They charged me. Fangs sank in and ripped my flesh before I threw them off. This was a flat -out brawl, rolling around on jagged rocks, pummeling and hacking any flesh that wasn"t mine. I was acutely aware of the seconds ticking by as I struggled to keep my knives in my hand and their fangs from my throat. After all, it was one thing to die for Bones, whether he"d gone mental or not. Quite another to die for that sniveling p.r.i.c.k Danny Milton. You could safely say I still held a grudge.
The last vampire was eliminated with a gouge to his heart, and my watch showed less than thirty seconds. Lazarus, not dead after a face full of silver bullets, crawled toward Danny. Danny, still alive, moaned helplessly and tried to back away. There wasn"t enough time to pump Lazarus for information, let alone kill him and rescue Danny. Barely enough time to do just one.
Without a moment to think, I grabbed Danny and tossed him over my shoulder, running flat -out for the entrance of the cave. He screamed at the jostling and cursed me between gasps. The timer went to zero just as the sunlit mouth came into view.
Behind me I heard Lazarus running also, but too far back. He"d never make it. Neither would I. Time was up.
Instead of the explosion I expected, there were voices. Movement right outside. Two figures entered the cave as I was almost upon them. It was Tate and Dave. I shouted because I knew they couldn"t see me in the dark.
"Don"t shoot!"
"Hold fire, it"s Cat!" Tate boomed.
What happened next happened almost instantly, though it would be forever slow motion in my mind.
"Hostile coming fast, aim high!" I yelled, and ducked down to clear their line of fire. Tate, who hadn"t relaxed stance, fired blindly into the blackness behind me. Dave, who had lowered his gun to try to locate me in the stygian dark, came throat to face with Lazarus instead.
There was a sickening gurgle as his artery was freed. I screamed, dropping Danny and rushing to him. Lazarus threw him at me with full force, and Dave"s body knocked me flat. Hot blood sprayed my face as I locked my hands around his neck, futilely trying to stem the flow. In the midst of this Tate was still shooting, and Lazarus cracked him against the cave wall and ran out.
Outside there was the spattering of more gunfire as the perimeter troops shot at the fleeing vampire.
"Man down, man down!"
Juan sprinted inside the cave, flashlight drawn, followed closely by Cooper and three others. I tore my shirt off to apply pressure to Dave"s neck.
Dave could barely talk, but he was trying. "..."on"t...let me..."ie..."
There was only one chance. Maybe not even that.
"Hold him," I snapped to Juan. Then I dashed deeper into the cave as rapidly as I"d left it. When I came to the first body, I hoisted it on my shoulders and ran back.
"What are you doing?" Cooper demanded.
I ignored him, taking a knife and slicing deeply into the dead vampire"s neck. Blood dripped, but not enough. I hacked the head off completely and flipped the vamp upside down, holding him by his feet. Now a steady stream of purplish liquid trickled directly onto Dave.
"Open his mouth. Make him swallow," I commanded. G.o.d, let it not be too late. Let it not be too late...!
Juan pulled back Dave"s lips with tears coursing down his face. He was praying as well, out loud and in Spanish. Ruthlessly I kicked the cadaver to send more blood downward, and Juan forced Dave to swallow.
The skin around Dave"s neck reacted to the undead blood, but not quickly enough. The flow from his jugular slowed even as the edges started to close. Soon it stopped. Dave was dead.
I stormed out of the cave, seething with grief. Men were searching the area, and I grabbed the nearest one.
"Where did he go? Did you see which way he went?"
The soldier, Kelso, blanched at seeing me covered in blood. "We couldn"t tell. Someone said vampire, but all I saw were trees. We"re looking now. He can"t be far."
"Like h.e.l.l he can"t," I snarled. A Master vampire at full gallop, even injured, could run upward of sixty miles an hour. No way was Lazarus getting away. No way.
The three men still hovered around Dave"s lifeless body. Juan wept unashamedly, and Tate"s eyes overflowed with tears.
"The vampire got through the perimeter," I began without preamble. "I"m going after him. Tate, fix me with a transmitter and have the team follow. I"m telling you right now, I don"t give a s.h.i.t what the rules are, because I"m changing them. When I get him, only the ones who do exactly what I say will be with me. If you don"t, you can hang back with the rest of the crowd. I"m not standing over the body of another man today, no matter what Don thinks is acceptable. Whoever wants to be there when this vamp gets his, come with me. Tell the rest of the crew to stay back until we come out."
Tate and Juan stood immediately. Cooper hesitated. I stared at him and didn"t blink.
"p.u.s.s.ying out, Coop?"
He shot me a measured look. "I"m half Sicilian and half African. Both sides believe in retribution. The only p.u.s.s.y here is yours, Commander."
"Then order the rest of the men to stand by and follow me. We"ll see what you"re made of."
He jerked his head at where Danny lay, still huddled in shock. "What about him?"
"Hand him over to the medics. He"s got a gunshot wound."
