by Noelle Ryan
“I did,” she replied. “And it would still be safest for you to do so. But then I would have to kill everyone else who came with you.”
I stared at her, numb, hoping my silence would be enough to entice her into continuing since I found myself suddenly unable to speak.
“If you are my hostage, your fellow vampires cannot attack me or Cesar without putting you at risk. I know they will not do that, so keeping you hostage protects Cesar as surely as killing them does.”
“But,” I paused, brain racing to find a problem with her plan beyond the utter terror I felt at being the hostage of the powerful elfin servant of a cruel vampire who wanted to claim me for his own. “You said Cesar would kill Ava the instant he had me,” I suddenly remembered.
“He’s not foolish enough to kill her in front of crowd of humans; he’d wait until we got to his hacienda. If I can break our bond immediately, however, he should never get the chance. Once the bond is broken, I will release you and your friends can do as they wish.”
It was a terrifying plan, but I could see no other way to protect everyone’s lives. I relayed the plan to Tom so he could warn everyone to back off.
No, I won’t let you do this, Aly. It’s insane—you’re going to get yourself killed. He was panicked; he didn’t understand.
If I don’t, everyone but me gets killed. I replied. I can’t let that happen.
Tell her we’ve changed our plans. Tell her we don’t pose a threat to Cesar any longer, he pleaded.
I knew it wouldn’t work, but for his sake I tried.
“I’m sorry, Alyson, but a simple assurance from known enemies isn’t enough. This is the only way,” she said, confirming my suspicions.
When I relayed her response to Tom, it almost felt like his mind was breaking for a moment. And then it was as if I could see him pulling himself upright, setting his spine and locking his jaw.
Fine, he told me, moments after I’d concluded he wasn’t going to say anything else. But if you get yourself killed…he trailed off, and I was relieved not to know what would fill the second half of that thought.
I won’t—Marielle thinks she’ll be able to break the bond. As soon as it’s broken I’m free to go, and we can grab him. Just make sure to protect Ava, alright? And keep everyone out of sight until then.
And then I allowed my anger at the mess we were all in to simmer up just enough to break our connection. Maintaining it, feeling his alternating concern and enforced numbness, was simply too painful. Marielle turned to me.
“I need my strength; please, try to stay calm,” she said, and I realized the anger that severed my link to Tom would also put her in pain.
I focused on calming myself, relaxing my muscles and picturing everything going well. I focused on the plane ride home, on the chance to convince Ava I was still trustworthy on that trip, on getting back to Beckett and a semi-normal life. Slowly, I calmed, and this time I just tried to keep a neutral mental barrier, one not fueled by any emotion, between Tom and me. Much to my surprise, it not only worked but was far less draining than staying angry had been. I silently thanked Damian for his lecture, straightened my shoulders, and nodded to Marielle.
Twenty-eight
“I will not bind you physically, so stay close to me. We don’t want your friends getting any bad ideas,” Marielle said as we left the restroom. I nodded and stayed only inches from her side, not only because of her request but because I was still concerned Tom would try something stupid.
As we approached the gate where Cesar’s plane was due to land, I caught a glimpse of Jade out of the corner of my eye. When I turned my head, though, she was gone, leaving me uncertain whether I’d actually seen her or if it was just nervousness.
We sat down side by side, facing the gate. For the first time it dawned on me how long it had been since I’d met, or been met by, anyone at the gate itself. Even before September 11th had changed air travel in the U.S. it hadn’t been common for me to meet people anywhere but outside baggage claim. The last time I’d been met at a gate had been my first year of college, when my boyfriend had met me as I walked off the plane, holding a single red rose. Now I smirked at the cheese factor, but then I was overwhelmed at what seemed like the incredible romance of it all.
If that’s all the romance it takes to impress you then I should be able to sweep you off your feet in no time.
Had Tom not chimed in, I probably wouldn’t have noticed I’d let my shields drop while reminiscing. His tone was both gruff and amused, with only a thin hint of tension running across the background, and I was relieved.
