At first glance, there was nothing special about the bloodsucker. Beautiful, handsome, good molding face. Big traits. Straight slightly long nose, high cheekbones, smooth forehead, on which a few light strands of hair fall in a mess, beautiful shape of a bright scarlet mouth, large gray eyes. In front of my eyes, I was scared.
Big, beautiful, with long curved eyelashes, but the overall impression is terrible. It's like these eyes are the cold waves of the northern seas. As scary and gray as they are. Indifferent and merciless. Cold and perilous for a casual swimmer. Brutal and demanding sacrifice.
I barely escaped from their captivity and smiled charmingly.
- Hee-hee...
- Mecislav, is that your last name? Introduce us.
The voice was also on the level: hissing, cold, to my taste, eerily nasty. That's what the boa would say if he was given the opportunity.
- Julia Yevgenyevna Leoverenskaya. My surname. Oleg Viktorovich Severny. Member of the Vampire Council. Supreme Council, Julia.
- It's a pleasure, - I gave away the most idiotic smile. - Hee-hee...
Mechislav almost squeezed my hand, calling for caution, but I was not afraid to beat him. I wasn't afraid to play. Anyway, this guy doesn't know me personally. So let him think he's a fool.
- Yulia, tell Oleg Viktorovich...
- For you - just Oleg.
- Nice to meet you!
- Tell Oleg how you were kidnapped and what happened, and I'll go get Clara. She's our main witness.
Mechislav is gone. And I was left alone with that bastard on the screen.
Cold gray eyes were piercing me through. Shit! Don't panic! Otherwise, that's it. It's death.
And I squeezed out another smile. That was pretty good.
- It's so nice to meet you! Mecislav told me about the Vampire Council.
- And what did he tell you?
- Oh, a lot of things... You can't even list them now...
Easy thinking in my voice has made it a lot easier. That's what training is all about. And I've been chatting up, shooting my eyes at the screen and trying to portray this "Playboy Bunny."
- Oh, can you believe I got a call from someone I know this morning? And asks me to take him for a walk in the park. I, of course, said yes! Mecislav is just a sweetheart, but you can't go out with him during the day, you know that! For some reason, vampires do not like ultraviolet so much! Hee-hee! And I got shot with some kind of crap! I passed out and didn't wake up until a few hours later! And then it was like a movie! Do you like to watch TV?
The vampire shook his head negative. The grey eyes were getting colder, but I didn't care. I don't give a damn what I care about. I was carrying inspiration on my wings.
- Come on! It was just like the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. With Johnny Depp starring! Where he plays Jack Sparrow! Don't you like him?
From the look on the vampire's face, he didn't like Johnny Depp. Shall we finish it?
- Really, he was too much of a makeup guy for my taste! Do you like it when men paint their eyes? Hee-hee?!
- No. What happened there?
- With Johnny Depp?!
- No! With you! In the morning!
- Oh, come on! It was after lunch!
- What happened to you this afternoon?!
If his teeth still clench like that, his fangs will break. Oh, okay. Let's not mock him for too long.
- You know what I mean. I've been ripped out of the clutches of villains! It's just like the first episode...
- Who?!
And there's no need to yell like that. I'm not deaf. I'm just a bitch.
- These fools kidnapped me in front of an operative from some office. THE KGB? FSB? It's a three-letter thing. There's so many of them divorced now...
Why, did I lie or something? The IPF is three letters. And they were divorced-- oh, oh, oh...
- You've been released by the people. What did you tell them?
- The truth!
- What truth?!
- That I didn't understand anything. No one kidnapped me, no reason... I was put to sleep, what could I see?
The vampire took a breath. And he almost gladly looked at the incoming Mieczysław.
- Did you bring your witness?
- Yes, I did.
Clara followed him, tied up like a sausage. Only his legs were left free. Well, that's right. It's a contract, but it's quieter.
The fox came to the screen and bowed briefly. It was more likely to indicate a bow.
- Dear Oleg Viktorovich.
