H.T. Night's 8-Book Vampire Box Set (17 page)

“You want to harm me?” she asked, with a
soft and sexy surprise in her voice.

“How would a Tandra have a chance against a
Mani like yourself?”

She studied me a moment, obviously debating
how much to tell me. Finally, she said, “There are a number of ways
a mortal could defeat a Mani.” Yari kissed me gently on the lips.
“Why would you want to harm me?”

“Not you,” I said, but that’s all I would
say.

She looked at me for a long time, keeping me
at arm’s length. I could sense her inner conflict. After all, why
should she tell me their deepest secrets, especially the one that
could bring down the entire prophecy? Did she trust me? And why
should she trust me? Hell, just a few minutes earlier, I was
preparing to fight her. Eventually, she shrugged and pulled me in
close. When she spoke, she did so in my ear: “You defeated Atticai
last night. He was forced to transition to escape. I’ve never seen
that happen before. Not from a Tandra.”

“How would I protect myself against your
kind?” I asked.

“There is no protection, but there are two
ways to defeat us.”

“A stake?” I offered.

“A silver stake,” she corrected. “And you
need to pierce a Mani so deadly that it goes in through the front
and out through the back. Complete impalement.”

I shuddered. “So, it doesn’t have to be
through the heart?”

“If you want maximum chance at a permanent
kill, then yes, through the heart.” Yari reached down and began
unzipping my pants with her left hand while we still bantered
face-to-face. Within seconds, she had me free, and in a tight grip,
and after three hundred years, well, let’s just say she was
exceptionally skilled at what she was doing. Blood started to rush
away from my head as my thoughts went in other directions.
Downward.

“And what’s the other way?” I struggled to
say.

“Excuse me?” Yari had clearly shifted her
focus to something else entirely.

I gasped and panted. She was good and
mid-stroke, I asked her: “What...what is the other way a Tandra can
defeat a Mani in battle?”

Yari turned me around and sat me on the bed.
She lifted a leg and was soon straddling me. Within moments, I was
completely inside her. She leaned in and our bodies began moving in
a slow, sensual motion.

I moaned but, trying to maintain my focus, I
repeated my question, in an abbreviated fashion: “Tandra vs. Mani.
How can Tandra win the battle?”

“Well, Josiah,” she said, her voice husky in
my ear, “the other way is to pierce a Mani’s neck from one side to
the other with just about anything. Such a wound prevents us from
transitioning. A Mani, you see, needs maximum air capacity to
transition. After just a couple gasps, a Mani will be done.”

“Done?” I asked, wondering if she meant
dead.

Apparently so, because she said, “So, there
you go, Josiah. How to Kill a Mani for Dummies. Just don’t let our
secret out, or I will have to kill you.”

She grinned and kissed me deeply, and I
wondered how much of what she was saying was true. Had she
seriously given me the recipe for defeating her kind? Just because
I was in her? I didn’t know, and I didn’t have much time to ponder
these questions, because soon Yari was doing delicious and dirty
things to me that I swore I would never repeat to anyone.

And, I’m a man of my word.

Chapter Twenty-six

In the afterglow, I laid on the bed and was
finally able to turn my head to look at the bedside clock. It was
10:00 p.m.

“Isn’t tomorrow night the big night?” I
asked, when my head finally cleared. “Isn’t it Lena’s birthday in
twenty-six hours?”

Yari was curled up next to me. Her body was
warm, which went against everything I had heard about vampires.
Hey, trust me, I was glad she was warm. The last thing I wanted was
something cold and undead lying next to me. She was staring at me
intently, while I looked up at the ceiling with my hands behind my
head, trying to make the question casual, so that she would not
suspect that I was planning anything. Which I kind of was.

She nodded. “Yes, it’s almost time for the
prophecy to come to fruition. I can’t miss it. I’m going to fly
back soon.”

“As the crow flies?”

“As the hawk flies,” she said, pinching me.
“Crows are vile.”

“What’s the difference between a crow and a
raven?”

“Do we really want to talk about it?”

I shrugged. “Probably not. So, does it have
to be this way?”

“What way?”

