His survival depended on it.
He dug his hands into Rose’s hair, drawing her closer as he made himself drink poison. The blood slowed as her skin knitted and darkness gathered at the corners of his sight.
Maybe it had worked.
Maybe it hadn’t.
“It’s okay.” He spoke to his brothers and to Rose as it got closer, pulling him under.
From far away, he heard Rose scream, and his eyes shot open.
It wasn’t Rose he saw, it was a vampire. One from Seti’s nightmares. One he’d shown Rose, but never—in all his long lifetime—would he believe she’d ever see face-to-face.
The memory he had shared with Rose, from that dark, shameful period of his history, stood in front of them, smiling down at him.
Seti’s creation. One he’d ripped apart limb from limb and left to die a thousand years ago. Scars, jagged white lines, marred the vampire’s skin. Those were the places Seti had torn and cut him, running over his body like river tributaries on a map.
And now he held Rose in his grip.
Focusing, hearing, was becoming impossible. But he remembered biting into that vampire’s throat. He shouldn’t have been alive.
“You remember me,” the vampire whispered. His voice was raspy, painful sounding. “I have never forgotten you. Once, you were a lion, but now, you’re a house cat.”
The man lifted his foot, slammed it into Seti’s head, and the world went dark.
28
Rose
The vampire held her tight in his grasp. Trees, the pond, all of it whipped by her in a flash so fast, her stomach roiled. His grasp was painful, but it was nothing like the agony wrapped around her heart. Or the fire building beneath her skin.
He was carrying her away from the guys, and that meant one thing—the return of pain.
But it didn’t even matter. She welcomed it, maybe it would distract her from the knowledge that she hadn’t fought hard enough to save Seti.
“Help him,” she begged Horus and Ra, sending them an image of where she’d left him. What she’d done.
There was no response. Either this vampire had rushed her too far away, or—
She couldn’t even think it.
Struggling against him only made him lock his jaw and hold her tighter. So tight, his fingers dug into her skin. Past skin. Because today, she was flesh and not metal.
Nothing and no one ran with them. If there had been a crawler or a soldier, she’d have used them, but on her own, the only thing she could do was stare.
Seti knew this vampire. The second he had opened his eyes and seen this man, Rose could tell.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
He glanced down at her, but didn’t bother to answer, instead, he seemed to put on a burst of speed. The fire under her skin was impossible to ignore now. This was the kind of pain that made her grit her teeth, breathe through her nose, shut her eyes tight, and just bear it.
All at once, he stopped. The transition was so abrupt, so jarring, that her stomach heaved. He dropped her and she threw up all over the ground.
“It is a good thing you are a doctor,” the vampire said as she got herself under control. “Because I believe this human is sick.”
Of course. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Rose lifted her head. There was the man who’d caused so much chaos.
“Dr. Stone.” She hefted her foot under her, but her body wasn’t in any condition to stand, so she sort of flopped onto her ass. Knowing how much this man had always hated it when she’d been snarky and sarcastic, she went on, “Hey.”
He glared at her, giving her the opportunity to observe the changes that had happened in the past months. Gone was the tan, bright-eyed doctor who’d turned nurse’s heads. This guy was worn down. His hair was a mess, his eyes dull and skin pale. So pale. Like he’d been living underground.
“Living with vampires isn’t a good look for you,” she said, flapping her hand at him. “You need some sun.” Fire rocketed through her, and she leaned over, heaving again. Her stomach was empty, so all she did was retch.
“You kill the origins?” Dr. Stone ignored her and asked the vampire next to her.
“I got the one that mattered. Your army took care of the others.”
Such a simple statement, and it blew Rose’s world to smithereens. With every bit of energy she had, she threw herself at the vampire. She didn’t know what her plan was, he simply swatted her aside like she was a fly, but in the second before she went airborne, she clawed and scratched him like a wild woman. It didn’t do a thing to him and tore at her fingertips.
Rolling along the ground, Rose stayed with her face in the dirt, out of breath and aching. Give it a second. All she had to do was heal, then she’d do it again. She’d be a relentless little dog, nipping and scratching until she finally drew blood.
“You’re upset,” the vampire said, dusting himself off. “But you’ll get over it.”
She got on her hands and knees, biting her lip when something in her side cracked. He’d broken something. Maybe she’d need another few seconds.
Eyes closed, she concentrated on breathing through the pain. The vampire grabbed the back of her shirt, dragging her across the dirt. Twisting, she made out Dr. Stone leading the way toward a small, shingled house. It wasn’t much bigger than the cabin where she and the guys had been staying, and not in much better condition.
Her shirt ripped, not up to the task of hefting a hundred and some-odd pounds across a lawn. With a sigh—like I’m putting him out—the vampire bent down and slung her over his shoulder. It did nothing for her injury, and something gave way, moving and sliding inside her. Piercing hot pain sliced inside her chest, and she gasped.
“Your rib just punctured your lung,” he said blandly, “try not to wiggle.”
She couldn’t if she wanted to, with his arm beneath her ass and her weight forward, unless she healed in the next thirty seconds. And that wasn’t likely.
