Page 32 of Saved by the Vampire Goddess (Dark Wine Vampires #1)

Chapter thirty-two

Evelina

Outside the emperor’s palace—Moments later

I huff and set Tina on a park bench by the valet stand, then tap my daylight bracelet three times so I can step away and Tina won’t lose sight of me. She’s still groggy. Pointing at her, I put some power into my voice. “Stay here.”

Imperial partygoers stampede past us in their full, formal glory, and they’re so distraught that no one notices my reappearance. At least, no one stops and screams.

So far, no sign of Valroy. Since I have the power to call him to me, it can’t hurt to try, so I focus on him. Then I rise on my toes, trying to spot him over the panicked crowd. People pour out of the building—it takes a while for a thousand domini to leave a shopping mall. I still think of the structure as a memorial to consumer capitalism instead of a dead emperor’s residence.

The crowd doesn’t wait for valets to deliver their cars or carriages, which is a good thing, as the valets have scattered to the wind. The prettily dressed domini flee into the multilevel parking lot surrounding the mall, doing their best to distance themselves from the carnage inside.

I’m short, which is a major pain in a crowd like this. Jumping in place doesn’t help, and I glance over to make sure Tina stayed put. Duh. The bench. I climb onto the seat and stand next to her, scanning for Valroy.

“I am here,” his voice announces.

“Eek!” I jump three feet and clear the backrest of the bench, landing in the flowerbed behind it, almost twisting an ankle. “Geez Louise. Turn off your bracelet.”

He follows my orders, then limps to the bench and dumps Titus next to Tina—the guy is in a mesmerized coma and bleeding from the neck and nose.

“What the cheese and f’n crackers happened while I was gone?” I demand, striding over to him. “Did Titus back-stab us? Is that why you were fighting him?”

“No.” Valroy faces me, anger in his eyes and blood soaking through his tux. The fabric is shredded in places. “The emperor ordered him to fight me. He had to, or the guards would kill Tina.”

“Oh boy, old Ernie the Second is one twisted dude. Is that why you’re so pissed?”

“No. You took an immense risk by killing the emperor. I’m angry with you.”

“You’re what? I saved your sorry ass. Say, ‘Thank you, Evelina.’” When someone in the crowd screams, Valroy pivots to look, and I see the bullet holes bleeding down his back. “Are you okay?”

“Not really.” He limps closer and leans against the bench, his clenched jaw bulging.

I glance over at Tina, who’s shrunk in on herself, terror glazing her eyes.

“Hey, Valroy.” I step away from the bench. “Turn to the side. You’re scaring your sister.”

He faces me again. “How are we getting out of here?”

“Simple. We steal a car.” I don’t want to deal with horses around the terrified mortals who continue to bolt past us. I take Titus, and Valroy takes Tina, and with him limping, we walk to the front of the valet line and find an abandoned electric car.

Luck is with us. The keys are in the cup holder.

Through a process of elimination—Valroy’s wounded, Titus is a mental blob, and Tina has no experience behind the wheel—looks like I’m driving. I toss the suitcase and backpack into the trunk and grab the driver’s seat. For a long time, I’ve only driven the snowmobile, but driving a car is like falling off a horse, right?

Once I put the car in gear, I press the accelerator, and we jerk forward a few times until we’re chugging away at the rip-roaring maximum speed of twenty-five miles per hour.

“Why aren’t the troops mobilizing to follow us?” I ask as I glance in the rearview mirror at Valroy.

“It’s chaos in there. And we’ve never had an uprising during Saturnalia. Never. So there are no police or troops stationed outside. Frankly, I’m surprised they had that many guards on duty inside.”

“So we drive straight to our exit point?”

“I suggest Titus’s house. My wounds—”

“You’re vampire.” I glance in the rearview mirror. “You’ll heal fast on your own.”

He grimaces. “It doesn’t feel that way.”

Shoot. He’s only been vampire for a week. Maybe he can’t heal quickly, or maybe one bullet lodged near his heart. If it did, I need to get the darn thing out, fast.

