by Jess Haines
With a low grunt, he shoved at me, and it was more than just physical force. It was like a clap of air propelled me upwards, sending out a small shockwave from us, throwing me off him and to the side. I lost the stake as I slipped in some of the blood and whatever else was on the floor when I scrambled to my feet, only to lose my footing again when he swung at me. More blood spilled into my mouth from the blow as my teeth bit into my cheek.
He might have followed through with a kick, but Chaz had crept up behind him and grabbed hold of one of his ankles. He pulled the vampire off balance and sent him flat on his ass on the floor next to me. Though my ears were ringing and I was a bit stunned, I rolled to reach him again, ready with another stake.
I needn’t have bothered. Chaz yanked John over and crawled on top of him, setting massive jaws against the vamp’s windpipe, crushing his throat. John’s eyes widened with terror and pain, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly as his hands clawed at the thick, steel grey fur above him. With a vicious twist, Chaz tore out John’s throat.
While that might have killed a human, John was anything but. Not only was he a vampire, he was also an elder. His initial panic kept him from reacting properly at first, but he was soon pounding at Chaz’s already injured chest. Having been on the receiving end of one of those blows, I knew it had to hurt.
Chaz snarled and clawed at him. I gaped from less than two feet away, getting splashed with gore as the gigantic Were tore into the vampire with gusto. What I did to Peter upstairs was a love tap compared to the mess Chaz made of John.
Once the bloody mess stopped heaving and twitching beneath him, Chaz stopped, backing away with a low growl. As soon as he moved out of the way, I was streaking forward with a stake.
Except it wasn’t me directing the motion.
A final, gurgling sound came from his ravaged throat as the stake connected and John died for real. Even all the damage Chaz inflicted hadn’t been enough to kill him. I stared down at my hand on the stake, chilled I hadn’t been directing my own body.
‘You need to be sure with an elder. There was no time to delay.’
I wasn’t sure how to respond. Had the belt taken possession of me?
‘Yes,’ came the simple, snide reply to my unspoken thought. ‘I act for you when necessary. That’s part of how I work. Haven’t you figured that out by now? ‘
Fuck.
Shoving the worries and implications as far to the back of my mind as possible, I decided to have the screaming heebie-jeebies later. There was still too much going on around me to concentrate on the problem of my potential demonic possession by the belt right now.
Chapter 33
Chaz staggered to his feet, already bleeding less heavily from the bullets he’d taken. He lowered a clawed paw to help me up and I took it gratefully, being careful of the thick black talons.
I only had a moment to appreciate the strength in that paw-like hand, that tree-trunk arm thick with fur and muscle, before we were torn away from each other. He was being mobbed by some angry humans led by Logan, while I was pulled into a scuffle between some vampires. I vaguely recognized Mr. Seawater Eyes before the two of us were back to back, him with his sword and me with a stake. We fended off our attackers in an ever-widening circle, moving as though we’d done this a thousand times before.
What I could make out of the guy’s skills beyond the haze of battle showed he was truly proficient with swords. I couldn’t admire his handiwork much as three vamps were focused on me, doing everything they could to trip me up and take me down. The bad guys sporting cuts opposing him were more wary than my opponents, who mostly suffered bruises. If I wasn’t careful, the guys with cuts might decide to abandon Mr. Seawater Eyes for weaker prey–me.
“Do this often?” he asked conversationally, the sword flicking out to put a line of crimson on the arm of one of the vamps reaching for him.
I barked out a short laugh as I ducked a punch. “No, not really.”
“Pity,” he said, and I could hear the grin and the eagerness in his voice. He liked this battle stuff almost as much as the belt. “You’re good at it, especially for a human.” Slash, hack. Ew. “If we survive this, I’d love to know how you got involved with Max and Alec.”
“Later,” I said, a little “oof” wheezing out of me as one of the vamps connected with a kick to my ribs, making me stagger.
