But right now, he and Lucas needed to adapt their rescue plan even further. First there were the two Asian humans to free, and now a second vampire—a female, who was being raped repeatedly.
He managed to push back his rage enough to ask, “Where is she kept?”
“Vernon keeps her close and never lets her out. He lets her bite him for the sexual effect, but she never manages more than a sip of his blood in return. It’s not enough for her. She’s young and not strong, and he keeps her chained even when he rapes her.”
“Where?”
“In his wagon, second one from the lead. It has a blue door. Paint’s faded, but you can still see the color.” The vampire’s voice was fading, his energy flagging. He would need blood soon, if they were going to escape tonight. But Raphael had one more question first.
“Vernon,” Raphael repeated. “Is he a big man? Long, black hair, dusky skin?”
“What you can see beneath the dirt and sweat, yes. The man never bathes that I can tell.”
Raphael nodded at this confirmation. Vernon was the human who’d been whipping the two slaves earlier. Raphael was going to take great pleasure in ending the man’s life tonight.
Bennie’s breath ran out in a long exhale and he slumped against the wall, his chained arms falling limply between his thighs. What energy he’d retained had been exhausted. Raphael glanced back and gave Lucas a short nod, then rolled up the sleeve of his left arm.
“My name is Raphael,” he told Bennie, speaking rapidly. “I’ve claimed everything from the mountains to the ocean as my own, my territory. Any vampire who lives here, whether a part of my personal estate or not, owes fealty to me. Do you understand?”
Bennie nodded. “My master dreamed of building an empire of his own. I didn’t understand what he was talking about, but now, meeting you, I know he could never have achieved his dream.”
“Your master was a fool, and if he still lives within my territory, his life will be short. But that’s no matter for tonight. You need to be stronger if we’re to escape safely. You’re going to drink from my blood and swear an oath of loyalty to me as your lord. Once we’re safely away, you may choose to leave my territory and live on your own. That will be your decision to make. But for now, you will swear an oath, or you will be left behind. Do you understand?”
“I do. What of Agnes?”
“The same will hold for Agnes, but I will not leave her behind, no matter what. I’ll see her safely away from this place and set her free, if that’s her wish.”
“Thank you,” Bennie whispered, then slid to his knees. “I’ve never done this. I don’t know what words to say.”
“I do,” Raphael said, then pulled a small, sharp knife from his pocket and cut a four-inch slice in his forearm, starting at his wrist and cutting toward his elbow. “Do you come to me of your own free will and desire, Bennie?”
Bennie stared at the blood gushing from his wrist, and then up to meet Raphael’s eyes in shock. “Yes,” he whispered. “Yes, I do.”
“Is this what you truly desire?”
Bennie swallowed hard, his mouth beginning to water as the rich scent of Raphael’s blood wafted up to fill his senses. “Oh, yes,” he croaked.
Raphael lowered his bleeding arm to Bennie’s mouth. “Then drink, Bennie, and be mine.”
“SIRE.” RAPHAEL glanced over as Lucas joined him on the sofa of their hotel room. Bennie was asleep in the bedroom, recovering from the effects of Raphael’s blood. The vampire was young enough that he might not wake until the next night, so they’d have to leave him sleeping while they completed the next stage of their rescue.
“You want to know what the plan is,” Raphael said.
Lucas nodded. “We can get away with letting the boy sleep it off. The three of us could easily slip out of town tomorrow night. But I know you. You won’t leave the female or the two slaves. So, what’s the plan?”
Raphael smiled slightly. “We’re going to need wagons.”
Lucas scowled. “That’s it? That’s your plan? Wagons?”
“Don’t be obtuse, Lucas. It doesn’t become you.”
He sighed heavily. “All right, I get it. We’re going to need wagons because the female and even the boy in there won’t be strong enough to travel fast and light. And your two giants will need bigger horses than any we have with us. They’ll need a wagon until we gain enough distance from the city. We’re going to be slow, Sire. Too slow.”
