“They’ll be safe. I’ll watch over them.” Neona stood.
Norjee jumped up and hugged her. “Thank you, Mama!”
Her heart lurched, and she froze for a moment while the word Mama reverberated in her head. Tears sprang to her eyes.
Norjee linked arms with Xiao Fang. “Let’s go!”
“Help me carry the dishes back to the storeroom.” Neona leaned over to retrieve the bowls, but Norjee beat her to it, gathering all five bowls onto a tray, then picking it up.
With a smile, she motioned toward the narrow entrance. “This way. And be quiet so you don’t wake up the queen.”
When they dropped off the dirty dishes in the storeroom, Neona grabbed two towels, two clean sets of clothes, and some soap. The boys scampered ahead of her, following her instructions to find the pool a short way upstream. By the time she arrived, they’d already stripped and were bouncing around the pool, splashing each other.
She glanced at the burial mounds situated far up the hillside. “He’s here, Minerva. Your son is home.”
When the sun was lowering in the sky, she walked the two freshly scrubbed boys back to the cave. “You understand about tonight?”
Norjee nodded. “The queen explained it to us. You have to go fight the bad men.”
“Yes, we’ll be busy all night. Take turns watching over the eggs. The queen’s owl will be with you. And my pet leopard, Zhan. If anything happens, send them to the next valley to alert us. We’ll come immediately.”
“Xiao Fang says not to worry. We’ll be fine.” Norjee gave her a worried look. “But you might be in danger.”
She hugged him. “I’ll be fine, too. I’ll be with three vampires and three guys who shift into giant bears!”
Norjee’s eyes lit up. “This place is a lot more fun than the monastery!”
“Is everyone ready?” Angus asked.
Neona checked her weapons once again. Her sword was sheathed, her quiver was full of arrows, her bow rested on her shoulder, and her knife was strapped to her calf. Wedged under her tight sword belt was her dart gun, and the pouch nearby was stuffed full of darts. She was dressed in plain brown linen, topped with a Kevlar vest, and her hair was pulled back into a tight braid.
Angus checked his watch. “The calls will start coming in soon. We need to take out as many as possible tonight. Once Lord Liao realizes his men are disappearing, he will retaliate. That’s when the shit will hit the fan. Be prepared.”
Neona gave Zoltan a worried glance, and he smiled and squeezed her hand. It was dark, since no fires were allowed, but in the moonlight, she managed to spot Winifred with her team. She was standing close to Jin Long Wang. Their team had three werewolves. Freya was on the team that had were-tigers.
A phone buzzed, and Emma answered it. “Got it.” She hung up. “That was Russell. He’s located Liao and the major part of the army. After you’ve neutralized your target, teleport your scout back to Russell so he can follow another search party. Then we’ll start round two.”
Everyone murmured their agreement, then waited.
Next to Neona, the were-bear Jesse shifted his weight back and forth. “Come on, Jimmy, call.”
A phone buzzed, and everyone looked around.
“It’s mine,” Mikhail announced, and answered it. “Carlos? We’re ready. Keep talking.” He and another vampire grabbed hold of two shifters. Pamela took hold of Queen Nima, and the team of six teleported away.
Neona took a deep breath and sent out a silent prayer for her mother’s safe return.
Howard’s phone buzzed.
“Yes!” Jesse punched the air with his fist. “It’s Jimmy!”
Howard gave his nephew a stern look. “Don’t make a sound when we arrive.” He answered the phone, then held it out.
Dougal stepped close so he could hear Jimmy’s whispered voice. He grabbed Jesse and vanished. Zoltan held Neona tight, and everything went black.
She landed in the middle of a dark forest. Zoltan squeezed her shoulders, then let go. Dougal was close by. Jesse pretended he was going to slap hands with his twin, but they stopped with their hands an inch away and grinned at each other.
A twinge pricked at her heart. She’d had that sort of relationship with her twin.
Jack and Howard materialized beside them.
Jimmy lifted his hands, indicating with his fingers that there were eight in the search party. He pointed in their direction.
Howard motioned for Zoltan and Neona to follow him, and they veered off to the left. The rest of the team went right. Silently, they moved forward till they spotted the enemy.
