Blood Bond (PULSE, Book 5) (13 page)

“Like Aaron,” Jaegar said. They fell silent. Remembering Aaron was too painful for all of them.

At last they arrived at the place where Stuart led them – a grand palatial mansion, seemingly abandoned, in the classical Chinese still. So this was the home of the great doctor, Kalina thought, the place where Life's Blood was invented. Abandoned, like all the houses around here.

Kalina shuddered to think why.

Passing beneath the gate of the house – tall, imposing, and austere – the quartet proceeded towards the house.

They were here at last.

Chapter 13

T
he courtyard was large and imposing. A number of small doorways were built around a central square, in the middle of which was an enormous and delicately carved stone fountain. The courtyard was by now overgrown with weeds and brush, but Kalina could see that this had once been a beautiful garden. Gorgeous flowers were hidden by overgrowth; she could spy the corners and edges of statues hidden beneath weeds that rose almost up to her chin.

“They're in there,” Stuart said. “I can feel it.” He sniffed the air. “There's a lot of vampires about – we need to be careful.”

Kalina removed the Life's Blood rubies that the old woman in the village had given her and handed one each to Jaegar, Stuart, and Justin, keeping a fourth for herself. “Stuart,” she said, “we met some woman when we were in Mongolia. She told me that these rubies had a special power – that they could beat Life's Blood vampires, get rid of their immortality.”

Stuart scoffed.

“You don't believe me?”

“I don't believe in quacks,” said Stuart. “And I know plenty of dangerous types who would like to make a few pounds of gold off vampires. There's a fair trade in that.”

“Well, take one anyway,” said Kalina.

“What do I do with it?” Stuart looked down suspiciously at the ruby in his hand.

“I'm not sure,” Kalina admitted. “The woman didn't give me any details. She just said that it had a special power. She didn't tell me what to do with it.”

“Right...” Stuart was evidently not convinced. Kalina's heart sank. What if he was right to be so disbelieving? What if the woman had given them fake rubies – or else real rubies that had no magical powers whatsoever? What if it was all a trick to make them overconfident. But the woman hadn't asked for any money – and these rubies, magical or not, certainly looked valuable. Why would the old woman have parted with such precious treasure if she didn't think it would help them fight the vampires?

“Look, I had a ruby necklace like this, once,” said Kalina. “It was found on me when I was born. And Max took it. She must have had a reason for doing it.” She sighed. Of course, it meant that her mother had essentially stolen a valuable tool she needed to live – but she wouldn't think about that now.

“We'll give it a try,” Stuart conceded. “Do I just wear it or what?

Kalina turned to Justin. “Do you have any medical gauze in your bag?”

“Sure,” Justin said, looking confused. “Why?”

“Just hand it over,” Kalina said. She took the gauze from Justin and began wrapping it around her stake, wrapping the ruby to the stake and tying it tightly. “I figure keeping the rubies as close to the source of whatever we're killing is a good idea.

“Hand me some,” said Jaegar, wrapping a ruby around his wrist. He, like Octavius, had the power to use his hand as a stake – a power that required great skill and dexterity.

“Fine,” said Stuart. “I mean, it can't
hurt
.” He fixed a bracelet to his wrist as well. Justin tied one to his stake, as Kalina had done, rather less confident of finding his opponent's heart with his fingers alone.

They looked warily at the courtyard. “Time to cross,” said Kalina.

“I guess it's now or never,” said Stuart.

Kalina felt nervous as they tiptoed across the courtyard, trying to remain out of vampire as well as human earshot. They entered the main hallway and then rounded the corner.

In a flash, a vampire guard was upon them. He jumped onto them, sending them reeling backwards, back into the courtyard.

“Fie, intruders!” hissed the vampire. “Just in time for dinner!”

The vampire grabbed Justin, who was the slowest of the four to dart away, and pulled back his hair to reveal his pulsing, bare neck. He let loose his fangs and tried to bite Justin. Kalina shuddered as she recognized the look in the vampire's eyes. This one was high on Life's Blood – that was for sure – and was effectively invincible.

Unless the rubies worked.

Not the best circumstances under which to find out, Kalina thought as Justin and Stuart tackled the Life's Blood vampire, sending him to the floor. Their combined strength held him off for long enough to Justin to scramble to his feet. But they couldn't hold him down for more than a few seconds and, cackling, the vampire made for Kalina.

“More blood!” The vampire's yellow teeth glinted in the light. “Excellent. In fact, by the smell of you, it looks like I've had a few vials of your blood already. Mal has been carrying them about...”

Kalina was horrified. How could this vampire – this vampire she'd never met, living thousands of miles from California – have managed to get hold of her blood? Was Mal selling some of the vials he had stolen on the open market now?

She gritted her teeth. “Pig,” she muttered, as she raised her stake, hoping for her own sake as well as Justin's that it worked. She closed her eyes and ran towards the vampire, her stake colliding with his chest. He made no motion to defend himself.

