Chapter Twenty-eight
Shit. He'd killed a man.
Gregori's gaze drifted to the dead body and his knife protruding from the man's chest. Ian had warned him when he'd first begun his lessons in fencing and martial arts. Once you engage in combat, you have to kill to survive.
Over the years, Gregori had mentally prepared himself. If a battle occurred with the Malcontents, he wanted to be able to fight alongside his friends. And that meant killing Malcontents. He'd accepted that. After all, Malcontents were vicious vampires who had a long track record of torturing and killing humans. They deserved to die. Skewering them through the heart just made them disintegrate into a pile of dust. One strong gust of wind, and the dust was gone.
No body. No guilt. No remorse.
It had never occurred to him that he might have to kill a human. This body wasn't going to disappear. The dead man lay there in a pool of blood, his eyes wide open, staring but not seeing.
Gregori clenched his fists and looked away. You're a warrior now. Deal with it. He needed to protect Abigail, get her home safely, get them all home safely.
Their first attempt had failed, but he would stay alert and prepared for the next opportunity.
A new group of soldiers dashed inside the cave and retrieved the swords he, Russell, and J.L. had dropped. They even yanked the knives from the dead men's chests, in case Gregori and his friends were tempted to use them again.
Abigail was pale, her hands gripped together, so he gave her an encouraging look. They still had a few aces up their sleeve. Rajiv had escaped. If he made it to his grandfather's tribe, there would be a group of were-tigers ready for battle. Rajiv would manage to call Angus, or the check-in call would be missed - either way, Angus would know they were in trouble. And he could locate them with the tracking chips embedded in their arms.
The soldiers went into a scraping and bowing routine, then moved aside so Master Han could advance into the cave.
He was tall. And slim. That was all Gregori could make out, for his body was covered with black silk robes and topped with a hooded robe of red silk, embroidered in gold. Deep inside the shadow of the hood, his face was hidden behind a mask of gold. No wonder his voice had sounded tinny and muffled.
"Master Han, and the three vampire lords," Wu Shen announced. "Lord Ming, Lord Qing, and Lord Liao."
Three Asian vampires followed Master Han. They were also dressed in flowing silk robes, but their heads were uncovered. Their hair, long and braided, dangled down their backs. Each one clasped his hands together at the waist. Gregori figured they didn't use their hands much, not with fingernails that were about six inches long, curved and yellow.
Gross. From the look on Abigail's face, he could tell she agreed.
It was hard to tell what Master Han was thinking or feeling with the stupid gold mask on his face, but Gregori could see his brown eyes studying Howard before moving slowly toward the back of the cave. His gaze passed over Gregori, lingered on Abigail, then moved on to J.L. and Russell. He stiffened.
"Bastard," Russell muttered.
Lord Ming said something in Chinese, and Lord Qing appeared to agree.
"They want to kill us," J.L. whispered.
"Lords Ming, Qing, and Dingaling can take a flying leap," Russell growled.
Master Han lifted a black-gloved hand and pointed at Russell. "This one is mine. He bears my mark."
The three vampire lords murmured in disbelief.
"Show your mark," Master Han demanded in his muffled voice. "Show you belong to me."
Russell glared back, not moving.
A soldier came forward to grab his right arm, but he pulled away. Master Han motioned to Howard, and a soldier grasped Howard's hair to yank back his head while he pressed a knife to his throat.
"Now, slave." Master Han turned back to Russell. "Show me your mark."
Russell jerked back his sleeve to reveal his tattoo. "It means nothing, asshole."
"On the contrary, it means I will keep you alive until I can reclaim what is mine." Master Han removed three syringes from an embroidered pouch tied to his waist by silken cords. He passed them to a soldier and gave him directions in Chinese.
The soldier came toward them with the syringes.
Gregori assumed a martial arts position, and beside him, Russell and J.L. did the same, although their movements were severely hindered by the damned cuffs.
"Stay behind us," he whispered to Abigail.
Master Han lifted a hand. "Calm yourselves. You must be sedated so we can remove the cuffs and teleport you."
"We don't have to do a damned thing for you," Gregori growled.
"The sedative will not harm you," Master Han replied. "But your refusal will cause your friend great harm." He motioned toward Howard. "I do not care if this one lives."
