by E. M. Moore
“He’s holding his own,” Connor said.
In front of me, the room was in chaos. More and more trainees were being freed on our side of the room while the ones on the other side were looking around in fright, wondering what the hell was going on. I ran forward, slamming my weight into a vampire who was making a meal out of one of the trainees. He growled as we skidded across the floor. I punched him in the face until he was a little less enthusiastic about fighting back and then sunk the stake into his chest before pulling it out again. I hadn’t saved the trainee he was feeding off of, but at least I stopped him from doing it to anyone else.
“T.J. needs your help. Back right corner.”
I moved toward that direction, dropping a couple of knives by a group of trainees who looked a little lost. “Free yourselves,” I said, “Then fight back.”
“Right!” Connor yelled.
I turned and found two vampires had T.J. surrounded. He had only one stake, and they were looking at him as if catching T.J. would be their greatest triumph. With a yell, I ran forward and hopped on one of their backs. At least from behind I wouldn’t have to worry about any biting business. The first weapon I could get my hands on was a knife. I used it to slit her throat, which wouldn’t kill her, but at least it would hurt like a bitch. She cried out and clawed at me, catching me in the face and neck. It stung, but because of Stephan’s salve, it didn’t hurt as badly as last time. She threw me over her head, and I landed on the floor with a crack. She took her time eyeing me, almost circling like a hawk, and I, her prey. Slowly, I pulled the stake out of its hold on my right calf and held it up. It was just in time for her to fly at me. Her eyes widened, and I knew if I had my aim correct, she’d be gone in a second. She slammed down, and within three seconds, she went limp.
“Nice one,” T.J. said. He hauled me to my feet, and we looked on as a couple of trainees were in hand-to-hand combat with one vampire. Even more trainees were just standing around looking frightened, most likely in shock.
“How many left?” I asked, knowing they’d hear me over the mic.
“Two in the room and three are more than likely headed your way from the perimeter. Still not on screen.”
In front of me, the whole world paused as I saw one of the perimeter vampires enter the room and head straight for Zeke. He was searching the floor for a weapon and hadn’t realized he was in danger yet. “No!” I yelled. In that moment, Zeke looked up at me and then immediately spun. The vampire caught him by the throat and hoisted him into the air. I slid a stake from my back pocket and threw it. I hadn’t hit my target when I was outside. I wasn’t the best at long range stake fighting yet, but then, right then, I really needed it to hit home. A fellow trainee was two seconds away from losing his life.
The stake soared through the air and sunk into its target. At first, I couldn’t tell whether I had hit where I needed to, but it didn’t matter. It gave us just enough time so that T.J. was there. He gripped Zeke and pulled, but he hadn’t needed to. The vampire slumped backward, falling like a dead log, his head crashing off the tile at our feet.
Zeke rubbed at the claw marks on his neck, his eyes meeting mine for just a second before he pulled the stake out of the vamp and ran off, at least now with a weapon in hand.
“Ariana,” a voice said in my ear. It was the stern, clear voice of Gregor. “Take T.J. with you and go to the Rajyvik’s main house. The trainees can handle the remaining vampires now.” I hesitated, looking around me. There were more trainees freed, some just looking around rubbing at their wrists. The fear and surprise was palpable in the room. “Now!” Gregor screamed.
I jumped, wincing as his words reverberated around my brain. “T.J.,” I called out. “Gregor wants us to head to the main house.”
He nodded, pocketing a stake and holding one out in front of him as I followed him through the chaos. Near the back entrance, I found Shannon helping free a pack of three trainees. I touched her arm, and she looked up at me, startled. “When everything’s over here, send as many trainees as you can to the main house.”
She nodded, her red hair wild around her face, and then went back to work, sawing through zip ties.
