Chapter Twenty-Two
Ramsey closed his fist. Plastic and glass crumbled with ease. He opened his palm and let what remained of Marcos’s cell phone fall from his hand.
“I guess I can go to the mall tomorrow and pick up a new phone,” Marcos said, his eyes on the pieces on the floor.
Nadine gave his arm a pat. “You were due for an upgrade anyway.”
“Put it on my card.” Ramsey stormed from the room. His attention was set on one thing only. Get dressed and head to Antarctica.
“We always do!” Nadine yelled after him.
In the short time that it took him to get dressed and go to the kitchen, Nadine was helping Marcos up the stairs. He’d never left the door to his sleeping chamber unlocked and let other people roam through it when he wasn’t there before. Vampires were protective over where they slept. That was the only time they were vulnerable. When he slept he wasn’t alive—well, was even deader. He couldn’t defend or fight for himself. He hadn’t lived as long as he had by letting his guard down and allowing others in his domain. Not even his descendants. But his own safety wasn’t his main concern at the moment.
Marcos made it to the top of the stairs and coughed violently. His face flushed, sweat dotted his brows, and his breaths came out heavier than normal. Nadine watched him with worry as he turned to lock the door. She then turned that same look on Ramsey.
Ramsey gave her a short nod. Without Ramsey’s blood Marcos wouldn’t last a few months. The pancreatic cancer that he should’ve succumbed to years ago would be left to grow and metastasize unchecked.
Nadine set a cup on the counter in front of him. Ramsey lifted his sleeve, preparing to use a nail to slice open his wrist. This was part of their monthly routine. Ramsey would give Marcos a full cup of blood, and the cancer would stay at bay for a little while longer. Sixty years ago, it was only needed once a year, then twice a year, to three times a year to now every month. Even with his blood the cancer was aggressive. The only cure was full on vampirism.
Fuck cancer.
Marcos waved him off. “Don’t waste your blood on me, sir.”
“If something happens…” Ramsey trailed off.
“If something happens and you don’t make it back, I’ll spend the last few months of my life beating myself up thinking that it was because of me. That if you weren’t depleted you could’ve won against anything that Angelina put up against you.” Marcos shook his head and coughed again. “I won’t have that on me, sir. Besides, if you don’t come back, I’m a goner anyway. Giving me an extra month or two won’t do any good.”
“Wait! There’s a chance Angelina can beat you?” Nadine asked, worry made her wring her hands together.
There was no telling what Angelina had lying around. Two of her fledglings had been walking around New Orleans with an ancient bespelled weapon. He gave Nadine a short nod.
Nadine rushed to hug him. “Don’t go then. We’ll figure out another way to get Dani back.”
He kissed her lightly on the top of his head. “I have to.”
Nadine sniffled then stepped away and held out her arm. “Then take as much as you need.”
Ramsey looked at the vein throbbing in her arm. He didn’t want to take anything from her. His time was limited.
Nadine thrust her arm out again. “Here. You haven’t eaten in a while. Krista and Celine said that you haven’t gone to see them, and I know that you won’t steal from humans. You’re weak because you’ve been so focused on Dani that you haven’t taken care of yourself. You’re going to need your strength and wits about you. If you want to save Dani, you need this.”
Sometimes Nadine was wise beyond her short years. He took her arm. “Thank you.”
Normally, he would’ve liked for her to be comfortable, resting and listening to her music or watching television, but there was no time for that. He took her where she stood. But what he could do for her was give her thoughts of being someplace safe, the thoughts that she always preferred. Her eyes glazed over, a happy smile spreading across her face, and she sighed. He’d never asked her what she thought about. His only job was to relax her and make it as enjoyable as he could.
As he finished, making sure to take just enough to revitalize himself, Vallus appeared at the kitchen entrance. Vallus didn’t have a key to his front door, but that’s not how he’d entered anyway. Vallus was the only vampire that Ramsey knew who could materialize and dematerialize. No one, including Vallus, knew how he did it.
“What are you doing here?” Ramsey asked, his hackles raised.
Ramsey used his tongue to seal Nadine’s wrist. He’d known Vallus for over a thousand years and was most likely the only friend he had in the vampire community. But Vallus was a vampire just the same. And blood was blood. He watched Vallus intently as Nadine’s wrist healed and she slowly came back to reality. Vallus watched the scene. The only indication that he was interested was his slow, rhythmic breathing. Vampires didn’t need to breathe. Vallus was luxuriating in the smell of blood in the air.