The world went right-side up as he dropped her. She waited for the jarring pain that would happen when she hit the ground, but she landed on the soft cushions of a couch. Hand against her side, she tried to shift upright.
The vampire straightened, gaze on hers, and she had a sudden flash of memory. “I know you.” It was hard to catch her breath, but things were healing, making speech a little easier.
He was tall, muscular, but on the thin side, and very young looking, as if he’d become a vampire in his teens.
Except for his eyes.
His eyes held a world of anger and bitterness. Not even the most jaded teenager could touch the bitterness evident in his smile. “I don’t think so.”
She glanced at Dr. Stone, who had turned his back to her, and now seemed intent on ignoring her.
Facing the vampire again, she studied him. Yes. She had seen him before. But not here. Not in the city.
It came to her. “You’re Seti’s.” He’d shown her his greatest shame, the creation and murder of an army of vampires. “Seti asked you to stop killing. You refused.”
Eyes narrowing, he straightened. “How do you know that?”
“He showed me.” He’d shown her everything—and this man standing in front of her—he was supposed to be dead. “How are you alive?”
Laughing, he walked to Dr. Stone. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” he said as he faced her. In his hands were a needle and bag.
Rose snorted, which was a mistake because things hadn’t finished stitching up, and she grimaced. “All this for blood. He’s given you my blood?” she asked Seti’s vampire.
“Don’t answer her,” Dr. Stone said. His voice was rough and tired. “She doesn’t need to know anything. All she is, is a bag of blood.”
“That’s all any human is.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow. “Why don’t you come over and take a bite? See what you think?”
Showing her his teeth, he took a step toward her.
“Don’t,” Dr. Stone warned. “Not from her veins. After.”
“Don’t listen to him,” she argued when the vampire seemed tempted. Keeping her gaze on his, she willed him toward her, hoping against hope that a little bit of Ra’s power had rubbed off on her. “Isn’t it always better from the source? One sip won’t kill you.”
“Enough.” With her focus on the vampire, she hadn’t paid attention to Dr. Stone. In one move, he was on her. Using his body weight, he pushed her back on the couch and slid the needle not into her arm, but into her neck.
She wasn’t prepared for how fast her blood would leave her body. In seconds, she was light-headed. From the corner of her eye, she saw the bag fill.
Lifting her hands to withdraw the needle, she fumbled at her neck. Her fingers were thick. Clumsy. She grasped the needle, yanking fruitlessly.
“No, no, no.” Dr. Stone pushed aside her hands easily, and they flopped to her sides.
“Well, shit.” The words were mumbled, coming out like she was drunk.
“Are you going to kill her?”
“No,” Dr. Stone replied. “God knows, I would if I could. But I’m going to need to keep her alive as long as I can. At least until I’ve discovered a way to replicate whatever is in her blood.” His voice was fading in and out, so when she heard another voice, she wasn’t sure if it was real.
“Rose.”
“Ra.” It was his voice, but it might not be him. It might have just been her wishing for him.
“He’s coming,” Dr. Stone announced.
“We need to prepare. He’s the strongest of them—”
“The twins are out of commission.” Was that pride in Dr. Stone’s voice? When she could keep her eyes open, she was going to murder him.
“Take more blood. Knock her out and get the others into position.”
29
Ra
Rage flowed through Ra’s veins, making his hands shake. Horus knelt next to him, covered in blood, shoulders heaving as he pressed against the wound on Seti’s leg.
Seti held Ra’s wrist to his mouth, drinking, but the healing was too slow.
The scent of Rose’s blood was everywhere. On Seti. In Seti.
All of this was purposeful. Separating him from his brothers. Horus from Seti. Seti from both of them.
Rose from all of them.
He glanced down his brother’s body to his leg. “This is bad.” His foot was mangled, calf shredded. If it healed—when it healed—it wouldn’t be the same. Seti needed a doctor, someone who would know how to fix this. This was beyond him, harkening back to wars when he relied on healers to push bones and skin into place so things healed right.
“Rose.” Seti opened his eyes and then bared his teeth in a grimace. “Rose.”
“Rest.” Horus leaned forward. “I will find her.”
Ra didn’t bother to argue. Neither Seti nor Horus would be going with him when he chased down the vampire who’d taken Rose.
“Ahron is alive.” Seti grasped his hand, smearing him with more blood. Bite marks marred the back of his hand to the meat of his thumb and up his arm, beneath his sleeve. The strength of his brother astounded him. The amount of poison running through his system should have had him screaming. And the wounds on his leg would have killed a lesser man.
Ra heard his words, but they held no meaning. “Ahron?”
“Seti made him,” Horus offered. “One of many vampires.”
“We killed them all.”
Seti’s eyes closed as if they became too heavy for him. “Well, he survived. And now he has Rose.” He sent him a picture of the vampire. Ra didn’t recognize him; he would have been a faceless no one in an army of immortals. But Ra would never forget his face now.
Nearby, water splashed. He and Horus turned toward the pond, exchanging a glance. Breathing in, he smelled the rot and earth. “More crawlers.”
“You have to go,” Horus’s gaze didn’t leave the direction of the water. “I have enough strength to kill these things.”
