by Sadie Moss
A few hours later, he pulled off onto a small side road and parked the car. Everyone piled out. I followed, glancing around in confusion.
“We’re not there yet, are we? Why did we stop?”
“The Canadian border doesn’t mean jack to supernaturals. Vampires are loosely divided by continent, with our king ruling over all of North America. But if we try to enter Canada through the human routes, human rules will apply. Do you have a passport?” Jerrett pressed a button on his key fob to lock the car.
I blinked. “Oh. No. I totally forgot about that.”
Sol smiled. “Luckily, you won’t need it.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re going to shadow run the rest of the way.”
Right. Duh. It made sense that vampires wouldn’t get around the same old boring way humans did.
“Don’t we still have a pretty long way to go though?”
“Yes. But we can run fast. We’ll show you how—you’ve already got the basics of shadow running down, so it should be easy enough for you to pick up,” Malcolm said, stretching his arms over his head.
I didn’t blame him. His large, muscled frame had to have been a little cramped in Jerrett’s car.
“When you get a good head of steam going, the shadows pretty much pull you along. It’s not actually teleporting, but it’s the next best thing.” Jerrett raised his eyebrows temptingly at me. “Are you ready to fly, sweetheart?”
Flying.
That was an excellent word for it.
Flitting from shadow to shadow with the brothers, running so fast my feet barely touched the ground, I did feel like I was airborne. We covered miles in mere minutes, and despite how fast we were going, I didn’t feel winded. I felt exhilarated. Exuberant.
At least, until Malcolm slowed, raising his fist in the air to signal the rest of us to follow his lead. Then my exuberance faded quickly, my stomach sinking like a rock as I remembered why we were doing this.
I caught a hint of stale blood on the breeze, and a chill washed over my skin.
We were close.
My gaze flicked between the three brothers, watching them silently communicate. Malcolm jerked his head, and we veered slightly to the right, walking through the woods on silent feet.
A part of me still couldn’t believe they’d agreed to let me come. They could’ve taken the information I’d given them from my vision and left me in the house with Yuliya. Hell, they could’ve tied me to the bed again.
But they hadn’t.
I appreciated that as protective as they were, they didn’t treat me like a helpless fawn.
Now I just had to prove to them, and myself, that I wasn’t one.
The trees here were dense and thick, blocking out most of the moonlight from above. What little made it through the foliage flickered across the ground in odd patterns that seemed to undulate like living things.
I swallowed.
Stop creeping yourself out, Willow. There are enough real monsters out there to be afraid of; don’t make up new ones.
But I couldn’t keep my heart from thudding heavily in my chest as we walked. The men could definitely hear it, and I hated that they knew I was scared.
A few minutes later, Sol made a low sound and gestured to the left. He changed course slightly, brushing the trunks of the trees we passed with his fingertips as he moved confidently through the forest.
When the woods began to thin, the scent of blood hanging in the air grew stronger. My stomach roiled even as my mouth watered. This blood didn’t smell like the bagged stuff the brothers kept in their fridge. It was different than the human blood I’d smelled all around me that night at the club. But it was definitely fresh.
A clearing opened up, and I recognized the sight before us. The church from my vision loomed in the darkness, bigger in real life than I’d expected. It dominated the landscape, a hulking structure of rotting wood and stained glass. It was like the skeleton of a once beautiful building, hollowed out and empty—but the bones were still strong enough to stand.
No shades roamed the clearing like they had in my vision, but the lingering stench of rot and decay made me certain they’d been here recently.
I bit my lip, all the courage draining from my body like someone had poked a hole in me.
A large, rough hand cupped the back of my neck. I’d pulled my hair up into a tight bun to keep it out of the way, but a few tendrils had escaped and tickled my skin as Malcolm gave a gentle squeeze. He stood beside me, his gaze fixed on the church ahead of us.
“You can do this, wildcat. You’ve got a hunter’s instincts.”
I wanted to thank him, but I was afraid my voice would crack if I spoke. So I just nodded, keeping my eyes trained forward too.
Sol stepped into the lead, tipping his head up slightly as if tasting the wind. I couldn’t even imagine the array of sensory input he was processing.
His brain must work at lightning speed.
Like a true predator.
He shook his head, and that must’ve been what the others were waiting for, because they crept after him on silent feet. I hung behind Malcolm, with Jerrett behind me. Even as they focused on the hunt, I could tell they were watching out for me, making sure someone had my back at all times.
I liked that feeling.
A low, wide staircase led up to the front entrance of the church. A set of large double doors stood ajar, one of them broken and sagging off its hinges. There was just enough space for us to slip inside without moving the doors, but we could only pass through one by one.
Sol entered first and gave a low call to let us know it was clear. We squeezed in after him.
The inside of the church wasn’t much darker than the outside. The nearly full moon was visible through a hole in the ceiling by the door, and several of the large stained glass windows had been broken. The ones that were still intact cast patterns of strange, muted colors across the mildewed floor.
I blinked, staring toward the front of the church. The large cross on the wall was visible in the darkness, but I could barely make out an altar below it. I knew it was there though. The smell of blood had grown even more pungent when we’d stepped into the enclosed space.
