Grave Expectations - Jess Vandermire 4

by Lina Gardiner

  “You felt it, too?” Why did that surprise him?

  “Yeah. That thing is some sort of power source,” she said. “As an expert in theology, maybe Regent will know if there is a weapon that is connected to your kind. And if so, does it give strength?”

  Britt gritted his teeth. She couldn’t even say what he might be. His kind.

  Then again, what was he? An ex-cop turned vampire hunter and now frigging fallen angel? “It didn’t look like strength to me, doll. It looked like addiction.”

  “That blade certainly seemed to heal him, though. He was as weak as a kitten until he held that thing. But afterward, he seemed to recuperate at an amazing rate,” she said.

  “At an alarming rate, I’d say. And, if you ask me, Fisk isn’t strong enough to act on his own right now. He needs us as much as we need him. So that blade isn’t exactly all-powerful, is it? He needs us to help him with the Europeans.”

  “He needs you, not me,” she said.

  “Have you considered the implication of what he’s doing for the Europeans, Jess?”

  She pushed her hair back over her shoulders. “I’ve been very concerned about that, actually.” As always, she kept a keen eye on their surroundings while they walked.

  He didn’t blame her for not trusting Fisk. Problem was, Fisk had inside information that Britt sorely needed.

  “There are too many questions and not enough answers, I know that,” she said, then had another thought. “Besides, if you’re an angel, why couldn’t you heal with a religious icon like that? Maybe you don’t need Fisk. Maybe you only need that blade.”

  “Number one, I still haven’t come to terms with the possibility of being related to an honest-to-God angel. Look at me, Jess. I kill for a living. How could I possibly be the descendant of an angel?”

  “Apparently, you’ve never read the accounts of angels in the Bible. They were pretty much the soldiers of God. They were warriors. Fighters for the cause of righteousness. They didn’t fly around playing harps all the time.”

  “That sounds too heavy for me. I’m just Joe ex-cop, a guy who somehow lived. I’ve been thinking… . Maybe the monks have the same kind of technology that made Regent young again. That makes more sense than me being the progeny of fallen angels.”

  “You know,” she said, slowing her pace just a little. “If I hadn’t seen you take out a gang of vampires, I might have agreed with you. But what you did was pretty close to miraculous.”

  “I don’t fit the mold.”

  “You don’t want to fit the mold, do you?”

  “Not if it means I lose you,” he said, harshly.

  “I have considered what it means,” she said. “And I think I’ve come up with a logical conclusion. I think you’re the positive to my negative. You know, opposites attract and all that scientific stuff.”

  Britt winked at her. “That’s very upbeat thinking for someone who believes her soul to be dark and incurable.”

  Her arms went up in the air in mock exasperation. “What can I say? Sometimes you rub off on me. Besides, neither one of us can be explained in scientific terms. We defy logic. Especially if we’re vampire and angel. What if we are never able to make this work?”

  “And you sounded so positive there for a moment.”

  SHE ROLLED HER eyes at him. “I’m serious.”

  With her condo in sight and the sky lightening just enough to pronounce the coming of dawn, that age-old fatigue threatened. She’d been getting home too late the last few days. Suddenly, two figures stepped out of an alley. It wasn’t something she needed right now. “Wonder what this is about?” she said to Britt. “Another couple of Fisk’s vamps who’ve seen the light?”

  “I have the feeling we’re about to find out,” Britt said, reaching inside his jacket for his stake. “Shouldn’t they be home in bed?”

  Vampires she understood. They were bloodthirsty killers who had no problem showing their fangs. But Fisk was creating anomalies. She still wasn’t sure exactly what she was supposed to do with these creatures.

  “You up for this?” Britt asked. “We don’t have a lot of time before sunrise.”

  She made a throaty noise of encouragement. “Definitely ready and looking forward to it,” she said. “You take the right, I’ll go left?”

  “Yes, Captain.” He grabbed his stake and raised it above his shoulder. “And Jess, watch your back.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ve learned my lesson.”

