by K B Everly
When we both said one, Sawyer reared her foot back and smashed in the door. Immediately, a dozen vampires red eyes fell on us with a sense of shock, giving us a small advantage.
Sawyer began plowing through them with bullets. I followed behind, watching her back and stabbing the hearts of those coming at her from the sides that she missed. One vampire dodged my swipe and grabbed my wrist. I remembered a move Brahm had taught me and twisted it towards his thumb, dislodging his hold. I wrapped my hand around his wrist and pulled him to me, driving the blade into his heart at the same time.
One vampire tried to run away, possibly to warn the others. I knew this vampire too. He had stared straight into my eyes and recognized me as well.
“Get him! I’ve got your back!” Sawyer shouted, fighting off two other vampires.
I ran past her as fast as I could, chasing the vampire through a set of open double doors. When I was close enough, I dropped and slid, kicking his feet out from beneath him. He crashed to the floor in a heap, immediately turning to claw at me. I dodged his hands and brought one of my blades up, slicing his hand clean off.
He howled in pain and clutched the severed appendage to his chest. I crawled on top of him, placing my knees at his shoulders and held my blade to his throat.
“Where is he keeping Abraham and Diego?” I shouted in his face, pressing the tip of the blade into the hollow of his throat.
“I know you, whore! You won’t get shit out of me!” He snarled.
I swiftly slashed the blade across either of his cheeks, then placed it against his heart this time. “Where are they?!”
He only began to laugh. “Abraham’s little bitch. You two were lucky you got away last time. But Rogue has a score to settle. I imagine he’ll be excited to know his little bird is alive and well. It’ll make torturing Abraham that much sweeter having you.”
He laughed harder this time, not even caring about the blade at his chest.
I smiled back at him and lowered myself so my mouth was by his ear. “And killing Rogue will be that much sweeter when it’s his little bird with the blade pointed at his heart.” I pushed the blade into his chest and felt his body turn to ash beneath me.
As I stood and dusted myself off, Sawyer came running up behind me.
“They’re on the floor above us. Chained and drugged just like the vamp at the club said. One of the vamps back there hoped I would spare him if he told me.”
I wiped the blood and ash from my blades onto my pants. “And did you?”
“Pft. Nope.”
“Good. Let’s go get them. Seems Rogue was a lot cockier than I thought. None of these vamps had anything more than a single blade or their hands to fight with.”
Sawyer shrugged as she reloaded her guns. “Either that or he’s waiting for us.”
I shook my head. “These vamps had no idea I was alive. The one I just killed was laughing. I think it’s possible he really is just this full of himself. But he had to have heard the gunshots.”
We found the next staircase leading up and quietly made our way up.
“Maybe.”
When we reached the door, instead of busting it open we silently opened it and peered inside through the crack.
Inside was a large, dimly lit room. It was completely empty of windows and furniture, but wasn’t empty of everything.
Diego and Abraham sat strapped side by side to metal and wood chairs bolted into the floor. Gags were over their mouths, and their heads were sagging to their chests. They were both shirtless and covered in cuts that weren’t healing. Nails were driven through Diego’s hands into the arm rests.
My blood began to boil at the sight. Sawyer let out a deep growl behind me.
“I don’t smell anything but they’re blood, but it’s tainted by that fucking drug,” she whispered.
I opened the door fully and stepped in, not seeing anyone else around. I rushed over to my men and dropped to my knees in front of them. I pulled the gags from their mouths and began to pat at their faces to wake them.
Abraham was the first to wake up. His hooded eyes scanned around in confusion before resting on me.
“Claudia, y-you can’t be h-here…” he said in a pained whisper.
“He can fucking try.” I patted at Diego’s face a bit more as Sawyer went to work trying to unbind them to the chairs.
When Diego finally roused, he looked frantic at the sight of me, but could barely keep his head upright. “No...Claudia...why are you here?”
“To save the men I love. I won’t let that bastard take anything else from me,” I snarled out as I began pulling the nails from his hands. It burned my fingers doing it, but I wouldn’t let silver stop me from relieving him of pain.
“You have to go, Claudia. He can’t find you.” Abraham gritted our through the pain and exhaustion.
“That’s the plan. This fight is between him and me.” I finished getting all the nails out just as Sawyer released all the straps.
Together we lifted them from the chairs, letting them hang onto either of us. I pushed Diego into Sawyer, making her take them both.
“You need to get them out of here. This was why I needed you. I can’t bare both their weights, but you can. Get them to the car and call Hollis. They should be here soon.”
She growled at me. “Are you fucking kidding me? You can’t stay here alone. We don’t know where the rest of them are and those vamps we fought were the weakest. He put them there for a reason.”
“I’ll be okay. They need you more than I do. There’s still women trapped here. You can tell Hollis where to find them. With any luck, they will be here to help by the time you get these two back down.”
Both of my men stared at me with worry. I grasped Abraham’s face between my hands and kissed him quickly, yet deeply. “I love you and forgive you, Brahm. We will fix this between us when Rogue is dead.”
