Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) (23 page)

“Mariah, return
to me now,”
Rathe demanded, sounding really pissed off.
“It’s not safe for you being about alone!”

Before she could tell him off, the smell of burnt
hair, combined with Death, wafted on the wind. “No!” She made to pull her gun,
realizing she’d left it at the cabin.

He stepped out from behind the tree near her. A macabre
of blackened and bloodied skin, his charred features grisly, he leered at her. “Mariah,”
Jarrod wheezed out through blistered lips, “did you miss me?”

Chapter Fifteen

Patches of singed, long hair stuck out on his
burned, red and festering, scalp. Greenish-black ooze dripped from open sores
on his face and neck. His once white suit burned, stained with his dead blood.

“You died! I felt your pain!”

“It's amazing,” he rasped out, “how a little fire
can prompt a vampire into doing the most amazing things, like surviving.” His
eyes narrowed. “You have been a very naughty girl, Mariah. As your uncle, I
feel you should be punished. For your own good, of course.” Jarrod laughed at
his joke.

She made to run, skidded to a halt when he leapt
in front of her. She should have known a vampire as old as Jarrod would be
faster, far more powerful than her, even injured as he was.

“What the hell do you want from me?” She mentally
reached out to Rathe and flashed him Jarrod standing in front of her.

Jarrod grabbed her arms, shaking her violently. “See
me, Rathe? See what your justice has done to me? I've got your woman, imagine
where my men are. Who do you save, your sister or your whore?”

Reaching out to her daughter, she forced her awake.
“Kai, wake up!”

“Mom,”
Kai
asked sleepily,
“what’s wrong?”

“Kai, the Damned
are coming your way! Tell Anya and Faeroes. I'm sending Rathe to you.”
She switched back to him.
“Rathe, save my child and your family!”

“No! I won't leave you to face Jarrod alone.”

“Go,”
she shouted.
“Save Mina and Kai. Do not let the Damned take
them!”
Hearing his roar of fury, she focused on the monster in
front of her. Dropping her fangs, she snarled at him. “I’ve had just enough of
your bullshit, Uncle. You want a fight, bring it on!”

“Ah, Mariah, you have become a truly a magnificent
vampiress. Whilst I am this-this freak of nature.” He laughed bitterly at his
own pitiful appearance. “Ah, but once I drain you and that sweet brat you
birthed, I shall be stronger, and I will destroy Rathe this time.”

“Why haven’t you healed yourself?”

“I am unable to go to ground and heal myself
properly. I am sentenced to eternal unrest when I lost my soul.” He seemed to
mourn his inability to return to the earth.
 
“Mariah, you are the only one who can save me.
Please, be mine,” Jarrod pleaded, his hand gripping her arm tightened, grinding
her flesh into the bone.

Refusing to show he hurt her, she lifted her chin
defiantly. “Never. Rathe says it’s the demon inside us that make us do evil
things. You embraced it willingly, and there’s no coming back from what you’ve
done to human and Borne alike.”

Fury shifted his burnt features into a festering mask
of death. Sneering past rows of teeth, Jarrod slurred, “If you cannot bring my
soul back, then I shall take yours!” He made to sink his teeth in her, but she
was quicker and punched him hard in the chest, sending him crashing into the
tree behind him.

Seizing her freedom, she launched into the air.
Jarrod shrieked his rage, leaping in the air after her. Speeding faster, she
linked with Rathe. Through his eyes, she saw him and Faeroes fighting the
Damned, who were armed with knives and claws, nothing compared to the swords
the Slayers used. Green blood and gore smeared the once pristine snow. Anya and
Simon leapt into the battle, chopping off heads and limbs as they hacked their
way through the demon vamps. Another horde of thugs rushed them.

“Rathe, I’m coming to you, and Jarrod is
right on my ass.”

“Land in front of the house and run inside.
I’ll stop him from following you in.”

Arriving at the cabin, she passed Rathe, hit the
snowy ground at a dead run like he told her. Rathe tackled Jarrod, the force
sent them tumbling past her. Running inside the cabin, she slammed the door
shut, locking it. She turned and found Lydia, holding a sword, looking
terrified.

“Where are Mina and Kai?”

“Upstairs.”

“Get up there and stay with them. I’ll protect you
down here.” The picture window shattered as a vampire jumped through it, tackling
her down to the floor.

