Darkness of day, p.26
Darkness of Day, page 26
Concealed in the trees at the edge of Stanley Park, Remy watched the towering vampire who stood sentry on the rooftop facing the home of Jelani’s human friends. He needed to get in that apartment but he had no intention of dealing with that one. Massius hadn’t gone into detail, but simply warned that the man was well beyond him. Remy hated to admit that it was true, but there was no doubt.
He looked around, wondering where that slinky little sister of his was lurking. She had given Remy more trouble than seemed possible. “Oh, yeah, cutie,” he mumbled under his breath, “I’ll find a way to take care of you when I get this business done.”
His phone vibrated. He read the text message and smiled. They were in place. He typed on the little touch keyboard, put the phone away and waited.
Remy wondered where Melinda had gone. His first thought was to use her in this little plan, but even with the woman under his control, she had an inexplicable ability to squirm around his compulsions just enough to defy him. Best to let her roam around and cry herself to sleep for a few days.
He thought about Jorge and frowned. He’d hoped that Melinda would have led his underling to Jelani and that he would either have brought them both back, or at least given Remy some kind of indication of where the fledgling had been hiding. How Jelani had come out of his hiding place so quickly to attack without Remy knowing he was near was a mystery he would need to unravel.
Several figures appeared on the rooftops surrounding the big vampire, who seemed oblivious to their presence. Remy’s eyes glowed. After he killed Jelani’s friends, the fledgling would come straight to him in a ball of rage and anguish. In such a state, Jelani’s mental guard would be down and Remy would have the pleasure of dominating his mind while allowing him to feel the hurt and anger at the same time.
Seven shadowy figures converged on the tall vampire at once. At first, Remy thought he was just going to stand there and be cut down. He winced when he saw the truth of it. At the last possible second, the big man reached out and grabbed one of Remy’s Hunter’s by the neck and snapped it, then hurled him into another. The fight was on in earnest, now, and Remy knew he would have to act fast. From what he’d seen, that big bastard might actually kill every one of his Hunters.
Remy dropped from his perch and sped toward the apartment. Overhead, he saw two more Hunters leading a group of seven vampires from his coven. As the grin slithered across his face, Remy wondered how Yako would react when he found out that one of the North American covens was completely under his control. That was a bomb he couldn’t wait to drop on the Eldest Hunter’s head.
He looked up and saw the lone vampire, hurling his attackers in every direction. It seemed impossible that anyone could be so powerful. As he neared, he could have sworn he saw one vampire stop in midair. His body contorted in a strange angle, then he flew aside as if tossed. Remy shook his head. He must’ve seen that wrong. He’d never heard of a vampire being able to do such a thing.
As soon as he arrived at the apartment, three Hunters appeared at his side. Remy snatched the door open, and they went for the stairwell. The four vampires flew up the winding stairs gracefully, coming to the tenth floor in less than a minute.
Remy quietly opened the door, almost sniggering to himself. Oh, how this was going to be fun. Remembering his way from the last time he was here, he easily found the correct door and wrenched it open. His smile vanished when he saw the glowing lavender eyes of that half-breed freak.
“Hello, Remy,” she said. An unseen force struck him in the chest and threw him against the far wall.
Saaya had come to warn them not ten minutes before several groups of vampires converged on their apartment. Daniel had grabbed two backpacks and given them to the girls, instructing them to get to Richmond. If they hadn’t heard from him by dawn, book a last minute flight some place far away with longer daytime hours.
When he’d first brought up this emergency plan, they had argued. Now, they crouched in the kitchen, backpacks strapped tight, Wen fighting tears and Alisha looking fearful for him. He’d purchased two small water guns for each of them. Poor Wen held one gun filled with garlic infused water in a shaky hand. Alisha looked only a little steadier.
He waved to catch their attention, then nodded, pointing toward the door. When Remy came through, Saaya would deal with him and they would get out. Daniel felt in his back pocket for the small silver knife hidden there, then clenched his longer silver dagger in one hand and a water gun in the other. The contrast between the two weapons looked ridiculous, but that plastic gun had saved his life at least once already.
