The Undead Next Door

CHAPTER 28

Jean-Luc jolted awake, coughing as something foreign slid down his throat. Someone was grasping his chin, forcing his mouth open. He shoved the hand away.

"It worked!" a woman's voice shouted.

He tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness knocked him back. Strong hands caught him. His vision was blurred with a greenish tint. A foul taste tainted his tongue. Mon Dieu, poison. He struggled to get out of bed, but his body wouldn't respond.

"'Tis all right, Jean-Luc." The strong hand moved to his shoulder. "It takes a wee moment to adjust."

He recognized Ian's voice, though the Scotsman's face was still a greenish blur. "What have you done?"

"I gave ye some of the stay-awake drug." Ian showed him the vial of green liquid. "The sun hasna set."

It was still daytime? Jean-Luc's vision cleared, and he noticed Fidelia hovering in the doorway of his bedroom. She was holding Bethany, whose face was streaked with tears. His heart plummeted. His worst fear—something had gone wrong while he'd rested powerless in his death-sleep.

"What happened?" This time his body obeyed his command to move. He slid to the edge of the bed, and realized he was still naked. "Turn the little one away."

Fidelia hugged Bethany, burying the little girl's face in her blouse, and Jean-Luc zoomed into his walk-in closet.

"Tell me what happened," he called out as he ripped the bandage off his right arm. The gunshot wound was gone. With vampire speed, he pulled on some pants and a shirt.

"I woke Ian up," Fidelia confessed. "I knew he had the drug in his purse—"

"Sporran," Ian grumbled.

"And I poured some down his throat," Fidelia continued. "I figured it couldn't hurt, you know. He was already dead. When he woke up, we came here to wake you."

"Where's Heather?" Jean-Luc stuffed his feet into socks and a pair of black boots. His chest constricted when he realized they weren't answering. He ran from the closet. "Where's Heather?"

Bethany started crying.

Fidelia's face crumpled. "Billy took her away. I think he's under Louie's control."

Jean-Luc's heart wrenched. God, no. His worst fear. But at least it was still daytime. Lui would still be dead, so Heather was safe for the moment. He grabbed his belt with the leather scabbard and buckled it around his hips. "How long ago?"

"About ten minutes." Fidelia shook her head. "I didn't know what to do. I wanted to follow them in your car, but I didn't have the keys, and I couldn't leave Bethany here alone, and Ian was dead on the floor—"

"You did right." Jean-Luc selected his best foil and slid it into the scabbard. "Where's Phil?"

"Billy shot him and stuffed him into the trunk of his car."

"All right." Jean-Luc joined Fidelia in the hallway. "Ian, if you have more of that drug, go wake up Robby and Phineas."

"Aye." Ian zoomed past them to the guardroom.

"You have to save her," Fidelia whispered.

"I will." He rested a hand on her shoulder. "You did the right thing."

Fidelia hung her head. "I messed up. I shot at Billy, but I missed."

"I want my mama," Bethany wailed.

"I'll bring her home, cherie. She'll be all right." He wished he could believe that.

Bethany wrapped her arms around his neck. When he realized she wasn't going to let go, he settled her on his right hip, opposite his scabbard.

"Come." He strode down the hall to the cellar kitchen. "You say Billy took her about ten minutes ago?"

"Yes." Fidelia followed.

"How long till sunset?" He turned into the kitchen. It was small, consisting of a fridge, a microwave, a small dishwasher, and a cabinet of glasses.

"I don't know." Fidelia paused in the doorway. "About five minutes, I guess."

"So Billy has given himself fifteen minutes to take her to Lui." Jean-Luc retrieved four bottles of synthetic blood from the fridge. "Lui's hideout could be fairly close." He set Bethany on the counter, so he could unscrew the tops off the bottles.

"I suppose." Fidelia grabbed one of the bottles to help him.

He set all four bottles in the microwave and turned it on. "Did you see which way Billy went?"

"I did!" Bethany raised her hand. "He went down the driveway."

"That's good." Jean-Luc smoothed back her strawberry-blond curls.

"They turned onto the highway, headed south," Fidelia said. "Last night I dreamed about an old stone church. I think that's where he's taking her."

"Where was it?" Jean-Luc removed a bottle from the microwave and guzzled down the warm blood.

