Blood Sport (The American Arcane Book 2)

by Justen Hunter

  She pulled four cylindrical canisters from the trunk and handed one to each of us. “Flash bang grenades. They are a bitch for vampires. Sensory overload. If you're tossing one, call out 'daylight' as best as you can to give everyone else notice.” She then handed us each half a dozen zip ties. “Unless it's a vampire who is feeding or a shifter in his animal form, use these to secure them. We don't want deceased if we can help it. If it goes to hell, though, we go weapons free.”

  I clipped the grenade to my belt, and Amy stowed it in her jacket. Somewhere. We all pocketed the zip ties. “What's the entry plan?” I asked.

  Teresa thought about it for a moment. “We take two teams of two. One goes in the front entrance, and the other takes the employee's entrance.”

  “I'll take the front. I've been in that way. Serena can go with me. We've got the most firepower, so we should be able to spray a lot of trouble around and distract them so you can get in the back.”

  Teresa looked over to Amy. “Care to work with a vampire, Miss Amy?”

  Amy broke a smile. “I believe I can, this once.” She said, and she nodded. “You will lead through the employee entrance.”

  “Excellent. The employee entrance will lead us to the stage.” She said, and she grabbed a few extra magazines for her pistol. “If you two can at least hold on until we get there, you'll have a fighting chance.” She lastly gave me an ear piece. “A radio, so we can keep in check and coordinate.”

  I fit the earpiece on. “How do I activate it?”

  “Just tap it. It's on a link with my own.” She said as she grabbed another and fitted it on her own ear. “Any questions?”

  “I have one,” Serena said. “Ishmael's rescue is our first priority, right?”

  “If he's still kicking.” I said. “If he's dead, capture of Yukiko and the sorcerer becomes top priority. Alive, Ishmael prevents a succession crisis. Dead, we bring his killers to justice.”

  Teresa nodded. “All set?”

  “All set.” We agreed, and we headed out of the garage down to the street.

  Ruby wouldn't be open for a few hours, which was lucky for us. The dark still let us cross the street and mostly conceal our weapons.

  The front door to the club wasn't even locked. I nodded to Serena. “Take up a position on the other side of the door.” She moved with a vampiric fluidity. Serena was adapting rather well to undeath, I thought as I grabbed the handle to the door. I held up three fingers, and I counted down silently. When I hit zero, I yanked open the door.

  I pulled out the flash bang, pulled out that little ring pin, and tossed it in. “DAYLIGHT!” I called. I shut the door, waited for the detonation. Even through the heavy wood door, I heard the flash bang go off. It was damn loud.

  When we opened the door next, we filed in. I took point. I rushed in, saw a man with huge muscles at the coat check. He had a gun in his hand, but he was holding his face.

  I raised my pistol and put two in his chest. His pained howls filled the entry area, and I had a feeling that the were was at least down, if not dead. “Secure him!” I called to Serena.

  As she broke open the thin door to the coat check booth, I headed to the edge of the front area. The front hall opened up into the floor of the club.

  The stage lights were on, and I could see Ishmael. He was on a raised table, his shirt stripped away to reveal his chest, scored with several knife marks.

  I looked up on the sage, and saw the sorcerer. It took a long moment for me to even recognize the sorcerer. The dark-haired woman was dressed in form-fitting Lycra pants and a tank top which showed off her athletic body. From this distance, I had to think about where I had seen the face before.

  “Breanna Harper, right?” I called, my voice carrying across the floor. The floor was empty for the moment. Just me, Harper, and Ishmael. Yukiko's assistant turned her body slowly to face me. “Freelancing for the Baroness? What, you're just taking money for talking with an Other Sider?”

  Harper's voice broke in a laugh for a moment. “So nice for the last witch to remember me.” She focused her gaze on me. “Yes, Carpenter. That was what she offered me. However, my associate on the Other Side has offered me plenty more.” She had a knife in her hands. It had a long, nastily curved blade, and she drew it across Ishmael's chest slowly. Blood seeped from the wound. I could feel power seep into the magic-rich air. “A one-thousand year-old vampire is an appropriate sacrifice. Don't you think?”

  “What's Yukiko think of this?” I asked. “Does she mind you playing with other factors?”

