Eat Prey Love (24 page)

 

The next day, Caitlyn said their farewells to the were-tigers, then she and Carlos headed toward the Akha village. It was a misty morning with the clouds settled low in the mountains. Her freshly washed clothes soon felt sticky against her body, but she reminded herself that extra humidity was good for her skin.

And extra sex was good for her spirits. For a man who had once avoided her like the plague, Carlos was making up for lost time. They'd spent the night making love, with short snatches of sleep in between.

After three hours of hiking, they arrived in the Akha village. Ajay invited them to his house for lunch, and she told him about the cave and how Tanit had died.

“We need to call our friends so they can help us revive the soldier,” she explained.

Ajay nodded. “If you go to the top of the tower, you can get a signal from Chiang Mai. We call our tribesmen there who sell our silver crafts in the bazaar.”

After lunch they climbed to the top of the watch-tower, and Carlos called the number for MacKay S & I.

Caitlyn leaned close so she could listen.

“Yo, Catman,” Phineas answered the phone. “What's up?”

It felt strange to hear the Vamp's voice during the day, but it was nighttime in New York.

“Hey, Phineas. We saw something strange here in the mountains.”

“Oh yeah? What have you been smoking?”

Carlos snorted. “There's a vampire around here somewhere, and he left a lot of dead bodies in a cave.”

“No shit?”

“We found a body that looks like it's been in a vampire coma for about forty years.”

Phineas scoffed. “That's whack, man. That dude is dead.”

“He hasn't decayed. And he's an American soldier, a major in the Marine Corps.”

“Shit. I guess we should wake him up.”

“I think we should try,” Carlos agreed. “It's daytime here. I'll call again when the sun goes down and it's safe to teleport here.”

“I'll probably be in my death-sleep then,” Phineas muttered. “I think the closest Vamp we've got to you is Kyo in Japan. I'll leave him a message. And Angus will want to know about this, too. He's in Moscow, so you'll have to wait till the sun sets there before he can teleport out.”

“We'll be here. Thanks.” Carlos hung up. “We have to wait till tonight.” His eyes gleamed as he looked her over. “How will we ever pass the time?”

She smiled. “I believe the honeymoon suite is still available.”

I
t was after midnight when Carlos was finally able to contact Angus in Moscow. The head of MacKay Security & Investigation had been awake for ten minutes, and he'd read the report that Phineas had forwarded to him. He teleported straight to Carlos in the tower, bringing his Moscow operative, Mikhail, with him.

As Carlos shook hands with Mikhail, he wondered how old the Russian vampire was. Mikhail looked like a medieval Viking warrior, with his white-blond hair braided down his back and his piercing blue eyes constantly searching for danger. He appeared to be the strong silent type, for he barely said a word as Angus introduced him to Carlos and Caitlyn. He wore his sword on his back like Angus, but where Angus preferred his blue and green plaid kilt, Mikhail opted for black leather pants.

Kyo from Japan had arrived an hour earlier, and he'd already tested the homing device Carlos had left in the cave. He'd safely teleported to the cave and back. Then he entertained himself by showing off his samurai sword to the men in the village and flirting with the young women.

In the tower, Angus set the ice chest he was carrying on the wood-planked floor. “Emma packed us a supply of synthetic blood in case we manage to revive the soldier in the cave.” He nodded at Caitlyn. “How are ye faring, lass?”

She smiled. “I'm fine, thank you.”

“She's doing a fantastic job,” Carlos said. “I don't know how I would have managed without her.”

Angus nodded with a hint of a smile. “Then it's going well? You havena run into any danger?”

Carlos shifted his weight. “Our guide, Tanit, is in the cave, dead. Impaled on a spike.”

“Bugger,” Angus muttered.

Mikhail merely lifted an eyebrow.

“The cave was booby-trapped,” Caitlyn explained.

“Och.” Angus winced. “I'm glad ye both survived.”

Carlos shifted his weight again. “Actually, I died.”

“Again?” Angus gave him an incredulous look. “Lad, ye have to stop doing that.”

“He did it to protect me,” Caitlyn rushed to his defense. “He saved my life.”

“Well, that's good.” Angus retrieved his cell phone from the sporran that hung in front of his kilt. “I'm calling Robby in Budapest, so he can join us. Just in case we run into a few angry vampires.”

After a few minutes, Robby arrived with Zoltan Czakvar, the coven master of Eastern Europe.

Zoltan frowned at Angus. “I heard something exciting was going on, and you didn't invite me.”

“Yes, the excitement is hard to bear,” Mikhail murmured with a deadpan expression.

Angus chuckled and slapped Zoltan on the back. “Ye're always welcome, old friend.”

Zoltan greeted Mikhail and Carlos, then smiled at Caitlyn. “Good evening. I don't believe we've met.”

“This is Caitlyn.” Carlos wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “My wife.”

Zoltan shook his head ruefully. “I'm always too late.”

