Part 11 (1/2)

Maksim found himself smiling. His woman was far from defenseless. He nuzzled her thick topknot again, the silky strands catching in the shadow along his jaw, tying them together. He had never imagined himself with a warrior. In his mind, when he allowed himself to think about a lifemate, she was always shy and demure. In need of protection. He found himself smiling.

Blaze needed him, just not in the way he thought she would. He certainly needed her. Not just her beautiful body, but her soul-her warrior's soul. He admired her. Respected her. Believed in her. She had a protective streak as well as an independent streak. It would take her a little time to get used to having a partner. He would have to have patience when she forgot to consult with him, and he was certain that would happen often.

He waved his hand and opened the earth over them. The night sky was dark. No moon. No stars. Only roiling clouds. Black and angry. Churning. The wind blew hard, bringing the threat of rain with it. In the distance lightning forked. A few seconds later, thunder rolled. The weather was natural, not created by Carpathian or vampire. He liked storms. He always had, even as a boy. Floating out of the ground, he covered Blaze with a wave of his hand.

Maksim found himself reluctant to leave her, even for a brief meeting. Blaze was strong willed. If, in her sleep, she sensed him gone, or something wrong, she might wake. He didn't want her to wake beneath the earth, thinking she was buried alive. She would still have her human reactions in spite of her intellect and acceptance of the world she belonged in now.

Tariq waited for him inside his home, in the great room where the moon and stars glowed gold in the wood on the floor. The clouds opened as Maksim stepped into the room, the rain pounding on the roof. The wind slashed at the windows, driving drops of rain into the gla.s.s. Tree branches bent down toward the ground, and leaves created small eddies in the sky as they whirled and tumbled with the force of the gusts.

”Reginald c.o.o.nan is only one of several master vampires creating an empire below the city,” Tariq greeted.

Maksim stopped moving, going completely still at the news. ”Times keep changing,” he murmured. ”Shows we have got to keep up with them. Centuries ago, the vampire wouldn't tolerate another vampire in his territory.”

”It was only this century the master vampire began collecting newly turned vampires to serve them,” Tariq agreed.

”And now?” Maksim prompted.

”It seems the masters are conspiring together right here. The crime rate has quadrupled, but I never suspected it was because we were overrun with vampires. They are keeping a tight rein on their p.a.w.ns,” Tariq mused.

”You are certain of this information?” Maksim said. ”There have been a few messy kills but only a few.”

”We all thought Blaze's friend was targeted because she saw a vampire kill. But she said there were two vampires. We thought newly turned. But she saw them. Reginald and the other one. I recognized him from our homeland. That was one of the Malinov brothers, Vadim, I am certain. He has to be the one running the show. If they are not the only masters here in the city, even with Tomas, Mataias and Lojos, I am uncertain if we can clean out this nest.”

Maksim's heart sank. The Malinov brothers were notorious in the Carpathian world. All five had deliberately turned on their own people, plotting over and over to kill Mikhail Dubrinsky, the prince of their people. Most vampires reached a point after centuries of darkness to reach for a feeling, a fleeting rush. Just as a junkie might reach for a drug, they kill for the high in the blood. The Malinov brothers deliberately made the choice, and they did it immediately. Together. They conspired and plotted before they sought to become the undead, and they continued to plot after.

”You are certain that was one of the Malinov brothers?”

Tariq nodded slowly. ”It was Vadim for certain. Kirja was killed by Rafael De La Cruz. Mikhail killed Maxim. Zacarias De La Cruz killed Ruslan. I have no doubt if Sergey is alive, then he is close by. The Malinovs traveled together as a rule.”

”Blaze shot him in the face. Vadim and his brothers were always physically beautiful and prided themselves on that.” Maksim made it a statement, but the worry was there. Vadim wouldn't forget Blaze. He stiffened. ”He did not kill the woman. Emeline. Blaze's friend. If he wanted her dead, he would have killed her instantly, but he tried to take her out of there. Reginald was a distraction, attacking Blaze, opening her veins so we would rush to her defense. The target was her friend.”

Tariq shook his head. ”You want the target to be her friend, but Reginald was taking Blaze out of the club. He opened her vein, but it was not enough to kill her right away. He knew she was strong. They wanted both women. The Hallahan brothers did not fight us, Maksim. When they came to Blaze's bar, they turned back when they saw us. It was not because they recognized what we were.”

”They had orders,” Maksim whispered. One fist clenched. ”They wanted her alive. They were going to take her to the lair.”

Tariq nodded. ”Mataias followed Terry and Carrick. They went underground. It is a labyrinth down there. There is a command center somewhere, he is certain of it. They have electricity running and all the modern conveniences. He found a small area marked Research and when he entered, they had cells down there and are holding at least four prisoners there. He could not free them because there were too many p.a.w.ns close, but he said we needed to get there fast.”

”It will take planning. That is why Reginald was after the properties. They do not care about the businesses above them; they want what is beneath them. If they had already secured some of the properties in the past, and Vadim must have, they have been preparing for this for some time,” Maksim mused.

”Vadim and his brothers were always smart and they were always plotting. Your lifemate is close to rising?”

