“Did we get a little carried away?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Rathe’s fault.” She thumbed at him.
He grinned. “What can I say? She brings out the worst in me?”
Chuckling, Alexander said, “Her mother did the same to her father.”
“I personally think we bring out the best in you, men!”
“Yes, yes, you do,” he said with a small smile. “Without you and Kai, I would not have had the strength to fight back the darkness and would have truly become Damned.”
“The same goes for me, Mariah.” Rathe took her hand in his. “You’ve given us reason to live. A reason to fight for.”
“Then do me a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t die!”
Chapter Seventeen
At the next rising, Mariah asked Anya, when she leaned against the car beside her, “What’s your thought on them leaving for New York?”
Lydia answered before Anya could, “Personally, I think it sucks.”
“I agree,” Anya growled. “This whole thing sucks.”
Like-minded, she kept silent when Rathe approached. Anya and Lydia left. Sensual and powerful, dressed in tight jeans and a black t-shirt, he wore a heavy leather coat, his sword strapped to his back. His breathtaking features were fierce, determination in his eyes when he placed his hands on the car hood, beside her hips, as he leaned into her.
“You will stay close to Alexander. If something should go wrong, he will take you and Kai to safety. Behave while I’m gone. Please?” Leveling his gaze so she couldn’t look away, he waited for her to reply.
Holding back her tears, she refused to shed them. “I will do as you ask,” she was barely able to whisper. He yanked her to him, holding her tight as he buried his face in her hair as she held onto him.
“Rathe, please stay alive.”
“Watch for our enemy. They might try to take you and force my hand. Julius is a clever bastard.” He kissed her. Before she could respond, he vanished. But he left something behind. Somehow, he had slipped his necklace over her head. The light of the moon caught the silver crucifix.
“Anya,” she called out as she jumped off the car. She said she would stick with Alexander and behave — she didn’t promise to stay out of trouble!
“Yes?”
“How good is their hearing?”
Giving her a questioning look, she arched her eyebrow at her. Mariah grinned. Anya slowly nodded as she understood the real question. “Has he blocked you?”
Testing their connection, she found she couldn’t break into Rathe’s mind. “Yep. Faeroes?”
“Yep.”
“You know what I want to do, don’t you?”
“Oh, yeah, and I am in total agreement.”
“Quietly get them ready.”
Anya grinned as she left to organize the vampires. Mariah went to Rand and Alexander. “Gentlemen, I need your help.”
“Mariah?” Alexander left his question unspoken.
“Yes.”
Grinning, he grabbed Rand’s arm. “Come on, we’re about to put your hacking skills to the test.”
Hearing Kai and Mina arguing with Anya, she went to find out what was going on. “What’s the problem here?”
“They want to fight,” Anya told her. “I think they’re too young.”
Seeing the girls’ determination, she knew they would find a way to follow them, if they were told to stay behind. “Let them. We’re all in this now. Do we have swords for them?”
A young man from Alexander's group came forward. “We brought extras. Do you wish me to show Kai how to use one?”
“Zane,” Alexander frowned at him. “I’ll teach her. We need dark clothes for Rand’s people. See to it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Anya and Mariah exchanged an amused look, which Alexander ignored. “Let’s ready, shall we?”
Boots laced, sword strapped to their backs, a gun holstered at their hips, Mariah braided her hair while Kai and Mina did their own. Anya brought Kai a cross, slipping it over her head.
“Never take it off, especially when you are hunting the Damned.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“How long will it take for them to reach New York?” she asked Alexander when he returned.
“Three days, if they fly as men.” His cell phone rang. Stepping away, he answered it. After a minute, he hung up and replaced it in his coat. His face warned her there was trouble. “Mariah, we have to leave now!”
“Who was that?”
“A friend of mine. He says an anonymous party has issued a bounty for the Romulas brothers — dead is the requirement. Five million dollars each. Every hunter in the USA is searching for them as we speak!”
