Twelve Shades of Midnight:

by Liliana Hart

  I came back around, I stood in front of Anara and swept a length of her pale braided hair over her shoulder to get a better look at her averted face. “You okay?”

  “I have no love for what I do, but I do it well.” She turned to me, a wistful longing in her voice. “All I want is to find Sage and leave. I want to be with you. Safe and sound.”

  I couldn’t agree more. “Then let’s go find her.”

  I hadn’t heard anything from Beau. Since no alarm had been raised, it stood to reason he was cruising through the house, taking out pets as he went.

  Anara and I found the stairs that led into the house and descended into the dark hallway. The way was clear, though there was no way to know for how long. We each took a side of the hall and glanced in the rooms. Every room had a postulant, someone who admired the vampire lifestyle and was desperate to become one, drugged out and waiting to be turned…only that wouldn’t be their fate tonight. These particular individuals had been lied to. It wouldn’t matter if I told them the truth. They’d given up their freedom a long time ago. None of them would believe me. They’d only raise the alarm. Postulants were nothing if not loyal.

  I closed the last door on my side of the hall, and Anara joined me. “Sage isn’t here.”

  “She’s here. She has to be.” I had trusted Alden Caldwell. He wouldn’t lie to me, but if he did, Beau and Anara were in serious danger. And Sage? I didn’t even want to think what was happening to her.

  No. Alden hadn’t lied to me. So far, everything was exactly like he said. We just hadn’t found her yet.

  The stairs were empty, narrow and steep, not the best place to ply a sword. I put mine away and pulled out my gun before motioning Anara to follow. Just then, a series of pops sounded, followed by a howl of rage and a high-pitched scream.

  “Sage,” Anara said on a horrified breath. She rushed past me, a blur of pale skin and shiny metal.

  “Wait,” I yelled, hot on her heels as we descended to the first floor. At the end of the stairs, a long hall was on our right and two men stood at the end of it, one far bigger than the other, and to the left of the entryway, a dining room with two guys playing cards. I pushed Anara out of the way and shot each of them once, felling them to the floor.

  Anara regained her balance, twirled her swords in her hands and started down the hall toward the two men. The smaller one yelled at the other to change into a wolf and kill us. The man obediently moved forward, with each step changing into the monster he was.

  I knew the card players weren’t out for good. They were already standing up. I popped one six times, drilling him back against the wall where he slouched and slid to the floor. The other one came close enough for me to elbow him in the face. He grabbed my gun arm, but I managed to twist until I had his arm behind his back where I unloaded the rest of my clip into him. He fell to his knees, blood bubbling to his lips and tipped face forward onto the floor.

  I ran from the room, stepping over the body of the wolf Anara had splayed open. The air turned heavy with dust as I ran toward the high-pitched screaming to a large game room with a huge T.V., pool table, air hockey table and foosball table. The back stairs ran along the wall behind Sage who sat on the couch in front of the T.V., a remote control in her lap, her hands over her ears as she screamed. Blood spattered her body and one of the pets was dead beside her, his remote still in his hand.

  Beau stormed up to me. “Your little damsel is playing games with the enemy. She looks pretty cozy if you ask me. Not at all distressed.”

  What the…Sage was playing video games with these monsters?

  Anara pulled Sage’s hands away from her ears. “Stop screaming. These are not good people. Do you understand? They will kill you.”

  Sage’s wide, terror-filled eyes blinked and she shook her head. “No. They said they wouldn’t. I’m special.”

  “They say that to everyone,” Beau snapped even as he stood guard, his eyes surveying every possible way of escape. “It’s a lie. A trick to make you do what they want.”

  “They. Will. Kill. You.” Anara emphasized each word, trying to reach the shocked girl.

  I heard rumbling from below. How many more pets were here? We were running out of time. I squatted in front of Sage, wrapped my fingers around her arms and squeezed gently. It would be easier if she agreed to go with us, but I was prepared to drag her out of this nightmare if I had to. “You’ve got to come with us, Sage. Now. We won’t hurt you. Trust me. Baby needs you.”

