Death Devours

by J. C. Diem

  Sanderson, desperate for a solution, grasped at the idea. “You’re talking about the group of vampires who escaped from the cavern in Russia?” I nodded unhappily. “Do you think they will agree to assist us?”

  I shrugged uneasily and Gregor had a more detailed reply. “If it is made clear just how dire our futures will become then the Comtesse may see reason.”

  Luc and Aventius exchanged a look of dread before they nodded after reaching a mutual agreement. “Call the mansion,” Luc decided quietly. “We need to put aside our personal grievances until after we have succeeded in killing the remaining disciples and their minions.”

  Gregor took out his phone but found he had no reception. Sanderson handed him a bulky phone that had a much thicker than usual antenna. I recognized it to be a satellite phone. Gregor dialled the Court mansion and was answered after a few short rings.

  “You have reached the Court,” a cultured female voice said in French.

  “This is Gregor McIver,” the most urbane of us announced. “I wish to speak to the Comtesse about a matter of grave importance.”

  The voice on the other end became hushed, as if she were covering her mouth in an effort not to be overheard. “Is this about the vampire uprising in Africa?”

  “It is.”

  After a short pause, the servant reached a decision of her own. “Please hold while I speak to the Comtesse.”

  None of us were surprised when the praying mantis made us wait several minutes before deigning to speak to us. At last, her voice came through the radio. “Lord Gregor, what is it you wish of me?” I wasn’t the only one to cringe at the sound of her voice.

  “Comtesse, thank you for taking my call.” Gregor could be very formal when he had to be and proved just how diplomatic he was. “Have you heard of our fledgling kin attacking villages in Africa?” We knew she had, the servant who had answered our call had confirmed it.

  “I have been advised of the matter,” the praying mantis said icily.

  “What you may not be aware of is that they were created by the First’s ten disciples.”

  “What are you talking about?” she snapped.

  “When Mortis killed the First, ten followers he created and later banished were freed from their forced captivity. Their leader, known as the Second, has intentions of ruling the world.” Gregor’s tone was dry and barely reflected our urgency.

  Clearly unwilling to embroil herself or her people in our mess, the Comtesse remained silent for long enough that I thought she wasn’t going to help us. “How serious is this threat?” she asked at last. I breathed a silent sigh of relief that she hadn’t simply dismissed our call. I might hate her guts but, like it or not, we needed her help.

  “Being the second generation of our kind, the disciple’s blood is far more virulent than ours,” Gregor explained. “Their fledglings are stronger, faster and more vicious than any modern day vampire. In less than two weeks they have created hundreds, if not thousands of our kind. We have just learned that they have attacked a town containing five thousand souls.”

  She might be evil but the Comtesse wasn’t stupid. Grasping just how quickly the fledglings would begin to spread if left unchecked, she reached her decision. “I will send as many of my people as I can spare immediately.”

  Gregor allowed his relief to show. “Thank you, Comtesse. Your assistance is much appreciated.”

  “I wish to speak to Lord Lucentio, if he still lives,” she said haughtily.

  I was on the move before Luc could even start in dismay. Snatching the satellite phone out of Gregor’s hand, I put on a burst of speed to get out of earshot before she could order Luc back to her side. “I’m sorry but Luc’s not available right now,” I said to her in a sickly sweet tone.

  “I suppose I am now speaking to the anorexic servant?” she said with utter disdain.

  “You suppose correctly.”

  Mutual malevolent hatred flowed from both of us. “He will belong to me again,” she declared softly in heavily accented English.

  “He will never belong to you,” I contradicted her.

  “You are quite wrong about that, servant. From the first moment I saw Lucentio in Italy so long ago, he was mine. When you are nothing but dust and a memory, he will be mine again.”

  “Why do I get the feeling you aren’t this possessive of all your sex slaves?” She’d made over a thousand of them over the millennia, both male and female. Despite the many other servants she had at her beck and call, she’d latched onto Luc like a terrier with a rat and wasn’t about to let him go without a fight.

  “Lucentio, as you are probably most aware by now, is special.” I didn’t like the suggestive smugness in her tone. “He is quite a…vigorous lover. He is the sort of bed partner that one never tires of.”