I hurried after the more experienced guard. We slipped through the back door and immediately, T.J. was swept off his feet and soaring through the air like a torpedo. They landed in a heap and I paused for a moment, taking in their struggle before I could tell myself to react. Moving forward, I stomp-kicked the side of the vamp, sending him sprawling to the ground beside T.J. who was then able to gain the upper-hand, sinking his stake straight into the vamp’s chest.
He got to his feet, smiling. “We make a good team.”
I choked on a laugh. Adrenaline still coursed through my veins. My stomach flipped continuously like it was on its own personal rollercoaster, and my whole body shook with a flood of emotions. Somewhere in the back of my head, I knew I’d have to dissect and analyze this day’s events at a later time, but right now, while we were stuck in the middle of it, I only had one objective. Gregor had told us to check on the Rajyvik’s and that was exactly what we needed to do. I felt sick when I thought of something happening to Natalie, Alexander, or Christopher. Samuel, either. I hadn’t agreed with his decision making, but that didn’t mean I wanted him to suffer because of it. If anything, when all this was over, we could use it as evidence on how to react differently next time.
My breaths came in short intakes and outtakes as we sprinted across the lawn, under the archway, and then onto the Rajyvik’s personal property. “What do we know about what’s going on here?” T.J. asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “No cameras. No communication whatsoever.”
“Great. So we’re going in blind.”
We didn’t have a chance to make plans. The front door opened, and T.J. and I both skidded to a stop. The sound of a walkie talkie sounded, but I knew it wasn’t from our side. Something about the voice triggered my memory though. A thick, male accent. Gasps sounded from my earpiece. “Dumont,” Gregor cursed.
“Watch out, Ri,” Nicolai shouted a second before the guy barreled toward us. I ran out of the way and tried to kick out, wanting to trip him and save myself at the same time, but he was so fast. Too fast. He pushed T.J. out of the way and kept going. Like a blur of black, he ran across the lawn, and I lost sight of him in the shadows.
There were too many voices in my head now. Way too many. I tried to concentrate on the ones I knew, but others kept forging themselves through. Mostly Gregor, but I recognized others, too. Lex. She was alerting them that they were at the front gate to The Fort. Connor was telling her to help secure the guard building and then head over to the Rajyvik house where she’d find us.
At the same time, T.J. and I leapt to our feet and started for the main entrance, the door to which was now wide open. There were voices inside, cries. T.J. and I hurried through, making sure to take in our surroundings. There was a body on the floor, a vampire I recognized from the alleyway that one night, the same one who clawed me. Samuel and another man towered over him while a woman and Natalie and her family stood off to the side, Christopher tucked in her arms.
Samuel spun as soon as he heard our footsteps. His rigid shoulders drooped when he recognized us. “T.J.,” he said, his eyes only stopping on mine once before going back to his. “Is everyone at The Fort okay?”
“There are casualties,” T.J. informed him. “But more were saved than lost.”
“Lex and the other guards just got here,” I told him, my heart finally settling down into an easy rhythm with the threats gone and more help on the way. “They’ll be helping there before coming here.”
“Status at the Rajyvik’s?” Gregor asked in my ear.
I half-turned. I held a finger to the earpiece and said, “All looks okay. One dead rogue vampire. The vampire who barreled out of the house disappeared, but Samuel and his family are fine.”
“I’m on my way there,” Christian said.
“Don’t.” I turned my ba
ck even more on T.J. and Samuel. “Wait until you get the all clear.”
A scream tore through my center. I turned to find the older gentleman next to Samuel fall to the ground. Behind him stood the vampire I assumed was dead. He bared sharp, white teeth at the rest of us, and winked at me, sending a gross shiver down my spine. T.J. stepped back into his battle-ready stance while I inched closer to the group on the other side of the room.
“Dumont left me, did he?” The vamp coughed and spit blood on the carpet next to him. A stake jutted out from his chest, but it was just off-center. It hadn’t killed him, obviously. Stunned and probably hurt like a bitch, but didn’t kill. I should’ve noticed that.
“Christian?” Nicolai growled.
“Already on my way,” he said.
