This Same Earth

  “Let’s go.” Giovanni turned. “Their scent leads down this way.”

  They moved down to the lower decks, and Terry let a sharp whistle echo down one corridor. In a few seconds, Carwyn and Gemma had joined them, and all four snuck through the freighter, following behind Giovanni.

  There was a scuffle in the cabin to their right. Carwyn turned and ripped the door off its hinges, throwing it to the side.

  Terry caught the first crewman who tried to scurry out, tossing him to Giovanni while Gemma found the other trying to hide in a closet. The man was trembling in fear, so she used her amnis to calm him and send him to the top deck with his hands on his head.

  “Where is the girl?” Giovanni growled, as he held the small man up by the throat. Flames flared on his shoulders, and the crewman's horrified gaze flicked farther down the hallway to a pair of large, steel doors.

  “Forward cargo hold,” Terry murmured before Giovanni squeezed the man’s neck and sent the human into unconsciousness before dropping him on the floor.

  The four approached the door cautiously, Giovanni reaching out with his senses, searching for Beatrice’s distinctive scent in the confused mass of immortal energy, human scent, and growing commotion behind the steel doors. The flames flared on his arms as his frustration grew.

  “Carwyn…”

  “Focus on her, Gio. Is she in there?”

  “Yes,” he hissed and reached for the door. His hands were already flaming as he placed them on the metal, but Carwyn put a firm hand on his shoulder, halting him.

  “We don’t know what’s on the other side of that. Hold back the fire, my friend. Now, what’s behind there?”

  He closed his eyes and focused. “Beatrice is there. Four vampires…too many humans. More than ten, that’s all I can tell.”

  “Is she frightened?”

  “Everyone is frightened. I can’t tell where she is.” His patience snapped. “Just get the damn door open before I melt it!”

  Terry pulled him back from the doorway and let Carwyn forward.

  “Hold back, mate. We’ll take care of the rest. You just find your girl.”

  Carwyn placed his ear on the door and closed his eyes before nodding with satisfaction. He reared back and punched both hands through the layers of steel, ripping them apart and pulling the door off its hinges as it broke apart.

  All four rushed into the room, darting around the confused humans, who were running to one corner of the cavernous hold where boxes were stacked in a kind of barricade. The four vampires rushed toward them, and Gemma and Terry confronted them as Carwyn began knocking out humans who darted by and tossing them in a pile.

  Giovanni only looked for one thing.

  “Gio!”

  He heard her call his name, but he could not see her in the confusion. One of the vampires escaped Gemma and rushed him, sending a blanket of wet air and extinguishing his flames before he could send them out. The young water vampire drew a sword and slashed at him but only succeeded in cutting Giovanni’s arm before he was grabbed by the throat.

  Giovanni eyed him, trying to determine whether he was worth interrogating. The vampire sneered, and Giovanni almost snapped his neck, but Carwyn reached over and snatched him away.

  “No. This one feels the oldest. I want to question him.”

  Giovanni grunted as he continued stalking toward the corner with the boxes. He saw Beatrice peek out before she was pulled back by a large human holding a gun on her.

  “Gio!” she shrieked again before the human tugged her behind a stack of crates. He heard her yell, “Let me go, you bastard!”

  Giovanni was tracking her so intently that he barely registered when one of the human crew members to his right pulled a handgun and shot him in the chest.

  The blast punched through him, but missed his heart, which would have knocked him over. Giovanni grunted and reached over to grab the man, annoyed as he twisted his neck and let him fall to the ground. He strode to the crates where the human had taken Beatrice only to find her twisting away from her captor. He watched as she drove her elbow into the large man's gut and her knee into his groin. She had already disarmed him, and the gun lay on the ground as they struggled.

  Giovanni rushed over, grabbed the human by the neck, and squeezed. The man’s face turned red as he struggled helplessly in his iron grip. Beatrice reached down to grab the nine millimeter and aim it at the dangling human. He examined her quickly.

  She was pale and had bruises on her arms, several cuts to her face, and a swollen knee. She also had the beginning of a black eye and an ugly bruise spread over her temple, but her hands were steady.

