“One thing at a time. As soon as we get free from here, Ussier’s getting a call. I’ve got faith he’ll take care of the problem.”
“He’d consider their presence here a personal affront,” Kristair agreed.
“Let’s go then,” Tony said, rising and taking out his short sword. “Move out of the way, Jake.”
“Wait.” I delved into the vamp’s mind again, trying to get a sense of how powerful the remaining goons were and how many were left in the city. The minutes ticked by as I probed and sifted before finally withdrawing with a sigh. The vamp glared at me, his eyes dark with hate.
“You have a far gentler touch than I do.” Kristair laid a mental kiss on the side of my neck. “I often forget that brute force isn’t always required.”
“All yours.” I gestured to Tony and stepped out of the way.
“Whoa, wait a sec,” Steve started as Tony stepped forward and I grabbed Steve’s arm, stopping him from interfering. A moment later it was done. Steve scowled down at the mess. “He couldn’t move. Was that really necessary?”
“Did you want one of his friends to free him and have him sneak up behind us again?” I asked. “He wouldn’t hesitate to do it to us and if we’d let him go he’d try his damnedest to take one of us with him.”
“Besides, you already beat him in a fair fight,” Tony added. “They’d have killed him anyway for giving us information, even if he couldn’t have stopped us. It implies weakness. And he’s one of the ones who took your friend.”
“Okay, fine, point taken. Let’s go.”
Tony wouldn’t quite meet my eyes as we headed out again. I wracked my brain, trying to figure out what I’d done this time to set him off, then decided it didn’t matter. He’d always been moody.
“It’s because you plundered that youngling’s mind. He realizes you can do that to him as well, and it bothers him.”
“So what? I won’t.”
“Think about it, Jacob. He’s hiding something and seeing something like that would dig under his skin because he knows he’s vulnerable to it.”
“Or he’s worried because he’s not sure if I’d already done it or not. You didn’t go rummaging around when you were sharing with him, did you?”
“You wouldn’t have been happy with me if I had, so I managed to resist my instincts.”
“Thank you.” I eyed Tony as we wound deeper through the pipelined labyrinth. Kristair’s instincts were sound. I’d known Tony long enough to recognize when he was sitting on a secret. True, he’d gotten defter about hiding it, but there was still no disguising that I made him skittish. When this was all over and done and Kayla was safe, we’d have a long talk.
I paused halfway down the next corridor and held up my hand. A faint light glowed on the wall from the intersection and at my signal Steve shut off the flashlight. “According to the vamp, she should be in a maintenance room right around the corner.”
“So what’s the plan?” Steve asked, fingering the gun at his waist.
“Jake and I can be on them before they’re even aware we’re here. We’ll make them chase us around the next corner. It’ll give you a chance to get her and get out. Kinda like Han Solo and Chewie in the Death Star.”
“You do remember they ran into more trouble, right?” Steve asked dryly.
“Sounds good to me, but I’m Han,” I replied. “Does rushing them work for you, love?”
“Do I have much of a choice?” I sensed Kristair’s feral grin in my thoughts. “Let’s get on with it.”
I masked a chuckle and exchanged a glance with Tony. Then we rushed toward the three vamps who were crouched down playing with a deck of cards. One of them stared at us, stupefied, as we bore down on them. We’d almost crossed the final yards between us before he had a chance to shout and ready himself.
Tony went for the two on the ground and I tackled the other one, shouting as I bore him down to the ground. Then I was scrambling up again and bolting down the hall. I peered over my shoulder at the vamp’s snarl and saw to my relief that Tony was right behind me. All three were chasing us. Idiots. Time for a touchdown, baby.
We exchanged grins and darted around a junction. Tony split off one way and I ran in the other direction. There were some confused shouts and a curse from Tony. When I risked glancing over my shoulder again, all three were on my ass with Tony tailing behind them.
“Looks like they want you more,” Kristair commented.
“Tell me somethin’ I don’t know.”
