Nightwalker

Nineteen

Darting down one of the few dark, empty alleys I could find, I stopped running, letting the shadows wrap their arms around me. At the back of the narrow passage I howled into the night. The horrible sound bounced off the brick and stone walls before finally flying free into the black sky. My hands were shaking with frustration and fear. The one person that was supposed to fix all of this, that was supposed to make the naturi go away, was now dead. To make matters worse, it was because I had failed to protect him. I should have expected the naturi to pull such a trick. I should have grabbed Thorne and dragged him out of that place. I couldn’t fathom how they knew to kill him, that he would be the one I would need. It didn’t matter. It could have just been my usual rotten luck. It didn’t make Thorne any less dead.

Silence consumed the alley again until all I heard was Danaus’s labored breathing. Our run had left him winded. It was a strange reminder that I was still dealing with a human, or at least someone part human. I walked back toward the hunter, who was leaning against the wall, struggling to catch his breath. My gaze briefly tripped over Tristan, who stood against the opposite wall, shaken by the unexpected turn of events.

“What happened?” Danaus demanded between ragged breaths.

“The waitress poisoned Thorne. She spiked his beer with naturi blood. She probably spiked all the beers she brought over,” I said. My anger flowed from my tensed muscles, leaving behind only the cold, lead weight of fear in my stomach.

“Why?”

“She was a pagan. They’re usually naturi sympathizers.” Frustration crept back into my tone as I paced to the back of the alley. “They believe the naturi are sweet and peace-loving like all those asinine fairy tales. They’ve struck out at my kind before, but most don’t have access to naturi blood.”

Jerking my head around, I turned my narrowed gaze on the young nightwalker. He was squatted down with his elbows on his knees, his fists tightly clenching his hair, as if trying to hide from me or the naturi. “How long had Thorne been going to that pub?” I asked.

Tristan flinched and then turned his face up to look at me. “I—I’m not sure exactly. He knew a lot of people there so I think he had been appearing there for a while.”

“I wasn’t looking for a damn insider!” The comment escaped me in a low growl as I paced a couple steps away and then returned.

“How did she know to go after Thorne?” Danaus’s breathing had returned to normal. He was recovering from our little run a lot faster than he should have. But that was my mysterious Danaus. The long scratches I’d left on his arms were long gone and there was only a light crust of dried blood running across his tanned skin.

“I don’t know.” I threw my hands up in the air as I approached him. “Less than a dozen people would have known about my search for Thorne.” The moment those words drifted past my parted lips a horrible thought dawned on me. I stared at him. “And you’re the only outsider in this whole mess.”

Closing the distance between us in a flash, I slammed him back against the wall. His arms were pinned between our bodies, keeping him from drawing any weapons. Of course, he didn’t need his arms to kill me, but that was the least of my concerns at the moment. Jabari was going to rip me in half, if the naturi didn’t get to me first.

“You knew about the naturi first. You knew I was at Machu Picchu and hoped I would give you more information about the nightwalkers. Once you learned that we could rebuild the triad, you alerted your people to Thorne’s existence,” I snarled, my words lashing at him.

“Then why did I save you in Aswan?”

“Because you need me to lead you to the other members of the triad so you can finish them off.” I felt a sickening lurch in my stomach as my mind continued on that line of thought. “And I put Sadira right into your hands.”

“What?” Tristan gasped. Despite his desire to escape his maker, the reflex loyalty was always the hardest to get over.

Releasing my hold on Danaus, I stumbled backward. “I left Sadira with his people as protection,” I told him. “I couldn’t protect Sadira and come after Thorne at the same time.” I could care less if Sadira lived or died, but I couldn’t keep burning through triad members if I wanted to defeat the naturi. “Why?” I asked, looking back at Danaus. “Why would you help them? Is that what you are? Part naturi?”

“I’m not helping them,” he said, taking a step away from the wall toward me. I sidestepped him, keeping a comfortable distance from him. “Think, Mira. They tried to kill us both in Aswan.”

