4 Vamp Versus Vamp (33 page)

She released me. I stumbled but caught myself. My eyes studied the room, looking for any indication of something other than solid concrete. At least this room had actual overhead lighting. Even with it, I couldn’t locate the break in the wall, though.

“You were foolish to come,” Cesar stated.

I ignored him, searching for the chip in the wall. There, between two vampeens in the back of the room, was the mark I was looking for.

Imara stepped forward. She ambled through the small crowd of vampeens, waiting for their master to tell them to pounce. She didn’t follow a pattern, merely wove through the bodies. It took me a moment to realize she was gaining their attention in another way. She would walk to the right, and that would let me slip in through the left.

“Tell me, Cesar, how has life treated you these last few centuries?”

“You already know the answer. Now quit trying to distract my people. It won’t work,” he barked.

Abruptly, Imara caught Cesar in a death grip. All of the vampeens charged her, giving me my window. I frantically raced to the other side of the room. I heard Imara giving them hell. I pressed on the wall, and a door opened. The moment the door slid ajar, they caught me slipping in. Without looking back, I headed for the large tower of wires in the corner. I yanked the lock off the metal cage and jerked the door open. I grabbed as many wires as I could.

A vampeen male grabbed my arm and tossed me across the room.
More followed after him, cornering me effortlessly.
I guessed it was time to light up like a Christmas tree. I allowed my emotions to surge. I felt the energy sizzling through my body. The vampeens began to back away as my veins illuminated. Electricity crackled over the top layer of my flesh.

Feeling fully charged, I let loose on the room. One by one I tugged them towards me and snapped their necks at the speed of light. Several ran from the room, but I didn’t worry about them. I went straight for the network cables, computer wires, and security power supply.

Pain shot through my hands as I gripped the wires. The lights flickered as my body began to shake. Sparks flew in different directions, coming from the box in front of me. I jumped back when a computer exploded behind me. I fell to the floor, covering my body. The lights cut off and all the systems shut down, but electrical flickers still sputtered into the air.

Then I felt it. The heaviness set in.
No!
I couldn’t pass out now. I had to get out. I had to make sure everyone was safe. It didn’t matter what I wanted, though — my body had decided it couldn’t take any more. Vamp genes and healing serum made no difference. I succumbed to the darkness.

***

“Leka.” Kai’s voice rolled over me.

“Lexi.” I felt Kellan petting my hand.

“Lex?” Gabi sounded so unsure of herself.

My eyelids fluttered. Coming to my senses, remembering where I was, I jumped to my feet, startled by my new surroundings.

Kellan pulled me into his chest. His kissed my head, running his hand down my back. “You’re okay. It’s okay.”

“I would not destroy my own race. That much you must know by now, Cesar.” Imara steadied her gaze on him.

“Why else would you unleash her?” My grandfather’s tone was cold as ice.

“So she could save us all.” Imara was calm and reasonable.

I left Kellan standing there and moved towards the intimate circle. My grandfather and a handful of his men stood on one side. Kalel, Francesca, Kai, Imara, Gabi, Jack, Craig, Steven, Drexel, and Al were on the other. Some looked a little roughed-up, but no visible wounds remained.

“What did I miss? Obviously it was a lot.” We were in the living room of the house. I couldn’t see or hear anyone besides those of us present, though.

“Your grandfather ambushed us. It seems there was more in the molecular tracker than merely a tracker. It had a sound cell that made it possible to pick up the vibrations of your voice and transmit them. He was hearing everything you said,” Al explained.

My stomach dropped. “How many did we lose?”

“That’s not important.” Kai’s voice was calm despite the storm in his eyes.

“So damn weak, just like your grandmother.” Cesar scowled.

“How is caring about the number of vamps lost in the world a weakness?”

“Caring is a weakness.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“So you’d rather spend forever alone than care about someone?” My voice raised an octave.

“I’d rather spend eternity alone than know she was tortured to death,” he snapped.

Shock ran through me. Unnerving chills chased down my spine. Imara gazed right at me, as if willing me to figure it out, to piece together the invisible puzzle. I tilted my head, watching the vampeen. Could he? Would he? Did he? Imara nodded her head.

I squared off with Cesar. “Oh, my God. You killed her, didn’t you?” The words were thick on my tongue, the realization transparent.

“She was my only weakness,” he conceded.

“So that made it right?” Serum drowned my mouth; my gums ached.

“Babe.” Kellan laid a gentle hand on me but pulled back when I began to illuminate.

“No. But I’d rather her death be quick and painless in my own hands than at the torturous mercy of my enemies.”

“A mercy kill? That’s what you’re going to claim?” I ground my teeth as bloody tears stung my eyes. “You’re a selfish bastard! I hope every vampire on this earth descends upon you!”

Electricity crackled over me. I thought back to the picture of Gran in my kitchen. She was laughing joyfully as she swung me around in the yard outside. Her eyes sparkled with joy. She looked at me like I was a wonder in her world; she gripped me as if I was an irreplaceable treasure, never slipping once. Her words still echoed within me now. “
Ally, you have to dream big to achieve big, and I know you’re going to do big things.
”

“Why didn’t you protect her?” I demanded.

“Because they always find a way, just like you did.” He lost all resolve.

“Was it worth it?” I nearly spat the words.

He pressed his lips into a thin line, his eyes looking beyond me into the distance.

“So you gave up the love of your life, true memories with your children, peace of mind, and stability for a war that was never yours to fight?” I was beating him further into the ground, unable to get a grip on my rage.

“For family honor,” he corrected.

“Excuse me. You gave up your new family for a father who neglected you.”

He balled his hands into fists before relaxing them again.

