Playing with Shadows (4 page)

“
Patience my child.” Vlad
told her kindly, though his expression was anything but. “Alistair
will be here…”

The door burst open a moment later
revealing a vampire Nikki had never seen before. Alistair
Stavropoulos is the name Vlad called him by though apparently
during the time Alistair was alive, surnames didn’t exist. He had
adopted it once humans began to use them. Alistair was
exceptionally handsome. He was clearly Greek in heritage with his
darker skin and shoulder length curly ebony hair. His eyes were the
color of melted caramel and he had been in peak physical shape when
he’d been turned into one of the undead.

“
No need to stand just
because I’ve arrived!” Alistair gushed out in his deep
Mediterranean accent. “But, if you must, then who am I to stop
you?”

Vlad Tepes only smiled at his friend’s
attempt at humor and with a quick stride, walked up to the vampire
and embraced him. “Al! It’s so good to see you old
friend.”

Once parted, Alistair clamped a hand on
Vlad’s shoulder and squeezed in a warm gesture. “It’s been too
long! But, ah, we shall catch up at a later date. Tell me- what is
the reason for your calling me all the way to Romania?”

“
I wish it were better
circumstances, but sadly we have a demon problem on our hands.”
Vlad told him in a tone that didn’t sound upset at all. Nicola
found it odd considering his earlier reaction to learning a demon
was after a member of Christian’s family.

“
A demon?” Alistair asked,
whom clearly hadn’t been told of
this
before
he
arrived in Romania. “You never said anything about a demon,
Tepes.”

“
I know, Al, and I
apologize, but I need your help. I cannot do this alone.” Vlad
spoke softly though it didn’t matter. Nikki could still hear
everything being said and she guessed that Christian could as well.
“Nicola has grown fond of the ghost and has vowed to help him
though it could possibly get her killed. She has no experience
fighting devils and I will not see my line destroyed over
this.”

“
So you call
me
then?” Alistair seemed
skeptical, but he was pondering this new information.

“
You are the only vampire I
know of that has faced a demon and lived to tell about
it.”

Vlad had a valid point although it
appeared to Nicola that Alistair didn’t like to be reminded of his
past encounters with demons. A grimace crossed his face as he
glanced between his old friend and the two beings he hadn’t met
before that day. “A vampire and a ghost? And I thought I’d heard it
all…”

Gripping Alistair by the arm, Vlad
turned the old vampire away from where Nicola and Christian stood
listening. It was as if Vlad could read Nikki’s mind. If he could,
Vlad would be hearing her foul language directed towards him and
his stupid theory about her and Christian.

“
The focus isn’t on
them
, Al, but on my line’s
survival. Nicola is like a child to me.” Vlad revealed to his
friend with a grim expression. Nikki knew it pained him to be so
open. Vlad Tepes wasn’t the type of creature to divulge his deepest
emotions and darkest secrets. He locked everything away inside of
himself and refused to reveal the smallest tidbit of information.
It astounded Nikki to her core to hear him speak in this way. “I’ve
already lost so much to these soul suckers. I won’t lose
anymore.”

Alistair sighed loudly and took a
slight glance over his shoulder at the pair. He spoke after a
moment’s hesitation. “I will help you, Vlad.”

“
Thank you, Al. You don’t
know what this means to me.”

Alistair’s bright eyes held
Vlad in his spot with their intensity. “I have agreed to help you
my friend, but if anything goes awry,
anything
at all, I will disappear
without a thought to your line and its survival. I have my own to
worry about.”

Vlad, with a hard look, nodded his head
stiffly. He didn’t speak, but his face spoke volumes. Nicola knew
he wasn’t pleased.

***

Nicola Burroughs sank to her knees and
reached for the chest where she stored her weapons. She hadn’t
expected Vlad to rely on Alistair’s help in the hunting of the
demon and she was equally amazed when he had stood up for her
decision to destroy it no matter the cost. Lifting the top off of
the old wooden box, Nikki glanced inside at the array of items it
held. Knives of silver, old spell books, a talisman that was meant
to protect the wearer and a crossbow with its arrows were just a
few of the things she had acquired over the past three years. She
may have been young, but Nikki had a knack for finding those rare
objects that would be of use to her.

A cold wind blew across her skin
despite the fire that blazed in the hearth. Sitting back on her
heels, Nikki sighed. Glaring at her visitor, the vampire’s emerald
eyes took in his patient expression. She, however, wasn’t as
tolerant as he might have thought.

“
Christian? May I ask you a
question?” Nikki’s tone didn’t leave room for argument.

“
Of course.” His eyes
slanted towards her as well.

The vampire reached into the chest and
pulled out a silver dagger before standing. “How do you expect us
to rescue Carolyn when we don’t even know how to find this demon?
There is no trail to follow.”

Christian eyed the dagger with
uncertainty. “I know where it is.”

This answer wasn’t what Nikki had been
expecting. The knife in her hand shone brilliantly against the
light of the flames as she stepped towards the apparition.
Christian had nothing to fear from Nikki, but the determination in
her gaze made him back away from her anyway. “How do you know
this?”

Christian shook the fear away as he
responded, “I’ve been following it. Every opportunity given, the
demon returns to the same building. I assumed-”

“
Assumed? Assuming is not
enough!” Nicola uttered hopelessly. “We
must
know where it is, Christian. If
we make one wrong move, Carolyn is dead.”

“
I know, but Nicola, you
must listen.” Christian pleaded. Despite her anger at him and the
silver dagger in her grip, he floated closer. “The fiend is not
aware of what I’ve been doing.”

“
How can you be
sure?”

Uncertainty crossed his features and
his brow furrowed at the question. Nikki raised her eyebrows up at
the look and he quickly cleared his face of expression. “I am
positive.”

