Good, Sam thought. TJ had also fed. She would need all the strength a blood meal would provide for what Sam had planned.
Sam gave a low whistle, too low for Normals to hear, but TJ’s heightened senses brought her instantly awake, her eyes searching the darkness until she saw Sam standing naked in the doorway.
Sam put her finger to her lips and motioned TJ out into the sitting room.
TJ slipped out of Shooter’s arms and joined Sam in the outer room.
Sam hurriedly explained about the phone call from Morpheus and the danger the Silvers were in. TJ didn’t hesitate.
“Just let me get dressed and we’ll be on our way,” she said as she whirled around and reentered the bedroom.
Ten minutes later, they were in Matt’s car heading for the Silvers’ home. On the way, they discussed their plans for the upcoming confrontation.
Eighteen
Sam drove as fast as she could toward the Silvers’ house, slowing only when she saw a Wal-Mart store. She whipped into the parking lot.
TJ glanced at her and with a wry smile said, “Sam, I really don’t think this is the best time for some late night shopping.”
Sam grimaced. “On the contrary, TJ, this is the best time for what I have in mind.”
With a shrug, TJ exited the car and followed Sam into the store, almost having to run to keep up with her friend.
Sam moved directly to the hardware section and moved slowly down the aisles until she came to a rack of machetes hanging on a display. The swordlike knives were three-feet long and had a wicked-looking hook at the end of the blade. Sam took two down and turned to TJ. “Since Elijah isn’t here to provide us with his katanas, these will have to do.”
TJ nodded slowly, seeing what Sam had in mind. Since the only way to kill a vampyre was to behead him or to burn him to a smoldering crispy critter, Sam’s idea was a good one.
Sam then proceeded to the automotive section and picked up a three-gallon gas can, a pail, and a roadside emergency flare. “One more stop at the nearest gasoline station, and we’ll be good to go,” she observed.
TJ smiled grimly. “Girl, I like the way you think.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Sam pulled their car to a stop three houses down from the Silvers’ place and cut the engine. “TJ, since Morpheus might well have some sort of mental connection with me, I’ll try and keep my mind focused on the Silvers. You take up a station near the front door in the bushes along the front of the house. Once you get set, empty the gasoline out of the can and into the pail. I’ll try and draw Morpheus out onto the front steps, since we don’t want to burn Shelly’s house down unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
TJ nodded quickly. “You get the bastard out there, and I’ll do the rest.”
As the girls moved quickly through the darkness, Morpheus was sitting staring hungrily at Shelly and Barbara Silver in their living room. He’d bound them to kitchen chairs with duct tape and was enjoying the terror that lurked like shadows behind their eyes.
Morpheus licked his lips as he looked at Barbara’s breasts heaving beneath her nightgown. “I’m going to enjoy eating you up, my dear,” his hoarse voice intoned, causing Shelly to struggle furiously against the tape that bound him.
Morpheus’s eyes moved to Shelly and he sneered. “You I’ll finish quickly, draining you as dry as a husk,” he said, “but first I’ll take my time with your lovely wife and let you watch. Who knows? You might even enjoy the spectacle as much as she will.”
Morpheus started when the doorbell rang and he jumped to his feet, letting his body begin its change into his vampyre form, just in case he was unable to manipulate Sam with his mind and she put up a fight. He had no illusions about women being the weaker sex—not when they were vampyre women.
Once his change was complete, he moved slowly, with the grace of a wolf on the prowl toward the front door and jerked it open.
Sam stood fifteen feet down the front walk, already changed into her vampyre form. God, he thought, she was beautiful, standing there slightly hunched over, her fangs glistening in the moonlight as her red-rimmed eyes burned into his like lasers.
He flashed a quick thought along with a command at her. Sam, come to me. Do not resist me, for our mating is inevitable!
Her eyes clouded for just a moment as she fought his commands, and then she straightened, growling and snarling at him like a rabid dog.