“No sign of the shades.” Jerrett’s whisper was little more than a breath, but it still seemed loud in the heavy silence.
“Up front. That’s where the goblin kids were,” I murmured, stepping forward.
I traversed the debris-littered floor quickly, my vampire grace and eyesight miraculously keeping me from tripping over anything.
But when I reached the choir risers, my heart sank.
“There’s no one here. Damn it.”
“Don’t panic yet.” Malcolm’s voice was strong and steady, like a balm on my nerves. “They may have just moved.”
I swallowed. Right. They could still be here somewhere. They could still be alive.
“Hello? Is anybody there?” I kept my voice hushed as I called out into the darkness. If the shades were here, they’d probably already heard us, but I saw no reason to draw more attention to ourselves than necessary.
A small sound made its way back to me. A rustling, scratching noise. Probably just rats or mice who’d made their home in this old, abandoned building.
Still, I pulled the hefty metal flashlight Jerrett had given me earlier from my belt. It had struck me as a little funny that vampires would need flashlights, but now I was grateful I had it. My vision was a dozen times better than it had been when I was human, but it wasn’t like I had infrared sight or anything. The darkest shadows were still impenetrable to my eyes.
I flicked the switch, and a small, concentrated beam of white light hit the church wall. I panned it around, aiming it under pews and behind piles of wood and moldy cloth. When it illuminated the altar like a spotlight, I gagged. The blood had been nearly dried in my vision, but now it glistened in the light, shining bright red.
“That’s new. Fresh. Recent.” My jaw clenched around the words, and th
ey came out clipped and harsh.
“I know.” Malcolm’s voice was grim.
The noise came again, and the flashlight beam jerked as I chased the sound. A pair of wide brown eyes blinked in the bright light.
“There! On the dais!”
I darted forward, the flashlight bouncing in my hand as I ran. I cleared the stairs up to the dais in two large steps, and crouched down on the corner of the raised platform. Seven or eight small bodies were pressed together in a clump against the wall, as if they could somehow force the ancient wood to absorb them.
The one who peered up at me had a round, squashed face, with gray-brown skin and pointed ears. He made a small noise, and several of the others tugged him back down, shushing him.
“It’s okay.” My voice shook, but I tried to make it sound soothing instead of panicked. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to help.”
“They can’t understand you.” Jerrett came up beside me, his brow furrowed. “And I don’t speak goblin.”
“Are they dangerous?” I peered down at the mass of huddled bodies, pity filling my chest.
“Nah. You saw the ones in the subway. Not even the adults are that dangerous. The kids—no way.”
“Good. We have to get them out of here.”
“I don’t like this.” Sol stood in the aisle between the pews, just in front of the dais. “It’s too quiet. Where are the shades? They were here in both of your other visions.”
“I don’t know. But I’m sure wherever they are, they won’t be gone long. We need to hurry.”
Switching the flashlight to my left hand, I used my right hand to prod the lump of bodies before me. I found a little fist with rough gray-brown skin and tugged on it.
The goblin child resisted at first, but when I pulled a little harder, he peeled away from his friends and glommed onto me instead, wrapping his arms tightly around my leg. I had no idea how old he was, but he only stood about two feet tall.
Another little hand reached out from the pile and grabbed onto him. One of his friends wrapped her arms around his waist. A second later, two more kids had latched onto my other leg. As the pile on the floor dwindled, they stood up faster, until I was surrounded by clinging goblin children.
I looked up at Jerrett to find him watching me with an amused smile. His high cheekbones and long, straight nose looked even sharper in the harsh shadows, and his eyes glinted with humor.
“What?” I shrugged awkwardly. “I’m good with kids.”
“I can see that. Good thing too, ’cause I can’t imagine they’d take to Mal like that. Or me.”
“Help me get them out.”
I staggered forward, my movements hampered by the kids attached to my legs. We made our way slowly down the stairs and toward the front entrance, the three brothers keeping a lookout and moving large pieces of debris out of the way.
None of the goblin children made a peep, and I shuddered to think what kind of fear could make kids be that quiet.
When we reached the front doors, I put my shoulder against the old wood and pushed hard. With a loud screech that raised the hair on the back of my neck, it moved.
But I stopped in my tracks.
Just like in my vision, several shades drifted through the clearing outside the church. As I watched, two more emerged from the tree line.
Something else drew my eye. Deeper in the forest, so far away I could barely make them out, stood two other figures. Their pale white faces contrasted with the darkness around them, and they tilted their heads to the side in unison, their gazes locked on me.
What on earth?
They were… women. I couldn’t tell anything else from this distance, but the delicate features were definitely feminine. Were they who the shades answered to?
That thought was driven from my mind as the shade closest to the church’s entrance looked up, its dark gaze landing on me.
A sharp shriek rose from its throat, and it rushed forward, followed by its brethren.
27
Jerrett
“Oh fuck!”
Willow’s voice was high and panicked. At any other time, I’d have loved to hear those words come out of her mouth—what was it about a beautiful woman swearing like a sailor that was so damn hot?—but the fear in her tone turned my blood to ice.
