I approached her cautiously, knowing her killing spree rage was turned up too high. I was right to hold back a moment, for the feral just in front of me fell before I could even get close to her. She was in front of me in a flash, hatchet poised to strike, when she paused, our blades lightly grazing one another. I gulped, glad she had seen me in time, telling her with my eyes that I was not there to harm her, but pleading instead.
“Where are they?” I inquired, hoping she could hear me over the snarls and screams that echoed across the casino floor. She straightened and nodded, motioning me to follow her. She took off in a blur of speed. I took chase after her, keeping my eyes wide open for any side attacks. We had not gone by unnoticed; Seraphin had to hack into at least two hybrids before we made it to the elevator shaft. It was rigged with electricity and I groaned as she punched in the key code, making the metal doors slide smoothly open. Of all the places in this building, I did not want to go up into the citadel of the Stratosphere tower.
Of course they would hold prisoners up there, it was almost unreachable.
I jumped into the elevator with her as the doors slid shut behind us. I was relieved to see Rye pass in front of the doors and smile as he nodded toward me. He was okay; we would be okay.
The lights inside were faint but seemed brighter after the engulfing darkness of the battle below. I shifted my eyes to Seraphin, who was standing perfectly still beside me, hatchet still in hand. Scattered drops of blood and ichor were splattered her clothes. She looked like a killer–deadly, dark and cold. I could almost feel her iciness pierce into me as the elevator moved, quickly gaining momentum until the lights of the floors flashed rapidly by. I’d forgotten how fast it moved, how it made my stomach shift to my feet.
I was determined to not lose my breakfast yet. Not when the end was so near.
“Why did you choose our hive? Your husband err…whatever that guy I saw down there is to you, he is not one of us. Did you lie about your husband’s death? Why did you switch sides?” I asked her, my voice rough and guarded. Seraphin turned to me, her black irises flashing under the sickly artificial illumination above us. Her face was still like stone but her eyes told me many things. She wasn’t trusting of me yet either, she eyed me curiously with a mixture of contempt and respect. I wasn’t sure if this was good or not but she made me shift in my boots from the intensity of her glare.
“Who says I switched sides?” She sneered at me before turning back to stare at the doors before us. I watched her for a moment, hoping she meant what I thought she did. I wasn’t sure of anything. Her words were cold comfort.
Our reflections stared back at us, looking gruesome and hard at the same time. I wouldn’t want to face the two women that watched me right now. They looked like something out of a horror movie. I would’ve wanted to run for the hills before I’d ever face one of them. Blood and grime streaked my face, concrete dust from the explosions clung to my hair and the blood, making me look somewhat like I had been caught in a blood-streaked snowfall. I didn’t look the same; my haunted but hard eyes made me want to do a double-take at the mirrored doors, almost sure that I was not really looking at myself but a stranger, one I would not want to ever confront. My hair was falling out of its tight restraint and wisps of night hung down in straight lines like wires. If I made it out alive, a shower was definitely in order.
The elevator’s speed seemed to slow down and my stomach eventually crawled back into my abdomen. I watched Seraphin ready herself, pulling out a short sword to use instead of the hatchet. She was ready to run out into action. I wondered if I should too or hide in the elevator, waiting for the ambush. I wasn’t sure but I readied my machete, the only one I had left, bending my knees to make a run for it but leaning against the side of the elevator to have a bit of cover in case these vampires used guns. I didn’t use guns much. Rye had some with him but he had yet to use them by the time I’d lost sight of him.
A bell dinged right before the doors whooshed open. My hair flew back as the semi-vacuum of the elevator filled with cold air from the tower. Seraphin growled and pounced right out into the lit interior, immediately clanging weapons with a hybrid guard. I stepped out, waiting for the ambush and found none. Seraphin yelled at the guard, shoving him to the ground before plunging her blade deep into his chest. She yanked out the blade and swung it in a wide arc before bringing it down to hack off his head. The thump of the blade on the carpeted floor absorbed the sound of the cut as his head rolled off with the momentum of the blow. A spray of thick, crimson blood went with it, staining the floor. I was relieved there were no others here but I suspiciously glanced around, feeling that it had been too easy. Leaving only one guard at the elevator was not something a hive of intelligent hybrid vampires would do.
