Forked Lightning scrambled up, and pulled a dazed Tatya to her feet. "Thank you," they chorused before offering a deep bow.
"We are always in your debt for the help you give us," Tatya’s voice was a whisper. She was humbled by their generosity.
The spirit guides returned the bow. "Together we fight the darkness, remember that. None of us fight alone." And they departed.
Forked Lightning and Tatya opened their eyes, and Eva stopped drumming. “I can tell by the grins plastered on your faces, everything went as planned.”
"Feeling better, little sister?" Forked Lightning’s expression was lighter. The contact with their spiritual companions had helped him too.
“I don’t know what I would have done without you. Last year you protected me from myself, and now—”
“I’ve got that old annoying you back!”
"I feel like I’ve been born again, and I am going to kick someone's butt! Let’s see if I’ve still got it.” Tatya pointed a finger at a small blue vase, given to her as a thank you gift by an appreciative client, and dipped into her powers.
There was a sharp crack and the three of them ducked as the vase exploded, sending shards of blue china flying in every direction.
“Woah, easy, Tat.” Forked Lightning rubbed his arm, where a few chips had struck him when he raised his arm to protect himself.
"Oops! Sorry. Are you okay?" She turned to check on Eva, but she was sitting behind Tatya, and out of the firing line. "Guess I’m out of practice."
“I think it’s safe to say your skills are up and running again, but you might need to dial it back a bit.”
“And the connection to Vanse is stronger.” Tatya gave an excited squeal. When she stabbed him, a faint awareness of the link remained, but she’d not been able to see it. She closed her eyes. Yes, there was the link. Although instead of the golden chain, she saw a dull gray rope. She opened her eyes again.
“What is it?” Forked Lightning asked
“The knife’s affecting the bond, and the Bandrui chant hasn’t returned.”
"That's good, isn't it?” Eva said. “If they thought you needed them, they would have stayed. Wouldn't they?"
Tatya wasn't sure Eva's reasoning was valid. "I don't know. Perhaps they're biding their time? After all, for the last year, I’ve barely sensed the link with Vanse." She didn't want to think that by shutting them out, she'd offended them, and in return, they had abandoned her. On the other hand, Eva could be right, and no contact was a positive sign because it indicated little or no likelihood of Angelus rematerializing soon. "It might be a test, and I have to be patient."
Jimmy's head appeared around the door. "Heard you guys talking, and I figured you were finished. Sage tea or coffee?"
Half an hour later, sighing with satisfaction, they breathed in the combined aromas of sage tea and coffee, which oddly enough worked well together. The spirit journey had depleted their energy levels, leaving a serious carb craving which hot drinks and Eva’s brownies gratified.
"Mmm, thanks, guys. I feel almost human again." Forked Lightning wiped the brownie crumbs from his mouth as he dug his phone out of his jeans pocket.
"More?" Jimmy asked.
Forked Lightning held up his palm, forestalling him. "Give me a sec. I want to check on Leyla."
"While you're here, I have another favor to ask you." Tatya paused as Forked Lightning's phone buzzed the instant he turned it on.
"What? How many? Okay, we're coming." He looked at Tatya with dismay. "Whatever it is, it'll have to wait. We got company—a dozen vampires, maybe more, approaching through the woods opposite your house. You're gonna be testing those powers of yours sooner than expected."
Chapter Eight: Attacked
"Serkan's vamps are here?" She knew she sounded stupid repeating what Forked Lightning had said as it wasn't the kind of thing anyone would invent. "You know what that means? It means they've drunk from Vanse's family. They must be here for Vanse's body." The other three stared at her in alarm while images of Fabio flashed through her mind: his insistence on etiquette, bowing over her hand, the endless kindnesses he'd showed from finding an architect, overseeing the legal aspects to organizing builders, and making sure the funding was in place. In return, he'd demanded nothing. Anger flushed through her as she understood how helpless they were, deprived of their master's active protection.
"Or your blood," Forked Lightning said. "Are there any weapons in the house?"
