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She babbled something that sounded like, “Murderer,” and went inside, slamming her door. Moments later, there was the sound of her calling the police.
I stayed on the grass near Belinda, nodding politely at the few nearby neighbors who came out to gawk at me before ru
“All right, luv?”
I nodded. “Scratches and bruises, nothing serious. The vampire you were after?”
He knelt next to me. “Exchanging hallos with Belinda in hell by now, I should think.”
Good. One might have gotten away, but three didn’t, and the most dangerous of those three was starting to shrivel in the late afternoon sun.
“Zachary?”
Bones shook his head. I took in a deep breath, wishing I could stab Belinda again and somehow make her feel it.
The squealing of tires a
I stood up, brushing some of the grass and dirt off me.
“As you can see, guys, Belinda has been fired.”
FOUR
THE OTHER VAMPIRE GOT AWAY.DAVE BLAMED himself for not being the one to strap him in the capsule, but he’d been so distracted after Belinda attacked Zachary, which was what she’d intended, of course. Zachary bled to death before Bones finished with the last vampire, so he hadn’t gotten to him in time to heal him. Zachary had had the team’s version of a living will, too. One that stated he didn’t want to be brought back as anything inhuman if he were killed on a job. So, all of us somber, we honored his wishes and buried him.
Ethan turned out to be an orphan, which explained why his parents hadn’t strongly opposed the part he’d played as my son. I made Don promise never to use him or any other child again for something so dangerous, and to find him a good foster home. If Don could run a secret branch of the government to fight the undead, finding a foster home for an orphan shouldn’t be too hard.
At last, V-day for Tate arrived. Everyone was at the compound. We were only short one person, and that’s because her flight had been delayed due to mechanical difficulties. A
That had been my idea. Bones had barely spoken to A
Now, however, I was nervous. In half an hour, Bones would kill Tate, only to bring him back again. The time from bite to rebirth could last one hour, or several. We’d scheduled this for eight p.m., right after sundown, when Bones would be at his strongest. It took a lot out of a vampire to change someone over, or so I’d been told. This was my first experience with it.
True to form, Don had videos set up. He even had electrodes stuck to Tate’s chest and head to monitor the exact moment of death as well as brainwave activity. Bones shook his head upon seeing all the high-tech setup, acidly inquiring if it was being broadcast over the Internet as well. Don didn’t care. He intended to glean all available information he could for study. In that, he was shameless.
Tate was in a room reinforced with a series of titanium locks. Hell, they even had a macabre-looking operating table outfitted with clamps made of the same metal. Bones told Don all these precautions were overkill, pun intended, but Don was worried about Tate busting out and ru
Numerous bags of blood sat in a cooler nearby for Tate’s first few meals. My gaze met his indigo one as I stood next to the inclined slab, maneuvering it until he was upright.
“God, Tate.” My voice wavered. “Are you sure about this?”
He attempted a smile, but it lacked its usual depth. “Don’t look so spooked, Cat. You’d think you were the one about to die, not me.”
I laid my hand on his cheek. His skin felt as warm as mine. This was the last time it would be that way. Tate sighed and inclined his head closer.
“It’s been a strange ride, hasn’t it?” he murmured. “I remember when I didn’t believe in vampires. Now I’m about to join their ranks, led by a son of a bitch I despise. Ironic, huh?”
“You don’t have to do this, Tate. You can change your mind and we’ll call the whole thing off.”
He took another deep breath. “As a vampire, I’ll be stronger, faster, and harder to kill. The team needs that…and so do you.”
“Don’t you dare do this for me, Tate.” My voice trembled with vehemence. “If this is for me, then get off that table right now.”
“I’m doing this,” he repeated, his tone equally vehement. “You can’t talk me out of it, Cat.”
Bones saved me from a response by coming up behind me. “It’s time, Kitten.”
I went to the small observatory one level up, where the video from that room fed into. My uncle was already seated, watching the screen. Juan, Cooper, and Dave came into our room. I couldn’t look away as on the screen, Bones walked over to Tate with the slow grace of a true predator. Tate’s breathing and heartbeat began to accelerate.
Bones studied him without emotion. “You won’t gain what you’re hoping for, mate, but you will have to live with this decision the rest of your days. So, one last time, do you want this?”
Tate took a long breath. “You’ve wanted to kill me for months. Here’s your chance. Just do it.”
In the next second, Bones’s fangs were sunk deep into Tate’s neck. The machines picked up Tate’s skyrocketing pulse as he gasped, stiffening. Dave gripped my hand and I clenched back, watching as Bones drank the life from my friend with deep, long pulls of his mouth. That pale throat worked over and over as he swallowed. The sounds from the EKG monitor slowed, decreased, and then made only intermittent, brief bleeps when Bones lifted his head.
He licked the spare drops of blood around his mouth before pulling out a blade and making a gouge in his own neck. Then Bones pressed Tate’s lolling head to the wound, keeping the tip of the knife in his neck so it didn’t close.
Tate’s mouth moved, at first feebly lapping at the blood, and then sucking with more vigor. The EEG monitor began to make alarming noises. Bones dropped the knife as Tate, eyes closed, clamped his teeth around his neck and tore at it. Bones held Tate’s head, not flinching as he chomped at him for more. Tate gnashed and sucked as the minutes ticked on, his heartbeat skipping longer and longer in between blips until at last there was…silence.
Bones tore Tate’s mouth free, wrenching it loose and staggering back. The EEG went haywire while the EKG showed a straight flat line on its monitor. A great tremor wracked Tate’s body, rattling the clamps holding him. Then he slumped in his restraints, motionless. Dead, but waiting to rise.
The hours dragged by with painful slowness. Bones sat on the floor of the cell, looking like he was resting, but I knew he wasn’t asleep. Every so often, his gaze would flick over to Tate’s still form. I wondered if he could feel changes in the energy around Tate. Lord knew the EEG could. It hadn’t shut up the whole time. Bones must have wanted to smash it more than once by now, with all the bleeps and squawks it made.