The vampire growls his frustration around his mouthful of arm, and his huge body reverberates against mine. Red eyes glint at the edge of my vision, urging me to look. He’s trying to mesmerize me. Let him try. I breathe hard, trying to keep calm, but the adrenaline coursing through my system makes me tremble.
Still clutching the stake in my right hand, I let another drop down from my sleeve into my left. He snarls again, and I stick the stake between his ribs. Nothing happens. I’ve missed.
Maeve rushes forward, her stake in hand. The vampire-wolf releases his grip on my arm, twists toward her, and lunges. She falls to the ground with a grunt. I leap after him, plunge the other stake through his back, but he turns into mist before I can reach his heart.
“Are you alright?” I reach down and pull the other girl to her feet.
She nods and scowls up at the swirling, black mist.
I follow her gaze to find the vampire hasn’t escaped. “What?”
“He’s not going anywhere,” Poppy says, her hands outstretched.
The mist races around an invisible dome, trying to find an opening, but there are none. He spreads out, creating a barrier that blocks the light.
I snarl and stare into the dark. “What’s happening?”
Maeve grunts, but Poppy doesn’t reply. A boulder of dread drops into my gut, and I grope around the small space, trying to find my conciliar. She’s inside the barrier… somewhere.
I turn on my bloodsucker vision and the black mist above us glows red. Poppy kneels on the ground with her hands around her neck, her eyes bulging, and her mouth opening and closing. Red vapor enters her nose and mouth and ears. I cry out as despair washes through my insides.
“Release the barrier,” I shout.
She shakes her head. As I pull her to stand, the full force of her power slams into mine.
“We have to wait,” she says into my mind.
“What the hell are you doing?” I answer back through our bond. “This is a master vampire. He can probably hold his mist form for hours.”
“He’s flagging. I can feel it.”
Frustration wells in my stomach, and I clench my teeth. I don’t have a mage’s sensitivity to ether, but over half a minute has passed. She’s not going to outlast any vampire powerful enough to turn into mist, but she’s stubborn enough to try.
Maeve stands with a retractable javelin in one hand. Our eyes meet, and she nods, indicating that she’s also using her enchanted vision. She’s readying herself to attack if he turns corporeal.
Red mist continues to swirl around Poppy, and my chest tightens with worry. I pick up the fallen stakes, also readying myself to strike in case Poppy is right.
I squeeze her hand. “Take my magic if it helps.”
She shakes her head. “Get into position. He’s going to coalesce.”
I blink away the bloodsucker vision just as the vampire lands on his hands and knees, his eyes glowing red. He’s breathing hard, which means that his molecules haven’t fully set. Attacking now might result in pushing a stake through a heart of smoke. I’ve got to wait until he makes his first move.
“Prepare to die, slayers,” he snarls.
He lurches at me with outstretched arms. I duck, roll, and land on my knees, only to find him racing toward the end of the alleyway. Not pausing to question why a vampire of his caliber can’t handle two slayers, I chase after him at a sprint with Poppy at my heels.
Something flies over us and lands through the vampire’s back. He arches with a roar. It’s Maeve’s javelin. I drop one of the stakes, reach into my pocket for a whip, and with one lash, I wrap it around his neck. Doctor Lecco emerges from the other side of the alley and performs an enchantment that turns the whip into a silver chain that wraps around the vampire.
Maeve walks around us, grabs the javelin from where it protrudes from his stomach, and gives it a gentle tug.
“Monsters,” he snarls from between clenched teeth.
Poppy barks a laugh. “Says the fiend who was feeding on an innocent girl.”
“Let’s put him in the van.” I give him a hard clap on the shoulder. He might not be Nicodemus the Master Vampire with the walrus mustache, but he’s a close alternative.
Poppy whispers an incantation that renders him invisible to the natives. To us supernatural beings, he glows silver.
“Good work, girls.” Dr. Lecco stands beside Maeve and tugs at the chain’s silver handle, but the vampire won’t move.
“How is the other team doing?” I prod the vampire in the back with the blunt end of my stake, my silent way to tell him to walk, or else.
