by Aja James
She tried to grab his forearm, but he shrugged out of reach.
“It’s nothing,” he said brusquely, avoiding her touch and her searching eyes, methodically securing triple the amount of weapons to his person. “Take care of Wan’er and Eveline and stay out of sight.” He turned his back to her and took the first step to leave.
Swallowing her pride, her fears, her insecurities, Rain took a gamble on Fate. She threw herself at his back and locked her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly from behind, plastering herself to him like a second layer of skin.
“I was wrong, I’m sorry,” she cried against his leather-encased back. “I didn’t mean any of the things I said. I want you forever. Only you. Please don’t go. Please, please, please don’t go. I can’t bear to lose you. I don’t want to live without you!”
Their comrades paused in their movements as if suspended in time, watching the exchange between Rain and Valerius with awe and compassion.
Rain didn’t care who witnessed her outburst in this moment. She didn’t care if she looked like the world’s greatest fool. She knew with every fiber of her being that if he left her now, he would not return to her whole. She knew she should put her people, her Queen above her own selfish desires, but she couldn’t let go of him. Not when it had taken thousands of years to find him.
Valerius turned slowly in her arms until her tear-streaked cheek pressed hotly to his chest. Tenderly, he lifted her chin so that he could look down into her deep brown eyes.
“It’s too late,” he said quietly so that only she could hear, absorbing more the rumble of his voice rather than the sound of his words, “you cannot save me even were I to stay.”
Taking a gulp of breath, Rain looked upon him more alertly, the needles of her hair skimming millimeters above his skin.
He had been poisoned, she realized as her heart fell to the soles of her feet. And in his already weakened state from his Service, the vile tentacles of death were spreading through his system at an accelerated pace. Even if she were to use all her energy to try to heal him now, she wasn’t guaranteed success.
But there was also something else, something that made death inescapable.
Even before a few of her zhen inserted into his pores, she came face to face with the truth: Valerius was in the final stages of Decline.
No! The word ricocheted in an echoing scream within her skull.
“Hear me well, my heart,” he spoke to her in the deepest, gentlest, calmest voice, “I love you. I have ever, and ever shall, love only you.” He wrapped his arms around her when she tried to push away, keeping her securely in his warm embrace.
“It is my choice to give myself to you,” he continued inexorably, “just as it was his choice in the beginning.”
She knew that he meant her first Consort, he was telling her that none of this was her fault. Her breath began to hitch wetly, her hands clawing into the leather at his back.
“It is my deepest regret not to be able to fulfill my Service to the end,” he said huskily, “I wanted to give you everything. I let my pride get in the way, I let my demons keep me from you.” He shuddered slightly and bent his lips to her ear.
“I know I am unworthy,” he said, holding her so tightly against him she couldn’t even shake her head. “I am honored and grateful to have Served you… my healing Rain.”
And then, before she could brace herself, he was gone. One moment her arms encircled the heat of his body and the next there was only cold emptiness and silence.
The echoing screams in her skull magnified in volume and force until Rain could no longer contain the shattering wail of loss that exploded through her body.
*** *** *** ***
Sophia sat on her haunches with her knees drawn before her, her arms wrapped around them, her chin resting on her linked hands.
As prisons went, her golden cage was rather luxurious, as if she were an exotic bird to pet and pamper. There was a cozy bed in one corner, covered with fresh-smelling sheets and heaped with thick blankets and goose-down pillows. A small escritoire and chair took up the opposite corner, with pen and paper neatly arranged on top.
Was she supposed to be writing a suicide note? Sophia thought darkly. Yeah, good luck getting that out of her.
If only she knew how to pull a Jason Bourne maneuver and use the pen to gouge out one of the eyeballs of the vampire guard standing beyond the bars of her cage. But alas, she probably wouldn’t be able to get very far before the Cyclops took off her head in retaliation.
How could Leonidas do this! She thought futilely for the hundredth time. Even if he’d been turned into one of the enemy, surely he remembered enough of her, of his friends, to abstain from the fight?
