I subtly pulled Alec behind a group of cocktail-drinking vamps in suits and leaned in to whisper— “Her attention’s on the girl. We can sneak up and see if she has the bloodstones without her even noticing.”
He nodded once, his eyes slightly glazed. Like the humans’. Oh hell. The blood scent must be affecting him particularly badly, since he hadn’t fed in a while.
“Stay close by,” I whispered, and skirted around the crowd again. I dodged a vamp carrying a tray of blood cocktails and kept one eye on the vampire feasting on the poor girl’s neck. The vampire lady wore a string purse around her neck. Big enough to hide bloodstones in? I’d say yes. I crept in behind her, avoiding the gaze of her human prey.
Her head swung around. “Want something?” she said lazily, a droplet of blood running off her chin.
I sidled up to her, keeping one hand on the blond vamp’s arm. “Heard you had some bloodstones,” I said. “He gets desperate when I’m not around, and I want him all to myself.”
I elbowed him in the ribs to get him to respond. “She’s mine,” he said.
Ugh. I shuddered inwardly. He was a terrible actor, but the bad lighting and the dazed expression on my face must have fooled her. She cast a look at the human girl, drawing an arm around her, and dug in her bag with the other.
Sorry.
I jabbed the human girl in the spine with the stake.
She yelped, abruptly cut off when my vampire buddy bared his fangs over her exposed neck.
“Give me the bloodstones or I’ll drink her dry.” His threat came out garbled, but the stake in my hand made it perfectly clear where the threat lay.
“That’s not playing fair.” Her slightly red eyes widened. “What the hell do you want?”
“Those bloodstones,” I said, in a low voice. “We can take this outside if you’d prefer. No need to cause a panic.”
“Who are you?” She dropped into a defensive stance, and I dug the stake in harder. Alec’s grip on the girl tightened. The vampire took a step back. “Outside. Don’t you dare bite her.”
“She’s not the problem,” I said. “You are. C’mon. Play nice and nobody gets hurt.”
Shooting me a glare, the vampire moved where I pointed, the human girl stumbling behind. She didn’t look capable of fighting back, which gave me a pang of guilt—however the vampires might be involved with the demons, she was an innocent human. Like…
A familiar face flashed across my vision as a group of humans passed by, following two tall male vampires. I stopped, hoping to hell I was mistaken.
I wasn’t. Fiona followed the other humans, wearing the same dazed expression as the others. Her head bobbed, her body moving as though under hypnosis.
Shit. What the hell is she doing here?
I couldn’t stop, not now, but my attention spiralled. Fiona headed to the nearest table, following the vamps—and that was all I saw before we reached the door. I grabbed the back of Alec’s coat to stop him from tripping over his own feet—whoever heard of a clumsy vampire?—and shoved both him and the human girl out into the night.
Dammit, Fiona. I have to get her out of there. Leaving her to become a human subjugate forever wasn’t an option, but neither was letting my captive go. Steering the human girl around the corner into an alley beside the bar, I kept my other eye on the vampire lady.
“Give me the bloodstones,” I said to her. “Now. Hurry up.”
“All right!” She dug in her bag and shoved two red stones into my hands.
“These aren’t the same stones you were trading before.” My heart sank. They weren’t demon stones, but the regular ones.
“Obviously not,” she said. “I don’t give the same stones out twice. Let her go—you promised.”
The girl moaned. Blood dripped down the back of her neck where Alec’s control had apparently slipped.
“I’m looking for a specific type,” I said. “You know the sort.”
Her eyes widened. “What’s it to you? You’re no vampire. Your boyfriend won’t want you anymore if you take one of those.”
I held up the stake. “Tell me exactly where you found those other bloodstones. This isn’t optional.”
She took in a breath—an involuntary response which must have remained from being human, because vampires didn’t need to breathe. She was either a really good actress or innocent.
“Ranger,” she muttered. “He distributed them to all of us. He’s back in the bar, the huge guy with the whiskers. I only sell the stones. I don’t ask questions. Besides, I was only supposed to sell them to serious clients. Not bloodbags, and not—” She broke off. “You said you wouldn’t bite her. Let go!”
