A Vampire's Fury

by Raven Steele

  Briar stared up at the large vats of chemicals. “How do we destroy them?”

  “We either dump it or have to introduce a new chemical to it,” I said, looking around for something to use.

  Mateo looked up. “Water.”

  I followed his gaze. Sprinklers. “We need a fire.”

  “What should we do about these?” Angel asked. He pointed to two tall and long rows of stacked boxes. All of them bore the Bodian Dynamics logo.

  “We need to destroy them, too.” I looked around for anything else that might need to be destroyed, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. Korin would be very upset. This was a lot of his product we were destroying. Maybe even all of it.

  I called back to Oz. “Are you finished in there?”

  He hurried out carrying the hard drive. “Done.”

  Briar had come to Angel’s side and ignited a lighter in her hand. “Is this stuff flammable?”

  “One way to find out.” Angel punched at the box nearest him. Glass broke and liquid oozed out.

  Briar tossed the lighter into the ruined box. It immediately caught fire and flames quickly spread down the row. The smoke the fire emitted was horrific, singing my lungs despite the cloth over my mouth. Even my skin felt like it was burning.

  Less than twenty seconds later, the sprinklers kicked on. The cool water soothed the bite of the chemicals.

  “Let’s mess this shit up!” Briar yelled over the downpour of water. She walked over to a counter against the wall and raked her arms across the top, knocking everything to the floor.

  Angel and Mateo began to do the same while Oz protected the computer hard drive from the rain.

  “Come on, Samira,” Briar yelled to me through the downpour. “Smash something!”

  I smiled and grabbed a nearby broom. Gladly. I turned my attention to the closest shelves and began to swing, hitting as hard as I could until the broom snapped in my hands. I used my fists to crush the rest, smashing three desks and everything on their tops. Lab equipment came next. I tipped over a refrigerator full of vials and stomped them into tiny bits. I broke everything I could get my hands on, knowing they held value to Korin. With every crack and shatter, elation raced through me, bringing with it a deep hunger for blood.

  “We’ve got a problem!” Briar called, ruining the moment. She lowered her phone from her ear. “Loxley said a bunch of Hydes just showed up, and they’re headed our way. One of the humans must’ve contacted Korin. The fire department also just arrived. Let’s get out of here.”

  Before I followed the others out, I surveyed the room. Everything was soaked and the solution cooking in the large vats ruined. So much had been destroyed that very little looked how it did when we had first arrived.

  Satisfied, I hurried up the stairs. Mateo was waiting for me. He grabbed hold of my arm. “Hurry. They’re coming.”

  We rushed past Eddie who was standing near the entrance. “My illusion’s about to drop.”

  “We’re done,” I said. I hurried onto the edge of the quad, nearly crashing into Briar. Angel, Mateo and Oz stood with her staring straight ahead.

  Eddie came up behind me. “Why isn’t anyone moving?”

  I followed their gazes. Three dozen Hydes had split up and were walking around the humans. But that isn’t what sent a chill down my veins. The band had stopped playing and every single human, hundreds of them, stared in our direction with venomous looks in their eyes.

  Chapter 16

  “I don’t think I can create an illusion this big without help,” Eddie whispered.

  Angel shifted his weight toward two approaching Hydes. “I have a feeling the moment we fight, those humans will be upon us.”

  Briar glanced at him. “Me too. That’s why I’ve ordered my pack to stand down. Let’s just slowly move away. Nobody make any sudden moves.”

  “But what about them?” Oz asked, eyeing the Hydes nervously.

  “We’ll draw them away from the humans.” I began walking casually away. Briar joined me in front while Eddie and Oz fell in behind us, with Angel and Mateo bringing up the rear.

  Behind me, I heard the zip of a bag. I glanced over my shoulder at Oz, who was reaching into his backpack. He handed us all guns, but we were one short. Mateo handed his to Angel, insisting he keep it.

  The weapon felt strange in my hand, unlike the blades warming my back, but I hung onto it, knowing its effectiveness.

  I had just finished strapping it on, when Angel said, “Run! They’re coming up on us fast.”

