by Gail Koger
A bolt of blinding energy suddenly crackled wildly around the room forcing us back against the wall.
“Dominic always liked making a grand entry,” Ajax commented, handing Ian his sword.
A swirling green vortex churned through the doors like a mini tornado. It stopped in front of us and morphed into an enormous armored knight. Strange shadows seemed to scurry across his polished silver armor.
Clapping loudly, I stepped around Ian and hollered, “Very nice. The hotel Excalibur is looking for a new Merlin. You should apply.”
Ben groaned.
Slanting me a slitty-eyed predator glare, McGregor pushed me behind him again. Do not provoke him.
Where’s the fun in that?
Daughter, Kane warned.
Sorry sir. I wasn’t really. The loopy school girl act was kinda fun.
“I’ve… For… Daughter.”
I yelled over the howling wind, “What? We can’t hear you.”
Dominic snapped his fingers and the wind and lightning stopped.
“I’ve come for Cassandra’s daughter,” Dominic repeated, his voice was a raspy hiss.
Shifting into a battle stance and totally oblivious to being butt ass naked, Ian replied, “She is my mate.”
Dominic let out a roar of fury that rattled the windows. “You dare to deny me what is mine?!”
His? A yelp broke from me when invisible hands grabbed me and dragged me up to the sicko pervert.
“Let her go,” McGregor bellowed, charging towards me.
Raising one armored fist, Dominic unleashed a blinding green bolt of energy. It struck McGregor in the chest, slamming him into the far wall.
I struggled against the force field holding me in place. “Ian! Leggo.”
“No.” He gestured and my body levitated up until I was face to face with the monster. Revulsion crawled over my body as I met his soulless black eyes. Dominic was one seriously creepy dude.
Release my daughter, said the voice of God. Okay, it was really Kane but wow he could give Charlton Heston a run for his money.
“Never. Her blood will make me whole.”
Huh? There was nothing special about my blood, was there? I pointed to my throat. “You can’t have me. I’m already claimed.”
With a bellow of fury Dominic flung me across the room like I was a rat he had just discovered chowing down on his steak.
McGregor caught me before I hit the wall and cradled me against his blackened chest.
Kane’s voice was lethal. The mating was properly witnessed and I recorded it in the great book. Touch my daughter again and I will destroy you.
You don’t have the power, old man, Dominic hissed.
Out of nowhere a bolt of blue fire slammed into Dominic’s chest hurling him out the doors. He skidded across the grass and crashed into a tree.
“Not the brightest bulb in the pack, is he?”
McGregor grinned and dropped a kiss on my mouth.
A sob jerked my attention away from Ian’s yummy mouth. Crap! Isobel was huddled in a corner with bloody tears running down her face.
I wiggled. “Put me down”
My sweetie took one look at Isobel’s terrified face, sighed, and dropped me on my feet. “The bastard used her badly.”
“Don’t worry I’ll take care of her and him.” I hurried over to Isobel and gently took her arm. “Come on let’s get you some blood wine.”
“I haven’t seen him in centuries. I didn’t think… She shuddered. “His voice.” More tears rolled down her pale cheeks as I led her into the kitchen. “It brought it all back. I can still hear my mother pleading for mercy. My sisters’ screams.”
I pulled out a chair and she sank gracefully onto it. “I want him dead.”
“Okay.” Opening the refrigerator, I took out a bottle of blood wine and uncorked it.
A shaky laugh broke from Isobel. “Just like that? You would kill him for me?”
“Absofuckinglutely.” I plucked a large beer mug from the cabinet, filled it and handed it to Isobel. “That bastard hurt you.”
She drained the mug and held it out for more. I gave her a refill and sniffed the open bottle. The stuff smelled really good. Shit! Where did this uncontrollable craving for blood come from?! I smacked myself in the forehead. From the goddamned mate bond, that’s where. I should have staked Ian when I had the chance instead of lusting after all those fine muscles.
“How do we kill him?”
“With Mister Pointy.”
“You want to stake a two thousand year old master vampire?”
“Huh? Oh! No. I was thinking of using a couple of modified Big Berthas on Dominic.”
“His armor is enchanted.”
Why did I suddenly feel like I was trapped in a Disney film? “Believe it or not a certain wicked witch gave me a potion that will neutralize his magic.”
Isobel stared at me in total disbelief. “Megan the Mad gave you the Chi-Rho elixir? Willingly?”
