Dark Gold (Dark #3)

Dark Gold (Dark #3) Page 2

Alexandria's heart skipped a beat. She straightened very slowly, her mouth dry with terror as she saw those claw-like hands sink into her brother's shoulders.

"You will come to me now, will you not?" the monster inquired softly.

Alexandria lifted her trembling chin. "This is what you call free will?" Her legs felt so rubbery, she could take only a few steps toward him before she had to stop. "If you use Joshua to control me, that isn't my coming to you of my own free will, is it?" she challenged him.

A long slow hiss escaped him, and then he caught Joshua by one leg and held him over the cliff's edge. "Since you like freedom so very much, I will release my hold on the child's mind so that he can see and hear and know what is happening." The fangs gnashed and clicked as he uttered the words in a precise, icy tone.

His words propelled Alexandria forward once more. She stumbled to within a couple of feet of the monster, reaching for Joshua. "Oh, God, please, don't drop him! Give him to me!" There was pain in her voice, real fear, and it fed the monster's excitement.

He laughed softly as Joshua suddenly came to life, screaming, his face contorted with fear. He screamed for his sister, his eyes on her face, his only salvation. The monster fended Alexandria off with one hand as he easily held Joshua over the cliff with the other.

She forced herself to stand perfectly still in front of the man. "Just give him to me. You don't need him. He's only a child."

"Oh, I think he is very necessary - to ensure your cooperation." The madman smiled at her and moved Joshua back to the relative safety of the cliff's edge. He waved a hand, and the child ceased to fight or scream, once more under the man's demonic control. "You will join with me, become what I am. Together we will have power such as you cannot imagine."

"But I've never wanted power," Alexandria protested, edging closer to try to snatch the boy from him. "Why do you say I'm the one you've been searching for? You didn't know I existed until tonight. You don't even know my name."

"Alexandria. It is easy to read young Joshua's mind. You persist in thinking me a mere human, but I am so much more than that."

"What are you?" Alexandria held her breath, afraid of his answer, knowing this creature was somehow more than human, was the powerful beast from legend. He could read minds, control others, draw his prey to him, even from a distance. He had ripped out Henry's heart. He had broken a woman's neck and drained blood from another right in front of her. Whatever he was, he was not human.

"I am the nightmare of foolish humans, the vampire come to feast on the living. You will be my bride, share my power, my life."

He said it perfectly seriously, and Alexandria was torn between needing to cry and hysterical laughter. Thomas Ivan could not have written more bizarre dialogue. This man believed what he was saying, and what was worse, she was beginning to believe it, also.

"It... it really isn't my kind of lifestyle." The words came out in a husky whisper, and she could not believe she was pleading for her life, for Joshua's life, with such a silly answer. But how did one address such insanity?

"You think to mock me and get away with it?" His hands closed so hard on Joshua's shoulder, she could see his fingers nearly meeting.

She shook her head, stalling for time. "No, I was serious. I like the sunshine. Vampires hang out at night. I seldom drink wine, let alone blood. But I do know a bar where you can find lots of girls who are into kinky things. They wear black and worship the devil and say they drink each other's blood. But not me. I'm ultra-conservative."

How could she be having such a strange conversation with a killer? Wasn't there a security guard around? Hadn't anyone found Henry's body yet? Where was everyone? How long could she stall, keep this creature talking?

His laughter taunted her, low and insidious. "No one will come to save you, my dear. They cannot. It is a simple matter to keep others away, as easy as it is to draw them to me."

"Why me?"

"There are few like you in existence. Your mind is very strong, which is why you cannot be controlled. You are a true psychic, are you not? That is what my kind requires in a mate."

