Rajmund

by D. B. Reynolds

  "Should we call first?” Em asked. “Make sure—"

  Raj held up a hand. “He's there,” he growled. They'd forgotten. He'd forgotten himself in all the rush. He was now Lord of the Northeastern Territory and his power had grown exponentially with the assumption of that mantle. Just as he provided life and protection to his vampires, so they lent him a reserve of power he could tap at will. He knew where Jozef was, and he knew Sarah was with him. Raj's blood bond with her had been boosted until he could feel her in his head, just like he could every vampire in the territory. Including Jozef. He could have reached out and snuffed Jozef's life with a thought. But what would be the fun in that?

  "Emelie."

  "My lord?"

  "Leave a reserve here to clear out this mess and dispose of anyone who tries to take advantage of the situation. You're with me."

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  Chapter Forty-seven

  Something was up. Sarah twisted around on the uncomfortable examining table they'd handcuffed her to and watched that bitch Edwards scurrying around the lab like one of her rats. She was backing up computer files like crazy while grabbing every piece of paper she could get her hands on and throwing it all into packing boxes. Like that was going to fool anyone. She had an entire fricking lab down here. Did she think no one would notice? That she'd actually get away with this? The stupid woman had spent months working with vampires and she still thought she could hide from them? Her life wouldn't be worth two cents if she went public with any of this stuff.

  "They'll kill you, you know,” Sarah said, conversationally. Edwards ignored her, sitting down at her computer and switching out the flash drives. Clearly there was a lot of data. Sarah wondered just how long this project had been going on. Longer than anyone suspected, that was for sure. “They'll hunt you down and kill you. Probably painfully,” she added.

  "Shut up, you stupid bitch!"

  Sarah smiled. The good doctor was sounding a bit shrill. She hoped that meant help was on the way because she had a feeling these guys wouldn't want to leave any witnesses behind.

  The basement windows rattled, as what seemed like a whole convoy of trucks arrived, followed by the sound of several voices. She looked up automatically, but couldn't see anything. The damn windows were completely blacked out. But that didn't stop Edwards from staring up at them in shock, just before she began ripping cables out of the back of her CPU. “Fuck this,” the woman swore beneath her breath. “I'll just take the whole damn—"

  Whatever she was going to say next was lost as a wave of power picked up the house and shook it like a child's piggybank, shattering the blackened basement windows and sending shards of glass flying. Edwards gave a panicked shriek and dropped under her desk, arms covering her head. When she finally looked up, her face was deathly pale and the wide-eyed gaze she turned on Sarah was full of fear.

  Sarah just grinned. “My boyfriend's back."

  Raj glanced around as he slid out of the backseat of the SUV. He'd wanted to drive, but Em had bullied him into the backseat of the big truck, muttering something about how he'd better get used to it. That and more, apparently. When he started up the driveway toward the two-story colonial where Jozef had set up his little project, he was surrounded by a security cordon that rivaled anything deployed for a world leader. He sighed, wondering if he'd ever get to drive his BMW again.

  "Em.” She glanced over at him from her position at his left shoulder. “I'll go in fir—” He paused mid-word as she gave him a filthy look. “I have to do this,” he said patiently.

  Her mouth tightened in irritation. “At least let us go in ahead of you and make sure there's not some sort of booby trap or something. Fucking Jozef has to know he doesn't have a chance in hell in a stand-up fight."

  Raj smiled, amused by her assessment of Jozef. His attention was drawn suddenly to the house and his smile fled. The front door opened and Jozef stood there, flanked by Serge and Charles, who were most obviously not being held against their will. He couldn't help wondering if Nina realized that Serge hadn't been taken, but had abandoned her to her fate. Not that the bastard would live long enough for anyone to worry about it.

  "Move,” Raj said. His vampire cordon split, and he strode forward until only a few feet separated him from Jozef and his flunkies.

  Raj growled. “Where is she, Jozef? I want Sarah out here now."

