Release, book 3 of The Angler series (2 page)

“Hello?” Rurik’s voice melted like butter over my frayed nerves.

“The Nosferatu want you dead.” My words stumbled over each other. I paced the short distance inside the elevator. “We have to get you out of the city.”

“I knew this meeting would be about me. I shouldn’t have come.” He sounded so calm compared to the panic drumming inside of me. “Is Kam with you?” Rurik’s sharp tone stopped me in my tracks.

“Of course he is.” The shifter had become my constant shadow. Both Tane and Rurik agreed that I got into too much trouble without someone to guard my human ass. “Are you listening to me? You have to leave the hotel. Now! Tane’s trying to buy us time while we escape the city.”

“Why kill me?”

“Now’s not the time. We run. Then I explain.”

Kam pulled the phone from my hand. “Tell your guards to take you to the marina. Master Tane’s yacht is moored in the harbor. We’ll leave by water.”

The elevator door opened to the front lobby.

Kam returned the phone to his pocket with one hand and grabbed my upper arm with the other. “Stay close. We’re taking the car.”

I jogged on tiptoes, trying to keep pace with Kam’s long legs as he half dragged, half carried me. We crossed the busy lobby and out the front door. The hotel attendants had allowed Tane to park his convertible sports car by the entrance. With the key fob, Kam unlocked the doors. I scrambled into the passenger side and snapped the seatbelt in place while Kam did the same. “How far is the marina?”

“About seven blocks from here.” My shifter guard started the car and pulled away from the hotel, merging into the traffic. “Rurik is a little farther.”

“Is the boat a good idea? The Nos wouldn’t attack us is public. Maybe we should stay in a crowded area.” Humans didn’t believe in vampires anymore. No one seemed to really question where the myths started. Or maybe those who did vanished? Either way, the Nosferatu guarded the secret of vampire existence above all else. Those who broke this law died quick, violent deaths. See, even vampires had their own version of the boogie man.

“The night has just begun. Do you think you can keep ahead of them until dawn? They only want Rurik. Once they have him, the hunt is finished.”

“Shit.” I twisted in my seat to stare at the traffic. Monte Carlo was Las Vegas’s prettier sister. Gilded, it appeared more welcoming than its American sibling but under all the rich tapestry laid the same crap: sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Each shadow held a ghost of my past. The city sparked memories of empty liquor bottles and cheap motels. A time I wished I could permanently erase from my mind. Welcome to the adult version of Disneyland, where all your dreams could come true…for the right price. Even with the glitter, Monte Carlo was a tragic kingdom. “The boat is so isolated, especially out on the water. At least with people around us, the Nos will have to behave.”

He snorted. “Connie, the Nosferatu only have to wipe the human memories clean. With five of them in the city, they could have a blood bath in the middle of Le Metropole shopping center and everyone will believe it was an explosion or a terrorist attack. They’re very powerful in comparison to the other vampire clans.”

“Fine then, what will keep them from following us out on the water?”

Sighing, he turned a corner with a squeal of burning rubber. “Nothing until we’re out of sight. The
ocean is a big place to hide on.” He shrugged. “If they’re really lucky they might find us, but the odds are on our side.” Kam slammed on his brakes. “Fuck.”

I flew forward, only to be snapped back into my seat by the safety belt. Stars blinded me as they flashed in my vision. Once they faded I noted all the cars in front of us had stopped. A traffic jam at nine o’clock at night? Peering ahead, I spotted plumes of smoke spiraling in the street lighting. An accident. Nice timing.

Climbing out of the car, I searched the shadows for any movement. Kam claimed the Nosferatu would only hunt Rurik, but I was sure if the opportunity to snack on the vampire king’s blood slave arose, they wouldn’t pass it up. I kicked off my heels and climbed onto the hood of the car.

“Get down from there,” Kam barked.

The vehicle jerked under my feet slightly. He must have geared it into park before storming out and joining me. With a clear view over the other cars, we both could see an SUV on its side about ten cars in front.

