Revisited (Redemption Series) (16 page)

Abe squared his shoulders. “You stay and watch. I’ll follow him.” He disappeared a second later.

“Guess the decision was made for me.” Nathaniel grabbed a bottle of water and began to sip on it as he watched Filipp stew in one room while Liam talked with the girl he now believed to be Valentina Pavel in another.

Abe followed like smoke, only seen as a blur to the human eye. He drifted from around building corners to the side of the parked cars and kept out of Debir’s sight. Abe watched the vampire as he walked into a large building resembling a hospital. He positioned himself inside after Debir entered, surprised the building was not protected by a spell. He had just gotten his bearings when a voice called behind him.

“I was wondering when I would see you again.”

Abe turned and was face to face with Debir. He wasn’t afraid or even nervous. More than anything, he was curious. “What are you doing?” It was the simplest question, yet one Abe was sure had a complicated answer.

Debir laughed softly. “I’m being a watchdog. Is it not obvious? I’m quite relieved you’ve shown up. He’s very close to pulling it off this time.”

“This time?” Abe moved forward to get a better look at Debir’s expression. “How many times has there been?”

Debir sighed in exhaustion. “I’ve lost count. Ever since we lost Anton, he’s wanted to ‘cleanse the race’ so to speak. After The Blood Feast failed to take Lily out, Manchester stepped in with these ludicrous chips. We were told from the moment they were implanted, if they were tampered with in any way, the kill switch would be activated. Ever since, Filipp’s been set on destroying The Manchester Group as well.”

“But you saved her. She told me about the whiskey. Why?”

Debir found the nearest wall and slid down it until he sat on the floor. “I didn’t know what he was planning until right before the feast.” He paused and took a deep breath. “She and Martin were like family to me. I was only able to save Lily. It was too late for Martin.” Memories of that night flooded through him. “Filipp was all I had after my sire left me. I felt his pain as if it were my own when his own sire betrayed him.” 

Abe’s brow furrowed with question. 

“Anton was his sire.”

“Betrayed him how?” Abe squatted down in front of Debir, eager to hear the story.

“Filipp’s sister, Nava, and incidentally my sire, was in love with Anton. They were basically husband and wife. Anton and Filipp developed a serum Anton swore was to use against their vampire enemies. Not long after it was completed, Anton disappeared with Nava. Filipp suspected they had taken the serum, but was unable to find them for a decade. 

“Ever since that time, Filipp had been taking out vampires in one way or another. Some he used the serum on, others he killed outright. When Martin came to the two of us about developing what he called a cure, we agreed to help him, if only to keep an eye on him. After spending so much time with him and Lily, I just couldn’t see them being hurt in anyway. I loved them like I hadn’t loved anyone since I was alive.” Debir placed his head into his hands and rested his elbows on his knees. “I’ve spent the last forty years thwarting Filipp’s every attempt, but I am afraid this time he will succeed. I need some help to stop him.”

Abe sat down and crossed his legs. “What do you need? How can we help?”

“We need to kill Filipp.”

Abe laughed. “How do you propose we do that?”

“You’re the one with the power from above. Can’t you just get your boss to make it so?”

“Not likely.” Abe shook his head before staring at the wall in front of them. “Everything in this world has a beginning and an end. My
Boss
has planned those two aspects, but how one gets from A to B is where free will comes in. That applies also to angels, vampires, and unfortunately, demons.”

Debir scrubbed his face before letting out a frustrated grunt. “Filipp still keeps me at arm’s length, even after all these years. He has altered Anton’s formula over time. He calls it The Death Sentence. I can’t even remember what the original formula contained, and Martin’s is just too specific. I just don’t have the resources to do that kind of research while he’s watching my back.”

“Don’t worry about Martin’s formula. Lily is working on it.”

Debir swallowed hard as he turned to Abe. “She is?”

Abe nodded.

“How is she? I know she’s alive, but . . . is she all right?” Debir was genuinely concerned for his friend.

“She had a special cocktail that fixed her right up. Lily is not one to go down easily, but I guess you know that.”

Debir failed at holding back his feelings of relief. “I know we are hard to kill, but she has always worried me. She took too many chances wanting to get back to that husband of hers.”

“Well, um.” Abe cleared his throat. “That isn’t a problem anymore. They’ve found each other. Long story, but he’s a good guy.”

“Well . . . that was . . . unexpected.” Debir scratched his scalp through his messy locks.

“Now she has something new to focus on, and I’m here to help.”

“Well, it’s about damned time. I don’t know how to get out this time.” Debir let his head fall back against the wall behind him. “But I am not alone. There are others who I think also want out.”

Abe knew who he was referring to. “We know of the witch. Can she be trusted?”

“Valentina?” Debir turned to look at Abe. “Of course. She and Liam have a bond now; I don’t think Filipp envisioned that. Nonetheless, I believe they are both nervous about his plans.”

“That’s why I’m here. You’re right. They want out and we can help.”

