“What?” Freya blinked. “How did you—”
“Vampire speed,” Zoltan explained. “I could disarm you all—” He dodged to the side and caught the knife Lydia had just thrown, plucking it out of the air with ease.
Another bolt of lightning flashed and lit up the shocked faces of the women.
“As I was saying—” He tested the tip of the knife with a finger. It was deadly sharp. And damn if it wasn’t one of the hunting knives he’d left in Frederic’s cabin as a gift. “I’m not here to harm you. I belong to a group of good Vamps, and we’d like to help you defeat Lord Liao and Master Han.”
“Ridiculous,” Nima muttered. “No vampires are good.”
“Remember Russell? The guy who saved your life? He’s a friend of mine. He joined in your battle, hoping to kill Lord Liao.”
“He did attack him,” Freddie muttered. “But Liao vanished.”
Zoltan nodded. “Liao and Han have some special powers, so no matter how strong or fast you are, you can’t compete with them. Since my friends and I are Vamps, we possess the same powers. We’re your best bet at defeating them.”
“That makes sense, actually,” Freya murmured.
“Don’t listen to this monster.” Nima motioned to him with her dagger. “He will twist your thoughts, using his evil mind control. You saw what he’s done to Neona. He’s turning her against—”
A clap of thunder burst overhead, so deafeningly loud that everyone flinched. A drop of rain landed on Zoltan’s head.
“Neona’s mind works perfectly well without any help from me,” he told the queen. “If she’s questioning you, it’s because you deserve it.”
“You will destroy our way of life!” Nima shouted. A few more drops of rain plopped down around them, some landing with a hiss in the fire. “We cannot allow you to interfere with our sacred duty!”
“What is your sacred duty?” he asked.
“We will not discuss it with you. Leave!”
“If your sacred duty is that precious to you, you’ll need our help to survive so you can keep doing it. Lord Liao is looking for you. He won’t stop until he finds you.”
“He’ll never find us,” Nima insisted. “We’ve been here for millennia. No one finds us!”
“I did! Liao will, too. You cannot hope to remain hidden. Modern technology will make it impossible. Satellites in outer space can pinpoint your location here. Times are changing, and you will have to change with it.”
Freddie exchanged a look with her sister. “Our father warned us that the outside world was changing fast.”
“Frederic was right,” Zoltan said. “Master Han and his army will find you. Not only will they outnumber you but his soldiers have also been altered genetically, so they’re super fast and strong. If you don’t accept our help, they will annihilate you.”
A crack of lightning lit the sky and the women’s worried faces.
“The soldiers were extra strong and fast,” Tashi shouted over the wind. “That was how they managed to kill five of us.”
“But why would these vampires want to help us?” Nima glared at Zoltan. “They want something from us.”
“We want what we have always wanted,” Zoltan replied. “To protect mortals from the bad vampires.”
The queen snorted. “You expect us to believe that?”
The wind whirled around them, blowing Zoltan’s wet hair in his face. He shoved it back. “We have no interest in your Living Water. We’re already immortal.”
The queen’s eyes narrowed. “Unless we kill you.”
“Try it! See what happens.” He was damned tired of arguing with this woman. The wind was causing the rain to pelt them hard now. “But you would be foolish to face Lord Liao or Master Han without our help.”
The fire dwindled down to a few tiny flames, then hissed a final death, leaving them in darkness.
“I think we should consider—” Freddie started.
“Hush!” Nima interrupted. “We will wait out the rest of this storm in the cave. Go!” As the other women ran upstream, she held up a hand to stop Zoltan. “You are not allowed in the sacred cave. Wait for Neona in her house.”
Zoltan watched the women scurry off so he could see the location of their precious cave. The entrance was at the base of the highest mountain, partially hidden behind some huge boulders. He would have to investigate it later.
He teleported to the burial mounds and found Neona beside her sister’s grave, her clothes soaked through.
“Come.” He extended a hand to her. “Let’s get out of the rain.”
She glanced up at him, her cheeks wet with tears. “A little water is the least of my problems right now.”
He hunched down beside her. “I know it’s difficult. You’re questioning a life you’ve lived for over two thousand years.”
She wiped her face. “I feel like I’m becoming a traitor. That should be wrong, but somehow it feels right.”
“Let’s talk about it in your house.” He extended a hand again. “We can’t have a healer who’s sick with a cold, right?”
“Fine.” She placed her hand in his. “But I don’t feel like talking. I would like to be alone for a while.”
“We can do that.” He pulled her to her feet. “I’ll leave you there while I go home to get more blood.”
After teleporting her home, he retrieved his ice chest and duffel bag from the wooden chest. “Before I go, I should warn you that I let the other women know I’m a vampire.”
She paused in the middle of removing her wet tunic, turning toward him with a shocked face. “How did they react? What did they say?”
He shrugged. “The queen wants me dead, but she always wanted me dead, so not much of a change there. I told them how the good Vamps want to help you defeat Lord Liao and Master Han. Since Han has an army of nine hundred supersoldiers, you’re going to need our help.”
Neona nodded, her face pale. “I understand.”
“I’ll be back in an hour or so. Try to get some rest. You’ve been through a lot.”
She sighed. “I have a feeling there’s a lot more to come. And nothing will ever be the same.”
He stepped toward her. “Some things will remain constant. I will always love you.”
Her eyes glittered with tears. “You’re a good man, Zoltan.”
He smiled. “Even though I’m dead half the time?”
She smiled back. “I’m adjusting to that.”
“Good.”
“I’ll see you later then.” She finished removing her wet tunic.
He swallowed hard. Her silk camisole was soaked through and plastered to her breasts, clearly showing her nipples, which were pebbled, the tips hardened. “An hour is too long. I’ll be back in thirty minutes.”
