Angels and Hunters (Stoker Sisters 2) Read online

  “Stupid, stupid girl,” she said.

  Her heart breaking, she glanced back from where she’d come. Her splendid warrior. His transformation had been so radical, so unbelievable. Could he be the Destroyer? It seemed the only logical explanation. He couldn’t simply be a common vampire, not even a run of the mill Strigoi.

  A haggard breath choked her, but she refused to cry. She’d simply allowed herself to become enamored with his charm, with the romance of it all.

  Her ear caught a hush, the gentle sound of footsteps in the sand. They were coming from the left, and gaining fast.

  “You're kidding me,” she muttered to herself, angry she’d not picked up on the sound earlier. Scolding herself for paying more attention to her breaking heart than her surroundings, she turned to run back to the road. Her feet dug into the loose sand, making every step a chore.

  The black night became a whirlwind of sand as she was tackled and thrown to the ground.

  “Sadie.”

  Fighting with all she had, she hit, kicked and bit into whatever inch of flesh she could.

  “Sadie! You're okay. Stop it.”

  Her body tense and the need to fight immense, she continued her onslaught of punches. When her fist made contact enough to make a nauseating crunching sound, she knew she’d made a dent in her attacker’s armor.

  He slacked his hold of her and rose to his knees, but still maintained a tight enough hold of her arm to keep her from wiggling free.

  “What are you doing? Sadie, I’m trying to save you. It’s me; Ashwin.”

  She’d recognized his voice from his very first utterance of her name. Being honest with herself, she realized she’d even recognized his scent from a distance, but the need to fight him, remained.

  “I know.” Sitting up, she looked him straight in the eyes.

  “Then what are you doing? Why’d you run away?” His hand to his nose, he tried to stem the bleeding her well-aimed blow had brought on.

  “I know what you’re doing. I know what you're up to, Ashwin.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Your plan to bring me to Skars. Don’t deny it, Ashwin. I heard your friend, Mikael, say it. I heard you agree.”

  “Sadie, you…”

  “You lied to me,” she screeched, unable to contain the wealth of emotions that was quickly gaining control. “You charmed me, you lied, you pretended to care for me, seducing me, making me believe it was possible for a future for us…”

  “I do care. I care for you more than you know.”

  “Delilah has even been sending me urgent messages to run from you. Why? Why, Ashwin, would she tell me to run if you’ve no intention to harm me?”

  “Sadie, you're hysterical.” He gripped her shoulders, effectively keeping her immobile. “The run-in with Ruthless has ruffled you more than you realize. But everything is okay now. He can’t get to you.”

  “What are you?” Sadie whispered. The fight had ebbed out of her, but her breaking heart still wanted answers. Her eyes dipped to his nose. It had already healed, quickly, even for a vampire.

  “I’m a vampire.”

  “You're more than just a vampire, Ashwin. I saw you. I saw the monster you became. You portray yourself as a prince, well-mannered, polite, yet…. I know there’s something you're not telling me.”

  Shifting over, Ashwin sat beside her and grasped her hand like the tender lover he’d been earlier. “I’m a warrior vampire, an Ancient vampire turned by Dracule. I became his warrior, his guard. Dracule found me dying in the battlefield.”

  “I thought you were a prince.”

  “I was, though not what you would typically expect from a Bulgarian Prince. The battlefield was where I felt the most at home. I’d led many battles, many successful battles. However, when it came to battling Dracule, I had my work cut out for me. One particular battle caught me unaware. I’d allowed my guard to falter and I paid heavily for it. Thankfully, Dracule saw the value of having me in his army rather than dead. He turned me so that I would forever serve him as his warrior. Because he was the greatest of all Ancients, the King of Vampires, his turning of me for this purpose alone left me with the ability to turn into the warrior I am today. I am Gideon, the Destroyer vampire, commander of Dracule’s army.”

  Sadie stared at him, awed by his story, but still cautious of all the power he possessed. “What about Skars? Can’t you just fight him, then? Aren’t you stronger?”

