The vampires were only a few yards away when they stopped, facing the Guardians. Charlotte’s evil smirk was ever present as she ran her eyes along their ranks, reserving a particularly nasty look for Drake and Quinn.
“I believe you found my mole,” she said eventually, breaking the silence. Nobody answered her and Charlotte lifted her head, inhaling deeply as the breeze blew her hair off her shoulders. “Hmmm,” she sighed, “something smells delicious.” Quinn’s hands clenched involuntarily at the implied threat in her words.
“You will not touch them,” she snarled, lifting her stakes.
“Such brave words,” Charlotte remarked, unperturbed. “You forget, Guardian, that I have met your sister. Any relative of someone so pathetic is hardly cause for concern.” Further along the line, Quinn sensed her father stiffen.
“Easy,” Daniel cautioned. “She’s just trying to bait you.” Charlotte waited a few seconds but Quinn didn’t react.
“So,” Charlotte quipped eventually, glancing around with idle curiosity. “Who wants to go first?”
“Anyone ever told you you talk too much?” Austin sneered, lifting his arm. Before anyone could stop him, he fired three shots, straight into Charlotte’s chest.
“How many times do I need to tell you, that doesn’t work!” Isaiah yelled, as Charlotte drew back her lips, exposing her fangs, and the horde of vampires stampeded toward them.
The Guardians surged forward as one, Daniel’s battle cry resounding through them as they dived into the fray. Quinn once again dropped all her defences, allowing her Hunter instinct to guide her. She heard the crack of another gunshot, and then nothing but the snarls and hisses of the vampires all around her.
She fought fiercely, her stakes flashing, as she took down one vampire after another. Through a gap in the crowd she spotted Isaiah and her heart sank as she watched a vampire sink his fangs into the Slayer’s neck. Before she could make a move toward him, another vampire had grabbed her by the throat, his long nails gouging deep into her flesh. She lifted her right arm, positioning her stake, but before she could drive it into his chest, his neck was severed, his head ripped clean off his body and Drake appeared before her.
“You’re welcome,” he grinned, his mouth stained crimson with blood, before he turned and jumped back into the battle. Quinn dodged another incoming attack, dropping low to the ground and emerged closer to Isaiah, staying clear of the range of his sword, which was raining blows down on any vampire who ventured near him. His neck was still bleeding, but it barely seemed to slow him down.
“You were bitten!” Quinn yelled, recalling the searing agony of the bite she had endured in the woods. To her surprise, Isaiah nodded, unconcerned, before pointing to a greying corpse at his feet.
“Slayer blood, remember?” he yelled and Quinn recoiled. She had all but forgotten that the blood of the Slayer was lethal to vampires. Their bites obviously didn’t affect him either, as they did the other Guardians, and now Quinn realised he was allowing them to bite him, a sure-fire suicide.
Out of the corner of her eye, Quinn noticed a slim form weaving through the throng, leading a small group toward the stables. Charlotte had managed to get through their defences. Swatting yet another vampire aside, Quinn gave chase.
Drake watched as Quinn pummelled her way through a group of vampires with single-minded purpose. Following the direction of her gaze, he saw Charlotte reach the stable door and he made a lightning decision. He reached the stable before Quinn, the scream of a woman from inside making his hair stand on end before he was knocked aside by a massive white form bursting through the door.
Quinn saw Freya, Sage strapped tightly to her chest, galloping away from the stables on one of the mares, and felt nothing but passionate relief that Kellan had sent his wife to safety. She knew that Freya would have wanted to fight, but her fear for her child’s safety had obviously overridden that desire. A second later, Anaise and Isadora followed suit, on another mare, and then, in a stampede, the last four unicorns burst through the open doors, carrying another eight members of the Fae to safety. Quinn didn’t hesitate. Drake had been distracted by a group of vampires, but he held them at bay as she slipped through the stable doors.
Inside the stables was carnage. The wolves were grappling fiercely with the vampires who had snuck inside, standing between them and Velkan and Kellan, who had stayed behind. Quinn couldn’t see any other members of the Fae, but as an arrow impaled the chest of a vampire only a few feet from where she stood, she glanced up to find Evangeline balanced on one of the rafters, another arrow already nocked in her bow.