“Of course they did. It’s what the naturi do—kill anything that is not their kind. Surprised that they would betray you?” I cried, still circling him. My foot kicked an empty aluminum can, sending it skidding around the dirty alley. “Your connection to the naturi also explains how you got Nerian. He would have fought you and you would have had to kill him. You can’t capture the naturi.”

“Nerian was insane,” Danaus said, his voice edged with what was beginning to sound like desperation. “While I had him, he ranted endlessly about you. He spoke of Machu Picchu and things that had been done to you. Even if less than half the things he spoke of were true, how could I help monsters like that?”

I shivered, breaking eye contact for a moment. Pacing back down the alley, I ran my left hand along the rough brick wall to steady myself. Danaus had dredged up thoughts that had no place in that dark alley. I didn’t know whether to believe him. I had absolutely no reason to believe him. But I was also desperate and running out of time.

“I would love nothing more than to see all vampires wiped from existence,” he said, “but right now vampires are the only ones who can stop the naturi from destroying mankind. I can put my hatred aside for now. Can you?”

“Mira?” Tristan’s questioning voice was little more than a soft whisper, searching for a little direction, reaching for something he could cling to in the swirling maelstrom that was sucking us in.

My gaze slid around the deep shadows of the narrow alley as I reviewed Danaus’s actions during the past few days. When we weren’t bickering, he had proven useful. Had he actually put his hatred of my kind aside? I didn’t want to believe him.

“How?” I whispered. My voice was on the verge of shattering. “It’s like they’re one step ahead no matter where we go.”

“I don’t know,” Danaus said softly. I looked up. He sounded tired for the first time. His shoulders were slumped and his voice soft, almost fragile. I watched him for a couple seconds. He was worried, and maybe even a little scared. I still didn’t trust him, but I believed his fear. We were all about to get crushed by this army that was grinding away toward oblivion. I didn’t know whose side he was on, but we were all in its path regardless.

None of it mattered, though. I needed to get to Sadira. After that I would figure something out.

“There’s the little princess.” Rowe’s voice danced down the dark, narrow alley, shimmering out of nothingness. I spun around, my eyes scouring every inch of the alley before shooting up to the rooftops. The naturi couldn’t use glamour against nightwalkers; we could see through it. At least, we always had before, but I couldn’t see him.

“Danaus?” My right hand fell to my hip, searching for a weapon, only to discover that I was unarmed. Danaus wouldn’t allow me to attend my Themis meeting armed, and I hadn’t thought about grabbing anything before leaving to fetch Thorne. Walking around armed was no longer a normal occurrence for me.

“Who was that?” Tristan demanded, pushing away from the wall. He circled past Danaus, looking around the area, though he had no idea who he was looking for.

“Rowe, a naturi,” I bit out. My hands were out to my sides, ready to attack.

“I can’t sense him,” Danaus said, slowly turning as he peered into the deep shadows.

“What?” My gaze jerked to his face, but he wasn’t looking at me.

“I can’t sense any naturi in the immediate area.” The hunter’s jaw was clenched and his power beat in thick, heavy waves against me. He was pouring everything he had into locating the owner of that voice. A knife was gripped in his right hand, ready.

“Maybe he’s not here. He might have projected his voice from another location to scare us,” Tristan suggested.

Danaus paused for a moment and looked over at me. “You think so?”

“Not really, but I’d rather not stick around to find out,” I muttered. “Let’s just get going.”

“Not yet, princess,” Rowe said with a chuckle. This time his voice sounded as if it was coming from behind me. I turned to see the brick wall quiver as if made of water, and then Rowe stepped through, smiling at me.

“Shit!” Turning, I tried to run. He was less than a foot away from me, too close. It would be too easy for him to stick a blade through my heart before I had a chance to act. I needed distance, but there wasn’t time. Rowe grabbed a handful of my hair. With a quick jerk, I fell backward, my shoulders slamming into his chest.