"I don't know about that. I sometimes know things others don't," she conceded, pushing a nervous hand through her hair. "I knew you were here, if that's what you mean." Someone had to come and rescue them soon. Surely Thomas Ivan was looking for her. "Please, let me take Joshua home, somewhere safe. You don't need him, only me. I'll give you my word, I'll come back tomorrow night. And if you're so powerful, you can always find me if I don't return." She was desperate to get to Joshua. It was terrible to see him so limp and lifeless, his eyes glassy. She wanted to gather him up and hold him close, to keep him safe, to know this creature could never touch him again. If she could save Joshua, nothing else would matter.

"I cannot allow you out of my sight. There are others seeking you. I must stay near to protect you at all times."

Alexandria rubbed her pounding temples with her palms.

The creature was trying to invade her mind, and the constant struggle to keep him out was becoming very painful. "Look, mister - what is your name, anyway?"

"Are we to be polite and civilized then?" He was laughing at her.

"Yes, I think that would be best." Her control was crumbling, and she knew it. She had to find a way to get Joshua away from him. Joshua had to live whether she managed to do so or not. Deliberately she dug her fingernails into her palms and concentrated on the sensation to keep her focus.

"By all means, then, let us be civilized. I am Paul Yohenstria. I come from the Carpathian Mountains. You may have noticed my accent."

She held out her arms for her brother, unable to stop herself. "Give Joshua to me, please, Mr. Yohenstria. He's just a little boy."

"You wish him to remain alive, and I wish you to accompany me, I think we can work out something mutually beneficial. Do you not agree?"

Alexandria allowed her empty arms to fall to her sides. She was exhausted and frightened, and her head hurt terribly. Somehow he was amplifying her discomfort, wearing at her defenses with his mental battering, the voice in her head driving her mad with its relentless pressure. "I'll go with you. Just leave my brother here."

"No, my dear, I will not do that. Come to me now."

She went reluctantly. She had no other choice. Joshua was her life. She loved him more than anything. If he was gone, she had nothing. The moment Yohenstria touched her, she felt sickened. His bloodstained fingers curled around her upper arm, and she could see the blood trapped beneath the long, dagger-like nails. Henry's blood. He allowed Joshua to drop to the ground, but the boy simply remained where he had fallen.

"You don't need to hold me. I just want to check on Josh," Alexandria said. The contact with such an evil being was making her stomach churn, and she feared she would have to vomit again.

"Leave him for the moment." His fingers tightened like a vise, dragging her close so that his body touched hers. She could smell his fetid breath, the scent of blood and death. His skin was clammy and ice-cold.

Alexandria struggled in his hold, trying to escape, although she knew she was helpless in his grasp. He bent closer to her neck, and his breath, hot and foul, touched her skin.

"Don't. Oh, God, don't," Alexandria whispered, her voice failing her. If he released her, she would fall, her knees buckling, but he held her still as he bent even closer.

"Your God has abandoned you," he whispered. And his teeth closed over her throat, puncturing deeply, a pain so intense that everything swirled blackly. He dragged her into his arms and feasted, gulping at the rich blood. She was small, and he nearly crushed her in his arms as he drank. She could feel the fangs hooked in her body, connecting them in some dark, ugly way. Her body felt weak and sluggish; her heart stuttered and labored as he continued to drain her. Her lashes swept down, and even as she told herself she had to live to fight for Josh, black dots whirled and danced before her eyes, and she slumped helplessly against the vampire's wiry frame.

He lifted his head, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. "And now you must drink to live." His teeth tore open his own wrist, and he pressed it to her lips, watching as his tainted blood dripped into her mouth.

Alexandria had enough life left in her to try to avoid ingesting the hideous liquid. She tried to turn her head, to close her mouth, but the vampire held her easily and forced the poisonous drink beyond her lips, his hand stroking her throat until she swallowed convulsively. But he did not replace most of what he had taken, deliberately keeping her weak, wanting her more amenable to his bidding.

Paul Yohenstria dropped his victim beside her brother and lifted his face triumphantly to the dark, moonless night. He had found her. Her blood was hot and sweet and her body young and supple. She would provide what he needed to bring his emotions back, to make him feel again. He roared his triumph to the heavens, shook his fist to defy God.

