“Four packs. Are you serious?” Her heart rate escalated against my back. “And you said packs can be—”
“Roughly twenty members. On average,” Ivan said.
Antonio grunted. “So close to a hundred zombie werewolves on our asses?”
“But they will kill anything that gets in their way,” I said, “and the oasis holds weapons and cannon fodder.”
At least, I hoped it did. Rachel’s injuries from Calvin had to be handled too. She wasn’t going to like the solution, but it was the only way.
“Fuck me,” she muttered. “I don’t want to drink blood again.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Antonio spat out.
Rachel shook her head and I said nothing. There was no choice. She had a broken hand, plus a slashed-up leg and bicep. Without my help, there was no way she’d be able to stand on her own, never mind fight.
“The village is the other way,” Rachel said. “I won’t leave without trying to help them.”
“Neither will I,” I said.
A large sand dune rose ahead of us and we charged up it. Ivan put out a hand, slowing us. “Voices.” He breathed the word, and I dropped to my knees to let Rachel slide off. Once she was beside me, I handed her a knife and held up my wrist. “No time to be squeamish.”
With hunched shoulders, she took the knife and slashed my wrist with more force than necessary. I didn’t flinch. I lifted my wrist and looked away as she drank from the wound.
Antonio choked and Ivan put a hand on his shoulder. “Rachel will slow us down and probably die if she isn’t functioning at full speed.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to fucking like it,” Antonio snapped.
Rachel drew back from me and I took her hand, making sure the bones were all in place. I counted the heartbeats, sensing her body heal.
“Twenty seconds,” I said.
“We’ve only got a minute before the wolves are on us, so I hope you’re right,” Ivan said.
I counted down the seconds, and Rachel’s eyes popped open by the time I hit twenty. “I’m ready.”
The four of us belly-crawled up the last ten feet of the hill to peer over.
Calvin’s memories had been on point. The oasis was bigger than I had realized, though, easily covering a twenty-acre area—the palm trees and bushes thickening deeper into the center. There was movement within the trees..Stravinsky’s men, I had no doubt, and I could see several Humvees.
I looked behind us, and could see the four packs coming in fast and hard. “We’ve got to move. We’ve got cannon fodder, the antidote, and weapons ahead of us. Rachel, stay with me. Antonio, stick close to Ivan.”
“Meet at the water?” Ivan asked.
“Weapons first,” Rachel said. I nodded.
“Weapons first. Water second. Trees if we have to. We’ll take the antidote when we leave.” At least, that was the plan. The four of us stood and ran down the side of the sand dune. Rachel kept pace with me easily, though I had to put out a hand to help her keep her balance a couple times when she lost her footing.
And for a fucking miracle, she didn’t snap at me.
“I’m not that big of an asshole,” she said, reading my thought.
“Sometimes you are,” I said.
She grimaced, but there was humor under it. Maybe this mind-reading thing wasn’t so bad.
All of those thoughts fled, though, as we raced toward the oasis and the soldiers saw us. The rapid staccato of gunfire filled the air at the exact moment the wolf packs hit the top of the sand dune.
I ran straight for the first Humvee. I yanked the driver out of the seat, snapping his neck with a sharp twist. “Rach, check the back.”
“Already on it.”
Three more soldiers came at us, and I dispatched them—breaking backs, arms and legs—and kicked away their weapons.
“Kill them!” Antonio yelled at me.
“No. They are a better distraction this way. Wolves like live things to play with,” I said.
Antonio cursed me, but didn’t argue. Rachel came up triumphant. “Guns and silver bullets. And a shit ton of antidote!”
The triumph didn’t last long; the wolves swept into the oasis, flooding us with the scent of death and wet dog.
I grabbed Rachel, shoved her into the front of the Humvee and climbed in after her. I cranked the engine on and backed the truck up as a werewolf leapt onto the hood. Rachel took aim and shot it through the eye, and the beast rolled off without a sound. The windshield cracked, but didn’t shatter.
A thump came up from above us. “Go, go!” Ivan yelled.
“I hope he remembered Antonio,” I said as I hit the gas. Dawn was only a few hours off, and if Calvin had remembered it right, we were still a two-hour drive from the village. I glanced at Rachel. She nodded.
“Why, you like him now?”
I grinned at her from across the cab. “No, but you do.”
“Get out of my head, Lea,” she snapped, but there wasn’t a lot of heat to it.
I waited until the sounds of gunfire and werewolves faded behind us. I tapped the roof of the truck and Ivan leaned in through the passenger side window. “You remember the Cazador?”
“Was I supposed to?”
Rachel went absolutely still beside me. I raised an eyebrow at Ivan. “Don’t tease her, it’s not nice.”
He reached in and patted Rachel on the head. “I got him. Even if he’s grumpy about not being able to do it on his own.”
She eased back in her seat, reclining her head and closing her eyes. “Do you think we can save the village?”
I flicked through Calvin’s memories. “From what I can see, it’s not looking good. The strain they are using is virulent, violent, and based on what Calvin knew, they aren’t even sure the antidote will work.”
“Fuck.”
I agreed with her. But with two hours on our hands and the boys in the back of the truck, I had to say something.
