Forbidden Nights With A Vampire (19 page)

“Yes, thank you.” Vanda leaned over to unzip her boots.

“Intruder!” a man by the surveillance monitors shouted. “Intruder alert!”

In seconds the Vamp men had grabbed their swords and were dashing out the door. Vanda hurried to the monitors to see what was happening. A dozen men, armed with swords, had arrived in the huge room on the ground floor.

Colbert ran into the dormitory, barefoot, his shirt unbuttoned, but with a sword in one hand. Giselle followed him, wrapped in a bathrobe. The coven women gathered around her.

“Oh my God!” Scarlett grabbed Tootsie. “What do we do?”

Colbert glanced at the two men as he hurried out the door. “Guard the women!”

Tootsie gasped. “I thought we were the women.”

Phil sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “What’s going on?” He grabbed his shoes and quickly put them on.

Vanda ran to him. “The Malcontents are here.”

“Shit.” He strapped on a shoulder holster and inserted his handgun. “Stay here.” He grabbed a sword from the stash by the surveillance monitors, then he sprinted for the door.

“Phil!” Vanda ran after him. The damn balcony was about three stories up. She’d had to levitate him up earlier. “Wait.” She reached the balcony just in time to see him leap. She squealed. Good God, he’d kill himself.

She peered over the edge and gasped. He’d landed nimbly and was already challenging a Malcontent with his sword. How on earth had he managed that jump?

She flinched when a sword thrust narrowly missed him. Her heart lurched up her throat. How on earth could he possibly survive in a battle against a vampire? Good God, Hugo was right. Phil moved incredibly fast.

Her blood chilled as she surveyed the scene. Vamp fighting vampire. Swords clashing. Shouts of victory and screams of defeat. Men howling in agony before crumbling into piles of dust.

“Revenge!” someone yelled over the clash of swords.

She spotted the shouting man. He was completely surrounded by armed Malcontents. They fought furiously around him while he remained safely cocooned. He held a sword in one hand, his other arm cradled against his chest at a strange angle.

“Casimir,” she whispered.

A scream jolted her. One of Colbert’s men had been skewered. He turned to dust.

Hands grabbed Vanda’s shoulders and she jumped.

“Come inside.” Giselle pulled her back from the edge of the balcony. “Don’t let them see you.”

“But I have to know…” Vanda searched the flailing arms and swinging swords, looking for Phil. He was still all right. He had a different opponent now. He must have killed the first one.

She spotted a Malcontent lurking in a dark corner with a cell phone to his ear. A dozen more Malcontents appeared around him. “Look at that!”

Giselle gasped. “We’ll be outnumbered!”

“We need to call for backup.” Vanda grabbed Giselle’s arm. “Get me a phone. We’ll call Angus.”

“It’s already daylight on the East Coast.” Giselle’s eyes filled with tears. “They can’t come.”

Damn. That was probably why the Malcontents had waited so long before attacking. Vanda grimaced when another group of Malcontents teleported in. Good God, there had to be twenty of them.

Casimir barked with laughter. “Revenge for the Massacre at DVN!”

Giselle burst into tears. “God help us. This is a massacre.”

Vanda stood frozen on the balcony, afraid to watch, afraid not to watch. Her heart raced, pounding in her ears. If only there was something she could do. But she’d never trained with a sword. It would be suicidal to jump down into the melee.

She spotted Robby and Phil fighting their way through the newly arrived batch of Malcontents. Robby skewered the guy with the cell phone. The Malcontent turned to dust, his phone falling to the floor. Phil stomped on it.

A flash of brown hair caught Vanda’s attention. One of the newly arrived Malcontents spun about to ward off an attack. A long brown ponytail whipped through the air. A woman.

Vanda stepped closer to the edge of the balcony. There was something about the way the woman moved. She turned again, and Vanda’s heart lurched.

Marta.

As if Vanda’s thoughts could be heard, Marta glanced up at the balcony. Her eyes narrowed.

