Cunningham, Pat - Legacy [Sequel to Belonging] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (39 page)

“No,” Lebec said firmly. He knew full well what he was up against. The Tin Man would attack him directly, exactly as expected. Once inside the house, he’d stand no chance.

A pity he couldn’t be salvaged. What a magnificent stud he would have made.

Caught up in his musings, intent on the door, Lebec missed the sound at first. It nagged at him until he acknowledged it and took him a moment to place. A low-level thump, like—

A heartbeat.

The stolen blood in his veins ran to ice. All his calculations had been based on the Tin Man running true to form—kick down the front door, charge straight in, and demand a confrontation. All his tricks and traps were designed to stop a vampire. He’d never considered the impulsive slayer would bother with stealth or guile, or use a human as a weapon.

Lebec grabbed for his cell. “Creed. We’re under attack. Get up here now!”

Creed did not respond. Lebec was still shouting into the phone when a crossbow bolt hit him in the stomach. A second slammed into his shoulder. A third scraped his neck. Lebec tore the shaft from his shoulder, too late to stop the burning that radiated from the wound. Similar white-hot agony stabbed his body from the other points of impact.

He fell to his knees then to his side. His eyes were drawn to movement in the doorway. The human’s heartbeat thundered in his ears.

“Holy water on the bolts,” the blurry figure said. “Poison to your kind. Change it to steam, and it seeps into the soft tissues and acts like chlorine gas. Your friends in the cellar won’t be joining you.”

Lebec clawed at the floor. His fangs champed slits into his lower lip. “Who...?”

“No one you know.” The human set his crossbow aside and pulled a machete out from under his long black coat. “I’m doing a favor for a colleague.”

Chapter 21

The second he got inside, Wallace whipped out his cell and hit speed dial for the Stantons. “Gus? Annie? Anybody there?”

“All present and accounted for, Wally,” Gus’s hearty voice boomed. “There were only half a dozen. Not even a workout. We turned the hose on ’em, then Annie used ’em for archery practice. Shayla slept through the whole thing. You there, Colleen? Here’s a tip. Wrap a rosary around the hose nozzle, recite the Benediction in Latin, and let ’er rip. Not only will it stop a vamp in his tracks, it’ll give you the greenest, thickest lawn in the neighborhood. That’s how we slay ’em in the ’burbs.”

“Where’s Annie?”

“Right here,” Annie came on. “I wrecked a perfectly good blouse for you people. This better be the end.”

“Here’s hoping. Hold tight. I’ll swing by and do a double-check.”

“No need,” Gus said. “We’ve sealed the windows and marked the doors. You won’t be able to drop in for at least the next couple of days.”

“Thank God for e-mail, then. You heard anything from the Preacher? He hasn’t called in yet. He may need backup.”

“I doubt that. He’s a pro. Excellent, but scary. Reminds me of another young slayer I used to hang out with.”

“Eat me, Gus.”

“No thanks. We’ll check back in around sunrise. You folks okay over there? Annie’s got leftover arrows.”

Wallace glanced to Colleen. She listened then shook her head. “We’re good. Sorry you guys got dragged into this.”

“We’re a team, Wally. Time and retirement doesn’t change that. You people take care of yourselves.”

Wallace rang off. “They’re okay, and you’re okay. I’m going after Lebec. I don’t care how good the Preacher thinks he is. He may have run into trouble.”

Jeremy reached for a stake on the counter. “We’re coming with you.”

“Screw that. You two sit tight. I’ll be back in—”

Wallace’s cell phone went off. He stared at it then answered. “Yeah?”

The Preacher’s raspy voice announced, “It’s done.”

“Already? Jesus, you work fast. You sure?”

“He matched the description the woman gave me. Too much ego to change his name or his appearance, I suppose. Do you or the Stantons require any assistance?”

“No, we’ve got our end under control.” While he spoke, he watched his Scarecrow. He’d handled all negotiations with the Preacher over the phone. Jeremy had neither seen nor spoken to the slayer Wallace had sicced on Lebec, exactly as Wallace had planned it.

There’s revenge, he mused, and then there’s justice. Even trade. Life for life, good deed for bad, execution to balance a murder. Closure. If his Scarecrow could live with it, hell, so could he. “Hey. Thanks. This time I really do owe you. You ever need anything from me, just name it.”

“Yes, there is something. Don’t call me again.” The phone went dead against his ear.

Wallace glowered at it. “Dick,” he muttered. He returned the cell to his pocket.

Colleen’s footfalls whispered across the linoleum, Jeremy’s right behind hers. “Was that the Preacher? What happened?”

He gazed down into her eyes then up into Jeremy’s. Them, he thought, they’re all that matters. Revenge could go fuck itself. “It’s over. Lebec is ash. The Woods and the Waters is officially kaput.”

* * * *

Over. The threats, the attacks, the kidnapping attempts, the red eyes and icy voices. The monster who had begun it all was gone for good. Her tongue moved across her upper lip, marking the location of her fangs. All that remained was a handful of victims left to deal, somehow, with the rest of their lives.

“Over,” she echoed. “What happens now?”

Wallace drew her close and kissed her forehead. “Chicks,” he growled affectionately. “Never satisfied.”

