by Jess Haines
Then I remembered I had improved night vision with the belt. Whoops. He was the only one with the poor night vision here; John, Chaz, Royce, and myself weren’t having a problem because we could see in the dark in a way that Devon never would. Not without metaphysical assistance anyway.
“How much longer ‘til we’re out of here?” I asked, since I knew Devon was too afraid to say anything. I could feel his nervousness in the tension of his fingers, how tightly he held on to me.
“The service elevator is just ahead,” John said.
I made it a point to watch my step, keeping clear of anything Devon might trip on in the dark. My vision must not have been as good as I thought. I didn’t see the door that led to the service elevator until Royce opened it, leaving me momentarily light-blinded.
Shielding my eyes, I squinted into the room. It was a grungy open space with filthy linoleum floors and plain, whitewashed walls. The service elevator was pretty big, designed to carry crates and furniture, so there would be no difficulty fitting the whole party into it.
We were on the third and lowest level of the basement. Royce hit the buttons for the first-level basement and the eighth floor before turning his attention to John.
“I’m going to take them somewhere safe. Can you round up whoever isn’t on duty and have them meet me back here in two hours?”
John nodded, and I put a staying hand on Royce’s arm. “Wait a second, are you planning to face off against Max without me?”
“Yes.”
My grip tightened until I saw little crow’s feet appear around those black eyes. With my enhanced strength from the belt, it must have hurt, but his only reaction was the slightest hardening of his expression. I didn’t let up the pressure, giving in to the silent, gleeful urgings of the belt.
“No way, Royce. This is my fight, too.” It shouldn’t have been so hard to keep my voice under control. That last came out more like a hiss than I’d intended.
“The rest of the White Hats will want to come and help,” Devon said. “I know I wouldn’t want to miss this fight.”
“I can’t speak for the rest of the Sunstrikers, but I’m not interested in letting this guy get away either,” Chaz added.
Royce kept his gaze locked on mine, making no attempt to pull out of my grasp. It was getting to me that he wasn’t reacting to this little bit of violence I allowed myself, driving my nails into the muscle of his forearm and wrinkling his nice suit.
“If you wish this,” he said, his voice as pleasant and level as though we were discussing stock trends over coffee, “you need to be prepared for what you will face. None of you have ever fought a vampire as old and powerful as Max Carlyle.”
I released him as the elevator “pinged” for the first level of the basement. John stayed in the elevator as the rest of us filed out into a room much like the last one. If anything, the floor was even dirtier. The vampire lackey watched with avid interest right up until the doors slid shut behind us.
“That’s not entirely true. I fought you before,” I said, following Royce through some double doors and into a much cleaner hallway.
He shook his head, raven hair spilling forward to hide his features. “I held myself in check as much as I could. At the time, it was the only measure of defiance I could muster against the holder of the focus. I tempered the use of most of the powers available to me.”
“So you’re saying that wasn’t really fighting? You were holding back so you wouldn’t hurt me too badly?”
A chill took me at his grim nod. Every time we fought, I’d come away battered and bruised. The belt was supposed to make the wearer tougher, stronger, and he still did a number on me like I hadn’t had any protection at all. It was even worse when I fought him and the Were, Rohrik Donovan, together. The doctors told me repeatedly after I’d gotten out of surgery that I was lucky to be alive. I would still be in the hospital if not for Arnold’s magic speeding up the healing process.
Chaz slid up behind me, both of his hands coming to rest on my shoulders. I was grateful for his touch; it helped keep a sudden case of the willies at bay. “I’ve fought your kind before. You’re not as tough as you think you are.”
Anyone else probably would’ve been offended. Royce found Chaz’s statement humorous. He laughed in a way that hinted he was hiding some wicked thoughts behind it. “You’ve never truly tangled with an elder, wolf. You’re still alive.”