Standing in front of the door, Saaya glanced over her shoulder at him and nodded. He hadn’t heard anything, but that meant nothing. The dampeal likely heard the Hunters the moment they entered the building, for all he knew.
Daniel nodded back, wondering where Jelani was. He’d chased Remy out of here not long ago, and now this. The thought made him fearful for his friend.
The door suddenly flew open. Daniel ducked back around the corner and waited, hand tightening around his silver knife. “Hello, Remy,” he heard Saaya say, then there was the sound of an impact farther back into the hallway.
The sound of scuffling followed. Daniel peeked around the corner. What he saw left him in such awe that he almost forgot the danger they were in. Saaya danced in between three other vampires, avoiding every lunge or slash, slapping one aside while kissing the other on the cheek just before breaking his arm and hurling him down the hallway.
Daniel’s mouth hung open. He looked over to see the girls equally entranced. He blinked and shook his head, then tried to get their attention. “Psst!” They looked over at him, and he nodded his head at the door. “Follow me,” he mouthed, and they nodded.
The fight had moved into the hallway, and Daniel took the lead. He peeked around the doorway and cursed. The vampires were between them and the elevators. Saaya dealt with Remy and his group with such lethal grace, it was like watching her dance them to death. One Hunter stabbed out with a silver sword and she brought her arm up, knocked the weapon wide while sliding her hand up and around his arm, forcing it straight.
Daniel’s eyes widened when he saw what came next. The dampeal flipped up and over the Hunter’s arm in what looked like a cartwheel. Once she was on the other side of him, Saaya twisted his arm with her movement. The unusual counterattack, forced him into an awkward position while she brought his sword arm up and over his head, snapped his wrist, and grabbed the falling sword.
At the same time this was happening, the other two Hunters had been coming at her from behind while Remy was trying to circle around the side. One of the other Hunters had stabbed out at the same time she had grabbed his comrade. Her sudden counter caused him to stab his comrade at the same time Saaya had snapped his wrist.
The dying vampire opened his mouth to scream, but Saaya, who had grabbed the sword from his hand, stabbed it through his neck. The gurgling vampire slid to the ground, and now there were three. How they managed all this in such a cramped space was beyond Daniel’s comprehension.
He looked down the hall to the left, remembering that there were stairs on the other side as well. He beckoned for Wen and Alisha to follow They ran as quietly as they could away from the fighting down the hall.
They turned one corner and ran to the end, but then Daniel skidded to a stop and held up his hand.
“What—” Wen started to ask, but he waved the question off. His instincts were screaming at him. Daniel made a silent pushing gesture with his hand. Wen and Alisha got the hint and backed away a few steps. He crouched low and peeked around the corner.
A surprised woman looked down at him and hissed. Daniel fell to his back and rolled away, but she was right on top of him. He swiped out with his knife, but the faster vampire deflected the attack with a well-placed kick to his wrist. A popping sound preceded a burst of pain. Daniel clenched his teeth to keep from crying out, and brought his water gun to bear. She laughed and stomped down on his arm. Stars danced in his vision from the pain and he let go of the water gun.
“That brings a whole new meaning to fighting with toys,” the woman said, looking down at the plastic weapon. She lifted a heeled boot and stomped down on it, crushing the water gun into pieces.
With everything he had, with every ounce of will he could muster, Daniel kicked and kneed the woman, trying to do at least enough to distract the vampire so that Wen and Alisha could slip by. The woman just laughed at him.
“You mad because I bwoke your wittle toy?” she teased. Her claws extended, and she drew her hand back.
This was it, then. After all he had endured with Jelani these past months, it finally caught up to him. Daniel would die, here, in his home. And the girls next. That was his biggest regret. His heart ached at the thought …
The woman’s back suddenly arched. Daniel saw Alisha, one arm wrapped around the vampire’s neck, the other with the water gun pressed against her throat.
