Star, Starland Vamp Series, Book 1 (31 page)

Then my tears turned to anger as I imagined Annie with Michaels. Then I remembered what she said about Rick. How she was in love with him. But then again, when I asked her if she’d ever been with anyone else, she replied, ‘None that I loved.’ Oh, Annie! What have you done? “I don’t believe it! She has to be undercover! Annie would never betray her country!” Somehow, I just couldn’t bring myself to believe that Annie could betray us like that after what we’ve been through together over the years. 

“I sure hope you’re right about her, for all our sakes,” Verus replied, then added as concern filled his eyes. “If she
is
undercover, I haven’t been told about it and she’s made no contact with me. According to Abbott, she went rogue about a year ago.”

I laughed. “Is that who you’re basing your information on?” I asked, feeling relieved. “Abbot’s dead, I’m sure. A shape shifter was posing as him a few days ago.”

“No, I have Abbott,” Verus replied casually, but concerned.

“What do you mean, you have him?” I asked as my heart stopped within my chest.

“I grabbed him a few days ago,” Verus replied nonchalantly, then added. “Actually, he didn’t want to go, but I talked him into going to a safe house. The one who’s creating these rogue vamps is a shape shifter, like you said. He wanted Abbott out of the picture, so I told Abbott and he went along with it and the rogue vamp thinks he’s dead. Abbott really wants that guy. Bad. So he was willing to do what it takes to catch him. Anyway, the shape shifter took his place.”

Sudden rage filled my heart. “You should have gotten word to me!” I began, letting the words spew like venom from my lips. “You almost got Zac and I killed the other day!”

“There was no time,” Verus calmly explained. “I had to act quickly and I had no choice. Abbott tried to call his son, but couldn’t get hold of him. You two were probably already on your way there.”

I nodded, trying to calm myself. It was a lot of information to absorb in one night. “Where does the moron have Rick?”

“In a warehouse in the Bronx,” Verus replied with a sigh. “It’s like a fortress. Heavily guarded.”

“What does he want with Rick, and with Zac for that matter?” I asked, trying to put the pieces together.

“He doesn’t want
them,
” he replied, looking directly into my eyes. “He wants
you
.”

“What does he want with
me
?” I asked, my eyebrows pulling together, confused.

“You’re a shape shifter,” Verus replied.

“So?” I said, then added. “So is he!”

“All I know is that he’s been trying to lure you out.”

“Why?”

Then Verus turned to face me, looking directly into my eyes. “You’ve been in hiding for a while, haven’t you?”

“Not in hiding,” I replied, shaking my head in disbelief. “Out of the country. Undercover.”

“Well, someone must have told him you were back,” Verus replied. “Because he’s been looking for you.”

“Why?” I asked, completely confused. I thought of Stop and Rob, but the rogue vamp was after me way before then. Stop and Rob just confirmed that I was there.

Verus sighed, looking straight out the front windshield, then back at me. “Think about it, Star. Why are you a shape shifter?”

I shook my head, concentrating hard. “There’s something in my blood. An anomaly. I’m not sure exactly what, but it’s passed down from one generation to the next through my blood.”

That’s right,” Verus replied, nodding his head, helping me to piece it together. “So can you imagine why he wants you?”

Then it hit me. “To make more shape shifters.”

Verus nodded, letting it sink in.

“He wants my blood hoping to create more shape shifter vampires,” I finally said as the realization finally sank in. Then something dawned on me. “But why does he need
me
? He’s a shape shifter! Why doesn’t he just use his own blood?”

Verus shook his head. “He’s tried, but it’s not working. See, when he was turned into a vampire, his creator gave him his blood, then bit him, turning him into a shape shifter vampire. He’s not sure if it was the venom or the blood that turned him into a shape shifter.”

“Rick …” I said, as something suddenly occurred to me. “You don’t think he’s been experimenting with Rick, do you? Using his venom? Because he turned me?”

Verus shook his head. “I’m not sure. Possibly.”

