Authors: Nina Bangs
Jenna walked past her sister and into the sitting area. She glanced around. “Where’s Ty?”
Her sister nodded toward French doors that led to the balcony. Drapes had been drawn across them. “Sometimes being closed in too much makes him feel claustrophobic. He threw on his heavy clothes and went out to sit on the balcony so he could ‘breathe.’ His word, not mine.” She dropped onto the couch and waved for Jenna to join her. “He functions so well in this world that I often forget what he came from and how much of a culture shock this whole thing must be.”
Jenna wasn’t here to discuss the Eleven’s assimilation issues with Kelly. “I thought about this all the way to your room. I’m not leaving.”
Kelly leaned toward her sister. “You. Are. Crazy. After I found out what these guys were, I decided to stay too. Want to know what happens when you team up with them?”
“Why
did
you stay?”
“It’s tough to walk away when you know you can help save humanity.”
“And you were falling in love with Ty.”
Kelly didn’t deny it. “I ended up in the Astrodome, the unwilling guest of Nine. His entertainment for the night was a fight to the death between Ty and Gig. You haven’t seen either of their souls. The fight wasn’t a pretty sight.
I
was the key that night.”
Jenna let anger roll over her. The fury felt surprisingly good. “And you never thought to share with your family that you were in mortal danger?”
Kelly looked away. “I couldn’t. It wasn’t safe for you to know too much. Besides, you would’ve tried to help.”
“Did Ty talk you into it?”
“No. I had a heart-to-head talk with Fin. My heart, his head. Sometimes I think his heart takes extended vacations. Anyway, he promised to keep all of you safe if I helped to get rid of Nine. He pointed out that even if I quit, Nine would know I’d worked for the Eleven and target the whole family. Besides, if I didn’t help, Nine’s recruits would take over the city, Zero would win, and all of us would be dead anyway.” Her laugh was a little unsteady. “No pressure there.”
Jenna figured Zero and Fin were evenly matched. They were both bastards to the nth degree. “So now you want me to go home even though I’m the key to kicking Eight’s butt. It won’t matter if
I
fail humanity.”
Kelly looked stricken, but she didn’t back down. “I’ve done a lot of thinking, and I wonder if the people Fin saw in his visions really matter. Okay, for Nine it had to be me because only my particular brain waves could do the job. But this bell-ringing thing. Anyone could ring a damn bell. So Fin doesn’t really need you.” Desperation was starting to creep into Kelly’s voice.
“Will you go back to Houston with me?”
Kelly looked at her sister from wide eyes glistening with unshed tears. “You play dirty, sis.”
“Will you?”
“You’re going to make me choose between my sister and my husband?”
Suddenly Jenna felt unutterably weary. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t tear her sister from the man she loved, no matter how much she wanted to get Kelly away from the danger.
“No, you won’t have to choose. I’m staying. I never thought of myself as a hero, but if Fin says I’m the only one who can ring that bell, hey, I’ll go for it.”
“I want you out of here.” Kelly swiped at her eyes and then reached for a tissue.
“You know, the more I think about it, the more being a hero appeals.”
God, please give me the right words.
“Do you have any idea what it was like for me growing up in our family?”
Kelly seemed puzzled. “We have a perfect family.”
“See, that’s the problem. I’m
not
perfect. Everyone else is. Dad’s the zoo director, Mom’s a vet, and you’re a genius at everything you do.”
“That’s not true. We all love you, and everyone’s life path is different. Different doesn’t mean less important.” Kelly looked horrified. “I never knew you had these thoughts.”
I never wanted you to know.
“I love all you guys, but I wanted to be great at something too. I wasn’t. Average grades, no motivation to excel, no drive to get an awesome job after college. I majored in English Lit, so when I graduated I could tell you a lot about books, but that didn’t prepare me for a spectacular career.” She shrugged as if it didn’t matter. It mattered a whole lot. “So I took the first job I was offered.”
