Misty Read online

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I have a more comfortable ride for you.” He helped her down and into the grey Cadillac sitting behind the truck. There was a guy standing there who had a glazed look on his face. They got in the car and the guy got in the back seat, going to sleep.

  He drove fast. “They are only a short distance ahead. They expect the truck to be behind so they will wait at the next rest area.”

  “Rad, let them go—we are free. Just go home.” She knew she had a catch in her throat as she pleaded.

  He did not waste the time to even answer her. The strong vehicle ate up the miles as Rad pushed the gas pedal to the floor. He stayed to the inside lane, riding bumpers to force slower cars to move over so that he could move up on the team he was following. She was sitting down in the seat, watching him and not paying attention to what was going on to the traffic they were flying past, when she felt the warning and glanced out at a black car with tinted windows. “Rad, that car had Vampires in it.”

  He looked at her and slowed down. “Which car?”

  She looked out the back window. “The black one about four cars back.”

  He swung over into the outside lane ahead of the next car. “Do you feel any others?”

  She looked around but didn’t feel anything. “No. There are just the ones several cars behind us.”

  He slowed down and the car behind pulled around and the next behind pulled around also. He moved with the traffic, keeping the black car in his rear view mirror for a couple of miles. “Crawl in back and put the guy into seat belts.”

  She looked at him but unhooked her belt, sliding over the seat. The large sedan had plenty of room in the back seat. She left the sleeping man lying down, fastened a seat belt under his arm and over his chest then hooked another one over his knees. She crawled back into the front seat and hooked her belt, tight.

  He had been tracking the black car in his rear view mirror. Both cars were traveling at seventy miles an hour. He reached over yanked her belt tight to a point that actually hurt, but before she could complain he had jammed his foot and full weight on the brakes. The braking system of the Cadillac kept it straight on the road. Even with the quick response of Vampires, the other driver must have been taken by surprise and could not prevent the collision. The black car crumpled deeply into the trunk of the large heavy Cadillac.

  Both cars sheared sideways, slid apart and skidded down a steep embankment on the side of the road. Before the cars had stopped moving, Rad was out of the car. This was when she noticed that he did not have his seat belt fastened. She decided you couldn’t tell a Vampire he was an idiot.

  She unfastened her belt and twisted in the sloped car, looking out the back shattered window, trying to see Rad. She saw him standing on the ruined hood of the black car. He had a Vampire dangling off the ground. She felt there had been two in the car and she didn’t see the second one, but Rad did not seem worried. It looked like he was asking questions of the guy struggling. She saw the small silver knife that had been in Rad’s boot as it cut a slice down the side of the face of the Vampire in Rad’s grip.

  She saw the man shudder, saying something as Rad plunged the small knife into his eye causing the man to turn to dust. She gagged and tried to open the door, knowing she was going to throw up. The door finally opened so she just leaned out and lost everything in her stomach. By this time Rad was back.

  “Are you okay? Were you hurt in the crash?” He was concerned and came around to her side of the car. He helped her out.

  She stood on shaky legs and leaned on him. He just reached down, picked her up and carried her to the road. By this time several cars had pulled over because of the accident. He looked and saw one man in a SUV that would do very well. As the man from the SUV came over he looked at Rad and he just sat down in the grass.

  “We are okay, help that man,” he shouted to some of the people. Someone said they had already called for help. He took Misty to the SUV and put her in the passenger seat. He went back, wiped out some memories on the man, and left him unconscious with another man holding him.

  The keys were still in the SUV so they were on the road quickly, leaving the tangle of cars behind.

  “Rad, you have killed your own kind.” She did not look at him.

  There was a long silence. Finally he glanced over at her, answering her even though she had not asked a question. “You are telling me man does not kill man, that since he first picked up a club, he did not use it on his neighbor? Are they not shooting at other men in Afghanistan or Iraq? I am an enforcer. That means at times I am paid to go out and kill a rogue. Yes, I kill my own kind. But from now on it will be different. I am resigning. I just need to settle with Vasa.”

  She waited a moment or two and added. “Please don’t do this for me, if that is the reason.”

  He looked over and sighed and looked back at the road. “They have Alex.”

  “Oh shit, Rad. Do they have one of those things in him?” She thought of the beautiful blond tall body, helpless with the silver barb in his chest.

  “That, and maybe worse, plus he isn’t as strong as I am. They are able to do things to him they couldn’t do to me, all because he was loyal to me. This is a debt to be paid, fully.” His voice was a growl and he almost bent the steering wheel.

  She shuddered. “Did the man back there tell you where he is at?”

  “Yes, they took him to New Orleans. They weren’t sure they could catch me, and they felt I would return to my home. They are in one of the old hotels in the city. We are going to ignore them on the road and head straight home. I want you to rest. You are weak because I took blood. I may need more. I want you safe, but I am sorry, I need to keep you with me.” He looked at her for only a second with concern.

  She stared at him, seeing the warrior, the enforcer. “I want to be with you. I couldn’t rest not knowing what was going on. Besides, there might be something I could do. I need to be by your side.” She started braiding her hair into one long braid. She looked over expecting some type of argument but instead she saw him smiling at her as he looked between her and the road.