“Then to Titus’s it is. We can pick up the other backpack and take care of you.”

I keep an eye on the rearview mirror, but no one follows us. I don’t like this. Going to Titus’s house feels wrong, yet my head says it’s the last place they’ll look for us, while my intuition argues loudly against the idea.

The streets are empty except for the fleeing domini, and in twenty-five minutes, we arrive.

“We gotta hide the car. Can’t clue any neighbors that we’re here. Is the garage door coded?”

“Just grab the handle and lift.” Valroy’s voice is strained. “It rises manually.”

How old-fashioned. I stash the car and herd everyone through the front entrance.

An older man enters the foyer. “Master, I wasn’t expecting you so early.” Then he reaches for Titus. “Master, you’re bleeding.”

Pushing my way through the crowd, I stare into the old man’s eyes and they glaze over.

Another New Rome resident who didn’t get the crystal implant. I got lucky, since the deactivation device is in my purse, which is stuffed in my backpack.

Hmm . Should I tell Ingvar later about the oversights, or does it benefit me that not all insiders are protected?

I guide the old man into an adjacent room and sit him on the couch. “Is there anyone else here?”

“No. Master gave the others the night off.”

“Okey dokey. Stay here until I tell you to move.”

I glance over at Valroy. He’s having a touching reunion with his sister, who’s shedding tears again as he hugs her. Not that I blame her, but we don’t have time.

“Where’s the other backpack?” I ask, interrupting them.

Tina’s eyes are wide like an owl’s. She looks at me, then back at her brother.

“Please answer Evelina,” Valroy says, his voice soothing.

I’m having none of that. If we’re going to escape alive, Tina is gonna acknowledge me as the leader of our merry band, and not her brother, at least until we’re back at the ark.

“Look, kid, I know you’ve been through a rough night, but from here on out, until we reach safety, if I ask a question, answer without delay. Our lives may depend on it.”

Valroy side-eyes me but is smart enough to stay out of it.

Tina blinks, her tears still falling. “In the bedroom.”

“Your brother’s hurt. Go get the backpack. He needs stuff from it.” She glances at Valroy, and I raise my voice. “Now.”

She scurries off. I feel like a jerk, but I can’t change reality. We need to hurry and get the hell outta here.

I turn to the two men on the couch. Titus is still in a stupor, but from my initial experience with Valroy, I guess Titus won’t know what food or drink or kitchen knives are in the house anyway. I wake the servant. “What’s your name?”

“Samuel.”

“Okay, Samuel. First, I need all the painkillers and drinking alcohol you have. Bring them to the kitchen.” He takes off. I still feel guilty about creating a Renfield out of the lab scientist and then abandoning him, but the situation left me no choice. I’m relieved when Samuel cooperates and I don’t have to do the same thing to him.

I follow him to the back of the house, taking Valroy with me. For some unknown reason, the New Romans rebuilt their homes with the kitchens at the very back.

“Strip,” I order Valroy, then I examine the stuff Samuel has gathered. According to the label, the pain pills are pretty potent. They should work.

Tina rushes into the kitchen, carrying the backpack, and sets it on the table.

“Thanks.” I grab the shoulder strap and open the front pocket, slide out our last three dark wine pouches, and place them on the kitchen counter next to the drugs and alcohol. “Valroy, why have you stopped undressing?”

He inclines his head in Tina’s direction.

Geez. I don’t have time for his modesty. “Tina, go to the living room. Watch Titus. If he moves, give us a holler. He’ll likely wake confused.”

She nods and leaves.

“Now strip.” When he stops at his boxers, I add, “Everything.”

I ignore the man parts and check his front side. Three ugly exit holes—I can tell because they’re huge—and a gnarly gash. How he’s still on his feet is beyond me, given he’s a newborn.

“Turn around.”

Six entry wounds, including one in his butt. Three bullets remain inside him.

The supplies on the kitchen counter will help. I don’t have to worry about infection, but pain control is going to be a challenge. No matter how stoic he’s been so far, when I cut into him, he won’t sit still.