His eyes grew puzzled. She was far stronger than he’d ever imagined. Few Normals had ever been able to resist his mental powers and it was inconceivable to him that his mate would be able to so easily push his orders aside.
But wait, there was something just under the surface of her mind, a troubling hint of superiority with none of the fear and trepidation he’d expected, and her hands were hidden behind her as if she might be concealing a weapon.
He laughed harshly. No weapon she could possibly wield could harm him.
He stepped through the door and moved steadily down the walk toward her. This time, he spoke aloud. “I don’t know what you’re planning, my darling mate, but whatever it is will not stop me from making you mine forever.” He bared his teeth. “And after we copulate to seal our union, we will share in a feast of your friends just for good measure.”
Just as he reached out his claws to grab her, Morpheus heard a soft footfall on the grass behind him and sensed a malevolent presence.
He whirled, snarling and growling, his fangs bared as he saw yet another female vampyre lunge at him, swinging a long blade.
He ducked just in time to prevent being beheaded and caught the razor-sharp edge of the weapon on his upper right shoulder. He howled in agony as he felt the blade go all the way through bone, snapping his clavicle like a rotten twig.
His right arm hung numb and useless by his side, the pain from the blade coursing up his neck and into his head where it gnawed at his brain like a hungry rat. His withered left arm moved quickly and grabbed the blade, its sharp edge cutting into his claws as he prevented TJ from pulling it out and back for another blow. He snarled through the agony, snapping at her hand with his fangs and screaming, “You bitch!”
The back of his head exploded with a flash of fiery agony as Sam swung her machete from behind him with both her hands, wielding the weapon like a baseball bat.
The entire top of Morpheus’s head was cleaved off, leaving part of his brain exposed to the moon light, the dural membrane shining dully as bone and hair flew and vampyre blood spurted into the air in a fine red mist.
He whirled around to face his mate, screaming and howling and grabbing at his head as if he could put it back together again.
TJ released her machete and bent to pick up the pail of gasoline from the lawn next to her. With one swing, she doused Morpheus with the pungent-smelling liquid, causing him to take a step back and claw vainly at his eyes as the caustic liquid ate at the sensitive flesh and burned his exposed brain like acid.
TJ bared her fangs and yelled hoarsely, “Burn in hell, you sadistic bastard!” She snapped the top off the flare and flung it at Morpheus. The flare ignited and there was a muffled explosion as Morpheus lit up like a torch in a Fourth of July celebration.
His voice hit unbelievably high notes as his screams undulated on the night air and he took off running and stumbling down the street, the glare of his flames lighting up the dark street.
Once he rounded the nearby corner, Sam and TJ began to change back into their human forms, hands on their knees as they both bent over and vomited on the lawn at the acrid smell of burning flesh and hair, yet strangely excited by the pungent odor of his blood on the air.
As soon as they were back to their Normal appearance, they ran into the house. Seconds later, they tore the tape that bound Shelly and Barbara and helped the couple to their feet.
Shelly immediately wrapped his arms protectively around Barbara and hugged her until she laughed through her tears and begged him to stop lest he crack her ribs.
He turned
tortured, tear-filled eyes on Sam. “Is it over?” he managed to gasp through a dry throat.
“For now,” she replied. “We didn’t kill him, but it will take at least a week for his wounds to heal enough for him to be a danger.”
Barbara’s face paled and she grew faint. Shelly sat her delicately back in the chair and turned to Sam and TJ. He took a deep breath and glanced down at his trembling hands. “Now that the immediate danger is over, would you two mind telling me what the hell is going on?”
Sam nodded at TJ. “Why don’t you fix us some hot tea while I try to explain,” she said.
While TJ busied herself in the kitchen, Sam motioned Shelly to take a seat and she sat in front of the couple. Even though Shelly and Barbara had been deeply involved a couple of years back when Elijah Pike, then going under the name Dr. Roger Niemann, had committed a series of brutal murders in Houston. Shelly had helped treat both Sam and TJ when they’d been contaminated by the vampyre bug, but the couple had no detailed knowledge of the happenings in New Orleans that had brought Michael Morpheus into their lives in such a dramatic fashion.