Seraphin waved me on. I followed her closely but took the rear position in case any others popped out. There were windows everywhere and I remembered these old gift shops that lined the hall. Now they were filled with couches and chairs. This seemed to be the meeting place of this hive’s leaders, or maybe even their living quarters. I was surprised that they would choose such a bright area for themselves. The morning sun relentlessly poured in through the windows. I wished I had brought sunglasses, it was that blinding. Seraphin winced slightly as the rays hit her full on. We came to the end of the hallway and emerged onto the circular walkway that had been the tower’s observation area.
I didn’t know how she could stand the sunlight. Her skin was turning a slight shade of pink and her face was tense with the pain. I could barely see beyond the bright rays of light piercing the walkway.
I was tense, expecting something to happen and as if on cue a whirring hum filled the air, making us both back into the glass wall. My heart was fluttering as the walls vibrated from some machine gears spinning. I was slightly relieved to see that the noise was caused by slow-moving shutters that lowered over the windows, dimming the walkway.
Relieved that it wasn’t some sort of trap, we continued onto the circular pathway. Through the slats of the blinds I could see the desolate city below. How serene it seemed from up here, bright and undisturbed. I almost thought I could see the little ants of people milling about as they had when I had visited this landmark so long ago. I blinked and they faded before my eyes. Only dusty streets littered in debris remained.
Gripping my blade tighter, I listened for any movement, the vampire blood still heightening my vision and hearing, making every creak and howl of wind louder than normal. The silence was disturbing. Seraphin crept quietly on, poised to strike but equally cautious. I admired the fluidity of her movements. She made no noise as she padded along and I felt quite like an obtuse ogre compared to her agility. I scanned the walkway ahead and the glass rooms of the interior, wondering if we were even in the right place. I knew there was another area above us and I was about to suggest going up there when Seraphin stopped and motioned me forward.
Standing next to her, I spotted what had her on alert. Two hybrids stood guard on our left at the bottom of a set of stairs. We would have to ascend them if we’re going to find out where my family was. I was sure Seraphin knew that but I wasn’t so positive she expected anything. She was not very forthcoming with information and I didn’t quite trust her yet. I hoped I could trust her; this would not go well otherwise.
She turned to me and nodded, holding a finger up to signal our attack. I acknowledged her and readied myself to take down one of the guards. Together, I was sure we would be just fine but I was hoping this in itself wasn’t a trap, either. I gripped my machete, its blade messy with drying, clotted blood. I loved my blade; it was sharp, reliable and easy to maneuver. It felt like an extension of my arm, especially now. The feel of the hilt felt like an old friend that hugged me right back. We had an understanding. I wished I hadn’t lost my second blade. I made note to retrieve it if I possibly could when this was all over.
Seraphin jerked her hand down to start the attack. We ran into the small inlet where the stairway stood, looking l
ike a majestic entrance to the heavens. Our blades swung at the guards who had been completely oblivious of our approach. Good, I thought, better for us that they were slacking off in their duties. They recovered quickly enough to counter our attack. Seraphin’s was well-matched with foe; they paused briefly between each exchange as they sized each other up. This guard had surfer blond hair that was long enough to fly into his face. His blue eyes narrowed at her as he shoved at her when their blades crossed, almost sending her into a plate glass window.
My opponent was also quite skilled. His chocolate skin rippled as his muscles contracted. His hair short, closely trimmed and a shade darker than his skin. His eyes were an unnatural golden brown, making the gleam of the vampire’s ring almost imperceptible. His face was hard and determined to finish me off. He was a good head and a half taller than me and I was pretty sure he ate little women like me for breakfast. I was surprised that I could hold him at bay.
