A Guardian's Love Read online

  The hallway was dimmed by smoke from the gunfire, but her supernatural sight saw past the dense cloud as she dashed to the closest doorway. There was a lull in the gun battle and just as she was about to make a move for the next doorframe, a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

  Genevieve swirled around, her fangs barred; ready to defend them with all she had. She encountered hard silver eyes. Paloma! The Assassin was already taking the unconscious girl from her. The silver eyes softened considerably, yet she could still see the anguish in their darkening depths.

  “Let me take a look at her.”

  There against a steel door and with gunshots cracking around her, Genevieve saw what she’d thought she’d never witness. The woman, who’s deadly exploits filled volumes upon volumes, tenderly pressed her mouth to the slack lips as a lonely red tear trickled down her cheek. At last, Paloma had truly found love. She wouldn’t have believed it if she had not seen it herself…and what a great match for her. No matter who or what they were, all were vulnerable to that one emotion. Genevieve watched as Paloma opened up the girl’s dress and prodded the wound before bringing her wrist to her mouth. A soft tug with her fangs and a vein popped open. Paloma dripped a few drops of blood onto the wound, before pressing the bloodied wrist against her mate’s pale lips.

  “Drink, sweetie.” Paloma gently rubbed the girl’s throat to help her swallow. A sip…a cough…a sip…and then a longer sip. A bullet ricocheted nearby and the silver eyes looked up again. This time they held a deadly intent.

  “Get her out of here, Genevieve.”

  Paloma gently handed Inger’s body to Genevieve, but only after, she’d placed a soft kiss on the lips of her lover.

  †

  The horrendous stench grew stronger the closer Paloma came to the room that Genevieve had directed her to. Two heavily armed men guarded the door. Cloaked in invisibility, Paloma knew that the guards were completely unaware of her presence. She felt the beast rear in anticipation of the kill, pleading with her to be freed, its claws raking at her insides.

  She dropped her invisibility cloak and the guards, momentarily stunned by her sudden appearance, moved as one, aiming their weapons at her. The guards didn’t know it, but their delay in opening fire would cost them their lives. Growling, Paloma placated her beast by letting it loose. Her sword clattered to the ground as she doubled over. The sounds of bones cracking and snapping filled the air as her frame slowly morphed into that of a huge white wolf. With the transformation complete, Paloma quivered at the rush of power she felt as her human form fell away.

  Over their initial shock, the guards opened fire. The beast snarled in rage and pain as bullets slammed into its body, and it lunged at the guard closest to it. At the first taste of blood, the beast continued to tear savagely into its victim. Blood dripping from its mouth, it turned to the next guard as the first guard’s body dropped to the floor. The second man turned and pushed through the doors, triggering the beast’s prey drive. In one great leap, she was on him, dragging him down. Her powerful jaws clamped down on the renegade’s neck and with a loud snap, it was over. The beast turned, its red eyes blazing as it focused on the creature standing in the middle of the room. Crouching, the beast cocked its head, lowered it, and growled menacingly.

  His claws showing, Mercredi flexed his muscled wings, flapping them and causing the furniture in the room to scatter and shatter against the walls.

  “We meet again, Assassin?” Mercredi rasped. “This time, however, we are on equal footing. Beast versus beast.”

  The wolf took a step back as Mercredi’s words sunk in. Paloma felt the creature’s shock at her sudden retreat. She wanted to fight him in her human form, savoring each moment as she steered him to the gates of hell. The beast would be too eager to rip and kill. Mercredi deserved to die slowly. His name was written in blood on her list. She felt Tahlia’s presence behind her and began shape shifting, knowing Tahlia would watch over while she was at her most vulnerable.

  There was a subtle shift in the air, and a group of armed renegades appeared behind Mercredi.

  “I knew you would come soon enough, so I arranged a little welcoming party for you,” Mercredi gloated. “Hope you do not mind …too much.”

