VAMPIRE TEMPTATION

Edited

Escape

**

Klaus pov

I press a finger to my lips, not even daring to move.

The room I’m in is tiny and bare. If one of Elena’s people decides to come in, there is no way to hide Ruby. Well, have to fight our way out, no matter how slim our chances of success are.

The footsteps fade. I breathe again.

I quietly crouch down next to the weapons. They look like ordinary weapons-a gun, a knife, a couple of throwing stars. But they’re not ordinary.

They glow red, a sign that they’ve been enchanted by witches specifically to hurt and kill vampires.

I arm myself, handing the spare knife to Ruby. She takes it without protest. She tilts her head to the door, her eyebrows raised in question.

“They’re gone for now. We can talk, but quietly.”

“There’s not much else to say, at least for now.”

Katherine said she’s going to blow up an empty building when they’re ready to move from her side. Judging by the layout of this place, I think our best bet is to shoot through the door, then go through the window at the end of the corridor outside.

I don’t remember much from when I was dragged in here, so I’ll have to take Ruby’s word for it. I still can’t believe she’s actually here.

“You should never have come,” I murmur, pulling her close.

She melts into me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

“Like I would ever just leave you here.”

The likelihood of both of us making it out of here alive is slim. I know that if I don’t tell her how I feel now, I’ll regret it for all the endless centuries ahead.

The last time I uttered the words to anyone, they died.

But I didn’t regret telling them. I only regretted not protecting them.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She says it easily, but with a warmth and conviction in her voice that tells me, she’s telling the truth without even having to read her thoughts.

We stand like that, soaking in the comfort of each other’s presence.

An explosion somewhere out of sight makes the ground shake.

Ruby and I break apart.

It’s the signal.

I grab my gun and aim. The lock shatters. It wasn’t made to be impervious to spelled bullets.

I hold Ruby’s hand tightly as I pull her into the corridor. There is one vampire there, who I shoot in the shoulder. He passes out at once.

The window doesn’t have bars on it, at least, but it is locked.

I shoot the latch and pull it open.

“Come here, quickly.”

Ruby lets me boost her up and she scrambles out. I leap after her, picking her up and breaking into a run.

I make a wide circle around Elena’s coven, heading in the direction of the explosion.

This all feels too easy.

A building is in shambles.

Standing just outside it is Amelia, with Mia. They probably have Amelia here in case I need emergency feeding, but Ruby has restored me.

My heart is swelling with relief as I put Ruby down on her feet.

She collapses, shaking violently.

Ruby?

At first, I think that she’s just shaken from the run, but it’s more than that. She’s convulsing.

“Move, Klaus.” Amelia gently pushes me aside and examines Emi.

What’s wrong with her?” I demand.

Amelia doesn’t answer as she runs her hands down Serena’s body, apparently searching. for something.

“We need to get her back to the coven.”

“Why didn’t you bring your medical supplies here!”

I brought everything I thought I’d need,” Amelia tells me calmly. “This is – I don’t want to say too soon. Let’s go.”

I scoop Serena up in my arms and follow Amelia and Mai to a car.

Mai drives, speeding so fast that Ruby and I are periodically thrown against the car. doors, but I don’t complain.

**

Klaus pov

We get to the office, and I lay Ruby down on a table. Amelia hurries to her office and comes back with a portable X-ray machine.

“What do you need that”

“Move back.”

I want to snap at her, but I’m not a healer, and I don’t dare get in the way of anything that might get in the way of helping Klaus.

I pull Amelia a few steps back with me.

We wait as the X-ray machine buzzes.

Finally, something appears on the accompanying screen. It seems to be a scan of Ruby’s ribs. At a glance, none of them look to be broken.

“What’s the problem?” I demand. Amelia sways and grabs onto the desk for support.

“That.” She points out a small spot right by Ruby’s heart.

“What is it?”

It’s some kind of chip. Probably for tracking- you know that some covens track their feeder humans. I didn’t realize that they had gotten more ambitious, though. This one seems to be causing her seizure.”

“WELL GET IT OUT!”

I don’t have a lot of medical knowledge, but I do know that prolonged seizures can cause brain damage. I flex my fingers, resisting the urge to try to tear that thing out of Ruby with my bare hands.

“There’s no time for surgery right now it’ll take too long. We need to disable it.”

Disable. Yes.

Mia, go to the weapons room. Get the EMP

Mia dashes into the armory and is back moments later.

We don’t have time to try to protect the office equipment, but that’s the last of my worries right now. I tear the safety off and activate the device.

We all flinch as a shockwave goes out in a huge circle. Every computer screen goes black.

Ruby stops shaking.

I force myself to keep quiet as Mia examines her, but then Ruby moans, her head turning from side to side.

“Klaus?”

I step forward, gently moving Mia aside. I’m here.”

What happened?

“You have a chip in you – something Elena’s people must have injected when they captured you.”

Ruby groans.

“They knocked me out. They must have done it when I was unconscious. Is it out?”

“Not yet, but it’s dead. We used an EMP on it.”

“I should give it another scan, just to be safe. A close-up, this time.”

“Let her rest, Mia! She’s just woken up.’ I can see from the way Ruby moves that she’s in pain. Having a seizure for as long as she did can’t have been fun.

“I’ll be quick,” Mia promises.

She sets up a different scanner this time. I’m not really worried. The EMP will have destroyed the chip. Now it’s just a matter of having a surgeon remove it at their leisure.

“Klaus, you should see this.”

I reluctantly let go of Ruby’s hand and go to the screen Mia is staring at.

“The EMP dislodged it?” I guess.

“No, I don’t think so. I-”

Mia breaks off, and I don’t need to ask why.

That chip just moved.

It was only a tiny bit, and a human may have missed it, but it’s obvious to vampire’s eyes.

How can it do that? I thought the EMP killed it? EMPs are supposed to kill anything electric!

It must have some kind of shielding for electrical interference. It’s obviously damaged, but it seems to be repairing itself.”

“Can human technology do that?”

“Mia and I share a dark look. “I don’t know. You don’t think…?”

I don’t have an answer for her.

Would Elena be reckless enough to make a deal with witches? Magic can certainly do things that technology wouldn’t be able to accomplish alone.

“Get it out!” Ruby hisses, pushing herself up on an elbow. “If it’s repairing itself, then get it out of me before it goes on the attack again.

“Agreed. How Elena did it doesn’t matter. We just need to remove it. Lie back, Ruby. We don’t have time to go to a surgeon, but it’s shallow enough that I should be able to cut it out with local anesthetic.”

I don’t like that idea at all, but I don’t have another to offer up in its place. I settle for holding Ruby’s hand again.

The elevator opens, and the covens start coming in, both mine and Katherine’s.

I force myself away from Ruby for a few minutes, smiling and shaking hands, thanking the people I owe my life to.

What’s wrong?” Katherine may not be able to read my thoughts, but she’s gotten pretty good at reading my expression.

It’s Ruby. Elena put a chip inside her. I think it might kill her if we don’t get it out.”

Katherine follows me back to the desk where Mia is injecting an anesthetic into Ruby’s chest.

Can you feel that?” She pokes Ruby with a scalpel.

“No, it’s numb. Just get that thing out of me.” I can see that Ruby is close to panicking. I would be too if I had a chip inside me.

She can’t panic now, though, or she could end up really hurting herself.

I look into her wide eyes, willing her to remain calm.

Her breathing increases and she starts to shake…