"The vampires shot him?" Tate questioned in surprise. Vampires didn"t traditionally use guns. Why would they, when their teeth were more powerful?
"They didn"t. I did. Let"s move; every second counts."
Cooper chucked Danny over his shoulder and headed out into the light without comment. I heard him direct the troops to stay back while we checked the cave for survivors. As he did that, I closed Dave "s eyes. When Cooper returned, I held the flashlight in front of me so they could see where they were going.
"This way." When we reached the area where I"d killed the other vampires, I started in.
"All right, men, I"m only going to say this once. Take a knife, grab a vamp, and I don"t care if you have to suck the blood off their b.a.l.l.s, you"re going to get as much of that liquid in you as possible. Humans can drink a pint of blood before the body automatically regurgitates. I expect a pint in each of you, and now. The vampire who killed Dave was a Master and he"s running better than a mile a minute. We don"t have time to argue about morality. These bodies are shriveling with every second. You"re in or you"re out."
So speaking, I led by example and sliced the neck of the corpse in front of me, digging my mouth in like a pit bull. For a second, no one moved. I picked my head up and scorched them with the emerald glare from my eyes.
"Would Dave have shrunk back from avenging any of you out of squeamishness?"
That did the trick. Soon the sounds of sucking and swallowing were heard in the cave. It tasted bad, decomposing as quickly as it was, but even after death, the blood still held power. After several hard pulls, I felt the change begin. The second it started to taste less heinous, I threw the vamp aside, shaking.
"Everyone stop," I ordered.
There was glad compliance. With my mixed lineage, it took much less for me to acquire a liking for it. They weren "t in danger of succ.u.mbing to the urge to feed like I was.
"Cat?"
Tate reached out to touch me, and I flinched. His heartbeat was louder in my ears, and I smelled blood, sweat, and tears on him. That was the whole point. I could smell him now-and everyone else.
"Don"t touch me. Wait." My hands clenched. Dimly I remembered Bones flattening me on the bed, restraining me from chewing his throat open. Ride it out, Kitten, it will pa.s.s...
Several deep breaths later I could think again. Un-erringly I went to where Lazarus had lain after I shot him. I took a long, deep whiff of his blood, and then licked it, letting his scent fill my nose. With grim satisfaction I turned to Tate.
"I"ve got him. Give me the transmitter and follow me by car. When I stop moving, that means he "s down. We"ll find out what he knows."
"Cat..." Tate looked in wonder at his hands and then around the cave. I knew he was experiencing more than he had before. "I feel..."
"I know. Let"s go."
SEVEN.
THE BULLETS SLOWED LAZARUS, SILVER BEING kryptonite for vampires. Lazarus had used his power to heal himself, but because he hadn"t fed yet, he wasn"t running on all cylinders. Most of Dave"s blood had spilled onto the ground, not in his mouth, and he"d hightailed it into the woods without stopping for another snack. I exceeded my previous maximum speeds and made up lost ground, his scent pointing the way like invisible road signs. Furthermore, I knew these woods. This was where Bones had trained me. Roots and potholes Lazarus stumbled on, I vaulted over with ease while the memories came so hard and fast, I could almost hear his voice behind me, that English accent mocking.
Is this the best you can do, Kitten? That all you"ve got? You move that slowly and you"ll be nothing more than a flush in some bloke"s cheeks...come on, Kitten! This is a death match, not a b.l.o.o.d.y tea party!
G.o.d, how I"d hated him those first few weeks, and oh! how I "d do anything to turn back the clock and be there again.
Recollection spurred me on faster. I smelled Lazarus about five miles ahead. He couldn"t scent me yet, being upwind, but soon he would hear me. I hoped he was afraid. If he wasn"t, he would be.
Lazarus broke through the trees to cross over a road, dodging traffic going both ways. Moments later I followed. Brakes screeched as drivers stopped in confusion with the blurs slicing in front of them. Across backyards and over railroad tracks I chased him, closing the distance between us. I could see him now, barely a mile away and heading for a lake. There was no way I could let him get to it. He"d lose me in the water with my dependency on oxygen. I reached down for something more to inspire me, and once again came up with a pair of dark brown eyes.
Don"t fret, luv. I"ll be back before you know it.
The last words Bones said to me. The last time I heard his voice. That was all the motivation I needed. Maybe if I ran fast enough, I could take it all back and feel his arms around me one more time...
I tackled Lazarus from behind less than twenty yards from the water. The silver knife molded around my hand drove with all my anguish into his heart, but I didn"t twist it. Not yet. We had some talking to do first.
"How"s that feel, Lazarus? Hurts, doesn"t it? You know what really hurts? If it moves the slightest bit..."
I gave the blade a tiny shift. He got the picture and froze, his silvery eyes bleeding to green. "Release me at once," he commanded in a resonating voice.
I laughed maliciously at him. "Nice try but no cigar. Vampire mind control doesn"t work on me, pal. Know why?"