“My God …” I replied, unable to believe what I was hearing. “This guy’s a mad man.”

Verus nodded.

Then anger once again filled my veins. “Why didn’t you go in after Rick as soon as they grabbed him?”

“I couldn’t go in alone,” Verus replied. “And I was waiting for you.”

“For me?” I asked, trying to follow his logic.

Verus nodded, then replied, “Yes. I didn’t want to scare him off. If I busted in now, he could take off then try to get you later, but he would be onto us. It will be much harder to get him next time, maybe impossible, if there is a next time. We need to nail this guy now while we still can.”

“Do you know his name?” I asked, my eyebrows pulling together.

“He goes by many names,” Verus replied, “I knew him in my prior life as Titus.”

“The Roman Emperor Titus?” I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing. “The one who gave you your freedom when you were a slave?”

Verus sighed. “The one and the same. I didn’t know he was still alive until I went undercover. And low and behold, he’s the one responsible. But Titus trusts me, so I used that to my advantage.” Then Virus sighed again and shook his head, remembering times past. “When the Flavian Amphitheater, or the Coliseum as it’s called today, was created, Titus wanted to create a show that no one would forget to lighten the spirits of the people, so he decided to hold games at the inaugural ceremonies, which lasted for over a hundred days.

“But the problem was that the gladiators kept dying.” Verus paused, shaking his head, remembering times long past. “So for sport, he decided to create vampires out of some of us to lengthen the games.”

“That’s when he made you into a vampire,” I replied, unable to believe what I was hearing.

“Yes,” Verus continued. “He made my friend Priscus and I into vamps, then told us we had to fight one another. The winner would earn our freedom.”

“I remember this story,” I replied, remembering my world history.

“Yes, you probably do,” Verus continued. “Anyway, before the fight ensued, Priscus and I vowed to make it look good, but not to kill one another.”

“So, the day of the games,” I continued, remembering the story. “You two fought long and hard until he finally stopped the fight and awarded you both your freedom.”

“Yes, that’s correct,” Verus replied, turning away. “We made it look good and put on a good show.”

Then a thought occurred to me. “How do I know that you’re telling me the truth now? That you’re still not working for him? He created you, after all. ”

“He created me for his own enjoyment,” Verus corrected, as anger filled his eyes, remembering. “He condemned me to a life of constant thirst for his own enjoyment.” Verus turned away, thinking, with a frown on his face, then sighed. “Star, you have no reason to trust me, but you have no choice.” Then he paused for a moment and added, “Why else would I be telling you this if I wasn’t on your side?”

“Well, let’s see,” I began, feigning nonchalance. “To lure me out, to capture me …”

Verus laughed. “You have a point.”  Then he thought for a moment. “Anyway, your mission was to protect the boy. I was supposed to handle the rest, that is, until Titus involved you so completely. Knowing what I know now, he probably set a million dollar price tag on the kid’s head to lure you out, knowing Abbott would send you in to protect him.”

“Since I look so young,” I finished for him, then nodded. It made sense. Why else would he be grabbing everyone I know? “I still have a feeling I’m missing something …”

“You probably know him from your prior life under another name. You probably had a run in with him many years ago,” Verus replied. “How else would he even know about you? That you’re a shape shifting vampire? That’s classified information.”

“True,” I replied, knowing he was probably right. Then I wondered who could possibly be doing this that I knew. “Why do you think this moron wants to make more shape shifters?” But I already knew the answer.

“To rule the world,” Verus answered. “Who knows why any mad man does the things he does? Look at Hitler. What do you think he would have done if he could have created shape shifting vamps?”

“I hope you’re wrong,” I replied, then added, taking a sigh. “This guy has to be stopped before he succeeds.”

“I know,” Verus agreed, then changed the subject as a thought occurred to him. “Where’s the kid, anyway?”

“In a safe house with his mother.”

Then shock illuminated V’s face. “Did you just say he’s with his
mother
?” Verus asked, his voice raising a few octaves.