That separated us, and I was alone in my little island of chaos, whirling and punching and kicking and stabbing at the grasping hands trying to drag me down. No matter how many I put out of commission, there were always more. Fatigue was starting to set in.
‘The sun is close to rising. Not much time left,’ the belt said, the voice in my head only a faint whisper.
“Crap,” I cried as I landed a hurried roundhouse into the head of a vamp going low for a tackle. There were more ready to take his place, and from the looks of things, the rising of the sun would not make these guys back off.
I’d be helpless, back to normal human strength, speed, and stamina once that happened.
Surrounded by hungry vampires.
Fuck.
‘See if you can make the stairs.’
The stairs were an awfully long distance away and between me and a lot more bad guys than I was willing to take on. There weren’t any other openings I could see. In fact, there were so many vamps circling around us, there wasn’t any opening or escape. The first touch of despair crept into my thoughts as I realized I couldn’t see any of my friends. Not even the huge, unmistakable presence of Chaz or either of the other wolves.
The only reason I didn’t see Mouse until she was next to me was because she was so short. She cut a swath through some of the vamps to my left, and I took advantage of the opening as the others converged on her.
With a last burst of fading speed and energy, I tumbled to a halt, panting behind a line of Royce’s vampires that were still standing. They were protectively keeping their backs to the wall as they made a row between the remaining bad guys and a few of those on our side alive, but too injured to keep fighting. I was pleased to see Devon was there and sitting up against the wall, ashen-faced, but alive and aware. Dawn was using part of her blouse to tear off makeshift bandages for the claw marks on his chest and shoulder. I knelt on the floor, trying to catch my breath, a thousand aches and pains dulled by the protection of the belt flaring to life as the sun rose outside and banished the spirit.
At the same time, almost every vampire still standing staggered as if hit by a physical blow. Exhaustion took most of them, a few tumbling to their knees or coming to a halt no matter where they were or what they were in the middle of. Some passed out where they were, tumbling to the floor in ungainly heaps. That’s when I spotted Chaz, taking advantage to rise up off the floor and bodily heave the three vampires that had been pinning him to the ground across the room.
The only ones unaffected were Max and Royce. As the other vampires wearily shuffled to the sidelines, too sluggish to continue fighting, the elders were black and crimson blurs. Their blades showered sparks as they clashed time and again. I watched from behind the protective wall of vampires, mesmerized by the fluid violence of their fight. It took me a minute to realize that, in addition to their swords, they were both using the same type of force on each other as John used to thrust me away.
It made me uneasy to see this dance of death bringing them so close to the defensive line of our people, now peppered with holes from the vampires who had collapsed from exhaustion or whatever at sunrise.
It became frighteningly apparent why this was when Max took an unexpected tactic, pressing the advantage so he could close the distance between himself and Royce. He used his swordplay as a distraction, joining their weapons so he could grab the remains of Royce’s ragged shirt collar and use a combination of strength and that weird force to hurl him halfway across the room.
That’s when Max turned to me, holding out his free hand with his eyes blazing that terrifying crimson hue. “Come to me.�
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That melodic chime called to me like the beckoning of a siren. I had to answer.
I didn’t realize the depth of my error until I was already wrapped in his arms. He had to break eye contact with me to focus on Royce. That’s when I came back to myself–not that it did me any good. My strength paled against his. I was trapped firmly up against his chest, my arms pinned, quelling my struggling.
As Royce levered himself to his feet, he didn’t raise his sword. His black eyes narrowed dangerously as Max raised his blade up to my throat. The bite of steel and welling of blood had me hissing in pain, tilting my head up as far as I could to avoid the edge.
“We needn’t continue this petty squabble, Alec,” Max chided, sounding all too pleased. “I have something you want, you have something I want. Up for a trade?”
Royce growled, the sound rumbling over my skin like a physical blow. Max’s grip on me tightened painfully as I shivered against him.
