by Zeecé Lugo
She moved from room to room, checking that shades and curtains facing out to the streets were closed and no light would spill in or out. Living with Max had trained her. The shades in the house were all light-shuttering, and the curtains were all lined with insulating material providing plenty of privacy.
Making as little noise as possible, she made her way up the stairs, her gun always in front of her. There, she opened the drapes to the window that faced the back of the house, allowing her to look down on the dog house. A small amount of light came in, and she could move easily without danger of tripping.
She checked all the closets, every bathroom, every nook. She did not expect to find her enemies in a closet. That was not their style. They were daring, dauntless, brazen. They would have been sitting in her parlor, watching TV.
She went to her bathroom and relieved herself. She shed all her wet, dirty, torn outer wear and washed her face and hands with warm water. Her ankle was swollen, but it would have to wait for a good icing. She pulled a bandage from her medical emergencies kit and bound it as tightly as she could.
From her closet, she pulled out a new pair of jeans and sweater. After dressing, she pulled out her scrunchy and quickly brushed the twigs out of her hair. Finally, she reclaimed the small gun from her discarded pile of clothing. Satisfied that everything was as she’d expected, she made her way back to the stairs, intending to bring her babies back into the house.
“Welcome home, Angel.” As the man spoke, a bright light was trained on her face from the first floor landing. Angel’s heart stuttered, fear flooding her body, and by reflex, her hand pointed the gun at the light and fired once, twice, three times. From behind her, a powerful hand grabbed her shooting arm and another took her around the neck in a choke hold, lifting her off her feet.
Kicking, scratching, fighting for her life, she found herself dragged back up the stairs to her bedroom. She was slammed against the wall, and her throbbing ankle gave way under her as she slid down to the floor.
“She fucking killed Joey. The bitch whore killed Joey.” One of two men came into the room, spewing venom at her, his eyes furious. The one standing over her, kicked her hard in the ribs. Angel gasped in pain. In her mind, Max screamed in panic, begging to know what was going on.
They’re here, in the house. I killed one, but they got me.
Hang on, baby. I’m almost there. Where are the kids?
Still hiding in the dog house.
Good. That’s good. They won’t kill you. Pretto ordered that you be brought to him alive. He wanted to punish you. As long as they don’t know he’s dead, they’ll keep you alive. Whatever they do, you stay alive. You hear me?
Yes, I understand.
“You fucking bitch,” yelled the one that kicked her. “I say kill the fucking whore and deliver the body.”
“No,” said Sausage Fingers, entering the room with two other men. “We don’t cross the boss. He wants her delivered alive. In what condition, he don’t give a shit. We can have fun, boys. We can have lots of fun. She’s a whore, trained in special arts for the benefit of special clients. Why, I think we are special clients. We deserve it after the miserable night spent out chasing the bitch.”
The man who’d kicked her bent and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her ruthlessly, dragging her and throwing her on the bed. They all moved to surround her, like sharks circling human prey in the water.
At once, they all started ripping at her clothes, one of them dragging her sweater over her head and throwing it away from her. Two others pulled at the zipper and peeled her jeans from her. In seconds, her underwear had been ripped off her body, and strong, cruel hands held her hands and ankles apart. Angel lay vulnerable, exposed, terrified.
Mr. Sausage Fingers stood smirking and pulling his zipper down his pants. “You’re gonna like this special client, baby.” The other men laughed at his crudeness. “This special client likes the back door, bitch.” He leered at her meaningfully.
He grabbed her by the throbbing ankle and pulled her down to the edge of the bed. The pain shot up her leg, and she screamed. She kicked with her good leg, getting him good on the groin. In his blind rage, he punched her hard several times, stopping only when blood poured from her nose, staining his hands.
“Now I have to fucking wash my hands before I get blood on my designer shirt.” He looked around and made for the bathroom door. One of his companions took his place on top of Angel, his shirt off, his pants down over his hips, his penis hard and ready.
