Vampires Dead Ahead

THIRTY-ONE



“Elizabeth,” Monique said as she came around the corner.

“Where is Volod?”

“What is going on?” Elizabeth looked at Monique with suspicion in her gaze. She sniffed the air. “You’ve been with Rodán,” she stated. “I saw you disappear with him. Now I can smell sex on you.”

“That is none of your business,” Monique said, her tone cold.

“Volod will learn of this,” Elizabeth said with venom. “You, the great Monique, will feel Volod’s wrath.” Her lips quivered in anger. “We will see who will be at the end of a leash tomorrow. You will be done. He has no need for Vampire paranorms who don’t serve his purpose, and you have betrayed him now. I will see that you are buried wearing a collar and a leash.”

Monique and Elizabeth faced each other on the landing as Monique drew her shoulders back and glared. “I did this for a reason. Volod will understand.”

Elizabeth eyes showed the humiliation she obviously felt. “We will see about that, you arrow-eared bitch.”

Monique narrowed her gaze. “If I was Rodán’s, why would I be seeking Volod out right now to tell him of a rebellion against him?” She put her hands on her hips. “A rebellion that Rodán is planning … a coup. They’re meeting in the conference room in a few minutes.

“So, yes, I was with Rodán. I have nothing to hide,” Monique continued with clear confidence in her voice. “Volod will understand. He knows my allegiance is pledged to him alone. Anything that happened in the bedroom served a purpose for Volod.”

Shock jolted me. Monique was going to tell Volod? How could Rodán be so wrong in trusting her? Maybe she was suddenly afraid for her life now that Elizabeth knew of her with Rodán. Or maybe she just was in fact Volod’s.

It didn’t matter. I had to get to Rodán and warn him. Maybe he couldn’t trust the others, either.

“An uprising against Volod?” Elizabeth said, surprise on her features.

“Where is he?” Monique asked again. “I need to hurry.”

“In his study.” Elizabeth gestured downstairs.

Monique turned.

I had started to go to the conference room to warn Rodán when Elizabeth practically flew at Monique.

It happened so fast. The next thing I knew, Elizabeth rammed a stake into Monique’s back and drove it through to her heart.

Stunned, I watched as Monique’s body slumped to the floor, the stake still protruding through her back. Blood leaked around it. Monique’s body was lifeless.

A satisfied smile crept across Elizabeth’s face. “Volod will get the news from me.”

My surprise shifted to the fact that the odds at this moment were a lot better with Monique dead. She had turned traitor on Rodán and I wasn’t going to mourn her.

Now there was only one to worry about. I dropped my glamour.

Elizabeth looked at me with surprise as I called to my elements. Her expression changed to fury. She took a step toward me, and I released my air element.

She gasped as I bound her with air magic. With my element, I gagged her and pinned her arms to her sides. She lost her balance and fell to the carpet with a thump.

I didn’t have much time before someone came up the stairs—

A surge of power slammed me up against the wall. I cried out as my head hit the hard surface. An invisible force held me dazed against the wall. I couldn’t move.

The hold I had on Elizabeth failed.

My mind spun. I turned my head just enough to see a figure at the top of the stairs.

Volod.

Fury was on his features as he looked at Monique’s body then cut his gaze back to me.

“It was her.” Elizabeth pointed to me as she got to her feet. “Monique and Rodán were together and she was jealous. She killed Monique.”

“I didn’t kill Monique.” I tried to shake my head but I couldn’t move. It was hard talking the way Volod’s power had me pinned against the wall. “Elizabeth did.”

“You can’t believe that bitch. You know she lies.” Elizabeth hissed. “Not only did she kill Monique, but she is plotting to overthrow you … to kill you.”

“Explain what you are talking about.” Volod’s voice was low, deadly.

“I was standing right behind that wall, near the doorway. I overheard them.” Elizabeth lied in an urgent, convincing tone. “Monique and Rodán were planning a coup together.” She gestured to me. “This bitch walked up and was in on it all. She knew that they had just screwed each other, and she was angry at them. She confronted them both.”

Volod scowled as Elizabeth paused. “Continue. And make it fast.”

“Rodán told this one here to focus on what mattered and to meet with the others planning the revolt,” Elizabeth said. “They’ll be in the conference room within minutes.”

Elizabeth glared at me. “When Rodán left, the bitch was furious with jealousy. She stabbed Monique as she walked away.”