“I know I’m right. He was so focused on proving his worth in the eyes of vampires that you only existed as a soldier, not a son. Cristiana had the right idea in running, but you wanted exactly what he did, only not from vampires — from him.”

You could hear a pin drop in the room. Vampeen hearts thudded loud as drums in the silent space.

“I have news for you, Paps, he’s dead. You’re never going to win his favor, but you are going to lose everyone else’s over an ignorant ambition.”

He stared at me, his thoughts unreadable. “There are precisely nine vamps in the world who are telepathic and twelve with X-ray vision. They are rare in ratio to our majority status, but there are none like you, Alexa. I’m proud of you. You’re doing what this old vampeen should have done long ago: changing things. But it’s too late for me. So I’ll cut you a deal. You never let another vampire set foot on any of my properties, and I’ll stop making a sport of them.”

A bit of hope died inside me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to change people; I could only hope to inspire them to change. I was disappointed that after all this I had hit a wall. All the blue within me faded away. I was shutting down, numb.

“Will you sign a contract to that effect?” My voice was monotone.

“If it’ll get these roaches off my property stat, then yes.” He glared at every vampire with disgust.

I stepped towards him. “Just so you know, when you sign this, you’re signing away your great-grandchildren and me. I don’t want my children growing up with hatred. If you’d close your eyes, you’d realize we’re all the same. Different lifestyles, different religions, different colors, but we all share the same foundations, the same simple gene. We’re merely people, and I’ll never understand why so many choose to live and judge by labels.” I intertwined my fingers with Kellan’s. “Kalel, will you — ”

“I’ve got it.” He nodded his head once, assuring me he’d legalize everything. “Steven, you and Al stay behind with me. The rest of you head off the property.”

Imara touched my shoulder. “You did as fate needed you to.” She brushed past us, leaving me no chance to respond.

Gabi waved goodbye; Jack nodded his head in our direction.

“Beautiful, love. Fiddlin’ eagle, mate.” Craig clapped Kellan’s shoulder on his way out. No doubt he would rush home to Mel. I couldn’t focus on them, though. I was stuck on the merry-go-round of what’d just happened, what’d been revealed.

Kellan led me away from the house, away from the frustratingly unchangeable.

“
You can’t change people.
”

“
I know, but out of everyone I’ve come across, I wanted to change him the most. He’s a reflection of me in some way.
”

“
No, you’re a reflection of what he could have been.
” Kellan cupped my face. “
Do you know how many vampires you’ve saved?
”

“
I just wish —
”

“
Stop wishing, Lexi. We’re meant to bring peace, not a radical shift in beliefs. He’s always going to look at us like we’re the enemy, but at least he’s no longer going to kill us for something we can’t change. We’re here to teach acceptance, and sometimes that doesn’t accompany support.
”

I sighed. “
I know you’re right. It’s just hard to accept.
”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I not only accept
and
support you, I love you.” He kissed the tip of my nose.

I grinned up at him. “Ditto.”

Chapter 33

I was emotionally drained by the time we parked at the condo. I didn’t understand how one man I barely knew could affect me to such a degree. He had stripped me bare, rubbed my insides raw.

I tried to rationalize it; I tried to understand his point of view, but for the life of me, I couldn’t find any angle in which killing Kellan would make things better. I couldn’t picture killing him as the ultimate show of love.

I shuddered. I struggled to suppress the gory images wracking my mind. I couldn’t get past the visual of Gran cooking something in the kitchen, as she usually was when I spoke with her. She’d be standing over the stove, stirring something in a pot, completely unsuspecting of Cesar’s move. I closed my eyes, willing the scene to disappear.

I was surprised when Drexel hugged me. I pressed my face into the heavily muscled vamp. Tears grew rapidly; it was like mourning her death all over again. Emotions stuffed my lungs, making breathing a little harder.

“Let’s get you inside,” Kellan said.

The men escorted me up to the condo. I pressed my thumb on the pad. The moment I heard the beep, I pushed open the door. I stopped short at the dining room table greeting me, and the pictures on the wall. I tiptoed deeper into the space. New towels hung over the oven handles. A second stand mixer sat on the counter down the way from the other one. Leather bar stools were nestled against the island. I smiled. I’d completely forgotten about the furniture today.

“Surprise!” Mel yanked me to her side. Aunt Claire and Beth stood behind her.

Mel led me into the living room. Déjà vu hit me at the sight of it. They’d arranged an office area in the back of the space, just as the vision had revealed. It didn’t have a computer atop it yet, but Aunt Claire had fun with the office supply setup. They’d also purchased two three-tiered bookshelves that lay flush with the desktop; they’d arranged them next to the office area. A few of my books sat in horizontal stacks on different shelves.
Just like the vision.

I pushed past my trepidation and focused on the effort these women had exerted to do this for Kellan and me. Everything was laid out, completely decorated, from the rug I certainly hadn’t purchased to the large LCD TV on the wall in front of the sofa. They’d taken the time to hang curtains over every window, and they’d also hung all of the pictures around the condo, filling the walls and making it feel like a home.

“It’s beautiful. You all did such an amazing job. Thank you.” I hugged each of them. Kellan and Drexel trailed behind me, taking it all in with me.

“O.M.G. Wait until you see your bedroom.” Mel dragged me towards the master bedroom. She threw open the door and shoved me into the room. Clearly she hadn’t gotten a handle on her new strength yet.

Seeing the bedroom set in the store was one thing, but having it in my room was another. I’d gone with a black plantation shutter–style bedroom set. The gray walls looked soft next to the black of the furniture. Several plants added pops of vivid green, and the crisp white comforter set added
a certain
brightness to the space. The black and white photos on the walls created an upscale feel, like I would be sleeping in a luxury suite in the Caribbean rather than my own room.