Storm the Night

by Zahra Stone

  “Let’s go.” He led the way out of the club, dragging me behind him with hard fingers around my wrist.

  “Slow down,” I protested, almost falling. His grip was going to bruise, and I frowned. Something had changed. His energy had changed and when he shot me a look over his shoulder, so had his eyes. The sparkling blue of earlier was gone. Now he was as cold as steel. Had he figured me out? Had he seen through my act?

  We were close to the door now, and he was clearing a path through the crowd of humans who were gyrating to the DJs beats. I tried to catch a glimpse of Nate, but being so short, I had no chance of spotting anyone above the heads surrounding me. A twinge of unease had me pulling back, tugging against the grip he had on me. He frowned at me. “What?”

  “Wow! Rude much?” When I dug my heels in, he had no option but to stop. He’d been looking around the club, his eyes scanning, but my words brought his attention back to me, and immediately his face softened, as did his grip on my wrist.

  “Sorry, luv. I thought I’d caught a glimpse of someone I knew. Didn’t want to get tied up chatting with him, so I forgot my manners for a minute. I do apologize.”

  He sounded so sincere, and if he weren’t a ghoul, I would have liked him. I wondered if it was Nate he’d caught a glimpse of, but I couldn’t sense any vampires nearby, and Nate had told me he’d be keeping his distance. Maybe it was someone or something else entirely that Ian had seen.

  Rather than drag me along behind him, this time he tugged me to his side and slid his arm around my waist, accommodating his long stride to my much shorter one, and we made our way outside. I welcomed the night air. It had been hot and claustrophobic in the club, and even though it was warm out, it was still a welcome relief to breathe in the fresh air.

  “You said you had a place?” Ian hinted.

  “Yes. Where we won’t be disturbed.”

  A red Ferrari Pista pulled up in front of us, and a man slid out from behind the wheel, tossing the keys to Ian. I couldn’t help but ogle the glamorous sports car.

  “I didn’t know Enchant had valet service.” The car was gorgeous, slick, and sexy, and I eyed it appreciatively.

  “They don’t.” Ian opened the passenger door for me, and I obediently slid inside, glancing around to see if I could spot Nate lurking nearby. I couldn’t, and that feeling of apprehension was back. He wouldn’t set me up, would he? This wasn’t his solution to deal with me, was it? Let a ghoul kill me, remove him from all involvement? Blue electricity sparked from my fingertips, and I curled my hands into fists. Do not set fire to this car, I scolded myself. Stay focused. It will be fine. Nate had said to take Ian to the warehouse. He was probably waiting there.

  Feeling somewhat reassured, I plastered on a smile when Ian slid behind the wheel and gunned the engine.

  “Where to?” he asked. I gave him directions and sat back, enjoying the ride. I appreciated the luxury of his car, the leather seats, the impressive dash. He saw me admiring and smiled. “You like?”

  “Yes,” I breathed, “very much.” It was true. I did. But then I’d always liked the finer things in life; unfortunately, I didn’t have the bank balance to own luxuries such as this one, but I appreciated it while I could. Who knew if I’d ever get to ride in a Ferrari again?

  We pulled up outside the warehouse. “Interesting place,” Ian commented, turning off the lights. It was pitch dark outside.

  “I like it.” I smiled, and before I knew it, he’d leaned over the center console, wrapped a hand around the back of my neck, and pulled me toward him, his mouth coming down hard on mine. His lips were warm—I don’t know what I was expecting, cold, lifeless flesh perhaps? I played along as best I could. His kiss wasn’t aggressive; he wasn’t trying to shove his tongue down my throat, and for that, I was grateful—I’d have blown my cover if that were the case. Rather than a thrill of delight at his advance, I was plotting my next move. Get him into the warehouse.

  My mind jerked back to the present when his hand squeezed my breast. I pulled away, tried to sound sultry and seductive rather than repulsed. “Let’s go inside.”

