Katrina tilted her head back and laughed. Yes, this was turning out to be a very good night indeed.
Chapter Ten
Sasha had covered the head and the body with branches and pine needles enough to make it hard to distinguish in the darkness. There was little moonlight, and the chance of discovery was minute. On a rainy night like this, despite it being June, the chance of a random hiker coming through the area was slim. Once daylight came, the sun would take care of the rest. The scent of fresh blood that had wafted into the air, fused with that of moldy pine needles and disturbed earth, had made her nerves roar, but she’d ignored it even though in the back of her mind a hunger pressed. Her supply of sustenance had gone up in the explosion, and she couldn’t think about the alternative to that catastrophe at this moment. Particularly as she stood in the same space with three humans, their veins flowing with the very thing that kept her alive.
As she’d waited for the staircase to be revealed, she’d been surprised when Rodney had met her at the top steps rather than at the steel door. He’d grabbed her arm and dragged her down, saying as he did, “Get your ass in here.” Shocked as she’d been, she hadn’t argued and had followed him quickly down the steps and into the bunker. It made her uneasy, and not because she was afraid of him. He wasn’t that kind of guy. Brilliant but more assuredly nonviolent.
Looking into their faces now, she was pretty sure she’d made them understand and reassured Rodney his bunker hadn’t been compromised. There was more to be done. She had to explain the rest of it. “They’re after me. I thought I was safe and working beneath the Consortium’s radar, and now I realize I was quite wrong.”
“It’s your two employees.” Rodney sounded certain, and she agreed with him, at least partly.
She’d been thinking about them as she was driving back out here, and she had a theory. “Yes and no. The traitors in my organization are minor players in this thing. They’re being used for what they can provide and nothing more. The reality is, I’m certain I’ve always been on the Consortium’s hit list. I never played nice, and the Elders don’t take kindly to those of us who don’t operate by their rules. I’ve seen them strike down more than one for failing to play the game their way. What’s more, I defied someone quite powerful a long time ago, and it was a slight that won’t ever be forgiven. I’ve spent my entire existence as a vampire hiding from that one.”
Rodney stared at her through narrowed eyes. “You’ve never told me this.”
He was right; in their many conversations she’d left out that little part. It was an episode in her life she wasn’t proud of and thus something she never shared. “I wanted to take care of that piece myself. Nobody needs to be involved in my private war because it’s going to get very bloody.” That was the other part of it. Anyone caught up in her personal vendetta could easily end up dead.
“I’m your friend. I can help.”
“So am I,” Prima added. “I’m with Rodney, and we help you. We might be human, but don’t forget we have unique skills.”
She nodded in a silent acknowledgment of their friendship and their offer, but they really didn’t have a good idea of what they were up against. She’d started this alone, and she’d end it alone. “For a little while, all I need is a safe place to think.”
Safe. Interesting how that word had popped into her head. Earlier when she’d started coming back here, she had felt like she was heading to sanctuary. Now that she was here, it struck her that it felt more like coming home. Strange that she would feel that way about a bunker far below the ground and a quasi brother and sister. Yet, there it was. She’d leave it be for now. Too many things more important than psychoanalyzing herself.
Sasha looked down at her bloody hands and shuddered. She’d seen a lot of blood over the last century, and usually it didn’t bother her. It did now for many reasons, not the least of which was the way it reminded her of a night in a basement standing next to her family and her body jerking as the bullets hit her. On that night too she’d looked down at the blood on her hands.
“I need to clean up.” She held her hands up in the air, not wanting to think about that other time. Not how her own blood had run through her fingers or how her sister’s had spotted her face like raindrops. No, she definitely didn’t want to think about that. She went to the sink and lowered her hands only to turn on the tap and position them beneath the running water.
She pulled her thoughts away from the bitter past, and with her head down, she focused on scrubbing away all remnants of the creature that had tried so hard to dispose of her. The more she scrubbed, the more her sad memories turned to anger. How dare they do this to her? Everything had been taken from her. Every last person and possession. Worst of all, her life had been stolen, and now they come and do this? Once upon a time, she was powerless. Not any longer. This time they would be the ones to lose everything. Or to be more precise…she was going to lose it all. She’d put this whole thing in motion because it was exactly what she would do. Payback was a bitch.
“She’s going to regret this,” Sasha said quietly as she scrubbed, the water flowing into the sink fading from red to pink. “She’s going to regret ever laying eyes on me.”
***
Dee had been shocked at Sasha’s appearance when she’d come through the door. Earlier she’d been beautiful in her jeans, boots, and shirt. Casual and yet strong, a great combination. One woman had left and another had walked back in. She’d returned looking like a warrior in black leather. If not for the blood splattered across her jacket and the red stain on her hands, she’d have made Dee’s breath catch. Actually, that wasn’t quite true. Blood and all, Dee had felt a thrill of excitement run through her as Sasha had stepped into the room. Her breath did catch, albeit quietly. Maybe she had a thing for so-called vampires and didn’t know it. Considering she’d only accepted the existence of vampires over the course of a couple hours, that wasn’t surprising.