I’m glad to hear you’re back to normal, I teased.
I’m not—but I don’t want you to block me out again.
A small wave of guilt lapped at me as I remembered my promise to let him stay in my head until this was all over.
I’m sorry, Tom—I had to in order to calm down. I have to keep calm or else I’ll weaken Marielle, and she’ll need her strength to handle Cesar.
I understand, he replied, and the telepathic link made it clear that he really meant it, that in fact he was feeling guilty for stressing me out enough that I had to close him out. That’s why I’m going to keep my thoughts as upbeat as I can. If I can’t, you have every right to block me out again.
I was surprised at how relieved I felt to have him understand rather than be ticked off at me. The sensation was almost palpable—I even noticed it as it hit Marielle: her shoulders relaxed slightly, and the hard lines of her mouth softened just a bit. She turned towards me and smiled.
“I’m not sure what you are feeling so relieved by, given the circumstances, but I’m grateful. Thank you.”
“No problem,” I said, smiling back and actually feeling hopeful again. I was starting to like Marielle, though it faded slightly whenever I considered that she had bound herself to someone as depraved as Cesar in order to get something she wanted. Still, maybe she didn’t realize what she was truly in for when she made the agreement—she certainly seemed eager at the opportunity to break it. For someone who relied on positive emotions to live, being around Cesar had to be beyond torture.
“The plane is landing now,” she said quietly, jolting me out of my reverie. Instantly, all the muscles I’d so carefully coaxed into relaxation clenched; I could almost feel my shoulders crawling towards my ears. When I saw the pain echo on Marielle’s face, though, I tried to force myself back into calm for her sake.
Tom must have recognized what I was trying to do, because he began silently singing a sweet lullaby to me that I’d never heard before. Hearing the song as he thought it was eerily beautiful, music without actual sound. It distracted me long enough that I relaxed without even realizing it, and before I knew it passengers had begun exiting the plane.
Cesar was the fifth one off, tugging Ava by the wrist behind him. When he saw me, his eyes opened in shock, and he dropped her wrist. She immediately bolted to me, our previous fight apparently forgotten as she wrapped her arms around me and buried her face in my shoulder.
“Thank the gods you’re here, Aly,” she murmured, crying. “He told me—” she stopped abruptly, changing sentences midstream. “You just have no idea what it’s been like, being around, listening to, that…that thing.” Then she stepped back abruptly, staring at me with a mixture of fear and hope on her face.
“I’m not like him, Ava,” I said.
She nodded, once, as if that was all it took for her to believe me, to see that I hadn’t really changed. And then my attention was drawn to the thing himself, as he walked towards us, a wide smile on his face.
“Well, well, my little elf. You have exceeded my expectations. I think a celebration is in order. Come, let’s gather our bags,” he said, stepping towards Ava and I with his arms outstretched to clasp both of our hands. Ava drew back as if he was extending a live rattlesnake, and I reached my arm out to steady her when I saw his face flash from satisfaction to anger.
“Not just yet, Cesar. I have upheld my side of our
agreement, but I have reason to doubt you have upheld yours. Tell me, do you still know where my end-of-bond payment lies?” Her voice rang out clear and cold, causing more than a few human heads to turn and stare at us. Ava gave me a confused look just as Cesar gave me a crafty one.
“Ah, I see our new guest has been telling stories already. Of course I know where it is.” He tossed his hand in the air, as if brushing away an annoying bug. “Now come, we must gather our things.”
My heart sank. If this was all Marielle had planned, we were screwed. As soon as we moved, I was certain Tom would relay that the plan had failed and they would attempt to take out both Marielle and Cesar at once, and worry about the human consequences later.
But Marielle didn’t appear to be satisfied with Cesar’s answer. She stepped closer to him, leaving Ava and I slightly behind her.
