Nightwalker

Twenty-Six

The naturi were coming. My fingers tightened around the sword and I closed my eyes for a moment, drawing the anger and tension into a single ball that resided in the pit of my stomach. I was done running.

Turning to look at Jabari, I resisted the urge to point the sword at his chest. No reason to antagonize him any more. We had enough problems. “Are you with us or against us?”

“And who exactly is this ‘us’?” he sneered, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Humans? The hunters?”

“Anyone who wishes to stand against the naturi. I welcome both hunter and nightwalker. We can settle the question of my allegiance some other time.”

The nightwalker drew up to his full height and straightened his shoulders. “I harbor no love for the naturi.”

“Great. Stay here,” I said, trying not to think about the fact that I was giving orders to an Elder. I had no doubt I’d pay for it later, assuming there was a later for me. Desperate to keep the situation in hand, my attention flashed to the other two vampires in the room. Tristan stood with his arm around Sadira’s delicate shoulders, as if trying to comfort her, but the fear in his wide blue eyes told another tale. He had faced a small group of naturi with me last night and I barely survived. He was in no hurry to push his luck any further.

“You are expendable. Jabari and Sadira are not,” I said, pointing the sword at him. “Protect them no matter what.”

“Where are you going?” he asked, his grip tightening on Sadira.

“To see if I can find more help,” I called over my shoulder as I marched out of the room with Danaus following on my heels.

I paused in the hall, trying to assess the battlefield, as Danaus closed the door. There were too many rooms, too many doors and windows. “How many entrances are there on the ground floor?” I asked.

Danaus stood beside me now, his eyes also scanning the terrain. “Three; front door, back door off the kitchen, and a garden entrance.”

“Not to mention windows in every room,” I murmured, talking mostly to myself.

“We can move to the basement,” he suggested. “There are no windows down there and only one entrance.”

“We would be trapped.” I shook my head, my hair falling around my face. “They could wait us out until dawn, then come down and slaughter everyone. Besides, they are only after us. I’d rather keep the naturi away from your librarian convention downstairs.” I continued down the hall to the front doors, which were shut again, my heels hitting the hardwood floor the only sound in the silent manor. “Where’s Ryan?”

“I’m here.” A weary voice drifted down the stairs toward us. I looked up to see the warlock seated at the top of the stairs on the second floor. He’d shed his jacket, his shirt-sleeves were rolled up past his elbows, and sweat slicked back the hair at his temples. His powers filled the air like an electric current looking for an outlet. I hadn’t noticed the power crackling around me until I saw him, my focus having been centered on the coming horde.

“How long have you been holding them off?” I asked, unable to keep the note of awe out of my voice. The air sizzled with whatever spell he was working, but even now I could feel it weakening.

“You don’t think I called them?” he asked in surprise.

“You’re not that stupid.”

“Thanks.” His mouth quirked in a half smile. “I’ll do what I can to hold them off, but I won’t last much longer.”

“Save it,” I said, waving him off. The spell he’d worked had left him nearly exhausted and he would need his strength. “Go to the basement with your people. The naturi are after my kind, but I can’t promise they won’t slaughter humans just for the fun of it.”

Danaus walked up the stairs past me and helped Ryan get to his feet. The warlock descended to the first floor with his hand on the hunter’s shoulder. Ryan still looked a bit shaky, but appeared to be catching his second wind.

Seeing the two men standing side by side for the first time, I realized that I liked Danaus’s eyes better. There was something more human in those cobalt depths than Ryan’s glittering gold; something that still whispered of hope. It was missing from Ryan’s eyes, creating a strange juxtaposition. Danaus was a man who said he was doomed to hell, and yet hope still flickered faintly in his precious blue orbs.

On the other hand, Ryan was a fraction of Danaus’s age, with a smile perpetually haunting his lips, but he’d lost that flicker of hope that seemed to haunt all creatures. I don’t know what a human had to endure to become a warlock, but was it truly worse than what Danaus could have seen in his centuries of life?

“Do you have any more magic users lurking about?” I asked, snapping back to the problem at hand.

“A few, but they’re no match for what is coming,” Ryan said as he reached the bottom step.

“Have them charm the door and any weapons you can dig up,” I instructed. “Iron hurts the naturi. A bullet to the head or heart will work. Otherwise, you generally have to cut off their head or remove the heart to kill them.”