Wait, yes, it was surprising. She liked women. Simple and uncomplicated. She also liked her women human because that’s what she’d believed them all to be. It was too mind-boggling to think otherwise, regardless of how hot the vampire standing near her was. Yes, human women, that was her preference.
Now she stepped closer as Sasha scrubbed her hands in the sink. Even though she was a writer who could create scenes of death and destruction, in real life, it was a bit harder to wrap her mind around not only the sight of violence but the smell and the emotion it evoked. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to accurately capture it all with words, though she knew herself well enough to know she’d try. Later, that is, after the rawness faded a little.
“Who’s going to pay?” Sasha had clearly meant to murmur the words to only herself, yet Dee had heard them without trying to eavesdrop.
Sasha spun, water spraying as she did and making wet drops appear on the front of Dee’s shirt. Her eyes were deep, dark, and terrifying, her fangs clearly visible as she pulled back her lips. Dee took a step back as Sasha spat out something in Russian, and it was definitely not an apology for the water on her shirt. Or at least she was pretty sure that’s the language she spoke. There was a large Russian population in the Spokane area, so hearing the language wasn’t all that unusual. If she had any lingering doubts about her being a vampire, they’d just been laid to rest.
Dee didn’t know if it was her expression or the step back, but in a flash, the fangs disappeared and her eyes softened. Sasha picked up a towel from the counter and began to dry her hands. When she laid the towel back on the counter, her hands were once more pale and free of the crimson splatter. A lemony scent from the dish soap wafted up in the air.
“Katrina,” she said softly as she raised her eyes from her hands to once more meet Dee’s. “Katrina will pay.”
“Katrina?”
“You know who I mean.”
Dee was shocked. The implication was pretty darned clear. “You know what I was doing?” It wasn’t possible that Sasha could know of her w
ork unless… Good grief, had everybody hacked her computer? A long talk with the guy who did her security was first thing on her agenda after leaving here. She’d thought she was protected way better than she apparently was.
Sasha threw the towel on the counter. “Yes, and it was foolish of you to dig there.”
She didn’t appreciate the schoolteacher-style scolding, and her voice telegraphed her sentiment. “I was curious, and if she didn’t want to be found, maybe she shouldn’t have stuff out there for God and everybody to see.”
Sasha didn’t seem to take offense at the snap in her words. “Have you ever heard about curiosity and a cat?”
Oh, for heaven’s sake. She didn’t even bother to answer. No sense in arguing. It was clear that she’d never convince her she had every right to research whatever and whomever she wanted. A change in topic was appropriate. “Did Katrina destroy your place?”
She nodded slightly, making the shift with Dee easily. “I must assume so, among her many other sins.”
“I’m sorry.” Now what was that about? A second ago she was somewhat offended when Sasha seemed to be attacking her personally. Now it sounded like they were pals. She didn’t even know her, so why on earth would she feel compelled to apologize? Why should she care about the relationship between Sasha and this enigma named Katrina? What a strange journey this was turning out to be. Prima had brought her here to make her a believer. Mission accomplished. Massive amounts of blood and fangs had a way of doing that. She’d say it was surreal, but that didn’t even come close to describing this.
“For what?” It was a snap, and once more Dee took a step back.
“I’m…I’m…just…” God, this woman, this vampire, kept her off balance. She didn’t like it. She didn’t dislike it.
Rodney stepped in and defused what was rapidly returning to the tension of a moment before. “Give it a rest, Sasha. Leave Dee in peace. We have bigger problems. We need to come up with our strategy, and quickly.”
His intervention worked. Her body relaxed, and she nodded in his direction. “Yes, we do. They need to go.” This time her nod was in the direction of Dee and Prima.
“Yeah, well, that’s a problem,” Dee muttered under her breath, or so she thought. She wanted to say “fuck off,” but she didn’t.
“No, it’s not. This isn’t your fight. The only problem we’ll have is if you don’t leave. Go.” She directed the last word to Dee. “You need to get out of here. Now.”
This time Dee stood up straight and defensive. No one had the right to push her around, and that included the vampire staring at her with eyes so dark they looked black. “Like the man said, we all have bigger problems tonight. Me included.”
“And that would concern me how exactly?”
“How quickly you forget.” Eyes filled with fire met hers, but Dee didn’t budge. “Remember what you saw on the screens a few minutes ago? They blew up my house right after they blew up yours.” Take that, you beautiful, haughty vamp.
***
It was easier to concentrate now that she’d sated herself in all ways possible. Katrina sat at her laptop, studied the files coming in, and listened to the continuing news reports on the suite’s television that had been turned low enough to be heard but not be intrusive. Ignoring Eli as he scurried around the bedroom, talking on his phone with the earpieces pressed into his ears, wasn’t all that difficult. She even ignored the cleanup team, one man and one woman, who showed up shortly after Eli had slipped his phone back into his pocket. They did their work in a quiet, efficient manner. They weren’t new to their duties, and it showed. By the time they left, the bedroom looked just as it had when they first unlocked the suite’s door. Just as it should be. It always paid to engage the best help available for all jobs, high or low.
