Vampires' Consort: Magical Menages, Book 2 (22 page)

He pulled the hood of his jacket closer around his face and then the door finally opened. Before the woman could open her mouth to ask more questions, Valarian was through the door, pushing her back and ripping at her throat. Fangs were sometimes easier than using a weapon.

But his opponent had super strength of her own. She twisted from his grip and started to run. Jacob sliced through the vampire’s neck, silencing her before she could scream.

Drawn by the sounds of the scuffle, another vampire rushed into the room with unnatural speed. Valarian intercepted him, taking advantage of momentum to catch him around the waist and send him spinning through the air. Valarian leaped on top of his opponent, grabbed his head and twisted it like a bottle cap. His neck gave a satisfying snap, but just to be certain the man was really dead, Valarian tore the head from the body.

He rose, drenched in blood, and hurried after Jacob, who was already forging ahead into the next room.

One by one
.
And when we’re finished there won’t be a vampire left standing.

The thermal scanner had showed more than one person in this area of the building. Jacob checked the screen again and saw more bodies amassing.

“Five headed this direction,” he warned Valarian, slipping the device back into his pocket and lifting his blade. “Evade or engage?”

“Evade.” Valarian led the way through another room, moving much faster than Jacob possibly could.

They’d already discussed their strategy for what to do once inside the building. Divide and search independently so if either of them was caught, the other might still have a chance to save Akila. Kill anyone that crossed their path, if it could be done quietly.

Valarian was soon out of sight. Jacob heard approaching footsteps and, rather than try to outrace them, flattened against the shadowed wall behind a tall potted tree. It wasn’t much shelter, but if they weren’t searching the room for an intruder, the group might move past without seeing him.

“He’s dead no matter what. Whether it’s us or some of the others,” an angry voice declared. “Kaspan has exposed us all to danger and persecution. He will suffer for it.”

Jacob watched the cluster of people who entered the room—two women, three men, all vampires, or so he guessed. There might be a thrall or two among them, but it was safer to assume they had the supernatural strength of vampires. And from the way they were chatting, it seemed they were not aware of the intruders in their midst.

“The girl and her spawn should be killed. I said this was a bad idea from the beginning.” A blonde woman crossed the room to a sideboard and chose a bottle and glass. She poured a shot of amber liquid and tossed it back before pointing at one of the others with the empty glass clutched in her hand. “If Overton hadn’t taken his bitch, Kaspan wouldn’t have exposed him. But since it’s done, she should be killed. There’s no point at all in keeping her alive.”

“He’s determined he can use the child.” One of the men dropped onto a chair. “He won’t listen to reason. Meanwhile, Kaspan’s out for blood and he’ll be after all of us next.”

“This is fucked. It’s not what I signed up for.” Another man leaned against the back of the chair, resting his forehead on his folded arms. “A simple coup, a quiet, subtle infiltration of government. That’s what Overton promised us. Instead it’s a big, bloody mess.”

“Speaking of which. I’m starving,” the other woman said. “Let’s call up whatever’s on tap in the wine cellar.”

Human prisoners in the basement. Jacob wasn’t surprised. It was common for vamps who still drank straight from the source to keep living victims on hand, especially in an out-of-the-way spot like this where they couldn’t hunt for fresh blood.

The blonde slammed her glass on the sideboard and turned to face the others. “This is stupid. He’s had her for several days and hasn’t even tested to see if she’s pregnant. Special vampire hybrid, my ass. If Overton can’t see reason, the rest of us will do it for him. We should’ve killed her before he returned.”

The black-haired man lifted his head from his arms and straightened. “We can still do it. There’s one of him and five of us. Likely more, because I doubt all of his people are backing this play. We could go up there and take care of her right now.”

“I’m in. She’s supposed to be descended from some god, so let’s see if her blood tastes special.” The hungry woman licked her lips and grinned. Her fangs gleamed white against scarlet-painted lips.

