The Goddess and The Vampire Read online

  Chapter Sixteen

  I WALKED OUT to the Dodge and found Kilestra leaning against the driver’s door. For someone in hiding, she seemed to spend a lot of time standing out in the open. She was dressed all in black and her long leather coat seemed to melt into the car’s darkness. The hilt of a sword showed over one shoulder. I took her in with my improved vision and found her to be as beautiful as ever. Her flowing black hair and dark eyes were the perfect complement to her dark red lips. I walked up to her and she looked into my eyes approvingly.

  “That Ancient’s blood looks good in you.” Kilestra said and licked her lips. “We could have a lot more fun together now.”

  “I’m sure we could.” I said and resisted the urge to take her in my arms. “I’m not sure I can trust myself just now.”

  “You never could.” Kilestra said and pulled me toward her. “You’re doing this. You know you are.”

  Kilestra’s cool skin was smooth and silky as my lips brushed her neck. The tickle of power I got from her own lips on my neck made me feel warm. My hands slid inside her coat and I squeezed her firm curves. I took a nip at her flesh and a few drops of red appeared. She did the same with me. We slowly licked the blood, sharing each other as only vampires can. It was a good feeling. Very good.

  “The term ‘get a room’ comes to mind.” Katie said from behind me. “If you’re really planning on bending her over the hood, you should at least move the car out from under the parking lot lights.”

  “What have you got Grandfather working on?” I said and moved away from Kilestra. She hopped from shadow to shadow as I watched.

  “Something that will save us all.” Kilestra said and tilted her head at me. “But if I tell you, you’ll tell Katie and that’s as good as telling Desiara. That would be bad.”

  “Katie’s translating for Grandfather.” I said and had sudden visions of Desiara going all death Goddess on him.

  “He’s being careful.” Kilestra said and brushed away my fears with a wave of her hand. “He’s a lot smarter than you give him credit for. And Katie has surprised me once or twice.”

  Kilestra leaned back on the Dodge. She crossed her legs in a way that showed off her thigh high leather boots. She looked into my eyes. Her thoughts mingled easily with mine. She was thinking about the people in my life.

  ‘When they are all dust, I will still be here.’ She thought to me. Then she appeared to burst into a cloud of smoke and disappeared into the darkness.

  “Yeah.” I said softly. “But will I?”

  “TAKE CARE OF my parents.” I said and saw the usual look of concern flow over Katie’s face. I reached out and took her hand. It was warmer than human and filled with thinner bones. After a moment, she pulled herself free and walked back toward the house.

  I got in the Dodge and drove downtown to the Vampire Consulate. A hummer fell in behind me, it’s headlights about level with my rear view mirror. I could feel Raoul and Izumi. How close had they been when I was talking to Kilestra? I guess not close enough.

  I parked in the lot behind the Consulate and the Hummer stayed down the block a bit. I waved at the Hunters but got no response. I went into the building and was surprised to see Jackie sitting behind her desk. She was dressed in her usual business casual and was working a file over her nails. She looked up when I entered and her face twitched just a little.

  “Hey, Wilhem.” She said and swallowed slowly. “Fedor was hoping you’d stop by.”

  A twinge of desire in my gut made me bend over, it passed in a moment. Andy was by my side, a look of concern on his face and a strong hand on my arm. Of course, I could have easily enough have tossed him aside, but his touch was enough to ground me.

  “Sure.’ I said to Jackie and nodded to Andy to show that I was ok. “I’ll head right in.”

  Jackie looked like she was fighting to keep some expression off her face as I walked past. I managed to get by without either of us ripping the others clothes off. I pushed into Fedor’s office before that had a chance to change.

  I closed the heavy door behind me and that seemed to be enough to break the spell.

  “You too, eh?” Fedor said from behind his desk. “Do you have another one of those potions by any chance?”

  “Ravenhawk only gave me the two.” I said and blew out a breath. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to pay Raoul and Izumi for their Cure.”

