Exsanguinate (30 page)

“
I
don’t like it
.” Khaldon pushed Ludovic into the side of Briggs’ Rover. “It could be a trap for Cheyenne.”

“I honestly don’t know what else to tell you, people.” Ludovic fisted his hands in front of his chest. “The only thing you’re going to find in that building are comatose women.”

We stared at him.

He eased his hands to his sides and relaxed his shoulders. “The Priestess is what they call a gatherer. She’s been gathering descendants from pure ancestral races all over the world to help find qualified breeders to create Queen Civetateo’s dhampir army.” He leaned back away from the guys. “She gathered Sheridan and Dakota, and now she’s after Cheyenne, too.”

“Look – waiting around isn’t going to get me any closer to my family. So we need to go in guns, teeth, and swords a-blazing, and we get them out. Okay?” I threw my hands into the air in frustration.

“I’ve already told you. Only Edric and I maintain that place. There’s no need for guns, but bring them if it makes you feel any better. The women are in various stages of pregnancy, and unconsciousness. Your dad is safe in the caretaker’s quarters.”

“You mother piss asshat! Why the hell did you do take him?” I slammed my fists into his chest. “You could’ve killed him. I hope you were smart enough to let him take his medication!”

Briggs stepped in close to me.

“I’m sorry. It was a directive from the Queen. We had to get your father to keep him safe. If we hadn’t, it would’ve been our heads.”

“Maybe that wouldn’t have been such a bad thing,” Briggs growled.

The air grew pungent with pheromones of wolf, dragon, and vampire. The mix became an empowering intoxication.

“Keep him safe from what? You’re the only danger around here,” Khaldon asked.

“It wasn’t clear. Something about a rogue vampire on the loose, and it was better to keep him safe.”

I came at him again.

He threw up his arms in defense. “That’s all they told us, I swear.”

“Why should we believe you?” Harris growled under his breath.

“This property has been unmanned because of its location. When the Priestess picks up the babies and takes them to South America, that’s the only time the dhampir guards are around.” His story was foolish enough to be true. “Edric, my brother, is dead now because Dakota killed him.”

“Don’t expect me to feel any kind of sorry for your lousy ass! How can you think anyone would feel for you after what you’ve done to my family and how many countless others?”

Ludovic looked down at his feet. “If the priestess finds out what happened here, I’ll be dead, and we’ll never get Dakota back.”

“No matter how much I don’t want to trust him, Cheyenne, he’s got a valid point.” Khaldon put his hand on my arm. “If what Ludovic says is true, then he is her creator, and only he can call her. He will always have a bond with Dakota, even if she doesn’t want it.”

“Prove it.” I glared at Ludovic. “I don’t believe a word of it until I know he can communicate with her. If he can’t prove it, then I say we kill him right now!”

Ludovic backpedaled. “I have never sired before, I’m not sure how to contact her. Besides, if you kill me now, you might as well write the death certificate for your sister and all those other women. I’m the only one who knows how to manage their life support systems now that Edric is dead.”

“Mother pus bucket!” Harris exclaimed. “I hate this jerk. If it’s true, then we can’t risk it, Chey. We can’t gamble with Sheridan’s life like that.”

I rubbed my temples. Under duress, we nodded in unison. His argument made sense.

“Okay, let’s go stake it out. Harris, once we arrive, can we count on your pack to help us out?”

“I can sure try, but no guarantees on that one, Chey. Weres and vamps tolerate one another, but …”

“Okay then, maybe explain this rescue mission isn’t for me, but to help rescue my family from evil vampires. You think they’ll enjoy the idea of getting to off a few of the local vamps? I know one in vamp in particular I’d like to off about right now.” I looked at Khaldon.

He quickly glanced at his feet.

“Khaldon, you contact Lord Stovall. If there are a lot of women, we’re gonna need medical assistance to help them.” Khaldon nodded and reached into the chest pocket for his cell phone.

“Briggs, who can you call in for support? Can you get me ops intel on this building? Scope out the locals who own this joint – find out what’s actually inside?”

