by Gail Koger
“Unfortunately, he is. He allowed Voorhas to use Cassie as a test subject and there were some complications.”
“What kind of complications?”
“Cassie is neither fiend nor vampire but something in between.”
The last time I had seen Cassie she had been a monstrosity of oozing, rotting flesh. I guess if the spell kept her face from completely disintegrating, it’d be a major improvement. “Does McCabe know she’s your daughter?”
Rage flared to life in the crime lord’s eyes. “Yes.”
Katie had told me all about the spoiled brat from Bodine’s previous marriage. Cassie was twenty going on eight. Kinda reminded me of Bambi.
Cassie wasn’t what you would call a pretty woman. Frankly, I thought she was butt ugly. When plastic surgery failed to turn her into an Angelina Jolie clone, she became a blood fiend. The evil bitch had lured Katie, a five-hundred year old vampire, into a trap. Cassie and her friends had raped, tortured and just about bled Katie dry before I was able to rescue her.
Then it hit me. Transformation spells needed powerful magical artifacts to work. “Your daughter took the Cedras dagger as a bargaining tool, didn’t she?”
Bodine’s predatory gaze chilled me to the bone. “Another mistake she will pay dearly for.”
Oh, she was going to pay all right. What Cassie had done to my friend had earned her a special place in hell. I guess some would think being trapped in a mountain of decomposing flesh was an apt punishment but it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. There had been a dozen women in that house of horrors that I couldn’t save. Their faces still haunted me.
The narcissistic, murdering bitch truly thought her father would protect her no matter what she did. Cassie had gotten the shock of her life when her dad took one look at Katie’s mutilated body and ordered her death. With dozens of bounty hunters on her tail, she had fled Las Vegas. Teaming up with McCabe was a decision I’m sure she now regretted.
Now my kidnapping made sense. Bodine needed a powerful vampire with magical abilities to stop Voorhas, capture his daughter and get the dagger back. McGregor fit the bill perfectly. “Do you know where McCabe is?”
“Yes.”
“Great! Problem solved. McCabe slaughtered Ian’s clan eight hundred years ago. He wants that bastard dead as much as you do. You didn’t have to kidnap me to get his help. So, why don’t you let me out at the next corner?”
The Valley of the Shadow of Death ring tone suddenly blared from Bodine’s cell phone.
I suppressed a grin. Katie had a wicked sense of humor and kept changing his ring tone. Last week it had been It’s a Small World.
Bodine yanked his cell phone out. “Sweetheart, I’m in the middle of a business meeting. We can talk at dinner. You…no. But…” With a long suffering sigh, he placed the cell phone against my ear.
There was concern and anger in Katie’s husky voice, “Are you okay, Bunny?”
The crime lord wrapped his hand around my throat and gave me a menacing glare.
“Just fine,” I squeaked.
“He threatened you, didn’t he?”
“Well, he…” Bodine’s hand tightened painfully, choking off my air for a few terrifying seconds. “He… He actually offered me a job.”
“Let me guess. In one of his whorehouses?”
“Yeah. That would be it.”
Katie hissed liked an angry cat. “Let me talk to him.”
“Your wife would like to speak with you, sir.”
His cold blue eyes promising retribution, Samuel jerked the phone to his ear. “Sweetheart she hit me in front of my body guard. I can’t allow her to go unpunished.”
I could only catch bit and pieces of Katie’s tirade but it sounded like the crime lord was getting his ass handed to him.
Bodine suddenly roared, “McGregor is where!?”
Katie’s voice came across loud and clear. “He says you have his mate, so he took yours.”
Bada-bing, bada-boom, the crime lord had met his match.
McGregor’s furious voice demanded, “You will return Ann to me or I will kill your tame vampire and you’ll never see your wife again.”
“Touch her and I’ll take your head.”
And once again testosterone ruled the day.
The crime lord slid the glass partition open and bellowed at King Kong, “Get me home.”
The limo accelerated rapidly, running right through a red light and barely missing an old woman with a walker in the crosswalk.
“Let me talk to him. Please.”
Bodine’s jaw clenched. “If he harms her, the whorehouses will be the least of your worries.”
“McGregor won’t hurt her but I’m not so sure about Kane.” I bared my neck and pointed to the clan tattoos. “Kane claimed me as his daughter and he’s a bit protective. Just ask Dominic.”
The crime lord’s shocked gaze locked on my neck. “That’s Kane’s mark.”
“You bet it is and you have to ask yourself. Do you really wanna piss off the most powerful vampire in existence?”
