Bonded by Blood

chapter TWENTY-SIX

“MISS SHAW, MEET your boyfriend’s brother, Alfonso Serrano. He’s one of my lieutenants and has been for years.”

She shrank from Alfonso as he loomed above her. Before she knew what was happening, he clamped a strong hand on her shoulder and pulled her away from Corey. Like a mother bear protecting its young, she kicked at his legs, swung her handcuffed arms, but it was like hitting a steel pillar. He slid an arm around her neck and held her immobile.

“Bastard,” she breathed.

“He doesn’t subscribe to the apostasy of his brother—or his whole family, for that matter. Or the rest of the Council and their Agency lackeys. He believes in the supremacy of the vampire race, as do all those affiliated with the Darkblood Alliance. Isn’t that right, Alfonso?”

“Yes, m’lord.”

“Your boyfriend may have gotten the tenacity, but his brother here got the brains.”

Alfonso dipped his head and kept his eyes on the ground as Pavlos continued.

“We are the superior race, Miss Shaw, and I’m afraid that you’re just a delicious dietary requirement.”

Mackenzie watched in horror as the guard strapped Corey to a gurney and Pavlos approached him. Although she couldn’t be sure, it felt as though Alfonso’s grip around her neck softened once Pavlos had turned away from her.

“Don’t worry. He won’t kill him right now.” The words were spoken so softly against her ear that she thought she may have imagined them. She swiveled around as best she could, but Alfonso’s expression was dark and guarded; only the muscle at the base of his jaw twitched.

Corey whimpered on the table as Pavlos took his hand.

“Unfortunately, Miss Shaw, as a sweetblood female in her childbearing years, you’re too valuable to sate my temporary needs with right now. But if you don’t pass our tests, we’ll get to know each other a hell of a lot better. I promise.”

Tests? A new round of panic shot through her. They’d find out she wasn’t capable of getting pregnant and would be worthless to them. Either way, death would be a better alternative.

His wicked yellow smile made her gag; she didn’t attempt to disguise her contempt. “But your brother on the other hand, he’s just a bonus. Nice to have, but definitely not necessary. If I slip up, oh, well.”

He brushed the tip of his nose along the inside of Corey’s wrist and inhaled. “Mmm, you Shaws smell simply delectable. Even those without the sweetblood. Your father wasn’t Sangre Dulce, did you know that?”

Her father? Mackenzie felt as if she had been punched. Pavlos kept talking but it took a moment for her auditory nerves to start functioning again.

“But he obviously carried the gene, as he passed it along to you. I do remember him being surprisingly sweet for a Standard. Let’s see.” He tapped his forehead. “San Diego? Has it been twenty years yet?” Mackenzie gasped. “You see, your family and I go way back. I’ve been feeding off them for years. And I never forget a good one.” He snapped his fingers and a guard produced a cluster of small cards on a three-inch metal ring. Pavlos sifted through what had to be thirty or forty before he opened the ring and flung one at her. “When I heard you were on your way, I fished that out of my mementos. Thought you’d enjoy seeing it.”

The white card lay crooked at her feet. She toed it with her sneaker to straighten it. A California driver’s license. The picture was small, but unmistakable.

It was the smiling face of her father.

DOM CRANKED THE steering wheel and brought the SUV to a halt on the side of Highway 2. Mackenzie’s sudden agony struck him like a whip and he sucked in a deep breath. Since he’d been driving, he’d felt her a few other times, caught snippets of her thoughts, but this was the strongest. Could he be getting closer?

He sensed that she was crying and his arms ached to hold her. To protect her.

Kenz, are you out there? Am I getting close?

Dom…Corey… –doned old building…middle of nowhere…my father…

A few more words this time, but still not enough. His cell phone vibrated.

“Lily, talk to me.”

“Just got a text from my contact. He’s at the lab now, but he arrived on a day transport and isn’t sure of the exact location. From downtown Seattle in rush hour, it took them an hour and fifteen. He thinks it’s northeast of the city, but isn’t sure.”

Northeast? Dom was northeast of the city now, on the highway leading over Stevens Pass. An hour and fifteen? Was he north enough? Or east enough? Or had he gone too far? The night sky was beginning to lighten. Daybreak was less than an hour away. He didn’t have much time.

“And, Dom?”

“Yeah?”

“Pavlos is there.”

MACKENZIE’S BODY WENT boneless and her ears rang with the pain of growing up without a dad. No fatherly arms to comfort her. No one to protect her from spiders, or joke with her first date about inflicting bodily harm if she came home late. No one to teach her to drive or give her away at her wedding. No grandfather to hold her baby in his arms.

All because of him.