He grew frustrated quickly and gave me a shove but I would not go down. His eyes pierced into me, a wild and disgusted look crawling across his face.
“What are you?” His voice came out in accented English, like his first language had been a dialect of French. I had taken three years of it in high school, just so I could visit France and the French colonies around the world. Now that seemed like a long lost dream, one I would never get to experience. His voice was a bitter, melancholy reminder of how different the world was.
“You’re not a vampire,” he snapped when I didn’t answer. I gave him a slight sneer as I waited for his next move. I didn’t want to chat, who chats with their prey? It was too dangerous to get too close. In this war, I didn’t want any mistakes made; my life depended on that in every way.
He seemed to recover from his initial shock that I wasn’t a vampire, though I could see he didn’t believe that I was just a human, either. He was smart, I could tell from his intense glare as he readied his sword again. His teeth slipped from behind his lips as he smirked and jolted forward, arcing his blade. I narrowly dodged it as I crouched and spun out of its path.
The whoosh of air above me made me realize how close he had come to slicing my head right off. I jumped up and turned to meet his sword with my blade just in time, a sharp metallic twang ringing out over our yells. We held each other off, pushing against one another with everything we had. I could see sweat building on his temples as he clenched his teeth together. His dramatically white fangs seem to bite into his lower lip as he grunted to hold me at bay.
“You are no human and you are no vampire, either. What does that make you, woman?” As he studied my face through the grime and streaks of blood, a look of recognition passed over his features. He knew something and the longer I stared back into those golden brown eyes, the more I wanted to know what it was.
“Ah, the warrior daughter has come,” he huffed as he stepped back, making me drop my stance and step away from him, too. Confusion filled me, wondering what he had meant.
I glanced about quickly for Seraphin and found that she and her opponent had retreated up the stairs and out of sight. I could hear their weapons clanging over the sounds of breaking glass and tumbling furniture. I sucked a breath in, waiting for Mr. Tall and Dark to pounce toward me again. I couldn’t yet find his weak spot; he was a worthy opponent. His eyes seared into me, probably assessing my own weaknesses, wanting to tear me down sooner rather than later.
But I’d had enough of this dance.
“You know where they’re at, don’t you?” I accused him, watching his sneer grow wider. “Where are they, then?” My impatience came through in the acidity of my tone. I was tired of waiting–I had waited too long already and this man was just another obstacle in my way.
“Do you think I’d tell you? Look, mademoiselle, I respect your sense of family. There are not many left in this fallen place that do. But,” he snickered, his eyes dancing in the muted light, “I have orders to kill you; you will never see them again.” He raised his sword, pointing it at my chest as he charged at me, confident he would hit his mark.
The moment felt suspended in time. My anger at him for denying me what I wanted most ignited a new fire, one stronger than I had felt before. That this man could think this would be the end of me, before I had finished my mission, before I could hold Jeremy and my mother in my arms again and cry tears of joy, it was unacceptable. I wanted him to suffer as I had, rip his heart from his chest so that he would know what my pain felt like. I watched his movements, every twitch of muscle, every ripple that his body made as his feet landed on the floor. The moment slowed down, like an dramatic action scene in a film, giving me plenty of time to ever so slightly slip a blade from the bandoleer strapped across my chest.
He didn’t notice, and I didn’t even feel it when I let the blade sink into his chest, my hand following it through the warm opening. I felt the pulsating mass of his heart, jerking and shuddering as it realized it was no longer king of this vampire. I let my fingers wrap around it, feeling the life force shoot out of it as I ripped it from his chest. His face was twisted in surprise as he froze, paralyzed in the grip of death. Horror splayed across his features as he watched his heart beat in my hand. Its crimson fuel fountained down my arm and puddled on the floor. It continued to beat, succumbing to irregularity and finally stopping as the vampire’s body slammed to the floor.
