A shiver danced over my spine as I looked down at the gardens below, knowing I didn’t have the ability to survive such a fall. Those bastards inside the walls of this place decided that gift was only for the elite.
What about the rest of us?
Shoving my fears to the back of my mind, I crept across the roof, carefully taking each step to make sure I made it out of this place.
Grabbing the next window frame and steadying myself, I peered inside, making sure no one was about to bust me for trying to make a run for it.
When I saw everything was clear, I continued on, knowing my room was coming up and thankful I was always too careless to bother locking windows. For once, my laziness was advantageous.
Ducking under the next window, I crawled on all fours for the remainder of the way, hoisted myself up, and slipped through the window to my room.
Landing with a thud, I paused, fearing Finn was about to bust my ass. After a moment, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Knowing I didn’t have much time, I quickly headed into the closet and rifled through the bags for a jacket. Dumping the contents onto the floor, I spotted the one and only jacket I’d been given. I threw it on, zipping it up as I made my way to the door.
With my ear to the door, I listened for any passersby before slipping out of my room and cautiously making my way down the hall, stopping every few seconds to ensure I was alone.
Entering the stairwell, I darted down to the basement floor and scanned the garage. I had no idea where Finn was or if he was still on the premises, but there were a couple of vacant car spaces, which I hoped meant he and the others were out looking for Mason.
I quickly made my way over to the stockpile of weapons and glanced at the various knives, bows, guns, and other archaic sharp objects, trying to decide what to use.
Figuring a gun was the best choice—even though I had no idea how to use it—I went to grab a couple off the shelf but paused inches from them when two shiny blades a few feet away caught my attention. They were captivating and deadly, something I was surely going to end up hurting myself using. But I couldn’t ignore the gravitation drawing me to them. They were the ultimate vampire hunter weapon that you’d see in the movies—only in real life it wasn’t just a wooden stake to the heart.
That always confused me. Cutting the head off a vampire was another way. Ripping them in two would probably work; plus, they wouldn’t be that deadly without a brain. There were a million ways for them to die, yet it always came down to a wooden stake. So uncreative.
If I could kill one, I’d want to do it in a way that gave them the justice they deserved. But those demons… They were the ones that needed to be destroyed. It was because of them there were vampires to begin with. Yet they were untouchable.
Grabbing the daggers off the rack, I marveled at the way the smooth, cold metal felt in my hands, ready to rip through any monster that came into my path.
I may have only been one person who was untrained, had never fought a vampire in my life, nor used a weapon against another breathing creature, but I had one thing the others didn’t.
I could hear demons.
My plan was foolish, but the guilt over Mason’s kidnapping was consuming me. I had barely eaten or slept since the day he was taken, and the thought made me feel sick.
Figuring I should be properly prepared, I switched the daggers to one hand and grabbed a gun. Then I headed toward the parked car Lana had taken me out in earlier that day.
I slipped into the driver’s seat, dumped the weapons on the passenger seat, and started the engine. Taking a moment to steady my nerves, I curled my fingers around the steering wheel and took a few deep breaths, releasing them slowly.
My heart was already racing, partly out of excitement of what was to come but mostly because I was afraid of what lengths I would go to in order to see my little brother safe again. I couldn’t ignore my deep-seated desire to protect him at all costs.
Maybe he was the one the demons were looking for after all, and I’d be damned if I would let my selfish ways mean his death.
The sins I’d already committed were unforgivable, but if I could do this one thing, maybe there was redemption for me.
Shaking my thoughts away, I eased out of the parking spot and veered toward the exit. For a second, I thought I would have to smash my way through the iron gate, but it opened without any doing on my part. Guess these guys didn’t think someone would ever need to break out of the joint when only those they trusted were ever invited in.
Dusk had settled over the sky, dragging us into the depths of the night, where the monsters liked to come out and play. I wasn’t entirely sure why the vampires preferred the night when they didn’t burn under the light of the sun. But that was the reality of the way the world now worked.
The day was forgiving, and the night was anything but.
I lowered the window in preparation for the voices, hoping they’d guide me to wherever Mason was located, because if I were right, there was no way such a monumental event would stay quiet. There would be talk about the possibility, and I was relying on that to guide me to them.
Knowing where the hub of the vamps was, I headed to the Cross. The streets leading there loomed with those trying to make it home before the bloodsuckers came out to play, and others with a warped sense of fun were seeking the attention of the blood-junkies, getting off on becoming the vampires’ pop-top for the night, hoping they’d get their wish and become one of the walking dead.
Rounding the corner onto the main strip, I almost crapped myself when the screen on the dashboard came to life and two red moving dots flashed, showing what I presumed were two cars or people or some object of importance only a half a mile from where I was located. That hadn’t happened when Lana had been driving.
Figuring those dots had to be either a hunter or something they were tracking, I pushed down on the accelerator, speeding up to the limit, no longer focusing on the talk of the night.
The dots were coming up on the next street, and as tempted as I was to drive in there, ramming anything that came up against me, I knew I’d probably end up being hog-tied by Finn and stuffed in the trunk.
