Immortal Revenge (44 page)

“Jesus! You’re drinking blood?” Alarm elevated his tone.

She swallowed and then shook the glass. The small dosage might appear insignificant, but it was damn potent.

“Why are you drinking blood? And who’s blood is it?”

She popped the lid back on the tube while she sucked on her tongue. The coppery flavor made her stomach churn, but she quickly forgot about it as her body tingled. Slowly, she came alive with new energy, new life, as if she were a wilting flower and the sun had just shined upon her.

“It belonged to Kyle. His blood will give me strength to fight the people who destroyed him. And in case you weren’t aware, they killed Julie’s boyfriend and raped a young woman. Since Mr. and Mrs. Jennings are missing, I assume they are both dead too.”

“Holy Christ, Katie. What the hell is going on?” He shook his head. “How can blood make you stronger?”

“Because Kyle wasn’t human. That part died over five centuries ago.”

This was not how she wanted to explain everything to him. Yet, she had to feed him something or else the questions would drive him mad.

“You’re telling me you lived with something over five centuries old? What was he, some kind of vampire?”

She gripped the wire divider separating them. “He was a good man, honorable, caring and yes–immortal. You might think of him as some horrible creature, but he was far from it. He taught me many things and never hurt me. He wanted to educate others and live in peace. We loved each other for years and I wouldn’t trade a minute of it for anything in the world.”

“The professor Kyle Brown from our college was a vampire?”

“Yes.”

He shifted his gaze back and forth from the road to the mirror while he continued driving. “You drank his blood. Are you going to turn into one of them now?”

“No, small amounts won’t change a person.”
Not much anyway.

Ben remained mute for several blocks. Katie suspected his curious mind worked furiously to create a list of questions to ask her later. His response was typical–first denial, then questions. After waiting several silent minutes, she scooted back in her seat. The man was a cop. Surely, he’d want to know more about Kyle or vampires in general.

Reaching a stoplight, he stopped the vehicle. He glanced in the mirror and scratched his cheek. “Vampires, Katie?” His inquisitive tone revealed his disbelief.

“Yes, he was. There’s more I’ll explain to you tomorrow.”

The light changed from red to green, but Ben hadn’t noticed. As if the news stumped him, he continued staring with wide eyes at Katie, via his mirror.

“Green light, Ben.”

He looked away from her, then the car jerked as it accelerated.

While Ben focused on driving, Katie tugged on the zipper. She widened the gap on the bag. Sheathed knives and daggers lay inside for her. Andy had also packed belts and straps for her. She took two of the smaller daggers with straps, then lifted each pant leg and secured them to her calves.

“So, you’re telling me vampires are in Mishawaka and you’re going to fight them?”

Katie glanced up as she finished with the last strap. “Something like that.”

The lack of housing subdivisions and businesses indicated they were heading out of the city limits and into the rural part of town. Charles’s police car was about a half mile ahead of them. Katie thought of Jules and wondered how her friend was holding up. She hoped Jules’s fear wasn’t swallowing her whole.

Katie dug into the bag and selected a larger blade. The metal handle added weight.

“How?” Ben asked.

She looked up. “Huh?”

“How do you plan to fight them? Surely they are stronger and faster than you are, unless the movies are all wrong.” He peered at her in the mirror. “Were they wrong?”

“Uh, some of the things about them are inaccurate. They are fast and strong, but Kyle trained me well. I can handle them.” Especially now that she had the strength and speed of a vampire.

She laid the sheathed blade on her lap, then withdrew one of the swords from the bag.

“So, how do you plan to beat them?”

Meeting his reflection in the mirror, she said, “I plan to severe their heads.”

He shook his head. “I have lost my mind.”

“Ben?”

He glanced in the mirror.

“I understand where you’re coming from. I’m asking you to trust me and do what I say.”

“Right now, your request is putting lives in danger.”

“More lives are in danger if you don’t follow my lead. Charles, Jules, you and every other human’s life is on the line. These vamps will not stop until they get what they want.”

“And they want you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because they discovered I was Kyle’s girlfriend. Vampires have a strict policy of cleaning up all traces of their existence. I believe they found out I existed when they were in the process of erasing the police report I filed. That’s why you can’t find it in the system.”

“They came here for Kyle?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

He slowed the car and turned onto another country road. She glanced out the window and noticed the sky had darkened slightly. Sunset was quickly approaching.

“I don’t have time to explain it all right now, but I will.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but if what you say is true and they are vampires, I don’t see how you can cut off their heads. You’re human.”

From the bag, she took one of the long swords with the snake handle and held it. “Kyle trained me to fight them. They don’t scare me.”

“One woman against two bloodsuckers. This I got to see.”

And with that said, Katie grinned. Yes, she was but one human female. However, from the years with Kyle she’d acquired enough knowledge and battle skills to take any vampire down, as long as she had a little help vamp juice to boost her strength and mobility. Confidence high, she didn’t fear facing Brandon or his partner. But she did worry for Jules, Charles and Ben. Somehow, she had to get rid of them. And somehow, she had to delay fighting both vampires at the same time so Riker could show up. She could beat a vampire one on one, but two against one would put her life at risk.

