A Cold Day in Hell (The Hellcat Series)

by Hannaford, Sharon

  "It is one thing to hear of the power he possesses," he nodded towards the room Julius had disappeared into, "but quite another to experience it for oneself."

  Gabi nodded. "So I hear," she agreed. "He was betrayed from within the Clan a few months ago. It may not excuse his actions tonight, but perhaps it will explain them." She wasn't sure it would make any difference to Caspian, but she hoped it may temper the hatred she'd seen in his eyes a few moments before.

  Caspian's face lost the hard edge, and he appeared somewhat mollified. "I wasn't aware of that," he said. "It does explain his lack of trust. And, believe it or not, I do understand his compulsion to protect you at all costs. He truly didn't need to use his power over Vampires to force my compliance; I will always do everything in my power to keep you safe."

  Gabi nodded, his words rang true; she felt that soul-deep. Whether Caspian would give his life to save Julius, however, was a different issue altogether. Gabi would be keeping an eye on Caspian where Julius was concerned.

  CHAPTER 17

  It was Razor who roused her, patting her cheek with a soft, heavy paw. She cracked an eyelid with a sigh, telling him to shoo for at least a couple more hours. She knew he had plenty of food, as well as water and a clean litter box, she'd made sure of it before she fell asleep. With Julius in his daysleep snuggled up behind her, his arm a possessive weight over her hips, she had every intention of sleeping until late afternoon. The paw landed on her cheek again, this time with a hint of claw behind it. Damn, drawn to a higher level of consciousness by the tiny stings on her cheek, she realised that Razor was radiating excitement and distress. Something was wrong. She sat up, instantly alert. The room was quiet, and a hasty check with her Vamp sense only turned up the usual suspects in the apartment. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But the alarm bell in the back of her mind was already dinging, growing louder by the second.

  "Okay, angel," she said quietly to Razor, putting a calming hand on him, "I'm awake." She swiftly pulled on jeans and a sweater and grabbed Nex, then added a couple of extra daggers from her luggage. She took a few precious seconds to strap the spare blades to her calves through the custom-made slits in her jeans, but kept Nex ready in her hand.

  She cracked the bedroom door and did a quick sweep of the living room. The curtains were drawn, and the fire was burning, but the room was unoccupied. The door to the outside passage stood open, and Gabi could hear distant shouts of alarm. As she reached the outer door, Athena nearly ran straight into her, rushing back into the room.

  "What the Hell is going on?" Gabi demanded, tugging Athena inside and poking her head out to check the corridor. It was deserted, but footsteps and more shouting could be heard from other levels of the castle.

  Razor positioned himself at the door, growling warningly. Athena was panting, and her hair was mussed. She was dressed casually, for Athena, in dark yoga pants and a cream sweater; she'd obviously already been awake when the excitement started.

  "Mariska," Athena gasped. "That thrice-dratted Maleficus." Frustration and anger twisted the pretty Magi's face. It was the first time Gabi had seen her truly pissed off.

  "What about Mariska?" Gabi wanted to shake the other woman for taking too long to explain.

  "She's escaped." Athena tried to pull Gabi back from the door. "Kyle said we need to stay here and protect the others." By others she meant the Vampires in their daysleep, which was another surprise to Gabi, as Athena appeared to be preparing to do exactly that. She was already beginning some kind of spell. Caspian and Kyle must be going after Mariska.

  "Wait," Gabi nearly shouted. "Why is everyone running scared because Mariska has escaped?"

  Athena paused in her chant and looked at Gabi like she was a little stupid. "Because she's busy summoning Demons," Athena practically yelled in fury.

  "Fuck," Gabi spat, her mind now racing with adrenalin-fuelled clarity. She grabbed Athena by the arm, once again interrupting the spell, and dragged the Magus to the food trolley pushed to one side of the room. She quickly grabbed a glass, emptied the water uncaringly onto the carpet, and pulled a dagger from her leg sheath. With a quick, sure slice she nicked the vein in her left wrist and let the blood flow into the glass. Athena was watching her as if she'd lost her mind. Gabi thrust the glass into her hand, and sucked on the wound briefly.

