CHAPTER 26
"You make the best cookies ever." Vanessa stuffed another chocolate chip cookie into her mouth.
"Thanks." Lara stacked more on a plate and set it on the table. She'd spent all afternoon baking so she could lure the girls to the kitchen. "More milk, anyone?"
Several hands went up. Lara grabbed the milk jug from the fridge and circled the table, refilling glasses.
Miss Forbidden gave her a confused look. "Why are you being so nice to us? I thought you hated being here."
"I saw how worried you were last night when Hades chose me." Lara returned the jug to the fridge. "I was really touched. This is my way of thanking you."
"I thought I'd never see you again." Vanessa shuddered. "I thought Hades would take you to hell."
"Me, too." Kristy bit into a cookie. "How-how was he?"
All seven maidens turned to Lara, eager for her answer.
"He was... great. Hades is a real gentleman."
"I don't think Zeus is," Miss Forbidden muttered as she glanced at her bruised arms.
"Shh," Cook hushed her. "Someone might hear you."
Kristy finished her cookie and reached for another. "I swear I'm going to gain five pounds tonight."
The other maidens commiserated. While they complained about being overweight, Lara wedged a steak knife underneath the linen ties around her rib cage. She wanted a weapon, just in case Jack was right and Apollo sent a guard to attack them. Jack had also wanted her to get the girls down the road to where the werewolves were waiting with the SUVs. Convincing them to go through the gate would be tough.
She approached the table. "If you really want to lose some weight, you should get some exercise. We could take a walk down the road."
The girls gasped.
"We can't leave," Cook said. "It's forbidden."
"And there are terrible beasts in the woods," Kristy added. "With great gnashing teeth."
Vanessa grimaced. "I heard they drag people to hell."
"I asked Hades about that," Lara said. "And he said the woods are perfectly safe. The beasts know that we're special, so they would actually protect us."
The maidens remained silent while they pondered this new information.
Cook shook her head. "I'm not sure we can trust anything Hades says."
"And you think you can trust Apollo?" Lara asked. "He kidnapped us all from college. We were taken from our friends and families. Vanessa, I met your friends."
Vanessa jumped in her chair. "You know my name?"
"Yes. And I met your roommate Megan. And your friends Carmen and Ramya. They're worried sick about you. All of you have friends and families who are worried about you."
"So?" Cook frowned. "What's the point? We can't go back."
"Yes, you can." Lara pointed in the direction of the road outside. "Half a mile down the road, there are people waiting for us. Nice people, and they want to take us back home. You could all go back to your real lives."
"Are you serious?" Miss Forbidden's eyes widened with a hopeful look.
Vanessa wrinkled her nose. "But I'm failing three of my classes."
"I was flunking, too," Kristy grumbled. "Life is a lot easier here."
"What life?" Lara asked. "You're told what to wear, when to eat, when to clean, when to guard a false god-"
"Don't say that!" Cook looked around nervously.
"I like it here." Vanessa bit into another cookie. "Life is too hard back on Earth."
"It's not supposed to be easy," Lara said. "If it was always easy, we would never grow or learn. And when awful stuff happens, that's when we stretch beyond ourselves and become better than we ever thought was possible."
She thought back to how much she'd grown since the car accident. Now she could be grateful for the suffering and the struggle, because it had left her strong enough to handle this situation and strong enough to embrace a future with Jack.
"And sometimes, we have to make really hard decisions that will affect the rest of our lives." Lara knew her decision to stay with Jack could ultimately cause her to become a vampire. But it was the right decision, and she would stick by it.
She was pulled from her musings by a voice yelling outside. One of the guards. Her heart lurched. What if Jack was right, and the guard meant to kill them? She ran to check the lock. What if the guard had a key? She grabbed a chair and wedged it under the doorknob.
"What are you doing?" Cook stood.
"Is the back door locked?" Lara asked.
