by L. D. Rose
Unless she lost him tonight.
She watched him laugh at something Jon said and swallowed around the emotion that clogged her throat. He was so beautiful—his scars, his tattoos, everything, all of him. They’d only known each other for a short time but he’d changed her life completely. He’d shown her a whole new world, opened her eyes to what she never thought possible, and he taught her how to feel with her heart and not with her mind.
He’d shown her how to love again.
An elbow bumped into her arm. “You ready, Detective?”
She looked at Dax with a faint smile. “As ready as I’m going to be. And stop calling me ‘Detective,’ especially when we’re out there.”
His cobalt eyes glittered in amusement. “What do you prefer I call you then?”
“Val is fine.” She crossed her arms over her chest, mimicking him. “You know, I tend to get to know someone before I can trust them at my back.”
“All right. Well, I’m a Pisces, I like orange juice, Oreos, and puppies, and nothing makes me happier than a good fight and a dead leech.” He cocked his pierced eyebrow at her. “How about that?”
Wiseass. “I don’t know. The whole puppy thing is cause for concern.”
Dax let out a hearty laugh as Kasen leaned back on his heels and leveled a narrowed look at her. “What’s wrong with puppies?”
Valerie rolled her eyes. “Oh Christ, not you too.”
He bristled. “If you’re a cat person, we’re going to have a major problem here.”
“At least I’ll have Kaj on my side.”
Dax laughed again and clapped Valerie’s shoulder. “I like you, Val. You have a sense of humor. You’ll need that if you’re going to be hanging around with us.”
Kasen pointed a menacing finger at her behind Dax’s back, but the twitching of his lips negated the threat. “I resent that, Medeiros.”
She grinned at him. “Choose your battles wisely, Knight.”
Dax clapped his hands like a football coach, turning their attention back on the arguing men. “Let’s go, boys, I don’t have all night. If we’re going to make it for ten, we need to get moving, stat.”
With grumbles and curses, they wrapped up. Everyone filed out of the mansion and onto the rotary where a lineup of cars were parked; two black Jeep Wranglers up front and three black Mustangs behind them. Shaul and Kaj each leaned against a ‘stang, wearing the same gear as the rest of them, waiting patiently. Blaze lit up a cigarette as soon as he could, trying to direct the smoke away from Valerie, and she couldn’t help but smile at him.
Bluetooth headsets were passed out and communication links were established. They all said their good lucks and goodbyes, clapping shoulders and jibing at each other. Rome murmured a few words into Blaze’s ear and Blaze nodded, his expression turning solemn.
Valerie wondered what Rome had said.
Once he climbed into his Mustang, the Fords roared off, disappearing into the night, heading for separate boroughs of the city. Kasen and Dax hopped into Jeep number two while Jon leapt into the first. Blaze tossed his cigarette and took Valerie by the hand, dragging her to Jeep number one while Dax gave her a pout through Jeep number two’s windshield. At Valerie’s chuckle, Blaze noticed Dax’s gesture, so he offered one of his own and flipped his brother the bird, showing him exactly who she belonged to.
“What am I, a chauffeur?” Jon quipped as they climbed into the backseat of the Wrangler. He wasn’t wearing his Yankees cap, his short dark hair tousled and his obsidian eyes gleaming in the rearview mirror.
“Just drive.” Blaze drew Valerie close as if he wanted to squeeze in as much time with her as possible. Grumbling, Jon swung around the rotary and rolled down the windows.
The night had cooled the air, leaving it warm but not stifling. Valerie could smell the oiled rifles stashed in the back, a pervasive reminder of the danger they were getting into. Blaze wrapped an arm around her as she melded to his side, resting her head on his shoulder. He smoothed back the stray hairs from her ponytail and kissed the top of her head tenderly. She looked up and they exchanged smiles before he leaned his head against the window, watching the world go by. They didn’t say a word.
Didn’t need to.
Valerie caught Jon’s gaze in the rearview and he quickly glanced away, but she saw the smile in his vampire eyes, something entirely foreign to her. Vampire eyes didn’t smile. The affection made him look almost human. Almost. Maybe she could get used to this.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard after all.
Once the looming graveyard of midtown Manhattan came into view, Valerie straightened and looked out Blaze’s window. She hadn’t seen this part of the borough in years, not since both lower Manhattan and Staten Island had been deemed a lost cause shortly after the Insurgency. Upper Manhattan was still intact, but it remained a war zone where humans tried to keep the vampires from invading north. Anyone who trekked into midtown was insane, begging for a death wish.
And here they were, doing just that.
The skyscrapers stood like tombstones against the clear black sky, eerily glowing in the light of the waxing moon. Many of them had been destroyed, whole sides blown out and leaving skeletons of exposed beams. Some were still intact, like the Freedom Tower and the Chrysler building, remaining erect like sinister omens in the dark.
Warning them to stay away.
The streets, once filled with millions of people, were now deserted. Some had collapsed entirely with the controlled detonation of the subway system, while others were so mangled that nothing but a tank could maneuver over them. The silence was deafening as they drove through the yellow pools of streetlight. The power grid was still operational, as if the U.S. still had hope of seizing back its greatest city.