“I don’t mind a little blood,” he said. “And you kick me bitch, and I promise you’ll lose all your teeth.”
Angel felt Max pounding at her thoughts, desperate to know her situation, but she kept her mind closed to him. There was no way she would let him see what was about to happen. She turned her head so the blood flowing from her nose could drain, and she’d not choke on it.
She felt the man pull up on her knees trying to get the best position for his entry. Her sight trained on the window where the outside showed lighter than her surroundings. Something moved at the window, and for a second, Angel thought she was hallucinating. Then, a face stared at her through the glass.
It could not be Max. He was still far from her, desperately pounding at her thoughts. Yet, the face was familiar. She’d seen that face, those pale eyes, that white hair, the fixed smirk. She’d seen it at the window the day she’d been hanging the drapes in Max’s room. Oh, God, she was surrounded by enemies and demons!
“Invite us in.” He’d whispered it, but she’d heard it clearly. Us. There were more. His eyes bore into hers, almost hypnotically beautiful, definitely beguiling. Angel knew, without being told, what she had to do.
“Come in, come in!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Oh, I’m coming in, bitch,” the man on top of her replied with a smirk on his face, ready to plunge into her body.
In the blink of an eye, the window exploded, shattered glass flying in all directions. Angel’s hands flew to cover her face, and as the man about to rape her was catapulted into the air, she turned on her belly, protecting her body.
In a whirlwind of motion and violence, the vampires moved among the men, so inhumanly fast that not one gun fired a shot. Across Angel’s vision, a long arc of blood drops seemed to hover in slow motion, to rain in surrealistic garish color, falling a measured scarlet rain across her arm.
One tall, lanky vampire picked up the man who had kicked Angel in the ribs, and slamming him down over his knee, broke his back. When two of the men tried to run out through the bedroom door, another vamp grabbed both men by their jackets and threw them back in the room, slamming the door shut.
The one man who’d stood ready to rape her, now stood pinned to the wall, his legs kicking in the air, as the vampire with the light eyes and white hair ripped into his neck and drank freely from him. When he’d had enough, he turned to the others and said in a heavy accent, “Spicy with a hint of cinnamon. Quite good, actually. Have a drink, cousins. It may be a while before we have an opportunity to feed again.” The others fell like ravenous wolves on the rapist.
Angel crawled out from the bed, pulling the cover to wrap around herself. She made herself as small as possible as she crouched in a corner, hoping they would not notice her. Around her, the devastation was total. They’d destroyed the men Pretto sent in a matter of seconds. Soon they’d turn on her.
And they did. All three vampires, tall, pale, beautiful, and bloody came to stand over her. The one with the very light, long hair crouched in front of her, his eyes glowing.
“So, you’re Maxim’s human.” He sniffed the air, the smell of her blood interesting him. “Very nice. Maxim always had good taste.” In the dark room, she could clearly see his pale face and white fangs as he smiled. “Call him, tell him we are here.”
Angel’s voice trembled as she asked “Who is here? Who are you?”
“I’m so sorry. I have been rude not to introduce myself and my companions. We are fa
mily. I’m Maxim’s cousin Luca, and with me are my brothers, Emil and Aurel.”
“Did Toma send you?”
“Toma? Maxim told you about him?”
“Yes. He tells me everything,” she lied. “I’m important to him.”
The vampire looked at her thoughtfully. “No, I’m not Toma’s man. I was sent by our uncle. Call my cousin. Tell him you’re safe and we are here.”
******
Max was going insane. She had shut him out. He knew she was in trouble. He feared that he was keeping her from concentrating, maybe putting her survival at risk, but his worry and desperation were driving him crazy and although the miles separating them were dwindling by the second, he feared he would not get to her on time.
He had shed his running shoes, the soles melted and useless. He now ran barefooted and without his coat, which he’d also discarded miles ago. The heat he generated running was plenty. Earlier, at a desolate farm he’d passed, he fed. For the first time in years, he fed the way his people normally did, without killing, using the glamour.
