Vampire's Hunger (21 page)

One second the vampires were there and in the next they’d faded away into the shadows of the coming dawn.

“I’ll recon ahead and be right back.” Aodhán strode away, bloody sword held at the ready. In a few minutes he came back, a scowl on his face. He kicked at the legs of one of the downed zombies. “There are at least as many between us and the apartment complex,” he said. “And none between us and Maddalene’s enclave.”

Oh, God. They’d never make it through another horde.

“I guess it’s back to Duncan’s, then,” she whispered.

Duncan’s jaw firmed. “No. Until I can guarantee your safety, we won’t return there. We’ll have to find someplace else to hole up for a while.” He turned her and began walking back the way they’d come, Natalie and Aodhán following behind. “I promise you,” Duncan said, “I will give my life to protect you all.”

But that wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t want his death. Glad of Duncan’s supporting arm around her waist, she put one foot in front of the other, growing fatigue threatening to pull her under. By the time they’d gone only a block she was ready to drop.

“In here,” Duncan said and swooped her up in his arms to carry her the rest of the way. He led them into an abandoned café and set her on a sofa in a corner seating area near the kitchen in the back of the restaurant. “I need to get more help,” he murmured. Looking at Aodhán, he said, “Stay here with them. I’ll be just a few minutes.”

Even knowing they needed reinforcements, she didn’t want him going anywhere near Maddalene. “Wait.”

“I’ll be all right, sweetheart.” He pressed a kiss to her mouth. “I’ll be right back.” Before she could say more, he was gone.

“Get some sleep if you can,
mo chara
,” she heard Aodhán say through the fog of her fatigue. She murmured a response and finally allowed sleep to overtake her.

*  *  *

Duncan kept to the shadows and waited for one of the vampires loyal to him to fetch Atticus. In just a few minutes the former gladiator came through the front gates and joined him.

“Did Maddalene really threaten your safety?” he asked, his tone frosty with disbelief.

Duncan gave an abrupt nod. “We’ve taken refuge in a café not too far from here. We can talk there.”

Atticus grunted his response and they set off, using their vampire speed to eat up the distance in little time. They entered the café and moved to the seating area where Kimber still slept on the sofa.

“Maddalene’s out of control.” Atticus dropped into one of the chairs at the table where Aodhán and Natalie sat. His silver gaze flicked over them then back to Duncan, who remained standing. He wanted to get to Kimber in an instant if need be. Leaning forward, Atticus braced his elbows on his knees. “It’s time, and you know it. Past time, actually.”

“Past time for what?” Natalie asked.

Duncan didn’t respond, and neither did Atticus. Duncan knew his friend waited for him to acknowledge that Maddalene was no longer deserving of his unswerving loyalty. But to stage a coup… He’d never thought this day would come. Perhaps he’d been naive, or maybe just in denial. Either way, his friend was right. “Yes, it’s time.”

“Time. For. What?” Natalie shot a glare at him. He noticed when she looked Atticus’s way her expression lightened.

Pretty boy.

“Time to remove Maddalene from power.” Duncan finally sat in a chair facing Atticus and just as quickly got back to his feet. “We need those loyal to us here. We must strike now.”

“Give me half an hour. We’ll reconvene here once I have things in place.” Atticus left the café.

A low moan sounded from the seating area.

“Keep watch,” he said to Aodhán and Natalie. He headed over to Kimber.

Kimber moaned again. Her legs thrashed and her head twisted to one side then the other.

Duncan sat on the edge of the sofa. “Kimber, wake up. You’re dreaming.” When another groan left her, he leaned over and took her shoulders in a firm grip. “Kimber. Wake. Up.”

Her eyes shot open on a gasp. For a few seconds she seemed unaware of her surroundings, then her gaze flickered over his face. “Oh God, Duncan.” Tears filled her eyes. She sat up and threw her arms around him, burying her face against his chest. “Something’s…different.
I
feel different.”

