Heart of a Warrior

by Theodora Lane

  “I may not be human anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’m a monster! I know just what was taken from me, just what I’ve been damned to, and I don’t like it, not one bit. Do you realize we are sentient beings? We think and feel, love and hate, just like you do. If anything, we deserve your pity, not your hatred. If you want the truth, I wish I had died.” Tears spilled as she took a deep breath and wiped them away with a paper napkin she pulled from the dispenser.

  Vampire tears? Nic struggled to reconcile what he heard and saw with what he believed, or had believed. No, this was an act. It had to be. He had to be strong and not let emotions get in the way, no matter what Fiona thought. He knew his duty.

  “Look, all I know is that these bastards have my sister, and they’re threatening to make her like me.” She indicated herself with a sweep of her hand. “And I’d rather see her dead than damned. We need you. We can’t save her without you. Please help me,” Annie begged.

  Fiona opened her mouth to answer, but Nic cut her off. “No. I’m not going to do it. To hell with both of you and your lame justifications. I’ve taken an oath, sworn on my blood, to kill your kind. I can’t just forget all of that and dash off with you on an unauthorized mission.” Nic ran his hand through his hair and set his jaw. “No.”

  Annie’s face fell, but Ivan showed no reaction; he just held steady his stare at Nic.

  “Wait a minute, Nic,” Fiona started, and he turned to her. “You don’t speak for me.”

  “Yes, I do. I’m the warrior, it’s my job, not yours. You have no idea what you’re getting into. I won’t let you do it. My final answer is no.” Nic ground out the words from between his clenched teeth. Fiona sat there, her mouth open in dismay at his words.

  Just as she turned to face Nic, Ivan spoke first. “I thought as much.” He let out a tired sigh. “So, I took a precaution.”

  “What kind of precaution?” Nic's belly clenched.

  “An incentive, if you will.” Ivan turned his gaze to Fiona. “I have your friend, Beth.”

  “What!” Fiona yelped. “You have Beth! What are you talking about?” She looked from Ivan to Annie and back.

  “I saw her the night I picked you up. Heard you call her name. So we went to your house and found your address book.” His reached for the cell phone, flipped it open, and showed them a picture of Beth, bound and gagged.

  “We picked her up earlier tonight,” Annie said, and then added, “She’s unhurt.”

  “You son of a bitch, I knew we couldn’t trust you,” Nic growled, and hit the table with his clenched fist. “Let’s get out of here before I kill someone.”

  “We can’t, not without Beth.” Fiona’s voice shook.

  “I’ll take care of this later. They can’t stay in here forever. At dawn, they have to lair,” Nic told her. “I’ll catch them then.”

  “If you kill us, you kill Beth,” Ivan replied.

  Nic gritted his teeth. Rock meet hard place.

  “Please don’t let it come to that. Help us,” Annie begged again.

  “If you think we’ll help you now…” Fiona started.

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I think,” Ivan replied, his gaze flicking to her face.

  “I think you’re bluffing,” Nic snapped.

  Annie glanced at Ivan and bit her lip.

  “Annie may not be capable of it, but I assure you I am.” Ivan’s steely gaze bore into Nic’s. Annie looked as if she was going to be sick.

  Fiona leaned in. “I don’t want to call that bluff, Nic, do you?”

  Nic sat back, his mouth twisting into a grimace. Damn them all to hell. He hated not being in control.

  “So, now we both have someone we love in danger.” Annie looked at Fiona, her eyes pleading.

  The moment stretched until Fiona let out her breath, and Nic knew what was coming.

  “I’m in,” she said. “But I want guarantees. Beth is not to be hurt.”

  “Of course.” Ivan nodded. “You have my word.”

  “Your word!” Nic barked. “What do you think that’s worth, Fiona? He’ll kill us as soon as we clean up his mess, and then he’ll kill Beth.”

  “No, we won’t!” Annie fired back.

  “All I have to offer is my word, Nic. Whether or not you believe it, I do understand the concept of honor.” He placed his elbow on the table and extended his hand for Nic to take, as if they were going to arm wrestle. They stared at each other across the table.