It was true his brother was on his way to becoming human, but his strength was still great. And he’d murdered the soldiers who’d overwhelmed Ra in number. But crawlers? One bite could kill him.
It would kill him.
His situation was impossible. Rose was gone. Taken. She needed him.
And his brothers needed him as well.
His only hope was that Rose had been taken for a purpose, one that wouldn’t result in her immediate death. She was strong.
She just had to survive long enough for him to get to her.
30
Seti
He was dying. That was the only reason why he would be in this much pain. The blood he’d taken from Rose and Ra hadn’t helped.
Seti glanced down his body, made out the mangled shape of his foot and leg, and let his head drop back to the ground. “Leave me here.”
Ra’s shadow fell over his body. “Shut up.” He didn’t bother to speak in their minds or even peer at him. His brother watched the slick, gray forms wade from the water and crawl toward them.
Closing his eyes, Seti blocked out the rest of the world. “Rose.”
“Seti. I’m sorry.”
It was her voice. He stared up at the sky, suddenly awake and alert. “She’s alive.”
“I heard her, too.” Horus shifted, standing next to him, shielding him from the creatures headed their way.
“You have to go to her,” he said. “Just leave me here and go. I’m dead anyway.” Beneath his skin, his pulse thudded rapidly, more rapidly than it had ever beaten before. Like with Horus, Rose’s blood was changing him. Or it would if he survived. Which he wouldn’t.
Ra’s power burst forth like a solar flare and was followed by the scream of dozens of crawlers. “They’re burning.”
“And healing,” Horus added.
There was a hiss and Horus jerked. Seti wanted to help, but anguish held him in place. A moment later, the head of a crawler landed next to him before flaking into ash.
Horus let out a breath, hands falling to his sides. They were red. Burned.
“Ra.” His twin’s voice gave away nothing.
There was a hiss and pop. “Watch out.” Ra suddenly blocked them, sucking in a breath. Their poison must have burned him.
“Go.” Seti tried once again. “Ra. Horus. Go.”
Horus leaned down, hefting him into his arms. The movement was torture and Seti cried out. “You are my twin. We came into this world together, and we’ll go out together.”
Idiot. If he ran, he’d have a chance. But he knew his brother better than he knew himself. And he wouldn’t leave. “We have to force Ra to go.”
“Shut up,” their eldest brother said again, but he couldn’t hide the longing from them. Ra had seen a future, one with them and Rose, and now it was gone.
It started to snow. Cool flakes landed on his eyelashes, making it hard to see. Numb, he blinked them away to find his brothers.
But Horus wouldn’t look at him. His gaze was focused on something Seti couldn’t make out. Maybe it was because of the snow, or his eyesight was failing, but a shadow seemed to move across the pond.
What is it? He wanted to ask the question, but he couldn’t form it in his mind or with his lips.
But Horus, like always, knew what he was thinking without having to say a word. “Help,” he answered.
31
Rose
It pissed Rose off to no end that she was going to die. She wasn’t going to give in easily. Even weak and tied up, she struggled.
Dr. Stone had filled up so many bags of her blood, she’d lost count. But she’d also lost track of time, and where she was, so that wasn’t surprising.
The man sat across from her now, waiting. Watching.
“What?” What reason did he have to examine her like he did now? He knew everything about her.
For the first time since she’d gotten here, he seemed willing to talk. “I wonder about you, Rose. If you know what you’ve done
for science. For me.”
She knew that her blood had allowed him to create an army and wreak havoc. She knew because of her blood, he’d murdered the only people she’d loved since her mother had died.
So she decided it was her turn to be silent and not answer him. There was nothing he could say that would change those facts.
“Right now you’re healing,” he said quietly, accent smoothing the words together. “You were pale as death, but you’re slowly getting your color back.” He reached forward and pinched the back of her hand. “You’re retaining fluid again, so that’s good. You’ll be ready in minutes for me to take more.”
She guessed that was why he was staring at her so intently. He was waiting for her to fill up so he could drain her again. Sure, she’d heal, but her body would give out. How many bags had he filled? This wasn’t the first time he’d waited before taking her blood again. The time between each session was longer.
Or at least, she thought it was. Maybe he’d only done it once. She couldn’t be sure. He hadn’t been able to get many bags from her the first time. She’d emptied the tank trying to save Seti. Ha. Emptied the tank. Seti would have laughed at her joke if this asshole here hadn’t killed him.
“I hate you.” A surge of energy rushed through her, and she struggled against the ties. “I hate you!”
“Rose.” The voice froze her in place. “Seti?”
Dr. Stone glanced around as if expecting to see him. Movement from the corner caught her attention as the strange vampire stood. “Is he here?” Stone asked.
“No,” he answered, and then quieter, so Rose wasn’t even sure she heard him. “I don’t think so.”
“I’m going to take more blood,” Dr. Stone said.
“We may need to go,” the vampire spoke as if Dr. Stone hadn’t said a word. “Just in case.”
There was another prick in her neck, and her head swam. “Seti. I’m sorry.” She wasn’t sure what she was apologizing for. She hated that he’d been hurt, hated that she’d hurt him further by giving him her blood.
Echoes of Blood and Glory Page 14