Endure

by M. R. Merrick

  “Drake and Darius Sellowind were the only parts of the New York Underworld I dared not push my boundaries toward. I avoided them at all costs. But it was they who approached me with an offer of assistance, one I eagerly accepted.”

  “You made a deal with the only demons you feared?

  “At the time they were known as the most powerful of warlocks, and I saw little hope in any other option. This foreign vampire family was larger and more powerful than mine. They were made up entirely of born vampires and with that, I could not compete. You must understand, once you start to slide down the ranks in the Underworld, everybody you kicked on the way up will happily tear you down.” Vincent grabbed his side and leaned over, taking shallow breaths. “The Dark Brothers offered to eradicate my threat and give back my place at the top. In addition, they offered to keep me hidden from the Sovereign who, with the help of this intruding family, was on the verge of discovering me.”

  “That’s a hell of a deal.”

  “In return, they told me they’d require my assistance at a later date and until then, I was free to do as I wished. I didn’t care. As you recently discovered, I am willing to do anything to protect my family.”

  I stared at Vincent, making sure to keep the distance between us. Elements burned in my soul, waiting to be unleashed, but Vincent was wary and didn’t make any sudden movements. I wasn’t sure he could. He fought to stand upright, finally taking his charred hand out of his pocket and cradling it in his other arm.

  “But then the day to compensate them came,” I said.

  “About seven months ago. As spring faded and summer rose, the Brothers came to me. It had been years since I’d even seen them. I thought perhaps I had escaped my obligation to them—I was wrong.” Vincent turned in a circle, looking all around. He stared into the shadows of the woods, then back to me, a suspicious glint in his eyes. He stepped forward, but the moment I stepped back, he stopped and sighed, speaking in a whisper. “They told me at some time in the near future, a hunter would come to me with a request for assistance.”

  The air left my lungs like I’d just been punched with supernatural force. My heart seemed to stop beating and a lump formed in my throat. “No…” It was the only word I could manage to form.

  Vincent’s expression was one I’d never seen from him before. He looked sad. “The Brothers had given me the location of a scroll I’d long hunted for and told me only this hunter could retrieve it. In exchange for the information the hunter would require, I would demand he retrieve this for me. Once that was done, I was to protect the scroll until directed otherwise, and personally deliver to them the ring that came with it.”

  “This isn’t happening.” I rubbed my temples and paced the frosty ground.

  “They threatened to out me to the Sovereign when I received the scroll but failed to get the ring. They relieved me of my protection upon my second failed attempt. That’s how the Sovereign came to find me in Stonewall.”

  “I can’t believe this.” The world around me grew hazy and I felt sick to my stomach. “You’ve been working me since day one.”

  “I didn’t know what would happen, Chase, I swear. You must understand what was at stake for me.”

  “And what’s at stake now? Your family is growing smaller by the minute, your seat at the top of New York’s Underworld is gone, and you’re stuck in shadows, alone. Riley not only has all the soul pieces, but my mother and Willy are dead!” I screamed the last at him and anger charged through my body. Sparks of flame arced between my fingertips and everything turned a shade of red. Heat burned at my eyes but it didn’t hurt. I had complete control of my power. My emotions, however, were another story.

  “Dead?” Vincent eyes were wide and for the first time, full of surprise. “I didn’t know…you have to believe me,” Vincent pleaded. “I was just trying to keep those I loved safe. Surely you can understand.” Vincent grabbed my arm, but my anger was in full thrust and I pulled away, grabbing his wrist and twisting it behind him. His back arched and his charred hand flailed in the air. I pulled him against me and his crisp, black hand pawed at my shoulder.

  “And in exchange, those I loved were killed and the fate of all the worlds is at risk.” My words were a stormy whisper, and I gripped his jaw. Heat warmed my finger and I squeezed with more strength than I’d ever known as a hunter. The bones in his face started to give, a soft crack snapped beneath my fingers. Smoke pooled up from his skin and Vincent cried out in a hushed gasp. I released his face and shoved him back. Vincent soared through the air, hitting the ground hard and skidding across the grass.

