Assassins Bite (29 page)

She tried to sit but wobbled. He caught her and lay her back down. “Rest. I have to see what's happening. Elwood, assign someone to stay on Eloise. Then get back out there.” He sprang to his feet, hoping he wasn't too late.

The bridge was covered in Lestats, pouring across by the hundreds, running up the incline—and two rows of artillery had already broken.

Chapter Thirty-One

He clutched the comm. He'd held Milwaukee in reserve for this. He hoped the maneuver still worked. It had to or they were dead. “Lake Team, fold in. Big Bear, engage at will.”

Milwaukee's troops, on the east side of the road, swept forward in a wedge, fighting with knives and metal knuckles and even bare fists. Pushing hard into the mass of Lestats, they cut through, dividing them, cutting half off from the other half.

Sunny staggered to her feet. “What's happening?” Her voice still rasped.

“Lie down!”

“No.”

“Damn, you're stubborn.”

She snorted. “Then we're a matched set. What's going on? Never mind, I'll see for myself.” She braced next to him and frowned out the window. “Milwaukee is pushing Lestats directly toward us!”

“Half. They're also forcing half the enemy north, ripe for…well, watch.”

Out of the night, dozens of teams swept down on the funneled Lestats, silver sabers flashing. Heads rolled.

“An ambush?” Sunny jerked back, overbalanced and nearly fell. He steadied her with an arm around her waist. She gave him a wan smile. “Where'd they come from?”

“Minnesota.” He caught up the field glasses with his free hand and zeroed in on Nosferatu's face, white in the moonlight. The master vampire had been overconfident enough to come across the bridge to gloat. Now Nosy was alarmed; the ambush had surprised him. Intense satisfaction drilled Aiden.

Sunny said, “I thought they hadn't arrived yet.”

“That's what I wanted everyone to think. Especially Nosferatu. It worked.”

Nosferatu's offense fizzled and dissolved into hurried defense. His lieutenants punched a small retreat hole in the combined ranks. A narrow stream of vampires slipped through, including the master himself. He jumped into his open car which immediately lumbered into a three-point turn, preparatory to escape.

Sunny wiggled out of his arm to press her nose to the window. “He's fleeing!”

“Fuck. What kind of general is he? He was supposed to stay with them.” Aiden snatched up the SMAW.

Sunny stumbled after him. “What are you doing? You have to guide your troops.”

“I need to stop him. I don't want to fight this battle again. We need to slap him down so hard he can't sit for a week.” He barred the doorway with his body, chest heaving, and fought the impulse to bark,
Stay here.
She deserved better.

“Mist?”

“No.” He champed, considering the field. “Not with all those random explosions.” This too was why he didn't simply order her back. He needed her too much. “Damn it, if I don't hit his ego hard, he'll be back, but I don't stand a chance of fighting through the battleground fast enough to catch him…hell, what's that?”

A black sedan zoomed up behind Nosferatu's convoy. The
scree
of its tail kicking out in a handbrake turn cut through.

Before it stopped, a half dozen vampires deployed, a big blond Viking visibly in the lead.

“Strongwell?” Aiden wasn't surprised by much, but that did.

As Strongwell's team closed in on Nosferatu, they fit rocket launchers to their shoulders and fired into the retreating Lestats.

Nosferatu's car went up in a fireball.

“Woo hoo!” Sunny crowed.

Aiden hugged her tight. “You're a woman of simple needs, aren't you?”

“You bet.”

As Strongwell's vampires entered the fray, the Coterie master hopped out of his car like a cricket, clothes flaming and bits of his face gone. Lestats shoved him to the ground, rolling him, smothering the flames. Nosferatu indiscriminately beheaded his helpers for their troubles.

Then he sneaked off again.

Aiden snatched up the radio with a snarl. “Elwood. Nosferatu's running. Take the spare unit and stop him.”

“We're on it.”

“He's running,” Sunny said. “Isn't that enough?”

“He'll just hypnotize his troops into thinking he was here.” Aiden pressed the field glasses to his eyes. Elwood led a charge of Dawn truckers cutting through Lestats. Vampire parts flew. Aiden cheered silently. They were almost to the bridge.

Mace and five heavily armed pals stepped through, firing semiautomatics.

