Laney (27 page)

Chapter 31 - Slayers

Four older men and an older woman poured in the door. They were all in dark, battered clothing. Seeing us in the hall, they stormed straight for us, yelling and looking menacing. The man in front had something in his hand. I cowered behind Oliver.

Gladys stopped them just before the hall. “You leave them be!” She shouted. “You’ll be sorry if any of you touches either of them!” She shook her finger at each one of them. “They have a pass for tonight.”

“But I saw that one in town,” the man in front stammered, taking another step forward.

Oliver hissed.

“No, Paul. You are mistaken,” Gladys said, placing her palm on the man’s chest to stop him from getting closer to us. “The one you saw was his twin. There’s good and bad in every family, as you know, and we can’t pick family.” They all took several steps back, but kept their eyes on us. “I think the kitchen would be a better place for us to speak,” she added, gesturing to a doorway to the left of the fireplace. Without taking their eyes off of us, they shuffled to the door and disappeared behind it.

Gladys turned to us. “It’s best if you keep to yourselves and do not move from that spot.” We nodded in unison.

Oliver settled back against the wall beside me. “What was that all about?” I whispered to him. I didn’t want them to hear me.

“They’re all slayers.”

“Why was here the only safe place for us? What were you thinking?” I scolded softly.

“It was the only place to keep
you
safe,” he said in a hushed voice.

“Me, maybe, but what about you?”

“I have a pass for today. It will be fine,” he reassured me, patting my leg.

“What does that mean exactly? Who gave the pass?”

He looked directly at me. “Our coven leader has some power over Gladys. It works to our benefit, as you can see. As long as I can get us out of here by morning, we will be safe.”

“How are we going to get out of here?”

“Felix knows where we are and he’s on his way.”

“What if he doesn’t make it?” I was afraid of what she would do to Oliver.

“He will, Laney. He’ll be here.” He gave me a reassuring smile and wrapped an arm around my shoulders pulling me against his side.

“What did you say to her when we got here? What language was that?”

“I told her ‘thank you’ in Vampiric. It’s our ancient language.”

“How does she understand it?”

“Most slayers study it so they can understand us, so we can’t get any secrets past them.”

“Did you have to learn it?”

“No, it comes instinctively to us.”

I snuggled against him, running my fingers along his arm.

“Why did you tell me not to run when Oscar was out there?”

“The feral ones love the chase. That’s why that nasty minion of his followed us for so long. I don’t think Oscar will let anything happen to you. He still thinks I’ll give Julz back and, until he believes otherwise, he won’t hurt you.” This surprised me.

“What about that evil one?”

In a low, pained voice he said, “I didn’t think twice about killing him when I saw him with you. He would have killed you, Laney.”

“I’m sorry I tried to follow you,” I whispered against his chest.

He folded me into his arms. “I shouldn’t have left you.”

“No, you shouldn’t have,” I responded quietly. My neck was throbbing and I was trying to ignore it, but I winced as another sharp pain flared under my bandage.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered against the top of my head. “I love you.”

“I love you,” I whispered back.

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from outside of the house in the front. I jumped. Oliver tensed and all of the slayers flooded out of the kitchen to the front window. They jerked the curtains aside. We stood to see what they were seeing. I couldn’t make out what it was; there were too many people in front of me blocking the window.

“What is it?” I quietly asked Oliver. I glanced up into his still dark eyes. I wondered for a moment if it was my blood seeping under the bandage that was preventing him from being able to retract his fangs and making his eyes stay dark. Was he using all his strength to prevent himself from biting me?

The slayers were in a commotion; they were arguing amongst each other. It caused me to forget that thought.

“Vampires have one of their slayers,” he whispered, taking my hand. He sat back against the wall and pulled me down with him.

“What’s going to happen?” My heart was racing again. Why weren’t they doing anything?

“There are too many vampires out there for them to save him,” he said calmly.

“Then how are we safe?”

“We’re safer than being out there.” He gave me a faint smile, fangs peeking out at me.

“You said that it was safe, that the perimeter was taken care of.”

“I don’t know.” He dropped his head to his hands, his knees raised and elbows resting atop them.

