“Why did you give them your father’s name?” she asked suddenly.
He hesitated, not wanting to add to her fear.
“Kanati?” She pressed. They stopped walking and she turned to face him, staring up into his eyes.
“When they came into the store, they asked Acabo if he knew me,” he finally admitted.
She drew in a sharp breath. “They asked for you by name?”
He merely nodded.
“How do they know you?”
“I have no idea,” he said, wiping a tear from her cheek. “But it doesn’t matter. They are gone now.”
Selu walked up the stairs and through the door with Kanati supporting her. She collapsed in a chair by the door, still sobbing. How could he be so stupid? He nearly got himself killed. What would she do if he died? The thought of it terrified her more than the thought of being abducted by those horrible men. He could’ve went for help, could’ve given the Talwa a few more moments to come to the rescue. Surely, he knew his tribesmen wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her right there in the middle of the street.
“What happened?” Taima asked, emerging from her bedroom on unsteady legs.
“Bad men trying to do bad things,” Kanati answered, not prying his eyes from hers as he held her hand.
“Those men we told you about the other day. They came to the store this morning,” she explained.
“Are you hurt?” Taima asked Kanati, coming to join them.
“No, but only by the grace of the gods,” she answered for him. “He tried to take them all on with a knife.”
“I was defending your honor,” he said, wearing a confused look. “Would you have me stand by idly while they pawed at you?”
“Defending…” Taima interrupted. “Why were you out there?”
“I went to surprise him at work,” she answered, gesturing to her husband.
“But you’re in no condition to go traipsing off by yourself,” her aunt insisted.
Selu glared at her. “I may be pregnant, but I’m still quite capable of looking after myself.”
“Sounds like it,” she replied with a snort.
“How was I supposed to know those men would be there?” she asked, struggling to keep her anger under control. Why were they suddenly treating her like a child?
“It doesn’t matter,” Kanati quickly stepped in. “The important thing is that you are safe now.”
“But for how long?” she asked, burying her face in her hands.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Taima asked, her gaze shifting rapidly between the young couple.
“They knew his name, Auntie,” she replied in a whisper. “I think they came here looking for him.”
“How is that even…,” she paused, a stricken look sweeping across her weathered features. “Were any of them from the school you escaped from?”
“No,” Kanati said, shaking his head. “That day at the pond was the first time I’d ever seen them.”
“Even still, it could’ve been the school that sent them after you.”
“No, I seriously doubt that,” he said, visibly shuddering. Selu wondered what he was thinking about that could cause such a reaction. “Besides, it has been months since I left there, why would they only come for me now?”
“Could I have some water?” Selu asked. Her crying jag had left her feeling parched.
“Of course, my love,” he answered already moving into the kitchen.
She watched him ladle out a cup of water from the large pot on the stove, the events of the morning still replaying in her mind. She could still see the toothy smile of the one who had grabbed her. In her mind, he seemed larger than life. That smile held far too many promises of unpleasant things.
Her eyes drifted to the window as her husband walked by it to bring her the cup in his hand. That horrible smile was still there, it lay beneath excited eyes, boring a hole into her from the other side of the window. She leapt to her feet. It wasn’t a memory or a figment of her imagination. He was there.
“Kanati,” was all she could manage as she pointed at the window with a shaky finger.
He whirled just as the man disappeared from view, but Kanati had seen him.
“Take your aunt to the back room and hide,” he said, rushing to the corner where his rifle rested.
Before he could reach it, the front door burst open and all hell broke loose. Men poured into the house, weapons drawn.
“Don’t even think about it,” Horace yelled at Kanati, pointing a rifle at him.
“Git o’er thare and stand nix to yar woman,” Mickey said.
“Are you sure this is him?” Sean asked of the leader.
“Quite sure, he matches the description perfectly, right down to being married to a beautiful young lady,” Rich answered.
“He only paid for the boy,” Kurt said. “Should we leave the women be?”
“Oh, hell nah,” Mickey answered quickly. “I ain’t never seen no red tail that purdy, you think we’s jus’ gonna let ‘er go?”
“That one’s too old to be much good for anything,” Gordon observed, pointing at Taima with the end of his pistol. “But I bet the other one will fetch us a pretty penny.”
“After we’er dun wit ‘er though right?” Mickey said with a snicker.
“Of course,” Rich answered with a nod.
Selu turned to stare at Kanati, who still stood frozen, his hand extended toward his rifle. She mentally urged him not to do anything foolish. It was broad daylight. There was no way they could bring them out of the house without alerting the rest of the Talwa. If he could just be patient, these men would be dealt with…permanently.
“How much time we got?” Sean asked.
Rich pulled a watch from the pocket of his vest and flipped the cover open. “It’s still a good three hours before sunset.”
Selu’s hopes fell. With cover of night, they may well be able to make off with them in tow.
“It sure would be easier if we could wait until then,” Horace echoed her thoughts.
“Yes, but we had explicit instructions,” Rich said, rubbing his chin. “We have to be far from here before the sun goes down.”
“Do we got time fer one go round with ‘er before we git?” Mickey asked.
