FrostBite

by Claire Marta

  Chapter 24

  Eric’s kisses were short and sweet. After a near death experience, she had expected a little more. They had no time though.

  “Let us continue,” he said inches from her lips.

  Jasmine let out a soft groan. What she wanted to do was lie down. She was not sure she could face more stairs.

  Eric seemed to read her mind. An amused smile curved his sensual mouth. “We take the lift from here.”

  As she looked around for the lift, she caught a glimpse of the wolf. His upper half was jutting out at a weird angle, half-hidden by the inside area. Blood covered his naked pale chest. She couldn’t see his face as his head was pointed away from her. He was deathly still. It looked like Eric had done more than snap his spine.

  The vampire stepped in front of her, blocking her view. “Come, Jasmine. We do not have time to waste.”

  Searching his suddenly remote expression, she nodded. It didn’t look like he wanted to talk about what he had done. She also knew he was right. They had already wasted enough time getting all the way up here.

  Following when he moved, she soon found herself in a tiny glass elevator. Unease uncoiled inside her. The sense of foreboding she had felt earlier was still pounding dully away in her head.

  The vampire hit a button and the lift began to climb.

  Jasmine pressed herself into one corner. This way she felt supported and less likely to fold into a heap on the floor. Adrenaline was still going strong, but she didn’t know how long that was going to last. She hoped it was a little longer. Once it ran out, she would feel every ache and pain her body had endured. She was not looking forwards to it. Right now she needed to keep strong.

  With no warning, the lift surged upwards with a burst of sudden speed. Gasping, Jasmine’s wide eyes flew to Eric’s.

  “That is completely normal, kitten,” he assured her with a tight smile. His glance was bouncing nervously around the small space, as he tried to hide his claustrophobia.

  The vampire had left some space between them. She assumed he had done it in case they encountered anyone at the top. Spread out they were two targets rather than one large one standing together.

  “How long have we got left?”

  He glanced at his watch. “Fifteen minutes precisely.”

  She shifted nervously from foot to foot. Fifteen minutes to find the bomb and disarm it. Was that even possible? Releasing a long, stressed-filled sigh, she swallowed down her panic. They had to do this.

  “Here,” Eric said as he pressed the handle of one of daggers into her hand. He had pulled it, complete with its sheath, from the lining of his jacket.

  Jasmine’s fingers closed around the hilt. It still held his warmth. A little jolt of electricity shot up her arm at the contact. Her toes curled in her trainers. The beat of her heart thumped erratically for a moment.

  “Thanks.” She sank her teeth into the edge of her lower lip.

  When she looked up, he was staring at her mouth. The pupils of his eyes dilated as his nostrils flared slightly. A second passed before he tore his gaze away.

  Maybe it was all the adrenaline and the situation, but Jasmine felt extremely turned on. Her body was practically vibrating from the vampire’s nearness. She fought down her arousal. They both needed to stay focused and clear-minded.

  Fiddling with the dagger, she managed to clip the sheath to her jeans. Her hands were shaking and not all of it was to do with the cold.

  The lift was still moving, taking them to the highest accessible point of the entire tower. It felt like forever before the door opened. In fact they had only been in the cramped space for a matter of minutes.

  They found themselves in another covered level. It contained windows with maps and various information above each viewing area.

  Jasmine didn’t bother to look. A sense of urgency was now crawling through her. They searched around but came up short. Neither of them found any sign of a device of any kind.

  Frustration was etched on Eric’s face. “There is nothing here.”

  Jasmine watched as he shoved his hand through his tousled her. It left it messy, in a just-been-fucked kind of way. She wet her dry lips with the tip of her tongue.

  “I hate to say this,” Jasmine said, “but everything inside me is screaming to go higher.” Her eyes danced around the space. Twitch’s magic was stronger now. She could practically taste it on the cold wind calling her upwards.

  “Are you sure?”

  Lifting her chin, she met his cold, blue gaze head on. “Yes.”

  He nodded, not saying a word. The fact that he trusted her abilities left a warm glow inside. She just hoped they weren’t about to fail her now.