  He moaned and crawled to his knees using only his unmarred hand. Even as he turned to face me, he kept his head low. I tried to swallow my anger but it wouldn’t leave, it was ripe and severe. I stormed toward him, fully prepared to smash a flaming fist through his skull. He arched his back and looked up at me, and for the second time since meeting him, I could see all his wit and sarcasm destroyed. He bared his soul to me through glassy golden eyes, and he looked completely defeated. Red fingermarks blistered the skin around his jaw and he lifted his chin, prepared to accept his fate.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  I stopped in front of him, fire burning in my hand and ready to ignite his injured, ghostly shell. Beads of sweat ran down Vincent’s face. His hair was damp and clung to his forehead, and it reminded me of the day I’d met Willy. He appeared conquered, the rain falling over him as he leaned against a dilapidated brick building, a trickle of blood streaking his neck.

  I managed to get my anger under control and push it away. I didn’t accept Vincent, or his reasoning, but I knew killing him wasn’t going to solve anything. If I’d learned anything in the past few months, it was that.

  “Well, at least you’re sorry,” I said. “That helps a lot right now, doesn’t it? Maybe if we go to my mother’s grave, or perhaps the ditch where Willy’s ashes fell, your apology can bring them back.” I absorbed the element crackling over my hands and the red world around me faded.

  “That isn’t all…” Vincent looked up hesitantly. I responded with an angry glare. “The Brothers didn’t expect the Sovereign to stay, and so they approached the vampires, demanding they stand down and let you come and take what you needed—the scroll. When they refused, Drake sought to make a deal with them and avoid conflict. He offered them my location in exchange.”

  “Why would the Brothers try to make things easier for me?”

  “I don’t know. All I know is that they want you to have it. They accepted the Brothers’ terms and as such, were given my location, but the Sovereign has no intention of handing the scroll over to you. In their eyes, they are the most powerful of demons. They look upon warlocks and witches as simple magicians. They don’t know whom they’re dealing with. The Sovereign fear nothing, and they will not let their hand be forced. It doesn’t help that they feel embarrassment having fled from your last altercation.” Vincent struggled to push himself to his feet and wheezy breaths escaped his lips when he finally succeeded. “They’re going to kill you, Chase. Partly to show no hunter will best them, partly to spite the Brothers.”

  “And ironically, they just let you go after days of torture. What a coincidence.”

  Vincent scoffed. “They did not let me go. I escaped to warn you.”

  “To warn me?” I laughed. “Because now I’m going to start believing you.” I grabbed Vincent’s shirt and pulled him toward me. The red fire returned to my eyes and I let him feel the magic pushing against him. A power he’d never felt from me before. “They let you go, why?” I screamed the words at him, but he stood limply in my grip, giving no effort to resist me.

  “The Sovereign may be powerful, but they underestimate me as well. And they don’t know my warehouse or my city like I do. You said it yourself—everything I did to protect my family was for nothing. But against all your instincts, you still helped me and I owe you that debt. I am many things, Mr. Williams, but an oath breaker I am not.” His gaz
e was locked on mine, and it was honest and vacant of hope.

  “And how else can you repay it? You promised me an army of vampires, and now you’re alone.”

  “If we can stop the Sovereign, my family will still stand behind you. But at the moment, what is left of them are captives.”

  “And those are the people I am supposed to count on to fight for me? There are hundreds of your people and fewer than a handful of vampires here from the Sovereign, yet your family surrendered to them. Some warriors you got there.”

  Vincent sighed. “There were fewer than a handful. All born vampires owe allegiance to the Sovereign, and since our last altercation with them, they’ve done some recruiting.”

  I stared back at Vincent, trying to catch him in a lie, but his hopeless gaze was all that I got. I let him go and paced over the wet grass, sure to keep him in my sights at all times. “One way or another, I need that scroll.”

  “Then I will help you get it.”

  “Of course you will. Because that means I have to save your ass again.”

  Vincent lowered his gaze. “And I will be forever in your debt, hunter.”

