Bloody Endings Page 14

“Aye, it’s me,” I said before Jed had a chance to respond.

  “Well, isn’t this interesting,” Mark replied, looking over at Jed and shrugging. “What now?”

  Jed turned toward Declan and said, “You can see the threads of magic, right? Does it link to Mark too?”

  Declan shook his head. “No, Mark is tied to Izzy only. Izzy is tied to the knife, and Aidan is also tied to the knife. Although…” he stopped talking as he turned his head toward the dagger in my hands.

  “What, magician?” I asked, gripping the knife tightly.

  “The blade seems different in your hands. The tie to Izzy is… tentative. I must consult my books. Call me when Izzy turns back into human. I want to be here for that,” Declan added as he turned and started to walk away.

  “Wait, why? Why do you want to be here then?”

  He turned back to me and shrugged. “I want to see if you’ll disappear when she becomes human.”

  Disappear? I stared down at the blade in my hands, then back to Declan. “The spell you cast. What did you do?”

  He shrugged. “As I said, I misinterpreted it, but I have a theory. It is late, and I have much to research.” With those words, he turned and strode out of the barn.

  I sighed in relief as soon as he was gone, despite the fact that he left me with more questions than answers. Was I going to disappear with Izzy’s return to human form? Fuck. “Alright, I give up,” I said, sheathing the dagger. “Where’s the ale? I need a drink.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The kitchen was just as I remembered from my time inside Izzy’s head, only more brilliant. The grains in the wooden table were visible, and full of detail. The lights were glaring, making me squint. The smells surrounding me assaulted my senses in a dizzying array. It was wonderful. I breathed in deeply, thoroughly enjoying every sight and scent. This might be my only time as a man, and I was determined to enjoy it.

  Mark walked beside me, seeming at ease and not afraid of me at all. I towered several inches above the other man, but my height didn’t bother him. Why would it? He was a werewolf, and I was…. what was I? Ghost? Spirit? Man? I sat down at the table, adjusting myself in the thick denim pants. How did men wear such clothes? The rough fabric chafed against my manhood uncomfortably.

  Mark set a bottle down on the table in front of me before he sat down with his own. I picked up the bottle, taking a sniff before drinking deeply. It wasn’t what I expected, but it was still good. I drained the drink and set the empty bottle back on the table. Mark’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but he stood and grabbed me another bottle, popping the top off before handing it to me.

  “What is this?” I asked, taking a drink.

  “Beer,” he said simply. “Ale. Lager.”

  I nodded and took another drink. It wasn’t quite what I remembered, almost watery, but I could taste the similarities. “Where are the women?” I asked, trying to think back to what I knew from Izzy. “That Vanessa. She seemed like a feisty one.”

  “No,” Mark said simply.

  “No?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

  “Even if she weren’t busy, she’s off limits. Got it?”

  I groaned and drained my second beer, slamming it on the table and pushing it back toward Mark. “This might be my only time as a man. Getting drunk is fine, but if this is my one shot I’d rather do it looking down on a fine woman while I fuck her senseless.”

  “Straight and to the point,” Mark commented, a slight scowl marring his forehead.

  I leaned across the table. “If you only had a few hours left in this world, how would you spend them? I’ve been dead for hundreds of years.”

  “I get it,” Mark replied, standing up and retrieving another drink for me. “I can’t get you a woman, though. In case you haven’t noticed, women in this century run the show. Plus, it’s the middle of the night and we’re far from the city.”

  I laughed, leaning back in my chair as I took the beer from his hands. “I’ve spent a year in Izzy’s head. Believe me, I understand more than you know. Damn!” I took a long drink. A few hours wasn’t long enough. Mark had already said that Izzy would try to turn back human in the morning. There was an unspoken fear that my presence would prevent her returning to human form. Too much unknown.

  Jed walked into the kitchen, followed closely by Beth. The woman had surprised us all by taking my side. I still hadn’t figured out why she had, especially considering the way she fawned over Jed. She was cute, with her short, blonde hair and a round face. Her breasts were more than adequate, I admired. “Woman,” I said, and she shot me a glare. “Want to fuck?”

