by Deanna Chase
Was that the standard operating procedure for these fights? Because that’s exactly what it looked like David was doing to the bloody guy. My attacker was too busy ogling me to notice me shift to stand on the balls of my feet, bracing myself. The stun gun hit him in the ribs and a zap of electricity shot into my shoulder where his hand still clutched me. My body spasmed, but I didn’t let go.
He jerked backward with fire in his eyes. “Stupid bitch.”
I smirked. “I’m not the one with a two-inch burn mark on my torso.”
“You’re gonna—argh!” Link lunged from the top of the stairs and sank his teeth into the man’s thigh. He shook his head with enough violence that I was almost certain my wolf was trying to rip Bodybuilder’s leg right off.
Someone shouted from below. An explosion ripped through the air. “Talisen,” I cried and on pure reflex ran for the stairs. Was the place booby-trapped? “Phoebe!”
Talisen and Nicola rushed up the stairs, almost colliding with me.
“Willow,” Talisen said. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. What the hell was that?” I clutched at his good arm and let out a sigh of relief.
“A spell Phoebe and Nicola threw. They took out a half dozen guards.” He pulled me back down the hall, away from the brawls David and Link were still engaged in.
“Did you find Dawson?”
Nicola shook her head and glanced over her shoulder. “No. There’s a small army of superhuman guards. Phoebe and I cast a holding spell over the rest. They’re trapped in an invisible bubble right now, but it won’t last.”
“We’ve checked everywhere except there.” I pointed to the room behind me.
“Come on.” Tal dragged me forward, desperate to search that room.
“But—”
“Move,” Nicola gasped as blue magic sprang from her hands and collided with the guard who had dislodged Link.
Talisen pressed me into the wall, shielding me with his body. I clung to his arms, staring wide-eyed over his shoulder.
Link was back on his feet, stalking the guard and waiting for his opening. As soon as Nicola’s spell dissipated, Link lunged, this time mauling the guard until he crashed to the floor.
“Willow, go with Talisen,” David huffed out. His guard had gotten away from his death grip, and the pair were going blow for blow with one another.
Link’s maw was full of blood, but the guard he’d bitten just kept coming back for more. My stomach rolled. This was a literal bloodbath. One of them should’ve been knocked out by now. Tal’s drug was even more dangerous than I’d first imagined.
Tal, who’d left my side, yanked open the last bedroom door and stood inside the doorframe.
What in the world was he doing? I ran. If anyone wanted to ambush him, he was a sitting duck standing there like that. But right before I reached his side, his shoulders relaxed slightly and he strode into the room.
Crack!
Behind me, a piece of the railing from the banister slammed into the wall and stuck out like an arrow. It had landed two inches from Nicola’s skull.
“Goddammit!” Nicola cried. “Willow, go with Tal. The bubble burst. Phoebe needs my help.” She dodged another piece of debris, launched herself over Link, and hurried down the stairs.
I didn’t hesitate. There wasn’t anything flying from that bedroom. Surely it was safer than the hallway.
The door had closed behind Tal. I forced myself to slow down, pay attention to my surroundings, and carefully turned the knob. Locked. What the hell?
I yanked and kicked the door with everything I had. When that didn’t work, I started to bang on the door. “Tal! Open up. What’s going on it there?”
Nothing. Dead silence.
“Talisen!”
The door swung open with gusto, pulling me into the room. As soon as I stumbled over the threshold, I fell to my knees, nearly crushed by the thick weight of vampire energy. I raised my gaze, the only part of me that I could move, to meet the gleeful expression of a vampire I knew.
The other daywalker.
I sucked in a painful gasp, almost unable to even fill my lungs. Everything hurt as if I were being stabbed with a thousand needles from every angle. My skin burned and my muscles ached, all while I was trapped in my own personal prison.
The vampire closed the door with a soft click. He pressed his fingers to his lips, indicating I should stay quiet.