Her nostrils flared and a burning heat made her fingers and toes tingle. Flexing her fists, she narrowed her gaze on the monster who had destroyed her family. Her breath stilled and she wanted with all her heart to see him die. The ringing in her ears increased to freight train-like intensity until she exploded with rage.

She twisted, kicked, scratched, but Alfonso held her tight. She didn’t care that if she had broken free, she’d still be no match for Pavlos or any of his people. She wanted to gouge his eyes out. To see his life ebb painfully away for what he had done to her family and Dom’s. A stake would be too kind. She envisioned crushing his skull beneath her boot and peeling that hideous skin from his face with her nails.

“I’m going to kill you,” she screamed at him when she subsided enough to realize the only attack she could mount against him right now was a verbal one.

“Is she always this feisty?” Pavlos leaned comfortably against Corey’s gurney as if he were being entertained, a hint of amusement in his expression. “I may have to rethink this whole experiment thing and keep her for myself anyway. Could be rather exciting. A veritable family affair.”

He turned his attention back to Corey and leaned in close. “We’re going to find out if you carry the gene, as well. We’ve preyed on your delicious family for generations, but then…you probably figured that out.”

“What the—” Corey choked, struggled against the bindings when he saw the fangs.

Mackenzie groaned and lunged again, but Alfonso’s hands were twin vises on her arms.

With thick, drug-dealer-length nails, Pavlos stroked two fingers over the inside of Corey’s wrist, tapping the skin lightly to locate the vein. “Your sister has been keeping a little secret from you. Actually, it’s not quite a little secret. I’d consider it to be a big one. But I intend to inform you of the truth. All of it. At the moment, however, I’m a little thirsty. Talking does that to me.” He brought Corey’s hand up to his mouth and plunged his fangs into his wrist.

MACKENZIE WAS IN the same room as him. A coldness settled into Dom’s bones and gripped his heart just like it had when he’d discovered his parents. The thought of Pavlos even breathing the same air as her made him want to kill something. And here he was, so goddamn helpless, not knowing if he was getting closer or farther away from her.

He grabbed his phone and called the field office. “Cordell, run a search for abandoned buildings—it’d be a large facility—northeast of Seattle. An hour and fifteen minutes away during rush hour…narrow your search to a ten- to twenty-five-mile radius and see what you come up with. I’m on Highway 2, just past Monroe and I’m feeling Mackenzie’s presence a little stronger around here.”

His phone beeped. Call waiting.

“I gotta take this. Call me the moment you have something.” He pressed the touch screen. “Lily, anything?”

“No, haven’t heard anything else from my contact. But that last text was pretty garbled, he must have been typing quickly. Dom, it’s getting early. I’m in Kirkland right now, but I don’t think I can make it up to where you are before daybreak. I’m going to have to find a safe house for the day. Know of any decent ones nearby?”

One who wouldn’t mind housing a smart-ass vampire who talks like a truck driver? “Yeah, I know of a few.”

“Sorry, I can’t get there to help. At the end of the day, I’ll head back out. And, Dom, if you find the place before I get there, be careful. And remember, I’ve…ah…got a guy on the inside and—”

“Yeah, you told me that already.”

“Well, he means a lot to—”

The phone beeped again. Cordell.

“Gotta go, Lil.” And he clicked over to the other call.

“Dom, there’s an old prison,” Cordell said. “It was abandoned years ago after a severe flood washed out the road, damaging most of the lower levels. A newer, more modern facility was built in nearby Monroe. That might be the place you’re looking for.”

“Give me the coordinates and I’ll check it out.”

As he waited for the information to transfer to his navigation system, he slipped into a Daysuit. Made from UV-resistant material, it was designed to offer emergency protection from the sun, though the effects were so transient the suits couldn’t be relied on for everyday use. When the location came through, he did a double-take. He’d been down that road several times already. He remembered seeing a stand of cottonwoods near the road with a large sprawling pasture and forest behind it. Was that where the old prison was? Somewhere within the forest, cloaked by the Darkbloods?

Dom took the next exit and headed back to Trilby Road. Cordell had found a sketchy layout of the prison and a few photos online, all of which he forwarded to Dom’s phone.

Ten minutes later, Dom swerved onto an overgrown, no longer maintained road. When he passed a bullet-ridden sign announcing the correctional facility was a quarter mile ahead, he parked the SUV in the bushes and jumped out. The smell of sweetbloods was thick in the air. He muttered a silent prayer of thanks and stretched out his thoughts to Mackenzie. A faint heartbeat thrummed behind his eardrums.

Kenz, can you hear me? I’m here, baby. I’m coming to get you out.

Dom? It was just a whisper, but it was all the confirmation he needed.

