To Honor: Vampire Assassin League #22 (9 page)

The pregnancy test came up positive. That made two out of three.

Guaranteed results, my foot.

That test summed up just about everything in her life lately. Christine ripped everything into little pieces, tossed the evidence into the public restroom trash bin, washed her hands, and walked across a snow-encrusted parking lot to her pickup as if everything wasn’t doing a twirl-spin motion in her belly. She was shaking by the time she got behind the wheel and barely stopping tears as she cupped her face. She was in shock. Horrified yet giddy. Frightened and ecstatic. Nauseous, and at the same time, thrilled.

And she was so alone.

Her life was a disaster. Everything unclear. It matched her murky reflection in the rear view window. She didn’t know why she still bothered checking. She couldn’t see herself with any clarity. Everything had gone topsy-turvy. Nothing was black and white anymore. There was more than one correct answer to every issue. And above everything was the constant thought of Takeshi. She missed him with a pain that was physically debilitating. It was in place now, coiled about her chest so it could squeeze, sending out heartache with every beat.

Stop it, Christine
.

Keep to the facts.

Takeshi Asourah had been an aberration. Their contact was but a blip on the screen of her lifespan. That’s what he was. That’s what had happened. She couldn’t possibly feel anything. He was a monster. A real one. She’d seen the truth when he turned that pilot. It was exactly what he wanted to do with her. She couldn’t wrap her mind around it. That’s why she’d refused to listen. She wanted time. She needed space.

And Denver Airport had looked like a miracle.

She didn’t know how he’d known to bring her to Colorado. She hadn’t cared. It was enough that she had a place to go and a way to get there. She didn’t have to lift a finger. All she’d had to do was walk away. Takeshi had been a shadow, sitting in the darkest corner of the luxury SUV limo. She had his promise. He wouldn’t contact her or interfere unless she requested it. Or needed him.

She hadn’t looked back.

She hadn’t dared.

Her condo was small. Spare. Uncluttered. She probably should have purchased a timeshare. It would have been more economical. Larger. And maybe, if somebody lived in it week by week, it would feel welcoming. Not disused and lonely. On second thought...no. Her place was prime real estate. Next to the tea company. It was a good investment. She got a few weeks of use out of it every year, too. The views were spectacular. The lifestyle, unfettered and healthy. It was the perfect place to work through what had happened.

Until the sun rose.

Somebody should have informed her that being with a vampire turned sunbeams into daggers of sheer agony. She owned a corner apartment with mountain views. That became a deficit the first morning. It had only taken seconds, but she’d suffered sun blisters before she’d pulled the blinds down. Agony had pierced her head. She’d been blinded by light that had screamed through her eye sockets. For a span, she’d worried it was permanent. Somebody should have mentioned that the lore about vampires and sunlight was accurate.

Somebody should have been forthcoming about a lot of things.

Like...food.

She had two items she could get down. Barely-seared red meat. And absolutely raw red meat. Both were in plentiful supply in her deep freeze. Both should have gagged her.
Nope
. Anything and everything else she tried to eat had that reflex. Then there was the change in her senses. All of them. Everything was elevated. Her sight. Smell. Hearing. She could hear every single word spoken by her neighbors. Through the walls. Through the ceiling and floor. Heck. She could hear conversations outside if she concentrated.

She was an alien in her own life. Everything was foreign. And very lonely. Achingly isolated. Solitary. Her thoughts were so filled with Takeshi, every heartbeat carried an echo. And sometimes, she’d felt him so close, she’d slapped on light switches throughout the condo, checking for him. It had been stupid. He was never there. She’d told herself she didn’t want him to be.

And then she admitted the truth. Despite everything. He’d gotten through her personal wall. She was bereft without him.

And she knew it.

That’s why she’d spent the week holed up in her condo. It wasn’t because she was hiding from responsibility, although her boss probably thought so. She hadn’t checked in with anyone. She hadn’t answered the phone. Fired up the internet. She hadn’t gone anywhere except for tonight. To one all-night drug store. On a quick trip that was turning into a quest.

