“Do you think Cap is all right?” He pulled the covers up over them. They rolled to face each other.
“I’m sure he is fine. I don’t know why they would send him to his room like that. It is odd, even for them. There must be something about him they sense. I’m sure they will let him out when they find nothing wrong with him. Is he a mix-breed, too?”
“No. His tests came back human. The unit wanted people they thought would be neutral in supernatural politics, human. Turns out it didn’t matter. The victims and criminals are supernatural, but humans are on their payrolls. I don’t see how we are any better than the regular police,” he said with disgust.
His emotions carried over to her. She was beginning to feel his frustration. The bond was binding them closer. She knew before long, they would share feelings across the metaphysical tie. She needed a distraction.
Pulling one leg over top of his hip and snuggling in closer to his body, Cassy tried to have as much bare skin touch as she could. It worked. David hugged her tight. The energy flowing over their skin felt warm, contented, and happy. She could feel the sun sapping her powers, but the bond left her with calm comfort. He kissed the top of her head and played with her long braid until she drifted off to sleep.
* * * *
“David, get up,” a male voice whispered in a hiss. A hard prod to his shoulder brought him out of sleep. The hiss had seemed like part of a dream. It was Cap with a finger pressed to his lips giving David a shushing hand signal. Cap went quietly to the door and waved for David to follow him.
Squinting at the clock on the night stand, David knew it was eleven. Cassy would not be up for hours yet. Cap made the gesture to follow him once more and eased out of the door.
David slipped on his pants and shoulder holster. It was uncomfortable without a shirt to act as a buffer. He did not want to keep Cap waiting. Something must have been very important or very wrong.
Out in the hall, Cap whispered, “Down the hall is a secret passage to the library below. We’ll talk alone there. Everyone seems to be in bed.”
David glanced down the hall. The centurion-style guards were gone. The entire second floor was perfectly silent. He went with Cap to the end of the hall. A panel in the wall swung forward to reveal a narrow spiraled stairwell.
“Where does this go?” David asked.
“It comes out behind the library fireplace,” Cap answered and took off. It was very dark, but David managed to keep up.
Cap popped the latch and opened the panel door at the bottom. He stood back to allow David to exit the stairwell before locking it back into place.
“Now, what is so important? When did they take the guards off your door? Why did they put them there to begin with?”
Cap gave him an evil grin and clapped his hands twice. One of the guards appeared out of thin air to David’s left. Before he could do anything more than gasp at being surprised, she hit him with a solid right-hook.
David reeled and fell. He was unprepared to take a blow and equally unprepared to break his fall properly. Several items on a small table scattered as it toppled over with him.
“What was that for? We’ve been friends for years. What’s with the ambush?” David was confused and angry.
“Did you think I was going to stand back and watch you screw that stuck-up bitch? Elsa, proceed.”
The blonde woman who looked nineteen years old kicked David in the guts. His air rushed out in a groaned guff. He felt as if he was being picked up by the head, but she didn’t lean over. Instead, she stood in front of him holding one hand out before her. She was levitating him. The other hand punched forward. A wave of energy issued from her. It sent David flying backward into a bookshelf. He hit his forehead on the metal and wooden ladder attached to a rail system. Blood stung his left eye. Laughter filled the room around him. The chilly tone tied David’s stomach into knots.
“You aren’t who you pretended to be all these years,” David managed to rasp. “Who are you really?” The idea of being lied to and used by this man sickened and angered him even more.
“I send you on a simple assignment, half-breed. And you couldn’t even do that. All you had to do was bring her to me and leave. I could have handled everything on the down low. But, no, you had to go sticking your dick in her. Was she a good lay? Humm?”
The look on Cap’s face distorted his features. David would not have guessed this was the same man he had served with for years. The knot in his stomach gave another hard twist. This imposter intended to hurt Cassy. During the day, she would be nearly helpless, an easy target. David mustered his strength to stand. He reached for his gun.
