by Gaja J. Kos
The five traditionals were hideous creatures.
Choosing to live in perpetual darkness had brought them closer to the pallid, thin-boned monsters from old, nightmare-inducing legends. It was hard to believe the things in front of her and the twentyfourhourlies had anything in common, much less that they were of the same species.
“You ugly fucks,” Rose hissed, throwing herself at three of them in a spinning motion, her claws outstretched, while Veles engaged the remaining two.
Gashes of red appeared across all three chests, the vampires’ deranged eyes bulging with bloodlust. Golden energy shimmered in Rose’s midnight blue irises as she flashed them her teeth in a psychotic smile, inviting the vamps to charge her.
Chapter 17
The three vampires charged Rose, their maws wide open. She had put some distance between them in the moments it took for the vamps to regain their composure, and now she had the opportunity to observe the grotesque creatures in action.
Thin, long limbs carried them across the space, the sinewy constitution of their bodies flexing underneath the weathered, dark clothes.
Ugly, ugly, ugly fucks, Rose thought. The words echoed in her mind like a mantra as she evaded their attack with barely any effort put into it.
For a human, the creatures would have been deadly. But with the strength of The Dark Ones warming her veins, Rose tracked the movements easily enough, anticipating the vamps’ trajectories well before the blows would have connected.
Two of the vampires leaped at her, their skeletal forms rushing like shadows through the air. Rose slid her body across the blood-covered ground, causing the vamps to collide headfirst as they missed their mark.
She cursed.
The third had pivoted in time to avoid the entwined pile of limbs his brethren had been reduced to and was now following her movement.
Rose spun around as she pushed her body from the ground and procured a knife out of her wrist sheath. Despite the nearly deafening screams of her instincts urging her to run, she waited, allowing the vampire to almost fall upon her.
With his mind clouded by bloodlust, the vampire lunged at her, going for the kill.
Just as Rose had expected.
Her clawed left hand sank into the tendons of the creature’s stomach while the knife struck home on the side of his thin, pallid neck.
The vampire thrashed in her grip, his long fingernails drawing blood from her cheeks. Aside from the gag reflex that she had to stifle at the sight of the opaque yellowish gray nails, she didn’t mind the scratches. The cuts were merely superficial and would heal long before the fighting ended.
Still, she breathed easier as the steady pressure of her knife pushed deeper into the vamp’s neck and had begun to subdue the leech’s attempts at clawing her face off.
The vamp’s body gained that ghostly weight when blood loss kicked in, his motor skills starting to fail. Only a little while longer and she could slit the creature’s throat without him even putting up much of a fight.
The traditionals may not exactly be among the brightest of enemies she had encountered—and the speed of their attacks almost painfully slow compared to her enhanced reaction—yet their superior strength was undeniable. The bond of The Dark Ones granted the werewolves enough power to gain the upper hand, but Rose wasn’t about to take any unnecessary chances. Especially since she had time to dispatch the impaled vamp without putting herself at risk.
As the warm blood trickled from the neck wound and flowed down in vicious rivulets, Rose scanned her surroundings out of the corner of her eye.
The blades she gave Veles gleamed under the artificial neon lights, clearly being put to good use. The god dashed between the two vampires he had engaged with supernatural speed, his movements fluid, graceful in their deadliness. His long, black coat swirled around him in a mesmerizing rhythm, effectively avoiding most of the blood spatter coming from the slashed, shriveled bodies of his attackers.
An ancient fighting elegance oozed from the god, and the sight of it nearly made Rose forget about her own entourage.
She could have watched Veles battle for an eternity.
But the two vampires had managed to untangle themselves and were calling for her attention. As they began to close the distance, Rose sank her claws deeper into the guts of the one she had in her grip and dragged her knife across the creature’s throat.
The still-living vampires screeched, the unnerving sound scratching against her ears like talons against metal. At least the shock had bought her another second.