- Do you know me? How do you know me?
- I was cleaned up in my pack. Ivan Tulsky insisted that we know all important vampires in person. I saw your pictures.
- I see. Well, tell me.
- First of all, I want to state that I'm acting on my own free will now. My mind is not under duress or hypnosis. And I'm willing to testify to that in any way and to any vampire.
Oleg spent a few minutes looking at the fox. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze, but she was not going to give up. I winked at her and said it with my lips alone: "I will keep my word." But Clara had enough. Yeah. It's a terrible thing about love. On the other hand, if I had just been promised one hour with Daniel, what would I do?
Anything. Including asking me to sit with my ass in the fireplace.
And I promised Clara that they'd be on the brink of death with a loved one, and then come into this world together. Is that a lot? It's a lot.
So she tried. Because only I could take her to Diego.
- Do you realize that death awaits you?
- Yes. But I'm not afraid of it. The people I love are there. I'm here. And before I go to them, I want to take revenge on those responsible for their deaths.
- Then why are you helping Mieczysław? Julia is guilty of the death of your loved ones. And so is he. Though indirectly, but still...
Clara had her shoulders twisted.
- The man who sent us here is guilty. If it weren't for this... And Mecislav, Julia... We were playing. And they played honestly. They could have died. Or we could have died. We were unlucky, that's all. They weren't the ones who lied, betrayed, sent to die. We just underestimated their power.
Oleg looked at it for a few more minutes. And then he nodded.
- Tell me about it. I believe that your mind is free.
* * *
That's cruel. I didn't know what a passionate interrogation was before. Oleg didn't terrorize me like that. I'm both a family man and a fool after all. They also say that you have to be smart and learn well. Yes, every smart woman will do anything to seem stupid! And will live a much better life than a fool who makes every effort to show his mind.
Clara was literally turned inside out by this guy - trying, asking, comparing months, dates, places, and almost minutes.
Hey, even in Ogre's exams - that's one of our teachers - I was chased less than Clara now. In half an hour Oleg just turned the fox inside out. The woman literally sweats with streams of texts. But the vampire didn't care. He let us take the witness, took out his iPad in front of us, looked through it for ten minutes - and nodded.
- It's a match. Where's Ramirez?
Mecislav dialed the number on his phone.
- Leonidas, is Ramirez back? - The vampire listened to the answer and nodded. - Ask him to come into my office. It's important and urgent. One of the Council members wants to see him.
He hung up and turned to me.
- Julia, you sit in the corner and don't twitch. Vadim!
- Did you call me, Chief?
- Sit next to Julia. You'll be covering for her. You're answering with your head!
- Yes, sir.
The vampire dragged me to the sofa in the corner so I could see everything but stay in the background without being seen.
- Kostya! Dasha!
Two vampires have moved out of the corner. Mecislav nodded at them.
- Don't let him get away. Act on the circumstances. I don't want you to get killed.
- Yes, Chief, - Kos
tya answered briefly. Dasha - tall, black-haired, with sharp features of a thin face - just leaned her head and slid easily to the window.
- You're getting ready, Mechislav," said the chief vampire. Mieczysław turned to the screen and waved his hands.
- I'm getting ready.
Ramirez came in five minutes later. In a strict black suit, in a white shirt...
Come on, you bastard. But the bastard. And that's his biggest drawback. The face is completely nonchalant, like there's nothing surprising about a TV bridge. Or should we call it a web bridge?
Damn it. Well, I'm not a technician, I'm a biologist.
Nod towards Mieczysław - and a deep bow towards the screen.
- Oleg Viktorovich? Good evening.
- Good evening, - a vampire gave a bad tone. - Ramirez, did you miss the power?
- Excuse me?
- God will forgive, - I gave a voice from the corner.
Ramirez turned sharply in my direction. He had an expression on his face: "They've been slapped! Hana to the kitten!"
- Your capture group has been destroyed," Mecislav finished. - Survivors gave testimony, detailed and clear. About attempt to destroy me and to appropriate someone else's surname and someone else's territory.
