Building From Ashes (47 page)

He narrowed his eyes at Axel, wondering how difficult it would be to leap on the immortal. Would he be fast enough? Could he kill Axel before the idiot could shock his wife?

“Just take the cattle prod from my neck,” she said. “If it does the same thing as a Taser, the first time it touches me, I’ll burst into flames and kill you, no matter how dripping this place is. Jack told you that, didn’t he?”

Axel cocked his head. “No.”

Carwyn rolled his eyes.
Could it be the evil drug dealer didn’t have your best interests at heart, you utter and complete moron?

“Why don’t you just grab those wire snippers and cut me out? We’ll figure this out between us. But it hurts.” Her voice turned uncharacteristically weak. “I can’t think like this.”

“I’m so sorry, Brigid.” Axel started to move toward a low workbench in a corner just as Carwyn heard steps approaching.

Damn.

He dropped his head to his chest as Jack opened the door, followed by four guards he watched from the corner of his eye. Two wore swords, one wore a semi-automatic, and one wore an odd kind of plastic gun at his waist. They certainly had all the bases covered. Carwyn felt an unexpected wave of nostalgia for the days when bare hands or a sword would kill just about anything that moved, mortal or immortal.

Oh well. Times were changing in all sorts of ways. Suddenly, he recognized the device.

A
Taser
. So that was the pinch he’d felt that blacked him out. Ingenious little bastards.

“Axel, why are you speaking to her?” Jack said, walking over and slapping Axel in the face. “I told you not to do that.”

“Sorry, Jack.” Axel wiped a trickle of blood from his lip and stepped back. Then Jack walked over and slapped Brigid. Carwyn heard it echo around the chamber and could no longer stifle his anger. A low growl came from his throat. Jack spun around, grinning.

“Our surprise guest! What a treat it was to find you. My associate was
very
pleased. Glad I had a few boys with stun guns going through the back so Brigid wouldn’t bolt. Odd of you to sleep for as long as you did. It must have done a number on you. Only felt it once, myself. We were experimenting with the effects and, since I was the strongest, I volunteered so we could see what it did to someone with power. I thought the effects on you might be impressive.”

“You were the strongest?” Carwyn forced himself to remain sitting against the hull of the ship. He stretched his arms over his head and knit his hands together. “That must have been a sad company. So who are you working with? You have the look of a puppet, not the master.”

He could tell Jack’s pride had been wounded, but he only sneered and walked closer. “You know, I recall your son Ioan saying something like that to Lorenzo years ago as the Italian was torturing him. ‘Who are you working with? What are you after? Why must you keep slicing off pieces of me as I scream?’ Well, he might not have said that last part.” Jack glanced over his shoulder in amusement as Brigid snarled. “But it was implied.”

Carwyn ignored the rage and tried to think through it. “So, you’ve been working with Lorenzo from the beginning? You were the one running drugs in Dublin. Then you just switched over to the elixir. But Lorenzo is dead, so who’s giving it to you now?”

Jack only laughed and crouched down so they were face-to-face, metal bars separating them. “You think you’re going to get away, too. Just like he did. You won’t.”

“I will, actually. I’m much stronger than you.”

“Oh, I know.” Jack ran a hand along the rusted bars of the cage leisurely. What was he up to? He was strangely unconcerned about the idea of Carwyn killing him. “I learned something very valuable from you, Father. Always make your enemies underestimate you. Who would think a ridiculous priest in a Hawaiian shirt was the most dangerous vampire in the room?”

“Who indeed?”

Jack glanced over at Brigid. “But then again, you won’t want to chance your favorite little vampire losing control, would you?”

“No.”

“No…” Jack hung his hands in his pockets lazily. Carwyn crouched in a corner of the cage.

“What do you want? Jack, is it? You took us for a reason.”

Jack shrugged. “It was getting harder and harder to deter Brigid. And I was never quite sure if she would remember seeing me in that alley. One of my boys shocked her and got himself killed, but I could never be sure. And the whole thing just made her more curious in the end. Irritating little girl. You were just a bonus. Had no idea you’d be at her house that night. Good luck for me.”

Carwyn heard Brigid snarl from the far wall, and he smirked. “You’re not very smart, are you?”

