Soul Bound (8 page)

The elder vampire is silent for a moment, considering my words without addressing my question. At last he speaks. “Most vampires I know don’t go around wielding wooden stakes.”

I look down at the weapon I’m still clutching in my hands and I feel my face heat. “Oh that,” I say. “Well, I sort of freelance for Slayer Inc. as well. It’s a long story.” I strain my ears to hear if Jareth might be coming back soon—surely he must have heard all the commotion. But all that greets me is silence. I hope he’s okay….

“So you’re telling me you’re a vampire who works as a vampire slayer,” the elder says, raising a wooly eyebrow.

I shrug. “That and a fairy princess,” I add. “And a cheerleader, too. Though they’ve probably kicked me off the team by now. It’s been a while since I’ve been home.” For some reason the thought makes me a little sad. “In any case, you don’t need to worry. I only take out the bad vampires, not the good ones.”

“I see… And who, may I ask, makes that call?”

I cock my head in question. “Excuse me?”

“What I mean is…” He clears his throat. “Who decides which vampires are good… and which are evil?”

“Oh right.” I scramble. “You know, to be perfectly honest, that’s actually become a bit of a muddy question these days.” Way to go, Rayne. After all, according to someone like Pyrus, these vampires are anti-Consortium—and therefore totally stakeable. “In any case, I’m not looking to stake any vampires
right now. I’m on a mission to find my sister, as I told you. Are she and Magnus hiding out with you by any chance?” I cross my fingers for an affirmative.

“Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t. But if they were, surely they would not wish to be found.”

“Yeah, I know, I know,” I reply quickly. This guy is going to be harder to get through than Jareth’s secretary, isn’t he? And I can’t trick him with Race Jameson sightings down here—even if he is a fan, which seems unlikely anyway. “But they need to hear what I’ve got to say. Pyrus, the leader of the Consortium, has discovered where they are and he’s probably sending a team right now to come and find them. If they’re caught, they’ll be tried for treason.” I scowl, thinking of the Consortium speaker. “And if they’re found guilty, they’ll be killed. I can’t let that happen.”

The elder vampire rubs his chin thoughtfully. “A member of Slayer Inc. who claims to fight against the Consortium,” he ponders aloud, more to himself than anything. “Very interesting.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s fascinating.” His slow talking is driving me crazy. I mean, let’s get on with it here—time is running out! “And if we had more time, I’d totally explain all the ways. But we don’t. So please, will you take me to my sister and Magnus before it’s too late?” I dare take another step forward. Fluffy growls, snapping her teeth. The elder vampire holds out a hand.

“And how am I supposed to know this is not some kind of trick?” he asks. “That you are not here on a mission to do exactly what you claim you wish to prevent?”

“Because Sunny is my sister! Family doesn’t do that to one another.”

“Really.” The vampire chuckles softly. “Are you sure about that?”

“I’m sure that I would never harm a hair on my sister’s head!” I vow. “That I would protect her with every bone in my body.”

He rubs his chin again. I have to say, it’s really weird to be looking at such an old vampire. Most every other vampire I’ve come across was turned undead while still in their prime—and, thus, given the gift of eternal youth. This poor guy should at least consider investing in a little Botox or maybe some fillers…

“You certainly do seem like you’re telling the truth,” he says at last. “Or at least a truth you believe. I’m sorry, however, that in this case I cannot be of assistance.”

“What?” I cry, my heart sinking in my chest. “Why not?” Does he really expect me to believe he doesn’t know where my sister is?

“I once made a vow to protect those who entered my coven,” he says. “Promising that only those who speak the ancient password of peace will be allowed entrance. Since you do not seem to know this password, I can only assume you come here uninvited. Therefore it would be a disservice to my people to let you in.” He smiles patronizingly at me. “Now why don’t you come with me and I’ll escort you back up onto the city streets? I’ll help you find a lovely hotel with a hot shower where you can wash the stink off your clothes before returning home and rejoining your cheerleading friends.”

“No!” I cry, furious at his trying to dismiss me like that. “Hell no! I’ll never leave without my sister!” I step forward, ignoring Fluffy’s warning growl. Screw her—I’m not going to let some mythical beast and old guy vampire tell me to go take a bubble bath. Not when Sunny’s life is in danger! I grip my stake tightly in my hands. “Now you tell me where Sunny is or I’ll—”

A voice breaks out from the darkness. “What’s going on here?”

