Terry Spear - Vampire

by Killing The Bloodlust (Triskelion) (lit)

  Boniface shrugged. “Nothing more to say, but if you can, take good care of her. My father did my mother, as long as he could.”

  Robert frowned at Boniface, not sure what he was talking about. Then growing concerned about Crystal, he headed for the garage.

  He yanked open the door. The car was gone. A shiver of concern ran down his spine. She’d taken his car...again.

  He dashed back in the house. “She’s gone!”

  Tom jumped from his seat. “All right, calm down. We’ll find her.” He turned to Max, figuring he might know where’d they’d take her, if any of them would. “Where’d they take her?”

  “Could be anywhere. They’ll lead her to Nicolai eventually...when it gets dark.”

  “Where?” Robert interjected.

  Max glared at him. “If you think you can protect her any better than my brother protected her mother, you’re wrong.”

  Mark and Samuel grabbed their sheathed swords.

  Samuel said, “He’s got his brothers to back him up on this too.”

  Boniface wrinkled his brow. “Maybe down by the river. We’ve heard a lot of traffic on the cell phones from a town south of here mentioning retrieving a hearse from the river and bringing it to one of their homes there. Nicolai was apparently resting in a coffin when the hearse had an accident. Maybe the hosts led her to this house.”

  “Can you show us?” Robert asked, gripping his sword, ready to move out.

  Boniface glanced over at Max whose lips turned down in a scowl.

  Victor headed for the door. “I can.”

  Boniface joined him. “We can.”

  Robert and his brothers hurried outside to Tom’s SUV. Boniface rode up front with Tom. Victor sat in the middle with Robert and Samuel. Frowning, Mark climbed into the very back seat.

  When Tom sped off, Boniface turned to Robert. “We’ve been monitoring some of the hosts’ cell phone conversations for the last twenty-four hours. Nicolai’s been killing hosts by the dozen. Even vampire families in the surrounding communities are growing alarmed that his actions will alert the police of their activities.”

  Victor added, “He and his brother have to be terminated. And then Crystal must leave here for good. We can handle what’s left of Nicolai and Dimitri’s family after that.”

  Robert considered Boniface’s words spoken in the kitchen. “Your mother had the same gene as Crystal has?”

  “Yeah.” Boniface looked out the window. “She was from Oregon and fled to Oklahoma to escape the same fate that awaits Crystal if she stays. Our mother hid the fact she had a strong aversion to killing. In the end, she died at the age of thirty because she hesitated to kill one time too often.”

  “And our father too. He protected her from the day he took her under his wing when she was sixteen. She had six of us kids. Only Boniface, Crystal, and I remain.”

  “Why wasn’t Crystal ever told her mother had this gene?”

  Boniface shook his head. “Uncle Max said she wasn’t to be told and what would be would be. Only the parents of a huntress who has the mutated gene are allowed to kill her. Since our mother had the same gene, neither Father nor Mother could kill her. They’d hoped she’d find a hunter who’d take her in when she was old enough, like Father had taken care of our mother.”

  Victor cleared his throat. “Nobody ever believed a vampire would target her to be one of their own. It’s never happened before that we know of.”

  Robert took a ragged breath. He couldn’t begin to understand the turmoil Crystal must face daily in dealing with her feelings about killing, but then to be turned out by her family too. “Yes, but Nicolai is around 150 years old. Perhaps some other time earlier in someone’s hunter family something like this has occurred. Something must have made him suspect he could have a child with her.”

  Neither of Crystal’s brothers responded, making Robert suspicious. “All right, so when did a vampire take a huntress and what was the outcome?”

  “It’s just a family legend. You know how they go. Passed down from generation to generation, no one knows how true any of it is.” Boniface turned to look at Robert. “But it was said a huntress early in our family tree on our mother’s side, had an aversion to killing. And worse, she was attracted to the head of a vampire family.”

  Robert’s jaw clenched. Was history repeating itself? Was Crystal in love with Nicolai?

  “Anyway, both were killed by hunters when they caught them in the vampire’s lair in a castle in Scotland.”

