"You're burning my skin, you bastard!" Corky Courrant screeched as Yuri looped silver rope around her wrists.
The other woman whimpered as she was tied up.
Stone Cauffyn looked curiously at his ropes. "I say, what do you expect to gain from this?"
Jedrek sneered. "The world. With the Stay-Awake drug, I can rule the vampire world."
Stone gave him a bland look. "No such drug exists."
"Of course it does. Ian MacPhie took it. That's how he aged." Jedrek moved behind Corky and slid his hand around her neck. "I have you to thank, Ms. Courrant. You're the one who brought him to my attention."
Corky's eyes widened as his hand tightened. "If I helped you, then why don't you let me go?"
Jedrek tilted her head back to force her to look at him. "I enjoy watching blondes die. Isn't that so, Nadia?"
The camera swerved to a small brunette standing next to Stone. "It pleases the master when I kill a blonde," she whispered.
"You can't kill me!" Corky screamed. "I have fans." She glanced at the captured woman beside her. "Kill Tiffany. She's blonde. And she slept with my boyfriend."
"No!" Tiffany squealed. "I'm too young to die. And too pretty."
"Pretty?" Corky snorted. "Men just tell you that so you'll sleep with them."
"That's not true. I've been told I'm pretty by hundreds of men."
"And how many of those men did you sleep with?" Corky snarled.
Tiffany's eyes widened.
"Enough!" Jedrek rolled his eyes. "Gag them, Yuri, before I kill them now."
Yuri plastered a strip of duct tape over Tiffany's mouth.
Corky struggled with her ropes. "You can't kill me! I'm entertaining. Kill Stone! He's as boring as hell."
"Why, I say—" Stone stammered. "That seems uncalled for. I happen to find myself somewhat interesting."
Jedrek held Corky's head still while Yuri stuck duct tape across her mouth. Then he turned to inspect Stone, who stared blankly back at him. "What do you do?"
Stone blinked. "I read the news."
Jedrek strolled toward him. "And?"
"I have…nice hair."
Jedrek rolled his eyes. "This man is boring. I can't even sense any fear from him. Let him go."
Stone looked mildly surprised. "I must say, that is rather good news."
Nadia untied the silver ropes binding him and led him to the door. Corky tried to trip him as he passed by.
Jedrek paced in front of the two blonde hostages. "Now the question is which one of you shall I kill first? Or perhaps Ian MacPhie will come to save you."
Corky and Tiffany strained against their ropes.
Jedrek smiled. "That's it. Show me your fear. Let it ooze from your pores so I can revel in the smell." His gaze lowered to Corky's overly abundant breasts. "We'll need an extra long stake for this one."
Yuri chuckled. "Yes, Master."
Corky's scream was muffled and desperate.
Jedrek inhaled deeply. "Ah, the smell of fear." He turned to the camera. "Are you afraid, MacPhie? Are you going to let these women die so the entire Vamp world will remember you as a coward?"
"Go to hell," Ian muttered.
"I'm done," Gregori announced. He'd drawn a detailed schematic of DVN at vampire speed.
Phineas and Dougal whooshed into the room, their arms piled high with weapons. They set them down on the floor.
"Howard and Carlos, arm yourselves and get going," Ian ordered.
As the two mortal men grabbed swords, stakes, and daggers, Toni looked at Ian. Did he have other plans for her, or was he trying to completely leave her out? "Ian?"
His eyes met hers. "Can ye stay here?"
She shook her head. "For better or for worse. I'm with you."
A pained look crossed his face. "All right. Go with Howard."
She quickly gathered some weapons.
"Find a dark, secluded place nearby," Ian said. "Then call us, and we'll teleport. We'll have a plan by then."
"Okay." Howard motioned to Carlos and Toni. "Let's go."
On the way to DVN, Howard drove like a madman. "Don't get into a battle with a vampire, Toni. They're too fast and strong. They'll use mind control to freeze you."
"I understand." She couldn't compete with them. The vampires would always be superior. Even Howard and Carlos had abilities that she would never possess.
Howard drove onto the Brooklyn Bridge. "Carlos, if they try to take over your mind, shift. They can't control us when we're in animal form."
"I'll be ready for them," Carlos said.
Toni turned to look at Carlos in the backseat. "Be careful," she whispered.
"You, too, menina." Carlos winked.
Toni nervously fingered the wooden stakes in her lap. "I wonder how many men Jedrek has."
"Well, he had two men and a woman in the studio with him," Howard said. "And at last count, the Russian coven was down to about a dozen."
"So there could be ten more scattered about the building," Carlos concluded.
Toni mentally counted their number. Three mortals and six Vamps. Ian, Phineas, Dougal, Zoltan, Jack, and Gregori.
Howard parked in a dark alley next to the DVN parking lot. They immediately called the townhouse, and within seconds, the six Vamps were there, fully armed. Moonlight gleamed off their swords and daggers. Ian explained the plan. All the men nodded, but Toni shook her head.
"No, Ian. It's too dangerous for you."
"I'm the one he wants. This is the best way."
"Shhh." Phineas held up a hand. "Someone's coming."
The men spread out in the alley, and soon Toni heard a yelp.
"I say, there's no need for violence."
Toni blinked. It was Stone Cauffyn.
"What are ye doing here?" Ian demanded as Phineas dragged the newscaster forward.
"Are you the good guys?" Stone asked. "I was hoping you'd come. I want to help." He patted his perfect hair. "I want a piece of the action because I'm not boring!"
"Shhh." Ian hushed him. "Can ye wield a sword?"
"No, but I'm real good with a hairbrush. Oh, and I know where there's a secret entrance. Will that help?"
"Yes. Ye'll take the mortals in through the secret entrance," Ian ordered. "Gregori, go with them. The rest of you, ye know what to do. Let's go." He strode toward the end of the alley.
Toni ran to join him. "Ian, please don't do this. There has to be a better way."
"I've weighed the options, Toni. If we attack, Jedrek will kill the hostages. This way, he'll think he's won, and he'll be easier to defeat." He gave her a worried look. "If I begged you to stay here in the alley, would ye do it?"
"You know I can't. I have to be there for you."
Ian sighed. "Doona try to take on a Malcontent."
"Yeah, yeah, the vampires are superior. I've heard it before. I'm not good enough."
Ian stopped and took her hand. "No one is more valuable to me than you. Doona blame me for being terrified for yer safety."
"I feel the same way about you."
"I'll be fine. Trust me." He kissed her brow, then skirted the alley wall to enter the DVN parking lot.
Toni said a silent prayer for him. Hot tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away. No time for that now.
Phineas, Dougal, Zoltan, and Jack moved stealthily into the parking lot, keeping themselves hidden, while Ian strode straight to the entrance door.
"Let's go." Howard motioned for her, Carlos, Gregori, and Stone to follow him. They crept along the back of the DVN parking lot, staying in the shadow. They stopped behind two large cars to watch.
Ian approached the entrance, where two Malcontent guards pointed their rifles at him. He raised his hands. "I'm Ian MacPhie. I've brought the drug for Jedrek."
One guard held his rifle on Ian while the other patted him down. "No weapons."
"What about his purse?" The Malcontent pointed his rifle at the leather pouch in front of Ian's kilt.
"It's a sporran." Ian opened it and showed them the vial of greenish liquid. "I'm to deliver this personally."