Zara looks at me and then back into the mysterious night. She’s silent for a few minutes as she contemplates my question. I’m sure someone like her rarely thinks about the things that she fears.
“I’m afraid of failing. At anything I do, I hate to lose. But, what I’m most afraid of is never seeing Sage’s face again. I don’t care if the entire world falls apart around me as long as I can get her back,” she tells me so quietly that I have to lean forward to hear her.
“From what you’ve told me about Sage, she’d want you to protect this world. What if you had to choose between letting her go and saving the world?”
“I won’t fail Sage again, Rayne. If nothing else, even if she chooses never to stay by my side after all that’s come to pass, I’ll choose her,” Zara resolves.
I can’t say that in her position I wouldn’t do the same thing. Quietly, I stand beside her and truly take in the beauty of the darkness.
◊◊◊
Sleep was a blur other than Namen pushing himself inside my mind in order to tell me that he knows it was me that had a hand in killing his vampires. He warned that payback is coming and that he has spies everywhere. Then, he left me to the privacy of my own mind. I have to get him out of my head and in order to do that, I have to speak with Selene and get this all figured out.
Zara and I drive back to the other house so that she can take care of her dogs and so I can get dressed in the outfit that I just bought since I have no new clothes on me. Once we return to the house, I change into a red cowl top with ruffled sleeves and some black jeans that hug my hips deliciously. Then, I put on some black leather boots and fix my hair. Maybe, just maybe, I can distract Selene a little bit.
While I’m preoccupied thinking about how this is going to go, Zara comes in the room right after I text Selene to let her know that we’re coming over. She has on a light gray, slim fitting short sleeved dress shirt, a gold necklace, gold earrings, light blue loose fitting jeans, and light gray Polo boots to match her shirt. Great. Now we almost look like we’re going on a date. I almost ask her to change, but then decide it’s too much of a waste of time.
We begin to leave, but, I go back and decide to bring Katsu, my katana, with me. Sword firmly in my hand, I walk to the car, get inside and buckle up for safety.
On the way, we pass by the mall and I almost have Zara stop so that I can go buy Selene some “I’m sorry” jewelry or something, but decide against it. It’s a corny move and I know it. She’d see right through it and probably just cuss me out in the process.
After ten more minutes of driving and small talk, Zara turns off on a side road, not in the direction of my house. I begin to ask what she’s doing when the car jerks forward and we blow through a stop sign. In the side mirror, I see a dark blue car behind us doing the same thing.
“How long have we been getting followed?” I ask, trying to remain calm as she turns back onto a main road.
“I just noticed it a few blocks ago, that’s why I turned off to be sure,” she whips another corner and the wheels squeal. “They kept coming, so I know that they’re serious about this. In the daytime, no doubt.”
Just then, a black Suburban switches from the incoming lane and comes right at us.
“Fuck!” Zara growls, speeding up and putting both of her hands on the steering wheel.
“What the hell are you doing?” I shriek, clutching my seatbelt tighter.
“I’m going to beat them at their own game,” she growls again, knuckles turning white. I think I hear the crunch of the steering wheel under her hands.
Pulse pounding loudly in my ears, time seems to slow as I realize that neither one of them is letting up in this game of chicken and I have no doubt that I’m the only human on board. Zara is going to kill me without even thinking about it! On the driver side, the other car is attempting to speed up and block us so that we can’t pass. There’s a guard rail on the passenger side so there’s no way to switch lanes. Zara picks up her speed, cursing.
Cars on the other side begin honking wildly, trying to stop the collision the only way they can think of. I pray out loud and Zara curses again in response, drowning out my pleas. Then, I see it, a slight chance to get out of this. Zara is too focused on the car coming at us, so confident that they’ll turn at the last second that she’s missing it. She’s acting like a freaking implusive teenager and apparently I have to be the parent in the situation.
“Turn left,” I demand.
