Vampire Cadet (7 page)

“I don’t care about my soul as long as I can have an eternity on earth,” he insisted. His forehead puckered. “Does it hurt when you turn? Is that why you’re hesitant?”

“No. It doesn’t hurt and it doesn’t take long. But you will kill a lot of people before you gain control over your thirst for blood. Do you want that?”

He grimaced. “It’s not an ideal situation. I get all that, but I am willing to live with that guilt.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “That’s not a decision that I would have made for myself. And that’s why I can’t make it for you. Do you know what will happen to Ra’ad when we finally kill him? He will CEASE to exist. He is not going to heaven or hell. He just won’t be anymore. That would happen to me if I was killed in combat? Is that what you would like?”

Bryce laughed. “Ra’ad has been stupid enough to put himself in a position where you are the one who is chasing him. Do you think there is any ordinary mortal on this earth who could have caught him? And the fact that you’re right on his heels is only possible because we’re in one team. If I hadn’t followed him with my technology and you with your skill, he could have gone on for a thousand years more.”

Shannon rubbed a hand over face. “There is nothing you can say that would make me change my mind. I am not going to turn you, no matter what you say or do. Don’t bother to ask me again.” She stood. “I am going to the next room to report our progress to the head office. Call me if James stops somewhere.”

She left the room. Damn Bryce for raising this topic over and over again. Why couldn’t he understand that she didn’t want to turn him into a vampire? No matter what he said, her mind was made up. It wasn’t an existence that she would have chosen for herself. She had given up a lot in exchange for it; a normal life, children, a marriage.

How could he think that it was worth it? It wasn’t – and there is nothing he could say to convince her to bestow such a life on him.

Chapter Seven

Pissed off by Bryce’s constant nagging, Shannon lay down on the bed in the other room after she made a report to the Commander Sergeant Major. He’d not been happy with her. And Shannon couldn’t blame him for the dressing down she’d gotten. She’d nothing new to offer except to confirm that Ra’ad was in San Diego. She hadn’t been able to tell him about the illegal satellite hacking so there wasn’t much she could give him.

Now, it all depended on Bryce. If he found Ra’ad, she would be able to capture him and maybe win another medal in the bargain.

Not that earning medals excited Shannon. And truth be told, she was a little bored of her army stint. Killing people, capturing people, torturing prisoners; it had lost its luster. She longed for a quiet, sedate life in a small town where she could paint her nails, sit on the beach, relax, and enjoy the everyday things of life. Maybe when she was done with this mission, she would move elsewhere. Of course, she would have to find an occupation to keep herself busy. Maybe open a flower shop somewhere. She’d never tried that. It would be nice to have her own business, maybe live above the flower shop, and deal with mundane things that gave her pleasure.

Bryce came in. “I’ve got some good news.” He held a tablet in his hand which she had recently requisitioned from the army.

“What?” She sat.

“James has reached Ra’ad. He is with him now.”

Excitement flooded through her. She leapt for the door. “Let’s go and catch that bastard then.”

Bryce followed her to the jeep and sat on the passenger side. He held the tablet in his hand. “Go. I will fill you in on the way.” He gave her the address and Shannon shot out of the place. “There is one bad news.”

Shannon turned a corner at a fast speed. She couldn’t wait to catch Ra’ad and end this chase that had consumed the last eight weeks of her life. “What’s that?”

“You know that satellite that I managed to hack, well, I can sort of zoom in through it. It seems that they are moving about in that house.”

Shannon cocked an eyebrow. The advancement in technology never failed to amaze her. “That’s bloody good, Bryce. How is that bad news?”

“Well, the bad news is that from the chaotic activity that is taking place, I have a feeling they are getting ready to leave even as we head towards them.”

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Shannon banged her hand on the steering wheel. “How long do we have?”

“They’re already putting their stuff in their vehicles.” He held the tablet up as she swerved around a corner. She could see some shadowy figures huddled around two cars in the driveway of an old house. “There is another bad news.”

“Damn you. Can’t you give me something good?” Shannon pushed the car to the speed limit posted for the road. She dared not speed more because she couldn’t risk being caught and delayed by the police.

“The bad news is that their bomb is ready. See this box they are putting in the car. I am sure it contains something important. They are pretty edgy about it.” Bryce pointed to the rectangular box four men were loading into the trunk of a car. “I can’t see into the box but from the way they are tiptoeing around it, I am pretty sure it’s a bomb.”

Shannon cursed loudly. This mission was going to hell. If she lost Ra’ad now, she would never get another chance. If he placed the devise somewhere, all would be lost. She had to catch him before he put the bomb into his target location.

“What do we do?”

“We will have to call the bomb disposal to deal with that monster devise,” he told her. “Both of us can’t deal with it, and even you are not indestructible.”

“Shit! I can’t risk exposing Ra’ad’s real self in front of the soldiers. That secret has to be protected.” She bit her bottom lip, her mind filled with conflicting thoughts. “What are they doing now?”

“Still milling about the cars,” he said. “Our only hope rests on James. If Ra’ad decides to take him along, we can follow them to wherever they go. If not, we will lose him again.”

“Give me something good, Bryce.”

She shot through an intersection, swerved to zoom ahead of a bus, and picked up speed. “They are sitting in cars,” he shouted. “The first car is moving out.”

Shannon rounded a corner. Far ahead, she saw a car coming out of a driveway.
There! That was them.
She could be there in two minutes. This was going to end soon, and she was going to make sure that they emerged victorious.

“Slow down,” Bryce yelled.

“Why? We’ve got them.”

“How the hell are you going to catch two cars? Slow down. Follow them discreetly.”

Realizing that he was talking sense, Shannon slowed down. She saw the other car come out of the driveway. “Is James with them?