“But you always acted like you didn’t care. You said grades didn’t matter. You said you liked your job at
The Scene
; you didn’t want to try to move up to the
Chronicle
.”
“I didn’t. I don’t.” Lord, what had she gotten herself into?
Her sister was no fool, and Jenna saw the exact moment when she put everything together. Which proved how really smart Kelly was, because Jenna had only just put it together herself.
“You’re afraid of failure.”
Okay, Jenna was finished with listening to her sister’s amateur analysis of her personality. “Look, this isn’t getting us anywhere. I just wanted to let you know I’m staying. If you could do your part to make sure humanity gets to see December twenty-second, then I can too.”
But what if I can’t? What if no one finds the stupid bell? What if I trip and go splat right before I ring it? What if…?
Jenna shut down all negative thoughts. They just gave credence to Kelly’s theory. She’d accepted a lot since she’d hit Philly, but she was done with all self-analysis for the night. She stood and started toward the door.
Kelly rose to follow her. “Shen told us he’s gotten an apartment for Ty and me in the same building as Q. Fin likes partners to live close to each other so they can cover each other’s butts. Move in with us, Jenna.”
Jenna thought about it briefly. “It wouldn’t work, sis. Fin probably has other plans for me, and even if he doesn’t, I’d just get in the way. When Rap died, all I did was hang around and heave, not necessary talents for hunting vampires and immortals. I’ll stick here with Al and hunt bells instead.” She smiled weakly. “Be happy. Hunting for bells is a lot safer than what you’re doing.”
I hate what you’re doing.
Her sister finally nodded. “I guess this condo is safer than any apartment. Fin is here. Try to do your bell hunting during the day. Not all of the bad guys hunt at night, but some of the worst do.” Kelly’s expression said she wasn’t happy about any of this. “And just so you’re clear about my feelings, I hate that you’re staying in Philly.”
Finally. A meeting of minds on something. Jenna softened as she recognized the worry on her sister’s face. “I’ll be careful, sis. I need to survive so I can save humanity.”
At least Kelly was smiling as she closed the door. Now her sister could collect her husband from the patio where he’d most likely frozen his ass off. That made Jenna smile, and she appreciated Ty giving Kelly and her some time alone.
She was still smiling as she neared her door. For whatever reason, she paused just as she reached for the knob. The hall was brightly lit, but some people carried shadows with them. Al was that kind of guy. He stepped forward from where he’d been waiting.
Jenna hoped she didn’t show how startled she was. Funny, but startled was the right word, not scared. Al was a frightening man, but she wasn’t afraid that he’d hurt her.
At least not physically.
Now where had that thought come from?
She smiled at him. “Waiting for me?” Duh?
He nodded as he moved into her personal space. Jenna was taller than her sister, but Al loomed over her, a muscular tower of testosterone. She’d have to remember that description for one of her articles.
“I had to make sure you were okay after everything that happened to night.”
Jenna stepped back until she was flattened against the wall. “I’m fine.” Although “fine” was pretty fluid right now.
“I’m glad.” His voice lowered to a husky murmur.
Unspeakable sexual hunger.
The emotion hit with enough force to draw a gasp from her. She opened her mouth to try to say something, but Al took that option from her.
Flattening his palms against the wall on both sides of her, he trapped her in a vortex of spiraling heat and desire. “Yeah, that’s me you feel. Right now my soul’s crawling from its cave, searching for prey, sensing what it wants is near. I don’t know if I can force it back into that cave, but I’ll have to. Because what it wants is primitive, savage, and sexual in a way you couldn’t possibly handle.”
Jenna met his gaze. “You have no idea what I could
handle
.”
His soul’s need bled into his smile. “Okay, so maybe it can play for a few minutes before I put it away.” Lowering his head, he covered her mouth with his.
Sex had never been much of a contact sport for Jenna. She dated, had a good time, and walked away with no emotional scars. Kelly would say she was looking for the perfect man. Not true. Jenna
wasn’t
looking. At all. Period. She liked being with men, but a permanent arrangement didn’t appeal.
