Blood Eternal (13 page)
Grimly, despite the sudden chill in her blood, Elizabeth begged to differ. It felt like some weird challenge, turned the lethal battle into a desperate game of tag—or “tig,” as she’d called it growing up in Scotland. The vampire’s limbs moved fast enough to blur, feinting and lunging, pulling back and grabbing. And yet it wasn’t impossible speed like Luk’s; it was nothing she couldn’t deal with. She found she could counter his every move, dodging each grab, reading each feint, and blocking every blow.
She couldn’t help the sudden, soaring triumph, but neither could she afford to draw this out. A glimpse of István, driving his vampire back into Mihaela’s waiting stake, warned her to finish it. Ducking beneath the vampire’s sweeping arms, she sprang up within them and stabbed him through the heart. His ludicrous expression of surprise before he turned to dust made her almost sorry the game was over.
Spinning to face the other fight, she saw that the vampire had managed to turn on Mihaela. István, picking himself off the ground, leapt on the vampire’s back and plunged his stake.
With a yell of fury, cut off like a switch, the vampire exploded into silvery dust. Elizabeth skidded to a halt beside István, who gasped, presumably as he absorbed the rush of the vampire’s strength, and grinned through it at Elizabeth and Mihaela. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure,” Elizabeth said faintly. “Any more of them?”
István glanced at the detector fastened to his wrist. “Not that I can see.”
“We need to check the rest of the house, though,” Mihaela said prosaically.
Together, they went back inside, relocking both doors. Then they went through each room in the house, including Elizabeth’s and finally Konrad’s once more. The injured hunter appeared to be quite recovered, standing guard over his broken window with characteristic impatience.
To be on the safe side, Elizabeth accompanied István out to the garden again, while Mihaela guarded the front door. All was quiet, save for a cockerel farther down the street. István collected some wood intended for the barbecue, and took it inside to board up Konrad’s window.
That done, they all wandered into the dining area and sat down around the table. Elizabeth got up and switched the kettle on, just as the dawn call to prayer began.
She smiled. “Why is that sound so comforting?” “Because you’re still alive to hear it?” Mihaela suggested.
“It’s an affirmation of all the goodness and beauty in the world,” István said surprisingly.
Konrad smiled faintly. “Is that official Islamic doctrine, Professor?”
“No. It’s my personal interpretation.”
Only as Elizabeth set the coffee and cups on the table did she realize that none of them was dressed. She herself wore the sexy nightdress that had inspired Saloman to frequent passion in the past—now slightly torn from the fight. The men had only boxers on, displaying their pleasingly muscled if slightly scarred torsos to the world, while Mihaela wore a skimpy pair of shorts and a top.
Mihaela met her gaze with slightly embarrassed humor. “Maybe we should put clothes on to have coffee,” she suggested.
“Stuff clothes,” said Elizabeth, flopping down beside her. “They’re overrated.”
Mihaela raised her cup in a silent toast.
Konrad sighed. “Well, it looks as if Saloman’s guess as to location was right. We are only ten miles from Fethiye. He just got the mission wrong.”
Elizabeth looked at him. “You think that’s who it was? Dante’s minions?”
Konrad shrugged. “A gathering of five vampires in a place this size is rare. As is an attack targeted specifically at hunters. Also, from what you said, they knew how to fool the detectors. That has to have come from Dante.”
“But how could they possibly have found us so fast?” Mihaela objected.
“A concentration of human readings?” Elizabeth suggested. “To a vampire, Konrad and I in one place is quite forceful. Only . . . you’re right. I don’t think they’d have found us so fast without help.”
“Whose help?” Konrad demanded.
He thinks it’s Saloman betraying us.
“Luk’s,” she said evenly. “He’s seen me, smelled me; he could have passed that reading on to the others, used it to guide them remotely, if you like, to our house. Three hunters, one of whom is also the descendant of an Ancient-killer, plus an Awakener, is quite a haul.”
“Luk’s,” she said evenly. “He’s seen me, smelled me; he could have passed that reading on to the others, used it to guide them remotely, if you like, to our house. Three hunters, one of whom is also the descendant of an Ancient-killer, plus an Awakener, is quite a haul.”
