by Bianca D'Arc
“Do you know what a Chevalier de la Lumiere is?” the Master asked almost conversationally as he touched the bloody tip of the wooden spike he still held in his right hand.
That piece of wood had already killed two vampires. It would see a lot more action tonight if these assholes didn’t back down.
“A Knight of the Light?” Miranda spoke her thoughts aloud. She’d heard whispers of such beings, but thought they were merely a legend.
“A fairytale,” one of the older vampires scoffed.
“I thought so too,” Tony agreed. “Until I met one.” Disbelief showed on the faces of their enemies all around, but the Master definitely had their attention. “He gave me a means by which to summon him. If you persist, I may have to use it.”
The younger bloodletters seemed uncomfortable but the older ones looked unimpressed, Miranda noticed. Not good. They were probably going to have to fight their way out of this after all.
“You’ll be threatening us with hobgoblins next.” The older vamp, who seemed to be the new spokesman for the group sneered. “You’re weak, Antoine. You always were. We should’ve challenged you long ago.”
Tony laughed out loud, shocking Miranda a little. “None of you are strong enough to take me in a real Challenge—a fair fight. This is cowardly, but I should expect no less from people who align themselves with the Venifucus.”
Miranda gasped but saw no argument on the faces of the eleven left facing them. They were in league with the Venifucus. She was appalled. Only truly twisted minds would ally themselves with a group that wanted to bring back the Destroyer of Worlds.
“You saved us some effort, Antoine,” the spokesman went on, coming closer. “After we dealt with the animal lover and her pet, our next stop was your place.”
“Since you cannot be dissuaded, I see no reason to delay.” Tony took a ready stance as if to invite the attack.
A moment later all hell broke loose. Again.
The eleven who were left split up. Three of the younger ones went after Miranda and the rest centered on Tony. She wasn’t dodging them this time. No, she’d learned from the earlier skirmish. This time, she was using her superior strength and going for the kill. She would have to hit them as hard and fast as she could before they overwhelmed her or Tony…or both.
She fought like a she-cat, clawing and scratching, using her abilities to shift into monster shapes that served her well. Her hands became razor-tipped claws that pierced deep into flesh. She took out one of the attackers right away by piercing his heart. Her claws weren’t exactly wooden spikes, but they did a pretty good job all the same.
Tony took out one of his own, leaving nine total. They were doing well, but this was a losing battle. The two of them couldn’t hold out long enough against such odds, even if they had superior fighting abilities. Something had to change the equation.
And then she felt magic gathering. Fierce golden, pure-toned magic coalescing out of the air. What was left of the drum kit on the small stage began to vibrate, as did the few crystal wine glasses that hadn’t already been shattered. Something was happening, but she had no idea what it was—and most importantly, whether it was good or bad.
Chapter Fourteen
Mag had Melissa nearly to the door of Raintree’s club when the man himself blocked their path.
“Leaving so soon?” Aramis Raintree oozed confidence with his smug grin. Mag growled, wanting nothing more than to rip out the bastard’s throat. Miranda was in trouble. As her mate, Mag felt an urgency to finish this quickly so he could go to her.
He took a quick look around and formulated a plan. It would take all his newfound speed, the strength of his shifter blood, and all the dexterity of his cat to do it, but he had confidence in his own abilities. Raintree was dangerous. An old one. Second only to the Master.
If war broke out between this particular bloodsucker and the small group of shifters, it would be a bloodbath. A lot of people could be hurt before Raintree was subdued. If they could subdue him at all. And all the while, Miranda was in jeopardy.
Mag nodded to Grif and subtly handed Melissa off to the nearest shifter. To Raintree, it probably looked as if he was merely preparing room to fight, and he was. But he doubted Raintree—or anybody, really—expected what he had planned next.
In a blur of motion, Mag grabbed a mop that had been leaning against the wall near him and broke the wooden shaft in two. Armed with two very pointy, wooden stakes, Mag sprang at the vampire before Raintree even seemed to realize what was happening. The bastard tried to move out of the way at the last moment, but Mag was just that much faster than Raintree.