My composure was cracking. The broken bits crumbled at my feet as I recognized the vehicle. “Uh, isn’t that the same truck you rented at the airport?” The guards had driven it ahead of us after our private plane had landed.

“Yes.” He tilted his head back and sniffed the wind. “I smell pack. It’s definitely our rental.” Snaking his arm around my waist, he guided me to the ground. “Keep up with me like we do in training.” Then he took off, jogging with a loping grace.

Six months ago, I’d realized I was tired of getting my ass kicked whenever a conflict developed around Tane or Rurik. It must seem safer to bully the human pet than assault the vampires directly.  I’d decided I needed to grow some sharper teeth so I could bite back when the going got tough and had coerced Kam to teach me during the day while my boys had their beauty sleep. This training included endurance running and sprints, since my best defense was to run away from assailants then to take them on directly.

I raced to keep pace with him, dividing my attention between the wreck ahead and the dark corners around us. Had the Nosferatu attacked so soon? With my mind, I reached out to Tane, only to slam against a solid mental wall of do-not-disturb. When Tane decided to block me out I could never squirm my way in, no matter how determined.

My pulse sped and my lungs burned, but not from exertion. I’d barely scratched the surface of my endurance. As we drew closer to the vehicle, I spotted paramedics pulling out a dark-haired body. Blood painted his face in a gruesome mask. It was Rurik’s guard, one of Kam’s packmates. I lengthened my stride and passed my bodyguard.

Focused on the accident, I weaved through the growing crowd and ducked under an officer’s arm. Skidding to a halt by the truck, I fell to my knees and scanned the interior. The muscles in my neck tensed. No other bodies. The tension in my shoulders dissolved. Rurik had gotten away. My stomach knotted as I glanced at the growing crowd. Or the Nosferatu had him.

Iron strong fingers grabbed my shoulders from behind.

I jerked away from the unfamiliar touch. As a blood slave I should have been able to break free without any effort. Most humans couldn’t compete with my strength, one of the perks of being bound to Tane, but the hand still held me in its steel grip. I twisted around and came face-to-face with Damius’s Asian blood slave.

Any strength I’d gained from Tane’s bond was negated by the fact that this human male was also bound to a Nosferatu warrior. We were on equal ground and he’d squash
me like a bug.

Somehow he loomed over me even though we were almost the same height. Cold and dark, his glare bored into my soul and I could sense he wanted to hurt me bad.

I widened my stance and twisted my body around sharply to break free. Yeah, that didn’t work either. I had yet to pass my yellow belt in martial arts so Asian dude would most likely clean the pavement with my ass.

He smirked and said something that sounded Japanese.

My heart dropped into my gut and sizzled in the stomach acid. He didn’t seem like the kind of person I could reason with.  He had seppuku determination written all over his face and the whip-like reflexes in his limbs hinted at killer martial arts skills. So I did the one thing growing up on the streets of New York had taught me. I closed the distance between us and grabbed his jewel sack in my bone crunching grip. Didn’t need to pass no dumb belt test to learn this skill.

His eyes bulged with a snarl, but he still refused to ease his hold. His fighting style might come with a code of honor, but mine sure didn’t. Fight dirty, fight to win was what my grandma had taught me.

Like a synchronized dance, I swung upward as he folded forward in pain. My elbow met his nose and a satisfying bone-cracking noise followed. Sharp pain traveled along my arm and I yelped, stumbling free from Damius’ blood slave. I cradled my injured elbow. This all took place in a matter of seconds and from the shocked expressions of the bystanders’ faces, they hadn’t processed our fight yet.

As I passed my bent-over assailant as I raced toward the crowd, he twisted around with a backhanded swing.

The solid hit landed across my face. I flew against the crashed vehicle, knocking the wind out of me. I puddle to the ground. With moan sounding suspiciously like a moo, I sucked in air and relearned how to breathe. The left side of my face went numb for a second before a throbbing ache took its place. I tasted blood and tongued my teeth to check if any were missing. My left eye was already swelling and made it harder to see.

