She kept walking, staring and marveling at the city she had lived in for thirty years. If she succeeded in destroying Kron, she would not be going to a better place. There was no better place than New Moon City. Her sister was here. Her mate was here. Her life was here. Too bad she wouldn't be here long.
If she succeeded in destroying her demon Maker, she would soon be screaming in the Abyss.
If not, if she failed, which was realistically speaking, the more likely outcome, she would be in a dark soul globe, sitting on Kron's shelf beside his fireplace.
The sun rose high in the sky, then began to make its descent. She had been walking for hours, trying to see and remember as much of this beautiful city as she could. She glanced up at a large clock at a train station and started. It was already evening.
Nervously, Charlene turned and began to make her way towards the PAC Headquarters. There was someone she wanted to see—from a distance.
From what Glenn had told her, Charlotte was paired with Bryn Ellis, a vampire Enforcer on her patrols. That meant that she would walk the beat at night. Charlene stood at the street corner, staring at the tall building in the middle of the city that was the PAC Headquarters. She had never stepped foot in that building as a human, and she didn't want to step into the building now as a demon.
The PAC Enforcers might apprehend her on the spot. She had taken those shifters' blood and had dragged them away to Kron. She had broken God knows how many PAC rules and laws. She would be captured and taken down as a rogue paranormal.
She didn't want to put Charlotte, who was now the Alpha's mate, in a spot. She wouldn't be able to bear the shock and shame on her sister's face. But she just had to see her little sister one last time.
Charlene withdrew into the lengthening shadows and waited. Office workers began to knock off work and stream out of the office buildings. People rushed past her to hurry to the train station, bus stops and cab stands. Charlene folded her arms and pressed her back against a shop window, trying to keep her eyes on the entrance to the PAC Headquarters. The overhead street lamps had flicked on, and the sky was a pretty shade of purple, gradually deepening to black.
Time and the tide of harried city folk rushed past. Charlene kept on waiting. Then she saw a gleaming black Porsche pull up in front of the PAC Building, and something made her tense and lean forward. A tall, handsome man with dark brown hair was at the wheel, and when he stopped the car, he leaned over the passenger side for a long time. It was obvious that he was kissing whoever was sitting at his side, and the kiss was a long, lingering one. At last, the passenger door flew open, and Charlene saw her sister's strawberry blond hair and beaming, blushing face.
Charlene stood rooted to the spot, unable to blink or breathe.
It was her little sister. Her Charlotte, standing across the street, waving and blowing a kiss to the departing Porsche. Her hair was pulled back in a simple pony tail and she was wearing well-fitting leather pants and a black jacket, the standard uniform of the Enforcers.
“Charlotte! Wait up!”
Charlene followed the voice, and saw a slim, pretty young woman with midnight blue hair run up and throw an arm over Charlotte's shoulder. She was holding a plastic cup with a straw. Charlene saw her sister squint at the cup. “Bryn, is that...?”
“Yup, my third cup of blood milk shake today. I'm trying to be more...voluptuous,” Bryn answered with a loud slurp. “You don't know how lucky you are. I can't seem to put on any weight!” Bryn grumbled, tossing her empty cup into a bin as she pushed through the revolving doors into the PAC Headquarters.
Charlotte shook her head and laughed. “I know I'm lucky. I am the luckiest girl in the whole world! And you my friend, you just don't...”
Charlene couldn't hear the rest of Charlotte's words as her sister hurried into the building after her vampire partner. But she certainly heard the contentment and pride in her sister's voice.
And she had seen how that male had kissed her in the car. Proud and possessive. He loved her, and he wasn't afraid to show it. He would kiss her whenever and wherever, and he didn't care who saw. In fact, he was proud to show the world that she was his mate.
Charlene stared dazedly at the doors to the building, rotating and revolving as humans and paranormals walked in and out. Memories and images flashed before her, as she saw Charlotte as a child, then a teenager, and now a confident, competent, beautiful woman.