  “Nic, please,” Fiona whispered. “I want Beth back.”

  Damn it. It would mean their lives if Ivan wasn’t telling the truth. To trust a vampire or not? He had to be out of his mind; this went against everything Nic believed about vampires and himself. And rescuing mortals from vampires was Job One.

  With a resigned sigh, Nic pushed their pies out of the way, put his elbow down on the table, and grasped Ivan’s hand.

  Ivan gripped it tightly, placed his other hand on top of Nic’s, and spoke. “I, Ivan Cognovich, give my name’s oath not to kill either of you, to keep you safe as if you were my own, and to keep from harm your friend, Beth. Will you give me your oath?” Ivan asked, and removed his hand.

  Nic placed his hand over Ivan’s hand. “I, Nicodemus, give you my oath not to kill either of you, to keep you both safe as if you were my own, and to keep from harm your sister, Amy.”

  For a moment, they glared at each other, tensed as biceps flexed and knuckles whitened. Fiona and Annie held their breaths. Then they released their grips, having come to some fragile understanding.

  Time to get down to business. If they were going to do this, Nic wanted to take charge.

  “When do you want to move?” Nic leaned toward Ivan.

  “Tonight, if we can. They won’t be expecting it.” Ivan mirrored him as they bent their heads to plan the attack.

  “What weapons do you have?” Nic asked.

  “Only these.” Ivan held out his hands. “And the ones in my mouth.” His grin and wicked sense of humor flashed again.

  Perhaps he’d underestimated Ivan. There was definitely something powerful about him. Nic was sure the vampire would be a formidable opponent, and for now, he was glad Ivan was on their side.

  “Can you handle a sword?” Nic stared into Ivan's eyes.

  “Yes, but I’d prefer a crossbow if you’ve got one.”

  Fiona joined them in the huddle. “I have two, but both are small, with ten-inch quarrels. Easy to use in a small space.”

  “That’ll do. Have you got a sword for me, just in case?” Ivan asked.

  Nic looked at Fiona and shook his head. No way would he let Ivan use one of his swords. Working together was bad enough, but if the Council knew he'd armed one of the enemy...

  “Sure, I’ve got extras.” Fiona nodded.

  “You said I could carry a blade. What would that be like?” Annie asked her.

  “Well, I have a six-inch knife with a wrist sheath that should be fine for you. It attaches to your forearm, and the blade is spring-released into your hand when you need it.”

  “Great. How do I use it?”

  “Do you know that scene in the movie Psycho?” Annie nodded. “Just like that.” Fiona smiled. “You could stab or slash with this blade. It’s wicked sharp.”

  “Cool.”

  “We’ll use our swords and a few throwing knives,” Nic added.

  “That should be enough. With any luck, they won’t all be armed. Marcos thinks I’m going to give in and not put up a fight,” Ivan said.

  “Right. We need to go home, change, and pick up the weapons. Where should we meet you?”

  “Do you know the state park?” Ivan asked.

  “I know it.”

  “There is a pavilion at the back and a parking lot. Meet us there at…” Ivan checked his watch, and Nic recognized it as a stainless steel Tag Hauer. Expensive. The vampire had probably stolen it off a victim. “…eleven. That will give us time to gear up and get over there. I’d like to do some surveillance before we crash the part
y.”

  “Got you.” Nic rapped the table with his knuckles to signal the meeting was over. He slid out of the booth and began to pull out his wallet.

  “I got it.” Ivan waved Nic off.

  Fiona slid across the booth. Annie reached out and took her hand.

  “Thank you, Fiona. I’m sorry about your friend, but we were desperate.”

  Fiona nodded and then slid her hand from under Annie’s. She and Nic walked out of the House of Pies. They reached the car, got in, and Cho skittered up Nic’s arm.

  “So, what happened?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Nic muttered.

  “We’re doing the rescue, Cho,” Fiona told him.

  “I knew it. He’s sworn to help others. He can’t refuse.”

  “Really? I didn’t know that. Did you forget to mention that to me?” she asked Nic.

