Bound by Blood (Vampire Romance) (16 page)

 He tried to call them back, to stay their flight, but they were already out of his reach and he wasn’t sure he could withstand the sanctuary. “Lisa!” He heard her halt, but she hadn’t started back in his direction. God would not have let them get her.

Janelle stood in front of him, nearly on top of him, but then backed some way off. She looked around in distaste. “Did you think this could protect you?”

“Not exactly.” That wasn’t his intent. He planned to save the other two.

“You know, it is very unusual that all this,” she waved her had about encompassing the altar and sanctuary, “has so little affect on you, Alex.”

He forced himself to focus on what was unfolding in front of him, not to worry about Lisa and Cassandra. They would get to Philip, he had to believe that. “You seem to be coping fairly well.”

She smiled at that, but didn’t come much closer. “To an extent.”

He hoped that extended to her powers, but from the way she smiled he sincerely doubted it.

“You were foolish to let the child go.”

He raised one eyebrow at that. “What can she possibly give you?”

“Tsk, tsk.” She came closer now, in arm’s reach, and extended her hand to pat his face, although she kept her distance.

“You must have heard by now. She has your blood, of course.”

“And this is important, why?”
She gave a genuine laugh that time. “Come, Alessandro. There are not many vampires who have their own progeny, and you know it.”

He did know it. In a way it served as a reminder as to how foolish a mortal he had been. Most of the others had been much younger than himself. “But there are others.”

“True, but it’s yours that is important, and you know it. Why do you persist in this? The child can mean nothing to you.”

“Yet you just admitted she carries my blood.”

Janelle gave an elegant shrug. “True, but you are so far removed it cannot possibly matter, but then you are not typical of our sort.”

“And you are?”

“Carlos is.”

He refrained from rolling his eyes. Stupid was not appealing in man or vampire.

“Then you don’t need me.”

“No, I don’t. But I do need what you have.” She held out her hand.

He looked at her questioningly although he suspected there was only one thing she could want. He folded his arms over his chest, increasing his bulk. The ruby glinted in the light of the candles, shooting sparks she followed with her gaze.

“I have nothing for you.”

“Your ring,” she stated, wiggling her fingers in her outstretched hand.

“It stays with me.” Oddly enough, he realized, he couldn’t think of one instance of when he had removed it in all the years he owned it, the centuries and decades. There had never been a need, and oddly enough, he always felt protected with its presence. It wasn’t a thought he could explore at the moment. Now he needed to figure out the best time to exit. He no longer heard Lisa or Cassandra and hoped they were safe.

His momentary distraction was apparently all Janelle needed. The slight turn of his head kept him unaware of Janelle’s nearness until she was practically on him. He leapt away from her, but not quickly enough. With preternatural speed she reached for his hand with the ring. She nearly had it from him, when he twisted, backhanding her with enough force for her to fly against the altar. She screamed in pain but he didn’t think it was from the physical blow. He took it as his cue to leave. Even if he had to suffer the same pain as he crossed the altar, it was the only way to reach Lisa. And Cassandra, he reminded himself. Appalling how often he had to remind himself of his first mission.

He made it to the altar before he felt any pain. There was a burning sensation, but one he could withstand. Would have to withstand as he crossed the sanctuary. As he raised his hand to shield his eyes from the heat, to try and keep moisture in, he raised the hand with the ring. The brightness of the stone caught his attention. He swore it was brighter than usual, but his intent was to move, not admire a ruby.

The heat seared his skin, and he could feel blisters rising on his exposed flesh, but he pressed on. He needed to get to Lisa. He no longer heard Janelle, not that he was using his precious energy or resources to listen for her. If he was feeling this much heat at this point, she must be in agony. That was fitting.

Finally, he made it to the door. As he pushed through and practically stumbled down the stairs leading to the outside hard hands grabbed him. He had been a fool to not realize someone would be waiting for him. He fought, but knew the futility of it with his strength depleted from the pain. Then he felt a tremendous blow to the side of his head. His last thought was if he had been mortal it would have killed him.

