He raised his arms. It seemed that a huge black cloud rose all around her.
She started to scream.
The water! She had to get back to the water.
But the girls were coming for her now, lethal sirens as they rose from the surf. She dodged, trying to seek another line of escape.
There was Doug. He walked straight up to her as she nearly plowed into him, and his hand flew hard across the back of her neck.
Stars appeared before her. She began to stagger.
Arms, draped in black, swept around her.
She heard a strange, sizzling sound. Someone... cursing. "d.a.m.ned seawater!" came a growl of rage. And then, "Ah, but such a small price to pay. You are what I have been waiting for... you are what will make it complete!" she heard.
She fought for consciousness in the smothering folds of darkness.
It was a losing battle.
"What do you mean, it"s too late? Nothing is ever too late-it can"t be too late!" Grant shouted, gripping Jade by the shoulders.
"What I mean is that you won"t find her at the hospital, and we won"t find her at the resort. What we have to do is find out how to get her back and why Francois wants her so much," Jade told him.
"What are you two talking about?" Drew demanded. But looking from one to the other, he groaned. "Something is really going on here-more than even I know."
"I"m going to the dig," Grant said.
"It may not be that simple-" Jade began.
"I"m going to the dig! She"s there. I just-I just know she"s there."
"All right, all right, but... you have to go prepared," Jade said. "Let"s get back to Lucien"s cottage-I have a few things that might help you."
"Is anyone actually going to explain this to me?" Drew pleaded.
They both looked at him, mouths opening.
"No," they said in unison.
"The explanation is too long, and you won"t believe me, anyway. If anyone tries to bite you, stab at them with this!" Jade pulled the cross she was wearing from beneath her sweater and put it over his head. "Head for seawater, if you can; but just come with us now!"
"What?" Drew gasped. "Seawater?"
"It can kill a vampire. By the way, my real name is Jade. My husband is Lucien. He"s a vampire, too, but a good one."
"What? Wait!"
But Grant and Jade were already running. He had to follow. They made it back to Grant"s car. He tossed the heavy sword in back as they piled into the front. In seconds, they were back at the cottages.
The lobby was empty as they hurried through it. "I"m going to get Lena and Suzette," Drew said.
"Do it, but watch out. And if you see Doug... holler for help. If anyone gives you any trouble, just start screaming," Grant said, shouting over his shoulder as he followed Jade, right behind her as she hurried ahead to Lucien"s cottage. Bursting in, she called her husband"s name. There was no answer.
"Upstairs!" she said to Grant.
He followed her. She"d thrown open a suitcase on the bed.
It was filled with small vials of water, heavy silver crosses, and neatly aligned wooden stakes.
Staring at it, Grant shook his head. "But I thought your husband was a vampire," he said.
She shrugged dryly. "Takes one to kill one, sometimes. Get over here, stock up." As he neared her, she drew out a large silver medallion on a heavy chain. She slipped it over his neck. "Fill your pockets with the vials. Oh, and this!"
To his amazement, she handed him a kid"s squirt gun. He stared at her.
"Works wonders," she told him. "I"ve got to try to find out exactly what powers Valeria has, and how they can be stopped.
Lucien should have been able to see a resurrected vampire. He"s been blinded by Valeria"s power, and there has to be a way to defeat her-and you"ve got to be so careful. We still don"t know who we"re up against! I"ll find you as quickly as I can," Jade a.s.sured him.
He nodded, feeling desperate-and ridiculous. He felt a terrible urgency to get back to the site of the dig-after that, he didn"t know. All he knew was that he had to get there.
As he started down the stairs, there was a tapping at the door. He paused, looking back at Jade, who shrugged.
One of the stakes firmly gripped in his hands, he opened the door.
Reggie was standing there. "Grant!" she exclaimed. "Oh, Grant! Thank G.o.d. I was afraid... I was trying to get to Stephanie...
and I"m afraid it"s too late! You"ve got to go for her, help her!"
"How did you know where to find me? And what the h.e.l.l are you talking about?" Grant demanded.
"I saw you walk in here, but Grant! d.a.m.n it, that doesn"t matter! We"ve got to get to Stephanie."
He stood stiffly. "You lured her here, didn"t you, Reggie?" he asked coldly. "Why?"
"Because," Jade said softly from behind him, "she is Valeria."
"Lena? Suzette?"
The door to Lena"s cottage was standing open.
Tentatively, he pushed it open. The place was dark. He heard a giggle.
"Drew!" Suzette said from the darkness.
"Drew"s come to play!" Lena said, her voice husky, sultry.
"Hey, come on, turn a light on in here," Drew said. He wasn"t going in. Already, it seemed that the hair at the back of his neck was rising. He could smell...
Blood.
And it looked as if there was a body on the floor.
"Drew!"
