Blood Apocalypse - 04 (16 page)

She found herself standing in the doorway to his lab, her sunglasses in her hand and her voice caught in her throat, unable to say anything, a look of uncertainty across her features. Rufus looked up from the project he was working on and excused hi
mself from the lab, muttering something about a cake in the oven. He had the foresight and knowledge of the heart to know that there were certain times to make yourself scarce and this was definitely one of them.

Evan crossed the lab, concern creeping into his heart, worry entering his mind, fear that someone had been hurt or worse, killed. “What has happened?”

Laura stared at him a moment, her face a blank canvas. Slowly her lip began to quiver and she melted into his arms. “I can’t…” She buried her face into his chest.

“You can’t what?” He rubbed her back soothingly.

“I can’t just leave without saying good-bye,” she replied softly. “I love you too much.”

Evan visibly stiffened with her in his arms. “You’re lea
ving?”

“I have to, Evan,” she cried, her voice cracking. “I can’t take it anymore.” She buried her face in his shirt and clung to him.

He slowly wrapped his arms around her and rocked her, unsure what to say. She continued to release her pent up emotions and he continued to hold her, rubbing her back. When she got herself under control again, she pulled back and he wiped at her face with the sleeve of his lab coat. “I’m sorry.” She laughed nervously as she wiped the other side. “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.”

“I hadn’t realized the pressure was this much on you…” he began.

She shook her head. “It’s not the pressure, Evan. It’s
you
!” she said, poking playfully at him. He pulled back from her in shock and she suddenly realized that he had misunderstood her. “No, sweetie, I meant I’m not crying because of the pressure, I’m crying because you are the ONLY thing I’m going to miss!” She watched as his features softened and realization sunk in to his eyes…followed by sadness. “But I have to go. Even if it’s just for a little while, I have to.”

Evan nodded his head and avoided her gaze. “I love you so much, Laura.”

“And I love you, Evan. More than I ever thought I could love anyone,” she whispered. “But if I don’t step back from…all of this, I’m going to lose my mind.”

“Have I been pressuring you in any way?”

“No, Evan, no…it’s the squads and the job and…” she trailed off. She lifted his chin to meet her reddened eyes. “It’s definitely
not
you.” She kissed him gently on the mouth. “I’d drag you with me if I could. But you are too vital to the success of the mission. I couldn’t do that to Matt. Or the squads. Or to you.” She noticed the surprise in his eyes. She smiled at him because she knew him better than he knew himself. “You need this job more than you know. You need to feel like you are part of the solution…and you ARE. They’d be lost without your genius behind the curtain.” She pulled him into a tight embrace.

“But what am I without you?”

“You’re still you.” She nuzzled him. “You’re the most special man I’ve ever known.”

“Then why are you leaving me? Is it because I wouldn’t bite you?” he asked. “Because I spoke with Rufus and I—”

She pulled back, her eyes wide. “You told him?” He saw the fear in her eyes.

Evan shook his head, puzzlement across his face. “What?” He didn’t understand her reaction. “I didn’t
tell
him anything. I simply asked the effects of a vampire’s bite on a human, either when feeding or during…well, heights of passion.”

She studied him, looking for cracks in his armor and he studied her back. “I don’t understand, Laura. Why would it ma
tter if I had? Rufus is not one to—”

She shushed him by placing a finger over his mouth and giving him a bittersweet smile. “Evan, please.” The sadness in her eyes stopped him more than her motions. “Leave our private actions just between us.”

Evan stared into her eyes and simply nodded. She sunk back into his arms and sighed. He held her a moment longer. “When will you return?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. But I hope soon.” She closed her eyes and tried not to imagine a day to day life without him. “I’ll call you often though and keep you up on how I’m d
oing.”

He nodded and fought the urge to beg her to stay. Laura b
egan trying to find reasons to stay in her mind, and fought the urge to offer to stay, just to assist him however she could. She swallowed the words before they could leave her mouth. She knew that she had to go. Her time with the squads was up, and she had to move on. She pulled away from his chest and kissed him again, her hands pulling him closer to her.

“I have to go,” she finally whispered.

Evan nodded again, his eyes growing misty. “Don’t forget to write.”

“Or text. Or call…or email.” She smiled at him as she backed toward the door of the lab.

“I miss you already,” he called softly as she stepped across the threshold.

“I don’t see how.” She felt a tear run down her cheek. “I’m taking you with me in my heart.”

*****

Rufus Thorn entered the abandoned warehouse with Viktor in tow. Although his face was stoic, his power ebbed and flowed in great pulses that sent the vampires within quivering to their knees. The sun had barely begun to set as he made his way to the warehouse and it was only in the shade of the hillside that Rufus dared to exit the vehicle and enter the steel door of the unde
rground tomb.

Vampire guards met him at the door and fell into step b
ehind the duo as they marched to the rear of the giant warehouse. Rufus, a vampire on a mission, had little doubt the outcome of this meeting. Foster would heed or be crushed. There were no other alternatives.

As they approached Foster’s makeshift quarters, Paul stepped out of the room that he now claimed as a bedchamber. What once was intended to house the entire Congress of the United States in the event of a national emergency was being used as Paul Foster’s private chambers. At least this time he had taken the time to throw on a robe before presenting himself to his new master.

Rufus paused just outside the room and shot Foster a disapproving glare.

“Ah, brother,” Paul said with false affection, “you’ve come back to visit so soon?”

Rufus allowed a full wave of his power to wash out among the vampires in the warehouse and the mass of undead fell to a knee, Foster included.

“I have come seeking answers,
brother
,” Rufus responded quietly.

“To what?”

