Still making strange motions with his hands and singing a soft melody under his breath, Newton paced in circles around the vampire’s body.
The vampire lifted into the air once more. I thought he was floating again, but as the sand poured away, I saw a thick stone slab beneath the vampire. I’d forgotten this part of the plan in the horror of watching the vampire begin to re-form.
I couldn’t remember if Newton had said he would call the rock from beneath the earth’s surface somehow or if he would use the elements to create something new. I pushed the question aside, focusing on what he’d said would happen next.
Sure enough, scores of inch-thick spikes emerged through the stone surrounding the vampire’s body. They lengthened until they were nearly a foot tall. At a sweeping motion from Newton, the spikes curved and plunged back down into the stone. As they dove, each spike pierced through or between bones, puncturing the newly forming flesh. At the invasion, the vampire’s body arched off the rock, hips thrusting forward, trying to avoid the danger.
Newton made another gesture, this time flinging his arm up and back down like a conductor. Two more spikes erupted from the stone, on either side of the vampire’s torso, then plunged through his body. Like staples over his spine, they secured him back onto the stone.
Even as Newton caused the penetrating stone to thicken, the vampire’s skin continued to form, already growing over some of the staple-like restraints.
“I may need you to burn him again soon. He’s reforming quicker than I thought.”
I tore my eyes away from the vampire to gape at the fairy, now seeing him in an entirely different light. “No problem. But you really think he’ll be able to tear through those?”
He gave a sharp nod. “Without a doubt. If we let him heal too much.” His eyes flicked toward me for the briefest of moments. “If you can’t find a way to only burn his body without continuing to destroy his head, you’ll need to finish him off. We won’t do anyone any good if he kills us.”
I didn’t respond, once again captured by the horror of what we’d done to the vampire. I’d figure out a way to only burn what we wanted to burn. Even if we couldn’t get information out of him, at least I’d get to make him hurt a good while longer.
The fairy glanced toward Caitlin. “I’ve got this. Can you levitate Shane back to the cave?”
A faint groan escaped Shane before Caitlin could respond. “Yeah. No problem. Lead the way. Brett, keep your fire ready.”
In unison, both the stone slab carrying the vampire and Shane lifted into the air and began to float toward the jungle. I took a step forward, following closely behind the vampire.
“And, Brett!”
I glanced over at Caitlin, who motioned behind her.
“Get your clothes, for fuck’s sake.”
Thirty-Six
SONIA LIU
The tree’sshadow nearly covered the entwined bodies of the three men. Sonia glanced up at the tree house room above her, a small smile playing across her lips. She’d gotten more than she’d hoped for when she followed the tourist to his open-air resort. The breed and feed had been satisfactory enough, but watching the man’s naked body fall the twenty-five feet from where she’d dropped him over the edge had been the real treat. Not so much the watching, but the hearing. Good stuff.
She’d been so caught up in her thoughts during her descent to the ground—the dead man already a forgotten memory—that she’d nearly missed the two men hiding a few yards away. Even their whispered Spanish had gone unnoticed. Not true for the racing cacophony of their hearts. She’d snapped their necks before either screamed or ran. Then had dessert one and dessert two.
For the briefest of moments, she’d felt the faintest stirrings of fear as she looked at the two men. Natives, obviously. And from the look of them, probably employees of the exclusive treetop resort. The Royals had strict rules about eating the Costa Ricans. Tourists’ deaths were easy to explain. Easy in the sense that they had no reason to explain. But kill enough locals and that could bring unwanted attention to the Vampire Cathedral. She didn’t understand how the magic enchantments worked, nor did she care. She’d had both men slung over her shoulders, ready to dispose of them, when she flung the fear from her in irritation.
Now, inspecting her artful arrangement of their entangled limbs, the bloodied naked white skin shining between the clothed employees, the worry was replaced by the delicious flavor of rebellion and a sense she was starting down a path she’d been trying to find.
With a long crimson fingernail, she traced the one visible fissure in the side of the oldest man’s neck. That would have Montezuma talking. Probably even make the papers or local news. Maybe more.
Even though Gwala didn’t concern himself with the workings of humanity, word would get back to him. If he took his wrath out on some poor, innocent vampire to set an example, she’d sit back and enjoy the show. If he asked, she’d confess. She assumed he’d let it slide this time. Maybe try to train her, explain the rules again, like she was a brainless beauty queen. He might even do that several more times.
She’d start leaving presents of the like every few weeks, as often as she managed to break away. It would be fun to see how long it would take the king to lose all patience. With a last glance at her handiwork, she slipped down the hillside and out of the estate. He’d quit comparing her to that fucking Menos soon enough.
Letting the fear of Gwala’s eventual rage wash over her, she continued to wander through the forest, pausing here and there to watch the nocturnal animals scurry to avoid her. Her eyes met those of a kinkajou—a creature that resembled a raccoon-monkey hybrid—who blinked at her slowly. She grinned at the furry thing. “You dare to stay in my presence, you little beast?” She bared her fangs, letting a hiss escape. Still the cute mammal continued to stare, its tail curling and uncurling around the branch on which it perched.
An unfamiliar sense of affection came over her at the kinkajou’s refusal to flee from her. “I know how you feel. Your heart is nearly ready to burst in terror, but you’re not going to let me see it, are you?”
Sonia stepped closer to the tree, stretching out her arm toward the animal. She wasn’t sure what she expected. She wouldn’t be offended if it bit her. She’d respect it even more if it did. But if it didn’t? Was she going to pet the damn thing? Keep it? Another step forward and still the animal only stared, wide-eyed. Maybe she would. Maybe a pet would make the boring existence interesting, or at least humorous. The monster in designer gowns who roamed the Cathedral and forest with a fuzz ball with a tail clinging to her shoulder.
Her hand was less than a foot away from the kinkajou when it reeled and scampered up the tree, taking refuge among the foliage.
For an instant, such rage coursed through her, Sonia nearly tore up the tree after the little animal, ready to rip it to pieces.
