She picked up the egg from the nightstand where she’d set it before she dropped off into twilight slumber. It was surprising that she hadn’t broken it when the blast hit her in the back and threw her to the ground. The universe gave her a gift by protecting it, and here it was, blue and gold, and just as beautiful as the first time she’d seen it. A single tear trickled from her right eye, and she wiped it away with the back of her free hand. She set the egg back on the small table next to the bed, staring at it, and said very softly, “I will avenge you.” She wasn’t talking about the egg.
***
Dee finished up in the bathroom and walked back to the main room. On the way she passed the door to Sasha’s room. It was wide open, which made her smile. The woman was immodest, but she’d be hard-pressed to admit that she didn’t like that. Actually, she was tempted to stop and stare. Good manners prevailed, and she pushed herself on until she stood in the small kitchen area. Rodney lay stretched out on the sofa in the living-room area, one arm across his eyes. Soft snores whispered on the air. He was sound asleep. Probably a good idea. She’d managed a few hours earlier this morning, as had Prima and Rodney, but nobody had captured more than a couple hours. Except, of course, Sasha, who had dropped as soon as the sun had come up and then seemed to have popped awake fully refreshed as soon as it went down. At least she was assuming Sasha had popped up when the sun went down, given she’d had enough time to get showered and beautifully naked.
For Dee it had been hard to fall sleep after what had happened to her and what she’d seen on the monitors. Every time she closed her eyes, she’d envisioned those images of her street, people she’d known, neighbors she’d both liked and disliked, dead and bleeding in the road and on their lawns. Even her eventual sleep had been restless and uneasy. She’d dreamed of death and destruction, only to awaken covered in a cold sweat and consumed by a fear she couldn’t name.
The journey out into the daylight hadn’t made any of it better. In fact, it made her feel worse. The imaginations of those who wrote those novels or directed those films that prophesied what it would be like in the event of an end-of-days catastrophe had been close, but nothing they’d come up with captured what it felt like to really have it happen. The chaos, the military presence, the fear—all of it was suffocating and terrifying. The three of them had quickly discovered that they had to be stealthy in order to avoid the military that, from all appearances, was rounding up survivors “for their own safety” and taking them God knows where. No way was she going with them. A tiny whisper in the back of her mind told her not to trust them, and she intended to listen.
Besides, she felt far safer with Rodney than with the men and women wearing green and riding around in giant military vehicles. They might have had the best of intentions, except it sure didn’t feel that way. So, they stuck to leapfrogging from cover to cover, a pretty good feat in a bright-red car, and finally managed to make it to Prima’s house, where they had piled clothes and sundries into four bags and all the food and drinks they could into two others.
It was a much slower journey back to the car they’d parked down at the end of Prima’s street. Despite having made it to her neighborhood undetected, Rodney’s suggestion they not pull into the driveway was most likely a wise one. He didn’t want to risk drawing any unwanted attention to their little group, and so they had pulled to a curb behind a large hedge, where they were essentially hidden from view.
She needed to see her own house and pleaded until she talked them into driving there since it was on their way. At least until they turned onto her street where all the houses sat on parcels of one to two acres. Help hadn’t made it yet, and the carnage was on full display.
“Nope.” The single word Rodney spoke echoed what she was thinking.
“We need to go.” She confirmed.
The remainder of the journey out of the city had seemed to take forever, as once more they had to employ a stop-and-go strategy to keep from being discovered. It had been a successful mission, and they’d made it back to his bunker with their booty.
Her arms and shoulders were screaming by the time they trekked from the car to the bunker. The bags of clothing and food got really heavy within minutes of leaving the car. She didn’t complain, out loud anyway. Instead she focused on covering the ground as fast as she could. Rodney’s bunker was beginning to feel like home—a really safe, undetectable home, and she wanted to get there as soon as possible.
Sasha came out of the bedroom at last, fully dressed and looking more like a warrior than she had when she’d made her return to the bunker. A different vibe was also surrounding her tonight. She was clearly more focused, more beautiful. Just standing next to her brought a rush of excitement like she’d never felt before. Maybe all vampires had this effect on humans because they were exotic and powerful. Yet somehow she doubted that very unscientific theory. Deep in her heart, she was pretty sure that only one vampire had this effect on her. Dee closed her eyes and could visualize Sasha somewhere down the hall pulling on leather pants. The downside of having a vivid imagination was wanting to pull those leather pants right back off Sasha.
