All Hell Breaks Loose

by Sharon Hannaford

Kyle and the other four Hunters immediately sped silently away. At a nod from Julius, Patrick moved off with them. Douglas looked for a moment like he might try to order Julius and Alexander away, too, but a glance at Julius’s face seemed to change his mind. Gabi bit back a grin as she crouched low at the window to peek out, it took a lot to intimidate Douglas, he’d been a Hunter almost as long as she’d been alive, and it amused her to see him out of his depth.

  “Shit.” Her amusement vanished in an instant. “They’re moving off. They must know they’ve been made.”

  The sound of crockery and glassware smashing on the floor startled her upright. Tables had been yanked back from the windows, and Julius and Alexander were perched at now open windows.

  “Hurry, we’ll try and save you some,” Alexander said with an evil smirk as they dropped silently into the dark.

  “Bloody hell,” Douglas proclaimed as he rushed to the windows, then with a little shrug, he began pulling off his shirt. “See you down there,” he told Gabi before he Shifted into his rarely-used form of a large condor.

  Gabi was spitting curses as she ran for the stairs, lamenting the unfairness of not having wings or full Vampire powers even as she took the stairs four at a time, rounding the corners in a blur and actually leaping over a startled cleaner taking an illicit smoke break. She knew the downstairs layout of the hotel well—there was set of French doors to an outdoor patio at the far end of the reception area. That would get her closest to the street where the action would be going down. If they’d caught up with them in time. She raced past the reception desk, grateful that it wasn’t a busy time, though she barely missed colliding with a waiter pushing a dinner trolley. She burst through the French doors, not bothering to check if they were unlocked; she was pretty sure she’d owe them some new doors. She could hear raised voices as she sprinted for the high wall that surrounded the small rose garden off the edge of the patio. She leapt for the wall, pulling herself lithely up and pausing at the top to survey the scene.

  The car she’d spotted was several metres up the road. Alexander was standing in front of the car, and Julius was on the roof. There was a deep indentation in the front of the car. It looked like it had run into a cement bollard. The nose was wrinkled up, the engine was steaming, and the windscreen was smashed where a head had connected with it. Douglas had pulled on a pair of pants and grabbed a pair of short swords, which his condor form must have thrown down before he took to the air. He was standing guard at the rear of the vehicle. The two occupants of the car were fighting to break free of the airbags and open the car doors.

  Gabi’s gaze swept up and down the street. There was no sign of the second car or of any other rogue Weres, but two teams of Hunters were ghosting silently towards the scene on either side of the road from the rear of the vehicle. Realising that Alexander was the only one in front of the car, she silently began to make her way along the wall, aiming to get behind Alexander and cut off any chance of escape from the front. Julius noticed her progress and gave her a quick nod. With a quick sweep of his leather duster, he was on the side of the street opposite her. She dropped catlike from the wall and stalked into the pool of light beneath a streetlight, drawing Nex and a butterfly sword. The pair in the car was now well and truly surrounded. The only way out would be up, and unless they’d thought to pack jetpacks, they weren’t getting out that way.

  The two men finally extricated themselves from the car, still looking a little dazed. It must have been a fairly substantial impact, and Gabi was surprised she hadn’t heard any noise. Residents weren’t even checking out their windows. Thank the Lord and Lady for double-glazing and modern soundproofing. Both rogues appeared to have broken noses, and the driver was walking with a limp. They backed away from the vehicle, and she could see their eyes darting around furiously, trying to find a way out, or a way to get back to back to fight. The Vampire and Hunter teams had neatly split them apart and had every intention of keeping them that way. It was an eerily silent stand-off. As the rogues took note of the numbers against them, Gabi fully expected them to put up their hands in surrender. It would be madness to try and take on all ten of them. As she got a good look at them, she realised one was familiar to her as one of the men who’d knocked on Derek’s door, the other was a stranger. A look suddenly passed between the two of them, and Gabi tensed expectantly.

  “Look, this doesn’t have to go down the hard way.” Douglas finally spoke up. “We only want to…” He didn’t get any further as the two men simultaneously reached around to the small of their backs, and all hell broke loose.

