Dominic shrugged off his coat when he entered the hall and draped it over the girl in my arms. My heart melted, just a little. No matter what he thought of her origins, he wasn’t cruel enough to allow a little girl to freeze on his watch.
“Thank you,” I murmured.
“Don’t thank me yet,” he said. “We still have to find Elle, arrange a cease-fire with the Trust, cure a few thousand wolves and defeat a vampire lord. And I wasn’t kidding when I said this was forbidden,” he nodded towards the small figure in my arms. “Fabian will be in serious shit for it, and the Trust might demand that the homunculus be destroyed. Don’t get too attached.”
I clutched Sophia to my chest tightly, scowling. I’d shoot anyone who came near her. I didn’t care where she’d come from. She hadn’t asked to be made, and shouldn’t be punished for the actions of others. Cat had been through so much, she deserved to meet her own daughter. I was going to make damn sure that happened.
I shielded Sophia’s eyes as we passed columns of bones and skulls, stacked high into makeshift walls. Without any monsters to battle it only took us five minutes to reach the sun barrier and spot the vampires pacing just beyond it. Barabbas swiveled to face us when we came into view. I stepped through the barrier first, glancing down at Sophia, who dozed lightly on my shoulder. She wasn’t technically alive in the sense that Dom or Fabian were, but I didn’t think she’d be injured. Thankfully, the artificial sunlight didn’t seem to do much than make her stir restlessly.
I was so distracted, I was nearly too slow to react when Barabbas lunged as soon as I cleared the barrier, fangs extended to rip out Sophia’s throat.
I didn’t think, didn’t breathe, didn’t hesitate.
I whipped the Beretta from my side holster, took aim, and fired into the vampire’s chest.
chapter
19
THE ROUND MISSED BARABBAS’ HEART by a hair’s breadth. I’d been sure of my aim and only the snake-like reflexes of the vampire had saved him from becoming a stain on the stone.
Plus, it was only a regular bullet, which was rarely enough to destroy a vampire. Apparently, Grieves didn’t trust us enough to arm me properly. Still, the round knocked him back into one of his guards. The vampire caught his leader before he could knock his head against the stone. He stared at Barabbas in shock and let him go suddenly, as though caught doing something verboten. Barabbas impacted the ground with less force than he might have otherwise. The rest of his entourage reacted to the attack as swiftly as I had, withdrawing weapons of various size and caliber, aiming every single one at me.
The vampire regained his footing quickly and swiveled around to face me with a snarl. Dark red blood oozed out of the wound, staining the starched white shirt beneath his suit. The black had been a good choice, in retrospect. So much easier to hide you’d been wounded from your men when blood didn’t show against your clothing easily.
“Back the fuck off,” I said, the growl in my voice muted by Sophia’s hair. I didn’t want to let the girl go. If I thought I’d be more useful as a meat shield to save her from harm, I’d have let the vampires turn me into Swiss cheese. It was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. I’d revive eventually and now that I knew the trick to subdue Valerius, death didn’t scare me quite so much.
But holding on to Sophia was not in her best interest at the moment so I grudgingly extended my arm, surrendering the warm weight of her to Fabian’s much frailer grip, without lowering my gun. Dom pushed ahead of his uncle and came level with me, an electrode gripped in one hand and the oak wand in the other. If the vampires managed to push past Dominic and I to get to them, there really was no hope of saving her.
Barabbas bared his fangs at me in a snarl. “You shot me.”
“You attacked my niece. You gave me your word no mage would be harmed without provocation.”
Sophia had to be a mage. She’d been created from the ashes of Cat and Findlay’s child. Her body was made of magically constructed materials. She lived and breathed magic. When she was allowed to grow and receive instruction I had no doubt she’d become one hell of a witch.
“Why do you think Lamonia kept the girl locked up down here,” he hissed, fangs still extended, “with an alchemist to brew just enough elixir to keep her alive? That thing is a perfect vessel for a demon. Don’t you understand what Lamonia plans to do with it when it’s fully grown?”
