by K. E. Radke
One gorgeous, tan woman gazes at the floor and stops dead in her tracks, letting the two behind her leave. The invisible barrier denying her freedom. She whips around to face us, a seductive grin splitting her face.
“Problem?” I ask innocently in a patronizing voice.
Gage’s eyes slowly cascade down her slender body with a playful lift to his lips. “Spray tans can’t hide the smell.”
Sensually flipping her hair and swinging her hips, she steps toward Gage. “You must be here for our notorious leader.” She inhales, trying to pin down my brother’s scent. “He doesn’t like being cornered.”
“I don’t like being ignored,” he says, playing along with whatever scenario she made up in her head.
Her intense gaze rakes down Gage’s body with clear sexual intent. “Maybe I can rectify that problem for you.”
My brother’s lip twitches upward, and he raises his eyebrows, intrigued by her offer. He tilts his head and releases a dazzling grin I’ve seen him use thousands of times to get what he wants. I’m holding back the vomit threatening to explode out of my mouth.
“I’m listening.” Gage pins her with his eyes and there’s a minor shift in the atmosphere.
It feels like a gravitational pull. As if he’s magnetized himself and it’d be torture to pull away—a giant sand trap you’ll longingly suffocate in.
Not even I can resist the urge to be near him. The difference is I don’t want to sleep with him.
Casually walking up to her, he doesn’t let her gaze waver. The bat slides off his shoulder and he maneuvers it to his side as a makeshift cane. She can’t look away. He’s mesmerized her like a magician and leans forward, brushing his lips against her ear.
She inhales sharply, waiting for a secret whisper.
There’s a wet, ripping noise. Blood drips to the ground and a stunned gasp shatters the sexual tension in the room. Stumbling away from Gage, the woman looks down at the bat stuck in her chest.
Shock turns into rage and shame as her mouth opens in a silent scream. Nothing comes out, her entire body frozen in agony. Black lines crawl over her skin, cracking through her perfectly smooth, cold flesh. The tanned flesh turns gray and flashes of red lightning burn through her like paper on fire. Her face caves in and the rest of her body turns into a plume of dust, crumbling to the floor.
I wave my hand through it. “It’s in my nose.”
“We’re going to die from vampire inhalation.” Gage sputters and coughs, stepping back from the pile of dust.
A cacophony of voices and music thrum from the next room. Another devil’s trap is sprayed on the floor and I throw the spray can in the corner of the room, out of the way.
Gage joins me and takes a deep breath. “After you.”
It’s safer for me to go first when he has to cross over the symbol. He gets disoriented for a few seconds. Holding up Misty on my shoulder for all to see, I yank on the door and it flies open.
No one notices me at first. The waitstaff roams around offering hors d’oeuvres to groups of people. It’s unbelievably warm because of the number of bodies stuffed in one area. More tables of food peek through the throng of victims lured here.
Everyone is eating and laughing, and it seems like they don’t have a care in the world. I steal a fancy, baby sandwich off a wandering tray and put the whole thing in my mouth. It’s delicious.
Gage strolls past me into the middle of the room, going straight for the tables with food piled high on top of them. “I love parties.”
Everyone’s gaze falls on him, and the cheerful conversations slowly dissipate to low murmurs. No one moves to take their phone out. Or screams to call the police. They all stand motionless with wide eyes like they’re all invisible.
I grab someone’s shoulder and force them to look at me. His eyes are dilated, and he looks at my hand and swats at it, whispering, “Are you real?”
The next person I grab closes her eyes and refuses to open them, convinced I’ll suck her brain out of her sockets. Someone a few feet away is fighting with an invisible sword.
They’re all high.
All the plates in their hands glare at me and I realize the drugs are in the food. Of course it is. How much time do I have before it affects me?
With the exit clear, some of the braver innocents trickle out before the real party starts. Everyone’s attention darts between Gage and me, and they give us a wide berth. Gage is shoving something in his mouth and I want to warn him, but I can’t leave the exit unguarded. If someone ruins the devil’s trap, all my hard work will be for nothing.