He didn’t waste a second. He released my hair and his left hand snaked around my waist, up between my breasts, to roughly grab either side of my lower jaw. Tilting my head back, he pried my mouth open with his fingers and thumb. I blinked once and my eyes focused on the open vial filled with red liquid. Rowe held it balanced over my open mouth. If I jerked or moved, its contents would dump straight down my throat.

“Hold, all of you!” he commanded, his light voice hardening for the first time. “Or we find out if the little princess can survive a heavy dose of naturi blood. We’ve already proven that the albino couldn’t.”

I jerked my head in anger without thinking before I reacted. He had killed Thorne. However, my rage was overwhelmed by fear once again when a drop of blood fell on my lower lip and slowly ran down my chin. A faint trembling started in my limbs that I couldn’t control and slowly spread through the rest of my body. I couldn’t move or he would destroy me.

A low growl rumbled from the other end of the alley and I could feel the cool breeze of Tristan’s powers as he stood poised to attack. I prayed that he wouldn’t move, as I was in no position to start shouting orders.

Rowe leaned his head down so I could feel his hot breath against my neck. “Tell me you remember the taste of my blood, Mira. Tell me. Of course, you’ve tasted more than just my blood.” A strangled cry erupted from the back of my throat as he ran the tip of his tongue up my neck to my earlobe.

“Let her go!” Danaus shouted, taking a step forward. Dragging my eyes from the vial over my head, I looked at the hunter. His face was twisted with rage and his heartbeat pounded in the silent alley. But the knife pointed at Rowe was steady.

“Go on, misfit. Kill me like you killed the others. But can you do it before I drop this down her throat?”

“What do you want?” Danaus bit out each word, holding his ground.

“I’ve got what I want.” Rowe chuckled, his grip tightening on my jaw. My blood filled my mouth as my teeth dug into the sides of my cheeks. “She goes with me.”

Rowe pulled me backward as if he meant to go back through the wall. I dug my heels into the concrete as best as I could and stiffened my whole body. My hands grabbed his pant legs near his knees, holding him trapped. If he tried to jerk me backward again, he would either stumble or be forced to drag me, causing the blood to tip into my mouth. If he moved, he’d kill me. So be it. I would rather die a relatively quick death than be held captive by the naturi again. I wouldn’t go with him. I wouldn’t let him have me.

“Move, princess, or I dump the blood down your throat.” Rowe brought his face close again, his cheek pressing against mine. “I want you alive purely for my own pleasure, but you are just as useful to me dead. Either way, I win.”

My gaze darted from Danaus to the vial. The hunter could do nothing without killing me. The angle of my head made it impossible for me to see Tristan, but he was still a way off, closer to the entrance of the alley. His low growl had stopped, but I would sense his powers.

I would not go with Rowe. Death was a better option. Closing my eyes, I forced my shaking hands to release Rowe’s pants.

“Mira, don’t.” Those two words drifted from Danaus, nearly breaking the thin barrier that held back my gathering tears.

As Rowe took a step back, I focused my powers on the naturi blood within the vial. The liquid and glass ignited in Rowe’s hand. Screaming, he attempted to tip it into my mouth when the vial exploded from the extreme heat, raining down glass and boiling blood. The distraction allowed me to pull from his grasp. My knees slammed into the concrete, sending a shock wave of pain through my legs.

Glass and blood were splattered across my face and eyes, blinding me. I threw a fireball behind me, hoping to hit Rowe. At the same time, I heard metal clatter against brick.

“He’s gone,” Danaus said as I prepared another fireball in my hand.

Extinguishing the fire, I raised my hands, trying to wipe away the blood burning my face and eyes. I cried out, jerking away my trembling hands. The shards of glass had cut both my fingers and face. “I can’t get it off! I can’t get the blood off!” I screamed, panic taking over.