Another energy pulse slammed into him. He rose in the air high enough to hit the bottom of the upper floor’s walkway. He crashed back down to the floor and went up again. The second hit dazed him. He landed on the floor hard. The last thing he heard was Cap.
“Don’t worry, lover boy. I’ll be back to finish with you later.” Spit hit him in the face. The room swam in a swirl of colors before going dark.
* * * *
The sound of glass breaking and shouting woke her. Someone was pounding on the door. She reached for David, but he was gone. She looked around. He wasn’t in the room. Cassy scrambled for her clothes. She could feel his distress but could not tell where it came from. The bond was not yet strong enough. The door burst open as she buttoned her pants. She expected David, but it was Cap.
He shouted, “Forget the shoes! There’s a fire! Forget everything! We have to get out!”
“Where is David? We can’t leave him!” She saw David’s shirt and shoes on the floor. His pants were missing. So was his shoulder holster. His Browning lay on the nightstand, but the .45 was gone.
Cap grabbed her arm and pulled her out the door. He was a lot stronger than she remembered. She left the room with him. The hall guards were gone. David was not here, either. Cassy worried he might not know there was a problem.
“We have to evacuate the building. We’ll meet up outside! Now, get moving!” They ran the length of the hall before coming into a bright, sun-filled area. Cassy skittered to a halt to avoid the open space. Cap gave her a sharp jerk. She stumbled forward and dropped to her knees when the sunlight hit her. The pain was like knives stabbing at her from all sides. She could not breathe enough to scream. On all fours, she tried to get back into the shadows of the guest rooms hallway. Cap grabbed her by her braid, dragging her to the spiral staircase. She could feel her skin starting to sting and smolder. At last, she was able to gasp and gulped down as much air as she could. It was like drinking the sunbeams. Jagged glass might as well have gone into her lungs. The rays sapped what physical strength she had. She was like a child dragged screaming by its mother.
The open stairwell allowed the radiant sun to fill the entire entrance hall. The sunken indoor courtyard luminesced with brilliant filtered light below. There was nowhere to go, no way to hide. Her only hope was to get back up the stairs or into the darker dining hall beyond the palm lined court.
Cassy grabbed the railing and attempted to get her legs back under her. It was hard to do with each stair falling away one after another. No sooner would her foot find purchase than Cap drug her further down, causing her to stumble again. The scene replayed over and over until they were halfway down. She managed to get a knee on the stair above and a foot on the one below. Before she could get balanced on the handrail, another jerk pitched her forward.
He threw her the rest of the way down the stairs. She rolled to a stop just past the last step. She tried to crawl under the nearest table for relief. A foot landed in the middle of her gut before she reached her goal. All the sharp air left her body in a harsh huff.
“Where do you think you’re going, Princess?” He sneered. He bent down with his hand on his knees, talking to her like a small child. “I’ll tell you where, outside.”
Tears rolled down her face. She managed to ask, “Why are you doing this?”
“Because, you bitch, you rui
ned my life! And now, I’m ending yours.” He grabbed her ankles and headed for the front door. She clawed at anything she could to slow her progress.
She screamed, “Who the hell are you? What do you want?” Her mouth was parched. The sobs she could feel building up inside her stuck in her dry throat. Her tongue burned with thirst.
“I’m Gregory, son of Baron Peter Dubrovsky, grandson of the House of Romanov. But that doesn’t matter to you, Princess. Does it? You stuck-up whore. You’d screw a damn mutt and bond him, but not me. You wouldn’t even meet me. Now I’m aging. I’m not vampire enough to be immortal. None of the others would take your cast-off. What if you changed your mind later? Daddy Dearest made me just for you like a damned plaything. Well, this plaything has teeth. Just ask the Russian clan.” He paused. He pretended to think.
“Oh, that’s right! You can’t!” He laughed. “The revolution was the best damn thing I ever did after The Fall. It got rid of the whole Russian gene pool.”