Vanda stumbled back. “No, no.”

“Are you all right?” Giselle dragged her into the dormitory.

Scarlett hovered just inside the door. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I have.” Vanda stumbled to her cot. Her heart ached in her chest. Marta. Fighting for the Malcontents.

Tootsie screamed.

Vanda spun around. A Malcontent had entered the room.

Giselle ran to the huddle of whimpering women at the back of the room.

The Malcontent spotted Vanda and raised his sword. She grabbed her whip off the cot.

With a shout, he charged. She leaped over a cot and snapped her whip at him.

Scarlett threw a pillow at him, then squealed when the Malcontent turned and stalked toward him. Scarlett pressed against the wall, trembling.

Tootsie teleported, landed right behind the Malcontent, and clonked him on the head with a Blissky bottle. The Malcontent tumbled onto the floor.

Scarlett leaped into Tootsie’s arms. “You saved me!”

Giselle and the women screamed. Two more Malcontents had entered the room.

Colbert charged after them, killed one and engaged the other in battle. “We called a retreat!” he shouted. “Teleport to our country place now!”

The women began teleporting away.

“God be with you.” Tootsie hugged Vanda, then he and Scarlett teleported away.

With a quick thrust through the heart, Colbert turned the second Malcontent to dust. He spotted the unconscious Malcontent on the floor and finished him off, too.

“Colbert!” Giselle ran into his arms.

He hugged her, then extended a hand to Vanda. “You should come with us.”

“No!” Phil sprinted into the room.

Vanda grimaced at the bloodstains on his shirt. But thank God he was alive. But how he’d managed to get to the second floor on his own, she couldn’t imagine.

He grabbed his cell phone he’d left on his cot. “Go ahead, Colbert. Leave while you can. We’re leaving, too.”

“God be with you.” Colbert teleported away, taking Giselle with him.

Phil opened his phone and punched a number. “We’ve got to go, Vanda.”

“But where?” she cried. “We can’t go east.”

He put the phone to his ear. “Brynley? Keep talking. We’ll be right there.” He wrapped an arm around Vanda and pressed the phone to her ear. “Trust me.”

Vanda heard a strange woman’s voice on the phone. Three Malcontents charged into the room. She gasped, and everything went black.

V
anda stumbled. Her concentration was off, making for a messy landing.

Phil quickly regained his balance and steadied her. “Are you all right?” He snapped his phone shut and pocketed it.

“I—” She blinked. For a second she thought they were back in Howard’s hunting cabin in the Adirondacks. But that couldn’t be right. It was daylight in New York.

“Phil!” A young woman ran toward him, smiling.

He turned and grinned. “Brynley!”

She halted with a gasp. “You’re bleeding. You’ve been injured.”

He glanced down at his ripped and bloody polo shirt. “Just a few cuts. No big deal.”

“It is a big deal.” The woman cast a suspicious glance at Vanda, then grabbed Phil’s arm and dragged him away. “Let me patch you up. Dear Lord, look at you.” She touched his cheek. “You’ve gotten so handsome.”

Vanda’s hand curled tighter around the handle of her whip. Who the hell was this woman? With her long, gleaming hair and skintight jeans and tank top, she was bound to be a bitch. How come Phil let her touch him like that?

Phil took her hand and squeezed it. “I missed you.”

Vanda cleared her throat.

He glanced at her. “Brynley, this is Vanda.”

She noticed this time he didn’t call her his fiancée. “How do you do?” Bitch. She glared at the beautiful Brynley. What kind of stupid-ass name was that anyway?

Brynley glowered back. “So this is the vampire you mentioned? Somehow, I thought it would be male.”

Vanda’s temper flared. “Who are you calling an ‘it’?”

“Brynley,” Phil said quietly, “Vanda and her friends are very good friends of mine.”

“Friends?” She motioned at his bloody shirt. “What kind of terrible mess have these ‘friends’ dragged you into?”

