by Noree Cosper
Marge stomped the crumpled figure on the ground with a crazed look of pleasure on her face. I got to my feet with a shake of my head and went after Tres once again. He’d been pulled away from the door and was stretched between two of the fluid orang demons. A truaco slammed its stone fist into Tres’s midsection. Another tuaco pounded the door. The handle gave way with a loud pop, and the door banged open. The demon clomped out of the room. No time for him.
“Marge, use another can,” I yelled.
She gave a grunt of exertion. “I only have one left.”
“Adrian can make more,” I said. “As long as we get out of this alive.”
I jabbed the pommel of my sword into the truaco’s head. His fist stopped in midair and it turned his head in my direction. I ducked my gaze away from his face and aimed for his shoulder. It raised it arm to knock my hand away. The goo surrounding Tres’s left hand contracted, and a crunch sound was covered up by Tres’s scream. Both orangs pulled in opposite directions.
“Marge!” I said.
“Fine.”
The can landed at my feet in a clang, and the mist spread with a hiss. The truaco rumbled and stumbled away from us toward the door. He barreled into a bajang who was trying to escape. The bajang landed on the ground and yowled as the truaco stepped on her in its haste to escape. Marge didn’t waste any time and pounced on the fallen demon. She rammed her foot down on the creature’s neck. Tres pulled free of the melting orangs and clutched his hand to his chest.
I ran down the hall to the observation room and flung open the door. Lucy stood over a fallen vampire with a stake in her hand. She rammed it its chest, and he burst into tendrils of shadow. I knelt beside Adrian and, with my heart racing, I touched the side of his neck. His pulse thrummed against my fingertips. I let out a sigh of relief. Footsteps sounded from the door. I spun with my sword ready. Tres stood at the threshold, panting, his hand cradled against his chest. Marge was a few feet behind him. I stood up and moved to Lucy, crossing my arms over my stomach. She looked at me with a worried frown. Tres ran his good hand over Adrian, lifting his head up and moving his eyelids.
“Well?” I asked with my voice slightly hoarse.
“Concussion. He needs a hospital. And so do I.” He lifted his battered hand. “I can’t do anything with this.”
“Worthless,” Marge muttered.
“We can’t take him to a hospital with that.” I pointed to the device that now took the place of his long missing eye.
“Tres looks down at him and his shoulders slumped. “Well, someone will need to take him home while I go to the hospital.”
“Can you wake him?” I asked. “Otherwise, leaving here is going to be difficult.”
He slapped his hand against Adrian’s cheek in three sharp taps. Adrian groaned, his eyes blinking rapidly. He tried to sit up but ended up laying back again with his hand covering his eyes. Marge leaned back and glanced down the hallway with narrowed eyes.
“We need to move,” she said. “Several of those demons escaped.”
“Hopefully they’ll occupy the guards.” I moved to stand over Adrian. “Can you walk?”
He sat up slowly. “I will manage.”
“I’ll help him,” Lucy said. “Give him a shoulder to lean on.”
“Fine.” I looked to Tres. “How about you?”
He gave me a faint smile. “I can walk.”
“Marge, lead the way. I’ll take the rear,” I said.
We crept through the hall, wary of demons and vampires. Shadows flickered and growls echoed from one end of the hall. The door to the stairwell hung open with the handle and lock a busted mess. Marge pulled it open and leaned over, peering inside. She waved her hand forward and headed down the stairs. She stopped at the bottom and turned the handle. Nothing happened.
“Move,” Adrian said.
Marge stepped aside. Adrian’s hand dropped halfway through his wave, and the metal on the door began to disintegrate. What was left of the handle popped off under the force of Marge’s foot. The overhead lights flashed red as we sprinted through the garage. Marge shot her grapple and climbed over the wall. A few moments later, the gate opened. The guard still lay unconscious at his post. We didn’t stop running until we reached the van three blocks away. Lucy snatched the keys from Adrian, prodded us into the seats, and then took off. The tires screeched as she turned the corner. I grabbed the armrest to keep from sliding into Marge.
A cacophony of voices filled my head, followed by Esais. “What has happened to my brothers?”
I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed my temple. “They’re all right. We’re headed to the hospital.”
I mentally replayed what had happened at the facility.
“Which hospital?”
“Lucy, where are we going?” I asked.
“New York Methodist Hospital,” she said.
“I’ll meet you there.” Esais said, and the song stopped assaulting my brain, leaving only dull throb behind.
Lucy took another sharp turn and ran through two red lights. “Almost there.”
“Try not to get pulled over.” I rubbed my head again.
Lucy pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, and the tires screeched as she stopped in front of the Emergency entrance. “You help Tres. I’ll take Adrian home.”
I slid the door open and hopped out. I opened the front passenger door and helped Tres out. Marge squeezed past the gear shift and claimed Tres’s vacated seat. She stared up at the four story square building with a bored look on her face.
“I’m with Lucy,” Marge said. “No point in me waiting here.”
“Thanks for the help,” I muttered.
