Primal Instincts (29 page)

Despite being anxious for action, he waited until after Dragomir had gotten to his feet before he unbuckled his seat belt. One of the bodyguards came forward to grab Saffron.

“I’ll take the female myself,” Dragomir announced. He took Saffron by the arm. She flinched and whimpered but didn’t try to pull away. The guard carefully remained on the other side of her.

“You go first, Gregor,” Dragomir ordered.

At least this was no surprise. “Certainly, Master.”

“There is supposed to be a limo waiting in the airplane hangar. Bring it round for me.”

It was good to be on the ground. It was even better to have the door open and Gregor gone. Saffie welcomed the fresh air and having at least one scum-sucking parasite out of her face. She breathed in lungfuls of air, trying not to throw up. Dragomir’s touch was obscene, hard to bear. And she kept crying! She couldn’t stop and worried the weakness would screw up her vision when she needed it.

A vampire was waiting on the ground by the shallow stairs Dragomir led her down. She noticed more Primes exiting from a doorway up by the cockpit. Dragomir threw her to the ground before she could get a count. She knocked into the guard on the way down and got a push from him too. Pain shot through her knees as she landed on concrete at Dragomir’s feet.

“My son!” Dragomir kicked her aside as he stepped forward to give the Prime a big hug.

“Welcome, sire.” Stone stepped back and gave a deep bow.

Saffie couldn’t figure out which one of the pair was less sincere. She was no psychic, but she didn’t need to be to sense the tension beneath their false affection. Tribe Primes were competitive 24/7. She knew that whatever the vampires did, it was all dangerous for her.

Stone pointed at her. “What’s that?”

Dragomir gave one of his cheesy fake laughs. He nudged her with his foot. She held very still, to keep from giving in to the impulse to bite his leg.

“That is, and always has been, Tobias Strahan’s death. It’s his weakness and the bait that will lure him into our trap.”

Stone came closer to repeat Dragomir’s foot nudging, hard enough to push her a few inches away from Dragomir. “Really?” he asked. Then his voice changed. “She looks like a scared kid to me.”

Saffie took a quick look at Stone’s face. She saw the killing fury in his big brown eyes—her dad’s eyes—and ducked her head to hide the smile. The glamour was wearing off, but Dragomir hadn’t seen it yet.

By now all the mercenaries were off the plane. They were gathered by the cockpit, waiting for orders. She heard the purr of the limo engine coming from the hangar. She kept her arms crossed tightly over the bulge in her hoodie and thought about the position of the guard behind her. The buzz and burn
of anticipation raced through her. It was all Saffron could do not to hold her breath.

“Scared kid? What do you mean by that? Are you going soft?” Dragomir demanded.

“Yeah. She’s always had that effect on me,” her dad answered.

She heard his snarl as he leapt at Dragomir. She caught a glimpse of claws. Dragomir swore. There was the heavy thud of bodies grappling.

Saffie spun toward the guard. He was rushing to help Dragomir and didn’t even notice her. He certainly hadn’t noticed her pluck the small silver-shooter he wore in his waistband. The small gun held six bullets. She fired two into the vampire’s head and two more into his chest.

Silver bullets don’t do as much damage to a mortal body as regular ammunition, but vampires weren’t
compatible with human DNA
, were they?

Want my blood? Taste me if you can.

Tobias drilled the thought into Dragomir’s mind as they grappled with snapping fangs, sharp claws, and hard muscle.

Come on. I’m delicious.

I bet you are
, Dragomir sneered back.

Tobias continued to taunt. He even let the other Prime rip a chunk of flesh from his shoulder just to
get the blood scent into Dragomir’s nostrils.

“I’m going to drain you!” Dragomir shouted.

He snapped at Tobias’s throat.

Tobias danced away.

They circled each other, evenly matched, equally dangerous, equally determined to kill each other. For a few seconds Dragomir didn’t recognize him. The fae had used his powers to throw a glamour bearing a strong resemblance to Stone over Tobias, and people see what they expect to see.

My son! Where’s my son?
Dragomir screamed the thought when he finally realized he wasn’t fighting Dr. Stone.

The thought sent a shot of pain searing through Tobias’s shields.

He ignored the mental blow.
Dead
, he answered. He sent an image of Stone’s twisted, lifeless body toward Dragomir.
He didn’t put up much of a fight.

