Not Another Vampire Book (38 page)

Kara
gave his chest a poke with her index finger.  “If you ever plan on sleeping
with me again, Vlad, I suggest you restrict yourself to quoting Shakespeare or
something.”

His
mouth twitched.  “‘But soft!  What light through yonder window breaks?  It is
the east and Kara Lynn is the sun.’”

She
arched a brow.  “‘Romeo, thou art
totally
a villain.’”

Gods,
but he loved this woman.

No
matter what the future brought, Damien was just so lucky to have found her.  He
owed his sister more than he could ever repay for guiding him to Karalynn
Donnelly.

He
cleared his throat, before he really did start reciting poetry about her.  “You
know, speaking of villains, dragons like to smash things for the sheer
destructive pleasure of it.  If the bodyguard idea won’t work for you, I’m thinking
they might be a useful distraction.  Say, if someone was trying to stop an
execution and stage a glorious Vampire coup, for instance.  Even if you won’t
accept my help outright, I could
rent
them out to you at a fair price.”

Kara
gave in with an annoyed sigh.  “Okay, I’ll bite.  What’s the fair price to
sublet you’re minions?”

Damien
gave a slow smile.

Kara
arched a brow, correctly interpreting his lascivious expression.  “You think
I’m going to barter for henchmen with sexual favors?”

“Maybe.” 
He leaned closer to her ear.  “What if I offer to let you tie
me
up this
time?”

She
considered that, her tongue touching her bottom lip.  “Alright, fine, your
troops can come along.”

Damien
nearly purred.  What a woman.

Kara
wasn’t giving in completely, though.  “
You
need to go home, though,
Damien.  The dragons and I will save Slade on our own.”

“No.”

The
simple answer had her scowling.  “You
have
to.”

“No. 
I will stay with you.  Always.”

Silence
stretched between them, but Damien had no intention of budging.  He wasn’t
going to leave this island without her.  Nothing she said would change his mind
and they both knew it.

She
made an aggravated sound.  “There’s no way I can get rid of you is there?”

“Many
have tried.  None have succeeded.”

“Fine. 
Alright? 
Fine
.  You can stay, but you can’t do
anything
,
understand? 
Nothing
.  You just need to stay safely out of the way and
absolutely no killing Slade.  I mean it.”

“I’ll
certainly try my best.”

“Wise
ass.”  She muttered again and started off down the hall.  “Just remember
I’m
running this mission, so you and the dragons have to follow orders or else.”

Damien
started after her in amusement.  Waiting.

It
only took Kara about two steps before she stopped and glanced back at him,
ruefully.  “I’m going the wrong way, aren’t I?”

“Yes.” 
He pointed over his shoulder.  “We’re headed in
that
direction, General. 
Towards the beach, so we can gather your men.  I saw To’kel’s loyal idiots
erecting a guillotine down in the courtyard and I can only imagine its part of
Slade’s birthday present.”

Kara
rolled her eyes at the phrasing.  “You’re such a sensitive soul, Vlad.”

“Hey,
I just recited
Romeo and Juliet
to you, didn’t I?  What’s that if not
sensitive?”

She
backtracked, giving him a stern frown as she passed.  “You’re not taking this
rescue mission seriously enough.”

“Nonsense. 
I’m incredibly interested in saving Slade and Matilda.”  He fell into step
beside Kara, his hand finding hers and squeezing her fingers.  “You know I just
adore those crazy kids.”

“
You
cannot escape destiny, sorcerer.”  Slade called as he was led towards the
guillotine. “Enlist the aid of the necromancer, if you must, but you shall
still never defeat me.  It is my destiny to rule this kingdom with my beautiful
bride, just as it’s yours to let your hatred destroy you.”

“Oh, shut-up.”  Damien commanded.

“You know I speak the truth.  That is what will always
separate us, Creature.  You live for your vengeance, but I die for my heart!”

“That doesn’t even make any sense.”

“Love never does.”  With that, Slade cut free of his
golden bonds, using the Blue Blade of Banderouse, and sprinted across the
courtyard.  The crowd cheered to see him free.  He leapt towards Damien. 
“Prepare to die, you ungrateful demon!”

“No,” said Damien.

“Oh, Slade.”  Melessa rushed to his side.  “Kick his
ass, my prince.”

“You cannot defeat me, Slade!”  Damien roared.

“Of course, I can.  I am the mightiest swordsman of my
people.  I always win.”

Eternal Passion at Sunset- Chapter Nineteen

“I
find it demeaning to take orders from a human.”  Xim, the head honcho dragon
man, hissed from his spot behind some hedges shaped like dolphins.  Like the
rest of the dragons, he had green skin, red hair, and a lousy disposition. 
Kara’s motley crew of mercenaries had positioned themselves behind dozens of
fancifully shaped bushes.  Vampires were apparently into topiary.  “If it
wasn’t for the money Damien’s paying us, my men and I would refuse to go along
with your bossiness, woman.”

“Luckily,
he
is
paying you, so shut-up.”  Kara muttered.