Sophia wasn’t given the opportunity to talk some sense into him since he’d gagged her for the entire abduction. And then he’d dumped her unceremoniously into this gilded cage and left her alone without a word. She saw no remnant of the man who used to bounce her on his knee when she was a child, or tease her mercilessly about her youthful crushes when she started liking boys.
This Leonidas had blood red eyes that seemed to stare through her rather than see her person. And then there were his long, white fangs. He’d actually looked at her strangely for a few heartbeats when he’d shoved her in the cage as if he were thirsty and she were a tall glass of lemonade.
Sophia shuddered with revulsion at the memory. Her abductor was no longer the Pure Ones’ Sentinel. He had turned into a conscience-less blood-sucker.
Speaking of which, Sophia raised her chin a fraction as the creature she assumed to be her host floated soundlessly into the chamber. The aura around her visitor was so powerful, Sophia lost her breath for a moment, as if the creature had sucked all the air out of the room with its commanding presence.
The vampire was tall and stately, lithe and slender. Sophia could not tell whether it was a female or male, for its figure was hidden in a long, loose robe, its face obscured by a large, attached hood. She could see the long, wavy hair cascading freely down both sides of the vampire’s chest and shoulders, however, but again, with creatures this ancient, one could not assume a luxurious mane equated to the feminine sex.
“What an honor to have the Pure Queen amongst us,” the vampire said in a sing-song voice, both fragile and strong at the same time. There was a masculine undertone with a higher feminine pitch layered on top.
What a confusing creature, Sophia thought to herself. She wouldn’t be surprised if it had a split personality disorder.
“Are you settled in and comfortable?” the vampire asked solicitously.
“I don’t plan to stay long,” Sophia replied.
The vampire laughed with delight, truly amused by its precious guest. “No,” it returned, “I don’t imagine you will. Not when your friends are already on their way to come to your rescue.”
“I suppose it’s too much to ask you to let them take me back without a fight?” Sophia ventured.
The vampire shook its head almost regrettably. “I’m afraid I cannot grant your request, lovely one. But never fear, even if the last one of your rescuers fall, you will remain unharmed.”
A tingle of recognition flitted down Sophia’s spine. She almost felt like she knew this vampire.
But then her host revealed its face, taking the hood down as it walked closer to Sophia’s cage.
It was a beautiful woman, but it was also a stunning man. Truly, Sophia could not tell at all its gender. Large, heavily lashed black eyes with red centers gazed curiously, avariciously back at her. Elegant black brows, a thin, high-bridged nose, sharp cheekbones and blood-red lips completed the mesmerizing pale visage. The thick, dark brown, almost black wavy hair further blurred the boundaries of sex. Even more confusing, it was wearing heavy mascara and eyeliner, reminding Sophia of ancient Egyptian pharaohs and queens.
And then there was the flat chest and Adam’s apple that bobbed in the creature’s throat, Sophia noticed upon closer inspection. So it was a male?
“I am whatever and whoever you wish me to be,” the vampire said with a sensuous smile, as if reading Sophia’s mind. “If I became your deepest desire, would you stay with me?”
Sophia abruptly blinked away her confusion. She’d almost been hypnotized by the vampire’s ghostly beauty. “I don’t stay with monsters who hurt my friends,” she replied matter-of-factly, without heat, as if she were having a casual conversation across a tea table. “No matter how you portray yourself.”
“You judge without knowing,” the vampire said, moving ever closer, until it stood almost flush against the bars of Sophia’s cage. “Who is to say what monsters are? Your friends have killed many of my kind across the millennia. Why do you not call them monsters? Why only me?”
“Vampires started the war,” Sophia said with conviction, “you sent assassins after one of us first.”
The vampire nodded to the latter part of Sophia’s proclamation. “I did indeed put a test to the Roman warrior. You call him the Protector, don’t you? But as to who started the war… don’t be so certain of what you think you know.”
