~~~***~~~

The Arcadia Falls Chronicles

Blood Warrior

~~~***~~~

 

 

 

BY

JENNIFER MALONE WRIGHT

 

 

 

Copyright 2014 Jennifer Malone Wright

License Notes

 

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Visit the website of Jennifer Malone Wright

www.jenniferwrightauthor.com

 

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

First and foremost I thank my husband. Trying to raise five children, even together, isn’t easy, but we manage to do it together and support each other in our work. But, when it comes to writing, he is not only supporting my work, but my dream.

I also want to thank my good friends who take part in the creation of these books. Rose, Tracy and Shawn, Kym, and Willow, thank you for always being there for me to run ideas by or simply to support me.

A huge thank you goes out to my street team, I love you Double Trouble team members, especially our hard working team leaders Cheree and Jeni, without whom I would never know what was going on with the team.

And finally, I would like to thank my cover designer Paragraphic Designs and my editor Ink Slasher Editing.

 

 

 

OTHER BOOKS BY JENNIFER MALONE WRIGHT

Keeper vs. Reaper (Graveyard Guardians #1)

Savior (A Higher Collective Novel)

Once Upon a Zombie Apocalypse – Jade (Always free)

Once Upon a Zombie Apocalypse: Episode 2

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Part 1 (Always free)

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 2

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Part 3

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 4

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 5

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 6

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: The Complete Collection

(All six parts a total of 72,000 words)

The Arcadia Falls Chronicles is The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter story continued

Love & War (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 1)

Taking Talon (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 2)

Vampire Apocalypse (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 3)

CONTENTS

 

Arcadia Falls #4 Blood Warrior

 

Excerpt from Savior (A Higher Collective Novel)

 

Other Books by Jennifer Malone Wright

 

About the Author

 

 

 

~~~***~~~

The Arcadia Falls Chronicles

Blood Warrior

~~~***~~~

 

 

 

I was on autopilot now.

Open the door, get out, fight, kill … survive.

I stepped out of the car and a blast of hot, muggy, Louisiana air hit me, causing a sheen of sweat to instantly appear on my skin. The breeze didn’t do anything to help matters, it only made things worse by catching my hair and making it flutter around into my eyes.

My guns were both drawn as I moved out from behind the car door to face the men who awaited us at the bridge. They had blocked the entrance into New Orleans with their trucks and stood in front of the vehicles with their assault rifles aimed at us.

The men were in military uniforms, right down to the Kevlar and flack vests. Dark sunglasses covered their eyes, but the dragon tattoos on their right cheeks stood out, prominently displaying their loyalty to the Vampire Council. I counted eight men in uniforms. There were six of us, but that didn’t mean anything when we were up against assault rifles. It looked like Alice was going to have to do a lot of the heavy lifting for us to get out of this one.

“Set your weapons down and put your hands in the air!” The loudspeaker guy repeated.

I knew better than to look at my comrades, a good Hunter always kept her attention on the target. We had known this was coming long before we arrived, so we were somewhat prepared.

I felt more than saw the shimmering bubble of Alice’s shield silently slip around me. I knew without looking that the shield was large enough to cover the whole group.

Drew and Luke stood to my left and Gavin was directly behind me. Alice, Oscar, Zander and Christina were to our right, having pulled Zander’s truck up on that side of the Escalade. It had been decided ahead of time that none of us were going to part with our weapons. We couldn’t chance losing our only guns since there was no way for us to get any more at the moment.

“Now!” the loudspeaker guy demanded.

None of us complied with his repeated order, so the next order was to his soldiers. “Fire!”

The noise was unbelievable, I’d never in my life heard anything like it except for in the movies. The soldiers pulled the triggers on their weapons and I wanted to cower, but I forced myself to stay put and not to move. I knew everyone else was doing the exact same thing. We had to trust Alice’s shield.

Milliseconds later the rounds silently lodged themselves into the invisible barrier, then dropped down, ending their assault with the pinging sound of metal against pavement.

I stood behind our protective shield, watching the bullets stop mere inches from me and then fall to the ground. Holy crapola, of all the crazy stuff I’d seen and done in my short lifetime, that was the scariest.

“What the hell!” one of the soldiers shouted, obviously confused as to why we were all still standing.

Again, we’d anticipated their moves. We knew that there would be a stall when they realized that their guns couldn’t harm us. Gavin took that as a cue and stretched out his arms, palms facing upward. He closed his eyes and tilted his face to the sky.

Mistaking Gavin’s pose as a gesture of surrender, the soldiers resumed their shooting. These guys were making it blatantly clear that they didn’t want prisoners, they wanted death.

What Gavin was doing, however, was far from surrender. The gently moving waters of the river suddenly began to quake and shift, rising into waves as Gavin’s power took hold.

The soldiers were too intent on us, their targets, to look around them and see what was happening. So they didn’t see the giant waves growing high into air on each side of the bridge.

They continued to shoot at us despite their confusion. “Keep firing,” the loudspeaker guy ordered. The other soldiers glanced at each other, but followed direction.

The shield held, withstanding the force of all the gunfire. I watched the waters rise up into the air and hoped to God that it would continue to hold. I glanced over at Alice and found her standing calmly with her eyes closed, blocking out the world around her so that her concentration wouldn’t be disrupted. If her concentration fell, so would the shield.

The waters around the bridge had finally reached about thirty feet high when Gavin lifted his arms straight up, reaching to the heavens. The huge waves of water suspended there, waiting for Gavin to tell them what to do. Then, grunting like he had been holding all the weight of the water, Gavin swung his arms downward, his whole body lowering into a kneeling position as he did so.

The water crashed down onto the bridge like a tsunami. The soldiers in front of us didn’t suspect a thing as the river water fell onto them with its full weight of thousands of pounds.

A cry of triumph resounded from our small group, myself included. I raised my guns into the air and yelled right along with them as we watched the soldiers disappear into the murky water.

Nothing so magical had ever happened to me as watching all that water hit the shield. It was like being inside of a fish tank. The entire world vanished, aside from what we could see in the bubble. Thank goodness, Alice had included the vehicles within the protection of the shield.

We waited for the area to clear, watching the water slide down the outside of the barrier. The time it took was probably less than one minute in real time, but it felt like freaking forever to me.

Gavin had returned to his normal stance, but was gently moving his hands and forcing the water over the bridge to clear the way.

When the majority of the water was gone, I visually searched every inch of space I could see, hoping that the wave had taken most of the soldiers with it. But, the first sign of life that I saw was an angry soldier trudging toward us. He had no weapon, most likely having lost it when the wave hit.

“Drop the shield,” I ordered.

I heard a sigh of relief as Alice let the shimmering bubble fall, exposing us to the soldier and any others who happened to be out there. For me, there was always a decision when it came to weapons. I had my fire, which was a constant inner force begging to be let out. So, as this man steamrolled toward me, I felt the urge to roast his ass. Instead, I pushed back the fire and raised one of my guns. He was in full military gear with the flack vest and Kevlar helmet, so I aimed for the neck.

Again, the remorse of killing a human being and not a vampire sat heavy in my stomach. I didn’t like this at all, not one little bit. But, like before, this guy was going to kill us if I didn’t do something. Kill … or be killed. That was the bottom line.

“Don’t hesitate, Chloe.” Drew’s words drifted into my ears like whispers on the breeze.

Bang

Of course, I hit him with the first shot. He stalled and then jerked sideways, his hand going to his neck. Blood spewed out from the gunshot wound where I’d hit him. I charged forward, through the inches of water still on the bridge, knowing I had to finish the job. Even worse than shooting a human being, was seeing one suffer from a wound which I’d inflicted.

The soldier had fallen to his knees and his hand was pressed against his neck as if he was trying to keep the blood inside. He appeared to be in so much pain that he didn’t even seem to notice that I was approaching.

As soon as I was within distance I kicked him in the shoulder. He cried out and toppled over onto the wet pavement, causing water to splash up all around him.

Don’t think, Chloe, just do it.

I was on him before he had time to put up any sort of fight. I ripped at the straps of his vest, flipped it up and fired before I could give myself any time to think about what I was doing.

I stood and backed away from the solider. My eyes closed and the bridge seemed to sway under my feet. Suddenly, the snacks I’d had in the car churned within my stomach. “Oh, no,” I whispered, right before the first heave hit me.

I turned to the side and bent over just as the trail mix and jerky made a reappearance. “Dammit.” I clutched my stomach and moaned. I was the worst survivor ever. Getting sick every time I had to kill an enemy just wasn’t going to work in this new world.

I felt a hand come to rest on my shoulder. “You all right?” Drew asked softly.

I nodded and coughed a little, wishing I had some water to swish the nastiness out of my mouth. “Yeah,” I spat on the ground and then wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Unladylike I know, but I wasn’t known for being very ladylike in the first place.

“We have to go,” Drew told me. “We have to get over the bridge before more soldiers come.”

I straightened and then turned to look at him. Our eyes locked and all I could see in those green irises was pity reflecting back at me. I didn’t need his damn pity. The last thing I wanted was anyone feeling sorry for me. “Yeah,” I agreed, “let’s move.” With that, I trudged ahead, leaving him to wonder what in the hell was wrong with me.

The bridge still had at least a good inch of water covering the pavement so I sloshed through it, making my way over to the others. They stood in a half circle, surrounding the military vehicles.

All the soldiers had been washed away with the water, but the vehicles were too heavy for even that amount of water to move.

“I’m gonna have to drive it to get it out of the way.” Zander climbed up onto the truck, opened the door and hopped into the driver seat.

While he fired up the engine, the others and I headed back to our vehicles. I climbed into the back seat of the escalade and buried my face in my hands. I wanted to cry, I wanted to let the tears fall until there were no more left. But, there just wasn’t time for a breakdown like that.

The front passenger door opened and Luke peeked his head in. “Chloe, are you all right?”

I sniffed and pushed some stray hair back over my ear. “I wish everyone would stop asking me that.” I let out a sigh and then whispered, “Yeah, I’m okay.”

He nodded. “You did good honey.”

Yeah right. “That doesn’t make it easier,” I snapped at him.

“Well, it had to be done. You chose you … and us, over the enemy and that is what you should always do.”

This time I nodded. “I know. I just wish we didn’t have to shoot people.”

“I wish the same thing, believe me. This is a first for us too, we have never had to kill humans before the Vampire Apocalypse either. Just remember that.”

Luke settled into the front seat and we watched Zander park the military vehicle, jump out and then hurry back to the driver side of his own truck.

Drew got in to drive the Escalade, casting a quick glance in my direction, probably to make sure I wasn’t still getting sick. Gavin opened the opposite door of the back seat and slid inside, while Alice and Oscar rode with Zander like they had on the way over.

Drew took the lead and maneuvered the Escalade between the military vehicles. While we sped over the bridge, into New Orleans, I considered what my grandfather had said. He was right, everyone else was new at this too. That almost made the feeling even worse. I was the only one who was handling it so poorly and puking every time I had to take out an enemy.

Freaking wonderful.

“You got the maps?” Drew asked, taking his eyes off the road long enough to look over at Luke.

“Yes, they’re right here.” Luke leaned forward and opened the glove box to get out the maps we had picked up along the way. We had realized that none of us knew our way around New Orleans at all and we would need a map in order to find the address Anthony had given us.

Luke unfolded one of the maps, smoothing it out onto his lap. “Let me see the address again.” He reached back, holding his hand out in expectation.

I dug down into my pocket and sifted around until I found the piece of paper the address was written on. I’d folded it up really tiny and shoved it into my jeans so it wouldn’t get lost. “Here.” I extracted the paper and set it into his waiting palm.

By then we were leaving the bridge behind us and heading into a section where all the roads merged and turned different ways. I stared at the crazy twisting knot of pavement and wondered how in the heck anyone ever found their way around in this city.

Luke read Drew the directions and they seemed to have the whole driver/navigator thing going on, so I leaned back into soft leather of the seat and closed my eyes.

After a minute I could feel Gavin staring at me. I didn’t have to open my eyes to feel the burn of his gaze. I knew that he wanted to comfort me and assure me that everything was going to be all right, but that he wouldn’t do it with Drew around.

He needed to rest too, using our gifts took a lot out of us and he had to be as exhausted as I was.

I opened my eyes and discovered that we were in the Garden District. I knew that we were because the houses weren’t houses, most of them were big, beautiful mansions. Even though I really wanted to close my eyes and rest, I couldn’t take my eyes off the amazing historical homes.

The architecture of New Orleans was a lot different than the area where we lived. I’d seen homes that tried to emulate the style, but after getting to see the real thing, I could definitely tell the difference.

“Turn here,” Luke directed Drew, “then take the second left after that.

Drew nodded. “Got it.”

The Escalade rolled down the quiet streets which seemed undisturbed by the destruction of the Vampire Apocalypse. These streets remained clean and beautiful. The yards even appeared as if they had been groomed recently. I felt my head shaking in disbelief. It was so strange to see such a place after witnessing what had happened in our city.

“Up there,” Luke pointed, “I think that’s the address.”

I leaned forward between the seats, trying to get a better look. The house was on a corner, surrounded by an expanse of lawn that had turned brown from lack of water. The lawn itself was surrounded by a tall iron fence which separated the entire lot from the other homes. In the center of this corner lot, sat a white mansion, complete with the large pillars the south is known for..

Drew pulled the Escalade up in front of the closed gate and Zander’s truck, which was considerably louder than the Escalade, came to a stop directly behind us. Everyone opened their doors and stepped out into the street.

I glanced over at Drew and he shrugged. We were faced with a locked gate and two vehicles that we were not about to leave out on the street. “Maybe one of us should hop the fence,” I suggested.

Zander stepped up beside me. “That might be the only option we have.”

“Who’s gonna do it?” Gavin asked.

“I will.” Of course it was Drew who volunteered.

“I’ll go with you,” I told him. “The buddy system, remember.”

He answered with a slight nod and then stepped forward to inspect the fence and look for the best spot to climb over. While he was doing that I turned to the rest of the group. “You guys keep a lookout, it’s pretty dangerous out here on the street. Even though it seems to be quiet, that is actually the part that scares me.”

Alice nodded. “Yeah, it’s too quiet.”

The others nodded in agreement. I looked up and down the street. “Just be careful,” I told them and then turned back to Drew, who was staring at the fence with his usual expression of seriousness.

“I’m going to have to lift you over and then Gavin or Oscar … or both are going to have to help me over. This fence is doing its job of keeping people out, that’s for sure.” He knelt down and clasped his hands together for me to step on.

I raised my eyebrow and couldn’t help my sarcastic reply “Really?”

“What?”

I shook my head. Sometimes I wondered how he could forget the simplest things. “Dhampir, remember.” I backed up until I was a decent distance between myself and the fence. Just a couple of days ago I jumped up onto a bus so this should be easy.

“Chloe,” Drew reached out and grabbed my arm. “If you don’t make it you could impale yourself on one of those posts.” He gestured in the direction of the fence. It was true, each post had a pointy top that with a blunt spike on top.

I patted his hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” I backed up a little bit more until I had enough of a berth between myself and the fence and then I sprinted forward. My body knew on its own when it was time to start the jump. I felt my knees soften and my feet lift up off the ground.

I cleared the fence easily, every time I made a big jump it got easier and easier. Once I was on the other side I turned back to watch Zander and Oscar help lift Drew over. He had to balance until he could get both feet up onto the fence. Each of his shoes were placed in one of the gaps between the spikes. He finally got both feet up there and then jumped down onto the grass.

“Ready?” he asked.

I nodded and then glanced back at the rest of the group. “You guys be careful.” I met my Grandfather’s eyes and smiled. He nodded acknowledgment and offered me a small smile in return.

Everyone we left behind the fence waited in front of the vehicles as Drew and I made our way across the crunchy, dead lawn and up to the house.

The mansion loomed before us. Even though it was painted white, it appeared dark and intimidating. We cautiously ascended the wide stone steps between the pillars, making our way to the massive front door. Drew had his gun out already, while I kept my hand near my holster, ready to draw if anything happened.