“Son-of-a-bitch! The Elders are smarter than Rathe gave them credit.”
“How’s that?”
“By using the vampire hunters to do their dirty work, the Elders can keep their hands clean of the Romulas brothers’ blood. Humans killed them. They’ll order the Enforcers to kill the vampire hunters, and it’s all covered up.” She rubbed her knuckles, worried. “We need to get ahead of Rathe and his brothers, to protect them.”
Rand suggested, “Let’s take a plane. It’ll get us there faster.”
“Plane is an excellent idea. Can you locate us one?”
“Sure. Let me call a friend of mine at the airport.”
Alexander ordered to the vampires, “Everyone, swords off, guns stay on. We’re flying the old-fashioned way.”
Unbuckling her sword, she and the others placed them in a pile. Alexander issued three men in charge of putting them in duffle bags and bringing them with them. While Rand chartered them a plane, she went to her car, grabbing her cell phone and their coats. Tossing Mina and Kai’s theirs, she slipped hers on. She saw Lydia was worried. Not wanting to upset the girl, she entered her mind. Lydia was scared she would give away what they were planning to Simon.
“Lydia, I need you to stay here.”
“Shouldn’t I go, too?”
“You have to be our alibi. If Simon inquires what’s happening here, you can honestly say you’re holding down the fort.”
Lydia nodded in relief. “Yes, that would be a good idea, huh? I never was a good liar.”
Lizzy volunteered to stay with her. “Just in case others might have had a change of heart and show up here. Don’t want them to think they are still alone.” Several other vampires volunteered to stay with them, to protect them.
“Be careful, in case the Enforcers come.”
“We’ll be ready, if they do.” Lizzy put her hand on the butt of her holstered gun.
Rand called out, “Okay, folks, we’ve a plane fueling and nearly ready to fly out.”
“Outstanding. Let’s head down to the airport, shall we?”
Kai took Alexander's hand, startling him. Mina took Anya’s.
“Let's fly!”
They landed outside the airport lights and walked to the plane, alert for any signs of danger. The plane's engines were humming. A stewardess stood next to the boarding stairs. She seemed nervous, but was a true professional as she cheerfully greeted them.
“Welcome. Let’s board, shall we?”
“You heard her. All aboard,” Rand announced cheerfully.
Vampires using airplanes, Mariah thought, shaking her head at the idea. They were just breaking all the legends and tales associated with vampires, weren’t they?
Inside the plane, she saw the pilot peek out of the cockpit, his eyes grew round and big. “Hey, man, you didn't tell me I was flying the Mob.”
Rand ordered, “Just fly, man. We’re on a tight schedule.”
“Yes, sir.”
The plane’s powerful engines' whine increased as it taxied onto the airstrip. It dawned on her as the plane positioned to take off, never could she return to her life as a romance writer. Never again would she know a life without guns, swords, Holy water, and blood. Her daughter was now condemn
ed to it, too.
Staring out the window, she tried not to cry, mourning the passing of a life she loved. Feeling the sweep of an imaginary hand down her hair, she knew it was Rathe trying to comfort her. She realized it really wasn’t the end of her life as she knew it.
It was the beginning of a new one.
Accelerating, the plane sped down the runway, slowly rising into the sky. Watching the vampires’ reaction, she almost laughed as they found the thrill of flying in an airplane amazing — at first. An hour later, the fun wore off and the ride became confining and boring, even for her.
They flew throughout the night. Alexander scanned ahead, keeping their plane off the radar and out of the way of other planes. When dawn was roughly an hour away, he conversed with the pilot. It was decided that Richmond, Indiana would be a good place for them to land for the day.
Once they were safely on the ground and the plane parked next to a private hanger, Alexander summoned the fog. Surrounding the plane and its occupants, it shielded them from prying eyes.
“We go to ground out in the airfield,” he ordered. Personally taking care of the pilots and the stewardess, hypnotizing them, he drank their blood, ensuring contact with them. To the humans, he commanded, “Return to the plane and sleep. One hour before sunset, have the plane readied to fly to New York City.”