Suddenly, Suzette was in front of him. Stark naked. Wet. Hair slicked back. Eyes glazed.
She reached for him. Somehow, he knew to step back. It was her eyes.
And, of course, the fact that she was naked.
"No, no! Come in!" the blonde urged.
"We can play!" Lena, every bit as sleek and sultry and bare, was right behind her. She licked her lips slowly as she looked at him.
Scream. Grant had said that he should scream.
He did.
"No fun, no fair!" Lena howled.
He turned and ran. Seawater. Liz had said to head for sea-water.
Drew headed for the beach and plowed in. He stopped, turning back. They had paused on the beach. Lena giggled.
Then they started coming for him.
"s.h.i.t!"
He let out a scream again. The two girls were several feet into the water, about to plunge beneath it.
He heard a sharp command snapped out from the beach.
"Stop!"
Suzette and Lena both froze.
Staring toward the sand, Drew saw Clay Barton. Lucien, my husband"s name is Lucien, the woman he had known as Liz, now Jade, had told him. He"s a good vampire.A good vampire?
But both Suzette and Lena slowly turned. They walked like docile little lambs to stand about five feet in front of the man. Drew emerged from the water slowly and carefully, making sure that the good vampire was between him and the girls.
Once situated behind the man, Drew was tempted to make a face at the girls. Now, their faces were just blank. It was really a bizarre sight, the two of them, the blond angel and sultry Lena, buck naked in the breeze, staring at the man as if he were their puppeteer.
"We"re going to need to restrain them," Lucien said. "Let"s go."
"Let"s go! They"ve become... harpies. There"s... there"s someone dead in their cottage!" Drew said. "And you"re walking away and they"re free, coming right behind me!"
"They"ll follow," Lucien said, taking the path toward his cottage. "Hey, please, try not to drip on me, huh?"
"Don"t drip on you-but they walked right into the water!" Drew said.
"They haven"t turned-they"re just under the influence," Lucien said.
"Under the influence, huh? I couldn"t just have friends who got drunk or did drugs, noooo, my friends have to turn into half- vampires!"
Lucien cast him a quick gaze. "You want to turn into one yourself? I didn"t think so. So come along, and pay sharp attention."
Drew took a glance behind him at the women. He hurried along at Lucien"s side.
"You bet!" he vowed nervously.
Stephanie awoke feeling the cold. She wasn"t in pain, she was simply cold through and through.
Instinct warned her that she was in danger.
She opened her eyes slowly and carefully.
At first, she saw only the gray-toned slab of rock. Puzzled, she shifted her gaze. Despite her resolve, her eyes widened.
She was in a cave. That much was easily surmised.
She was on a bed in a cave, but quite a bed-heavy wood, antique carved. It was covered with a ma.s.sive, arched canopy, and to one side, a heavy tapestry was hung. It should have given her some warmth. It did not. The fire that burned in an iron grate in the center of the area should have provided warmth as well. There was a ma.s.sive, planked table not far from the fire; huge carved chairs surrounded it.
She tried to move. She was easily able to do so. Again, she found herself perplexed, for she was no longer wearing the jeans and shirt she had soaked in the ocean. She was in a long, medieval gown that felt like some kind of velvet. It was black; even the lace that edged the hem of the skirt and sleeves was black.
"So, you are back with us!"
She jumped, and turned.Against the wall of the cave behind her was another ma.s.sive medieval chair. The man sitting in it appeared to be something of a giant, for he was wearing a huge, sweeping black mantle that gave bulk to his shoulders.
She closed her eyes for a minute, accepting that none of this was a dream. She knew him, yes, had known him... and thought so very little about him. He had just been there. And he was so different now. Gone was the lightness of features and manner that were usually his. The man"s eyes blazed; his hair seemed like ebony, and there wasn"t the least hint of laughter about his striking face.
"Giovanni," she said dryly.
He waved a hand in the air impatiently. "Francois, Comte Francois de Venue, if you care to be formal. But I will let you call me Francois."
She swung her legs to the side of the bed and sat primly, folding her hands in her lap. She was aware then of the slight pounding at her temples and the strange crick in her neck.
"I see," she murmured, wondering whether to believe in the impossible again, or deny that any of it could be. Maybe it was a dream, and she simply couldn"t awaken. "So... you are a long-dead warlord. You know, kidnapping me is not going to be helpful if you really decide that you want to be in the theater."
He smiled and rose. She thought she would jump up-jump out of her skin. But all he did was look at her, and she realized she was spellbound by the fire that seemed to burn in his eyes. She sat where she was, feeling as if there were chains about her.
"Ah, yes, the theater. I rather think I"ve outshone all the others you consider to be such good actors. Perhaps, well, later. None of that is for tonight."
She didn"t want to ask, but had to. "And what is tonight?"