Deliverance (4 page)

At one point, Samantha knocked Leisha onto her back and jumped so she could bring her heel down into Leisha’s head. Just as she was bringing her foot down, Samantha saw Nik watching from the corner of her eye. Her focus snapped to him and she didn’t notice that Leisha had dodged until Samantha’s foot came crashing into the hardwood floor.

Pain shot up into her hip and Samantha’s face flamed to think Nik saw her clumsiness. Pressing her lips to keep from gasping at the pulsing ache, Samantha did her best not to limp as she walked over and grabbed her towel to wipe off the sweat from the back of her neck.

Leisha joined her. The vampire always used paper towels to wipe off her sweat, since it was bloody. The red smears quickly absorbed into the paper, getting larger with each pat Leisha made. “You did pretty well for a long spar like that. It’s good to see you’ve built up your endurance.”

Samantha knew Leisha was complimenting her, but with Nik there, it felt condescending. “Thanks,” she murmured, not looking anyone in the eyes.

“Yes,” Nik said. “I’m impressed with how much progress you’ve made over the last few years.”

Forcing a smile, Samantha nodded in his direction. Trying to look casual, she left the room and went upstairs to shower and change. She already had a bag packed that she could grab in emergencies, but decided to pack another one and include the gifts she’d bought for Leisha and Liam.
I will not feel bad that I don’t have a gift for Nik. Hopefully, he won’t even be around next week.
But she had a sneaking suspicion that she was giving herself false hope.

Chapter 4

A
fter showering and dressing, Leisha decided the best course would be for them to move. She was headed toward the stairs to talk to Samantha about it when the doorbell rang. It was their neighbor, Katie. She could detect the overpowering scent of her coconut shampoo before she even got close to opening the door.

Sighing at the inconvenience, she plastered a welcoming smile on her face and opened the door. The older-looking woman was holding a plate of treats. “These are Scotcharoos,” she said by way of salutation. “I made a double batch so I could bring some over to my favorite friends on the street!”

“That’s too generous,” Leisha said in an Australian accent. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Whenever Katie came over bearing gifts, it meant she wanted to sit and gossip for a while. Leisha usually indulged her to be a nice neighbor and not draw any negative attention, but she tolerated these little visits at best. “I don’t have much time right now for socializing. I’m helping my son with his homework, and then we need to pack for a holiday.”

Katie walked past Leisha and went into the kitchen. “Oh, a holiday? How fun! Where are you going?”

As the woman helped herself to some coffee sitting in a pot on the stove, Leisha walked over to Liam, who was sitting on the floor. The boy had obviously heard her because he had text books open and was writing in his notebook.

Leisha joined him on the floor and scanned the chapter he was taking notes on. “I thought you already learned everything about Greek mythology.”

Glancing up at her, he replied, “I did. But I just finished Roman, Egyptian, and Celtic mythology. Now I want to compare them.”

Katie came into the room then. “Liam, I don’t know if I’ve ever met a boy as smart as you. Shouldn’t mythology be taught when you’re a bit older?”

The boy shrugged. “That’s why I’m homeschooled.”

Sitting on the sofa, Katie took a sip of her coffee. “You should really think about putting him in school, Rebecca. He would be such a hit with all the girls.”

“What can I say?” Leisha rubbed Liam’s back. “Guess I want to keep him to myself for just a little bit longer.”

“You’re such a doting mother.” Katie put her mug on the coffee table. “I did come over to talk to you about something specific. Would you mind if we had a little bit of privacy?” She turned her eyes toward Liam.

Biting back her annoyance, Leisha asked her son to go get a snack from the kitchen. Not that it would really make a difference, but Katie didn’t know that. “So what did you want to talk about?”

Katie’s expression turned sly. “Well, I met this man who is very successful, cute, and intelligent.”

Leisha wished she could sleep through the conversation. “Really? How nice for you. Have you two gone out yet?”