“And yet, we’re going to do it. We can use the circus’s own wagons.”
“Not exactly discreet, from what I saw of them.”
“We’ll choose the best of the lot and make do. We can always cover the sides with cloth. Besides, it shouldn’t be necessary for anything more than the first week. We can stop in Sacramento and make the necessary changes. We’ll be traveling fast and likely won’t find any place to rest, other than the wagons. They’ll come in handy for all of us.”
Lucas made a face. “Sounds lovely. Let’s hope your giants are reliable enough to guard our daylight sleep. Who’s to say they won’t kill us all and make off with the wagons?”
Raphael gave him a cold look. “I do. And don’t call them that. They’re not giants. They’re men.”
“All right, all right.” He raised both hands, palm out in surrender. “I’m just being thorough.”
“We have to leave tonight.”
Lucas’s eyes widened. “Tonight? How—”
“We’ll go after Agnes first. She’s in Vernon’s wagon. We’ll take that and one other.”
“And the boy?”
Raphael had to smile at Lucas’s continued reference to Bennie as “the boy.” Outwardly, they were about the same age, but outward appearances meant little to a vampire. Lucas was a hundred years old, kept young by Raphael’s blood while they were still in Europe, and then made vampire once they arrived in this country.
“Bennie will sleep until I want him to wake. He’ll be perfectly safe here for the short time we’ll be gone. We’ll pick him up on our way out of town.”
Lucas shrugged. “When do we leave?”
“Now, while the circus is still crowded with people.”
THE CIRCUS WAS in full swing when they returned. It was a Saturday night, and families swelled the ranks of those eager to lose money on the tawdry midway and gawk at the freaks. All the better, Raphael thought. The high voices and piercing shrieks of the children on top of the tinny music and constant patter of the barkers would provide better cover for their subterfuge.
They made their way through the crowds, moving steadily, but with an unhurried pace, not drawing anyone’s attention. Either one of them could have used their power to push away attention, and ease their way through. But it wasn’t necessary, and not knowing what the night would bring, they chose to conserve their strength.
The circus wasn’t large. Even at their relaxed pace, it was less than half an hour before they’d made their way around the tents to the encampment behind it. To one side were the stables, where the unfortunate caged animals were kept when not on display. With the circus in full swing—apart from the still-collapsed third tent—the stables held only horses.
Lucas,” Raphael said, “you get the horses. I’ll get the girl. We’ll take whatever wagon she’s in, and one other.”
“We don’t know her situation. I should go with you.”
“It’s one female. I’ll be perfectly safe.”
Lucas grunted, not convinced. His instincts to protect Raphael were running hot in the face of the evening’s challenges and uncertainties, including two very large humans, whom Raphael seemed determined to rescue, even though they were completely unknown and unpredictable.
“Lucas, go.”
Lucas’s lips flattened unhappily, but he nodded. “I’ll be quick,” he said and took
off. Vampire speed put an entirely different spin on “quick.”
Raphael didn’t bother to track Lucas, who was more than capable of taking care of himself. Instead, feeling the pressure of time, he walked along the long line of wagons, looking for one with a blue door, based on Bennie’s description. As he drew closer, however, he no longer needed the help. He could sense the female vampire, could hear her weak heartbeat, her faint breaths, even though it was nighttime. He strode up to the wagon, snapped the lock on the door, and climbed inside. Bennie had been right. The man was a pig. But this wagon was much bigger than the one where Bennie had been held captive, with a private sleeping compartment in the front half.
Raphael made his way through the mess to a narrow door. The female was inside. He opened the door carefully. A vampire on the edge of starvation, as this one was, could be amazingly violent and much stronger than one might expect. Stronger even than they’d been before they’d been starved. The drive to survive was a powerful thing among vampires.
The female didn’t attack, however. She lay on the bed, pale and weak, her breath rattling in her chest. A thick chain led from a metal band around her ankle and disappeared into the piles of clothing and junk that littered the floor. The chain probably wasn’t necessary, Raphael considered. She was too weak to move.
