"You're
welcome. Thanks for having my back. I would have been screwed without
you."
"You're
welcome. And I'm the only one who gets to screw you, just so we're
clear on that."
"I
can live with that." She made a hard left and slowed when the
car slid on a patch of ice. Correcting automatically, she eased off
the accelerator. "I think we're far enough away now."
She
stared at the road, tears welling in her eyes once more. "Do you
think any of them lived?"
Dirk
shook his head. "Knowing that bunch? Doubtful. If you want to
check on them. . . ."
"No.
If any are alive, they're being kept as bait for us. They have a pack
to avenge them."
"We
can still go, Ella. I know it's worrying you."
She
shook her head, adamantly. "Your safety is too important. I
can't compromise you."
"I
compromised myself. This is not your fault."
"Yes,
it is. I killed that vampire lord's daughter. I slept with you—had
the audacity to fall in love. This is all my fault."
Dirk
touched her hand, stroking gently. "We can't choose the ones we
love. The heart does that for us."
Rafaela
slowed, pulling to the side. She parked the car and burst into tears.
It was so like what Claudette had said, she couldn't stand it. The
idea that all her friends were dead because of her, made her feel
like dying herself. She knew that she was simply doing her job, but
the vamp whose daughter and son she'd killed, wouldn't care about
that. He'd want revenge, and he would get it any way he could.
"Everyone
I care about is in danger now," she sobbed. "They all will
die because of me."
"Shh,
Ella. No, they won't. We'll protect them."
"How?
What can I do to assure their safety?"
"Kill
the vampire lord—stop the retaliation."
"Another
will take his place—and another. If I kill the leader, what's to
stop the others from attacking for revenge? Your people aren't known
for their even tempers and stoic acceptance."
"Valid
point. Suggestion."
She
nodded, wiping her eyes.
"Kill
them all," he declared.
"What?
There could be dozens—hundreds! I can't kill on a massive scale
like that."
"You
can, with the right kind of help."
"Short
of a nuclear bomb, how could I kill off that many vamps?"
"With
a nuclear bomb." Dirk flashed a wicked grin.
"Don't
be facetious."
"You
really haven't paid attention to me all these years, have you? If you
had, you'd know that we infiltrate every government in the world. We
hold seats of power everywhere. If I need a nuke, I can get one."
He wasn't merely bragging.
Rafaela
shivered. "But would they strike their own people? Who knows how
many innocent people would die."
"Vampires
aren't innocent people."
"But
what if they're holding hostages? Or, for that matter, what if there
are children?"
"The
only children would be Dhampir. I assure you, they are far from
innocent, even as babies."
"A
different solution, Dirk. I can't condone that kind of action, nor
could I justify it to my superiors."
"No,
I suppose not." He hung his head, shaking it slowly. "We're
surely in a pickle."
Taking
turns, they drove the better part of two days, stopping for meals and
showers at truck stops. Finally, after another cheap meal at a dismal
diner, Dirk took the wheel. Instead of getting back on the road, he
pulled around to the small, equally dismal motel. This stop featured
a motel, diner and full service garage and gas station.
"You
need to sleep in an actual bed," he told Rafaela.
"What
you mean is, you want sex," she translated with a grin. "Me
too," she added with a saucy wink.
"You
said it, not me," he replied, his full lips twitching.
They
took a long shower together and lay down in the queen sized bed.
Instead of making love, Dirk pulled Rafaela close, putting her head
on his chest. She fell asleep and he lay there with her until he was
sure she was deeply asleep. He rose softly, dressing as quietly as he
could, and left.
Looking
back with deep regret, he headed to the garage. He'd noticed they had
some used cars for sale. The man in the garage was easily mesmerized
and agreed to sell Dirk a car very inexpensively. He filled out the
paperwork and accepted payment with a bemused smile. Dirk took off,
driving back the way they had come, back to the heart of the vampire
lord's realm.
©
Dellani Oakes 2017
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