A Forever Mate: Vampire Assassin League #18 (7 page)

Jill’s face came into view, her eyes soft. Warm. Golden-hued.

“Sebastian?”

“It’s all right, love.”

“Sebastian!”

Odd.
It was dimmer down here than he remembered. Sebastian stumbled a final time and fell. He landed hard, hitting with elbows and knees, keeping her from smacking into the floor by a fraction of space.

“Sebastian?”

Her amber eyes were so beautiful!

“My... love?”

The word was a hiss as another froth of blood accompanied it. He should get the arrow out. He hadn’t much time. He slipped his blade beneath a satin strap and sliced, releasing one side. Her weight dropped her, despite how she clung. And then her hand moved down, reached the arrow shaft. When she brought her arm forward, her hand was coated with blood.

“You’re injured!”

He nodded.

“What do we do?”

“Break... the shaft. About... six inches out.”

Her eyes went even wider. “Me?” she asked.

Sebastian chuckled. It went awry as more blood-flecked foam spurted from his mouth. The view was getting even darker, too. Blurry. And very familiar. A glance upward confirmed it.

OSSIMENTS DE LANCIEN CIMETIERE ST NICHOLAS DES CHAMPS...

How was such a thing possible? He’d reached the place where Isabelle’s bones had been brought? That was ironic. He’d have chuckled again, but didn’t dare. He needed every drop of blood at his disposal.

“I can’t do it, Sebastian. I can’t!”

She was twisting the projectile, sending spasms of pain through him. He pointed to his sword.

“Hit it with... the blade.”

She did. And it might have worked, but it was the most intense agony of his entire experience. Ever. Sebastian was rigid with absorbing it.

“What do I do now? Sebastian! Don’t you dare die! You hear me! Don’t you dare!”

That was amusing enough he did chuckle. He’d been right. It spewed more precious blood from his mouth. He watched it for a few seconds as it soaked into the dirt floor, obliterating the mark of someone’s shoe. And then he lunged up, rolled, and slammed onto the floor. The hit sent the arrow out the front of him. Giving him something to grasp. If he had the energy. And the will.

“What should I do now, Sebastian? Huh? What? Tell me, what?”

Jill was on her knees beside him. Her tears wet his face. His chest. Sebastian put his right hand about the arrowhead. His left arm was useless. It matched his entire left side. Numb. Deadened. He pulled. His hand slid off. It took an act of will to grasp the arrowhead again. His body wasn’t obeying. He was shaky. Weak. And his hand slid off again.

“Here! I’ll do it!”

She grabbed the blood-covered, slick projectile, with both hands and pulled. Sebastian’s body rocked sideways toward her. The arrow didn’t budge. He would’ve cried out, but didn’t have enough energy. And that was bad. Everything was bad. He began to wonder if this might be his penance for betraying his vow. For putting another in Isabelle’s place. He was going to shrivel into non-existence. Right here. Right next to the bone pile that held Isabelle. And he was going to leave his mate behind.

Jill yanked on the arrowhead again. His body did the exact roll toward her and then back. The arrow shaft didn’t move.

“It’s not working! A-a-and I don’t know what to do! Tell me what to do!”

“It’s all right, sweetheart,” he whispered.

“No, it’s not all right! You hear me!”

Sebastian turned his head toward her and focused. She was hard to see. He had to narrow his eyes. She was surrounded by a gray blob of some kind.

“I love you... Jill.”

“Damn you, Sebastian Cole! You are
not
getting away with that! You hear me?”

Oh. She was adorable. Cute. He watched her. He almost smiled.

“Oh! You can stop that look, too!”

She shuffled about and then she was back in view. On her feet. She had strips of the cast-off satin sheet wound about her hands as she grabbed the arrowhead. And then she put a foot on his belly and yanked upwards.

Sebastian howled with agony. Death had to be better than this.

Jill dropped to his side. She had the wad of satin atop his exit wound, pressing it into the hole. She was sobbing his name over and over, and sometimes she was stammering through it. He could barely hear her. He was watching the arrowhead and about eight inches of shaft that she’d launched. It flew upward, arcing over the carefully assembled display of skulls and bones that made up the walls of the catacombs. It landed somewhere is the mish-mass of discarded bones behind the decorated wall. It felt like more desecration somehow. More violation.

A bit more defilement to those unable to defend against it.

A glint of something metallic caught his eye. It seemed to fly out ward from where his arrow had landed, following the same path, only in reverse. It landed beside Jill, and spiraled several times before dropping. Within inches of his rapt gaze.

No.

It wasn’t possible
.

Sebastian reached for the bit of wrought gold, formed from thin strips of gold, entwined into a ring. He recognized it easily. He still wore the twin to it. It was his signet ring. The one he’d given Isabelle. His hand shook more than before as he reached for it. Lifted it carefully. Brought it close to his nose to refute the proof before his eyes.

Was Isabelle giving him her blessing? Releasing him to love another? And this was proof?

No.

It wasn’t possible.

That’s when he realized he was using Jill’s phrasing. If she had to believe in vampires, then he had to believe in this. The gray shade moved back a bit. And he easily heard Jill lamenting beside him.

“Sebastian! You hear me? Don’t you dare leave me, you hear? I love you!”

Jill was rocking forward and back. Forward. Back. The next motion forward, Sebastian snagged her hand. Put the ring in her palm. Closed her fingers around it.