He sat on the bed next to her, depressing the thin mattress and making her roll slightly in his direction. That elicited a reaction from her. Her eyes opened in a glare and her fangs slid from her gums to slice into parched lips. Seeing him instead of her tormentor, her pale eyes stared in confusion, and she blinked slowly, as if it was a great effort.
“What’s your name, child?” he asked.
Her mouth opened and closed, then opened again as her tongue came out to wet her lips. “Agnes,” she whispered. Her eyelids drifted downward, as if even that exhausted her.
“Agnes, I’m Raphael.” Scooting closer, he gathered her into his arms, ignoring her weak protests. Holding her there, he rolled back his sleeve and lifted his wrist to his mouth, not bothering with the knife as he used his fangs to rip open a vein. Cupping her head in his other hand, he held his bloody wrist to her mouth, and said, “Drink.”
It took far longer than it should have, but eventually her nostrils flared and her eyes fluttered open again. She inhaled more deeply, then gave a tentative, tasting lick. A shudder rolled through her entire body, then she latched onto his wrist with a pained groan and sucked. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she drank greedily of his blood, her little fangs digging into his flesh like barbs, holding him in place. Or trying to. She would have to drink again tomorrow or the next day, when they were free of this place and could make time for her to swear fealty to him. But for now, she was starving. Raphael simply let her feed, until the sucking began to slow, and her efforts were more about comfort than sustenance. He pulled his wrist away gently. Licking his own wounds closed, he rolled his shirtsleeve down and shoved his coat sleeve over it. There wasn’t a single piece of fabric in this wagon that he’d touch, much less use to bind his bloody wrist.
Agnes cuddled close to his chest, until she abruptly stiffened and her eyes popped open, alert and aware. She sat up in alarm. “Who are you?”
“I’m Raphael. We’re going to get you out of here.”
“We? Who are you? Not your name, but who?”
“I am lord over this territory, which makes you mine to protect.”
“I’m no one’s—”
“Don’t be foolish, Agnes. You need protection, and I’ve no need to compel women to my bed.”
She blushed at being confronted with her own accusations. “I apologize. It’s only that—”
“I know. There’s no need to explain. But time is short. If you’re strong enough, we’ll be on our way.”
“I’d crawl on my knees to escape this place.” She sat up and started to swing her legs over the side of the sleeping platform, but the chain stopped her. She looked up at him in dismay. “The chain. I can’t break it, I’ve tried—” Her voice dried up as Raphael reached down and twisted off the link that held the chain to the heavy anklet on her foot. She stared for a moment, then threw her leg over the side and stood. “I’m ready.”
Raphael went first, as they threaded their way through Vernon’s junk and opened the door to the outside. Lucas was already there, harnessing a pair of horses to the front of the wagon. He glanced up at Agnes, who was using Raphael as a shield against this new stranger.
“Agnes, this is Lucas,” Raphael said, crossing over to help Lucas with the harness.
Lucas gave her one of his most charming grins. “Agnes,” he said smoothly.
She blushed and ducked her head, giving Raphael a pleading look from beneath her lashes.
“Lucas is mine,” Raphael said. “You can trust him.” He buckled a final strap, and then said, “We’re taking this wagon—”
She gasped. “Vernon will—”
“Vernon no longer matters,” Raphael interrupted firmly. “We’re taking his wagon, and we need one more. Which one is best?”
Agnes looked up and down the line, shaking her head. “I don’t know. He never let me out. You should ask—” She gasped again, her face going even paler. “Bennie! Dear God, I forgot all about him. You must—”
“We already got Bennie,” Lucas said rather sharply. “He didn’t forget you. He refused to leave town without you.”
Agnes heard the condemnation in Lucas’s voice. Tears filled her eyes as she searched the shadows around the wagons. “Is he here?”
