Blood From a Silver Cross (Kat Redding) (9 page)

“How?”

He walked over to the chair and sat down, seemingly bored. “There is no need to discuss this further now. I’ve made my point. You know I can do this, though you might not like the methods when I tell them to you. As it stands now, you are not ready. There is too much you have to do and far too much to lose.” He smiled.

Right then, I hated him beyond anything I thought possible. He tempted me with my humanity, with the purification of my blood, and then he was going to shut down and not tell me how it could be done. It was almost too cruel, even for a demon.

“I’ll show myself out,” he said, standing.

Rage blurred my vision and I very nearly leapt forward, into the circle, intent on strangling him.

Somehow, I held back.

“Tell me,” I said through clenched teeth. “You can’t walk away now.”

Beligral watched me with glee in his eyes. I think he wanted me to attack him. If I broke the circle, he’d be free to do as he pleased.

After a few moments, he sighed. “Pity,” he said, waving a hand. The tear between worlds ripped open, spilling heat out over me. “I’ll be waiting for the moment when you are ready.” He turned and stepped through the portal.

“No!” I shouted, lunging forward, but it was already too late.

The heat vanished and I sagged to the floor, half in, half out of the circle. Tears were on my face, but I couldn’t bring myself to wipe them away.

“Don’t listen to him,” Ethan said, kneeling beside me. “I’ll find a blood substitute. You don’t ever have to deal with him again.”

I looked at him numbly. “No more blood,” I whimpered. I sounded like a scolded child. “I could be free of it.”

Ethan took me by both arms and stared hard into my eyes. “No,” he said. “You don’t want this.” He gave me a gentle shake when my eyes drifted back to the circle. “He lies. Please, Kat—I know him. He won’t cure you. He’ll do something that will destroy you.”

I looked down at my hands and took a few deep breaths. “I’m okay,” I said. “I just let him get to me.”

“You’re free,” Ethan said. “You don’t have to come back here ever again. You’re not marked.” He sounded both relieved and jealous at the same time.

I nodded and let Ethan help me to my feet.

“Don’t let him trick you,” he said.

I nodded again, unable to speak. I walked slowly toward the stairs, leaving Ethan alone in his lab.

Ethan was wrong. Beligral hadn’t marked me physically. He didn’t need to.

No, this time the mark wasn’t physical.

It was mental.

And it was going to be far harder to rid myself of it.

B
y the next night, I was officially a mess. I couldn’t get what Beligral said out of my head. Could I really be human again? Did I even want to be? It had been so long since I’d seen the sun, it seemed like it had happened to someone else. To see it again would be a blessing, but at what cost?

And that was the rub. I couldn’t quite see myself stepping away from my current life, no matter how much I might want to. There was too much at stake, too many people who could get hurt if I wasn’t around. Just because I might no longer be a vampire, doesn’t mean my enemies would just walk away. In fact, they’d be
more
likely to come after me and those I cared about.

Still, I had to admit it was appealing. It was a struggle not to demand Ethan to summon his demon again so I could force him to tell me everything he knew about the process. He said I wouldn’t like how it was done, which meant there was no way I was going to walk into it blindly.

But as much as I wanted to hold Beligral down and beat the information out of him, I couldn’t do that; there was too much to do. Life wouldn’t wait while I sorted things out.

The Left Hand wouldn’t wait.

I didn’t relish the thought of searching for them, but it didn’t stop me from getting dressed, grabbing my weapons, and heading out with a quick good-bye to both Jeremy and Ethan. I could tell Jeremy wanted to come. After one look at me, he decided to step back and let me do what I had to do.

My first thought was to head to the Den to get the mess with Nathan and Keira sorted out. If either one of them were responsible for the Left Hand knowing where the Den was located, I could use them for information. The problem would be, of course, getting that information out of them. Werewolves aren’t exactly the easiest of beings to intimidate. Violence wasn’t always motivation for them to talk, either.

I decided it might be better, especially in my current mental state, to ride around for a bit. I headed for High Street, thinking that it would be a good place to start in my search for the Left Hand. I’d been attacked in one of the alleyways here. I figured other Left Hand members might find the sleazy street ideal for hunting as well.

The lights were bright, as always, as I coasted down the packed road. Screaming neon and strobing lights came from nearly every building. Windows in the motels that had taken over a large stretch of the road were curtainless. I could see more than my fair share of young girls pressed against the glass while things were done to them, not all of them bloodless.

It seemed busier than usual and I wondered if it had anything to do with the recent murders. Coming to a place like High Street was always dangerous, unlike the Bloody Stake. Here, death could be around the corner, though it rarely happened out in the open. There was a sense of nearly averted disaster with every visit.