“Yeah,” Devon said, his agreement with Royce surprising me. “Vampires are scary as hell when they hit a certain peak in their power. We should call in the other White Hats. Jack has access to some heavy-duty firepower, and people with a lot of experience.”
“You hunters have engendered enough public outrage against us. I don’t want my name associated with a sudden drop in your population.”
Talk about creepy. Devon paled and turned away, not pushing the issue.
“Aside from strength and speed, what could Max do? Something like whatever it was you did back in the office?” I asked Royce.
“That and more,” he replied, rather nonchalant under the circumstances. “My lack of control was completely accidental. I stopped as soon as I realized what I was doing.”
Nothing was completely accidental with Alec Royce. I carefully didn’t say that thought out loud, but the belt gave me an awareness of its agreement. It also started speaking to me, and I quickly lost track of the conversation the others were having around the voice in my thoughts.
‘You won’t know an elder vampire’s powers until he chooses to reveal them. That one is right–they are able to do a lot more than put a little scare into you. You’ll be protected against most of the things they can do to manipulate your thoughts as long as you wear me and the charm. However, I wasn’t designed to withstand the strength of leeches as ancient as Alec Royce. Even with my assistance, you will not stay alive if you rely on nothing but physical force. As much as I can boost your strength, it is not enough to grapple head-on with vampires who have had over two thousand years to hone their powers.’
Once the belt quieted, I noticed everyone was staring at me expectantly. “What?”
“Did you hear anything we just said?” Devon asked.
“No. Sorry, the belt was talking to me.”
Chaz and Devon gave me funny looks.
Royce spoke up, just a touch of exasperation filtering through his otherwise placid expression. “I asked if you would submit to a demonstration so that you might better understand what Max may do in the heat of battle. You shouldn’t insist on following me without first having a better grasp of what you will be dealing with. I promise I will not do any lasting harm to any of you. With your permission?”
I glanced at the other two boys. “What do you guys think?”
Chaz shrugged, but Devon was worried.
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s right. You should know what you’re getting into before diving straight into it.”
I silently asked the belt what it thought. It gave me the mental equivalent of a shrug. ‘Do what you feel is right.’
With that helpful little piece of advice, I frowned and gave Royce his answer. “Okay. If you think it’s for the best, let’s see it.”
He took a deep breath, one I knew he didn’t need. As he tilted his head back, I felt a prickle of energy creep along my skin, raising all the hairs on my body. It didn’t seem too bad.
Except the tingling turned into an abrupt, tidal force.
The sting of it crashed into me like a physical wall, driving me back a step as I threw my hands up to ward off the ethereal power. Chaz staggered back as well, using his jacket to protect his eyes. Devon fell to his knees and wrapped his arms over his head. It was like being bitten by hundreds of invisible flies while some unseen force simultaneously drove you back from the vampire. Even closing my eyes didn’t make the sensation stop, like the invisible bugs had crawled beneath my eyelids and were digging under my skin. Screaming was impossible–the pain closed my throat too tightly to squeak ou
t a sound.
As abruptly as it started, it stopped. The three of us were left panting for breath, trembling as Royce’s voice cut through the newfound quiet of the hall. “That is but a taste. He may also try to bespell you, like so.”
Devon was on his feet and reaching for the vampire’s outstretched hand. Royce must have chosen Devon deliberately because the hunter was so frightened of him. Royce knew all the telltales: scent, a quickness of breath, a change in heartbeat, all the little things that tell the difference between who is predator and who is prey.
Devon’s fear shifted to eagerness as he reached for Royce. I watched, not sure if I should do something to intervene. When I tried to move closer to them, I found I couldn’t. My legs didn’t want to cooperate. Chaz was also struggling, his hands pressed against the nearest wall to push himself away–but his feet stayed flat on the floor. The belt didn’t answer my silent question as to what the vampire was doing. I didn’t know how to break the unseen chains holding me in place. Terror drove through me as I turned my attention back to Royce, but the vampire wasn’t looking at me.
