“Myron and Derrick need to be killed,” said Fred.
“I’m glad that you know the Mutagens and the vampires can get along but you’ll need the werewolves to help you battle the demons,” said Orion.
“I’m only telling you this so that you can help us defeat the demons. It’s going to take the witches as well. They don’t trust anyone but their own,” said Trinity.
An hour later, my phone chimed. I almost wept when I saw the text. There was no way I was losing the chance to get Rose Piccard to buy Leonardo and I some more time. I frowned. I had hoped it was Maximus but I still haven’t heard from him. I didn’t want to admit that I was worried that someone had gotten to him too. Our enemy was cunning and intelligent and always a step ahead of us it seemed. Tonight, I intended to rectify our odds and swing the pendulum our way. Valcrum knows we could use all the help we could get.
Hocksum Hotel
4556 Cherry Blossom Lane
Walter & Derrick will meet at 9pm
My time is running out. I don’t have much longer.
Walking into the living room I noticed them all huddled together talking. They didn’t think I had a real shot of making it with the vampire virus. I’m a warrior and all my life, I’ve had to fight, so death isn’t anything new to me. I’m prepared to lay my life down if the others are saved. This can’t be the final chapter for the vampires. We deserve a chance to live like everyone else.
“Do you know if there’s a way to cure the vampire virus,” asked Orion. He leaned against the column looking at Trinity.
“I haven’t heard of one but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Rose is his only hope right now.”
“Maximus isn’t having any luck finding the girl that could help us make the cure. We’ve got to convince Aidan to help us,” said Trinity.
“Aidan will be at the Hocksum Hotel at nine tonight protecting Derrick while he meets with Walter.”
Time seemed to fly by. We arrived at the Hocksum Hotel at seven-thirty. This place was very upscale. The only place a meeting could happen here was the large conference room in the back. The conference room had one way in and one way out. This would be tricky, but all we needed was a few minutes to convince Aidan to tell us where Rose was. How hard could that be?
Once we scoped out the place, all of us took our positions. It made sense that Aidan would be posted outside to stop any intruders before they ever reached the inside of the hotel. Fred and Orion were inside, and Trinity and I were outside waiting for them to arrive. The tall oak tree with its sturdy branches allowed us a clear view of everything up and down the street.
“Do you think Aidan will help us, or is he loyal to Derrick?” I had my doubts but what choice did I have? I didn’t know Aidan and I didn’t know Rose. Vampires and witches weren’t the best of friends.
“He’s loyal to his sister. The black limousine is slowing its speed, so this is probably Derrick. He always likes to make an entrance,” said Trinity.
The limousine stopped in front of the hotel, and the driver opened the back-passenger door. Derrick stepped out wearing a black double-breasted suit with a purple handkerchief. He walked past the driver and walked inside. A second later the driver side back door opened, and a young man stepped out.
He wore a low black hat that covered half of his face. His black slacks and teal Hawaiian shirt made him look older than he was. The outfit looked like something my grandparents would have worn to a bingo tournament. The driver touched the brim of his hat before getting in the car and driving off. Once the limousine turned the corner, Aidan walked inside the hotel.
“Why is he going inside? He can’t protect Derrick inside the building,” asked Trinity.
“You can only push people so far, and they start pushing back. He must realize that Derrick never intended for him to see his sister again. Knowing him she’s already dead.” Pulling out my phone I texted Orion. His response was a skeleton face. This didn’t have to be complicated, but Aidan killing Derrick makes this situation tricky.
Glancing up to the third floor, I saw Aidan creeping near the conference room. He pulled out a nine-millimeter pistol. He wasn’t looking around. His stride was purposeful as he walked toward the conference room.
“Let’s go, he doesn’t look like he’s doing a security sweep.” Jumping down to the ground I rushed toward the door.
“Aidan has never been the patient type,” said Trinity.
“How long has this been going on?” I ran across the street and ducked behind the pillar. Bending down I grabbed a rock and tossed it at the outside cameras.
“It’s been going on for seven years. Follow my lead and try not to get yourself killed again,” said Trinity. She walked through the door. Lifting her head, she stopped walking and smelled the air.
Following her up the stairs I saw a shadow pass near the back entrance. I elbowed Trinity and she smiled. Her face turned red and scales started replacing her skin. As her bones cracked, and she became over ten feet tall. I stepped back. So much for sneaking in and out. In a minute we would lose the element of surprise.
This looked like an assassination attempt, but by who? Soft footsteps tracked along the roof and the shingles shook underneath their weight.
A man dressed in all black crawled inside the window. I threw my knife at his head. He collapsed to the ground, and I dragged him to the storage closet. Several men burst through the window. Trinity nudged me toward the conference room with her head, as she turned around and breathed fire on the men. Their screams as she roasted them made me cringe.
Running to the conference room I stopped when Aidan stepped out from the shadows. He pointed the gun at my chest and fired. I ducked and slid toward him round kicking the gun from his hand.
“I can’t let you kill him,” said Aidan. He got to his feet wiping the blood from his mouth.
“I’m not here to kill him. Whoever he’s meeting with is trying to kill him.”