It took a second to sink in and for her mind to piece together what she had just heard. Her father and brother did not cause The Fall. This monster standing before her did. The Russian human and vampire nobles were not victims of the Bolshevik revolt. They were the targets, just like he planned to frame her family for The Fall. That was what Erica had discovered. The documents implicating them were false, and this man bore the blame.
“Night above, it was you! You murdered Erica,” she almost whispered. She screamed and kicked at him. “Help me! Please, somebody help me!”
With the sun still up, she was too weak to do much good. The kicking was more like useless flailing. It did nothing but make him grip harder.
He laughed. “You think anyone can hear you? They’re all down at the nursery complex. There’s a fire all right. It’s just not in the main house. Their abominations are in danger. Wouldn’t want all the little science experiments to roast, now would they?”
“David! David, please! Help me!” She could feel a thin thread coil away from her body searching for him. She could not find him. Either he was not in the house, or he was too injured to respond. “What did you do to David?”
“He’s busy bleeding in the library. That secret passage behind the fireplace mantel and the second floor guest quarters was real handy. The mutt went down with only a few blows. He’s a good cop, but a lousy boxer. The fool didn’t even get to his gun. He took a beating from a little girl,” he chuckled.
He shoved the door open and flung her down the stone steps. The skin on her arms began to blister. She was burning. A scream ripped from her, shattering the brilliant, peaceful day.
“Burn in hell, bitch! Burn for all the things you took from me,” he spat.
He pulled an oak executioner’s stake from his waistband. He lifted it above his head, ready to plunge it into her chest. “They promised to turn me after you had your fun. I would have been a real vampire then. But you took that, too. I’m just a freak. But I’ll get rid of the rest of you freaks before I go!” He started driving the stake down. She could see it as if everything were in slow motion. A shot rang out.
Partway down, he froze in place. Blood poured from his mouth and a dark red blossomed on his chest. His eye rolled up to stare at the sky. He fell first to his knees, then off to one side. Everything went dark as a heavy quilted coat covered her upper body. Someone shouted into the house. She could feel herself levitate off the ground and float along like a raft towed behind a much larger boat. The doors shut with a heavy ka-clack. It was the last thing she remembered.
* * * *
“David! David, please! Help me!”
A hot stinging finger caressed his face. He came to enough to see a thin mist make its way to his ear. He could hear her panic and feel a shadow of her pain. The thread had linked them. He rallied strength and lifted himself off of the floor. There were a few broken ribs, and he was sure he had a concussion.
Her screams were echoing through the house. Why was no one rushing to help her? Why could he hear her and no one else could? He had to get to her. The house was enormous. He was not sure how to find her.
The answer came. A tugging behind his navel led the way. Shambling as fast as he could, he got to the entry way in time to see Cap toss Cassy out into the bright sunlight. Her ear-splitting screams sent a blinding stab of pain through his head. He went down on all fours but didn’t stop. He crawled into the entryway. It took a moment to recover his vision.
David heard Cap tell her to burn in hell. He saw an executioner’s stake rise above Cap’s head. Without another thought, David pulled his gun from the shoulder holster, took to his knees, and fired. He watched Cap go down.
Mills rushed forward and threw his jacket over Cassy. A witch in a pink gossamer gown ran across the yard behind him. She shouted into the house for help and made an intricate hand gesture.
Cassy levitated off the ground and floated inside. The witch lowered her into the nearest shadow. Mills shut the doors with a heavy ka-clack.
Knowing Cassy was safe, David collapsed again.
* * * *
When she woke, a blurry figure sat in the chair next to her bed. Her head pounded like a hammer was banging around on the inside. The room was dark except for the light from the fireplace. It gave everything a warm glow and made the shadows dance as the flames flickered.
There was enough light to see her arms. They were willowy thin, creamy pale, and perfect again. She blinked a few more times to clear her vision. She wanted to see David sitting with her better. A lump formed in her throat and tears threatened to spill over. David was not here.