  “So she didn’t have any offspring?”

  “No, thank God. And if Nicolai gets to Crystal, she’ll have to be destroyed too.”

  Robert shook his head. “We’ve learned that her blood won’t kill them.”

  Boniface sighed deeply. “No. And I’m afraid they suspect this already. But one bite is normally deadly and I’m sure they’re still reluctant to take the chance to test the theory. Or at least Victor and I hope so.”

  “Can they turn her if they bite her?”

  “We have no idea. I mean, they can with a host of course, if they want.”

  “Your relative who joined the vampire...had she been bitten?” Robert asked, his voice strained.

  “No. But he’d lain with her. They can tell when a female’s ripe for planting the seed, just like we can.”

  Robert recalled when he’d placed his hand on Crystal’s abdomen...the temperature of her body, the way his hand tingled differently with his touch, he knew she was ripe. And what had he done about it? Told her she needed someone else’s protection. He roughed up his hair, irritated with himself for having been so insensitive. Now that he’d made love to her, would Nicolai abandon his quest to have her, or would he kill her like he presumed he might?

  “If our ancestor had been allowed to live, she’d have bore a vampire child. No telling what abilities the child would have had.”

  “Did any vampire come after your mother, like Nicolai has done with Crystal?”

  Boniface stared at him for a moment, then turned to look out the window. “Turn left on Highway 35,” he said to Tom. “No. She either hid the fact she was different well enough, or having had five hunters and one huntress born of her womb made a difference. I don’t know.”

  With every passing second, the alarm grew in Robert’s gut. He glanced out the window. “Are we almost there?”

  “They may not even be at this location. It’s just an educated guess.”

  Victor turned to Robert. “Have you had relations with Crystal?”

  Robert was stunned her brother would ask. He didn’t answer. It was none of his, or any of her family’s business as they’d cast her out of the family.

  “Your brother doesn’t have some kind of sexual dysfunction, does he?” Boniface asked Tom.

  Robert’s brothers laughed out loud as his chest tightened with irritation.

  “She’d been injured.” Tom replied.

  “How?” Boniface asked.

  “A host shot her with a gun.”

  “Damn. The hosts know if they carry weapons, we kill them, no questions asked. Otherwise we let them live when we hunt the vampires. Nicolai’s really got them stirred up.” Boniface pointed down another road.

  “You do want her, don’t you?” Victor asked, changing the subject. “I mean the possessiveness you showed when you were with her and the affection she showed in return, made us think you wanted her.”

  “Yeah, he wants her,” Mark said. “She caught him with the right bait and he’s not letting go.”

  “Here, pull in here!” Boniface said.

  Five cars already sat curbside at a lakeside cottage. A blue metal roof shined in the sunlight, but already the sun was beginning to set. The curtains across the two picture windows were both drawn closed.

  Robert grabbed his sword, but Victor seized his wrist. “If he’s had her, Robert, Boniface or I will kill her. No hunter could ever trust she’d remain loyal to our cause...not if he’s turned her. Because of the feelings you have for her,
you won’t be able to end her life.”

  Robert jerked his hand free. His heart thundered in his chest. No way would he consider the worst-case scenario. Not yet. He shoved the vehicle’s door open.

  The party of six male hunters rushed out of the vehicle and stormed the house all at once.

  Chapter 17

  If Kostya bit Crystal, could he turn her? That’s what seared her mind with worry as Kostya bared his teeth at her, then touched them to her skin. If the vampire could turn her into one of them, she’d have to take her own life. But could she? Or would her own will be lost to the vampires? Her brothers would have to kill her. Robert was right. She’d made a mess of everything. A total feeling of hopelessness invaded her being, despite trying to keep an optimistic outlook. This time despair overwhelmed her. She’d be doomed to a life of everlasting hell, until one of her kind could put an end to her miserable existence.

  Kostya’s long black hair dangled about her face as he moved his hard body against hers, working up more than just a bloodlust. She both hated and loved the feelings he stirred up in her, the sexual intrigue, but also the knowledge if she mixed with him she’d be damned for all eternity...until she died.

