The Queen of Swords (Villainess Book 1) Page 6

  This was dangerous, part of my mind said. I would lose myself in him, indulging in every blood desire until we were both drunk on it, or dead.

  As I came down off of my high, I felt a little light in the head, almost woozy and it wasn’t from the orgasm. I nudged the vampire with my elbow, “That’s enough.” He didn’t stop, so I put both hands on my sword and rammed it backwards, into his abdomen. “That’s enough!” I snarled, and he let go. I stumbled forward, clamping a hand over the wound. As I turned back to look at him, I could see the pasty skin getting color, and the red in his eyes fading. He stumbled, and reached out a hand to steady himself against the wall, groaning.

  “Jesus, babe,” he said. “Way to leave me in a hard way.”

  I couldn’t resist checking him out, and yes, he was still hard. I won’t lie and say I didn’t want him because I did, but the hot desire which had been boiling through me a minute ago had been dimmed. Slightly. “You’re back to normal now,” I observed, modifying my voice to neutrality. “We can get out of here,” I said.

  Michael gave me a cocky grin, though he kept his hand on the wall, seeming woozy himself. “What? No time to play some more?” He leaned forward and looked at my shirt, torn open in Nosferatu’s lust, leering at me. “I can get you off again and again, gorgeous. Make you come a dozen times over.”

  I shook my head, but smiled at him, licking my lips. “Saving you for a bad day, remember?” I said. “Besides, I think there’s something else I need to get.”

  He sighed, aggressively if that was even possible. “Sure, sure,” he muttered, straightening up with some care. “What did you do to him, anyway? He’s all hot for you now.”

  “Nothing,” I said, defensively. “I fed him.”

  Both of his brows shot up, “Shit, babe. You shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Why not?” I asked, both curious and confused. “He said he needed to feed. I fed him, big deal.”

  “To change back, yeah, but he would have found someone when it got dark,” Michael said, shaking his head. “Once he’s bit you, he can always find you.” He looked me over once again, “I don’t control him when he’s out, you know. He does what he wants to do.”

  Oops, I thought, although that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, would it? Not if things panned out how I wanted them to. “I can handle myself,” I said, waving any concerns away. “We made a deal.”

  He shook his head, “I know you can, but he’s crazy. Crazy-crazy, as in not-human crazy.”

  “I’ve looked in his mind, and I like what I found there,” I said, huffing. “And you don’t tell me what to do… now let’s get the hell out of here before it gets too much darker.” He shrugged, but fell into line behind me as I climbed the stairs to the top floor. “How did you get here, anyway?”

  “I’m not sure,” he replied. “I got flashes in my head. Killing some dudes, ripping out throats, flying… and the sun. I felt the sun, came to ground here.” He shrugged, “I guess Nos took some wounds, pretty bad burns, so he healed up, but didn’t have enough juice to switch back.” He stopped in the doorway, and looked towards the sun. “I’m gonna go hit the hay, I’ll talk to you later.”

  I watched him wander down the street, then pulled out my pad and looked at the last address. Titan Industries… did I want to go back there? What else could I have left behind? Alistair had never steered me wrong, but he did have a tendency to be cryptic about details. I stood there in the sunlight, blood dripping slowly from the bite on my neck, and decided to at least have a look. They didn’t have my name or face, so it would easy to sneak in, have a peek, then sneak out. What’s the worst that could happen?

  Chapter Six

  After cleaning and bandaging my new wound, I changed clothes to something more appropriate for an infiltration. They would be on watch after the break-in, and I had no devices to stop any recordings like Harry did, so blending in was my best option. If I didn’t draw attention to myself, they would have no reason to look for me. I had a wash to color my hair dark, and I put it back in a sensible hair style instead of my normal wild look. I had a purse to go with the skirt and suit and filled it with high energy bars. I planned to use mostly telepathy to sneak in, confusing people’s perception of me. However, just in case I had to exert myself and use my teke, I wanted to make sure I had a source of fast energy so I didn’t run my body resources dry. I still didn’t feel close to a hundred percent, so ripping limbs off was definitely a last resort.

