Vampire's Soul

  He wove the right conditions to make it happen, even if her womb wouldn't have sustained it for whatever reason so many vampire females didn't conceive. Cai was able to replace that with his magic and make it work, even as he felt his strength decrease exponentially, exacerbated by his physical condition.

  Olive had delivered a beautiful baby girl, healthy as a horse, screaming her lungs out. Her husband had wanted a boy, so soon as Olive was back on her feet, he started beating his wife again for her shortcomings. Cai had been too young to know the difference between desperation and hope. He just felt her desire for a baby, which, under his mother's abundance of love, Cai assumed was always a good thing.

  Olive took the blows to protect her child, but it wasn't enough. One night, her husband tossed the kid down the ladder from the hayloft, pissed off when she hid from him. The child died.

  He'd told himself shit like that happened all the time, so there was no verifiable proof that God was any better at deciding who should have a baby than Cai, with his random act of misguided kindness. But lesson learned. He'd never used it toward another human again, but as he grew older, that power in him increased. He was smart enough to learn how to use it, even if he didn't extend his practical applications beyond plants and goats. He liked baby goats.

  It felt almost too easy, too natural, which disturbed him. It was as if there was even more power waiting behind it, if he delved too deep. The thought brought an uncomfortable flash to Lyssa's parting words to him. Such magic is hard to quantify and often opens your path to other abilities you didn't know you had.

  That ease-of-use was part of why he rarely used it. That, and it was the reason he'd been taken from his family, which had made him pissed off at it for a long time. But then he'd realized that was like a guy being mad at his own money because someone stole it and left him penniless.

  Cai had no idea what the future of this baby would be. But he felt the seed take, knew when the rooting was sound and had the right start.

  As he surfaced, slowly bringing himself back, he found Rand was as pale as a vampire himself, his gaze caught between incredulity and something darker. He'd taken that journey with him, Cai realized, following him in his mind.

  "Holy God," the wolf murmured.

  Dovia had finished her meal, and was half conscious against Rand's chest, him still holding her. From the feel of the night, Cai guessed maybe an hour had passed. He'd given her an hour respite, hopefully more, if he could prove to Goddard what had transpired.

  I don't think you'll have a problem with that. There was an energy around you, Cai. It was almost...visible, like air with weight. They know something happened.

  "Good." He turned his head and looked at Goddard. "If you'll come here, I can prove to you she's pregnant."

  Dovia's gaze flew open, her expression shocked. Rand murmured to her when she started to struggle. The sight of Goddard rising to his full height froze her. If she could have folded herself into a tenth of her size and hidden in Rand's hand, she would have. But she seemed to recall herself as Goddard approached. Her backbone stiffened, her face going blank.

  Inside she was a turmoil of emotions. Cai had felt it, waded through that jungle, had to mute it to do what needed to be done. He admired her control, even as he knew it wouldn't hold long. She was about as physically and mentally exhausted as it was possible to be. She'd been half-asleep before his words had startled her awake.

  Goddard squatted next to him. God, Cai hated that smell, that unwashed odor that so many Trads thought was a badge of honor. Because of it, even when Cai stayed in the woods for weeks at a time, he bathed daily. He gestured. "Give me your hand."

  When the Trad hesitated, Cai scoffed. "Believe me, I have as much desire to touch you as a leprous snake. Give me your damn hand."

  Goddard complied with a threatening look, and Cai met Dovia's gaze. "It's all right," he said.

  He laid Goddard's hand on her lower abdomen, molded it there. Dovia recoiled, but Rand held her steady, speaking to her in a low, soothing tone. The energy Goddard would be feeling mostly came from Cai's hand, but it connected to the magic he'd done, like an electric current passing through Goddard's palm. It won a startled expression, then a cruel flash of triumph. Even vampires could identify creation magic.

  "Fuck, I think he did it."

  The other vampires surged up with a scraping of chairs and thumping of boots. Dovia shrank back, and Rand showed his teeth, human self notwithstanding. Cai gave him a warning look and a calming thought.

  If they confirm it for themselves, they'll leave her be. Treat her far better than they have been. Give us some more options.

  Rand managed to settle himself, with visible effort, but when Brutus looked as if he was going to yank her from Rand's arms forcibly to paw at her, Cai was the one to intervene. He stood up and shoved at the male, startling him.

