Vampires' Consort: Magical Menages, Book 2 (21 page)

Instead he was cruising around in a parking garage without even knowing what Overton’s vehicle looked like. Not that he’d find it, because the man must be long gone by now. Valarian took a turn too fast and slammed on the brakes as someone stepped out in front of him.

Jacob wrenched open the door and vaulted into the car. “Drive.”

“I’ve lost him. I don’t know where to go.” Valarian drove forward, thrust a twenty at the booth attendant and rolled on without waiting for change.

Jacob held up a small black box. “GPS. While you were casing the ballroom, I waited here for Overton to arrive, then put a tracking device on his Mercedes. Turn left.”

Valarian obeyed, making an illegal turn across traffic to head south. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t get a chance. I sure as hell didn’t think you were going to confront him publicly. The plan was to follow him.”

“He saw me.”

“So you made a scene and exposed his fangs? Now he’s got less reason than ever to keep Akila alive.”

“Isn’t this what you both wanted, to unmask Overton and nip his plan in the bud?”

“Not like this. Not while he has her.”

“She’ll be all right. We’ll find and save her.” Valarian assured himself as well as Jacob, but had a hard time believing his words.

“Turn right at the next street,” Jacob directed.

Both men fell silent. Lobbing recrimination and anger wouldn’t bring Akila back. Besides, Valarian was grateful to Jacob for having the foresight to plant the device. He’d kept his head while Valarian had lost control and operated on emotion—something he hadn’t done for many years.

Valarian held back a good distance from the gray Mercedes. With the GPS tracker affixed to the undercarriage, they didn’t have to be within sight of the vehicle, making it much easier to follow. Soon they drove out of the congestion of the city then exited the Atlantic City Expressway to travel a state route. Without the cover of other vehicles, Valarian was forced to fall back even farther.

The road wound through the Pine Barrens, a national reserve of untouched forest. Occasionally they passed an overlook for a scenic view or a camping area, but the Barrens wasn’t home to any upscale tourist resorts. Pines, pines and more pines shrouded the road in murky green shade.

Valarian glanced at Jacob, whose gaze was pinned to the GPS unit in his hands—their one link to Akila. Not only had Valarian put the woman they both loved in danger by not being honest with her, but he’d risked the loss of Jacob’s trust too. In his long life as a vampire he’d had other thralls, but none who’d meant as much to him as Jacob. He couldn’t stand the idea that Jacob might not forgive him for this.

“I handled this badly from the beginning,” he confessed. “Akila trusted us and I should’ve been clear with her about everything. I certainly shouldn’t have let her leave the island unprotected under the circumstances. I apologize for everything I did. But we’ll get her back. It’ll be all right.”

“I hope so.” Jacob sighed then added, “I know you didn’t intentionally drive her into danger. You made a mistake in judgment. Now all that matters is that we work together to fix it.”

Valarian accepted Jacob’s gruff words of forgiveness in the spirit they were meant.

“You bring weapons?”

“A few. Picked up a pistol and a few axes and blades.”

Valarian nodded. If they were heading into a group of vampires, bullets wouldn’t be of much use except to slow them down a little. He hadn’t had much need for a sword in several decades, but he and Jacob had continued to spar and practice. They might have to slash their way to Akila, but they were both up to it. As a matter of fact, he was kind of spoiling for it.

“You prepared well. But then you always did before a mission.”

“Because you taught me well,” Jacob replied. “Leah supplied the vehicle and weapons. She’s got quite an arsenal. I paid her, but she says she’ll be expecting a return favor from you sometime when she calls for it.”

“Ah. Leah.” He’d forgotten the vampire he’d had a few weeks of sizzling sex with a couple of decades ago. Thank God, Jacob had remembered she lived in New Jersey. “How is she?”

“Fine. Sends her best. Turn off here. Overton’s stopped.”

Valarian pulled off the road and drove through some scrub brush into a stand of trees that would conceal the Explorer. It was late afternoon. The thick pines shielded the ground from most of the sun’s rays. He pulled up the hood of his jacket and stepped out of the safety of the vehicle with specially tinted windows.