She started when she saw Bryn and Charlotte stride out of the building, their stance and posture no longer playful and relaxed, but alert and professional. They were on the job now, starting their patrol.
Charlene was about to push off the wall and go after them when she saw that same tall, dark haired man walk out the door and stare at Charlotte's departing back. Charlene hung back, staring at Lucas Rieve, the PAC Alpha. Lucas was as tall as Glenn, powerfully built with a handsome, rugged face. His brown hair was tousled and his dark eyes shone with pride and love as he stared after his mate. Charlene reached out to him with her heart, and whispered, “Take good care of Charlotte, Lucas. I'm so glad...that you're my brother-in-law.”
Lucas Rieve seemed to stiffen, but before his eyes could swivel to her, she ducked back into the shadows and held herself perfectly still. Lucas Rieve was an alpha werewolf. He had superb shifter hearing and he could probably scent her presence. She should have been more careful. But she had wanted so badly to see Charlotte.
She waited for a full minute before she dared to even exhale. Very slowly, she peeled herself off the wall and chanced a peek out at the street. People were still jostling along the sidewalk, and cars and cabs were honking and trying to beat the lights. But Lucas was gone.
There was no sign of him at all.
Charlene blew out a breath in relief and ran across the road, dodging oncoming vehicles and yelling motorists. Charlotte and Bryn couldn't be far. They had kept a steady pace, and she could probably still catch up with them. But she didn't want to catch up and be seen. She just wanted to watch them, from a distance. Just look at Charlotte for as long as she could.
Charlene spotted the two Enforcers turning a corner, and walked briskly after them. They were making their way towards a grittier part of the city, not so crowded and brightly lit.
Charlene resisted the urge to shout at her sister. What did I tell you Charlotte? Stay away from this part of the city. Don't walk down these streets after dark!
Charlene bit her lip with a grimace. It was after dark now, and her little sister, who was in fact taller and bigger than Charlene, was walking down these streets with a jacket full of weapons and a nifty vampire at her side.
She had nothing to worry about. Nothing at all, she told herself.
Charlene watched the two girls continue their patrol, moving into a quiet, shadowy street where there were no lights in the windows and many houses looked unoccupied.
A blood-curdling scream pierced the air and immediately, Bryn and Charlotte broke into a desperate run, hurtling towards the scream.
Charlene teleported to a rooftop and watched her sister draw two silver blades as she skidded into an alley. Bryn aimed her gun at the hunched figure at the end of the alley, and raced in after her partner.
“Drop it!” Bryn yelled. “Drop...him.”
Charlene gasped as the figure straightened up. She saw the jagged fangs and the red markings at the corner of the demon's eyes. He was a blood demon—like her.
The blood demon had his hand clamped around a shifter's bleeding throat. From the stripes which were appearing on the man's face and arms, he was a weretiger. He looked young, like someone in his late teens or early twenties. His claws had descended and he was digging his claws desperately into the demon's forearm, trying to free himself.
The blood demon hissed and widened his mouth in a parody of a grin. He was in his half demon, half human form. His shirt had ripped from his back, revealing his scales and he was barefoot, but his jeans still hung from his hips. Horns protruded from the sides of his head, but hi
s face was still largely human. He was an older demon than Charlene. Charlene, being a relatively new demoness, had not come into her demon form yet. She had only her human form, and her blood was still red, not yet black. She might only have her human shape, but she had the demon tools for the job. Claws and fangs, and she could draw power from blood.
The demon's fangs were dripping with the shifter's blood, and Charlene saw his foot move to smear the spilled blood across the ground. With a start, Charlene realized that he was drawing a blood circle around himself. He was going to use the blood to erect a shield, just as she had done when Glenn cornered her. Then he would teleport away with his prey.
Charlene swayed, tasting bile at the back of her throat. Nausea surged through her, and she had to force herself to remain still and not topple from her perch.
His actions, his tactics were the same as hers. They were exactly the same.
She was no different from that blood demon.
Charlotte and Bryn approached cautiously, as they would a monster.
Monster.