He had chosen to lose his soul, and what did it matter after all? He had found this special one, and she could bring him back.

Her weak, instinctive movements away from him brought his attention back to her. Alexandria crawled to Joshua's side and gathered him protectively to her. The vampire snarled jealously. Many would want her, but she was his. He would not share her with anyone. The moment the transformation was complete, and she came to depend on him, came to him of her own free will, he would dispose of the brat. He reached down, caught the boy by his shirtfront, and pulled him away from her.

Alexandria managed to sit up, but everything was spinning, making it almost impossible to get her bearings. But she knew unerringly where Josh was. And she know she would never allow him to share this fate. If this murderous creature could actually make them like him, death was the better alternative.

Without warning she launched herself forward. Her arms outstretched, she caught Joshua close to her, and her momentum carried them over the edge of the cliff. The wind rushed up at them; salt spray stung and cleansed. The waves reached high to welcome them to their watery graves, smashing like thunder on the jagged rocks just below the surface.

Talons caught at her, wings beat furiously, and hot, fetid breath heralded the arrival of her enemy. Alexandria cried out as the nails bit deeply into her and the creature carried them away from their only salvation. She could not bring herself to drop Joshua. There might be a chance, a moment when their captor was not watching, for her to help Josh escape. She buried her face in his blond curls and closed her eyes, whispering that she was sorry she wasn't strong enough to allow him the mercy of death while she still lived. Tears burned in her throat, and she felt tainted by the evil in the monster, knowing he lived inside her now, forever binding them together.

The place he took them was dark and dank, a cave cut deeply into the cliffs, surrounded by water. There was no visible way to escape. He tossed their drained bodies contemptuously on the wet sand at the cavern's mouth and paced restlessly back and forth, trying to control his anger at her rebellion.

"You will never do such a thing again or I will make that child suffer hell unlike anything you have ever imagined. Do I make myself clear?" he demanded, towering over her.

Alexandria tried to sit up. Her body felt battered, and she was weak from loss of blood. "What is this place?"

"My lair. The hunter cannot track me, surrounded as I am by water. His senses are confused by the sea." Paul Yohenstria laughed harshly. "He has defeated many of my kind, but he cannot find me."

She looked cautiously around. As far out as she could see, there was only the rough ocean waves. The cliffs loomed above, barren, slick, steep, and impossible to scale. He had them trapped as surely as if he had placed them in jail. And it was cold, icy cold. She was shaking with it. Mist was falling lightly, and she tried to cover Joshua's body with her own to protect him.

But the tide was coming in, and the sand and pebbles they were lying on were already awash in salty water. "We can't stay here. The tide is coming in. We'll drown." It was an effort to speak. She cradled Joshua's head in her lap. He seemed oblivious to what was happening to him, and for that she was grateful.

"The cave winds upward into the mountain. The farther back one goes, the dryer it is." He cocked his head to one side and regarded her with his bloodshot eyes. "You will have a slightly uncomfortable day, my dear. I do not trust you enough yet to allow you near me while I sleep, yet I cannot leave you to run around on your own. I do not think there is a way for you to escape, but you are far more clever than I gave you credit for. You leave me no choice but to chain you inside the cave. It will be wet, but I am certain you will endure."

"Why are you doing this? What do you hope to accomplish? Why don't you just kill me outright?" she demanded.

"I have no intention of allowing you to die. Far from it. You will become like me, powerful and insatiable in all our appetites. We will rule together, be invincible. No one will ever be able to stop us."

"But don't I have to come to you of my own free will?" she protested hastily. There was no way she was going to accept his life. There could be no way unless he used force. There was no reason powerful enough to make her do as he wished. But even as she thought it, she felt Joshua stir in her arms.

The vampire looked down at her. "Oh, you will, my dear. Eventually you will beg for my attention. I guarantee that you will." He reached down and hooked her under one arm, dragging her to her feet.

