The Arcadia Falls Chronicles: Omnibus (Books 1-6)

by Jennifer Malone Wright

  Chloe stroked my arm in what she probably considered a soothing manner. “We know.”

  “I’m going back in there. I just came for you guys. I need help.”

  Drew glared at me. “I’ll radio the team. Hey, why didn’t you use the radio?”

  “Christina has it.” I returned the glare. “Besides, it didn’t work down there, she tried.”

  He nodded, knowing that was what she would have done. While Drew was on the radio I turned to Chloe and shook my head in disbelief again. “I can’t believe this happened. Even with my powers, I wasn’t able to help her.”

  She shrugged. “It happens and it’s part of the job. Look what happened to me and none of you were able to save me at that moment.”

  “We need to meet with the whole team before we go in there. We don’t have time to go home, so let’s head over to the park.”

  Ugh. I didn’t want to go to the park. I wanted to go in there and get my girl out. I also needed a drink. “All right, but let’s hurry.”

  ~~~***~~~

  “You know they’re going to be waiting for us.” Drew slid his gun into its holster and then covered it with his hoodie.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I know, and I don’t care. I just want to go get her.”

  “Oh, we’re going to get her. There’s no way we aren’t going. I just wanted you to know it’s not going to be easy getting in there a second time.”

  “Like I said, I don’t care.”

  Chloe stepped up beside Drew. “Let’s go over the plan then. The sooner we do, the sooner we can go.”

  The team had met up in the park and we were all packed into one of the gazebos. Drew called out to get everyone’s attention. “All right everyone. This mission is going to be messy. We’re going in with the vampires expecting us. So, basically we are gonna have to storm the place.” He finished by telling them where the entrance to the downstairs lair was and then giving instructions on where he wanted everyone to go. By the time he finished going over the plan about a zillion times I was practically fuming.

  “Can we go already?” I snapped.

  “Zander,” Chloe chided. “We have to be sure we do this right. For her sake and for ours.”

  I wasn’t going to apologize because I wasn’t sorry. “Well hurry up, the longer we wait the longer they have to drink her blood or kill her ... or turn her.”

  Drew placed a hand on Chloe’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’re heading out now.”

  It didn’t take long for us to get back to the library and we weren’t discreet about anything. The entire team marched right up those massive stairs, pushed open the doors and filed into the building.

  Once we were inside we found what we could see of the first floor empty. That vampy blonde librarian wasn’t anywhere to be found and the place was just as creepy and quiet as it was before.

  You would think that this many people tromping over a hardwood floor would have made more noise, but the team was surprisingly quiet. It must be that Hunter training or something. I was at the head of the pack, leading the way to the door that led down into the freaky dungeon below.

  I pushed open the door and immediately the smell of charred flesh and smoke assaulted my nostrils. Holy crap that was bad. Trying not to cover my nose from the stench, I began the descent. Some of the team stayed upstairs, since we didn’t want to be trapped from both sides like what happened with me and Christina. We hadn’t gotten far when we saw the blackened stone walls and bloodstains on the steps.

  I tried not to let it get to me, that this was where they took her. So, instead of stopping and wallowing in self-loathing, I trudged on.

  We got all the way through the hallways and into the room with the couches before we had to stop. “Which way now?” Chloe asked.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. This was as far as we got.”

  She flicked her eyes back and forth between the two choices. “Okay. Let’s go left and see what we find.”

  So we did, and this was a shorter hallway, veering strongly to the left and sloped downward, taking us further down. When it opened up, we found ourselves in complete darkness.

  Not good.

  Even worse, I could feel the evil surrounding us. It was strong. Hate and pain and anger all combined into one feeling that couldn’t even be described. I was about ready to just start flashing my white light at whatever stood in front of us when someone clicked on a flashlight.

  The beam of light immediately landed on a vampire. I heard some gasps of surprise in the background, but most everyone was expecting vamps to be all over this place. I raised my gun, aiming for his heart. “Where is she?” I asked, my voice resounded through the silent room.

  Another flashlight flickered on and scanned the room. I almost wished whoever had done that, hadn’t. The whole wall was lined with a combination of humans and vampires. There were at least ten bodies, but I couldn’t be sure.

  The vampire didn’t answer, but stepped forward two paces.

  “No further!” Chloe ordered and I heard a ripping noise as she let her fire come to life in her palms. “You will all burn if you take one more step.”

  They were all going to burn anyway. If she didn’t take them out, then I would.

  The vampire spoke. “You come for the Hunter girl?”

  “Yeah, genius.” I rolled my eyes even though he probably couldn’t see it.

  “She belongs to Edgar now. We are to tell you that if you leave at once, no harm will come to any of you.”

  A flash of anger shot through me, “That’s bull sh...” Chloe cut me off because she shouted “Not a chance!” at the same time as I had spoken.

  “We aren’t leaving without her,” Drew told the vampire. I didn’t want to look away, but I was sure that all of the Hunters were ready to fight. I knew already that we weren’t getting through this room without fighting our way through. “We want to speak with Edgar.”

  The vampire who appeared to be the spokesperson for the rest of them shook his head. “I’m afraid that isn’t possible at the moment.”

