by E. J. King
His arms went around me and his lips closed over mine, urgent and passionate. We didn’t even bother removing all of our clothes as we crashed onto the bed.
“I love you, James,” I said, looking straight into his eyes.
“I love you more, Kaylie.” He brushed a hand over my cheek. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you tonight. Benton isn’t going to touch you.”
“Let’s not talk about my father right now,” I said meaningfully. “Let’s just enjoy being together.”
We only had twenty minutes before Ethan yelled up the stairs at us. I had been right- it wasn’t enough time.
“Don’t go. Five more minutes.” Rafe reached for me as I rolled to the edge of the bed. “The end of the world can wait.”
“We’ve got a houseful of Hunters waiting for us,” I reminded him. I leaned down and kissed him one more time because I couldn’t resist him when he was smiling at me like that. “And don’t forget that one of those Hunters is my older brother, who happens to already dislike you.”
Rafe groaned. “Fine. Let’s go save the world. But when we’re done, we are coming right back to this bed and staying here for days.”
“Deal.” I let him kiss me one last time. “You better not disappoint, Rafferty.”
I ignored Lincoln’s glare as we joined the rest of the Hunters. While I loaded myself up with weapons, Ethan gave out some last minute commands.
“I hear we are on the same team.” A random Hunter stood next to me, giving me a quick once-over. “I’m Alex.”
“Kaylie,” I said automatically.
Alex was younger than the other Hunters, just a couple of years older than Rafe probably. He wasn’t one of the Hunters that had known my family.
“Stick with me. I’ll protect you,” he said with a wink.
“Garrison!’ Rafe glared hard from across the room. “Get away from my girlfriend.”
Alex grinned. “Sorry, man. You can’t blame me.”
“You know Rafe?” I asked, intrigued. He wasn’t exactly known for making friends, other than the females he used to sleep with regularly.
“We go way back,” Alex said. “My parents knew his parents, blah blah blah. We used to sneak into bars and get drunk together in high school.”
“Of course you did,” I said. “If we survive tonight, you’ll have to tell me more charming stories like that.”
He leaned closer and said, “I think I’d rather hear your stories.”
“My stories just involve everyone dying,” I said bluntly. “I’m willing to bet I’ll have one more story like that after tonight. Let’s just hope you aren’t the star of it.”
“Whoa.” His eyes widened in surprise.
“Did you not hear me tell you to get away from her?” Rafe said, reaching in between us to grab an exceptionally sharp looking knife.
Alex shrugged. “What do I have to lose? I’m probably going to die tonight anyway, according to your woman.”
“If you keep talking about her like that, she’ll probably be the one to kill you.” Rafe winked at me, smacked my ass, and walked away.
When he used to do things like that, it would drive me crazy. Now, as his girlfriend, it drove me crazy in an entirely different way. I couldn’t keep the smile from spreading across my face.
“I still don’t like him,” Lincoln said on his way past.
“I still don’t care,” I replied, sticking my tongue out at him.
For a group of people that were about to head to an almost certain death, the mood was shockingly light and carefree. But that wasn’t entirely atypical for a group of Hunters. This wasn’t the first time any of us had thought we were marching off to the end of the world.
“What are you doing?” I gasped when Mark reached for a blade.
“I’m not going to a sword fight with bare hands,” he said.
“But you don’t fight.” I remembered my dad telling me that Mark was purely our research guy. We couldn’t count on him to fight alongside us.
Mark avoided looking at me as he said, “I promised your parents that I would look after you kids if anything happened to them. I intend to keep that promise.”
I patted his shoulder. “I always knew you were just a big softie, Uncle Mark.”
“Plus I can’t turn down the chance to finally kill that prick Benton once and for all.” Mark nodded at me. “Don’t do anything stupid tonight, Kaylie. I’ll never forgive you if you get yourself killed.”
“Likewise,” I said. The truth was that Mark tagging along on the hunt was going to cause more harm than good. He wasn’t an experienced Hunter like the rest of us. I would have to keep one eye on him at all times.
I felt slightly better when I learned that he had been partnered up with Lincoln and Rafe. It was pretty clear that Lincoln had made the assignments because I was in a different group with Alex and Ethan. That was a good thing. I had a plan formulated that I knew Rafe would never let me carry out.
We filed out of the house in a single file line, looking like a rogue militia in our black clothing and steely faces. Rafe moved next to me.
“Stay close to Ethan,” he said, his hand brushing against mine. “Hell, even stay close to Alex. Just don’t go off on your own.”
I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “I really can take care of myself, Rafe.”
“I know. But that doesn’t mean I don’t worry about you.” He smiled at me. “Promise me you’ll come back to me?”
“Always.” I allowed myself one long look at him. Just in case this was our last moment together, I wanted to lock it away in my brain. “You promised me a lifetime together. I intend to hold you to that promise.”
“Everyone split into their teams now!” Lincoln ordered from the front of the line. If anyone had actually been wandering around campus, they would’ve been very suspicious of our group. But with dusk settling over the college, everyone was safely inside.
Rafe and I exchanged one last look and then I dropped to the back of the line where Alex and Ethan were waiting.
