Blood Spirit (22 page)

"You're
no better than the hunters you use to kill innocents. You deserve the same end."

The
Archon's dark eyes flashed with anger. "There are no innocents in this
war. Know that if you kill me, my fellow Archons will find you. There will be
no safe place for you."

"Not
to worry. We've waited centuries for your kind to act."

The
Archon looked surprised for a moment. "A Son? Then may my last words be a
warning: You've underestimated us."

Terek
had heard enough of his bravado. Raising his hand in front of him, he squeezed
the hilt of his sword and swung down across the Archon's neck. In a flash, his
head flew back toward the side wall as his body collapsed in a bloody heap.

Looking
down at the dead body on the floor at his feet, Terek felt a surge of
satisfaction course through his body. "I think you have that
backwards."

The
Second Archon moaned quietly behind him, and as he turned to leave, Terek stood
over him to watch the last of his breath leave his body. Any chance he had of
being saved by another's blood slipped away silently. There would be no possibility
of rescue for him, just as there had been no chance of saving Serena as she lay
alone in a dark hallway bleeding to death.

Chapter Eighteen

Ilona
listened as Sasa enthusiastically detailed the history of the monastery for
Terek's vampires, but she couldn't make herself interested in the building's
past, no matter how many invader tales she heard. Maybe if they were there for
a holiday she could feign interest. The problem was they weren't. They were
there because Terek had no other way to protect them from the hunter who sought
to kill her.

Guilt
for all that his vampires had given to keep her safe pressed on her heart, no
matter how many times Carlie and Jasmine reminded her that they'd protected her
because she was one of them—family. She'd hated the idea of being one of his
women, and now nothing gave her more pride. Everything she'd assumed about them
had been wrong. She knew that now.

But
what would happen to them if Terek never came back?

Just
the thought made her feel hollow inside. He'd only been gone for one night but
something in Sasa's behavior made her think something was wrong. The fear of
hearing he was gone forever kept her from asking the question that haunted her
thoughts.

As
Sasa led the women to a garden on the side of the monastery, Ilona slipped
away. She knew she was doing everything she could to distract them, but she
didn't want to be distracted. She wanted to know what had happened to Terek.

She
walked silently to the main entrance hall where she'd seen him enter the study
the night before. Voices came from that room now, so she tiptoed up to the door
and listened for any fragment of news, good or bad.

"I
know how hard it is."

Ilona
turned to see Sasa standing behind her. Her gentle brown eyes looked at her
with sympathy, as if she truly did know what she was feeling.

"I
need to know that he's...I'm worried."

"I
know. Your worry is coming off you in waves. Even if I wasn't an empath, I'd
feel it."

Ilona
studied the woman who stood in front of her. Young and beautiful, she had a
strength that seemed like it had been fostered for centuries. But she was a
vampire, so perhaps she was hundreds of years old like Terek.

"Can
I ask how old you are? You seem so accepting of this life. Have you been a
vampire for long?"

Ilona
suddenly felt rude and began to apologize, but Sasa's gentle smile stopped her.
"Believe it or not, I'm almost as new as you. I was only turned a few months
ago."

"How
do you do it? How do you not worry?"

Shaking
her head, Sasa said, "I don't. I worry all the time. When Vasilije was
gone, I couldn't sleep and I felt sick at the thought that I might never see
him again."

Ilona
hung her head. "I don't think I can do this."

Quietly,
Sasa asked, "Do you have a choice?"

Her
question brought the reality of the situation into sharp focus. She didn't have
a choice. She loved Terek. In just a short time, she'd come to love him body
and soul, in spite of everything she'd done to avoid that feeling.

Sasa
lightly laid her hand on her arm, and Ilona looked up into her kind eyes.
"No, I don't."

"We're
lucky to love such incredible men, but nothing comes without a price. I may
never be the most important thing in Vasilije's life because of the duty he
bears as a Son. I accept that in return for every moment I feel him next to me,
for every time he looks at me with eyes full of love."