I closed my eyes and swallowed. I didn’t want him anywhere near here.
The rogue vamp pulled the wood stake from his chest and pointed it at me. Blood dripped from the end, staining the carpet. “Stop,” he warned, his eyebrow raising at my continued steps toward the huddled group in the corner. “You seem to be always around.”
I shrugged. “So do you.”
The corner of his mouth tilted up into a sly grin. “You’re the one, aren’t you? The one destined to be the Ravanas’ guard.” He shook his head. “I definitely don’t envy you.”
I watched closely, keeping him talking so T.J. might be able to surprise him. “Oh yeah, why’s that?”
“I’m afraid the Ravanas are a dying breed. You’re going to have your work cut out for you.”
I smirked. “Who? By you? Please. You’re practically dead already.”
He waved the stake around casually. “I know things.” His tongue flirted with the tips of his fangs.
The stern, hard voice rang out in my ear. “Take him alive.”
Before I could say anything, T.J. jumped into motion. The rogue vampire hissed, throwing his stake in the direction of the terrified group. Samuel called out, his arm raising, outstretched and grasping as if he could’ve done something from his position.
I lunged forward. Instead of flipping end over end, the stake spiraled like a football, making it much faster. Still, I threw myself forward, unable to even think that the stake could hit one of the innocents in the corner of the room. Pain radiated through my entire body. I cried out and again I had all the voices in my ear. There was Nic’s angry tenor, Stephan’s solemn gasp, and Connor’s rapid-fire questions. The world in front of me faded out until there was just the shooting pain in my chest, and the chatter in my ear. I tried to concentrate on their voices so I wouldn’t slip away and lose myself, but no matter how hard I tried, it happened anyway.
The pain subsided into a numbness. The rushed voices slowed until they slurred and just stopped. Then, there was nothing.
Chapter 30
I woke to a dull pain in my shoulder. I was in the Rajyvik house, the same one I remembered being in when I gave the princes the slip to run away from them. Even now, I cringed when I thought of that. What I wouldn’t give to have them next to me now. I called out for them, reaching for the earpiece in my ear to find it gone. Instead, strong hands wrapped around my shoulders. I blinked up, my vision swimming into view when I saw the most perfect pair of blue-gray eyes.
I breathed out, suddenly relaxing. He moved the hair away from my face. “You’re okay. The stake hit you in the shoulder. I brought some of Stephan’s cream, and you’ll be as good as new soon.”
God, he was beautiful. The blond highlights in his dirty blond hair were made even brighter by the lights in the room. His sharpened features were twisted into concentration, but not his usual face. He was caught somewhere between being relieved and upset.
Another pair of eyes peered down at me. This was Alex, and I almost laughed at the thought of Alex Short from Turning Stone being around while I came to from an injury. We so weren’t in the human world. “She’s awake,” he called out over his shoulder.
T.J. came over, nearly knocking Christian out of the way who sent him a scathing glare, not that the guard noticed. A huge grin smiled down at me. “You were amazing, Ariana. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
I highly doubted that, but the praise made me feel good, anyway.
“You saved us,” Alex said. “That stake was heading right for Natalie.”
I tried to sit up and winced as Christian’s fingers dug into me. I found his gaze, and he sent me a quick shake of his head. I settled back down between his legs. “The others?”
“Samuel and his father are okay,” Christian explained, and I nodded, now understanding who the other vampire was in the room. The rogue vamp must not have hurt him as bad as I originally thought.
“And the trainees?”
“Five casualties total,” T.J. answered. “All the rogue vamps are gone except for Dumont’s lackey.”
“Dumont,” Christian swore with a quick shake of his head.
My eyes rounded. Now that we weren’t in the thick of battle, I recognized that name. That was the name of the vampires who lead before the Ravanas did. The ones the Ravanas overthrew. “I guess we know who the enemy is now.”