  “I’ve got bad news as well.” Fedor said and leaned back into the green leather of his chair. “Vladlena escaped. Again.”

  “Again?” I said. “How did that happen?”

  “She used some power we weren’t prepared for.” Fedor said and tapped a fist into a palm. “She was in custody one moment and out of her cell the next. We caught her before she could get out of the building. But then she enthralled one of the guards and he took her to the surface. Then she was gone for real.”

  “Did she kill anyone?” I said and let my senses flow down to the people I cared about who worked in the Dungeons. “Do I need a stake or an axe or maybe a hand grenade?”

  “She didn’t kill anyone.” Fedor said and closed his eyes. “But she did say she was going to find you. And kill you.”

  “So I can have an execution order on this one?” I said and looked at Fedor with a flicker of power in my eyes.

  “Try using these first.” Fedor said and tossed a pair of silver plated handcuffs onto his desk. “And tell Beth to give you something to sooth the insane Ancient. She’s working for me now.”

  I went to the lobby and walked by Jackie without giving her a second glance. Andy was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine. There was a forced perspective photo of a large black revolver on the cover. The muzzle opening looked like a manhole cover. He licked his thumb and turned the page. Then rotated the magazine and a centerfold fell open. He raised his eyebrows in appreciation.

  “Do you have anything that could knock out an Ancient?” I said as I walked up to Andy. “Or maybe kill one?”

  “Phosphorus is the go to method for taking out an Ancient.” Andy said and ran a finger over the photo of a long barreled automatic. “Knocking them out usually just takes a lot of ammo and a lot more luck.”

  “You have any phosphorus?” I said and Andy looked at me in surprise.

  “Fedor usually prefers that we bring in corpses that can talk.” Andy said and looked towards Fedor’s office. “Ashes don’t share information. And the Commission has rules about killing Ancients. Fedor is supposed to turn Rogue Ancients over to The Captain and let his people do the interrogating.”

  “Since when are you are a walking rule book?” I said and crossed my arms. “You shot Vladlena with a shotgun last we fought her.”

  “Yeah, I shot her.” Andy said and stood up. “I didn’t stake her to a tree and make her watch the sunrise. And I’m willing to shoot her again.”

  “But you do have phosphorus?” I said as we walked out the back door.

  “I have a small box of grenades.” Andy said and looked around to make sure no one was listening. “Strictly for emergencies.”

  THE HUMMER FOLLOWED us to Poly and rolled easily over the dips and potholes. The Dodge had to slow down or risk serious injury. I pulled to a stop in front of Billy’s house and told Andy I’d be back in a few minutes. Raoul and Izumi kept their engine idling a half a block away. Parking has always been a challenge around here. I walked up the steps to the house and knocked. No one answered so I opened the door and went in.

  Beth was on the sofa. She was putting in some quality time with an electric wand that sounded like a blender. She had on a set of headphones and her eyes were closed in concentration. I kicked the sofa’s end to get her attention. She squinted at me and bit her lower lip. She closed her eyes again and turned her head. She tensed before releasing.

  “If I knew you liked to watch I would have called you.” Beth said as she shrugged into a see through bathrobe. “If I had your number.”

  “It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”
I said and sat in the old swivel rocker. “Not like everyone in town hasn’t seen it before.”

  “Fuck you.” Beth said and flicked a small lighter to life. She put the flame to a stick of incense with gold coloring and waved it in front of her face. Beth took a deep breath of the sweet and airy smoke and her body sagged in relaxation. After being undead for a couple of centuries there were still things I didn’t know about Weres.

  “Would that stuff work on an Ancient?” I said without getting close enough to get more than a sniff of the smoke. “Could it sedate a really powerful vampire?”

  Beth looked at me through tiny pupils and a haze of intoxication. She blew the smoke out of her lungs in a thoughtful cloud. She reached up, rubbed the side of her face, and then let her hand slide up to the top of her head. She let the spiky points of her hair tickle her palm for a moment. Then she seemed to remember I was still standing there.