"In the countryside." She leaned against the door-jamb, frowning. "It would be south of here." She straightened suddenly. "There's an old Spanish mission down the highway. It's only about ten minutes away."

Robby, Ian, and Phineas gathered around the doorway. They were all dressed and fully armed.

"We have a location." Jean-Luc handed them each a bottle. "A Spanish mission, ten miles south."

"Good." Robby turned to Phineas. "Ye'll stay here with the ladies."

"Oh, come on, man." Phineas grimaced. "I want some real action."

"And ye may get it if Lui comes back here for more victims," Robby muttered. "Ye could get more action here than ye can handle."

"I can do it." Phineas nodded. "Just let me at that sucker. He'll be sorry he ever messed with me."

"Phineas." Robby gave him a stern look. "If he comes here, the first thing ye do is send out a psychic message to us. We can teleport here in a second."

"Gotcha." Phineas upended his bottle of blood and gulped it down. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'll protect the women with my life."

"And I have my guns," Fidelia added. "We'll be fine."

"Let's go." Jean-Luc set his empty bottle in the sink and gathered Bethany back into his arms.They strode down the hall and up the stairs to the ground floor.

"Let's take the car." Jean-Luc stopped next to the security office.

"We could run there just as fast," Ian protested.

"Jean-Luc's right." Robby opened the door and grabbed the keys off the hook. "We need to conserve our energy."

"Can you check the sun for us?" Jean-Luc asked Fidelia.

"Sure." Fidelia ran to the window next to the front door.

"'Tis still up," Ian murmured. "I can feel it."

Fidelia peered through the blinds. "There's only a sliver left on the horizon."

"Good." Jean-Luc handed Bethany over to Phineas. "He'll take care of you till I bring your mother back."

Bethany nodded.

Jean-Luc stepped back and drew his sword. He warmed up with some thrusts and lunges. His heart pounded, but not from exercise. He couldn't allow himself to think about how frightened Heather might be. Just the thought brought bile to his throat. At least Lui was a sick enough bastard that he'd take his time with her. The stay-awake drug had given them a few precious extra minutes to prepare, and those minutes might make all the difference.

Robby emerged from the security office with an extra sword in his right hand. "We'll need to check the car for explosives. I'll look under the carriage. Ian, look under the bonnet."

"Aye." Ian tightened the straps that held the sheath and claymore on his back.

"Is it true," Robby asked, "that the sheriff tossed Phil into the trunk of his car?"

"Yes." Fidelia continued to peer out the window. "I doubt Phil can help you very much. He was shot in the leg."

Robby exchanged a look with Ian. "'Tis a full moon tonight."

Ian nodded. "Good. 'Twill give us another advantage."

"What advantage?" Jean-Luc sheathed his sword.

"The sun's down!" Fidelia threw open the door. "Go!"

"The keys!" Jean-Luc caught them, and zoomed out the door with Robby and Ian. He climbed behind the driver seat, and the second they told him it was safe, he started the engine. They jumped in, and he floored the accelerator. He turned south on the highway, then gained more speed.

After a few minutes, Robby held up a hand. "Pull over!"

"Why?" Jean-Luc veered onto the shoulder and stomped on the brakes.

"Listen," Robby whispered.

Jean-Luc heard a strange howling sound, coming from the south. "What is that?"

"Focus on it and teleport there now," Robby ordered. He and Ian wavered, then disappeared.

Jean-Luc ripped the keys from the ignition and concentrated on the sound. Everything went black.

This was no ordinary wolf. Heather had never seen one close up before, but she knew they didn't have red glowing eyes. This one had to be bigger than normal, too.

Billy lifted his pistol and took aim.

"Wait." Louie raised his hand. "We can always kill it later. I want to see if it will chew on her first."

Heather gulped. Those jaws looked incredibly strong. And the teeth—very sharp. The wolf moved toward her. She pressed back against the wall.

It was limping, favoring a back leg. The fur was matted with something dark and shiny. As the wolf limped forward, it left a bloody paw print on the stone floor.

Heather glanced at its eyes. The glow had faded, and the red was turning pale blue. It stopped in front of her and tilted its head like it was studying her. Maybe it was. The eyes looked intelligent. And somehow familiar.

It inched closer, its muzzle over her drawn-up knees.

"No," she breathed, lifting a hand to ward it off.