I whirl around, happy beyond belief to see Jareth step out from the shadows. Thank goodness. And just in time, too. After all, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to rightly stake this guy—and what if he decided to call my bluff?

“Jareth!” I cry, rushing over to my boyfriend. “This guy knows where Sunny and Magnus are, but he won’t tell us unless we know some sort of stupid password. Let him know that we’re here to—”

Jareth sidesteps me and heads straight to the elderly vampire, giving him a low bow.
“Pax tecum,”
he says.

The elder grins. “Now why didn’t you say so in the first place?”

“Say what? What did you say? You knew there was a password?” I demand. “Why didn’t you tell me there was a freaking password?”

Jareth gives me a sympathetic look. “Sorry,” he says. “I didn’t think you’d run into them before me. The vampire underground railroad has always used the same password over the millennia.
Pax tecum—Peace be with you.
I learned it long
ago when I sought protection after Slayer Inc. killed my family. They helped me reinvent myself and rejoin society as a new vampire—to absolve me of my crimes against Slayer Inc.”

I give a low whistle, completely sobered by his words. “Wow. I had no idea.” Poor Jareth. I assumed once he’d escaped from Slayer Inc.’s siege, he was free and clear. But I guess it makes sense. After all, if he’d taken out some of their agents in the big fight, they might end up holding a bit of a grudge.

“The Consortium has been around a long time,” Jareth adds. “But there are many vampires who have been around a lot longer.” He nods his head respectfully in the elder’s direction. The elder gives him a small smile.

“Well, all righty there,” I interject, a renewed sense of hope surging through me. Maybe this will work out after all. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go get Sunny and Magnus.”

T
he elderly vampire—who introduces himself as Drake—unlocks an ancient-looking door at the far end of the platform with a golden key tied around his neck and ushers us into a narrow passageway, leading off into, yes, more darkness. Luckily, he goes first, illuminating the path with his lantern, his trusty Chupacabra, Fluffy, sticking to his side. The creature wags her tail as she scampers along with her master—she’s so freaking cute, it’s hard to believe she tried to eat me ten minutes before.

We walk for what seems like forever, through a twisted maze of passages lined with booby traps, which Drake helpfully points out as we go. I realize there is no way on earth Jareth and I could have discovered this place on our own—never mind survived all the traps. Guess Magnus knew what he was doing
when he picked this place over the Four Seasons when choosing his and Sunny’s hideaway. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so worried about Pyrus tracking them down after all.

Still, it can’t hurt to give them a head’s up. And I’ll be thrilled at the chance to see my sister again after so much time apart. I finger the box in my pocket, wrapped in black-and-gold paper. The Christmas present I never got to give her until now.

Suddenly, Drake stops. I look up. The passageway ends abruptly at a large stone wall. Confused, I search the area for some kind of side exit, but see nothing. Are we lost? Did Drake take a wrong turn?

“Here we are,” he says instead. “The entrance to our lair.”

I squint at him, then at the solid rock wall ahead. “Um, entrance? I don’t see no stinking entrance.”

He smiles. “Down here, my little slayer, things are not always as they appear.” He whistles for Fluffy, who runs up to him, tongue lolling from her mouth. He nods at her and claps his hands once. I watch in amazement as Fluffy turns and dives at the wall, without hesitation—bracing myself for a loud crack as her head slams into solid stone. After all, I’d much prefer to be able to say that no animals were harmed in the making of this rescue.

But to my surprise—the creature does not hit her head. Instead, the head in question completely disappears into the rock, followed by her furry body.

“Holy crap!” I cry, reaching out to touch the rock wall with my own hand. Sure enough, my fingers slide easily through the optical illusion. “I want one of these for my bedroom door.”

Drake chuckles, then his expression turns serious. “We have many vampires among us who do not wish to be found under any circumstances,” he tells us. “It is best to be overly protective in all cases.” He gives me a small bow. “After you, my dear.”

Right. I suck in a breath and take a determined step up to the rock. As I move forward, I’m still half sure I’m going to whack my head against solid stone. But instead I slide right on through—enveloping myself in a slick curtain of mist—before reappearing on the other side. A moment later I’m joined by Jareth and Drake.

“That is too cool,” I mutter. “You are so going to have to give me that secret.”

Jareth reaches out and squeezes my hand, giving me a small smile. “We made it,” he whispers.