"Yes," Cook answered. "But what-"
The doorknob rattled. "Open the door!" the guard yelled.
Lara recognized his voice. It was the head guard, the one she called Squeaky.
"Let me in!" He pounded on the door.
"Yes, master." Cook headed for the door.
"No." Lara held up a hand to stop her.
The other maidens stood.
"We can't disobey a guard," Kristy said.
Squeaky banged on the door. "I order you to open this door. The Elysian Fields are under attack!"
The maidens gasped.
"What should we do?" Vanessa whispered.
"We must open the door." Cook stepped toward the door.
Lara pulled out her knife. "Stay back."
Cook's eyes widened. "You-you're in league with Hades! You're trying to get us all taken to hell!"
"I'm trying to save you," Lara said.
"There can be no survivors," the guard yelled.
Lara gasped. Jack had been right.
"What does that mean?" Vanessa asked.
Lara pushed against the door as the guard shook it. "It means Apollo has ordered the guard to kill us."
The maidens gasped. A few stumbled back. Vanessa started to shake and whimper. Lara heard footsteps moving away from the door. What would Squeaky try next?
"No," Cook whispered. "Apollo is a god. He would never kill us."
"He's not a god," Lara said. "He's been lying to you."
"You're wrong, you're wrong," the maidens said.
"I have to stop you." Cook ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife. "You're going to get us all dragged to hell."
"No!" Miss Forbidden shouted, and all the maidens turned to her. Her eyes filled with tears, and she rubbed her bruised arms. "She's right. They're not gods."
The kitchen window shattered. The girls squealed. Glass flew into the room.
Squeaky used the hilt of his sword to clear all the glass away. "There can be no survivors."
"He's coming in!" Vanessa cried.
"Stay back!" Lara yelled at the girls. She ran to the window with her knife, ready to stab Squeaky if he tried to climb through the window.
A howl sounded close by. Squeaky shrieked just before a huge wolf knocked him down.
The maidens screamed.
"It's one of the beasts from the woods," Kristy wailed. "He's come to drag us all to hell."
"No, he's saving us." Lara looked out the window. The wolf had pinned Squeaky to the ground. "Come and see."
The girls slowly crept forward to peek out the window.
A young black man strode into view. He was dressed all in black and carrying a sword. Lara recognized him as the Vamp she'd seen before at Syracuse.
"Oh my, look at him," Vanessa whispered. "He's as handsome as Denzel."
He jabbed his sword into the ground, then pulled handcuffs from his jacket pocket and cuffed the guard. He patted the wolf on the head, then plucked his sword from the ground.
"Wow," Vanessa breathed. "Who is he?"
"He's amazing," Kristy added. "Did you see him tame that scary wolf?"
Since the girls persisted in their belief of Greek gods, Lara decided to use that. "He's... Ares, god of war."
"Ooooh," the maidens sighed.
Miss Forbidden pulled Lara aside and whispered, "Who is he really?"
"He's a good man who's come to help us," Lara said. "He can take you to the nearest town, so you can go home."
A tear rolled down Miss Forbidden's cheek. "Thank you." She hugged Lara. "My name is Sarah."
"Will you help him get the girls to safety?" Lara asked.
"Yes." Sarah pulled the chair away from the door and unlocked it. "Come on, let's go."
The maidens filed outside.
"Where are we going?" Vanessa asked.
Lara approached the black Vamp. "Hi, I'm Lara."
He looked at all the women and grinned. "Hello, ladies. Allow me to introduce myself-"
"Oh, we know who you are," Lara interrupted. "You're Lord Ares, the god of war."
"Say what?"
"You're Ares, the god of war," Lara repeated with a pointed look. "And you've come to rescue all these fair maidens."
"Oh yeah. That's me, baby. I'm the god of war."
Lara smiled. "And you're going to lead all these women down the road to the SUVs."
"Sure." He motioned to the gate. "Come on, ladies."
