Vampire Assassin League Bundle Five - Loneliness

by Jackie Ivie

  She watched as Supervisor Craig did something to his weapon. He was probably taking the safety off, although her only clue to that was gleaned from movies and cop shows. She wondered if bullets could harm a vampire. And then she knew she wasn’t willing to chance it. Evie inched toward the water bottle. She didn’t have anything else. He watched her, and then he pushed his head back and turned toward the door. Evie peeled the product tampering seal off, and had the bottle almost to her mouth as the door crashed open. Supervisor Craig got smacked right in the bridge of the nose. Two heavily armed guys strode in. A third fellow made certain of the ranger supervisor’s incapacity by slamming the door again into him. The gun fell. Supervisor Craig’s nose started spouting blood from both nostrils. Red. Thick. Evie watched it coat the front of his shirt...reaching his pocket patch. He slumped down the wall. An instant thirst hit her. It raised shivers. She didn’t know if they were from revulsion or interest. Ugh. That was true? Vampires really crave blood? Even the half-turned ones?

  She was shaking as she brought the water bottle to her mouth and sucked on it. She’d been right about the water. It tasted awful.

  “You the vampire chick?”

  Evie swallowed and lowered the bottle. “Who are you?” she asked instead.

  “We’re Hunters. Vampire Hunters.”

  The last guy did something to Supervisor Craig to incapacitate him. She didn’t look. She was entirely too startled and leery of her reaction to fresh blood. She kept her gaze on the asshole in charge. He looked about her age. Cocky. He carried a pretty large crossbow thing in his right hand while resting it in his left. Evie considered him for a long moment. There was such a thing as a vampire hunter, too?

  “What did you do to them?” she asked when nobody said anything.

  “Who?”

  “The park rangers.”

  “Oh. They’ll be fine. We don’t kill humans. We only kill monsters.”

  And then he slammed a water-filled balloon onto the tabletop. It ruptured, spraying everything with mist. Evie gasped, as what felt like boiling water hit her, even through her chador, paining minutely before dissipating. That put a lot more emotion in her words than she meant to. “What the hell is wrong with you people?”

  “That answers that. She’s not turned yet,” one of them remarked.

  “Maybe not fully, but she’s definitely on her way. Aren’t you, sweetheart?”

  She really hated being called sweetheart. Especially by assholes. “What. Was. That.” She stretched each word out.

  “Holy Water. Effective against vampires. Super effective against real ones. Want to see what wooden stakes do next?” He gestured with his crossbow thing.

  Her heart stuttered. A pain shot through her head. She squinted against it. “Not especially,” she answered finally.

  “Oh. Don’t fret so. We’re not after you. If we were, you’d be dead already.”

  The second guy gave her that information. He was a hair shorter than the lead guy, larger through the shoulders, and had a smug smile filled with perfectly aligned white teeth.

  “We’re here for your mate.”

  “My...mate?”

  The first guy snickered. Evie moved her focus back to him. Evaluated her options. She had her water bottle. A few plastic chairs. A table. Against three assholes. And she wasn’t remotely athletic. Then again...she had saved herself from a rattler just this morning.

  “You’re just bait, honey.”

  Oh. Honey was almost as bad as being called sweetheart. She squeezed the bottle. Water spilled onto her fingers. She could hear it dripping onto the table, but nobody else seemed to notice. And just then a shadow darkened the portal where the end guy still held the door open. Evie caught a flash of something. An instant arc of pain hit behind her eyes again. Holy shit. That ache was Daron! He really did hear her! She had to mute the instant realization before the Hunters saw it. And so she started talking, using her conversationalist voice, as if she was on stage answering a question for a beauty pageant.

  “You gentlemen do realize how crazy you sound...yes?”

  Hunter Number One lifted the crossbow and aimed it right at her breast. Evie’s heart stumbled. Recovered. And started pounding away in her chest. Every muscle grew tense. Prepared. Readied. She’d never had such a reaction. She’d never faced a deadly projectile from a table length away, either.

  “Joe, what are you doing? If you kill her, we’ll lose the vampire and our patch!”

  The back Hunter guy hissed it. Evie smiled.

