The Vampire's Consort (Undead in Brown County) (10 page)

“Michael.”

He had been sleeping again.
Back in Indiana, he’d rarely slept until he had become human. Now he felt the kind of intense pressure that sapped him mentally. He assumed that was the reason, anyway.

Michael turned heavy-lidded eyes towards Teddy.
She hardly showed up at the apartment at all anymore, but she’d never entered his bedroom without knocking beforehand. She was agitated. Once again, the telltale sign of twisting her hands tipped him off.

“What?” he
said.

“We’ve received a call from the Brazilian clinic.
Apparently, they’ve received an external request for Katie to be released early.”

Michael drew one arm over his face.

“Who sent the request?”

When she didn’t answer immediately, he moved his arm so he could see her.

“Who?”

Her dark eyes were huge against the contrast of her elegantly pale complexion. Her hands continued the infernal twisting. He waited. Teddy took a deep breath and her chin rose a fraction of an inch.

“Alexander.”

Michael was still reeling from the effects of the dream he’d been having. He wasn’t sure he heard her correctly.

“Alex?
Why would he…”

Then he realized it
was Sarah. He could imagine if Sarah were going through an especially hard time, she would naturally want Katie to be there with her. They still had a great deal of making up to do. But, the fact that Alex had made the request could be an indication that Alex was with Sarah.

Sitting up at the edge of the huge bed, Michael rubbed at his sleepy eyes.

“What did you tell them?”

“Only that we trusted whatever decision they felt was right. If she’s truly ready to be integrated back into the fold, we could use her help.”

“I have a feeling Katie’s not going to be very open to the idea of helping any of us.
You should have said no.”

Teddy looked on him with a glimmer of pity.

“They’re going to fax me her official status report.
Luckily, she ended up with Marko for a mentor. He usually succeeds in getting his clients clean for life. We can trust him.”

“I don’t care about her damned mentor.
Unless they know for a fact that she won’t hurt Sarah, she should stay at the clinic. Katie killed over a dozen innocent souls, Teddy. You and I both know she should have been sent to Arizona.”

“Yes.
Arizona. She would be dead now if that had happened. Just being Sarah’s sister doesn’t make her valuable to the council. They care about that Pawnee blood that’s running in her veins. What have you heard from Victoria and Jones?”

“Not much.
The last time I talked to her, they had arrived at the camp with Jackson Bennett but hadn’t yet located the bodies they expected would be there.”

He frowned.

“You think they’re in danger?”

“I don’t know. I would feel better if Sarah’s sister was there as a backup.”

“I’ll call Alex and find out what’s going on.”

But
, when he picked up his cell phone from the nightstand and looked at the display, he saw that Alex had called while he was asleep. There was a voicemail message.

“Michael, it’s Alex.
I’m sure you’ve heard by now that I’ve requested an early release for Katie. Sarah needs her now. I can promise you Katie will cause no harm to her. I’ve dealt with Katie when she’s at her worst. Safety is my first priority. So I’m hoping you won’t try to stop me from getting her back.”

The message ended.

Teddy sighed shortly.

“Call him back and tell him that before she can be around Sarah, she’ll need to prove herself.
Jackson Bennett is still human. If Katie can resist human blood, a trip to Arizona would be an excellent test of her ability to control her appetite.”

“E
h,” he grunted.

“I don’t like that idea, Teddy.
Putting her inside the containment camp with the most dangerous rogue we’ve had so far seems too risky. If she dies, other rogues out there might get wind of this. We don’t how many rogues are out there. Do you want a war? The reports keep coming in, Teddy. Twenty-four human deaths in the last two weeks. That doesn’t include the bodies found at the edge of Estes Park. We still don’t have that one in custody.”

“
Santiago is looking for her. Lucille Warner has been up in those mountains for a century, Michael. It might take awhile. Please call Alex and tell him to take Katie to Arizona.”

Michael stood up and met her gaze firmly.

“No, Teddy.
These are the kinds of decisions you brought me here to make. I had little choice in taking this title. It’s not what I wanted. But now that I’m here and have sworn my allegiance to the council, I will be the one to decide how things proceed.”

