by Emma Mills
The street in front of the warehouse was quiet when I arrived, so I turned in and was about to pull up when the door opened and a man dressed in a black suit stepped out. I drove past nonchalantly, not even glancing his way, hoping he didn’t recognise me. I glanced in my rear view mirror before I turned the corner and was relieved to see he wasn’t watching me. I was just one passing car in a city of thousands. I drove around the block and pulled up on the next street, parking between two other large black 4x4s, hoping it would blend in.
I slipped out of the car and darted to the corner of Paulo’s street, hiding myself behind a large commercial bin as I heard another car approaching. A silver car turned the corner and slowed down. I crept from my spot and watched as it stopped in front of the warehouse. Two men stepped out, quickly greeting the other man who had obviously been waiting for them. They opened the passenger door and dragged a girl, kicking and gagged, from the back seat and pulled her towards the entrance.
I quickly ran through my options. If I sped down the street now I could probably reach them before they got the door open and stepped inside, but it would be me against three burly vampires and who knew how many more were waiting inside, ready to pour out when they heard trouble. Alternatively, if I waited I would have to find a way into the warehouse without alerting them, but then I might at least get a good idea of how many I was up against and what they were doing. My heart wanted me to leap in and grab the girl but my head told me to be cautious. I pulled out my phone as I waited for the men to enter the building.
‘Eva?’ I whispered, as she answered the phone.
‘What? I’m with Sebastian,’ she muttered, still grumpy.
‘I’m at Paulo’s place. I think he’s involved with the Superior Race thing. We found a leaflet the other day…’
‘That doesn’t mean anything and why are you whispering… Jess, what are you doing?’
‘Just get down here. I watched three vampires… at least I’m fairly sure they’re vamps, but I guess they could be human… anyway they pulled a girl into his warehouse. I’m going to try and find another way in.’
Eva was silent.
‘Eva?’
She sighed. ‘Jess, wait for me. I’ll bring Sebastian. We’ll be there in ten minutes… and I don’t know how you found all this out, but it just might be the lead we need.’
‘Okay, just hurry.’
I slunk down the street towards the warehouse, pressing my back against the wall and looking for alternative entrances. But the converted warehouse had no other obvious access. There were just garage entrances with corrugated pull-down doors and regular doors for each individual property. As I reached Paulo’s door I heard a muffled scream. I needed to get in there. I couldn’t afford to wait ten minutes if they were killing her, but rationale told me that if they were going to kill her they would have done it already. I stepped back from the door and decided to check round the side of the building, as Paulo’s was the corner property, so any windows and doors along the side may also give me access.
Bingo! There were two red-painted doors side by side, right in the centre of the ground floor wall. Looking at the length of the building and then thinking back to the dimensions of Paulo’s storage room I realised the warehouse was probably split down the centre with one side being one set of properties and the other belonging to another set. These must be side entrances to the front and back properties. I didn’t recollect seeing a door in the warehouse so I thought it was unlikely that I would end up walking right into the middle of things.
Of course the door was double bolted. I looked at my watch and heard another muffled scream and some laughter from within. Six minutes gone. I wouldn’t have to hold them off for long before Eva and Sebastian arrived to back me up. I was going in! I placed my hands on the door knob first and concentrated my energy into heating up the first lock; it softened and turned, but another bolt held the door fast. I could always ram it but that would give away my position instantly. I returned to magic. Not knowing where the bolt was located meant I needed to use an unlocking spell. I placed both hands on the door and quietly chanted the spell I’d learned years ago for my witch licence, and which had come in handy many times over the years when my habit of misplacing my door keys became so bad I decided not to bother using them.
I heard the bolt slowly slide back on the other side of the door and swiftly pulled out my phone to let Eva know the location of the unlocked door, although with Sebastian at her side I doubted they would worry about which entrance to use. Putting the phone away I chanted another spell, a basic level three invisibility spell. If the vampires looked closely they would see an outline, movement and shadows, but it was better than nothing.