“What is this?”

“Take... it.”

Damn this loss of blood! The pain was starting to ebb, leaving nothing but weakness. He was even shakier. He really needed an infusion. He’d even take it from a Hunter if he had one handy.

“You’re giving me a r-r-ring?” She looked it over, almost like he had, and then turned her gaze back to him.

“Get... to Cobley. Show it... to Ivan.”

“Oh. Not without you. No way.”

“I’ll... follow... shortly.”

“Oh. You are very bad at this mating thing, Sebastian Cole.”

“Pardon?”

“You are my mate. I am yours. I hope you meant forever, because I accept. You hear me? I’m accepting your ring and your proposal. And that means I am
not
leaving you here. I’ll carry you first. I don’t care how much you weigh.”

He chuckled. A slight smattering of bloody froth emitted from his lips. Good. The wounds were closing. She came closer. Inches away. Focused on him with her gorgeous amber-shaded eyes.

“I need... blood.”

“Fine. I have it. Take it”

She lifted her hair off her shoulder, giving him a perfect view of the line of her neck. His canine teeth responded. Lengthened. Feral. Sharp.

“I can’t take... from you, sweet.”

“Why not?”

“It... will change you.”

“Is that all? Fine. Good. I accept.”

“You’ll be... a vampire.”

“Are you growing hard of hearing, too? I accept. I do.”

“Be certain... love.”

“Oh. I am. I agree. Didn’t you hear me? I love you. Okay? I’m your mate. And you are mine. Forever. Okay? What else do you need to hear? Hmm? Well? What?”

He grinned. And then he stabbed into her neck.

~ ~ ~

Cobley Airfield wasn’t empty. Sebastian snagged an arm around Jill and lifted her against him. His plane was in Hangar Three. There was another jet in the first hangar. It was getting loaded with passengers. Sebastian watched from the shadows, his back plastered to the wall, and Jill glued to him. Breathing in tandem. Every beat of her heart a match to his, in depth and rhythm. He touched a kiss to her temple.

“Aren’t those... Hunters?” Jill whispered.

“Yes.”

“Those bloody bastards. I thought that Akron fellow told you it was safe.”

“They’re not here for us. Look.”

The small group of Hunters was surrounding someone. Someone young. Lean. Tall. Blond.

It was Nigel.

Sebastian slid his cell phone pack out. He only had one phone left. He didn’t bother punching numbers. It was pre-coded for VAL headquarters. His worst fears were confirmed when a woman answered.

“You’ve reached the Vampire Assassin League. Lizbeth speaking. Name your poison, please.”

“I need to speak to Akron. Stat.”

“Name please?”

She didn’t understand what stat meant? How new could she be?

“Sebastian Cole,” he replied through set teeth.

“One moment, please. Mister Profit? You have an incoming call. A Mister Cole.”

A click connected him. Akron was in a good mood. His voice was even more resonant than usual.

“Well... hello, Sebastian! I see you survived the catacombs. And you have your mate with you? Congratulations to you both.”

“Apologies, Sir, but we have a problem. I’m going to need help.”

“Really?”

“It’s about Nigel.”

“This should be good. What about him?”

“Hunters have him. A small group. They’re in another jet. Like ours, but smaller. I might be able to rescue him before they take off, but I’ll need help afterward.”

“You haven’t done anything... to alter their departure, have you?”

“No, but—”

“Damnation! I hate this game!”

Nigel’s voice filtered through the receiver. Clear. Recognizable. Sebastian pulled the cell phone from his ear and stared at it. And then he looked over at the jet that was just leaving the hangar.

“Sebastian? You still there?”

Akron’s voice came clearly through the phone. Sebastian put it back to his ear.

“Yes.”

“As you probably just overheard, Nigel is here. At VAL Headquarters.”

“But a woman answered the line.”

“Ah yes. That is my reception trainee. Lizbeth. She is usually playing on Nigel’s video game because he constantly challenges her to a battle of the sexes. This time she’s answering the phones because he finally won a round.”

“But I just saw him.”

“You certain?”

Sebastian craned his head to look again. There wasn’t anything in the hangar. The other plane was gone.

“I could have sworn it was him, Sir. Nigel. In the hands of the Hunters.”

“Nigel. Could you come over here for a moment? Talk to Sebastian. He’s thinking he just saw you. In Paris.”

“Really? Sweet!”

It was Nigel all right. No mistaking that voice.

“He looked just like you,” Sebastian replied. “I swear. If it wasn’t you, I just saw your double, kid.”

“Did you hear that, Sir? I have a doppelganger. Now, that is just beyond cool.”

“Actually, Nigel,” Akron inserted from somewhere in the background. “What you have... is a grandson.”

-o0o-

Jackie Ivie lives in the enormous state of Alaska with her husband and three very spoiled pets.  She started her writing career writing hot highland historical romances for Kensington Publishing.  There are now ten “Clans series” books, available in seven languages.  Keeping her head in the clouds most of the time, Jackie now spends her time researching, developing, and writing her paranormal series – the Vampire Assassin League, as well as her other historical line – the Brocade Collection.

Jackie loves hearing from fans, who can contact her at
www.jackieivie.com
or
www.VampireAssassinLeague.com

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A FOREVER MATE is the 18th installment of the Vampire Assassin League.  Check out all the assassins in the VAL, available singly, in 4-book bundles, and in print as 2-packs.

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