Blood Warrior (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles #4)

by Malone Wright, Jennifer

  I contemplated for only a second. I didn’t want the guy to get up, but he’d been shot by the UV so many times it was already eating him away. It wouldn’t be much longer until he was dead anyway, so, I released him.

  I rose into full standing position, and trained my gun on Korina’s heart. I could probably hit her before she hurt Zander, but that would really be taking a chance.

  Her eyes settled on me. “Go ahead,” she taunted. “Shoot me and your friend shall die.”

  Zander met my eyes and saw my hesitation so he cried out. “For crying out loud, do it, Chloe!”

  She moved Zander so that he was in front of her, efficiently covering her chest area. “Yes, Chloe, do it. I can snap his neck before I die, I guarantee it.”

  I still hesitated. I knew Zander was willing to sacrifice himself, but that didn’t mean I wanted to be the one responsible, I was already responsible for enough death and destruction.

  Korina’s big brown eyes scanned the room and finally she spotted Anthony among us. “Well, well, well, I suppose I should be surprised to see you here, but I am not.”

  Anthony moved toward her. “Korina, let the boy go.”

  Her lips spread into a thin smile and she shook her head. “Have you no courtesy, Anthony? You haven’t even said hello to me. After all this time, I would think that you have missed me even the tiniest bit.”

  “Let him go and then we can talk.” Anthony ignored her taunting.

  She shook her head again. “I do not think so. I know why you are here, why you are looking for me. So, no, I will not release this boy. She used her free hand to tilt Zander’s face up toward her so that she could look at his face. “As a matter of fact, I think that maybe I will keep him.”

  Anthony took another testing step forward. She saw him advancing on her and moved backward with Zander.

  “I’m not anyone’s pet,” Zander spat at her.

  She ran her fingertips over the line of his neck. “We shall see about that,” she whispered and then turned her attention back to Anthony. “I am quite disappointed in you. I would think you so much better than consorting with such pathetic creatures. Truly, Anthony, humans? This is what you have lowered yourself to?”

  Realizing that she had no intention of releasing Zander, I decided that I should probably chance shooting her. It looked like that was the only option. I breathed out slowly, and aimed at Korina’s head.

  Zander saw what I was doing and closed his eyes. I could only thank God that Christina wasn’t in the room yet, she would have went after him and done everything she could to avoid this. Where was she anyway?

  “I shall be leaving New Orleans now, so don’t bother continuing your search for me after I leave here. She backed out the door. We followed, the entire group moved as one, stepping forward slowly. “My bloodline shall never perish, I have worked too hard for centuries to build such a family.”

  “We shall find you,” Anthony told her.

  Shoot Chloe! Shoot her! I told myself, over and over again. She is going to get away.

  “Oh hell, no,” Drew muttered. “We have lost too much to let her get away now.” He raised his gun and took aim.

  “Drew, no,” I whispered. “Let me.” He knew I had the better shot. But, dammit, I had to take it soon or we were going to lose him.

  She continued to back up and Drew nodded. “Last chance, Chloe, then I’m doing it.”

  “Tell your friends goodbye,” Korina told Zander, her lips close to his ear. “It will be a…” Her sentence was cut off and she lurched forward, almost letting go of Zander.

  Behind her, about six feet down the deck, Christina stood with an expression fiercer than I’d ever seen on her. She threw another knife, which lodged itself deep in Korina’s back. “You take your hands off of him!” Christina yelled holding another large knife.

  Korina didn’t turn around, she still faced us and even though she had two knives sticking out of her back, she smiled. “Missed the vital organs, honey. You are going to have to do much better than that, if you want to kill me.” And then, without warning, she lifted Zander into the air and jumped over the side of the deck with him wrapped in her arms.

  We all ran forward as we heard the splash. Everyone leaned over the railing, searching for any sign of them. I held my gun out, wanting to fire, but not wanting to hit Zander in the process.