  Adrenaline flashed through my veins, alighting my senses, but I didn’t look behind me. It would only make me want to fight too soon. We had to get as far away from the humans as possible.

  We sprinted through the quad and away from all the humans. We could’ve gone faster, but we had to make sure Oz could keep up. Already, he was panting hard and we’d only gone two blocks over.

  “Where’s your pack?” I called over to Briar just as she leapt over a railing.

  “I told them to hang back. I don’t want them getting caught up in this, not until we are away from humans.”

  We continued forward as fast as possible. I was just about to pick up Oz and carry him, when Mateo called, “Go toward the stadium!”

  I veered right toward a large dome. Briar and the others followed.

  “I’m dying!” Oz gasped.

  “Keep up,” I yelled back at him, running through one of many entrances into the stadium, my feet sliding along the concrete floor. Stopping at the top of a long stairway, Briar and I ushered Eddie and Oz down the stairs toward a football field. As soon as Mateo and Angel appeared, we descended the stairs, taking them three at a time until we reached the bottom. We slowed at the fifty-yard line.

  “It’s not fair. You all have superpowers.” Oz was on his knees, gasping for breath. “I can’t go much further.”

  At the top of the stadium, a long row of Hydes appeared. I groaned. “They’re still coming.”

  “We should split up,” Briar said. “Meet back at Fire Ridge.”

  “That would be a great idea if we weren’t already surrounded,” Angel said.

  Briar and I swiveled around. Surrounding the field at the top of the bleachers, the compelled humans began to appear all around us. Just standing there, staring as if waiting for a command. I had no idea what might trigger them to attack us.

  Oz clutched at his heart. “I can’t take this! Damnit, why did I come to Rouen?”

  “You wanted to come,” I growled, my eyes focused on the Hydes who were descending the stairs of the stadium.

  “But I’m an idiot! You know that.”

  “Shut up,” I snapped. “Just get your weapons ready.”

  The Hydes reached us first. I counted thirty-two of them, at least half of which were turned vampires, which would make them much harder to fight.

  “Die, bitches!” Briar shouted, and fired the weapon in her hand. A blast of invisible air shot out and hit three of them in the chest. They fell backwards, but recovered quickly. The wind blasting mode wouldn’t be effective on them.

  I quickly switched my weapon’s mode to Zap, the word literally written on the gun, and fired it at two Hydes just before they reached me. A stream of electricity tore through the air and hit its mark. Both Hydes fell to the ground, shaking uncontrollably. I slid my sword from off my back and removed their heads at once.

  Mateo rushed forward wielding the scimitar blade he always carried. Its sharp edge swung through the air, cleanly removing the heads of three Hydes before he was surrounded by all vampire Hydes. I continued to fight, keeping an eye on Mateo.

  Behind me, Briar fought side by side with Eddie, who turned out to be an expert in a style of martial arts I hadn’t seen before. It combined his ability to use short-acting illusions along with his fighting, making it seem like he was appearing and disappearing at will.

  He moved fluidly through the Hydes, swinging a curved blade gracefully into the air, slicing heads faster than Briar could u
se her fists. Where she was thunder, crashing through bodies, he was lightning, striking fast and quick.

  After blasting and decapitating another set of Hydes, I searched for Oz. He was scrambling along the turf on all fours, his backpack hanging off the side of his back as he tried to avoid the fight. So far, no one had paid him any attention.

  Just then, I caught Mateo’s body as it flew through the air away from me, an arc of blood trailing behind him. “Mateo!”

  Raw fear gripped my chest, and the Kiss was quick to eat it up. The darkness strengthened inside me, a raging storm about to break free as both Angel and I fought to get to him. Power billowed and flowed through me, threatening to explode outward. I gritted my teeth, struggling with my desire to release the Kiss to save Mateo. Again and again, my blade swung through the air, but there were too many Hydes blocking me and Angel. I screamed out in anguish and called his name.

  A Hyde ran at Mateo, his sword up and ready to strike. Just in time, Oz practically jumped onto Mateo, who lay flat on his back, bleeding from his mouth and chest. Oz fired his blaster. Electricity hit the Hyde, and he dropped to the ground. Oz continued to blast the Hydes coming after them, leaving them on the ground, their bodies seizing.

