by G. K. DeRosa
“If not, I can fly us up,” he volunteered.
I pinched his cheek and shot him a smile. “Exactly why I keep you around, my fine feathered friend.” And why I placed Spark on the other team.
He grunted and edged in front of me to lead the way.
I fell back a step to walk beside Vera. “You good to go?”
“Yup. You? I thought I sensed a little tension between you and Spark.” My friend tossed me a wicked grin.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Please, the boy’s crazy about you and you know it. Always has been. Even when he was hooking up with Seline.” She leaned closer. “I heard him stomping out last night. Is everything going to be okay with you two?”
“Nothing’s okay right now, but it’s not really the time to get into it.”
Vera nodded. “We can catch up later. For now, we’ve got some vamps to kill.”
And that was why I loved my witchy sister.
We crept along the back of the building and finally found the rusty old stairs. Callan stepped up and yanked on the handrails. “Seems sturdy enough.”
“Says the guy with wings,” Vera shot back.
“You girls go first, and I’ll hang back in case I need to perform a mid-air rescue.” He gave Vera a sweet smile, and a twinge of unexpected jealousy pricked my heart. Which was beyond stupid. I could have what they had with Spark. If I wanted it. That was the big if.
Good goddess, focus, Phoenix. What the hells was wrong with me lately?
“I’ll go up first to test it out. Cal, cover me.”
The big Nephilim nodded.
Testing each step before putting all my weight on it, I slowly moved up the rickety staircase to the third-floor roof. Once I reached the top, I peered over the edge and gave Vera a thumbs up. As she began the slow ascent, a dark shadow darted across my peripheral vision. I spun around to an empty roof.
The hair on the back of my neck rose, puckering the skin along my arms. Squinting, I focused my vision on the rooftop door. There was just enough room behind the walled structure for someone to hide behind. Tightening my fingers around bardy’s wooden shaft, I crept closer.
The darkness pressed in on me, my heart battering against my ribcage with more force each step I took. I reached the door and flattened my back against it. Then I peered around the side, holding my breath.
“Well, it’s not a dark alley, but I’ll take it.” A familiar voice ruptured the tense silence a second before bottomless obsidian orbs bored into me.
“Ransom?” I panted out.
He shot me a wicked grin as he emerged from the shadows. “Ah, ha! I did leave a lasting impression. You remembered my name. It was the handsome thing, right?”
“How the hell did you get off the island?” No vampire had ever escaped in all of Camp Kill’s history. Or at least that’s what we’d been told.
He pressed his finger to his lips, drawing my attention to the crimson drops staining his chin. “That’s my little secret, Red.” His penetrating gaze raked over me, that look more intrusive than a police pat down. He adjusted his black leather jacket, the same one he wore on the island, as he regarded me.
He had to have a bounty on his head. If he were dangerous enough to be thrown onto the Isle of Mordis, someone wanted him dead. Forever dead. If I could bring him in on my first mission… My thoughts swirled, and a smile parted my lips.
“Oh, Red, stop it with that smile. You’re already much too tempting as it is.” His nostrils flared as he breathed me in.
“So are you,” I muttered. A furry head butted up against my ribcage, and I jumped. Wolfy?
He eyed my sudden movement before diverting his gaze to my clothes, the sicari trainee cargo pants and tee replaced by my preferred vampire killing ensemble: a black tank top and leather pants. The supple material made it easier to move and hid the blood stains well.
“I see the little sicari recruit has been initiated. Congratulations. I’m glad my escape didn’t hinder your graduation.”
“Maybe I can make up for it now.” I inched closer, grasping at the lupine ghost stirring within my core. “You can be my first.”
“As tempting as that sounds…” He waggled a finger at me tsking. “We met on a bad day, Red. I was down, questioning my undead life, struggling with morality, etcetera, etcetera. But I’m in a much better place now, and I’ve decided to embrace this immortal life. Why not, right?”
“You mean suck the blood from innocent people?”
Ransom shrugged. “Innocent is such a black or white term. I prefer to reside in the gray area.”