“You like necks so much, you forgot to protect yours, bitch.” She pumped the water gun, shooting a stream of garlic infused water into the other woman’s neck and the side of her face. The resulting screech was deafening, but it was cut short by Daniel’s silver knife that went into the woman’s ribcage.
Daniel looked down at the knife and at the trembling hand that clutched it. Wen held the knife in place for only a second, then pulled it away and stabbed again. The vampire lurched, gasping. She grabbed Alisha’s arm and squeezed, causing her to cry out and loosen her grip.
The female vampire hurled Alisha over her head as if she were a child. She crashed into the opposite wall and crumbled to the floor. One hand clutching the side of her burned face, the vampire hissed and reached down at Wen, but she had already let go of the silver knife and scooted away.
The vampire turned on her, but Daniel was there. He rained blow after blow of kicks and punches with his good hand, jumping up to knee the woman in the face. The assault would have downed any normal human, but this woman only stumbled under the attacks while still trying to extricate the silver that was burning her insides like acid.
Daniel whipped his leg out and around in a powerful roundhouse kick that buried the silver knife further into the woman’s side. Now fully lodged in her body, the vampire fell to her knees and began to decay.
Wen’s eyes were opened so wide, Daniel thought they would pop out of their sockets. “C’mon babe,” he whispered, trying not to speak too loudly. He needn’t have bothered, for two doors opened, and curious and alarmed neighbors looked out into the hall.
“Everything okay out here?” one man asked. He then looked down at the decaying vampire and his mouth fell open. “What the hell?” He looked from the macabre scene to Daniel. “What—”
A flash of movement and the man was knocked back into his apartment. Another blur of movement knocked Daniel aside on its way down the hall to the second person.
A tall woman with scarlet hair grabbed the unfortunate neighbor by the neck and held her aloft, staring into her eyes. The woman went limp, and the female vampire tossed her back into her room and closed the door.
She spun on Daniel. “You know how much trouble you’ve caused us, you maggot?” She looked past him at the barely conscious Alisha, then at Wen. “I’d stay right were I am if I where you, honey. I’m required to kill you, but my allegiance is conflicted at the moment.” She took a step toward Daniel, then stopped as if remembering something.
“On second thought,” she walked over and grabbed Wen by the throat and lifted her.
“No!” Daniel said. He struggled to his feet and rushed the woman.
The instant he reached her, the redhead snapped her fist out and connected a sideways punch to his stomach. Daniel nearly threw up as he doubled over and fell to his knees. He’d never been hit so hard!
The woman looked down at him, then back at Wen. “Remy is a fool, but somehow he controls the coven; for now.” She tossed her head, red locks swishing. “Probably with the sweet talk of increasing the coven’s status, and the power grab that goes with it. Fools will believe anything if it comes from Peles.” She looked over the trio. “I’m supposed to kill you all, but I am a Hunter, not an assassin or a simple murderer.” She returned her attention to Wen. “I can do something different with you and her,” she nodded at Alisha. “But you,” she looked back down at Daniel, and he saw the contempt on her face. “You have caused us no small amount of trouble. You are a problem I will deal with.”
Daniel struggled to rise, but the woman walked over, Wen still in her grasp, and kicked him in the stomach again. He rolled away, curled into a ball.
She looked at Wen, then at Daniel. “Best say your goodbyes.” When Daniel didn’t speak, the vampire shrugged and looked into Wen’s eyes.
On his hands and knees, helpless, Daniel watched as his fiancée’s eyes glazed over under the weight of the redheaded vampire’s stare. A second later, Wen let out a scream that cut off in her throat, and she went limp.
Daniel growled, climbing to his feet as the woman dropped Wen unceremoniously to the floor. “What …”
“The mind’s ability to remember depends on the importance of the memory; the depth of the imprint that has been left on it.” The woman walked toward him. “Normally, that is.”
“What … what did you do to her?” Daniel finally managed.
