A Vampire's Bane

by Raven Steele

  I silently agreed with Briar, thinking of the prophecy. The Phoenix couldn’t be afraid of us. If the prophecy was true, then we were supposed to help him raise Trianus. Or, really, her, now that I think about it. It was the mother of Trianus that started this all, the witch buried beneath the house. She’d taken on a male form. “Trianus’s mother and the Phoenix are one and the same. We need to remember that.”

  “I haven’t forgotten,” Lynx whispered.

  Angel licked his finger again. The deepest mark in Luke’s chest had healed. Briar continued to apply pressure wherever Angel wasn’t working, and she kept glancing at Angel, deep appreciation in her eyes.

  “How do we stop the bitch?” Briar snarled.

  “We can’t stop what we can’t find.” I paced the room, thinking. “Eddie said they’d try to find the Phoenix. I can check in with him.”

  “I’ll check in with the witches, too,” Lynx said.

  I glanced at her, noting her messy hair, the dirt under her fingernails. “Whatever it takes. How are the witches? United yet?”

  “Mostly. I was with them earlier making more SJ. Another witch came up missing. They want to know when we can hit White Pine. They think maybe the missing people could be there.”

  “It’s most likely,” Angel said. “I saw many supernaturals there.”

  “We’ll go tomorrow night, assuming Luke is better.” My gaze dropped to him. The bleeding had stopped, but the wound still looked terrible. I asked Angel, “Will you be able to heal him all the way?”

  He shook his head. “This was done with magic, but I will heal him as much as I am able and, hopefully, his body will do the rest.”

  “Thank you, Angel,” Briar sucked in a breath. “I know I keep asking for your help and I’m afraid it will all be too much one day, but—”

  He nudged her. “Shut up.”

  Her lips clamped together, and she gave him an incredulous look.

  “What about vampire blood?” I asked, interrupting whatever this was between them. “We’ll need his help tomorrow.”

  “Does vampire blood heal?” Lynx asked.

  I walked over to Luke. Angel slid back. “Not exactly, but it will make him stronger. Briar, do you mind?”

  “Juice him up.” She parted his lips for me.

  I bit into my wrist and held it near his mouth. Blood dripped inside. “The hope is my blood will jump start his own already heightened immune system and make the healing process much quicker.”

  When my wrist healed, I stepped back to let Angel resume his work. Already, color had returned to Luke’s face. This was a good sign.

  Briar began to speak soothing words to Luke, holding his hand tightly. Turning to Lynx, I asked quietly, “How’s Roma?”

  “Amazing. She’s been working with younger witches, showing them all sorts of magic. It’s good to have someone older around to show us some of the lost arts.”

  “Will she be with us tomorrow?”

  “She said she wouldn’t miss it. I just have to tell her what time. We have about five others who volunteered to go in with us. Others will go during the day and get as close as they can to set magical wards on the property.”

  “How does that work?” I’d always been fascinated by witches and their ability to manipulate the elements around them. As a young vampire, I’d dabbled in magic, but the magic that allowed a vampire’s existence was extremely hard to access and took a lot of self-control, something I didn’t have at the time.

  Lynx pulled me to the corner of the room where she could talk louder. “It’s actually pretty neat. We managed to get our hands on a Hyde’s blood—”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but Lynx raised a hand.

  “Don’t ask how. Anyway, we created some spells and cast it over the property to be activated as soon as a shifter, previously unknown to the property, crosses a boundary we created. But if a Hyde hits this pocket of magic,” she made her fingers simulate an explosion, “poof!”

  “Truly fascinating. Maybe one day you can teach me a little magic.”

  Her eyes lit up. “I’d love it!”

  I smiled at her excitement. Of all three of us, me, Briar, and Lynx, I believed Lynx to have the most power, but hers, so far, was untouched. And that made her extremely dangerous and powerful. I never told her what I’d suspected the moment I met her—she was more than a Morgan witch. I’d met plenty of Morgans living in Rouen over the last century, and she was something more.

  “Is your mother still pressuring you to train with the Ministry?” I asked.

