Dead Girls Don't Cry (7 page)

Next came my family. In groups of ten at a time, they reclined in the capsules and fell asleep. Seeing the process, reassured me. It looked safe enough. If we blew up or crashed, I would be oblivious.

In the distance, ground personnel completed suiting up the humans into astronaut gear. At the last moment, Jay joined the group. His helmet affixed, Jay and the flight crew entered the lift.

Nervous anticipation filled my belly as I watched the elevator ascend to the flight module entry. Even though it was almost time to leave, I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening.

Jonathan caught up with me while I waited my turn to enter a capsule. “Cherry, we need to talk.”

“Yeah. About Jay—”

“Not important right now,” Jonathan pulled me behind a large concrete column. “There’s no time. Listen carefully.” He cupped my face between his larger palms. Cool as marble and rock steady. “I need you to be brave.”

My stomach fell to my feet. “What’s wrong?”

Jonathan shook his head. “Listen to me.” He captured my eyes with his glowing red gaze. Power filled his voice, “Don’t interrupt me.”

I snapped my mouth shut, stifling my questions.

A sharp boom rattled the cement column. Blast after concussive blast shook the ground. Prior screamed commands at the workers. They frantically sped up their efforts, pulling back equipment, flipping switches and scrambling out of the way. The ships’ engines roared to life.

Regret filled Jonathan’s face.

Thalia. She’d found us.

CHAPTER SIX

Once, a long time ago, Jonathan and I made a bargain. He would save my human family from imminent ruin and I would belong to him. At the time, it seemed like the only choice. I loved my parents and my siblings and would have done anything for them.

Decisions made in desperation are often foolish and ill conceived. I didn’t understand until my humanity was gone, what I had agreed to.

I was at the same crossroads again.

Jonathan kissed my forehead tenderly. Intention blazed in his eyes as power gathered around him. The press of his will wrapped around me like a blanket, comfy and confined all at the same time.

Tears welled up in my eyes. “No, Jonathan. Don’t.”

He drew his nail across his jugular. A thin stream of blood seeped out in its wake. His will prevented the blood from spurting out. “Drink from me, Charity Belmont.” Compulsion laced his voice. His eyes pleaded with me not to fight his command.

Stepping forward, my lips touched his neck. The scent of his skin, like fresh air from an exotic land, filled my nostrils. My elongated fangs latched onto the cut. Instinct gripped me and I took long greedy swallows of his intoxicating blood. Not since my creation, had I drunk so deeply from his vein.

Jonathan wrapped his arms around me, imprisoning me in a tight embrace. His muscles pressed against me, strong and familiar. Words spoken in a language I didn’t recognize echoed inside my head. Power buzzed, insistent in my mind. New awareness filled me. Others’ thoughts filled my head.

Clarity overrode my blood lust. The family bond!

Jonathan jerked me closer and switched back to English, “I pass the bond to you, Charity Belmont. Their blood is your blood. My power is yours to keep. Protect the family. Always keep them safe.”

No matter how hard I resisted, I couldn’t stop the bond’s psychic stamp from imprinting in my head. Sobs convulsed my throat. A sire never gives away the bond. Only with true death does the exchange take place.

Explosions rocked the floor. Jonathan lifted me into his arms and ran to the ship. My fangs slid out of his neck. I stared at the underside of his chin. There was so much I wanted to say to him.

“Jonathan,” I croaked out.

The ship loomed over us. Gunfire broke out in the distance.

He slowed down and slung me over his shoulder. He climbed up the gantry with lightning speed. At the very top, he set me down. My knees like water, ready to collapse.

“Cherry. You’ll do fine.” Smile lines crinkled around his brown eyes. “Take care of them.”

“You can’t do this to me!” I wailed. Strong hands gripped me from behind. Arms wrapped around me in an iron embrace.

“Come on, luv. Don’t let his sacrifice be in vain,” Ian said.

Jonathan cupped my face, his hands ice cold, then kissed my trembling lips. “Remember, I wanted you because I loved you.”

Then he was gone. With a burst of strength I broke Ian’s hold.

I ran to platform’s edge and gripped the thin metal rail, seeking out my sire. Jonathan raced through the smoky haze, smashing through Thalia’s soldiers with bone crushing force. In a blur, her men fell, necks broken, limbs torn off. I’d never seen anything like it. For the first time, I comprehended Jonathan’s age and the power it conveyed.

