by Lolita Lopez
“I see it.” Isla cut across traffic to get in the proper lane.
They slipped onto the service road and drove a half mile or so until they reached another on-ramp. The sun sank ever lower in the sky. His hands knotted in his lap. They were cutting it really close.
A few turns and curves later, they slowly rolled down a street lined with the sort of Tuscan or French-countryside-influenced homes Jace found incredibly pretentious. That the guard’s hut was empty bothered him. Isla slowed down as they passed but there were no signs of a guard anywhere. He could only hope the demons hadn’t offed the guard or worse.
Faux gas lamps dotted the meandering sidewalks and bike paths of the upscale neighborhood. The houses sat back from the street by fifty yards or more, their lawns and landscaping meticulously maintained. Every mansion seemed progressively larger and more opulent than the last.
At the end of the street, just off to the right, sat the most ostentatious of them all. Its rear property line backed up to the lake, where the final rays of the sun shimmered on the purple surface. There were no lights on in the house but the occupants definitely had company. His core bristled at the nearness of black energy. Sitting just inside the driveway was the silver Porsche.
Demons and vampires? Oh yeah. It was going to get ugly. There were too many normals living in close proximity not to err on the side of caution.
Isla eased into the driveway and killed the engine. Her hands were shaking again, but Jace knew it wasn’t the need for sex. She was scared and rightfully so.
He grasped her hand and gave it a squeeze. Their eyes locked. “We’re going to be fine. You’re going to be fine.”
All the anxiety fled from Isla’s system as Jace held her hand and reassured her with his pep talk. In that instant, she knew that whatever happened, for better or worse, she was going to be all right. She smiled warmly. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.” Jace tipped her chin with his knuckles and claimed her lips in a deep kiss. When he pulled back, he held her gaze for a long moment. “Let’s go.”
Isla climbed out of the driver’s seat and quickly buttoned and zipped her pants. She slipped her keys into her pocket and shut her door. The scent of sulfur hung heavy and ripe in the air. Jace at her side, she hurried to the front door of the house. Her chest tightened. Shards of glass littered the flagstone steps. The thick wood of the Craftsman door had been cracked with such force it had disintegrated in spots, leaving nothing but piles of dust and wood chips. The sounds of combat met her ears.
Just the thought of losing Renata to the demons made her angry. Spurred into action, Isla hopped through the busted-out door and into the foyer of the home. A pair of gutted vampires were bleeding out onto the marble floors. Black blood seeped across the gleaming stone. She skirted the sticky pools and moved quickly toward the sounds of exertion. Her hand drifted to her hip—and felt nothing.
Isla mouthed a cuss word as she realized she’d forgotten to buckle her tactical belt. It must have fallen off when she’d stood up. Without missing a beat, she lifted her right knee and snatched a butterfly knife from the holster strapped to her ankle. A few flicks of her wrist and the menacing blade unfurled itself. Now armed, she surged forward with purpose, her predator instincts alighting within her.
She moved swiftly through the halls and connected rooms. Jace breathed down her neck, his body so close to hers she could feel the pulses of adrenaline-fueled energy he emitted. As they neared the kitchen, the angry snarls and sharp hisses of demons and vampires locked in battle grew louder.
Isla glanced over her shoulder. Already that fine amber sheen covered Jace’s eyes, granting him the terrifying glint of angelic supremacy. His smell had shifted and the scent of frankincense and myrrh radiated from his skin. The archangel blood in him was awakening. Even now, she couldn’t help but wonder if he ever felt that instinctive need to smite her.
Side by side, they burst through the wide arched doorway. Two demons inhabiting shells of human males fought viciously against five vampires. Three lifeless vamp carcasses littered the limestone floor, their bodies displaying gaping chest and neck wounds.
Knowing Jace would take out the demons, Isla zeroed in on the closest vampire. Pulling fire energy into her palm, she leapt at the vampire’s back and slapped him with her fiery hand. An earsplitting shriek ricocheted off the pumpkin-colored walls as his entire head burst into flames. Bracing her hands on the granite countertop behind her, Isla donkey-kicked the blazing vamp in the chest, rocketing him through the French doors and out onto the patio to immolate.