“A lot like killing vampires,” Danaus interjected.

“Or humans,” I said, glaring at him. “Get Ryan downstairs and lock the door behind you.”

“I stay up here,” Danaus stated, earning a startled look from me.

“Apparently I’m not the only one with loyalty issues.” The smile slipped from my lips before it could fully form. “You need to protect your people.”

“I can do that best up here. Ryan will be in the basement should we fail.” He paused, smiling when I could not. “Besides, we have unfinished business.”

Yes, our great showdown. Misfit versus misfit. I had forgotten somehow. Couldn’t let something else kill me before he had his shot.

“Very well,” I said with an indifferent shrug. Looking over at Ryan, I bit back a sigh of frustration. “I’m sorry. I had no desire to endanger your people.”

“I knew the risk when I agreed. All I ask is that you win.” He turned and started down the hall toward the basement, the fingers of his right hand trailing along the wall as if to steady himself should he suddenly falter.

“You were wrong earlier,” I called after him. “The triad hasn’t been reformed. It can’t be me.”

Ryan looked over his shoulder, his palm pressed flat against the wood-panel wall. He stared at Danaus for a couple of seconds, then at me. I didn’t feel any stir of power. He was just thinking, as if reassessing his earlier conclusion. “No, you have everything you need,” he said at last.

I nodded, though I’m not sure I actually believed him. If it wasn’t me, then it meant Tristan was seriously holding out on me. It had been a long time since I’d last underestimated the power of another vampire. It was a mistake one generally didn’t have a chance to make twice.

As Ryan disappeared down the stairs, he was quickly replaced by both of my guardian angels. I shut my eyes and clenched my teeth as I bit back a curse in rough Italian. Somehow I’d managed to forget they were here. I should have sent them home as soon as we hit London.

“Where do you want us?” Gabriel inquired, a gun clenched in each hand.

“Back down in the basement,” I said, waving my sword toward the hall they had just come down.

“Our job is to protect you, not these people,” Gabriel replied, not moving from where he stood.

“Your job is to follow my orders, and I’m ordering you to get back downstairs!”

“No,” Michael said, standing stubbornly beside Gabriel.

“I can handle things up here. I haven’t survived six hundred years depending on the protection of humans. Now get back downstairs before I drain you both.”

“We—” But the sound of cracking wood and shattering glass halted Gabriel’s rebellious words. I was beginning to see serious drawbacks to this whole loyalty thing. Unfortunately, now was not the time to discuss some of its finer aspects. Our guests were knocking.

“Danaus!” I shouted, turning my attention back to the entrance to the manor. Facing the front doors, I gripped the sword he’d given me in my right hand, my legs spread apart as I awaited the attack.

“They’re surrounding us,” he said, standing beside me with a weapon in each hand. “Six at the front door, another dozen coming in through the windows.”

“They’re already in the room with Jabari,” I told him. I couldn’t sense the naturi, but I could see them through Sadira’s eyes. Fear had ramped up her powers and in turn strengthened our natural connection. There was a strong link between us after I had taken in so much of her blood last night. We could share thoughts and emotions with no effort. We could also see and feel things each other felt, introducing a potentially dangerous distraction into the mix.

“Gabriel, you’re in with Jabari and Sadira. Keep them alive no matter what,” I shouted. “Michael, you’ve got my back.” I didn’t look at them, but kept my eyes trained on the door. Their footsteps echoed down the hall as each took up their new positions. Their fear filled the air, teasing me with its thick, heady scent. There was nothing that could excite the senses of a vampire faster. Except maybe the scent of fresh blood and a woman’s silence-shattering scream, but that was on the hunt.

Twisting my right wrist once, I impatiently slashed the air with Danaus’s sword. I was eager to start this dance at last. It was my turn to lead.

As if in an attempt to be courteous of my wishes, the doors exploded open. I have to give them their due. Where Jabari had thrown them open, the naturi blew them completely off their hinges. Both large oak doors flew through the air, spinning like an out-of-control windmill. I dove sideways, knocking Danaus to the floor. As I fell, I grabbed the front of Michael’s shirt with my free hand, pulling him down with us in a large heap. I rolled off Danaus, careful that the dagger and sword he held didn’t accidentally relieve me of my head.

Behind me, arrows whizzed through the open doorway and thunked heavily into the wooden staircase. They were trying to clear the entrance. I was on my feet when I felt a shift in the wind.