Raphael gave Lucas a chiding look. Agnes had been through a lot. It wasn’t a surprise that she’d forgotten Bennie for a time. “He’s waiting for us at the hotel. I wanted him to rest. The next few nights will be exhausting, and, like you, Bennie had been starved and mistreated.”
She laughed bitterly. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
Raphael regarded her somberly. “I know what Vernon did to you, Agnes. I don’t pretend otherwise. But I can’t make it go away. All I can do is give you a new future.” He waited until she met his gaze. “And make sure it never happens again.”
Her eyes widened. “How will you—”
“By killing Vernon and the master who sold you to him.”
“Can you do that?” she breathed.
Lucas gave a barking laugh. “Open your mind, sweetheart. He can do that and more.”
Agnes shot him a puzzled glance and then turned back to Raphael. Her face scrunched into a frown of concentration a moment before she fell to her knees. “My lord,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. I had no—”
“Get up, Agnes,” Raphael muttered, grasping the girl’s arm. He gave Lucas a killing stare, but the ass only grinned back at him.
“I’m sorry. You told me your name, but I was so confused, and—”
“Agnes,” he said sharply. “We don’t have time for this. I need you to focus.”
“But I don’t know which wagon—”
“Forget it,” Lucas said impatiently. “I’m taking the cook’s wagon. It’s sturdy, and it has food, which your new fighters are going to need.”
“Fighters?” she said weakly.
Raphael raised his eyes to heaven, wondering how he was going to survive the next week. “Don’t worry yourself. Do you want to ride inside the wagon or on the seat with Lucas?”
Her wide-eyed gaze shifted from Lucas to the narrow wooden seat. He could see her weighing the perils between sitting next to Lucas or returning to the terror of her confinement.
“Lucas is perfectly safe,” he assured her gently. “He will defend you with his life.”
Lucas didn’t say anything for a change. Because what Raphael said was true. Lucas might have a wicked tongue, but he was a fierce defender of those who were weaker than he was.
“I’ll rid
e outside then,” she said with a small smile in Lucas’s direction.
Raphael gave a little shake of his head. By sunrise, Lucas would have her utterly charmed. Then again, after however many months she’d suffered Vernon’s abuse, a little charm could be a good thing.
“Good,” he said briskly, then turned to Lucas. “You and Agnes go by the hotel and pick up Bennie. I’ll get the others and—”
“What? I am not letting you—”
“You forget yourself, Lucas,” Raphael said sharply. “I don’t need your assistance, and I certainly don’t require your permission.”
“Damn it, I know that. But it’s not safe for you—”
“Lucas.” Raphael didn’t raise his voice, but he put all the power of his vampire blood in that one word. Power that eclipsed Lucas’s considerable strength. Raphael was still growing, the vampire blood in his veins still working on his mind and body, working on the magic that made him Vampire. But his power already exceeded that of not only Lucas, but every other vampire he’d ever encountered.
Lucas stared at him unhappily. He acknowledged Raphael’s greater power and was loyal beyond question. But he was also Raphael’s vampire child, and that bond drove him to pledge his life to Raphael’s safety. Whether Raphael needed it or not.
“I’ll be right behind you,” he said quietly to Lucas. “By the time you reach the hotel and get Bennie up and into the wagon, we’ll be on the road. We’ll meet you near the stables on the southern edge of town. You remember the one.”
Lucas regarded him for a long moment, then sighed and said, “I remember.”
Raphael clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on. Help me harness the horses to the cook’s wagon before it’s too late.”
RAPHAEL LOOPED the reins around the wooden brake, and then, with a final pat for the lead horse, walked back toward the dwindling noise of the circus. They’d had a late start of it, what with rescuing Bennie first. And their initial plan for the evening had never involved anyone else. But in Raphael’s life, one’s plans rarely had anything to do with outcomes, so he’d learned to adapt. Tonight, that meant rescuing four people instead of one, which had taken time. Something they didn’t have in abundance.
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