by K. Grey
“Go ahead, cock sucker….” She managed to hiss back despite his hold on her airway. “You know you want to. Bite me, bitch!”
Before he could do anything the chained double doors flew open and she heard a couple of dings then a sudden bright flash blinded her for a few seconds and jock boy roared as if he were on fire. He dropped her and turned to face the intruders. Ava fell to the floor and it took all she had to lift her head to see several men dressed in all black leather rushing in. Ava also heard running footsteps from below before several blurs went by her. Then the fighting began.
She couldn’t believe it when one of the biker looking dudes began firing a gun. A couple of them did and bullets began to ricochet off the walls. Were they stupid? Bullets couldn’t kill vampires. She turned her head, but didn’t lift it off the floor to watch jock boy rush toward a tall bald biker looking guy. Jock boy hissed and roared as he ran forward. Bald biker guy grabbed him and tossed him into a wall like he weighed nothing.
She sucked in a gasp when baldy roared back flashing his own set fangs. Ava quickly rolled and scurried back toward a corner holding her ribs which protested with her sudden movements.
“Just great… more cock sucking vampires… like I didn’t have enough of them to begin with!” she muttered. Baldy heard her and turned to look at her as if she were the crazy one. Jock boy took advantage of his distraction and tackled baldy’s mid-section slamming him into the wall which made part of the ceiling come down. The gun in baldy’s hand slid across the floor toward her. She quickly grabbed it as one of the vampires from the basement decided to help jock boy. Ava heard the fighting going on in the rooms around her. She didn’t care if they all killed each other. The only thing she wanted was out. And the doors were now open thanks to baldy and his guys so all she had to do was get through these three cock sucking bastards… and she was one way or another.
She gritted her teeth and pushed herself up using the wall as support. She held the gun in one hand and her left arm was holding her side. She was in so much pain all she wanted to do was curl up and suffer, but she didn’t have time for that right now. She would do it later in an ER far far away from here.
Baldy held jock boy in a choke hold and kicked his leg out to send the other one flying. He glanced at her.
“If you know how to use that do it now…” he grunted. “Aim it for the arteries around the neck if you can’t hit him in the heart… or a head shot.”
“Bullets can’t kill vampires…”
“Silver…. Just shoot!” he snapped as he kicked the other vampire back against the opposite wall again. Ava lifted the gun and focused quickly on keeping her hand from shaking. The vampire turned to her. She realized it was the vampire who loved to taunt and torture Lucy the most. He was probably the one who killed her. He actually smiled at her. “Stupid bitch…” he hissed. “Put the gun down and I won’t kill you…”
“Fuck you… this is for Lucy….” She then squeezed the trigger as he rushed toward her. A bullet hit him right between the eyes sending him flying backwards. Ava watched as his flesh began to burn away from the wound as if she had poured acid on him. It was gross and, yet she liked it. She had become a sick bitch and she was ok with it right now.
“Good shot…”
Ava whipped the gun toward baldy who was still wrestling with jock boy. Baldy flung jock boy away from him. It looked like baldy wanted to fight with him. Ava just wanted him dead. She didn’t want to play with him.
“Is he the one who hurt you?” baldy asked dodging one of jock boy’s fists and landed a blow to jock boy’s face instead.
“Yeah...” Ava watched as baldy then attacked jock boy harder pounding his fist into his face several times. As jock boy staggered back baldy pulled out a wicked looking knife. It didn’t look like steel… not like normal looking knives, but it had a fine bright shine to it… she wondered if it was silver like the bullets. She thought only werewolves were killed with silver---- wait were there werewolves? Vampires were real… OH! She didn’t want to know! She needed to get the hell out of here!
Baldy handled the knife like a pro. He slashed out weaving it through the air causing jock boy to howl and scream as the knife sliced through his clothes and into his flesh. Baldy also managed to slice across jock boy’s face.
