Honoria Ravena Page 8

  “Got a problem, bitch?”

  I backed around the car. “Nope, no problems. I found my keys. Now I’m just waiting for that telekinesis to kick in.”

  He grinned and extended his hand. The keys came flying to him. He jingled my keys, threw them in the air, and caught them.

  I rolled my eyes and stuck out my hand. “Great. Throw them to me.”

  “Oh, I don’t think so.”

  He took a step toward me. A black truck plowed into him, barely missing me. I fell back against my car as the vehicle bounced over him. I stared. Being run over wouldn’t kill him, but the broken bones should keep him immobile for a while. He moaned and his arm moved. Damn. I was really hoping he’d have some brain damage. That would have kept him down for a while longer than broken bones.

  It got worse. He’d managed to keep my keys clutched in his hand. I wasn’t going near him to get them either. If he was still conscious, then it was too dangerous.

  The truck spun around, the headlights illuminating him. Two men and two women bailed out, carrying swords and knives. Three of them headed toward the vampires that had killed the cashier, and one of the men walked to me. I drew my second knife.

  “Thanks for the help but who the fuck are you?”

  He clamped his hand around my wrist and took my knife before I could react. “I’m Kalen. You really shouldn’t pull knives on people who are faster and stronger than you.”

  He grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me to the truck. I tried to pry off his fingers. I considered biting him before he shoved me into the backseat. Two of his friends climbed in as Kalen slid in behind me.

  I glanced at them. “What about killing Dorian?”

  Kalen tapped my shoulder and pointed at the windshield. Beyond it, Dorian was trying to sit up.

  I whipped my head back around and raised my eyebrows. “Holy shit. I thought he’d at least be down for the rest of the night.”

  “Nope. The Scourge don’t feel pain. The only reason he’s not up right now is because broken bones don’t function real well. But he could still kill a person just as he is. We’ve been told not to get near him if he’s conscious and moving.”

  The woman in the driver’s seat leaned out of her window. “Aneese, kill him and get your ass in this truck.”

  The little brunette in question looked up from where the cashier was sprawled on the ground. She pulled a sword and stood.

  I jumped up. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  Kalen and the other man grabbed my arms and pulled me back into my seat. I yanked at their arms. With the strength Zarek had given me, I should have been able to break their grip, but between the two of them, they were too strong. This time I did bite him.

  He shouted, “Fuck, Aneese, she’s biting me, hurry up. Brant, have we got a sedative or something?”

  “Don’t tranquilize her. She’s a friend.”

  “Fuck that. Don’t worry, it’s mild.”

  Something sharp sunk into the crease of my elbow. A needle. I jerked back from Kalen, slid down in the seat, and aimed a kick at Brant’s head. I missed, and it was too late anyway. He’d already pumped me full of some kind of drug.

  Aneese climbed in the front seat, and the door slammed. The tires squealed as the truck lurched forward. We bounced over Dorian’s body on our way out of the parking lot. Aneese fished a cell phone out of her pants pocket and dialed.

  “Send a team to blow up the target location. Vampires have been caught on the surveillance footage.”

  I frowned even though my head swam. These people were nuts. Vampire hunters couldn’t go around blowing up every place that caught vamps on camera. But that wasn’t what bothered me most about their operation.

  “Why did you kill that boy? Even if he was going to be a vampire, that’s better than dying.” My voice came out slightly slurred. I blinked hard to try and clear the dizzy, giddy feeling I was getting.

  “That’s pretty funny coming from you. You kill a shitload of vampires.”

  “Things have happened to me recently. Besides, if you do know me, then you know what I was raised by. Who the fuck are you anyway? And you didn’t answer the question.”

  “They gave him the Scourge. He was going to be something much worse than a vampire,” the driver said. She glanced back at me, and I finally realized who she was.

  “Kennedy.” She’d saved my ass more than once. She’d also helped me improve my fighting and develop my limited psychic abilities. She was a witch and specialized in hunting vamps.

