by Nina Bangs
Jenna had lots of questions bubbling up from her bottomless well of curiosity, but she figured now wasn’t the time to ask them.
As they left the room for the dimly lit club, it was tough for Jenna to make out expressions, but both Jude and Al looked worried.
“I hope she’s at least half decent with a sword. My reputation will take a major hit if it looks like I was so bad I lost to a human.” If Jude wasn’t a big bad vampire, Jenna would have said he was pouting. “Any perception of weakness on my part will bring challengers out of the woodwork when I get back to Houston. Not that any of them would have a chance, but I have better things to do than humiliate losers.”
That’s what Jenna liked about Jude, he was such a humble guy.
Al had other worries. “Once my soul takes over, I’m still in control, just…” He seemed to be searching for the right word. “less so. I don’t think like a human. So any decisions I make might not be completely appropriate.”
Jude smiled. “In other words you think like a prehistoric predator loose in a candy store. All that prey trapped in one spot. The temptation must be unbearable.”
Al looked relieved that someone understood him. Jenna was feeling a little miffed. She understood. Then she took a good look at Al and Jude, thought about what they were, and realized she could never understand their urge to kill. Did that make her totally incompatible with Al? Probably. Did it matter to her? No.
Kenny beckoned them from the center of the floor, where a floodlight formed a large circle. Vampire eyes bright with excitement shone from the darkness around the ring.
This was so far out of Jenna’s experience, she couldn’t wrap her mind around the reality of it. She turned to Jude. “Why am I here?”
“Lia is human. I thought she should have a human to cheer her on.”
“And?”
He looked almost embarrassed. “She’s grown up knowing only vampires. I thought you might give her more of a…human perspective on things.”
Jenna smiled. “Well, well. Is that a spot of kindness staining all that wicked vampire darkness?”
He looked insulted. “No. I don’t do kindness.”
“It’s time to begin.”
Kenny’s announcement ended the discussion. They turned to watch as he stood in the pool of light.
“The challenge for leadership of the Northeastern Vampires is about to begin.” Any fear Kenny was feeling for the safety of his daughter wasn’t showing. “Lia Colaccio challenges Jude.”
“No last name?” Jenna scanned the darkness looking for Lia.
“Last names aren’t important.”
“Which means yours is very important.” Al seemed to accept Jude’s avoidance policy as no big deal.
Since all of the Eleven had the same last name, Endeka, she understood his thinking.
Kenny took a deep breath, which Jenna found strange for a vampire. Maybe it was just a remembered human reaction to stress. Even in this bizarre and frightening situation, she couldn’t turn off her curiosity. She’d have to ask Kenny about what happened to human reflexes he no longer needed.
“When the challenge ends—”
Challenge? He made it sound so civilized. She wondered why he didn’t call it exactly what it was, a barbaric fight to the death. Fine, so political correctness wasn’t her strength.
“The winner may allow the defeated to live or may kill him or her without consequences.”
Jude grunted. “Like hell, no consequences. If the little bitch managed to destroy me, my organization would have this whole city drowning in vampire blood within hours. Unlike Katherine, who never allowed anyone control but herself, I have a well-oiled machine in place to take over.” With that threat hanging in the air, he strode toward the circle of light.
Al glanced around. “I have plenty of headroom as long as I’m close to the circle. The vampires will need every bit of their preternatural speed to get out of my way if I free my soul.”
No one was paying any attention to them. Everyone was focused on the circle of light. “I wonder why no one seems to be afraid of you? Some of these vampires had to have been at the church when Katherine bought it.”
He shrugged. “We’re not the main attraction. And Spin was the one who did all the damage. They didn’t see my soul.” He made that sound like a threat.
Jude stepped into the light, all fluid grace and wicked beauty. He’d picked up his sword at some point, and light glinted off its sharp blade.
Lia finally made her appearance. She surprised Jenna. What was a daughter of Katherine supposed to look like? Jenna had pictured long, flowing black hair, long pointed bloodred fingernails, and a long slinky black gown. Okay, so she was picturing Morticia in her mind.
