The gate creaked open and Andrus stepped out. "No tricks, Niccolo. There is nowhere you or your men can hide from us. And don't think we can't get our hands on Helena again if we wish. We have friends in very high places."
Niccolo swallowed his anger. "Are you certain you wish to do this? You are half vampire. This could end badly for you too if Reyna dies."
Andrus stepped forward. "I'm willing to take the chance that my other half saves me."
"So be it." He grabbed Andrus by the shoulders. "Hang on."
***
Andrus blinked and suddenly found himself in a long dark tunnel. A wave of dizziness struck him, and he stepped to the side, his feet landing in a shallow puddle.
A hand grabbed his shoulder to steady him. "The effect will wear off in a moment," Niccolo said.
"Where the hell are we?" Andrus asked, sliding his sword from his back. The tunnel looked like a sewer, but the smell did not match. It was dank and moldy, but not overly offensive.
Niccolo turned and began walking. "Barcelona. These are ancient catacombs built by the Christians in the thirteen hundreds. The Obscuros used them for hiding during the daytime." Niccolo continued marching at a fast clip. "They kept humans down here for food, too. I obviously put a stop to them some time ago."
That explained the bones he'd just stepped over.
"Soon, the world won't need to worry about such things." Andrus' nerves sizzled with anticipation.
After several minutes of trudging in the darkness Andrus barked, "Where the hell is she?" You better not be fucking with me, Vampire. If I don't call my men within the hour, they'll recapture your Helena."
He wanted to brag about how he'd made certain Helena had a phone before she'd left the Demilord compound. Like the one she'd carried before, it had GPS.
"I have Reyna restrained with silver in a cell," Niccolo answered dryly.
Andrus' ears perked. He suddenly heard the faint sound of Reyna's voice screaming to be untied. It was like nails on a chalkboard. He hated the sound of her voice. He'd had nightmares for centuries of it.
They marched on until Niccolo suddenly stopped and turned to Andrus. "This way." Niccolo leaned into the stone wall of the tunnel. A doorway ground open. It led to a long, narrow passage. Reyna's raging voice poured through the air. "Enjoy my friend."
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Andrus growled.
Niccolo turned to leave the way they'd come. "If you don't mind, I'd like to spend the last few moments of my long existence with the woman I love."
"Is it that you really care for Helena, or is it simply the bond?"
Niccolo's eyes flickered. "She is everything to me. I only wish I'd realized it sooner. It is my only regret."
Life was full of regrets. Some things simply could not be helped.
"Niccolo! You fucking idiot! I can smell you. Get your ass in here and untie me, or I'll have your head!" Reyna screamed.
"Good luck." Niccolo was gone in the blink of an eye.
Andrus turned his head toward the sound of Reyna's voice. This was it. The moment that would change the world.
The narrow passageway was dark and long, but there was a tiny flicker of light ahead. Sword drawn, his hand trembled with anticipation. He hadn't seen Reyna since the night she'd shoved him in a steel box and shipped him off to Mexico to be transformed by the gods.
With each step, his heart thumped louder and harder. It was as if the vampire blood in his veins-her blood-was calling out to its maker. Thoughts of Helena suddenly entered his mind once again. When he'd met the spirited young woman, she was so desperate to "divorce" Niccolo and start her life over. She'd asked him how to break the bond with a vampire. Now he suddenly knew the answer to her question.
There's only one way to rid yourself of a vampire … death-preferably the vampire's.
He reached the end of the passageway. There was a narrow, steel-plated door. Light poured from a gap along the side with the hinges. He pushed. The door swung open and Andrus lunged into the small, dark chamber. Several candles were burning in the corner and there, in the middle of the room, was a small table and a chair.
Empty.
Andrus' heart stopped as he spotted Reyna standing to his side. She grabbed him and threw him on to his back and pinned him to the floor.
Reyna straddled him, a wide, evil grin stretched across her face. "Hello, Andrus honey. You and I are going to have a long, long talk, and then I have a little revenge of my own to dish."