"Yes. Jimmy, bring that bag we stashed in the basement last night. Eva, go with him. Pick a gun, something you can handle, and stand guard at the top of the stairs to the basement, just in case."
Nobody said the obvious: if the hostile vampires made it inside, gun or not, she wouldn't stand a chance. The couple hurried from the room.
Forked Lightning and Tatya stood on the porch peering out into the mist and drizzle that had fulfilled the morning’s promise and provided convenient cover for Serkan's forces.
"I wonder if Serkan is here or just directing them. Where are your weres? Tell them to get inside my property—it's warded, and his vamps won't be able to enter. It'll be easier to pick them off."
Forked Lightning was instantly giving orders over the phone as Jimmy lugged the heavy bag onto the porch and dumped it beside them. "Eva's in position. You don’t intend for her to actually protect the basement, do you? That was just an excuse to get her inside, right?”
"Yes. I'm not taking any chances, and she has less experience with weapons than the rest of us."
"Thanks. I owe you."
Inwardly, Tatya groaned. Not the debt build-up again—she'd had enough of it last year with Forked Lightning and his pack. "Hey, we're more than friends, we're family—and there are no debts in families."
"Gotcha." Jimmy unzipped the bag and gave a loud whistle. "Do I get to pick?" He sounded like a kid offered a giant bag of his favorite candy.
"Sure. You know about guns?"
"My father used to take me hunting. Wow! SR-25s, AS-50s, and what's this?" Jimmy pulled a long sleek sniper rifle out of the bag, turning it this way and that as he examined it.
"That baby is the L115A3 known as the Arctic Warfare Magnum. It's a lovely bolt-action sniper. You must come out in the woods some time when we go for shooting practice," Forked Lightning told him.
"Stop flirting with the guns you two and grab something quick. We’ve got to finish this before sunset."
Nobody spoke. They understood exactly what she meant.
Forked Lightning grabbed a short crossbow and a handful of silver tipped arrows. "I've got an adapted one of these at home." With a quick twist, he wrenched the telescopic sight over to the right, making sure it didn’t obstruct his sight line. “Weres don't need those things.”
The smile he gave wasn't pretty and reminded Tatya that although she was familiar with the friendly family oriented side of Forked Lightning, he was also a powerful werewolf pack leader, a position that demanded certain qualities. If it came to hand-to-hand fighting, he didn't need a weapon.
Jimmy propped his rifle on a table on the porch, intended for sipping drinks on fine summer evenings and sighted through the scope. "Are these bullets silver? Hey, Tatya, what's your weapon of choice?"
A wild grin split Forked Lightning's face. "Tatya doesn't need a weapon. She is a weapon."
Tatya squinted as she searched among the greenery opposite for signs of vampires or werewolves. "Cut the gossip. I see a band of your weres heading this way, and they're moving fast. Come on, let's see how my powers work when faced with more than a ceramic vase." She stepped off the porch, her footsteps crunching the gravel as she walked down the driveway, her eyes scanning the trees.
Forked Lightning stepped after her, hefting the crossbow and sighting along the barrel as he scanned from left to right, his fingers coiled loosely around the trigger. The approaching shapes grew clearer.
"Stay where you are, Jimmy," she called over her shoulder as Forked Lightning drew level with her. She sho
ok her hands out, and bright energy sparked and dripped from her fingertips. "I hate to admit it," she muttered, “but I kinda missed this.”
"Something to be said for saving it up, then."
Tatya glanced sideways at him, wondering if he was referring to her psychic skills or to other matters.
Suddenly half a dozen werewolves in their animal forms materialized across the road, their legs blurring as they moved at supernatural speed toward safety.
Tatya raised her hands and pointed, as they spotted several vamps gaining on their targets.
A crack split the air as Jimmy fired, and a vampire fell.
Tatya pulled on her power, and a bolt of white jagged lightning flew from her fingers and hit another two.
As they ran, the werewolves crouched lower to the ground, and more shots whistled over their heads. As they sped across the tarmac, a black shape flew out of the woods, landing on the back of the last werewolf. The others, unaware of the attack on their pack mate, kept moving forward until a sudden scream alerted those in front. The group turned, swinging into attack mode without a pause as more vampires emerged from the woods.