He was pinned and staked in no time flat. One piece of the mop handle piercing his throat and driving all the way into the cinder block wall behind him, the other rammed right through his black heart.
Raintree was well and truly dead.
“Holy shit, bro,” Bob broke the stunned silence as everyone remained motionless, just looking at what Mag had done.
It had taken less than a moment to down one of the strongest vamps in the city. Even Mag was impressed by his own speed. As he looked around with grim determination, the rest of the team seemed to wake up from their momentary shock. Steve assessed the situation.
“First priority, get the hostage to safety,” Steve reminded everyone in a quiet, steady voice.
“Let’s go,” Grif added. The team began to move, having to pass Raintree’s body on the way out the back door of the club. Leaving him there would serve as a warning to any of his sycophants who might try to pick up where he left off.
But Mag didn’t think any of his close followers were at the club tonight. No, the real army of baddies was over at the bar, facing off with Miranda and Tony. They’d been overly confident and had split their forces unevenly. Raintree had remained in the relative safety of his club with only one of his vampire thugs guarding the hostage while he sent everyone else out with Cassie to take down one small woman.
As it turned out, he had been right to be scared of Miranda. She was more than they knew. She’d gained a lot from mating with Mag—as he’d gained from being her One.
Mag desperately wanted to tell her that he was on his way, but he didn’t want to distract her. He kept a sort of peripheral awareness of what was happening at the bar through their connection, but they’d both agreed to keep the line of communication mostly closed so they wouldn’t run the risk of distracting each other at a critical moment.
The shifter team’s exit was uneventful. They went back the way they’d come and Mag jumped into the helicopter, impatient to go help his mate. He went toward the cockpit, needing to talk to his brothers.
“Miranda needs help,” he said quietly. “Drop me at the bar on your way out of town.”
Grif looked at him with new respect, and simply nodded as they lifted the chopper off the pad. A quick, slightly unauthorized flight path over the buildings of downtown took them within feet of the roof of the bar. Mag didn’t wait. He merely looked for his opportunity, then jumped out of the helicopter onto the roof of a nearby building. He could make his way down from there.
He paused only a moment when a few others made the jump right after him. Bob was the first one, followed closely by Matt. When a giant owl swooped in under the rotors and landed on the roof, someone in the chopper threw out a knapsack that made a thunking sound as it landed on the roof. The owl shapeshifted into the form of Joe Nightwing. He threw a lazy salute up at the retreating helicopter as he retrieved the bag.
“I have the rest of my team patrolling the skies but I figured you could use some help,” Joe said quietly, already throwing on the clothing from the pack.
There were weapons in there as well—a .45 caliber handgun and a utility belt that had sharp wooden stakes hanging off it. Joe strapped it on quickly as he moved along the roof behind the Redstone brothers.
Mag knew Steve and Grif would have been there too, but they were needed to fly the chopper, to get Melissa to safety. The female mem
bers of the team had stayed with Melissa in the back of the helicopter. They’d take her to Clan lands and help her calm down. She had looked pale and a little shell-shocked to Mag’s eyes as he jumped out of the chopper, but he hadn’t had time to coddle her.
She’d seen a lot tonight and she’d probably have to be let in on the reality she’d just discovered. She’d seen a vampire feeding, and another being staked. She’d seen guys jump out of hovering helicopters, and had probably watched Joe shift from owl to human. The cat was truly out of the bag as far as Melissa was concerned, but they’d deal with it later. Miranda would probably enjoy not having to hide herself from her niece—as long as Mel was able to accept her. That would be the big hurdle, but that was for later—if they all survived.
Now was for helping his mate and killing vampires. Mag suppressed a growl. He wanted them all dead. All those who dared threaten his mate were fair game as far as his cougar was concerned, and it was time to go hunting.
