by L. E. Wilson
Throwing it on the mattress next to him in disgust, he picked up the blanket he’d brought her and held it to his nose, breathing deeply. He couldn’t give a rat’s ass about that fucking box now.
The lingering remnants of his anger slowly withered and died, only to have grief well up in its place. The unexpected emotion hit him so suddenly that a scream of anguish tore from his throat before he realized he meant to voice it. It shook the walls around him, loosening dirt to rain down between the cracks in the wooden ceiling. With a violent jerk, he tore the blanket in two and threw it aside. Then he swept the box off the bed with his arm, sending it crashing into the wall.
It landed next to her backpack lying on the floor near the wall. The zipper was open and some of her things had spilled out. Dante’s eyes skipped over the now familiar items, but then his head whipped back around. Lying on top of her other things was the copy of Goodnight Moon that she carried with her.
His blood froze in his veins to see it lying there, so innocently. She never would have left without taking that with her. Not unless she’d had to run for her life.
Or she’d been taken.
Relief battled with terror inside of him. Shooting to his feet, he dove headfirst into the tunnel and came out the other side. He didn’t need light, he could see just fine in the darkness. The bench top in the back of the room was lifted, the latch broken. Dante tore across the room and peered down the ladder. “Laney!” he bellowed. “Laney!”
There was no answer. Fear struck his soul. What if she was hurt? He stuck his head farther inside, searching the area at the bottom of the ladder for her prone form. As he did so, he caught a whiff of rotten meat, but didn’t think much of it, as this was the way he carried out the corpses of the humans he’d fed on once he was finished with them.
With one hand on the edge, he vaulted over the side. His boots landed with a soft thud on the packed earth eighteen feet below. He took off running, not stopping until he hit the end of the tunnel, hidden in a copse of trees near the Sound. He found no other signs of his female. The stench of decay, however, accompanied him the entire length, growing weaker the closer he got to the end. Again, not unusual, as the smell would naturally be stronger closer to his feeding room.
Dante frowned. Think, you stupid fuck. Think!
Turning around, he went back the way he had come, slower this time, scenting the air and paying more attention to the scenery around him. By the time he got back to his lair, he was convinced that Laney had not escaped through that tunnel.
Which meant someone, or something, else had come in that way.
Letting his instincts take over, Dante closed his eyes and “listened” for her blood to call to him, but she must be too far away already. His head pounded and his heart raced as he dried his clammy palms on his thighs. If anything happened to her, he had no one to blame but himself for being so stupid as to leave her down here by herself while he was so far away.
But he knew what had taken her. And he knew what they wanted. Grabbing the box, he shoved it back into his waistband and went up to his apartment.
Shea found him in the bedroom when she came to check on the pets. She eyed the holsters strapped to his bare chest and the pair of Smith & Wesson .500’s he was loading. “Trouble in paradise?” she joked.
“Laney is gone. I’m going after her.”
“And you need pistols that would stop a herd of zombies to win her back?”
“Or a group of demon-possessed vampires,” he growled. He didn’t worry about anyone noticing the weapons. Humans tended to keep their distance from him. Even their so-called law enforcement.
Shea stepped in front of him as he made to leave. “Wait,” she ordered. “I’ll get the guys together and we’ll go with you.”
“There’s no time. I can’t hear her anymore. She’s already too far away.” When Shea opened her mouth to argue with him, he roared, “MOVE.”
With a loud sigh, she did. “We’ll follow you!”
“There won’t be anything left for you to kill,” he growled. Then he slammed out the door.
Dante had a sense of déjà vu as he stood in the parking garage, half-expecting a van with blacked out windows to come squealing around the corner. But the garage was quiet this time of night, appropriately enough.
Out on the street, he paused. The never-ending rain had let up, leaving a damp mist hanging in the air, but Dante didn’t even feel it. The lights of the city guided him as he headed west, toward the docks. He didn’t stop to think about why he went that way, he just did.
He was a little over a mile away when his blood surged and his fangs shot down in his mouth. Chills skated across his skin, the heat behind his eyes telling them that they were glowing with an unnatural light.
Laney.
She was close, and she was alive. He palmed his weapons and kicked it into vamp speed. He would have his female back within the hour, or he would die trying.
Chapter 26
Laney moaned as pain lanced up the side of her face and into her temple before settling into a dull throb. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to leave the blissful numbness of sleep, but it wasn’t happening. Giving in to the persistent pull of consciousness, she fought her way to the surface. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she forced them open through the haze of agony. Shards of bright light stabbed her vision. Suddenly nauseous, she leaned over and vomited on the cement.
“Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to join the living again. So to speak.” Throaty laughter sounded all around her.
Laney rolled her eyeballs up until she could see who was speaking, and realized it wasn’t just the pain that was making her sick. It was also the smell. As she stared at the living, reeking zombie in front of her, the events of the last few hours came crashing back into her aching skull: talking to Dante, the sounds in the tunnel, and getting punched repeatedly in the face until she’d passed out.