  He smiled and released me. I quickly turned to open my door, glad to hide my expression from him. It was getting harder and harder to act like I was into him. For the briefest of moments, I longed to be an ordinary girl, to go on a date with a guy, to share a kiss, maybe more, with no intent other than to enjoy the moment. But those days were gone, I scolded myself. Maxxan was overrun with vampires and apparently ghouls, and I was a fire demon—not an ordinary girl.

  Dragging in a deep breath, I stepped out of the car and squared my shoulders, game face on. I indicated the door and murmured, “After you.” I had flashbacks of the last time I was here, doing this, with Nate. Unlike last time, Ian stepped in ahead of me, giving me the precious seconds I needed to unleash my fire lasso. Only I didn’t get to use it.

  Nate was already there.

  “What the hell?” Ian sputtered.

  “Blackwell, long time no see.” Nate’s voice was as cold as ice despite the friendliness of his words.

  “Wilder. Should have known. Glad I brought backup. Thought she was too good to be true.” He sneered at me over his shoulder, and I bristled. Then his words sank in. Backup? Strong arms banded around me from behind, and I squealed in surprise. I hadn’t been expecting more ghouls.

  Nate moved with lightning speed, grabbing hold of Ian, and the two of them wrestled in a blaze of movement that I couldn’t follow. Which left me to deal with the ghoul on my back. A heavy punch to my temple had me seeing stars, and I staggered, blinking. Then a blow to my stomach winded me, making breathing virtually impossible. That’s when I realized it wasn’t only one attacker. Through bleary eyes, I counted at least five.

  Summoning a sword and dagger, I armed myself. This wasn’t how I’d intended any of this to go down but damned if I wouldn’t put up one hell of a fight. Facing the five ghouls, I waited. Ian and Nate were crashing around the warehouse, and it was up to me to deal with these five on my own.

  Taking aim with my dagger, I threw the blade, which sank into the neck of the ghoul closest to me, but it kept coming. Fast. With a sword in hand, I swung for its head. My blade sailed through the sinew and flesh, cutting through bone. The head tumbled to the ground with a thud, the body following a second later. This was my first ghoul kill, and I watched as it, too, disintegrated into ash.

  No time to ponder this latest revelation, as another ghoul was almost upon me. Heart pounding, I danced back and slashed at his legs, lopping the left clean off. I tried not to gag as blood poured out in a slick pool of black. The ghoul fell to his one remaining knee and grabbed for my ankle. I swung my blade hard, severing another head. Two down, three to go.

  I lunged and sliced, sweat dampening my skin as I swung my sword, every strike connecting with a ghoul until there were no more. I stood panting, my sword clasped in both hands in front of me, legs bent, ready for another attack, black ooze dripping from me.

  “She is something, isn’t she?” Nate said to Ian, who was chained to the interrogation pole. Ian was looking at me with a stunned look on his face. Around me was nothing but ashes turning soggy in black ooze. Straightening, I released my sword and wiped my palms on my now ruined dress.

  “I would have negotiated a clothing allowance if I’d known you were going to ruin all my clothes,” I said to Nate.

  “How did she do that?” Ian cut in before Nate could respond.

  “Do what? Kill ghouls?” I asked, annoyed that he thought a woman wasn’t capable of such a thing.

  “Turn them to ash!” Ian replied, looking from me to Nate and back again.

  Nate caught my eye and gave me a slight shake of his head, indicating to keep my mouth shut. I did, for my mind was busy digesting what Ian had said. Turning the ghouls to ash. I thought that was what they did when they were killed. I figured that since the same thing happened when I killed vampires that it must be a paranormal thing. But judging by Ian’s reaction, maybe not
? I filed it away to ask Nate about it later.

  “Tell me about the missing girls.” Nate changed the subject, turning on Ian, hands-on-hips, eyes blazing.

  Ian laughed. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, mate.”

  I opened my mouth to ask Nate the same thing. What missing girls? What the hell was going on? I didn’t get the chance. Nate punched Ian in the face. Hard. I heard bones crunching from where I stood.

  Ian turned his head and spat out blood, still grinning. “You’ll have to try harder than that, mate. You know I like it… rough.”

  “Spitfire, why don’t you come over here and show Ian some of your… skills?”