Even as she swayed in the rush of wind and salt spray, Alexandria held on to Joshua with every bit of strength she possessed.

Paul shook his head. "For a human, you are stronger than you should be. Your mind is very resistant to control or persuasion. An interesting problem. But do not try my patience too far, my dear. I can be quite cruel when provoked."

Alexandria felt a hysterical sob welling up, choking her. If this was showing patience, if this was not an example of his cruelty, she didn't want to consider what he was capable of doing. "Someone will miss those three women. They'll find their bodies. They'll find Henry."

"Who is Henry?" he asked suspiciously, jealousy contorting his features.

"You should know. You killed him."

"The silly old man? He got in my way. Besides, I sensed you in the restaurant, defying me, and needed to get your attention. The old man and the boy belonged to you. They served my purpose."

"Is that why you killed him? Because you knew I cared for him?" Alexandria's horror was deepening, even as her insides were burning from the tainted blood. She felt as if someone was taking a blowtorch to her internal organs, and her heart ached for dear, sweet Henry.

"I cannot allow remnants of your old life to divide your loyalties. You belong to me. Only me. I will not share you."

Her heart pounded, and involuntarily she clutched Joshua closer. The vampire was going to kill her brother eventually. He had no intention of keeping the child in their lives. She had to find a way for Joshua to escape. She swayed again and would have fallen, but Yohenstria reached out and caught her arm.

"The light will not reach so far back into the cave that your skin will burn. Come, let us go within before the dawn arrives."

"I can't be in the sun?"

"You will burn easily. But you are not wholly changed as of yet." Ruthlessly, uncaring that she was so weak, he dragged her, still clinging to Josh, inside the bleakness of the cave.

Alexandria fell several times, incoming waves splashing over her clothing. He continued walking, forcing her along, sometimes dragging her behind him. She held Joshua close, trying to impart some of her body heat into his shivering form. He was terribly still, a dead weight in her arms. She tried to think, but her brain was too slow, and she needed desperately to lie down.

A few yards into the cave, the vampire stopped and shoved her against the rock wall, where a thick chain and manacle was bolted. She noticed, as he tightened the cuff around her wrist, that the steel was stained with blood. Evidently he had brought more than one victim to this place to await his pleasure. The metal cut into her soft skin, and she slumped to the ground, uncaring that the water was pouring over her lap and then receding in its endless cycle. She rested her back against the cliff wall and reached to cradle her brother in her arms, all the while shivering, her teeth chattering.

The vampire laughed softly. "I will rest now. I am afraid it will soon become difficult for you to do the same." He turned his back on her and strode away, his taunting laughter echoing behind him.

In her lap, Joshua suddenly stirred, sat up, and rubbed his eyes. The vampire having released him from his trance, he cried out and clutched Alexandria, clinging to her. "He killed Henry. I saw him, Alex. It was a monster!"

"I know, Josh, I know. I'm so sorry you saw such a terrible thing." She rubbed her cheek over his curls. "I'm not going to lie to you. We're in trouble here. I'm not certain I can get us out." Her words were slurring together, her eyelids closing of their own volition. "The water is rising, Josh. I want you, while you can, to very carefully look around and see if there is a ledge you can climb on to be safe."

"I don't want to leave you. I'm afraid."

"I know, little buddy. I am, too. But I need you to be very brave and do this for me. See what you can find."

A wave rushed in, a gush of water that sprayed salt and sea up to her chin, then receded in a carpet of foam. Joshua screamed in fear and threw his arms around her neck. "I can't do it, Alex. I really can't."

"Try going outside the cave and finding a place to wait where the water can't get to you."

He shook his head so adamantly, his blond curls bounced. "No, Alex, I won't leave you. I have to stay with you."

Alexandria didn't have the energy to argue. She had to concentrate just to think. "Okay, Josh, don't worry." She braced herself against the wall and managed to get to her feet. Then the water was only up to her calves. "We can do this together. Let's look around."

