When she glanced at Drake’s face, even from a distance, she could see his eyes were dark and stormy. His jaw was clenched. He was on a serious mission, and from the look of things, he was kicking ass.
“You bloodsucking bastards,” he growled as the remaining crowd shrieked, running for the trail that would lead them back to the city. Any desire to be turned tonight quickly vanished at the sight of vampires being slaughtered so easily. “You sick fucks have ruined so many lives.”
Zoe’s mind raced. How was it possible Drake could easily destroy so many vampires? One man against a mass of merciless creatures. The odds were certainly not in his favor. Yet even Albian seemed to have disappeared into the night, leaving only his minions behind.
Was Drake some kind of powerful mage?
Vampires were skilled hunters, resilient to most everything except wooden stakes to the heart, holy water, silver, and beheadings—because who could survive that. But otherwise, with their ability to heal quickly, vampires normally didn’t go down so easily. And white magic would never affect them like this.
Yet Drake was taking them down as though it was child’s play.
“Albian, you coward! Where are you?” Drake pulled out what appeared to be a vial of holy water and uncorked it, scanning his surroundings. “I can smell your filth. Show yourself!”
He stepped toward a cluster of corpses and poured the glittering water over them. Their bodies melted into a grayish puddle.
Another vamp suddenly appeared out of the shadows and attempted to tackle Drake. But Drake moved quickly, his eyes burning with rage. He sliced off the creature’s arm, spraying him with holy water before the detached limb even hit the ground. Then Drake pivoted quickly, as another vampire attacked from behind. The creature hissed at him, but Drake quickly closed the distance, piercing his chest with the fullness of his sword. Then he lifted his foot and kicked the vampire in the chest which sent him flying back. The creature slumped to the ground momentarily, but then came back at him, letting out a piercing screech. Drake took a few steps toward the monster, waited for him to come within range, and then with one hard blow, he decapitated him.
“Albian, this is over! Show yourself. You know I’m coming for you.”
It grew eerily quiet now that the humans were long gone. The vampires who’d dared to engage were already dead, and the others had vanished, rushing off under the cover of night.
Zoe’s mind raced, her nerves on edge. She wanted to step out from the shadows and let him know she was there, but she was terrified.
Would he refuse to listen to her and destroy her as he did the others?
Zoe didn’t have to wait long to find out. Drake suddenly rushed toward the edge of the clearing, the blade of his dagger aimed directly at her hiding place.
“Show yourself.”
Zoe ran her hand over her face, wiping sweat from her brow. She knew she had no choice, if she didn’t come out of hiding, he’d likely throw the dagger in her direction.
Too late.
The blade whizzed by her head, close enough that she heard it cutting through the air. It buried itself into the tree behind her. A warning.
Zoe sucked in a deep breath at the realization she had no choice; she had to show herself before he attacked.
“Stop! Please!”
She emerged, cautiously, inhaling deeply, hoping he’d give her a chance to explain. When she finally stepped out of the shadows, the look on Drake’s face was one of total shock.
“Zoe? What the fuck?”
“Drake, please, I can explain.”
He turned his blazing, blue eyes on her, his face set into a rigid expression.
“Explain what? That you came here to be turned? Do you really want to be one of them? What the hell were you thinking?” His eyes narrowed to blue slits.
He was certainly off the mark with that assumption, and it made it all the harder for Zoe to tell him the truth. No, she wasn’t there to become one of them. She was already one of them.
“No, I—” The words died on her lips when he drew another dagger from out of nowhere and aimed it directly at her. He’d already demonstrated how good of a shot he was, so she couldn’t help but tremble at the sight of it.
“Or are you…” His face was locked tightly into a watchful expression, giving away nothing of what he was thinking or feeling.
“A vampire,” she replied, nodding slowly. “Yeah.”
His eyes widened, and he considered her for a few uncomfortable moments before shaking his head. “You can’t be. I didn’t sense that with you.”
“I’m not sure what that means, Drake.” Zoe’s shoulders slumped a little. “What are you? I saw you… You obliterated them so easily. And then there was magic.”
A gust of cold wind blew through the clearing, ruffing his hair. “And does that piss you off?” His eyes narrowed again as he ignored her question.
“Must have been hard for you to watch me kill your own kind, huh? Sorry, but I’m not going to stand by and see more people destroyed. If I have to hunt down every last one, I’m prepared to do that.”
Zoe’s gut twisted at those words, an uneasy feeling rippling through her body. “No, you have it all wrong,” she replied. The words came out strangled. “I was here to destroy them. I never wanted to be turned. I’d never wish this on anyone.”
Drake’s face tightened to match the storm brewing in his eyes. “If that’s true, then how were you turned?”
Zoe hesitated. It was a long story, and she wasn’t sure whether to explain it all in detail or give him the Cliff’s Notes version. With a dagger still trained on her, she decided on the latter.
“It was a year ago. I was walking through the trails, and somehow ended up here.” She looked off in the direction of the fire, the bright orange flames still raging much like the turmoil she felt at reliving the night that had changed her forever. “When I realized what was happening, I tried to leave. A vampire grabbed me, and the next thing I knew, I was knocked out or something. I woke up in a locked room.”
