by Mairsile
“Take it outside, Niko,” Vince thought as he walked past her, shoving her shoulder.
“Stay here, Lilah,” Nikki seethed, not waiting for a reply. She followed Vince out of the barn.
Lilah shook her head. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Fighting? Over a little kiss that didn’t mean anything?”
Nikki didn’t hear her, she was too preoccupied. Once outside, Vince picked her up by the collar and carried her out to an empty field not far from the barn, where he unceremoniously dumped her on the ground. The thirty-acre field, illuminated by the half moon, still had a few round bales of hay scattered about from the late fall harvest. The farmers left the bales for the wildlife to eat on during the winter, and Vince lighted on top of one.
“Come down here and fight like a man,” Nikki berated.
“I am a man and this is how I fight,” Vince retorted. “But you’re not a man so that puts you at a disadvantage.”
“Bullshit. I’m just as strong as you, maybe even stronger because I’m really, really pissed right now.” The vampire blood cursing through her blood put her on equal ground with most of the male vampires. One of the perks she enjoyed as an immortal.
“Before I come down to your level…” Vince heard Nikki growl, “I’ve got a few things I want to say first.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t want to hear it,” Nikki retorted, jumping inhumanly high, trying to grab him off the hay.
Vince easily floated up, out of reach, making Nikki’s rage even worse. “I envy you. You’re a lucky woman.”
That was not what Nikki was expecting to hear. She had it in her mind that Vince wanted Lilah for himself, not to mate with her, not to love her as she deserved to be love, but as a plaything to fulfill his lust, just as he had done with all the women he wanted. Over the years, the two had viciously fought each other over a woman or two, but those were nothing compared to fighting for the only woman she truly loved.
“Fuck that,” Nikki fumed. “You know how I feel about Lilah and you took her anyway.”
“I did no such thing, damn it! We kissed, yes, but I came to my senses in time to stop her.”
“To stop her? Stop her!” Nikki looked around for a rock on the ground and threw it so quickly that it hit its mark before Vince could fly out of the way.
“Ouch!” Vince yelped and grabbed his testicles, falling to the ground. “Damn, hit me where it hurts the most, why don’t you?”
Nikki was on top of him in a heartbeat, pummeling him with her fists. Her hands were like sledgehammers, stronger than humans and faster than a bolt of lightning. The two fought, each landing crushing blows to the face of the other. There was no end in sight until Vince used his element again and produced a dust storm that blinded Nikki. Then, using the air to lift him, he slammed his two feet into his sister’s chest, knocking her back several yards.
Once again, Vince hovered over her. “Will you yield, Niko?”
Nikki could already feel her cuts and bruises healing, but her anger was still inflamed. “Will you come down here and fight fairly?”
“On the ground, you are stronger than me,” Vince admit what Nikki already knew.
Nikki had to be stronger because she had no element to wield in a fist fight, other than reading her opponent’s thoughts and knowing which way they would move and attack. Vince knew this and kept his mind a blank when he fought his sister. “We could fight all night and still not resolve your issues.”
“My issues? What about yours, you horny bastard? She’s my woman. Lilah is mine, and I love her.”
“Then tell her so, damn it. Put your mark on her so others won’t be inclined to want her.”
“I can’t bite her, not without her permission,” Nikki said, the fight draining out of her. “And I can’t ask her without endangering her.”
Vince landed on the ground again and crossed his arms defiantly. “How long are you going to keep making excuses? If you don’t want her, then I’ll take her.”
Her anger turned to rage and Nikki charged at him, knocking Vince to the ground and again she pummeled him with her fists. She knew that Vince was right, that she was not bound to her and any immortal could take her, wanted or not. But to have her own brother, the man who owed his life to her more times than not, say that he would take her, snapped something inside of her.