“I’m sorry.”
She didn’t need to ask for what. “I’m going to be real mature about this, Lea. Real fucking mature. Don’t get excited by what I’m going to say because I’m only saying it once.”
I braced myself, tightening my hands on the steering wheel. “Okay.”
“I’m not.”
I blinked several times, fighting the urge to shake my head. “You aren’t?”
“Fuck, I’m not sorry. It’s not that I like the idea of being bonded to you, but we are a kick-ass team. Admit it, Calvin didn’t have a thing on me.” She grinned at me.
I burst out laughing. “No, he certainly didn’t.”
“What happens, though, after this?”
I shrugged. “Depends on if we’re both still alive. Chances are good I’ll be dead, and you’ll be free of me forever.”
“And if we both survive?”
I glanced at her. “I’m not sure. I’ve heard of bonds like this, true bonds between vampires and their servants—”
“I’m not bringing you fucking oatmeal in the morning.”
“I’d never ask. The point I’m trying to make is I’ve heard of this sort of thing, but never experienced it. Not with any of my helpers. Which tells me something about you is truly special.”
She went quiet for a moment, thoughtful. “You thought you were telling me about the bond on the plane, didn’t you? You tried to fess up, but I didn’t catch the drift.”
“Yes. I thought you understood.”
“Well, even I have my moments.” She gave me a wink as she ran a hand through her blonde hair. I laughed under my breath.
“You did not just make a blonde joke, did you?”
“Of course not, that’s fucking ridiculous.”
I shifted the truck into a higher gear and pressed the gas. “Try to sleep. I’ll wake you when we get close.”
She nodded. “Lea?”
“Yeah?”
“No more secrets. One more fucking secret and my head might explode.”
Y
ou think we can keep secrets from each other right now? I thought.
She groaned and I grinned.
Maybe we would die before dawn, but at least we’d die as friends. That had to count for something.
CHAPTER 36
RACHEL
I jarred awake, sitting up in a panic. I rubbed my arm, surprised there was no more pain. Sure enough, the claw marks were now pink streaks on my skin. My leg too. “They’re healed.” I looked over at Lea, but she didn’t look surprised.
“Beauty of the blood,” she said. “Though it was faster even than I thought. Probably the bond is helping too.”
I looked around, realizing why I had woken up. “Why are we stopped?”
“I think we’re here,” Lea said, staring out the windshield of the now-stopped Humvee.
A village lay ahead. It was an hour or so before dawn, but there should have been some kind of light—even a candle. The village was completely dark.
“How can you be sure?”
“I smell death,” she whispered.
My heart jumpstarted. “They killed them all.”
“We don’t know that.” But she didn’t contradict it. “We need a plan. If Stravinsky’s boys have already been here, you know it won’t be pretty. In fact, it will probably be dangerous.”
“Which is why we have the antidote.”
Lea grunted softly. “We don’t know it will even work. Or how long it will take to work.”
“Lea, we have to try.”
“It’s probably too late for them, Rachel. We should focus on making sure we’ve stopped Stravinsky for good before he moves on to his next location.”
“No. That’s not good enough.”
“Why are you so dead set on this? Why do I think this is personal?”
“What’s wrong with wanting to save an entire village?” I asked a little too defensively.
“Nothing.” She paused. “But—”
“I knew there would be a but.”
“I think you’re too close to this. Your personal feelings make you dangerous. They could get you killed.”
“You don’t know anything about why I feel so strongly against this, Lea. Let it go.” Then I started singing the alphabet song in my head in case she tried to sift through my thoughts.
“That’s mature,” she grumbled.
“I’m not the one digging into someone else’s head.” Although I had to wonder what I would find if I tried.
“Don’t even think about it.”
Ivan’s face appeared in the driver’s window, standing next to the door. “So what’s the plan?”
“For Lea to stay out of my head!” I snapped.
Ivan gave her a strange look, but she simply shook her head. “Don’t ask.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“The plan,” I said, “is to go into that village and save as many people as we can.”
Lea and Ivan shared a look and I shook my head. “Stay here if you want. I’m going.”
“I’ll go with you, mi amor,” Antonio said from behind Ivan.
“Shut up, Cazador,” Ivan growled. “We all stick together in this.”
“We need to investigate,” Lea said. “And to do that we need to get closer.”
The guys climbed back onto the truck and Lea drove us closer to the village, turning the truck around to point away, as though ready for an escape.
As we met at the back of the truck, eerie moans and cries echoed in the darkness, which I had to admit was creepy as shit.
Lea’s hand tightened on the steering wheel. “We need to presume Stravinsky’s men have done their job.”
Ivan nodded. “I smell the concoction.” Lea’s eyes widened, but Ivan gave her a reassuring smile. “The toxin works immediately, then the residual chemicals break down quickly.” When she started to protest, he put a hand on her arm. “I know from what happened to my own pack, Lea. I found some papers about how it works.”
“So the toxin is only a threat immediately after it’s sprayed,” Antonio said, his gaze sweeping between Ivan and me. “After an hour or so, it’s no longer toxic?”
