Bitten in Two (23 page)

We watched like guest surgeons at an operation while amateur bookies took bets and the people with money on the fighters screamed al around us. We’d already missed the first few moves, so we could only guess what had happened from existing injuries. The Were, bleeding from new wounds across his shoulders and flanks, was going after Vayl like my
sverhamin
had just drowned his latest litter. And it showed. Vayl’s coat hung in shreds from shoulders to wrists. Blood trickled steadily down his arms and the back of one leg. I saw claw marks on his thighs as wel as a bite on the face that had just missed his eye.

The Luureken, whose shoulder stil slumped from the slug Cole had shot through it, hadn’t escaped the sharp edge of Vayl’s weapon, a butcher’s cleaver he must have stolen from Chef Henri. Because he’d sliced four spikes off the Luureken’s head, leaving behind freely bleeding stumps.

I cal ed from the front of the crowd, “Lord Brâncoveanu, it’s us. We need to get moving. We have Ahmed.” He ignored me. I understood. This was his battle now. It should’ve been over a lot sooner. Except Vayl was…

savoring… the violence. His eyes bright red with bloodlust, he repeatedly wounded when he could’ve kil ed. And al I could do was admire him. Because no one had forced him to become the vampire Pete had partnered me with. The quiet, control ed creature who never hunted, and kil ed only for his adopted country. He’d pul ed himself out of the mire without help. That took guts. And strength. And honesty. I couldn’t remember when I loved him more.

But there was such a thing as overkil . And the longer we waited, the more likely it would be that the other two Luureken-mounted Weres would show up to swing the odds.

I murmured, “Keep a sharp eye out. The other guards could be—”

A scream and a thump on the back stopped me. I turned around, raising Vayl’s cane like a club. What I saw was Bergman being dragged away, gaping members of the crowd leaning in to get a good look and maybe a camera-phone shot of whatever had hooked him through his side.

“Miles!” I bolted after him, shouldering past muttering bystanders who’d only now begun to realize that they weren’t watching a performance set up just for them. In my favor was the fact that the wolf was slowed by the crowd as wel . Plus he had a rider and dead weight to drag. I caught up with them less than a minute later when he tried to swing around orange juice cart number twenty-seven and col ided with a red-robed water sel er, sending the man, his enormous tasseled hat, and al five of his shiny golden cups crashing to the ground.

I threw myself at the Luureken, so keyed on vengeance for Bergman that no amount of cute could veer me off, not even the lumpy-headed-pup look this one wore. I brought the rider off its mount, our impact making it drop the raes and sending Vayl’s sheath flying. Bergman screamed again as the hook jarred inside him.

“Miles! The bolo! For chrissake, use it!” I yel ed.

Losing its rider had staggered the wolf. But it recovered fast. And its chest wound wouldn’t keep it from turning on my friend. I prayed that he wasn’t too deep in shock to react as I jammed the sword into the Luureken’s neck, felt muscle give, and then bone. It fel to the street like an abandoned dol .

A scream, more animal than human, and yet I wasn’t sure whose mouth it came from until I saw Bergman trying to shove the limp Were off his chest. I ran over to help, and together we slid it aside, stil breathing, but not for much longer.

Bergman gazed up at me, his face so bloodless I’ve seen pinker corpses. “How bad is it?” he gasped.

My eyes did not want to drop to that wound, to take in the torn and bleeding flesh. But we both needed to know. I froze my face into an unreadable mask. Leaned over him and pul ed up his shirt.

My relief put me on my ass.

“What is it?”

I looked up at him, smiled at his bravery. My good Miles, not even crying like he would’ve been only a few months ago. “I don’t know how you did it. Probably al those hours you spent sitting in front of computer screens. But your limited amount of body fat has al commuted to your love handles. And that’s what the Were snagged. It’s going to hurt like a muther for a long time. And we stil have to worry about infection. But I think you’re going to make it.” We grinned at each other. I’d have hugged him, but I figured he’d had enough shocks for one day. Then his smile vanished. “What about Ahmed?”