  “Hey, Regan. Long time no see. How’s that sedative working for you?”

  I sighed. “Pretty damned good. I had a couple of aches from multiple fights and a fall out a window, and that shit does wonders.”

  “Well, glad we could help. A fall out a window, huh?”

  “Long story, but I am thankful you showed up. I was about to be kidnapped by yet another vampire. My night was not looking good.”

  “Been kidnapped by a lot of vampires lately?”

  “Just one. Ever heard of Zarek?” Gorgeous pain-in-the-ass that he was. He really saved me back there. Could he really care?

  She snorted and shook her head. “God, woman, you chose to go against him? Are you crazy? You don’t have the skills to take on that man. Hell, I don’t have the power to take him on. I don’t think even Dara would dare challenge his ass.”

  “Well, if I had listened to anyone, I wouldn’t have fought him.”

  She grinned at me from the rearview mirror. “You always were stubborn.”

  “So who is Dara? And what is this Scourge everyone is talking about?”

  “You’ll meet Dara. And the Scourge is a disease certain vampires get. Dorian is a carrier. He’s been passing it on to build his armies for thousands of years. It causes insanity and increases their strength. As if crazy vampires really need more strength.”

  My eyelids drooped. I shifted in my seat and forced them open. “No shit. So what have you been up to, Kennedy? No one has seen you in a while.”

  “I was recruited. Just like we’ve done to you.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “I’ve been recruited? I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”

  Kalen snorted. “Yeah. You’ll hate it. Training sucks ass.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’ve done a lot of intensive training.”

  Kennedy shook her head. “He’s right. This is tougher than you’re used to. But at least you’re already blood-bonded to a vampire, so you don’t have to do that part. Though I don’t know if Dara is on good terms with Zarek.”

  “Is being blood-bonded to a vampire important?”

  “Pretty much. You—”

  Aneese interrupted. “You shouldn’t be telling her this. Let Dara explain it to her.”

  “You’re right. Okay. I’m shutting up now.”

  They were silent for several minutes. My eyelids dipped closed. I sighed in annoyance. Cloak and dagger bullshit. Spec-fucking-tacular.

  ***

  I was being carried. My eyes flew open. Kalen grinned down at me as he carted me through the hall. Kennedy walked ahead of us. Brant and Aneese were gone.

  “You can put me down now. I’m awake. Actually, you could have woken me up instead of toting me around.”

  “You wouldn’t wake. And I’m quite comfortable with you right where you are.”

  Okay, no more being polite. “Put me down, or I might have to hurt you.”

  We stepped into the living room, and he set me on my feet.

  “Please don’t harm Kalen; he’s one of my best warriors.” A cold voice came from the woman draped across the chaise longue. She stood gracefully and straightened to her impressive height. She had to be at least five-foot-ten. Her auburn hair was done in some complicated style with lots of curls and braids. The long white dress she wore was made of feathers and dragged the floor as she walked. She was quite a sight. Almost like a goddess. I didn’t want to be impressed.

  “What’s all this recruitment crap I’ve
heard about?”

  Her face remained expressionless. “I’ve been taking Gifts and giving them a choice. They can either become vampires or be blood-bonded to one, to fight against Dorian.”

  I snorted and crossed my arms over my chest, giving her my most mocking expression. “Wow, that’s ambitious. Don’t most of them think you’re nuts? And even if they believe you, most of them would rather go back to their lives.” And a lot of them were vampire hunters raised by witches. They wouldn’t like taking orders from them. They were some of the most aggressive hunters out there because of early negative encounters with vampires due to the fact that they attracted vampires. I’d often wondered if I was one, but Alaric would never confirm it. I wasn’t even sure he knew. He’d found us, after all.

  “They don’t get that choice.”

  My sarcastic smile slipped away. “So you’re enslaving people?”

  “If you wish to call it that. I don’t. They are treated well, and when Dorian and his army are killed, they may go back to their lives if they choose. I would like to believe that most of them wouldn’t.”