Gregori fisted his hands. Shit. What choice did they have but to cooperate? They needed to keep Howard alive. And they needed to stall for time. Without the ability to teleport, there was no way to escape this cave, not with that crowd of soldiers out front. But if they allowed Master Han to move them to another location, it might be an easier place to escape. And with their imbedded homing devices, Angus would still be able to track them down.
One of the vampire lords murmured in Chinese to Master Han.
"You." Master Han pointed at Abigail. "You will come closer."
Abigail stiffened and gave Gregori an alarmed look.
He turned to Master Han. "Leave her alone, and we'll cooperate."
"You'll cooperate, or we'll kill this one." Master Han gestured to Howard.
Gregori glared back. "If you harm her, I will kill you."
Master Han chuckled, the sound echoing eerily behind his mask. "I have no interest in her. It is Lord Ming who wants her."
Lord Ming said something in Chinese, and Gregori shot a questioning look at J.L.
"He says she has a virgin neck," J.L. whispered. "He wants to be the first to bite her."
"You asshole." Gregori lunged toward Lord Ming at vampire speed, stretched his hands and cuffs apart, and rammed the silver chain against Lord Ming's neck. The silver sizzled against his skin.
Lord Ming jumped back, crying out in pain, while two soldiers knocked Gregori down and pointed their swords at his chest.
Master Han leaned over him. "You do not bear my mark. I would not regret killing you."
"The feeling is mutual," Gregori gritted out, wishing he could rip the golden Frisbee off Han's face and cram it down his throat.
"Gregori." Abigail rushed toward him with tears in her eyes. "Please - "
A soldier grabbed her and pressed a knife to her neck.
"Excellent. I believe everyone will be in a more cooperative mood now." Master Han turned to the soldier with the syringes and gave him an order in Chinese.
The soldier approached Russell and J.L. and motioned for them to sit. After they sat, he stabbed the syringes in their necks, and they both slumped over.
Gregori's eyes met Abigail's. His chest tightened. She looked so pale and scared.
"I love you," he whispered as the syringe plunged into his neck. The cave spun around him, then went black.
Abigail sank up to her chin in the tub of hot water. Maybe if she was real quiet, they would forget about her.
She'd been at Master Han's compound about twenty minutes, she estimated. The three vampire lords had teleported Russell, J.L., and Gregori away after the silver cuffs had been removed from their unconscious bodies. She had no idea where the guys were. She closed her eyes and pictured Gregori's face, remembering the love he had whispered and the worry in his eyes.
The soldiers had knocked Howard on the head so hard, blood had run down his face as he slumped over unconscious. They'd removed his silver cuffs, then Lord Liao had returned to teleport him away.
Lord Ming had returned for her. He'd grasped her arms with his nasty yellow nails, and his breath had smelled foul as he'd pulled her close.
Even now, she shuddered when she recalled it and reached for the soap to lather up her body for the fifth time. Lord Ming had teleported her to a courtyard where about thirty soldiers were practicing martial arts by torchlight. Wu Shen and his hundred soldiers were still by the Yangtze River, she assumed, since they couldn't teleport. Hopefully it would take them a while to travel back to Master Han's compound.
When Master Han materialized in the courtyard, the small group of soldiers stopped and prostrated themselves on the ground. He said nothing, just turned and walked up the steps into what looked like a Buddhist temple.
Lord Ming dragged her inside a one-story building that ran the length of the compound. He steered her down a hall, then shoved her into a room where a group of three women resided. A harem, she figured, since the women were all young and pretty and had bite marks on their necks.
They fussed over her, and although she didn't want to cooperate, the lure of a hot bath was too tempting after a night in a chilly cave.
"You done?" one of the young women approached her, the only one who knew some English.
"Five more minutes." Abigail held up her hand to show five.
"No. We must make ready." The young woman gestured to the other women who came toward her, carrying beautiful teal-colored silk robes and embroidered slippers.
"You will wear these tonight for Lord Ming," the woman explained.
Abigail climbed out of the tub and grabbed a nearby towel. "Look, uh . . . what's your name?"
"I am Mei Li."
"Mei Li, I'm Abby."
"Abby." The ladies all bowed and murmured her name.
"Pleased to meet you. Look, I'll get dressed since I don't want to escape from this place naked. But there's no way I'm going to let that creep bite me."
