Demon Warriors 3: Rainerio (7 page)

“What do you want?” Rainerio snapped as he walked closer. He didn’t like this guy. Although Dillon was now his mate, Peter still went out on a date with him. That made Peter one of Rainerio’s least favorite people in his book.

“I know you don’t like me because I dated Dillon. Get over it. He chose you. That’s not why I’m here.” The vampire shoved his hands into his front pockets, glaring at Rainerio.

“You have five seconds to tell me why you are here before I walk away.” He was itching to get to his mate. He didn’t have time for this bullshit. The pissing contest was over. He had won.

Peter pulled one of his hands from his pockets and pointed it accusingly at Rainerio, anger evident on his face. “You know, I should have called someone else’s name. After the way you left him crying his eyes out, you don’t deserve Dillon.”

“What the hell do you know about what happened between us?”

Rainerio’s step faltered when Peter’s words finally sunk in. “Wait, what do you mean crying? When was he crying? Why was he crying?”

Peter let out an aggravated growl from his throat. “What the hell is wrong with you? I tried to tell myself you weren’t that big of an asshole. The way you looked at him contradicted what you did.” Peter raked his eyes disapprovingly over him. “But from the way you are acting now, I’m having second thoughts.”

“Will you just tell me what the hell you are talking about?”

Rainerio had been gone for a week. Maybe Dillon had decided he no longer wanted him. Why would his mate be crying? None of this was making any sense.

“Fine. If you want me to air your dirty laundry out here on the street. How could you fuck him and then just disappear? Don’t you know that man is in love with you? He’s walking around with his heart ripped out of his chest.” Peter held up his fists, as if readying for a fight. “I outta knock you on your ass for treating him that way.”

“I don’t have a fucking clue what you’re talking about, Peter. Now stop acting like a dick and tell me what’s going on. I didn’t fuck him and leave him as you so eloquently put it. Not that it’s any of your business, but I had things that needed taking care of. I left him a note.”

Peter blinked at him as his fists lowered. “You did? He didn’t mention a note.”

“Shit.” The pieces fell into place in Rainerio’s head. If Dillon didn’t find the note, then he would think that Rainerio had just up and left after the best night of his life. This was so fucked up. “I have to go.” He spun on his heel. There was a lot of explaining to do. If Dillon didn’t find that note, he was sitting somewhere distraught.

Rainerio couldn’t have that.

“Wait!” Peter shouted.

Rainerio rounded on the vampire. “I don’t have time for this bullshit. My mate needs me.”

“Holy shit, your mate? Did you tell him that?”

“No, and that’s why I need to find him.”

Peter shook his head as he grabbed Rainerio’s arm. He looked down at the vampire’s fingers with a raised brow.

“Whatever. Look, he was at the coffee shop sitting there depressed as hell. He was talking about going back to the human realm and relocating so he could put all of this behind him.”

Rainerio yanked his arm away and headed for the side of the building. He had to stop Dillon from disappearing from his life. The sexy little bugger wasn’t going to get away from him. “How long ago?” he shouted at Peter from over his shoulder.

“He’s not there.”

Rainerio came to a halt, spinning on the vampire. “I don’t have time for these fucking games. Tell me where he is.”

Peter pointed to the end of the building. “I followed him, wanting to talk some sense into him. I lost him for a minute, but when I caught up with him, some guy was carrying Dillon over his shoulder…and Dillon was unconscious.”

Rainerio roared as he spun around and repeatedly punched the dumpster that was sitting to his right. He felt his control slipping.

“Tell me you know where Dillon is,” he growled between clenched teeth.

“I do. I followed them so I could get help.”

Rainerio’s head snapped to the side, glaring at the vampire.

Peter’s quick thinking was the one thing that just saved his scrawny ass.

“Then take me to him.”

“Don’t you think we should get some backup? Just in case we stumble onto a bigger problem.” Peter shrugged as he took a step back. “It couldn’t hurt. You never know.”

Rainerio knew Peter was talking sense. His mind wasn’t in the right frame right now. He was fighting to maintain control.

Rainerio grabbed his cell, punching in Panahasi’s number. He glanced at Peter, watching him closely. If this vampire had anything to do with Dillon’s kidnapping, he was going to kill his sorry ass.