“I told Bailey and Finn we’d found a master vampire,” Poppy replies from my side. “After he transformed to mist, I got distracted.”
Poppy performs a spell to make him lighter, and we pick him up by the javelin, making him cry out. Cruel, but he had the choice to walk with us.
I glance around the vampire’s shoulder to the older mage. “Have you heard anything from the others?”
Dr. Lecco tilts her head to the side. “Apprentice Okoyo said Acolyte Shevette was on her way.”
“Maybe they found Nicodemus,” I mutter as we step out into the street and turn left. Further up ahead, is the van. Its lights are off, and there’s no sign of the other two slayers or the conciliars.
The vampire hisses through his teeth. “Nicodemus sent me out to investigate the disturbance.”
“What are you talking about?” I keep the curiosity out of my voice but shoot a glance at Poppy.
The vampire was already in place before we arrived, so he couldn’t be referring to us. Poppy wrinkles her nose, and I nod. This could be a bluff to bargain for his freedom.
“Release me, and I will share all the information we have gathered.”
I roll my eyes. “Sure.”
Poppy’s head snaps up. “Kofi says a group of vampires have spotted them and are approaching the van. There are too many to fight without drawing attention.”
“Acolyte Shevette’s van is close,” says Doctor Lecco.
I bite down on my lip and peer down the road. There’s no sign of these vampires and we have no way to tell if they’re also at the same level as the one we caught. As much as I hate the thought of allowing them loose on the natives of San Diego, I can’t lead my team into a fight we can’t win. Evangeline and her slayers might make a difference, but only if these other vampires are weak.
“They need a decision,” says the older mage.
I nod. “Tell them to drive toward Evangeline.”
“And us?” asks Poppy.
“You and Doctor Lecco, form a barrier,” I say, trying to keep the tremble out of my voice. “Bolster it with our power.”
Poppy and the older mage step forward and hold hands. Gold light shimmers over us, and we wait. This enchantment renders us invisible to all supernatural creatures and requires a lot of magic. Poppy reaches behind, and we lace fingers. She doesn’t draw on my powers, but the dampness of her hands tells me she just needs the comfort.
“We’ll get through this,” I say into our bond.
She nods but doesn’t answer.
The van pulls out and speeds the street, revealing twelve large males approaching from a distance, and a breath catches in the back of my throat. I made the right call, and I don’t need to activate my bloodsucker vision to know that they’re his comrades.
I’m not sure why, but I scan their faces for signs of Alaric, and another wave of relief washes through my heart when he’s not among the group.
“I smell Fortescue’s scent,” says the one in front. He’s an African-American male with cornrows who wears shorts atop his sweatpants and an eighties style jacket, which was probably around the time he was turned.
“Search the alley.” He gestures to the others, who rush past.
All the tightness in my chest loosens. If a forty-year-old vampire is in charge, that means the others are weaklings. Fortescue here is probably a century old, which is why he can tr
ansform into animals but can’t become mist for longer than a minute. We stand in silence, waiting for them to emerge.
“I smell magic,” shouts a voice from within the alley.
“Damn,” says Poppy into our bond.
“It can mean anything,” I reply. “The only thing that matters is they can’t smell the enchantment masking our presence.”
She turns her head and nods.
Fortescue whispers, “I was telling the truth, earlier.” He hisses through his teeth and clasps a hand over his gut, where Maeve twists the lance. “Please…”
I bare my teeth and hiss, “Did you show that girl you were sucking any mercy? What about my friend, who you tried to suffocate?”
He doesn’t reply. Of course, he doesn’t because if he was the one who had us bound with javelins through our guts, we’d all be dead.
Blood-curdling screams echo through the alley, making the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I twist to the left, stake at the ready, to find a vampire racing past. None of the others join him.
The eighties vampire bolts after his comrade, and all the moisture in my throat shrivels. What, apart from a stronger one of its kind, could possibly frighten a bloodsucker? I glance up at the half-moon, noting that it can’t be a werewolf or any type of beast that loses its mind once a month. Whatever’s lurking in there, it attacks quickly and without a sound.