I pushed the door gently, hoping it wouldn’t creak, and crept into a darkened passageway. It was narrow and appeared to run the entire length of the building, stopping only when it reached the dividing wall, where it turned into a metal staircase that rose up to the upper floors. There were two doors that obviously led back into his rooms, so I hovered by each one, listening for clues. One was quiet; the other definitely contained the group of men and the girl. I paused, wondering what to do, and thought back to my time in Paulo’s warehouse, trying to remember the layout of the room. I walked back to the door of the quiet room and pushed it opened slightly.
My suspicion was right, it was the video room. It was just as messy as it had been earlier in the week and the surveillance camera was pointing directly at the girl. She was tied to a steel support post, but I could only see one of the men from the car. Damn! I sighed and crept towards the other door. Just as I reached out for the door handle it swung open and Paulo hurried through, crashing straight into me and letting out a roar as we fell to the floor. Surprised, my concentration lapsed and the spell broke.
His eyes registered shock and then his mouth curled up as he reached back to punch me. I wasn’t going to give him the chance. I shoved both hands into his chest and hoped he was as puny as he looked. He yelled as his body lifted though the air and I jumped up and ran for the door. I skidded through it and slammed straight into the burly vampire I had seen standing outside the warehouse. His reactions were viper-fast and he reached out and grabbed me by the neck, twisting me around and off the ground, his other hand grabbing my hair, as he pulled my head sharply the other way.
I kicked out and felt the heel of my boot connect with a crack into his shin.
‘You little bitch!’ Paulo spat as he finally appeared from the room. ‘Careful, Coyle, she’s the half-witch I was telling you about.’
‘Oh, I’ll be careful alright,’ he said, as he pulled harder on my hair. ‘One move from you, little witch, and I’ll rip your head straight off!’
I let him drag me backwards into the room, desperately trying to remember the words to the level six Defluo spell. But I hadn’t performed it once in the last nine years, as it was a spell that was difficult, painful and potentially lethal. Spoken correctly you could make yourself physically disappear, and then reappear elsewhere, the nearer the better; the further away meant more chance you might lose an arm… or worse.
All four vampires now circled me, their fangs extended, their eyes flashing dangerously.
‘So Sebastian sent a spy after all?’ one of them said. ‘I told you we needed to be more careful.’
‘Why did he send you, witch? What does he know?’
‘I came on my own, following a hunch, after seeing a flyer in Paolo’s room back there,’ I said.
I didn’t want them to think my backup might arrive at any minute, even though I was counting down the minutes and listening for any movement that could indicate help being on its way. Help that would mean I didn’t have to use the Defluo spell, and I wouldn’t have to attempt to reassemble my body in another corner of the room! My eyes flicked to the front door, but there was no sign of them. Even though I knew I was off camera, I could see the girl across the room. She was gagged, watching me, her eyes terrified. She was human and the scent of
her fear was strong and intoxicating.
‘Why the girl?’ I asked through gritted teeth, as the burly vamp named Coyle dug his thumb under my chin and into my throat.
‘Should I tell you that after I rip your pretty little throat out or before? Which would be more entertaining do you think, Paulo?’
‘She’d be useful, Coyle. She’s important to Sebastian and the Council. We could use her,’ he said, looking me up and down.
‘I’m leaving the Council next week and both Sebastian and the Council will be pissed at me then,’ I retorted, thinking of a new direction I could take things.
‘Oh, and why is that?’ Coyle asked.
‘Because I’m bored! I’m bored of all the paperwork they give me,’ I said truthfully. ‘I’m looking for something else.’
‘I think you’re a pretty little liar, and a pretty stupid one at that. We’ve got no time to deal with this witch. Let’s end it and get back on course. We’ve only got six hours to get the girl delivered.’
I realised I’d run out of time, but that didn’t matter because I heard the very quiet creak of a door. I coughed and spluttered, to distract the vampire’s attention. I wasn’t going to risk dissipating - it was too icky! I was going to fight! I centred my energy and felt an angry fire run through my veins. I poured it into my hands and, as Coyle cricked his neck in happy anticipation of breaking mine, I roared. I pulled my hands from his hold and reaching up, placed them on his face. He screamed and released me. I leapt across at Paulo and punched him directly in the nose. It burst open and he staggered backward, holding it straight as it healed.
