by Brenda Trim
“I’m fine, needed to go to the bathroom is all.” She took a deep breath and cringed at how hoarse her voice was.
“You don’t sound fine. You sound upset, and I want to know why. Please let me in.” As much as she wanted to hide, it wasn’t an option so she unlocked the door and Elsie pushed it open. Elsie took one look at her and drew her into a hug.
“I’m PMSing, I think. Honestly, I don’t really know what’s wrong with me.” That was as close to the truth as she was willing to get. “It’s great to see you having fun and I don’t want to ruin your night. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine now. Hey, you think the bartender could make that Monsterita you talked about?”
She kept her arm around Elsie and guided her out of the bathroom. “Zander is the Vampire King. They will make anything he tells them to.” Elsie laughed as they entered the main bar area.
Cailyn vowed she would keep her eyes off Jace and never think about him again. Two steps in and it was torture. Her eyes strayed to the corner to find out if Jace was still making out with that whore. She and Elsie crossed the dance floor and when she didn’t see him, she wondered if they’d gone to a private room. “Good cause I need about ten of them right now,” she told her sister honestly. She wanted to get blitzed. The mere thought that Jace was in a room with another woman made her want to hunt them down, rip out the bitch’s hair extensions, and claw her eyes out for touching what was hers. She was staking a claim to Jace? Heaven, help her.
Elsie hugged her close. “You know what? I’m going to ask the others if they want to take this party back to Zeum, while at least one of us can safely drive. We can make drinks there. Zander made sure the kitchen was stocked with energy drinks and tequila for me.” That sounded sublime to Cailyn. She didn’t want to watch Jace anymore and was grateful Elsie was okay leaving her party. Cailyn looked over and gave her sister a reassuring smile.
*****
Jace broke the kiss he had been sharing with a hot, little, feline shifter when he felt a peculiar zing zip through his body. It didn’t come from the female in his arms. He’d gone to Confetti to celebrate Zander’s mate and had no intention of hooking up with a female. Desire took him over as he watched Zander and the others dancing. This shifter approached him then and before he knew it he was kissing her in the corner.
As he looked at the female, he ignored the familiar feeling of nausea and prayed, like he had thousands of times, to complete a sexual encounter. Every time he attempted intimacy of any kind with a female he became sick. The electricity zipping through his blood was new and arousing. It made him rock-hard and in desperate need of release.
His hormones kicked higher and he returned to kissing the shifter, momentarily losing himself in the uncontrolled passion. He pushed the shifter’s panties aside and unzipped his pants, freeing his erection. Unfortunately, as his cock neared the female’s heat, his erection deflated and bile rose in his throat…Goddess, not again. Before he had an opportunity to think further, Zander’s presence entered his mind.
“Where in the hell are you? Bluidy bastard, ‘tis my mate’s night, and you havena even congratulated her. I know you are here in the club somewhere, but we’re leaving now. You will be coming back to Zeum with us, right now. I doona care what or who you are doing.”
“I’m sorry, Liege, I got side-tracked. I’m right behind you.” What he couldn’t tell Zander, or anyone else, was that his nightmares had plagued him nightly and he had jumped at the chance with this female when his cock had responded.
Thoughts of his nightmares led him to question why he had felt such passion moments before his erection deflated. He had never felt such desire. The shifter hadn’t caused it. He could scarcely recall her name, he mused, as he tucked his shaft back in his pants and walked away, ignoring the female’s curses.
He hastened his steps, needing fresh air as the bile rose. He spotted his friends and fell into step at the back of the group, needing time to compose himself. He swallowed hard and willed the nausea away. He noticed Cailyn laughing with Elsie and his arousal returned full-force. She was delicate and stunning. Her hazel eyes drew him in.
The ribbing Breslin was giving Zander was a welcomed distraction. “Brathair, did you write down your mileage when we came in? I know you were a wee bit distracted by Elsie tonight. We wouldna want you to fuss the whole way home aboot the lads in valet joyriding in your Porsche,” Breslin chuckled, as they walked to the exit.