“It’s the tunnels,” Gladys answered. “They’ve got to be coming in through the tunnels.”

“But we deactivated them,” he said looking up at her.

“You’ve gotten sloppy in the quietness. They must’ve reactivated them somehow.”

He pulled his phone from his pocket and stared at it. “Damn,” he said softly. “We should’ve been checking them.” His fingers sped across the keys of his phone, sending a text.

“What is she talking about?” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his arm and pulling myself against his side.

His dark eyes fixed on mine. There was a larger circle of green around his pupil now. “There are underground tunnels running through the town. They were originally made as a route to a bomb shelter. We collapsed the tunnels, or so we thought,” he trailed off as his phone lit up with a message.

I had calmed down enough to notice that every once in a while I would catch a faint lisp as he spoke with his fangs out. It was cute.

The same male slayer that had threatened us, Paul, was standing at the front door with his hand on the knob.

“You will die,” Gladys said simply. “These are ruthless vampires we are dealing with. They follow no rules.” Her hands were on her hips as she spoke.

His head dropped in defeat and his hand fell from the knob. He lumbered over to the couch and sat with his back to the window. He had something black in his hand that was long and curved. He was rubbing his thumb over it.

I leaned closer to Oliver’s ear. “What is that?” I whispered.

He followed my gaze and examined the man’s hands. “A claw.”

“From what?” The claw was enormous. It looked like it was at least eight inches long and that wasn’t including the few inches where it curved.

“A dragon,” he said seriously.

“You were serious about that?” My voice was just above a whisper.

He nodded. “You said it yourself. You believe vampires, dragons, leprechauns, and such were just as likely as other things people believe in.”

“I did say that…” I breathed, taking in this new information. “So, when do I get to see the leprechaun and the pot of gold? Do you think we can get him to ride a unicorn, too?” I joked.

He snickered. “I’ll see what I can arrange.”

My mouth fell open. “Seriously?”

“No,” he laughed quietly. “I’ve never seen a true leprechaun and we don’t need the pot of gold. The unicorn on the other hand…” He flashed his gorgeous, fanged smile at me.

“Why does he have the dragon claw? And how did he get it?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

“The second one I have no answer for other than he could’ve gotten it from a million different places. The answer to the first one is that he carries it for protection. We are immortal in a sense, but we can still die. We can’t be killed by the normal everyday things—guns, knives, car accidents, a rock to the head—those things can hurt us, but they won’t necessarily kill us.”

“A rock to the head, huh?”

He gave me his gorgeous, playful, crooked smile. “But the ‘so called’ mythical creatures can take us out and us them. That’s why he carries a dragon claw. That claw could kill me.”

I glanced at the claw in the man’s hand again. It made me uneasy that he had it out and I felt myself getting protective of Oliver.

“Oh, I have no doubt you could take him, Laney,” Oliver joked with me, picking up on the emotion I had just felt.

It was suddenly very quiet outside. “Cover me,” one of the other men said. We watched as all of them, minus Gladys, silently agreed and stepped out the front door. A couple of minutes later, they returned, one of them carrying a badly beaten man over his shoulder. They laid him on the flowered carpet.

Oliver’s eyes widened.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, fear creeping up again.

“He’s been bitten and he drank from the one who bit him—I doubt willingly.”

“What’s going to happen?” The panic was obvious in my voice and I started breathing harder.

Before he could answer, Gladys spoke to him, “Vampire! Can he be saved?”

“Stay here,” he said to me as he rose from his spot and slowly crossed the small space between us and the unconscious man on the floor. He crouched beside him and looked him over, turning the man’s head from side to side and lifting his lids to see in his eyes.

“Well?” one of the men asked impatiently.

Oliver shook his head. “I really don’t think so.”

“What do you mean, you don’t
think
so? Yes or no!” Paul spat.

“Only time will tell, but he will most likely die,” Oliver offered calmly.

“Fix him, Vampire. Change him,” the man demanded.

“Paul!” Gladys shouted. “You know he can’t.”