“The sacrifice and all the bloodletting, or
whatever it is, that Atticai plans on doing to Lena.”

“Yes, Josiah.”

“And where is it going to take place?”

“It’s only going to be the four of us and
Lena. We’re going to do it at the old Savoy Ranch. That’s where it
is in the dream.”

“Savoy Ranch is popular with hikers and
campers. Aren’t you afraid someone will see you?”

“Josiah, we are not afraid of anything. And
don’t get any ideas. I’ve spared you tonight. But if you want to
live, you will stay here and wait for me. Once Atticai becomes the
Chosen One, he might show you clemency. That’s what I’m hoping for,
at least. Otherwise, you’re going to have to spend the rest of your
life on the run.”

“Great. I’m once again at Atticai’s mercy. I
saw what his mercy did to me the last time.”

I rolled over and pretended to go to sleep,
like most Tandra do after having sex. Except, I was not like other
Tandra. Yari was my 4-1-1 to the Mani and their diabolical plans to
slay Lena. Like hell, I was going to stay here. I’ve never run from
a fight in my life, and no seven-foot goon, especially a goon I had
already choked out, was going to stop me from helping a girl I
cared about: Lena.

Once Yari left, I had about 24 hours to
convince Lena not to trust those bastards.

Minutes later, Yari kissed me gently on the
head. I didn’t stir. She opened the window after first peeling off
the tape. I cracked an eye open and watched as she transitioned
back into Daphne, the hawk, and took off out of the screenless
window. In a flash of wings, she was gone, and, as I stared at the
window, all I could think of was that I just watched a woman I had
just slept with—well not a woman but a something—turn into a bird
of prey. A chill went down my spine.

I decided to wait about an hour just in case
Yari decided to come back for any reason, even to see if I was
following her. As I waited, I gathered my things and left $200 on
the bed with a note to the bed and breakfast hosts, saying that we
were sorry for leaving early. That we had an emergency.

An hour later, I was stowing my things in
Tommy’s Mustang. I had a brief moment when the pain of his passing
hit me hard, and I covered my face and sobbed deeply into my hands.
Through all this madness, I hadn’t even had time to mourn Tommy. He
had died only three days ago. Unfortunately, I was now caught up in
a world that I needed to fix. Before another innocent person died.
Her name hammered my heart like a mantra. Lena: A sweet, trusting,
innocent virgin, who ate burgers and fries with me and was my
friend and the gentlest girl who I ever knew.

Even more unfortunate was that I didn’t have
anything close to a plan; that is unless you counted the general
goal: find Lena. Fast.

I fired up the car and headed out. I
intended to do just that.

Chapter Twenty-seven

I drove all night and got to Lena’s house at
about 7:00 a.m.

There were no cars parked out front, and the
lights were out. The trailer park looked deserted, and I suddenly
felt hopeless. The only other place I could think to look was the
creepy mansion in Victorville. I knocked on the door and waited. I
kept looking in the sky for Daphne. Sadly, I knew that I needed to
avoid her, too. Especially her. With a start, I realized that it
was probably over for me and Yari. Me and Daphne. I was light. She
was dark. And she was in a creepy cult clan with a terrifying
agenda. And I…didn’t want to be.

Finally, I heard the door unlatch. It opened
and Lena was standing there wearing white shorts and a red tank
top. Her hair was messy, and I had obviously awakened her.

“Holy shit, Josiah, you’re alive!” Lena
jumped in my arms and hugged me. “Come in, I don’t want anyone to
see you.”

“Where’s your family?”’

“They took off to Vegas last night.”

Lena grabbed a blanket from the floor and
laid it on the couch. I looked around the living room area. It was
extremely conservative. There were crosses on the wall, pictures of
Jesus, and posters with Bible verses on them.

“Wow, I guess you rebelled, didn’t you?” I
said, referring to all the Christian stuff in the room.

“Don’t even get me started on the hypocrisy
in this house. I am so happy you’re here.”

“You are?” I said, surprised.

“Josiah, I was so upset when I heard what
they had done to you. You have to understand that Atticai had no
choice. I know that on some level, he was hoping you would make it
through the trial of the snakes. He just has to abide by the rules
of the Triat. If Atticai wanted you dead, you would be dead. He
gave you an out, and you made it.”

