Dominion of the Damned (30 page)

She and Alek both froze, and as the door opened Hannah dove for her shirt. Alek tried to jump to his feet, but stumbled, and did a poor job of blocking her from view while she struggled back into her tank top. She got it on and turned to see Chris standing there, a mix of surprise, hurt and betrayal on his face. “Chris—”

“
I brought some fresh blood for the doc,” he said, cutting her off. He looked Alek up and down, not bothering to hide his anger. “Although it looks like you’re doing just fine without it.” He tossed the bags to Alek, who caught them effortlessly, then turned and walked out the door.

“
Chris, wait!” Hannah started to go after him, but Alek caught her arm, just as effortlessly.

“
Let him go.”

“
But I should talk to him.”

“
Hannah, you broke his heart. He doesn’t want to talk to you right now.” He let go of her arm. “I’m sorry.”

“
It’s not your fault. I should have been straight with him. I should have broke it off with him as soon as I started....” She let her voice trail off. Started to what?

Alek asked the same question.

“
Started falling for you. I should have been straight with myself about that, too.”

She felt strong hands on her shoulders, and cool breath on her ear as he nuzzled her hair. “I know I haven’t made it easy. I know you had good reason to hold back.” He was quiet a moment, then said, “It wasn’t easy seeing you and him together.”

“
I know. I’m sorry.” Hannah went to lock the front door, then crossed back over to Alek and leaned into him. “I hate that I hurt you. And I hate that I hurt Chris.”

“
I know.” He wrapped her in his arms and held her, burying his face in her hair. “But I can’t say I’m sorry you’re with me now.” He leaned back to look down at her. “You are, aren’t you?”

She looked up at him and smiled. “I am.” He kissed her then, long and deep, and she remembered where they’d left off.

Then Noah started to cry. They broke apart with a sigh. “You should drink that,” she said, pointing to the blood. “You should rest, too. The curtains are still closed in my room if you want to lie down in there.”

“
Thanks,” he said, and she started to leave. He caught her hand and drew her back for one more kiss, making her laugh.

She was still smiling as she walked into Noah’s room and lifted him out of his crib. “When you’re older, your big sister’s going to have to teach you about a little something called timing.”

By the time she changed and dressed him and took him to the kitchen for his breakfast, Alek had already gone to lie down in her room. As she heated Noah’s bottle, she wished she could join him. She was exhausted after being up all night, and with all that had happened, but Noah was obviously up for the day. She briefly considered asking Paula to watch him for a few hours, but she had been up all night, too, and had other responsibilities. Besides, after what had just happened with Chris, it would be a long time before Hannah felt right about asking Paula for anything again. As she settled onto the couch with Noah and his bottle, she yawned and fought to stay awake. His afternoon nap couldn’t come soon enough.

When it finally arrived, she put Noah back in his crib and crept into her room. There was enough ambient light from the hall to see Alek, sound asleep in her bed. She watched him sleep a moment, glad to see him looking peaceful for once, before turning on the baby monitor and climbing into bed with him. Without waking, as if by instinct, he turned over and put an arm around her. Hannah smiled and snuggled closer, and closed her eyes.

THIRTY-EIGHT

They waited another night to hold a service for the fallen. After consulting Alek, Ned had burned the bodies. It didn’t feel right to bury them without their heads. Alek seethed with a desire for vengeance, to track down Eddie and his people and take back the heads of his friends, and bring back all of theirs as well; but what had vengeance ever gotten him, except a stained soul trapped in an immortal body? It wouldn’t bring them back. It wouldn’t erase his failure.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t seek justice. Someday, he and Eddie would meet again. And somehow, Eddie would pay for the lives he took.

Ned and Paula had found urns for each, and they sat lined up on a table at the front of the main dining hall. The base’s residents each entered the hall and filed past the urns to pay their respects before taking their seats. Once everyone was seated, Alek moved to stand next to the table.

As he looked out at the faces of all those in his care, he felt overcome with shame. He’d failed them all. He’d let an enemy into their camp, and this was the consequence. These people depended on him to keep them safe. And now he was alone in that task.

His gaze found Hannah, bouncing Noah on her knee to keep him happy. She met his gaze and smiled. In spite of everything, he found himself smiling back. No, he wasn’t alone. Not anymore.

Forcing his gaze back to his audience, Alek smoothed his tie and took a deep breath. “Carl. Stephanie. Antony. William. Juliette. I recruited each of them personally for this project. I’d met them all years ago, and all of them were my friends. It’s not easy to find those among my kind who remember what it means to be human. Or who still care.” He looked over at the table, at each urn. “But they were good people, and they believed in what we were doing here. They were happy to put their lives on the line for it, to provide a safe place for us all to rebuild our lives. They patrolled the fence, they manned the gates, and they made sure nothing got in that wasn’t welcome. But then they were fooled.” He looked at Hannah as he emphasized, “We were
all
fooled.” Alek shook his head. “I know it doesn’t seem fair, that I survived and they didn’t. I also know that I wouldn’t have, if you didn’t come for me.” He looked out at Hannah, Chris, Zach and the others who’d been involved in the rescue. “I owe each of you a debt of gratitude for that, but I owe everyone here so much more. And I promise each of you here today, I won’t be so easily fooled again. We’ll have to pull together and find the strength and courage to continue their work.” His voice caught. He swallowed, and pushed past the hitch in his breath to add, “If anyone would like to say a few words, go ahead.” He took his seat beside Hannah. She reached over and took his hand, and it was all he could do not to pull her into his arms then and there.

As Zach got up to speak, she leaned over to whisper in his ear, “It wasn’t your fault, either.”