Fear-driven adrenaline rushed through me. I scanned the empty room for Talisen, wanted to scream for him. To find out if he was all right. But I could barely breathe, let alone form words.
“That’s a good faery,” he crowed. “Stay quiet and your fae won’t suffer as terrible a death as your brother.”
Ice crawled up my spine and entered my heart. Asher. He had to be. He knew about Beau and he knew me. And he was a daywalker! How long had he had the ability? Had Beau turned him? Holy crow. Was that why he was eliminating all the fae with the ability to change vampires?
My throat started to close and I had to choke down the sob threatening to suffocate me. I couldn’t do anything to help Tal. I was a prisoner in the vampire’s presence. Where was Tal? Had Asher already killed him? Pure hatred fueled a bolt of determination, forcing out a cry, “Tal!”
Rage boiled in Asher’s eyes as his arm moved, lashing out at me with vampire speed. But suddenly his hand slowed and I was forced to watch the blow coming in slow motion.
Phoebe’s ring. It worked. I squeezed the stun gun, willing my arm to lift it, to connect with the vampire, but nothing happened. My arm stayed at my side, a traitor to my commands as the vampire’s fist inched toward me one agonizing moment at a time. His hand connected, rattling my teeth, but if he’d hit me with a full blow he could’ve taken my entire head off. Or at the very least, knocked me unconscious.
“Willow,” Tal called, panic and worry lacing his voice.
I opened my mouth but no sound came out. What had the vampire done to Tal? And where was the professor?
“I’ve found her,” Asher called, using a slight Southern accent. “Don’t worry, she’s safe.”
There was a pause, then Tal called, “What happened to the guard who ambushed me?”
“He’s been taken care of.” Asher never took his gaze from me as he walked backward toward the sound of Tal’s voice. A tiny bit of his vampire pressure lifted, but I didn’t dare move. I didn’t know how much he knew of my abilities.
“Professor?” Tal called.
Asher’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. “Yes, Mr. Kavanagh.”
I let out a startled gasp.
The vampire’s smile turned cold and menacing.
“I could use a hand. We really need to get out of here as soon as possible.”
It was obvious to me Talisen was trying to be patient, but there was an edge of frustrated exasperation in his tone.
“We have time,” Asher said.
“You don’t understand—”
“Actually, it’s you who doesn’t understand. But everything will be clear soon enough.” Asher abandoned the smooth southern gent act and spoke using an English accent. I assumed it was his regular speech because he dropped all pretense of behaving like the professor he was supposed to be. “Just as soon as your girlfriend here tells me what I need to know.”
“Professor?”
I didn’t know where exactly Tal was, but it was clear he was restrained and more than a little confused. My thoughts jumbled. How could I help Tal and get out of here? And why was Asher posing as a professor at the university? Why had Tal thought Asher had been abducted from the lab if he was running the show?
“Tell you what?” I spat through the vampire haze still pressing against me.
His cocky facial expression morphed to one of pure hatred as he turned back to me and all but whispered, “You’re going to bring me that nephew of yours or I’m going to torture your fae lover until every last bit of his blood is sucked dry. And then I’m going to move on to your aunt, your mother,
and that bitch of a witch you live with. And once I finish them off, you’ll belong to me. You’ll produce whatever magic edible I desire and you’ll do it without complaint.”
My mouth hung open in stunned silence. He knew about Beau Junior. Nothing else mattered. No one else mattered. I’d die where I stood before I’d ever hint I had a clue what he was talking about. “Is that why you broke into my office? To find out about Beau?”
His eyes narrowed. “That and other things. Elissa, my assistant, tells me you have some very unusual talents. Ones you’ll be sharing with me soon enough. Start talking. This is your last chance.”
Elissa worked for him, too? What the hell had Tal gotten himself into? I met Asher’s chilling black eyes and pierced him with my own. “It doesn’t matter what you demand. You’re never going to get what you’re asking for.”
He let out a humorless laugh. “I always get what I want.”
A loud crash sounded at the door, but then the commotion dimmed as whoever it was seemed to move back down the hall.