She had two positive pregnancy results and one negative. Nothing definite. And she needed to be sure.

Christine fired up the engine. Watched the wiper blades clear off a thick layer of snow. She’d been sitting here that long? Figures. Snow had started falling after she’d left Boulder. It had dropped almost twenty degrees, too. Well. She had two options. She could go home. But where was that, anymore? Or she could continue her quest. There were more cities along the Front Range. She decided to buy at least one more kit. Do another test. If it was positive...that was that. Game over.

Loveland was almost deserted. What did she expect? It was after midnight. No other shoppers at the quick market. The cashier looked askance at her over the purchase. His cheeks were pulled in as he bagged it, especially when she asked for the restroom key. Christine blushed despite trying not to. She told herself to ignore him. He didn’t know anything. It wasn’t his business. It wasn’t anyone’s business. That included data collectors on the end of every wireless transaction. She was using cash. No one would ever know about this. This is why she’d raided her stash, grabbed the bills secured in a plastic bag and tucked in with the laundry dryer sheets, and drove in the middle of the night through a snowstorm.

Negative.

The fourth test was negative. Christine sagged against the restroom wall, checking and re-checking the little stick. Relief washed over her. And regret. An immense sense of sadness. What the hell was she experiencing sorrow for? She’d been having ‘day-mares’ about approaching a health care provider with this. How was she to explain anything without being sent to a psycho ward? She’d be a subject of ridicule...and then the truth would manifest. She’d probably be sent to a Hazmat section of some underground exploratory laboratory so a bunch of scientists could poke. And prod. And take notes.

She decided she felt relief. That was just fine. Although now she had to go and purchase another kit. Conduct the fifth test.

Christine did the routine. Shred everything. Discard it in the receptacle. Wash her hands. Maybe she should accept this one as final. No. It could be a false negative. Then again, the other two could be false positives just as easily. She was testing at the earliest timeframe. There was always a chance of a false reading. She was becoming an expert on these tests. They worked by measuring the amount of human chorionic gonadotrophin hormone. She’d bought one with the highest sensitivity this time, one with the lowest mlU/ml rating. But, could she be sure?

Well. Loveland might have another all night market. Otherwise, Fort Collins was the next city up the road. She might as well find out. The bell above the door tinkled at her exit. It sounded happy. She almost snarled at it.

The snowfall rate had picked up. More fun. She wasn’t afraid of a little snow. She’d had good winter driving skills before her infusion of vampire blood. Now that she had hyper sensitive reactions, well. Worry over this kind of weather could just take a holiday. She had bigger troubles. One more test. And then the fallout.

White flakes filled the air, putting a blanket of quiet on everything. Christine stopped and inhaled. Deeply. The air was crisp. Clean. Cold. Her heart was beating hard. The sound echoed weirdly through her ears.

And it sent an ache all the way through her.

Snow formed moving pyramid shapes in the glow shed down from every light pole. Her pickup looked lonely by itself between two of them. Christine shoved a hand into a jacket pocket. The other one held the truck key. Damn, it was cold out here. This wasn’t like her at all. She hadn’t prepared for this trip. She didn’t even have gloves. Perhaps if she’d tuned into the world over the past week, she’d have known what to expect from the weather. She’d have brought a thicker jacket. Worn snow boots rather than hiking boots. Maybe she should just go back to Boulder.

She was almost to her pickup when a group of men loomed out of the night. Eight. No. A quick glance showed nine of them. They were big guys. A lot bigger than her. Everybody was dressed in winter camouflage. Including their weaponry. Their arrival was sudden. Silent. And scary. Christine jumped. Dropped her keys. That immediately caused a burst of anger. Another thing that wasn’t remotely like her.

“You assholes!”

“Whoa! Sister. Wait.”

One of them held up a gloved hand.

“Who the hell—? No. What the hell are you guys?”

“Hunters. Isn’t it obvious?”

