NightFall: Book One: Bloodlust Is the Cure for the Immortal Soul (37 page)

He couldn’t let that happen. He had finally found Indea.
His eternal mate.
He wouldn’t let her go. He would meet death head on
to be with her, t
o protect her. His love for
her was mighty.
An impregnate force.
He would fight those who would try to break through. Kill those who even dared.

So Saldivar waited for the inevitable. He could hear the footsteps coming closer. They echoed ominously in his chest. He was ready for whatever was about to take place.
Ready for the fight of his entire eternity.

The rest were sitting by the fireplace, talking, but Saldivar paced the floor. He suddenly felt Indea’s hand on his shoulder. “Saldivar, what’s wrong?”

Saldivar smiled and reached out to hold Indea close to him. “It’s been too peaceful for weeks now.”

“Maybe Zane has
decided to just leave us be,”
she said, more hopeful than she felt.

Saldivar shook his head. “No. Zane just doesn’t leave people be. It’s not in his nature to back down from vengeance.
He’s like a snake lying in tall blades of grass, waiting for us to cross his path so that he might strike out.”

Indea’s brows knitted deeply. “So, he’s out there now, plotting the perfect time to strike out at you?”

Saldivar pulled
Indea closer to him, afraid of letting her go.
“No, my sweet Indea.
Not just me. He wants me, yes, but he will kill anyone who gets in his way. I will not let him get you.
Even if it means sacrificing my own life to keep you safe.”

Indea jerked away from him, a look of consternation etching her face. “No, Saldivar. I don’t want to lose you to him. What is worth living in darkness if I’m without you?”

Saldivar rubbed his hand
across Indea’s cheek.
“My dear, Indea.
I don’t want you to walk in darkness without me. I promise I will try everything in my power to
defeat Zane without losing my life as well.” He brought his head down for a tender kiss of Indea’s sweet lips.

“I know you wil
l, Saldivar,”
Indea said quietly as she huddled close to him, watching the flames in the fireplace dance chaotically.

*

Zane could smell the fear that the
neophytes gave off, if they knew they were
doing it
or not.
He was right at their doorstep yet they could not figure out what was going on. Oh, how he loved to play with their minds. It was almost as fun as the mere thought of killing them all. Mind games were his specialty. He wished he had more time to do so but the death of S
aldivar was even more pressing. It would be–-

Wait! He caught the scent of another immortal. Not Saldivar, Van or their mates, but–No! It couldn’t be. He had killed Raven. Hadn’t he?

Zane knew that Raven lived.

Those infernal immortals! They had saved his retched daughter. Blast it all! He was so busy focusing on how to torture Saldivar that he failed to pick up on Raven’s life force. All of them must die. Tonight! Now, now they will all die a very slow and painful death. No, he wouldn’t have a little fun with Indea or Simone now. He just wanted them dead.
Dead for saving his worthless offspring.
Then, he would take care of Raven. He would break her into a million pieces
, pulverize her into dust
and scatter her
ashes
to the winds.

He just needed to figure how to get them alone. As strong as he was, he was still no match for all five of them at once.
Even if Indea and Simone were merely infants in their immortality.

Just how in the heck was he going to do so? He knew that if one was in trouble, the others would call. But he also knew that he if had Van and Saldivar first, they wouldn’t call their mates for help for fear of what Zane would do to them once he had them in his grasp.

Dare Zane brave a mental communication with Saldivar? He knew he had the power to call just him since he transformed him. Van probably wouldn’t hear it. If so, it would be too weak to pick up on.
He needed to get to Saldivar first.

So, Zane focused all his energy on Saldivar’s mind.
I am here, Saldivar.
Right at your doorstep.
Do you dare brave coming out here alone? You wouldn’t put your friends in danger, now would you?

Saldivar’s mind gave a jerk.
Zane?
Yes. It was Zane. He stilled, not wanting to alarm Indea as he answered his transformer.

Zane, you have finally come. You know I would never put my friends in harm’s way. Why are you doing this, Zane? What have I ever done to you to make you hate me so?

Come out here and I will tell you, you foolish immortal.

Fine.
I will come.

Saldivar stepped away from Indea.
“My sweet.
I must leave for a minute. Please, please tell me you’ll stay right where you are? I need to know you’re safe.”

Indea’s eyes widened in alarm.
“Saldivar.
You’re going to meet Zane by yourself, aren’t you?”

“You already know me too well, my love. Just promise you’ll stay right here?”

Tears pooled in Indea’s dark eyes. It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse but, instead, she nodded.

Van looked up from his con
versation with Simone and Raven. He saw in Saldivar’s mind what he was going to do. He got up and quickly strode over.

“Saldiv
ar.
You can’t do this alone,”
Van insisted. “At least let
me
come with you.”

Saldivar shook his head. “You cannot. This is my fight, Van.”

