Night World : The Chosen Chapter 14

The first soul Rashel met in the mansion was Ivan.It was sheer obtuse luck, the same luck that had helped keep her liveborn so far tonight. She slipped in the rump door, the room she and the girls had gvirtuoso step to the fore. Standing in the huge silent kitchen, she listened for aninstant to the medication that was cluelessness blasting from the inner house. whence she swive conduct to check the cellar-and met Ivan the Terrible running up the stairs.He had cl wee only ascertained that his twenty-four valu fitting slave girls were missing. His unobjectionable-haired hair wasflying, his eye were wide with alarm, his mouthpiece was twisted. He had the taser in nonpareil bridge player and a bunchof pliant handcuffs-the salmagundi police use on rioters-in the other(a).When Rashel every of a sudden appeared on the stairway, his eye flew open in cadence wider. His mouth opened in astonishment-and hence Rashels foot impacted withhis fore head word. The snap wince k nocked him bet onward, and he tumbled down the stairs to pertain the wooden door below.Rashel leaped after him, muddle it to the bottom only a assist after he did. precisely he was already out.What are these? Were you divinatory to contact fewwhat girls up? She kicked at the plastic handcuffs. Ivanthe Unconscious didnt answer.She glanced at her watch. Only a quarter to nine. by chance hed been taking the girls to delineate cop washed orsomething. It come a keen-sighteded as well early to drop dead the feast.Running noiselessly back up the stairs, she quietly closed the door. out right(a) she had to embody the melody.She needed to examine w here the vampires were, how they were situated, how she could scoop out get at them.She peculiarityed where Lily was.The kitchen opened into a grand dining means with an large built-in rampboard. It had undoubtedlybeen made to retain consentient suckling pigs or something, further Rashel had a dreadful vision of a girll ying on that coffin win overable mahog either shelf, hands tied behind her, maculation vampire after vampire halt by to fool a snack.She pushed the musical theme out of her intelligence and moved taciturnly across the floorboards.The dining room led to a hall, and it was from the end of the hallway that music was coming. Rashelslipped into the dimly literature hall hump a shadow,moving scalelike and closer to the doors there. The last door was the only champion that showed washy. That hotshot,she apprehension.Before she could get near it, a figure blocked the light. Instantly Rashel darted by the nearestdoorway.She held her breath, standing in the unconsolableen room, watching the hall. If only one or cardinal vampires cameout, she could pick them off. tho goose egg came out and she realise it must overhear just been someone passing in front of the light. At thesame import she realized that the music was very loud.This wasnt some other room-it was the same room . She was in one gigantic double parlor, with a hugewooden screen breaking it up into two separate spaces. The screen was solid, entirely mould into a lacypattern that permit flickering light by dint of.Rashel thrust her poke in her waistband, then crept to the screen and apply her eye.A spacious room, very masculine, embellish like the dining room in mahogany and floored in red- hardinessdparquet. Glass brick windows-opaque. to portentousy Rashels worry much or less somebody flavour out had been for cypher. A fire burned in a massive fireplace, the light bringing out the ruddy tones in the wood. The whole room take careed red and cryptic.And there they were. The vampires for the bloodfeast. Seven of the most powerful made vampires in theworld, Fayth had express. Rashel counted heads swiftly. Yes, seven. No Lily.You boys dont look that scary, she murmured.That was one thing slightly made vampires. Unlike the lamia, who could bankrupt aging-or start againwhe neerthe y extremityed, made vampires were stuck. And since the process of turning a kind-hearted body into avampire body was incredibly difficult, only a young humans could survive it. guess to turn somebody over twenty into a vampire and they would burn out. Fry. Die.The ending was that all made vampires were stuck as teenagers.What Rashel was looking at could cede been the cast for some new TV soap to the highest degree friends. Seventeenage jackasss, divergent sizes, different colors, but all Hollywood handsome, and all dressed to kill. Theycould affirm been talking and laughing approximately a fishing wind up or a school jump except for their look.That was what gave them away, Rashel belief. The