“Phil’s more than a friend.” Vanda stepped toward the bitch. “He’s my anger management sponsor. He can tell you how dangerous I get when I’m royally pissed!”

“Oh yeah?” Brynley stepped forward.

“Enough.” Phil put out a hand to stop her. “Vanda, this is my sister. So cut the crap.”

Vanda’s mouth fell open. His sister? She looked past the gorgeous hair and perfect skin and noticed the pale blue eyes, just like Phil’s. “I didn’t know you have a sister.”

“What?” Brynley stared at Phil. “You never told your friends about me? I’m your twin, dammit!”

“Twin?” Vanda gazed at her, then at Phil. “You hypocrite! Always hounding me to tell you about my past, and you don’t even tell me you have a twin?”

Phil shifted his weight and glanced back and forth between the two women. “I—I’m bleeding, you know. I thought you might want to patch me up?”

Brynley crossed her arms. “Patch yourself up.”

“Fine.” Phil stalked into the kitchen area.

Vanda suppressed a laugh. “Good for you.”

Brynley’s mouth twitched. “Thanks.”

Vanda’s smile quickly faded when Phil removed his shirt. Cuts and slashes marked his chest and torso. “Oh no.” She ran toward him.

“Damn, Phil.” Brynley rushed to the kitchen sink and worked the old-fashioned pump. “Clean towels in the drawer there.” She motioned with her head.

Vanda set her whip on the counter, then took a towel from a drawer and handed another one to Brynley. Water spewed from the pump, and she dampened her towel.

Phil winced as she cleaned the blood off his chest.

“How did this happen?” Brynley dabbed at a bad slice on the side of his torso.

He lifted his arm to look at the wound. “A war has started between the Vamps and the Malcontents, or you could say the good vampires and the bad ones.”

Brynley snorted. “Since when are there good vampires?” She glanced at Vanda. “No offense.”

Vanda ignored her. She was too upset at seeing Phil’s beautiful skin all cut up. Too upset that her own sister could have caused one of the wounds. “Phil, you can’t do this again. Vampires are too fast and strong for mortals like you. It’s a wonder they didn’t kill you.”

“Mortals?” Brynley narrowed her eyes.

“Are there any bandages here?” Phil asked. “I need to get back to business.”

“What business?” Brynley opened a cabinet and pulled out a box of Band-Aids in assorted sizes. She handed a few to Vanda.

“Urgent business.” Phil pulled the cell phone from his pocket. “Like I said, we’re at war.”

“The vampires are at war,” Brynley corrected him. “It has nothing to do with you.”

Vanda stiffened. “Phil is a very important member of our society. We couldn’t manage without him.” She stuck a Band-Aid over one of his cuts.

“Enough.” He stepped back and punched a number on his phone.

“But you still have cuts,” Vanda protested. “And that long one on your side might need stitches.”

“It’s nothing.” His eyes glistened with moisture. “This is nothing. I saw a lot worse.”

Vanda’s skin chilled. Had one of their friends died? “What? Who?”

“Dougal.” Phil grimaced. “His hand was cut off.”

Vanda gasped. “But—But they can sew it back on, right? It’ll heal during his death-sleep.”

Phil shook his head. “It was completely sliced off. It turned to dust.”

Vanda doubled over as nausea slammed into her stomach.

Brynley touched her shoulder. “I’m sorry. He’s a good friend?”

Vanda took deep breaths. “I’ve known him a long time.” He’d been a guard at Roman’s townhouse for over thirty years, always shy and quiet, except when he was playing the bagpipes. Now, he’d never be able to play again.

“Howard?” Phil spoke into his phone. “Have you heard what happened?”

Phil launched into a description of the events in New Orleans. Vanda could tell his sister was listening carefully, for she gasped at all the appropriate moments.

For the first time, Vanda had a chance to check out the cabin. It consisted of log walls and a stone fireplace like Howard’s cabin, but it was smaller and more primitive.