A waitress with a tray of miniature finger pies catches my eye. I crook a finger at her. She looks at everyone around her and then points to herself. I nod. She nervously ambles forward and I take the tray from her. “I’m going to let you in on a secret,” I whisper loudly for everyone to hear. “Leave. Now.”
She flees out the exit beside me and triggers a stampede of people. The tiny pies stare at me, begging to be eaten. One finds its way into my mouth and I savor the flavor as innocents whisk by. Someone should enjoy them.
Gage yells over the shuffling crowd and music. “But we were just getting started.”
The room isn’t completely empty. About twenty people linger.
A strong, demanding voice booms over us. “Leave us.” My eyes follow the sound to a massive, towering blond man in a chair. The white robe is a bit much for my taste, but the leafy garnish on his head put him over the top.
Everyone scatters like cockroaches to a corridor out the back. Only five people remain.
Placing the tray on the ground near the wall, I point to it. “I plan to finish those.” My grip tightens around Misty after I dust my greasy hand on my pants.
“Save me one,” Gage says, not taking his eyes off the giant male of blond perfection in front of him.
“Get your own. I had to scare half the room out to get my hands on those suckers—no pun intended,” I assure everyone and scoff when no one laughs. “Tough crowd tonight.” My fingers dance over the water gun and I pull it from the holster like in an old western movie. “This is going to hurt you more than it hurts me.” The warning makes three of the five remaining people in the room knit their skeptical eyebrows together.
One woman dashes forward, a brilliant light cascading over her pale skin as she releases her demon side. Demons have beautiful aspects, the ethereal glow and exuding power from afar. A person can mistake them for a fallen angel. An omen sent down from heaven, and you think—my God—how am I so lucky to bear witness to such a miracle.
Fangs glisten over her bottom lip. The dark red eyes are mesmerizing until goosebumps flood over your skin and the jagged angles of her face contort into a menacing mask of pure evil.
Terror strikes you motionless, and those depthless eyes drown you into a pool of shadows like quicksand.
I squirt her in the face.
Holy water drips down her pale skin, scalding and crackling against her flesh. Smoke rises off her sizzling face. Ear-splitting screams shatter the electric tension and she falls to her knees in agony with her hands hovering over the burns.
Three people race for the front exit.
The vampire in front of me whimpers like the pain is finally bearable, and I squirt her with holy water again. Writhing on the ground, locked in agony, she doesn’t notice me positioning the wooden bat over her. I kick her so she’ll lay on her back and ram the sharpened point into her chest.
The mutilated face stares up at me and she inhales sharply like I knocked the wind out of her. Black veins rise from her chest and over her neck, marring her perfect complexion. Dust billows into the air as the body crumbles.
My eyes land on the last woman in the room. I point the sharp end of the bat at her. “Your turn.”
A smattering of light footfalls makes me turn slightly. A fist smashes into my jaw. I don’t remember hitting the wall—or sliding to the floor. Shadows creep into my vision every time I open my eyes.
Ro
tating my jaw is painful, but it’s still working. Fingers claw at my head and pull me up by my hair. Pain ricochets through me and I focus on every breath. My hand automatically reaches for the silver knife at my waist and it slides out of the sheathe.
“Which Ruger boy are you?” a silky, diabolically sweet voice asks. A cold finger trails down my neck, landing on my erratic pulse. “You can watch your brother die while I drain you.”
The knife whips out, slicing flesh I can’t see, and I roll away. Mustering strength, I scramble across the ground on all fours, trying to get to an abandoned bat. Fingers wrap around my ankle and I fall flat on my stomach. She drags me backward. I kick at her hand and spin on my side to twist out of her grasp.
The knife slices at her arm and she lets go. When I turn back toward the bat, she’s already in front of me. I stab her in the leg and pull the Glock out of its holster.
She laughs when I aim it up at the ceiling. “This is embarrassing. Even for you.”
I call out, “Cucuy!” at the same time I pull the trigger, hoping he’ll come.