  “Unfortunately, no. Skars is an Ancient as well. Each Ancient serves a purpose for Dracule, and we are aptly named for it when we were turned. The only one stronger than all Ancients is Dracule himself.” He turned to look Sadie more directly, his hand tightening around hers. “And perhaps a few of his descendants.”

  It took a moment for his words to sink in. Was he really implying that she could be stronger than Skars? That was impossible.

  “I was weakened by Skars over a period of years. I withered away in a dungeon with no blood to drink. As an Ancient, he knew how to weaken one, and as the Ancient who turned to the Demon for power, he became fearless. He turned to the darker nature of vampires, one that wiped away all compassion, love, sympathy, and anything remotely human. Unlike me. I’ve never succumbed to the darker side. It was love and humanity that kept me sane. Only thoughts of you kept me breathing every day. I knew I had to get back to you.”

  “He has no power over you now?” His story seemed unlikely, but she wanted so badly to believe him.

  “Yes and no. At my weakest, I came to an agreement with him, much as Keegan did. I hate myself for having allowed him to win, but I needed blood and could barely think straight. He traded my eternal servitude for enough blood to save me. His power is limited, however, and my heart, my loyalty belongs to you; you and Dracule.”

  “Delilah was adamant in her warning. I was to run and escape from you.”

  He sighed and gazed out at the tranquil ocean for a moment. “She’s furious with me,” he said softly. His hand squeezed hers a brief moment before he brought her fingers to his lips. “I had strict orders never to turn you… or Alexis. It goes against everything Dracule wanted. It goes against her duty to Dracule. Delilah, Delilah,” Ashwin sighed again. “Good, passionate, yet infuriating woman.”

  “She’s always been rather protective of us.”

  “You were at death’s door.” He turned to her, his eyes brimming with tears. “Would she have preferred I sit by and watch you breathe your last breath? I loved you. I love you, and I admit my actions were completely selfish. I wanted you.”

  Releasing her hand, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. “I wanted to keep you at my side… forever.”

  A shuffling whisper in the distance came to Sadie’s ears and she wondered if Ashwin had heard it. His eyes still filled with tears, he looked into her eyes, all his love so obvious and intense. He seemed oblivious.

  Within seconds the soft shuffling sound was upon them and Ashwin was shoved, face first into the sand. A knee firmly planted between his shoulder blades, Ashwin couldn’t move as Delilah turned to Sadie with a victorious smile.

  “I thought I told you to run.”

  Chapter 15

  Stunned, Sadie just watched as Delilah controlled Ashwin, the feat made all the more impressive considering her slight frame and delicate features.

  “Delilah,” Ashwin spat slightly amused. “You are making an abominable show of your powers. Now, please get off me, my darling Mina.”

  “Either you're hard of hearing or you simply have a hard head. If I remember correctly, I distinctly and repeatedly told you to stay away from Sadie. What was it in my directives that you didn’t comprehend, dear Gideon?”

  “You’ve got it all wrong. This isn’t what you think. I was just…”

  “I’ve known you long enough to know what you were just…. Your life is full of ‘I was just….’ You’re playing the dutiful puppy to Skars and I won't have it. If that scum of a rat wants to see me, have him come str
aight out to find me instead of going through Sadie or Alexis.”

  Ashwin twisted slightly under Delilah’s weight, settling onto his back and into a more comfortable position in which to discuss the girls’ fate. “You know he wants all three of you, Delilah. And he wants you most of all. He’s never forgiven you for what you did when we were all with Dracule. Your need to protect humans… he simply won’t stand for it.”

  “I never did expect him to understand or accept what I felt I had to do. He was turned to become Agar the Gatherer. As a vampire whose main objective it is to gather as many humans as possible to either become vampires or to feed vampires, he’ll never understand where I’m coming from. He’ll never understand my need to do everything I can to stop him.”

  “An eternal battle.”

  “One I admit I’ve grown weary of fighting, but I won’t stop, not now Ashwin. This is too important.” She sat back, partially releasing him from her hold.

  “My precious Mina,” Ashwin murmured as he reached out to cup her cheek. “So beautiful, so wise and so compassionate. Remember when it was just the three of us. Mina the Protector, Skars who was Agar the Gatherer and I, Gideon the Destroyer. As Dracule’s Best, the names he bestowed upon us had meaning.”