“I certainly make it seem that way, don’t I?” A wicked grin took over his face. “Rascal Jack behind the drug trafficking? Not even Murphy caught it. But then, he was always so small-minded.”

“Yes, I’ve thought the same thing.” Carwyn paused. “Wait, no, I haven’t, you idiot.” He rocked forward, studying Jack. “Right now you’re a dead man. A walking dead man. Even if I don’t kill you, Murphy will. But if you run now, you might live. So go. Just leave us here and run—or swim—as fast as you can. I’ll catch up with you eventually, but you might get a few more weeks of life. Take them.”

Jack ignored him. “Your son was right, by the way. Lorenzo was a puppet, which was why I pursued my own connections after he left Ireland. I always knew he would fail. He was too emotional. But the people I work with now?” Jack smiled. “They’re businessmen. Nothing more. Nothing less. Makes them nice and predictable. Not unlike you, Father.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. You see, I know that you can break out of that cage easily, but you’ll try to lull me into giving you information before you do. Predictable. Just so you know, you’re not going to be able to stop this elixir. It’s out there. On the wind, so to speak. In so many grubby hands and dirty alleys that you’d have to burn down the world to contain it. So don’t try to be a hero.” Jack rolled his eyes. “You’ll ignore me, of course. So predictable.”

“So glad you’ve figured me out.”

Jack was starting to irritate Carwyn, and he didn’t seem to be willing to give up any information. Which made him less and less valuable as the minutes ticked by.

“I would have killed you both last night, but my supplier wants a word with you. Forced me to trade the two of you for more elixir, so I’m stuck until he gets here.”

Well, that was slightly interesting. “Oh? When might that be?”

“As if I would tell you.”

“Why not? You seem to think that we’re not escaping alive. Just two lads chatting.”

“And Brigid.” He glanced over his shoulder. “So you bagged Brigid. Really, who can blame you? She’s marvelous. But that probably means you don’t want her hurt.” Jack cocked his head. “Of course, I don’t want her to light up either, so it appears we’re both stuck for the time being.”

Carwyn could hear a low snap. Then another. Jack didn’t seem to notice, so intent he was on taunting his captive.

“Of course.” He studied Carwyn like an animal in a cage. “You’re still quite dangerous.”

Carwyn could feel the low snarl that was building in his chest. He heard another snap. Brigid was escaping from her restraints. He held Jack’s eyes, determined to give her time to work. “More dangerous than you can imagine.”

“And I’m bored. So… I think I’ll shoot you.” Jack pulled a pistol from the small of his back in a blink, aimed through the bars, and shot. “Weren’t expecting that, were you? The old ones never do.”

He heard Brigid scream as the bullet tore into him. He felt it ricochet in his chest, spreading and shredding his insides until it hit one of his ribs, cracked the bone, and stopped. Then the blood, the blood he’d shared with his beloved, began to pool where he sat.

She screamed and raged, her throat harsh from the wire that wrapped around her neck. Despite the moisture in the room, her skin began to heat. She had both her hands and one leg free, and Brigid lifted blistering fingers to her neck, trying to grab the metal that still held her. She felt it heat, and the smell of burning hair filled the room.

Jack’s eyes darted toward her. “Axel, you idiot! Keep that prod on her!” Jack stood and turned. “Steady now, Brigid. Lose it in this little room and your man is as likely to die as we will. That bullet won’t kill him, just slow him down a bit so my associate has time to arrive.”

Axel reached out and the cattle prod dug into her neck. She stilled, her heart racing as her eyes followed the blood that streamed from Carwyn’s chest. He hadn’t fallen. Hadn’t even moved much. He was still crouched in the corner of the cage, motionless as he bled on the floor.

His eyes met hers.

She mouthed,
I love you.

Chapter Thirty-Two

“Aren’t you two sweet?” Jack said. “Who knew Brigid had it in her to be more than the Ice Queen?”

Carwyn held her eyes for a moment before he looked back at Jack, who had knelt down level with him.

“Those are hollow point bullets, by the way. Best thing on a ship if you don’t want things piercing through. They’re designed to spread out, create the most damage quickly, and stop.” Jack leaned closer and gripped the bars, his fangs falling as he curled his lips. “You know, my associate only insisted on meeting you. Brigid is pretty, but expendable. Imagine what those bullets would do to that soft, white neck… What do you think, Father? Think that might shred her spine? Should we find out?”