“Where am I?” Her voice was raspy to her ears, like she had been screaming again. Maybe she had. Looking around, she saw the rest of her kidnappers sitting quietly here and there on the pavement. A large cargo ship loomed behind the leader, anchored to the dock. She couldn’t see much beyond that through the dense mist hovering over the water.
Feeling something hard and cold digging into her spine, she carefully tilted her head back. A steel crane hung high above her. The giant orange neck seemed a mile away as it hung in position over the ship ready to unload the cargo.
“Not far from where we found you, but just far enough to give us some time to be ready,” the leader answered.
Laney tried to remember what he was talking about. She’d forgotten her question.
He looked at a watch hanging loosely on his bony wrist. Probably stolen off the last person he’d killed. “Your vampire, whichever one it is, should be arriving any moment now.”
“And when he does?” She was shivering now, and not entirely from the cold.
“Then we get what we want.”
“Which is?”
He looked heavenward and sighed. She could tell he was getting impatient with her questions, but if all the TV shows she’d watched were right, the longer she kept him talking, the better her chances were of staying alive.
“I think you know what we’re looking for, witch.” He scrutinized her sitting there on the pavement at his feet. “Or maybe not.” He sounded somewhat disappointed, but not necessarily surprised.
She really didn’t. But now she knew why Dante had told her about the escape tunnel. Of course, he couldn’t have foreseen that they would find it first. He should have told her what was going on. He should have warned her. But it was too late now. “And what will happen to me? To the vampire?”
He shrugged, unconcerned. “For you, it all depends on how thirsty my friends here are.”
Laney’s stomach plummeted. “And Dante?”
“Is that his name?”
She didn’t answer.
Taking a deep breath, he exhaled again l
oudly. His rotting breath washed over her. “I love the sea air, don’t you?”
Laney pulled her legs in and pushed with her feet, scooting a few feet over, away from him and the spot where she’d gotten sick. “Who are you?” she asked when she could breathe again.
The thing cocked its head at a strange angle. Bending at the waist, it leaned over her. Through its decaying skin she saw bone, or maybe teeth, through a hole in its cheek. Dead eyes yellowed from a failing liver sent tingles of fear up her spine. “I’m your worst nightmare, sweetheart,” it growled.
Laney shivered harder as invisible fingers crawled over her skin. A cold breeze blew in off the water, the salty air carrying away the stench of death. She breathed it in with relief, then lifted her chin and stared the thing down until it straightened to its full height, a morbid smile lifting its pale lips.
“I like you. Maybe I’ll keep you for me. Once we have what we need and I become my true self again, I’ll need a few humans for daytime errands.” His eyes raked her small form. “And to suck my dick when I feel the urge, which is quite often in spite of my current appearance.”
The thought of that decaying appendage being shoved down her throat almost had Laney vomiting again. Swallowing hard, she fought the feeling until it went away. “You’d have to kill me first.”
“That can easily be arranged,” he replied with a shrug. His head suddenly whipped around to the left. “Ah, here comes your savior now.” Pain shot through her skull as he grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her to her feet. Spinning her around, he pulled her back against him and wrapped one arm around her waist. The other hand grabbed her sore jaw and pointed her face in the direction he was looking. He was big, but not as big as the vampire coming after her.
“Watch!” it cried dramatically. “Your boyfriend will be coming right around that building. Annnny second now—” The others stood and jostled into position around their leader. Two on each side, they balanced on the balls of their feet, ready for anything.
Laney winced, closing her eyes against the throbbing in her jaw and trying not to breathe. The ground rumbled beneath her feet, and her captor threw back his head and laughed with delight. A wet, phlegmy sound that made her stomach heave in spite of her best efforts.
“He’s pretty fucking pissed off,” he shouted happily. His hand slid up under her shirt, roughly grabbing her breast through her bra. “Maybe I should see what all the fuss is about. Hmm? I don’t normally go for such little girls, but I could make do.” He squeezed her roughly. “What do you think your vampire will do when he comes around that corner to find me tearing up that tight little ass? Because, you know, this body has a lot of faults. But the one good thing about it is the size of its cock.”
Laney struggled in his arms, trying to pull his hand off her. “He’s going to kill all of you,” she gritted out.
He laughed again. Tightening his grip on her jaw until she whimpered in pain, he whispered in her ear, “And that’s where you’re wrong, honeybunch. He is only a vampire, and as old as he is, he’s nowhere near as ancient and powerful as I am. Mark my words, you little cunt. He will not survive this night.”
Only a vampire? What was older and stronger than a vampire? Laney gave up trying to remove its hand from her breast, and concentrated on watching the spot where Dante was about to appear. The pavement suddenly shook so hard it buckled beneath her feet. Her captor stumbled, laughing like a maniac as his hand fell from her breast, unable to keep his grip on her.
Suddenly, two shots rang out. Out of the corner of her eye, Laney saw the two creatures on her right fall forward. They had large holes in the backs of their skulls. As she watched, blood formed a puddle on the pavement where their faces lay. “Dante,” she shrieked, scared shitless that he would shoot the thing holding her from behind next, and possibly her in the process.
A familiar gravelly voice, tight with unrestrained anger, echoed around them. “Release the female, Steven.”
