Blood Sin (38 page)

Elizabeth said, “Zoltán was never trustworthy.”

“And Saloman is?” Konrad exclaimed. “Elizabeth, the bastard drank my blood!”

“But he didn’t kill you,” Elizabeth said quickly.

“Only because you were jumping up and down on his back at the time,” Mihaela said dryly. “I saw you.”

Elizabeth shrugged that off. “It’s not really relevant anyway. The point is, Saloman has found Josh and is prepared to help us rescue him.”

“If you know where he is too,” István said reasonably, “then we don’t need Saloman. We’ll go in and get him now.”

“We can’t. There are too many of them. The American vampire Travis is protecting Dante, and he has three other vampires with him. Dante has four armed human thugs.”

“So we need backup,” Konrad said, reaching for his phone.

“Maybe,” Elizabeth said urgently. “But some of us will still die. We have more chance if we make Saloman our backup. What’s more, his speed has more chance of saving Josh. We’re talking about a small tunnel, a small room already full of people. We can’t take nine or ten more humans in there and expect them to be able to fight.”

Two young men wandered onto the platform, both talking at once, and Elizabeth turned her back on them, facing the frowning hunters instead and lowering her voice. “Look, Saloman has an interest in the success of this. He wants Dmitriu alive.”

“And the sword,” Mihaela said in a hard voice.

Elizabeth glanced at her. “And the sword. But then, everyone wants that. My first priority is Josh, not the sword. My second priority is to prevent Dante from becoming a vampire. Aren’t those things your duty too?”

“Oh, yes—along with killing vampires like Saloman and Dmitriu,” Mihaela snapped. “What’s gotten into you, Elizabeth? We’ve been hunting Saloman for more than six months. You’ve been in on at least two attempts to kill him, and now, suddenly, you want to take him along as your pet assassin? This is
Saloman
! Nobody’s pet!”

Elizabeth bit her lip on the sharp retort already forming there. She couldn’t help being hurt by Mihaela’s attitude, because although theirs was an odd and erratic friendship, they had never actually quarreled. Apart from the time she’d stormed out of the hunters’ library, but that had been aimed mostly at Konrad and initiated entirely by Elizabeth.

Gazing at Mihaela now, she recognized the desperate worry behind the anger flashing in her brown eyes. Mihaela knew there was something wrong, had known she was hiding things since she’d first arrived.

But then, she’d always hidden this from Mihaela. From all of them. It wasn’t something she could speak about easily to anyone, but she knew, at last, that she couldn’t and shouldn’t keep the secret for much longer.

She drew in her breath. “Look, I know this seems strange to you. A bizarre, untrustworthy alliance. And I know you think it’s weird that I’m even on speaking terms with Saloman. I’ll explain all that to you later, if you want me to. For now, we need to make plans to rescue Josh.”

She paused as a train raced out of the tunnel and came to a halt, silent until passengers had gotten on and off and the train pulled away again. Then, as footsteps faded away from their empty platform once more, she said, “Would it help to know that he wanted to take his vampires in and do the job without us? I persuaded him that you would be better allies for this job and he agreed—on condition you don’t kill Dmitriu.”

They were all frowning again. “Why did he agree to that?” Mihaela asked flatly. “He can’t trust us any more than we trust him.”

“Perhaps . . . because he wants you to believe he isn’t the monster you think he is.” The words came out with difficulty, and yet she was sure they were the truth.

“Is he?” István asked.

She felt the smile flicker and die on her lips without permission. “I don’t know.” She met his gaze, then shifted hers to Konrad and finally Mihaela. “But I think, at least in this case, we have to take the chance. For Josh.”

Mihaela’s breath came out in a rush. “I hope you’re right.”

Elizabeth smiled, knowing she’d won. Mihaela’s faint responding curve of the lips felt like a reward. “So do I,” she said fervently.

“We’ll talk to him,” Konrad said sternly. “I’m promising no more than that. We can’t trust the evil bastard, and that’s the bottom line.”

