“You think I’m afraid of you? Maybe I don’t die so easily,” I said with a confidence I truly didn’t feel.
“That is good to hear. Ettore would like to have some fun, and so often his pets die quickly.”
“I demand that you let me go. The Order knows you are here. Do you think they will let you continue in this mischief?”
“Mischief?” She squatted down in front of me and slapped my face hard. “Mischief? I am the Queen of the Anguilles. You think I have come for mischief?” Again she slapped me. I felt something snap—by the spilling of blood down my chin, I could see it was my lip. She wiped up the blood with her finger and offered it to Ettore, her companion. With excited, electric eyes, he slurped up the offering. It was both horrifying and embarrassing.
“Let me go. I will not help you.”
“You are mistaken, Thessalonike. I am not seeking your permission. You’re nothing more than a means to an end. You have the old blood—you and the eloi. It is pure and strong and just what we need to strengthen us.”
The room seemed to brighten a little; more candles were lit now, and I could see the self-proclaimed queen quite clearly. She looked like a cross between a Renaissance fair nerd and an Elvira fan with her low-cut black dress and stiff corset. Like the Danes of old, fierce vampires who stood taller than most supes, she had long blond hair that flowed like a waterfall down her back and shoulders. With her fierce, pale blue eyes and even paler skin, she looked like a fairy princess—an evil fairy princess. Her compatriot, Ettore, was as dark as Vega was blonde, obviously from another race of vamps. He wasn’t as tall but bone-achingly handsome with chiseled features, a straight nose and full lips. He also wore a costume from a different century. He looked like a steampunk nerd boy instead of a modern-day vampire. His long black jacket had a ridiculous number of pockets, and he wore fingerless gloves and black boots. These two were going to stick out like a sore thumb. The Order wasn’t going to be pleased. Not at all.
I wasn’t going to offer fashion advice or say anything else. I’d focus on one thing. Staying alive.
While Ettore amused himself by dancing to a song only he could hear, Vega continued, “As I told Neera, you can’t believe everything you hear. Vampires aren’t evil creatures. It is true that we have different needs than your kind, but that does not make us evil.”
“Taking innocent lives is evil.”
“Innocent? Who says they are innocent? You? Your Order?” She lifted my chin and glared at me. “Answer me, siren, when I speak to you.”
“Nature says they are innocent. You have no right to take a life.”
“I don’t live by your rights and rules, siren.” She touched my hair, stroking a long piece with her slender hands. I could see that Ettore had licked away every drop of my blood. More pooled in my mouth, and I forced myself to swallow it rather than let the vampires see it. The last thing I needed was to start a feeding frenzy.
“Where am I?”
“Under the jail. Deep under the jail. I am surprised you did not know I was here.”
“I don’t make a habit of digging up dead things.”
My answer infuriated her. I thought she would hit me again, but she froze as if she heard something I could not. I did not doubt that she could. I had no idea what powers or weaknesses a vampire had. I’d never actually met one before today. I’d done battle with a few, but beyond that, I knew nothing. Just the general stuff: they avoided sunlight, didn’t like wooden stakes, hated churches. That sort of thing. Since I was all out of stakes and my hands were tied, I wasn’t in any way ready to do battle. Ettore and Vega walked wordlessly to the middle of the room and stared up at the ceiling. I looked around me to get my bearings. I could see a concrete slab—that must have been where she rested. There was the wooden table full of melted candles and weird vampire totems like dolls made of hair and bits of fabric.
I heard someone moan behind me. I prayed it wasn’t a vampire. Ettore and Vega remained frozen, as if someone had pulled the plug on them. A dim blue light shone from the ceiling, and they held their faces to it. There was no emotion on their inanimate faces; not even a finger moved. The moaning behind me grew deeper, and I could hear the sound of something moving. I tried to turn around to see what was behind me, what was coming my way, but I couldn’t move the chair.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” I whispered as I tried to free a hand, a foot, something. “Excuse me, hey.” What else was I going to say? The thing crawling up behind me didn’t sound like anything I wanted to see. If I had to guess, I’d say it was half-dead—and hungry. Not that the other two were much better, but at least they weren’t growling at me.
