SHADOWLOVE--STALKERS (33 page)

* * *

Shawna opened her eyes and remembered. Immediately, she closed her eyes again and feigned unconsciousness.

They hadn’t bothered to tie her wrists—they knew that would be useless against both her vampire strength and her magic.

She touched the engravings on her silver wrist cuffs, which were still in place. Obviously they hadn’t been able to break the magic that held them in place, and she was pretty damn sure they must have tried, because her wrists felt sore.
Okay, that was a tool she still had.

Cunning would have to be another. She had to stall, because something in her heart told her that whatever Chad might or might not feel for her, he would come after her. He wanted to kill Pentim. The thought of Chad kissing the redhead swept through her and made her grit her teeth, but she couldn’t think of that now.

She groaned theatrically as she wiggled in place and opened her eyes. Beside her was Pentim Rawley—her biological father. She was surprised at the sudden curiosity that shot through her mind, although she felt no daughterly warmth, no daughterly concern, no ‘feeling’ other than a cold nothingness for the creature seated beside her. What had she expected?

She needed to buy time. He was a vamp with a humongous ego, so she allowed an expression of interest to flutter over her features.

Evidently he found that pleasing, for he smiled sweetly at her. She couldn’t know that his charm was an act perfected over the years, and yet, Shawna knew. He was a sociopath—without conscience long before he had become a vampire.

“Awake are we?” he said softly.

“No thanks to you,” she said as she rubbed the back of her neck and sat up straight.

He considered her for a moment before saying, “You gave me no choice. You would not be taken.”

“And why must I be taken?”

He chuckled. “Do not play with me, Shawna. You have been running away from me for months.”

“I am independent. I want to live a life of my own.”

“And when I discovered that I had a child—my blood—
I
decided you must be at my side. I am your father, and you
will
obey me.”

“You may be my father, but I do not obey…
anyone.”

He laughed right out loud and took her fingers into his cold hands. “Ah Shawna…you will carry the name of Rawley and do me proud. There is a fire in your silver eyes that will not be lost when they turn amber…”

“I want my eyes to remain silver-colored. I like who and what I am.”

“Impossible—you are still human. You must be turned. You can’t want to live and die a meager seventy to eighty human years? You can not wish to hide from me now that you have met me.”

Smart, Shawna—play it smart
, that voice in her head whispered. “I will admit to a certain interest in you…a certain feeling…I did not think possible.” She was surprised at how easy the lie dripped off her lips.

He gave her hand a squeeze. “My daughter, filial loyalty does not strike out your natural independence. You will rule beside me, loyal to my wishes, but I shall deny you nothing.”

“Father…” The word stuck on her tongue, and she wanted to spit it out and never say it again. It was a calculated risk. If she gave in too much too soon, he would not believe her, but he might enjoy the sound of the word and not be suspicious? “I do not wish to give up the human part of me.”

She could see he was struck by the sound of the word
father
on her lips. He answered slowly. “Father—you have accepted that, have you? Eventually, you will accept what you must. This is probably the only time I will not give you a choice. I
will turn
you.”

“I will die, as my mother did.”

He frowned. “She gave birth to you…she lived… She did not die because of me, and she was not turned, although I tried…”

“Her magic, which is in our genes, kept her alive. She willed herself to stay alive as long as she could to nurture me, but in the end
your
blood killed her, and she did not turn. She did not come back as a vampire…and neither will I.”

“Don’t say that. You will be turned. You are already half vamp. You already have my blood in your veins.” His face was distorted by the wickedness of his purpose.

Shawna sat quietly for a long time and watched the passing shadowy landscape. Would Chad find her in time? How many vamps would she have to fight off? Would her magic work long enough to buy her time?

* * *

Chad watched Damon for an impatient moment. “Well?”

“I am designing our approach.”

“I don’t need you to design a damn thing. Just tell me where Pentim’s hellhole is located, and I’ll go there and manage them on my own.”

Damon looked him up and down. “There are a total of ten of his best militant vampires waiting for him there. He has his first lieutenant, WB, with him, two of his personal bodyguards, and Clara. Think you can take them alone, do you?”

“I bloody well can try, because I will be aiming at only one.”

“Ah, but to get to that one
,
you need a plan.”

“I’ve got one.”

“Then sharing it with me would be good.” Damon’s dark eyes lit with anger.

Chad was his own man, unused to working with anyone; however, the love of his life was in immediate danger. He would have worked with the devil himself to find her and keep her safely at his side. “Right then…what do you have in mind?”

“They are holed up in a warehouse on Douglas Row off the river. When we get there, one of us slips in first, the other brings up the rear.”

“I’ll go in first,” Chad said on a feral sound.

“Hmmm, and while you get them all huffed up and ready, I’ll have your back, and then, my friend…”

“I know what comes next.” Chad reached out and touched Damon’s forehead. Damon stood very still and eyed a silent question at him. Chad smirked. “Getting the location so that we can shift there.”

“Don’t like this shifting of yours, but…it serves.” Damon grumbled as Chad held his shoulder.

Once again Chad parted the airwaves, and they traveled through space to stand on a dark street overlooking the River Inverness.

“There now…” Chad said on a hushed note as they clung to a stone building and peered inside the dirty lead-paned window.

“Bloody hell, Damon, they aren’t here—this isn’t the right place!” Chad snarled and turned on Damon suspiciously, grabbing his leather jacket by the lapels.

Damon ripped out of Chad’s hold. He frowned as he returned the snarl and said, “What the hell! Do you think that I lead you false? Don’t be a fool.”