“And yet doomed to bring trouble,” Konrad snapped. “Vampires are rarely stupid enough to attack hunters unprovoked.”
“We’re dealing with rogue vampires here,” Elizabeth pointed out. “Dante
wants
trouble. He wants
massive
trouble to boost the rebellion in order, ultimately, to use Luk to remove Saloman. I don’t think he’s got any idea how effective hunters are against vampires—he saw Dmitriu beat up a whole team, and he’s only seen you fight in Saloman’s company, which probably gave a false impression. He probably thought you were easy meat, easy propaganda. In the short term, he may even have hoped to distract Saloman by this attack on us.”
wants
trouble. He wants
massive
trouble to boost the rebellion in order, ultimately, to use Luk to remove Saloman. I don’t think he’s got any idea how effective hunters are against vampires—he saw Dmitriu beat up a whole team, and he’s only seen you fight in Saloman’s company, which probably gave a false impression. He probably thought you were easy meat, easy propaganda. In the short term, he may even have hoped to distract Saloman by this attack on us.”
“On
you
,” said Mihaela thoughtfully. She gazed at Elizabeth. “Will it?”
you
,” said Mihaela thoughtfully. She gazed at Elizabeth. “Will it?”
“No, because I haven’t told him about it,” Elizabeth said calmly.
Mihaela said nothing more on the subject, but her gaze was uncomfortably penetrating.
After they’d chased ideas about the vampire attack around for a bit, the men went off to shower, and Mihaela leaned back in her seat, putting her rather elegant feet up on the dining table.
Elizabeth said, “Are you all right?”
Mihaela blinked. “Of course. It was the rest of you who bore the brunt. I did little more than turn up for the postshow party. Konrad owes you.”
Elizabeth brushed that aside. “I was awake. We all did what we had to. I just thought you looked . . . shaken. I’ve never seen you like that before.”
Mihaela’s gaze fell. “It threw me,” she confessed. She reached for her coffee cup and drained it before she said abruptly, “It’s not something we deal with often as hunters—vampires breaking in. It reminded me of . . . the past.”
Of the childhood attack that had killed her family. Elizabeth could only imagine the horror of that night, guess at the impact of a reminder such as tonight’s. There was nothing she could say. So she sat by Mihaela’s side in silent support until the other girl set down her cup and deliberately changed the subject.
“Heard from Josh lately?” Mihaela asked.
Josh Alexander, the American film star, was Elizabeth’s distant cousin and fellow descendant of Tsigana whom they’d been forced to rescue from Dante and his vampire allies back in May.
Elizabeth smiled. “He invited me to the premiere of
Psychics 2
, knowing I couldn’t go. But I appreciated being asked.”
Psychics 2
, knowing I couldn’t go. But I appreciated being asked.”
“Me too.”
Elizabeth did a double take to make sure she hadn’t mistaken the added smugness in Mihaela’s expression, and then she began, slowly, to smile. “
You
and Josh? Now, that I like. When did this happen?”
You
and Josh? Now, that I like. When did this happen?”
“When he stayed with me after we got him out of the castle.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Mihaela shrugged. “There wasn’t much opportunity. Things were a bit rushed before you went back to Scotland. And we were celebrating your PhD. Josh and me was no big deal. I always knew that. We’re from different worlds, with no intention of changing things. We were just both . . . needy. And he’s very sweet as well as amazingly attractive!”
Elizabeth nodded agreement. “He’s also,” she observed, “looking for something deeper than a publicity relationship. He and his wife were very close until she died.”
Mihaela’s smile was a little twisted. “Well, I can’t have a relationship at all, can I? Public or otherwise. But it was a good week. Made up for all the shit before.”
Elizabeth knew she meant more than the vampire shit; she was referring to past encounters with unworthy men. Running one finger around the rim of her empty cup, Elizabeth said casually, “Do you miss him?”
Mihaela rested her head against the back of the chair. “I like to hear from him. I miss the idea, the illusion of someone being there. Maybe I’m getting too old to be a hunter.”
“Take a holiday. A sabbatical. Hell, you’ve done more than your duty a hundred times over—retire.”
“That’s the weird thing. I don’t want that either.” She turned her head to look at Elizabeth with a hint of humor. “At the risk of sounding clichéd, a hunter isn’t what I am; it’s who I am.”