“I’m so sorry, Claudia. Please don’t do this, though. You can come with us. I can’t let you die for my mistake,” He rasped.
“I won’t. He’ll die for his.” I moved to Diego and kissed him the same. “Do not come back for me. You both are too weak. I need to do this.”
“I know you do, but I don’t like it. We can plot our vengeance after we’re all safe,” he pleaded.
I shook my head. “He could escape once again, and I couldn’t live with myself if that happened. It’s now or never.” I pulled away from them and backed up. “I love you both. Take care of them Sawyer.”
She nodded and turned them, not giving them a chance to try and come after me. I waited until they cleared the room before scanning my surroundings. There was another door on the other side of the room. I pulled my blades back out and proceeded towards it. I opened it and began my search.
I wasn’t sure if Rogue was just unaware of my being here or if he was in hiding. Some of his inner circle must’ve been with him because they weren’t with the ones we’d faced below. This compound was like a damn maze. Some of it looked furnished and lived in, while other parts looked more like a cement prison. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
I searched that entire floor and still found nothing. With only one more floor to look on, I made my way up. The staircase I’d happened upon was straight and narrow, reminding me of the one I had taken to the roof when I’d tried to kill myself.
Sure enough, the door led outside onto the roof of the compound. I could see nothing but trees and a peek of the road that ran alongside it.
“Well, well. You are alive after all.” A voice said behind me.
I turned and saw Rogue with the last of his men, all with wicked smirks lighting their faces. I stood taller and held my blades at the ready.
“I had hoped you were. I knew Abraham wouldn’t let his weak little human die. I just had to be sure,” he said. “You always had a fire to you. I knew if I took your lovers, you’d come running.”
I scoffed. “So this was your idea of a trap. Take them, torture them in hopes that they’d spill
that I was alive, but when they didn’t, leave them to suffer until I came running? But, how did you know for certain I was even alive? What would you have done had I not been?”
He smiled wider. “Still brilliant as I remember. I remember the scent of you, little bird. Even as a vampire you still smell sweet. I caught your scent that day you came to my club. Even with your hair and clothes changed, I knew it was you I saw falling into the arms of your other lover.”
That was how he knew to take Diego. He had seen me that night.
“And if I hadn’t come?” I asked, tightening the grip on my blades.
“Then, I would’ve left your men to starve to death in that room.”
That was all I needed to hear. I ran at them. He stayed put while his men attacked. I swung and slashed my blades out, fighting them with every bit of strength I had. I didn’t care if I died on this rooftop, as long as my guys were safe and I had a chance to take Rogue out with me.
I turned three of them to ash before the last three overpowered me. My blades were knocked from my hands, and I was disarmed of the rest. Rogue walked towards me, a triumphant grin overtaking his face.
“Did you really think you could take us on alone, little bird? I give you props for trying.”
“Who said she was alone?” Abraham’s voice slid over me, stroking me with both relief and fear. He couldn’t be here. He was too weak.
Rogue turned and laughed. “Oh, how glorious! And here I thought I’d have to go downstairs to kill you. You just saved me the trip.”
Abraham’s stance confirmed he was still weak. His cuts were still not healed, and his blood coated his exposed torso.
The two vamps holding my arms backed up while Rogue and the third stepped closer to Abraham.
“Let her go, Rogue. I won’t tell you twice,” Brahm stayed in a deadly tone.
Rogue laughed and clapped his hands. “Nice try, Abraham, but I will see you both dead by the time the sun rises. Maybe I’ll even hang your dear, little vampire like she originally wanted. Let the sun take her.” He snapped his fingers and the two vampires holding me grabbed a rope laying by their feet and began fastening it into a noose around my neck. When it was tied they pulled me close to the edge of the building.
Abraham wasted no time and leapt at Rogue. He surprisingly held his own as he fought both Rogue and the third man. The two holding me seemed completely distracted by their fight, so I took my chance. I elbowed one then dropped and kicked the legs out from beneath the other. He fell backwards off the side of the building with a yell. I grabbed the rope from my neck and wrapped it around the one still standing. He clawed at me, slicing open the front of my shirt and cutting into my skin.
A sliver of hope surged through me when I noticed the grenade of forgotten fell to the ground through my open shirt. Before he could notice, I used all my strength to push the vampire over the edge. He clawed at the rope on his neck, but it was too late. He fell and the rope grew taut as he dangled from the edge. He wouldn’t die from the hanging, but he wouldn’t be able to get back up either.
I turned in time to see Abraham bring his blade down towards Rogue’s heart. The third vampire was already ash. But Rogue was stronger than Brahm at the moment. He let out a venomous laugh as he began to turn the blade on Brahm.
It was as if the world fell into slow motion. Me running to stop Rogue. The blade turning completely to Brahm. And finally, the blade piercing into his chest. I screamed in horror as it slid into him to the hilt. But he didn’t burst into ashes.
