LEGIONS OF THE DARK (VAMPIRE NATIONS CHRONICLES) (32 page)

She took his hand and they went out the door, closing it behind them. Ryan turned to her. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "I don't care what you are. You're here and I'm here and we belong together. I had to come and tell you that. Ever since you told me, I've been confused and afraid, but I'm not afraid anymore."

"You weren't listening, Ryan. I'm not like you. It's a disease, a mutated disease that affects our whole line, affects us generation after generation. So few of us escape it. I have aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, and almost all of them are vampires. It's as if I had some kind of deadly disease, don't you see? Only this doesn't kill me. I wish it would. It makes me live. When I shouldn't be living." She grabbed his hand off her shoulder and pressed it between her breasts. She held his palm hard against her. "I told you my heart doesn't beat. Why can't you understand? I'm an abomination. My whole family's infected. I used to be human; I'm not anymore.”

Ryan felt her chest through her shirt, felt the bones, the flesh so cool to his touch. And she was right, there was no movement there, no heartbeat. Something, deep in his mind shuddered, but he didn't pull his hand away.

He had to say something. If she'd bared her fangs and gone for his throat, he thought he would have leaned to the side so she could reach the flesh easier. If he couldn't have her, he didn't want anyone.

"I love you, Dell." He was surprised he'd said it, but it was what he'd wanted to say all day.

She slumped against him, her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. "I can't help it, Dell. I love you. I've never felt this way about anyone before. I've had girlfriends and that's all they were. As soon as I transferred here and saw you in class, as soon as I kissed you . . . I knew. There's nothing you can tell me that will change what I feel for you.”

"This will never work out, Ryan. It causes trouble. It causes all kinds of problems. You need to think about that. I've seen a woman imprisoned on the other side of the world because she loved a man. A mortal. She lost her mind over him. You're mortal, Ryan, I'm not."

"We'll deal with the problems as they come along. That's all we can do, that's all everyone does. You care for me, too, I know it." When she didn't speak, he raised her face from his chest and looked at her closely. "You care for me, too, don't you, Dell?"

"Yes," she whispered.

He leaned down and kissed her, holding her tight to him. He buried his face in her tangled, fragrant hair at the side of her neck. "I don't care about anything," he said, "but loving you."

"I don't know, but someone. I feel it." She pushed at his chest a little with her fingertips. "You should go."

"I want you to get him for me," Upton said to George.

They sat in the limo down the street from Dell's house. They had seen the young couple embrace. He and George had followed the girl from one side of town to the other. They had followed her to school and home again. While waiting, making plans, they had seen the boy drive up and park. When the girl came outside with him, Upton knew it was his opportunity. "You have to get him," he repeated. "I don't know if the boy is vampire, but if he isn't, he'll be easier to handle. The girl will do what you say if you get her boyfriend."

"How do I get him, sir?"

"Get out of the car, you idiot, and get over there. When the boy starts to leave, call to him. Ask him for directions or something, I don't care what you do, but get close and get him. Bring him to the car. We're taking him with us."

"Yes, sir."

Upton sat back and watched. He saw George start for the house, saw the boy turn and walk toward his car. George reached the girl's front yard by that time. He saw him gesturing to the boy, luring him down the steps and to the edge of the sidewalk.

It would all be in Upton's control soon. He'd have the power. He'd make the girl turn him into a vampire. He'd threaten her with fire, with decapitation, with harm to her boyfriend, her family, whatever it took. He would have his way or she would die, he meant it. He hadn't come this far and invested this much time and energy in order to fail. He had so little time left. He could feel his disease ravaging him daily. He was nearly to the point of needing a wheelchair. He never slept, aching all through the night. He had more sores that would not heal; they were breaking out now on his back and spreading around his rib cage to his chest. He'd soon get some horrible infection that would kill him long before his disease ever got a chance to.

He needed that girl. He needed the life she could give him.

He'd do whatever it took.

He pressed against the limo window, watching closely. The boy seemed confused. George stepped in close and suddenly took him by the arm, bending it behind his back. He pushed him toward the side walk, over the curb, and into the street. As Upton had predicted, the girl followed. She ran from the steps and caught up with them close to the car. Upton had the back door open just before George pushed the boy inside.

George turned swiftly to the girl.

"What are you doing?" she said. "Let him go."

Upton had a small caliber silver pistol aimed at the boy. When the girl opened the door, he waved it at her, making sure it was the first thing she saw.

"Join us," he said, "or your friend is going to have a hole in him."

She didn't say anything, but the look in her eyes made Upton think for one second that he'd made a terrible mistake. "Get in!" he shouted, his sudden fear causing him to raise his voice. "I'm not very good with this gun and it might go off."

The girl slid in beside the boy and took his hand. "Who are you?" the boy asked. "What's this about?"

"If she's vampire, she can read my mind. Can't you, girl?"