“Everyone that meets Derrick wants to kill him.”
I shrug. “I need to know where to find Rose Piccard, and you’re going to tell me.”
He ripped a nearby door off its hinges and threw it at me. I grabbed the door, but the force of the impact sent me flying into the wall. The beach painting glass shattered and the painting slipped to the floor. I blinked and he was before me stabbing me in the shoulder. The knife went through my flesh and stuck in the sheetrock of the wall.
Pain shot through my shoulder as I pulled the knife out of my flesh and pulled free from the wall. Derrick started shouting from the conference room and a series of gunshots rang out. Aidan took off rushing inside the conference room.
The conference door swung open, and ten men opened fire on Derrick. The conference room was dark and looked like a firework show.
I ran inside the conference room when the gunfire stopped. I rolled and ducked behind the table. Aidan open fire on the ten men firing at Derrick and him. He moved faster than anything I’d ever seen. Before the men could reload Aidan was firing two rounds of bullets one to the head and one to the heart.
There were only two men left. One man was hiding in the corner near the minibar, and the other was firing twelve rounds of bullets at Aidan and missing him. I fired at the man and ducked behind the table. Trinity flew through the conference door and breathed fired at the men fighting Aidan.
Derrick stood up and ran for the door. I jumped up but a bullet flew past my head and landed in the wall. Dropping to my knee I fired several shots behind me and followed Derrick. He opened the door and was stabbed in the stomach. He grunted and looked up.
A black-masked man twisted the sword and leaned forward pulling Derrick against the sword.
Aidan ‘s face turned red as he vaulted over the table. He reached for Derrick but a man burst through the window tackling him to the floor.
When the assailant pulled the sword out of Derrick’s stomach he fell to his knees and hung his head. When the man turned to look at Aidan, Derrick stood up and ripped th
e man’s head off his body. He ran toward Trinity who breathed fire at him. Derrick laughed and ran toward her. The stab wound to his chest started to immediately heal. Running I leaped over the conference chair onto the table, with my sword held high.
I leaped in the air, but strong arms knocked me to the ground. My sword slid across the floor and hit the wall. Kicking Adian off me I scrambled to get my sword. Aidan was right on my heels. I threw my sword at Derrick. It pierced his side and he fell to his knees. He ripped the sword out and jumped out of the window. Aidan tackled me and wrapped his hands around my throat, squeezing so hard that my blood pressure pounded in my head.
I swept his feet from under him and climbed on top of him punching him in the face. I yanked him up by his shirt and flung him into the wall.
Trinity transformed back into a girl. Fred and Orion rushed in. Fred took his shirt off and put it over Trinity.
“Aidan, we are here to help you. Are you so brainwashed that you don’t remember you hate Derrick?”
“I can’t forget I hate him, but I love my sister more than I hate him.”
“We can help protect your sister, but we need help,” said Trinity.
“You can’t protect her nobody can. Why did you come here?” said Aidan.
“We need to know where Rose is hiding. She’s the only person that can halt or cure the vampire virus that Derrick unleashed on the city,” said Trinity.
“I don’t care what he does to the vampires, and neither should you,” said Aidan.
“We are some of the most powerful creatures on Earth, and we will stand and fight with you,” said Orion. He moved to look Aidan in the eyes. Orion’s eyes turned light yellow and started to glow before he blinked them green again.
“What are you?” asked Adian. He squinted and leaned forward looking at Orion’s eyes changing color.
“I’m a werewolf and we are prepared to stand and fight with you if you stand with the vampires,” said Orion.
“People said werewolves went extinct thousands of years ago,” said Aidan.
“They’ve been living among you the whole time. There’s a bigger threat than Derrick and the corrupt government. Demons from the spiritual Xundar were cast down to earth, and they have been killing everyone. Trevor the head of the shapeshifting demons plans to kill the mutagens, vampires, and werewolves and rule earth as king,” said Fred.
“The thousand-year treaty protects demons and angels from battling one another,” said Aidan.
“The treaty was broken by Trevor and he was cast down here to earth. I know because I was cast down with him. If you don’t believe me watch this,” said Fred. He dropped Trinity’s arm and focused. A second later two horns appeared on his head and bent down and bit Trinity’s neck. Her blood dripped down his neck, and he shape-shifted into a dragon. After a few minutes, he shifted into one of the assailant’s body double.
Orion walked out of the conference room. He came back with the security tapes and handed some to me before putting the rest into his jacket.
“The vampire and werewolves are going to help mutagens fight. If we want to defeat Derrick and the corrupt people that experimented on us for their pleasure, we’ll need the vampires, witches, and anyone else willing to band with us to fight,” said Trinity.
“I will take you to Rose but she may not help. She doesn’t want to be forced to choose sides in this fight because humans think witches are dead,” said Aiden.
It was three in the morning when we got to the pet shop on Peachtree Street. The shop looked like it was built in the eighties and should be shut down. Aidan didn’t go to the front of the store but walked around the back of the store. In the alley, a black cat ran out of the dumpster meowing.
“I hate cats,” said Orion. His eyes narrowed and he leaned close and whispered into my ear. “Keep your third eye open. Why was this place chosen over any other place?”
