The Tome of Bill (Book 7): The Wicked Dead (53 page)

I was half expecting Vehron to take a sloppy sip, maybe drool some blood down his muscular chest so Firebird could rush in and lap it up with her tongue. Not that I fantasized about such things, mind you, but it seemed to fit the whole vampire ceremonial vibe.

Instead, he held out the hand with the dagger. Firebird, like a good little plaything, was right there to take it from him as he turned toward Ed.

My roommate tried to back up, but there was a wall of militant vamps waiting right behind him.

“Drink and be made whole,” Vehron said, holding out the bowl.

“I’m not really one for a liquid diet,” Ed replied.

What the fuck? I quickly looked around and spied Dave and Adam standing behind us, pretty much doing everything they could to not be noticed. I reached out, grabbed Dave by the collar, and dragged him over to me. “What the hell is he doing?”

“How the shit should I know?”

“Your notes.”

“What about them?”

“They said Ed was a vampire. What did you mean by that?”

“They were just notes about his blood composition. I didn’t have time to come to any conclusions before your buddy burnt them to ash. That French guy was just making shit up.”

I glanced back and saw Vehron continue to hold out the bowl to Ed. I had a feeling he was gonna skip the “nummy nummy, for your tummy” bit and go straight to pouring it down my friend’s throat like they were Mola Ram and Indiana Jones.

I turned back to Dave. “Come to a conclusion now. What’s that going to do to him?”

“Less filling, tastes great? I don’t fucking know. I’m figuring this shit out as I go.”

“Seriously?”

“Sorry, man. I have...” He averted his gaze from mine. “...nothing. Never had.”

“What?”

Dave’s guilty look said it all. For all the samples he’d taken and promises he’d made, and now to hear this. I couldn’t believe it.

Fuck. I let the useless asshole go.

“Hold him,” Vehron commanded.

Shit! I made to step forward when Sally grabbed my arm. “What are you doing?”

“Probably something stupid, but I’m not going to let him hurt another friend.”

“You will fail,” Gan said.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Unless I help you.”

“Huh?”

“I had wished to save this for a more opportune time, but for you, my love, I would change any plan under the heavens.”

“What are you...?”

Gan opened her mouth and let loose the battle screech I’d come to hear in my nightmares. Just for the record, it was even less pleasant up close. I had a feeling it would be ringing in my ears for a long time to come.

All eyes in the room turned toward us. Even Vehron, who had been in the process of lifting the bowl to Ed’s horrified face, looked our way.

Then, just like that, she stopped and smiled.

“Okay, so what the fuck did that accomplish?”

And that’s when the world seemingly exploded around us.

In the space of a second, the underground cathedral – for that was certainly what it had been repurposed into – turned into a living Hell of sound, heat, and flying debris.

And it wasn’t over yet.

More explosions rang out in the crowded space, drowning out the screams of pain that came after the first.

Instinct took over and I plowed into Christy – knocking her down and shielding her with my body. She was the most vulnerable among us, but maybe not for long.

She’d been caught by surprise, just like I had been. Fortunately, she was aware enough that I caught the glimpse of a predatory smile on her face. She didn’t need to say a word. I used the distraction to snap one of her manacles off.

Oof! Someone stepped on me in the panic, followed by another. Okay, so maybe getting trampled wasn’t a great way to start things off. Thankfully, a pair of hands from above dragged me back to my feet. I grabbed hold of Christy and pulled her with me.

I found Gan standing there, grinning from ear to ear, looking quite pleased with herself.

“What did you do?” I screamed at her, the only way to make my voice heard above the chaos.

Another explosion rang out from off to the left, sending vampire parts flying. Dust and pebbles rained down from the ceiling, reminding me that we were far underground.

I turned to Christy and pointed toward the exit, but she gave her head a single shake before her eyes lit up with red fire.

I caught her mouthing “duck,” but she needn’t have bothered. I dropped to my knees as an aura of power collected in her upraised hands.

Before she could fire, movement registered in my periphery. Gan spun and swept the legs out from under a vampire guard who wandered too close. He hit the floor, but before he could respond in any other way, Gan used her claws to tear his windpipe out.
Fuck!