Howls and shrieks filled the air as werewolf claws shredded skin and formidable jaws crushed bone. Even the undead had difficulty in withstanding the ferocity of a full-frontal werewolf assault. Those who could escaped death by fleeing, and within seconds, five of their number lay with their throats slashed, chests gaping wide open, and dark stains on the earth where their hearts lay savagely separated from their bodies.
"Retreat!" Forked Lightning's voice cracked, and the pack withdrew onto Tatya's driveway, as a couple more, this time in human form, dashed out of the trees, picking up their dead brother as they ran.
"None left behind." Forked Lightning's face was a blank mask, and his voice was calm, but Tatya could see the rage boiling in his aura. Once upon a time, he couldn’t have controlled himself, but despite the fury inside, he'd learned how to stop his emotions from gaining the upper hand. It made him an impressive leader.
Several more pack members appeared from the rear of the house, confirming that for the moment the vamps had retreated.
"Is this everyone?" Tatya asked, taking a head count, noting the last two wolves smoothly resuming their human forms without the normal trauma involved in shifting.
Forked Lightning checked over the group and nodded. "Yep. Have you got somewhere we can leave Gerry's body till we can take him home and honor him in the proper way?" There was little doubt he intended to exact revenge for the death of his kin.
"Put him in the garage. There's a tarpaulin they can cover him with," Tatya told him.
One of the weres picked up the body of the dead werewolf, slung him over his shoulder and headed off.
"I didn't know you could shift other than at the full moon," she said to Forked Lightning.
"Yeah, it's something I've been working on, since I discovered some interesting aspects to those skills you been teaching me."
"You okay, Jimmy?"
"This is a beaut," Jimmy stroked the barrel of his rifle with affection. “It's been a while since I done any hunting, but it's like swimming or riding a bike, your body never quite forgets how to do it. That was hot.”
Tatya and Forked Lightning exchanged a look.
"Not the tame hedge wizard you imagined, eh? Think his woman knows he has a blood-thirsty streak?"
"Oh, I'm sure she knows everything about him." Tatya grinned.
They walked up to the porch, as the adrenaline rush of action abated.
"I've got a plan."
Forked Lightning raised an eyebrow at her.
"They'll come at us again, right?"
"A safe bet if ever I heard one."
"The barriers will hold, but I don't want this to develop into a stalemate. We keep the shields in place, let them get close, and when I give the word, I'll drop the barriers. They'll be off guard and we attack quick and hard."
Forked Lightning gave her another of his wolf smiles. "Woman, you're bat crazy, but I like it." He did a head count. "Including you and Jimmy, we've got twenty-three. Look, we’ve got company." He eyed the vampires bunched together on the edge of the woods. “I’m seeing at least forty. They outnumber us."
"You got another plan? Unless we go on the attack who knows how long they’ll be there, waiting for us every time we venture outside the house." She refrained from mentioning Leyla, knowing his wife was never far from his thoughts.
A car approached, and the vamps faded from sight. The vehicle passed, its wheels sending up a light spray, and they reappeared, hovering on the verge with their gazes fixed on Tatya.
"And the second Bill finds out, he’ll call in the super squad, and that will really mess everything up." Open warfare between supernaturals would result in all parties being thrown out of Orleton. Not something that would work in Vanse’s family’s favor.
"Okay, we’ll go with your plan. The last thing we want is anyone sneaking in through an unguarded spot when we drop those wards. In twos,” Forked Lightning ordered, “you, you, and you." He pointed at those who had patrolled the rear of the property, adding a couple more. "Resume your positions."
The weres obeyed, instantly racing off.
"Jimmy, take your rifle, and any handguns in that bag, and I want you to set up out back by the kitchen door," Tatya said.
"Okay. Give me a few minutes.”
"Give my guys the thumbs up when you're ready, and they'll let me know," Forked Lightning said. He turned to Tatya. "I’m staying by your side."
