A hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her back from the window. The girl’s grip on the drapes pulled them open further and I got a good look at the first of my adversaries. It wasn’t Cayman Bello, thank God. The man had sandy brown hair and a round face. Even though I couldn’t see them at this distance, I knew from years of working with him that his eyes were blue and that he was wearing an utterly bland expression on his face.
Ewan Saunders was as unremarkable as possible and could make himself unobtrusive in almost any crowd. Funnily enough, the bright, eye-catching Hawaiian shirt would help him blend in with the rest of the tourists below.
I breathed a sigh of relief that ruffled the curtains around me. I’d been half-expecting to see the broad-shouldered and heavily pierced shaman beside her. I knew I could best Ewan Saunders in a fight, as long as I hit the mark somewhere away from the ocean. He could technically summon a tidal wave even at this distance, but he was unlikely to risk the mark’s life in order to kill me. I had the advantage here.
A second shape appeared in the window and grabbed a hold of the drapes. He glared out at the coming dawn for a moment before snapping them shut in one quick move. I kept staring at the place he’d disappeared, even as the drapes settled back into place over the window in 508.
I’d know that full, gorgeous mouth and chiseled profile anywhere. He’d changed his hair again, to a black so dark it shone with blue highlights. He’d also doffed his usual overcoat in exchange for body armor and an Uzi. But I still knew him.
Dominic freaking Finch. Wizard first class, ex-army badass, and a terrific kisser. And now? An obstacle in the way of completing my mission. I sat back, reclining in the chair I’d dragged to the window.
Did it matter that he was here? That he was protecting her? My way forward was set in stone. The vampires had a cure for Cat. It was more than Dominic had ever done for me, after my sister’s incident. He’d abandoned me when I’d needed him most.
No, I decided. It didn’t change anything except my approach. Because now that I knew he was working this case, I had a distinct advantage. I knew Dominic’s weakness was his strict moral code. Between our history together and his insatiable need to be someone’s white knight, I knew I could snare him. It begged the question why he was working with her. But I suppose anyone could twist their philosophy given enough incentive. Perhaps he thought the destruction of the demi-humans was a moral good. Or maybe the Trust had lied to him, like they’d lied to me so many times.
I crossed the room and allowed myself to flop onto the bed. Now was as good a time as any to get some sleep, when the bloodsuckers were unlikely to take a bite out of me.
Watch out, Dominic Finch, I thought with a wry smile. Your damsel is a dragon and she’s about to bite you right on your smug, moralizing ass.
chapter
14
IT TOOK SIX DAYS TO get a firm grasp on Dominic’s pattern. It was a little disappointing that he’d become so predictable. A few years ago, I would have said that this mission was impossible, with Dominic leading the protection detail. Apparently, he was slipping. Or maybe he was anticipating a direct attack and counting on his wards to give him advanced warning to any sniper fire. Whatever the case, he’d dropped the ball.
This was the third time in as many days that he’d gone out to purchase supplies for Eleanor Dawson. At least I had to assume that was what he was doing. Unless he was buying beakers and a centrifuge for shits and giggles.
The fact that he was the errand boy for the genocidal brat raised my ire, and I wasn’t quite sure why. I didn’t have time to puzzle it out, either. The timing of this venture was absolutely crucial. If we leaped into action too soon, it would seem staged. If we waited too long, we’d be in his rearview mirror and have to try again at a later date. Cat’s cure hung in the balance. Geoffrey had received a copy of the full text, translated into English for my viewing pleasure. He’d hand it over to me when Eleanor Dawson was dead. And if he didn’t...well I think I could make a case for justifiable homicide.
The silver earing in my ear buzzed unpleasantly and Geoffrey’s voice, still appealing despite the distortion, spoke in my ear.
“Are you in position, Iron Heart?”
My scowl had been fixed into place the moment that we’d gotten to Belize and it deepened still further as I contemplated the events to come. I was not going to enjoy this mission, no matter how justified the end result might be. Working with the vampires evoked a squirming sense of shame. I didn’t like feeling so unsure of myself. I was certain that I didn’t have the whole story. But Declan had confirmed that the threat was real. And even if there was a crucial piece missing to my intel, I couldn’t exactly afford not to go through with it now.