Now, moments away from Angel, he feared the worst. He knew she was not dead because the blood-bond was stronger than ever, but he feared what may be happening to her. She’d closed her thoughts to him, and that was not good. How she’d done that, he did not know, but Angel was smarter than most and good at figuring things out.
Max, they’re here! Her voice rang loud and clear. His heart soared with joy.
I’m almost there. Two or three minutes, no more. His voice sounded so close.
The vampires are here. Your family, she answered.
She’s surrounded by enemies, mine and hers! Maxim flashed by the town’s welcome sign, a murderous rage in his heart, his mind intent on destruction. He would tear them all limb from limb and bathe in their blood. In his murderous bent, he cut his thoughts from Angel, afraid to terrify her more than she was already.
CHAPTER 33
They were confined to the house during the day, all windows shuttered against the daylight sun, which really wasn’t much, but it was dangerous to their kind, no matter how dim and murky the day.
Maxim glared at his cousins, his territorial, alpha instincts making it impossible for him to relax when his woman and children were in such close proximity to the overwhelmingly male presence in the house.
The bodies of Pretto’s men were wrapped tightly in sheets and blankets and placed in the garage, ready for disposal miles away when the deep, dark hours of the night arrived. His cousins would take care of that.
Angel bathed and dressed warmly in her new, skinny blue jeans, knee-high boots, and russet sweater. She fed, bathed, and groomed the children, and then spent some time cleaning the room where the carnage took place. Often, her eyes darted to the newcomers, distrust still evident in her eyes, as if she expected them to suddenly turn vicious, hungry eyes on her and her dear ones.
Little Nina was something else. She parked herself by the handsome Luca, watching him in fascination, adoringly even. Max felt a surge of irrational jealousy which he quickly squashed with a good dose of common sense and humor. Luca looked a lot like Legolas in the Lord of the Rings movies they’d watched on the TV. Luca’s silky, long, silvery hair and handsome face were to her child’s eyes, something magical and fairy like.
Charlie, the traitorous, unfaithful animal, had no trouble accepting the vampires. He quickly made friends and parked his rump at the side of the one called Aurel, whom he seemed to favor for some reason.
“It is a matter of honor, Maxim. You owe us a debt of honor. You would never have arrived on time. As it was, I barely did. If your woman had not been able to invite us in, who knows what would have happened.” Luca paused momentarily to pull his hair out of Nina’s grasp, who often reached out to feel the silky, white stuff. He smiled at the girl nervously and tried to put a few inches of space between them.
Maxim felt the weight of those words. He had not been able to rescue his female. Someone else accomplished the deed. Now, he was indebted to them and would gladly pay what they asked.
“I don’t understand what you were doing here,” said Angel.
“We have been keeping our eye on Maxim since word came that Toma’s men tried to kill him. When he sent you away, my uncle insisted that a guard be assigned to you as you could be abducted and used to coerce Max. Aurel here was on the same plane you boarded. We joined him a few days ago.”
“I’m grateful to you for protecting Angel. However, the danger to her is removed, and you can return home. There is no further need for your presence. I’m warned and can well take care of my own.”
“I have named my boon. You must return with us home. Our uncle needs to see you, and it must be now, not ten years in the future.” Luca’s eyes flicked anxiously to the girl child who was now firmly entrenched between him and the sofa’s arm, her fingers still playing with strands of his hair. She smiled at him coyly.
“I can’t right now. I have Angel and the children to take care of. Maybe next year.”
“Bring them with you. We will provide proper escort and make sure they’re safe. It may well be good for your humans to experience the world you come from, to become familiar with those who are your family.” Luca’s gaze fell on Angel as she looked up in surprise.
“I want to go,” piped up little Nina. “I want to go with Luca.” Next to her, the beautiful vamp winced she clung to his arm possessively. He was forced to smile at her condescendingly while patting her on the head with the same enthusiasm one would pat a coiled viper. Little Nina beamed with joy.