I’d like to think most people would be smarter than to head into a private room or down a dark alley with someone they didn’t know, but I knew better. The Left Hand could find dozens, if not hundreds of victims here and a good portion of them wouldn’t be missed. Why would one death in a dark alley matter when the bloodstains of a hundred others marked the pavement?

I pulled into the gloom of the parking garage and began winding my way around, looking for a place to park. I had no idea how many of these cars were abandoned, left by owners who hadn’t come back to retrieve them after a fatal visit with some vamp or wolf.

It wasn’t a pleasant thought, but it was reality. Why would I want to become a frail human again?

I found a spot near the top of the garage. I parked and headed back to High Street on foot. While driving around would allow me to cover ground faster, I wouldn’t be close enough to the action to get a good look at what was going on.

I squinted into the neon as I stepped out onto the street, amid both men and women wearing tight leather, and began my search.

It didn’t take long for my mind to start wandering from my goal. As much I wanted to forget about it, I kept coming back to what Beligral had said. And then there was the whole thing with Nathan. It was bad enough that Monday was approaching and I knew—
knew
—Baset would have a name for me. I was afraid everyone was going to start pulling me in a dozen different directions.

And, of course, there was Adrian. I could feel him ahead of me somewhere. He wasn’t home, that was for sure. I vaguely wondered what he was doing and if it would end up getting someone killed.

I was so distracted by my thoughts, I didn’t see the sudden movement beside me until it was too late.

I didn’t have time to think, let alone react. A huge arm clamped around my arms, trapping them, and another hand covered my mouth so I couldn’t scream. I was yanked off my feet and dragged into the shadows of the alley where the noise and light was dimmed to almost nothing.

My fangs instantly dropped, spraying blood into my mouth and onto the hand that held me. I tried to pull away so I could open my mouth enough to bite down, but was held so tightly I could barely move my head. Whoever had me sure as hell wasn’t a Pureblood.

I growled deep in my throat and tensed. Tonight was not a night to fuck with me.

“Quiet,” Adrian’s breath was hot on my ear. “Don’t scream. I’m going to let you go. I want to show you something.”

Anger flared through me, but I nodded anyway. Screaming wouldn’t help. No one would bother checking on me here. I was on my own and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do because of the Oath.

Adrian waited a moment longer before releasing me. I immediately spun, hands going for my weapons, but I didn’t draw. It would do no good.

“Look,” Adrian said, pointing past me. “Watch.”

I glanced over my shoulder, but saw nothing. People were walking the streets in groups, and cars coasted down the street, but otherwise, I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking at. I was too pissed to even care—pissed at Adrian for jumping me and pissed at myself for not realizing how close he’d been when I’d felt him through the Oath.

I turned back to him, anger bubbling over. I’d promised myself I’d stop verbally abusing my friends, but Adrian sure as hell wasn’t a friend.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I didn’t quite scream the words, but it was close.

He glanced at me, face blank as ever, and then looked past me again. I honestly think he didn’t understand why I was so pissed.

“You must watch if you want to see what I have to show you.”

“You were following me, weren’t you?”

He didn’t respond. He simply continued to stare.

I cursed under my breath and turned the way he was facing. We were deep enough into the alley that no one would notice us. Our view was likewise limited so that all I could see was a short stretch of road, a sidewalk, and the building across the street. I tried to catch faces as they passed, thinking there was someone in particular whom he wanted me to see, but if there was, I didn’t. Everyone looked the same to me.

I was about to turn on him again when the door to the building across the street opened. A woman stepped out, looking harried. She wiped at her mouth and I noticed her lips were a little redder than they should be. She checked to make sure no one was watching and then headed for the street where she waited for traffic to ease enough for her to cross.

“Who is that?”

“Wait,” Adrian said. Anticipation was heavy in his voice.

A moment later, the door opened again and someone else walked out. The man was wearing a long, brown trench coat and carrying a brown briefcase. He looked quickly around until his eyes fell on the woman. He started toward her, but just then, there was a break in the traffic and she started crossing. He hurried after her.

My breath caught in my throat. Had Adrian actually led me to a member of the Left Hand? If so, how had he known I was looking for them?

I didn’t have time to ask. The woman reached our side of the street with the man hot behind her. They both passed our alley without a second glance.

“Let’s go.”

Adrian moved forward before I could protest. I was left with little choice but to follow. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass.

It wasn’t hard to follow the two. Adrian kept a good couple of yards between us, which he really didn’t need to do. He could have come up right behind the man and no one would have noticed. The streets were so crowded, it was impossible to tell if someone was following you or just heading in the same direction.

