by Nina Bangs
Ty looked over the group. “Is this everyone? Anyone else left?”
Another vampire spoke up. “There’s a bunch downstairs. I think they work for the guy running this show. He ducked out about fifteen minutes ago.”
“Why didn’t they come up with you?” Jude’s expression promised instant death to any vampire who lied to him.
The same vampire shrugged. “They heard the door alarm go off before the fire alarm and figured the fire alarm was just a distraction to cover up the break-in. They thought we were under attack. I thought there was a fire.” He glanced around. “Guess they were right.”
Ty looked at Jude. “We have to get down there to help Macario.”
Jude nodded. “I want all of you to go out this back door, get in your cars, and never come back here. This club is closed.” He pulled out his cell phone, spoke to one of his men, then put the phone away. “No one will bother you when you leave.”
A few seconds later, only Jude, his three vampires, and Macario’s wolves were left in the hall. Ty thought they all looked disappointed. They hadn’t gotten to kill anyone.
Pushing into the storage room, Ty headed for the still-open door leading down to the basement. The others crowded around him. Sounds of fighting rose from below. “Here’s where we do some serious damage.”
One of Jude’s vampires smiled for the first time, his fangs on full display.
“Don’t kill any wolves unless you’re sure they’re the enemy. Remember, we’re here to find Neva, and I don’t have a clue what form she’ll be in.”
As he crept down the stairs, Ty wondered where Kelly was. God, he hoped she’d had enough sense to go outside where she’d be safe. Then he pushed all distractions aside as he leaped the final few steps and burst into the room.
Chapter Fifteen
Kelly liked feeling safe. She felt that way now. Sort of. Or at least as safe as she could feel with a bad-tempered vampire on one side of her and a hyperactive werewolf on the other.
All the humans were gone, even the bartender and barmaids. And if the werewolves chased them to their cars with a little too much enthusiasm, it wasn’t her problem. Macario could address that issue.
But safety didn’t translate into comfortable. Through the open front door, she could hear the faint sounds of battle. Ty was in there. Was Nine there too? If so, Ty would find it tough to survive the fight with only a few vampires and werewolves to back him up. With no space for his T. rex to take form, he’d be vulnerable. And what about Neva? Was she still alive?
She tallied up the reasons to go back into the club. Ty was in danger. She had the flute, and if Nine was in there, she could play her tune and stop the madness, at least in Houston. Ty was in danger. If Neva was still alive, Kelly might be the only one who could care for her because everyone else would be busy trying to kill one another. Ty was in danger.
And in the end, Kelly knew she had to go back inside. She didn’t try to fool herself into thinking it was a heroic decision. It was fear. Fear that she wouldn’t be there if Ty should need her.
The vampires and werewolves wouldn’t try to stop her. Their leaders hadn’t ordered them to keep an eye on her. Shen? She glanced over to where he stood talking to one of the vampires. No, Shen wouldn’t care if she left. He didn’t even like her.
Kelly faded into the shadows and made her way to the back of the club. The front was too exposed. In the darkness by the back of the building, she opened her case and assembled her flute. Then she hung the instrument around her neck by the cord she’d tied to it. She let it hang down the back of her neck. It was going to bounce against her butt when she walked, but at least it would be handy if she needed it.
Taking a deep breath, she peeked in the back door. Nothing leaped out at her. She unzipped her purse and pulled out her pepper spray. She left the purse hanging from her shoulder unzipped so she could reach the gun Q had given her. Then she edged down the hallway.
Kelly paused at the open door to the storage room. She could hear the battle raging loud and clear from below, lots of shouting, snarling, and the thuds of bodies hitting walls.
Think. What would happen if she walked down the stairs with a gun drawn? As far as the werewolves went, she wouldn’t know friend from foe. And what if she distracted Ty at a critical moment? She leaned against the wall. What the hell was the right thing to do?
The decision was taken out of her hands. She heard something big leaping up the stairs. It didn’t sound like human footsteps. Backing down the hall, she pulled the gun from her purse.