  "Remember what I said. The first two weeks, she'll be very fragile. The seed has taken, but the roots are new, tenuous. Regular blood, in a cup so she'll drink it. A clean bed and a private corner of this shithole that's hospitable enough for a woman to be comfortable. Let her walk around at night. Fresh air. No more chains."

  Goddard threw up a hand when Brutus seemed as if he was going to punch Cai through a wall and yank the girl away from Rand anyway. "Indulge him," he said shortly.

  He turned a wondering gaze to Cai, his usual malevolence warring with the unknown. It gave his face a macabre harlequin look.

  "It's a kick in the ass, isn't it?" Cai said sardonically. "The slave you tried your best to kill because I couldn't do what you wanted then, ends up being the road to the survival of your oh-so-special Trad purist bullshit. So here are my terms. You treat me as your guest. No more of the abuse and threats. In return, I'll become her personal nanny, keeping her safe and well through her pregnancy, making sure you get a bouncing baby boy."

  "It's a boy?"

  "Yeah, I figured that's what you wanted. Sorry I didn't check with you to see if you'd already picked out pink for the nursery."

  "You can choose?"

  "If I can create it in her, I can choose what sex it is." Cai snorted. "That's the easy part."

  No, I totally can't do that, he told Rand. But I want him deliriously happy, and this misogynist crowd is all about the penis factor.

  To Rand's credit, he didn't react to that by so much as a blink. But deep in Cai's head, he thought he heard a grim chuckle. A nice moment of solidarity in a totally not-good situation. This time he could handle it without cracking.

  "Hmm." Goddard stared down at Dovia. She had tears running down her face, and had gone tense as a board in Rand's arms. Her look, when it fell on Cai, was one of revulsion. Cai tried not to let it affect him. Stupid kid. I'm trying to help get you out of here, so stow the attitude. He avoided Rand's eyes, not wanting to see the same issues there he saw in the disquieting abyss of her dark gaze.

  Goddard frowned. "I admit...I am impressed."

  "That means so much nothing to me."

  Goddard snorted. Moving away, his head down and expression almost meditative, he stopped by the table, which held a variety of weapons ready to hand. Passing his fingers over them, he hovered over a set of brass knuckles, picked them up and slipped them over his fingers. Then he turned toward Cai.

  The light in his eyes was one Cai recognized all too well. It brought a surge of childhood terror, desperation and hopelessness, which rose like a wave to overcome the man he was now. A man who yeah, you could fuck with him, but you couldn't own him. Not now, not ever.

  He told himself that, even as he braced for the worst Goddard could bring. Because he could tell it was coming.

  Somewhere during their back and forth, Rand had closed his eyes. Now they opened, for he felt the danger, the hairs lifting on his neck. Cai and Goddard's mutual contempt was obvious, but beneath that, he felt something far deeper and more sinister.

  Absolute hatred for one another.

  Goddard returned to Cai, facing him. Ther
e was a significant pause, and then things went bad. Really bad.

  Fast as the cliched snake, but Rand could think of no other comparison that fit, Goddard struck Cai in the face three times. Breaking things. His nose, more of his teeth. Maybe his jaw. Rand's protective instincts went into full forward gear, but even through the phenomenal pain, Cai's mind roared at him.

  No! You don't care about me. Her. Protect her.

  Rand scrambled out of the way, taking Dovia with him. He retreated to the farthest corner, holding her close, keeping them clear, though it was the last place he wanted to be. Fuck, he would have preferred to be bound head to foot, rather than be unable to go to the vampire's aid. It was too much like that helpless feeling all over again, the day his family had died.

  Cai had fallen against the wall and slumped down to the floor. Dropping to his heels and bracing his hand next to the vampire's head, Goddard spoke in a reasonable tone that sent chills up Rand's spine. "That will take some time to heal without blood. More, with the sun draining your energy while you're tied in that narrow shade spot outside. You will suffer greatly, Cai. And when I bring you in tomorrow night, you'll do what you said you'll do, yet you'll do it not as a demand, but to survive."