  “You’re already in my debt and given my life expectancy, that’s an easy offer for you to make.” I waved a hand in the air and whistled.

  “What are you doing?” Vincent asked in a panicked voice.

  “Relax,” I said as Tiki and Rayna stepped out of the forest and walked toward us.

  Vincent’s eyebrows rose and his blood-filled eye fluttered in his head. Fear quivered in his voice and he grabbed my jacket. “You were supposed to come alone!”

  “Yeah, well, you don’t inspire a lot of trust.”

  “You cannot tell the others. Please, Chase. They will never forgive me.”

  “What the hell happened to him?” Rayna asked. “Does he have the scroll?”

  I looked back at Vincent whose face was cut and broken. He single eye was open wide, pleading with me. He mouthed the word please.

  “No,” I said. “But he’s going to help us get it.”

  Chapter 12

  After three days of going over our plan—and giving Vincent time to heal—we stared up at his warehouse from outside a broken chain-link fence. Boarded up windows, red bricks, and steel doors were all that stood between us and an army of born vampires.

  Rayna, Tiki, and Vincent were on either side of me, and power curled inside my veins. Rayna’s fingers slid over the back of my hand, her eyes offering support and confidence. My chest tightened and stomach churned as a blanket of warmth crept up my arm. I gave her a half-smile and like a well-oiled machine, we moved forward.

  The moon was low and the sun had yet to break over the horizon, but dawn began to streak the sky and the cold air that circled around us began to warm. My fire element kept the goosebumps at bay and we crawled through a break in the fence. Gravel scuffed beneath our feet, but nobody tried to muffle the sound. These were born vampires. There was no hiding that we were coming, and the rising sun didn’t mean they’d be asleep. The only advantage it gave us was a possible escape, all of us except Vincent.

  I had a twinge of guilt bubble inside me at the thought. I hadn’t once stopped to think about what Vincent would do if that escape were needed, and I realized he hadn’t mentioned it either. Beneath that pale, usually arrogant shell lived a person who cared more about his family than he did himself. That gave me a certain level of respect for the vampire and I pushed the guilt away with any negative feelings I’d had for what he’d done. There was no room for it right now. All I could focus on was the plan and if it worked, we wouldn’t need that sunlit escape.

  “Everyone knows what to do?” I asked.

  “We’ve been over it a hundred times, I would certainly hope so,” Vincent replied. “It’s only our lives on the line.” As Vincent healed the past few days, his attitude had resurfaced. I thought after everything we’d been through he’d become more balanced, but he was more than five hundred years old, his attitude wasn’t about to change.

  “Good. Then you know we’ve only got one chance at this, so don’t screw it up.”

  To my surprise, Vincent didn’t respond, which left only the sound of our footsteps and a thudding pulse in my ears. My throat constricted and I forced myself to swallow as we neared the entrance. It was a plain metal door, rusted on the outside with a small handle and a deadbolt. Vincent pulled it open with ease. It wasn’t locked, confirming that we were going right where they wanted us.

  The smell of musky wood and old blood escaped into the air. I stared into the dark opening, my throat tightening more than I thought possible. My elements were under control and that should’ve given me comfort, but it didn’t. I’d once stabbed a silver blade into Vincent’s chest a centimeter above his heart. I hadn’t meant to kill him, only cause him pain and show him what I could do. He had responded by pulling it out without wincing, his skin closing over it. These vampires were even older and I had been nervous that a silver blade to the heart wouldn’t hurt them at all. Vincent assured me a blade to the heart and cutting off their heads would do the trick, and if not, we always had my fire. He meant it to be reassuring but it wasn’t. We had our plan and it would work…it had to. That scroll was my only lifeline.

  The aromas were stronger in the darkness of the stairwell. Copper and steel mixed with mildew and musk wrapped around me and clung to the back of my throat. The air felt damp, forcing my shirt to stick to my body, and even the fire inside me wasn’t enough to stop the shiver from spiraling down my neck. Concrete steps led up to the next level where Vincent and some of his family had their coffin room. Across from the stairwell hung a second steel door and behind that, a large open room where I’d expected we’d see Vincent’s parents again. Last time we’d faced off against them, we’d forced them to retreat. We had a swarm of Vincent’s family with us then. Right now they were all locked in cages in the basement and since that night, the Sovereign had increased their numbers. We didn’t know how many vampires stood behind that door, and that made me nervous.

