Vampire Apocalypse #2 Cataylst (18 page)

“Your brother, he said—” Brent stammered.

Cassie cut him off, “Cole’s not here. Do you
seriously want me talking about another guy? Or would you like to
get on with things?”

“Get on with things,” he said obediently. For
once, Cassie was glad she listened to the girls gossiping. They
said a powerful woman was attractive, that a man couldn’t resist a
girl who knew what she wanted. Cassie played the part to the
extreme. She walked up to Brent and yanked the rope from his
hands.

“Save this for later. Right now, I want you
on the bed.” When he only managed to stare at her, she barked,
“Now!”

Brent ran to the bed and jumped on. He was
beaming, suddenly compliant. Cassie felt sick. She didn’t know how
far to push things. Walking slowly toward the bed, she held her
shoulders back, forcing her chest out. Swaying her hips as she
walked, Cassie stole a peek at the windows above. One figure stood
at the glass watching them. The pit of her stomach fell as she
looked away. Looking up was stupid. It made her lose her nerve, and
if anything she needed more guts right now, not less.

Cassie’s lips pulled into a smile. It felt
fake, but Brent beamed back at her. Lifting one leg, Cassie climbed
up onto the bed and crawled toward Brent, moving slowly, letting
him watch her.

“Cassie, I had no idea—”

“Shut up. If you talk again, I’ll gag you.”
Brent’s smile widened and he shook his head vigorously. The stories
that were going to circulate about her tomorrow would make her face
burn for a year. There was no way to hide something like this.
Pushing away the thought, Cassie did what she had to. She crawled
to Brent, where he lay in the center of the bed with his back
against the pillows. He was looking up at her with excitement
clearly strewn across his face. Cassie smiled lazily as she leaned
closer to him, making him breathless. Her dark long hair fell over
her shoulders; her dress gaped giving him a good view of her
slender form. “You are never going to forget tonight, Brent. Ever.”
Before he could grin any harder, Cassie leaned forward and pressed
her lips to his.

Revulsion shot through her, but Cassie didn’t
pull away. As the kiss deepened, Brent’s hands lifted and slid down
her sides, cupping her butt and pulling her closer. Cassie wanted
to punch him in the face, but she didn’t. Instead she managed a
moan, like she liked his man-paws crushing her. As she kissed him,
one of her hands tangled in his hair, while the other reached down
the front of her bodice.

When his hands came up to remove the dress,
Cassie whispered in his ear, “Allow me.” Brent’s body was so tense.
If he didn’t let her, she knew she was screwed.

“Damn, Cassie. Do it. Strip.” Brent’s voice
was husky, and he grinned at her as he said it. He had no clue.

Cassie moved her leg, as if she was going to
climb on top of Brent, but her hand reached down her bodice, and
gripped her improvised weapon. Cassie used the fashion tape to
secure the tiny pair of scissors Miriam had in her sewing kit. It
was the only place the guards didn’t check. The metal was cold and
sharp as knives. One flick with these and Brent would bleed out.
Cassie slowly slid one leg over Brent and leaned in close to him.
She pressed the cold metal under his chin, knowing her long dark
hair blocked the shears from the windows. No one could see what she
was doing to him. No one would interfere.

Brent sucked in a startled gasp, “What
the—?”

“Shhh,” Cassie leaned down and whispered in
his ear, “We’re doing things my way. If you don’t I’ll shove these
scissors into your guts and you’ll bleed out before they realize
what’s happened.” Cassie’s eyes lifted to the windows when she said
it. The vamps could only watch what they could see, and despite
their precautions, Cassie got a weapon into the room. No one
suspected her. Poor weak Cassie. She played to that assumption.
Weak didn’t mean stupid.

“What do you want me to do?”

As Cassie opened her mouth to tell him, the
ceiling above them shattered. Brent screamed and covered his face
with his hands. Shards of glass fell like rain. Cassie rolled off
of Brent and onto the floor, yanking the blanket at the foot of the
bed over her bare skin. The scissors went flying. Before she could
peek out, a strong hand was on her, wrapped around her arm, pulling
her to her feet.

“Are you all right? Cassie, talk to me!” Cole
said urgently, shaking her.

Cassie’s eyes were wide. “Are you
insane?”

