Vampire in Crisis

by Dale Mayer

  He sent out a call. Serus, any update on Rhia?

  Serus’s response was immediate. No, none.

  Tessa? Or anyone else?

  Serus filled him in on the attack on Sian.

  He stopped in his tracks. “What the hell?”

  Goran didn’t know what to say. That was beyond bad news. And it wasn’t going to get any better if they couldn’t put a stop to this bullshit. And now. Damn it. He started running again.

  With David racing behind him, Goran came up to a large machinery room and doors that reached way up into the ceiling high above. The doors were open slightly. He snuck up close. There were several vamps talking in a group off to one side. Bart was not one of them.

  There was no way to get past these men so…he shrugged and stepped forward nonchalantly.

  “Hey, who the hell are you?” one of the men asked, a frown on his face. “You don’t belong here.”

  “Maybe and maybe not,” Goran said. He motioned at David behind him. “But maybe we should be here and you guys shouldn’t. We heard you lost one of the canisters.”

  Fear whispered through the group as if some kind of major threat loomed. And it did, just not the one they were afraid of.

  “We had nothing to do with that. That entire group was taken out.”

  David snorted. Standing beside him, Goran could hear his labored breathing, but he stood tall and strong. “Like we believe that. Where is your canister then?”

  “It’s attached.” The men pointed down the long wall of equipment. “It’s just being hooked up now. It will be ready to go in minutes.”

  Goran smiled, but the men cringed backwards. So much for making them feel better. “Good then. You guys aren’t needed anymore.” And he jumped them.

  David roared and knocked down the first one, his silver spike reducing the first man into ash. Goran cheerfully spun a few times, loving the feeling of getting his own back, then decided they didn’t have time to play anymore and stepped back to watch David dispatch the last of them.

  “Good – now to get Bart and that damn canister!”

  *

  Like hell.

  Bart needed to grab the canister and get back to where he belonged. Without the canisters, he had no leverage. And he needed leverage. He had an agreement with the doctors. This damn blood farm business was screwing up his life.

  He’d been good with everyone going about taking care of their own business. It left him in good shape to take care of what was important in his.

  Not now.

  Now everything was different. That damn kid Tessa. She started this mess.

  Well, Bart might finally have to take a stand and finish it, too.

  He had plans. Plans that needed to be carried out. But in order for that to happen, he needed time. The doctors needed time.

  They couldn’t fail.

  He wouldn’t let them.

  So he had to do his part. Therefore, he’d do what he needed to do to keep them on track.

  And that meant giving them more time.

  In whatever way he could.

  *

  Ian and Wendy made it back to the computer room without meeting anyone else. They had no idea who the two men were or why they’d threatened Wendy and Ian. They hadn’t stuck around to find out. When the men had gone down, the two of them had bolted.

  Looking back, he realized none of it made any sense. Nothing in this place did. That room full of computers didn’t either.

  They stared at each other. Ian was scared to verbalize some of the thoughts running through his head in case Wendy thought he was crazy.

  He desperately wanted to talk to the ancients. Any one of them would be helpful.

  “We could ask Councilman Adamson,” Wendy said quietly. “Or just wait until Sian returns.”

  “I vote we wait for Sian,” Ian muttered. “I can’t imagine what Adamson would say if we end up being in the wrong here.”

  Wendy winced. “True.”

  “Any idea when Sian is going to come back?”

  Wendy shook her head. “No. She’s resting after her attack. But honestly she’s been working so hard, one of these times I’m expecting her to drop and sleep for hours and hours.”

  “Let’s hope it’s not today.” Ian stared at his cell phone, wondering if he should text the others. Then he remembered. “What about Jewel? Is she okay? I haven’t even seen her since we came back. Would she know? We could use her help right now.”

  “I don’t know,” Wendy said.

  He frowned. “David wanted us to find her a cell phone. Is she awake, aware enough to use it?”

  “She was in tough shape, and I know the doctors have her under observation.”

  “Fine, but where? Maybe we could find her and see that she’s okay for ourselves.”

  “I like that idea. We’ve been so focused on this stuff and Rhia that we forgot.” The chagrin on her face made Ian feel guilty too.

  “So let’s go. Maybe she can shed some light on what’s going on.”

  He stood up and reached out a hand. Wendy put hers into his and he tugged her into his arms. He held her close, loving the security of the two of them together, safe.

  At least for the moment.

  *

  Rhia curled into the corner, her body wracked by shivers. She’d been drugged before, but this time her body was struggling with the injection. Had she given herself the wrong one? Too much? Not enough? Her mind spun and twisted, looking for answers. Answers that weren’t coming. Her brain wasn’t working. She was conscious but not conscious. Aware but not.

  She’d wanted to be half and half but hadn’t realized what she was asking for. She’d hoped to straddle the line between drugged and not. Instead, she appeared to be bouncing in a limbo of neither. “Not good,” she whispered, rocking back and forth. “So not good.”

  And the pain – in her head, in her bones, even. Who’d have thought drugs would make her marrow cry?

  Groaning, she lay down on her back, curling back into a fetal position. What had she done?