  The strange exchange left Sadie feeling exasperated and confused. Delilah and Ashwin fought, much like rivaling brother and sister, yet they seemed to hold a certain degree of reverence and respect for one another. “Can someone tell me what’s going on here?”

  Surprising Sadie by suddenly appearing, Alexis stepped up to them, her eyes asking the very same question.

  “Yeah,” a rich male voice added. Keegan. He walked up where Sadie, Alexis, Delilah, and Ashwin were taking a step closer to the small group, but still maintaining a safe distance. He glanced briefly at Sadie, his gaze distrustful, yet concerned, before returning his gaze to the reminiscing pair. “Considering Skars is after Sadie and Alexis, I think we need to know more about you Ancients. What are you, and how do we defeat Skars?”

  Delilah’s jaw tightened as did her fist as it grabbed a handful of sand. “Now’s not the time for explanations.” Sand shifted through her fingers as she opened her hand.

  “Delilah,” Ashwin complained as he tried to wiggle out from under the weight she still maintained on his legs. “Stop being so childish. I promise to behave.”

  “Behave like what?”

  He glared at her. “Look, it’s time the girls learned the truth… about us, about Dracule… about everything.”

  Staring at him a long hard moment, Delilah seemed reluctant to agree. Yet, in the end, “Yes,” she said. “I think you're right.”

  She turned to the girls, her gaze quickly skittering over one face than another. Then she turned to Keegan.

  “Join the girls if you want to hear what I’ve got to say.”

  Looking down, he kicked the sand then reluctantly made his way to Sadie’s side.

  “I’m glad to see you're okay,” he whispered, the back of his hand lightly brushing against hers.

  “And me you,” Sadie said, her smile betraying just how happy she was to be close to him again.

  “For the time being, we only have the luxury of a few moments, so I’ll try to be brief.” Delilah got comfortable.

  “Dracule was the first undead,” she began. “We’re not sure how he was turned or when – a hundred years ago… perhaps a thousand. Regardless, he needed blood in order to survive, blood from living sources, blood with the essence of live souls. However, despite this need, he had a great love for his family and country. As a prince, he took to heart his duty to protect his people.”

  “He was one of the greatest warriors of his time,” Ashwin interjected.

  Delilah nodded. “When Romania was attacked by enemies from the south and tribes from the east, the stronghold that held back enemy invaders sought to destroy western civilization. Under the rule of Prince Dracule, Romania was the gateway that would either save or break apart civilization as we know today.”

  “As an undead, he had a great advantage,” Ashwin said, his admiration for the old ruler gleaming in his eyes. “He created an incredible army. His intention was not to brutalize his enemies, but to have mercy upon his own people.”

  “I was a warrior from the East,” Delilah said with pride. “Commander of my own tribe set to fight against Dracule.”

  Sadie and Alexis glanced at one another.

  “Don’t look so surprised,” Delilah went on. “Female warriors such as myself were not so uncommon where I’m from. From one of Dracule’s discontent tribes, I had joined the Eastern Army to fight our way into the East. I was a fearless fighter.”

  “Even before she was turned,” Ashwin added as he playfully jabbed her in the ribs with his elbow. “Her reputation was wide spread.”

  She smiled, her gaze leaving the beach sand and heading to a time long ago. “As strong as I was, I still managed to get myself stabbed. Despite the wound, I still made my way closer and closer to Dracule himself. I was virtually upon him, his death within my reach, but one of his men shot an arrow… right through me. Not trusting he’d wounded me sufficiently, he jumped off his horse and came to me, his sword high and ready to impale me, or decapitate me. I had no fight left in me. My blood was draining from the wounds I’d already suffered. If anything I may have welcomed the quick death that was upon me.”

  “What a great loss the world would have suffered had that been allowed,” Ashwin said with a cocky grin.