In a split second, another vampire hurled toward her. With his enhanced speed, the contact between their bodies felt like a Mac truck ramming into her shoulder. They crashed into a china hutch. Glass and porcelain shattered and rained down on their bodies. A sliver of wood caught the back of Isla’s hoodie and kept her from standing. Captured, she jerked her shoulders while fending off the razor-sharp swipes of the vampire’s claws. The vamp slit her left cheek. She gasped and threw her foot into his balls. Howling in pain, he jumped back and doubled over.
Isla yanked away hard, the wood splitting her hoodie straight down the back. She snatched the spike-like piece of wood and rounded back on the vampire, slamming the makeshift spike into his heart. His jaw dropped as he stiffened and crumpled to the ground. Flames erupted from his chest and consumed his body.
Isla shook off the remnants of her ruined hoodie and wiped the blood from her face. Jace had already dealt with two vampires, leaving one more for her. In a killing groove, she made quick work of dispatching the last bloodsucker before turning her attention to the demons tag-teaming Jace.
Watching Jace engaged in hand-to-hand combat knocked the breath from Isla’s lungs. She’d seen him in action before but never like this. He was a man possessed as he swung his fist and landed jaw-crunching punches, the blessed iron knuckles wrapped around his fingers leaving massive dents in the faces of the demons. His well-practiced Savate kicks and swipes broke kneecaps. Antifreeze-tinged bile erupted from the wounds on the demons’ faces. The blond demon teetered on his feet, obviously not long for the count.
Their eyes met across the kitchen. Isla read Jace’s expression and snatched a salt shaker from the countertop. She’d barely unscrewed and tossed aside the cap when the blond demon was kicked her way. Isla caught the demon by the front of his bile-stained shirt and rammed the salt shaker down his throat, his teeth grazing the skin right off her knuckles as she punched it down. He choked and flailed futilely as the salt burned his gullet like battery acid. Swinging him around, Isla clamped him against her front. She gripped his jaw and forced his neck back and to the right, bulging the major artery there. With a quick slash of her knife, she dropped him. His body convulsed and deflated, melting into the floor and disappearing back to hell.
As Isla wiped the bile from the blade onto her jeans, Jace neutralized his demon by shoving an iron communion wafer down its throat. A sharp crack filled the air when Jace snapped the demon’s neck. For a moment, the only sounds in the kitchen were their heavy pants. The stink of burning flesh and sulfur irritated Isla’s nose. Still trying to catch her breath, she stared at Jace. He practically glowed, the aura surrounding him like something out of a religious painting. Splotches of demonic bile peppered his shirt and splattered his skin. No doubt she looked just as bad.
From down below came footsteps and voices.
“Wine cellar?” Jace pointed to an adjacent door.
“Good place to hide a coffin full of dirt.”
They cautiously approached the door. Jace switched out the rounds in his sidearm and made ready to enter first. Her hand steadied on the knob. They communicated silently. At his stiff nod, Isla wrenched open the door. He quickly descended the stone stairs, Isla just a few steps behind, her hand aflame. The smell of dank dirt filled her nostrils. Oh, yes, Renata was down here all right.
As they rounded the curve of the stairwell, a protective ring of four vampires came into view. T
hey encircled a large shipping crate. Dirt clods had been scattered about, probably from Renata burrowing into the Hungarian soil to heal.
Weapon raised, Jace wasted no time in picking off the first two vamps his aim settled upon. The liquid-capped bullets exploded within their bodies, spilling a toxic mix of garlic juice and holy water. Hissing, they clawed at their oozing chests as they fell to their knees and slowly expired.
But before Jace could pop off his next two rounds, the crate exploded. Amid a cloud of dirt, wood chunks bounced off the walls and ceiling. Isla brought her forearm up to shield her face from the debris. At the sound of fists contacting skin, she lowered her arm. There were suddenly four more vampires in the room and they had Jace. Where the hell did you come from?
Jace fought against his captors but it was no use. There were too many of them. Isla lifted her knife, ready to fight to the death—and then Renata spoke. “Look at me.”