  Through her gray haze, she heard footsteps come down the hallway. Oh thank heavens. Stumbling to her feet, crying out against the agony of moving, she stumbled to the door.

  The footsteps sounded louder and louder.

  Tears rolling down her cheeks, she pounded on the door, and pounded and pounded.

  “Help me, please,” she cried. “I’m locked in.”

  She leaned against the door, sobs ripping from her burning chest.

  “Help,” she whispered again still crying her fists giving one last feeble pound before she slid to the floor.

  *

  Jewel peered around her door and looked outside. It was a normal looking hallway from the Council Hall. She almost laughed with relief. So she was safe. She grinned. After peering down the hallway in both directions, dressed in her normal clothes, she headed off to the right. She had no idea where all her friends were. But David had to be somewhere.

  At the very least, she should be able to find a cell phone and call him. How hard could it be?

  There was no one around for ages. She kept going in a straight line for ten minutes and saw no one. Finally, she passed several huge men moving monitors from one room to another. They glared at her. She smiled brightly, snuck past, and kept on walking. She didn’t look back. She didn’t want them to remember her face if anyone came looking for her. And they certainly didn’t look approachable. So no cell phone there.

  She might be safe here, but until she was with her friends or family, she wasn’t going to feel safe – anywhere.

  Surely Ian or Rhia…maybe Sian was here somewhere.

  There was an odd sound coming from one door up ahead. She automatically slowed her footsteps. At the door, she stopped. A woman was sobbing. She frowned. It sounded familiar. Rhia maybe? She hesitated. Should she knock?

  She hated to. The poor woman had been through so much; if she needed a few moments to collect herself, then she deserved it.

&n
bsp; Resolutely, Jewel kept walking.

  Chapter 13

  Tessa lay quiet, her body aching in places she couldn’t identify. Her mind floated in the aftermath of exhaustion. It felt like she’d fought a hard battle.

  Had she won?

  There was no response from the inside. Did that mean yes then? She shuddered, a long aching sigh working down her spine, bones, and legs. She swore even her toes shook. Needing to move – maybe to feel connected – she stretched out her legs, her arms, even her feet. She almost laughed. She could feel her body inside, her ownership, a hundred percent ownership, in every tiny molecule. Satisfied, she opened her eyes and smiled up at the two worried faces above her.

  “Hi,” she said, her voice low, sleepy, as if waking up from a long nap. “Did I make it in the proper time frame?”

  “Almost.” Cody crouched down beside her, his gaze assessing, searching into the very soul of her. She couldn’t blame him.

  She smiled. “It’s me.”

  “Is it?” His tone was still doubtful, his gaze more penetrating than ever.

  She let him look. She knew who she was. Maybe for the first time since the Deanna incident.

  She felt like Tessa now. From this renewed feeling, she could see how confused and conflicted she’d been before. How she’d been struggling to find normal in a world gone wrong.

  “I’m fine. In fact, I’m feeling better than fine.”

  “And Deanna?” Cody asked cautiously. He reached out a hand. She grabbed it, and he straightened and pulled her upwards with him in a smooth movement.

  She laughed, feeling young again, happy again.

  No longer oppressed. Maybe not oppressed…how about no longer fettered by centuries of emotions and feelings, and knowledge of her actions, the actions of others.

  Clean. Fresh. Innocent.

  She knew she’d lose that over time, but it was precious. She wanted to experience this, a time of passage, her right as a young female to have this time. She’d get to Deanna’s stage sometime along the way – maybe. She could see how Deanna’s choices had made her who she was. And Tessa didn’t know the details. But as if on a large canvas, she’d seen the roadmap of Deanna’s energy and how the colors still weighed her down. How her actions played on her, affected her next decision.

  She imagined it would be the same for everyone. After centuries, there wasn’t much else one could do about it.

  And if there was, she’d have to find a way. At least she had a sense of the end result; she’d do her damnedest to make choices along the way to give her a different ending.

  Remembering might be a different issue.

  Her father stepped forward, his gaze warm, and damn if it wasn’t over bright. She couldn’t check as she was suddenly engulfed in a bear hug. He buried his face in her hair. Tears came to her eyes and she cuddled in closer. She’d spent most of her teen years at odds with him, and all she wanted now was to stay here with him soaking up his love.

  But she was no longer a little girl. And given what she’d been through recently, that little girl was now a distant memory.

  Cody’s voice whispered through her mind. Are you okay?

  She clutched her father hard, sniffling a couple of times before stepping back. With a big smile, she said, “I’m fine.”

  He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “You are more than fine.”

  Her smile turned misty. “You are the best dad, you know that?”

  “Damn right I am.” He turned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to face Cody.

  “So now that I’ve waged war on the inside, it’s time to wage war on the outside,” Tessa said, a grin on her face.

  With that, she strode between them and headed down the hallway. She laughed the first truly free laugh since she’d woken up after battling with Deanna. She couldn’t be sure that Deanna didn’t have more tricks up her sleeve, but she could hope so.

  It had been the weirdest battle ever. How could she even explain? She couldn’t, so she just shoved the details to the back of her mind until she had time to study them longer.

