The Vampire's Revenge (21 page)

Travis Rubio was the ancient Mayan vampire who had discovered Connie was his daughter the night he came to kill her. We’d known that a vampire had to have fathered Connie, but we had no way of knowing who until Travis saw that Connie was a dead ringer for her long-lost birth mother. Long story short, Travis had left Connie’s mother for what he believed to be her own good, assuming she was happily married to a human. Instead, she had borne his daughter, Connie, abandoned her to a group of nuns, and disappeared.

When Travis learned all this, he left immediately for Mexico City to find Connie’s mother and set things straight with her. Naturally, Connie was very interested in all this until she was activated as the Slayer. When her bloodlust kicked in it seemed all she could think about was her calling.

“I’m sorry, darlin’. I haven’t heard a word from him. But I promise to tell you the minute I do.”

She nodded, staring out the window. “I can’t stop thinking about my mother. I wonder if she married and had children. It’s possible she’s still alive. Maybe I have brothers and sisters out there somewhere.”

“Did you ever think about looking for her, the way some adopted kids search for their birth mothers?”

“I thought about it, but I didn’t want to hurt my mom and dad—the ones who raised me. And it just seemed impossible, given the circumstances. Nobody saw her abandon me at that shrine. It would be like looking for a needle in a foreign haystack.”

“I have a feeling if anybody can find a needle in a haystack, it’s a very motivated Travis Rubio.”

“Tell me everything you know about my father.”

“There’s not much to tell. You already know that he was an ancient Mayan priest. I’m not sure what he has been up to since the time the Maya died out.”

“Aside from getting my mother pregnant,” Connie pointed out.

“Right. From what I understand, he just roams around the southwest. He doesn’t stay anywhere for very long.”

“When he finally gets in touch with you, tell him to come back here whether he finds my mother or not. I have some questions for him.”

“I imagine you do,” I said. “I’ll tell him.”

“I’ve been worried about something else, too,” Connie said. “Do Deylaud and Reyha hate me after witnessing me kill William? My God, it must have been so awful for them.”

I thought about that. “They’re very loving creatures. They’ve been badly hurt, but they respond deeply to kindness and consistency. They’ll forgive you in time. I guess you got to know them all those times you came over to the house to study with Melaphia, huh?”

“Melaphia and Renee,” Connie moaned, covering her eyes with her hands. “I stabbed William right in front of their eyes. How will they ever get over it, especially that sweet little girl?”

I reached over and took her hand, pulling it gently from her face. “Listen. Melaphia and Renee understand the forces that made you do what you did. They’ll be happy to know that you’re the old Connie again and that you’re back on our side.”

Connie looked at me, her eyes glistening. “Thank you, Jack.”

“What for?”

“For forgiving me yourself. I can’t imagine how you’ve done it.”

I fought the urge to bring Connie’s hand to my lips. Instead I gave her fingers a friendly squeeze and let them go. “I imagine that wherever he is, William has forgiven you, too. How could I do any less? What happened wasn’t your fault. If Eleanor, Reedrek, and Damien hadn’t been there, it probably wouldn’t have happened at all. It’s not like you asked to be the vampire Slayer.”

Besides that, I love you,
I wanted to say. Instead, I went on. “I can’t wait to get on the phone with Iban and Tobey and tell them you’re back.” I had to develop a habit of touching base with the key players in the network of good vampires. William spent so many decades maintaining those connections.

“Tell them I’m sorry,” Connie said softly, looking out the window again.

“What are you thinking about?”

“I was just wondering about Olivia’s archives. What could be in those old scrolls that has you so worried?”

“Could be anything,” I muttered.

“Jack, I know you well enough to know that you’re fretting about something specific. What is it?”

I sighed. Connie could read me almost as well as William could. “I’m worried that there might be something in those ancient documents that might give the old lords a clue as to how to get rid of a vampire slayer.”

“Hmm. That would not be good,” she agreed. “I’m sure Olivia will get back to us as soon as she can.”

“I just hope they don’t get hit again.”

“You know what I wish?”

“What?” I asked.

“I wish we could take the fight right to them.”

The gleam in her eye made me shiver instinctively, but that didn’t make the thought less attractive. “You know what? I’m beginning to wish the same thing,” I admitted.

