Vampire Mine

Chapter Twenty-one

Kick ’em in the balls!” Brynley called from the front porch.

Marielle didn’t know how to respond to that, but after seeing Connor close up and naked, she had a good idea what Brynley was referring to. It was her sixth night on Earth, about thirty minutes after sunset, and she was practicing her self-defense maneuvers in the clearing in front of the cabin.

“It is an effective strategy,” Connor said quietly beside her. “If one of the Malcontents gets his hands on you, knee him in the groin. Then plunge the dagger through his heart.”

She winced. She didn’t want to tell Connor she had no intention of killing anyone. Could she make it through the night by simply defending herself with blasts of air? Somehow, she had to. How could she be welcomed back to heaven if she ended a life?

“Can ye sense them yet?” Connor asked.

She closed her eyes and reached out. Deaths in hospitals, deaths in traffic accidents, a few murders. No horrendous mass murder in a warehouse. “No, not yet.”

Connor patted her shoulder. “Doona worry. Most likely, they are west of us and still in their death-sleep.”

She nodded. Upon awakening, Connor had immediately downed a bottle of blood. Then he’d started strapping on his weapons. A claymore on his back, a dagger in each sock, more knives and wooden stakes in his sporran along with an automatic pistol loaded with silver bullets.

He’d given her a belt to wear that had a leather sheath connected to it. The sheathed dagger was hidden underneath her hooded sweatshirt jacket.

Meanwhile, Vamps and shifters were gathering at Romatech. Angus had called and reported they were ready to move out. Sean Whelan had arrived, armed to the teeth.

While they waited for the sun to set over the Malcontents, Connor insisted Marielle practice. She was happy to stay busy. Otherwise, she would worry too much.

“Take me with you!” Brynley shouted for the third time.

Connor groaned. “I told you, no. Ye’re no’ trained for battle.”

“There’s a full moon tonight,” Brynley continued. “I have to shift anyway. Phil’s going. And three of his boys from school. Carlos is even letting the tiger shifter go. Why can’t I go, too?”

Connor glared at her. “They’ve been trained for battle. Ye havena.”

“I can take down an elk in sixty seconds!”

“I can only teleport one, and it has to be Marielle.”

“Then tell another Vamp to get his dead ass over here, so he can teleport me,” Brynley snapped. “If you let me go, I’ll stay close to Marielle and help keep her safe.”

That was obviously the right thing to say to Connor, for he pulled his cell phone out of his sporran and made a call.

“Brynley,” Marielle said. “This isn’t your fight. You don’t have to—”

“I want to.” Brynley gave her a sad smile. “You deserve all the help you can get.”

Connor dropped the phone back into his sporran. “Phineas is coming. He’ll take you to Romatech to join up with the others.”

Brynley nodded. “Thank you.”

“Hello?” a voice shouted from inside the cabin. Phineas peeked out the front door. “There you are.” He stepped out onto the porch. Like Connor, he had a sword strapped to his back. Around his hips, he wore a belt with a gun holster and several sheaths containing knives.

He looked Brynley over and smiled. “So is it true that you’ll need to take off your clothes before shifting?”

She jabbed him in the chest so hard, he stumbled back a step.

He rubbed his chest. “What the hell was that?”

Brynley glared at him. “That’s the stake that a Malcontent puts through your heart while you’re watching me strip, you moron.”

Connor chuckled. “She has a good point.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Phineas muttered. “Like I want to watch a perfectly good woman turn into a dog.”

Brynley whipped back a hand to slap him, but Phineas caught her wrist. “I’m faster than you, wolfie-girl.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I have a nasty bite.”

“So do I.” He pulled her into his arms and waved at Connor. “See you later, dude.” He vanished, taking Brynley with him.

“That was . . . interesting,” Marielle said.

“Aye.” Connor gathered her in his arms. “We’re alone now.”

She embraced him, resting her head on his chest. She felt him rubbing his chin against her hair.

“Marielle, I’ve asked Emma to keep an eye on you. Ye’ll be stationed outside the warehouse to catch anyone who escapes. Some of the newly turned vampires may try to run away. They willna have learned how to teleport yet.”

“I want to be with you.”

He shook his head. “We’ll be fighting hand-to-hand inside the warehouse. Yer blasting power wouldna be helpful there. Ye would be hitting our side as much as the Malcontents.”

She swallowed hard. “I hate to be separated from you.”

“ ’Tis for the best. Yer job is to find the Malcontents. After that, let us do our job.”

She nodded.

He kissed her on the mouth, a long, fierce kiss that left her knees weak and her thoughts reeling. Was this a farewell kiss in case something happened to him?

Please, God! Please protect him!