“I believe you are evading the real question, my little vampire,” she said mockingly, her voice now barely audible and somehow far more frightening than when it had rang out clearly moments before. “If you truly know where it lies, you will be able to picture it in its surroundings right now. In fine detail.”
I didn’t understand how Cesar picturing the Sringara in detail could matter in the least, since Marielle was not a telepath. Besides, I hadn’t told her where it was, so she’d have nothing to compare his mental image to even if she could perceive it.
Cesar, apparently, knew precisely why her request posed a threat, however, because his happy demeanor slipped away, replaced by a look of terror. He backed away from her, spluttering, his hands waving in front of him.
“I assure you, I will be able to find it the moment the time comes. I know who has it, and that means it can only be in one of a few places…” he trailed off, his eyes searching the drab airport scene around him as if it might hold the crystal horn.
“You know as well as I what that means, Cesar” Marielle said, almost sweetly.
“No!” he gasped. “No, I’m still your best chance, no-one else would be willing to share it with you, no-one—” he was cut off by the slice of her hand through the air between them.
“Enough. Our bond is broken.” She turned to me. “He is all yours.”
Cesar lunged for her, but sailed through empty air and tumbled across the industrial carpet. She’d disappeared. And now Ava and I were only a foot away from an incredibly angry, powerful, homicidal vampire.
He raised himself to his feet, staring holes through us as he brushed himself off and darted forward. I had time only to grab Ava and fling her behind me before he was on me, fury coursing through him like an electric current that burned me everywhere his skin touched mine. He knocked me over, landing on top of me, and I bucked upwards, throwing him off and scrambling away.
Ava stood only a few feet away, gazing on in frozen horror.
“Run!” I yelled at her, yelping as a hand closed around my ankle, yanked me face first onto the floor, and began dragging me backwards.
I kicked blindly, and felt the hard sole of my shoe crunch against something. The hold on my ankle loosened just a fraction, and I twisted free, flipping and pedaling away as quickly as I could. Cesar crouched a few feet away from me, his grin covered by the blood sluggishly seeping from a mangled nose. As I watched, he stood and began walking toward me slowly, as if on a casual stroll, as if the cartilage that was slowly reassembling itself under his skin was not in the least bit painful or nauseating.
“Come, mi dulce, you look so foolish scrambling about on all fours. As if you were a common animal. Stand up now, and come with me,” Cesar said, his grin morphing into a look of amused disdain.
I stood before I realized I was doing it, and then realized I’d let his casual treatment of obvious pain terrify me again. I slammed down my shields and then spun around and ran toward the wall of onlookers who had cautiously gathered 20 feet away. Before they had time to react, however, I heard Ava’s voice behind me.
“Aly,” she whispered, and the realization of my own idiocy froze me in place. Apparently I hadn’t noticed that she hadn’t run when I’d told her to—but Cesar had.
The scene he presented when I turned around was so stereotypically horror-movie-esque that, had it not been Ava’s neck beneath his fangs, I might have laughed. He had her clutched against the front of him, her head tilted to one side. His eyes gleamed; hers were dilated with terror.
“Mmm,” he murmured softly, knowing I could hear him. “Such a delicious scent. You certainly have good taste in friends.” He chuckled at his own terrible joke, and I grimaced. “Perhaps we could share?”
I edged forward, focused on his fangs, already covered in his own blood from his broken nose, wary for the slightest sign of movement.
“Sure,” I said. “Why not? I got gold stars in kindergarten after all.”
He tilted his head up a fraction, confusion temporarily replacing the hunger in his eyes. I took advantage of the distraction and slid a few steps closer to them, still talking.
“My mom loved those gold stars, which meant extra goodies. Bookstore trips, homemade brownies. Well worth the effort. So sure, I don’t mind sharing—but she’s my friend, so I insist on going first.”