  Her eyes widened even as her face flushed brightly. “What?” she squeaked out.

  I spoke slower, emphasizing my words. “Do you want to fuck? I only have a few hours guaranteed. After that, who knows? Maybe I’ll stick around, or maybe I’ll vanish. Either way, I could use a good fuck. Well?”

  She continued to stare at me with her mouth gaping open. My eyes shot to Jed, who was glaring at me with a look that could only be described as deadly. “Oh, sorry, I forgot. You’re already fucking the Alpha. My mistake.”

  The fist connected with my jaw, knocking my head back and tipping me over in my chair. I rolled to my feet, hands up, waiting. Jed stood in front of me, feet planted and fists held tight at his sides. “Why don’t you use that pent-up energy to go kill some vampires,” Jed said.

  I grinned and reached across the table, grabbing the beer and finishing it off. “Well, if there are vampires to kill, then I’m your man. Point the way.”

  “Mark, take him to play with the vamps. Jared and Vanessa chased some off the property about two miles north of the cabin, near the old creek bed. Take the truck,” he added.

  Mark nodded and grabbed my arm, pulling me past Jed through the house. I shook off his hand as soon as we were out of the kitchen, trying to suppress the smile that split my face. Finally, something to do. I had been itching to do something, anything. I followed Mark to the truck and climbed in, anxious to be off. He didn’t say anything as he drove the truck down the driveway. I held on, unused to the jostling of the vehicle as he drove us off the road at speeds I was not comfortable with. I tried my best to memorize our route, wondering what path Mark was following.

  The howls piercing the air sent a chill down my spine, but also had my blood pumping faster. The wolves were a definitive sign we were close. Sure enough, Mark pulled the truck over a moment later. He parked and reached behind the seat, grabbing two guns. I jumped out of the truck, following him as he strapped a holster to his chest and pumped the shotgun. “Did they have guns in your day?” he asked suddenly, looking at me.

  I shook my head and pulled out the dagger. “No, but I know what a gun is and how to use one. In theory, anyway. Whatever Izzy knows, I also know,” I added when he frowned at me. Realization dawned, and he nodded, holding the shotgun out to me. “Oh, no, this is my weapon.” I pulled out the dagger and kissed the blade dramatically.

  Mark shook his head but didn’t say anything else as he led me through the forest. Howls continued, and several wolves rushed by us, their dark shapes looking like shadows. We reached a creek and crossed at a narrow section, the water soaking the jeans past my ankles. It didn’t bother me though. I felt them ahead. The vampires. Mark led me to the right, and I shook my head, following the pull of the dead.

  “What are you doing?” Mark whispered, touching my arm and pointing off to the right.

  “The vampires are that way,” I said, using the knife to point in the direction I was headed.

  Mark stared at me for a heartbeat before saying, “I know they are. We’re going to intercept them over here. The wolves are pushing them.”

  I took another step, but Mark grabbed my arm. “You’d better not be lying to me,” I whispered back before letting him lead me toward the intercept location.

  We moved quickly, racing through the woods. I sensed the vampires to my left. From the feel of it, there were several of them. The
knife hummed in my hand, vibrating to the tune of the undead. Mark pulled me to a stop suddenly, his eyes glowing golden. I didn’t know why he stopped, but I chose not to question it for the time being. I took several deep breaths, enjoying the feel of cold air in my lungs. It felt good to be alive. The knife burned suddenly in my hand, and I turned, letting it pull me like a magnet. A vampire had moved in behind us, even as I felt the majority of the blood-suckers move on our location.

  “We’re being pinned in,” I whispered, feeling a second vampire join the first. “We’ve been played.”

  Mark growled in response, his eyes flashing golden. “Can you tell how many?”

  I closed my eyes, feeling the magic pulse through the dagger. It had been too long since I’d held the blade in my own hands and used the inherent magic to track vampires. One vamp moved to my right, with another behind it. A third moved in on my left, even as I felt the larger group moving behind me. “Three at least out here,” I said, pointing at the locations of the closest vampires. “Can’t tell how many in the big group coming the other way.”