  “On the contrary, she is rather fascinated by it.” She said. “She remembers magic, when people could more freely communicate with the Other Side. It's a powerful ally to a new regime, our friend is.”

  I brought up my gun. The distance was too far. I was a decent shot, but I had as much of a chance at hitting Ishmael right now. I needed to get closer.

  Serena came out of the coat check area. “The were is dead.” She said as she took up a position next to me. “Is that our sorcerer?”

  “Yeah, Serena, that's Breanna Harper.” I nodded towards the stage. “So, how did you tie down the Oteros?”

  “Oh, silver and gags will get you so far. Poison and blood in alcohol for the rest.” She grinned. “Now, I believe I have a ritual to finish.” She snapped her fingers, and doors on the far end of the floor opened to reveal several guards, who I guessed were Yukiko's cronies. “Keep them busy.”

  They had guns. I swallowed, and it took only a split second for me to start running.

  Gun fire filled the air, automatic weapons spraying the area as Serena and I scurried towards the bar. Bullets chewed at the hardwood of the bar, sending splinters flying as we took cover.

  “Holy crap. Holy crap.” Serena panted. “What do we do?”

  “I have no clue. We fight.” I swallowed, and I peeked my head out. Fire chased my head back, but I had at least enough time to take stock of the situation. There were a dozen cronies, six on each side. They were advancing on us.

  “Okay, lay down suppressive fire.” I said to Serena. “Short controlled bursts. Get them ducking.”

  Serena nodded, and she checked the trigger grouping for a second. She flicked it to fully automatic, and she scurried behind the bar further away from me. She popped her head up, firing the submachine gun from her shoulder. Brass flew across the rubberized floor behind the bar, and automatic fire thundered from the little gun.

  I popped out from the side, and saw the group that Serena was shooting at taking cover in the booths. Bringing the pistol up, I fired off several shots. I fired until the slide locked back empty, and I ducked back down without checking to see what I had hit.

  When I looked back to see Serena crouching behind the bar, I saw blood dripping from her left arm. “Son of a...bitch.” She growled, and her fangs were showing. “They shot me. They freaking shot me!”

  “That is sort of the idea!” I called back as I reloaded. “Are any down?”

  “Didn't check.” She gasped. “Crap. Do you think Teresa and Amy are all right?”

  I thought about it for a moment. “I hope so. Keep the suppression up if you can. Don't get hit.”

  Serena hissed, and she grabbed her own flash bang. “Daylight, bastards!” She growled and tossed the flash bang. over the bar.

  I made sure to look away. I covered my ears as best I could, but it was still loud as hell. Thunder rang in my ears, and I saw Serena's face contort in pain.

  I quickly spun out from the corner of the bar, and lined up my shots. I put two in a were who was covering his ears, then shot at a vampire holding an AK. Both went down, and I hurried back behind cover, still looking out to see if anyone might be trying something.

  One vampire had gotten particularly brave. He charged ahead, an ax drawn. I shot at him, but he skirted off to dodge the shots. He was good, anticipating my shots. I fired until my gun ran empty, but he dodged out of the way.

  I drew my knife, and I rose into a low crouch, waiting
for the vampire to make the next move. He lunged at me with the ax, bringing it down in a hard chop. I dodged back with one foot, twisting my body away.

  I countered and shoved the knife into the vampire, finding the space between his ribs. The silver sizzled as it found purchase between his ribs, steam rising. I kicked him in the groin, then shoved him away. The silver wound had the vampire stumbling, weakened. I ejected the mag, reloaded, and put one in the vampire's head.

  Another were had a shotgun, and he was bearing down, belching a whole lot of led from a drum magazine. I took cover back behind the bar, glass and shattered bottles flying. I covered my head as the liquor shelves got blasted to pieces. We had taken down a few, but there were too many. Serena had taken another hit that I could see, cuts on her face from what I guessed was shrapnel. Her eyes were lost in the blacks of vampiric anger.

  I couldn't risk getting up. If I got up, I was going to get mowed down by shotguns, automatic fire, or just hacked by blasted glass.

  Then Teresa's voice was in my ear. “Eric!” My heart thundered in my chest. “Where are you?”