Cesar’s temporary confusion cleared and he registered just how close I had gotten. I saw the look on his face change and I lunged forward, jamming my hand between his mouth and Ava’s neck as he struck. At first I felt only slight pinpricks and I yanked down, trying to push Ava away. But Cesar’s eyes locked onto mine and he bit deeper, clenching my arm with both hands. Pain swamped me, flaming from my wrist up my arm, and from there into my head. I was vaguely aware of Ava stumbling to the side and tugging at my other arm, trying to pull me free, and I had just enough control to shake her off, trying, once again, to make her run. Instead she began flailing at Cesar with her other arm, trying to force him to let go. He didn’t even register the blows landing on his back and shoulders, never breaking his eyes from mine, sucking more and more deeply.
I didn’t realize that what had been pain had shifted into pleasure until I saw the horrified look on Ava’s face as she froze, mid blow, to stare at the smile that had crept across mine. She began backing away, shaking her head as if to deny what her eyes were telling her, and I closed my own, sliding halfway down the wall Cesar had backed us up against. As I drifted off, I heard a soft shushing noise slip through the air, and the grip that had been holding me loosened, leaving me to slide the rest of the way to the floor. Once my arm was free of the grip that had been trapping it, the pain came back and, with it, clarity.
I opened my eyes and saw Cesar folded next to me, eyes closed. I glanced at the small dart now sticking out of his neck, and the remains of the pleasure that had been pooling warmly in my torso twisted into anger. I lashed out with my foot and heard his collarbone crack under my heel.
Ava gasped and I looked up. Instantly the anger was gone, replaced with humiliation at what she’d seen me become, even if only for a moment. I turned to face her, trying to figure out how I could explain, but her terrified look was not aimed at me but over to my right. Tom was striding towards us; Valerie, Damian, and Luis walked behind him in a loose cluster.
“Oh my god, there’s more of them?” Ava whispered, and then fainted, crumpling onto the floor in a movement disturbingly like Cesar’s. I darted to her just quickly enough to keep her from cracking her head against a metal chair on her way down.
“How do you figure she knew what we were?” Tom asked as he got closer. I shrugged.
“You’ll have to ask her when she wakes up.”
I went to gather her in my arms and stand, but Tom shook his head.
“There’s enough we’re already going to have to will these people into forgetting—having even more see a slight woman like you carry someone her size with no apparent difficulty will just give us more work to do. Let me carry her to the plane—Sam just landed. You can keep her company there while we finish up.”
It was then I noticed that Luis, Valerie, and Damia
n had been stopping to talk to people as they walked toward us. I turned around and saw that Marcus, Jade, and Orchid were doing the same with the people who had clustered behind us. I realized how fortunate we were that this had happened in a small airport—if we’d been in LAX we’d have really had some problems.
I nodded to Tom and he scooped Ava up, cradling her as he walked down the terminal to the exit that would take us to our plane. I followed him out, trying to decide if it would be better for me to bring her around as soon as Tom left us in the plane, so I’d have a chance to calm her down before we were ten thousand feet off the ground and she was the only thing with a live heartbeat for miles around, or if it would be better to just hope she stayed unconscious for the rest of the trip.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t take him out sooner,” Tom said as he walked. “The humans gathered around you kept getting in the way of our shots, and Damian had to keep reminding the rest of them that we did not need to add any human casualties to this mess. And then Cesar had Ava again, and it took a while to maneuver into a position where one of us could shoot him without him noticing our movement through the crowd.” He paused, and smiled at me. “I’m impressed though—for someone with minimal training, you handled yourself quite well.”
I still hadn’t decided whether to wake Ava when Tom slid her onto the onboard sofa and returned to the airport. Even Sam left the plane once I was there, though I wasn’t sure if it was because they could use the help inside or because he still didn’t feel comfortable enough with me to hang around. Ava’s eyes started to flutter, though, making my decision for me.
She groaned, and sat up slowly.
“Where the hell am I now?” she said, looking around at our unusually luxurious accommodations.
“In a private jet—it’s just the two of us. We’re still outside the Resistencia airport.”