Ava watched as the same thing happened to jock boy’s face. It looked like he was burned with acid. His skin just began burning away. Jock boy howled grabbing his face then baldy took advantage by burying the knife directly into jock boy’s chest. Ava watched as he incinerated into ash right on the spot.
Ava then turned aiming the gun at baldy. Her hand was shaking. She couldn’t help it. Now he was the only one between her and the door. Now that she knew she could kill him with a bullet she had no problem doing it. It wasn’t like she could be convicted of murder. There wouldn’t be a body. No body, no evidence and no murder. Was it even murder if she killed a vampire? They were already dead right? Jock boy was nothing, but ash and the other one---- well his head had already burned away. She wondered if the rest of him would too.
“You can give me the gun now…” baldy grunted sliding his knife back into his shitkicker boots.
“I don’t think so… you are a cock sucking vampire too.” She said leaning back against the wall again for support. She kept the gun pointed at him. She was shaking, but she would manage to hit him if she had to. “I want out of here... and you are in my way.”
“I AM NOT LIKE THEM.” He said each word firmly and slowly.
“You are a vampire.”
“Technically, but I’m different. I’m one of the good guys.” He shrugged. “Now give me the gun and we will get you some help. You need a doctor.”
“The only good vampire is a dead one. I like that kind….” Ava’s hand snapped toward the doorway next to baldy when another black leather dressed vampire appeared.
“That your gun she has, Rhage?”
“Yeah…”
“You haven’t taken it away from her, yet?”
“Didn’t really want to get shot. I figure she might get one off before I get to her. She shot headless over there straight between the eyes. Her aim is good.” Rhage told him. It impressed him. Humans rarely impressed him. Most of them were selfish greedy wastes of space. He didn’t like being around any of them if he could avoid it, he did.
Ava looked between them. “I will shoot you both. I have no problem with it.”
“Shoot him first…” the blonde one nodded toward baldy. “He isn’t my favorite brother….and he snores. I can hear him all the way down the hall.”
Rhage cut his eyes at his friend and blood brother Talon before looking back at the female. “She isn’t going to be standing long enough to shoot anyone. She is barely able to hold the fucking gun up as it is now.”
Ava glared at him hatefully. He might be right, but by god she was going to shoot him first. She didn’t like him. She raised the gun a little higher determined to prove she could do it, but her arm began to drop faster than she could pull it up and she felt her knees sink down.
“Dammit…” she whispered as she felt her body fall forward. She couldn’t fight the oblivion of blackness any more. Talon and Rhage both rushed forward to catch her before she hit the floor.
“Son of a bitch!” Talon swore. “Look at what the bastards did to her…her breathing is shallow. I bet she has several ribs broken.”
“Along with a hell of a lot more….” Rhage carefully reached down to lift one of her feet. They were bloody and looked like hamburger meat. There were impressions of chain links around her ankles. “I killed the bastard too quickly. I should’ve kept him alive.” He growled low and deep. The bastard deserved to die several times for what he did to her.
“FUCK!” Talon snapped.
“What?” Rhage demanded as he lifted his eyes to look at Talon.
“We need to get her to Sloane… now!” Talon turned the female’s head so her neck and ea
r was exposed. “Look, Rhage... She’s a blood mate.”
Rhage looked down and saw the mark just behind her ear along her hair line. A small crescent moon. It was a birthmark all blood mates carried.
“FUCK!” Rhage roared. He stood up just as Talon did with the female in his arms. Talon turned and yelled for Lucas who came running.
“Lucas, take care of the cleanup. We are taking her back to Sloane.”
“She gonna make it?”
“Let’s hope so… she’s a blood mate.”
“Fuck!” Lucas swore as well. He nodded. “You two take care of her. She is more important. We got this. We will be back at the compound as soon as it’s done.”
Talon nodded and headed out with Rhage right on his heels. When they reached the SUV Talon turned and put her in Rhage’s arms.
“Hold her... I’ll drive.”
“WHAT? I’ll drive...”