With any luck Steve was getting Kayla out of there and I didn’t want to get too far away from him in case he ran into trouble. So I pulled my gun and turned around to shoot. Only Tony was too fucking close. Cursing, I braced for the impact as they fell upon me and I felt a hot slash of pain rake across my ribs.
“Watch out for their claws, Jacob, and don’t let yourself get bitten. Once they latch on it’s hard to get them to let go.”
My skin crawled with disgust at the mental picture. “Claws and fangs? Dammit, that’s not fair. Why don’t I get claws and fangs too?”
“Because you’re not actually a vampire.”
I sensed Kristair merge more deeply with me and we began to move as one, fluid and deadly, ripping through our opponents as if they didn’t exist. The wound on my side started to close and the pain eased.
When the last one went down, Tony shook his head, disbelief on his face. “I see what you meant about taking care of yourself. I’ve never seen anyone move like you do.” He bent to wipe his sword off on one of the vamp’s shirts.
“Kristair did warn me about what would happen, back at the beginning of our relationship. But as usual, I jumped into things without thinking about it. Not that I’d go back and change it.”
“I hope not at this point.” The little surge of warmth from my lover had me smiling.
“Let’s go check on Steve and Kayla. I’ll feel better when I see her with my own eyes. Then we can let Ussier know what’s going on.”
“Actually, there’s no need to.”
I paused in mid-turn and cast Tony a questioning glance. “What do you mean?” Kristair went still inside of me and a ripple of unease went down my spine at his reaction.
“I already told him.” Tony shrugged and didn’t meet my eyes. “When I was away from you, I searched for a spot where I could get a cell signal and I called him. He should be here soon.”
I swore and shoved him against the wall. Asshole! I ran around the corner, terrified I’d find Kayla hurt or dead. Steve would’ve shouted if that was the case, unless there had been more waiting in the room and he’d been hurt too. I was so furious I could’ve pounded Tony’s face in with my fists. “What the fuck were you thinking? They said not to!”
“I was thinking that we were walking into a goddamn trap. And that once again you didn’t seem to give a crap about your own safety or how that would affect me either.”
The maintenance door stood wide open, but the room was empty except for the ragged remains of a rope around some pipe. Kristair hissed in my mind. “I smell her; she wasn’t hurt. There’s no blood in this room.”
It eased my anger a little, but not by much. I glared at Tony as I shoved by him. “We could’ve taken them. Hell, we did.” I began following Kayla and Steve’s trail back the way we’d come. “Maybe what everybody’s been trying to tell me is true. I can’t trust you.”
Chapter 18
STEVE AND Kayla were just around the corner and the angry tension inside me flowed away when I saw them. They were both alive. Then Kayla turned around and the answering jolt from Kristair had me staggering to a halt. Whatever Tony was trying to say was lost in a meaningless buzz.
“Little one.”
I closed the distance between myself and her as the smile on her face faded into an expression of concern.
“Are you okay?” I demanded, or maybe it was Kristair or some strange combination of us both. I didn’t feel entirely in control as I grabbed her hands and examined the ligature
markings in the faint light. My blood raged. I was gonna kill them all. Every last one.
“Jake?” Kayla pushed against my chest as I pulled her into my arms and gave her a fierce hug. “I’m okay, I swear. See? I still have all my finger and toes.”
I don’t think I’d ever appreciated how much Kristair loved Kayla. Hell, I wouldn’t know how much he cared for me if it wasn’t for our mental link. My lover kept his emotions locked inside too much, rarely revealing what he felt. His relationship with his daughter was one of those areas where he’d always kept up a wall. And she was as much an integral part of his life as me.
“Jake, come on. We shouldn’t hang around here,” Steve lightly punched my shoulder and cast an anxious glance around. “You can have your reunion later.”
I nodded past the lump in my throat and tried to make myself let go, but Kristair held on. “Love, we’ve got to get out of here. She’s okay. She’ll tell us all about it later.”