“No need to hurry.” She stretched the tunic out on the table in front of the fire.
“We still have nine cl**axes to go.” He grabbed the ice chest and duffel bag. “And I’m the type of guy who doesn’t quit till a job is done.” He grinned at the bemused look on her face.
She scoffed. “Are you smirking again?”
“Never.” His gaze drifted down her body. “I’m too busy ogling.” He winked at her, then teleported away.
When Zoltan arrived in the kitchen of his castle, he found Elsa slipping two frozen pizzas into the oven.
“Oh, there you are.” Her smile quickly turned to a frown. “You’re soaked through.”
“It’s raining in the Himalayas.” He set his ice chest on the counter.
“Howard’s with the others upstairs. They’ve collected a bunch of supplies in the Great Hall. But—” Elsa lowered her voice. “Howard is upset with you.”
“What else is new?” Zoltan dumped the water from the ice chest into the sink. “What did I do now?”
“You left without taking a sat phone with you.” Elsa leaned against the counter, eying him curiously. “I told him you probably had other things on your mind. You mentioned something about a wedding night?”
“Did I?” He removed six new bottles of synthetic blood from the refrigerator and loaded them into the ice chest.
“Domokos said he had to pay for some wedding rings you bought in town.”
“Domokos talks too much.” Zoltan started filling the ice chest with ice.
“Oh, come on.” Elsa gave him an exasperated look. “We’re all wondering if you really got married.”
“Did he?” Emma asked as she entered the kitchen.
“Emma, can you come to Beyul-La tomorrow night?” Zoltan asked. “I just told the women that we want to help.”
“I’ll be ready. Be sure to take a sat phone with you so you can call. Howard’s been a bit peeved—”
“More than a bit,” Howard grumbled as he entered the kitchen. “You’d better take one tonight.”
“Yes, I know.” Zoltan finished filling the ice chest and shut it.
“So is it true?” Emma asked. “Did you get married?”
“We’re preparing for battle, and that’s what you want to know?” Zoltan asked. When they stared back without a word, he sighed. “Not yet. Neona needs some time to adjust to me being a vampire.”
Elsa nodded. “I remember how frightened I was when I first found out about Howard being a were-bear.”
“Maybe we should introduce her to some of the other wives,” Emma suggested.
A thought struck Zoltan so suddenly that he stepped back and bumped into the refrigerator. His married vampire friends were all dreading having to turn their wives someday. But they wouldn’t have to if the warrior women of Beyul-La allowed the wives to drink some of the Living Water.
He quickly squelched the thought. The queen already thought he was using them for some nefarious purpose, when the truth was the good Vamps simply wanted to put an end to Master Han’s evil empire. And Zoltan wanted to make sure Neona and her friends would be able to continue their way of life, though hopefully they would make an exception and accept him and any children he and Neona might have.
“Are you all right?” Elsa gave him a curious look.
“Yes, of course.” Zoltan tossed his empty bottles into the recycle bin, keeping one in his duffel bag so he could use it to collect some of the Living Water.
“You mentioned a cabin in a neighboring valley that we could use as headquarters?” Howard asked.
“Yes, Frederic’s cabin.” Zoltan put a bottle of blood into the microwave so he could enjoy a warm meal for a change. “No electricity or running water there.”
Howard nodded. “I figured as much. I have a solar-powered generator we can take. It’ll be quiet. We don’t want to advertise our location.”
“Tonight we’re moving the supplies to Tiger Town,” Emma said. “J.L., Mikhail, and Jack just left. Angus is teleporting westward tonight, so he can stop at the clinic in Japan and pick up a bunch of the tranquilizer darts. He wants to save as many of Master Han’s soldiers as we can.”
“The other guys, like Robby and Ian, are teleporting westward with Angus,” Howard added. “And they’re bringing the shifters with them. Everyone will gather at Tiger Town and wait for you to give the okay for us to move to Frederic’s cabin.”
“Sounds good.” Zoltan removed his bottle from the microwave and poured the warm blood into a glass. “I’m going upstairs for a few minutes. Be right back.” He grabbed his duffel bag and glass of blood and teleported to his bedroom.
He sipped warm blood as he shaved and packed more clothes. After a quick shower, he dressed and called Milan in Budapest.
“I’ve been trying to contact you, sir!” Milan responded with an excited voice. “The scientists—”
“How is the land deal going?” Zoltan interrupted.
“Oh, it’s fine. Rajiv has the papers. He said he’d use Vamp delivery service to get them to you. But, sir, the scientists at the university are astounded! They think you’ve discovered a new species! They’ve been calling me nonstop, wanting to know where you found the scale.”
“The scale?”
“Yes! The black thing you gave me,” Milan explained. “The scientists have never seen anything like it before. They said it was a cross between a turtle shell and a reptile scale. Where did you find it?”
Zoltan remained quiet, trying to make sense of this. Turtle shell? Reptile? What the hell?
“But it’s much bigger than the normal lizard scale,” Milan continued. “The scientists want to announce it to the world, but they need more information. Where did you find it? Have you seen the creature?”
“Creature?”
“Yes! Judging from the size of the scale, it has to be really large. Like an enormous iguana. I don’t know how you could miss it.”
“I haven’t seen anything.” The image of the cave flitted through Zoltan’s mind. Was there something strange living inside? Damn, but the last thing he needed was a bunch of scientists demanding access to Beyul-La. “I think the animal is dead. Long dead. Probably extinct.”
“Oh.” Milan sounded disappointed.
“I found the scale buried in the ground,” Zoltan lied. “Like a fossil. There was nothing else around it. I didn’t write down the exact location. It was somewhere in China.”