  “Yeah. So long as they haven’t already been exposed to it.” Beth said and reached for a small wooden box on the coffee table. “Vampires build an almost instant tolerance to drugs.”

  She opened the box and fumbled around for another clear plastic baggy. This one had several pieces of cone incense that were also gold in color. She tossed the baggie to me. A piece of tape had two hand written words on it: Copal Death.

  I left a hundred dollars on the table and went back outside. Raoul and Izumi only looked a bit out of place in their oversized SUV. The night was starting to look up. Or maybe that was just an effect of getting a little hit of copal smoke.

  I drove back to the abandoned house in Dallas. I told Andy about the incense and my plans. We pulled up to the boxy McMansion’s driveway and I kept going until we were at the front door. The place looked as empty and unused as it had the last time we were here. The Hummer stopped at the bottom of the small hill that lead up to the house. It looked like their plan was to block us in. Raoul and Izumi got out of the Hummer and watched to see what would happen.

  “What makes you think Vladlena will be here again?” Andy said and peered into the darkened house. “I didn’t see a lot of signs that she was making herself all that much at home.”

  “Vampires are creatures of habit.” I said and stared up at the house. “And I’m pretty sure Vladlena is in there. Her kind of power isn’t easy to hide.”

  “Then she knows you’re here, too.” Andy said and opened the small wooden crate he had in the back of the Dodge. “So she won’t be too surprised when we walk in. Best to be prepared.”

  “Let me take one of those.” I said and took the all too harmless looking grenade and slide it into my coat pocket. “Leave the rest.”

  Andy closed the lid and pushed the box toward the front of the cargo area. He pulled out his Desert Eagle 44 and checked that the clip was full and the safety was off. He loosened the holsters on his backups and nodded, he was good to go.

  “I’m going to try and get her into the main hallway.” I said and handed Andy the baggie of incense. “I want you to light all of these and stay by the door. We’re going to need a quick getaway if I have to use the phosphorus.”

  “I can do that.” Andy said and took the baggie. “You want me to burn all of these? Won’t the smoke affect you?”

  “I don’t plan on being in the room that long.” I said and headed for the door.

  “SHOULD WE GO in the front door?” Andy said and headed in that direction.

  “Why not?” I said and sped up a bit to take the lead.

  I found the front door unlocked and we went inside. A few random candles sat in puddles of wax here and there. Vladlena having a sentimental moment. She didn’t need the light from a candle any more than I did. We can see well enough in the dark. Also, It was easy enough for a vampire to get electricity to a place like this. Maybe Vladlena wasn’t into the modern comforts.

  I left Andy using one of the candles to light cones of incense. I went up the winding staircase. I followed the main hall down to the master bedroom with its view of the lake. I could feel Vladlena inside. She was waiting for me.

  I opened the door and found Vladlena standing by the window, her back to me. She was wearing the same clothes she had worn the last time I saw her. They were stained and wrinkled and the first few hints of mold were starting to show.

  “Maybe if you had a couple of Chosen.” I said into the darkness. “You wouldn’t have to live like this.”

  Vladlena turned her head in my direction and I saw a black glow in her eyes. She raised her hand and I caught my first glimpse of a glowing short sword. It was made of silver, just like the blade she had used in the storm drain. But this blade was thicker and the edge looked sharper. A complex intaglio was on the blade’s flat surface. The pattern glowed a bit as I looked at it. Some kind of magic, doubtless proof against vampires. I felt in my pocket for the grenade, my own proof against our kind.

  “I took this blade off the body of a Hunter.” Vladlena said as she ran her thumb along the razor sharp edge. “He was a big man. Strong and powerful and had a reputation for slaying the undead.”

  I watched as Vladlena opened a cut in her thumb and then brought the wound to her mouth. She sucked at her own blood. She spat a bit of red onto the side of the blade and it hissed and sizzled like a steak on a barbecue. The pattern of intaglio flared and the blood was gone. She caught my eye.