This wasn’t a game, though, contact or otherwise. This was a primal taking: of her mouth, her mind, her will. She couldn’t think past the feel of his lips moving over hers—soft seduction, firm demand. Heat that spread, a slow slide of rising anticipation.
He didn’t try coaxing her to open to him. No A, B,C, or none-of-the-above options for him. The pressure of his lips increased in direct proportion to her own response. He was sex and power, and her heart pounded out its recognition that she needed all the help she could get to survive this assault on her senses.
When she opened her mouth to gasp for breath, he took full advantage. His tongue explored and claimed everything it touched for its own.
Jenna had no idea at what point she mounted a counterattack. Reaching out, she gripped his shoulders and pulled him closer until her breasts pressed against the hard wall of his chest. Eyelids heavy with sudden arousal, she swayed back and forth, her nipples hard points of screaming sensitivity as they scraped against her shirt, his shirt, his
body
. Her senses exploded on contact. Oh my God, the two shirts had to go, because only skin against heated skin could ease the ache growing low in her stomach.
She immediately forgot about the shirts, though, as he leaned into her. She parted her legs to accommodate him. He had a lot for her to accommodate. Jenna clenched around the promise made by the size and strength of him. The spot where his cock pressed hard and demanding between her legs became a combustion point. At any moment the whole condo could burst into flame—he was just that hot.
And then, without warning, he ended it. He broke the kiss and pushed away from the wall with arms that seemed a little shaky. Jenna hoped so. She wouldn’t want to think she was the only one held upright by just a thin thread of pride.
He might have controlled his body, but his eyes said his soul was fighting the good fight. Or bad fight depending on your point of view.
His soul stared out at her from eyes filled with carnal and predatory intent. Those eyes were like nothing she’d ever seen, a window to a time before history, when death walked the Earth in its most elemental form. It wanted what it wanted. And if his soul won, nothing would stand in its way.
Just when Jenna thought it was all over, a second emotion ripped through her. Fear. Irrational, primitive fear. She had one advantage, though. Kelly had described the same emotions when she was with Ty. Jenna wrapped her arms around her stomach and held on.
“Why are you doing this?
How
are you doing this?”
Al didn’t answer immediately. He stood, breathing hard, until his eyes returned to the hazel Jenna was used to. Her fear faded. His soul had lost. This time.
“I’m still what I was back then. Inside.” He laid his palm flat against his chest to demonstrate. “My soul was one of Earth’s great predators. You don’t banish it just because you change forms. When my emotions spike, the beast crawls out of its cave and tries to take over.” He looked uneasy. “I have to fight it. It would make an uncomfortable threesome in bed.”
Jenna knew whom he was including in that cozy threesome. Right now she was still thrumming with bottled-up sexual tension, so she wanted him with a part of her that didn’t give a damn about his soul. But she had a feeling that once she was alone and had time to think things through, she’d change her mind. What she’d seen in his eyes was a scary proposition.
Since she couldn’t think of anything meaningful to say, she turned toward the door. “I’m going to get some sleep. Good night.”
She half expected him to argue with her. He didn’t.
But as she closed the door behind her, she heard his quiet murmur.
“I’m not sorry, Jenna. I’m not sorry at all. And neither is my soul.”
Today would be better for Jenna. Al would make it so. He’d eaten breakfast with her, and even if the memory of that kiss sat at the table with them, they’d managed to talk around it.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t control his mind as easily as his mouth. His thoughts skulked around the image of her body, bared and open to his touch, with all the enthusiasm and focus of a starving wolf.
Only half listening to Fin, Al had escaped the table with no more than a reminder to check out places that might have bells.
Now they’d finished a late afternoon lunch and come out of the restaurant to snow flurries. The winter night was already falling, but the snow made the growing darkness seem almost festive.
Jenna spun in a circle. “This is so great. Houston isn’t the snow capital of the world. Everything looks beautiful.”
