Death of Night

by Krissy Reynolds

  Dario scoffed. "I'm not going to let Mr. Knightley's vampires come close to my master. How stupid do you think I am?"

  I was thankful that I didn't have to answer the question because Liam came directly behind him, clapped a hand over his mouth, and shoved the blade deep into Dario's chest. I didn't think Dario would have appreciated my answer.

  Dario made a muffled sound against Liam's hand, eyes wide in surprise. Black blood dripped down his pale blue shirt, staining it. Liam shoved the knife up underneath his ribs until only the hilt of the knife was visible. I inhaled sharply, but didn't look away. I strained to look closer. The dome light in the car illuminated both Dario and Liam's faces. Dario's already pale complexion was draining by the second, becoming a pure white. Liam's eyes had transformed into that eerie solid black. They snapped up to look at me.

  He drove the knife even further up, and then twisted it. He continued to look at me as Dario's blood covered his hand and the hilt of the blade. "Always go for the head or the heart, sunshine," he told me.

  Dario began to shrink before my eyes. Liam pulled the knife out quickly, wiped it on Dario's shoulder, and stepped back. The wound was large, open, and even bloodier than it had been a few seconds ago. The skin on Dario's face wrinkled until his features were barely distinguishable. He collapsed on his knees with a grunt, withering hands clutching at his chest. His entire body was crumpling under his clothes, becoming bits of flesh and bone. I watched in awe and disgust as Dario dissipated into dust.

  A soft wind blew what was left of Dario into the street, scattering his ashes into the gutters and onto the other sidewalk. I remembered Callum saying that vampires revert to what they would have been if they had not become a vampire. Dario was obviously old enough to become ash when he died a second, and hopefully, final time.

  Flashing lights and sirens startled me out of my thoughts. Liam tucked the knife in his boot, and walked around the front of the car. He opened the driver's door and got in. Ophelia did the same on the passenger's side, tucking her dress underneath her as she sat. I slammed my door shut. Liam shuffled around in the front of the car, finally producing a handkerchief. He wiped the blood off his hands.

  The keys were in the ignition. Liam smiled and started the engine. "Buckle up," he said cheerfully. He pressed a button that rolled his window down and threw out the blackened handkerchief.

  "Won't they trace the blood?" I asked.

  "It's unlikely," he replied. "It's the blood of a man who's been dead a couple of decades. Trust me, it won't be on file."

  The motor roared to life, and I buckled up. I twisted in the seat to look out the rearview window at the police and ambulance that had just pulled up behind us. Two medics in blue vests took a stretcher out of the back of the ambulance.

  I turned back, and said to Liam in a panicky voice, "They don't know the code. How are they going to get in?"

  Ophelia shifted in her seat to look at me. "I jammed the door with a newspaper that was in the hall."

  Liam grinned at her, then turned his head to me. "See, everything's good."

  I blinked at him. "Everything's good?" I repeated bitterly.

  He frowned and turned around in his seat. As we pulled away from the apartment, he grumbled, "Well, don't blame me for trying to be optimistic."

  Chapter 18

  * * *

  It had started to rain. I watched as the drops of water beaded on the window, shining the different colours of the neon signs and streetlights that we passed. The droplets dripped down in zigzag patterns, connecting with other ones along the way. They disappeared, only to be replaced by another set of droplets.

  "I would have killed Dario just to get this car," Liam said appreciatively into the silence of the car.

  I jerked my eyes away from the entrancing dance of the raindrops and looked at the driver's seat where Liam sat. He was massaging the steering wheel.

  "Where are you going to put this one?" Ophelia's pleasant, feminine voice asked from the seat in front of me.

  Liam glanced sideways at her, and replied, "In the garage."

  "Liam, there is no more room in the garage."

  "What?" he said heatedly.

  "Your fifth car took the last space."

  My jaw dropped slightly. "Fifth car?" I echoed.

  "Maybe get rid of that old red one," Ophelia suggested to Liam. "Then you can park this one in its space."

  "'That old red one,'" Liam mimicked. "That's a Corvette, Ophelia. Have some respect."