She looked at the three of us with a smirk.
“You got this. Besides, I’m sure Esais will rush to his brother’s side as soon as he finds out.” She looked into the parking lot at the two approaching figures. “Oh look, here he comes now.”
Lucy sped away with a squeal of tires, and I turned to face the music with a deep sigh.
Esais raced toward us with Viktor in tow. His mouth tightened into a thin line, and he swallowed hard as he looked over Tres. “I’m sorry.”
Tres laughed a hoarse laugh. “The world’s not ending. We just need to get patched up.”
Esais gave him a strained smile. “Let’s get you checked in.”
Esais took Adrian’s arm and guided him through the doors. Tres followed behind, rubbing his wrist. Viktor watched them go and let out a long sigh. I paused and turned his direction.
“Are you coming?” I asked.
He gave me a fleeting smile before he crossed his arms and looked down at the sidewalk. “Not really sure if I belong here.”
“I know it feels strange, but I think Esais would want you there.”
He shrugged. “Maybe, but do the other two? I mean, you have to admit that Adrian hasn’t exactly welcomed me with open arms.”
“That is his issue. He’s like that with everyone,” I said. “And he’s not even here now.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I just don’t want to come between them. They’re really lucky to have each other.”
“You don’t have any family?” I asked.
He gave a bitter laugh. “None I want to call family.”
“That bad?”
“I was a freak to them. A blasphemy.” He shook his head. “Ironic, really.”
I blinked. “Why ironic?”
He cleared his throat. “Nothing. Nevermind. Thanks for listening, Sweetheart, but I’m freezing. I’m going to try and find some coffee.”
I chuckled and stepped up so the door opened. “Well, if you want to talk any more, just let me know.”
Esais sat in one of the black plastic chairs along the wall. I wrinkled my nose at the stench of old blood under the astringent sanitizer. I sat down next to him and crossed my ankles. He stared at the floor with his fingers laced together on his knees.
“Did Viktor leave?” Esais didn’t look up.
Esais ran both hands down his face. “This is my fault.”
“They’re hunters. They’re going to get hurt.”
“I should have been there.” He gave a harsh laugh. “I thought I could have a private life. Obviously, I’m not meant to.”
I reached over and touched his arm. “They’re not children. You don’t need to hold their hand through everything.”
“When I don’t, this happens.”
I leveled my gaze to his. “Don’t you dare guilt yourself into giving up what little happiness you have. Both Adrian and Tres are fine. You can’t be with them all the time.”
He opened his mouth to speak when Tres opened the door near the nurse’s window. His hand was covered in a white cast, leaving only the fingers free. I blinked. That had been fast. I glanced at Esais.
“Did you push him ahead of others?” I asked.
“I had to do something,” he said. “He didn’t take the place of anyone in danger.”
“Good to know,” I said.
He met them halfway across the room. “So?”
“Broken, what else?” Tres shrugged. “It will take some time to heal. Looks like I’m out of commission for a while.”
“Will you be able to do anything for Adrian?” I asked.
“Not at the moment.” Tres snorted. “He’s got a concussion. He needs to be watched over for the next couple of days. I’m sure he’ll back to his irritable self by tomorrow. ”
Esais nodded and gave a faint smile. “I guess I’ll be spending some quality time with him then.”
“Just don’t change his music,” I said.
Esais stared down the hall. “All right. Let’s get out of here.”
“What about Viktor?” I asked.
He cleared his throat and looked to the ground. “He’s going home. It’s just going to be us for now.”
I stared at him, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze. I threw my hands up and followed them out to the van. It was no surprise Viktor felt alienated. This wasn’t helping. However, all I could do was offer the advice. I had too many crises to play matchmaker.
Chapter 31
The next day, I sat with my feet propped up on a desk in the office Jonah had commandeered. He leaned forward and peered at his tiny handwriting in his leather bound journal while he held a small vial in one hand. White foam fizzed at the top of it, like a shaken carbonated beverage.
“Have you found anything?”
“A few things,” he said.
I sat up a little straighter. “Well?”
“I will explain everything to everyone once.” He pressed his lips together in a thin line. “That way I will be less suspected of anything.”
I sighed and sat back. “You’re still upset.”
“You thought me capable of causing this.”
“What do you expect? You aren’t exactly on the straight and narrow like the brothers believe.” I wave a hand at the various vials and jars of ingredients on the edge of his desk. “You use vampire blood. Who knows if you would decide that Brimstone could have some useful application?”
His hand gripped the desk tightly. “The vampire blood is so I can continue with my oath. I have no legacy. Lucy is . . .”
“I know,” I said. “But it was questionable.”
“Even if I did, I’d never let it spread to such a degree that it has.”
“I apologize.” I crossed my arms a leaned back. “However, you haven’t been exactly truthful to everyone. Do you ever plan on telling them?”
He picked up a pen and wrote in neat strokes. “Now does not seem like the time.”
“I know you were able to keep things secret by avoiding seeing them often, but you can’t hide forever. They’ve probably already noticed, especially Esais.”