  Eric guided her to a narrow staircase. He neither hesitated nor faltered. The vampire seemed to know exactly where he was going.

  Jasmine kept her eyes on his back. She was more than happy to let him lead the way.

  “This will be the highest point. If nothing is up here, we will need to search again,” he told her over his shoulder.

  Their footsteps echoed on the metal steps as they ascended. Ten minutes left to find the device. They both knew they didn’t have the time. Jasmine knew she was right, though.

  As they stepped out onto the open area, the wind began to buffet them. Jasmine swore. She thought she felt the entire structure sway beneath her feet. It was disorientating and unnerving.

  The snowstorm had eased, so there was just a light flurry now. She could see the city more clearly through the latticework. Paris stretched out before them in an unparalleled view. The dizzying height made her catch her breath.

  Eric’s eye’s rested on the champagne bar, which was closed up tight.

  “What a pity,” he mumbled. “We could have toasted your first time here.”

  Jasmine eyed the place longingly. “I could have done with a bottle right about now. With a nice, hot bath. I don’t think I am ever going to feel warm again.”

  Everything felt numb. The tip of her nose was hurting with the raw bite of the cold air. Her lips felt chapped and her teeth had even began to chatter.

  The vampire’s eyes warmed as he regarded her. “Perhaps I shall buy you one when we are done here.”

  Jasmine felt her lips twitch. He spoke so casually—as if they were simply strolling around the place—when the reality was they were risking their lives to diffuse a bomb, which was meant to go off in a matter of minutes.

  They moved further along. This level was much smaller than the rest. It wouldn’t take them long to search.

  Through the slower flurry of snow, she spotted movement. A figure stood huddled by the protective fencing in one corner. He was shivering even with the thick layers of an expensive-looking coat. Marcel.

  The fat man eyed them. From the look on his face, he had been expecting their arrival. Jasmine’s eyes fell to the gun in his hand pointed downwards. Following its trajectory with her eyes, she felt fear race through her when she saw its target.

  Jasmine recognized Twitch’s tall, slim form lying prone covered in snow. His eyes were closed. Cinnamon curls a mess around his head. Wrists bound behind his back.

  “Twitch!”

  She went to move forwards, but Eric’s hand on her arm restrained her. He squeezed it gently in warning. Pushing down her panic, she stilled. She had to keep her head. If she did something stupid, she could get herself or her friend killed.

  “Don’t move,” Marcel barked. “If you open your mouth, vampiria, I will shoot the mage. So don’t even think to try any of your persuasion on me.”

  Marcel had said vampiria, not vampire. Jasmine felt Eric stiffen beside her in anger. Confusion crashed through her. She had gotten the distinct impression that this had to have been a secret.

  “How do you know what Eric is?” she blurted out. It looked like she was going to have to do all the talking again.

  “Dasyurus knows you’ve been looking for him.” Marcel’s beady eyes never left Eric’s. “He was the one who told me what y
ou are. You thought you were clever, didn’t you? My partner is a genius. You can’t compare to him.”

  “Where’s Claude?” She couldn’t help but ask the question. The guy should never have been mixed up in this mess. She just wanted to send him home.

  “Claude thought I would forgive him.” Marcel shook his head in disbelief. “Once he told me he was feeding you information, I had to get rid of him.”

  Shock reverberated around inside her though she tried to keep the emotion from her face. “What did you do with him? Where is he?”

  “I sold him.”

  “You what?”

  Marcel giggled. “It is what I do with all my discarded lovers. Don’t worry, he won’t last long.”

  At that moment, Twitch decided to moan and move slightly. It looked like he was coming around.

  Marcel kept his gun trained on his captive. A strange manic glint was in his frog-like eyes. “Once this goes off and releases the toxin into the air, every shape-shifter within a hundred miles will lose control and revert to their beastly side for twenty-four hours.”

  She was still reeling from what he had done to Claude. It took the pressure of Eric’s fingers on her arm to remember to keep talking.