Still, I needed to know where they were but be smart enough to stay at a distance.
I pulled the car over to the side of the road and parked, my hands trembling with unspent energy. I glanced over my left then right shoulder, giving a quick assessment of my surroundings before climbing out.
I closed the door and trekked halfway across the street before realizing I’d left my damn weapons in the car.
Freaking idiot. Who forgets their weapons? Maybe Finn and Max were right about me.
Cursing under my breath, I backtracked to the car, leaned inside, and scooped up the daggers and gun.
Of course, I had no idea what to do with them once they were in my hands. I had nowhere to stash the blades without cutting myself, so it was either the daggers that were to be rendered useless or the gun.
Common sense would’ve gone with keeping the gun, but there was something badass about the blades that pricked the inner warrior inside of me.
Shoving the gun into the waist of my tights, I broke into a jog, crossing the road once again.
The street was empty, apart from the couple of drug junkies splayed out on the footpath, neither of them giving me a second glance until I strode up to them, blades in hand. “I want one of you to fill this container with your blood.”
“What the fuck?” the female junkie said, brushing her matted strawberry blonde hair away from her face as she looked up at me through slitted eyes, trying to focus.
The guy sniffed then swiped his finger under his nose. “Fuck off, bitch. We ain’t no blood whores.”
I kneeled a few feet in front of them and tossed the woman an empty water bottle. I pointed the dagger in her direction, twisting the blade under the streetlight, illuminating the sharp edges. “Fill this, or I’ll fill it for you. And if I have to do it, I can’t promise you’l
l survive to get your next hit.”
Her greasy gaze met mine. “How do you suppose I’m going to get blood out of me? I don’t come with a tap.”
The guy barked out a laugh, setting her off as well.
I rolled my eyes. Freaking junkies. They were too high to really care about the danger they were in. Sure, I wasn’t planning to kill them, but they didn’t know that. “I’m sure I can figure out a way.” I pressed the tip of the blade against her throat, drawing a small dot of blood. That was all I needed, but I wouldn’t be able to get it out of the… I trailed off when I spotted the empty syringes laying on the ground between them.
I cocked my head toward the syringes. “Fill one of those up.”
They followed my gaze and smiled. “Why didn’t you suggest that first?” she said, picking up the syringe.
She whacked the guy’s chest. “Give me some H.”
I glared at them. “I don’t want your drugs. I want your blood. Fill up the syringe with your blood.”
“Oh,” she mouthed. She wrapped the homemade tourniquet around her arm before inserting the dirty needle and filling the syringe with her blood. “That’ll be twenty dollars.”
I snatched the syringe from her hand and strode off.
“Hey,” she called after me. “Where’s my twenty?”
Ignoring her, I crossed the street and snapped the needle off against the brick wall of the building I was passing. The blood inside of the syringe probably contained every disease known to man, but since the start of the vampire plague, it didn’t matter what diseases were present in the blood because as soon as it was consumed, the demonic essence inside of you killed anything that was deemed a threat. Accidentally having someone’s blood mixed with yours wouldn’t evoke the vampire within. It had to be consumed with intent.
And that was exactly what I planned to do as my last resort.
Sticking close to the wall, I eased up and peered around the corner, instantly recognizing a van similar if not the same as the one Finn had used to bring me in.
The hunters must’ve been near, but they were nowhere to be seen or heard. The street was eerily silent, sparking a deep foreboding within me.
As much as I wanted to turn around and get the hell out of there, I forced myself to continue.
Gingerly, I made my way toward the van, the hairs on the back of my neck dancing on end. I couldn’t hear or see anything suspicious, but that was the problem. I was right in the middle of enemy territory, and I couldn’t hear the whispers of the demons.
Fear crept over me, hoping I hadn’t been played and the demons hadn’t worked out a way to talk with those who’d committed the sin, using me as bait to entrap the hunters.
Reaching the van, I glanced inside the front seat. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, I made my way to the back and tried to open the doors with my pinky, because there was no way I was going to put down my weapons at a time like this.
They were locked.
“Looking for something?” a voice snarled from somewhere above.
28
Snapping my gaze toward the roofs of the nearby buildings, I spotted a vampire standing with his arms casually draped by his sides and a predatory look in his eyes.
I raised my daggers, preparing to defend myself. What I needed was my freaking gun. Bullets could reach the bastard, not these useless daggers.
Passing my right dagger into my left hand, I kept my eyes trained on the sole vampire looming above me and grabbed the gun from my waistband.
It wasn’t there.
“Looking for this?” a voice said from behind me.
My heart stopped as I realized the mistake I’d made. Vampires mostly moved around in packs. Strength in numbers so to speak. And I’d been stupidly focused on the one on the roof, not thinking there could be others.
Whipping my head around, my gaze landed on a man standing a foot or more higher than me, right before his fist smashed into my face.
Pain exploded through my head then quickly followed through to my back as I hit the glass window of an abandoned store behind me, shattering it into a million pieces as I fell onto the floor inside.
