by Shana Vernon
As she replied, I blended into the background and washed the cooling sensation throughout my body, becoming invisible. I circled around to the back of the crowd and placed the farthest member in a choke hold, covering her mouth so she wouldn’t alert the others, her body blinking out of existence along with mine.
Once she was unconscious, I laid her down, keeping her invisibility intact, and moved on to the next person while Sofia continued her distraction. My hand covered the next ones’ mouth as I zapped him with a bolt of my light. He spasmed, then went limp in my arms. The next two went the same way, until one of the Guild members toward the back turned around, noticing his missing compatriots.
His electric blue hair was shaven on the sides, a spiderweb tattoo covering his neck. His eyes widened and he looked around the room, withdrawing a gun from its holster. “Why is everyone disappearing?”
The others turned in my direction and I knew the jig was up. While they still couldn’t see me or my unconscious victims, I wouldn’t be able to hold the invisibility and maintain my strength. The effort to keep us all invisible was already draining my energy levels.
I created my light whip and materialized back into view, the member nearest me jumping back with a shout.
“Sorry, but we can’t let you kill them, they’re innocent.” Quinn said, his weapons still sheathed.
A bulky member stepped forward, sliding out a broadsword from his back, his crew cut giving him a military look. “A contract is a contract, Greer. Once you accept, you must complete it.”
I hated the look on his face. No matter what we said, he would continue the contract, even if he knew they were innocent. He simply didn’t care. There were plenty of people who became assassins because they had a thirst for blood. A different kind of thirst than the vampires. One that was only satiated with each new kill. I didn’t know about the other members, but this one disgusted me. Anyone who would willingly kill a child without question disgusted me.
“Even if they aren’t guilty of whatever they’ve been accused of?” He pointed to the kid. “He’s just a boy. Think, Marcus. What could a child possibly have done?”
“This is above your pay grade, so either do your job, or get the fuck out of the way,” Marcus growled, his grip on the broadsword tightening.
He definitely knows what they are.
Ryder unsheathed his machete and maneuvered himself slightly in front of Quinn. “I’d take a step back I were you.”
Marcus laughed and looked around the foyer, the members spread out around the room, outmanning us three to one. “I don’t think so, buddy.”
The member who I’d scared, scrunched his eyes, concentrating, when a heavy clock came off the wall, hovering in the air. It moved in Quinn’s direction and I snapped my whip, wrapping it around his throat and slamming him to the floor, the clock crashing down with a loud bang.
Chaos erupted.
Ryder and Quinn were both locked up in brawls while Sofia yanked the woman and child out of the room, yelling at them to find cover, before turning back to the fight.
The black-haired assassin went straight for Sofia, her body contorting as scales spread over her limbs. Within seconds, a massive King Cobra slithered in place of the member, her fangs long and sharp.
I took a step in her direction, but someone blocked me, throwing a punch at my face. I dodged it and, after withdrawing a dagger, plunged it into his stomach, yanking it all the way up to his chest cavity. He dropped to the floor. The tempo of my heart sped up and my energy hummed excitedly. I lived for this.
I jumped over his body as the windows detonated, bringing snow into the house.
People on both sides were slipping, their boots sliding over the hardwood floors of the foyer. My vision was immediately compromised as I could barely see through the mini-indoor blizzard. I wiped my eyes and struggled forward, searching for my next opponent.
Something whooshed past my arm and I felt a sting, looking down to see blood seeping through my sleeve. My mouth dropped open and I looked around the room, shocked I’d missed that.
Before I could heal myself, another object came flying toward my shoulder and I leaped out of the way, whirling around. I couldn’t see my assailant, but I could just make out Sofia fighting the snake with her sai, expertly twirling them around and halting the fang attacks again and again.
Someone punched my stomach and I bent forward, clutching it, and glancing about, again coming up empty.