Nine evil vampires were doing their best to destroy what was left of the wine bar on their way to killing Miranda and the Master. Tony was holding his own against six of them while Miranda did her best to fend off the two who were concentrating their efforts on ending her immortal life.
She was facing none other than Boris—the bastard who had called with the news they had kidnapped her niece. Beside the thick-necked Boris was a tall, skinny vampire known for his speed. Gene was a bit of a nerd, but not in a lovable way. No, Gene had creepy down to a science. He reminded her of the type of guy that pulled the wings off bugs as a child, then escalated to torturing small animals, and eventually to serial killer status. Only Gene had been turned before he’d made his mark on the human world, and his maker had held him in check—or at least taught him how to hide the bodies so that mortals would never find them.
His maker, a psycho Miranda wanted no part of, was even now fighting Tony. She was a good friend of Cassie’s named Gretchen. Rumor had it she’d been a supporter of Hitler and many tyrants before him, and possibly a camp follower with Hannibal’s army. She was an old and powerful bloodletter who usually liked to manipulate events from the shadows. For her to have stepped forward in this particular action meant something. Something very sinister.
Boris and Gene had grown cagier after seeing the way Miranda had taken out their friend. They were even more wary of her now. They knew for certain that she wasn’t as vulnerable as they had thought, and they were acting accordingly. One would feint while the other raced in to score a hit on her.
Miranda was bleeding from a half dozen cuts but then again, so were her enemies. There was a delicate balance...for now. She knew in time, she would tire and make a mistake. They would be all over her then. But she had to hold out just a little longer. She felt in her heart that Mag was on his way. She’d known when he had freed Melissa. She felt him draw closer, their bond reasserting itself with his proximity.
She sent a silent prayer to the Mother of All. Please let him be in time. And please don’t let him be hurt or killed in trying to help us.
She felt a new magic tingle, as if in answer to her prayer. A golden-hued magnificence that started small and grew exponentially in the middle of the chaos that was the bar-cum-battlefield. Tony and the bulk of the bad guys were down on the dance floor and demolished seating area, while Miranda battled her two opponents a few steps up in the bar section near the door.
Their enemies didn’t seem to notice the magic tingle at first. Not until a blinding golden-white light exploded in the center of the room, between the two battling groups.
In the center of the light was a man. No. Not a man. A knight. Dressed in armor of shining golden light.
And then he began to move. He took on half of Tony’s opponents, taking the strain off the Master. Miranda didn’t have time to really get a good look at the guy because she was busy fighting for her life, but everyone noticed when he started running vampires through with a golden sword that chimed each time it struck a blow.
The sound distracted her just enough. Boris grabbed her from behind, immobilizing her long enough for Gene to pounce…but he never got there.
The inner, etched glass door of the bar shattered as Mag roared, racing inside to stake Gene through the heart. The lanky vampire staggered and dropped, the wooden stake sticking out of his back as his lifeblood wept onto the floor.
Mag kept coming, ignoring the fallen. Their eyes met and Miranda felt Boris quake in fear behind her. It had finally occurred to him that this was not going to end well for his side. Miranda smiled at her One as she saw two of his brothers file in behind him. They paused only a moment before going to help Tony and his golden-knight friend. Mag waved them on with a gesture that radiated confidence.
“You should let her go now,” Mag advised Boris in a low, growly voice.
“I let her go, you let me walk out the door.” Boris’s voice shook and Miranda half expected him to wet his pants. From up here, he could probably see the tide had turned, even if his fellows below on the dance floor were still caught up in the heat of battle.
“Sorry. Can’t do that. But if you let her go, I might let you live. How’s that for a bargain?”
Boris seemed to think about it for a moment longer and then he let go all at once, his hands in the air. Miranda turned on him and punched him hard across the face. Boris flipped around from the force of the blow and landed on the floor. He looked up at her, stunned.