The eight men were strolling along, talking with each other, totally oblivious that they were being followed. Howard took his dart gun from his belt and moved silently to the front of the search party. Zoltan positioned himself in the middle, and Neona took the rear. Hidden behind a tree, and with her heart pounding, she drew her pistol and selected a target.
On the far side, a twig snapped. The eight men stopped and looked to the right. Instantly, four of them were shot with darts. Two more jerked when Howard and Zoltan fired their guns.
Neona shot her target. He stumbled back, then shook his head and drew his sword. She quickly loaded another dart. Zoltan had warned her that some of the supersoldiers were so strong that it would take more than one dart to knock them out. The soldier lifted his sword and weaved toward her. She shot again. He swayed on his feet, dropped his sword, then fell on his face.
After all eight of the search party had fallen, the team moved in to tie up their arms and legs.
“Are you all right?” Zoltan asked Neona.
“Yes.” She reloaded her gun. “It seemed fairly easy.”
He smiled. “It’ll get harder as the night goes on and we lose the element of surprise.”
Jack and Dougal each picked up a soldier and teleported away.
Zoltan’s smile faded. “This is the part of the plan that I don’t like.”
“I’ll be fine,” Neona assured him. “I have three bears with me. And I was able to beat you, remember?”
He kissed her brow. “I’ll be back as quick as I can.” He picked up the nearest soldier and vanished.
Neona helped Howard gather swords and weapons from the downed soldiers while the twins devoured some donuts. She wondered how the other women were doing. And how the children were faring in the cave. They’d promised to keep a close watch on the eggs. She glanced at her sparkly kitty watch. After five minutes, the vampires reappeared.
“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.
Only two soldiers remained standing, but they were shooting their assault weapons in a wide circle. Neona shot one with a dart just as four more on her team shot their guns. The soldiers stopped shooting to rip out the darts, but more darts came at them. Slowly, they slumped down to the ground.
“Hurry! Get their weapons,” Howard shouted.
Zoltan teleported her down to the ground. The team rushed in to gather the weapons. As Neona approached a soldier, he grasped her ankle, yanked her off her feet, and raised his arm, his knife ready to strike. She grabbed his arm, but he was stronger than she was. Just as the knife sliced into her arm, Zoltan seized the man by the back of his neck and lifted him off the ground.
“Bastard!” Zoltan shook him.
“Take cover!” Howard shouted, and he and the were-bear twins ducked behind unconscious soldiers.
Rapid fire exploded from the ne
arby forest. The group of five had arrived. With vampire speed, Zoltan spun around, placing the soldier between him and the bullets. The soldier jerked and shuddered as bullets riddled his body.
Jack and Dougal teleported behind two of the soldiers, ripped the weapons from their hands, and manually stabbed them with a cluster of three darts. The men slumped to the ground.
Three were still shooting. Hidden behind Zoltan, Neona drew her knife and threw it at one, striking his arm so he dropped his weapon. Then she shot him with her dart gun. Meanwhile Jack and Dougal teleported behind the remaining two soldiers, disarmed them, and knocked them out.
The forest was silent for a moment before Jimmy jumped to his feet and yelled, “That was awesome!”
“I know, right?” Jesse slapped hands with his twin.
Zoltan dropped the dead soldier and helped Neona to her feet. “Are you all right?”
“You were awesome, warrior princess!” Jimmy lifted a hand, waiting for her to slap it.
She lifted her arm, and it was covered with blood.
“Shit,” Zoltan whispered. “I’ll take you to the doctor in Tiger Town.”
“It’s a small cut. I’ll be fine if you take me to the storeroom where I keep my medical supplies.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, then he glanced at the other guys. “We need to go.”
“We’ll be fine.” Howard waved him on. “Go on.”
He teleported her to the fire pit in Beyul-La, then led her inside the storeroom where she kept her medical supplies. He opened a window so the moonlight would shine in.
She gave him instructions, and he washed her arm, applied the salve, and wrapped it tight with a strip of fresh linen.
“Are you sure about this?” He gave her arm a dubious look.
“The salve works,” she assured him. “It stopped the bleeding on your wound, remember? And kept it clean.”
“But I heal during my death-sleep. You don’t.” He escorted her from the storeroom. “We could go to the next valley. Mikhail has his medical kit there.”
“I’ve been healing wounds here for close to two thousand years.”
“At least take something for the pain.” He pulled her close. “I can’t bear to think of you hurting.”