Templar Vampires - Midnight Sun Part 9

"Vampire?" The tremor in her voice was the only indication she wasn't as calm as she appeared. His woman put on a brave face that would do any warrior proud.

"Renegades." He clarified, pluralizing the word.

"s.h.i.+t," she swore, stepping closer to him. "How many?"

"Four."

"Leave it to a renegade to ruin a good time."

If Allie said that at any other time, Sebastian would have shown her how much he appreciated her dry humor. With four vampires quickly approaching them, now wasn't the time.

The vast expanse of shadowy woods across the road made an ideal hideout. The renegades must have been lying in wait for the perfect victim to come stumbling drunkenly out of the club. They should have kept on waiting, since it was their foolish mistake to think to take him on.

The a.s.sholes had to sense his strength, which meant they arrogantly thought to try to take out a Templar.

Peering through the dark of the Pennsylvania night, Sebastian watched them meander across the road and into the parking lot. He growled out a warning they foolishly ignored. Grinning evilly at they way they walked like they were the big bad, everything in him wanted to make them bleed for their arrogance.

He sent out a silent call to Constantine and pushed Allie behind him. She ducked behind him and pressed against his back. "That's one fine piece of female you got with you," the leader of the bunch remarked.

The vampire looked no more than eighteen years old. With his heavy Western drawl, all he needed was a six-shooter and some chaps to look like he stepped out of a history book.

Sebastian felt cold fear run through Allie. Her hands fisted into his duster. "Guess he likes my boots too,"

she whispered.

Ignoring her remark, he shrugged off his duster, which she caught before it hit the ground. Unsheathing his sword, he threw the vampire a cold glare. "She's mine,"

The vampire sniffed at the air at the same time a surprised look crossed his young face. "Holy s.h.i.+t, boys, we got ourselves one of them Templars."

Sebastian c.o.c.ked a brow. "Now what the f.u.c.k would four s.h.i.+ts like you know about Templars?"

A dirty looking kid, obviously hung to death given the rope burns around his neck, puffed out his chest and notched his chin arrogantly. "I know enough. He don't look so tough. Does he, Poor Pete?"

That was bulls.h.i.+t and each one of them knew it.

Pete, the young blond standing next to him, spat on the ground. "Naw. Bet we can take him out and grab ourselves that beauty hiding behind him."

Sebastian threw the vampires a cold smile. "Please be that stupid and try."

"Aw, h.e.l.l, Buck, he got him a sword. I ain't gonna go and get my head lopped off for no woman."

"Shut the f.u.c.k up, Gavin," Buck snapped. "We got no quarrel with you, Templar. Give us the girl and walk away."

Sebastian almost admired Buck's arrogance. Almost. For the most part, he found it irritating enough to have to kill him for it. "I don't think you understood me, Buck." Sebastian replied calmly. "I said the woman ismine ."

He made sure to put enough of a promise of death in his words to have Gavin wisely looking like he was going to drop from fear.

Buck shrugged. "Have it your way. But you're outnumbered."

"Albeit not out-skilled," Sebastian threw back.

"Oh good. A fight," Constantine remarked blandly as he strolled through the parking lot as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"Holy s.h.i.+t." Pete's eyes widened in horror. "That's the Dragon."

Constantine inclined his head. "Always nice to meet a fan."

Pete pulled on Buck's sleeve. "Let's go, Buck. I ain't f.u.c.king with that one. She ain't worth it." Buck backhanded Pete. "Stop being such a p.u.s.s.y. You got any idea what killing these two will do for our reps?"

Gavin backed away, shaking his head. "Poor Pete's right, Buck. I ain't tangling with two Templars. One maybe, but not two, and notthat one." He jabbed a finger at Constantine.

Sebastian sighed dramatically. "b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l! Why is it everyone s.h.i.+ts themselves at the sight of you even though I'm the one holding the d.a.m.n sword?"

"I look meaner."

"You are meaner," Allie supplied, peeking out from around him. Her comment earned her a nasty look from Sebastian. "Sorry, baby."

"I took out twenty Saracens when Constantine was too busy getting the s.h.i.+t knocked out of him to lend a hand."

Constantine grunted. "And G.o.d help us all, you've been riding that moment of glory for centuries." He nodded toward the renegades, who looked like they were going to either vomit or pa.s.s out. Pete looked like he might do both. "Let's do this quick. I'm f.u.c.king starving and I left a very willing female waiting."

Constantine reached down into his boots and pulled twin daggers free. Gavin made a sick sound in the back of his throat at the sight of those deadly blades. Poor Pete looked like he was going to drop dead from fright.

The quiet renegade, clearly too terrified to act the fool and egg on the Templars' wrath, backed up until he was practically back on the road. Only Buck was stupid enough to puff out his chest and raise his chin in an arrogant stance, which only worked to p.i.s.s the Templars off even more.