“Did ye say
wife
?” Angus asked. “When did that happen?”

Caitlyn smiled. “The tribal leader said a few words over us. It's not official.”

“Yes, it is,” Carlos grumbled.

She gave him an impatient look. “It's not legal.”

“We'll make it that way as soon as we get home.”

“Are you proposing to me?”

“I thought I already did.”

“Enough!” Angus held up his hands. “We have a job to do.”

Robby smirked. “They sound like they're already married.”

Carlos shot him an annoyed look. “You're one to talk, Big Red. I bet you asked Olivia for permission to come here.”

Robby frowned, remaining silent.

Carlos snorted, then handed the homing de
vice monitor to Angus. “Kyo already tried it. It works.”

“Where is Kyo?” Angus asked.

“There.” Mikhail pointed across the village. “I'll bring him.” The Russian vanished, then reappeared seconds later with a hand firmly grasping Kyo's arm.

“What?” Kyo looked around, then jumped back from Mikhail. “Holy cow! You big as a truck.”

“We're ready to go,” Angus announced. “Kyo, since you've been there before, take Carlos with you. I'll take Caitlyn. Mikhail, bring the ice chest.”

A few seconds later Carlos materialized just outside the cave. He checked to make sure Caitlyn was all right. Then he pulled the flashlight from his belt, turned it on, and headed into the cave. “Our guide called this a Temple of Death.”

“It smells like death,” Angus muttered.

Carlos wrinkled his nose. Caitlyn covered her mouth and coughed. Tanit was definitely still there.

Inside the cave, Carlos pointed his beam of light at the skeletal remains of the Buddhist monk. “This poor guy activated the first booby-trap.”

“We think he left the prayers.” Caitlyn aimed her flashlight at the yellow strips of paper above them. “He was trying to keep the evil power in the cave from escaping.”

“And ye believe the evil power is a Chinese vampire?” Angus asked.

“Yes,” Caitlyn answered. “They call it a
chiang-shih
. Tanit called him Master Han. He said he was great and powerful and he's killed thousands.”

“The professor in Bangkok is one of the Master's Guardians,” Carlos added.

“What is this?” Zoltan tugged on the scarves that hung down from the crisscrossed ropes along the ceiling.

“Caitlyn made it to swing across the ditch,” Carlos explained.

“I'd love to have the scarves back.” She stared wistfully at them. “And the silver panther. I was going to give them as presents.”

“Not a problem.” Zoltan levitated up to the ropes to untie the scarves.

Carlos showed the rest of the Vamps the ditch with iron stakes. “This was the second booby-trap.”

Angus frowned at Tanit's dead body. “We should give him a proper burial.”

“We dinna bring a shovel,” Robby murmured.

“We could leave him in the large burial room with the other bodies,” Caitlyn suggested as she folded the scarves Zoltan had liberated. “He was a slave to Master Han, so it's fitting for him to remain in the master's Temple of Death.”

Angus nodded. “Works for me. Who wants to get him out of the ditch?” He gave Robby a pointed look.

“Och, leave me the dirty job. Thank you so much.” Robby peered into the ditch. “The spikes are about three feet apart. I should be able to levitate down between them.”

“You'll notice if you miss,” Mikhail muttered.

Carlos wondered if the Russian was joking. It was hard to tell with that stoic, rock-hard face.

“I'll help you,” Zoltan offered.

As Robby and Zoltan lowered themselves slowly into the ditch, the rest of the Vamps teleported across, taking Carlos and Caitlyn with them.

Carlos glanced ruefully at the bloodstained stone floor where he'd died. “This way.” He led Caitlyn and the Vamps through the narrow passage into the large burial room. He lit the torches, and all two hundred clay figures came into view.

“Holy cow!” Kyo exclaimed.

“The devil take it,” Angus whispered.

Mikhail lifted a brow.

“I think we're alone, but just in case…” Angus drew his sword.

Mikhail and Kyo unsheathed their swords, too.

Caitlyn led them down the steps into the lower portion of the room. “At first I thought they were symbolic of a dead army, but Carlos broke a few open, and we discovered skeletons inside.”

“We couldn't understand why a vampire would go to this much trouble to preserve a bunch of dead bodies,” Carlos added as they walked across the room. “But when we found the soldier in a vampire coma, we figured Master Han may have been trying to put them all into vampire comas.”

Angus looked about, frowning. “If that's true, then there could be others who survived.”

“We'll have to check them all,” Mikhail concluded. He handed the ice chest to Angus, then started down a row, cracking each clay shell with the blunt end of his sword to make sure only a skeleton lay beneath.

“I'll help.” Kyo started down another row.

Going at vampire speed, the two Vamps moved quickly down the rows.

Caitlyn shuddered. “I keep imagining them all suddenly standing up and moving toward me.”

Carlos wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “They can't hurt you.”

Angus shook his head. “If Master Han had succeeded, he could have transformed all these men at the same time. He would have had an instant vampire army at his disposal.”

