Death's Dark Horse

by Ruby Loren

  Change…

  He tilted his head, curious.

  Perhaps Jo had only told him about her on this very day. Too bad she couldn’t ask now.

  Fine… She thought back and knew that the other shifters had heard it too, by the ripple that went round.

  The leopard frowned, knowing now that he hadn’t imagined her do it last time.

  “Better get on with it then,” she muttered, knowing that with every second she delayed finishing this with Luke, his chance to rule-all grew closer. There was more than one plot in motion tonight.

  She took a deep breath and the air around her started to shimmer.

  When the black horse emerged from the swirl of energy, there was a murmur of disbelief.

  It probably had something to do with the horn they could all see at the centre of her forehead.

  “Must be fake,” she heard someone whisper, uncertainly.

  January tossed her mane, glancing down at Luke, whose eyes were sizing her up. She pawed the ground, unused to being seen by so many people.

  I challenge you for leadership of this pack, she thought, speaking in everyone’s heads.

  The cat shifters started to fidget, as they realised this was actually a serious challenge.

  Luke growled. You don’t have the right.

  January glanced across at Ryan but then looked away again. She didn’t want to get anyone else involved.

  “Come on, January, stand down and join the pack. Luke is happy to take you in,” Jo called.

  January turned to look at her. She knew so little. Luke’s plans would probably involve showing her off as an exhibit at his disgusting shows.

  “I’ll be her second. I support her challenge.”

  January swung her head back to the pack as Ryan stepped forwards, his eyes full of wonder at her appearance.

  Luke made such a violent noise that January was sure he was going to leap on Ryan, there and then. Ryan had obviously thought the same, as he changed incredibly quickly. The large jaguar padded over to her side.

  She looked down at him, trying to convey how grateful and sorry she was. Now their fates were tied together.

  Luke was a ball of rage. He paced and yowled, while January towered over him.

  Then let’s begin, he thought.

  Something hit January before she’d even had a chance to process what he’d said in her head.

  It was like bleach - a caustic kind of burning that stung like salt water on an open wound.

  Except it was all happening in her head.

  Whatever had hit her had been magic - of that she was sure. So, that’s your secret, she tried to think, only to have it burnt from her mind. Fight it, her brain said, and she made eye contact with Luke, whose eyes were actually glowing blue in the darkness. To her right, Ryan was on the floor, panting. Even the shifters in the circle were backing away, as though they too could feel the effects of the psychic attack.

  January pushed back.

  It wasn’t something she’d done before, but she unwrapped Luke from her mind, tentatively at first, and then stronger, when she worked out how to unpick the barbed threads of thought. She snorted impatiently when the last thread refused to budge. It was Ryan getting to his feet beside her that gave her the encouragement she needed to throw off Luke’s final attempt at binding her.

  The glow in the leopard’s eyes faded. He looked unsure for the first time. He didn’t have to think it for January to know that he’d expected his mind attack to be the end of resistance. Something told her it may even have been designed to end her life.

  How? The leopard took a step backwards, his tail low. January raised her head high, the long black horn flashing silver in the moonlight.

  I don’t know, she thought back with an inner smile. She was starting to think that perhaps there was more to being a unicorn than she’d realised before. Had it just been a coincidence that all of Lewis’ spells hadn’t seemed to have an effect on her? It was definitely something she’d be investigating after this night was over.

  If she was still alive at the end of it.

  Now we fight, she thought at Luke. At least this was something she was well-versed in. Beside her, she sensed Ryan draw himself up to his full height and tense his muscles.

  Luke suddenly didn’t look so intimidating.

  January lowered her head and snorted before rearing up and kicking the air. The leopard’s eyes were no longer glowing. He hesitated for a second longer, before January felt something slip in his mind, and he fled into the trees behind her house.

  She stared after him. Had he really just run away? It was so hard to believe that someone who’d inspired such fear would run when faced with a real fight. Standing at the back of the circle of shifters, Trace caught her eye and smiled. January knew she was grateful she hadn’t hurt her boyfriend.

  There was a blur of energy as Ryan turned human again. January tactfully tried to keep her eyes on his face, terribly glad that unicorns couldn’t blush.

  Ryan instantly sank to his knees. “Leader,” he said, bowing his head.

  January watched as the circle of cats all did the same, kneeling and submitting. She opened her mouth, wanting to change back and tell them that they had it wrong – she didn’t want to lead them. She didn’t want to be a part of any pack. But there wasn’t time.

  Jo and Luke had tried so hard to keep her from contacting Gregory. She knew tonight was the night a move was made against him. She didn’t know who was doing it, but there was a chance it could give Luke some power back. She was by no means certain that he’d given up. A man like him always had a plan B.

  The cats were left looking lost when she took off in a shower of gravel, running at a speed that matched any vampire. Perhaps that was another unexamined element of her magic. As she ran through the forest on her way to Witchwood, she suspected she was already too late. Luke was good at making plans. She’d been the only domino that hadn’t fallen down.