  “Teresa?” I gasped. “We're behind the bar.”

  “Take cover, Eric. We're coming in fast and hard. Daylight!”

  I only thought long enough to relay the message to Serena. “Daylight!”

  More flash bangs came in, and I swore this time I could feel the vibrations of sound in my body.

  Gunfire erupted, and I peeked my head out, holding my gun at the ready.

  Teresa had her machete and pistol in her hands, a whirlwind of violence, death, and blood lust. She hacked at the back of a knee of a vampire, and thrust her gun into another vampire's mouth. She blew its brains out with one quick squeeze of the trigger.

  Amy was dodging a were, her short sword flickering dangerously at him. She wrested his gun away, tossing it so she could engage the were without firearms in the way. That was Amy, archaic to the bone.

  The dozen weres that had started now were halved. I looked over to Serena. “Can you keep their heads down? I need to get to the stage.”

  Serena nodded. She lifted the submachine gun in one hand, and she sprayed a few rounds in the direction of some weres who had knocked over a table for cover. I dashed across the back of the bar, heading to the other side, which was closer to the stage. I ducked under the counter to protect myself from flying bullets and shrapnel.

  I came out near the melee that Teresa and Amy were in. I skirted around and ran to the steps to the stage. “Harper!” I shouted.

  Now that I was closer, I could see that there was a light blue smoke, flowing from Ishmael's wounds into Harper's hand. I focused my gun on Harper, and I fired, aiming for the head.

  Her other hand had sprung up, and white light flashed as the bullet hit something. It was like a wall of light had met the bullet before it reached its destination.

  “Come now, Carpenter.” She scolded me. “You didn't think it would be that easy, would it?” She said. “I've got magic flowing right into me, all from this vamp.”

  I didn't think much. I just charged with my knife in my other hand, and I closed the distance in a few quick strides.

  Harper tossed her hand up, and I was knocked back. An invisible hand picked me up and tossed me back like a kid's toy. I stumbled and found myself knocked onto my back. “What...what the hell are you?” I asked.

  “The blood's power, Carpenter. You may have the natural talent, but you have no idea how to use it.” She lifted the knife. “No idea how to really wield the power.”

  “Breanna, please!” I thrust a hand forward, trying to thrust magic at her. White light flashed from my hands, and I felt my body ache as I channeled my own life into the strike.

  She dismissed it easily with a wave of her hand. “Fool. Let me show you now what cc power, true magic is.”

  Breanna Harper sunk her knife into Ishmael's heart.

  Chapter 25

  Bright lights exploded out of Ishmael's eyes. I could feel ripples of the dark energy, dripping through my body, radiating from Ishmael's body.

  This felt wrong. I was sure this was bad. I just didn't have any means to stop it. With that shield of hers and Ishmael's blood fueling it, I didn't have a chance.

  I drew myself up to my knees, steeling myself for what would come next. In that moment, as the roars of pain from Ishmael's death ripped through the air of the club, I noticed that the gunfire had stopped. I took only half a moment to look away from the scene to check on the situation.

  The ladies had been victorious. Amy was bleeding from her leg, limping as she headed towards the stage. Teresa had some superficial cuts at the most, and she was loading a fresh magazine into her compact forty-five. Serena had discarded the submachine gun, and was now toting an assault rifle picked off from one of Yukiko's cronies. The three of them slowly moved towards the stage.

  “Amy!” I called. “What the hell is going on?”

  “She has set up a ritual! Ishmael's blood will fuel it! I do not know what the end goal is, but it will not be pleasant. We can't get up there.”

  “Just great.” I sighed as I put away my knife. I didn't want to get into a knife fight with a sorceress right now, not with how casually she had tossed me around.

  I watched as the light started to fade from Ishmael, and slowly it was gone. The vampire noble's body slumped slightly against his restraints. I felt a little sense of dread run through me. What had just happened?

  Ishmael's head lifted, and a voice that was entirely not his own came from his mouth. It was low, growling, like a beast that had just been given a human mouth. “Breanna Harper?” Its voice made me want to run. “Is it done?”

  “It is done, my lord.” She nodded. “We have given you the body of Ishmael, a master vampire in this realm.”