The fellow blood slave in arms faced me, and I saw my death in his cold glare.

Two police officers closed in on us with guns drawn. Score one point for humankind. Bullets could kill us, unlike our masters.

I rose to my feet and spotted Kam on the edge of the crowd. A deep frown marred his handsome face, which meant I’d get a talking-to later if I lived.

Damius’ slave watched my every step until I moved behind a policeman, and then he lunged.

Shots went off, the crowd scattered and like any self-preserving herd animal, I ran with the stampede.  In the confusion I lost track of Kam, so I stuck close to thickest part of the crowd and did my best to blend in. I glanced over my shoulder.

Both police officers were down and others had drawn their weapons but lacked a target to aim them at.

My assailant was nowhere in sight. I tried to look in every direction and run at the same time. Not an easy feat. Our simple escape plan to the yacht was falling apart. I’d lost Kam and I’d never found Rurik. Heck, I didn’t even know where the marina was located. 

A man’s arm snaked around my waist, and I screamed. Struggling, I twisted in his grasp like fish out of water until I met Rurik’s ice-blue gaze. He wore a blond wig and a paramedic’s jumper. Without a word, he fought against the scattering crowd and led me to the back of an empty ambulance, where he set me inside. “Strap in. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.” He slammed the doors shut in my face.

I blinked and cradled my sore arm. I tried to smile but my face ached too much. Rurik was fine and I was a mess.  Just like old times.

Rurik entered the front of the ambulance and flicked the sirens on. The sound blared over the noise of the chaos outside. He geared it into drive, hitting the gas pedal as if we were in the grand prix. The tires peeled before we shot into motion.

Flung back by the sudden acceleration, I hit the closed doors with a solid thunk that vibrated deep into my marrow. My bones melted and I sagged. What kind of life did I live where I needed self-defense classes to survive the people who loved me?

The ambulance slowed, and the passenger side door opened long enough for Kam to clamber inside. He glared at me. “What are you doing on the floor?”

Many retorts tangled on my tongue and I settled on giving him the one-fingered salute. I sat up, resting against the doors with my legs sprawled in front of me, and rubbed the back of my head. Son of a bitch, pain never grew more tolerable with experience. “What happened?” I shouted to be heard over the siren.

“We were ambushed.” Rurik glanced at me through the review mirror. “Oh honey, you look…uncomfortable.”

I crawled forward so we could talk easier. “I’ve suffered through worse.” Let me count the ways:
whipped, fileted, beaten, almost drowned… This was just a scratch by comparison. “Did the Nosferatu do this?” Damn, they moved fast.

“No, these were vampire soldiers.” Rurik steered around the cars that pulled out of our way. The marina came to view.  “I’m sorry about your packmate, Kam. He was a good shifter.”

Kam gripped the chicken bar in a white-knuckled grip. “What of the others?” There had been four guards left with Rurik.

“They fought the vampires and allowed me time to escape and acquire this disguise. I knew you’d be stopped by the traffic so instead I waited.”

I smacked his shoulder. “You should have run to the boat.” Didn’t he understand he had a bull’s eye painted on his back?

  He caught my hand within his and brought it to his lips. “If I waited here or at the boat, I would still be a sitting target. At least the accident caused enough commotion to possibly distract them.” He tossed me a questioning glance over his shoulder. “Can you reach Tane?” My lovers couldn’t commune mind to mind from a long distance, either.

“No. He’s shut me off tight.” I pointed toward the gated marina. “There’s the entrance.”

Rurik aimed for the entrance to the marina that was bar
red by a drop arm barrier.

My gut clenched and I braced for impact
, but the gate rose. Someone inside the guard house must have heard us coming. I sagged, sighing in relief.

