A Time To Kill (Elemental Rage Book 1)

by Jeanette Raleigh

  The vampires had added security measures in the house. For all the coolness of tearing them out of the house, the blasted-out windows didn’t leave the vampires defenseless. The house was still too dark. Jade was running out of time. Her eyes bulged out as she frantically tried to breathe.

  Raven didn’t know what kind of knife she’d pulled from the van. It was large and sharp. With a cry of rage, she lifted it with both hands the way she would lift an axe. With every atom of her being, Raven funneled her anger into downward motion. The knife skinned the vampire from shoulder to elbow. It bit deep into muscle and bone and then caught at his elbow, stuck in the bone. Raven tried to pull it out, but it was lodged tight.

  He struck with a vengeance, his teeth popping into Jade’s neck with an audible sound. Blood ran down the side of her neck.

  Crying out, Raven released the knife. Taking three steps back, she threw herself against the vampire and Jade, using the entirety of her body weight to knock them over. Jade fell limply to the ground. Raven had taken care that the knife wouldn’t hurt Jade but she feared that the vampire’s choke hold had already killed her.

  Raven went for the knife again. The vampire beat her to it. With one swift motion, he pulled the knife free. Skin and muscle flapped back and forth on his arm. The vampire was bloodless. The surge of blood Raven expected never came.

  Time stopped.

  Seeing the vampire with the knife, Raven froze. He was on top of Jade. She tried to think of what to do, how to save her sister. He was so close. One sharp slice and Jade would be dead. Raven cried out to Air, asking for help. Air did what she could. The tornado blasted into the vampire.

  Raven had to stop the vampire and get to her sister. Sisters. Claire was still there. She realized then that they weren’t alone. Three more vampires were hanging back, just out of sight of the parlor, watching.

  Yelling at them Raven said, “What are you afraid of? You soul-sucking brainless corpses!”

  Jade had to be alive. She had to. How long had it been since the fight started? How long had that vampire’s hands been wrapped around Jade’s throat. Air wasn’t keeping the vampire from Jade. He had grabbed Jade with one hand in the tornado and fed from her even as they circled in the wind. In the other hand, he still held the knife.

  When Air stopped circling, Raven yelled, “That can’t be it. Get in there and do your thing.”

  It was the one time, the only time, she had ever yelled at Air. She could feel the hurt coming from her Element. Air was as confused as Raven. The creature was strong and buffeting him about was just wasting time.

  Raven gasped when the vampire lifted the knife in a single swift motion, Jade unconscious in his arms. She closed her eyes. She wasn’t proud of herself for it, but she couldn’t witness the horror of what he was planning to do with the knife.

  Cringing, Raven thought she would hear the final drop of the knife. When she opened her eyes, she realized that the vampire had cut his own throat. Blood was falling into Jade’s mouth.

  Air spiraled in the parlor. “Stop him. You have to stop him.”

  It was then that Raven saw the antique mirror hanging next to the fire place. She grabbed a vase and smashed the mirror. It sprayed glass into her hair and eyes. Blinking, Raven grabbed the largest shard of glass, cutting herself on the edge.

  Take two. Air shouted.

  Raven picked up another shard, blood running between her fingers. The vampires in hiding, smelled the blood and stirred from their hiding place.

  She ran for the stray sunbeam.

  Aloud, Raven said, “Help me, Air. I don’t have much time.”

  She felt the presence of Air in her mind, in her heart, in her soul, a gentle presence, not a fighter, not really. That surprised Raven. After all their time together to know that Air was a pacifist when Raven was a fighter. Why would Air choose her?

  Because you intrigue me. That was Air’s answer.

  Air knew sunlight and the bending of sunlight. She understood prisms and flashes and all things bright. She died a thousand deaths in fetid tombs, choking on dust and dead things, but outside in the Universe, Air was best friends with Light. Air showed Raven how to place the mirrors. She needed both, just as Air knew she would.

  The beams burned right onto the head of the vampire dribbling blood onto Jade’s lips. Air swirled around the room. The vampire’s head caught fire in a whoosh, like the propane of a gas stove suddenly catches.