Maksim nodded. ”I need another night. I will wake her next rising and then we will go on the hunt. See if any other hunters are close enough to aid us.”

”We will need to plan our attack carefully. Especially if they have prisoners they can use as hostages,” Tariq said. ”They will have the advantage down there. Mataias is trying to investigate enough that we can maneuver down there. Vadim and the other masters will have escape routes set up just in case.”

Maksim sighed. ”There's another thing, Tariq. When Xavier, the High Mage, was killed, two small pieces of him, shadow splinters, remained behind. Blaze fought the vampire's puppet, but when he was on fire, dragging himself toward her, she saw intelligence in his eyes. Malevolence. She described it as sheer evil. If one of the Malinov brothers managed to get a shadow splinter of Xavier and has it in him, he will not only have the cunning and intelligence of the Malinovs, but also that of Xavier.”

There was a small silence as Tariq absorbed the information. ”A master vampire could see through his puppet's eyes, Maksim,” he finally reminded softly.

Maksim nodded, locking his gaze with Tariq's. ”That is so, but the puppet was in excruciating pain. Agony. Burning. No vampire would risk getting caught in the dying throes of a puppet. This vampire did. Only a mage could do that and come out unscathed.”

There was another long silence while the two hunters contemplated the nearly impossible task of going after a nest of master vampires. The impossible wouldn't stop either of them. They had faced worse odds over the long centuries and hopefully would again.

”We need to put out the call,” Tariq agreed. ”I've noticed the vampires seem to know when hunters move in. Since I made this area my home, the evidence of kills has become less and less.”

”Yet there are many of the undead here,” Maksim said.

Tariq nodded slowly. ”I think they are becoming better at hanging on to their intellect. In the old days, once a vampire turned, he became cunning and savage, but his nature was so evil, the need for cruelty outweighed even safety.”

”The Malinov brothers have changed that,” Maksim said.

Tariq sighed. ”I have no doubt it was them. Vadim is a genius. The problem was, he was always out for himself. He wanted power. He could have done so much for our people, but he believed we should rule the world. That humans should serve us.”

”He has more patience than imaginable for a vampire,” Maksim said. ”To have acquired properties with the idea of using them a century later takes planning and patience.”

Again there was a small silence. Vadim Malinov was infamous in the Carpathian world, every bit a legend as Lucian and Gabriel, the twin hunters. Vadim was a thinking man, even in his youth. He was a fierce fighter-the Malinov brothers on par with the De Le Cruz brothers when it came to their reputation in a battle.

”Maksim? What is going on beneath this city?”

Maksim shook his head. He had no idea. If that many vampires had gathered in one place, there should have been a bloodbath happening above ground. His head jerked up. ”Above ground we are not seeing the crimes we should. But we have no idea what is happening below us. They could be taking their victims there.”

”So we should be monitoring missing people as well. Homeless and prost.i.tutes will be taken first. Anyone they know will not be reported missing right away,” Tariq said. ”They have infiltrated the police department.”

Maksim nodded. ”I examined as many as possible when I walked in there a couple of weeks ago and I smelled a few of them as 'dirty'-taking money from a crime boss. Vadim has to be that crime boss. He is acting human and building a human organization above ground to aid him. They do not know he is vampire. After witnessing what went on in that nightclub, I think he has police and officials through blackmail as well.”

”The restraint it would take for him to pull something like this off is unbelievable.”

”Gather as many hunters as possible. We will have to take this fight underground, and they will have the advantage,” Maksim said.

”I will need at least two risings to prepare,” Tariq said. ”Mataias will have to go back in for information. We cannot go into a hornet's nest blind.”

Maksim shook his head. Mataias would do it. Either of his brothers would as well, even though it was most likely a death sentence.

”So be it,” he said quietly and grasped Tariq's forearms in the traditional manner of the Carpathian people. ”Arwa-arvo olen isnt, ekm-honor keep you, my brother.”

THIRTEEN.

BLAZE WOKE TO the touch of fingers smoothing over her skin. Her lashes fluttered and she looked up to see the ceiling of the master bedroom in the house. The bed was a deep carved four-poster, very ornate and made of a dark, dense wood. The ceiling was high with a moon window directly over the bed. She could see the night sky and the small sliver of moon, a thin crescent valiantly trying to s.h.i.+ne through the rolling clouds.

She breathed in, taking Maksim's scent deep into her lungs. At once hunger gnawed at her. Real. Terrible. She heard his heartbeat. Strong. Steady. His hands moved over her body, just a whisper. His touch light. Cravings grew. Her s.e.x clenched. She felt damp heat gathering.

”Maksim,” she whispered softly, her hand sliding into his wealth of hair. She loved his hair, all that soft thickness. Few men wore their hair long. Instead of making him look feminine, his hair seemed to accent his strong masculine features.

He lifted his head and his eyes met hers. Her breath caught in her throat. A million b.u.t.terflies took flight in her stomach. He was beautiful. Breathtaking. Her entire body reacted to his, going soft, pliant. Inviting. Her lips parted. Her tongue touched her lower lip in a small sweep. His eyes followed the gesture. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s rose and fell, and his gaze lowered intimately.

”How do you feel?” he asked, his hand once again skimming her body. Sliding over the curves of her breast down to her hip bone.