Four Centuries (Damned and Cursed Book 7) (43 page)

She leaned forward.
 
He jabbed her in the chest with the broken rod.
 
Not enough to penetrate her skin, but to get her attention.

"So beautiful," he said.
 
"It's such a waste.
 
We could have done so much—"

His regrets were cut short when a cylinder jutted through the front of his chest.
 
Splattered blood landed on Zoey's legs and stomach.
 
Steven winced and stared down at the strange weapon stuck in his body.
 
He spun and struck his attacker, sending him crashing into the wall.
 
The attacker crumpled to the ground.
 
Everything was happening so fast.
 
Zoey didn't recognize him, didn't even smell him.

All she could see was a smile, so out of place.

"Vampire hunters," Steven said.
 
"They don't even know where the heart is."

He stepped forward, not even bothering with the cylinder still inside him.
 
The attacker was holding a remote of some kind, and pressed a button.
 
Steven stumbled back, grasping at his chest, the pain obvious in his face.
 
He looked at Zoey and the new arrival, stunned at the agony.
 
With the press of another button, Steven fell and curled awkwardly, hugging his knees.
 
He shook and convulsed before finally falling unconscious.

Zoey looked up as the last man she ever expected to see rose to his feet.
 
Jack straightened his clothes and looked down at Steven with contempt, shaking his head.
 
The collision with the brick wall didn't bother him in the least.

"Let this be a lesson," he told Zoey.
 
"It doesn't matter what you are.
 
Vampire, werewolf, witch.
 
You can still be stupid."

He extended a hand to help her.
 
Zoey did nothing at first, still in shock.
 
Her body ached, and if it wasn't for the fact that she was a vampire, she thought her ribs might have been broken.

"Any day now," he said, shaking his hand.
 
"My hand's getting tired.
 
It won't stay out there forever."

Zoey accepted his offer, and Jack pulled her to her feet.
 
She winced and took deep breaths as she found her footing.
 
Bringing a hand to her face, she was relieved to see only minimal blood.

She regarded Jack, unable to process question after question that popped in her mind.
 
Steven still lay at their feet, unmoving.
 
She couldn't tell what the weapon was Jack had stabbed him with.
 
It looked plastic, and was sharp on both ends.
 
It almost seemed high-tech, with several tiny LEDs scattered about its surface.

"Wow, Stray," Jack said, looking her up and down.
 
"You look…."

Jack eying her brought a different feeling than Steven.
 
She would never admit it aloud, but she enjoyed Jack admiring her.
 
To impress such a critical eye wasn't an easy feat.

"Utterly ridiculous.
 
Are you supposed to be a vampire ninja?
 
Were you going to karate-chop him to death?"

She sighed, looking down at her tight clothes.
 
"I didn't want to get snagged on anything."

He leaned in and sniffed her, his nose wrinkling.
 
"Why are you covered in beer?"

"I was trying to hide my scent."

Jack said nothing for a moment, his face unreadable.

"I'm not sure if you're an idiot, or a genius."

It wasn't exactly a compliment, but Zoey smiled nonetheless.
 
Now it was her turn for questions, before he could find other ways to insult her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Victoria sent me.
 
She's doing more important shit, so here I am."

"Is she…mad?"

"Of course not.
 
She's worried sick.
 
I don't know why, but I can't say I've ever completely understood her."

"How did you find me?"
 
The answer came to her before he could answer.
 
"The credit cards."

He wagged a finger at her.
 
"You got it.
 
I would have canceled them in a second, you little thief."

"I didn't smell you."
 
She pointed at Steven.
 
"He didn't, either."

"A little potion Glinda gave me.
 
It doesn't last long, but enough to scramble a nose.
 
Look, you're so fascinating to talk to, but we have to get moving."
 
He looked her up and down again.
 
"You're not getting on my plane looking like that, or meeting my daughter.
 
So we'll have to hose you off, clean you up.
 
But I get why you're here."
 
Leaning against the wall, he tossed her the remote he held.
 
There was only a single button and a dial.
 
"So, have at it.
 
There's always time for a little revenge."

Zoey turned the remote over in her palm.

"What is this?
 
Is this magical?"

"Shit, sorry," Jack said, standing next to her.
 
"I'm getting ahead of myself.
 
No, this is a prototype from a contact of mine in the military.
 
I love technology.
 
They've been trying to find a more efficient way to interrogate vampires since World War I.
 
You can't just drag them out in the sunlight.
 
Vampire blood is different, and this remote controls the stake I stabbed him with.
 
It secretes some chemical mix they came up with.
 
It literally cooks them from the inside, setting the organs on fire.
 
A wooden stake for the twenty-first century, I guess."
 
He leaned over her shoulder, pointing to the dial.
 
"It's already on and—"
 
He glanced at Steven and laughed.
 
"Administered.
 
All you have to do is turn that dial.
 
Turn it a little, and it'll ruin his night.
 
Turn it all the way, and he dies."
 
He patted her on the shoulder before leaning against the wall again.
 
"Now, I don't ever want to hear you say I never gave you anything."

She glanced between the remote and Steven.

"This will kill him?"

"I believe I just said that."

Her finger hovered over the dial.
 
Finally, the moment she'd been dreaming of had arrived.
 