  “It is a daemon.” Amy said, her voice was soft. “She summoned a daemon.”

  “Fuck.” I think that was the most eloquent answer I could have given.

  Breanna smiled in a victorious manner. She called out. “Yukiko, it is done!”

  “Excellent.” Yukiko's voice came from one of the doors that the goons had come from.

  The vampiress was wearing a simple blouse and jeans, but she was holding a large chrome pistol in one hand. She lifted it up at me, and I ducked down.

  “Baroness, let our new friend take care of Carpenter. He brought friends, after all.” Breanna bowed to Ishmael's body. “Camelai. I have brought you the last witch to feast upon.”

  Ishmael's face turned to mine. While I had seen Ishmael with violence in his eyes, there wasn't anything like that now. Instead, his eyes had been replaced with swirling red pools, like whirlpools of rage and blood. Ishmael wasn't home any more.

  “Amy.” I looked down to them. “You guys handle Yukiko. Try to get Harper too.”

  Yukiko strolled to the edge of the stage, looking at my three comrades. “Teresa, so nice of you to come. I'm going to enjoy tearing out your throat.”

  Teresa raised her gun, and she pointed it at Yukiko's head. “Off we go, then, bitch.”

  Mayhem ensued instantly. Harper dashed off the stage, her knife in hand as she charged at Amy. I spun my head around, focusing on the daemon that called itself Camelai.

  I raised my gun and shot at Camelai. Just one shot to the head.

  One of Ishmael's arms ripped through the silver chains, sending pieces scattering everywhere. His hand was up, clenched in a fist in front of his face. Had he...

  His fist opened, and a flattened silver forty-five round fell to the floor. Holy crap.

  I watched as the other arm broke free of the chains. Steam sizzled from burns on his arms, the smell of burnt flesh filling my nose. It took its time to unwrap the chains, more and more steam filling the air. It was like bacon, if bacon was burnt and mixed with blood. I was never eating pork again.

  It was still hurt by silver. It was still Ishmael's body. The arcane still reacted to silver. Camelai, whatever it was, just didn't care. It could ignore the pain.
>
  It looked down at me. Its swirling red eyes focused on me, and I swallowed.

  “Torres,” It hissed. “I can smell your blood.”

  I shuddered. Torres, my mother's name. I raised the gun. I wondered how many times it could pull that bullet catch trick. Part of me figured I could at least try.

  “Yeah, Torres. My name is Eric Carpenter. My mother was Victoria Torres, and I'm a witch.” I used my free hand to ball into a fist, and I pulled at the magic around me, the air thick with it still.

  Camelai slid a hand forward, and it punched the air. Power rocketed from it, and this time I was ready. I shouted, and forced magic out with my fist.

  A loud clap fanned out from the point of their meeting. I stumbled back from the impact's power, and I had to put my gun hand on the ground to steady myself as I went to a knee. No one had told me what happened when magic interacted. It wasn't pretty. The air vibrated with the energy, and splinters had blasted all over the stage.

  Camelai didn't give me any time to recover. He rushed forward, and he had my gun hand in a hold quickly. He squeezed on my wrist, and I dropped the gun, clattering to the stage.

  “I'll drink your blood, witch,” Its growl penetrated my skin, striking deep into my heart. “And when I'm done I'll break every bone in the females' bodies.” His hand curled tighter around my hand, and I'm pretty sure I heard a wet noise. Something warm seeped over my arm.

  Pain shot up my arm, and I screamed. I'm not macho. I'm not afraid to scream and holy shit. I had broken ribs before. This was at least more immediate, sharper.

  Camelai licked his lips, and he leaned in closer. “I've a vampire's fangs. A master vampire's fangs. All I need to do...” His voice cut out as a snarl ripped from him. He dropped me and spun around.

  I saw a blade sticking out of his back. It wasn't a good placement, especially for who I saw there.

  Amy was standing on the stage, holding her short sword in her hand. “Get your hands off him, you bastard!” She screamed.

  Camelai struck out, Ishmael's long arms striking out at her. Amy dodged out of the way, and she slid her blade in a strike at his arm. Steam from the silvered blade rose, and she spun around, striking at his knee.