Lia was small, curvy, with short curly blonde hair. She had on jeans and a loose red T-shirt. She looked like a soccer mom in training.
Until you looked at her eyes. They were big and blue and filled with intense determination. Her full lips were drawn into a thin line of hate. And Jenna figured all that hate was aimed at Jude. Maybe some of it would have been spared for Spin if he were here, but he wasn’t. Jenna would bet that Lia didn’t know Al was here.
There was no splashy opening ceremony. Kenny just wished both of them good luck and backed out of the light. Jenna could hear the rustle of vampires moving to get the best view of the battle.
Lia moved first, stepping in and slashing with a sword that looked a lot lighter than Jude’s. Jude parried her move, the clanging of the swords setting off an excited buzz among the watching vampires.
Fifteen minutes later, Al and Jenna had worked their way through the crowd until they were just behind those in the front row.
Jenna felt like she’d traveled back in time to some primitive point in history. Who fought with swords, anyway?
There was blood. From both Jude and Lia. But the cuts inflicted on each didn’t seem to slow them down. The wounds were making Jenna a little queasy, though. Al, on the other hand, seemed excited by the battle. If opposites really did attract, then they were perfect for each other. If they had points of compatibility, Jenna hadn’t found them. She thought about the glass room on the roof. Okay, so maybe one.
Lia was impressive. She moved fast for a human. And the emphasis was on the word “human.” For a vampire? Not so fast. Jude was working hard to make Lia look good—slowing down just enough, missing his swing by just a little, and looking like he hated her guts every moment of the fight. Which he probably did. Jenna didn’t think Jude liked to look weaker than anyone, even if it was his own decision.
“He’ll give Lia her chance any moment now.”
Al’s whisper warmed the side of her neck and took her attention away from Jude and Lia. “How do you know?”
“Because that’s what I’d do. He’s kept the fight going long enough to make it look real, but if he drags it on too long, the human will tire.”
Jenna tensed. The human. Once again a reminder that Al didn’t count himself as part of the human race. He needed to take a good long look in the mirror. His soul was what he chose to make it, but he wouldn’t want to hear that from her. She edged away from him and returned her attention to the battle.
Which ended suddenly. Jude took a step back and pretended to stumble. Jenna wondered if this was the first ungraceful step he’d ever taken. He went down with Lia’s sword at his throat.
Lia smiled, flushed with victory, but Jenna saw what maybe the others didn’t—uncertainty in her eyes. Did she suspect anything? Jenna would have. It had to occur to Lia that a human beating an ancient vampire wasn’t the norm.
The crowd roared its approval, and Lia’s uncertainty disappeared. Jenna held her breath. Would she let Jude live?
When she drew back her sword arm, Al reacted. Ohmigod, no. Al thought Lia was going to take Jude’s head, but Jenna was still watching the other woman’s eyes. Death wasn’t in Lia’s eyes, only joy. She was simply flinging her arms into the air. Jenna reached for Al.
Too
late. Before she could even blink, Al freed his soul. Jenna was the only one who screamed as she scrambled away from the monster taking up the space where Al had stood. The vampires scrambled too, but they did it silently. Humans were much more vocal.
The Allosaurus roared, and Jenna’s blood ran cold as she looked way, way up at Al’s soul. No matter how many times she’d seen dinosaurs in movies and on TV, nothing came close to seeing one live and in person. They’d never looked this big from the safety of her living room. And only the shadow of Al’s human shape within the beast kept her from running panicked into the courtyard. Which was what most of the vampires were doing.
As Lia stood frozen in place with her sword still raised, Jude leaped to his feet and strode to Jenna’s side.
“Someone needs to take this group of bloodsuckers in hand. Look at them all run. They look like someone stomped on their anthill. If my people were here, they’d be attacking Al with every power they had. And he wouldn’t be just standing there looking bored.” Jude shook his head in disgust.