He yanked me across his lap and held me down as he examined the tattoos closely. “Sonofabitch.”
My teeth clenched as Bodine stroked my neck. “Believe me, they’re real.”
“So it would seem.”
“Let me up.”
“There’s no recorded account of a woman ever wearing two clan marks.”
My temper hit the boiling point. No one touched me except McGregor. “I’m special. Now get your filthy hands off me.” To my utter surprise bolts of blue energy shot from my fingers, zapping Bodine.
With a grunt of pain, Bodine quickly dumped me back on the seat. “I see you picked up a new power.”
I blinked in amazement. Bodine’s hair was literally standing on end. “Ah… Yeah, a wedding gift from my dad.” I was such a liar. I was pretty sure Kane was responsible but why hadn’t he zapped Seth, too?
McGregor’s harsh voice sounded from the cell phone. “I want to talk to Ann.”
I held out my hands for the phone. “C’mon, while you two are exchanging threats, McCabe and Cassie are creating more blood fiends for their little revolution. Do you really want that?”
“No.” He gave me the phone.
“Hey sweetie, I’m...” A cold black fog suddenly invaded the car and enveloped me in its sticky grip. “Holy shit!”
“Ann?!”
My insides were suddenly turned inside out. “Help!”
Chapter Ten
The fog vanished and I was standing in front of a midget wearing a tall pointy black hat as big as he was. I was kinda surprised he didn’t topple over. His watery blue eyes surveyed me with all the warmth of a hungry shark. The midget’s long white hair and beard were matted and twisted into filthy dreadlocks.
A big squirming yellow bug with way too many legs fell off his hat and hit the floor with a loud plop. I took a hasty step back. That’s when I noticed the dozens of white wormy things swarming over his grimy black robes. Oh ick. This was Voorhas the Mighty? He was more like Voorhas the gross.
Manic, hee-haw laughter erupted behind me. “Well done Voorhas.”
I spun around awkwardly and gaped in horror.
Alpin McCabe sat like a bloated toad on an ornate golden throne. His obscene gaze roved over my body. “Once I’m restored I’m going to fuck you till you bleed.”
“The only one bleeding will be you and oh yeah, you’ll be on your knees begging for mercy, too.”
“McGregor cannot save you.”
“Wanna bet your life on that, dickless?”
With a howl of fury, McCabe jumped to his feet and yanked wildly at his sword.
I watched in amazement as he tugged and tugged and tugged but his sword wouldn’t come out of its scabbard. One glance at Voorhas’s nasty grin and I knew he was the reason.
“Calm down pookie,” a hoarse voice commanded from the shadows.
Pookie?
Cassie lumbered out, a twisted monstrosity of rubbery fle
sh. A single blood-shot eye glared at me from her lumpy forehead and one pitiful fang protruded from her rotting gums.
My motor mouth kicked into high gear. “Ain’t karma a bitch? Cassie, your quest for beauty has turned you into a creature best suited for a freak show.”
A terrible hissing laugh broke from Cassie. “Once I drink your blood, I’ll be what I was meant to be. A vampire and Pookie will have his army.”
“Ever heard the phrase ‘don’t count your chickens till they hatch?’” I bared my neck. “Clan marks, you lose. There won’t be any army and the only thing you’ll ever be is a freak.”
“Kill the bitch,” Cassie screamed.
A bolt of black lightning shot towards me, bounced off a shimmering shield of blue that suddenly popped up in front of me and boomeranged back at the midget. He yelped and toppled over.
Screaming like a madman, McCabe charged me with his blood encrusted sword. “I’m going to gut you like a fish!”
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” I hobbled madly for the sword display on the far wall. “Need another miracle, Lord.”
Alpin the Toad tripped over his long, gaudy purple robe and did a nice face plant on the floor. His sword skidded across the floor and came to a stop at my feet.
“Thank you Lord.” As I reached for the sword tentacles of green fog boiled from the floor and swirled up my legs. Oh hell no. McGregor? Father!?
* * * *
My insides turned inside out again and presto pop. I stood in front of The Wizard in all his polished glory. Guess I didn’t need that yellow brick road after all.
To my horror I heard myself ask, “Do you have a death wish?”
Dominic laughed. A spine-chilling, raise-the-hair-on-the-back-of-my-neck kind of laugh. “I fear no one.”
“Then why are you still wearing your armor?”
“Mensura non probavi.” His armor vanished and Freddy Kruger’s double stood there in all his scared glory.