“Ah, kinda. I had something she wanted, so we made a trade.”
“And she didn’t try to curse you?”
“Oh, the stupid bitch tried all right but it sorta backfired.”
Isobel, the always graceful, immaculately groomed noble woman, grabbed the bottle and drained it. “Backfired? How?”
“Bodine had loaned me his Hex medallion and Megan the Mad now graces his garden as a rather scary statue.”
“Dear God.” Isobel crossed herself. “What did Bodine want in return for his help?”
“Actually he owed me a favor.”
“The crime lord of Las Vegas owed you a favor!?”
“Yep, I saved his wife from a bunch of blood fiends.”
“Does Ben know about this?”
“No, and you’re not telling him or Ian either. It’ll be our little secret.”
“You have no secrets from your life mate.”
“Do you, or do you not, want to kill Dominic?”
“Aye. I want him dead.”
“Then we leave McGregor and the pack out of it.”
Isobel opened the refrigerator and took out another bottle of blood wine. “Dominic will not be easy to kill.”
“Like all men he suffers from testosterone poisoning.”
She looked at me blankly.
“The nasty wizard doesn’t think a female is a threat.”
An evil smile pulled at her mouth. “And we are.”
“You bet your ass we are.” Plucking the bottle from her hand, I took a healthy swig. Hmmph, not bad. I could get used to it.
Isobel took the bottle from me, chugged it down and belched loudly. “And we’re off to kill the Wizard.”
Chapter Eight
You know what they say about best laid plans? Isobel and I had armored up and borrowed Ben’s bike again. Yeah, I know. I’m a bitch but the jerk was still on my shit list.
Anyhoo…off we went to find the Wizard. I quickly came to the conclusion that we needed that friggin’ yellow brick road. You can’t Map Quest it and finding Dominic without it, just wasn’t working. Which was probably a good thing since neither of us was in any shape to fight.
We had checked two private airports and were heading to the next one when red and blue lights flashed in my side mirror. “Crap!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Cops, and we have enough weapons on us to start a small war.” I pulled onto a side street and stopped.
The squad car pulled in behind us and the cop lit us up with his spotlight.
I raised my hands. “Don’t make any sudden moves, Isobel.”
“I will deal with them,” Isobel said regally, swung off the bike and fell flat on her face. She lay there giggling hysterically. “I’m drunk.”
“No kidding.”
“Bunny?”
Removing my helmet, I glanced over my shoulder and let out a breath of relief. “Hey Dan. Sorry about your car.”
“Does McGregor know where you are?”
“What kind of stupid questio
n is that?”
“That’s what I thought.” He pulled out his cell phone and hit a button.
“Who are you calling?”
“McGregor.”
“You have his number on speed dial?”
Dan glared at me. “Every police officer in Nevada does. After you blew up half of Fremont Street and created that media circus at the Cathouse, Hennessey insisted on it. He said you were McGregor’s problem now.”
“But…You’re my friend! You can’t turn me over to the nasty vamp.”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“Did he put the whammy on you?”
“Sir, I have…” A fist appeared out of nowhere and nailed Dan right in the kisser. A look of stunned surprise on his face, he toppled backwards and hit the pavement hard.
Isobel flexed her hand and grinned. “Now he can’t snitch us out.”
“Isobel you can’t go around hitting police officers. They’re our allies. You should have put the whammy on him.”
“I did put the whammy on him, with my fist.”
With a groan Dan sat up, rubbed his jaw and bellowed furiously, “You’re under arrest.”
Isobel punched him again.
My euphoric glee at escaping McGregor’s clutches quickly turned into the headache from hell. I snapped, “Stop beating up my friend. I’m in enough trouble as it is.”
“We are on a quest. I won’t allow him to stop us.”
McGregor growled from the cell phone, “Stop you from doing what?”
Shit! I grabbed the cell phone off the ground. “Hey sweetie, it’s just a wee bit of a misunderstanding. Isobel needed to clear her head and we decided to go for a drive.”
“A drive?” There was a long pause before he added, “On Ben’s motorcycle? Did I give you permission to leave Sanctuary?”
I was so busted. Wait a minute. Permission? “I don’t need your freakin’…” A sharp pain sliced through my mind and I dropped the phone. Blood fiends and close by. Opening my senses, I reached out, searching for them. There. Two blocks over. A shit load of them.