I drew in a deep, shuddering breath and released her, not trusting myself to speak because I couldn’t be sure what would come out of my mouth. Not with the emo kick Kristair was on. She grabbed my face between her hands and scrutinized me, her eyes widening. “Kris?” she whispered. “Is that…?”
I tugged her hands down and gave them a gentle squeeze. “Yeah, I’ll explain when we get out of here.”
“Jacob! She wasn’t to know.”
“You made that agreement, not me. And she already recognized you, and for that you only have yourself to blame. ’Sides, deep down you want her to know and, for crying out loud, you only follow the rules when it suits you. Why toe the line now?”
“And you make it a point to never follow the rules,” Kristair retorted.
I couldn’t tell if he was disgruntled or pleased. “You’ve got me there.” Behind us somewhere in the corridors we’d just left there came a shout of anger and surprise.
“There’s our cue.” Steve gave Tony a shove to start him running. “We’d better get our asses in gear.”
“Fuck!” I grabbed Kayla’s hand and took off as fast as she could keep up. I could’ve sworn I’d only seen three in that bloodsucker’s head.
“That he knew of, or he could’ve hidden the remaining from you. We didn’t linger over him long enough to discover what else he knew.”
That wouldn’t be a mistake I’d make again. Steve and Kayla couldn’t see very well, and it slowed us down as we bolted without care through the labyrinth. The way the walls deadened the sounds in some places or echoed eerily in others made it hard to tell how many vampires were chasing us. More than what we’d already dealt with so far, that was for sure.
We skidded around a corner and Tony cursed as his sneakers slipped in the pool of water, almost taking him down. “How far?” Steve gasped, steadying Tony before taking off again.
“Fuck if I know. You know this place better than me.” In fact I was beginning to wonder if we were headed in the right direction or if we’d taken a wrong turn somewhere. This didn’t look all that familiar, but one section of pipe was the same as any other so it was hard to tell. “Kristair?”
“I’m not sure. You don’t have the best sense of direction. At least not underground.”
“Tony, I take back what I said earlier. I hope your gamble pays off.”
“That makes two of us.” Tony stopped and turned around.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Steve shouted. “Come on.”
“Keep going. I’m going to try to head them off and buy you time.”
My stomach lurched and I pushed Kayla to Steve. “Get her out.”
“NO!” The shouts, both mental from Kristair and verbal from my friends, left me reeling.
“I’ll be fine,” Tony insisted. “Hurry up and get out of here. I’ll lead them in another direction then hide in the shadows and sneak back around. I’m not looking to start a fight. Now go, damn you!” With that he disappeared into the shadows and I sensed him run off.
I gave into the inevitable and Kristair’s mental prodding, gesturing for Steve and Kayla to run ahead of me. “I’ll stay with ya. Quit yer bitching.”
There was nothing I could do at the moment to help Tony, and I promised myself that once I got Steve and Kayla out of there I’d go back for him. The sounds of pursuit began to fade and it immediately raised my suspicions. It was too easy. “Faster.”
“We’re trying,” Kayla gasped.
A couple of turns later, I caught our scent again and knew we were on the right track. It couldn’t be too much farther. “No, it’s not. Keep going straight and you’ll spill right out into the basement.”
Behind us a sudden shocking scream of pain lashed through the hallways. All three of us stumbled to a stop and stared back the way we’d come. “Tony. Oh shit,” Steve said.
“Oh my god,” Kayla whispered. Another scream full of rage and pain came, and she took a small step forward. “We’ve got to do something.”
“You go; get her out of here,” I said to Steve. “I’ll go back for Tony.” For once, Kristair didn’t disagree with me.
“No, we’ll all go together,” Kayla insisted, and I saw the decision flick across Steve’s face as he took her hand again.
“The next door you see should be the one out of here,” I told him.
He nodded and Kayla’s eyes widened as she tried to yank her hand out of Steve’s grip. “No. I’m not some fragile little flower. You can’t go alone, Jake.”
“I’ll be okay. After all, I’ve got Kristair’s kung fu.” And so much more. Before Kayla could protest further or Steve could change his mind, I ran back the way we’d just come. “Go!” I shouted to them.