Meanwhile, Lilah was pacing back and forth in the barn. Who do they think they are? I’m no one’s woman. As her anger began to dissipate, Lilah felt guilty that the two were at odds because of her. She walked out of the barn intending to set them straight. Where’d they go? Something caught her eye in the pasture to her right and then she heard talking. She jumped the fence and walked toward the sound, not able to see anyone because of the large bale of hay in her line of sight. But she knew the sound of a fist fight. She had heard it a few times before when the ranch hands got into fights, usually over a poker game. She snuck up behind the hay bale and peeked around it. Vince was floating in the air. She tried to scream, but her throat was frozen in fear. Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! She felt nauseously lightheaded, her heart racing, her eyes blurred with fear. Unable to take her eyes off Vince, she begged her feet to run, but they were frozen to the ground. This isn’t real. It’s another damn nightmare. Please, God, let it be a nightmare. Vince smiled at her and waved. She bolted, running wildly through the field.
In a flash, Nikki stood in front of her path and she came to a skidding halt, falling on her butt. She twisted around and got back up, running in the opposite direction, but Vince was there, gliding toward her.
“Stop, Lilah. Please. It’s not what you think,” Nikki called after her.
Lilah stopped because there was nowhere to run, Vince cut her off at every turn. “Wake up. Oh, God, please let me wake up.”
Nikki slowly, cautiously, walked up behind her, careful not to crowd her, and said again, “It’s not what you think, Lilah.”
Lilah found the courage to face her and gasped when she saw the worry in her eyes. That’s not how it goes. “How the hell do you know what I’m thinking?” she asked, trying to hide the tremble in her voice, but she knew that she hadn’t been successful. A soft smile ran along Nikki’s lips, and she flashed back to her nightmare again. “I think I’m back in my nightmare, about to be killed by a vampire who looks exactly like you, Nikki.”
“It’s not a nightmare, lovely Lilah Rose,” she replied with a gravelly voice.
Lilah tilted her head her way. I’ve heard that before. Oh, God. If it’s not a nightmare… no, that’s too ludicrous to consider. Of course, it’s a nightmare and all I need to do is wake up.
“You are awake, and in answer to your question, I can hear your thoughts.”
Lilah laughed, raising an eyebrow in contempt. “Bullshit.” Why is she lying to me? There’s no such thing as mind readers.
“I’m not lying to you, Lilah. For the first time since I’ve known you, I’m telling you the truth. Yes, I’m a vampire and I can sense your thoughts.”
Lilah turned to run, thinking that she was stoned or crazy or both, but Vince was still behind her, floating in the air.
“Listen to her, Lilah,” Vince implored as he landed in front of her. “We are not going to harm you, I promise.”
“Why is this happening to me? Wake up, damn it!”
“I told you, you are awake. And like Vince said, we’re not going to harm you,” Nikki said softly. The look of terror in Lilah’s eyes twisted her heart so painfully that she decided to take a chance. “You are free to leave, if that’s what you want. But I have more to tell you that I think you’ll want to hear.”
“Do I have a choice?”
Before Lilah could say anything, Nikki repeated what she had thought. “You always have a choice, Lilah. But there are things coming to a head on this ranch that are out of my control, and I think you should be made aware of them.”
“A.B.C.D.E.F.G—“
Nikki looked at her intently. “Why are you reciting the alphabet? This is seriou
s.”
She gasped and stepped back. “Mary had a little lamb and the damn vampire tried to bite it.”
Nikki chuckled, realizing she was testing her. “Lilah, why would I bite a lamb when Mary is standing right there?” She thought she saw a slight upturn of her lips. She gave her a comforting smile. “Would you like to see them? I swear that I will not bite you.”
Lilah was afraid, yet curious. Completely unbelieving, yet something told her it was real. “I don’t believe you. If you really are a vampire, you have to bite me or kill me or turn me into a monster or something.” She knew she was babbling, but she couldn’t stop herself. Her heart was racing, and every nerve in her body was twitching with fear.
Calmly, quietly, Nikki said, “I need you to calm down, Lilah. Your heart is beating too fast and—”
“How the hell do you know what my heart is doing?” Lilah snapped, inhaling sharply to try and slow it down.