His soul said the snow was good for hunting. Falling snow would hide a predator’s presence until it was too late for the prey. The human part of him was enjoying it because it made Jenna smile. How long was it since he’d cared whether anyone around him smiled? Try never.
“Do we have time to see the Liberty Bell?” Her eyes gleamed with the joy of the moment. “I mean, if Eight needs a bell, that would be the obvious one.”
Al glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late. I don’t know. We can take a look.”
At some point during their walk, the hunter became the hunted. It was an instinct honed in countless life-and-death situations. Al never ignored those feelings. “Keep walking, Jenna. We have visitors joining our group.”
She gasped and started to turn around.
“Don’t look. They aren’t vampires, and there are plenty of people around.”
He knew the exact moment when one of them drew up beside them.
“Katherine, queen of all vampires, wants to talk to you.” The voice was tough, a voice attached to someone who wouldn’t mind leaving a few bodies lying around on the sidewalk.
Only two of them. He relaxed a little. If he hadn’t had Jenna with him, Al might’ve found this whole thing funny. Queen of all vampires? Talk about visions of grandeur. “Why us? Your queen should be talking to our leader. I’m nobody.”
“Yeah, that’s what I think too. But she just said to snatch any of you we could find. You’re it, bud.”
Al kept walking as he reached out with his mental link to Fin.
“We’ve received an invite to an audience with her majesty, Katherine, the queen of all vampires. The invite was delivered by humans. The thug kind. What do you want me to do?”
If Fin wanted him to talk to the vampire, he’d hail a taxi and send Jenna back to the condo.
“Queen of all vampires?”
Fin sounded amused.
“Go with them. I want to know where her vampires stand. She obviously doesn’t want to talk to me.”
“I’ll send Jenna back to the condo in a taxi.”
“Take her with you.”
Al knew Fin was a cold bastard, but he didn’t think he was stupid as well.
“Why?”
“She might see a bell that needs ringing.”
The humor was still in Fin’s voice.
Al ground his teeth in an attempt to quiet his soul, which thought that Fin needed eating.
“Even if you don’t give a rat’s ass about her safety, you’re going to need her for your vision to happen.”
Fin was making a big deal about sounding patient.
“First, even if no one else survives this visit, she will. If she died saying hi to Katherine, I wouldn’t have had a vision of her ringing the bell. Second, she’ll be safer with you. Anyone who knows she’s with us might be looking for a chance to catch her alone. A cab would be perfect.”
Yeah, that kind of made sense, but Al still didn’t want to take Jenna with him.
“Send someone to pick her up.”
“She’ll be safe. I’m sending Spin your way, but not to take Jenna. He should catch up with you in about two minutes. And Jude has risen. I’ve contacted him, and he’ll be there with the queen when you arrive.”
“And you trust Jude?”
“He helped us in Houston.”
Al had run out of arguments. But God help any vampire that tried to touch Jenna. He met her wide eyes. “You stay with me.”
She nodded, but he could sense her fear.
They were just approaching a Hummer parked in a side street when Spin came up behind him.
“Hey, Al. Think I’ll tag along with you guys.” Spin waved at Jenna. “Hi, Jenna. I’m Spin. We never met. Too bad. Al has all the luck.”
Even with everything that was happening around him, Al experienced a stab of something that felt a lot like jealousy. Which made no sense at all. Sure Spin looked great. Women turned to look at that long blond hair. But Al didn’t own Jenna.
The guy next to Jenna turned to glare at Spin. “We don’t need anyone else along.”
Spin laughed. “Sure you do. Besides, you can’t stop me from going with you. Want to try?” That last held a dangerous edge no one could mistake.
With a few mumbled curses, the two men gave in. As Al held the door for Jenna, he wondered what these guys would think if they knew who shared the Hummer with them.
When they pulled out into traffic without anyone mentioning blindfolds, Al’s suspicions revved up. “Don’t you care if we see where you’re going?”
The driver shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. This is a onetime event. The queen won’t be back here again.”
Spin laughed. “Gee, and here I figured you planned to kill everyone when the meeting was over.”