It leaned forward and licked her palm.

With a gasp, she closed her hand. Her mind raced. The wounded leg. The screeching sound of metal being ripped. The sniffing for bombs. The familiar eyes.

"Phil?" she whispered.

The wolf whimpered.

"Oh my God." She closed her eyes briefly against the sting of hot tears. She wasn't alone. Phil was here to protect her.

Louie sighed. "What a disappointing beast. Billy, kill it."

Billy lifted his pistol.

Phil spun around, growling. And charged.

Billy pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. He backed up, frantically pulling the trigger over and over.

Phil knocked him down and snapped his jaws on Billy's arm.

Heather grimaced. She didn't want Billy to die.

A loud howl reverberated through the room. Phil had pinned Billy to the floor and appeared to be enjoying his victory. He threw his massive head back and howled again.

"Damned creature." Louie circled the altar, unbuttoning his long black coat. "I'll take care of it myself." He whisked off his coat and tossed it on the table. It landed on Sasha.

Just then, two forms wavered before Heather's eyes and became solid. She cried with relief.

Robby already had a sword in his hand. Ian drew his claymore.

A third form appeared.

"Jean-Luc!" Heather cried.

He glanced at her. "Thank God." He drew his foil and spotted Louie by the altar. He strode toward him. "Let's finish this now."

Louie sneered. "Agreed." He vanished.

"No!" Jean-Luc shouted.

Louie suddenly appeared next to Heather. His left hand gripped her arm. Good Lord, he meant to teleport away with her!

A dagger spun through the air and sliced Louie's arm before falling on the ground. He cried out and released her.

Heather grabbed the dagger, then scooted away. It must have come from Robby or Ian. She sawed at the ropes binding her ankles.

A warm nose nuzzled her shoulder, and she jumped. "Oh, it's you." Phil sat beside her. Her personal guard was back. "Good boy."

"A sword, Robby!" Jean-Luc yelled. He dropped his foil and kicked it toward Heather, then caught the sword Robby tossed him.

Heather scrambled to get the foil, then froze when she saw Jean-Luc circling Louie. Oh God, this was it. The final showdown. Louie had a huge broadsword. No wonder Jean-Luc had discarded his foil.

Louie attacked, making a swipe that whistled past Jean-Luc's stomach.

"You missed." Jean-Luc jumped and levitated to the ceiling.

Louie levitated to meet him. Jean-Luc crashed his sword against Louie's with so much force, it caused Louie to flip over backward in the air. He banged against a rafter and fell to the floor.

Jean-Luc landed on his feet next to Louie's sprawled body. He raised his sword for the killing blow, but Louie rolled suddenly and sliced upward.

Jean-Luc jumped back. His shirt was sliced, and a thin red line crossed his pale skin. The tip of Louie's sword had left its mark.

Louie leaped to his feet, smiling. "You're pitiful. I grow tired of toying with you."

Jean-Luc attacked. The swords clashed again and again. Heather glanced at Robby and Ian. Surely they wouldn't let Louie win. Ian was hovering nearby, his claymore drawn and ready.

Robby had drawn the sword from his back. He strode over to Billy and placed a hand on Billy's brow.

Heather's gaze flitted back and forth. Her ears rang with the constant clanging of swords crashing together. Both Jean-Luc and Louie were breathing heavily now.

Billy stiffened and pulled away from Robby. He looked around and cradled his wounded arm to his chest. His eyes met Heather's. "What have I done? I'm so sorry."

"Heather, move!" Jean-Luc yelled at her.

Move where? Then she realized what he was doing. Jean-Luc was driving Louie toward her and Phil. She scrambled away, and Robby grabbed her.

Jean-Luc continued to force Louie to retreat. Phil sat still and quiet. When Louie was a few feet in front of Phil, the wolf let out a tremendous howl.

Louie jumped and glanced behind him. In that second, Jean-Luc stabbed him through the heart. Louie turned completely gray, then disintegrated into a pile of dust on the floor.

Jean-Luc stepped back, lowering his sword. He closed his eyes and let the sword clatter onto the floor. "It's done," he whispered. He turned to Heather. "We're free."

With a cry, she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. He held her tight.

"It's over," Heather whispered. "It's over."

He kissed her brow. "You're free now. You can have your old life back, if you want."

She cradled his face with her hands. "I want my new life with you."