It was nearly impossible to see anything in the gloomy interior of the cave, and the sound of the water crashing on the rocks was thunder in her ears. She was shivering uncontrollably, and her teeth were chattering so hard, she feared they might shatter. The salt caked on her skin and hair; the wound on her neck burned. She swallowed with difficulty and tried not to cry. The only niche that could possibly hold Joshua was too far above her head. Had she been taller, she might have been able to boost him up to it, but neither of them could possibly reach it.

The force of the next wave nearly lifted Joshua off his feet. He caught at Alexandria's hips and hung on. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. "I'm going to have you stand for as long as you can, Josh, and then I'll pick you up for as long as I can. After that, we'll put you on my shoulders, okay? It won't be so bad." She did her best to sound encouraging.

Joshua looked scared, but he nodded trustingly. "Is that man going to come back and kill us, Alexandria?"

"He'll come back, Josh, because he wants something from me. If I can hold out, that might buy us some time to figure out how to get out of this mess."

He looked up at her solemnly. "When he bit you, Alex, I could hear him laughing in my mind. He said he was going to have you kill me personally. That once you were like him, you would want to kill me because I was in your way. He said you would take all the blood from my body." He hugged her tighter. "I knew it wasn't true."

"Good boy. That's part of his plan. To make us afraid of each other. But we're a team, Josh. Never forget that. No matter what, you know I love you, right? No matter what happens." She laid her head on his and let the waves wash around her legs. She was so tired and weak, she wasn't certain she could make it through the day, let alone face the vampire again. She prayed silently over and over until the words ran together in her mind and it was impossible to think.

Light was streaming in through the cave entrance when Joshua's frantic cries woke her as she slept standing up. Water was lapping at his chest, literally knocking him from his feet. He was digging into her leg, trying to keep from being washed away by the pounding surf.

"I'm awake, Josh. I'm sorry," she whispered. She was exhausted and almost too weak to stand. The light hurt her eyes, and the salt water was chafing her skin. Taking a deep breath, she lifted Joshua into her arms in an attempt to protect him from the rising sea.

There was no way she could possibly hold him for long, but the feel of him next to her brought them both a measure of comfort. Something large bumped her leg, brought in on a wave. She shuddered and held her brother tighter.

"It's so cold." Joshua was shaking, every bit as drenched as she was.

"I know, little buddy. Try to go to sleep."

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

"What?" A wave slammed her backward into the wall, and she almost lost her grip on Joshua.

"Where he bit you. You were moaning while you were sleeping."

"It hurts a little bit, Josh. I'm going to try to lift you to my shoulders. You might have to climb up by yourself, okay?"

"I can do it, Alex."

She was so weak, the waves were bouncing her into the rock wall behind her, but somehow Joshua managed to make it onto her shoulders. His weight nearly sent her to her knees, and her hair, long since down from its chignon, was trapped under his legs, hurting her. But she didn't protest. She just held on for dear life. The water was rising steadily, up to her waist now, a relentless assault. Her wrists burned from the salt water, the wound in her neck was raw, and her insides ached. She could feel things brushing against her legs, nibbling at her skin. It was all too horrifying, but Alexandria was determined to keep her will strong for her brother.

"We can do this, can't we, Josh?" she said.

He leaned his weight against the wall and wrapped an arm through the thick chain to help steady them from the constant buffeting of the sea.

"Yes, we can, Alex. Don't worry. I'll save us." He was very determined about it, very firm.

"I knew you would." She closed her eyes again and tried to rest.

Alexandria slept on and off, a few snatched moments here and there. The salt spraying over her was pitiless, flaying the skin from her body. She was thirsty, and blisters were forming on her swollen lips.

At last the water began to recede, and the endless battering slackened. Joshua had to climb down by himself; Alex was no longer able to lift her arms. As she had suggested earlier, he made his way out of the cave to explore their prison. Alexandria usually had a million safety rules for him to follow, but this time she just watched him with glassy eyes.