***
Niccolo was surprised by how well his plan had worked. It actually seemed a little too easy. Initially, he'd debated whether or not to tell the queen about the Demilord's plans to assassinate her. Reyna was known for being hotheaded and vengeful. But he figured if he could convince her to play this out his way, she could stop Andrus and save Helena and his men.
He slipped his phone from his pocket. "Yes," Viktor answered.
"It's over, my brother. My plan B went off without a hitch."
It was one of the reasons Niccolo never lost-he thoroughly planned elaborate contingencies for multiple scenarios.
Viktor let out a long breath. "I knew you wouldn't let us down."
"There is more," Niccolo added. "The queen granted our freedom in exchange for delivering Andrus."
What I do not know yet is my fate. Will I still end up in the queen's dungeon as Cimil predicted?
"You-we-are free. If you choose to fight Obscuros, it will be your choice. It will be on your own terms."
"Thank you, Niccolo. I'm speechless."
Niccolo had spent so long dreaming of the day he would be free from Reyna, and yes, it felt better than he'd imagined-even if he did not know how long that freedom would last since he'd not fulfilled the prophecy-but giving his men this gift was an even greater joy.
"Are you and the men in the safe house? Is Helena all right?" Niccolo asked. The safe house was a location they prepared ahead of time with supplies-extra weapons, a medical bag, and bagged blood-before they went into any risky situation. They either used one of Niccolo's homes-he had one in almost every major city-but many times, they'd rent a room at a hotel within sifting distance for the other men.
Today they didn't want to take any chances. The Demilords knew too much about Niccolo, so they'd rented the penthouse at the Fairmont in San Francisco. "Yes, she's shaken up, but otherwise … " Viktor paused. " … intact."
He registered that something was wrong. "I'll be right there."
"Niccolo, I-I will not be here."
Had he heard his ears correctly? "Sorry?"
"I have something I need to do … something which has waited much too long."
Niccolo did not want to pry, but Viktor was like a brother. "If there is anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you. You have always been too kind to me. I hope someday...to pay back the favor."
In all his years, Viktor had never behaved in such a sentimental manner. It was odd, to say the least, but perhaps he was simply overwhelmed with joy. Or maybe … "You're going to look for her, aren't you?" Niccolo asked.
Viktor had dreamed of a blond woman every night for the last five-hundred years. On several occasions, Niccolo had prodded Viktor to look for her. There was a reason for everything, and there had to be a reason this strange woman haunted Viktor's slumber.
There was a long pause before he answered. "I haven't decided yet. I have other demons to put to bed first."
"Buon. Be safe, Viktor. If you need anything, call."
"Goodbye, Niccolo. Forgive me."
The signal dropped.
Forgive him? For leaving? Viktor's sense of loyalty knew no boundaries.
***
Niccolo hadn't had much time to think about what he would do when he finally saw Helena; there was so much to say. Should he start with how sorry he was for not giving her his heart from the first moment they'd met? Or, perhaps, ask her forgiveness for being so selfish and thinking only of his freedom and the prophecy? What about his insanely stupid move to let her go with Andrus so she could be free from him?
No, he would start with saying how much he loved her. He'd quickly sifted back to the penthouse in New York to get the ring-the real one-he'd had made for her months earlier. The one he'd first given her was a fake. What an idiot he'd been. He'd thought to limit her means until her transformation in case she tried to run. Without money, she wouldn't have gotten far-or so he thought. What he'd ended up doing was just putting her in more danger by pushing her into the arms of Andrus. Now he would make everything right. The three carat stone had been in his family for generations before it had come to him. It was the one item he'd kept from his mortal life. Now he would give it to the woman who made his existence mean something.
He sifted to the posh hotel suite-their safe house for this mission. It had rich green carpets and drapes, a spacious living room with a big screen television, a full bar, and several large bedrooms. He glanced around the room, but the place appeared empty. Where had everyone gone?