"We can do that, too." He squeezed her tight. "It was my worst fear. I woke up to find you were in danger."

"It's all right," she whispered. "You killed him. Louie will never torture you again."

Robby walked over to retrieve his sword. "Well done, Jean-Luc."

He glanced around the chapel. "Is everyone all right?"

Sasha moaned. She struggled to sit up, but fell back onto the table.

"Sasha!" Billy ran toward her. "Thank God you're all right."

"Billy." She stretched out a hand to him. "I never meant to hurt anyone. Please believe me."

"I believe you." Billy took her hand. "He controlled me, too. It was terrible. I was fighting it, but there was nothing I could do." He kissed her hand.

"He remembers everything," Robby whispered. "I broke the hold Lui had on him, but I dinna erase his memory."

Jean-Luc nodded. "That's probably for the best. It would be difficult to explain all this."

"Sasha's lost too much blood," Heather whispered.

"We'll have Dr. Lee make another house call," Jean-Luc said. "He can give her a blood transfusion."

"She won't become a vampire?" Heather asked.

"Nay," Robby replied. "She'll be fine. Her blood wasna completely drained. I just hope Dr. Lee can remove the bullet from Phil."

Jean-Luc looked at the werewolf. "Why didn't you tell me about him?"

Robby shrugged. "'Tis a company secret."

"How many are there like him?" Heather asked.

Robby's mouth quirked. "If I told ye, it wouldna be a secret."

"He bit Billy," Heather said.

Robby's smile faded.

"Bugger," Ian whispered. He gave Billy a worried look.

"Oh no," Heather breathed. "It's contagious?"

Robby nodded. "Aye."

Heather winced. Poor Billy. She glanced at the altar. Billy was sitting on the table, holding Sasha in his arms. Well, he'd finally gotten the girl he wanted. Hopefully, Sasha wouldn't mind a boyfriend who went furry every now and then.

"I'll explain it to him later," Robby said. "Ian, go ahead and teleport them to the house. And call Dr. Lee."

"Verra well." Ian strode toward the wounded couple, and soon they all vanished.

Heather stepped back to look at Jean-Luc's wound. "You need to see Dr. Lee, too."

He shrugged. "It's just a scratch."

She snorted. "That scratch nearly gave me a heart attack. You have got to stop getting injured every night."

He grinned. "You're cute when you're bossy." He pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, "We'll have to find some new positions that won't strain my injury."

She laughed.

Robby strolled over to the table and blew out the candles. "I'll teleport back with Phil, and we'll be done." He glanced up at the choir loft. "Is there something up there? I thought I heard something."

"Probably a tiny Texan mouse." Jean-Luc nuzzled Heather's neck.

"I am a cockroach!"

Heather gasped. "Cody! I forgot he was there."

Jean-Luc frowned. "I'm tempted to leave him there."

"No," Heather protested. "He actually came in handy. Billy ran out of bullets, shooting at him. In a weird way, he saved Phil's life."

"All right. I'll remove the command." Jean-Luc walked over to the choir loft and levitated.

"Cockroach."

"Yes, Master!"

Jean-Luc hovered in the air for a few minutes. Then he sank to the floor. "It's done."

"What the hell?" Cody yelled. "How did I get here?"

Jean-Luc gathered Heather in his arms. "There will be a little girl very happy to see you."

Heather's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you."

Cody clambered down the stairs. "What the hell is going on?"

"I believe ye'll find the sheriff's car outside," Robby said. "I suggest ye take it back to town."

Cody noticed the giant wolf and backed toward the door. "You guys are crazy!" He ran from the chapel.

Robby chuckled. "Come on, Phil. Let me take ye home." He halted in midstep. "Och, ye wee beastie."

Heather grimaced. Phil had raised a leg and was dousing the pile of dust that had been Louie. "Oh, ick." How could she ever look Phil in the face again?

Phil finished, then sat on his haunches. He gave them a wolfish grin, his long tongue lolling out. With a laugh, Robby wrapped an arm around the furry beast. The two vanished.

"Our turn." Jean-Luc smoothed a hand up Heather's back. "You remember how to do this? You hold me tight."

"I remember." She wrapped her arms around his neck.

His mouth twitched. "And then you kiss me."

"Absolutely." She pressed her mouth against his and let the world fade away.