Everything happened too fast. The werewolf charged out of the storage room, skidded on the tile floor as it turned toward the back door, and saw her. Bloody and torn, its eyes glowed with insane bloodlust. In just one leap it was on her.
Her reaction was a second too slow. Her shot went wild and she fell backward, putting her arm up to protect her face from its teeth.
In the second before Kelly knew she would die, Shen struck. She saw the snake slither past her head and drive his fangs into the wolf’s leg.
With a howl of pain and surprise, the werewolf forgot about Kelly. It bit the snake before slamming him against the wall over and over until Shen released his grip. Then the wolf raced out the door and onto the deck that backed up to the Ship Channel.
Dazed, Kelly stared at the wolf. “Dead wolf running.” If it somehow escaped the vampires and wolves surrounding the club, the snake’s venom would kill it.
The wolf glanced left, then right. Trapped, it opted for an escape by water. Mistake. It ran to the end of the lit deck and leaped toward the Ship Channel. Lio was waiting.
Kelly’s breath froze in her throat as Lio rose from the water propelled by eighty feet of massive body and opened gigantic jaws filled with eight-inch-long teeth. He took the wolf in midleap and dragged him down. Kelly was glad it was too dark to see details.
Shen. He still lay limp at the foot of the wall. Was he alive? Fear rose, clogging the back of her throat, trying to tell her this was a snake, a snake. She wanted to scuttle away from the body.
She didn’t. He’d saved her life, and if he was dead, it was her fault. If she hadn’t come in here, he’d still be outside talking to the vampire. And good intentions didn’t count. Dead was dead.
Kelly pushed herself to her feet. Fighting the unreasoning terror that made nausea clench at her stomach, she stumbled over to where he lay. Pick him up. She couldn’t; she just couldn’t.
The biggest battle of her whole life took place as she stood swaying over Shen’s body. It lasted about thirty seconds. Conscience triumphed over fear. Crouching, she lifted him into her arms. Then, shaking with terror, she carried him out of the building.
Her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest with every beat, and her breaths were coming in hard, short gasps by the time she reached the first vampire. “Shen. I don’t even know if he’s alive. Help him.”
The vampire stared at her from cold black eyes before shifting his attention to Shen. He touched the snake. “He’s alive. If that bite hasn’t killed him already, it won’t. Get him to change, and he’ll heal himself.” Then the vampire turned his attention back to the club.
Kelly felt awful. She wasn’t sure which was worse, her worry about Ty and Neva or her guilt over Shen. After finding the spot where Shen had put his neatly folded clothes on the ground, she laid the snake on the pile. She pulled the cord holding her flute from around her neck, and sat beside him.
Her fear was still babbling away in her head, but it was more of a background noise now. Maybe it would help to talk to him. “God, I’m sorry, Shen. I should’ve stayed out here. And what can I say about your saving my life except thanks. I’ll owe you for as long as I live. Which won’t be long if I keep doing stuff like that.” She wiggled into a more comfortable position and tried not to notice that she was talking to a snake. “One of Jude’s vampires said you have to change back to human form so you can heal. If you can hear me, please try. Look, I’ll go g
et a blanket I saw in the back of the SUV and give you some privacy.” Okay, so she was the one who needed privacy.
Rising, she walked slowly to the car, thoughts whirling in her mind. Where was Ty? Was he okay? The werewolf that had attacked her was one of the bad guys, right? Macario’s wolves knew her. They wouldn’t try to kill her. Or maybe they would. Crazy and irrational could equal dangerous no matter which side the wolf was on.
She took her time getting the blanket and even went to retrieve her flute case before returning to Shen. To her relief, when she got close, she saw that he was back in human form. He was weakly trying to pull on his clothes.
Maybe she had some maternal instincts after all, because she hurried over to help him. “Here, don’t strain yourself.” She helped him put his shirt on. “Where’re you hurt?” Kelly draped the blanket around him. “Let’s get you into the SUV.”