  "Don't listen to him, Joey!” He heard Jozef's wife's shrill voice just before she shoved her way around the vampires and out onto the porch. Her pointed, little face was twisted in outrage, her kinky hair sticking out wildly, looking as if she'd been recently electrocuted. She stepped to the edge of the short porch and screamed at him, spittle flying. “Who the fuck do you think you are to come here and tell my Joey what to do? Are you the one who put up with that crazy old man all these years, bowing and scraping and getting nothing but leftovers?” she demanded. “Not you, not the great Raj. You flew off to the big city, the big man in Manhattan. Well, not anymore. My Joey's taking over here and we'll say what happens, not you!"

  Raj was struck speechless for a full three seconds, and then he laughed. “Are you fucking kidding me, Jozef? You let this human bitch talk you into this? Does she understand nothing? Do you fucking understand nothing?" His voice had risen, growing louder and more furious with every word. “ON YOUR GODDAMNED KNEES, NOW!” he roared.

  His command hit the house like a tidal wave, a blast of lethal force that shattered every window and sent a rain of glass showering down in the darkness. The three rebellious vampires were crushed by the power of Raj's command, driven to their knees where they cringed away from the rage on his face. Jozef dared to raise his head, but even he could only stare in open-mouthed shock.

  "Did you think Krystof gave me Manhattan because he liked me, Jozef?” Raj demanded in a harsh, low voice. “You of all people should have understood his reasons.” He strode forward, taking the steps to the porch to stare down at the defeated trio with utter disgust. “Did you really think you could get away with this? Are you that fucking stupid?"

  With a high-pitched screech, Celia launched herself at his back, blunt teeth bared, red-tipped fingers curving like claws. Raj didn't bother to turn, repelling her with a punch of power that hit like an invisible battering ram, slamming her off the porch to lie on the glass-covered ground like a pinned insect.

  "Celia!” Jozef croaked and would have gone to her, but Raj stopped him with a cold look.

  "Don't worry, Jozef. She's not dead yet.” Jozef's head swung around, his eyes filled with fear.

  "It wasn't her fault, Ra—I mean, my lord. Please, let her live."

  Raj stared down at the big vampire, his lip curling in disdain, but all he said was, “Her life is bound to yours.” He held out his hand and Emelie slapped a smooth, wooden stake into his palm. He curled his fingers around its cool shaft and said pleasantly, “Go to hell, Jozef."

  Jozef found some last shred of pride and snarled, “I'll see you there, you Pollack bastard."

  Raj smiled, dipped his head in agreement and said, “Maybe you will.” He swung his arm down in a smooth arc, shoving the stake so hard and deep that his fist hit the vampire's thick chest with an audible thud. Jozef fell backward with a gasp, a look of disbelief flashing briefly across his face before he disappeared in a shower of gray dust. Raj heard a long exhaled breath behind him as Celia died along with her mate, their lives wound far too tightly by the long mating bond for her to survive his death.

  Serge and Charles fell to their faces, groveling, begging for their lives, in what they had to know was a useless effort. No one involved in this operation could be permitted to live. It violated the most basic tenet of Vampire. Raj didn't even spare them a glance, stepping over the pile of dust and entering the house. Em could take care of these two. He wanted to find Sarah.

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  Chapter Forty-eight

  In the basement, Sarah watched with some amusement as Estelle Edwards trie
d to jam the desktop computer into a narrow box. The doc was sweating buckets and grunting like a pig with the effort, but it wasn't working. She finally gave up, letting the awkward CPU drop to the floor with a crash. She was swearing viciously, using words Sarah knew existed, but had never actually heard spoken before. Wow.

  The door at the end of the corridor thundered open, hitting the wall with more force than usual. Edwards looked up in panic before her mouth tightened into a grim line of determination. This was not a woman who gave up easily. She pulled the keys from the pocket of her white lab coat and quickly uncuffed Sarah from the table, grabbing a fistful of her hair and dragging her backwards across the room to face the door. Sarah stumbled, her bound feet struggling to find purchase, but the woman only tightened her grip, bringing tears to Sarah's eyes. It felt like her hair was being torn out by the roots.

  "Don't say a word, bitch,” Edwards hissed in Sarah's ear, and she could feel the sharp point of something poking into her back just above her kidney.