  "Take this," she told the Magus. "Protect the room with whatever spell you had planned. If anyone manages to break through it, wake Julius with my blood. I'm trusting you with their lives," she warned as she resheathed the dagger; then she turned and ran to join the fray.

  "Gabi, wait," Athena cried after her. "It's not safe. I'm supposed to…"

  Gabi didn't hear what Athena was supposed to do; she was already at the first flight of stairs and flying down them, Razor close on her heels. Now that she was away from the familiar Vampires, she could sense what she hadn't before. The evil malevolence of at least two Demon presences. They were several floors below her, and Gabi didn't have any idea of the full layout of the castle. She’d have to follow her senses and hope she found them before they got free of the confines of the buildings.

  As she navigated yet another flight of stairs, she prayed to all the gods who may be listening that Mariska hadn't managed to bring the Wraith across the Void. She had no aspirations of going another round with the ghostly Demon that had once blinded and electrocuted her when she tried to attack it. Even scarier had been its second appearance, when it claimed it had only been toying with her the first time. She had no doubt that it could kill with a touch if it chose to. Their only hope in that case was that one of the twins was a banisher. Athena couldn't help there; it was a very specific gift, and not many Magi had the ability.

  Her mind was so filled with thoughts of dealing with the Wraith that she never saw the trap.

  She'd just leapt a dozen steps, pounding onto a landing, prepared to spin and charge down the next flight of stairs, sure she was almost on the same level as the Demons, when something solid hit her in the chest, sending her sprawling backward and knocking every particle of air from her lungs. She hit the banister behind her with a bone-jarring crunch and slid to the floor. Instinct made her roll to one side, narrowly saving her from a savage kick to the ribs. A menacing growl was the only warning her attacker got as Razor launched himself directly into the fracas. Yells reverberated around the narrow confines of the landing as a furred ball of fury laid into her attacker with teeth and claws.

  Attackers, she mentally corrected as she isolated at least two different forms moving in the dingy darkness of the castle stairwell. She was on her feet regardless of not being able to draw breath yet, her eyes watering from the pain in her chest and spine. One of the attackers recovered from the shock of Razor's attack and swung back to her. He was carrying a heavy wooden club and obviously had every intention of using it on her.

  In that split second while Gabi prepared for the blow, she realised that her attackers were human. That revelation bolstered her confidence. She ducked the blow and countered with a sharp, perfectly directed blow to the man's chest. She'd put all her strength into the punch, as though she was fighting a Werewolf. She felt the crack of ribs as the man issued a loud grunt and instantly collapsed to the ground, silent. The blow had stopped his heart.

  Gabi drew a painful breath and resisted the urge to kick the fallen man. Razor was still harrying the other one. He was trying to check on his fallen comrade, but every time he turned, Razor laid into him again. Seeing that his concern wasn't going to help his partner and Gabi was now coming for him, he turned back to the big cat and aimed a vicious kick at Razor's head. He was quick, Gabi realised, too quick for a human, but not too quick for her. She was already moving as his heavy booted foot swung back. His other leg was swept out from under him, and the kick went wide, connecting with a wall instead of Razor. He was back on his feet in an instant, though, and reaching for something in his waistband.

  "Bitch," he snarled, "I only have to keep you alive; she didn't say anyt
hing about being in one piece." He pulled a large hunting knife from his pants, and Gabi almost laughed.

  "Fuckhead," she said dismissively, "that's like pulling on boxing gloves in front of Mike Tyson."

  He ignored her warning and rushed her. She danced backward, dropping low as he made a clumsy slash at her shoulder. She nimbly avoided the return swipe and rose, with Nex in her hand. Neither of her attackers had seen the sword go skittering across the floor when she'd first been roundhoused. The human's eyes grew round as he noticed the sword in her hand and then narrowed contemptuously, obviously confident that a woman wouldn't know what to do with it.