  Air warned Raven of another vampire and showed her a new placement for the mirrors. Raven followed her guidance and the beam of sunlight shot through this vampire’s neck. One more vampire, again drawn by Raven’s blood poked its head around the corner. Air had already given her warning, and Raven was ready with her arrow of light.

  It was over. The last vampire in the room turned to dust. Raven stumbled to Jade’s side, terrified of what she would find. Raven grabbed a doily from one of the tables and held it to Jade’s neck. “Jade? Jade? Talk to me.”

  Jade opened her eyes with a groan. She whimpered and tried to spit out the vampire blood. Air kept watch while Raven knelt at Jade’s side. “Are you okay? What can I do?”

  Jade spit out more vampire blood. Her own blood was soaking into the doily. She groaned, “Find Claire. Hurry. I can feel them. There are dozens.”

  Raven left the stakes behind, but decided the shards and knife would be useful. She didn’t even want to think about the repercussions of Jade drinking vampire blood and suddenly knowing that they were all around, but it was all Raven could think of as she took the stairs two at a time.

  Chapter 8

  ~~ Claire ~~

  Claire struggled to open her eyes. She heard the fighting downstairs. Raven screamed once. It was a pained, angry scream, one that made Claire want to get up, made her fight to get up. But she couldn’t.

  Gladys smoothed her own hair, now restored to a youthful shine and said, “Beddy-bye time. Tasha, finish her quickly and find me in the panic room. The drug we used has an aftertaste, and her sisters are closing in.”

  Gladys left the room, moving down the hall and to a back staircase. Claire heard her footsteps retreating and then a door closing.

  Tasha put a hand on Claire’s head and drank in her essence. Claire’s heart beat slowed. She gasped for each breath. The worst part was seeing Tasha’s fevered excitement and knowing that her joy was because she felt Claire dying.

  Claire could see it. Tasha enjoyed the kill. The world spun. Claire knew that if she closed her eyes, she would die. It took every ounce of her strength to keep them open, even just a sliver. Finally, she couldn’t hold them open anymore and her eyes slid closed.

  In the distance a door slammed open. The drugs had affected Claire so much that the distant door she had heard was really just a few feet away. Claire heard Raven’s voice say, “Get your hands off my sister, Fangs.”

  The sound was so distant, like a voice under water. Claire wanted to open her eyes. She just couldn’t.

  A cyclone burst through the room.

  Claire opened her eyes long enough to see Raven stab Tasha through the heart with a knife. It didn’t do anything but buy time. Air tore down the curtains that had been nailed to the walls and flipped the foil back. Sunlight pierced the gloom and Tasha caught fire, burning up in a single fevered scream.

  ~~ Raven ~~

  Raven sank onto the bed, blood dripping from her fingers. She dropped the glass, “Claire?”

  Claire mumbled, “Drugged.”

  Raven wanted to cry. She and Jade together could drag Claire out of there, but she didn’t have the strength to carry one sister, let alone two out of the house. Air loved Raven and would hold her up against the force of gravity, but she couldn’t be trusted with Claire, not if the practice sessions were any indication.

  Raven decided the first step was to get her sisters to the iron gate. At least Claire wasn’t fully grown yet. Raven could reasonably expect to get her safely out. She grabbed one of the pillows and pulled it out of the pil
low-case, wrapping it around her fingers to stop the bleeding. Using a fireman’s carry, she heaved Claire over her shoulder with a grunt.

  “No sister should have to do this,” Raven grumbled under her breath.

  “Jade.” Claire said. Claire realized that she sounded like Mindy. Then she realized that she was slobbering on Raven’s awesome leather jacket and started giggling.

  Punctuating the words, Raven said, “Stop. Laughing. Stairs.”

  Which also sounded like Mindy, making Claire laugh even harder.

  Raven didn’t bother with another verbal response, but in her head she threatened to leave Claire on the stairwell. As it was, she tripped at the bottom of the stairs, but held it together long enough to retain her balance.

  She stopped long enough to check on Jade. Jade was still on her back, staring at the ceiling. For a moment Raven was terrified that her eldest sister was dead. Then Jade moved her head slightly. In slurred words, she said, “Get Claire out.”