  “Well. I certainly hope you brought something bigger than that,” she said.

  Joe tripped the trigger, the arrow shot out, and Evie had it the moment it left the crossbow. She didn’t even look. She was fixated on Joe as his severed arm dropped to the floor, still carrying the crossbow. He was screaming, his arm stump was sending spurts of blood spraying outward, and everywhere was a mist of red. Blood red. The air was alive with droplets. They showered the figure twisting amidst them, outlining him, and glinting off his curved blade sword. Otherwise, he’d have been too blurred to see.

  Joe’s scream choked off. Evie caught his glance. He looked crazed. And desperate. And enraged. He had a sharp stick. Evie saw it. And reacted. Joe got the water bottle right between the eyes. She’d launched it with such force the bottle was embedded into his skull. He slammed into the wall where Supervisor Craig had hidden. And then he slid down, coating the white paint with a long streak of dark red.

  “It’s the vam—!”

  Hunter Number Two didn’t finish the warning. His decapitated head flew toward where Supervisor Craig and Hunter Joe sprawled, while his body slumped in slow motion; first to its knees, and then flat onto the floor. That sent even more blood into the area. Her vision was filled with it. Every inhalation carried it. She should be horrified. Her teeth vibrated. Her heart hammered. Her breath caught.

  She watched in a semi-fascinated state as Hunter Three got sliced in half, cleanly through the torso, including his arms and weapon.

  And then Daron was before her, a large billowing cloak settling around his form, while blood trickled off this blade tip.

  “Eshq-e man?”

  “I love you,” she replied.

  Then she was in his arms. He was shuddering. She matched it. It wasn’t possible to hold tighter, but she tried. She held to him as he wrapped his heavy cloak about them, covering her completely, and she held tighter as he raced through the building. He called her eshq-e man, his love, his mate, his woman, but only when she gave him space between kisses.

  She couldn’t wait to get back to Ecbatana Palace and get him all alone.

  ~ ~ ~

  “Ah. Your Highness has arrived. A little ahead of schedule...and look. You have your mate. Welcome to VAL Airlines. You two want to board, so we can get airborne?”

  It was déjà vu. That voice. The interior of a private jet. Daron’s arms about her.

  “We’re not going back to Ecbatana Palace?” she asked.

  “No, eshq-e man. Too hot.”

  “We’re in the southwestern United States, Daron. It’s always hot.”

  He entered the plane cabin, sat, and unfolded the cloak about her that had kept her from a sun-searing. And then he grinned. Evie put a hand to his cheek and her thumb along his lower lip. Damn! He really was gorgeous.

  “You misunderstand, my love. It’s been compromised. We cannot return for some time. Perhaps...centuries.”

  “Where are we going, then?”

  The pilot answered through the intercom. “Everyone ready back there? Take-off in about a minute, give or take. I understand the Zona de Silencio is desolate and dry and pretty much deserted this time of year. What am I saying? It’s always like that. Next stop. Mexico.”

  “We’re going to Mexico?” Evie asked.

  “I recreated every palace of the Persian Empire. The one in Mexico is modeled after Susa Palace. I...had a lot of time on my hands.”

  “I’m going to become a full vampire then?�
��

  “You did say you love me?”

  “Oh. I do. I do. I just—um. Does it hurt?”

  He chuckled. “I will be gentle.”

  “Will I be able to fly and all those other things?”

  “You already have heightened senses and immense reflex speed. I’ve seen it.”

  “So that’s how I just caught an arrow.”

  “And the snake this morn.”

  “I knew I felt you. You were there?”

  “Yes. I was there. I will always be there. I am your mate, Evelyn. You are the most important thing in my world. Forever. To have you is to reach pairi-daeza. I have never felt such heart pain as when you left me.”

  “But you didn’t stop me?”

  “I cannot force you. I love you too much.”

  “Dang. You are definitely moving up the scale here, Daron. But, I’ve got one more minor little issue you are going to have to address.”

  “Anything for you.”

  “It’s about your harem.”

  He lifted his brows and regarded her with those beautiful silver eyes. Evie almost sighed.

