Angel's Pain (26 page)

The man's face turned to stone. “He killed her. It was—”

“Uh-uh. I mean what
really
happened.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Yes, you do, and you're too good at blocking your thoughts. So I'm left with no choice but to find out in my own way. Besides, I could use a boost of strength.” Without taking her eyes from him, she said, “Can you carry them both to the car, Eric?”

“I've done fine so far. I don't know what this is about, Briar, but I trust your judgment. Do what you think is necessary, but do it fast.”

She nodded, and gripped Dwyer by the front of his shirt. “Reaper's wife,” she said. “Remember.” And then she jerked him forward and sank her fangs into his throat. He struggled as she drank him into her. He fought to block his mind from thinking of the thing she'd commanded him to think about, but she drank deeply, and kept taking, and told him mentally,
I'll take it all, if you make me. And then I'll know anyway.

And then it came. Images. Memories. The truth.

She jerked free of him, her eyes still glowing, bolstered by the fresh blood, and full of energy and raw fury. When she let go of the man's shirt, he slumped to the ground.

“You make sure he talks, Eric, once Crisa and the kid are safe. We need to know how those drones are made.”

“And the rest?”

“I've got all I need.”

“You have my word,” Eric said. “He'll tell us about the drones. And I'll get the contact information on that hypnotist he mentioned, as well. Good luck, Briar.”

“Thanks.”

Swiping her hand across her mouth, she sprang from the brush and began to run. She didn't intend to use her top preternatural speed. She knew she couldn't hope to outrun the drones, not when they surrounded her on all sides. Besides, she needed to be sure they saw her and followed. Her goal was only to lead them as far from the others as possible, to give them the best possible chance for escape.

As soon as she'd put a hundred yards between herself and her cohorts, she stopped, put two fingers to her lips and cut loose with an ear-splitting whistle.

She felt the attention of every drone in the forest turn toward her. And then she turned and ran.

Even as she raced through the forest, running at a high speed that was still a nearly mortal pace, she felt something swelling in her chest. A feeling she could barely believe existed in her. It was, she thought, the realization that what she had been denying for so long was nothing more than the truth. Okay, she cared about them—about Crisa, about Matt, about all those sappy white-hats in Reaper's gang—more than she cared about her own safety.

More than any of them, though, she cared about Reaper, and it was him she imagined herself running toward as she moved through the night.

And even though she was facing death right then, the feeling that suffused her wasn't a bad one. It actually felt good to care. As if a long dormant part of her heart had suddenly been reactivated. Jump-started. Electro-shocked into life.

 

“Here they come!”

Ilyana heard Topaz's shout and spun to face the clinic door even as it burst open.

The first man who came through, shoved from behind, was a mortal. It surprised Ilyana that she could tell the difference now with no more than a swift glance, but she could. She'd spent enough time around the undead to have learned the subtle differences. This man was haggard, exhausted, afraid, as he stumbled into the room.

Behind him was Eric Marquand, with Crisa in his arms. She was limp and still dead, by all appearances, but Ilyana knew that looks could be deceiving in Crisa's kind. They all looked dead when they rested.

As she watched, the other vamps crowded the doorway. Jack took hold of the mortal by one arm. “You're Dwyer?”

“He is,” Marquand said. “See to it he's unable to run away.”

“Got it.” As Jack pulled away from the throng with Dwyer in a firm grip, Marquand handed Crisa off to Seth. “Get her onto a table and get some blood into her. We need to operate immediately.”

Seth nodded, taking Crisa, turning away and heading into the treatment room. Vixen, Topaz and Mirabella followed. And then Marquand lowered his head and turned slightly, extending a hand. “Come on, son. It's all right now.”

As he spoke, Eric stepped aside.

Matt came in slowly, his eyes huge as he looked around the room. Ilyana sucked in a gasp, and his eyes flew straight to her. And then he ran to her, crossing the room in a heartbeat and flinging himself into her arms.

She hugged him hard as tears flooded down her face. She ran her hands through his hair over and over, and she held on as if she would never let go. When she finally did, it was only to kneel in front of him and kiss his damp cheeks.

“Dad told me you were dead,” Matt said, his words broken, his voice hoarse. “But then I found out you weren't.”

“No, I'm not. I'm fine, and now you're with me. Everything's going to be okay now, baby, I promise. We'll never be apart again.”

“If he finds us—”

She clutched him tighter. “We have friends now, Matt. Powerful friends.” As she said it, she lifted her head to find Roxy smiling down at her, standing very close by. Beyond her, the others were watching through a doorway, and Eric was there, as well. “They'll protect us,” Ilyana said. “He'll never get you again, not with them helping us.”

Matt sniffled and frowned, pulling away far enough to stare into her face. “But I thought you
hated
vampires.”

“I thought so, too.” She wiped a tear from her cheek.

“But they brought you back to me. I can't hate anyone who would give me something so precious, now can I?”

“They're good,” Matt said. “They really are. I can tell, you know.”

“I know you can,” she said.

“Even Briar,” he added very softly, almost whispering.

And as soon as he said it, Ilyana frowned and looked around the room again, her gaze settling at last on Eric.

“Where
is
Briar? And what about Reaper? Why aren't they with you?”

“There's not much time, so I'll explain as I work.” Eric marched into the treatment room, unloading the files from the satchel over his shoulder as he did. He spread them on a table, noting, as he did, an open door to a closet, where Dwyer sat on the floor, bound and gagged, beside another man, a mortal, dressed only in a T-shirt and boxer shorts.

Eric frowned.

