Datura Page 16

  “We could’ve handled it. It’s not like we don’t have help already. We have Aloysius on our side,” Christian argued.

  “And you also have a bunch of vampire hunters to deal with. Who knows how many there are? For some reason, they’re working with a vampire to get the kid back. She said for Lily and Jose Luis to come alone but I highly doubt she’ll be alone. You’re dealing with the unknown,” she said as she moved sideways in her seat to drape her long legs over the arm.

  “I’m not human anymore, remember? And we do have a plan,” Christian said.

  “She doesn’t mean you’re dealing with the unknown. She means all of us. I’ve never heard of hunters working with a vampire and I’m sure they are. I doubt that vampire wants Jose Luis for herself,” I explained to him, trying to ease the tension. “The last thing any of us needs to have you two fighting with each other. There will be plenty of that tonight.”

  Christian and Fiore both looked at me. I turned toward the window. Christian sighed.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “Me too,” Fiore responded. I continued to stare out the window. How I wished we were out there, enjoying the pulse of the nighttime city instead of making battle plans, yet again.

  ~ Twenty-Three ~

  It was decided that Jose Luis and I would take a taxi to the exchange location. Fiore, Christian, and Aloysius would make their way to the bottom of the mountain on their own. It was best if Jose Luis and I didn’t know their exact location, that way we had no way to give their arrival away in case someone tried to read our thoughts.

  “I don’t want to go back to them,” Jose Luis said as he looked out the car window at the blurring scenery on our way through town.

  “I really don’t want that to happen either. We’ll have an opportunity to take you both, you’ll see,” I assured him, though I didn’t know if I could keep my word. We had no idea how many vampires or hunters we were facing tonight. It wasn’t even definite that there would be hunters but we couldn’t rule them out since Jose Luis was one of theirs.

  The driver stopped about half way up the mountain as I had suggested. Jose Luis and I stepped out and he surprised me by reaching for my hand. I smiled at him but my fear must have been obvious because he squeezed my fingers.

  Christian, if you can hear me, I love you…I thought. Jose Luis smiled but didn’t say anything.

  “There’s much wind up here,” he said as he wiped hair from his face.

  “It was like this the last time we were up here too. I’m pretty sure we have to go to the top. I’m just hoping we don’t have to deal with any thieves on the way, we have enough to worry about.”

  He nodded and held his head high. His determination showed and I couldn’t help but share the feeling as we continued forward on the dirt road. I lit the way with a flashlight for his sake. My boots were already covered in dust, small bits of the black leather showing through here and there. Some strands of my hair escaped my braid and fell in my eyes but I had no free hand to fix it. Jose Luis appeared unwilling to let go as he squeezed my fingers tighter and tighter with every few steps we took.

  “You live up here?” I asked, remembering what he had said.

  “Not here. Another mountain, San Cristobal, by the river,” he explained.

  “Oh. When you had said mountain, I assumed you meant this one.” That mountain, where he lived, was considered to be one of the poorest sections of the city. Regardless of the living conditions on the mountain however, tourist buses made the trip to the top daily because of the amazing view of the city. On a clear day, one could see almost the whole city of Lima and San Lorenzo Island.

  “How far do we go?” he asked, a little out of breath.

  “We’re almost there. See the cross? That’s where we were when we heard her.” I swallowed hard and pictured Christian’s face. I needed to hang on to him to make it through this trial and his image was all I had.

  You listen well…

  “Ay, Dios…” Jose Luis whispered. He hid behind me and tightened his grip on my hand.

  “Shh…don’t panic. It will be okay,” I reassured him.

  Are you going to show your face this time or are you too scared? That may have made things worse but I was sick of playing games.

  “All in good time. Let me see the boy,” she demanded.

  “Let me see my ‘friend’,” I countered.

  “All you need to do is look up.”

  Jose Luis gasped, knowing what she meant before he even looked. I raised my head to look at the scaffolding that created the cross at the edge of the mountain. Way at the top, blowing in the wind, was white cloth and what looked like hair.