I look up, taking in my surroundings. My brows furrow as I scan the wide, high-ceilinged, rock-walled cavern around us. I guess I wasn’t sure what to expect here, but I can tell you for sure I didn’t expect to see such heartbreaking poverty. I mean, practically every vampire I’ve ever met is super rich, possessing luxury and amenities beyond compare—or at least a decent middle-class income. This place is like the opposite: a shantytown of cardboard box homes and half-rotted tents. Hammered tin, shattered glass, bones strewn about. The camp centers around a large fire pit, the heavy smoke stinging my eyes. I glance over at Jareth, trying to shoot him a look of dismay without Drake seeing. This is where my sister has been living all this time?

He gives me a grim smile. “Welcome to life for vampires outside the Consortium’s embrace.”

I swallow hard. Wow. When he said the Blood Coven would suffer if they were kicked from the Consortium, I guess I figured they might be stuck with Top Ramen once in a while. Not living in ultimate squalor. No wonder the other vampire masters in the Consortium are so scared to go against Pyrus’s orders. I wouldn’t want this for my people either!

Drake gestures for us to follow him toward the center of the camp. All around us I can feel the stares of vampires hiding behind closed doors or cloth tents. Here and there I catch sight of some movement behind an oily glass window—but as soon as it comes, it’s gone.

“My apologies,” Drake says, ushering us over to the bonfire and inviting us to take seats on the rotted wooden logs placed around it. “My people are quite shy. They do not meet many outsiders. And many still fear being tracked down by Consortium agents and made to suffer for their alleged crimes.”

I grimace as I take my seat beside Jareth, trying to imagine what it would be like to be stuck down here in eternal darkness, never able to leave. It’s not like with vampires you can even outlive the current regime. Unless someone stops Pyrus, his reign is likely to be eternal.

“Would you like something to drink?” Drake asks, peering at us from across the fire. “You must be very parched from your trip. And you, slayer, have lost quite a bit of blood.”

My mouth waters and I glance down at my hand, which has barely scabbed over by this point. My powers of regeneration suck when I haven’t had a good drink. Still, I can’t just chill
with a cocktail when we’ve got more important matters to deal with.

“First I need to see Sunny,” I tell Drake. “And Magnus.”

He nods and picks up a bell from the ground and lets it ring. A moment later, a small dark-haired, pale-skinned girl who appears to be about fourteen years old but is probably more like 1,400, steps up to the fire.

“Cinder,” Drake addresses her. “Please have someone track down Sunshine McDonald. And then fetch our visitors some blood.”

The girl nods and disappears. A few moments later she returns with two plastic 7-Eleven Big Gulp cups filled with red liquid. She hands one to me and one to Jareth. “Sunshine is down by the canal,” she informs us. “I had Aleisha go and get her.”

“Thanks,” I tell her gratefully, putting the cup to my lips. Good thing I no longer have an aversion to real blood. Otherwise this might be a bit awkward. I take big gulp and—

—totally gag! Ew! This is the grossest blood I’ve ever tasted!

“Sorry,” Drake says, evidently catching my look of disgust. “Cinder, these are our honored guests,” he scolds the girl. “Get them something fresh… and human.” He turns back to Jareth and me. “I apologize. You’re probably not used to rat blood. Unfortunately, it’s one of our main sources of sustenance down here.”

I open my mouth to reply, but Jareth shoots me a warning look. So instead, I force myself to take another tiny sip,
swallowing it down without puking—but let me tell you, it is no easy task.

“Tastes like chicken,” I manage to spit out.

Drake laughs appreciatively. “Oh I’m sure,” he replies, reaching over and taking my cup and setting it on the ground.

“So what’s the deal?” I ask, wishing I had something to get the oh-so-nasty taste out of my mouth. “I thought vampires couldn’t survive for the long haul with anything but human. Not enough vitamins or something.”

“It’s true,” Drake agrees solemnly. “And if you look at the vampires around the camp, you’ll see the aftereffects of using animal blood as a substitute. They’re scrawny, fragile. Unable to regenerate if wounded. That’s one of the reasons we keep Chupacabra around as guard dogs. The vampires themselves are too weak to put up a good fight.” He shrugs. “But without access to the Consortium’s bank accounts, we’re not able to hire proper blood donors. And my people, though outcasts, aren’t barbaric enough to hunt humans as the vampires of old. Once in a while we’re able to come up with enough money to bribe a blood bank for some bags. But it’s definitely a special treat.”