“Where you headed?” asked the man.
“To the airport,” said Jack.
“No bags or nothing?”
Jack shook his head. There wasn’t anything he could have packed that would have prepared him for this. He climbed into the taxi’s backseat, and the driver made a quick U-turn in the road and started heading in the direction of the airport.
He didn’t know if he was doing the right thing. Part of him abhorred the idea of running away, but he wasn’t sure if that was the reality of his situation. He was removing himself from the island, from Katie’s life, and from Ryoko’s life. He was doing it for their sake, to give them a chance to live normal lives, without the danger of being around him.
He didn’t know where he was going to go, or what he was going to do when he got there. He tried not to think too much about what his grandfather would think if he could see him now. Maybe, for a vampire, a life of exile could still technically fit with the tenets of the Masterson Code. Or maybe not.
With the inheritance money in his bank account, Jack knew that he’d never struggle. He could make thirteen million dollars last a very long time, regardless of where he chose to live. He could live a happy, healthy life… as a vampire. A life where he’d be forced to feed off someone every few days. A life full of value judgements about who deserved to be on the receiving end of his bloodthirst, and how to cope with the inherent darkness of his vampiric condition.
The taxi pulled into the airport’s dropoff lane, and Jack passed a few bills forward to the driver before getting out. The airport seemed so much larger and intimidating after even just a few days on Lestaron Island. It was easy to see why so many people ended up living their lives within the small island’s confines. Leaving was full of uncertainty, like stepping off a cliff and trusting that the water below was safe for the drop.
He wasn’t feeling sorry for himself. No, it was closer to the opposite of that. There was a cold finality to his decision, in the same way that a person might feel that’s about to turn to a life of crime and never come back. It was liberating, as though he’d finally decided to swim with the current instead of against it.
It was the middle of the night, and Jack was the only person outside the airport as the taxi drove off. He stood there for a minute, watching the clear glass entrance doors and knowing that there would be no coming back once he went through them. He took a breath, and finally started forward.
An arm looped through his, linked at the elbow, as though he was about to be led skipping away on a date. Jack stared at Mira, who had seemingly materialized beside him out of the empty shadows. She was smiling, and her red eyes were fixated on him with the intimate focus of a lovestruck teenager.
“My sweet Jack,” she whispered. “I am so happy for you.”
Jack clenched his jaw and jerked away from her, knocking her back with his shoulder. She was wearing a clean white sweater over a purple skirt and tight black leggings, the same outfit she’d had on when they’d first met. He’d looked at her then and seen a pretty young woman with an elegant smile and long blonde hair. He’d looked at a monster and seen a maiden. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
“Why?” asked Jack. “Tell me why you’re so intent on ruining my life. This island could have been a second chance for me, if you hadn’t gotten involved.”
Mira furrowed her brow and pursed her lips together. She started toward him again, and Jack tensed up, bringing his arms into position to defend himself.
“You ask me why,” said Mira. “But you don’t realize that it’s a meaningless question. Why does the sun rise and set? Why do the birds chirp, and why does the grass grow? Because this is the way things are supposed to be, Jack.”
“You don’t get to decide the way things are supposed to be!” he said.
Mira seemed to ignore both his anger and tone of voice. She stepped in a little closer to him, moving slowly, and leaving herself completely undefended.
“I didn’t know how you’d react to my last gambit,” said Mira. “You’re so wonderfully unpredictable. So I waited outside the mansion. I thought you were coming to find me, at first, but I like this even better.”
“You’re obsessed,” said Jack. “This is insane. I don’t understand what you want, Mira. And even if I did, I wouldn’t give it to you.”
She closed the last stretch of distance between them, slowly pulling Jack into an embrace. His first impulse was to push her back again, but she brought her hand to his face, gently caressing his cheek and chin, and her red eyes held him in place.
“You are still so young,” whispered Mira. “You don’t yet understand how life works. How meaning and purpose form out of events and people. I loved Peter, even if he hated me. Maybe even because of it.”