He awoke some time later to full darkness. Groggily, he pulled himself to a sitting position and leaned against the cool wall of the building and let his head rest against that support for a moment as he gained his bearings. He was still on the church grounds. The dampness of the earth filled his senses, but he didn’t think he was in the basement. The girls, was his immediate first thought. He would have jumped to his feet, but that proved too strenuous at the moment. Slowly, he turned, and used his hands to practically pull himself up the side of the building. Once standing, he realized he was in the stair well leading to the basement from the outside. The roof and brick side walls made it a snug place. From the scent of it, it hadn’t been used in decades. He couldn’t fathom why he was so weak!  As he grasped the wall, he noticed it; his ring was gone.
The ring that had not left his finger in centuries was gone. He stared at the empty space on his finger and supposed he should be glad they left him his finger. As soon as he regained his strength, he would go for them. It’s not as if it was a secret who took it.

He leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. Why was he not recovering? The area was dark, and he would hazard a guess he had been here for some time.

Instinctively, he patted the pockets of his jacket, then his pants. Then he felt it. The heat made him pull his hand away. It had to be silver. That puzzled him for a moment. He could now feel the heat through the cloth, but the element itself was weakening him, much more so than what he had touched at Philip’s. Whatever it was had to be removed. Since he couldn’t touch it, the only thing he could think of doing was removing his pants. Unbuckling the belt alone nearly taxed his strength. Balancing on the stairs, and leaning against the wall, he managed to unfasten, then unzip them. Thankful for the modern technology of zippers rather than buttons, it all took much longer than he could have thought possible. Each slight action called for him to pause. Finally, he kicked them free and nearly instantly felt a surge of energy. Quickly, he picked up the pants and turned them upside down, shaking out whatever had held him captive. It was more than he thought – definitely more. A brick of silver. Small enough to fit in his pocket, but solid enough to cause pain, tumbled out. He slipped his pants back on and then stepped as close as he dared to study it. A mortal must be working with Janelle. There was no possible way she could have touched it.

Chapter 17

Lisa had never been so frightened in her life. She drove on the main thoroughfares although the short cuts would bring her to Louis’s office complex much quicker.

She would have much preferred Philip’s but keeping Alex’s warning in mind that the man was mortal; she didn’t want to endanger the priest. She had a feeling Louis could take care of himself. After all, he was over five hundred years old. She still couldn’t wrap her head around that.

“I want to go home, Lisa.”

“I know, honey, but we can’t just yet.” She stopped at a red light, so risked looking at the child. She looked exhausted. And no wonder. “We have to visit one more place, Sandy, then I think we can go home.” She hoped they could. And why in heaven’s name hadn’t Alex let her call the Morgans? They had to be worried sick.

She pulled into the parking lot, and then making sure no one was about, helped Sandy from the car and headed for the office building. There was still a porter on duty and he welcomed them as they rushed in. By the time she made it to Louis’ office, the door was open for her and he greeted her.

“Where’s Alessandro?”

“I…I don’t know.” She pushed Sandy into the room ahead of her. By his nature, she half expected Alex to be here before her. That he was not was worrisome.

Louis looked at the girl then motioned Lisa in, closing the door behind her. “So this is the child?” He studied her with an unblinking gaze.

Sandy shrunk back against Lisa, who held her firmly, but turned to answer Louis. “The one that was missing? Yes.” She gave him a warning look. If he was going to say anything else to frighten Sandy, she would hit him over the head, or at the least kick his shins, she thought eyeing up his six foot frame.

He smiled at her then, and she had to blink at the brightness. He was a very attractive man, and she felt ridiculous for noticing such a thing now. Besides, she reminded herself, he wasn’t even human. But neither was Alex.

“Sit down,” he said, pointing to the bank of sofas she remembered from her last visit. “You must be tired,” he told Sandy. Why don’t your rest while your nanny and I talk.”

Sandy slid closer to Lisa who gave her a reassuring hug. “It’s all right, Sandy. We came here for help, so I’m going to talk to the man for a bit. You may sleep.” She dropped a kiss on the girl’s head, and allowed her to nestle against her. It was only moments before her weight increased as sleep overcame her.