She doesn’t respond, so I slap her in the face to distract her and grab the wheel and turn as quickly as I can. The other car hits the back corner of our vehicle causing us to spin out. Then, I hear the sound of louder crash behind us. Tires screeching, Zara does her best to keep the car from losing complete control. I do my best to keep from losing my lunch. Tears fill my eyes as the world spins violently. Finally, mercifully, we stop and I begin to breathe again.
Zara slowly gets out of the car, assessing the damage before turning to the two vehicles that are crunched together. They are pushed against the guard rail, smoking. One car door opens slowly and I get out as well, making sure Katsu is still with me. There’s a rev of an engine closing in on us, followed by two more. Zara flashes to my side and pulls me out of the way just as one more black truck slams into her Charger, totaling it. There’s a symphony of shattering glass and crunching metal.
Suddenly, we’re surrounded as men pile out of the other cars. I feel their power hit me and I stumble even after I just picked myself up off of the ground. Zara looks at me, eyes red in fury. These aren’t normal supernaturals. Namen has sent two of his lieutenants for us.
I guess I should feel special.
Chapter Eleven
They step closer in unison. Two witches stand back and cast some kind of net over the area. The air around us shimmers like rippling water reflecting sunlight. Like a vacuum, the outside world is sucked away. I no longer can hear any of the outside traffic or other sounds. It even smells different inside of our mini arena. The rot of magic that I associate with Namen is here along with a hot, sweet smell almost like fresh brownies and cupcakes. Mixed together, it’s nauseating.
“Dead or alive?” Zara asks, startling me. She unbuttons her shirt casually as if she’s getting home from the office and drops it to the pavement, leaving only the wraps that cover her breasts. She rubs her hand down her arm tattoo as if she’s cold and opens our link. You have one job, do you understand. Take out the witches that are casting the spell. They don’t want to expose themselves yet. If the net drops, they’ll retreat, she tells me in my head.
I don’t respond, because I understand completely. I also come to the realization about another thing: Selene could be in danger right now and we’re here. I feel my power building up inside at the thought. I allow my humanity to take a step back for a while, shedding any sense of sympathy for these monsters in front of me. My job is to kill, to get to Selene. I won’t fail.
“Dead,” one of the lieutenants responds. He’s dressed in all black, hood pulled over his face. A sword in each hand. I don’t know what he is, but I guess I don’t have to worry about it. The other lieutenant is eying me suspiciously. He’s also dressed in black but with a ski-mask type headgear showing only his eyes. He doesn’t say a word and doesn’t look like he has any weapons. The quiet ones are always a problem.
Then, I feel it and Zara and I both turn to look at the quiet one. It hits me like a jolt from a taser and then seems to cling to me like a sticky spider web. His aura is nearly visible around him, dark and vicious.
“What is he?” I whisper, fearful.
“He’s a demon. The more human they look, the more powerful they are. What the hell has Namen accomplished to create such a demon following?” Zara does a quick take of everyone. There are seven in all. This changes nothing. I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Just do what I’ve asked. I’m trusting you. Zara steps in front of me, a snarl deep in her throat.
I pull Katsu, purposely choking off my own fear as I le
t the ring of metal from my blade being released from its sheath fill my ears. Then, I let my power explode as my tattoo flares to life, brighter than ever before. For a second, I am deafened by the roar of my strength through my body. I think of my family, of Anubis, Jaxson, the pack, Selene, and of the betrayal we’ve all endured.
One job to do. Kill.
Zara moves, leaving dust in her wake. I follow on her heels as fast as my feet can carry me as she clears a path for me. She crouches down as I leap over her, connecting an elbow with one of the enemies. Then, I get low and flip him over my head, backwards over my shoulder. Zara catches him and I hear a crunch. I don’t turn around, but through our link I know that she’s broken his neck. I’m almost at the edge where the first witch is doing the spell when the hooded one slides in front of me. I continue at him, full speed as I feel Zara slipping into step behind me.
