Sekhmet's Curse (Pearl Vampire Chronicles) (21 page)

I lifted my head and looked from one hurt, worried face to the
other,
and back a few times.  Finally I slowly nodded my head, “I can’t promise that I’ll tell you everything, but I can promise that I’ll try, okay?”

Carlos sat on the bed and stroked my cheek, “I suppose we can live with that,” he said, then he got a sinister grin on his face, “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m fucking starving.  You ready for that hunting trip now?”

I grimaced as if I had been punched, but nodded my head anyways.

“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to, Sarah.  But, our supplies are running pretty low these days.  If you were to try to fill up on wha
t we had, it could be a problem,” Matt said.

“No, we can go.  But I won’t know if I’m going to hunt until I get there, okay?  Please don’t force me to do something that I don’t want to do or that I’m not ready to do.”

“
Darlin
’, after the workout we all just had over the last twenty-four hours, I’m pretty sure you won’t have any choice once you get there, Sarah.  But the choice is up to you.” Carlos said. 

I left them to get dressed, while I went and showered quickly.  I came out, put on a pair of black jeans, a black lace shirt and black boots.  My men took one leering look at me and both approved my outfit then we headed out into the night.

             
We drop down in
to
a dark alley behind a seedy bar.  My senses
are
immediately on overload.  “Shit, what is this place?” I whispered.  Carlos squeezed his arm around
my
waist, “I told, Sarah.  I told you this was the worst of the worst.  There is nothing good here. 
Nothing good at all.”

“I hear what you’re saying, Carlos.  But I’m
still
not sure yet, okay?”
I said.

“Don’t worry, Sarah.  You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do.  But remember where you’re going and what you’re going to have to deal with,” Matt whispered as we watched a knife fight break out at the end of the alley. I inhaled sharply as the scent of fresh blood hit me like a slap in the face, “Holy, shit,” I managed to croak out.  My hands were shaking even though they were clasped tightly in Matt
and
Carlos’ hands.  My knees shook.  My heart pounded.  My breathing quickened. 

“Sarah,” Carlos began. 

I shot him a look that immediately shut him up,
“Look, I get it.  They’re horrible, both of them.  I can tell that.  I’m going.  Just give me a second.” I hissed.  I gasped as the sound of a knife going into a throat pierced the night.  I dropped their hands and said, “Wait here,” and took a few steps forward, then stopped. 

“Honey?”
Matt whispered. 

I shook my head, “I was just checking,” I said, then I began moving forward again, slowly at first, then the scent grabbed hold of me and pulled, no, yanked
,
me forward.  Next thing I knew, I was draining the second attacker while I listened to Matt
and
Carlos’ conversation
behind me
, “Checking?  What the hell was she checking?” Matt said as he
watched me.  Carlos grinned from ear to ear as he said, “She was checking to see if she was having a sexual reaction, Matt.  She was checking to see if she was getting turned on.  Guess we did a good job.  Whoa,” he said as he braced himself as I came running down the alley towards him.  I slammed into his arms, hugged him tight and growled, “Kiss me,” then my blood covered lips smashed down onto his.  After a few minutes, I pulled back and moved into Matt’s arms,
“Now, you,” I groaned.  When I pulled back, my fangs had retracted and my
eyes were back to normal.  “I did it,” I whispered.  “Actually, I should say that you guys did it.
It worked.  The overdose of sex did the trick.
It didn’t happen this time.  I mean, well, you know what I mean.  Thanks, you two.”

“I’ve never meant this more than I’ve meant anything I’ve ever said in my life when I say: anytime baby
,
a
nytime,” Carlos said as he winked at me. 

I smiled and shook my head as I grabbed their hands and we started walking through the streets.

             
Several hours later, we moved slowly toward the outskirts of town.  Slowly because I was so full that I couldn’t have moved any faster if I tried.  There was so much blood in me that I was warm.  Warm blood
was
pulsing through my veins.  I almost felt human again.  “What do you say, Sarah? 
Are y
ou ready to go home now?” Matt said.

“Oh yeah.
  I don’t think I could drink another drop.  I’m full, completely……,” I stopped
, turned my head
and hissed.  My eyes changed, my fangs dropped. 

“What is it, Sarah?  What’s wrong?” he whispered.
 

“I don’t believe it.  That stupid shit,” I said as I
blindly started pulling them toward an alley a few miles behind us.

“Sarah?” Carlos said.

“He didn’t listen.   Shit, he never even tried to stop.  He’s been hurting them since he came back.  And he’s never going to stop,” I said.

Matt stopped and yanked on my arm, “Sarah?  What’s going on?”

I looked at Matt and realized that he couldn’t see who I was talking about
because,
by instantly locking in on him myself it meant that he couldn’t see.  I closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths and forced my focus away from my prey and back to Matt.  I watched his eyes, as the scent of who I was seeing registered on his face.  His mouth fell open, “I, I don’t believe it. 
That fucking weasel.
  Hurry, Sarah.  He’s going to kill her if you don’t hurry.”

I leaned up, kissed his cheek then locked back on my prey.  I felt the growl in my chest as I took off down the street, leaving Matt behind to explain to Carlos who I was after. 