She threw herself at Blond Dude, who latched onto the girl’s neck with a ferocity that betrayed his real strength.
“Hey!” I kicked him in the kneecap, but his grip was steel. Fiona was still stuck in the vamp bar, and Alec had successfully screwed up my plan. I was tempted to let them fight it out, but I’d dragged Alec into this myself. I kicked him again, and he made an angry hissing noise.
The female vampire slammed into him, bashing his head on the pavement. I winced at the noise.
“What seems to be the problem here?” Nikolas stepped in, grabbing the blond vampire. His head lolled, apparently unconscious.
“What the hell—you’re a warlock.” She spun around, as though wondering if everyone had gone mad.
“That’s our cue to leave.” Rachel grabbed my arm from behind.
“No.” I shook my head. “I just saw Fiona in there. In the bar. I have to get her out.”
Rachel’s eyes widened. “What—your human friend? She’s a blood slave?”
“No clue. Also, the vampire said the person we’re looking for is in there. The one selling those bloodstones. Guy called Ranger. He’ll be coming after her any second now.”
Rachel swore. “You’d better be right.”
I put the stake away, turning my back on the others. The vampire yelled at Nikolas, comforting the human girl, while Nikolas irritably threw Alec into the alley. “Leave,” I heard him say. “If he doesn’t wake up before the sun rises, it’s his problem if he gets incinerated. Take the human and get out of here.”
The bar swallowed us up, as confusing and loud as ever. The beat pulsed through me, and for all the humans around, there was no longer any sign of Fiona.
I swore quietly. “She was right there. I’d have seen if she’d come out.”
“Let me.” Rachel swaggered up to a couple of teenage male vamps. “Seen a redheaded human girl?”
A dark-skinned, muscular vamp with a bright silver lip piercing took a long sip of his drink, eying me with interest. “The vamp with the dye job? Over there.”
“Not a vampire,” I said. “She said, human.”
“What’s your problem?” He raised an eyebrow at Rachel. “You need to get your blood slave under control.”
Rachel hissed under her breath, and I grabbed her by the arm, pulling her away before she started a fight. The low lighting made it impossible to see people’s faces clearly, but Fiona didn’t appear to be in here, and neither did the others she’d been with. Dammit, Fiona. Why did you come here?
“There’s a back entrance,” Rachel whispered. “They must have left through there.”
We pushed through the crowd, using elbows to gain leverage. One vamp spilled his blood cocktail all over the floor and yelled after us. I ignored the disgruntled shouts, and saw a hulking figure approach the door and slip outside.
Ah, crap. “That’s the guy we were supposed to find,” I whispered to Rachel. “He sold the bloodstones. Guess we’re not the only ones making a quick exit.”
“No better chance.” She squared her shoulders and approached the back door as it swung shut. Stake in hand, I pushed the door open again and we exited, coming out into the other end of the same alley where we’d left Alec.
Vamp Dude filled the entire space, towering over me. He hadn’t appeared quite that large from a distance, but his whiskers made h
im resemble a lion standing on its hind legs. My stake felt like a useless prop in comparison to those muscles. And his eyes were flat black.
Shit.
I gripped the stake, and the next second, he was in front of me, moving with dizzying vampire speed until his mouth was over my neck. I pulled out the stake, inching it backwards, but his hand gripped my arm hard enough to bruise.
“Let go,” I warned. “Or I’ll be forced to burn this place to the ground.”
Rachel made a quiet growling noise. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that two people held her. Vampires. They’d been waiting out here for us. I should have known.
Gritting my teeth against the pain in my left arm, I twisted my right wrist, freeing the stake hidden inside my sleeve. Whirling, I slammed it into his arm. His fangs broke the skin on my neck, but I didn’t care about pretending to be human anymore, and I’d rather get a vampire bite than a wound that wouldn’t heal. The stake pierced his arm and he let go, blood spilling down his sleeve.
With a snarl, he lunged at me, and I ducked, easing my left sleeve up. I sank the stake into his upper thigh. As his leg gave way, I grabbed his shoulder—and strong hands yanked me away from him. A blade pressed to my neck. Not fangs. One of the vamps who’d held Rachel had broken away, and was apparently armed with more than teeth.