The thin cut across the pale skin turned into a gaping macabre red mouth. She watched the life drain from the vamp’s eyes before his head tilted back, the creature’s body becoming nothing more than dead weight.
The only certain method of permanently dispatching vampires was a complete beheading combined with a stake through the heart, but the slash across his throat would have to do for now.
Rose had been lucky the collision had incapacitated the vamp’s two pals, preventing them from coming to the creature’s rescue when she had impaled him on her claws. And even when they had gotten back up on their feet, the combination of the screaming, bloodied crowds and the anger at seeing their buddy captured kept them occupied long enough for her to finish the job.
She chanced a sideways glance. Veles’s display of refined, lethal skills just might have helped diverting their attention further.
Rose kicked the lifeless torso off her claws, crouching when she turned to face the advancing vampires. It would have been so simple to spill her golden energy into the brutes, burning them from the inside. The light begged her to be released, but a flare of power wasn’t as easy to conceal as a short display of claws.
She growled, throwing her body into the air to deliver a powerful kick straight into the first vamp’s face. The creature flew back, and she used the momentum to propel herself sideways onto the second one. She rode him down onto the blood-smeared floor and thrust her right hand into the creature’s rib cage without hesitation.
Bones cracked as her fingers dug deeper, finding the pulsing muscle that lay underneath.
The vampire hissed one final time before she shredded his heart with a single jerk of her fingers and dragged the claws of her other hand smoothly across the width of his neck.
The splatter coated her face in red; blood dripped down her torso as she rose above the corpse, her fingers curled by her sides. A feral smile played across her lips, inviting the last vampire to come play.
The heinous vamp lunged at her, his maw revealing the fangs he intended to sink into her flesh e. But she pivoted her body at the last minute, the creature soaring past her.
Losing no time, she leaped onto his back, her legs locking around his thin, sinewy waist. She wrapped her left arm around the creature’s forehead, tilting it back and holding the position, while the claws of her free hand dug into the exposed flesh of his neck.
A growl trickled from her lips, and she jerked her hand to the side, observing the violent splash of blood.
She jumped off before the body hit the ground and turned to find Veles.
The god’s eyes were filled with predatory embers, a chilling smile stretched across his face. The two vampires he had been fighting were reduced to nothing more than heaps of carrion scattered around his feet.
And as he stood there, his posture straight, yet almost vulturous, nobody would dare mistake him for anything less than an ancient, uncompromising force.
He marched towards her, the olive flames spiking up as he took in her blood-drenched appearance.
Without slowing down, he pressed his mouth against hers, taking the wind out of her lungs. Feverishly, he parted her lips with his tongue, their flavors mixing.
His arms locked around her waist in an immovable embrace as he pinned her to his blood-drenched torso. Rose’s energy spiked up at the building pressure of his demand, almost making her lose the ground beneath her feet.
She hesitated for a moment, but the r
eassuring chuckle of the Double J team that whizzed through the bond told her the remaining vamp threat had been eliminated. Veles must have sensed her body release the leftover tension, and he drove his tongue deeper into her mouth, drowning her in his taste.
Olive energy wrapped around her body in spirals, the primal urge of it threatening to spill her over the edge. With a groan, she tore herself from the god’s lips and gazed into the almost savage beauty of his eyes, which were now saturated with nothing but pure immortality.
There was no doubt he wanted her.
Despite the screeching stampedes of civilians. Despite the gore. He wanted her.
And Rose felt the same.
“Veles, we can’t,” she said in a hoarse whisper. “We have to get the twins and Tim. We have to leave.”
Olive embers flared within the black rims of Veles’s eyes, the determination to have her right where they stood unyielding. He leaned into her, the proximity of his lips impossible to ignore. She groaned, gathering the last shreds of her will to not give in to the temptation the lean, lethal god represented.
Not yet, at least.