“I’m on it. You got it, Chey Chey.”

Suddenly it was as if they were on fire. All they needed was a little direction. Within an hour, we had a legion of men, werewolves, dragons, and vamps all ready to open up a can of whoop ass on this little building.

* * *

“
T
his is
the Queen’s facility Lord Stovall,” Ludovic explained.

“Then why wasn’t I notified of its presence in my region – and its purpose? This is a blatant violation of The Canons.” By the look on Lord Stovall’s face, he was not pleased with this situation. “How long has this damn operation been here anyway?”

Ludovic responded with a slight, respectful bow. “We have been here for almost four years, my Lord.”

Stovall looked disgusted.

Briggs approached with an update. “Looks like he told the truth. The parcel was leased by an anonymous corporation for a ten-year term, with an option to renew indefinitely, and that was close to four years ago. Plus it was paid in full and with a no-entry clause.”

“Why the hell would somebody agree to those terms?” Torchy asked.

“Because …” Ludovic let the word roll off his tongue into three syllables. “The Queen demands her privacy and pays handsomely for it. Everyone has his or her price. Even you, Lord Stovall, have a price.” Ludovic had to have known his words could cause a battle of vampiric proportions, but he pressured the situation. “I don’t know why you’re wasting this much time. I told you what is in there and what has happened to Dakota.”

“We have a crack team ready to surround the place and watch from the outside if you are ready to go in. We are,” Harris said.

I saw glowing eyes peering at us through the cattails and the high brush area around the building.

We reviewed our strategy around the entrances and the exits. “We’ll have the dragons up top, the werewolves on the ground and the vamps going in. Anyone trying to get in or out of this building will be toast,” I said. “But one thing we do need to know – what happens if the Queen does decide to show up?”

“Then leave that part to me. I’ll handle the Queen,” Lord Stovall said. “Believe me, you’ll know it if you see her. She never travels alone. She always has an entourage with her, especially her right hand, Aisling.

The name caught my attention, and I glanced at him. That was my mother’s name. God, how I missed her and thanked the Goddess she was dead. I was glad she didn’t live long enough to see the day her daughters had become a vampire, a blood demon, and a dhampir breeder.

Khaldon handed me a gun and holster.

“What am I supposed to do with this? I’ve never held a gun in my life.”

“Pretend we’re playing inside the game.” Khaldon showed me how to hold the weapon while rolling my shoulders forward to steady the aim. “You simply point the red laser at your target and shoot. More than anything, it’s another layer of protection. Until I can get you combat trained, I want you to stay close and be careful. I’m not losing you now, m’lady.” His smile was warm and caring. He gave me a forehead hug and pulled me into a kiss. It wasn’t even a passionate kiss, but it was one that said, ‘I care about you and I don’t want you hurt.’

I returned his smile and nodded.

“Sheridan will be over on the right hand side of the facility. Her harness area is 303.” Ludovic cleared his throat.

“You mean as in the third floor – room three?” I asked.

He nodded.

“Just how many of these women are in there, Ludovic?” Lord Stovall asked.

Ludovic grimaced. “Well there were a lot more before Edric started experimenting on them with Solunarae blood.”

“They really were giving that blood to the humans? And their unborns?” Khaldon questioned.

Ludovic nodded. “I’m trying to tell you – the Queen is building a dhampir army to rid the Vampyric race of rogue vampires and impure bloodlines. She needs the dhampirs to train and hunt them down. She is convinced she’s doing the right thing. The Queen doesn’t care for vampires who will not enter into a coven and pay for her protection.”

“I can identify with that,” Briggs said.

“Well I can see her point on some of these items, but you can’t make a rogue do anything. Rogues are a pain in my ass, but that is why they are rogues,” Stovall countered. “They don’t want to follow rules. They’re like Ex Pats – they don’t want the hassle of the government they can’t support. They do tend to kill more and are sloppy about it. That’s why we have the cleaner crews.”

“What I don’t get is why the Queen insists on using humans to reproduce these dhampirs. Isn’t that going to create a half blood type of vampire?” I asked.