Marcos nonchalantly maneuvered between the two vampires. “I called him,” he said to Ramsey. Before Ramsey could speak Marcos added, “You might need help, and it’s best to have someone you trust at your back.”
Ramsey eased Nadine into a chair behind him. Although he didn’t take a lot of blood, he’d still taken enough for her to be slightly weak. A wounded animal wasn’t something that should be paraded around a predator.
The air became thick with tension.
Vallus pulled his gaze away from Nadine and settled them on Ramsey. “I’m always up for a little fun. But, Marcos, I don’t know about the trusting part. Do you trust me, Ramsey?”
Did he trust Vallus? The other vampire had never given him a reason not to be trusted.
Vallus was the only vampire who could show up in his kitchen and not get torn to shreds on sight. He was also one of the very few that he trusted to have unfettered access to New Orleans. Vallus wouldn’t feed from anyone in his city. In all the years he’d known Vallus, he’d been nothing but a friend. A trusted friend. “I do, old friend. Please forgive me. I’m protective over my family.”
Vallus leaned lazily against the doorframe. “You always have been, and I would be the same if I was fortunate enough to have a family to look after.” His eyes slid back to Nadine. It wasn’t hunger in them but … lust. Ramsey moved to block Vallus’s line of vision. “She’s a child.”
One side of Vallus’s mouth lifted into a smirk. “Just because you say it doesn’t make it so.”
Ramsey squinted, tracking Vallus through the slits of his eyes and curling his fists.
“We believe that Angelina had one of her new fledglings kidnap Dani,” Marcos said, strategically changing the subject.
That got Vallus’s attention. “You believe? That sounds like something that Angelina would call to gloat about.”
“She did.” Ramsey rammed his fingers through his hair. “She called to tell me what happened and that she might help to bring her home safely.”
Vallus snorted. “Well, isn’t she all of a sudden the helpful person?”
“Yeah, so unlike Angelina.”
“I have a lock on Dani’s GPS,” Nadine said, her voice sounding drunk. The effects of enthrallment were still in her system. It would take another ten minutes for her to totally snap out of it. She pushed her phone across the counter to Ramsey. “She’s in Antarctica. They have six months of night there. I’ve already checked. They’re in the middle of that cycle now.”
It figured that Angelina would have a lair there. She hated to sleep. She didn’t like how vulnerable it made her feel. Ramsey looked at the image on the screen again. The red dot hadn’t moved. Ramsey tossed the phone across the room, and Vallus caught it. He viewed the phone then tossed it back. “So when do you leave?”
Ramsey strode to the front door. “Now.”
Vallus followed him. “Do we have a plan or are we going in with our metaphorical guns blazing?”
“I’ll handle Angelina and whoever else is with her. You get Dani and take her to safety. Don’t worry about me.” Ramsey stood on the front porch and turned to Vallus. “If Angelina gets past me, don’t trust her. Don’t let her touch you with anything. Knowing her she’s stocked up with supernatural artifacts.”
Vallus lifted an eyebrow. “You’re acting like I don’t know your wife.”
“Ex-wife.” Ramsey jumped into the air and rode the currents to Antarctica.
****
Dani had been waiting for sleep to claim the vampires. If they were anything like Ramsey, fifteen minutes before the sun rose they would start getting sluggish. In the short time they’d spent together, she’d learned to time the sunrise to his mood. Ramsey would be lying in bed next to her one minute and the next he was slowly rising and almost in a zombie-state telling her that he had to “go to ground”.
Either these vampires didn’t need to sleep when the sun rose, or the sun didn’t rise wherever they’d taken her. Thinking of the latter made bile rise in the back of her throat. Where in the world was she? All she knew was that Alex had flown her to some place cold. She could’ve been anywhere from Siberia to Alaska and any point in between.
Another vampire had rocketed down the tunnel, joining Alex and Angelina. Angelina seemed to like him better—just a little—than Alex. Angelina called him Antonio. Dani had to give it to her. Angelina sure did like the names that started with As.
