The Den of Shadows Quartet (19 page)

Jessica had no idea how close she’d just come to having every drop of blood drained from her body. The feel of her pulse beneath his lips had almost broken even his self-control.

He needed to hunt, but he hesitated to leave her alone. Fala’s threat was still fresh in his mind.

The decision was made for him as he heard a faint cry coming from just outside the building. It was a distressed voice he knew well: the voice of Kaei. That girl could get herself into more scrapes in an hour than most humans could accumulate in a year.

Nodding a silent goodbye to Jessica, he quickly made his way to Kaei’s side. She could be a nuisance and worse to those who treated her badly and had caused more than her fair share of trouble, but she was unwaveringly loyal to those she considered her friends.
Fala would probably not attack Jessica in a crowd, and even if she did, Jessica was intelligent enough to fend her off for a minute or two until he returned. Kaei did not have a talent for getting herself out of trouble.

Almost the instant he appeared, he found himself on the defensive. A strike meant for Kaei hit him hard, mostly because he was unprepared. The mental blow had the distinct aura of a witch to it, so he quickly turned his attention to the attacker.

He swore aloud as he recognized Dominique Vida. She had probably followed Jessica here and run into Kaei on the way Kaei had had more than her share of arguments with witches.

Dominique fell back slightly into a stance of readiness, recognizing that she suddenly had a new, far more powerful foe.

Dominique was one of two vampire hunters who had ever won a fight against anyone in Aubrey’s line. The other one he had dealt with accordingly As for Dominique, no one had managed to get inside her guard sufficiently to plant a knife.

For a moment he was grateful Fala had taken his knife from him during their fight earlier. Dominique could have used it against him; her ancestors’ magic had forged it.

Then Jessica returned to his thoughts. As much as he’d like to draw out this confrontation with such a worthy foe, he didn’t have time to dally here with Dominique.

Instead, he did the only thing he could to get her out of the place.

He changed shape into the one he favored — a black
wolf — and lunged, taking Dominique to the ground. She didn’t expect him to be so reckless, which was the only reason her knife swiped across his stomach instead of plunging into his heart.

He clenched his teeth against the pain as the silver blade sliced his skin open. The wound was shallow, but the magic in the knife made it burn. He would likely have a scar.

Before the witch could recover, he used his mind to bring them both far away from New Mayhem. Then he rolled off her and sprinted, gaining as much distance as he could. Once he was far enough away that she could no longer latch on to his power and follow him, he disappeared, returning to Las Noches with a prayer that Jessica would still be there.

J
ESSICA CUT THROUGH THE WOODS
on her way back to Caryn and Hasana’s house. A small river ran behind New Mayhem; it went through Red Rock Forest and eventually tapered off into Aqua Pond, which was close to the witches’ home. She followed that river instead of taking the less direct route along the roads. As she had said to Aubrey if anything wished to kill her, it would do so just as easily in the woods as on the road or anywhere else. She was too tired to take the long way.

At one point she paused to admire the full moon as it bounced and flickered on the river’s surface. In the midst of that peaceful moment, someone grabbed her by the throat from behind.

“So the author would grace me with her presence.” The mocking voice was one Jessica recognized instantly: Fala’s. Jessica could feel the vampire’s cool breath on the back of her neck; it sent a shiver down her spine.

“Leave me alone,” Jessica said, her voice calm despite her fear. If Fala had decided to kill her, then she would not be swayed by groveling or cries for mercy. She would probably enjoy hearing them, but they wouldn’t motivate her to do any less damage. Talking, at least, might buy time — time in which Fala might simply grow bored, or Aubrey might show up to beat her into a bloody pulp.

“Ha!” Fala exclaimed. “After all the trouble you’ve caused?”

Jessica had no time to answer; Fala shoved her, nearly sending her into the icy river. She turned back around in time to watch Fala approach.

“You human fool,” Fala said, smirking. “You act so sure, so unafraid, so …
important
, as if you can’t be killed just as easily as any other human. Just like your mother —”

“What do you know about my mother?” Jessica felt her anger rise at the reference, and again she saw Anne in her mind’s eye — not killed by Fala’s hand, but dead by her order nonetheless.