I kept darting my eyes back and forth, looking for anything that might be a threat, but the house remained silent. No movement or noise came from inside or anywhere around us.

Anthony knew we were coming, so I sort of expected him to be waiting for us at the front door … or something.

Finally, we stood in front of the door and the only thing left to do was to ring the bell or just open it and go inside. I decided against the latter, since Anthony was supposed to be waiting for us. After casting a quick glance at Drew, who raised his eyebrows in question, I raised my finger and poked the little button for the doorbell.

We heard a muted, ding-dong, echo throughout the interior of the house. After waiting a moment and not hearing any movement within, I poised my finger to ring the bell again. The second my fingertip touched the bell, the door was flung open by an unseen force.

“I assumed you vampire hunters would understand that when the sun is up that is the time a vampire must slumber.”

“Hello Anthony.” I offered the greeting, though apparently he was grouchy from being woken up. I couldn’t see him, he stood far from the door, away from any rays of sunlight that could possibly touch his skin.

“Hello, little Hunter. I see your journey into the city has been successful.”

You think?

“Yes, we made it. Can you open the gate for the others?” I gestured to where the vehicles were waiting on the street. “We need to get those cars out of sight.”

“Of course, and please, come inside, away from the heat.” His voice faded as he moved to wherever it was that the controls for the gate were located.

Before we went inside, we turned and watched the gate roll open, allowing the rest of the group access to the property. Both vehicles drove in and followed the paved driveway around the side of the house. They parked in front of a huge garage that could probably fit five of my Escalades inside.

“Let’s go.” Drew nudged me toward the threshold.

“Don’t you want to wait for the others?” I asked.

“Nah, they will find the way. I’m sweating like crazy, this heat is insane.”

I led the way into the house. He wasn’t the only one who was covered in sweat. My tank top was pretty much saturated.

It was a lot cooler inside the house. Once we entered into the foyer, I could feel the blast of cool air from an air conditioner. It felt amazing. I don’t think I’d ever been so uncomfortably hot in my whole life.

Anthony rounded the corner into the foyer. “Welcome to one of my many homes.” The dark skinned vampire spread his arms wide. “You are welcome to stay for as long as you need or want.”

Drew practically recoiled in response, but let out a small laugh. “Honestly I hope we don’t have to stay that long. Once the others come inside we can do the introductions and get down to business.”

“As you wish, little Hunter.” He executed slight bow in a mocking manner.

I heard the rest of the group on the porch, their footsteps not even attempting to be quiet. I reached over and opened the door before they had a chance to ring the bell.

“Welcome,” Anthony greeted them.

Luke was at the head of the group. He rewarded Anthony with a nod and stepped into the house with his hand extended. “Thank you for this hospitality and your willingness with the mission. We are grateful.”

I flicked a glance at the others. Christina wore a grim expression and had one hand hovering over the handle of her knife. Zander actually had his gun out and resting at his side, but his facial features were more relaxed. That wasn’t unusual for him since he was a more laid back kind of guy.

Alice’s swords were still crossed at her back, but she could use magic for a weapon if she wanted to, the same went for Gavin. Oscar didn’t have a weapon drawn, but his eyes were moving back and forth, looking for more vampires in the shadows.

Everyone here had their reasons for being nervous around the undead and not trusting them at all. As far as Anthony went, I think he was far more nervous than any of us were. He was truly the one putting himself in danger by surrounding himself with Vampire Hunter’s and humans with supernatural abilities.

“It is my pleasure as far as both issues. Now,” he rubbed his hands together, “I have acquired some items for the pantry in anticipation of your arrival.”

Food! Thank God. Getting a good meal these days wasn’t very easy for those not pledged to the Vampire Council. My mouth watered just thinking about meat.

“If you will follow me, we can prepare a meal and as the little hunter has suggested, introduce ourselves and get down to business.” He spun around and stepped out of the foyer, into the main house.

I followed him, with Drew close at my side and the rest of the group tagging along hesitantly. I knew they were uncomfortable, but they were just as hungry as me.

“This is the sitting room,” Anthony described as we passed through a room with delicate Victorian furnishings. “Anyone play?” he pointed at the piano. “I am a fantastic pianist, however, it is always much nicer to listen to someone else play.”

No one answered, so apparently none of us knew how.

“That is a shame.” Anthony shook his head at the lack of answers he received. “And this is one of the restrooms on the main floor if you have the need.”

We traveled down a short narrow hallway which opened up into a very large dining room with a huge dining table at its center. “This is our formal dining room and where we will be taking our meal shortly.”

Then, we followed him through a swinging door which led us into the kitchen. “Normally, I would have someone on staff to prepare the meal, however, help has been somewhat hard to find lately.” He shot me a pointed glance.

Dang, I wish people would stop blaming me for the Vampire Apocalypse? I already felt guilty enough without everybody rubbing it in.

Alice stepped forward and shyly pushed a lock of blonde hair away from her eyes. “I can help with the cooking, if you like.” She was ogling the kitchen, envy bright within her blue eyes. While the appearance was very antique, all the appliances were modern. A large rectangular island took up most of the center of the room, allowing a nice work space that we could all walk around.

“I’ll help too,” Luke volunteered.

Anthony’s lips widened into a smile so broad a bit of his fangs were visible. “Fantastic!” Let me show you where everything is kept.”

The next half an hour or so was spent with prep work. Alice and Luke put everyone to work doing small things like chopping, peeling and washing. The whole time, my stomach grumbled. We were active people. With all the training and physical work, we all needed to eat more to keep up our energy. I was freaking starving.

While we were helping with the food, I introduced the group to Anthony. He appeared to genuinely appreciate meeting them, while at the same time, my friends were more apprehensive about buddying up with a vampire. Christina even went so far as to say, “This better be legit, bloodsucker.”

Most of us were used to her blunt comments, but still, I felt my face flush with embarrassment. “Christina, he has invited us into his home. Keep it to yourself, all right.” She responded with an indignant look in my direction.

By the time everyone was seated around the dining room table, I was practically drooling. I could not have been happier when Alice entered the room carrying a tray with the best looking pot roast I had ever seen in my life. Everyone had already brought in all the side dishes. We had a giant bowl of mashed potatoes, massive amounts of corn on the cob, green beans, and a huge bowl of green salad.

Anthony had gone about setting the table while we were prepping the meal, so there were five tall candles lining the center surrounded by all the food. He had even used some really nice dishes which included two plates and two forks.

Anthony sat at the head of the table, with me directly to his left and Luke to his right. “Now,” he began, “we can enjoy this wonderful meal that everyone has helped to prepare.” Everyone took that as the signal and began serving themselves.

Once we had all eaten enough that we could possibly speak over our chewing, it was time to discuss things. Anthony took initiative and got us started. “I am assuming you will want to begin the hunt for Korina as soon as possible.”

Luke nodded. “You assume correctly. The sooner we can end this, the sooner society can begin to rebuild.”

Drew finished chewing a bite of pot roast and stabbed another one. “If we can get one bloodline eradicated, that only leaves Pavlos and yours, which means far less vampires to deal with than we have now.”

“I have a few ideas on where she might be.” He had eaten his meat and then resorted to pushing his mashed potatoes around on his plate. “I feel the need to inform you, however,” he paused, “New Orleans is a city owned by its people and they aren’t going down without a fight. There is a resistance.”

Christina tilted her head, “You mean the survivors?”

“Indeed.”

Luke leaned back in his chair, “and what do you mean by resistance?”

Anthony met Luke’s eyes as he continued. “The survivors are gathering together, preparing to battle the vampires for New Orleans. As far as I know, there are no other Hunter’s in the area who have yet found the resistance. I’m thinking that these survivors may be of some use to you.”

My plate was empty, so I pushed it a bit further away from myself. “If you know of the survivors and the resistance, then surely the Vampire Council knows about them too.”

“Yes,” Anthony agreed. “Most likely they have discovered these survivors by now. I do not think it will be much longer before the vampires move against them.”

I looked over at Drew and then Luke before speaking up. “I don’t want to use these innocent people as decoys just so we have a better chance of accomplishing our mission.”

Drew placed his hand on my leg. “I don’t think that is what he meant.”

“I don’t care, that is what we would be doing if we ask them to help us.”

“But, the resistance is about getting rid of the vampires, so I think that helping us is what they would want to do,” Drew countered.

“I agree with Drew,” Luke said in a low voice.

Gavin, who was working on his third corn cob, added, “Me too.”

Of course they all thought we should do this, like we didn’t put enough innocent people in danger lately. I exhaled a long breath. “What about the rest of you. Do you all want to find the survivors?”

I was quickly out voted. Everyone nodded their heads and voiced their agreement in favor of Drew and Luke. “All right, I’m with you guys then. But, no one fights who doesn’t want to.”

Luke narrowed his eyes, “Chloe, you should know that we would never make anyone do something they didn’t agree to. Let’s find them first, and then we can see where it goes from there.”

I accepted the fact that it was going to happen. I wasn’t happy about it, but I asked anyway, “Should we go out tonight?”

It was Anthony, not Luke or Drew. “Yes, we can’t waste any more time. Each day that passes the conditions get worse and worse.”

I frowned. “What are the conditions like?”

Anthony leaned back in his chair. “In expectation of your arrival, I have done a bit of reconnaissance throughout the area and discovered quite a few interesting facts.” He paused and there was a stagnant silence as everyone waited for him to let us know what we were going into.

“First of all, the soldiers are thick here in New Orleans. The most obvious reason for this is that even before the Vampire Apocalypse, the city was full of people who were obsessed with the undead, thought they were a vampire, or were simply into the dark and mysterious. These humans found it far more fascinating and … well, safer to join up with the council rather than have to fight for their lives every day.”

Dang. People were flocking to join up with the vampires here, that was encouraging.

“The survivors are congregating in the French Quarter. Thus far, I have only been able to locate them going into the LaLaurie Mansion and the pirate bar.”

Christina rolled her eyes. “Well they aren’t being very secretive are they?”

“No. No, they are not. I was able to spot the humans without seeking them out. It is safe to assume that the Vampire Council will have been watching them for some time now. They are probably waiting for the survivors to get their numbers up before they pursue and attack.”

I nodded, understanding what he was saying. “The more survivors gathered, the bigger the massacre.”

“Precisely,” Anthony agreed.

Luke drew in a deep breath. “All right. This gives us a good idea of where to look for the survivors, anyway. What are your ideas as to where Korina might be?”

“Yes, of course, Korina. She is not active with the Vampire Council, well not that I know of anyway. I investigated her plantation home and there was no sign of her having been there. I found two of her pathetic minions and asked of her whereabouts, either they truly did not know or they lied, however they both insisted that they did not know.”

“Dammit!” Christina slammed her fist into the table. “They’re going to tell her that we’re looking for her.”

Anthony dismissed her with a small wave of his hand. “Truly, I’m wounded, do you honestly think me dense enough to let them live? I took care of them accordingly. Although, finding them leads us to the assumption that she is, indeed, in New Orleans.”

I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, taking in the information. “So, we are still left having to hunt her down.” I sighed with exhaustion. I was so ready for a nap.

“Yes, little Hunter, but that is what you do so well.” I caught the flash of Anthony’s grin as I tilted my head back up. “However, I am here to assist you, which should ease the difficulty of that particular task.”

Another wave of exhaustion washed over me and I yawned, stretching out my arms. “I need to get some sleep before we head out tonight.”

Anthony pushed his chair out and stood, “of course, let me show you to your rooms. They might be a little dusty, but the beds are still comfortable.” He gathered his silverware onto his plate and picked it up. We all followed suit, clearing the table and putting the food away. Then, Anthony led us all upstairs to show us our rooms.

***

The burgundy comforter fluffed up around me like I was laying on top of a cloud. I couldn’t sleep, which was strange for two reasons. One, I was exhausted and two, over time I had learned to sleep whenever I could.

It was the thoughts of possibly being able to end a vampire bloodline that kept me awake. Would it really help? Could we take back society with the one task alone?

There was a light knock on my door and then it opened a crack. “Chloe, you awake?”

I lifted my head off the pile of pillows and looked up at the sound of Drew’s voice. “Yeah, I’m awake. I can’t sleep.”

He slipped inside and shut the door softly behind him. I turned on my side and patted the bed, inviting him to lay down beside me.

“Maybe you would get more sleep if you actually tried taking your clothes off and getting under the covers.”

I smiled. “Oh look at you, trying to get me out of my clothes.”

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You know that is not what I meant?” He slid onto the comforter next to me and wrapped his right arm around me. “Seriously though, you even have your shoes on.”

“I can’t help it. I’m not comfortable here.”

He nuzzled my neck. “I’m surprised you don’t have your holster on too.”

I reached my hand back and slid it under one of the pillows. When I pulled it out I held my forty-five up for him to see, giving it a little wiggle. “I drew the line at wearing the holster, but you can never be too cautious.”

He rolled his eyes and took the weapon out of my hand, rolling over me and sliding it back under my pillow.

“What about you?” I countered, stopping him while his face was directly over mine. “You can’t tell me you’re walking around in jeans and a tee shirt, without a gun.” My hands went around his waist and pulled at his shirt, I felt the gun tucked into the back of his pants and raised my eye brows. “Ah, see! I knew it.”

He tilted his head down until our lips were lightly brushing each other. “Mmmm.” I murmured, lifting my head to bring our lips to full contact. At the same time I reached around and tugged the weapon away from his body.

“What are you doing?” his words were muffled against my lips.

“What do you think I’m doing?” I whispered. We had been together so long now that I didn’t really have much shy girl behavior left when it came to us flirting with each other.

He pushed himself up with both hands until his was hovering over the top of me. Then, his hand slid down, touching the skin where my shirt had ridden up and my jeans had been pulled down a little bit. His fingertips moved downward, tracing over my hip, then my thigh and down the length of my leg, until he reached my calf.

Then he pulled up the cuff of my jeans. “Well, well, well,” He taunted, “What do we have here?” He slid the small blade I had strapped to my calf out of its sheath and held up. The metal glinted in the lamplight for a few seconds before he leaned over and set the knife on the table beside the bed.

I grinned beneath him and tugged the bottom of his plain white tee shirt. He sat up on his knees and finished the job by taking it off himself. I reached up and ran my hands over the hard muscles of his chest and met his gaze as he leaned over me again.

He braced himself with one arm while the other crept down my side, tracing the line of my body all the way down to my jean covered thigh. I sucked in my breath and pulled him further down onto me, wrapping my legs around his waist.

His kiss was slow and familiar. My body relaxed and tensed all at the same time. His kiss was comfort, it was therapy, and it was home. I had lost so much in the last few years, but everything I had now all revolved around him. Drew was my anchor in a seemingly perpetual storm. Even though he knew just how to push my buttons, I couldn’t imagine him not being my first … my only.

But, he was always the one to stop when things got to heavy during our make out sessions. Every time I thought that the time had finally come, he would pull away and make some excuse about it not being the right time.

Now … this time, those soft, familiar kisses became urgent and wanting. He pulled up on my shirt so I happily obliged by reaching down and helping him take it off. Thank god I’d worn my cute black bra with the lacey hot pink trim.

I heard the intake of his breath as he hovered above me. “Chloe,” he ran his fingers softly over my cheek, “you are so beautiful. Not just out here either.” His fingertips trailed down my throat and over my shoulder. “It’s who you are that I love.”

I felt my face flush and reached up to mimic his touches. “I love you too.”

He kissed me again, pressing his body into mine. The top halves of our bodies were skin on skin and still I wanted him to somehow be even closer. We kissed until we were both breathing heavily from lack of air and the rush of adrenaline.

When he pulled away this time, he looked me directly in the eye. “I don’t want to stop. I’ve been stopping for so long. I wanted you to be absolutely sure … are you sure, Chloe?”

Finally. Finally!

I nodded and took his face in my hands. “I have been sure, for a long time now. Don’t you ever think you are taking advantage of me. I am yours. Do you hear me,” I leaned up to give him another kiss, “I am yours.