“The others can take care of him.”

“Not with the rest of the wolves on the loose!”

“Dude. I’m not leaving you bleeding on the ground in freaking Marrakech! Besides, there’s only one or two left that we real y have to worry about, and they’ve both been shot—”

He shook his head. “You’re not thinking straight. Vayl might never come back to you if you’re not there tonight.

Monique gave me her number. I’l cal her. She’l help me get to a hospital.”

I couldn’t speak. Miles had been around before Vayl.

Before Matt, even. I suddenly realized he’d been the first person after Dave and Evie to real y
be there
, day after day. Even later, somehow he’d remained a presence. And now, with a goddamn claw shoved through his side, he wanted me to leave?

He reached up and squeezed my hand. “I stil want you to be my partner. You and Vayl both. But how can that happen if he spends the rest of
our
lives in a history book?

Go get him back.
Please.
” He tightened his fingers until it hurt. For once, the shutters that closed off every mystery behind his eyes opened wide, and I could see how much this meant to him.

But my father had been a Marine. I knew what he’d say if I left a man behind. I knew what I’d think of myself. I sat on my heels, so torn by this decision I couldn’t bear to look at him. Then it hit me.

I glared into the gathering crowd and shouted, “Yousef! I know you’re out there, you mangy little perve! Yousef!

Where—that’s better!” I said as my stalker squeezed himself between a couple of Japanese tourists and knelt down beside me.

“You arrrre—”

“I know, I’m pretty. Is Kamal with you?”

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. A beat later the boy worked his way into our circle, apologizing to the people he’d had to displace as he went. As soon as he saw Miles he did one of those girlie screams that made you wonder if his voice real y had changed, and his eyes began to rol up in their sockets. I slapped him hard on the thigh, which got a giggle from Yousef.

“Kamal! Don’t pass out, dammit, I need you to speak for me!”

He turned around, holding his hand behind his back as if I needed to be fended off. “Don’t make me look!”

“For chrissake, Kamal, just tel Yousef I need him to stay with my friend, here, until the woman who owns our riad shows. Her name’s Monique Landry. I’m betting she’l be here in less than three minutes, four if she decides to cal in a rescue helicopter.”

Kamal translated. Yousef shook his head.

Kamal said, “He wants to go with you. To fol ow. Always to fol ow.”

I grabbed Yousef by the col ar and twisted until his face began to turn red. “You tel this son of a bitch if he doesn’t watch over my friend I wil never, ever choke the shit out of him again. You got that?”

Kamal talked. Fast. Yousef’s vigorous nod was al I needed to see. I slapped him across the face. Twice. He kissed my hand. Can I pick ’em, or what?

Returning to Vayl’s battle felt like watching an überlong chase scene.
Oh look! The cars are a little more dented
and I’m pretty sure that tire is going to go flying off the rim
before it’s over, but they’re still driving!

As I caught Cole’s eyes and gave him a reassuring nod, I tried to swal ow that Vayl’s-enjoying-the-shit-kicking-way-too-much feeling and concentrate on what to do next.

But I couldn’t. It was the fact that even Marrakech has authorities, who I didn’t want to piss with if I didn’t have to.

And though our whole operation hadn’t taken more than a few minutes, they were certainly on their way by now. Plus, blood was every-damn-where. Vayl’s worst wound seemed to be on his calf. Hard to assess from where I stood, spinning his cane in my hand, debating my next move.

Except that I could tel he was favoring it, and every step he took left a bloody imprint on the street.

I went to stand by Sterling, who had Ahmed by the arm.

Kyphas held the other. She’d been studying the mage like a biologist dissects a frog. She noted my presence with a shrug of one shoulder and went back to her thoughts. I reminded myself not to leave her alone with the Wielder. My life could depend on it.

Sterling glanced away from the snarling Were with its blood-streaked fur and shrieking rider battling a scarily silent vampire to ask, “How’s the genius?”

“He’l be okay.” I didn’t think I could say more without bawling, so I stopped.

“You’re hurt,” he said, his eyes acknowledging the gashes on my arms.

