Page 94 of Good Vampires Go to Heaven

Zeb hadn’t even known the boy could handle a weapon.

With a shot to Jasper’s leg, Beltane said, “For the first time you sodomized me.”

The second shot went to Jasper’s right arm which caused his sword to drop to the stone roof. “For the times you forced me to sodomize others.”

He shot off one ear and snarled, “For making me drink blood, and liking it.”

Jasper wasn’t even fighting Beltane’s attacks. At this point, he probably welcomed death.

“For giving me Marie as a partner fifty years ago, then sending her off to Hell for refusing to service a troop of visiting haakai whilst I was gone.” This shot went directly to Jasper’s groin.

Zeb gave Beltane a sharp look, and realized that the young Lucipire looked half-crazed. His eyes were blazing, spit drooled from his mouth. Had Zeb’s fanging pushed him over the edge, or was it just too many years under Jasper’s thumb?

In any case, none of Beltane’s bullets had been specially treated, and Zeb feared the master Lucipire would die, and come back again as a demon vampire. Raising his short sword now, Zeb used both hands to thrust the heavy weapon directly through Jasper’s heart.

The demon just smiled as he began to fade into a puddle of slime. “I will see you again,” he promised. And laughed.

Just then, a group of vangels blasted out of the door. In addition, some others, including Vikar, flew up and over the top of the battlements. How did they do that? Oh. Zeb noticed that they had white wings. How cool!

“What in bloody hell is going on here?” Vikar demanded to know. He took one glance at the beasts whose features were fading, but were still discernible. In particular, Jasper’s grinning face. “You dared? You bloody hell dared to disobey my orders?” Vikar was livid.

“And who the hell are you?” Vikar had turned on Beltane and sniffed the air, confused.

Beltane smelled of Lucipire, but not. He smelled faintly of something else, too. Not vangel. Not human. A mixture of good and evil all in one, human and inhuman, Zeb decided.

Looking from Zeb to Beltane to Zeb again, Vikar asked Zeb in a steely voice, “What did you do?”

Beltane, meanwhile, was staring at the dissolving mass that had been Jasper with tears welling in his eyes. To Vikar, Beltane must have appeared in grief over losing his master.

“I did what I had to do,” Zeb said.

“Aaarrgh! Take him into custody and lock him up back at Transylvania until I . . . rather, Michael . . . can decide what to do with the rogue.”

“Which one?” Mordr asked. “Zeb or the idiot?”

Beltane did, actually, look like a half-brained idiot, stunned, no doubt, by what he’d actually garnered the nerve to do. His shoulders were slumped and his arms dangled at his sides, the gun having fallen to the floor.

“Both,” Vikar snarled.

“Did you know you have actual wings now, Vikar?” Zeb couldn’t help but remark. “Really nice, white ones.”

“Bite me!” Vikar said, not at all appeased by Zeb’s compliment. But Zeb noticed him glancing back over his shoulder to check for himself.

Just then, Regina came through the door. With a quick scan of the area, she took in what had happened. Then she tilted her head in question at Zeb.

Zeb didn’t need to be a rocket scientist, or even a body language specialist, to recognize the expression on her face. Profound hurt.

She must consider his actions a betrayal, a rejection of the love she’d professed for him a short time ago. Because, even if they were lifemates, and that was yet to be decided, his failure to follow orders meant he did not care what happened to himself. Or to her.

Chapter 19

Strange doings, down on the bayou . . .

For two weeks, Regina traveled about the world with one team or another to rid the world of any remaining Lucipires. She could have returned to the castle occasionally for some of the celebrations, but she couldn’t bear to see Zeb. His betrayal had cut too deep. She might not ever recover.

He must have been using her during their short time together. How he must have laughed when she’d told him she loved him! What a fool she’d been, to think a man like him would care for a woman like her. A witch!

She should have put a curse on him right from the start. She’d become soft. No more!