He pressed a kiss to her temple. “What do you mean? How do you feel different?”

“I feel like I normally do after tapping into the Unseen, but there’s something more.” She heaved a sigh. “I’m not sure I can explain it. God, I can’t even tell if this is a good more or a really, really bad more.”

He tightened his arms. He felt powerless to help her, much like he’d been when she’d tried to help Bishop. “How did you stop the zombies?”

“You know how I told you the Unseen reached for me that night with Whitcomb? And then again with Bishop? But it was dark? Evil.”

He nodded, but realized with her face pressed to his chest she couldn’t see his head. “Yes, I remember.”

“It was the same tonight. And I thought, maybe I shouldn’t fight it, that I should let it grab me.” She drew back slightly and looked up into his face. Her hazel eyes sparkled with tears. “So I did, and when I pushed that negative energy out at the zombies, it undid their reanimation. But now I feel different.”

He kissed her lips. “I’m sure it’s just fatigue, sweetheart.” God, he hoped that was all it was. Whatever had happened, they’d deal with it together. “You get more rest, and when you wake up you’ll feel better.”

She lay back down without complaint. With a sniff she stared up at him. “Duncan, I’m scared.”

He leaned over and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. His little warrior, always so indomitable. Her fear ate at his calm. “We’ll handle this together, Kimber.” He kissed her again, moving his mouth over hers in a soft, gentle caress. “Sleep now. Worry later, all right?”

She gave a nod and her eyes fluttered closed. In another minute her breathing evened out.

He stared down at her. Tonight all their lives could end. Or it could be the beginning of a new era.

One thing he was certain of: he loved Kimberly Treat and would do everything in his power to keep her safe and make her as happy as possible in this crazy apocalyptic world.

Right now, though, he had a queen to overthrow.

Chapter Fourteen

A
n hour later, Duncan and Atticus stood side by side and looked over the vampires gathered in Duncan’s large living room. He’d left Aodhán and Natalie with a still-sleeping Kimber at the café and had sent several vampires loyal to him to help guard her and his friends. Duncan and Atticus had put the final touches on their plan while hunkered down in the restaurant and had returned to Maddalene’s compound mere minutes ago.

He hated that it had come down to this. But he had to admit—and hopefully not too late—that Maddalene had been on a downward spiral for at least the last decade. After Eduardo’s true death she’d gotten worse.

Eduardo had been a sadistic bastard, but he’d been fair. Reasonable. And he’d somehow managed to tamp down Maddalene’s aggression and irrational tendencies. Since he’d been gone… Well, Duncan himself had been a recipient of her out of control behavior, hadn’t he?

Now he looked across a room filled with nearly fifty vampires, all male. It didn’t surprise him that the women had sided with Maddalene, even though Atticus had expressed surprise. He’d been sure they’d have some of the females on their side.

It didn’t matter. When it came down to it, male vampires were stronger than females, and they needed the brute strength if this was going to work.

“Where is she right now?” Duncan asked, keeping his voice low. They still had guards posted outside in the hallway, but he didn’t want to take a chance of someone listening in and reporting back to the queen.

“In her suite,” Atticus said. His silver eyes glittered with eagerness for battle. “You know her supporters will fight to the death.”

“As will we,” one of the vampires said.

Duncan looked his way.

“We’ve all suffered, one way or another, from Maddalene’s lack of foresight. She treats humans as slaves, as pets, as things to be used and discarded, when they should be cared for and protected.” He glanced around at the others in the room. “I for one have no desire to try to gain sustenance from animals. We need humans.”

“You don’t think they taste better if they’re scared?” Duncan asked.

The man shook his head. “No, sir. It makes the blood taste sharp. Gamey.”

Duncan inclined his head. “I agree. Blood given freely has a much richer taste.” He looked around the room. “Atticus and I, along with a select few, will take care of Maddalene. The rest of you… You know what needs to be done.” He clapped his hand on Atticus’s shoulder. “Let’s do this.”

