The Lycan Collapse (The Flux Age Book 2) (13 page)

The one saving grace was that no one knew where she now lived. Out in the wilderness of Romania she was a nobody. She didn’t exist. The castle had been purchased in Tomas’s name and he’d paid off certain customs officials. Yasmin could now come and go with no official documentation at all.

As the taxi battled its way through notorious New York traffic Yasmin noticed a black sedan tailing them over several blocks. The police? The mayor’s office? Or maybe the aquilans? In any case, someone was interested in her movements.

Yasmin let her mind wander as it explored ways of evading her tail. The taxi had come to a complete standstill - there must have been an accident ahead. Ordinarily she might’ve felt vulnerable in this situation, especially since over fifty people had been slaughtered the night before. It made sense that Hector would want to clean up all “loose ends”.

One of the unique aspects to being a vampire was that one didn’t need to “shift” into the creature like a lycan or an aquilan did. Vampires were “active” all the time. Their particular characteristics became more obvious when it was feeding time or if danger was close at hand. Yasmin’s need to be somewhere else became so strong that a strange sensation gripped her skin. Her physical form felt elusive and intangible all of a sudden. With a cold lurch she felt her consciousness drift beyond the confines of the taxi and surge over the stationery cars on Fifth Avenue.

A cloying mist had emerged from nowhere, thickening around her mind and arousing fears in those she passed. Several drivers were compelled to leave their cars, some of them leaving them unattended so they could escape the doom-laden mist. Yasmin could only watch on in amazement as her weightless form passed over the traffic and beyond the broken fire hydrant that had caused the jam. She settled into a quiet landing on the sidewalk outside the Rockefeller University. The mist seemed to thin out almost immediately, sucked into the clear winter sky. Yasmin felt her physical form coalesce into something intimate and recognizable. Within a minute she found herself standing on the sidewalk and hailing the first available taxi. She was well on her way to the airport in no time.

Her spirits lifted somewhat, Yasmin pondered the extent of her new powers. She’d have to tell Tomas about this latest one - the oppressive mist that seemed to consume her body for a short period, delivering her to safety when needed. He was going to
love
that. Hopefully it wasn’t just a queen thing, and that all vampires were able to draw on the ability.

At JFK Yasmin wasted no time in acquiring a ticket for the next available flight to Rome. She used Tomas’s funds to access the exclusive Platinum Club so she could relax in comfort before boarding. She made a mental note to repay the doktor everything that he had provided her. After all, she was a queen and needed to start acting like it.

Soon enough Yasmin was on a plane and safely over the Atlantic nursing a glass of red wine. Ensuring the window was shut, she let her thoughts roam far and wide. She felt that familiar hunger growing within her, and knew that she would need fresh human blood soon. She would have some business to attend to in Budapest.

The stopover in Rome was blessedly short and, better still, deep within the realm of night. Yasmin was fast recognizing those twelve hours as her most powerful, dynamic time, and realized that she would now need to be strategic when travelling. Daylight seemed to drain her more and more. She hoped that it meant that her vampiric abilities were ripening, becoming stronger. With a small chuckle she wondered how powerful she would be in the deepest winter of Scandinavia, where it was dark twenty hours of the day. A vampire’s paradise indeed.

Bucharest, Romania

The flight from Rome to Bucharest was over within two hours. Yasmin made sure she engaged Tomas’s contacts in order to slip through customs without trace. By this stage it was around 5am and dawn was threatening. Tired and drained, Yasmin paid a visit to the Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospital and asked to speak to one of the doctors in the emergency ward. Luckily it was a quiet night and Yasmin was seen by one of the younger doctors.