  Ophelia chuckled and said nothing in reply, turning to look out of her own window. Liam grunted and mumbled incoherently.

  "Do you always keep the cars of people you kill?" I asked him innocently.

  "Only if they're nice," was his response.

  Oh, that made sense. I rolled my eyes and hoped he hadn't seen in the rearview mirror.

  No one spoke for about five minutes. I finally tired of watching the other cars whiz pass and broke the silence. "Okay, so what's the plan?" I asked.

  Liam twisted his head a bit. "Hmm?"

  "What are we going to do?" I reiterated.

  "Well, first, we're going to meet up with Lester and Raven. They're right outside Damien's compound," he answered. "Then we're going to send you in."

  "So, I'm just going to stroll in there?"

  "That's the plan, yes."

  I hit the back of his seat. "That's not a plan, Liam! That's exactly what Damien expects me to do."

  I could see Liam's brow furrowing. "You have a better idea?"

  I blatantly ignored the question because I didn't have a better idea, and instead said, "When they see I'm not with Dario, they're going to start asking questions. What the hell am I supposed to say?"

  Ophelia entered the conversation. "Say that you killed him."

  Liam nodded. "That could work." He laughed, a short and harsh sound. "Put a little fear in their hearts."

  "A little fear never hurts," she added.

  I sighed and sunk into my seat. "Okay, say that I do. What am I supposed to do when Damien leans forward to sink his fangs into me?"

  "I don't know, Dahlia," Liam said honestly. He had used my name, and not his little nickname for me. That didn't bode well. "Once you're inside, the four of us will try and find a way in. Try and hold out until then."

  Aggravated and anxious, I ran a hand through my hair.

  "Mr. Knightley will be there," Ophelia said. "Once he sees that you are alright, he'll probably plan for a more…violent course of action."

  The thought that Callum would be there made relief spread through my veins, warming me all the way to my toes. I tugged his black leather jacket closer to my body.

  "Are you cold?" Liam asked, one hand on the climate control buttons. He had noticed me cuddling into the jacket.

  I shook my head. "No, I'm fine."

  He turned on the heat anyways. I smiled reluctantly at his concern for my comfort. Turning back to the window, I watched the raindrops turn a bright red as we passed a hotel's sign. They faded back into a shining black in a matter of moments.

  The car pulled over into a dirt area. I saw a small road to the right, trees shading either side of it so that it was hardly noticeable. Liam turned off the engine and stared straight ahead through the windshield. I unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned into the front of the car, one hand on the back of each seat.

  "Is this it?" I asked in a hushed voice.

  "Yes," Ophelia answered. "The house is at the end of that road." She pointed to the small road.

  My breathing was coming more rapidly. That dreadful feeling filled my stomach, making me a tad nauseous. God, I didn't want to walk down that road.

  "There's Lester and Raven," Liam said, opening his door and stepping out.

  Ophelia got out of the car as well, leaving me alone. I put a hand on the door handle, but it opened before I had a chance to. I looked up into Ophelia's hazel eyes. She held out a hand, and I hesitantly took it.

  The dirt was soft under my feet, more
sand than soil. The rain was falling gently. Ophelia pulled me to where Liam, Lester, and Raven were grouped. They stopped talking. I drew my hand from hers when we reached them.

  Night and trees shaded the faces of the people around me. There was a bit of light coming from the inside of Dario's car, since I had forgotten to close the door behind me. With the faint glow, I could make out Lester's lanky form, and Raven's long, straight hair.

  "Lester says that there is a back door that might be possible for us to get through," Liam said quietly. He was standing beside me, his silk shirt brushing against my arm. "Once you're in, we'll work on it."

  "There are two guarding that door," Lester told us. He waved vaguely at me. "And there are at least four at the front door where you'll be going in."

  I looked my shoes, then raised my head and said, "That's six."

  Raven threw her head back and laughed, the sound chilling me from the inside out. "Good to know you can do basic math," she said maliciously.

  Anger flashed through me, but subsided when I focused on the bigger picture. "Damien only has four vampires in his group, not six," I said.

