Arctic Fire 2 (25 page)

Gritting her teeth, Quinn forced her body to give up the life force it had been so desperately craving. Forced herself to give up the strength she needed. She’d survive this ordeal, but she wouldn’t become like one of them in order to do so. She’d rather die.

Life flooded back into the girl. Like a balloon refilling, her face filled out again, and her eyes and skin returned to their normal hue. Her heart beat more solidly in her chest as she inhaled gulping breaths of air.

“What are you doing?” Earl snarled.

Quinn threw herself backward, tearing her hands away from the girl. Her body jerked to a halt when it came up against Earl’s knee. Air didn’t fill her deadened lungs, but she panted for it. She often had this kind of a reaction when she used her ability. She fought to regain what little control she still had over herself.

The girl gazed at her in awe, her eyes frightened and relieved as they met Quinn’s. She felt almost a little guilty over the admiration in the girl’s gaze. She’d kept a small piece of the girl’s life for herself; she’d need the strength it would give to her.

Despite her guilt, she found her mouth curving into a smile at the girl. Their eyes met and held. They were prisoners together, and together they would escape this. Quinn would make sure of that.

Before she knew what he planned, Earl stretched over her and snapped the girl’s neck. The sound of it echoed in the vast room.

A scream erupted from Quinn. She lurched forward as the girl’s body slumped to the stage. Pain lanced through her brain as she broke free of her place on the floor. Her hands fell upon the girl’s chest; she could fix her. She could fix her…

Earl grabbed hold of Quinn’s arms, yanking her away before she could do anything to help. Another screamed escaped her as she thrashed against his hold. “Stop moving.”

Her body instantly went limp. Her power surged toward him, but his command from earlier remained strong enough to keep it trapped within her body before it could take hold of him. “Stop crying.”

The tears ceased their flow, and the ones on her cheeks dried against her skin. Misery and fury blended within her. All she could do was sit there staring at the girl.

“Next time, keep the life for yourself. I’m going to kill anyone you allow to live anyway,” Earl told her.

He grabbed both of her arms and jerked them so they were half behind her back as he spun her to face the crowd. “Does that answer your question about what she can do?” he inquired.

The curiosity in the surrounding eyes told her the display had done more than that. It had also wet their appetite.

“She’s young, and you see what she can already do,” Earl continued. Quinn’s head bowed, but she forced herself to lift it again to defiantly meet the eyes of all those gathered within the room. “Imagine what
years
of training and practice will bring to her ability; to
us
! We’ll have one of the most powerful vampires on the planet under our control and she’ll do whatever we want her to do. We will never have to run or hide from the Hunters, Elders, or humans again.”

“What of the remaining Elders?” another vamp by the stage inquired. “They work with the Hunters now and will come after her and us.”

“That’s where it gets even better,” Helena said. Quinn itched to claw the smile from her face. “The girl has confirmed the Elder, Julian, is her mate.”

“What does that mean?” someone from the middle of the crowd called out.

“That means he’ll do anything for her.” Earl ran his hand over her face, under her chin, and back up again. “And right now, I have complete control over her. I can make her do anything we command, and he will do anything to keep her from being hurt or abused in any way.”

Quinn barely managed to suppress a whimper; she closed her eyes against the eagerness those words caused to glow in some of the eyes in the crowd.

“Not only do we possess the vampire of the prophecy, but we will also possess one of the two remaining Elders when Julian comes for her, and he
will
come for her.”

Quinn opened her eyes to take in the sea of faces. They all blurred before her, but she could see uneasiness growing amongst some in the crowd as they shifted and spoke with each other.

“I’m not so sure about this,” one of the older ones near the stage said in a loud, clear voice.

“What is there to be unsure about?” Marvin demanded.

“First, as she grows older and her power grows, how can you be so sure you can keep her restrained?”

“I can keep her restrained until we have broken her to our way,” Earl replied confidently.

The man’s sympathetic gaze traveled over her. “I don’t think she’s going to be so easily broken.”

“Everyone has their limits,” Helena replied. “She’s
more
of a vampire than any of us because of her unnatural birth. Her natural instincts to kill will eventually take control of her, and she will stop trying to fight us.”

“It seems so wrong,” another man standing to her right muttered.