“You invaded and destroyed our home,” Sophia accused, ignoring the vampire’s last words. “You took my friend and turned him into a monster like you.”
“Collateral damage,” the vampire responded quickly, dismissing its hand in Leonidas’ fate. “And don’t worry, your friends will now have the chance to invade and destroy my home as well and probably wipe out most of my Horde in the process. So we’re soon to be even on that score.”
Sophia looked at her host in consternation. “Don’t you care what happens to your own? You act like we are all just toy soldiers to play with and crash together and break at will.”
The vampire tilted its head like a curious child. “More like chess pieces,” it corrected Sophia’s analogy upon consideration. “I like to play with my pretty chess pieces.”
“Life and death is not a game,” Sophia said vehemently.
“Oh but it is,” came the vampire’s hiss, “it’s all just one big game. And we’re all dispensable toy soldiers in the end. I do not fear my death and neither should you.”
“Then why don’t you kill yourself right now?” Sophia goaded, “Or give me a sword and I’ll be happy to do it for you.”
The vampire chuckled behind its hand with delicate amusement, the sounds of its laughter tinkling like chimes. “What a bloodthirsty child you are,” it said after catching its breath, “what an adorable playmate you’ll make.”
Leaning closer until its haunting face pressed ever so gently upon the gold bars of the cage, the vampire widened its gaze until red flames danced within its bottomless black orbs. “Let’s make a bargain right now,” it said on a dark, venomous whisper. “It’s no fun to play the game when you have no control of the pieces, so I’ll give you a choice. As we speak, the six Elite warriors are headed to my humble abode to rescue you. If you had the ability to save four and sacrifice two, which two would it be?”
“I wouldn’t sacrifice any,” Sophia quickly replied, “they’ll kill you all first.”
The vampire pressed even closer, until the bars of the cage rubbed against its lips, lifting them until they revealed its sharp white fangs. “So bloodthirsty,” it murmured with delight. “What fun we could have together… but that is not the choice I gave you, lovely Sophia. Choose the two friends that will die, or all of them will perish.”
Sophia uncurled from her position and stood immediately before the bars on the inside of the cage, facing her foe almost nose to nose. Defiantly, fearlessly, in a woman’s voice that was not her own, she said, “If there is to be a sacrifice, then take my life in exchange for my friends. Otherwise, there is no bargain. If we must, we will all die together and see you in Hell.”
The vampire hissed and darted its long tongue out at her through the bars, but Sophia did not retreat. She held her ground and stared the creature down, awaiting for its next move, whatever blow might come.
“Magnificent,” the vampire said on an almost reverent sigh. “You are indeed a worthy playmate.”
With that, it quickly withdrew, leaving Sophia once again alone in her cage with her sole vampire guard in the dimly-lit underground catacomb.
*** *** *** ***
Four piles of ashes behind them, Dalair and Alexandros advanced stealthily through the maze of tunnels, the rest of the Elite only minutes on their heels.
Thus far, the enemy base seemed almost unguarded. The vampires they’d just disposed of were merely civilian brutes, not the trained assassins they’d been facing before. But they knew better than to take their situation for granted. They were undoubtedly walking into a trap.
At a locus where several tunnels met like the center of a spider web, the trap finally revealed itself.
Standing in front of each tunnel entrance were three to four fully armed vampire warriors. At the mouth of the largest tunnel that Dalair instinctively knew led to Sophia’s captivity stood the Spartan himself, a makhaira at the ready in each hand.
“You go no further, Pure Ones,” the former Sentinel said with grim determination.
“I will be the judge of my own destiny,” Alexandros answered as he stood back to back with Dalair, facing the throngs of vampires that surrounded them without the slightest hint of fear.
Leonidas inclined his head in acknowledgement a moment before he leapt high into the air for a full-frontal attack.
And thus the bloodbath began.