Isla resisted the dreamy whisper.
“Look at me.”
Renata repeated it like a mantra, each time louder and more powerful. Isla tried to keep her gaze focused on Jace’s imploring eyes but it was futile. She couldn’t disobey Renata. The pull was far stronger than any she’d ever felt. The knife fell from her fingers and clattered to the ground. She turned toward Renata.
In the instant their eyes met, absolute agony seized Isla’s body. The fever and the need were so strong she feared her blood would boil in her veins. Wetness pooled between her thighs. Nausea roiled in the pit of her stomach. Eyes locked on the rejuvenated vampiress, Isla collapsed to the ground and convulsed, her body jerking so hard she just knew her bones were going to snap.
Through the haze of misery, she heard only thing. Jace. Screaming her name.
Chapter Five
As Isla flopped on the stones, Jace felt something inside him snap. They’d come too far to lose it all now. He’d die before he let Renata slaughter Isla as she had her family. From somewhere deep inside, the full force of his angelic heritage surged. Time seemed to slow as he broke free of the hands holding him captive.
Grabbing fistfuls of the shirts on either side of him, he slammed together the heads of the two vampires. There was an explosion of broken fangs and dark black vamp blood. He dropped the unconscious duo and launched into the fray.
It was a blur of hands and feet, snapping fangs, swiping claws and hisses. Without his gun he was no less lethal. Like Isla, he kept weapons strapped to his ankles, in this case a pair of blood-stained wooden stakes that had saved his life more than once over the years. Wielding them like fighting knives, he swung and stabbed, using them defensively as much as offensively. He hooked his right foot behind the knee of the vampire just to his right. As the off balance vampire lurched forward, Jace planted the stake in his heart.
He wasted no time, jerking the stake free as the vampire burst into flames and attacking another bloodsucker. The momentary shock of seeing his partner ablaze gave Jace all the edge he needed. With a violent swing, he hit the sweet spot. He slammed his heel against the stunned vamp’s belly, freed the stake and sent him hurtling backward.
Facing off against the last two drones, Jace set his sights on the weakest of the pair. They traded blows and blocked kicks, circling as they bobbed and weaved. The vampire swiped at Jace with his scarily sharp claws and slit open the black leather arm of his jacket. Narrowly averting a serious injury, Jace jumped back and to the side. He tried to read the vampire’s face, to anticipate the undead bastard’s next move. When the vampire jumped forward, Jace leaned to the right. With a backhanded move, he slammed the stake straight through the vamp’s back and almost into his heart. The vampire gasped with surprise and desperately tried to remove the stake. With the heel of his boot, Jace shoved the stake home. The vampire went rigid and fell forward.
Realizing he’d lost track of the last vampire, Jace spun around. Where is he?
The cold sensation of metal knocked against his temple. His own gun. The vampire was using Jace’s own gun against him. An arm curled around his throat, and he was drawn back against the vampire’s chest. The barrel of his pistol bit into his skin. Jace swallowed hard, ready to meet his death with dignity. That he’d failed Isla would haunt his everlasting life.
“No!” Renata sharply intervened. “I want him to see.”
Jace was forced into an about face. Renata’s wickedly amused grin turned his stomach. She’d stopped tormenting Isla but the damage was done.
Isla tried to catch her breath, her cheeks shiny with tears. Blood dribbled from the corner of her mouth. From a bitten tongue or lip, Jace couldn’t tell. As if frozen in agony, her body remained stiff and bent. Jace could only imagine the utter torture the woman he absolutely adored endured at that moment.
Adore? I fucking love her. That sudden realization made what happened next even more heart-wrenching for him to watch.
“Isla,” Renata purred.
“Leave her alone, you bat-faced bitch!”
Renata fixed him with a furious gaze. “Shh!”
Jace’s throat tightened. He couldn’t talk. She’d taken his voice.
“Isla,” Renata continued in her dreamlike voice. “I know you’re on fire. I know what you need.” Renata ran her hands down her body, outlining her ancient curves through the gauzy film of her nightgown. “You can feel my touch. Doesn’t it feel lovely?”