He and Jacob armed themselves with a sword and ax each and then forged through the undergrowth until they reached the gray Mercedes. It was parked at the end of a rutted trail along with a half dozen other vehicles. From there, a footpath led through the woods along the edge of a lake.

“Cameras.” Valarian pointed out the security cams attached to the trees at intervals and aimed at the path. “Wouldn’t be surprised if the woods are mined.”

He led the way, keeping an eye out for trip wires or armed guards. This sanctuary of Overton’s would not be easy to breech. The sound of a large animal rustling through the leaves stopped him in his tracks, and Jacob froze too.

A man armed with an assault rifle strolled past several yards away. He was smoking a cigarette and looked bored. Valarian’s muscles tensed with the powerful desire to attack, but it wouldn’t be a good idea to take out a guard who might be expected to check in periodically. Best to let the man pass—and it was a man, not a vampire, one of Overton’s thralls given the thankless job of patrolling the perimeter of the compound.

The man flicked ash off his cigarette and stomped gracelessly through the woods, pushing branches out of his way and cursing when briars clung to his legs. “Fucking Noonan.” Presumably the man who’d assigned him this detail.

The guard had almost disappeared back into the woods, just a flash of camouflage showing, when some small sound caught his attention and he spun back around. He took the rifle from his shoulder and trudged toward the spot where Jacob and Valarian were hidden.

When his gaze met Valarian’s, the man’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. That brief hesitation before pointing his rifle cost him his life. Valarian leaped toward him, blood rushing through his veins and his constant hunger unleashed. No holding back, no conscience, no moral dilemma—his killing nature was unfettered and free to do what came naturally.

He landed on the man, knocking the rifle from his hands and biting into his throat. Sweet, metallic warmth flood his mouth and poured down his throat. Valarian drank until his need was sated and the man beneath him grew cold and still.

Akila had been riveted to the images on the TV for the past few hours as every station broadcast the breaking news about Candidate Dale Overton and multi-billionaire Valarian Kaspan. The footage of the men fighting was shown over and over from every possible angle that had been covered by a camera.

For the hundredth time, she watched Jacob tackle Overton and the vampire throw him off. Then Overton turned, snarling and revealing fangs. There the image froze while the reporters and their expert guests discussed every possible theory other than vampirism that they could come up with. She flipped channels and caught the clash between Valarian and the vampire bodyguard, two men with obvious fangs, bashing at each other with super strength. The pundits on that channel didn’t even try to deny the possibility of vampires. Instead, they discussed what accepting the reality of a paranormal element would mean to society and tried to ascertain how large of a segment of the population might actually be vampires.

“A witch-hunt will be forthcoming,” Akila muttered as she changed the channel again.

This station showed the dramatic footage of the vampire conflagration, leaving a steaming, sooty mess on the pavement. It was reported that roadblocks were going up as police and the sheriff’s department scrambled to find either Overton or Kaspan. The anchorman interviewed a lawyer, who pointed out that neither man had actually committed a crime to be arrested for. What were the legal ramifications of such an unprecedented case? Could a person be put behind bars merely for being a vampire?

Akila stood and forced herself to put down the remote, although she kept the TV on in case there were any updates. She prayed Valarian and Jacob were safe and on their way to help her. At least now she knew they were aware Overton had her, but finding where he’d hidden her might not be so easy. She couldn’t count on being rescued.

For two hours she’d done nothing but stare at the stupid TV set. She had to take some sort of action. She couldn’t wait here for Overton to decide she was more of a liability than a prize and kill her. Hell, he could make a call and have one of his henchmen in here disposing of her any second now. She’d armed herself with a roughly pointed stick of wood, but if there were several vampires, she could hardly fend them off with that.

Frustrated by her helplessness, she tried to think of all the movies she’d ever seen and how the heroine escaped from a seemingly inescapable prison. According to Valarian, real vampires weren’t affected by garlic, crosses, religious incantations or holy water. But the holy water gave her an idea of a way she might at least temporarily disable anyone who came through the door long enough for her to run past them.