If that blood demon was a monster, so was she.
Charlene crouched down slowly. She knew exactly what the blood demon would do. She would do the same if she was in his position, with a captured shifter in her claws and facing off against two interfering Enforcers. She waited until he finished drawing the blood circle around him with his foot.
The demon slowly lowered his claws to the flailing shifter, and then with a sudden, vicious swipe, tore the weretiger's arm right out of the socket. Blood spurted, and as the Enforcers charged, the blood demon drew the blood mist up. But just before he completely shielded himself behind the blood mist, Charlotte ran up and smashed into the mist of blood.
The demon bellowed and used the shifter's blood to seal the shield.
Bryn couldn't see past the blood mist, couldn't penetrate the shield, and was left yelling and shooting at the rippling veil of red in front of her. Charlotte was locked in the blood dome with the blood demon. Bryn couldn't penetrate the shield, but Charlene could. She was a blood demoness, and blood gave her power. Blood shields strengthened her, not stopped her.
With a yell, Charlene leaped from the roof, right into the middle of the pulsing dome of fresh blood.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
As Charlene smashed through the blood mist, the demon jerked and reared up. Charlene landed beside the unconscious young man, who was bleeding profusely and lying unmoving on the ground.
Charlene stood to face the demon, her fangs and claws stabbing out. There was a silver blade buried in the demon's leg, and his face had fresh cuts all over it. Charlene stared down at her sister's limp body in the demon's grip. Charlotte had put up a feisty struggle before being knocked unconscious. She had managed to stab and cut the demon real good.
“Let her go,” Charlene demanded.
The demon smirked. “Blood demoness,” he hissed. “Go hunt somewhere else. Get your own food.”
Her eyes flicked to Charlotte. “She is not food!”
The demon glanced down and growled, “I have no use for her. But she was in the way. I only need the beast.”
Charlene jerked. “Why? Do you...work for Sideous Kron?”
The demon snorted a mirthless laugh. “No demon reveals their demon lord and Maker. That would be telling the world how to destroy them.”
“Not destroy them.” Charlene swallowed. “Free them.”
The demon stared at her, speechless. “Crazy bitch,” he concluded.
“Leave her,” she snarled. “Leave the shifter as well.”
“You know I can't do that.” He sounded amused. “We can share them, you know. There's enough blood to...”
“Leave them alone!” she screeched.
The demon's human features receded as his rage and blood lust overtook him. He dug his claws into Charlotte's neck and fresh blood immediately oozed and flowed from her wound. He smashed Charlotte's head against the ground and charged at Charlene. Charlene screamed as her sister dropped to the ground in a pool of blood. Anguish boiled to wrath and Charlene launched herself at the demon, ripping into his scaly back, and wrenching out scales, skin and flesh.
“How dare you touch her!” she shrieked. “I'll kill you!”
The demon roared and flung Charlene off his back. They circled each other, bleeding and snarling, before charging again. Demon and demoness collided in an explosion of fangs, claws and blood. Charlene could feel raw, unadulterated power surging through her. She was drawing power from her sister's freshly spilled blood. Oh, just how sick was she! She was a monster, no different from the monster she was fighting.
She would kill him, and he would kill her. Death was certain. It was just a question of who could inflict more pain before their fates were sealed. They would both be trapped, their souls frozen and kept by their demon Maker forever.
As they fought, the blood mist lightened and the blood shield wavered and disintegrated. The demon was using all his energy to fight Charlene, and could not spare the energy to continue holding up the shield.
Charlene heard shouts, and as the blood shield came down, shots were fired and bullets slammed into the wall behind her.
The demon bellowed and stumbled back, a silver bullet in his shoulder. He pulled his claws out from Charlene and before she could strike her next blow, he teleported away.
Charlene turned towards the voices, ready to attack.
Bryn was pointing a gun straight at her. Bryn's eyes flicked to Charlotte, who was lying in a spreading pool of blood at Charlene's feet.
“Step away from her!” Bryn yelled. “Put your hands in the air, and step away from her now!”