Dani watched the vampires, waiting for any signs that they would sleep soon. They fought, fucked and drank each other’s blood. Sluggish they were not. They seemed to enjoy having her in the room while they tore at each other like wild beasts. Dani had pushed herself into the furthest corner and hid her face between her knees, trying her best to block out the noise and smell. That’s when she’d noticed the hard object sticking from under her bra. She’d forgotten all about her phone. If only they would concentrate on tearing each other apart rather than gleefully watching her and her discomfort at being trapped in a room while a full-blown sexapade was in progress.
Dani used her knees to block her phone. She didn’t dare take it from her bra, but if she maneuvered just right she could see the top.
Twenty-five percent battery life left. And one bar.
Dani pulled her lip into her mouth to stop herself from screaming. She blinked back her tears.
Damn! Damn! Damn!
She waited for Angelina to ask her what she was doing or tell her to “watch the fun”, as she’d done a few times already. But the moaning continued. Dani kept her head down. Her heart slammed against her chest. Her entire body shook. She couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or her nerves.
I have to get out of here.
Dani took a chance and lifted her head, watching the melee through her lashes. Fortunately, they were engrossed in the sex acts they performed. Angelina had her dress gathered at her waist as Antonio pumped furiously into her. Alex straddled her neck and fucked her face.
Dani had to work fast. She was freezing to death, and it was just a matter of time before they wanted to add a fourth to their trio.
Dani slid her phone from her bra, keeping it close to her knees. She opened the internet and typed in “pizza”. Even with one bar all the pizza places near her would pop up and she would be able to find out what city she was in.
She waited.
And waited.
Then finally the result popped up. One.
“No pizza restaurants in a 100-mile radius of your location.”
Don’t scream. Don’t scream.
Dani’s hands trembled as she opened her contacts and typed a message to the one person who could save her.
Please help me. Angelina and Alex have me. I don’t know where I am.
She hit send, hoping the message would get to Ramsey, praying that he would be able to figure a way to get to her even though she hadn’t given him anything useful to help to locate her.
Something torpedoed down the ice tunnel followed by a crash.
Oh, no! Another vampire?
She couldn’t handle three, and four was certain death.
Ramsey.
“Safe” was the only word that pulsated through her brain.
Ramsey collected himself and stood to his full height and glared at her, raking his eyes across her. Although she’d recognized him instantly, he was different, his features distorted. His canines hung from his mouth. The fine points made divots in his bottom lip. He looked terrifying.
And she couldn’t have asked for a better savior.
After confirming she was okay his gaze slid to the threesome. Their ménage halted. A second passed as they and Ramsey glared at each other. A second later all hell broke loose.
The fight was a blur, they moved so fast, and Dani could barely track them. There was a kick here, a punch there. It was three against one, but Ramsey was too fast for them. Dani had never seen anything like it. She’d seen Ramsey fight the two vampires in New Orleans, but this fight was different.
He was unstoppable.
Dangerous.
Feral.
Ramsey slashed across Antonio’s chest using nails that resembled claws, leaving deep gashes in his wake. When Alex ran at him, Ramsey caught him with his sharp teeth. Alex flailed like a chew toy caught between a dog’s teeth. When Angelina screamed and ran at him, her arms outstretched to gouge at his eyes, Ramsey dropped Alex and grabbed her. He flung her, sending her sailing across the room in a blur of chiffon and diamonds.
Angelina bounced off the wall, and instead of going back into the fight she ran to a brown chest and flung open the top. The fight among Ramsey, Alex, and Antonio raged on while Angelina rummaged through her chest, pulling out different items and tossing them to the side.
Angelina then pulled out a brown stick with a metal tip.
A spear?
Why would she think a spear would hurt Ramsey? He was a fighting machine.
Angelina called out Antonio’s name and tossed him the weapon. Antonio caught it and lunged at Ramsey. Ramsey deflected that attempt and the next. They didn’t stand a chance.
Then Antonio’s aim met his mark, stabbing Ramsey in the shoulder. Ramsey startled, then stepped back on unsteady feet. An evil smirk stretched across Antonio’s face as he went in for another stab. “This is for Nicoli!” This time he hit Ramsey in the stomach. Ramsey doubled over and cried out. Antonio went in for the kill, spearing Ramsey in the head.
All the air left Dani’s lungs at once.
They’re going to kill Ramsey.