Blood Lily (Lilith Adams Vampire Series Book 1) (37 page)

His head tilted to the side on his thin, spindly neck, amusement
and confusion crossing his lips and lighting his eyes in a gut-wrenching way. Apparently, he wasn’t aware of the popular trends of rap artists. Shocking. “You know who I am.” His nostrils flared, as if he was scenting the air. “I can feel it, smell it. The fear, the terror.” Ashcroft took one slow step forward and Lilith had to fight to keep her bravado in place, not to mention her knees. “You know what I did to Miriah, every little, delicious, intoxicating slice…” His tongue flicked over his lips in a hungry gesture as his words slithered past his lips in a disgustingly sensuous way.  It made her skin crawl and the bile started to rise up, burning her chest.

“Still…” The dark pits of his eyes narrowed as he took another step forward.
Lilith just stood there, paralyzed. Something in the way he moved, the serpentine grace of his movements made her scared to even look away from him for a second. “Still, you waltz in here with the smart mouth of someone far above their station. Perhaps your father never taught you manners.”

Hard, searing hatred burned through her
fear and she brought the gun up, training it squarely between his eyes. “Better. He taught me marksmanship.” With a satisfied smile, Lilith pulled the trigger. At only 30 feet away, there was no way she’d miss.

In a blur of motion too fast for her eyes to comprehend, something changed. Lilith squeezed her eyes closed for half a second as she fought against the dizziness. When she opened them again, Dr. Nichols hung, suspended in the air in front of Ashcroft, blood welling from his shoulder. Very slowly, he was lowered to his feet as the pain finally began to register. Ashcroft tugged him to the side and grinned, sharp and toothy, at Lilith.

“Perhaps I should teach you manners. It seems you’ve injured the good doctor.”

Panic welled in her chest, sending her blood roaring in her e
ars. Her wide eyes stared at Dr. Nichols, the blood trailing down his white lab coat. It was impossible, it was all impossible. Her feet began to slowly back up, her arms shaking as she held up her gun, still aimed at Ashcroft, not that it would do any good apparently.

He shoved the doctor to the ground, out of the way, and stepped forward for every
shaky step back she took, a malicious grin pulling gruesomely at his thin lips, displaying ragged rows of sharp, yellowing teeth. “Leaving so soon? Now that really is quite rude, especially after I’ve gone through so much trouble to arrange all of this.”

Tremors clenched all the muscles in her arms and she fired the rest of her clip in sheer panic. None of them seemed to hit him. Blurs of motion just made her dizzy and confused. There wasn’t a single vampire ever
even rumored to move that fast, at least not outside of Hollywood. It was impossible. The empty clicks of her spent gun echoed ominously through the quiet lab as her back hit the wall. Nowhere left to run. He was going to catch her. He was going to shove his talon-like nails through her skin. She was going to die. Everything from her nightmare was going to happen. Chance would burst through the door, throw Ashcroft off her, and then he would die, they both would die. He’d find Gregor and Alvarez. They were all going to die at the hands of this monster. Her brain went into sheer panic mode.

Ashcroft stopped inches from touching her, his head tilting as he smelled her. The sight of him so close, this monster that butchered her cousin, her mother, Gregor’s whole family, it made her entire body shake. “You…smell different now.” His face hovered near hers, his dark, bottomless eyes searching her face. “Why do you smell different?”
Anger flooded his face, breaking the calm façade. Maybe it was being backed against a wall, maybe it was seeing this little chink in his armor, whatever it was, it made her fight. She couldn’t give up, not now.

“Fuck you!” With every ounce of strength, she kicked outward and slammed the barrel of her empty gun into his face. To her amazement, he stumbled back in shock, his long fingers flying up to cover his nose as he doubled over. New life surged through her with the small victory. She reached back to hit him again, but this time when her hand came down, he caught her arm, his sharp talons clutching her wrist. If she struggled, it’d slice her veins right open.

“Such a filthy mouth on you.” He snarled the words as blood trickled down his top lip. “I should have expected no less. Filth comes from filth after all. You’re nothing but the prodigy of whores and murderers.” His freehand smacked against her cheek so hard that she sunk to her knees with the white hot pain. Before she could focus her vision, he shoved her to the ground and stormed back to the good doctor, pulling the unconscious man to his feet.

“I don’t want our time to end so quickly. After all, I’ve been waiting centuries for the opportunity to take another chi
ld from Gregor, especially you. He somehow thinks you are…special.” His voice dripped with hatred. The righteous indignity, the gleefully homicidal joy, even the desire to simply inflict as much pain as possible, all of those emotions felt heavy and thick in the air. It made her skin tingle and somewhere deep down she knew that it was energizing her, not demoralizing her. Finally, a positive side effect to Cohen’s damn blood.