  A shot rang out, and red blossomed on Douglas’s chest before he collapsed to the ground with a ragged cry. The shock of seeing Douglas crumple froze Gabi for a half a second, and then she realised the second man was aiming a weapon directly at her. More shots sounded, and she threw herself sideways, knowing it was too late. She hit the tar hard and rolled, hearing a grunt of pain she was surprised wasn’t her own. She waited for the pain of the bullet, but it didn’t come.

  “Fuck, that hurt,” swore a voice close to her, and as she turned her head, she realised it was Alexander. He was lying on the ground a couple of feet from her, directly between her and the man who’d tried to shoot her.

  “Alex,” she gasped, rolling to her feet but staying low as she rushed to him.

  Julius reached him at the same time she did. He put himself between the two of them and the rogues, his eyes gleaming with fury and his fangs fully extended.

  “Come on, you need cover,” he said, grabbing Gabi and yanking Alexander to his feet with his free arm. They dashed for the protection of a parked car, as more bullets bit the tar around them.

  “Stay here,” Julius ordered, and Gabi looked at him incredulously.

  “You’re not going into the line of fire on your own,” she hissed. “Do you want another Vampire war in the City?”

  Julius cocked an eyebrow at her. “Bullets won’t kill me, Gabrielle, but they will kill Shifters, and possibly the other Werewolves.”

  “But…Alex,” she said, turning to find the injured Vampire.

  “What about me, Hellcat?” Alexander asked with a cocky smile.

  “You’re…I saw…” She stopped and put her hand out to touch the gaping, blood-soaked holes where two bullets had penetrated his chest. Except there were no holes in his chest, only in his shirt. His chest only sported two puckered, pink scars.

  “Fucking freaky Vampire,” she muttered sourly.

  He gave her an amused wink as Julius repeated his order for her to stay put, then they were both gone.

  “Don’t forget we need them alive,” she hissed into the darkness. Then she concentrated on what had happened to the rest of the Hunter squad. She knew Douglas was down; she was trying very hard not to think about the fact that he could be dead or dying. Her mind was spinning furiously, since when did Werewolves pack guns? The laws on handguns in the City were so stringent that even the SMV didn’t carry them. She kept one at home for self-defence, but it had cost her more than she liked to think about to get it smuggled in. She’d only ever come across one target who’d carried one, and in his inexperience, he’d been more of a danger to himself than anyone else. As she pulled out her phone and dialled the HQ emergency number, she spotted Kyle taking cover behind a car. He had a body lying on the ground beside him, and he was pressing his hands to the man’s chest. Douglas, she assumed, and then dared a peek between the cars. She spoke tersely into the phone, requesting a medical team and two capture vans.

  The shots had ceased, but grunts and groans were audible. Gabi still couldn’t believe no one had thrown open a hotel window to find out what was going on outside. Then she realised that though the shots sounded loud to her ears, they were actually very soft for gunshots—silencers. What in hell’s name was going on? A gun suddenly came skittering across the tar to wedge just under the front wheel of the car she was using as cover. Staying low, she crept around and snagged the weapon. She quickly unscrewed the sile
ncer using her shirt sleeve to protect her fingers from the hot barrel, then tucked the silencer in one pocket and the gun in another. If she could lay her hands on the second gun, she’d be able to join the fray. Frustration at not being part of the action was eating her alive. She risked popping her head up to see what was happening.

  One rogue was down on the ground being held there by Matt, the Werewolf Hunter, and Patrick. The second was backing away from Julius, the gun hanging loosely in his right hand. He was trying to keep his eye on Lance, the fire-controlling Magus, and the second young Hunter, a Werewolf called Tim, who were circling him from either side. The other newbie Hunter, James, a Magus who could control air, was half hidden behind a car on the far side of the road. The rogue had obviously forgotten about Alexander or assumed he was badly injured. Gabi found him perched on the curve of a streetlight almost directly above the rogue. He gave her a mocking smile and dropped from his perch onto the unsuspecting Werewolf. The man let out a surprised shout as he was brought to the tar in a bone-crunching thump. As he collapsed, another shot rang out. Time slowed for a moment, as Gabi realised the gun had been pointed straight at Tim when it went off. With a shout, James stood up and flung an arm in an upward swatting motion, his face frozen in concentration. Tim cried out and slapped a hand to the side of his face, but remained standing, his eyes wide with shock. James had miraculously deflected the bullet from a direct shot to Tim’s head. The rogue refused to give up and was struggling to lift himself, but Julius had a foot in the middle of his back, and Alexander quickly kicked the gun out of his hand, not worrying to keep any bones intact.