Alexander escorted her and the girls out to the airfield. After the girls were in the ground, she nervously made a grave for herself. He helped her.
“Rest, Mariah. We will be in enemy territory soon, and you’ll need every bit of your strength you can muster to fight them.”
Drawing in a deep breath, she let it out slowly as she floated down into the welcoming soil. Reaching out to Rathe, she stopped herself. Needing to block him, to keep her location secret, she shut down and slept.
✝✝✝
At the next rising, the fog Alexander had summoned made it hard even for a vampire to see in. The plane’s engines were running like he had ordered, but because the fog was so thick, the tower had grounded all flights in and out of the airport.
While he worked to force the fog back, she concentrated on keeping her thoughts blank, so Rathe wouldn’t know what they were up to. To her surprise, he dropped the mind block and spoke to her.
“How are the girls doing with the others?”
“They’re getting along just great,” she replied dryly. Someone had decided it would look really cool if they wore dark sunglasses, even Kai and Mina wore them.
“We’re leaving. Stay close to Alexander.” Then he was gone. She found the block in place.
Alexander waved his hand. “Tower gave us the okay to leave. Let’s board.”
As they filed into the plane, she sensed something not right. “Alexander, can you feel it?”
Scenting the air, he growled, “We have company.” He took her by the elbow, ushering her and the girls into their seats. He ordered the pilots, “Get the plane in the air now!”
Buckled in, she opened the shade and peered out the window as the plane taxied onto the runway. Out in the field, where they had slept, she saw men wearing camouflage clothing and armed with machine guns. Forming a skirmish line, they made their way to the hanger the plane had been in. She held Kai's and Mina's hands tight in hers. Concentrating on breathing evenly so Rathe would not sense her anxiety, she felt the plane rise in the air, leveling quickly.
Alexander turned around in his seat. “We need to eliminate the hunters, in case Rathe and his brothers fly this way.”
How did the hunters know they were at the airport?
“Someone tipped off the hunters to our arrival. Crash the plane. Use it as a diversion. We can jump out before it hits the ground and circle back and take out the hunters. We can hide the bodies in the wreckage.”
“Excellent idea!” A predatory grin crossed Alexander's handsome features, reminding her of a wolf. He stood and said to the others, “We’ve a plan, ladies and gentlemen. After the plane crashes, head back to the airport and take out the hunters.” They grinned, exposing their fangs, eager for a fight. “Feed when you have the opportunity. Otherwise, kill the hunters.”
“Do we fly or shape-shift?” Mina asked her. “Kai hasn’t learned to shift yet.”
Alexander answered her, “We will remain as we are. Takes too much time to shift back and forth.”
“I’ll get the door.” Rand went to the door hatch and had his hands on the release bar, standing ready.
Alexander spoke to the pilots, directing them to aim the plane for the dark fields below. He signaled to Rand. Unlocking the door, Rand grabbed the ceiling bars and kicked it open. The plane lurched violently as the wind rushed in. It began to plunge, engines’ whine high-pitched. Vampires lined up, holding onto the seats to keep from being thrown around the cabin. One by one, they leapt out the plane. Rand waved her and the girls next.
“When you jump out,” he shouted, “dive down so you don’t get caught in the updraft from the engines.”
Nodding, she took Kai and Mina’s hands in hers and jumped out, pulling them with her. Together, they glided down into the darkness. Alexander and Anya flew beside them. Twisting of metal crashing was deafening as the plane catapulted as it hit the ground. Jet fuel caught fire, igniting the tanks. The explosion sent her and the girls tumbling in the air.
Righting themselves, they took their place amongst the vampires, who were stretched out into a long line. She saw the pilots and stewardess were with them, their eyes vacant and staring. Landing lightly on the ground, they crouched down in the tall grass. Alexander indicated they stay put.
She nodded. He disappeared.