Elwood jumped in front of his team. His body shuddered as the bullets hit him. A wiry trucker tried to pull him away but Elwood pushed him off. He shouted at the truckers, throwing a hand toward the back lines. Aiden knew he was ordering a retreat. When Mace launched a rocket into the Dawn team, they scattered. Elwood took the rocket in his chest.

The big trucker fell.

“Elwood!” Aiden gripped the radio hard. “Come in.”

The radio crackled. A raspy tenor said, “Elwood's down, Chief.”

“Damn it!” Aiden spun away. “Damn it.”

Sunny put a gentle hand on his arm. “It's not your fault.”

“Of course it's my fault,” he snarled. “I'm the leader. My call, my responsibility. And I'm going to fix this.” He spun back and barked into the radio, “Who is this?”

“Mac, sir.”

“Mac, fall back. Take as many of the injured with you as you can. Capitol Team, Lake Team. New orders. Every second soldier, hands up, got it?”

A pause. Then Madison said, “We're surrendering?”

“Not while I have breath.” Aiden stowed his radio and snatched up the SMAW.

“The bastard is strolling now. Strolling!” Sunny had the field glasses trained on Nosferatu.

“Not for long.” Aiden stared at the SMAW…then set it down and turned to Sunny. “But I can only carry one thing.” He presented his back to her and knelt.

She didn't hesitate. She jumped on. He wrapped her arms around his neck, she wrapped thighs around his hips, and he ran outside.

A tremendous leap took him into the air.

“You can't jump over the whole battle—shit!”

He landed on a pair of upturned hands. Leaped nimbly to the next. And the next. He crossed the entire battlefield on his troops' palms. Showy, but that was the point.

And then he was across the bridge, on the ground, running after Nosferatu.

“Blackthorne!” Milwaukee and Madison led the rallying cry.

Sunny twisted on his back. “They're charging into the Lestats. Fighting with everything they have. I can't watch.” She buried her face in his neck.

He knew what she must be seeing. Fighting with knife and tooth and claw. It was messy and ugly. There'd be no clear, easy victory for either side. Only one way he could stop this.

Stop Nosferatu.

The Coterie leader was ahead of him, strolling along the rising road. Aiden targeted where the road crested half a mile ahead and kicked it.

He was fast, absolutely silent and almost on top of Nosferatu when something alerted the vampire.

Nosferatu turned. His bat birthmark stood out against his white face like an ink drawing. “L-leave me alone!”

Even stuttered, this was his maker's command. Aiden clenched his will and fought it, but his muscles obeyed Nosferatu, shutting down. He ground to a halt.

“No, Aiden.” Sunny leaped off his back. “
No
.”

“No,” Aiden echoed. The strength of her
no
filled him, fortified him like a rock of resistance. “Never again. This is for Elwood.” He stepped in—and slapped Nosferatu's cheek.

Maybe the Coterie vampire was weakened by the explosion; maybe the slap was fueled by Aiden's sheer rage; maybe both, but Nosy's head snapped right-angle to his body and he staggered back.

Moonlight shafted the clouds at that moment, illuminating the hillcrest like a spotlight. Aiden raised his voice. “This is for Eloise.
Never again
.” Another slap, cupping his palm to make it boom. Nosferatu staggered another few steps. “If you try to touch me or mine, remember this.” Aiden followed with another slap. “I will never run again. I will fight you. And for all those orphans whose humanity you took—
I will mow you down
.” He grabbed Nosferatu's shoulder, turned him profile to the troops, and in that spotlight punched him straight in the face.

Nosferatu sailed into the air, arms and legs flailing, plowing back first into the dirt.

Four vampires ran up the crest, Mace leading. Shooting Aiden a frightened look, they darted to where Nosferatu lay and picked up their leader.

Slung between the two, Nosferatu started limping toward Aiden. “You little shit. Mow me down? My Lestats will
destroy
you. Get him!” Mace and Maim charged Aiden.

Aiden snarled. Whipped out two silver darts with a hard flick. The tiny darts embedded in the vampires' chests…and exploded.

Ribs empty, Mace and Maim dropped.

There was a moment of stunned silence. Then Nosferatu said, “You think that scares me?” He wavered on his feet, his pale face and shaking voice undermining his bravado. “You don't scare me.”

“I ought to. You trained me, remember?” Aiden's anger roughened his voice to a low, dangerous growl. “I know everything you know, and more. Next time you threaten me or mine, there'll be no Lestats, no lieutenants. Just you and me. And
I'll destroy you
.”