  The vampires charged. She got the wide-shouldered one with odd lettered tattoos on his cheekbones. His marble black eyes narrowed on her and his smile slid back to display his intent. She couldn’t resist—she did the same. Her teeth were just as dangerous as his.

  “Word on the street is the vampire who kills you gets paid in blood.”

  So, someone put a vampire hit out on her. Like that had never happened before. Unfortunately, this time the successful vamp would be paid in blood. That might encourage more bloodsuckers to fight outside their comfort zone. At least that explained the last few attacks in pairs.

  Slashing out one hand with her blade, she caught the vamp below the tattoo.

  He grabbed his cheek and growled low in his throat. “Bitch.”

  “Sticks and stones,” she said, ducking down strategically, just as he lunged at her. He flipped over her and smashed headfirst into the brick wall. She heard his nose crunch against the stone. That had to smart.

  He didn’t waste any time though. He jumped to his feet again and spun on her. If he lived long enough, his nose would repair itself.

  “Too bad you’re going to die, broken nose and all.”

  “Not tonight, hunter. I will be cashing in on blood while you’re moldering in the ground. Imagine the sense of relief that’ll give other vampires in the city. I’ll be a hero, because I took out the damned traitor among us,” he said, narrowing his gaze on her again.

  He tried charging and diving again, but that strategy wasn’t working out well for him. She slashed both of his shoulders, and nipped off one ear lobe. She was just playing with him, but with the sky lightening overhead, she’d better get this done with.

  Just when she decided she’d kill him and stop playing around, he backed off a couple of paces and took in her stance, her weaponry.

  She shifted her shoulders and frowned. Fighting vampires in the city had definitely changed. She’d have kicked Fisk’s ass for creating this mess, if they didn’t need his help with the massive vampire at the rectory.

  She hiked up her blade and tapped her heel onto the concrete in order to extend her toe blade.

  When the brute dove again, she jumped into the air. Distract with the right, strike with the left. She jammed her toe into his chest with such force, he slammed backward into the wall.

  He grunted and slid down onto the cement. His head lolled forward. At first, she thought he wasn’t going to evaporate, but slowly, very slowly, his particles lifted off and drifted away. Finally, she heard his scream as a dissipating sound on the wind, while the last of him faded away.

  Goosebumps flashed across her arms. That was the weirdest thing she’d ever experienced. She’d heard the vampire’s screams until he was nothing but particles. How horrifying.

  She spun back to check on Britt. “You going to take all night, soldier?” she shouted. Even though his attention didn’t shift away from his prey, she could tell that he grinned.

  Britt jumped at the wall and catapulted himself up to meet the vampire intent on attacking him from above. He grabbed the beast and they twirled in midair, claws and stakes flying, fists smashing at each other until they landed on the ground. Britt grunted on impact, but jumped to his feet faster than any human being should. Although it was unusual to see him out of breath, it had been quite a battle. He inhaled a deep breath and said, “Just passing time while I waited for you, babe.” Then he rammed his stake into the vampire’s chest.

  Weird when the same thing happened again. Britt’s vampire took a l
ong time dissolving, as well.

  Britt shuddered and turned to Jess. “That was gruesome. Did your guy die that way, too?”

  “Yeah, he did. They must’ve been partially healed by Fisk.”

  “That guy gets around. He’s got to be stopped, I think.”

  She nodded and pressed the button on the inside of her heel to resheathe her toe blade.

  Muted light filtered into the alley, reminding her that sunup would be exceedingly unhealthy for her. It was even more dangerous because she’d been lacking in prayers lately.

  “Run!” Britt shouted, just as the first rays of light started to fill the sky and spread across the pavement.

  “Oh hell!” She ran at vampire speed, sticking to canopies and shelters wherever possible. She dove inside her building and raced across the lobby for the elevator. In fact, before she safely shut herself behind the steel elevator doors, her flesh had started to steam.

  Britt jumped inside the elevator just before the door sealed. “We can’t let that happen again, it was too damned close.”