He fell down onto me, crushing our lips together so that my last words were lost in our kisses.

***

I stared at my face in the mirror above the bathroom sink. I looked the same as I did a few hours ago, but I certainly didn’t feel the same.

It’s so strange how something so very common, that people do every day, can make a person feel so different. The bathroom was still filled with steam from the shower I’d just taken and I had a towel wrapped around my body. Drew had gone back to his room to shower and get ready to head out into the city.

That was another thing. Normally I wasn’t scared at all when we went out on missions, but this time, I was pretty nervous for some reason. That wasn’t good for me. My fire power sometimes acted up when I got scared or anxious. The last thing I needed was to make any mistakes out there.

I had to admit, though, I was curious about these survivors.

I hurried into the bedroom so that I could throw on my jeans and a fresh tank top before meeting everyone downstairs. Through the sheer window coverings I saw that the sun had just slipped behind the trees leaving New Orleans in that space between day and night, the time when the vampires started to come out.

I pleated my hair into two braids and then strapped on all my weapons into their appropriate places. My quiver went onto my back and I set my bow over my shoulder and then I was ready.

Everyone was already downstairs waiting for me. It was a little embarrassing, since usually I was one of the first ones ready to go out on missions.

Anthony was joining us on our trip into the city, so he was also dressed for battle. It was a little strange seeing him with guns and knives decorating his body. I suppose I thought of him as a super powerful vampire, not a guy who needed weapons. He nodded to me as I descended the stairs, “Nice to see you are going to join us, little Hunter.”

I felt the blood rush to my face. I don’t know why I was embarrassed, it was no big deal that I was running late. I guess it just felt like everyone knew what I had been doing a little while ago. I tried to shake it off. It wasn’t like I was wearing a sign or anything. “Sorry, I didn’t wake up on time.”

“All right,” Luke addressed the group as I hit the landing, “Now that Chloe has joined us, are we all set?”

Christina adjusted her holster. “Let’s do this!”

Everyone agreed and headed for the door. I caught sight of Drew and moved toward him, he threw his arm around me as we passed over the threshold and out into the evening heat, which was far more tolerable than it was during the early afternoon hours.

Alice moved ahead of us once we were on the porch. Her blonde ponytail bobbing up and down over the swords at her back. I couldn’t help but be proud of how far she had come since I first met her at Trevor’s. She was a woman who had been unsure of herself, who had lived a dependent life. Now, she was a strong, independent woman who had found a purpose in life. I glanced at Oscar, who was close at her side, and smiled. She had also found someone who truly cared about her. They weren’t super public about their relationship, but we all knew about it anyway.

Drew opened the back door of the Escalade for me and leaned down to give me a quick kiss before I got in. “You ready?” he whispered as he pulled away.

I nodded, taking in every ounce of affection from him. “Of course,” I grinned, “Aren’t I always ready for hunting?” He grinned back at me and then I hopped up onto the soft leather seats.

Gavin slid into the car next to me. His eyes were flicking curiously between Drew and I. When I caught his gaze and our eyes finally locked, I realized that he could see something was different. Most likely it had been Drew who tipped him off, since Drew wasn’t normally a very lovey dovey type of guy.

“What?” I mouthed, to which he responded only with a shake of his head.

I felt bad about Gavin knowing anything about that sort of thing between Drew and I, but he would have to come to terms with it sooner or later, as he did with everything that involved Drew … or me.

He slammed the door and faced forward in the seat so that he wasn’t looking at me. I did the same.

Once we were all loaded into the Escalade and Zanders truck, the gate rolled open and we headed out into the dusk.

As we drove, Anthony passed the time by telling us the intriguing tale of the LaLaurie Mansion.

“For many years, the LaLaurie Mansion has been known as one of New Orleans most haunted homes. It never remained in the hands of one owner for an extended amount of time.

The home was occupied by Dr. and Madame LaLaurie. Madame LaLaurie was one of those women of high social status, but she was also said to be an intelligent and beautiful woman. The house, as you will see is not much to speak of from the outside, in comparison to other Creole homes in this city, however Madame LaLaurie fashioned the interior of the house with the finest of everything.

The couple hosted frequent social gatherings that were the talk of the town. Anyone who came across the couple would describe Madame LaLaurie as a kind and generous host. They appeared to be the upstanding citizens of New Orleans that everyone wanted to be.

Until, whispers began to spread throughout the neighborhood of how Madam LaLaurie may be mistreating her slaves. It had not gone unnoticed that new slaves would arrive, replacing slaves that had not been seen leaving. The final straw came when a young slave girl jumped to her death from the highest floor of the mansion after Madam LaLaurie had furiously chased her throughout the courtyard galleries.

The laws in place prohibited cruel treatment of slaves, thus, after the death of the young girl, the slaves were taken from the LaLauries and auctioned to new owners. This did not deter Madam LaLaurie in the least, she persuaded her family to purchase new slaves, from whom she bought them in secrecy.

The rise of the LaLaurie couple was nearing an end and it finally arrived when a fire broke out in the kitchen, setting the mansion ablaze. It is a common rumor that Madam LaLaurie chained the chef to the stove and that perhaps the man had tolerated the mistreatment for too long. The story tells that it was most likely he who set the fire to the home.”

Anthony paused and stared at the streets ahead of us. “I apologize, I tend to get into the details of a story and lose track of where I was at.

“The fire fighters arrived soon, efficiently dousing the flames. However, they also were the unfortunate souls who discovered the secret room in the attic. A room where experiments were done on human subjects.

Over a dozen bodies were found, as well as various body parts lying carelessly around the cluttered room. Most of the slaves found in the room were long dead, yet a few still held a breath of life in them.

These experiments performed on the slaves were torturous, intended to bring pain and suffering for quite some time. The condition of the bodies found is utterly indescribable, with lips and eyes sewn shut, limbs removed, limbs placed in areas where they weren’t supposed to be … one was even found in a small cage with her limbs broken and reset at odd angles, that one was still alive.

The townspeople went into an uproar and an angry mob formed outside the mansion demanding the couple be hanged or punished for their actions. It wasn’t long after the mob arrived outside the home that the LaLaurie family burst through the gates in a carriage and right through the crowd until it disappeared.”

I raised an eyebrow, “So, the place is haunted by the ghosts of these slaves?”

Anthony turned to me with a curious eye. “Why, little Hunter, are you implying that you do not believe in ghosts?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged, but my mind went right to Sostrate, the warrior woman, even though she insisted that she was not a ghost. “Maybe.”

“In any case,” Anthony continued, screams and moans have always been heard from this house. There were several people who went inside and never came out, there were owners who had all of their things destroyed and the apparitions of slaves wandering the halls have been seen by many occupants over the years.

Since the LaLauries abandoned the home, no one has been able to withstand residing there for very long.”

He smiled, “Oh, I almost forgot, the not so pleasing end to this story is that in a recent remodel of the mansion, bodies were found underneath the floorboards. Scratches and pieces of fingernails were found on the underneath of those particular boards, implying that the bodies had been buried while they were still alive.”

I wanted to vomit. “Why … the hell are we going in there?”

Anthony ignored me. “It is a tragic tale that has become a large piece of the haunted history of New Orleans.”

“Good Lord!” Gavin grimaced, “if it’s that haunted, why would the survivors hole up in there?”

Anthony shrugged. “It is possible they think that is the last place the vampires would look. It is in the French Quarter, perhaps the resistance is taking the ‘they will not look right under their noses’ approach. I would also assume, with the way the mansion is set up, that it would be fortifiable. The survivors would obviously need to be in a place where they can erect a substantial defense.”

I nodded. That made sense. But, from what Anthony told us about the history of the place, I wasn’t sure that I really wanted to go inside.

“New Orleans has a deep history, full of ghost stories and tales of witchcraft.” Anthony stared out the window at the tombs in one of the cemeteries as we passed. “At this moment we are making another chapter in the history books. I intend to record the events for the world to know of later on. In the future, when children go back to school they will learn of the battle for the city … for the world, and they will hear how the Hunters joined with the survivors to fight the vampires. It will be a magnificent story, of that I am positive.”

No one said anything after that, probably because nothing seemed appropriate. What did seem appropriate was leaving the conversation on that note … the one where we succeed.

We parked the cars in a parking garage on the outskirts of the French Quarter, deciding it would be safer and not as noticeable if we went the rest of the way on foot. Nobody spoke as we followed Anthony over the broken sidewalks into the heart of the city.

As we passed the shops, bars and restaurants, I wished that I had been able to see New Orleans before the Vampire Apocalypse. I would have loved to sit at one of the tables outside the Café Du Monde and have their famous beignets and coffee. I wanted to take the tours of the plantations, with their trees draped in Spanish moss and picture perfect beauty. I wanted to eat authentic Cajun food and listen to live music. I wanted peace, I wanted normal, and I wanted a vacation from hunting vampires.

Anthony didn’t always stick to the streets, he took us through several alleyways in order to be more discreet. He led the way, but I brought up the rear, since he and I both had super hearing it just made sense that way.

Just as we were exiting one of the alleys, Anthony stopped short. I heard it at the same time as he did … voices. Anthony held up his hand in a fist, signaling to stop. The group halted between us. I filtered my concentration onto the voices, gradually I heard footsteps and then breathing.

The voices were coming from vampires, not human soldiers. Three of them as far as I could tell. They were headed in our direction and not far away at all. Feminine laughter rung out above the others and then a few male chuckles of lower volume.

My hand went to my holster automatically. I knew what was going to happen, we had a crap ton of human blood pumping through this alley, there was no way that those vamps weren’t going to catch the scent of us.

Closer now, “Wait, do you smell that?”

Crap. Well, there were more of us than them. Should be no problem.

“Yeah,” the feminine voice whispered, “I do.” She inhaled deeply. “There are more than one too.”

“Come on,” one of the other vamps demanded in a low voice.

I nudged Alice, who was in front of me and signaled that they were coming. She reached up and as silently as possible, drew her swords from their sheaths. Her face serious, and a bit scared, she gripped one in each hand, ready for whatever she had to face.

Christina already had a huge knife in her left hand, but the rest of us opted for guns, even Anthony.

“This way,” one of the male voices directed the others.

I was at the rear from where they were coming from, so Anthony was going to have to initiate the kills. I just hoped he wasn’t going to screw us over and would actually do it.

The vampires were silent as they approached the alley, trying to be a quiet as possible so that we wouldn’t hear them coming. Most vampires didn’t assume that two dhampirs and a full blooded vampire would be hanging out with a bunch of humans, and they never expected any of them to be a Hunter.

Anthony pointed his pistol at the opening of the alley, waiting for the enemy to find us.

One of the males was the first to show. He rounded the corner cautiously, but without a weapon that we could see. His blond hair fell down into his face, covering one of his bright blue eyes. The moment those eyes fell onto the humans among us, the one we could still see flickered and turned red. The sign of blood lust.

“Do not move another inch,” Anthony ordered. The barrel of his gun was only about a foot away from the vampire’s heart.

The blond vampire flashed his gaze over the entire group, taking in the details. With the weapons and the mix of humans and vampire, he put it together pretty quickly. He stepped back, slowly raising his hands into the air just as the others entered the alley. “Whoa, hold up, we aren’t going to hurt anyone.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Anthony told him. “You two,” he waved the gun toward the other vampires who had halted abruptly when they saw that their plan had not gone smoothly, “hands up.”

Drew marched forward, a gun gripped in each hand. “I’ll take care of them.”

“Wait,” I hissed, moving around the others until I was next to him. “You can’t. We should try to do this quietly if we can.” I was already fitting the silencer onto my gun.

Too late. The idiot vampires took the moment of distraction and used it to their benefit. Everything happened quickly. The first vampire reached out and grabbed the barrel of Drew’s left gun, pulling him forward and then punching him in the face.

“Son of a bi…” Drew’s curse was cut off by scream of the vampire when Anthony pulled the trigger and shot him in the heart. The vampire released Drew’s weapon, letting it fall to the cement with a dull clatter.

The female vampire screeched and bared her pearly white fangs at us. She was promptly rewarded for this with one of Christina’s knives in her chest. Her screech was cut short when the large blade buried to the hilt in her heart. Only a gurgling sound released as she choked on her own blood. A few crimson drops slid out of her mouth and over her lips. She fell to her knees, her red eyes wide, clutching the handle of the knife with her right hand. Her left hand tried to move up and join the right one, but she didn’t have the strength left.

The other male turned to run, knowing that he was out numbered. His back was a big, easy target. I took the shot at him. He crumpled to his knees and then fell forward onto the filthy pavement of the alleyway. The UV light began to eat at his undead flesh, the glow filtering slowly through his body.

I held my guns at the ready and stood stock still, breathing hard. My adrenaline was pumping so hard at the moment that I couldn’t force myself to put my weapons down.

Drew was at my side, “It’s over,” he whispered.

I released a long breath, trying to calm myself. “For now it is,” I answered. We were in the heart of New Orleans in the middle of the Vampire Apocalypse, this was far from over by any standard.

“Let’s go,” Anthony waved us on.

I moved back to my previous position at the back of the pack where I could hear anything coming at us from behind while Anthony continued to lead us through the French Quarter.

“Over here.” Anthony beckoned us all toward him where we crowded around to hear him whisper. He crouched down and pointed at a building across the street. “That is it, right there.”

The building wasn’t what I’d expected. It a lot plainer than I would have imagined a haunted mansion to be. The gray, three story mansion was set on a corner lot. The gallery, situated on the middle floor, wrapped around the length of the building. Windows … there were a lot of windows. I don’t know how the survivors of the resistance would be able to keep anything a secret in that house with all the stinking windows. This didn’t seem like a very good place for a hideout.

We all crouched down in the shadows and watched the place for a little while. Looking for any signs of life and for the first time I wondered how we were going to approach these people, especially with a vampire in tow.

We sat there in the darkness for over an hour before Zander finally nudged me. “The roof,” he whispered.

Our eyesight was better than the eyesight of a full blooded human, so Zander, Anthony and I could see better in the dark than everyone else. I focused to the roof and saw what he was talking about. A slight movement where the house rounded the corner caught my attention. Yup, there was a sniper up there. Once I was able to really focus on the movement I could see the shadow of a person up there, although I couldn’t tell if they were male or female. What I could see was the length of a rifle held out in front of them and aimed right at us.

It was a wonder they hadn’t shot at us already.

“They know we’re out here,” I whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

Drew cocked his head to the side. “We should probably let them know we have spotted them, a surrender, so to speak.”

“Yes,” Luke nodded, “that would be best.”

“Well, who’s going to do it?” Zander asked. The risk of the situation was crystal clear in his voice.

“I will,” Gavin volunteered, already holstering his gun.

“No,” I told him. “One of us would be better off since we can see what’s going on up there.” Really, I just didn’t want to see him get shot. “I’ll do it.”

“No,” Drew shook his head, “not you.”

I rolled my eyes. Here we go. I sighed and then explained. “I heal fast. If I get shot I can withstand it better than any of you.” Meaning, I probably wouldn’t die.

“Chloe…” Drew and Gavin both muttered in unison

“Guys, I can do it.”

Anthony adjusted his position. “I would volunteer, however, I imagine I would be most likely to be shot.”

I nodded. “We know that, Anthony. I’m going.”

“Chloe,” Gavin set his hand on my shoulder. “You are a better shot than any of us, plus your eye sight is better. That is why you can’t do it, you need to keep your eyes on the guy up there so that if he is going to shoot me, maybe you can get him first.”

I didn’t like this. “I don’t know.”

Finally Christina opened her mouth. “For crying out loud, this is so dumb. I hate it when everyone gets all ‘Ohhhh, we can’t put Chloe at risk’ on us. Someone get your ass out there or I’ll do it. I’m not scared of those idiots. I mean, they are hiding out in plain sight in a freaking haunted mansion. Who does that?” She raised her eyebrows at her own question.