His gaze focused on Devon. The hunter took his hand like a trusting child, soon enfolded in Royce’s arms. Horror dawned as the two men leaned into each other, one of the vampire’s hands creeping up to tilt Devon’s head aside, leaving his neck a long, vulnerable line.
A scream lodged in my throat as Royce’s lips curled back from his fangs, focusing on me with those black, black eyes as he bent over Devon’s exposed throat.
Chapter 22
“So you see,” Royce said, his eyes locked on mine as his fangs brushed Devon’s neck, “an elder never fights on fair terms.”
As the last words trailed into a sibilant whisper, Devon stiffened and started struggling. Royce must have released him from the charm. The vampire had no trouble keeping Devon’s frantic squirming to a minimum.
“Fuck! Let me go!”
An arrogant, pleased smile curved Royce’s lips as he released Devon, watching with hungry eyes while the hunter rapidly backpedaled, putting distance between them. I didn’t realize Royce had let me and Chaz go until my back came up against the wall.
“Do you all get the point? Max would not stop. If you provoke him, he may do far worse than what I have shown you here.”
Chaz was growling again, the deep, rumbling bass normally reserved for when he was shifted. “Don’t do it again, you bastard.”
The look the vampire shot him immediately made Chaz quiet, cutting him off in mid-growl. “I will remind you that I did ask your permission beforehand. I promised I would not bring permanent harm to you and I kept to my word. Don’t play righteous with me.”
Chaz’s wordless rumble started up again, going deeper yet. My bones were vibrating in response. I put a steadying hand on his arm in a silent plea for him to stop.
He cut off again, reaching out to take me in a sudden, fierce hug. Though it was hard to breathe around his embrace, I was quick to return the gesture in the hope it would calm him down. He was so on edge, he might end up accidentally shifting on us.
The belt was amused by this, its low laughter bouncing through my skull. ‘You have to admit your reaction was funny. You’re a rookie! A hunter rookie!’
“Shut up,” I muttered to it, then speaking louder and much more clearly for Royce’s benefit. “You’ve made your point–but it doesn’t change anything. Max needs to be stopped. If he’s that powerful, I’d think you’d want all the help you can get.”
Royce nodded and stood up straighter. Some tension I hadn’t detected earlier filtered out of his frame.
“As long as you have an understanding of what you will be fighting, I will not stop you. I would not have it on my head that you faced him without foreknowledge of the danger he represents.”
“As much as I hate it, Shiarra’s right,” Devon said. He was rubbing his hands up and down his arms in a nervous gesture. He wouldn’t be forgetting what Royce had done anytime soon. “We can’t just ignore the problem or leave someone else to deal with it.”
Chaz loosened his grip, peering down at me with concern and gently rubbing my arm. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I don’t want to do this. I have to.”
I closed my eyes and leaned into him. His body radiated warmth the way it did when he was close to shifting. I burrowed into it like I could take that warmth into myself and use it as my shield against the bad things waiting to swallow me up. He bowed his head to kiss the top of my own before turning his attention back to Royce.
“Do you know where we can find this guy?”
“Only a rough idea. We will have to draw him out somehow. My original plan was to find out who had turned against me and see if the connection could be followed back to the source.”
“You were thinking of using Shia to get him to come out of hiding, weren’t you?”
Royce’s eyes slowly shifted to Chaz, who neither flinched nor stepped back from that piercing gaze. Royce’s voice was flat, completely devoid of emotion. “The thought had occurred to me.”
“Great, thanks for consulting me on that,” I snarked. Chaz’s tightening grip around my waist was bordering on painful.
Royce rolled his eyes before turning around and continuing down the hall. “It was not my only plan, but it might be the most reliable way to track him down. If one of his people took you again, we could follow you back to wherever he is laired. Much like your White Hat friends did last night.”
“You followed us while we followed her kidnappers?”
Devon was clearly peeved at the idea. Royce didn’t say anything, only glanced back with a sly, secretive smile.