“Does it?” Earl spat. “You knew what you were in for when you came here.”

“No, we didn’t,” a woman replied crisply. “You said you had the vampire of the prophecy. That she would work with us. You said nothing about keeping her mentally chained like a dog, which is something you are enjoying far too much for my liking.”

“Are you vampires or pussies?” Earl barked.

“Earl!” Helena snapped and lifted a hand to silence him. She turned toward the crowd and spread her hands out before her. “We must do what we must in order to survive. The Hunters and Guardians are growing stronger every day. Our only two remaining Elders work side by side with our enemies to help their numbers grow. They would slaughter any one of you if given the opportunity.

“
She
is the only advantage we have over them. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy my life, and I will do whatever it takes to preserve it. Even if it means having to keep
one
vampire imprisoned until she realizes her true nature and how important she is to the survival of our kind. Julian was a killer for centuries; it won’t take much for him to revert back to his old nature.”

Heads bowed toward each other as they debated her words. Earl roughly threw Quinn to the ground as he strode toward the edge of the stage. Quinn glared at his back as she drew her brutalized arms forward. She really hoped Helena was wrong, but she knew Julian was capable of anything when it came to her.

“Julian is with Hunters and Guardians now,” another vampire said. “What do we do with them if they come here too?”

“Kill them,” Earl said flatly.

Julian knew they were in the right place the second he saw the hotel/spa. His fangs sprang free, they pressed against his lower lip as he surveyed the front doors. “This is it. Let’s go,” he said briskly.

Devon grabbed his arm, holding him back. “We have to get in there without them knowing.”

Julian’s lip curled into a snarl, but he knew Devon was right.

“How?” Cassie asked.

“Do you know anything more about the layout of this place?” Julian asked Clint.

“No, like I said, the project was abandoned years ago. I never came out here to see it. The kids didn’t even come out here to party. It was too far away for them.”

Julian’s gaze slid over the building. He moved back to kneel behind a rocky outcropping. Dropping his head into his hands, he rubbed at his temples before turning to Devon. “We’ll go around the back, see what we can find there. Stay here,” he said to Cassie.

“No.”

“Cassie—” Luther started.

“I can stay hidden and still be of help to you, and you all know it. Leaving your strongest asset behind is dumb, you macho butts.”

“Butts?” Chris inquired with a look that said he didn’t know if he wanted to laugh at her or slap her.

Cassie gave him a sheepish smile. “Trying not to swear as much, you know, because of the kids.”

“Understandable, but please don’t ever say that again. I’m not sure we can stay friends if you do.”

“I think we’re all going on this one,” Melissa said. “You forget, all of our lives could hang in the balance, and Quinn has become our friend.”

Julian turned away; he didn’t have time to argue with them. The more help they had, the better, but if they lost Cassie too, all of their lives
would
hang in the balance. “Come on,” he said and sprinted across the dark sand toward the back of the massive hotel.

One good thing about the painted windows was the vampires wouldn’t be able to see out of them. Julian, Devon, and Cassie may be able to move faster than the vamps would be able to see, but Chris, Melissa, and Dani weren’t as fast and would easily be detected. Dani still looked a little dazed, but her eyes were clearer than they had been a couple of hours ago. Luther, Lou, and Clint were a lot slower than the others were and would get everyone caught in a matter of seconds. With his big belly, Clint was panting heavily by the time they made their way around to the back of the building.

Julian’s eyes constantly scanned for some sign of vulnerability in the building. His gaze slid up to a domed glass ceiling. “There,” he said and pointed to the ceiling sticking out of a first floor room.

“How do we get up there?” Dani asked.

“We’ll find a way,” he replied.

He ran across the desert and toward a broken piece of wooden fencing. He ducked under the wood and into another garden area with more dead trees and a broken bench. The fountain in the center was filled with sand. His gaze scanned over the wall before landing on a wooden trellis leaning against it.

“You can climb up there,” he said and pointed the trellis out to the others.

“Shit,” Lou muttered, but he was the first one to grab hold of one of the railings and step onto the trellis.

Julian took a few steps back before running at full speed and leaping at the building. His momentum carried him ten feet into the air. He grabbed hold of the edge of the roof and effortlessly pulled himself over the top. Devon and Cassie followed behind him. Cassie moved to grab the top of the trellis while Lou swung himself over.