I hand him the bottle of vodka. “Chug this down.”

Valroy furrows his brow. “This will help?”

“With the pain. Somewhat.”

He untwists the cap and starts drinking.

I then hand two pain pills to Samuel. “Swallow these.”

At least he doesn’t balk at my orders. Pouring water from a jug into a glass, Samuel swallows them down.

Valroy, however, stops at half the bottle. “I feel—”

“Yeah, somewhat drunk. It won’t last for long. Drink it down.”

I then rummage through the drawers and find a turkey baster, a pair of tongs, and a couple of sharp knives, including a long one used to fillet fish. A bowl from the cupboard completes my emergency surgery setup.

Opening a vein in my wrist, I drain about a cup’s worth into the bowl.

Valroy steadies himself against a kitchen chair as he keeps chugging.

I use the turkey baster to suck up blood from the bowl, then squirt the healing liquid into the exit wound on his leg.

He twists around and spits out a mouthful of vodka, spraying me with it, then grits his teeth.

“Sorry. It’ll heal faster with my blood. Might hurt a bit more, though.”

“You could have warned me.”

“Keep chugging.” He isn’t even slurring his words yet. Yeah, he won’t stay drunk long. His metabolism will wipe that shit out of his bloodstream fast. But the alcohol should give him some cushion against what I’m about to do. I finish treating the other two exit wounds and the nasty stab wound. He’s ready this time, so I don’t get another vodka shower.

The first wound has crusted over. “Okay, finish the bottle.” I look over at Samuel. “Are you feeling the pills yet?”

“I’m lightheaded, ma’am.”

That will have to do. “Valroy, drink this.”

I hand him a dark wine pouch, and he powers it down.

“Now, I want you to take half a pint—only half—from Samuel over here.”

“Whyyyy?” This time, his speech slurs.

“Trust me.”

Pour Samuel. The dear looks petrified. But I’m here to make sure things don’t go sideways. After Valroy feeds for three minutes, which I track using my watch, I then tap him on the shoulder, and he lets go. I don’t have to grab his hair and jerk him back this time. “Good boy. Now, lie down on your stomach on the table.”

The rest of what I do isn’t pretty. I slice into him, follow the twisting path each bullet took. His moaning isn’t sexy moaning. But he remains prone, even as his muscles tremble and his jaw clenches. Between the alcohol and the painkiller, I have a compliant patient.

Fortunately, the bullets didn’t fracture, and with a little field surgery, I find the three slugs.

Once I dig them out, I squirt my blood into every wound on his back, butt, and quads. No stitches required. But he isn’t healing fast enough.

“I’m done.” We need to get moving quickly. We have a bit of distance to cover on foot before the sun rises. “Can you feel any more bullets in you?”

He shakes his head.

“Then slide off the table.”

He pushes himself up, the muscles in his arms bulging, and I steady him as he pivots on his hip and drops his feet to the floor.

“Okay, your reward for being a good patient.” I offer him my wrist. “Bite and feed. More of my blood will speed up the healing.”

I don’t have to tell him twice.

He latches on like a remora on a shark’s back. His fangs pierce my wrist, and every part of me heats as his fang serum flows through my bloodstream. Then he alternates between sucking and licking my wrist, and my clit wakes up in the worst, neediest way, tempting me to push his mouth between my legs.

We lock eyes, and the heat in his makes my belly quiver.

No. We don’t have the time—or the privacy—for this. But looking in his eyes, feeling the tender way he holds my wrist, I can’t help but think maybe we’ll work things out between us. Maybe now that Tina’s safe, there won’t be any duty pulling him away from me.

He releases my wrist, panting, and leans against me.

I hold him upright, mindful of the wounds on his back. “Valroy, we gotta leave right now.”

His hot breath caresses my ear. “I love you.”

Hope is an evil bastard. It’ll tell me sweet nothings at my most vulnerable moment, only to yank the rug out from under me in a whim of caprice. I know that.

Yet that fractured heart of mine thuds with hope.