A long leap carried her over a fence and onto a rooftop. She landed so lightly the inhabitants of the structure would never know she was there. It was a two-story house and she could easily view the neighborhood from her vantage point. Alexander joined her, his long dark hair whipping about his narrow face.
“I don’t see anyone. Do you?” Sheila asked, continuing to dissect every shadow.
Alexander leaned forward on his fingertips, his crouch low to the tiled roof. In the moment he reminded her of a raven with his hair fanning out around his shoulders to resemble wings.
A small thump pulled Sheila’s gaze to one side. Alisha scrambled over the roof to where the couple was perched. She was a tad louder than Sheila would like, but the blond woman was still learning how to be a proper vampire. The werewolf clawed his way up a tree then launched himself onto the roof. A feather would have made more noise than he did.
Sheila was reluctantly impressed.
Alexander tapped Sheila’s hand and pointed to a location several streets away. Concentrating on the designated spot, Sheila soon spotted what had Alexander concerned. One patch of darkness was unmoving despite the headlights of the passing cars.
“Vampires,” Sheila whispered.
“Where?” Alisha asked.
Realizing Alisha needed to learn how to detect her enemies, Sheila took a moment to explain what Alexander had discerned about the unyielding patch of darkness. Alisha’s widening eyes and swift nod reminded Sheila of just how young and inexperienced the other vampire actually was in comparison to her and Alexander.
“I see it now,” Alisha said breathlessly. “Is that what we look like to them?”
“Yes, except for him.” Sheila jerked her head toward the half-clothed werewolf.
The wolf gave her a sharp look. “I’m keeping to the edges of Alisha’s shroud.”
“So what do we do?” Alisha was either oblivious of the animosity between her new werewolf friend and Sheila, or was ignoring it.
“Avoid them,” Sheila replied, lifting a bony shoulder. “What else?”
“Where’s your haven?” the werewolf asked.
“Four blocks behind that spot.”
“Then we kill them.” The wolf’s eyes glinted dangerously.
Alexander shot the wolf a look that revealed his discomfort with this proposal.
“There’s only four of us,” Sheila pointed out. “Six of them.”
“We have no choice,” the werewolf replied.
“Alisha can’t even fight,” Sheila answered.
“I can fight. I beat that werewolf back at the mansion.” Alisha raised her chin defiantly. “I can do it.”
“If there are more than us, older than us, we could suffer losses.” Sheila pinned Alisha with a stern look. “Do you want to risk it?”
“We have to risk it. This is war,” the werewolf persisted.
“Why do you have a say in anything?” Sheila leaned toward the werewolf, narrowing her eyes and baring her vampire teeth. “Who the fuck are you anyway?”
“His name is Dexios. He saved me. And he’s a part of this.” Alisha returned Sheila’s fierce expression. “He’s one of Leto’s children.”
“So?” Sheila sneered with distaste. “I’m not even sure we can trust that bitch.”
Dexios growled.
Alisha ignored both of their outbursts. “Dexios already fought for us. Vanora needs us to be willing to fight. We can’t just hide away from this. I trust my sister when she says she has a plan.”
“So we’re going to just trust her to lead us?” For years it had just been Sheila and Alexander working together to survive. It was hard to give up that sort of control to someone else, especially a young woman she’d watched grow up. Yet, Vanora wasn’t an ordinary mortal. She was powerful, but without years of life experience, could Sheila really trust her to make the right choice?
“Nothing we’ve done has worked,” Alisha replied with frustration. “We keep making the wrong choices. I saw Vanora in a vision and she’s… very powerful.”
Alexander gestured at Sheila, indicating that a choice needed to be made.
“I say we avoid them and head for the house.” Sheila set her hands on her bony hips and glared at the other woman, expecting her to retreat. Was it wrong she wanted to reach the rental house and share a few moments with those she loved before Aeron destroyed them all? Sheila didn’t have any hope left. She believed that they would all die in this war, but she wanted a little peace before moving beyond the veil into eternity.