I was positioned on the patio of a local eatery, pretending to sip a latte. I was already too keyed up as it was. I didn’t need the caffeine on top of everything else. Geoffrey, Arabella, and Tristan were hidden nearby, but I hadn’t been told where. It was absolutely essential to the ruse that the attack appeared genuine.
I’d have preferred to take this battle outside of the city, in a darkened warehouse district where there were few witnesses and less chance of collateral damage. But the whole point was to divert Dominic’s attention. The well-lit place made me feel like I had a spotlight trained on me. I hated this. I hated playing the part of a rank amateur.
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped. “I’m getting really tired of people using that nickname. I have a name. Use it.”
Geoffrey chuckled. “Shall I call you Natalia or Valdez?”
“Valdez.”
“Stop yammering,” Arabella’s voice snapped. “We have a job to do.”
Her voice was unpleasantly high when we were standing close to one another. Over the tenuous connection offered by the earrings that we all sported, it sounded like the screech of feedback. I almost tore my earring out and tossed it away. Everyone had been apprised of the plan. We had nothing more to talk about.
I was saved having to reply to her gripe by the arrival of a silver Escalade. Dominic’s rental car.
It was quick. Almost too quick for me. Algerone hadn’t been kidding when he’d said these vampires were the best. I’d fought countless grunts from House Grieves. I’d duked it out with their warriors, and slaughtered their barons. But I’d never faced anyone as fast as Geoffrey. I dove from the wire chair I’d lounged in, kicking it backward toward him. It hit him in the chest with a satisfying sound, sending him back a few steps.
My mind knew it was a ruse. That, at least at the moment, Geoffrey wasn’t really trying to kill me. But my body didn’t care about petty things like facts. Adrenaline slammed through my veins, my heart was pounding like a bass drum, and a cold sweat had broken out on my forehead. There was only cold calculation in his eyes when he stared at me. He was bigger than me, stronger than me, and if he’d really had the element of surprise on me, I’d be maimed at the very least, if not dead.
I regained my feet and shoved a hand into my bomber jacket, retrieving one of the CZ 75s that I’d enchanted earlier in the week. It didn’t really matter which I was using. All I needed was to draw his attention, and any one of them would accomplish that nicely.
My shot missed by an inch and tore a chunk about the size of a fist into one of the posts that supported the striped awning above me. It dipped, landing comically on Geoffrey’s head. Just the regular old ammo, it appeared. Maybe that was best. If it had been the incendiary enchantment, I might have really ruined someone’s day. My enchanted gear was better where the crowds weren’t so thick. The flames would be eye-catching, for sure. But fraught with the possibility of civilian death, which I wanted to avoid.
Geoffrey whipped the awning off his head just in time to dodge my second bullet. The feint was good and made my near miss seem like lucky timing on his part and not a deliberate act on mine.
The people that occupied the tables nearby were frozen in their seats. One man even had a sandwich raised
halfway to his mouth and hadn’t bothered to wipe the sauce from his mouth from the last bite.
“Go!” I shouted at them. “Get out of here!”
I could only hope they listened to me. I wasn’t sure how far this ploy would go and hated the idea of getting someone killed.
I’d still been tracking the Escalade in my periphery. It slowed quickly with a gratifying squeal and the engine protested when Dominic threw it into park before it even came to a standstill.
Dominic surveyed the scene before him with clinical, detached eyes and I took a fraction of a second to consider just how beautiful he was. His game face was a sight to behold. His jaw flexed, and his cheekbones stood out prominently, pale and strong. His hair was mussed and the steely look in his eyes made my body quiver.
Gods, this was not the time. So, so not the time.