  When she was alone.

  If that time ever came.

  Then there was Hortran. She had no idea what he was up to, if anything. He’d been noticeably absent in that go around. But he’d lurked in the background. Or something that reminded her of him was there. But was his personality as obvious as Deanna’s when he wanted to be? And if it was, could she access it? She had yet to have time to try. None of this seemed real. And that sense of being so far off the reality ledge kept her isolated more than she wanted to be. She needed to find a way to share some of this with Cody. He might struggle with it like she was, but then at least she wouldn’t be struggling alone.

  He’d met Deanna and Hortran. He understood the weird relationship between the two. Maybe Hortran had plans of his own in this mess. But if he did, if he knew more about Deanna and what she was at this point, he wasn’t talking. Maybe energy always fought for supremacy, or maybe it was just that Deanna’s energy couldn’t stand that she’d been reduced to being the one not in control.

  Either way, there could be only one. And as Deanna had said, Tessa was it.

  *

  Cody grinned. Tessa was back. After worrying how much was Deanna and how much was Tessa, he couldn’t believe it – she was here. Damn well about time. They were so far past late.

  “We need to hurry,” he said.

  “Oh, why?”

  “Motre is preparing against another attack.”

  She spun around, shock widening her eyes. “What? Why didn’t you say so?”

  “Because you were busy fighting your own war,” he said patiently.

  “Let’s go, let’s go,” Serus said patiently. “He’s got a large group of our people secured at the second floor. But they have been attacked several times. Many of his group are weak. They needed recovery time.”

  “We should have gone there earlier,” Tessa fretted, running in front of him now. “He’s going to feel like we deserted him.”

  “Well, he might, but Motre would know there had to be a damn good reason.”

  She seemed to ignore that. Then her heart was so damn big she wanted to make sure everyone was okay all the time. So far life hadn’t worked that way.

  They came to the elevator. She went to push the button then stopped. She turned. “Did we ever get hold of the second canister?”

  Silence.

  “I have no idea.” Honestly, he hadn’t even considered it.

  In a low tone, she added, “And Bart?”

  “He’s gone. Just booked it.”

  “He’s good at that,” she said with a smirk. “I wonder if he’s gone after the second canister.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it.”

  “No,” she said slowly, “but if the system can’t work without both canisters, then maybe that’s not our priority.”

  “Getting our people out is,” Cody added. “I agree.”

  She bolted toward the elevator.

  He groaned. “Damn her.”

  Serus laughed. “Get used to it, boy. She won’t change much.”

  “That is not what I need to hear.”

  “Maybe not, but her mother is just like that.”

  “What? Stubborn, headstrong?”

  Serus went quiet, then in a low sad voice, he said, “Yes, exactly that.”

  *

  Serus tried once again to talk to Rhia. He wished she’d never closed the door between them. His beloved was indeed stubborn and headstrong, but she was also compassionate and caring and filled with remorse. She was doing what she felt she had to do. He could understand that.

  But it sucked big time.

  He’d still couldn’t believe the attack on Sian.

  Everyone needed to understand what lengths these people would go to. That they’d tried for Sian, thinking to keep the child, brought a level of disgust and fear he hadn’t experienced in a long time. It was morally and ethically wrong and made his stomach churn to t
hink of other innocent and vulnerable women caught in their clutches. Sian was Amazonian. That she’d survived the attack was awesome, but a lesser female wouldn’t have made it.

  Still, she had survived and even now she was sleeping, healing. At least she was supposed to be. He could see her wanting to throw off her rescuers and make a run for it. Not like Bart, looking for an escape, but like Rhia hunting for her attackers.

  Damn women. God, he loved them. Both were so different and yet wired the exact same way. And stunning in their loyalty. Hard to argue with. He walked the hallway, every doorway open and every room empty. He frowned. They should be here somewhere. At least one or two of them. Where could they have kept dozens of vamps? Could they have all escaped? At least most of them? If they hadn’t, as long as they were conscious, he could get them out of here. If they weren’t, then saving them all would be close to impossible.

  Still, like his daughter and his wife, he had to keep putting one foot in front of the other and walk in the right direction.

  Too bad all he wanted to do was snag up Rhia and take her away. Reconnect with her on a level he hadn’t been able to for a long time.

  Instead, he was following their daughter once again back through the hospital hallways.

  And why the hell was he following her?

  Somewhere along the line, he’d lost control of the shy insecure daughter he once knew. And likely forever.

  Thank heavens.

  *

  Sian lay back, eyes closed, on the couch. She knew she needed to rest, but at the same time she couldn’t stand that Rhia was still missing and that they were no closer to finding out more about her own attackers. She was fine. A little bruised, a little cut. A lot sore. But she was healing. Another few minutes and maybe she could leave.

  “No.” Taz’s warm caring voice washed over her.

  Her eyes flew open. “Now what?”

  “No, you aren’t chasing after them,” he said.

  She frowned at him but lay back down willingly. Maybe she could use a little more rest. Then again, she had good reason to be tired. She’d been working long hours and taking no breaks for days. Make that weeks. If this mess didn’t finish soon, it might finish her.