Both men grunted. Al figured they wished it would happen but weren’t sure they could count on it.
Jenna didn’t say anything.
When they finally reached their destination, an old abandoned church, it was completely dark. Al had no idea where they were in the city, just that they’d twisted and turned through a warren of streets. Probably meant to confuse them. It’d worked.
The driver stopped the Hummer behind the church and waited while Jenna, Spin, and Al climbed out. Then he drove away with his companion.
“Guess this is an all-vampire get-together.” Spin didn’t seem worried about being odd man out.
Jenna moved closer to Al. “When does Buffy show up?”
“Buffy?” He searched through his store of human pop culture. No Buffy. Fin had slipped up. It was little things like this that brought home exactly how
not
human he was. And the thought that he had no Buffy memories in common with Jenna made him surprisingly sad.
“Vampire slayer.” She waved the comment away. “Never mind.”
Al might have believed her cool, calm exterior if he couldn’t hear her heart pounding away in triple time. He put his arm across her shoulders and pulled her tightly against him while he bent to her ear. “We
will
keep you safe. After all, you have a bell to ring. If we have to, Spin and I can pull this place down around their undead ears.” Then he moved away from her. “Don’t make yourself a target by getting too close to me, but don’t get out of my sight.”
She managed a smile. “Right. Close, but not too close.”
Al exchanged a get-ready glance with Spin and then he knocked on the back door of the church.
It was opened almost immediately. If Al’s senses hadn’t told him the man standing there was a vampire, he never would’ve believed it. The vampire didn’t have Jude’s great looks or the big-muscled body of some of Jude’s guards. This guy was short, round, and wearing a huge smile. He was the undead version of a fanged Santa Claus, and he had the jolly part down pat.
“Welcome, welcome.” He motioned them into the church. “I’m Kenny. My wife is Queen Katherine.”
“Wouldn’t that make you Prince Kenneth?” Jenna’s heartbeat had started to return to normal.
Al figured Kenny could be deadly in his own right, but right now he was showing them his “human” face.
“Nah. Come on, come on, everyone’s excited to meet you.” He led them down a long, dark corridor toward the front of the church. “I’m just plain old Kenny Colaccio. Always will be. Born, raised, and died in South Philly. Maybe if we get together again we can drink some wine, and I’ll cook up some lasagna like you’ve never tasted before.
Magnifico.
” He kissed the tips of his fingers. “I was a cook before I became vampire. I might not be able to eat it, but I can still cook it.” His chuckle sounded friendly and open.
But Al wasn’t really paying too much attention to Kenny’s rambling. Probably bullshit anyway. He kept his focus on everything around him. Doors to rooms long abandoned hung from one hinge or were gone completely. Trash littered the rooms, and a heavy layer of dust and grime covered everything. Al wasn’t about to take a closer look at what was in that trash. Most of the windows Al could see were cracked or missing.
This would be a bad place for Spin and him to be if a fight broke out. Neither of their beasts would fit in the narrow corridor.
Jenna seemed to feel comfortable enough with Kenny to ask a question. “Uh, this is a church. I thought vampires couldn’t go into a church.”
Kenny chuckled. “Fiction. I’ve been going to mass at Old Saint Joseph’s for over a hundred years. Never went to this church, though.”
Al felt enormous relief when they suddenly entered the main part of the church. Thank God for big open spaces. The ceiling soared several stories high. At least fifty vampires sat in what remained of the pews. He glanced at the altar. The woman posed regally on a portable throne must be Katherine.
With a sense of relief he wasn’t sure was warranted, Al spotted Jude seated in a front pew. He took a few seconds to scope out the doors. Nailed shut. Not that the doors were important when there were so many broken windows for fleeing vampires to jump through. The church was lit by only a few candles. Probably didn’t want to advertise they were here. He started to swing his gaze back to Katherine when he caught the coppery scent of blood.
“Son of a bitch.” Spin’s exclamation warned Al of trouble to come.