“Oh, no.” She tittered. “Not for me. He’s perfect for
you
!”

Leisha’s eyes widened in surprise and she placed a hand at her breast. “Me? Oh, uh, that’s okay, Katie. I’m not really into dating right now.”

Katie opened her mouth to say more when Liam came bursting out of the archway that separated the kitchen from the main room. He moved so quickly, Leisha could barely track him. Before she could react, her son had his claws and fangs out and bit into Katie’s neck while he clawed at her stomach with one hand. The woman had no chance to scream, but was gurgling through the blood pouring out of her throat while her limbs flailed helplessly about her.

Jumping up and rushing toward them, Leisha screamed out, “Liam, stop! What are you doing?”

There was nothing she could do. Katie was already dead. Liam stepped back and Leisha could see that her neighbor’s head was barely attached to her neck. The body teetered for a second before sliding to the floor, leaving a large red smear on the couch. Katie’s head was almost facing up at an awkward angle while her body was on its stomach. Blood covered the rug and pooled over the hardwood.

Struggling to keep her breathing under control, Leisha took a deep breath and blurted the first coherent thing she could think of. “Did you even drink her blood?”

Liam’s claws were retracting into his cuticles and his fangs back into his gums. Leisha still thought it odd that he had fangs and claws when no other vampire did.

“I had a little.” Her son didn’t seem contrite in the least.

“Liam, why in the hell did you do that?”

“There’s no time. I heard her thoughts. The immortals will be here any second.”

Her gut twisted. “What? How would Katie know anything about that?”

Instead of answering, her son ran upstairs. Leisha followed behind and grabbed her emergency pack from her bedroom. Leisha’s was mainly filled with her favorite weapons; she figured she could always buy new clothes later.

She retrieved her bag and hurried down the stairs. By the time she got to the landing, Liam and Samantha were coming down with their possessions while Nikita entered from the down the hall.

“There are immortals all over the park behind your house,” Nikita announced in an unperturbed tone.

Samantha and Liam stopped a few steps above her on the stairs.

Drawing in a deep breath, Leisha listened intently. She detected more immortal heartbeats quickly approaching from either side of the street in front. “We’re about to be surrounded,” she said grimly. “We need to use the alternate exit.” She turned to Samantha and Liam. “You two go first. Nikita and I will cover the door to make sure no one follows.”

Samantha swallowed loudly and nodded. Liam appeared reluctant as he followed behind Samantha, but didn’t protest.

Leisha moved to the china cabinet at the back of the main room and knocked it over. The glass shattered as it hit the floor, echoing loudly and spraying her legs as she opened the hidden panel in the wall. Nikita stood behind her as she pulled out a machine gun and machete and handed them over.

She kept a sawed-off shotgun and another machete for herself. Turning, Leisha saw that Samantha had already pried open the exit that had been hidden under the rug and ushered Liam into the makeshift basement. Katie’s blood started to drip into the opening.

Leisha had dug the escape herself a few months back. It was slightly unstable, the earth threatening to collapse the tunnel at any heavy vibrations. She planned to use that to her advantage.

The vampire watched Samantha barely finish her descent just as both front and back doors crashed in with resounding blasts. Samantha froze and stared at Leisha with wide eyes. Nikita brushed past Leisha and jumped into the small basement to pull the young woman into the tunnel and out of Leisha’s sight. When he didn’t reemerge, Leisha assumed he was rushing the two down the escape route.

Guarding the entrance of the basement, the vampire turned to fight off the intruders.

A man reached out to grab her and she swung her machete and cut off his hand at the forearm. His agonized scream was cut short when she kicked him in the solar plexus and he fell into three immortals directly behind him.

Two more immortals flanked her and Leisha decapitated a man while shooting a woman with her shotgun. The woman’s head burst open and splattered Leisha and her assailants with brain matter, bone, and blood.