  “Dracule stopped him. At first I thought he simply wanted to prolong my ultimate fate. Torture, perhaps even rape me, as so many warriors were apt to do. I even came upon the thought of ending my life myself, just to deprive him of the pleasure of doing so. But weakness prevailed and I was limp and helpless when he took me into his arms, lifted me to his horse and brought me back to his tent where I was to be mended.

  “He was meticulous in his tending of me, ensuring I always had someone to inspect my wound, check my fever and give me sufficient nourishment. Despite all that, my wounds proved too much for me to overcome. I’d lost too much blood and had a series of infections. The pain was incredible and I wanted to put an end to my suffering. Dracule wouldn’t hear of it. He asked me to join him.”

  “Or die,” Ashwin added.

  “Or die,” Delilah admitted. “I loathed the idea – vampires – they were everything I’d been taught to hate, to destroy, to eliminate and yet… he offered to take me under his wing, promised vampirism wasn’t what I’d heard it was. He would teach me, guide me and show me how I could retain my humanity through it all, as long as I do not succumb to the darker nature, the Demons of the Dark. I had a warrior’s heart, he’d said, and I was a strong fighter, one of the strongest he’d ever seen.”

  “You accepted,” Sadie said with awe.

  “He named me Mina,” Delilah said as her head bobbed slowly. “It means protector.”

  “I remember reading about a Mina in Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” Sadie said softly.

  “Yes,” Delilah said through a dry chuckle. “Bram Stoker certainly did take a few liberties with the telling of Dracule’s life. Many misconceptions circulated, many theories and suppositions were fabricated and many simply invented portions of the story in order to heighten the mystique, the horror of his existence.

  “I’d met Stoker but briefly, and though I thought I’d barely made an impression on him, I was surprised to learn how he’d integrated me into Dracule’s story. Quite an imaginative man, I must say.”

  “Were you and Dracule actually lovers, then? Alexis asked, her interest in the story bringing an excited glow to her cheeks.

  “Oh,” Delilah cooed with ageless affection. “I did fall in love with him, yes. How could I not? He was not the monster the world made him out to be. He was loving and kind… generous, romantic. He was everything to me.”

  “But where did the Ancients come from,” Keegan asked. “Where does Skars fit in?”

  Delilah shook off the
reverie, though with obvious reluctance. “Yes, the Ancients.” Passing her hand through her hair, she glanced at Ashwin before continuing. “Years later another battle ensued. This time it was a handsome young Bulgarian Prince, fierce, yet delicate, who caught Dracule’s eye. While it was his handsome features that so attracted many of the women in Dracule’s kingdom, it was his bravery in battle that appealed to Dracule.

  “I never knew you considered me so handsome, Delilah,” Ashwin smiled.

  “Oh, please.” Delilah shot an annoyed gaze at the stars then glanced at the girls a moment as she yawned and gestured towards Ashwin with her head. “I was young, naïve, innocent and probably a little short-sighted. I thought every young man was handsome.”

  “Don’t try to deny it now,” Ashwin said.

  “Can we stray away from your ego a moment and return to the story at hand?”

  Ashwin grinned.

  “Despite his looks, he found himself fatally wounded and was turned by Dracule. Having single-handedly destroyed hundreds of Dracule’s strongest fighters, he was named the young prince, Gideon the Destroyer. Of course, you girls got to know the more charming side of him, the Lord Ashwin side of him.”

  “And Skars?” Keegan asked with impatience.

  “Skars was the last one Dracule added to his army before he died. Just a bit younger than Ashwin, he was the youngest among us. But Dracule may have been mistaken in turning him. It was a mercy turning, if you will. Skars was young and striking with his flash of blond hair and eyes that whispered of innocence despite his mercilessness on the battlefield. Right from the start, we realized he was a dissenter and power-hungry. Skars had done everything to bring Dracule down. He’d gathered a number of tribes to come together to battle against the Romanian prince. The fact that Dracule turned him, saved his life, did little to diminish the animosity Skars felt for him.”

  “Skars has always had an endless hunger for power,” Ashwin added. “He wanted Dracule to build a larger army, not to protect the people, but to rule over all vampires. Already at that time, rogue vampires were indiscriminately turning others. Vampire tribes were growing and Skars wanted to harness all the power they could bring him.”