  Taking my sword with me was much trickier. It was shorter than a regular katana, true, but it was still long enough that I couldn’t just smuggle it in under a short coat. A trench coat would look out of place on this warm day, and I finally settled on strapping it to my side, starting underneath my arm and going down until the tip of the sheath peeked out from the hem of my dress. I padded my side the best I could so that I didn’t look odd or unbalanced, and when I had finished, I realized I couldn’t lower my arm all the way. If I wanted to go in armed, I’d have to put up with it. There was no way in hell I could really bend over either. Maybe this wasn’t going to work, but it was worth a try.

  Fully prepared, I took a cab near the address (and boy, didn’t the cabby laugh at me as I slid in awkwardly and had to slump on the seat to keep my body as straight as possible) and walked the rest of the way so that I could see the complex from the ground. Highly guarded to begin with, I spied where they had added more security. In theory, they wouldn’t be expecting a different approach, but rather some brute forcing themselves in. Using my telepathy, I scanned cars as they came into range, looking for someone who worked there. It took an hour, but eventually a perfect candidate came into view. I reached out and made them pull over. Once it came to a full stop, I got into the passenger seat, sliding in awkwardly as I had in the cab.

  “What?” the gentleman asked, a Dr. Stephenson, who worked down on level five where we had been. If I had left anything behind, it would either be on the top or bottom floor since those were the only places I had touched down.

  “Be calm and nothing will happen to you,” I said to him, keeping a firm grip on his mind. “What do I need to be let inside?”

  “An ID badge,” he said after a moment. He had a strong mind, and he fought my control with all that he had.

  “That’s all? How do I get into the bottom level?” I asked.

  “Pass code in elevator, ID swipe,” he said, struggling still.

  “Are there any other security issues? Are there power blocks or telepaths in the building?” I asked.

  “There are some with a psi talent,” the doctor said, gritting his teeth. I bore down with my mental might, making sure I had him under my complete control. I sent soothing vibes his way, assuring him I would not hurt him if he cooperated. He relaxed, but not much, and he didn’t trust me at all. “I don’t know if they are working tonight.”

  They didn’t have them on every shift, which was a stroke of good luck. Metas weren’t uncommon exactly, but they all had varying degrees of power and abilities, and some were more common than others. I was a decently strong telepath, and so long as I didn’t meet anyone approaching my level of expertise or strength, I should be alright for a quick scouting. I didn’t plan to steal anything, or even use the information I might glean here to my advantage. Sometimes having an innocent intent was worth more than all the psi power in the world.

  “Then let’s go,” I said. He began driving, and I sat there, looking straight ahead impassively. As we approached the gate and the security guard, I split my mental attention to make contact with the security guard’s mind. As I brushed his mind, I could feel him being alert as he was well paid and wanted to do a good job. He was proud of the work the company did. I slipped past his defenses while he was distracted checking the doctor’s badge, and just made him not see me. The guard waved us through, and Stephenson headed towards the underground garage. It was about half full, but I didn’t see or sense anyone nearby.

  “Get out,” I told him after
he parked the car and shut it off. I took the keys out of the ignition and opened my door. I walked him to the trunk, unlocked it, and pointed inside. The doctor climbed in, fuming all the while, and I sighed. “Normally, I would probably not do this, that’s true, but I don’t lie. You cooperated and now you’re safe. I’m going to put you to sleep, but you’ll wake in a few hours. Someone will come to get you. Eventually.”

  I could feel the relief pouring off of him in waves, and the fear he had kept tightly under control spiraled out of him, draining away. Sleep, I told him, and he went obediently to sleep. I reached in and took his ID badge. While he slept, I wormed the layout of the place from his unprotected mind, as well as any pass codes I might need.

  Getting in was a piece of cake. I had no troubles at all, and nor was I concerned about the company recording me on their security cameras. I would just melt away into the criminal element once I was done. As I cast my mental senses out tentatively, I encountered no other aware minds… as far as I could tell, I was the only ‘path in the building. I walked through the halls briskly, as if I had some important business. I did, I just didn’t know what it was yet. Stupid mages and their stupid… magic. I should have just given this up, and ignored what Alistair had told me.

