Vampire Apocalypse #2 Cataylst (5 page)

Reginald settled back into the seat and
sifted through the things he’d learned while visiting Sophia. The
human’s blood was potent enough to cause an issue with consumption.
That alone was worth the visit. If Reggie had done as he planned,
it would have gone poorly, no doubt. Vampire metabolisms took blood
and utilized it swiftly. In the old days, as soon as it touched his
lips, Reggie could feel the power from the blood flowing through
him. However, Sophia’s warning, the reason why she only drank a
drop at a time rang in his ears. She was trying to build a
tolerance, he was sure of it. Which meant swallowing the wild
human’s blood was most likely fatal.

He drew in a deep breath and looked at the
storm clouds that were finally visible as the sun sank below the
horizon. “Better speed things up, Thomas.”

“I don’t like the look of them clouds. It’s
like they’re too thin, too wide.” Thomas leaned forward, pressing
his face to the windshield as he spoke. The truck hit a bump and
the vamp slammed his head into the glass. He groaned and returned
to his proper position.

Reginald ignored the display of incompetence.
As long as the lunatic didn’t topple the truck, Reginald didn’t
care about Thomas’ intelligence. He was a servant and nothing more.
“They’re storm clouds with too much wind, from the look of them.”
He laughed, picturing himself as a meteorologist a couple hundred
years ago, when people got their news from an attractive man on a
glowing TV screen. Those were good times.

“What’s so funny?” Thomas asked, his face
turning paler, if that was possible.

“Just drive,” Reginald said slouching back
into the seat.

But it didn’t matter how fast Thomas drove,
it was inevitable. They were headed directly into that storm. When
the wind blasted the truck, it nearly blew them off the road, or
what was left of it. The ice was slick and Reginald felt the truck
slip across the smooth surface. He reached for the door, holding on
as they slid. Thomas regained control and slowed.

The few animals that fared well in the wild
were scattering, running in the opposite direction of the truck.
Thomas’ gaze watched wolf, rabbit, and fox trying to escape what
they were driving into. “Sir, perhaps we should turn around?”
Thomas was never so brazen, but he couldn’t keep his thoughts to
himself. If they spun off the road and died, Reginald would kill
him.

“Keep driving,” Reginald said, ignoring the
man.

Thomas protested, “Them animals are running,
sir. Running. That’s not like them. Their natural instinct is to
hide. The only thing that flushes ‘em out anymore is bad. I gotta
say—”

“You’ve said enough,” Reginald snapped. “I
realize you think that death may lie ahead of us, but I know with
utter certainty that it lies behind us, waiting with a fang and
scythe.” Pressing his fingers to his throat, Reggie thought of the
head that rolled across the throne room floor, eyes still wide in
shock. “We will not turn back. Sophia will kill the King and anyone
who is in her path. I do not intend to be there when it happens.
Drive on.”

CHAPTER 7

When they emerged from the cave, Will had the
supplies he stripped from the frame of his bike. Although the
vehicle he’d taken went down, it was still able to be ridden. But,
first things first. They had to find a wolf.

Kahli tucked her bright hair under the white
body suit. Will said it didn’t need a coat, but she felt exposed.
The bodysuit fit her like a second skin, clinging to her frame and
revealing every curve. When she finally was dry enough to pull it
on, she shimmied the neckline up to her throat where she fastened a
plastic clip to hold in her body heat, and turned to Will. She felt
his heart jump before she had a chance to look at him.
Maybe
this bond thing isn’t so bad?
she thought. At least it gave her
a tiny clue as to how he felt about her. He thought she was
something to look at, that much she knew for certain.

Will didn’t look too bad in his white
bodysuit, either. It clung to his slender body, moving with his
toned chest and strong arms. Kahli looked away before she had more
time to think about what it meant—about the attraction that was
there—and the fact that she wanted more. There was something
majorly wrong with her brain. Maybe she’d been alone too long, or
maybe Will was everything she needed, and it didn’t matter what
kind of blood ran in his veins.

But he’s a vampire
, a voice hissed in
the back of her mind as she studied the sweeping muscles that
defined his broad shoulders.
Blood matters. Blood is what
separates us from them—it’s what makes us human—it’s what makes
them monsters.

