Blood Hunt (35 page)

Jakob nodded. “I think Aros enjoys lording his control over me. At any rate, he has no reason to kill me yet, or either of you.”

“Why would he kill us?” Rhes asked.

“Once he has your friend, you are expendable. He might let you go, or he might murder you both. I am quite sure he’ll have me killed.”

“You seem … pretty calm about that,” Sarah said.

“I will go out fighting,” Jakob replied. “In the end, that’s my primary concern. He’s going to have to use up more of his Burilgi on me than he thinks.”

“What the hell does he even want with Two, anyway?” Rhes asked. “He mentioned something about her blood.”

“He believes he can use her blood to somehow change himself into some new type of vampire.”

“Can he?” Sarah asked.

“I highly doubt it.”

Rhes rolled his eyes. “Awesome … so what’s the point?”

“Aros has been a vampire for seven hundred years. That’s exceptional for a Burilgi, and as far as I’m aware, he’s the oldest living member of the race. Most of them die much earlier, usually within their first century or so. Aros has spent all of that time in envy of the other vampires around them, jealous of their blood. It’s driven him more than a little mad, I fear.”

“You can hear that in the way he laughs,” Rhes said.

Jakob nodded. “Yes, and you can see it in his eyes at times.”

Sarah bit her lower lip, thinking, and said, “So if he gets Two and takes her blood, that will kill her?”

“Draining someone’s blood typically has that effect,” Jakob said.

“I didn’t know how much he needed,” Sarah said, her voice dry. “Why would he kill us, if he gets what he wants?”

“As I said, I’ve no idea if that’s what he’ll do. In my case, it would be a test of whatever newfound power it is he thinks he’s going to acquire. Or, if it turns out that I’m right and all he ends up with is a dead girl and nothing to show for it, then he’ll probably just kill me out of spite.”

“Jakob …” Sarah began, and then stopped.

“Yes?”

“I … I spoke with … you know what? Never mind. Forget it.”

Jakob raised an eyebrow and glanced at Rhes, who sighed.

“Tell him, hon.”

“Aros told me he could cure my blindness,” Sarah said. “Can he?”

Jakob considered this for a moment and said, “It’s not out of the realm of possibility.”

Sarah leaned forward in her chair, resting her elbows on her crossed legs. “You’re sure?”

“Vampire blood works to perfect the host,” Jakob explained. “It’s a slow process, and the final result depends on the blood. If Aros were an Eresh, he could guarantee it. The blood would go to work, repairing your eyes. You might begin to see again within a few weeks.”

“That fast?” Sarah asked, and Rhes frowned a bit at the breathless quality of her voice.

“Aros is not an Eresh,” Jakob reminded her.

“Yeah, but still …”

“Indeed. He is a Burilgi. That means there is a
chance
your sight will return. A relatively good chance, actually; even Burilgi blood is not always without its benefits. There’s the strength increase, for example.”

“Familiar with that one,” Rhes commented.

“You must understand the risks, though,” Jakob continued. “With another type of blood, you would be almost assured of regaining your sight. With Burilgi blood … Who knows? It could just as well leave you blind
and
curse you with deformities.”

Sarah bit her lip, saying nothing.

“Sarah … hon—” Rhes began.

“I don’t need a lecture!”

“Wasn’t planning on giving one,” Rhes muttered, frowning. Jakob glanced at him, and then back at Sarah.

“Aros is most definitely toying with you, but he is not lying to you,” the vampire said. “Unfortunately, that is not the greatest of our concerns at this time.”

“It isn’t?” Sarah asked, sounding mildly insulted.

“Aros has, in the best tradition of all lunatics, decided to fill me in on some of his plans. He means to steal Two’s blood, and we know that once he does he will kill me, and kill Naomi and Stephen if they come here with her. Further, he plans to use the blood to create some sort of serum that will ‘level the playing field’ by unifying all vampires under a single strain.”

“What if they don’t want to be unified?” Sarah asked, and Jakob glanced at her.

“I don’t think he plans on giving them a choice. And given what I’ve learned tonight, that is what concerns me the most. I didn’t know for sure until this evening that the army he’s built for himself now stands at well over two thousand vampires.”

Rhes stared at Jakob in astonishment. “What the hell does he need that many men for?”