“You’re not going to cry, are you?” Alex teased.
“I need you both to help me with something,” I said, pretending I hadn’t heard his mocking question. I didn’t have time for anything that wasn’t directly related to killing Benton.
“What do you have planned?” Ethan asked.
We had been hunting together long enough that it was practically second nature. He knew that if I had a plan I hadn’t mentioned yet, it was something I didn’t want everyone to know. More specifically, it wasn’t something I wanted Rafe to know.
“We need to head up those stairs to the library.” I noticed the hesitation in Ethan’s eyes. “It will only take a minute and then we’ll continue with the original plan.”
“Okay.” Ethan might not have liked my decision to veer from the original plan, but he trusted me.
I took the stairs two at a time and headed straight for the small alcove in front of the library. Violet was waiting for us.
“What’s she doing here?” Ethan demanded.
“I called her.” We didn’t have time for me to explain the plan to Ethan and get him onboard. I directed my attention to her. “What do I need to do?”
Violet gestured to the ground. “You should lie down. I need you absolutely still while I do this.”
“What’s going on?” Alex asked Ethan. “Who is this woman?”
“Kaylie’s mother,” Ethan replied. He grabbed my arm. “Rafe wouldn’t want you to do this. How do you know we can trust her?”
“I don’t,” I said, dropping to the ground. “But I have to do it anyway. We will lose to Benton if we don’t find a way to weaken him. This is our only way.”
Ethan clearly didn’t agree with me, but he knelt on one side of me while Violet positioned herself on the other.
“I need to open a vein,” she said casually. “Once I have access to your bloodstream, I will be able to sense him.”
“How long do you need to get co
nnected?” I asked, trying not to sound nervous. I was definitely having doubts about my decision.
“Not long. Once I’m connected to him, I won’t need your blood any longer. It’s like using a key to unlock the door,” she said, placing a wicked looking knife in her lap.
I flinched as her hand closed over my arm. It was hard to believe that this woman that could talk so coldly about slicing into me was also responsible for my existence.
The metal bit into my arm sharply, causing me to gasp. Violet made an incision about two inches long. She pressed all of the fingers in one hand over the opening and closed her eyes. Her lips moved silently as she recited a chant or spell.
A faint warmth started to fill the area around her fingers, slowly spreading into my bloodstream. Violet began chanting faster, her eyes fluttering behind their closed lids. I looked at Ethan and he put his hand on my other arm. It was comforting having him there.
My entire body had warmed, like a quick fever had washed over me. My head started to spin so I closed my eyes. It felt like I was falling asleep, only I knew I was under Violet’s spell. I knew that she was seeing the same thing as me when Benton appeared.
He stood in the middle of what appeared to be a basketball court. I vaguely realized that it was one of the courts from the Rec Center. On all sides, he was surrounded by Souls. There had to be almost 100 of them. I could feel my heartrate slowing despite the terror that ran through my body.
With that many Souls, our group of a dozen Hunters was walking into a death trap. We didn’t stand a chance against them. I needed to warn Rafe.
“No!” I forced my eyes open and bolted upright.
Violet’s eyes fluttered open as well and I noticed they had gone black. “It worked,” she said. “I’m connected.”
“We have to go.” I snatched the piece of cloth that Violet handed me. She was using another scrap to clean her knife.
Ethan helped wrap up the cut as quickly as possible. He asked, “What did you see?”
“Benton and his army. There’s at least a hundred of them.” I turned to Violet. “How long will it take you to do your thing?”
“I’m already doing it.” She smiled. “It turns out I also have some control over any of the Souls created from his blood.”
“That’s good, right?” Alex said.
I had forgotten he was even with us. “Yes. That’s very good.”
“Let’s go.” Ethan turned and started jogging toward the Rec Center. Alex and I followed close behind.
“So that was your mom?” Alex said, sounding disbelieving. “She was intense.”
“She makes a bad first impression.” I could see the Rec Center now, and it appeared that everyone else was already inside. “We need to move faster.”
I sprinted ahead, passing Ethan easily. We had been assigned the entry in the alley, a small metal door next to the dumpsters. It was on the other side of the building, so we had to pass the front door. I could see the two human security guards lying immobile on the ground. Rafe and Lincoln had used tranquillizer guns on them.
“So far, so good,” Ethan said, noticing them at the same time as me.
The metal door was unlocked, only further convincing me that we were rushing right into a death trap. It was still a little light outside, so hopefully the Souls wouldn’t be at full strength.
“Which way?” Alex asked.
We stood in a small entryway at the side of the building. A set of stairs led up and two yards to our right, another set of stairs led down.
“Two groups are already assigned to the basement. We should go up.” I didn’t add that I knew the basketball courts were upstairs and that was where we would find Benton.
At the top of the stairs we entered a hallway. We were not alone.
“Whoa,” Ethan breathed. “Now that’s a Soul squad.”
“Ten of them,” I said, counting quickly. “We can handle that.”
“This should be fun,” Alex said.
The Souls were clearly following orders as they approached us. Typically, Souls were so overcome by hunger that they moved quickly and recklessly. These Souls were being methodical. Or maybe they just tired. I hoped it was the latter.
