by Brooklyn Ann
Akasha continued to glare as Holmes looked sheepish…and regretful.
“If it’s any consolation,” he said slowly, “I just discovered that he means to kill me too.”
She almost snorted in disbelief but the utter terror in his eyes gave her pause. The chirps and clicks on the brainwave monitor punctuated the silence.
“What do you mean?” she whispered.
“I came upon it in his reports, but truly, I’m a fool to have not realized it before. There can be no civilian knowledge of what the military does to human beings in times of war. It really would be dangerous to the country.” Holmes chuckled bitterly. “And our old University rivalry adds fuel to the fire, I suppose.”
Akasha’s mind flew through the data and probability of his words. The brainwaves spiked and jogged rapidly across the screen. Lights flashed, machines beeped.
Her body screamed in pain from being locked in the same position. “How do I know you’re not feeding me bullshit?” She searched his face for signs of deceit.
Holmes paced nervously, trailing an idle finger across the counter near the beakers and test tubes. “It doesn’t matter what you believe. In less than sixteen hours, a soldier will put a bullet in your brain and then in mine. We need to come up with a plan of escape before that.” He stopped and bent closer to her. “Even if I am lying to you, wouldn’t you rather spend your final hours being able to move about?”
She wanted to believe him, but it was too good to be true. But her aching muscles decided it for her. “Okay.”
After all, if she was freed, she could tear him limb from limb if he indicated dishonesty in any way.
“By the way,” The scientist pulled a pistol from his lab coat. “If you try to get violent with me, I will shoot you and worry about saving my own skin. I don’t want to, though. I like your spirit. But I’d like to see my daughter again, and with one murder under your belt, self-defense though it was, I feel I should be cautious. Do we understand each other?”
Akasha nodded, too stunned that he knew that much about her past to find words.
“Great!” Joe clapped his hands. “Now I’ll remove the catheter. Then the IV, and then the probes…”
Minutes later she was taking out her aggression on a punching bag anchored to the floor as well as the ceiling, so it wouldn’t bounce back on her. There were impact sensors inside it that were much like the ones used in a car’s airbag circuits, Joe explained. She’d destroyed them with the first few blows.
“I can’t believe I’m going along with this.” Akasha grumbled as she beat the living shit out of the punching bag. Her fists were an incredible blur of speed before her eyes.
“I don’t blame you for your skepticism, my dear girl.” Agent Holmes said as he scribbled notes on his pad. “I find it interesting that Silas McNaught became your guardian,” he continued in a blatant and disturbing change of subject. “My department suspected him of being a vampire.”
Akasha stopped punching. The bag made a sighing sound as if relieved from its break in punishment.
“I don’t suppose he is one, is he?” Joe asked hopefully.
Schooling her features to portray indifference, she avoided the question. “You believe in vampires?” Akasha laced her tone with scorn.
Holmes was undaunted. “Indeed. Would you believe their blood heals wounds and cures all things, even cancer?” He shook his head and smiled. “Fascinating creatures. They’re devilishly hard to get hold of, however. Some are even stronger than you, I think.”
Akasha was nervous with the subject. She decided to attempt her own subject change. “I want to know how much I can lift. And we should probably plan our escape while we’re at it. Is there anything to drink around here? I’m really thirsty.”
Hours later, they discovered Akasha could lift five hundred pounds with her arms and twice as much with her legs. She got up to twenty miles an hour on the treadmill and could maintain the speed for about thirty minutes.
But they still had no feasible plan of eluding Milbury and the COAT unit. They couldn’t even hope to sneak out because Holmes was locked in with her and they were under camera surveillance, though thankfully there was no audio. Otherwise, the COAT would have charged in and shot them full of holes for Holmes’s betrayal the minute he’d opened his mouth.
Akasha slumped in a hard plastic hair, sore and exhausted, physically and mentally. She chugged her fifth sports drink. The longing for an icy Coors and a cigarette was so bad she was about to scream.