Elizabeth raised her voice. “Saloman.”

“Oh, shit,” said Mihaela, and Saloman strolled out of the passage on the right.

Each of the hunters made an instinctive jerk toward pockets and bags, depending on where they kept their emergency stakes. They drew infinitesimally closer together too, keeping Elizabeth within their protective circle.

Saloman looked artistic and bohemian this morning, in dark trousers and a white silk shirt with wide sleeves. His hair was tied behind his head, and he carried the familiar leather coat over one shoulder. Although he must have seen the profound, if discreet impression his presence had made on the hunters, he gave no sign of it, merely halted a couple of feet away and inclined his head like a prince greeting his subjects.

Whatever the setting and whoever else was present, he always managed to look splendid and totally in command. And sexy.

Dragging her wayward thoughts away from that direction, Elizabeth murmured, “I doubt formal introductions are necessary.”

“I don’t believe so.” Konrad stared directly at Saloman, perhaps to prove he wasn’t afraid. “The last time we met, you bit me.”

Again, Saloman inclined his head. “You tasted good,” he said politely, as if giving a compliment.

Inappropriate laughter caught at Elizabeth’s breath. Mihaela coughed, as if she too had to cover her reaction; then she said curtly, “What plan do you propose?”

“You must gain us entry to the castle before sunset. I’ll take you to the tunnel where they’re hidden and mask your presence until we break in.” He shrugged eloquently. “After that, we fight to free our friends. I will agree to protect Josh if you agree to leave Dmitriu undead.”

“Can they use the sword against us?” Konrad demanded.

“Not for long.”

“The sword must remain with us,” Konrad insisted.

“As long as I am with you.”

Konrad opened his mouth to dispute that in no uncertain terms, so Elizabeth said hastily, “Perhaps we can deal with that issue once we have our friends safe?”

“As you wish,” said Saloman. He addressed Konrad, as the leader of the team. “Be in the castle grounds by seven thirty. Elizabeth will show you the way.”

“Earlier would be better,” Konrad challenged. “We can arrange to get you there safely.”

“Shutting the castle to visitors and staff?”

“What?”

“Collateral damage,” Saloman explained. “And too high a price. Seven thirty.” He bowed his head once more and, turning, sauntered back along the platform, passing a woman with a buggy as he turned in to the exit passage.

As soon as he was out of sight, Konrad and István sprinted after him. Elizabeth and Mihaela watched in silence until they returned only seconds later.

István spread his hands wide. “Gone,” he said helplessly.

“Is this about Josh?” Mihaela said abruptly.

Elizabeth looked up, blinking. “Of course it is!”

They had gone together back to Mihaela’s flat, eaten a light meal, and were now preparing for the battle ahead. There had been no animosity apparent in Mihaela’s attitude, although Elizabeth was grateful for the silences during which they each appeared to be thinking their own thoughts.

Mihaela’s question had come out of the blue, as had her presence at the bedroom door as Elizabeth fastened her jeans.

Mihaela smiled faintly and leaned against the doorframe, watching Elizabeth clear out her bag. “No. I mean this alliance with Saloman. I understand your need to get Josh back at any price. My only worry is that your judgment has been impaired by . . . Josh.”

Elizabeth placed her charged phone and her purse back in the bag and picked up the sharpened wooden stake before she answered. “You mean am I madly in love with Josh Alexander?”

“It crossed my mind. You were talking the other night about unsuitable lovers. I can’t think of anyone less suitable to someone of deep loyalties than a movie star.”

“Actually, I’d say Josh
is
pretty loyal,” Elizabeth said judiciously. “But trust me, you’ve no need to worry on that score.”

“I do,” Mihaela said ruefully.

Elizabeth smiled. “Worry?”

“Trust you.”

Elizabeth swallowed, blinking away the sudden tears. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Mihaela came and put her arms around her. “Elizabeth . . .”

Elizabeth hugged her once, hard. “You’re right to trust me, I promise you. And if I’ve kept things from you it was because I couldn’t bear them myself. After tonight, I’ll tell you everything, if you still want to hear it.”

