When he turned, he found Tatiana staring at him.
“What are you doing here, female?” he inquired, the look of derision twisting his features.
“Michael never showed up to do our patrol. I was on my way here to get him when Vladimir called and told me what happened at the mansion. Have you found anything?”
“No, the place is empty, and it looks like he hasn’t been here in quite some time. He must have another place in the city we don’t know about.”
“I had more luck upstairs,” Nicholai stated as he pushed through the archway and joined them in the kitchen. “I found Michael’s bedroom. There are signs that he’s been there recently.”
“What have you got in your hands, cousin?”
Nicholai lifted up the tomes held in his grip. “Journals. I glanced through them. It’s all here. You can read the decline of his mental faculties. They go back almost to the time he turned.”
“You are kidding me,” Tatiana scoffed in disbelief. “There are only a few of them. I thought Michael was centuries old.”
Demetri made an inelegant snort of disparity. “He’s relatively young. The Alphas only brought him into the Council a few decades ago.” He turned his attention to his cousin. “I don’t see how we missed the signs.”
Nicholai shrugged. “He has always been a loner. He was the first to volunteer when we had an assignment that would require long periods of seclusion. Remember the time he spent in the barren lands of Alaska pursuing that one vampire?”
Demetri nodded. “The one that got away? I remember. Michael spent years tracking him. And before that there was the time he went into hiding to monitor the New Yorkers we thought were preparing for a hunt club.”
“And before that he was gone for years—overseas supposedly—gathering information about the Asian ring. However, that was not the case. According to these, he found the Asian ring and joined them for a time. It’s all in here.” Nicholai held up the journals. “It’s obvious when you read these that he was never quite right. Since the night of his conversion, his mind slowly deteriorated, but something happened in Asia because that seems to be the turning point. I will not even share the horrible things he wrote about Christina. It is disgusting what he plans on doing with her.”
Tatiana stepped forward. “Some people can’t handle turning. Do the books suggest where we might look for them?”
Nicholai shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. But they do, however, mention he is responsible for Gage Lucio finding Katrina. It’s all in here.” He tapped one of the journals.
His anger growing, Demetri sent a series of vile curses into the air. “How could we not have known?”
The VES agent put a friendly hand on his shoulder. “Sometimes those we think we know the best, we actually know the least. Rogues are like serial killers, they can turn on the charm when they want to. They can seem normal, even charismatic. It is how they lure their victims, but inside they are pure evil.”
They heard a commotion in the foyer and rushed to find the cause. Vlad and Marcus burst through the doorway at the same time, ricocheting off each other like a couple of pinballs. They stumbled to a halt in front of the trio.
****
“Where is he?” demanded Marcus, the look of hatred on his face so intense it could be felt as a presence in the room.
“He’s not here, comrade.”
“We have to find him. He has my Christina! God only knows what he will do to her.”
Tatiana stepped forward and laid her hand on Marcus’ forearm. In a gentle voice she said, “Marcus, try using your mindlink. See if you can find out where she is.”
“Don’t you think I’ve been trying that?” Marcus barked.
Christina, answer me, now! He sent over their private channel of communication.
Silence.
Fuuuuuuuuck! Why couldn’t he contact her? An answer came immediately to his mind. His concern, his fear of losing her consumed him.
“I can’t reach her! Something is blocking the connection.” Marcus growled in frustration and slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a jagged circle in the plaster.
Tatiana stepped in front of him, cradling his face in her hands.
“You’re too upset. Calm down and try to push through the barrier. Concentrate hard. You can do this. Slow, calm breaths.” She captured his eyes in hers and took long, slow breaths until he could push down his emotions. He began to breathe with her. She slowed his breathing until they breathed as one.
“Now try again,” the VES agent instructed, keeping her voice soft and soothing.
Marcus took one more calming breath and let it out slowly along with the tension from his shoulders. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his beloved.
He put his full strength behind his thoughts. Christina, can you hear me?
Chapter 28
The vampire took her to his sleeping chamber, his bruising grip on her arm never lessening. The pain didn’t keep her from taking in her new surroundings. Christina found the room sparsely decorated. It consisted of a large bed—apparently Michael liked his comfort—and a dresser. The cinderblock walls weren’t even painted. The drab color seemed fitting in this prison-like room.
He pushed Christina onto the bed. Her body bounced from the force. She scampered away from him until the metal headboard cut into her back.
Curling her arms around her bent knees, she rested her chin on her forearms, attempting to make herself as small as possible. Her eyes tracked Michael while he crossed the room to the dresser. Maybe she could change his mind. Maybe she could talk her way out of this.
Michael’s form blurred when tears welled in her eyes. She blinked them back, refusing to allow him to see her cry again. He wouldn’t care about tears. He didn’t care about her feelings at all.
Nothing she could do would stop this from happening. Against a vampire, she’d be as helpless as a child. Her only recourse was to take the abuse and hope she might live through it.
Suddenly tenderness and love surrounded her, infusing her with its warmth as she heard Marcus calling to her through their mindlink.
I can hear you! Help me! Michael kidnapped me. He’s holding me hostage.