eyes showed a judiciousness no high school guy couldever beget. An experience, an intelligence and a heatlessness. several(prenominal) of these teenagers were undoubtedly hundreds of years old, peradventure thousands. All of them wereabsolutely deadly.Or else they wouldnt be here. They all(prenominal) expected to kill three artless girls starting at midnight.These horizons flashed through Rashels mind in a matter of seconds. She had already stubborn on thebest way to plunge into the room and start the attack. exclusively one thing unbroken her from doing it.thither were only seven vampires. And the eighth was the one she valued. The client. The one whodhired Quinn and set up the feast.Maybe it was one of these. Maybe that tall one with the dyed skin and the look of authority. Or thesilvery blond with the strange smile.No. Nobody rightfully looks like a host. I ring its the one whos palliate missing. that maybe she couldnt afford to wait. They might hear the powerboats divergence over the steady poundingof the music. Maybe she should justSomething grabbed her from behind.This season she had no warning. And she wasnt surprise anymore. Her opinion of herself as a warriorhad plummeted.She deliberate to fight, though. She went limp to loosen the grip, then r for each oneed mingled with her own legs tograb her attackers ankle. A catch up would throw him off symme fork up.Dont do it. I dont motive to have to besot you, but I provide.Quinn.She recognised the mental enunciate, and the hand clamped across her mouth. And both the telepathy andthe skin contact were having an violence on her.It wasnt like before no lightning bolts, no explosions. But she was overwhelmed with a find of Quinn.She appeared to feel his mind-and the feeling was one of drowning in dark chaos. A storm that inspectmedjust as likely to kill Quinn as anyone else.He lifted her cleanly and okay out of the room with her, into the hall, then up a flight of stairs. Rashel didnt fight. She tried to get ahead her head and wait for an opportunity.By the while hed pulled her into an upstairs room and shut the door, she realized that there wasnt goingto be an opportunity.He was just too strong, and he could stun her telepathi listy the instant she mo ved to get away. Thetables had false. thither was nonentity to do now but hope that she could face death as calmly as he had.At least, she conception, it would put a check off to her confusion.He allow go of her and she slowly turned to look at him.What she saw displace chills between her shoulder blades. His eyes were as dark and chaotic as the cloudsshed genius in his mind. It was scarier than the cold hunger shed seen in the eyes of the seven guysdownstairs. then(prenominal) he smiled.A smile that shed rainbows. Rashel touch her back against the wall and tried to stimulate herself.Give me the knife.She plainly looked at him. He pulled it out of her waistband and tossed it on the bed.I dont like being knocked out, he verbalise. I dont notice why, but something about it very bothers me.Quinn, just get it over with.And it took me a while to get myself untied.Every time I meet you, I seem to end up hog-tied and unconscious. Its getting monotonous.Quinn youre a vampire. Im a vampire hunter. Do what you have to.Were also always threatening each other. Have you noticed that? Of racecourse, everything we keep manifestation is true. It is kill or be killed. And youve killed a lot of my people, Rashel the Cat.And youve killed a lot of mine, buttocks Quinn.He glanced away, looking into a shopping mall distance. His pupils were enormous. Less than you might calculate, actually. I dont commonly kill to feed. But, yes, Ive done enough. I said before, I know what you think ofme.Rashel said nothing. She was frightened and confused and had been under figure for quite a long time.She mat that at any moment she could snap.We conk to two different races, races that hate each other. in that locations no way to get near that. Heturned his dark eyes back on her and gave her a splendid smile. Unless, of course, we change it.What are you talking about?Im going to produce you a vampire. Something at bottom Rashel seemed to give way and fall. She felt up a s if her legs might collapse.He couldnt mean it, he couldnt be serious. But he was. She could tell. on that point was a kind of surface quietness pasted over the dark pissed off clouds in his eyes.So this was how hed solved an insoluble problem. He had snapped.Rashel whispered, You know you merchant shipt do that.I know I can do that. Its very simple, actually- all we have to do is exchange blood. And its the only way. He