“I can hear it. That’s one of the perks of being a vampire. Acute sensory perception. Look, you should know by now that I am an honorable woman, and I would never harm the woman I love. Ask Vince if you don’t believe me.”
“Oh sure, I’m going to ask a vampire if I can trust her vampire sister,” Lilah quipped. How stupid do you think I am?
“I don’t think you’re stupid at all. I think you’re one of the smartest people I know.”
“Gee, that was a really nice thing to say.”
“That’s because I’m a really nice person, Lilah,” Nikki explained.
“Stop! Stop it. Get out of my head, damn it,” Lilah shouted and ran past her toward the house.
She reluctantly let her go, knowing that there was nothing else she could say to convince her. Vince walked up beside her and laid his arm across her shoulder.
“She’ll be okay, sis. Just give her time.”
“What if we don’t have time, Vinny?”
“They’re not here yet. Don’t go looking for trouble when there isn’t any.”
“Yet,” Nikki sighed.
“Nikki, your father asked me to tell you and Vince to stop horsing around and get your collective asses in here now!”
“Beulah is hollering for us,” Nikki conveyed the message. “We’d better go in.”
“Hey, Niko,” Vince said as they walked toward the house. “You know that I would never take your girl away from you, right? I learned my lesson the first time.”
“And the second time?”
Vince laughed. “That was just a test. I knew you weren’t in love with the girl and you knew it, too.”
“Hey, Vinny,” Nikki said, stopping and poking her finger into her brother’s chest. “Don’t test me a third time. She’s the real deal, and I’ll kill anyone who tries to take her away from me.”
“I know, sis. And I’ll help you kill him if it comes to that.”
“Just see to it that you don’t have to commit hara-kiri.”
“I don’t know; she might be worth it,” Vince teased, walking toward the house again.
“Damn it, Vinceslao. It’s things like that—”
“Jeez, Dominique. Can’t you even take a joke?”
Nikki shook her head. “Not when it comes to her, I can’t.”
Vince felt a trickle of fear run down his spine. “You’re going to do it, aren’t you? You’re going to ask her to marry you.”
“Yes, if she can get past the shock from tonight, I hope to spend the rest of my life with her.”
“There’s just one problem with that, sister, dear. Your life will be infinitely longer than hers.”
“Yeah, I know. But I’ll worry about that when the time comes.”
Chapter Eleven
“Señora Beulah, we’re having a wake tonight for Rebecca. I hope that won’t interfere with your visit?” Dorothea asked, sitting in the kitchen with Beulah.
“It should be fine,” Beulah said. “Um, Dorothea, there’s some very bad people who are trying to take our ranch away from us. They’re very dangerous people with no compunction when it comes to killing to get what they want.”
“Oh, no. I don’t understand; why do they want the ranch?”
“For several reasons. Ludovico thinks it’s a group out of Russia who want to establish a foothold here in America. There’s a lot they can do with the ranch, including producing drugs. The ocean is only an hour away.” Then there’s the Russian bitch who wants to muscle in on our territory and drain our young vampires dry.
“What can I do to help?” Dorothea asked. She had a deep love for the ranch, and the ranch hands. They called her oso Momma, Spanish for momma bear.
“You can pack up and leave. Go see your family in Mexico. Our treat.”
Dorothea shook her head. “That’s very generous, Señora Beulah, but I won’t leave Delilah and Leonard.”
Beulah sighed and picked up her coffee cup. “No, I didn’t think you would, but I had to try. But, if it becomes too dangerous, Ludovico will send all three of you away.”
*
Ludovico pulled the glass top from the bourbon decanter and poured a generous helping into a crystal rock glass. Gently swirling the brown liquid, he sniffed it before taking a sip. Exhaling his satisfaction, he finally turned and acknowledged Nikki and Vince, who had been standing at attention by the couch. “It will be light soon and I need to speak with you two, so wait for me in the apartment.”