“First, I’m going to have a little fun with the good doctor.” Lilith didn’t dare look. She kept her eyes closed
, trying to get a grip. Dammit. Where was Chance?

“I know you are awake. I can feel the fear rolling off you in waves. Tell me something. If you know who I am, knew I was here, why, oh why would
you come alone? Did you really think I wasn’t a threat?” His throaty laughter was the closest to an honest to god evil laugh that she’d ever heard.

Before she could say anything, t
he sharp sound of a gunshot split the air followed by the unmistakable splatter of brain matter. Lilith rubbed at her eyes and finally looked up to see Ashcroft and Dr. Nichols on the floor with Chance standing over them, gun still at the ready.

“Dodge that, prick.
Oops. Guess she wasn’t alone.” Chance stepped over Ashcroft and jogged over to her. Lilith could only stare at the trail of red mist and chunks covering the floor from Ashcroft’s head. Was it really that easy? Was it all over? 600 years of feuding, butchering, murder, betrayal, all smeared across a laboratory floor in BFE Tennessee.

“Lily!” Chance was lightly shaking her arms now. She blinked a few times and looked up at him, seeing all the worry and mixed emotions in his face. It was becoming a familiar sight.
He was looking her over, tilting her chin one way and then the other with worried eyes.

“Why do people keep hitting me in the damn head?”

The edge melted from his face, his full lips stretching into a smile. “You okay, sweetheart?”

She quirked one eyebrow and frowned up at him. “Do I have brain damage or did you just call me sweetheart?”

“Well I have to check somehow. Asking how many fingers I’m holding up just seems so overdone.”

“Do it again and you’ll be the one with brain damage, got it?” Very gingerly, she rubbed her fingers over her tender cheek. She was seriously getting tired of being hit.
She was starting to feel like a punching bag in the Gold’s gym outside Madison Square Garden.

“Aye, aye,
mon Capitan
.” Chance was grinning down at her with all his casual humor when movement caught her eye. Dammit, she almost forgot about Nichols and he was shot, thanks to her. She shoved Chance aside, expecting to see the Doctor struggling with a wounded shoulder, and everything tilted into the world of complete impossibility.

Chapter 18

L
ilith stared, her jaw dropping, as her brain desperately tried to make sense of what was happening. It wasn’t possible. All she could do was watch in absolute horror as Ashcroft’s hand dragged his limp body closer to Doctor Nichols. His eyes were still wide and glazed, hell most of his brains were trailing behind his shattered skull, clinging together by blood vessels. The sick, wet, sound they made as they dragged across the floor made her stomach churn violently.

Chance turned very slowly, reluctantly following her eyes. He jumped back in pure shock, screaming some obscenity
that her mind couldn’t really comprehend. Lilith barely heard it. All she could do was stare at the impossible horror in front of her. She couldn’t look away, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even hear her own heartbeat.

One of Ashcroft’s long talon-like nails purposefully slid down the center of Nichols shirt and the sickening sound of cloth and flesh tearing preceded the blood curdling screams. Nichols back arched up, his body convulsing as the nail cut straight down to his navel. Blood blossomed across his white lab coat, growing with ever
y second.

Ashcroft’s mouth opened in a sigh that made her skin crawl and the death glaze cleared from his bottomless eyes as they rolled up into his skull. Lilith flinched and scooted away, putting her back to the wall. He wasn’t just enjoying this… somehow, it was helping him.
His talon continued cutting, the Doctor continued screaming and she was powerlessly captivated. How was any of it possible?

Something, someone was shaking her, calling her name, but she couldn’t concentrate. The screams rattled in her brain, turned her stomach, but there was something else, something energizing that terrified her.
As blood pooled on the cold linoleum, Ashcroft’s tongue snaked out, lapping at it with a horrible moan of pleasure. She watched as the edges of Orrick’s skull began slowly knitting new bone. He was healing, truly regenerating. No creature could recover that fast, not from anything even half this traumatic. How was he doing it? Was it because he was a turned vampire? But how could vampire DNA fused to human DNA cause such an anomaly? Before she could even register it, she was slowly scooting closer, caught up in the enigma and the sound of the doctor’s screams singing in her blood, like some eerie siren’s call.

A
sharp flare of pain lit across her cheek, snapping her out of it completely. After blinking a few times, she finally recognized Chance’s face looming over hers. The emotions playing across it completely surprised her. The worry and fear she understood, she’d seen enough of them, but this time, a slice of that fear mingled with a touch of disgust was directed at her. It was like he’d slapped her in the face all over again.

“We have to go.
Now.” Just like that the look was gone, replaced with his usual air of business. He grabbed her arms and hauled her to her feet. “Hurry!”