Her beginnings might have been quite humble, but the power that had been bestowed upon her by the ultimate gift had transformed her into the woman that had been inside her all along. She loved it and everything that went along with it. She was beautiful, alluring, and feared. She had risen within the Consortium like the most brilliant night star and stayed seated at the apex of power. It had been gratifying, but now, as everything came together, it was beyond intoxicating.
Eli came into the room sipping from a glass. His nourishment undoubtedly came from a bag, as his privileges weren’t as broad as hers. If he wanted something more, he had to hunt outside in the night like those more common than she. Given his many duties, he didn’t have the time. He rarely did, and she couldn’t recall when she’d last seen him actually hunt. Or, as she thought about it, if she’d ever seen him hunt. Minor detail. How her staff sustained themselves was of little importance. She cared only about the level of service they provided her. The rest was their problem.
“I’m not seeing any reports from the man Mix sent after her.” She’d been scouring her messages for the last hour, and so far nothing had come through their secure server. She expected more from her hunters, this one in particular. Mix had assured her he had a capable tracker on the job. Young but highly skilled. It should be done by now, and the vampire on the way back to drop her at Katrina’s feet. If she was a little bruised and beaten in the process, no matter, as long as she was alive.
Eli shook his head. “I’ve tried calling him three times. It’s going to voice mail. That’s not like him. I talked to Mix again, and he isn’t getting an answer from him either.”
The solution seemed obvious to her. For Eli and Mix it was apparently necessary to spell it out. “Track his phone.”
His response troubled her. “Already tried it. The phone appears to be off, which also explains why he’s not answering.” Her initial impression was wrong. He wasn’t as clueless about this as she first thought.
This was not the outcome she expected, and one she could ill afford right now. The element of surprise was on their side, and failure, as the saying went, was not an option. Her mind rolled over scenarios as quick as a supercomputer. “It explains nothing. That phone should never be off. Find him.”
“I’m on it. I’ve sent out two more.”
She slapped the laptop shut. “The B-team. That’s just great. I expect better of you.”
“They’re not a B-team. They’re excellent.”
“If they’re so excellent, why weren’t they sent in first?”
“He was better.”
“Apparently not.”
His head was down, something he never did. “We made a mistake. These two will not fail.”
“Make sure they don’t, or I will hold you personally responsible. I want her before the sun comes up, and you’re running out of time.”
He brought his gaze up to meet hers. “You’ll have her.”
Slowly Katrina folded her hands on top of the closed laptop. “If I don’t…”
It was the first time she’d ever seen a shadow of fear cross Eli’s face. He’d been at her right hand for decades. He had her ear and her trust. At least until tonight. She didn’t have a good feeling about this, and someone had to be held responsible. The position fell to Eli by default.
He glanced at the clock, the look of fear intensifying. She understood why. Time was growing short. The sun would be coming up soon.
Chapter Eleven
Sasha really didn’t need a crowd, but this wasn’t a time to be choosy. Besides, if the writer, correction, Dee, was telling the truth, the Consortium was after her too, and she had no real reason to doubt the truth of her words. Despite everything that had happened tonight, she was curious. Was her research into Imre and Katrina really severe enough to piss them off? These were strange times, and perhaps her intrusion at this particular moment might have been enough to worry them in a way they never had before.
Then again, maybe Dee was powerful in her own right. As a best-selling author, she had to be wealthy. That alone gave her power over many. Not enough to go up against those who had been planning for centuries, but perhaps enough to make trouble. By default, Dee was now a member of t
he partnership she and Rodney had formed years ago. It changed the game, and it struck her that she wasn’t as opposed to the idea as she’d been a few minutes before.
She studied her now as she leaned against the counter. Dee was much taller than Sasha, although more than height set them apart. Her style was completely different. Dee was bold and modern and fascinating. Leather attire aside, Sasha had never completely let go of her early twentieth-century roots. That had been the time for her to come into her own, and she’d been doing it when everything changed. What should have been never came to pass, and perhaps that was why she clung to the familiar. The pearls were gone, as were the dresses and hats. It was her signature long hair that she’d never been able to part with, except for those few years early in the twentieth century when she had to pretend to be a man.
“Why would they destroy your home?” It was a legitimate question. She wanted to make sense of why they’d bother to blow up her home instead of taking the easiest path, which was to kill her outright. Sasha needed to understand why she’d become a threat in order to know how to use the knowledge.
“She’s a little too smart for her own good.” It was Prima who responded.
Sasha glanced over at her. She seemed an unlikely ally for Dee. One was a polished and successful literary name, while the other was a free-spirited woman with almost preternatural skills. Almost was the operative word, for though Prima could see beyond the veil separating the worlds, she wasn’t one of them. She was very much human, which could very easily get her killed. Sasha had liked her the very first time they met, and she still did. She worried that Prima would put herself in the middle of the fight and it would cost her everything.
“I have a theory,” Rodney added.
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