  “The world doesn’t know about them.”

  A grin spread across the fat man’s face. His eyes bounced to something on the latticework to the left of him.

  “No, not yet, but it will. We will bring them howling into the spotlight.”

  Jasmine followed his eyes. A black box was attached to the fencing. Twitch’s spell was spiralling off it in subtle waves. There seemed to be different coloured wiring coming out from one side and a digital screen was counting down the minutes.

  She refrained from staring at how long they had left. More stress was something she didn’t need right now.

  “Just because they shift doesn’t mean they’re going to attack anyone. They can pretend it’s a city-wide prank, not even real. That kind of shit is being done all the time and it looks realistic,” Twitch mumbled.

  He was still lying in the snow, but he raised his head. Annoyance was fluttering over his face. She could see him struggling with his tied hands.

  “What’s the point of all this? Most shifters live peacefully,” Jasmine said. If she could keep his attention on her, maybe the mage could get free.

  Marcel looked almost gleeful. “Not once the toxin gets in their system. They will go on a rampage. It’s designed to keep them aggressive.”

  Feeling a little brave, she took a step closer. “I still don’t see the point of this. You’re just going to expose the world to something it’s not ready for.”

  The snow had come to a stop. Even the wind had dropped now, too. The frigid air was stone still around them.

  “Imagine my sales after this comes out!” The fat man waggled the gun in his hand from left to right. “People will want to protect themselves against the monsters. Weapons will be created just to destroy them. My business will boom.”

  Jasmine tried not to cringe at his use of that word. If they weren’t careful there was going to be one quite literally.

  “So it’s all about money?” She was just trying to kill time now, waiting for the vampire to come up with a plan. He was going to have to hurry. She had a feeling he was fishing for more information, though.

  “Of course it is, you stupid little bitch. What else would it be?” Marcel sneered. Swinging the gun around, he aimed it at her chest.

  Eyes wide, she froze. A faint blue, eerie glow had started to pulse around Eric. Jasmine could see it from the corner of her eye. His hand dropped away from her arm, as he took a step away. She could see it growing stronger by the minute. Even through the numbing coldness of the night, she felt the brush of his power–practically glacial at this point. The kind of cold that cut you bone deep.

  She shivered.

  Would Marcel notice? No one else seemed to be aware the vampire was glowing. Jasmine was certain that her heightened senses allowed her to see it. She knew she needed to keep Marcel talking. Licking her chapped, dry lips, she kept her eyes on the gun. One squeeze of the trigger and she would be dead.

  “I didn’t think you would be stupid enough to be up here when it explodes.”

  “Explodes?” He giggled again like an excited school girl. “Who told you that?”

  “That was me.” Twitch replied in a tetchy purr. He had given up his battle with the rope that tied his hands. Now he kept blowing away the tumble of hair falling across his eyes.

  “I thought you were supposed to be clever.” Marcel slammed his foot into the mage’s side. “The toxin will be released safely into the air. It won’t explode.”

  Twitch groaned but kept right on talking. “That’s not what’s going to happen. It is going to explode.”

  “Shut up.” The fat man kicked him harder this time. A whimper left the mage’s lips.

  “I would listen to Twitch. He knows what he’s talking about,” Jasmine snapped anxiously. She didn’t like seeing her friend in pain. If he carried on, he was going to end up getting himself shot.

  But Twitch wasn’t done. Stubbornly he raised his chin and looked the arms dealer right in the eye. “The bits of instructions I was sent by your partner added up to a detonation device. Even lying down here, I recognise what it is. I can also feel it.”

  Marcel’s eyes leapt nervously to the bomb. “You’re lying.”

  “Dasyurus has deceived you.” Jasmine edged closer. She was itching to get to Twitch. If she could free his bonds, he could help.

  “Silence!” The fat man caught her movement. Raising the gun he had slightly lowered, he once more aimed at her chest.

  Jasmine stilled. What the fuck was Eric waiting for? An invitation? She daren’t glance back at him. One mistake and she was sure Marcel was going to shoot her. His movements were jerky. A slither of doubt was in his eyes now.

