“Christian!” Lana screamed, but the sound was cut off with a strangled cry. Taking a shaky step forward, then another, Christian pushed his way through the crowd of scabs, narrowly missing chomping teeth as he knocked one after another back. As he broke through, he caught a glimpse of Lana, held tightly in place by two watchers. He pushed the last kid out of the way just in time to watch Xanthe sink her teeth into Lana’s wrist, but the sound of her wail was lost beneath another noise—an unfamiliar one—that filled the air, stilling all movement. Even Xanthe lifted her bloodstained mouth and looked back at the far wall.
A moment later, blinding brightness filled the room, and Christian, like the rest of the population of the building, collapsed to his knees as a burning feeling came over him. From the fire licking across his skin, it felt as though someone had thrown the doors open wide on the midday sun.
As soon as it started, it was gone, but the aftermath of the burst—whatever that was—still left needles of searing pain tearing through his eyes. The ache in his shoulder was nothing compared to this new agony. The sounds around him were ones of war—sickening, squishing sounds of punches landing in soft tissue, wet splatters of blood hitting the floor, grunts and cries of pain and shock. The scuffle took place from every angle, yet he was helpless to do anything about it.
“You…”
Xanthe hissed, her lips peeling away from her teeth as Christian struggled to focus his vision, and he caught sight of a familiar silhouette.
“Yeah, me,” Harlan replied, his voice little more than a rough growl, and raised an odd-shaped weapon toward her. “Don’t move, or I will fry you where you stand.” Christian still couldn’t see clearly, but he recognized the sound of madness in the old vampire’s voice. Many of the other voices joining in were unfamiliar, but many held the same note of crazy. Cold hands landed on his arms, and he turned his face toward their owner rather than trying to puzzle out what was happening.
“Are you okay?” Lana asked, pulling him to his feet. He could smell her blood, mingled with the blood of other humans.
“I can’t see,” he replied, clinging to her as she led him from the floor. Man-sized shapes still moved around him in a blur. “What the hell happened?”
“The elders,” she said. “Harlan got here in time. That thing he has is…I don’t know what it is. I think it shoots daylight.”
“Not possible,” he said with a grunt. “What happened to Xanthe?”
“Harlan has her cornered. The elders are rounding up the scabs now.”
“And Sarah?”
“She drained Garrett. She’s sleeping.”
“And you?”
Lana hesitated, then let go a soft sigh. “I’ve been better. How are your eyes?”
Christian blinked and rubbed his face. The pain was fading, but he was starting to get hungry. The smell of frightened human blood around him didn’t help any. When he opened his eyes again, the world came into focus a bit more. Things were still hazy, but he could see Harlan preening before Xanthe, who sat prone on the floor at his feet with a chained collar around her neck. The majority of the building was empty now, save the various vampires who had crawled out of the corners. Many of them sat enchained like Xanthe. Many of their captors, he could tell, were very old.
“Getting there.” Once he knew he would be stable on his feet, Christian tugged Lana against his side and started across the room. Glancing down at her, he realized that her costume was bloody and torn, with long, dirty stains along its edges. Her gloves and stockings were hanging in tattered strings from her body, and her shoes were gone. The purple splotches on her face and arms told him that she had taken quite the beating.
Halfway across the room, Harlan noticed them and waved. With gloved hands, he held a heavy chain that attached to the collar around Xanthe’s neck. The old vampire reminded him of an excitable puppy.
“There you are, kid,” Harlan said, smiling. “Told you I’d come through for you.”
“That you did, Harlan… you have no idea how much I appreciate it.”
“Oh I think I do.”
Christian normally would have argued, but now was not the time. He was tired, hurting, and starving. And there was a mess surrounding him. He wanted to find a warm meal and go home, but when Lana tensed next to him, he knew he wouldn’t be going anywhere any time soon.
“Christian Sterling,” a loud male voice said, the sound of it echoing off of the hollow walls. It did not sound happy. Fighting a cringe, Christian turned to face the owner of the voice, a withered, old, white-haired vampire in dark clothing. He looked to be much of the same history as Xanthe, though less severe and warlike.
“Yes, sir,” he said, bowing his head slightly.
“The Council owes you a deep debt of gratitude,” the old one replied, his voice an odd mix of accents that Christian couldn’t quite place. “I am Silas Arvanitis, head of the Boston Elders’ Council.” He extended his hand—an odd gesture for one so ancient—and Christian extended his own in return. “We have been following the mysterious disappearances and turnings for quite some time now. Without your letter, we never would have suspected Xanthe of such atrocities.”
“I hoped you wouldn’t find me out of line,” he replied, at a loss for anything else to say.
“Had it been anyone except one of Xanthe’s own brood, I fear we may have ignored the letter.” Silas sighed and glanced over his shoulder at the subdued Amazon. “I never thought my progeny would be capable of being a monster.”
His progeny? Silas created Xanthe?