Gavin stood and stripped off his holster, then took off his white tee shirt. I bit my lip when the shirt went over his head. I’d forgotten just how sexy those abs were.

Focus, Chloe, focus!

He shoved his guns into the back of his jeans and twisted the tee shirt around his fist. Then, without a second look back at the rest of us, he strode out into the street.

Immediately, I focused on the rooftop. The shadow trained his weapon onto Gavin the instant he stepped off the sidewalk. I didn’t think my pistol would have the range that the sniper’s rifle would have, so I removed my bow from my shoulders and slid an arrow from the quiver on my back. Still keeping my eyes on the guy, I fit the arrow in place and took aim.

Gavin had made it to the middle center of the street, where he stopped and then spread his arms wide, the signal of ‘look I’m unarmed.’ He gripped the tee shirt in his right hand and waved it around, hoping that whoever was watching would get the idea of what we were doing.

The guy on the roof followed Gavin’s every move and I kept my arrow trained on him.

“Shit,” Zander muttered under his breath from beside me.

“What?” Drew whispered, annoyance thick in his voice.

“There is more than one guy up there.”

I didn’t want to take my aim off the one who had Gavin in his sights. “How many?”

“I can see two more, but I can’t say for sure.”

Anthony rose from his crouched position that we had all assumed. “We are not alone.”

Dammit. We just needed them to know that we were not a threat. I resigned and then also stood. “Let them come. It’s what we wanted.”

“That would be a good decision,” a female voice, with a thick southern accent, called from the darkness. “We have you surrounded, so put your weapons away or on the ground.”

Luke shot a worried glance at Anthony. “Do as she says,” he ordered the rest of us.

I slid the arrow back into my quiver and the bow went back over my shoulder. Didn’t bother me any, I had my fire power. My gaze went to Alice and she nodded, understanding what she needed to do. The shimmer of the protective bubble slid down around us. The only one not within the circumference of the bubble was Gavin, who was now pretty much stuck in the street. He still had his hands spread wide. I guess he thought it safer not to put them down.

From all sides of us, people emerged, creating a circle that got smaller and smaller as they advanced. They all had on dark clothing and carried either rifles or handguns.

It did not make me feel good at all that they were able to trap us this way. One look at Drew and his furrowed brow told me that he thought the same thing. This should not have been able to happen. We screwed up somewhere.

The same woman who had told us to put down our weapons stepped forward, closer to us than the rest of the people who circled us. She raised her rifle and trained it on Anthony. “None of you have the dragon tattoo, yet you travel with this monster?”

Anthony slowly moved his hands upward to show he wasn’t a threat. “I mean you no harm.”

“Right,” she scoffed. “That’s what the Vampire Council says too. But, then they allow their followers to kill or turn anyone they want.”

The woman was very tall and muscular. She wore black cargo pants with a black men’s tank that accentuated the muscles in her back and arms. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a pony tail at the back of her head, but unlike the brown eyes that most people with dark hair had, hers were a bright blue.

Luke, also with his hands slightly raised, spoke for the group. “We are here to help you. It was actually Anthony,” he nodded in our vampire’s direction, “who told us of your whereabouts. If you let us explain, you will not be sorry. We are Vampire Hunters, born and bred for killing the demons who are taking over the world.”

She did not make any move to lower her weapon, but I could tell her curiosity was peaked. “Everyone is a Vampire Hunter now, it’s the freaking Vampire Apocalypse, or didn’t you notice.”

“You misunderstand,” Luke continued. “We have been trained all our lives for this, as our ancestors were before us.”

I could tell that she wanted to know more about us now, but she still would not take her aim off of Anthony. I stepped forward just a tad. “This vampire is with us. It is our life mission … and our instinct to kill the vampires. Trust me, if he wasn’t worth having around, he wouldn’t be here with us. We have vital information about how to bring down an entire bloodline of vampires, but we can’t do it alone, we need your help.”

“Sarah,” one of the guys circling us, whispered. “We have to get out of the street before the patrols come along.”

An expression of sheer annoyance came over her and she lifted the rifle, resting it on her shoulder. “Fine. Come with us, but any of you make a wrong move and I guarantee that you will take a bullet to the head.”

Luke rested his hands at his side. “You have nothing to worry about. We are only here to help.”

She jerked her head toward the house. “We’ll see about that. Come on.”

***

Inside the house was just creepy. I don’t know if it was because Anthony told us all that crap about the history of the house and I was just being paranoid, or if it was actually haunted and I could feel the spirits around me.

Sarah and her buddies, still holding us at gunpoint, led us to some rooms in the house that couldn’t be seen through the windows, which were heavily curtained by the way.

We ended up in a parlor room that housed a large rectangular table. The heavy dark wood of the table top was covered with maps and other papers that appeared to be lists of some sort. “Have a seat.” She indicated the matching chairs. She pulled out the seat at the head of the table and sat down, her rifle still resting on her shoulder.

Once we were all seated, she crossed her legs and propped them up on the surface of the table. “Now, tell me about yourselves, Vampire Hunters.” She directed her question at Luke.

“My name is Lucas Kallistrate, most people call me Luke. This, is my granddaughter, Chloe and the blond one beside her is Drew.” He introduced everyone by name and then leaned forward so he could look her in the eye. “This story may have once been hard to believe, but remember, if there are vampires than surely other beings exist as well.”

She nodded. “Uh huh. Gotcha.”

Luke ignored her sass, which I would be put in my place for immediately if it had been me speaking to him that way. “Many, many generations ago, when the vampires were ravaging the earth. A Warrior Angel was sent down to eradicate the demons which were called vampires. This Warrior Angel met a woman, a beautiful but ruthless woman who was also a warrior. She was more than a fighter though. She was the descendant of a goddess, making her a demi-god. Like the Warrior Angel, her mission was also to dispense the world of the chaos the vampires were creating. These two warriors fell in love and fought the vampires together.

From their union, the blood of angels and gods, a new breed of warrior was born … the Vampire Hunter.”

Sarah was examining her fingernails with an incredulous expression on her face. “You really expect me to believe this?”

Luke shrugged. “How hard can it be, you obviously believe in vampires. Before all this happened, vampires were just a mythological creature, now weren’t they?”

“So, you are descendants of angels and gods?”

“That is correct.” Luke nodded.

“You’re also crazy.” She told him, setting her feet on the floor.

I knew Luke didn’t want to say anything to her about me, but she simply did not want to believe what was right before her eyes and we were going to have to show her.

He continued to explain about the Hunters. “A large majority of the Hunters born into our race are gifted with the ability to access the elements.”

Again her eyebrow lifted, “elements?”

“Show her, Chloe?”

I knew this was coming before he asked so I had already decided what I was going to do. I locked eyes with her when she focused on me and turned my hand so that my palm was up. The fire flowed through me, the heat swirling and building, then suddenly a flick of flame appeared, sitting on my palm as if it were the wick of a candle.

She actually didn’t appear to be phased at all. “I am from New Orleans, I know lots of people who can do tricks like that.

I glanced at Gavin and closed my fist, squeezing the flame until it extinguished. He nodded, knowing instantly what I wanted to do.

My gaze went back to her. This time I pointed my palm at the papers in front of her and threw a tiny fire ball at them. The papers immediately went up in flames.

“Holy crap, my maps!” she shouted and shot to her feet, looking to find something to put out the fire.

“I’ve got it,” Gavin told her in an even voice. His hand went up in the same manner mine had. He focused his eyes on the glass in the center of the table that was about three quarters full of water.

The liquid rose from the glass and sailed over the top of the table until it hovered over the small fire. The beads and droplets merged together and dropped down onto the flames, efficiently putting it out and leaving her map in a charred heap of wet ashes.

“Oh. My. God.” She flopped back into her chair and held her hand to her forehead.

“Believe us now?” I asked her and then cast a smile over to Gavin as a thank you for helping out with the demonstration.

She didn’t answer right away, but after a few seconds she looked up at Luke. “All right, let’s say I do believe you. None of it explains why you are with that.” She pointed at Anthony, who sat near Luke and had wisely kept his mouth shut so far. “As a matter of fact, you being with him tells me completely the opposite of what you are trying to convince me of.”

Drew finally decided to give Luke a break from explaining. “Anthony, is very old and he knows of a way to take out an entire vampire bloodline.” Drew leaned toward Sarah and smiled. Boy, he was laying on the charm pretty thick. “Do you remember those old tales about how if you kill the vampire then all those he created will die too? Well, those are true. And it was Anthony who found the sire of one of the three remaining lines. She is here in New Orleans as we speak.”

Sarah shook her head. “What? Three … where are the, um … sires, of the other bloodlines?”

His eyes didn’t waver from hers as the lie rolled over his lips. “We don’t know where the other two are, only the one. But, taking out even one bloodline can destroy a large quantity of the vampires out there.”

He wasn’t trying to protect Anthony, he was trying to protect me. Since apparently, Trevor was of Anthony’s line, that would make me a decedent of Anthony’s and therefore at risk if Anthony were to die.

If he were to tell the resistance about Anthony being one of the Sires, Sarah would shoot him on site and we couldn’t have that. Nope, not a good idea.

Sarah chewed on her lower lip as she thought about all we had told her. “All right. I don’t see any problem with us helping each other out with a common goal. I suppose, since you told us all about your little organization that we should fill you in on what we are about.”

I could practically feel the tension in the room dissolve as Sarah announced her decision about us.

“But first, I’m putting this right out on the table. I don’t like it at all that he is here.” She pointed at Anthony. Well, at least she didn’t call him it, like she did before. “If he screws up at all, he’s dead, got that?”

Anthony nodded, “I understand. You have nothing to worry about, I am truly here to help.”

“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” Sarah mumbled. She shifted a few papers around on the table before beginning her story. “Our group is much larger than who you see here.” She spread her hands to indicate the others who stood around the room. “Our goal is to become large enough and strong enough to fight the vampires and take our city back. Once we are able to do that, we will move on, taking our people to other cities and helping them to fight.”

I nodded. These were the kind of people I admired. The kind who fought for their lives. This group didn’t just cower in a corner, they didn’t pledge themselves to the vampire council ... they wanted to live and live free. “Well, we’re going to help you. Our first mission is to find Korina.”

Sarah’s eyes flicked between me and Drew and Luke, “I’m sorry, who is Korina?”

“She is the head of the vampire line, the one we are searching for.” I had forgotten that we hadn’t mentioned any names when Drew was explaining before.

“Oh, yes of course.” Sarah nodded. “Anyhow. You are a welcome addition, we are growing, but it is taking time to get the numbers up. A lot of people from the city have already pledged themselves or they are just too afraid to fight. The bastards would rather just hole up and hide from the bloodsuckers.”

She stood. “Come with me, I’ll show you what we have going on here.”

Sarah’s associates with the guns had finally relaxed when she gave her okay about us. Most of them had lowered their weapons, resting them at their sides or putting them away. But, there were a few who held still held their guns at the ready, just in case one of us did something wrong. I was fairly sure that it was Anthony they were most worried about. I didn’t blame them either.

We followed her into the hallway. Two of her guys stayed with us, bringing up the rear of the crowded hall. “Don’t worry about those guys back there. The tall one is Tommy and the other guy is Elliot. They were a couple of the first to be recruited. Found them at their place outside of town. They weren’t even trying to hide from the vampire council, when I drove up they stood right in front of their house aiming their shotguns at the windshield of my truck.” She smiled at the memory. “I knew right from that moment that they would be a good addition for what I wanted to do. I needed people who wanted to fight, not run scared into the swamplands.”

“Hey,” Christina piped up.

Sarah turned only long enough to see who was speaking to her. “Yeah?”

“The topic of conversation has been about why you guys would choose this place as your hideout.”

Sarah stopped and turned toward us. “You know the history of the house?”

Christina nodded. “And I think your bat shit crazy for picking it too. Of all the like … casinos or plantation homes you could have chosen … I don’t get it.”

“This house has withstood so much of New Orleans history, I am determined for it to be a part of the history that is being written right now.”

Dang, Sarah and Anthony should compare notes for their history writing. “But, aren’t you worried about the dangers of being in a haunted house?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No, I grew up in one, like I said before, this is New Orleans.”

I left it at that. They were already here anyway, it’s not like they were going to move locations now.

She swung a door open. “This room is where we have been putting all the weapons we acquire.” The room had rows and rows of neatly hung rifles. Table tops with hand guns, and even another table that held some devices that looked like hand grenades or possibly smoke bombs.

Ammunition was stored on the other side of the room and there was a lot of it. Good, they were going to need a lot.

Sarah closed the door to the room after we all had a chance to peek in. Across the hall she opened another door, inside we found two guys with an ammunition press, making more bullets out of the shells they probably found lying around the city. “This is John and Spike, this is pretty much what they do all day.”

John, a thin guy with messy brown hair and glasses looked up from his work and offered us a wave. Spike, was probably called Spike because of his hair cut. His blond hair was colored with green dye on top and several sections of it had been gelled into spikes. He merely glanced our way and went back to what he was doing.

Sarah cleared her throat to get their attention, “Guys, we have here a bunch of real life Vampire Hunters. They are going to be helping us out for a while.”

“Awesome,” Spike muttered, apparently unimpressed with our Vampire Hunting status. Probably because in the apocalypse, everyone is a Hunter … well, unless you’re the hunted.

Drew stepped forward. “Have you heard of UV bullets?”

“Nah,” John shook his head. “Can’t say I have.”

Drew pulled his gun from his holster and dropped the clip. He extracted one bullet and held it up for John and Spike to look at. “You know how vampires can’t come out into the sun? Well, these rounds are made by our weapons specialist back home. They contain UV light, which is dispensed into the vampire’s body after penetration.”

John took the bullet from Drew, inspecting it as he spoke. “So these are like a vampire going out into the sun, only it eats them from the inside out?”

“Exactly.” Drew nodded.

“This is fantastic.” He threw Spike a questioning glance, “You think we could do this?”

Spike, ever so friendly, still didn’t look up, but answered his buddy. “Maybe, I would have to figure out exactly how to make them and that would take some time.”

Drew put the round back into his clip and slid the clip back into his gun. “I can probably help you. Mind if I come around later and explain how it’s done?”

John bobbed his head up and down in an enthusiastic nod, “Absolutely. Come by anytime.”

Spike just rolled his eyes and kept his mouth shut. Probably best he didn’t say anything since I already wanted to punch him. I got the feeling though, that he was distant with everyone, not just us.

“Let’s move on,” Sarah beckoned us back into the hall. “There are a few other rooms where we work, but the majority of the rooms on the upper levels of the house are bedrooms for the people who stay here. We encourage everyone to stay here if at all possible. The more people who come and go from this place, the more attention is drawn to us. And that is something we don’t need.”

Luke furrowed his brow, “Unfortunately, I am certain the Vampire Council knows of your whereabouts.”

Sarah’s lips thinned into a tight line. “You really think we don’t know that? I know you all probably think we are dumb as rocks for not being more secretive, but if we had centered ourselves in a more remote location, we wouldn’t be able to get as many people to join us as we already have.”

Luke kept his mouth shut and merely nodded.

Sarah opened yet another door. This one led out into the courtyard where we found several people sparring with each other or hitting heavy bags that were attached to the galleries. The courtyard was lit with two gas torches. In the dim light I could see two guys head to head doing pushups. Behind those two, a woman was performing pull-ups on a makeshift pull-up rack.

“This is where we do most of the physical training,” Sarah explained.

I rolled my shoulders. Aside from the fighting, I hadn’t worked out for several days and my body actually ached from the lack of training. A quick glance in Drew’s direction and I saw the same longing look in his eyes as he stared out into the courtyard.

I shook it off. We didn’t have time for that at the moment. I turned to Sarah. “We should go sit down and talk about a plan of action for finding Korina.”

She nodded. “All right. I just have one question.”

I raised my eyebrows in question and she continued. “Are you guys planning on staying here, if you are I will have a few rooms prepped for y’all.”