  “I hate to bring this up, but I definitely need more strengthening prayers. Usually a few initial rays of sunlight wouldn’t affect me to the point of having my flesh steam. A few minutes longer, and it would have been damned uncomfortable.”

  They entered the condo and Jess went straight to her room. She pulled on her nightgown and crawled onto her oversized pillow-top bed.

  Death would encompass her soon. Barely able to move now, she managed a quick look around her room. Where was Britt? Why hadn’t he followed her inside? She’d left the door open for him.

  Crash! Suddenly, she heard fighting inside her apartment. Britt was in a battle out there and she couldn’t do a thing to help him.

  Worse, she’d left the bunker door open for him. If anyone got the upper hand against him, she’d be toast. Not that that mattered. Because if anything happened to Britt, she’d rather be dead.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “I WONDER IF Jess is going to bring Britt to us soon,” Regent said, wiping his brow with a handkerchief.

  “Last I heard, Britt was trying to get information about what had happened to him,” Sampson said.

  “Being cut off from Jess is intolerable,” Regent said with a huff of irritation. “Good thing you’re allowed to come here, Sampson. I’ve lost touch with the outside world, and I’d really be lost without you.”

  “Glad I can do something during this trying time,” Sampson said. “I’m just not sure how much help I am.”

  “Have you found anything we can use to assist that poor creature downstairs?”

  Sampson looked torn. “I wish I had better news for you, my friend. Truth is, there is something different about his blood, but to be completely honest, I have no idea what it is yet.”

  “Is there anything you know for sure?” Regent asked.

  “He’s a vampire with über healing abilities, but those same abilities are keeping him a vampire. If only it could work to change him back to human form again …”

  “What about—” Regent looked around, “—the scrolls? Is there anything in those that could help us?”

  “The scrolls are too risky, Regent. We don’t know enough about them, yet. Besides, I’ve been busy doing postmortems on that last batch of dead vampires, as well as trying to find out what’s happening to the newly-healed vamps that Fisk is pumping out …” He made quotations around the words “newly healed” with his fingers.

  “I don’t like the sound of that, Sampson.”

  Sampson nodded. “From what I can gather, being partially healed is like having a Band-Aid put on a surgical incision. It’s not going to stop the patient from bleeding out.”

  Regent sank into his chair and rested his head on his tented fingers. “Good grief, where will all of this end?”

  Sampson covered his mouth with one hand and cleared his throat. “Even if we’re more scientifically minded in our approach, my friend, you are the rock of our foundation.”

  Regent picked up the silver cross on his desk and rubbed it, like Aladdin would a lamp. “Thank you for reminding me that I have friends who will always be there.” He grinned at Sampson. “And, who will kick my derriere if I lose sight of my faith and my truth?”

  “Just repaying the favor, Father,” he said. “You’ve done it for me before.”

  Regent appreciated the reminder. Life was fraught with challenges and some of those challenges needed an extra push from the Big Guy. He’d pray for it when all of his current prayers were finished.

  “I sent Jess a message asking the two of them to come here tonight. Vasilli has finally agreed to let them help,” Regent said, tension knotting his shoulders.

  “He must really be desperate. Either that, or he knows more about Britt than he’s telling,” his friend said.

  Regent held a finger over his lips to remind Sampson not to spill critical secrets by accident. The place had been wired top to bottom. The whole rectory had been bugged, he was sure of it.

  “I haven’t seen Jess much lately, either. I’d like to do a work-up on her blood. She’s been looking peaked lately,” Sampson said.

  Regent lowered his head and looked at his hands. “That’s my fault. I haven’t been saying enough prayers for her. I’ve been too busy.”

  Sampson frowned. “What about Britt?”

  “He hasn’t been praying enough for her, either.”

  “That’s not good,” Sampson said. “I’d offer, but I already know you and Britt are the only two who can affect her in that way.”