Jacob calculated the odds. Even with the element of surprise, he was outmatched. As much as he wanted to descend on them, howling like a dervish and slashing with his blade, he couldn’t help Akila that way. He also had a few grenades he’d gotten from Leah. They nestled against his leg, deep in his pocket. One of them would eliminate this roomful of vampires. But as long as Akila’s fate was uncertain, he didn’t want to stir up a hornet’s nest. Better to wait and watch and learn all he could.

He held his breath and remained motionless, peering through the branches of the potted palm.

Akila rose from darkness into light like a surfacing swimmer. She heard raised voices before she opened her eyes, and decided to pretend to be unconscious a little longer.

“Moron. You couldn’t look after one little girl for a few hours without screwing up. You might’ve killed her.”

“Maybe I should have. And I’m not the only one who says so.” A sullen voice answered the first one, which she recognized as Dale Overton.

“Are you questioning me?”

“Yeah. I am. Considering what happened today, I’d say you’re the one that screwed up. You pissed off Kaspan and now we all have to pay for it.”

The blank spots in her memory filled in like points connected on an Etch A Sketch. Magic baby. Kidnapped. Stupid escape plan. Flying across the room. She must have hit her head and, while she was unconscious, someone had moved her to the bed.

“Listen to me,” Overton hissed. “The child this woman carries may be our downfall, but it may be the key to everything. I’m not about to destroy something so potentially valuable, not if I can use it instead. If later the kid proves to be a problem rather than an asset, then I’ll eliminate him.”

Akila was already plenty on edge, but his casual dismissal of a human life—her potential child’s life—sent a fresh wave of horror through her. The futility of her escape attempt convinced her there was no way she could get out of this prison except perhaps by ingratiating herself to Overton, who seemed determined to keep her alive for now.

She pushed herself to a sitting position, holding her throbbing head. There was a knot on her scalp in back where she’d banged it on the coffee table.

“Miss Massri, you’re awake.” Overton approached the bed, and Akila forced herself not to shrink away. “May I call you Akila? And you must call me Dale. We’re going to be together for quite some time. No need to be so formal.”

“Certainly, Dale.” She forced a small smile and nodded—a mistake as it sent her head spinning.

“I understand you’ve been a nuisance while I was gone. You made quite a mess for someone else to clean up.”

“After I saw what happened on the news, I was afraid. I thought with your political campaign in jeopardy, you might have no further use for me,” she admitted.

“On the contrary, I think you may be more important than ever.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ve got cleanup work of my own to do, thanks to this mess Kaspan created. He may have ruined my chance at a seat in the House, but I’ll call a press conference soon and try to salvage the situation. There’s no denying what people saw, so I’ll try to convince them vampires pose no threat to humans and we can all live in harmony.” He smiled his politician’s smile. “I can be very persuasive.”

“I believe that.” She searched for the right words to convince him she was harmless. “I won’t pretend I’m happy about being kidnapped, but I accept I’m here for the long haul. I won’t give your staff trouble again, I promise.”

“Hm. That remains to be seen.” He regarded her with a cool gaze, then rose from the bed. “Right now there’s a little matter I should’ve taken care of earlier. It’s been pointed out to me that you might not be pregnant. Something I must admit I didn’t consider.”

Because you’re an idiot. Who wouldn’t have checked that first thing?

“Snyder has placed a pregnancy test kit in the bathroom. You should take it now. I’ll wait.”

Akila’s heart went into freefall. Her ass was cooked if the test didn’t prove positive. Slowly she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

“Are you dizzy? I’m sorry about that. Snyder was overzealous.” Overton reached out to take her arm and help her from the bed.

She gritted her teeth but accepted his aid, a baby step in gaining his faith in her. Of course, it might not matter in a few more minutes, depending on how the test went.

“Don’t be frightened, Akila.” Overton stared at her with a mesmerizing gaze like Valarian’s and she found her fears seeping away. “If it’s a negative, that doesn’t necessarily mean your value to me is finished. As a daughter of Ra with the potential to produce valuable offspring, I’m not inclined to dispose of you just yet.”

“Good to know,” was all she managed to murmur before limping off to the bathroom.

“But no more experiments with electricity,” he warned.

She closed the door and leaned against it, squeezing her eyes shut.
Valarian, Jacob, where the hell are you? Do you even know where I am? Hurry and come for me!

