Dark Promises (Dark 25)

"Kill him, Denny," one said. "Kill him before he turns into one of them."

"Not yet, Vaugn. We need to take him to the cabin and force him to tell us everything. You got the drug on you?"

It was telling that Denny had switched to English. Vaugn had to be one of the hunters who had come from out of the country.

Denny is Denny Jashari, a local whose son was a serial killer along with his nephews. They tried to kill Andre's lifemate, Teagan. Andre took care of them, but Jashari is clearly the head of the local vampire-hunting society. They operate in secret, but mostly target people they do not like. They accuse them of being vampire and then they kill them. Andre told us they were hunting Teagan. Aleksei gave Gabrielle the information.

He continued to stay in Izaak's mind, waiting to see what Denny and Vaugn would do next.

Vaugn slipped his arms around Izaak. "Get up, boy. Let's walk it off."

Izaak cooperated, trying to find his feet when he was dizzy. Denny suddenly straightened and looked around warily. He actually looked right through Aleksei. "Drop him, Vaugn," he ordered. "Drop him right now."

Vaugn let go of Izaak and Izaak swayed and tried to reach for Vaugn so he wouldn't fall. Vaugn shoved him away, looking around, too, his face revealing anxiety. Aleksei smelled their fear. He pressed Gabrielle back. He knew what was coming.

The door to the pub opened. Music and laughter poured out into the night. The rain hissed as it fell on the man striding out. He was tall and confident-looking. Handsome to the extreme. He seemed ageless, and moved with ease. He turned his gaze on Denny and Vaugn and both men froze.

"Good evening." He sent both a smile. The smile did nothing to light his eyes or illuminate his face. Instead, he actually appeared menacing. He stopped very close to them. "You did not inform me you were taking a prisoner."

"He has been used," Denny said, his voice higher pitched. Strangled. As if he couldn't get enough air.

"And you knew this how?"

"You taught me how to know, Master Aron. I touched him, and he was cold and his blood volume was low enough to make him dizzy." Denny cleared his throat repeatedly and his hand crept up protectively as if he might pry strangling fingers away.

"And still, with me giving you that gift to aid your cause, you did not think to inform me of this man?" The vampire spoke quietly. Calmly. His tone was deadly.

Aleksei recognized him from his youth. He went by the name of Aron Mazur. Andre was on his trail, so he knew the Carpathian hunter most referred to as The Ghost could be close.

"I thought I wouldn't bother you unless he had important information," Denny stammered. Wheezed. Tried to suck in air. "Vaugn has the drug on him and we thought we would use it, extract the information and then bring it to you."

Aron's eyes, flat and cold, entirely without emotion, stared at his puppet. "Do you think I do not know what is in your mind, Denny? I could split open your head and see the rotten debris there. You know what I am. Vaugn is a pawn, nothing more. A pawn to both of us, but you wanted to show him your power. You wanted him to fear you. Your ego once again has gotten the better of you." His eyes began to glow a dark red. "I thought we were past that. Do you need another lesson?"

Aleksei felt Gabrielle's forehead against his back. He reached behind him and found her free hand, threading his fingers through hers and bringing her hand to his thigh. The bracelet on her delicate wrist glowed with fiery flames in protest of the evil in the air, but the links were cool to the touch.

He knew they couldn't be seen, but still, he was careful no air was displaced. He realized Gabrielle had never been in the presence of such evil. The vampire had chosen to give up his soul, deliberately torturing his prey before he killed it, so he could get the adrenaline high. He was wholly evil, and he had found a human counterpart in Denny Jashari.

Gabrielle had been stabbed multiple times by a man infected with fanaticism, poisoned by one such as Jashari. The Jashari family was clearly twisted, producing men who raped, tortured and killed women. It wasn't a huge step to see how Aron Mazur had found Denny and enlisted his help rather than killing him. Still, Mazur would want to keep him cowed and bowing before him.

He knew Gabrielle was frightened. He could feel her body trembling and her nightmares were very close, but when he took her hand and pressed it against his thigh, she quieted, her breathing following his. Her heart as steady as his. She gave him that gift. Trust. In the face of extreme danger, she gave him that.