She smiled a psychotic little grin at me and shoved his bleeding form in my direction. I normally wasn’t one to kick a guy when he was down, but then I mentally slapped myself. This was a gift horse, but it wasn’t his mouth I needed to focus on.

I leaned in and got myself a mouthful of the red stuff, letting it pour down my throat and enjoying the rush of power it offered.

I had no idea what a bowl of blood would do to Ed, but I sure as shit knew what it did to me, especially if it was from another vamp – and, lucky me, this one was at least a couple of centuries old.

Thankfully, my other friends weren’t the type to stop and gawk ... well, mostly. Seeing what Christy was about to do, Sally likewise hit the deck. I glanced back and saw Adam and Dave were also on the floor, albeit they appeared to be more cowering than reacting. Whatever the case, Christy picked that moment to blow, and a wave of energy exploded out from her in a circle.

The magic acted like a red-hot scalpel, bisecting flesh where it hit home. I looked up and saw three surprised vamps get their heads taken neatly off. Light flashed all around us, and a host of disintegrated vampires joined the thick dust already in the air.

Before I could rejoice, a panicked voice cried, “Star!” Sally bolted to her feet once the destructive wave of magic had passed.

“How come my mage can’t do that?” Adam asked from somewhere behind as I too scrambled to my feet.

Starlight stood wobbling a few steps in front of us. It wasn’t her legs that were the problem, though. She’d apparently tried to duck when Christy unleashed her power, but had been a tad too slow. The top of her head right above her eyes had been seared clean off, the ruins of her skull still smoking from the blast.

Sally stepped forward, and I made to join her when I realized something. Such a hit should have been fatal. Why then had Starlight not joined the vamps who’d just been dusted?

A moment later, that question was answered as her head began to expand outward.

“Oh God, Star, no!” Sally gasped as her friend’s body followed suit.

Starlight’s skin took on the tone of granite and her eyes sank into her head, the soulless orange orbs of a Jahabich replacing them.

But how? I’d seen her teeth, smelled her scent. Those were all telltale signs of the Jahabich. Unfortunately, as she completed her metamorphosis, I sensed there were no answers forthcoming, only a grim understanding.

Firebird hadn’t lied to us after all. It was the choice that was the lie. One could serve the cult willingly, or one could die – only to come back as a rocky abomination.

Either way, there was no escape.

* * *

Starlight wasn’t alone either. Although the smoke was still thick from whatever the fuck had blown up, I could see more lantern-like eyes, their freaky orange glow made even creepier by the destruction that surrounded us.

“That fucking bitch,” Sally said from somewhere beside me.

I paid it no heed. Christy was charging up for another disintegrate spell, but she wasn’t going to make it. The Jahabich that had been Starlight was advancing on her quickly.

Sally’s voice rang out louder than before. “Goddamn that cunt!” I couldn’t spare her the cycles right now, though, in whatever rage she felt against Starlight’s betrayal.

I raced forward, using the strength stolen from the vampire guard, and engaged my former friend before she could reach Christy. With my added power, I knew it wouldn’t be much of a fight. Even with her razor-sharp skin cutting rivulets into my hands, I overpowered her quickly, ready to tear her head off her fucking shoulders.

But then I remembered the nature of the Jahabich. They were creatures created from the remains – the souls – of the fallen, shape-shifters who could assume the guise of their former selves. Therein lay the problem. As Sally’s ex had shown, when they were in their original forms, they possessed the memories, personality, and even a degree of the free will of their former selves. According to Christy, that made them abominations of nature. But weren’t they also victims?

And what if there was a way to free them?

“You goddamned bitch!” Sally snarled from close by, but I positioned my body between where I thought she was and Starlight.

Fuck me for being a softy, but I just couldn’t do it. Not to one of the few vampires I gave a shit about in this world. She’d just wanted to do right by Village Coven and had paid the price, all because I couldn’t leave one fucking severed head lying where I’d found it.

You’re weak. You deserve this.

