Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) (27 page)

“Mom?” Kai whispered to her.

“Shush!” She placed a finger on her lips when she
heard the audible click of a gun readied.

“Lady, stay right where you are!” He trained his
gun on her, thankfully not seeing the girls dissolve into the mist. Sweat soaked
the man's shirt and armpits, the rank body odor made her eyes water and she
wrinkled her nose in disgust. The pounding of his heart was deafening.

His beady eyes narrowed. “Hey, you're that writer
Murphy ordered us to kill. I guess he was right about ya being a vampire. Time
to die, bitch!”

In a flash, she ripped the gun out of his hands,
and he wet himself when she snarled, lengthening her fangs in front of him. “Looks
like you’re dinner tonight.” She yanked his head to the side and sank her fangs
into his neck.

Adrenaline jacked his emotions, fear ramped his
blood into a powerful drug-like substance to drink. Her body craved this new
taste, and she couldn’t drink it fast enough. When he struggled to get free,
she tightened her grip. Screaming hysterically, he tried to hit her, to stop
him, she shoved him face down on the ground and kept feeding on him.

Rathe yelled at her,
“Mariah,
you must stop! Do not follow his death!”

A rustling of dried grass made her look up and she
saw Alexander running at her. He yanked the human out of her hands and threw
him behind him. Panting, she growled at Alexander when he took her face in his
hands.

“Mariah, focus on me, look into my eyes.”

Struggling to escape his grip on her, wanting to
find another victim to drain, she was forced to do as he bid. Drawn into his
green eyes, he whispered, “Calm. Be calm, Mariah. Let the blood flow. Your body
will take in the life it gives, but let the fear vanish, and you will be calm.”

Concentrating on her blood, took control of how it
processed the blood she’d drank, she felt the hunger leave her. Holding onto
Alex for support, she managed to say, “I’m okay now.”

He relaxed his brutal grip on her, still looking
pretty worried. Kai and Mina returned. She saw the fear in their eyes. Shakily,
she wiped the blood off her chin, feeling disoriented.

“Mom, are you okay?” Kai crept forward, ignoring Mina,
who tried to stop her.

“Yeah, baby, I'm better.” She tried to smile at
Mina, but the effort too much for her at the moment. “No, Mina, I'm not Damned.
But your brother should have warned me about the effects of blood chocked full
of adrenaline.” Glaring at Alexander, she said, “You should have warned me, too!”

“Sorry, I’d not thought of it until Kai summoned
me to help you.”

Mina’s eyes were wide. “Is that why the Damned scare
the humans before they feed on them? For the adrenaline and fear to change the
blood?”

Grim, Alexander nodded. “Fear-laden blood is like
a drug, and the Damned are addicts.”

Mariah asked him, “Can I feed the girls or should
you?”

“No, I’ll do it. They might have the same reaction
as you did.” He slashed his wrists and fed them both at the same time. When
their hunger was sated, he allowed the wounds to heal. “You, three, stay here.
I need to take care of the bodies.” He reached down and snapped the human’s
neck.

In the silent aftermath, she heard Alexander order
the vampires to collect the bodies. Taking the hands of the two men who lay
dead beside her, she dragged them to Alexander. She was surprised to see he had
kept one of the hunters alive.

Rand took the men she had brought and carried them
away. When he and the others returned, they were grinning. “The fire trucks
were a mile away, plenty of time to spare. What do you want done with the
pilots and the stewardess?”

“Take them back to the hanger. I’ve already planted
the story of the plane hijacked, and they’d been ordered off it.” Alexander
squatted down and asked the terrified hunter, “Who told you there were vampires
at the airport?”

Casting wide, frightened eyes at the vampires around
him, the young man turned to her. “I know you! Lady, I'm sorry. I told them not
to torch your cabin, but I couldn't stop them.”

She frowned, motioning for Anya to speak to him.
His eyes went wide as the sultry blonde squatted down in front of him, her silver
eyes gazed, unblinking, into his. “Tell me who called you, and I will protect
you.”

