Shadows of Fire (17 page)

Standing
on the back steps of the farm house, he listened to an owl cry a victory song
in the darkness and its prey scream a death wail. It was a haunting sound that
called to the murderer’s heart. “Life taken to give life.” The creed rode on
the gentle breeze.

The
rain had slowed around midnight and now, nearly an hour later, had finally
stopped. It would make the long walk back to the bridge where his car was
parked a pleasant stroll. The heavy boots clomped down the stairs and across
the driveway. Clouds skittered across the sky and opened. A full moon beamed in
all its glory upon the blackened barn, the rays of light stretching to
illuminate Glenn’s vehicle. An obvious sign that couldn’t be ignored.

With
a confident stride, he walked across the driveway and stood at the cab of the
truck. The moon glittered off a metal ring hanging on the shifter. He opened
the door and leaned in, retrieving the key. And that’s when he found the leather
satchel peeking out from beneath the seat.

Fate
had smiled down once again.

Chapter Eight

Alex’s
muscles seized, her teeth gritting against the pain. Like a junky in desperate
need of a fix, her shaking fingers barely gripped the steering wheel. With
relief, she pulled in to the shadowed corner of the nearly empty tavern parking
lot and shut off her car. Only Chris’s Jeep remained. It was unlike Chris to
stay longer than it took to clean out the deep fryer and scrub down the sinks.
Closing time had come and gone. She had no idea why he hadn’t left with it.

Well,
she’d just have to wait him out. Hugging herself tightly against the
bone-crushing chill, Alex wondered why she was sweating. Damn, she’d screwed
her life up. Her decisions and unfortunate circumstances had stolen the only
two men she’d ever loved from her.

Alex
turned and rummaged through a gym bag in the back seat. Finding a washcloth,
she mopped her brow. The sporty Honda held everything she owned. Not wanting
someone else to clean up her mess, she’d cleared out her furnished apartment, left
enough cash on the kitchen table to cover the month’s rent, with a little
something extra for the sweet landlord, and walked away.

She’d
had every intention of confessing all of her secrets to Glenn, but someone had
stolen that opportunity from her. There had been no sense sharing them with
Reese this morning. A vampire like him would never understand how self-loathing
had driven her all these months. He was one of the true breed, a vampire
revered for his honor and commitment to the species. No doubt, he would take
Glenn’s place as a mentor to the broken and down-trodden, teaching them to
embrace their nature.

It
was too late for her.

Her
only path now was to turn herself over the vampire tribunal and accept her
fate. A death at their hands would be better than the living hell Alex was
experiencing—a hell she’d helped forge.

Sadness
ripped at her heart and caught in her throat. She couldn’t hold back the flood
of tears that streamed down her cheeks. If ever she needed the comfort of
Reese’s embrace and the soft whispers of his encouragement, it was now. But it
was too late to wish for such things.

Now,
Alex just needed to get into the tavern undetected and grab some blood wine one
last time. She hoped it would be enough to relieve the tremors and nausea and
allow her to drive to Montana. She’d be in tribunal custody by the time they
gathered for Glenn’s funeral the day after tomorrow.

Lights
flicked in the kitchen window in the back corner of the building. Finally,
Chris was shutting things down and leaving. Alex narrowed her eyes and looked
closer. The lights hadn’t gone out; they were pulsing, a sickly yellow-orange—a
kitchen fire. Without thought for her own safety, Alex ran into the tavern. The
muted glow behind the bar wrapped the tables and chairs in a soft blue haze.
Even without the light, her feet would have known the way to the kitchen.

“Chris!”
she yelled frantically.

Pushing
through the swinging door, she saw the pan flaring on the stove. Fire cracked
and popped as flames rose over the ventilation hood. Burning oil sent black
smoke rolling up the wall. Pulling the fire extinguisher from its brackets near
the sink, she yanked out the pin and squeezed the handle. The first shot of
chemical agent splattered the liquid fire. Chaotic bits of flame flitted along
the counter and floor. Alex feared the fire would spread faster than she could
control it. But with steady, sweeping motions, the dry chemical fought back the
flames. Without oxygen to feed its hunger, it sputtered and died.