The water over the kitchen sink had to be pumped. There was no refrigerator, just a big ice chest. As far as she could tell, there was no electricity at all. A fire and a few oil lamps illuminated the room. A tank of propane gas was hooked up to a stovetop. No curtains at the windows. No rugs on the wide-planked wooden floor. No staircase. A wooden ladder led to the loft.

“Where are we?” she asked quietly.

“Wyoming,” Brynley answered. “This is Phil’s cabin.”

“I didn’t know he had a cabin.”

“Yeah. Well, there’s a lot you don’t know about him.” She frowned at Phil. “But I guess the same goes for me. I had no idea he was involved with vampires.”

“He’s a day guard,” Vanda explained. “We’re vulnerable during the day when we’re in our death-sleep.”

Brynley regarded her curiously. “And who are you, exactly?”

Vanda shrugged. “No one special.”

“And yet Phil seems to be risking his life to keep you safe. Are you some kind of vampire…princess?”

Vanda scoffed. “Far from it.”

Brynley picked up the whip Vanda had set on the counter. “You’re fighting in the war.”

“Only because I have to. The Malcontents want to wipe us off the planet.”

Brynley handed her the whip. “Why? What did you do?”

“We invented synthetic blood so we wouldn’t have to bite mortals. We took jobs so we wouldn’t have to steal money from mortals.” Vanda wrapped the whip around her waist and tied it off. “We just want to blend in and pretend we’re normal. I guess that sounds strange.”

Brynley frowned. “No, not really.” She wandered toward the ice chest. “I brought some bottled blood. Would you like one?”

“Yes.” Vanda heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you.” She accepted a bottle and unscrewed the top. It would be cold, but a whole lot better than biting her hosts.

“All right, Howard.” Phil finished relating the news. “Call me if you hear anything.” He closed his phone and glanced around the cabin. “The place looks good. Have you been keeping it up, Bryn?”

“Yeah.” His sister settled in an old worn armchair and propped her cowboy boots on the coffee table. “I’ve been coming here every now and then.”

“Thanks. I owe you.” He began to pace up and down the room.

Vanda sat on the old couch and sipped from her bottle. Phil’s sister wasn’t so bad after all. She obviously didn’t like vampires, but she was loyal to her brother. Vanda couldn’t claim any loyalty from her sister Marta.

Damn. She rubbed her brow. How could her sister do this?

“I wonder where they went,” Phil muttered. “I wonder how Dougal is doing.”

Vanda shuddered. “He must be in shock. And a lot of pain. You don’t know where they teleported to?”

Phil shook his head. “It’s not like they could tell me when the enemy was all around us.”

“Oh, right.” Vanda sipped more blood from her bottle. It had been close to dawn in New Orleans, but here in Wyoming she’d acquired more time of darkness. “I heard Colbert tell his coven members to go to their country place.”

“He’s the guy in New Orleans?” Brynley asked. She’d obviously learned quite a bit from listening to Phil’s conversation with Howard.

“He’s the Coven Master of New Orleans,” Vanda explained.

“And who’s your Coven Master?” Brynley asked.

“Roman Draganesti. He’s head of the entire East Coast region. And he’s the brilliant scientist who invented synthetic blood.” Vanda lifted her bottle.

Brynley looked impressed. “That synthetic stuff saves thousands of lives every year.”

“They must have gone to Jean-Luc’s.” Phil pressed a button on his cell phone.

“Who’s Jean-Luc?” Brynley asked Vanda.

“Jean-Luc Echarpe. Famous fashion designer.”

“Oh, I’ve seen his stuff.” Brynley nodded. “Really nice, but really pricey. Isn’t he in Paris?”

“Texas.” Vanda sipped more blood. “He’s hiding out so the media doesn’t figure out he’s a Vamp.”

Brynley’s eyes widened. “Sheesh.”

“Billy?” Phil spoke on the phone. “Did the guys come there?” He listened as he paced. “Great. And Dougal, is he going to be all right?” He glanced at Vanda. “They’re okay. The sun just rose there.”