  She heard footsteps coming down the hall, and then more loud noise as someone kicked in the doors of the three cells. She sucked in a relieved breath, knowing Trish and the others had been found in time, but then blew the breath out quickly when the movement caused Edward's weapon to slice into her skin, drawing blood.

  The noise stopped suddenly and she heard a familiar growl that made her smile. Raj was coming.

  Raj stormed toward the last door in the corridor, the only one standing open. He could smell the night air coming through a broken window, but above that was the scent of blood—Sarah's blood. Emelie would have raced around him, but he held her back with a sharp command, stepping into the doorway himself to find none other than Estelle Edwards, and clutched before her, her head wrenched at a painful angle, was his Sarah.

  Raj let his gaze roam over his lover's body, noting the dark bruise on the side of her face, the purpled swelling of bare ankles where someone had bound her feet with plastic ties so tight she could barely stand. He catalogued the injuries, tallying up the damage he would inflict on this human before he killed her. He looked up and met Sarah's eyes, seeing the defiant flash of angry gold despite her predicament. He smiled and said gently, “Sarah."

  "Hey, Raj.” She managed a grin. “Quite a set up—” She cried out as Edwards jerked her back and Raj smelled the flow of fresh blood. The woman had a knife. And she was cutting Sarah with it.

  His rage was so great, it was nearly paralyzing. He snarled loudly, opening his mouth and baring his fangs. “Emelie."

  Emelie came up next to him. “Yes, my lord."

  Edwards stiffened, and said, “You let me out of here, or I'll kill—"

  That was all she managed to say before everything changed. With movements far too fast for the human eye to see, much less respond to, Raj crossed the room and spun Sarah away from Edwards, throwing the doctor toward Emelie who grabbed her and broke her wrist as an inducement to drop the weapon. Raj's attention was all for Sarah, scooping her up and setting her safely on the examining table before whirling to face the human woman who was screaming in pain, cradling her broken arm.

  He crossed the small room in one long step and wrapped his fingers around her throat, cutting off the noise. “I met your husband, Dr. Edwards,” he said softly. Her eyes bulged and her face began to purple as she struggled for air, clawing at his fingers with her only functional hand. “He deserves better,” Raj said. He dropped Edwards to the floor and Cervantes was there, throwing her limp body over his shoulder. He left the room quickly, footsteps pounding down the hall and up the stairs.

  Raj turned back to Sarah who looked up as he approached, her eyes filled with worry as well as relief. Emelie was crouched in front of her, carefully cutting away the plastic ties which were buried in the flesh of her swollen ankles. Raj met Sarah's eyes and smiled grimly. She had a right to be worried. As relieved as he was to find her alive and reasonably well, he was furious that she'd put herself in this position in the first place.

  He picked up her bound hands and snapped the metal handcuffs, tossing them across the room. Her eyes filled with tears and she rubbed her wrists carefully, crying out loud when Em finally got the ties off and the blood surged back into her feet.

  "Emelie,” he said softly, never taking his eyes off Sarah.

  He felt more than saw Emelie glance from him to Sarah and back again, and heard her sigh. She leaned in to give Sarah a hug, whispering, “We'll talk later."

  Raj scowled at her back as she left the room, and then transferred that scowl to Sarah.

  "I know,” she said in a resigned voice. He picked her up and moved her farther back onto the table, gently lifting her legs one at a time to soothe away the pain, sending warm drifts of power into the swollen tissue of her feet and ankles. It would have been faster to share blood with her, but he knew she wouldn't want that.

  "Raj,” she said in a small voice. He glanced up at her. “Are you pissed?"

  He released her foot carefully and took her in his arms, holding her against his chest and feeling the steady thud of her heartbeat below his ribs. He kissed the top of her head. “I'm happy to see you alive."

  She sighed contentedly and sank into his embrace, scooting forward to wrap her arms around his waist.

  "I'm also pissed as hell,” he added dryly. Her arms tightened and she rubbed her face against the front of his sweater.

  "I'm sorry,” she said.

  "I'm sure you are."

  She slapped him lightly. “Don't be mean. You know what I meant."