She
leaned her hip against the island, trembling and gasping from the surge of
adrenaline. Putting out the fire had zapped what little energy she had left.
Her knees buckled. She grabbed the counter to keep from falling. Her heated blood
boiled through her veins, burning its way into her muscles making her shaky and
weak. Each nerve shouted protests and her stomach heaved. In the months since
this began, no episode had ever taken such control over her.

“Chris!”
she called again. There was no answer. Maybe he’d gone home with Tony and
carelessly left the pan on the stove. It didn’t make sense. But, at the moment,
nothing in her confused mind made any sense. Alex could only hope some blood
wine and crackers would stay down this time and help get her back to some
semblance of normal. But the way her skin crawled with unseen bugs, she
suspected it wouldn’t help. Without Glenn or the professor, there was no one to
turn to for guidance. After tonight, she’d be on her own and that thought
frightened her more than all others. With her life in ruins, she’d rather die
than be turned back into the monster she’d seen in the mirror the past three
decades.

On
trembling legs, Alex made her way to the cellar door and flicked on the lights.
Cautiously, she descended the stairs. Tight bands of trepidation wrapped around
her stomach and squeezed. She was being foolish. She’d been down here countless
times by herself, hauling up cases of liquor or other supplies. It was her own
guilt sitting in the shadowed corners, tickling the back of her neck and
clawing along her scalp.

“Get
whatever wine is here. Get out and don’t look back.” Hearing her own voice
helped press away the gloom. Pulling keys from her pocket, Alex worked one into
the lock of the wine cellar, but the handle turned with ease. “Chris, you in
here?” she called. Despite numerous reprimands by both she and Glenn, the kid
left it unlocked all the time. She supposed it no longer mattered since neither
she nor Glenn would be around to keep the winery going. Few humans had been
trusted with the secrets behind these doors, but Chris was one of the good
ones.

Light
from the stairwell speared into the tiny office. Her sneakers squeaked across
the damp cement floor as she sought out the string. Her foot kicked something
soft and she stumbled, coming down on a body. Slick and wet, Alex tried to push
away from it, but arms and clothing meshed with hers, making it hard to get
away. Her screams echoed off the stone wall as she untangled herself and
crab-walked back toward the door.

“Alex?”
a voice called from the kitchen. “Alex, is that you down there? Is everything
all right?”

Feet
pounded down the stairs.

Her
throat grew raw, but she couldn’t stop screaming for help.

“Alex!
Are you all right?” Ronan ran into the office and knelt beside her. She gripped
the lapels of his coat as if they were lifelines anchoring her sanity.

“He’s
dead.”

“My
God, Alex. What happened?” His gaze searched her face.

She
saw Ronan’s lips move, but his words didn’t penetrate the fear. “Chris. It’s
Chris.” She knew it without seeing the face. “I think he’s dead.”

“Let
me turn on the light.”

“No,
don’t leave me.”

“I’m
not leaving you. Just standing to turn on the light.”

“He’s
there, under the light. Don’t step on him.” Her face fell into her icy hands.
“Don’t step on him. Oh, Chris.”

Light
filtered through her fingers, but she didn’t want to look. Pain gripped her
head in its talons while a blanket of needles wrapped around her body. Seeing
Chris would just bring on the nausea she’d successfully held in check.

“Alex.
What have you done?” Ronan’s words scratched across her skin.

She
forced her head up. Blood pooled on the floor around Chris. Splashes of it
painted the walls and the ceiling. The sight and smell roiled the acid in her
stomach and she worked hard to keep from puking. “Me?” The word came out weak.

“Thank
God it was me that stopped by. We can clean this up. No one has to know.”

Ronan
was looking around as if trying to help cover up the mess. Why would he help
her? He should be hauling her away.

“These
things happen. I understand.”