I sensed Arabella before I saw her. Of the three, I found her aura to be the most unpleasant. The tingling at the base of my skull alerted me just in time for me to spin around, drop into a crouch to avoid her swipe and sink into a firing position. And that was when Tristan struck, coming at me from the side. Faster than my eye could track, he’d whipped a small shuriken from his sleeve. They were both too close. I’d told them to hang back and stay on the defensive. But apparently, my instructions were too hard or too much of an annoyance to follow. I’d told them not to come close for a reason. There was no way that I could miss at this range.
Time for executive action. Geoffrey would forgive me later, or maybe he wouldn’t. But a vampire had to die, and I suspected he’d be harder to cajole if I chose his sister.
I tossed the gun into my left hand so I could pull out an enchanted weapon, sighted Tristan’s center of mass, and squeezed the trigger.
Tristan registered that I’d fired on him for real about a second before the bullet tore its way into his chest. It was enough time for him to loose the knife he’d been holding. I was able to move just enough to the right to keep it from entering my heart. As it was, the blade sliced deep into my shoulder.
“Son of a Bitch!” I cried, staggering backward.
Getting stabbed is never the instant agony that you think it ought to be. At first, all you feel is impact. Maybe a sharp, sickening jolt of pain. And then the adrenaline kicks in, buffering you against the full force of what’s coming.
And then the heat sinks into you like someone’s jabbed a poker into your skin and twisted it. It’s the sort of pain that makes you want to die, just to escape it. Given the choice between being shot or stabbed, I’d take being shot every time.
Which was why I lost my footing, despite years of fighting in circumstances more dangerous than these. I’d never had someone thoroughly incapacitate my shooting arm. If he’d been in any shape to fight me, I’d have killed him for that. I hit a table and the momentum sent me ass over teakettle. I would have landed on my head if strong, steady arms hadn’t shot out to catch me before I could slam the pavement.
For a dizzy second, he looked like an angel to me. Haloed in the golden light of a nearby sign, an expression of furious, righteous anger set his face into a beautiful, if cold, mask. And his magic stroked along my skin, familiar and beloved, like the comforting caress of a lover. I wasn’t sure if he was doing it on purpose or not, but I was grateful. It took the keen edge off the pain.
No one was paying any attention to us though, too busy watching Tristan, who’d frozen like a statue in place before letting out an inhuman shriek.
Blue and white flame blossomed from his chest, spreading out from his torso in a rippling wave. In its wake his skin began to melt, peeling off his bones in a truly gruesome fashion, slapping the ground wetly. He gave one shriek of agony before he collapsed into a smoking puddle of goo.
“Nat!” Dominic’s voice was tinny and distant, despite his proximity. My ears had begun to ring. Oh shit. I was going into shock. How badly had Tristan meant to hurt me? This wasn’t normal, even for a traumatic injury like mine. Had he coated his blade with something? It seemed like the sort of thing he’d do, the sneaky bastard.
I tried to make my lips move, but only an unintelligible burble came from my lips. Dominic lifted me to my feet, half-supporting my weight in one arm, while he drew his wand from his pocket with the other. His preferred language for spells had always been French, like his ancestors before him. It was a familiar incantation to me, despite the fact I’d never learned a lick of French.
He drew a circle in the air and a shiny spot, the size of a dime appeared in the air before us. It was the color and consistency of mercury and formed a flat disc about the size of a tire by the time it was done expanding.
Arabella’s indignant shriek of protest was followed by three shots, fired directly at my head. The disc shifted to block the oncoming vampire, absorbing the impact of the three large caliber rounds with ease.
“Can you get to the car?” he hissed urgently.
I tried to take a step away from him and almost collapsed. Nope. It appeared not. If Tristan wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him. I knew what this was now. The Bile of Hypnos. It was a nasty little concoction one could buy from the Cult of Hypnos for an exorbitant amount. It essentially induced sleep paralysis for a brief but excruciating time. I wasn’t sure how he’d gotten a hold of it. It was usually kept under lock and key with other dangerous artifacts. No one was fool enough to cross Sienna Vogel in order to get it. And now I’d been dosed by a rare and extremely potent psychic depressant and hallucinogen.
Just fucking peachy. It was just like life to decide that I needed more nightmares.