Helpless to stop himself, he told her, “Our connection
in New York told us there were three vampires heading our way from Santa Cruz.
Our team got a call that a plane arrived without calling in the tower. The
passengers were gone before dawn.” He broke contact with Anya. “Miss Jordan,
please forgive me. I should have been stronger and tried to save you.”

“Who's your connection in New York?”

“John Harklee. He provides security for a group of
eccentric, rich businessmen and women, who own a compound in New York City.”

“The Elders. I knew it.” Mariah gave a mirthless
laugh. “Well, we can't use another plane, they're onto us. We've got to get to
New York City before Rathe and his brothers. Any suggestions?”

Alexander exchanged a hesitant frown with Anya. “There
is one way, but we'll be exhausted and unable to defend ourselves for a while.”

“Do we have a choice?” Anya said gruffly.

“Not really.”

After the humans were taken care of, including the
hunter, Anya addressed the vampires, “What we are about to embark on will be
difficult, even for the most experienced amongst us. We’re gonna pour the speed
as we fly to New York City.” The vampires nervously exchanged glances with each
other. “Alexander, you take Kai. Rand, you fly with Mina. Mariah, I want you to
fly with me.” She signaled, “Let's go!”

Nervous at what they were about to do, Mariah
glanced at her daughter, unable to suppress the wistful sigh as Alexander
lifted Kai in his arms. Wishing Rathe's arms were around her, she swallowed hard,
focusing on what they were about to do.

 
“Relax,”
Anya smiled at her, “what we are about to do is relatively simple
—
a small matter of
thinking we’re racing light.”

 
“Show me.”

Taking her hand in hers, Anya pulled her into the
air. They hovered, waiting for everyone to assemble. Anya glanced down at her,
tears in her eyes. “I miss Faeroes, too.” She squeezed her hand. “Follow my
lead.”

Anya took off, nearly yanking her shoulder out of
the socket. Catching up to her, Anya sped up, she matched her. Everything blurred
into a myriad of dazzling colors. What seemed forever, and faster than she
could process, they finally slowed. Exhausted, she barely kept herself in the
air.

New York City stretched out below them.

Alexander yelled at them, “We’ll stay at my house
and rest. Follow me.”

He led them to Stanton Island. A mansion, built on
a knoll, near the river, came into view. Alex signaled for them to land on the
paved driveway. Anya let go of her and she collapsed onto her knees, drained, like
the others. Mariah lifted her head when the mansion’s doors opened, and an
elderly man shuffled out.

“Welcome to my home.” Alexander’s mouth was pinched
flat as he let Kai down. Kai put her arm around his waist, holding him steady
when he stumbled.

“Master Alexander, you and the others must go to
ground and regain your strength.”

“Yes, Willis, you are quite right.”

Kai looked back at her, worriedly, as she and Anya
held onto each other for support.
“Mom,
there’s something I need to talk to you and Anya about. Alex, too. Privately.”

Surprised at her daughter not speaking out loud,
she nodded.
“Anya, Kai needs to talk to us.”

“Hope its brief.
I’m fighting not to shut down.”

“It’s gotta be
really important. Look at Alex.”
The surprised look on his face confirmed
Kai had spoken to him telepathically.

He recovered and nodded to his man, who held the
door open for them to enter the mansion. “Thank you, Willis.” Alexander led
them to the wall near the stairs and touched it. A secret door opened. “Head on
downstairs, to my sleeping chamber. Don’t worry, it has a dirt floor. We will
be safe here. Willis has set the house alarms.”

When it was just the four of them in foyer, Mariah
asked her daughter, “Okay, what’s up?”

✝✝✝

Inspecting the burning wreckage below them, Rathe
stiffened when he saw firefighters holding machine guns that had been found on
the bodies of the victims.

Scowling, Faeroes commented, “The dead have the
tainted smell of vampire hunters.”

A worried gnawing in his gut warned him they’d
better hurry to New York City. “We fly at supernatural speed. I want to get
this meeting over and return to Mariah.”

When the Chrysler Building came into view, he gave
a sigh of relief. Directing his brothers to land in Central Park, they would
rest there, hidden from the Damned and Borne. Opening a grave to sleep in, a
familiar scent gave him pause. Faint, it still warmed his cold heart with hot
memories of the woman who had captured his heart, who gave him hope for a future.
A future with her.