  “You have got to be kidding me! I brought what you wanted and I came alone as you demanded.”

  From either side of the base of the cross, two black-cloaked figures appeared. They were at our sides before I could even release Jose Luis’s hand and drop the flashlight. One man grabbed Jose Luis’s arm and pulled him from me. The other held my arm, keeping me in place. Jose Luis and the other man disappeared from view, leaving behind nothing but a cloud of dirt.

  “This is not fair!” I screamed. “You have what you wanted and I have to work for mine?”

  “Nothing is fair in this world, little girl. Especially not losing your mate because some stubborn girl doesn’t want to be with her maker anymore, don’t you agree?” she said. Her voice sounded too calm.

  “Ryanne?” I asked. The hand gripping my arm was starting to dig into my skin, though I wasn’t making any attempt to move.

  “Not quite.” She came from the shadows surrounding the base of the cross, from the same place the men had appeared. Her long, blond hair blew freely in the wind, as did her long black dress with the billowing sleeves. She looked more like a witch out of a storybook than a vampire; not ugly, but scary all the same.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  “Ryanne is my little sister. What you did to her was wrong and I won’t stand for it.” She advanced toward me, never taking her eyes from mine. She looked familiar but that was probably because she resembled her sister.

  “Killing Fergus was not personal. They were trying to kill us. It was self defense,” I explained, knowing it probably wouldn’t do any good.

  “It doesn’t matter. My sister loved him more than anything in this world.” She stood in front of me, her green eyes boring into mine, her lips a thin, tight line of anger. “You want your sister, go get her.”

  I wanted to say that Maia was not my sister but bit my lip instead. The only reason I was even up here, on this mountain, with this vampire, and the two humans, was for Kalia and Aaron. I swallowed hard and looked to the top of the cross, where Maia was tied up as if she, herself, had been crucified. It was really high.

  “Arturo, walk her to the base and release her. Stay on the ground but watch her,” she commanded her minion.

  “Sí, señorita,” Arturo replied and started shoving me to the cross. His grip on my arm was vise-like. My feet shuffled along on the dirt. I tripped over stones and it only made his grip tighter, angrier.

  “You’re hurting me,” I spat without looking at him.

  “I haf orders. Walk! Fast!” he said. His pronunciation made me want to laugh but I contained it.

  Once we reached the bottom of the cross, he released my arm but turned me to face the base. “Go,” he commanded.

  The bottoms of the four legs holding up the steel cross were surrounded by white concrete. I either had to jump to get up there or get a boost. Arturo seemed to sense my predicament and knelt on the dirt, cupping his hands and, to my surprise, offering them to me. I hesitated before putting my foot into his hands. His teeth showed, glowing white against the contrast of his black hooded cape, as he gave me the push I needed to reach where I could start climbing.

  Gripping the steel beams as tightly as I could, I found a place to put my feet. I continued higher and higher that way, trying desperately not to look down. If I did, my climb would b
e over. Where are you Christian? Why aren’t you here yet? About half way to the top, I heard a commotion below and made the mistake of looking down. The ground started spinning instantly. I hugged the closest steel beam. Jose Luis was being shoved into a car.

  “Where are you taking him?” I screamed.

  Of course, no one answered me. There was nothing much I could do until I retrieved Maia and got back on the ground, so I continued my climb. The wind was much harsher at this altitude and more of my hair fell out, blinding me with each gust, and forcing me to stop until I could see again. When I was close enough to touch her feet, I paused to take a deep breath. I would need my hands to untie her and was not looking forward to letting go with even one. From my vantage point, it looked like she was right at the horizontal part of the cross, which may work to my advantage.

  As I suspected, the horizontal part of the cross was much tighter in its construction than the base. I made my way to a section where I could spread my legs for balance and lean against a beam for back support. That freed my hands but if I lost my balance, I’d fall. I’d have to start climbing all over again. It would’ve been much easier if I could fly from level ground. That was definitely something I would need to learn in the future.