Partway down the corridor, I turned and shot, puncturing the pipes twice with bullets. There was an angry hiss as scalding steam filled the corridor. That would keep them from trying to follow me, and with any luck, it would keep any bloodsuckers from continuing after them. I was sure they weren’t any more interested in being parboiled than I was.
The sound of Tony’s screams grew shriller. The sense of his pain and fear drew me on as the shrieks became more terror-stricken and weak. I came around a bend and stumbled to a halt at the sight of a whole damned flock of vamps huddled around a twitching form on the ground. “Get your filthy fucking fangs offa him!” I roared and charged them.
Kristair snarled in my mind and his bloodlust mingled with my own as they closed in around me. I remembered with sickening clarity how it felt to be fed on by so many. The memory of the horror and pain turned my stomach and fueled my rage.
They dragged me down to the floor, but I fought free of them, using every bit of strength and speed I had inside of me. Blood covered my hands; injuries to my body quickly mended. And though I brought several down, it seemed more and more took their place. Weariness stole through me as inch by inch I was pushed back away from Tony.
“Any more tricks you’ve got that you ain’t told me, love?”
“Has anyone ever told you that your grammar becomes more atrocious the more stressed you become? Don’t worry, mo chroí. We’re not anywhere near done yet.”
The image of a fireball formed in my mind and as soon as it did I realized I could do it. Pulsing heat formed a sphere in my palm. It wasn’t very big, about the size of a baseball, but it was enough that the fuckers surrounding me suddenly fell back. “Dodge this, bitches.”
I drew back and hurled it straight toward the thickest bunch of them. Shrieks pounded the walls as a big fucker erupted into flames, setting those closest to him on fire as well.
“Sweet fucking Christ, that’s awesome!” I held up my hand again and another ball formed. “I didn’t know you could do this.”
“Neither did I, but now seemed like a very good time for experimentation.”
The remaining vampires who weren’t busy dodging the ones on fire fell back even more when I lifted my hand again and more fire blossomed. I stepped forward, reached down with my other hand, caught Tony’s foot, and dragged hi
m toward me. Just as I was prepared to hurl the other fireball, another hand caught my arm. “I like your wicked curveball, but you’ve done enough. Take the youngling and get out of here.”
Ussier gave me a grim smile and released my hand. He was flanked by Hugh and Deke, who grinned and clapped my shoulder. “That was a good one, kiddo.”
The fire in my palm died and I scooped up Tony, tossing him over my shoulder. Now was not the time to argue. If they wanted to take out the rest, I sure as hell was not going to bitch. Not when Tony wasn’t moving.
“They can’t kill him by draining all his blood, can they?” A terrible worry gnawed my conscience. I’d just gotten him back and once again, just after I’d yelled at him and said I couldn’t trust him, he’d gone and gotten himself hurt. Really hurt. I was such an ass sometimes.
“No. Only the one who created him has that power. Since she’s no longer around, it’s not a worry, but he will need blood to recover. His wounds are numerous.” There was a pause. “I’m sorry. You were right to trust him, it seems.”
“I’ll tell ya I told you so later.”
I could only hope people thought Tony was drunk off his ass as I carted him back to Kayla’s dorm. He wouldn’t be the first undergrad dragged unceremoniously home in such a way. I was betting on Steve taking Kayla there because it was closer than his place. That fight in the tunnel had drained much of my energy and Tony just seemed to get heavier as I carried him into the building.
“You need to rest and eat. You’ve lost blood. That’s why you’re so weary.”
“I didn’t lose that much. I kept healing every time one of those bastards got me.”
“It takes blood and energy to heal. Not to mention using your abilities,” Kristair said with exasperation. That made sense, I supposed.
As I stepped on the elevator, another student spoke up from behind me. “Hold it.” Oh crap. I jammed the shut button as he came running up, but he managed to wedge a foot in and get on anyway. “I said to hold it.”
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