  Goddard's gaze shifted to Rand, eyes empty as a hell pit. "Today, your wolf will not be touched, because I want to emphasize to you that I respect a servant, a piece of shit fuck toy and blood bag, more than I respect you. You are not my equal, you are nothing. You were not born a vampire. You were human chattel brought here because we thought you would be useful. When you weren't, you somehow clawed yourself to a level of acceptance that was tolerated by all but me. Your return is a dream come true. I did hate Megan, but you destroyed her, an act far above your station. You must pay the price for that."

  He rose and jerked his head at Brutus. "Put the girl on the cot. Chain one wrist to keep her there, but that's all. Treat her as Cai said."

  The male vampire came and plucked Dovia out of Rand's arms. Dovia clung to Rand, and Rand wanted to hold onto her, but he saw Brutus was following Cai's direction. His grip was firm but not cruel. Rand still didn't like it, but he relinquished her.

  "Now," Goddard said pleasantly, turning back to Cai. "Should you come back tomorrow night and still be stubborn and putting on airs, I will not only fuck your wolf, but while I'm doing so, I will tell Hector to start skinning him, whatever form he takes. His pain and suffering means nothing to me. And as much as he detests you, I know that feeling is not mutual. You've always been a liar, and you are lying when you say he means nothing to you. You will give me yet one more way to hurt you, Cai, and that brings me immeasurable satisfaction."

  He straightened, slipping the brass knuckles off and tossing them on the table with a clank that made Dovia jump. Brutus had put her on the cot as instructed. It had a drawstring curtain around it, but it was pushed back so Rand could see her as she curled on the bed, arms wrapped around herself. She was shaking.

  "On the brighter side," Goddard continued, "since it seems you have made seed quicken in her womb, I will give you sanctuary from the Council until I tire of you. But you will do so on your knees, lower than that human dung out there, and you will suck my cock every day and do whatever shit jobs need to be done. You're my slave, Cai. Should that baby not survive, your life will become far worse."

  Cai coughed up more blood, but the look he shot Goddard was glittering with hate, and he bared his one fang. "That's your problem, Goddard. You're a fucking hypocrite. You aren't a Trad wanting to promote your race. You're just a fucking psychopath. I think you want the baby to fail."

  He looked toward the other three vampires. "Watch her close. Because if anyone's going to try and sabotage that pregnancy, it will be him."

  That set off another round of pummeling from Goddard. Rand leaped at him, shifting in mid-air to wolf again, blood lust taking over everything else. Goddard ducked the charge and Rand hit the unguarded door hard, rolling out into the yard. He was on his feet, prepared to leap back in to Cai's defense, but Brutus reactively slammed the door, locking him out. Rand threw himself against the door, but it wouldn't yield. He backed off but started to circle the cabin, letting out short howls of frustration.

  Fortunately or unfortunately, with Cai's mind available to him, Rand could hear the conversation inside clearly.

  "You're right." Goddard chuckled. "The wolf within him protects you, even as the man hates you. Perhaps you enjoy the more complex levels of torture better than you let on, Cai."

  "Careful. You sound like a proud daddy, Goddard. Fucking lunatic."

  Cai grunted as Goddard kicked him in the side. Hector glanced out of a slit between two of the logs. "He's still circling. Dumbass bitch doesn't know he could run away right now."

  "You weren't listening," Cai rasped. "He's bound to me. Even when he goes to hunt, he comes back. Man knows I can track him; wolf responds to the marking. Loyal. Dogs. Bet you wish you had someone who felt like that about you, asshole."

  More beating, this time with Hector's participation. Dovia's cry of distress at being a front row witness made Rand howl louder. He circled the cabin again, pawed at the ground, but somewhere amid the distress, his human side picked up the need to further Cai's ruse. Rand backed off to the edge of the clearing, taking a seat. Panting and distressed, but to all appearances, he looked like a wolf who wouldn't be going anywhere without his Master. If they would just stop hitting him. Goddamn them.

  At length, they did, and he heard Goddard give the order to Hector and Malvin. "Take him out and stake him by the shed."

  "Don't mess with my fucking stuff," Cai said, and Rand knew he was looking toward the tote that had been tossed in the corner, probably when the vampire was first hauled into the cabin. "Got a bottle of wine in there I've been saving for a special occasion. Baby shower, you know..."