Another bloodcurdling scream drew Quinn’s attention and she watched in horror as Charlotte snapped the neck of Anna’s friend, Jen. Anna’s broken body lay on the ground beside them. Of all the terrible things that Charlotte had done, this heinous act enraged Quinn most of all. She had made Anna a promise – a promise that she would be safe, that Charlotte would never hurt her again. A roar escaped Quinn, and Charlotte turned in her direction, smiling spitefully as she reached for the gypsy woman they had found in the woods. Her hand had just closed around Cara’s shirt, when Balthazar struck; lashing out at her with the wooden stake Isaiah had given him. It was a pitiful attack, the wood only just piercing Charlotte’s shoulder, but it hurt enough to force her to release Cara as Drake finally entered the building. Forcing her legs to move, Quinn bolted toward Charlotte.
Drake couldn’t allow Quinn to take on Charlotte on her own but, as he was about to follow, he heard a cry that cut him to the very core. It was Quinn’s voice. Turning, he spotted Avery on the other side of the stable, shielding her face as she stood, weaponless, between Jonas and two snarling vampires. He could hear Tristan, tied to a pole nearby, screaming at them to leave her alone, but Drake knew better. Charlotte would honour no deal made with a Guardian. Jonas was on the ground at Balthazar’s feet, unconscious but breathing, and Avery had no chance against two vampires. Casting a last glance over his shoulder at Quinn’s departing figure, Drake cursed, feeling as though a part of him was physically torn in two as he headed toward Avery instead.
Avery kicked out as the vampire on her left feinted toward her, catching his shin, but it was a feeble effort and he laughed in her face, toying with her. Lifting her arms, she fought the dizziness that overwhelmed her, preparing to attack again, when the two vampires were suddenly hauled backwards so fast that she couldn’t register their retreat. Only when they were a safe distance from the girl did Drake bring the stakes up and through their chests.
Chapter 41
Monique watched in despair at the chaos below. She couldn’t risk bringing the Orochian down there; he would just as likely incinerate her own people. She spotted a small figure on the outskirts of the fighting and recognised Piper’s blonde plait. The Guardian was surrounded by vampires and her movements were uncoordinated as though she was injured. Monique swore as a thuggish vampire swatted Piper aside, playing with her. A thought occurred to Monique and she wondered just how much of what she communicated to the Orochian could be interpreted. Praying that her plan would work, she closed her eyes and leaned forward, murmuring instructions. The Orochian’s black wings beat the air fiercely for a moment and then he swooped into a dive, Monique clinging to his scaly back as they streaked toward the ground.
Piper felt the blood running down her back, pooling at the base of her spine. She had been bitten on her back, the vampire’s fangs tearing through her shoulder blade, and her left arm hung limply at her side. She had managed to fight her way to the very edge of the mob, giving her some breathing room, but she didn’t know how much longer she could stay conscious.
“Where are you going, beautiful?” a syrupy voice crooned, and Piper felt her heart drop into her stomach. Turning, she faced the short, thick-set vampire who had followed her. The smell of her blood reached him and his nostrils flared as he licked his lips. Piper stumbled forward, trying to stake him, but he slapped her hand away, the blow spinning her on her feet. She ha
d nothing left, no strength to fight him off or even to flee, not that she would. Glancing back toward the others, Piper knew that no help was coming. Everyone was surrounded; fighting their own battles. Determined, she lifted her right hand, stake held high, blinking away the spots that flickered at the edge of her vision. Her ears were filled with a high-pitched sound which she assumed was another symptom of the blood loss, but as the sound increased in volume, she shook her head, trying to find the source. Her adversary located it only an instant before she did, his head jerking back as he gazed upward, only to be encased in the jaws of the Orochian, who soared upward again, missing Piper by mere millimetres. Monique yelled in triumph, fist-pumping the air as the Orochian shook his head, crushing bone and severing flesh before he dumped the vampire’s body unceremoniously hundreds of feet back to the ground.