At the last second, I turn to the left as Zara meets the man head on with the sound of two pro football players colliding. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the other one, the demon gearing up for an attack. I fight the urge to stop and help Zara, instead relaying the message through our blood bond. She does her best to anticipate the demon, but he’s too fast and manages to knock her off of her feet.
I’m now eight feet away from the witch when dark shadows zoom across the pavement at me. One catches my leg and pulls me to the ground, but I quickly break the thread with Katsu. It becomes a dance as I spin and dodge out of the way of the others, slicing and flipping. Shout out to my dance background for those moves. I analyze the situation as quickly as possible, noticing the half second delay between the next waves, the twelve or so threads before each delay and then I have my plan.
Zara’s pain nearly throws me out of focus as I feel her body bounce off the pavement and a powerful foot slam down on her, breaking ribs. The muffled scream of pain and the rage that builds up as I feel her face contort into that of a true vampire whose power is on the rise, sends a jolt through me. She is being driven by instinct and a need to survive a predator that is stronger than her. I force myself not to look as I know that there is nothing human about her face right now.
She fights her way off of the ground and even though she’s fighting more skilled opponents with greater numbers, I’m satisfied enough that I can kill at least this one witch. Screw her order, after this; I’m going to help her.
No! she growls through our link, obviously catching my last thought. You have a job to do, she tells me firmly.
Fuck you, Zara. You don’t run me, I snap.
I allow one of the threads to wrap around my right arm, seemingly distracted. The other threads follow close by, through the air and slithering across the pavement. They all reach me at nearly the same time as I get even closer to the witch. He doesn’t seem to mind the closing of the distance. With his focus and one hand working to keep the spell running, he can’t seem to work out what exactly I’m doing.
The thread has gotten tighter around my arm and seems to be trying to work its way to my neck. I have seconds left before it chokes me to death. Now is the time to test my theory out. Lawrence, the immortal that created my sword, had told me that my blade will get stronger as I do. I don’t exactly know what that means but I hope that she will be more aware of my intentions.
I call for Katsu to pay attention to me in my mind. The steel of the blade in my hand warms in response. I tell my sword to pull some of my chakra through me and push it out at the witch. In the time it takes to blink, it feels like there’s a phantom hand digging into my stomach and pulling out my life force. I sense my energy swimming through my katana and slamming into the witch in a blast of white energy. He goes down as the threads loosen and disappear from my body. I waste no time in leaping and slamming my sword into his heart.
Exhaustion pulls me to my knees. I guess I overdid it with the chakra pull. I definitely can’t do that again until I learn how. I’m just glad that I remembered that my sword was forged with magic and that I may be able to use that to my advantage. Or, maybe it’s just me. Maybe one of my skills is transferring my chakra through magical objects.
The shimmer of the spell blinks out for a second and then returns, weaker than it initially was as the other witch must now pick up the slack. With any luck, he’ll tire before I even have to attack. Helping Zara is my priority right now. I don’t give a damn if she wants it or not.
As I stand, I turn to observe as the demon and other lieutenant are the only ones other than Zara left standing. Somehow, Zara took out all of the weaker opponents. But, the lieutenants are a challenge for Zara whose face is still morphed into a monster’s; face scrunched, fangs bared, crimson eyes glowing with rage. It’s a face that I never want to see focused on me.
I still can’t figure out what the other man is. His eyes are red like Zara’s, but they are rimmed in yellow. I think that I see claws on his dark hands. Then, I realize that it’s dark fur lightly covering his hands and arms. He’s ripped off the sleeves of his shirt and if I’m not mistaken, seems to have gotten taller as well. He’s not wearing any shoes and as I watch, his feet begin to elongate.
The demon finally makes another move for Zara, disappearing in a cloud of smoke and reappearing directly in front of her. She’s distracted by the leap of her other opponent over her head. I begin to race into the battle just as they both attack at once. Their combined strength and speed is too much for Zara, especially with broken ribs. She manages to block most of the assault, but is pierced between her shoulder and chest. The demon’s arm extended from its socket, growing at least a foot longer before running right through her. She takes the force of the blow and slumps into the arms of the other enemy. He turns her head sideways and bites down on her neck spilling blood all over Zara and himself.