‘Kill her!’ Coyle screamed, holding his scorched face as the other two vampires rushed forward. I kicked out and leapt over them, as Paulo rushed forward to join them, his broken nose already healed. They all rushed me at the same time, but as the first fist connected with my cheek I heard the door swing back and slam into the wall. An angry roar was followed by vampires being pulled off me and thrown about the room.
Within seconds Sebastian had his hands around the head of one of the smaller vampires I recognised from the car. He twisted. The vampire screamed and I heard an almighty crunching noise that reverberated through my stomach as he pulled it free, the remains of his body falling to the floor.
Coyle leapt at Eva, teeth bared, my handprints indelibly marking his face with blistered burns. He was huge and she was tiny… lethal, but still tiny, and Sebastian turned to deal with Paulo and the other vampire. I watched as Coyle reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handgun. Shot at point blank range into Eva’s face, she wouldn’t stand a chance. I ran across the room and slammed into his back, sending the gun clattering across the floor as he stumbled forward, twisting as he turned to kick out at me. His foot connected with my stomach and I was flung across the wooden floor, ripping up the boards as I crashed through them. Milliseconds before I slammed into a metal support beam I threw out my hands and, aiming carefully, hit him with a sticky spell. It was one that Brittany and I used again and again, a favourite because it was both effective and highly amusing to watch. This time I didn’t get the pleasure of seeing his face as his feet became welded to floor, because my skull cracked against the steel and I blacked out.
Chapter Five
Seconds later I heard his roar of frustration and opened my eyes to see Eva clapping spelled iron cuffs on Coyle, his feet still glued to the floor. I gingerly touched the back of my head and grimaced when I felt the inch-deep wound. It was sticky with blood and throbbed dully as I tried to lift it away from the steel post. Head injuries were the only danger to vampires… apart from sunlight. Our heads didn’t regenerate as quickly as other body parts.
‘Jess, are you alright?’ Sebastian asked gruffly, as he dragged the other vampire, also cuffed, across the floor towards me.
‘Where’s Paulo?’ I asked blearily.
‘He ran for it. He won’t get far… You’re still bleeding,’ he muttered.
‘Oh, shit! Jessie, what’ve you done? You eejit,’ Eva said, leaving Coyle attached to the floor as she ran over to me. ‘Here, let me.’
She gently pulled me away from the post and pushed me flat on the floor. I felt stupid.
‘I’m fine, it’ll be fine,’ I said, trying to sit up.
‘Just shut-up and lie still, will you? You’ve broken your neck and if you don’t let me help you get it straight it will heal all crooked,’ she pulled a comical face and put her head to one-side.’
I lay back and let her gently pull my head into a straight position. It crunched quite disgustingly.
‘There,’ she said. ‘It’s already fusing, it’ll be fine now.’
‘Thanks Eva,’ I said.
‘She’s still bleeding,’ Sebastian said, eyeing the floor by my head. ‘She’s going to need some fresh blood,’ he added, looking across the room.
I looked to where he was staring and remembered the girl. She was hunched down, and trapped, her hands pulled backwards around another post. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was as white as snow, a pool of vomit drying by her feet. I wasn’t surprised, as she must be terrified.
‘Sebastian, forget it,’ I said sharply. ‘That girl is terrified, poor thing. Eva, can you help me sit up?’
I moved my head gingerly, but it had already healed. It cricked a little, but otherwise felt fine. Eva pulled me upright and inspected the back of my head.
‘I think its clotting, finally,’ she said.
I nodded and looked back at the girl.
‘We need to find out where she’s from, clear her memory and take her home. I take it you’ll be detaining those two… Sebastian, I overheard Coyle say they had six hours to deliver the girl, so they were definitely planning something for tonight.’