I tugged at the ropes so hard I felt like I would dislocate my shoulder. I felt a little movement but not much. The chair bounced on the stone floor, and still the weird duo didn’t seem to notice. They were too busy communing with their light friend to help me out.
Another growl, deeper and guttural, filled the chamber. My arms tied to my sides, I tried to turn the chair around to see behind me. To my horror I fell, chair and all. Igor and his master still didn’t move a muscle.
But now I could see what it was that growled at me. The candlelight bounced off shiny green eyes. Low eyes, the eyes of a creature that crawled on the ground toward me. Her long red hair hung around her face in matted strings. She was covered in dried blood; whether it was hers or someone else’s, I could not tell. She inched closer still and showed me her teeth.
I had seen her before, briefly, a few hundred years ago. We’d joined forces to steer a persistent trio of pirate ships away from our islands, but that had been the extent of our friendship. She’d been a glorious siren with delicate green eyes, skin like porcelain and long spirals of red hair.
Once upon a time, this had been Neera.
I did the only thing I could do. I called for help.
Ramara! If you can hear me, I need you! Please! Ramara!
Suddenly, two pairs of eyes were latched onto me. The two vampires wore rubber smiles on their dead faces. It was as if they were made of stiff clay. It was then that I noticed Neera had a rope tied around her waist. A huge rope, like the kind you tethered a small boat with. She skittered back into the darkness fearfully as the two vamps walked toward me.
This couldn’t be good. This couldn’t be good at all.
Chapter Ten—Ramara
Chronic
“Everybody off the boat!”
“Are you crazy? We paid for six hours. Is this some kind of scam? Because if it is, you should know we’re all reservists. We aren’t taking any crap from any con artist, pretty boy.”
Arguing would only waste time, and I didn’t actually want to kill them. Not yet. I scanned their minds and found the weakest one. Naturally it was the one with the biggest mouth—the one who opposed me now.
Jump in the water. Swim to shore.
He flinched like a fly flew around his head. So I said it again.
Jump in the water. Swim to shore.
This time, he did as I suggested. The other two could hardly believe what they were seeing.
“Abel! What the hell you doing, man? Get your ass back up here!”
“What did you do to him?” the shortest and second-loudest demanded.
“I didn’t touch him, but you should follow him. We’re only a hundred feet from the shore. I think you can make it that far. Let’s hope so.”
“You got to be out of your damn mind,” he began, and I could feel the curse words on the tip of his tongue.
I spoke aloud this time, with force and all the mind-power I could summon. “Jump in the water. Swim to shore. Don’t ask questions.”
Like two robots, they did as I asked. Why hadn’t I done that to begin with? I watched impatiently for about ten seconds as they swam speedily to the shore. Thank goodness they could all swim and I didn’t have to rescue any of them. I think they would have been out of luck today because the princess’ cry for help was still ringing in my ears. I turned the boat
and headed toward her home. There was a boat pier not far from her house.
In the past I had been careful not to speak into her mind. I liked her not knowing when I was listening. It seemed to bother her when she thought I was. Now I could have kicked myself because I wanted to communicate with her, let her know that I heard her.
As I drove the throttle down on The Outcast, I reached for my cell phone. I dialed 911 and hit send, but of course there wasn’t a decent signal out here on the open water. I tossed the phone onto the console and swung the boat even sharper to the left.
I hear you, princess. Where are you? Talk to me!
I heard nothing but the sound of the water and a single seagull stalking my boat in the hope of scoring some fish. I felt nothing. I pleaded again but heard not another word. I wanted to take to the sky and fly, but that was out of the question in broad daylight.
If you can hear me, hold on, Nik. I’ll be there soon. Promise.
I might have imagined it, but I perceived a muffled response, like a long-distance phone call with a lot of static. From just that brief connection I knew she was in pain, she was in a dark place and she wasn’t alone.