A little distracted by Yasmin’s startling beauty, the young man agreed to arrange the bi-weekly delivery of fresh blood packs to a designated post office box in Piatra Neamt. Yasmin was a little shocked at easy it all was, figuring that doctors weren’t paid nearly as much as they were in the US. This one would be handsomely compensated out of Tomas’s account. Yasmin wasn’t entirely comfortable with the arrangement but securing a regular supply of blood without resorting to violence was the most important thing. Yasmin resolved to feast only on her enemies, almost laughing out loud at the thought. The train to Piatra Neamt was long and tedious. Again, Yasmin holed up in her own private cabin to avoid exposure to daylight. Tomas was waiting for her at the end of the line. As the sun sank beneath the horizon Yasmin gratefully nestled under a wonderfully cosy wolf pelt on a handsome sled Tomas had built in her absence.

“When we have money, the first thing we do is invest in a light plane,” Yasmin said drowsily. Tomas nodded, beaming at her. He was clearly overjoyed to see his queen return, particularly after the violence of New York. Yasmin had spoken in jest, but the problem of travel was a real one for Yasmin. It was fast becoming apparent that vampires didn’t travel well at all!

Mount Brasev, Romania

Still, the castle’s remoteness was also its great strength. Crossing the threshold of the main hall made Yasmin feel safe for the first time since Jack had saved her from the chaos of the Hadfield Pavilion.

Under Tomas’s guidance the Maramurians had added greatly to the castle. The main keep, north and south wings and entrance hall had all been faithfully restored stone by stone. The interiors were still primitive, but
that
required her approval. She’d always loved interior decoration and now she had a castle to makeover! The project had the potential to take her mind off the troubling events of New York.

It was also something that would need to wait. She was
certain
Jack had been taken hostage by the Berlin Club and would need to begin a thorough European investigation. With Tomas’s help, she was hopeful she could at least find out where he was being held. One thing she had was time. The ship that had put out from New York, the
Saint Helena
, was yet to berth in Livorno, Italy. Even the most favorable calculations had the ship arriving there in eight days. Plenty of time to prepare their rescue plan.

That the Berlin Club was involved was not in doubt as far as Yasmin was concerned. Like Jack, she believed that the aquilans had turned out in their full force at the masquerade ball. There
had
to have been a second force converging on the lycan chapter house. The Berlin Club were the most likely conspirators.

Hector Caliri was no fool - he had gone straight to the lycans’ worst enemy. Herr X would’ve jumped at the chance to get at the lycans after their humiliation in Berlin. Whether that had entailed a team of mercenaries of something more sinister, Yasmin didn’t know. Only Jack could answer that now.

“Tomorrow, we rest,” Yasmin said as Tomas led her down to a rustic kitchen under the main hall. It hadn’t taken much to restore the hearth - protected by the upper levels, the room had remained pretty much intact over the centuries.

“And after that,” Yasmin continued, “we need to talk about Jack Foley.”

“You need to tell me everything,” Tomas said as he began chopping fresh herbs on a splendidly old and sturdy wooden table. “In exchange, I can tell you what I’ve been up to.”

Yasmin smiled. “We can move on to the disaster of New York later. I wanna know about you.”

Tomas smiled, rinsing the herbs and lifting a side of lamb from a meat locker. The doktor was actually becoming a very good cook. The Maramurians were always offering foodstuffs and kegs of ale to their new landlords.

“I worked hard with the Maramurians most nights,” Tomas said. “They are the hardest laborers in Europe but prone to straying beyond the brief we set down.”

Yasmin smiled. She could imagine the odd Maramurian fancying himself as a master builder.

“The rest of the time I researched vampire lore,” Tomas went on. “I toured the University Library of Salzburg and found an entire series of texts on the vampyra.”

“I can’t wait to visit,” Yasmin said.

“No need,” Tomas said. “I stole all of them.”

Yasmin laughed heartily, the first time she’d done so for a long time. “Well, it’s about the best we can do right now,” she said. “What have you learned?”

Tomas’s eyes glinted with mischief. “A few tricks that will knock your socks off, my queen.”

Yasmin raised her eyebrow, marveling at how skillfully Tomas filleted the lamb. He was like a surgeon with his butcher’s knife. Precise and deadly.

