by Lisa De Palo
Her face hardened and she tried her best to sit up.
“Look,” Marco said and he opened his mouth showing the raw gums where his fangs should have been.
Shannon gasped.
“Marco! How?” she asked.
“Dimitry ripped them out,” he said. “It’s a way to keep rogue vampires in check.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Layla said.
“It does,” Marco admitted. “Without fangs, I need others to help me feed. I need the coven or I will die. If I don’t feed, if I don’t go back, then I will slowly fade away. I am already so weak.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Shannon snapped. “I have enough blood here to get you both back on your feet.”
Marco gave Shannon a weak smile.
“Thank you,” he said. “But it won’t last forever.”
“I can help you feed,” Layla said and Marco shook his head at her.
“Layla, You can’t even stand…”
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Marco stood stiff and the girls looked at him.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
It was the front door. Marco flew up the stairs and saw the door shuddering in with each thud. He threw himself at it as something heavy connected from the outside. Someone was trying to break in. He felt each thud shudder through his body and gritted his teeth to keep the entrance closed.
BANG!
He couldn’t hold it much longer.
“Who is it!?” he cried out.
“Open the door!” boomed a voice. “We have come for the half-breed…”
“Shannon!” Marco screamed. “Hide her!”
Something slammed into the door again and Marco saw a hinge bend in.
“Rafael! They are here!” someone cried outside.
All of the sudden the door silenced and Marco forced himself to listen. He could hear scrambling feet on the street and then a deafening wail echoed in the distance. Cries of death were heard from the battle taking place right outside.
31
ATONEMENT
The cold steel of the handcuffs cut deep into Jeremiah’s wrists. They were more of a formality than anything else, a way to shame him in front of his brothers and sisters. If he wanted to, he could force the metal apart, but then he would only be cowed by Rafael again. He watched from the street, two angels guarding him, one at each shoulder. Rafael had given up on pounding the door to O’Leary’s in when the first vampires attacked. Now it had turned into a full-on street war.
The dark shadowy forms of vampires poured from rooftops and alleys. They had taken the angels by surprise and even ripped some of them apart, but Jeremiah knew that these vampires wouldn’t stand a chance. He watched on as Rafael moved through their ranks like the angel of death. They fell around him like wheat to a scythe.
“You’re friends?” one of the guards snickered.
Jeremiah didn’t answer, they would never understand. He couldn’t believe he had been caught so easily. When he left O’Leary’s, he should have been more focused. He should have been with Layla right now. Was she alright? He had to think of a way to get to her. She had to get away from all of this.
More vampires appeared. The entire coven must have crossed the river. They pushed back Rafael and the others and Jeremiah’s guards stepped forward before stopping and looking at each other.
“What’s wrong?” Jeremiah said. “Scared?”
They rounded on him and one looked him up and down before looking at his friend.
“Go,” he said. “I’ll watch him.”
The angel flew to the fight and Jeremiah watched him launch himself into the fray. Then he saw the old-blood, Dimitry. The vampire yelled orders over the cries of battle. He was pointing at the pub. Jeremiah stepped up before the guard and pulled him back.
“Scared?” the guard chided.
Jeremiah heaved his shoulder and threw the angel’s hand off of him. But he didn’t move forward, he stayed where he was. An escape would be futile. Suddenly, Eshreal appeared before them. She was panting and half covered in blood. She looked right at the guard and cried at him to fight. The angel bowed to her and took off down the street toward Rafael. Eshreal looked Jeremiah up and down and Jeremiah broke free of the handcuffs.
“You were right,” she panted. “Rafael doesn’t care about anything else. He just wants her dead.”
“It’s not our way,” Jeremiah said.
“Do you really love her?” Eshreal asked as she peered over her shoulder.
Jeremiah paused for a moment.
“Do you?” she asked harder.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said quickly. “We can’t kill an innocent. Love isn’t part of this.”
Eshreal was studying his face but she quickly nodded.
“Come on,” she said. “We have to help her get away!”
Jeremiah felt the boom before he heard it. A wave of heat burst across him as a parked car lit up the street in a brilliant explosion. When the white light faded from his eyes, he saw a ring of angels and vampires scattered dead around it.
“Come on,” he said and grabbed her arm to pull her toward O’Leary’s.
The fighting had sprawled out of control. There was no battle line anymore. Angels and vampires were fighting in mixed mobs and the shrill cries of death and dying were everywhere. Jeremiah heard a gunshot ring out and a ricochet somewhere behind him as a woman leapt at him. She had her fangs bared and went straight for his jugular. Eshreal surged forward and caught the vampire low and threw her out into the street.
They pushed through the sprawling fight and Jeremiah heard someone cry out.
“Seize him!”
It was Rafael. He looked over his shoulder and saw the archangel’s burning eyes.
“Run!” Eshreal cried and she pushed him on toward O’leary’s as she turned to face Rafael.
Jeremiah paused for a moment. Torn between Layla and Eshreal. He sprinted for the pub and threw himself at the door and as his shoulder smashed into it, the door crunched in falling heavy on top of Marco.
32
TENACITY
“Layla, you can’t!” Shannon cried.
But Layla dismissed her with a wave of her hand. She couldn’t just sit and wait for death to come. She had to help Marco. She tried to lift herself up but it was no use, she was too heavy and her arms were too weak.
“Help me,” she pleaded.
Shannon sighed. Her eyes were full of desperation and she had a twisted look of agony across her face, but she still reached out and helped Layla up. Layla felt like she was carrying the world inside her belly, and it was hard to find her feet, she breathed out loud and took a moment to find her balance.
“The stairs,” Shannon warned.
“It’s okay,” Layla said, “I will take it slow…”
CRUNCH!