  Twigs lashed at her sides and her hooves caught on roots. She shook her head angrily. She shouldn’t even be doing this. The whole idea of rushing in and saving Gregory was insane. She was meant to be killing him for goodness’ sake! The vision of Lewis thrusting the knife towards her and Gregory stepping in the way assailed her mind and she knew she couldn’t stop now. She wasn’t going to be in debt to a vampire - even one she was employed to assassinate.

  The usual crowd weren’t hanging around outside the pub. Instead, all was quiet.

  Too quiet.

  January trotted across the concrete, all too aware of the sound of her hoofbeats echoing off the nearby buildings. Then, there was the very real possibility that she could be seen by someone. She’d just have to hope they passed her off as a hoax. An escaped horse with a fake horn - someone’s idea of a joke.

  January slipped around the side of The Witch’s Wand, already feeling big and clumsy now she was in town. Curses! She thought and changed back, feeling horribly vulnerable without clothes and without a weapon.

  The back door of the pub had a broken lock.

  January instantly knew that she’d been right. There was trouble here tonight. She pushed the door open, trying to focus on any sounds coming from the main room.

  That was why she walked straight past the vampire lying in wait behind the door.

  His hands were around her neck before she knew what was happening. It was lucky this vamp must have been told to stop, rather than kill anyone who came through the door. January reacted instinctively and changed back into a unicorn.

  The vampire must have let go halfway through the transformation because he was flat against the door, staring in horror, when January turned to him.

  “You… you aren’t real. You’re just a story!”

  January drove her horn through his heart before he made any more noise. There was a wet sound and the corridor turned red as the vampire burst.

  She was becoming a myth – a bedtime story to scare naughty little vampires. She hadn’t realised how far
it had spread - until now. She’d only been killing vampires for four years, but she’d become rather successful at it during that time. As careful as she’d tried to be, sometimes there were witnesses. Those who had seen her shadow fleeing the scene of the crime must have shared their stories.

  19

  The corridor remained empty and January started to wonder if there was anyone here at all apart from her and the dead vamp. She walked forwards, feeling very conscious about the close walls, almost pressing against her sides. She reached the heavy oak door at the end, which she assumed must lead into the main bar. She was guessing it was the door that opened behind the bar, and she also suddenly realised why no one had come running yet.

  The oak wasn’t real.

  It was a thin veneer covering a layer of soundproofing. She was willing to bet that the walls had it built in, too. January tried not to think about the reasons for the soundproofing as she gently pushed the door open, well aware that vampire ears were just as good as her own.

  She could instantly hear the sound of a voice, raised high and speaking with authority. For a moment, she was relieved. She’d worried that Gregory might not be here after all, but his voice cut through with a sharp remark.

  January knew that she had to get inside, but as soon as she stuck her head around the door, anyone that happened to be looking her way would see her. That was the problem with having a long face and an even longer horn.

  She decided to listen instead. Gregory wasn’t dead yet.

  “You were pretty slow on the uptake. I was actually disappointed by how long it took you to catch and kill the stallion. Still, it means your supporters have been overruled and controlled far better than I ever expected. Perhaps we can have a bloodless takeover after all.”

  January thought the voice sounded disappointed.

  “Almost bloodless, anyway. You still have to die.”

  That’s cheered him up, she thought and resisted the urge to snort. That would be a dead giveaway.

  “You’re being played, Sylver. Think who it was that got you this far. What have you promised him in return?”

  January froze at the name, remembering the vampire she’d bumped into the first time she’d entered The Witch’s Wand. That was why his voice was so familiar.

  “That does not concern you. They’ve helped me and I will help them in return. You don’t have to worry about me, Gregory,” he said. Patronisingly.

  January secretly thought Gregory was exactly right. Luke was definitely playing him. Of course, Luke was currently out of the competition.

  “Time to die…” Sylver sounded almost friendly, but when January heard Gregory’s moan, she knew he was in trouble.

  Forgoing stealth, she pushed the door open with her nose and stepped out behind the bar, taking in the situation as quickly as possible.

  Gregory was chained in silver. Two large vampires were on either side, holding him down. There were other vampires in the room too. Some looked happy, others less so, but no one stepped forwards to help their leader. Sylver was at the centre of it all with an ancient looking wooden stake already halfway raised above his head.

  January leapt forwards, clearing the bar from a standing start. Her hooves crashed down on the wooden floorboards and all faces turned to her, frozen in confusion.

  But someone had been expecting her.

  When she lowered her head to run Sylver through, a blur of spots flashed across her vision . She only just closed her eye in time, as four claws raked down her face.

  She kicked out, but missed. The leopard had already landed several feet away. January shook her head to rid herself of the droplets of blood that were threatening to cloud her vision. A few feet away, the vamp with the stake was staring at her with a look of wonder on his face.

  “I’ve heard about you. I never imagined what it would be like to see such a thing...” He lowered the stake, looking utterly awed.

  Luke leapt again.

  This time January was ready for him.

  Decided to fight? She thought at him and felt a familiar feeling of guilty joy run through her.

  When the voice on the end of the phone had told her that killing vampires was her calling, she hadn’t believed it. Not until she’d discovered how much she lusted after a fight. It was the raw adrenaline and the uncertainty of the outcome – nothing could beat it.