“I need help. Dillon has been kidnapped.”

Dillon struggled against the restraints on his arms and legs. He could feel panic set in as the goon who kept stating that he was human laughed at him from across the room. “You can’t get out of that, but it is fun to watch you struggle.”

A fearful tremor crashed over his body, but Dillon wasn’t going to give the man the satisfaction of knowing how terrified he truly was. It seemed to give him too much pleasure. “I may not have a medical license, but I’d be willing to give you a free autopsy, asswipe.”

The man roared with laughter as he shook his head, his hands landing on his hips. “I think you are going to be the one who gets the free prize.”

That didn’t go so well. Dillon’s fear spiked to new levels when another person came into the room. The man looked menacing and smug. “I see we have another donor.” The newcomer walked across the room and started rifling through the cabinets before setting a very large needle down on the counter.

“You’re not sticking that damn thing in me,” Dillon shouted as he struggled against his restraints. He spat toward the man holding the one thing Dillon feared the most. God, he
hated
needles. Any time he had to get a shot, the doctor had to knock him out first with nitrous oxide gas. This guy had no clue just how much Dillon hated them.

He’d rather be tossed into a pit with a thousand snakes than allow this fucker to stick him.

“Oh, I’m sorry, you said I’m not gonna do what now? I’m going to do more than stick you, human.” The man curled his lip as he stepped closer to Dillon. “I’m going to drain you.”

“No!” Dillon shouted as he thrashed his body around, trying his best to break free. The needle looked twenty feet long in Dillon’s eyes. He shouted as the leather straps cut into his wrists and ankles, but he wasn’t giving up.

“You see, I’ve found that humans have something in their DNA that binds with my new drug. It enhances it and makes it more potent. The problem is, I need a lot of it.”

“You sorry sack of shit. If you stick me with that needle, I’ll…I’ll make you pay. Rainerio will kill you for this!” Dillon shouted with vengeance.

The man chuckled. “I’ve been watching you. Where is your warrior? I haven’t seen him around in a week. I think he got what he wanted and left you high and dry.” The man tied a rubber tourniquet around Dillon’s upper arm. “I don’t think he’ll be saving you.”

Dillon screamed until his voice was hoarse, and nothing but a crackling sound was heard now. The sadistic bastard had jabbed him with that needle. He could feel his heart beating so hard, he thought it was going to explode.

He began to hyperventilate. Sweat broke out over his entire body.

A trickle rolled down the side of his face. The needle was taped into place as Dillon watched the clear tubes turn red with his blood. It ran from his arm into a large bag hanging from a pole, draining him. It was taking the very thing he needed to live.

Dillon watched in horror as the bag began to fill. He was no expert, but he knew it shouldn’t be draining him so quickly. Bile rose to the back of his throat as he became nauseous. Pinpricks stabbed him all over his body as the bag became heavier with his blood and his body became lighter. He felt weak, exhausted.

“I want to thank you ahead of time for your donation.” The man patted his shoulder as Dillon strained to keep his eyes open. His vision blurred, making it hard to see what was going on. How were they draining him so quickly?

Dillon licked his lips as his mouth began to dry out. A single tear slid down the side of his face as he wondered why Rainerio had deserted him. He had hoped in his heart that Rainerio actually cared for him. Dillon had been a fool. And to make matters worse, everyone thought he had returned to the human realm.

No one was going to save him. No one.

He blinked a few times, trying to make out the shadowy figures in the room. A light buzz began to ring in his head as Dillon fought to stay conscious. The temperature must have dropped in the room because he could feel his teeth chattering.

“
Dillon
.”

He turned his head with great effort. He was so damn tired.

“
Dillon
.”

Dillon heard the voice as if it were a far away echo. It was the last thing on his mind before he was swallowed by the darkness.

* * * *

Rainerio threw open cupboards and snatched open drawers, desperately looking for something to clamp off the tube. He found a pair of hemostats and attached them as he yanked the needle from Dillon’s arm.

Chaos reigned all around them as the warriors fought desperately to take down Marino and his men. When Peter had led them to Malcor’s, Rainerio knew this wasn’t going to be easy.

Marino, for some unknown reason, was immune to their powers.

