When he didn’t move, she raised a brow. “Didn’t you say you would turn around?”
He sighed and faced the wall. His broad back gave her some reassurance. Gingerly, she lifted her gown and folded it on the bed. She was glad the nurse was kind enough to leave her underwear on. She picked up her t-shirt with her good hand and straightened it out on the bed. With great care, she pushed both of her arms into the cloth and let out a pained cry. Raising her arms, the material slid over her face, blocking her vision. Soon, it became a fight to find a way out. Her throbbing elbow repeatedly brushed the sides, causing it to hurt more. She cursed.
Lucious appeared at her side. His hands held on to her bare waist, and he spoke next to her ear, “What’s the matter?”
Helena struggled to find words amidst her embarrassing state. Her body heated up. Could he hear her nervous heartbeat? She untangled her good arm and pushed his hands away from her bare skin where they burned holes in her.
“Fine. Just fine. I got stuck and hurt my arm.”
Lucious’ hands returned to where they were. They glided along her sides, and she swayed on her heels.
He guided her take a seat on the bed. “I’ll help you.”
Helena’s face was buried in her t-shirt, but she knew he was close. He lifted the material, revealing her chest and her flushed face. He helped her pull each arm through the sleeves with an unnecessary slowness that was driving her mad. She couldn’t deny the fact that the string between them was dancing to the tune of her heart, representing her nerves.
Lucious grabbed her jeans and guided each foot in, carefully lifting the material up her leg while caressing her skin with his thumbs. She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, praying this sensual torment would be over soon, and he would be out of her personal space. The intimate distance was breeding the need to be closer. It was something she hadn’t experienced before—an addiction she was beginning to enjoy.
When the jeans were around her knees, he helped her stand. In one swift movement, he tugged them up and buttoned them. “There, all done.”
Helena peered at his handsome face. He wore a blank expression, and her heart sank. Just as she expected, this incident meant nothing to him. “Thanks.”
After getting out of the taxi, they entered the apartment building. They walked into the reception. The guard there was as always too busy with his magazine to care. Lucious pressed the button to summon the lift, and she tapped her foot as the numbers on the panel above their heads decreased.
The doors opened and two people moved to stand behind her. Helena glanced over her shoulder at the young girl, who was around her age, with a neon-red bob and green eyes that reminded her of fresh grass. Her skin seemed rough like she didn’t care for how she looked to others. To the girl’s right, stood a tall, older man with a few days’ worth of dark stubble on his face. His ebony hair was tied back into a firm, low ponytail.
Lucious’ hand grasped Helena’s pulling her into the metal cage. All the while, Helena couldn’t tear her eyes away from the strange duo.
The girl grinned at Helena.
Confused, she smiled and turned her head back.
Once the doors closed, Lucious placed his other hand on the small of her back. He kept his steady hand in place. Should I tell him to move it? When she looked up, his irises were faintly glowing blue.
“What’s wrong?” she asked through the link.
“Act normal, my dear.”
On their floor, the strangers followed behind them with soundless footsteps. Helena peered over her shoulders, taking note that both of them wore long, black leather coats. Their bodies populated the space around them with an intimidating presence.
Lucious paused in front of her apartment, and Helena fumbled in her pockets for the keys. When her fingers secured them in her bag, the door swung open, and Hans greeted them.
Lucious pushed him back and nearly threw her into Hans’ arms. Before she could protest, he was holding a gun in his left hand aimed at the two people who pushed their way inside with their pistols drawn.
Three almost-silent clicks later, Lucious was down with both of his knees bleeding. He clutched his gut and tried raising his gun.
The man stepped on his hand with his boot, summoning a grunt from Lucious before a bone-crunching sound echoed in the hallway.
“Hunters…” Hans moved Helena behind him. His large back created a barrier between her and the two strangers. Another few clicks came, and he doubled over in pain.
Helena’s knees stung and the pain quickly converted into burning. As if following a silent cue, her stomach flared like someone had set her innards on fire. Her eyes darted to Lucious.