  “Don’t boss me around,” Raven said, and then followed Jade’s instructions, which were exactly what she was going to do anyway. Air helped with the doors. The sun was bright in the sky. It had to be past noon. It felt like they’d just arrived at the compound, but Raven realized they must have spent a lot more time scouting than she thought.

  She dropped Claire at the gate, hoping that Air had cushioned the fall. It wasn’t that easy to lug a person down a flight of stairs and across the lawn. Raven hurried back to the house. Jade was still there, staring at the ceiling. “Jade? Can you move? I’m not sure I can carry you,” Raven said.

  “I’ll try.”

  The sisters stumbled out the door and down the stairs like drunks. Jade banged her shins against a post and Raven caught an elbow on the door. Raven kept expecting another attack, but the vampires were quiet.

  Jade held her hands over her eyes the whole way across the lawn. When they finally reached Claire, Raven decided they should keep going while Jade was still standing. As they stumbled past Claire, Raven said, “I’m taking Jade to the van. I’ll come back for you. Don’t go anywhere.”

  Getting Jade through the fence was tricky. They both managed to roll under the gate. Once again, Jade lay still, staring up at the blue sky and not quite all there. The only difference was that she squinted her eyes until they were nearly closed. Raven tugged on her, “Jade, get up.”

  Jade ignored her.

  Raven couldn’t very well kick her sister, even though she wanted to. She poked Jade again, “Jade, we’ve got to go before it gets dark. I know that seems like a long time from now, but I have a lot to do.”

  Raven tugged until Jade blinked and then let herself be pulled up. Raven cursed the idea of parking the van around the corner and down the road. Their stumbling walk seemed to take forever. When they finally reached the van, Raven felt immediately guilty.

  Mindy curled up in the passenger seat holding her teddy bear and sucking her thumb. Great babysitting skills, leaving Mindy to fend for herself at the edge of a vampire nest. Mindy pushed open the door and climbed down, thumb still in mouth, teddy bear still in arms. When she saw the blood on Jade’s neck, she started to whimper.

  “Mindy, are you okay? I need you to be brave for Jade, now.” Raven said gently. She wasn’t the best of sisters. Jade was the one who loved Mindy the way she needed to be loved, without selfish thoughts of playing on the phone or reading when Mindy needed her to be present.

  Nodding, Mindy took her thumb out of her mouth. Raven thought she was going to say something, but instead she pointed to Jade and then the road they’d come from.

  “I don’t know what you’re saying, Mindy, but Jade was hurt there and I need to get Claire.” Raven nudged Jade up. “Jade, I can’t get you into the seat by myself. C’mon, you have to help.”

  Jade groaned. It came out a bare hum. With one hand wrapped around the seatbelt and one on the dash to steady herself. Jade took the first step up, teetering as if she might fall right back again. Raven was about to push her in when Jade leaned forward and turned, half-sliding, half-falling into the seat. “Mindy, I need to go back for Claire. Can you watch Jade for me?”

  Mindy nodded. Raven was about to open the sliding door for Mindy, but Mindy climbed over Jade’s legs on the passenger side and squirmed between the chairs to go to the back of the van. When she was safely settled, Raven closed the door.

  Jade was in no condition to drive. Raven had just gotten her learner’s permit. She felt a sudden sinking feeling. The mantle of responsibility had fallen on her shoulders. She was responsible for getting her sisters away from the vampires, for the whole escape.

  Raven hurried to the back of the van. She found the first aid kit and used real bandages on the slice across her fingers. In Mom’s emergency supplies, she found a small axe, starter fluid, a flashlight, and matches. She had dropped the broken mirror shards in the house, unable to carry them and Jade. Now she wished she had them. She dumped a duffel bag filled with beach towels and clothes and put her finds inside. Hefting the bag, she shut the door.

  “Mindy, I’ll just be gone a little while longer, okay?” Raven asked.

  “Yes.” Mindy said.

  Raven’s sneakers crunched on the gravel road. She realized that if she really wanted to fit the part of a hot vampire snack, she should have worn high heels with the leather skirt and jacket. Too late now. Plus no one can run in heels. Besides she was none too lady-like in the skirt.