  Everyone in my group had the same thoughts as me, but Sarah, now that was a different story. She didn’t know Zander and her only mission was to stop this freaking apocalypse.

  “Screw this,” she growled and then fired her rifle into the water. The rest of her group followed suit and began peppering the river below us with bullets.

  Oh, please God, let him be all right.

  “Let’s go!” Christina screamed, running down the deck, toward the dock. “We have to find him.”

  I stayed where I was for a moment, trying to get a focus on the water. Anthony stayed with me while everyone else followed Christina. Nothing. The water was still moving from the spray of ammunition so it was hard to tell if there was any movement underneath.

  “There,” Anthony whispered, pointing at the bank of the river, a good distance away from us. The shadowy form of a woman was dragging Zanders limp body from the confines of the Mississippi. I couldn’t tell how far it was, but she definitely had a good head start.

  I fired a couple of shots in their general direction, but it was too dark, even for my eyes, since I couldn’t really judge the distance. I was also still afraid of hitting Zander.

  “Let’s go. We have to tell the others.” I bolted down the deck and then jumped over as soon as I got close enough to the dock. Anthony followed right behind me. Man, it was actually nice having someone around who could keep up with me.

  We caught up with the group in no time at all. “This way,” I called as Anthony and I plowed our way through the mass of people. “They went this way.”

  The others picked up their speed and followed us back into the city, toward the French Quarter, once again.

  Korina had lifted Zander into her arms and sped off. She knew we were not far behind her, but even carrying Zander, she was really freaking fast. She rounded into an alleyway at the same time I heard several guns go off at once.

  The gunshots came from behind us and I didn’t know if they were from our group or from soldiers. Then shouting, followed the gunshots, and more firing.

  Oh, my God, someone was being massacred, I just didn’t know if it was our guys or the bad guys. Oh, my God.

  I looked over at Anthony as we rounded the same corner that Korina had. He shook his head slightly and I knew that finding Korina was the priority. Killing her would help end this. But, I wanted to know everyone was all right.

  This was indeed, a war, and there were going to be casualties. I just didn’t want them to be any of the people I loved.

  With shouting and gunshots firing in the distance, we found Korina had cornered herself into the alleyway. There was no way out of this one, the buildings surrounding us were two stories high, too far for her to jump it.

  Her hair was damp and dangling into her face and her eyes were wide, since she knew she had made a mistake. She had dropped Zander to the ground where he lay unconscious. Her stance was that of attack, arms slightly raised, fingers spread like they were claws and her legs bent at the knee.

  “It’s time to go, Korina.” Anthony aimed his gun at her. But, like me, he hesitated and she took advantage. With a sudden burst of speed, she bolted forward and knocked him to the ground. Anthony grunted and rolled so that he was on top. Which was stupid because with him on top I was unable to get a shot at her without hitting him.

  I threw a glance over at Zander, he still hadn’t moved or made a sound. Dammit. I wish he would wake up.

  Anthony and Korina continued to roll around on the filthy cement, trying to choke each other. Both of them were doing whatever they could to take out the other one. Outside the alley I heard footsteps thundering to
ward us … a lot of footsteps.

  Crap.

  Vampire Council soldiers thundered into the alley with their guns raised. I just knew they were going to fire before assessing the surroundings. So I pulled all the energy inside of me and forced it outward.

  Flames burst forth from my arms. I swirled them in the shape of a rainbow and then pushed even more, forcing the fire outward, toward the soldiers. Their screams were ear piercing. I couldn’t see them, but I could hear them screaming in pain as the fire scorched their skin and burned away their clothing. Some of them involuntarily fired their weapons and miraculously they somehow missed me.

  I didn’t let up on my fire, I kept it going and moved forward slowly, a step at a time.

  “Chloe!” I heard Drew’s voice on the other side of the fire. “Put it out, they’re down.”

  Drew, thank God, he was all right.

  I extinguished the fire quickly, but there were still flames flickering in front of me. I blinked a few times, wondering what the heck was happening and then realized that I’d been too close to the building and now it was on fire.