  "Oh," Ophelia murmured. She put a hand on my shoulder and said a bit ruefully, "This is not Damien's place, my Dahlia. It is Thanatos'."

  "What?" I said loudly.

  Ophelia explained, "All of his vampires live here, including Damien and his group. There are probably, I don't know—" she looked at Lester and shrugged, "—ten of them?"

  "More like twelve," Lester corrected. "Fyfe and Gregory joined Thanatos six months ago, remember?"

  "Oh, yes. But Liam just finished off that Dario one." She said it so casually. Ophelia turned back to me. "So, there are eleven."

  That meant that there were eleven of them against five of us. I didn't like the odds of us being able to come out of this unharmed. I had no doubt that Liam, Ophelia, Lester, and Raven were good fighters, but that wasn't enough. I'd seen Damien and his vampires up close and personal in a fight, and they were also good. And I was pretty sure that the master Thanatos wouldn't be especially happy to see me. Burning someone's hands never scores you points in anyone's book.

  The rain began pouring down, no longer gentle. It pounded on the roof of the car, the sound of it hitting the metal echoing though the night. Each drop darkened the ground and the asphalt of the road. The scent of rain on dry earth filled the air, rich and pleasant. I tilted my face up, welcoming the rain to wash the dried tears from my cheeks.

  "Are you ready?" Liam asked.

  I lowered my face to peer at him through the darkness. "What do you think?" I asked.

  He replied honestly. "I think you're as ready as you're ever going to be."

  I drew in a great big breath and held it. "Yeah, I think you're right," I exhaled.

  Lester turned around so he was facing the small road that led to Thanatos' house. He pointed to it while saying, "Just walk down that road until you come to it. There will most likely be someone waiting for you."

  "Unless they want to scare you and let you walk in by yourself," Raven added helpfully.

  Lester threw her a disparaging look. He turned back around to face me. "Just be prepared for anything. Damien is into theatrics."

  I laughed, but it got stuck in my throat. "Yeah, I know," I managed to say.

  "Here," Liam wrapped his hand around my arm, "I'll walk you to the edge of the road."

  We went slowly, slightly bent over to avoid the harsh whip of rain against our faces. The trees were creaking around us, branches lashing with the wind. As we neared the road, the noise of the trees became thunderous.

  Liam stopped, releasing my arm. We looked at each other through the haze of the falling rain, standing still. He seemed so serious. There was no amusement in his expression, just a blankness that masked other feelings.

  "Wish me luck," I told him over the roaring of the rainstorm.

  The corner of his mouth twitched. "You're shit out of luck. You're definitely going to need it."

  I tried to frown at him, but I couldn't hide my smile. "Thanks," I said sarcastically. "You really like to inspire confidence, don't you?"

  "That's what I'm here for." His usual smile graced his features. It was oddly reassuring.

  I blinked the rain out of my eyes and squinted in the direction of the house. "Okay," I said, flicking my eyes back to the sopping wet Liam standing in front of me. "I'm off to see the bloodsucking wizard."

  I took a step around him. Before I could go any further, he grabbed my upper arm and whipped me back around. "Wait," he said. He opened his mouth to say something else, but ended up shutting it. A fleeting expression of confusion crossed his face, and he opened his mouth again. "It's going to be alright. I mean, it's all going to work out. So don't, uh, don't worry."

  It was quite startling to see Liam stumbling over his words. I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing.

  Liam stared down at me with those dark, dark eyes. His hair was dripping, hanging around his face, the drops falling from each stand onto his already wet shirt. He swallowed visibly. Good God, he was nervous.

  "Good luck, sunshine," he murmured.

  "Thanks," I said quietly.

  He dipped down and briefly pressed his ice cold lips to my forehead. He pulled back quickly, eyes scanning my face. I think my eyes were a little wide.

  He let my arm go and raised his hand to the curve of my jaw. His fingers hesitated over my skin, never touching. He closed his eyes and dropped his hand. Then he turned on his heel and walked away.