I gunned the boat, making for the small pier three houses down from Nik’s house. I turned off the motor, and the craft glided into place, only bumping the wooden pier slightly. I stuffed the phone in my pocket and bounced off the boat, quickly tying the rope around a piling to secure it. Nobody outside, no explanations needed, thankfully. I kicked in the speed and made the run to Thessalonike’s in a few seconds. I knew she was not there, but maybe I’d find a clue as to what happened to her. It seemed like a good place to start.
Her pink and white bike leaned up against the outside wall. I peeked in the window and could see that the small round kitchen table and vinyl chairs were topsy-turvy on the tile floor. Yeah, she’d definitely given someone hell. Someone had unceremoniously dumped dry pantry ingredients all over her normally shiny, clean floor. Sitting in the middle of a pile of flour was a dog, a dirty dog, with cornflakes in his hair. He was a mixed breed, part Jack Russell. The animal had blond fuzzy hair with a black spot on his chest and front paw, a black nose and big unimpressed dark eyes. He barked at me, seemingly unaware that he’d made the biggest mess in the history of dog ownership.
“How did you get in there?” I was pretty sure that Nik didn’t have a dog, but I couldn’t leave the animal confined in a strange place. I went to the back door and wasn’t surprised to find it easy to open, despite the lock being set in place. What kind of kidnapper would lock the door?
“How did you get in here?” It was then that I noticed the doggie door. It was also locked. “So you locked yourself in, did you? You must not be a very smart dog.” I flipped the switch on the doggie door, and the animal took off running. “Figures,” I said as he left me behind in a pile of food.
I quickly walked through the house and of course found nothing.
Except the lingering stench of vampires.
Lily had been right. And now they’d probably come for her. I needed to warn her, but I couldn’t get carried away. I had to find Thessalonike before they flipped her. She had been on the verge during our last battle; unless a miracle had happened, she’d be ready to make that turn pretty damn easily. I remembered seeing Lily’s phone number on the refrigerator. I grabbed my phone and dialed.
“Hey, they have Thessalonike.”
“This is what I didn’t want to happen. How do you know?”
“She called to me. She’s somewhere dark, and it’s definitely vamps. I’m at her house now, and I can smell him.”
“If we can find her before it gets dark, we’ll have the advantage.”
“If they snatched her last night, then they’ve been with her all this time.” My blood began to boil. If I had ignored her and trailed her anyway she wouldn’t have been captured.
“You’ll have time to blame yourself later. Right now we need some daytime forces. I guess you know that none of these cowards are going to help us. I’ll ask the Order what to do.”
“You do that. In the meantime, I am going to get some help.”
“Wait, Ramara, before you go off half-cocked. Did you get any impressions from her? You mentioned somewhere dark. That would make sense, but did you get anything else?”
“She’s deep underground. Wait! There used to be a vampire buried here. Everyone assumed she was dead after the battle for the island, but what if she’s not? What if it’s her pulling the strings?”
“Do you remember where she’s buried?”
“Yeah, under the jail.” I swore to myself. “I know someone who can help us.”
“If you think Agrios is going to be in any way beneficial…”
“It’s not him. It’s a half-human, a cop. Actually, he’s the chief of police now.”
“No way, Ramara. Don’t bring any humans into this. We can handle this ourselves. Let’s meet near the jail, do some surveillance. You know we can’t be seen to be different.”
“We are different, Lily. I’ll blend in. Just meet me there.”
“Fine, but no contact with the human. I want to see…”
“Got to go.” I hung up the phone. I didn’t have time to argue with her. Not while Thessalonike was being tortured and God knows what else by vampires in a dark cell. Liliana of Greece didn’t command me. Even as I thought the words, I felt the displeasure of the Order. It was like a blanket of discomfort, a layer of heat that threatened to confine me to the mortal realm forever. Fortunately for me, I had felt less and less sensitive to their displeasure in recent days. I found the less time I spent with the Order, the easier it was to ignore them. Perhaps that was the secret. Those who played by the rules died by the rules; and those who didn’t weren’t bound by them at all. As if they read my mind, a scroll appeared in the air. I accepted the cursed thing from the hand of the Invisible Messenger but did not offer the traditional thanks or greeting. I held it for a full minute and stared at the golden cord that bound it together, the intricate seal that once broken would bind me to the instructions hidden within.