Mei Li looked confused. "It is an honor to feed Master Han and the vampire lords."
"I think it would be more honorable to let them starve."
Mei Li's eyes widened. "It is an honor to serve Master Han and the vampire lords."
Abigail sighed. "They've done a number on your head, haven't they?"
Mei Li motioned to the silk robes once again. "Come, we help you dress."
Abigail slipped on the white silk slip, then wrapped the teal-colored robe around her and tied the sash. Her mind raced, trying to figure out how to handle this.
"Do not fear." Mei Li adjusted her sash. "Lord Ming will be kind. He does not take as much blood as Master Han."
"You've been with Lord Ming before?"
Mei Li nodded. "But tonight I will go with Ping and Genji. We will feed the American chiang-shih."
Abigail's fists clenched. One of these pretty women was going to offer her neck to Gregori? Over her dead body. "To tell you the truth, one of those American chiang-shih is my boyfriend. We're in love."
Mei Li tilted her head, her eyes narrowed. "Boy . . . friend?"
"Yes. Lovers. We love each other very much."
Mei Li's eyes took on a distant look. "I . . . remember."
"You had a boyfriend?"
Mei Li nodded slowly. "In Kunming. But I went home to village to see family, and whole village now work in fields for Master Han."
"I've seen that village," Abigail said.
"They bring me here." She stiffened, and her face went blank. "It is an honor to serve Master Han and the vampire lords."
Abigail groaned. Just when she'd thought she was making progress with Mei Li, the vampire mind control had snatched her right back. "Don't you want to escape from here? See your boyfriend again?"
"It is an honor to serve Master Han and the vampire lords."
"Okay. Then why don't you serve the vampire lord? We'll trade places. You can feed Lord Ming and I'll feed the American vampire."
Mei Li hesitated. "Lord Ming will know I am not you."
"Yes, but it is an honor to be bitten by him, right? No honor at all in being bitten by an American." Abigail wrinkled her nose in disgust.
Mei Li shuddered. "I do not wish to feed one of them."
"Great! Then we'll switch places." Abigail felt a twinge of guilt at manipulating someone who wasn't thinking clearly. She was using poor Mei Li as much as the creepy vampires were. But she was desperate to avoid Lord Ming and his nasty nails and fangs. And she had to find Gregori and the guys. They needed to stick together so they could escape.
Five minutes later, Abigail, Ping, and Genji all filed out of the room, dressed in similar robes with identical veils over their heads. Mei Li stayed behind, wearing her robe and veil, awaiting the summons from Lord Ming.
Ping led the way down one hallway after another, then finally emerged outside. Abigail noted they were behind the Buddhist temple now. They crossed to a low building lined with heavy metal doors where three armed soldiers stood in front. The jailhouse, she figured.
Ping spoke to one of the guards. He slid a small window open on the first door, then nodded with a grunt. He unlocked the door and Ping went inside. Abigail caught a glimpse of Russell lying unconscious on a mat before the door was shut and locked.
The guard opened the next door. Abigail spotted J.L. and stepped back so Genji would enter.
The guard unlocked the third door, and Abigail slipped inside. The door slammed behind her.
She hurried over to see if Gregori was all right. He was still unconscious, but his heart was beating strong. The silver cuffs were gone. His boots were missing, since the soldiers had removed them, so his feet were covered with thick woolen socks. His sweater and jacket were still on. He was lying in the middle of the room on a thin mat. There was no floor, just hard dirt.
She straightened to take a look around her. A rectangular fluorescent light fixture glared overhead, making the smooth, metallic walls gleam. Stainless steel? She looked closer. Silver. Of course. It was probably the only way to imprison a vampire. Even the ceiling was silver.
Gregori moaned and lifted a hand to his forehead. Then he sat up abruptly and looked around.
His eyes narrowed on her. "Get out. I'm not interested."
Her heart soared at his faithfulness. "Are you sure?" She pulled the veil off her head.
"Abby," he breathed, then leaped toward her and pulled her into his arms. "Oh, thank God, you're all right. And you're with me. I was afraid that asshole Ming would try to get his claws on you."
"I was supposed to go to him, but I talked Mei Li into switching places with me."