  “You can name whatever portion of the palaces whatever you like. You can redecorate or we can rebuild. We don’t have a harem anymore.”

  “Okay. But what about...the harem girls?”

  “My estate managers will handle it. The women will be flown back to the old country and given enormous severance packages. Others will be hired and trained. Those are my instructions.”

  “You have harem girls at Susa Palace, too?”

  “I keep staff at all my palaces.”

  “I’d suggest you retire them early.”

  “You don’t wish servants? Or the palaces to be cleaned and maintained?”

  “I don’t share, Daron.”

  Her prince raised one eyebrow in question.

  “I’m a Jersey girl. I love you. I’m claiming you. You are my man. Got it?”

  He nipped at her thumb. Evie’s entire form pulsed, sending her even closer to him.

  “There is no other woman for me, eshq-e man. There never has been. You are my mate. My one. My only. I will only hire male servants if that is your wish. But I will not allow them to assist you in any fashion. Be forewarned.”

  “What? No more spa days?”

  “All right. Maybe I will consider an eunuch or two.”

  Evie laughed. “Daron. You are really cute. I’m definitely going to raise you to a twelve. Now that I know the score, I’ll play. I have no problem with harem women, but have your manager hire unattractive ones from now on.”

  “You do not wish beauty about you?”

  “I don’t want to be overshadowed by the women around me. I’m not competing ever again.”

  Daron’s eyes warmed to the color of molten lead. “Evelyn. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. It is impossible for you to be overshadowed by anyone. Anytime or anywhere. I’m just grateful to have matched you on this fictitious scale you speak of.”

  “What?”

  “I was told you were a twelve. You deserve a twelve. We are a match. And soon we will be completely matched. And mated. You love me? You will become one with me?”

  “Oh, yeah. Hell yes. Does this plane of yours have a private area...something like a bedroom? I mean, I seem to recall a really large bed, a coverlet of quilted, peach-colored satin, and—wow!”

  The man could move like lightning. And then some.

  -o0o-

  CHAPTER ONE

  Whorehouses.

  Tons of breasts. Thighs. Lots of options. All fantasies allowed. If a customer had the funds, anything and everything was offered. There was only one thing Zachariah Penn wanted –a man who abused and mutilated women. The guy he chased had done just that, to two formerly-beautiful women. Two of Mister Hong’s best girls. Mister Hong wasn’t taking that lying down. The Hong family offered a huge bounty. Dead or alive. No questions asked.

  That’s why Zach was out here, traveling in a horse-drawn carriage through wooded territory that had cast long shadows before the sun had gone down. This particular bounty was too big to pass up. One-point-five-million. In Euros. That was enough to get Zachariah Penn’s interest. That’s why he was chasing a piece of shit named Leroy, barely missing him in three shithole establishments so far. Leroy wasn’t hard to follow. The bastard left a swath of mutilated women in his path. He liked to carve on breasts, cut across ass-cheeks, and slit cheeks to widen mouths. He was a complete bastard. The entire assignment was getting beneath Zach’s skin.

  There wasn’t much that could make this worse.

  Zach slid a glance toward his companion again. The coach swayed, rocking him on his bench. The gas-lit lantern hanging from the roof sent light back and forth. Back. Forth. The other gentleman appeared to have made a corresponding shift, but it was a little too studied. Unnatural. Everything about the other traveler gave Zach pause. The guy hadn’t said two words since meeting him. He hadn’t even moved until the sun had gone down. Yet, now he watched Zach with intense dark eyes. More than once, Zach had palmed his knife as they studied each other.

  He’d gone backward in time or something.

  This must be what the customers wanted. The higher priced the establishment, the more they catered to their clientele’s vagaries. And this one was expensive. Just getting into this carriage had cost almost a thousand Euros. He hadn’t dressed appropriately, though. The gentleman opposite him was outfitted in some archaic fashion that probably suited the late Victorian era. Maybe earlier. Zach didn’t know or care. He wasn’t an aficionado of history or men’s fashion. He wore black slacks, a plain tan-shaded pullover, and a tailored sport coat large enough for his shoulders. And yet he was the one who looked odd and out-of-place.

  The place they journeyed to sounded just as bad.