  “Baby.” She glanced down at the blood on my hands and shivered. “They know. I told them…but they promised…” She suddenly began to hyperventilate.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  Panic leapt from her eyes. “They went to get Baby.”

  A chill swept my arms and I couldn’t breathe for a second. When I finally filled my lungs, I couldn’t stop the bellow that followed. “You told them where Baby is? Why would you do that?”

  She glanced at the body next to her, blinking back the horror and burst into tears. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I just want my mommy. They told me they’d take us to her.”

  “Your mom is alive?” I turned to glare at Anara. “Is that what she’s saying? Is she alive?”

  “No.” Anara shook her head causing her silvery blond hair to slap against her flushed cheeks. “That’s impossible. I-I saw her die.”

  Looking at her, hearing her trying to convince herself, I could tell, she wasn’t sure. I scooped up Sage and shoved her in Anara’s arms at the same time we heard the basement door slam open and the scratch of claws on wooden floors. “Go to the roof.”

  I pushed her toward the back stairs and joined my brother at the door. He glared at me. “You know we’re going to die because of that kid, right?”

  “Only if you get scared.”

  I loved my brother. He faced danger head on, daring evil to take a bite out of him. If I was going to get chewed up, I’d rather be with him than anyone else. I knew without a doubt, he’d bite back until they ripped each tooth out, and then he’d gum the guy to death if he could. Giving up wasn’t in his DNA.

  A harsh bark of laughter escaped him. He gripped the slide of his .45 and pulled it back, the sound cracking in the silence. “Don’t make me laugh. We’re the ones they have nightmares about.”

  “Hell, yeah,” I said and pointed my gun at the door. Their nightmare was about to begin.

  Chapter Twelve

  Anara

  Gunfire, howls and screams of pain shook the air. A crisp darkness that had the ability to cut me down as easily as a blade to the heart filled me. I shouldn’t have left Ryan. In a shockingly short period of time, we’d come to depend on each other. We were stronger together, and without him, I felt incomplete. Vulnerable. Now I felt not only Sage’s fear, but my own in the cramped, dark stairwell.

  The gunfire cracked in rapid succession, the sound hurting my ears as it vibrated up the stairwell. The little girl clung to my neck, sobbing, telling me how sorry she was, only now realizing how much danger she’d put us all in. Shock made her quiver in my arms. I had no words of comfort for her. All I could think about was Ryan fighting a battle he couldn’t possibly win.

  Halfway up the steps, Sage’s lifted her face from my neck where she’d buried it. Her body stiffened and she let out a bone-chilling scream. I glanced behind us and saw the reason. A huge wolf stood at the base of the steps, its otherworldly eyes staring up at us like it wanted to tear us apart. Its threatening growl was lost in the commotion coming from the room. Gun shots. Grunts of pain. Angry howls. We were on our own. I slipped Sage from my back and faced the wolf.

  Crouched and slowly ascending the stairs step by step, the wolf’s tail rode low, its ears back and its teeth bared.

  “Go to the roof,” I said to Sage. She stood where I’d put her, her hand still on my shoulder. I shrugged it off and snapped, “Go.”

  A tiny sob escaped her. The next moment, cool air filled the space where she’d stood, the soun
d of her footsteps quickly slapping the stairs filled the air as she climbed to the next landing and disappeared around the corner. I slowly drew my swords, the scrape of metal against metal raising the hackles on the wolf. The beast stilled halfway to me, its eyes gleaming red in the dim light. I’d seen wolves before, but this one looked prehistoric, larger than any I’d ever seen, and shifted its muscles in a hypnotic way that made me want to move closer to it.

  I stood firm, my eyes burning against the need to blink. I knew if I broke eye contact, it would be that moment the wolf would charge. The span from wall to wall was barely three feet, the space impossibly tight to maneuver within. I had the disadvantage and the wolf knew it. I needed to be careful. It would be all too easy to tumble to the landing below.