  “What?” She kept her hands behind her head as she finished the braid, tiny wisps of curls still tickling her face and ears.

  “You are perfect,” he said in a different tone than she had heard before. Not the velvet tone to seduce, not the rasp of anger, something else. She decided to wait for this to be all over to go into the meaning of that short sentence.

  She did know that she was hungry, but she did not want him so stop. She unfastened her seat belt and looked in to the back of the SUV. The back seats were folded down and it was packed full of camping equipment. Good, that meant there should be a cooler and maybe trail food. She scooted between the two front seats and sat cross-legged, pushing items aside until she found the cooler. She also found two bags of food. She opened the cooler and pulled out a bottle of Gatorade in a color she was not familiar with, but she figured Gatorade was good for her. She also pulled out a small carton of milk. In the bags she found trail bars, trail mix, candy and sealed muffins.

  She crawled back over with her hoard and piled it on the wide center panel. She set the liquid in the cup holders, strapped herself in and began to tear plastic with her teeth and munch away on muffins and trail mix. She washed it down with green Gatorade alternating with gulps of milk. After about 10 minutes of munching loudly she glanced up to see him looking over at her between the road ahead. He was smiling that crooked smile in a very wide way.

  “Now what?” She looked at him as she held a muffin in one hand and milk in the other. He reached over and picked a piece of muffin off her cheek. Looking back at the road, he surprised her and put the piece in his mouth, swallowing it.

  “As I said, you are perfect.” He actually smiled a little more.

  “Rad, we need to talk about me and where I go after this.” She talked around her food.

  He turned the damn heavy metal music up higher and pushed the speedometer
over one hundred. She first wondered why the cops didn’t pick him up but thought about it. Either they didn’t see him, or if they did, he put a thought in their mind to forget him. His reflexes were so fast that going this speed in an auto was nothing.

  She ate enough to feel comfortable, not wanting to upset her system after losing some back on the roadside. She cleaned up her mess, put everything into a plastic bag and set it behind the seats. She tightened her seat belt, let the back of the seat down a little and settled into a comfortable position. She tried to pull her jeans down a little, as they were rubbing in an area that was getting her attention. He looked over and smiled but this time it looked a little bit wicked. Life had changed for her and she was not sure that she wanted to think about tomorrow. She was just trying to get through today, and she knew that wicked smile of his was a recognition of why she had shifted.

  Eventually she did sleep. When she woke they were pulling in for gas. Her internal clock was all messed up—she wasn’t even sure how far they had driven or how far they were from Rad’s home.

  Rad filled the tank and moved to get back on the highway but she stopped him. Evidently he felt she could get enough to eat from the camping food and wanted to stay on the move. She did not complain but she needed to use a bathroom. He pulled around next to the outside bathrooms and kept the car running. She stepped out, used the facility as fast as possible, jumped back in the vehicle, belted and he was moving.

  She was not sure about the route, but evidently I-10 ran by New Orleans on its way to the Atlantic coast. The route was showing more green signs with town names on them. All the towns and cities were south with large routes crossing going north. They drove until the sun finally set behind them and she saw lights. I-10 started dipping south with the scenery full of heavy pine forests covered with long drapes of moss, low bogs, and marshes. There was a glimpse of a large waterway.

  “What is that?” She pointed to the north.

  “Lake Pontchartrain,” he answered without looking.

  The traffic was getting heavy with lots of big rigs, trucks and out of state license plates. They were in the city. The Interstate highway obviously was built to run directly through the city. Rad took one of the turnoffs and the traffic was now heavier, with a wait at each light.

  Turning, they entered a quieter street that was overhung with giant old trees dripping moss. The old homes were set back farther, with numerous bushes and flowers scattered over nice lawns. Evidently this area had not been flooded by Katrina. Finally another turn, and a narrow street with old fashioned lights left a dark secret feeling about the large homes set far apart.

  It was hard to see the large homes, set back behind heavy walls and large lawns with lots of old trees and not many lights. He finally turned into a drive and pulled up to a covered side entry.

  “Is this your home?” She looked at the dark big old house.

  “No, this belongs to a friend. They will be watching my home, so I want to gather a couple of friends to go save Alex. Stay here while I go in—I don’t want to expose you to anything unusual. Never know what Adal is up to.” He moved as a blur, out of the car and around the house. She supposed he was inside but still didn’t see any lights. She was nervous and unfastened her belt. She finished her water as she looked around. After a half hour she opened the car door but did not get out. Finally she saw Rad come out of the house.

  She stood up and went to him. She followed him as he took her into the old mansion. Inside, the house was lit by low lights thoughout the rooms. She looked at the windows and realized that under the beautiful lace curtains were black-out drapes covering each glass. The rooms were full of antiques that had a high luster on them, from loving hands polishing and protecting.

  A lovely blond woman was sitting on one end of a large couch with a tea service in front of her.

  “Misty, this is a friend of mine, Adalbjorg.” There was respect in Rad’s tone.

  The woman smiled and spoke with a voice like a song. “Please, just call me Adal.”

  Misty smiled. “Your home is gorgeous. Thank you for inviting me in.”