  “The wolves can handle them,” Mark said, turning. “How close?”

  “Close,” I said, feeling the first vampire racing toward us. I crouched down, pressing my feet into the earth before pushing off to intercept the vamp. Mark cursed behind me, but I ignored him as the blood-sucker ran out of the trees toward me. Smiling, I reversed the blade and cut out, slicing the vamp across the throat. He screamed, clutching his throat. I ignored him, knowing death would find him shortly. “On your left,” I yelled toward Mark as I moved right.

  The shotgun rang out, followed by vampire screams. The horde of vamps was closing in on us quickly. I ran after the last lone vampire, wanting to take care of him before the bulk of them met us. The blood-sucker was waiting for me, a gun in his hand. Since when did vampires use guns? I leapt to the right and rolled as the shot rang out, missing me. Fuck! I came to a crouch and turned back toward the vamp, looking straight down the barrel of his gun. Another shot rang out, and I jerked to the left this time. The vamp dropped to the ground, a hole in his chest.

  “Get up, Aidan, the rest are coming!” Mark yelled.

  I rolled to my feet and raced after Mark, cursing the vampire who had decided to use a gun. That should have been against the rules. I reached Mark’s side just as the vamps converged on us, wolves close on their heels. The shotgun rang out, taking the first vamp in the chest. Another ran in fast, and I leapt up to meet it, slicing across his throat. The vamp jerked, the knife only nicking his throat. The skin blackened, but he wasn’t done. He turned on me, using his supernatural speed to get into position behind me. I knew this technique. As soon as his arm wrapped around my neck, I crouched down, pulling the vamp off balance. Then I swiveled, turning until I had pushed the vamp down on the ground. I slammed the dagger into his back, where it made a satisfying thunk. I twisted the knife, making sure he wouldn’t rise again, before I pulled it out and looked for the next one.

  Mark had dropped the shotgun and had his hands around a vampire, slowly pulling his head from his body. A wolf whined, and I turned toward the sound, watching as a dark-haired vampire pushed his fingers into a wound on the gray wolf’s shoulder. The blood-sucker had perched on the wolf’s back as the animal turned and bucked, but the wolf was slowing with exhaustion and blood loss. I wasted no time. Reversing my knife once more, I ran toward the vamp, using the reversed blade to cut across his throat. The vamp jerked just before the knife hit, but I was ready for it this time. I flipped the blade over and shot my fist upward, sheathing the knife into the vampire’s chin. The blade was magically sharp, and it took no effort to cut downward, opening his throat.

  I grasped the handle and kicked the vamp, letting it drop to the ground in a pile of charred flesh. The dagger pulsed once, then went silent. I stood and stretched out as I looked around. Vampires were easy clean up, leaving nothing but piles of ash as their bodies eventually disintegrated. Mark walked toward me, picking up the discarded shotgun along the way. The wolves spread back out like shadows once more. The injured wolf stood, made eye contact with Mark, then loped off into the woods.

  “Well, was it everything you imagined?” Mark asked as he stopped before me.

  The smile on my face widened, and I let out a chuckle. “That was a nice little skirmish,” I replied.

  “I think we killed them all. Justin usually likes us to keep one alive when we can, for experiments.”

  “They’re all dead.” I turned in a circle, using the magic of the knife to search for more vampires. The dagger was silent. “Well, we still have several hours until sunrise. Where can I find a woman?”

  Mark shook his head, but a smile played at his lips. “None around here,” he said. “Maybe next time.”

  We began our trek back toward the house and I sheathed the knife. “Next time. You do realize there may not be a next time.”

  “Have a little faith. You were just a voice a few hours ago. And a year ago, you were dead. Gone. Nothing.”

  “I get the point,” I muttered as we made our way back to the truck. My excitement at killing vamps had quickly diminished with Mark’s talk of my demise. He was trying to be optimistic, but I couldn’t help the cloud of fear hanging over me. We climbed into the truck and drove back to the house in silence. Hours had passed by the time we returned, and I felt time slipping away from me.

