On the other side of the room, just out of sight until she stepped in, were Sebastian and Kritanu, also flanked by undead. The two men were seated in chairs at either end of a rectangular table. Their bodies faced the doorway, immobilized by a labyrinth of crisscrossing restraints. Kritanu slumped in his seat, sagging forward, held in place only by the straps around his torso. The vampire next to him held a heavy knife. Its blade was bloody.
Sebastian was looking at Victoria, fury in his face. There were fang marks, many of them, on his neck and the part of his arm bared by a rolled-up sleeve. He was pale. He, as well as Kritanu, had the hand closest to the table strapped onto it. Blood pooled on its surface, dripping from the edge to plop onto the rug below. Victoria tore her eyes away, but not before she saw the stump where Kritanu’s hand had been. It was still bright with fresh blood.
“Get out of here, you damned fool,” Sebastian shouted, veins bulging in his temples. Gone was the charm, the confidence, the irrepressible gleam in his eyes. He was bloody and dirty, his clothes were torn, his hair hung in his face but for the space where the lock had been snipped in the center of his forehead. The hand fixed to the table rested next to a dark stain.
“Silenzio,” Sara said with a coy smile. “Be grateful that she arrived to keep you from the same fate as your compagno eccellente.” She glanced at Kritanu, who appeared to have fainted from pain or blood loss, moving her lips into a little moue and tsking. “He has been so quiet since the last stroke of the blade.”
Victoria swallowed hard, choking on the bitter taste at the back of her mouth. Calm. Breathe deeply. Fight the red. Remember the vis. Your vis. “I’m here. What is it you want from me?”
“Grazie, for you to respond to my message,” Sara replied ingenuously, her brown eyes wide. “Oh, and… mi dispiace… for the lack of servants. And there was no one to greet you at the door? They all have been dismissed. Permanently. Lilith wished to have them… for dinner.” She giggled, but Victoria didn’t see a hint of humor-or even madness-in her eyes. She was very lucid and very determined. Cold fear gripped her. “It has made the preparation of our meals rather difficile. For we who don’t dine on blood, naturalmente.” Then Sara made a point of looking around as if in confusion. “But where is your dear friend?”
“Those are my friends,” Victoria said. She looked at Sebastian and Kritanu. “And you’ll pay for what you’ve done. Release them or you’ll die.”
“But what about your amica Gwendolyn? That silly chit was to greet you at the door. She could not have failed in her task. It was so simple.”
“I regret to inform you that Gwen is a pile of ash.”
“You killed my sister?” George cried. “How dare you!”
“Silencio,” Sara ordered. “Have I not told you she slays at will? After what happened to mi papa…” Her eyes narrowed at Victoria. “Davvero. You are a smart one. It is no wonder he loves you.”
“And so are you. Smart enough to know when you’ve overstepped. Release them now, and it will go easier for you.”
“And so you’ve come charging to the rescue-da solo.” Sara chuckled as she walked over to the vampire near Kritanu. “How difficult it must be for fusti such as these to know that you-a mere woman-must save them. A shame, that. But you neglected to bring anything for barter. Now I shall be forced to continue with mio divertimento. And it may be quite an… inconveniente… for your friends.” She took the large knife from the vampire and, smiling at Victoria, moved to stand next to Sebastian.
Her hand moved to touch the top of his head, as if she were caressing a pet… then slid down to his shoulder and along to grip the arm fixed to the table. She looked up at Victoria, her brown eyes gleaming with pleasure. “Have you ever heard him scream?”
“Stop. You needn’t play the game any longer. I’m here. What is it you want?” Victoria’s mouth was so dry she could hardly form the words. The stake hung uselessly in her pocket.
“You fool, Victoria!” Sebastian shouted suddenly, urgently. “You have to go.”
The blade flashed as Sara raised it. She was still watching Victoria. “What have you to offer me? Pronto! Before my patience is gone.”
“One of the Rings of Jubai,” said Victoria quickly. “Lilith will be delighted for you to return it to her. She will reward you greatly.”
The blade wavered. A trickle of perspiration rolled down Sebastian’s face, yet he glared at her. The room was silent. Where was Max? If he didn’t make the disturbance soon…
“I know not what it is.” But Sara was interested, and Victoria was glad to have her attention. Just keep the blade up.
“There are five of them, made of copper. The Venators are in possession of one of them, and I can retrieve it for you in exchange for Kritanu and Sebastian-unharmed any further.”
“How do I know you do not lie to me?” The blade shivered and Victoria held her breath.
“Ask them.” She gestured to the vampires clustered around Brodebaugh, who apparently was under their watch. After his outburst, George had remained silent. This was, clearly, wholly Sara’s game.
One of the undead, a woman ironically, nodded when Sara looked at her. “Describe the ring,” said the vampire.
Victoria did, quickly, her eyes on the blade the whole time.
“Where is this ring?” asked Sara.
“Sebastian retrieved it. He knows where it is.” What was the delay?
Sara looked at her with distaste. “You expect that I shall release him to enable you to retrieve the ring?”
Just then-at last!-a sudden boom from the next room startled the occupants. The two windows near that wall shattered, sending glass shards scattering. Sunlight streamed in through the torn curtains, and chaos followed. A nearby vampire fell to the floor in agony, his skin peeling off in angry strips as he writhed in the sunbeam.
Chaos reigned-Sara was shouting, half in Italian and half in English, waving the knife, giving sharp orders. Two vampires launched themselves at Victoria as she started toward Sebastian, pulling the stake out of her pocket. She stabbed one, missing his heart but slowing him nevertheless, and vaulted over the table as the knife blade flashed.
As Victoria slammed Sara to the floor she felt the knife slice along her arm. Blood burst from her skin- her blood-filling her nose and turning her vision scarlet. The small woman beneath her had no chance to withstand Victoria’s strength; it took only a single blow to the chest for her to release the blade and slump to the ground, unconscious.
Panting heavily, Victoria tore herself away from the woman she hated, blinking the red away, willing it away, as something heavy landed on her back. It smashed her to the floor, and it was alive.
Galvanized, Victoria rolled over, grabbing the vampire from behind and tearing at his grip even as he tore at her with claws and teeth. Her blood… Sebastian’s… Kritanu’s… filled her nose, her vision, sat on her tongue… It became a whirlwind, a maelstrom of kicking and fighting, of driving fury. She slammed and staked and scratched and elbowed until at last she was free. She grabbed the knife Sara had dropped, pulling to her feet.