“That’s exactly right, Cheyenne. But here’s the deal. Because they have a vampire father and a human mother, the dhampir are able to live twice. She has twice the troops.”

I shook my head. “I still don’t understand.”

“Bollocks! I get it!” Khaldon exclaimed. “She’s using dhampirs because when their human bodies die, in a battle or attack, their vampiric DNA will take over. They’ll rise again to fight as a vampyre who has died the undeniable death. They don’t have the sun’s resistance any longer, but at night they will become a deadly force. She’s getting twice the army, for half the time. She’s creating a super army!”

“Hell, I am in so much trouble for even talking about this. I’m probably a dead vamp anyway. But regardless of what you think about what we do here, I love Dakota. I
need
to help rescue her.”

I took in a huge breath and allowed the gravity of the situation to sink in.

Ludovic daringly grabbed my hand. “Last night it was the swan boats. There’s no telling where she’ll strike tonight. Please let’s just get inside and decide what to do next.”

I shook my hand out of his. “Enough already, I’m fed up with the wait. Ludovic, why are you helping us? You know Dakota will never love you.”

“I’m a dead man whether I do or don’t. Maybe this way, I’ll be forgiven.”

W
ith Harris’ pack outside
, surrounding the facility entrances, he was free to get inside and locate my father as quickly as possible. With Briggs’ team up on the roof, Ludovic unlocked the building and disabled the alarm system. I could see broken glass shards all over the place. When we walked into the building, it looked as though it were a makeshift hospital without the curtains for privacy.

Khaldon whistled. “Bloody hell, man! What in the Queen’s name are you doing in here?”

“That’s precisely what we
are
doing here, but not for Her Majesty, the Queen of England, but for Her Majesty, Queen Civetateo,” Ludovic answered with a solemn voice.

“Okay, Ludovic, show me this computer system, so I can move the medical files to a secure location. We need this info to help try and reunite these people with their families,” Khaldon said. “Lord Stovall, where do you want to move these women?”

Stovall stood with his hands on his hips, shaking his head. His face held stern in concentration. “How many women are here right now?”

“I believe around 145 or 146 now,” Ludovic said.

Khaldon said, “I’m in. I see 146 active beds. Sheridan is in 303. Looks like Kiernan is down that hall.” Khaldon pointed behind him.

“And to the left – three doors down,” Ludovic finished his sentence. “The combination to the door lock is 4283.”

“I’m on it. I’ll have him out of there faster than wolves at a pig roast.” Harris ran down the hall.

Torchy sighed. “Holy shite – I can’t believe how many women are here. How many have died? How many babies have been born? It’s sickening.”

I ran to the staircase and jumped two steps at a time, Torchy right on my heels. Of course, room three was all the way at the end of the building instead of at the front. It reminded me of an airport. Always seemed as though the gate you were flying out of was at the farthest end of the terminal.

I peeked into the areas they called rooms. They were just spaces of air lined out in paint on the floor. The room was cold and uninviting. A draped sheet hung around room area three. I looked at Torchy and took a deep breath. Now was not the time to freak out. Not the time to be scared, and definitely, not the time to cry, no matter how much I wanted to. I inched the drape back and stood frozen at the macabre sight of my sister.

“She looks like she is sleeping,” Torchy said. He swallowed hard. “She’s beautiful, Cheyenne.” He hugged my shoulder. “We’ve found her. She’s safe now.”

I didn’t have the faintest clue how to get her out of this hanging harness. She was suspended from the ceiling in a nylon net apparatus. Electrodes were taped over her body, pulsating different muscles while she lay unconscious. She had tubes everywhere. I couldn’t start tearing everything down, it might endanger her even worse. I walked up to her and reached out my shaking hand toward her. I took a deep breath and stepped closer. I whispered into her ear and peered through her oxygen mask to see if she could respond to me.

“Sheridan. Sheridan, sweetie, it’s me – Cheyenne.” I touched her arm through the webbing. Her skin was cool, not cold, but clearly not warm. “Sher, are you okay? Can you hear me?” I saw her eyelids flutter.