Nothing creepy had happened since we had come into the house, but that didn’t mean I wanted to spend the night there. I started to shake my head when Anthony spoke up. “We are already situated in my home, we are quite comfortable there at the moment.”

She flashed us a grin and laughed a little. “I figured as much. Come on.” She turned back the way we had come from.

Anthony walked beside her. “If you like, would you consider moving your headquarters over to my home? I have more than enough room to accommodate everyone.”

She eyeballed him. “I don’t trust you enough for that.”

It was Anthony’s turn to laugh a little. “I do not blame you for such feelings.”

We made our way through the house and back to the room with the big table. As we tread quietly through the hallways, every single person in our group kept darting their eyes back and forth, expecting something to jump out and scare them or something. This place was paranoia central, though I admit, I was doing the same thing.

Once we were back in the map room Sarah rested her rifle against the table and leaned back in her chair. “If y’all want a water or a soda, there’s a bunch of it over there.” She pointed to a corner of the room which was occupied by probably twenty cases of soda and way more water than that. “It’s warm, but does the job, all the same.”

We all made a mad dash for the beverages. I chose a water, as did most of the group. The majority of us didn’t drink soda, except on occasion. After that, we all situated ourselves back into the chairs we had occupied when Sarah first led us into the house.

“Now,” Sarah asked. “What does this, Korina, look like.”

 

Anthony reached into his back pocket and withdrew a shiny, black leather wallet. He opened it and pulled a tattered photo from inside. He stared at the photo silently for a moment, a look of sadness clearly written on his face, and then held the photo out to Sarah. “That photo was taken just over a hundred years ago. I am certain she will not have changed much.”

Sarah examined the picture and then handed it to Drew, who inspected it and then handed it to me. I held it in my hands and looked at the woman we were hunting.

The photo was that old time bronze color, faded and scratched in some places. Korina posed for the photo with the posture and bland expression I’d seen in almost every other historical photo I’ve ever laid eyes on. Her dark skin stood out against the crisp white of her dress. The dress had a high neck and tight sleeves trimmed in a loose lace that fell over her wrists. At the center of the neckline was a large cameo brooch. Her hair had been pulled up into a tight knot at the back of her neck and her hands rested softly in her lap. It was her eyes … large brown eyes surrounded by long lashes that really portrayed something about her. Those puppy eyes should have been filled with life, but I could see anger and resentment swirling within them.

“So, you knew her?” Sarah directed her question to Anthony.

He bowed his head slightly in a half nod, “Yes. I knew her for many years. She was not always as she is now. The creature she has become is not the creature I knew when we first met.”

Sarah only tilted her head in response as the picture was passed around the table so everyone could get a good look at her.

“Well,” Luke began, handing the picture back to Anthony, “let’s make a game plan.”

***

The rest of the night was spent talking logistics. Long story short, we were beginning our search for Korina the next evening. Sarah was briefing her people and preparing. We headed back to Anthony’s house shortly before dawn to get some sleep and prepare ourselves.

The moment we stepped out of the LaLaurie Mansion, I felt the tension wither out of my body. It was a crazy feeling, I should have felt safer inside, since it was out in the streets that was supposed to be the dangerous place. Perhaps the spirts had a hold on us even when we couldn’t tell they were there.

Once we were back within the confines of Anthony’s home, I felt even better. We filed into the kitchen where Anthony brought out the makings for a quick meal. After I ate two huge salami and cheese sandwiches, I felt myself begin to fade. I hadn’t gotten much sleep before we went out into the city and it was quickly catching up with me.

I bid everyone a hasty goodnight, gave Drew a quick kiss and then headed to my room. Once I was alone, I stripped off all of my weapons and threw them onto one of the fancy chairs that I’d bet no one ever sat in.

I was so tired that I even contemplated skipping the shower, but the Louisiana heat had me covered in sweat again. I hit the shower long enough to scrub my body and that was it. I threw on a clean tee shirt and sweats then fell into bed, but not before making sure my gun had been tucked safely underneath my pillow.

All the curtains were pulled tightly shut so the room was completely dark. I lay there, on the brink of sleep and only slightly aware of the waking world. I heard the bedroom door open and shut softly and I knew without looking who it was.

He set his gun on the nightstand with a light thunk of metal on wood and then pulled back the comforter. He slid between the sheets then pulled them up again. I felt his arm wrap around my waist, pulling me toward him.

Wordlessly, I lifted my head, letting him slid his arm underneath so that I could use it for a pillow. I snuggled my back into his chest and moved my right hand so that it rested over the top the one he had around my waist.

His chin touched the top of my head and stayed there.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” I responded in a low voice and then squeezed his hand. It wasn’t long at all before the heavy curtain of sleep had me drifting away into my dreams.

***

When I woke, it felt like I hadn’t slept at all. Man, this was not good at all. I needed to be rested and in top condition to be able to fight. Why the heck wasn’t my body cooperating with me these days?

I gently moved Drew’s arm off of me and rubbed my eyes with both hands. I could tell already it was going to be a very long night.

“Morning,” Drew murmured softly, moving his hand to my thigh.

“It’s afternoon,” I corrected him.

He hadn’t even opened his eyes yet, but still responded with a sleepy, “whatever.”

I turned and leaned down so that our lips could meet. He returned my kiss and then rolled onto his back. He still hadn’t opened his eyes. “Come on, it’s time to get up.” I shook his shoulder, making him bounce on the bed a little.

“For once, I don’t want to get up.” He turned over on his other side so that he was facing away from me.

Drew was always up before everyone else. I was an early riser anyway, but he took the gold medal for getting up before the sun. But for the last several months, our schedules had been really crazy and we had been surviving on a few hours of sleep at a time. I didn’t blame him for not wanting to get up.

“Sorry, I wish I could sleep more too.” I lay back down and snuggled into his back. I loved the feel of his skin underneath mine. Briefly, I imagined that the Vampire Apocalypse didn’t exist and that we moved away from Arcadia Falls, just the two of us.

What would we be if we weren’t Hunters? I couldn’t think of anything that I would be good at doing in life. This was what I’d been doing since my mom died when I was fourteen, almost four years.

I’d known Drew that long too. Now, I couldn’t imagine my life without him in it.

I took in air through my nose and let out a long sigh. My world had changed so much since my mother had gone. Mostly, I was in love with hunting and the life that came with it, but there were times when I wished for normal.

I sat up again and flung back the covers. “Come on.” I slapped Drew on the thigh. “We have to get up. And you have to get out of here before someone sees you.

No sooner had it come out of my mouth did we hear a short, barely existent knock on the door. Without waiting for me to answer the door or even call out, the knob turned and the door flew open.

Christina, Zander and Gavin stood in the hallway. Even though we were clothed, I reached down and grabbed the edge of the comforter, yanking it up over us. The move made us look totally guilty, like we were doing something we weren’t supposed to be doing.

“Oh. My. God.” Christina covered her mouth and laughed. “Sorry!”

“It’s not what it looks like,” I muttered. “Now, go away.”

Gavin’s warm green eyes narrowed into an angry glare and without a word, he turned around and stalked away from the doorway.

“Crap.” I flung the covers off of myself so that I could get up.

“Ah! Blood related!” Zander’s hands flew to his eyes so that he could cover them and avoid seeing is non-existent naked sister.

“I’m dressed, you idiot!” I yelled. “Now will you two get the hell out of here?” I picked up a pillow and chucked it toward him. For a girl who never misses with a gun, the pillow totally went off course and nailed Christina hard in the face.

“Dang, Chloe, defensive much?” She picked up the pillow from where it fell on the ground and flung it back at me.

Zander had a grin spread across his face. “Look Drew, pillow fight. It’s a man’s dream come true.”

“Go away,” Drew told him in a sleepy voice.

“Fine, we’re going,” Zander told him. “We just wanted to let you guys know that we are eating in about ten minutes and then we are heading out. We were headed to your room next.”

“We’ll be there.” I marched over to the door and closed it in their faces.

Once Drew and I were alone again he pushed the covers back and finally got out of bed. “Sometimes living with so many people is a real pain in the ass.”

I nodded in agreement. “You better go get ready, apparently we’re running late.”

He grabbed his gun off the night stand. “Someday we will get to lay in bed together and not have to worry about all of this.”

“I know,” I whispered as he opened the door and stepped out into the hall. “See you down there.”

He shut the door behind him and I turned toward the bed, pulling up the covers and making it up like it was before I’d gotten into it. His comment about someday not having to worry about stuff like this had me wondering if he was thinking about the same things as I had been earlier.

Oh well, it wasn’t like we could worry about that kind of stuff right now anyway. First things first … we had to stop this damn apocalypse.

Since I didn’t have time for yet another shower, I hurried with my clothes and weapons, and then headed down to the kitchen. I could skip the shower, but not the food.

Anthony had made a nice spread of bacon, sausage, eggs, hash browns, toast and fresh fruit. There was no way we could say that Anthony wasn’t being a perfect host, eating at his place was like eating at a restaurant every day.

I entered the kitchen and received a wink from Christina. Zander looked like he wanted to laugh at me. Gavin set his angry glare on me and kept it there, no matter where I moved in the room.

Talk about uncomfortable. None of them were doing this to Drew, why were they picking on me?

Drew leaned over in his seat and whispered, “Because you’re an easy target.”

I furrowed my brow. “How did you know I was thinking that?” I whispered.

“I know you.” He shoved a piece of bacon in his mouth. “Ignore them, act like it doesn’t bother you and they will lose interest.”

I glanced at Gavin. “Not everyone.”

Drew shrugged like he didn’t care. I was pretty sure he really didn’t, though. Those two had been going at it practically since birth and I didn’t foresee that ending anytime soon. I, on the other hand, did care. I cared a lot. I didn’t want Gavin to be unhappy. I just wished that he would find someone for himself that he liked as much as he liked me.

Our connection was a strange one. I can’t even describe the way I feel when it comes to Gavin. I love him, but not love, love. With Gavin, it just feels like we know each other inside and out. I wanted him in my life, but at the same time it’s weird when he does things like glare at me because of my relationship with Drew.

Lately we had this unspoken agreement going on where he just deals with it and I try not to flaunt it around in front of him. I guess that agreement was no longer active.

Ugh. Oh well. No more feeling sorry for myself, it was time to go walk the streets of New Orleans and kill us some vampires.

***

We met Sarah outside the mansion on Royal Street. She had about ten people with her, both males and females, who were all dressed in black clothing or dark camouflage. I had to agree, these were the best kinds of clothes. My own outfit consisted of black cargo pants, black long sleeved tee, even though it was freaking hotter than Hades outside, and my black combat boots.

Cliché, I realize, but I know I looked super cute and if Christina ever taught me anything it is that you can be a good fighter, but if you look good while you’re doing it, that makes it epic.

Really though, I just wanted to look good for Drew, I didn’t care about any of that other stuff. I was excited to get out there and whomp on some vampires too. I had a lot of frustration I needed to get out.

Both groups silently merged and we began to search the streets.

Together we had a lot of people, so I wasn’t really afraid of anything happening to any of us, I think the sheer number of our group gave me, and everyone else, a false sense of security. It had only been about ten minutes into our search when we were ambushed by soldiers pledged to the Vampire Council.

I crept along the cracked and broken sidewalks quietly, keeping my ears open for any sign of danger. I was near the rear of the pack and it wasn’t easy listening for other footsteps with nearly twenty people creeping along beside me.

We passed an alley and after a quick inspection of it, we moved on. We had been sticking to the sidewalks, close to the walls where we were underneath the galleries and safe from overhead attacks. But, even those precautionary measures didn’t stop the attack.

Behind me lingered two of Sarah’s men. One guy’s name was Travis and I couldn’t remember the name of the other one. After we passed the alley a gunshot sounded from behind me, followed by an ear piercing scream. I spun, guns up and at the ready, just in time to see the guys whose name I couldn’t remember, pushed back by the impact of the bullet.

Instead of running to his friend, Travis headed for the alley, where the shot had come from. I followed Travis, passing him just as we hit the opening. Two soldiers were bolting for the other end of the alley.

Nice, their plan was to pick us off one by one. Awesome.

I picked up speed, determined to catch them before they got too far away. I heard the sound of more boots hitting the pavement behind me and I knew a few of the others had followed. It didn’t take long for me to catch them. I was not quite vampire fast, but faster than a full blooded human.

I rammed into one of the soldiers backs at full force. His gun flew out of his grip and his knees went out from underneath him, taking us both down to the ground. Mid-fall, I swung the gun in my left hand up and over. Honestly, I didn’t think it would work, but I managed to nail the other guy in the back of the neck.

By the time we hit the ground, someone had already shot the soldier I’d hit with my gun. The one beneath me grabbed hold of my arm and rolled me over until he was on top of me. The rough pavement scraped against my skin and I dropped the gun in my right hand.

The soldier grunted as he easily pinned me beneath him. One of his hands pushed down into my left bicep and the other slid up to the base of my throat and squeezed.

I looked into the man’s eyes as he choked me and saw that he was enjoying it. Below his eye, his dragon tattoo stretched as a smile spread across his face. This just pissed me off even more.

I wasn’t scared. That’s the thing with knowing you have your own back up. I let the heat swirl inside of me and then pushed it outward. I couldn’t wait to see this jerk off go up in flames. If it wasn’t me who he killed, it would have been someone else that he got his murderous jollies from. This wasn’t a guy who was forced into what he was doing, he did it because he wanted to.

Whoosh.

Not just my hand, but my whole body erupted. The soldier screamed, practically flying backward as he tried to get away from me. He stumbled on a chunk of raised cement, landing on his back.

Whoever was behind me in the alley now had a clear shot and took it. The bullet hit him in the head and he dropped the rest of the way to the ground, a splatter of blood following him down.

I closed my eyes and extinguished myself.

“What in the hell was that?” Travis stood about six feet away, mouth open and eyes wide with shock.

Drew, Gavin and Christina stood beside him and the others from the group were lingering at the opening of the alley.

I turned away, leaving him to stare at me with his mouth hanging open, and snatched my gun up from the alley floor. “I can light myself on fire,” I told him. “Thanks for that.” I indicated the dead soldiers and then dusted off my jeans. “Let’s move, these can’t be the only ones waiting for us.”

Travis shut his mouth, but followed along after me. He probably didn’t even know how to start that conversation and I didn’t offer any more explanation for him.

Within two hours, we had three more incidents involving soldiers and two fights with vampires. Luckily, we didn’t lose anyone else.

Sarah had decided to leave the guy who died earlier where he was. She was going to come back later in the daytime with a crew and then give him a burial. “We are going to take him out to the swamp. It’s where he’s from and where he would like to be laid to rest,” she explained. “I feel bad leaving him, but we can’t stop a mission every time we lose someone.”

I understood that. This was war and casualties were a part of war. At least she was going to come back and get him. I admired her for wanting to give him what he wanted in death, while trying to give life to the rest of the world.

Before I knew it, we were hunched over across the street from the Le Pavillon Hotel. The Vampire Council had set up shop in the historical building which sat on the outskirts of the French Quarter.

The hotel was well lit and had plenty of traffic. Vampires, soldiers and the pledged could all be seen entering and exiting the building.

I sat crouched against the shadows, holding both my guns, ready to fire if I had to, when suddenly a shiny black limousine pulled up to the front entrance. I turned to Drew who was directly to my right and made a face that clearly said “what the heck?’

He shrugged that he didn’t know and faced the hotel again to see who in the world would be arriving at the Vampire Council headquarters in a freaking limo.

The driver slid out from behind the wheel. When he turned toward us, I saw his dragon tattoo clearly illuminated in the light of the gas torches. He rounded the car to the side facing the hotel and leaned down to open the door. He rose, grasping the delicate hand of a pale blonde woman, who was dressed in a pin-up style pencil dress.

I’d know that pasty skin and shimmering mane anywhere. Dahlia.

Her hair fell over her bare shoulder, the tendrils standing out against the black of her dress. The driver released her hand and she wiped it on her skirt as if he had a severe case of cooties and she didn’t want to catch it.

