He was about to fail another person who needed his help.
No, this can’t happen.
“You must leave, now!”
His survival instinct should have kicked in, but Knox just couldn’t leave. All he could do was look at Lian while pain swelled inside his chest. An agony so strong he couldn’t shake it, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself none of this was his fault. He’d tried his best to save her after she offered him a taste of blood. Now, seeing her like this, he couldn’t walk away. No matter what the robot claimed, being hooked up to a machine was no way to live.
“I. Won’t. Leave. Her.” His teeth were gritted so hard, the words barely came out.
“Then you leave me no choice.”
The bullet burned through his shoulder and tore out of his back, forcing him to lean on his side. “What the fuck?”
“Go, before I shoot you in the head.”
“I told you, I won’t leave her.” He stood his ground. “Besides, what’s getting shot going to do to a vampire about to be blown to smithereens?” A manic chuckle escaped him.
“Detonation in three minutes,” the drone continued.
“She wants you to be safe,” the robot said, still pointing the barrel of the gun that was its index finger.
Knox shook his head. “How would you know what she wants?”
“Li and I have been connected for a long time.” The robot’s head inclined to the left. “If you do not go, I will end your life before the explosion. You will not survive the way she will.” To get the point across, the robot shot him in the other shoulder. “I always hit my target.”
Knox shrugged it off. The wound on the other shoulder was already closing. “Didn’t you hear me, mate?” This was ridiculous. “I’m a vampire inside a house that’s going to blow. You’re no threat to me.”
“I must ensure no one moves her until the upload is complete. She has to stay here. You do not.”
He glared at the golden robot for a moment, then turned his attention back to Lian. Her hair was moist with sweat and some strands stuck to her face, but she was still beauty incarnate.
Knox’s chest constricted as he caressed her cheek. He was about to lose her before they’d had a chance to get to know each other. “You better take care of her,” he whispered.
“You do not need to worry.”
Having to do this made his heart ache, but there was no other choice. Knox leaned closer and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. He stepped back, never taking his eyes off her until he reached the narrow doorway. A hole burned in his heart with every step he took.
Knox turned on his heel and was about to run the way he’d come when he remembered Vera. He bent down and picked her up. If he couldn’t save Lian, at least he could save her friend.
“Detonation in one minute,” the automated voice announced.
It didn’t take long to descend the stairs and reach the now-empty foyer. A cold breeze swept into the house from the majestic open doors ahead. He knew the sun waited for him but unless he wanted to be blown into a thousand pieces by the pending explosion, he didn’t have much choice.
As soon as his feet hit the snow just outside the door, he found his legs pumping faster than ever before. When the house exploded, his body was sent airborne, and he lost his grip on Vera. His arms and legs swam out in front of him as if he was trying to grab on to something, but what he was really reaching for was her.
Knox wanted to wrap his arms around Lian.
He didn’t want it to end like this.
He’s here.
“Yes, he is,” the female voice said. “But he is going to ruin everything.”
A sharp pain flowed through Lian, making her body waver for a moment before settling back into focus. “What’s going on?” She stared at her hands and they looked duller, all the vibrant colors seemed to be fading.
“He is disconnecting the wires! I need to take care of this.”
“Wait, what are you going to do?” Even as the words slid out from her mouth, Lian knew she was now alone inside this otherwise colorful place. The siren still blared inside the virtual world, but it had become a secondary sound. “Don’t hurt him.”
The last thing she’d expected after releasing Knox was that he would track her down and try to save her. For just a moment, she savored the thought and a flush of warmth flowed through her. She felt content and a little invincible. To realize he was willing to risk his own life for hers made Knox a man worth any sacrifice.
She could only hope the voice was able to convince him to go.
“Lian, wake up.”
What was going on now? That couldn’t be Knox—he didn’t sound like a woman with a tinny voice. So who was it?
She looked around, wide-eyed and trying to swim toward the surface, where twin green lights had suddenly appeared. She couldn’t ignore whatever was up there, so she let the stream of consciousness go, and rose above and beyond all the weakening colors of the rainbow, until she broke through.
“Lian, I will take care of you.”
As soon as her eyes snapped open, she met the expressionless eyes of the golden bot. It was stroking her hair away from her face but all she could feel was the rough weight of being back in her body, inside the control room.
The twin lights that had guided her out were the bot’s eyes.
“What’s going on? Where’s Knox?”
“Gone.”
Tears prickled behind her eyes and tumbled over her cheeks.
“Hush.” The droid tightened its metallic fingers around hers and leaned over as if to shield her body.
The restraints no longer held her down, and only the cable connected to her skull was left tangled in her hair. “What are you doing?”
“Li, listen to me. The house is about to explode, but you can survive.”
“What? How?”
“Now that the Network has been uploaded, you will have to do as I say.”
“What about Knox, Hogan and Vera? I have to make sure they get out,” she said.
“They are on their way out.”
She stared at the bot’s square head, now realizing this had been her guide inside the Network. A voice she’d heard for many years and had been hazy in the other world was now a lot clearer. “Tell me what I have to do.” If her friends were safe, she could do this.