  “Can you just shut up, Cho?” He growled at his sidekick. Soon to be former sidekick if he didn't shut up.

  Fiona turned to Nic. “Did you notice when they touched you, they were warm?”

  “Yeah, I noticed.” He didn't mention to her he'd never touched one before.

  “Doesn’t that bother you?”

  Nic didn’t answer. He started the car and pulled out.

  “They’re not lizards, guys.”

  “What do you mean?” Fiona looked at Cho.

  “Vampires live off blood. This would make them warm-blooded. Lizards are cold-blooded.”

  “Cho, how do you know all this stuff?” Fiona chuckled.

  “I watch a lot of TV.”

  “You’re not following any soaps, are you?” she teased.

  “Hell, no. Just the nature shows on PBS.”

  For the rest of the drive, Nic was silent.

  — • —

  Annie leaned back in the booth and sighed. She rested her head on Ivan’s shoulder. “Oh God, I hope this works.”

  “We’ve got just two hours to get ready, baby. Let’s go.” Ivan stood, threw a twenty on the table, and stepped aside for Annie to get out.

  “Thank you for doing this. I know you’re risking a lot.” She gave his cheek a peck.

  She didn’t know the half of it. Once the Elders found out he helped kill Marcos and the others, he’d be marked for death and so would she. Killing an Elder was no small crime in their world, if you were caught. Although, he knew in the case of political coups, most deaths were ordered and executed without reprisal. It was the personal killings they’d wanted to stop. Without anyone knowing the truth about the male-female switch, this would fall in the “personal” category.

  He knew in exact detail what they’d do to him and Annie if they were caught. Beheading would be the easy way out.

  He shook off his thoughts as they headed out the door of the restaurant and began walking to the van parked several blocks away. As they reached the first corner, Ivan took Annie’s hand as they waited to cross. Looking up into the night through all the lights from the busy street, Ivan could just barely see the stars.

  “Annie, do you like the beach?”

  Chapter Nine

  Nic pulled the Jag into a parking spot near the pavilion. A single streetlight cast a soft glow over the white van parked beneath it.

  Nic and Fiona, dressed entirely in black, got out. Nic strapped on his sword. There was no way in hell he’d meet them here without a weapon. Cho rode on Nic’s shoulder as they headed over to the van.

  As they approached, Ivan, dressed in a black T-shirt and black jeans, stepped out of the van and closed the door. Annie, also in black, walked around the van and stood by Ivan. She gave Fiona a small, tentative wave of her hand in greeting, which Fiona returned.

  “That the vampire?”

  “Yeah, that’s him.”

  “He’ll come in handy in a pinch.”

  “Yeah.”

  Ivan walked up to the Jag and circled it, open admiration on his face. With a low whistle, he said, “325 horsepower. She’s sweet.” Ivan’s fingertips trailed over the hood in a caress any lover would have enjoyed.

  “He’s as bad as you are about cars, Nic.”

  “How’s she handle?”

  “Like she’s on rails,” Nic answered, leaning on his baby while fighting a grin of pride.

  “I suppose you wouldn’t let me take her for a quick spin.” Ivan raised an eyebrow.

  “That’s right.” Nic smirked. He never let anyone drive it, let alone a vampire.

  Ivan shrugged off Nic’s refusal. “Who’s your friend?” he said, pointing to the lizard. Cho, black-skinned to blend in with Nic’s clothing, flicked his tongue out at him.

  “This is Cho,” Nic said.

  “Is he your sidekick?”

  “He watches my back. I can trust him.” Nic stared at Ivan as they faced off.

  “Never did like lizards, or snakes for that matter.” Ivan shrugged, but his eyes were smiling. “They give me the creeps.”

  “I give him the creeps? He’s joking right?”

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Well, vampires make Cho nervous, so you’re even,” Nic replied.

  “You tell him, Nic.”

  Ivan nodded. “Fair enough. What did you bring us?”

  Nic pushed off the car and popped open the trunk. The light came on and illuminated an assortment of weapons crammed in the small space.

  “We stopped at Fiona’s and picked up a few things and then hit my place.”

  Fiona leaned over the side of the car and pointed to a small crossbow. “How’s that?”