“This is either really lucky or just a big pain in our asses,” Drew whispered.

As if she had heard him, Dahlia’s back straightened and tilted her head to the side. We all crouched lower, waiting for her to spot us as she turned and scanned the general area we were hiding in.

After a moment, she shook her head as if she may have imagined something and carefully ascended the steps into the lobby of the hotel.

“Let’s go,” Luke whispered. “It’s too dangerous here right now.”

We followed along with Sarah and Anthony leading the way again. I didn’t pay attention to where we were going because I was too shocked to really care. Dude, Dahlia being here was a total game changer. Sure, I still wanted to find Korina, but killing Dahlia was really, really high on my to-do list.

Before I realized it, we had walked several blocks and were at a park that was situated along the river. The nasty brown Mississippi didn’t look quite so ugly at night. The moon provided a gentle glow that rested lightly upon the slowly moving waters.

We gathered close to the water and Anthony pointed at a docked river boat. It was the kind of vessel that I’d only seen in pictures and movies. The interior of the boat was lit up and I spotted a few slight movements from the inside.

“That river boat,” Anthony began, “belongs to Korina. It is one of her financial endeavors that she has acquired over the years.”

Luke squinted his eyes. “Financial endeavors?”

Anthony nodded. “We vampires also have need for currency, which means that we must have businesses and investments. Korina purchased this river boat for exactly those purposes. People were hired to run the business so that she did not need to do it. The manager does all the work and deposits the profits into an account for her every month.”

On closer inspection, I could see the words “Korina Korina” scrawled on the back. Yup, that was definitely her boat. “Do you think she’s there?” I wondered aloud.

“It is possible,” Anthony replied, also staring out over the waters. “Absolutely worth investigating.”

I adjusted my bow over my shoulder. “Well, let’s do it. We are running out of time.”

As a group we trekked down to the dock, creeping quietly over the wooden structure and hoping that none of the boards would creak beneath our feet.

Surprisingly, no one was guarding the river boat. I suppose that was the difference between Korina and the Vampire Council, she wasn’t worried about the humans, she was just living her life.

We had divided into teams of three as we boarded. I was with Drew and Luke. Anthony had been teamed with Gavin and Sarah. It was strange because I’d originally thought that we were going to have a problem between Anthony and Sarah, but they seemed to really be getting along good.

Drew, Luke and I rounded deck of the boat, glancing in the windows as we passed them. Near the other end of the vessel we finally found signs of life on the inside. I leaned up against one of the panels between the windows so that I could peek in.

Two vampires sat on a Victorian era couch, near a bar that ran the width of the interior. Both were men and each of them held a drink in their hand. They both had on slacks and white button up shirts. One of them had a blazer on over the shirt, but his tie was loose, like a business man who was relaxing after a hard day at the office.

I glanced up at Drew, who was looking in from the other side of the window. He pointed his gun toward the vampires and then held the forefinger of his free hand to his lips to signal that we proceed in silence.

We moved on, finding the entrance just around the corner. I closed my eyes, then opened them again and pushed open the swinging door as quietly as I possibly could.

Neither of the vampires noticed us enter, they were deep in conversation about which was better, the blood of human males or females.

Yeah, I wanted to vomit.

As luck would have it, when we entered, we came in behind them. As I carefully stepped toward them with Drew and Luke on either side of me, I tightened my grip on my gun. We made it to the back of the couch and that was when one of them finally sensed us.

“You smell that?” no jacket asked the other one.

The vamp with the jacket raised his nose to the air and sniffed. “Humans … and they are very…”

Before he could get another word in, I cut off his sentence by jumping up over the back of the couch and wrapping my arm around his neck in a headlock. Drew’s action was synchronized with mine. The barrels of both our guns were pressed against each of their heads.

“These bullets have rounds of UV light in them,” I hissed. “If you make a move, I am going to pump you full of it. Got it?”

Each of the vampire’s sat unmoving, except to speak. “What is it that you want?” the one I held onto asked in a low voice.

Luke stepped in front of them, both his guns trained onto their hearts. “Is a woman named Korina on this boat?”

No jacket, whom Drew held down, bared his fangs and let out a low growl. “Why would we tell you that?”

Luke nodded. “So she is, then.”

No jacket shook his head. “I didn’t say that.”

“No, but you also did not say that she wasn’t. You also could have denied knowing what I speak of at all. You chose your words wrong.”

No jacket threw the f-bomb around in a couple of creative ways and then struggled against Drew. Obviously, vampires are much stronger, so when the vamp reached up and grabbed Drew by the shirt and flipped him over the top of the couch, Drew fired. A loud crack echoed throughout the cabin and the bullet lodged into the vampire’s forehead. No jacket slumped back into the couch, bleeding from the hole in his head as the UV light started to eat his brains away.

Drew had landed on the delicate coffee table in front of the couch. His body fell into it with so much force that the table splintered and broke in half.

“You all right?” I asked him.

He groaned and picked himself up from the remains of the broken table. “Yeah, but that gun shot just told everyone on this boat we are in here.” He brushed at his jeans.

He was right, we didn’t have much time now and we were so close to Korina. I tightened my grip on my gun, pressing the barrel even harder into the side of the vampires head. “Tell us where she is, right now!”

He just spread his lips into a grin and rolled his eyes up toward Luke. “I will never tell you.”

Luke sighed and turned, he paced the length of the couch a couple of times before he turned back, raised his gun and pulled the trigger. His round hit the vampire in the knee cap.

“Son of a bit…”

“Where is she?” Luke yelled.”

“Up yours,” the vampire yelled back, and he was promptly rewarded for his good behavior by Luke shooting him in his foot.

“You’re insane!” the vampire screamed.

Luke raised his eyebrows and flashed the vamp his own grin. “Maybe, now you will tell me where she is.”

I was totally in shock. I had never, ever seen Luke act this way. He was a good Hunter, for sure, but I never thought I would see him basically torture someone. I couldn’t decide if I liked it or if it scared me.

This time the vampire got creative with his answer and spit across the table in Luke’s direction, to which Luke shot him in the other knee cap and then stared up into the air as if he were bored. “I can do this all day,” he told the vampire, “but you, on the other hand, this UV light in these rounds is going to kill you pretty soon anyway, so you may as well end your life by doing something for the greater good and tell us where Korina is.”

A few of Sarah’s people, as well as Oscar and Alice, came running into the cabin. “What the hell is going on here?” Oscar demanded. “You guys all right?”

“We’re fine,” Luke told him. “But, this guy isn’t.”

“Screw off!”

Just then, Sarah and her team burst in. “I heard shots,” she hollered, then took a moment to assess the situation. “We didn’t find anything in our area, but it looks like you may have something.”

Luke glared at the vampire. “Yes, we have, but persuading him to talk is another story.”

Oscar stepped forward, brushing his blond hair out of his eyes. “I’ll do it.”

With a click, Luke dropped his clip, pulled a new one from his back pocket and slammed it up into the gun. “You sure?”

Oscar nodded, “It’ll work.” He moved slowly toward the vampire. “Tell us where Korina is.” His voice was soft and gentle, like the soothing waves of a surf rolling up a beach.

The vampire squirmed under my grasp and tried to turn his head to the side. “Stop it,” he moaned.

Sarah moved around the couch until she was next to me. I still had him in a firm headlock, ready to fire if things went bad. “What is he doing?” she whispered.

“Oscar is a Siren.”

I glanced over at her and saw that she was looking at me with question in her eyes. So I explained. “When he speaks, he can sorta hypnotize people and make them do things.”

She raised her eyebrows. “It doesn’t seem to be working on this one.”

I shrugged. “It might be because he’s a vampire. The structure of his brain may not be like humans.”

“Tell me where to find Korina,” Oscar tried again.

Again, he struggled against me as he consciously fought the pull of Oscar’s voice. “She is … she…”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “I don’t think it’s going to work. Maybe we should just shoot him again.”

“There shall be no need for that,” a feminine voice called from the entrance.

The entire group spun, guns up and trigger fingers ready.

There she was.

Somehow, I expected Korina to look like she had in the photo. But, I guess that I didn’t account for vampires changing with the eras. Instead of a crisp white gown, she wore blue jeans and a white camisole tank top. Outside her jeans were knee length, flat soled boots made of fashionable black leather. Her curly hair was much longer than I thought it would be, it hung down her back, in shining, dark brown waves.

Aside from her looks, none of us could help but notice that her right hand was tightly gripping my brother, Zander’s hair. “Step away from my associate,” she ordered.

I contemplated for only a second. I didn’t want the guy to get up, but he’d been shot by the UV so many times it was already eating him away. It wouldn’t be much longer until he was dead anyway, so, I released him.

I rose into full standing position, and trained my gun on Korina’s heart. I could probably hit her before she hurt Zander, but that would really be taking a chance.

Her eyes settled on me. “Go ahead,” she taunted. “Shoot me and your friend shall die.”

Zander met my eyes and saw my hesitation so he cried out. “For crying out loud, do it, Chloe!”

She moved Zander so that he was in front of her, efficiently covering her chest area. “Yes, Chloe, do it. I can snap his neck before I die, I guarantee it.”

I still hesitated. I knew Zander was willing to sacrifice himself, but that didn’t mean I wanted to be the one responsible, I was already responsible for enough death and destruction.

Korina’s big brown eyes scanned the room and finally she spotted Anthony among us. “Well, well, well, I suppose I should be surprised to see you here, but I am not.”

Anthony moved toward her. “Korina, let the boy go.”

Her lips spread into a thin smile and she shook her head. “Have you no courtesy, Anthony? You haven’t even said hello to me. After all this time, I would think that you have missed me even the tiniest bit.”

“Let him go and then we can talk.” Anthony ignored her taunting.

She shook her head again. “I do not think so. I know why you are here, why you are looking for me. So, no, I will not release this boy. She used her free hand to tilt Zander’s face up toward her so that she could look at his face. “As a matter of fact, I think that maybe I will keep him.”

Anthony took another testing step forward. She saw him advancing on her and moved backward with Zander.

“I’m not anyone’s pet,” Zander spat at her.

She ran her fingertips over the line of his neck. “We shall see about that,” she whispered and then turned her attention back to Anthony. “I am quite disappointed in you. I would think you so much better than consorting with such pathetic creatures. Truly, Anthony, humans? This is what you have lowered yourself to?”

Realizing that she had no intention of releasing Zander, I decided that I should probably chance shooting her. It looked like that was the only option. I breathed out slowly, and aimed at Korina’s head.

Zander saw what I was doing and closed his eyes. I could only thank God that Christina wasn’t in the room yet, she would have went after him and done everything she could to avoid this. Where was she anyway?

“I shall be leaving New Orleans now, so don’t bother continuing your search for me after I leave here. She backed out the door. We followed, the entire group moved as one, stepping forward slowly. “My bloodline shall never perish, I have worked too hard for centuries to build such a family.”

“We shall find you,” Anthony told her.

Shoot Chloe! Shoot her! I told myself, over and over again. She is going to get away.

“Oh hell, no,” Drew muttered. “We have lost too much to let her get away now.” He raised his gun and took aim.

“Drew, no,” I whispered. “Let me.” He knew I had the better shot. But, dammit, I had to take it soon or we were going to lose him.

She continued to back up and Drew nodded. “Last chance, Chloe, then I’m doing it.”

“Tell your friends goodbye,” Korina told Zander, her lips close to his ear. “It will be a…” Her sentence was cut off and she lurched forward, almost letting go of Zander.

Behind her, about six feet down the deck, Christina stood with an expression fiercer than I’d ever seen on her. She threw another knife, which lodged itself deep in Korina’s back. “You take your hands off of him!” Christina yelled holding another large knife.

Korina didn’t turn around, she still faced us and even though she had two knives sticking out of her back, she smiled. “Missed the vital organs, honey. You are going to have to do much better than that, if you want to kill me.” And then, without warning, she lifted Zander into the air and jumped over the side of the deck with him wrapped in her arms.

We all ran forward as we heard the splash. Everyone leaned over the railing, searching for any sign of them. I held my gun out, wanting to fire, but not wanting to hit Zander in the process.

Everyone in my group had the same thoughts as me, but Sarah, now that was a different story. She didn’t know Zander and her only mission was to stop this freaking apocalypse.

“Screw this,” she growled and then fired her rifle into the water. The rest of her group followed suit and began peppering the river below us with bullets.

Oh, please God, let him be all right.

“Let’s go!” Christina screamed, running down the deck, toward the dock. “We have to find him.”

I stayed where I was for a moment, trying to get a focus on the water. Anthony stayed with me while everyone else followed Christina. Nothing. The water was still moving from the spray of ammunition so it was hard to tell if there was any movement underneath.

“There,” Anthony whispered, pointing at the bank of the river, a good distance away from us. The shadowy form of a woman was dragging Zanders limp body from the confines of the Mississippi. I couldn’t tell how far it was, but she definitely had a good head start.

I fired a couple of shots in their general direction, but it was too dark, even for my eyes, since I couldn’t really judge the distance. I was also still afraid of hitting Zander.

“Let’s go. We have to tell the others.” I bolted down the deck and then jumped over as soon as I got close enough to the dock. Anthony followed right behind me. Man, it was actually nice having someone around who could keep up with me.

We caught up with the group in no time at all. “This way,” I called as Anthony and I plowed our way through the mass of people. “They went this way.”

The others picked up their speed and followed us back into the city, toward the French Quarter, once again.

Korina had lifted Zander into her arms and sped off. She knew we were not far behind her, but even carrying Zander, she was really freaking fast. She rounded into an alleyway at the same time I heard several guns go off at once.

The gunshots came from behind us and I didn’t know if they were from our group or from soldiers. Then shouting, followed the gunshots, and more firing.

Oh, my God, someone was being massacred, I just didn’t know if it was our guys or the bad guys. Oh, my God.

I looked over at Anthony as we rounded the same corner that Korina had. He shook his head slightly and I knew that finding Korina was the priority. Killing her would help end this. But, I wanted to know everyone was all right.

This was indeed, a war, and there were going to be casualties. I just didn’t want them to be any of the people I loved.

With shouting and gunshots firing in the distance, we found Korina had cornered herself into the alleyway. There was no way out of this one, the buildings surrounding us were two stories high, too far for her to jump it.

Her hair was damp and dangling into her face and her eyes were wide, since she knew she had made a mistake. She had dropped Zander to the ground where he lay unconscious. Her stance was that of attack, arms slightly raised, fingers spread like they were claws and her legs bent at the knee.

“It’s time to go, Korina.” Anthony aimed his gun at her. But, like me, he hesitated and she took advantage. With a sudden burst of speed, she bolted forward and knocked him to the ground. Anthony grunted and rolled so that he was on top. Which was stupid because with him on top I was unable to get a shot at her without hitting him.

I threw a glance over at Zander, he still hadn’t moved or made a sound. Dammit. I wish he would wake up.

Anthony and Korina continued to roll around on the filthy cement, trying to choke each other. Both of them were doing whatever they could to take out the other one. Outside the alley I heard footsteps thundering toward us … a lot of footsteps.

Crap.

Vampire Council soldiers thundered into the alley with their guns raised. I just knew they were going to fire before assessing the surroundings. So I pulled all the energy inside of me and forced it outward.

Flames burst forth from my arms. I swirled them in the shape of a rainbow and then pushed even more, forcing the fire outward, toward the soldiers. Their screams were ear piercing. I couldn’t see them, but I could hear them screaming in pain as the fire scorched their skin and burned away their clothing. Some of them involuntarily fired their weapons and miraculously they somehow missed me.

I didn’t let up on my fire, I kept it going and moved forward slowly, a step at a time.

“Chloe!” I heard Drew’s voice on the other side of the fire. “Put it out, they’re down.”

Drew, thank God, he was all right.

I extinguished the fire quickly, but there were still flames flickering in front of me. I blinked a few times, wondering what the heck was happening and then realized that I’d been too close to the building and now it was on fire.

