by H. D. March
“But I didn’t see you?” Jess remained shocked he’d tried to kill her; heck, what was she talking about? It was pretty obvious he intended carrying out his planned execution and soon.
“You wouldn’t have recognised me, not with the half mask that all members are obliged to wear.” His thin lips quirked into a grimace. “Surprising how helpful it is in disguising identities.”
Jess knew if she lived through this she’d be giving Rune some serious advice, ditch the masks. “So, why did you kill those people, did you have a bad burger at the diner?”
“Drop the sarcasm.” A cold chill surrounded him. “It’s justice for my wife; she was executed years ago, and I have periodically slaughtered the same number of people as her age at each town with the initial that spells out her name.” He studied her. “It amuses me to play with death.”
“Good, because you haven’t met my demon dad, and trust me, you don’t want to piss him off.” Jess struggled to choke down her fear and sent her thoughts to Rune; she prayed he’d receive them. That it wasn’t like a frigging phone line that played up and ran intermittent messages, losing the signal. She concentrated, attempting to call him. Then blanked them at the next words Kobe spoke.
“Bring Rune here and you’ll be responsible for his death,” he said softly. “That is after yours of course, but call him here by all means. It would be amusing to watch him squirm whilst you die.” He raised a hand and his fingers curled with a beckoning gesture.
Several men appeared; his band of rogue vampires circled her with an avid hunger. And Jess knew she’d rather die than see Rune hurt.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Rune froze a chilled fear rocked over him. He attempted without success to calm his emotions; the scrawl of terror clung to his intestines, twisting and knotting them. He didn’t know why but he sensed that Jess was in trouble. Rune tried to connect to her and came back frustrated.
Why the hell was she blocking him?
He tried her phone, which went to answer machine.
Something was wrong.
Grabbing his car keys, he left Caprice; hitting the accelerator, the wheels spun and he roared down the spiralling road. His destination her father’s; he needed to see her, to dispel his fear, to ensure she was safe.
Reaching it, he shouldered his way into the house; the door swung open. “Jess!” he called her name and waited. Silence met him, along with a scurry of worry. He raced up the stairs and checked out each room, all empty.
“Where the fuck are you?” Pain echoed in his voice.
A vision rose of the club Cataya; he left the house and sped towards it.
Once in the reception area, he homed in on the woman that sat there. “I’m looking for Jess Chambers; have you seen her?”
“She was here a while ago, asking after her father.” The receptionist frowned. “Is anything wrong?”
“I need to speak to Kobe Sinclair.”
“One moment.” She checked the computer. “I’m afraid he’s clocked out.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, he was in the building, but now he’s left?” She gave him her impersonal you-should-know-what-I’m-talking-about look.
“And her father?” He tamped down the urge to throttle the miserable bitch.
“Still working out, I imagine.”
Rune sucked in an angry breath and, spinning round, left the gym. He knew it would be a waste of time talking to her dad. The mobile slapped to his ear. “LeBron, Jess is missing; have you seen her? Is she with Kitty?”
“No, thought I didn’t need to cover her till this evening.”
“Well, something’s happened and I don’t know where the fuck she is. I’m coming over.” Rune switched the call off and paced to the gym, checking out George. He still bounced around like an overzealous ball, and Rune wondered where the fuck she’d disappeared. Yet his worry continued to unfurl; it left a gut-wrenching twist in his stomach.
§§§
Kitty glanced at LeBron. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Jess; we don’t know where she is.” He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her, sensing her distress.
“What? But how?” Kitty clutched her throat, swallowing the fear that ransacked her body. Her friend couldn’t be in serious trouble, could she?
“I don’t know, but Rune is on his way here; he’s searched for her at her dads, but she’s vanished.”
§§§
Jess took in her surroundings; it was a cemetery of sorts. Tall trees circled them, the lean poplars rose high, their long form silhouetted against the darkening sky. The remaining vampires lounged beneath them. The murmur of their conversation drifted on the breeze.
“What are we doing here?” she stumbled alongside Kobe.