He studied the cliff walls to find a place he could climb up, but they were too steep and slick. He was very thirsty, so he looked for a place where fresh water might run down the wall of rock, but he couldn't see anything. The sun felt good on his cold, wet skin, and he lay down on the sand to dry his clothes and warm up.

Alexandria slumped over and struck her head against the rock wall. All at once she jerked awake, staring wildly around her. Joshua! He was gone! She had fallen asleep, and the waves had carried him off! She struggled to her feet, fighting the manacles on her wrists, and screamed for her brother.

Her voice was hoarse, nearly nonexistent, and refused to carry beyond the mouth of the cave. The meager sunlight filtering in burned her eyes, burned her skin, but she pulled and tugged at the chains, calling out again and again for Joshua.

By the time Joshua ran into the cave, and to her side, she was huddled against the wall sobbing. "What is it, Alex? Did that man come back and hurt you again?"

Alexandria lifted her head slowly. Joshua touched her bleeding wrists. "He did come back, and I wasn't here to protect you."

She stared up at him through her tears, unable to believe it was really her brother and not some figment of her imagination. She caught at him, hugged him tightly, and ran her hands over him to assure herself he was unharmed. "No, the man didn't come back. I don't think he can, with the sun up."

"Should I go look? I can sneak." The sunlight was making him feel braver.

"No!" Alexandria tightened a hand around his arm. "Don't you dare go near that man." She wiped her swollen lips on her sleeve. Blisters burst and began to bleed. "Is there any way for you to get out? Can you climb up the cliff?"

"No, there's no foothold anywhere. There isn't even a good hiding place. I haven't looked farther back in the cave yet. Maybe there's a way through there."

"I don't want you to try it, Josh. I can't help you if he finds you in there." She wasn't certain if Paul Yohenstria really was an honest-to-God vampire, but whatever he was, Joshua could not possibly handle him. She had visions of the six-year-old finding the vampire asleep in a coffin. Did they really sleep in coffins?

"But you're really hurt, Alex. I can tell. And he's going to come back here. That's why he chained you up, so he can come back and hurt you some more." He sounded near tears.

"He's very sick, Josh." She thumbed a tear from his face, then kissed the top of his head. "We might have to pretend a lot around him. He thinks I am the woman he wants to marry. Isn't that silly, when we don't even know each other? But I think he's hurt in the head, you know, something wrong with his brain."

"I think he's a vampire, Alex, like on TV. You said there wasn't really such a thing, but I think you're wrong."

"Maybe. I don't honestly know anymore. But we're a hard team to beat, Josh." Actually, she was so weak, she could no longer stand and didn't even bother to try. If the vampire returned right then, he would have very easy pickings. "I think we're too smart for him. What do you think?"

"I think he's going to eat us," Josh said honestly.

"He said something about a hunter. Did you hear him say that? There's someone hunting him. We can hold out until the hunter finds him." She was so exhausted, her eyes were closing again.

"I'm scared, Alex. Do you think the hunter will get here before the vampire wakes up and kills us?" Joshua's lower lip was quivering along with his voice.

She made a supreme effort to rouse herself. "He'll come, Josh. You wait and see. He'll come at night, when the vampire least expects him. He'll have blond hair, just like you. He's big and strong and powerful, like a jungle cat." She could almost see him in her mind, the hero she was attempting to create for her brother.

"Is he more powerful than the vampire?" Joshua asked hopefully.

"Way more," she said firmly, weaving a fairy tale for the child, wanting to believe it herself. "He's a magical warrior with shining gold eyes. The vampire can't stand looking at him because he sees himself reflected in those burning eyes and is frightened by his own ugly appearance."

There was a small silence, and then Joshua touched her face with his fingertips. "Really, Alex? Will the hunter really come and save us?"