I hadn’t paused to consider that there might be more than one reason that they’d detained Fabian and Sophia. He was right. It could extend past blackmail and into a fail-safe scenario. If neither Cat nor I had managed to end the wolves, the vampires had a body in reserve. A little girl whom they could mold and shape to their liking and slaughter like a pig at the most opportune time. It would only work because the child had a living soul, and the rare blood I shared with my sister flowed through her veins.
My jaw flexed stubbornly. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to allow anyone to lay a finger on Sophia ever again. I adjusted my grip on the gun and aimed for his head this time. Let him try to rip my niece’s throat out with a brain the consistency of slush.
The still silence lasted approximately ten seconds before one of the newbies on Grieves’ side got trigger happy. The first shot grazed my shoulder, sending ripples of pain up my arm. It missed Sophie by inches. Her shrill cry of panic cut me to the core. She’d probably been too young to remember the attack on Fabian’s house. This was the first real violence the little girl had ever been exposed to. And I was the one exposing her to it. The bleak irony of it pissed me off more than words could express. Rage trembled through my limbs. Valerius was awake, and hungry for more blood.
In a burst of speed that surprised even me, I launched myself at the nearest guard, jamming the barrel of my gun beneath his chin. Blood and gray matter painted the ceiling when I pulled the trigger. In the stunned instant before the body could explode, I seized the front of his lapel, fishing a second weapon from his suit jacket. Satisfied with my thievery, I shoved him into his fellow just as he dissolved into wet cement.
Bits of the first guard flew into the eyes of the second and temporarily blinded him. Getting a good grip on my stolen weapon I took aim and fired at his center of mass, scoring a hit with the first shot. Bits of vampire splashed onto the walls.
The remaining four vampires were better prepared than the first two. They’d used the deaths of the others to retreat up the corridor, out of range of both the Beretta and the stolen Sig Sauer. If I’d had my standard enchanted weaponry, the distance between us wouldn’t have made a lick of difference. But the Beretta was depressingly normal, and it did matter. If I pursued, I left a hole in our defensive line, allowing Barabbas or one of his ilk to dart in and get at Sophia. I wasn’t about to let that happen.
Dominic stepped forward, putting his body between me and the vampires. “Get back behind the sun shield, Nat,” he whispered.
“I’m not leaving you to face them alone. Nobody I love is dying here tonight.”
Dom’s eyes flicked over to meet mine. His expression softened and he seemed happier than I’d seen him since our reunion two weeks ago.
“You love me, huh?”
My mouth snapped shut and I cursed myself for the slip. I hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
“This isn’t the time for gooey declarations,” I insisted, readying both weapons for the inevitable charge at the vampires. Dom was right. If Fabian and Sophia retreated behind the sun barrier, they’d be safe from the vampires for now. Still trapped in this dreary catacomb, but safe.
“You’re right. It’s time for you to retreat, Nat.”
Dom emphasized his words by seizing my overcoat, spinning me around to face Fabian, and pushing me roughly toward the old man. I fell through the sun barrier cursing and spitting, landing on my ass on the other side of it just in time to see Dom press the tip of the oak wand to the electrode he had in hand.
Sparks leaped from the end of his wand, fall
ing like silver rain to the ground. A crackling line of lightning formed between the pair as he drew them away. The script that Dom had carved into the oak wand glowed silver and cast glimmering reflections on the wall. I flattened myself to the ground, taking Fabian and Sophia with me as I went. Dom was about to whip up an order of fried vampire and I didn’t want the rest of us to end up as an accidental casualty. In theory, the sun shield should absorb the light and reflect it back, but it was also several centuries old. Enchantments like that faded over time and I wasn’t going to stake all of our lives on it.
Throwing an arm over the shaking girl, I curled her into my side and covered her eyes. Fabian had already had the good sense to screw his shut. The staccato beat of an automatic weapon echoed down the corridor and I prayed to any God who’d listen that Dom remained unhurt. I wanted to look. Gods above did I want to look. But losing my vision, even temporarily was going to set us back by a day or two. We didn’t have the time to waste. It grated at my every nerve to tuck my head beneath my arm and press my face into the stone floor.