“Good boy!” Monique pulled at the dragon’s bat-ears, steering him in a circle before heading back to the crowd. It wasn’t long before the vampires realised that they were being picked off one by one, and they kept a vigilant eye on the sky as they fought, giving the Guardians a new advantage.
Inside the stables, where the Orochian couldn’t help them, Channon was tiring. She was bleeding badly from where the vampires had managed to snap at her, and bite marks trailed all up her left arm. The rest of the pack was in no better condition, but still they fought, creating a line of defence for the Fae who had remained behind. Rafe stood beside her fighting just as ferociously.
“Channon!” Kellan called from behind her as she despatched yet another vampire. “You have done enough! I cannot let you do this. Please – go!”
“No,” Channon shook her head and met Rafe’s gaze. He nodded – he wouldn’t leave them unprotected either. They would save Kellan and the others, or die trying.
“Channon, the others got out!” Kellan tried one more time to dissuade her. “The Fae will survive this battle. If you six die, the wolves won’t!”
Finally turning back to face him, Channon saw the resolve on his pale face, the reasoning behind his words. He was right – they were the last six remaining werewolves and, if the vampires overpowered them, their entire species would die out.
“Nice try,” she smiled, before turning her back on him once more. “But that baby isn’t going to grow up without a father.”
Quinn couldn’t believe just how fast Charlotte was. Over and over she stabbed at her, but no matter how fast she acted, Charlotte seemed to anticipate her every move and managed to avoid it. Quinn was tiring and Charlotte’s gay laughter rang in her ears. The next second, Charlotte landed a brutal blow to the left side of Quinn’s face and pain exploded in her head, stars bursting in her vision. Blinking, Quinn spun on the spot, but the second she located her target, Charlotte hit her again and Quinn was forced to her knees by the impact. Charlotte snaked out her hand, snatching Quinn’s stake.
As Charlotte loomed over her, Quinn felt the black hatred rise in her chest. Realising that the game was over, that Charlotte had won, was the bitterest pill of all and Quinn prayed that one of the others would succeed where she had failed, that they would make Charlotte pay for the atrocities she had committed against them all. Charlotte lifted the stake in both hands, her eyes never leaving Quinn’s face. She would have preferred to drag it out, but at least she would have the satisfaction of knowing that the girl had died by her hand. Quinn heard Avery’s scream of despair as, with all the force of a moving freight train, Charlotte threw her arms forward, the silver stake streaking through the air.
And then suddenly, Drake was there, throwing himself in front of Quinn without any regard for the consequences. Quinn heard the scream ripped from her mouth as time seemed to stand still. Daniel and Garrett, finally reaching them, tackled Charlotte, and she fought them off as wildly as she had done Quinn, but all Quinn was aware of was Drake, as he dropped to his knees, the silver hilt of her stake protruding from his chest.
“Nooooooooo!” Quinn’s screams echoed through the building, reverberating in her own ears as her mind refused to acknowledge what her eyes were seeing.
Drake tried to get to his feet, blood seeping ominously down his chest. His fingers scrabbled weakly at the stake, but it was buried so deeply that the hilt was covered in warm, slippery blood and he could not get a firm grip on it. Quinn crouched beside him, not caring a damn about everything else going on around them. Avery skidded to a halt beside them, her face ashen.
“Oh my God,” she murmured, taking in the damage. Only a moment ago, Drake had saved her life for the second time.
A hiss sounded behind them, and, without hesitation, Quinn twisted, snatching up the stake in Drake’s hand and forcing it brutally upwards, into the chest of the vampire who had snuck up behind them. She couldn’t see Charlotte and the crowd in the stables was dwindling as the fighting moved outside once more.
‘Help me!” Quinn begged, as she got her hands under Drake’s arms and tried to drag him away from the main room and into one of the empty stalls. Avery nodded, moving to his legs and lifting them slightly. Drake groaned as they shifted him, but as they dragged him across the floor, he bit down on his tongue to keep from crying out.
“Quinn,” Avery whispered as Quinn pulled the door closed behind them when they were finally inside the stall, “we have to get out of here. The others… we need to help.”
“Go, if you want to,” Quinn bit out, her emotions spinning wildly out of control. She bent over Drake’s chest, examining the stake, trying to evaluate the damage.