Rogue pulled the blade from Abraham’s chest in confusion just as I threw my body down. I slid across the ground, grabbed the grenade, and pulled the pin. I threw the grenade at his feet and grabbed onto Abraham, throwing us as far away from Rogue as possible when the grenade went off.
I landed on top of Brahm and covered him as fragments of the silver shrapnel ripped into my back.
My ears rang, and my body was on fire from the silver sticking into me, but otherwise I was still alive. I turned my head and saw blood covering the spot Rogue once stood, and ash floating in the clouds of smoke left behind.
Brahm stirred beneath me. I sat up and immediately checked his chest. Rogue had missed his heart by a fraction of an inch, but he wasn’t in the clear yet. Blood poured from the wound that couldn’t heal yet.
“Hold on, Brahm. Don’t you dare die on me,” I whispered to him as I crawled behind him and laid his head in my lap. Tears began to fall down my cheeks. “We won. Rogue’s dead. You have to celebrate with me. You can’t leave me again.”
He coughed and looked up at me, then reached a hand up and palmed my cheek. “I won’t ever leave you again, Claudia Adams,” he rasped our through the pain.
I sat there with him, running a hand through his hair and refusing to leave him. Hollis and the others found us like this. Diego had grabbed me and held me as the other agents lifted Abraham and began bringing him back down.
“He’ll be okay, Claudia. Thanks to you, we’ll all be okay,” He consoled me, kissing the top of my head. “Let’s get you taken care of, Querida. Then we can go be with him.”
“Finally together,” I whispered.
Epilogue
One month later…
With Rogue dead, the rest of his ring came toppling down. Delirium was shut down and every girl who’d gone through the ring and was still alive was tracked down and set free. They were rehabilitated and sent back to their families.
Abraham had made a full recovery from his wound and was back at work the moment he was allowed to be off coffin rest. He hated being cooped up in his coffin and had stated loudly many times. Diego was finally able to close his case and was given a raise for his work in it. He gave up his apartment and moved in with me and Abraham that first week after everything went down. Surprisingly, it was Brahm who suggested it.
I was finally free of the painful memories that plagued me and had gone back to dancing once again. I no longer had the weight of my past holding me back from doing the one thing I loved.
“Hey, Claudia. Boss wants you in the office,” Autumn, one of the dancers, said to me from the door of the changing rooms.
I set down my makeup and wrapped a silk robe around me. I had another dance coming up within the next ten minutes, so I hoped whatever he needed me for was quick.
I opened the door of the office and saw Brahm sitting at the desk with Diego right across from him. They both looked up at me when I entered and smiled. What are they up to?
“It has come to our attention that you have been working too hard,” Brahm stated formally as I closed the door.
I crossed my arms and leveled him with a look. “I’ve only been back dancing for a week.”
“Still. Too much work, not enough play,” Diego said, standing and walking towards me slowly.
I saw the gleam in his eye and glanced at Brahm who had the same look about him. My pulse began to race.
Diego dragged a finger down my cheek, along the column of my throat, and down between my breasts. I swallowed thickly at the touch. Brahm stood and walked over, taking up the space beside me.
“We’re hungry, love. And we need you to stop working for a moment and feed into our desires.” He leaned forward and kissed my neck.
Pleasure shot through me as they worked in unison to turn me and begin touching me everywhere. I moaned as my clothes began to slide off my body and their mouths took over where their hands left off. I was in a total state of bliss being surrounded by these men who fought for me and loved me with every fiber of their being.
No amount of blood consumed could ever satiate the thirst we had for each other.
No amount of flesh torn and battered could ever keep us from fighting for each other.
And no measure of forever would ever be long enough loving them.
THE END
A Note from the Author
This has been a bitter sweet ride with these characters. I'm both excited and sad all at once that their stories have ended.
I'm still not sure if I'll ever do another storyline involving Sawyer, but it's something I can look forward to in the future if I get the time.
Thank you to all my readers for being so patient with me finishing this book and for riding it out from the start. Ya'll are my heroes.
A HUGE shout out to Amy Condra for the dedication lol It was by far the most popular choice and one I don't regret in the least bit. Thank you for that!
Thank you to my editor Muddy Waters Editing for making my book better <3
And thank you to my characters in this series for keeping me entertained through it all.
Xoxo,
KB
Other Books by the Author
Under the Skin Series:
Blood: Under the Skin Book One
Toxic Bitchcraft Series:
Jinxed: Toxic Bitchcraft Book One
Spelled: Toxic Bitchcraft Book Two (Coming 2018)
The Conduit Trilogy (coauthored):
Make Me a Wish: The Conduit Trilogy Book One
Wishful Thinking: The Conduit Trilogy Book Two
Naughty Nights Novellas:
The More the Merrier: A Naughty Nights Novella
Divinely Damned Series(coauthored):
The Arbiter: Divinely Damned Book One
Classic Horror Retellings (coauthored):
Hyde with Me: A Where I Hyde Prequel (releasing in What Goes Bump in the Night Anthology Oct. 30th)
Where I Hyde (Coming 2018)
Standalones:
Polarity of Us: A Northern Lights Novel
About the Author