Would she want one with him? If they were
successful in making changes, will Mariah and Kai leave and return to their
life?

Praying for the strength to defeat his enemies, he
went to ground.

✝✝✝

As they had for a hundred and fifty years, twelve
men and women — the elite of the Borne, collected in the elegant sitting room,
just before dawn.

Except for their leader.

Nervous, he paced the length of his opulent
office, back and forth. Back and forth. Julius caught sight his image in one of
the numerous mirrors he had placed around his opulently-decorated office. The expensive
designer suit he wore fit his sinewy figure impressively, yet he could not take
pleasure in his ageless perfection. So much rode on the Romulas brothers killed
before
the bastards arrived in New
York. Relying on humans was a new concept for him, and trusting the future of
the vampire world in their mortal hands left him anxious.

A rap on the door halted his pacing.
“Come in.”

The door swung open, and his newly appointed
security advisor, John Harklee, former vampire hunter, entered and closed the
door behind him. Dressed in dark military clothes and wore a bulletproof vest, his
machine gun hung from the strap around his shoulder, the silver-haired, stocky
mortal looked ready to take on the Slayers.

Would it be enough to take on Rathe Romulas?

Hiring Harklee had been strongly objected by the
Elders, but he ignored their protests, needing the human’s practiced skills to
organize and hunt, specifically to kill three men who could potentially bring
him down. All it cost him was the promise to make Harklee a vampire.

“My lord, the mansion is locked down. The
surrounding compound area is secured and patrols are walking the grounds.”

“Have you heard from your men in Indiana?”

“No, but I expect Tony to bring you Romulas's head
soon.”

Casting a disgusted look at Harklee, Julius slammed
his fists on the antique desk. “They haven't checked in because they're dead,
you moron!”

“You really think Romulas will just walk on in here,
right past my men?”

“Not only will he and his brothers waltz on in
here, Rathe will demand justice and try to take my head! And those sheep,” he
jabbed a finger at the door, “will allow it!”

“My lord, there’s been another complication,”
Harklee said, holding his gun casually, not fooling Julius for a second the
human was ready to shoot him if he tried to attack him.

“Wonderful. More good news?” he said
sarcastically.

“Jarrod is dead, my lord.”

Stunned, Julius found he had to take a seat.
“When?”

“My source reported he was killed four-maybe five
days ago. In Idaho.”

“Who killed him?”

“Rathe Romulas.”

“Son-of-a-bitch!” Julius shot to his feet, walking
around his desk. “Has Alexander Walker assumed command of the Damned then?”

“No, my lord. Walker is missing.”

“Are you telling me the Damned have no leader and
are out there, amongst the humans, without restraint?”

“Yes, my lord. I have suggestion that could
possibly divert the calamity.”

“Please, I’m open to any suggestions you may
have.”

“Once you’ve turned me, place me in command of the
Damned. I will bring them under control.”

Contemplating Harklee’s proposal, he found it had
merit. “Fine. Once the Romulus brothers are dead, I will grant your wish.
If
you kill them.”

Harklee grinned, a cruel and evil expression. “Tonight,
your worries will be eliminated. I promise.” He glanced out the windows. “Dawn,
my lord.”

Glaring at the faint light breaking the dark,
Julius strode out the door as Harklee held it open for him. “Harklee, see to
the defenses and ensure our guests never make it to the front door.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The Elders waited for him to lead them below to
their sleeping chambers.

Sheep
,
Julius thought with a silent laugh as the Elders fell in step behind him as he
opened the vault door that protected them while they slept. By their wary
expressions and sharp glances at Harklee, he knew they were losing confidence
in him. Down the stairs he went, trying not to smile. They were right not to
trust him.

Once the Romulus brothers were dead, the Elders were
next, leaving him in full control of the Borne
and
the Damned.

“I will be king,
and
I
will
rule the world!

Chapter Eighteen

As one, Rathe and his brothers rose from their
graves. The dirt clinging to their clothes and hair disappeared.