"Oh Lord Ares." Vanessa fluttered her eyelashes at him. "You're so brave."
"I love the way you tamed that horrible wolf," Kristy added.
The wolf grunted.
The black Vamp grinned at the wolf. "Oh yeah, he's bad. He's big and bad. But don't worry, ladies. I'll protect you with my mighty sword."
The girls followed the black Vamp to the gate. He opened it, and they all walked down the road. Sarah glanced back at Lara and waved.
Lara waved back. The girls were safe. Squeaky was on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back.
"There can be no survivors," he whispered over and over.
Lara shuddered. Apollo had intended them all to die.
With a jolt, she realized Jack could be fighting Apollo right now. She grabbed Squeaky's sword and started running to the temple.
The wolf dashed in front of her and stopped with a growl. Lara moved to the right, but the wolf moved, too. She ran to the left, but the wolf blocked her again.
"Oh come on," she yelled. This had to be the werewolf Jack had told her about. Did he understand English?
"Are you the delivery man who left the box of Cracker Jack?"
The wolf grunted and dipped his head.
"I need to get to the temple."
The wolf growled low in his throat.
"We can't just stand here all night, glaring at each other."
The wolf sat on his haunches and regarded her with his pale blue eyes.
"Look. I want to help Jack. He might need us. What if something happens to him while we're standing here? How could we live with ourselves?"
The wolf cocked his head. Then he turned and loped toward the temple.
"Thank you." Lara ran after him.
Where the hell was Robby? Jack asked himself for the tenth time. Apollo was a surprisingly good swordsman. Still, Jack could have defeated him five minutes ago if Athena hadn't arrived.
First the female vampire had shrieked at him, calling him a dozen foul names. Then she'd tried to free the two guards in handcuffs. When that failed, she'd picked up the sword from the first guard. She was obviously ignorant about fencing, didn't even know how to hold the sword properly. But she was able to be a dangerous nuisance.
While he parried with Apollo, she dashed behind him to try to stab him in the back. He spun, knocking the sword from her hand, then continued his fight with Apollo.
Where the hell was Robby? He was supposed to teleport the mortal Chosen One to Wolf Ridge, then come right back.
Jack lunged at Apollo, forcing him to retreat. Then suddenly, in his peripheral vision, he saw something flying at him. He ducked as a knife flew over his head. That damned Athena.
The doors opened, and Jack saw Phil slip inside. Good. Maybe he could take care of Athena.
Then Jack did a double take when Lara came in, carrying a sword. Merda. She was supposed to be safe with the other girls, not putting herself into danger here.
Athena spotted her. "You bitch! Kneel before your gods!"
"Go to hell." Lara moved toward her, holding her sword in both hands.
Athena flung her knife at Lara. Jack froze a second in fear, then jumped to the side as Apollo took a swing at him. He glanced back. Lara had ducked in time. Thank God.
With a ferocious growl, Phil charged at Athena, but she dashed with vampire speed to pick up her sword. She retreated around a column, swinging the sword wildly to keep the wolf from pouncing on her.
Athena squealed as Phil chased her around another column. She passed by one of the tripods holding a lit brazier. Lara kicked the tripod over, and the brazier crashed onto the floor next to Athena.
Athena screamed as the fire leaped onto her long purple toga. The flames spread quickly. She fell on the floor, rolling and screeching. Her body writhed, then went still.
"Athena!" Apollo roared with rage. He charged at Jack, abandoning all form in a wild quest for revenge.
This was exactly the opportunity Jack had been waiting for. He knocked Apollo's sword aside and skewered him in the chest. Apollo's eyes widened just before his body disintegrated into a pile of dust.
Jack turned to Lara. "Are you all right?"
"Yes." She looked at the floor and grimaced. "Is that what happens when you-"
"Look out!" Jack ran toward her.
She spun around. Athena was charging at her, her body blackened and burned. She lifted a sword with her charred arm and bellowed with rage.