Her eyes snapped open and she banished the erotic vision. Not the direction she needed to be going right now. Survival was just a touch more important, and by the look of what they’d seen outside, holding on to their lives would be touch-and-go. In what she was beginning to think about as life before, she’d been quick to watch those movies about plagues and contagions that put the world in jeopardy. She’d always envied writers who could come up with such rich tales of the human condition and the will to survive even in the bleakest of times. Now that such a scenario appeared to be reality, she didn’t think it great at all. She wanted normal, boring daily life. She wanted her house back and neighbors alive, even the ones she couldn’t stand. She wanted a do-over. A mulligan.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t going to get what she wished for. Or at least that’s the way it appeared. What was going on outside the bunker was like the destructive force of an impending tsunami, a forecast rife with bleakness and hopelessness. Yet as she settled her gaze on Sasha, she didn’t see fear or despair in her face. Instead, Sasha seemed determined and confident, unconcerned about the world crumbling despite having lost her home and business. Dee wanted to know what was driving Sasha, partly because she was curious and partly because she would like to bottle it and drink it. Right now she could use that internal power because she would most likely need all the help she could get before this was done.
***
Katrina put down the phone, excitement buzzing through her. Things were going incredibly well. Better than she expected, actually. As much as she’d like to be in Seattle, supervising the events there, she was delighting in witnessing how the takedown of the military base here was progressing. All the years of preparation and stockpiling what they’d need was paying off. All the sacrifice it had taken to put both vampires and humans in strategic positions was worth it. The success proved that it had been lives and money well spent. It wouldn’t be long now before she had everything she wanted.
Eli was still working away at the laptop, a grin on his face as he clicked the keys. “We’re making good progress. We’re going to bring the state to its knees by dawn.” He sat back in the chair and gave Katrina a look of triumph. “They’re killing it everywhere.”
“What are the others reporting?” She might be the top of the hierarchy, but she couldn’t make this happen by herself, much as she’d like to. To pull this off required many hands and many minds, and she had personally turned some of the best to the dark side so they would assist in the cause. If she’d allowed them to stay human they might turn against her. As her children, they would be perpetually loyal. She loved—more like thrived—on that unquestioning obedience. It was intoxicating and, as far as she was concerned, her due.
Eli’s smile broadened. “All reports are excellent. Our plan is rolling out just as we predicted. We’ll have all of Washington and Oregon tonight.
California might take a little longer because of its size, but in another twenty-four hours, it will be ours.”
She nodded. Her calculations had predicted the total domination of the United States within a week. By current accounts all was progressing exactly as she’d laid out to the Consortium. If any of the rest of the pompous old ones were hanging on to their doubts about her prowess and power, they were making a huge mistake. She was steamrolling now and would flatten anyone who got in her path, human or vampire.
“Excellent. Have you heard from the council?” She was the top dog, so to speak, yet history and tradition called for the rule of the council. Its members had been around for all time, at least according to the existing written records, and could not be circumvented even for one as powerful as Katrina. For a little while longer she had to pretend to play their game.
“The council has proffered some support of your plan. They like what you’re doing, although they are withholding anything that smells of full support. I believe they’re waiting to see what your success rate looks like, and if it’s good, they’ll jump on the bandwagon and hit the rest of the world.”
“Fools,” she spat out. This was why she’d been working essentially by herself for decades. Those cowards wouldn’t have the balls to take on the human world. They’d lived in the shadows successfully for so long they didn’t want to make any changes. They were rich and lived lives of conspicuous consumption that suited their antiquated ideas. She, on the other hand, was sick of the shadows. She’d been human once, and though it was a long time ago, she remembered what it was like. Since the day she’d been turned, she’d resented losing part of her life’s choices. When one was as strong and powerful as she was, how was it possible that she couldn’t exercise that power both in the dark and the light?
“Are they coming in?”
“They asked that you come to them.”
She laughed heartily. They never changed. So damn predictable. “I presume you told them to fuck off?”
“Well.” He laughed too. “Not quite that bluntly, but yes. I explained that it would be necessary for them to meet you here. I gave them a really good song and dance about why it was critical they come here rather than the other way around. Some resisted at first. I won them over with my charm and persuasion. They’ll start arriving soon.”
“Good.” He could be persuasive, a skill that had come in useful many times throughout the years. Perhaps she would have him groom some of her soldiers when things settled in. She could use a cadre of beautiful, useful men. They ought to be good for something.
Eli glanced down at the laptop and tapped a finger against the screen. “You’re going to like this, Boss. The first plane just landed, and number two is right behind it.”
“You have all the necessary supplies at the ready?”
He gave her a suffering look. “Really? After all this time you’d ask me that? When are you going to trust me?”
He had a point. Eli was nothing if not efficient, and in that magnificent way that didn’t require her telling him what to do. He always knew exactly what was needed in any given situation. He had done enough to earn her trust. The problem was, she didn’t trust anyone except herself.
Katrina nodded to him. “Of course you’re prepared. You’ve done a good job, Eli. I will remember this.” She didn’t believe in compliments. They put too many grandiose notions into the heads of subordinates. Tonight, she felt generous.
“Do you want some time to get ready?”
Her previous moment of generosity vanished, and irritation flamed through her. What was he trying to say? She didn’t look presentable? She had studied herself in the big mirrors before stepping out of her bedroom, and not only did she look good, she looked incredible. Her skin was glowing, her long hair shining, and this outfit was worth more than most people earned in several months. Her makeup was flawless and made her eyes look fantastic. There was no getting ready. She was ready.