  He’d been right about my sword, and he’d been right about Nosferatu, though. Those two thoughts kept me going.

  Once I reached the elevator, I swiped his badge down the reader. The light turned green, and in I went. I hesitated only for a moment to figure out where I should go, but really, there was only one place to go: the very bottom. If I had left anything behind, it would be there. The ride went smoothly, and when I exited the elevator, I pulled up short for a second. Evidently, I had left quite a mess behind. Blood had seeped into various nooks and crannies, making the plain hallways look like they had rusted. It’d probably take a power washer to get everything out, and they’d had more important things to worry about.

  I turned away from that and continued on. These hallways led to their labs and other… facilities. Harry’d been vague on the details, but I figured it had to be in the labs. Minds were ahead--scientists working hard at whatever; I didn’t pay attention to the scientific gobble-de-gook--and I cloaked myself from their sight with my telepathy. The ‘I’m not here, carry on’ trick was one of my best ones, and I walked through like I belonged here for benefit of the cameras. As I did, I glanced around and looked for anything which might have been even remotely considered ‘mine’. I didn’t see anything, nothing at all.

  When I reached the end of the labs, I drew up short again seeing the words ‘Containment Cells’ etched into the walls. Containment… of what? One of my greatest curses was my curiosity, and even though my instinct told me I should abandon this and walk away, I swiped the card and entered the containment section. I’d imagined a row of high tech cells, like a prison maybe. Instead, tanks were there, lining a seemingly endless room.

  Made of glass, they allowed me to see the bodies floating inside. I wandered slowly through the place looking at the various horrors within, like some sort of sci-fi freakshow. When I stretched my mind out to touch them, I realized some of them were conscious and most, if not all, were alive. Frowning deeply--I would never want to be caged like that--I wandered, looking for something… something… and then I found it, what Alistair had said I’d lost: Harry.

  The feel of his consciousness led me straight to him, trapped in a tank, naked. I stopped before it and regarded him curiously. He saw me, and though he couldn’t move or speak, I could see the desperation in his eyes. What happened? I asked him, telepathically.

  They jumped me, after you left, he sent back. Can you get me out?

  Why? I asked, meaning why should I. He took it another way, though.

  I stole something from them, and they’re trying to take it back, he sent, keeping his cool for the most part, but the sense of urgency stayed throughout his thoughts.

  What did you steal? I asked, cocking my head to the side as I studied him.

  Look, we really don’t have time for this, he sent back. Would you just get me out of here, and then I’ll tell you when we’re safe?

  I don’t want this coming back on me, I replied, still frowning. So I want to know what I’m getting into… and how much it’s worth to you.

  The sense of outrage and irritation was quickly suppressed in his thoughts. My lip curled up in a smirk. He didn’t even try the ‘after we shared what we shared’ line of bullshit, but went right into a price. Twenty.

  I think fifty would be better, I sent. And my answers. Now.

  Fine, fine, he said, and I could see his brows crease slightly--probably the only movement left him. I stole their nanotech; you saw me use it. It’s a weaponized program… too much to explain now, but suffice it to say, it’s valuable, but out of control.

  Which is why you needed whatever we stole yesterday, I finished, nodding slightly. It made sense, and I sensed truth in his thoughts. How do I get you out?

  To your left, panel… I don’t know the code, but maybe that card you have? he sent back, hopeful.

  I’ll see what I can do, I replied, and turned my attention to the panel he indicated. It was a keypad with a readout. The card I carried had no code on it, and it wasn’t like the combo was lying around somewhere. The codes I had mindjacked from Stephenson weren’t for this area. Frustrated, I looked around, and thought briefly about picking one of the scientist’s brains to get the info I needed. Breaking the connection with Harry, I mentally moved out to the labs… feeling my way around for someone who knew about this sort of thing. It was a lot harder to do without seeing them, but I could either pick their brains, or make myself invisible, not both at the same time.