In the main hallway, he gave the vampires standing guard in the hallway a lingering look, putting all of his authority in his stare. Motioning toward Maddalene’s door, he rumbled quietly, “No one other than Atticus or me gets in, is that understood?”

Each man gave a nod.

“Let’s go.” Hardening his resolve, he moved forward, Atticus at his side followed by the rest of the rebels. He went still inside for a moment, realizing truly for the first time that he was on the side of this fight he’d never really thought he would be. He’d always been able to talk Maddalene down from whatever potentially disastrous action she’d wanted to take. But taking a whipping at her hand had driven home very succinctly that she no longer listened to him.

They paused outside her door. Atticus looked at him and asked in a low voice, “Ready?”

Duncan nodded. Without bothering to knock, he pushed open the door to her throne room and entered. Atticus and several other vampires followed. Maddalene’s four royal guards immediately formed a line between them and their queen.

“What is the meaning of this?” she asked, her manner haughty and disdainful. “You have not been summoned.”

Duncan ignored her for the moment and focused his attention on her guards. “Maddalene’s rule is over,” he told them. “Don’t let your vows to protect your ruler with your life end things for you as well.”

To a man they straightened their shoulders and scowled. “She is still our leader,” one said. “We will adhere to our vows.”

“So be it,” Atticus growled.

Duncan took the guy to his left, grunting as the guard delivered a hard punch to his ribs. He was aware of the fight going on around him, of Atticus squared off with another guard, and the remaining two royal guards battling it out with four vampires loyal to Duncan. The others remained by the door, watching for a moment when they might be needed, and guarding the door against intruders.

Duncan ducked a hand heading for his jaw and planted his fist in his opponent’s gut. He heard a grunt then a low snarl. The vampire came at him, fangs flashing, digging into the arm Duncan threw up to protect his face. Duncan growled at the pain and shook the other vampire off. After several minutes of both of them jockeying for position, he finally saw an opening. He feinted to the left, and as guard left himself open to attack from the right, Duncan pushed forward and sank his teeth into his opponent’s throat.

The other vampire thrashed in his hold, but Duncan bit down and held on, and within seconds had drained the guard of enough blood to render him powerless. He let the vamp drop to the floor and turned to assess the situation.

Atticus had defeated his opponent and the other guards were dead as well. That just left Maddalene.

Duncan turned to face her. She stood tall and defiant near the wall of implements of torture she’d used to keep her subjects in line. She wore an air of nobility she no longer deserved. “You dare!” Her eyes flashed silver fire and long fangs curled over her lower lip.

“Only because you’ve left us no alternative.” Duncan rocked back on his heels, willing to bargain with her because of what she’d once meant to him. “Step aside and we’ll let you live.”

“Duncan.” Atticus’s low voice was little more than a growl as he came to stand at Duncan’s right side. He clearly didn’t agree with leaving the queen alive.

“I will never willingly step down.” She gave Duncan a once over. “You once held so much promise,” she sneered and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Being around that little human has made you soft. Weak.”

Being around Kimber, seeing the kind of strength, both emotional and physical, with which she faced each day, had inspired him. It had made him stronger. Better.

“You’re wrong,” he answered Maddalene. “My time spent with Kimber and her friends has shown me how things could be. How they
should
be.” He took a step forward. “You rule through fear, Maddalene, and it’s unnecessary. The world we live in is harsh enough already; there’s no need to bring that harshness within these walls.”

She lifted her chin. “You’re a fool. You speak of harshness.” Her eyes narrowed. “Fear and power are what our kind understands. They respond only to strength. And humans…” She trilled a laugh. “Humans are food. They’re not friends. Or lovers.” She glanced over his shoulder, and he partially turned to follow her gaze to her human attendants who cowered near the chaise. “They’re pathetic, weak fools,” she said.