  With both of the rogues under control and Lance and James rushing to check Tim, Gabi ran to Kyle and dropped to her knees next to Douglas, reaching to check his pulse. Kyle had ripped part of his own shirt off and was pressing it to the wound in the Shifter’s chest.

  “How bad?” she asked through gritted teeth. The Shape-shifter was pale, and his breathing was laboured; he was barely conscious.

  Kyle looked at her grimly. “I saw you on the phone, how long ’til the medical team is here?” he asked.

  Gabi bit her lip. “They’re a few minutes out. How about calling Irene from the meeting? She’s not a Healer, but she might be able to keep him with us until a Healer arrives.”

  Before Kyle could answer, a shout went up from the where the Hunters and Vampires were dragging the rogues out of the road.

  “There’s something wrong with this one.” Gabi recognised Matt’s low-timbered voice. “He’s going into convulsions.” At the same time, Tim began screaming.

  Chapter 8

  Gabi sprang to her feet, adrenalin still pumping, expecting the worst. But she couldn’t spot any other enemies. Tim had fallen to the ground and was clutching his face as though in agony. The rogue under Matt and Patrick’s control was in full convulsions, frothing at the mouth, his eyes rolled back in his head.

  “What in hell’s name is going on?” Gabi yelled.

  “Silver,” Matt, Patrick and Lance all called at the same time.

  “What?” Gabi demanded in confusion.

  “Those bullets were silver,” Lance shouted in explanation, trying to keep Tim from writhing as blood poured down his face. “The bullet only nicked him, but it’s enough to poison the wound. It’ll feel like acid burning him. We need to keep him from Changing; it’ll only make the pain worse.”

  “This one’s also convulsing,” Julius called tersely. “I think they’ve poisoned themselves. Patrick, is there any way to reverse this?”

  “No, Sire,” Patrick said in a sober voice, as he and Matt backed away from the rogue they’d been holding down. “If they’ve swallowed liquid silver, there’s no chance of survival.” He shuddered as he watched the death throes of the man on the ground caught part way between man and Werewolf shape.

  Gabi stopped in mid stride on her way to help Tim. “You mean they were carrying liquid silver on them somehow so they could kill themselves rather than be taken alive?” she asked in shock.

  “It sure looks that way,” Matt answered her. “That’s the only thing I know of that would cause a reaction like this in a Werewolf.”

  “I’ve heard of it being done,” Patrick interjected, “but I’ve never seen it myself.”

  “Tim’s starting to Change,” James called desperately. “What do we do?”

  “Give me some room,” Gabi said, rushing over and crouching down beside Tim on the tarmac.

  Lance looked at her questioningly.

  “New trick,” she said and then pushed her power out toward Tim’s wildly contorting body. She felt the wolf so close to the surface; he was crazed with pain and rage. Tim’s human side was confused and in shock. He was holding the wolf back by a thread, but that thread was about to snap. Gabi closed her eyes and sent calming reassurance to the wolf. He wasn’t a dominant wolf, but any injured predator was a dangerous one. Once she soothed the wolf enough to gain his attention, she ordered him back. He was reluctant to submit, but he couldn’t resist Gabi’s order. He slowly backed down and allowed the human side to take back the reins. Tim’s body stopped writhing, and he lay curled on his side, panting, his face still drawn in pain.

  “Whoa,” Gabi gasped and would’ve fallen on her butt as a wave of exhaustion rocked her, but a strong, firm pair of hands caught and steadied her. Julius, she knew without turning to check.

  “Interesting ability, Gabrielle,” his masculine purr sounded in her ear. “You’ve been holding out on us.” He kept his hands lightly on her back as she dragged herself upright and tried to shake off the head-rush. “The two rogues are dead,” he informed her. “I can hear vehicles; I think your crew is almost here.”