"What
if he's killed by these Archons? What then?"

"You
will never again be alone. Terek has thousands of vampires, and the ones here
care about you. And I hope you see me as a friend."

All
that sounded wonderful, but Ilona couldn't push the sadness away from the
thought of her life without Terek. Sasa gently squeezed her arm and walked
away, leaving her to her thoughts. At the doorway that led to the garden, she
stopped and turned around with a knowing expression on her face.

"I
like to think of it this way. No matter how hard this life is, isn't it better
than being without him?"

The
answer was yes, but what if that choice had been taken from her already?

Inside
the study, the phone rang and Ilona heard the one named Vasilije answer it. She
couldn't hear his voice as he spoke to the person on the other end of the line,
but her gut told her it was about Terek. She had to know, so she carefully
opened the door just a crack and listened, her heart in her throat as she hoped
for any news about him.

"Nico,
I'm going to put you on speakerphone. I think everyone should hear this,"
Vasilije said in a tone laced with concern.

The
one he called Nico began to speak, and Ilona stood stunned at what she heard.

"I
thought we all agreed there would be no more of any of us going out to fight
alone? What the hell were you thinking letting Terek go out on his own?"

There
was silence and then another man answered. "His vampires were slaughtered,
Nico. What the fuck do you expect him to do?"

Ilona
recognized the voice as Dante's, a young vampire who had spent time with her
and Carlie the night before.

Nico's
tone softened. "I understand that, but letting him go exact his own brand
of vigilante justice is going to get him killed."

Ilona's
heart slammed against her chest at the word killed. Swallowing hard, she fought
back tears and listened for his next words, praying to hear Terek was okay.

"What's
happened, Nico?" Vasilije asked, sounding even more worried than before.

"He
attacked the Barcelona Archon's offices tonight. The Order's spies hear he
killed two guards, the Second Archon, the Archon himself, and a receptionist
and secretary are missing."

"Jesus
Christ. Are you sure it was Terek?"

"Dante,
I'd like to say we're unsure, but one of our spies there recognized him. Seems
he remembered him from the wars of the Middle Ages."

Ilona
was sure whoever Nico was that he was mistaken. Missing women? Wars? That
wasn't Terek.

"What
the fuck are you talking about? Terek was a monk before he was turned,"
Dante said, echoing the question in Ilona's mind.

"Terek
isn't just a prolific sire. He was a monk before being made vampire, but for
hundreds of years he fought against humans who sought to kill our kind.
Veterans of those battles talk about Terek as a warrior and hero."

"Holy
shit! Vasilije, you know him for centuries. Did you know about this?"
Dante sounded as shocked as Ilona felt.

"I
did. I didn't fight in those wars, but I've heard the stories from those who
did. Our friend was truly a warrior. But I thought he was only going after the
hunter who killed his vampires. Nico, where is he now?"

Nico
sighed deeply. "We don't know. What we do know is that all that's left of
the two guards is blood and dust, and he butchered the Archon and the Second
Assistant Archon. I'm talking they're picking up pieces of the Barcelona
Archon, gentlemen."

"So
what's the problem? I mean, so he did a little slice and dice on an Archon and
some Archon-to-be," Dante said. "Isn't that what we're all
about?"

"We're
not ready to take the Archons on yet, Dante. And now it's very possible they
know he's a Son of Navarus after the massacre at Barcelona. We need to find him
now before they find him."

"He's
not going to stop until he gets that hunter," Vasilije said in a low voice.

"Then
we need to find him and help him get that hunter before he gets killed,"
Nico said somberly.

"You
just said he was some incredible warrior. It sounds like he's doing just
fine," Dante said.

"Against
an Archon and a few guards. Christ, Dante. They let loose a squad of hunters on
him and it won't matter what kind of warrior he is," another voice in the
room added.

Ilona's
heart raced as they discussed the particulars of how to find Terek. She didn't
care about what he could do with weapons or how many battles he'd won. Nor did
she care to hear any more about Archons or squads of hunters. All she wanted
was him back and safely in her arms.

