Part 18 (1/2)

”Nej, nej,” Holgar said, jumping out of Antonio's arms and restraining her. She couldn't get past him-he was superstrong, like Antonio, and she was still weak. ”He saved me. That's someone else's blood.” He pushed her back into the van. ”Stay here.”

As the last gleam of bloodl.u.s.t left Antonio's eyes, he wiped off his chin and turned his head. It was obvious he was trying to hide his face.

”I think I killed the alpha,” Antonio announced. ”Maybe one other. I'm not sure.”

The two brothers of St. Andrew were shooting through the vehicle windows at the werewolves. Holgar heard death cries and fury.

”I'll go back out,” Antonio said, and in that instant his eyes turned red and his fangs lengthened. He was once more a terrifying vampire caught in bloodl.u.s.t.

”No, get in and stay in,” Jenn ordered him. She reached over and tapped Brother Cristian on the arm. ”We're getting out of here.”

”I'll go to the transport,” Antonio said.

”For helvede, get in,” Holgar swore at him. ”Brother Cristian, let's go!”

As Antonio climbed in, he kept his face turned away from Jenn. She touched the bandage on her neck. Holgar put his arm around her and stared straight at Antonio.

”One move, Antonio, and you're dust,” Holgar said pointedly.

”Si. Gracias,” Antonio replied feelingly.

The two vehicles resumed their journey through the snowy mountain pa.s.s, the howls of werewolves trailing after them.

TRANSYLVANIA, ROMANIA.

AURORA, LUCIFER, AND DANTALION.

Dracula's castle.

Home sweet home.

Aurora watched from a windswept, moonlit balcony as Lucifer's minions-human, vampiric, and hybrid-dragged in the beautiful antiques she had picked out for the castle. There were at least thirty of them, and more hybrids in an outbuilding where Dantalion was setting up his research facility.

Lucifer had purchased Castle Bran-also known as Castle Dracula-from the former royal family of Romania years and years before. Lucifer liked to tease Aurora that the previous inhabitant-Dracula himself-still haunted the narrow pa.s.sageways of stone and shadow. But Aurora doubted that Lucifer would have allowed Dracula to remain in any form-bat, mist, or wolf, as it was said he could transform. Lucifer wouldn't have permitted the compet.i.tion.

To keep the Ottomans out of his homeland, Dracula had impaled tens of thousands of his enemies-slid them down on sharpened stakes like skewered meat. Soon Lucifer would wipe out millions. The Vampire Kingdom was about to rise, and if she played her cards right, she would be its queen. She, Lucifer, and Sergio had often played cards together, back in the day. Sergio had loved to cheat. But Lucifer had chided Aurora gently whenever he caught her trying to let her sire win.

”Fight strong, my beauty,” he'd instructed her. ”Show no mercy.”

His beauty. With a sigh she moved from the balcony-the hybrids were so repugnant that she didn't want to look at them.

She kept waiting for news of Antonio de la Cruz. Lucifer and Dantalion wanted to study him, but she was still uncertain if Lucifer knew that she'd had Antonio and lost him. Where the traitor was concerned, she had shown no mercy. She had heaped magicks and torment on him out of pure spite, and after she had lost him, he had killed Sergio.

”I hate you, Antonio. d.a.m.n you,” Aurora whispered to the soulless heavens. But in her unbeating heart she knew that it was actually a good thing Sergio had died. Now she could concentrate her charms on Lucifer, free of any jealous dramatics.

She turned around and faced the sweet little human minion Lucifer had given her as a maid. The girl had staggered up the spiral staircase behind her, bundled up like a snowman. There was no heat in the castle. All Aurora's personal staff were new; Lucifer had forced her to leave her fledglings behind as well. No minions, no vampires she had made. Not because he didn't trust her, he had a.s.sured her, but because she and he couldn't trust them.

Their plans must remain secret. And if Lucifer and Dantalion were able to infiltrate the Salamancans with a spy, the hunters might have been able to put a spy in Aurora's entourage. That was the reason Lucifer gave her, but it meant that she was all alone. She had a feeling that he'd killed them all-Emilio, who had presided over Sergio's funeral; Louis, her trusty lieutenant, who had told her that Sergio was going to Salamanca to fetch Antonio and take him to Lucifer. Now that she thought about it, it was probably good that Louis was dead. If Lucifer hadn't killed him, she might have had to track him down herself and get rid of him so he couldn't tell Lucifer about Antonio.

Secrets could be so fatal.

”Maria,” Aurora said brightly, changing mental tack, ”let's go shopping.”

The little human blinked nervously and pushed her dark hair away from her face with a mittened hand. ”Ah, madame, my name is Flavia, and the stores are closed. B-because it is midnight, madame.”

”I didn't mean in a store,” Aurora said. ”And as for your name . . .” Aurora hesitated. What she was planning to do was say, ”It was Flavia,” and then tear off the girl's head. Because correcting one's betters was rude, and because that would have some dramatic flair. But technically, this girl was Lucifer's property. Aurora didn't know how he would feel if she killed Flavia. He'd told her to drink from anyone she wanted. Every human in the castle was a willing donor, and the miracle of the human body was that it replenished its own blood supply. But kill one and it was like stealing food from her sire's table.

”And as for your name,” she repeated, ”it's lovely.” The wind tugged at her hair. ”Maybe you need another coat?” she asked Flavia. ”It's cold outside.”

CASTLE BRAN, TRANSYLVANIA.

HEATHER.

There she is.

Aurora had appeared on a balcony at the back of the castle. Far below, Heather was crouched behind a cistern of slushy ice water.

Heather's fangs pierced her lower lip as she clenched her jaw. Eagerly she licked the blood away. She was hungry. She was impatient. She wanted to kill Aurora and then . . .

. . . and then what?

”Feeding,” she promised herself in a mournful whisper. How long did this have to take?

Then her spirits lifted as Aurora announced that she wanted to leave the castle to go ”shopping.” Out of the castle was good. Maybe there would be a chance to attack her.

”Kill her,” Heather murmured.

The dark-haired Spanish vampire was very beautiful. People used to tell Heather she was pretty, and that one day she would blossom into a beauty. She looked down into the water in the cistern to see if that was true.

She had forgotten that she would be unable to see her reflection.

A voice sounded suddenly, loud and nearby.

”It doesn't matter that a few of the hybrids have escaped. We can make all we want.” She recognized the voice: Spanish accent, speaking English. Commanding, elegant.

Lucifer.

Thrills of terror washed over Heather. He was even more dangerous than Aurora.