“So what happens now?” Lana asked as she reached out to take Christian’s hand.
“Punishment,” Silas replied, a note of sadness in his voice. “We have no choice but to put an end to her crimes. This establishment will close, and those in critical condition will be handled appropriately.”
“Handled?” she asked, her hand tightening in his. “What does that mean?”
“The scabs will be either turned or destroyed,” Christian said. She made a quiet, strangled sound and inched closer to his side.
“What about…”
“Your sister is changing,” Silas said, glancing toward the hallway where Sarah lay. “By sundown, she will be like you.” He looked over their heads toward one of the many bars. “You should feed,” he continued. “It is almost dawn.”
“Can we take Sarah?”
“You will not get her home in time,” Silas said. “Go upstairs and feed, then come back here. We may still be in need of your services.” The old vampire seemed to sense Lana’s hesitation. “You sister will not be touched until she wakes.”
Chapter Eleven
Lana sighed in relief and sank against Christian’s side. The burns on his face were little more than angry, red marks when she looked up at him, and his eyes seemed to be clearing. He looked as hungry as she felt—Xanthe had taken quite a bit of her blood, and he’d lost quite a bit of his skin in the blast. Speaking of, she needed to ask Silas about that. After they ate.
She and Christian helped each other up the stairs and into the room where their battle had first begun. In the room sat several dozen scabs, their whimpers and moans of pain turning to snarls of hunger as they focused on the pair of them. Christian tensed, obviously having flashbacks of what had happened to him not long ago. Luckily, they were tethered in place. A pair of vampires stood on either side of the door, staring blankly at their wards.
“Do…do we just…eat?” Lana asked. Beside her, Christian turned to one of the guards, who nodded. She shuddered. “It feels so wrong.”
“They will likely be put to death anyway,” Christian told her, and tugged her forward. Together they fed from the least combative of the scabs, and when they made their way back downstairs, they found the doors to the building flung wide, sunlight streaming in with blinding power. Xanthe, still chained and on her knees, sat just at the edge of the rectangle of light, her chin held high with stubborn pride.
In a semicircle around her, the Elders
stood well out of the range of the light. Sarah still lay in the hallway, though at some point someone had draped a cloth of some sort over her body. She rested peacefully, though Lana could already see the change in her skin. She didn’t have much time to consider her sister, though, as Silas began to speak.
“Xanthe, Amazon Warrior Priestess,” he said, and she rose to her feet, her head still hanging, “for your crimes against the human race, the Elders’ Council hereby sentences you to death.” A small ripple of fear passed across her face, but it was the only outward emotional sign. She raised her head, her chin high as she cast her gaze toward Silas. “You are to meet your end by way of the sun. A final death.”
“I apologize for disrespecting my creator,” she said with a sneer, “but I am afraid I will have to refuse.”
The closest of the Elders stepped forward, placed one booted foot in the middle of her back, and shoved her forward, sending her sprawling into the harsh sunlight. The hood of his cloak fell back, and Lana gasped in surprise as Harlan’s face floated into view, a manic smile on his face. He glanced at her, smiled, and saluted her before pulling the hood back over his head and stepping into line.
Harlan was part of the Council…at least, so it seemed.
Xanthe let go one high-pitched shriek, pulling Lana’s attention back toward the door, and her body burst into flame. In seconds, nothing was left of the vampire save a body-shaped pile of ash that had already begun to blow away in the breeze. Lana stared at the spot, both amazed and terrified by how fragile her new body could be. Invulnerable to most damage, yet it would be so easy to die.
Christian stepped up beside her and pulled her into his arms. He said nothing; only continued to hold her until the need to scream in fear subsided. Lana watched as the shaft of sunlight shining through the open door moved, eventually shortening as dusk approached. Still, he stood silently beside her, occasionally kissing her hair as she fought to come to terms with this new existence.
It sucked, she realized. It sucked, and the damage had already been done. She’d been turned, beaten, bitten, and otherwise abused. She’d nearly lost her sister. Yet, Lana looked up into Christian’s eyes and found she had unknowingly landed in the arms of the best thing to ever happen to her.
Someone called her name, pulling her out of her thoughts. Lana turned, and her eyes widened in surprise as Sarah started to stir. She made small, uncomfortable noises, and Lana bolted across the room, landing on her knees and skidding across the slick floor to her sister’s side.
When Sarah’s eyes opened, Lana saw the same pale, deathly blue of her own eyes reflected back. The bruises on her body were already starting to fade, and there seemed to be a new awareness on Sarah’s face. She grunted, and gave a weak smile.
“You look like shit,” Sarah said, and fought to sit up. Lana, despite herself, laughed as she hugged her sister.
“Long night,” she replied, relieved when Sarah slid her arms around her waist and squeezed. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“You did for a while,” Sarah said. “I lost myself.” She stiffened in Lana’s arms, and when Lana pulled back, she realized that Sarah had noticed Christian standing off to the side. “I should cut your throat,” she snapped at him. “If I’d known you’d go after my sister, I never would have told you about her.”