Chapter Seventeen

Valarian’s face and hands were tacky with blood. He wiped it off as best he could using the tail of his shirt, then stepped over the dead woman at his feet. Counting the guard he’d killed outside, that made seven down and a few dozen to go. He hoped Jacob was faring as well, but he couldn’t let himself worry about how his thrall might be holding up in a fight against vampires. Worry right now would weaken him.

Valarian grabbed the woman’s arms and dragged the body to a corner of the room where it would be less noticeable. Then he ripped a piece off the woman’s blouse and bound the gash in his arm where she’d torn him open. She’d been a fierce fighter and hadn’t gone down without inflicting some damage.

He waited by the entrance of the room, listening for footsteps. When he heard none, he ran down the hallway to check the next room. Each door he opened came with the risk of an enemy waiting inside—or Akila, if she was still alive. He couldn’t really imagine why Overton would keep her, knowing about the prophecy and the danger she posed.

If she was dead… Valarian buried the thought he wasn’t ready to face, but he knew he wouldn’t hold back his retribution this time if Akila had been murdered. He’d leashed his rage after Oxanna’s death rather than slaughter the villagers, but he would not restrain it now. If Akila was dead, he would kill every single being in this building, even though it wouldn’t change anything or bring her back to life. Mercy and forgiveness were not in his nature.

He checked several more rooms—all empty guest bedrooms—before he reached the juncture of the hallway and the landing. A staircase led down to the dining hall and other common areas on the first floor. Distant voices floated from below, but he couldn’t make out any words. At least they didn’t sound alarmed, so it seemed neither his nor Jacob’s infiltration had been discovered.

Valarian paused at the corner and peered around it at another hall. Several doors away a man stood with his arms folded, apparently guarding one of the rooms. Jackpot. With any luck, he could eliminate the guard and free Akila without alerting anyone to his presence. He drew the short sword Jacob had furnished him with, deciding to go in armed with more than his fangs this time.

As his muscles tensed and he prepared to attack, the door opened. Overton emerged from the room with Akila. His hand encircled her upper arm, keeping her close to him.

Valarian’s heart pounded and joy flooded through him at the sight of her, alive and well. He pulled back behind the wall. As much as he wanted to simply launch himself at his enemy, it would put Akila at risk. Overton could snap her neck in a second. Better to wait for a safer opportunity.

He waited for Overton and his prisoner and the guard to descend the stairs before following them. The instincts of a hunter stalking his quarry had not left him despite the fact he hadn’t gone on the prowl for more than small animals in a long time. Valarian moved silently as a shadow from one hiding place to another, trailing the trio through the great room and down a corridor without encountering any other people.

Voices came from an open room and light spilled through the archway. Overton ushered Akila inside. The guard waited outside. He would have to be eliminated in order for Valarian to come any closer.

Valarian hurtled down the hall toward the guard swiftly and silently, so fast that human eyes would register him as no more than a blur. The ability to move at super speed was probably what had given rise to the notion vampires could fly. Well, Valarian couldn’t fly, but he could sometimes kill an unsuspecting enemy before that person even registered he was being attacked. The guard didn’t have a chance to cry out or fight back before he lay in a heap on the floor.

Moving at top speed expended an incredible amount of energy, leaving Valarian exhausted and starved for fresh blood. He pressed against the wall to the left of the doorway and eavesdropped on the conversation in the room. A tantalizing whiff of blood floated to him along with the words.

“You couldn’t wait for dinner?” Overton demanded.

“I was starving,” a petulant female voice answered. “This isn’t your home, Dale. This place belongs to all of us and I’ll eat when I damn well please.” An unspoken
you’re not the boss of me
accompanied her statement.

Apparently deciding it wasn’t worth arguing, Overton moved on. “This is Akila Massri, the daughter of Ra foretold in the prophecy.”

“Do you really think that matters to us right now?” another disgruntled voice spoke up. “We’re all more concerned about the immediate future. Kaspan has unmasked you and by extension all of us. How are we going to protect ourselves from human retaliation?”