For the first time, I let him see the flare in my gaze. With all the bullets I"d shot into his face, he"d missed it before.
Lazarus stared at my glowing eyes uncomprehendingly. "It can"t be. You breathe, your heart beats...it"s impossible."
"Yeah, isn"t it? Life"s a b.i.t.c.h and then one stabs you."
A car screeched to a halt, then running footsteps. I didn"t need to look away to know it was Tate, Juan, and Cooper.
"Well, amigos, look what the cat dragged in," Juan drawled venomously. Their guns were drawn and pointed. Lazarus tried the mind control once more.
"Shoot her. You want to shoot her. Kill her," he ordered, glaring at them.
"We don"t want to shoot her," Tate corrected, firing a single round into Lazarus"s leg. "We want to shoot you."
Lazarus screamed once and then twice when Cooper squeezed a shot off as well, striking him in the thigh.
"Hold your fire...for now. I have some questions for him. And I"m hoping he"ll be stupid and give me an excuse to carve him up like he did that couple last night."
Lazarus was dumbfounded at his helplessness. "What are you? How are your men not under my control?"
"Because they just drank the juice out of your buddies back there and they have undead blood running in their veins. Like a remote control with low batteries, your signals aren"t getting through. Now, enough of this s.h.i.t. I"m going to ask questions, and my friends here are going to cut something off you every time you don"t answer me. Gather "round, boys. Plenty of flesh for everyone."
They crouched over Lazarus, and every hand gripped a knife. I smiled as I flipped Lazarus over, cradling him on my lap with the silver still imbedded in his back.
"Now tell me, how did you meet Danny Milton..."
The helicopter carried away Dave"s body, and the three of us watched it disappear into the sky. Our chopper with the rest of the team waited nearby. We were the only ones who hadn"t boarded.
"Is this what you feel like every day, Cat? Stronger, faster...superior? That"s what I feel like with this c.r.a.p in my body.
Superior. It scares the h.e.l.l out of me."
Tate spoke quietly, no need to shout even with the rotating blades churning up around us. My reply was low as well. For the next few hours, he"d hear the softest whispers from a block away.
"Believe me, Tate, seeing Dave without his throat makes me feel anything but superior. Why didn "t you listen to me and deploy that missile? He"d be alive now if you had."
Juan touched my shoulder. "Dave wouldn"t do it, querida. He said no way was he going to detonate. Said we"d get to drag your a.s.s out for once. Then we went to the cave..."
"It"s not your fault." My tone was brittle. "It"s mine. I told you not to fire. I should have warned you about the vampire first.
First, before I said anything else." Abruptly I turned away and walked to the helicopter. I was almost to the door when Cooper spoke. He hadn"t said a word to me since the cave.
"Commander."
I stopped and waited. My spine was straight.
"Yes, Cooper?" Any accusation I deserved. I was in charge and a man had died. The buck stopped with me.
"When I first heard what you were, I thought you were a freak." His voice was matter-of-fact. "Or an accident of nature, a mistake-I don"t know. But I know this. You lead, and I"ll follow. Just like Dave did. He didn"t make a mistake by doing that."
Cooper pa.s.sed by me and climbed into the chopper. Tate and Juan each took my hand, and together we went inside.
Don tapped his pen on the report in front of him, one of several. We were both depressed. Dave"s funeral had been earlier today. Before joining us, Dave had been a fireman, so it seemed everyone from his old precinct was there. Seeing Dave "s sister crumple as she closed the lid on his coffin would haunt me forever. Two days had pa.s.sed since we returned from Ohio, and Don was reading the final descriptions of what happened.
"Four years ago, after you rescued your mother when she "d been kidnapped by vampires, stories spread about a redheaded human with incredible abilities. After your years with us, those rumors increased. Lazarus was then subsequently hired to track down and kill this mysterious "Red Reaper."" Don sighed. "Which still doesn"t explain how he tied Catherine Crawfield to you. You weren"t able to make him tell you that?"
"No." My voice was flat. "He struggled as we were questioning him and my knife shredded his heart. How he found out the Red Reaper is really the supposedly dead Catherine Crawfield, I don"t know. Maybe it was just a lucky guess, like how he found the cave by reading old police reports that had me pegged in that area of the woods. Danny he found because the jerk apparently liked to brag about how he slept with the infamous governor murderer."
"And the "here, kitty kitty"?"
"Years ago Hennessey, the vampire who"d been running the old governor"s operations, knew me as Cat. He must have repeated it to people." Don rubbed his forehead, a sign he was tired. We were all tired, but I couldn"t sleep, only seeing Dave"s throat when I closed my eyes.
"I suppose all that matters is that Lazarus didn"t know your current ident.i.ty. On to the next concern. You were clocked at speeds of up to eighty miles an hour when you chased down Lazarus, and some of the team said that after the three of you left the cave, you came out with blood on your faces. Anything you want to tell me about?"