With a roar that surprised even his jaded captor, Carwyn leapt, bursting from his silent crouch as he tore the bars apart like wet paper. In one blurring motion, the two guards with swords rushed forward and Jack fell back. Carwyn reached out, ignoring the pain in his chest, and pulled the first guard into the cage, twisting off his head as he kicked the bars away. The roof of the cage fell in, trapping him for a moment before he knocked it to the side.

He saw Brigid free of the wires—she must have snapped the last ones during the commotion—and fighting the vampire with a gun. Within seconds, she had disarmed him and was bashing the side of his face in with the butt of the weapon.

He grinned. Oh, she was lovely when she was in a bloodlust. He turned, suddenly suspicious of the stillness.

“Where’s Jack?” he called out.

“Behind you,” said the vampire as he slashed at Carwyn’s neck. Carwyn ducked down and rolled across the room, tossing the guards into Jack’s way as he moved toward Brigid. He rolled past Axel, who was crouched in the corner, still holding the cattle prod.

Carwyn eyed it with interest.

Cattle prod… explosion… leaky rusting ship…

“Oh, she’s going to kill me…”

Good thing they were already married, and he’d have an eternity to grovel.

He rolled over to Brigid, smashing in the head of the vampire she was punching and spraying them both with gore.

She curled her lip and yelled, “That’s disgusting!”

“Beating him bloody wasn’t?”

“You were shot. Are you hurt?”

“I’m
desperately
hurt—”

“You are?” Her eyes were panicked.

“—by your lack of confidence, my darling.” He laughed and tossed two vampires to the side as they attacked. Then he snatched the cattle prod from a quivering Axel, and grabbed Brigid in his other arm. He swooped down on her mouth for a quick kiss before he winced. “But this bullet
is
taking its toll, love. We need to get out of here.”

“Well—” She stopped to grab the sword of the vampire who was attacking them, slicing her hand, but grabbing the blade in the process. “If you have any ideas, let me know. They’re blocking the door, and we have no way of knowing how many others he has with him, so—”

“Obviously, we need to make a new door.”

She glanced at him, confused. “What?”

Carwyn looked up, winked at Jack from across the room, then grabbed Brigid and darted toward the cage in the corner. The cocky water vampire’s eyes moved from the steel sheet metal to Carwyn to Brigid. He yelled something unintelligible, but it was too late.

Carwyn dragged her, kicking the vampire who lunged at them out of the way.

“Brigid, darling?”

“Yes?” Her eyes were racing around the room, evaluating it, taking in all their options to kill the remaining three vampires who blocked them. The one with the Taser was standing near Jack, eyeing Brigid nervously.

“Please remember just how much you love me.”

Her eyes widened. “Wha—”

He stopped her mouth with a kiss a second before he pulled the steel roof from the cage in front of himself, braced his back against the rusting hull, and turned the cattle prod on Brigid.

Oh yes, she was going to be furious.

His finger squeezed once. Just once. He hoped it would be enough.

It happened in the space of a heartbeat. A spark. The zing of the current as it connected. Then the explosion knocked him back into the hull, ripping it open as Brigid’s fire tore through the room. The rush of energy was astonishing, enough to suck the air from his lungs as he let the room fill with fire. In a split-second, every vampire in the chamber was incinerated.

Except for Carwyn behind his steel shield.

Just a slight push…

His massive shoulders tore through the weakened hull, feeling the water flood from the broken seam as it rushed into the chamber, dousing Brigid’s pale body and quenching the flames around her. The vessel groaned and tilted as he swam back to retrieve her.

Nothing but bones remained. But Brigid was still alive, her mysterious internal shields protecting her from the force of her own fire. He could feel his blood moving within her and hers in him, their energy humming together even as she drifted in unconsciousness. Carwyn grabbed her, tucked her under his arm, then swam through the dark water. He broke the surface to see the ship angle into the black as crewmembers desperately tried to escape.

“Well, that’s a mess,” he said to his passed-out mate. “Best exit the scene here and sort it out later. Brigid?” He patted her cheek. “Love?”