“It began at Abraham’s request, God only knows why. Now? A cult organization called the Children of the Sun, an anti-vampire group, have begun abducting Burilgi. Many Burilgi have come to him for protection because they have no faith in the council. I … can’t say that I blame them, though I wish they’d chosen a more stable leader.”

“What are they doing with the vampires they kidnap?” Sarah asked.

“We don’t know, but it’s probably not good. Aros has reached a point where he no longer cares what they’re doing with the abductees. He plans on wiping the cult out entirely. Once that’s done, there’s nothing to stop him from sending his people out across this country, and further. He will attempt to usher in this new age he desires.”

“Would it be such a bad thing if all vampires were the same? I mean … it does seem kind of unfair that some of you get to be superheroes, and others are stuck living in sewers.”

“It’s highly unfair, and I’m not entirely against taking steps to attempt to improve the Burilgi strain, or to unify all four races. The problem is that I don’t believe Aros is going to get what he wants from your friend’s blood.”

“And when he doesn’t …” Rhes began.

“You’re afraid he’s going to crack,” Sarah finished for him.

Jakob massaged the back of his neck, frowning. “Yes. I’m afraid it will be the last straw that sends him from envy to murderous rage. If he can’t be on the same level as us, he may decide to simply wipe us out entirely, and if he comes at the council with two thousand vampires, he stands a good chance of accomplishing that. His chances are further improved if he kills Naomi, Stephen, and me, the three vampires most capable of actually galvanizing the council members into action.”

 “And if Two comes here, so will they,” Rhes said, “because they’re the ones protecting her.”

“It’s a very pretty little package,” Jakob said. “I really don’t think it could have worked out this well if he’d planned it. My being at your townhouse, Naomi and Stephen on their way back to America, the council in complete disarray …”

“So what’s the plan?” Sarah asked, and Jakob glanced up at her, amused.

“Americans. There must
always
be a plan.”

“I think if we try to wing it, we’re going to get shot to death.”

“I think you’re correct. There are several issues with an escape attempt, not the least of which being that Aros does not even allow me above ground without a detachment of guards, all of them carrying guns. I’m not fast enough to outrun a hail of bullets, and even if I managed to fight through them, you would both die. I’m not fond of that idea.”

“Hey, me neither,” Rhes said, his tone unusually sarcastic. Sarah gave him a wan smile.

“Nobody’s dying,” she said.

“I think we wait,” said Jakob. “We wait, and we try to keep Aros in a good mood. At least for now, it seems to be serving us well.”

“I don’t like counting on Aros’s goodwill,” Sarah told him.

“Nor do I. If you have suggestions, Sarah, I am open to them. I’m rather tired of living off of bagged blood. It tastes like plastic.”

“Gross,” Sarah said. She bit her lower lip for a moment, thinking, and then sighed and shook her head.

“Got nothin’.”

Someone banged on the door and snarled, “Time’s up! Fucking
Bourgeoisie
, get out here!”

“Oh, for God’s sake … I grew up a goat farmer,” Jakob muttered. He stood, and started for the door.

“Try not to get killed before we see you again,” Sarah told him as he passed her. Jakob laughed.

“Yes. I will do exactly that. You do the same.”

Chapter 20
Reunion

“Malik, I’m telling you that I have the information we need right now. I know where Aros is. Will you not at
least
call an emergency meeting to discuss it?”

Sasha was leaning back in her chair, staring at the ceiling, clearly furious. Molly was watching from the couch, no happier than the vampire about what was obviously being said on the other end of the connection. The email from Jerry had arrived that evening, containing not only information on Aros’s whereabouts, but blueprints of the decommissioned base and even information on some of his known associates, most of whom Sasha had never heard of, though Lewis and Richard’s names had been among those listed. Jerry was many things, and most of those were bad, but he took his work very seriously.

“No,” Sasha was saying, “I don’t think I’m overreacting. I think you’re afraid of confrontation and unwilling to do what’s necessary.”

Sasha was expressing more emotion than she had at any time since Molly had met her. As well as the vampire woman had hidden it, Jakob’s absence was eating her up. Molly could sense ragged edges growing in Sasha’s composure, and knew she must be terrified of what Aros might decide to do with Jakob.