“Stop, Mira,” Danaus commanded, his voice closer now. “I’ll help you.” A whisper of cloth and the scrape of his shoes revealed his approach. I put my hands out, feeling for him, not sure if I wanted him close since I couldn’t see him. Danaus took my left hand in his and squeezed it. My other hand brushed against warm skin, his bare chest. I froze, my mind stumbling. To my right I felt Tristan approach. He knelt beside me, his cool presence brushing against me while one of his hands came to rest on my knee.

Danaus released my left hand and placed his hand under my chin, gently tilting my head up. “Hold still. I’m going to wipe your face off.” A soft cloth slowly swept over my face, wiping away Rowe’s blood and the bits of glass. Danaus’s scent filled me. I could smell smoke from the fire at the club, his sweat, the soap he used, and deep down I could smell him now on my skin. He had taken off his shirt and was cleaning my face with the same gentle care one would show a baby.

When he was done, he swept his shirt over my hair, smoothing it back from my face, shaking out any remaining bits of glass. Blinking a few times against the last of the blood that had seeped in, I lifted my eyes to his face. His emotions were clear—fear and anger. Beneath my hand, his heart still pounded like a jackhammer.

“Better?” he asked, his voice deceptively calm.

I tried to speak but the sound cracked before I could form a single word. Jerking from him, I attempted to crawl away from him and Tristan. I couldn’t let them see me cry. They couldn’t know that terror still hummed in every muscle and screamed like a madwoman in my brain.

“No!” Danaus grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. Seated on the ground in the middle of the alley, he held me in his lap, his strong arms forming a protective cocoon around me. Burying my face in his neck, I sobbed. It felt as if my very soul had shattered. All my strength and power had been stolen away the moment Rowe touched me.

“I can’t go with them again. I can’t do it again. Not again,” I pleaded mindlessly, as if Danaus could save me in some way. Images of Nerian and Machu Picchu danced through my head. The memory of my screams and Nerian’s laugh rang in my ears. And now there was Rowe. His scent, the feel of his skin, the heat of his breath, were all imprinted in my brain. I couldn’t escape them.

“Never,” Danaus whispered, his voice breaking through the barrage of memories in my brain. “Never again. I won’t let it happen. The naturi will never touch you again.”

I believed him. From Danaus, it was a vow. If it was within his power, he would not allow the naturi to capture me again. Regardless of what happened between us as vampire and hunter, he would not allow me to fall into the hands of the naturi.

The silence of the alley crept into us as we sat on the ground. With one hand over Danaus’s heart, I pressed my head to his chest with my eyes closed. Tristan sat beside us, his long fingers now entwined in the fingers of my right hand. His presence was a cool, calming balm, while Danaus’s warmth acted as a safety blanket. Listening to his heartbeat, I let its steady rhythm wash through me, cleansing me of the fear and the pain. Danaus rubbed his jaw against the top of my head as his hand ran down my hair and back in a soothing caress. Surrounded in their combined power, for a brief moment I felt protected. But it couldn’t last. The night was dying and we still had to reach Sadira before Rowe found her.

“Thank you,” I whispered, rubbing my cheek against his warm chest before slowly pulling out of his embrace. I gave Tristan’s hand a quick squeeze before pulling my fingers free. My knees shook as I stood, but I managed to keep from falling on my ass.

I walked over to where Rowe had held me. Behind me, I heard Danaus rise and pull his shirt back on. Tristan stood beside me, a soundless shadow. I kept my eyes on the ground. Shards of glass sparkled as they caught some distant shaft of lamplight.

“How was he able to sneak up on us and walk through the wall?” Danaus asked.

“Spells,” I murmured. “I think it’s why he risked a harvest in Jabari’s domain. Certain human organs are needed for some extremely powerful spells. Rowe knew he’d need these spells if he was going to succeed in grabbing me.” Lifting my eyes, I reached out, my fingers hovering mere inches from the brick wall he had come through, but I couldn’t bring myself to touch it. The wall appeared solid, but I half expected to see Rowe’s hand reach out and pull me in.