  The four fledgling vampires still held her arms, but then their attention and Kostya’s riveted to another room. Kostya’s brow wrinkled as he hissed.

  The fledglings rose from the floor in slow motion, releasing their hold of Crystal. She had her chance. Kostya begin to separate from her. Without hesitation this time, she jammed her wrist knife between his ribs with a hurried thrust, penetrating deep into his heart.

  His head jerked around and he bared his teeth at her. Before he could attempt to sink them into her, he collapsed.

  Crystal shoved him aside, then jumped to her feet. Vampires born of the womb would die by the hunter’s blade after all.

  Lila shrieked. Crystal’s heart froze. Her gaze shifted from the shriveled body of Kostya to Lila’s even whiter than usual face.

  The fledglings hurried for the other room. Someone had arrived. Robert and his brothers?

  “Nicolai’s home,” the older male host said. He hurried away with the fledglings as if she hadn’t done anything to Kostya. Had Nicolai known what Kostya was about to do to her and allowed her to kill Kostya by distracting him?

  Crystal grabbed her sword and cane, then shoved the blade into its concealment. Lila’s eyes puddled up with tears, and she sank to her knees. A sob escaped her lips.

  Crystal grabbed her hand. “Lila, come away from here with me.”

  “He...he...” Lila’s eyes grew wide with terror, but her tongue couldn’t reach the words to describe what she undoubtedly saw in her mind.

  Crystal grasped her hand, gently but firmly. “We’ll talk about this later. But for now, you must come away with me.”

  “What will become of me?” Lila balked at the doorway.

  Taking a deep breath, Crystal half dragged her outside. “If the other vampires get hold of you, no telling since Kostya’s...” She paused her speech and yanked Lila into the sunlight. “Did he join with you, Lila?”

  Lila touched her abdomen. Tears streaked down her face. “He...he killed my little sister, brother...” She looked into Crystal’s face. Her face wrinkled with anguish. “My mother, father...how could I not have remembered?”

  Crystal ran her to the car, then yanked open the door and urged Lila inside. There was no sign of Robert or Tom’s vehicles anywhere along the street, but a trail of water led into the closed garage. Nicolai. Had the hosts pulled the hearse and him from the river? “Hurry, Lila. We’ll talk about it once we’re safely away from here.”

  She shut Lila’s car door, then turned. Two hosts ran toward her. Nicolai stood at the window, the sunlight no longer touching the glass. His hair still wet, dripped over his shoulders. He yanked off his soaking robe to reveal he wore nothing under the garment. She gasped. His eyes and mouth were thin, angry lines. His pale but muscled body grew alert with her in his sights. He wanted her with a vengeance, but again, she was beyond his reach.

  She readied her cane. Every muscle in her body ached from being overworked. The two men never slowed in their approach, both shooting out of the house like bullets propelled from a double-barreled gun. Nicolai sent them to retrieve her, unable to get to her himself in the sunlight. Before she could strike either of the hosts, three more bolted out of the house.

  She struck the first host in the head, knocking him out cold. When he crumpled to the sidewalk, the other host jerked her arm back and slammed her into the car. The pain radiated through her still tender shoulder and she screamed out.

  The three remaining hosts ganged up on her. Still, with her superhuman strength, she managed to knee one in the groin, paralyzing him from doing anything further as he fell to his knees on the pavement. Two of the men held her right arm back preventing her from using her cane, both trying to wrest it from her clenched fist. The other grabbed her free arm, keeping out of range of her deadliest weapon at the moment, her knee.

  Twice she thrust it at him and he dodged out of her path. If her knee wouldn’t reach, her boot would. She shoved her pointed boot toe at him and kicked him in the shin. He cried out in pain, losing his grip on her arm.

  Before he could refocus, she grabbed at one of the two still trying to snatch her cane. Unsuccessful, she retracted her blade and sliced at his arm. Her movement wasn’t meant to kill him, but wound him sufficiently so that he’d release her.