Ramirez stuttered. And I saw how the human form was flowing down from the vampire. He was preparing for battle. Fangs protruded, widened and blackened eyes, strangely floated face, turning into a predatory muzzle, stretched out his arms forward, and something sparkled at the ends of his fingers with metallic blue shine - claws?
- Guess what," the creature sputtered. It's not Ramirez anymore. It's a monster now.
- The accusation is confirmed by the defendant," the voice from the screen sounded. - You can kill him.
Yeah. How? Well, I didn't even take the holy water with me, you idiot?! The cross is a problem with that. But the rings are full. Idiot! If I survive, I'll be covered in grenades! And I'll buy a machine gun!
Vadim got up from the sofa and stood in front, protecting me. Kostya and Dasha took a step forward so synchronously, as if they were rehearsing for a week. Mecislav swung his hand - and Ramirez rinsed across his face with something invisible, but very sharp. The first blood flowed.
But it didn't affect the creature in any way. He (she? Ramirez seems to be male, and this is the creature) laughed with a short hoarse laugh that made my stomach stink and stepped forward.
- S-s-s-s-shoot... I'm s-s-s-higher than you-s-s-s-s-s-s-shoot...
I flinched. There was a wave of cold from Ramirez. It was terrible. Strong. It was like someone was driving a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher around the room at full power. Only this cold was freezing not the body, but the soul. So maybe in a 40-degree frost at night in a cemetery. Grave rest, darkness, fear - and cold, cold, cold... Shuddered and froze in the ridiculous position of Kostya. She screamed, trying to get something out of her pocket, Dasha. Vadim stretched his arms forward, but moved strangely slowly, as if in a thick gel.
Mechislav once again swung his hand. Now the blood splashed from Ramirez's chest, but it wasn't enough. The creature jumped forward. Not to Mieczysław - to me. Vadim flew away like a rag doll. But that second was more than enough. Mieczyslaw jumped almost simultaneously with Ramirez, with a delay of some milliseconds - and two vampires rolled on the carpet.
I screamed.
Ramirez is stronger.
Medislav cannot win.
I can't lose him!
Those three thoughts didn't even form into words. They were more of a feeling. But it was enough. God knows, it's enough.
And a familiar wave of anger rose from the inside.
R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r...
...roared the beast with human eyes. Now it was free inside my soul and was rapidly penetrating to the surface.
The woman with the beast's eyes was no worse, and I laughed triumphantly.
- Ramirez!
That scream was enough. The creature stopped - for a moment - and I threw my hands in front of me, my fingers spread apart and bent as if I was carrying something invisible to me.
And it was enough. I could see the whole picture of the battle now - the same look I had with which I looked at the auras, the cobweb of black and blue threads that Ramirez had hung in the air. I realized that it pulls forces out of vampires, weakens them, slows them down... Confounds and takes away the forces that pass to the creator of the web. Mecislav held on to our bond, but it wasn't enough.
- There is a broom for each spider web," I said softly.
And a sizzling vortex...
strengths
spilled out.
I felt like a vacuum cleaner. That vortex didn't come off me, it was me. And he walked around the room, on the walls, on vampires - to suck in the web just like a vacuum cleaner sucks in the garbage. Dasha rushed to Vadim, Kostya rushed to help Mečislav, but there was no need to help. As the vortex was tied on me, so the spider web closed on Ramirez. He had to either break the spell himself or feed it.
force
. But I just dragged his entire web into me. And now he had to put his foot down, feeding me. Already me.
I was triumphantly laughing.
It was an amazing feeling.
Mecislav told me that I was unknowingly consuming...
power
from the outside world. I don't know. I guess so. But consciously... it was many times more beautiful.
It was as sharp as pain, as pleasure. It's an incredible feeling to have liquid fire pouring into you, filling every cell of yours until it blows out billions of sparks. When your mind and body are bursting with white fire, and a vortex of power spins more and more inside you, and you spin with it, merging, joining, becoming a part of it. Or it's him who becomes part of you - it doesn't matter... What matters is this incredible feeling of flying.