Chapter 20
Gage
T he massive, blond vampire yawns with a bored expression as the room empties. A slight twitch of his mouth in a downward angle gives the only indication we’ve inconvenienced him. His gaze wanders to me, not because he sees me as a threat—I’m the annoying bug he needs to swat to put his party back on track—but because I’m encroaching on his space.
The aroma of sand and ocean and coconut waft off him when he finally stands and lazily stretches. Fangs extend over his bottom lip, and although he’s readying himself for a quick brawl, he stands like a king with a circlet of leaves atop his head. He emits authority like I release sex appeal.
The crisp, white robe billows around him. The outfit appeals to humans seeking guidance and acceptance. They see a beautiful face with an innocent agenda to help them through a rough time in their life.
“You got a little something—.” I rub my tongue over my canines to point out his deformity. “Oh, and leaves.” I gaze at the top of his head and make a circle around mine with a finger. “In your hair.”
His eyes flick to the something behind me and they narrow in distaste. Vicious anger swarms the space between us and I take a step forward, bringing his gaze right back to me. “Thought I lost you there for a minute. Because we both know—I will fight to keep your attention…all night long.” The teasing words hold the promise of a good time and violence.
Laughter explodes out of him. “Such a shame we are enemies. And I have to kill you.”
His attention wavers beyond me again, but I can’t take a chance to see what’s distracting him. My foot moves forward and his eyes dart back to me.
“Can I have this first dance?” I position Darla in front of me, holding her up sideways to swing her lightly against my palm in a subtle threat. A high-pitched shriek grates my eardrums. The corners of my mouth lift. Rowan is having more fun than me.
“No.” The quick, amused reply catches me off guard. He blurs off to my left and I swing Darla in an arc at his head and miss. Spinning around me, he dashes in a different direction. I’m seconds too late by the time I race after him.
A feral growl reverberates through the building, promising savage brutality. And he’s focused on Rowan. The blond’s fist collides with Rowan’s face, jerking his head back so hard, I’m terrified it broke his neck.
My brother flies eight feet through the air into a wall. Don’t look at him. He is not dead. I force my eyes to concentrate on the vampire. The bat is forgotten, slipping through my fingers as I sprint toward the bloodsucker.
I’ll rip his head right off his shoulders with my bare hands.
Bulldozing right into his side, my fist connects with his kidney before I land on top of him. Rock hard is an understatement. There’s no give to his flesh to lighten the blow as if I’m hitting a metal robot.
I swing toward his face and he blocks, pushing me off him. He rolls back to his feet with ease and waits for me to stand. A cocky gesture to prove he’s not afraid and wants me at my best. He won’t be fighting dirty. The wild glint in his eyes promises he’s having fun, and he has no intention to beg for mercy. If he wants me standing, he’ll have to drag me to my feet.
My foot swings back in an arc and knocks him off balance. I use the momentum and grab a fistful of his stupid robe, pulling it tight to restrict his movement. The shock on his face doesn’t last long, but the glimpse of vulnerability feeds the dark, heinous energy I crave during a fight.
Climbing on top of him, I clutch the fabric and let my fist strike his face over and over again. Bones crunch—I can’t tell if it’s his or mine. Black blood seeps over my skin and I eagerly block out the pain in my knuckles to bash his face in.
The vampire’s inhuman, wrathful snarl lashes out like a whip. A warning I’ve not won—only pissed him off. He underestimated me at first glance. He won’t do it again.
Amused laughter sets off a white glow underneath his skin, and I hesitate for less than a second. It’s the opening he wants to shove me off him. I quickly stand, watching the transformation.
The light radiates over him as he flips off his back onto his feet. Black eyes glitter with gleeful hatred. Glossy, onyx horns curl from his temples, clashing with his blond locks. Ridges form along his sharp cheekbones and a forked tongue slides over his lips.
An impressive demon for the untouchable vampire.
“Finally, a real battle,” he says with satisfaction. “It’s been too long.”
“I never like to disappoint,” I grunt out, crouching defensively and pull a throwing knife from a sheathe. The blade sinks through the flesh on my upper arm. His nose flares at the coppery scent.
