Immortal Sins (23 page)

Rourke stood on the sidewalk in front of Karinna’s house. He hadn’t intended to return to America until he had settled his score with Vilnius, but he had spent two weeks at the wizard’s home waiting for him to return, but to no avail. As much as Rourke yearned for revenge, his need to see Karinna again had been stronger, and so he had abandoned his quest for revenge, for the time being, and come home.

Rourke grinned faintly. Home, he thought. For him, it wasn’t a place, but a woman. He hadn’t seen Karinna for a fortnight and he had missed her more than he would have thought possible. He hadn’t found a secure lair before he’d gone in search of Vilnius, so he had spent the day before resting in the ground, and while Mother Earth offered a refuge from the sun, he preferred to take his rest in a bed on a firm mattress. He had considered spending the day in Karinna’s shed, but, for some reason he couldn’t quite fathom, it hadn’t seemed right.

Using his preternatural powers, he had obtained a hotel room the night before, which had provided him with access to a shower and a place to change his clothes, though he hadn’t dared to take his rest there. It might have been safe, but he felt too exposed in the room. There were too many windows, too many unknown people coming and going at all hours of the day and night. It had, however, provided him with a new hunting ground.

His hunger stirred, and with it, his desire for Karinna. Ah, Karinna. Not only had he missed the woman herself, but he had missed the creature comforts of her house, the sense of homecoming he had felt whenever he entered her abode, the friendly warmth of a fire in the hearth, the casual evenings they had spent watching the television together, or playing cards.

He glanced at the windows downstairs, wondering if she was home. No lights shone from inside. He knew she had to go to work tomorrow, but surely she hadn’t gone to bed so early. Had she gone out for the evening?

He was stalling, and he knew it. He was a vampire with remarkable powers, yet the thought of facing one mortal female filled him with trepidation. Would she be angry with him for leaving so abruptly? Would her eyes be filled with silent reproach? He could withstand her anger, he thought, but not her tears.

Angry or not, he had to see her. If he had learned one thing in the past two weeks, it was that his existence wasn’t worth living if he couldn’t share it with her.

Muttering an oath, he walked quickly to the front door. He was about to knock when his preternatural senses told him the house was empty. He was trying to decide whether to wait inside or come back later when he caught a familiar scent on the freshening wind, a scent that raised the short hairs along his nape and filled him with a quiet sense of dread.

Vilnius.

Rourke opened the front door with a wave of his hand. Stepping over the threshold, his gaze swept the darkness, coming to rest on a folded sheet of paper propped on the mantel.

He read it quickly, then read it a second time.

There was no signature, no date, just a phone number under a boldly scrawled
V
. When had Vilnius been here? How many days had Karinna been at his mercy?

Rourke moved unerringly through the darkness toward Karinna’s office. Each breath carried her scent to his nostrils, reminding him of the nights they had spent together, the fervent kisses they had shared. If anything happened to her, it would be all his fault. He swore softly. He should have realized that the wizard would know when the curse was broken, should have known that Vilnius would come after him. Had the wizard also found his daughter?

Picking up the telephone, Rourke listened for the dial tone the way Karinna had showed him, then punched in the wizard’s number.

Vilnius answered on the first ring.

“Where is she?” Rourke asked curtly.

“Ah, Mr. Rourke. She is here, with me.”

“If you hurt her…”

“Spare me your empty threats.”

“Where are you?”

“There is a house for sale on the corner of Willow and Wade streets. I will be waiting for you there.”

Rourke swore softly as Vilnius broke the connection. A thought took him to the corner of Willow and Wade. Standing in the shadows across the street from the house, Rourke closed his eyes, his preternatural senses reaching out, searching for her. He caught a hint of the wizard’s presence, but nothing to indicate that Karinna was inside.

Muttering an oath, Rourke dissolved into mist, crossed the street, floated down the chimney, then hovered near the ceiling.

Below him, Vilnius paced the living room floor, his long gray robe flowing behind him like the breath of Satan.

But Rourke had little interest in the wizard. He had come to make sure Karinna was safe, but where was she? Rourke drifted from room to room. He checked the closets, the walk-in pantry in the kitchen, but there was no sign of her, no sense of her presence in the house. Save for a tall, three-legged stool in one corner of the front room, the interior of the house was empty. The drapes were drawn across all the windows.

He returned to the living room wondering what game Vilnius was playing. He had been certain Vilnius would keep Karinna close by. Had he been mistaken? And then he saw that the house wasn’t empty, after all. A large painting of a still, blue lake set in the midst of a deep green forest hung on the wall just inside the front door. A small cottage bathed in early morning sunlight stood off to one side of the lake. A blue sailboat, with its white sails unfurled, floated on the placid surface of the water.