Needing to speak with her once more before he met
the Elders, he remembered she was still asleep, deep in the ground, in
California. He wished he’d told her how he felt about her, how much he loved
her. Regret was all a vampire had. The Elders would learn firsthand what it felt
like to regret their decisions of late!

Lifting his face to the darkening sky, he raised
his hand and collected the wind, gathering a storm of such power and fury the
likes New York City had never seen before. Then he directed the storm to settle
above the Elders’ mansion.

Grinning, Rathe said, “Let’s see if Julius and the
Elders are home, shall we?”

Simon leaned closer to Faeroes. “Man, Rathe scares
the hell out of me when he smiles like that.”

Faeroes laughed heartily and clapped Simon on the
back. “Worry not, little brother. Rathe's at his very best when he's in this
sort of mood. We're in for some fun tonight.”
 

Flying lead, he searched for an ambush as they
neared the compound. Landing on the roof, they crouched down when a foot patrol
walked below them. He summoned the lightning, sending it to strike the power lines,
severing the electricity supplying the Elders’ compound. Aiming the next strike
at the backup generators, the explosion sent the guards sprawling across the
green lawns. The compound’s doors opened. Armed guards ran outside, their
flashlights bobbing up and down as they went to help their companions.

“Julius is using
vampire hunters,”
Simon said
to him and Faeroes.
“What do we do?”

“Kill them all.
Leave the Elders no protection.”

Shape-shifting into giant eagles, they flew into
the air, diving and snatching the humans into their talons, snapping their necks.
In short time, the patrols were dead. Landing in front of the compound, they shifted
back into human form. Simon and Faeroes flanked him as he raised his hand and
directed a bolt of lightning to strike the steel, double doors. Exploding
shards of wood and metal sent those inside the compound screaming and shouting
for help.

They entered the mansion.

Pissed, Julius shouted at them, “How dare you
enter my house without my permission?”

“But you commanded us here,
my lord
,” he reminded Julius.

Straightening the front of his expensive suit, Julius
smiled tightly. “Welcome, Rathe, as you, Faeroes and Simon. Allow us to offer
our hospitality?”

“Do you really want me to comment on your
welcoming committee? Oh, your security guards are relieved of their duty
—
permanently.”

Julius smirked. “Not all of them.”

Armed humans ran into the foyer, surrounding them.
They weren’t the only ones as the Elders were herded into a corner, held at
gunpoint. A thickset, silver-haired man stood beside Julius, wearing a gloating
expression.

John Harklee.

“Look at what we got here, boys. We've bagged us
the Romulas brothers. It's been a long time since we last met, Slayer. Do you
remember me?”

“Actually, yes. You pissed your pants.” Rathe grinned,
winning a scowl from Harklee.

“Not scared of you now.” Harklee aimed his Desert
Eagle at him. “My lord, you want him dead now or do you want us to tie them up
and leave them to fry in the sunlight?”

Julius tapped his lower lip, as if he were
contemplating his options. “Kill them. Leave the Elders to the sun.” The Elders
snarled their defiance, unable to do anything else with the machine guns aimed
at them.

Lightening flashed, blinding Rathe. Thunder
cracked, its violence caused the mansion walls to shudder in response. The
sound of breaking glass had him drawing his sword. Dark figures dove through
the tall windows, rolling onto their feet. Recognizing Rand and the others, he
called out a warning, but too late. The vampire hunters fired their weapons at
them. To his astonishment, the bullets weren't stopping the vampires!

Alexander was hit several times, but he neither
flinched nor seemed to act like he’d been hurt. “Rathe,” he shouted, “get your
ass to cover!”

Harklee was laughing as he aimed his gun at him, Rathe
had nowhere to escape and braced for the bullets to hit him. A dark figure
tackled him and the force of Harklee’s bullets slammed his savior into him,
sending them sprawled across the marble floor.

Lilacs!

Mariah lay on top of him. Pain clouded her beautiful
eyes. “Get Julius,” she gasped, trying to catch her breath.

Confused, he opened her coat and rapped gently on
the bulletproof vest she wore. “Clever wench!” He captured her soft lips in a
relieved kiss.

