Breach (The Blood Bargain) (31 page)

In the center of the circle of light, rising from the debris Zhang tried to run for the shadows.

He didn't get far.

Caius grabbed him by the neck with a burned, bloody arm. Without the shadows, their fight became a contest of mortal strength. Zhang despite his eons of life was but a small boy, weak and breakable. Despite his extensive injuries Caius pummeled Zhang mercilessly while his victim's minions observed from the light's edge.

Such a thing, to be mortal.

Staggering on my feet I watched with satisfaction as Caius landed blow after blow upon Zhang's face, his thick knees planted on the boy's chest to hold him in place. His breathing labored, Caius heavy shoulder hunched as exhaustion set in. Clasping a piece of splintered wood from amid the sheet rock and rebar he smiled through his broken jaw. "Born from the earth...so shall you return..." With an animalistic howl, he drove the makeshift stake into Zhang's heart. The elder vampire convulsed, his form morphing into red ash, carried away by the breeze.

Listing to the side, Caius began coughing. Blood on his lips. The injuries; the broken bones, the burns, the blood loss. He wasn't going to heal in the sun.

"Candice...Rylie..." I tried to call out, but my words were little more than an audible croak.

I saw no one in the room at that moment besides Caius, everyone else was lost in the dark shadows of the room. He was dying. I had to save him. It was fuzzy, my hands dragging the ripped, burned remains of a curtain panel. My feet carrying me into the center of the light. Arms throwing the cumbersome cloth over him as the ground became too close. Laying by the edge of the sunlight, I fought off the need to sleep.  There was something moving in the shadows right in front of me.

Fangs bared, hissing in my direction, their hands formed into claws while hatred flowed from their eyes so thickly it was almost tangible. A scene frightful enough to regain control over my vertebrae.  Standing up, I stumbled back further into the light. “Come on assholes, step forward and I’ll kill you.” I slurred, baring my teeth although I had no impressive canines.

“The sun always sets
human
.”

“And rises anew
vampire
.” I spat right back at whichever one had spoken.

There was movement behind me, Caius’ cloaked form getting to his feet with Candice doting at his side. I turned my head to the side, what I saw was nothing more than miraculous.

Under the thick blackened cloth his skin was knitting shut before my eyes, the shrapnel embedded by the ceiling collapse being pushed out of his muscle and falling to the floor at his feet with a soft metallic sound. In mere seconds his injuries morphed from deep disfiguring tears in his flesh to merely purple mars associated with bruising. Another bat of my eye, and he was as I had always known him. Tall, dark, handsome and-a new one-severely pissed off.

His lips peeled back from his blood covered fangs as he let out an unholy deafening roar that was nothing short of a lion. The sound vibrated the ground causing shattered glass and bits of metal to dance about. The expressions of the two in the shadows changed quickly. In an instant they went from heavy handed predators ready to strike to prey.  Mouths falling slack while their eyes widened in fear.

"By law you are mine. Concede or parish."

The white suit fell to his knees, while the large one bared his teeth. Caius ripped his head off his shoulders with his bare hands, then threw it out of the giant hold in the ceiling. He threw it. Like a football. It had to have been my head injury, I should not have found that as hilarious as I did. Just
whooom, up into the sky and-

"Whoa easy
easy..." Someone was holding my shoulders. Someone strong. Smelled good. "You about fell over."

"Hi
Rylie." I looked up at him under heavy lids. "Did you see that? Touchdown..."

"Yeah okay. I think you need to lay down for a bit. You're bleeding." Looking down I frowned, I thought this dress was purple not red. Must have been the lighting...

"Nope. I'm fine."

"Like hell."
Rylie looked away from me. "Candice, when you're done with that I could use some help over here." I followed his gaze, Candice was twisting a little key into the thick clasp of-

“
Dimitri...” I gulped, pushing off of Rylie with shaking hands. Repeatedly tripping forward, rather than running over to them. There were a lot of people speaking, voices in the room I heard but did not care what their words were. My eyes were focused on Dimitri. His head rose briefly, bloodshot eyes rolling in their sockets focusing on nothing.