“She’s lying.” My stomach twisted. Volod would kill both Rodán and me as soon as he saw that it was true about the revolt. “Elizabeth stabbed Monique in the back, literally. With my powers, I don’t need to stab people in the back.”

“They are meeting in the conference room now.” Elizabeth went up to Volod. “That will prove to you that I am telling the truth.”

Volod released his hold on me. I wasn’t expecting it and I dropped to my knees. He walked up to me and yanked me to my feet by my hair.

“Come.” Still gripping a fistful of my hair, he jerked me to him. My scalp stung. With his free hand, he brought out a wooden stake and placed it over my heart. The point of the stake dug into my flesh.

Then he started to drag me beside him, going in the same direction Rodán had. “If Elizabeth is being truthful, then you die.”

I ran through all the possibilities in my mind and came up feeling helpless and hopeless. Volod would see that what Elizabeth had told him was the truth.

“Elizabeth,” he said to her, “I want every one of my Vampire guards at the conference room now.”

Elizabeth nodded and flashed a look of pure hatred at me.

“Now,” Volod boomed.

She ran off.

He believed her. My throat grew tight. As we moved, the stake he held to my heart bit into my skin through the dress.

The human part of me struggled to break Volod’s mental hold. My Drow half was growing stronger and feeding the struggle. It was as if Volod’s threat had woken something inside me that had been dulled by his power.

What could I do? How could I warn Rodán?

With Volod still holding the stake over my heart, I didn’t see how I could without dying in the process.

Volod kept me close to him as we went down a back staircase. Because I’m Drow, it didn’t matter that Volod was dragging me along with him—I simply made no sound as I moved. For the first time I wished I would make noise that would warn Rodán.

On the bottom level, we reached a closed door. I heard voices from inside, one of which was Rodán’s. I held my breath as Volod listened at the door.

Volod, like me, had amazing hearing compared with norms. With his ear pressed up against the door, though, Volod could hear what I could not. His features grew dark with rage.

Volod turned the handle and forced the door open. At the same time he shoved me into the room and knocked me to the floor.

I’d expected a long table with chairs, like a traditional conference room, but it was just a good-size carpeted empty room with barred windows on one side and a door opposite.

Five Vampire paranorms were in the room, including Rodán. Expressions ranged from surprised to fearful.

“Elizabeth was telling the truth.” Volod’s features grew even darker with his fury. “You plot against me.”

Volod raised his hand. I dove for his legs and surprised him by hitting him behind the knees with my shoulder.

He didn’t fall, but he stumbled backward.

Rodán emitted the same kind of power I’d seen him use against Demons nearly a year prior. It slammed into Volod, knocking him against the wall.

Rodán bared his fangs as he sent another burst of power at Volod.

Volod threw up a shield, deflecting the magic.

I scrambled to my feet and ran toward Rodán.

Volod’s attack on Rodán and me seemed to cut the threads of allegiance that had forced me to obey him. I called to my air element as I reached Rodán.

The Shifter and Doppler Vampires in the room transformed into their animal forms: bear, lion, rottweiler, and coyote.

Behind Rodán the other door of the room opened.

Vampires started pouring in.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw even more Vampires come in behind Volod.

We were outnumbered at least twenty to six in a confined space.

Could Rodán use the transference to get out of here? Could I?

I started to reach for him when I saw a huge blast of power coming straight at me.

It was too close for me to throw up a shield.

Rodán stepped in front of me and took the full blast that had been meant for me.

The power slammed into him so hard it send him flying into me and knocked us both backward, straight into the hands of the Vampires behind us.

Around us the other Vampire paranorms were fighting Vampires. Bodies of Vampires were already dropping, but a couple of the five Vampire paranorms also lay motionless on the floor, stakes through their hearts.

The room smelled of blood and the Vampire stench of old dirt. It was so strong it filled my head.

“Hold him!” Volod shouted as Rodán and I were grabbed.

Rodán glanced at me. “Go,” he said in a hoarse voice that wasn’t like him at all.

The blast of magic must have injured him far more than I’d realized. I started to shake my head but glimpsed a projectile heading straight for me.

Volod had grabbed a stake gun and raised it at me. Rodán shoved me back behind him.

“No!” I screamed just as the wooden stake buried itself into Rodán’s heart.

Rodán slumped against the Vampires who held him. His head fell back. Those crystal-green eyes I’d loved so much stared up at the ceiling, sightless.

Horror, anger, and fear spun through me.

I looked at Volod, who had another stake in the weapon, aimed at me again. I closed my eyes and the first thought that came to me was Colin—

I spun away, into the transference.