“What?” Lana asked, looking back and forth between the two. “What are you talking about?”
Christian smirked and scrubbed a hand through his blood-matted hair. “She sort of told me all about you before we turned scab.” The sheepish look on his face was the only thing that kept Lana from smacking him so hard his head spun around.
“Little bastard was smitten with you before he ever met you,” Sarah said with a snort, and struggled to her feet. “But that’s neither here nor there now. I’m hungry.”
“The Elders are draining the scabs upstairs,” Christian told her. “Go have some lunch. We’re stuck here for about another hour anyway.”
Sarah stumbled a bit, shaking her head as if trying to beat away the last of her humanity. She nodded, patted Lana on the shoulder, and started toward the stairs. As she took the first step, she paused, then turned back, and pinned Christian with a hard stare.
“If you hurt her,” she said, pointing to Lana, “I’ll kill you myself.” Christian laughed.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Lana watched until Sarah turned at the landing and started up the last flight of stairs before turning back to Christian. He stood by, still smiling. She crossed her arms over her chest and forced a hard set to her face.
“You have ten seconds to tell me why I shouldn’t beat you to a pulp,” she said. Christian’s smile widened.
“Because I’ve already been beaten to a pulp in the last twelve hours,” he replied. “I’m still very pulpy.”
“Not good enough.”
“Because I did want to save Sarah,” he continued, his smile fading. The look in his eyes turned serious. “She’s the best friend I have ever had. Because I know you two love each other. She still loved you, even when she was lost. And because the more I learned about you, the more I wanted to know before I ever met you.” He tugged at the ends of his hair and sighed before shoving both hands deep into his pockets. “I wish you and I had met under better circumstances. I wish we were all still human and could have normal lives. I wish you and I could have gotten to know each other slower, and with less stress.” He took a step forward, paused, then took a deep breath, closed the space between them, and kissed her. “If you want to leave and never come back, I can let you go, even if I don’t want to,” he continued, leaning his forehead against hers. “But I want to keep you forever. And being what we are, there is a distinct possibility that I could do that, if you would let me.”
“The last few days have been hard,” Lana said, leaning back to look into his eyes, “and I don’t know that I will ever get over it. My world opened up very fast, and I have seen more since meeting you than I ever expected could be real. My sister is alive, thanks to you, but we aren’t human anymore. That will take some getting used to.”
“What do I have to do to persuade you to stay?”
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Sarah said with a groan, coming back down the stairs as she wiped blood from her mouth with the back of her hand, “here I thought he’d be the one to hurt you, Lana… just put the boy out of his misery already and say you’ll stay!”
“But…”
“But nothing, you dork,” Sarah snapped. “I’m going to be fine. I’m not going anywhere—there are a lot of new vamps around here that are going to need a place to go. I’m going to talk to the Elders about taking control of this place and turning it into what Xanthe said she wanted. You and Loverboy over there have a good thing going. Don’t ruin it and make me kick your ass too.”
It was all too much. Too fast. Too…too everything. Lana pulled away from Christian to pace across the empty club. What remained of Xanthe had long since blown away in the breeze. She could smell the salt water as the sun sank behind the building. It was dark enough that within minutes she would be able to go outside. She could run away, but despite the deep desire to forget the last three days, Lana didn’t want to go. She wanted to be with Sarah—it had been so long since they’d been together. She liked the idea of helping those that had been turned against their will.
Most of all, she liked the idea of being close to Christian. Knowing what she knew of him, he would jump on Sarah’s idea as well. It would be a long shot, but it was a shot Lana was willing to take. It would be a first, but maybe, just maybe, she could have it all.
Resolved, Lana turned her back on the open door to look at the two people that meant the world to her now. Sarah and Christian squabbling among themselves over something that was obviously silly by the smirks on their faces. As she started back across the room and walked up to Christian’s side, the pieces fell into place. This was right. The nightmare was over, and they could move on. Together.
&n
bsp; “All right,” Lana said, and they both turned their attention to her, “let’s talk to the council about creating the safe haven. The three of us.” She reached out and took Christian’s hand. “Together.”
With a shout of triumph, Christian swept her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Lana scarcely had time to appreciate the moment before Sarah was groaning in mock disgust.
“Oh get a room!” she shouted. Lana and Christian broke away from each other, laughing.
“I have a whole house,” Christian said, and pulled Lana up into his grasp. With her feet dangling, he turned and started toward the door. “And no, Sarah…you aren’t invited over for at least another seventy-two hours!” he called over his shoulder, and took off at a run across the darkening city. Curling her arms around his neck, Lana held on, anticipation singing through her. She could keep up with him now, but Lana much preferred this method of travel. In his arms, she felt safe and protected. Sarah would be fine. They all would.
Life, or at least this thing that resembled it, couldn’t get any better.
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