Til Death (Jane #5) by Samantha Warren Read Free Book Online Page B

longed to tear his
throat out.
    Scoffing, my captor picked up the wooden
mallet again. He had already broken every finger on my right hand
and smashed it to a pulp, and he was starting to work on the left.
He advanced toward me, wiggling his eyes in an ironically seductive
manner even as he raised the torture device to bring it crashing
down.
    I closed my eyes and flinched involuntarily
as he swung it. My chair rattled and I squeaked despite myself, but
no pain blossomed up my arm like before. Opening one eye into a
slit, I looked at Raymond. He was standing there with the mallet
just above my hand, looking at the door. I couldn't see his face,
but the look on Anson's made my heart soar with hope.
    "Anson, go find out what's happening out
there." Raymond pointed the mallet toward the door before turning
back to me. The sadistic smile on his face settled back into place
as he put his hands on my arms and leaned forward. His face was a
bare inch from mine and the stench of old blood was on his breath.
"I think your knight in shining armor might be on his way, my
darling Jane."
    I coughed, spewing spittle across his cheek.
"You know, even vampires should brush their teeth on occasion."
    Snarling, he pulled back the mallet and made
to crack me across the face.
    "Stop!"
    Raymond turned to look at the door. We both
expected Felipe to be standing there, but he wasn't. Instead, Anson
stood outlined by the lights in the hall. He held the gun steady
with its nozzle pointed straight at Raymond.
    The older vampire sneered at his minion.
"What do you think you're doing? I told you to go."
    Anson shook his head. "No. I won't let you
hurt her anymore. You're done, Raymond. It's over. All of it."
    A deep cackle filled the small room. "Over?
Are you trying to tell me what to do? Oh no, I think not. You would
be dead if not for me. You would have been slaughtered by the
Council years ago. I gave you life, you ungrateful wretch. I gave
you a hope. Without me, you would be nothing."
    Raymond spit at the ground and another rumble
echoed through the air. Anson stared at Raymond, a challenge
sitting firmly on his face. Before I could even react, Raymond
spun, his vampire speed turning him almost into a blur. At the same
time the mallet connected with my skull, a small pop-pop-pop
reverberated around the room. My attacker roared, wheeling away
from me and toward the back wall.
    I turned my head in the neck clamp as well as
I could to follow his movements. He collapsed against a cabinet,
snapping the door in half and knocking it askew. His hands pressed
tightly to his chest and blood dripped through his fingers. I'd
been shot before and that was not the reaction I had. Most vampires
could fight through the pain of a small wound when their life has
been threatened.
    "What did you do to him?" I asked Anson as he
walked past.
    "Special bullets. They open when they leave
the barrel of the gun, forming a star so that they rip through
their targets. A lot harder to heal quickly. Perfect for
vampires."
    He knelt in front of Raymond, his weapon
still trained on the stunned man.
    "You..." Raymond's voice was rough with pain
and blood was dripping from his lips. "You shot me. You shot
me."
    Anson gave him a pleasant smile. "I only wish
I had done it sooner."
    The red-headed vampire leaned down to check
the wounds, keeping his gun trained on his former master. As he
pulled Raymond's hand away, I heard a muffled thump and a groan.
Anson stood up and staggered away. He hit the back wall, gripping
his side, and sank to the ground. A hole in his stomach glowed
eerily.
    "Anson!" I'm pretty sure I screamed like a
little girl before I began pulling at my restraints like a rabid
dog. "Anson!"
    Anson's head rolled slightly and he met my
eyes. His lips began to move, but no audible words came out, then
he slipped to his side and lay still even as the wound began to
bubble.
    A half cough-half laugh told me that Raymond
was still alive. I turned to look at him as he shoved