“That’s for kidnapping my business partner and wrecking our bar. I could’ve broken free of your hold anytime, Boris. Remember that. If you come after me or mine again, I will kill you and dance on your bones.” She leaned over the cowering vampire menacingly.
Mag placed a hand on her shoulder, calming her rage a bit. She stepped away from Boris, who wisely stayed right where she’d dropped him. Another figure stepped forward out of the shadows. It was Joe, the owl shifter she’d met once before. He had heavy duty restraints in his hands that he used on Boris while Mag and Miranda shared a brief hug. Reassured that they were both really okay, they turned as one to wade into the fray that continued to center around Tony.
The very magical knight fought back to back with the Master while Bob and Matt worked the periphery of the knot of combatants. Miranda caught sight of one particular enemy she wanted to coral.
“Gretchen is trying to weasel away,” she told Mag. “We can’t let her go. She’ll go to ground and turn some more budding serial killers to be her children. It’s sort of her thing.”
Mag didn’t comment but followed where Miranda led, toward one side of the big room where a blonde woman was doing her best to sneak away. While they worked their way over there, the knight took out another vampire with a chime from his sword. The Master got another a moment later. The two men seemed to be enjoying themselves now that the odds were getting better.
Mag peeled away from Miranda’s side as she made her way down and to the floor area. She would confront Gretchen head on while Mag provided backup.
“Going somewhere?” Miranda challenged as Gretchen stopped short. Miranda blocked her path—her cowardly way out of the battle still in progress.
“Get out of my way, bitch. I don’t care who you’ve been dining on. I’m older and stronger than you any day of the week.” Gretchen wasn’t what you’d call a good sport. She snapped like a viper when cornered, and she was snapping now—all bark and no bite.
“You want to test that theory?” Miranda detested the woman and it came through in her tone. “I’d love to put a stake through your heart. Just give me a reason.”
“I don’t have to answer to you. You’re just a child. Survive for a few more centuries. Then look me up.” Gretchen tried to bluff, but it wasn’t going to fly.
“You’d better believe you’re going to answer to me, bitch. You think you’re so smart, pulling everybody’s strings from behind the scenes. Well, you miscalculated big time tonight, Gretchen.” Miranda was shaking, she was so angry.
It suddenly became cl
ear how much influence the conniving bitch had peddled to push this uprising. For it was obvious this wasn’t just a plan to get rid of Miranda and Mag, but it was a maneuver to ultimately take out the Master himself. No doubt some puppet like Raintree wanted to take his place. A puppet that owed Gretchen for putting him in power.
A glance toward the center of the room told her all she had to do was stall Gretchen for a few more moments. The battle was almost over. Only two vampires left, caught between the Master, his glowing, well-armed friend, and two pretty fierce Redstone brothers. It was game over. All it needed was the grande finale.
It came a moment later when Tony and his friend took out the last two—one each. They looked around the room to see who was left, and Miranda knew the moment they spotted her, still blocking Gretchen’s path. Gretchen knew it too. She made a frustrated growling sound and launched herself at Miranda.
But Miranda was ready. She easily held off the older vamp, and a moment later, Mag was pulling the woman off her from behind. Gretchen squirmed in his hold, but she couldn’t break it. Mag turned the woman toward Tony, launching her through the air to land at the Master’s feet in an ungraceful sprawl.
Tony looked down at the disheveled, blood-stained woman.
“I’m very disappointed, Gretchen. I thought you had changed your ways, but I see now that I was wrong.” Tony shook his head, his clothing ripped and blood-stained, his hair hanging in messy clumps around his face. He had the light of battle still in his eyes.
“Gretel? Is that you?” the knight spoke for the first time, leaning down to peer at the Gretchen’s face. “I thought you long dead, but I see now I was deceived. Of course, you’re very good at deception. I know that first-hand.”
All eyes turned to the knight. “You two know each other?” Tony asked.
“I knew her in the distant past. She was called Gretel then, when she fought on the side of Elspeth in the last great war. I suppose you serve her still?” the knight asked Gretchen directly.