  Briar must’ve heard me because she tilted her head our direction.

  Lynx’s expression fell. “I’ve managed to hold her back, but it’s just a matter of time.”

  I could tell by her expression she was afraid of leaving. I placed my hand on her arm in a comforting gesture, something I wasn’t used to doing. “We’ll find a way to prevent it. I know certain things that can sway Cassandra should we need it.”

  She lowered her surprised gaze to where I was touching her. “You have dirt on my mother?”

  I leaned and whispered conspiratorially, “I have dirt on everyone.”

  She giggled a nervous laugh and averted her gaze, a motion that surprised me. Her heart was pounding. I was about to ask her about it, when Luke moaned. We hurried over and gathered around him.

  “Luke?” Briar asked. She gripped his hand tightly.

  His eyes fluttered open. He took a few seconds to take in his surroundings. His gaze settled on Angel kneeling next to him. He frowned as he glanced between his exposed chest and Angel, realizing what Angel had done.

  He shoved Angel away and attempted to sit up. “What the hell happened?”

  Angel rose to his feet. “You had your ass kicked.”

  Briar shot him a dirty look, then returned her attention to Luke, stroking his matted hair off his forehead. “That bald bastard zapped us with some powerful juju. You got it the worst because you—” She swallowed hard. “Because you jumped in front of me. Don’t ever do that again, you asshole.”

  He chuckled lightly, staring into her face like the sun rose from it. “Don’t need to be protected so much, and I won’t have to keep doing it.”

  Angel walked over to Lynx and me. “Do you need anything else?”

  I caught a flicker of resentment in his green eyes. If there really was a strong connection between him and Briar, it must be hard for him to watch Briar and Luke together. “I think we’re good now. Thank you very much.”

  “Let me know how I can help tomorrow night. I know the vampires’ roles must be limited, but we’ll help where we can.” He glanced over at Briar, whose attention was solely on Luke. “I have to go.”

  At this, Briar jumped up and walked Angel to the door. “I owe you big time.”

  He stared at her with intense eyes. “And one day, I may come to collect.”

  Luke sighed, running his hand through his hair. Then he slowly eased off the couch, clearly still in pain. His face was pale, and he was sweating. He slowly walked over to where Angel stood, whose eyes were only on Briar. Luke held out his hand. “Yeah, thanks man. I’m the one who owes you.”

  Angel looked down at it, hesitated, then shook it briefly. His gaze landed on Briar for a long moment, then he disappeared.

  Briar stared after the empty space for a long breath, then turned to Luke. She pecked him on the lips. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  He pulled her in for an even deeper kiss.

  Lynx and I looked at each other.

  “Coffee or whatever?” she asked me.

  I nodded quickly and followed after her into the kitchen, leaving Luke and Briar alone. A few seconds later, Briar squealed out, and I swiveled around to see Luke throwing her over his shoulder. His eyes twinkled as he ran up the stairs, still in pain but clearly not enough to keep him from growling as he got to her bedroom door, then closing it firmly behind them.

  I checked the time; it was well after midnight. I had hoped to head ove
r to White Pine and scout out the area myself, but it had been a terribly long night already. Trying to control the explosion of emotions I’d endured earlier had left me drained.

  Lynx handed me my thermos of blood. The label that had been on there earlier had been replaced with a crude drawing of a penis. Then a scribbled arrow and the word ‘Mateo’ next to it. I gave a tired laugh, and it felt good to ease the tension.

  A door upstairs jerked open and Briar’s voice called down. “Did Sammie just laugh? Lynx, take a picture.”

  “You do it!” Lynx called up, her green eyes twinkling with amusement.

  “I can’t. I’m only halfway dressed.” Briar sighed and heavy footsteps came down the stairs. “Screw it, you guys know what boobies look like. I wanna see what Samira looks like when she laughs!”

  “Don’t!” Both Lynx and I yelled at the same time, and the footsteps stopped. Grumbling loudly, Briar turned back upwards and yelled out before slamming her door shut. “Fine! But only because I’m really horny!”

