The Renfield Syndrome

  I was not taking this shit anymore.

  I arched my back and lifted my head.

  We were chest-to-chest, hip to hip. He met my livid stare, and I smiled as I jackknifed my head, creating as much force as I could in the limited space, and sent my forehead barreling toward his nose with all my strength. The satisfying sound of bone giving way, as well as his outraged cry, made the you-had-that-coming-asshole angels sing. But the icing on the cake was the slack in his arms, giving me just enough freedom to make a break for it.

  One of the men at his left lunged for me, and I rushed for the empty passenger seat. It wasn’t easy to scramble over the legs in my path. Another male tried to grasp me, and I brought my knee up to deck him in the chin. He fell back, giving me room.

  It was just the window of opportunity I needed.

  I jumped into the passenger seat and grasped the door handle. Just before I pushed the door open, I said a hasty prayer. Looking ahead, there were no cars in my path, just concrete.

  Nothing like road rash.

  This was going to hurt like hell.

  I jumped from the van and rolled as I landed, taking the impact on elbows, knees and my chin as I collided against the cruel, unforgiving asphalt. The sound of squealing brakes brought me out of a fetal position. I scurried to my feet and took off in the opposite direction. The sun was low on the horizon. Soon the sky would be a beautiful orange hue. When that happened, vampires would be able to venture from their domiciles.

  If I could make it back to Goose, I had a chance.

  Unlike the barren city we’d traveled through in the van, people now blocked my path. I shouldered past them with what sounded like a bull stampede on my heels. Once more, the pendant resting against my chest went warm, then hot. Ghosts appeared, some so hazy they had to have died decades prior. They turned to me and became solid and, as they did, I felt energy surging through my body as it had in the library.

  An arm looped around my waist and lifted me off my feet.

  I decided to use the same tactic I’d employed in the van on Carter, but in reverse. I hiked my head forward and slammed it back. The solid crack of bone meeting bone—and a loudly roared “fuck”—soon followed. Once free and on my feet again, I hauled ass.

  “How the hell is she running so fast?” a deep voice grumbled from behind me.

  “I don’t know,” Carter snarled at my back.

  Fuck!

  I pushed harder—legs pumping, muscles quaking—and made a sharp right onto another, more populated street. Buildings that were once residences were now various shops with window signs. A few booths were spaced out here and there, providing obstacles I used to my advantage.

  Or so I thought.

  The crashing noises behind me indicated Carter and his pack of hounds were demolishing the things in their path. Screams from confused and terrified shoppers drowned out the sounds of shattering wood, glass and God knows what else.

  The deafening roar of an engine was the only warning I got before the van I’d been forced into swerved around the corner. Darting onto the sidewalk, I prepared to go on the offensive when one of Carter’s men jumped out of the moving vehicle.

  The ghosts surrounding me gasped. Their voices were loud in my head, wails of agony causing me to shiver as the pendant burned into my skin. Just as before, I saw my attacker’s intentions before he struck. His arm came back, poised to snatch and grab. I jumped to the left, bringing the heel of my right palm up. Strength that was not my own powered the blow to his chin. He staggered before he fell on his ass, and I continued running like the devil was on my heels.

  “Stop her!” Carter roared.

  Barreling past the van, I hooked a left and was stunned as spirit upon spirit appeared, shimmered and became solid. As they did, my heart and lungs seemed to take on new life. I felt like I was walking instead of running. Only one sensation had ever compared to the high—when Disco unlocked the mark that existed between us—but even that sense of power was weak in comparison.

  The buildings blurred, becoming nothing more than varying colors in my peripheral vision. I could hear the heavy, pounding footsteps at my back. I knew Carter’s people were behind me but unable to gain ground. My legs had never moved so quickly, my once bum knee now a distant memory.

  Something struck me in the middle of my shoulder blades, knocking me off balance and sending me to the ground. I cried out as my palms met warm asphalt. The tiny shards of pebble and cement scraped away the skin at the meaty part of my hands, embedding dirt and remnants of rubber in my flesh. Within seconds, my knees followed suit, and the pain was equally intense.