  Paloma came up straight from her crouching position and with a flick of the hand, she was covered in a black leather suit. Wiping at her bloody mouth, she touched her fingers to her lips, all the while keeping Mercredi in her sights. She reached for the sword Tahlia held out to her.

  “You know very little about us if you think a few fledglings with guns will stop us,” Paloma said quietly. “Your son thought so, too, and look where it got him. It was the easiest kill I have ever made.” Paloma pulled her face in disgust. “Though I must say he tasted like sewerage when I ripped out his throat.”

  Mercredi’s lips flattened slightly and Paloma knew that her barbs had hit home. The renegade leader’s face contorted in a mask of hatred, further transforming his already unpleasant features.

  “You will pay for what you have done to my son.” He looked at his men. “Kill them all, but leave the Assassin for me.”

  As if on cue, Jonas, Pierre, and Jemima appeared. Without looking at them, Paloma grinned at Mercredi, who looked slightly put off by the new arrivals.

  “We have arranged a small party for you and your men too, as you can see,” Paloma said, then added, “a farewell party.”

  Before Mercredi could respond, Tahlia’s sounded the order to attack.

  †

  Paloma purposefully slashed her way through the renegades, methodically making her way to Mercredi. Although not fatal, the gunshot wounds she’d sustained earlier were still slowly draining her strength. Mercredi wasn’t joking about his welcoming party. It was more like he had prepared for a Royal state visit. The more men they cut down, the more seemed to appear some brandishing guns, some swinging swords, and some carrying crossbows. The room was quickly becoming too small to maneuver in with bodies littering the floor.

  As if they read her thoughts, Juan and Jemima ran for the door, drawing a group of Mercredi’s men out into the hallway. As was her habit, she scanned the room for Tahlia, and found the Vampire Queen fighting off four renegades. Pierre and Jonas fought back- to-back. Satisfied that everyone was still accounted for, Paloma search for Mercredi. She spotted him just in time as he slipped through a door hidden behind a large tapestry.

  Coward, she thought bitterly. If Mercredi was making his exit now, it could mean only one thing. The battle had tilted in their favor. Swinging her sword wildly she hacked her way through the door.

  The room she entered was smaller than the first, with a large throne-like chair facing the entrance. Mercredi stood before the throne, facing the door. The beady red eyes of the renegade leader followed her every move.

  “I have been dreaming of this moment,” he rasped in a guttural voice, flexing his claws. “You destroyed my son, my heir.” A claw reached out and a sharp-nailed digit was pointed at her. “For that, I will shred you to pieces.”

  With a snarl, she accepted the challenge and stepped forward. Her senses buzzed, and she came to an abrupt stop. Sniffing the air, she picked up another scent and hissed.

  Bloody ghouls. She hated them. They were resolute in their pursuit to do the bidding of their masters and that made them very difficult to kill. She looked at Mercredi, who was now seated on his chair like a Roman nobleman watching a battle in an arena. He grinned at her, exposing his stained fangs.

  “Do not tell me you thought I would make it easy for you?”

  “All you are doing is delaying your own death.”

  Mercredi smiled as he lifted his hand and four ghouls stepped out from behind four pillars. Keeping her face expressionless, she watched the creatures close in. Like mindless sheep, they advanced on her, their movements slightly jerky.

  Tightening her hold on her sword, Paloma raked her mind for a plan. She was in no shape to take on four ghouls and Mercredi. The only way to walk out of
here alive was not to fight harder, but to apply ingenuity. Hurriedly scanning the room for anything she might use, she was disappointed. The room was completely bare, except for the chair Mercredi occupied. That left only one option. Ghouls may do the bidding of their masters, but they are not known to be very bright.

  Paloma quickly positioned herself so her back was against a wall and waited patiently for them to come within striking range. As expected, the ghouls boxed her in, closing all avenues for escape. Just as they reached out to grab her, Paloma dropped to her knees, and, using the wall as a propeller, pushed against it with her feet. Sliding on her stomach between the legs of the ghouls, she jumped to her feet and turned, finding the creatures still with their backs to her. Holding the sword in both hands, she used preternatural speed as she made a long slashing movement. For a few moments time stood still as she stared at the ghouls who appeared frozen. Then slowly their torsos slid sideways and fell to the floor.