Layla’s heart stopped as the door above them cracked open.
“Run!” she heard Marco cry and then she heard Jeremiah.
“Layla!” he shouted. “Lay!”
Layla looked at Shannon. They were both wide-eyed, jaws half slack. Layla was the first to move, she tried to get to the base of the stairs but Shannon grabbed her.
“No, Layla. It isn’t safe anymore.”
“I have to,” Layla said and she pulled herself away grasping onto the handrail as she put a foot up to the first step.
Jeremiah appeared on top of the stairs, and then Marco rushed in hunched over behind him.
“Layla!” Jeremiah shouted. “We have to get you away!”
“No,” she tried to say it strongly, but the strength wasn’t there.
She took the next step and Marco yelled at her.
“Listen to him, Layla. There is no hope!”
Layla gritted her teeth and took another step up.
“It’s chaos out there,” Jeremiah pleaded. “Layla, we have to go.”
“I can stop it,” she said weakly and took another step.
Jeremiah raced down and took her by the shou
lder.
“They’ll kill you, Layla. Either Dimitry will drain your blood or Rafael will put you to death. We have to get you to safety.”
Layla looked at him directly in the eye. Her jaw was tense and she let him read her.
“Enough death,” she said. “I can stop this, but, I need you to help me up.”
“Listen to her,” Shannon said. “Help her!”
Layla could see the war within Jeremiah. He slipped his arm around her waist and took her up each of the wooden steps. She got to the ground floor and felt her legs give in. Jeremiah kept her up, but she knew he could feel what had happened.
“Help me, please,” she whispered.
Jeremiah nodded and straightened her up and as she found her feet she turned and looked back at Shannon, Marco, and Jeremiah. They all looked at her in disbelief. She offered a warm smile to reassure them. She could end this, she knew it. Layla turned and stumbled for the chill night air that came in through the broken doorway.
As she stepped through, the night of death opened up to her. Angels and vampires fought like vicious dogs, tearing each other apart. People were screaming orders and crying out in torturous pain. A burning, smashed car lit up the corner. Layla didn’t happen to see the two vampires sprinting toward her, and as they lunged, she felt something deep within her burst out like a star exploding from within. As claws descended for her soft skin, she saw the attackers explode backward out into the street.
“Kill her!” cried a voice and Layla saw the archangel, Rafael, pointing at her.
Angels and vampires launched themselves toward her, yet oddly she felt calm. She stepped forward toward them and held her arms out. Her baby was protecting her, she knew it was him, it had to be. As the first angel lashed out to grab her, his arm looked as if it got hit by a bolt of electricity. His body jerked and shook and he fell back in agony. She moved forward walking toward the middle of the street.
“Stop!” she tried to cry out but her voice wouldn’t come.
Vampires rushed her, angels tried to move in, but every time the aura around her forced them into agonizing pain.
Rafael stepped up to her towering over Layla.
“No more tricks,” he said. “Tonight we end this.”
He reached out and grabbed her and she felt his hand tighten around her shoulder. He lifted his other hand high before Layla watched his mouth twist in agony. He cried out and tried to wrench himself backward, but his grip wouldn’t loosen. Layla could feel the power of her baby inside her. Rafael fell to a knee and screamed for mercy but Layla couldn’t do anything but watch.
“Where is Dimitry?” she called out.
She looked over Rafael’s head and scanned the stunned crowd of vampires and angels. Dimitry stepped out of the shadows and slowly approached her.
“No more death,” Layla said as he stepped up next them. “We can work together. We can make things normal again.”
“Let me go,” Rafael moaned and as he did, Layla felt the power within her release and the archangel fell back.
“You cannot kill me or my child,” she said, looking at the two in turn. “But we can work together and end the reign of Rezaal. Dimitry, you would get your side of the river back. Rafael, there would be no more incursion into the city.”
The two looked at each other uneasily before meeting Layla’s gaze again.
“I cannot let a demon live,” Rafael spat and looked at her belly.
“You do not have a choice,” she replied calmly. “And my child is a half-breed, like his mother. You can show mercy.”
“You will help us destroy the demons?” Dimitry asked.
“Yes,” Layla replied.
Dimitry held a hardened face but nodded at Rafael.
“I can work with this,” he said to the archangel.
Rafael’s face twisted in pain and defeat.
“The baby will grow up in the sanctuary,” he said. “I will not have it any other way.”
“We will discuss terms after Rezaal and Ardat have been banished back to hell,” Layla said.
Rafael grunted and nodded.
“So we will work together?” Layla asked.
Both of them nodded and she looked at Rafael.
“Swear it,” she said. He paused and looked around before tilting his head toward heaven and swore his oath.
Layla turned full of confidence and faced Dimitry. The most ancient vampire of the coven offered her a cheeky grin in return.
“We do not swear,” he said. “We bleed.” He pricked his palm with a silver dagger and let the blood drop into a vial before handing it to Layla, with this blood you hold much power, do not let it get into the wrong hands.
Dimitry and Rafael shook hands and a pain shot through Layla’s stomach and ran up into the base of her skull. She cried out and fell to one knee as warm fluid ran down her thigh.
“Marco!” She cried out.
Marco was nowhere to be seen.
Jeremiah rushed to her side, holding the weight of her side up.
“It’s coming,” she cried, “the baby is coming!”
THANKS FOR READING
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Also, this isn’t the end of Layla’s story. There will be more, so stay tuned for updates!
ABOUT LISA DE PALO
Lisa De Palo lives in Adelaide, Australia, with her zoo of puppies, birds, rat-a-tooies, hairy husband and angelic daughter. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romances because she loves them! When Lisa isn’t writing she enjoys making clothes and playing with her furry friends.
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