  Lifting my head, I came face-to-face with the same kind of monstrosity that Carter had become in the library. Half man, half beast. It snarled at me. Its large clawed hands were inches from mine. Its jaws parted, saliva pooled down its muzzle, and lethal teeth stopped inches from my face.

  An American Werewolf in London had absolutely nothing on this shit.

  Nothing at fucking all.

  There was no opportunity to make it to my feet or attempt to flee. Carter wrapped an arm around my waist and hoisted me from the ground, bringing my back against his chest while wrapping his free hand around my throat.

  “I warned you.” His voice was markedly different, almost unrecognizable.

  My struggles didn’t do much. The strength he was so careful to keep in check was now unmistakably evident. Even if I wanted to move, I couldn’t. My arms were locked firmly at my sides, and my head was bent at an awkward angle that forced the base of my skull against his shoulder.

  The van returned and, once again, everyone piled in—including the one that had shifted back and now wore clothing that was ripped and tattered.

  The angry gazes of the pack homed on me, their irises shifting brightly.

  No words were spoken, not that there was much to say. Instead, I took the time to process everything that I’d learned in the last few hours. A plan had started to formulate. Disco was gone, which was something I wasn’t prepared for, but all was not doom and gloom. If I could find some way to contact Disco, I could give him my message, sever the debt with Zagan, and learn how to destroy the bastard.

  Goose was the ace in the hole, which meant I had to find some way to get back to the burbs. Swallowing thickly, I eyed the werewolves that looked like they wanted to rip out my throat and say to fuck with it. As soon as I was under lock down, I’d never get out in time to sever the debt. Zagan had said I had ten days, and that was six days ago.

  The clock was ticking.

  “Shit.”

  At first, I thought the word was another one of my inner ramblings. Then I realized it was from the driver—a very loud, alarmed and snarling werewolf.

  “Carter, we’ve got trouble.”

  The van’s brakes squealed as they ground together. All the passengers in the back shifted from side to side. Carter lifted me and moved to peer past the headrest of the passenger seat. Whatever he saw, he didn’t like. His grip on me increased, and a steady thrumming growl vibrated against my back.

  “What the fuck are they doing out so early?” one of the men to our right asked.

  “Shift,” Carter commanded and moved to the back doors.

  I watched in horror as the men ripped off their shirts and their bones contorted, limbs changing as bones cracked and reformed. The muscles along their spine rippled, pressing against the skin with a disturbing popping sound as the vertebrae grew larger and reformed.

  Carter didn’t hesitate as he jumped from the back of the van, walked around the side, and faced a line of expensive cars and limousines. They were all newly waxed and polished—chrome rims glistened as streetlamps came on, causing the paint to gleam. Several people stood in front of the vehicles, their stylized clothing as sophisticated and luxurious as their mode of transportation.

  Even without my necromanc
y, their luminous skin and sparkling eyes would have given them away. Vampires stood between us and the path to the werewolf compound, efficiently blocking us in. Strangely enough—and for the first time I could recollect—I found myself relieved to see them. I supposed being placed in a shitty fucking circumstance made you appreciate what you once had taken for granted.

  A form strode from the center of the group, his leather coat snug around his broad shoulders yet loose at his waist, the collar high at his neck. The shirt beneath matched, black as ebony, the buttons open at the throat. Spiffy black slacks clung to his hips, the shiny steel belt buckle in the center catching the light with each long stride.

  His hair fell to his shoulders, the lush dark waves untamed and free, framing a face that was breathtaking even in fury. His obsidian eyes met mine, and I didn’t look away as he approached. His fists were clenched, telling me he was more than ready to do battle.

  My heart raced and blood pounded in my ears.

  He had always been beautiful, like an avenging angel sent to keep a watchful eye on things. Now, seeing him here, I said thanks to God, Satan, or whatever power that had allowed him to find me.