Through the rising vapors of the ships’ engines, Thalia waltzed into the launch bay like she owned the place. A long sword scraped the metallic surface as she walked, sparks danced around the blade’s tip, confident she would win.

The bitch.

Hate ripped through me like a beast. I lunged forward to join Jonathan in battle.

Ian snatched me back and forced me toward the ship’s hatch. I knocked him away long enough to witness a nightmare.

With a last glance at the ship, Jonathan knelt in front of the new queen.

Thalia’s arm raised. The blade arced.

“No!” I screamed.

Black spots danced before my eyes. My brain refused to see Jonathan’s head separate from his body. Too late, Ian’s body blocked my view as he carried me into the ship.

Angry howls echoed in my head. Desperate cries of an animal— me.

The noises continued after the rocket’s door closed and the entire time Ian forced me into a pressure suit. Sharp cries of pain escaped my mouth as Ian strapped me into a seat and held my hand.

The ship’s engine ignited. The tremendous force of lift-off compressed me into my seat. Only later, after we escaped Earth’s gravity and we hit zero-G, did I become quiet. Exhaustion won out and I slept.

Hours later, or maybe days later, I realized we weren’t floating around. In fact, I was reclined on a bed in a cozy room. And by cozy, I mean a small, narrow metal space, absent any windows. The walls were decorated with posters of Mars and scenes from Earth’s national parks. Probably a good thing—not seeing the dark void outside, racing past.

Were stars visible in space?

Jay was seated next to the bed in a metal chair bolted to the floor.

I raised my body up on my arms. My stiff neck swiveled, taking in the rest of the little room. “When did we board the Starship Enterprise?” Cotton filled my mouth and my throat was parched.

Jay leaned forward and passed me a shiny pouch with a small straw. “Drink it. I’ll explain later. After I’m sure you can keep liquids down this time.” The implication—I had vomited at some point on my street clothes —was confirmed by the red jumpsuit I sported. Jay wore one too, a USI logo emblazoned on the left side. The vampire version of NASA.

Whatever the fruity concoction was, it went down smoothly. Kind of like a warm daiquiri. After two more drinks, I started to feel better. The room didn’t tilt sideways when I stood up and my feet remained firmly on the ground.

The elation didn’t last long. A weary ache gripped my heart. Jonathan’s absence cut me like a knife. I clutched at my chest. Faint echoes, the family’s collective thoughts permeated my mind. The bond would take some getting used to.

“I can’t believe he did that,” I finally said. “Why did he sacrifice himself? He gave up without a fight.”

“He was a good man. I have said many prayers for him.” Jay rubbed my arm with his warm hand as if chasing away a chill. “Together we will pray for him. The traditional way.”

A wiped away a tear. “Yes. Okay.” Jay’s smile warmed my cold heart. He was the last thread to my old life. To
before
. “Why don’t you need a suit to breathe?”

Jay shook his head. “Even the space shuttle has on-board oxygen supplies. A better question would be why does this ship have gravity?”

“And?” I prompted for the reason.

Jay frowned, “I have no idea. I’ve been prowling this ship for days trying to figure it out. Prior won’t tell me a thing.”

“Wait. Prior is on the ship?”

“As soon as Thalia’s men arrived, he hopped on board. I guess he liked his chances with us better. He knew what would happen to him.” Same fate as Jonathan went unsaid. “I don’t think he planned to come along. He’s a bit freaked out.”

“Serves him right. We’ll see if his little social experiment works or not,” I grumbled.

Jay’s nod of approval at my observation irritated me.

“What? I read you know. I may be a stripper, but I’m not an idiot.”

“I’ve never thought of you as anything but intelligent and capable,” Jay said. “And you are no longer a stripper. You’re a sire.

Oh, fudge.

~ * * * ~

Jay’s reminder of my new position in life was the proverbial ice water to the head. Managing the club’s roster and balancing the books is woefully inadequate training for leading a family of vampires. And it’s not like Jonathan left me a
Sire’s Guide for Dummies
, either. The only bonus at the moment, the entire family was in stasis.

And Ian’s rogues. I doubted they would listen to me. Either as a sire or a leader. I shelved them as a problem for another day. Fiddledly-dee.

From what I gathered, while wandering around the ship, which seemed way larger than the rocket on the pad, three vampires were awake: Ian, Prior and myself. Jay and the human flight crew were the only mortals.

And I had already made a new enemy. Bonus points for me.