Sam told them of Morpheus’s campaign to stop the development of a vaccine and how he was enlisting other vampyres in a vendetta against her, TJ, Matt and Shooter.
“So that’s why you disappeared a few days ago,” Shelly said, his eyes boring into Sam’s.
“Yes,” she answered. “We thought by going undercover, it might make it less dangerous for all of our friends, as well as ourselves.”
“Obviously, you miscalculated how far this Morpheus was willing to go to get back at you,” Shelly said wryly.
“Yes, it seems we underestimated his ruthlessness,” Sam said quietly. “But I can assure you, it won’t happen again.”
TJ came back into the room with four cups of steaming herbal tea on a tray, her face serious. “Still, I think it would be best if you and Barbara moved out of your house for a while, Dr. Silver. Morpheus may return seeking revenge.”
Barbara touched her husband’s face gently. “We can go stay with my sister in California for a while, Shelly. I know you have some vacation time coming.”
He nodded and looked from Sam to TJ. “I guess you’ll be leaving, too,” he said.
“Yes,” Sam answered, as TJ handed cups of tea around. “We’ve got to get as far away from here as possible so no other friends will be put in danger.”
Shelly smiled sadly, as if he could see the wisdom of this, and then he snapped his fingers and looked at TJ. “But what about your lawsuit, TJ?”
She gave a slight shrug. “That’s the least of my worries right now, Shelly. And besides, I’ve already given my deposition, and the way these things go it’ll probably be a year or so before the lawyers stop shuffling papers and we go before a judge and jury. By then all this will be over.” She added darkly, “One way or another.”
They all sat silently for a moment as they drank their tea and tried to calm their racing hearts.
Shelly emptied his cup and sat it on the kitchen table, then stood up and put his arms out and embraced both of them. “Is there anything I can do for you before you leave?”
“Yes,” Sam answered. “Could you call the blood bank at Methodist Hospital and tell them to box up all of the out-of-date blood? We’ll go by there right now to pick it up.”
“Of course,” Shelly said, his eyes narrowing as he studied the two women. Since the blood bank was under control of the Pathology Department, his orders would be followed without question.
He cleared his throat and a slight blush crept over his cheeks. “We couldn’t see what went on out front,” he said slowly, “but from the sounds of it, you and TJ have gone off your treatments.”
TJ sighed. “Yes, we have, for now. We figured it was the only chance we have to fight the other vampyres and survive.”
“Then I’m glad we didn’t see you. I’d like to remember you this way, as beautiful young women.”
Sam hugged him and Barbara. “And that’s just what we’ll be again, as soon as this threat is over,” she said.
Nineteen
I continued to watch the mountains fly past as the train sped toward Jasper, trying to stem the excitement that hearing TJ’s voice had caused in me. You might as well face it, I told myself, she is lost to you forever.
As wise as this self-counsel was, I was having an incredibly tough time dealing with the loss of my mate, especially now that I knew she was in mortal danger from Morpheus and his cohorts. It had been tough enough, going months without talking to her, but the old saw about “out of sight, out of mind” didn’t seem to hold with vampyres and their mates, for I had never ceased thinking about her, not for a second, not for an instant. Now that she seemed destined to be back in my life, if not back in my bed, it was even harder to keep my mind off her.
Too restless to sleep, I got up and headed for the smoking car, needing the presence of others around me, even if it were only Normals.
As I made my way through the narrow corridors, I reminded myself I’d been much too lax about security, especially in view of this new threat. I was surprised to realize I hadn’t even tried to use my mental powers in the time since I’d arrived in Canada. I was getting sloppy, and that was unlike me. My survival for the past two hundred years or so had always depended on my being smarter and more ruthless than my enemies, a trait I would have to nourish once again now that Morpheus and his minions were on the prowl.