Will felt her gaze, but said nothing. He
masked his thoughts so well that it was difficult to tell what he
thought about anything. Kahli studied him while they were in the
cave and aside from what he revealed, she didn’t learn much. The
main thing she felt over and over was his eyes sliding over her
form, followed by an increase in his pulse. The steady sound beat
in her ears, but his attention could have been for any number of
reasons. It didn’t mean he had feelings for her. He saved her,
because the King would kill him if he didn’t drag her back. Kahli
wasn’t a fool. She knew he couldn’t tell her everything, and that
there was much more to tell.

It didn’t matter. Not now. First, they needed
to buy more time. Chipping a wolf would lead the vamps in the wrong
direction and give them the head start that they had lost. Even
though they’d only stopped for a short time, time was everything
now and they had none.

Kahli turned to look at Will over her
shoulder. The freshly fallen snow was like dust, blowing through
the air in a blinding array. The tiny particles whipped into her
face, each one feeling like a splinter of glass caught in the wind.
There were no tracks to follow. That was good and bad. It made them
harder to track, but it made finding the stray wolves harder, too.
She wasn’t sure where they’d be in this weather. In the past, the
pack jumped on her as soon as she emerged, but today there wasn’t a
single beast.

Kahli’s heart sank, as she looked around
frantically.

Will stopped beside her, leaning close enough
to be heard above the howl of the wind. “Now what?”

“What else does this thing monitor?”

“Body temperature, pulse, and location.
That’s it. He must have stabbed you with it before you got
away.”

Kahli nodded, scanning the snow banks,
looking for any signs of life. After a moment her lips pulled back
into a smile. “Bingo.”

Will followed her gaze, shielding his eyes
from the wind and sun. “Are you serious?”

“You got a better idea?” she asked, looking
up at him.

“Honestly? No.” Will looked at the white
rodent perched on the top of the bank. It seemed to be sniffing the
air. “So, is your plan to compel it or...” before he could finish
asking, Kahli was gone. Will turned to look for her, but she’d
already ducked low to the ground. He shook his head and folded his
arms across his chest. The animal was watching him. “Or we can do
this your way,” he laughed.

In a flash, Kahli snuck up behind the small
animal. She kept her body downwind, so it couldn’t sense her
approaching quietly from the side. The chip was already in the
insertion device. It was round and long and fit snuggly in the palm
of her hand. It worked like a knife. All she had to do was grab the
animal and press the trigger on the top of the cylinder, as she
stabbed. That was what the King had to done her.

In a flash, Kahli leapt, grabbing the
creature by the throat with one hand, while the other hand punched
the trigger. The chip was shot into the animal’s hind leg as it
shrieked, terrified. Kahli cooed to it and placed it back on the
snow bank. It didn’t wait. As soon as its furry white feet hit the
snow, it took off.

Will walked up behind her with a grin on his
lips, “Nice work, wild girl.”

“And you wanted to compel it,” she laughed,
looking at him as she stood up. They both watched the animal scurry
away.

“I was joking,” Will said. “I would have
bribed it, but your way of attacking it like a wild dog worked
fine. That rabbit will never go within a hundred feet of a human
again.”

“Or a vampire,” Kahli grinned looking up at
him.

They turned to backtrack toward the bike.
Will was shaking his head. “The guards are going to be all sorts of
pissed when they realize they’ve been tracking a bunny rabbit.”

CHAPTER 8

The King surveyed his chamber, his gaze
falling on the blood that stained the room, marring its previously
perfect appearance. There was no way he’d survive this if he didn’t
act fast. Still bleeding, he left his rooms. Stepping over the dead
guard, the King walked toward the maiden’s room with singular
purpose. He wanted that girl—the one Kahli protected from the
Purging—the one that was rightfully his.

Cassie.

The King pushed into the chambers, dismissing
the guards as he went. When he found her room, he saw the three
empty beds, and the one with the girl fast asleep. The King towered
over Cassie, his slender form casting a shadow across her sleeping
body.