Vanda nodded. If Dougal was in his death-sleep, he would no longer be in pain. And the wound would heal.

Phil stopped in his tracks. His face paled.

Vanda sat up. She’d never seen him look so stunned. A frisson of fear prickled her skin with goose bumps.

“Are you sure?” Phil whispered.

Vanda’s hand trembled as she set the bottle on the coffee table. Brynley set her boots on the floor and sat up.

“Maybe he went somewhere else,” Phil said. “Did you check?”

Vanda stood. “What is it?”

Phil swallowed audibly. “I understand. I—I’ll get back to you.” He closed his phone slowly. He looked at Vanda, his eyes glimmering with pain.

“What is it?” She rushed toward him.

“Robby…he’s missing.”

Vanda halted as if she’d been knocked in the chest. “He—He teleported somewhere else.”

“No, they checked. Zoltan and Phineas called all the major covens in the West. No one’s seen him. And besides, he’s Jean-Luc’s personal guard. He lives there in Texas. He would have gone there.”

Bile rose in Vanda’s throat. “You think he’s dead?”

Phil shook his head. “Everyone remembers seeing him alive. We…we think he was captured.”

Vanda pressed a hand to her mouth. The cold blood she’d just imbibed churned in her stomach. Oh God, no. The Malcontents would torture him.

“I’m sure Casimir considers him a great catch,” Phil continued. “He’s the only living relative of Angus MacKay, the general of the Vamp army.”

Vanda’s eyes filled with tears. She wanted to hit something. “I hate war! I hate this! I never wanted to go through this again.”

Phil pulled her into his arms and held her tight. “It’ll be all right.”

“No, it won’t.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

“It was almost daylight there. They can’t…hurt Robby if they’re in their death-sleep.” He kissed Vanda’s brow. “We have to keep faith.”

She nodded. “What can we do?”

Phil stepped back to call another number on his phone. “We’ll think of something.”

He paced away, talking into the phone. “Howard, it looks like Robby MacKay has been taken prisoner.”

Vanda winced. She could hear Howard’s booming voice raised in anger.

“Howard, listen up,” Phil demanded. “How far along is Laszlo on that tracking device?…That’s not good enough. Call Sean Whelan. Get some military experts over there and make them finish it. Then get it inserted in the prisoner while he’s in his death-sleep.”

There was a pause while Phil listened. “Okay, I realize the army can’t tell if the device can be heard by vampires. Listen to it yourself. If you’re not sure, use the damned Stay-Awake drug on a Vamp and test it on him. We have got to get it ready today. Then, as soon as the sun sets, you let the prisoner escape. Hopefully, he’ll teleport straight to Casimir and that will lead us to Robby. Keep me apprised.”

He snapped his phone shut and looked at Vanda. “It’s a long shot, but I think it’s our best chance at finding him.”

She nodded. She’d never realized till now what a born leader Phil was. He was incredible. Strong and decisive, loyal and brave. And so beautiful, even with his torso covered with cuts. “I love you so much.”

His blue eyes softened. “I love you, too.”

“Oh my God,” Brynley whispered.

An hour later Vanda scowled at the old horsehair blanket on the cellar floor. Things were already bad enough with Robby captured, Dougal wounded, and her sister Marta fighting with the enemy. But now Phil’s sister was treating her like she’d suddenly grown two heads.

Brynley had lashed out at Phil, but he’d simply told her to hush. He would discuss it with her later.

Brynley had ignored that and blurted, “How can you possibly love her?”

“I do,” Phil had replied with a stern look. “And we will not discuss it now.”

Brynley had sat in her armchair, pouting, while Phil took Vanda down to the cellar to make sure it was safe for her death-sleep. He boarded up the one small window. Then he’d found the horsehair blanket and spread it on the floor.

“She doesn’t like me,” Vanda whispered.

“She’s not marrying you. I am.”

Vanda stared at him, agape.

“Oh, sorry.” His mouth twitched. “Guess I forgot to ask. Will this be okay?” He motioned to the blanket.