  Red crept into my vision and my hand tightened alarmingly on the bulky phone. “You will never get your remaining hand on him again. I promise you that.”

  The praying mantis lost all shred of pretend calm at my barb. “And I promise you that I will make sure that you lose everything and everyone you care about. If I can’t have Lucentio then no one will.” Her tone was vicious and she reverted to speaking French in her fury.

  “If any of my people are harmed by you or your servants, I will hunt you down and make you wish you had never been bitten by whatever idiot made you in the first place,” I promised her in return. I switched the phone off before she could retaliate then spent a few moments trying to regain control of my temper before heading back to my friends, allies and Nicholas.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Sanderson crooked a finger at me when I emerged from the jungle. The dead were already being seen to. The smell of burning hair and flesh was never lovely. Most of the men wielding the flamethrowers wore makeshift masks to block the fumes.

  I handed the Colonel back his phone when I reached him. “I’ve arranged for more soldiers to meet us at the last town that was attacked,” he told me. Tired and splattered with blood, he looked like he could use a solid twenty-four hours of sleep.

  “How many soldiers did you manage to round up?”

  “Five thousand of my countrymen will be here within two days,” General Merwe said. He looked just as weary and grim as his American counterpart.

  “I have another three thousand of my men on the way,” Sanderson said.

  “I hope some of them will be sent to wipe out any caches of fledglings we might have missed.”

  Rubbing his forehead in frustration, the Colonel nodded. “They’re bringing the equipment you suggested as well as weaponry that should be more suitable for taking down these creatures.”

  “What type of weaponry?” Geordie asked suspiciously as he reached my side. The rest of my friends ambled over as well with Nicholas trailing along behind them. Both Igor and Gregor were interested in the colonel’s response. Luc was more interested in my state of mind after my private conversation with the praying mantis. I smiled to show him I was fine and he relaxed minutely.

  Sanderson’s answer was vague. “They’re brand new, highly experimental guns and explosive devices that we haven’t tried out in the field as yet.”

  Astute as always, Gregor jumped to an accurate conclusion. “These weapons have been designed specifically to destroy our kind, I take it?”

  Put on the spot, the soldier was clearly reluctant to dig himself a hole that he wouldn’t be able to claw his way out of.

  “We can’t exactly blame them for creating weapons designed to eradicate us,” I said as he struggled to find a response. Sanderson shot me a grateful glance. “After seeing the imps in action and discovering that vampires really do exist, they’re naturally going to upgrade their weaponry.” Hadn’t any of these guys ever watched a vampire movie? Humans always came up with something nasty to take us down. We were lucky no one had whipped out an ultra violet light and tried to fry us to death.

  “We should get moving,” Igor interjected. “It is a long drive to our next destination
.”

  He had a valid point and Sanderson agreed. “We have plenty of vehicles to spare if you and your people wish to borrow any of our trucks.” He made the offer with only a hint of bitterness that so many of his men were now deceased.

  “Thank you, Colonel,” Gregor accepted graciously. He and Igor headed to the convoy to decide which mode of transportation would best suit us.

  We had just over a hundred kin left and all would need suitable cover during the day. Ishida stood with his back to me, sulking about basically being just one of the gang instead of an exalted leader. Kokoro was gazing in my direction. If she sent me any thoughts, I didn’t pick up on them.

  Aventius had taken charge of all of the Europeans. They clustered around him, glad that someone was stepping up to keep them together. I wondered why Nicholas didn’t join them and insisted on sticking with me. I almost felt sorry for him at the mistrustful glances he was receiving from pretty much everyone. My pity was squashed when he dropped his eyes to my chest.

  Catching the glance, Geordie stepped in between us. When his eyes also dropped to my chest, I took a look at what was so interesting down there. An expanse of white skin and the swell of both breasts were revealed through a long cut. Embarrassed at being exposed, I was glad my breasts weren’t actually popping out of the suit. “I’m going to change,” I told the small group around me.

  “You do not need to change on my account,” Nicholas said with what was probably supposed to be a sultry smile.

