Fabian inhaled deeply beside me and headed away at a fierce pace. “This way,” he growled as I ran to keep up. “She’s bleeding.”
We were going around in circles in the tunnels and I was starting to get pissed off with Julius leading the way.
“I'll go ahead,” I said, running forward, but he elbowed me as I tried to get past him.
“I'm doing just fine,” Julius snarled, squaring his shoulders.
“Stop it,” Montana sighed. “Don't fight.”
Julius nodded to me in agreement and we set the pace together, speeding up to the next junction.
“Left must lead to the house,” I said, gazing that way.
“No we already took a left, it must be right,” Julius insisted.
Montana pushed between us, gazing down the two long tunnels.
“What do you think?” I asked her and her lips pursed in thought.
“Left. That way curves right at the end anyway look.” She pointed and I grinned smugly as I got my way, heading off down the tunnel at a quick pace.
We moved in silence and I sensed we must have been nearing the house at last. It couldn't be far. And these tunnels were starting to feel suffocating. I needed to find my family and then we had to get the fuck off of this farm.
What if Valentina is here?
The thought circled in my mind and fear crushed my heart at the idea. What if she'd found another way to control us? A magical bracelet...or maybe a mystical dildo was more her style. She was hell-bent on getting Magnar and I in her bed, and that woman needed to learn a thing or two about boundaries.
“-think we're lost, Pete,” a male voice carried to me from afar and I froze, gesturing for the others to do the same.
“Yeah, Pete. Why'd you bring us down here?” a girl hissed.
“Because they didn't teleport out of the barn, did they Melissa? They came down here,” answered a male who I guessed was Pete.
“Great, so now we're lost. We've definitely passed this wall several times,” Melissa said.
“How do you know it's the same wall?” Pete snapped.
“Because it had that same slime on it shaped like your big nose,” Melissa laughed.
I edged toward the end of the tunnel, making sure every one of my footfalls was silent. Julius lifted his sword and I gave him a nod as he moved along behind me. As we reached the entrance to another tunnel, Montana readied her fists and I mimicked her.
The Biters moved quietly, but their voices continued to ring out, drawing closer and closer.
“Perfect, another T-junct-” Pete didn't finish that sentence as I slammed my fist into his face. He stumbled back into the man and woman behind him with a yelp of fright. I aimed a sharp kick to his chest, knocking them all down like dominoes.
Julius came at them from my left and Montana ran forward on my right. I leapt onto the group, pummelling my fists into every pound of flesh I could find, adrenaline flooding through my veins.
Pete grabbed my arm, digging his fangs into my skin and I headbutted him to get him off.
Melissa gained her feet, diving at Montana and they crashed into the wall, smashing a light so glass showered everywhere. Anxiety darted through me as I slammed Pete's head down on the ground to try and disable him.
Julius swiped his blade at the other male, skewering him with a grunt of effort. Dust exploded around us and I screwed up my eyes as it floated over me. Pete kicked and bit me, not letting me near his chest as I tried to rip his heart out.
Julius released a roar, kicking me in the side and I hit the ground with a hiss of anger. I realised why a second later as he drove his sword through Pete's chest and cast him to ash.
I turned to help Montana, but my wife had already snapped the female's neck. I gave her a grin and Julius strode forward to finish the Biter off.
I hurried to Montana, checking her over for wounds, finding a bite mark on her hand. I frowned, caressing it and Julius cleared his throat.
“Any time today,” he sang. “I don't wanna stand here watching you make out for an hour.”
“Oh, but you enjoyed doing just that with my sister last night,” I taunted.
Julius raised his sword at me with a dark glare. “I did no such thing.”
“Guys,” Montana hissed. “We have to move.”
I nodded, clapping Julius on the shoulder as we headed along the tunnel. “Don't worry, your secret is safe with me.”
“There's no secret to hide! Nothing happened,” Julius growled.