I blinked and was hit again, this time to the side of my face. I dropped the whip and pulled up two glowing orbs of light while my eyes moved around, before finally spotting him. A member with speed like a vampire was zipping around the room, delivering single blows before zooming away.
Coward.
I threw a light orb at him, but it smashed into the wall, leaving a charred circle on the paint, and I continued my assault.
My lips were chapped and my cheeks raw from all the wind, so I moved forward in search of the blonde member I’d witnessed earlier. Another object whooshed at me and this time I plucked it out of the air, examining the solid white blade.
I turned it over.
Is this bone?
A woman appeared a few feet from me and lifted her palms, holes developing in the center of each one as bone protruded from within. The holes closed and she grasped blades made from her bone and moved to lob them in my direction.
I was equally intrigued and disgusted.
Before I could react, someone blurred across the room and snapped her neck, her eyes rolling up into her head as she slumped to the hardwood. A boot kicked her to the side and took a step in my direction. “I thought you were supposed to be good at this,” a baritone voice called, and a set of honey colored eyes swam into view.
I scowled. “Well, if it isn’t the vamp with his scary, pointy teeth to the rescue,” I said as I slit the throat of my next assailant.
He smiled, putting emphasis on his crooked nose. “Wanna see who can bag more?” He blurred to another member and clapped the sides of his face, dropping him to the floor with one move.
I laughed and lobbed a light orb into the back of the man fighting Ryder, or more accurately, using him as a punching bag.
I ran for Ryder while calling to Luka over my shoulder, “Sure, but I already have about five on you. You gotta catch up.”
His chuckles reached my ears as I continued toward Ryder and Marcus, Ryder’s face a bloody mess. I threw an orb at Marcus’ back and it merely glanced off. My eyes widened and I sprinted faster, aiming a kick for his lower back which should have incapacitated him.
My foot met a brick wall and my knee snapped. I screamed and slammed as much warm rose light into my leg as I could muster, exhaling as my bone reconstructed, returning back into my skin as it stitched itself closed.
Marcus turned to face me. “That’s a neat little trick you have there, but it won’t keep you alive forever. I wonder how you’ll heal yourself if you’re missing a head.”
I imagined my light katana and brought it down, hard, but he dodged me easily, picking me up and throwing me across the room as if I were made from paper.
I crashed into the floor, pain exploding in my shoulder. I hastened to heal myself before he bore down on me again. He was getting closer, cracking his knuckles as he approached.
Fear churned in my stomach and I looked at Ryder, who was struggling to rise to his feet.
He needed me.
I constructed a large ball of light energy and slammed it into Marcus, sending him spiralling into the wall. I clambered to my feet and rushed to Ryder, rose light exploding from my hands as I healed the laceration to his upper leg and the fracture on his cheek. The other injuries were minor in comparison and I needed to conserve some of my energy.
He exhaled and stood up. “I have an idea,” he said, holding out a hand to help me to my feet.
“What?” I asked, watching Sofia continue her dance with the snake.
She had a few spots of blood on her face,
but I couldn’t see more than that from the distance between us. She looked like she was holding her own.
A moment later, the snake wrapped its body around her chest and opened its mouth wide, baring down on Sofia’s face as it squeezed.
I screamed and streaked toward her, Ryder hot on my heels, before halting in my tracks. Sofia had taken a sai and pierced the blade up through the bottom of the snake’s mouth, snapping it closed.
The snake let out an ungodly screech and unwound from Sofia’s body, whipping its head back and forth, attempting to dislodge the weapon. Sofia took the opportunity and leaped forward, slicing her knife through the length of the snake, its intestines spilling out on to the floor.
I calmed the sudden racing of my blood and realized I’d been gripping Ryder’s arm, hard. I released him, apologizing, looking over his shoulder to see Marcus back on his feet and barreling in our direction.
Uh oh.
I pointed. “What do we do about him?”
“I was trying to tell you before,” he said a grin sliding across his face. “Hit me with a light ball.”