She shoved at him and was on her feet, pulling him
up on his. “Get that bastard! He’s getting away.” Julius and Harklee were
running out the broken doors.

“Simon, Faeroes, I’m after Julius!”

Outside, he searched the pouring rain, unable to
find his prey. Forced to halt the storm, he found Harklee’s body heat radiate
in the darkness. Flying in the air, he came down, ramming his fist into
Harklee’s face, sending the human sprawling in the mud. Disappearing into mist
when Julius drew his gun, firing, Rathe easily dodged the bullets.

“Show yourself, you, bastard!”

“Why did you betray the Borne?” In form of the
mist, Rathe slithered around Julius, forcing the man to back away from Harklee,
who was lying in the mud, unconscious.

“Your father agreed with my vision. He knew for
our survival, we needed to unite with the Damned, to bring an end to the war.”

“Julius, we both know you weren’t doing it for the
good of our kind, but to rule the world.”

 
“What other
way can we, the Borne, protect the humans if we don’t lead them?” Julius straightened,
letting his gun drop to his side. “Join me and I’ll consider allowing you to
keep the abomination you found.”

“You prick,” he snarled, solidifying in front of
Julius. “Mariah is not an abomination! You and the Elders distorted the Laws.
You used the Slayers to do your dirty work, to keep your own hands clean. But
they’re not clean, are they? Blood stains them. Blood of our children!”

“To weed out the undesirable and those who refused
to adhere to our laws — yes, I made the decisions. I made a stand for
our
kind! ”

“You are hereby judged for your crimes.” He raised
his sword to strike when Mariah appeared.

 
“Rathe,
stop! You must not shed his blood. Not a Borne’s!”

Julius lifted his gun, aiming it at her. “If I
didn’t find a half-breed so repulsive, I’d actually be grateful for you seeking
to spare my life. Sorry, but my work is not done, not by far. With you dead, my
plans to rule Borne and the Damned, the humans as our cattle, will go on
without a hitch.” Drawing the hammer back, Julius grinned. “Nothing personal …
well, yes, it is actually.” He gasped, his eyes bulging as his head toppled to
the ground.

Stunned, they watched as Julius’s body crumbled
slowly down into the mud. Rathe looked up and saw Alexander wearing a satisfied
grin.

Shrugging, he offered them a lopsided grin. “Mariah
felt strongly enough for you
not to kill him, she didn't say
I
couldn't.”

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. He grinned
at Alexander. “My thanks for taking the initiative.”

With a debonair bow, Alexander winked at him.
“Anytime, my friend.”

Drawing Mariah into his arms, Rathe held her
tight, relieved she was unharmed. “God, woman, I love you.”

“Love me?” she repeated, leaning back in his arms,
a stunned expression on her face.

Grinning, Alexander wiped his blade clean on
Julius’s expensive suit. “That’s what the man said. It appears you, two, need a
private moment. I’ll see if I can find Harklee. Little bastard slipped away.”
He disappeared into the dark.

“I have fallen deeply, madly, heart and soul, in
love with you, Mariah Jordan.”

She started crying.

Panicking, he asked, “Have I said something
wrong?”

Shaking her head, she offered him a watery smile.
“No, it’s just that I’ve never had a man honestly say he loved me before.” She
wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing close to him. “I love you, Rathe
Romulas.”

Relief relaxed his tense muscles as he kissed her.
When he leaned back, she sniffed and told him, “We need a vacation. A long one.”

“Honey, I couldn't agree more. First, we need to
have a word with the Elders.” As they walked back to the mansion, the lights
had been restored. Alexander met them.

“Harklee’s gone. Knowing him as well as I do,
he'll reorganize the vampire hunters and come after us with a vengeance.”

“We'll deal with him later. How are the Elders?”

“A bit shaken by the fact the same vampires they’d
declared the Damned just saved their asses.”

Sheathing his sword, he took Mariah’s hand in his
as they entered the mansion. His men and the Elders were warily watching one
another. “Elders, I regret to inform you that you are fired!” He drew his gun
and held it at his side.

A collective gasp of outrage spread throughout the
Elders.