A familiar boat drew my attention as Rurik parked the stolen ambulance. Tane’s yacht, the same one he’d used in Budapest where he’d tortured Colby.
Dread settled in my heart. The click of the front doors opening barely registered in my consciousness as I stared at the upper deck, where Tane had revealed his plans to kill Dragos and shocked me with the news—

I hated Tane for the longest time. I would have happily staked him when we first met, but a fine line lay between hate and love.

“Connie!” Rurik had opened the back doors while nightmares plagued my memories.

I spun to face him
and flung myself into his arms. Somehow we’d find a cure for him. I couldn’t face losing him again as I had in Budapest and I wouldn’t let a disease take another person I loved away.

“Whoa.” He caught me in a hug and s
wung me to ground. “What’s that for?”

Releasing my vice-like grip on him, I eased back and wiped the wayward curls from my face. “That boat holds bad memories.” Like waking in Tane’s arms for the first time. Who would have guessed we’d end up as lovers?

Not me. He’d changed quite a bit since then, sort of, or I’d grown more tolerant. I glanced over my shoulder and spotted the plume of dark smoke from the wreckage rise in sky.

Rurik slipped his arm around my shoulders. He hadn’t been with me on this yacht those many
, many nights ago. He’d been chained to a wall in Dragos’s fortress facing east so he could greet the dawn. But he knew what Tane had made me do.

I shook my head and huddled closer to him. “I hate this place.”

He held me tighter. “We will replace those bad memories with good ones.”

Kam was untying the ropes from the dock. “Hurry. We have to be out of sight before they locate us
. Otherwise they’ll just swim to the boat.”

Rurik climbed aboard then offered me his hand to steady my climb. As soon as my feet hit the deck, I headed for the ladder leading to the control room.

Why? I didn’t know. Sailing wasn’t in my skillset; heck, I didn’t even know how to start this thing, but it seemed like a reasonable place to sit down.

The dark dials were silent as I entered and stopped in my tracks
, unsure where my next step would take me. I glanced over my shoulder, but Rurik hadn’t followed. Reaching my hands in front of me, I felt along the smooth walls until I discovered a light switch and flicked it on.

I melted into the closest seat and watched the dock for any unnatural movement. The left side of my face throbbed where the
Asian blood slave had backhanded me. I suspected it would leave a mark. Once Tane arrived, he could heal me with his blood and all these injuries would vanish.

Kam stormed into the room and tossed me a flesh
-searing glare. “The point of having a bodyguard is so he can protect you when the shit hits the fan.” He searched blindly under the control panel until he pulled out a key.

I rested my aching head against the back of the chair. “I know. I didn’t think, I reacted.” He
meant my crazed flight through the crowd when I’d seen the car wreck. Being small came in handy sometimes. I could fit in smaller spaces, while my hulking guard had to move either around or through the obstacles.

He stuck the key in the ignition and started the boat. “That
blood slave could have killed you.”

“He almost did until Rurik showed up.”

Kam grimaced. “You would make my job easier if you just stuck close instead of acting like a lunatic.”

I flinched. Kam didn’t know about the con
sequences of being a blood slave or the threat of not having Tane’s blood available always hanging over my head. If I didn’t take a dose as needed, I would go insane. I’d met a blood slave who had suffered this condition. May Belle rest in peace.

The boat drifted from the dock and the engines purred to propel us from the marina. I jerked in my seat. “Aren’t we waiting for Tane?
” I rushed to the window, thinking I’d missed his arrival.

“His orders were to get Rurik out of Monte Carlo.” Kam twisted the wheel and accelerated toward the open ocean.

I reached out with my mind but sensed nothing. Nothing? My heart revved in time with the engine and I tore out of the control room. Taking the steep steps two at a time, I descended into the luxurious living space below.

Rurik stood in the minimal kitchen
, pouring ice into a
Ziplok
bag. He raised an eyebrow as I barged in.

“We’re leaving without Tane.” I struggled with the words between breaths.