Lara held her sword steady. With a growl, Phil leaped on Athena from behind. The force pushed her right onto Lara's sword. Athena crumbled into a pile of burnt ash.
Lara dropped her sword and stepped back. Jack grabbed her in his arms. Her body was trembling.
"It's all right." He tossed his sword down and held her tight. "It's all right. It's all over."
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I was so scared for you."
"I was scared for you, too." Jack rubbed her back. "You should never try to fight a vampire. It's too dangerous."
"I had help from the wolf. What's his name again?"
"Phil Jones." Jack looked around the temple. Phil had crossed the room to check on the guards. "Thank you, Phil."
"Yes, thank you!" Lara added.
Phil looked back at them with a wolfish grin.
"Are the girls safe? What happened?" Jack asked.
"They're fine. They're with the black vampire."
"He's Phineas McKinney, also known as Dr. Phang."
Lara laughed. "I have a whole new world to get used to."
The door opened and Robby rushed inside, holding his claymore ready.
"And that one is Robby MacKay," Jack drawled. "Also known as mud."
Robby looked around and grimaced. "I guess I'm a wee bit late."
"About ten minutes late!" Jack yelled. "Where the hell were you?"
"Bugger." Robby slid his claymore into the sheath on his back. "I did as ye asked and found the mortal woman in the back behind the red door."
"The Chosen One Aquila," Lara said. "Was she all right?"
"Nay. The guard had already stabbed her in the chest. She was near death, so I teleported her straight to Romatech." Robby sighed. "Roman tried to save her life, but she had too many internal injuries. I wiped her memory and took her to a hospital. I doona know if she'll survive."
"That poor girl," Lara whispered.
"You did all you could," Jack said quietly.
Robby crossed his arms, frowning. "So is everything done here?"
"Just about." Jack motioned to the guards. "They have to be teleported to town."
"And there's another guard by the kitchen," Lara said.
"I'll get him." Robby strode from the temple. Phil trotted alongside him.
"Where's the wolf going?" Lara whispered.
"He's probably going to his clothes so he can shift back. Lara, we're the only ones who know that Phil can shift when the moon isn't full. Don't tell any of the people in Wolf Ridge. I'm not sure why, but Phil wants to keep it secret."
She nodded. "Okay. I guess I'll have a lot of secrets to keep from now on."
He touched her cheek. "It's no secret that I love you and adore you and want to spend my entire life with you. You can shout that from the mountaintops."
She grinned. "I'll just shout it from the top of a certain bell tower I know in Venice."
Jack laughed. "It's a date."
Lara sighed as hot water sluiced down her body. She hadn't wanted to spend one more minute in that white gown. While Jack stayed in the temple, watching the guards, she'd gathered her old clothes from the trunk in the side room. Then, she'd run back to the dormitory to shower and change.
It was all over, she thought, as the last of the soap and shampoo spiraled down the drain. No, it was actually just beginning. Her life would be an exciting adventure with Jack. He'd assured her that he just wanted her to be happy. She could return to her job as a police officer on the night patrol. She could continue to work toward her detective badge. Or she could start as a detective right away, working for MacKay Security and Investigation.
It was tempting. Very tempting. She already knew about Vamps and Malcontents and shape shifters. How could she go back to her regular job when she knew about this strange new world? She would have to find a way to explain it all to LaToya. She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower stall.
"Hello, bellissima."
She gasped. "Jack." He was standing across the bathroom, leaning against the vanity with his arms folded. His reflection didn't appear in the mirror behind him. "How long have you been here?"
"Long enough." His golden brown eyes twinkled.
She snorted and grabbed a towel to dry off. "I thought you were going to stay in the temple to watch those guards."
"Robby just teleported the last one away, and I was there all alone, getting worried about you. I wanted to make sure you were all right." He smiled slowly. "You are definitely all right. All over."
She grinned as she towel-dried her hair. "You should have joined me in the shower."
