Vampire - When Darkness Falls Part 56

He came to a halt. "Get it from her, Renate."

Renate came at Jade, grabbed for her arm, and slugged her hard, hitting her first in the jaw, then in the stomach. Jade doubled over before responding, amazed. Then she straightened, still in pain. She struck back, catching Renate's jaw.

Hard.

Renate crumpled and staggered back.

But not before the vial of shampoo had gone flying. It crashed on the floor. Darian jumped back, fearing the touch of the liquid.

But then he saw the thickness of the solution spilling onto the floor, and he shook his head, grinning ruefully, as if she 'd played a marvelously good joke on him.

"Jade, Jade, Jade! You've nothing at hand. Nothing at all. Lucian, the great protector, is off chasing windmills! And your companions have deserted you on their quest to find weapons-leaving you empty- handed. All alone. Waiting. Ripe."

"Lucian is here, you know," she bluffed. "He won't let you do this."

"Lucian can't keep up with Sophia and me, my dear. Go ahead, run.

Get that blood pumping. And while you run, tell me more about Lucian.

About the way he's suddenly going to rescue you."

"He knows that I'm here."

"No. I don't think so."

"You're wrong."

"No, I'm not. You'd better run, Jade. Run. Because I'm coming.

Now. I've been waiting, but ah, will you look? The wait is over. Here we are, you and me .. . together at last." He licked his lips. Smiled.

His fangs glittered in the light.

She did run. She tore down the length of the hallway between the two rooms. She raced to the door, ready to streak out into the hall.

He caught her before she could open the door, spinning her around, slamming her against it. He touched her cheek. "You are a gem, you know. Something to be wanted, coveted. I loved your questions that night. I loved the way you tried to be so courteous and so polite, and yet I loved the way your eyes would roll when they would do something just incredibly stupid or rude.... You're quite entrancing. I can see the hold you've had on Lucian all these years...."

"I haven't had a hold on Lucian for years. You're not going to wage war with him again on that account. I'm not Igrainia."

She felt the power of his weight. He was leaning against her at the door. She was held prisoner there. He brought his hand to her face again. She flinched; he smiled, rubbing his knuckles along the length of her jaw. "You know, you liked me the night of the tour."

"That was before I realized you chewed up college students," she said.

"College students. I wanted the little boy-the blood of children can be so very sweet. But thanks to old Lucian, the woman took the kids home early. Kids have the best blood." His eyes widened as he taunted her. "College students are a poor subst.i.tute. The girl was all right, though. I had intended to take my time with her. Lucian rather ruined that."

"Doesn't it bother Sophia that you go after victims in such a ..." "Predatory manner? Or sensual manner?" he mocked. "We are creatures of... shall I say ... flesh and blood? Ah, Sophia and I are not jealous of one another. If so ... well, her obsession with Lucian would have destroyed me long, long ago. Now there's a rather sad case. She wants him almost as much as she wants to destroy him. And she will in the end. She has the talisman."

He placed his hand on her chest. "Feel your heart!"

"Get your b.l.o.o.d.y hands off me!"

She shoved his hand away, pushed him, and stepped past him.

Startled, and then amused, he let her go.

"You haven't tried screaming."

"I will," she promised. "I'll scream and bring every cop in Edinburgh down on you."

"No, you won't."

She didn't blink; she barely saw him move. But he was right in front of her again. Touching her. "It's time," he said.

"No!"

His fingers were in her hair; he had her head wrenched aside to aim his fangs directly into her jugular vein.

She could feel her own heart.

She could feel her blood, hot, Causing her vein to throb.

She could feel his fangs, the heat, the saliva, his touch....

Chapter Nineteen.

Suddenly she heard the sound of shattering gla.s.s.

The window had broken. Sweet, Jesus, yes, it was real. The gla.s.s had suddenly, violently shattered, and now it seemed to rain down in shimmering slow motion.

They were on the third floor.

A wolf, huge and silver, came hurtling through the gla.s.s. It landed on Darian with a thunderous force that ripped the vampire away from Jade and sent him flying against the far wall. Darian crashed hard against it. Then he rose, racing with the wolf at his heels, back down the narrow hallway.

Jade ran down the hallway between the rooms.

The wolf was gone.