I snorted, slapping my hand on my hip. “Of course you would.” I motioned at his chin, the drops of crimson staining his alabaster skin. “Did you even give your breakfast a choice when you navigated that gray area?”
His tongue poked out, and he dragged it across his lips. “Sloppy, excuse me. I generally have better table manners. And I assure you, she was very willing.”
The com crackled in my ear, distracting me from the conversation. “Don’t worry about us,” said Cal. “Vera took a tumble after she’d almost reached the top, but I got her and we’re on our way back up.”
“Copy that.” Dammit. I’d let this fanger distract me from the mission again. I glanced up to meet those darting eyes endlessly regarding me. Unlike last time, I didn’t feel him probing in my mind, he just watched me.
The hair on the back of my neck tingled, and a wave of goose bumps dominoed across my flesh. He took another step out from behind the shadows, and the glint of the broken lamppost lit up his face. That damned smirk was carved into his jaw, and I was sure it was a permanent fixture. I wish I knew what was so freakin’ funny.
I tensed as he neared, my arm coiled to strike. Bardy never let me down, and tonight wouldn’t be any different, despite the charming vamp’s witty banter and bedroom eyes. Come on, fanger, make your move.
But he didn’t strike. He only stared at me, those eyes matching pools of oblivion as they bored into me. He moved another step closer, and a growl vibrated his throat.
Chapter
Eleven
Phoenix
* * *
My brows shot up, and I swung my weapon. Ransom jumped back but my blade still nicked his chest, exposing milky white flesh beneath the black button down. His gleaming eyes refocused, the hazy curtain receding, and crimson pulsed across his pupils. “I’m hurt, Red,” he quipped as he fingered the thin line of blood across his chest. “Pun intended.”
The flap of approaching wings jerked my head over my shoulder. Callan and Vera soared over the rooftop, the Nephilim’s feathery appendages magnificent beneath the moon’s pale blue light. I spun back toward Ransom and strands of red hair lashed across my face as the vampire sped across the roof. I followed his form as he leapt over the alley and landed on the next rooftop. And the next…
“You okay?” Cal asked as he landed beside me. “Sorry for the snarky comment earlier I didn’t know you were otherwise engaged.”
I waved him off. “Nah, I was fine. You were right. I should’ve had my eyes on you guys, or at least my ears.”
“Was that one of the vamps from the nest?” Vera asked, motioning at the building next to us.
“I don’t think so.” He’d fled in the opposite direction, and for some reason, he didn’t strike me as the type who’d be hanging out with a bunch of starving, braindead fangers. No, Ransom was definitely not like any other vampire I’d ever encountered. That growl echoed across my mind, and my inner wolf stirred again.
What in all the realms?
“You ready to go in?” Cal motioned to the boarded-up windows across the way.
“Yeah, let me make sure Spark and the others are in position.” I clicked the com behind my ear and waited for confirmation. Spark’s response came quickly and to the point. “Okay, we move on my count.”
Cal and Vera nodded before we crept to the edge of the roof. I sheathed bardy behind my back and swap
ped him out for my crossbow. Finding my grappling hook preloaded with a climbing rope, I shot it at the adjacent rooftop. With a quick tug to confirm it was locked in place, I turned to my teammates. “Let’s do this.” Pressing the com, I began the countdown. “Five, four, three…” I crept to the ledge and took a deep breath. “Two, and one.” I jumped.
I was weightless for an endlessly long moment before the rope went taut, my momentum swinging me forward and into the cracked plywood. I hit the old wooden planks with the heels of my boots, and they easily splintered beneath the pressure. I swung inside and landed in a crouch as darkness closed in around us. I reached for bardy and scanned the rundown space.
Cal and Vera crashed through the window beside me a second later and from across the room, Spark, Seline and Archer made their grand entrances, weapons in tow. The room was silent. Empty.
“Well, that was anti-climactic,” Spark muttered.