Dragomir snarled. He howled with fury. He made a lunge toward Saffie.

But she wasn’t where he’d left her. There was a body lying nearby, fresh blood oozing across the ground. Tobias had known what it meant when he heard the shots.

“My girl’s smart and tough. I don’t think she got that from you.”

All the other vampires in the Crew were now battling the mercenaries. They’d ripped off the mini-zaps
and mental energy zipped dangerously back and forth. Francesca was over there, but he didn’t look for her. He had to trust her to take care of herself. Both sides wielded silver weapons along with natural ones. Tobias was confident in his people and concentrated on his own fight with Dragomir.

He’d finally goaded the other Prime enough to send him into blood rage. Dragomir spun around Tobias and brought a double-handed strike down on his back. Tobias dropped to his knees from the heavy blow. He spun around and upward as Dragomir sprang onto him, not giving the other Prime the chance to sink fangs into the back of his neck to sever the spine.

Tobias sank his fangs into Dragomir’s throat, ripping and tearing at the Prime’s windpipe while Dragomir clawed and punched and kicked. He fought like a damned tiger. Tobias held on tight and ignored his own pain while snapping at Dragomir’s neck over and over. He smelled and tasted blood as it spurted over his face and chest, but he didn’t give a damn about it. This was about killing.

When Dragomir’s struggling finally slowed, when there was no breath in him and his spirit only held on out of stubbornness, Tobias rose off his body to grab his head. One hard twist completely severed Dragomir’s spine. No vampire could survive this. But just to make sure, Tobias used his K-bar to completely sever Dragomir’s head from his body.

“Nobody touches my little girl,” he said, and tossed the head to the ground.

As he did a bullet whizzed past his shoulder.

“In front of you, Dad!” Saffie yelled.

Tobias looked up to see a Prime slumping against the side of a car. There was blood on the vampire’s chest.

“Greg!” Tobias rushed forward.

“Dad! He’s—!”

“Don’t shoot him again!” he shouted to his daughter. “He’s your uncle.”

When Tobias shouted Francesca couldn’t take it anymore.

She’d fought every instinct screaming inside her but was able to hold off from rushing to help Tobias while he battled the other Prime. She’d been aware of his pain and his cunning, and reveled in his skill, but hadn’t let the knowledge overwhelm her. She was part of the fight too. What she did to help keep the mercenaries from getting to their Master helped Tobias, even if she didn’t get a chance to kill anybody. Primes with far more experience were always there ahead of her every time she tried to attack someone. She did manage to try out her knife when she stabbed upward
under a Prime’s raised arm. The Prime dropped the gun he’d been holding, and one of the Crew rushed in to finish him off with fangs.

Then Tobias shouted, and she ran to him.

He was holding his daughter in a tight embrace when she reached him. They were kneeling on the ground beside a wounded Prime. Francesca had to put her hands behind her back to keep from touching her bondmate, to keep from interrupting this reunion.

The girl was fighting hideous pain. She’d been betrayed, shamed, maltreated, and had learned far more about her own life than any victim should have to know. She was vulnerable.

But at least she was angry. Francesca felt the boiling fury and hoped it was enough to get the kid through these horrible moments.

And Saffron had her father’s enfolding embrace to help her. He radiated comfort. He radiated love. He radiated protectiveness.

You’re mine. You’re loved. Forget that bastard. You’re fine. I love you, baby. I love you so much.

The girl listened. She held on fiercely and let Tobias soothe her soul.

Francesca was glad of Saffron’s reaction as the girl calmed, but she worried about the mortal’s
fierce, fierce anger. That wasn’t likely to go away any time soon.

She’d do whatever she could to help Tobias’s daughter. But now was not the time.

She looked down at the bleeding Prime.

The Prime looked up at Francesca, eyes full of pain. “Medic?” he rasped.

Should I finish him off or do as he asked?

“What do you mean he’s your brother!” Saffie shouted, suddenly pulling away from Tobias. “He kidnapped me!”

“No, he didn’t. I sent Greg to get you.”

“I also kidnapped her,” Greg said. “And made the call from the plane. It’s complicated,” he told Francesca as she dropped to her knees beside him. She pulled his shirt aside and probed the wound. “Ow!”

“You’re damn right, ow!” Saffie snarled at him. “Who are you?” she added to Francesca as Tobias moved to Greg’s other side.