“Bloody hunters,” he growled, trying to get back up.
The man above him kicked him full-force in the face, hard enough that Helena could swear his jaw cracked. She fell to her knees and cried out in pain when the agony hit her. Lucious was losing consciousness and, with it, his mental barrier that kept his pain at bay.
“Don’t bother getting up. With these silver bullets lodged in your kneecaps, you will be as immobile as a baby,” the girl said with glee. “To make sure…” She took out a portable UV lamp from her pocket. With a flick of a switch, it lit up a shade of purple, and she shined it in the direction of the vampires.
Both Hans and Lucious grunted in agony. Perri and Laura rushed downstairs and a piercing scream flooded the hallway. Helena glanced up and found Perri’s hand clamped over her mouth.
The red-head pointed her gun at them. “One more peep and you’ll both end up next to these two.”
Helena’s teeth ground against one another. She tried to reign in the pain Lucious was suffering. She crawled towards the girls who stood on the last step of the staircase. After lifting her gaze, her eyes bulged and her body temporarily froze at the sight of a gun that was pointed at her forehead. But, it didn’t stop her. She moved in front of Perri and Laura, grimacing in pain. Using the support of the railing, she climbed to her unstable feet.
“Stop this, please,” Helena begged.
Lucious rolled onto his back. “They’re human. Leave them.”
The female hunter’s expression grew grim. “One of them has to be our target.”
“Check their shoulders,” her partner replied.
The girl stopped next to them, grabbed Helena’s t-shirt, and yanked her closer. The barrel of the gun dug into Helena’s stomach, and she glared at the girl in front of her.
“If you move, you die,” the female hunter warned.
Helena clenched her teeth. Her legs were shaking and sweat beaded on her forehead.
The stranger lifted her top, revealing the demon’s mark to her partner.
The male hunter whistled. “Looks like she’s the one. I bet the one I shot is soul-bound to her.”
4
A Simple Threat
Lucious drifted in and out of consciousness. His jaw ached, his knees burned, and his stomach hadn’t stopped bleeding. The hunters had rested him against the kitchen island, next to Hans, with the damned UV lamps pointed at them. For some reason, he remained conscious while Vincent’s childe, who had a few centuries on him, was knocked out cold.
He squinted and studied his surroundings. Both of his arms and legs were bound with black plasma rope, crippling his movements. The same could be said about the Council’s lackey.
The sofa was turned towards the hallway. On it, Helena’s body was stretched out. Her messy chocolate-brown locks hung over the armrest. By the look on her pale face, he knew she was suffering because of him. He used what energy he had left to reinforce his mental shields. Her being weak was not a good idea, especially since the demon was able to break through her barriers today.
The two human females—Helena’s friends—were tied up on the other sofa. The hunters managed to tape their mouths shut. Their round eyes were locked on the pacing female hunter.
Lucious swallowed the battery acid scaling his throat and turned his attention to the vampi
re next to him. The Council’s spy had seen better days. They were both pale, but Hans looked pasty grey. How long would they last with silver bullets in them? By the amount of blood he had left in his body, he would not make it through the day.
The male hunter squatted in front of him, blocking the UV light from the lamp on the floor with his large frame. “It’s good you’re alive. It would cause trouble for the girl on the couch if you had died earlier.”
Lucious tried lifting his hand. Never had his limbs felt as heavy as lead. He gave up on the task. The attempt was draining him too fast.
“What are you after?” Lucious asked in a hoarse voice. He focused on the pulsating vein on the hunter’s throat and the thirst he sated yesterday reared its head. His eyes glowed bright blue, and the hunter smirked knowingly.
Lucious tore his gaze away from the spot and noted a tattoo of a snake wrapping around the hunter’s neck. It had to be the mark of the clan this man belonged to. Lucious frowned. He had seen that mark before on a hunter he interrogated in Berlin, over sixty years ago. He belonged to the Black Mamba clan, and they wouldn’t leave their territory unless there was a specific request for elimination of something powerful.