  “I’m not,” I told him bluntly. “I just don’t want you guys ogling my chest.” Geordie had the grace to look abashed but immediately ruined it with a giggle.

  Luc matched his steps to mine as I headed back towards the truck where I’d left my gear. “One escort will be enough, Nicholas,” he said coolly as the muscle bound vamp tried to follow us.

  I didn’t bother to look over my shoulder to see Nicholas’ expression. It would be sulky and annoying, as usual.

  “Are you alright?” Luc asked me as we jogged through the now deserted village.

  “I’m fine,” I lied. Stress had worked its way up my spine and into my shoulders. I was so keyed up that I was worried I’d stab anyone who accidentally surprised me.

  “What did you and the Comtesse talk about?”

  “You, of course.” He arched a brow at my short and undetailed reply. Hearing humans ahead, I slowed down and he adjusted his pace to mine. “She wants you back because you’re so good in the sack and there’s apparently no one else like you in the whole world.”

  Studying my unhappy expression, Luc took my hand and planted a kiss on my knuckles. “I would rather die than return to her bed. I might be the best lover she has ever had but you are the best I have ever had.”

  Both of my eyebrows tried to climb up past my hairline in surprise. As far as I knew, I wasn’t particularly all that talented in bed. “Why?” I had to ask.

  “Because I love you,” was his simple yet touching reply.

  I felt a smile lifting the corners of my mouth. “The Comtesse told me she found you in Italy. Where were you when she nabbed you?”

  Thrown by the change of topic, he frowned lightly. We reached the truck and found a soldier about to drive off with it. “I’m heading back to the main group if you want a ride,” the American offered. I nodded and leaped into the back of the truck. Luc joined me and I swung the door shut.

  “I have long tried to forget the night that my life was torn from me,” Luc said softly as he took a seat.

  “You don’t have to tell me if it’s too painful for you.”

  Taking my hand again, he ran a fingertip over the cross embedded in my palm. “I was the spoiled youngest son of a wealthy land owner. My life was extremely frivolous and mainly centred around drinking and wenching.”

  I sniggered at the picture of barely clothed barmaids his archaic term dredged up then sobered when he shot me a look. “Go on,” I invited him.

  “My friends and I were in the local tavern, having a contest of who could drink the most without losing consciousness.” His eyes went far away as he remembered back seven centuries. It didn’t surprise me how little men had changed since he’d been turned. “I was very drunk and had to step outside to relieve myself. One moment I was standing in the alley behind the tavern and the next I was deep in the forest.” I knew full well how frightening it was to black out and wake up somewhere else. I squeezed his fingers but remained silent, afraid I’d shatter the mood if I spoke.

  “It was dark but I knew I was not alone. A small white hand suddenly reached out to touch my chest. I jerked out of reach but found the creature behind me instead. ” I could just imagine the Comtesse cruelly toying with her newest servant.

  Unrolling my fingers that had clenched into a fist, Luc threaded his fingers through mine. “When I refused to run from her, she quickly tired of the game.” His face tightened at the seven hundred year old memory. “I never saw her face as she bit into my flesh. It was only when Monique took me to the Comtesse’s white palace that I knew it was she who had created me.”

  “I wish I could wipe that memory away for you,” I said in a low voice. Tears were threatening, or as close as I could come to tears.

  “Each night that I spend with you lessens the centuries of torment I suffered at the Comtesse’s hands.”

  It was utterly dark in the back of the truck but my night vision was strong enough to read his sincerity. “How would you like to lessen the torment a bit more?” I offered and waggled my eyebrows. My eyes dropped to his talented mouth and it quirked up in a smile.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Since my suit was ruined anyway, Luc tore it off me then lowered his mouth to my flesh. His teeth grazed my skin and I shuddered in both pleasure and alarm. “Be careful,” I said as he teased my nipple. “One of the fledglings was stupid enough to bite me and it didn’t end well for him.” Unfazed, Luc sucked as much of my breast as he could into his mouth. He stopped momentarily when I clarified my point. “My blood ate through his flesh like acid.”