Lucian stood in the center of the room, challenging Darian. But Darian had gone for the limp body of Renate, dragging her to her feet, using her as a shield.

"She's .. . she let him in!" Jade cried in warning. "She's . . ."

"Not dead yet, not his creature yet," Lucian said, keeping his eyes hard on Darian. "And if he harms her further ..."

Lucian started walking toward him, his eyes a black pit of fire, his jaw dead set.

"Lucian, keep your distance, and I'll leave you the woman," Darian said. Lucian ignored him, striding forward. But before Lucian could reach him, the door from the hall burst open. Lucian was momentarily distracted.

Renate fell to the floor.

Darian dissolved into mist.

Jack and Shanna came hurtling in, each carrying a broom with a hastily fashioned point, and a vial of water.

"Jade!" Shanna called out, running for her sister. She dropped her broom and threw her arms around her.

Jack Delaney stared at Lucian. "We didn't know where you were."

"I know," Lucian said. "I didn't think you fools would come to Scotland. You would have been safe back in the States. Sophia had to follow me here, and she knew she couldn't combat me alone. You would have been safe!"

"We came to help you!" Jade called out angrily. She was shaking.

And her mind was still refusing to believe what her eyes kept seeing.

"You should have been smarter; you shouldn't have come!" he insisted.

"Jade," Shanna said, but Jade stepped around her sister.

"No. You needed us. Because you don't know everything! Power isn't always everything; Renate was right- knowledge is strength!"

She brought her hands up in fists to pound against his chest. Her hands fell flat upon his chest, and he enveloped her into his arms.

She felt a beating, beating, beating....

Her heart? His? Did he have a heart that could beat so?

Did it matter? The pulse and fever she felt seemed a part of them both.

"I heard you calling me," he said very softly. "I barely came in time."

Lucian was shaking.

"He got away," Shanna said. "Jade! I was so stupid, and so lucky.

Darian is Dave, the fellow I met at the coffee shop. Jade, I could have wound up like ..."

"Me?"

They all turned. Rick was standing in the doorway. There was gra.s.s in his hair, Jade noted. She broke from Lucian, running to Rick, hugging him fiercely. "Rick, I'm so, so sorry. You can't begin to imagine-"

"Jade," he said kindly. He held her away from him. "Some things, maybe, are destiny."

"Oh, Rick-"

"It's okay."

"It's not okay. You're really ..."

"Dead?" he whispered. "It's not a four-letter word- oh, yes, I guess it is. People, we need to think fast for the moment."

"I beg your pardon?" Lucian said, scowling.

"Excuse me, but I still know law enforcement and the 'protect and serve' routine. Security is coming up-the broken window."

"What do we do?" Shanna asked.

"Play innocent!" Jade said quickly. "It just suddenly shattered. We figured something had to have been thrown into the room, but we can't find it."

"When did Renate get here?" Jack asked. "And why is she out cold?"

"Put her into the bed. I'll explain later. And Rick, Lucian-"

"We'll be in the bar," Rick said quickly. He grinned. "I can have a b.l.o.o.d.y Mary, right, Lucian?"

Lucian groaned. "Get out, Rick."

"We'll meet you down there," Jack told him. The two exited just in time. Two security officers with great, broad accents arrived. Jade showed them the window. She said she couldn't find what had done it. She was thankful they seemed merely perplexed-and apologetic. It was obvious that the window had been broken from the outside in-the way it had shattered was proof. They would need a new room for the night, so that the window could be fixed.

That didn't sound like a bad idea. They changed rooms, Jack carrying Renate and explaining how she was very, very tired from jet lag. Luckily she moaned, almost opened her eyes and smiled vaguely, and made them look legitimate.

"We're due downstairs," Jack said, when they were settled.

"What about Renate?" Shanna asked.

"n.o.body's going to threaten her. She's really out."

"I guess she'll be okay for a few minutes, but..."

"We won't leave her long," Jack said.

When they made it down to the bar, it was amazing to see how well Rick looked. Amazing that his sense of humor seemed the same.

Amazing that his eyes could remain so kind when he looked at her. He squeezed her fingers briefly as they sat across the table. "Thanks!" he said softly.

"Thanks? I involved you with ..."