“I’m not Peter,” said Jack. It was hard to get the words out while facing the overwhelming presence of her intense eyes. “I… am not my grandfather.”
“I know!” said Mira. “And that’s why I’m so excited! With every decision you make, and every word you utter, I become even more certain of it. You are what destiny has in store for me.”
“Are you even listening to yourself?” he asked. “You’re out of your mind.”
“We can go anywhere.” Mira shifted her head to the side, breathing the words against his ear. “Brazil, Thailand, Costa Rica. We’ll settle somewhere off the radar of the Order, and live, and be happy. And I’m not asking you to come alone. You can take Peter’s apprentice, and your maid too, if you want. I want you to be happy, Jack.”
“That’s what you think would make me happy?” he asked.
“We’ll both have happiness like we’ve never known,” said Mira. “This is our happy ending. It’s like the end scene of a romantic movie. You’re here at the airport, and I find you just in time. And now, after making it past all the obstacles and our own doubts, we can finally be together…”
Mira squeezed his hand. She looked so earnest, and Jack had no doubt that she was serious about every word she’d just said. There was something broken inside of her, and she’d convinced herself that he could be the fix for it. Was this a result of how her relationship with his grandfather had ended? Did it even matter?
“No,” said Jack. “I’m not going anywhere with you. You can’t just manipulate someone into your imagined fantasy of how things should be, Mira. And I’m not my grandfather, but I think it’s fair to say that he would have made the same choice here.”
He pulled away from her, flexing the muscle that was his willpower as he broke eye contact with her. She’d come far closer to convincing him than he wanted to admit. She made his circumstances sound like an opportunity to have what he’d always wanted, and he hated himself for finding it so tempting.
Mira seemed to consider his refusal for a moment. The smile didn’t fade from her face.
“I thought you might say that,” she said. “Which is why I prepared a contingency.”
She started walking by him, heading toward the airport’s entrance.
“Where are you going?” asked Jack.
“A group of tourists is due to depart from Lestaron Island in less than an hour,” said Mira. “They’re probably already waiting inside the airport. I’m going to kill all of them.”
Jack hesitated for only an instant before hurling himself into action. He focused his blood magic, casting Spectral Hand in the shape of a lasso and casting the shadowy tendril around her. Mira smiled and let out a small sigh, not even bothering to counterattack.
Jack tightened the ethereal lasso. Mira faded into shadow as it closed around her waist, reappearing a few feet to the side. Jack let himself feel all of the simmering anger he’d been keeping contained ever since she’d first turned him into a vampire against his will.
He rushed forward, throwing a punch at Mira’s face. He was fast, but she was even faster, and his attack missed by a wide margin after taking her dodge into account. He spun, trying to lash out with one of his legs. This time, Mira dodged behind
him, draping one of her arms over his shoulder and cupping his cheek with the other.
“You are so outmatched,” she whispered. “I’ve been a vampire for longer than you’ve been alive, Jack. You inherited what little power you have from me, your broodmother. It speaks volumes about both your confidence and your ignorance that you would believe that you stand a chance against me.”
“I will kill you,” said Jack, through clenched teeth. “And you deserve it for everything you’ve done. And everything you will do.”
Mira laughed and planted a small kiss on her neck. Jack slammed his elbow backward, finally managing to catch her by surprise. Bone struck bone as the point of his arm connected with her ribcage, and Mira let out a gasp of pain.
Jack immediately followed up, whirling around and summoning his Spectral Sword to slam forward through Mira’s stomach. Or at least, that was what he tried to do. She caught the magical weapon within a coiled Spectral Hand tendril, holding it less than an inch from its intended destination.
“I can teach you,” whispered Mira. “Or, I can break you. The choice is yours, Jack.”
“There is a third option.” Jack pressed forward with all his strength, trying to finish his strike. “You die here. I go back to normal. And Lestaron Island can be safe again.”