Shen just nodded as she helped him to his feet. Half supporting him, she finally got him into the passenger side of the car. He leaned his head back against the seat. “My thigh’s a little chewed up, but it’s not bleeding too much anymore. Once I get back to Fin’s condo, I’ll take care of it. I heal fast.” He studied her. “You know, you impressed the hell out of me when you picked me up. Must’ve been tough.”
Kelly didn’t sense any sarcasm in his comment. She wouldn’t try to downplay her fear. “You think? I was scared witless. I would’ve followed the wolf into the Ship Channel, but I noticed that it didn’t end well for him. So I decided picking up the snake made more sense than swimming with Lio.” Here came the important part. “And the snake was you, Shen. The friend who’d just put his life on the line for me.”
Kelly didn’t get to hear his reply because suddenly a vampire and two werewolves burst from the back door. They glanced around, saw they were surrounded and threw themselves into the Ship Channel. She looked away just as Lio rose to meet them. As she tried to shut out their final screams, she bit her lip to keep from screaming herself.
Where was Ty? Where was Neva? By the time Ty and the others emerged from the front door of the club, Kelly was an emotional slice of burnt toast, ready to crumble into brittle bits.
She flung herself from the SUV and raced to meet him. Without considering the consequences, she slammed into his chest hard enough to draw a startled ummph from him. At the same time, she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Vaguely aware that he’d put his arms around her too, she babbled her fears into his shirt. “I was afraid Nine might be in there. I was afraid you might be hurt. I was afraid…”
The silence finally registered. She turned her head. Everyone was staring. They were smiling. A lot. Oh, jeez. Had she embarrassed him? Trying to look casual, she dropped her arms and stepped out of his embrace. “I, um, was worried about everyone.”
When she met Ty’s gaze, he wasn’t smiling. Thank God.
“Women from this time aren’t used to violence. They get overemotional,” he said matter-of-factly.
Kelly narrowed her eyes. “What?”
Ty missed the warning sign. Too bad. “Q’s watching this video about women. It explains why modern females react the way they do. So I know what you’re thinking.” His expression said he expected her to be grateful for his understanding. He started to turn toward Jude.
“Whoa. Wait just a minute.” She stepped forward and poked him in the chest. “Don’t ever presume to know what I’m thinking.” I’m thinking I love you. And that one thought shut her up.
A rusty laugh emerged from the back of the crowd. “You tell him, sister. No man has ever figured out what a woman’s thinking. Shouldn’t even try.”
Kelly’s eyes widened. “Neva?” Pushing through the crowd, she found the other woman tucked firmly against Macario’s side. Her red hair was standing on end, and her clothes were stained and torn, but she was smiling.
Neva reached out and gave Kelly a surprisingly strong hug considering how she looked. She had bruises and cuts, but other than that she seemed okay.
“God, I’m glad you’re safe. Was it bad?” Defiantly, Kelly wiped tears from her eyes.
“Yeah.” Neva’s gaze darkened. “But I found out what I was made of. I’m tough, and I fight dirty, and I survive.” Then she leaned close to Kelly’s ear. “Tell him, sister. Take him home tonight and tell Ty you love him. If he’d stop long enough to really look at your face, he’d see it. But men miss things like that.”
“Neva is coming home with me tonight.” Macario sounded definite about that. “And she’s not going back to work for Fin.”
Neva’s eyes got a little teary, proving she wasn’t so tough where the pack leader was concerned. “This guy saved me. He was the first one down the stairs. Nine’s sorcerer had cast a circle, and I couldn’t get out. I’d already fought Yvette and killed her. The bitch.” She paused to savor that moment. “But then they put another wolf into the circle.”
Macario picked up the story. “When I saw Neva fighting in that circle, I went crazy. I got lucky because the circle’s energy was almost gone.” His lips lifted in a savage grin. “I tore that wolf into so many pieces, they could use him for a jigsaw puzzle.”
In the brief pause, they heard police sirens.
“Shit. Let’s get out of here.” Ty grabbed Kelly’s arm and ran for the SUV.