  “Just as well,” Kyle muttered, still hunched over Doug.

  “Shit, is he…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.

  “He’s hanging in,” Kyle assured her, “but I’ll be glad when the Healer gets here.”

  Just then, a grey van screeched around the corner, followed closely by two larger, white vans emblazoned with Hazmat stickers. Melinda jumped from the grey van as soon as Gabi waved to her. In moments, the experienced Healer had slowed the worst of the bleeding in Doug’s chest and set about stabilising his condition. She put in a phone call to Ian, Byron’s doctor son, who headed up the ER at the City’s main hospital. As a Shape-shifter, Doug had an almost human physiology; Ian would be able to treat him in hospital without raising anyone’s suspicions. Werewolves had to be treated at special private facilities, due to their accelerated healing abilities and the chance of them losing control of their wolf while sick or in pain. Ian would be waiting to take Doug straight into surgery when the crew arrived with him. Gunshots were unusual but not unheard of, and Byron would ensure that the report ended up on the desk of a police officer who was part of the Community. The investigation would end there, at least from a human perspective.

  Melinda left her crew to secure Doug to a stretcher and set up an IV while she went to help Tim. It took her only moments to draw the tiny flecks of silver from his wound. Tim sagged in relief as she taped a dressing in place. Crews from the white vans quickly loaded the two, now human-shaped, bodies of the rogues into one of the vans and cleaned up the scene. Lance and James offered to ride with Tim back to HQ in the other one. Tim tried to refuse, but Kyle overruled him, reminding him of the room full of other Werewolves he would have to face injured, and the younger man capitulated, somewhat gratefully. The graze on the side of his head would already be starting to heal, but the silver had taken a toll on him.

  “Well, I guess it’s back to the meeting,” Kyle said, as they watched the vehicles, including the rogues’ car, drive away. “There’s even more to discuss now.” He, Matt and Patrick turned to make their way back to the hotel.

  Gabi’s head had cleared, but a bone-numbing weariness had settled over her. She realised that her new-found ability was going to need some practice. In her worry for Tim she’d thrown too much at his wolf; if they were still in the
middle of a battle, she’d have been in trouble. Alexander joined her and Julius; the two bullet holes in his shirt were painfully obvious. Gabi cleared her throat.

  “Thank you, Alex,” she said. “I owe you one.” She met his eyes even though she found it humiliating to thank someone for saving her life. It meant she hadn’t been able to take care of herself. It wasn’t a thought she liked having, and it had happened far too often lately.

  Alexander snorted. “We’ll call it even for saving my hide from the Demons in the train station, hey?” he replied, reminding her of the first time they’d fought side by side. Alex had seriously underestimated the threat Demons posed. “Just try not to get shot at again anytime soon. Because, fuck, that hurt.” He grimaced, rubbing at his chest.

  “You’ve had worse,” Julius said, putting a hand under Gabi’s elbow as they climbed the short staircase to the hotel. “Just thank your lucky stars you aren’t a Werewolf.”

  “So the ‘silver being deadly to Vampires’ thing is just a myth, then?” Gabi affirmed.

  “Yep,” Alexander confirmed. “Holy water, religious articles and wooden stakes, too. Not sure how humans even come up with this shit.”

  Julius glanced back at him warningly; they were back inside the hotel already. Alexander grumbled to himself, but didn’t say anything more about humans.

  When they stepped out of the elevator on the third floor, Kyle was in the corridor heading back towards them.

  “I figured I should go and clean up while you guys explain what happened,” he said. His hands and shirt were still covered with Douglas’s blood. “The others are waiting for you.”

  “Coward,” Gabi hissed at him.

  Kyle smiled triumphantly. He hated meetings and hubbub as much as she did.

  When only five of the original ten of them entered the room and the gathering got a glimpse of Alexander with two bloody holes in his shirt, pandemonium erupted. It finally took a roar from Julius to regain order. Gabi could feel the backlash of his power like the crackle of energy in a dry lightning storm. His outer façade of genteel manners made it easy to forget exactly how powerful this man was. He was the youngest Master Vampire in existence by several centuries. One didn’t come by that title easily and not without a great deal of supernatural muscle to back it up.