“I will consider it once this crisis has been taken care of.” His phone buzzed and he put it to his ear. “You’ve returned? Good.”
He hung up and looked at me. “Lucy has brought dinner. Could you gather the others so we can speak downstairs?”
“Marge isn’t here,” I said.
“Someone else can update her later.”
I climbed to the third floor. Adrian sat at his desk with his head wrapped in a white bandage. He glanced up from typing at his laptop and nodded to me. I froze as my heart fluttered. What was this? I shoved my hands in my pockets and leaned against the doorframe.
“How’s your head?” My voice sound hoarse.
“It would be better if people stopped asking me,” he said.
“Sorry,” I said. “Esais been bothering you all night?”
“He hovered some. He finally fell asleep a few hours ago.”
“Jonah wants to see speak with all of us. Lucy brought dinner.”
Adrian stiffened. He shut the laptop and stood, straightening his shirt. I chuckled. The Van Helsing brothers could be fearless in the face of vampires, but Jonah gave them the air of children with their hands in the cookie jar.
I stepped into the hall and searched the empty offices. Esais lay on a small portable mattress with his arm curled under his head. The air became cold and thick with an oppressive presence. I stiffened and pressed my back against the wall. Something heavy pressed on my mind and sent an ache through my entire body, causing my body to stiffen. Tears flowed down my cheeks as memories surfaced. Esais coughed and gave a moan. The pressure abated as he sat up, rubbing his face. I turned my head from him and sucked in a long breath of air. Could that have been him, or was I imagining things like he claimed?
He blinked at me. “Are you watching me sleep?”
I chuckled softly and glanced at him from the corner of my eye. “I came to wake you up.”
“Good, because that would have been creepy.”
“Jonah is here. It looks like he brought dinner for us.”
He stood and stretched with a sleep-filled smile on his face.
“Food sounds good.” He smacked his lips together and wrinkled his nose. “I think I’ll freshen up first.”
“Can you find Tres then?”
“Sure.”
I turned to the door with a nod.
“Gabby, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” My voice was just above a murmur.
I rushed from the door and down the hall, almost running into Adrian. He placed a steadying hand on my shoulder and looked past me from where I came.
“Running from your ghosts again?”
I shot him a glare and moved to the stairwell, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me to the elevator. I bucked, but he held tight.
“One floor. You’ll be fine,” he said.
I pressed against the back corner of the elevator with my hands flat against the wall. My stomach felt like it rose when we started to descend and the walls drew closer in. I closed my eyes.
Inhale, I thought. One. Two. Three. Exhale. One. Two. Three.
“So what had you running down the hall like a vampire was on your tail?” he asked.
I swallowed hard. Should I tell him? Would he believe me? “I think there’s something wrong with Esias.”
“He’s just upset that he’s not Superman.”
“What?”
He shook his head. “Why do you think something’s wrong with him?”
“I keep sensing this mental presence when he’s around, but he acts like nothing is wrong.”
“And you’re sure it’s not in your mind? You have been under stress lately.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m imagining things,” I muttered.
Of course he didn’t believe me. I had no proof. Hell, I wasn’t sure if I believed me. I continued to breathe as I forced the images of being trapped between floors from my mind. Adrian had his little machines. He could always make a way out for us. I would be all right. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. I rushed out of them and leaned against the desk in the lobby.
“Congratulations,” Adrian said. “You’ve lived through two floors of th
e elevator.”
I glared at him. “I’m not in the mood to be taunted.”
“Who said I was taunting you?” He put a hand on my arm. “He has been acting different. It is possible this is something from his ‘gift.’ Or he’s just caught up in the newness of the boyfriend. Why don’t we keep a closer watch on him?”
I nodded, crossed my arms, walked down the hall, and opened the door. Three round metal tables spread across the black and white tiled floor. A black counter divided the front from the kitchen. Adrian moved to help Lucy take cardboard boxes out of the sacks and set them on the counter. The smell of spiced chicken and tomato drifted through the air. Jonah was already seated at one of the tables and spoke on his phone. I opened one of the boxes and steam rose from the rice inside, warming my face and leaving behind little beads of water.
“Greek?” I asked.
Lucy nodded. “Dad got a feast for us.”
The door opened with a squeak, and Tres stepped in with his arms raised above his head, followed by Esais. Tres’s eyes had a drooping quality and he wore a wide smile on his face. Esais’s hair had a slight ruffled look to it, though it looked as though it had been set that way on purpose.
“I’m here, so we can get this party started,” he said.
“Surprising,” Adrian said. “You’re actually on time for something.”
Tres made a sarcastic sad face at his brother and walked to Jonah. He spread his arms wide. “Uncle Jonah, thanks for the meal.”
Before Jonah could reply, Tres pulled him into a tight hug, patting him on the back. Tres stepped back and wrapped an arm around Lucy’s shoulders, giving them a tight squeeze with his good hand. Esais held his hand out to Jonah and leaned close to speak with him quietly.