Make Me (34 page)
Authors: Parker Blue
“No, not like them,” Dan insisted and looked up at me, begging me silently for help.
“You know that’s not true,” I told her gently. “We only kill the bad ones, the ones who murder innocents. That’s not you.”
She gazed at me with hope in her eyes. “How do you know?”
“Because vampires aren’t automatically evil. They become more of what they were in life. Look at Lily. Wasn’t she a total skank before she was turned?”
Gwen gave me a tentative smile and nodded.
“See how bad she turned out? Now think about Austin and Alejandro. Totally opposite.”
Gwen glanced at Austin who tipped his hat and grinned. “It’s true,” he confirmed. “I’m sorry you had the choice taken away from you, but I’d be honored to sponsor you into Alejandro’s house. And Elspeth, too.”
Austin glanced at Elspeth, who nodded, saying, “I appreciate your kindness.”
Gwen’s eyes widened when she saw Elspeth’s face, but she didn’t say anything.
Dan started to speak, but Austin cut him off. “There are things she needs to know about herself, things she needs to learn that only other vampires can teach her.” He paused, then added, “It’s not such a bad life. You’ll see.” His pocket buzzed and he pulled out his phone.
She gave him a trembling smile, her cheeks wet. “Okay. I’ll try it.”
Dan helped her to her feet. “Why don’t we talk in the parking lot while they finish their business?”
Gwen nodded, and the brother and sister headed for the cars, arms around each others’ waists.
I relaxed a bit. Somehow, everything was going to be all right now.
Austin glanced up from his phone. “Uh, Val—”
That’s when I heard the scream.
I whirled to see a whole heck of a lot more people than were there before. Dina… and her men.
One of them backhanded a woman and she fell to the ground, her hand to her face. “John, don’t,” she cried at the man who stood above her.
“That’s what I was trying to tell you,” Austin said. “Dina wasn’t there when Lisette showed up. She’d left already.”
Crap. Why couldn’t anything go right today? Quickly, I grabbed control of Austin, Dan and the few male demons she didn’t already have her hooks into. No sense in giving her more ammunition against us.
Dina had Shade by her side, which pissed me off even more. The other female demons were held in the firm grasp of Dina’s puppets, and the male demons under my control were blocked by an undead wall of demons-turned-vampire—four so-called chupacabras who looked barely sane. Dina must be controlling them, too. So why hadn’t she controlled the others who had run into the daylight and died? Was she unable to, or was she callous enough to not care?
THE LATTER, Fang told me from the car.
It figured. “What do you want?” I snapped.
She shrugged. “It’s my right to join the Naming Ritual.”
No, there was more to it than that. This ritual was for Micah’s organization, not hers. “You weren’t invited,” I told her. “Kind of like the other women weren’t invited when you named yourself leader.”
Smug satisfaction glittered in her eyes. “Prove it.”
I couldn’t, of course. Not with her holding on to the men who’d been there, and too many innocents in harm’s way.
“Then you wouldn’t mind undergoing another Naming Ritual?” David asked.
Her smugness turned to anger and she narrowed her eyes at the incubus, probably annoyed because she couldn’t make him do what she wanted. “That’s not necessary,” she said tightly. “But I would like a ritual to determine who should be the next Memory Eater.” She waved at the dozen or so men surrounding her. “I have the requisite number of petitioners.”
My stomach turned. Why would anyone be willing to do that to someone else? Worse, she was not only willing, but eager.
“Oh, and I’ll take the books as well,” she added in a sly tone.
Power hungry much?
“We won’t do either,” Micah said. “We know what you’ve been doing with those poor men. Experimenting on them, trying to create your own Memory Eater. You’re despicable.”
“Not to mention what you did to my people,” Austin added.
Dina shrugged, looking unconcerned that we’d figured out her evil plot. “Well, if you’d help me find a male Memory Eater, I won’t have to do that anymore, will I?”
“You won’t if you’re dead, either,” David spat out.
She laughed. “None of you have the guts to kill me, except maybe the Slayer. But wait, she’s injured and I heard she only kills vampires. Too bad.”
My blood sizzled, yearning for action, hating this stalemate. “I might make an exception in your case.”
Shade moved protectively in front of Dina. “You’ll have to go through me, first.”
That was Dina talking. I hoped. My gaze focused on the crystal amulet around her neck. I had to get that away from her.
I took a step forward, intending to do just that, but Princess ran from the car toward Shade, crying, MY HUMAN, MY HUMAN, I AM HERE.
Fang was in hot pursuit, but she was fast for such a small dog.
Dina turned toward the spaniel and reared her leg back to kick the dog.
No! I’d had enough, so I attacked her with the only weapon I had left. Swinging my arm to point at her, I yelled, “I exorcise thee, I exorcise thee, I exorcise thee,” and ripped the succubus out of her.
Several things happened at once. Dina fell unconscious to the ground, the men she’d controlled staggered with the backlash of their release, and the four chupacabras
lurched momentarily before moving toward the demon men, bloodsucking definitely on their agenda.
Crap. I reached out with Lola and snagged the insane ones, yelling, “Stop.”
But Lola had lost a lot of strength after using the other spells so close together. I was barely able to hold onto them at all. I fell to my knees, holding my aching side as I desperately clutched the succubus strands with my weakened abilities.
Fang ran over to Dina, his teeth at her neck. I didn’t have enough energy to stop him from tearing out her throat, and wasn’t sure I wanted to.
But that wasn’t what he intended. With a jerk of his head, he ripped off the necklace and brought it to me.
USE IT, he exclaimed.