  “Tesoro, are you all right?”

  “Fine. I’ll be fine. I’m really glad to see you guys, though.” He saw her glance over his shoulder. “There’s four vampires here. They came down as soon as the sun set, but they didn’t say anything to me. They just herded us down here and told this guy to keep me quiet.”

  “Gemma, Terry, and Carwyn are taking care of them.”

  “You’re bleeding a lot,” she said in a shaky voice as she glanced at his chest.

  “I was shot. It missed the heart, so it shouldn’t take long to heal.” In fact, he could already feel the wound beginning to close, so he reached in his chest with his fingers, grunting until he had pulled the bullet from the torn flesh.

  “Oh, Gio!” she cried as she watched him toss the bullet to the ground and wipe at the bleeding cavity. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “I’ll be fine. Did this human hurt you?” The man was barely conscious, but his eyes widened when he heard Giovanni.

  He saw her clench her jaw from the corner of his eye. “He’s the one that hit me. He was trying for something else, but my boot met his balls.”

  The man desperately tried to pry Giovanni’s fingers from his throat. His terror-stricken eyes met the vampire’s gaze when he cocked his head and spoke in a low voice.

  “Did you lay your hands on my woman? That was very foolish. You’re going to wish she had killed you now. She would have been quicker than me.”

  His heart began a slow thud of anticipation, but Giovanni wanted to be fair.

  “Beatrice, do you wish to kill him yourself?”

  His green eyes remained locked on the struggling human’s, and he refused to allow any amnis to spread over him to soften the terror.

  “No,” he heard her murmur. “You need the blood.”

  Giovanni bared his fangs in the man’s face, cutting off the human’s scream as he twisted his neck to the side and sank his fangs into the soft, warm throat. He closed his eyes and took long, dragging gulps as his bloodlust collided with the pain that finally slammed into his chest.

  He opened his eyes to see Beatrice looking around the cargo hold, watching for any threats. He could hear Gemma and Terry rounding up the last of the humans behind them. Beatrice came to stand in front of him as he drank, and he bit harder, piercing the carotid as the blood flooded into his mouth. His green eyes locked with hers and blood ran down his chin, but Beatrice did not flinch as she watched him drain the human who had threatened her life.

  He felt the blood pumping through his system as his stomach filled, and a feral growl rumbled in his chest. The flames began to lick at his arms as his body grew stronger.

  Beatrice never took her eyes off Giovanni, watching as he slowly sucked the life out of the man. Her hand reached toward him, and an instinctive snarl ripped from his throat, but she only paused for a moment before she placed a hand on his forehead, sweeping her fingers back through his hair as his eyes remained on hers. Gradually, the rage lessened, and the fire along his arms began to die down.

  The human’s heartbeat slowed, then stopped, and Giovanni dropped the dead man on the ground, wiping his mouth on his forearm before he stepped toward Beatrice, gripped the back of her neck, and let his bloody mouth crash down on hers.

  He almost expected her to push him away, disgusted by his animalistic display, but she did not. She wra
pped her arms around his waist and pressed close, careful to avoid his chest wound. He pierced his tongue and licked at the cut on her chin and at the corner of her mouth until they were sealed and healing.

  “Gio,” she finally murmured as he buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent and holding her as his heartbeat slowed. “You came for me.”

  “I will always come for you. I love you,” he murmured as he nuzzled his face into her neck, covering her in his scent before the smell of blood and Lorenzo hit him.

  “What did he do?” he hissed and brushed back her hair searching for the source of the blood. He saw a small wound that looked like a piercing on her earlobe, and he looked at her. “Did he hurt you, Beatrice?”

  She took a deep breath and lifted a hand to his hair, soothing him with her touch. “Just that. He bit my ear, but that’s all. Other than that, it was just mind games again.”

  “If there was only a way to kill him more than once,” he muttered as he pierced his tongue again and sucked her earlobe into his mouth to clean and heal the small wound.