“Cop,” Jack said, closing the door on the two captives. “Came to check out a neighbor's report of movement in here after hours. Guy was too strong-willed for mind control, but we managed to force him to radio in that all was clear. Then I put on his uniform to drive his car out of here, in case the neighbor who called in was watching for that.”

“Where's the car now?” Eric asked.

“Hidden. Safe. But you can bet his absence won't go unnoticed long. There will be more of them.”

Eric nodded. “Go through these files. I need anything that looks like an X ray or a diagram of Crisa's skull, so I can see where the chip is.”

One of the captives thumped on the closet door. Eric ignored the sound and turned to the cabinets, opening them, and removing items and instruments one after the other. “Did you get some blood into her?”

“Tried,” Vixen said softly. “She can't seem to swallow.”

Nodding, Eric went to the table, where two units of blood rested. He hung one bag on an IV pole and quickly ripped a needle free of its plastic protection, inserted it into one of Crisa's veins, taped it in place and finally connected the long tube that ran from the bag. He made some adjustments and watched as the blood began to flow into her body.

“We don't know for sure what happened to Reaper,” he said as he worked. “He went to the front door to distract Gregor, giving Briar and me time to access the basement lab through a hidden passage—one I knew about but was fairly certain Gregor didn't. We found Matthias and Crisa there, and carried them out. We never heard anything from Reaper, though. And we should have, so my best bet is that Gregor has him.”

“Or has killed him,” Jack muttered.

Again one of the captives thumped on the closet door. Probably with a foot, since their hands were bound.

“Shut up in there!” Jack ordered. Then he turned his attention to Eric again. “What about Briar?”

“That one,” Eric said, and he shook his head. “We were surrounded by drones as we made our way through the woods. There was no way out. So she went off on her own, led them on a chase, to give us time to get to the car and get away.” He looked at them each in turn, his gaze lingering on Ilyana. “I tried to talk her out of it, but she was having none of that. Said it was more important that Matthias and Crisa get to safety, said she was going back anyway, for Reaper.”

Ilyana blinked. “
Briar
said that?”

“I tried to make her take me with her, Mom,” Matt said. “I told her the drones wouldn't hurt her if I was with her, but she wouldn't let me go. She said to tell you…” He sniffed and closed his eyes.

Ilyana knelt and clasped his shoulders. “What did she say to tell me, hon?”

“To take good care of me. And that for a human, you're not so bad.”

Ilyana stared at him, dumbfounded. And then she rose slowly, and looked at Jack. “We have to get her out of there.”

Again one of the captives thumped the closet door. Jack grimaced, stomped to the door and yanked it open, glaring down at Dwyer. “What the hell is it?”

Dwyer made muffled sounds behind his gag, so Jack knelt and yanked it downward. The man licked his lips and said, “You won't find any X rays in those files. But you don't need them. The chip's on the right side, toward the front of her head. If you shave the hair away there, you'll see the spot marked by an X-shaped scar.”

Eric came toward him. “I'll need a drill to get through the skull, correct?”

“No,” Dwyer said. “We used a small bore to remove a circle of the bone, and we didn't replace it.”

Eric frowned. “Pull him out of the closet and untie him. Clearly he can assist in this procedure.” He nodded at the officer, who looked confused and terrified. “Sir, you have my assurances that you'll be out of here just as soon as possible, unharmed. Be patient just a bit longer.” Then he looked at the others. “Is it really necessary to put the poor man to so much discomfort?”

“I'll see to him, Eric,” Mirabella said. “I quite agree with you.” The others frowned at her, and she pursed her lips. “Really, there's simply no excuse for bad manners.”

As Jack hauled Dwyer out of the closet and untied him, Seth spoke up. “We need to go after Briar and Reaper. How many of us do you need here to help you with Crisa and our two unwilling guests, Eric?”

Eric considered the question for a moment. “Leave me Roxy and Ilyana. Matthias, of course, needs to stay here for his own safety. One other vampire should be enough to ensure we keep our captives in line and get through this undiscovered.” He looked around the room. “Mirabella, will you stay?”

“Of course,” she told him.

“Good.” He glanced at Seth. “Take the others and go. You know where the mansion is?”

“Yes.”

“Be careful. There are around two dozen of those…creatures guarding the place, and I have no doubt Gregor will be expecting you.”

“Got it. Let's go.”

“One other thing, Seth. You all know the word that launches Reaper into an uncontrolled murderous rage, correct?”

“Nightingale,” Seth said.

“The word to return him to normal is mongoose.”

Seth's brows went up. “How—”

“Briar traded the CIA man his life for it, just before she went off to put her own on the line,” Eric said. “I figured you all ought to know, just in case. Using the word is a better option than darting the poor man, after all.”

“Thanks.” Seth frowned. “Though I have to admit, I'm going to miss having an excuse to shoot the son of a gun from time to time.” He looked at the clock on the clinic's wall. “We only have a few hours until sunrise. Let's move.”

“Seth, I parked around the block, to avoid having the car seen here.” Eric tossed him the keys. Then he eyed the instruments on the tray, completely focused now on the task before him: Crisa, and removing that chip from her brain.

Seth and the others trooped out the door, closing it behind them. The remaining group gathered around Crisa, who lay draped in sheets on the stainless steel table. “Roxy,” Eric said. “I need something to clip her hair, and a razor to shave it once I find the spot.”

Roxy rattled through some drawers and brought the required items to him. Eric bent over Crisa's head, moving her hair with his fingers. When he found the spot he was looking for, he turned on the electric clippers Roxy had located and they began to buzz softly.