Robby and Zoltan entered the large room, carrying Tanit's body. They placed him in a row of clay figures.

“This place is amazing.” Robby strode toward them, his kilt swishing about his knees.

“Aye, but I can only be glad that Master Han failed,” Angus added.

“How can you be sure?” Mikhail called from across the chamber as he finished cracking open the clay figures. “There could be other caves just like this.”

That gave them all pause.

“Tanit said that Master Han has killed thousands,” Caitlyn whispered. “There are only two hundred here.”

“Kyo, I want you and your team in Tokyo to investigate this Master Han,” Angus ordered.

“Hai.”
Kyo smashed the last clay figure with the end of his samurai sword. “These guys are all dead.”

“Good.” Angus turned to Carlos. “Show us the soldier.”

“This way.” Carlos led them up some steps and into the next room.

With no vampires in sight, the Vamps sheathed their weapons. Angus set the ice chest on the floor.

Carlos passed the first two altars where the clay figures housed skeletal remains. The third altar was just as they left it. Major Russell Ryan Hankelburg rested there in his green fatigues.

Kyo frowned at him. “He looks dead to me.”

“He's not dead,” Mikhail said. “He hasn't decayed.”

“His muscles haven't withered,” Caitlyn added. “It's like he's frozen in time.”

Angus rested one hand on the major's chest, then lifted the eyelids to examine his eyes. “Aye, he's in a vampire coma.”

“How long has he been like that?” Robby asked.

“We estimate about forty years,” Carlos said.

Zoltan shook his head. “I've never heard of a person lasting so long.”

“Aye.” Angus drew his Highland dirk from his knee sock. “But he willna survive the night if his body rejects the transformation.”

“He is strong,” Mikhail said. “He will fight.”

“We shall see.” Angus sliced his forearm. As blood oozed from the wound, he placed it over the major's mouth.

Nothing happened.

Angus pulled the major's cap off and tapped his fingers against his temple. “Come on, lad.”

Mikhail shook his booted feet.

“He's so far down in a black hole,” Zoltan said. “He's probably forgotten which way is up.”

Angus smeared blood on the major's mouth
and nose. “Wake up, lad.” He glanced at Caitlyn. “Maybe he'll respond to a female voice.”

“Okay.” She leaned close and placed a hand on his brow. “Russell, do you hear me? Russell, come back. Come back home.”

The major's body jerked. His mouth opened with a gasp.

“That's it.” Angus dripped some of his blood into Russell's mouth.

The major coughed.

“Ye have to drink it, lad.” Angus drizzled more blood into Russell's mouth.

The major swallowed, then his body trembled. He grabbed Angus's arm and drank from the wound.

“Is that what causes the transformation?” Caitlyn asked. “He has to drink blood from a vampire?”

“Aye,” Angus answered. “First he must be drained dry by a vampire. All his mortal blood must be gone, and he has to fall into a vampire coma. Usually, the coma never lasts longer than one night.”

The major released Angus's arm and opened his eyes. His gaze shifted from Angus to Caitlyn, and he looked confused. Then his gaze drifted up to the top of the cave. His eyes widened with alarm.

“Russell Ryan Hankelburg,” he croaked. “Major, United States Marine Corps. Serial number five-seven—”

“Lad, ye're no' a prisoner,” Angus told him.

“We found you in this cave.” Caitlyn smiled and patted his shoulder. “You're safe now. You're among friends.”

He lifted his head to look at all the people. His
gaze landed on Kyo and he gasped. “Charlie!” He struggled to sit up.

“What?” Kyo huffed with indignation.

Russell searched his uniform in vain for weapons.

“You think I look like Viet Cong?” Kyo cried. “I'm not commie bastard. I'm Japanese! Descendant from noble ninja warrior!”

“Relax, Kyo,” Angus muttered.

Robby chuckled. “Yeah, tell us how ye really feel.”

Russell eyed them all warily. He winced and rubbed his stomach.

“That's the hunger ye're feeling,” Angus explained. He motioned toward the ice chest, and Mikhail removed a bottle of synthetic blood.

“Where am I?” Russell asked.

“A cave in Thailand,” Carlos told him. “What do you remember last?”

“I was on leave in Phuket. I went into a bar and—” Russell grimaced, pressing a hand to his stomach. “I don't remember.”

“Most likely, a vampire took control of yer mind,” Angus said. “Then he teleported you here to feed off you.”

“What?” Russell gave him an incredulous look.

“What year is it?” Zoltan asked him.

“Nineteen seventy-one.” Russell's eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Why do you ask?”

“Lad, there's no easy way to tell you this,” Angus said. “Ye've been in a coma for thirty-nine years.”

Russell flinched. “Thirty-nine?”

“Aye.” Angus nodded. “Ye'll find that the world has changed quite a bit.”

Russell looked askance at him and Robby. “Men are wearing skirts now?”