“Welcome back to the real world. Father is really, really pissed at you,” Max said. He was looking at his fingernails rather than at her.
Chapter 13
“Max, do not be so harsh,” slinked a more formal bell-like feminine voice from the doorway. Long, rustling petticoats under heavy silk brocade could be heard as the woman moved.
“She has been unwell. You should be more kind.” Elisabeta came into the light and sat on the end of Cassy’s bed. She shifted her waist-length auburn hair over one shoulder. “Please forgive your brother. It has been a very trying few days.”
“Few days? Did you say days? As in plural?” Cassy’s voice was horse, her tongue thick and clumsy. She attempted to sit up but had to lie back immediately. Her head spun. The room swirled in a kaleidoscope of colors. The red velvet bed curtains blended with the dark woodwork.
“I need a drink and for the world to hold still. Where’s David?”
“The drink you can have now. You are not well enough for visitors yet,” her slender sister-in-law instructed.
A glass of warm, thick, red liquid with a straw seemed to appear out of nowhere. Cassy did not see from where she produced it. The scent wafted her way, dropping her fangs. Blood. Sweet, whole, fresh blood. Cassy gave a timid pull on the straw. The sip coated her mouth, bathed her tongue. The feel of it brought a need to finish the glass. When she was done, she felt better. It took two more attempts to sit up. The room stood still after another glass. By the third, Cassy wanted to stand.
First one foot touched the Persian rug by the bed. She tried her weight. It held her steady. She put down the other and climbed out of the bed. The white silk gown tangled around her body, restricting her movements. She wanted to rip it loose and run from the room. There was a hole in her life. She needed to find her missing piece.
She gave them a stern look and repeated her question. “Where is David?”
“He is not your concern anymore. Leave him to Father,” Max ordered. “You never did know what was good for you.”
Cassy hissed at him from between her teeth. She turned to Elisabeta, giving her a cold, determined look. “Do you know where he is? Liz, you know I’m going with or without your help. He is mine, and I will claim him,” she said with a determined ferocity.
“I have seen that look before, Cassandra. It comes from being a conquering Dracul. There is no point refusing,” she sighed.
“No! You will hold your tongue. Father’s wish is our command. He said she was not to see this man. He wants to speak with her before she sees anyone,” Max ordered. “She has to pay!”
“Oh, bite me, Max. I know a woman’s determination better than you,” she said. He looked at his wife with shock. Cassy imagined her own face to be similar to her brother’s. Elisabeta was brought up to be as much a servant as a wife. This was out of character for her.
“If not for her, we would still be sucking down quicksilver-poisoned food. She can go where she pleases, and I will go with her.”
“No, you will not. You will obey me,” Max demanded.
“Did you say quicksilver?” Cassy was puzzled. This did not make sense.
“Before Father executed Gregory, he extracted a great deal of information from him. Come to find out, he was having Elisabeta and my food poisoned with mercury. Even the fresh donors were given small amounts. It would not kill us, of course, but it stopped us from conceiving. He planned to blame us for The Fall and cause a second collapse amid the scandal. It would have ruined us, and maybe brought about our execution.”
“Gregory? I saw him shot in the chest. He died. How could Father have executed a dead man much less have gotten information?” If Cassy was puzzled before, she was outright confused now.
“He was almost a full vampire, sister. Think. Would a single standard bullet to the chest kill you or me?” He waited for an answer as if she were a school girl.
“No. Not if it didn’t obliterate my heart. So, he started healing. I can’t say I’m sorry to hear he’s dead. Now, where is David?”
“In the stables locked up.”
“Liz! I said hold your tongue,” Max fumed.
“And I said bite me. I will no longer live as though this were the 1500s. I am sorry about this, my love, but you leave me no choice,” Elisabeta apologized in advance. She balled her fist and punched him hard enough to knock him out with the single blow.
Scion's Freedom (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 11