The others quickly followed behind Lou. Clint was huffing and puffing when he finally swung his leg over. “Good thing I quit smoking,” he muttered.

Julian didn’t look back at him as he knelt next to the tinted glass ceiling and narrowed his eyes to take in the small pool beneath them.

“What’s in there?” Lou asked, unable to see beyond the tint.

“It looks like a spa pool or something,” Cassie replied.

“Anyone in there?” Luther asked.

“Not that I can see,” Julian answered.

“If we bust out these windows, the noise could announce our presence if anyone is near,” Devon said.

“Would you prefer to walk through the front door?” Julian asked.

“No, but be prepared to fight once we’re in there.”

“I’m more than prepared for that.”

The others pulled their crossbows from their backs and held them before them as Julian lifted his foot over the glass. “As soon as I break this, we’re going in,” Julian said. “You’re staying here until we know it’s safe,” he said to Cassie. “We’ll need someone on the outside if this goes bad.”

She rose to press a kiss against Devon’s cheek. “Be careful.”

“Always,” he replied.

Julian lifted his foot and smashed it into the glass. The first pane shattered beneath his boot; the second pane fractured in a jagged zigzag that raced all the way down the dome. Julian lifted his foot to break it, but the remaining glass gave way before he could kick it again. He leapt forward.

The glass fell on the tiled floor in a tinkling wave, just as he landed in a crouch. Spinning, his eyes scanned the shadows for any hint of danger lurking within. The room remained empty, but Quinn’s crisp scent filled his nostrils.

She’d been in this room recently.

Excitement and bloodlust pulsed through him. “She was here,” he said as he rose to his feet and stalked around the room. “I can smell her.”

“We’re getting closer,” Devon said.

Julian spotted something in the shadows. Racing toward it, he snatched up the black shirt lying on the ground. He lifted it and inhaled deeply when he recognized one of Quinn’s work shirts. It smelled of her sweat, blood, and fear.

“What is that?” Dani asked from behind him.

“Quinn’s shirt,” he growled.

What was she wearing now? Had they decided to parade her around naked in order to humiliate and attempt to break her? The material tore in his hands.

“She’s here. We’ll find her,” Devon said.

Cassie fell noiselessly into the room behind them and rose to her feet. “What?” she inquired innocently when Devon scowled at her. “It’s safe.”

Julian shook his head, but she’d stayed away for longer than he’d expected. Cassie’s brow furrowed when her gaze drifted to the shirt in his hand. “Have you seen anything?” Julian demanded.

“Nothing I haven’t told you,” Cassie answered.

He looked pointedly toward Melissa.

“I haven’t had a vision since the one about the bonfire,” she said.

He forced himself to release the shirt as he walked over to the thick doors. Pressing his ear to one, he listened for anything beyond this room, but he heard no footsteps or voices. The breaking glass most likely would have brought them in here if there were vampires in the area anyway.

Opening the door, he poked his head out into a long, red-carpeted hall. He followed the faint trail of Quinn’s scent down the hall before entering another one. They were almost to the end of that hall when he heard voices for the first time. The drive to kill shot through him as he listened to whomever it was talking quietly.

There were three of them from what he could tell. He flashed three fingers to Devon who nodded his agreement.
Taking them
, he mouthed.

He walked to the end of the hallway and flattened himself to the wall. Devon pressed himself against the wall across from him. “I don’t know why we’re sticking around here,” a man muttered.

“They say she’s the vampire from the prophecy,” another said.

“Who cares about the prophecy? Most of those vamps are still living in the Middle Ages with all these stupid prophecies. They make her sound like she’s the vampire’s messiah.”

“She may be.”

“Or she could be the death of us all.”

Quinn wouldn’t be the death of them, but
he
would be. He burst out of the shadows and seized the first man by the throat. The man let out a squeal, his hands clawed at his throat as Julian slammed him into the ground. Jerking backward, Julian tore his throat out with his hand and threw it away. Blood shot up around him. The man’s feet kicked on the floor before Julian thrust his hand into his chest and tore his heart free.