"He wants to be like me," Dell said. "He's using you to get what he wants. He's been looking for me for a long time. He's dying."

George had started the car and pulled from the curb. Full dark had fallen on the neighborhood now and lights came on inside the houses as they passed them.

"I don't understand," Ryan said.

"It doesn't matter what you understand," Upton said. "Just do what I say and you'll be all right.” He glanced at the back of George's head. "Take us out of this city. Take us somewhere private, far away from here.'

"You better not do this," the girl warned. "You're sick and feeble. I can hurt you.”

Upton pushed the gun into the boy's ribs until he grunted. "I'm not playing a game with you," he said, speaking to Dell. "You'll give me what I want, or you'll lose this mortal. He'll die a lot sooner than I will—and that's a promise."

All of Upton's fear vanished as he spoke. He saw the girl's resolve waver. She sank into the leather seat, gazing ahead of her, and holding tightly to the boy's hand. She might still be reading his mind. If she were, he wanted her to know just how serious he was.

I wouldn't mind killing everyone in this car, he thought, hoping she could hear him. You know I'll do it if provoked. Don't try it.

He relaxed, but kept the gun firmly against the boy's ribs as George drove them from the neighborhood onto a freeway entrance ramp.

Mentor and Ross were involved in a deep struggle when they both heard the cry for help from the girl. It was like a screech on the wavelength they both unconsciously monitored every moment of their lives. The wail startled them into rigidity.

Ross, taking advantage of the interruption, threw Mentor off easily. Mentor landed against the wall of Ross' home, striking it so hard his body dented the sheetrock and caused a painting to crash to the floor.

"Stop it," Mentor said, shaking himself off. "We can finish this later."

Ross stood immobile, listening intently to the pleas coming to him from the girl who called herself Dell. "Who is this new one?" he asked. "What makes her interrupt us this way?"

She was telling them where she was. She was caught, a prisoner of an old crippled man and his chauffeur. They were going to kill her boyfriend if she did not make the old man a vampire. Help, she cried. Mentor! Help!

"She doesn't want to kill them," Ross said, sneering. "You see how your namby-pamby Naturals handle a crisis? They buckle. They call for help when all they have to do is strike back."

"I don't care what you do when we get there," Mentor said with disgust. He had been fighting with Ross for more than an hour, trying to keep him from going to kill Bette and Alan. Ross knew they knew. He knew the woman had thrown off Mentor's memory wipe. He knew they were dangers to vampires as long as they lived.

It didn't matter when Mentor told him he'd extracted a promise from the woman or that he knew she'd keep it, and she'd make Alan keep it. Ross would take no chances, he said. And then he'd landed the first blow, attacking with a fury Mentor had not expected. He had kept the Predator's fangs from sinking into his neck by only centimeters. His own fury rising, he had almost made a determination that Ross was too far out of control to be of use to the clan any longer. He would kill him and train someone else to take his place.

Except . . . he realized suddenly during the struggle that it was his own judgment that had become clouded. Ross was acting as only one who would protect their clan would act. Still, Mentor trusted Bette. She would never bring them harm.

Then they'd both heard the strident call for help from Dell.

He'd let Ross live as long as he didn't say he was going to do harm to Bette Kinyo. No one would ever be allowed that privilege.

The two vampires, Predators both, threw themselves into transformation at the same moment, disappearing from the destroyed living room of Ross' home. Dell was being held in an abandoned old house just outside of Dallas in the suburb town of Ennis, Texas. The house sat on the edge of a newly plowed field that stretched in all directions for hundreds of acres. When the two vampires arrived outside the house, a fierce dark wind was blowing, shaking the boards of the sagging building, lifting shingles and sending them flying. Geese flew past the face of the full moon in the sky.

"This is an ugly place," Ross said with distaste. "But the man's got a car, I can say that for him."

Mentor looked at the limousine. Wealth. Tremendous wealth. This must be the man Alan was going to tell about his discoveries. Obviously, he had told him. And led him back to their dens, their homes. Ross would have even more reason now to kill Alan Star.

Would the complications never cease? Mentor wondered. It was all so out of hand.

"Let's go," he said to Ross. They approached the leaning porch and stepped lightly over the warped boards. It was Ross who pulled the door open, ripping it from rusted hinges and flinging it aside. It clattered and tumbled down the steps and onto the ground.

Wind rushed past them, pushing them into the room, startling the two men there with Dell. They turned in surprise, letting her go. "What the hell?" the old man said.

"Well you may ask," Ross said, eyes flaming as he stepped forward in two long strides and grasped the old man by his throat, hauling him inches into the air off the floor. "What the hell? That's where I'll dispatch your black soul."

"Let's think all this over," Mentor said, moving toward the two men.

Ross let go of Upton, and turned, furious. "We will not discuss this. You try to stop me from doing what's best for our people. I won't stand for it anymore."