Two minutes into the carnage, just when Dalair and Alexandros’ defenses were weakening, Aella, Tristan, Valerius and Cloud arrived at the scene through two separate tunnels, obliterating the vampires that stood in their way. With the odds improved from twenty to one to a little under seven to one, the weary pair was invigorated with renewed confidence and strength.
“Dalair,” Alexandros shouted above the fray, “leave Leonidas to me. You find the Queen.”
Dalair nodded and lowered to a crouch, then leapt into the air like a powerful panther just as Alexandros swiped at Leonidas’ shins with his long sagaris. Forced to roll sideways, the Sentinel moved far enough from the entrance of the tunnel he guarded for Dalair to fly over his head and land safely on all fours on the other side. Without a backward glance, Dalair raced down the passageway, the faint scent of Sophia guiding him, urging him on.
“Let us finish this,” Alexandros said to his longtime friend, his brother in arms. “It is my fault you were taken. It is my duty to release your soul from this monstrous shell.”
Leonidas smirked darkly. “Not if I release you first.”
They came together in a mighty clash of swords and axe, each warrior of similar build, height and strength. They’d sparred with each other and fought alongside one another over countless years. They were as familiar with the other’s moves and style as their own.
But Alexandros was fighting for a heftier cause: his love for and his need to save his comrade fueled him with extra vigor and stamina, despite his recent weakening. With each stroke of his axe he pushed the Sentinel back. With each swing, he chanted to himself that he could not fail his friend again. He could not let a Pure, courageous soul shrivel and die within this vampire form.
But Leonidas was matching him stroke for stroke. Though he gave ground, his strength did not wane. It was almost as if he were testing Alexandros, waiting for the right moment to land the lethal blow.
And then Alexandros realized what he needed to do. As the Spartan faked to the left, then twisted around to thrust his cross swords into his opponent, Alexandros did not evade the blades. Instead, he pushed forward at the same time Leonidas thrust and took the twin blades inside his flesh, one through the heart, one through the liver.
“See you in the next life, my friend,” Alexandros said as he gazed into the Spartan’s blood-red eyes, widened in shock and disbelief, and in the next split second, the General’s axe swung through Leonidas’ neck, cleanly severing head from body.
Falling to his knees, Alexandros watched h
is old friend disintegrate into gray specks of dust even as he felt his own body shifting to mingle with the air around them. He heard the other Elite call out his name, was vaguely aware of their rushing footsteps, but soon his vision became blinded by an intense white light.
The General sighed. It was time to rest at last.
*** *** *** ***
Dalair burst into the chamber at the end of the tunnel without thought to his own safety. He was ready to face ten assassins, a hundred. He was tired of playing hide and seek. He’d tear down the entire catacomb with his bare hands if that was what it took to find Sophia and bring her home.
Only one guard accosted him on his way to the center of the chamber where a gilded golden cage drew his entire concentration. He disposed of the impediment quickly, not even tossing the vampire a glance as he slashed his way through the bloodsucker.
But when he halted just before the cage, he saw that his senses had deceived him, for on the bed lay a bundle of crumpled clothes, the ones Sophia had been wearing that day.
“Looking for your Mate?” a whispered hiss echoed along the cavern walls.
Dalair stilled himself and turned full circle very slowly, assessing his surroundings with heightened vision, smell and hearing. He could tell that Sophia was very close, but her exact location was difficult to pinpoint, her soft scent masked by the pungent musk of his enemy.
“Return my Queen,” Dalair demanded with utter confidence and certainty, “before I rip your head from your body.”
Delighted laughter bounced off the damp stone bricks in a haunting tinkle of chimes. “Such vehemence, such passion!” the disembodied voice exclaimed. “And you hide it all so well behind that mask of stoicism and restraint.”
Dalair chose to remain silent and concentrated on the information that the air around him carried. He could faintly hear Sophia’s breathing. It was deep and even, as if she slept. He moved purposefully to the east side of the chamber, but was confronted with a solid rock wall.