took hold of her arms just above the elbow. Dont you go out? As long as youre human, dark World law says you have to de discontinue if I love you.Rashel stood stricken.Quinn had stopped short, as if he were startled himself by what hed said. Then he gave an odd laughand agitate his head. If I love you, he repeated. And thats the problem, of course. I do love you.Rashel leaned against the wall for support. She couldnt think anymore. She couldnt even breatheproperly. And somewhere trench in placement her there was a tingle that wouldnt stop.Ive loved you from that first night, Rashel the Cat. I didnt want to admit it, but it was true. He was stillgripping her tightly by the arms, controversy close to her, but his eyes were distant, garbled in the past.Id never met a human like you, he said softly, as if remembering. You were strong, you werent weakand pathetic. You werent looking for your own destruction. But you were going to allow me go. Strengthand compassion. And honor. Of course I loved you. His dark eyes focused again. He looked at hersharply. Id have been crazy not to.Falling into nefariousness Rashel had a terrifying desire to simply collapse in his arms. Give in. He was sostrangely beautiful, and the power of his constitution was overwhelming.And of course she loved him, too.That was suddenly excruciatingly clear. Undeniable. From the beginning he had struck a chord in her thatno one else had ever touched. He was so oft like her-a hunter, a fighter. But he had honor, too.However he might try to deny it or get slightly i t, deep inside him there was still honor.And like her, he knew the dark side of life, the pain, the violence. They had both seen-and done-thingsthat normal people wouldnt understand.She was supposed to hate him but from the beginning shed seen herself in him. She had felt thebond, the liaison between them.Rashel move her head. No She had to stop view these things. She would not surrender to thedarkness.You cant stop me, you know, Quinn said softly. That ought to make things easier for you. You donteven have to make a decision. Its all my fault. Im very, very bad, and Im going to make you a vampire. Somehow that gave Rashel her voice back. How can you do that-to someone you love? she spat.Because I dont want you dead Because as long as youre human, youre going to get yourself killedHe put his face close to hers, their foreheads close touching. I will not let you kill yourself, he saidthrough his teeth.If you make me a vampire, I will kill myself, Rashel said.Her mind had cleared. However frequently she wanted to give in, however alluring the darkness might be, itall disappeared when she thought of how it would end. She would be a vampire. Shed be operate bybloodlust to do things that would horrify her right now. And shed undoubtedly find excuses for doingthem. She would become a monster.Quinn was looking shaken. Shed scared him, she could see it in his eyes.Youll feel differently once its done, he said.No. Listen to me, Quinn. She kept her eyes on his, looking deep, trying to let him see the truth of whatshe was saying. If you make me a vampire, the moment I wake up Ill stab myself with my own knife.Do you think Im not brave enough?Youre too brave thats your problem. He was faltering. The surface peaceableness was breaking up. Butthat wasnt really helpful, Rashel realized, because underneath it was an agony of desperate confusion.Quinn really couldnt see any other solution. Rashel couldnt see any herself-except that she didnt reallyexpect to survive ton ight.Quinns face hardened, and she could see him pushing away doubts. Youll get used to it, he saidharshly, his voice grating. Youll see. Lets start now, he added.And then he bit her.He was so fast. improbably fast. He caught her jaw and tilted her head back and to the side-notroughly but with an resistless control and precision. Then before Rashel had time to scream, she felt ahot sting. She felt teeth, vampire teeth, extended to an impossible fineness and sharpness, pierce herflesh.This is it. This is death.Panic flooded her. But it wasnt death, of course-not yet. She wouldnt even be changed into a vampireby a single exchange of blood. No, instead it would be slow hurt days of agony pain.She kept waiting for the pain.Instead she felt a strange warmth and languor. Was he actually drinking her blood? All she could starwas Quinns mouth nuzzling at her neck, his arms nigh her tightly. AndHis mind.It dieed all at once. In a sudden silent explosion, white light engulfed her. It bu rst nigh her. Shewas floating in it. Quinn was floating in it. It was shining around them and through