Fredrick shouted, “How dare you! We are the Elders,
your
leaders.”

Faeroes, who was usually calm, growled in
Fredrick’s face. “You dare act as if
you
are the wounded party here? You planned to murder us! Count yourselves lucky to
still be breathing.”

“Now you have won, Slayer, will you execute us
now?”

Rathe answered, “Protection will be offered as is
our duty. Conspire against us again, and I will personally kill each and every
one of you.” He faced the vampires who had risked their lives to reach New York
to protect him and his brothers. “I have not seen such courage and honor in a
very, long time. I am proud to publicly declare you our entrusted protectors of
the Vampire nation, our Slayers!”

They raised their swords and guns in the air,
shouting.

He raised his hand for silence. “Now, we must decide
how to rule our kind. Do we want another council or do we wish to elect one
person to rule us and have their decisions carried out by the Slayers?” The
gathered vampires frowned at such an enormous decision.

One of the vampires, who’d came with Mariah and her
group, raised his hand.

“Yes?”

“I think one should rule, and I nominate you.”

Surprised and flattered, he had to decline. “My
thanks for your confidence in me, but I am a hunter, not a diplomat. Why not
consider Faeroes, my brother? He is the wisest man I know, besides Simon.” He
grinned at his astonished brothers.

Nods of approval from young and Elders alike gave him
hope for their kind. “Faeroes, Anya, will you lead us into the future?”

Faeroes held his wife's hand, gazing into Anya's eyes
that were brimming with happy tears. Squaring his shoulders, he faced the
expectant faces. “I would be honored to lead the Borne.”

“So be it!” Rathe grasped Faeroes' shoulder,
proud. “Rule well and guide us in our fight against the evil plaguing our kind.”

“So be it!” The vampires shouted, remarkably joined
in by the Elders.

“Well, brother, what shall we do now?” he asked
Faeroes, but it was Anya who took charge.

“First, we remove the bodies and clean the mess.
After that, we will restore communication with our people. Seclusion has made
us loners.” She looked to her husband, who nodded his approval.

“You heard my wife! Let’s do it.”

The dead were disposed of in such a manner the
human world would think it was a gang-related killing. Julius's remains were
left outside, awaiting the sun to turn his body to ash. When they finished, the
Elders showed them to their underground chambers.

Squatting down, Rathe buried his fingers into the
dark soil, mixed with the rich dirt imported from the sacred Carpathian
Mountains. Memories of another life, a world of loving parents, flooded him. Rising
to his feet, he held his hand out to Mariah. Her exhaustion was evident as she
leaned into him. He prepared to open the soil for the girls, seeing they
already had. Mina and Kai appeared to have grown up overnight.

Unsure how to feel about that, Mariah distracted
him. “Shall we sleep?”

Holding her close, he opened the soil. Together,
they floated down into the grave.
“I love
you.”

“I love you, too.”

✝✝✝

“Rathe,” Mina pleaded, “we won't get in any
trouble, not with Rand watching over us.”

Kai chimed in, “Please, Mom? Rathe?”

Seeing no harm in it, Mariah said, “Rathe, let
them spread their wings, so to speak?”

He turned a stern eye onto Rand. “Rand, do you accept
the responsibility of protecting Mina and Kai while you feed tonight?”

“I swear upon my honor, I shall protect them with
my life.”

“I want you, girls, back by two or I'll ground you
for a century! Trust me, I can do it!” The girls squealed in delight, hugging Rathe
first, then her.

He turned a pained look on her.
“Damn, I'm becoming soft.”

She chuckled, reassuring him,
“No, Mina and Kai respect and love you. You’re
doing fine.”

Wearing jeans and t-shirts, appearing like regular
teens, she watched the girls snap on their shoulder holsters, sliding in the
modified Berettas Rathe had issued them as their personal weapons. Slipping on
their leather jackets, Rand grimaced as they chattered excitedly, leaving him
the odd man out. She almost felt sorry for him, but hey, Rand had volunteered
to go with them.

She pulled Rathe along with her as they followed the
kids outside. Kai grinned and waved at her. Waving back at her daughter, she
watched them fly away.