Instead of relenting, Alisha mimicked Sheila’s pose, her eyes flashing red. “If they detect us, they will follow us. We can’t put Vanora at risk.”
“We can’t put ourselves at risk,” Dexios added.
“There’s only four of us against six of them!” Alexander touched Sheila’s arm and she knew instantly she was outnumbered.
“We have to kill them.” The words slipping from Alisha’s lips were tinged with regret and fear.
Sheila never dreamed she would hear those words from her friend. She gave her an incredulous look. “You’re asking me and Alexander to risk our lives yet again.” Though she hated to admit she enjoyed the bloodlust of battle, she was weakening and was uncertain how much longer she could be an effective fighter.
Alexander rested his hand on her shoulder in a mollifying gesture.
“So are we,” Dexios said, making sure to put emphasis on each word.
“Sheila, we don’t have a choice.”
“Fine,” Sheila reluctantly acquiesced.
After several seconds of very disquieting silence, Alisha rubbed her hands over her upper arms, then asked, “So, now that we’ve all agreed, what’s the plan?”
Biting back a caustic remark, Sheila said, “Follow me and be ready to fight.”
Alexander rested his hands on her shoulders, gently massaging them to calm her nerves. Resting against him, she studied the area and plotted their way across the neighborhood to the spot where the vampires were located. Her lover’s fingers lightly traced the curve of her ear and she cocked her head to look up at him. With a gentle and trusting smile, Alexander reassured her and restored her confidence. Sheila pressed a tender kiss to his lips.
“Stay close.”
Alexander inclined his head.
“Everyone, follow me.”
Scuttling across the top of the roof, Sheila led the others to the edge and dropped into the backyard. They’d have to move behind a row of houses then dart across a busy two-lane road to reach the cover of another block of houses.
Shrouding herself from the eyes of humans, she ran at full speed, easily jumping over fences, darting around backyard barbecues, over pools, past wildly barking dogs and unknowing homeowners. She was nothing more than a breeze as far as the humans were concerned. Sheila only allowed herself a few quick looks behind her to make sure Alisha and Dexios were keeping up. Though she was uncertain how werewolf magic worked, he, too, was remaining close and hadn’t been detected by the humans yet. But she did note he was keeping to trees, roofs, and the tops of fences more than the vampires.
Reaching the two-lane road, Sheila hurtled her body over the cars moving along the busy intersection. Opting not to land on the sidewalk, she grabbed onto a tree branch and dragged her body into the boughs of the large oak. Alexander alighted on a branch near her and motioned up the road.
Sheila tensed instantaneously.
Moving rapidly along the sidewalk were six vampires: two male, four female. They weren’t making any effort to hide themselves. Across the street, Alisha and Dexios hesitated on the corner of a roof. Sheila cursed herself for not taking into consideration that she was traveling too fast for the others to follow. She was far too used to Alexander anticipating her movements and keeping pace.
A second later, one of the vampires kicked the side of a passing car, sending it spinning across the lanes and into a tree.
“So much for stealth,” Sheila grunted.
A car accide
nt was a nice way to cover the oncoming scuffle.
Another sedan smashed into the first one as a different vampire shoved it across the road, wheels squealing.
With a nod in Alexander’s direction, Sheila launched herself at the nearest vampire.
* * *
Alisha was terrified.
There was no way in hell she wasn’t going to enter the fray, yet she wondered if she could hold her own. Had her earlier success in battling the werewolf outside the mansion been a fluke? Could she fight a vampire with equal success?
Sheila and Alexander rushed ahead. Alisha, distracted by her worries, lagged behind. Just as she reached the corner of a two story home, Dexios caught her wrist, preventing her from jumping over the busy street.
“Wait.” Dexios pointed to the approaching vampires seconds before one of the males kicked a car across the street and into a tree.
“Oh my God!” The sight left Alisha reeling. It was the first time she’d fathomed the true power of the vampires. If the enemy was that powerful, didn’t that mean she was also?
