Which did nothing for the ball of anxiety simmering in her guts. Again and again, she went back to the incubator to check on the plates and had to stop her hand at the last moment.
Finally, a timer sounded.
She ran over, grabbed a plate, and pulled out the specimen. To her absolute amazement, the cells were growing even faster than she’d expected. She placed another specimen from the plate under the microscope again. Sure enough, they were vampire cells. Clean. Unadulterated. Ready, willing, and able to give new life. Vampire life.
Tori ran to the elevator, then ran up the stairs and started banging on Stacy’s door. The door opened, and she shoved an energy drink into Stacy’s hand.
“Get dressed!” she cried. As tired as she was, she started doing a happy dance. “We did it! We found it! We have a cure.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Things fit, or they didn’t. Places belonged, or they didn’t. A Spanish hacienda sitting in the middle of the woods in the middle of New York State? Hunter shook his head. Not so much.
And yet the structure had remained unquestioned, and Hunter guessed this was because of the reputation of the previous owner and its state of disrepair. Just rundown enough to make people believe the estate was being cared for by a family who didn’t care about the property or the man who owned it.
For a vampire cell? Perfect.
The stone wall around the perimeter of the property could be easily scaled, yet the red-tiled overhang would be slippery when wet. And the movement of a loose tile would be a dead giveaway for vampire hearing.
Not to mention the dead vines and leaves on the grounds left purposely unkempt. One crackle? One snap? Like sounding an alarm. Not that Casperian would ever think, for one second, Hunter would forgo the pleasure of their next meeting.
Five soldiers lay sleeping in the back, and Charles reclined in the front seat of a large, blacked-out SUV. Mercy and her men rested in another on the other side of the property. And Vanessa? She marched to her own tune, so he had no idea. But she always paid her debts, so he had no doubt she was nearby. No Sam, which concerned him but didn’t surprise because he couldn’t sense Antu either.
Above everything Sam hated waste. She’d made it abundantly clear she felt he was wasting his life by going after Casperian. In return, he’d made it abundantly clear this was his fight and his alone.
Mano a mano.
Why so silent, Venatorius?
Why did Casperian bother asking when he already knew the answer?
How does it feel to be the walking dead?
His nemesis certainly knew how to stack the odds in his favor. Each hour which passed made him weaker and weaker. The first flush of power from Sam’s blood had already ebbed. But at least the sickness was better. He could move without his guts roiling in constant turmoil.
For how long? That was the question.
Another? How long would he be able to survive without Sam? She had to know he needed her. And yet he’d made his feelings abundantly clear. Better to die with honor protecting his home and, yes, his family than to simply waste away in chains until he begged someone to take his head.
Such a delicious picture you paint.
Delicious picture? No. The most beautiful painting would be Tori gazing at him with warmth and desire and a touch of impish delight.
Would she ever understand? Would she be able to forgive him?
Armies throughout the centuries had had their mottos. Carpe diem, as an example. During his time the words had been strength and honor. During his human life, those words had been but figments of his imagination. But now? Now he had the chance to live by them and die by them if necessary.
Hunter shrugged, not caring if Casperian could hear or see his thoughts. Casperian already knew how he felt. The vampire had listened long enough to know his true feelings about his life and about Tori.
What irony, to have finally figured out what Sam had been trying to get him to understand.
His one regret? Timing. For he’d never be able to tell Tori now. He sighed. He would have liked a little touch of Hollywood, getting down on one knee, enjoying the happy ever after.
“You’re a fool, Venatorius.”
“Am I? No worse than being a slave.”
“You were a good one, I must admit.”
Ever the arrogant bastard. “I wasn’t speaking of myself.”
“Which means you were talking about me and makes me think you have that backward.”
“Do I? Very well. Perhaps slave is too harsh a word. How about puppet?”
“Puppet?” Casperian asked, and Hunter could hear his astonishment. “How?”
“Don’t you feel him playing you? Plucking your strings at will?”
“Ahhh. We have an…understanding.”
Hunter guffawed out loud, then glanced over to make sure he hadn’t woken Charles. His stomach began to swim, and he decided not to laugh so hard again. Although, God knew, it was tempting.
“Indeed you do,” he replied, laughter still threading his thoughts. “Antu says jump, you ask, How high?”
Silence.
Hunter smiled. Odd how stating the painfully obvious could be so delectably satisfying. Some things should simply be.
“Run, Casperian. Run to the far reaches of this planet. Farther, even.”
“And why should I even move one foot?”
“Because I’m going to kill you.”
“Me?” Shrill laughter sounded through his brain. As shrill and grating a sound as it had been during his human life, the sound was even more so now. And, he’d decided, Casperian’s laugh was beyond annoying even after two thousand years. “You’re the dead man walking to his doom.”
Hunter nodded. “I’ve been doing that for nearly two thousand years. And I’ve learned one thing. The bill always comes due. You gave me mine, now I’m going to give you yours. Pray to whatever gods you desire. But make no mistake. I will kill you.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Chug it.”
Stacy stared. She shook her head, then gulped, made a face, then gulped again.