  “Maia, can you hear me?” I asked as I worked to untie the knot at her feet. The rope they used wasn’t very strong and it practically fell apart when I tugged.

  “Lily? Is that you?” she asked in a weak voice. Her head lolled to the side so I couldn’t see her face.

  “Yes. I’m getting you out of here,” I worked my way to the rope around her waist. Her shirt had gone over the rope and her skin was red and raw under the twine. She flinched when I tugged on the knot. “Sorry about that. I’m almost done.” Despite the fact that I really didn’t want to be up here, rescuing her, I still didn’t want to see her in pain.

  “Feels like I have no skin left on my stomach.”

  “Yes, it’s pretty raw, but it will heal. When I untie your hands, I’m going to press my body against yours, to keep you steady,” I explained. “I want you to wrap your arms around me as soon as they’re free and hold on tight. Think you can do that?”

  “Uh, huh. I think so.”

  She turned her face toward me when I reached her. Bruises surrounded her left eye and her right eye was swollen to a slit. Blood was smeared on her jaw. I couldn’t tell if it was hers or not. They must have beaten her right before they tied her up; otherwise, the bruises would be healed by now, or at least yellowing. Untying her hands was easier but trickier. I had to wedge my body against hers and I didn’t particularly like being that close to her.

  “Okay, now! We’re going down!” I commanded and then turned my body with hers pressed against me, her face buried in my chest, and almost fell backward. I grabbed the beam in front of me to steady us. “I have to bend to get on the other side of this beam so we don’t go straight down. Just relax your body. Move with me but hold on.”

  “Holy shit! We’re flying! We’re really flying!” she screamed as we launched off the beam and toward the ground that seemed so far, but not for long.

  “Wrap your legs around my waist or we’ll fall when we land,” I said. We’d most likely fall anyway. Landing was something I hadn’t yet mastered.

  My feet hit the ground hard and I ran a few steps but the weight of her body pulled me down anyway. She hit the ground with me on top of her. “You okay?”

  “I don’t know. You’re on top of me,” she said with her usual cocky attitude. So much for gratitude.

  A hand gripped my shoulder and yanked me off her. I spun to swing at whoever it was but a hand caught my wrist before my fist made contact.

  “It’s me, Lily. Are you okay?”

  “Christian!” I threw my arms around his neck. “Where are the others?”

  “Right here,” Aloysius said. I hadn’t even noticed he’d been standing behind Christian. “Fiore is following the car that took Jose Luis.”

  “How’s Maia?” Christian asked.

  “I’m just lovely. Can’t you see my face? See what they did to me?” Maia answered.

  “Same as usual,” I said. “Where did the woman go?”

  “She ran that way.” Aloysius pointed downhill.

  “Let’s go then,” I said. There was no time to waste. If she was here to avenge her sister’s mate then Ryanne was probably here too.

  “No need.” We spun to look at the woman who had come up behind us while we were busy with Maia.

  “Samantha?” Christian said. He backed away a few paces.

  “Who?” I looked between them and saw the recognition on Christian’s face.

  “My name is Melinda, not Samantha. That’s just one of my passports. Did you miss me, my love?” She laughed.

  “What are you saying? Christian, is this the woman who kidnapped you? Oh my God!” I covered my mouth with my hands before I could scream.

  “What, Lily?” Aloysius asked, stepping closer to my side. Maia was slowly backing away but I couldn’t stop staring at Melinda long enough to stop her.

  “This is the woman who took Christian’s money. She’s the one in the picture with him. His supposed wife who didn’t want a divorce,” I cried.

  A car roared up. A dust cloud so big developed as the tires screeched when the car came to a stop about ten feet away, that it blinded us. Men poured out of the open doors.

  “Party time!” Melinda announced. “And you’re the guest of honor, Lily.”