“Uh-oh.” Jenna realized before Jude did that there was one person who wasn’t fleeing the scene. Lia took a deep breath and charged Al with nothing but her puny sword. That girl needed to get some common sense. Jenna watched horrified as the Allosaurus lowered his head and took a stride toward Lia. A very big stride. Who was in control inside that gigantic head with its supersized teeth?
“Stop!” She ran toward Lia, who’d at last had the sense to take refuge behind the bar. Fat lot of good that would do her. “He’s upset because he thought you were going to take Jude’s head.”
Then Jenna turned back to where the allosaurus had just made fire kindling out of most of the tables on the ground floor. Now he was looking up at a few vampires who’d taken refuge on the balcony. But when Al rose up he was at eye level with them. Not a safe place.
While Al was eyeing the tasty treats on the balcony, Kenny had reached his daughter and was dragging her into a back room.
Jenna sighed her relief. Al must’ve seen Lia’s escape too, because suddenly his soul was gone and he was once again standing beside her.
He didn’t look at her. “Scared?”
“No.” Then she amended that. “Okay, at first. You trigger an instinctual fear, but I could see you inside, and I had faith that the human part of you was in control.” She wouldn’t add that her faith had been a little shaky. But at least this time she hadn’t thrown up or run like crazy.
Al glanced at Jude. “You okay?”
The vampire nodded. “The little bitch was going to take my head after I handed her the crown. She’d better not show up in any of my states. Ever.” He drew his lips back from those fangs and hissed his fury.
“She wasn’t going to take your head. She’d just thrown her hands up in the air to show she’d won.” Jenna didn’t think Jude would believe her.
“You’re human. You want to believe the best about everyone. But I know vampires. She wanted to kill me.” With that, Jude turned and headed for the door.
“But Lia’s not a vampire.” Jenna’s comment was lost in the crash of the door as Jude kicked it down on his way out.
She looked up at Al. “That went well, didn’t it?”
Chapter Thirteen
Al led Jenna from the dimly lit club into the complete darkness of the courtyard, and it just felt natural for him to take her hand. Natural? For humans. There were no symbols of affection in the pack. Sex was an itch to be scratched and forgotten.
It was human to examine emotions and assign reasons for everything you felt. Pack life was simpler. Hungry, kill, eat, happy. Angry, fight, kill, happy. Aroused, choose, fuck, happy. Everything in his previous life had ended with happy, or what passed for that emotion. Thinking back, it was more satisfaction than happiness. Yeah, there had been times when pack members died, but he only recalled them as brief times of puzzlement and then acceptance before moving on. Not real grief. Not the way he’d felt when Rap’s body died. Not the way you’d feel if anything happened to Jenna. Maybe he’d thought about emotions long enough.
Since Fin wanted him to act more human, he’d think about this holding-hands thing. He felt the protective instinct of the male for the female. Not a feeling he was used to. The females of his pack had been as ferocious as the males. They hardly needed protection.
Touch? Yes, he enjoyed the feel of her hand in his—the warm smoothness of her skin, the sense of intimacy and possession it brought. Intimacy, a human feeling. Possession, very much part of his soul’s time.
Suddenly, he realized it was too quiet. Instinct formed in a world where even a moment’s inattention meant death shouted that something was wrong. Without thinking, he pushed Jenna behind him so she was sandwiched between his body and the wall. Then he looked for the threat.
All the vampires who’d left the club, including Jude, had crowded together on one side of the courtyard. On the other side of the lot two really pissed raptors stood poised to attack. Utah and Tor had let their hate get the better of them and turned loose their souls. Crap. If they’d shut off their mental connection to Fin while he was busy playing head games with Zero, then their leader didn’t have a clue that the two were about to start a freaking war.
“Tell your guys to back off before I hurt them.” Jude spoke to Al without taking his gaze from the raptors. “Tonight hasn’t been too great for me, and I’m in a lousy mood. Don’t make me show them what I’ve learned in eight hundred years.” He nodded at the other vampires. “These guys might not be the bravest bloodsuckers on the block, but trap them in a corner and they’ll fight your raptors.”