“
Dimitri stay with me okay? We’re getting you out of here.” Whispering I touched his shoulder lightly only to recoil. Ice cold.  His cracked lips opened, the words that followed were none I understood. Prayers in an ancient language that continued at a steady rhythm. It had to have been Greek, for I swore I heard him murmur a familiar name. The goddess he had once claimed I reminded him of, Pallas Athene. When Candice got the collar off he crumpled to the ground, I tried sit him up but his weight was too much. Gently I tried to prop him up against the wall in the most comfortable looking position I could manage, my alarm growing. His eyes were shut, his head bowed, the beautiful prayers he had been chanting had ceased.

“You need to feed.” I moaned, raising my wrist to his lips.

A strong hand stopped me, a long fingered delicate female hand.  “He’ll kill you, he needs too much.” Candice spoke softly to me as she gently pushed me out of the way.  I watched with morbid fascination as she grabbed the body of one of the Lake City natives from the ground, dragging it over to Dimitri’s crumpled form. In a clean strike she tore open the neck, forcing the wound into Dimitri’s face. At that point biology took over, his fangs elongated sluggishly. With a dull hiss, he bit down on the man, wrapping his pale arms around the body to hold it in place. The ligature marks on his wrists faded, his skin darkened from almost translucent white to a healthy tan. His dark hair appeared to thicken, replacing streaks of gray with healthy glow. When he let go of the body, he was the Dimitri I remembered. Ethereally handsome, eyes as blue as ice in the winter’s sky, a body that was lean but defined. My poisonous flower.

“Evelyn...” He murmured looking at me, his mouth still lined with blood. From his tone it sounded as though he was questioning if I was really standing before him. I smiled, tears welling in my eyes. I had found him. D. I took a step forward, reaching out-

-and punched him in square in the mouth with every last bit of strength I had.

In a blur of motion, Caius was at his side, effectively blocking my path. The two men linked arms, hand to elbow and spoke at length in a language I did not know. It was not the same pretty words he had uttered in prayer. This was more Slavic, with harder consonants and trills.

I fell back from the display, allowing heavy hands to carry me.

Caius smiled. A full, happy smile. Something I had never seen on his face before in my life. With his free arm he clapped
Dimitri on the shoulder, letting out a throaty chuckle. A sound that stayed with me, as I lost consciousness.

"So there we were in the center of Lake City, surrounded by the dead, when I became separated from the group. My last rounds of ammo used in the street, I had nothing to defend myself with but a pair of scissors taken off of one of the desks. As they slowly approached, yearning to feast on my living flesh, I calculated my attacks. Ha!" Zackary Graham-still decked in military threads-made a stabbing motion in the air, right to left.  Ironically almost
losing his balance. His arms waved about for a split second, his eyes wide. Unfortunately, stomping about in his heavy combat boots he managed to save a small amount of face by remaining on top of the table.  Darn, so close.

"Looks like he's still going on isn't he?"
Rylie smirked, as he slid into the booth beside me. The adoring crowd was hanging onto his every word. The garage was completely packed tonight.  Standing room only and yet, folks still trickled in.  Be it eager for a harrowing tale or a pint I couldn't tell you.

With two fingers I brushed a piece of
Rylie's dark hair out of his eyes on the good side of his face. "You going to say something?"

Rylie
shook his head, undoing my handiwork. "And ruin the entertainment?"

"Then I looked that old vampire right in the eye and said. Let. Them. Go." Zack growled, much to the hoot and hollering of the community.

"It's bullshit is what it is." Ben grumbled from across the booth. He carefully took a drink, the cup loose in his right hand. Although both were still bandaged and far from recovered, he had a hard time grabbing things with his left. The doctors thought his ligament damage may be permanent in that hand.  On the contrary my physical ailments had abated not long after we had returned home.  Caius had explained to me that quick rejuvenation was a typical side effect of the blood I had consumed. Would love to see the FDA label on a bottle of that.

