Honoria Ravena (8 page)

He also never planned to let me go. If there was one thing I valued more than anything else, it was my ability to do whatever I wanted. To come and go as I pleased. Zarek would never let me because he would always fear I would run from him. Or find a way to kill him.

“Bye-bye, Prince Charming.” My chest ached, and I tried to convince myself it was because I was leaving behind my brother. Yep, that was why I felt terrible.

I turned and started to climb. I was a third of the way down when the “rope” jolted, and I almost fell. I squeaked, quickly swallowing the noise from becoming a full-blown scream. Glancing up, I moved faster, hoping it wasn’t Zarek trying to pull me up.

The makeshift rope jolted again, and this time I heard the scraping of wood against wood. The table was sliding over Zarek’s pretty hardwood floors. I heard a crash, and suddenly, I was falling. I landed on my back on the concrete. All the air rushed out of me. I rolled to the left, threw my hands over my head, and prayed.

The little stand slammed into the ground and wood chips rained over me. The crack was deafening.

I turned over and stumbled to my feet. My bruised body protested, and I staggered against the wall. My stomach roiled, reminding me that a person shouldn’t be active after losing blood. Especially since he’d probably taken more than the Red Cross would have.

I took a deep breath and hobbled to the mouth of the alley. I looked around, but no one came running out of the club to find me. I knew that would change soon. Someone must have heard the fridge falling off the table. Zarek would find me gone. He wouldn’t give up until he had me forever.

But for now, I was going home. Things were looking up. I would go to my car, find my hide-a-key, and drive home. I was going to take a shower because I smelled like sex, and then I was going to pack and flee. One of my contacts was bound to have information on the assassins who were after me. And I needed revenge for what they’d done to Jason. If they hadn’t gone after me and my brother, then Zarek wouldn’t have had to turn him. Determined to be prepared, I wasn’t going to let any man fight my battles for me.

Chapter Eight

I stopped at a dirty Chevron to get gas and a Subway sandwich. Usually I wouldn’t stop at a hole in the wall like this, but there had been no place to fuel up for miles, and I was famished.

I was polishing off my chips when three vampires walked in. The two women hung on the male, giggling at whatever he’d said. I almost gagged.

“Planet is fucking crawling with them,” I muttered under my breath, brushing my hands off on my jeans.

I observed the male of the group as closely as I could without being obvious. Power rolled off him in waves. It made the hairs on my body stand at attention. He had almost as much power as Zarek. But there was something different about his magic. About him. I’d thought Zarek was evil but this man bled wicked intent.

The cashier’s hand shook as he handed the vampire a pack of cigarettes. The vamp glanced at me. His nostrils flared like he was sniffing the air, then his mouth quirked up on one side, revealing a threatening fang.

Shit. He could smell my bond with Zarek. I would have left then, but they would kill the pimply teenager behind the counter if I did. Well, there was really no guarantee they wouldn’t kill him even if I sat here… They would just kill me afterward. We were so far out in the boonies that no one would hear us scream.

I glanced around and found the security camera mounted on the wall. Some of the tension in my shoulders eased. We might survive this. Vampires didn’t like to reveal themselves. It led to big hunts for them. No vampire liked to be chased by farm folk with pitchforks.

The vampire studied me from over the top of his Dior sunglasses. His eyes flashed red, and I stopped breathing. Vampire eyes didn’t do that.

“Dorian,”
Zarek’s voice whispered through my mind. I jumped. I didn’t know he could do that from this far away.

It’s because I sensed you were in danger. True bad shit that you can’t handle. You need to get out of there, now. This isn’t a guy you can beat, and he’s an enemy of the kingdom.

“What’s up with his eyes? And what do you mean ‘the kingdom?’”

Don’t speak out loud. You’re perfectly capable of communicating in silence. And he must have the Scourge. It’s the only thing that would make his eyes red. Leave now.

Why? There are security cameras. He wouldn’t dare kill me in here, would he?

The vampires have a king. He makes our laws. Mainly we aren’t supposed to reveal ourselves. This vampire and his faction won’t follow them. He doesn’t give a fuck about the security cameras. Leave now! We thought he was dead…

What is the Scourge?

Goddamn it! Will you stop asking questions! It’s a disease. It affects a vampire’s mental state. I’ll tell you more later. Just get out of there. Leave the boy to his fate.

Zarek, I can’t do that! It’s my job to save lives.
I looked around, noting the exits and the windows.

Damn it, Regan, please listen to me.
There was a hint of desperation in the emotion surrounding the thought. I almost obeyed.

Dorian’s women rounded the counter to hang on the boy. One whispered something in his ear and licked his neck. He jerked back, eyes wide with terror.

I jumped up. “Hey, bitches, leave him alone.”

Dorian appeared in front of me. I hadn’t been able to track his movements. I leaped back and drew my knife.