  * * *

  Halfway down the road, I started talking to myself. "When did you become so stupid, Dahlia?" I muttered under my breath. "Getting beat up by vampires, then falling in love with one. Endangering everyone around you. What the hell were you thinking? Oh, that's right, you weren't thinking, so—"

  I stumbled over a pothole that was filled to the brim with water. My shoe became even muddier and wetter than it had been before. I gritted my teeth and shook it off. When I raised my head, I saw two glowing circles hidden in the trees to the left. There was no light coming from anywhere, so it wasn't a reflection. Those were the eyes of a vampire.

  My hand touched the grip of the Firestar. The gun was a false sense of security, but at this point, I didn't care. I remained motionless, staring back at the eyes that were staring at me.

  "Why are you alone?" A male voice broke through the patter of the rain.

  The eyes became bigger as they drew closer. A form emerged from the cover of the forest. I struggled to make out their features. They moved closer, into the road, stopping about ten feet away from me. I could see that it was a solidly built man with cropped hair and a hint of a goatee. There was a knowledge buried deep within me that confirmed my belief that this man was a vampire.

  "Well?" he rumbled. "Where's Dario?"

  "Dario's dead," I finally found the words, "Well…deader."

  "I don't believe you," he said.

  I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. I didn't want to go into specifics about who killed him. "Believe what you want. Just don't blame me when you find out your friend is scattered in the wind, if you get my gist."

  He stared at me for a few seconds, then said, "I am Gregory."

  "Dahlia," I responded.

  "I know who you are," he said bitingly.

  I cocked an eyebrow. "Okay, then."

  "You're the cause of all this mess."

  A bit too straightforward for me. "Pleased to meet you, too," I said.

  "I would say the pleasure's all mine, but it's not."

  I grimaced at him. "If you're done insulting me, can you show me to the house?"

  There was a glimmer of fangs through the shadows of the night. He was smiling. "Now, that would be my pleasure." I didn't like the tone in his voice. "Follow me."

  I had to jog to keep up with him. I stayed behind him, but remained close. When he halted suddenly, I nearly crashed into him.

  Looking up, I realized that we had reached a house. Well,
no, you could hardly call it a house. More like a cabin. Wooden shingles hung off the sides of it, and the roof was an unattractive tin-like material. There were two windows on either side of the door, one with a broken pane. The rain clattered down on the metal roof, mist spraying upwards from the impact. The water poured off of the sides like a waterfall.

  "Wow, you guys really have it nice," I said to Gregory, wiggling my eyebrows. "I can't wait to live here."

  Gregory strolled up to the small hinged door of the cabin and yanked it open. "This is the guardhouse," he answered coldly.

  Light spilled out onto the road from the open door, straight into my field of vision, unexpected and blinding. I shielded my eyes with my left hand, keeping my right by my side, near the gun. Gregory stepped just inside the door, stooping to clear the doorframe. He must have been over six feet tall if he had to bend over to get through the door.

  I saw another figure move inside the guardhouse. They stood opposite Gregory in the doorway. I heard the faint mumbling of voices, one male and one female. Gregory beckoned me with an arm to come to them. I walked closer, wary.

  The woman with Gregory glanced out at me. Her eyes were a nondescript brown, slightly drooped, matched with mousy dirty blonde hair. Though unimpressive on the outside, she vibrated with an air of confidence and power.

  "You carrying any weapons?" she asked with a slightly Southern lilt in her voice.

  I shook my head. "No," I lied. Like I was going to tell the truth.

  Her eyes rolled over to Gregory. "Really?" she drawled, stretching the word with disbelief.

  "Really."

  "Huh. So, that thing on your waist," she waggled her finger in that direction, "is just decoration?"

  I looked down at the gun. "Yeah, I got it at Wal-Mart."

  Gregory grunted. "See? I told you she was a smartass."

  The woman stepped down from the guardhouse and walked to me. She held out a hand. I sighed, took the Firestar out of its holder, and slapped it into her open palm. Her unpolished fingers curled around it tightly.

  "A Firestar is such a girly gun," she said. "From what I've heard about you, I expected better."