A Vampire's Soul (21 page)

The element of surprise lasted only as long as it took Katja to catch a breath. It was like trying to hold on to a giant eel. I had barely a moment to gloat before a sharp pain in my side had me sucking in air, and I was being flipped over onto my back. Straddling me, Katja started screaming something completely unintelligible as she banged my head on the ground a couple of times. Then she dropped her fangs. For a moment I thought she was going to bite me herself, but Laycee's sudden break for safety distracted her.

Seeing her guarantee of my cooperation making a run for it, Katja shrieked again. I turned my head and through watery eyes saw that Laycee had gone completely deer-in-the-headlights. She had stopped moving and was not as close to the porch steps as I had hoped. I'd told her not to look back, but I guess the shrieking banshee act had been too compelling. I didn't blame her. I would have done the same thing.

With Laycee frozen in place, Katja took hold of my face, her fingers digging in and squeezing my cheeks painfully. “You stupid bitch,” she snarled, “you can't beat me! You're too weak!”

As she started to get off me, I saw one last chance to prove her wrong. “LAYCEE—RUN!” I screamed, launching myself upward and grabbing a fistful of long black hair.

There's a reason why, when girls fight, you see a lot of hair pulling. It damn well hurts, for one thing, and nothing is more devastating than seeing a chunk of your hair in your opponent's hand. I was banking on female vampires having the same reaction. Yanking really hard, I smiled at the feel of silken strands wrapped around my fingers.

Galvanized by my second yell, Laycee snapped out of her dazed state and took off like a jackrabbit. I watched her clear the steps in a single leap before throwing herself through the still-open front door. She hit the hallway carpet runner and, from the sound of it, went crashing into the narrow side table. I had put a planter of blooming amaryllis there, and the sound of Laycee's scream suggested she had momentarily forgotten about her broken wrist, and tried to catch the heavy container as it fell. The string of cursing was music to my ears.

Even the swiftest vampire can be slowed down if they have to drag an extra hundred and fifty pounds or so behind them. Katja was no exception. Her scream of rage at seeing Laycee sail through the front door nearly shattered my eardrums. Grabbing the hair at the nape of her neck, she twisted around and kicked off one of her high heels, catching it effortlessly in one hand and holding it above her head like a weapon. Certain I was about to get a four-inch stiletto heel buried in my skull, I let go of her hair, and covered my head with both hands. The sound of breaking glass made me look up. Katja had thrown her shoe through the windshield of the POS, breaking it.

Kicking off the other shoe, she bent over me. I could smell the anger and frustration coming off her. It reminded me of rotten eggs and sour milk. I looked up just in time to see five bright-red razors arcing down toward me, and turned my head to one side. I was fast, but not fast enough to escape vampire speed. I saved my eye, but her nails still managed to slice open my right cheek. My face exploded in a ball of flame as blood began gushing. I bit my tongue, refusing to give Katja the satisfaction of hearing me cry out. Things got a little fuzzy after that.

Katja vented her temper by kicking me. I curled into a ball, protecting myself as best I could. I felt something wet and sticky on the back of my head. It seemed the smack-down onto the concrete had been a little rougher than I had thought. With the back of my head bleeding, as well as my face, Oscar might be a few pints short by the time he got a shot at me. The giggle that spontaneously erupted at this thought earned me a vicious kick. I'm pretty sure Katja broke a rib . . . maybe two.

I
thought Katja might succeed in pulling my arm from the socket the way she yanked me to my feet. Stumbling, I followed her toward the BMW, where a starving vampire waited to feast on me. Blood was running from my slashed cheek and dripping off my chin. I guess Oscar's sense of smell was still working okay, because he suddenly crawled out from behind the POS. If he hadn't been so weak, I'm certain he could have vaulted over the roof of the car and been at my neck while Katja was still rearranging my ribs with her foot. I watched in horror as he dug his claw-like nails into the ground and hauled himself forward. To judge from the way his nostrils were flaring and the ribbons of drool overflowing his mouth, the smell of fresh blood was driving him ape-shit. Katja stopped moving. My midriff felt like it was on fire, and I wrapped my free arm around it as I stared at the pathetic creature on the ground. He was looking more and more like the rabid dog of my memory, and the thought of him being at my throat made me shudder in revulsion. It all seemed so unreal, like I was in a really bad slasher movie.

Thank God Laycee was safe.

Katja jerked on my arm, forcing me to look at her. The crimson lips twisted in a malevolent smile, and I knew she'd driven off the side of the road into crazy-land. She opened her mouth to say something, but whatever insight she wanted to share was suddenly drowned out by the sound of a car's engine as it roared up the driveway. Yanking me closer, the Goth Queen moved behind me.

“Coward,” I told her, earning a punch in my side that doubled me over in agony.

Digging her hand into my shoulder, Katja pulled me upright as a big black vehicle came into view. It looked like something from one of those old movies they show on TV after midnight, the kind only true insomniacs watch. The passenger-side door opened while the car was still moving, and I saw Gabriel jump out. Landing on the balls of his feet, he straightened up and stared at me. I'd forgotten what a mess the right side of my face must have been until I saw him pull his brows together, his face turning as dark as thunder. He'd been pretty mad at the black eye Suellen DuPree had given me. I could only imagine how much worse I looked right now. Somehow I didn't think Katja was going to be able to crab-hop her way out of this one.