“Willow, what the—?”
“Back! Go back!”
She stumbled backward, nearly tripping over the little goblin kids that still clung like leeches to her legs. As she moved out of the way, I saw what’d spooked her. Half a dozen shades raced up the church steps toward us.
Motherfucking shit goddamnit.
“Mal! Sol! Incoming!” I yelled.
Willow crouched, picking up a little body in each arm as my brothers raced past us toward the open door, pulling it shut with a screech of rusty hinges just as the first shade reached it. The creature slammed into it so hard the whole back wall shook. It wasn’t like the building was impenetrable—there were gaping holes where half the windows used to be—but this bought us a few seconds to get ready for battle.
Another kid scrambled onto Willow’s back, and she looked up at me with wide eyes. “Help me!”
Damn it.
Kids really didn’t like me.
Whatever. A goblin bite likely wouldn’t be the worst injury I’d sustain tonight. I swept up the remaining rug rats, wrapping my arms around them in a bundle and pinning them to my chest. One little face got trapped right next to mine, wide brown eyes staring at me as I jerked my head to Willow.
“No time to get them out. We need to get them out of the way of the fight!”
She nodded, and we darted toward a little office near the entrance of the church. I kicked the door open, barely breaking my stride as I ran into the room. A plume of dust rose up to greet us, and the little goblin face in front of mine coughed right on me.
Fucking gross.
The office was small, with a little desk, a chair, and several large filing cabinets. Nothing in this room would keep these kids safe if the shades decided to come after them, but I was hoping they wouldn’t—not with a much more obvious threat present. The best we could do was make sure the goblin young didn’t end up as collateral damage.
Shouts and shrieks echoed from the main church hall.
Guess the shades found a new way in already.
Heart slamming against my ribs in anticipation of the fight, I deposited my load in a corner next to the desk. “Here!”
Willow passed her kids off to me, and I set them down with the others. They all melded together again into one large clinging, amorphous mass, except for the first one Will had picked up. He didn’t want to let her go, and I honestly couldn’t blame the kid.
She crouched down beside him while I shoved a heavy metal file cabinet toward the desk, making a little cubby for the kids in the corner. It wasn’t much, but it was all I could do.
“Here. Take this.” Willow pressed the flashlight into the goblin kid’s tiny hands. I was sure he didn’t understand a single thing she’d said, but he clung to the heavy metal rod like it was a sword. Then he crouched down in front of his group of huddled friends, his face terrified but determined.
Damn. My kind of kid.
I grabbed Willow’s arm and pulled her away. Part of me wanted to make her stay under the desk with the rug rats, but I figured my chances of getting that to happen were about as good as getting her to sprout wings so she could fly away.
Whatever doubts she might have about herself, Willow wasn’t the type to shy away from danger when something she cared about was on the line.
I peeked through the open doorway. Outside, my brothers fought several shades at once. Or maybe “kept them occupied” was a better way to put it. Between the two of them, they kept the shades engaged, but they were outnumbered too badly to go on the offensive. I needed to get out there and help them.
“Let’s go!” I whispered.
Will cast one last glance back at the kids then nodded.
Mal let out an angry cry as one of the shades got in a lucky swipe, opening a gash in his arm.
“Malcolm!”
Willow’s pained shout echoed in the church, and for a moment, everything seemed to pause. My brothers and the shades all stopped, their attention drawn to us.
Then two of the dark creatures leapt straight for Willow.
“Oh, no you don’t, motherfucker!” I sprang forward, meeting one in midair and driving it backward. Sol leapt after the other.
Before we hit the floor, the creature beneath me evaporated, its body becoming as incorporeal as mist. I rolled sideways, barely avoiding getting my head stomped on as the shade jumped to its feet and became solid again.
Shit. Strength and speed were usually a vampire’s greatest advantages in a fight, but these damn shades matched us on both counts. What the fuck were they?
The thing dove for me, but I kicked out with both feet, launching it up and over my body. It flew through the aisle, landing in a black heap near the stairs leading up to the dais. I ripped a plank of wood off the back of a rotting pew and raced forward.
When the thing stood, I hit it with everything I had. The wood splintered into fragments and the shade screeched, collapsing onto the stairs. It crawled up them, its body flickering in and out of solidity. I must’ve stunned it.
Gritting my teeth, I strode forward, grabbing the shade by the back of the head and dragging it up to the dais. Its hair was stringy, almost slippery, and I could feel it trying to fade away. Not giving it a chance, I hauled it up to the large blood-covered altar under the cross and bashed its head against the stone—once, twice, three times. And a few more for good measure.
The shade let out a gurgling cry that cut off in a sharp grunt. Its body began to shrivel up, shrinking and drying out until all that remained was a mummified corpse.
Runes marked the gray skin of this one, just like the other.
Just like Willow.
Snarling, I kicked the corpse out of the way, turning to rejoin the fight. Another desiccated body lay sprawled across a pile of broken wood. Willow and my brothers faced off with two more in the corner near the office.