  This gave us the time we needed to remove the last of the Hydes heads between us before sprinting toward Mateo and Oz. In passing, I fired the weapon again toward a few Hydes rushing Briar and Eddie. The electricity knocked them to the ground. Briar saluted me just as she finished them off.

  After Angel and I killed the Hydes spasming on the ground, I dropped to my knees next to Mateo and surveyed his wounds. His chest had an eighteen-inch gap from his collarbone all the way past his belly button. Any deeper and his guts might’ve spilled out.

  Blood drained my face as a feeling of horror washed over me. This was bad and wouldn’t heal quickly. The Kiss ate up my pain and anguish, pumping me full of desire for more blood and violence. I wanted to jump to my feet and kill anything that moved, but I rooted myself to the ground and grabbed Mateo’s hand.

  “My anima gemella.” Tears burned my eyes, making my vision blurry.

  His gaze met mine, and he tried to speak but blood replaced any words that might’ve escaped.

  I smoothed back his hair, a mingle of sweat and blood. “Shhh … hold still.”

  “How bad is it?” Angel asked, panting heavily just over my shoulder.

  “Bad. Can you fix him?” I moved out of the way.

  “Yes.” He lowered next to me. “But it will take time.”

  I glanced up. Time was something we didn’t have right now. The compelled humans had begun to descend the stairs.

  Oz was grimacing, his hand clasped to his mouth. “Is he going to be okay?”

  I looked at him, gratitude filling me. “I think so, thanks to you.”

  Briar removed the head of the last Hyde as he seized on the ground, then she looked our direction, worry creasing her brow. Her gaze flickered behind me. I turned around—there were still hundreds of humans crowding the stairways as they moved toward us as one giant organism. The Silver Claws had arrived and hurried down the stadium stairs to help us, but by their confused expressions, they didn’t know what to do. They all looked to Briar for orders.

  Eddie backed up to us. “Any ideas?”

  “Blast them with a heavy dose of wind,” Briar suggested. “Then we run.”

  “We can’t move Mateo,” I insisted. Angel was doing his best using his saliva to heal Mateo, but the wound was too deep and large. It would take a long time to heal him.

  “We’re going to have to, Samira,” Briar said. “I’m sorry, but we can’t fight innocent humans. We can carry him.”

  Angel hissed over his shoulder. “If we move him, it will further damage him.”

  Briar rested a hand on his shoulder. “Angel, I don’t know what else to do. Look around.”

  He took a quick moment to do just that. His expression fell when he realized what we were up against.

  “We really should be going,” Eddie said, his voice tense.

  I stared down at Mateo, his broken and bloody body. The thought of moving him when he was injured this badly made my stomach lurch. I bit down on my tongue, shaking my head. There was no other way.

  Angel looked up at me. “I’ll be careful.”

  I nodded once, gritting my teeth to fight the pain in my heart. Angel picked him up gently, but Mateo still groaned and coughed. More blood poured past his lips.

  “We should split up,” Briar said. “We’ll have a better chance at getting away.”

  I looked at Angel. “You go first with Mateo to his car. We’ll lead them the opposite direction. Take Oz with you.”

  “We can go through the locker rooms,” Oz said, pointing to one of the tunnels just off the field. “I think there’s a way out through there.”

  “Got it.” Angel nodded, his jaw clenched tight. Oz helped him gently carry Mateo away.

  They’ll be okay, I told myself over and over, trying to keep a tight hold over my emotions. They kept building up inside me, only to be swallowed up by the Kiss. The only thing keeping me from going crazy was the need to keep Mateo safe. I forced my will over the mounting power inside, for him.

  The humans reached the field, moving slowly, but still coming toward us. Briar shouted an order. “As soon as we blast them, everyone split up in threes or fours and meet back at Fire Ridge tomorrow. Run fast.”

  Eddie, Briar, and I pointed our blasters at the first wave of humans and pulled the triggers. A strong gust of wind knocked dozens of them to the ground.

  Without another word, the Silver Claws broke off into groups and all sprinted up a different set of stairs. The three of us cut off to our right, moving with supernatural speed until we returned to the car. We’d outrun the humans, but we still needed to get out of here before they caught up with us.