“I don’t trust your word, old friend,” Royce said. “You were supposed to stay in Chicago until negotiations were over. Athena will not be pleased.”
The spine-unhinging fear Royce had thrown at me, Chaz, and Devon back at his office was now radiating from Max. Terror wrapped cold claws around my heart, making me scream and twist and writhe. Blood ran in a hot trail as the sword bit deeper into my skin. The screams of other people in the room were soon added to my own, formless dread driving everyone, including the vampires who hadn’t passed out, to react in instinctive response.
Royce took advantage of the uproar. Fear warped my perceptions of him into some bestial, savage creature coming to destroy me. He used more of that unreal speed to close the distance between us, leaving Max no choice but to bring up his sword to counter at the very last second.
It wasn’t enough. They impaled each other on the swords, neither hitting anything vital. Both weapons were unsettlingly close and kept me pinned tightly between them.
Yes, I screamed like a girl. I am one. You try getting caught between two elder vampires at each others’ throats and see how you deal with it.
I probably hurt myself more than they ever intended to when I tried to escape being pinned between them. Max snarled a harsh “Quiet! ” in my ear to get me to shut up. Much as I didn’t want to obey, I had to, the pathetic screaming I was doing abruptly cutting off into a tight squeak of fear and protest. The two elders glared at each other, fangs bared, eyes all for each other. I might as well not have been there for all the notice they were paying me.
“Go back to Chicago. Leave this place and never return,” Royce demanded, twisting his wrist for emphasis. I was pressed tight enough against Max’s chest to feel his muscles flinch as the sword dug deeper into his shoulder.
I couldn’t see his face, but the tone of his voice made me think Max must be grinning behind me. If he was feeling any pain from being impaled, you couldn’t tell from the way he sounded or acted.
“I’ll do as you ask with one concession.”
Royce’s eyes narrowed dangerously, trickles of crimson light flowing into them. It was scary as hell, particularly with my bleeding throat being only a few inches away from his bared fangs.
“There will be no compromise. You’ve broken our laws of homestead, secrecy, and negotiation. By rights, I should be killing you, not letting you walk. Don’t make me do it, Euphron.”
“Taking that route, are you, Rhathos?”
Royce flinched at the name. The light died out of his eyes, and when he spoke again, it was quiet, reserved, any hint of anger or pain carefully suppressed. “What do you want?”
Max’s hand caught in my hair, forcing my head back and to the side. I tried not to fight, to scream and flail and panic, but it was a losing battle. His tongue drifted along the shallow cut on the underside of my jaw. Visions of Peter holding me down, preparing to bite, danced in my head. A faint cry died in my throat when he pulled away.
“Let her go. Give your little Helen to me without a fight, and I will call all between us even. Athena would be so pleased,” he whispered, taking on a sibilant hiss. No one could miss the vicious undertones, the lilting way in which he said Helen’s name. “Centuries of conflict resolved in an instant, and all it will take is just one … little … concession.” He punctuated each word with slight jerks on his sword, driving it a bit deeper into Royce’s shoulder each time.
Royce shook his head, maintaining the pleasantly blank expression, though I could see his skin had gone pasty. The black blood running out of all the cuts littering his skin moved more sluggishly than before. Even so, I wanted to weep with relief. He wouldn’t let Max use me for his revenge.
“Something else. You can’t take any of my people as a concession; they can only come to you of their own will. You know that.”
“Free passage in and out of the city, then. With no need for formalities or forewarning.”
Royce’s expression hardened. “At least two days advance notice, and no more deaths or harm to my people. That includes unclaimed humans on my territory.”
“Done.”
With that, Max was suddenly just gone. I’d seen Royce do it before, utilizing his speed to make it seem like he’d disappeared. Max’s sword clattered to the floor before I was even totally aware that he’d moved. He must have run off down one of the tunnels, because the other vampires who came here with him trundled off toward them, some of them dragging the wounded or unconscious behind. Royce dropped his sword and caught me as I sagged, the sudden relief of being released unharmed almost making me swoon.