"Oh come on. Anyone with half a brain cell knows he's full of it.  Relax."  Sammie kissed his cheek, cupping his chin with her slender hand. The large diamond on her ring finger sparkling in the candlelight. They'd gotten engaged the first day we returned. 

The big lug seemed to soften at her request, his freckled face lifting from glower to grin. "As you wish my beautiful darling bride." He tenderly grasped her extended hand with his battered fingers and kissed her palm.

"You two are going to make me puke." Sticking out my tongue before I took another drink.

"That would be the
booze
, Miss Younger." Rylie refilled my cup from the pitcher he had brought to the table. Collectively it was our fourth-or fifth?-round by my count.

"Mr.
Everen! If I didn't know better I would think you were trying to get me drunk."

"Not tonight, but maybe next time." He whispered in my ear. With a laugh, I kicked him under the table.

"I see windbag is at it again." Candice-no, I had to remember to call her Alyssa now that we were back in town-laughed sitting down next to Sammie.  Dressed to impress as per her new persona in a too tight charcoal gray scoop necked dress and black riding boots that would never see a horse.  Don't get me wrong Candice-err Alyssa-had always been a fashionista, but on limited wears.  With her vampiric ability to come and go as she pleased without the need to pay for her wares she'd been really going all out.

"Always.  Wow I
loooove that."  Sammie pointed to the beaded choker necklace around Alyssa's throat.  Since our return, the two of them had actually become quite good friends. They both blamed Ben for everything and he-quite wisely-agreed.

"You think he'll ever bloody stop?" Ben grumbled. "His damned kids will probably go on about it to their kids and then to their kids." The only thing that shut him up was Sammie forcing him to drink more.

"Where's...?" I started to ask, but Alyssa cut me off pointing to the bar with a long aquamarine fingernail.

"D's at the bar, trying to untangle Adam from some LC red head in a purple shirt that is
waaaay too small for her if ya know what I mean." Less than one hundred people had survived the day we invaded Lake City. When Bo put China's body up in their common room, it had the exact opposite effect than Zhang had intended. She had never told us when she was alive, but apparently the girl's mother still lived in the tower. Through her agonizing screams of revenge the death of one more innocent had been enough to dislodge the masses from their subservience to rise up against their master. It had gotten ugly from there, the place erupted into rioting. I don't know all the details still, somehow the blockage to the first floor had gotten dislodged, the throngs from outside had wandered in. Murder and mayhem had reigned as those comfortable under Zhang's harsh rule fought against those craving freedom. When the dust settled in the tower a decision had been made-Rylie and Caius' doing mostly-to migrate everyone south along with as much supplies as we could carry or cram in to vehicles. We had returned with Doctors, medicine, some renewable tech, and a whole lot of mouths to feed and house. A large adjustment for everyone. Richard Mineral's eyes had about popped out of their sockets at all the extra crops he was going to have to plan for. My father and Papa Graham were already discussing expanding the walls, creating new safe zones to house the refugees.

"You're in my seat
Everen." Dimitri stood at the end of the booth; ice blue eyes shining, his raven hair hidden under a black hood. Despite seeing him virtually every night since we'd returned, I still got butterflies when I laid eyes on him. I probably always would. We were bound by blood as D called it. Something, much to my chagrin, could not be undone. Ever. What I did not know is that it worked both ways; the panic, the fear and nightmares, the pain I felt, he likewise felt for me when I was in distress. Thankfully now that we were home, neither of us had been subject to such an episode. Our eternal juxtaposition transitioning from a lamented hindrance to a welcomed concordance.

"Just keeping it warm."
Rylie commented, sliding out of the booth. He started to walk away.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Alyssa teased him, reaching out from her seat she pulled on
Rylie's moto jacket. "Sit that cute ass back down." He laughed, but complied. Squeezing in tight beside Alyssa in our extra-long both.

"No luck brother?" Alyssa asked
Dimitri, resting her head on Rylie's shoulder.  The corner of his mouth kicked up a fraction of an inch.  I kept my smiles on the inside, I knew those two made a cute couple...

"He will be along in a moment. I told him I would super glue his eyelids shut if he kept dallying, perhaps then he would not be so tempted." What most would consider to be a joke,
Dimitri delivered factually and flat toned.

