by Izzy Shows
“Enough, enough,” he said, lifting a hand. “I will bring you a change of clothes, then. I will need permission to materialise in your house of course.”
“You have it. For this one purpose alone,” I added, glaring at him. I didn’t want him sneaking up on me at any other point in time.
He grinned. “Clever. So, what exactly am I getting? I don’t want to go ruffling about your home and not knowing what I’m looking for, at least.”
“Hey, no ruffling around at all. You go down to the basement, that’s where my gear is hanging up. Thigh holster, both wands, my wrist cuff—do not give me that look, it’s a focus for strength. Then, go into my room and only go into the second and third drawers. Grab a tank top and a pair of jeans for me. Oh fuck, you have to go into the top drawer anyway,” I said, rubbing my forehead. “I need socks. This is all your fault, you know, having to go find a change of clothes for me. I wouldn’t have to if you hadn’t shown up with this get up.”
“I had no idea you would be wearing it in such a situation. I only thought it would complement you in a club environment. Well, any environment.” He grinned before sobering again. “I’m sorry. I promise to be respectful while I’m gathering your supplies.”
“Thank you, that’s all I need. Oh! No, no, one more thing.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“In the basement, there are three quartz stones of varying sizes. Bring me the second largest one. I’m going to need a lot of strength from it.”
He nodded and turned to go, but I closed the distance again and embraced him.
“Thank you,” I said, in little more than a whisper.
“I will always be here for you, Blair.”
36
I came to in the circle again, my eyes opening slowly to give them a small amount of time to readjust to the dim lighting of the cell. It took some time, but finally I could see more than just the dark outline of my two co-prisoner’s forms at the other end of the cell. I could see that they were cowering there, noticeably afraid of me, and I sighed.
It was only a little annoying for them to look at me as if I was the next thing for them to be afraid of after the vampires, considering what I was doing to help them, but at the end of the day it just didn’t matter. I would do what I needed to regardless of how my tactics were received by the public.
I wasn’t here to be anyone’s superhero; I was here to get us the hell out of this situation.
“What did you do?” Sara asked, her voice a hoarse whisper.
“I called for help,” I said, shrugging my shoulders as I stood up. I scuffed a spot of the blood, breaking the circle, so that I could step out of it. “Soon I will have what I need to get out of this cell, and then I will take care of the vampire infestation, and then we’ll be able to go home. It’s quite simple.”
The man was looking at me as if I had transformed into a beast, but in the recesses of his eyes I could see something else growing there, something I thought perhaps he hadn’t felt in a good long time—hope. My heart swelled at the thought that I could provide some semblance of hope for them, that perhaps this would be a little easier for them to get through, but it also added pressure to my already great burden. I had to get them out of this, I couldn’t sit idly by and watch them die.
I paced the room, tapping my fingers against the thin fabric of the skirt I wore, aware of the light tapping sound my boots made on the stone floor. They were so impractical; I couldn’t believe I had ever agreed to wear them. Then again, Mal was right. No one had ever thought I’d be wearing them in a circumstance like this one.
Unless Carmen had.
I paused in my pacing, narrowing my eyes as I thought about that. Carmen had been the one to suggest the club, and Carmen had separated from me as soon as we’d arrived. Had she been a part of this, was her betrayal the reason I was here right now?
It was all a little convenient for her, I had been the one who had demanded to know where the darker side of the supernatural met up, and she hadn’t wanted to tell me about it. Unless that had been a show and this had been her plan all along. But she was so loyal to Dudley, and she had actively fought to not be a part of my investigation, and had assisted with the kill of one of the vampires that had attacked us.
It didn’t quite make sense, and I suppose it didn’t matter right then, but it was something to come back to later. If she wasn’t already here for me to kill when I got out of this mess.
“So, what’s going to happen now?” Sara asked. I was beginning to see that she was the more talkative of the two, likely because she hadn’t been down here for as long as he had. But he was watching me intently, waiting for me to answer Sara.
“Now, we’re stuck waiting until my friend can show up and get me what I need to get out of this hell hole.” I turned to look at her as I spoke, and watched as she flinched when our eyes met. Intriguing. I was under the impression that my face wasn’t particularly frightening, and I hadn’t said anything that resembled a threat.
It was me. Just me. She was afraid of me entirely on my own.
That was new to me.
“But how are you going to get out of this?” The man asked now.
“Does it matter, so long as you get out of here? I haven’t thought this all the way through, I’ll admit that, but I have every confidence I’ll be able to get through this if no one messes me up.”
I didn’t tell them that they were the biggest liability now, that if a vampire were to come down here while we were waiting on Mal to locate my items and get here and that vampire were to see the hope shining in their eyes than we would be doomed. I didn’t tell them that if I blasted the cell door off its hinges and they made a run for it than they would be the first to die, because vampires were going to come charging down the stairs, ready to kill me.