  The problem with giving them an option once the war was won was that if the vampire they belonged to didn’t want them to go, they would have no choice but to stay. I’d experienced what the blood-bond could do. The only reason I was able to resist was years of training. Anyone without that training would be lost to them.

  She waved a dismissive hand. “At any rate, it’s a necessary evil. Dorian has been building his army for thousands of years. He wants to enslave the humans.”

  Jesus, thousands of years to build an army? We should have attempted to kill him, even if he had been healing remarkably fast. But her methods of recruitment still turned my stomach. I curled my lip at her. “A necessary evil? You have no right to kidnap these people. They know nothing of our world, and they shouldn’t. If they want to join the fight, they should choose to.”

  Dara’s gaze heated. It looked like the ice queen was getting pissed at my insolence. “They are the children of vampires. They are of our world, and if I didn’t take them, Dorian would. To serve him would be true slavery. And that’s if he let them live.”

  I spat on the ground and succeeded in getting a disgusted look from her. Goody. “I won’t be a part of this. If you try to keep me here my…master will come for me.” God, calling Zarek “master” was almost physically painful.

  I turned to leave, and Kalen and Kennedy stepped in my path.

  “Kennedy, come on. We’re friends. Why are you working with this whack-job?”

  She shook her head. “This is important, Regan.”

  My lips turned up on one side. “You’re really going to want to move.”

  “You don’t understand, little girl. Dorian is the biggest threat this world has ever known, and most don’t even know he exists. He was a bloodthirsty psychopath in life. With the power of the Scourge, he is more of a threat than your atomic bomb. His only failings are his overconfidence and the fact that he would rather toy with his victims before he kills them. It’s the only reason you’re still alive.”

  I sighed and pivoted around. “So what do you want me to do? I’ll hunt vampires with the Scourge, but right now I’m kind of running from the oldest and most powerful vampire in existence.”

  She smiled, apparently trying to appear friendly. It didn’t quite reach her eyes. Even if it had, I wasn’t buying into the sweet lady act.

  “I suggest you stop running from Zarek. He’s become a good man, and with Dorian after you, you have bigger problems.”

  I snorted. “I’m not going back to Zarek. I’ll make it on my own.”

  She nodded. “When I was you, I wouldn’t have gone back either.”

  I arched an eyebrow. What the fuck did she mean by that?

  “I was once kidnapped by vampires, too, but I won’t tell you that story.”

  “I will.” A masculine voice came from behind me. A vampire’s presence sent a shiver up my spine. Another one. Great.

  Dara bared fangs and hissed at him.

  I jumped back. “Holy shit, you’re a vampire?”

  “Yes.” She snarled. “I’m just very adept at hiding it.”

  A chill went down my spine. She hadn’t shown any signs of it until now, and I hadn’t gotten the psychic warning I got around most vampires. I wondered how many could hide themselves like that.

  Warm breath brushed the back of my neck, and I tensed further.

  “Not many,” the man whispered in my ear. “She’s never drained a human dry. Being killers makes us more powerful and thus easier to sense. Dara also practices. Most of us don’t give a shit if Gifts or sensitive humans detect us. You’re easy enough to kill.”

  I spun around and came nose to nose with the amused vampire. His long hair was pitch black, and his eyes were such a dark brown that they were almost black too.

  “Gabriel, what are you doing here?”

  He straightened and stepped around me.

  “King Macon would like to send his regards and his approval of your practicality in the conscription of the Gifts. He wants to join forces with you.”

  Dara’s upper lip curled into a sneer. “He agrees with what I’ve done?”

  I grinned. “Leaves that bitter taste in your mouth, don’t it?”

  She glanced at me and swallowed hard. “Yes.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t believe anyone would agree with what she’s done. But I guess if anyone would want to enslave humans, it’s the vampire king. Why not just agree with Dorian and stop fighting?”