  “I’d be delighted.” I couldn’t keep the enthusiasm from my voice. Now we were talking. With a crack, my fire lasso appeared, and I snapped it over my head, the sound reverberating throughout the warehouse.

  Ian’s smile slipped, then disappeared entirely when the lasso whipped over his chained wrists. Immediately the stench of burning flesh reached my nostrils. Ghouls smelled different from vampires. His flesh smelled…rotten, and I tried not to gag.

  “Try not to kill him,” Nate murmured in my ear, moving behind me.

  “Can’t promise anything,” I replied, leaving the lasso in place and drawing a dagger from my flame. “I don’t know a ghoul’s tolerances, how far I can push before—you know—kaput.”

  “Just try not to kill him until we get the information we need,” was all Nate said. Then I heard the sound of the fold-up chair being put into position and knew he’d taken a seat to watch the proceedings, just as he’d done when I was the one chained to the pole.

  Stepping forward, I slashed at Ian’s shirt until I had unobstructed access to his skin. Similar to vampires, it was smooth, unblemished, ageless. Seemed a shame to ruin it, but I was beyond curious about his healing capabilities because he wasn’t screaming in agony at the burning rope around his wrists.

  “Tell me about the girls,” I demanded, running the tip of the blade down his chest, not deep but enough to make him bleed. The black ooze that trickled out made me want to hurl, but I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat and concentrated on the task at hand.

  “There are no girls,” he ground out. Not so cocky now, but still defiant. His eyes flashed their hatred.

  “Wrong answer.” I smiled, running my blade across his abdomen horizontally, deeper this time. The previous cut was still bleeding, so ghouls weren’t fast healers. Or maybe they didn’t heal at all? I wanted to turn to Nate and ask but knew better than to turn my back on anyone being tortured. If Ian figured out he could cut off his own hands with the lasso and reach for me, he could easily kill me—hands or not. I knew this because a vampire had done that very thing. Of course, a blade through his heart had stopped his attack, but it was a lesson learned. Don’t be complacent.

  I continued to carve up Ian’s front until he was a mass of oozing black wounds. He still hadn’t given up any information, refusing to speak; instead, all we heard was his harsh breathing.

  “Okay, I need to take this up a notch,” I said to Nate. “How badly do you want him kept alive?”

  “I’m starting to think he doesn’t actually know anything,” Nate replied. Now I turned slightly and looked at him out of the corner of my eye. What game was he playing now? He wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble if he wasn’t convinced Ian had the information he needed.

  “You want me to off him then?” I asked conversationally.

  “May as well. You have the convenient talent of leaving no body to clean up afterward; otherwise, I’d do it. It would be my pleasure.” Nate stood as if getting ready to leave.

  “Okay then. Thanks, Ian, this has been fun. And educational. You’re the first ghoul I’ve ever met, and I’ve learned a lot tonight about your physiology and healing capabilities; however, well…” I indicated my blood-spattered dress. “I’m a mess, and a shower is in order, so…” I exchanged my dagger for my sword, grasped it in both hands, and drew back, lining up his neck. One clean slice would have it toppling in a second.

  “WAIT!” Ian screamed, “Wait!”

  I hesitated, sword aloft. “Yes?”

  “I don’t know anything about the girls, but I know someone who might… might know what is going on.”

  “I think you’re lying, Ian.” I smiled. “Not once have you asked, ‘What girls?’ indicating that you know precisely what Nate is talking about.” I bluffed that I also knew what on earth he was talking about, but I had no idea what girls Nate was referencing.

  “Fuck.” He swore, tugging on the fire lasso and the terror in his eyes was genuine. He knew I meant to kill him. I wondered if Nate wanted him dead regardless, whether he gave us the info or not. I was running on adrenaline, and my demon was keen for the kill, eager for it, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to turn back at this late point.

  “Byers. Leroy Byers.” Ian panted, twisting and writhing against the pole.

  “Who’s he?” Nate asked.

  “Who’s he?” Ian laughed hysterically. “Only one of the most powerful ghouls there is.”

  “And where can we find Leroy Byers?” Nate asked.