“Can we just focus on the task at hand?” Montana pressed. “We can talk about how Julius kissed Clarice later.”
Julius glowered at her back.
“I did no such thing,” he reiterated.
“Sure,” I said lightly. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“Even if I did kiss that parasite – which I didn't – I was wasted last night. Clarice took advantage of me,” Julius said.
“Don't start throwing accusations around about my sister,” I warned. “You were all over her and I don't care how much you had to drink.”
Julius opened his mouth to retort but a weight collided with me from behind and fangs buried into my neck.
“Fuck!” I slammed myself back against the wall, spotting Montana and Julius darting forward to help.
This is place is swarming with these assholes!
I slammed the vampire against the wall again, my attacks ferocious and unforgiving. My assailant fell off of me and I turned, booting her in the face. Between the three of us, the Biter met a swift and brutal end. Her remains scattered around us and the tension ran out of my muscles.
“We better be quiet from now on,” Montana whispered.
“Okay,” Julius breathed. “But one more thing...I didn't kiss a parasite and I never will.”
I scrambled away from the stairs on my hands and knees, diving into the pitch black confines of the wine cellar as I struggled to locate something I could use as a weapon.
The Elite’s footsteps thunked heavily down the stairs as he came for me, not bothering to hurry.
I could hear the fight that had broken out upstairs and my heart raced with anxiety for my friends.
I wiped my sleeve over the cut in my hairline and hissed as the pain of it found me. It hadn’t stopped bleeding and I bit my tongue against the burning sensation as I moved on.
My hands met with something big and metal and I clutched at it, heaving myself upright as I realised it was a washing machine.
I moved on from it quickly as the Elite’s footsteps drew closer.
Come on, Callie. Anything you can lift into your arms. Now!
I cursed internally as I fumbled my way past a dryer next. I found the wall, grabbing hold of a wooden shelf and ripping it off of its bracket as the vampire drew closer.
The Elite chuckled as he closed in on me and I snarled angrily, knowing he could see better than I could in this infernal darkness.
The air in the room shifted as he lunged at me and I swung the shelf around, shattering the wood over him with a scream of defiance.
The vampire flinched aside and I ripped a second shelf from the wall, slamming it into his face and knocking him to the ground. I smashed it down over his head again, releasing it as that broke too and the wooden pieces clattered to the floor.
I turned and fled but his icy hand curled around my ankle and he yanked me off of my feet.
I hit the ground hard, pain flaring through my chin as it collided with the concrete floor.
The vampire crawled on top of me and I flipped beneath him, punching him as hard as I could.
He reared back as the full force of my gifted muscles slammed into his cheek and his scarred nose but he didn’t stop coming.
The Elite threw his own punches into my gut so forcefully that all the breath was knocked from my lungs.
I wheezed in pain, kicking and thrashing as I tried to buck him off of me.
“The one true queen wants your head, girl,” the vampire snarled. He caught
my throat and panic gripped me as he yanked upwards as he tried to rip my head off.
I drove my knees up, ramming them into him and knocking him off balance as I managed to drive a punch into his chest, then another and another. Ribs cracked and his fingernails cut into my neck as he fought to maintain his hold on me. But I refused to let this asshole kill me. Not now. I had too damn much to live for and I fucking refused to die.
The Elite reared back, dragging me with him before slamming me to the ground again, the back of my head colliding with the concrete.
My vision darkened and my arms fell limp at my sides as I tumbled towards oblivion.
The Elite growled in satisfaction and pain speared through my neck as he bit into me. He dragged my limp body up into his arms as I tried to fight against the urge to black out. If I succumbed to the darkness I knew I’d never wake from it.
A fearsome cry rang out from somewhere behind me and my heart leapt with relief as I recognised Magnar’s voice.
The Elite dropped me and I managed to shield myself with my arms so that my head didn’t hit the floor again.
I rolled onto my knees, blinking the stars from my eyes as Magnar swung Venom straight at the Elite’s head but he ducked aside to avoid the blow.