“It’s him, Carlos.  The one she was able to resist killing during her training
when she first became a
vampire – training that teaches
a vampire
discipline when it comes to killing
.  Remember I told you about him?  I met him in the hall before they sent him in with her, and I had a hard time not killing him.  He’s bad.  He’s hurt and or killed so many women, so many
, Carlos
.  I didn’t think there was any way that she would be able to stop herself
.  No way at all.  But she did, Carlos.  She stopped herself.  Her fangs were down and her eyes were changed, yet she stopped and then told him that she’d be watching him and that he better not harm anyone else.  She stopped and she warned him.  I was watching on the monitors, Carlos, and it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen.  All of us were so impressed and amazed at her strength.
Especially as young as she was.
  A brand new vampire able to stop herself from killing someone so horrible!  No one has ever been able to do that in all the years that the training for new vampires has been around. 
Nobody
,
u
ntil her.
  And, now, here he is again, getting ready to rape and kill yet one more young woman,” he said as he shook his head.

I felt Carlos’ heavy heart as he popped into my head
to watch what I was doing as he said to Matt, “Does this mean that she’s not coming back, Matt?”

“What?  Why would you say that?” Matt said.

“Well, she’s come full circle, Matt.  This guy was part of her training as a brand new vampire.  She let him go with a warning.  Now, here she is facing a frightening and uncertain future and we come across him again.  She’s going to finish him
a
nd then what?  What does it mean that she came across him tonight, Matt?  I mean, what are the chances that she’d run
into
him, tonight?  Of all nights, why tonight
,
t
he night before we leave for Egypt
?
  Her last meal before she’s locked in th
at
tomb with Sekhmet.  Does this mean that she’s not coming out?” he whispered as he watched the surprised look on my prey’s face turn to horror as
the man
recognized my face.  “Run,” I growled to the beaten girl on the ground
.  She crawled
a few feet
then managed to get to her feet and stumble down the alley and around the corner.  I turned my gaze back to him, looking down at the ground when I heard the urine, as he once again lost control of his bladder.  My gaze moved back to his face, “I gave you a warning, didn’t I?  You just
can’t stop yourself, can you?” I hissed.

“I, I, I,” he began, but I stopped him as I saw what he was thinking.  That bastard wasn’t scared anymore.  He was thinking about doing to me what he was trying to do to that girl, and he was getting turned on.  “You’ve got to be kidding me.  My hand is closed around your throat.  You have no way out.  And you’re getting a hard on?  Unbelievable,”

“Sorry
darlin
’. 
Can’t help it.
 
The ladies like it when I do those things to them.  Beside, t
hose tits are amazing,” he said as he reached his arms forward and squeezed.  My gaze slowly moved down and watched as he groped me.  For a moment I was too stunned to react
.  Once again, I thought death would be too good for this man.  But the lesson had to be harsher
,
m
uch harsher this time.  My hand fell away from his neck, “You’re right,” I whispered, “I like it like this.”

He pushed me up against the wall and began kissing my neck as he growled, “I told you so.”

‘
Sarah?  What the hell are you doing?’
Carlos thought
.  A moment later I felt Matt in my head too.  He had linked with Carlos and was watching too. 
‘
Relax guys.  I got this under control. Do you know where the nearest hospital is?  Cause he’s going to need one soon,’
I said as I smiled.  I turned my head and tried not to gag at his nasty cigarette breath as I began kissing him.  My hand squeezed his crotch and he groaned as I spun
us both
around and shoved his back against the wall.  I tore open his shirt and began kissing his chest, then belly, moving down as my hands worked to unzip his pants.  “Oh yes,
darling,
’ I knew you’d come around.  Christ this is fucking awesome,” he groaned as my hand clasped around his erection and pulled it out of his pants
as my mouth moved back to his neck
.  ‘
Crap, Sarah. I almost feel sorry for him,’
Carlos thought as he realized what I was going to do.  I grinned then thought, ‘
Uh, guys, you might not want to watch this part.’

‘No way
, not missing this for the world.
  But, honey, there’s going to be blood.  You’re not going to be able to stop, you know
,’
Matt thought.

‘You’re wrong, Matt.  I can stop.  I know I can.  Don’t ask me how.  I just know. 
Watch.’

My lips closed
on his jugular while my fingernails
prepared for the strike
.  He groaned again and grabbed the sides of my head.  “
Squeeze harder
,
darlin
,” he groaned as he began thrusting in and out of my
hand
.  I could feel him growing.  He was close, so close.  He pulled out and moved to make one final thrust just as I released my fangs.  He climaxed and screamed at the same time as my
finger
nail dug into the nerves at the base of his shaft
rendering him
permanently
impotent and my teeth
sank into his neck
.  I hesitated for one brief second as I felt his blood begin to flow into me, then I grunted and forced my teeth to retract.  I, too, screamed, because it hurt like hell.  I
stumbled back
,
punched him in the face to knock him out, then backed up a few steps and fell to my knees
as
I began to
cough
then
I
grabbed my head as I tried to make the blinding pain go away.  This was worse than a migraine, worse than Malina
’s horrible mind trick – the one where she could actually make your head explode if she didn’t stop
– this was
worse than anything
I’d ever felt
.  “Sarah?” Matt said as his arm went around my waist.  He lifted me up and cradled me in his arms

The pain radiated from my head, through every
muscle of my body, then out through my toes.  Carlos knelt over the man’s unconscious body, pressing his wadded up shirt into his crotch to slow the blood flow, as he watched me.
He spit on his finger and rubbed it on the bite marks on his neck, which quickly faded away
but the wound in his crotch was not one that he would help heal – that would be his forever gift from me
.
  I groaned a few times then tried to take a few deep breaths as I finally felt the pain begin to
dissipate slightly.  A few more seconds and I
was
finally able to speak, “Oh my God.  That hurt like hell.  If that’s what it feels like to force yourself to stop feeding, then I’m not surprised that vampires aren’t able to do that
, or don’t try to do that
.  That sucked
,
”
  I
whispered.