He released her and removed his phone from his sporran. “Try again. Can ye sense them now?”

She closed her eyes and reached out. Deaths rolled past her. Death caused by illness. Death caused by accidents.

She stiffened. Memphis, Tennessee. Screams of sheer terror. Thirty people dying all at once. In a warehouse. “I have it.”

He quickly made the call. “Angus, we’re going. Give us ten seconds.” He dropped the phone in his sporran and grabbed her.

She felt a cold stab on her brow as he rushed inside her mind and pounced on the destination. Everything went black.

They landed on a dark street, dimly lit by a street lamp on each end. All the street lamps closer by had been broken. On the right, the street was lined with abandoned stores, the glass fronts smashed and partially boarded up. On the left, a giant warehouse loomed, the same one they’d seen on the news report. There was no one in sight, but screams filled the air.

Dozens of Vamps materialized around them, using Connor’s tracking device as their beacon. Some came alone; others brought shifters or mortals with them. Marielle recognized Shanna’s father as he arrived with Roman. Sean Whelan pushed away and drew his weapons—a huge pistol and a long, sharp dagger. The Vamps unsheathed their swords.

Robby led a group silently around to the back of the warehouse.

Emma dashed up to Marielle. “This way,” she whispered. “We have to guard the shifters.”

Marielle gave Connor one last look as she was led away. May God bless you and keep you.

He nodded as if he had heard her, then turned to follow Angus into the warehouse.

Her blood ran cold at the sound of their tremendous war cry, followed by gunshots and the clashing of swords.

“Hurry!” Emma dragged her across the street where the shifters had gathered in an alley between two abandoned stores.

“There could be Malcontent guards roaming the area,” Emma told her. “I’ll watch the other end of this alley. You watch this one. Don’t let anyone near till the shifters are ready.”

Marielle caught a glimpse of the shifters stripping, then turned her back to stand guard. She shuddered as the sound of the battle in the warehouse grew even louder. Amid the din of gunfire and swords clashing, a scream rent the air. She winced. It had sounded so human. She hoped the mortals wouldn’t die. Or the Vamps. Or Connor. Her heart constricted with a sharp pang. She couldn’t bear to lose him.

“There’s one! Get her!” a man shouted at the end of the street.

She spotted two men just before they vanished. Malcontents. Before she could shout a warning, they reappeared right in front of her. They pounced, but she sent them flying backward so hard, they crashed into the warehouse.

Her hands shook, and her heart thundered in her ears. Good heavens, that had been close!

A tremendous roar sounded behind her.

She spun around. “Ack!” Her heart lurched.

A huge Kodiak bear was standing on its hind legs, growling at her. She stumbled to the side and bumped into a broken sidewalk curb.

The bear dropped down on all fours and dashed toward the warehouse, followed closely by four large wolves, and the largest panther and tiger she’d ever seen.

The bear and panther attacked the two Malcontents she’d thrown against the warehouse, ripping their heads off. The two vampires turned to dust.

Marielle’s stomach cringed. The shifters charged into the warehouse, and soon after, more screams pierced the air.

“Good work.” Emma patted Marielle on the back.

A lone wolf trotted to the other side of the alley and sat there on its haunches.

“Brynley?” Marielle whispered.

The wolf looked at her, then bared its teeth and growled.

Startled, Marielle stepped back.

“Damn.” Emma pulled a knife and threw it spinning through the air right past Marielle.

Marielle whirled around just in time to see the knife thud into a Malcontent’s heart and turn him to dust. The knife clattered onto the sidewalk.

“That was close,” Emma muttered. “Thanks, Brynley.”

Marielle pressed a hand against her pounding heart. Her stomach felt twisted and queasy.

“Are you all right, dear?” Emma asked. “I could teleport you to Romatech in a flash.”

She shook her head. “I’m not leaving Connor.”

“Oh.” Emma’s eyes took on a speculative look as she leaned over to retrieve her knife. She straightened with a jerk. “Here they come.”

A swarm of newly turned, frantic vampires burst out the front door, screaming and hissing.

Marielle hit them with an air blast that sent them crashing into one another and the warehouse.

Emma dashed toward them, a stake in each hand. She turned four of them to dust before the vampires could even scramble to their feet. Brynley leaped on them, ripping and tearing into their bodies till they turned to dust.

More vampires escaped. Marielle couldn’t blast them without hitting Emma and Brynley. She recognized Shanna’s father exiting the warehouse, shouting and slashing away at the vampires.

A Malcontent broke loose from the crowd and ran down the street. Marielle knocked him down with a blast of air.

“I’ll kill you!” Sean Whelan raced after him.