Sebastian pushed Allie away. "Stay back."

She nodded. "Don't gotta tell me twice."

Hurrying behind a parked car, Allie felt it was far enough away from where the fight was going to go down. She wasn't about to get caught in the middle of this one. She may be a ghost hunter, but her skills didn't extend to fighting renegades. That's what Templars were for. They could mow those renegades down like gra.s.s. Clutching at Sebastian's duster, she held onto it as if holding it close to her was the same as holdinghim close to her. Crouched low behind the car, she peered over the hood so she could watch the fight and see her boys ending those arrogant b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.

"We didn't mean no offense. I swear it. We got no fight with you," Pete stammered nervously.

"b.u.g.g.e.r that. Weren't you all just talking s.h.i.+t?" Sebastian slowly advanced on the ragtag group.

"Look, we only wanted a quick meal."

"Instead you're going to get a quick death." Sebastian promised in a menacing tone.

Sebastian bared his fangs and gripped his sword tighter. Eager to spill blood, the centuries melted away and he was back in the Holy Land, on the threshold of battle. A quick glance at Constantine, showed the Dragon felt the same rush of adrenaline. Every muscle in his body strained as he barely held himself in check, needing to bleed the ground with their enemy's blood.

"This is going to be too f.u.c.king easy," Constantine rasped out, his voice thick with l.u.s.t for the coming fight.

In a flash of movement, the Templars attacked.

Sebastian went for Buck but Gavin got in the way. He brought his sword up, catching the young renegade across the middle. The vampire's eyes widened in shock as Sebastian's blade cut clean through him. Gasping, he fell to the ground, nearly sliced in two. Bleeding, his insides falling out, the renegade clawed at the ground in a futile attempt to get away.

Without a hint of remorse, Sebastian kicked him over and planted his booted foot on the gaping wound in his chest. The fires of battle blazing in his eyes, Sebastian sneered with evil delight as he took Gavin's head in a brutal, but clean, cut. The vampire ended in a burst of ash.

Turning, Sebastian swung at the vampire who struck at him with the katana he had hidden under his filthy macintosh. "What's your name, boy?" Sebastian asked as he countered the kid, who had the nerve to actually think he was a match for Sebastian. Though the kid wielded his weapon well, he didn't have the skill to cross blades with a medieval knight who had centuries to hone his prowess.

"Ethan."

Sebastian smiled. "Good to know. I hate to turn a man to dust without at least knowing his name."

While Sebastian and Ethan continued their fight, Constantine impaled Pete in both shoulders with his daggers. The kid, too terrified to fight, howled in pain and staggered back. Constantine slapped him to the ground before giving him a solid kick that had Pete curling into a fetal position.

Coming down on him, Constantine grabbed him by the front of his hair. "The least you could do is put up a fight."

Pete didn't even try to defend himself against the legendarily Templar. He lay with his eyes closed; accepting the death he knew was only seconds away. Constantine couldn't stomach a coward.

Pulling the daggers out of Pete's shoulders, Constantine grunted in disgust, using them to take Pete's head. The vampire disintegrated into dust.

It was Buck who gave the most fight. He might not have been on the level the Templars were, but he at least had the b.a.l.l.s to back up his smart mouth. He dared to take on Constantine in a hand-to-hand fight.

Though he did his best to knock the blades from the Templar's iron grip, that wasn't going to happen.

Nothing was ever going to willingly separate the Dragon and his weapons again.

Shrugging, Constantine sheathed his daggers. "We gonna throw hands? Good. More fun for me. I get to beat the s.h.i.+t out of you before I end you."

Constantine proceeded to do exactly that.

As Allie watched, awed at how easy the Templars made it seem to take down four renegades,Constantine literally beat Buck near to death. If Buck were human, he wouldn't have survived even half the battering Constantine was laying on him.

Constantine hit him so many times and with such brutal force, Buck stumbled backwards. He tripped over his own feet and landed hard on his a.s.s. He tried to fend off Constantine's booted foot.

Unfortunately for him, he wasn't strong enough or fast enough to avoid being kicked until his bones cracked.

At the same time, Sebastian slowly advanced on Ethan. Even from a distance, Allie saw the glint of enjoyment glowing in the depths of his eyes. For the first time since she found herself part of the Templars' world, she saw a glimpse of what lay hidden beneath the facade of modern man to the warrior he'd been in life. He was a warrior fighting with the fires of h.e.l.l in his eyes and the strength of survival running through his body.

A swipe of Sebastian's sword cut down Ethan before he severed the vampire's head in one fluid motion.

Reducing him to a pile of dust, Sebastian tossed the katana to Constantine. Dragon's branded right hand shot out, catching the weapon easily and using it to make quick work of Buck, not bothering to toy with the arrogant vampire before ending him.