“Stop it.” Colleen wrenched free and moved toward Jeremy and into his arms instead. She couldn’t look Wallace in the eyes, or the mouth, just yet. The reality was still too new, too sharp.

Darn denial. They’d had a good, long run together, but the bat blood had washed it away.

“Jesus Christ,” Wallace said. “What did I do now?”

“Nothing,” Jeremy said. “It’s reaction. All that adrenaline. I’m still wired, too. We need a minute to let it sink in.” He smiled and nuzzled Colleen’s cheek. “We’re only human, you know.”

“You’re pains in my ass, is what you are.” Wallace steered them into the living room and over to the couch. Jeremy sat with Colleen huddled on his lap. Wallace sat beside them with his thigh touching Jeremy’s and his arm around Jeremy’s shoulders. She could tell he wanted to touch her as well. He held back, awaiting her reaction.

“I’m sorry,” she said, in lieu of touch. “Of course I’m grateful. If it wasn’t for you two, I’d be worse off than dead. I guess I thought…I thought once he was dead, all this would just go away.”

Wallace gestured at his mouth, his fangs. “All this, you mean.”

Colleen nodded, her cheek moving against the cotton of Jeremy’s shirt. “I’m not sure what to do next. I didn’t think that far ahead.”

“What would you like to happen?” Jeremy asked.

“I’d like to go back to my life. Back to the school and the kids. I don’t even know if that’s safe. What if I smell blood or something? I can’t put them at risk.”

“Lean back a minute,” Wallace said. Puzzled, Colleen obeyed. “Now take a good, long look at the mook you’re sprawled all over. Hard to believe now, I know, but he was a little kid at one time, and that little kid grew up surrounded by vampires. How often did they attack you, Scarecrow?”

“Never.” He smiled at Colleen. “I was one of the flock. Those kids are your flock. I’d be more worried about anyone who tried to hurt them.”

“Or…” Wallace sat up. “You got some neat Jedi mind tricks going on, sweetheart. Those could really come in handy. How’d you like to be a slayer?”

“Wallace,” Jeremy warned.

“Oh, right, I forgot. Mr. Vampire Rights Activist here. Okay, okay. You don’t have to change careers right off. You might want to keep it in mind, though.”

Colleen dredged up a wan smile. “I think I’ll stick with preschool teacher for the time being. Assuming I can stay awake all day, that is. I suppose watching the kids will take care of that. You have to be alert every second.”

Wallace nodded. “Good training for being a slayer.”

She made a face at him. “So Lebec’s gone. What about the rest of his flock? Did we get them, too?”

“I’ll bet Preacher will see to that. He struck me as a thorough kind of guy. You know, really anal. Usually, when the king or queen bites it, the flock just sort of crumbles. I’ll keep an eye out, just to stay on the safe side.” Wallace shrugged. “I can get their blood for you, if you’re into payback.”

“Ewww. Not really. What will happen to the girls? The ones they…changed?”

“I’ll keep an eye out for them, too. If I find any, I’ll send ’em to Gus. You’re going to see Gus, too, right?”

“Yes,” she agreed. “I think I need to.”

Silence shrouded them. The threat against her had been squelched. She had no more reason to stay here. She could go home.

She looked into Wallace’s jungle eyes, watched his mouth drop into a knowing smirk, felt his thoughts brush like a kiss across her mind.

“Enough with the delaying tactics,” he said. “We all know what the big question is.”

“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

“Be nice to get a straight answer. Look at poor Scarecrow, sweating over there. How can you make him suffer?”

Colleen sighed. “I love you both. If you’ll have me—”

Jeremy crushed his mouth against hers before she could finish. The hand that kneaded the back of her neck belonged to Wallace.

“Don’t ask stupid questions,” he growled against her ear.

She kissed him then. Their fangs clashed, but only momentarily. Practice would put an end to that. “It’ll be at least two months before I can get out of my apartment. How are you fixed for closet space?”

“All Wallace needs is a tee and some jeans,” Jeremy said. “We can throw the rest out.”

“Or all those crappy clothes you’ve got. I like you better naked anyway.” Since he couldn’t reach Jeremy’s ass, Wallace slapped Colleen’s instead. “This’ll be great. Scarecrow can cook, and with you to do the housework—”

“Hold my hands,” she said to Jeremy. “Before I pop him one.”

“You still got your spunk. That’s good.”

“You want to go through eternity with a broken nose?”

“Settle down, kids,” Jeremy said. “You two aren’t going fight twenty-four-seven, are you? I like to sleep once in a while.”

“This must be a dream come true for you,” Wallace said. “Two bats to fuss over. You must be in heaven.”

“Kiss my ass.”

“I have other plans for your ass.” His eyes bored into Colleen’s. Desire burned in their jungle depths. “There’s a few parts of you I’d like to experiment on, too.” She raised her brows. “What? Vampires can get jazzed on adrenaline, too.”

Jeremy frowned. “No they can’t.”

“Okay, then. Slaying makes me horny. Are you two going to help me out, or leave me here to suffer?”

“Aw, poor you,” Jeremy said with absolutely no sympathy. Wallace’s pout got him to relent, and he leaned over to kiss the vampire’s lips while still holding Colleen. “Is there room for us all on here?”

“There’s barely room for you on here. Shit. This is our first night as a real flock. We have to do it right.”