We stay silent and in place for several moments, waiting for the thing to emerge, but nothing happens.
“What do you know?” I whisper into Fortescue’s ear.
“Remove the lance from my gut,” he whispers back.
“So you’ll heal and run back to your master?” I whisper
“I’d rather take my chances with you four than with what just attacked his flock,” the vampire mutters.
Minutes pass, and there’s no movement from the alley. Two vans stand parked at the top of the road, and a beam of magic floods the space, stretching down to the end of the hotel. I recognize it as a locator spell that identifies the presence of supernatural creatures. I hold my breath and wait for one of the mages to report to Poppy or Doctor Lecco.
“The alley is clear,” the older mage says out loud for Maeve’s benefit. She and Doctor Lecco rely on foci-rings, which don’t permit telepathic communication or a painless transfer of magic.
“She also warned the others to be alert in case the thing that attacked the vampires returns,” adds Poppy.
The vans reverse down the road and stop in front of the nearest lamp post. One of the back doors opens, and Evangeline steps out, holding Kofi’s hand. Our two mages release the gold barrier, and Evangeline shoots us a scowl, which I suppose is because we’ve caught ourselves a vampire. Right now, I’m just grateful they arrived, and that safety is a mere step away.
Before I can prod Fortescue in the back, he steps forward and casts the alley a nervous glance.
Evangeline’s gaze flicks over the vampire’s face. “That’s not Nicodemus.”
“No, but he’s a baby master and should satisfy the Sister until we find the real thing.”
Fortescue bristles. “I’m two-hundred years old.”
“And can’t hold your incorporeal form for longer than a minute?” I ask. “No wonder Nicodemus sent you into that alley.”
He snaps his teeth, but the jerking motion makes him clutch at his belly and stiffen.
With Poppy’s help, Maeve loads him into our van, where Bailey and Finn open a hatch on the floor designed to hold captured vampires. I stand behind them and shake my head. Ten vampires taken out in minutes and without a sound or a flash of magic. This has to be the work of a powerful warlock.
As soon as the other mages secure the hatches, Poppy and Doctor Lecco board and take their seats.
I reach for the door, but Evangeline grabs my arm and whirls me around.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she snaps.
“I could ask you the same question.” I pull away from her grip with extra force. Her attitude is wearing through my patience, and I can’t wait to beat some of that reverse-snobbery out of her in Advanced Combat.
Raising her chin, she snarls through bared teeth, “You called us away just so we could waste time while you took down a master.”
The accusation hits like a gut-punch, and my eyes bulge. “He transformed into a wolf, and we followed protocol. What do you expect us to do, keep a stiff upper lip?”
Evangeline turns on her heel and stalks toward her van.
Poppy sticks her head out from the back of the van and gives me a sympathetic smile. “Are you coming?”
“Yes.” I shoot a glare at her retreating back, now regretting not having accepted Theodora’s Blessing when I had the chance.
Shaking off the self-pity, I force a smile. At the end of this year, Evangeline and I will leave Agia Convent for separate parts of the world. If I get the blessing, it will be with the satisfaction that I won it from a worthy opponent. That’s the kind of accomplishment that will linger long after I’ve forgotten Evangeline’s bad attitude.
Just as I reach for the van’s open doors, strong arms wrap around my middle and press me into a hard body. I spin around and meet the eyes of—
I’ve never seen anything so hideous. Never seen so many needle-thin teeth protruding from a person’s lip.
As I open my mouth to scream, the monster launches me into the air and soars above San Diego.
Chapter 9
My stomach lurches as the monster rises above the city, a scream tears from my lips, but it’s too late. Everyone piles out of the van looking from left to right, but the monster’s grip crushes my lungs, so I can’t inhale a breath deep enough to muster a shout.
Poppy tilts her head up, but she’s looking from the hotel to the shorter building opposite. I writhe in the creature’s arms, but it’s too strong, we’re too high.