With a double-
shoop
he drew two long knives and took a single step toward them.

The Lestats picked up Nosferatu and ran.

A dark urge to destroy spurred Aiden into pursuit. Pact be damned, he'd slit their throats and
bathe
in their hot blood…

Beautiful Son
.
Fight for life, friendship—and love.
His mother's voice slowed him.

But it was Sunny's voice that stopped him. “Aiden, wait.”

She stood in the moonlight, a silver halo around her. A mere human, as he'd once been. He wasn't human anymore, but he didn't have to be an animal either.

He shouted, “Run, Nosy. Hide in your mean, foul nest. And remember, if you threaten me or mine again I'm coming for you,
and you alone
.”

Nosferatu's troops broke. Some jumped into trucks and some simply ran. They'd return home and live, and Nosferatu would wipe their memories, but the deep-down fear would remain. They wouldn't be challenging Aiden any time soon.

“Victory!” A huge cheer went up from Aiden's troops as he strode with Sunny through the streams of fleeing Lestats.

He'd done it. He'd led them to victory. Now he'd have to give them another speech…he sagged. He was too exhausted. Relieved. Drained.

Sunny's arms snaked around his neck. He straightened. He hadn't done it—
they'd
done it. Energy flooded back. They'd done it, and now they'd finish it. But first he had a couple of details to wrap up.

He hit his radio. “Mac, where are you?”

“West of HQ, Chief.”

Aiden headed for the small building.

“Here, Chief.” A hand went up amid the vampires on the west side. Aiden strode toward it.

Wiry Mac had directed setup of an impromptu field hospital. “Take care of the humans first. Then whole vamps there, parts there. Chief.” He turned and saluted Aiden. “Saw you beat down on Nosferatu. Nice.”

“Thanks.” The salute was unnecessary pomp, but Aiden understood the need and returned it. “Elwood?”

“We had to find a few pieces, but he'll be okay.” Mac pointed to where the big trucker slumped against a tree trunk. Aiden's heart stuttered…until Elwood waved weakly.

“Hey, Chief.”

Aiden knelt next to the big trucker and clasped his hand. “You're all right.”

“Please. I brave street gangs daily to deliver freight. Takes more than a couple pesky homeboys with popguns to keep me down.”

“Thanks,” Aiden said simply.

Elwood nodded. “And thank you for making the world safer for my mate and baby. Now don't you have a speech to give?”

“Yes.” Aiden briefly clasped the big trucker's shoulder. “After I do one more thing.” He rose and returned to the building.

Eloise sat handcuffed to the chair in the corner, eyes spewing hate. Four big vampires guarded her. Aiden stood before her, remembering the girl she once was. His friend. “I'm sorry for what happened to you, Eloise. Sorry for whatever part I played in it.” He knelt to bring their eyes level, and for just one moment, as she frowned in confusion, he saw the young girl inside. “We'll get you help…friend.”

She gave a slight start. Then her frown darkened and she spat at him.

He was already striding out the door.

Holding Sunny, he leaped onto the roof. With a gesture, he invited each contingent's leader to stand with him.

In front of the assembled troops he shook hands with Milwaukee and Madison, each of whom were cut and dirty but grinning like they'd punched Nosferatu themselves.

Aiden said clearly, “Thank you on behalf of Ric and Minneapolis…and on my own behalf as well. Together, we beat Nosferatu. I promise my own personal aid if you ever need it.” They seemed to appreciate that as much as if Ric had offered it himself.

Madison, ever the politician, stepped forward, her hand in his. Pitching her voice to carry, she said, “We accept, in the name of peace and friendship. Madison is now Aiden Blackthorne's ally. Let us unite our strength for peace.”

“Milwaukee also pledges its alliance and friendship.”

The assembled troops cheered.

Then Aiden found himself before Bo Strongwell. Lowering his voice, Aiden said, “Thanks. That was a nice save.”

“You're welcome.” The Viking grinned.

“But don't think I'm joining the Iowa Alliance because of it.”

Bo shrugged. “You don't have to. We're not the same alliance, but it doesn't mean we can't be allies too—or even friends.” He held out his hand.

Aiden considered it. Friends, with an Alliance master? That required trust. He trusted Ric and Sunny because they'd proved themselves…and come to think, so now had this vampire. Aiden took the offered hand in a firm grip.