The vampire jumped to his feet. Sean fired, but his pistol only made a clicking noise. He tossed the gun down and charged at the vampire with his dagger.

The vampire grabbed Sean’s arm, and the two locked in a struggle, falling onto the ground and rolling about.

“Oh God, no,” Marielle breathed as she moved closer.

The vampire overpowered Sean, knocked him flat onto the street, wrenched the dagger from his hand, and plunged it into his torso.

Marielle gasped. No! She couldn’t let Shanna’s father die.

The vampire’s fangs shot out, and he sank them into Sean’s neck. Marielle couldn’t blast him away without also hitting Sean.

She looked around frantically. Emma and Brynley were busy killing vampires by the warehouse door. And Sean’s attacker was lying on top of him, draining him dry.

She had to do it. Tears filled her eyes as she pulled the dagger from her belt. God forgive me. She estimated where the vampire’s heart would be, then plunged the dagger into his back. He turned to dust.

She stepped back, and a wave of nausea hit her. The dagger tumbled onto the street with a clatter.

“What are you doing here, Marielle?”

She spun around and saw Zackriel walking toward her. “Is Buniel here? Can he heal this man?” She motioned toward Shanna’s father.

Zackriel looked at Sean Whelan, then at the small battle that Emma and Brynley waged, and shook his head. “There will be no Healers here tonight. Only Deliverers.”

She swallowed hard at the bile in her throat. “What about the humans inside?”

“All thirty are dead.” Zackriel gave her an annoyed look. “Do you really think this is the way back to heaven?”

She stepped back and stumbled over the dagger she’d dropped. Oh God, what had she done? “Zack—” She turned toward him.

He was gone.

“Help me,” Sean wheezed. Blood oozed from his stomach wound and the open gash on his neck. He reached out a trembling hand.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. She couldn’t even hold his hand without killing him.

His hand fell limp onto the hard pavement.

Their strategy had worked, Connor noted with satisfaction as he skewered another Malcontent through the heart. Casimir’s followers were falling like flies, caught completely by surprise. Corky Courrant and her cameraman were running about, shrieking, and trying to hide behind stacks of lumber.

He glanced over at Roman to make sure the former monk was doing all right. Roman was holding his own. Jean-Luc Echarpe was watching Roman’s back just as he had done during the Great Vampire War.

Angus and Robby were both attacking the ring of Malcontents that surrounded Casimir. Connor wanted to join them, but twice he had to engage Malcontents who came close to killing Sean Whelan. Shanna’s father was fighting like a madman, taking such foolish risks that Connor wondered if the man had come to commit suicide.

He knew the battle was over after the shifters charged in, and most of the surviving fledglings ran screaming for the front door, trying to escape. The poor fools had thought they were gaining immortality by becoming Casimir’s vampire minions. No doubt they were shocked to find themselves dying the very next night.

With the number of Malcontents dwindling fast, Sean Whelan was having an easier time of it. He was fighting a fledgling with dismal fencing skills. Connor turned to help Angus and Robby as they fought to destroy some of Casimir’s most experienced swordsmen.

Robby broke through the ring and made a swipe at Casimir, slicing his shoulder.

Casimir teleported away, then yelled at them from the top of a stack of wood. “I am sick of evading you! You’re like a pack of rats, always scurrying about and keeping me from fulfilling my destiny! I want this ended, once and for all. Tomorrow after sunset. Mount Rushmore.”

He vanished, and his followers who knew how to teleport followed him. All that was left was a few fledglings trying to escape.

Connor glanced over to where he’d last seen Sean Whelan, but he was gone. The fool must have gone outside to fight more fledglings.

“A final battle?” Robby turned to his great-grandfather. “Tomorrow night?”

Angus sighed. “Most likely a trap.”

Connor had to agree, but with the current battle moving out onto the street, his thoughts returned to Marielle. He charged outside, slashing at any Malcontents in his way.

He reached the street and spotted Marielle kneeling beside a body. She was alive! “Marielle!”

When she looked up, he saw the tears on her face.

He ran toward her. “Marielle, are ye all right?”

She shook her head. “I’ve been praying, but none of the Healers will come.”

Connor jerked to a stop when he saw Sean Whelan bleeding to death on the street. “Oh no.”

“Even Bunny won’t come,” Marielle cried. “They’ve given up on me.”

Connor looked back toward the warehouse entrance and spotted more Vamps coming out. “Roman! Angus! Over here!”

A group of Vamps dashed over.

Connor knelt beside Marielle. “He barely has a heartbeat.”

“God’s blood.” Roman turned pale as he looked Whelan over. “This will kill Shanna.”

Angus turned to Robby. “Bring her here.”

Robby nodded and vanished.