"Oh, Scholar, you are so brilliant." Gregori kissed her brow.
"It wasn't all brains, believe me. When I thought about you being locked up with the beautiful Mei Li, I was ready to rip this compound apart with my bare hands."
He laughed and hugged her close.
She gazed up at him and brushed his hair back from his brow. "I'm not sure if Lord Ming is going to accept the trade, since he appears to have a thing for unmarked necks."
"Virgin necks," Gregori muttered. "Creepy bastard."
"Well, under the circumstances, I think we'd better get rid of my neck virginity really quick."
His eyes widened. "You mean . . ."
"Yes. I need you to bite me before Lord Ming realizes I pulled a switcheroo on him."
"Abby." Gregori released her and stepped back. "No."
"You have my permission."
"No! We'll just escape from here." His form wavered then solidified again. "Shit. I can't teleport." He paced around the perimeter of the room and examined the walls closely.
"It's solid silver," she said.
He touched the door and jerked his hand back with a grimace. "Even the door is silver."
"We're not getting out of here for a while, and if Lord Ming still wants a virgin - "
"Abby, how can I return you to your family with fang marks on your neck?"
Tears stung her eyes at the thought of her family. For the hundredth time, she hoped her mother was all right. "At this point, I'll be glad to return at all."
"I'll get you out of here. Somehow."
She dragged in a shaky breath. "Gregori, it was terrible. The demon said he could make my mother better if my dad was willing to work with him. I told him to go to hell, and he said he was going to see my mother and make her worse!"
"Sheesh." Gregori pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry. This happened while I was in my death-sleep?"
She nodded, her cheek nestled against his chest.
"God, I hate it when I'm not able to protect you."
She glanced up at him. "You can protect me now from Lord Ming."
He winced. "I don't want to bite you, Abby. I've never bitten a mortal before."
"If you don't bite me, he will!" She fisted her hands around the lapels of his jacket. "Please. I can't stand the thought of him touching me. Or sinking his teeth into - "
"Okay." Gregori dragged a hand through his hair. "Shit. I can't stand the thought of him touching you, either."
"You told me at the nightclub that you bit vampire women, and it was somehow pleasurable. Can you do that with me?"
"It's . . . possible."
"Good. Let's do it."
He paused. Shifted his weight.
She lifted her eyebrows. "Well?"
"I don't want you to see me with my fangs out."
"I've seen every other part of you." She huffed with impatience. "Come on, Gregori. I know you have fangs."
He scowled at her. "You haven't seen them extended. They get really long."
"I've seen another extended part of you, and it wasn't too long for me to handle."
He crossed his arms. "You think you can handle it?"
"Yes. Bite me."
His mouth twitched. "You're trying to goad me into it."
"Whatever it takes. I'm not letting that creep touch me." She sat on the mat and arranged her silken robes around her. "So, just how long do you get?"
He arched a brow. "Long enough to get the job done."
"Okay, do you prefer the right side?" She tilted her head left. "Or the left side?" She tilted her head right.
He removed his jacket and tossed it on the floor. Then he walked toward her, his eyes glittering with green intensity.
She swallowed hard.
He fell to his knees in front of her. His eyes turned red.
"Right side or left side?" she whispered.
He pulled her onto her knees and into his arms. "Backside," he growled and slapped her rump.
She gasped. "Greg - "
He cut her off with a fierce kiss. Meanwhile, his hands squeezed her buttocks and pressed her against his groin.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and delved her hands into his hair. He nuzzled her neck, and her head dropped back.
He dragged his tongue up her neck, and she shivered.
He did it again, and she gasped. Somehow she'd felt it between her legs. Her knees trembled, and she fell back onto the mat.
"Abby." He untied the sash and opened her robe.
Her nipples hardened under the sheer white silk shift.
"So pretty." He rubbed his fingers over her nipples, then lightly pinched the hardened tips.
She moaned. "Gregori, bite me."
He chuckled. "You really want this, don't you?"
"Yes." She reached for him. "I love you, Gregori. I want to experience every part of you."
His red eyes glowed brighter. "I love you, too." He kissed her, then returned to her neck. He licked and nibbled, and with each move, she felt it between her legs. And she wanted more.
"Oh God, touch me." She rubbed a leg against him.