“It’s nicked my heart,” Drake grunted, his face paler than she’d ever seen it. “I can feel it.”
“You are not going to die, do you understand me,” Quinn ordered.
“I don’t think I can help it,” he whispered weakly, his eyes closing.
“Drake!” Quinn yelled, the blood rushing to her head and pounding in her ears.
“Quinn, we have to go…” Avery tried again, but Quinn ignored her.
“Drake, I’m going to pull it out.”
“Won’t do any good…” he muttered.
“On three,” Quinn continued, ripping a section of fabric from her shirt and getting a good grip on the hilt of the stake.
“I’d really rather you not…” Drake’s voice was fainter and it pained her to hear him joking at a time like this.
“Quinn!” A voice called frantically, and Quinn leapt to her feet, releasing the stake before realising it was Kellan. He slipped into the stall and closed the door behind him. Taking one look at Drake he assessed the situation, but Quinn was already kneeling back in the straw at Drake’s side.
“Ready?” she asked.
“No.”
“One, two…” Quinn pulled, the stake coming free and she threw it to the ground as though she couldn’t bear to touch it. After being so still, Drake roared in pain, his body spasming as he sat bolt upright before collapsing back against the wooden stable wall.
“It’s not going to make any difference,” Avery insisted, looking to Kellan for support, but her voice was kinder than before.
Kellan had long suspected that Quinn was in love with the daywalker, but watching her now, as she gazed down at him, all of his suspicions were confirmed. Kellan’s love for the Guardians would not allow him to watch her suffer.
“There is one thing that can save him,” he pointed out, and Avery clapped a hand to her mouth, unable to believe he would even mention it. It was sacrilege – tantamount to breaking the Taboo, but Quinn had already made her decision.
“Here,” she murmured, offering Drake her wrist, fighting against everything she had ever been taught.
“Quinn, no!” Avery gasped. “You can’t! You’re a Hunter now, it’ll form a bond, not to mention that you’ll be breaking the Taboo.” By giving Drake her blood, imbued with the blood of the ten and the charm of the Fae, Quinn would be imparting Fae magic onto another creature, just as Enah had done a millennium ago.
“I won’t let him die,” Quinn growled back. “He saved my li
fe, Avery. He saved your life.”
Drake’s green eyes lifted to meet her gaze.
“Your sister is right, you don’t have to do this out of some perverse act of altruism,” he muttered, shoving her arm aside, and Quinn wondered just how much he knew of the true consequences of her actions. Taking a deep breath, knowing it was the only way to make him understand, to make him realise he had to let her help him, Quinn finally let her true feelings show, her tanzanite eyes softening as she met his gaze.
“Then how about I do it because I’m in love with you?”
That single omission changed everything between them in the space of a heartbeat. Drake’s eyes widened in shock and Avery dropped to her knees behind them, with a small cry of despair, before Kellan pulled her away, giving them their privacy. Quinn heard them go but her eyes never left Drake’s, the pain in her chest burgeoning and threatening to spill over as her revelation confirmed that she could no longer be a true Guardian. She had betrayed her people and the cause that she would have died for, for this man. She would break the Taboo, because, despite the pain that it caused her, there was something that would hurt far more; losing him.
“Please,” she murmured, offering him her wrist once more.
Drake needed no further prompting. Her proclamation seemed to give him strength and he grabbed her arm fiercely, yanking her forward onto his lap. His fangs pierced her soft flesh and Quinn bit back a muted cry, falling somewhere between agony and ecstasy.
Quinn’s blood consumed Drake, and with it, came the healing power that it possessed. The pain in his chest subsided with each passing second and his head reeled with the sweetness he had dreamed about. Quinn’s head was thrown back, her white neck exposed, and he gripped her arm more tightly in an effort to control the urge to take advantage of her vulnerability. He groaned, a rumbling sound emanating from deep within his chest, and shifted so that her weight pressed more heavily down on him. She didn’t resist – in this moment she was hiding nothing from him. In this moment all of her walls had been stripped away.
Guardians of Summerfeld: Full Series: Books 1-4 Page 78