“Max, I’d gladly travel with you to meet your family. I’m not afraid,” said Angel.
“It’s not a matter of being afraid. It’s time that Nina start school, and little Marco is too young for the extended travel and changes in weather that such a trip would involve.”
“My children have slept in trash dumpsters and dog houses. Nina has gone days eating nothing but cheese sticks and boxed juices. We are survivors. Besides, we’ll never be truly safe with your cousin Toma sending assassins after you. The same way you dealt with Pretto, you must deal with your enemies.”
“She’s right, you know,” muttered the one called Emil from his seat in front of the TV. He was watching Hercule Poirot in Netflix with single-minded concentration, but he was obviously keeping his ear on the conversation. “Toma will zoom in on what ever he can use to get the upper hand. Believe me, that will include your little family here. I’m surprised he has not made a move yet.”
“I will kill him, then!” growled Maxim with simmering fury.
“You might do that,” answered Luca, “but how much damage might he inflict before you accomplish your task?”
Maxim stood to pace the floor. He thought for a few minutes. “All right. I will go home. I will take Angel and the children with me. They would not be safe left behind. But when all is said and done, it may turn out that my return isn’t the cure-all our uncle envisions. My return may spell disaster for all involved. I’m not the Maxim you all remember.”
“No,” answered Luca, “we are none the same. Toma especially has become something very different from the young man you knew. Time changes us all.”
That night, shortly before midnight, the wind picked up, and the snow fell in heavy, shimmering white sheets. Under the cover of snow and driven wind, the vampires made it their business to ensure that the bodies of the dead men disappeared, never to be found again. When Max returned to Angel, he was alone.
“Where are your cousins?”
“They left. We will meet back in my house in a few days. Having so many vamps in such a restricted place isn’t comfortable for anyone.”
“Nina will be disappointed,” murmured Angel with a twinkle in her eye.
“Yes, she will. I believe our little Nina has a crush on Luca. It must be all the silky white Barbie look about him.” Max could not hide the smirk.
“Is someone I know jealous?” Angel came to Max, her arms reaching up around his neck,
her laughing eyes gazing at him adoringly.
Max pulled her to him tightly. “Maybe. Luca is a handsome man.”
“You silly man. They all are. You all are. Still, for my money, not one of them holds a candle to you, my gorgeous vamp. They’re too slick, too pretty for my liking. Now, you’re a macho man built to my taste, strong as a bear, rough as bark, fierce as an alley cat. I would not trade you for all the white elves in the world. I love you, Max, and I will be happy to go where you lead.”
Max felt the deep, warm glow of possession. Angel was in his arms, safe, loving him, and he was happy to be Angel’s guardian forever.
CHAPTER 34
Nina lined up her dolls on the coffee table as she sat on the floor playing with them. The movie running on the flat screen was one about teaching your dragon to fly. Max breathed a sigh of relief. Every time he heard the words “Let it go...” he was tempted to commit vampire suicide.
He watched Angel come down the stairs with the baby in her arms. His heart swelled with joy at the sight. A month had passed since the night she’d faced her enemies. She looked strong, healthy, totally recovered. Her hair fell in glossy waves over her back and shoulders. Her dark, almond-shaped eyes sparked with mischief and joy. Her luscious lips were ever ready to smile.
She chose to remain at his side and return with him to his home in the city. Nina now slept in her own bedroom, but the baby stayed in the room with them. Angel felt he was too young and needed her constant watch. If there was one thing he admired most about Angel, it was her devotion to her children. She was a tender and affectionate mother, always patient, always teaching. She held the cooing baby up to him.
Max held the little tike up above him and made funny faces at him until little Marco laughed, gurgled, and blew spit bubbles. He nuzzled the baby and kissed him as any joyful father would do. He already loved the little bundle of poop-producing joy. When Angel went to the kitchen, he followed.