I clutched the crystal, wondering how. But the amulet didn’t need anything but my touch, for it immediately strengthened my succubus abilities, enough to let me grab onto them with ease.
Austin helped me to my feet as Shade embraced his dog.
What’s wrong with this picture?
But I didn’t have time to explore the pain that gave me. Beth ran over to me, grabbing my arm. “One of those men is my brother, Blaine. Help him, please.”
“If I remove his demon, he’ll no longer have his demon abilities. He’ll be a vampire,” I reminded her.
Tears overflowed from her eyes but she nodded fiercely. “Being undead is better than being dead dead.”
“These men have killed,” Ludwig said, frowning. “How is that different from the other bloodsuckers you’ve executed?”
“They weren’t in control of their faculties at the time,” Austin said. “Yet they still managed to attack only animals. There would be no bar to them joining the New Blood Movement.”
Micah spoke up. “Would you be willing to sponsor them, too?”
The cowboy vamp hesitated. “In San Antonio, yes. But if they wish to stay here, I’ll ask Lisette if she’s willing to have them.”
“Good enough,” Beth said.
Other demons crowded around me, agreeing, urging me to do it.
I dropped my head wearily. Use the spell four more times and give up more and more of Lola each time? A couple of months ago, I’d longed to be normal, wanted desperately to get rid of this demon inside me. But now that it looked like I could approximate the same thing simply by using the spell as often as possible, I hesitated. I was known throughout the vampire community as the Slayer, and many of the rogue bloodsuckers wanted to take me out. If they learned I was weakened, they’d come after me in droves. I’d have to go into hiding until I could build Lola backup and restore the balance, maybe even leave town.
I glanced around at them and took another shot, hoping they’d give up on this idea. “You know I can’t guarantee they’ll regain sanity?”
Some looked surprised, and Beth pointed at Elspeth. “She did.”
I nodded. “I know, but she was a special case. She was chosen as Memory Eater precisely because she could handle the madness.”
Beth jerked her head up and down decisively. “It’s the only chance they have. If they prefer not to stay a vampire, they can…” She paused, then added, “They can do what they need to do. At least this way, they have a choice.”
I closed my eyes briefly. Should I do this?
YOU DON’T HAVE TO USE THE SPELL, Fang said soothingly. YOU’VE DONE A LOT FOR THEM ALREADY. THEY SHOULDN’T ASK IT OF YOU.
But they had asked it of me. I sighed. Crap. I couldn’t say no, not when I could release these poor men back to their families. I knew what it was like to lose a family. I couldn’t do it to any of them. “Okay, but give me some room.” I didn’t really need it, but all those bodies pressing around me, expecting miracles of me, made me feel claustrophobic.
They backed away and gave me a clear view of the four demonic vamps. One by one, I exorcised their demons, far more gently than I had Dina’s, and they collapsed into a loved one’s arms.
“Do not rouse them yet,” Elspeth said. “It will be better for them if you let them rest, let their minds become accustomed to their new state.”
The local demons gathered around the unconscious men, chattering like excited squirrels, except for one older woman who came over, wringing her hands. “What about my son, Adam Bukowski? Where is he? He should be here, too.”
GIVE IT TO HER STRAIGHT, Fang said. SHE DESERVES TO KNOW THE TRUTH.
I hated delivering bad news, especially to the boy’s mother. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think he survived,” I said carefully.
Her hand flew to her mouth, and she shook her head wordlessly. Fear, denial, and grief filled her eyes. “How… how do you know?” she asked finally.
“I found his wallet where the vampires hid during the day. He probably didn’t know to stay out of the sun. And there was a pile of ash nearby.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head with sharp little jerks. “You’re wrong. It can’t be him.”
Looked like I’d have to show her proof. “Would one of you mind getting the backpack?”
Austin obliged, and brought it to me. I rummaged inside and handed her his wallet, then the belt buckle with the skull wearing a cowboy hat and a snake around its neck. It was pretty distinctive. “Is this his? We found this in the ash.”
The woman took the buckle and stared at it. I hoped I was wrong, that she’d say it wasn’t her son’s. But her face crumpled like the movement of an avalanche, slow at first, then building up steam until total collapse. She broke down, sobbing.
Uncomfortable with tears, I glanced around for help. Thank goodness another woman about her same age pulled her away.
Austin put a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Shouldn’t Shade be the one asking me this? Dina’s hold on him had been broken. Why was he standing off to the side, acting like he cared about no one but Princess?
GIVE HIM TIME, Fang said. HE’S BEEN THROUGH A ROUGH FEW DAYS, TOO.
What is he thinking about me?
Fang gave me a look, the kind that said I knew better than to ask that question. YOU’LL HAVE TO ASK HIM.
Oh, crap. No reassurances from Fang? That couldn’t be good. I closed my eyes against the pain that stabbed somewhere in the region of my heart.
“Are you all right, Val?” Austin repeated.
Besides a breaking heart, he meant? Mentally, I took stock of myself. Lola was barely detectable now, maybe strong enough to make one man feel really good, if he got close enough, but nowhere near enough to control any baddies out for my blood. The spell, however, was well ensconced in my being, making me feel like Super Exorcist, able to leap tall demons in a single bound.
Fang snorted.
Okay, maybe able to render anyone alive demonless. “I’m fine,” I told Austin. I wasn’t about to admit any weakness to him.
“What are we going to do about Dina?” David asked.
DON’T WAKE HER EITHER, Fang said drily.
David rolled his eyes. “What I meant was, what do we do when she wakes up and is no longer a succubus, no longer in control of the local Demon Underground? I can’t imagine she’ll take it well.”
Austin’s lips firmed. “Lisette would be more than happy to take care of this problem for you.”