She never thought she'd be sharing the moment with anyone else, especially someone she could barely tolerate.
 
But it was a small price to pay.

She touched the dial, but didn't move it.
 
Her hand trembled.
 
Something didn't feel right.
 
She looked back over her shoulder to Jack.

"Did Victoria put you up to this?"

"What?"

"Is this a test of some kind?
 
A test of my character?"

Jack leaned his head back and laughed.
 
"You think I give a shit about your
character
?
 
I'm here to see a vampire barbecue."
 
He rubbed his hands together.
 
"So, let's fire it up."

Zoey stared at Steven.
 
She'd fantasized about killing him.
 
Dreamed about it.
 
Now she had the power in the palm of her hand, literally.

She couldn't do it.

"I…can't."

"Sure you can.
 
Even you can turn that little dial.
 
Just do it real slow, until you get the feel for it."

The tears started as she let the remote rest at her side.
 
She turned and faced Jack.

"If I kill Steven, nothing changes.
 
I know that's cliché as shit, but it's true.
 
I won't get my life back.
 
Kylie will still be gone."

Jack nodded as he pushed himself away from the wall.
 
He joined her as they loomed over Steven.

"You do have a point there.
 
But I'm going to tell you something.
 
Listen closely, as I'm only going to say it once, and only one other person knows this."

She leaned closer, listening intently.

"I didn't
choose
to leave mortality behind.
 
The choice was taken from me.
 
She was misguided, not all there in the head.
 
But she was kind and gentle, and had a body even you vamps would be jealous of.
 
Angela, the witch who cursed me, didn't deserve to die."

"You're…cursed?"

He ignored the question.

"So when my town banded together, and strung her up by the neck—"
 
He smiled.
 
"I killed them back.
 
Every last one of them.
 
And you're right.
 
It didn't change anything, it certainly didn't bring her back.
 
But, oh man, did it feel
good
.
 
Revenge doesn't have to change the world to feel good."

Zoey was quiet.
 
She wasn't sure what life lesson he was trying to impart, or if that was even his goal.
 
But they weren't on the same page.

"Is that supposed to make me want to kill him?
 
Because all it does is make you sound like a psychopath."

"Okay, let's see if you understand it this way.
 
If you let him live, he will kill someone else.
 
It's that simple.
 
And you'll be partially responsible.
 
You can actually save lives, right here, right now, by spinning that dial.
 
You and Glinda, both of you are so blind.
 
Sometimes
not
killing someone is
not
the right thing to do."

Her shoulders slumped as she clenched her eyes shut.
 
She could think of a million reasons to kill Steven.
 
Her own selfish reasons, as well as saving people, like Jack said.

"No."
 
She no longer fought the tears.
 
"I'm not a killer.
 
I'm just…not."

Zoey leaned into Jack, resting her head against his arm.
 
He squeezed her shoulder tenderly, but awkwardly, and gently took the remote from her hand.

"Okay, that's enough," he said, stepping back.
 
"I don't want beer on my clothes.
 
So you're saying you're going to let this vampire live?
 
You're going to leave whatever happens to him up to fate?"

She nodded.
 
"Yeah."

"Well, I guess that's it, then."
 
Jack admired the remote.
 
"It's a shame fate's out to get him.
 
You might want to stand back."

Jack turned the dial as far as it would go.
 
Steven's eyes shot open.
 
He convulsed and let out a cry that would haunt Zoey for the rest of her life.
 
His death was painful, pure horror, and she would relive it in her dreams.

It took only ten seconds for his body to engulf completely in flame, but it felt like much longer.
 
His screams died down as the fire consumed the oxygen in his lungs.
 
Different parts of his body burst into flame.
 
Hands, shoulders, cheeks.
 
Finally, his body turned to ash, leaving only the military weapon behind.

Zoey's lips trembled as she stood motionless.
 
She couldn't take her eyes off what was left of Steven.
 
The ash was still shaped like a body, although the wind played with it, threatening to take the ashes away.
 
The thought saddened her.
 
There was nothing left to bury of a vampire when they died.

"That was everything advertised," Jack said.
 
He picked up the weapon and tucked away the remote.
 
"I'll cry when I have to give this back.
 
Are you ready to go?"

"You…killed him."

"You're just nailing it tonight."

Anger slowly pushed away the shock.

"You were going to kill him anyway," she said, glaring.
 
"No matter what I did."

"Yeah.
 
I thought I was doing you a favor, giving you the chance."
 
He laughed.
 
"That will teach me for trying to be nice."

"Why?
 
Why did you kill him?"

"He'd seen my face.
 
He was an enemy.
 
I don't let my enemies live.
 
Pretty simple, really.
 
Let's get going.
 
My daughter's probably bouncing around the plane like a pogo stick."

The way Jack could murder someone, then talk about seeing his daughter, set Zoey on edge.

"How does Victoria…even
look
at you?"

"That's funny, coming from the stray covered in beer.
 
Let's go."

Victoria went straight to the refrigerator after arriving at her safe-house.
 
Her shirt and shoes were off before she even reached the handle.
 
Half a bottle was gone, and then she slipped her socks off.
 
She tucked two bottles under her arm before heading to the bathroom.
 
Her limp was already gone, and the wounds on her stomach were starting to close.