“Hey Ethan,” I couldn’t help myself. It wasn’t a hunt without witty banter. “Doesn’t the one on the left look like Uncle Mark if he had a beard?”
“Kind of… and if Uncle Mark had fangs.” Ethan happily twirled his knife. “Are you calling dibs?”
“No need. Plenty of creepy looking Souls for all of us.” I hefted my own knife, twirling it exactly three times.
The distance between us had been closed. Now we just needed someone to make the first move. That person was me.
I took out the nearest Soul before any of the others could even react. A split second later, they all attacked. These Souls were better fighters than I expected. They were focused and well trained. But I also noticed moments where they seemed confused. I assumed that Violet’s spell was working.
After killing my fourth Soul, I was feeling slightly better about our chances. Ethan and Alex had faired equally well, and so far we had only suffered a few bruises and scrapes.
“I think Vampire Mark chipped my tooth,” Ethan complained, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “Of course, I stabbed him in the heart so I guess we are even.”
“Did you see when that fat one started to disintegrate?” Alex made a face. “It started spewing Soul blood.”
I ignored both of them and turned my attention to the room at the end of the hall. “We need to go in there.”
“Okay…” Ethan looked at me uncertainly. “Is that the room you saw during the spell?”
“I think so.” I couldn’t explain how I knew it. Really it was more of a feeling. I just knew that Benton was on the other side of that door.
The door was already open, beckoning us forward. I didn’t hesitate, didn’t stop to worry that we were walking into a trap. This was my destiny. I couldn’t hide from it any longer.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I don’t know what I was expecting to find inside the room. I guess I expected it to look a little like the vision I had seen in my head. But instead, the room was almost empty. Instead of a hundred Souls, only three stood in the middle of the court. Each one of them was standing over someone I loved.
Lincoln, Mark, and Rafe.
They had each been tied up and beaten. Mark was lying so still that I wasn’t sure he was breathing. Lincoln was struggling against the ropes that bound his hands behind his back. Rafe was staring directly at me.
“Shit,” Ethan said over my shoulder.
From the far corner of the room, a shadowed figure emerged, slowly clapping its hands.
“Kaylie, darling. You’re here!”
I recognized Benton’s voice immediately. He sounded almost exactly like my dad, his brother. Every time I heard that voice it sent a chill down my spine.
“Hey, Pops!” I felt myself sneering. It was so hard to even be in the same room as that monster, let alone exchange snarky banter. “I take it you missed me.”
“I have something important to ask you, daughter,” he said, rubbing a hand over his forehead. “Did you happen to see your mother today?”
“What’s the matter?” I asked, feeling slightly better. “Are you not feeling well? Maybe it has something to do with this?”
I held up my bandaged arm. From the floor, Rafe groaned. I couldn’t tell if it was because of his injuries or because he had just realized what I had done.
“Violet sends her love,” I added, unable to resist.
Benton snarled. “She’s still the same bitch I remember.”
“She had fond things to say about you as well.” I could see Lincoln still struggling in the corner of my eye and I wondered why Rafe wasn’t doing the same. Was he badly injured? And why wasn’t Mark moving?
“Enough daddy-daughter time,” Benton said. He was close enough now that I could see his flaring gold eyes. Those eyes had haunted my d
reams for months. “Let me tell you what is going to happen next.”
I was pretty sure I knew what he was about to say.
“Your friends over there are in a pretty precarious situation. In fact, I could’ve killed all of them already. But I wanted to give you one last chance to save them.” He smiled, showing his fangs. “See, I can be a good father.”
“How do I save them?” I asked. It had occurred to me that the reason Rafe wasn’t struggling so hard was intentional. Lincoln was distracting the Souls from the fact that Rafe was almost free. I just had to stall Benton a little longer.
“All I want in this whole world is you, Kaylie.” Benton was only a few feet from where the guys lay.
I needed to keep him distracted. “You don’t want me. You want my blood.”
“Same thing.” He sighed dramatically. “So what do you say? Will you save your friends?”
“And make you immortal? That sounds like a deal I can’t refuse.” I sucked in a breath as Benton turned.
He snapped his fingers and said, “Start with the brother.”
The Soul guarding Lincoln unleashed a hard kick into his side. Lincoln groaned and squirmed, but the Soul didn’t stop. It kicked and kicked until I wasn’t sure I could take it anymore.
“Really?” Benton turned to me. “I thought for sure you would save your brother. But then again, he’s not really your brother, is he?”
My heart was racing. I frantically tried to reformulate a plan that would allow me to save everyone.
“I guess we’ll have to try something different.” Benton grinned at me. “I’m fairly certain you will gladly sacrifice yourself to save the boyfriend.”
My eyes darted to Rafe.
“Kaylie. No.” He stared hard at me, betraying nothing. “Look away.”
Another snap of Benton’s fingers and the Soul brandished a knife. It stood over Rafe, taunting us both with the knife.
“No,” I muttered, feeling my heart being twisted in my chest.
“Yes,” Benton said with a laugh. “Aim for the heart!’
The answer came to me so suddenly that I rocked back on my feet. I knew how to save everyone. “Stop!”