Dexios spun her about and his piercing stare firmly drew her attention. “Heart and throat to kill. Pull out their heart, they’re dead. Rip their head off. They’re dead. You want to incapacitate and slow them down? Take off a limb. Even if you decapitate them, you need to rip out their heart or stake them. That’s the only way to kill a vampire for certain. Once the heart is removed, it will decompose.”
Nodding nervously, Alisha muttered, “Okay.”
Dexios stared at her with his intense wolf-eyes. “You can do this.”
“I can,” Alisha agreed, lifting her chin.
Lightly touching her cheek, Dexios gave her a slight smile.
In the street, another car hit the first wrecked vehicle.
The werewolf leaped off the house and bounded through the front yard toward the wreckage where the human occupants were unmoving.
Alisha jumped after him. As her feet sank into the front lawn, she saw Sheila and Alexander land among the enemy vampires. Immediately the spray of blood from their combat created a red mist that floated on the icy wind over the street. Dexios darted around the oncoming traffic to join the fray. The wreckage was partially blocking the road and already vehicles were diverting onto side streets. A few good Samaritans dove back into their cars when they caught sight of the violent altercation between the vampires. Dexios dove into the ongoing battle.
Alisha attempted to follow, but miscalculated her path. A passing SUV struck her hip and sent her spinning. She hit the ground, her knees and palms skittering across the asphalt, tearing open fabric and flesh. Catching herself, she rolled upright, twisted about, and saw one female vampire lying dead in the road with her chest torn open and her heart missing.
The dead body caused an even greater panic among the drivers and some cars struck the wrecked vehicles in their haste to escape. Alisha darted past out of the way, barely avoiding being struck.
Dexios was knocked into the street and landed with a mighty thud on the hood of a fleeing red car. The driver panicked, slamming on the brakes, and the werewolf rolled off to land hard on the blacktop. A male vampire, bald head gleaming with shed blood, darted into the street after the dazed werewolf.
Without thinking, Alisha ran forward to protect the werewolf. Unsure of what to do, Alisha drew in her arms and tucked her head down before barreling into the large vampire. The impact sent a shockwave through her body and her sharp teeth bit into her tongue. Tucked into the meaty chest of the male vampire, Alisha’s momentum sent them both onto the dented hood of the small car Dexios had struck. The windshield shattered, glass twinkling in the yellowish light cast by the street lamp overhead.
Screaming, the driver and his passenger fled.
Fear was the emotion that spurred her on. Alisha clenched her hands together, lifted them over her head, and brought them down on the vampire’s snarling face. At almost the same time, he tossed her off his body. Again, the impact jarred and disoriented her briefly. White light blinded her and she rapidly rolled to one side, the tires of a car trying to flee the chaos barely missing her. Alisha got her feet under her just as the big vampire seized her neck. The red eyes and sharp fangs struck a primal chord inside her. She was caught by a predator.
In the next second, Alisha remembered that she, too, was a killer. She wasn’t a rabbit caught in the jaws of a coyote.
The beefy vampire’s fingers tightened around her throat, breaking through the skin.
He was going to pop her head off.
Dexios’s instructions resounded in her mind.
Alisha stabbed her hand through her attacker’s muscled stomach. Cold blood, sinew, and tough organs gave way beneath her brutal blow. Sharp nails burrowing through his body, she clawed her way up under his rib cage toward his heart. Her opponent had a better grip on her and darkness swirled on the edges of her vision. Blood gushed around the vampire’s fingers and the pain was excruciating. They were trapped in a race to kill each other first.
The werewolf tackled the large vampire, throwing him off balance and forcing him to release Alisha. As the massive creature of the night crashed to the asphalt, Alisha’s hand slipped out of the hole in his chest with a sickening sound. Dexios immediately took advantage of the wound, burying his wolfish face into the screaming vampire’s body.
Fingers dripping with blood, Alisha stumbled forward, unsure of what to do. In her periphery, she caught a glimpse of Sheila bashing the head of a vampire against a tree, while kicking another one away. Alexander hurtled a decapitated head to one side, the gory object thumping against the door of one of the crashed vehicles. Inside, the occupants were screeching and blubbering. Alexander was a smear of darkness, then he intercepted a wounded vampire attempting to rush Alisha.