  I sighed, a smile still teasing my lips. “We need something stronger to endure the next hour.”

  Lynx laughed and reached for the vodka above the fridge.

  It didn’t take us long to get tipsy, but the effects would be short-lived, especially for me. I could hear Briar’s lovemaking and this made me drink more, faster, and harder. Lynx, too, seemed to be acutely aware how loveless our lives were at the moment and drank more than usual until the bottle was empty.

  As the buzzing sensation in me abated, a sense of dread filled my gut. Lynx sensed my trepidation. “It’s going to be bad, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know if that’s the right word.” After the way the Phoenix had easily taken out all three of us, I feared we knew less than we thought we did. I looked up at her. “I don’t think we know what the hell we’re doing.”

  Lynx chewed at her lip, staring beyond me.

  I remembered the Phoenix’ warning and it made the anger hiss inside me. “But no matter what it takes, we’re going to get the bastard.”

  Chapter 30

  Everyone took their place in the forest surrounding White Pine. The Silver Claws pack lined up at the front along with several witches, including Lynx, to hide the shifters’ presence from the guards outside the building. Folas and Eddie were also with them. Folas had decided the two of them would be strong enough to create the illusion needed to block the guards on driving patrol.

  I remained back with Teddy, almost a mile away. Mateo was even further back with Angel and several other Nocs. They would be our last line of defense should we run into trouble we couldn’t get out of. I hated that I couldn’t rush in first with the rest of them, but, if we didn’t have to blow my cover with Korin, then we weren’t going to.

  Briar would message me the second she believed none of my old coven was there. It was still a risk, my showing up to fight Hydes, but, for me, it was worth it. I wanted to play a part in destroying anything of Korin’s. So did Teddy.

  “Kristina skipped town,” Teddy said, breaking the silence.

  I closed my eyes in relief. “When?”

  “As soon as the sun set. She wanted to say goodbye to you, but Korin left suddenly, and she wanted to take advantage of his absence. She plans on being millions of miles away by the time the sun rises.”

  “Where was Korin going?” I hid the alarm from my voice. I didn’t like sudden changes in routines.

  “He said he was meeting with the Ministry. Not sure why.”

  This eased my mind a little. Those meetings could last a very long time, although it made me nervous he was meeting with them in the first place. He’d never had an interest in the group, especially in becoming a member. He wanted to live by his own rules and not those made by some group of nine, no matter how much their ideology aligned with his.

  “Did Faithe go with him?”

  “She didn’t, which was strange.”

  I wanted to think she’d made the choice to stay back.

  An explosion sounded, making the fangs in my mouth grow. “They’ve begun.”

  We listened closely. Every muscle in my body was flexed tight, anxiously waiting for my turn. The distinct sounds of fists crashing into bodies, heads smashing together, blades running through flesh excited all my senses. It was the beast inside me that craved the violence, and right now, I gave into that most basic instinct.

  Teddy shifted his weight back and forth, feeling the same as me. “Let me go.”

  “Wait,” I ordered.

  The sounds of bullets firing echoed through the trees. More clashing of blades. Explosions. Screams from both sides. My heart beat erratically in my chest. It took all my strength to keep from rushing forward.

  Metal scraped against metal. I glanced at Teddy. “They’re inside.”

  A few seconds later, the phone in my hand buzzed. I glanced down at the lit-up screen. One word: Hurry.

  I became the wind, lifting leaves and dirt as I raced across the forest floor with Teddy on my tail. Seconds later, I exploded from the forest. Chaos raged everywhere. Two Hydes were on fire and yet they still fought, oblivious to the flames consuming their flesh. A shifter shot one of them in the head.

  Several bodies littered the ground. Near the front of the property, Eddie and Folas stood with their hands stretched out toward the road. Their hands shook as they tried to maintain the illusion. With all the explosions and guns firing, it must take great effort to conceal this battle from the rest of the world.

