Bold Mercy

by Cane, Laken

  There was a lot we didn’t say. I love you, for instance, or I could love you. Or I feel like we were meant to be, and my heart is breaking. But he took his lips from mine and for a few seconds, we simply stared into each other’s eyes. I pulled his scent deep inside me, because that was the only part of him I could get, and I slid my hands over his arms to intertwine my fingers with his. He, though, was the one to speak. Apparently there were some things he could say.

  “It’s not the end for us, wolf. I’m not walking away.”

  I squeezed his fingers and finally, I pushed myself out of his arms. “I am.” Then I turned back to look at him over my shoulder. “For now.”

  He grinned, and we left it there, in the woods.

  For now.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Saul called me as I was driving home, Joe planted firmly in the passenger seat. He wouldn’t stay behind, and I wasn’t wasting time arguing about it. I needed to change, grab some extras to stash in my car, and figure out a way to keep my blade on me when I shifted. It worried me senseless. If I was hunting alone, I needed a way to keep my blade safe. And right now, it was the only thing protecting me from the lethal magic shed by some of the vampires’ claws.

  “Report,” Saul said.

  “I’m fine,” I snapped. “Thanks for asking.”

  After a few seconds of only crickets, I gave up and told him everything that had happened, where I was headed, and that I was hunting alone. I told him that Avis Vine was using some sort of lethal magic, that a couple of the vampires had withstood the sun—barely—and that some of the wolves were dead.

  “Thank you for the information,” he said, politely. “I’m pleased the protection I sent has kept you alive. Can I do anything else for you?”

  “You can figure out a way for me not to lose my blade when I shift,” I growled. “I mean, if you’re really wanting to do something for me, you can attempt that. I’d greatly appreciate it.” I hung up, grumpy as anything. He had that effect on me.

  As soon as I got home, I called Max to check on him. “Hey,” I said, when he answered.

  “I’m not leaving my place, Kait,” he said. “If you could see it, you’d understand. Come over. Bring Lucy.”

  “I just came home for some clothes. I’m going after Avis.” I frowned. “Huh.”

  Joe pulled his gun immediately at the change in my voice. “What?” he asked.

  “Kait?” Max said. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I told him. “I smell something. I have to go Max. Call me if you need anything.” I traded my cell for my blade and with Joe at my back, I edged toward my bedroom.

  “Someone in there?” Joe murmured.

  “Is,” I said, “or was.”

  No one was in my bedroom, but there was something on my nightstand that hadn’t been there before.

  My demon, safe in the trap jar.

  “Son of a bitch,” I whispered, pushing my blade back into its sheath. “Put your gun away, Joe.”

  “What is it?”

  “Remy Simon was here. Apparently he thinks it’s okay to break into people’s houses and return things he stole from them.” I patted his arm. “Go raid the fridge. Have some coffee. I’m just going to pack a few things and I’ll join you.”

  As soon as he left the room, I texted Remy. Why the second thoughts? I’d finished changing clothes and was toting my bag to the kitchen when he replied.

  I’m going to hunt with you. Figured you’d be pissed unless I gave the jar back.

  “Made some sandwiches and coffee,” Joe said, gesturing at the table. “Have a seat and eat before we go.”

  “Thanks, Joe.” I sat down and tapped a quick reply to Remy. Don’t you have your own city to see to?

  Jakeston is ground zero. I’m not going anywhere. Hurry up, Silver. We have vampires to kill.

  If any human had a chance of keeping up with me, it was Remy Simon. And if I were being honest, I was happy to have him along. He wanted exactly what I wanted—to hunt and kill vampires. There wouldn’t be any complications. He wouldn’t think he needed to protect me and despite the fact that he would do what was best for himself, he would have my back, because he knew I’d have his.

  “Remy Simon is coming along,” I told Joe, then I took three huge bites of my sandwich, gulped down my coffee, and stood. “We need to go.”

  “I have my gun, my stakes, and my machete,” Joe said, standing as well. “I’m ready to kick vampire ass.”