“It’s where my wife died and where you will see your final place.”
Fucking great! ”So, what happens now?”
“We wait; once the time is right, I intend to kill you.” He pushed her down onto the grass.
Jess blinked, closing her eyes briefly. Jesus, why for once couldn’t anyone say anything positive? Christ, but she was having a hard time with the scary bastards.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she breathed with a snatch of relief that she’d put it on silent.
“Sit here and don’t move. If you do, then, trust me, they’ll kill you.” Unfurling a piece of rope, he tied her to a nearby tree, looping the one wrist, tying it tight. Kobe spared her a glance and walked away. He held his mobile to his ear, a wicked smirk across his face.
Yeah, got the message, you asshole. She peered around, relieved that Kobe had moved to stand in the distance alongside his rogue vampires. He began pacing back and forth blocking their line of vision and dragging her phone out she quickly, sent a text to Kitty. Please help I’m at a village called Arunda, don’t tell Rune or LeBron. Swear to me Kit you must promise me this or they’ll be killed. She pressed send and waited. Jess didn’t want either Rune or LeBron hurt, she knew they would come in fighting and was convinced that with Kitty’s aid they could escape unharmed.
§§§
LeBron waited, and soon, Rune pulled up in a swirl of dust and gravel. He loped into the house.
“Any news? Has Kitty heard from her?” Rune brushed a hand over his eyes.
“No, nothing.” LeBron poured a drink. “Here, think you need this.” He held out a whisky.
Rune took it and necked the liquid. “Where’s Kitty?”
“Upstairs taking a shower; it’s what she does whenever she’s upset. Thinks the tears and water merge.”
Rune frowned, unconvinced. “Yeah, whatever.” The trill of his phone rang out. He picked his mobile up and paled.
LeBron glanced up, startled at his expression.
Rune didn’t know how Kobe had his number, didn’t care. His concern was Jess. “You touch her, you bastard, and I’ll make you suffer, you’ll cry out for death.”
Kobe gave a bleak grin; he trod on slow steps around the graveyard, the memories bled over him. How his wife had screamed her last breath. He’d loved her so much. And the peasants had deemed it their right to kill her. Well, now, their descendants would feel his wrath.
“I intend to kill your love, to let you experience what I have for over three hundred years. You think you can make my suffering any more intense?” Kobe asked, then hesitated. “But you will have the added loss, that of your child.”
Rune trembled with rage. “Fucking touch one hair on her body and I swear—”
“You can swear all you like, my life ended along with my wife, many years ago. And now you too will discover the pain. That of losing a loved one or, in your case, two.”
“Kobe!” screamed Rune; the call died, the line fluttered dead.
“What the fuck was that about?” LeBron shivered at the despair on his face.
“He’s going to kill her, and I don’t fucking know how to stop it!”
For the first time in his life, LeBron witnessed a br
oken Rune, strong, ruthless, relentless in his quest for vengeance, the man was in pieces.
§§§
Kitty listened to the conversation, eavesdropping, and what she heard made the decision. At first, she’d debated telling them of her text and then changed her mind. No way could she take the chance on them tipping the balance; if they went to her, she realized Kobe would take satisfaction in killing Jess in front of Rune. It was something she couldn’t risk.
Stealthily, she slithered out of the door and snuck across the darkened yard to her car. Thankful it was on a small incline, she released the handbrake and let it roll, before starting the engine.
I’m on my way.
§§§
Jess sat tethered to the tree; the tingle on her phone vibrated against her leg. Kitty would help her. Somehow, they’d get out of this and read the text. The band hunkered down, their muted words filtered through the air. It was obvious Kobe was held in esteem, and she wondered just what he had planned for her death. She also prayed that Kit would reach her before he decided to carry out the supposed threat.
And more to the point, where the frigging hell was demon dad? She wished he’d take his fatherly duties as serious as his fucking ones.
Her eyes hurt, her arms ached, and a prickle shivered over her. The tight band that wrapped around her wrist cut off her circulation, leaving it to dig into her skin. The time ticked by, the evening darkened, and she wondered when Kit would put in an appearance. Surely, it couldn’t be much longer? At least her friend would make an inconspicuous entrance, unlike Rune or LeBron.