“Well, you won’t get it from me.”
The vampire in front of me vibrated with anger. Then he vanished around the corner.
I forced myself to stand and lurched forward. “Talisen!”
An agonized groan filled the room. I struggled to keep moving forward and as I turned the corner to peer into the sitting room, my throat tightened at the sight in front of me. Tal’s arms were duct-taped to the armrests of a wooden chair, his head tilted to the side. He was unconscious and turning a stark shade of white as Asher tore into Talisen’s neck.
“No!” I thrust with my wings, barely able to move. My hands were outstretched, grappling for Asher. But I couldn’t get there. My body turned heavy and I landed with a thud more than a few feet away from Talisen.
“Stop!”
Slowly, Asher lifted his head and looked at me. Blood dribbled down his chin. “Five seconds.”
I had no words. I couldn’t give up Beau and Tal wouldn’t want me to.
Asher snarled and sank his teeth back into Tal’s neck.
“David, help!” I cried, desperate for someone, anyone, to tear Asher to shreds. Hot tears of horror streamed down my face as I stood there, trapped in my own personal hell, unable to leave Tal and unable to move any closer to try to help him. Utter pain filled every inch of my being as I strained to move forward, to lash out with my stun gun, to somehow inflict my wrath on the vampire taking away the one person I loved most.
Asher ripped his teeth from Talisen’s neck and let go. Tal slumped to the side, blood streaming from his neck. The master vampire moved in a flash past me, and I nearly passed out. I grappled and caught purchase on the nearby wall, barely keeping myself upright.
“You!” an angry, familiar voice growled.
Allcot. He was here. Von and his minions must have talked, thank the Goddess. A surge of relief flooded me and I didn’t hesitate to scramble to Tal’s side.
“Where’s the child?” Asher demanded.
Struggling with the duct tape at Tal’s wrists, I whispered, “Tal? Tal, wake up.”
“That faery is under my protection,” I heard Allcot say.
Asher laughed.
I finally got a piece of the tape up and unwound one of Tal’s wrists. As it peeled off his skin, his eyes fluttered. “Wake up, Tal.” I grabbed his face with both my hands, “Come on. That’s it.”
He moaned.
“The boy, Allcot. That’s all I ask,” Asher said in a reasonable tone. “This can all end right now.”
I imagined Allcot leaning back with his feet crossed at the ankle. “And what makes you think I have him?”
“Why else would you be here?” Asher asked.
“The faery. It’s not a secret she’s important to my son. Keep the fae if you want. But she comes with me.”
Shit. What the hell was Allcot up to? I grabbed the tape at Tal’s other wrist and yanked hard.
He jerked as the tape peeled away a patch of skin but didn’t wake. He was so pale. Asher had taken too much blood already.
“Oh my God.” I pulled him forward and wrapped my arms around him. His life force barely pulsed beneath my fingers. I had to do something to help him or we were never getting out of here. I couldn’t heal him. Not even with the help of his amethyst. But I did have something else.
I took a deep breath and sucked a tiny bit of his life energy into my being. A spark of what I recognized as his healing magic zinged through my body. It made my head spin and I started to pant.
Whoa.
Adrenaline mixed with Tal’s magic made me shake. Get it together, Wil. I had to send the magic back into Tal. Now!
I wrapped my hands around Tal’s neck and imagined my magic seeping back into him. Immediately the spark reached my fingertips and the world around us faded away. There was nothing—no sound, no fight, no vampires—just Talisen and me as magic swirled inside me. The cool healing force numbed my fingers and flowed freely into his. There wasn’t any resistance, only a natural transfer of fae magic.
His breathing evened out immediately and a blush colored his cheeks. Right before my eyes, the marks on his neck healed over.
Whoa again. Our magic healed his wounds. Well, it was likely his magic, but I hadn’t taken that much from him. Maybe my magic had given him enough of a boost, and he’d been able to heal himself.
