by Ainsley Cole
The room at the end of the stairs was dark and Marley cursed herself for not bringing a flash light. She might have been able to find one somewhere in the house if she had of looked hard enough.
The smell of wet, cold stone stung her nose slightly and she couldn't believe Rhayden could be sleeping down here somewhere. Walking along, bent over; hands out at almost knee level, making sure she didn't bang her shins on anything she searched for the bag.
With her depth perception shot by the dark—Marley didn't know the wall was coming up. She banged her head, her skull smacking on the hard stone, “Ow!”
Putting her hand up, the wall was rough, but there was a deep groove in the stone. Feeling her way down it, the hard, cold metal of the doorknob cracking against her palm.
“Right,” Marley twisted it. Nothing. It was locked. “Are you serious?”
She jiggled the knob, twisted it, and pulled at it. The door wouldn't budge, and Marley felt like screaming. Behind that door was her protein bar and the vampire who took it.
****
The door clicked open and Marley groaned, rubbing her eyes in the dark room, “Mars?”
She looked up, seeing nothing but darkness, but knew the vampire was there. Somewhere.
“How long have you been down here?”
“A long time. I want my protein bar, I'm starving,” She replied, slowly climbing to her feet. Marley's legs were almost like jelly, her butt was cold and wet from sitting on the porous stone. Feeling out for the wall, her hands touched Rhayden's smooth, naked chest. She recoiled at the tingling which set into her hands. She tucked them under her arms, biting her lip. “I couldn't find the door.”
“I’ll take you back up, then I will come down and get your bag,” Rhayden put his hand out, gently taking her by the arm, leading her in the dark.
The vampire led her back up the stairs. Marley groaned, the artificial lights of the house making her blink, “It's dusk already?”
“Yes. I wouldn't have woken if it wasn't. I would say you fell asleep down there. Stay here. I will get your bag.”
Rhayden turned, going back down the stairwell, soon returning with her backpack and the other bags, filled with guns.
“Why take it with you?” Marley asked, taking it from his hand and rummaging inside for the bar. The crackle of the wrapper met her fingers and she pulled it out.
Dropping the bag, she ripped open the bar, shoving half it into her mouth. Closing her eyes, savoring the food, she slowly chewed it, not wanting to choke.
Suddenly aware of Rhayden's non-reply, her eyes opened, her gaze meeting his. His eyes had faded again, and she swallowed. Liquid silver followed the chunk of food and he smirked.
She had to change the subject. Get his mind off whatever he was thinking. She couldn’t handle his hands—or tongue—on her again. “So…? When are we leaving?”
Rhayden's eyes faded back to blue and he turned, walking back down the stairs, shrugging as he disappeared into the shadows, “Soon.”
“How soon?” she called after him. Marley had to get out of this place, find the Mated killer, and get back to Absinthe. Back to a vampire who didn't make her feel so insane.
“Soon,” Rhayden's voice floated up from the darkness. “Give me a minute to get dressed.”
Marley gritted her teeth and leaned down, picking up one of the gun bags. It was heavy, and she wondered what the hell he had in them, bazookas? Did they really need so many damned guns?
Carrying it to the front door and out into the cool night air, the chirp of crickets sounded through the night. Taking the bag to the car, she dropped the heavy black bag to the ground next to the car. Turning back to the house, she had to get out of here and now.
Rhayden had better hurry up and get—
Silence overcame her, and Marley stopped, heart racing in her chest.
Where had the crickets gone?
Turning, her gaze scanned the fading light for anything which seemed remotely wrong. Something which would have made the thousands of tiny insects suddenly fell silent.
A shadow flitted across the driveway entrance and Marley stepped back, as another followed it.
Her boot hit the step and she lifted her foot, stepping back. Walking slowly up the steps backwards, until she was under the porch, her gaze flicked to every shadow, every movement; her teeth on edge.
Something whizzed past the car and Marley watched as the bag of guns disappeared right in front of her as a scent she knew well, wafted to her nose.