Al felt Jenna stiffen beside him and then heard her heart speed up.
“What the…” Quickly he scanned the whole church.
That was when Al saw the naked vampire to the right of Katherine. His wrists had been bound, and the rope that was tied to an overhead beam held him suspended about a foot off the floor. There didn’t seem to be a spot on his body that wasn’t burned or cut. His cock was gone, and from the blood still streaming from the wound, Al figured he’d be dead from blood loss in a short time. No way would his body be able to heal before he bled out. The guy’s head hung onto his chest. Didn’t look like he was conscious.
Killing didn’t bother Al. He’d spent his whole life hunting down prey and tearing it apart. But this kind of killing bothered him. He preferred a clean kill. Torture wasn’t his thing.
Jenna.
She’d seen Rap killed last night and now this. He wished he’d defied Fin and sent her back to the condo. Her body was pressed against his side, and he glanced down. Her face was so pale she would have fit right in with the vampires in the pews. But other than that, she looked calm. Unfortunately, he could hear her racing heartbeat and her quick shallow breaths as she tried to keep her nausea at bay. He could feel her body trembling with fear she had every right to feel.
He leaned down to her ear. “I’ll
always
keep you safe. That’s a promise.”
Jenna raised her gaze to his. He could see the silent scream in her eyes. “Always is a long time. Be careful what you promise.” She looked away, making sure her glance didn’t stray back to the altar and its gruesome scene. “Let’s get this over with fast before I throw up or pass out. And if Katherine is responsible for that unspeakable cruelty, then she needs killing.” A new hardness had crept into Jenna’s voice.
“Bring them to me, Kenny.” The vampire queen’s voice was as imperious as she looked.
Katherine was a big woman. Not heavy, just tall and solid. She looked like she could take out her smaller husband with one punch and not even break a sweat. Did vampires sweat? Something for Al to check on later.
Kenny seemed nervous as he led them onto the altar and over to his wife. Al decided he didn’t care what protocol demanded, he wasn’t doing any bowing to this woman.
Katherine studied them from eyes so black that Al couldn’t read any expression in them. He opened his link to Fin so his leader could see her. Fin would get past the surface stuff to what lived in her soul.
“Be careful. She’s dangerous, and she doesn’t have any allegiances. She’ll go to the winning side. Oh, and she’s thinking about asking for Jenna as a gift.”
The rage that exploded in Al caught him by surprise. His beast was already half out of its cave by the time he got his emotions under control. Al didn’t try to push his soul all the way back in; if he was honest with himself, he wanted this woman dead.
Katherine nodded at Al. “Introduce yourself and your friends.” Her gaze lingered on Jenna for a few seconds too long. Al’s beast growled.
He pointed at the others. “Spin and Jenna. I’m Al.” He’d offer as little info as possible.
The vampire queen’s thin-lipped smile didn’t give off any warm and fuzzy vibes. “I understand you lost a friend last night.”
Al tensed. He knew Spin would be doing the same, readying himself for his soul’s release and that first leap. “What do you know about it?”
Katherine glanced toward the suspended vampire. “He’s the only one of the ambushers who escaped. He was working for someone other than me. I demand loyalty from those who are mine.”
Suddenly Al felt a lot less sympathy for the tortured vampire.
“After a little…encouragement, he told us how he and the others lured some of your men into the trap. Of course, he exaggerated your ferociousness. And I don’t for a moment believe the dinosaur tales. Utter nonsense. I know all the shape-shifters in the area, and none of them can shift into anything bigger than a lion.”
Jude had evidently kept his mouth shut about the Eleven. Good. “We’re not shifters.”
And we’re a damn lot bigger than a lion.
She shrugged. “Whatever. Now, let’s get down to business. From what my reluctant informant told me, you’re battling a group of immortals who intend to wipe humans from the face of the Earth on December twenty-first. And the immortal who’s recruiting nonhumans in Philadelphia to help do the job is encouraging his followers to start indulging their murderous impulses against humanity now. Is that correct?”