His tone and stern expression told her not to bother trying to change his mind. “I’m glad.”
During the next five minutes, while they waited for Jimmy to get organized, and while they watched the vamps opposite, the gamut of emotions the barrier had shielded her from for a year bubbled inside her. The block hadn’t stopped her emotions, just diluted them, never allowing them to rise beyond a certain intensity before receding. Now the full weight of those feelings, from protectiveness of those for whom she felt responsible, sorrow that already someone had died for her today, to an increasing rage at Serkan, welled up, threatening her control.
"Breathe. Remember." Forked Lightning's voice whispered in her ear, and he touched her lightly on the arm. "You're sparking. Keep it for the enemy."
She studied the bright energy leaking from her fingertips.
A wolf's soft yip pierced the quiet, and a flock of startled woodpigeons flapped noisily into the sky.
"That means Jimmy's in place.” Forked Lightning said. “Look at those fools. Oh, this is going to be fun to watch.”
A large group of vampires erupted out of the trees and dashed toward them. As they reached the wards, it was as if they'd hit a brick wall. One minute they were increasing speed, and the next they slapped into the invisible shielding, rebounded, and found themselves flung backward onto the ground.
Nerves made Tatya giggle. "Reminds me of an old cartoon Aunt Lil used to love."
"What—The Three Stooges?"
Tatya’s jaw dropped.
"My grandmother used to watch them too."
She hadn't even known Forked Lightning had a grandmother because he'd never spoken of his early life.
“You must teach me how to add that blast effect when shielding.”
“That was Jimmy’s suggestion, but as he didn’t know how to do it, I improvised.”
They watched as the vamps recovered from the discharge. More of them crossed the road, joining the advance party as they poked and tested the invisible wall, searching for an opening.
“We need to do this now before they spread out. It’ll be easier to zap them in a bunch.” Tatya said.
“Zapping them? Is that what we’re doing now?”
Tatya giggled. “Shut up. It’s the best word I can come up with. I’ll figure out a more warrior-like word to satisfy you when I have time to consult a thesaurus.”
Leaving three werewolves guarding the front door, Forked Lightning and T
atya moved off the porch and the remaining pack members formed a line on either side of them.
The rain had stopped, and the sun emerged from a gap in the clouds. Raindrops sparkled on the grass and leaves.
“How close is best for you?” Tatya kept her eyes on the vamps as they slowed their exploration for any weakness in the barrier.
“Even in human form, we can leap a good ten feet from standing.”
“Impressive. And from running?”
“We have contests. I’ll invite you for the next one.”
Werewolf Olympics—that would be something to witness. She refocused as Forked Lightning raised his hand a fraction, and the line moved forward.
The vamps understood a confrontation was imminent and waited with a predatory watchfulness as the werewolves approached.
“Let’s see who blinks first,” said Tatya. “Let's try to hold them where they are as long as we can. I’m hoping the first time they realize the wards are down is when their hearts are ripped from their chests.”
Forked Lightning gave her a sideways look and raised an eyebrow.
“What? They threaten me and mine, they get what’s coming to them." Tatya took a few slow deep breaths, calmed the rush of excitement that flooded her, closed her eyes, and visualized the barriers. The dome glittered, sparks flaring at the close presence of her adversaries. She moved her lips in a silent mantra and the wards dissipated. "Whenever you’re ready," Tatya whispered, flexing her hands and drawing on the pool of rippling energy waiting to be released. She wondered if and how the Bandrui's absence would affect her strength, but decided it was a waste of time worrying—she’d learn soon enough.
The vampires didn’t understand the barrier was no longer an obstacle till the werewolves were upon them, but the second they understood, they didn’t fight, but desperately tried to evade the weres, making erratic sorties toward the front door.
Tatya sensed danger behind her and turning around zapped three vamps who had made it past their defense line. As she faced forward again, Forked Lightning stepped sideways. He’d moved behind her to guard her back.
Side by side, they pressed forward searching for targets.
The Kala Trilogy: An Urban Fantasy Box Set Page 50