  “Thank you, Sampson. As much as you care for Jess, you don’t love her the way Britt and I do. And it takes that kind of love. It seems to be the reason our prayers work,” Regent said. “I’ll start as soon as you leave.”

  As if on cue, Vasilli entered the room. “I can’t allow that, Father. You have an obligation to our friend in the basement.”

  “But my sister …”

  “Is collateral damage in the scheme of things. I know that sounds cold, but if you knew how important your task is, you wouldn’t question whose salvation is more important.”

  Regent slammed a hand onto his desk. “There’s only one person on this planet who is that important to me, sir, and that’s my sister. If you force me to stop praying for her, I’m done helping you, too. I’ve had enough of this secrecy. Tell me who the vampire is or I’m done. Period.”

  Vasilli narrowed his gaze on Regent, and then glanced at Sampson.

  “I’m with Regent,” Sampson said. “My loyalties are with Jess Vandermire.”

  Vasilli lowered his head and his exhalation sounded like sandpaper on stone. He obviously had some anger issues of his own. Maybe that was how he’d managed to control the beast in the basement as long as he had.

  “Tell me now, or I quit,” Regent said angrily.

  Vasilli made a tsking sound. “You aren’t allowed to quit, Father. You are one of us. You wouldn’t betray a direct command from the Pope, would you?”

  “What are you talking about?” Regent squirmed. For some time, he’d had the uncomfortable fear that the vampire in the basement could be the Pope. “Is it His Holiness?”

  Vasilli’s mouth thinned. “No.”

  But would Vasilli actually tell him the truth?

  As if understanding his doubts, Vasilli reached into his robe pocket and pulled out an envelope. “I’ve been saving this for a moment such as this. I didn’t want to force your hand unless I had to. But now …”

  Regent shared a glance with Sampson. This is what he called not forcing his hand?

  “Maybe I should go,” Sampson said.

  “No. I’m afraid not, Dr. Case. You have been included in this secrecy. You might as well know this part, as well. It will have extraneous implications for you, too.”

  “I’m sorry?” Sampson leaned forward. Regent knew why. Sampson was a private citizen—he had no responsibility to Regent or to the church. He was here out of his own free will.
/>   Regent reluctantly accepted the envelope embossed in a familiar crest—the papal crest—that was being pressed into his hand.

  Wishing he could just throw it in the fireplace, he ripped open the gold-lined paper and pulled out a single sheet. He read it three times before looking up again. “It’s an order from the Pope. I am to carry out your directions.”

  Vasilli’s expression was one of success and fatigue. “What else does it say, Father?”

  “Failing to do so will be a breach of my vows and I’ll be excommunicated instantly.” Regent’s teeth ached from grinding them. “Which I might not care about, if you force my hand,” he said. “I am a priest because of my calling to work for God. Not to be made a slave to the church, or to do things that go against my beliefs. I’m having trouble with this order, because it is one the church shouldn’t force upon a priest.”

  Sampson had jumped to his feet and was clenching his hands at his sides. His bald head shimmered in the firelight. “And I’m not a member of the clergy. Orders from the Pope mean nothing to me,” Sampson said. “So why am I here?”

  “You have been indoctrinated into this Vatican secret, Dr. Case. You are, therefore, under the scrutiny and the responsibility of the Swiss Guard. They take their responsibilities very seriously, I’m afraid. Being a traitor to our cause will not be tolerated.”

  “Is that a threat?” Sampson asked.

  Vasilli raised his hands and pressed them together in front of his chest. “It most definitely is a threat, Dr. Case.”

  “Geez, I can’t believe this.”

  “I’m afraid the man in the basement is too important to the church for us to risk any exposure. His is a secret that must not get out.”

  “This is preposterous,” Sampson said, eying the Swiss Guard standing outside the slightly ajar office door.

  “If it were the government and not the church trying to maintain this situation, I can assure you, they’d be less accommodating,” Vasilli said. “In fact, they would have forced you to do their bidding. We are, at least, asking for your help. Up to now, we haven’t used any force.”