Fala’s smirk widened. “About Raisa, you mean?” she asked sweetly. “About that poor, selfish half-wit Siete had us all practically baby-sitting for? I was there when she gave birth,” Fala spat. “I would have killed you on the spot if Siete hadn’t told me not to.”

Jessica recoiled, the slow-boiling rage that was emanating from Fala, overshadowing even Jessica’s surprise. So this was the reason for her hatred. Jessica knew Fala too well not to understand how she reacted to commands.

Once again Fala didn’t give her time to respond, but
instead disappeared. Jessica turned to search for her and felt a sharp tug on her hair. Fala was behind her again.

“Ever heard of fighting fair?” Jessica barked, grabbing the hand that was holding her hair, though it was strong as a steel clamp and not about to be forced open.

“Life isn’t fair, and neither is death,” Fala answered, yanking harder. As she did so, the tight grip forced Jessica’s head back, baring her throat. “But I’ll make it a bit more sporting….”

Fala drew a knife that had been hidden in her tight clothing and flashed it in front of Jessica’s face for a moment before she threw it across the clearing. Jessica couldn’t see where it landed, but she heard the thump as it hit a tree. “Maybe I’ll even give you a chance to retrieve it if I get bored, Jessie.”

“Don’t call me Jessie.” It was an automatic reaction and was rewarded by another yank, and then a pain, sharp and strong, as Fala’s teeth pierced the skin at her throat.

The pain faded quickly, replaced by a floating sensation as five thousand years of vampiric mind pressed against her own. Fala wrapped an arm around Jessica’s waist, holding her in place as well as keeping her standing when she finally lost awareness of her body.

Jessica was weightless — sea foam on the back of a wave, or perhaps a feather carried by the breeze.

Then she recognized the trap, and a tendril of fear snaked into her mind. But the pain would begin only if she fought; she could simply stay here, resting —

Before she could let Fala’s mind control convince her otherwise, she drove an elbow back into the vampire’s
gut, at the same time slamming herself back to throw Fala into a tree behind them.

Fala let go with a hiss of rage, and Jessica hurried across the clearing, knowing Fala’s injuries would stop her for no more than a few moments. She could feel a trickle of blood sliding down her neck and onto her black shirt, but the wound wasn’t likely to be fatal. Fala hadn’t had enough time.

Yet
, she amended as she saw the cold fury in Fala’s eyes.

“That’s
it,”
Fala hissed. “Do you seek death, Jessica? Or are you just fond of pain?” Each word was filled with venom. “I would have made this so much easier on you, but you chose to do it the hard way.”

“I might die, but which one of us will hurt more tomorrow?” Jessica snapped before she could think better of it.

“I will be very sure you feel every drop of life as it leaves your veins,” Fala threatened, her voice almost a whisper, “and that your body screams when it starts to starve from oxygen loss, and that you hear the silence when your heart finally stops.”

She grabbed Jessica by the throat and threw her almost casually into a tree. As Jessica’s right shoulder slammed into the trunk, she gritted her teeth past the pain. The bone probably wasn’t broken; Fala would do worse before this was over.

“I guess you know what you’re describing,” Jessica growled, her anger rising above her common sense. “From your days in that sandy, dirty cell where you were chained like the dog you are.”

Fala was almost upon her. Jessica struck Fala’s
cheekbone with her closed fist, which fazed the vampire for only a second before she caught Jessica’s wrist and tossed her into another tree. Jessica’s hands and arms hit the tree first, absorbing some of the blow, but then she felt her head and bad shoulder strike the unyielding wood, and black spots danced in front of her eyes. She suspected this was her second concussion in as many days.

“Damn you, human!” Fala spat. “You aren’t going to wake up. Your death will be your death. Do you understand? You are prey and always will be. Mortal … weak …
prey
.”

Jessica stood painfully trying to clear her vision. She had far too much pride to face Fala like the feeble prey-beast the vampire saw her as.

“I know your talents at inflicting pain, Fala,” she grumbled. “But even with them, you will never make me your prey.”

R
AGE FLICKERED
across Fala’s face for a few seconds, until a lazy, dangerous smile grew to replace it.