Cole shook his head, “Not today.” The way he
said it made her heart clench. He was being serious. Cole looked at
Brent, ready to do something vicious.

“Cole! Stop!” Cassie grabbed his arm as Cole
spun towards Brent.

When Cole dropped from the ceiling, Brent sat
there, too afraid to move—to speak. “I didn’t touch her,” he said
lifting his hands.

“You would have,”

“She wanted it,” Brent said, certain that
Cassie did want him.

Cole’s fist flew, but before it could connect
with Brent’s face, Cassie grabbed Cole’s arm. Yanking it back by
the elbow wasn’t enough. Cole was too strong, so she dropped to her
knees and used her body weight to pull Cole backward. He looked
down at her like she was crazy.

“Stop,” she scolded, hanging from his arm
like a rag doll. “I had this under control. I was going to make it
look like we did something, but he didn’t touch me. Whatever you’re
doing kind of screwed that up. So clue me in or get out.” Cassie
held her hands on her hips as she scolded him. Cole’s eyes didn’t
drift off her face.

“What I’m doing?” Cole said, shaking her off.
Cassie stumbled, but managed to get to her feet. “I’m saving
you!”

“No! You messed up my plan!” Cassie yelled
and pointed to the windows above, “They’re gonna notice that, if
they haven’t already. They wouldn’t have noticed what I was doing
at all. Damn it, Cole! Why couldn’t you just listen to me for
once?”

Cole grumbled, “They didn’t notice anything.”
Glancing at the shattered panes above, he smiled and looked back at
Cassie, “There’s a staffing issue in this wing tonight.”

Cassie’s face fell. She looked over Cole’s
white microfiber suit, but there was no trace of what he’d done.
“Cole, you didn’t?”

His face pinched together, offended, “You act
like it’s a bad thing.”

“It is! You can’t kill them all!”

Brent blanched, and his eyes widened. “Whoa,
wait a second. You killed everyone in the control booth?”

Cole nodded once, his gaze still hostile.
“And their backup, so let’s get out of here before someone
notices.”

Cassie closed her eyes and pressed the heel
of her hand against them hard, “I told you that I’m not coming.”
She spoke calmly, but fury was building inside of her, ready to
erupt.

“It’s not an option.” Cole threw a white suit
at her. It hit the back of her hands, before it fell to the floor.
She didn’t pick it up. “Get dressed. We’re leaving. Now.”

Brent managed to get to his feet. He was
still wearing sleep cloths, silky red pajamas. “What about me?”

“What about you?” Cole snapped, not bothering
to look at him.

Brent recoiled, and backed away. “Come on,
Cole. You’re not going to leave me here, are you?” Cole’s eyes said
everything. He planned on leaving Brent behind.

Cassie suddenly asked, “Where are the
others?”

Cole averted his gaze for a moment. Cassie
had her back to them and was slipping the suit under that flimsy
gown. He didn’t turn until he saw her back covered in the white
fabric. By then, she’d pulled the suit on and was trying to get her
hair out of the neck. She didn’t look like herself. Her curls were
tamed into silky smooth waves, and her face was… he didn’t want to
think about it. Cole answered, “Secure. You know we can’t talk
here. Let’s go.”

“We can’t leave him,” Cassie protested
looking at Brent.

“He’s not coming.”

“Cole.”

“Cassie,” Cole retorted sounding cold and
firm.

Cassie knew fighting for Brent was a lost
cause. Guilt gnawed at her. She tried one more time, “Please. Cole,
we can’t leave him behind. They’ll kill him.”

Cole’s eyes were hard. He stared down at
Cassie, unblinking. Without warning, he turned and grabbed Brent by
the neck, dragging the guy to his face he said, “She saved your
life twice tonight.”

“Twice?” Brent choked out.

“Twice, you ass. If she wasn’t blocking your
heart when I came through the ceiling, I would have killed you.
That was my original plan. She saved your worthless life and if you
do a single thing that pisses me off, I’ll break my promise to
Cassie. Am I clear?”

“Crystal,” Brent choked and Cole dropped him
to the floor.

CHAPTER 28

Celticad ordered the rest of the King’s
entourage to hang back. His plan was simple. Find the underground
tunnels that led into the palace and assassinate the Queen. They
plotted as they drove closer to the palace. When they were near the
edge of the Queen’s grounds, Celticad stopped the car.