A loud cacophony of noise filled the air, a grating mix of wings, claws, and calls. Raptors of all shapes and sizes filled the large entryway, making it suddenly seem small. We remained trapped on our knees against the wall as ravens, owls, hawks, and falcons flew through the halls, heading up the staircase and then back down again. Few bothered to attack us, but that wasn’t their goal. The naturi had sent the birds in as a distraction to buy them some time.

Michael lifted his gun and squeezed off a couple of rounds, picking off a couple of the larger birds when they got too close. I covered his wrist with my hand and forced him to lower the gun.

“Don’t waste your ammunition,” I shouted over the noise. I jerked my head to the side as a brown owl dove close enough to drag its long talons across my cheek. Pain slashed through me and I fought the urge to press my hand to my cheek. If I lifted my arm, I’d only end up with a series of scratches.

“Mira, we can’t stay like this!” Danaus snapped.

With a growl, I grabbed a vase off a nearby pedestal and threw it across the room toward the largest clump of birds as they fought for space in the air. The porcelain shattered on impact with the chandelier, sending it wildly swinging overhead. Shadows lunged and stretched in a gruesome dance around the room. Several birds were knocked from the air, hitting the hardwood floor with a heavy thud.

As the birds scattered, I lifted my left hand and focused on anything that was flying. Feathers instantly caught on fire, filling the room with a horrid stench. I killed only a few, though I wished I hadn’t been forced to kill any of them, but it was enough to clear the air. The birds of prey scattered, with some heading out the open door while others flew up to find sanctuary on the third floor.

With the birds preoccupied, I turned my attention back to the entryway in time to see a naturi edge forward, his wrist crossbow aimed at me. In a single, liquid movement I pulled a knife from Danaus’s belt and flung it at my adversary. The blade buried itself in his throat and nearly severed his head. He fell backward, the shaft firing harmlessly up at the ceiling. The dead naturi from the animal clan disappeared into the dark doorway, out of sight.

“Come out and play, blood drinker,” sang a melodious voice outside the door.

“You come in. I’ll reunite you with your brother, Nerian,” I replied, tightening my grip on the sword. Some part of me was relieved to find that it wasn’t Rowe once again calling out to me.

To my surprise, the naturi stepped into the doorway, short sword drawn. Danaus raised his gun, but I put a restraining hand over the top of the weapon. “Take care of our other guests, and cover my back,” I said, motioning with my head toward the opposite end of the hall and the back door as I rose to my feet. The telltale sound of claws clicking across hardwood indicated that several wolves had found their way into the manor. Danaus and Michael had their own set of problems while I took care of the naturi in the doorway.

Barely topping five feet, he looked like a slender youth, more akin to a young willow than the human he was supposed to resemble. His long blond hair was pulled back, revealing a face similar to that of a fifteen-year-old boy, with its fresh sprinkling of freckles and wide green eyes. But his appearance belied the years of experience that hummed through his thin frame and filled his narrowed eyes.

“I thought we’d see Nerian together. I understand he had some special plans for you.” A malicious grin split his young face. A chill crawled up my skin, sinking sharp fangs into my muscles. He was from the light clan, I had no doubt. Neither us could summon fire to destroy the other.

Closing the distance between us, I swung my sword with enough force to cleave his body in two. He sidestepped the blow for the most part, and deflected what he couldn’t escape with his blade. He was quicker than most naturi I had encountered so far, each movement precise and fluid like a dance. Was he another form of Danaus? A creature that had studied the fine art of hunting nightwalkers?

The chaos around me dulled and the sounds trickled into my ears now as if enveloped in cotton. There was only the naturi standing before me in a pair of worn blue jeans with the left knee torn out. Hatred burned in his almond-shaped eyes.

Our swords scraped and clanged, searching for an entrance into the soft, meaty parts of the body. Dodging a thrust aimed to place his blade between my ribs, I brought my own sword down. He backpedaled, moving smoothly out of danger. With teeth clenched, I tossed my head, moving a lock of hair from where it had fallen in front of my eyes. The creature tried to use the momentary distraction to his advantage, slashing at my stomach. I was ready, catching his blade with mine and pushing him back toward the opposite wall.

I screamed. A searing pain splintered throughout my left shoulder, like someone had shoved a red-hot knitting needle into it. Someone had put a naturi dart in my shoulder. The pain slithered under my shoulder blade, slinking down through my muscles like liquid fire. I barely managed to block the naturi’s next two attacks as my mind struggled through the fog of pain.