Mira made an offended noise, and her expression looked a little wounded.
“It makes my heart hurt to hear you speak those words,” she said. “Even Peter had the decency to keep his banter polite most of the time.”
“That wasn’t banter,” said Jack. “That was a promise.”
He pulled back, slashing defensively and putting one of the pillars that reinforced the airport’s outdoor overhanging in between himself and her. Mira disappeared from view for an instant, and Jack spun around in time to watch as she rematerialized behind him.
She gave him a push. It was such a simple, basic movement that Jack didn’t dodge as effectively as he should have. Mira’s hand hit the front of his chest, and went flying, landing in the airport’s parking lot and rolling several times across the concrete. The friction of the hard ground made him miss his grandfather’s duster.
Mira materialized near him again, this time standing over him, projecting her dominance with her body. Jack slowly sat up but didn’t dare rise beyond one knee. He looked up at her, and then saw a figure crouched in the parked cars beyond them. It was Katie, still clad in her leather catsuit, setting up her crossbow slowly to avoid making any noise.
“You can’t win in a fight against me, Jack,” said Mira. “Don’t be stupid.”
Jack took a slow breath, considering what Katie would need to get a shot off at a target that could basically teleport through shadows.
“You’re right,” he said.
“I’m… right?” asked Mira. “Am I hearing this correctly? Have you finally come to your senses?”
“You’ve always been right,” he said. “Which is why it frustrates me so much to admit it. I am like you, Mira. In so many ways.”
Mira crossed her arms, frowning at him slightly. Jack wanted to check on Katie’s progress, but knew it would be too dangerous to look in her direction.
“Interesting,” said Mira. “You’re telling me exactly what I want to hear. Where has your rebelliousness gone? What happened to your fire?”
“Maybe you’re just hearing what you want to hear,” said Jack. “I came to the airport tonight to leave Lestaron Island and never look back. What difference does it make if I leave alone, or with you? I get the feeling you would follow me even if I somehow managed to slip away from you and onto a plane after this fight.”
Mira let a pleased laugh, followed by a sigh. She extended her hand and Jack accepted it, allowing her to help him to his feet.
“You do sound sincere,” said Mira. “But you must understand how difficult it is for me to believe that the will to fight has gone out of you so suddenly.”
He could see Katie, out of the corner of his eye. She’d set the crossbow up on the hood of a car, using it to brace for her shot, but the angle was wrong. Mira needed to be a step further back.
“Trust me,” said Jack. “All of the fight has not gone out of me.”
He pulled her into an embrace, and let his eyes meet hers. For a moment, he forgot what he was doing, pulled in by the aura of her crimson gaze. She was beyond what any normal woman could be. The way she looked at him left no doubt in Jack’s mind that if he gave her the chance, she would show him possibilities beyond his current understanding. For the first time since being turned into a vampire, Jack understood that choosing Mira was an option available to him. He could, if he wanted to, go down that road, and see where it led.
He kissed her, letting his hands get aggressive as they roamed across her body. Mira let out a pleased moan and let her tongue tangle against his. Jack squeezed one of her buttocks and took a step forward, leaning Mira into where she needed to be.
Katie’s crossbow made a sharp hissing noise as it released the silver bolt. Mira flinched, but Jack held her in place, risking his own safety by being so close. The silver bolt crossed the parking lot in an instant, slamming into Mira’s neck and releasing a deluge of blood a slightly deeper red than the color of her eyes.
Mira let out a terrifying, gargling scream and slammed Jack backward. He hit a car and flipped over it, somersaulting through the air before coming down in a painful, tangled heap. He heard Katie launch another crossbow bolt, but it struck a car instead of its intended target.
“You…!” screamed Mira.
She was running away from them, and she looked more demon than human. Blood was streaming from her neck wound, staining both her white sweater and her face as she smeared it around in an attempt to hold the wound. Mira smashed through one of the glass doors and into the airport, disappearing from sight.