“We go on foot from here.”

“What makes you think the tunnel is still
there? It’s been centuries since it was buried by snow.” The King
emerged from the car dressed in white. Out of curiosity, he focused
on his fingers, his gaze narrowing as he directed heat to them. His
gloved hand shimmered and disappeared. The King grinned widely. His
body didn’t convert Kahli’s blood quickly, but when it did, he
realized he was more and more like his old self.

Celticad watched as the King’s hand
reappeared. The giant vampire smiled savagely, certain he chose the
right side. “It stands to reason that the passages are still
accessible. The Queen kept the terrain surrounding the palace very
similar to the way it was before the flood. The permafrost is
thinner here. She didn’t allow the snow and ice to build up, so the
entrance should still be useable.”

The King nodded, noticing Celticad’s smile.
As they walked onto the Queen’s property, the King said over his
shoulder, “Kill anyone that gets in your way. I don’t care who it
is. By sunrise, there will be a new monarch.”

“Yes, my King.” Celticad’s voice was tense
with a hint of excitement. He towered over the King, following a
few steps behind, watching the blinding terrain as they walked to
the South side of the palace. The wind howled like a caged beast,
whipping flakes of snow into the air. The King continued on like he
wasn’t blinded by the white flecks. When they were nearly to the
garden, Celticad pushed in front of the King. Neither of them
spoke. Celticad lifted a large white hand, indicating that the King
should wait, but the King had no such intention.

When they reached the top of the snow bank at
the South wall, there were two guards. One was on the tower
constructed for the Purging. “How predictable,” the King muttered,
disappointed. The vamp on the wall had a good vantage point, but
the wind made it difficult to see. Before Celticad could do
anything, the King was gone. Glancing around frantically, Celticad
finally saw the monarch at the top of the tower. The other vampire
was in his hands with a river of black blood dripping from his
neck. Celticad’s throat tightened. He watched the King rip out the
vampire’s throat with his fangs. In one swift movement, the guard
was dead. The King held onto the vamp’s lifeless body, watching the
blackened blood soak into the snow. A smile snaked across the
King’s lips and he tossed the guard aside. Signaling to Celticad,
the King intended to march forward, but Celticad shook his head and
pointed to the garden wall. There was movement. He couldn’t tell
how many vampires lay in wait on the other side of the wall, but
there was no way they failed to see their comrade on the ice castle
slaughtered.

The King sighed as he saw Celticad signal
back to him. There were more guards.
What a nuisance
, he
thought. Careful not to use too much of his strength, the King ran
from the tower to the garden wall. The wind stung his face as he
sprinted, the ice crystals digging into his skin as they fell from
the sky. Celticad tried to get him to wear a mask, but the King
wanted the others to see him coming. He wanted the Queen to see his
power. They should fear him.

Celticad was fit for a vampire in the
post-flood world, but he had none of the old powers. He chugged,
exerting his huge body at full speed across the snow. It took him a
few minutes to meet the King, and he was huffing furiously when he
got there. The King sneered at his ally, “Really, Celticad. We’ll
have to do something about that once the throne is mine. I can’t
have my commanding officer bouncing around like a walrus.”

“Sir?” Celticad’s face pinched in confusion.
Ice crystals clung to his eyebrows making them look white.

The King considered giving Celticad some of
Kahli’s blood once he found her, but only enough to enhance his
power. Celticad would be stronger than the other vampires, but
still weaker than the King. While the King could move swiftly, his
body practically flying through the air at top speed, his second in
command ran like an injured beast. That needed to be fixed.

The King’s lips curled into a smile, “Blood,
my friend. I’ll see to it that you have more power than the others,
more blood. Some of the old ways will be yours.”

If this pleased Celticad, he didn’t show it.
He simply nodded curtly, “As you wish, my King.”

The King glanced at the top of the wall.
There was no entrance on this side of the garden. They’d have to go
over the top. From where they stood, the wall of ice stretched into
the sky, towering high above them. The South wall was always the
most vulnerable point at the palace. Sophia had to know he was
coming in this way, but where were her guards?

“How many?” the King asked.

“The visual confirmed two, but the Queen had
to place more here. This wall blinds them to the world beyond.”