I stuck close behind Adrian, not wanting to walk next to him. He might take it as an invitation to talk and I was still pissed at him. Besides, I could watch him better this way. He must have known I was looking for members of the Left Hand. He also had known I would end up here on High Street. I wasn’t sure if it was the Oath that was helping him or if someone was tipping him off.

The woman suddenly turned down an alley. The man followed and Adrian was quick on his heels. I dropped my hand to my waist, ready to draw my sword the moment the fighting started. I turned the corner.

Eyes looked up and stared at me through a haze of sweet-smelling smoke. There were a few couples making out against the wall, and at least one was doing it with blood mingled between them. I couldn’t tell if they were vampires, werewolves, or just two Purebloods who got off on blood. In the end, it didn’t really matter.

Adrian had already passed the group. I could no longer see the woman or her tail, which meant they were moving pretty fast now.

I started after them, but before I took more than three steps, one of the men by the wall stepped in front of me.

“Hey there,” he said. He blew smoke out of his nose and looked me up and down with bloodshot eyes. “You lookin’ for a little action tonight, baby?”

I slowed long enough to rear back. I didn’t have time for this. I punched him right in the mouth and he dropped with a cry of pain.

I stepped over the man, eyes focused on Adrian’s retreating back. I figured I’d made my point, but the guy grabbed my foot before I could get past him. Two of his friends stepped away from the wall, blocking off the alley. Two more moved behind to keep anyone else from getting in.

“You stupid bitch,” the guy holding my foot said. He jerked hard as if he thought he could take me down. Instead, I spun and kicked him in the teeth, causing his already bloody mouth to spurt.

His grip on my foot loosened as his eyes rolled up into the back of his head. His skull hit the pavement with a crack and I winced, hoping I hadn’t accidentally killed him. I wanted them to leave me alone, but didn’t want to kill anyone. These were just stupid kids; they didn’t deserve to die.

I turned to face his two friends who were keeping me from following after Adrian.

“I’d move if I were you.”

They glanced at each other and for a moment. I thought they were going to comply.

Instead, they both smiled and drew long knives from within their coats. They weren’t silver, but could do a whole hell of a lot of damage to me if they knew how to use them. The edges looked sharp enough to cut flesh.

I really didn’t want to have to fight these guys. From what I could tell, they were simple Purebloods out looking for a good time. They were also high as kites, which meant they weren’t thinking too clearly. The couples were still making out against the wall as if nothing was going on.

“I don’t want to have to hurt you,” I said, which only served to earn me a pair of grins.

That’s when Adrian chose to return.

He came out of the shadows like a ghost. He was surprisingly silent for such a big man. He grabbed one of my attackers by the hair and jerked his head back so hard, it was a wonder the guy’s neck didn’t snap. Adrian spun him around and threw him face-first into the wall. The knife clattered to the littered pavement as the guy collapsed, unconscious.

The second man spun and struck out with his knife. Adrian easily caught his hand well before the blade could come anywhere close to him. He twisted. With a horrendous crack, the man’s forearm snapped. With his other hand, Adrian grabbed the guy’s hair, jerked his head to the side, and then opened his mouth as if he was going to rip out the man’s throat with his teeth.

“No!” I shouted, reaching out and grabbing his hand. It wasn’t like I could stop him if he really wanted to strike. I hated to admit it, but Adrian was stronger than I and because of the Oath, I wouldn’t be able to hurt him. “Don’t kill them. They’re just idiots.”

Adrian’s eyes flashed in anger, but quickly returned to their normal emotionless state. He let go of the man’s hair and instead of breaking his neck or ripping out his throat, he reached down and broke the man’s other arm before dropping him, screaming, to the ground.

“This way,” he said, giving me a look that said more than words that he thought this was somehow my fault. He spun away and hurried down the alley, nose raised, sniffing the air.

The others were watching me now, including the kissing couples. There was fear in their eyes, as well as a sense of excitement. The guy with the broken arms was screaming for someone to take him to the hospital. There was no blood, which was a relief; the bones hadn’t broken the skin.

I stepped over the wailing man, wishing I could do something. Just because he was a moron, didn’t mean he deserved to suffer.

But if I wanted to catch up to Adrian, I couldn’t stick around and help.

I followed him to the end of the alley. He sniffed the air and then turned left, down another street, before slipping into an alley to his right. I tried to stay close, but he was moving fast and there was something about him that worried me. He was tense, almost as if the scuffle had awakened something in him, something that needed to strike out the moment it was able. I wasn’t so sure I’d be safe from it if I was in the way when it broke through.