“I just wish I could . . . cut loose, you know? Against some real bad-guy vampires.”

“You got to do that already with the double-deads,” I pointed out.

“And it was—was—” She gestured excitedly, searching for the right word.

“Exhilarating?” I suggested.

She cocked her head to the side and waved her hands.

“Thrilling?”

She shook her head but flashed a brilliant smile. “It was
fun
!”

“Okay. Now I’m really scared. I don’t know if I should let you hang out with me or not. You might just drive a stake in my heart for entertainment’s sake.”

It was the wrong thing to say. Connie had just begun to shake off her guilt about William, but now she frowned again. “Don’t even kid about that. I came way too close to killing you last night.”

“Last night’s over and done with,” I said. “What happened then will never happen again.”

Now it was my turn to be depressed. Connie was on my wavelength, and she quickly changed the subject. “What makes you so sure you know how to find Mole?” Connie asked.

“The last time I saw him, before he showed up on the boat the other night, was in a bar he had taken a shine to.”

“What was so special about this bar?”

“It wasn’t the bar so much as the bartender. She took a liking to our little friend.”

“My gosh,” Connie said. “I hate to be mean, but Mole isn’t much to look at. I wonder what she saw in him.”

“I told her he had a fatal condition.”

“Why’d you tell her that?”

“I had to explain his, um, odd appearance. Besides, it’s kind of true.”

Connie made a face. “His condition isn’t fatal; it’s undead.”

“Close enough. Anyway, I sensed Sharona was the protective type.”

“Ah, that’s the Sharona he mentioned last night. I’m glad you think she’s a good woman.”

“She seemed fairly sweet on him. If he’s not at the bar, dollars to doughnuts the fair Sharona will know where he is.”

“For future reference, don’t say ‘doughnut’ to a cop unless you’re prepared to stop at a Krispy Kreme store within the next five minutes.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

When we pulled up at the bar and got out of the Escalade, we immediately knew something was wrong. The air reeked of old vampires. With a shared glance toward each other, we ran for the steps. I got to the door before Connie and burst inside with her right behind me.

There was no one behind the bar, but four humans huddled under a table in the corner, cowering. One of them pointed toward the back room. The gesture was an unnecessary one, since that’s where the screams were coming from.

“The front is clear,” I said. “Get out of here.” They scrambled on wobbly legs to do just that.

“Watch yourself,” I told Connie. “The double-deads you fought are nothing compared to these guys. These vamps are as smart as they are deadly.”

“I get it.”

I was glad Connie had decided to take her sword with her most everywhere nowadays. It was easily hidden by her long black leather coat.

I couldn’t imagine what she was going to do with it come summertime, though.

“Ready?” I unsheathed my fangs and grimaced widely to show them off.

Connie nodded and drew her sword.

I knocked down the door to the back room with one kick. Diana had poor Sharona by the throat. She had pushed her up against the wall, while Mole had been stripped to the waist and laid out on a pool table. He screamed in pain as Ulrich and Reedrek applied the broken end of a pool cue to his oozing chest. “It wasn’t I who tried to kill you!” he cried. “It was Eleanor!”

Reedrek looked shaken when he saw me, but when he glanced at the Slayer, his skin tone assumed the color of talcum powder. I was more than a little miffed, to be honest. I mean, what was I? Chopped liver?

“Why, if it isn’t the Slayer,” he said with his usual bravado. “How lovely to see you again. We barely got to meet you last night.”

Ulrich straightened and Diana blanched as white as Reedrek, but they recovered quickly. “I am Ulrich, Jack’s great-grandsire. And this is Diana.”

I didn’t want to take my eyes off the three evil vampires in case they made a sudden move, but a feeling made me glance at Connie beside me. She seemed to be vibrating with an unseen force. The whites of her eyes had turned almost red and her pupils were dilated. Her lips parted, revealing fangs that had grown longer and sharper than they were the last time I’d seen them. The recovery of her reason hadn’t been the last of her evolution into the full-grown Slayer. I realized that she was growing and changing even as I watched. She thrummed with power.