Wiping a wet, goopy chunk off her eyelid, Leisha crouched down and closed the entrance to the escape tunnel.
You’re not getting my son today!
She stood and shot another approaching immortal, then spun while holding her machete out as the immortals poured in from every angle. Some of them were able to slice her legs or her sword arm with their blades before she hit them away. Sprays of blood, including her own, went everywhere. Most of the wounds she inflicted weren’t enough to harm the immortals too much, but a few piercing cries told her she’d hit some of them deep.

After several minutes of moving too fast for them to grab and parrying away their attacks, Leisha knew she had to get out of there before they got the advantage. No matter her skills, there was only so much she could do against a mob of enemies.

Slicing her way through the horde, she made the two feet distance to the basement opening and ripped the door up. The gore covering her made her slip, and she fell more than hopped down. The breath flew from her chest as she landed fifteen feet below, a light cloud of earth puffing up around her.

Two immortals landed on top of her, cracking her rib cage. Groaning at the sharp pain, she bucked to the side, toppling them off of her. Leisha moved to rush down the tunnel. Before she could get a few steps away, one of the men grabbed her ankle, making her fall forward once again. The impact jostled her broken ribs and she cursed. Shouts and angry murmurs echoed above from the house, but the tunnel was hauntingly quiet.

As Leisha kicked at the immortal’s wrist, a blade sliced through her calf. Grimacing at the burning incision, she slashed out with her machete. The immortal grunted and pulled his bleeding arm to his chest. The other one moved forward.

As Leisha scrabbled to her feet and headed further into the underground, more of her assailants dropped into the tunnel. They surrounded her and no matter how many times she tried to slice her way through them, more flew down to replace them. Long knives, swords, and even fists pummeled her from every direction. She dodged and counter-attacked where she could, but felt stifled by her attackers.

When Leisha saw several immortals heading down the tunnel to catch the others, she knew there was only one option left.

“Nikita,” she yelled as she parried an immortal with a sword. “Run as fast as you can. Keep them safe!” With that, she swung her weapon into the support beam over her head. The wood made a splintering groan, then collapsed, bringing a heavy load of dirt with it. More dirt began to pour down, like an ocean ready to swallow its prey.

Leisha pivoted out of the way and ran back the way she’d come. When the immortals saw the earth come crashing down, they turned to outrun the coming death trap. Leisha had her vampire speed to aid her and jumped over the others to catapult herself back up into the main room. The blood and matter that flooded the floor made her slip, landing hard on her hip.

As soon as she fell, several sets of arm and hands swarmed over her, some restraining her and taking away her machete while others punched her on any flesh they could reach. Dull aches and sharp ones alike sprouted all over her body.

Suddenly, a reinforced chain about the size of a rope wrapped around her neck and tightened painfully. Other binds went around her arms and legs, rendering her utterly useless.

At least they didn’t get Liam
, she told herself.
All that matters is that he’s safe.

Chapter 5

S
amantha heard Leisha’s voice echoing through the passageway, and she knew exactly what the vampire was going to do. Choking on a sob, she tried to run back and stop Leisha before her friend collapsed the tunnel.

Nik grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. Samantha grunted in frustration and swung her elbow into his face. It caught him in the jaw, but he kept moving. She twisted her hips to the side so she could put her leg behind Nik’s and trip him, but he yanked her feet off the ground before she could. Samantha continued to struggle, kicking and punching to break away, but Nik held on tight and moved faster.

When Samantha heard the collapsing dirt quickly coming their way, she slumped in defeat. There was no way to help her friend now. The walls around them vibrated violently and dirt clouded the air, seeping into her lungs. Nik ran at his super speed with Samantha in tow, making her stomach feel like it was pushing through her esophagus. Then, they were coming out of the tunnel, emerging into the church down the block from their house.

Liam closed the door behind them, loose dirt puffing around him. Samantha coughed, her mouth filling with the gritty earth taste. Nik lowered her until she was standing on her own. He patted her back gently, but she shrugged him off. Her throat finally stopped convulsing and she took a deep breath.