The second vampire pressed a knife to Rachel’s throat, holding her firmly.
The bleeding whiskered vamp spat at my feet. “You’re no human. You’re a celestial. Where’s your light now, bitch?”
I tugged my sleeve halfway down before they were on me, pulling my arm behind my back. I wriggled, cursing, but the blade kissed the skin of my neck, drawing blood. If I could just get an opening—
The smell of brimstone hit me in the face, followed by an unexpected rush of warmth. The vampires let go, allowing me to breathe. I was supposed to be… doing something with my left sleeve… but it seemed unimportant. A pair of golden eyes swam before me, making everything else go hazy. The vampire’s knife clattered to the alley floor, and Rachel disappeared from sight. But all that existed was the person the eyes belonged to, the source of the intoxicating scent. And why was it so hot? My skimpy clothes were too tight, too warm, pressing against my burning skin.
Lightning spiked from Nikolas’s hands, piercing the dazed-looking vampire. He fell down, dead at my feet. My senses felt dulled. I should feel shocked, horrified, or at least relieved, but those golden eyes held me captive, and the smell of brimstone infiltrated my mind.
Lure… the word drifted through my head, unaccompanied by any context. A snarl came from ahead, from Rachel, and I caught a glimpse of her tearing the vampires to pieces. The night air caressed my bare arms as I pulled my shirt over my head. Much better.
“Devi,” said a male voice—a seductive male voice. “Stop. Think. Can you remember why you’re here?” His strong hand gripped mine, stopping me from undoing my bra. Wait. How had my hand even ended up there? Lowering my hand, his fingertips brushed against my right wrist.
Euphoria rushed through my veins. I gripped his shirt tight with my free hand, craving that sensation again. He was warm, too. Really warm. He took my shirt and attempted to slide it back over my head, but I pressed my body against his, pushing both of us into the alley wall.
Why were we in an alley? We should be in a luxury suite on a four-poster bed, the best the guild’s money could buy. Still, at least I had him where I wanted him. He might be one-handedly trying to push my arm through my sleeve, but I could see the heat simmering in his eyes. He wanted me. I wanted him, too. I closed my mouth over his, and he tasted just as good as I remembered. Images exploded behind my eyes of our bodies sliding together, and I moaned against his mouth, one-handedly easing my skirt down. I really should have dressed more appropriately for the occasion. Or at least worn nicer underwear. Not that I’d be needing it…
What in hell, Devi? Vampires kidnapped your best friend. Wake up!
That voice in my head was getting really annoying. I deepened the kiss, grazing his bottom lip with my teeth. He growled against my mouth. “Devi. Stop this. Now.”
“Why stop,” I murmured, my hand dropping to his crotch. “You want me.”
He pressed his hands firmly to my shoulders, pushing me away from him. “This is neither the time nor the place, and you’re going to be really pissed off with me when you come to your senses.”
“The only reason I’m pissed off with you is because you won’t fuck me.” I attempted to unclasp my bra again, only for lightning to strike at my feet, stunning me. While I stood frozen, he grabbed my left hand and pushed up my sleeve. White light flared in front of my eyes, and old instincts kicked in.
I jumped back, away from whoever had set off the mark—it never shone like that unless a powerful demon was on top of me. My legs tangled in my skirt, which was halfway to my knees, and I staggered against the alley wall.
Oh… Divinities.
Nikolas stood there in a wary position, looking over both our shoulders. I pushed myself upright, my cheeks burning, and yanked my skirt back into position. Divinities above, I’d nearly screwed Nikolas in a public alley, when we were supposed to be—
Far too late, alarm crashed over me. “Fiona.”
“I sent Rachel after her. She told me about your predicament.”
Predicament. Like being hit in the face with warlock lure. I’d be able to smell it for weeks. Not that it was a bad thing… oh, hell. I shakily fixed my clothes, and sought to get a grip on the situation.