  He held her for a few more minutes until he heard Terry walk over.

  “Nicely done, B. Gio, you hurt?”

  “Nothing serious. The vampires?”

  “Gemma killed two. Carwyn and I grabbed the others so we could question them.”

  “And the humans?” Beatrice asked.

  “Most of them are dead. A few surrendered willingly, and Carwyn sent them up to Jean’s men.”

  “I need to heal myself,” Giovanni said as he pushed away from Beatrice. “Terry, you and Gemma take the vampires up to the deck and wait for me there. Beatrice, go to Carwyn.” He could sense the earth vampire hovering nearby.

  Terry nodded and crossed the hold, grabbing the other vampire that Gemma held before they walked out. Carwyn walked over to the corner.

  Beatrice just stared at his bleeding chest. “How do you heal yourself?”

  “Stand back,” he said as he turned and nodded toward Carwyn, who reached out his hand to Beatrice and drew her away toward the far side of the hold.

  “How do you heal yourself?” she asked again.

  “I need to let it take me, Father. Keep her away.”

  “You’re going to set yourself on fire?” Beatrice was starting to sound panicked.

  “Darling girl,” Carwyn soothed her. “Come stand with me. Did you get shot, Gio? You’re getting slow in your old age.”

  He closed his eyes, trying to focus on something other than the pain in his chest. “Keep her away. Maybe you should both go up on deck.”

  “No,” they said together.

  “I won’t leave you,” she said.

  Giovanni thought about the resolute look in her eyes as she watched him drain the human and nodded before he stepped to the far corner of the empty compartment. He stood motionless and lowered his head, taking deep breaths before he allowed the static electricity to start snapping along his skin. After a moment, he began pacing, keeping one eye near the door where Carwyn and Beatrice stood. They were at least ten meters away, but he was still cautious, which was, no doubt, part of Carwyn’s plan in keeping them close by.

  He flexed his arms and curled his shoulders in, focusing his energy to run along his skin and push outward as he felt the flames begin to lick along his chest and arms. He could feel himself start to walk the thin edge between control and chaos. The last of his clothes burned away, and he stood naked as the blue fire covered his body.

  As Giovanni’s energy grew and the flames rose, he could feel his chest ache and start to knit together. He glanced up to see Carwyn holding onto Beatrice with an iron grip. He turned and faced her, focusing on her dark eyes as he stood motionless and let the fire wash his injuries away.

  He heard the hiss as his hair singed, and the acrid scent drifted to his nose. He kept himself focused on the sour smell of burning hair to counteract the heady sensation of power that threatened to overwhelm him. The blood rushed through his body and his heart raced, but the higher the flames grew, the stronger he became.

  His power peaked, and Giovanni could feel his chest muscles stretch and smooth out. He flexed them, feeling only an edge of pain. He continued to stare at Beatrice as he let the fire fall back and finally dissipate into the cold salt air.

  He gave a quiet grunt and fell to his knees as they rushed over. Beatrice put her arms around him, flinching from the heat that still radiated off his skin, but she only pulled him closer and rocked him as her hands tangled in his singed hair.

  “That was…” She sniffed. “It was—”

  “Cracking as always, Gio,” Carwyn said with a laugh. “By God, you’ll manage to kill me someday, but that’s absolutely brilliant.”

  Giovanni sighed and slumped against Beatrice, burying his face in the cool skin at her throat and wrapping his arms around her waist.

  “I hate getting shot.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  English Channel

  March 2010

  “Just the two left?”

  “We were lucky to save those before Gemma got her hands on them.”

  “And no trace of my son?”

  “No, but he left his lackeys here. And he must have known we would take them.”

  “Interesting and deliberate.”

  Giovanni and Carwyn were walking up the stairs, Giovanni growing stronger with every step. He wanted to feed again, but didn’t want to weaken Beatrice more by asking. She was still limping, and her bruises were more vivid. It irritated him that he could do nothing more to heal her. She had been handling herself extraordinarily well, but he could tell she was starting to crash.