In a blur, his fist snaps back my head at the same time mine catches him in the ribs. I absorb the pain and swing with my other hand. An uppercut sends him back a few feet. His tongue whips out to lick the blood dripping down his mouth.
Movement on my left seizes my attention. Rowan scrambling for a bat and a leech dragging him in the opposite direction.
Blondie uses the distraction and kicks me in the stomach. Bent over, gasping for air, I think my ribs are broken. I grab the water gun and spray haphazardly to keep the bloodsucker at bay.
Rowan is pointing the gun—not at the vampire about to kill him—at the ceiling. Gunfire echoes through the building and I hear the faintest name. “Cucuy!”
Sparks and glass rain down from the ceiling. Rowan is swathed in shadows. The General has worked with worse.
Opening my mouth, all I need to do is say his name. It doesn’t matter how quiet the sound, he will come. We are connected. He doesn’t have a choice.
“Cuc—.” The word is lost in the volley of punches I take to the body. Fists land on my jaw and ribs and stomach. Retreating doesn’t help, the blond nightmare is everywhere, striking all the right places. I’m tossed around like a punching bag unable to defend myself.
Each hit is excruciating agony, stealing the breath from my lungs. Wheezing and attempting to keep my head up, I can’t see out of my left eye. I crash onto the floor before I know I’m falling.
Barely able to keep my eyes open, the dark twists and bends like smoke. Shimmery and reflective until the different tones of black clash against each other. A familiar sight of mismatched black cloth I’ve learned to rely on in the last year.
The General materializes in front of me and the angelic Greek vampire inhales sharply. “Rowan,” the command is barely audible from my swollen mouth.
A roar of enchanting, bone-chilling laughter echoes throughout the cavernous room, commanding everyone to look at the handsome blond kicking me in the stomach. “The Boogeyman graces us with his presence. Someone must truly despise you half breed. Tell me, who did you piss off? I’ll let you live long enough to entertain me with the story.”
Why do they always think he’s on their side? Pulling the only eyelid working open, I watch the General swirl like a shadowy tornado around th
e vampire about to sink her teeth into Rowan.
Bones pop and break, twisting at angles they shouldn’t be bending in. Flesh tears with a wet noise, bones rupturing through the skin. Limbs are torn off in a mangle of dark wisps, too fast for my eyes to comprehend what’s happening.
The bloodsucker doesn’t even have time to scream.
Relief Rowan is safe makes it harder to keep my one good eye open.
Blondie’s foot slams into my ribs. “Get up.”
I grit my teeth against the pain and unfurl.
A ferocious growl shakes the building, and I roll away from him, but his attention is elsewhere. He swivels around and I blink a few times to make sure the blurred axe between his shoulder blades isn’t my imagination.
“I’m the only one allowed to beat up my brother,” Rowan spits heinously. He strikes the Greek angel in the chest with a sharpened bat and twists to make sure it’s pierced snuggly in his heart.
Staggering backward, shaking his head, blondie’s disbelief is worth every second of my beating. A thunderous battle cry filled with resigned aggression is cut short when his body crumbles to ash.
Reagan sails right through it and kneels next to me, covered in blood. She drips over me, inspecting my face. “That’s nasty.”
I can’t see out of my left eye.
“Stop bleeding all over me.” My hand barely lifts from the ground in an attempt to push her away.
“Not mine,” she says with a devilish grin.
Rowan comes into view, half his face swollen. “You look like Hell chewed you up and spit you out.”
“You should see the other guy.” The chuckle comes out in a groan full of pain.
My brother offers a hand to help me up.
“If you don’t mind. I think I’m going to lie here for a bit longer. Maybe appreciate the wood grain. Possibly wait until someone kicks me out.”
Rowan collapses on the floor next to me. “Standing is overrated.”
“Y’all would be dead if you didn’t bring me,” Reagan points out gleefully and joins us on the floor. She pats the ground next to her and shouts, “Cucuy, right here.”