My mouth dropped open. “What?”
“It’s energy, right? I should be able to absorb it and use it against him but more concentrated.”
I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.
“Yes! That should work.” I mustered up all of my strength and shoved a massive energy burst into Ryder, the light nearly blinding me.
He staggered back and I worried I might have done something wrong, but then he laughed. “Wow! Now that is an energy boost,” he said before running forward to meet Marcus head on, the scent of sweat heavy in the air.
Quinn was battling a member who was pulling vines from the outside of the house to fight him from a distance. They were both soaked from the melting snow, like the rest of us. Quinn took step forward, but a gale force wind knocked him back.
I spun around in search of that white-haired nuisance, locating him hiding in a corner like a coward. I trudged in his direction, my boots weighed down from all the snow, as two blurs zoomed past, Max’s blonde locks swinging by my line of vision.
I pulled out my gun and pointed it at the air manipulator’s face. “Stop it, or you die.”
He gulped and the winds quieted. I pulled the bag off my back and withdrew the ropes, tying him up before shoving him back to the floor. “Don’t move, and don’t use your gift.” I said, brandishing the weapon in his face as a reminder of what would happen if he crossed me.
He nodded quickly.
A blast shook the house and Marcus flew through the air, slamming into the dining room table before falling limp to the floor.
A heavy sob rang the air and the plant manipulator dropped to the floor, her hands coming up to clutch at her face, tears streaming down her eyes. Quinn had his hand pressed against her back, the space between his eyes creased in concentration. The vines withdrew back down the sides of the house and her cries continued.
I brought out more rope and walked over to Quinn, helping him bind her wrists, small lacerations from the vines littering his skin. I healed them and examined the room.
Luka and Max were standing off to the side of the room, observing their injuries, the remains of their opponents spread out on the floor.
Ryder was making his way to Sofia, who was holding a hand to her stomach, bent over. She met my eyes, her own full of terror, before they closed, and she slumped to the floor.
Chapter 10
A sharp pain in my chest was steadily rising as I sprinted to her side. My heart was pounding, and not in the fun, midst of a great battle way. I knelt by her side, her body immobile, save for the infinitesimal rising and falling of her chest.
I placed my shaking hands on her body and a lump formed in my throat as I understood what my gift was telling me.
Sofia was poisoned.
I yanked out a knife and ripped through her jumpsuit, taking care not to injure her further, and found two puncture wounds from snake’s fangs. The area was red and swollen, the venom already causing paralysis and restricted breathing.
I’d never healed someone from poison before. I had no idea if I even could. I brought forth my warm, rose-colored healing light and let it flow through her.
The wound stayed open.
Panicked, I stared wide-eyed at Ryder, who was on the floor by my side, Sofia’s hand in his palm.
His mouth clamped shut and his eyes steeled with determination.
“We need to take off her clothes, they are too restricting. Someone get a first aid kit and bring me some bandages.” He looked at me. “Call Master Locke and ask if she has anti-venom for a cobra bite.”
My hands shook as I fumbled with my phone, hastily dialing the numbers.
“We need to keep her as still as possible to make sure the venom doesn’t spread faster,” Ryder continued, carefully taking off the rest of her jumpsuit without jostling her stomach.
“Should we try to suck out the venom?” Quinn asked.
Ryder shook his head. “You are more likely to poison yourself than heal Sofia.”
“Hello?” My aunt’s voice carried throughout the room.
“Master Locke, this is Lenna and a few other initiates. We are with Sofia, and she’s been bitten by a cobra. I tried to heal her, but it isn’t working.”
She immediately snapped into healer mode and began firing off questions about Sofia’s symptoms in rapid succession.
“Lenna, listen closely. You must get the venom out of Ms. Alvarez, or she will not make it back here alive. Your gift is very strong, so perhaps you can’t be poisoned yourself. I normally wouldn’t suggest this, but once you suck out the venom, you will be able to heal her properly. You cannot heal a wound or injury that can only lead to death, so do not try to heal her until the venom is out. When you get back, I will explain it in more depth. Hurry now.” The line went dead.