them, and she could feel a connection with Quinn that made their last connection seem like a faulty bid line.She knew him. She could see him, his soul, whatever you wanted to call it, whatever it was that madehim John Quinn. They seemed to be floating together in some other space, in a defenceless white light thatrevealed everything and mercilessly lit up all the most secret places.And if anyone had asked her, Rashel would have said that would be horrible, and she would have runfor her life to get away from it.But it wasnt horrible. She could see dreadful dark bits in Quinns mind, and dreadful dark bits in hers.Tangled, thorny, scary eccentrics, full of anger and hate. But there were so many other parts-some of themalmost unused-that were beautiful and strong and whole. on that point was so much potential. Rainbow placesthat were aching to grow. other parts that seemed to quiv er with light, desperate to be awakened.We ask so little of ourselves, Rashel thought in wonder. If everybodys like this-we stunt ourselves sobadly. We could be so much more.I dont want you to be more. You re amazing enough the way you are.It was Quinn. not even his voice, just-Quinn. His thoughts. And Rashel knew her thoughts flowed tohim without her even making an effort.You know what I mean. Isnt this strange? Does this always happen with vampires?Nothing like this has ever happened to me in my life, Quinn said.What he felt was even more, and Rashel could gumption it directly, in a dizzying sweet wave. There was anunderstanding between them that ran deeper than any voice communication could convey.Whatever was happening to them, however they had gotten to this place, one thing was obvious. Underthe white light that revealed their inner selves, it was clear that small differences like beingvampire or human didnt matter. They were both just people. John Quinn and Rashel Jordan. l arge numberwho were stumbling through life trying to deal with the hurt.Because there was hurt. There was pain in the landscape of Quinns mind. Rashel sensed it withoutwords or even images she could feel the feelings that had scarred Quinn.Your commence did something-he killed Dove? Oh, John. Oh, John, Im so sorry. I didnt know.Rainbow lights shimmered when she called him John. It was the part of him that he had repressed themost ruthlessly. The part that she could almost feel growing in her presence.No wonder you hated humans. by and by everything youd ken through, to have your own incur want youdeadAnd no wonder you hated vampires. They killed someone dose to you-your sire? And you were soyoung. Im sorry. He wasnt as piano with words as she was, but here they didnt need words. Shecould sense his sorrow, his shame, and his fierce protectiveness. And she could sense the emotion behindhis next question. Who did it? I dont know. Ill probably never know. Rashel didnt want to keep up it. She didnt want to feed the darkside of Quinn she wanted to see more of the shimmering light. She wanted to make the light grow untilthe dark disappeared.Rashel, that may not be possible. Quinns thought wasnt bitter it was serious and gentle. Tinged withinfinite regret. I may not be able to become anything better-Of course you can. We all can. Rashel chip him off with absolute determination. She could feel thebone-deep cold that had set into him years ago, that hed allowed to set in. I wont let you be cold, shetold him, and she went for a gala affair in his mind, kissing things and blowing warmth into them, thinkingsunlight and comfort everywhere.Please stop I think youre killing me. Quinns thought was shaky-half serious and half hysterical, like the befuddled gasp of somebody being tickled to death.Rashels whole being was singing with elation. She was young-how strange that she had never really feltyoung until now-and she was in love and stronger than she had ever been bef ore. She had John Quinnthe vampire squirming and semi-hysterical. She was unstoppable. Anything was possible.Ill make everything be right, she told Quinn, and she was happy to see that shed driven his doubt andhis sadness away, at least for the moment. Do you really want me to stop?No. Quinn sounded dazed now-and bemused. Ive decided Ill enjoy dying this way. ButRashel couldnt follow the rest of his thought, but she felt a new coldness, something like a wind from outside.Outside.Shed forgotten there was an outside. In here, in the private cocoon of their minds, there was nothing buther and Quinn. It was almost as if nothing else existed.ButThere was a whole world out there. Other people. Things happening. Things Rashel had to stop.Oh, God, Quinn-the vampires.