  I’d had it. “Cut the formal tea party etiquette already. We don’t give a crap if he’s available for visitors or not.” A hot wave shot through me, emanating from my core. I holstered my gun and stretched out my arms, palms toward the vampire in front of me.

  I let loose and white light filled the room, flashing like what you would imagine a visit from an angel would be like. I heard the fight around me break out as soon as the light erupted from my body.

  Vampires and Dragons attacked at the same time as the Hunters did. Steel slashed against flesh, and screams filled the room. Guns were fired, causing our ears to ring with pain from being fired in the enclosed space.

  The battle probably only lasted about two minutes, but it felt like forever. We knew it was over when the room fell silent. The bright beams of flashlights washed over us, checking to see who was still standing. “Is everyone all right?” Drew called out urgently, “Do we still have everyone?”

  After a quick round of accountability, we were grateful that we hadn’t lost anyone. Everyone who came down with us was still there. “Let’s move.” Drew stepped over one of the vampire bodies, which was already beginning to deteriorate as a bluish, white light began to eat away his flesh.

  Funny, it was only then, as I too stepped over and stared down at the body, that I realized that light was a lot like what my power was like. I had to wonder if it was the same thing.

  We found the only door on the other side of the room and pushed it open. More Dragons were waiting for us. I couldn’t see any vampires this time, but I didn’t really have time to look. No one waited for conversation, we attacked as soon as we burst into the room.

  The Dragons, unlike their vampire counterparts, were armed. Shots were fired on both sides and suddenly I felt the air wrap around us as the shimmering veil of Alice’s protective bubble fell around us.

  I heard cursing and yelling from behind me. I turned and saw that two of the Arcadia Fa
lls Hunters had been hit before the shield came down. The Dragons kept firing and the bullets hit the invisible shield like they were made of rubber, bouncing off and then landing on the stone floor with a small clinking sound.

  I didn’t have time to go check on the injured. The Dragons realized that their weapons weren’t doing anything and we were about to be forced into a standoff. It wasn’t the first time we had been in this situation. When we were inside the bubble, nothing could get to us, but we had to step outside the protective barrier to fight our enemy. Otherwise, we were basically trapped inside until Alice got too tired to hold the shield.

  I stepped as close to the barrier as I dared without going through it and slowly pushed my hands through the magic. Once my hands were out, a few of the Dragons fired off shots in my direction. The odds of them hitting my hands weren’t very good and they would never be able to hit my body through shield. I barely had to try and summon the power, the white light shot from my palms and took out at least two of the Dragons. I moved a tiny bit to the right and fired again.

  Chloe stepped up next to me and followed suit. Drew did as well, only he was using a gun instead of his gifts. After that, every Hunter in the bubble was at the edge of the barrier firing a weapon of some kind.

  “Okay!” Drew held his hand up in a fist. “They’re down. Let’s move.”

  Alice let the shield come down with a great sigh of relief. Holding magic for a long time was exhausting. While I got that little fact, I couldn’t help but think that I was a total jerk for thinking that she was going to slow us down now.

  It wasn’t long before I realized that I wouldn’t have to worry about that. This room, just like the last one, had only one door besides the one we came in through. I surged toward it, stopping only to turn the knob and slam it open roughly.

  I entered a huge room which was surprisingly open and spacious. Torches and lamps lit the space, the fire flickering shadows over the aging stone. A large oval table, made of carved wood dominated the center of the room. The heavy wooden chairs bore the same carving as the table, making them look like there were vines growing up the legs and curling around the back.

  Beyond the table, at the far end of the room, stood two cloaked figures. I couldn’t see their faces, but I knew they were vampires without having to see. It was what was in between them that made my heart lurch in my chest.

  Christina.

  Thick chains hung from the ceiling. Cuff-like contraptions held her wrists high above her head. The tips of her toes barely scraped the floor beneath her and her hair hung down over her face. She was conscious, but barely.

  The sound of our busting through the door caused her to lift her head. My gaze met with hers as she tried to shake her dark hair out of her eyes. “Zander,” she croaked.

  I nodded, unable to speak. Anger and fear and love were all competing for the driver seat on the ride my mind was on.

  “You shouldn’t have come.”

  I stared at her for a moment and then finally ripped my eyes away, flicking my gaze back and forth between the two silent vampires. “I wouldn’t have been able to stay away.” I lifted my hands, palms outward.

  Drew stepped up on one side of me and Chloe on the other, both with their hands mimicking mine. We didn’t wield guns, or knives, this time our victory would be won by the gifts that we were bestowed by angels and gods.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” one of the vampires spoke. His black cloak covered his whole body, held together with a large golden pin that was very obviously a dragons head. He didn’t remove his hood when he spoke, so his face remained a mystery in the void of darkness beneath the fabric.

  “Well, you aren’t me.” I stepped forward defiantly. Chloe and Drew continued to flank me, following me, but staying one step behind me, as if they understood that this was my battle to win.

  “Young man,” the voice of the vampire warned.