  She turned to face Mercredi, who now sat up in his chair, his eyes wide in horror. She pointed at him with her bloodstained sword.

  “Now it is your turn to die.”

  Mercredi rose to his feet and walked into the center of the room.

  “You do know that you will never be able to stop us, Assassin. As we speak, thousands of humans are being recruited to join our cause. We grow stronger each and every day.”

  Paloma approached him, her eyes ablaze with vengeance. “And we will fight to the last to rid the world of your renegade scum.”

  Paloma’s sword shot out and sliced upward, leaving a long red streak of blood in its wake. Mercredi blinked in surprise at the slash on his arm, but ducked quickly when the sword flashed in his direction again. Side-stepping the sword, he feigned going left just as his right hand claw shot out and slashed at Paloma’s face. Paloma took a step back, ignoring the burning pain on the left side of her face. Studying Mercredi closely she was perplexed by the look of pure rapture on his face.

  Wondering what he had up his sleeve, Paloma circled him carefully, her senses on high alert. Were there more ghouls hiding somewhere in the room?

  “You call yourself honorable, but you fight an unarmed man with a sword. You should be ashamed of yourself or are you scared of evening the odds, Assassin?”

  Without a word, Paloma dropped her sword and flexed her shoulders. She was literally itching to get her hands on Mercredi. The renegade smiled and lunged at her. Paloma stepped out of his path and raked her claw down his back as she danced away from him. She almost gagged at the foul odor that filled the air. Mercredi gasped at the pain and pulled back. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her.

  “Have you ever wondered how we, mere humans, overpowered your warriors?” He circled her. He lunged at her again, but this time Paloma darted into his space and slashed across his mid-section. Rivulets of red darkened his robe as Mercredi stared down at his gaping abdomen. When he looked at her, she was once again confused by the victorious look in his eyes. “You never answered my question, Assassin.”

  Paloma shook her head. “I never cared to think about it. All I wanted was to find and kill you. I am doing that now.” She watched with grim satisfaction as Mercredi fell to his knees. “Knowing that you are dead is all I need to know.”

  Mercredi held up a bloodstained claw. “Maybe if you knew how we outwitted them, you would be able to better protect your warriors. That is, of course, if you survive this battle.”

  Was the man mad? He was on his knees, dying, and he still thought he would be victorious. She reached up to her face where it still burned and scowled when she found the wound still open and leaking blood. It was quite deep, but by now, it should have mended. She’d had worse wounds that took half the time to heal.

  Mercredi’s grating laughter interrupted her thoughts. He spread his claws out wide. “I know you are curious. Maybe if you asked nicely, I might tell you. Or would you rather I take the secret with me in death?”

  Tired of the renegade’s mind games, Paloma walked over to him and dragged him to his feet. “Your time is up.” She slammed her hand into his chest and wrapped her hand around his slippery heart, holding her breath at the horrendous stench coming from his gaping wound. Before she could rip his heart out, Mercredi’s lifted his claws.

  Paloma watched helplessly as he raked them down her chest, severing some of her ribs. The intense pain jerked her out of her stupor, and she pushed him away from her and at the same time tightened her hold on his heart.

  Mercredi crumpled like a sack of bones, his eyes blinking rapidly while Paloma looked down at the dark, deformed organ in her hand. An unexpected dizziness stole over her, making her stumble back a few steps as she shook her head to clear up the foggy feeling. She knew she was losing a lot of blood, but still found it strange that it would affect her so quickly.

  Aware of the organ she still had clutched in her hand, she tried to visualize a flame, but found that in her befuddled state, it was impossible to focus her powers. Paloma felt panic surge through her. This had never happened to her before.