When Cassie awoke, she gasped. Pulse
pounding, she inched back in the bed until her back pressed against
the headboard. Her frantic heartbeat rang in his ears. The King
grabbed Cassie by the throat and yanked her from her bed. “You are
coming with me.”

The girl dangled, her hands frantically
clutching at her neck trying to rip free from his grip. When the
King realized he was strangling the girl, he dropped her to the
floor. Cassie sucked in air and tried to scream for Will, for
Kahli, for anyone, but she was totally alone. Kahli had not come
back from dinner. Will wasn’t around this night, and her horrible
roommates hadn’t come to bed.

Cassie cowered. The blood that covered the
King scared her, and although her mind didn’t piece it together
yet, her body did. He was dangerous, more so than last time. Last
time there was no blood. Last time he only wanted flesh. This time
was different. Blood and burn marks marred his skin. Cassie knew
that this wasn’t a weak, anemic vampire. The blood covering him
wasn’t only his. She didn’t know how she knew, but Cassie could
tell. She could smell it, and instead of the sickening black tar
that normally flowed in the vampire’s veins, the King’s blood was
scarlet.

“What’d you do with her?” Cassie hissed, but
the King didn’t answer. He grabbed her nightshirt and pulled her to
her feet.

“I’ve had a rather unpleasant night,” he said
as if he were addressing a member of the Regent. He wiped the back
of his hand across his bloodstained lips, “So, if you don’t mind,
I’ll ask the questions, and you
will
answer.”

Cassie managed to get to her feet. The King
dragged her through the halls and into the main corridors. They
passed the maidens’ quarters and headed towards the King’s side of
the palace. Before disappearing into his usual place, he stopped.
This was important and required tact and diplomacy that he failed
to plan for. The King pressed his fingers to his temples and
dropped Cassie on the floor.

Breathing hard he snapped his fingers at her
like she was a dog. “Up. Walk in front.”

Cassie swallowed the lump in her throat and
walked in front of the King. Her bare feet were cold against the
marble floor. When they finally stopped in front of a door, she
didn’t know whether to be happy or scream. Just before Cassie
stepped into the room, she looked up. Cole was standing in the
shadows of the archway across from them. His eyes were filled with
fear, as the King pushed Cassie through the door and closed it
behind them.

The room had floor to ceiling bookcases
filled with artifacts, but hardly any books. A fire was raging in
the hearth, warming the small space. The King’s tone changed from
threatening to patient. Cassie’s body shook, even though she tried
to stop. Gripping her hands in her lap, she sat where the King
indicated, in front of the fire.

This is important
, the King thought to
himself. He didn’t know how far he should go. One or two missing
girls were easy to hide—an accident or a sudden illness made it
less than suspect. However, tonight there were already three
missing girls, and Will. To make matters worse, each and every one
of them was technically the Queen’s property. This shivering girl
made five.

“Cassandra,” the King spoke her full name in
a soothing tone, “please don’t be afraid.” Before Cassie could
think, something thick and warm—like hot syrup—poured over her
emotions and stilled her. The fear that was coursing through her
body melted. She stared at the fire, unable to think. Cassie
watched the flames dance, slack-jawed as the King paced. His
compulsion worked well, and the King was pleased to see Cassie
succumb to it so readily.

“Very good, my dear. Now, I have a question
for you.” The King walked toward her, lifting his hands as he
explained, “It’s rather simple really. Answer and you can return to
your bed and forget this night.” Cassie nodded, her eyes unblinking
and staring straight ahead.

“Very good.” The King walked behind Cassie
and stood. Hooking his fingers on the back of her chair, he said,
“I want you to think before you respond. Try to search every memory
before you answer. It is important that you tell me the truth,
Cassandra.”

The warm feeling that had slipped over her
was changing. Instead of feeling like a warm blanket it constricted
slightly before releasing her. The display of power wasn’t lost on
her. Cassie’s body was still in fight or flight mode. Her feet
twitched, urging her to flee, but her mind was the King’s. She
stared into the fire waiting for the question, wanting to answer it
with every fiber of her being. The willingness shocked her. Her
heart raced faster.