Something dark and terrifying flickered for a moment in Isobel’s eyes. “Fiends?”
“Yeah, I think they’re in that old abandoned warehouse on Fifth Street.”
She pulled her sword and did a wild jig. “More villains to slay.”
I did my own little jig as I ducked and dodged her flailing sword. Good God, I had created a monster. “Mom, put the sword away before you decapitate yourself.”
“I’ll have you know I’m a master swordsman.” Isobel’s swift sword cut forced me to hop backwards.
“You put d’Artagnan and the three Musketeers to shame but right now you’re plastered and there are way too many fiends for me to handle alone. As much as I hate to admit it, we need McGregor and his warriors.”
“Nay. I can and will kill them all.” Using her vampire speed Isobel zoomed off.
“Wait! Goddamnit come back here!” I jumped on Ben’s Hog and chased after her.
McGregor growled in my head, what the shite is going on?
Just a little fiend infestation. No biggie. The bike fishtailed wildly as I took the corner way too fast and barreled down a trash filled alley.
No biggie?
An old homeless dude popped out of a doorway. I swerved to miss him and hit his shopping cart filled with pop cans.
Hundreds of cans exploded from the cart and flew in every direction.
“You fucking bitch,” the homeless guy shouted, running after me.
A horrible grinding screech sounded and sparks lit up the night like the Fourth of July. Crap! The stupid cart was caught on Hog’s fender. Stopping the bike, I kicked it loose.
A couple of dozen fiends is no biggie?
Okay, fine. I need your help. Happy now?
No. I am not happy. My mate continually puts herself in danger.
His eyes full of deranged fury, the homeless dude charged me with a rusty sword. “I’m gonna chop your fucking head off.”
Why is that man charging you with a sword?
He’s a nutcase? Don’t worry it’s nothing I can’t handle. Pulling my Taser I shot him in the nuts and watched as he dropped to the ground screaming. See?
I felt Ian flinch. We need to talk about your continual need to geld men.
Don’t even start with the psycho babble. I’m done talking about my mother’s rape and murder. Now if you’ll excuse me I have some fiends to kill and a friend to rescue. I climbed on the Hog and roared off.
Stop the motorcycle now.
And like a trained monkey I slowed the bike. Get out of my head!
You’re in no shape to fight.
And your point is?
A sharp crack echoed down the alley and something slammed into my chest, knocking me off the Hog. I tumbled head over heels and landed in a pile of stinking garbage.
Those pretty little sparkling lights danced across my vision again. Clutching my chest, I lay there fighting for breath, struggling to stay conscious. God, I hated getting shot. Even with body armor it hurt like hell.
McGregor’s power surged into me pushing back the pain. How badly are you injured?
I’m okay, just got the wind knocked out of me. I winced as he probed my mind.
You little fool. Did you really think you could defeat Dominic?
Ah, yeah. We have a plan.
A magic elixir and two Big Berthas will not destroy him.
Care to place a bet on that?
His frustrated growl echoed in my head. It seems the only way to keep you safe is to chain you to my bed and fuck you senseless.
Why you sick… My radar suddenly screamed blue bloody murder. My vision was still a bit fuzzy but I could make out about a dozen fiends charging down the alley. Boy had they picked the wrong night to mess with me. Grabbing a Big Bertha, I hurled it at them and started screamed hysterically. “Someone help me. Please! Help me.”
The morons fell for it every time. They actually cackled with glee. If they had mustaches they would be twirling them. All they needed was top hats and capes and they could be the villains in the Perils of Pauline. Except this Pauline had teeth.
Kill them, my sweetie commanded. Now.
With pleasure. I hit the timer on my cell phone and grinned as a blinding white light turned night to day. When the light faded away there was nothing left of the fiends except pools of rotting slime.
Well done sweetling.
Thank you.
My grin died when I noticed Ben’s Hog was a crumpled mess. He was gonna shit a brick.
Something crawled across my hand. I looked down at the big hairy spider perched there, legs waving madly and let out an ear-shattering shriek. Leaping to my feet, I danced around trying to dislodge the icky thing. “Get it off. Get it off.”
McGregor and four of his black-clad warriors dropped from the sky.
“Get it off! Get it off.”
Ian grabbed me and flicked the spider away. “Unbelievable. You’d take on a deadly vampire without flinching but one little spider sends you into hysteria.”