  “You are already feeling it,” Mercredi’s voice sounded distant and hollow to her ears, as she tried to keep herself from losing consciousness. “I have never heard of any vampire surviving it.”

  Paloma shook her head again. This time the movement threw her off balance, and she crashed to the floor. She fought against losing consciousness, knowing instinctively that if she gave in to the lethargic sensation, she might never wake up again. With her head swimming wildly, she tried to pull herself into a sitting position. She had to do something—something important. The lacerations burned like the fires from hell, but she bit down hard and pulled herself upright. She lifted her hands to her face and that’s when she remembered what she had to do. Mercredi heart had slipped out of her hand when she collapsed. Ignoring the pain that pulsed through her body, she frantically searched the area around her for the organ. With her sight blurred, Paloma knew she was in big trouble.

 

  She blinked to clear her vision, but to no avail. She was doomed if Mercredi got to the heart before she did. As long as it was not destroyed, the creature would continue living. She almost cried with relief when she felt Tahlia's presence hovering over her.

  “The heart…” she gasped, “…dropped it…”

  She could make out a dark shape walking away from her and then Tahlia spoke. “I have found it.”

  A flash of light lit up the room and hideous keening filled the room. Paloma heaved a sigh of relief. Mercredi was gone forever. They’d done it! She might not live long enough to enjoy the victory, but they had put an end to the chapter.

  Almost immediately, Paloma was gently scooped up from the floor.

  “We need to get you home,” Tahlia said close to her ear. “You look terrible.”

  Paloma tried to grin at hearing that, but every muscle in her body was so tense that she couldn’t even manage a small smile.

  “Mercredi…poisoned me. Dying…” She closed her eyes and two sapphire eyes danced before her. Her eyes welled up. Inger!

  “I do…not want…to die, Tahlia.” It was strenuous to form the words, but Paloma wanted to make sure that Tahlia didn’t misunderstand her. “Inger…Inger...”

  Tahlia didn’t answer her, but Paloma could feel that they were in motion. She was slowly slipping away when she heard Tahlia’s reply.

  “I will not let you die.”

  †

  She felt as if millions of tiny insects were running through her bloodstream, and Inger shivered at the sensation. What was happening to her? Was she being turned? Was she now a renegade? Her eyes slowly creaked open and she was surprised by the darkness surrounding her. Where was everybody? She groaned when she tried to sit up and deep pain shot through her chest. She fell back and searched her mind for what had happened. It all came back slowly. She remembered her abduction and Genevieve saving her. She tried to sit up again. This time she did so slowly and looked down at the bandage
wrapped tightly around her. How did they expect her to breathe with this thing being so tight? Touching the bandage, she groaned. The door opened and she could make out the bulky figure of her grandfather.

  “Grandpa,” she called and James rushed over to the bed.

  “Hi, honey. You’re not supposed to be out of bed yet.” He gently swung her feet back onto the bed and covered her. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead, before pulling a chair towards the bed.

  “What happened, Grandpa?”

  “Genevieve and Trinity brought you here.”

  She shifted through her mind again. “Trinity?”

  “Genevieve’s adopted daughter. You’ve apparently met before. She’s a vampire slayer.”

  She slowly shook her head. “I can’t recall having met her.” She turned to look at her grandfather with an unblinking stare. “I feel different inside, Grandpa. Was I bitten by a renegade?”

  James shook his head.

  “No. You’ve lost a lot of blood after being shot and Genevieve waited for Paloma to make a blood transfusion. She gave you some of her blood to reverse any internal damage. It also sped up the healing process.”

  Paloma had saved her life, she thought tenderly. Even while she was locked up in there with a starving Genevieve, she’d known that Paloma would come and that she would be saved.

  “Where is Paloma?”

  She saw the wariness in James’ blue eyes, before he looked away. Panic slowly rose in her chest.

  “Grandpa, what happened? Where is Paloma?”

  “She was badly injured during the fight. The others took her to Romania to conduct an ancient healing ceremony.”

  She turned away, trying to hide the tears that trickled down her cheeks.