The fight was over fast enough to make Allie's head spin. Knowing Constantine's penchant for violence, the quickness of the battle must be killing him.

Bending down to retrieve his blades, Constantine grunted with frustration. "I miss the days when we had worthy opponents to fight."

Sebastian wiped blood from his face, keenly aware of Allie watching from only a few feet away. He looked over at her. She was holding on to his duster for dear life. "So do I. Just not tonight."

After using the bottom of his s.h.i.+rt to wipe the blood from his blade, he sheathed it before going over to Allie, making sure he was thoroughly in check when he did. The last thing he wanted was for her too see the bloodl.u.s.t in him after a kill.

"Here." She handed him his duster. "You were amazing."

He threw her a lopsided grin. "I've had some practice."

Her small laugh and the hand she ran over the taut muscles of his arm managed to quiet what was left of his raging fury. It amazed him how she calmed with nothing more than a touch.

"I bet you have, Templar."

As the fury abated the bloodl.u.s.t hit Sebastian hard and fast. His gut contracted painfully and his mouth felt filled with sand. Everything remotely human inside him was overpowered by the vampire's need for blood.

He couldn't even look at Allie without seeing the faint blue veins pulsating beneath her flesh. Her heartbeat sounded loudly in his head as the smell of her blood called to him, promised to relieve the agony of need burning him from the inside out.

His fangs ached with the need to pull her to him and take her life into him. "Allie," he rasped out thickly, "I have to go." She nodded in understanding, glancing at Constantine, who was cleaning off his daggers before replacing them in his boots. "I understand. You stay here with Constantine." He felt her dejection even as she made an effort to keep her tone blithe.

"No."

He wasn't going to let her drive away alone when there was a chance more renegades waited for the chance to strike.

That's how those p.r.i.c.ks rolled, in groups, released in waves. A great battle tactic for success, it was also a pain in the a.s.s as far as the Templars were concerned. They never knew if the fight was over or if an ambush lay in wait for them.

"Suit yourself, just don't think I'm giving up a vein if you lose your s.h.i.+t." She unlocked the driver's door then hit the master lock control. "Remember, they'll kill you if you bite me."

Sebastian knew the "they" she referred to were the Templars. He didn't need the warning since he had no intention of feeding from her.

"Dent my car and I'll beat you to death," he threw at Constantine, who was already heading back to the club "I'm so scared, Sage," he retorted without even a glance back before he disappeared into The Gate.

"I mean it, Dragon."

"Go away."

Sebastian relented and climbed into the truck. Arguing with Constantine was the equivalent of ramming your head against a brick wall.

Allie was already in the truck and had the radio on. An EvanescenceCD was playing, the music haunting and somewhat soothing. Hopefully he'd be able to make it back to Randall Manor without the hunger completely taking control of him.

As Allie sped off down the road, taking them further away from where he could feed, he almost felt a sense of panic come over him. He leaned back against the seat, gritting his teeth as wave after wave of the bloodl.u.s.t coursed through him. The rhythmic beat of the music wasn't helping him when it came to maintaining control.

"Talk to me." He pushed the words out from between his clenched teeth.

"What do you want me to say?"

Staring out the winds.h.i.+eld, he ran a hand over his head, for a brief moment wis.h.i.+ng he still had hair. He wondered what it would feel like to have Allie's hand run through the long brown hair he'd had before the jailers finally sheared it off.

"Anything. I don't care. Talk to me to get my mind off the hunger." She didn't hesitate to oblige him. "Next Monday makes two years since Christian was killed."

That blurted out bit of news surprised him. Allie rarely talked about her family, especially her brother. He didn't even know how he died, only when and where it happened. "I'm sorry."

What else was he to say? What could the dead say to ease the hurt of the living when someone they loved crossed over to G.o.d?

"Don't be." He noticed her fingers bit into the steering wheel, telling him why she never spoke about her brother. The pain of his death was still tearing her apart. "He'd been addicted to heroin for years, hence my hatred of drugs. We thought we were going to lose him so many times, always dreading finding him dead somewhere. Thank G.o.d he got tired of being a slave to his addiction before he got AIDS from a dirty needle or killed himself from an overdose."

Allie, usually so animated, spoke now in dull, lifeless tones. He sensed the pain coursing through her as she related Christian's life and death to him. He knew this was something she had been keeping within her, letting her emotions fester for years.

"He entered rehab and worked the twelve step program for a year before feeling confident enough to venture out and try life as a sober man." She looked sad. It left him helpless, unable to take the sorrow from her. "He met a girl who didn't judge him about his past. She even came to his funeral. I like to believe she genuinely liked him."

Sebastian couldn't speak, robbed of words as he sat, watching her talk. Her pain cut through him, forced away the bloodl.u.s.t and replaced it with her grief.