"Vasilije,
we need to know every detail about this hunter. What do you know?" Nico
asked.

"Not
much. Terek didn't tell me anything. Did he speak to anyone about him?"

Ilona
listened, waiting for any of the men to say they knew the one who'd attacked
her and Sampson that night, but there was silence. If they didn't know how to
find him...

She
had to help. She knew more about him than anyone in that room. That she didn't
really know anyone in there didn't matter.

Pushing
the door open, she stepped into the study and watched as five men trained their
gazes on her. My God, they were big! The few who sat along the wall on the left
side eyed her with confusion since she'd never been introduced to them, but
Dante smiled a boyish grin at her as if to tell her it was okay for her to
barge in uninvited to their private meeting. The one who was with Sasa simply
raised one dark eyebrow and stared at her so intently with his stunning blue
eyes that she was afraid he might be trying to hypnotize her.

"Vasilije,
you still here?" came over the speakerphone.

"We'll
call you back. Something's come up here."

Ilona
stood like a stone as Vasilije walked toward her. He seemed to move like a wild
cat, almost like he was gliding across the floor. Unlike his vampire, he was
dark and had a sinister look that at any other time might have terrified her.
Now, however, she simply straightened her back and lifted her chin as she
steeled herself against what he might say.

He
stopped less than a foot away from her, and Ilona saw a tiny smile form. He was
every bit as attractive as Terek when he smiled, and Ilona sensed he cared for
the man she loved.

"And
who are you?" His voice was smooth and silky, almost seductive as the
words seemed to match his expression.

"Ilona.
And I can tell you what you need to know about the hunter."

"How
is that, pet?"

"Because
I was there when he staked Sampson. I'm the reason Terek's vampires were
attacked and killed. He's looking for me."

"The
new vampire?"

Ilona
nodded. "Yes."

Vasilije's
expression softened and he extended his arm toward a chair near the desk
positioned on the far wall. As she walked past him, she felt his hand lightly
on her back guiding her.

Once
seated, she looked around at the men who sat with her. Vasilije moved to a place
behind the desk and leaned back in his chair ready to hear what she had to say.
Dante smiled and winked at her, giving her the impression he knew far more
about her than she did about him. The three men who sat along the wall stared
at her like she was some kind of curiosity. Two of them were enormous and much
bigger than the rest of the Sons she'd met.

Dante
reached over and tapped her on the shoulder. "You look like you're holding
up pretty good. Don't worry about us. If you can handle Terek, we're a piece of
cake."

While
she knew this was intended to put her at ease, Ilona couldn't help but remember
she'd never really handled Terek. She'd tried, but then her feelings had taken
over and before she knew it, any handling of him had flown out the window, along
with her ability to resist him.

"So
what can you tell us about the hunter?" Vasilije asked.

Steadying
herself, she tried to remember anything that might help them find him. "He
has dark hair, dark eyes, is about just under six foot. He's average build and
pretty unattractive because he has a blockhead look to him."

Ilona
closed her eyes and replayed everything that happened after Sampson snatched
her that night. So much of it was a blur. Every moment was full of terror,
first because of Sampson and then the hunter attacking him at the fountain. Had
he ever said his name? Ilona searched her mind for anything resembling a name.
Finally, something jumped out of her memories. Yes! He had said his name.

"He's
called..." Hesitating, she worked to pin down the name, but all she could
remember was the ending sound of it. Shaking her head, she opened her eyes.
"His name is something ending in ull. Gull? Mull? I can't be sure, but it
sounds similar. I'm sure of that."

Vasilije
dialed the phone and put the call on speaker. "Nico, we've got a lead on
the hunter's name. It might be Gull or Mull, but it sounds like that. Can you
find out everything about him?"

"That's
going to be difficult. The Order knows all the Archons, but the hunters they
use are a different story. I'll put the feelers out, but this could take a few
nights."