Their mindlink! Why the hell hadn’t she thought to use this to contact him earlier?
Probably because you were too scared to think of it. Even if you had tried, it wouldn’t have worked. Something was blocking us. I need you to calm down, sweetheart. We know all about Michael. We’re trying to find you. Can you tell me where you are?
Relief flooded her body. Marcus was on his way to save her…and he’d bring the Alphas. Hope infused her body for the first time since Marcus left her sight that night.
We are in the old marsh outside the city on Route Eleven. He has a compound. Look for the old cemetery. The dirt drive leading to the compound is just past the cemetery entrance.
We’re coming. Hold on, cara. I love you Chri…
She felt Michael’s evil presence in her mind. Like a coating of tar, it covered her brain with his black hatred. His presence replaced the warmth of her heartmate with the icy tendrils of malevolence.
****
Michael felt a subtle shift in the emotions in the room. Christina’s fear was an aphrodisiac to him. He breathed in, taking the fragrance of her terror deep into his lungs, and noticed the sweet perfume subsiding. It was subtle but noticeable. He pushed into her mind, enraged to find Marcus there. What the hell? How had the Alpha managed to break through his barrier! No matter. He knew how to fix it.
Michael reinforced the barrier, making it thick and tough as steel. Just like that, Marcus disappeared from her mind. Christina’s gaze met his.
“How dare you communicate with another male in my presence! You are mine, not his. Once I convert you, I’ll have sire rights, and Marcus can’t touch you.”
Michael noticed the look of confusion on Christina’s face before she turned her gaze to the floor. His self-righteous laugh sounded like a cackle as he crossed
the room and sat on the bed. “Did Marcus not explain sire rights to you?”
Christina shook her head no. He caught her chin in a hard grip and forced her to look at him. “Well, let me give you a little education then. See, young one, when one vampire creates another vampire, he has the rights to that vampire. He can do anything he wishes with the one he sired. He owns it, and it is considered his responsibility and his to command.”
Michael knew that sire rights were an antiquated concept, a throwback to the time in history when kings and lords were obeyed unquestioningly. The concept had been outlawed in the vampire community centuries ago, but he did not wish to share that with this woman. He believed in the rights, so as one he created, she would obey him in all things—as she should.
In a small, shaky voice Christina asked, “So if you convert me, I’ll have to do whatever you say. I’ll be your slave?”
Michael grinned, exposing his extended fangs. “That’s precisely what it means. You learn fast, and that pleases me.”
Michael brought his wrist to his mouth and used his fangs to score a wound. “Now drink.” He shoved his wrist to her mouth.
“Never!” She recoiled, pushing at his proffered arm.
Blood from his arm dripped onto her silk blouse. He could force her to drink, seize control of her body and force her to comply, but he wanted to play with her mind. He wanted her to come to him, take him willingly into her body so it would be her doing. He bet she would blame herself if she came to him of her own will—feel guilty that she had betrayed Marcus. And as an added benefit, Marcus would never forgive her the transgression, which would complete her misery.
No, he would not force her to drink but, instead, trick her into drinking.
Michael ruthlessly seized control of her mind and shoved through her memories until he found one he could use—the memory of the night Christina had first drunk from Marcus.
He let a sanguine smile bare his elongated fangs.
Michael lay down on the bed, creating an image in Christina’s mind of Marcus, his features blurred. Her mind struggled to make sense of the situation, but Michael ruthlessly pushed farther, taking complete control. He forced her mind to believe it all seemed logical, and in the dream-like state, she didn’t question the abnormalities.
He motioned for her to come to him with one finger. Christina snaked her way up Michael’s body, believing him to be Marcus.
“Drink, Christina,” he demanded, placing his wrist to her lips.
This time she complied without hesitation. The sucking sounds she made as she gulped the blood caused Michael’s muscles to tense, sending a rush of blood to thicken his shaft. A vicious smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he thought of all the fun they would have in the playroom.
With his free arm, he circled her back and turned their bodies, bringing her to rest under him. Using his free hand, he tore her blouse, exposing the soft flesh of her breast above her bra. Her heart beat under the supple tissue. It called to him. He sank his teeth deep into her left breast and moaned as he drank, savoring her taste while her life flowed through his lips. She tasted as good as he remembered, like honey and jasmine.
Michael drank from Christina, until he gradually detected the change in her blood. What began as sweet became tainted with the dark, musky flavor of Michael. The conversion was happening.
****
Marcus’ eyes snapped open in panic when something severed his connection to Christina. “Michael has a compound out on Route Eleven past the old cemetery. I think I might know where it is. You three follow Vlad and me in the SUV.”
As Vlad drove away from Michael’s house, Marcus reached out to Christina again with his mind. An image, blurry and out of focus, formed in Marcus’ mind. He closed his eyes in concentration, attempting to clear the image.
His stomach knotted when he realized what he saw. His head snapped in Vlad’s direction. “Michael’s converting her. He’s controlled her mind. She thinks he’s me. We have to find them now!”
Vlad hit the gas, screeching around the corner with Demetri, Nicholai, and Tatiana following in hot pursuit.