She ran with him, only pausing long enough to scoop up her flute. Already, the remaining cars were leaving the parking lot. “But what about all those bodies inside the—”
“I’ll take care of that.” He practically threw her into the driver’s seat.
Lio raced up and flung himself into the back. He was dressed, but he was still dripping water. Kelly couldn’t meet his gaze.
Ty glanced at the front seat, then climbed into the back beside Lio. He rolled down the window while she started the car. As he stared intently at the club, it suddenly exploded into flames.
Her jaw dropped. “What the—”
“Drive.”
The sirens were getting closer, so she took his advice. A block away from the club, she glanced back. All she could see was the fire’s glow in the sky. “How’d you do that?”
“I kept my mental link to Fin open. He supplied the power.”
Kelly wondered what else Fin could do. Considering that he shared none of himself with anyone, she’d probably never know.
“I think I deserve a bonus for tonight. The whole time I worried about going head-on with a ship.” Lio was back to being Mr. Morose.
Kelly glanced in the mirror. “You impressed me, Lio.” I might never go in the water again.
Lio grunted at her, but he looked pleased.
“What happened, Shen?” Ty’s voice was quiet.
Shen was huddled into the blanket Kelly had given him. “I went back into the club. In snake form. Thought I could help. A werewolf left your party early and caught me in the hallway. He tried to chew me in half. I bit him and then Lio finished him off.”
“He’s lying. Shen’s covering for me.” She threw Shen a warning glance. “Ty should know what you did.”
Shen sighed and closed his eyes.
“I knew you wanted me to stay outside where I’d be safe, but I couldn’t just stand there and wait to see who came out. I was worried about Neva.” She refused to meet his gaze in the mirror. “And you. And everyone.” But mostly you. “I had the gun and pepper spray. I had my flute in case Nine was down there.” Kelly held up her hand to keep Ty from interrupting. “And, yes, it was stupid. I sort of realized that once I got as far as the hallway.”
Her rising terror told Kelly that Ty’s primal personality was making a cameo appearance. “Anyway, all of a sudden this werewolf came barreling out of the storage room. I had my gun out, but he was too fast for me, and my shot went wild. I thought I was dead.”
Kelly realized Ty must be totally ticked to cause the kind of fear churning in her stomach. “Put a cap on your mad, Ty, because you’re scaring me.” She spoke through clenched teeth. Her fear immediately eased. “That’
s when Shen slithered past me. He bit the wolf. The wolf bit him back and then banged him against the wall until Shen let go. By that time, the wolf had forgotten about me. It ran outside and jumped into the water. Lio finished it.”
“Is that all?” Ty’s voice was softly dangerous.
“No.” Shen opened his eyes. “After the wolf was gone, Kelly picked me up and carried me outside.”
Shock widened Ty’s eyes. “You picked up a snake?”
“He saved my life.” What else was there to say?
“Took guts for her to do that.” Lio sounded approving for a change.
“Yeah.” Ty didn’t elaborate.
The one word didn’t give Kelly a clue what he was thinking. Silence settled into the car for the rest of the drive to Fin’s condo. Lio and Shen fell asleep. She could feel Ty’s gaze on her. He probably had his anger to keep him alert and glowering. Kelly wanted to ask him what had happened, but maybe now wasn’t the time.
They were just pulling into the condo’s driveway when Ty finally spoke. “Fin wants us to come up with Lio and Shen.”
She nodded. What would it be like to have your boss able to pump orders directly into your head? Couldn’t check caller ID for those calls. Bummer.
Kelly dropped Lio and Shen at the front entrance and then drove the SUV into the parking garage. Considering his mood, she wished Ty had gotten out with the others. He hadn’t. He was determined to be her personal storm cloud, a dark looming presence wherever she went.
“You could’ve died tonight.” Ty forced the words out in a quiet, calm voice. He watched her collect her flute and purse before turning to face him.
“Yeah. And so could you.” She tipped her chin up in a defiant gesture.
He felt his fury building, at the werewolf he wished were still alive so he could kill it all over again, at the situation that prevented him from guarding her, at himself for feeling so clueless when it came to this woman.