  She was so tempted to just end the idiot's life, but she knew he was just a tool. He wasn't the real threat, but he might know who was. She sighed in regret; knocking him out and tying him up to deal with later was the practical thing to do. Sometimes she hated being a naturally practical person. She toyed with him for a few seconds, drawing him closer. He had to be hyped up on Vamp blood, Gabi concluded. That was the only way he could be as quick as he was, and it explained the strength of the other attacker. She feinted to one side, giving him an opening. The man fell into her trap, making the obvious lunge, still trying to stab her in the shoulder. She shifted faster than he could track and kicked him solidly in the balls.

  His high-pitched yelp almost made her laugh. He dropped the knife, automatically covering his privates with both hands, his mouth an open maw of pain. Gabi calmly delivered an elbow to the side of his head, careful not to hit him too hard. He collapsed in a heap at her feet. She took a moment to massage her ribs and realign her spine before reaching for his belt, but as she bent over him, Razor's low growl alerted her to another presence.

  "Dangerous little wench, aren't you?" the newcomer said, walking out of the shadows. He quirked an eyebrow at the two forms heaped on the floor. "They thought they were good, those two. Never had a shot of Vampire juice before; it made them think they were gods. Guess Dhampirs are bigger, badder gods."

  The man was speaking conversationally, as though they were long-time acquaintances. He was, as far as Gabi could tell, also human, but she didn't go for the immediate attack. What he held comfortably in his right hand was one of the few things that would make Gabi pause. A handgun. A Sig Sauer P226 if she wasn't mistaken. If she wasn't so pissed off, she'd be impressed. She'd never fired one, but it was a remarkable piece. Not one you wanted to be shot with, even if you had better than normal healing abilities.

  The man was tall and broad shouldered, muscular under his black shirt and combat trousers. Short cropped hair and a general air of arrogance screamed some kind of military Special Forces. Without changing expression, she sent a command to Razor to back down and act like a normal cat. Right now he was her best hope of getting out of this without any extraneous holes in her body.

  "What do you want?" she asked as she casually dropped her sword arm and slid Nex into her ankle sheath. The sword didn’t quite fit, but it freed up her hands.

  "Yes, bring the sword," he said, ignoring her question. "I wouldn't want it lying around, alerting someone to the fact that you were ambushed here." Keeping his eyes and the gun trained carefully on her, he backed her up so he could check on the first man Gabi had downed.

  "He's dead," Gabi told him. She could hear the absence of a heartbeat and breathing, but the human still needed to check for a pulse at the man's neck.

  He gave her a grim smile as he confirmed her diagnosis. "And that one?" he asked, indicating the other one.

  "Numbnuts is still alive," she conceded, "though I wouldn't guarantee his ability to produce offspring in the near future."

  "What a pity, then," the man said, sounding regretful as he moved to stand over the unconscious man, "that he came around from his fight with his friend and tripped and fell down the stairs." He delivered a sharp, vicious kick to the back of the man's neck.

  Gabi heard the bones crack and had to swallow a gasp of shock.

  Combat man backed away and flicked the gun from her to the now dead ambusher. "Take him and push him down the staircase," he directed her. She knew the indignation was clear on her face. "Don't even try the helpless woman routine with me, Dhampir. Just do it."

  She drew in a deep breath and made herself count to ten as she stalked over and grabbed Numbnuts by an ankle. Muttering curses under her breath, she dragged him to the top of the steps and then booted him down, regretting they weren't another floor down. She could hear the fight going on now; Kyle's growl was unmistakable.

  "Come away from there, or the cat gets it," the man said, even as she considered the possibility of making it to the next floor before he could shoot her.

  Facing away from him, she closed her eyes and centred herself. Sometime in the next few minutes, this man would make a mistake. She turned back to face him, crossing her arms in annoyance.

  "Fine." She moved away from the descending stairs.

  "Upstairs," he said, motioning toward them with the gun. "And don't test me." His words were a dark warning. "I may be human, but I never miss a target."

  Three flights of stairs up and then a left turn, down a long, dimly lit corridor, and then another two flights of stairs up. Gabi wasn't sure where exactly they were headed, but it was a part of the castle she hadn’t seen before. They'd bypassed several doors, and she could sense Vampires in some of the rooms, but their essences were all faint, a sure sign that they were in their daysleep.

  "So, you from around here?" Gabi asked the gunman casually. It gave her an excuse to look behind her and check out her ambusher again.