“If this is some kind of vampire trick, you won’t live to see another night!” growled Chad ferociously.

“Lovesick idiot—they aren’t here, but I think I know where they might have gone.”

“Why did you bring us here then?”

“Pentim likes to keep different places all over town. This is the last place I saw him and his vamps in. I did, however, follow his sorry ass to a house just a few streets away from here yesterday. I just didn’t think he would use it for the ceremony.”

“What bloody ceremony?”

“He will want a great deal of fanfare when he turns his daughter. He sees himself as the Prince of the Vampires. He will introduce her as his princess.”

“We don’t have time.” Chad touched Damon’s head and gave him a half apology. “I get a better picture this way…” And they were shifting once more.

They arrived this time like bullets shooting out of a dark hole, and Damon shook himself and grumbled, “Don’t like that mode of travel.” And then he shrugged. “But I suppose it is useful.”

“There are ten of them inside,” Chad commented. “And they have humans with them—nearly past saving…but I don’t sense Shawna inside or Pentim as a matter of fact.”

“We’ve arrived before them. Your travel is instantaneous.
We shifted
. They drove. They’ll be here, and I tell you what, old boy…” Damon pulled himself up to his considerable height. “We might have been too late to stop him from capturing your lady, but we won’t let him keep her!”

“Aye—you got that right. Pentim dies tonight,” Chad returned grimly.

“Heads up, MacFare—
here they come
.”

“One thing more,
English
—tell me why you care so much.”

“Suffice it to say, immortal, that I care—perhaps not in the same vein as you, but strongly all the same. I’ve watched Shawna since she was a child…” He pulled a face at Chad. “Damn, who could not watch Shawna and not care—so don’t look at me like that. I am no competition for you.”

“Mark me, English—
no one is
. Shawna is
mine!
” This said, he put his hand onto Damon’s shoulder and they shifted once more, this time
into
the old mansion.

* * *

Shawna saw the river come into view. Clara drove steadily, and Shawna wondered what she was doing with this crew. She didn’t seem a good fit. The huge vamp Pentim called WB was seated up front beside Clara. He looked like he wanted a fight.

She and Pentim were seated behind them, and the two quiet, militant vampires—Pentim’s bodyguards—brought up the last row. There wasn’t anything she could do at the moment to escape and make it any distance. She knew she had to sit tight and wait for an opportunity. She had to wait for the lull.

Clara brought the van down an unlit dead-end road to a corner property. It was a large, three-story house, old and somewhat dilapidated, of an uncertain era and design, that reposed in quiet obscurity.

There were some dim lights within the old mansion, and Shawna could see through the front panoramic window vampires milling around inside
. Shit, shit, shit! How would Chad ever find her in such a desolate location?

He would have no reason to even suspect she had come to Inverness. He might not look for her in the city until it was too late—
way too late
. She only had herself to rely on—
she was totally on her own!

Clara parked the van and was the first to get out and slam her door. Shawna could feel the waves of dislike emanate from her. The big one, WB, who was dressed in black leather and black jeans, got out as well and followed Clara inside. The two guard vamps waited for their orders, and without speaking Pentim lifted a finger and indicated for them to follow him.

Pentim offered Shawna his hand. She took it and tried to give him an affectionate glance with her eyes. It worked. She could see that he was enjoying every minute of this, but she also knew the moment she did not fall in with his plans, the moment he felt betrayed—he would kill her without a moment’s regret.

She stopped to look up at the mansion, and one of the bodyguards took her arm. She reeled back and came forward with her sneakered foot, landing him a blow to his gut. She had vampire strength, and she had used some of it. He cursed loudly as he bent over his stomach and glared at her.

“Don’t ever try and touch me!” Shawna hissed and hoped he understood the threat. She meant to sound crazed and powerful. Better to have some of them ‘uncertain’ about what she could do.

Pentim roared with pleasure and amusement and added his command. “She is my daughter. No one touches her without
my
command.” He took her hand once more, and although she cringed inwardly, she allowed him to hold onto it as they walked up the broken flagstone steps.

Somehow she had to lull him into complacency and find a way to escape her situation. Chad’s image came to mind, soiled because the redhead was there, in his arms…and she felt a tear start in her eye.

Chad had held her, professed his love, told her his secrets—had it all been part of his game to get her to his home, under his control to get to Pentim?

She had only one hope that he might look for and find her—he wanted Pentim Rawley. He wanted Pentim dead. Would Chad track her? Would he see the signs of the collision? Would that help him to understand she had been taken?

“What are you thinking daughter?”

“I was wondering how far I could get if I ran…”

He chuckled. “And what conclusion have you come to?” He reached for the front door, and as he opened it some of its peeling paint fell to the stone step.

“Not far…” She shrugged as she peered inside. She followed him into the hallway, which gave off to a large open parlor on either side. She made a head count and discovered ten male vampires of various sizes milling about. There were three female humans languidly reposed on a couch that sported faded maroon brocade. She noticed it was torn in several places.

She nearly bolted right then. Something inside of her screamed! Her mind and heart shouted out for one another, and she wanted to run and take her chances. She wanted to save those women, but she knew there was no way she could, and it made her sick and horrified.

As Pentim walked her down the hallway, he bent and whispered in her ear. “Don’t worry, daughter—none of those are for you. I have one hidden away in my quarters. She is young and will afford you a delicious first meal.”

He witnessed her expression and either misread it or chose to. “I know, I know—such poor, misshapen surroundings. But when we are done here, we will go to Italy, where the mountains are magnificent and our home even more so.”