“But
I—”

He
stepped to her and pulled Alex to her feet. “It’s okay. It’s our secret. The
killings. The fires. I understand why you had to do it.” The words tripped off Ronan’s
tongue. “Blood wine is an abomination. An insult to the vampire’s nature. It
had to be destroyed.”

“No,
I—”

“Don’t
you see? I can keep this from the tribunal. I’m in the perfect position to hide
everything.” Ronan held her face in his hands. “Alex. I’ll protect you. No one
has to find out it was you. We’ll go away where no one knows us.” Madness
sparked in his eyes. “We’ll start a new life together away from South Kenton.
We’ll feed together and bring new humans into the fold.”

The
thought of sucking someone’s blood gagged her, causing her stomach to lurch. Bloody
vomit splattered on the floor and mingled with Chris’s blood. Alex collapsed
against the stone wall.

Ronan
stepped back, revulsion contorting his face. “What part of that sickens you,
Alexandra?” He continued to move toward the desk, putting distance between
them. “The thought of making a life with me or you living as a
true
vampire?” Deadly anger rode tight on his words.

“Your
accent? What happened to your accent?”

“Grow
up. We’re all playing parts here. With Glenn and the professor both gone, I
don’t need that foolish masquerade.”

“Please
help me, I’m … I’m not well.” She swiped a shaky hand across her mouth. “I just
need some of Glenn’s wine to make me feel better.” Truthfully, she no longer
believed it would help. Alex hung suspended between worlds, no longer able to
process blood, incapable of digesting food. She would surely die of
malnourishment. She wondered if this was how John had felt the night he’d died.
Death would be a welcome relief to the slow torture twisting her insides like
cords of rope. Ronan swam in her vision and Alex held on to consciousness by a
thin thread.

“Drink
from Chris. As you can see, I’ve already had my fill, but there should be
enough left for you.”

She
looked down at her dead co-worker. His neck bore the slash marks of Ronan’s
feeding. Her stomach heaved. “You did this? Why?”

“Because
he was a weak human, inferior in every way. He believed in helping me that I
would give him immortality.” Ronan scoffed. “He couldn’t see how I was simply
using
him. He was no more worthy of being a vampire than you.” The chill in his tone
froze her heart. “And like every one of his pedestrian species—he was
expendable.”

A
small pop sounded above them as if something had fallen to the floor.

“And
so the final end begins.” Ronan’s smile held no mirth.

“What
else have you done?”

“A
small fire to finally finish it all.”

“Finish
what?”

Ronan
leaned casually against the desk and crossed his feet at the ankles. “What
began long before you became
this
.” His hand swept the length of her.
“With everything gone, do you really think you’ll survive?”

“I’m
not dying. I have some sort of flu. People rarely die from the flu.” She
wrapped her arm around her torso, pressing her forearm against the pain.

“RISEN
operatives have nothing on you, my sweet, Alexandra.” His demented laugh echoed
painfully through her head. “But please don’t insult me,” he said. “Look at
you. Sweat beads on your brow, but you shiver as if it were December. Your eyes
are bloodshot. You puke at the sight of blood. I have no doubt your head is
throbbing like the percussion section of an orchestra. Your muscles are so weak,
you can barely stand up. I know the signs. Tell me, have you tried eating
anything but the chemical gruel he makes for you? A nice juicy steak perhaps?”

She
gagged again, unable to process how Ronan knew what she needed.

“Ah,
not quite there are you?” He opened a briefcase on the desk and pulled a vial
of yellow serum from its folds. “RISEN would love to get their hands on this. The
good professor will never know if he’d actually stumbled on the formula to
re-code vampire DNA and make immortals human again. Does Reese know you’d
become a lab rat?”

Alex
clenched her teeth against the wave of agony burning over her nerves. She
wanted to get her hands on the vial and inject it—let the sweet elixir sear
through her veins and wash away the agony and nausea, but she refused to beg. “There
are copies of the professor’s work. The knowledge didn’t die with him.” Lifting
her chin, she met his accusatory stare.