  He cried out and let go. With only one man now holding her right wrist, she yanked free. Swinging the cane at his head, she knocked him off his feet with a whack and a thud.

  The man she’d kicked, came in for the kill. She gritted her teeth and struck him in the shoulder.

  After incapacitating him, she noticed three more dash out of the house. Time to leave.

  She ran for the driver’s side. Lila had locked the doors. Crystal tapped on the window. Lila stared through the front windshield as if in a daze. She appeared to be in shock.

  “Lila!”

  A host seized Crystal’s arm. She hit him with the cane. “Lila!”

  The man faltered, then grabbed her again. Crystal’s strength drained from her body. The adrenaline coursed through her veins like a valve stuck on high pressure, but she couldn’t fight hosts and vampires forever without rest.

  She struck at him again, this time aiming for his skull. He blocked her maneuver with his arm. A cracking resulted, like the bone snapping. He sank to his knees.

  Another took his place.

  She struck him with her knife, slicing across his hand. When he favored it with his other, she dug into her pocket for the car key. After pulling it out, she punched the button. But before she could open the door, the last of the hosts captured her wrist.

  Twisting around, she kneed him in the jewels. Neat trick, and they never learned unless they’d received a proper demonstration. He clutched his crotch and groaned as she jerked the car door open.

  Four more hosts exited the house. She locked the car door and fumbled to get the key in the ignition. One of the men brandished a knife. If they cut her tires, she and Lila would never get away.

  The engine roared and Crystal gunned the car, propelling it down the road. Soon, a black SUV tailed them. Damn. Already twilight, the night would soon be upon them.

  She reached over and touched Lila’s hand. “Lila, will you be okay?”

  Lila turned to face her. “Why couldn’t I see what a hideous monster he was?”

  Crystal refocused her attention on her driving. “They don’t want the host to have any memories of their family. It interferes with their designs on you and others like you. He only allowed you to remember how he’d protected you from the bully that you’d dated.”

  “He killed him too.”

  “Yes, and in your mind, he freed you from a monster that might have killed you. But your family was different. He couldn’t have shown you they deserved to die too. But once I killed him, his mind contr
ol over you vanished.”

  Tears rolled down Lila’s cheeks. “What will happen to me now?”

  “Did you join with Kostya?”

  Lila nodded her head slightly.

  Crystal took a deep breath. “Then he impregnated you.”

  “Maybe not. Perhaps it didn’t take.”

  “Possibly.” But in her heart, Crystal figured he’d have joined with Lila when the time was right. The hunters would want her dead, whether she was a vampire or not, if she carried one in her womb. And the vampires that were turned through blood bonding would want her dead to keep from having another vampire of the womb infiltrate their family again.

  No way could she return to Robert’s house with Lila. But where else could she go that would be safe?

  Another black SUV pulled in front of them from a side street. Crystal’s throat grew dry. Her whole body still thrummed, filled with the rush of adrenaline that coursed through it in anticipation of another clash with the vampires and their hosts. Her heart rate was still pumping with increased gusto as her mind raced as to what to do next. They’d try to box her in somewhere. Disable her vehicle. Strand her and Lila until it grew dark and Nicolai could come for them.

  “You haven’t been turned, have you, Lila? The sunlight doesn’t seem to bother you.”

  “No, Kostya didn’t turn me. He wanted me to continue to serve as a host for a good while longer. I think he thought I’d still be able to convince you to join Nicolai.” She brushed away the tears. “I still love Kostya. What’s wrong with me?”

  “Vampires have a strong claim over hosts’ hearts. Even when you can see the evil they’ve committed, it’s hard to break the bond you’ve had with them.”

  “Do you feel this way about Nicolai?”

  Crystal swallowed hard as she considered getting them to safety. “No, Lila. Hold on. We’ve got to get to a safe place for tonight.” She twisted the wheel to the right and detoured down a street, then turned right again at the next one.

  She could have used Tom’s sniper rifle to aid her.

  Lila looked back. “He’s still behind us.”

  “Yes, and I’m sure he’s calling in our moves to the one who was in front of us.”