“I’ve got it!” Joe announced as he was testing her reflexes. “It’s a shaky plan at best, but it just might work.”
“What?” Her heart raced in anticipation.
He told her.
It was a shaky plan, suicidal, in fact. But what choice did they have? Their sixteen hours were almost up and sunset was still far off, so she couldn’t expect Silas to come in time.
Still, throwing chemical bombs at armed soldiers who could fire at her any second, while Holmes tried to shoot Major Milbury… So many things could go wrong.
Joe gathered the necessary chemicals and explained each one to Akasha. It was insane that a few innocuous substances could be so deadly when combined. Holmes mixed the compounds in a large beaker and carefully poured the mixture into six test tubes. He then took an eyedropper and a vial of blood and squeezed a few drops into each test tube, turning the fluid pink.
Akasha looked questioningly at this new addition to the formula. Surely her blood wasn’t combustible!
“To fool the cameras,” Joe said with a wink. “I have to make it look like another of my crazy blood tests.”
He arranged the test tubes away from the edge of the counter. “This is a volatile compound. It should explode on impact, so be sure to jump for cover as soon as you throw it.”
Akasha chewed her lip. “If they shoot me before I throw the bombs, I could drop them and blow my ass off.”
“I trust your reflexes are better than that,” Holmes’s voice was firm. “But please, do be careful and wait for them to get in range.”
Footsteps echoed outside, coming closer. Two of the pink test tube bombs were placed in her shaking hands. Holmes put his lab coat over her shoulders and stepped as far from her as he could while avoiding being conspicuous of the effort.
Major Milbury and four COAT soldiers entered. They looked through her like she wasn’t there and their rifles weren’t drawn, but Akasha wasn’t fooled. She knew they saw her and watched her every move. They could have their weapons trained on her in seconds. After all, they made their living by killing people far more dangerous than she.
The split second of clear thinking escaped her. Suddenly, the COAT soldiers superimposed themselves in her vision over those who murdered her parents.
Akasha was a little girl again, shaking, helpless, afraid. The vials wobbled in her quivering hands. Her grip loosened.
***
Silas leapt to his feet as Akasha’s Mark cried out to him.
“Razvan,” he shouted, shaking the hay from his shoulders. “We must go—” the breath was sucked from his lungs and he fell to his knees as a wave of paralyzing terror crashed over his body.
“What’s wrong?” Razvan demanded, voice thick with exhaustion. They hadn’t dared to do more than doze this day and risk missing Akasha’s rescue.
“She’s so afraid!” Silas roared. “She’s never been this afraid before.”
Razvan pulled bits of hay out of his hair and crossed the small cellar to grab the sheets they’d purloined from the farmhouse. He tossed a few to Silas and began tearing one in wide strips. “We had best hurry then.”
Silas tore a sheet of his own and wrapped his hands, fixing his maker with a quizzical stare. “Why are you helping me?” Razvan only cared about his own interests.
The other vampire frowned. “Why are you asking this now?”
“Why not?” he said, manipulating a sheet into a makeshift head covering.
Razvan sighed. “Perhaps I f
eel guilty. Whatever it is, it is a most uncomfortable sensation.”
“Guilty?” Silas couldn’t hide the astonishment from his voice. “Guilty for what?”
“Perhaps if I had not abandoned you so soon when you couldn’t find my brother, you would not have gone on a killing rampage that left you covered with remorse even to this day.” Razvan toyed with his beard and continued. “And perhaps you would not have fallen into Selena’s company and thus there would be no trial with the Elders now.” He wrapped strips of a sheet around his face like a bandage, leaving only a slit for his eyes. “Since I was not there for you then, the least I can do is to be here for you today.”
Silas was glad the fabric hid his expression. No doubt he was gaping like the village idiot. It seemed he did not know Razvan Nicolae as well as he thought.
“Thank you,” he said sincerely.
