Follow Me When the Sun Goes Down (26 page)

“Shit, no, I’m sorry, An.  I didn’t mean to make it worse.  I’m sorry you ended up all alone.”

“Gee, thanks,” I said with a sour look.

“You know what I mean.”  She waved me away.  “Listen, are you sure you can take this bitch down tomorrow, or should I be trying to talk you into sneaking a ride on Bishop’s railroad out of here?”

Did I?  For all the bravado around the guys, there was a great big part of me that thought I was all kinds of stupid for challenging
anyone
to a death match.  But right was right, and Angel deserved to pay for what she’d done to Tommy.  I wasn’t the same naïve girl I was a few short months ago, and I figured I had a good shot at pulling it off. 

“We’ll find out, won’t we?”

Thank God for vampire comas.  I knew for a fact that I wouldn’t have been able to sleep a wink if not for the death-like sleep that descended over me whenever the sun rose high in the sky.  Sure, I could put it off for an hour or two, sometimes longer if I took the stims.  Eventually though, I always drifted off into the same, deep sleep, regardless of whatever my subconscious churned into dreams. 

Whatever dreams I had that day, they slipped out of my head before I could process them fully, fading under the pressing reality of my fight with Angel.  Even though I had until midnight to present myself for the match, I hopped right into the shower, wanting to be alert and ready for anything.  Dressing in a pair of workout shorts and a tank top, I borrowed some ‘asskicking boots’ from Bridget, the better to stomp with. 

I braided my hair back for battle, pinning the ends under tightly with flat clips, not wanting to give Angel anything to hang onto in a fight.  Bridget and I joked about the merits of greasing myself up with baby oil to make it that much harder for her to grab onto me, but I decided it would probably throw me off as much, if not more. 

Rob knocked softly on the bedroom door while Bridget was going through my jewelry box in the bathroom, looking for anything that could be used as a weapon.  That led to my first question once I let him in. 

“Hey, can we use weapons in this fight?”

“That would be up to you, but you’d have to both have access to the weapons
.  It couldn’t be one sided.”

“Obviously,” I nodded.  “I don’t know though.  We didn’t train with anything other than chopsticks,” I smiled, remembering a silly tussle we once had while unloading the dishwasher.  Instead of an answering grin, Rob only looked more pained than ever.

“I still wish you wouldn’t do this.”

“I’ve got this,” I winked, trying to keep things light. 

Rob nodded, still somber.  “Right then.  Remember what I taught you.  Keep your movements tight and fast.  Don’t overextend.  And don’t be afraid to fight dirty.”

“I’ll just knee her in the balls if I get stuck.”

“Anja…”  His gaze held mine, deep and soulful. 

“I know, I’ll be careful.”  Bridget was right in the other room, there wasn’t any way to say more, but we didn’t need to.  “Oh, hold onto this for me though, will you?”  I handed over the silver locket he’d given me for Christmas. 

“You brought this with?”

“Of course I did,” I smiled.  “In case something happens to me, get it back to your sister, okay?”

“Not funny.”

“I wasn’t joking.  I wouldn’t want anything to happen to it.”

Rob took the necklace, holding it in his hand for a few seconds before he tucked it away into his jacket pocket.  “You’ll be fine.  Stick to the basics, nothing fancy.  Don’t be afraid of brutality, use your strength to your advantage.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“When the time comes, you end her,” he said gravely.  “She won’t hesitate if you give her the opening, and you can’t either.”

I nodded, drawing in a shaky breath.  “I’ll see you on the other side for some victory cocoa.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

* * *

“Give her hell, darlin’.” Mac clapped me on the back as I stepped outside into the designated courtyard.  “I got money ridin’ on ya.”

“I’ll do my best,” I smiled back, wondering if other similar bets had been placed.  The surrounding gardens were choked with bodies, people eager to see blood shed before the night was through.  There was no shortage of supportive greetings as I made my way to the center, but I couldn’t help but think they’d be just as keen to see me go down in the name of entertainment. 