Both Jeeps kept their lights off as they wound their way toward the heart of Manhattan, using the Chrysler building as their guide. There were no signs of life, but the leeches were out there, hiding in the shadows, waiting in the darkness.
Watching them closely.
Both Jon and Kasen parked on Park Ave; Jon pulled over where it met 42nd and Kasen stopped beside the MetLife building near 44th. The terminal loomed over them, half obliterated like the Roman Coliseum, its viscera carved out and emptied to reveal the night sky through its remaining walls. The Tiffany glass clock and statues of Minerva, Hercules and Mercury that once decorated the building’s façade now sat in a pile of rubble in front of it, crumbled to anatomical pieces. Oddly enough, the four-faced clock that stood at the center of the main concourse still rested on its marble and brass pagoda, damaged but whole.
Valerie had never seen the building intact, but from viewing hundreds of pictures, she knew it had once been a beautiful place. The constellation ceiling, the dining concourse, the Vanderbilt hall . . . all now ash and dust.
Jon tossed a look over his shoulder as he cut the engine. “Ready?”
Blaze nodded before he shifted toward her, taking her face in his scarred hands. Her heart squeezed as he gently ran the pads of his thumbs across her cheekbones, arcing down the lines of her jaw, and brushing them across her lips. His eyes were so intense she couldn’t breathe. She waited for him to say something, anything, but he didn’t speak a word. He just kissed her deeply, languidly, his tongue caressing the soft recesses of her mouth as if memorizing them.
“Be careful,” he whispered against her lips when he drew away, his forehead resting against hers. “I want you safe when I come back.”
She gulped, trying to keep her emotions at bay. “You better come back. If you don’t, I’ll—”
“Shh.” He pressed his thumb to her lips again, silencing her. She clenched her jaw to stave its trembling as the backs of her eyes stung. “I will. Now I need you to focus, Detective.” He smiled slowly. “Keep on your toes. Be prepared. Take out anything that moves.�
�
“Except me and you, of course,” Jon interjected, reminding them of his presence as he checked his weapons.
Valerie let out a hoarse laugh. “I will. I’ll see you in a little while. Both of you.”
Blaze nodded, releasing her hesitantly. “Let’s go,” he said as he opened the door and drew his Glock.
Jon climbed out and Valerie followed suit while Blaze popped the trunk. Blaze handed her an M4, took one for himself, and tossed the last to Jon. The heavy steel weight was a comfort in her hands as she chambered the first round. Like riding a bike. Jon handed her the keys to the Jeep and she slipped them into her pocket as both men threw their rifles across their backs. Blaze grabbed the nape of her neck and kissed her one last time before he moved out.
“We’re going in.” His voice resonated in her ear as he spoke over the comm link.
Valerie caught Jon’s elbow before he got too far. “Hey, stay safe, okay?”
“You too. No broken arms this time.”
She grinned, pushing him away. “Get out of here.”
Then they were off, heading straight into the fractured building, quiet as shadows.
Valerie shut the trunk, pointed the rifle toward the sky, and propped it against her shoulder as she scanned the area. Adrenaline sang in her veins and her heart thrummed against her ribcage, her body switching into battle mode. She noticed Dax at the periphery and he gave her the signal to get into position. They had to spread out across the area and cover Jon and Blaze as they went underground. Once both men were in, they’d make sure no one else followed.
Valerie moved quickly toward the southeast corner, Dax taking the southwest while Kasen manned the northwest. No one covered the northeast since there were no walls to protect them. She maneuvered into position at the far end of the colonnade, pressing her back against the closest column. She lifted the M4, drawing the stock to her shoulder, and scanned the core of the building through the scope, sighting Jon and Blaze at the four-faced clock.
“Everyone in place?” Dax said over the link.
Valerie fingered the earpiece, pressing the raised notch. “Yep.”
“So am I,” Kasen replied.
“Good. Keep your eyes peeled.”
Both men circled the clock once before Jon leapt up and entered the pagoda through one of the broken windows. Once inside, he kicked in a door, making a racket.
Valerie tensed, gripping the rifle tight, finger hovering over the trigger. Both men stilled, waiting for a response. Seconds ticked by, a minute.
Silence.
As Jon disappeared into the pagoda’s central chamber, Blaze continued to circle the clock, coiled danger on muscled legs, turning himself into a moving target.
Within moments, Jon burst from the pagoda, launching himself through the window and somersaulting across the floor. Both men took off, putting distance between themselves and the clock before the chamber erupted, blowing out a huge fireball as the entire area lit up. The sound was thunderous, reverberating through Valerie’s bones and echoing against the skyscrapers.
The pagoda groaned but remained standing, surviving the C4 explosion. Both men hunkered near a distant stairwell, waiting. Sweat dripped down Valerie’s spine as she surveyed the area, looking for any stirring of life.
Nothing. Just unnerving silence.
After a few minutes, both men returned to the pagoda and disappeared in the cloud of dust. Then Blaze’s voice rumbled in her ear, jacking up her heart rate.
“We’re in.”