“What are you talking about?” Elsie asked.
“I doona do that,” Zander grumbled at the same time.
Elsie burst out laughing. “Did you just say goonie-goo-hoo?”
Everyone fell silent. He looked up and his gut hit the cement when he caught sight of an enormous archdemon standing ten feet away, with an army of skirm.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Eyes wide with horror, Elsie stopped dead in her tracks, unable to grasp what she was seeing. She was mere feet from the ugliest creature she had ever seen. It had gray skin, bright red hair, and sharp black horns on its head. It had to be the devil. Power radiated from his red eyes. He was surrounded by at least fifty kids with fangs and those same eerie eyes. She now had a name for them and it wasn’t vampire, they were skirm. Regardless of what they were called, it was a frightening sight, and brought back the terror she had felt that night of her attack. She had to remind herself that she was trained to fight and was surrounded by the most powerful warriors she’d ever seen.
Still, panic crept in. There was no way that the ten or so of them would be able to defeat so many. Why didn’t I feel this? She wondered if her premonitions had abandoned her. They had always heralded doom for her, and she took that as a sign that no one she loved and cared for was going to be lost this night. She had no room to believe anything else. She withdrew the blade from her thigh sheath and readied for battle.
“Kill the warriors and capture the king, we need him,” the huge devil ordered.
Her blood ran cold when she heard the monster order the capture of Zander. No one would take her vampire! She grabbed hold of his jacket, looking around frantically for her sister. Cailyn had no skills to protect herself and was defenseless. The skirm had snuck behind them to completely surround them. There was no way to get Cailyn into the club.
Zander yelled out, “Bhric, Breslin, protect Cailyn. Orlando, Santiago, doona shift, unless necessary. Elsie, stay close to me.” Elsie was grateful Zander could read her mind as he ordered protection for her sister.
The next thing she knew, every warrior had a small knife in their hand, and Breslin had two. Where in that short, tight dress had Breslin hidden the knives? She made a note to ask her later how she managed that one. Flashes of fire erupted all around her as the warriors began killing skirm. Elsie swung out as one rushed her and nicked its arm. The thing howled in outrage. She ducked under his arms and came up right against his chest and plunged her knife home. A quick fire then he was ashes on the wind.
She turned around and saw Zander’s tight expression as he fought. “A ghra, you are going to be the death of me. I doona want you fighting. Stay close to me where I can keep you safe.”
“I won’t be safe if I just stand there with a target on my back, Mr. Bossy Pants. I know how to fight. I can fight and I want to fight. Now, shut-up and pay attention.”
She didn’t miss the slight tilt to his lips. “Aye, Mrs. Bossy Pants.”
She was smiling as she took a moment to watch the fluid way these men moved. It spoke to their supernatural nature, and proved how fierce they were. Zander ducked his attackers and parried with such grace and confidence. He never hesitated, but dealt killing blow after killing blow.
She gasped as Zander picked her up and swung around, stabbing his knife into the chest of a skirm, who had made it around their group, and was trying to get to her. She had to pay attention and stop ogling Zander. She kicked a skirm in the gut and felt her heel sink into flesh. Blood poured from the wound as they circled each other. It didn’t seem to faze or
slow the skirm as he fought with tremendous strength. He caught her arm and she turned to avoid his swing. The hit landed on her shoulder. She thrust her knife into his chest and he turned to ash before she withdrew the blade.
Zander taunted the ugly devil, as he sliced his way toward him. “Another lapdog of Lucifer’s? Why don’t you come join the fun? My blades are itching for an introduction. You will die for this, mark my words.”
“The name is Kadir, and I will be your downfall, Vampire King.”
Her head snapped up. Had Zander lost his mind, provoking that disgusting, evil demon with fangs the size of Santoku Knives? Incredulous, she met Zander’s eyes, and saw that his beautiful blues had darkened to an endless black pit. She shivered at the anger emanating from him in vast waves. He was no longer the thoughtful guy who brought her chocolates and gave her a car. He was a ruthless king slaying his enemies.