The other vampires could feel it as well. Even Mole had quit screaming and was staring at her. Although I was a little jealous of the effect she was having on them, I must admit it was way cool to see it—not to mention unbelievably hot. I waited silently, as they did, anxious to hear what she would say.

Connie raised the sword over her head and waved it around a few times. “Thanks for the introduction. So good to know who I’m about to kill. Who wants to go first?”

Unaccustomed to her brand-new adult set of fangs, she lisped slightly, causing that last phrase to come out sounding like
Who wantth to go firtht.
Her speech impediment didn’t make her words any less frightening. If any of the bloodsuckers found the lisp amusing, they knew better than to laugh.

“Looks like it’s on, folks,” I said, and started moving forward.

Seventeen

Diana released Sharona and came to stand at Ulrich’s right hand. Reedrek took his other side. But Ulrich, instead of meeting us with a united front, took another tack. He seized his offspring Reedrek by the shoulders and heaved him like a missile toward Connie. She sidestepped Reedrek’s body and let it sail past her and slam against the wall at our backs. He bounced and landed on the speckled linoleum floor.

Reedrek looked like he was down for the count. “What the hell?” I said. “Using a vampire as a bowling ball is just . . . lame.” Diana evidently took offense at my insult to her man. She flew at me so quickly her hair looked like a cascading golden blur. With one eye out for Connie, I caught Diana by the shoulders—right before her fangs reached my throat.

I grabbed her by the hair and tried to wrench her head around. Breaking her neck would not kill her, but it would weaken her enough to let me tear her throat out. She ripped herself free, leaving me with a handful of her blond crowning glory. She backed off to re-group, enraged that I’d torn out some of her lustrous locks. “You bastard!” she hissed, circling me.

Slowly, Connie advanced on Ulrich with her sword. He faked first one way and then the other, but he couldn’t fool her. She was locked onto him like a fighter jet’s laser-guided rocket. He pulled back his lips and thrust out his chin to bare the most awesome set of fangs I’d ever seen. His eyes glowed red as his entire face became monstrous. A glance at Connie told me she was intimidated by the show. Would she let it throw her off her game? Suddenly fighting at Connie’s side stopped sounding like fun. I was terrified for her and the baby.

I made a move to get between Connie and Ulrich, but Diana cut me off. Taking advantage of my momentary diversion, she went for my throat again. I raised my forearm to block her, and she sank her teeth into my biceps instead. I gritted my teeth to keep from crying out. Connie didn’t need any distractions.

I shook Diana off, but the move cost me a chunk of my arm. As my blood and flesh flew, the Slayer’s nose twitched. The scent of my blood had gotten her attention. She looked at Diana, then at Ulrich, with a level of fury I’d never seen on her face before, not even when she was in her unreachably inhuman phase.

Her eyes dilated and she held the sword high. Her fangs, her savage beauty, and her black leather outfit made her look like a female panther about to spring. She charged Ulrich and slashed diagonally with the blade. He jumped backward but not in time. His midsection became striped with blood. He roared with rage and pain and made a grab for Connie’s wrist. She couldn’t shake him off, but she didn’t lose her grip on her weapon either. It was almost as if the sword was part of her.

She reached out with her other hand and slapped Ulrich so hard across the face that his head snapped backward.

Sharona gasped. She had managed to stay out of the battle and make her way to Mole, helping him to sit up on the pool table. He clasped both hands to the wound on his chest.

The slap was not just any blow. It was a contemptuous, open-handed smack that was demeaning, even emasculating, in any language. To Ulrich, who was used to commanding respect wherever he went, it was maddening. I could see it on his face. He trembled with wrath.

“Prepare to die,
woman
!” He said the word as if it was a slur.

Connie grinned fiendishly. “I am the
Slayer.
Hear me roar.” And she did. Her shriek bounced off the walls and reverberated in my ears like marbles rattling in a tin can. Her sword arm still in Ulrich’s grasp, she thrust her boot against his bleeding torso so hard that it sent him crashing through the back door and down the concrete steps into the alley. Still she never let go of the blade.

Connie raced out the back door with Diana and me close behind. A quick glance toward Reedrek told me he was still senseless on the floor. Ulrich landed hard on his back and tried to get to his feet.