  “Redmeadows. He frequents a club there a lot. It’s the best place to find him.” Nate was so close behind me I felt him stiffen. “What club?”

  “Crimson Mist.”

  “Interesting.” Nate touched a hand to my shoulder, and I took it as permission to end the conversation. I did, quick and fast. Ian didn’t get a chance to scream or beg. His head was turning to ash before it hit the ground.

  Chapter Nine

  “Try not to get any of that crap on the seats.” Nate waved a hand at my ruined dress that was dripping black ghoul blood.

  “Fuck you,” I replied, sliding into the passenger seat, not caring if I smeared the black crap everywhere.

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Oh, let me see, maybe it could be that you didn’t see fit to tell me that turning vampires—and ghouls—to ash when I kill them isn’t the norm. Or maybe that there’s something more going on with a bunch of girls. You said you wanted my help. Well, I can’t be of much help if I don’t know what’s going on!”

  “You were a great help tonight.” He smiled, and I wanted to punch him.

  “I could have easily killed them all without giving you the opportunity to ask the questions you wanted. You say I have to trust you. Yeah, well, it’s a two-way street, asshole.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I seethed.

  “You’re hangry,” he commented.

  “Hangry? What the hell is that?”

  “You get angry when you’re hungry. You used up your reserves tonight—I admit I hadn’t been expecting such a horde of ghouls to be accompanying Ian.”

  “But you were expecting some? See? You could have warned me!”

  “If I’d warned you, you’d have given the whole thing away. It was best if you thought you only had Ian to deal with. You gave him your one hundred percent undivided attention, and that’s exactly what we needed for tonight to work. Suppose he’d suspected for a second that you weren’t entirely into him. In that case, he’d have either ditched you or suspected something was up, and we wouldn’t have gotten him to the warehouse.” Nate drove as he spoke, and moments later, we were outside my apartment.

  “Go get changed, and I’ll take you out to eat.” I looked at him across the dimness of the car, unsure of this vampire. Was he playing a game with me? But he was right, I was hungry, and if he was buying, I’d play along. Plus, I needed to go pick up my car at some point.

  Thankfully, the ghoul blood had only splattered on my dress and boots. I didn’t have to wash my hair or re-do my makeup, so after a quick shower and costume change—black designer jeans, red ankle boots, and a white shoestring strap blouse decorated with red cherries—I was back downstairs and sliding into the passenger seat once more. I felt Nate’s eyes roam over me but didn’t meet his gaze, instead keeping my eyes glued to the windscreen. I’d decided th
at I was staying quiet until he’d given me the information he’d been withholding.

  He pulled out, and in silence, we drove. The clock on the dash said it was just after one a.m. Funny, it felt later. Nate had been right. I’d expended a lot of energy in fighting the ghouls and torturing Ian. I was tired. I didn’t argue when he turned off the highway into the parking lot of a waffles place on the outskirts of town.

  The Waffle House was old but clean, the Formica tabletops were faded, but there were no rips in the vinyl booths, which was something. We were the only two customers.

  “Coffee?” A waitress appeared, holding a coffee pot in one hand. She looked tired. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, but frizzly tendrils escaped. She seemed to be mid-forties, a little overweight, and judging by how she moved, she either had bad knees or hips. Either way, something was hurting when she walked.

  “Sure.” I nodded, and she flipped the cup that was upside down on the table the right way up and filled it.

  “How about you?” she asked Nate.

  “Why not?” He smiled, and that was the exact moment her demeanor changed, from disinterested and bored, to very interested. And smitten. It seemed Nate had that effect on every woman he came across.

  I watched through my lashes as the waitress flirted with him, and he flirted right back. The woman positively bounced away, promising to return with our order of pie.

  “What if I didn’t want pie?” I pouted, annoyed he’d ordered for me but even more annoyed that he’d ordered exactly what I wanted. Without asking. How did he know?

  “You don’t want pie?” he asked.

  “Yes, I want pie,” I grumbled, frowning when he laughed.

  Then he held up his hands in a peace gesture. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry.”

  “For?”