By the time they finished covering themselves, the two vampires resembled desert nomads. They headed up the stairs and into the main floor of the barn, wincing as shafts of sunlight through the cracks pierced their sensitive eyes.
“Besides,” Razvan added, his voice muffled under the fabric. “I like Akasha.”
They huddled together for a moment in the shadows before the barn door. The sun was descending towards the western horizon, but not as far or fast as they’d hoped.
“Are you ready?” Silas asked.
Razvan nodded and thrust the door open without warning. The vampires burst out in a blur of preternatural speed. Even though they were covered, the sunlight burned their flesh, especially their exposed eyes.
Silas gritted his teeth to hold back a shriek of agony and forced his pain-wracked body west to the compound. His strength flagged quickly.
If they didn’t get to shelter and a source of blood soon, they would burn to death in this desert. He thrust the thought away and pushed his protesting limbs on, not daring to see if Razvan remained at his side.
Please God, he prayed silently, please let us get there in time.
Chapter Thirty-three
Akasha caught the explosive vials before they fell. Thankfully the motion was hidden in the long sleeves of the coat. She forced herself to breathe as she fought off the crippling panic and searched the faces of her enemies for signs of suspicion.
“Why is she wearing your lab coat?” Milbury demanded, fixing suspicious eyes on Akasha. The COAT soldiers stopped their approach… just out of range.
“She’s cold, obviously,” Joe said with impressive nonchalance. “I don’t see why you wouldn’t allow access to the thermostat in here, Francis. Some of the blood tests require higher temperatures.”
Milbury glared at Holmes. The loathing in his chilly stare left no doubt that he meant to kill the scientist. He turned that cold gaze to Akasha. The hatred flared hotter.
“How long did it take you to kill that man in Montana, Akasha?” Milbury sneered as he stalked closer to her. “You look just like a china doll. It’s hard to believe you’re so deadly.”
Akasha shrugged. “Only when I have to defend myself. You and your goons are the deadly ones.”
Milbury choked at her words and stepped closer, followed by the guards.
Akasha’s palms sweated against the slippery glass test tubes. She stepped back until she reached the operating table, willing them to follow. They moved forward just a half step, but unfortunately remained out of range. She ground her teeth.
Just a little closer…
She decided to aggravate him further.
“Do you really think killing me will bring your prestige back?” she asked coolly. “I’m not a high priority assignment after all. I’m just a freak accident.”
“How do you know that?” Milbury hissed.
“Silas hired a hacker.” She favored him with a cheerful smile. “We read the entire file. If you get out of this alive, Uncle Sam will only give you a little pat on the back and put you on another petty assignment.”
The agent’s eyes burned in anguish as she hit her mark. He and the firing squad stepped into her throwing range. He began to lift his mutilated hand to signal the COAT to fire.
Akasha took a deep breath and threw the two bombs in quick succession.
She dove under the table, just as the deafening explosion tore the air. Shards of glass pierced Akasha’s arms as she covered her face.
When she dared to look, everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. The closest guard’s face ripped apart. His gun went flying. The other three still held their guns. She whipped the steel table on its side to shield her.
Holmes pointed his gun at Milbury, but the Major was faster. He shot Joe in the shoulder, knocking the gun from his grasp. It clattered on the floor, by the computer.
“You slimy, scheming son of a bitch!” Milbury roared and leveled the gun at Holmes’s face.
Akasha threw a scalpel.
The tiny blade embedded itself into the Milbury’s back. He slumped as if about to fall.
Then he spun around, pointing the gun at her.
***
The vampires heard the explosion just as they were tearing open the jugulars of the two guards. Silas took one last gulp of healing, nourishing blood before dropping his dying victim.
“What in the blazes was that?” Razvan called from the rear of the building.
Silas didn’t have time to wonder.
Akasha! His mind roared.
He grabbed the keys off the dead guard, shrieking in agony as the light scorched his hand. His eyes burned and watered in the waning sunlight. He could feel his skin sizzling under its meager covering.