  I didn’t argue.

  When we got to my car, Remy was already inside, sitting in the front passenger seat. He had his long legs stretched out, his head back, and his eyes closed.

  “My car was locked,” I told him, “as was my house.”

  He snorted. “There’s not a lock in existence that can keep me out, Silver.” He peered at the neckline of my t-shirt, then reached over to pluck at the fabric of the vest beneath it. “What’s that?”

  “Let me set some boundaries,” I said, backing out of my driveway. “Stay out of my house and keep your hands off my body.”

  He winked. “Let me know if you change your mind.”

  “I can shoot him through the seat if you want me to, Kait,” Joe said from the back.

  “Not right now,” I told him. “I just had the car cleaned.”

  “Let me know,” he said, mocking Remy, “if you change your mind.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Absolutely.”

  “Where are we going?” Remy asked, apparently not finding us amusing. “Did you get a sighting?”

  “Yeah,” I lied, as I sped toward the city, pretty sure the vampires would be where there were the most people. “Someone I trust got her scent and that’s where we’re headed.” I couldn’t very well tell him I was the one who’d gotten her scent.

  “Tell me what we’re up against.” He was wearing a soft-looking black leather jacket, white t-shirt, blue jeans, and dark brown boots, and there was a brown leather bag at his feet. The faded but recent scent of blood wafted from him—he’d washed, but the scent lingered. He couldn’t hide that from a wolf’s nose. “I talked to a few sources, but they couldn’t tell me much.”

  “We’re up against some bold fucking magic,” I said grimly. “And vampires who are done hiding.” I told him about the magic that had killed Brian.

  “Some of them came out in the sun,” Joe told him.

  Remy straightened slowly. “You lie.”

  “No,” I said. “He doesn’t. Jared’s men killed them. There were three of them. Blistered and bloody, but the sun didn’t burn them to death. It weakens them, and I’m sure if they were out long enough it’d kill them, but who’s to say they won’t get stronger? That eventually—”

  “Don’t even say it.” He pulled a stake from his belt, a gleaming, worn piece of wood, and sat back, caressing it gently. “My lucky stake,” he said, at my look. “I never leave this one behind. I expect when I do, I’ll be dead. Her name’s Dolly.”

  I didn’t laugh. I had my demon blade, after all. “Why Dolly?”

  He ran his thumb over the sharp tip. “Means gift of God.”

  I shuddered, then put my stare back on the road.

  “Hunters are crazy sons of bitches,” Joe muttered.

  I lifted an eyebrow. “Says the human as he caresses his gun.” As soon as I said human, I realized I would need to tell Joe not to mention to Remy that I was a shifter. Remy would try to kill me with his “gift of God,” and the sneaky bastard might just succeed.

  I hadn’t had time to really think about the fact that Joe, a human, knew I was a wolf. Before Joe, Lucy, and the detective, no humans had known my secret. I needed to be more careful. Things had a way of snowballing. I couldn’t help but wonder how the two men would feel about me once they’d had time to really process the information. Most likely they wouldn’t really comprehend it unless they saw me shift. The human brain had a way of filtering out uncomfortable shit.

  “You want to borrow a stake, Joe?” Re
my asked, finally putting Dolly back in her loop on his belt.

  “Kait hooked me up,” Joe told him, “and I have my machete in the back.”

  Remy nodded. “I like a good machete. A couple of strong hits will lop the head right off, if you do it right.”

  My cell rang, interrupting the conversation. I didn’t recognize the number. I tapped the dashboard touchscreen. “This is Kait Silver.”

  “There are vampires,” a man whisper screamed, his voice loud and eerie through the speakers. “Come quick.”

  “Where are you?” I kept my voice calm as beside me, Remy fastened his seatbelt.

  “Harmony’s on Seventh,” he said. “It’s across from—”

  “I know where it is. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” In the background I could hear crashes, screams, and loud country music. Sounded like a typical Saturday night at a human bar. I was surprised that a bar was open what with the vampires running around killing humans. People were stupid.