“I do not.” Her words were knife-edged.
He held up his hands as if he’d been cut. “Sorry, Boss. Didn’t mean to offend. Just wanted to give you some time if you wanted it before the big push begins.”
Her irritation didn’t lessen, both because of his reference to her looks and his use of the word “boss.” The fool should think before he spoke. “I couldn’t look better if I tried. Besides, I’ve been ready since the storm-filled day when I was turned. She thought I was going to be her little plaything, at her beck and call forever. I disabused her of that notion quickly, just as I will do to the arrogant asses on their way here. Things are about to change.”
Eli laughed. “I really want to be here to see that.”
“And so you shall.”
Chapter Fifteen
Sasha was spurred forward by the rest, the shower, and the feelings stirred up by the look in Dee’s eyes. She hadn’t felt a surge of energy like that for a very long time. She was ready to take on the forces outside the doors of this shelter and destroy them and was focusing more and more with each passing minute. By the time she walked into the main room, she was charged up and ready for battle.
Possibilities and strategies on how to defeat the Consortium and their ill-advised plan were tearing through Sasha’s mind. Despite the clear indication that her vampire allies were MIA, she knew others of the human variety that she could pressure to help. She needed to make those calls and then realized she had no way to charge her dying phone, her one and only piece of equipment. She had turned it off, hoping to save what little battery it had left. “Rodney.”
His head snapped around and a look of concern filled his face. It was only then she realized that she’d barked his name. “What?” The edge of fear that whispered through that single word made her feel bad. She hadn’t meant to scare one of her few true friends.
She gentled her tone as she held out her small smartphone. “Do you have anything that can charge this?”
He looked at it and nodded, his face softening and a little smile flirting at his mouth. “Does a bear shit in the woods?”
She smiled back. His joke told her what she needed to know: all was forgiven. “I take it that’s a yes.”
“You take it correctly. Ask and thou shall receive.” Rodney got up and went to a metal cabinet with two doors, swung open one of the doors, studied the contents, and then reached in to pull out a cord. “This should do it.” How he could make out one cord from another she had no clue. The cabinet was stuffed full, and it appeared to be shelves of thrown-together electronics and cables that all looked alike to her.
Gratefully, she took the charger from his outstretched hand and attached it to her phone. The battery icon on her phone was now showing a charge of seven percent and glowing red to make sure she understood it was nearing the end of its life. She spotted a power strip next to Rodney’s command center and plugged it in. A little lightning bolt appeared next to the flashing-red battery icon. The phone was charging. Good, it was working A few seconds after plugging it in, pings began to alert her to incoming text messages. She hit the green text-bubble icon and started to read.
She wanted to be furious, yet curiously she wasn’t. Sometimes transgressions were so egregious, nothing could be done to make things okay again. Other times people simply made bad decisions, and their regret was genuine enough to give them the right to make amends. The text she was reading right now was the latter. One of her trusted cum traitorous employees, Crystal, was reaching out. She had information that she was sorry she hadn’t brought to Sasha sooner, but in light of everything that had happened yesterday, she was anxious to meet with her now. That was definitely going to happen.
A second set of messages made her blood run cold. They were from Rory, traitor number two. Apparently he believed her to be clueless and wanted to continue his Academy Award–winning acting. He too wanted to meet. She too planned to meet him. After she got what she needed from Rory, she’d make sure it was the last meeting he ever held.
A thousand thoughts rac
ed through her mind as she studied the phone, still plugged in and charging. Her back-door plan might have been compromised. As pissed as she was at Rory and Crystal, it was a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, as their governess used to like to say. She had been employing the same strategy for at least fifty years. Her intel on the Consortium was extensive because she also had an insider feeding her information on power struggles, plans, and battles. The arrangement had given her the opportunity to prepare, and all she’d had to do was keep her head down and wait for them to play a hand so she would know exactly how to proceed. Others were ready as well. It was a question of survival for most of them. It was for her too.
It was also about revenge.
That motive seemed petty in light of everything, yet there it was. She could protest all she wanted, and it wouldn’t change a thing. A piece of her heart had been torn away, and the only thing that would come close to healing would be to take karma into her own two hands. She’d been waiting for the chance since the day the bullets had ripped through her body.
There were two things she didn’t understand, despite having an insider. First was why the traitors in her own camp were not revealed to her, and second, the identity of the vampire leading the charge. Not once had that information come her way, and she wanted to press but couldn’t risk losing what inside edge she had. Instead, she used what was shared with her to ready the resistance.
In a way none of that mattered. All would pay in the end, and that’s what she cared about. Now, she stared at the battery symbol on her phone and willed it to hit a hundred percent. Sixty-five and counting. “Can you make this go faster?”
Drawing Down the Mist Page 15