A few feet away, Dexios arose, more wolf than man, and spat out a blackened heart. The male vampire’s body rapidly decayed, and the stench of the grave filled the air.
Woozy, Alisha barely noticed when a large truck coaxed the red sports car out of its way, shoving it into her side and knocking her off balance. As the pickup sped off, it crashed into a vampire fleeing from Sheila, sending the female spinning the air. With a wild cry, Sheila took advantage of the moment, staking her opponent with the splintered end of a thin tree branch.
Vision graying around the edges, Alisha raised her hands to her throat to feel the massive wound that encircled her neck.
Dexios leaped to her side, his clawed hands pressing gently against the torn flesh. “Heal yourself, Alisha.”
“There’s more vampires,” Alisha tried to say, but realized her larynx was crushed.
“Heal,” Dexios ordered. “Now!”
Another SUV thudded into the crashed vehicles. The screech of twisting metal, the screams of terrified humans, and the reek of gasoline pricked at Alisha’s senses and pulled her out of her daze. Concentrating, she felt the strange, almost painful sensation of her body starting to mend. It was like being stitched back together with a warm needle and thick silk cord.
“We got them!” Sheila shouted over the car alarms trilling. “Stake the bodies, and let’s go.”
Returning to a more human appearance, Dexios released Alisha long enough to flip an SUV over, completely blocking off the street. The intersection was a scene of wreckage and chaos. When the first responders finally arrived, they would be faced with crazed, terrified people. The only evidence of the battle was moldering into piles of dust. Soon the dead vampires would be swept away by the icy winds.
Alisha kept a tight hold on Dexios’s shoulder as he guided her around the wreckage and into the darkness. Several street lamps were out and dogs howled in nearby yards. The group reached a break in a hedge and slipped into the shadows. Sheila lightly brushed her hand over Alisha’s healing throat, her eyes glinting in the lights cast from the windows of a family home.
“I’m okay,” Alisha answered the unspoken question, and was relieved to discover she had her voice back.
�
��You should have hung back. You shouldn’t have fought,” Sheila said gruffly. “I should have known you couldn’t handle it.”
“She almost had him,” Dexios said, sounding both proud and defensive.
Alexander inclined his head sharply to one side, indicating they should stop quarreling and continue.
The odd sensation of her torn skin knitting back together continued as the three vampires and werewolf hurried through the shadows pooling in back yards and along the sides of houses. When they finally reached a small rental home, the front door creaked open. A short, very unattractive man with slicked red hair peered out at them.
“Do you think you made enough noise?” he complained, jerking his chin toward the direction of the wreck.
“They’re dead. We’re not.” Sheila shoved past him, Alexander close on her heels. “Besides, they started it.”
“Likely fuckin’ story,” the redhead grumbled.
Dexios tucked an arm around Alisha’s shoulders and guided her into the house, keeping his body between her and the leering man.
The male stranger shut the door behind them and regarded Alisha like she was the most delicious thing he’d ever seen. “Nice tits.”
Dexios growled.
Alisha resisted the urge to frown. She wasn’t about to be cowed by a leering demon. Instead, she extended her hand toward the incubus. It was still slick with blood. “You must be Greg, the demon.”
Greg stared at her hand, didn’t take it, and took a slight step back. “I think I’ll pass on the bloody pleasantries.”
“Like I said, we ran into trouble,” Sheila said sourly.
The incubus continued to stare at Alisha, openly appraising her appearance beneath all the gunk. “You’re hot even when drenched in blood.”
Alisha narrowed her eyes and clenched her hands at her side. Taking a step forward, she deliberately mimicked his actions, taking in his appearance with a disapproving look. She’d met many men like him during her time in the art world. People who presumed too much and took liberties with her because of her appearance. People had certain expectations based on her looks. Though Alisha was easygoing, she wasn’t a pushover when she had to stand up for herself.
In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete Third Season Page 20