Adjusting to the dark, she found she could see the humans' body heat. She flinched when they were snatched and drained by the vampires. The light dissipating as they neared death. The smell of strong aftershave put her on alert. Scouting for the human, she found two.
One whispered, “Your friend said there were only three vampires! That was a plane full of kids dressed up for Halloween!”
“Hey, I just got a call telling me there were vamps spotted at the airport, in one of the private hangers. It ain’t my fault he got it wrong!” Angry, he adjusted his camouflaged cap.
A snap of a branch had them spinning around, switching on their flashlights. In the beam of light, Alexander grinned, his fangs exposed. “Pardon my intrusion, did I hear you correctly, you seek a vampire?”
He didn’t give them a chance to answer as he grabbed the bigger one by his vest and yanked the human to him, sinking his sharp teeth into the man's throat. The other one screamed shrilly when Alexander threw his partner away and pulled him to him, feeding on him.
“Mom?” Kai whispered to her.
“Shush!” She placed a finger on her lips when she heard the audible click of a gun readied.
“Lady, stay right where you are!” He trained his gun on her, thankfully not seeing the girls dissolve into the mist. Sweat soaked the man's shirt and armpits, the rank body odor made her eyes water and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. The pounding of his heart was deafening.
His beady eyes narrowed. “Hey, you're that writer Murphy ordered us to kill. I guess he was right about ya being a vampire. Time to die, bitch!”
In a flash, she ripped the gun out of his hands, and he wet himself when she snarled, lengthening her fangs in front of him. “Looks like you’re dinner tonight.” She yanked his head to the side and sank her fangs into his neck.
Adrenaline jacked his emotions, fear ramped his blood into a powerful drug-like substance to drink. Her body craved this new taste, and she couldn’t drink it fast enough. When he struggled to get free, she tightened her grip. Screaming hysterically, he tried to hit her, to stop him, she shoved him face down on the ground and kept feeding on him.
Rathe yelled at her, “Mariah, you must stop! Do not follow his death!”
A rustling of dried grass made her look up and she saw Alexander running at her. He yanked the human out of her hands and threw him be
hind him. Panting, she growled at Alexander when he took her face in his hands.
“Mariah, focus on me, look into my eyes.”
Struggling to escape his grip on her, wanting to find another victim to drain, she was forced to do as he bid. Drawn into his green eyes, he whispered, “Calm. Be calm, Mariah. Let the blood flow. Your body will take in the life it gives, but let the fear vanish, and you will be calm.”
Concentrating on her blood, took control of how it processed the blood she’d drank, she felt the hunger leave her. Holding onto Alex for support, she managed to say, “I’m okay now.”
He relaxed his brutal grip on her, still looking pretty worried. Kai and Mina returned. She saw the fear in their eyes. Shakily, she wiped the blood off her chin, feeling disoriented.
“Mom, are you okay?” Kai crept forward, ignoring Mina, who tried to stop her.
“Yeah, baby, I'm better.” She tried to smile at Mina, but the effort too much for her at the moment. “No, Mina, I'm not Damned. But your brother should have warned me about the effects of blood chocked full of adrenaline.” Glaring at Alexander, she said, “You should have warned me, too!”
“Sorry, I’d not thought of it until Kai summoned me to help you.”
Mina’s eyes were wide. “Is that why the Damned scare the humans before they feed on them? For the adrenaline and fear to change the blood?”
Grim, Alexander nodded. “Fear-laden blood is like a drug, and the Damned are addicts.”
Mariah asked him, “Can I feed the girls or should you?”
“No, I’ll do it. They might have the same reaction as you did.” He slashed his wrists and fed them both at the same time. When their hunger was sated, he allowed the wounds to heal. “You, three, stay here. I need to take care of the bodies.” He reached down and snapped the human’s neck.
In the silent aftermath, she heard Alexander order the vampires to collect the bodies. Taking the hands of the two men who lay dead beside her, she dragged them to Alexander. She was surprised to see he had kept one of the hunters alive.
Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) Page 28