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“Sorry it took so long,” Zoltan told her. “We went to Tiger Town, but it was still dark in Japan, so they had us take the soldiers there. They want to fill up the lab there first.”
Dougal bent down to pick up another soldier. “My wife is going to be verra busy tonight.” He vanished.
Jack snorted. “He was in a hurry to get back to her.” He disappeared with another soldier.
“His wife?” Neona asked.
“Dougal is married to Leah, the doctor who’s changing the supersoldiers back to normal,” Zoltan explained.
“Before you go,” Howard said to Zoltan, “can you take our scout back to Russell? We need to line up our next target.”
Jesse jumped to his feet. “I’ll go. Jimmy’s tired.”
“Okay.” Zoltan called Russell.
“Take it easy, bro.” Jimmy slapped his twin on the back and handed him the donut box.
Zoltan vanished with Jesse, then reappeared a few seconds later so he could take another soldier.
After five more minutes, the last of the soldiers was delivered, and the Vamps teleported the team back to headquarters in Frederic’s valley.
As the teams returned from their first round, they reported to Emma how many soldiers they’d taken.
“Fifty-two!” Emma announced when everyone had returned.
After they finished congratulating each other, Neona decided this was a good time to confess what she’d been doing to Zoltan’s blood supply. She drew him aside. “I need to tell you something about your bottles of blood—”
“Oh, that reminds me,” he said. “I should teleport home and drink some more. I’m hungry again.”
She winced.
“Zoltan.” The queen approached them. “Will you teleport me to the cave? I want to check on the children.”
“Sure.” He took hold of Nima’s arm and smiled at Neona. “We’ll be back soon.”
She sighed, then wandered around the camp, checking on her friends. Lydia, Winifred, and Freya were eating some of the food that the were-tigers had cooked earlier in the day. Actually, Freddie and Freya appeared to be flirting more than eating. Tashi was sitting alone on a rock by the stream.
“Are you all right?” Neona asked as she sat next to her.
“Every now and then, I feel nauseated.” Tashi glanced over at the were-tigers. “I tried some of their food. I guess it doesn’t agree with me.”
“If you don’t feel like doing anything more tonight, I’m sure they can manage without you.”
Tashi dipped a hand in the cold water and pressed it against her brow. “I’ll be fine.”
Neona leaned close and whispered, “Could you be pregnant?”
Tashi winced. “Perhaps. I’m not sure yet.”
Neona patted her shoulder. “You’ll be a wonderful mother.”
“I hope so.” Tashi looked about, frowning. “I’m not sure what the future holds for us all.”
After a while, Zoltan reappeared with Nima, who reported that the children and eggs were fine. Neona approached Zoltan, planning to confess about the bottles, but Jesse called, and it was time to teleport.
Within a few minutes, they had nine soldiers unconscious. The Vamps teleported them to Tiger Town and took Jesse back to Russell.
“It seems too easy,” Neona said when they returned to headquarters.
“This won’t last much longer,” Zoltan warned her. “By now, Lord Liao has to know that his search parties are not reporting in.”
Emma announced that the count was now up to a hundred and three. They had managed to cut Lord Liao’s army in half.
The camp grew quiet as the teams waited for their scouts to call and round three to begin.
Neona drew Zoltan off to the shelter of the nearby forest. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”
“That you love me?”
She smiled. “I’ve already told you that.”
“Not tonight.” He pulled her behind a tree and whispered in her ear, “Are you thinking about climax number seven?”
“Are you still keeping count?”
“I promised you ten, and I always deliver.”
She stepped back. “This is important.”
“So it is about sex?”
She snorted. The man was insatiable. “I have a confession to make. About your bottles of blood.” Wincing, she steeled her nerves. “I’ve been sneaking some of our Living Water into your bottles. I’m afraid that’s why you’re hungry—”
“What?” He gave her an incredulous look. “You’ve been spiking my blood supply?”
She nodded. “It was wrong of me. I should have told you. I’ll understand if you’re angry—”
He laughed.
She blinked. “You’re not angry?”
“Sweetheart, I’ve been spiking my bottles, too. Good God, no wonder I’ve been so hungry.”
“Y-you added Living Water? Where did you get it?”
“I stole it. Sneaked into the cave and took some.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “I’ll understand if you’re angry.”
“I-I’m stunned. We’ve both been doing it?”
He gave her a curious look. “Why did you do it?”
“Why did you?”
“I asked you first.”
She sighed. “You said your seed was dead. I thought the Living Water might revive it.”
“Ah.” He reached for her. “You want to make babies.”
“Not now.” She gave him a playful shove. “What was your reason?”
“We wanted to know what happens to a vampire if he ingests the Living Water. In case Liao or Han get their hands on it, we wanted to know what to expect.”
“I see.” She tilted her head, studying him. “How do you feel?”
He shrugged. “About the same. I’m just hungry all the time.”
She nodded. “It’s only been two nights. It may take some time before the effects show up.”
Howard whistled to get their attention. “Jesse called. It’s time to move out.”
They teleported to Jesse, who indicated a party of five ahead of them and ten behind them.
“Two groups?” Howard whispered.
Jesse nodded, a panicked look on his face. “They’re armed with AK-47s.”
Neona didn’t know what that was, but from the looks on the men’s faces, it was bad news.
“These men are no’ searching for Beyul-La,” Dougal muttered. “They’re hunting us.”
Howard nodded. “The first group is bait, and when we bite, the second group will move in for the kill.”
Jesse gulped. “What do we do? Should we leave?”
Howard gave him an annoyed look.
“Oh, right.” Jesse squared his shoulders. “Let’s kick some ass.”
Zoltan gave Neona a worried look, but before he could say anything, she shook her head. “I’m staying.”
He grimaced. “We should pair up so the Vamps can teleport their partner away from the gunfire. I’ll take Neona.”
“Good plan,” Howard said. “Jimmy, stick with Jack. Jesse, go with Dougal.”
“What about you?” Jimmy asked.
“I’ll manage.” Howard patted his nephew on the back. “We should take the group of ten first.”
Everyone agreed, and they moved quietly through the forest till they caught a glimpse of the group of ten.
Neona’s breath caught. These supersoldiers were armed to the teeth. Not only swords and knives but they were also carrying the biggest rifles she’d ever seen.
“Those are automatic assault weapons,” Zoltan whispered in her ear. “Stay close to me so I can teleport you.”
She inched forward with him, keeping behind the cover of bushes and rocks. When Howard’s birdcall whistled through the air, she was behind a bush with Zoltan. All six of their team shot their dart guns. Neona hit her target, and immediately Zoltan teleported her behind a huge boulder.
Rapid fire responded. Her hands shook as she reloaded her dart gun. She’d never heard such a terrible weapon before. Zoltan fired his dart gun again, then teleported her up into a tree. With a gasp, she grabbed onto the trunk. Down below, bullets were ricocheting off the boulder. The bush she and Zoltan had hidden behind was now ripped to shreds.