I ignored the voice in my head. Fucking asshole. “If there’s anything left of you in there, Star,” I said as I struggled with her, finally lifting her from the floor, “then run!”

I spun, once, twice, and then let go – sending Starlight flying off into the smoke and debris.

“You fucking whore!” Sally screamed.

I turned to explain myself, and that’s when I realized I’d been wrong in assuming Starlight had been the focus of her outrage.

“I swear by everything that is unholy, Firebird, I will make you hurt before I fucking kill you ... GAH!”

Sally collapsed onto the floor, convulsing as if she’d just touched a live wire. I dropped to my knees by her side, trying to do what I could, but powerless to help.

I’d seen this before. I knew what was happening. She was remembering.

I thought she’d been pissed at Starlight, but I now saw my mistake. The true betrayal had been made by Firebird, and it had cost Sally someone she considered a friend, someone she actually cared about. Though that loss had been buried by Alexander’s compulsion, it was now resurfacing – perhaps with other memories, judging by the violent reaction.

“We do not have time for this, beloved.”

Goddamnit, but Gan was right. This was our one chance. I doubted we’d get another.

“Christy...”

“Don’t think about it for a second,” she snapped. “I’m in this until the end.”

Goddamned stubborn witch. Fine, then. Adam and Dave were slinking away a few feet behind us, heading toward what they probably hoped was the exit. It was the work of a mere second to catch them and drag them back.

“You two stay with Sally.”

“But...”

“
STAY WITH SALLY!!
”

I hated to compel them, but I didn’t have time to argue. They immediately froze in place. Ugh, that was no good. Robots weren’t going to get the job done. I snapped my fingers in front of them, hoping to snap them out of it.

Once they blinked their eyes a bit, I said, “Stay with her, watch over her.
Please
!”

“The witch is already on the move, my love.”

“Of course she is.”

Within the space of another second, so were we.

* * *

“I need you to gather your men,” I said as I tore the arm off a Jahabich that had tried to flank me. “Have them give us some cover.”

“My men are no more.”

“What? How do you know?”

“Who do you think was responsible for this destruction?” She punched straight through the stomach of a vampire who’d gotten too close – one of the civilians. Oh well, fuck it. He’d chosen the wrong side.

Gan spun and shoved the wounded vamp my way. I gladly caught him and sank my teeth into his neck – adding to the stolen power already racing through me. Oh yeah, I could dig this!

Wait, her men had been prisoners like the rest of us. “How’d they do it?”

“Pardon?”

I raised my voice. “How did your men do all this?”

“Their clothing had explosives sewn into the seams. When I gave my signal, they detonated. Why else would they have dispersed into the crowd, if not to cause maximum consternation for our enemies?”

Whoa. Vampire suicide bombers. “But how? All they had were knives and...”

“Do not be naïve, Dr. Death,” Gan chided as she pointed in a direction – probably the one Christy had taken. A flash of red fire through the smoke in front of us seemed to confirm that. “I believe in tradition, but am not so ignorant as to ignore modern strategy.”

“Well, okay then.” I really needed to stop underestimating her and remember she’d been raised by one of the great military minds of history. Maybe then I could ... hold on. “Sewn into their clothing? You mean like the stuff I’m wearing?”

“Indeed.”

“Are you fucking saying I’m wired to blow and you didn’t tell me?!”

“Yes, my love.”

“What the fuck am I supposed to do now?”

She turned to continue fighting, but before doing so glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “I would suggest you fight most carefully. It would indeed be a shame were you to be immolated before you could fulfill your destiny.”

“Hey, where are you going?”

The voice from up ahead caught my attention. It was very familiar to me. “Ed?”

In the ensuing chaos, Gan and I managed to fight our way through more of the Jahabich. They’d seemingly survived the explosions in far better shape than any vamps caught at ground zero.

Even so, with my little helper, I managed to suck on two more of the undead as we fought our way onward. Gan was a whirlwind of lethal action, her fighting skills making her look like a miniature Bruce Lee in a wig. I may not have had her black belt in Whateverthefuckfu, but what I did have on my side was increasing power from every vamp I managed to take a sip from.