The answer didn’t ease the vampire's
anxiety. His overt confidence almost worried Nicola. No one, even
the dead, should be that certain. As if Christian could read her
thoughts as he watched her, a spectral hand landed on her shoulder
as if in comfort. A chill racked her body at his icy
touch.

“
This demon doesn’t stand a
chance against you and your friends.” Christian assured her with a
half-smile on his face.

“
With Vlad and Alistair on
our side, I sure hope so.” Then a surge of reluctance washed over
her. “The only thing is…”

“
Yes?”

Nicola gave him an exasperated glare.
“We have no ideas on how to get close enough to kill the
demon.”

Christian appeared confused by her
statement. “You don't, but you aren't the only one in this.
Alistair has killed one before and Vlad... he knows how to do so.
He made it his life mission to learn after the death of his family.
You will find a way.”

Nikki didn't know how to respond to
this new information. “How do you know all of this?”

Christian met her eyes without
hesitation. “Vampires talk. It's not my fault they don't notice
me.”

Chapter 6:

The door to Vlad’s bedroom rocketed off
of its hinges and flew into the opposite wall leaving the plaster
crumbling. Nicola didn’t attempt to hide the fury she was feeling.
The silver blade in her hand was clutched so tightly it might
possibly leave a permanent mark in her skin. The vampire expected
to find her sire lounging around his room. Instead, when she found
Vlad at his desk pouring over an ancient text, she paused
momentarily. Her master raised his black eyes at her explosive
entrance and considered her flushed face with an amused
expression.

“
You’re paying for a new
door.” Vlad said with his deep Romanian accent. As his gaze took in
her stance and the knife in her hand, he raised his eyebrows up in
apprehension. “What are you doing in here?”

“
Why didn’t you tell me you
knew how to kill a demon?” Nikki asked him in near hysterics. “I
was certain we’d die if we went through with our rescue when all
this time you had answers! You even brought in a friend as if you
had no idea how to proceed!”

“
I didn’t tell you in order
to protect you.” Vlad told her sternly. He had moved from his chair
and was standing a few feet in front of her. His expression was no
longer pleased, but infuriated instead. “How dare you question
me?”

“
I dare because I can.”
Nikki snapped in her building frustration. “And you owe me
answers.”

Vlad didn’t dispute her statement, but
he wasn’t thrilled to hear her says those words. He knew he let her
get away with too much over the past few years and now it was
catching up with him. “Even so you do not have the right to
question my judgment and decisions. You are a child compared to the
long centuries I’ve existed.”

“
Father knows best.” Nikki
muttered in contempt.

Vlad’s eyes flared with a destructive
fire. He reached out and gripped Nicola tightly by her arm. His
fury was terrifying, but Nikki’s own rage was enough to drown out
her fear.

“
I was planning to give Al
the details on the demon and leaving it to him to take care of.”
His ferocity became muted and he almost looked worried. “I am
protecting you, Nikki. Why can't you see that?”

Wrenching her arm away from him, Nicola
became rattled once more. “Why can’t you be open with me? What
exactly happened to your family?”

Vlad clenched his jaw yet didn’t
respond. It was a secret he wasn’t keen on revealing no matter how
much the young vampire pestered him on it. That was quite clear to
Nikki, but she was willing to risk what she could to get the truth.
Vlad must have caught a glimpse of her resolve because he moved to
walk around her and exit the room thus not providing the answers
she so desperately wanted.

Nicola knew he would try to escape her
questions. He always did. She could predict Vlad’s reactions as if
she were inside his mind. She knew him so well that Nicola could
nearly guess his answers. He avoided situations which made him
uneasy or where he wouldn’t have the power. This was one such
situation.

Nikki had the power at the moment and
she wasn’t about to lose it. She sidestepped in order to place
herself in front of Vlad. His dark eyes slanted in her direction as
he realized what her intentions were.

“
Get out of my way Nicola.”
Vlad growled as his annoyance grew. “I don’t have time for this
childishness.”

Nikki held her ground as she responded.
“You will make time.”

Vlad didn’t hesitate. He threw his
hands out and thrust Nikki out of his path. The shove was so strong
that it launched the younger vampire across the room and into the
wall behind her. Nicola had expected him to leave after that, but
when she lifted her head up, she was faced with a whole different
sight.

Christian, whom she had told to wait
back in her bedroom, had not cooperated once again and was instead
flying at Vlad. Nicola didn’t know what the ghost thought he’d
accomplish. He was incorporeal. It wasn’t as if he could physically
harm a vampire in his state. She watched in awe as he passed
through Vlad multiple times until Nikki finally understood what
Christian was attempting to do. He was throwing himself through
Vlad’s body over and over again and the vampire was in a state of
disarray. The ghost was giving her a chance to do what she had
to.

Nicola found her footing without any
more hesitation and launched her body at the mass they made.
Christian vanished as Nicola crashed into Vlad’s solid frame. The
pair tumbled to the ground. Vlad hadn’t been expecting the tackle
and his negligence ended in Nicola pinning him to the floor. As she
straddled him, Nikki pressed the blade of her knife against his
throat. Vlad, appalled at the disloyalty, stared up at Nikki with
wide eyes. His body had frozen in place at the feel of the pure
silver pressing against his flesh. After a moment's indecision, his
face became dark.

“
Do you plan on killing me?”
He asked with hatred so strong it almost made Nikki flinch. She'd
never seen her Master look so disgusted.

Gritting her teeth together to keep
from showing her concern, she replied bitingly. “The thought
crossed my mind.”

Vlad raised his head in order to expose
more of his neck to her. He had never been afraid of death. It’s
why he’d been master of his line for hundreds of years. “Do me a
favor, Nicola, and end my cursed existence so I don’t have to face
my child’s betrayal.”