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were stuck on a hot, crowded bus for the journey to some dismal boot
camp.
But for some of them, most of them probably, tonight was their
first real taste of freedom, their first time away from the family farm,
the small town scrutiny. Fights were common, but the police paid little
attention, recognizing the futility of trying to bring order to a chaos that
would dissipate itself in a day or two anyway. And as long as the new
recruits limited themselves to pounding on each other, no one cared.
He turned away from the main boulevard, seeking the side streets,
the dark alleys where fledgling soldiers could be found sleeping or passed
out. Either way they were a quick, easy meal for a hungry vampire.
The noise of a crowd drew his attention to what should have been
a quiet side street. A rowdy group of men had gathered, shouting
encouragements and threats. Yet another fist fight, no doubt. Raj almost
80 D. B. Reynolds
turned away. There was nothing for him in these squabbles. But
something made him turn back and take a second look. It wasn t the
words the men were shouting; he could barely make those out. But the
taunts carried a raw brutality, a gutter meanness that burned against
his senses. Raj frowned, pushing his way through the crowd until he
drew close enough to see what was going on over the shoulders of
others.
He swore viciously and shoved the rest of the way forward with a
purpose, tossing bodies aside in his fury. A young woman lay at the
heart of the circle, half-naked, bloody and beaten, her latest rapist
grunting between her legs. Raj kicked out, his thick boot breaking ribs
with a resounding crunch. The man screamed as he flew through the
air, the noise cut off with a choked gurgle when he hit a nearby wall.
Raj crouched and spun, ready to fight, mouth open, fangs fully
displayed, seeing the faint gleam of blue as his Vampire-enhanced eyes
burned ice-cold with rage.
Young men who moments earlier had been full of bravado at the
prospect of raping a helpless woman fled before the wrath of Vampire.
Screams faded down the alley as they ran, trampling each other in their
hurry to escape. To one side, the injured rapist was struggling to crawl
away, whimpering wordlessly. Raj took a step forward, intending to
drain him dry, to ensure he never again brutalized a helpless woman,
but from behind him came a small, lost sound.
He turned back toward the woman. She d curled in on herself, thin
fingers struggling to pull the tatters of her clothing around her battered
body, to cover her nakedness. He whipped off his jacket and covered
her, careful not to touch her, letting her grasp the ends of the fabric to
her chest as she shook silently.
 Let me help you, child, he said softly. His voice was deep and
melodic, the same voice he used to seduce the unwary, to persuade the
unsuspecting to open their veins for him. She stilled, trembling like a
small animal beneath the gaze of a predator, refusing to look at him, as
if that would somehow save her.
 Do you have family? he asked.
She started crying then, quiet sobs that racked her entire body. Raj
wanted to reassure her, to tell her he could make it all go away. His
blood might not be as strong as that of his master, Lord Krystof, and
she was very badly injured, but he was Vampire nonetheless. And his
blood was stronger than most, strong enough to heal her injuries, strong
enough that he could wipe this night from her mind, make it as if it had
never happened. But in her present state, she wouldn t have heard
him, much less believed something so fantastic.
 Let me help you, he repeated instead. He laid a single, gentle
hand on her back, wincing as she jerked away from his touch, her cries
finally finding voice as she grew more frantic.
Rajmund 81
He sighed. The last thing she needed was a man s hands on her,
but the sun was rising and he had to get inside.  I m sorry, sweetheart,
he said. He scooped her up easily, silencing her cries with a quick,
mental jab that stole her consciousness and left her limp in his arms. It
was crude but effective, and time was running out.
As he sped down the side streets toward his hideaway, racing the
sun, he thought to wonder what he was going to do with her now that
he d saved her.
Chapter Sixteen
Buffalo, New York, present day
Raj pulled into the curb near Krystof s and turned off the engine,
climbing out of the car to lean against its warmth in the chilly, early
morning, waiting for Jozef to appear. He sometimes thought about the
men who d attacked Emelie all those years ago. They d been ordinary
men sons, fathers and brothers. Some of them had no doubt died in
the war. Others would have come home, raised families and grown
old. One way or another, they were almost certainly dead by now. Had
they ever remembered that night in the alley? Had they ever watched
their own daughters grow and been ashamed of what they d done?
There were people who called him a monster, people who would have
wiped out every vampire on Earth. But did they ever look at their own
neighbors and wonder?
He looked up as the front door opened on silent hinges. A deeper
shadow resolved into Jozef s bulk, reminding Raj that Jozef too possessed
the power to manipulate shadow if he chose. But Jozef wasn t the
assailant. Raj dismissed that idea almost as soon as it occurred. Jozef
was powerful enough, but it took intelligence and discipline to climb [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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