I didn’t want them to get caught in the crossfire, but I also didn’t want to tell them that just yet. Their hope was so new, so fragile, it was a flame that could be blown out at any moment. I didn’t want to watch them descend into the personal hell’s they’d been living in before I’d come down here.
I plopped down in my corner again to divest myself of my ridiculous boots, yanking them off my feet. I felt the pain in my feet as soon as they were off, throbbing now that they could expand again in the open air. Heels were a ridiculous fashion decision that I wanted no part of ever again, no matter how good they made my arse look.
I stood up, cringing at the little prickling sensations of pain that jumped to attention with every step I took. I pushed on though, forcing the blood to flow freely so that when it was time to fight I would be able to do so.
Fucking heels.
“Waiting for me?”
I whirled to face Mal, a smile exploding across my face.
“Thank the Gods,” I whispered as I crossed the distance and threw my arms around him. “I was worried you wouldn’t be able to materialise here without someone giving you permission.”
“Nah, same reason you’re able to do magic down here, no one owns this house but a bunch of, technically, dead people. Vampires can’t invite anyone in, because they aren’t alive to maintain ownership.” He shrugged his shoulders, though his arms were wrapped around me. He held me tight for several moments before I stepped back and away.
“My stuff?” I asked, eager.
“First,” he said, lifting a hand and pulling a small container from his coat pocket. “Balm. For your injuries.”
I smiled, shaking my head. “Thank you.” He handed it to me and I applied it liberally to the welts across my skin, a sigh of relief easing out of me as the pain disappeared. “Thank you.”
He returned my smile. “It was my pleasure. Now, your things.” He snapped his fingers and they all appeared in his arms then, and I couldn’t help myself, I squealed as I quietly as I could. I yanked the crop top up and over my head, refusing to be ashamed of baring my chest in front of Mal and the two strangers. It was born of necessity, and I had never been one to be as
hamed of myself.
If I were a man I wouldn’t even be thinking about this. I chided myself as I reached for the tank top and pulled it on over my head. I should have asked him for a sports bra, but alas, I hadn’t thought of it at the time. Next to go was the skirt, I wriggled out of it as quickly as I could, the cold air raising goosebumps along the skin that had previously been covered.
It was midsummer, shouldn’t have been cold, but we were in the basement of a house filled with vampires. There was no logic to be had, and I didn’t think it was worthwhile to question the temperature.
I wiggled into my jeans, sighing with happy relief as I buttoned them. It was then that I looked up and met Mal’s eyes, flushing and immediately looking away when I saw the stark desire in his eyes. Normal male response.
Shawn was more respectful the first time he saw you. A snide thought appeared in my mind, though I wasn’t sure which man that was a ding at.
Yes, well, Shawn had been treating me as a doctor would a patient. I’m sure he was used to looking at naked bodies and keeping himself under control at the same time. Mal, on the other hand, was a demon who indulged in his desires whenever he saw fit.
I took the socks from his hands and slipped them on, then grabbed the boots he’d made appear on the floor and shoved my feet into them, tying them hastily.
It was such a relief to be in my own clothing again, to feel comfortable once more and not have to worry about something slipping up or breaking or just plain old being painful to wear. This was me, aside from the smudged make up anyway.
I took the holster from him next, clipping it around my thighs and then fastening it about the waist. I tucked the wands into their respective holsters and looked up at him again, surprised to see that he was holding my messenger bag out to me.
“I didn’t ask for that…” I said as I reached for it. It was heavy, and when I opened it I saw that it was filled with the stakes I’d made. “OH, you genius. How could I have forgotten that?”
“You’ve had your hands full, and that right there is a benefit of having a second mind already. I also put your blade in there, in case you feel like chopping off heads.”
I glared at him. “Maybe, but that’s not going to change my mind.”
“Why not? I’ve already proven that you aren’t thinking about everything you should be, you need someone here to help you, and I’m already here.”
“I don’t care! I never said it made sense, I said I wasn’t going to do it.”
He made a harsh sound and shook his head, thrusting the messenger bag at me. “I refuse to watch you die.”
I jerked, suddenly unable to breathe, and I felt the pain in my chest as bad as if a bullet had hit me. He’d used the same words that I had said to Aidan, not that he would have known that. Just a random coincidence.
I refuse to watch you die.
Tears pricked my eyes and I turned away from him, hugging myself and shaking my head. I wasn’t being Aidan. I wasn’t being an arrogant fool.
Was I?
Aidan had thought he could take down a necromancer band after I had warned him that they were too powerful for him. I wasn’t under any impression that I was powerful enough to handle this—OK, maybe I was hoping that I was—but I just wasn’t willing to bring my friends into the fight with me. I was hoping I’d be able to take care of this on my own, and I knew that I was risking a lot by handling the situation this way, but it was so much worse in my mind to think of my friends dying because I couldn’t handle a fight.
I had watched one person die for me. I didn’t want to repeat the scenario.
I felt Mal’s hand at my shoulder and wrenched away from him, focusing on calming the storm of emotions raging inside of me. It hurt so much to think about Aidan that most of the time I simply refused.