“Shit!” Turning, running back inside, she slammed the door behind her, bolting it closed quickly.
“Mars?” Rhayden was at the door beneath the stairs, a bag in each hand, his face one of worry. His gaze slowly slid from her to the door and back.
“There is someone out there Rhayden,” Striding over to him, she grabbed one of the bags, dropping it to the floor. Kneeling beside the black bag, she unzipped it; removing the double-barreled shotgun and a sheet of silver nitrate shells, slamming two of the projectiles into the gun.
“What?” Rhayden sounded confused and she didn’t blame him. One minute she wanted to get the hell out of here; the next, she was locking herself inside with the man she wanted to get away from.
“I took one of the bags out to the car. The crickets were chirping. I turned to come back in, get the rest of the bags, the crickets stopped. Something moved in the driveway and then something grabbed the bag I had left by the car,” Marley stood, cocking the gun, handing it to Rhayden, before dropping to her knee again.
“Okay…” She could hear the doubt in his voice, the gun hanging in his grip.
“I could smell wet fur, Rhayden.” she said, pulling out another shot gun, repeating the process. She looked at Rhayden as she stood and noticed the vampire's eyes had changed. Fading to the light copper-tinged silver of anger, his race was prone to.
“Lycan.” He growled, fangs descending.
A wolf howl made Marley turn.
The gun came up to her shoulder, pointing at the door as the scrape of claws on the porch outside had her skin crawling. This was not what she wanted.
She didn’t want to be fighting Lycans again.
Not now, not ever.
Why was it every time she was around these Raynes brothers, she was in danger?
“Rhayden Raynes!” a deep voice boomed from outside. Marley flicked her gaze to the vampire at her side. “Give us the Hunter and you can go groveling back to your brother!”
Rhayden growled and looked at Marley, the copper deepening its red tinge, as his anger grew, “How did they know we were here?”
Marley shook her head, not knowing. She didn't tell them. She hadn't seen a Lycan in the south for years. She didn't hunt them. That wasn’t her job.
There were Lycan Hunters out there to do that. So why were they after her? What had she supposedly done?
“If you don't give her to us, We will come in and get her!”
Marley’s throat constricted.
They would never survive if there was a whole pack of Lycan out there.
Rhayden might be strong and could probably take out four, maybe five. But she was only human. She might be able to take out one if she got out a lucky enough shot. They were just as fast as the dead creature behind her.
There were usually over a dozen in a typical Lycan hunting pack and once one of them got the smell of blood, the rest usually became blood-lusted and fought stronger.
“Rhayden?”
“I know Mars, hang on,” Rhayden fished into his jacket pocket and pulled the phone from it, handing it to her. “Call Abe.”
Marley looked at the cell, “What?”
“It's night Mars. He can get here quickly. We need him…”
“I—” the sound of breaking glass made Marley turn, her eyes widening, hands trembling.
“Marley! Call him!”
****
“Absinthe Raynes—”
“Abe! We need you help!” Marley's voice was shaking as she
walked, Rhayden's back against hers. The vampire’s iPhone wedged between ear and shoulder, left her free to hold the shotgun up.
“Marley? What's happening?” Absinthe's voice was tortured, having to hear her plea like she was.
“We are being attacked at the Safe-house by Lycan.”
“Have they hurt you or Rhayden?”
“No—” she started, wanting to try and seem braver than she was.
“Put Rhayden on.”
Marley nodded, holding the phone over her shoulder, up to the vampire's ear; her shotgun dropping to one hand as she walked, “Abe.”
She could hear Absinthe's deep voice on the other end of the line.
“Yes. No, she isn't hurt. I am fine. No, they just turned up. They took one of the bags of guns.”
Marley came up to a door and she turned, letting Rhayden see it. He nodded, and she kicked the door, letting him step in first, while she brought up the rear, closing the door behind them. Rhayden continued to talk.
“No. I think it was only guns, no ammo. Yes. That would be helpful. Thanks.”