“They must all be downstairs.” I signaled toward the doorway which I assumed led to the hall and staircase. “Let’s stay alert, guys.” I took the lead and crept into the corridor. At the end of the narrow space, the broken, burnt-out exit sign caught my eye. Quietly opening the door, I peered down the stairwell.
Muttered voices seeped up the steps. I spun around and pressed my finger to my lips, then nodded at Vera. Our witchy teammate closed her eyes, and her lips began to flutter. The smoky, burnt scent of magic swirled around us, and a light golden bubble appeared. The mystical cloak expanded until it covered each of us in its warm aura.
“Okay, we’ll sweep the level below us and move down floor by floor. Everyone got it?”
They all nodded. We crept down the steps, Vera’s magical cocoon masking our physical forms, sounds, and most importantly our scent. Her cloaks were kickass, the only problem was they drained the crap out of her. So she wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long.
We reached the third floor, and a scream echoed from the hallway, freezing me on the spot.
“They’ve got people in there,” Archer whisper-hissed.
“Humans from the scent,” Seline added.
I peered around the doorway, and two vampires loitered in the dim passageway. I let out a breath of relief when my eyes landed on their staggering, emaciated forms. Serviles. Easy peasy. “Archer and Seline, you two handle these guys, and we’ll check out the rest of the floor.”
Archer’s head dipped and Seline smiled, her canines extending. They stepped out of the safety of the cloak and charged. Stupid fangers didn’t know what hit them.
Another cry sent my heart leaping up my throat. “Move, move.” The rest of us jogged down the corridor, in the direction of the scream. As I ran, I forced my breaths to normalize. This was it. This was what I lived for: the calmness, the clarity that came before the kill.
We stopped in front of a door, the murmured voices and strangled cries seeping through the cracks. I turned to Spark and Cal and ticked my head at the metal barrier. “On two.” I raised my hand and counted down.
The boys rammed through the door, and metal hinges shot out in every direction. Half a dozen fangers were crouched on the floor feasting on a bloodied body. The mystical bubble popped, and we lunged.
Bardy lobbed off the head of the first vampire before he had a chance to stand up. His body crumpled to the ground, nothing more than a pile of ash. A female vampire sprang at me, but I spun bardy around and impaled her with the pointy end. Just a few inches shy of her heart. I kicked her in the gut, using my foot for leverage and jerked the wooden staff out of her belly. She let out a shriek and raced to the staircase.
“Where are you going, fanger? The party’s just getting started,” Spark called out behind her.
A sharp sting seared my shoulder, and I bit down on my lower lip to suppress a squeal. Black ink raced across my flesh as a tiny symbol appeared. Son of a vampire! My first sicari mark. I stared at it as a swell of hope and pride bloomed in my chest.
Another blood-curdling scream focused my attention back on the massacre. My team moved in a blur, weapons slashing through the air. The last two vampires darted toward the exit, and I ripped my gaze from the excitement of my almost-finished mark to chase after them.
“Spark, Vera, sweep the second floor. I’m going after these two!” I called out as I ran.
I hurtled down the stairs as the pair sped up once they realized I was following. Callan had been right, the vamp blood in my veins surged. I could feel each of my muscles engaged, my senses sharper, my legs moved faster, and I felt stronger.
I wasn’t sure once a week would be enough.
Glancing over the crumbling railing, I could just make out the two vampires already on the bottom floor. Spark and Vera’s footsteps resounded above as they spread out on the second level. I paused to listen.
Flipping on my com as I continued to descend, I called out, “You guys good on two?”
“Yup,” came Spark’s response. “There’s only a handful left. And Cal, we’re going to need you down here. There’s a bunch of wounded humans.”
“Good job, guys. Okay, I’m going after the last two.”
“Copy that,” all five members of my team responded in unison.
When I reached the ground floor, I stopped at the last step, the sudden eerie silence sending my nerves on high alert. A sharp squeak drew my attention to the front foyer and the creaking hinges of the swinging door.
Mother fanger. They got away.