“Your death has come for you, Andrew,” Magnar spat. “Your whore queen won't save you now.”
Fabian leapt from the stairs too, blocking Andrew’s retreat as he tried to dance away from Magnar’s rage.
The Elite sprang back from Fabian and Tempest severed his left arm at the elbow as he got too close to Magnar.
Andrew howled in pain and Fabian jumped on his back, knocking him to the ground before catching his remaining hand in his grasp.
“No, no - please!” the Elite begged as Fabian jammed his boot down on the vampire’s chest and heaved until he’d torn that arm free too.
Magnar bellowed in rage as he slammed Venom down, removing the vampire’s legs as well.
Andrew was screaming, wailing in pain and begging for mercy from the men who’d come to help me. But there was no pity in either of their eyes.
I grabbed the wall and heaved myself upright, shaking my head to clear the last of the darkness from my vision as I approached them, blood pooling beneath my boots.
The pain of the Elite’s venom still burned in my neck and I rubbed my hand against it in an attempt to get it out.
Fabian looked at me with relief filling his eyes as he stepped aside to let me approach the doomed vampire.
Andrew was crying out for help but anyone who could hear him either couldn’t help or didn’t care.
Magnar’s eyes raked over me with concern and I held my hand out as I spied my blade tucked into his waistband.
He drew it, turning it in his grasp as he offered me its hilt.
Let’s end him, Sun Child, Fury purred.
My lip pulled back as I looked down at the vampire who had tried to end my life and his eyes widened with a dawning comprehension just before I slammed Fury down between his ribs and he was cast to dust.
The pounding of soft footfalls sounded somewhere off in the tunnels and I stiffened. There were a lot of them. Erik laid a hand on my shoulder, glancing back the way we'd come.
“Hurry,” he urged and we quickened our pace to a sprint, moving as quietly as we could along the tunnel.
The passage rose upwards and we finally arrived at a metal door. Julius turned the handle excitedly but it didn't open.
“Shit,” he breathed. “It's locked.” He rammed his shoulder against it and a loud gong rang out.
“This way!” a female voice called to us.
Erik snarled, moving past me and slamming his foot to the door. He and Julius started battering it and I turned, raising my fists.
Two Biters lunged out of the darkness and I screamed as nails slashed across my throat. One of them caught my hair, the females battling to kill me together. Erik roared as he intercepted them, bringing one to her knees as he tore her head from her shoulders.
I kicked the other female in the chest and she hit the far wall. Erik grabbed her by the throat and threw her to the ground. She rolled upright, darting back into the tunnel with a hiss.
“Rachel!” she called and several Biters poured out of the gloom one after the other. A tall female led the swarm and I backed up with Erik by my side, terror rattling through me.
Julius started banging on the door. “Open up!” he yelled then spun around and lifted Menace before drawing Vicious from his hip too, ready for the fight.
There were so many of them, packed into the space wall to wall. There was no way we could win.
Rachel rolled up her sleeves as the lesser female joined her side with a wicked grin. “Three green bottles standing on the wall.” She smiled widely, stepping forward, raising a huge machine gun. “Let's smash 'em.”
Erik grabbed me, turning sharply around as he shielded me with his body.
“No!” I screamed, slamming my eyes shut as gunfire exploded through the air.
Someone shoved me forward.
Hands were on me. Erik's hands, Julius's.
I stumbled through the door and Erik fell on top of me with a groan.
Chickoa stood there with a shotgun. “Fuck you!” she yelled, lifting a grenade to her mouth and pulling out the pin with her teeth before throwing it into the passage. She kicked the door shut, twisting a lock and catching Julius by the arm. “Run!” she bellowed and I willed my legs to move as I clung to Erik, forcing him along as he staggered from his injuries.
The explosion shook the foundations of the house and fire burst through the room. We hit the floor again, scrambling to our feet.