The
Vampires’ outdoor garden overlooked the palace courtyard, making it the best
place to stage their assault.  She peered down at all the Vampires assembled
for Slade’s execution, trying to figure out what to do next.  One of these days
she’d figure out how to strategize a plan
before
she was stuck right in
the middle of it.

She
studied the action below, scanning for all the major players in the crowd.  To’kel
was seated on a golden throne, flipping through the manuscript for
Eternal
Passion
at Sunset
.  Eugene stood at his side, the Uzi looped around
his shoulder like he was Jesse Ventura in
Predator
.  Melessa, clad in a
Princess-Leia-visits-Jabba’s-Palace style bikini and collar get-up, stood next
to him looking sexy and useless.  She wept pretty tears, although it was
impossible to tell if her grief was for her soon-to-be-beheaded Eternal-One or
the ruby crown she wouldn’t get to wear.

Meanwhile,
none of the other Vamps looked willing to rise up against To’kel and free
Slade.  Not that Kara was particularly surprised by that.  One, he was
Slade
. 
And two, most of them were just extras in the book.  Without someone to tell
them what to do, they were just blindly following the rewrites.  The only ones
who still seemed pro-Slade were Fibos and the other Vamps who’d been captured
in the dungeon.  Unfortunately, they were currently tied up in golden rope,
waiting their turn to be Marie Antoinetted.

Right.

Kara
blew out a “now what?” sort of breath.

Whatever
she was going to do to rescue Slade, she needed to do it fast.  The shirtless
wonder was being dragged towards a wooden guillotine heroically screaming,
“Witch, where are you?  Save me! 
Saaaaavvvve me!
”

“Do
you think To’kel knows that the blade on that guillotine needs to be made of blue
diamonds, now?”  Damien murmured, coming over to crouch beside her.  “I have the
urge to shout down a helpful reminder.”

He
was
so
not taking this seriously.  “Did you find a way for us to get down
there without running into the guards?”  To’kel had men waiting for her at all
the courtyard entrances.  She’d sent invisible Damien to look for a weak spot
in the defenses and find them the best attack route.  That was the extent of
what she’d allow him to do on this mission and even that had tied her stomach
in knots.

She
only sent him on the assignment because she’d been sick of hearing him complain
about the Slade statue.  Big and gold, it sat in the middle of the courtyard
smirking out over the landscape.  The giant sized Slade stood there with his
feet braced apart, his hands on his hips, his chiseled jaw glinting in the
moonlight.  He even had a crown.

Damien
found the horrible spectacle of it hypnotic.  His eyes stayed fixed on it in aghast
fascination, braced for it to somehow come to life and start a rampage.  A
different
rampage.  He tore his gaze from its shiny surface long enough to nod at her.  “Absolutely
I found a way down,
cari
.  The dragons will fly down.  I will teleport
down.  And you will stay here.  See how simple it is?”

“I
told you, you’re not fighting!”

“Wiiiiiiiiiitch!!!!! 
Hurry! 
Hurry!
”

Neither
one of them glanced down at Slade’s plaintive cry.

“You
told me not to fight
Slade
and I won’t.  But, there is no reason I can’t
fight the
other
Vampires.”

“No!
 You can’t fight
anyone
.”  Kara didn’t want him anywhere near crazy
Vampires or necromancers with automatic weapons.  The word ‘doom’ kept echoing
in her mind.  Damien’s doom.  If she could have figured out a way to wrap him
up in bubble paper until the epilogue, she would’ve done it already.  “I told
you, you are staying out of this.”

Damien
just smiled.

Kara
ground her teeth together and glanced over at Xim.  “He is not in charge of
this, so don’t let him participate in anything.”

“Do
you honestly think the dragons could stop me?”  Damien drawled.

She
smiled at Xim determinedly.  “He’s not even here, right now, okay?  Ignore
him.  So, here’s the plan.  You guys fly down and create a diversion.  To’kel’s
men will all rush towards the action...”

“You
understand so little about the Vampires’ natural instinct for
self-preservation, Kara Lynn.”

She
disregarded that, too.  “When To’kel’s men all rush towards the action,
Xim
,
I will sneak down there and untie the good guys.  And steal the book back from
To’kel.  And get the gun from Eugene.”

“How
exactly do you plan to do all that by yourself,
cari
?”  Damien inquired,
pleasantly.

“I’m
working on a plan, right now.”  She flashed him warning glare, not the teeniest
bit fooled by his calm tone.  The last time he’d sounded that rational she’d
found herself tied to a bedpost.  “Am I in charge of this mission or not?”

Damien
held up his palms like the innocent bystander he wasn’t.  “By all means. 
However you choose to save that imbecile is fine with me.  I bow to your
expertise.  I’m just here to make sure you don’t get yourself killed in the
process.”

Kara
regarded him, worriedly.  He was so unpredictable when he got protective.  “Don’t
interfere in this, Damien.  I mean it.  No matter what happens
do not fight anyone
. 
The book is trying to kill you and you can’t give it an opening.”