“The nano-mites and your connection to the virtual world have already expanded your brain capacity. Visualize the grounds around the house.”
As confusing as it sounded, she tried to think of the snow just outside the front door.
“Are you visualizing it?”
She nodded, afraid to let go of the picture.
“When I tell you to, imagine you are standing there and not here.”
“How’s that going to help me survive? I’m not in the virtual world anymore.”
The bot stared at her. “No, but the nano-mites have been very busy since being awakened. You can do this. Are you ready?”
No. Yes. Her head was jumbled by everything, but she desperately wanted to survive. It was worth a shot. She’d already done some incredible things—why not teleporting as well?
“Li, do it now. Go outside!”
The control room was there one second, solid and real. Then it shattered into thousands of tiny pieces as the floor opened up beneath them. The inertia made Lian’s stomach jump and her mind fill with imagery of the world outside of the estate. She imagined herself as one of those careless wolves from the mountains and felt her body disintegrate around her.
For a split moment in time, Lian was positive she no longer existed and would fade to nothing, along with the house.
At least she’d finally figured out who the familiar female voice belonged to.
Thanks, Mya.
Chapter Eight
Knox opened his eyes, then forced them shut. His senses were swamped with a cacophony of heartbeats. Each pounded a different rhythm and some seemed farther away than others, but they all filled h
im with hunger.
Maybe I’m in vampire hell, tormented forever with beating hearts and not a single drop of blood.
When he tried to move, he realized he still had limbs. But damn, everything hurt.
He snapped his eyes open.
It took several attempts but when he finally sat up, he noticed he’d landed under a rocky overhang, which provided safe cover from the sunlight. Scattered clouds moved across the sky. The thick plume of smoke rising from the rubble of what used to be a mansion blotted out the sun.
Knox surveyed his surroundings. Most of the site was a mess of broken stone, steel, glass, embers and ash, with only a handful of fires still burning. He couldn’t believe he’d left Lian inside.
A new bout of pain shot through him when someone grabbed one of his injured shoulders. The bullet wounds had healed, but there was still some damage.
He jumped to his feet, snarling, ready to fight.
“Whoa, I just wanted to make sure you’re all right.” Hogan raised both palms in front of him and Knox noticed he’d reattached the prosthetic.
Hogan’s heart was just another in a crowd of thudding drumbeats, no wonder he hadn’t heard his approach. And Vera’s—who was propped up against the rocky outcrop—hardly pulsed. She was pale as death, and he could see the web of veins beneath her skin. Blood poured from the gash on her head and stained the shirt pressed against her gut.
Seeing Vera’s blood all over the snow stirred his hunger, but he couldn’t lose control. I won’t let it defeat me. He blocked the drumbeats inside his head by concentrating on the man in front of him. Knox said, “You pulled us to safety?”
“Yes, you crazy bastard!” Hogan shook his head. “Why’d it take you so long to get outside? I waited by the door as long as I could.”
Knox opened his mouth to answer but didn’t know what to say.
Hogan glanced at Vera and gritted his teeth before looking away. “How the hell do you stand it, man? Vera’s blood is driving me crazy and that drumming… Tending to her wounds was a bitch!”
“You’ll get used to it,” he lied. “Breathe.”
The guard inhaled, then exhaled before speaking. “Knox, what happened in there? Did you find her?”
Knox felt like someone had kicked him while he was down. It wasn’t the out of time heartbeats or the intoxicating scent of blood in the air affecting him. Hogan’s question made him realize he’d lost Lian. He hadn’t been able to save her. He’d left her with the nonsense-speaking robot.
He had to get the hell off this planet and live a life of solitude, away from everyone. Losing the people he cared about hurt too much.
Cared? The thought of it made him pause. No. That wasn’t possible. How could he care so deeply for someone he barely knew? After being forced to fight in a pit where hate and pain were the only real currency, he’d found comfort in Lian’s soft ways, kindness and brazen attitude. She’d wanted to help him when no one else had. She’d willingly given him her precious blood. After finding out what he was, she even freed him from his chains.
Knox stared at Vera, her life slipping away. “Have you tried to save her?”
“The shirt to apply pressure is the only thing I could think of. Actually the only thing she’s accepted. I can’t find any medic bots.”
“No, I mean really tried to save her?”
Hogan shook his head. “I have no idea what that means.”
Of course he wouldn’t. The idea had only just struck him. Knox made his way to Vera’s side and kneeled beside her. “Hey,” he whispered.
Her eyes fluttered open. “Lian will be glad you got out alive.”
“What about you? Do you want to live?”
Vera shook her head before a coughing fit wracked her body. Spots of blood colored the snow and Hogan made a move to help her, but she waved him away.
“You’re dying, but I can save you.”
She coughed again. “No.”
Knox leaned closer. “Are you sure?” He hadn’t been able to save Lian, but he could do something to help this woman.
“Just let me be. It’s my time.”
He stared at her. “Are you sure?”
