The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo(45)

Where was she? Was she still alive? Hopefully, Darafer would keep her alive, but only if he could use her. Was he torturing her? Whipping her into submission so she would be his slave?

Another pain shot through him, wrenching his gut and doubling him over. Guilt and hunger. But the guilt was the worst. He deserved the pain of hunger.

"There ye are," Connor said behind him. The pebbly shore crunched beneath his shoes as he approached. "Here." He offered Dougal a bottle of blood.

Dougal ignored him.

Connor sighed. "I know ye're suffering-"

"Leave me be."

"Nay."

Another hunger pain shuddered through Dougal's body.

"Take it." Connor jabbed the bottle at his chest.

Dougal stepped back.

"Bugger." Connor ripped the top off the bottle. "Yer suffering willna help Leah."

Dougal turned to gaze at the black waves crashing on the shore. "I failed her." Tears burned his eyes. "Again."

Connor paused, then said, "Ye can only fail her if ye give up."

Dougal didn't respond. If Leah was being harmed in any way, then he had failed her.

Connor sighed. "All right. Ye're allowed three more seconds of self-pity, and then I'll be bashing yer head in."

"Self-pity?" Dougal whirled to face him. "Ye think I'm thinking of myself? Leah could be facing torture right now!"

"Aye." Connor glowered at him. "So what are ye going to do about it?"

Dougal's prosthetic hand clenched. "I have to rescue her."

"Good." Connor motioned to the school. "Luckily for you, ye have a lot of friends, and they're all here to help."

Dougal blinked away tears and grabbed the bottle to guzzle down the blood.

"That's more like it." Connor shoved him toward the school. "Let's get back inside before ye freeze yer bloody feet off. Did ye want prosthetic feet, too?"


Five hours later in Tiger Town, Dougal was ready to rip something apart. Everyone kept telling him they were making progress. Keep your hopes up, they said with forced smiles. Bollocks.

They hadn't found her.

Ten units had been formed out of the twenty-six available Vamps and shifters. Laszlo, Gregori, Emma, and Gu Mina had remained on the Japanese island to protect Abby. Dougal and J.L. had teleported to all thirty of Master Han's campsites, calling back on their sat phones so the others could use their voices as a beacon. Within an hour, all the Vamps knew where the camps were located, and the ten most likely sites had been chosen. A unit was assigned to each site, and a Vamp from each unit teleported into his assigned camp to look for signs that Leah was there.

Now they had all returned to Tiger Town for a quick meeting. Everyone had managed to remain undetected by the enemy, and they congratulated themselves on their excellent work.

Bollocks. Dougal scowled at them. No one had any news about Leah.

Angus narrowed the search down to the five most likely sites. Shifters Howard, Phil, Rajiv, Carlos, and Finn were each given a location, and the remaining three werewolf boys were paired with Rajiv, Phil, and Finn. They would watch their assigned sites during the day. For now, they were told to get some sleep.

The Vamps teleported back to their sites to search for Leah. Shortly before dawn, they returned to Tiger Town. No good news. The shifters were wakened and teleported to their daytime assignments.

As the sun neared the horizon, Dougal trudged to the room where he'd made love to Leah the night before. Her jasmine scent still lingered on her pillow, and he pulled it to his chest as he struggled against the pull of death-sleep. How could he rest when Leah was still a prisoner? Was she in pain? Doona be afraid, Leah. I will find you.

But no matter how hard he fought, death-sleep crept up on him, dragging him into darkness while his old vow swirled around in his mind. I will find you. No matter what. If it takes a thousand years, I will find you.


Leah came to with a gasp. More darkness. She breathed deeply, cautioning herself to remain calm while memories washed over her. The dark cloud. The icy-cold feel of Darafer grasping her. The terror that had escalated until she'd lost consciousness.

She was alive, she reminded herself. There was always hope as long as she stayed alive.

So where was she now? She looked about, trying not to move a muscle. If someone was watching, she didn't want them to know she was awake. She was lying on her side with something rough prickling her face. She slowly opened a hand to feel the surface. Straw or hay on top of stone.

It wasn't completely dark. In the distance, a torch burned, its flickering light casting shadows that danced ominously around her. She narrowed her eyes. Bars. Wooden bars like a grid. She was in a cage? Her gaze lifted up to the high ceiling. No, it was more like a jail cell.