  So much for human logic. As they dragged Cai out, his face a bloody mess, his psyche laden with unimaginable pain, physical and emotional, Rand charged. He was going to fucking kill every one of the sadistic bastards. He was--

  Malvin kicked him in the face and Hector followed up with more of the same, driving him toward the door of the main cabin.

  Let them get you back inside. Even overcome by stress, Cai was adamant.

  Rand made that as difficult as possible for Goddard's vampires, within reason. He felt Cai's alarm with how close he cut it, dodging, weaving, snapping. He caught flesh a couple times. Which meant he took some hard hits of his own, but at least it looked real.

  Yeah. They snap your spine, it'll look real...authentic. Backpack. Go...sit on it. Make them take it from you.

  The direction, the hint of a plan, distracted Rand from the vampire's obvious pain and his own desire to tear the Trads apart. At one last kick from Hector that lifted Rand over the threshold and had him thudding onto the floor of the cabin, he whimpered and staggered to his feet, but slunk toward the backpack. When he crouched over it, Malvin bared his fangs in an ugly smile.

  "Oh no, mate. That's ours now."

  More kicking, growling, snapping. When they finally drove Rand from it, he ended up next to Dovia's cot. Dovia reached out to him to hold him back. She didn't fear him.

  Stay with her. Protect her. That's it...for now. Brian's serum...in the wine. Let's see how stupid they are. Stay wolf.

  It was a miracle that Cai's voice remained so clear in his head, even though agony haloed the words.

  He could protect her. Stay a wolf. Those things he could do. Rand planted himself before Dovia, her fingers adjusting but still curled in his fur. He wouldn't deal with these males in a human form. He didn't want to engage in conversation, and this was the way he could fight best if fighting was needed. Though he knew four vampires could overpower him in a heartbeat, the wolf side of him obviously made them warier of him. What was it Cai had said? No one liked getting dog bit.

  Rand remembered how his wolf had brought Leona comfort. Now her daughter gripped him the same way, stroking him. She burrowed he
r fingers in even more deeply, as if she could feel her mother's touch, and was trying to bridge that distance by putting her hands where Leona had.

  As Hector tossed the backpack on the table with a hard clunk from the wine bottle, the others took a seat around it. They cast only cursory glances his way, mainly to be sure the fight had gone out of him. Then their attention shifted to Dovia.

  "We clean up the cellar before dawn," Goddard said shortly. "Put the cot down there, some other things for her comfort. If the spoiled little cunt needs that to carry the babe to full term, that's what she'll get. One of us will stay with her during daylight, but hands off, just as he said." He pulled the pack over to him and rummaged through it, bringing forth the wine. His brow crinkled, and he gave a sour smile. "Decent label. Wonder what he was really saving it for."

  He pulled it out of reach when Brutus extended a hand. "We prep things for her, then we split it to celebrate." His lips split in a thin smile. "We're going to be daddies, boys."

  Rand...

  As the vampires moved to make the arrangements, the impending dawn making their movements more hurried, Rand heard Cai's whisper in his mind. He could feel the dawn, too, and he was out there in it, so close to the heat.

  You have to get away. Cai's voice was strained.

  Not leaving you. Or her.

  Mostly her. Cai's acid chuckle bugged him, but the vampire continued without pause. I'm not being noble, you idiot wolf. If they drink that wine, they'll be out for a while. And remember Brian said their reflexes will be slower, at least for a short time, when they wake at twilight. Get out of here, activate Plan B. Bring Daegan up to speed. Soon as you can make it work, start sniffing around like you're looking for a place to piss. Don't let them lock you in when they go to ground. Don't know what kind of security measures they put in place on the door. We've bought the girl some time. Let's not waste it.

  Rand didn't think about how Cai had bought Dovia time, mainly because he still wasn't sure what to think about the amazing, terrible thing Cai had been able to do. What it meant, what the vampire thought about it, how it would impact...all of this.

  Instead, he sat with Dovia for the next half hour while the vampires acted with surprising efficiency, ferrying down a cot, linens, and even a couple old magazines they'd dug up from somewhere. Though Rand wasn't sure how much she'd enjoy Guns & Ammo and Survival Daily. They didn't speak to her, and the looks they cast her way were far from kind, but they left her alone. It was the best she could hope for among their company.