“Rowan, love? Are you all right?”

My heart literally tried to jump out of my chest at the sound of his voice. I don't know how, but I managed to put a wobbly smile on my face while I blinked back tears at the same time. Physically I was a wreck, and I'm pretty sure Gabriel could catalog each bruise and every scratch on me with one look. But his question had another purpose. Of course he needed reassurance about my welfare; that went without saying, but the sound of my voice would tell him how close I was to going over the edge of my mental cliff. I figured I had a ways to go yet.

“I've had better days,” I told him. “How was moose country?”

“Didn't go.”

“Ah. Change of plans?”

“Didn't seem much point in going without you, babe.”

Behind me Katja shifted slightly. “You really should let me go,” I murmured over my shoulder, knowing that every vampire in my front yard could hear me just fine. Her response was to tighten the grip she had on my arm and shoulder. My awkward shrug was for Gabriel's benefit. “Okay, it's your funeral,” I murmured.

“No, Little One,” she hissed in my ear, “I'm thinking it will be yours.”

The sudden prick at the side of my neck told me she'd dropped her fangs, and a tendril of pure, undiluted fear released itself inside me.

I don't know how long it takes your garden-variety vampire to drain a human body of blood. I would imagine there are all sorts of variables that need to be taken into account—body weight, for example, the amount of force a vampire can exert with each sucking pull, the probable lack of cooperation of the victim, things like that. What I do know is that the average human body has between ten and twelve pints of blood and doesn't actually need to be drained for a fatality to occur. All Katja needed to do was make sure I lost enough blood to send me into traumatic shock, something I wouldn't be able to come back from without professional medical help—and a blood bank. Neither of which was currently in my front yard.

The big black car had come to a complete stop and the engine shut off. I think we all held our breath—well, all of us except Oscar. If he held his breath, he might not be able to get it going again. I didn't want to take my eyes from Gabriel's face, but I automatically looked over when the door opened. Just human nature, I guess. The driver got out, and I felt a strange twisting sensation in the center of my chest. It was Gabriel—or would have been if his hair was coal black and his eyes silver.

The new party crasher was dressed in black leather pants, but either hadn't had time to find a shirt or didn't think wearing one was necessary. Truthfully, he didn't need one. Shirtless was a good look for him. A very good look. Walking around to the front of the car, he stood next to Gabriel. Bad and badder, with a few minor differences. This guy's tats were across his chest, the glyphs similar to the ones down Gabriel's back. And I didn't need him to turn around to know that there would be two crescent-shaped scars on his back where he'd once had wings.

My gaze alternated between Gabriel and the newcomer. They could almost be twins, the physical similarity was so great. I also didn't need to be told the new addition to our playgroup was also a vampire. As if he read my mind, he ran out his fangs for show. They were, I noticed, much longer than Gabriel's.

I had momentarily forgotten about Katja because my attention had been completely focused on this new vampire. But now I could feel her shaking behind me. Whoever this new guy was, she was definitely afraid of him. More afraid, I would say, than when she had decided to take on Gabriel.

“Rowan, I'd like you to meet Ryiel.” Using the honeyed tone of voice that could melt my spine, Gabriel introduced us.

Ryiel? I'd heard the name before, but couldn't for the life of me think where. And then it came to me. He was Katja's maker. The Original Vampire who'd changed her at the request of a Carpathian goat herder named Vladimir. I was about to speak when the most god-awful howl filled the air. It was a sound tempered with frustration and pain. With the unexpected arrival of Gabriel and Ryiel, Oscar had been forgotten. Two heads, one white, one black, turned to look at the ground behind them.

“What is
that?
” Ryiel asked, making no attempt to hide his disgust. His voice was a deeper, rougher version of Gabriel's, and I was glad for the distinction. I don't think I would have survived two vampires who could make my insides perform cartwheels just by saying hello. There was also something in his tone that made me think Ryiel was a vampire of few words, but when he did speak, everyone listened. I held my breath as he slowly walked over to Oscar's prostrate form.

Having used the last of his reserves to pull himself past the parked cars, the vampire who had once hailed from the plains of Kansas collapsed in complete and utter exhaustion. Too weak to even lift his head, he began sobbing pitifully into the hard ground. Part of me was surprised he had enough moisture left in his body to produce tears, and, even though I was revolted by his condition, I couldn't help the swell of compassion that swept through me. As far as I was concerned, being nice to me didn't warrant this type of punishment.

“She starved him,” I yelled at the two Original Vampires. “Deliberately.”

Katja, not appreciating my comment, jabbed me viciously in my other side. A searing pain flared, making me suck in a breath, but I decided it was worth it. I wanted to be sure she couldn't make up some excuse to get out of being punished for this despicable deed, assuming she was even going to be allowed to speak in her own defense. The look on Gabriel's face was very expressive. It said
snowball
and
hell
.