Dom struck. The light from his spell was so bright that I could spy every vein on the inside of my eyelids. Electricity crackled along my skin, raising every single hair on my body. Even the heavyweight of my ponytail lifted inches from the back of my neck, standing on end just like the rest of me.
And just like the ironclad, I couldn’t tell how effective Dom’s magic was at killing off our enemies. Even if I strained my hearing, I couldn’t make out the sounds of vampires splatting against the floor of the corridor past the roar of Dom’s spellcraft. The only signal that the battle was nearing its conclusion was the lessening of Dom’s magic in the air. After about thirty seconds of waiting I lost patience and dared to peek up at my ex.
The lightning hadn’t abated completely and I was treated to a dazzling vision. Dom, hand stretched forth as if he could catch the arcing silver light in his palm. His shirt had been mostly singed away by the force he’d been forced to wield. Sweat beaded on the expanse of bared skin and reflected the light like the world’s most erotic gym ad.
I don’t think I’d ever found him more attractive in the nine years I’d known him. If we’d been alone, I’d probably have taken him to the floor and had my way with him. I didn’t think that was strictly appropriate for the audience behind us, though, so I tried to keep my thoughts PG.
A quick scan of the tunnel revealed no vampires. Satisfied it was safe, I helped Fabian and Sophia to their feet. The little girl’s dark eyes shown with tears, and the murderous rage that possessed me before returned with a vengeance. I’d been introduced to violence and fear at a young age, and now my niece had too. If Barabbas wasn’t already dead, I’d hunt him down and yank his scrotum off in retribution.
“Did you get them?”
“Most of them,” Dom said, scowling in the same direction. “Barabbas scampered as soon as the lightning hit. He was the only one who made it to the mouth of the tunnel, so I think we’re safe for now. It will take him at least a day or two to call in reinforcements, and we should arrive at Monte Rosa before then.”
“So much for our alliance,” I grinned.
Dom shrugged his shoulders. “We’re free. We’re alive. We have Findlay’s daughter. But to pull this off, we’re going to need the cure to the lupine virus as well. It’s the only way the Trust will shut down the deportation protocols. As long as they don’t shoot us before we give it to them.”
My desire to follow Grieves up the tunnel and wring his cowardly neck was stymied by the sudden tremor that ran through the tunnel. It didn’t abate, increasing in force until I was forced to grip the side of the corridor for support.
“Shit,” Dom hissed, eyes going wide. “I thought I’d modulated the power enough to avoid it.”
“Avoid what?” I had to shout to make myself heard over the continued shaking. Rocks ground together above our head and an ominous stream of dust began to spill into the tunnel from above.
“The catacombs are unstable. This one is supposed to be fortified by magic but if I shorted out the wards…”
He didn’t have to finish the sentence. I got the picture in horrible HD clarity. If he’d shorted out the wards that held up this tunnel, this whole corridor was coming down like a house of cards.
Panic rose to choke me and I glanced back at Sophia. How durable was her artificial body? Could she survive a cave-in? Fabian couldn’t, and I needed him alive as well. Without the alchemist to brew her potions, she wouldn’t last another day.
A whooshing sound came from above us, it sounded like wheels on pavement. Maybe we weren’t that deep.
“Get out of the way,” I ordered, planting my feet.
Dom obediently took a step back, clearing my path. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, and I could Valerius stirring.
“You in there buddy?” I said under my breath. “Unless you want to get buried for another thousand years, I’m going to need some help here.”
I’d once seared half of Ashby’s face off with just a touch of my hand. I needed to do that now, on a much greater scale. Fixing the man’s smug, attractive face in my mind I stretched my arms as far as they’d go until my fingertips brushed the ceiling above.
Heat spilled from my hand and the rock beneath it bubbled and popped like plastic exposed to flame. After a few seconds it melted entirely, running in molten stream down my arm. I trapped a scream behind my teeth, forcing myself to continue until the hole was wide enough for a person of average size to crawl through. I stumbled away from the hole with a whimper and waved Dom forward.