See, it started with the juice pouches. I explored the ship since there was nothing else to do. Would it have killed them to pack a deck of cards?

Endless wandering around dried out my throat. I had grabbed a juice pouch from the Mess Hall, one of the places I could now find without getting lost, and I discovered a new door.

I had no idea it was the Captain’s Lounge. Why he needed another room besides quarters was beyond me. I poked around for a bit. He had some interesting ship models on the desk. And a vaguely familiar stack of reports from Prior. My stack had grown mysteriously every day. I fantasized about what I would do if I caught Prior in my room. I would break his—

And that’s when Captain Trent caught me. “This is a restricted area, Miss.”

The man’s body language screamed former soldier. The same ramrod straight spine, stiff neck and polite demeanor. I’d seen a million of his type in my lifetime. Soldiers never changed. They were all the same. Looking down on us civilians, and a female to boot, like we were something stuck beneath their shoe.

“Please return to your officially sanctioned quarters.”

The steady beat of his heart told me he wasn’t afraid of me. Normally, I don’t like to scare people, but this guy’s attitude irked me.

With exaggerated movements, I peered around the Captain, juice pouch in hand. “Hmm. I don’t see anything.”

“Ma’am, please leave.”

“Sorry,” I smiled, with a hint of fang. Still no reaction. Not strange. He could be one of those types who discounted anything he saw and didn’t believe in. I showed full fang. “I don’t see anything.”

“See what Ma’am?”

“The pole up your ass.” A different possibility arose. He knew what I was.

Small frown lines creased his forehead, “I’ll escort you out.” He reached for my arm and missed. He grabbed the juice pouch instead with enough force, that if it had been my arm, it would have hurt. The pouch exploded, raining juice over his jumpsuit and the reports on his desk.

“Oops.” I skirted out of his way. “I can help you clean up.”

The dark glare was answer enough. He didn’t like me. Or maybe it was my kind. But whatever the case, he had way more strength than was natural. He had either drank vampire blood recently or he was a thrall.

I would have to keep a close eye on him. At the rate I was racking up bad feelings, I’d need a lot more eyeballs to watch my back.

~ * * * ~

Space . . .the most boring frontier. What was I thinking when I agreed to this? Oh, yeah. Right. On Earth, there’s a horde of angry vampires out to kill me. Silly me. And I wasn’t given a choice.

How could I forget those little details? I rolled over onto my side. The narrow cot that passed as a bed didn’t leave me much room to turn.

I cursed Jonathan for the hundredth time. I must have been in the anger phase of the grieving process because I cursed him every chance I got. He had not upheld his end of the bargain – dumping the family bond on me and sticking with me a colony on Mars was not protection. It was sheer lunacy.

Jonathan . . . a sob stopped short in my throat. Like bitter bile I bit it back, vowing no more tears. I’d cried for three solid days after I’d woken up. Jay confirmed I’d blubbered, half hysterical while I slept. More disturbing, he and Ian took turns watching over me while I recovered from the trauma of Jonathan’s loss.

Unbidden, images of our years together washed over me. Many of the events I perceived as negative seemed different now. The night of my creation, when he had given me enough liquor to make me more pliable, I wanted him to –

I slammed my palms against the metal sides of the bed. Memory cut off complete, I hopped off the bed and left my quarters for another aimless walk around the ship.

Free time stunk. I didn’t want to be in touch with my thoughts and feelings. Most of them were of the useless variety, such as
I hate the color gray
. It’s such a wishy-washy color. So middle of the road, like it’s too lazy to be either black or white.

Of all the colors in the universe, the ship had to be decked out in many shades of gray. Light gray walls in the Mess, dark gray for the hallways, giving them a gloomy Gus look. And silver gray in the ship’s quarters. Okay, I kind of liked the silver because it at least seemed cheery.

My other major gripe about the ship was its coffin-like interior. No windows, no bright lights and a maze of endless corridors.

The size and scale of the place was unidentifiable. For the first few days, Jay had shaken his head in amazement, muttering about the known Laws of Physics and other scientific gobbity-goop.

If I were being honest, the fixation with the ship was my way of coping with Jonathan’s loss. Maybe my grief stricken eyes weren’t capable of seeing any color other than gray. There was a dull ache in my psyche. The place formerly occupied by my sire had hung out a big vacancy sign. I wondered if I was defective or if everyone in the family would feel it. I was guessing not, since my bond filled the space previously occupied by Jonathan.