“Shit,” Phineas muttered. “I knew it was crazy for that dude to come here.” He looked at Roman. “Why don’t you take him to Romatech? Give him some blood.”

Roman shook his head. “He would be dead by the time we got the transfusion started. And that wound to his stomach—it’s not something we can just patch up.”

Connor stood. “It would heal if he were a Vamp.”

Roman stiffened. “Are you suggesting—”

“Aye,” Connor replied. “But if we’re going to do it, we’d better be quick.”

Robby reappeared with Shanna.

She gasped and fell to her knees beside her father. “Dad!” She touched his face. “Oh God, no! Dad, please don’t go like this.” She turned a tearful face to Roman. “Can’t you do something?”

Roman shook his head slightly. “He only has a few minutes left.”

Tears streamed down Shanna’s face as she looked at all the Vamps. “I thought you guys would protect him! How could you let this happen?”

Connor shifted his weight. Bugger. He’d saved Whelan’s life twice tonight. He’d thought the man was safe when only a few fledglings were left.

“I’m so sorry,” Marielle whispered. She picked up a dagger beside her. “I used this on the vampire who was attacking him. But I was too late.”

Connor’s breath hitched. Marielle had killed to protect Whelan? No wonder she looked so pale and devastated.

“He might survive if we transform him,” Angus said.

Shanna gasped.

“Dude,” Phineas mumbled. “He hates vampires.”

“He might see us in a different light if he was one of us,” Connor argued.

“That’s an excellent point,” Angus said. “We wouldna have to worry anymore about him turning on us.”

“Unless he gets so pissed by waking up Undead that he kills us all,” Phineas grumbled.

“I can’t believe you’re discussing this like a business decision,” Shanna yelled. “Weighing the pros and cons while he’s dying? He’s my father!”

“Then what do ye think?” Robby asked. “Would yer father choose to be one of us? Or would he rather die?”

Shanna blinked. “I—” She looked down at her father, then back up at the Vamps. “Yes. Yes, do it.”

The Vamps glanced at one another.

“What are you waiting for?” Shanna asked. “He’s dying! Do it!”

Connor looked at Angus. “Ye do it. It was yer idea.”

“Nay, ye were the first one to suggest it. Ye do it.”

Connor glanced down at Whelan. Just the thought of sinking his teeth into the bastard made him shudder. “I’m no’ touching him.” He nudged Phineas. “Ye do it.”

“I don’t even know how!” Phineas poked at Robby. “You do it.”

“Why me?” Robby turned to Angus. “Ye’re the expert. Ye do it.”

Angus grimaced. “I’m no’ doing it. I hate the bugger.”

“Stop it!” Shanna screamed. “You— Forget it! I’ll do it myself.”

“Shanna, you don’t know how,” Roman said. He closed his eyes and groaned. “God’s blood. I guess I have to do it.”

“You guess?” Shanna cried. “He’s your father-in-law. Are you going to just let him die?”

“He threatens to kill me every time he sees me.” Roman knelt on the other side of Sean. He leaned over him and shuddered.

“What’s wrong?” Shanna asked.

“I’m having trouble getting my fangs to come out,” he muttered.

Shanna touched his hair. “Do it for me.”

Roman hesitated. “I’m trying.”

“He hates you,” Shanna said softly. “He told me he wants to plunge a hot poker through your heart and dance on your ashes.”

“Bastard!” Roman’s fangs sprang out, and he sank them into Sean.

Marielle flinched. The other Vamps nodded with approval, but she looked away.

Connor pulled her to her feet. “Ye doona need to watch. Let me get ye out of here.”

“Will he be all right?” she asked.

“We willna know for sure until tomorrow night.” Connor led her down the street. “Ye look like ye’ve been through a wringer. I’ll take you back to the cabin. Ye can shower and eat.”

“I can’t eat.”

“Then ye can rest.” He touched her cheek. “Ye did verra well, sweetheart.”

She shook her head. “I’m afraid I’ve ruined everything. The Archangels will never let me back into heaven now. I killed a living being.”

“Nay, ye killed a vampire, an unholy creature who was already half dead and attacking a mortal. Yer act of bravery may have saved Shanna’s father.”

“I know he was a vampire, but he had a human soul, Connor, just like you. And I killed him! They’ll never let me back into heaven.”

“Of course they will! So ye killed one nasty, murdering Malcontent. ’Tis no’ like ye slaughtered a dozen men in a fit of rage!”

She gasped.

He winced. Bugger. He’d gone too far. “Come on. Let’s go back to the cabin.” He gathered her in his arms so they could teleport.

“Wait.” Her eyes narrowed. “Is that what you did, Connor? Is that the secret you’ve been hiding?”