Charlene straightened up slowly, feeling her blood and the demon's black blood trickle down her face and hands. Covered in blood and demon gore, she looked exactly like the monster she was.
Behind Bryn stood two very tall men.
Charlene blinked the blood from her eyes, and saw Glenn and Lucas standing behind Bryn. In a heartbeat, Lucas had bolted forward to pick Charlotte up in his arms. Charlene heard him murmuring to Charlotte as he pressed his lips to her forehead.
Charlene took a step forward, but Bryn screamed, “Don't move, demoness!”
Glenn stepped forward and pushed Bryn's gun down, but Bryn resisted and flicked her gun up again.
“Bryn,” Glenn said evenly. “This demoness—is Charlotte's sister. This is Charlene Cole.”
Bryn started, but she kept her gun trained on Charlene. “Charlene...died. She was killed by a rogue werewolf,” she said in a strained voice.
Glenn put a hand on Bryn's shoulder and steered her towards Lucas, who was pressing Charlotte close to his chest. “I'll explain later. We need to get Charlotte back to the PAC Headquarters. I'll mist all of you back. Now.”
Charlene reached out to touch Charlotte's matted hair and Lucas didn't stop her. Bryn stood stiffly beside them as Glenn shimmered into mist and enveloped them. Charlene gasped as the mist wound around her, embracing her. She could feel Glenn's presence and hear his assuring voice as her surroundings spun and faded.
Everything will be all right.
Charlene nodded, even though she couldn't see anything anymore. She reached out, grasping at the mist that was swirling all around her.
Her splayed fingers touched something solid, and then she felt a hand take hers firmly. Solid fingers closed around her hand and held her hand securely.
Blinking hard as the mist cleared rapidly, she found Glenn standing beside her, holding her hand. They were in the middle of a sterile, clinical looking room, with curtains, beds and trolleys. A brunette in a white coat was spinning away from them and rushing to help Lucas lower Charlotte onto one of the beds.
“How bad, Jasynta?” Lucas growled at the PAC's emergency medical consultant.
Jasynta checked the wounds on Charlotte's body and frowned at Lucas, Bryn, Glenn and Charlene, who had all just misted into the room not two seconds ago. She was a healer, and from the potions, spell boo
ks and wands that Charlene could see stacked on a side table, she was a witch, a witch doctor specifically.
She looked unfazed at their sudden appearance, but her appraising gaze lingered on Charlene. Charlene saw her shudder as she mumbled, “Demon blood.”
She looked up and met Charlene's eyes. “Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean you. It's just that I had a very bad experience with demons. They took my mate. And their blood was...” Jasynta shook her head and clapped her hand over her mouth as she started to retch. “If you don't mind, can I get rid of all this blood on you? It won't take a second...”
“Sure.” Charlene nodded and wrinkled her nose. “I don't want it on me either.”
Jasynta grabbed a wand and chanted a spell quickly. There was a flash, and Charlene felt her skin tingle. When she looked down at herself, there was not a single spatter of blood on her.
“Wow.”
“Yup. A Quick-Clean spell is really handy for doing the laundry as well. Don't tell Blake,” Jasynta added.
“Now I'll need to work a healing spell and I need all of you to wait outside,” the healer said firmly. When Lucas refused to move from Charlotte's side, she repeated, “All. Of. You.”
The Alpha growled, and looked like he was ready to fight the petite healer.
Charlene had personally experienced Jasynta's magickal abilities, and she trusted the witch doctor to heal her sister.
“Lucas.” Charlene went to him. “Can we...talk? There's something that I have to discuss with you, with all of you,” she amended, glancing around the room. “It's important.”
Jasynta met Charlene's eyes, and gave her a quick nod.
“Your sister will be fine. I promise. But I need to evoke the healing spell quickly,” Jasynta said, checking Charlotte's pulse. “And I can't have all your auras that is right now full of hurt and worry interfering with the spell.”
Vampire Mate: BBW Paranormal Romance Page 10