Footsteps caused the ceiling above her to creak. There was a floor above her. She moved her head slightly, looking around. No windows. One stone wall in the back, and wooden bars on three sides. No windows anywhere. Was she underground?

Her hand slipped up to her chest to grasp the jade dragon. If it was nighttime, Dougal would be looking for her. They would all be looking for her. And she had the tracking device in her forearm.

She heaved a sigh of relief. No doubt a rescue team was on its way.

"I know you're awake, bitch," a voice snarled in Chinese. "You're not fooling anyone."

Her heart lurched. Was that a guard? She eased to a sitting position, looking around. A figure slipped out of the shadows and approached the wooden grid to her right. A prisoner in the cell next to her. As he moved into the light, she recognized him. The soldier from the basement at Romatech.

But he had remained loyal to Master Han. Why was he in jail? "Why are you here?"

He snorted. "So you remember me. It's all your fault, bitch." He motioned toward the front of her cell. "Did you want your supper? If not, I'll take it."

She rose slowly to her feet. "Are we alone?"

"For the time being." He motioned again. "Your food?"

She wandered toward the front of her cell. The cell to her left appeared empty. A narrow corridor ran in front of the three cells, ending with a stone wall to her right and a narrow staircase to her left. "Are we underground?"

The other prisoner scoffed. "Are you planning an escape? There's only one way out of Darafer's dungeon. Well, make that two."

She turned toward him. "How?"

"You join him. Or you die." He motioned to her food. "Come on, bitch. I'm hungry."

She spotted a folded blanket near the locked door. And next to that a tray holding a bowl and spoon and a tin cup filled with water. She dipped the spoon into the bowl. It was some sort of rice porridge, cold and runny. She lifted the cup of water and sniffed. A tiny sip. No strange aftertaste. After seeing what had happened at the zombie village, she was suspicious of any food or drink from Darafer.

On the other hand, she wouldn't last long without food or water. And she had to keep her strength up. She drank half the cup and took one bite of porridge before sliding the tray close to the next cell. She'd let her foul-mouthed neighbor eat the rest of the porridge and see if he exhibited any signs of being drugged.

Instead of reaching for the food, the prisoner made a grab at her, and she jumped back.

He sneered. "I'm trying to do you a favor, bitch. Wouldn't you rather die by my hands before Darafer starts on you?"

"Why would you want to kill me? I was trying to help you."

"Help me?" He spit through the bars at her. "I lost my superstrength, and now Darafer says I'm damaged! You destroyed me, bitch, and you'll pay for it!"

"Enough, Guang," a voice came from the stairs. "It's my turn to welcome our guest."

Leah suppressed a shudder at the sound of that cold voice. Darafer had come for his revenge.

He reached the base of the stairs, moving into the torchlight. She stepped back, steeling her nerves.

Her neighbor, Guang, fell to his knees. "Have mercy on me, Master. Return me to my former glory, I beg of you, so I can serve you."

Darafer cast an annoyed look at Guang. "How can I change you back when Dr. Chin and her friends have burned my supply of demon herb?"

"Then let me kill her for you!"

Darafer snorted. "And take away my fun? I think not." He crossed his arms, regarding Leah with an amused twist to his mouth. "It would be a shame to kill someone as smart as you. I'd much rather use you."

Leah kept her mouth shut. He'd have a harder time playing cat and mouse with her if she refused to play.

Darafer approached the bars and leaned his forearms on a horizontal beam. "How do you like your new home?"

She remained quiet.

"You could live in luxury and have everything you ever wanted." He shrugged. "All you would have to do is join me. Why don't you show your parents how smart you really are? If you join me, you could rule the world. You would be superior to your brothers. And all the jerks who bullied you in school-you could make them squirm."

She stayed quiet.

"Do you really think your side has a chance? You saw what happened. Your shifter friends couldn't stop me. Your vampire friends can't stop me, either. Why don't you join the winning team?"

She crossed her arms. Join the evil team? Never.

"You're going to resist, aren't you?" Darafer smiled slowly. "I was hoping you would. I do love a challenge."

She swallowed hard, and her hand moved to the jade dragon on her chest. Stay strong. Dougal will be here soon.