“Vera, you don’t have to do this—”
“Yes, Hogan, I do.” She placed her hand on her fellow guard’s and tears shone in Hogan’s eyes. “Take care of the others.”
Knox stood. He wasn’t about to force vampirism on someone. He might be one, but it didn’t mean he would take what wasn’t offered.
“Thank you,” Vera said as he walked away.
Where the hell do I go from here? He’d finally found his freedom, yet didn’t know what direction to turn. First step was to search the rubble for Lian.
“Knox, what happened to Lian?” Hogan asked.
He stalled long enough to collect his thoughts. “She’s gotta be in the rubble somewhere.” He took a step but Hogan grabbed his arm.
“Don’t be crazy. Fire will burn you as much as the sun.” Hogan dared to look him in the eye. “She wouldn’t want that to happen to you.”
“Let me go.” He yanked out of Hogan’s grip. “I have to do this!”
“Do you know the locks miraculously snapped open all over the house, at the same time? I spoke to some of the others and they were as trapped as we were.” Hogan dropped his arm. His eyes were watery. “Don’t you see what that means? You said it yourself—she helped you out of those chains. If Lian was in the control room, we both know who set everyone free. Don’t dishonor her bravery by getting yourself killed.”
Knox’s vision cleared as he stared at the guard, making sense of everything. “She was strapped to a machine. I couldn’t save her.” The loss hit him so deep, he was sure his soul was bruised. Who would’ve thought he would find an instant of belonging and connection with someone after everything he’d been through?
So the old coot was right, then.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Hogan said. “I’m sure you did everything you could.” He pointed at the bullet scars on both shoulders.
“Not enough.” Never enough.
He looked away, past Hogan to focus on the others milling around the burning embers of the dying fire, the only source of warmth left in this tundra. Some had their heads down, probably paying their last respects. Others kept as much distance as they could, but no one made a move to leave the site.
“Why aren’t they leaving?”
Hogan sighed. “They’re afraid their collars will blow their heads off if they step out of the estate’s boundaries.” He pointed at the ground, where two silver collars lay discarded. “I had to rip mine off because it was starting to burn my skin. That’s when I showed them they’re no longer active, but they’re still skeptical.” He shrugged. “Besides, the closest town is miles away, and they only got out with the clothes on their backs. They’d freeze.”
Knox remembered avoiding the collars while biting both Moe and Hogan. He was grateful he hadn’t gotten one. A cuff half-molten into his skin was enough. “I’m sorry.” What else was there left to say?
Hogan shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got a transport coming. The one we were going to smuggle you out on before everything went to hell. We’ll get everyone on that.”
Knox rubbed his hand over his head. Even his hair was growing faster than expected.
He looked at the survivors. Their hearts still beat like a soundtrack inside his head but no longer made him hunger for their blood. Acceptance, distraction and loss helped him stay focused. Several guards and staff suddenly dropped to their knees. He narrowed his eyes and spotted something rising from the flames.
No, it was someone.
“What the hell?” He pushed past Hogan, stepping right up to the line of shade.
“What’s going on?” Hogan asked.
The awed gasps answered his question, followed by murmurings about a miracle. A single voice chanted, “She’s the phoenix,” and others soon joined in.
The outline of a body slowly made its wa
y out of the ruins, solidified like the ashes had taken form. He knew who it was before he could see her soot-covered face. Lian’s dress was a charred mess, and some of her skin was red in places, but all he could think about was the fragrance of her blood and the healthy pounding of her familiar heart.
She’s still alive.
He took one step, then another. Nothing was going to keep them apart—not even daylight. He ran out at full pelt, pushing past the dumbfounded crowd and sweeping her up into his arms. He lifted her off the ground, pulling her out of the fire and ashes.
Knox squeezed her slight frame tight, pressing his face into her singed hair while she whispered his name over and over. He didn’t give a shit about the smoke coming off his body. A little singed skin wasn’t going to dampen the joy of having her in his arms.
Lian wrapped her legs around his waist and she pressed her lips against his. He carried her from the ruins to the rocky overhang, kissing her the whole way. He didn’t put her down until he was gasping for breath. Even then he couldn’t keep his hands off her as he checked for injuries. Aside from blackened, heated skin she appeared to be okay.
“How?” was all he could ask.
Lian shook her head.
Explanations would have to wait. When he cradled her head he felt the harsh port at the base of her skull and she recoiled. He put her down and she stepped back.
“It’s my only way of connecting with her now.” She looked sad and vulnerable, ethereal. “I have to find them another home.”
Knox didn’t know what she meant, but didn’t press the matter. “You’re really here.” He touched her face, shoulders and hands to make sure he wasn’t imagining this. She was still alive and he couldn’t contain his relief. “You actually made it.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again.
“What happened?” Hogan stepped up beside them.
Lian opened her mouth to respond when a blur tore her away from Knox in one violent motion. She landed in the clearing with a strange man on top of her. He moved fast. Knox had only seen one other creature move that fast before—at the arena.
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