by Julie Wetzel
“I’ll do it,” Elliot cut Darien off before he could continue. He knew Darien was low on blood at the moment. He wasn’t sure how much he had taken, but Elliot could feel the power from Darien’s blood coursing through his veins. Hopefully, it would be enough.
Darien nodded and stood up. He picked up the sword and looked over at Vicky and Jakob. “You may not want to watch this,” he warned.
Jakob nodded and wrapped his arm between Vicky’s legs and round her calf.
Vicky reached out and caught his other hand. She held it tightly and nodded.
Darien shrugged and turned towards Elliot. “Are you ready?”
Elliot nodded as he took up his position above Josh’s head. Pulling his sleeve back, he held his wrist out to Darien.
Grabbing it, Darien slid the sharp edge of the Damascus steel across Elliot’s skin. A line of blood ran down and dribbled across Josh as Elliot pulled it back and pressed the wound into the dead man’s mouth. Darien took up a stance straddling Josh about the knees. “Here goes nothing.” Darien slid his thumb down the blade, slicing it open. He pulled more magic from the world and ran the wounded down the fuller of the sword. “Dubhlainn…” he breathed the name of the sword.
The runes etched into the groove glowed with power, making Darien smile. He aimed the sword at Josh’s wound and carefully slid the sharp blade back into the cut. “Return what you have taken!” he ordered. The sword warmed in his hand but did nothing. “Ar ais an méid atá tógtha agat!” he tried again in Gaelic. This time, the swirls in the blade shone with light. “Please work.” Darien prayed as light shimmered down the sword and into the wound. He carefully pulled the sword out and dropped it to the floor. Covering the wound with his hand, Darien willed the flesh to heal. He looked up at Elliot and pulled his hand back from the sealed wound.
Elliot pulled his wrist from Josh’s mouth, but Josh didn’t move.
“No!” Jakob screamed as he turned his face into Vicky’s legs.
Darien crouched down, looking over his fallen friend. He placed his hand on his chest and opened himself up to check him. Power was swirling inside Josh, but it hadn’t yet found where it was supposed to go.
“You could try CPR,” Vicky suggested.
Darien looked up at her, confused.
“It’s worth a shot.” She shrugged.
Darien looked over at Elliot. The man had backed up from Josh’s head, holding his still-bleeding wrist.
“Here,” Vicky huffed, untangling herself from the distressed vampire wrapped around her leg. “Do the chest compressions, and I’ll do the breaths.”
Darien chuckled as he repositioned himself. “I know how to do CPR.” He placed his hands above Josh’s sternum and waited for Vicky to start.
She tipped Josh’s head back and pulled down his chin. Blood poured out from where it had pooled in his mouth. Vicky wrinkled her nose at the mess but sealed her lips over his and blew, filling Josh’s lungs with blood and air.
He coughed harshly and gasped as life flooded back into him.
Vicky jerked back as blood flew up and splashed across her face.
Josh’s eyes popped open, and he looked around, bewildered.
“Josh!” Jakob leaped to his brother’s side.
Darien just managed to get out of the way before Jakob lay across his brother in a crushing hug.
Shock rode Josh’s face as he wrapped his arms up around his tormented brother. He looked up at Vicky for an explanation.
“I’m so sorry.” Tears of joy spilled down her face as she wiped the blood droplets away.
He turned confused eyes to Darien.
“You just spent the last few minutes dead.” Darien smiled at him and patted his brother on the back. “Up,” he ordered.
Jakob slowly relinquished his hold on Josh’s body but claimed his hand, unwilling to let him go completely.
“Josh?” Darien asked.
“Master,” Josh answered him.
Darien placed his fingers on Josh’s chest and probed him. Everything seemed to be in the right place, but only time would tell if there was lasting damage or side effects. Getting a soul out of the sword was easy, but Darien had never succeeded in putting it back into its owner before. Someone must be smiling down on them today. The thought of God helping vampires made Darien’s lips curl in irony. “Come on.” Darien slid a hand in behind Josh and helped the confused vampire to sit up.