  I wanted to run up there and rip those chains from the wall. I wanted her safe. I continued to march toward them, my hands out in front of me, ready to blast them back to hell. I would have done it already, but Christina was too close to them and I didn’t want to take the chance of her getting hurt.

  “Hunters, you were given more than one opportunity to leave here unharmed. I’m afraid that is no longer an option.” The voice came from the other hooded vampire.

  My power sizzled beneath the surface of my skin, waiting to be released. “Are you kidding me? We just plowed through most of your guard. I think we can handle the two of you.”

  “Think what you will, young one. We are not the ones you should truly fear.”

  “You are Edgar and Tristen ... right?”

  The vampire on the left nodded. “Indeed. And if we perish this existence, our maker has bigger plans for this earth.”

  “Who is your maker?” Drew asked from behind me.

  The hooded freak on the left laughed. “I am sure you would love to know.”

  We were close enough, it was time. I let my power loose, as did Chloe at the same time. She took the one on the right and I took the one on the left. White and orange spewed forth from our palms with a beauty that couldn’t be described.

  Christina cringed, squeezing her eyes shut and probably hoping that she wasn’t going to be touched by any of the forces at work.

  We were all expecting the vampires to scream in pain and crumble to the ground as they lay dying. What we did not expect, was for the white light and the fire to slip around them as if they weren’t even there. And that is what it did. Both vampires stood unharmed, probably grinning with victory beneath their hoods.

  Oh crap. We were in trouble.

  One of the vampires turned to the other. “They appear surprised.” Then he turned back to us. “Children of the earth are not the only ones who can learn a little magic. Some are naturally born to it and others have centuries to learn. A shield is one that your little witch learned quickly, so it really is not a difficult task.”

  There wasn’t really a whole lot that could happen to Hunters that would shock them, when it came to vampires anyway, but this was one thing that could. Vampires with magic?

  The vampire on the right lifted his finger and touched it to Christina’s exposed torso, trailing the tip over her skin. “I am going to turn her. This beautiful Hunter is going to be mine forever.” He then turned back toward us. “She has already begun the transition.”

  “You’re lying!” He had to be.

  “I’m afraid not. See for yourself.” His pale hand reached up and moved Christina’s dark hair aside, exposing her neck. And there, on her throat, I saw a very distinct bite mark.”

  “You bastard,” I hissed.

  I clenched my fists, keeping the power under wraps while he was so close to Christina again.

  I heard a few gasps from behind me and then Chloe whispering “Just because she was bitten doesn’t mean she will turn. Alice and Oscar were both bitten lots of times.”

  The vampire heard her. “The difference there is that those you speak of never drank human blood to complete their change. Our little Hunter here, however, did.”

  I surged forward again, wanting nothing more than to remove that demons filthy hands from my woman. My speed surprised him and he barely had time to move, before pushing out his hand. It connected with my chest and sent me flying backward. I landed hard on the stone floor, but was up instantly, ready to fight. I fired up my white light.

  All hell broke loose then. The two vampires had their shields up and were fighting off Hunter’s left and right.

  “Alice!” Chloe called out, holding a fireball in her hand. “Do you think you can counteract their shield?”

  Yeah! Magic against magic. Maybe that would work. I needed to get them away from Christina so we could get her down from those chains and we would at least have a chance to get out of this place, even if we couldn’t kill them.

  “I don’t know,” Alice called back. “I’ll try.”

  I don’t k
now what Alice was doing internally, but she stood stock still, hands in the air, her gaze focused on the vampires. While she was doing that, I moved to the other side of the room, away from the majority of the group and zapped the guy on the left with my white light. It bounced off of his shield, but he still turned toward me. “You know we are going to kill your maker, right?”

  He glared at me. “You cannot even harm us, what makes you think that you could possibly harm my maker.”

  “So who is it? Pavlos ... or Anthony?” I taunted. Finally, the vampire reached up and slid the hood from his head. He had dark brown hair and eyes that appeared black in the dim light. He tried not to show it, but he seemed surprised that I knew anything about the original vampires.

  “You know nothing of either man.”

  “I know more than you think about those vampires. We are the ones who killed Korina.” Finally, he faltered. “You dare not speak ...” His sentence was cut off when I nailed him with white light.

  “Now!” Alice called at the same time. I don’t know if it was what she did or that the other vampire was surprised his friend got whacked, but he let down his shield and Drew blew him back with the air in the room. As soon as he was far enough away from Christina, half the Hunter’s in the room shot at him, not one of them missed.

  I fought the need to cover my ears as the echo of gun shots resounded throughout the room. Both vampires were down. One with his flesh burning away and the other with bullet holes emitting the white light and eating away at the rest of his body.

  I sprinted toward Christina as fast as I could. As soon as my hands touched her body I felt relief wash over me. Just touching her and knowing I could get her out of this place. “Gavin,” I called as I lifted Christina so that her wrists weren’t taking all the weight. “Can you freeze those chains?”

  Gavin hurried over to us, holstering his gun. He took a chain in each hand and closed his eyes. Seconds later, the chains began to frost over. Drew joined us and slammed the grip of his gun into the chain. It broke instantly and Christina fell safely into my arms.