He squished it in his hand before tossing it aside and rising to his feet. Devon had taken care of the other one, but Chris, Melissa, and Dani had a third pressed against a wall. Julian stalked toward them, elbowing his way past Luther as he stepped in front of the vampire.

“Where is she?” Julian demanded. The vamp’s eyes flickered toward him before nervously shooting away again. Julian grabbed hold of his chin, jerking his head toward him. “Where is she?”

“The ballroom,” the vamp blurted. “Don’t kill me. I didn’t want to be here in the first place.”

“But you are,” Julian replied. The vamp whimpered and squirmed within Julian’s grasp. “Where’s the ballroom?”

The vamp lifted a shaky arm and pointed to another hall. “Down there. You can also enter the balcony if you go to the second floor. I’ll show you if you like. I’ll help you.”

“No.” Julian twisted his head to the side, breaking his neck before he dropped the vamp onto the ground. Dani gave him a stake when he held his hand out to her. He drove it into the vamp’s back and twisted it deep. The vampire went still beneath him.

“Let’s go,” he said to the others.

He walked swiftly, passing by the garden they’d run through to get to the trellis and the roof. They were almost to the end of the hall when he heard the timber of voices. He held his hand out, stopping everyone else as he crept forward and craned his head to look around the corner of the hall.

A wall of vampire backs greeted him. He pulled himself back as Devon stopped on the other side. Devon poked his head out before looking over at him. He would have to fight and destroy all of those vamps to get to her. He had no problem with that, but the others couldn’t come with him. They had to stay free in case something went wrong.

“Tsss,” the small hissing sound drew his attention to the others. Cassie stood by an open door. Chris slipped through it as she waved eagerly toward them.

Devon and Julian moved away from the end of the hall and back toward her. Julian peered into the stairwell the open door revealed before slipping inside. Cassie didn’t make a noise as she closed the door behind them.

“We may be able to see more from the balcony,” she whispered and gestured toward the stairs.

Julian glanced behind him. Quinn was in that room somewhere, he knew it. So close, he was so close, yet he found himself climbing the stairs with the others.

Keep your head; proceed cautiously. It’s the only chance you’ve got to get her out.

Arriving at the next floor, Luther peered through the window of the stairwell door before pushing it open and sticking his head out. He stepped into the hall and the others followed behind him. Clint went to the left, sweeping down the hall with his crossbow raised. Dani and Lou followed him. Luther went to the right with Chris and Melissa.

Julian listened for anyone approaching, but he heard no voices or footsteps. At the end of the hall, Clint gave a low whistle and waved his arm at them. Julian ran toward him, then peered through the small window in the door Clint had indicated. Through it, he spotted the red seats lining a balcony.

Julian craned his head to each side, but he didn’t see any vamps in the balcony area. Resting his hand on the knob, he turned it slowly and carefully pushed the door open before stepping into the small walkway running behind the rows of seats. He stayed low as he crept through the seats to kneel behind the waist-high wall running around the entire second floor.

Placing his hands against the inside of the wall, he rose a little to look below him. His deadened heart leapt in his chest when he spotted Quinn on a stage. Her eyes danced with fire as her chocolate hair tumbled in wet waves around her shoulders. The dress she wore could barely be called a dress, and he knew it had been chosen to make her feel vulnerable.

He didn’t recognize the two men on the stage with her, but the woman at the end looked vaguely familiar. He searched his mind for how he knew her, and briefly recollected a party one night in London years ago. She’d been there with another vampire he barely recalled. It took a minute, but he remembered her name was Helena. They’d had little interaction that night, but she’d been more interested in the women at the party than in the men. Judging by Helena’s lack of attire, he assumed it was her dress on Quinn.

Around Quinn stood a sea of vampires. All of them watched her as she kept her hands pressed against a young girl whose face filled out before his eyes. His fangs sliced into his lower lip when he realized she was being made to exhibit her power.

“What are you doing?” the vamp he recognized as her stalker demanded.

Quinn threw herself away from the girl, but she came to an abrupt halt against her captor’s knee. Her body shook on the floor, and her shoulders heaved as she labored for control. Anguish twisted Julian’s heart as her distress radiated out from her. She turned her head toward the girl and met her gaze. Despite what she was enduring, a small smile curved the corner of Quinn’s mouth.