Her pain slams into me through our blood-link, and horrified, I nearly freeze. I’m so close that I can hear the long draws of blood that he takes from Zara’s throat. The demon turns on me as I run forward. I push myself with a final rush of adrenaline, spin, and slice with as much power as I can muster at the very last second. His long arm grazes my face just under my eye and leaves wet blood from Zara’s wound dripping down my skin.
I don’t even wait to see how much damage I’ve caused because my next move slices through the arm of the creature that is draining Zara’s life force. He howls in pain and rage as I keep running, going after the last witch, knowing that this is our only hope. There’s no way in hell that I have a chance against these two.
I open the mind-link once more to check on Zara’s condition. She’s barely conscious and not in a good state of mind. Survival mode kicks on for her and somehow, she stands back up, swinging and snapping at the one that bit her. The demon’s footsteps stop trailing behind my own and he turns to finish the job with his partner. The witch sees me coming and presses a finger to his lips, speaking quickly.
“Not today!” I yell as I throw Katsu like a javelin across the space. Time seems to slow as my blade cuts through the spell directed at me.
There is one final look of incredulousness on his face before my katana connects with his throat and ends his life. His body is hurled through the air as he comes to rest bouncing on the pavement. The net of magic drops immediately and reality snaps back into place like a rubber band. I turn back to the last of Namen’s minions. They both stare me down, the vampire-like one snarling as he picks his arm off of the ground. Zara is on one knee next to them, eyes barely open. They take one more look at her, and then at the traffic that’s returning this way. The demon places one hand on the other’s arm and they both disappear, leaving an eerie chill in the air.
Chapter Twelve
Outside sounds return and the wind picks up as well. I glance up to the sky where dark clouds are now forming before jogging to pick my bloody blade off of the ground. All of the bodies are now evaporating and I know that this has something to do with Namen’s magic. What isn’t he capable of? Once I sheath Katsu, I notice that Zara isn’t standing. Glancing aroun
d making sure no one is watching, I pull her up, placing her arm over my shoulder and limp to the guardrail where it meets a thicket of trees.
We’ll have to worry about the car situation later. Zara’s going to have to glamour some people. For now, I have to get her back to normal. I reach for my phone but it’s not in my pocket. Hearing cars drive by and begin to stop, I don’t have time to go back. There’s no way to call Selene or Jaxson and if I bring Zara back up there, she’ll probably kill all of the humans.
I pull Zara deeper into the growth until I can’t hear anymore voices. Then, I push Zara down against a big oak and assess her damage. She’s still bleeding out of both wounds but it’s not a fast flow. Looking back to make sure that we didn’t stupidly leave a trail of blood, I find that we’re okay and I relax. She’s not going to be able to make it anywhere without some blood, but I’m weak enough as it is. For a second, I think of calling Diana. She’d probably kill her if she saw her like this. I have no choice, her strength is more important than my weakness.
Birds chirp angrily at us invading their home, but they fly to trees farther away as others pick up their chorus. They begin to drown out the sounds of the vehicles moving on the road. I don’t hear any sirens so we have some time.
Once again, I grab my katana and make a tiny slice in my wrist to get the blood flowing. I barely feel it as the adrenaline is still working inside me. Placing my wrist up to her mouth, I run my other hand through her braids. I do my best to rouse her from her half-conscious state.
“Come on Zara, snap out of it,” I whisper as I push my wrist deeper into her mouth.
Her lips part and then her tongue darts out to taste me. Suddenly, her eyes flick open, but it’s like no one’s home as she bites down with hunger. I instinctually moan from the pleasure and pain which causes Zara to come alive even more. Before I can even register her move, Zara has me pinned against the tree and is sucking my neck with passion. She feels rock hard against me, leg in between mine rubbing me down low, taking my life force inside of her.
Killer Rayne Page 6