Ahead, Charles turned onto the driveway leading to the Jennings’s farmhouse. Tapping her fingers fast over the sheathed sword on her lap, Katie quickly pondered how to resolve two major problems facing her before sundown. First, she needed to convince Charles to release Jules. Talking wouldn’t work since Brandon and his partner had programmed Charles to bring her and Jules to them. Secondly, she had to persuade him, Jules and Ben to leave. She racked her brain for possible solutions. Nothing came up.

The car slowed and she looked up. Ben turned on his signal to turn on to the driveway. Katie’s anxiety rose to a new high. How could she get them to leave in the next few minutes?

Alarm kick started Katie’s heart as Ben brought the car to a halt behind Charles’s cruiser. The back door was wide open. Near the front door of the farmhouse, Charles held a reluctant Jules by her arm. She twisted and tugged, trying to stop him from dragging her into the home.

“Shit.” Katie gripped the sword and dagger. Before Ben cut the engine, she shoved open the car door.

“Katie!” Jules screamed as Charles forced her into the farmhouse.

She rushed toward the front of the home. From inside, she heard more screams.

“Katie, wait!” She heard Ben yell, but she didn’t stop.

She dashed up the steps and reached the screen door. Gripping the handle, she jerked the door open and then raced inside.

She passed the staircase and paused in the hallway. A dark stain covered a large portion of the floor. Above the spot, a red smear marked the wall. The scent of blood, fear and anger were potent in the house.

“Help!” Jules screamed at the top of her lungs.

Katie followed Jules’s voice to the back of the house. She ran into the large kitchen and came to a quick halt upon seeing Charles trying to force Jules past an open door. Jules saw Katie and let out another loud cry for help.

“Charles!” Katie yelled.

He stopped pushing Jules toward the doorway and met Katie’s gaze.

Katie set her dagger and sword on the counter as she passed by it. The large kitchen had several windows along the back wall and a patio over looking a deck. A center island took up some of the space in the center of the square room. Raising her empty hands up, she approached Charles and said, “Let her go, please.”

He gripped both of Jules’s arms and stood behind her. “Where’s Ben? How did you–”

“Katie,” Ben said as he ran into the room. He came to a quick stop. His heart thumped so fast even Katie heard it.

“We need to take them to the basement,” Charles said, staring at Ben. “Grab her.”

Ben stepped forward, passing Katie. “Charles, I think you should let go of Julie.”

Jules’s red and wet face read like an open book. She met Katie’s gaze and mouthed the words
help me
.

“We have our orders, Ben.” Charles nudged Jules toward the open doorway to the basement and she screamed.

The tension thickened. Ben took another step closer. Bracing in her feet on the floor and using all the strength she had in her legs, Jules resisted Charles’s force to advance her past the door. If Katie didn’t do something soon to free Jules, she feared Charles would push Jules down the basement stairs.

Katie needed to stop Charles. But how? She quickly scanned the room for an answer and found it on Ben.

In a motion so fast for a human to catch, Katie snatched the gun from Ben’s side, tearing the weapon and holster free from his belt. She removed the holster, ran behind Charles and raised her arm in the air. By the time they noticed where she was and what she was about to do, her hand came down. She hit Charles’s head with the back of the gun.

Officer Donahue’s head jerked forward from the force of the blow. In a few short seconds, his hands slid away from Jules and his body slumped, pushing her toward Ben. Katie dropped the gun, then grabbed Charles’s arms to prevent his head from bouncing on the floor. Carefully, she lowered the remaining half of his heavy body.

“Why the hell did you do that?” Ben asked.

She laid Charles on the ground, then snatched the keys from his belt. “I had to stop him from pushing Jules down the stairs.” She leaped over him and slammed the door to the basement.

Ben bent over his fellow cop and turned his head. “He’s bleeding.”

Guilt swam through Katie while she searched for the key to the handcuffs. The scent of blood would entice the vampires in the basement, but she couldn’t help it. She had to stop Charles without wasting another minute. Sundown quickly approached. Once it arrived, the vamps would rise and seek to kill them fast and furiously.

She found the key and rushed behind Jules. “You two should get Charles and leave.” She unlocked the handcuffs from Jules’s wrists.

“What about you?” Jules twisted and rubbed her wrists.

“Don’t worry about me.” She handed the keys to Jules.

“We can’t leave you here,” Ben said.

“You can, and you will,” she said strongly. “Get the hell out of here or you will die, and so will Jules and Charles.” Anger strengthened her tone. How many more times did she need to convince him of the threat in the basement, waiting to kill all of them?

Jules picked up the gun Katie had dropped, tucked it inside Charles’s belt, then grabbed his ankles. “Get his arms.”

Ben grumbled, but obeyed. He placed his hands under Charles’s armpits and hefted the man above the ground. By the strain on his and Jules’s face, they struggled with the dead weight. Their steps were slow and sunset wouldn’t wait for them.

Katie grasped hold of Charles’s ankles and bumped hips with Jules. “Let me. You get the doors.”

Without hesitating, Jules followed her command. She ran past Ben and disappeared.

“You didn’t have to knock him out,” Ben said as he backed out of the kitchen.

“We don’t have time. Those vampires are bloodthirsty and want to kill.”