Even though my own heart was leaping in my chest I felt an overwhelming, hypnotic calm. I stared at the wet and veiny thing in my hand, like a token of battle. It made me feel a strange sort of ecstasy, filling my mind with pleasure.
“April!” Seraphin’s voice pulled me back into myself. The horror returned with her voice as I stared at the organ in my hand, making me fling it to the floor, appalled and disgusted. My hand tingled, with the salty blood clinging in ribbons of clots and bits of muck. I wiped it on my pants and stared up at Rye’s ex-wife. Her face was still, almost ethereal. Unlike me the rush of battle had not made her crazed and mad at all. I hoped I wasn’t losing my sanity. Maybe it was the vampire blood inside me that had turned the world into such a strange and unfamiliar place.
I didn’t know myself anymore. Ripping out a man’s heart out was nothing I had ever done or trained to do. The blood inside me called for it, craving the hybrid’s death, desiring blood and metal. I wasn’t sure of anything anymore. This disorienting feeling made me want to question where I even was and what I was doing here in the first place.
I had to get a grip on this now.
Chapter Twenty-Six
SERAPHIN GRABBED ME and pulled me up the stairs. My senses were still normalizing from the shock of what I had just done. She practically dragged me along with her like a rag doll, up the staircase, never complaining. She had obviously done away with the other guard but I didn’t see where she had disposed of his body.
We found ourselves on another floor, almost identical to the one below, except this one had a banquet room and a restaurant with a long hall dissecting the place like two halves of an orange. I glanced around; these walls were solid except the doors separating each section were plate glass. Another circular hallway followed the line of windows that surrounded the disc like the floor below. Where was everyone? Where was my family?
Seraphin continued to pull me along as we entered the old dining area. She sat me on a chair and took my machete from my side. I let her, not thinking much of it. I don’t know why I let her, or why she did so, but her face was cold and serious. I hadn’t quite recovered. That is, until she clicked something cold onto my right wrist, making me look down to see that she had handcuffed me to the chair. I jerked my head back up to her as she backed away, out of my reach.
No! I trusted her. She killed members of her own hive for me, no, this isn’t making sense!
“Well done, Seraphin. You will be well-rewarded.” A deep baritone voice boomed across the room from around a wall. I turned to see who it belonged to but couldn’t find the owner. My nostrils flared as my anger seethed through me, glaring back at
Seraphin. She was looking at me but not smiling, not sneering or anything for that matter. Her eyes were trying to say something. Or maybe I just wanted them to.
I wanted her to change her mind, let me go and get me the hell out of here. But why would I expect that from her now? Why had I trusted her at all? I was her competition now. Something told me that even though she had been paired off with another vampire, Rye was not so easily forgotten. I was sure of it. I groaned at my stupidity. I should have known. And Rye? How did he not know? Or Blaze? She had them all fooled.
“I apologize for the ruse. I don’t like to toy with people.” The baritone-voiced man stepped out from behind an area that had probably been an employee station to empty plates and refill drinks. His hair was a deep coppery mahogany, long and straight, tied at the nape of his neck. His features didn’t match the color of his hair. I almost expected freckles but found a slightly olive complexion. He had to have been a mix of several ethnicities but I couldn’t pinpoint which ones.
He stood tall, taller than me but not as tall as the warrior I had taken down at the foot of the stairs. His eyes gleamed back at me with strange colors; one eye was green and one was brown. That was a bit freaky in and of itself but the circles around each iris were not gold but a sickly bright orange-red, like rust.
“I’ve waited to meet you for a long time, April.” His velvet tone washed over me like a wave of sleep. No wonder he was the leader of this hive. He was another mutation of some sort of vampire. His telepathic powers pushed at my mind, fogging it up and making the room spin. I tried to shake it off, breathing in slowly and closing my eyes.
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