Cold Blooded

“What’s in there? What’s feeding off her?” I called. The marble jumped under my hands again, this time much stronger. It knew I was here and it was angry. But it wasn’t formed enough to break free, and I just stopped its food supply. It had been so close. Too close.

“The Strigoi stir.”

“The soul wakes.”

“It is always hungry.”

Oh, dear gods. A Strigoi was the spirit of a dead vampire. In the lore we called them Screamers—vamps whose physical bodies died a true death, but their spirits hung around to wreak havoc on the living. Just like the ones floating around me now, except myth stated that Screamers could still feed on blood. “Can a Screamer really become corporeal if it drinks enough blood?” I urged. I knew only a few stories, but they were legendary. Hideous bloodsuckers with incredible strength that couldn’t be killed. “You have to tell me. How dangerous are they?” I gave an inward shudder. When the ghosts didn’t answer, I yelled, “Tell me!”

At my raised voice, the marble top bounced, jutting to the side. The platform wasn’t attached to the bottom of the altar.

No more time.

We have to drain her blood out of this thing, I told my wolf. I don’t think it’s full, but I’m not taking any chances. No more blood, no more Screamer. I crouched down and peered inside the hole, keeping a good distance away. The blood was moving and sloshing around in earnest now. We have to smash it with something near the bottom so it drains quickly. I hoped it would be enough.

It had to be enough.

I jumped up and scanned the room. My fist might get through the thick marble in my Lycan form, but now wouldn’t be the time to break my hand to pieces. Once the deed was done, I had to get Naomi out as soon as possible. I didn’t have time to regenerate. “Is there something to smash the marble with in here?” I asked the ghosts. No one answered. For the first time I noticed everything had gone completely quiet.

One lone whisper came flitting into my ear. “They have gone. We fear the Strigoi. They hurt us.”

I made my way around the mausoleum, my hands brushing against the smooth walls searching for something strong enough to bash in the marble. “You stayed. So help me,” I told the ghost. The entire room was roughly thirty by thirty. “We have to find something that will withstand me smashing it into the altar. Is there anything hooked to the walls?”

“Look up,” the voice whispered.

18

I angled my head toward the ceiling. Right at the very top, secured from the midpoint of the roof, was a marble gargoyle head. “It’s not alive, is it?”

“No.”

“Thank goodness for small favors,” I muttered. It hung about fifteen feet above me. I glanced around. Okay, we come at it from a run, kick off from the altar and grab it. We have to tear it off in one jump. My wolf barked her agreement. I jogged back to the corner and took off, springing to the edge of the marble near Naomi’s feet and leaping, reaching it easily. My hands closed around its pointy ears and on the way down I cranked like I was twisting the top off a jar and the chunk of marble gargoyle head snapped off in my grip.

I half expected it to yowl at me and come to life, but it didn’t.

One small win in this sea of insanity.

I hit the ground on the balls of my feet, landing in a crouch. Here we go. I rushed around to the back of the platform where the hole was, because it seemed like the logical place to drain the gunk out.

Naomi hadn’t moved at all. Not even so much as a twitch.

It was hard to look at her. She was gaunt and spent, like a real corpse. We better be able to bring her back. Let’s drain this thing and get it over with. I squatted, angling both my arms back, my wolf fueling me, and swung the marble gargoyle, snout first, into the bottom of the altar.

There was a massive crash as the face hit structure, stone on stone.

The altar cracked—a teensy bit.

Damn, someone had to have heard that. We have to move faster. Several pieces of the gargoyle had broken off on impact, but it had worked to our advantage. Now there was a nice sharp angle protruding from the head. Smash the pointy part into the fissure.

Unfortunately, now the Screamer knew exactly what we were trying to do—take his only ride to freedom away. The altar started to rock and jump like a seismic tremor. Blood splashed out of the hole and cracks I’d made. Yuck. We need to finish this now. I reared back and smashed the sharp angle into the crack with all my strength. The gargoyle face exploded on impact, sending shards of marble everywhere, but it was enough to split the altar open like a broken dam.

Blood flowed everywhere like a torrential river, gushing all over the mausoleum floor. I sprang too late. Blood saturated my leggings and dripped down my legs. Okay, that’s completely nasty. I moved farther out of the way, right as a terrible trembling vibration started to build from inside the altar. A low, creepy moan hit the air a second before a shout from outside the crypt filtered through the main door.

We were out of time.

I bent over and scooped Naomi up in my arms and sloshed through the blood coating the floor, still flowing out of the marble housing at a rapid rate. I bounded for the trapdoor, trying not to slip. If the Screamer became corporeal, whoever was outside would have their hands full.

Better them than us.

“Close the hatch behind me,” I yelled to the only ghost left. I had no idea if it had stuck around. “Are you strong enough?”

“Yes.”

The opening wasn’t big enough to jump through with her in my arms, so I maneuvered her to a vertical position and lowered her down the earthen steps, angling her over to the side as much as I could. Then I jumped down next to her. Once there, I hoisted her carefully over my shoulder and started to move, not pausing to see if the ghost was doing its job.

I flew down the steps. Right after my feet hit the dirty tunnel floor, the wrought-iron door behind me slammed shut and all the ghostly voices returned.

“Must free us now.” Fingers grabbed at my arms as I ran.

“Feed the vampire. She is dire.”

“The Strigoi is angry.”

Ghostly hands prodded me, shoving me off balance. “Hey, back off!” I yelled, still racing through the tunnels. “You didn’t stay and help, so I’ll get to you when I can. Right now I have other priorities to deal with.”

After two more bends, it was time to stop.

I laid Naomi carefully on the ground and brought my wrist up to my mouth. I was in my human form again and ripping through my skin with my dull teeth was going to hurt, but it would save time. This is going to sting like a mother, I told my wolf. Brace yourself. She sent a jolt of adrenaline through us as I tore through my flesh. “Gahhh,” I cried as I bobbed my wrist in front of Naomi’s mouth, rubbing the flowing blood between her lips.