  “You have something that belongs to me,” Paine said in a soft menacing tone and stopped a mere yard or so away. “I want her back.”

  Chapter Eight

  Carter’s grip on my neck increased, nearly cutting off my much-needed supply of oxygen. Paine obviously noticed it. His black eyes narrowed and his lips pulled back, revealing a glimpse of his fangs as he looked away from me and glowered at Carter.

  “She has the right to a life of her own choosing,” Carter growled.

  “You’re right.” Paine’s expression became unreadable as his onyx stare bored into me. “Choose, Rhiannon.”

  “Let…go…of…me…” I gasped, attempting to breathe.

  “Listen to me,” Carter whispered in my ear, loosening his grip and allowing me to pull in a heaping lungful of oxygen. “They will never let you go. You will exist as you always have, as a slave to their whims. With us, you have a chance to live on your own terms.”

  “In your pack as your mate?” I rasped, livid at the audacity of the man.

  How could he not see that what he offered was no different?

  “If you don’t want me, you are free to choose another,” he replied without attempting to hide his bitterness. “Don’t sacrifice your freedom, your chance to have a life, children and a family.”

  “Right now, my freedom is debatable, my life is certainly up to chance, and children are out of the question.” I looked directly at Paine, communicating my intent. “But don’t worry, I’ve got the family part covered.”

  Hell broke loose as I brought my hand up, snagged Carter’s arm, and forced his palm to my mouth. I bit down into the fleshy meat behind his thumb, breaking the skin.

  The shifted werewolves met the vampires that attacked them head on. I’d never seen anything like it. Where vampires were faster, the wolves were stronger and, I was terrified to admit, deadlier. Blood soared through the air when one vampire lost an arm. Another beside him went down as jaws clamped down on his throat and crushed the bones in his neck.

  As I took in the scene surrounding me, I struggled to compute what my eyes clearly witnessed. The werewolves were outnumbered five-to-one, but the vampires hadn’t even caused a dent. The only bodies littering the street were those accompanying Paine. Most had their throats torn out, but a few were still alive with limbs missing.

  “Let her go.” Paine advanced, unfazed by the carnage taking place around him.

  “You want her?” Carter laughed, taunting him. “Come and get her.”

  Carter thrust me to the ground. He and Paine came face to face. They collided as they delivered blows to each other’s noses. Paine was knocked back several feet, and Carter used the distance to his advantage as he started to shift.

  The ground felt as if it were shaking as I rose, and I watched in horror as more werewolves approached from the city. They moved fast, covering the distance. There were dozens of them, outnumbering the vampires.

  If it was a blood bath before, it would become a massacre now.

  Paine grasped Carter by the throat before Carter finished shifting. Paine brought his knee up and smashed it into Carter’s jaw. A roar of outrage came from Carter, and Paine moved out of the range of sweeping, clawed hands when Carter struck out. Behind them, werewolves leapt over cars and joined the fray, taking the vampires down one by one.

  A sudden, unexpected blinding flash of red made my eyes burn. Then an explosion sent me on my ass. I was knocked back several feet and landed on the curb of the road. A dull stab tore through my side, stealing my breath away. Paine and Carter separated. Paine landed close to me while Carter went in the opposite direction. Another explosion boomed in my ears and vibrated along the concrete.

  I watched, stunned, as I saw the cause of the disturbance.

  A missile of some kind made contact with a werewolf and, click-click-boom, he detonated. Just like that. There one second and gone the next.

  Turning and peering over my shoulder, I noticed the cars coming from Brooklyn Heights. The human slaves had obviously gotten word of the shit downwind and had come to lend a hand. Several held what appeared to be bazookas on their shoulders, riding in the back of moving vehicles like they were straight out of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

  We don’t need another hero? Fuck you, Tina. I’ll stick with Bonnie Tyler.

  Who needs immortal strength when you’ve got weapons of mass destruction?

