Replica (The Blood Borne Series Book 2) (31 page)

“This is for your own good,
mi amor
,” Antonio said as something smashed against the back of my head.

Bright streaks flashed in my eyes, followed by darkness. As my consciousness faded, I heard Ivan’s voice, drenched with relief. “If she’s fighting this strong, we know Lea’s still alive.”

LEA

A sharp pain sliced through my head that had nothing to do with my own injuries and everything to do with Rachel’s. I stumbled and pressed a hand against the wall closest to me as the building rumbled like a beast in the throes of death. I had no doubt the explosions were Rachel’s work.

“If we don’t hurry up, we’re going to fry like Sunday chicken.” Calvin grabbed my arm and jerked me forward.

“Did you ever feel me when we were bound?” I didn’t look at him as we ran down the corridor.

“No.”

That’s what I’d thought. In all the years I’d worked with Calvin, I’d never been able to sense where he was, or if he was hurt. To be fair, I’d never had this strong of a bond with any of my servants. I’d heard of bonds this powerful between vampires and their servants, but hadn’t really believed it until now.

I didn’t need Rachel’s scent to find her anymore. The pull toward Rachel was too strong. A secondary explosion rocked the building and the lights flickered, dimmed, and went out.

Calvin grabbed my hand and led the way. “The main garage is full of idiots with guns. If we go out the side exit, we’ll avoid the worst of them.”

“Last chance, Cal.” I whispered the words, knowing full well he heard me. Some gut instinct compelled me to say it.

We took a left at the next T-intersection, kicked open a locked door and there he stood in front of us.

Stravinsky.

“What a good pet you are, Calvin,” he murmured, the weight of his words crushing the air out of me.

Calvin dropped his head, shook it once. “No, I didn’t...Lea, I didn’t know he was here. This was an exit. I know it.”

Stravinsky laughed, the sound echoing in the rounded-out room. “That’s what I let you believe. I made you, Calvin. I can get inside your head whenever I want.”

Calvin’s head jerked up. “No, that’s not true. Peter never controlled Lea.”

Stravinsky smiled. “May I point out, you have neither Lea’s fortitude nor her mental strength. From what Peter said, she fought him from the beginning, her faith in her quest giving her all she needed to deny him. While your anger, confusion, and quest for revenge make you weak and easily manipulated.”

“Calvin.” I said his name with as much emotion as I could. “Calvin, he doesn’t own you.”

Stravinsky tipped his head to the side. “You want to use him as a prize? See who he comes to? Who can break his mind first?”

Calvin’s eyes shot to mine and I shook my head. “No. He is my friend, no matter how much hate he carries for me.”

The words seemed to soften something in Calvin, but Stravinsky snapped his fingers. “To me, Calvin.”

Cal took a step toward his master, stumbled a bit and then took another as an explosion rocked the foundation under our feet. This was not the time for our contest of wills.

“Calvin—” I didn’t lift a hand or try to manipulate him with words, knowing him well enough that it would send him the wrong direction. “You fight him on your own, then come with me and we’ll take them down together. I will not force you, not even in this.” I took a step back. Rachel’s heartbeat tugged at me, the steady thrum that hummed along the bond the only thing that gave me hope that Ivan and Antonio were keeping her safe.

I took another step back and waited. We didn’t have a lot of time, but this was one of those moments that couldn’t be rushed.

“Kill her,” Stravinsky snarled.

Calvin tensed and so did I. I held my ground. “We can take him, Cal.”

Just the truth, nothing more.

“You...know me better than I thought.” Calvin grinned over his shoulder at me, and for the first time in years I saw the life in him. Ironic, now that he was dead.

I held out a hand and he slapped his palm into it, jerked me forward and threw me at Stravinsky. I shot through the air, yanking a stake from the top of my boot as I came down on the vamp.

Except that one second he was there, and the next he wasn’t.

“You think you’re the only one full of werewolf blood, Lea?” Stravinsky was on the other side of the room, and I hadn’t even seen him move. It was normal for humans not to see vampire movement. But vamp to vamp, both of us loaded with werewolf blood? Shit, how old was he?

A cold chill ran down my spine. Stravinsky waved to me, but I spun around and ran the way we had come, away from whatever trick Stravinsky had planned for me.

Call it a hunch, but—

The explosion behind us sent Calvin and me flying out the door and down the stretch of hall, our bodies tumbling and then smacking onto the cement. I rolled onto my back, away from the fire, putting out the flames burning the back of my shirt. Calvin reached over as if to pat one out and then pulled his hand back. “That would be stupid.”