“Chaz wasn’t up here when you came up, was he?” Tori asked, already knowing the answer.
“No.” Stace looked little guilty, like she should’ve said something, but Tori understood. Always trying to protect.
Then she stilled. “Damn! They’ve gone after Casperian. This wasn’t a simple scouting party.”
“I know.” Stacy stared at Tori. Terror filled her friend’s gaze along with resignation. “It’s what he’s meant to do. Once a cop, you know?”
Duty. Honor. Such small words. Tori reached out. No others were necessary as they clasped hands.
“Hunter’s gone too,” she continued, drawing in a shuddering breath. “So is Sam. Normally she hangs around to guard during the day, but she didn’t hear me shouting down in the lab. Maybe she did. Doesn’t matter. She’s doing what she feels is necessary too.”
“Did you really say you have a cure?” Stacy asked. “I was half asleep, and I thought that’s what I heard.”
Tori smiled despite the fear filling her heart. “Yeah. I’ve got it.”
Stacy threw her arms around her. “Oh, wow! I can’t believe it!” Stace leaned back and let go. Then her friend realized why she barely hugged back. “Umm, yeah. Not so good if he goes and gets himself killed before you can save him. Gotcha.”
A truth which scored her insides worse than a scouring pad. “How fast can you wake up?”
“Cold shower,” Stace fired back. “Sugar. Another one of these,” she added, making another face as she went to gulp some more.
Tori fished around in the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a protein bar. Stacy caught the packet in midair. “You’ve got ten minutes. Meet me downstairs.”
“Done.”
Tori ran out of Stacy’s bedroom and down to Hunter’s room. She threw cold water on her face, cleaned up, and threw on some fresh clothes all the while gulping an energy drink and munching on
a protein bar. She stared at the chair Hunter sat in, remembering his hot gaze raking her body. She straightened as she had that day, proud and wanting him to be proud of her. Was he?
Hunter’s image simply wouldn’t leave her. All she could see was the moment when he’d opened the gateway to his soul and told her of his past. His image anchored her, steadied her thoughts.
“I’m going to cure you,” she promised. “Stay alive, Hunter. That’s all I ask.”
She hurried down to the lab. Stacy joined her moments later. They nodded, knowing it was up to them to make things right.
“C’mere. Look at these.” Sure enough, as Tori pulled out plate after plate, healthy vampire cells were growing all over.
“This is amazing,” Stacy breathed.
“Royal blood seems to be the key. As soon as I used Sam’s blood as the medium, the stem cells started changing and growing. I have no idea why.”
“Guess we’ll never quite understand why.”
“Guess not. Does it matter?”
Stacy shook her head. “No.”
“We still have another problem,” Tori continued.
“What problem?”
“Vampires don’t have bone marrow. We can’t inject the cells and allow them to grow from the inside out. So how do we get them to work for Hunter?”
Stacy thought for a moment. Then she started laughing softly. “What else? Blood. A transfusion.”
Tori wasn’t sure. “You really think so?” Stace nodded. “Okay. You’re the SBB. And a transfusion is as good an idea as any, I suppose.”
Stacy’s face fell. “All right. We get the cure ready. Then what?”
“Sixty-four-thousand-dollar question. We have to find Hunter.”
“Chaz didn’t even hint at where he was going.” Stacy’s gaze filled with commiseration. “I’m sorry.”
An idea hit her, and Tori grabbed her cell, punching numbers as fast as she could. He picked up after the first ring. “Jonas?”
“Figured you’d call.”
“Vanessa went with them,” she said, more of a statement than a question.
“Yeah. Didn’t tell me where she was going either.”
“Damn,” Tori bit out.
“Uh, not quite,” Jonas answered. She put him on speaker. “I think she knew I was following her and let me. Ness always pays her debts.”
“You know where they went?” Excitement and relief bubbled up threatening to overwhelm.
“Give or take.”
Tori’s knees gave out. She grabbed on to the counter to get a hold of herself. “If we get close enough, Sam will hear,” she told Stace.
“If she’s there.”
“So will Hunter,” Tori bit out. “And Casperian.” She pulled herself up.
“We need extra ammunition.” Tori frowned, wondering what her friend was talking about. “I’ve been working on an extra-strength extract,” Stacy continued, walking over to a refrigerator. She nodded as she opened the door. “Damn it! It’s gone. Chaz took it. Guess I’ll have to make some more.”
Anything that could give them an edge would be more than welcome.
“Jonas,” she continued, speaking back into the phone. “We’re in the lab. We need your help. We need to try to coax some cells into growing just a little bit faster, and Stacy’s gonna need a hand reducing and intensifying the rosary pea extract.”
“I’m on my way.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Hunter dozed and drowned in memories he had no right to remember. The car seat dug into his back, and each time he shifted to get comfortable, his stomach made seasickness seem paltry. A small price to pay.
Settling back down, he let her fill his mind. Tori haunted as only a woman could with a man, nestled deep within the heart and soul. His mouth quirked at her long-legged lope, the lift of her lips when she’d thought he hadn’t been looking, her outright laughter so free and easy, the sound of her voice singing, able could put the most beautiful bird to shame, the incredible sadness in her gaze at times making him want to band his arms around her and never let go.