My eyebrows suddenly pulled together. “Yeah, why?” Then my heart suddenly sank within my chest.

“Because I grabbed his mother a few days ago,” Verus replied despite the shock still prominent within his own eyes.

“You
what?
” I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing. “You moron! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“How was I going to tell you, Star?” Verus asked, defending himself. “Vamps were crawling all over Cooperstown and you were nowhere to be found! Be real, Star! I saved her life!”

I nodded, trying to calm myself. “You’re right,” I said taking a deep breath, then I thought of Zac. “My God! Who did I leave Zac with?” But I already knew the answer.  

Verus shook his head back and forth, not wanting to answer that question. “I hate to say it, but probably Titus. You and Titus are the only shape shifting vamps I’ve ever met.”

“Oh, my God …” I replied, placing a hand to my forehead. “I hand delivered Zac to him! What have I done?” Then tears slowly slid down my cheeks. “I have to go. Thanks, V.”

“Star, wait a minute,” he said, grabbing my arm lightly. “Let me go in with you. We can bust him now! With the two of us, we can go in and get Rick and Zac out and kill that son of a bitch!”

“No,” I said calmly, with my hand on the door handle. “If we go in with guns blazing, he’ll kill Zac for sure, and possibly Rick and Annie, too.”

“Star listen, wait a minute,” Verus said, leaning over as his wavy light brown hair fell across my lap, and pulled my car door closed, a very dangerous move to do to a vamp. Then he looked me straight in the eye. “You’re right, Star, we don’t have to go in with guns blazing. We go in quietly and get them out.” Then he stopped to think for a bit as his eyebrows pulled together. “But I want to be the one to kill Titus. I want the honor of his death.” Then he fiercely looked me in the eye, his emerald eyes flaring brightly, truly looking like a gladiator. “Besides. You need me. You won’t be able to find them otherwise.”

I relented, thinking quickly. I knew we were playing beat the clock, especially if Titus had Zac. I just hoped that he was still human.

“Just answer me something, Star, will you?” Verus asked, looking me in the eye, very serious. “Did you give the kid any of your blood?”

“That’s none of your business …”

“Just answer the question, Star!” Verus asked, practically yelling into my face.

“Yes, of course I did!” I replied, my green eyes flaring. “I shared my blood with him. Also, he was shot, so I gave him my blood to save his life.” Then I added, thinking of his mother asking me what else I had given him, but it wasn’t her. It was Titus. “And that mad man knows.” Then the realization of what Titus was going to do set in. I just hoped I wasn’t right. “Verus, if we don’t hurry, he’s going to change Zac into a vampire to see if he will be a shape shifter. He’s filled with my blood.”

Verus nodded, looking me straight in the eye. “You love him, don’t you?”

I paused for a moment, thinking of Zac, then softly replied, “Yes, I do. I love him very much.”

Verus nodded, understanding, sitting back in his seat and smiled. “Well, let’s go get him, then.”

And at that point, I knew I had no choice but to trust this almost two-thousand-year-old gladiator. I just hoped I was making the right choice. “Before we go, let’s get one thing straight,” I said, my own green eyes flaring. One side of Verus’ lips curled into a menacing smile, knowing what I was going to say. “If you double cross me, you won’t live long to tell about it. That’s a promise.”

“That’s a promise, huh?” Verus asked, clearly amused. I just glared at him. He knew I was dead serious. “Agreed,” he replied, his eyes narrowing, suddenly somber.

“First, we need to get my car before we go anywhere,” I told him, thinking of the small arsenal I had waiting in the trunk of the hemi Challenger RT. “Yours will attract too much attention.”

Verus nodded, twisting the key of his yellow Corvette convertible, as the engine roared to life. “Is it near the club?” Verus asked, talking about The Mirage.

“A few blocks down,” I replied, watching the scenery pass, thinking of Zac and hoping he was still alive. We didn’t have time.