“Yes?” He pressed the ice to the swollen side of my face while cradling my head in his other hand.

“I can’t sense him.
The only time I haven’t been able to sense him was when Luckard was torturing him.” I gripped Rurik’s wrists. “What if they are hurting him?” If Tane hadn’t blocked our mental connection, I’d sense all his pain. His seasoned mind could handle a lot more than mine.

Rurik stroked my hair, his eyes growing sad. “Do you think he can’t handle it after everything he’
s been through over the centuries?”

I took a deep, slow breath. “He can take care of himself.” After being around for over a thousand years, he should
be able to, right? Part of me didn’t believe he could.

Rurik
gave me a small smile. “Yes. He’s better off with us out of the way. We’re a—”

“
Weakness.” I leaned into the ice pack and allowed the cold to numb the pain. “What if they kill him?”

The gentle fingers running through my hair tightened. Neither of us spoke, but that didn’t make the consequences of my bond any less real.

I would die too.

“Come let me check your injuries.” He handed me the ice pack and pushed me toward the bedroom. “How did you lose your shoes?”

“Long story.” Basically, I was screwed. Separated from Tane, I couldn’t do anything to secure my future without risking Rurik’s life. Would the Nosferatu clan take Tane as a hostage? I didn’t know enough about vampire politics to hazard a guess. But I knew an expert. Glancing at Rurik, I smiled. He worked as Tane’s right-hand man. His people skills outweighed his fighting skills, which made him a fantastic ambassador and politician. Tane wouldn’t have such a strong hold on the Vampire Nation without Rurik’s network of spies and allies. 

He came to
a halt. “What?”

I gave him my best innocent blink. “Nothing
. I’m happy you saved me.” I really was. If not for Rurik, I’d be human confetti. “You’re my hero.”

He snorted and pulled the ice from my face. “You should learn to duck faster.”

My smile became more crooked as a small wave of shame burned my cheeks. “I’ll take that into consideration.” I trained hard with Kam so I wouldn’t have to rely so much on a rescue, but the odds weren’t in my favor. Sure, I had a blood slave’s strength and speed; however, in comparison to a vampire’s or shifter’s it didn’t matter. I was still human, frail.

He circled me with that unnatural predatory grace his people possessed, the kind that set off my genetic reflex to flee. Capturing me within his arms, he pressed his hard, muscled body against mine. After years together, my skin still tingled at Rurik’s touch.

I leaned into his embrace
, letting my curves conform to his solid plane.

“Connie, I need to feed,” he whispered in my ear. An unusual plea tinged his voice.

I sucked in a sharp breath and went stiff in his arms. “You already fed earlier today.” A vampire his age shouldn’t need to feed more than two or three times a week. I couldn’t keep up with his increasing demands for blood. Being bonded to Tane didn’t cover unlimited blood supply. Tane had been using his own magical blood to heal me more often than usual, due to anemia.

With a groan,
Rurik released his hold on me and leaned against the wall.

I took note of the slight tremor in
his hands. Things were getting worse and we weren’t closer to diagnosing what was wrong with him, let alone finding a cure.

He gave me a weak smile. A dark,
thinning fuzz covered his head now. He shaved in a poor attempt to hide his hair loss. If he were human, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

I set my hands on my hips and took a d
eep breath. Tane had insisted Rurik drink only from me until we figured out what was happening so we could ensure a clean blood source. This meant some serious anemia unless Tane healed me.

“I can’t help it.
My hunger grows worse. It’s like I’ve drunk only water.” He crossed the small space between us and ran his hands over my arms, creating that sexual friction I couldn’t resist. He guided me backwards to the bed. “Lay down.” Pushing me onto the mattress, he ignored my weak protest. His darkening gaze held more than hunger for blood as he loomed over the bed. The way he raked his eyes over my body sent shivers up my spine.

“Rurik
.” I barely got his name beyond my lips.

He unzipped his ambulance jumper. I always was a sucker for a man in uniform.