He chuckled after that statement as if it was funny. It wasn’t. He had a sinister look to him. The gray and white paint across his face didn’t help.

“Hunting season is over,” she told him.

“Not for our prey, honey.”

More than one hoisted what looked like a crossbow high enough she couldn’t mistake it.

Crossbow?

More of them joined in on the weapon show. She saw several swords. Some spigots for spraying something. And somebody had a wicked-looking gun that seemed to glow.

“I’m afraid to ask,” she said.

“You going to tell us or not?”

“Tell you what?”

“Where to find your boyfriend.”

Takeshi?

And here was another thing somebody should have mentioned. It was beyond weird, but she should have guessed if there was such a thing as a vampire, there would be vampire hunters, too.

“We know he’s around. We caught on to you when you hit Denver International. We’ve been waiting. Watching.”

“Watching?”

They didn’t know what she’d been checking for, did they? And all of a sudden, not only was a possible life within her the most important thing in the world, but Takeshi took over the center of it.

She loved him.

She’d do anything for him.

She’d die for him.

“You’re half-turned, lady. Don’t push it.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t act stupid. Okay? We’ve been waiting for this. We got happy trigger fingers. A half-turned vampire is a good kill. Easier, too. Kind of like taking a fawn.”

Christine’s eyes narrowed. Her breath hitched. Everything was crystal clear. Focused.

“I’m going to start looking for my keys now, gentlemen. I suggest you vacate the area before I stand back up.”

She was trying to sound like a confident woman, not a victim. Her voice trembled slightly, belying it. It wouldn’t matter. She was in line-of-sight of the counter clerk guy. With luck, he was calling someone. She was martial-arts trained. She could probably take out a few before they overpowered her.
And
she’d brought her cell. If her fingers weren’t so cold, she’d have already picked out the 9-1-1 keys. She skimmed her fingers along keys. Picking out numbers. Searching for the call button.

The hunter guys fanned out, encircling her along with the truck. They weren’t having any trouble keeping her in sight. She should have bought a smaller, sport truck. One she could see over. But that was another bit of hindsight.

“Is that a no?” she asked.

Then, damn everything. Her cell started announcing a wrong number from her pocket. A split second of surprise happened when nobody moved, and then the leader lifted his crossbow at her, aimed, and fired. Directly at her!

Christine didn’t get any reaction time, yet somehow managed to pivot. Her newly-acquired speed and reflex saved her. The arrow sliced her jacket open, skimming flesh before continuing on. A shadow shot past. She knew who it was. She didn’t have to ask. Everything on her body fired into awareness and excitement and relief. A flash of light caught the movement of Takeshi’s blade. The speaker’s head went flying, hitting the light pole with a splat that ruptured it. Somebody else lost his arms. Screams accompanied it, muffled by the snow. Another man got split right down the center, the remainder of him sagged to the ground, gushing a fountain of red fluid. Blood started dousing the area, coating her truck. Staining snow.

So many things happened within microseconds of each other, she couldn’t follow it. Somebody shot a net thing into the air. The snow slowed it enough that Christine had time to dive under the truck. She scooted toward the tailgate, snagged a Hunter’s ankles and yanked him onto his back. Takeshi’s sword finished the job, impaling the man to the asphalt, where he continued to jerk for some time before finally stilling.

She heard the sliding sound of chain through the melee, accompanied by the flash of the mini-scythe things. They whipped into her view, stirring snow while severing body parts. She didn’t see the severing part. She saw the results. Limbs fell about the truck. Another head hit the snow, lifting red-coated flakes. The glow gun went flying into the darkness, still attached to a shoulder. Screams rent the air, muted by snow. And then a sword came shooting into the space under the truck, missing her by a fraction of space. Christine gasped. Pushed backwards. A moment later the sword was on the ground, sinking into a pile of flesh that wasn’t recognizable as human body parts. Her heart was a stifling force within her chest. Her breath quick and rapid, sending fog that obscured and blurred. And then everything stopped. Went deathly still. Except the snowflakes.