Damn old wooden structures. I turned back toward Anthony and Korina, there was nothing I could do now, even though the fire seemed to be spreading quickly.

Drew appeared at my side. “You didn’t have to set that on fire, you know.”

I made a face that said ‘ha ha, very funny’ but only muttered, “Smart ass,” as a response. The soldiers who were left had either crawled away or lay dead on the alley floor. Anthony and Korina were still going at it too.

I raised my gun, attempting once again to get a bead on Korina. Vampires were fast, and I fought vampires all the time, but two fighting vampires was like trying to watch a movie in fast forward. I’d never seen anything like it.

Gavin, Christina and Luke thundered into the alley behind us. “Hey,” I turned to them, not wanting to take my eyes off Korina and Anthony. “Is everyone all right. I heard so many screams.”

Luke was breathing hard and trying to catch his breath. “The screaming was the other guy. We did lose a few of Sarah’s people, but Alice had us protected.”

Just then, Christina spotted Zander. “Oh my God. No!” She ran to him and fell to her knees beside him. “No, no, no.” She repeated over and over again, pulling his head into her lap.

Grunts and curses came from Anthony and Korina. They had moved into a standing position and Anthony had her up against a wall, holding her secure by the neck. “Stop fighting me, Korina, you are not going to survive this, look around you.”

She didn’t care what he had to say, she just kept on struggling against him as she tried to free herself from his grasp. I realized that in the position they were in now, I could get a clear shot, so I took aim at her chest region and pulled the trigger.

Nothing.

Crap, I was out of ammo. I didn’t have time to check my clips and reload, so I pulled the bow over my head and nocked an arrow.

The fire picked up momentum, spreading from one building to the next. Great, that was all we needed was to cause yet another fire in New Orleans that would make history by burning the French Quarter to the ground. I glanced at the fire and then at Gavin. “Do you think you can put this out?”

“No problem.” He nodded as I drew back my arm and took aim once again.

“There, get them!” a loud voice called from the opening of the alley. I abandoned my shot and turned to see what was going on.

A mix of soldiers and vampires approached, held back only by what remained of our group. Oh no, we were all trapped in here like caged mice and Alice wasn’t with us. Christina saw what was happening and left Zander to help. She, Luke, and Drew began firing, just as the ground beneath us shook with the strength of an earthquake.

Gavin sat in kneeling position, his hands pressed against the cement, calling to his element beneath the floor of the city. His head bowed in concentration and he was somehow able to ignore the deadly commotion around him.

The soldiers fired back and the vampires surged forward. They stumbled over the shaking ground below them as they dodged the spray of bullets coming from both sides. Some of the soldiers who were shooting fell as their balance was thrown off.

And then, the cement cracked, the pavement broke apart in crooked lines and some of the sections raised up as tons water shot up from within them. The powerful bursts shot high into the air, taking some of the soldiers and vampires out with them.

The bad guys weren’t the only ones, Christina, who had been standing right on top of one of the cracks, was lifted into the air and thrown to the side, into one of the flaming walls.

Oh God, this was so bad.

I saw her bounce off the wall and land on the pavement. She let out a string of curses as she crawled across the wreckage while fumbling to find her gun. At least she was alive.

I turned and drew back again. This had to end.

Anthony had to hold Korina with both hands, so he was unable to defend himself against her, which meant holding her there was all he could do. It was up to me.

I tried to filter out the screams and shouts and gunfire behind me, telling myself that this was what mattered. This, was what had to be done.

Everything seemed to go silent around me. The chaos muted as water rained down on us and smoke billowed up from the extinguished flames, obstructing my vision. I focused, drawing the energy within me. It swirled and ebbed inside of my body until I mentally pushed it out, into the bow which I held in my hands.

Whoosh.

Flames appeared on the blades of my arrow. Anthony turned slightly to glance at me, exposing the entire region of Korina’s chest. My fingers loosened and released, letting the arrow fly.

The arrow sailed through the alley, disappeared into the smoke and then made its new home in Korina’s heart.

She screamed the shrillest, ear piercing scream that I’d ever heard in my life. Instinctively I dropped my bow and covered my ears. But, refused to take my eyes off of her.

Anthony did not let go of her, if anything, his grip tightened. “I am so sorry, sister.” He stared into her wide, brown eyes. “This is what is meant to be.”

She tried to speak to him and only coughed, choking on her own blood as it surfaced in her mouth. Several drops fell from her soundlessly moving lips and then, she was gone. The life disappeared from her eyes and her body sagged forward against Anthony’s strong hold.

He didn’t let her fall, he gently lowered her to the floor of the alley and lay her out. He grasped her hand momentarily and then released her. His head turned up toward me and I saw the sadness clearly written in his expression. I’m sure, if we hadn’t been soaked to the bone, that I would have seen tears glistening on his cheeks as well.

And then he pointed, his finger extended to the area behind me.

I turned, knowing in my heart that this couldn’t be good. Through the smoke, a few soldiers and one vampire were left standing. Luke shot and took out a soldier. Simultaneously, Christina sliced another across the neck with one of her knives.

Alice, Oscar and then rest of the group appeared at the entrance to the alley, they were covered in blood and dirt, telling me they had survived their own battle in the streets. Alice pulled her swords and twirled around to gain momentum and charged the vampire among them.

Sarah held her rifle and searched for any danger, spotting the last soldier, she aimed and fired. He stumbled back several paces and then fell as the bullet lodged into his forehead.

Luke shot the fallen vamp a second time, so that he would have a round of UV in him. That was when I should have sighed with relief, but instead, my gaze landed on the only thing that fell into the same category as losing my mother.

Drew lay sprawled across the broken pavement, his arm extended out as if reaching for his gun, which lay about a foot from the tips of his fingers. His black tee had ridden up, exposing his midsection, where blood still oozed from a bullet wound.

Oh my God.

Beside him, Gavin lay in almost an identical pose. His wound was almost exactly where he had been shot the last time. This couldn’t be happening … it just couldn’t.

I ran to them and fell hard on my knees, one hand going to each of them. They were both cold, but that could have been from the water. Tears were pouring from my eyes and I heard my own screams as if they were muffled.

Then Luke was there, he leaned over Drew and felt for a pulse. He tried, for what seemed like forever and then leaned back on his feet, with tears in his own eyes he shook his head.

I hadn’t noticed, but Sarah had been doing the same thing to Gavin. I heard her voice in the same distant way as I heard my own voice. “He’s gone.”

No, no, no! This couldn’t be happening. I threw myself on top of Drew, with my other hand still on Gavin because I was unwilling to let either of them go.

This was wrong. This was not the way that things were supposed to go. We were supposed to win this war and live happily ever after … well, screw the happily ever after, we were just supposed to live.

“Why!” I screamed, looking up toward the sky. “They have been nothing but good people, soldiers for the greater good! Warriors in their own right, descended from angels and gods! Why would you let this happen?”

Luke remained on his knees beside me. “Chloe, it’s over,” he whispered.

“No!” I yelled. “It’s not over, it’s not.” I choked on a vicious sob and felt vomit threaten to rise from my belly. I swallowed it down and tilted my face toward the heavens. “Help us!” I yelled with every ounce of energy I had left in me. “Please…” my voice trailed off.

Then suddenly, a furious storm of black clouds appeared in the sky above the alley. The dark clouds swirled and churned like a boiling caldron of magic.

“What the hell is that?” Sarah, like everyone else, had her face tilted to the sky.

Not a moment later, a blinding flash of light appeared within the clouds. So bright that everyone, including myself, shielded their eyes.

The light began to dissipate, slowly fading and allowing my eyes to readjust. At the center of that light, an entity formed, building itself from the very air around it.

Oh. My. God. It was my vision … my dream.

A man who could only be described as beautiful descended from within the black storm above us. His wings had feathers of both black and white, they protruded from his back, expanding the length of probably eight feet.

He carried with him the same sword I saw in the dream, it glimmered from its own mystical light and was just as long as the expanse of his wings.

I felt my mouth hanging open and knew everyone else probably had the same expression on their face. This was completely insane, but it was the exact same as what I had dreamt that day, down to every detail.

When his sandaled feet touched the earth, he slammed the sword down into the pavement. The earth rocked violently beneath us. I held onto Drew and Gavin, hoping they didn’t fall into a sink hole from all the damage.

The angel turned his dark, glaring eyes on me and in a booming voice, he declared, “My child, you have called and I have been allowed this opportunity to assist you.”

Just like the dream, I thought, so I followed script. “Who are you?”

He smiled gently, a deep contrast from his penetrating eyes. “Why, child, I am the Warrior Angel. Back again, to help the children of my children to rid this world of the demons you call vampires once more.”

I stood, ignoring those around me, and stepped away from Drew and Gavin. I was not afraid of him, I knew from my dream that this was what was supposed to happen. “What are we supposed to do?” I asked.

He turned toward Zander, who hadn’t moved from where Korina had left him. Christina, sat with Zander again, her hand resting lightly on his head. “At this time, it is not what you should do, it is what I am going to do.” He pulled his sword from where he had driven it into the ground and strode over to my brother.

I did not take my eyes off of him, but I knew that the others had probably thought they had gone insane.

The Warrior Angel knelt down beside Zander and used the tip of his sword to lift the edge of the black tee shirt he wore. Once the cloth was over the blade, he sliced it upward so that the shirt opened up and exposed Zanders tattoo.

“This child does not come from the blood of angels, nor the blood of the gods. However, he has the soul of a warrior.” He lay his hand over Zander’s black angel wings that covered his entire back. Between the wings there was a sword, the hilt stretching up his neck. “There are not many who can fight the urges of the demon blood which runs within their veins.” The angel tilted his head, focusing on me. “I cannot stay with you upon this earth, but I can give you a gift …”

The hand which rested on my brothers back took on a heavenly glow. “Wh … what are you doing?” I mumbled.

He had turned back toward Zander, to focus on what he was doing. “I am giving you a Warrior Angel of your very own. He shall eradicate the evil which dwells on this earth. It is his calling.”

By this time, Zanders whole body was glowing as if he were soaking in the power the angel was emanating. Christina sat beside him, the look on her face was not of fear, what I saw swimming in her eyes, was gratitude. She looked like she might jump up and kiss the Warrior Angel.

I watched as the glow filtered into Zander and then, the black in the wings of his tattoo changed. Some of the feathers turned white, so that they appeared as the actual wings of the Warrior Angel.

Oh … I finally got it, white and black, good and evil. Both Zander and the angel were a mix of both. My brother was a good, good person, but he did things in his own way, which wasn’t always the “right” way to do things.

A moan escaped Zander’s lips and he turned his head slightly, so that he was looking up at Christina. “What happened?” His voice was raspy and barely audible.

The biggest grin I’d ever seen from Christina suddenly spread across her face. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” She leaned down and dragged Zander into her arms.

“Ugh, I feel like total shi … what the hell is that?” He had finally spotted the Warrior Angel and struggled to sit up.

“Rest, my child,” the angel told him with a grin. “You must regain your strength.”

I pointed and murmured, “Warrior Angel.”

Zander flicked his eyes toward me and swallowed. “Uh, all right, that totally explains it.”

“I think you were dying, he revived you,” I explained.

Still confused, Zander knit his brows together and looked up at the Warrior Angel, “Well, um, I guess I should say thank you then.”

With a nod, his savior stood up and stepped away. “You’re gratitude shall be repaid many times over in the coming times.”

“What?” Zander looked to me and then Christina, “What does that mean?”

Christina shook her head. “Tell you later, what matters right now is that you are alive.”

“Now,” the angel backed away and then turned toward Drew and Gavin, but address me when he spoke. “Warriors in their own right, as you called them.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

Oh, please, please, please let him save them too.

“I shall grant your request this once, for it is not their time. One of these brothers shall continue to bring forth the offspring of the Vampire Hunter. However, both warriors have more work to do in this world.”

He knelt down between Drew and Gavin, then turned his head toward me. “No matter what is to happen, I shall not grant you this again. Do you understand, young Chloe?”

I nodded so fast I was probably lucky I didn’t hurt my neck. “Yes! Yes, I understand.”

His hands rested over both Drew and Gavin and began to glow as they had with Zander. Right before my eyes, I watched a bullet purge itself from inside Drew’s wound and then fall to the pavement with a small clink. Then, the actual wound began to heal itself.

Hesitantly, I switched my eyes to Gavin and saw that the same thing was happening to him. Both of them were filled with the bright white glow I had seen in Zander when the angel healed him.

Finally, he removed his hands from their bodies and the glow began to dissipate.
“They shall wake soon.”

I felt the tears saturating my cheeks. I don’t think I’d ever felt so grateful for anything in my whole life. “Thank you.” I executed a little courtesy.

“Now,” the angel turned to Anthony, “how shall we deal with this one?”

I stepped up beside the angel and looked up into his eyes. “He helped us,” I told him. “We could not have eliminated Korina if he hadn’t been here.”

The Warrior Angel nodded. “This is not the first time Anthony Christos has assisted the Hunters.”

Anthony also looked up into the angels penetrating eyes. “I have informed the Hunter’s that they may take my life, it was the deal made, once Korina was found. The only thing I ask is that I am able to write all this into my journal before the time comes.”

The angel appeared to contemplate the request. “Anthony Christos. If your death were to come upon us at this moment, it would help the human race immensely. However, to kill you, would indeed, result in the death of young Chloe Kallistrate, whom has an important part to play in the future.”

He clasped his hands together. “Therefore, as much as I would like to, I cannot condone bringing forth your death just yet.”

Anthony looked almost sad to hear that his life was being spared by the Warrior Angel. “Are you positive that this is the correct way to proceed?”

With a nod, the angel then turned and addressed the rest of the group. “No one shall lay a hand on Anthony Christos. If any person shall attempt to murder him, they will answer to me personally, is that understood?”

I looked around the crowd as he addressed them. Most of the group couldn’t speak and just nodded in response. But, some were able to mutter a “yes” or “yes sir.”

“I must return,” the angel stated to no one in particular. “You warriors … all of you” He looked over the crowd, “have done well this night. I am proud of every one of you.”

Then he lifted his sword to the sky and lifted off of the pavement, ascending into the churning black clouds from which he had come. Another flash of blinding light and he was gone.

As soon as the Warrior Angel was gone, my brain snapped, the only thing on my mind was Drew.

I ran to his side and saw that his eyes were wide open and staring at me. I fell down by his side and lowered my head to kiss him. I was never, ever so happy as I was the moment our lips touched. For a while, I’d thought I would never get to kiss him again.

“You’re all right,” I told him, planting another kiss on his pale lips.

He nodded as I pulled away. “I think I was hallucinating there for a while though.” He sat up and felt the healed skin where his wound had been. “I think I may have a concussion.”

I laughed and threw my arms around him. “Maybe, we will have to get you checked out.”

After I pulled away I looked to Gavin. He was also sitting up and rubbing his chest. “If you hallucinated the Warrior Angel, then we hallucinated the same thing.”

Luke kneeled down beside our boys and put a hand on each of their shoulders. “You didn’t hallucinate. You died … and that angel, he gave you a second chance. So I recommend you don’t waste it. The time for your petty war is over, cause that war is nothing compared to the one we are fighting now.”

Drew crawled onto his hands and knees and then stood up. After he was in full standing position, he leaned over, extending his hand out to Gavin. Gavin looked up at him with a solemn expression. For a moment there were unspoken words that passed between the two and then Gavin grasped Drew’s hand and let Drew haul him up into a standing position.

There wasn’t a big ‘damn why were we fighting at all, hug’ but the two seemed to have come to some sort of terms. They died, and then an angel gave them life again, Luke was right, there was no reason for them to be fighting like this.

“You guys have to see this,” Sarah called from the opening of the alley and taking my attention away from my guys.

Before I ran to the street, like everyone else, I looked back at where Korina had fallen. Anthony stood there, staring down at the burnt ash that had once been his only family. She and the other brother had been all that remained for him.