  “Seriously, I am not making this shit up,” Twitch said impatiently. He was eyeing the bomb now, still blowing the annoying piece of air out of his face.

  “Why are you up here in the first place then?” Jasmine asked, bringing Marcel’s attention back to her. She arched her eyebrows questioningly.

  “Dasyurus knew you would probably try to stop us. That’s why I had Pierre and the others on the other levels, but it seems you got past them.”

  “And he suggested you should do that? Wait up here alone with Twitch?” she persisted.

  She recognized the moment the fat man decided to shoot her. Hardness appeared in his beady eyes and his lips flattened.

  In that same split second Eric’s icy power lashed out. A bitter wind picked up so fast it was blinding. She could sense the vampire’s influence in the very air molecules.

  Scrunching her stinging eyes shut, she lunged for Twitch. It was clumsy, but she knew she was headed in the right direction.

  She landed on his back with an oomph.

  A string of swear words was issued from below her. His messy hair brushed against her face. She buried her frostbitten cheek into the hollow of his shoulder, trying to escape the howling wind. The settled snow was swirling around them like a blizzard. Harsh and biting, it whipped around them.

  The crack of a gun shot went off. In alarm, Jasmine unthinkingly raised her head. Had Eric been shot?

  A hand suddenly clenched her short red hair. Gasping in pain, she was wrenched backwards. Stumbling, she found herself dragged to her feet. As she lifted her hands to grab the arm above her head she felt the barrel of a gun press the base of her neck. Releasing a breath, she lowered her arms.

  The wind dropped just as quickly as it had started. Eric was standing two arms' lengths away from them. His face was focused with a cold intent. The blue iciness of his eyes was chilling.

  “Back off, vamp, or I put a hole in her pretty little head.” Marcel's words were chattered through his teeth.

  Jasmine couldn’t see him but was pretty sure he had taken the brunt of the vampire's frozen attack. She was ce
rtain Eric had not even used his full force. He had most likely done it in the fear of hurting her or Twitch.

  Eric’s eyes locked with hers. No reaction showed on his face. Something shifted through in his eyes–a quick, imperceptible movement of an unidentified emotion, but she caught it nonetheless.

  “For fuck's sake, let her go, Marcel!” Twitch shouted from the floor. “We are all going to get blown up if we don’t stop the bomb now.”

  Jasmine’s hand, which was down by her side, reached slowly for the dagger at her hip. If she could take Marcel out, she would. If he shot her, then she was taken out of the equation and the vampire wouldn’t hesitate.

  Gaze never wavering from Eric’s, her fingers closed around the hilt. It pressed reassuringly into the palm of her hand. Now or never.

  “Shut up!” the fat man screamed hoarsely down at the mage. Panic was coursing off him in thick waves. He was freaking out.

  In one fast, fluid motion, she yanked the dagger from its sheath. Gritting her teeth, Jasmine plunged it behind her back. The blade was so sharp it sliced through flesh without resistance. She thrust it deep.

  Marcel was screaming. It was a high-pitched sound, almost ear-shattering. Instead of letting her go, his hand tightened in her hair. He clutched so hard, her scalp became agonizingly painful. Tears of pain filled her eyes. A wail left her lips as she clawed at his wrist.

  The next thing Jasmine knew she was on her knees. No longer was his hand gripping her head. The gun was in her face instead.

  Skin almost white as the snow around them, the fat man snarled down at her. The dagger was still embedded in his side. Blood was staining his coat and the hand he had pressed near the wound was soaked in his own blood.

  Jasmine’s heart turned to ice. This was it. She was taking her last fucking breath in the world.

  Everything seemed to be happening in slow-motion. Marcel’s finger on the trigger of his gun tensed. His blue-tinged lips curled up over his gums in an evil sneer.

  The air around them was suddenly drenched with Eric’s power. One moment the fat man was about to shoot; the next the vampire’s other dagger was buried in his chest. A direct hit. Straight to the heart.