Laney winced as Steven’s fingers dug into her jaw. “You know the game, vampire. Give me what we want.”
She noticed he left off the “and we will let her go” part.
Long seconds passed in silence. When nothing happened, the creature, Steven, huffed an impatient breath in her ear. Suddenly, her head was wrenched to the side. Something sharp scraped along her neck.
A feral growl came out of the mist coming off the water, and a second later, a wooden box clattered along the pavement toward them at high speed. It slid to her sneakered foot and stopped.
“Pick it up and hand it to me,” Steven told one of the others. He released her jaw to take the box, but one arm was still wrapped tight around her waist.
“Now, let her go,” Dante growled.
Laney looked around frantically, but she couldn’t pinpoint where he was.
“I don’t think so, vampire. And as a matter of fact, since you gave us the box without a fight, maybe I won’t kill you.” Then he laughed like that was the best joke he’d ever heard. “No, no. I’m kidding. Of course I’m going to kill you. But I think I’ll let the girl live. We were actually just talking about our new life together once I regain power over this world, isn’t that right, sweetheart?”
Laney cringed as wet lips smacked her on the cheek.
A strong breeze blew her hair into her face as something flew past her, too fast for her to track, but her captor stumbled while spinning her around in his arms. He regained his footing again and then she was lifted off the ground and they were moving.
A roar of anguish echoed around them, and Laney kicked with her feet, trying to twist her body around and out of its grasp. Pieces of flesh slid away as she clawed at her captor’s face. When they stopped just a few seconds later, she was left hanging by one arm with her feet dangling mid-air. She kicked out hard, trying to loosen his grip.
“Laney! STOP! Don’t fucking move!”
The order came from somewhere far below her. Pushing her hair frantically out of the way with her free hand, Laney found Dante standing far below her near the hull of the ship. He was completely out in the open. Looking up the length of her arm to the hand holding her just below the elbow, she found Steven sitting casually on one of the iron beams of the shipping crane. Leaning to the side, he swung her body around in a small circle.
“Yes, Laney. I wouldn’t wiggle around too much if I were you. One small slip….” His mouth formed an exaggerated “O” as he opened his hand. Laney’s scream was cut off with a jerk as he caught her again around the wrist. Her shoulder twisted painfully in its socket as she spun slowly back and forth like a child’s doll.
Dante was directly below now. He smiled up at her, but it wasn’t a pleasant expression. “Hang tight, little mouse.”
Her shoulder burned, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. As she stared down at him with desperate longing, the other two came out from hiding and were creeping up on Dante from behind. “Dante, behind you,” she shouted.
Without taking his eyes from her, Dante pointed a large pistol behind him and fired. The thing sounded more like a canon than a gun when it went off, and Laney watched as the creature on the left jerked backwards in surprise and put a hand over the gaping hole in its chest. It wiped the blood off on its pant leg and kept coming.
“Drop her if you want, Steven,” Dante said, and Laney’s pulse ramped up to double-speed, afraid he would call his bluff and do exactly that. “I’ll make sure I catch her.”
Somehow that didn’t make her feel better. Laney twisted her hand around and wrapped it around her captor’s wrist, hanging on for dear life. She felt exposed muscle and bone under her fingers, but didn’t loosen her grip.
“I wouldn’t press my luck if I were you,” Steven taunted. “I meant what I said.”
Dante smiled again. “Try it, asshole. I dare you.” Spinning around, he lifted both pistols and shot the two things creeping up on him point blank in the face. They flew backward and landed hard on the pavement. Dante turned back around,
looking up at them. “Your move,” he growled.
Not the response she would’ve went for, but okay.
Her captor cackled with delight. Then shooting pain burst from her tender shoulder socket as he threw her one-handed into the air and caught her around the middle. Sitting her on his lap, she cried out as he wrenched her head to the side and hissed in her ear. She felt the sharp tips of its fangs push through her skin.
Below her, Dante lost-his-shit. Screaming with rage, he disappeared, and suddenly she was being jostled around as the thing holding her jerked and grunted, fighting to keep his hold on both her and the box. Sharp pains shot down her neck as its fangs ripped through her flesh and tore their way out.
With a satanic growl, one of its hands flattened on her back, and she was suddenly catapulted off his lap and flying through the air toward the water. Wind whipped around her in hurricane-like speeds, her breath knocked from her as she hit the cold water with such force that she tumbled head over heels underwater.
The weight of her clothes immediately pulled her down into the cold, dark depths. The salt stung her eyes and burned the open wound on her neck. Ignoring the pain, Laney kicked her feet and paddled with her arms. Spinning around blindly in the water, she started to panic as she tried to find the way up to the surface. Her lungs burned to breathe, and she sucked in a mouthful of salt water.
I’m going to drown.
The thought echoed in her head as her struggles became less and less frantic. This shouldn’t be happening, she was an excellent swimmer. Suppressing the panic, Laney relaxed her body and let it do what it would naturally in the water. A few seconds later, she floated to the top and her back broke the surface of the water. Raising her head, she coughed up seawater, barely catching her breath before she was hit by a swell and sank back under again.