“Sí, Papá,” Nikki acknowledged, and then turned to Leonard. “Did Lilah come through here?”
“She’s up in her room,” Leonard told her. “Probably asleep by now.”
Perfect. Nikki rushed out of the room and down the hall, followed close behind by Vince.
“What’s the rush, Niko?” Vince asked when Nikki stopped to unlock the door.
“I need to see how Lilah’s handling all this,” Nikki replied.
“Well, I hope it’s everything you dream of. Get it? Dream…”
Nikki rolled her eyes at her brother. “Lame, Vinny, very lame.”
Vince shoved her shoulder as they unlocked the door and disappeared into the apartment.
*
“Mr. da Polenta,” Leonard said, drawing his attention. “You know that I was a military strategist in the Army, and I’ve fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Ludovico looked at him intently, knowing what he was about to say, but he would let the man say his piece before he told him no.
“As a soldier, I have killed without impunity. I know the horrors of war.”
“What are you asking, Leonard?”
Leonard met his eyes. “I’m asking that my daughter and Dorothea be sent somewhere safe. I will remain here.”
Setting his glass down on the coffee table, Ludovico sat wearily in the leather armchair. Leonard sat on the edge of the couch closest to him.
“Leonard, when I bought this place and hired your father to run it, you were still a dream in your momma’s womb. And when you were born, I promised her that I would look out for you. Except for my lovely Beulah, I have never made that promise to anyone before. But your mother had the gift of foresight and told me this battle was coming. I’ve been preparing for it all of your life, but even so, there is a real chance that I will not win the fight. I have invited four leaders from different territories to meet here, at this ranch, to discuss strategy. They will be here tomorrow night. I would appreciate your valuable training in planning our strategies, but after that, I need you and your family to evacuate. Beulah will go with you to keep y’all safe. Give the ranch hands and the farmers some excuse and get them out of here, too. Assure them that they will be paid during the shutdown.”
“And what of the animals?” Leonard asked, envisioning the mare with her new foal. “Who will take care of them?”
“I’m not going to lie to you Leonard. Depending on how long this takes, quite a lot of the animals will provide for our needs, which is another reason why all the humans should leave. Human blood is always preferred over animal. The cows can remain where they are
and the horses should be corralled in the south pasture where my men will water and feed them.”
Leonard fought hard to keep his face neutral, but inside his heart filled with tears. The thought of a vampire sucking the blood out of the new mother and her colt was inconceivable to him. “I will send my family away, but I will not abandon the animals. We have a brand new colt and two more on the way. I don’t trust your men to know how to help in a foaling.”
Ludovico sighed and picked up his drink. He took another sip and then rested it on the arm of the chair. “A vampire war is not fought on human terms with human weapons, Leonard. There are no rules for this kind of war. If you aren’t killed outright, they will manipulate you into doing their bidding, even as they use your blood to replenish themselves. Surely a foal isn’t worth that?”
“They would be to me.” Lilah bristled from the railing on the second floor.
*
“So, how do you think Lilah’s handling everything?” Vince asked as he was undressing in his room. He pulled his shirt off, smelled it, grimaced, and threw it on the floor.
“I don’t know, I can’t sense her from here. It’s like a damn vault down here,” Nikki answered as she walked across the hall to the large, marble bathroom and turned on the water in the walk-in shower. She stripped out of her dirty clothes and walked into the shower. Then she remembered she had forgotten her pajamas. With Vince just around the corner, she knew she couldn’t walk around naked, as she preferred when she was alone, because then he would too. On second thought, she knew it really didn’t matter. Vince was not shy about sharing his nakedness with anyone.
“Duh. We’re buried under the ground with steel reinforced concrete walls. Not even an Earth immortal can get through to us in here.”
“Yeah, and my element is useless down here.”
“Bullshit,” Vince said in his mind. “You can still hear my thoughts.”
“Well, it’s not like I can bring her down here, you know.” Nikki groused under the jet spray.