"I can and I will.” He took a step closer and in a rare gesture of affection, put a tender hand on her cheek. “You were my first child, Emelie, and you will always be my best. But you're not my only. I have too many here and back home who count on me for protection. If something goes wrong, I need someone outside the kill zone who's strong enough to shelter my people from the backlash. It's bad enough that some will die. I don't want everyone going down with me. You understand? I need you, Em. You can save them if I fall."
"You're not going to fall,” she whispered fiercely.
"No,” he said with another grin “I'm not. I'm going to take down that son of a bitch and anyone else who had anything to do with this. And then I'm going to find Sarah and teach her the price for breaking a promise to her lord and master."
Em choked back something that was part sob and part laugh. “Good luck with that."
"Have a little faith, Emelie."
"I have tons of faith, my lord. If I didn't, you'd have to step over my dead body to get out that damn door."
The warehouse was buzzing with energy. Raj stood and absorbed it all—the vicious exhilaration of vampires who knew they would soon be set free, that the bonds of civilization, the confinement of the laws and mores they were forced to live under in this new world of surveillance cameras and DNA, these would be set aside for a night. Tonight was about Vampire, tonight was bloodshed and mayhem, and they were bursting with the joy of it.
He cracked his jaw in an open grin, stretching out his arms as if he could scoop up all that energy and soak it in by great handfuls. He let his own power wash over them, filling them with confidence and the surety of his strength beside them. They would do this together and they would see victory before the night was over. He nodded at Emelie and she grinned back. His vampires howled and began piling into the waiting vehicles. Engines roared to life and the big bay doors rolled open.
He strode toward the open door of the last SUV and slammed to a halt as an awareness of Sarah suddenly flooded his senses. She was awake and alert. He thrust a spear of power outward, struggling to reach her over the weak blood bond, but it wasn't enough. He pounded the roof of the SUV in frustration and settled for a powerful push of reassurance and warmth. She would know he was here, that he was coming. That would have to be enough.
He spun around at the sound of Em's phone ringing. She flipped it up to her ear and listened. Her eyes shifted to him and she mouthed one name—Byron.
"They've got him,” she said, disconnecting and shoving the phone back into her pocket.
Raj bared his teeth in a fang-baring snarl. “Then that's our first stop."
Chapter Forty-five
It was cold where she was, and dark and damp. She could smell the moisture creeping down the walls and rising up from beneath the floor to bring an ache to her bones. She rolled over triggering a vicious bout of vertigo that had her grabbing blindly for something solid to ground herself and found the chill rail of a metal bed. She clung to it, feeling the rough craters where flakes of paint had chipped away. She lay there breathing carefully and waited, convinced she was dreaming and would soon wake in her own bed, her own room.
"Hello?” a shaky girl's voice called.
Shock jolted Sarah's eyes open and she woke to her worst nightmare come true. Her heart rate soared, squeezing the air from her lungs and jerking her entire body with every beat.
"Hello? Is someone there?” the girl called again.
Sarah's head swiveled in the direction of the voice and saw a crack of light where the door hadn't completely closed. Her eyes widened and she fisted a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. She knew this place. The door swung open and she looked up, expecting to see the shadowed form from her nightmares, the one who'd taken Trish and left Regina for dead.
"You're awake.” A young woman stood outlined in the light from the hallway, short like Sarah, but thinner and much younger. Trish, Sarah realized. This was Trish Cowens.
"It's all right,” Trish was saying. “They're gone for now.” She came closer, moving slowly, one hand out as if she was approaching a frightened animal.
Sarah blinked. And felt a swell of fiery rage that started in her heart and raced out to warm every part of her body. It was Raj. She could feel him like a huge, but distant blaze of fury. Memory of his blood warm against her tongue flashed so vividly she could taste it. She hadn't wanted to take any of his blood, had only agreed in order to please him. The idea of more had been disgusting. But now she understood why it had been important. It was the link Cyn had tried to tell her about. She only hoped it was enough for him to find her before it was too late.
"Are you okay?” Trish asked.
Sarah managed a weak smile, but realized the girl might not be able to see it. “Yeah,” she said out loud. “Or I will be in a minute.” She swallowed her nausea, inhaling deeply, letting the air out slowly and repeating the cycle. She looked up. “You're Trish Cowens, aren't you?"
Trish rushed over to the bed, nearly stumbling in her urgency to get closer. “Are they looking for me? Is my dad—” Her voice cracked and Sarah put out a hand, drawing the girl down to sit next to her. As if the touch was a signal, Trish began to cry, sobbing like a small child. Sarah wrapped her arms around her and let her cry, holding her tight and rocking slightly.
Trish's sobs eventually diminished, but she held on, rubbing her wet face against Sarah's t-shirt. “Are you with the police?” she asked in a small, hopeful voice.
Sarah sighed. If she got out of this alive, Raj was going to kill her. “I'm not with the police, Trish, but my friends know where I am and they'll come for us."
"It's vampires,” Trish said dully. “That's who's got us."
"I know,” Sarah said and tightened her hold on the frightened young woman.
"They killed Regina."
"No,” Sarah said quickly. “We found Regina in time and we saved her."