by Jen Pretty
Drew gasped as I went through a yellow light. It wasn't like he would even die if we crashed. The thought reminded me of Randy’s death in the yoga studio explosion. There was maybe a chance Drew would die if I crashed.
I slowed down to the limit, just in case.
“Lark, are we almost there? I’m cramped back here,” Singh said. The SUV had plenty of leg room, but Singh spent as much time as possible as a lion these days, so he always felt cramped as a human.
“We’ll be there soon. You can stay human a bit longer, you lazy house cat,” I said. He growled lowly but stopped complaining. A lion in my back seat would most definitely cause an accident on the highway.
I was as eager to get there as Singh was, though for different reasons. Vaughn, Vincent's twin brother, hadn’t seen Vincent, but he had heard reports of their fallen brother Vernon being in the city, so I had hope that Vincent was there too—hunting his brother.
We pulled into the long-term parking lot and walked through the busy airport.
“Gate 7,” Drew whispered pointing to the big sign. Vincent’s Jet was in Russia, so we were taking a commercial flight. Which meant, checked luggage and customs, but we were flying first class with a suite, thanks to Vincent’s little black credit card, so at least we would have privacy and Singh could be his annoying cat self for the twelve-hour flight.
A woman with huge hair and a grumpy face checked our luggage, and we made our way slowly through customs. Finally, we boarded the large plane. I still wasn’t over my fear of small aircraft, so the jumbo jet was perfect. An attractive woman in uncomfortable shoes led us to a small room. It wasn’t much bigger than the bathroom in my old apartment, but the door locked. Singh sighed as he shifted into a lion. Drew wrestled two of the seats down into an awkward cat bed and Singh was snoring in seconds.
“You want to play cards?” Drew asked.
“Sure,”
He pulled a deck out of his carry-on and shuffled them before dealing.
“Go fish,” he said.
I laughed and checked my cards. We played for a while to the soundtrack of Singh snoring. When the buckle seat belts light came on, we paused our game and buckled up for take-off. Singh was still spread eagle across two seats, but I figured he was pretty indestructible and if we hit a bump and he fell off the seat, it would be hilarious. I held my phone at the ready to take a video. It would win the Internet.
CHAPTER TWO
Halfway through our flight, there was a knock at the cabin door. Singh shifted and sat up in his seat.
I unlocked the door and accepted the three trays of food the stewardess handed me. She also brought a bottle of wine which I tucked under my arm. I sat back down in my seat and unscrewed the cap of the wine bottle. Drew held out a glass, but I drank from the bottle.
“Oh, shit,” Drew muttered.
“What?” Singh asked.
Drew pointed at me, but Singh just looked confused.
“I forgot you haven’t been around Lark when she drinks. How did you miss the last time?” Drew asked.
“He was sleeping in my bed,” I supplied helpfully.
“What happens when she drinks?” Singh asked.
“She gets weird and does dumb shit.”
“Hey,” I said, but he wasn’t wrong. I figured if I had six more hours to kill playing cards with Drew while I listened to Singh snore, it was a good time to make it more interesting. Plus, I already felt calmer about seeing Vincent again.
Singh smiled. “This could be fun, then.”
“Definitely more fun than staring at your lion bits while you snore away on that seat,” I said, taking another swig of my cheap wine.
“No one said you had to look,” Singh said indignantly.
I laughed and shuffled the cards.
“At least eat something,” Drew said.
I took a bite of the sandwich before wrapping it back up and taking another long drink of the wine. Half the bottle was gone already. I chuckled to myself. Yeah, go fish would get interesting.
I dealt the cards, one of them fell on the floor, and another landed on the half of Singh’s sandwich still sitting on his tray.
“What are we playing?” Singh asked.
“Go fish!” I replied, picking up my cards and organizing them into suits. Another guzzle at the bottle of wine and Drew swiped it out of my hands. He chugged a bunch. Thief.