  Damn old wooden structures. I turned back toward Anthony and Korina, there was nothing I could do now, even though the fire seemed to be spreading quickly.

  Drew appeared at my side. “You didn’t have to set that on fire, you know.”

  I made a face that said ‘ha ha, very funny’ but only muttered, “Smart ass,” as a response. The soldiers who were left had either crawled away or lay dead on the alley floor. Anthony and Korina were still going at it too.

  I raised my gun, attempting once again to get a bead on Korina. Vampires were fast, and I fought vampires all the time, but two fighting vampires was like trying to watch a movie in fast forward. I’d never seen anything like it.

  Gavin, Christina and Luke thundered into the alley behind us. “Hey,” I turned to them, not wanting to take my eyes off Korina and Anthony. “Is everyone all right. I heard so many screams.”

  Luke was breathing hard and trying to catch his breath. “The screaming was the other guy. We did lose a few of Sarah’s people, but Alice had us protected.”

  Just then, Christina spotted Zander. “Oh my God. No!” She ran to him and fell to her knees beside him. “No, no, no.” She repeated over and over again, pulling his head into her lap.

  Grunts and curses came from Anthony and Korina. They had moved into a standing position and Anthony had her up against a wall, holding her secure by the neck. “Stop fighting me, Korina, you are not going to survive this, look around you.”

  She didn’t care what he had to say, she just kept on struggling against him as she tried to free herself from his grasp. I realized that in the position they were in now, I could get a clear shot, so I took aim at her chest region and pulled the trigger.

  Nothing.

  Crap, I was out of ammo. I didn’t have time to check my clips and reload, so I pulled the bow over my head and nocked an arrow.

  The fire picked up momentum, spreading from one building to the next. Great, that was all we needed was to cause yet another fire in New Orleans that would make history by burning the French Quarter to the ground. I glanced at the fire and then at Gavin. “Do you think you can put this out?”

  “No problem.” He nodded as I drew back my arm and took aim once again.

  “There, get them!” a loud voice called from the opening of the alley. I abandoned my shot and turned to see what was going on.

  A mix of soldiers and vampires approached, held back only by what remained of our group. Oh no, we were all trapped in here like caged mice and Alice wasn’t with us. Christina saw what was happening and left Zander to help. She, Luke, and Drew began firing, just as the ground beneath us shook with the strength of an earthquake.

  Gavin sat in kneeling position, his hands pressed against the cement, calling to his element beneath the floor of the city. His head bowed in concentration and he was somehow able to ignore the deadly commotion around him.

  The soldiers fired back and the vampires surged forward. They stumbled over the shaking ground below them as they dodged the spray of bullets coming from both sides. Some of the soldiers who were shooting fell as their balance was thrown off.

  And then, the cement cracked, the pavement broke apart in crooked lines and some of the sections raised up as tons water shot up from within them. The powerful bursts shot high into the air, taking some of the soldiers and vampires out with them.

  The bad guys weren’t the only ones, Christina, who had been standing right on top of one of the cracks, was lifted into the air and thrown to the side, into one of the flaming walls.

  Oh God, this was so bad.

  I saw her bounce off the wall and land on the pavement. She let out a string of curses as she crawled across the wreckage while fumbling to find her gun. At least she was alive.

  I turned and drew back again. This had to end.

  Anthony had to hold Korina with both hands, so he was unable to defend himself against her, which meant holding her there was all he could do. It was up to me.

  I tried to filter out the screams and shouts and gunfire behind me, telling myself that this was what mattered. This, was what had to be done.

  Everything seemed to go silent around me. The chaos muted as water rained down on us and smoke billowed up from the extinguished flames, obstructing my vision. I focused, drawing the energy within me. It swirled and ebbed inside of my body until I mentally pushed it out, into the bow which I held in my hands.

  Whoosh.

  Flames appeared on the blades of my arrow. Anthony turned slightly to glance at me, exposing the entire region of Korina’s chest. My fingers loosened and released, letting the arrow fly.