“Danaus!” I shouted, kicking my blond adversary back against the front doorjamb.

“We’re being overrun from the back!” His deep voice boomed over the sound of singing steel and breaking furniture. “Hurry up!”

“Fine,” I growled to myself. My left arm was starting to go numb and was nearly useless. I couldn’t close my left fingers around a weapon if I had to.

“You look tired,” the naturi mocked. “Want a drink?” He tilted his head to expose the long line of his throat. I feinted with my sword for his neck, then abruptly switched directions and plunged the blade into his heart up to the hilt.

“I’m not into junk food,” I said as I slowly withdrew the blade and slashed it through the air, removing his head from his neck. The unattached member bounced and rolled away, his wide, gemlike eyes staring up at the ceiling, lost and unfocused. “Tell Nerian I said hi.”

Spinning around, I found my companions barely holding a mix of naturi and wolves at bay at the opposite end of the hall. Inside the salon that held Sadira and the others, I could still hear the constant crash of furniture and gunfire. Sadira’s thoughts were muffled but her fear was still riding high. However, that was matched by anger, which was encouraging. Sometimes the only thing that kept you moving was raw anger and hatred.

Gritting my teeth, I lifted my left arm. A low groan broke from my throat as the pain threatened to overcome my fragmented thoughts. I ignored it as best as I could and focused on a collection of creatures drawing closer to Michael and Danaus. It took only a couple of seconds for each one to explode in a glorious ball of fire. Only when they thumped lifelessly to the floor did I finally extinguish the flames. I’d taken an ugly risk using my powers. If I used them too often, it would leave me exhausted and vulnerable. Not a good combination when battling the naturi, particularly since I wasn’t at full strength before this battle even started.

My left arm dropped back down to my side and I swayed on my feet. I opened my mouth to ask for a naturi count from Danaus when Michael rushed toward me. Stunned, I didn’t think to move when he turned his shoulder into my chest and sent me back toward the open entryway. I stumbled over the body of the naturi I’d killed moments ago and landed hard on my butt. My left hand fell in a cool, wet spot on the Oriental rug. Glancing down, I discovered I was sitting in a spreading pool of blood that was leaking from the dead naturi. I frantically wiped it on my shirt and pants, desperate to be clean of the stuff. I imagine there is truly no stranger sight than a vampire wiping blood off like it carried the plague.

With fangs bared, I tore my gaze from the blood back to Michael, a vicious curse on the tip of my tongue, when I instantly stilled. He stood over me, his face slack. His blue eyes were staring blindly at some distant point I could not see. Something cold slipped down into my bones and knotted in my throat. A small, damp spot in the middle of his chest was growing by the second across his shirt while his skin paled to a gut-wrenching gray.

Behind him I heard the soft, liquid squish and suck of a blade being pulled from muscle and flesh. I noticed then that the door to the first room off the hall was open, when all the doors had been closed moments before.

I lurched forward on my knees, catching Michael’s limp form as he fell forward. Lowering him to the ground, my eyes never wavered from my angel’s pale face. Beside me, I felt more than saw Danaus attack the one that had stabbed my guardian. With a trembling hand, I smoothed his golden locks from his forehead, inadvertently smearing some of the naturi’s blood across his perfect skin.

Michael’s eyes drooped closed and his full lips briefly formed my name.

“Sleep, my angel,” I whispered, my voice as rough as concrete. I bent down and pressed my parted lips to his. “You’ve done well.”

The tension and lines slowly disappeared from his handsome face, as if time was kindly erasing some of the wear and tear he had suffered through his long years. He was moving away from the pain and the fear. Peace was settling inside him.

Something inside of me screamed in pain. I should have sent him home. I should have never included him in my life. Michael was a breath of fresh air. He had glowed with light and vitality, and I’d seen to its destruction.

Holding him, I could feel the life draining from his body, his heart slowing to a thick, torpid beat. His soul was pulling loose of its bonds, struggling to be free. I couldn’t heal him. With all my power and abilities, I couldn’t heal the human body beyond the closing of puncture wounds from my fangs. The best I could do was try to turn him into a nightwalker, but I wouldn’t. His soul wanted to be free like a kite on a string. I knew I had to let him go no matter how badly I needed him to stay.