“Oh?” Van raised his brows. “And just what do you think is going to happen if Zane defeats you? You think he’s going to walk away without trying to kill the rest of us?”

Saldivar set his jaw. “Please. All of you stay.” With that, he wa
lked out into the night and into uncertainty.

Zane stepped from the shadows. “Well, well. We finally meet
. After all these centuries,”
he said menacingly.

Saldivar stopped right in front of Zane. He would not cower from Zane. He could not. He needed to know why Zane had this hatred for him.

“Zane.
I am here. Now, tell me why you
have hounded me all these years. Why do you have it in for me?”

“Poor, pathetic immortal,”
Zane said with a nasty look in his cold, dark eyes. “After all these centuries, I finally get to be rid of you for almost killing me.”

Saldivar
‘s
brows furrowed in confusion.
“Killing you? When have I ever tried to kill you, Zane? What in the world are you talking about?”

“Let me take you back.
Back to when I saved your sorry hide from certain death.”
Zane focused again on Saldivar’s mind.

Saldivar closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he wasn’t in Paris today but at the shack that Zane took him to when he saved him from the guards. He saw Zane talking to him for a moment and then felt his teeth sink into his neck. He saw Zane force a severed vein into his mouth. He was drinking the salty elixir. He felt himself changing. But, now, he saw what he wasn’t able to see before.

Something was happening to Zane. He went rigid. His eyes darkened, the whites turning red and
then clouding over. He saw Zane
g
asping for breath as he continued to feed
.
He could now hear Zane’s heart flutter like a hummingbird’s wings. Not only could he hear it but he could feel it as well. He could feel his own muscles and bones turn to water.
He felt just as weak as a newborn.

Is this what Zane felt as he was transforming Saldivar?

Saldivar blinked and suddenly he was back in the prese
nt day. “Zane, I had no idea,”
he said with sympathy.

Zane sneered. “Save your pity for someone who cares. If you hadn’
t gone
on your
deranged
vigilante crusade, I could have waited to transform you and then the mutation wouldn’t have occurred. But no, you had to
go off in a blinding rage, get yourself caught, abused and beaten and I had to come and save you. And what did I get for it? Huh? I got nothing but trouble since the day I transformed you. I curse the day I ever thought of turning you. I should have let the guards behead you that morning. I should have let them keep on having their sick, twisted fun with you. You should have starved to death. That way, I wouldn’t have to bother with doing away
with you myself. I could have saved myself the time and torture of my own body, no thanks to you, you simpering excuse for a vampire.”

Saldivar had never witnessed so much animosity from anyone before. “How can you blame me for that? I had no idea whatsoever that a mutation would occur. Heck, Zane, I didn’t even know about the existence of vampires until you whisked me away and transformed me.”

“That is still no excuse, Saldivar. I will taste revenge. You are going to feel what I felt many centuries ago, only you will not live through yours. Consider yourself lucky. I have to live with my mutation.” Zane’s dark eyes went even darker.

In that split second, Zane charged him, but Saldivar managed to leap up into the air just before Zane rammed him like a raging bull. Saldivar landed easily on his feet, turned around and managed to connect his fist with Zane’s rock hard jaw. It barely fazed Zane. Zane recovered quickly and with an almost casual move, shoved Saldivar, causing him to land twenty feet away. He felt the small pebbles dig into his back. The pain hit him, but thankfully, it was brief. He got up to see Zane plow toward him.
Saldivar stretched out his arm, meaning to punch Zane square in the gut, but before Saldivar could blink, Zane grabbed his arm i
n a bone-crunching gri
p and flipped Sa
ldivar on his back so forcefully
it knocked the wind out of him. Saldivar managed to move his head before Zane’
s foot landed on his face for it would have surely crushed every bone in his head.

Saldivar grabbed Zane’s foot and twisted with all his might, making Zane fall head first into the gravel road. When Zane lifted his head, Saldivar could see little rocks embedded in Zane skin. Zane merely wiped them away, growled and came at Saldivar again.

*

Indea paced the floor. No amount of soothing words could calm her. Zane was out there and she knew that Saldivar was with him, fighting him.

“Van,
we’ve got to do something,”
she pleaded desperately, tears streaming down her face.

Van looked from Indea to Raven to Simone. They all nodded. Van pursed his lips. Since when did he always listen? He nodded to them. “But, we have to be careful. You already know what would happen if Zane gets a hold of you. And Saldivar will be furious if he sees you, especially you, Indea. It will only distract him. That’s all Zane needs to move in for the kill. You three stay behind for a few minutes. Let me go out there first. Saldivar knows I can handle myself, but he’s not too sure abou
t you three. You understand?”
he asked them with a stern yet caring look.

The three women nodded, and satisfied that they would stay put, Van walked out of the door to help Saldivar in any way he could.