For the first time in my long existence, I didn’t open it. I tossed the document in the garbage can under the sink and walked out the back door.
That felt good. Now on to other things. I tilted my head, ready to push against the heavy air and run with all my might, when I discovered I couldn’t. I tried again, tilting my head and balling my fists instinctively, but nothing happened. With a baleful glare upwards, I shook my head. Of all the times to take away that particular ability, they had to pick this one. It was more than frustrating. Thankfully I had on shoes with rubber soles. I took off running to the police station.
As I rounded the corner, I could see the car at the station. Sweat poured off my face and body, and more than one excited woman catcalled me from a rolling car. I didn’t mind; in fact, the excitement made me stronger. By the time I made it to the station, I was nearly strong enough to take off running again, this time at the super speeds I was accustomed to. I pushed open the door and walked inside. The small air-conditioned office felt like an oasis in the middle of the fiery pits of Hades. Besides miniskirts and radios, this was the modern invention that I loved the most. Molly’s surprised face reminded me how unusual this visit was. As the Guardian of the Gate now, Molly would know without being told that I wasn’t there under the commission of the Higher Order. The realization hit her like a wave, and she rose from her desk to admonish me privately. I wasn’t having it.
“Chief Castille? You in there?” I hoped he was, or else I was about to get tossed out by an unhappy Neutral. She was a special breed of Oceanid, able to adopt a limited number of special skills from many different races. That was really the only way the Order could replace Thessalonike. No two sirens could dwell together on one island, even a large one. Yes, Molly was a Neutral, but that meant she was just as much rage as siren. I had to tread carefully.
“Yeah, I’m here. Come on back.” I saw the human’s head poke out the
door. He looked surprised to see me, but I didn’t let that stop me. I detected an unusual smell and glanced down the narrow hall. A shifter—a cop shifter. Huh, so the shifters were making a move on Cruise Castille, eh? Good thing I got here first. I didn’t need their wretched influence now. It was bad enough that I had friend-turned-foe Molly the Neutral glaring at me with her dark, beady eyes. The shifter put her hand on her gun instinctively. She knew who I was—and what I was.
“You going to draw on me, Officer?” I said, frozen in my tracks. With doubts about my speed and immortality status, I couldn’t afford to get shot.
“Hey, Officer Tragic. Put that away. You going to draw on everyone who walks in here today? This way, Ray.” Castille shook his head at her and ushered me into his office. “What brings you by? I’m sorry about the rookie. She saw her first dead body today, and she’s been a bit uptight ever since.”
I was pretty sure that Targetti wasn’t her first dead body, but there was no point in correcting him.
He continued, “So, you got a problem with bad checks?” He waved me to an uncomfortable-looking wooden seat and sat behind his desk. The new chief did not pay me much attention but got back to work on a stack of papers in front of him. “Got quite a few complaints about that already. Tourists leaving bad checks behind is a real problem this summer. If it’s that, you’ll need to go to the courthouse and turn the paperwork in there.”
“No, this isn’t about bad checks. This is about Nike Augustine.”
He tossed his pen down on his desk and stared at me squarely. “What about her?”
“She’s missing. She’s not at her shop or her house.”
He looked like he didn’t believe me, as if I would make up such a story. “Maybe she took a road trip. Went down to the Shark’s Tooth. Hey, you were there with her the other night. I’d forgotten about that.” He stood up now, clearly agitated as bits and pieces of his mesmerized memory came back to him. “What’s going on with you two?”
“Everything okay, Chief?” Officer Tragic was behind me now. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that she had her dainty hand on her gun again. Why was this woman so anxious to blow a hole in me?
Escape to Sirens Gate: Sirens Gate Books 1-3 Page 17