  Then the caller screamed. His scream was so loud it was distorted, and I slammed my foot down on the gas pedal, speeding through city streets that were, thank God, a hell of a lot less congested than they usually were.

  People were gathering in buildings, bars and clubs and restaurants, perhaps hoping there was safety in numbers. All they were really doing was making it easier for the vampires to kill a bunch of them at once.

  There was still too much traffic, though, and I darted around vehicles, wishing I had a cop’s lightbar atop my car. A siren wouldn’t have hurt, either.

  Harmony’s was a club for humans—a rival club of Scarlett’s, the club into which I’d gone to rescue the detective. I couldn’t imagine Bastien would allow any of his clubs to remain open with the current state of the city, but if Harmony’s was still open for business, who the hell knew.

  I expected the governor to declare a state of emergency and put a curfew in place soon. People were still going to die, but maybe fewer of them would if they were forced to stay inside their homes. The entire city was in a state of shock and confused chaos right now, but things would calm down once the hunters wrangled the rogues. The regular vampires weren’t ever going to cause so much trouble. They never had, after all. And they knew the tide would turn. They understood what was coming for them, and they hated the rogues as much as everyone else for screwing up the status quo.

  The county masters would help the humans, even when those masters and their clans became hated, hunted, and tortured. And as I sped to Harmony’s, I called Bastien, leaving a message when he didn’t answer. “The rogues are at Harmony’s. I’m on my way there but it’ll be a few minutes. Send help.”

  Still, I got there first. I slammed the car into park, shut off the engine, and raced into the club, Remy behind me and Joe trailing a little behind him. Joe had taken time to grab his machete.

  I had my demon blade in one hand and a stake in the other, and as usual, joy in my black, killing little heart. That eagerness helped tamp down the worry and horror I felt for the humans, and even the rage and hatred I felt for the vampires. It was strange, that joy, but it was good. I’d accepted it long ago. It was part of me, and I didn’t see a need to change who I was.

  There were two vampire “guards” waiting just inside the entrance, placed there, I figured, to handle law enforcement if they showed up. There was a male and a female, both around sixty when they’d died, both wearing yellow dresses, strangely enough, and their faces lit up when they saw me and my little crew stride in.

  “Dinnertime for us,” the female said, but before the sentence was completed, I’d rammed the stake through her heart.

  “Dessert for us,” I said, then “Joe.”

  “Got it, Boss.” He proceeded to deprive her of her head.

  Remy had staked the male, and together, we hurried on into the club, leaving Joe to make sure the two vampires never rose again.

  Inside the club, Avis waited. I wasn’t surprised. There were dead human bodies everywhere, but still a few alive for the vampires to play with. I caught a glimpse of Avis sitting at a table against the wall, a drained, naked body stretched across the top. She smiled at me, lifted a bloody finger, and slid it into her big-toothed mouth. There were vampires between us, and I would have to get through them before I got to her. I could do that.

  A line of terrified humans sat cringing against the wall, their knees drawn up, crying, screaming, begging.

  And then there were the ones being passed from vampire to vampire in the middle of the room. Those vampires weren’t hungry—they were simply enjoying their cruelty. When they saw us they flung their victims away and came at Remy and me, their eyes full of blood.

  That was different. Generally, when a vampire’s eyes changed, they went to black, not red. I filed the info away for later. There were only fifteen or twenty vampires in the room, but with their speed and strength, it seemed more like a hundred of the bloodsucking bastards.

  Now that she knew I was unaffected by her magic—though she didn’t know it was because of my demon blade—Avis was a little less eager to tangle with me. She wanted me to suffer, true, but she didn’t necessarily want to take me on in a physical fight. I was sure she planned to be long gone by the time I managed to fight my way to her.

  I wanted to leap through them and get to her, but I couldn’t leave two human men—even if one of them was the boogeyman, the best of all hunters, Remy Simon. He was still human, and when faced with a roomful of vampires, he would either run, die, or he would fight with me.

  Together, we could do some damage.