  “Perfect.” Ivan picked it up, testing its weight in his hand. It was smaller than a standard crossbow and, because it was made of titanium, much lighter. The quarrels for it were about ten inches long and were snapped into a band worn on the bicep. “Should be enough to do the job. What about the sword?”

  “I brought one of mine,” Fiona said. “For a man your size, it should do well.” She reached into the passenger side of the Jag and pulled out a large sword.

  Ivan took it from her and drew it partway from the scabbard. “This is very fine.” Nic caught the glint in Ivan’s eye as he admired the weapon. “It’s been a long time since I used one of these.”

  “It uses a back scabbard.” Fiona held up the strap. Ivan returned the sword to its holder and then slipped the scabbard over his head to rest on his back and adjusted it.

  Nic’s hand rested on the hilt of his sword, ready to pull it if he needed to protect Fiona or himself. His trust only went so far, and there was no need to be stupid.

  Ivan reached over his right shoulder and drew the sword. Using both hands, he made several arcs, moving with ease and grace, and then he slid the blade back into its home.

  “Nice balance.” Ivan looked pleased. Nic let out the breath he held in a slow, silent exhale.

  Annie bounced on her feet. “Where’s the knife, Fiona?”

  “Here, pull up your sleeve and we’ll try it on.” Fiona attached the brace that held the blade to Annie’s forearm and then pulled her sweater down to cover it.

  “Now, if you bend your wrist like this, the blade is pushed into your hand.” She showed Annie the release, and the knife dropped into the pretty vampire’s hand. “From here, you can decide what hold is best for you.” Annie nodded and reseated the blade, and then wandered off a short distance to practice with the device.

  “I’m carrying two throwing knives. So is Fiona.” Nic pointed to his boots.

  “That is the biggest sword I’ve ever seen.” Annie pointed to Nic’s sword.

  “Not trying to compensate for any shortcomings, are you?” Ivan smirked.

  “He’s funny, I sort of like him.”

  “Shut up, Cho.”

  “No,” Nic clipped out.

  “Well, Fiona, what do you say?” Ivan turned to Fiona and raised his eyebrow.

  “I wouldn’t know,” she said.

  Ivan looked at Nic. “I thought she was your woman.”

  “I’m my own woman,” Fi
ona snapped and walked off. Nic had to control his wince at her words. The vampires didn't need to know what was going on between him and Fiona.

  “Ouch.” Ivan watched Fiona and then his glance came back to Nic.

  Nic glared at him. “Just what is that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing. Life’s short, you know.” Ivan looked at him.

  “Right. Four hundred and fifty years is too short?” Nic sneered.

  Ivan held his gaze. “Life was what I had before I was turned. Four hundred and fifty years is a fucking eternity of damnation.”

  Nic glanced at Fiona, her back to him as she spoke with Annie.

  “Damn. A vampire philosopher.”

  “Yeah. I guess he’s had a long time to think.”

  “You like him, Nic. I can tell.”

  “Shut up, Cho.”

  Once they were outfitted with their weapons, they prepared to leave.

  “Two vehicles or just the van?” Nic asked.

  “The van. More room, less noticeable,” Ivan reminded him.

  Before they got in the van, Ivan pulled Annie aside.

  “Annie, promise me. If anything goes wrong, you’ll do what I told you.”

  “I promise.” She smiled and touched his cheek.

  “And, please, stay out of the fray, my love. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.” Ivan pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. She gave him a quick hug.

  “Nic, don’t you want to tell Fiona something?”

  “Fiona?”

  She looked up at him. “Yeah, Nic?”

  “Be careful,” Nic said. She frowned and nodded.

  “That’s not what she needed to hear, buddy.”

  “You heard her. She’s not my woman.”

  “She wants to be. You just have to ask.”

  “First, I have to figure out what it is I’m asking.”

  “Buddy, if you don’t know, you’re just too stupid to live.”

  Nic ignored the lizard; he needed to focus on the upcoming job. Thinking about his and Fiona’s relationship during a battle to the death wasn’t good for anyone’s health.