Kane couldn’t freeze him, Hondo couldn’t burn him, and he could even see Einarr, who was presently invisible.

Rainerio, for the moment, ignored them all. His mate lay there unconscious, his life essence trapped in a fucking banana bag. He had no clue how to reverse this, how to return Dillon’s blood to his body.

“Phoenyx!” Rainerio shouted as he quickly unbuckled his mate from the straps that held him down. Dillon looked so fragile lying there unconscious. He didn’t look like he was close to death. He looked like he was in a peaceful sleep.

Rainerio could feel his muscles stretching, growing, as he began to double in size. His powers weren’t as handy as some of the other warriors’. No, his powers allowed him to double in size and take on the strength of ten men. The room quickly began to shrink as his body grew to a massive size. Rainerio laid his overly large hand on Dillon’s chest, feeling the faint but present beat to his heart. It wasn’t beating in a normal rhythm, but was struggling to continue giving Dillon life.

The redheaded warrior was at his side. He pulled Dillon’s shirt up, showing his slightly blue-tinged skin as he made a tiny incision in his chest, right above his heart. Phoenyx leaned over Dillon’s body, a single tear escaping his eye as it traveled down his face, dangling from his chin, before dropping into the small cut.

The warrior rejoined the fight before Rainerio had a chance to thank him. Carefully, with strained control, he pulled Dillon from the table, holding him close to his heart as he looked around the room.

His arms tightened around his mate as he watched the warriors slowly overtake the men who were out to kill his mate.

Rainerio looked down at Dillon’s limp body. He looked so tiny, so fragile. Minutes had passed, but the coloring hadn’t returned to Dillon’s complexion. It was still ashen, blue.

“Panahasi.” Rainerio’s voice boomed in the small room. His size had given his voice an unrealistic depth that rattled his own chest. “He isn’t healing.”

The leader nodded as his superhuman reflexes countered every move his opponent was making. Panahasi took down the man in one fluid motion, using his blade to slice across the man’s exposed throat.

“I’ll be back.”

Rainerio watched as the leader threw his hand open and a portal appeared to his right. Before Panahasi could step through, Marino lunged for the counter, grabbing a needle and injecting himself.

Rainerio’s mouth fell open as his jaw slightly unhinged, roaring at the man trying to grab the bag of Dillon’s blood from his hands.

Rainerio kicked his large and powerful leg out, trying to keep Marino away from his mate, but the fucker sidestepped his efforts.

Panahasi was across the room in a flash, struggling with Marino to keep him away from Dillon’s bag of blood. Whatever Marino had injected himself with seemed to make him stronger. The man became more aggressive, fighting with unbelievable strength as more warriors joined in to take him down.

Rainerio wanted to set Dillon down and help, but he feared leaving his mate unattended even for a second. Panahasi charged toward Marino, tackling him as he threw punch after punch, inflicting damage but only gaining a small measure of leverage.

Wayland and Deandre intercepted two of Marino’s men as they fought to keep them back. He saw one man levitate in the air before flying across the room and knew Einarr was the one fighting him.

Donnchadh and Cadeym were fighting three men as Kobe and Takeo took down the two men that had attacked them.

Panahasi roared, rolling from Marino as he got to his feet, kicking out before Marino got his footing and knocking the bastard into the portal the leader had open just moments ago. But before he fell through, Marino reached out and grabbed two vials from the counter.

When the portal closed, swallowing Marino, Panahasi turned to the room. “Get home, now.”

The leader grabbed the remaining vials and injection needles from the counter as he opened another portal and followed the warriors and Dillon.

Rainerio set Dillon on Panahasi’s couch as he shouted at the room. “He’s not healing. What’s wrong?”

Phoenyx stood there shaking his head slowly as he looked at Dillon’s slumped over body. “That’s never happened before.”

Rainerio dropped to his knees, pulling Dillon to his chest. His size had returned to normal as he held his mate. Panahasi disappeared, reappearing seconds later with a disheveled-looking vampire next to him.

Prince Christian, the only vampire who can convert anyone into a vampire themselves, crossed the room and shoved Rainerio out of his way. “It’s close. Even I may be too late.” Christian glanced at everyone before settling his eyes on Rainerio. “If I change him, he may hate you. Not everyone wants to live badly enough to endure being a vampire.”