  Gabriel arched an eyebrow. “On the contrary. The king is against the slavery of our…food source.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because if vampires controlled humans, they would kill without thought. It’s the same reason he’s taken measures to control our population. We could wipe our food source from the planet if we aren’t careful. While that isn’t a problem now, it could become one and—”

  Dara interrupted. “None of this matters. Tell Macon no. I have all the help I want here, and I can’t stand the sight of him.”

  “Next time he makes this request he’ll send Jeremy.”

  She flinched and sank onto a couch. “He lives, then?”

  Gabriel grinned. “Of course. Macon had to pull him out of a very secluded part of the Amazon rainforest, and he wasn’t happy to go, but he’s alive and back in the U.S.”

  She glared at Kalen and Kennedy. “Leave us.”

  Kalen frowned. “What about Regan?”

  Gabriel cleared his throat. “If I may make a suggestion. Regan is correct. Her master will be furious if you keep her here. He won’t be parted from her long enough to complete her training.”

  Dara nodded, her expression sinking back to that calm, cool mask. “Take her to a hotel. She’s free to go wherever she wishes.”

  Gabriel shook his head. “You should return her to her master. He would be most grateful.”

  Dara passed me a glance and quickly looked away, but not before I saw the sympathy in her eyes. She sighed. “Very well. Kennedy, take her back to The Devil’s Trap. Kalen, escort her. Take some sedative.”

  Panic bubbled in my chest. I had to do something. “Hey! Wait. I don’t want to go back to him.”

  Dara rubbed the bridge of her nose. “You have no choice. Even if I let you go, he would find you. Or Dorian would. Trust me, being with Zarek is better than meeting up with Dorian again. He’ll kill you, after a long, slow torture.”

  Enslavement or torture? Everyone seemed to think those were my only options. I was really getting sick of people underestimating me.

  I stomped my foot like a petulant two-year-old. “I am not an incapable child! I can take care of myself. I’m tired of my ‘betters’ deciding what’s good for me. I’ll make the choice.” I pointed at her. “This is my life you’re screwing with. I won’t be Zarek’s slave, and I’ll protect myself from Dorian. Just let me get to a freaking hotel!”

  Gabriel rubbed
his eyebrow with his thumb before jerking it at me. “I like this woman.”

  I sighed. “Great. Another vampire likes me. It’s just what I’ve always wanted.”

  He laughed and dropped his formal demeanor. “It’s the stubborn-bitch thing. Most vampires like a woman they can’t bowl over. Supposedly, instinct makes us hunt for a strong mate. Only mentally tough people can survive the transformation and thrive as vampires.”

  Dara arched an eyebrow. “Unfortunately, your unbreakable will won’t stop me from sending you back to Zarek.”

  I raked a hand through my hair. “Look, you said when you were me, you wouldn’t have gone to a vampire willingly either. Can’t I get some sympathy here?”

  She met my eyes, and I saw the full force of her understanding. “You have it, but I am no longer you, and I’m still sending you back to him.”

  She nodded to Kennedy and Kalen, and they seized my arms. I let them lead me from the room. I didn’t want to start fighting until I had the perfect moment. Right now I’d just get tranquilized.

  Regan, just give in. Come home. I jumped as Zarek’s voice filled my head.

  I’m not at home with you. Home is a sanctuary. A place where a person feels safe. I’m not safe with you.

  Your brother misses you.

  Oh, that was low-down and dirty. The pang in my chest told me to go back to my brother. And that traitorous part of me whispered that I should return to Zarek. But, then, Zarek knew that would happen.

  He could use a friend now, a sister…I’m a poor substitute.

  I laughed out loud, and Kennedy and Kalen passed me a worried glance. For someone he actually likes? Yeah, you are definitely a poor substitute.

  Kalen shoved me into the back of the car while Kennedy got behind the wheel. I hadn’t been able to convince Dara to let me go, but maybe I could get Kennedy to. We were friends.

  Kennedy started the car, and we drove down the long, winding driveway.

  I took a deep breath and prepared for some fancy talking. “Kennedy, you’re a witch. You can’t possibly support this. You’ve hunted vampires your entire life!”