“He is in the first car with the bomb. And I am pretty damn sure that Ra’ad is also with him. I could tell it was him by the way others were giving him a wide berth. Probably Ra’ad took him along to question him in detail about his encounter with us. He would probably like to know everything he can about us, to figure out who is chasing him and why.”

Shannon breathed a sigh of relief. At least there was some hope. Ra’ad was in one of those vehicles. They had to stop at some point, and when they did, she would catch them. Knowing that she had to maintain a distance, she fell a bit back behind the second car. Now, she had to figure out what to do with the bomb. She would need help. Damn! She should have learnt that a long time ago. It was too late for regrets now.

“Bryce, use my phone to call Commander Sergeant Major.” She handed him her phone.

“I’ve unhooked from the satellite. Now, we are following them with the tracker,” he said as he dialed the number she told him.

“Sir, Sergeant Major Shannon reporting.”

“What now, Shannon?” The commander’s voice was tense, abrupt.

“We need back up, sir. We’re following Ra’ad and he has the bomb with him. It would be good if a bomb disposal unit could meet up with us.” She gave him the directions, the route they were taking, and the descriptions of the vehicles as well as the estimated number of men. “I’ll let you know if they stop somewhere.”

“I am going to airlift my boys, Shannon. As soon as you give word, they will land near you. And I will send soldiers with them also.”

“We can manage Ra’ad and his men, sir. The only support that we need is people who can dismantle the bomb.”

“Don’t be silly. You and Bryce can’t take on thirteen men on your own. I am sending you backup and the bomb disposal unit.” He cut the call.

“Shit!” Now she had to figure out a way to keep the soldiers away from Ra’ad. Things were more complicated now. If they captured him, his secret, and in turn her secret, would be out in the public. Her only option was to kill him before they got close.

For a few long minutes, they followed the two vehicles on the city roads. “They are going out of the city.”

Shannon nodded. “Yeah! I wonder where they are headed.”

“I want you to fall back. We can’t let them detect us on the highway,” he ordered.

Knowing that he was right, she didn’t mind his tense tone. Shannon followed his instructions. How their relationship had changed in the past many weeks. While once she’d been the one in command, now they were equal partners.

“We have to kill Ra’ad before the soldiers arrive,” she announced. It was a difficult decision. She didn’t like killing one of her own kind, but what other choice did she have?

Bryce rummaged in the bag that was lying open at his feet. He brought out a wooden stake. “I brought this along, just in case.”

Shannon grimaced as she watched him put it back. “Where did you get it?”

“I made it. It’s the only thing that can kill him. Straight through the heart…and POW! I dipped it in holy water yesterday from the nearby church.”

Since Shannon had been the one to tell him how a vampire could be killed, she had no one but herself to blame for his eagerness to vanquish him. But they didn’t have any other option. Ra’ad was a vampire. It would be near to impossible to capture him as a prisoner, and even if they managed to do so, what then? She couldn’t hand him over to the army. They would discover his secret within a few days. No! Their only choice was to kill him. A staked vampire burned within minutes. There would be nothing left of his body except a few ashes.

Her heart was heavy with sorrow, but her determination was as strong as iron.

After two hours, they came to the edge of a small town and the precession slowed. The vehicles turned into a jungle and began racing up a dirt road until they came to a stop. On the tablet, Bryce monitored the activity with measured eyes. “I have hacked into the satellite again,” he said, with a causal flick of his hand. “It looks like a deserted farmhouse. They are going in, and they are taking their stuff with them, including the bomb.”

“Should I call the commander and inform him about the location?”

“Wait!” he said. “Let’s make sure they are staying inside before we call for reinforcements.”

They stopped the car quite some way back and hiked up to the farmhouse. Shannon and Bryce hid behind a tall tree and watched the activity on the tablet. Three men were stationed outside. James was showing up as a white dot in one of the rooms, but they couldn’t see anything else that was happening inside the house.

“What do we do?” he whispered.

“I think we can take them on ourselves. It will be quiet and efficient. And if we kill Ra’ad then we can call the boys to deal with the bomb.”

“The two of us? Alone?” Bryce was hesitant. “How are we going to fight them all?”

“I am going to enhance your power through another feeding,” she said. “You will tackle Ra’ad. Keep him occupied while I deal with all the other mercenaries and then I will come inside to finish him off. Your job will be to keep him distracted while I deal with everyone else.”

“Would I be able to handle him myself?” Without waiting, he took off his shoes, his trousers, and shirt. Naked, he stood in front of her.

She knew that he enjoyed lovemaking as much as the increase in his strength and speed. “When I am done with you, you will have the power to hold Ra’ad until I am there to deal with him,” she assured him. Shannon hadn’t wanted to do this again. Every time she fed on Bryce, she felt her control slipping, but she didn’t have another choice.

“What about the bomb disposal unit?”

“We will need them to take care of the bomb,” she said. “I will call the commander before going in. By the time they come here, we will be done.”

“Do you think we can deal with thirteen people all on our own?”

She nodded. “We have to.” There were only two of them and they had to deal with an entire contingent. If they didn’t do this, they would lose. And she simply couldn’t afford that. She had to make sure that Bryce was up to the task. After stripping off her clothes, Shannon walked over to him.

This was going to be the last time they made love. She was going to disappear from his life soon afterwards. Shannon felt bad for him. He deserved more – but she couldn’t give him what he wanted and it was better to go now when her heart was fairly intact. It was getting harder to deny that she was getting romantically involved with Bryce. This wasn’t just sex anymore. She had strong feelings for him, and before those feelings materialized into love, she wanted to move away.  He wasn’t a part of her world, and could never be – and she couldn’t be a permanent fixture in his life.