“Jack!” Katie was at his side, helping him. “Come on! We have her!”
“Katie…” he said. “Are you okay?”
The question was a loaded one, and he immediately felt bad for asking it right then and there. Katie wouldn’t look at him, and he didn’t know if it was because of how ashamed she was over what they’d done, or as a coping mechanism to keep from losing herself to the effects of enthrallment.
“Let’s go!” she said, ignoring the question.
CHAPTER 42
They sprinted after Mira, following an obvious trail of blood left in the wake of her escape. The airport was emptier than it had been when Jack had first arrived on Lestaron Island, with only a few staff members milling about at their stations. They looked confused and a little horrified, though the sight of Mira running by apparently hadn’t been enough to make them flee their posts.
Jack and Katie charged after the retreating vampire. A man wearing the uniform of airport security took a step toward them as they rushed by, and seemed to think better of getting involved.
“You’re going to have to try to distract her so I can get another shot off,” shouted Katie. “Can you manage to hold out against her for another minute or two?”
“She’s wounded,” said Jack. “It shouldn’t be a problem.”
They both slowed to a stop as they rounded the corner and entered the baggage claim area. Mira stood on top of one of the luggage carousels, with a half dozen wavering, dark tendrils already extended from her body. Her expression was contorted with cold fury, and her tendrils immediately began flinging luggage at Jack and Katie with frightening force.
Jack had to roll out of the way to avoid taking a suitcase to the head. He conjured his sword as he stood to his feet, swinging the black and red blade in time to deflect another flying bag away from him. Toiletries and clothing exploded outward as the sword sliced it open.
Katie launched a crossbow bolt at Mira, but she threw herself sideways, dodging to the second luggage carousel. Jack sprinted toward her, swinging his sword at her head. Mira dodged, but he’d been expecting that, and immediately attempted to ensnare her with a Spectral Hand tendril lo
oped into a lasso.
Mira used a blood magic spell that he didn’t recognize, a blast of purple and blue-white force that knocked Jack backward and left a thin layer of frost on his clothing. He’d managed to get the lasso around her, but as he focused his will to tighten it, Mira simply dematerialized free, moving a few feet to the side.
Jack rushed to his feet, trying again. Another silver bolt hissed through the air, this one only missing Mira’s head by a few inches. How many bolts did Katie have left to spare? He needed to bring the fight to an end sooner, rather than later.
“I won’t forget this…” said Mira, speaking through gritted teeth. “There will be a reckoning for this, Jack.”
He didn’t bother replying. Instead, Jack tried using Spectral Hand and Spectral Sword in tandem. He knew that he didn’t need to ensnare Mira for the lasso to be effective. If he could force her into a spot within range of his sword, the outcome would be the same.
Mira seemed to sense what he intended. She used one of her own tendrils to slide a large duffle bag across the floor, knocking Jack’s feet out from under him. He tried to roll as he landed, but Mira grabbed him with more of her tendrils before he could. He screamed as he felt her pulling at his limbs, threatening to dislocate his shoulders, or worse.
Katie launched another bolt, and this one struck true. Mira let out a bloodcurdling scream as the silver projectile pierced through her shoulder. She dematerialized, releasing Jack and briefly disappearing from their field of view. He turned to look deeper into the airport and spotted Mira sprinting toward the lone terminal.
“Come on!” shouted Katie.
They chased after her. Jack was able to double Katie’s speed due to his vampiric physique. He could already feel a faint throbbing in the back of his head, and he knew that it was a side effect of his usage of his blood magic. His bloodthirst would be back with a vengeance, but for the moment, it took a backseat to finishing the fight.
A new scream cut through the air. Mira had seized a confused flight attendant on her way to the lobby. She held the woman in front of her, one arm locked across the woman’s throat, using her as a human shield.
Blood Mage (Dark Impulse Book 1) Page 23