Rourke was about to turn away from the painting when he saw Karinna. Clad in an emerald green gown, she was seated in the bow of the boat, a look of horror etched on her countenance.

If he could have spoken, he would have uttered every curse word he had ever known. If he had been in his own form, he would have smashed something, preferably the wizard’s arrogant face.

Instead, he hovered near the ceiling unable to look away from Karinna. He had brought her to this, he thought. He had insinuated himself into her life and now she was in the wizard’s power, caught in the same kind of hell that he himself had endured for so long.

Was she aware of what had happened to her? How would an ordinary mortal react to being imprisoned in such a fashion? If he could free her, would she be the same woman he had known, the woman he loved more than his very existence, or would being entrapped in such a way forever shatter her hold on reality?

He had to get her out of there, but how?

In his present condition, he was helpless. He had intended to destroy Vilnius. He knew there was a possibility that Vilnius would defeat him, but it was a chance he had been willing to take. But now…Dammit, now it wasn’t only his own existence that was at risk, but Karinna’s life, as well.

He was still trying to decide what action to take when Vilnius suddenly stopped pacing. Head cocked, his eyes narrowed, he glanced around the room.

Fearing that the wizard had sensed his presence, Rourke made a hasty exit. Resuming his own form outside, he paced the darkness, his mind in turmoil. He was tempted to charge in and confront Vilnius and to devil with the consequences, but his concern for Karinna’s welfare, his love for her, demanded caution. Assuming he won the battle with the wizard, there was always a chance that Vilnius had worked a different enchantment on this painting and that calling Karinna to his side wouldn’t work. He couldn’t kill the wizard until he knew how to remove the spell and free Karinna.

He needed an edge…but what?

Rourke dragged a hand across his jaw. He needed some backup, he thought, then grinned, thinking that he sounded like a character on one of the cop shows Karinna sometimes watched on the television. Backup…Ramon Vega quickly came to mind. If he could persuade the vampire to help him, he might have a chance to overpower the wizard.

Ramon Vega answered the door wearing a pair of faded jeans low on his hips, and nothing else. He looked understandably surprised when he saw Rourke standing on the porch.

“Well, well,” Vega muttered. “Look who’s here. I guess you want to see Ana.”

“I came to see you. I need your help.”

Vega’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “My help? Doing what?”

“Ramon, who is it?”

Glancing over Vega’s shoulder, Rourke saw Ana Luisa walking toward them. She wore a pair of white shorts that made her legs seem three yards long, and a bright red halter top that left little to the imagination. Rourke whistled softly, thinking she had quickly adapted to the somewhat shocking fashions of the time.

Vega slid his arm around Ana Luisa’s waist in a blatantly possessive gesture that clearly said, “She’s mine.”

“Jason,” Ana Luisa said, surprise evident in her tone. “What brings you here?”

“I came to ask for his help,” Rourke said, frowning, “but maybe I’m asking the wrong vampire.”

“What are you talking about?” Ana asked.

“Your father is here.”

Ana Luisa’s eyes grew wide. “He’s here? In America? Are you sure?”

“He’s in the city,” Rourke replied. “And yes, I am sure.”

“What does he want? Does he know where I am?” She moved closer to Vega. “You didn’t tell him where to find me?”

“Of course not,” Rourke said.

Vega smiled reassuringly at Ana Luisa. “Don’t be afraid, chica. I won’t let him hurt you.”

“You do not know,” she said, her voice tight. “You do not know what he is, what he can do.”

“Well, suppose you tell me.”

“He is a powerful wizard,” Ana Luisa said. “More powerful than you can imagine.”

“Bring him on,” Vega said arrogantly. “I’m not afraid of him.”

Rourke grunted softly. “Then you are a bigger fool than I first thought. Vilnius is a wizard to be reckoned with.”

“More powerful than a vampire?” Vega asked skeptically.

“Powerful enough to trap me inside a painting for three hundred years,” Rourke said curtly. “And his daughter, as well.”

“What do you mean, trapped?”

“I mean he cast an enchantment on the two of us, one that was only recently broken.”

Vega looked at Ana Luisa again. “Is that true?”

She nodded, her eyes bright with fear.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“I do not like to think about it.”

Vega’s attention shifted to Rourke. “So, what kind of help are you looking for?”

“Vilnius has Karinna.”

“Oh, no,” Ana Luisa murmured.

“Come on in,” Vega said, taking a step back. “Ana, why don’t you get us something to drink?”