By the second hand, I was lying on the floor tossing my cards up in the air one at a time. They fluttered gracefully to the floor around me or landed on my face, poking me in the eye. The odds were even.
When one stabbed me in the nose, and both my eyes were watering from falling card damage, I dropped my heavy arms down beside me and stared at the plane's ceiling through my watery eyes.
“I think I love him,” I said, interrupting Singh and Drew’s conversation about some sports thing.
“Who?” Drew asked.
Durga rolled in my stomach, sloshing wine back up my throat but I swallowed it down and soldiered on.
“Vincent,” I said. “He is so pretty with his eyes and his jaw and his nose. He looks amazing with his shirt off. I want to eat him up.”
The guys were quiet for so long I sat up on my elbows and looked at them. Both wore shocked expressions.
“What?”
Drew shook his head and turned his focus to tidying up his tray and cutlery. I looked at Sing, but he shifted back into a lion and flopped back on his seat bed.
I lay back on the floor and stared at the ceiling some more. Vincent was handsome and smart and funny. He was also an asshole and a total shit head for not calling me. Crap, was I one of those girls that got all clingy when a man lost interest? Nah, I was just drunk. I laughed out loud and Drew looked over at me with concern. I waved him off and curled up in my tiny bit of floor space between the two rows of seats.
Listening to Singh's rhythmic snoring, I must have nodded off, because next thing I knew, Drew was shaking me awake.
“We are about to land. It would be best if you got in your seat,” he said.
Grumbling, I heaved myself up. I was stiff and had a kink in my neck from sleeping on the hard floor. My head was pounding. Man, that wine hit me hard.
I buckled in and tried to finger-comb my hair. I found the queen of hearts stuck in my hair and laughed, setting it on the table before catching Singh’s eyes. The smile fell from my face as I registered his curious look.
“What is it?” I asked him.
“You shouldn’t drink,” he said.
Memories floated back. I remembered playing go fish, chasing a dropped card and ending up lying on the floor… Oh shit.
I dropped my head in my hands as I remembered declaring my love for Vincent and vowed never to drink wine again.
“Let’s pretend that didn’t happen,” Drew said, increasing my mortification.
My ears popped as the plane approached the tarmac and I looked out the window to see lights dotting a white cityscape. Snow. Great. I had wrongly assumed it would be warm by this time of year.
As the plane bumped down to a landing, Durga stirred again, and I tossed my senses out to search the city for Vincent. Vampires packed the city. I didn't understand why they would want to live here, but there had to be thousands.
No sign of Vincent, but I found Vaughn. He was across the city. I knew he had a house in the city and Vlad said he would let Vaughn know to expect us.
I brought my senses back in and opened my eyes. The guys were gathering their carry on, so I unbuckled and grabbed mine too. Drew handed me a winter coat and hat and we all dressed for the Russian winter.
I cursed as we walked through the accordion tunnel from the plane to the airport. It wasn’t snowy, but it was cold as hell, and I wanted to turn around and go home.
Durga woke up and pressed me forward. I guess we had work to do.
We exited the echoing tunnel into the airport. The terminal was a massive structure of glass and arches. The ceiling was several stories up and gave i
t the feeling of a vast open space that countered drastically with the press of travellers. We walked past several other gates with lines of people pulling suitcases or carrying small children. A man built like a gladiator stood by the line of doors. He held a sign that said ‘Lark.’
“Hi,” I said, walking through a group of people who had come in the door.
He spotted me and lowered his sign. “Hello, you are Lark? I drive you to Lord Vaughn.” The man had a thick Russian accent.
“All right, sounds good,” I said.
He took my bag, and we followed him out into the snowy street of Moscow. At the curb, a black town car waited, engine running. A man got out, and our giant handed him some money and slid into the driver seat. We all climbed in, and the car pulled out into heavy traffic. Most of the streets were one way and a tight fit between parked cars. The white stone buildings stretched up into the sky and hugged the streets, making me feel claustrophobic. When we pulled onto a highway, the vehicle zipped along fast, going in and out of tunnels and switching lanes to avoid other vehicles. It was a real live video game. Before long, the car left the highway and came back onto some smaller streets. The car swung around corners like it was a police chase. Drew's face was pale, and he gripped the seat as if it could save him. I bet he appreciated my driving now. I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Singh fidgeted beside me. I could tell he already wanted to shift back into a lion. He would forget how to be a human if he wasn’t careful.