“HELL NO! Your driving sucks! I want us to get there in one piece. Get in!” Talon told him when he opened the passenger door for Rhage. Rhage had no choice. He slid in with the female in his arms. She was limp and barely breathing. Her color was pasty. She didn’t look good at all. He held her carefully.
She was a blood mate! Blood mates were rare in his world. He couldn’t believe it. A blood mate was a rare human female who was immune to vampire’s ‘tricks’. Vampires could alter or brain wash a human’s memories to ensure they didn’t remember seeing a vampire. They could also control a human’s mind and read their thoughts. A blood mate was also a human who could be turned without fear of dying. When a human was turned there was a chance they wouldn’t survive or their humanity wouldn’t remain. If they were drained of all their humanity they became half breeds. Half breeds were cold blooded killers like the ones who had held her. They only thought about feeding and killing. Their need for blood was constant. They couldn’t get enough of it and always hungered for it.
That’s why the legion hunted them. Half breeds had to be destroyed because they were void of any humanity and they were a constant threat to the immortals and humans. In their world there were rules and keeping their existence hidden from humans was the most important thing.
Rhage looked down at her and watched her eyes slowly flutter open barely---, but she was looking at him. She had clear blue aqua eyes… he had never seen such a color before. An even mix of blue and green which looked so vibrant surrounded by thick black lashes. They closed again and Rhage heard her heart slow even more and her breathing was so shallow.
“Hurry the fuck up, Talon!” he snapped. “Her heart is slowing down!”
Talon’s head snapped around to look at him. The surprise was obvious on his face. He looked at Rhage then at the female.
“You can hear her heart beating?”
“YEAH! Can’t you?” Talon focused on her again and shook his head. All vampires could hear and detect human’s vitals especially their beating hearts.
“No, man, I can’t hear her heart beating at all. I can hear her breathing, but that’s it. And you know we can’t read a blood mate….”
“Well hurry the fuck up! It ain’t good!” Rhage barked. “She might be dead before we get to the compound!”
“FUCK!” Talon stomped on the gas petal even more. “How the hell did they find a blood mate anyway?” they weren’t born every day. A female blood mate was born because her mother was one. Generation after generation. And they were indeed rare in the immortal world because female vampires didn’t have children like humans did. Humans could have children one after another, but not vampires. They were allowed to have an off spring once every century if they were able to.
Usually female blood mates were mated to vampires so how the hell was she not already a part of their world. Had her mother even been mated to a vampire? This didn’t make any sense. There were too many questions. She would’ve been protected in their world.
Talon didn’t slow down. Rhage cursed him every other second as they took several curves nearly on two wheels. They reached the normal drive that led around to the back of a normal looking Victorian three story house hidden behind dozens of oak trees and huge stone walls. To outsiders it looked like any other white Victorian home, but in reality it was more secure and high tech than the world’s governments. Talon slowed down and followed the curved drive to the back where two reinforced steel doors on the garage lifted to reveal a secret drive that led below ground. It curved and opened to a large underground garage that house dozens of vehicles.
Talon slammed on the brakes and barely stopped before he rammed the concrete barriers at the elevators. Rhage had to hold the female against his chest and brace his hand on the dash to keep from either one of them hitting it.
“DAMMIT!” Rhage hissed. “I’m never riding with you again, you stupid fucker! You could’ve killed her!”
“Stop bitching at me!”
Rhage growled at his friend before jumping from the SUV with the female in his arms. They rushed toward the doors just as Sloane came running out to meet them. Sloane was one of them and their resident doctor. He took care of everything when they came back busted up from hunting. Sloane reached Rhage and quickly shined a pen light into her eyes.
“What the hell happened? Lucas called said you were bringing in a female who was hurt.”
“She was held by half breeds…” Rhage said with a low growl. He was still angry.
“Damn! I hope you killed em…”
“We did….”
Sloane shook his head. “She’s bad…..I don’t know if I can do anything for her.”