  I chose to get the combination. Secreting myself in the next room over in a shadowed corner just in case someone decided to go wandering about, I concentrated on sensing the minds next door. They came into focus slowly, and I wandered through their heads looking for the lead scientist. When I found him, he was working hard on something or another, and I slowly eased into his mind like a thief opening a window in the middle of the night. I made no sudden moves as I wound myself further into his head. Even the mindblind can sense something was wrong if a telepath was too blatant about it, and this job relied on stealth not brute force. If he sensed something amiss and raised the alarm, I might end up in a tank next to Sadowski.

  Following his work-related thoughts back a bit further, I was relieved to find out he was the one who had set the code. I watched his memory of it, then withdrew just as carefully as I entered. My caution paid off; he didn’t even so much as look up. With the code firmly in mind, I moved back over to the tank where Harry was being held. Punching in the code enabled the control board. As the lights lit up, letters for acronyms stood illuminated… and I realized I had no idea what they meant. I frowned to myself, impatient with the process, and tried to reason it out as best as I could. I wasn’t a science type. I had no idea what they might have stood for, and it wasn’t like they had a code book handy. I started hitting buttons.

  The predictable result came in the form of alarms erupting. I shrugged it off until I figured out the right combination of buttons to drain the tank, then open it. Harry stood there, naked, his legs wobbling. As I watched, he crashed to the ground. “You in shape to make a quick exit?” I said, not wanting to get near him with all that gook on him. I did take the opportunity to lift my shirt up and rip my sword and sheath free from the bindings. I strapped it to my back, happy to not have to conceal it any more.

  He gave me a dirty look, but managed to stand on his own two feet. I glanced around and saw an abandoned lab coat on the back of a chair not too far away. Grabbing it, I tossed it to him and he put it on. “I can move, just give me a minute,” he said.

  I pointed at the door, “We don’t have a minute.” At a mental glance, I could tell all of the scientists and lab workers had left the room, and more ordered, guarded minds were coming in. “Guards are coming.” Cas
ting a wide net, I did my stealth trick and padded quietly to the door to wait for them. I heard Harry moving, but didn’t see where he’d gone. I drew my blade in anticipation of a fight.

  As the first one stepped through the door, I lashed out with my sword. The armor they wore had open panels on the sides, like most bulletproof armor did, and my thrust hit home. I ran him through, twisted, then yanked the sword out. It came out easily, stained with the guard’s blood. The second one hesitated, then fired blindly around the corner, but I was already moving in front of the doorway and lashing out again, driving him back. Two more of their squad were behind him, but from this angle, only the one in front could avoid friendly fire.

  My body ached from the wounds I had taken last night, but I couldn’t let up. If they got the drop on us, that would be it. I slashed with my sword, making the guard jump back, but I didn’t follow, staying in the doorway. He was about to engage me again in hand to hand, but one of his buddies behind him yelled, “John, get out of the fucking way so we can shoot!”

  I ducked back behind the corner again as John moved out of the fucking way. Gunfire filled the spot where I’d been standing, and some smacked the cover I had my back against. It was a solid wall though, concrete instead of drywall, else I’d have been paste. When Titan built this place, they’d built it to last. I didn’t see another way out, and if I showed so much as a toe, they would open fire. I had to make another way out, or at least throw them off-balance so I could attack.

  Picking up the body with my teke, I threw it at them then launched myself behind it using it as cover. I slashed at one of the guards, but only half-heartedly as I ducked behind a table for cover. Harry was right on my heels, but he plowed into them, knocking one of them over as his fists glowed with that weird energy thing of his. When the remaining two brought their guns up to shoot, I leapt forward, trying to distract them as I knew I couldn’t cross the distance in time to attack before they fired. I needn’t have worried. Harry turned like a whirlwind, faster than I could track, and his glowing fists shot out sending one gun scattering. The other fist hit the guard square in the jaw, knocking it off-kilter. The man fell back, a ragged scream ripped from him as he grabbed his face. His buddy fired, hitting Sadowski twice. Harry grunted in pain, but didn’t back down. He charged, tackling the other one to the ground. They went down in an ungainly heap as I closed the distance and stabbed down, pinning the guard’s leg to the floor as Harry beat him into an unconscious, bloody pulp.