Lilith stumbled as he shoved her through the door and she crashed into a warm, fleshy body.
She looked up and stared right into Spencer’s grinning face. Her eyes flew open wide and she tried to push back away as fast as she could, but Spencer was faster. He snatched her wrists sharply and pulled her toward him.

“Now, now.
Where are you going?” The grin splitting his skeletal face made her stomach lurch all over again. Somewhere in the back of her brain she knew that Chance was just on the other side of the door, but it didn’t feel that way. It felt like she was alone, isolated with the monster that helped slaughter his family. The same monster that very nearly killed her less than 24 hours ago. “I’m guessin’ you’re not alone, so maybe we should find someplace a little more…private so we can talk.”

Her heart started pounding like a scared rabbit. Come on, Lilith. Get it together! You got away from this prick once, you can do it again! Slowly her brain started to kick in as Spencer walked them towards the door across the hall. She knew where he was hurt…knew how to hurt him the most.

A slow smile crept over her lips, one that made Spencer’s cocky grin falter. “What the hell are you smiling at, Bitch? I’m gonna cut that smirk right off your damn face!”

“Let me know how that works out for you.” Lilith slammed her head forward, cracking her forehead sharply against his already
swollen and broken nose. His hands raced up to cover his face, mopping at the blood rushing down as he howled in pure agony. The second his bony hands were off her, she ran full speed down the hall, heading for the security station.

Spencer’s footsteps echoed fast on her heels.
Either he was recovering faster, or both the rage and hatred were outweighing the pain. Either way, he definitely wasn’t out of the fight. Her brain fought back and forth as she sprinted faster. If she reached the security station, there might be some kind of weapon she could use. However, if there wasn’t, she’d have to square off with Spencer and he was faster and stronger than he looked, then should even be possible. She could head for the outside door, but that would make out running Spencer her only option and he was already gaining on her. Chance had the car keys, once again. Dammit. Where the hell was he?

She had to make a decision. Lilith swerved to the last inside door and slammed it behind her. There were no interior locks.
I suppose they figured that anything able to make it past the unnaturally large security guard shouldn’t have to bother with pesky interior locks on the doors. She wedged her body against the door as her pulse raced. Every breath was a fight for oxygen as her mind scrambled for an answer, a weapon, a way out, anything.

Spencer slammed against the door. “Yeah run and hide, bitch.” The door rattled and Lilith lurched forward. If she could just hold the door until Chance got his ass out of that room. What was taking him so long?
Her blood pounded so loudly in her ears that she couldn’t tell the difference between it and the sound of Spencer’s beating fists on the door.

Talking wasn’t going to magically shake some sense into him, but she had to try.
“You fucking idiot.” Okay, not the most calm opening ever. “Ashcroft is just using you as a pawn. He wants to expose us to the world. We’ll all be hunted down like monsters. Even you. You dumb son-of-a-bitch! He just told you what you wanted to hear. You think he actually gives a crap about you? He just needed you to get close to the family.”

“Liar!”
Spencer snarled and shoved the door so hard that she flew forward, slamming her shoulder into a lab table. She spun around just in time to see Spencer come crashing through the door. His beady, bloodshot eyes narrowed on her with the same hate and disgust she’d seen in Ashcroft’s eyes. Lilith scrambled backward, her eyes scanning the room for anything she could use as a weapon.

“You’re a lying bitch. Ashcroft is the only one that gives a shit about me. He wants me to be strong like him. He’s shown me his secrets. All he wants is your family dead for what Gregor’s done.
Your father’s the true monster! He’s the one that eradicated an entire family line! You just want to finish his work. You’d butcher us both if you had the chance.”

Lilith backed around the table, keeping it between her and Spencer. “You’re fucking delusional. You’re a loyal peasant dog to him, nothing more.
You aren’t his blood, his family. He’s not going to share any real secret with you. He’s just playing you, using you and when he has what he wants, he’ll slice you up just like your sister.”

“Lilith!” Chance’s voice boomed down the hall and it made her pulse slow down a touch. While her eyes snapped up to the open door, Spencer made his move,
taking advantage of her momentary distraction, and lunged around the lab table.

Lilith sprinted for the door with everything she had.
A shot pierced the air and her shoulder lit up in searing agony. The adrenaline kept her moving, but she could feel blood running down her arm. She hadn’t seen the gun on Spencer, but she should have expected it. At least he wasn’t a great shot. She dove for the open door, making herself the smallest target possible.

Footsteps pounded closer as she clawed her way back up to her feet. She ran for the cover of the security desk, but didn’t make it. Spencer was too fast. He tackled her to the ground, her bruised and bleeding shoulder slamming into the cold, unforgiving floor. Spencer turned her over and slammed a fist into her gut. It kn
ocked the wind right out of her. She couldn’t gather the strength to fight him off when she was struggling just to breathe. At least it wasn’t her face this time. She didn’t have much time to be grateful.