  Tears welled in my eyes. I let them run down my cheeks, my eyes locked on the wolf. He sniffed and crouched lower. I bent my knees, readying for impact. The wolf’s ears swiveled as if it heard something. I shouldn’t have done it, but my gaze instinctively slipped to just behind him.

  The next moment the impact of his body pushed mine back. The wolf knocked one sword out of my hand. It skittered to the step below me. Razor sharp teeth dipped to nip at my neck. I maneuvered my knees between us and bucked. The wolf slid down a few steps, just enough for me to gain my feet. I swung my sword and it bit deeply into the wolf’s shoulder. Again and again I stabbed at the beast. The wolf grabbed the blade with his teeth and twisted until the metal slowly bent in his massive jaws.

  My foot connected dead center of his chest and he slid halfway down the steps. I tucked the end of my foot under the fallen sword and flipped it into my hand.

  Eyes glowing hatefully, he sprang at me and I jumped, jackknifing my feet apart until they landed firmly against the walls, suspending me over him. I double fisted my remaining sword and plunged it into his neck, severing the spinal cord. With a grunt, he dropped dead under me. Without a second look, I leaped down and ran up the stairs after Sage.

  At the top, I bent low into the shadows before easing the door open. The supermoon highlighted the roof, bathing the area silver bright. Sage stood by the hot tub, shaking. Two men were talking to her, trying to get her to come with them. I started forward, staying low and hugging what shadows the moon couldn’t find. I was almost to Sage when a guy burst through the skylight, eyes glowing in the faded light, a snarl on his face. He landed in front of me with a thud and swung, catching me on the cheek. Light exploded behind my eyes and I staggered back, stunned for a moment. I shook it off and hit back landing a punch to his mouth. His teeth dug into my knuckles, and I saw surprise enter his eyes. Followed by a good dose of anger.

  He began to change into wolf form. I spun away and sliced at his side. Gunfire erupted, and I slipped behind him. Bullets pounded his chest as they searched for me. The guy grunted and roared with anger. The barrage stopped, and I quickly drove my sword into his neck, severing his spine. Blood flooded over my blade, and when I yanked it out, it spattered my armor.

  Sage screamed my name, the sound hoarse and agonized. I dove for the bar, slid over the top and landed on the guy we’d killed earlier and narrowly missed getting shot. The liquor bottles above me weren’t so lucky. The smell of bourbon and gin filled the air as I pushed away from the limp body and searched through the shards of broken glass for Ryan’s bag. I found it tucked in the corner. Pulling it free, I ripped it open.

  Another spate of gunshots rang out. I tucked my arms over my head. Glass shattered along the bar shelving, pinging off my armor as it fell. The next thing I knew, Ryan vaulted over the bartop and landed beside me, glass crunching loudly beneath his boots. He took one look at me, grabbed my shoulders and pulled me close for a hard, fiery kiss. Letting me go, he smiled the most beautiful smile. “So far, so good. My brother’s a lunatic, and I’m totally buying him a beer after this.”

  He was splattered with blood worse than I was. “Are you hurt?”

  He chucked his guns to the side and sifted through his bag, pulling out a sleek handgun with a large magazine. “Nothing major.” He slammed the magazine into the grip, his gaze assessing me past the blood clinging to my clothes to see if it was mine or someone else’s. His gaze landed on my swelling eye. His lips thinned. “Who hit you?”

  “A dead man.” At his continued stare I said, “I’m fine. Really.”

  Ryan popped his head up and within seconds, gunfire started. He safely ducked back down. “Beau’s by the door. We don’t have much time. Beau set a charge and this place is ready to blow. Can you fly and use a gun at the same time?”

  “I’m a Viking warrior princess,” I said with a smile. “Of course I can.”

  He pulled out a handgun and gave it to me along with a twelve round magazine. With deft movements, I loaded the chamber and spread my wings, filling up the limited space behind the bar.

  “I’ll cover you.” He brought his gun to his shoulder, the barrel nearly resting on his temple like a Viking of old would hold his sword before a fight. The action was as familiar as it was nostalgic, and I knew. This was where I was supposed to be. Ryan, a combination of modern man and ancient warrior. He was who I was supposed to be with. We fit.