“Why would you want me to, even if I could?” Oliver asked in an even tone. “You’re a vampire slayer. Why would you want him to be one of us?”

“Forget it, Vampire. Go back to your wall,” the man tried to dismiss him.

Oliver waited.

“Are you deaf or just stupid? I said go!” Paul took a step closer, but Oliver didn’t move.

Paul was a big, burly man with brown hair that was longer in the back and he had a full mustache. His clothes were dark and he wore a dark, heavy trench coat and metal tipped cowboy boots. His eyes were brown, matching his hair, and his pitted face was lined with age.

“Go,” Gladys said to Oliver and he came back to sit beside me.

“Why isn’t that guy’s blood an issue for you?” I asked quietly.

“It is,” he said, the green missing from his eyes again. “But it’s mixed with vampire blood, too. It tones down the craving.” He wrapped his arms around me again and I sank against his body. Steve returned and curled up beside me as I stroked his fur.

We watched the slayers fuss over their fallen friend. It was sad and it reminded me of the vampire who’d died for us.

The unconscious man’s body started to stir. Oliver squeezed me tighter. The slayers stepped back. The man’s body began convulsing; bloody foam came from his mouth. His eyes opened but the whites were all that showed. His body rocked like he was having a seizure. He let out a bone-chilling scream and then he was still.

“He’s gone,” Oliver whispered. I tore my eyes away, wishing I hadn’t seen that. I hadn’t realized that my fingernails were digging into Oliver’s arm causing little dents. A small speck of blood appeared.

The woman slayer sobbed as the others placed the man on a white bed sheet and began to wrap his body.

I buried my face into Oliver’s chest and breathed in his comforting scent. It calmed me.

“Vampire,” Gladys called to Oliver.

“He has a name,” I mumbled against his chest.

“Let it go, Laney,” he said quietly.

“Vampire, you know what needs to be done.”

“Are you asking me to do it?”

“She’s telling you to!” Paul interrupted.

I looked up to see what was going on.

“Paul, I will take care of this. Vampire, you need to do it,” Gladys said.

I was starting to get really irritated with her calling him that. I thought maybe he should have called her “Human” or “Slayer.”

“Why should I do it?” His voice had a hint of irritation.

“One of yours killed him!” Paul shouted.

“No!” Oliver growled back. “One of
MINE
did not kill him.”

Paul stepped back.

“Enough!” Gladys cried. “Please, Vampire.” There was pleading in her voice.

Oliver groaned, “Laney, please do not watch this.” He kissed the top of my head as he rose from the floor.

“Watch what?”

“His heart has to be removed,” he sighed.

My mouth fell open.

He kneeled beside the dead man on the floor. “Close your eyes,” he said with his back to me.

I did. I squeezed them as tight as I could, covered them with my palms, and rested my elbows on my raised knees.

There was a thud and a cracking noise. My stomach twisted with a surge of nausea as I felt my crackers creeping back up. Then there was a tearing sound followed by a popping noise and the sound of liquid dripping to the floor. My crackers came up, along with apple chunks, cookie bits, and what I could only assume must’ve been cheese, right onto the hardwood floor between my legs. Steve bolted, his fat body running in place for a moment before he could get traction.

I looked up, holding my hair back with my hands. They were all staring at me, mouths gaping. Oliver was standing before me with that dead man’s heart in his hand, blood dripping down his arm onto the floor. I heaved again and the last of what was in my stomach hit the floor.

I didn’t look up this time. I kept my eyes closed. There was lots of commotion and I could hear feet scrambling past me to the bathroom. A moment later I was being lifted off the floor.

“It’s okay,” Oliver whispered. I hesitantly opened my eyes as he sat me down on the toilet lid. Gladys handed him a washcloth and left the room. Oliver wetted the washcloth, kneeled down beside me and began gently wiping my face clean.

I looked into his dark eyes; they were a mixture of misery and anger. “Why did they make you do that?”

“To make sure a vampire is dead, you have to remove his heart.”

“But he wasn’t a vampire.”

“It was a precaution.” He brushed my hair away from my face. “I told you not to look.” He smiled wearily at me, his fangs still visible. This had to be so hard on him.