. Ethan’s gone back inside the club to find him. He thinks that because
he was shot he didn’t get the chance to recover and leave the building before
the bombs went off.”

“He could be dead.
There were stakes in those bombs.”

I immediately regret
having said it when Amanda bursts into tears. Tegan gives me an exasperated look.

“What?” I whisper
uncomfortably. “I thought she hated him.”

“You couldn’t see
because you had a bag over your head, but Ethan mistakenly chose to shoot at
Amanda on his last shot. Lucas threw himself in front of the bullet before it
could hit her,” Tegan explains.

Ah, so maybe the
seemingly careless vamp does have a heart after all. Or did, as the case may
be.

“Ethan said to find you
and get everyone back to the house,” says Tegan.

I’m about to argue with
her, because the fact that we all got taken from there means it’s not exactly
safe. But then when I think about it, nowhere is really safe anymore. Not in
this city.

“Yeah, we need a
vehicle though,” I reply, just as a town car comes barrelling down the road to
us. It stops just shy of Tegan and Ira’s sitting in the driver’s seat with
Delilah beside him.

“Get in,” Delilah calls
and I usher Allora in the back.

We drive by Crimson,
which is nothing but a pile of burning rubble now, only to see Cristescu
emerging from the wreckage carrying a limp body in his arms. I know it’s Lucas
when I hear Amanda let out a whimper of relief. The vampire silently slides
into the car with his unconscious friend in his arms and Ira starts the engine
back up.

Fifteen minutes later
we arrive back at the house and there’s a mournful atmosphere among the group.
Everyone is tired and silent – and suffering from a touch of after-shock, I
think.

Cristescu hands Lucas
over to two waiting vampires and they carry him to an upstairs bedroom where I
presume he’s going to sleep and heal. I’m vaguely aware of Tegan going from
room to room, searching for something. When she comes up empty after looking
through the entire house she begins to panic.

“Rebecca,” she says in
a low voice. “Theodore’s taken Rebecca.”

Oh shit.

What with everything that’s
been going on, I’d completely forgotten about the little girl.

“He’s probably given
her to Emilia as a gift,” says Alvie shakily. “You know, to secure her loyalty
or whatever.”

Tegan’s face goes red
with anger as she storms from the room and then there’s a loud shatter as she
breaks something in the kitchen. Cristescu hurries in to her and then
everything goes silent. I tug Allora down onto a chair with me and wrap my arms
around her middle.

A couple of minutes
later, the two return from the kitchen and Tegan looks considerably calmer.
Judging by how swollen and red her lips are, I’m thinking Cristescu might have
had to kiss the panic out of her.

Any other time I might
have felt angry about that, but now I don’t feel anything. Instead my heart is
beating for the curvy blonde woman sitting on my lap.

“Theodore cannot be
allowed to get away with this,” Cristescu announces as he stands by the window
with his arm around Tegan.

“What exactly do you
propose we do?” Gabriel speaks up. “He basically manipulated all of our bodies
to do his bidding with magic. You might be unkillable, Ethan, but the rest of
us certainly aren’t.”

An argument ensues
between the two half siblings, but I’m lost in my thoughts, thinking about what
Gabriel just said.

“Hey, quieten down the
lot of you,” I say. “If Cristescu can’t be killed, then what we have to do is
figure out how to kill a sorcerer. Once we know how to do that, Cristescu gets
Theodore alone and kills him”

“I already know how to
kill a sorcerer,” Tegan volunteers. “You chop off his head and then burn his
body.”

I grin and nod at her
before looking at Cristescu. “There you go. Find out where Theodore’s staying
and go to work on him with a blade and a blowtorch. Simple.”

He gives me a wry
smile, and I think this might actually be the first time he’s ever genuinely
smiled at me.

“Finding him is the
hard part though,” he says.

“I could ask Roman,”
Tegan offers and Cristescu grits his jaw.

“Who’s Roman?”

“My grandfather. He’s a
sorcerer.”

“He also wants to get
in your pants,” Cristescu snaps.

“Your granddaddy wants
to get in your pants? Eww, TMI, way TMI,” says Alvie with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, apparently the
magical families are down with the whole incest fandango,” Tegan replies.

“Enough,” says
Cristescu, silencing everyone. “A number of my people did not manage to escape
the bombs tonight and have perished. As a mark of respect I am not going to act
on this until the morning. Tonight we rest. Tomorrow I will find Theodore and I
will kill him.”

His voice sounds so
determined that even I don’t doubt him.

I’m glad, too. Theodore
needs to die so that we can all get to work on fixing this city. Ethan strides
from the room and Tegan follows him out. When I look back to Allora I find her
asleep in my lap, wiped out from exhaustion. I carry her to my room and lay her
down on my bed, stripping off as much of her clothes as I can manage. When I go
to slip my trousers off I discover a piece of red plastic buried into my shin
and I wince.

I’ve been injured so
many times over the years that my body is starting to become immune to certain
levels of pain. It’s not that I don’t feel it, it’s just that I can handle it
now. Clenching my jaw tight, I pull the plastic out of my leg and manage not to
make a sound even though I kind of want to swear up a storm. I toss the plastic
onto the floor and grab some bandages from the main bathroom to wrap around my
leg. When I return I find myself staring at the piece of red plastic and I
suddenly recognise where it came from. It’s a piece of the glowing red Crimson
sign that used to hang over the front door of the club.

The place is ground
zero now.

It’s funny how for so
many years I imagined blowing that building up in my head, fantasised about how
satisfying it would be to see a club full of vamps burn. Now that it’s happened
I don’t feel anything, and it’s kind of scary.

Tegan

In Ethan’s room I strip down to nothing
and step inside the shower. He’s already in there, his forehead leaning against
the expensive tiles, his hand braced on the rail, holding his body up. I rest
my head against his back. He’s so tall that my face doesn’t even meet his
shoulder. Some of the tension falls away from him when I press my lips his
skin. One of his back muscles twitches in response.

When I look to my feet
I see the debris that had been stuck to my body washing away down the drain.
I’ve got scrapes and cuts all over and they sting when the water touches them.
Even with a vampire to whisk me away from an explosion, I still managed to get
hurt.

There’s a slightly pink
tinge to the water now as a gash on my arm bleeds out. Ethan’s body goes
frighteningly still.

“Fuck, Tegan,” he
whispers, his breathing harsh.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t
realise I was bleeding,” I say and move to leave but he stops me.

“Don’t go. Stay and
drink from me. You are hurt.”

“Remember we said we
weren’t going to that again?” I try to remind him but already my mouth is
watering. Even when my mind is determined to quit, but body won’t seem to allow
me to stop.

Ethan whips around
shockingly fast and then his lips are on the wound on my arm, his tongue
licking away the last remnants of my blood. I moan from the feel of it.

“I know what we agreed,
but we can also agree that tonight has not been any ordinary night? I need to
be with you as deeply as I possibly can. I need to feel you drink from me, to
heal you, to be in control of this one little thing.”

“You’re in control,
Ethan,” I murmur as I run my hands through his hair. “Don’t let Theodore undermine
you. That’s what he wants.”