Elizabeth stared at her. “Do you never think you might be more?”
Mihaela’s gaze held, then fell, as her lips twisted into a smile. “No.”
Elizabeth rose and hugged her hard. “You’re a very wonderful person,” she said, and before Mihaela could recover from her surprise, she released her and left the kitchen. But Mihaela got the last word.
“You’re just saying that because I make better coffee than you.”
Elizabeth laughed and went on up to her bedroom, both warmed and worried by the tête-à-tête with Mihaela.
Only when she stood under the shower, constantly peering through the spray at the bathroom door, did it come to her that the house no longer felt safe.
“They’re dead,” said Luk.
In contrast to his previous behavior, characterized by stillness and long periods of blank moroseness, he was striding back and forth without pause across the cottage’s one downstairs room. They’d killed the cottage’s occupants, Luk feeding with distracted efficiency. And now, with the sun fully up, he still wouldn’t rest.
With triumphant excitement, not unmixed with wariness, Dante recognized that Luk’s memory was returning to him, bringing with it knowledge of his old talents and powers, his old grudges and enmities. This would be an important turning point for Dante, when he could easily lose his dominance, even his influence over his maker. And yet he had to feed the hatred of Saloman.
Shit, that encounter in the hills had been close. Dante had seen it all slipping away from him as Luk wept blood in his cousin’s arms. Fortunately, that had been a passing phase. Luk’s emotions toward his killer now were satisfyingly murderous.
“Dead?” Dante said eagerly. “
All
the hunters? And Elizabeth Silk? The Awakener?”
All
the hunters? And Elizabeth Silk? The Awakener?”
Luk waved one impatient hand. “No. The vampires you sent against them.”
“Damn,” Dante said, annoyed. “We needed those vampires. So Saloman went back to the hunters after all?”
“No. He stayed close to us for most of the night. The hunters and Tsigana’s descendant killed the vampires.”
Dante shut his mouth.
“Hunters are powerful enemies. They have experience killing vampires, and each kill makes them stronger. Did you not know that?”
“No,” said Dante, increasingly annoyed.
“And yet I thought you were once a hunter Grand Master.”
“Did I tell you that? I was. But to be honest, it was a largely honorary position, and I was more interested in the vampires than the hunters. Can you really tell that the vampires are dead, and who killed them?”
“Of course,” Luk said, not even sparing a pause in his pacing.
“Will I be able to do that kind of thing too?”
“In time. You have a lot to learn. You want to run before you can stand.” Now Luk did vary his stride, veering toward his creation, his expression thoughtful. “But maybe that is good. Even necessary.” He came to a standstill, gazing into Dante’s eyes with an intensity that hurt. “We need support,” he said abruptly. “Much more support.”
“Agreed. A rebellion against Saloman’s rule is rumbling just below the surface all over this country. In Istanbul, it’s well under way. You’d make an excellent leader.”
Luk appeared to accept that as his due rather than as the dubious flattery Dante had employed. “Good,” he said with a decisive nod. “Then we’ll gather support there, and then make our way to Budapest.”
“Budapest?” Dante repeated, startled. “But the rebellion’s base is here! It needs to spread all over the world! Besides, Budapest is Saloman’s more than any other city in the world! We’ll need to be
much
stronger before we can attack him there!”
much
stronger before we can attack him there!”
Luk smiled unpleasantly. “Before it was Saloman’s, it was mine.” With sudden violence, he swept all the used crockery off the table in an almighty crash that caused the other vampires slumped in the corners to leap to their feet in alarm. “There are many ways to fight,” Luk snarled. “My cousin will suffer and die, and the twin towns of Buda and Pest will see the dawn of the new age. That was always written.”
“Was it?” Dante said doubtfully. Luk’s memories and gifts may have been returning to him, but he didn’t appear to be any saner.
“Oh, yes. We need a vehicle,” Luk added abruptly. “Like the ones in the village. We used to have one, before the others found us. Can you get us another?”
Dante nodded eagerly. “Sure. And with a few adjustments—paint out the windows, that sort of thing—we can even travel by day too.”
Luk slapped him on the back. “I’m beginning to like this new age. You must instruct me as we go, and I will instruct
you
in the ways of the undead.”
you
in the ways of the undead.”
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