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Roman continued toward him and I strode to his side, determined to stop him. But then something caught my attention. The girl. She didn’t look so much terrified as triumphant. And then, she smiled, just enough, and I saw the fangs descending.
“Fuck, she’s a vampire!”
“Don’t ever question my methods again,” Roman said as he fel on the pair. I joined him, yanking the girl out of Terrance’s arms. Terrance tried to get away—he was so close to the door he could almost touch it—but then Roman caught hold of his head and yanked it back by the hair. Terrance fought, but Roman sank his teeth into the albino flesh and drank deep.
At first, Terrance moaned, but then, as Roman drank deeper and deeper, Terrance screamed, thrashing to get away.
The girl I was holding struggled, but her strength was spare against my own. She looked up at me and a mixture of feelings washed through her eyes. She looked back at Terrance, and a slow smile spread across her face.
“Who is he, to you?” I whispered to her.
“He sired me. He raped me, sodomized me, and then he turned me—a hundred years ago. And he’s kept me prisoner ever since. He said he always had wanted a little girl.” She blinked, and I saw the same hatred in her face that I’d felt for Dredge. My heart broke and I found myself crying bloody tears. I pul ed her into my arms and held her tight, even though she struggled against me.>“It looks like we’re here. Come, my dear. We’ve got work to do.” Roman stepped out of the limo and held out his hand. I took it and al owed him to help me out of the car. “Stay by my side, whatever you do. This is going to be bloody.”
As I stood up and looked around the parking lot, I saw four other cars pul up—al black sedans
—and out of each car stepped four vampires. Mostly men, but a few women in the mix, and they were al dressed in the same black jeans and turtlenecks as Roman, with a signature crest woven in white on their shirts. They wore black sunglasses—Ray-Bans, by my guess—and fel into two lines, standing at attention, arms crossed.
Roman turned and I saw the same crest splashed across his back, and it was easier to make out what the picture was. A pair of crossed white swords in the center of a circle. The circle rested atop the back of a mighty lion, with a chalice clasped in its paws.
“Your family crest?”
He nodded. “My crest, but the chalice indicates my lineage—that I’m a child of Blood Wyne.
And al of these”—he stopped to nod at the vampires gathering around us—“al of these are my children; I’ve sired every one of them.”
As I looked from face to face, I saw only one commonality—an unquestioning loyalty. Roman’s children were his, and his alone, and they would live or die for him depending on his whim.
The vamps fel into two lines behind us, and we headed toward the club. Security saw us—the two vamps guarding the door suddenly stood and one disappeared inside. We weren’t making a secret entrance, that was for sure.
Roman pul ed out a pair of glasses like those of his children and slid them on. “I believe we are ready.”
We paused, waiting for Roman to give the order. I was used to leading the charge when it came to fights, but I gave over to him. This was his battle—more so than mine—and it would affect every vampire in the region and would cement Roman’s authority.
Roman glanced around. “Remember, guests of the club wil be al owed to leave. If they side with Terrance, they are fair game. No mortal is to be harmed unless you have no recourse. Stun them, charm them, knock them out, but do not kil them and absolutely no drinking from anybody! We’re here to make a statement, not have a party. Understood?”
As one voice they answered. “Understood, Liege! ”
“Forward—and do not flinch.”
As Roman and I led the columns of vampires toward the building, people began spil ing out of it, running every which way. Half-dressed, some drunk, they were making sure they were out of the way. Word of our coming had spread. Relieved, I steeled myself for battle. It was good that my sisters weren’t with me, after al . Vampire against vampire caused some of the bloodiest battles around.
In the parking lot, the snow had turned to slush from the number of cars driving through, and the ridiculous image of Terrance and Roman lobbing snowbal s at one another raced through my mind. I tried to brush it away, but it kept teasing me until I let out a short laugh. Roman glanced at me. I shrugged, pressing my lips together. I wasn’t even going to bother trying to explain.
The crimson doors slammed open as we approached, and four burly vampires stepped out to block the way.
Roman straightened his shoulders, removed his glasses, and unleashed his ful glamour. He was power incarnate, glorious and godlike. His aura preceded him, weaving a spel as he stood, magnetic and al uring, commanding countless armies. He stared at the vampires standing in his way, his stature shouldering the mil ennia he’d seen. I fel under his gaze, caught in the hoarfrost and silver waves that crashed against his face.
“On behalf of the Throne of Blood, I, Roman, son of Blood Wyne, Queen of the Crimson Veil, order you to stand back and let us enter unimpeded. I give you one chance to obey.”
Two of the vampires immediately dropped to their knees, crouching as they scuttled away from the door. The other two looked terrified, but held their posts. Roman put his glasses back on and started walking toward them, and I fel into place beside him. His children had our backs.
As we came to the door, the two vamps who had not deserted their posts quivered as the son of Blood Wyne moved within arm’s reach. Roman gazed at them but did not issue another warning.
Instead, he reached out with one hand and pressed it against the nearest guard’s chest. The vampire did not move, so petrified was the look on his face.
Roman smiled, faintly, and then quick as lightning he was holding the man’s heart in his hand and the vampire stared down at his gaping chest, as if surprised to find he was no longer whole, and then a roil of smoke rose up and he turned to dust, as did the heart in Roman’s hand. The guard’s partner took one look at us and ran.
“Let him go,” Roman said. “It’s time for bigger game.”