The vampire was on me before I had a chance to move, his ravenous eyes focused on the blood seeping from my wounds.
Shards of glass dug into my skin as I fought to push him off, but he was too strong, his animal instincts kicking in as he toyed with his prey. His fangs elongated as he snapped his head forward and pierced my neck, devouring me like I’d done to the woman in the alley.
Fear rippled through me as I fumbled for the syringe. If I could just get the junkie’s blood into my system, I would become unpalatable to the monster.
My fingers found the warm tube, and I gripped it tightly as I brought it closer to my mouth, the smell of blood salivating my senses. I needed it. I wanted it. I could almost taste the tangy, essence on my tongue, the need to feast growing stronger by the second.
I was seconds away from feeling the power rush through me. It was already awakening within my soul.
My hand exploded in pain as something slammed against it, snapping my wrist back unnaturally, the sound of my bones snapping ricocheting throughout my body, echoing in my ears.
Unable to hold onto the syringe any longer, it rolled off my fingers and clanked onto the dirty tile floor.
The vampire from the roof kneeled beside me and picked up the syringe. “Not so—”
His head jerked back as a dagger entered the vampire’s head with such force that an inch of the blade came out the other side, dripping with his black, tainted blood.
The vampire collapsed onto the floor, his lifeless eyes staring at me, a ghost of his former self.
A second later, the weight of the vampire on top of me disappeared as he was thrown across the room. Two knives followed, sticking into him, pinning him to the wall before his feet hit the ground.
I jerked into a sitting position, my head swaying from the loss of blood as I stared at the figure before me, unable to believe what or, more so, who I was seeing.
“Max?” His name slipped from my mouth in confusion.
He reached down, scooped me into his arms, and held me against his broad chest.
Confusion swept over me as I tried to work out why Max was here—saving me. I’d thought he would’ve loved to watch me become a vampire meal, yet here he was. And I was alive.
“You shouldn’t have come here by yourself,” he said, his voice still laced with anger.
There was my old mate.
“Put me down,” I said. “I can walk on my own. I don’t need you to carry me.”
He choked on a laugh as he carried me through the broken window toward a van parked twenty yards away. “Yeah, you look as if you can take care of yourself. You did a damn good job back there.”
His words were like a knife to my self-esteem. The bastard had been right. I wasn’t a hunter—
I tumbled to the ground, cursing when the shards of glass penetrated further into my flesh, sending pain ricocheting from my hand through to my shoulder.
I rolled over, ready to tell Max what a freaking asshole he was, when I saw the blood dripping from his chest and the bloodied dagger in his hand. His gaze was sharp, focused on our surroundings. “Get up,” he commanded.
Panic rippled through me as my gaze met his attackers. There had to be at least fifteen vampires surrounding us, their predatory eyes latched onto both me and Max, ready to strike.
We had our backs to the wall, we were outnumbered, and Max had me, broken, bleeding and in way over my head.
Getting to my feet, I stood beside him, my heart hammering against my chest, knowing only a miracle would let us walk out of here alive.
Not taking his eyes off our attackers, Max said, “Take my keys, and get as far away from here as you can. Left pocket.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“Do it,” he snapped. “I’ll be fine. But you need to go.”
“Look at the two little lovebirds.”
The vampire woman from my night as a fledgling sauntered toward us from just behind the pack, a smirk spreading across her face.
I wanted to tell her we most certainly weren’t in love. Hell, we weren’t even friends. Yet he was still risking his life for me.
“Take my keys,” he commanded again. “You’re a liability.”
Ouch. That stung. But it was the truth. I was a liability, and without that syringe filled with blood, I was going to get us both killed.
Reaching inside his pocket, I grabbed the keys and withdrew my hand.
Coming into view, the female vampire stopped in line with the other monsters and cocked her hip to the side in an arrogant stance, knowing she was the superior being. Her gaze faltered for a moment as recognition set in that I was the fledgling from the other night. Regaining her composure, she said, “How cute. The hunter thinks his little friend is going to get away.” A sadistic laugh escaped from her mouth. She was beautiful, a deception to the monster within.
“Now,” Max snapped.
It was like my feet were cemented to the road. Every step I took felt as if I were trapped, running on a treadmill, never getting to my destination.
Chaos ensued as Max cleared a path for me, ripping through the vampires with his daggers in a way I could only dream of.
Black blood splattered around me, followed by spouts of red, which I knew belonged to Max. He was pure, and everyone else was tainted—including me.
Stealing a glance over my shoulder, I came to a skidding halt when I saw the pack of vampires, holding him, sticking their fangs into every bit of Max’s exposed flesh.
But Max wasn’t giving up. Vampires fell around him as he carved his blades through their flesh, darkness billowing from their bodies, spreading out into a sea of shadows.
What kind of person was I to leave him there, giving his life to save a monster? He was reliving the one memory that had haunted every moment of his existence since he’d been an offering.
“Go!” Max’s eyes locked with mine, pleading for me to listen to him.
Shadow Realms Page 14