She saw no harm in giving him hope. "We just have to be brave and strong. He'll come for us, Joshua. He will. We'll stick together and outsmart that old vampire." Her words were slurring, and with her blood supply low, her body temperature was dropping, her strength ebbing quickly. Alexandria didn't see how she could possibly survive until nightfall. Her lashes drifted down again, so heavy she had no way to lift them.

Joshua didn't want to tell his sister, but she looked terrible. Horrible, even. Her mouth was swollen and black. White salt covered her skin, giving her a monsterish look. Her hair hung in grayish-white strands all around her face, and he couldn't even tell its natural color anymore. Her clothes were torn and streaked white, and strings of kelp hung off her skirt and her ragged, torn nylons. Her legs had hundreds of beads of blood on them where something had nibbled away her skin. Even her voice sounded funny, and her neck was swollen and raw looking. But Alexandria didn't seem to notice. Josh was very scared. He sat down next to her, took her hand, and waited while the sun slowly fell from the sky.

Alexandria was aware the moment the sun went down. She felt an uneasy stirring of the earth and knew immediately that the vampire had risen. She put an arm around Joshua's shoulders and pulled him close. "He's coming," she whispered softly into his ear. "I want you to go out of the cave and be very quiet and stay out of sight. He'll try to use you against me, try to hurt you in some way. Maybe he'll forget you if you stay out of sight."

"But, Alex," he protested.

"I need you to do this for me, honey. Stay very quiet, no matter what happens." She kissed him quickly. "Go now. I love you, Josh."

"I love you, Alex." He ran from the cave and pressed himself against the cliff wall.

Alexandria watched him go with troubled eyes. The tide was coming back in again, and he was only six years old. Then, though she heard no sound, she suddenly knew the vampire was watching her. She turned her head and met his stare.

"You look a bit worse for wear," he greeted her congenially.

She remained quiet, simply watching him. His grotesque smile stretched across his face. He crossed the distance that separated them and, lifting her wrists, examined them. He brought one to his mouth and, staring into her eyes, licked the blood from the painful wounds.

Alexandria winced visibly, trying to jerk her hand away. He tightened his hold until he threatened to crush bone. "You want me to release you, do you not?"

She forced herself to be still and endure his hideous touch. When the cuffs fell to the ground, she struggled to get to her feet.

"You wish to leave this place?" he asked softly.

"You know I do."

He caught her neck with one clawed hand and jerked her to him. "I am hungry, my dear, and it is time for you to choose whether the child lives another night or dies."

She didn't have the strength to fight him, so she didn't even try. She couldn't stop the cry of pain that escaped her as his fangs sank deeply into her neck. He made a growling noise as he fed, his fist in her tangled hair holding her still while he drank greedily. She knew her life was sliding away from her, down his throat. She was suffering from loss of blood and hypothermia. Nothing seemed to matter.

Yohenstria felt her slump against him and had to catch her in his arms to prevent her from falling. Her heart was laboring, her breathing shallow. He had taken too much again. His teeth tore open his wrist, and he clamped it hard over her mouth, forcing the dark liquid down her throat. Even with her life hanging in the balance, Alexandria fought him. He could not seize her mind and force her under his complete control. Although he was able to compel her to swallow some of his tainted blood, he knew it was only because she was so close to complete collapse. Still, each time he forced her to feed, he brought her closer to his dark world. She would not die; he would not allow it. He would have to force her to accept far more blood to keep her alive.

But even as he determined that, he felt the disturbance in the air. A slow hiss escaped his lips, and he turned his head slowly. "We have been found, my dear. Come, you will see what the hunter is like. There is nothing like him in this world. He is relentless." Paul Yohenstria half carried, half dragged Alexandria from the cave into the night air.

All around them the waves crashed to shore, spitting up white spray, and sea foam doused the cliff walls. The vampire shoved Alexandria to the ground and centered himself in the middle of the open beach, his eyes scanning the sky.