Dominic took my silence as his answer and hissed a curse. With a deft flick of his wand, he sent the disc hurtling on its side toward the oncoming vampire. Arabella barely dodged, and the spinning metal Frisbee of death sliced through her side all the way to the navel before exiting her body with a sickening squelch. I got one good look at greyish entrails spilling out of Arabella before the creeping blackness slid over my eyes and I slumped unconscious in Dominic’s arms.
chapter
15
EWAN’S THICK, HONEYED DRAWL PULLED me from nightmarish visions back into the present. The man had always sported an accent thick enough to spread on toast. Though he claimed to hail from Missouri, his accent pointed his origins toward South Texas. It didn’t really matter, in the grand scheme of things, but it had always struck me as odd.
“How the hell did they make our position?” he growled, and, despite being unable to force my weary lids up, I knew he was pacing the floor like a caged panther. His spurs jangled with every step.
“Beats the hell out of me,” Dominic said, and a hand tightened around my shoulder reflexively. “There must be a mole in the organization. But they can’t be terribly high up the chain. The vampires’ information was spotty if they attacked Natalia and not us.”
Ewan grunted. “Even if that’s the case, how did she even end up here? It’s one hell of a coincidence for all of us to be here at once.”
“You think she’s got an ulterior motive?”
“I think that you’ve been cuddling up to Miss Dawson. And Natalia never was the forgiving type. I’m getting Fatal Attraction vibes.”
The assumption was way off the mark, and I supposed I should have been grateful that Ewan didn’t think poorly enough of me to suspect a trap. But the suspicion still rankled, and it was enough to rouse me from the black limbo I’d been set adrift in for God only knew how long.
“You’re an ass, Saunders,” I croaked.
Sitting up was a feat akin to scaling Everest in my addled state, but I did it anyway. The Bile of Hypnos was pretty potent stuff and even the film on Tristan’s blade should have been enough to knock me out for two or three days. But I didn’t imagine I’d lost more than forty-eight hours. Between my magic metabolizing the stuff and the immunity I’d worked to build up to poisons over the years, I could feel the poison burning out of my system.
“Ah, it lives,” he said in
a weak impression of a b-movie Dr. Frankenstein. Then he chuckled like he’d said the wittiest thing in the world. Dick.
“How long have I been out?”
Dominic helped me into a sitting position. The bile hadn’t completely cleared my system, it seemed. Everything was ballooned far out of proportion like I was looking at the world through a fisheye lens.
“Twenty-four hours.”
I frowned. That couldn’t be right, could it?
“How? I should have been down for days.”
“I injected a serum to raise your metabolism, thus making sure it cleared your system faster.”
I jerked in surprise. The voice was unfamiliar, high and feminine, with just the hint of a Boston accent. Craning my neck to see the speaker sent waves of vertigo crashing over me and I gagged.
And there she was, in all her adorable vileness, perched on the edge of an armchair by the bedside. Eleanor Dawson. My mark. If I had woken alone with her in the room, I could have killed her easily with my bare hands.
She was even more innocuous close up than she’d appeared in the photos Ashby had given me. She’d lost some weight since the last photo I’d seen of her. Her tanned skin stretched taut over her cheekbones and dark circles bloomed beneath her eyes. Despite all of that, she was lovely. Lithe and classically pretty. She needed a shower and a change of clothing, but she was otherwise very pleasant to look at.
It was hard to believe that she was a murderer. I cringed away from her and glared at Dominic.
“You just let a stranger jab a needle in my arm?”
Dominic’s eyes tightened, just a fraction. “She was just trying to help, Nat.”
“And I’m just supposed to trust you?”
“You used to.”
I snorted. “Yeah. Look where that got me.”
Ever the master of the poker face, the only indication that he was angry with me was his aura. He could school his muscles, hold perfect posture and keep the rage from his face, but he couldn’t stop the emotion from leaking into his aura. And at this close proximity, I felt it like the supercharged energy of a lightning bolt about to strike.
Infernal Assassin- Vampire Killer Page 13