He looked at her, and at the baby in her lap, and knew at that moment that there was nothing he wouldn’t do to protect the life they had here, to give them a chance at happiness. To give Hannah that big house out in the country to raise Noah in peace and safety, even if he couldn’t give her children of her own.

At the front of the room, Zach addressed the assembly. “Carl was a buddy of mine. He was there with the doc the night he pulled my butt out of the fire, and I mean that literally. My building at MIT was burning, and it was surrounded by shamblers. There was no way to escape. I would’ve been a chicken-fried happy meal if it weren’t for them.” He looked over at Carl’s urn, and smiled. “I remember this one time, when we were still setting up the camp here, when Carl dared me to…”

His voice trailed off as the doors at the back of the hall opened. A stranger dressed in black fatigues entered and marched deliberately up the aisle. “Alexandr Konstantin,” he called.

Even from a distance, Alek could sense his own kind. The other vampire had the air of official business. He stood up. “What do you want?”

“
You’ve been summoned,” he said. “The Council has assembled, and you are to report to them at once.” He looked past Alek at the memorial display. “It’s true, then? You’ve lost some of our people?”

Alek’s jaw tightened. “My pilot was among them,” he said. “The Council will have to wait until I can make the trip by ground.”

“
That won’t be necessary. I have orders to fly you back myself.”

“
Tonight?” Hannah came to stand next to Alek. “Can’t it at least wait until we’re done here?”

“
My orders are to bring you back immediately,” said the vampire, not deigning to so much as glance at Hannah.

“
I’m coming with you,” she said.

Alek looked at her. “Absolutely not.”

“
Actually,” said the vampire, “I have orders to bring the girl, too. Esme felt that her presence would ensure your cooperation.”

Alek laughed at that. “If Esme thinks I’m just going to hand her a hostage—”

Hannah grabbed his sleeve. “Alek, I want to go. I don’t want
you
going alone. You need someone there to watch your back.”

“
It’s not my back I’m worried about, it’s your
neck
. If we fly there with him, they could keep us both there. Esme wants to use you to control me. That is
not
going to happen.”

“
Esme thought you might say as much,” said the vampire. “She instructed me to inform you that this is your one and only chance to convince the Council that your project is progressing satisfactorily. If you
and
the girl don’t come back with me tonight, then tomorrow they’ll send a task force to shut you down and deliver your charges into Esme’s custody.”

A cry of protest went through the assembly as everyone rose to their feet. Alek held up a hand to signal that they should stay calm, even though
calm
was the last thing he was feeling at the moment.
That bitch
.

The rest of the crowd was still murmuring when a voice spoke up. “I’m a pilot,” called out Captain Burrell. He came forward to stand next to Alek. “I can fly us there. That will at least improve your chances of being able to leave.”

Alek closed his eyes for a moment, and envisioned himself wrapping his hands around Esme’s lovely white throat. It was the only thing keeping him from going for this vampire’s instead. “Go back to the Council,” he told the vampire, “and tell Esme we’ll be there soon.”

THIRTY-NINE

When the messenger returned alone, Esme had to smile. She knew Alek too well to expect him to simply obey the summons without some show of defiance. “This is an outrage,” said Charlemagne. “This entire hearing is a farce. We should simply send soldiers to shut down Konstantin’s camp. We’ve been far too lenient with your protégé, Esme.” Charlemagne was second only to Balthazar in the Council hierarchy, and also in age. He was also a stickler for rules.

“
Alexandr hasn’t been my protégé for a very long time, my lord. His stubbornness today is nothing new. But don’t worry. He’ll come.”

“
Are you certain?” asked Julia, the only female on the Council, an ancient African queen with skin as smooth as marble and dark as teak. Her true name was something only she knew, if she even remembered. Today she looked more like a businesswoman in a white silk Armani suit. Only her bald, tattooed head belied her exotic and royal origins.

“
Absolutely,” said Esme. “If there’s one trait to match our Alek’s stubbornness, it’s his predictability. He will come.”

As if on cue, the conference room door opened and Alek walked in. Esme’s smug smile froze, and then faded, as the girl entered behind him. She hung back near the door as he approached the Council table. He bowed his head respectfully to each of them in turn, except Esme, who instead received a look of accusation and contempt. “You summoned me?” he asked.

“
Alexandr Konstantin,” Julia addressed him. “We’ve received disturbing news that five of our brethren were slain under your leadership. Is this true?”

Alek bowed his head. “I regret that it is,” he said, his voice heavy with shame. Or was it grief? “May I ask how you came to be informed of this so quickly? It only happened last night. I haven’t even had a chance to make a report. We were in the middle of a memorial service when your messenger arrived.”

“
A memorial service?” asked Charlemaigne. “How… human.”

“
The humans at my camp cared a great deal for the fallen. They thought of them as friends. As did I. But again I ask, how did you learn about them?”

The others looked to Esme, who felt her smile return. “One of my patrol squadrons discovered a band of humans hiding in a field near your Army base. They put up a good fight, but they were able to capture most of them and bring them in for processing. Most of those who survived were all too willing to explain the five vampire heads in their possession.” She shook her head and made a tsking noise. “Really, Alek. How lax must your security be if this band of slack-jawed rednecks were able to slay
five
of our people?”

“
Carl and his team
were
my security,” he said. “It’s a pity you can’t ask them.”

“
We’re less concerned about your security issues,” said Julia, “than we are about the fact that it’s been more than six weeks since you’ve filed a progress report. Our research team in Sydney has shown promising results in their work toward a synthetic food source. They believe they’re very close to a breakthrough. What do
you
have to show for your efforts?”