  “Tesoro,” he said as he slipped a hand around her shoulders while clutching the blanket wrapped around his waist. “Will you stay with Jean’s men on the top deck while we question them? I’m sure you could handle it, but—”

  “I’m okay with skipping the torture part, thanks.”

  He nodded, relieved she had not insisted on being present for what would be, no doubt, a brutal interrogation.

  As they walked through the melted door and onto the open deck, he saw Jean’s men securing what was left of the crew, and Gemma held two battered, young vampires by the throat. Terry tossed him a pair of black pants he found somewhere, and Giovanni turned to Beatrice as he saw the three vampires walk away with the captives.

  He leaned down and kissed her. “I’ll be back soon.”

  She threw her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, “Don’t be too long. There are things to say.”

  He nodded and gave her one more lingering kiss before he walked away.

  The injured vampires were obviously disposable; Giovanni wondered why Lorenzo had even left them on the ship. They dragged them to the rear deck among the maze of containers the freighter carried.

  “No one else?” he asked as he slipped on the borrowed pants.

  Terry and Carwyn shook their heads.

  “Jean’s men searched all the containers,” Gemma said, pounding on one that echoed in the dark. “Nothing. Not even a drained human or a bit of clothing.”

  “Cazzo,” he muttered and turned his attention back to the vampires at Gemma’s feet. “Why did he leave you?”

  “Are you the master’s father?” One croaked and took a deep breath of the salt air. Giovanni suspected they were both water vampires, turned by Lorenzo to replace the personal army he and Tenzin had destroyed in Greece. Both looked to be in their early twenties. One had an American accent, and the other sounded Irish.

  Giovanni knelt down and braced one arm on his knee. “I am Lorenzo’s sire.”

  “We have a message for you,” the American said.

  “Thought you might.” He let the blue flames flare on his torso as the young vampires watched. The American, a young blond man with brown eyes and an innocent face, looked at Giovanni as if he had never seen anything more terrifying. The other wore a placid expression, and his hard, blue eyes did not flinch. “Well?”

  I
t was the Irishman who spoke up. “Lorenzo says he will burn your books, take your woman, turn your child, and one day, you will call him master…and you will love him.”

  Giovanni cocked his head. “He sacrifices your lives to boast?”

  The young American vampire could not seem to look away as the fire grew. Again, it was the other that spoke for them. “We are his humble servants.”

  Giovanni stared into the young one’s frigid blue eyes. He whispered, “Did you kill Ioan ap Carwyn?” He could feel Gemma and Carwyn looking over his shoulders. “Did you kill my friend?”

  The young vampire’s calm mask finally faltered, and he stuttered when he answered.

  “W—we are his humble servants.”

  Giovanni grabbed him by the neck and took the knife that Terry held out. “You are nothing. But you will tell me everything you know.”

  He slashed the vampire across the neck and the side, placing his burning hands on the wounds as the young one began to scream.

  Giovanni interrogated them for hours, Terry reviving both with seawater when they fainted.

  The two vampires confessed to luring Ioan away from the clinic he had been running in the slums of Dublin. The young Irish vampire, named Sean, had been a patient of Ioan’s as a child and used the connection to put the doctor at ease. Then the other vampires, two of whom Gemma had killed in the cargo hold, kidnapped three children who had come to the clinic, threatening to kill them unless Ioan cooperated.

  As Giovanni had suspected, his compassionate friend had not hesitated to sacrifice his freedom for the innocent girls. It was the American boy with the guilty brown eyes named Josh who finally broke down and confessed how Ioan had been killed.

  Lorenzo met them at the old warehouse, where he tortured the doctor for days about some kind of research he had been conducting on vampire blood types. None of it made sense to the young ones, and Josh broke down sobbing when he confessed that he and his friends had drained the little girls instead of letting them go.

  By the time Giovanni finished, he could hear Gemma sniffing quietly in Carwyn’s arms as Josh explained how Lorenzo forced Sean to behead Ioan before he tossed his body onto the riverbank on their way out of Dublin. It was the only time the young Irishman showed any sign of guilt.