Wise up, child
, came Fala’s voice, suddenly smooth and eerily civil. Jessica felt a moment of panic as she heard the voice in her mind — as she felt the words overlaying her own thoughts. Then the fear faded, and there was only the sound of the cool, unarguable voice.

I’ve read your writing
, Fala continued calmly, and Jessica had no choice but to listen.
You know the difference between predator and prey. You were born human, and you will die human — prey and nothing more
.

As Fala stepped forward, Jessica moved to meet her. Fala pulled Jessica’s hair back yet again to bare her throat, and Jessica relaxed, allowing the vampire to do so. Fala was simply a higher race, and there was no arguing with the fact. By nature she was a predator.

And Jessica was just her prey …

Prey?

That last thought didn’t sit well. Instead, it brought
crashing down the house of cards Fala had so easily erected in Jessica’s mind.

Jessica shoved the vampire away with both arms, ignoring the screaming pain in her right shoulder as she did so.

“Get the hell out of my mind.” She spat the words, a hoarse command, and Fala’s expression went still, frozen in anger and disbelief. Jessica had slipped her mind control twice now.

“It seems to me that you were human once, Fala,” Jessica continued, ignoring the blood that trickled from several of her wounds, and the black spots that bounced along the edge of her vision. “But I suppose you don’t need to be reminded of
your
experiences as prey.”

Fala’s hand whipped forward and clamped over Jessica’s throat, pressing her into a tree and cutting off her oxygen. “Watch your words, human. Unless you want me to squeeze your vertebrae straight through your windpipe.”

Jessica couldn’t answer as she struggled to breathe. Fala let go, throwing her to the ground hard enough to send splinters of pain through the arm she caught herself with.

“You picked the wrong person to fight, Jessica,” Fala told her, pacing near her head. “Because I like pain — your pain — and I
really
like causing it.”

“That’s called sadism, and I think it’s some kind of psychological disorder,” Jessica grumbled, rolling onto her front so that she could use her left arm to push herself up.

Fala kicked her in the back of the head while she was
still on her knees. “So are suicidal tendencies,” she countered.

Black and red spots fought for domination in Jessica’s mind as she felt herself being yanked to her feet by one of her injured arms. The world suddenly lost all focus, and she was dropped back to the ground.

“Pitiful,” she heard Fala grunt.

Slowly excruciatingly Jessica forced herself to her feet as Fala walked away to lounge on the riverbank. Leaning against a tree for support, Jessica touched the back of her head and found it sticky with her own blood.

As soon as she felt capable of walking, Jessica scanned the clearing for the knife that Fala had thrown earlier. She spotted it partially embedded in a tree trunk nearby and staggered to it. She bit her lip to hold back a yelp of pain as she wrapped her hands around the knife’s hilt and yanked it from the wood. Both her arms screamed at the effort.

She recognized the blade as Aubrey’s and was surprised that Fala had managed to steal it from him. Though simple, it wasn’t a knife one would mistake; the word
Fenris
was inscribed in the handle. Jessica knew the damage it could do to vampiric flesh, with all the poisonous magic burned deep into the silver of the blade by the vampire-slayer witch who had forged it. The knife felt almost alive in her hand, and she could feel its magic slither up her arm. Some of the pain dulled.

Never having handled a knife before as a weapon, she had no hope of fatally wounding Fala, but maybe she could hurt her enough that she would go away.

Jessica planted the knife loosely in the tree, a plan slowly forming in her mind.

“So, I see you’re walking again,” Fala sighed, appearing in front of her only seconds after Jessica had stepped away from the tree. “I must not have hit you hard enough.”

Jessica backed up toward the knife, protecting her right arm. The wounded-bird routine was old but effective. Fala wouldn’t consider the knife a threat because it would be impossible for Jessica to remove it one-handed, behind her back.

Fala stepped forward again, and Jessica felt behind her with her left arm as she backed up. Her hand was on the knife, but before she could do anything with it, Fala grabbed her again and dragged her forward.

Jessica’s vision spun at the sudden movement, and the next instant she felt the sting as Fala’s teeth pierced her throat once more.

This time, Fala made no effort to make it easy on her. The pain began instantly, not dulled by mind control or any hint of tenderness.