“There’s a car in the parking lot,” Liam was telling Nik. “The key is magnetized and hidden under the front bumper. I know where.”

Samantha studied him. To anyone else, the boy probably still looked serene and unconcerned, but Samantha, who had literally known him his entire life, could spot the telltale signs of nervousness. His lips were pinched, his cheeks drawn, making his eyes seem too big. It was then that Samantha accepted they wouldn’t be able to get to Leisha.

Blinking back tears, she put her arm around Liam and pulled him in for a hug. He squeezed her back before pulling away and turning to show Nik where the car was. It didn’t even compare to her beloved Jaguar, but it was inconspicuous and the title was under a different alias than the ones they had been using until today. Samantha knew that if Leisha survived, she’d happily buy Samantha a new sports car.
How callous am I to think of my car when Leisha might not even make it out of there alive?
Her throat threatened to convulse around a sob, and Samantha coughed past it. Now was not the time to get emotional.

Once they were on the road, Samantha drove them across the entire stretch of Australia. Nik stayed in the back, covered with a blanket so he wouldn’t burn.
I never want to see him go through that again.
The last time had been when Liam was hours old and the immortals had found them. Nik had been key in helping them get away. She wasn’t sure how long it had taken him to heal from those injuries because he’d vanished the next day. Turning onto her exit, she was relieved that the vampire had to stay hidden and Liam was sitting up front with her. It meant she didn’t have to try and force a conversation with him.
How do people stay friends after they break up?

She pulled into the parking lot of a cheap hotel that she and Leisha had scoped out months before to be prepared for a scenario just like they’d experienced today. Once she checked in and helped sneak Nik into the room, she placed a call that Leisha would have dialed if she’d been with them. It was to one of Leisha’s contacts who owned a shipping company. He agreed to smuggle them to India on the next departure, which was early the following morning.

The trunk of their car had a hidden compartment filled with various weapons and some food. They pulled everything out and decided to get some rest while they waited to go to the docks.

Samantha couldn’t sleep, but stayed in the lumpy bed anyway. Though she’d paid for a non-smoking room, her pillow reeked of stale cigarette smoke. She forced herself to lay still and breathe in the foul scent. She didn’t want to sit up and talk with Nik.

The vampire sat on the ground in front of the door, a machine gun in his lap and a sword resting on the floor next to him. All that could be heard in the darkness were Liam’s deep and even breaths. She heard the material of Nik’s trousers fill the silence when he shifted a few times, but wouldn’t open her eyes to look at him.

After what felt like a couple of hours, Nik cleared his throat. She didn’t budge. “Samantha,” he said softly. “I know you’re awake.”

Sighing, Samantha opened her eyes and sat up. There were no lights on, but some filtered in through the open curtains. It was enough for her to make out Nik’s form, sitting cross-legged on the thin carpet.

“Of course I’m awake,” she replied in an equally soft tone. “I’m worried about my friend.”

His silhouette nodded. “Leisha is strong. She’s survived many things that would destroy anyone else—even vampires. She’ll get through this, too.”

Her mouth fell open. “How can you just be so calm about this? The immortals want her dead!” she hissed. “She could have been decapitated back at the house and we’d never know.” Samantha tried to blink back tears, but several splashed over her cheeks.

Nik was at her side in an instant, his hands slowly coming around her shoulders.

She batted him away and angrily wiped at her face. “I don’t need you to comfort me. I’m not seventeen anymore.”

He continued to kneel by her side and she finally looked up at him. Even in the dimness, she could see a tick in his jaw line.

“Even though you may not want my comfort, believe me when I tell you that she’s not dead. You’re her human servant, remember? If she dies, then you do, too.” His hazel eyes gleamed in the dusky light. “We’ll figure out a way to find her and get her out. I won’t let either of you go that easily.” He moved back to his guard position as quickly and silently as he’d come.