  Adal got up and came around the low table and took Misty’s hand. “You look like you would enjoy a hot bath and some clean clothes.”

  Misty could have hugged her. “You know that sounds like the best thing in the world. It has been too long since I had a real bath.” She looked over at Rad but he was stepping forward and taking her hand out of Adal’s grip.

  Adal sighed and signaled. Someone came in behind them. It was a young man, very young. He seemed to be androgynous and although he had pants on, the rest of his outfit was very feminine. He had a lot of eye makeup on and he fluttered his hands.

  “This is my servant Greg.” Adal waved at the young man. “He will show you upstairs to a room where you can change and he will prepare a bath for you. You do not need to worry, Greg is not interested in blood and he is not interested in sex with women. Please let him take care of you.”

  Misty looked at Rad. He nodded approval, so she thanked her hostess and followed the swinging hips of the young man up a wide curving stairway. At the top he led her to a large bedroom and indicated that it was hers. He threw two large doors open to an ornate bathroom. She wondered why the extreme act—she had known gay men and did not expect the unusual flaunting. Maybe it had something to do with New Orleans.

  She walked around the room, looking at the dresser that was made to allow a person to sit down in front of a large mirror. She could hear the water running in the bath as she fingered the silver brushes, hand mirrors and combs. There were perfumes, powders, and make up, but it mostly was in small containers.

  Greg cleared his throat and she looked at him. “The bath is ready. Would you like me to help you undress?”

  “No, I don’t think so. That is something I am not used to.” Nope, that was something she usually did for herself, except maybe in the back of a big rig.

  He smiled a knowing smile. “In time.” He turned and left.

  She waited until the outer door was closed, then she stripped off her clothes. She walked into the bathroom and gratefully stepped into the sunken tub. Greg had not put bubbles in it—instead it was covered with rose petals and oil that the hot water sent in steamy waves of sweet heavy scent over her head. She found an open bowl of blue thick liquid. She dipped her fingers in and rubbed it on her arm. It was soap, such a great creamy soap as she had never imagined. She stuck a leg up and creamed the soap over it, then the other. She soaped her body, between her legs on the tender lips and nub that Rad had used so strongly. The movement of her fingers instantly brought back the memory of his mouth, causing her breast to tighten up.

  She rinsed and did not touch that area again. She took a deep breath and slid completely under the water, letting her hair float. She opened her eyes and realized someone was standing above the tub. She rose up gasping, pushing her hair out of her face.

  It was Greg, and he was holding a huge white towel. “What are you doing?” she sputtered.

  “I have towels for you, and clean clothes that the madam ordered.” He answered as if everything was normal.

  She sat in the water with her hands crossed over her breasts, but he just stood like a robot, no emotion, just holding the large towel for her. Well, the water would be cold before long and he had seen all there was to see, so she took a deep breath, stood up, and let him wrap the towel around her. All wrapped up like a mummy, she let him lead her to a mirrored table in the bath area, where he pulled a chair for her to sit down. She decided that she might as well go along with the whole thing, so she sat and he moved away, coming back with a towel that he used on her hair to start drying it.

  He worked efficiently, and she had previously had men as hair stylists—he seemed to know what he was doing. He used a blower and put an oil conditioner on his hands, working it into her hair. Next he brushed her hair until it shined.

  “You have great hair.” Greg did not smile as he spoke. He picked up a
couple of clips and lifted the sides, pulling them up to the top of the back of her head. He locked them into place, leaving her hair to cascade down her back behind her ears. She remembered getting ready to go to the restaurant with Rad a long time before. When you go out with a Vamp, you must leave your neck uncovered. It makes a statement in case any other Vampires see you. Sure, she was with a bunch of Vampires. What the hell was she thinking of—she needed a cross.

  “There are clothes laid out on your bed. I would like to help you dress, but you seem hesitant.” Greg spoke like a 1945 movie butler.

  She looked at Greg. “No thanks, I can manage. Just go ahead and leave. I will get dressed. I’ll come down when I am ready. Thank you for your help.” She sat still until he walked out and she heard the outer bedroom door close. She found on the bed a blouse, a skirt, and a pair of shoes. Her clothes were gone, no biggie. She lifted up the clothes and did not find any bra or panties. Hmmmm. The blouse was a simple dark blue sleeveless cotton that had a low round neckline in front and back.

  It fit comfortably, and the dark color would not show her nipples too sharply. She picked up the skirt. It was made of multi-layers of soft material. It was in different shades of blue and was in handkerchief style uneven hems that swirled around from her knees to her ankles. It had a tight wide waistband that wrapped around her and held the shirt down and flared the skirt out.

  She looked in the mirror. It made her look good, but it was not something that she would normally choose. Still, she was in the house of a female Vampire and they probably had a lot of strange outfits. There was a pair of black slippers with ties that laced up her legs. She tied the last lace and went out the door.

  Greg was waiting against the railing. He nodded approval and led the way down the stairs. Rad and Adal were still in the main room, but by this time there were several others. Misty knew they were also all Vampires because she felt them as she was coming down the stairs. They were all talking, but they all stopped and looked at her as she entered.