Still Ben laughed. "That's cold."

"But effective." Rylie tipped his cup with a nod of approval. Dimitri smiled awkwardly. Slowly he was becoming more sociable. The first time we got him into the Garage Alyssa and I had to practically drag him by his belt loops. Since then I discovered a few interesting facts; he was awful at pool but amazing at darts, he was happier in large crowds as long as the attention was deflected away from himself and no matter what he always walked me home. All of his previous worries about the human reaction slowly drained, there were enough new faces in Junction that our people just thought he was a LC and visa versa. Not to say there weren't incidents of drunken women throwing themselves at him, but my dear Dimitri would always just smile, thank but reject them, and walk back to me.

I gave him a little squeeze on the knee under the table. "Dad wanted me to tell you that he enjoyed your company at dinner last night. Wants you to come back over again soon."

"Your father is a remarkable historian." The two of them had bored me to tears when they had gotten into the construction of the roman aqueducts. Still I was pleased no one broke out a cross and holy water at the dinner table, I had really worried about that.

Nudging him playfully I pressed the point. "Is that a yes then?"

"Of cour-" The rest of his sentence was cut off by the sound of two thick palms hitting the end of the table.

"Whew! You would not believe what that one can do with her tongue." The collar of his flannel shirt a mess, Adam collapsed down besides D. Pushing him further into me, not that I minded. His pine scent was one I could not
get enough of.

"Way to keep us waiting Adam." I threw a peanut at him. Now we were all here, all of us except for...my eyes found Cole in the corner by the pool tables, playing
a round with Tess. His new wife. A blond bubbly farm worker that by all accounts was perfectly pleasant. Their whirlwind courtship had started the day we headed north from what Adam had said. The same freaking day. Guess that means he dumped me. Not that I hadn't been planning the same when I returned, just hadn't expected it from someone who had been so adamant in professing his love mere days before. I hadn't personally congratulated him on his union yet. Someday maybe. He'd made it pretty clear he didn't want much to do with any of us for now. Adam had quoted him at proclaiming us all death and drama. Hell, I'd rather be death and drama any day then dull and dreary.

"Was Caius going to-"
Rylie started to ask. We'd all extended him an invitation to join us, although I knew as well as the others did that he would never accept. Caius his hands full. There was some serious vamp matters afoot. None of House Lambros would speak of it, but we knew Rylie and I, we had heard what happened on that faithful day. Whispers of Queens and Princes, Treaties and Betrayals. Heavy Shit. Things frankly, we were all too exhausted to give a damned about at the moment. Someday it may rear its ugly head, until then it was not my problem. On top of all that pending drama, Caius had to deal with the other refugee from the north. The volatile and unreadable Fang who I had begun calling the White Wizard in hopes he would take a hint and ditch the stupid suit. So far no luck.

"Ha! That's funny. You're a funny guy." Adam shook his head.

"Daddy is such a shut in." Alyssa laughed in agreement.

"Stop calling him that." I whined.

"Stop calling him that." She parroted two octaves higher.

"Okay then...who's going to?" Ben asked. "
Liv?"

"No way." I objected, returning my gaze to present company. "
Rylie you do it."

"Yeah, you're the leader." Ben agreed.

"No...I'm not good at those sort of'-"

"Bullshit, yes you are." Alyssa gave him one of her million dollar smiles, wrapping an arm around his waist she gave him a quick squeeze. "Come on Captain." Which brought on cheers of do it do it, from all present.

"Alright...alright...shut the hell up." Rylie ran his hands through his hair, the spidering lines of his burns visible for a fraction of a second.

"Two months ago to this day we invaded Lake City. Just a handful of us on limited sleep, foul rations and hearsay
intel. Despite all odds we fought bravely and sacrificed much. On that day...our friends gave their lives in the pursuit of freedom. Of justice. Of equality. Tonight we honor them. Their lives, their sacrifices. Let their bravery be remembered always." Rylie rose his cup high in the air. "To old friends and new ones. May they rest in peace. Cheers."