“Minutes,” Ivan said. “Seven, from what I’ve read.”
“There’s no sign of Stravinsky’s men,” Lea murmured. “So it’s been longer than seven minutes. The toxin isn’t a problem. It’s the residents. Or what they’ve become.”
“The canisters appear to be ready,” Antonio said, keeping his eyes on me. “The antidote is slightly different from the toxin. The toxin only has to be in the air you breath, but the antidote needs to be sprayed on the infected person’s skin.” He paused, making sure he still had my attention. “But from the looks of the canisters, you have to be close for the nozzle to reach. I’m guessing within ten to fifteen feet.”
“Close enough they can attack you,” Lea said in a dry tone. “We need to come up with an alternate plan to deal with the creatures if we can’t cure them. And we need to be prepared to execute it immediately. We give the antidote a few seconds, and if it doesn’t work, we eliminate the problem.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “The antidote might need more than a few seconds. It might need minutes. Or hours. Or even days,” I pleaded. “You can’t make a snap decision like that.”
“Even though Stravinsky and his people have bigger problems, he’s so invested he’s probably going to send his people back to check on the results of his experiment,” Lea countered. Her matter-of-fact tone was a sharp contrast to my impassioned one. “Not to mention we don’t have hours or days. We have a half hour max to get in and get out before the sun rises. This needs to be quick and decisive. Either the antidote works or it doesn’t. One thing is certain: no monster will be left alive when we leave.”
Her words hung heavy in the air as her gaze held mine.
“You will do as I say, Rachel.”
Tendrils from her words slipped into my brain, curling around my will, and I found myself wanting to nod and agree with her. I shook violently as rage mushroomed inside me. “You’re pulling your servant bullshit mumbo jumbo on me?” I demanded through gritted teeth. “How fucking dare you!”
“I’m protecting you.”
“By taking away my free will?” I shouted, taking several steps back. “I am not a child!”
“Then stop acting like one.” Lea’s tone was cold. “I am handling this in a professional manner. You are not.”
I pointed to the village. “There are children in there, Lea. Defenseless children. Babies.” I stood straighter, throwing back my shoulders. “I refuse to be cold and calculated about killing innocent children. I refuse to kill them at all.” I swung my finger to point at her. “So you better stay the fuck out of my head, got it?”
She studied me for a moment before nodding. “Then let’s get going.”
“Not cool, Lea,” I heard Ivan say as he leaned over her.
Antonio moved directly in front of her. “When this is done, you will release her.”
Lea gave him a look that would have made lesser men run for their lives, but he stood his ground, his eyes full of danger and defiance. “This does not concern you,” she insisted.
“If you are a Cazador, you know the tales. She is the one. She must be free of you.”
“The tales are nonsense. Fairy tales.”
“What if they’re not? What if they are true?”
They both turned to study me, a new interest filling their eyes.
A slow grin spread across Lea’s face as she turned back to him. “What makes you so sure you are the one?” She chuckled. “If your theory is true, then it must mean I am the one. I am the one who is bound to her.”
Antonio looked like he wanted to strangle her.
This conversation irritated the hell out of me. They were talking cryptic nonsense about me as though I wasn’t even there. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Antonio cocked his head, giving his full attention to Lea. “Because I am a true Cazador. You are like a ghost that
doesn’t realize it is no longer alive. You are the very creature you seek and destroy. She needs a real Cazador to help her complete her mission.”
“I agree with Rachel,” Ivan said, his voice hard. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Lea remained still for two agonizing seconds before turning and grabbing a canister of antidote from the truck. “It is nothing we will discuss now.” She shot a glance at Antonio. “We need to keep our focus on this village.” She handed the canister to me. “You and Antonio spray any villagers you see. Ivan and I are the protectors.”
I shuddered, knowing what she would do as my protector. “Let’s go.”
The four of us were quiet as we entered the village, the tension between us thick and taut. Part of me wanted to kill Antonio for adding just one more layer of anxiety to an already anxiety-packed night. But another part of me wanted to know what he and Lea had been discussing.
It was obvious Lea hadn’t kept it from me purposefully. Whatever he’d proposed had clearly never occurred to her. Right now, the mystery was just one more thing added to my monstrous pile of things to worry about. But if it didn’t affect the outcome of what we were about to do, Lea was right—it could wait.
The moans were louder now that we were closer, and my muscles were as tight as coiled springs. I wasn’t sure I was prepared for what I was about to see. I wasn’t sure I could handle the slaughter of children. Again.
Lea shot me a quick glance.
Get the fuck out of my head, I mentally shouted at her.
I heard a scraping sound, followed by the click of shattering glass. Twenty feet away, a door swung open and a man staggered out. Or what was left of him. His face looked like it had been partially melted, leaving a beak-like nose with a long hook. His hands looked like bird talons with sharp claws. When he saw us, his still-human eyes rounded and he lurched toward us as best he could with his bent and twisted legs.
When he got close enough, I aimed the nozzle of the can on my back and drenched him from head to toe, which only seemed to infuriate him more. He let out a long squawk that drew squawks from deeper in the village.
Replica (The Blood Borne Series Book 2) Page 21