He bent slowly, bringing her hand to his mouth, gently kissing her knuckles and rubbing the pad of his thumb over the links of her bracelet. It was a weapon, one he knew would come to her aid if she was in trouble. He liked seeing it on her wrist, especially when she was naked. He liked knowing it was there just in case. Knowing he had to show her he had absolute confidence no matter the odds against them, he returned their joined hands to his thigh.

Denny staggered back, away from the master vampire, clearly terrified, his hand still at his throat. His face was red and swollen-looking. It was difficult to listen to him gasping for air. Vaugn looked from one to the other, clearly uneasy and not knowing what to do. He didn't like being called a pawn, but he didn't want to challenge the man he knew as Aron Mazur. He didn't try to help Denny. He moved away from both men.

Aron smiled, revealing sharp, very white teeth. "I thought you would get my point, Denny." He waved his hand and Denny's body sagged as he drew in a deep, gasping breath. With that, the vampire turned toward Izaak.

Aleksei squeezed Gabrielle's hand and then let go of it. Step back slowly. Give me room, and do not reveal yourself for any reason, even if you think I am in trouble. He pushed the order into her mind. Do not disobey me, Gabrielle.

She stepped back. He wasn't satisfied. She had shown courage on several occasions. She had thrown herself on him in order to protect Gary. She had come to him in the courtyard, although he had shown her both his darkness and his demons and she had known she was taking her life in her hands. He had no doubt, should she think he was losing the battle, she would try to enter in spite of her great fear.

I need you to give me your word you will remain hidden throughout, or I will have no choice but to bind you.

Aleksei. What if . . . She trailed off when he lifted his hand toward her.

Now. He nearly spat the word. They were running out of time. Any moment now, Mazur would give up his little show to take possession of Izaak's mind and all hell would break loose.

For you, but it's the most difficult thing you've asked me to do.

He knew that. He also wasn't positive she would be able to keep her word should she believe he was in trouble.

Andre is close by. I do not know how close. Should there be trouble, reach out on the common path and call to him. He will come for you.

He said no more. He let go of Gabrielle and reached for the darkness in him. The demons that drove him. They settled into him like old friends, familiar cloaks that covered every bit of humanity, leaving only the warrior, the predator.

He waited. Crouched. Calm. His heart rock steady. His breathing unchanged. Still, the monster was there, close to the surface, stretching, ready. Waiting with him.

He felt Mazur invade Izaak's mind. The vampire struck, a piercing spear of pain, deliberately cruel. Izaak cried out. Screamed in pain. Went to his knees clasping his head in his hands. Vaugn leapt back, looking scared as if he wanted to run. Denny smirked and moved closer, obviously enjoying the torture of Izaak, a man he had known since the man had been a boy.

Aleksei didn't wait. He struck at Mazur, a hard blow, meant to end the battle before it really began. He used the trap of Izaak's mind to gain control, pushing hard into the master vampire's rotten mind, breaking through every barrier so the rot was exposed. So that his every pawn and puppet were at Aleksei's command. Mazur had no real choice; he turned to flee, desperate to save himself as his brain began to fragment.

There was no holding on to his ability to keep his human image. The rot and decay was so severe, he stood, his flesh sloughing from his bony skeletal frame. His teeth were all filed to points, stained black and red. His nose was no more than a hole in his face and his eyes were sunken and red. He screeched his fury and fear as his thick head of hair disappeared to be replaced by nothing but patches of long dull strands of gray that looked and smelled filthy.

Aleksei hit him hard in the chest, his fist driving deep, impaling Mazur, lifting him into the air so his body weight added to the blow, helping to embed Aleksei's fist and arm deep into the chest cavity. The blow was so strong his fist traveled through muscle and bone, straight to the shriveled, blackened heart.

Gabrielle gasped as black blood poured down over Aleksei's arm and his skin actually smoked and burned as if the substance was acid. Aleksei didn't so much as wince. Denny crawled away toward the darker shadows of the mountains. Vaugn whipped out a knife and rushed Aleksei.