Whoa! The only thing that could do that kind of damage to a vampire was dragon fire. Bet he thought my blood could heal him, too. “Kane’s dragon fried you pretty good. Trying to break into his castle was a bit suicidal, don’t ya think?”
A low hiss sounded from Dominic. “You dare to mock me, female?”
“Oh heavens no, I wouldn’t dream of it.” What I really wanted to do was kill his sorry ass.
Bambi’s hyena laugh echoed around the gloomy, tapestry-covered chamber. “Bunny likes living dangerously, my love, but don’t kill her just yet.”
My shackles clanking, I turned and watched my cousin tromp down a long spiral staircase. She was decked out like a fairytale princess, crown and all. “Omigod, what have you done?”
With a gloating smirk Dominic held out his hand. “She is my mate.”
“Are you out of your freaking mind?”
Bambi took his hand and spit out defiantly, “I win.”
“Win what? The dumb bitch award?”
The next thing I knew I was smacking into the far wall. I shook my head to clear it and struggled to my feet. Note to self. Don’t piss off the evil wizard.
My cousin giggled insanely. “I win it all. More money than I can spend; the power to squash you like a bug and the man I’ve been dreaming of.”
“Oh he’s a dream alright.” I added under my breath, “If you’re into nightmares.”
She stroked Dominic’s chest. “Isn’t he the most gorgeous man you’ve ever seen?”
Had she suddenly gone blind? “Yeah, what a hunk.”
Bambi rubbed her hand over his bulging groin. “He’s got the biggest dick and boy, does he know how to use it.”
“T.M.I.” I tried to get a look at her eyes. Bambi had to be under some kind of spell and where was her clan tattoo?
“Did you know, my love, that Bunny’s always been jealous of me and my abilities?”
“What abilities would that be? Fucking anything that moves?”
Wham! I smacked into another wall. I lay there for a moment trying to get my breath back and my temper under control. The little princess was so dead.
Bambi pranced over to me. “I have a nice little cell all picked out for you.”
I swiped at the blood running down my cheek. “Gosh, don’t go to any trouble on my account.”
“No trouble, only the best for my dear Alfred. If you beg nicely, I’ll even let you watch McGregor die.”
“As if. McGregor will kick Freddy’s butt.”
With a puzzled frown Bambi asked, “Freddy who?”
God, sometimes my cousin was such a twit. “Your lover boy?”
“Oh.” Bambi giggled again. “I doubt it. Dominic’s the most powerful wizard alive.”
“Kane might disagree with you.”
“That old fart? Why do you think he’s hiding? He knows he can’t win.”
“Really? Kane just kicked Dominic’s butt or did the illustrious Wizard forget to tell you that?”
“You’re such a liar.”
“Speaking of liars, what did you tell your mom?”
“I told her I had found Dominic’s lair and killed him.”
“There’s gonna be hell to pay when Aunt Tessa realizes what you’ve done.”
“Once my honey puts the whammy on her, she’ll do anything I say.”
“Are you sure, Dominic didn’t put the whammy on you?”
“Jealousy is so unbecoming.”
A yelp broke from me when out of nowhere bolts of gold and blue formed a glowing barrier around me. Not again.
Dominic bellowed in fury.
“Hey,” Bambi shouted, “You can’t leave. You’re our bait.”
* * * *
My insides turned inside out and bam. I was in a dungeon.
Was there was a target painted on my ass? I mean, c’mon. How many times could a girl be kidnapped in one day?
With a wince, I climbed to my feet and surveyed the cold, dank, slimy walls. At least I had light. The torches flickered and went out. “Not funny.”
Something skittered in the darkness. Rats. At least I hoped it was rats. Digging in my left cargo pants pocket, I pulled out a miniature halogen flashlight and turned it on.
The beam hit a pile of mangled bodies. Some were completely skeletal while others had bits of flesh still attached to them. A corpse abruptly jerked upright, a look of horrified disbelief forever frozen on what remained of its face. I stumbled backwards with a yelp. “Omigod! Omigod!” I quickly opened my mind and reached out desperately for McGregor. Sweetie?
He can’t hear you, said the voice of God.
Father? I felt a fluttering in my mind. Warmth bathed my battered body and my shackles fell off.
McGregor is not taking proper care of you.
I sighed in relief as all my aches and pains melted away. It’s not his fault. Shit just happens to me.
So it would seem.
Where am I?
My dungeon.
Your dungeon? The question came out as a squeak. The one in Scotland?
Aye.
Not good. Not good at all. Why am I in your dungeon?
Neither Dominic nor Voorhas can reach you there.
Okay but…Don’t you have a dragon guarding it?