He laughed. “You’re no match for me, little huntress. Leave now and maybe I’ll let you go.” He ran his tongue over his fangs. “Though probably not.”

He eyed me from my feet upward, his gaze lingering on my breasts. “You’re a sexy piece of ass, to be sure. And you’re bound to Zarek.” He frowned. “It’s very odd that he didn’t kill you. I’m actually pretty pissed that one of you didn’t end up dead. I should have known better than to hire a human hunter to go after Zarek. No mere woman is a match for him. At the very least I was hoping Zarek would take you out of the picture. Do you know how many of the Scourge you’ve taken down? I sent Navarro to kill you and correct this error. He must have done a shitty job, but I get to correct that.” He smirked. “Eventually, which gives me that fuzzy warm feeling.”

I froze. “You hired me to kill Zarek?” And I’d fallen for it without thinking twice. I’d just thought about the money and the vampire I was going to kill, when there was worse out there.

He smirked. “Yes, child. If I killed him, I would reveal myself. I couldn’t possibly have taken care of all the witnesses.”

I was a little glad I pissed him off. Thrilled that I’d killed some of his progeny. A creature like that definitely shouldn’t be making more. I nibbled my bottom lip and considered a way out of this. A partial lie might do nicely. “Look, I don’t have a problem with you. I don’t like Zarek myself, and if you’ve got any tips on killing the bastard, I’d like them. Can’t we just part ways?”

A laugh ripped past his lips. “Oh, I don’t think so. There must be a reason Zarek chose to blood-bond you to himself. I’m betting you’re powerful.”

His hand flashed out and tangled in my hair. He yanked me toward him. Without thought, I shoved my knife into his heart. He grimaced and yanked it out, backhanding me. I would have fallen if his grip had loosened. “Oh, honey, that was just a waste of energy.”

My ears were ringing from the slap, and my jaw ached. I brushed the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand.

Shit. Zarek, if you’ve got a freaky vampire way to help me out of this, I’m all ears.

Working on it. Next time, listen to me when I tell you to do something.

My anger rose.
Can we have this fight later? Help now, please.

Dorian pulled me around. “Kill the boy, ladies.” He nodded down at me. “We’ve got what we came for.”

My jaw dropped.

“Oh, I didn’t mention that part? Imagine my surprise when I drove by and felt the air quiver with your magic. You’re not only an infamous vampire hunter, but you’re bound to a mortal enemy of mine. Luck is on my side.”

“You don’t have to kill him. He has nothing to do with this.”

Dorian dragged me through the door. “But my girls are hungry.”

I had one final view of the clerk as the women sank their fangs into his throat. I heard an agonized scream and then nothing. Rage struck me, and I slammed my elbow into Dorian’s stomach. He cursed and stepped away, purposefully yanking me off my feet. I stumbled to the concrete, skinning my knees.

Zarek!

A dark wave of energy washed through me, leaving me gasping on the ground as Dorian rode the wave of Zarek’s spell, sliding on his ass across the parking lot. Raw power flooded my veins. I’d never experienced anything like it. His energy hummed in my body like a tangible thing. I’d never experienced such a rush. I felt invincible. I flipped to my feet and stalked toward Dorian.

Don’t do anything stupid. You’re still human. He can still kill you, and I didn’t loan you all my magic,
Zarek’s voice whispered through my mind.

Okay.
I changed direction and ran for my car. I patted my pockets, searching for my keys.

“Shit.” I glanced back at where Dorian had pulled me to the ground. My keys were there. Between them and me was Dorian. He stalked toward me, a sneer on his face, his eyes filled with hatred. His women were tugging the unconscious cashier from the store.

“Got a problem, bitch?”

I backed around the car. “Nope, no problems. I found my keys. Now I’m just waiting for that telekinesis to kick in.”

He grinned and extended his hand. The keys came flying to him. He jingled my keys, threw them in the air, and caught them.

I rolled my eyes and stuck out my hand. “Great. Throw them to me.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.”

He took a step toward me. A black truck plowed into him, barely missing me. I fell back against my car as the vehicle bounced over him. I stared. Being run over wouldn’t kill him, but the broken bones should keep him immobile for a while. He moaned and his arm moved. Damn. I was really hoping he’d have some brain damage. That would have kept him down for a while longer than broken bones.

It got worse. He’d managed to keep my keys clutched in his hand. I wasn’t going near him to get them either. If he was still conscious, then it was too dangerous.

The truck spun around, the headlights illuminating him. Two men and two women bailed out, carrying swords and knives. Three of them headed toward the vampires that had killed the cashier, and one of the men walked to me. I drew my second knife.

“Thanks for the help but who the fuck are you?”

He clamped his hand around my wrist and took my knife before I could react. “I’m Kalen. You really shouldn’t pull knives on people who are faster and stronger than you.”

He grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me to the truck. I tried to pry off his fingers. I considered biting him before he shoved me into the backseat. Two of his friends climbed in as Kalen slid in behind me.

I glanced at them. “What about killing Dorian?”

Kalen tapped my shoulder and pointed at the windshield. Beyond it, Dorian was trying to sit up.

I whipped my head back around and raised my eyebrows. “Holy shit. I thought he’d at least be down for the rest of the night.”

“Nope. The Scourge don’t feel pain. The only reason he’s not up right now is because broken bones don’t function real well. But he could still kill a person just as he is. We’ve been told not to get near him if he’s conscious and moving.”

The woman in the driver’s seat leaned out of her window. “Aneese, kill him and get your ass in this truck.”

The little brunette in question looked up from where the cashier was sprawled on the ground. She pulled a sword and stood.

I jumped up. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Kalen and the other man grabbed my arms and pulled me back into my seat. I yanked at their arms. With the strength Zarek had given me, I should have been able to break their grip, but between the two of them, they were too strong. This time I did bite him.

He shouted, “Fuck, Aneese, she’s biting me, hurry up. Brant, have we got a sedative or something?”

“Don’t tranquilize her. She’s a friend.”

“Fuck that. Don’t worry, it’s mild.”

Something sharp sunk into the crease of my elbow. A needle. I jerked back from Kalen, slid down in the seat, and aimed a kick at Brant’s head. I missed, and it was too late anyway. He’d already pumped me full of some kind of drug.

Aneese climbed in the front seat, and the door slammed. The tires squealed as the truck lurched forward. We bounced over Dorian’s body on our way out of the parking lot. Aneese fished a cell phone out of her pants pocket and dialed.

“Send a team to blow up the target location. Vampires have been caught on the surveillance footage.”

I frowned even though my head swam. These people were nuts. Vampire hunters couldn’t go around blowing up every place that caught vamps on camera. But that wasn’t what bothered me most about their operation.

“Why did you kill that boy? Even if he was going to be a vampire, that’s better than dying.” My voice came out slightly slurred. I blinked hard to try and clear the dizzy, giddy feeling I was getting.

“That’s pretty funny coming from you. You kill a shitload of vampires.”

“Things have happened to me recently. Besides, if you do know me, then you know what I was raised by. Who the fuck are you anyway? And you didn’t answer the question.”

“They gave him the Scourge. He was going to be something much worse than a vampire,” the driver said. She glanced back at me, and I finally realized who she was.

“Kennedy.” She’d saved my ass more than once. She’d also helped me improve my fighting and develop my limited psychic abilities. She was a witch and specialized in hunting vamps.

“Hey, Regan. Long time no see. How’s that sedative working for you?”

I sighed. “Pretty damned good. I had a couple of aches from multiple fights and a fall out a window, and that shit does wonders.”

“Well, glad we could help. A fall out a window, huh?”

“Long story, but I am thankful you showed up. I was about to be kidnapped by yet another vampire. My night was not looking good.”

“Been kidnapped by a lot of vampires lately?”

“Just one. Ever heard of Zarek?” Gorgeous pain-in-the-ass that he was. He really saved me back there. Could he really care?

She snorted and shook her head. “God, woman, you chose to go against him? Are you crazy? You don’t have the skills to take on that man. Hell, I don’t have the power to take him on. I don’t think even Dara would dare challenge his ass.”

“Well, if I had listened to anyone, I wouldn’t have fought him.”

She grinned at me from the rearview mirror. “You always were stubborn.”

“So who is Dara? And what is this Scourge everyone is talking about?”

“You’ll meet Dara. And the Scourge is a disease certain vampires get. Dorian is a carrier. He’s been passing it on to build his armies for thousands of years. It causes insanity and increases their strength. As if crazy vampires really need more strength.”

My eyelids drooped. I shifted in my seat and forced them open. “No shit. So what have you been up to, Kennedy? No one has seen you in a while.”

“I was recruited. Just like we’ve done to you.”

I arched an eyebrow. “I’ve been recruited? I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”

Kalen snorted. “Yeah. You’ll hate it. Training sucks ass.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve done a lot of intensive training.”

Kennedy shook her head. “He’s right. This is tougher than you’re used to. But at least you’re already blood-bonded to a vampire, so you don’t have to do that part. Though I don’t know if Dara is on good terms with Zarek.”

“Is being blood-bonded to a vampire important?”

“Pretty much. You—”

Aneese interrupted. “You shouldn’t be telling her this. Let Dara explain it to her.”

“You’re right. Okay. I’m shutting up now.”

They were silent for several minutes. My eyelids dipped closed. I sighed in annoyance. Cloak and dagger bullshit. Spec-fucking-tacular.