“Some out,” I said, thinking about all the
snakes. I was going to have nightmares for the rest of my life. But
the thought that Atticai wasn’t such an awful person or whatever
creature he is, intrigued me. Indeed, if he wanted me dead, he
could have just ordered for me to be dropped me from high above. I
would have fallen a hundred or so feet, at least ten stories
roughly. I would have been dead for sure. Instead, he sent snakes
after me. How biblically symbolic of him. Still, the big goon had
nefarious plans for Lena, and that’s where I drew the line.
Atticai, in the end, was no friend of mine. Or hers.

And since when did I start using words like
nefarious, since I started talking about vampires? Vampires and
nefarious go hand in hand.

I shook my head, focusing my thoughts and
pushing them out at Lena. “Well, before he decided to turn into his
little black bird, I almost choked him out.”

“Be glad you didn’t. The other guys would
have ripped you to shreds.”

“Why, Lena?”

“Why, what?”

“Why do you love him? Why do you want that
world? Why do you have to be a part of them? You’re better than
that.”

“Am I, now? Look around, Josiah. I live in a
two-bedroom trailer house where my stepdad finds a way to put his
grimy hands on me every day. And if he’s not doing that, he’s
spying on me showering or changing.”

“Then move out. Go somewhere else.”

“Where? Where can I go?” She paused, perhaps
sensing the silliness of her own question. A nineteen-year-old girl
could go anywhere. At least, she could move in with friends, like
Tommy and I had done. She steeled her resolve and said, “I love
Atticai and he loves me. And that’s enough for me.”

“But he doesn’t love you, Lena. He’s using
you.”

“What do you know? You didn’t know any of
them until a month ago, and now you’re an expert? I know you lost
your best friend, and I can’t imagine how bad that is screwing with
your head, but I’m not you. This is the life I want.”

“Lena, listen to me: if you leave tonight
with Atticai, he will kill you.”

“Kill me?! You don’t know what you’re
talking about—”

“Lena, I know more than you know. I know
about their prophecies. Atticai is to be their Chosen One. He is
going to become some white eagle or something and save all the good
Mani from the bad Mani. I know everything.”

“Then what’s the problem, Josiah? Atticai
and I will always be connected. Don’t you see? It’s beautiful.”

“Wait, you know?”

“I know what I care to know. I know Atticai
needs me to fulfill his destiny, and I’m willing to do whatever it
takes and to do whatever he needs me to do to make that
happen.”

“Even if it means killing you?!” I yelled.
“He’s going to suck all the blood out of your body. You are
basically going to bleed to death. You do understand that you are
not one of them, right? You can romanticize it all you want. In the
end, he’s going to kill you.”

“I see,” she said, but I don’t think she saw
at all. “What do you suggest I should do then, Josiah, since you
seem to have all the answers?”

“Run away with me. I have over a hundred
thousand in the bank from my MMA winnings and inheritance. Run away
with me, Lena, and we’ll start a whole new life together.”

“Are you in love with me or something?”

I looked at her and didn’t know how to
answer that. “All I know is, I don’t want you to die. I want you to
live. I’m willing to do whatever it takes. To save you.”

“Josiah, come sit next to me.” She patted
the couch next to her, and I did as she asked. “I know a lot has
happened since you stuck up for me. To be honest, I cried for hours
when they told me that you were dead.”

I sighed. “We need to get going. Now,” I
said firmly.

“Josiah, I believe that once in every
lifetime, each of us is given a golden opportunity. We’re given a
chance to be a part of something greater than ourselves. Some
people never get this chance. I’m going to take it.”

“But you’re going to die. And for what? So
some hidden underground societies have peace?”

Lena put her arms around me, and I found my
head resting on her chest. I could hear the strong beat of her
heart. She was so amazing. She was so comforting, too. I came here
to try to save her, but instead she was comforting me. I was
exhausted, and soon we both fell asleep in one another’s arms.
There was nothing sexual about it. It was just two friends who
discovered they loved each other.

Chapter Twenty-eight