“The guy responsible for selling those bloodstones—he was trying to sneak off,” I said. “You killed him.” I glanced at his prone body. Even the dead guy looked like he was judging me.
“That’s why I used the lure. It’d have been too late for me to get to him before he cut your throat.” His mouth tightened. “I knew it’d hit you, too, but there was no way I could aim the lure at the others alone.”
“Don’t worry about it.” How humiliating. A warlock was apologising to me for making me attracted to him. As though I wasn’t already, against my better judgement. “Seriously, though. Fiona. At a vampire establishment. We have to go back and get her out.”
“There’s no need.” He pointed at Rachel, who approached at a run—alone.
“I was too late,” she said. “They took her round the back road while we were dealing with these bastards.”
“Damn.” I pushed upright, cursing my shaking legs. “We can ambush them.”
Nikolas steadied my arm. “You’re in no shape to fight.”
“Whose fault is that?” I staggered away, treading on the dead guy’s face and not particularly caring. The cramped alley circled around the building to a dimly lit street, and the sound of a car engine roared through the air. I caught a glimpse of Fiona’s terrified reflection in the wing mirror as it blew past, leaving the smell of exhaust fumes in its wake.
“Shit.” I whirled around, wishing I’d worn Rachel’s upgraded shoes—but even they weren’t enough for me to outrace a vampire-driven car.
“This way.” Nikolas led the way back to where he’d parked. “We can’t fight them all, not with Devi incapacitated.”
I glared at him. “How long does this take to wear off?”
“Five minutes tops,” Rachel said from behind. “I’m really glad one of you had some self-control back there. A demon could have materialised behind you and you wouldn’t have noticed.”
Great. I shoved what I’d almost done out of mind. Rescuing Fiona was more important than explaining myself to Nikolas. If there was even anything to explain.
Nikolas opened the car door. “We’ll follow. If there are too many of them, stay in the car.”
“No chance.” I climbed into the back, pulling my spare clothes from my bag. Nikolas raised an eyebrow at me.
I gave him a look. “What makes you think I didn’t pack for the occasion? Not all of us can shape-change or shoot lightning from our fingertips. A girl has to be prepared.”
&n
bsp; I hadn’t been able to pack anything too bulky, but while Nikolas started the car, I slipped out of the skimpy clothes into jeans and a less revealing shirt, pulling my jacket on top. Rachel had returned to her pink-haired self, though her demon side wouldn’t be far behind. The car veered around the corner, nearly sending me upside-down, but I managed to wrestle my shoes back on. With no regard for speed limits, Nikolas drove us down the dark streets. Everyone who stopped to stare at us looked away almost instantly, including several police officers. Someone wouldn’t be getting a speeding ticket. Apparently the vampires were unconcerned with such things. Not good. That meant they were confident they wouldn’t be followed.
Rachel leaned out the window when we drove around another corner. “There they are!” she shouted.
“Got them,” Nikolas muttered, slowing the car down so abruptly, I nearly fell into his seat. The vamps had parked their own car at an angle in the road, another hint that they didn’t care about being found. The door of the building they’d run into—a run-down apartment block that was closed for reconstruction—was open, too.
I adjusted my stakes, pulling one of them out. “I’m ready.”
We ran to the door, which Nikolas blasted away with a palm of lightning. Rachel ran behind, while I held my stake in one hand and my celestial light in the other. As we crossed the threshold, it lit up bright, and my demon mark tingled, too.
“There’s a demon here,” I warned. “I think.”
“As well as the vampires?” Rachel cursed quietly. “They must have backup.”
“Worse,” Nikolas said, glancing sharply to one of the open doors on the left. I did, too, knowing what I’d see.
The vamps didn’t need to worry about being followed… because they were no longer in this dimension at all.
A pentagram lay in the room’s centre, several bloodstones fixed to the edges. By the dimming light, it’d burn out soon.
Rachel touched the edge, hissing in anger. “It’s locked. They left it to taunt you. I might be able to get through—even you, Devi—but Nikolas… the portal isn’t strong enough to support a demigod. And we wouldn’t be able to get back.”
Celestial Fire (Celestial Marked Book 2) Page 10