I shrugged. “I’l heal. But we’ve gotta get Ahmed outta here before we get shredded by whatever remains of this pack. Any ideas?”

Cole drew his PSG1 out from under his coat. “Yup.” The people standing closest to him gasped and drew away as he took careful aim at the snarling fighters. He went so stil that for a few moments he seemed to have left his own body. No sparkle in his eyes. No breath.

Vayl slashed at the Luureken, causing it and its Were to rear back.

Cole squeezed the trigger.

Vayl’s opponent roared with pain as chunks of its chest blew away. The bul et traveled through its back and into the Luureken’s bel y, throwing it from its mount.

“That’l work,” I said.

Cole restashed his rifle and moved forward, grabbing Vayl by the elbow. “Helena’s in trouble,” he said. “The only way to save her is to get the mage out of here now.” He jerked his head backward at Ahmed, whose lips had begun to tremble. “Come on.”

More than anything, Vayl’s decision to cooperate was based on his trust in his valet. At least that’s what I decided as we double-timed it down the street, leaving the crowd behind us in chaos. He didn’t question Cole’s sources or wonder aloud how a servant could generate a rescue plan.

He just came along.

Our plan had been to haul Ahmed back to the riad and force a reversal spel from him. But that was before we found out about his shaggy friends, none of which did we want within scenting distance of Monique. We couldn’t go to the city’s safe house, because we weren’t on official business. Which left another hotel—also putting innocents at risk—or Ahmed’s place.

I picked the mage’s pocket with a sweet little move I’d learned from a prostitute in Thailand, one that Sterling found so disturbing he pul ed his own wal et out and stuffed it down the front of his pants.

“Like I’d try anything like that with you,” I said as I checked out Ahmed’s ID.

“You won’t now,” he said defiantly.

“That’s for sure.” I flipped the long black case closed and slipped it back into the mage’s pocket. “Turn right at the end of the block,” I said. “He owns a music shop about five minutes from here.”

The knowledge would drive me a little crazy if I dwel ed on it. I’d probably passed the place twice during my scouting trips around Marrakech, never realizing who owned it or what he was doing to Vayl. I turned to my partner, looking for the kind of comfort he hadn’t given me in days. “You look pretty toasty,” I told him.

Vayl swept a lily-white hanky from his breast pocket and dabbed at his face. I couldn’t decide if I was more floored by the fact that it had total y missed being spattered by blood in the first place, or that he even had a pocket left after that melee. “If, by that, you mean I am nearly done in, you may be right. This life has left me soft, just when I most need battle hardening.”

“Wel , sir, most vamps I’ve met would’ve been smoke within a couple of seconds of meeting those Weres back there.”

He glanced down at me, the bite on his face already completely healed. “I could have finished them quickly,” he said. Not bragging. Just tel ing it like it was. “At first I did not because I knew the best way to infuriate Roldan would be to kil them slowly. But then I began to think that I should only kil for the right reasons. And the very idea confused me. In fact, it infuriated me. Why would I think such a thing?” I hid a triumphant smile. “Maybe you’re changing.” He pounded himself on the chest. “I am eternal!” I laughed. “You’re such a goril a.”

“I am no such thing. Why do you persist in—” I cut him off with a wave toward his leg. “Your pants are so bloody they’re sticking to your skin. Do we need to bandage it right away?”

He wrinkled his nose. “The Luureken bit me.”

“How… doesn’t matter. Come on, we’ve got a lot to do before the rest of the Weres regroup, and first aid for you is at the top of the list.”

We entered a neighborhood that was, once again, fil ed with stores whose roofs had been used as anchors for swaths of sun-shading material. None of the souks were open for business at this hour, but the signs above the doors showed even the il iterate what to expect inside.

Pottery. Rugs. Jewelry. Musical instruments so numerous you could barely see the wal s beneath them. When it was open. Tonight the door was locked, making it resemble a dark brown Hitler mustache against the pink skin of the building’s outer wal . Which went straight up, as if it had been built to imprison whoever wandered inside.