And she had her answer.
A large, pale wolf hurled itself past her. A wicked set of teeth glinted in the semi light.
Jess rolled her eyes; what was the female version of Rambo up to? Why the frigging hell couldn’t she be a bit more selective? Like sneak up? Nibble at her bindings and creep away? But no, she had to draw attention to herself. And there was no denying that.
Several sets of eyes devoured her.
Oh for fuck’s sake, Bruce Lee she wasn’t.
Kitty’s attention swept over Jess before leaping forward. She hurled her body into the melee of vamps that closed in on her and greeted them with snapping jaws. Jess closed her eyes to the sound of ripping flesh and torn screams and actually dared to peek. Jesus, she’d always thought Kitty preferred a vegetarian diet.
Then screamed when Kobe came from behind, hitting Kitty across her head, and her form changed back to human, she lay unconscious on the ground. Even Lycan, she was no match for several vampires and the backstabbing bastard, thought Jess. Yet she’d made an impact, two bodies lay broken on the floor.
“Please don’t hurt her anymore!” Jess begged Kobe, who crouched snarling over Kitty.
He rose and indicated with one crick of his finger. “Tie her up with the bitch; they can die together.”
Jess’s worried gaze fed over her friend. She wished she hadn’t called her now. It was her fault she was in this mess and sucked in a pained glut of breath. “I’m sorry, Kit,” she whispered.
Kitty’s eyes remained closed, and she muttered. “I tried, hun, I tried.”
§§§
LeBron trotted up the stairs and stared around the empty bedroom. He searched it and called Kitty’s name. A flood of worry came back. At once, he crossed to the window and, pulling the curtain open, looked out across the deserted yard. Her car was missing.
Fuck!
Rune glanced up as LeBron raced into the kitchen. He’d been on his mobile checking out the sites where the killings had taken place, because no way would he rest till he found her.
“Kitty’s left the house.”
“And?”
“And I think she’s gone to Jess.”
Rune’s heart slammed into him. “Can you track her?”
“Are you for fucking real; of course I can; being Lycan gives us extra senses, and one is smell.”
“Then what are we waiting for, let’s get the hell out of here.”
Rune followed, his wolf form trod behind LeBrons prints. “I hope to Christ you’re right on this.”
LeBron snarled. “It’s my woman I’m seeking, yours is incidental.”
Rune growled low in his throat. As long as he led him to his, he didn’t give a fuck.
§§§
Jess whimpered, her wrist hurt and she was terrified that nothing could save them now. A flood of guilt washed over her that she’d brought Kitty to her. Was responsible for her friend’s death, she lay collapsed beside her, unconscious. Blood coated her head and she prayed she wasn’t seriously injured. What the frigging hell was she talking about? Any second, any moment and they were about to be killed? What the flaming hell difference did a headache make?
Jess shivered. The vampires circled, their attention fed over them with keen eyes. Heck, if they were a lobster in a tank, they couldn’t have generated any more attention. Kobe, she noticed, stayed back in the shadows, keeping a type of anonymity. She wondered when he would make the decision to kill, or was keeping them on tenterhooks part of the torture?
An ominous silence lay over the area. There were no muted mutterings, instead an eeriness infiltrated the air.
Jess followed how they stalked them, pacing back and forth. She knew it wouldn’t be long, that soon their lives would be forfeit. Kitty remained unconscious, and Jess was glad that Kitty wouldn’t see what was coming. She peered into the gloom, at Kobe, who walked slowly towards her. His face hard, his eyes glinting, and Jess knew she was staring at death.
Fuck, Dad, get your ass into gear and do something?
A scream broke out of her throat when two wolves suddenly burst through the trees. One she’d seen before and knew it was Rune, the other she guessed was LeBron. Thank you God!