- Yulia!
A strong push knocked me down, and someone's strong fingers closed in my hand.
I didn't resist. Is there any harm in a hurricane...
strengths
?
Of course not!
A slight pain in the wrist didn't even worry me.
But the vortex...
strengths
rushed from his heart - there. To his hand. And he fell into a black hole. It was like I was trying to fall asleep in Mariana's hollow.
- No! - I shouted.
I didn't want to part with this amazing shimmering sensation.
But it was too late.
Sync by honeybunny
coming out of me, sucking into some black vortex. And I knew until it was full, I couldn't experience that amazing feeling.
I screamed out angrily and left everything
power
into this cavity.
The stars sparkled before my eyes. My hand was in sharp pain. The force was too great for me. I lost consciousness.
* * *
- Julia, wake up! Fluffy! Open your eyes now!
Someone was calling me, pulling me out of the black depths of oblivion.
I took a deep breath like a diving whale and opened my eyes.
A state of disrepair. You'll never find another word. My whole body was breaking, my hand was whining, my head was filled with ammonia instead of my brain, and I had it buried in my eyes. And the insides... What is it like overstraining, so I go into the bushes - and turn inside out?! What am I, a thrust model?! And so soon you won't be able to see behind the trestle!
It's disgusting!
- And what happened while I was gone?
- I woke up.
A coordinated sigh rushed through the room. Did they rehearse here or what? And then Mechislav clung to my fragile (or what?!) shoulders and began to shake like a bear pear.
- Julia! Idiot! You idiot! Don't you have any brains at all?! You could've died! Do you understand that?!
That's how a vampire snuck in!
- You can't wait, I snapped at you. - And let go of me. You're not here, I found a doormat in
the shaking room!
Mecislav translated a perplexing look at his hands - and let me out. I slapped back on the sofa like a bag of cotton.
- Come on, praise me.
Mieczyslaw stitched like fat in a frying pan.
- I'll get my belt out and praise you! You'll be eating standing up for a week!
- You pervert," I confidently gave it away. And I led with my eyes to the room.
Vadim, Dasha, Lenka and Valentin are the supercompact. It seems that we have a problem?
There was something so black in the corner...
- So what did I do? - I already asked in the usual tone. - Tell me, I don't remember!
- Almost nothing, Vadim gave his voice. - I just drank to the bottom of Ramirez and almost dissolved in the power received.
- Little things. Is that all?
Mechislav slowly exhaled.
- Everyone came out. You'll be back when I call you.
Vampires and werewolves have been blown out like the wind. And Miecislav knelt down again next to the sofa and stuck his face in my lap.
- Fluffy, I was so scared for you...
- Tell me what happened.
- I'd rather show you. And you need to be fed up... You've missed so much power, it's amazing. Tonight, my vampires may just not consume blood. And tomorrow, I guess, too. You've pulled so much out of Ramirez...
- Is he gonna die now?
Not that I care about his fate, on the contrary, that's where the road is. But suddenly, you'll have to pay a fine for a dead Council emissary... or something else, a virus, there...
- He will die, - Mecislav responded with a bloodthirsty tone. - I will rip his head off personally. But we'll bring you to your senses...
I had thin but surprisingly strong fingers on my whiskey. And at the same time, a flood of bright paintings was pouring into my mind. I saw everything going on in the room through the eyes of Mieczysław. From the very place Ramirez began to turn into a monster.
* * *
Quick look around the room. There are four of us. We can get some. Julia!
I had no idea I was like this. Very skinny and frightened, wearing a black dress, squeezed into lumps in the corner of the sofa. Eyes dilated, and fear in them?
There's no time to look. We have to fight before Ramirez throws himself at the attack. Vampires are much stronger in this uniform. Strike - the air in front of Ramirez thickens like a knife, stripping a nasty face.
Ring of Madness Page 125