"I seriously considered that. I also considered using one of those beds in the dorm room. But they're expecting us to teleport to Wolf Ridge. If we don't show up in a few minutes, they'll come here looking for us."
"Oh, I'd better get dressed." She pulled on some underwear.
Jack watched with a wistful look. "Well, it was nice while it lasted."
She grabbed her bra. "Thank God I can wear this again. I was so tired of flopping around in that gown."
"Yes, it was a very sad thing to watch."
She scoffed. "I was afraid my breasts would start sagging."
"They look perfect to me." His gaze focused on her chest. "They perk right up when I see them."
She laughed and put on her bra, then her jeans.
"Jack, are ye here?" Robby's voice called from the dormitory.
"Merda," Jack grumbled. "Coming!" He strode into the dormitory.
Lara quickly donned her T-shirt, then her socks and shoes. She ran into the dorm room.
Robby nodded at her. "I was just telling Jack that we've altered the memories of the guards and most of the lassies. There was one, though, who wanted to retain her memory Her name is Sarah."
"Oh, right." Miss Forbidden. Somehow, Lara wasn't that surprised. "Sarah was starting to figure things out. She was given to some creep who called himself Zeus, and he abused her."
"Aye." Robby frowned. "She couldna remember Zeus, so I helped her regain those memories. It was verra hard on the puir lass. She knows now that he raped her and bit her."
"Then she knows about vampires," Jack said.
"Aye. We'll have to be verra careful with her. I'm teleporting her straight to Romatech, where we can keep an eye on her until we decide whether or not to let her keep her memory." Robby turned to Lara. "Ye know her better than we do. Do ye think she can be trusted?"
"Yes, I do." Lara had to admire Sarah. She'd made a tough decision to keep those awful memories. It would have been so much easier to have them simply erased.
"Normally, I would just erase her memory anyway," Robby continued. "But she's studying to be a schoolteacher, so I thought I'd let her talk to Shanna first."
Jack nodded. "I heard she needs more teachers."
"Teachers for what?" Lara asked.
"A school for special children," Jack said. "Shape shifters or kids like Constantine who have some Vamp DNA. I'll tell you about it later."
"Please do." Lara was really curious about the possibility of having children with a vampire.
"One more thing," Robby said. "When I brought back her memories of Zeus, she was able to describe him. Tall, dark eyes, Russian accent, and a left arm bent at a strange angle. He wore a glove on his left hand."
Jack stiffened. "Nine circles of hell."
"What?" Lara asked. "Do you know him?"
"We've been hunting him for several years," Robby explained. "The most recent reports had indicated he was in Eastern Europe."
Jack gave Lara a worried look. "He's Casimir, the leader of the Malcontents. And he's here in America."
Lara gulped. This had to mean more battles. More deaths. More mortals in danger.
"I'm going straight to Romatech to alert Roman and Connor," Robby said. "Then I'll call Angus. He'll want to transfer every available man here."
Jack nodded. "Go. I'll take Lara to Wolf Ridge."
Robby vanished.
"Let's go." Jack wrapped his arms around Lara.
"Wait." She pressed her hands against his chest. "Just how bad is this? What does Casimir want to do?"
"He's building an army of vampires who were criminals in their mortal lives. He plans to kill every decent, bottle-drinking Vamp like me. And then they'll terrorize the mortal world, feeding and killing with no one to stop them."
Lara shuddered.
Jack brushed her damp hair away from her face. "I'm sorry, cara mia. I didn't mean to drag you into this."
"It's all right." She touched his face. "After the car accident, I wanted to do something really important, something that made a difference in the world. This is it. I can't think of anything more important than this."
"You are so brave, cara mia." He kissed her brow. "But I have to disagree with you. There is something much more important than Casimir and all his nasty followers."
Lara smiled. "Are you talking about love?"
He nodded. "Amore. With love on our side, we can never be defeated."