“There’s so much I don’t even know where to start,” Tomas said excitedly. “First of all - a weakness. Vampires don’t travel well at all.”

“I’m kinda realizing that,” Yasmin said.

“Precisely,” Tomas said. “When we’re more powerful, we’ll have underground places we can rest in while we travel around.”

“What kind of places?” Yasmin asked suspiciously.

“Well, we can convert old tombs and the like,” Tomas said in a sheepish tone.

Yasmin could’ve laughed again if the idea hadn’t already crossed her mind. The thought of cool, underground places to rest in during the day sounded like
heaven
.

“Point taken,” she said. “What else?”

“Travel might be difficult, but we’ll develop options for that,” Tomas said. “Did you know we can shift into bats?”

“No,” Yasmin said with interest. “But the strangest thing happened to me in New York. I think I became a strange mist for a few minutes.”

“Then it’s true,” Tomas said excitedly. “I wasn’t ready to call that one just yet.”

“Come on, don’t hold out on me,” Yasmin said, watching the doktor’s face. “I know you’re saving the best till last.”

“A vampire’s home is her tomb,” Tomas said solemnly. “In time, this castle will become an extra weapon. Anyone who crosses this threshold will be in your thrall. To be commanded at will.”

“Very useful,” Yasmin said thoughtfully. “Particularly in the early stages of the Flux Age. We need to make this place a fortress.”

“Already working on it,” Tomas said proudly. “The Maramurians are relentless.”

“Yes, well, I may need a few of them,” Yasmin said. “I have a special assignment for you.”

Livorno, Italy

Tomas found a suitable villa on the outskirts of Livorno. It was large enough to contain the succubi without arousing suspicion. The rental was exorbitant but no expense would be spared if it meant Jack Foley could be located.

Yasmin kept a low profile for a few days, acclimatising to her new location. The west coast of Italy was far too mild for her liking but she endured the balmy conditions. Tomas had picked up several blood packs from their post box in Piatra Neamt, so they didn’t lack for sustenance.

Yasmin was hesitant about bringing the succubi with them. They were extremely weak away from the castle and were neither happy nor comfortable here in Italy. But what they provided was backup in the event it was needed. They were genuine vampire minions and that was priceless.

Four hand-picked Maramurians rounded out their party. Yasmin had them installed in a cheap hotel down at the docks. They reported on the incoming ships every morning.

On the third morning Yasmin received the phone call she was waiting for. The
Saint Helena
had just berthed and was awaiting customs clearance.

Yasmin looked at Tomas - this was it.

Together they took a taxi down to the waterfront where they were confronted by a large red and white cargo vessel. Cargo cranes were already lifting crates from the hold as Yasmin took a seat in the window of a dockside cafe. From there she was afforded a view of the central gangway. She sipped on a black coffee with Tomas as they watched rough-looking sailors come and go.

Yasmin gripped Tomas’s hand when a group of taciturn men emerged from the mid deck.

Eleven, no twelve men in dark clothing. A dark-skinned woman followed behind. Her appearance was frightening - large, bloodshot eyes, leeched, bloodless lips, chipped, yellowing teeth. Her hair, bundled into snake-like tubes, was all over the place.

Beside the scary woman walked a man more familiar to Yasmin than her own reflection - Jack Foley. He seemed calm enough, but Yasmin could tell he was being held against his will. She resisted the urge to rush out and liberate him. The morning sun was strong and vibrant, which meant she was weak. She and Tomas looked like meth addicts as they sipped on their coffees. No, it wasn’t time to make their move.

Yasmin watched in anguish as the Berlin Club herded her beloved Jack into a black Mercedes which wasted no time in exiting to the south.

Within seconds a decidedly ordinary Renault sedan puttered past carrying four Maramurians. The mountain men looked grimly determined. The driver nodded to Yasmin.

“Like I said, they’re relentless,” Tomas said reassuringly. “They won’t stop until Jack Foley does.”