“Sloane…” Talon sighed. “She’s a blood mate…”
Sloane’s head snapped around to look at Talon in shock when Talon nodded Sloane then looked for the mark himself. “FUCK! Get her into the first room, Rhage. I will grab some blood. If we get some into her she might survive…hurry! I’m right behind you.”
Rhage nodded and sprinted inside while holding her as carefully as he could. She was still breathing which was a damn good thing! Talon grabbed the doors as he entered. When he reached the room Talon quickly grabbed a couple of blankets to lay on the table beneath her. He even looked around for a pillow and when he
Didn’t find one he cursed and then folded one of the blankets up to make due as one as Rhage laid her down carefully. Her head rolled to the side. She was still unconscious.
“Damn she looks worse in the light…” Talon sighed. She looked like she had been through a war zone. Her face was bruised scraped and she was filthy. They knew the blood she had on her clothes, was hers. Rhage looked at her too. Her heart was still beating. He could hear it and yet her breathing was thin and low he could barely hear her. She was in bad shape. He couldn’t believe she didn’t die on the way here.
Sloane dashed into the room with two bags of blood in his hands. He pushed Talon to one side. “Talon reach over there and get me some alcohol swaps so I can clean her skin. I don’t want her to get an infection from the dirt on her when I put the IV in.”
Rhage watched as Sloane cleaned her arm and inserted the IV before hanging the bag of blood on the nearby pole. He adjusted the flow and then began to take her pulse.
“Can she handle taking the blood?” Rhage asked. He knew that the blood came from one of them. It was immortal blood. It was given when someone was turned, but in some human cases it caused death or worse. It could turn a human insane.
“A blood mate can handle it. Her body will heal just like we do with it. If I don’t give it to her she will most likely die from her injuries. There isn’t going to be a rejection of it.” Sloane answered before taking a stethoscope to listen to her chest. “Shit!”
“What?” Talon and Rhage spoke together?
“One of her lungs has already collapsed. I hope she got here in time… I don’t know if the blood is going to be enough.” he looked at them. “You two need to get out while I clean her up and see what else I can do for her.”
�
�We can help….” Talon offered.
Rhage looked at the female again. He didn’t like watching Sloane touching her. He knew he was just trying to do the doctor thing, but Rhage just wanted to rip his arms off and beat him to death with them. Before he realized it he growled at Sloane. Sloane looked at Rhage surprised by it and he didn’t move.
“What’s your problem, Rhage?”
“You’re hurting her!” he growled again. He felt his fangs extend out of his gums. He knew he was getting closer and closer to hitting Sloane. Sloane seemed to know and took a step back from the table.
“I can’t help her if I can’t touch her… go upstairs and tell Lucien about her.
He will want to know everything that happened.”
Talon moved to stand next to Rhage. He didn’t dare to touch him though. Talon could see Rhage gripping the edge of the table tightly with his hands.
“Come on, man… Sloane will take care of her. Let’s head upstairs…” Rhage nodded and followed Talon out glancing back at the female a few times. Once in the hallway Rhage paused. He could hear Sloane moving around the room behind him. He had the strongest urge to turn and go back in there. He needed and wanted to protect her. She was unconscious and had no idea what Sloane was going to do to her. He knew Sloane wouldn’t physically hurt her. Sloane only wanted to help her, but Rhage didn’t like it. “Rhage? Man, are you alright?”
“Yeah….” He shook his head and fell instep next to Talon heading for the elevator to go upstairs to the main house.
“What’s going on with you? I thought you were gonna rip Sloane’s head off there for a second.”
“He was hurting her.”
“It wasn’t as if he meant to. He was trying to help her.”
“I know.” That was the only reason Sloane still had his arms. “She has been hurt enough.”
Lucien Devereau stood in his study walking back and forth in front of his fire place. He called it pondering… and glared at anyone who called it pacing. Pacing meant you were worried and he never worried. He just thought everything out carefully. He hadn’t lived this long without knowing how to plan a strategy to perfection.