“Yeah, flammable, remember?” I rolled to my knees and led the way.

Technically Calvin had struck out by taking me to Stravinsky as he’d done.

But I’d let it slide...because this was Cal and I wasn’t sure I could kill him even though I’d promised. There was too much history, too much shit between us. And not enough time to make any sort of rational decision.

Rachel was moving away from me, though not quickly. That meant they were on foot, which was good and bad.

Calvin kept close, but said nothing about me taking the lead. In less than a minute, I had us back in the main garage where we’d started.

Bodies lay where I’d left them, the big-ass truck was gone and there was no sign of anything moving. Of course, that wasn’t to say we were in the clear. “Can that main gate be opened?” I pointed at the oversized steel-plated door that cut us off from the outside world.

“Yes, but even now, I couldn’t do it on my own. The hydraulics are out with the power.”

I followed him to the mechanism. He pointed at two sets of chains with links thicker around than my forearms. “Those are the backups. They pull them with forklifts if something goes sideways.”

I grabbed a chain in each hand and tipped my head back. “Get to the door.”

His eyes widened. “You aren’t Superwoman, Lea.”

“Do it,” I snapped. There was no time to fucking argue.

Calvin headed to the door and I took a deep breath. This was going to be a test even for me. I thought about Ivan and Rachel; they were waiting on me, so it was now or never.

Teeth gritted, I leaned back, putting my body, muscle, and heart into this. If I didn’t get out, Rachel would die. I knew in my gut that more trouble was coming our way; she was going to need me.

I couldn’t let her down. Especially not now that she knew the truth about the bond. With a scream, I hauled the chains a foot, then another, then another. There was nothing but the pull of metal on my skin, the pain of muscles being pushed beyond limits, followed by the snapping of something in my left shoulder. A joint maybe, I wasn’t sure.

“Lea, I’m through. You’ll have ten feet,” Calvin yelled.

It would have to be enough. I gave the chains one last jerk, let go and bolted for the door with all I had.

The steel door raced to the ground as I dove toward it.

It was so close the back of my shirt got caught behind me.

“Lea, you’ve been holding back on me all these years.”

“Shut up, Cal.” I was on my feet and running toward Rachel before I’d even finished speaking. She was close.

And as pissed as she’d ever been.

I ran across the sand, about three hundred yards before the building behind us exploded into the night air with an eruption that sent shock waves across my skin.

“That’s going to bring the rain,” Calvin said.

I was pretty sure he didn’t mean clouds and a gentle patter of raindrops.

“Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

I bolted toward Rachel. As I drew close, all I saw was Antonio standing over her. He was yelling; she was holding a hand to her head.

Like he’d hit her.

Something in me snapped loose. I was on Antonio and strangling him before he could draw another breath.

“Lea, no!” Rachel touched my shoulder and the spell snapped. I backed off Antonio and shifted my attention to Rachel. There was a bruise growing on the side of her head. “Did he hit you?”

She grimaced. “Not like you’re thinking.” Damn, she was protecting him. I shot a glance at Ivan, who shrugged.

I scooped her up, slinging her onto my back. “Time to go. Rain is coming.”

Calvin nodded. “They’ll set the hounds on us.”

“How is that possible?” Antonio slowly got to his feet, rubbing his neck. “Are they not all dead in the explosion?”

Calvin and I shared a glance. I nodded. “Shadow men will not die in a fire, and they can still make things happen. Antonio, will you be riding the wolf or the vamp?”

“Riding?”

“We have to move fast,” Ivan said. “And you’re a slow-ass human.”

Rachel tightened her hold around my neck. “It’s not so bad, kind of a souped-up pony ride.”

Ivan laughed. “Souped-up, nice play on words.”

I
felt
her smile, and was more than a little freaked out by the way I was picking up on her movements and gestures. Was it the same for her? Or maybe it had something to do with the situation?

Ivan grabbed Antonio and slung him onto his back. “Tally ho!”

Rachel snorted and I took off as fast as I could. “I hate to say it... But I’m glad you brought the wolf. He’s been...a good addition.”

Why was she saying that now?

“Because I’m still not sure Antonio was a good idea. And Calvin gives me the fucking willies.”

I swallowed hard and did my best not to think any more questions. As long as she didn’t realize I hadn’t spoken out loud, maybe—

“Oh my God. You didn’t say anything, did you?”

I shook my head.

“Not now, Rachel. We’ll deal with this, but not now.”

“Why the fuck not?” she yelled.

“We’re being followed!” Ivan called out.