As if sensing her discomfort, Louis came to pick up the sleeping child, but Lisa pulled her tighter.

“I’m only offering to move her so you will be more comfortable.”

She nodded, but still felt skeptical at least until he actually laid Sandy down on the couch.
What did she really know of these vampires?

“Now tell me.”

Lisa stood up and started pacing, alternately running her hands through her hair and wrapping them around herself. “I don’t know where Alex is.” She took a shuddering breath. “He made us leave the church –“

“Church! Only Alessandro! Which, do you know?”

Quickly, she told him. But when he started to stand, she stopped him, saying the other vampire might no longer be there. “We’re here because he shoved us out the door when he thought there was danger.”

“Carlos?”

“I suppose.” She shook her head. “I truly don’t know. He practically pushed us out the door and said go somewhere safe. He had warned me about going to Monsignor Philip’s.”

“He trusts him with his life. More.”

“I know,” she told him. “But he’s mortal and I didn’t want anything to happen to him because of me.”

He started at her use of ‘mortal,’ Noting it, she gave him a tired smile. Never would she have thought she would have to differentiate between normal people and other beings. “Alex explained a few things to me,” she said simply. “As for Monsignor, I know I need to speak to him, but I don’t want to endanger him.”

“A wise decision,” he acknowledged, “but where is Alessandro?”

She bit her lip. “I don’t know! He said for us to leave and he would be right behind, but he wasn’t. He’s not here.”

She watched Louis tilt his head, as if listening, then he stood. The door was open before he reached it and Alex slowly walked in. Without thinking, Lisa launched herself at him, assuring herself he was in one piece. He staggered from the force, and caught them both. Louis closed the door behind them.

Lisa pushed away, self consciousness.
How could she have done such a thing?
What would he think?
He would be glad to leave them at the Morgan’s.

Without a word, Louis went to his small refrigerator and stooped to remove a small bottle, then walked to the bar sink for a glass. He poured the liquid and brought it over to Alex. “You look as if you need this.”

Alex reached for the glass with a trembling hand and would have dropped it if Louis hadn’t caught and held it while Alex drank. She was confused by his apparent weakness. It was dark, hadn’t he said vampires got stronger in the dark?

Gripping the glass over Louis’s hand, he drained the contents before pushing it away. Alex turned slightly away from her and faced Louis, as if he was ashamed for her to see him like this. That made no sense. He didn’t look as if he could stand on his own for any length of time.

Seeing how weak he truly was, Lisa reached for him, but he flinched away. She struggled to not let the hurt show. It definitely put her in her place. Instead, he allowed Louis to steer him toward the chair, opposite of where Sandy rested. She bit her lip in indecision, wondering if she should pick up the child. Alex looked like he needed to lie down before he fell down.

“You should be feeling stronger,” Louis said, a frown creasing his brow as he looked down at his friend.

Alex nodded weakly. “It..was…pretty… powerful,” he gasped out the words. Then he turned and looked at Lisa practically hovering over his chair. His eyes widened as he tried to push her some distances from him.

At first, she was hurt, then she gasped, raising her hand to her lips and moving away from him. “The silver.”

Alex nodded weakly.

“There was silver?” Louis asked looking from one to the other.

“Yes,” Alex said.

“It’s on my skin,” Lisa said at the same time.

Louis looked from one to the other, but before he could comment, Lisa spoke. “Alex made sure Sandy and I had silver dust on our skin before we went to the church. But now that I think of it, why didn’t it affect you when you picked up Sandy?”

“It did. I felt the heat, but didn’t know why.”

“But you didn’t slow down,” she said thoughtfully.

“No,” he agreed. “But I did not touch her skin.” He turned to look at Alex. “That was pretty clever. Do you think it will keep Carlos at bay?”

“I think – I hope it will keep him from biting her.” He still sounded rather feeble.

“Lisa is not touching you, why do you still sound so weak?”

Alex gave a tired smile. “Silver.” He sat up straighter in the chair, but still didn’t look much recovered. “Janelle left a whole bar in my pocket.”