  When I saw Mateo’s vehicle still parked next to ours, my heart hammered inside my chest. I didn’t want to leave them vulnerable. “Why are they still here?”

  Briar removed the phone from her pocket while Eddie ducked into the car behind the driver’s seat. “I’ll call Oz.”

  He answered right away, thank goodness. Briar put the phone on speaker mode as we climbed inside the car.

  “Where are you guys?” Briar asked.

  “Safe. We’re hiding out in the locker room behind a locked door. Angel’s healing Mateo.”

  “Is it working?” I asked.

  “It is. He’s stopped bleeding.”

  I sucked in a great breath of relief, the tightness in my body relaxing. He was going to be okay.

  “Are you guys safe?” Oz asked.

  “We lost the humans and are just getting ready to leave campus,” Briar said. “We’ll call you soon.”

  “Got it. Stay safe.” Oz hung up.

  Briar looked at me and rested her hand on my arm. “He’s going to be okay.”

  I nodded, my body numb. Eddie peeled away from the curb, our heads on swivels. I didn’t see any crazed humans, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. Only when we were a safe distance away did I ease into the seat.

  I stared out the window, trying to make sense of how I felt. We’d done it. The first big blow to Korin. I should be thrilled, but my elation was tainted with worry and fear. Worry for Mateo and fear that Korin would seek retribution against anyone the Hydes or humans might’ve recognized.

  After dropping off and thanking Eddie, who looked exhausted, we headed toward Fire Ridge, but halfway there, Briar said, “I don’t want to go there.”

  “Where?” I glanced over at her.

  “Fire Ridge.” Her hand gripped the armrest, her knuckles white. “Can we go somewhere else?”

  “Of course, but why?”

  She dragged a hand down her face and groaned. “I just need a break from … being me. Does that make sense?”

  “This wouldn’t have anything to do with Luke leaving us at the college, would it?”

  She readjusted
her position in the seat. “Maybe a little.”

  It took me all of two seconds to decide what to do. I slammed on the brakes and turned the car around so fast, the back tires skidded across the road.

  Briar cried out in sudden glee and laughed out loud. “Where are we going?”

  “My hotel. We’re going to get wasted.”

  Chapter 17

  “I’ve always wanted to come here,” Briar said, as we exited the vehicle in the underground parking lot. “I still can’t believe you own it and dress the way you do. At least add some color to your wardrobe.”

  “Black is good. This way.” I led her to the elevator only I had access to, other than a couple of the managers.

  Briar hesitated before following me into it. “That’s a small space.”

  “I can knock you out before you come inside. It would be super easy for me.”

  She stepped next to me and sucked in a slow breath, her face pinched. On her exhale, she breathed, “And it wouldn’t be easy. My head is like steel. You’d break your hand trying.”

  I snorted. “As if I’ve ever broken my hand.”

  Briar silently mimicked me and closed her eyes. As soon as the doors opened, she practically launched herself out of the elevator. “That sucked my asshole.”

  “That’s probably not the only thing that has,” I mumbled, touching my stomach. I was getting hungry. I probably should’ve snuck away to Hell's Peak to feed before coming here.

  While Briar tossed back a few verbal jabs at me, I pressed my secret code into a keypad near the door.

  “Why is there blood on your walls?” she asked, tracing her fingers over it lightly.

  “It’s the design.” The door opened, and I walked inside.

  “Like hell it is. That’s fresh blood.”

  “One of my blood bags exploded.”

  “Uh-huh. Sure.” She came into the living room and looked around. I’d had the holes in the walls repaired and furniture replaced. She’d never know I had gone on a rampage after Faithe died.

  I walked to the refrigerator and removed three plastic blood bags. I drank them greedily while Briar walked around my suite, having a comment about everything. Dropping onto my black recliner, I kicked back my feet, thinking. There was a good chance someone had reported seeing me tonight. If so, Korin could be looking for me. He could be looking for all of us. None of the college students should know who we were, but one of the Hydes could’ve. Or there were cameras. Oz was supposed to have erased everything, but what if there was one he missed?