Before anyone could answer, Kanati was in motion. He sprang forward, knocking the pistol from Sean’s hand before delivering a crushing blow to his chin using his elbow. He jumped on Mickey, locking his knees around his waist as he rained down blows to his face. Selu and Taima reacted at nearly the same time, darting into the kitchen. They both grabbed knives. Selu brandished hers and dropped into a defensive crouch, but Taima held hers by the blade.
Rich stepped up and hit Kanati in the back of the head with the butt of his rifle. He went limp and fell to the floor in a sprawl. Mickey staggered back and forth as he recovered from the fierce beating he had just endured. He shook his head vigorously and drew back his foot to kick Kanati when suddenly a bone handle appeared in the front of his throat. Taima had thrown her knife with deadly accuracy. Horace sprinted at her and drove a shoulder into her chest, sending her flailing into the wall behind her. She crashed into it with a scream of pain. Before she could even fall to the floor, he had his own knife out and slit her throat from ear to ear.
“Auntie!” Selu screamed in horror.
“Drop the knife,” Rich commanded, pointing his rifle at her.
She swiped at Horace as he stepped in to disarm her. A red line sprang up on his forearm and he cursed loudly, trying to staunch the flow of blood.
Rich cocked the hammer back on his rifle. “I said to drop it. There’ll be no further warning.”
“He’s dead,” Sean said, kneeling beside Mickey’s body.
“Leave him,” Rich said with a grunt. “It’s going to be hard enough to get out of here unnoticed as it is.”
He stared at the ceiling for a long moment, then let out a long breath before saying, “Gordon, tie him up. Horace, go fetch a couple of bla
nkets from their rooms.
“Tie him up?” Gordon protested. “But we only need the head. We can take that here.”
“The plan has changed,” he spun on him. “I want him to suffer. I want him to watch what we do to his wife as punishment for killing poor Mickey.”
“You are one sadistic son of a bitch, you know that?” Sean said with a laugh. “I think that’s why I like you so much.”
“I can’t believe that old man was willing to pay so much just to off some savage,” Horace said. “What do you think he did to piss the codger off?”
“That is not my concern,” Rich replied with a shrug.
“So, how do you want to do this?” Sean asked.
“We’ll take them out one at a time and rally back over the hill where our horses are,” he said, closing the gap between him and Selu. “And what are the chances that you won’t scream the minute we get you out that door?”
He stared hard into her eyes. “That’s what I thought,” he said, before rendering her unconscious with another swing of his rifle.
Chapter Twenty-One
Niccolo awoke, but didn’t rise. Lying on his back, he slid his hands behind his head and studied the ceiling of the cave. Pavlo still hadn’t returned. Was he truly gone from his life? As irritating as he could be at times, he still missed his old friend dearly. He was shocked by the realization of just how much he had come to depend on the companionship. He had been alone for so long, he didn’t think it was possible for him to become so attached to another vampire. Yet, there was no denying the gaping hole he felt for the loss. He debated whether or not to search for him, but decided that when or even if, Pavlo wanted to see him again, he knew where to come.
Pulling himself to his feet, he dusted off his clothing before walking to the mouth of the cave. He surveyed the land below, his eyes flitting over the charred rocks that were the last reminders of the group of trophy hunters who had turned his life upside down. He hadn’t even had the energy to go see a play, choosing instead to spend nearly every waking hour waiting for Pavlo’s return. He’d only left once and that was to feed. Though the blood of his attacker’s had served to help him survive, there wasn’t enough life left in it, to completely heal himself. No, only the fresh blood of a human could do that. He’d chosen his meal hastily, not wanting to be away from the cave any longer than he had to be. The first ghost he happened upon was snatched from the streets and drained in an alley.
Scanning the area with his mental fingers, he found no traces of Pavlo’s presence. He let out a sigh and returned to the interior. It was time he quit waiting. It was time to move on with his life, or at least what passed for life in his world.
Grabbing his backpack from along the wall, he rummaged through it until he produced a rumpled piece of paper and a pen. He spread the paper on the floor, smoothing it as flat as he could manage and began to write.
Dearest Pavlo,
If you are reading this, then my prayers have been answered. As you can see, I’ve kept all of your worldly possessions safe while you were away. Fear not, I shall return shortly. Please, wait for me. We have much to discuss.
Sincerely,
Niccolo
He read over the letter again. Short, sweet and to the point, he thought. Placing the sheet of paper in the center of the floor, he placed a rock over one corner to make sure it didn’t move should the autumn winds blow into the cave. A noise from behind him, made him whirl, ready to attack.
“Relax, my dearest Nick, ‘tis only I,” Pavlo said, holding his hands up in a show of surrender. “I have returned, abashed, but unafraid to make amends.”
“You have nothing to make amends for, old friend,” Niccolo said, moving to embrace him.
Pavlo returned the embrace, squeezing him tightly. “I beg to differ. My reaction was deplorable, and each night I stayed away only exasperated the situation.”
“None of that matters to me,” Niccolo said, pulling back so their eyes met. “I’m just glad you finally came home.”