We passed a rounded building that was several stories high and lit up like a Christmas tree.
“What is that?” I asked.
“Is shop,” The driver said.
“Like a mall?” Drew asked through clenched teeth, still gripping the door.
“Yes,” the man replied, his eyes never leaving the road.
That was a big ass mall. I hoped we would have time to stop in. My hastily packed suitcase didn’t have all the necessities. I tried to remember what I had put in. It would be a surprise. The car took us to a quieter area of the city, the streets got cleaner, and there were ornate trees and beautiful landscaping.
The car stopped in front of a gate that slid open revealing a pillared mansion that curved around a courtyard. It was three stories high and made from smooth brick.
The car pulled up to the imposing building and stopped in front of the door. A Human stepped out onto the snow cleared front steps. Vaughn followed him. His face was serious which made him look so much like Vincent I almost thought it was him for a moment, but when I climbed out of the car, his open smile confirmed it was the happier twin. Not the grumpy one I longed to see.
Singh shifted and sauntered past me, taking the stairs in a single leap and then maneuvered himself around the old vampire to enter the mansion. Rude cat.
Vaughn watched him go past then descended the steps to greet me. He took me in his arms and spun me around. It caught me off guard, but when he pulled back smiling at me, I had to smile too. He was contagious.
“Welcome to my home, Lark. I am glad to have you here.”
“Thanks. Also, thank you for sending a car to pick us up. Moscow is a beautiful city,” I replied. “This is Drew.”
“Nice to meet you.
“You too,” Drew replied.
“Were you chosen by Durga or Lark?” Vaughn asked with a wicked grin.
“He’s on my team. Vincent chose him,” I replied.
Vaughn didn’t look convinced but let it go. It reminded me of the time Vincent had been yelling at Drew, and I bit his head off. I wasn’t sure if it was my voice or Durga’s when I told Vincent Drew was “mine.”
“Welcome. I hope you enjoy your stay though I know you are not here to be a tourist.”
“Thanks, no, but I would like to stay for a little while once I find your brother. Or brothers,” I said with a shiver. The cold was permeating my coat. It was almost April; shouldn’t it be warmer here? Maybe it was winter all year round. I shivered again.
Vaughn noticed and hustled us into the house where a crackling fire in the large foyer welcomed us. The man who drove us through the city brought our bags in behind us, and the human closed the door, sealing out the frigid cold.
Two vampires I recognized stood in the foyer. They had come with Vaughn on his trip to the US. They were all muscles and scowls until Durga perked up and looked at them from my eyes. She did a flip inside me like she was excited to see them. I bet they would lead to chasing and slaughtering vampires. All Durga's favourite things.
The Russian vampires’ postures straightened, as their glowing eyes met my red ones, standing at attention — men ready to serve their new commander. Durga was nearly purring.
I noticed they each had the handle of a short sword sticking up over their shoulder. Durga liked men with weapons too.
“Now, Durga, let's get Lark, and your friends settled before you fall back into your old games,” Vaughn chuckled.
Durga relented and let my eyes bleed back to normal.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Come and sit down and I’ll tell you a story,” Vaughn said before turning down a hall papered in antique velvet wallpaper. The hardwood floors tapped under our feet as we shuffled further into the mansion. There were arches above every door along the hall, and when Vaughn opened one, it led to a beautiful sitting room with 15-foot ceilings and full-length windows that overlooked a garden.
The two vampires from the foyer had followed too and were standing flanking the door like personal security guards.
“Do you need security in the house?” I asked.