Reluctantly, she pulled away, just far enough to stand out of his touching distance. If his skin brushed against hers, she wouldn’t be able to hold her ground for long.
Later, she mouthed, letting the gold filaments in her eyes glow as they backed up her promise.
Gradually, the craving dispersed from his features, but the olive embers refused to die down completely.
“Fine.” The god’s typical self-assured tone carried through the space. “Let’s go get your wolfish friends.”
Chapter 18
Rose leaned against the wooden bar that stretched alongside the front of Pri Sojenicah, her mind groggy from the few hours of sleep she’d managed to catch. She needed the crisp air—although it made her yearn for a warmer coat. Preferably the kind wolf fur offered.
The cigarette in her hand sent swirls of smoke into the morning air, which gradually blended in with the gray overcast skies. The only indication that daylight had come was a subtle change of nuance in the somber hue of the atmosphere. Yet another day when the warm rays of the sun were nothing but a fond memory.
Absentmindedly, she rubbed a particularly aching spot on her thigh. Her body was a canvas filled with bruises, but most of them would be gone by the end of the day. And certainly not all of them were bad.
She had kept her promise to Veles, and the god had delivered. Several times.
Getting out of bed and dragging herself to the pack meeting had proven to be quite an effort, especially since Veles had the luxury of sleeping in. Seeing him submerged in calm slumber, a satisfied smile permanently tugging the corners of his lips upwards, he truly radiated the sultry lord of the underworld image in all its seductive glory. And it made her hate parting from him with a passion. Still, there was nothing to be done about it.
She dragged on her cigarette, observing the sluggish rhythm of the late winter morning. A sturdy group of werewolves sat at one of the outside tables, but aside from them, the terrace of Pri Sojenicah was abandoned. Despite the humid cold that wished to seep into her bones, she desired nothing more than to stay outside like one of those vigorous weres, her own cup of black coffee in her hands and her mind set at peace.
Pack members weren’t the only ones waiting inside. And she fervidly wanted to avoid that particular encounter.
“You intend to freeze to death?” Frank’s voice sounded from behind her, carried forward on a cloud of cigarette smoke that dispersed in an array of swirls as it hit Rose’s form.
She scowled at him, which only resulted in brightening the werewolf’s mood further. His blue-green eyes shone with mischief, and she knew there was absolutely no chance for her to be spared.
“You don’t get to be a baby about this,” Frank said in a mock fatherly tone. He straightened his back, appearing even taller than he already was. “Not with that bite mark choker boasting around your neck.”
Rose’s hand automatically reached for the pierced skin; there were too many miniature circular wounds to count. For the first time, Veles hadn’t held back. The blood, the fighting… They had unlocked something uncontrollable within the god, and he had dedicated his attention to her body accordingly. Their lovemaking had been a raw, burning need for each other’s touch, an endless hunger.
The memories warmed her core, tempting her with the idea of bolting from the meeting for another reunion under the covers...
Frank’s wolfish chuckle brought her back.
“It was that good, huh?” He grinned, playfully punching Rose in the shoulder. “You lucky sonovabitch.”
“Oh, yeah? Like you’re not with your endless line of willing bodies?” She smiled back.
Frank let the cigarette smoke fill up his lungs and exhaled as he spoke. “They’re hot, I admit. But it’s been too fucking long since I had someone who liked it rough.”
“Maybe you need to up the game. Go from werewolves to gods.” Rose winked, followed by a devious smile that stretched across her lips.
Frank growled, placing his hands on her shoulders. He ushered her towards the entrance. “See, no baby would tease a desperate werewolf like that. Now get your god-banging ass inside.”
The pack occupied the one table they always did when it was too cold to sit outside. The warm color of the dimmed lights combined with the mostly wooden interior of the bar oozed with familiarity. Pri Sojenicah was almost like a second home for the weres.
But this time, Rose failed to experience the comforting sensation that usually wrapped around her when she entered the room.