There were enough torches burning to cast the entire area in a blaze of flickering light and I wished they’d gone with porch lights instead from the smoky haze that lingered.  A square had been drawn on the ancient cobblestones in white chalk, roughly the size of a boxing ring.  I always wondered why they called them rings, when the shape was square…

I was about to step inside the chalk line when Rob laid a hand on my shoulder.  “Hold a tic, there’s something not right there.” 

“What’s the matter?”

“The arena is shielded by magic.”

“Of course it is,” Simon intruded into our conversation, his smile beatific.  “The better to keep anyone from interfering with the match.”

“Magic to keep people out and people in,” Rob scowled, his hand raised in the air as if he could feel the invisible power.  Maybe he could.  He’d said he had some gifts, just not as strong as his sister’s.  I hadn’t considered such a thing as an option, but it stood to reason that a man as powerful as Corley would have such magics at his disposal.  So much for Rob or anyone else riding to the rescue if things got rough. 

“It’ll be fine,” I assured him, stepping boldly across the line.  A sliver of cold went through my belly, like when you get a shiver you can’t explain, but it was gone in an instant.

“Wait…” Rob darted forward, his hand striking the barrier in a crackle of blue sparks and he made a fist as if it hurt. 

“Stay back, I got this,” I ordered.  I didn’t want to try the barrier on my side, I figured the less damage I caused to myself the better, especially since I might be taking a pounding in the next few minutes.  Besides, I couldn’t back down now, there was too much at stake. 

A low ripple through the crowd let me know Angel had appeared, being led to the courtyard, her hands bound before her.  She wore the same clothes as the night before, her black hair falling in front of her eyes in a messy tangle.  The look on her face was one of pure anticipation with a hint of pleasure.  She was looking forward to killing me and had zero doubts about who’d be walking out of the ring the victor. 

I thought I’d be more nervous, but as Angel stepped into the square, I felt loose and comfortable on my feet.  Still, I kept a wary distance, circling away from her, my hands held in a defensive pose.  There was no announcement, no formal beginning to the match; Angel came out swinging, driving me backwards as I awkwardly tried to dodge her.

The first hit didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would, but I didn’t want to let her know that.  I needed time to study how she moved, and the only way to buy that time was by sacrificing my pride and letting her think she had the upper hand.  That meant taking a shot, and another, testing her reach, her speed, her control. 

The crowd ate it up every time I got hit.  Bridget kept whooping and hollering behind me, yelling,
“Sweep the leg!”
at the top of her lungs.  Rob was tossing out pointers as well.  I could hear the frustration in his voice when I didn’t act on them, and I hated to hear it, but I kept my eye on the prize.  My plan was working.

I could see it in her eyes, she thought she had me.  I did my best to look tired, weak… maybe not all that recovered from my near death experience.  Sometimes I think I could’ve been a drama major instead of music, if it wasn’t for that pesky stage fright thing.  From the smug look on her face, I’d say I was doing a bang up job at pretending to be pathetic.  I got in an ineffectual jab to her side, to make it look good, not even using half strength or speed. 

Angel didn’t look particularly winded, but I hadn’t expected her to.  So far she seemed intent on beating me by wearing me down, and that suited me fine.  It was a conservative approach, and it told me she wasn’t as imaginative as I’d feared.  A particularly effective boot to my head left me dazed for a half second, and Angel took the advantage, shoving me towards the magical forcefield. 

I managed to throw my arm up in time before I plowed face first into the unseen barrier, and my arm hit it with a shower of bright blue sparks.  Throwing her weight against me, she pinned me against the invisible wall and I screamed.  It hurt like I’d stuck my elbow into a deep fat fryer, far worse than anything she’d dished out before.  Panic welled as I struggled to get away, until I heard Rob’s voice in my head, telling me what to do. 

Close in, I had the advantage, my superior strength and weeks of training with Rob against various holds gave me the edge to break free.  My free arm swung back sharply, cracking her a good one in the face.  Angel’s hold faltered as she gave a sharp cry of pain. I twisted free of the crackling barrier, following up with a strike to her throat, hard enough to send her staggering backwards with a choking gasp. 

My elbow went completely numb, but I ignored the pins and needles
– I couldn’t give her time to recover.  Stunned and in pain, Angel’s face turned almost comical as I switched from defensive moves to the attack.  Years of training gave her the skill to block my hits, but only barely.  As fast as she was, I was faster.  And when she realized that for the first time, it made her reckless. 