Samantha laid back down, uncertain what to think. It was rare when Nik showed that kind of emotion. The last time she’d witnessed anything like that from him was three years ago when she’d believed they loved each other. Staring at the window, she forced herself to keep her mind blank. Sleep never came, but at least her brain shut off enough for her to relax for a bit.

When the night sky changed from black to a husky blue beyond the window, Samantha rose and quickly got ready. She shook Liam lightly to wake him. The boy’s emerald eyes popped open, confused and unfocused.

They entered the docks just before the sun came up. There were a few men walking over the wooden boards, heading to different ships docked in the area, but it was mostly empty. The scents of brine and rotting fish seeped through the foggy morning as Samantha led the others to the ship they wanted. It took just a few minutes of wandering before Liam spotted it. It was a big container ship, with hundreds of large crates lining the deck.

The captain was waiting for them as they walked up the gangway, picking his slightly yellow teeth with a knife. “Where is Patricia?” he asked as he studied Nik with a narrowed gaze.

“She couldn’t make it,” Samantha informed. “But I’m sure you remember me. I came with Patricia to all of your meetings. And since you’ve already been paid, what does it matter if we’ve switched around the passenger list?”

He nodded and gave a tight-lipped smile through his day-old stubble. “Of course. How I could forget a pretty lady like you?” he asked in a flat tone. “It’s Heidi, right?”

Samantha nodded and gave as warm a smile as she could muster. The captain gestured for them to follow him. They were led past the open deck, into the small, stuffy quarters below. They climbed cramped ladders to the lowest level of the ship, below even the large merchandise the captain was exporting.

“This area is just above the bilge, so it is pretty musty, but shouldn’t affect your lungs too much.”

She threw the older man a startled look, but he was pushing a hidden lever and didn’t notice. A panel in the wall opened to reveal a large room that could fit approximately thirty people. It smelled of unwashed bodies and bleach, with splashes of stains covering the walls.

The captain showed them where the lamps and mattresses were stored at the back of the room. “Should be enough fuel for the lights until we make port. Until then, only open the door if you hear three soft taps, and then two loud ones. We’ll be leaving within the hour.” With that, he turned in one smooth motion and exited.

“At least we can control the lock,” Liam commented as he studied the door. “Otherwise we would drown down here if the ship sank.”

Samantha shuddered at the thought.

She dropped her bag in the corner of the compartment and sat with her arms resting over her knees. “I have a feeling this is going to be a long trip,” she murmured.

It was. After the first night on the ship, Samantha woke feeling irritable. It took a while for her to realize it was because she was so tired. Once she became aware of it, it was easy to feel Leisha pulling on Samantha’s energy through their bond. She was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner.

Nik knew what was happening and, over the next several days, tried to motivate her to eat the food that they’d brought, but Samantha could hardly stomach the protein bars and didn’t think she could handle any of the other processed stuff they had. The heavy up-and-down rocking of the ship didn’t help. At one point, Liam told her they were going through a storm. It had felt like bad turbulence in an airplane to Samantha.

“You must keep eating,” Nik said firmly. “It will help Leisha as well as you.”

Samantha nibbled a few chips to appease him, but her gut didn’t like it. The only time she was able to actually take in sustenance was when the captain snuck down some pulled pork and beans for them. She didn’t have much of the beans, but she devoured the pork. Nik and Liam often murmured to each other out of earshot. They glanced at her, their brows furrowed and the corners of their eyes tight.

By the time they made port in Nagercoil, India, a week later, Samantha couldn’t even stand. Breathing was difficult and all she wanted to do was sleep.

“She is going to have to drink blood,” Liam said as they snuck off the ship with the captain’s blessing. “She’s too far gone to just survive off of steak and iron pills.”

Nik’s face was hard as he nodded agreement. “I’ll take care of her,” he promised.