“Home, you say?” He laughed. “I hadn’t given it much thought, but I suppose that is what this cave has become to us. You deserve a palace, but just being in your presence makes this filthy den seem like the bedchamber of the finest of nobles.”
Niccolo just smiled at him and turned to retrieve the note he had left.
“What have you there?” Pavlo asked, pointing even as he crumpled up the note.
“You just caught me,” he answered, flicking the wad to the back of the cave. “I was about to head out and was just leaving a note in case you came back while I was away.”
“Off to visit your protégé?” he asked, one eyebrow raised.
“No, I have no more time for Kanati. He deserves more than the life I offered. I was planning to visit the city, but we don’t have to make the journey if you’d prefer to stay and talk.”
“Well, my timing appears to be even more impeccable than I would have thought possible,” he said with a mischievous grin.
“How so?” Niccolo asked, instantly wary.
“I’ve arranged a surprise for you. A token offered in hopes that you will overlook my deplorable behavior and hasting the healing process for the bond between us, which has surely been injured as a result of all of this…foolishness,” he said, waving his hands as he spoke.
“Though the sentiment is appreciated, I can assure you, it isn’t necessary. I, for one, would like—“
“But, you have yet to hear what the surprise is,” Pavlo interrupted in a pouty voice. “You can’t summarily dismiss the present without ever knowing what it is. Besides, I worked very hard to put it together.”
“Ah, that would be quite rude of me,” he admitted. “Pray tell, what entertainment have you line up for us this evening?”
“Come,” he said, striding toward the mouth of the cave. “I shall show you.”
“Pavlo,” Niccolo started to protest, but his friend had already taken flight.
He shook his head, launched himself into the air and quickly caught up to him.
They soared through the air at a lazy pace. Niccolo tried to guess their destination, but Pavlo constantly seemed to be making minor corrections to their course. Finally frustrated enough to lose his humor, he used his mental fingers to probe for some clue as to their destination.
“Get out of my head, Niccolo Rasetti,” Pavlo said, grinning maniacally at him over his shoulder. “I will not have you ruin such a wonderful surprise by sneaking a peek at my thoughts.”
“Very well,” he grumbled. “Can we at least speed up our journey? The anticipation is killing me.”
Pavlo’s laugh echoed from the clouds as he pushed himself faster. They continued the trek, now travelling at a breakneck pace. When he finally plummeted out of the clouds, it caught Niccolo by surprise. He overshot him and had to circle back. The first thing he spotted when he broke into the open was a large single-story house sprawled on top of a hill. It was the only structure for as far as he could see in any direction. His friend stood near the stairs, beckoning to him. He probed the house with his mind. Ten souls occupied the structure, but something was amiss. He landed next to Pavlo with questions on his tongue and ice gripping the base of his neck.
“What have you done?” he asked in a whisper.
“Where to begin…,” he replied, rubbing his temple absently. “First I managed to secure this house and about hundred acres in the process.”
“How—“
Pavlo silenced him with a wave of a hand. “It comes equipped with a spacious basement that I’ve taken the liberty of having modified to ensure not even the slightest hint of sunlight can penetrate its dark depths. The elderly gentleman who owned it signed the deed over to us just moments before his demise. He referred to me as the son he never had or something along those lines.”
“I’m sure,” Niccolo said, unable to mask the disdain in his voice.
“Secondly, I searched long and hard for just the right cattle with which to stock it,” h
e continued, motioning toward the house. “Rest assured, they are ghosts, each and everyone.”
He shook his head. “Have you already forgotten my stance on pets, let alone owning a stable?”
“Ah, but I assumed your qualms sprang from some inane need to prevent the undue suffering of human society’s downtrodden. I assure you, that is not the case among those I’ve collected.”
“What’s wrong with them?” Niccolo said, still probing. “Their minds are all but blank.”
“I know,” he smiled proudly. “Is it not wonderful?”
“I’ve never experienced anything quite like it.”
“It was the strangest thing,” he said, nodding thoughtfully. “I was fully prepared to glamour them, but when I locked their gaze and attempted to impose my will, they…well, you can feel the result. They are perfectly docile and receptive to any command as long as it is not too complex.”
“A new skill, then,” Niccolo said, pondering the implications. “Most of my unique talents have manifested themselves in much the same way.”
“As it was with me, but to be honest, it had been so long since anything new happened in that department, I was caught wholly off-guard.”
“And you are positive they are all ghosts?” he asked, the desire to feed growing steadily.
“Well, they were,” he replied with a shrug. “Now, they are living breathing dolls to be played with for our amusement.”
Niccolo cocked his head to one side as a fragment from their reunion floated to the surface of his subconscious. “Now I understand the off the cuff comment you made about the cave being our home.”
“Yes, a gentleman of your caliber should never have to sleep in the dirt,” he said, nodding. “As you can see, I’ve remedied that situation with all the panache you have come to expect in gifts from yours truly.”
“Indeed you have,” he said with a chuckle. “Shall we?”
“By all means,” he said, gesturing for him to go first. “I am simply famished.”
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