The vampires moved forward in unison, charging towards them. And Jess cringed and closed her eyes at the fight that was about to take place. She was too scared to peep, afraid that Rune would be hurt, and neither could she witness his relentless killing. A cacophony of screams echoed over the landscape, along with the tenacious roars from Rune and LeBron. It appeared to go on for hours, yet in fact was over in minutes.
Finally, when silence prevailed, she dared to open her eyes. The bodies lay scattered over the ground, a mass of blood and ripped torsos littered the area; she then glanced up.
Straight into the gray orbs of Kobe.
Jess gasped when he forced her to stand, he held her tight, one arm behind her back, his hand around her neck. Kitty remained crumpled on the floor. She gave a startled scream when a knife flashed and he severed the rope, thankful that it wasn’t her throat.
The wolves turned and changed, both Rune and LeBron stood before them.
“Witness this, Rune, I’m going to snap her neck, and when I do, not only will you lose your love, but also the child she carries.”
Fucking big mouth, did he have to blurt it out? “Rune, take care, and whatever happens, I need to let you know, well, I…I, shit, Rune, I love you.” God, did she have to sound so melodramatic?
“You harm her and I swear you’ll dance in hell for the rest of your life,” swore Rune.
Jess noticed he hadn’t said he loved her back but ignored her. Just frigging great, she was about to be killed, and he couldn’t even be bothered to lie. The twat!
Kobe gave a slow smirk. “I intend to do a damn sight more than harm her. I want to watch the agony on your face as she dies.” He gripped her head and slowly twisted it.
Jess whimpered at the sharp pain.
His gaze locked onto Rune. “Say goodbye.”
A terrified scream ripped out of her throat, this was it, she was about to die. For one final time, she let herself feed off Rune, committing his face to memory. Her one free hand covered her stomach. “Gabriel, I’m sorry, baby,” she whispered to her bump, the tears glinting in her eyes at what wouldn’t be.
Rune flew forward towards her, he appeared to move in slow motion, and the absolute devastation on his face said it a
ll, that he’d be too late.
“Big mistake, asshole.” A familiar voice resonated around the glade, along with a shaft of silver lightening that seized Kobe; it blasted into him, rendering his arms loose.
Jess collapsed to the floor and Rune pulled her into his arms that shivered with relief. He hauled her to safety, away from Sinclair as his screams filled the air.
LeBron gripped Kitty, scooping her into his arms, cradling her, safe.
The silver lightening swirled in a ring around Kobe, each curl dragged and sucked the life out of him. It continued in a slow merciless roll, his screams gradually weakened, until he dissolved in a pile of dust.
Jess stared in shock at the empty spot, the grey ash pooled over the grass. Then turned to see Frazer materialize along with her mother. Doreen held a sheet around her body, and Jess knew they’d been at it again. No wonder he’d been so long coming and tried to rephrase her thoughts.
He’d come all right, into her darling mother.
Frazer loped towards her. “Nothing hurts my daughter, or my grandchild.” He rubbed his hands together as if he’d just finished a chore. “Well then, that takes care of that bastard, and I see that the rogues have been taken care of.”
Rune’s arms curved with a vicious tenacity and he held her tight. “Woman, you ever pull a stunt like that again, and I swear that I…fuck, you’ve put years on me.” His voice whispered broken, husky with emotion.
“Hey, it wasn’t my fault I was—”
“Shut the hell up, Jess, I’m telling you we’re going to have that talk.”
He pulled her close to him, his arms bound in a protective circle and she could feel him trembling. Jess knew he was hurting, had been scared, could that mean he was relieved she was unharmed? Or was it disappointment that Frazer had arrived in time, just. Either way, she decided to put it to the test, to tell the randy ox again.
“Dad, meet Rune, the father of my baby and the man I love.” Her screech rang out when he spun her around, his lips searched for hers, his tongue licked across her lips.
The hushed words sent shivers over her. “Jess, do you really mean that?” His voice hoarse it crept and snuck into every passionate corner. “You didn’t admit to me you were pregnant, and I thought you didn’t care.” His knuckles grazed her cheek. “That I’d have to fucking kidnap you until you came around to my way of thinking.”