She grabbed him by the arm and hoisted him up. His feet barely touched the floor. “In a minute, handsome.”
She half dragged half carried him over to where Alisha stirred. With a wink at Daniel, she dumped him on the floor, then knelt beside Alisha. She lifted the other woman’s chin and looked into her eyes. “I can’t tell you how lucky you are that you haven’t been just a little tiny bit more involved in all this than you have been. So lucky.” A glimmer passed across the vampire’s eyes and Alisha fell unconscious.
She shook her head, using a finger to slide a few stray red locks behind her ear, then turned back to Daniel. “Up we go.” She lifted him none too gently and muscled him to the stairwell. Down nine flights of stairs she dragged him, till the last flight, which she slung him down. It was a painful tumble down those last rows of metal stairs that left Daniel broken and bleeding at the base. Despite the agony, he still struggled to rise.
“You’ve got heart, I’ll give you that much.” She shifted her weight, placing a hand on her hip. “I’m afraid I have to be brief, here, so I’ll give you the abridged situation. Your best friend; wrong place, wrong time. You; wrong friend. Several of our kind are dead because of you, and you’ve had too many direct dealings with us for me to give you a break. Rules are rules, so you die.” She shrugged as if it were just that simple.
“Your girlfriend up there and the other one are more lucky. I have a way with minds, so I cleaned out any memory of you and your friend and this whole thing from her mind; same as the other girl. They’ll remember each other and their lives, for the most part.” She started toward Daniel. “You, on the other hand, no longer exist.”
“Why couldn’t one of you have done this shit from the start?” Daniel growled, talking through the shooting pain in his body.
“Not all are created equal, human. The gift I have is not present in all. If it had been me that your friend had stumbled on that night,” she shrugged nonchalantly, “things might have been different. Life is luck, is it not? You just came up craps.”
Daniel listened in a mental haze. At least two ribs were broken, his wrist was busted, and his right ankle sprained. In his twisted and crumpled position, he had fumbled the small silver blade out of his back pocket and held it behind him. The knife was just long enough that if he could stab her at least once, he might be able to overwhelm her.
“You’re broken up pretty bad,” she said, grabbing him by the arm and lifting him.
“Why not … turn … me?” Daniel gasped, gathering his energy.
“Why the hell would I do that?” She stared at Daniel in irritation. Her scarlet hair was perfectly straight, not a single strand out of place. Despite the contrast of her pale skin, bright red hair and glowing red eyes, she was striking. She would have been all the more entrancing if she were not trying to kill him.
“You know, it amazes me that you humans really believe all those bullshit myths and stories.” She genuinely looked insulted. “Yes, we consume blood for sustenance. Yes, some of the things about our weaknesses are true, and yes most of us have an aversion to sunlight.”
She leaned in closer, impatience clear in her tone. “But contrary to your stupid legends …”
Daniel stabbed out at her ribcage. Her other hand snapped up and caught his wrist. He felt his wrist snap and a fresh burst of pain followed. The little knife fell from his grasp. She let go of his hand and snatched it out of the air before it hit the concrete floor.
“… we don’t need or desire to turn every one of you irritating animals into one of us.”
Burning pain crashed into his chest and Daniel coughed. A crimson stream dribbled from the corner of his mouth. He looked down to see the tiny hilt of his silver knife protruding from his chest. He looked up at her, but only managed a wheeze. Suddenly, the pain in the rest of his body was diminishing.
“Hunters only kill when necessary,” he heard her say. She sounded oddly far away, though she was still right in front of him. “This was necessary. You have the heart of a warrior, though it will cease to beat in a few minutes …” she trailed off and looked up.
“Hmm. Sounds like things are ending. Remy is either gone or, if I’m lucky, dead at the hands of that exotic whatever-she-is, up there.” She looked back at Daniel and clicked her tongue.
“Such a waste.” She dropped him to the ground and stepped over the pool of blood that started to spread beneath him. He heard a loud crash followed by an inhuman roar, and the redheaded vampire cursed and bolted out the door.