On the ground, Isla panted and jerked. Jace could only surmise that Renata’s touch transferred to Isla’s body. It made him sick to see Renata fondling her own breasts, tweaking the nipples, rolling them between her fingers. When Renata’s hand drifted lower, disgust rose within him. One hand on her breast, Renata cupped the filmy fabric to her sex. She played with her clitoris and dipped her fingers inside.
Isla squirmed and shuddered. He recognized the almost-there expression on her face.
Cackling, Renata took away her hand and watched Isla convulse again. Pink foam erupted from Isla’s lips. Only the gun at his temple kept him in place. He couldn’t get to Isla before the vampire pulled the trigger. Never before in his life had Jace felt so completely worthless and impotent.
“You know,” Renata said pensively, “I don’t think I’ll kill her after all. What say you, Reynard?”
The vampire holding Jace hostage shrugged. “Whatever pleases my mistress.”
Renata’s lips curved in an indulgent smile. “She’s tenacious. I could use someone like that in my immortal guard.”
Oh, God, no.
“Isla,” Renata soothingly murmured. “Come to me, my darling. Let me deliver you from your misery.”
As if entranced, Isla sat up, her head lolling a bit, and slowly rolled up and onto her feet. Like a zombie, she staggered first to the left and then to the right before regaining her balance. The foamy bubbles dribbled down her chin. Her pupils seemed incredibly dilated. Her hands hung limply at her sides.
“Yes, my love,” Renata whispered. “That’s it. Come to me. Into my arms.” Isla moved into Renata’s embrace. “Yes, my pet.”
When Renata swept aside Isla’s hair and bared her neck, Jace struggled to reclaim his voice. His lips moved but no sound issued forth. Determined, he went through the movements of shouting again and again until finally a whisper left his throat. He kept at it, repeating Isla’s name over and over, his voice growing louder in the tiniest of increments. “Isla!”
Her name burst forth as if the righteous fury of Heaven were behind it. Isla’s unfocused gaze moved to his face. He saw the briefest flash of recognition. “Isla! Wake up! Isla!”
Renata’s face contorted with irritation. Fangs bared, she turned back to her prey. In a handful of seconds, Isla would be yet another of Renata’s mindless minions, her every move controlled by the vampiress’ whims.
“Isla! Baby…” At any other time, Jace would have been embarrassed by the begging tone of his voice. As it was, he stood completely at a loss. If only she could hear him. If only she’d wake up from the trance…
The entire r
oom seemed to slip into slow-motion as Renata’s fangs drew precariously close to Isla’s neck. Renata’s hands shifted Isla’s head just enough for Jace to get a glimpse of Isla’s eyes. His gut clenched at the sight of the total blackness covering her entire eye. She’d been consumed by her demon side. The tiniest smile quirked her lips. What the fuck?
Isla’s hands moved so quickly he barely registered the movement. One second, her right hand was under her shirt and the next it was on Renata’s chest. Renata jerked and her jaw dropped in shock. Shrieking like a banshee, she stumbled away from Isla.
Jace’s eyes widened at the unexpected sight of a pair of syringes sticking out of Renata’s heart. The smoke billowing from her body led him to the only conclusion possible. Isla had just stabbed her with some kind of mixture of garlic and holy water.
Jace’s memories raced back to their tryst in Isla’s car. What had he felt then? Ridges under her tee? She’d had them strapped to her stomach all along. Clever girl…
Latching onto the element of surprise, Jace employed a rather tricky move to free himself from Reynard. He slapped away Reynard’s wrist while simultaneously turning into his opponent. With a quick twist, he wrenched free his gun but really it was unnecessary. As Renata burst into flames, she took all of her sired vampires with her, including Reynard.
Whatever Jace had been expecting, it wasn’t even remotely close to the ungodly fireball Renata became. In that millisecond of watching Renata explode, Jace thought he was going to die. And then Isla’s arms were wrapped around him, her demonic powers shielding him from the scorching heat. As if punched in the gut, all breath left his body. The near instantaneous shock of heat and cold forced him to suck in a shaky breath just before his back slammed into something hard, cold, and metal.