“What, you think a stake can kill me? I'm a Life's...”

But the rest of his words were lost as he crumbled into a pile of dark gray dust with a loud
pop
.

Kalina and the others stepped back in astonishment. So it had worked after all. The Life's Blood vampires could be defeated by these rubies.

Kalina fished more out of her pockets. Put them on your stakes too, boys – backup. She handed more rubies to Stuart and Jaegar. She fished two spare stakes out of her bag. When she found Octavius and Max, she wanted them to be able to fight, too. Her heart was beating fast with excitement. They had a real shot now – they could kill Life's Blood vampires!

They proceeded again into the house, looking around to make sure they managed to trap any vampires before they sounded the alarm. Jaegar and Stuart flanked Justin and Kalina, who were rushing to finish tying as many rubies onto stakes as they could, adding additional rubies to their necks and arms for good measure. Now that they were sure that these jewels worked, they never wanted to risk being without them.

They spotted another vampire making the rounds.

“Hold on,” whispered Jaegar. He and Stuart ambushed the guard and pushed him up against the wall. This guard, too, had Life's Blood in his system; Kalina could smell it now – hot and strong and sweet with musk.

“Where are they?” breathed Stuart.

“Where are who?” The vampire struggled to escape, but Stuart pressed his ruby-adorned arm against his throat. The ruby sizzled the flesh, and the vampire yelled.

“Keep it down or we'll put that jewel where it hurts,” Jaegar gritted his teeth.

“Where are Octavius and Max?” Stuart hissed.

“I don't know what you're talking about!” the guard cried.

Jaegar looked deep into his eyes with a searching look. “He's telling the truth,” he announced. “But...”

“They must be in hiding!” Kalina whispered, giving Jaegar a significant look.

Jaegar and Stuart exchanged glances. They knew what that meant. This vampire had just become a security risk. And he would have to die.

The vampire evidently knew it too. In a panic, he broke free, leaping onto Justin and leaving a deep, gaping bite in his shoulder. Justin gave a loud yell as Jaegar and Stuart stabbed the vampire at the same time with their hands. The vampire collapsed into dust, staining Justin's clothes.

“So, it weakens them, too...” Stuart nodded. “You were right, Kalina.”

Jaegar had rushed to Justin's side. “Here, drink,” he said quickly, biting into his own flesh. Kalina found herself sniffing the air as blood poured from the puncture wounds on Jaegar's wrist, strangely aroused by the smell. How odd – she had never reacted so strongly to the scent of blood before.

“What are you doing?” Justin scrambled from Jaegar's wrists. “You're not turning me, are you?”

“No, stupid – I'm healing you. If I was turning you I'd have drained you first. You have to die to live, my friend.”

“Are you sure?”

Jaegar rolled his eyes. “No, Justin. I'm not sure. I've only been a vampire a few hundred years. Really not enough time to figure out how this whole turning thing works. Not like it's happened to me or anything.”

“Fine!” Justin grabbed Jaegar's wrist and drank greedily. Within moments his wound had healed.

“All better,” said Jaegar, yanking away his wrist. “Now quit sucking – it's not chocolate, you know.” He smiled. “Imagine if all doctors were vampires. Your hospitals wouldn't have any sick people – they'd all be cured in a heartbeat.”

He had intended it as a joke, but Justin's face grew searching and serious. Kalina looked up. Justin looked as if he was seriously contemplating it. He was that devoted of a doctor to actually think he might find a cure to sickness and diseases.

“Enough with the Justin jokes,” Kalina said quickly. “I know you want a third brother, but I have enough vampires around me as is. I need a human!”

“Speaking of humans,” Stuart spoke up, turning around. A distinctly human figure was running across the courtyard – a woman's figure running at super-speed, chased by two vampires.

Max.

Chapter 14

“
L
et's go!” Kalina cried as she spied Max running across the courtyard. Max ducked and ran straight into another room of the house.

“That way!” Stuart led the foursome back through the garden and through the door, following in Max's footsteps.

Kalina's heart was beating so quickly that she felt her whole body shaking. Her blood was alive with adrenaline; she was breathing heavily. This was it, she knew. Where Max was, Octavius would be also. It was going to be the final showdown. Octavius was alive – she knew that – but for how long, she didn't know. And if Molotov got to Max and Octavius, then it wouldn't be long before he got to her, her brother, and the Greystones.

“Stay back, Justin,” she said. “It's too dangerous.”

“Not a chance,” Justin said as they ran. “If your mother and Octavius are in need of help, then they need everybody that they can get. And even if you need to use me as a human shield or whatever, that's better than nothing. Focus on getting out of there safely – don't you
dare
worry about me. Besides, I have the rubies now.”

Kalina saw how the rubies glimmered – not only on her own stake, but on the wrists and necks and the stakes of those around her. They were ready for a fight, she knew – a fight that could very well be her last.

Tap into your blood
. It was that same, strange voice again.
Tap into your strength. Let it control you.