In one smooth motion Dragos reached above the mantle for the huge double handed broad sword and sliced it through the air with one hand. He glanced my way.
Before he reached me Rurik blocked his path. “Connie belongs to me.” The air rang with the tintinnabulation of singing blades as he attempted to pound and batter Dragos into the ground. Rurik drove him away from me.
I tried to raise myself on an elbow but nausea raged in my gut and the room tilted at an odd angle. My head hit the floor with a thud. The hardwood felt solid and the empty echo it made caused me to giggle. The devil-spawned bastard did this to me. My blood loss affected not just my body but my mind too.
Rurik’s saber slipped past Dragos ’ defense and slashed for his throat.
I silently cheered. If this was to be my last moment then I wanted the satisfaction of watching him kick Dragos ’ ass.
Dragos dodged and laughed as if having wonderful time. “Good strategy.”
Their weapons didn’t make sense to me until then. Being stabbed hurts but won’t kill a vampire, wooden stakes would have been a better choice, but Rurik kept aiming for the neck. Decapitation worked as well as a stake.
When Dragos slashed backhanded in a return blow, Rurik thrust his blade vertically and caught it with both of his before it cut him in half. “Why did you have to come to Budapest? You destroy everything you touch. What have I or my people done to deserve such a punishment?”
“You exist.” Dragos blinked as if coming out of a daze. “You try to change our ways. Make our race docile. We’re predators, not herders.” He lunged with his last statement and missed Rurik’s torso but pierced the wall where he had stood. With a puff of wall plaster Dragos yanked the weapon free.
They circled each other. “The laws want us to stay hidden and not kill humans. I didn’t make those rules, you and your kindred did. Lurking in the shadows, always taking what you want and never giving back. Eternally alone.”
His last word struck a chord in me. I knew what he described and how it felt. Neither of us wanted to be alone anymore. We needed to belong.
“My way makes life more bearable.” Rurik feigned an attack.
Knocking a scimitar from Rurik’s hand Dragos then kicked him in the chest and laughed. Even drugged he remained formidable. We would never have had a chance with him at full capacity.
Rurik staggered backwards toward the study’s shattered doors.
A rumble below us shook the house. I recognized it. Red’s van. It sounded like he drove it through the front door. Gunfire followed shouts as I heard the call to clear for UV light grenades.
I wanted to shout for help but I couldn’t draw enough breath. The Calvary had arrived and I just needed to hang on.
A trickle of blood oozed out of Rurik’s nose from the earlier punch he’d received. He wiped it with the back of his hand. “Sounds like the slayers have found you.”
“They can’t oppose my soldiers.”
Colby stormed into the room with two of his men. “We don’t want them, just you.” With a UV grenade in hand he took aim.
“Stop. No!” I reached out to Colby finally finding my voice. “You’ll kill Rurik too.” My plea made him falter which left Dragos an opportunity.
Would my actions haunt me? Yes. Did I regret it? No, I’d have done it again.
One slice of Dragos ’ board sword cut the first of the mercenaries in half. An arc of blood splattered the other two human men.
Colby grabbed Dragos ’ wrist to prevent him from running it through his other man, who only stared at the carnage. His weight and strength only slowed the ancient vampire as the stained blade extended from the man’s back after Dragos stabbed him. The victim stared at his injury as if in wonder before collapsing.
The howl of fury Colby released vibrated in the room. He pounded on Dragos ’ back with fists and feet, all reason lost in his actions.
I covered my face with my hands unable to witness what would happen to my mentor. Dragos had moved so quick, Rurik never could have helped them. Three humans and a vampire versus one drugged up Nosferatu who seemed to be winning, what a botched up assassination attempt.
Why did I think this would work? Dragos survived millennia because he possessed the strength and the power to.
A loud thump close to me caused me to peek. Colby lay by my feet unmoving. The sounds of battle ensued in the background as Rurik engaged Dragos again. I tried to move. This time I stayed flat as I rolled onto my stomach, my head still spun but I didn’t pass out. I slithered to Colby.
By the time I crossed the few feet to him, my chest ached with heaviness and my breath came in gasps. I needed to lie down next to his body. His chest expanded and hope spurred in me. A nice huge lump grew on his forehead.
I watched the vampires fight across from us. Rurik had regained his lost sword and now held two. He spun around Dragos and landed a blow on his back.
Dragos gave an inhuman growl from the pain as Rurik withdrew the weapon. He raised one of his sabers over the Master’s head, like a headsman, to chop at his neck.
In a move which required centuries of skill and grace Dragos pivoted and ran his broad sword into the center of Rurik’s chest half way to the hilt.
This couldn’t kill him, yet I screamed, despite my knowledge. No one wishes to see their loved one hurt and I knew this only precluded what would happen next. If we were going to die I selfishly wanted to go first. I’d watched too many people I loved die.
With his eyes wide, he gave me a fleeting look over Dragos ’ shoulder and offered me a wink, then stepped forward to drive the blade further through himself.
Dragos still held the hilt, which gave Rurik access to what he wanted. With a barbaric cry, he forced himself closer to the Master and crossed his sabers over Dragos ’ throat.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
By sheer luck or the devil’s grace Dragos escaped Rurik’s assault by arching his back. A thin line of blood, from lacerated skin, arose where the razor sharp edges grazed him.
In his escape he’d released his hold on the broad sword. Eyebrows raised he touched his throat and laughed. “Nice move. You almost got me.” Then he gripped the weapon protruding through Rurik’s chest and twisted it.
His pain-filled cry shattered me. Tears spilled from my eyes. The move didn’t work like he wanted it to, now he suffered. I prayed for a miracle but would God help a vampire? If someone from the team came they’d only add to the body count and there were too many corpses in this room already. I lay my head on Colby’s chest too weak to help and needing any comfort I could get.
Rurik dropped his weapons in an attempt to grab and pull out the slick blade. His hands slipped with each try, cutting at his palms.
Dragos strolled around him, a crooked grin on his face. Vindication poured from him. He kicked at the back of my love’s knees so he fell forward onto them with a grunt.
Blood streamed from his wound down his abdomen. It reminded me of the bathhouse where I saw him naked for the first time and watched the water run down his torso in the same manner. Our eyes met and locked. Deep sorrow pooled in his ice blue irises. They asked to be forgiven and offered an apology. Neither of which I wanted.
“Looks like I’ve missed all the fun.” Tane leaned on the cracked door frame, arms crossed over his chest, still impeccably dressed in his white dress shirt and gray slacks. Pale Eric was in tow, subdued in jeans and t-shirt. “What’s going on, brother? I thought you wanted Rurik to watch the dawn, not hack him up to pieces.”
Tangled in conflicting emotions my heart soared with hope and plummeted with dread at the sight of Tane. What was my personal demon doing here? He’d given me the impression he wanted to sit on the fence and watch the outcome of this farce he created.