“The same thing you are after—the demon’s death,” the hunter replied.
“Then why are you doing this?” Lucious didn’t like having a hunter close to Helena. The others were dispensable, but not her.
The hunter grinned. “Because trusting a vampire to watch your back is like believing you won’t be burned if you play with fire.”
Beneath the tattoo, Lucious spied three long scars. They were larger than a palm of a human or a vampire. A werewolf attack? But, this man most definitely was not bitten. His scent differentiated him to be human. “I did not ask for your trust, hunter. My curiosity lies with why, instead of talking, you chose to shoot first.”
“No vampire would listen to a hunter. It’s why the first chance you got you pulled a gun on us.”
“A fair point,” Lucious admitted. His eyelids were getting heavier the longer he spoke. He tried pushing the sleep back, but his body rejected the idea.
“Don’t worry. If Maya decides this cooperation is pointless, I’ll take you out in the most humane way possible.”
Lucious chuckled and winced as the vibration in his chest caused the bullet to shift in his stomach. He sucked in a breath through his teeth. “That may be the best news I’ve heard today.”
“Glad you see it my way.”
“Come here, Ben. I think she’s coming around,” the redhead—Maya—announced. Her face hovered a few inches above Helena’s as she studied her with interest.
With a faint grunt, Helena peeled her eyes open. She let out an ear-piercing wail that made the female hunter jump back in surprise and point her gun at Helena’s face.
“Shit. She’s more energetic than I expected,” Maya said.
Ben arrived at Maya’s side, his gun already out of the holster. Judging by his stance, although he was looking at Helena and the girls, his attention was on Lucious and the other vampire.
Helena eyed both of them with suspicion. She scanned the room, and her eyes bulged when she saw Lucious and Hans. “What have you done? Who are you?”
Maya holstered her weapon and slid off her coat. Underneath, she wore a black tank top and a pair of cargo trousers. She showed her shoulder to Helena.
From where Lucious sat, it was hard to make out, but there seemed to be a tattoo similar to the flower Helena had on her shoulder.
Helena gasped. “You’re marked.”
“Before I bother introducing myself, what can you do to help us kill the bastard hunting us?” Maya asked.
Helena froze. She nibbled on her lip while her mind seemed to struggle with putting together an answer.
Past the pain, Lucious concentrated on the link. “Tell them there’s a weapon we can kill the demon with.”
“Alright,” she responded and looked at the two hunters. “There’s a weapon that can kill him.”
“And where is said weapon?” Maya asked.
Helena shrugged. “I found out about it yesterday before Lazarus dragged me into another nightmare.”
“Convenient…” Maya mumbled and shared a look with Ben. She sighed, and the male hunter lowered his weapon. He took a couple of steps back until he was propped up against the wall with the view of the entire living area.
The redhead ran her hand through her messy hair and eyed the vampires. “Alright. I may as well introduce myself. I am Maya, a hunter, and that’s Ben.” She pointed to her partner. “He is also a hunter. We kill those things.” She inclined her head in Lucious’ direction, and he fought the barrage of foul curses that threatened to escape him. “Your guardian said you’ll be useful, so here I am.”
Helena perked up at the mention of her angel. “Have you seen Michael? Is he alright? Is he with you?”
Maya shook her head. “He showed up two days ago and after we fired half a dozen silver bullets his way, which went through him by the way, we decided to listen to what he had to say.”
“Oh…” Helena’s face fell.
Lucious let out a groan as the bullet in his stomach shifted. He hissed out a cuss and doubled over in pain. His concentration on his shields broke, and Helena fell to the ground, clutching her stomach as she reflected his agony.
“Ah, shit. We should do something about the vampire linked to her,” Maya told Ben.
“We can’t trust the vampires,” her partner replied sternly.
“It’s either that or she dies. Turn off the lamp and get him on the table. We’ll have to cut him open right here,” Maya added and rushed to the kitchen island.