She hesitated by the door, trying to ignore the tight fist that had clenched deep inside her stomach the moment she’d noticed the sun-kissed blond hair shining among the werewolves. Rose was grateful Tim had given her a warning beforehand and killed the element of surprise. Yet the knowledge did nothing to ease the unpleasant anticipation of seeing Sebastian after such a long time.
After Rose had voiced her subtle objections, Tim explained that they needed the Kresnik’s knowledge, especially after last night’s events. Sebastian was an immortal fundamentally linked to the developments taking place within the weres' world. Any information he had on the vampire community could prove useful in preventing another massacre.
Rose couldn’t argue with his reasoning, but she wasn’t exactly pleased by it, either.
She blew out a long breath, stalking over to the table.
She greeted the group with an all-is-well smile and shot an awkward glance at Sebastian. To her surprise, the Kresnik seemed even more uncomfortable than she was. He lifted his piercingly blue eyes, pinning her in place.
“Hi,” she said again, nearly throwing herself into the empty chair next to Jens just to get out of the spotlight.
Sebastian gave a short nod and crossed his arms before averting his gaze. Rose felt even shittier than she had before. He had turned away from her like one would dismiss a pestering acquaintance. She pushed the thought away.
When she took into account the traces of hostility lingering in the Kresnik’s eyes, maybe Sebastian dismissing her wasn’t the worst that could happen.
Wow, you really did piss him off. Jens’s voice carried through the bond while the werewolf’s sleepy expression gave no hint about the silent conversation.
Not in the mood for teasing, Rose growled back.
The bond brought a chuckle of surprise. Ohh, so you REALLY pissed him off...
Rose grounded her teeth, fighting the urge to snarl at the blond were for real. You’re such a dick.
Yes, my dick is one of my most profound aspects.
The perfectly calm tone of Jens’s statement made it impossible for Rose to suppress a laugh. Seven pairs of eyes fixed on her, and she instantly regretted the loss of control. Jens had even put in the effort to look slightly appalled. The bastard.
“Sorry,” Rose said, regaining her composure.
“Thinking about all the fun you had tha
t led to that unsavory necklace you’re showing off so proudly?”
The sharp edge of Sebastian’s tone dug into Rose’s stomach. The other weres sat perfectly still in their chairs, the atmosphere thick with discomfort.
Rose calmed her heartbeat, not wanting the tension to seep through her voice. It took every inch of her will to not explode and make the situation even worse.
“Not now, Sebastian. We can talk after the meeting.”
The Kresnik didn’t reply; he merely sank back into his chair, avidly avoiding looking in Rose’s direction. She sighed quietly, knowing this was the best outcome she was going to get.
“The second victim was hit at the theater,” Evelin began in an attempt to get the meeting back on track.
Rose was surprised the were hadn’t tackled last night’s events right away. She itched to know just how the police had handled the aftermath, but maybe it truly was too early to bring the memories of the slaughter to the table.
Evelin pulled up the sleeves of her gray cardigan and locked her hands around her knee, swaying lightly in her seat. “Tomo and his partner went to investigate Sanguine Refreshments, but it’s highly unlikely the blood was poisoned during production. They have tight quality control and none of their employees are left unsupervised in the vicinity of unpacked blood. So unless the whole company was in on it, the poison was added at the theater.”
She conveyed Aldina’s story to the group. While Evelin talked, Frank brought Rose a strong cup of coffee, making his presence as unobtrusive as possible before stalking back outside, a cigarette already between his fingers. Rose would have given anything to be able to join the werewolf on the patio, but she knew it was nothing but wishful thinking. So she settled for listening to her pack mate and sipped the hot, aromatic beverage, accepting the small comfort it offered.
Evelin concluded that the police forensics successfully confirmed the presence of hawthorn, eleuthero, and copper in the small amounts of blood residue found inside the presumably stolen carton. The values were nearly identical to the ones found in Pelican’s stock.