“To a rather disturbing question that was brought to my attention.” Rufus looked around at all of the vampires surrounding him and raised his voice. “It has been asked of me if you and yours are feeding on humans,” Rufus spoke loudly. “I reassured the humans at the base that this could not possibly be the case because we have entered into a blood alliance, have we not?”

Foster did not answer, but rather raised his widened eyes to his adopted brother in shock.

“Our alliance
binds you
to the
Lamia Beastia
, does it not?” Rufus asked expectantly. He noticed the color drain from Foster’s face as the realization sunk in. “Therefore, you could not possibly be feeding from humans while under this alliance, oui?” Rufus began pacing the small area between Foster and his people. “Because if you
had been
feeding on humans, that would be a breech of our contract.” He turned again to Paul and lowered his voice. “And you wouldn’t want that, now would you,
brother
?”

Paul visibly swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and lowered his eyes. “May we speak alone, brother,” he asked quietly, “in private?”

“But, of course.”

Rufus followed Paul into his bedchamber and saw a number of young women strewn about in various stages of undress, many of whom had obviously been fed upon. He clucked his tongue at Paul and shook his head. “Brother…” he chastised.

“Forgive me,” he pleaded. “I did not realize that by forming the alliance we would have to…” he trailed off.

Foster shook his head in anticipation. “What? Adopt our ways?”

Paul sighed heavily. “Well, yes.”

Rufus chuckled. “We formed the alliance to protect ma
nkind.” Rufus stated.

Paul’s eyes widened. “We most certainly did
not
!” he argued. “We formed it to battle a common enemy!”

“That threatens mankind.”

“
And
our way of life! One who would reveal to the world that we exist!” he argued. “We’d be hunted by every idiot with a broken stick who thought himself a modern day Van Helsing!”

Rufus remained stoic and stared him down. “Do you wish to dissolve the blood alliance?”

Paul blanched. “No.” he answered quickly. “You’ll not get me so easily.” He pointed a finger at Rufus. “With you having control, and me requesting a dissolution before resolution, I forfeit everything…and I’m not stupid.” He shook his finger in Rufus’ face.

“Then you will adopt our ways?”

Paul slumped on his bed and hung his head. “What of the sex slaves? May I keep some of them?”

“
Oui
. So long as you do not feed from them.”

“Oh, for the love of…” Paul threw his hands in the air. “What good are they then?”

“Sex?”

“What are we to do then, starve? We brought no animals to feed from.”

“Lucky for you, we did.” Rufus smiled. “And we are willing to share.”

“Of course you did,” Paul groaned. “And what of the h
umans that we brought?”

“You are natural born. You have the gift of mind control. Convince them that they came this way to enjoy gambling and have one of your familiars truck them to Las Vegas and drop them off.” Thorn shrugged. “Simple,
non
?”

Paul ground his teeth so hard that Rufus was sure the va
mpires outside could hear them. “The moment this alliance is over, I’m collecting them back and eating them.” He met Thorn’s gaze with malice. “All of them.”

“That is your choice.” Rufus seemed unaffected by Paul’s anger. “But until then, you are bound by the alliance and you will adopt our ways.”

“As you will, so shall it be.” Foster bowed.

Rufus stepped out of the bedchamber and distinctly heard something crash against the wall after the door was shut. He fought the urge to smile.

*****

Damien hovered on the fringe of the darkness behind a trai
ler, his view of Paul and Rufus unobstructed. When the others took to their knees, he felt a tug in the back of his mind, his chest tightening ever so slightly, but the larger part of him rebelled. He fought to stay on his feet then thought it better to at least play the part of a mindless drone. He slowly lowered himself to his knee, his eyes defiantly studying the two as they spoke.

So this is the man my master now fears?
He thought.
Somehow I would have thought him larger.

Damien’s muddied mind fought back through the haze of memories to when his master returned from signing the blood alliance, the effects of the Elven blood still coming back to haunt him. He remembered the rant he heard screamed as Paul tore a young woman apart, draining her the very night of the signing while the after effects of the Elven blood would rise and fall, sending his master into drunken fits of rage.

Damien had listened intently, putting together the bits and pieces of Foster’s screaming fits until he was able to fit the puzzle pieces together. He realized why his master called this man brother and why they both hated each other with such passion.

Long before Paul had ever been conceived, his father, Forest Foster had longed for a natural born son. For centuries the va
mpire tried to sire an offspring and for centuries he failed to do so. When the dashing aristocratic vampire stumbled upon the young made-vampire Rufus Thorn, he took him under his wing and eventually adopted him. After all, Thorn was born unto an aristocratic family. He came from money, was brought up properly and was well versed in propriety. Although not of his loins, he acted as a surrogate son for nearly a century and was Forest Foster’s second in all matters, whether financial, social or political.

But the day came, once the senior Foster stopped trying to sire offspring, when his seventh wife, the Austrian with the a
uburn hair, announced that she was with child…and everything changed. Forest Foster was absolutely giddy with delight. Rufus took on all matters of Foster’s holdings and day-to-day activities as Forest doted over his expecting wife.

Rufus was still treated as a first born son and actually helped to raise young Paul, named after his grandfather who had been staked in a Slavic country centuries before. Paul was expected to be the upper crust of the upper crust, but failed miserably in ev
ery conceivable fashion. Whereas Rufus had a head for finance, Paul had only a head for spending his father’s wealth. While Rufus had a mind for political diplomacy, Paul knew only how to offend and burn bridges. And while Rufus proved to be a most gracious host, Paul was anything but. He was selfish, rude and socially unacceptable, even to the most slovenly of vampires.