Just before I got to the club car, I passed Leroy Johnson, my steward, and I focused my mind. Sure enough, Leroy’s thoughts and emotions came through loud and clear. I smiled to myself when I discovered that Leroy had a planned assignation with one of the female tourists later that evening. Leroy was looking forward to plying the young lady with champagne and teaching her how much fun it was to make love on a moving train in the middle of the night.
I nodded when I caught Leroy’s eye and, unable to resist teasing the likable fellow, I said, “Have a good time tonight, Leroy.”
Leroy blushed and stammered, “Uh, thanks Mr. Pike, but I’m just going to turn in early tonight.”
I’ll bet you are, I thought but didn’t say aloud as I opened the door to the club car and stood for a minute in the doorway.
The car was filled with a thick haze of smoke and noise as half-drunken revelers tried to make themselves heard over the clackity-clack of the steel wheels of the iron horse.
My nostrils dilated at the odor of stale beer, liquor, sweat, and smoke. All of my vampyre senses were more acute than Normals’ senses and, though most of the time this was a distinct advantage, in places like this it made me miserable. I wondered how dogs, whose sense of smell is similar to ours, could stand it.
Just as I was about to open my mind to see what I could discern from the babble of so many people in such a confined space, I heard my name being called from a side booth.
“Hey, Elijah,” Ed Slonaker yelled above the din. “Come join us for a quick one.”
I grinned and proceeded to the table where Ed and Kim Slonaker were sitting, several empty beer glasses between them.
“Some party, ay?” Kim said, her Canadian accent coming on strong since she’d gotten slightly tipsy.
I had to laugh. “Tonight it is just what I need,” I said, motioning to the waiter.
“Whiskey and water,” I ordered, then raised my eyebrows at the couple to see if they were ready for a refill.
Ed held up a nearly full bottle. “Not just yet, thanks. We’re still good.”
I wrinkled my nose after the waiter left to get my drink. “You could get emphysema just sitting here,” I observed when I noticed the Slonakers weren’t smoking either.
Ed leaned closer so he could be heard. “That’s why they call it a smoking car, partner.”
“Actually, they should call it a heavy smoking car, ay,” Kim said, giggling at her own joke.
Ed smiled at her, shaking his head. “Darlin’, I think you’ve had about enough beer for tonight.”
>
She shook her head, her lips pouting. “Nonsense,” she argued. “Bring on the suds!”
“See that, Elijah?” Ed said, grinning at his wife like a schoolboy in love. “These Canadian women can drink a man under the table.”
“I’ll remember that,” I said, joining in the laughter.
After the waiter brought my drink, I toasted Canadian women and their prodigious capacity for alcohol, much to the amusement of the Slonakers, who both ordered another round.
“What the hell,” Ed said as he popped the top of his new beer, “I’m not driving tonight.”
“It’s a good thing, too,” Kim said, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow, “’Cause you’d probably run the bloody train off the tracks.”
As they talked, I opened my mind and was surprised to find I could read neither Ed nor his wife Kim. Although it wasn’t all that unusual since vampyres could read only about eighty percent of the population, it was the first time I had ever found a couple where neither the man nor the woman could be read.
I was musing over this strange coincidence, my mind still open, when I caught a mental whiff of something wild and insane from the opposite end of the car.
I tilted my head in that direction and concentrated. Damn! There was no doubt about it. There was another of my kind on the train and from his disordered thought patterns and the irrational violence just beneath the surface it appeared that the other vampyre was deep in the throes of what my race called the Sickness.
It had been a long time since I’d encountered one of us with the Sickness, and I reviewed what I knew about it. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, often referred to as subacute spongiform encephalopathy or Mad Cow disease, is a rare and fatal brain disorder that causes a rapid, progressive dementia and associated neuromuscular disturbances in Normals. Usually caused by the ingestion of infected beef brain by-products, it can take twenty years or more to manifest itself in humans.
Since most of the infected Normals die before the symptoms become evident, it is classified as a rare disorder in the human species. Not so with vampyres. Since they consume flesh and blood from many hundreds of humans over their hundreds of years of life, the disease is much more common among the vampyre species.
Immortal Blood Page 13