  Stepping over a body, I withdrew the blades from my back and engaged the nearest Hyde who caught my eye. My blades clashed with his. He spun and blinked behind me so fast I barely managed to stop his long sword before it pierced my back. This Hyde was also a vampire, a deadly combination.

  Dropping, I swiped my foot low, knocking his legs out from under him. I swung my blade downward, but he rolled out of the way and jumped to his feet. He stabbed forward. I spun on my heel and slashed to the side. The tip of my blade sliced through his arm. He didn’t flinch as he attacked me again. One jab to my left, another to my right.

  Screams echoed from inside the warehouse. I was wasting time.

  Giving myself a boost of power, I released a mere fraction of the Kiss’s strength. As my movements sped up, his appeared in slow motion. I ducked to the side to avoid his blade and stabbed forward. My blade slid past his breast bone and into his chest. I withdrew it just as quickly and delivered another fatal blow to his brain. Before he hit the ground, I had already moved on to the next Hyde.

  Four more died by my hands, each one as challenging as the next. Members of the Silver Claws were having a difficult time battling them unless they engaged them as partners. We may have had the numbers, but they had genetically-altered strength.

  Teddy hadn’t wasted any time to jump into the slaughter. He teamed up with Gerald and, together, they were a formidable force.

  A gun fired and more bullets began to fill the air. I dodged them and searched for the gunman. I spotted the Hyde standing partially behind a van holding a SIG MPX tactical rifle. One bullet after another fired into the crowd with no regard as to who they hit. One of them grazed my shoulder.

  To gain his attention, I leapt on top of the nearest parked vehicle and began to race toward him, leaping car to car. He fired at me, but I dodged most of them. On my last leap to him, a bullet pierced my left shoulder. Silver wouldn’t harm me, but the bullet could limit my movements.

  Before he could fire the weapon again, I slashed forward, severing his head from his body. Blood misted the air all around me. I wiped at my eyes and took in what was left of the fight. There appeared to be only a dozen or so Hydes left; each were being overwhelmed by the Silver Claws.

  Confident the shifters had the fight under control, I ran toward the building and leapt into the back of an open bay. I stopped briefly to gain my bearings. Rows and rows of stocked shelves lay to my right. On my left, cages. Lots of them, all filled with people. At the end, I spotted Lynx and Roma.
They had already begun to free people and were guiding them out a side entrance.

  Further toward the back, I heard Briar shouting. It was laced with anger and yet, I also detected fear. I bolted toward her and came to a screeching halt, my heart stopping when I saw what Briar was yelling at. Luke and Loxley stood next to her.

  Blocking the entrance to another section of the large building where even more supernaturals were being held captive, stood Faithe, a line of fire burning behind her.

  “Faithe?”

  Her head snapped my direction. “Hello, Mother. I wondered if I’d see you here.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “She won’t let us past to save everyone,” Briar answered for her. “The bitch keeps trying to light us up.” Her hand snapped to her mouth. “Sorry for calling your offspring a dirty name, but that’s what she’s being.”

  “Silence, wolf,” Faithe growled and stretched out her hand. A sting of fire broke off from the main line and raced toward Briar. Briar dove out of the way.

  “How are you doing this?” I asked, my mind reeling. She looked completely different than the last time I saw her. Her eyes seethed as she stared at me.

  “Korin gave me some of his powers and sent me here to kill whoever tried to take what was his, including you.”

  “Can vampires do that?” Briar asked me. She wiped blood from a cut on her head that kept running into her eye.

  “No. It would’ve taken great magic. Why are you doing this, Faithe?” My heart hurt, and it was hard to breathe. My chest was so tight, the pain almost unbearable.

  “Because Korin has been the only person in my life who hasn’t abandoned me.”

  “He’s using you. Please—”

  “Shut up!” she screamed, her long white hair lifting into the air. Whatever magic she’d been given, she looked like she could barely contain it. She pushed her hand forward, sending more fire racing toward us. We quickly dodged it but just barely.

  “Incoming!” Luke yelled at something behind us. Briar and Loxley whirled around to fight several Hydes who’d just discovered us. They must’ve been hiding in the building.