I darted to the entrance and peered out into the night. Narrowing my eyes, I could just make out the two dark forms about a block away. Not tonight, vamps. I pumped my arms and took off across the desolate streets, moving silently over the cracked asphalt.
When I was within shooting distance, I dropped to my knee and reached for my crossbow. Peering through the finder, I drew in a steadying breath, my finger on the trigger. I pulled it and the wooden-tipped arrow whined through the air. It hit its target with a satisfying thwunk, and the fleeing vamp dropped to the ground.
I reached for another arrow, but thick fingers wrapped around my forearm yanking it behind my back. I let out a scream as bone snapped, the crack echoing through the still night. My crossbow fell to the ground, and I let out a curse. I wriggled and kicked as my captor’s arm came around my neck, and my shoulder blades slammed into a rock-hard torso.
“Ah, fresh meat.” A sickeningly warm breath tickled my ear.
“Fang off!” I cried as the vamp pressed me tighter against him. I gritted my teeth from the pain ricocheting across my wrist. The bastard must have broken it. Bardy was trapped between our bodies, and I could just make out the blade glistening behind my head. If I could only free my good arm.
“You smell so good, darlin.” The vampire’s fangs dropped as he inched closer to my neck, his pungent blood-tinged breath looming nearer. No, this was not good. Rule number two of vampire slaying was never get caught this close to a bloodsucker. Despite years of training, wrenching free of their grasp was nearly impossible.
Unless I could get my hand on my stake.
“Yeah, yeah, vamp-hole. I get that a lot.” I always wondered why I smelled so good to them, but now was not the time to ponder that conundrum.
From the corner of my vision, I saw the fanger’s mouth open, and my heart jackhammered against my chest. His fangs scraped the sensitive skin on my neck, and I squirmed and struggled. “Let go of me!” I flung my upper body forward and splayed out my fingers, reaching for the stake strapped to my calf.
By the grace of the gods, or maybe Thanatos himself, my fingers closed around the end. As the vamp jerked me upward, I jabbed the stake into his thigh. He released me and bellowed a curse, staggering back.
It was all I needed to release bardy from the sheath at my back. Cradling my broken arm against my body, I wielded my weapon with one hand. Not ideal, but doable.
The vampire eyed me, blood gushing from his thigh. Unlike the fangers in the nest we’d just busted up, this guy was strapping and well-fed. Crimson leeched fro
m his pupils, eclipsing the black. “Cursed sicari,” he spat. “No matter how many you kill more are constantly springing up.”
“That’s what I was going to say about you effin’ fangers.”
His eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring. “Ronin will not be pleased you took out that nest. Human bloodbags aren’t easy to come across around these parts. Do you know how long it took us to collect that horde?”
My ears perked up, ice spilling through my veins. Ronin. The odor of burnt flesh filled my nostrils, crackling fire roaring through my eardrums. I blinked quickly to chase away the barrage of dark memories, but I wasn’t fast enough.
The vampire lunged.
A dark blur blotted out his advance as I staggered back and slammed down on the asphalt. “Son of a demon,” I growled as my broken arm dangled at my side, jarred from the impact. The crack of bones snapping jerked my attention to the two dark shadows tussling on the sidewalk.
Well, had been tussling. My attacker’s head lolled to the side, and his body crumpled to the floor. A second later nothing but sooty ash remained of my immortal assailant.
The male standing over the pile of vampire scum turned and shot me a wicked grin. “Red, you’re making me nervous. It’s only your first night out, and already I had to save your ass.” His perfect white teeth gleamed beneath the moonlight, highlighting the pointy fangs.
I shot the annoying vampire a scowl. “No one asked you to save my anything. And I had things pretty well under control.”
He eyed my limp arm, and I tucked it behind my back, gritting my teeth. “I’ll give you some unsolicited advice because I like you. You’ve got fire, and I’d hate to see that extinguished. Stay away from Ronin’s men. The Children of the Night aren’t like the vamps you’re used to on the Isle of Mordis. That’s what happens when immortals get political.” He rolled his eyes. “You don’t want to be caught on the wrong side.”