  His gaze locked with mine. “Ready?”

  I nodded and sprang into the air, my ascent covered by Ryan’s spray of bullets. From my height I saw Beau run to the back of the house toward a metal fire escape where a man was just stepping onto the roof. With an amazing burst of speed, Beau slammed his gun into the guy’s temple, causing him to stagger back. Beau swept the guy’s feet from under him and as the man fell back and off the roof, he shot more than one bullet into him.

  Ryan ejected the magazine and slammed home a new one in less than a second and took down two wolves that appeared by the door.

  The scene on the roof was an all out battle, loud, smoky and bloody. Sage’s screams tore through the night. People poured out of the bar at the end of the street, many with cell phones to their ears, others pointed down the street, trying to find the source of the disturbance. Sirens blared in the distance. We didn’t have much time left.

  Beau shouted something to Ryan before he jumped onto the metal fire escape and slid down to the ground.

  I tucked my wings close and flew toward Sage. I shot one of her captors in the head, the other in the heart before I even landed. One crumpled to the wet ground, his blood coloring the puddle beneath his head and the other fell backward into the hot tub filled with water leaving Sage standing alone and shivering with fear.

  “Go!” Ryan yelled as he headed to the fire escape.

  I stepped over the growing pool of blood toward Sage. Her eyes were huge, her face blank. “Sage? We have to leave now.”

  Shell shocked by what she’d seen and heard, she didn’t move. I started to put my arm around her when a pitiful, raw whisper crawled from her throat. “Don’t touch me. I want my mommy.”

  I stopped, her voice a knife to my heart. How must I look to Sage? Even though I wished to comfort her, to protect her, all she could see was blood and severed body parts. All she would remember is how I had caused the blood pooling at her feet to flow. “Your mother sacrificed herself to keep you from the vampires, Sage. I gave her my word I’d keep you safe. You can trust me.”

  “I’m trying,” she said, her voice filled with tears. “I really am.”

  I couldn’t change what had happened. I could only try to give Sage and Baby the future their mother wanted for them. I wrapped my arm around her rigid body and pulled her close. “I’m sorry. We need to leave.”

  With Sage in my arms, I jumped into the air, but as I did, out of the corner of my eye, the werewolf I’d shot who landed in the hot tub splashed free in full wolf form and latched onto the edge of my wing. Sage screamed, and I kicked out at the wolf. Once, twice my heel smashed into his head. His jaws clamped down harder, and he shook my wing, dragging us back to the roof. I swiveled in mid air and shot him in the jaw, clipping part of my wing in the process. He fell back to the roof, and I strug
gled to rise further in the air. The effort was too much. I held Sage close as we spiraled to the ground. I took the brunt of the crash, protecting Sage as best I could. We hit and the air in my lungs whooshed out. As I gasped for breath, I let Sage roll out of my arms. I couldn’t have held on to her if I’d wanted to.

  Ryan was beside me instantly. He pulled me to my feet, half carrying me, half dragging me to the car. “Where’s Sage,” I rasped, my lungs horribly tight.

  “Beau has her.”

  I tried to focus through the pain and saw Beau already at the car and shoving Sage inside.

  I was unceremoniously stuffed into the back seat, my one wing dangling at an odd angle. Slowly I retracted it, biting my lip as the pain ripped into me. As soon as it disappeared, Sage curled up next to me. I pulled her close and whispered everything would be all right.

  Ryan hopped onto his bike and zipped past us, and as we sped down the street, the werewolf lair exploded behind us. We needn’t worry about any pets following us home.

  As we made our way back to the house, I stared past Beau toward Ryan. For the first time I saw the claw marks that had ripped through Ryan’s leather coat, shirt and into his back.

  A chill settled in my bones. “How does someone become a werewolf?”

  Beau downshifted around a curve and sped after his brother. “You get bit.”

  “Is that the only way?”

  “Yeah.” His voice was tight.

  “Are you sure?” I had to know.