Bile filled my mouth and my lips trembled, though I didn’t hesitate. I leaned down toward her stomach, ready to pull the poison into my mouth, when a hand stopped me.
I looked up into Max’s cerulean eyes.
“Let me do it, I cannot be poisoned.”
“We don’t have time to argue; somebody get it out of her!” Ryder yelled.
I backed up and gave Max space as he knelt over Sofia, resting his lips against her skin. He sucked in and spat out the liquid again and again, and I put my hand on Sofia, continuously checking if I could heal her. The moment I felt the rose light begin working, I tapped his shoulder. “I got it now.”
He withdrew and wiped his face, grimacing as blood trickled down his chin.
I pressed my hands to her body, releasing as much power into her as I could, willing it with everything I had to heal her.
Luka chuckled from across the room and I looked up as he spoke to Max. “What does it taste like?”
Max spat again on the floor. “The venom itself tastes sweet, but her blood tasted like death.”
Luka nodded as if that made sense. I wasn’t sure I would want to know what death tasted like.
I finished the healing and sat back on my heels, staring at her face, waiting for her to open her eyes.
One second.
Thirty seconds.
One minute.
We were all silent in anticipation as the color returned to her olive-toned skin. The tempo of my heart still racing, attempting to flee from the cage of my ribs.
Her breathing normalized and she blinked her eyes opened.
“That was a fucking trip.” She rasped, so very Sofia-like.
Nervous chuckles rang throughout the room and I wrapped my arms around her, whispering in her ear. “I was so scared when I couldn’t heal you.”
The level of relief that flooded my body was unexpected. With Papa’s death so fresh, I couldn’t lose another person I cared deeply for. Sofia was my closest friend at the Guild. Scratch that, my closest friend in the world.
She returned my hug with weak arms, squeezing with a laughable amou
nt of strength. “Don’t worry, you’re not getting rid of me any time soon. Who else is going to burn the Guild to the ground with you?”
I smiled, my muscles relaxing. I looked down as she shivered, the frigid air causing goosebumps to litter her bare skin. She was basically naked, save for a bra and underwear. I turned to Luka. “I need your shirt.”
He grinned mischievously and pulled it over his head, handing it to me. “You just wanted an excuse to see my bare chest. Admit it.”
I rolled my eyes and helped Sofia put it on.
She glanced around the room. “Where are the Nagys?”
The rest of us followed her stare and Max blurred from the room, returning with who we assumed were Kalina and Aurek Nagy. Kalina held on to her son protectively, and I took a closer look at him.
It was hard to determine if he was a vampire.
Vampires came in all skin tones and features. You could find vampires with skin tones ranging from as dark as midnight to as light as the first snowfall, and everywhere in between. But it was their eye color that generally gave them away. They had colors that weren’t naturally found in human eyes. Eyes that were too blue, like Max’s, or too golden, like Nikita’s. Fangs were a dead giveaway as well, but they could easily be retracted if the vampire wished.
Aurek’s eyes were a chocolate brown and his skin was sun kissed, as if he spent much of his time playing outside.
Quinn slowly approached the woman and held out a hand. “My name is Quinn, and we came here to protect you from the people who were here to harm you and your son.”
The moment her hand touched his, her features smoothed out and the tension left her shoulders. “We haven’t done anything wrong; I don’t understand why they would be after us.”
Quinn gave a sad smile. “Unfortunately, there are people in the world who prefer to discriminate against others they don’t understand. People who were born different from them and the status quo. Your son was born to a human man, wasn’t he?”
She looked as if she might panic, but Quinn gripped her hand again and she relaxed. “Yes, I didn’t think it was possible, so I wasn’t careful.” She said, looking at her son. “His father was never in the picture. It’s just the two of us.”