Debir flipped up onto his feet. “What do you need me to do?”

Abe followed suit and stood to face him. “We need to get you, Liam, and Valentina out of the hotel, away from the protection spell and Filipp.” He wrapped his arm around Debir’s shoulder and began to walk toward the exit. “How’s your Italian?”

“I’m fluent, why?”

Abe smiled and relaxed with a laugh. “You’re going to need it.”

Becca practiced several times with her new gift of teleportation. She was eerily proficient at it. It even scared her a bit how she adapted so easily. “We’re set then?” she asked as the group gathered in the foyer of Leatherby Manor. Ian kissed her cheek and wrapped his arm around her waist.

    Renee stood with her hand firmly held in Jefferson’s. Ryan’s hands rested on Lily’s hips as he waited behind her.

“I’ll take Jefferson and Ian. Ryan will take Lily and Renee,” Becca said.

Renee looked a little green around the gills.

“Don’t worry. You’ve traveled this way with Abe. It’s no different,” Becca assured her, noting the cringe on Ian’s face when she mentioned Abe’s name.

“I’ll be right there with you in a moment, then Jefferson can make you all those Italian dishes he would love to woo you with.” Lily smiled as Renee’s eyes lit up at the mere mention of food.

“I see. You just want me for my cooking,” Jefferson teased.

“I want you for much more than your skills in the kitchen.” Renee turned on her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

“On that note, I’d say it’s time.” Ryan motioned for Renee to join Lily by his side. Ryan took hold of Lily and Renee, while Becca took Ian and Jefferson in her arms. A few deep breaths and the six of them disappeared from the foyer, bound for the seclusion of the partially abandoned town of Balestrino, Italy.

“Buona sera!”
Sam welcomed them all when they appeared.

The six of them got their bearings as they took in the landscape. They stood in the middle of a hillside littered with crumbling stone buildings. At the bottom of the hill, an olive grove sat untouched.

“Wow,” Renee said as Jefferson wrapped his arms around her.

“Quite beautiful, isn’t it?” Sam asked them all.

Lily stood, a little stunned, as Ryan rubbed circles on the small of her back. She had seen so much of the country throughout her years, but nothing like Balestrino. The undisturbed landscape, along with the stonework was a sight she had never seen before.

“You all look a bit awestruck.” Sam chuckled at the varied emotions on their faces.

“Where are we?” Becca asked. “I know you said Italy, but this is . . .” Becca couldn’t begin to finish her thought as she took in the beauty surrounding her.

“We are in Balestrino, about an hour southwest of Genoa.” Sam motioned for everyone to follow him on the gravel roadway up the hillside. “The town has always been small, but has had its troubles with earthquakes over the centuries. In the fifties, this part of the town was completely abandoned as it was considered unsafe. We came in the sixties to study the seismic activity and were able to build into the existing structures. The people from town stay away for the most part, so we have the place to ourselves.” They reached the front of a small castle that was surrounded by wild bushes brimming with tiny red buds. “This is our base of operations. The existing castle was reinforced, so we were able to build underneath.”

“My lab is under there?” Lily pointed to the building.

“Yes, along with a gourmet kitchen, library, and living quarters for all of you. Marla has already settled in, and Lionel and Monte will be arriving in a little while.”

Lily’s breath caught in her throat at the mention of the two men from her past. Lionel Cooper had been just twenty-one when she first met him. The handsome British soldier was eager to help with the groundbreaking endeavor of finding a cure for vampirism. Monte Rosser was even younger than Lionel, barely eighteen at the time. He had worked in a butcher shop in south London and was looking for a bit of adventure to spice up his life.

Sam caressed her cheek. “They are both excited to see you again, Lily.” 

“And I them. Please let me know as soon as they arrive.”

Sam nodded as he opened the heavy wooden door and led them into the castle.

Their footfalls echoed off the deteriorated stone walls. Daylight streamed in from small windows and cracks, illuminating the natural hues of each surface.

“No electricity in this part of the castle, so you might want to grab a flashlight.” Sam passed them out to each couple.

Sam led them all through the twisted hallways of the castle to a staircase leading down to some sort of cellar. When Ryan began to descend the stairs, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“This way.” Sam led them to the wall opposite the stairs and placed his hand against it. Slowly, the wall slid open to reveal an elevator large enough for all of them to travel down in one trip. They turned off their flashlights and entered the elevator. The door closed and Sam entered a code into the keypad on the access panel, setting them in motion.

When the doors opened, they saw sleek, silver walls and bright white floors in the hallway before them.

“Took you long enough.” Marla stood with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

“Cool your jets, boss.” Becca left Ian’s side to hug Marla. “Glad you could join us.”

Marla pulled back, then made a noise best described as somewhere between a whine and a growl. “I had no idea my father had been a part of this. Guess this craziness is in my blood after all.”

Lily approached Marla and took her hand. “Thanks for doing this. I’ll try to make it as painless as possible.”