  What’s wrong with you all? Kill him! Luke was mind-shouting at the vampires, but it was obvious they couldn’t hear him.

  I guess your little trick only works on people who are still alive, January thought back.

  She lowered her head, fixing the leopard in her sights. Luke growled, trying to inspire some action from the vampires. January felt a sense of disgust. He didn’t deserve to be the leader of anything. He wasn’t brave enough to fight his own battles.

  Haven’t you heard? I’m a legend in the vampire world, she thought.

  Luke finally realised that he had to do something himself. He rushed forwards, dodging the horn that stabbed downwards and leaping to grab hold of the unicorn’s back. It was all too obvious that he wasn’t a fighter.

  January moved and kicked back blindly, knowing that the leopard had to be near.

  There was a scream of pain when her heavy hooves collided with the airborne cat. She distinctly heard a loud snapping sound, which may have been ribs breaking. A glance behind showed her that the leopard was now on the floor, unmoving. Perhaps the snapping sound had been his skull.

  January turned her attention to the vampires, who were starting to come out of their stupor. Sylver seemed to realise he didn’t have long left. He snapped out of his admiration and swung the stake down, intent on killing Gregory.

  The stake stopped an inch away from Gregory’s chest. Sylver stared at it in disbelief. He looked down and saw his own death piercing through his chest. Then he exploded, showering January and Gregory in blood and entrails.

  January shook some of the dead vampire residue from her face and heard the vamps hiss in fear. Gregory stood up, having shaken off the silver chains as though they were nothing. He looked up at the black unicorn and there was a twinkle of amusement in his grey eyes.

  “Fake silver chains. Sylver didn’t realise that I always take precautions. These two were told to accept any bribes that came their way and then come to me for double the amount.” He nodded to the two tough-looking vampires who’d been holding the chains.

  Around the room, January noticed the vampires looked even paler than usual. They’d come to see Gregory Drax die, but instead their leader was a puddle of goo on the floor.

  Gregory hadn’t forgotten. “You will all be tried under our laws. Don’t try to escape, I have loyalists guarding every exit.”

  January felt her nostrils flare. This was sounding awfully like he’d planned it. She stomped a foot when Gregory told the two chain-bearing vamps they were in charge and got them to lead everyone out of the pub. January and Gregory were left alone with the remains of one vampire and the still body of the leopard.

  She changed back into human form, too tired and full of questions to worry about modesty for once. All the same, Gregory unbuttoned his rather blood splattered shirt and gave it to her.

  Chivalry wasn’t going to get him out of answering all of her questions.

  “You don’t look surprised,” she said. It was the first thing that came into her head.

  Gregory stood up and walked over to her, looking at the claw marks that marked her face. They were already getting smaller. “About your… other form? I’d already made an educated guess.”

  January frowned to show she wasn’t satisfied with that answer. “Did my sister tell you?”

  Gregory laughed. “No, I didn’t need her help. When you hear stories of old vampires being killed by a black shadow with a horn, you do some research. I’m old - very old - but not foolish enough to think I’m safe forever.”

  January still had a thousand questions on her mind. “I didn’t leave a trail,” she said and
Gregory smiled.

  “It was one that was hard to find, but as I said - I am very old and very rich. I found out everything I could and discovered deaths in Germany, France, Italy, Russia, and Belgium that fitted the pattern.”

  January tried to look innocent. She’d done a lot of travelling whilst living in Paris.

  “Those vampires were close to my own age. I knew I’d be somewhere on the list, so when you arrived, I took an interest - the way I always do with any new arrivals of supernatural descent. I didn’t suspect anything until you refused to join the pack and the wolves died. I found the surviving wolf later. What he described was very similar to the vampires’ stories. I paid him not to tell Luke on a whim.”

  January wondered if he just wanted the honour of killing her himself. That, or he had an unhealthy obsession with being too close to death.

  “The deaths of the younger vampires confused me at the time. That had never happened before.” He rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. “You were only given away by someone pretending to be you. That and the way you resisted Luke. Even if the wolves hadn’t died the way they did, I’d have been… interested.”

  January thought that through. “When you appeared in my bed that first time, you already knew?”

  Gregory nodded and January suddenly felt used.

  “Did you think seducing me would make it so I wouldn’t kill you?”

  “No, although the danger was interesting.”

  Annoyance flashed through January and she moved away from Gregory, walking over to look at the leopard’s body instead.

  “I didn’t come here to kill you. I came back to help my sister, who apparently didn’t want helping. I wish I’d never come,” she added.

  Gregory moved closer again, apparently not getting the hint. “Are you telling me that you aren’t planning to end my life?”

  January glanced back at him. “I didn’t say that.”

  Gregory inclined his head.

  “I’m a bounty hunter. I kill who I’m told to and I get paid.” She chewed her lip. “I don’t get a choice whose name is on the list.” She paused, wondering if there was any way this vampire could use her next words against her. “There’s no way out of it. I’m stuck in this line of work forever.”