Jakob grabbed onto him and pulled him into a crushing hold.
Darien looked over them and sighed. He reached out and touched Jakob on the neck, opening his power back up to heal the wounds Travis had caused. After a few moments, he pulled back and stood up. Vicky caught hold of him as he staggered, lightheaded. He had used way too much of his power on top of the blood loss. They were all going to be in need of a good feeding soon.
“My life, My Lady.” Jakob reached out and wrapped his hand around Vicky’s ankle.
She looked down at him, confused.
“And mine,” Josh added.
Vicky could see that the confused man really didn’t understand what was going on, but if his brother was pledging to someone, he would, too. “Umm…” She stood there, shocked, unsure what they were doing.
“We will talk about this later.” Darien stood up looking around at the bloody mess around them. They were going to need to get out of here before some innocent bystander came in and found them. Bending over, Darien caught up his mostly clean coat and pulled it on over his ruined shirt.
“Master!” A call and the sounds of footsteps echoed up from the ramp.
Darien turned to see half a dozen people running towards them. He let out a relieved sigh and smiled at them. The cavalry had finally arrived with Harold leading the group.
“Thank God.” Darien sighed, looking over the mix of his and Elliot’s people. “Thanks for coming.” Moving to meet the incoming people, he held out his hand to Walter. Walter was the oldest vampire Darien had acquired and was nearly a master himself. Darien hadn’t expected the rugged man to join in on this fight.
“All you needed to do was ask, My Lord.” Walter bowed to Darien.
Darien smiled at him. “Thank you, my friend.” He looked over the faces in the group. “Thank you all.” A murmur of welcome came back to him.
“What would you have of us?” Walter asked as he surveyed the aftermath of the battle.
Darien turned to the depressing scene. “We need to get out of here.” He looked back to the group. “Go get whatever vehicles you brought. Allen, Josh, and Jakob are all going to need help out of here and a good supply of blood.” Several heads nodded and turned back towards the ramp to the lower levels. “Harold,” Darien called to the young man.
Harold stepped out of the group. “Yes, Master?”
“Do you remember the church where we first met?” Darien asked.
The young man nodded his head.
“Good. Take someone and load up Darecy’s body in his van. Drive it out to that church, and drag him to the center of the cemetery behind the church. Don’t worry about burying him. Beckett,” Darien looked at the only other male vampire in his kiss. Beckett was barely old enough to be called a man, despite the fact that he had been a vampire for nearly eighty years. “Go with them in case they run into trouble.”
Beckett nodded.
Harold grabbed Billy, a younger man from Elliot’s group, and the three went to deal with the dead man.
“And don’t linger in the graveyard!” Darien yelled after them.
Harold raised his hand in acknowledgement.
“You’re just going to dump him?” Walter asked, shocked.
Darien shot him a devious grin. “I have a friend out there who will take care of him for me.”
Walter’s mouth opened to ask, but he thought better and shut it.
Darien turned to look at what was left. Elliot had gathered up the loose swords and stood quietly waiting for Darien to finish. “Thank you.” Darien took his sword and wiped the blo
od off on his pants before sliding it back in the scabbard. He was really going to need to clean it well when they got home. The sound of cars drew his attention back to the ramp, and three vehicles pulled up and surrounded them.
“Let’s get the hell out of here.” Darien turned to collect Vicky and Zak. Weariness had started to creep into his bones, and he just wanted to find a nice, warm place to rest for a while.
“In other news, a bomb was discovered at the Christmas Village in Hyde Park last night. Two good Samaritans, who wish to remain anonymous, found the improvised device and pulled it apart mere seconds before it was remotely activated. Police have traced the number and are currently looking for this man—” A picture of a familiar face popped up on the television screen. “—Travis Darecy. He’s been linked to a few other attacks in the downtown area and should be considered armed and dangerous. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please call the tip hotline.”