Marley heard the other end of the line click and she felt Rhayden take it from her hand. She turned to him, as he slipped the phone into his pocket and started to check the room they had taken refuge in.
“So?”
“He's sending Vince and his team. He can’t leave the mansion, while the heads of the vampire clans are still there. They won’t be leaving for another hour, so he has to send Vince.”
“Oh great! The one vampire who hates me, is supposed to come and rescue us?” she really couldn’t handle the irony, Vince wanted nothing more than to rip her head from her shoulders, but now, he had to come and play nice and save them? This wasn’t going to end well.
“Vince is just jealous.” Rhayden said, crossing to the window and checking its lock.
“Of what? The fact I have a heart beat?” she asked, incredulously. What did the six-foot-six muscled vampire have to be jealous of?
“Well, probably that. But more so of your kill ratio,” Rhayden said, looking at her.
“My kill-? What?
“You have killed more rogues in your last two years working for us, than Vince has in the last one-hundred,” Rhayden stated, he turned to the wall and placed his gun on the floor, fingertips sliding along the wall.
“What are you doing?” Marley asked, watching as he moved, his hands palming the wooden walls.
“We had this place stripped a while ago, hadn't been used in ages. But some things I hope they kept. If they kept it, there should be a hidden panel,” Rhayden thumped the wall and a small door slid open, exposing a thumb pad. “Sweet. Still here.”
Marley watched as Rhayden pressed his thumb to the little pad. The red light flashed under the digit. Then with lightning speed, a small needle popped out and pierced the back of Rhayden's hand.
“Ouch,” Marley said and watched as Rhayden grinned. A beep sounded, and a huge chunk of the wall slid back, exposing rows of guns and ammunition. “Oh, wow.”
“This place is one of my favorites.” Rhayden said, picking up the small caliber gun and tossing it to Marley. She checked the weapon and slid it into the back of her jeans. He threw an assault rifle at her, and she caught it just in time to stop it from hitting her in the face. She glared at his grin.
“And your special weapon beautiful,” Rhayden lifted a silver dagger from the shelf and walked over to her. Kneeling, he slipped it into the side of her boot. His hand travelled up her leg, cupping her buttocks, his face dipping to the front of her as he stood, and Marley closed her eyes as heat pooled. “Hmm, if there weren't Lycan outside—”
Marley looked down at him and frowned. Turning and walking to the door, the assault rifle up, ready to go, she glanced back to him, “How long do you think we have until Vince gets here?”
Rhayden looked at her, his eyes fading back to blue and he shrugged as he stood, “About twenty minutes.”
“Right, so we have to hold out. For twenty minutes.”
“Yep, how hard can it be? There are only about a dozen of the flea bags.”
Marley groaned as Rhayden grinned, “Famous last words.”
She could hear the Lycan on the other side of the door, scratching, snarling, and biting. Trying to get into the room where they were holed up.
“Let us take her Raynes!!” One of the werewolves yelled, banging on the door of the room, making Marley's heart jump each time. “We have no use in you.”
Rhayden looked at her, “I won't let them take you Mars.”
“That's nice. But what if they kill you? Then what?”
“Aww so nice to know you worry for my safety, so soon after we shared that intimate—”
“Shut it Rhayden, before I kill you myself.” Marley spat, aiming the gun at the vampire. She knew she would never get the shot off in time. He was too fast.
His eyes flared copper-silver with anger, frustration and he turned his head.
“Nice to know I was used just for your pleasure.”
Marley frowned. She turned to the door, angry he could be so callous towards her, so flippant about what had transpired. Did it mean so little to him? She had literally risked her life to let him touch her, feel her, taste her the way he had. And he spoke of her using him? Hadn't he been the one that had initiated the whole thing?
The silence between them grew, the snarling of the Lycan on the other side of the door growing as well.
They were trying their hardest to break through the door, desperate to get to her.
Marley gritted her teeth, glancing back to Rhayden.
He was sitting on the window sill, watching her, gun hanging uselessly in his hands. Gritting her teeth, she turned away from him again.