Lex strode into the room and everyone surrounding me but Christian left. He passed a hand through my hair. “They’re coming. They left as soon as they got the all clear.” I opened my mouth to ask a question, but Christian beat me to it. “They know you’re okay.”
I smiled up at him. “Do you think I can move?”
His eyes narrowed. “Yes.”
“Okay. Then is there a reason why I’m still laying here?”
He leaned over, his breath teasing the skin on my cheek. “I wasn’t ready to give you up yet, and if that guard doesn’t leave you alone, I might have to break him.”
I lifted my hand and placed it over one of his on my shoulder. “Help me up.”
He did as I asked, and I got to my feet. He held his hand around my waist and helped me over to the group standing in front of Lex. She rattled off the list of the five casualties and even though I recognized the names, I wasn’t close with any of them. Still, my heart hurt for them and their families. They were at school, at training, a place where you would think you would be safe, and they weren’t. A tug of guilt spread into my conscience. If I’d spoken up more… If I’d made them listen…
Lex nodded at me as she continued to speak. “Thanks to T.J. and Ariana, we have one prisoner. Currently he’s bound and tied with UV light cuffs. When Ravana gets here, we’ll figure out what to do with him after we interrogate.”
Samuel stood a little away from the group. His chin was lowered, and he didn’t have the confident stance that always came so easily to him. “I’ll have to call the deceased trainees’ families.”
His father, who now had a large white scar across his neck clapped him on the back.
I swallowed. Now that we were done here, I wanted nothing more than to be out again. I listened in as the rest of the group talked about plans upon plans and the minutes ticked by. Eventually, I slumped against Christian, exhaustion finally taking over. He held me close to his body and started for the front door. “I’m taking Ariana to her room.”
“I’ll do that,” T.J. said.
I froze, grasping the front of Christian’s shirt, the same shirt I’d taken off him earlier that evening. Lex butted in. “I’m going to need you here, T.J. I’ll debrief Ariana tomorrow.”
Freed, I limped next to Christian as he walked me back toward the guard building. The sun was just waking up over the trees, and Christian grimaced as the rays hit him. “I can make it there myself,” I told him.
In response, he only held me closer.
The closer we got to the guard building, the more my body rebelled against the idea of going there. A group of female guards sat huddled together just outside, their faces and bodies still holding the shock of the night’s events. “Do you think they’ll be okay?” I asked Christian.
“Eventually,” he said, his voice soft, comforting. “The worst thing ab
out today is the shock of it all. It will reverberate throughout the whole of the vampire world. A direct attack on a Council-led facility. A direct attack on our safety measures. No one thought it would happen. It’s like the first time the terrorists aimed everything at the U.S. Remember that? That shock, that indignation that echoed all over the world because everyone thought the U.S. was untouchable? That’s what’s happening here right now. It’s like frozen fear in the center of our hearts. We’re not all as safe as we were leading ourselves to believe.”
I closed my eyes, taking in everything Christian said. I understood that well enough. There wasn’t a person old enough to remember 9/11 in the human world who couldn’t tell you exactly what they were doing, exactly where they were when the terrorists attacked us. This act would be felt here for a long time. In a guard sense though, I could see this as a wake-up call for the vampires. Not that I wanted any lives lost for them to learn this lesson, but maybe someday, it would help us.
Vampires weren’t indestructible. Their way of life was fragile. It wasn’t just the individual vampires who should be scared for their own safety or for the safety of their own families, they should be worried for the safety of all their kind. Rogue vampires attacked humans, waking some humans up to the existence of their kind. Then, in the very next act, they hit right at the heart of the vampire society. Whoever was doing this knew exactly what they were doing. He was hitting them from all corners. He was tearing the Ravanas down. First rule of a friendly coup, make everyone feel like they aren’t safe anymore. That was exactly what Dumont did. I knew from the Ravanas’ history books that having the Dumont’s back in power would mean nothing but bad. “You know that guy?” I asked. “Dumont? He’s the one I saw in the basement that night Zeke’s mom took me.”