“I will
not
take it back!” Sasha snarled. “Mark my words, Malik, when this is over, there will be changes.”

Sasha’s voice had grown tight, her left hand wrapped around the chair’s arm, knuckles white with the pressure.

“We will see. No. No! No, I will not promise you anything. Ah …
yebat' tvoyu mat'!
” This last was a shout, and Sasha hurled the phone across the room. It made a dent in the sheetrock and clattered to the floor in three different pieces. Molly doubted it would ever work again. Sasha sat forward and put her head in her hands.

“
Govnyuk
,” she muttered, her voice tired.

“What?” Molly asked. Sasha glanced over at her. The sofa folded out into a bed, and Molly had been using it as such for several days. It was almost two in the morning, and Molly was propped up against her pillows, wearing a pink nightgown.

“Nothing. Russian. Go to sleep.”

“Can’t,” Molly said. “Hanging with you is totally fucking up my schedule.”

“We won’t be ‘hanging’ for much longer,” Sasha said.

“Why not?”

Sasha ignored her and instead turned to the computer. She read the email again, looked over the attached documents again, went to the Web and checked on a few things.

“Two hours,” she muttered.

“Until what?” Molly asked.

“No, I mean that is how long it would take to get there, give or take. Two hours. I could go tonight. I could …”

“Get killed,” Molly finished for her.

“I have to try something,” Sasha replied. “He’s going to kill Jakob. He
has
to. If Aros leaves him alive through all of this, there’s going to be a reckoning. Such blatant disregard for council law won’t be tolerated. Aros knows that Jakob can stir the council where Malik cannot. The only way this works is if Jakob never comes back alive. He might be dead already.”

“What could you do for him?” Molly asked.

“I’ll do whatever’s necessary for him,” Sasha said.

Molly tilted her head, resting it against her palm, studying the vampire. At last, Sasha made a sound of frustration, tired of this silent appraisal.

“What?” she asked. “What is it?”

“Do you love him?” Molly asked.

“Love is a waste of time,” Sasha said. “He is my boss.”

“Didn’t ask what you
thought
about love.”

Sasha bit her lip, but she wouldn’t meet Molly’s eyes.

“I love my mom and dad, too,” Molly said. “Not like
that
, of course, but I mean … I love them.”

“I didn’t say I loved him.”

Molly smiled, another of those adult expressions she sometimes wore that had no business being on the face of a young teenage girl.

“Sure you did.”

Sasha sighed. “It’s not like that. Not exactly. Yes, very well, I love Jakob. Not quite the way I loved my fiancé before he died, but not quite the way I loved my father, either. It’s … somewhere between the two, and is difficult to explain. I would die for Jakob if he needed me to, but I am not upset that in two hundred years he has never kissed me. Why does it matter?”

“I dunno, maybe he wants to but—”

“No, I’m not asking about that. Molly … he doesn’t want to. Jakob has never fancied women.”

“Oh. OH!” Molly’s brain caught up with this information, and her cheeks went pink. “I get it. Sorry.”

“It’s all right. It’s no secret. What I meant was, why does it matter now whether I love him or not? How does it impact the present situation?”

“Well, I have an idea, but it’s not gonna make you popular. I thought, you know, if you loved him enough …”

Sasha glanced over at her. “What’s your idea?”

“Just call the meeting without Malik.”

Sasha laughed at this, a pretty, sparkling sound that Molly thought the vampire’s friends probably would have liked to hear more often than they did.

“You are insane,” Sasha said. “I probably just cost myself a council seat with that phone call. Attempting a
coup d’état
? I would be killed.”

“You’ll be killed going after Jakob by yourself, too.”

“Yes, that’s why I’m not going to.”

“Not tonight anyway,” Molly muttered.

“What?” Sasha asked.

“Oh, come on. You can hear whispers through walls. I know you know what I said.”

Sasha looked exasperated. “I wasn’t asking you to repeat yourself, but to explain yourself.”

“You’ve gotten worse every night. What’s it gonna be? Two more days? Three?”

“Until what?”

“Until you fucking go by yourself and try to save him!” Molly sounded annoyed, and Sasha supposed that was within the girl’s right. It was a bit unnerving, having her motivations so easily and accurately read by a child.