  I jumped out of the truck as soon as he had parked. Mark rushed after me, like a bodyguard, except he was probably guarding others from me. We walked into the house and I headed straight for the kitchen as my stomach rumbled loudly. At least I could feed one need. Other men joined us in the kitchen, most likely the wolves we had just fought beside if their appetites were any indication. I grabbed another beer out, snapping the top off with the blade of my knife, and chugged it between bites of a sandwich someone pushed into my hand. Even food tasted better. I closed my eyes briefly in enjoyment. Talk was all about the vampires and the battle. Men clapped me on the shoulder, congratulating me on my fighting prowess. It was nothing new to me. There was a reason I had been chosen to wield one of the sacred blades. Fighting was in my blood, and I was damn good at it.

  The back kitchen door opened and Vanessa walked in. I smiled at her appreciatively, taking in her long, dark hair and the way her breasts peeked through the thin fabric of her shirt. She moved toward me, wincing as someone backed into her. She stopped before me, with both Mark and Jared a few steps behind her, as though ready to defend her.

  “Thanks for saving my ass back there,” she said simply. “I haven’t been having great luck with vampires lately.”

  I shrugged and took a long drink of my beer. “No worries, love. I was itching to dance with some vamps tonight, and more than happy to dust them,” I replied, quirking my lip up on one side to give her the look. She stared at me, and I raised an eyebrow as I smiled wider. Surely this look would have her swooning. Still she stared at me, but a smile played at her lips. It was working. I angled my body toward her and wiggled one eyebrow.

  “Is that the look Izzy was talking about?” she asked as a giggle escaped her.

  “Look?” I asked.

  “Something about you looking like you were ready to kiss a duck.”

  What the hell? That look had women dropping at my feet back in the day. I looked down at myself. My body looked as chiseled as it had on the day I died. I had seen my reflection in a multitude of surfaces just in the kitchen alone, and my rugged good looks hadn’t changed a bit. So why weren’t the women falling over themselves for a night in my bed?

  “They used to tell stories about me,” I began as I leaned my body in closer and lowered my voice. “Women would line up for days, begging just for me to touch them.”

  “Would they now?” she asked.

  I leaned my mouth close to her ear as I spoke. “I can bring you to heights of pleasure you’ve never imagined.”

  She laughed. She actually laughed at me. “Oh, boy, you have quite th
e ego. I’m with someone, so I guess you’re just going to have to get your kicks elsewhere.” She pushed me back and looked up at me, a frown across her forehead. “How did Izzy stand you in her head?”

  “Ah, fuck,” I said, throwing my hands in the air and walking back toward the fridge to grab another beer. “Women!”

  “I tried to tell you,” Mark said softly.

  “I might as well drink myself into a stupor until morning,” I replied, opening the bottle and draining it in one long drink. I slammed the bottle on the counter and immediately grabbed another before turning around and facing the room. Vanessa had left the kitchen, so it was just a room full of men. “Where do I have to go to get a good fuck?”

  “Vegas,” someone suggested.

  Laughter filled the room, at my expense I was sure, but I hardly cared any more. Killing vamps had been fun, but it wasn’t all there was to life. I closed my eyes and took a long drink, listening to the sounds of laughter and camaraderie around me. The end was near. I could feel it. Each minute closer to daylight was another minute closer to Izzy turning back human, and me probably disappearing. I held out hope that I was here to stay, but I had an eerie feeling that wasn’t the case. I had seen the way Declan had looked at me, and the knife. I patted the hilt, thinking about it. But maybe, just maybe, I’d be back again. I didn’t trust the magician, but he was probably my only hope at staying in my body.

  “Aidan,” said a voice, and I opened my eyes. One of the twins stood beside me, a grin on his face. He reeked of alcohol even worse than I probably did. “Hey, if you want a girl, I can hook you up. It’ll take some time, but I can find someone for you.”

  “Time?” I shook my head. Who had time? Not me. “Sure,” I replied, shrugging.

  “Okay, what kind do you like? Red head? Blonde? Brunette? Tall? Short?”

  “At this point, I don’t fucking care,” I replied, finishing off the bottle and setting it down. “It’s almost morning.”

  “Yeah, probably another hour or so,” he said.