Al caught a glimpse of Kenny and Lia leaving the club. They froze. Hell. He’d have to do something before Lia decided it was her job as vampire leader to face off against Utah and Tor. “I’ll have to become an allosaurus. They’ll only understand physical force.”
Jenna wiggled out from behind him. “Whoa, wait. You can’t always use your soul as a universal problem solver.” She looked up at him from wide, frightened eyes. “What would Fin do?”
Wrong thing to say. “Damn what Fin would do.” Al wanted to free his soul. He wanted to attack all of them, the raptors and the vampires. He wanted to coat himself in blood and forgetfulness. For one more time, he wanted to know the excitement of a kill uncomplicated by emotions and consequences.
“Maybe you could try talking to them first.” She didn’t sound hopeful about his response.
“You want me to talk to them?” Yeah, that’s what Fin would do. But then Fin could scare the crap out of anyone with just a stare.
“I don’t know.” She looked uncertain. “I think a few words could avert a bloodbath. I don’t want to see another of the Eleven die. And I sort of like Jude.”
Like Jude? A stab of jealousy startled him. He scowled.
“Forget it.” She shrugged. “Do what you think is best.”
Great, lay the responsibility on him. He’d had everything worked out. Free his soul, kick butt, pick up the pieces, and go home. Now Jenna had pointed out possible consequences. Now he had to think.
His first thought shocked him. He’d talk to them. Because she’d asked him to. That was setting a dangerous precedent. But he didn’t have time to wonder when she’d gained so much power over him.
Whatever he was going to do, though, he’d better do it fast. Utah sprang off his powerful back legs, landing within easy striking distance of the closest group of vampires. All the vampires hissed in unison and crouched, ready to fight back. In one graceful leap, Jude landed atop the roof of an empty store. His eyes glowed as he curled his lip to expose impressive fangs.
Al took a deep breath and strode to a spot between the two groups. He focused on the human forms he could see within the raptors, not their outer souls. “Utah, Tor, don’t make asses of yourselves.” Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the most diplomatic beginning. “If you think these vampires will go down easy, think again. Some of them will die, or one of you may. How’s that going to he
lp the cause? We end up with one less of us or a few less of them.
“We don’t have a bunch of friends in the paranormal community. Do you want to make sure we add a big group of enemies? And how will one of you feel if the other one dies like Rap died?” Not that it was likely to happen while they were in raptor form. But once back in human form, a vengeful vampire could take them out with one good swipe of a sword. Sort of like the one Jude was carrying. Couldn’t regenerate a head.
“Even if you both survive, you’ll have to face Fin. He’ll ground you just like he did me. He doesn’t want any loose cannons out here making trouble for the Eleven.”
That last argument must have hit home because Al saw the first uncertainty in their large raptor eyes. “Come back now before this goes too far.” He controlled his need to add a more violent warning, one that included his Allosaurus kicking their butts all the way back to Ritten house Square.
While the moment of indecision seemed to stretch on forever, Al glanced over at Jenna.
She wasn’t there.
Jenna had watched the unfolding drama almost paralyzed with terror. She didn’t have preternatural speed and strength like the rest of this group, but she did have old-fashioned human common sense. The question was, did she have the guts to put it into action?
Glancing around the small courtyard, she’d made her decision. A guy she was beginning to care about was standing smack dab in the middle of two warring groups. Sure, he could free his soul in the blink of an eye, but Rap could too. It hadn’t helped him.
Everyone was watching Al as she’d slipped away. She’d run to an old fire escape that zigzagged up the side of a dilapidated apartment building. She’d started climbing.
Now, as she struggled upward, her old insecurities trailed behind her. Was she doing the right thing? Was there a better solution? Would her plan backfire? Maybe she should let Al do it his way.
No. She fought back against the habit of a lifetime. Maybe what she was about to do wasn’t the perfect or even the only way, but she wouldn’t walk away from her decision. Not this time.