Francesca gave the girl a reassuring smile. “We’ll talk about me later.” The kid had been through enough shock and changes for now. “Call me Fran.”

Tobias raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t offer any comment. “How’s Greg?”

“I touched silver in there. If it comes out he’ll
be fine. I’ve had some EMT training,” she added. What was the use of having a nephew who was the main physician to the vampire world if she didn’t learn anything from him?

“Fine.” Tobias wiped blood off his knife and set to work on Greg’s shoulder.

Greg swore. Loudly and creatively. When he wasn’t howling in pain.

“You deserve it!” Saffie shouted.

Francesca watched the crude operation, glad that vampires were generally immune to infections. Greg passed out when the lump of silver was finally dug out.

Tobias flipped the bullet away and turned to his daughter. Saffie glared down at Greg. “He’s my brother,” he told her again. “More importantly, he’s been working undercover among the Tribes for years.”

Francesca came to a realization. “This guy’s Gregor, isn’t he? He’s the one who tortured Rose Cameron!”

“I can explain that,” Greg whispered. Tobias helped him up. He sat propped against the door of the limo. “I couldn’t stop what happened to Rose. I couldn’t break my cover. But I gave her the tools she needed to escape.” Greg looked intently
at Saffie. “I called Tobias when my Tribe Master told me to fetch you. I’d been trying to keep Dark Angel communication codes from being broken, but when the geeks broke the codes I did what I could to salvage the situation. I was bringing you home.” He looked past Saffie to Dragomir’s body, then back to his brother. “I really wish you’d let him live long enough for me to strip his brain. He knew a lot.”

“I’m not in the least bit sorry.” Tobias touched Greg’s healing shoulder. “Welcome home, Greg. You’ve been under too long. I was beginning to worry you’d gone native.”

The brothers looked intently at each other for a moment.

“You trusted me with your kid,” Greg answered.

“Of course I did. I said I was beginning to worry. You’ve been undercover long enough.”

“Almost long enough,” Greg said. “I have to stay under long enough to save the computer geeks the Master’s holding prisoner. I can’t abandon those kids. And I haven’t found out who our real enemy is. Getting close.”

Tobias nodded his understanding; no one got left behind. “Don’t get so close I don’t have a brother.”

“I have an uncle?” Saffie asked. The knowledge
finally seemed to be sinking in. She looked briefly back at the body. Her features twisted with distaste and hate. “And a—sperm donor.”

Francesca spoke up. “You have a loving father!”

“You have Tobias,” Greg said. “And all the aunts and uncles you can handle with the Crew.”

Tobias put his hand on Francesca’s arm. It was covered in drying blood, but vampires didn’t mind that sort of thing. Saffie gasped when Tobias gave Francesca a gentle kiss on the cheek. “You have a mother too.”

“What!”

Francesca sprang up to face Saffie. She gently grasped the affronted girl’s shoulders. “You’ve had enough for now. Everybody here has.”

Saffie looked her over warily. “You’re a vampire.”

Francesca nodded. “Francesca Reynard, Clan Reynard.”

Saffie’s already wide eyes widened even more. “You’re Flare?
The
Flare?” She giggled. The sound was only slightly hysterical. “You and Flare, Dad?”

Tobias shrugged.

Saffie pulled away from Francesca. She shook her head as she backed up. “I cannot deal with this. I cannot deal with this right now.”

She turned away. As she did a group of Dark
Angels came up to surround her, pouring out affection and relief at seeing the girl safe.

Tobias got up, but Tsuke and Joaquin came up to report and ask for orders before he could go to the girl.

Francesca put her arm around his waist. “Give her time,” she said. “Give her some space right now.”

“I’m going to rest now,” Greg said, and closed his eyes.

He waved his people away. There was a hell of a lot to be done, but not just yet. Tobias was more aware of Francesca’s nearness, of her support, than he was of anything else. “How did I ever do this without you?” he murmured. He was almost frightened by the strength of his emotions. Of his need for her.

“I have no idea,” she answered.

He laughed and pressed his forehead against hers. “I want to make love to you all the time,” he told her.

“Same here.”

“I love you so much.” He whispered the words close to her ear.

Her gaze flashed up to meet his; she was as surprised as he was at this very un-Prime-like
admission to a vampire female. But bonding was supposed to be about love, wasn’t it? Or else why did vampires crave this perfect closeness?