Nodding, I followed Trinity into the back door. The door automatically shut behind us and the lights went out. Pulling my sword, I felt a force bind my hands as I floated to the ceiling, stuck in a purple bubble. I looked around and Orion, Fred, and Trinity were floating to the ceiling too.
“Aidan, why did you bring strangers to the house? You know what happens to people who come here unannounced,” she said. A short woman about four foot ten stepped from the shadows. Her long auburn wave hair was plaited in a thick braid down her back and she appeared to look in her thirties, but something told me she was very old.
“They don’t mean you any harm. They’ve come to ask you for your help. He has been infected with the vampire virus. They are falling apart outside these walls, and we need you,” said Aidan.
“What does that have to do with me? The humans and the vampires war have nothing to do with us,” said Rose.
“That’s where you’re wrong. The shape-shifting demons are a threat to you too. They were cast down from Xundar for breaking the treaty, and they are killing everyone, so they can rule Earth.” Rose wasn’t the patriotic type and I’m not sure she cared about her race either. I don’t know her well enough to figure out what’s most important to her but something and someone must matter to her.
Looking through the entrance to the shop, I saw the rose gold picture frame on her register. It was a photo of a beautiful girl, who had to be no more than ten years old.
“The little girl is beautiful. Is that your granddaughter?” Rose looked at me and rolled her eyes. “Keep your eyes off that picture or I’ll make you blind for the rest of your days,” said Rose.
“Rose, we don’t have time for this. If the demons kill the vampires the witches are next. They aren’t humans, and they know that the witches exist. Your kind is next,” said Aidan.
The hatred between the vampires and witches went back thousands and thousands of years. There would always be friction between them and us, but at a time like this, we should be able to unite against our common enemy. I guess it was foolish to think she would help.
The witches’ back was up against the wall just like ours. It was only a matter of time before they would be the next one targeted for death.
“We have to fight together and put our differences aside for now, for the sake of survival,” said Trinity.
“I’ll give you something to slow the vampire virus, but I won’t help you fight. Your kind deserves annihilation,” said Rose. She waved her hand in a circular motion and a bright green light shined on us. We fell to the floor.
Rose chanted fast and one syringe appeared. She handed it to me. “Here you go.” Her face flushed and her eyes turned black. The chanting became incoherent when her head started spinning fast. Every light in the shop flickered and some lights burst, shattering sending glass everywhere.
Frowning I looked at the syringe with the orange cap. There wasn’t much. How many lives would be saved by one syringe? “How many lives can this save?” I slid it in my pocket and studied her.
“There is one dose to halt the vampire virus for one person. It doesn’t cure the virus. I can’t cure the virus just slow it. If you don’t find a cure you will still die,” said Rose.
“Can you make more of these syringes,” asked Orion. He didn’t say anything more but cut his eyes at me.
Rose’s body language screamed her dislike for vampires. When she handed me the syringe, she did so to make sure our fingers didn’t touch. She stands apart from me like she can’t bear to be within two minutes of me. She isn’t the easiest witch to tolerate. I have preferences just like she does, and witches are treacherous, lying, power-hungry people. We are living in perilous times and I’ll do what must be done to save the ones I love. That is the difference between a vampire and a witch.
“Nope. The spell loses its potency, so for it to work I can only do the spell once. It can’t be replicated and keep its strength,” said Rose.
“Thank you for your help. If you change your mind, and I’m sure you will, Aidan can tell you how to get in contact with us.” I moved toward the door.
<
br /> “Boy, do you think my help is free. It will cost you. My eyes and ears at the capitol say that it is in danger. His name is Zane Moteiro protect him with your life,” said Rose.
“How do we even know he’s still alive? If he’s your spy chances are, he’s already dead,” said Orion.
“Walter Higgins tried to kill Derrick at a private meeting today. Walter will think your spy is the reason Derrick isn’t dead,” said Aidan.
“I hope Zane is worth saving and that he is a whole lot smarter than you,” said Trinity. She brushed past Rose and out of the door.
Fred eyed Rose once more before he walked out.
“If he’s alive I will protect him.”
The cold air hit me in the face once I stepped outside. I didn’t realize how hot the pet shop was until I stepped outside. Pulling out my phone, I texted Leonardo.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Arianna
My heart pounded as I walked through the halls of the academy. I felt like I was being followed, but that didn’t make sense. It’s not like I’m the popular girl in school, and someone would notice my absence.
Bethanny walked down the hallway. I looked around but there wasn’t any place to hide, and I couldn’t risk her turning around. Turning the corner, I spotted the door leading to the kitchen and quickly slipped inside it. Glancing at the clock, I waited ten minutes. Opening the refrigerator, I grabbed a green apple. After taking a few bites I walked out of the door. The ache in my stomach dulled a bit but the gas was pressing on my upper stomach.
Rushing around the corner, Bethanny yanked me back by my arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Snatching my arm from her I flared. “Get out of my way. I don’t have time for your mess today.”
“I haven’t seen you all day and I looked for you.”
“I was here.” I moved past her, but she stepped in front of me.
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