Alexandria crawled across an expanse of sand to reach Joshua. He was huddled in a shadow, rocking back and forth, trying to comfort himself. She dragged herself to his side and positioned herself between him and the vampire. Something terrible was about to happen. She could feel the air thickening around them. The wind swirled, and fog blanketed the cove.

There was a rush of movement somewhere in the dense fog, and the vampire screamed, the sound high and filled with fear and rage. Alexandria's heart nearly stopped. If the vampire was that afraid, whatever was out there was something for her to be terrified of too. She caught Joshua to her, covering his eyes with her hands. They clung together, shaking.

Out of the fog a huge golden bird seemed to materialize. It came in at the beach so fast, it was a blur, talons extended, golden eyes gleaming intensely. The heavy fog swirled, then parted to reveal a shape half human, half bird. Alexandria stifled a scream of her own.

Then the creature became a man, huge, tall, and heavily muscled, with bulging arms and a massive chest. His hair was long and blond, flowing in the wind. His body moved with supple fluidity, like a jungle cat stalking its prey. His face was shadowed, but she could see eyes like molten gold pinning the vampire in their intensity.

"So, Paul, we meet at last." The voice was beautiful, a ripple of notes so pure, the tone seemed to seep into her very soul. He stood tall and relaxed, a perfect reincarnation of a Viking warrior. "I have had much work cleaning up the messes you have made around my city. Your challenge was quite clear. I could do no other than oblige you."

The vampire moved backward, putting more space between them. "I never challenged you. I kept my distance." His voice was so fawning, Alexandria went cold. This hunter was so great a force to be reckoned with that he struck terror into the heart of the vampire.

The hunter tilted his head to one side. "You killed when it was forbidden. You know the law, unclean one."

The vampire launched itself then, a blur of wicked claws and fangs as it leapt to strike the intruder down. The hunter simply stepped aside and casually whipped a claw across the vampire's throat, laying him open. Blood erupted in a red volcano.

Alexandria was horrified to see the golden head contorting, the face lengthening to a muzzle, fangs exploding into a wolf's mouth. The hunter snapped the vampire's femur like a twig, the sound carrying across the beach and resonating through her body. She flinched and hugged Joshua tighter, holding his head down to prevent him from witnessing such a terrifying and gruesome scene.

The vampire wiped at the blood running down his chest and stared with hateful eyes at the golden hunter. "You think you are not like me, Aidan, but you are. You are a killer, and you rejoice in the battle. It is the only time you feel alive. No one can be one such as you and not feel the joy and power in the taking of life. Tell me, Aidan, is it not true that you can see no color in this world? That there is no emotion in you unless you are in battle? You are the ultimate killer. You, Gregori, and your brother Julian. You are the darkest shadows in our world. You are the real killers."

"You have broken our laws, Paul. You chose to trade your soul for the illusion of power instead of greeting the dawn. And you turned a human woman, created a deranged vampiress to feed on the blood of innocent children. You knew the penalty."

The voice was purity itself, a cool, clean stream of beauty. The tone seemed to flow into Alexandria's mind, made her want to do whatever he asked. "You know there is no way to defeat me," the voice continued, and Alexandria believed it. It was so soft and gentle, so true. There was no way anyone could successfully oppose the hunter. He was truly invincible.

"It will not be long before one must come to hunt you," Paul Yohenstria taunted, struggling to stand. His form seemed to shimmer, dissolve, but even as he mutated, the hunter struck again.

The sound was sickening. The fog cloaked the actual assault, and the hunter was such a blur of motion, Alexandria could not possibly follow his movements. But out of the fog rolled an obscene sight - the vampire's head, the hair a tangle of blood and gore, the eyes open and staring. The head rolled toward her, spilling a crimson trail behind it.

Alexandria struggled to her feet, clutching Joshua to her, her hands over his eyes as the grotesque ball stopped mere inches away. The fog swirled and thickened, and, to her horror, the hunter turned his head, and the molten gold of his eyes rested on her face.