  "Eyes forward," was the only response she got.

  She drew in a breath and forced her anger to a calm level. What he didn't know was that when she was walking the long, straight corridor, she could close her eyes and allow her mind to merge with Razor's, seeing everything the cat was seeing. Razor was following the two of them, as though simply keeping up with his guardian. The gunman had arrived too late to see how savage Razor could be in attack mode, so he wasn't concerned about the cat at his back. If he'd taken the time to inspect the other two men, he wouldn't have been nearly as comfortable letting the cat stalk him from behind.

  There were several reasons Gabi was going quietly with the human. One was having Razor as a back-up, another was that she hoped the man would lead her to his employer, but lastly she knew that Kyle would stumble across the man she'd kicked down the staircase, and the moment he saw the bite and claw marks, he'd know Razor had done the damage. Kyle would know that the Demons had been a distraction. Between him and Caspian, they should be able to track her by scent. She just had to hope they didn't find her before she found whoever was behind the ambush. Her sword hand itched for Nex.

  "Stop," the man called as they reached the end of yet another passage and a closed door. She halted. "Knock," he ordered, but before she could lift her knuckles to the dark wood door, it swung open. A figure whooshed back from the opening to stand in the centre of an otherwise empty room dark and gloomy with its dusty, velvet drapes drawn tightly closed.

  "Come in," said a haughty female voice with a snooty British accent.

  Gabi snorted, shaking her head. "Helene," she greeted the Vampire, stalking into the room. She was prevented from getting close to the Princep by a trio of musclebound men, who closed ranks protectively in front of her. Werewolves all of them. Gabi fought to hide her satisfaction at the unexpected turn of events. The Princeps really had been lax not asking exactly what powers she possessed as a Dhampir. They'd simply assumed they knew it all. Tsk, tsk, she thought. Curiosity might kill the cat, but complacency would kill a Princep.

  The human gunman followed up behind her and kicked the door closed. He wasn't quick enough, though; Razor had slipped through and ducked into the shadows near the floor-length curtains. One of the Werewolves noticed him and raised his top lip in a disdainful snarl, but didn't make any move towards him. No one else paid him any heed.

  Incongruously her stomach chose that moment to declare
that it was empty. Helene raised her haughty eyebrows at the low gurgle.

  "You think we can hurry this along?" Gabi asked in a bored voice. "As you can hear, it's past breakfast time."

  The English Vampire drew herself up to her full height, she had a few inches on Gabi even without the Manolo Blahnik stilettos, and thrust two of the Werewolf bodyguards aside.

  "You are remarkably good at staying alive," Helene ground out, swishing her Gucci coat aside to plant her perfectly manicured hands on her narrow hips.

  "Yeah, well, my nickname is Hellcat, and you know what they say about cats and lives." Gabi allowed her stance to become casual, unruffled, as though she was simply having an uninteresting conversation with a boring acquaintance. She wondered if picking her nails would be overacting it.

  The woman's outrage narrowed her eyes and pinched her mouth. "Well, your extra lives have just come to an end," she declared in a hiss. "This time I'll make sure you're dead myself."

  “You would risk it all to kill me?" Gabi wondered aloud. "If someone else comes across this scene, won't you be sentencing yourself to death? Surely even a Princep has to respect incolumitas?" Her barbs hit home, the other woman flinched slightly. Then her eyes grew steely with determination.

  "No one will know it was me. This is a completely unused section of the castle, and the rest of the ants in this place are being kept busy trying to contain the Dark Magus and her Demons, even the twin imbeciles." Her opinion of non-Vampires was almost comical.

  "So it was you who arranged for Mariska to be released to try to poison me, then?" Gabi checked, though she was sure she already knew the answer.

  "Of course," the other woman said haughtily, "and she assured me there was no way you could recover." Fury darkened her expression. "Today she pays the price of her failure. She thinks if she's caught, I'll protect her, but in fact, she won’t be getting out of this castle alive. Much like you." She took a breath, calming herself. "I'm not sure how you avoided my sniper's bullets, or how you overcame the poison, but none of that matters now. I will personally see to your demise this time."