Drake kept his eyes trained on her. The silence punctuated by fire didn’t make Zoe feel any better, but it was clear he was waiting for her to explain everything. Her shoulders sank as she fought the breakdown and wrestled with the overwhelming need to let it all out—to unleash the truth of that horrific night.
“They didn’t turn me. Not that night. But I was brought to a vampire a few days later, and that was when I realized I wasn’t meant to be turned. They wanted me as a donor.”
Drake’s face softened just a touch, the suspicion cooling to resemble something closer to confusion, though his eyes were still troubled. “Yet they ended up turning you?”
Zoe nodded. “They fed off me for weeks. I was let out of the room only long enough for them to use me.” She exhaled, her eyes darkening. “Then one day, I was pulled from my room and turned.”
Zoe stared up at him, straining hard to read him, to get a feel for his energy, but she couldn’t get a handle on it. Drake stood silently for a moment, assessing her. Then he stepped back, though his body remained tense. Finally, he lowered the dagger slightly.
“Who turned you?”
Zoe let out a deep breath, her chest rising beneath her thick sweater. “Albian.”
“That fucking bastard.”
When she looked up at Drake, his eyes had changed—the crystal blue in them no longer shaded by heavy thoughts. Then to her surprise, he slid the dagger back into the sheath attached to his hip. She relaxed a little more once the weapon was put away.
“There were so many women there,” Zoe continued. “He was building a harem that could never betray him.”
Drake’s expression darkened to one of confusion, but then he nodded knowingly when realization set in. “Because you can’t destroy your sire without it killing you.”
Zoe nodded. Vampire lore had been steeped in ridiculous lies and exaggerations throughout the years. It was one of the ways they kept humans confused about their true
weaknesses. But the rule against killing your sire wasn’t fiction at all. If a vampire destroyed its maker, they too would die.
“Yeah, it’s why he’s turned so many people. Rumor on the street is that he’s building an army.”
Drake gritted his teeth and replied from behind them, his brows pulled down, “Son of a bitch. He needs to be stopped.” He took a step forward, the spicy smell of him invading Zoe’s nostrils. “You may not be able to kill him, but I can.”
Chapter 5
“I’m really sorry this happened to you,” Drake murmured as he walked around the clearing in search of anything he may have dropped during the battle. “I really am.” He spotted something off in the distance and made his way over, bending to pick up a stake.
“Thank you,” Zoe replied. “My life became the stuff of horror movies so quickly, but the worst part of it all is having to stay away from everyone I love.” She glanced at the stake he was packing away and nodded. “You were amazing tonight.”
Drake leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree. “So, you don’t have your bloodlust under control?”
Zoe stared up at him in confusion. “Huh?”
“You said you have to stay away from everyone you love. Clearly you’re afraid of hurting them?”
Panic began to rise. Zoe still didn’t know what Drake’s intentions were. Was he going to turn on her? Would he take her out as he did so many other vampires?
His eyes fixed on the flames as he waited for her response. She took a tentative step forward, then a few more when he didn’t react.
“No, I mean…” Zoe suddenly felt dizzy, her head pounding. “I’ve never fed off anyone. I refuse to.” Her legs suddenly gave out, and she dropped to the ground. “But I can’t let them see me like this.”
Her tone was one of incredible sadness, and it made his heart ache. “It wasn’t your fault, Zoe. I can’t imagine what you went through…what you’re still going through.”
To her surprise, he extended a hand, and she took it, allowing him to hoist her to her feet. She expected to come crashing down on her ass again, but her legs were surprisingly steady, and her head felt a little clearer. She pulled her hand out of Drake’s and looked around in the dirt and underbrush.
“Get everything?” She scanned the clearing, not finding anything else he may have dropped. “You were moving so fast. I’m surprised you didn’t lose your shirt.”
“Me too,” he replied, his lips curving into a smile for the first time since Zoe had stepped out of the shadows. “Only a year ago, a training session would usually end with me pretty banged up, and more often than not, there wouldn’t be much left of my shirt.”
Zoe cocked an eyebrow. “Training session? You still haven’t told me what you are.”
Drake grinned sharply, his light eyes much darker in the shadow of the canopy. “I’m a slayer.”
“Obviously,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. “But slayers are usually human. They don’t just blast out magic.”
Drake chuckled low in his throat. “Oh, that.” He walked over to the side of the clearing and pulled an odd-looking contraption from the brush, slinging it over his shoulder. “That wasn’t a blast of magic.” He shrugged one shoulder, and that dazzling smile was back. “It was science.”
Chapter 6
Zoe nodded for him to the lead the way, not exactly thrilled about their destination. But she knew if Drake was going to kill her maker, she wanted to be there to witness it.
When she’d seen Albian entering the clearing earlier, she wanted nothing more than to rush forward and attack him. But she couldn’t. Even though she was going to move forward with her original plan and take out as many vampires as she could, Albian was untouchable.
Unless she was willing to give up her life.
She couldn’t deny that she’d certainly thought about it while crouching in the shadows, watching him and his minions round up the men and women who were eager to be turned.