With single-minded focus, he strapped on his weapons, grabbed a duffel bag full of other goodies, and when he sprinted down the road, he clicked the headset.

“Cordell, this is it. Send the coordinates to the other field units.”

“It’s almost daybreak. They won’t have enough time.”

“Then use the goddamn Daytrans and tell them to suit up.”

“But—”

“I don’t care about protocol. I’m going in now.” The Council could exile him to Siberia or revoke his Guardian status for all he cared. All that mattered was Mackenzie.

It wasn’t until he was almost upon the cloaking field that he sensed the electric charge. The hairs on his arm stood up, and a high-pitched ringing—almost out of his hearing range—was barely audible. When the air shimmered in front of him in the early morning light, like a heat wave rising from the ground, he knew he’d reached his target.

He followed the perimeter of the field, looking for the perfect place to breach the shield. He’d have to be ready when he went through. For all he knew, there was an army of Darkbloods waiting for him on the other side.

With a blade in one hand and his Glock in the other, he took a running start and dove through with the telltale static snap of electricity. Crouched in a field of tall weeds, he quickly assessed his surroundings. Dark and deserted. No Darkbloods. Yet.

Behind a dilapidated wire fence, a crumbling brick monstrosity sat on a slight incline fifty yards in front of him, so it looked larger than it actually was. In its day, the fence would’ve been a huge deterrent, stretching fifteen feet with razor wire at the top. But today, many of the sections had been cut, most of the wire removed. He listened for guards, but didn’t detect anything but the buzzing of a few insects and the chorus of early morning birds. Running low, he skirted through the fencing and over to a small side door hanging askew on its hinges. The air inside the dark hallway was almost colder than it was outside.

Kenz, I’m in. You okay? Can you hear me?

Oh, Dom…careful…Corey’s been…

His heart pounded in his chest at the sound of her voice in his head, a little stronger now.

Describe where you are, how you got there.

When they…elevator…floors…old infirmary. Please hurry…they took…

I’m coming, Kenz. He’d find her somehow.

He made it through a series of doors onto a cell block. It appeared to be some sort of solitary confinement, as each cell was its own little room. He ran from door well to door well, flattening himself against each as he advanced. Voices. At the far end. He tried the door handle pressed to his back. Locked. Changing the hold on his blade to a throwing grip, he slowly peered around the corner. Two medical personnel in white lab coats walked through the intersection of the corridors and disappeared.

Were they coming or going? He counted to ten, then took a step in their direction. The pull of Mackenzie’s presence weakened slightly. Going. They were definitely going away from her. He turned the other way and saw a stairwell leading down. The pull was definitely stronger this way.

He’d made it down three flights of stairs when he noted the sensation felt stronger than ever. She was somewhere on this floor. He opened the door a millimeter at a time and the strong smell of sweetbloods nearly knocked him to his knees. A few metal gurneys lined up against the wall and the sound of crying came from somewhere nearby. He glanced in both directions. The steel doors all had small barred windows.

Kenz, I’m on your floor. Can you stick your fingers out the bars of your door?

I’m not…individual room. I’m…exam…viewing window…strapped to a table. Dom, I…other room. Careful.

Damn. Where was she? He stepped out of the stairwell. The crying was louder and he heard the low murmur of voices. He looked through the bars of the nearest door.

It was a large cell with several groups of people huddled together in twos and threes. Corey stood alone, the only one dressed in street clothes. The rest were in hospital robes. Mackenzie wasn’t inside.

“Hey,” Dom whispered through the bars. “Corey, man, where’s Kenz?”

A young Asian kid nearest the door jumped up. “Who are you?”

“I’m here to get you out.” Dom rattled the door. It would easily cave, but he feared the noise would attract attention.

“Dom, thank God.” Corey approached the door, dark circles under his eyes. He looked like shit. “Kenzie knew you’d find us.”

“Where is she?”

“In the testing room.”

“I’ll be back.” He turned to leave. He’d get them out later after he had Mackenzie.

“Wait, you can’t just leave us here,” someone said. “They could be back for any one of us at any time.”

“What if something happens to you?” the Asian kid asked.

Dom turned around and saw the renewed terror in everyone’s eyes. Damn. “Where’s the guard with the keys?”

“He comes off and on. They know we can’t get out so they’re not always outside.”

“How many are there? Guards, medical staff, everyone.”

“Five guards, one doctor—if you can call her that—two nurses, and that nightmare they call m’lord.”

“Blake, don’t forget the new guy,” someone said.

“Oh, yeah,” Blake said. “A new guy we hadn’t seen before came in earlier today. Or maybe it was yesterday. We kind of lose track of time down here. He’s tall and quiet. Watches everything, but doesn’t say much.”

