CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The man with the zigzag scar entered the room soundlessly and stood behind Quillan. His accomplice came in after him, holding Sarah by her ankles.
“Sarah! Don’t hurt her!” Tia screamed. “Don’t you touch her!”
Sarah stopped crying when she heard Tia’s voice. She twisted round and stared at Tia, stretching out her chubby arms imploringly to Tia.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Tia whispered. “Don’t be afraid.”
Tia moved forward, but Quillan jerked his head and snapped, “Nelo, make sure she doesn’t interrupt anything.”
“Yes, Master.”
Nelo moved with superhuman speed and dug his nails into Tia’s shoulder to hold her in place. The scar on her shoulder throbbed painfully. This piece of shit was the one who had given her that very scar.
“Don’t move,” Nelo snarled. “And I won’t make it painful for you.”
“Fuck you,” she spat.
Nelo smiled, his fangs lengthening. Nelo and his accomplice were vampires sired by Quillan. They were under his control and did his bidding. They were the ones who had snatched all those homeless people off the streets. How many innocent people had they fed to their Master?
“The phoenix. Give me the phoenix, Donn,” Quillan said, holding out his gnarled hand.
“Don’t!” Tia yelled, struggling hard as Nelo gripped her arms. “Don’t do it! Can’t you see? He’ll kill you once he has regained his powers. He’s not like the other vampire Masters. Those Masters protect their covens and keep the order. Quillan has no coven! He’s not a true Master! He sired you to use you! Don’t do it! Don’t give him what he wants. He’s using you!”
But Donn ignored her and handed a whimpering Sarah to Quillan. The old vampire took the baby in his arms and clucked his tongue. “So tender, so fresh...”
Quillan inhaled the baby’s scent and chuckled. “Yes, the phoenix in her is strong. Her blood will revitalize me. Like the phoenix, I will rise and become powerful again.” He waved dismissively at Tia and said to his two minions, “Donn, Nelo, the human is yours. Enjoy her, but don’t make too much of a mess.”
Tia screamed all manner of curses as the two younger vampires fixed their ravenous eyes on her. “Get away from me! Sarah! Leave her alone, you dirty leech! Get your fucking hands off her, Quillan! I will kill you, I swear!”
Tia stopped kicking and thrashing when she heard a howl. It sounded like it was coming from the back of the building.
“A werewolf,” Quillan hissed, his eyes glowing dangerously.
Tia kept her face impassive even as she breathed Caine’s name.
Sarah was wailing at the top of her lungs, screaming for her daddy.
“Donn, get rid of the wolf,” Quillan ordered.
Donn nodded and disappeared. He simply teleported out of the building. Tia had seen Donn and Nelo teleport away with their victims when she was a cop. Not all vampires could teleport. It was a unique ability inherited from one’s vampire master.
Tia gulped and hoped that Quillan had grown too old and weak to teleport. His strength was weakening, so he should have lost some of his powers. If he teleported away with Sarah, she would have no idea where to find him. And by the time she got to him, Sarah…
No!
She would stop him. She would not allow him to take a drop of Sarah’s blood.
Without warning, Tia slammed her elbow into Nelo’s side. Her elbow hurt like hell but she didn’t stop for breath. She lunged towards Sarah, but Nelo caught her and yanked her back. Tia spun round and aimed her fist at his nose, but Nelo caught her hand in his palm and twisted.
Tia screamed in pain and rage and kicked the vampire hard in the shin. She tried to reach for Sarah again, but Nelo kicked her legs out from under her and she fell noisily to the ground.
A heavy boot landed on her back, pinning her down. Tia looked up and saw Quillan pulling Sarah’s head back to expose her neck. The little girl was bawling as she flailed and struggled helplessly.
Quillan dug his long, yellowed nails into the baby’s soft flesh and drew blood.
“No! No!” Tia shrieked.
There was the sudden sound of glass shattering as a round orb smashed through a window.
Tia turned and saw a deformed, misshapen ball fly through the broken window and roll across the floor.
The ball stopped in front of Tia and stared at her.
Tia choked down a cry.
It wasn’t a ball.
It was Donn’s head.
The vampire’s eyes were wide and staring, his mouth open to reveal his descended fangs. A trickle of black blood flowed slowly from the base of the decapitated head, and the inky rivulet crawled inexorably towards Tia.
Tia struggled and snapped her attention back to Quillan. The old vampire was holding Sarah tightly to his chest as he backed slowly out of the room.
Tia blinked hard. Quillan seemed to be fading. Shit!
Quillan couldn’t teleport swiftly due to his waning strength but he could still dematerialize. And he was taking Sarah with him.
Silently, Tia reached for the gun at her ankle. Nelo still had his boot on her back, but he was watching the broken window warily.
As soon as her fingers closed around the handle, Tia wrenched her gun out and fired a shot at Quillan.
She aimed her shot low so she wouldn’t hit Sarah. The bullet lodged in the vampire’s leg and Quillan let out a terrible roar. His translucent shape became clear and solid once more.
Tia smiled grimly as Quillan grabbed his leg and tried to claw the bullet out.
The murdering, ancient bloodsucker wouldn’t be going anywhere now. The silver would stop him.
Nelo kicked the gun out of her hand before she could squeeze off another shot. He was about to slam his boot down and break every bone in her hand when a large white wolf exploded into the room.
The wolf slashed at Nelo with its razor sharp claws and stood over Tia.
Tia glimpsed the wolf’s hazel eyes before its eyes turned fully golden and feral.
“Caine...” She managed a quick smile and whispered fiercely, “Sarah! Go get Sarah! I’ll deal with Nelo, you stop Quillan. Kill that fucker!”