Vaughn chuckled. “They saw Durga in your eyes. They won't soon relax. She was with us once as you know. Durga chose these two herself. They were the best soldiers of the time, Gladiators. They have been working for me since she left us.”
I absorbed that information. This man knew way more about Durga than what was in the book.
“Why don’t I know this stuff?” I asked.
“Durga warned me not to tell her future incarnations about it. The fact she is still in remission tells me she doesn’t mind if I tell you everything.”
My eyes flashed red again.
“Ok, maybe not everything.” Vaughn laughed sitting down in an armchair.
My vision cleared, and I took a seat with Drew on a plush sofa. At least Vaughn had comfortable furniture in his office, unlike Vincent and his hard couch.
I had a feeling that Vaughn and Durga had more than a passing relationship. Her reaction confirmed it and made me uncomfortable. It was as if Vaughn knew personal things about me even though it wasn't me he knew. Durga was becoming more and more a part of me, like a past I had forgotten. I fidgeted under Vaughn’s gaze.
“So, you haven’t heard from Vincent either?” Drew asked, drawing Vaughn's attention. I knew I liked Drew for a reason.
Vaughn sighed. “No, I haven’t heard about him being anywhere else though. He fell off the map not long after he arrived here. If he were in the tunnels, I would have heard.
“The tunnels?” I asked.
“Most of the vampires live in the abandoned tunnels beneath the city. It's a large system of old, defunct mines, sewers and tunnels dug by vampires centuries ago connecting them all to an underground world that is purely of vampire design. Many things go on down there. Long ago it was overrun with fallen and rogue vampires who used the system to evade Durga's wrath. My teams patrol it now to keep it free of unwelcome types, but I will warn you, it’s not a nice place. I allow more rope than Vincent did in his city. Of course, I remove those who kill humans, but many vampires relish a more… alternative lifestyle.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Alternative?”
He smiled. “Nothing I am interested in, but to each their own.”
I didn’t need to hear more about that. I would find Vincent and not have to spend any time in dark tunnels.
“So, do you have any suggestions on where we should look for Vincent?” Drew asked.
I mentally begged he wo
uldn't say the tunnels.
“The tunnels,” he replied, picking lint off his pant leg.
Fuck.
CHAPTER THREE
“All right, so tell me more about Durga and the muscle by the door,” I said trying to keep the thought of dark, damp tunnels out of my mind.
Vaughn smiled and looked over at them. “The one on the right is Vilen.” The man nodded once, his eyes holding mine. “And the other is Ninel.” The second man nodded as well but kept his eyes on the floor. Durga flashed a vision of Ninel as a human slumped before us, bloody and broken. His arm was almost severed at the shoulder, and half his face was a pulpy mess. His lungs pulled great gulps of air but only one eye shone up at us, the other was just an empty hole. Our hand reached out and laid upon his head. It wasn’t my hand, but I knew it was Durga. We healed Ninel as we had done with Singh in the bar after the battle with Frankie’s father.
“You look well,” she spoke, using my voice and Ninel fell to a knee. He bowed his head down. “Rise warrior. We will battle together soon. Blood will run like rivers.” Durga snapped back into her quiet place inside me as Ninel rose and lifted his eyes to meet me. They hadn’t acted like this when Durga was only a stirring inside me. We were different now. She and I were one.
“She comes and goes as she pleases?” Vaughn asked.
“Yes, but we work together. She doesn’t push me out of the way as much anymore,” I said.
“That is so interesting. When she was here last, over two centuries ago, she used to block out Elianna. The girl never knew what happened unless I told her. Durga frowned upon it though. I think she tried to save the girl from the horrors of the battles.”
“She did that for a while. It didn’t work for either of us though.”
He nodded, considering the information.
“Well, should I show you to your room? I’m sure you are eager to get out and look for Vincent.” He smiled and stood, then walked past the two Muscle-bound men by the door. Drew and I followed along behind him, but as soon as I was through the door, the two men turned and followed me, leaving Drew to tag along behind them.