“Come on Vince—” She whispered.
Gun shots, loud in the cold, dark night rang out.
“Sweet, cavalry's here.” Rhayden retorted walking over to the door, aiming the shotgun at it.
Guessing the Lycan on the other side would be preoccupied with the new arrivals; he unloaded both shells into the wood of the door, earning a howl of pain from at least three assailants.
Rhayden grinned at her as he reached for the door handle, gripping it and twisting. It clicked open with ease and Marley wondered why the Werewolves hadn't been able to get through. The vampire must have picked up on it and grinned, “Silver door handle, Wolfs-bane infused wood all the way along these walls.”
“Nice.” Marley replied, liking the idea of the room being so well protected. The last thing they needed was the werewolves getting to their ammo and guns.
Wait, hadn't she just done that? Leaving a bag out in the open for the Lycan to take.
She shook the idea from her mind as Rhayden stepped out into the hallway. His shotgun was raised, ready to take on anything which came at them, “Come on Mars.”
Marley followed the vampire, trying to be as quiet as she could, but knowing she would sound like an elephant behind the whisper-quiet being.
Hearing snarling and growling, Marley looked to the side. Three Lycan; bodies ripped open by the buck-shot rounds Rhayden had littered their bodies with; lay near the door still writhing in pain.
Rhayden looked down at them, then back to her, “They’ll be dead in five minutes.”
Marley knew that.
Silver was one of the quickest ways of dispatching of the beasts. Killing Lycan was messy. The blood and organs. There is so much of them to clean up after killing one.
Vampires… they only left a small pile of ash. Usually. She thought back to the pair who had been pinned to the wall. They hadn't been turned to ash, they were still whole.
If not just a little charred.
Lost in her own thoughts, instead of the current battle-field she was in; found her shoved against the wall. Her back connected hard with it as a Lycan slammed against her, “Rhayden!”
“Mars!”
The vampire’s hands were at the Lycan’s head, digging, trying to find any way of getting i
t off her. Marley kicked at the beast and it lashed out, not seeming to care it had a vampire on its back. Its claws sliced into her shoulder and Marley screamed as white-hot pain filled her.
Rhayden's fingers dug into the animal’s eyes and it roared, throwing an arm back. Gripping onto the Lycan’s head, Rhayden's eyes turned to burnished copper and he bit down on its throat, ripping at its the jugular vein.
The Lycan let go of her, dropping to the ground and Marley watched in horror as Rhayden went with it. Gripping the creature's head, he twisted, snapping its neck with a solid crack.
He looked up at her, blood on his chin, dribbling down his throat, soaking into his shirt. Marley tried to melt into the wall as he rose, the feral look still to his eyes and she put her hands up toward him off, “Rhayden!”
His eyes flicked back to blue and he started to splutter. “Ugh!”
Spitting mouthfuls of blood onto the ground, he leaned over heaving the Lycan's blood onto the floor next to its recent owner. It splashed wetly, causing Marley to close her eyes at the sound, the protein bar sitting badly in her stomach.
“Ugh, that is so rank!” Rhayden choked as he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. He lifted his head, his gaze going to the gash on her shoulder. “Are you ok?”
He stepped forward, gripping her good shoulder with his hand, turning her to the light, so he could see her wound.
“Shit! I have to clean it.”
“It can wait,” She winced, hearing more gun shots around them and she wondered if they were from the Lycan of from Vince and his team. She hoped on the latter. It meant they would be safe.
“No, it will start to fester quickly. If the Lycan taint gets into your veins, it will kill you. I must clean it. I’m sorry… this is going to hurt.” He leaned forward, burying his fangs into her shoulder.
As the vampire sucked the wound, Marley screamed, unconsciousness slipping over her.
This was nothing like the tiny bites Absinthe gave her during sex. This was primal and vicious. She’d only ever been bitten like this once before and she had only just survived.
Rhayden pulled his mouth from the wound, spitting the contaminated blood to the ground.