Rourke followed Vega and Ana Luisa into the house. The place didn’t look like much from the outside, but it belied the luxurious interior. Rourke didn’t know if Vega had decorated the place himself, or hired someone do it, but the results were remarkable. A curved, plush brown sofa flanked by glass-topped end tables was situated in front of a massive red brick fireplace. The walls were off-white, the floors were polished hardwood, and there was a cathedral ceiling. A grand piano occupied one corner of the room.

Vega gestured at the sofa. “Make yourself comfortable.”

With a nod, Rourke took a seat.

Vega sat at the other end of the sofa.

A moment later, Ana Luisa appeared carrying a tray with a bottle of red wine and three crystal glasses. Sitting between the two men, she filled the glasses, handed one to Vega, and one to Rourke.

Rourke swirled the liquid in his glass, his nostrils filling with the scent of cherry, plum, and vanilla.

Vega took a drink and smiled. “Not a bad Pinot, fine acidity.”

Rourke nodded. It was an excellent vintage. Vega was apparently a connoisseur and accustomed to the best money could buy. Given their long life spans, many of the ancient vampires managed to acquire a good deal of wealth. Rourke, himself, had once been a fairly wealthy man, though his holdings were all gone now, lost to others while he languished in that damnable painting.

“So,” Vega said, settling back against the sofa, “have you got a plan for rescuing Karinna?”

“Unfortunately not.”

“I cannot believe he’s here.” Ana’s hand trembled as she lifted her glass. “I had hoped never to see him again.”

Vega regarded Rourke for several moments before asking, “How do you suppose he found you?”

“A spell of some kind, I should imagine. It’s strange that he hasn’t contacted you, Ana,” he mused. “I would have thought he would have come to you first.”

Vega shrugged. “Maybe he doesn’t know where she is.”

“Perhaps not, but why not? If he could find me…” Rourke frowned. “Ana, you said the bond between the two of you was broken when Vega brought you across, is that right?”

“Yes.”

“Can you feel it now?”

She closed her eyes a moment, then shook her head. “No, there is only emptiness.”

“Evidently, the bond was broken when you died as a mortal,” Rourke mused. “Your father is not looking for you because he believes you are dead.”

Vega looked at Ana Luisa, his head canted to one side. “So, chica, do you know how to do magic, too?”

“Yes, although I am not nearly as proficient as my father. I have seen him do things you would not believe. Impossible things.” She shuddered. “Cruel things.”

Vega studied the wine in his glass, his expression thoughtful. “I should think that two vampires and a witch would be able to take on one wizard, even a powerful one.”

“One can only hope,” Rourke muttered darkly. “Ana, what do you think your father’s reaction would be to seeing you again?”

“I do not know.”

“Maybe it’ll scare the life out of him,” Vega remarked with a grin.

“Only one way to find out,” Rourke said. “Are the two of you with me?”

Kari wanted to cry, to rail at Fate and unleash her fear and helplessness in a primal scream of rage, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t even blink, she could only stare at the blank wall on the far side of the room. It was a terrifying sensation, being able to think but unable to move or speak. She had no sense of time passing, no idea how many days or hours had ticked into eternity since Josef Vilnius had shown up on her doorstep. Had it been only yesterday, or a year ago?

Now and then, the wizard passed in front of her, his long gray robes swirling around him like smoke. Sometimes she saw his lips moving, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying. Was he conjuring another foul spell, talking to himself, or making a new deal with the devil? She wouldn’t put the latter past him. Josef Vilnius was a cruel and vindictive man. It showed in his features, and in his soulless black eyes. Hard to believe that such a man had fathered Ana Luisa. The man was truly a monster, to have inflicted torture such as this on his own flesh and blood. She wondered if Ana’s mother was still alive. It was hard to imagine that any woman had willingly married such a man, let alone taken him to her bed.

Karinna focused all her attention on her right hand in an effort to make her fingers move, but to no avail. It was getting harder and harder to think clearly. She had no sense of her physical self. She was neither hot nor cold. She didn’t know if her heart was beating. She didn’t seem to be breathing. How could she be alive and not take a breath? Was this what it was like to be in limbo, to be caught in that netherworld between life and death?

How had Rourke endured three centuries of such a wretched existence? It was worse than death. Of course, he had eventually gained the power to move about in his painted world. But he possessed supernatural powers and abilities that she didn’t have, would never have. No matter how much time passed, she would be forever trapped as she was now, unable to speak, unable to move.

Help me! Somebody please, please, help me!

She screamed the words in her mind even though there was no one to hear her.

Help me!

Somebody, anybody, please.

Help me
….