Grabbing her attacker by his throat, struggling to
keep his sharp teeth from tearing into her throat, she jerked back when he
started howling in pain. She managed to throw the thrashing vampire off her,
sending him flying across the living room. His back was on fire. Kai held a
bottle of Holy water, her eyes wide as the vampire climbed to his feet. Face
contorting, teeth filled his mouth, the vamp growled at them, green-frothed
drool dripped down his chin.

“I'll eat your heart out, bitch!” He pulled out a hunting
knife, advancing on them.

Lydia yelled, “Here!” She tossed her the sword.

Catching it, she said with a cold smile, “You're
welcome to try.”

Instinct took over. She easily met the oncoming
blade, ducking and diving in, cutting him. When the vampire faked to the right,
she stabbed her blade through his heart. Snarling, she yanked out the blade. The
vampire screamed, mortally wounded, the purity of the silver in the blade was a
searing pain equal to the holy water burning his flesh. He collapsed on his
knees, holding his chest as greenish-black blood gushed out the wound. Taking
pity on him, she raised the sword high, chopping off the vampire's head.

“Kai, give me your bottle.” She caught the bottle
and sprinkled the blessed water on the lifeless body as she spoke a prayer for him,
to release his tortured existence. In an explosion of flames, the body turned
to ash.

“Mom, what do we do?” Kai took the silver cross
Mina handed her.

“You, three, head back upstairs and lock the door.
Watch the windows!” She turned and felt a sharp poke and realizes a sword tip
was pressed to her heart. Looking up, she gasped, recognizing the vampire
holding the broadsword.

He had a cell phone to his ear. “I have them. Kill
them.”

“Why?” Kai demanded. “Why did you save us
yesterday, if you planned to kill us all along?”

His eyes widened as he stared at her daughter. Kai
drew back, surprise on her young face.

Unsure what was happening, Mariah asked him, “Alexander,
why are you doing this to us?”

His gaze dropped to hers. Sadness and regret was replaced
by cold determination. “Kai, Mina, go upstairs.” When they refused, he barked,
“Now!” When they obeyed, he nodded to the door.

“Let's go outside, shall we?”

 
✝✝✝

Rathe threw Jarrod off him, drawing his gun and shooting
vamps as they rushed him. Jarrod attacked again, skidding to a halt when the blast
of machine guns rose above the fighting. Recognizing the black-attired
vampires, he prepared for them to shoot him and his family, but they didn’t. They
were mowing down the demon vamps! And not with regular bullets either. Smoke
trickled out of the wounds.

Silver!

Frantic, Jarrod yelled at them, “Stop shooting our
men, you idiots!”

The vampires ignored him. When none were left
standing, they stopped shooting. Faeroes, Anya, and Simon made a skirmish line
in front of the cabin when they advanced. The front door opened, and Mariah
exited the cabin, her hands lifted in surrender. A vampire he’d never seen
before followed her out, holding his sword aimed at her back.

Anya snarled, “Son-of-a-bitch! I remember you now.
Jarrod’s puppet boy. Alexander Walker!”

Emerald-green eyes hardened, he smiled tightly at
her. “Charming, as always, Anya.” Walker lowered his sword and laid a hand on
Mariah’s shoulder. She lowered her hands and faced him. Rathe realized they
were communicating telepathically. She nodded and moved behind him.

Walker spoke to him, “Slayer, we meet at last. If
you will permit me to formally introduce myself, I am Alexander Walker,
formerly
Jarrod's second in command. I have
a proposition, would you care to hear it?”

Pissed, Jarrod barked, “Alexander, what the hell
are you doing?”

“Why, my lord, I am ending this war.” Walker
grinned, exposing white teeth, long fangs.

“You were the one who ordered my children to leave
Coeur d’Alene, didn’t you! Why?”

“I wanted them out of Mariah’s way.”

“What?” Obviously Jarrod wasn’t expecting that,
and neither had he!

“I wanted her to reach her daughter before you
did. I’d figured you would investigate the plane crash; instead, you rushed to
Idaho. I should have known the deaths of those you ordered created would not
stop you in your blind quest to rule the world and possess Mariah.”

Eyes narrowing, Jarrod tilted his head slightly. “Why
are you concerned with my brides?”

His calm demeanor erupted as Walker snarled, “You
sick prick! Mariah is Aidan’s daughter, your flesh and blood. You planned to
defile her and make her Damned! Have you sunk so low in your miserable
existence you’ve forgotten your love for your brother — the love you should
have had for Aidan’s only child?”