“Razvan! Hurry!” They had to make it in time.
***
Akasha stared down into the black barrel of the gun. The COAT agent seemed to take pleasure in drawing out the moment, taunting her with impending death. She stood there helpless, unable to move or breathe as panic clawed her throat.
Any second, the weapon would spark and smoke as it released the bullet that would pierce her skull, catapulting her into the abyss that was death.
She focused her mind and heart on Silas. She could almost feel the tingling warmth of his presence nearby.
“Now, I’ll find out what it’s like to kill a mutant,” Milbury said, smiling madly. He seemed oblivious to the scalpel embedded in his back like an acupuncturist’s pin. “I wonder… will it feel the same as killing a man? Or will I get twice the pleasure from it?”
His finger tightened on the trigger. Silas I love you, she cried silently and squeezed her eyes shut.
Instead of a bang, she heard a terrifying battle cry. Rapid gunshots rent the air. Her eyes flew open to witness what looked like Middle-Eastern terrorists attacking Milbury and the COAT. They were dodging bullets and moving so fast that it took her a moment to realize there were only two. One snapped the necks of the remaining soldiers in impossibly rapid succession. The other terrorist had Milbury in his grasp. Akasha noticed his hands were burned. The little bit of his face that showed looked burnt as well. His brilliant green eyes were watery and bloodshot…and achingly familiar.
“Silas!” she cried and scrambled up off the floor.
“Stay put,” he commanded, his eyes glowing like phosphorus.
He tore the sheet from his face and bared his fangs. Milbury cringed like a kicked dog and a dark wet stain appeared on the front of his pants, trailing down one leg.
Silas was a horrifying sight. His face was bright red. The burned skin around his eyes was tight and shiny. A nose wrinkling reek of burnt hair permeated the air.
“You shouldna ha’ touched ma woman!” he growled and sank his fangs into the Major’s neck.
Akasha had never seen him feed before. It was more brutal, more gruesome than any horror movie depiction. Milbury screamed as his neck tore with a wet squelching sound.
Blood dribbled from the corner of the vampire’s mouth, turning the collar of the man’s shirt a bright crayon red. He jerked and shrieked louder as Razvan bit his wrist, worrying his arm
like a rabid dog. The slurping and swallowing sounds were grossly audible in the now silent lab. In her shock she wondered idly when the monitors had quit their droning.
As Milbury’s screams died down and the struggling ceased, Akasha realized something. This was not how vampires usually fed. They were being brutal on purpose; they were making it hurt. This was a punishment. She would have been terrified and sickened if she didn’t know the bastard deserved everything he was getting.
When they were done, Milbury was reduced to a gray, pasty corpse. His body hit the cement floor with a thump. Silas wiped his mouth and took Akasha in his arms. She fought back her fear and returned his embrace.
Gratitude filled her in a glorious fount. She thought she’d never see or feel him again. For a few delirious moments, the lab and all she’d been through this day dissolved into pure bliss as the warmth of his love encompassed her. Then Silas pulled away and ran his hands across her face and down her body.
“Are you all right my love?” the vampire’s eyes searched hers frantically.
She tried to laugh off his concern but choked on tears that threatened to break her. “I think you two are in worse shape…” Her eyes widened and her hand dropped. The burns on the vampires’ flesh had faded. All that remained was redness around their eyes and on their hands, as if they’d been out at the beach too long.
“Fascinating…” Holmes breathed behind them.
Silas and Razvan whipped around and had the scientist pinned within seconds. Blood gushed from the wound on his shoulder. Holmes made a small pained sound and Razvan licked his lips, eyes alight with predatory avarice.
“No!” Akasha shoved both vampires back, but they were prepared for her strength and didn’t budge. “Don’t hurt him!”
Razvan cocked an eyebrow. “Please tell me you are not having tender feelings for your captor?”
Silas looked at her over Holmes’s shoulder. His eyes gleamed like lethal emeralds. “Why should we spare him, lass?”