But those were only external.
She was so utterly unique for a human. She had such heart to stand up to him, defy him, and fight for him when he deserved nothing. No, less than nothing, for in all his life—human and vampire—he’d done nothing to deserve the care and feeling she’d shown.
Was this truly love?
So new. So huge. Hunter wasn’t sure. Every time he thought of her, he felt invincible. Her belief in him kept urging him on to continue, and he knew, just knew, they would win.
Charles stirred. Every part of his Hunter’s psyche screamed no, the cost had to be his and his alone, and yet the man sitting next to him wouldn’t let that happen. When had he earned such loyalty? How did the blood on his hands not erase that kind of fidelity?
Hunter opened his eyes to a sky streaked with the yellow, red, and gold of the setting sun. In his human life, men had worshipped gods. Hunter had seen only statues. In his human life, men had appreciated the beauty of a flower or a sunrise. Hunter had seen only the beginning of another day in hell.
Until he’d met Tori, beauty and grace had been only figments of the imagination. Warmth and love had been wisps, echoes on the wind, just close enough to grasp, then disappear through outstretched fingers.
It’d taken nearly two millennia for him to appreciate what had always been around him. Tori had become the light of his life, the shining example he tried to achieve, and yes, the love tucked deep inside his heart.
Sam had become a friend and compatriot and the one person who understood the trials and tribulations he suffered by being a vampire.
Charles, Mercy, even Vanessa had all become his friends, even though they were soldiers willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good, for the continuation of their cell and the survival of their race.
“You okay?” Charles asked.
Hunter swallowed hard and nodded. He motioned for them both to get out of the SUV. “They’ll awaken soon,” he began once the car doors shut. “I cannot help feeling I should be alone in this.”
Charles clapped him on the shoulder but didn’t answer. Hunter already knew.
“Do you think of being a vampire as a gift or a curse?” he asked Charles eventually.
Charles didn’t answer right away, then said, “Both.” His friend drew in a deep breath and let the air out slowly. “At first I raged against becoming a vampire. Especially after I realized I’d caused my wife’s death. I’ve seen terrible things, done worse because of the blood. And yet becoming a vampire led me to the one true soul I call my mate.”
Hunter worried about this decision. “She’ll die, Charles. Sooner than you want, faster than you think. Doesn’t that scare you?”
“Yes,” he paused, “and no.” Charles laughed softly. “I might just die first, you know.”
Hunter snorted. “Indeed.”
He stared at the sky, wanting to embed the beauty into his brain the same way he wanted to embed the picture of Tori’s face just at that moment when he entered her body.
“I’ve always thought the difference between us,” Charles continued, “was something moral. I was good. You were evil. You became a vampire willingly, I didn’t. That kind of thing.”
“But I didn’t.”
“I know this now.” Charles threw him a sheepish look. “What I’m trying to say is I was wrong. The character of a man never changes.”
“Character? Seriously? After what I’ve done? I’m a murderer, a cold-blooded killer.”
“Are you? Really?”
Hunter shook his head. “All right. What about Tori? What about how I treated her?”
“You have a point,” Charles agreed. “But did it ever occur to you that everything you’ve done has led you to this moment?”
“To kill again? To become the heartless bastard I really am?”
“No!” Charles growled. “This moment brought you right here to protect and serve as
you always have. Don’t doubt yourself now, Hunter. I don’t think things are over for you just yet.”
Hunter wasn’t so sure. In fact, he was downright certain. He had a job to do. Once his job was done, he could let go.
Only, Tori kept pulling him back.
No, even Charles agreed. The events of his life had led to this moment. His job was to save his people and then die.
One by one, his soldiers awoke. Each one awaited his orders with a nod of the head.
“You all know the plan. Casperian knows we are coming. He’s set traps, probably created more rogues. He doesn’t care about consequences. He must be stopped.”
Grim faced, tight-lipped, they all agreed. “Not a single rogue lives,” he continued. “According to Charles, the extract Stacy was working on is twenty times more potent. That should give you an edge. Even so, no one travels alone. If you find yourselves in just a pair, fall back. Retreat and regroup. We hunt in packs. Minimum of three.”
Hunter waited while Mercy gave the same speech to her men. “No rogue lives. Are we clear?”
Each one nodded again, and they melted into the grounds just outside the estate.
Hunter looked at Charles. He held out his hand. But instead of shaking, he clasped Charles’s forearm as he would have done in his own time, to show his brotherhood and to prove their bond. Then he let go.
“Casperian is mine.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
All the way up the interstate, Tori shouted, pleaded, and begged. Then she cursed. Tori wasn’t quite sure of the distance, but as they drew closer, she shouted even more, cursed even harder. Surely, he could hear her.
Please answer me. And yet no matter how many times she told him she had the cure, no matter how many times she begged him to answer, there was only silence.
“How far away are we?” she asked Jonas.
“Maybe five minutes or so,” he answered.
Damn you, you sorry-assed vampire. I know you can hear me. Quit being so freaking stubborn, and listen. One last time, I have a cure.
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