Lucious heard newspapers and magazines sliding off the countertop and falling on the floor a few feet away from him. The male hunter turned off the UV lamp, grabbed him under the armpits, and hauled him into a standing position.
Lucious’ vision blurred as his body was lifted off the ground. Searing pain shot through his system. His legs almost gave way, and he was begrudgingly thankful for the hunter’s support. He could hear Helena’s mental agony and willed his shields to remain strong, yet there was nothing he could do. The pain gnawed at his brain along with the burning in his system. Bloody silver…
Ben pushed him onto the table, and Maya handed him a pair of scissors. She grinned at Lucious. Not a hint of sympathy or remorse reflected in her dark-green eyes. For someone who couldn’t be older than twenty-two, she seemed like a woman who had slaughtered dozens of his kind and enjoyed every last second of it. Having a person like her near Helena caused his jaw to clench and a low growl escaped him.
“Don’t look so glum, big boy. Be thankful you won’t be turning to dust by my hand tonight,” she said while her partner cut open Lucious’ bloodstained shirt.
Maya lifted Lucious’ arms over his head and held on to the end of the rope. “You better endure this.”
Lucious warily watched the hunter spreading the material of his shirt apart.
“I never thought I’d have to save one of you,” the hunter mumbled.
Lucious glared at him. “And I never wanted to be saved by a bloody hunter.”
“Ah, cheer up and bite down on this.” Maya shoved a kitchen towel into his mouth.
The male hunter took one of the kitchen knives off the stand and sliced a line about three inches long where the bullet wound was located.
Lucious tried his best to control his body as his vision swam. He glanced at the white ceiling. It seemed to go from white to dark grey the longer he stared at it. In an attempt to distract himself further, he rolled his head to one side. Helena was already on the ground, clutching her stomach and panting into the rug. Perri appeared intent on scooting towards her while Helena’s roommate was nervously glancing at the exit.
As hunter’s hand peeled Lucious’ skin and muscle apart, Lucious sank his teeth into the gag. He willed every last piece of his energy into his shields before the pain became too much for his system to
handle and his consciousness slipped away.
Sweat beaded on Helena’s brow, and her lungs demanded more air. She rolled her head to one side and forced her eyes open to find Lucious unconscious on the kitchen island. Maya held on to the ropes that bound his wrists, and her partner had his hand, up to his wrist, buried in Lucious’ stomach.
A strange sensation spread through her gut as if her muscles and flesh were being torn. She clenched her jaw. Hot acid climbed her throat, and she spilt her empty stomach onto the rug.
Perri’s muffled mumbles came from behind her. Helena had no energy left to roll over and glance in her direction. Instead, she laid there while the hunters continued with their unsanitary operation on Lucious.
Two minutes later, Ben’s hand emerged with a silver bullet between his fingers. He tossed it into the sink and cut open Lucious’ jeans from the knees to his upper thighs.
Ben spared a single glance to her and nodded to his partner.
Maya seemed torn in her decision. Finally, she tied Lucious’ rope to one of the drawers, picked up a glass from the counter and filled it with water. She rushed over and lifted Helena’s heavy head from the floor, pressing the cool glass against her dry lips.
“Drink,” Maya ordered.
Helena had no fight in her. She simply obeyed. The cold liquid rushed into her mouth and down her throat. More muffled grunts and mumbles came from the girls on the sofa, and Maya glared at them.
“I know you two want to be untied, but I don’t trust any of you yet. Sit tight and wait your turn,” Maya snapped.
Soft sobs escaped someone, and Helena shifted her head to see Perri, her cheeks wet with tears. Perri’s attention was elsewhere. Helena couldn’t figure out what it was on because Maya blocked her way.
“Let them go,” Helena pleaded in a strained voice.
Maya snorted. “You can’t be serious.”
“Please,” she whispered. It hurt too much to talk, and her stomach was already churning.
Demon Gates (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 2) Page 6