In the adjoining room, the two vampires were oddly silent, but I knew both were there. My vamp-sense didn’t lie.
Talisen’s eyelids fluttered open.
“Hey,” I said.
“Willow?” His voice cracked a bit and he swallowed.
“Welcome back.”
“What happened?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but all hell broke loose in the next room. The pair flew past the sitting room opening, locked tightly in a boxer’s embrace, and slammed into the outer wall of the house. There was more scrambling, followed by the sounds of fists connecting with flesh.
“We need to go.” I tugged Tal up.
He stumbled to his feet, then paused and glanced around. “We can’t leave without the professor.”
I let out a startled huff. He didn’t remember a thing. Dammit. “Yes, we can. I’ll explain later.”
He planted his feet, not moving an inch as I tugged. “No, Willow. We can’t. It’s my fault he’s here.”
I grabbed both his hands. “He isn’t who you think he is. Tal, the professor is a vampire. Asher.”
“What?” His eyes nearly popped out of his head. Then he narrowed them. “That’s impossible. I see him during the day all the time.”
I gazed up at him, letting him see the painful truth in my eyes. “He’s a daywalker—the vampire who attacked you.”
Tal seemed stunned into silence once more.
But when I tugged this time, he followed. We paused at the entry to the main bedroom. Allcot had his hands around Asher’s throat and appeared seconds from overpowering him.
Could this really be over soon? Would Allcot really be my savior? He already was. He’d stopped Asher from killing Tal. And in that moment, I knew I’d be forever in debt to the master vampire.
The door leading to the hallway swung open with an earsplitting crash and at the same time Asher found purchase, twisted out of Allcot’s grasp, and a second later broke Allcot’s neck.
“No!” David ran forward as Allcot sank to his knees, holding his head upright, repositioning it on his shoulders. Vamps healed quickly. A neck injury was no different, but the bones did need to be lined up.
Asher lunged for me, grasping me around the waist.
Searing pain shot through my middle. Fire. Everywhere. Someone was screaming. I think it might have been me. But I barely registered the sound. My nerve endings were shouting and drowning out every last thought I had.
And then just as quickly, I was lying in a heap, gasping for breath as the fire fled.
A blur of limbs tangled less than a few feet from me. Talisen’s familiar hands grabbed
me around the waist. He yanked me to the opposite side of the room and pulled me close in a firm body hug, his healing energy instantly calming me.
I was torn between burying my head in his chest and staring wide-eyed at the vampire fight destroying the room.
The fight won. I twisted so my back was against Tal’s chest and clutched his hands as David and Asher landed blow after bone-crushing blow.
Allcot climbed to his feet, his face contorting in obvious pain while his neck healed. The movement distracted David for just a moment. But it was enough for Asher to land a blow that made David fall to his knees and cough up a mouthful of bright red blood.
Holy shitballs. I’d never seen evidence of a vamp bleeding internally before. I knew we should bolt, but I couldn’t. I was cemented in place, but this time from sheer fear for David and even Allcot. Asher was going to take them both down right before my eyes.
Asher turned and eyed Allcot. “Finally,” he said with a snarl. “You’ve interfered for the last time.”
The last time? When had the two crossed paths before? Or did he know Allcot was protecting Beau Junior?
Allcot smiled a crooked smile. “It must be awful to go through life hating yourself.”
Asher regarded Allcot with a stony expression. Then he put his hands in his pants pockets as if the fight was over.
Allcot’s grin widened. He glanced at David, who had climbed to his feet. Blood stained his lips, but he didn’t appear to be losing any more. Allcot gave David a tiny nod, but before David could react, Asher brandished a black agate.
I screamed, knowing exactly what it was. A sun agate.
He whispered a word I didn’t understand and suddenly I was blinded by the brilliant white light. The kind that no vampire could survive.
Chapter 26
I cringed away from the light, my eyes watering. Through my blurring vision, I made out David’s prone form, sprawled over Allcot as if he were shielding him. Neither moved. My chest constricted with a bolt of pain.