  ~ Twenty-Four ~

  Christian grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him. Aloysius tried to grab Maia but she jumped out of his reach. She ran away screaming into the darkness. One of the men punched Christian in the jaw, his head slamming into my face. My nose burned but I saw no blood when I took my hand away. Christian’s foot made contact with that man and pushed him into another. Both of the men hit the ground.

  “Find Maia and get her to safety,” Aloysius yelled over the other voices. “Go, Lily. We can handle things here. We’ll get there as soon as we can.” His fist connected with the nose of a large man, who fell to the ground as if he suddenly had no bones to hold him up. Blood poured from his nose onto the ground.

  “I’m not leaving you,” I yelled.

  “Go, Lily. We’re okay here. They’re human. Piece of cake,” Christian insisted.

  I turned to look for Maia and Melinda but both had disappeared. Melinda must be chasing after Maia. Aloysius and Christian didn’t seem to notice my hesitation. They were both too busy fighting.

  Running downhill, I could still hear the commotion Aloysius and Christian were causing. All the screams and grunts told me they were causing a lot of damage and that made it easier for me to leave Christian. As I rounded a corner, a faint light glowed in the distance. I squinted to get a better look and made out the shape of a small building. Looking around and seeing no sign of Maia, I decided to try the building.

  “Hello! Is anyone here?” No one answered. It was the remains of an old stone building. It had four walls but lacked a roof and a door. The windows were openings where glass had once been, like large, hollowed-out eyes. The odd thing was that this was the only place on the mountain where I saw any green. Weeds almost as tall as my waist filled the inside of the ruins. Candlelight flickered faintly in the corner, casting dancing shadows in the corner above it. I peered inside from the door opening. On a small cot, a body lay curled up on its side. Dark hair covered the face, but I could tell by the hair and the slight shape it was a female. Why would there even be a bed in this structure?

  I poked my head further in and the smell of urine overwhelmed me. I held my hand to my nose and stepped in. “Hello? I’m sorry to bother you but…”

  The person on the cot rolled over. Maia smiled as she looked at me through one eye. A fist crashed into my back and I hit the ground face first. Rolling onto my back, I kicked out with both legs and made contact with Melinda’s stomach. She screamed and flew right through the absent door.

  “How ea
sy it was to convince the others to leave you alone,” she said as she stood and wiped the dirt off her clothes with both hands. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Those idiot hunters are keeping them busy. It turns out they are good for something after all.”

  “Maia, get out of here!” I screamed, not taking my eyes off Melinda.

  She sat up on the cot and placed her bare feet on the ground, her legs swallowed up by the weeds. “I’m afraid. I’d rather stay with you,” she said.

  “Why are you even here? Go, now!” She sat still, looking at me through her good eye.

  “She’s not going anywhere, but you are,” Melinda said as she walked toward me.

  I jumped and kicked her again but she was a little too far away. I only succeeded in angering her more. She stumbled, gained her composure, and came at me with more ferocity. She bared her fangs and her eyes glowed red with rage.

  “You killed my sister’s mate! You killed Maia’s mate! It’s your turn to die!” she screamed.

  I ducked just in time to avoid her fist on my face but it came down on my back instead, knocking the air out of my lungs. I fell flat on my face outside the ruins with her on top of me. I tasted mud and blood, strong and metallic. Her weight didn’t keep me down long and I managed to push her off. This time, my fist connected with her jaw and I jumped away. Blood spattered on dry soil. Maia screamed and ran to the side of the building as Melinda wiped her bloody mouth with her sleeve.

  “He was my maker!” I screamed as I ran at her like a bull at a matador. Pain exploded in my head as it connected with her stomach. I landed on top of her, slamming my head into the stone wall in the process. Maia screamed again. Melinda took that opportunity to grab a handful of my hair and yank my head back. She brought her knee up fast and I landed on my back again, not sure which hurt worse, my stomach or my head. She smiled. Maia smiled above her.

  “Maia, why?” I asked as I realized what was happening. Maia was not in danger. Melinda had had her chance to take her, but she continued to pursue me instead.