  Halting what he was doing, Luc pulled back and stared at me intently. I was afraid to meet his eyes in case I saw fright or revulsion. Taking my chin in his hand, he angled it so that our eyes met. Instead of revulsion, I saw a hint of awe coupled with trust, as if I could somehow will my blood not to kill him in such a horrible manner. “Do not fear, Natalie, I am very practiced at this.”

  A frown furrowed my brow at the reminder of his four centuries of sexual bondage but it was smoothed away when his mouth came down on mine. All thought fled and my flesh hunger became paramount.

  Grappling and tearing at our clothing, we were finally naked. I barely even felt the cold metal floor of the truck against my back. Luc speared me with his gaze and then with his body. Drawing my legs back, I wrapped them around his waist as he plunged inside me.

  His teeth nuzzled my neck as if I was a human he was dying to feed from. He nipped me just hard enough to almost break the skin and I moaned in response. Turning his attention back to my breasts, his cold mouth closed over the tip and began to suck.

  As always, I was catapulted towards the edge of ecstasy with each stroke. Luc felt my body begin to tighten and increased his speed. A human would have been torn apart at the force he used but my moans increased in volume and intensity.

  Reaching my peak, my legs bore down and several bones snapped. Luc gave a shout of pain mingled with pleasure and collapsed beside me.

  “Oh my,” I heard Kokoro murmur from somewhere nearby. Geordie sniggered then he and Ishida were howling with laughter.

  Turning my head in horrified embarrassment, I discovered Luc attempting to hide his smug smile as his bones realigned themselves and popped back into place. I’d been so lost in the moment that I hadn’t realized we had reached the base again. “Kill me now,” I said to him quietly. Outside, Geordie shrieked even louder with laughter.

  “How do you suggest I accomplish that?” Luc asked me while trying to keep his face s
erious. “You are impossible to kill.”

  I rolled my eyes at the reminder then scrambled for a fresh set of clothing. Still embarrassed, I refused to leave the truck and face everyone who’d heard us having a not so intimate moment. Understanding my distress even if he didn’t share it, Luc opened the door just wide enough to toss everyone’s belongings out.

  “Aren’t we going to travel with you?” Nicholas complained.

  “Natalie wishes some time alone,” my beloved replied.

  “She’s just embarrassed because we heard her voicing her pleasure,” Geordie said cheekily. Ishida sniggered in agreement. Igor’s hand connected with the back of first one head and then the other. Silence immediately fell but it didn’t last for very long.

  “You dare to strike the ruler of the Japanese empire?” Ishida asked in a hushed tone that spoke of immense rage.

  “Someone needed to,” Igor responded without any sign of fear in his voice.

  “I am ten thousand years old! No one has ever dared to lay a finger on me before.” Ishida’s voice quivered just like any twelve year old that had been embarrassed in front of friends and strangers.

  “Congratulations,” Igor said dryly. “If you were five thousand years older, we would be the same age.” My mouth dropped open at the revelation that Igor was fifteen thousand years old.

  Ishida wasn’t impressed with the Russian’s age. “I demand your life for the insult you have given me.”

  Suddenly enraged by his snotty tone, I pushed the door of the truck open. Heads turned and eyes widened at whatever they saw in my face. Jumping to the ground, I stalked towards the gathering. Even Geordie quailed away from me instead of rushing to my side as he normally would.

  Coming to a stop in front of the child king, I stared at him until he caved in and tilted his head back to meet my eyes. “I travelled to your island to learn from you and your people because I’d heard how wise and powerful you were.” I hadn’t heard that at all but it served as a reminder that he was supposed to be civilized. “During the four months I spent with you, I thought we had become close to being friends.” His eyes flickered but didn’t drop. “Now I see the truth, that you consider us all to be beneath you. You want to kill one of my best friends because he did to you what he does to Geordie every time he acts like an idiot.” Geordie stirred at that but Igor’s glare prevented him from protesting. “I was wrong about you, Emperor Ishida.” My tone was sad rather than irate as my anger leaked away. “You’re not wise at all. You’re just a spoiled little kid with more pride than sense.”