“Keep talking to her, Cheyenne – it looks as if she can hear you. I’m gonna get Ludovic to help us take her out of this. I’ll find a table or a wheel chair. Hell, I’ll carry her if I have to, but she’s coming down out of this now!”

I wasn’t surprised at the urgency in his voice. By the look on his face I sincerely believed Torchy was as disturbed by all of this as I believed the rest of us.

I reached in and touched her forehead and brushed my fingers through her hair. She looked like she hadn’t had a bath since she arrived. “It’s okay now, Sher – we’re here. Cheyenne, Roxas, Harris, and Briggs – we’re here to rescue you and these other women. You’re gonna be okay. Oh thank the Goddess you’re okay!” Tears ran down my nose. They dripped onto her arm as my voice cracked under the emotional pressure. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold it together.

Her eyelids fluttered again. I reached for her. “Squeeze my hand if you can hear me. This isn’t a dream.” The slightest movement from her fingers told me she could hear me. My voice grew excited. “That’s it, Sher – you’re safe now.” She didn’t have the strength to squeeze, but I knew her, and I knew she was using every ounce of power under the sun to tell me she understood.

“Okay good – hang in there. Torchy went to get Ludovic to help you get out of here.” Suddenly the machines around Sheridan spiked and alarms rang out. It reminded me of when I awoke in the hospital. Sheridan began to move her hands, and she grimaced. Was she in pain? Tears puddled in the dark wells of her eyes.

I grabbed a Kleenex and wiped the Vaseline goo which had her eyes caked closed. “Shh … relax, Sheridan, everything is okay. We’ll have you out of this thing real soon. Take a deep breath and just stay with me. I’m not leaving you – pinky promise sister swear.”

Her lips twitched up one corner. She had heard me. The alarms began to abate, she was relaxing. Nothing could betray the mighty sister pinky swear. Nothing.

It was then Ludovic and Torchy returned with a gurney and some tools. They didn’t look too inviting, but at this point, I didn’t care. I just wanted her down.

As soon as Sheridan heard Ludovic’s voice she began to slap again and murmur.

What is she going through? What is she trying to tell me? Most likely she’s telling me to run, get away from this monster – but she has no idea what had happened to Dakota and how we need this psychopath to help us.

“Do you know how to take blood pressure?” he asked.

“Aye, I know how,” Torchy jumped in.

Ludovic pressed a series of buttons at Sheridan’s computer terminal and brought up her record. A humming sound turned on as she was lowered onto the gurney they brought with them. “Careful. Don’t start pulling things out of her. There is a sequence to bringing them back. First we have to unhook the excrement tube and catheter tubes. These get changed out daily.”

Was he proud of his accomplishments? I looked at him with disgust.

“Once we unhook them, then we can lower her all the way down. Be careful not to snag her IV shunt in the webbing. It’s a bitch to get back in.” He looked at me sheepishly. I could see the swollen, purple, mottled bruises Sheridan had at her collarbone.

I didn’t let go of her hands, and I kept talking to her. “It’s okay, Sheridan, we’re going to remove the tubes now.”

She gave the faintest little nod of acknowledgment.

“Don’t go crazy on me – no fast or rushed movement. You’re still hooked up to quite a few things.”

Finally we got her onto the table, shunts, IVs, and blood lines removed.

“There are clean gowns in that closet. Can you grab her one?” Ludovic asked.

I grabbed the gown. “When can she have water? Her lips are cracked and bleeding.”

“We shouldn’t try to give her anything until she has regained full consciousness,” Torchy said. “What drug is she under? How long will it take to wear off?”

“It depends.” Ludovic shrugged. “It’s Propofol, the standard anesthesia, just a smaller dose when used for inducing coma. Some women need heavy sedation, where others don’t. Since she is coming down off her cycle and would have had another dose in thirty minutes, this was excellent timing. She could be conscious and responsive within an hour.”

I looked at Torchy. “Come on – let’s get her home.”