  “The Hunter thought this weapon made him invincible.” Vladlena said as she hefted the blade in her hand, turning it this way and that in the dim light. “Do you think your weapon makes you invincible?”

  “We can talk to Fedor.” I said and kept my back to the open door. “He can talk to the Commission. Maybe they can send you back to Russia. I hear they have a few wilderness spots set aside where vampires like you can live the way you want.”

  “Hmm.” Vladlena said and gave the blade a few lighting quick thrusts. “Put me in a zoo with the other misfits?”

  “Better a zoo than a Hunting reserve.” I said and let my thoughts reach out to Andy. He had all of the cones lit and the smoke was drifting around the hall. “I’ve heard of places where people pay big money to kill vampires. Even bigger money to kill an Ancient.”

  “I know.” Vladlena said. “And the Vampire Commission sanctions them as a warning to the rest of us.”

  “I guess that didn’t work with you.” I said and Vladlena narrowed her eyes at me.

  “An Alchemist made this blade.” Vladlena said and stared down at it appreciatively. “Once the blade entered the body of a vampire, it set the blood on fire. The Hunter told me that the Alchemist had used some kind of meteorite. Something that had come close to the sun before falling to earth. The blade is like a little bit of the day and that is why it kills us.”

  “A phosphorus grenade melts our bones.” I said and pulled out the grenade for Vladlena to see. “That’s why it kills us.”

  “Bah.” Vladlena said in disgust. “Technology.”

  I backed out the door and ran for the entranceway. I got to the bottom of the stairs in the hallway before Vladlena fell on me like a cat on a mouse. I was able to use a bit of momentum to roll into the smoke filled room. Vladlena was in no hurry. She sat on my chest and held the deadly blade balanced over my heart. I didn’t want to die, but if I was going to die anyway, I’d take Vladlena with me. I pulled the pin on the grenade as Vladlena began the swords’ down stroke.

  Then something funny happened. I didn’t want to hurt Vladlena anymore and she didn’t seem to want to hurt me either. Vladlena hadn’t paid any attention to the smoke in the room. She was like me, she didn’t know about this offshoot world of vampire narcotics. Vladlena tossed the sword on the floor and stepped away from me. I let the grenade slip from my hand, no longer aware of its existence. It rolled across the floor a few feet and came to a stop. My breathing slowed and my mind fell into a hypnogogic state. Vladlena was fascinated by the way the flames on the candles moved. The grenade rolled in slow motion as time expanded for me and Vladlena.

  I watche
d without interest as Andy ran in freeze frames and picked up the grenade. It seemed to take him a long time to do it. It took even longer for him to throw it out the front door in an exaggerated Haymaker pitch. The distant sounds of the metal cylinder bouncing off the front porch and rolling into the driveway felt like they should have been important. Andy grabbed me by the heels and pulled me across the floor away from the open door. My heightened sense could follow the grenade as it hit the end of the driveway. Then began to clatter down the hill.

  “Incoming!” Said a man’s voice that sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. A moment later, there was an explosion and a blinding white light. Vampires don’t sleep, but we have been known to lose consciousness occasionally.

  “GODDAMNIT THAT CAR belonged to Carlo.” Raoul said from somewhere nearby. “You’re a menace to society. You can’t just throw those things around as if they are beads at a Mardi Gras parade. You could have killed us.”

  I opened my eyes and found I was still feeling good, but that I was also back to real time. I was lying on the ground, staring up at Raoul, who looked unusually tall from this angel. Next to him was Izumi, who was frowning down at me.

  “Where’s Kilestra?” Izumi said in a soft voice and I found the flow of her robes unusually fascinating. “I know you want to tell us.”

  “She might be back at the Mansion.” I said without thinking. “She stops by once in a while.”

  “That’s enough of that, Boss.” Andy said and pulled me to a sitting position. “Time for us to go now.”

  Raoul and Izumi were pulling out their guns.

  “We’re gonna need your car.” Raoul said and held his hand out for the keys.