“Ten total?”

Blake nodded his head. “Plus Marsha and Nick are down there, too. Marsha’s been there awhile and Nick—they just came for him. They looked really excited when they took him away.”

“Where are the guards stationed?”

“Around the corner to the left. Sometimes they’re in the back room watching TV and other times they’re sitting at the desk.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

The guards’ station was just where they said it was. A Darkblood sat behind the desk, his feet propped up, reading a newspaper. In a heartbeat, Dom was behind him, his blade unsheathed.

“Goodbye, a*shole.” He plunged the silver-tipped blade deep into the guard’s sternum and twisted. The body slumped to the floor, where it darkened and began to char. Even the clothes disintegrated, until all that remained were the metal parts. Zippers, rivets, coins and a large set of keys.

He sprinted back to the cell and soon had the door open. “Hurry, but stay quiet.” He gave them quick directions. Corey hung back with Blake. Dom unholstered a gun and checked the safety. “Either of you two know how to use this?”

“I do,” Corey said.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me? It’s got silver-tipped bullets. Through the heart and the Darkblood is dead, anywhere else and he’s wishing he were. Now, go.” Seeing Corey hesitate, he added. “Leave with them. I’ll find her. Now get the hell out of here.”

Dom moved down the corridor quickly but methodically. He tried to reach Mackenzie, but she didn’t answer. Why the hell had he wasted precious time freeing those people? He should’ve followed his gut and freed her first. If something happened to her because of that delay, he’d—

When he rounded the last corner, light from a cracked doorway spilled out into the dark hallway. A control panel was on the far side of the room, and the huge wall of windows overlooking another room reminded him of a surgery observation area. Was this the viewing room she’d mentioned?

Mackenzie?

No answer.

A door fifteen feet away hung open, as well, and he heard voices again. “Yes, m’lord,” someone said.

Dom froze, hardly daring to breathe. It was him. Pavlos. Just a heartbeat away.

Random thoughts filled his head. The sound of his mother’s scream. The terror in her eyes just before Pavlos killed her. His father, tied with silver chains to his chair, forced to watch. The draperies flapping in the open window. Never had he been this close to the monster who was the last one to see his parents alive. Not in the catacombs of Paris, on the hills outside Prague or down in the Florida Everglades. Not until now.

Revenge chilled him from head to toe as he palmed a blade. It took every ounce of willpower he had to stand his ground. He slipped into the viewing room instead. On the other side of the windows, Mackenzie was strapped to an exam table. With her arms out at right angles, an IV bag of blood at her side, she lay with her head turned away.

Oh God, she wasn’t…gone…was she? Was he too late?

Just then, she turned her head and opened her eyes. He was at her side in an instant. She blinked a few times, as if unsure of what she was seeing. Then she smiled and her relief flowed into him.

“I knew you’d find me,” she whispered.

He quickly unbuckled the leather straps and pulled her into his arms. After thinking he’d lost her, he wanted to hold her like this forever. Before he could get her out of the exam room, he needed to get the IV out of her arm. He tugged gently at the tape holding the thin tube to the inside of her elbow and slid the needle out. A small trickle of blood dribbled from the site. Without thinking, he dipped his head and sealed the wound.

Oh God, that taste. It sat on the back of his tongue. Sweet and enticing. He forced it out of his mind and pulled her off the table.

“Wait. I don’t want those pricks to have this.” She un-hooked the half-full IV bag and tucked it in her pocket. “We’ve got to get to Corey.”

“I already found him and the others. They’re on their way to safety. Come on. Let’s get you out of here, too.”

Just before they exited the viewing room, they heard voices out in the hallway. He pulled Mackenzie down behind a gurney as two DBs entered.

Dom stealthily unsheathed two knives.

Close your eyes. This isn’t going to be pretty.

In a single movement, he jumped out and knifed them both. A dual jerk and a twist. They collapsed to the ground in unison and began to disintegrate.

“Let’s go.”

Mackenzie was at his back. He was reaching for the door when the smell hit him. He tightened the grip on his knives, prepared to throw them. They were wrenched from his hands as if by magic and clattered to the floor. What the—

“What a delightful surprise.” A tall, crane-like figure in a black robe was suddenly in front of Dom, his feet floating several inches above the floor. The overhead light glinted off Dom’s knives, now held in his bony hands.

Pavlos.

Dom lunged at him, but Pavlos was faster. Before he knew what was going on, a cold metal band snapped around Dom’s neck and jerked him off his feet.

“I figured you’d try to help out your girlfriend.” Pavlos’s dark, dead eyes leered above him. “You’re good, Serrano, but as usual, you’re not good enough. Alfonso, grab the girl.”