Momentarily caught up in each other, neither detected the skirm that snuck up behind him. The glint of steel flashed in her peripheral vision. She screamed out when Zander twisted and grunted in pain.
A feral beast erupted inside her. No one was going to hurt her vampire. These creatures had taken Dalton from her, had attacked her, and now sought to take him. Not gonna happen. A shrill screech burst from her lips as adrenaline was dumped into her system. She shoved Zander aside and lunged at the skirm, driving the blade through its heart. She watched as he flashed, uncaring that her fingers were singed from the intense heat. When the ash form remained in front of her, she savagely hacked at it, covering herself in its dust.
“That was sexy as hell. Take my sgian dubh. I have natural weapons,” he held up his clawed hands, then dipped his head and met her lips for a sweet kiss that set her on fire. Surely, he was not talking about taking on the creatures with his bare hands? She watched him rip the head off the next attacker.
“Stab them through the heart to dispose of the bodies,” Zander order her. Without question she did as he asked.
She looked around for her sister and was relieved to see Breslin and Bhric guarding her. The two stood side by side, wielding fire and ice. If she wasn’t seeing it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t have believed it. The complementary powers were fitting for the twins. Their moves were synchronized to combat their foes, while they kept Cailyn safe. Bhric immobilized his enemies with ice, and then slashed easily through their hearts. Breslin was much faster with her fire than her knives, and the corpses burned on the ground around her. Bile rose in Elsie’s throat at the horrid smell of the putrid flesh burning.
“Die motherfucker!” Elsie twirled around startled at hearing Gerrick’s yell so close to her. There was a horrendous wound on his shoulder, but it didn’t slow or stop the warrior. He thrust his weapon into a chest, and spun to attack another, without hesitation. A shudder ran up her spine and she felt the rush of more adrenaline. The man was scary calm and had wicked skills.
As she had during so many of her battles, she wondered what Dalton had faced in his last moments. She hoped and prayed he was saved this savage attack, because, if not, he suffered horribly. Suddenly, a war-cry sounded behind her. It was a long, shrill, undulating cry to the heavens that pierced her soul, as the clang of steel on steel raged around her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw it was Jace. He took out enemies with a fevered frenzy. In that moment, it hit her that these men had been protecting humans from these creatures. They were heroes who should be worshipped for their sacrifice.
As she finished off Zander’s victims, she noted that he was bleeding profusely. She grabbed hold of the back of Zander’s jacket, trying to staunch the blood dripping from his wound. A bright light caught her attention. She turned and saw Santiago shift into the biggest wolf she’d ever seen. She watched as he ran in the direction of the demons, only to stop short when they disappeared. They kept teleporting, making it difficult for anyone to land any hits. Elsie saw the danger before he did.
“Santiago, behind you!” She barely had the words out before he had turned and ripped into one skirm, and then slashed his claws across another’s throat. It was good to have powerful, capable allies in this war. She took stock of their forces and was relieved when she saw that everyone was alive. Orlando was in his animal form as well and was clawing his enemies to pieces. A skirm snuck up behind Orlando, but Kyran was there before she could warn him.
Kyran was wielding two small knives, identical to the ones Zander had handed to her. She recalled Kyran bragging how he was an expert with knives, calling himself “the best in the realm.” She prayed he was right about that. Anger and determination splayed across his face, as he suddenly disappeared then reappeared behind another enemy, turning him to ash.
Kyran had simply vanished from where he stood and resurfaced twenty feet away in the blink of an eye. He was quicker than lightning. He was taking out enemies left and right with ease. Determination etched across his harsh features and he was clearly focused on reaching the huge demon.
*****
Thud,
Thud,
Thud,
A menacing laugh followed by a wet, tearing sound, thick, obscene, something out of a nightmare.
A whispered gurgling plea from his mother…
Kyran shook off the horror of his past. Seeing the archdemon had caused the memories to resurface. Witnessing his mother’s murder had made him who he was and shaped everything about him. Watching his mother be raped and brutally slaughtered had warped him. Sex for him was twisted with pain and control. It was the reason for his predilections at Bite.