Vicky turned to look at Rose curled up in one of the upstairs entertainment room’s armchairs in the menagerie’s home as they watched the early morning news. “I wouldn’t know how to pull a bomb apart.”
“It was easy.” Rose waved the amazing feat away. “I just yanked the wires out of the brick of C-4. It wasn’t made very well.”
“Well, thank you anyway.” Vicky smiled at the other woman. “I can’t believe the audacity of that man!” she huffed.
Rose let out a sigh. “What happened to him, anyway?” she asked. The police had detained her all night getting her statement and asking questions. She had just barely gotten home before dawn.
“He’s been dealt with,” Darien growled from where he sat on the far end of the couch. He stretched, tired from the long night.
Getting everyone settled had taken a lot more effort than Darien had thought possible. Once the call had gone out that Darecy had been stopped, everyone involved in the hunt descended on Lillian’s old home. Darien’s group had arrived to find over two dozen people ready to help with the injured.
The flourish of activity had woken Erin and Bridget, and Mary had encouraged the two little girls to visit. Once they had gotten over their shyness, the little girls raced around the house, squealing with delight. There were more than a few souls willing to play chase with them.
Overall, the night had gone pretty well. Allen and Jakob were both fully healed and fed. Josh was having a hard time dealing with the idea that he had spent part of the night truly dead, but his brother was staying close to him. The two men had, once again, offered Vicky their lives and followed her around making sure she wanted for nothing. Darien had finally gotten upset with them for being underfoot and had sent them to bed. They only agreed to leave after he promised that he and Vicky would remain there until the brothers rose again.
Darien had a shadow of his own throughout the night. Elliot was making sure Darien didn’t have anything to do. Every time Darien went to deal with something, the younger vampire was already handling it. He’d made sure everyone was fed, instructed Harold as to where to stow Darecy’s van until he could arrange for its disposal, and even managed sleeping arrangements for the oodles of people who were remaining for the day. Darien was truly grateful for Elliot’s help, but the stiff formality that had slipped into his demeanor was starting to grate on Darien’s nerves. He was going to have to sit the younger vampire down and have a long talk with him soon, but that could wait until he had rested.
“Are you ready for bed?” Darien looked over to where Vicky sat on the couch. After a long night of playing, Zak, Erin, and Bridget had all curled up in Vicky’s lap and were snoring away softly.
Vicky rubbed the blonde curls on the younger one’s head lovingly. “Yes.” She smiled up at Darien. “But I’m going to need some help here.”
Darien chuckled and stood up from his end of the couch. He scooped up the larger of the girls and let Rose claim the younger.
Bridget wrapped an arm around Darien’s neck and snuggled into him.
He rubbed her back soothingly as he followed Rose to the girls’ room. Pulling back the covers, he tucked the little girl in before turning to check on Rose tucking Erin in.
Rose checked on Darien’s work before following him out of the room. “You would make a good father.”
Vicky smiled at him from where she waited in the hall with Zak in her arms. “That he would.”
Darien wrapped an arm around her and kissed the side of her head. “Vampires can’t have children.” He gave Vicky a sad smile. “Besides, I wouldn’t know the first thing about children.”
“You’d figure it out fast.” Rose smiled at them. “The only difference between kids and pets is the ability to talk back.” She scratched her fingers into Zak’s fur.
“Then I should be well on my way.” Darien laughed and rubbed Zak’s head.
The small fay gurgled at him.
“Come on.” Darien slid his hand down Vicky’s back and turned her towards the bedroom Elliot had arranged for them. “It’s well past time for bed.”