Wind rushes through my ears, and the lash of wings slicing through air turns my floundering stomach to stone. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought it would land, but the monster is flying, not jumping. It can take me anywhere beyond the reach of my team.
Dozens of human-sized teeth sink into my shoulder with a pinch that makes me hiss through my teeth, but nothing pierces the leather. I twist my head and meet furious, amber eyes with no whites.
This is no vampire, no werewolf, no creature I recognize from any of my Supernatural Biology lessons. The sweet scent of decay mingles with the coppery scent of blood, which also glistens on its wrinkled, black skin.
Revulsion ripples through my insides, and I kick out with my legs, jerk my head back and forth. Its full-body growl reverberates through my body, and I snatch my gaze away.
My head flops down, and I gape at the moonlight rippling over the ocean’s surface. Is it taking me to an island or a boat? Behind us and several feet below, a straight road lined with tall palm trees stretches behind a beach illuminated by streetlights.
“I can’t breathe,” I whisper, even though the effort will be futile.
The tight grip around my lungs loosens, telling me two things. It’s intelligent and it wants me alive… at least for now.
I slip a hand into one of the tactical jacket’s inside pockets, and my fingers close around a cylindrical object. It's not the hand cannon I took from the van’s weapon’s chest but a flare that will alert the others of my location. Leaning hard one side, I point the flare toward the monster’s face and shoot.
Light fills the air, and I hope to the saints that someone in the vans can see it.
The monster throws its head back and bellows a pained roar, and the grip around my arms loosen enough for me to wriggle free.
I fall through the air, and white panic fills my veins with ice. Wind pummels at my face, my hands, my neck. It fills my eardrums and yanks at my hair. My arms and legs splay outward but it does nothing to break my fall as I rush toward the moonlit surface of the ocean. If the water is shallow, I’ll break my neck.
With a pained
grunt, I flip myself upright moments before I drop feet-first into the cold water and sink fast with my arms flailing. My feet reach the silty ground, and I land in a crouch, using the momentum to propel myself through the water. Tilting my head toward the half-moon, I swim hard and hope my burning lungs won’t fail.
As soon as my head breaks the surface, I inhale a noisy breath and twist around with my head still raised, looking for signs of the creature. A thin covering of clouds obscure the moon, and the main source of illumination comes from the streetlights bordering the beach. With all the saltwater in my eyes, they look like floating halos. I swim toward the shore, hoping to the saints that the monster has lost interest and flown somewhere else.
Wind gusts against my back and a hand clenches the collar of my jacket.
“No!” My upper body rises out of the water, and I grab at the creature’s wrist. Its skin is bumpy and slick. The jacket’s seams pinch into the flesh between my shoulders and arms, feeling like they might wench my limbs out of their sockets. I hook a hand under the leather to peel off the garment, but my fingers brush against the hand cannon, and I pull it out.
One over-the-shoulder shot of the cannon fills my nostrils with the acrid scent of gunpowder and burning flesh. With a screech, the thing releases me, and I fall into the water with a splash.
This time, I don’t sink. I flip onto my back, keeping the monster in sight. It hovers over me with moonlight streaming through outstretched wings that extend behind its grasping arms and attach to its slender legs. Light from the beach illuminates countless rows of small canines each ending in sharp points along with dark, glistening skin that wrinkles around a humanoid face.
My backstroke propels me toward the beach, and I aim the cannon at the giant, mummified bat. Another shot into its gut sends out an explosion of blood that splatters over my clothes and onto my face.
Its scream doubles my heartbeat, and I aim the cannon at its head. The monster soars into the sky at an alarming speed.
“Oh, no you don’t,” I snarl from between clenched teeth.
A third shot from the cannon pierces its wings, and the creature spins toward the water like a giant sycamore seed. Paddling my legs as hard as I can toward the shore, I shoot once, twice, three times into the falling monster, wounding it with every strike. Saltwater stings my eyes, my legs ache from the weight of the fabric, and my lungs heave from the effort of staying afloat.
Vampire Bonds (Darkbloods Book 1) Page 9