Jarrod’s bloodshot eyes
went wide. “You were the one who left Aidan to die! I will rip your heart out,
you coward!”

“Yes, I was there when
the villagers came for him. I would have killed them all, but Aidan wanted Maria
and his child saved. I owed him my life and to repay my debt, he ordered me to
leave him to die, so they might live.”

Jarrod paced back and forth, agitated. “So you are
the one who saved Maria. Why didn’t you tell me you knew where she and her
child were?”

“To protect them is why!
I swore to her as she lay dying, attacked by the human hunters
you
employed to find her, I would protect her
daughter, even if it meant killing you.”

Snorting, Jarrod put his hands on his hip. “You think
to rule in my place, to be
King
of the
Damned?”

Lifting the broadsword in his hand, Walker laid it
on his shoulder and grinned. “Consider this my resignation.”

Suspicious of Walker’s motives, Rathe asked, “Why
do you want a peace pact with the Slayers?”

“I may be soulless, but that doesn't mean I want to
end walking the earth. We are constantly dodging the vampire hunters
not
employed by Jarrod as well as the
Slayers, who chose not to obey the disbandment order. I weary of the constant
battle from both fronts. If I am to choose an enemy, I’ll gladly take vampire
hunters over you any day.”

Faeroes laughed at the vampire’s comment, making Rathe
shake his head, smiling in spite of the serious situation. “You’ve got balls,
Walker, to offer peace and make a stand against your own kind.”

Cold, Walker stated flatly, “We have no kind. We
exist, we die. That’s all we have to live for. At least while I was protecting
Mariah and Kai, I had meaning in my life. Now they are in your hands, I have
nothing.”

Mariah shook her head. “That’s not true! You can
fight with us, to stop the senseless killing of those falsely accused of
turning. To protect the humans from being forced to become Damned. We can finally
end this war between the Borne and Damned.”

“Not if you’re dead, bitch!” Jarrod roared, racing
toward her, his hands shifted to razor-sharp claws, raised to strike her down.

Walker pushed her behind him and brought his sword
down to defend her. Rathe sped around Jarrod and swung his sword, burying his
blade deep into his neck, cutting through tissue and bone. Green blood arced
across the snow as Jarrod’s head parted his body. Walker and Mariah stared at
him as he strode to her. Taking her into his arms, holding her, he felt her trembling
as he held her tight.

Walker stabbed his sword into the snow and bent
his head, as if he were saying a prayer. When he straightened, he glanced up at
Kai and Mina, who were leaning out of the upstairs window. He blinked, visibly
shaken when he and Kai’s eyes met.

Mariah pulled the medallion over her head and
reached for Walker’s hand and laid it so the cross pressed down into the center
of his palm.

No smoke, no burning.

Too stunned to react, Walker stood there, staring
at it as the silver medallion gleamed in response. Faeroes clapped him on the
back. “I believe, my friend, you have a soul.” He laughed as Walker's eyes widened
as the truth sunk in.

“I was certain I’d lost my soul. What I’d done …
those….” Walker fell silent, looking completely lost.

Rathe stabbed his sword next to Walker’s, they
were almost identical. “How long have you had your sword?”

“Two hundred years. Why?” Walker’s eyes narrowed,
his stance wary.

“How did you come to possess a Slayer’s sword?”

Green eyes darkened as Walker reached for his
sword. “Won it in battle.”

Slowly lifting his hands to deflect Walker’s
readying to battle, he smiled. “You do know silver is intertwined in the hilt,
so the Damned cannot wield our swords?”

Walker straightened. “Silver?”

“Didn’t Jarrod notice your sword bears the Latin
inscription engraved in the blood gutter, ‘
Damned
will fall beneath the blade of the Slayer’
? Didn’t Jarrod wonder how you
could hold it without burning?”

“Jarrod never knew of this sword. I brought it out
to kill him when he found out Mariah was alive.” Stabbing the sword back in the
ground, Walker stared at the medallion in his hand with an expression of awe
and horror.

The vampires circled Walker, staring at the medallion
he held in his hand. One reached out his hand, before the others could stop
him, and took the medallion. It didn’t burn him either. The rest took turns
holding it.

None were burned!

Rathe couldn’t believe it. They were not demon
vamps! “How did you keep your souls serving Jarrod?”

The one who had taken the medallion first, replied
proudly, “We served Alexander. He taught us that even though we were Damned, we
did not have to succumb to the monster inside us. Honor and strength gave us
purpose.”