‘Hmm interesting, I need to get them back to Headquarters,’ he said. ‘Eva, can you make sure the girl gets home safely? I’ll have to let The Council know so they can arrange to have her house watched for a day or too.’
Eva nodded.
‘Will you tell Daniel?’ I asked.
Sebastian raised his eyebrows, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
‘You never could keep your nose out of business that wasn’t yours, could you? Why you won’t work for me I’ll never know, then I wouldn’t need to keep you in the dark all the time.’ He sighed and pulled the vampire across the room to Coyle. ‘Any chance you can release Coyle’s feet, or shall I break them off?’
Coyle’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down nervously, his eyes wide. Sebastian was a good leader, but he was also a vampire and you seriously didn’t want to cross him. Personally, I wouldn’t have a problem with Sebastian breaking Coyle’s feet, but I wasn’t sure my stomach, or the girl’s for that matter, was up to the job of another body part being severed. I quickly reversed the spell and Coyle stumbled forward.
‘Make one wrong move and you’ll lose your head,’ Sebastian said casually.
Coyle nodded in defeat and allowed Sebastian to drag him across the room by his handcuffs. When the door had closed behind them I looked at Eva and tried to work out whether she was angry with me for not waiting. She stared across the room, lost in thought.
‘Eva, I’m sorry. I kept hearing the girl scream and I waited till the last possible minute to break in…’
‘It’s fine, you did good,’ she said, waving my concerns away. ‘Let’s speak to the girl, see what she knows.’
We walked over to the girl and crouched down to her level, but she cowered back from us. I could hear her heartbeat banging crazily in her chest. She really was terrified.
‘Hi,’ I offered.
Her eyes opened wider than I thought possible and she remained mute.
‘I think a little persuasion might be needed,’ Eva whispered. The girl glanced her way and pulled further back.
‘What do you mean?’ I asked horrified. ‘I think she’s been through enough!’
‘You dope! I meant a little mental persuasion.’
‘Oh, right! Yeah, o
f course. I’ll just try relaxing her a little first, so she’s not as scared.’
I leant forward and untied her hands from the pole. She shrank back and started sobbing, but I kept hold of her hands.
‘Shh, it’s okay now,’ I told her. ‘You’re safe.’
I willed calming energy through my hands and into hers and felt her heart rate slow down slightly.
‘You’re not one of them,’ she whispered, looking first at my eyes, and then at Eva’s.
I shook my head.
‘No, not quite,’ I said. Eva smirked.
‘She is though,’ the girl muttered, staring at Eva.
‘You’re safe. She’s not going to hurt you. She was fighting the others, wasn’t she?’
‘She, she, she… how did she pull his head…ugh,’ her chest heaved and retched, spitting out saliva onto the floor.
‘Don’t think about it anymore.’ I said, using both my vampiric powers of persuasion and a basic hypno spell as I willed her to calm down. She began to close her eyes.
‘Don’t send her to sleep Jess; we don’t want her comatose!’ Eva whispered.
‘Sorry,’ I pulled back the spell a little. ‘Hey, what’s your name?’ I asked.
‘Cora,’ the girl said quietly.
‘Cora, we want to keep you safe, okay, so we really need to know what happened today, before I turned up. Did they take you from home?’
The girl shook her head, tears spilling over her eyelids.
‘I’d been chatting to him online for months. I thought he was sixteen like me!’ she said, sobbing again.
‘Which one? What was his name?’ Eva asked.
The girl looked up at her suspiciously, then back at me. Sometimes it was really useful having green eyes! I nodded at her and smiled.
‘He said he was called David, the skinny one that was dragged away by that scary boss guy, just now with the other one.
‘That’s the one I saw pull her out of the car,’ I told Eva.
The girl nodded.
‘Yesterday… online, he told me I was really special and he was desperate to see me.’ Her voice caught in a strangled sob. ‘He said he wanted to spend all of New Year’s together. That he was going to take me to a fancy restaurant for lunch… that we’d go shopping, then to a club tonight. I told my parents I was meeting my best friend.’