“Good night, Master.” Rose waved goodbye and headed back into the den to sit for a while longer. Dawn was just starting to break, but the vampires in Darien’s kiss were in no danger of being pulled in by the power of the sun. Darien had opened all their connections up so they could draw on his strength freely. He found it odd having so many pressing on his mind, but after a few days, he would get used to it. It had been foolish to hold them at arm’s length when he had first acquired them. Had he not been so standoffish, one of them might have been more comfortable coming to him when they were having issues with the connection early on. Just that hint would have been enough to set Darien looking for the problem. They would have been able to find Darecy long before he finished stealing Darien’s power, avoiding this whole ordeal.
“Good night,” Darien called after her and led Vicky down the hall to their room. He shut the door behind him and turned the lock on the door. “Finally alone.” He leaned forwards and kissed Vicky on the lips. A gurgle rose up between them, pushing a chuckle from Darien. “Well,” he ruffled Zak still held in Vicky’s arms, “mostly alone.”
Zak sneezed his displeasure and leapt down from Vicky’s arms. Finding a chair, he shook out of his dog disguise and jumped up in it.
“You’re probably going to lose another pair of pants tonight.” Vicky smiled as she pulled the hem of Darien’s shirt from his waistband.
He let out a long-suffering sigh and pulled her into his arms. “Que será, será.” He smiled down at her. “I have others.” Vicky laughed as he leaned forwards and pressed a kiss to her lips. Darien was ready to push the rest of the world away for now. His powers were back and his people were once again secure. There was still much that needed to be addressed, but right now, he was just interested in the warmth of the woman in his arms. They could figure everything else out later. What would be… would be.
“Your plan didn’t work. He’s still alive.” A warm voice cut through the cold morning air. Two figures stood at the edge of the tree line, watching the lights going out in the house.
“How many of your plans have failed over the hundreds of years you’ve followed him?” A second voice crackled in scorn.
“You have a point.” The first one sighed.
“Fear not, I have other things set in motion.”
“Good.” The taller of the two figures turned to look at his companion. “I’ve tired of this world.”
“Soon you will get to go back.” The darker of the two growled in disgust. “But, remember our deal.”
“Of course.” The first voice sneered. “Everything had been arranged, just make sure he dies.” A flurry of feathers rustled out as the tallest of the pair shot into the air and disappeared into the growing dawn.
“Foul creature.” The second figure growled. He studied the quiet house for a minute thinking of its contents. Usually, he liked vampires, but this group was proving to be more of a pain than others.
“You’re end will come soon.” Th
e dark shape stepped back and melted into the shadows without a sound. Dead leaves skittered across the cold ground wiping away all traces that the pair had ever been there.
Well, here we are at the end of another book. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you. I’m still beside myself about this whole publishing thing. In the past, there were times when I fantasized about being a writer, but it was a passing fancy and never a real goal. At one time I had this great detective story I was all gung-ho about, but it never made it out of my head. It boggles my mind to think that this is my fourth published book. I pray every day that I don’t lose whatever I’ve found that leads me to these great stories.
But, of course, these stories would never happen without a whole lot of people behind me. The ladies at CTP are my heroes. They have supported and encouraged me every step of the way. They have dealt with my tantrums and demands with grace and help to bring these books together. There is also my family. I know we have argued over things involving the books, but thank you all for being there for me.
The last group I need to thank are my friends. The staff at HobbytownUSA, the racer guys from FRC, and all the people that have sat down and listened to me rattle on or complain about bookish things. Without your ear to bend, I probably would have exploded from frustration and excitement. Thank you.
Now if you will excuse me, I need to go back to my box so I can get the next novel ready. Thank you all for coming on this amazing ride with me!
Originally from Ohio, Julie always dreamed of a job in science. Either shooting for the stars or delving into the mysteries of volcanoes. But, life never leads where you expect. In 2007, she moved to Mississippi to be with her significant other.
Now a mother of a hyperactive red headed boy, what time she’s not chasing down dirty socks and unsticking toys from the ceiling is spent crafting worlds readers can get lost it. Julie is a self-proclaimed bibliophile and lover of big words. She likes hiking, frogs, interesting earrings, and a plethora of other fun things.