  “Hesitating now, are we?” Vincent asked.

  “No, just taking a second to prepare myself.”

  “There is no preparing yourself for the Sovereign. Just pull up your skirt and put on your mad face. You know, the one where you grind your teeth and flash your fancy fire magic around.”

  Vincent raised an eyebrow and shrugged. I hated when he did that. His eyes twinkled with arrogance as though happy to provoke me. The smirk that pulled at the corner of his mouth ignited my anger. He didn’t deserve to have that kind of control over my emotions, but he knew how to get under my skin.

  “That’s the one!” Vincent smiled. “Now light your hands on fire or something.”

  I closed my eyes and started counting. When I got to four, the urge to hit him faded and I reminded myself why we were here. Letting out the breath, I pulled the door open and the brass hinges squealed in revolt.

  Death and blood wafted into my nostrils and I held back a gag. Rayna’s shoes echoed off the floor, and three figures stood in the center of the shadowy room—Vincent’s original family. A makeshift living room sat behind them, the coffee table I remembered being in the center was gone. Instead, a small pile of bodies lay limply on top of one another. Flies swarmed over their graying carcasses, landing on their skin a second at a time. Bruises and brown stains colored the skin along their necks and bare torsos. Dusty furniture surrounded them, and fire flickered off the candles that decorated the tables. Candle wax ran down their stems and onto the scarred wooden surfaces, crying for the victims before them.

  As we neared the trio, the demons looked like a picture-perfect family. Impossibly still, their bodies posed in a triangular fashion. Vincent’s father, Dante Lazzario sat at the peak, waiting to greet us. His square shoulders filled out his black suit, a shiny red tie garnishing his neck. Black hair framed his face and his yellow eyes glistened. Vincent’s mother, Alessia, stood off to the side just a few steps behind him. The red dress t
hat clung to her body left little to the imagination and long blond locks draped over one shoulder. On Dante’s other side stood Caterina, Vincent’s sister. Tight black pants hugged her legs and a purple collared shirt was left unbuttoned, revealing ample cleavage. Dark makeup circled her eyes, making her golden irises vibrant. Each vampire held their chin high and their flawless skin basked in the dim candlelight.

  Nobody stood behind me as we stopped a few feet away. Instead, they stood strong and proud beside me. Dante’s hands were clasped behind his back like a ghostly statue, only his eyes moving to examine each of us.

  “I always knew my son was a coward, but to see him hiding behind a hunter for protection is a sight I was not fully prepared for. ”

  “I’m not hiding, Father. I’m right here in front of you.”

  “I’m afraid I will have to disagree. You, Vincent, are a terrible–”

  “No speeches,” I said. Dante’s voice went silent but his eyes flared with anger. “And no grand story of disappointment. We get it. Vincent’s the son you never wanted. Your speech is now complete. Where’s my scroll?”

  Dante’s jaw flexed. His gaze sharpened and he turned his neck to the side, as though the cracking sound would relieve the tension I appeared to cause him. “I underestimated you, Chase. I knew there was something more to you than just a hunter, but the Protector? I had no idea how much more there was.”

  “I’m not going to ask again.”

  “Curb your temper, child, or you will find yourself on the wrong end of patience.”

  Magic seeped out of my soul and syphoned down my veins. It pooled in my palm with almost no effort and like striking a match, fire ignited over my hand. I pushed it outward and it danced on the air, swirling downward like a hand puppet to the floor. It started blue, but as it touched the concrete and I let the power flourish, it flashed to red. Flames crackled and crept toward the vampires, the color fading to white. The demons stood unmoving and Dante’s gaze didn’t waver. My magic flared, the flame crawling across the floor with ember arms encircling the trio.