I was ready when she tried the same roundhouse kick again, and this time I caught her boot and twisted, bringing my elbow down on her leg with enough force to shatter her kneecap.   Angel crumpled to the ground with a squeal, and in a heartbeat, I had her face down against the stones, my boot shoved into her neck, her arm twisted at an unnatural angle in one of Rob’s holds. 

“Do you give up?” I asked, as the crowd exploded into raucous cheers around us.

“No,” she grunted.

I tightened my hold on her wrist, hearing the bones grind and pop against each other. 
Eewh. 
“How about now?”

“No,” she gasped, her face ashen. 

Don’t be afraid of brutality…
I heard Rob’s voice in the back of my mind again.  Only I didn’t want to kill her, or even do something gross like reach into her ribcage for her heart like Jakob would’ve done.  That left something painful and dramatic, but hopefully not permanently disfiguring. 

“
Fine, let’s see how you like it.”  I let my boot up off her neck, only to replace it with a solid grip, shoving her face against the forcefield before she could so much as twitch.  Angel let out a shriek, thrashing like a live fish on a hotplate, but I kept her there, gritting my teeth at the current I felt through my arm from holding her in place. 

“Give up,” I growled near her ear, but I’m not sure she heard me
through the intense pain I knew she felt.  “Do you yield?” I tried again, pulling her away from the magic by the hair.

“If I yield… I die,” she panted, her whole body gone slack. 

“That’s true,” I said dispassionately.  “But how you die is completely up to you.  I can make it fast and relatively painless, or…” I inched her face toward the barrier again, only to have her shudder from head to foot.

“I yield,”
Angel whined in distress.  “Be merciful, kill me now,” she panted when I let go of her hair.  Turning her over, I was sickened to see the side of her face red and blistered, as though she’d been caught out in the sun for too long.  I didn’t know if I could trust the easy capitulation, or if she’d try to attack me once again, and I caught hold of her with my will.  “Be still,” I commanded, taking a moment to catch my breath. 

All around us, vampires yelled for me to kill her, Rob and Felix among them.  Even Bridget yelled a string of punishments so grotesque, she had the delegate from Salete cringing beside her.  All eyes were on me to finish it once and for all.

I had her now.  No one could challenge the fact that I’d beaten her in combat.  Even if I didn’t kill her, I could still exact my revenge.  I could compel her to leave and never stop looking over her shoulder.  I could end her career with the Order, make her take up stripping in some sleazy bar in Bangkok.  I could put her in the ground with a stake through her heart and see how
she
liked being on ice for a while.

In the end, I did none of those things. 

There was only one way to guarantee she’d never come after me again, short of killing her.  Catching hold of her neck, I brought her face very close to mine, my words for her ears only.  “Let go of the hatred, the anger, the pain,” I commanded.  “No more death.  Let every petty thought or emotion go.  Be a stronger woman.  Live and be happy.”

The most amazing change came over her face.  The pinch of fear and loathing dissolved away, replaced by a wondrous, childlike smile.  Everything about her shifted, the tension draining from her shoulders and she seemed to take a full breath for the first time.  Her liquid eyes shone with gratitude and something akin to worship.  “Thank you,” she breathed.  “Thank you for giving me my life back.”

Only now did I take the time to find Rob in the crowd, smiling in triumph as I let her go.  “Drop the barrier.  We’re done here,” I ordered as I climbed to my feet.

Corley wasn’t so keen on the turn of events, blocking the little man who stepped up to release the spell.  “The fight is to the death, you must finish her,” he demanded.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I muttered, staring him down across the courtyard.  Angel was still a liability, and the only way to implicate him in Tommy’s death.  “Angel yielded to me, does anyone dispute that?” I asked of the crowd.  Not a soul spoke out against me.  “Her life is forfeit to me, and I gave it back to her.”

“It’s her right to be merciful,” Faust agreed, aloud.  “The match is over, and Anja is the clear victor.”  The crowd murmured its assent, and Corley gave the barest of nods, allowing the witch, or whatever he was, through to drop the spell.