Her response was crisp and chilly.

“I see.”

“I mean it, Teddy.”

With a sniff of disdain, she turned away from him and walked out.
He didn’t see the slow smile of satisfaction that she wore as she closed the bedroom door behind her. She pulled her own phone from her expensive leather handbag and saw the text message she had been waiting for.

Alex:
We fly out of Rio this evening. I hope you know what you’re doing.

She replied
:
Your contact from this point forward is Captain Jones. NOT Victoria. Send Michael a text once you land in Phoenix, telling him that the clinic won’t release her for a few more days. That should give you enough time to get the rogues under control. How is Sarah?

Alex
: She’s doing very well, but she still claims that she doesn’t have an appetite for anything.

Teddy’s
only concern at that moment was the fact that Jones may not be able to get Victoria’s phone away from her so she couldn’t contact Michael directly. As she walked across the marbled entryway towards the front door of the apartment, she put the phone back in her bag.

Mahdi
Lone had to die
. He had learned far too much about the American vampires before he was relocated to the Arizona camp. She knew how powerful he was. They had fought one-on-one centuries ago. He had nearly killed her in that village outside of Barcelona. In Europe, his necromancy was well known. Other vampires knew to stay far away from Lone. Any ancient who could raise the dead and make them his slaves deserved a good deal of respect, in Teddy’s opinion.

She made the mistake of challenging him in Spain.
She wouldn’t do so again. Katie would finish it for her. There was a great deal about Kate Wood that impressed Teddy. The girl had courage, an excellent intellect, and a good moral background. Not perfect, but Teddy did not want perfection. She wanted a student.

Dumas had told her three days ago of what he’d seen in that other world, where dreams became predictions and fears led to primal screaming.
It was a vision of Katie as an empress with the decapitated head of Mahdi Lone mounted on a spike beside her throne. She hadn’t known Dumas for very long, but his short known history was exemplary. The council had been eager to procure a reliable seer. Michael’s old friend, Meekah, wanted nothing to do with the council and had refused them service for decades. Now she was being hunted by official decree of the council for Katie’s second kidnapping.

Teddy was counting on Katie to tie up several loose ends.
She hoped that it wouldn’t take much to point the girl in the right direction.

“I don’t think you’re ready.”

Kate had been packing her clothes.
The only important thing she could physically take with her back the U.S. was the journal. She had wrapped it carefully in plastic and put it into the black backpack that she would be carrying on the plane. The words that her grandfather, her father and her sister had written in that journal represented something sacred to Kate after her thirty days of fasting.

She looked at Marco.

“I passed their test.”

“I know you did. But ,there’s still so much anger inside you, Kate. It worries me.”

With practiced hands, she drew a brush through her thick dark curls and began to braid it.

“I admit to having anger issues.
But, they won’t get in the way. Not where Sarah is concerned.”

She was keeping a vital piece of information from her mentor and it felt wrong.
But Sarah’s safety was more important than anything.

It was so strange to imagine Sarah being a vampire.
When Alex had told her over the phone what he’d done and the reason behind it, Kate had felt a crippling rush of guilt descend upon her. She wanted Sarah to be happy, but the moment Michael left Sarah had seemed to dissolve into a severe depression.

Marco had been away from the clinic compound when Alex had called.
If he had been there, he would have seen the change in Kate’s demeanor, the gleam in her dark eyes. But, by the time he got back, she had her feelings under control.

Norma had taken Marco into her office and explained that early release had been requested and approved for Kate.
He wasn’t in total agreement with the decision but he had already left glowing reports of her progress in her file.

She sighed and slung her bag over her shoulder.

“I’ll call when I get to the states.
And if I ever feel tempted to drink the blood of the living.”

She smiled at him coyly.

“You stay out of trouble.”

“Me? Not likely.”

They smiled at each other, hugged quickly
before he walked her out into the sunshine where the cab was waiting. The person standing next to the cab holding the door open was not the driver. It was Alex.