She wondered if she would’ve had the nerve to attack him, knowing that with his end, so came hers. But summoning the courage to face death so soon wouldn’t have been easy. But then Drake showed up, and she no longer had to make that decision.
Her mind traveled to everything that had happened over the last year. When she’d been turned, she’d fought like hell—kicking, punching, screaming, everything she could do to try and escape her fate.
But she’d known it was pointless.
She either had to allow herself to be turned, or she would’ve been made a feast for lowly vampires to feed on, made into a vicious example of what happened to someone who refused to give in to Albian’s desires.
Still, she refused to give in so easily, even when he spat such threats into her face. So, Albian had two of his men hold her down while he sunk his fangs into her tender skin, claiming her humanity and leaving her changed forever.
“It’ll take about an hour to get there,” Drake murmured, glancing up at the sky. “I’m just grateful the moon is so bright. Makes it easier to see where we’re headed.”
Zoe couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I don’t really have that issue, remember?”
Drake turned his head towards her, then nodded. “Right. Vampires can see in the dark.” He raked his fingers through his curly locks, thoughts from the last few months of spending time with Zoe coming to the forefront of his mind. “That’s why you sleep all day. You’re sensitive to the light?”
Sensitive was an understatement. While sunlight wouldn’t kill a vampire, it made them feel sick, as though they got hit with a harsh case of food poisoning.
“Can I ask you something?” Drake asked as they passed beneath some low-hanging branches. He lifted them so she could walk ahead of him, and then he followed her. “Albian hides behind a fortress. So, how did you manage to get free?”
“I was there for weeks before I figured a way out,” Zoe replied, and Drake could tell she was holding something back. “I thought I’d never escape. He used us…almost daily. But then one day…”
Drake reached out and squeezed her hand, pulling her to a halt. “You don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to.” He frowned, his pretty eyes searching her face.
Zoe shook her head. “It’s okay, I feel I owe it to you to tell you everything.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” he replied firmly. “You don’t owe anyone anything.”
“But I do.” It was Zoe’s turn to lift a branch that stood in their way, allowing him to pass under. “I know it’s hard for you to trust me. No one can really ever trust a vampire. Yet, you’re willing to give me a chance.”
Drake shot her a look which told her he knew all too well that vampires were not to be trusted, but she didn’t pry. “You’re right. I guess I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you’re one of them.”
That was all he said as they walked on in silence for what felt like an eternity. Then, they finally turned a bend, and the forest opened up.
“There. You can see it from here.” Zoe pointed, but Drake was already looking that way, at the thin ribbon of gray that ran like salvation to the mountains in the distance. “That road…it’ll lead us to Albian.”
Drake looked over his shoulder at Zoe. “Are you sure you want to come with me? This isn’t going to be easy. You know better than anyone how dangerous he is. Going back there… it’s going to trigger you.”
Zoe didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his statement. “I’ll be fine. I’ve been triggered many times since he turned me, and I had to learn to live with it.” She took a breath, then blew out a long sigh. “I’d run into an old friend and have to avoid them, or I’d end up in my old neighborhood and know I couldn’t go near my house. My life…it seems to be split into a before and after kinda thing. And the before can no longer exist for me.”
Drake nodded. “Is that why you live alone? You haven’t dared make new friends?”
She snorted. “Aren’t you my friend?”
&n
bsp; He shrugged, and his lips curved into a smirk. “I don’t know if I can be friends with a vampire.”
Zoe laughed, at first reading it as a joke. While his smile didn’t falter, there was something about the look in his eye that told her he was serious.
“And you…You’re sure you want to go through with this tonight? Attacking Albian on his own property is going to be rough.”
Her question matched the solemn energy that surrounded them as they continued making their way towards Albian’s fortress.
“I have no choice,” he replied. “I made a promise to myself that I’d do whatever it took to end him tonight.”
Zoe cocked an eyebrow. “Why tonight?”
She didn’t miss the way his shoulders stiffened, and his breath grew heavy, but his response was vague. “I just need him dead.”
Zoe couldn’t be sure how long they walked, but after what felt like an eternity, Drake grabbed her arm and pulled her down. He held a finger to his lips when she started to ask questions. Nodding, she kept quiet, straining to listen for whatever it was he thought he’d heard. He popped up on his toes, still crouching, and peered out from their hiding spot.
“His guards will be on the lookout after what happened earlier,” Drake whispered. “We’ll have to be extra cautious.”
They listened for signs that Albian’s men might be nearby but heard nothing except branches rattling as a cool wind picked up. Zoe was the first to stand back up.
“I have an idea,” she whispered. “Albian will let me in. I can tell him I want to return, that I can’t handle this life on my own. I can distract the guards by telling them I need to speak with Albian. That should give you enough time to—”
“No,” Drake replied sharply. “I’m not letting you do that. It’s too dangerous.”
“Letting me?” Zoe frowned. “I don’t recall asking permission.”
Drake titled his head slightly, his gaze narrowing. “We’ll find a way in together. I don’t think it makes sense to split up. Unless you’re planning on—”
Holidays Bite: A Limited Edition Collection of Holiday Vampire Tales Page 88