The demon sneered at his brother. Kyran refused to loose anymore family members to this evil scum, not forgetting he had a vendetta to cash-in. Filled with rage, he sifted to the demon’s side. Putting all of his hatred and violence into his attack, he thrust one knife into Kadir’s side, close to his heart, and ripped it downward. A large, black organ stuck to the end of Kyran’s knife as Kadir teleported away. Kyran roared with frustration, knowing the demon had been injured, but not killed. He had an organ to regenerate and would not be returning to the battle. “Fuck,” he roared. “Goddess, be damned! Filthy piece of cowardly shit,” he cursed, knowing he had lost his opportunity.
*****
Everyone continued to fight without slowing, but Elsie was tiring. She envied their supernatural strength and stamina. She wasn’t going to last much longer. They had made a sizable dent in the skirm, but there were still so many. Silver flashed in her peripheral vision, and she saw a pair of knives flying through the air. They landed in Rhys’ hands.
“I don’t just attract the ladies,” he winked at her when he saw her gaping. He was telekinetic? Now, that was a handy ability to have.
“Come on, Azazel, let’s dance, pretty boy. You know you want a piece of this,” Rhys curled his fingers toward himself, palms up, egging on the attractive guy. Clearly they knew this one.
“I’d like to play, succubus,” Azazel purred, as he parried Rhys’ attack.
“You’re not my type. Must suck to have been replaced as the reigning archdemon.” Rhys’ taunt was the distraction he needed. He feinted left then swung his blades up, severing Azazel’s right arm. Azazel merely stumbled back, still smiling, while black blood sprayed the ground around him. How was this demon able to stand there with a smile, when his arm had been cut off?
“This isn’t over, succubus,” Azazel sneered before disappearing.
Zander gathered her into his chest and she held her body stock-still in his strong arms. She loved the feel of his strength surrounding her. “Form a line and retreat. The Fae is gone. Killian, you, Jace and Gerrick re-establish those protections the moment we have two feet of space between us and them. Everyone, get your arses into the club, now!”
He let go of her waist and grabbed her hand before he began running toward the door of the club. She struggled to keep up with his pace. She searched for her sister and saw that Breslin and a black man had picked up Bhric. Bile rose in her throat at the sight of Bhric’s arm dangling by a thr
ead. It looked horridly painful. Relief swamped her that Cailyn was uninjured and following behind the group. The moment they entered the desolate club, she ran to her sister. She held Cailyn tightly as Jace and Zander assessed Bhric’s injury.
“We canna remain here. The Fae could come back and break the protections again. We need an exit, now. Can you three create a portal to Zeum, or do you need more power?” Zander asked.
“Gerrick was not injured too badly, and Jace and I are in good shape. I think we may have enough power between the three of us,” said a man she was unfamiliar with. He was good-looking with his golden-blond hair and jade-green eyes.
“Do it now, Kill.” Zander ordered. “Kyran and I will stay with Bhric while you work.”
She was mesmerized by the three men, as they began chanting words in a language she was unable to identify. Their deep voices echoed in unison and threads of power permeated the air around them. The hair on her arms stood on end from the current.
Breslin came up beside her and her sister. “They are verra powerful sorcerers. We’ll be back safe and sound at Zeum soon enough.”
Elsie nodded but her focus remained on the sorcerers as they worked. The air shimmered with lights of the Aurora Borealis as their chant rose to a crescendo. The power was thick and tangible. Cool winds were causing her hair to blow across her face. She expected warmth to follow such beauty, but the temperature dropped significantly, causing her to shiver. The colors mixed and swirled until finally coalescing into a mystical doorway. It was breath-taking. She gaped at the crystal chandelier in the foyer of Zeum, visible through the portal. It swayed and tinkled with the breeze created by the magic.
“Everyone, through the portal, now,” Zander ordered, as he handed Bhric over to Jace and put his arm around her shoulders then guided her and her sister through the opening to Zeum.