Oscar was now whimpering, and I watched as Ryiel knelt by his side. The cold night air carried the low rumble of the Original Vampire's voice, and I hoped that whatever he was saying to Oscar, it was kind. And then I saw the muscles in Ryiel's back bunch and flex, and clearly heard the sound of a sharp retort, like the starting pistol for a race. Oscar fell silent.

Ryiel stood up and resumed his place next to Gabriel, and I became aware of two things. The first was, as I'd thought, he also carried scars on each shoulder blade similar to those Gabriel had, and the second was that Oscar no longer had his head. Actually, that wasn't strictly accurate. He did still have his head, only now it was on the ground by his feet instead of being attached to his neck. The world as I knew it began to tilt again. I almost laughed out loud because I realized that, if not for Katja's iron grip on my arm, I'd probably fall down. I felt certain it would be the last time I was going to be grateful to her for anything.

In my head I heard Gabriel's voice speaking to me.

It certainly was for Oscar, whose only crime that I knew of was being in the wrong place at the wrong time and hooking up with the wrong vampire. Why couldn't he have met Gabriel, like Aleksei did? The sudden thought of the big guy made me jerk my head up.

“Aleksei needs your help, Gabriel. I think Anasztaizia might be hurt.”

A flash of anger crossed his face before he quickly smoothed it away. “It will all be taken care of,” he promised, still using the same voice that now had my stomach doing a lazy roll.

I figured the stress of the situation was playing havoc with my hormones, because the sound of Gabriel's voice was making me aroused. I couldn't help it, but it felt horribly inappropriate under the circumstances.

Thankfully, Ryiel stepped forward, and I was able to focus my attention on him. His expression was stern as he stared at Katja, making me wonder how to judge their relationship. I knew he was the vampire who'd turned her, but did that mean he regarded her as his child? His offspring? His progeny? I made a mental note to ask Gabriel how vampires refer to the humans they have changed, and if there was any affectionate bond between them after the deed is done. From the look on Ryiel's face, it wouldn't seem so. He gave all the appearance of being one very pissed-off vampire, and I'd be lying if I didn't say I wanted him to punish Katja. At the very least snap her wrist just as she'd done to Laycee. But I kept quiet, trusting in Gabriel.

I could live with that. It was enough to know Katja had stepped over a pretty significant line, and was hip-deep in trouble.

“Let the Promise go,” Ryiel's voice boomed.

For a moment I didn't know who he was talking about. And then I realized it was me. The way he said the word
Promise
, it made me sound as if I was the most important thing in the whole world. Behind me Katja sucked in a breath. I could sense her hesitation, but it took a few more seconds before I understood the reason why. She was actually contemplating defying Ryiel, trying to decide whether disobedience was worth the risk. I couldn't believe she would even consider doing such a thing. Was she that stupid, or that crazy?

She shifted her weight from foot to foot, and I glanced down to see she was wearing her shoes again. How had she gotten them back, especially the one she'd thrown at the POS? I had no idea, but from the hoppy dance she was doing, I was tempted to ask if they were pinching her toes.

“Katja! I will not ask again.” Ryiel's voice was now harsh and unforgiving. I got the impression he wasn't the most patient of vampires. “Let the Promise return to Gabriel.”

The mention of my boyfriend's name jolted Katja out of whatever stupor she was in danger of sinking into. I also think it forced her to make up her mind, but I didn't think it was going to be a good decision on her part. Flexing her fingers, she repositioned her hands on my arm and shoulder, tightening her hold. Another sucking breath hissed like a snake next to my ear.

“Does she really mean more to you than I could ever be?” Katja asked Gabriel.

I honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. What was it going to take for her to accept that if she was the last female on the planet, Gabriel still wouldn't want her. He never had. Ever. I was always his, from that first moment in the clearing. And he was mine. Some hearts were just meant to be together, and that's what Katja refused to acknowledge and could never understand.

“It has always been Rowan,” Gabriel answered in a husky voice, keeping his eyes fixed on me. “And it always will be.”

I could feel my heart breaking because I loved him so much, and he didn't know I was going to give him up. Now, more than ever, I knew I could not allow him to refuse to take back his soul.

Behind me Katja shrugged, and I could feel something had changed. Had she finally recognized her romantic pursuit of Gabriel was a futile one? That she would never have a relationship with him of any kind? Better late than never . . . I guess.

“Then you had best enjoy her while you can,” she said right before she sank her fangs into my neck and dragged her teeth along the length of my shoulder, flaying me open.

“GAAABRIELLLLL!”

The pain was indescribable and almost obliterated the searing burn from my broken ribs that screaming Gabriel's name produced. I couldn't move because Katja had clamped her hands on my arms, pinning them to my sides, effectively immobilizing me while she continued to wreak havoc on my neck.

When Gabriel took my blood I was able to feel what he felt, and assumed it was the bond between us that allowed such a personal link. Being able to feel a similar connection to Katja was almost as horrifying as being attacked by her in the first place. It was also disgustingly intimate. The first mouthful of my blood that she drew up was filled with the hatred and animosity she felt toward me; but then, after pushing past those destructive emotions, I got a glimpse of what had made her this way.