“Get them out of here.”
Dom didn’t hesitate, lifting Sophia from Fabian’s arms as if she weighed nothing at all. He was careful to avoid the edges of the hole I’d made. The melted rock had begun to cool with exposure to air, but it was still hot enough to severely burn the average human.
My arm wasn’t going to recover for a day or two, at least. It had begun to go numb in places, which wasn’t a good sign. Most people tended not to know that third-degree burns were entirely painless. Not because you weren’t injured, but because your flesh was so thoroughly cooked that your cells died and no longer transmitted the pain to your brain. I didn’t look down to examine the damage. If I saw bone, I’d probably throw up and possibly black out.
Sophia was hoisted up and out of sight. Fabian went next, and his landing was less smooth than Sophia’s. I heard a worrying pop and hoped he hadn’t broken a bone or pulled a joint from its socket.
Dom motioned me forward. “I’ll lift you up.”
“Or I could give you a boost,” I said, glancing up at the sky above. The sky was turning gray as we edged closer to dawn.
Dom fixed me with an exasperated look. “Would you stop being difficult and let me help you, for once? If your hand works at the moment it’ll be a miracle. You’re not going to be able to climb out. Take the damn boost and lower something down to me.”
I wanted to argue with him, my pride throbbing almost as much as my arm. I was the one with super strength and abilities beyond man’s ken. I should be the one to remain down here. But the visible concern on his face made me hesitate just long enough for Dom to duck and seize me by the calves, lifting me onto his shoulders before I could work up a good reply. He heaved me through the hole, throwing me with enough force that I actually cleared it by several feet. I impacted pavement hard enough to drive the wind from my lungs.
And that was when the tunnel gave way entirely. The earth beneath us shuddered and sank, shifting violently. I was jabbed in the ribs by falling chunks of pavement. I had only enough time to grab Fabian and Sophia, protecting them from the shifting tide of stone. Dust billowed up around us as the center of the street descended into the earth below. Then we entered free fall. I had only a few seconds to process the sudden effects of gravity before I landed hard on a slab of broken cement.
Sadly, it wasn’t the worst I’d ever been hurt. The impact drew an undignifi
ed grunt from the back of my throat and I released my unfortunate tag-alongs at once, scrambling up as quickly as my battered body would allow.
I swallowed back the panic when I spotted Dom standing unharmed, just below where the hole had been moments before, surrounded by rubble. He was blinking rapidly, staring at the jut of rebar inches from his nose. The twisted remains of the street lay all around like an absurd faerie ring, trapping him inside. But he was still standing. I collapsed back onto the rock beneath me with a groan. We were alive. Most of us weren’t even hurt.
“So,” Dom asked conversationally, after climbing over the rubble to join us and slapping the dust off his pants. “We’ve rescued a criminal and his ward, pissed off two vampire houses, and destroyed one of the oldest streets in Paris. What’s next on the agenda?”
chapter
20
WE CRAWLED OUT OF THE sinkhole, emerging through clouds of dust that settled over the quiet Parisian alley. A lamp light flickered, before tilting to the side with a slow whine. Its glass shattered when it finally hit the pavement.
Shops were still closed, so our shabby, ragtag band was forced to travel nearly a mile before we came across an open bakery willing to let us use their phone. The smell of fresh bread made my mouth water. I couldn’t remember when I’d last eaten, but I shoved down the hunger. I had no idea if Declan would still be in possession of his cell after all that had gone on recently, but it was my only hope of contacting him directly. The radio that I’d cobbled together on the ship had been stuffed into my bag and smashed during the tunnel collapse.
The store clerk watched me suspiciously from his position behind the counter. The bleary eyed man had obviously been forced to rise early for this shift and was looking for any excuse to be ill-tempered. I kept my voice low, just in case he understood English. Though the likelihood that he was going to understand what I was asking, even if he knew the language, was slim.
Agent of Magic Box Set Page 36