He looked like he belonged in that environment with the sun shining down on his bright blond head and the palm trees swaying above him.
Kate felt a jolt of energy pass through her chest. It wasn’t painful. The sensation was actually somewhat familiar.

She didn’t make direct eye contact with him—she just nodded and tossed her bag into the backseat.
There were two large plastic bins sitting by the curb that contained sealed bags of the swine blood Katie needed for sustenance. Alex helped Marco load them into the back of the cab.

“You ready?” Alex asked.

Marco handed Alex a business card.

“Call me anytime if you need help or think she might be slipping.”

“Not going to happen, Marco,” Kate sang out as she got into the backseat of the cab.

Marco observed Alex with a skeptical frown on his face.

“Keep her safe.”

Alex’s eyes shifted towards Katie.

“She won’t come to any harm as long as she sticks with me.
What I’m worried about is her running off.”

Kate’s mentor nodded.

“Just keep in mind she wants to be with her sister.
Make sure Sarah understands the flight risk if things go bad between them. I’ve heard Sarah has a temper as well.”

“She does.
Well, she did. I haven’t quite figured out the vampire version of her yet. But I’ll let her know about Katie’s situation.”

They shook hands and Alex got into the cab.
As it pulled away from the curb, Marco was wondering if he’d ever see Kate Wood again. If so, it wouldn’t be in Brazil. The rules were clear. But, he hoped that she would turn to him personally if she ever ran into trouble. He had a feeling Kate had quite an adventure ahead of her. He only hoped she survived it.

The drapes inside the hotel room were drawn shut against the harsh afternoon sun. It did little to darken the excitement rushing through Sarah. She had waited a long time for her sister to return to her. Before the death of their father, they had been quite close. There was a good chance they could get back to that bond.

When Alex turne
d the key in the lock, she stopped pacing. An instant later, she was fiercely embraced by the sister she had waited so long to see. The fragrances that Sarah had always associated with Katie were gone, replaced by a chaotic storm of separate odors that could be attributed only the Sarah’s enhanced abilities.

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” Kate said, looking into Sarah’s face and searching for the differences.
She turned towards Alex with a provocative gleam in her dark eyes.

“Michael is going to chop you into a hundred pieces and feed you to sharks once he hears of this.”

Sarah interjected quickly.

“No, he won’t.
He’ll be so happy to see me that he won’t care how it came about.”

Kate sighed.

“Did Alex’s blood totally destroy your common sense?
You know him, Sarah. He’s not going to like this at all.”

She turned back towards Alex.

“What were you hoping for, Alex?
Were you thinking he would be so angry at both of you that he would reject her?”

Sarah shook her head.

“Katie, it’s not like that….”

“Don’t call me Katie. My name is Kate.”

She put her backpack on one of the two beds
and sat down.

“Tell me about this Arizona thing.”

Alex cast his emerald eyes once at Sarah and then he sat down at the small table in the corner of the room.

“It’s been a mess from the beginning, according to Teddy.
The council wanted a backup plan for the rogues. They didn’t want them sent to the farm. So, they hired a Pawnee medicine man to try to create a containment field in the Arizona desert. It’s out in the middle of nowhere in the mountains. Once the containment field was verified as secure, they hired Jackson’s father to be a Warden. Unfortunately, they chose the wrong man.”

“The last rogue they put in there was different.
When he went in, there were twelve rogues in there with him. Now there are three,” Sarah said. “Teddy said that Jackson’s father is dead and Charlie says that when he went down to see what the situation was, none of the bodies could be located.”

“So this is where I come in, I take it?” Kate asked.

One of her dark eyebrows rose in a questioning glance towards Alex.

He shifted in his chair.

“As far as Michael knows, you are to be released in a few days.
He didn’t like the idea of putting you into that situation. It was Teddy’s idea.”

“You’re doing this behind Michael’s back?”
Sarah said.

She
rolled her eyes.

“Alex, why didn’t you mention this before?
He’s going to be pissed off at you because you turned me. But this?”