  Jogging along the road to the gate, Raven did the roll under, feeling like a pro now that she’d done it so often. Claire was sitting up on the grass, as pale as a first snow, with dark smudges under her eyes. She looked so haunted that Raven knelt on the grass next to her and gave her a sideways hug.

  “Can you last here for just a little while longer?” Raven asked.

  Claire leaned her head on her sister’s shoulder, “What are you going to do?”

  “Break open the sheds. Burn the main house. I should have enough daylight.” Raven said and unzipped the duffel bag to show Claire.

  “There are people in the house. Real people. The vampires keep them drugged,” Claire said, looked at the lighter fluid Raven.

  “We’ve got to get out of here before darkness falls,” Raven said. “I’ll do what I can in the next few hours.

  Feeling wobbly, Claire pushed herself up, “Let me help. The worst of the vampires are kept locked in the sheds. They can’t talk and the other vampires keep people chained up in there as food. If we can cut the locks on the door, maybe we can let enough light in to kill them.”

  The first shed was the hardest. After forcing the door open, they realized that the sunlight didn’t penetrate all the way. Raven swept the shed with the flashlight, shuddering when the beam landed on the half-eaten remains of a teenager. She jumped when the light found the vampire, a dirty foul thing that moved in the dark like a beast. Claire clutched her arm, her breath hot on Raven’s neck. Raven’s first inclination was to shake her sister off. Claire’s version of personal space was a bit closer than Raven’s. Feeling Raven tense, Claire moved back.

  The smell was a wall of putridness. Raven felt her insides roiling. She was holding the axe in one hand, flashlight in the other. She said, “Watch the door. I’m going to try something.”

  The sheds weren’t huge. She thought she could gauge the distance of the vampire. The axe bit into the old wood. She swung at the outside of the shed until she had created a hole for sunlight to fall in. The sunlight hit its mark and the vampire howled.

  Raven ran back to Claire, “Is it dead?”

  “You told me to watch the door. I’m not going in there.” Claire sounded affronted in the way only a younger sibling could be.

  Grabbing the flashlight out of Claire’s hands, Raven stepped forward. Sweeping the inside of the shed with the light, Raven knew that sunlight had done the job. “Okay, let’s do the next one.”

  “Wait. Aren’t we going to burn these?” Claire carried the duffel bag. Clearly she’d t
aken a peek.

  The stench of the shed and the feeling that she was filthy beyond redemption made Raven irritable. Her first thought was to snap at her sister, but instead she took a deep breath and with slow words that were more annoying to Claire than a snap said, “That’s for the house.”

  “You can’t set the house on fire. There are people in there,” Claire thought of the dozens of couches, each one with a person, not a vampire, but a human being.

  “And what? Let them die here as vampire food? It’s euthanasia. They’re already dead anyway. We’re just making sure the vampires die too.” Raven kicked the door.

  Claire’s eyes grew round, and in their depths Raven could see a bitter disappointment, as if Claire had been hero-worshipping her from afar. “You can’t do that.”

  “I’ve got a job to do.” Raven stepped past Claire, feeling such a sense of guilt and terror and disgust. It was wrong. She knew deep in her heart of hearts that sacrificing the people in that house to kill the vampires was wrong. She just didn’t see how they could get them all out, kill the vampires, and escape safely. She was in way over her head. They all were.

  “But they’re kids like me,” Claire followed Raven like a little puppy. They shared the same look, black hair with vivid eyes. But Claire’s hair was messy, her jeans and shirt filthy. She was the walking poster child for a cautionary tale against running away.

  Raven ignored her, stopping at the next shed with axe in hand. Claire would never win an argument with Raven. She was too stubborn. Throwing the duffel bag down next to Raven, she said, “You keep going here. I’ll get them out.”

  When Claire stormed off, Raven thought of telling her that she’d changed her mind, that she wasn’t really going to set the house on fire. She felt completely stuck. What was the most right thing to do? Leave the people to be eaten by vampires or kill them all in fire? Or Claire’s third option…rescue them all.