He pulled up her shift and slipped his hand between her legs. She jolted with pleasure when he touched her clitoris and his fangs scraped the side of her neck.
With a soft pop, his fangs broke through. With each deep suck, it felt as if he was penetrating her deeper and deeper. Her climax hit with a shattering force.
Gregori removed his fangs and held her until the last of the throbs faded away.
He gazed into her eyes. "Are you all right?"
She nodded. His eyes were back to green, and his fangs were retracted. "Make love to me."
"I thought I did."
"Not completely. I want more."
His eyes glinted with humor and he kissed her nose. "I don't want to take you on a dirt floor, Abby."
She smiled. "We could always try the ceiling."
He laughed, then stopped and looked up. "The ceiling."
"It's covered with silver."
"Yeah, but that's a big light fixture." He stood and levitated to the ceiling.
She stood and adjusted her clothes.
"Stand back against the wall. This could get ugly." He ripped the light fixture off the ceiling.
Lights sizzled and popped. He yanked harder. The lights exploded, and the room turned dark.
"Stay put," he told her. "There's broken glass on the floor."
"Can you see?"
"Barely. There's an opening here. I think it's big enough I can levitate through it."
She waited, then heard his muffled voice.
"I can feel the tile roof. I'm going to teleport out. Hang on."
She listened, then heard a thump on the roof. She waited in the dark for what seemed a long time, then the door opened.
Gregori leaned in with a torch in his hand. "Watch your step."
She hurried outside and found the three guards unconscious on the ground and the other doors unlocked. J.L. and Russell were helping themselves to the guards' weapons. They each took a sword and a dagger, and handed Gregori the same. Ping and Genji stood nearby, hugging each other and whispering.
Gregori wrapped an arm around Abigail's shoulders. "I should teleport you straight to Kyo's place."
It was tempting, so tempting. "We can't go until we find Howard."
A roar sounded in the distance. Bearlike, angry and hurt.
"This way," Russell led them quietly around the Buddhist temple.
They stopped behind some pillars.
Abigail gasped.
There in the courtyard was a giant cage, and inside was a huge bear. Blood coated the side of his head. Soldiers stood around the cage, jabbing long spears inside to pierce the bear's skin. The bear circled, swatting and breaking the spears in front of him, but more spears would stab him the back.
Abigail's eyes burned with hot tears. "They're torturing him."
Gregori glanced at the other two Vamps. "Shall we show these assholes how it feels to get stabbed?"
The Vamps teleported behind three soldiers, spun them around, and stabbed them through the chest. With a whooping war cry, they continued fighting and slashing at the guys with spears.
An answering war cry sounded outside the compound, then the courtyard filled with Vamps teleporting in. Abigail cried with joy as she recognized Angus, Robby, and Kyo among them. Another roar filled the air, and tigers leaped over the walls. The Vamps succeeded in opening the cage, and Howard leaped out, roaring and slashing at the men who had tortured him.
Ping and Genji screamed and ran inside the temple. A loud gong sounded, and more soldiers streamed into the courtyard.
Abigail eased up the steps of the temple so she could steer clear of the fight and have a better vantage point. She didn't want to take her eyes off Gregori. He was slashing a path through the enemy, working his way back to her.
Suddenly a hand clapped over her mouth and dragged her back. Lord Ming's sharp nails curled into her skin, and his foul breath filled her nostrils.
She elbowed him hard in the ribs and pulled away. With vampire speed, he was on her again in a second, clutching her by the arms. His eyes narrowed on her neck.
He shrieked with rage and shoved her back. She stumbled on the stairs, banging up her knees, but righted herself quickly. She froze.
He had drawn two long daggers from his belt.
Gregori shouted behind her.
With a growl, Lord Ming threw the daggers.
She ducked just as Gregori teleported in front of her. Two sickening thuds. Gregori's body jerked.
"No," she whispered. He crumpled in front of her.
"No!" she screamed.
Russell ran up the steps and skewered Lord Ming in the chest. He turned to dust.
"Oh God, no!" She fell to her knees beside Gregori. He lay pale and still with two daggers embedded in his back.
She hugged him, turning her head to press her cheek against him. "Gregori."
At the top of the stairs, by the entrance of the Buddhist temple, she saw Master Han.
He stood quietly watching the battle, then vanished.