Mihaela drew back, gazing seriously into her face. “But you
are
all right?”

Elizabeth choked out a laugh. “In many ways I’m more all right than I’ve ever been. It’s just all so complicated. . . .” She stepped back, dashing her hand impatiently across her face. “Are Konrad and István really okay with this?”

“They trust you too. Although Konrad has a theory that Saloman plans to shut us all in the tunnel while his vampires run loose over Budapest.”

“He doesn’t need to shut us in a tunnel for that to happen.”

“That’s what I said. Shall we go and meet our evil ally and kick some foreign vampire ass?”

Elizabeth picked up her bag. “Yes, please.” She dropped her solitary stake into the bag and glanced up. “I don’t suppose you have any more stakes, do you?”

“Cupboards full of them,” Mihaela said largely, waving one hand toward the wardrobe. “Help yourself.”

Travis was bored. He’d been shut up down here for three nights already, with only the shortest of breaks to hunt, and he was heartily sick of his companions, several of whom he had to prevent from killing one another from time to time. His vampires wanted to feed on Dante’s men, who came and went more freely, but were always around at night when Dante was present. Travis didn’t have a problem with using the thugs as a food supply, but Dante forbade it, and for the moment, at least, Travis went along with him. He suspected Dante was saving them for himself, for after Dmitriu eventually turned him. Dante was the sort who would want human slaves.

In fact, pacing the room, past the recumbent, miserable human, Josh, and his own half-asleep, half-playing vampires, Travis was conscious of his increasing distaste for this adventure. It was taking far too long and he was itching to get back to America to check on his own operation and gather up what was left of Severin’s. If it weren’t for the bloody sword and Saloman’s wager, he’d have left Dante to stew. Hell, he wouldn’t even
be
here.

Travis stopped his restless prowling next to the chained-up vampire Dmitriu. There were only a few hours until sundown. When Dante wasn’t here, as now, Dmitriu’s mask of serene disdain occasionally slipped. Travis could both see and feel his agony and that added to his distaste.

Travis wanted to go home and beat his own minions into order. He wanted to run his gambling operations and bite the favored few of his guests who never remembered. He didn’t want to force this weakened yet powerful vampire—stronger than Travis, if the truth be told—to drink from Dante. In fact, Travis himself wasn’t too keen on drinking from Dante anymore. And he was aware that once Dante was turned there would be a conflict for possession of the sword. It was a conflict Travis
thought
he could win, but he had no way of knowing how death via the sword would affect Dante as a vampire. In any case, once the sword was Travis’s and he’d won his wager with Saloman, he really didn’t want to swap one rival for another.

Travis didn’t like many beings. Dante he was beginning to thoroughly dislike. Dmitriu, on the other hand, was at least interesting, if only because Travis had no idea what made him tick.

He hung there now, eyes closed, a frown on his blood-streaked brow. The hunger was making him sweat what blood he had left. And it would only get worse when the sun went down.

“Why don’t you just do it?” Travis said abruptly. “Bite the bastard, kill him, let him drink from you. Who cares? We’ll both be out of this shithole.”

Dmitriu’s brow smoothed; his eyes opened. Although he hid what he could of his pain, Travis could still see it. “I can’t,” Dmitriu said. “He smells bad. He’d taste worse.”

“It’s going to happen. Can’t you just make it easier and quicker for all of us?” What Travis didn’t want was a failed turning: for Dmitriu not to ingest enough of Dante’s blood for the turning to “take.” That would drag them back to square one, and another night in this stone coffin.

“No,” said Dmitriu. He didn’t even pretend to consider it.

Travis looked at him with curiosity. “Why not? What makes you so fucking stubborn?”

Dmitriu appeared to consider him. The veil of disdain lifted from his pain-filled eyes. “I will not abuse Saloman’s sword nor leave it with
him
. On top of which, he’s not worthy of immortality.”

“Worthy?”
Travis stared at him. “Am I worthy? Are you?”