“I’m tired of this fucking game. You
are too much trouble to keep. Ashcroft will understand.” Spencer jammed the gun up under her chin, his face all contorted in pure hatred. He barely even looked human. Tears welled in her eyes as the gun pinched her skin. Where the hell was Chance?

“You think he’s just using me?” He jammed the gun harder bruising the muscles in the bottom of her ja
w. Tears slid down her cheeks at the excruciating pain and the knowledge that she was going to die. No head butt was gonna save her this time. “He already taught me the secret of his power. I can feel the pain and the terror on you flooding my senses.” A smug grin crooked his vicious mouth. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath like he was savoring the moment. When he opened them again, there was a clear, deadly determination in them.

Lilith squeezed her eyes closed, waiting for the inevitable as she struggled to breathe. All she could think about was Chance and her father.
There was so much she wanted to say to both of them.

A shot cracked through the air, but the blinding pain never came. Blood splattered against her face, shocking a scream out of her. When she looked up, nothing seemed to make sense.

Spencer’s red rimmed eyes looked up from his bloody chest, and caught Lilith’s eyes in a moment of pure panic that somehow resembled the man she’d once known, the one that cared about his family. He toppled to the side, slamming against the linoleum with blood quickly pooling around him. Lilith shoved his legs off her in a panic and scrambled backward until she was against a wall. She couldn’t take her eyes off Spencer’s. She was dimly aware of Chance storming up, looming over him. Spencer just stared at her with his shocked, desperate face. She glanced up at Chance where he stood over Spencer, a menacing grin of pure hatred on his face so cold that it made her shiver. Without any hesitation, he trained his gun on the back of Spencer’s head and fired. Blood splattered across the gleaming linoleum. She was close enough that a fine mist covered her jeans. Spencer shook one last time before his mouth dropped open in a gasp and the life drained from his eyes.

Lilith’s knees drew up and she hugged them close. She just stared at Spencer’s lifeless body in complete shock.
Brain and skull fragments littered the ground as his blood poured onto the floor. The quickly growing pool almost reached her sneakers and she scrambled away from it as if it was poison.

“Lilith!” Chance’s voice was a shock. She swung her head up toward him, her eyes refusing to focus. That was almost her blood flooding the hallway. She blinked through the haze in her brain and stared at Chance like she’d never seen him before. He stooped down and grabbed her arm,
hauling her to her feet. “We have to get out of here now! I put three more clips in Ashcroft, but the fucker won’t die! He’s still slicing up the Doctor and healing like some circus sideshow freak. We have to get to Gregor! There’s something he’s not telling us.”

When she didn’t move, he squared off in front of her. “Are you okay?” There was a stiff impatience in his voice that made her frown. There was a mixture of emotions in his touch but she was too
screwed up to actually figure out what they were. “Lilith. We have to go. Now!” He hauled her toward the door, leaving her struggling to keep her feet underneath her.

Seconds later they burst out of the lab doors and were racing for the car.
As soon as the cool night air hit her skin, her brain began crawling out of the panicked haze. All the answers to her questions about Ashcroft’s blood were dead with Dr. Nichols. How the hell do you kill something that won’t die? What the hell had Gregor created? She felt like she was stuck in a cheesy horror movie with some slasher in a hockey mask that won’t die no matter what you do. But this wasn’t a movie; it was real life and real death.

Spencer was just as dead as his sister now. She should be rejoicing that at least one of their problems was solved, but some part of her still mourned the loss of yet another family member.
Spencer was a malicious monster, but his pathetic need for approval was just sad. He was so desperate for attention that he colluded with a sadistic serial killer to butcher his family. How had no one seen it? How had she not seen it? If only someone had, maybe Miriah, Malachi and Spencer would still be alive.

Lilith stole
glances at Chance while they ran for the car like she’d never really seen him before. Yes, Spencer deserved to die, but that look in his eyes, that cold, unemotional reaction to taking a life, any life, scared her. Yeah, he’d saved her life, but she didn’t want it like that. The cold, calculating stare as he put a bullet through Spencer’s brain while he lay there defenseless, it reminded her too much of her father. Dammit. Why the hell should she be defending the sick monster that almost killed her twice?

As soon as they crammed into the rental car, Chance slammed the car in reverse and peeled out of the parking lot. Thankfully, the lab was in the middle of nowhere with no witnesses to describe their car pulling away from a murder scene. Lilith’s heart was still pounding as her logical mind took over, running through all the evidence they’d left behind. Somehow she doubted even Cohen would be able to cover this up. Gregor was gonna have to pull out the big guns on this one. At least it was a lab their family owned.