****
“That’s enough,” someone commanded.
Christina struggled through a mental haze. Marcus licked her skin, sealing the small wounds as he pulled his wrist from her mouth.
The hold on her mind lifted, and like a cold breeze blowing away the cobwebs, Christina’s mind cleared. Realization of what had transpired knocked into her consciousness. She wasn’t with Marcus but Michael. She recoiled in disgust and pulled her shirt together. She put the back of her hand to her mouth. “What did you do?” Her voice sounded thick with repulsion.
Michael tsked and waved his hand in dismissal. “I gave you a gift. The gift of immortality, with me. My blood will start to change you, and, after you are converted, you will be mine…forever.”
Christina’s limbs felt heavy. She could barely move as the virus from Michael’s blood started to take effect. Warmth crept throughout her body. It slowly increased in intensity, until within minutes she felt as if she roasted in an oven on the broil setting. Her skin burned, and her muscles felt like they were being torn apart. A fiery pain swept over her.
“Help me!” She lifted her hand toward Michael.
He looked down his nose at her and gave a dismissive shrug of his shoulders. “The conversion has begun. You’ll live. I have to go get the playroom ready for us.”
With apparently no thought for anything but his own pleasure, he left her to suffer through the conversion alone.
****
The small caravan of SUVs tore through the streets of Savannah, making its way to the outskirts. The warriors neared the cemetery and slowed their speed, not wanting to miss the dirt drive Christina mentioned. The inches turned into feet, feet into yards, and one mile became two as they snaked the vehicles down the mostly abandoned road.
Marcus hissed an exasperated sigh. “I think we’ve gone too far, Vlad. Let’s turn around and go back.”
Vlad made a U-turn, taking the SUV over the grassy median like a bucking bronco and headed back in the direction from which they had just come.
Marcus strained his eyes. He did not want to miss the turn-off again. As the cemetery came into view, Marcus noticed a small place along the tree line that looked about four and a half feet high by five feet wide. “There!” He pointed. “That might be it.”
Vlad turned the SUV into the opening. Branches scraped the sides and top of the large vehicle while they drove down the overgrown dirt path. It reminded Marcus of going into a bear’s cave, and he would be more than happy to tear a bear named Michael apart when they arrived.
The path seemed to go on forever as they made their way slowly along. It wound its way through the trees and brush, no end in sight. The SUV pitched as it hit rocks and divots in the dirt path. The two vehicles trekked through the dense woods, detritus spitting from their tires.
Marcus tried again to reach out to Christina using their mindlink. Burning, searing pain swamped him and forced him to grip the dashboard of the SUV for support. His fingers bit into the hard plastic, leaving indentations.
Vlad glanced over. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Christina. She’s going through the conversion.” Marcus felt the blood drain from his face as bile rose from his stomach.
Vlad hit the brakes, coming to a stop in front of a compound just in time for Marcus to jump out of the car. He doubled over, rested his hands on his knees, and gagged. As the remnants from his last meal made a second showing, Demetri’s SUV pulled up behind him.
Demetri and his two companions exited their vehicle quickly.
“What’s wrong with Marcus?” he asked Vlad.
“It’s Christina. She’s going through the conversion.”
Nicholai advanced toward Marcus with long purposeful steps, a look of concern on his face.
“Chyort voz’mi! He must be feeling it through their mindlink.” Nikko placed a comforting hand
on Marcus’ shoulder. “That is something no one should have to go through twice.”
He moved his hand in the middle of Marcus’ back when the Alpha began to dry heave. “Breathe through it, my friend. You should close your mind to her while she goes through this. You will need a clear mind to take on Michael.”
Marcus shook his head back and forth, straightened to his full height and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I can’t let her suffer alone. I have to be there to see her through this.”
There might be one blessing in all this. Going through the conversion might have broken down the mental barrier keeping them from using their mindlink. He decided to test his theory.
Hold on, Christina. We’re here. I’m coming to help you. Hold on, baby.
Marcus. Help me. Please! I need you!
I know, cara. It will get better, I promise. Just a little while longer.
I don’t think I can stand it. Her exhaustion crossed their link; the brief moments of relief between the waves of pain were not nearly enough to allow for any recovery.
You are the strongest woman I know. The bravest woman I know. You can do this. I know you can.
Marcus felt a wave of pain start to overwhelm Christina as he walked to the back of Vlad’s SUV. He managed to open the tailgate and remove a sheathed sword from the arsenal he and Vlad had placed there before leaving his mansion. The scabbard was beautifully carved from the toughest mahogany, wrapped in leather that formed X’s, and finished with gold patina.
Marcus strapped the titanium-coated sword on his back as his friends loaded their own personal arsenals. Each had a preference for a particular type of weapon, and since Marcus had loaded most of his extensive collection into the back of Vlad’s SUV, everyone found what they wanted. Demetri slipped his shoulders into a leather holster and sheathed a dagger on each side. Tatiana looked from the holster to his eyes and raised her eyebrows.
“Not carrying guns, Romanoff?”
“No, I don’t need guns. I prefer daggers. They don’t make any noise,” he explained.
Deadly Alpha Page 18