  I heard Joe roaring as he swung his machete, and there was not only a time when I intercepted a vampire going for him, but Remy did, as well. I should have shifted. If I’d shifted, I could have killed the vampires a lot faster, but I couldn’t shift in public, and I couldn’t shift in front of Remy.

  Still, I was nearly certain he’d look at me differently when he had time to settle down and think about that night. I was simply too fast, too feral, too strong. I threw my whole self into fighting those vampires. Blood pelted me like raindrops and I danced in puddles of it, and part of me stood back and watched with a sort of anxious wonder, afraid that one of these times I’d trip in the darkness and drown in all the blood.

  Bastien and his enforcers came, blowing into the room like lethal, raging hurricanes, and though I wanted to continue fighting, my prize was still across the room, quietly watching the carnage.

  And finally, I went after her. To my shock, she didn’t run. She watched me come with shining eyes, and just before I reached her, she stood, rushed me in a blur of movement, and wrapped me up in her arms.

  “I want to tell you something,” she murmured into my ear. “Something about your detective.” Her voice sounded like she’d swallowed broken glass and some of it was still caught in her flesh.

  And despite my desire to end her, I hesitated. I turned my head slightly and met her stare. “Tell me, then, you monstrous bitch.”

  She laughed. “He did some very, very bad things while under my master’s control. You should be prepared, Kait. Soon, he will start to remember. He’s going to change, you know.”

  I was abruptly cold as chills shook my body.

  I wanted to ask her what he’d done—what Axton had forced him to do with his awful mind control—but there was no time. I knew she didn’t want to kill me, not yet, but I certainly wanted to kill her. She was the reason my city was hurting.

  I tightened my grip on the demon blade. It was trapped between our bodies, burning hot, throbbing like a thing alive. There was no time to be precise or worry about hitting her heart just right. I forced the knife into her abdomen, dug it in as deeply as I could, and then began to shove it up toward her foul vampire heart.

  But before I could reach it, she tore herself away from me, laughing softly, and was gone faster than my eye could track her.

  And she took my precious blade with her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I was incon
solable.

  Not only had I lost Avis Vine, but I’d lost my demon blade as well. My heart literally hurt, and I felt somehow diminished. I leaned against the wall, my hand to my chest, forcing myself to keep my cries of sorrow inside. I was livid because Avis had escaped me but filled with sorrow because she’d taken my blade. And the sorrow was much larger than the rage.

  Bastien, Remy, and Joe surrounded me, and Bastien’s vampires began cleaning up the mess and, because Bastien thought it was a good idea, helping the distressed humans who’d survived the night.

  They were gentle, as human-looking as possible, and I heard them murmuring about how most vampires were just like them, that they’d only ever be their guardians, that they’d been there all along. Planting seeds of hope.

  “There is something you should know,” Bastien told me. “Whatever magic Frederick and Kaloni embedded inside Avis is spreading like a virus to other vampires. Soon, Jakeston won’t be the only city attacked. This “disease” is infecting certain vampires and altering their brains and their bodies. We have to kill the infected, I believe, to snuff it out.”

  “Maybe,” Remy said, “it’s automatically fading. None of the vampires we fought tonight seemed to have it, and they were with Avis.”

  Bastien nodded. “We will hope so.”

  I could barely bring myself to care. I saw and heard everything through a haze of sorrow, and I swear, it was as though Avis had taken a vital part of me that I could not survive without. It was as though the blade were my drug, my child, my life.

  “The night isn’t over,” Joe told me grimly, holding his hand to his ribs. He swayed as I watched him, close to passing out. He was covered with blood, and I couldn’t tell how much was his and how much was the vampires’ he’d killed. He was using his gore-covered machete as a cane. He was hurt, but he was alive. And that was pretty damn amazing.

  “We can still track her,” Bastien agreed.

  “What the hell’s wrong with you, Silver?” Remy asked. His shirt was glued to his body with blood, a deep cut seeped over his cheekbone, and his left eyes was swollen nearly shut. He ignored all that, though, and carefully cleaned the blood and gore off Dolly.