We continued on in silence until we reached a pair of double doors that led to an adjoining parking lot. Royce showed us to a car parked nearby; it was an unassuming sedan that I never would have connected with the vampire. For one thing, it was a silver four-door. I never pictured him in anything but limos and sports cars.
Royce held the passenger side open for me while Chaz and Devon slid in the back. I watched the vampire, frowning as I breathed in the scent of leather. This was yet another facet of Royce’s personality and mannerisms that didn’t match what I thought I knew about him. He didn’t bother to question my puzzled looks until he started the car.
“Not exactly what you were expecting, I take it?”
“No,” I admitted.
He put his attention on driving, his tone blasé as we headed toward the parking structure’s exit. “It helps to have a means of getting around that won’t attract the attention of paparazzi or hunters.”
I kept my mouth shut, hoping that wasn’t meant as a dig at Devon, who was still pissed.
“No wonder we haven’t been able to corner you. You’d sneak right out from under our noses in this thing and with those tunnels of yours.”
Royce didn’t respond, but the hint of a smile had his lips twitching. When we crept out into traffic, I groaned and sank lower in my seat. A couple of news vans were parked in front of what I now recognized as Royce’s office building midtown. We’d walked pretty far in those tunnels to go all the way from The Underground to his corporate office. It made me curious what other offices and clubs were connected, but I quelled my curiosity and kept my mouth shut. It was doubtful Royce would answer any questions about his security around Devon or Chaz anyway.
None of the reporters noticed or followed us. Royce was right; they must not know all his means of transportation. I couldn’t get over the understated brilliance of having such a car. It wasn’t fair for a vampire to be rich, good looking, and smart, too. Two out of three wasn’t bad; three for three was just plain unfair.
“I have faced Max before,” Royce stated quietly, the sudden shift in mood and topic bringing me to stare at him. “I would appreciate it if the rest of you let me deal with him directly. He will have many servants there to protect him, so there will be others for you to fight. Leave Max to me.”
“I can’t let you do that,” I sai
d. “You’re not the only one with a grudge against him.”
Chaz growled, sticking his head between the seats. “I won’t let anything happen to Shia. If she’s fighting him, so am I.”
“The other hunters wouldn’t be willing to sit back and let you guys handle him alone,” Devon said. “There should be enough of us to deal with the remaining vamps, but anyone who came to Shia’s rescue last night will want a piece of Max. Including me.”
Chaz’s cell phone went off. He’d taken it off vibrate while I was changing, and answered the incessant jingle with a low, “Hello?” I peered back as he listened to the other end, a cheerful smile replacing his angry scowl. “Of course. Tell Arnold he doesn’t get to sit on the sidelines this time. Can you meet us?”
After a brief pause, he tapped Royce lightly on the shoulder. “Where are we going? Sara and Arnold will meet us.”
Royce didn’t look very pleased with this news. “To the home of an acquaintance of mine. A neutral third party, if you will. I was intending on leaving you there, but it will serve as a meeting place for your friends just as well.” He gave the address and some simple directions to a home on–surprise, surprise–City Island. Devon was the most astonished at this news.
Chaz relayed the directions to Sara. “Great. We’ll see you there.” A moment later, he hung up, tucking the phone back in his pocket. “Sara says she and Arnold will be on their way right after he finishes casting something. They’ll take an hour, maybe an hour and a half, to meet us.”
“Okay,” I said, wondering privately what kind of magic Arnold was whipping up for the occasion. It was likely that Sara would expect to fight tonight. While that was worrisome, Arnold wouldn’t let her out of his sight until he’d had a chance to shield her to the best of his considerable ability. Those thoughts in mind, I turned back to Royce. “I know you won’t like this but we do need to let the White Hats in on this sometime. Maybe you should let Devon and me meet with them before we go to your friend’s place.”
“If you must insist on bringing them, then, yes, it may be wise to go see them in person rather than calling to let them know who you are with.”