“There's another passage, the others have already gone ahead,” Chickoa said as she leapt upright.
I nodded, relief spilling through me to know they were alright. My gut dropped again as I turned to Erik to inspect his wounds. His shirt was torn to ribbons at the back and several bullets were deep in his flesh.
Anger and pain tore through me as I supported him, unable to believe what he'd done for me.
“Is anyone upstairs?” Erik asked Chickoa through his teeth.
“No, it's all clear,” she confirmed. “But there's vampires all over the farm. I saw them from my room.”
Erik turned to me with a wince. “Go upstairs, get the truck keys from my pants' pocket.”
I nodded, my hands shaking and coated in blood as I released him.
“Get to the tunnel,” I urged the others.
“I'm not going anywhere without you,” Erik breathed, resting his hand against a wall as he turned to Julius with a wheeze. “Go with her.”
Julius nodded and we ran into the hallway, finding the house riddled with bullet holes as we sprinted upstairs. I charged along the landing to my bedroom, kicking the door open and grabbing Erik's pants from a chair. The keys jingled in his pocket and I snatched them out before running to the nightstand and retrieving Nightmare.
“All good?” Julius asked as he guarded the doorway.
I nodded, my throat constricting as we darted back onto the landing. Every step I took was more urgent. Erik was wounded and I needed to be by his side. I had to get him out of here.
I hurried down the corridor to where he was waiting, cupping his neck and pressing my forehead to his. “Let's go.”
He nodded and dropped an arm over my shoulders as he let me support him.
Chickoa led the way into the kitchen and I heard footsteps pounding into the entrance hall. Panic filled me as Chickoa tugged open a door beside the fridge concealed as a cupboard. She gestured for us to head into it and Julius helped me guide Erik into the passage.
“Go on,” Chickoa encouraged.
“Are you coming?” I asked as she stood before the tunnel.
“I've got a rodent problem I need to take care of first. See you at the trucks.” She slammed the door behind us and my heart twisted as we were left in darkness. A second later, orange lights flickered on along the walls. We hu
rried on and I kept my arm around Erik as we followed Julius.
“You okay?” I whispered frantically as he moved at my side.
My hand slid through blood and tears pricked my eyes at the agony he must have been in.
“Perfect, Rebel. Don't worry about me,” he said firmly, but my stomach twisted and knotted with concern. We needed to get those bullets out so he could heal.
A loud boom sounded from the house above and sediment cascaded down on us.
I drew in a breath to quiet my nerves, praying my sister and the others were okay. And that they'd be waiting for us when we resurfaced above ground.
Erik stumbled and swore through his teeth.
“Wait,” I begged Julius, coming to a halt and moving behind Erik. “We have to get these out.”
“We don't have time,” Julius objected.
“We're one man down right now,” Erik groaned. “Rebel's right. The quicker they're out, the quicker I'll heal. I'm only slowing you down like this.”
“Fine. But hurry.” Julius took a small knife from his hip, tossing it to me as a loud bang sounded against the door we'd come from.
I glanced back, but the door didn't budge.
I can do this.
“Sorry,” I breathed as I eased the blade into the first hole. Erik released a low groan, but didn't flinch. I wiggled the bullet free and it dropped to the floor with a ping.
“Six more,” I whispered, digging the knife into the next hole.
Another bang sounded behind me and I winced, accidentally digging the knife in too deep.
“Argh,” Erik groaned.
“Sorry sorry,” I said, frowning heavily. I continued as quickly as I could, the bullets falling to the floor one at a time. The first holes in his skin were already stitching over and I released a sigh as I extracted the final bullet.
“There,” I said resting my palm to his back.
“Thanks, Rebel.”
“No, thank you,” I said on a choked sob. “You saved my life. You shouldn't have put yourself between me and danger.”
He caught my hand, tugging me around to face him. “I'll always do that,” he murmured, his iron eyes glinting like molten silver.
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 161