Danaus walked up beside me and picked up his dagger, which lay on the ground next to the wall. He’d apparently thrown it at the naturi at the same time I blindly threw my fireball. “When you broke the vial, you expected to die,” he said, drawing my gaze. His hair hung down around his face, cloaking his features. “I saw it in your eyes.”

“Yes.” I couldn’t lie. I hadn’t wanted to die, but death was preferable to being held by the naturi.

“Don’t ever do that again.” Anger vibrated in his tone. A long, heavy silence settled between us, holding us still before he finally spoke again. “I will not let you escape me so easily.”

Biting back a smile, I bowed my head slightly. “As you wish.”

I glanced back at the brick wall one last time, my would-be smile fading to a frown. I was tired of being the prey in this little game of cat and mouse. It was time to turn the tables on the naturi.

“Was it just Rowe you couldn’t sense or can’t you sense the naturi at all now?” I asked, cocking my head to the side as I looked at my semihuman companion.

Danaus’s warm powers swept out of the alley and pushed out through the city for almost a full minute before they finally dissipated. “I can sense the naturi, but I cannot tell if one of them is Rowe.”

“How close?”

“Outside the city,” he said with a shake of his head. “To the north.”

“You have any more weapons?” The naturi were killing my kind, killing people in my domain, and Rowe was trying to kidnap me. It was time to strike back.

“We don’t have long until sunrise, Mira,” Tristan interjected.

I nodded, glancing over my shoulder at the young nightwalker. I wanted revenge, but I wasn’t about to get caught out in the open without a safe place to go to ground during the daylight hours. “How far away is this Compound?”

A half smile tugged at one corner of Danaus’s mouth. “Less than two hours away. To the north.”

“So, you’re saying it’s on the way…”

“Possibly. I won’t know until we get started.”

We had time. Not a lot, but there was a window. We could strike quickly, cut down some of their numbers, then make a run for the Compound. It wasn’t much, but I just needed to reduce their numbers. Hopefully, I would get another shot at Rowe.

Danaus nodded and led the way out of the alley. If I had any shred of luck left in this pathetic existence, Sadira was still alive and staying out of trouble. But I wasn’t betting on it at this point.

“Mira.” A catch in Tristan’s voice stopped me from following behind Danaus. The nightwalker didn’t need to say anything. I could feel his fear. “I can’t fight them. I mean, I’ve never—”

“I need you,” I said, laying my right hand on his shoulder. I needed every spare hand I could find when it came to taking on the naturi. Right now all I had was Tristan and Danaus. “We have to stop them or they’re going to make living with Sadira look like a Sunday garden party.”

His large blue eyes darted away from my direct gaze and he stared down at the ground. I was losing him. “Stand with me now, Tristan.” I paused for a moment, searching for some words of encouragement. I knew what I needed to say, but it took a moment to finally force them out. “Stand with me now, and I swear, I will help you find a way free of Sadira.”

His gaze snapped back up to my face, questioning and distrustful. I couldn’t blame him. We both had the same manipulative maker. “I swear. I don’t know how, but I will help you,” I repeated.

Tristan nodded and turned to follow Danaus out of the alley. I was still cursing myself when I fell into step behind them. I don’t know whether he had just manipulated me, but it didn’t matter. I needed his help, and there was a good chance both of us weren’t going to survive this little escapade, making my promise moot.

Pausing at the mouth of the alley, I glanced up. The night sky was a murky midnight blue in the lights of the city. Dawn was just a few hours away. I could sense it like an old man could feel a storm brewing by the ache in his bones. From the first second we are reborn, nightwalkers can sense the night. After the sun set, I could feel the night swelling around me, oozing into every crevice and dusty corner. The burgeoning night flourishes toward its midpoint, which is so rarely midnight, and then it wilts. As the night dies, time crumbles around me. I can feel it waning like the steady flow of sand in an hourglass.

And now that I was desperate for time, I felt it slipping that much faster out of my grasp. I clenched my fist at my side and swallowed a curse for the sun. Even immortal, I was still a slave to time.