“Are you all right?”
I lifted a shaky hand to my throat, gingerly touching the cut. I couldn’t look at him.
“Shiarra?”
“I’ll be okay.” His skin was almost as pale as mine, some of his wounds still trickling blood. It made me more nervous than I already was. I regained my footing as best I could, struggling to stand on my own. He let me go once I got my balance back, and I rapidly put some distance between us. “What about you?”
He looked down at himself, picking with disgust at the tattered remains of what had once been a designer button-down. It would have been lovely without the bloodstains. A sickened little voice reminded me it was the color of the shirt the girl upstairs was wearing while Max drained the life out of her.
“Well,” Royce said, “I could use a meal, a shower, and a change of clothes, but that will have to wait.”
I didn’t want to think about his mention of a meal. Someone was going to have to open up a vein for him. I’d done enough bleeding for one night, thank you very much. Before he could get any ideas, I nodded and rushed to Chaz’s side.
He’d reverted to human form, kneeling naked and bleeding among the mess of remains by the stairs. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he cradled a still, limp body to his chest. It was Vincent, the guy I’d barely known, who once in a while came out with us to the movies. He’d reverted to human in death but still had all the injuries he’d suffered when shifted. Innumerable fang marks and ragged tears littered his frame. Simon hung back awkwardly, not making an effort to conceal his nakedness, though he was using a hand to put some pressure on a seeping wound on one arm. Dillon hadn’t shifted back yet. He was hunched over Chaz and Vincent, making a low, mournful sound in his throat.
I wasn’t part of the pack, and I didn’t think now would be the right time to intrude on their grief. Instead, I surveyed the rest of the room.
Devon was talking quietly with Dawn as she helped him to the stairs. One of the vamps had come up on the other side of him, giving him a hand despite his protests. Mouse was busy collecting fallen weaponry off the floor. The guy with the seawater eyes was helping somebody else to the stairs.
I couldn’t see Tiny anywhere. Frowning, I looked at the bodies on the floor, searching for his unmistakable figure.
Almost lost in the shadows at the far corner of the room, he was using the remains of a tool shelf for support while he lit up a cigarette. He gave me a smile, showing te
eth in a savage grin of victory. He couldn’t be too badly hurt if he was looking that pleased with himself. I found myself smiling back.
Even as the first threads of relief seeped through me, something strange happened. Between one blink and the next, I found myself halfway from the stairs to one of the doors. The same one Max and his people fled through. I didn’t remember moving.
“What the fuck?” I mumbled, putting a hand to my forehead. My head was hurting, just a little, though it hadn’t been a second ago. What was going on?
Another blink, and I was at the door itself. I braced my hands against the frame, widening my eyes. No one noticed anything was up with me yet.
“Um, guyth?”
Everyone was too busy helping the injured or seeing to the dead to notice me. The querulous note to my voice warbled into a thread of panic as I found myself inside the passage, not remembering how I got there. I was blacking out for a few seconds every time I closed my eyes.
This time, I screamed. Max was calling me to his side.
“Help!”
Chapter 34
Strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind, hauling me back toward Royce’s basement. I struggled and screamed, not sure why, only knowing the overwhelming need to rush headlong down that tunnel.
“Stop fighting, I’m trying to help you!” a voice I didn’t recognize growled in my ear, grunting when my elbow connected with his sternum.
I felt an overpowering need to break free and run, to meet the silent call’s source. The hands holding me back were nothing more than a distraction. I twisted and squirmed to get away, the desire to run drowning out all other thoughts.
Royce’s pale hands were suddenly cradling my face, forcing me to look up into his eyes. The longing to run was still there, but it was dim now. Fading under the intensity of those depthless black pools, sucking me down to a quieter place. Despite the fierce need to escape, I soon settled in the arms of the man who held me, spellbound by Royce’s gaze.