  He chuckled softly and held her, knowing it couldn't last. His enemies had come close to taking Sarah's life. He couldn't take that risk again, couldn't let Sarah pay for what he was. “We have to get you out of here,” he said finally. “Was this the main location?"

  "I think so. Edwards pretty much lived in here and I think all the data was kept here. I don't know if she uploaded anything."

  "Simon will take care of that. This place, this entire project, will disappear. It never happened."

  "I'll need to disappear again too,” she said on a tired breath. “Blackwood saw to that before he scuttled out of town."

  Raj sighed and pulled away. “Simon can help you,” he said. “Anything you need, you can ask him or Emelie. They'll get you a new identity, transportation . . . whatever's necessary."

  Sarah looked up at him and he could see the confusion and hurt on her face. “Raj?"

  "I can't stay, Sarah, and I can't take you with me. I've got . . . responsibilities. Things I have to do now that—” He cut himself off. She didn't need to hear every bitter detail of his new life as a vampire lord. It would be months before he had the territory under control. Months spent traveling, meeting and defeating challenge after challenge, destroying those who'd grown too independent under Krystof's rule to accept a new lord, gathering in those who needed help, either from neglect or simply the trauma of the transition. Months of exhausting, brutal work followed by a long, long lifetime of rule. It was a burden he'd never sought, but it was his burden, not Sarah's. She deserved better.

  He took her face in his hands, stroking his thumb over her soft lips, tenderly kissing her swollen temple with its ugly bruise. She closed tear-filled eyes as he bent to kiss her one last time, lingering to savor the sweetness of her mouth. “I'll send Emelie in.” He left before she could open her eyes, before he could see the pain he'd just put there.

  Emelie came around the corner, still scowling after Raj's departing back. She took in Sarah's hurt, bewildered look and crossed to her quickly, shaking her head in disgust. She tsked loudly and said, “Men are such idiots. Makes me glad I'm a lesbian.” She looked Sarah up and down, frowning at her injuries. “Didn't he share blood with you?"

  Sarah blushed. “No."

  "Well, what the hell was he doing in here then? Jesus, I can't believe—"

  "It's not his fault,” Sarah insisted, jumping to Raj's defense. “It's me. He tried, um, before and I wouldn't, that is, I didn't—
” To her horror, she started crying.

  "Oh, baby,” Emelie breathed. “What will I do with the two of you now?” She held Sarah, letting her cry away all the fear she'd been pushing back since they'd bonked her on the head and thrown her in the backseat of that car, all of the pain from her wretched aching feet and arms, the throbbing in her head. And most of all the pain in her heart at the thought of never seeing Raj again.

  "Better now?” Emelie asked.

  Sarah nodded, reaching for a tissue from the nearby stand. She blew her nose and threw the used tissue in the trash. “Sorry."

  "That's okay. I'm used to it. Raj has that effect on a lot of people."

  Sarah laughed and felt her eyes fill with fresh tears. She looked down at her hands so Emelie wouldn't notice and saw the blurry outline of a white card. She frowned and looked up at Em.

  "Give him a couple of months,” Em said patiently. “It's going to be rough for a while, but after that . . .” She nodded at the card, which Sarah saw had Em's name and cell phone printed on it. Em met her eyes, giving her a steady, meaningful look. “Trust me on this one, babe."

  Sarah palmed the card and nodded. “Okay."

  "Right,” Em said. “Now, let's get you gone. The guys are gonna tear this place apart, and then we'll have Simon get started on your little problem. He's a genius at making people disappear.” She grinned wickedly. “In a good way, that is."

  Sarah laughed and hoped Em was right. About Simon and everything else.

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  Chapter Forty-nine

  New York, New York—Manhattan

  Raj stood on the rooftop high above Manhattan, watching cars moving up and down the street below, the red and white of their lights reflecting off the wet pavement in a blur of color. It had rained again today; the month was shaping up to be one of the wettest in New York history. But for now, the rain had stopped. The air was warm and muggy, but far better than the sterile, processed stuff waiting for him inside, along with yet another marathon session of meetings with his various underlings.