“Blair?” His voice was cautious, and I knew he was worried.
I shook my head.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what I said, but I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” I whispered hoarsely. “I just, uh. That’s what I said to Aidan, that’s all.”
He swore, and I heard a clatter as he dropped the last few objects he was holding, and felt his strong arms wrap around me, holding me against his chest and tucking his chin on top of my head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I would never have used those words if I knew what they meant to you. If you won’t let me help you…there’s nothing I can do to stop that. I know if I stayed and forced the issue it would only distract you. I’m sorry, I am.”
I nodded my head, sniffing and then shaking it as if to chase away the memories.
“Thank you for the stakes,” I said as I stepped away from him. “Did you bring the quartz?” I asked.
He snapped his fingers and a large crystal appeared at my feet. “I did.” He also reached into his pocket and pulled out the cuff, frowning in displeasure. “Here.”
I took it from him, rolling my eyes, and laced it around my forearm, covering his mark. It was luck that had caused the vampires to overlook my ‘jewellery’—the wind tunnel and the shields, they must not understand what foci are.
I then sat down on the ground in front of the quartz stone, crossed my legs, and pulled the crystal into my lap. I held it with each of my finger pads pressed against it, and began to chant slowly. Wind picked up from nowhere, swirling around me as if I was my own tempest.
Energy flooded out of the crystal and into me, pouring through my hands. I don’t know what holding onto a car battery feels like, but I’d say this was damn close. I had stored pieces of energy day in and day out, in preparation for a day like this where I would need it. Usually on days when I hadn’t needed to use my magic, when I had excess left over. The past month I hadn’t been able to get to it, there had been so many things going on, and especially this last week. That didn’t matter now, all that mattered was the energy rushing back through me.
Finally, I yanked my hands away, leaving some force left, when I felt that I had taken what I needed. I was breathing hard, my blood pulsing as it raced through my veins. I opened my eyes in time to see Sara cross herself.
Funny that she’d do that now. Maybe she had done it when I’d drawn the circle too, but I hadn’t noticed. Maybe it was now that I looked demonic to her. I placed the crystal back on the floor in front of me and stood up. I took the bag that Mal had left on the floor, looping it over my head and leaving it open so that it hung at my hip, ready for me to grab a stake when I would need one.
“Blair…” Mal said.
“What?” I lifted an eyebrow, huffing out a sigh. “What do you have left to say?”
“If you won’t let me help you, then please, use the help I already gave you. You have the power to get out of this unscathed.”
“What you gave me is not a get out of jail free card, and I don’t know what it’s going to do to me. So no, I will not be using that unless I must. Thank you. But I’ve made up my mind.”
He mouthed a word that I didn’t recognise and shook his head, grimacing. “Fine. Fine.” He held his hands up, palms out. “Don’t listen to me. I’m just the man who’s been to hell and back again.”
And then he was gone.
I squared my shoulders and turned to stare at the cell door.
“All right, fuckers. Here I come.”
37
I reached for the fire inside of me and at the same time, as I aimed the fire wand, pulled the energy from it, slamming it out of me so fast and so hard that I screamed in pain, the Latin word for fire almost lost in the strangling sound—and blew a bloody huge hole several walls through where the cell door had been. I couldn’t take any risks that the first hit wouldn’t knock the door down, it had to be done right the first time or the vampires would get down here and know what I was up to before I even got out of the cell. That would only make the job that much harder to pull off. I felt the fatigue hit a second later, but shoved it to the back of my mind.
Memo to me—don’t fucking do that again in a hurry.
They nodded, mute, and clung to one another.
I turned out of the cell and started for the stairs, and was immediately met by three enemies. Two were obviously vampires, the other had wild red rimmed sunken eyes, I did not get a supernatural vibe from him. My eyes shot to his neck, where various bite marks were visible, and I realised that he had to be a thrall. It was the only possible explanation for his presence here.
“She’s escaped!”
I rolled my eyes. “Typical. Idiots. Talk about stating the bleeding obvious.” I gave them my best wild-eyed grin.
The two vampires blurred towards me, the thrall lifting a gun. I barely had time to activate my shield ring before the first bullets were fired, and promptly got knocked on my arse by one of the vampires.
Tackled to the ground with its body pinning me down, I heard it hiss at my neck before I felt its breath. I gritted my teeth and knocked my head sideways into theirs, ignoring the ringing pain that exploded along my skull in the process. I brought up my knee to the vampire’s groin, but before I could connect he had blurred off me and back a few paces.
I jumped to my feet, panting as I regained awareness of my surroundings. There were only two men in front of me, which meant I had lost track of the other vampire.
I tensed, eyes darting back and forth between the vampire and the thrall, I knew that the eye contact and tension was all that was keeping them at bay right now. It was behind me, the other vampire. I could feel its eyes glaring into the space between my shoulder blades, but there was nothing that I could do. If I turned to face my attacker, I would have two more at my back.