  The newest cathouse Leroy was visiting was located in a haunted castle, something called Kraven – spelled with a “K” – as if nobody could guess what really happened there. It wasn’t listed in any tourist brochure. It didn’t show up well on the satellite photo Zach had studied on the way. Castle Kraven was old, decayed, and straddling some no-man’s land in the mountains near the Romanian border. Nobody seemed to know much about it. Or even check. Castle Kraven was off the beaten path by several kilometers and centuries away from modernity.

  Zach lifted the black curtain semi-affixed to the coach wall and glanced out. It was pitch black outside. No moon. He wondered for a moment how the coachman managed to stay on the road while keeping control of the six matching black horses. But that wasn’t his problem and he didn’t much care. Zach turned his attention back to his companion. The guy on the opposing bench set his nerves on edge. He couldn’t quite figure out why. Something wasn’t right.

  “Good evening,” the man said.

  “Likewise,” Zach replied.

  “My name is Reginald—”

  “I don’t want to know your name,” Zach interrupted him.

  “Ah. You must have...business at Castle Kraven.”

  “Well, I’m not going there for the wine,” Zach replied.

  “Perhaps I can interest you—”

  “No. You can’t.”

  “How will you know until you hear my offer?”

  “Oh. You don’t have anything I want, buddy. Including conversation. Trust me.”

  Zach cut him off again. His travelling companion laughed. And then the coach jerked to a stop. Zach’s back smacked into the seat behind him. Reginald didn’t seem to even move.

  “Halt! You move and we’ll shoot!”

  A voice shouted it from outside the coach. They had to be kidding. It wasn’t enough to parody the past? They had to playact highway robbery, too? And why was he even wondering it? He’d seen stranger things in the last few places. It was obvious. Customers of Castle Kraven got nothing but the best.

  Of the eighteenth century, anyway.

  Now was not a good time to be in a lighted carriage, almost blind. Zach reached up and grabbed fo
r the lamp, caught it on a return swing, and started twisting the wick back into the oil. He wasn’t fast enough. The door cracked open and somebody chucked in what looked like a grenade. It made a thunk sound on the wooden floor and then it rolled to a stop right beneath his left foot.

  A grenade?

  Son of a—!

  Zach had a second to recognize and evaluate; another to shove his head under his arm, and a last second to recognize that this was it. He was leaving planet earth, and didn’t even have time to bend over and kiss his ass goodbye. Only it wasn’t anything like he expected. There was a pop sound as the grenade ruptured, followed by a hissing sound, and then the enclosure filled with so much water, it was hard to breathe, while his companion started shrieking like he’d been sprayed with napalm. Zach swiped a hand across his eyes, moving hair that was plastered to his face with the amount of moisture in the air. Yep. It was just water.

  So why did it smell like something was burning?

  The door got yanked open, sending night air in to swirl the water vapor to mist. A crossbow jutted in at his knee level. The infiltrator was standing outside on the ground, aiming upward. Zach tromped on the bow, and felt the projectile race across the bottom of his shoe sole. He had bastards attacking and they were using arrows? What the hell was wrong with these people?

  “We got one vamp, and one schmuck!”

  “Schmucks first!”

  Somebody shouted. Somebody else answered, and another person stuck another crossbow into the aperture. Zach kicked a neck and snagged the bow. He was on his way to flipping it around, when it got really nasty. They tazed him.

  Dual hooks slapped into his shirt with 25,000 volts of power, delivering 4 mil amperage. Zach cried out and dropped, every muscle locked as he convulsed along the floorboard. He’d also lost grip on the weapon. The crossbow danced along beside him with the force of his movements, adding a thudding sound to the mix. He clenched his teeth together to prevent cracking any of them.

  “And now the vampire. Go!”

  Vampire?

  He heard it. He even watched it. Somebody grabbed the crossbow from beside him, aimed it from about six inches away, and shot a short arrow right into his traveling companion. The arrow speared right through Reginald, sticking his out-of-date coat to his chest. But something was really weird. Reginald’s face wasn’t a face. It looked more like a pitted mask from some horror flick, with black and red holes eating through the flesh that each sent a waft of smoke upward.