  “Just a minute.” Andy said and pulled a handcuffed and smiling Vladlena out of the Dodge’s back seat. Then he tossed the keys to Raoul. “Here.”

  Raoul and Izumi hopped in and peeled off in the direction of Fort Worth. I closed my eyes and ground my teeth for a moment. I couldn’t really be upset at the moment though. Vladlena was lying on the ground next to me. I didn’t remember laying back down. Vladlena began singing some song in Russian. I badly wanted to join in, but I didn’t know any Russian. I hummed along instead.

  “I forgot to get the rest of the grenades.” Andy said. I should have been worried about that. A moment later, all I could think about was what a nice singing voice Vladlena had.

  FEDOR’S SILVER CLOUD was parked behind the police lines. He walked over to where we were being watched by a couple of Dallas’s Finest. We were handed over without question and Fedor signed some kind of release form. My head was still cloudy, but I was becoming a little less euphoric. Vladlena had tried to break free. She stopped when she noticed Andy holding the magical silver sword. Fedor’s driver, a man I had never seen before or even heard mentioned, opened the back door and we all crawled in. The back compartment was large enough to hold at least a dozen people.

  “Thank you for apprehending Vladlena, Wilhem.” Fedor said as the Rolls smoothly accelerated away from the disaster area. “It’s good to see that you can still think on your feet.”

  Andy and I exchanged glances but chose to say nothing.

  “Thank you, Vladlena, for adding such an interesting blade to my collection.” Fedor said. He leaned in toward the shackled vampire with the blade glinting in his hand. “So good of you to rejoin our happy family of law abiding vampires.”

  “And Andy.” Fedor said in an overly friendly voice as he turned to stare at Andy. “Good of you to show that the illegal stockpile of military grade weaponry at our disposal works as advertised. It would have been embarrassing to need a weapon like that and find that it didn’t function.”

  “On the less positive side.” Fedor said and let his voice take on a cold tone. “The Dallas Police have issued several citations. Something about explosives, danger to public safety, criminal trespassing, and destruction of private and public property. Their colleagues in the Fort Worth Police Department are going through our storerooms. They are confiscating any number of items as we speak. They assure me that I will have a detailed inventory. There is a possibility that some of the items may be returned. Once they have been given a sufficient reason for their being in our possession to start with.”

  “But we’re a Consulate.” I said and tried to think. “They can’t just come and search a Consulate. Don’t we have Diplomatic Immunity for all this stuff?”

  “Yes, we do have Immunity. But they can search the grounds...” Fedor said and leaned in close to me. “If they have a letter from the Vampire Commission giving them permission to do so.”

  Fedor let the silence grow for a few more seconds. He then turned back to me. The light in his eyes was a bright blue. He showed his power more than he normally did, even when he was displeased.

  “Your mother called and said that those Hunters stopped by looking for Kilestra.” Fedor said and stared at me. “Odd that they thought she would be there. We ‘found’ your car not too far from here. It seems Raoul was unwise enough to call for help from a group of Werearmadillos he had an arrangement with. They seem to have a new arrangement with you, Wilhem.”

  I started to speak and Fedor raised a hand to stop me. I couldn’t help but notice the Damascus steel ring on his wedding finger. It wasn’t nearly as pretty as mine.

  “No need to thank me, Wilhem.” Fedor said. He rested his hands on the sword’s hilt while the blade’s point rested on the compartment’s floor. “These things happen.”

  The Rolls Royce glided to a stop. The driver hopped out and opened the door. Fedor nodded at Andy and me and pointed at the exit with the palm of his hand. We got out. The driver closed the door and dashed back to the driver’s door. A moment later the Rolls was just a pair of fading taillights.

  “Well.” Andy said and pressed a hand to his stomach. “That was close.”

  I spotted the Dodge on the side of the road and started toward it. Gravel was standing next to the car looking intimidating in the low light. When he saw us, he nodded his head and walked over to his chopper. In moments, he was riding off in a tooth-rattling roar.