The spiral staircase within the pagoda’s chamber had collapsed, leaving a twenty-foot drop into the bowels of the building. Blaze and JJ hovered over the black hole as the pressure equalized between both spaces, sour air rushing over them and escaping into the night. The darkness was complete, but there was an information booth directly below them.
Blaze stared into the opening. Panic rose in his chest, gripping his heart and squeezing it tight. He breathed steadily as dark memories loomed over his eyes, threatening to sap his courage. Think of the reasons why you’re here. Elena, Homes, Bianca, Deron, Shaul, and most of all, Valerie.
Valerie.
He closed his eyes, summoning the vision Rome had given him, imagining her silky blond hair, her olive green eyes, and radiant smile. She stood out there now, watching his back, waiting for him to return. So brave, so strong, so beautiful—
“Hey . . . you all right, man?”
Blaze opened his eyes and looked at JJ, his vampire brother in arms. The panic dulled, clearing the fog from his mind. “I’m good.”
“Want me to go first?”
Blaze shook his head. “I got it.”
No more delays. He leapt into the darkness below, landing on his feet in the center of the ruined information booth. The crunch of broken rock and twisted metal resonated through the still air as he froze in place, crouching, the impact reverberating through his legs. Luckily, nothing echoed underground, but he listened hard for movement. JJ dropped down beside him, his landing quieter as he also folded into a crouch. The fed drew his Beretta as he scanned the area, his body glowing brightly in Blaze’s vision while the stale underground heat turned everything else a purple-blue. JJ must’ve fed before they left.
Smart man.
“Look at this place,” JJ murmured. Blaze preferred not to. “I can’t believe it held up this long.”
Yeah, welcome to my own personal hell.
Blaze’s throat tingled as he breathed, tasting the familiar noxious gases on his tongue. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it with a snap of his fingers, and took a deep drag, filling his lungs with a new kind of poison. His skin loosened and his nerves relaxed as he fed his body nicotine for the second time in two days.
JJ gaped at him, appalled. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“I’m measuring the oxygen levels.” Blaze pointed to the cherry of his cigarette. “As soon as this is out, I’m on emergency power mode.”
JJ made a vehement sound of disapproval. “How about you try to breathe instead?”
“Trust me, Johnnie baby.” Blaze pinned the butt between his lips and racked the slide on his Glock, chambering the first round. “The air in here is worse.”
They both lifted on their haunches, peering out over the booth’s protection. The place was lifeless, but there were many access points to the tunnels from here. Most of the passageways had been destroyed, but a few were still intact.
And Hector slithered through one of them right now. Blaze would bet on it.
Taking point, he leapt over the counter and JJ followed suit. They moved through the dining concourse cautiously, the shops damaged and covered in debris. Some of the signs were still readable, whispering memories of the past. The chairs and benches scattered throughout the vicinity had been wrecked and turned over. All the screens that had once shown the train departure times were busted, some with gaping holes straight through them.
And there were the bodies.
Blaze’s combat boots crushed more than stone. Hundreds of vampire skeletons littered the floor, many of them torn apart, likely by their own hands. Blaze knew all about how starvation could drive you to do the unthinkable, so he could imagine what went on down here after the nests had been trapped. His stomach turned at the sight of a skeleton the size of a child, its small skull baring a set of wicked fangs. Its jaw was unhinged, as if it had died while laughing.
“Jesus,” JJ murmured, voicing Blaze’s sentiments exactly.
They circled the area once to find two open access points, both fairly close to each other. Blaze turned to JJ, motioning to the passages. “Numbers?”
“Tracks 111 and 113.”
Blaze’s heart skipped a beat, a cold hand wrapping around his spine. 113. Valerie’s apartment number. “Which one’s 113?”
“The right.”
Blaze headed for it without a second thought. JJ followed close behind as they made their way down the onramp, sticking to the periphery. The farther down they traveled, the weaker the cherry on his cigarette became. Blaze’s breaths grew shallow and uneven, his chest searing with a familiar burn that should’ve brought him to his knees in terror. But adrenaline kept him moving, purpose kept him focused.
JJ was totally unaffected, and for a split-second Blaze envied him. Once they reached the bottom of the onramp, the cigarette stopped smoking altogether.
Blaze removed it from his mouth and showed it to JJ before dropping it on the floor and crushing it with his boot. “Time’s up.”
“You’ve got that right,” a male voice snarled as gunfire tore through the dead air.
Both men dove for the nearby pillars on either side as bullets rained down, punching through metal and blasting away chunks of concrete. Blaze cursed as he lifted his Glock, trying to gauge the direction of the gunfire. Slugs rocketed from everywhere and he counted at least three shooters.
JJ ground out a furious, “Motherfucker!” and fired a series of rounds from his M4. A male grunted as weapons clattered to the floor, followed by the thump of a heavy body.
One of the Metro-North trains stretched out like a beached whale beside Blaze and he spotted the white-hot flash of a muzzle through the broken windows. He waited until the leech emptied the magazine before he threw himself through a window, crashing into the center aisle. He immediately opened fire from the floor, seeing the lukewarm hue of a male vampire as he aimed the gun at the leech’s face.