One
large hand came up to cradle her face.  “Whatever my destiny, Kara Lynn, I
promise you… 
I
will choose it.  Not this book.”

Kara’s
heart sank.  He wasn’t going to listen to her.  If she didn’t do something,
Damien was going to be right in the middle of this fight and it would destroy
him. 
She
would destroy him.

“Can
we go, yet?”  Xim whined.  “I just want to kill someone, already.  Besides, I
don’t think Slade can last much longer.”

Kara
glanced down and saw To’kel’s Vampire guards were trying to wrestle Slade into
the guillotine.

“
Wiiiiiiitttttch!
”

Shit. 
It was now or never.  “Alright.  Start the diversion.”  She ordered
distractedly and looked back over at Damien.  “We’re out of time.  You need to
promise me that you’ll stay here and let me do this.”

Down
below she heard shouts of panic and clanking swords as the dragons swept down
on the unsuspecting Vampires.  She’d never thought in a million years that
she’d ever be part of a battle.  But then so much of her life had veered into
craziness since she’d met up with this sorcerer.

“I
can’t promise that.  I would not lie to you about such a thing, Kara Lynn.”

She
mentally cursed.  Words weren’t going to get through to him.  She needed to
think of a quick, sneaky way to keep him out of the fight.  Her mind whirled
for an idea.  Maybe she could pepper spray him.  Not even Damien would rush in
to a sword fight blind.

Probably.

Damien
took hold of her hand and brought it up to his mouth for a gallant kiss that
she totally didn’t buy for a second.  “I am sorry to do this, my love, but I
can see you scheming to leave me behind, again.  I cannot allow that.”  From
out of nowhere, a pair of handcuffs appeared around her wrist, the opposite side
secured around Damien’s.

“
Son-of-a-bitch!
” 
Kara gave the modern looking metal an ineffectual twist, trying to free
herself.  “Damien, take this thing off of us, now!”

“I
cannot take the chance that you’ll rush off without me.”  He shook his head. 
“You are too clever for your own good, Kara Lynn.  You’ll find a way to prevent
me from helping if I allow you the slightest opening.”

There
was probably a compliment in there someplace, but she was too pissed off to
care.  “You don’t even
want
to help Slade, remember?!”

“Of
course, I’m not going to help that moron.  But, I will always help
you
. 
This entire enterprise is a waste of time, in my opinion.  I care about
discovering who trapped us in this book and, since I know Slade wasn’t smart
enough to do it, I don’t see why he matters, at all.”

“He
matters because, if he dies, the book won’t end correctly and we’ll all be
screwed.  We’ve been over it a thousand times!”

“I
know you feel that way, so what choice do I have but to stay at your side?  I
must ensure that you don’t kill yourself rescuing that fool.”

“You
can’t…”  Before she could continue her protest, Damien zapped them down into
the fray.  As usual, the teleporting left Kara’s insides churning.  “Shit.” 
Her knees went watery and she had to grab onto Damien or fall flat on her
face.  “I thought you needed consent to do that?”

All
around them, the dragons were doing a super job with the distraction.  Green
men battled Vamps in puffy shirts.  The Vampires who weren’t fighting, were
running for their lives.    Fire erupted and diamond swords flashed.  Kara
wasn’t really processing any of it, though.  She was just trying not to
throw-up.

“Just
the first time.”  Damien reached over with his free hand and brushed it over
her face.  “Are you alright?”

Instantly,
the seasickness faded and the world stopped spinning.  “Yes.”  Kara drew in a
cleansing breath.  “Thanks.”

“No
wonder you dislike traveling that way.”  Damien blinked rapidly.  “It is…
dizzying.”

It
took her a beat to realize how he’d make her nausea stop.  “Damn it, Damien!”  She
switched her grip so she could steady him.  “I told you not to heal me,
anymore.  You take it all into yourself and I’d rather just stay sick than have
you suffer.”

He
looked pale, but his mouth curved.  “I love you, too,
cari
.”

“Idiot.” 
Unfortunately she didn’t have time to call him any worse names than that.

To’kel
was screaming orders from his raised dais.  Standing on the red velvet seat of
his throne, he bellowed at his men to kill the dragons.

Beside
him, Eugene shot wild sprays of bullets into the crowd.  He still didn’t seem
to be hitting anyone, but then it must’ve been difficult to practice expert
marksmanship with your trusty submachine gun a hundred years before they were
even invented.

You
can lead an anachronism to water, Tanya, but you can’t make it drink.

“The
Witch is behind this!”  Eugene grabbed hold of Melessa’s arm, anchoring her to
his side.

“I
know that the fucking Witch is behind it, you idiot!”  To’kel shrieked.  “Do
something!  Do something!”

“Slade,
help!”  Melessa cried.

“Witch,
help!”  Slade cried.

Kara
ignored them all and rushed towards Fibos.  She was still handcuffed to Damien,
but he wasn’t slowing her down.  He willingly followed along, sending every
dragon, vampire, or ‘other’ who crossed their path flying into the air.  No one
was getting within ten feet of her.