  Gunshots carried through the night, more explosions followed, and exquisite red stains marred the streets, vehicles and just about everything else in close proximity. Vicious and outraged cries mingled with throaty snarls. The wolves divided, and I watched Carter stagger to his feet, his very furry and massive chest heaving. His furious silver gaze froze me in place. I knew the look, even through the eyes of a beast.

  Betrayal.

  He threw his head back, released a deep, heartbreaking howl. The sound gave me chills. The wolf-men stopped and pulled back, surrounding Carter. He stared at me long and hard before he took off in a dead run toward the cars blocking his path home. None of the vampires offered resistance, and the gunfire ceased. The silence was out of place and strange considering what had just happened.

  “Rhiannon!” Goose’s hoarse cry was the only thing that had the power to tear my eyes away from the blood splatters and fleshy pieces of skin and fur scattered all around. He leapt from the passenger side of a truck as Bells climbed from the driver’s seat.

  When I tried to rise, a sharp pain in my side stopped me short. I glanced down and cringed when I saw the bone protruding from my side. A whispery wheeze accompanied my effort to gasp.

  Had it been this difficult to breathe before?

  I lifted my hand to my mouth and brushed my knuckles against the wetness seeping past my lips. They came away bloodied, the red liquid bright against my pale skin. I remembered what it felt like to suffocate with a punctured lung, and I didn’t want a repeat of the experience.

  “Rhiannon.” Paine’s soft timbre caressed my ears, and I turned to look at him.

  Unlike Goose, he’d not changed at all.

  His face was as gorgeous as I remembered, and his voice just as alluring. In reality, I’d seen him days before in Disco’s family home when he’d stopped by the kitchen to talk to me while I ate peanut butter toast. It was a rare occasion, since Paine was hardly around following the scuffle that nearly ended my life. I wasn’t sure why, but that shared moment between us felt like it had happened a long time ago.

  “I went and got myself broken.” I hissed as I moved my hand away and allowed him to get a look at the wound. “I’m not sure if it’s fixable.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” He reached out to touch my face and hesitated, as if uncertain. After a moment
he brushed the pads of his fingers against my cheek and kept them there. His features relaxed and he gave me with one of his rare, heart-stopping grins.

  Goose knelt in front of me, forcing Paine to move away. “I need to see.”

  He pulled at the shirt obscuring the wound and ripped the thin material away until he had a clear view. The skin along my ribcage was torn unevenly, and the puncture around the bone was oozing blood.

  He frowned at what he saw. “The bone will have to be realigned or it won’t heal properly.”

  “Move,” Bells ordered and knelt beside me. She didn’t make contact with my skin as she splayed her hand over the gory mess, her palm hovering just over the bone. “You’d better brace yourself,” she cautioned me, “this is going to hurt.”

  That was the only warning I got before fire radiated from the injury, as if she were cauterizing the wound with a fiery poker. It was impossible not to wail, but fortunately the sound didn’t last long as my breath caught in my throat. The light shining from her palm was white, reminding me of the rays I’d basked in when I almost crossed over into the glory of the ever-after.

  Caught in the throes of misery, I peered into Bells’s face and noted an unwavering attentiveness to her task but nothing more. There was no preternatural gleam in her eye, nothing to indicate she was anything other than a normal girl. But normal girls didn’t go around with mystical power of some sort that could return bones to their proper location inside a body courtesy of the light emitting from their palms.

  What the fuck was she?

  A hand grasped mine, fingers cool, skin smooth.

  Paine.

  I squeezed his fingers, grinding my teeth as the rib was forced into the skin and shifted back into place.

  “It’s done.” Bells rocked back on her heels as I bit out a curse.

  Paine released my hand, pulled the sleeve of his jacket back, and bit his wrist. As he lifted the offering to my lips—presenting me with matching, circular wounds dripping the crimson liquid that would heal me within minutes—I hesitated. Although Paine had taken my blood as the second of Disco’s home, I hadn’t taken his. That only occurred when the head of the house had passed away or left the home.