  The arrow sailed through the alley, disappeared into the smoke and then made its new home in Korina’s heart.

  She screamed the shrillest, ear piercing scream that I’d ever heard in my life. Instinctively I dropped my bow and covered my ears. But, refused to take my eyes off of her.

  Anthony did not let go of her, if anything, his grip tightened. “I am so sorry, sister.” He stared into her wide, brown eyes. “This is what is meant to be.”

  She tried to speak to him and only coughed, choking on her own blood as it surfaced in her mouth. Several drops fell from her soundlessly moving lips and then, she was gone. The life disappeared from her eyes and her body sagged forward against Anthony’s strong hold.

  He didn’t let her fall, he gently lowered her to the floor of the alley and lay her out. He grasped her hand momentarily and then released her. His head turned up toward me and I saw the sadness clearly written in his expression. I’m sure, if we hadn’t been soaked to the bone, that I would have seen tears glistening on his cheeks as well.

  And then he pointed, his finger extended to the area behind me.

  I turned, knowing in my heart that this couldn’t be good. Through the smoke, a few soldiers and one vampire were left standing. Luke shot and took out a soldier. Simultaneously, Christina sliced another across the neck with one of her knives.

  Alice, Oscar and then rest of the group appeared at the entrance to the alley, they were covered in blood and dirt, telling me they had survived their own battle in the streets. Alice pulled her swords and twirled around to gain momentum and charged the vampire among them.

  Sarah held her rifle and searched for any danger, spotting the last soldier, she aimed and fired. He stumbled back several paces and then fell as the bullet lodged into his forehead.

  Luke shot the fallen vamp a second time, so that he would have a round of UV in him. That was when I should have sighed with relief, but instead, my gaze landed on the only thing that fell into the same category as losing my mother.

  Drew lay sprawled across the broken pavement, his arm extended out as if reaching for his gun, which lay about a foot from the tips of his fingers. His black tee had ridden up, exposing his midsection, where blood still oozed from a bullet wound.

  Oh my God.

  Bes
ide him, Gavin lay in almost an identical pose. His wound was almost exactly where he had been shot the last time. This couldn’t be happening … it just couldn’t.

  I ran to them and fell hard on my knees, one hand going to each of them. They were both cold, but that could have been from the water. Tears were pouring from my eyes and I heard my own screams as if they were muffled.

  Then Luke was there, he leaned over Drew and felt for a pulse. He tried, for what seemed like forever and then leaned back on his feet, with tears in his own eyes he shook his head.

  I hadn’t noticed, but Sarah had been doing the same thing to Gavin. I heard her voice in the same distant way as I heard my own voice. “He’s gone.”

  No, no, no! This couldn’t be happening. I threw myself on top of Drew, with my other hand still on Gavin because I was unwilling to let either of them go.

  This was wrong. This was not the way that things were supposed to go. We were supposed to win this war and live happily ever after … well, screw the happily ever after, we were just supposed to live.

  “Why!” I screamed, looking up toward the sky. “They have been nothing but good people, soldiers for the greater good! Warriors in their own right, descended from angels and gods! Why would you let this happen?”

  Luke remained on his knees beside me. “Chloe, it’s over,” he whispered.

  “No!” I yelled. “It’s not over, it’s not.” I choked on a vicious sob and felt vomit threaten to rise from my belly. I swallowed it down and tilted my face toward the heavens. “Help us!” I yelled with every ounce of energy I had left in me. “Please…” my voice trailed off.

  Then suddenly, a furious storm of black clouds appeared in the sky above the alley. The dark clouds swirled and churned like a boiling caldron of magic.

  “What the hell is that?” Sarah, like everyone else, had her face tilted to the sky.

  Not a moment later, a blinding flash of light appeared within the clouds. So bright that everyone, including myself, shielded their eyes.

  The light began to dissipate, slowly fading and allowing my eyes to readjust. At the center of that light, an entity formed, building itself from the very air around it.