Electrocution would slow down even a vampire, wouldn’t it?

Akila went to the bathroom, emptied bath products from a decorative basket and began to fill the basket with water from the tub. She carried the leaking container to the door of her cell and tossed it onto the floor then went to fill another.

After she’d created a puddle in front of the door, bordered by rolled-up towels to give it shape, she stripped the cord from one of the table lamps until the wires were exposed, praying it would create a charge when she threw it into the puddle. Then she settled down to wait for one of her jailers. They’d been as prompt as the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace about bringing her meals. Adrenaline surged through her veins and knotted her muscles. Her plan was weak, but she had to try something, no matter how crazy, to at least try to escape.

She tensed at the sound of approaching footsteps and the click of the lock. Then the door swung open and the bald guard walked through the door, followed by a woman bearing a tray. In the half second it took for them to note the condition of the floor and look puzzled, Akila hurled the plugged-in lamp. It hit the server, knocking the tray from her hands, and then crashed to the floor, creating not even a spark in the shallow pool of water.

Akila ran toward the door, hoping to take advantage of the moment of confusion to slip out. But the balding man leaped in front of her, growling and fangs on display. He caught her by the throat, lifted her off her feet and tossed her across the room. Her back hit the arm of the sofa and her head connected with the edge of the coffee table. Pain and terror lanced through her before everything went dark.

Chapter Sixteen

The building, nestled on a pine-covered bluff overlooking a valley filled with more pines, could have been a hunting lodge. The rustic wood exterior didn’t hide the fact that it was a retreat for the wealthy and elite—a private getaway for vampires, who probably did do some hunting, although not here in the woods. There was no parking lot for vehicles, as they were stationed some distance away and the only approach to the place was on foot.

Jacob and Valarian were approaching on foot, too, but not by the established pathway. After taking out one member of the patrol team, they had a radio to keep them apprised of what was going on. When someone called for Burton to check in, Valarian replied with a grunted “all clear” that seemed to satisfy the command post.

They squatted in the brush, assessing the lodge’s points of entry while Jacob scanned the building with the thermal detector. Rainbow-colored figures were everywhere and Valarian doubted he and Jacob would be able to infiltrate undetected. Before this was over, they’d probably have to fight their way through a small army of vampires. He was spoiling for battle and if he hadn’t been worried about Akila’s safety, would’ve enjoyed the chance for a bit of violence after living in a self-imposed cage for so long.

He leaned to whisper to Jacob. “We’ll go in here—” he tapped the scanner “—take out these two, then sweep our way through the place, killing them all.” The tactic had worked well for them during their Nazi-hunting days, but of course that prey had been human and therefore easier. Now they’d be up against superior strength
and
advanced home-invasion technology. “One by one, just like the old days.”

Jacob nodded, tucked away the scanner and drew a two-foot blade from the sheath on his belt.

Valarian rested a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll get her. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not. I’ve never known you not to get the job done.” Jacob met his gaze. “And I know you care about her as much as I do, so don’t
you
worry. Now, fight safe and don’t take too many chances.” He put his free arm around Valarian and gave him a hard, one-armed hug before heading off, leaving the tall ferns swaying behind him.

They darted around the side of the building, taking cover behind trees or shrubs. There were more cameras perched like birds on branches at intervals, and Valarian could only hope they’d slip through the grid unnoticed. Chances were slim, but so were their options.

Jacob reached the side door they’d chosen. A mounted camera was trained on the entrance. Jacob sprayed the lens with black paint he’d brought along for that purpose. If whoever monitored the cameras hadn’t been focused on that particular screen for a few seconds, they might make it through. Unfortunately, their entire plan revolved around mights and maybes.

Valarian tested the door handle. Naturally it was locked. He pressed the intercom button and a second later a female voice demanded his identity.

“Burton.” He used the name of the dead guard.

“What do you need?” The woman sounded annoyed but not overly suspicious.

“Just open the fuck up,” Valarian growled. The last thing he wanted was to have to break down the door and set off an alarm system. With the tiniest bit of luck, they could gain entry and then eliminate the few guards in proximity.