“He can’t do anything to hurt Alex,” Kate
said. “You know that. But I don’t know if Sarah should be going.”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

Alex nodded his head.

“I agree with her, Sarah.
You need more time to adjust.”

Sarah’s blue eyes fastened on the pale face of her sister.
“You’re not getting rid of me quite yet. I just got you back.”

Kate smiled gently and rose from her seat on the bed.
They wrapped their arms around each other again.

“I missed you too.”

They both turned to Alex.
He could see that separating them would be difficult and given the responsibility he felt towards them both, he would worry less if they were both with him. Sarah was newly turned and needed guidance. And Katie… Kate. She needed someone to keep her on the straight and narrow.

He had to admit that being around her again had stirred something inside him.
He didn’t want to give that feeling a name. That might make it too real. There wasn’t much that scared Alex these days, but this new Kate made him feel a little vulnerable.

He looked at them both, seeing them more clearly than he might have in the past.
Sarah’s heart was fixed on Michael. The mess she had become after having to live without him just solidified that fact. He only hoped that once Michael discovered what he’d done, he would welcome her with open arms. It seemed a very likely outcome. But, Kate’s future was still hazy. He wasn’t sure what she wanted yet.

As if she sensed his thoughts, Kate’s dark eyes narrowed.
He stood up.

“We go together, then.
The three of us. Victoria and Jones are already there,” Alex said. “Our flight leaves in a few hours. Sarah, I’ve got blood for you.”

Kate flinched.

“Oh, don’t bring it around me.
Not a good idea.”

“Pig’s blood,” Alex murmured.
“Right. Well, you can’t share a meal.”

Sarah’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Pig blood?
Really?”

“Don’t start,” Kate said.
“It doesn’t taste that bad. Maybe you should try it too.”

Alex pulled off the black t-shirt he’d been wea
ring. Both of the girls stared as he rummaged through his small suitcase for another shirt to wear on the plane. Sarah nudged Kate slightly and rolled her eyes in Alex’s direction.

There could be no question about it.
Alex was as close to a god as the two sisters had ever seen. Each of them had seen him without his clothes in the past, to be sure. But the sight of his muscular, lithe form was enough to halt their conversation, if not elicit ongoing thoughts of him, which would best to be kept to themselves.

Sensing their attention, he turned casually.

“Getting a good look, ladies?
Should I remove my shorts as well?”

The devilish light in his green eyes
earned him another cool glance from them before they both became indignant.

“Oh, please.
I may have been locked up for awhile, but even I’m not that desperate,” Kate huffed. But, Sarah shook her head and the doubt she had about Kate’s statement made her to smile.

“
Enough. I’m content to try the pig blood, if only to keep you on the right path,” Sarah said lightly. “If it tastes like shit though, I’m switching to the good stuff.”

“Fair enough.”

The two sisters ended up agreeing that the swine blood would be beneficial to them both, and took an oath before Alex, pledging that they would consume nothing but pig blood from that point forward. It was a relief to Alex, of course. He had been nervous about Sarah’s transformation and her lack of hunger for blood.

Before
three of them boarded the plane for Arizona, each had been fed accordingly. The clinic had sent over one of the vampire mentors (not anyone that Kate knew) to feed Alex. It was done as a courtesy and many thanks. Alex was aware of Sarah and Kate’s eyes taking in the somewhat professional way in which Alex obtained his blood. He hoped it had made an impression on them. Alex’s attitude about blood had changed tremendously since the incident in Chicago. He knew that the blood that offered him the most long-term sustenance was the blood of a vampire. But, it seemed quite awkward to ask either Kate or Sarah for the favor. He was glad the clinic had come up with an alternate means to satisfy his appetite.

As the landing gear
pulled up into place inside the belly of the airplane, Sarah sighed and closed her eyes. Whatever was waiting for them in the Arizona camp was probably going to put a serious kink in her plans as far as Michael was concerned. All she really wanted was to be in his arms, smelling the clean hair that she liked to wind around her pinky finger. She wanted to feel his warm skin against hers. Then she remembered. He wouldn’t be warm anymore.