I strode up to him and grasped his hand. “You have us now.” I told him. I didn’t want to make him feel better, I knew that would take a while, but I did want him to know that we weren’t going to abandon him.

He flicked his eyes toward me. “I thought I was going to follow her into death, now, that has been taken from me as well.”

I studied him for a moment before releasing his hand. “Well, you have a purpose, otherwise the Warrior Angel would not have allowed you to live.”

He turned so that he was fully facing me. “Apparently, my purpose is you, little Hunter.”

“Apparently,” I agreed.

Drew was at my side, having stayed with me the whole time, he grasped my hand and pulled me away. “We have to go see what’s going on out there.” I offered Anthony a smile and let Drew lead me to the street.

Our group was lined up on the sidewalk, watching the results of Korina’s death take effect. There were several vampire bodies already fallen, laying haphazardly on the streets and walkways. Two vampires emerged from a building diagonal from us, screaming and grasping at their bodies as if they were being attacked by bees. We watched them stumble to and fro like drunks and then collapse in a heap of undead flesh.

“It’s working,” I whispered.

Drew nodded and slid his arm around me. “Yes.”

***

Before we headed home, we went to the Le Pavillon to check on Dahlia. Anthony was fairly sure that she was from Korina’s line, but we needed to make sure.

We knew that we wouldn’t take down every single vampire when we killed Korina, but from the looks of it, the portion we got was massive.

What was left of the entire group ascended the steps of the hotel, entering with the same caution we always used. There were bound to be a few stray vampires left and a lot more soldiers that would be wandering around.

The lobby was full of dead vampires. Some were slumped on couches and some were laying on the floor where they must have been standing when they died. There was even one who had keeled over at the bar.

We took the stairs and headed up to the suites, figuring that was probably where we would find Dahlia.

It didn’t take long to locate her, but she wasn’t in the condition I expected to find her in. She lay on the bed in the same outfit we’d seen her in earlier, panting and clutching her stomach. Her eyes widened when she saw us enter the bedroom door.

“Well, dammit,” she breathed as the group formed in front of her. Her eyes scanned each person and then finally settled on me. “I guess you found a way after all. Too bad you had to kill a whole vampire line to get to me.”

I stepped forward a few paces. “I would have found you. This…” I spread my hands wide, indicating the death of all the vampires, “was to put an end to what you started.”

She laughed, but it was promptly cut off by a fit of coughing. “This was all you darling. You can make yourself feel better by putting an end to it, but you and I both know that the world will never be the same again. You made the history books, love.”

I wanted to throw up. And why was it that people were so obsessed about recording the history of all of this. I really, really hoped to God that my name would not be tainted forever in the books children would study at school.

I slid my gun from its holster. “I know that you are going to die soon. That much is inevitable, but I am going to shoot you anyway, just because it will make me feel better.”

She laughed again. “You have been a worthy adversary, Chloe. I will give you that much. So come on, let’s get this over with.” She rolled and flung her arm over so that she lay spread eagle on the bed. “I accept my death … finally.” She muttered the last words as I silently pulled the trigger. The UV round lodged into her chest, causing her to lurch forward a little bit.

Dahlia squeezed her eyes shut and bit down on her lip as if she were keeping herself from crying out. I figured that it was her last act of defiance. She didn’t want to give me any satisfaction by showing that she was in pain.

I was all right with that. Just knowing that she would be gone for sure was enough for me. But, on the other hand, as I watched the UV light eat through her body, eroding her skin and flesh, I thought that I would have felt just a little bit more satisfied about shooting her than I did in the end.

She died. Her body reduced to a pile of ash on the bed of a hotel suite.

We left the hotel and my only thought was that I hoped I never saw New Orleans ever again.

***

We were home.

Three weeks had passed since the vampire line was eradicated. The governments were now trying to re-establish itself all over the world. The military was also rebuilding their forces, and this time they were equipping themselves to fight vampires.

I was happy to be back in our little compound. I missed everything about it, but mostly I missed how safe I felt inside. A few weeks beforehand, I had been certain that we were going to face our death and that I would never see the place again. Now that we were back, I was even more grateful for it than I had ever been before.

Drew and Gavin weren’t having any strange side effects from the Warrior Angel healing them, but Zander was another story. He acted like he was depressed and hid out in his room all the time. I knew that I would have to make a point to talk with him soon. I had a feeling he was hiding something from us.

“Chloe,” Drew strode into the gym, where I was on the treadmill, with a cell phone in his hand. “You are never going to guess who is on the phone!” he hissed.

“Who?” I slowed the treadmill down to a walk.

“It’s the freakin’ Secretary of Defense! They spoke with the board at Arcadia Falls and found out that it was us who discovered the secret of the bloodline and took out Korina. He wants to know if we will meet with him to discuss being a consultant on vampire affairs.

I wrinkled my nose. “Really? That is so weird.”

He nodded. “It’s true. Are you in?”

I shrugged. “Yeah, I’m in. Why not? I guess our biggest mission ever is going to be to train the world how to fight vampires, huh.”

Drew laughed and closed the door to the gym as he lifted the phone back to his ear.

I turned the treadmill back up and sped back into my happy thoughts of being home, of Drew and of everything I’d almost lost.

 

Look for The Arcadia Falls Chronicles #5 at the end of December 2014

Hint Hint – It will be Drew’s point of view instead of Chloe.

 

 

 

READ AN EXCERPT FROM SAVIOR

A FULL LEGNTH NOVEL BY JENNIFER MALONE WRIGHT

 

Sweltering heat emanated from the searing flames. Alex ignored his blistered skin and burnt clothes. He plunged both arms into the blazing orange inferno without a second thought for his own well-being. His hands frantically flailed until he found what he searched for. He pulled the charred remains up and hugged them to his chest before he gave a desperate glance toward the others.

Smoke curled into his mouth and nose and made it nearly impossible to breathe.

“Hurry, hurry. Get out now,” a gentle voice whispered into his ears. “You must go right now if you want to live.”

However, he couldn’t leave them behind.

“Go now,” the voice whispered more urgently.

Sparks flew when a giant log broke in half and fell from the ceiling. It crashed onto the floor less than two feet from where Alex stood. Flames engulfed the fallen wood and created yet another obstacle.

The voice tried again, crying out, “Hurry, Alex!”

Alex knew he needed to move if he wanted to live, but he paused for a moment to question whether he even wanted to bother. The flames grew while Alex stood motionless, undecided. Suddenly, a great push from behind thrust him forward toward a wall of fire.

 

***

Alex stirred in his mahogany coffin, one of the best money could buy. He felt the soft, white velvet lining rub against his cheek, but it didn't comfort him. He panted like a thirsty dog and writhed helplessly inside the narrow wooden box.

His eyes snapped open. First, he checked his hands for burns, but he found none. He groaned while he became more aware, and realized he'd had another nightmare.

He sighed, wondering if the recurring dreams were going to last forever. He reached up and unlatched the locks he’d installed for his own safety, or at least his peace of mind. He pushed open the lid and sat upright. His gaze wandered across the room while his mind tried to fight off the feeling of dread he had about the night ahead.

In the center of a large stone room that was buried deep beneath his house, his coffin rested on a massive stone slab with Egyptian hieroglyphic carvings around its edges. The carvings read, ‘Death is not but eternal life.’ The slab and coffin were the focus of the room, with the only other items being his slippers and a small table that held a candelabra and a box of wooden matches.

Alex lit a match and touched it to the candle wicks. A soft glow lit the room and let him safely climb out of his coffin. When he slammed the lid shut, the hollow sound reverberated off the stone walls and quickly died. He wedged his large feet into his slippers, padded to the wide steel door and punched a series of numbers into an electronic keypad. The door emitted a soft whooshing sound when the lock released.

Yawning, he stepped through the door and into a maze of tunnels that worked their way into deadly traps scattered throughout his underground chamber. Another whoosh signaled the door locking behind him. With the candelabra in his right hand, Alex moved through the maze and watched the flickering shadows play on the walls.

Alex stopped short and blinked. He saw what he thought was Malcolm's face, shining menacingly in the light ahead. He held the candles out toward the face, but the image wavered in the candlelight and disappeared.

Hmmmm, he thought, perhaps the night ahead will prove eventful after all.  

Except for his echoing footsteps, the tunnels were deadly silent. Once he reached the end of the tunnels, he faced yet another heavy steel door with an electronic lock. Again, Alex entered a code on a keypad and exited the tunnels into a small closet.

Finally, he came to a thick oak door that simply needed a key. He removed the key from the pocket of his pajama shirt. Alex unlocked the door, entered the actual bedroom of his house, and relocked the entryway to the tunnels like he always did.

More out of habit than concern, Alex scanned the room with all his senses. Despite popular legend, the many mirrors in the room reflected his image off each other.

Alex gazed longingly at the four poster bed in which he never slept. The thick mattress was clothed in burgundy blankets with piles of decorative pillows scattered across the head of the bed. Burgundy and black dominated the color scheme: black carpet, burgundy walls, and sheer black curtains shading the windows.

Preferring the softer light of candles, he bypassed the light switch and went to the dressing table. He placed the candelabra on the table and picked up a candle that stood in a golden holder with biblical carvings on its base. Each time he lit the candle he was reminded of his time in Rome. The things there were so beautiful he couldn’t resist bringing something home for himself.

Alex knew his hobby of decorating bordered on obsessive. He brought back things from his journeys all over the world to put in his main house in Reno. But his house was finished.

On top of that, his casinos practically ran themselves. His place on the Higher Collective only occupied him every now and then.

He found it an awful feeling, having no purpose.

He tried to ignore the weakness that plagued his body with pain, indicating it was time to feed again. Glancing at his nightstand, he noticed the blinking red message light on his cellphone. Pushing back the pangs of hunger, he checked the messages.

Damion’s smooth voice came through the earpiece. “Hey Alex, I’ve set a Collective meeting for tonight. Something is going down with Malcolm ... I really don’t like the feel of it. I think we all need to get together to talk about this one. Eleven, conference room.”

Clicking his phone shut and throwing it on the bed, Alex went to his closet and rummaged through his clothes. With exacting care, he chose a black Armani suit, complemented by a dark red dress shirt. Dark red was his power color, and he loved to feel powerful.

In the connecting bathroom he stripped out of his pajamas. The reflection staring back at him was one that would never change. Until the end of his existence, each time he looked in the mirror, he would see a twenty-eight-year-old man. His harsh Russian features would forever remain without wrinkles, and his coal black hair would never gray. His eyes, though, told the story of his age, and even he could see the stories in them.

His bare arms and chest still held the large muscles of the hardworking man he had been as a mortal. Although, his chest now bore the one mark he had allowed himself to get. He ran his fingers over the red longevity symbol. He had chosen longevity as a marker for being immortal. Like it was yesterday he remembered China and the tattoo shop where he had received the tattoo. As a last minute decision he asked the artist to add the three koi fish in a circle around the longevity symbol because the koi fish were associated with life-long good luck. And he felt like he sure need some of that.

Alex continued to think about China and its rare beauty while he carefully applied a dark, skin-colored foundation to his face and hands to cover his paleness. It was worth the effort to prevent mortals from questioning his light skin. After checking himself in the mirror again, Alex donned his black leather overcoat, a long flowing garment that swept the floor.

He allowed himself one last approving glance in the mirror, grabbed his briefcase off his dresser, and left the room.

He opened the garage door and sighed with pride. The room glimmered with glossy paint and shiny chrome from the many vehicles. He chose his orange ’69 Mustang, because he wanted to stop at the church before the meeting, but he didn’t have much time to spare. He slipped into the driver’s seat, set his briefcase on the seat beside him, and then, with the turn of the key, the car came to life. After he backed out of the garage, he shut the doors with a remote and roared his way out of the long driveway.

At that hour of night, the pine-tree-lined streets were deserted. Alex liked that. Living outside the city, between Reno and Lake Tahoe, gave him more privacy. Although it was raining, he opened his window halfway to let in the fresh scent of the rain-washed earth.

When he approached the city, he took in the view of the lights. For Alex, each time was like the first time. The lights were like beacons, calling to him, enticing him. For that matter, he thought the lights were like vampires, deceivingly beautiful, alluring, and full of promise.

Until you’re bitten, he thought.

Unable to help himself, he chuckled and continued the drive into the city. Traffic there was crazy compared to the lonely streets near his home. Among the multitude of hotels and casinos dominating the city, he kept his focus on the Lucas Hotels and Casinos—the massive towers stood tall and proud—while he drew closer to them.

He passed the exit and kept going for a few miles until he came to a stop in front of a large brick church. He parked the car, ran through the rain, and ascended the cement stairway. Alex found the church deserted and locked, as it always was that time of night.

Taking out his set of lock picks, he thought about the old days when churches were never locked. They were always open for the public whenever someone needed to be close to God.

Upon entering, he felt a presence; not God, but something else.

Danielle.

She had always had a habit of following him when she was invisible. Although he knew she was there, he rarely let on. He couldn’t think of any reason why she would want to keep herself secret from him, since she knew he would tell her anything she wanted to know. Besides, she could read minds.

Although the bricks muffled the sound of the rain, its presence was evident. It drizzled down the outside of the multicolored stained glass windows.

It’s like they are melting, Alex thought as he stared at them.

An aisle separated two sets of pews, and at the far end of the church, behind the podium and the large choir section, was the baptismal area.

Following his usual ritual, Alex knelt in front of the podium at a short wooden table that, without fail, held a fresh flower arrangement. It also held a large leather-bound Bible, always opened to the same verse: John 3:16.

Alex lowered his head and spoke aloud to the empty church, his voice echoing in the darkness. “Lord, forgive me. I have sinned. I live a life of sin. Yet, you let me live. Again and again, I ask how that can be. How is it that you could let something as evil and corrupt as I live on this earth and walk with the humans you created?"

He dropped his head lower.

“I still don’t understand a lot of things you have shown me, Lord. I'm depressed. I've never asked for anything from except guidance and strength, but it's time I humbly ask, just this once, for you to bless me with something to give me the will to go on.”

A clap of thunder shook the walls of the church.

“This depression has become too great. I can barely rise from sleep when the sun sets. None of the hobbies that previously occupied me so well interest me anymore.”

Alex paused and took in a deep, shuddering breath.

“I would never try to bargain with or demand anything from you. I would never be so bold as to assume I'm owed anything. All I ask is for some kind of meaning to this life, or after-life; whatever you wish to call it.

“I need a reason to persevere. After all, I no longer have a family. The only thing I have, besides a few friends, is the everlasting torment of being one of the most unholy creatures to walk this earth.

“Please hear me and consider the needs of one of your servants. Thank you. Thank you so much for everything you have given me. I would do anything for you. I am yours in all ways, and I am yours in everything.

“In Jesus’s precious name, Amen.”

When Alex rose from his knees, contentment flowed through his veins and filled him up. He felt the same every time he prayed.

A moment later, he rushed out the door, stopping only to relock it like he always respectfully did.

***

“Do you think he’s ready?” Damion asked.

“He’s past ready,” Danielle murmured while she slipped off her perch on the railing that separated the choir area from the rest of the church. “Damion, his depression has to end.”

She felt Damion follow her to the front pew, on the right side of the aisle. She wanted to sit so she could see the altar.

He sat next to her. “I know Alex was chosen for this, but how do we know it will cure his depression? It could end this present situation, but begin another lengthy and dangerous one. How do we know this will not be the straw that breaks the camel’s back?”

Danielle smiled. “I have known Alex for almost four hundred years. Even though he thinks he is dammed, he keeps his faith in God, and that, my dear friend, is the strongest kind of faith there is.”

“So he’ll do it?”

“He has yet to decide.”

“I hope it goes the way we've planned.”

“So do I, Damion, so do I.”

“Why do you always come here to watch him pray? Don’t you think that’s like invasion of privacy or something?”

“I am his guardian.”

“You were, when he was a human. He hasn’t been mortal for a long time. I know enough to know you aren’t required to be with him at all times.”

“That’s true, but his prayers are a most important time for me to be with him.”

“Why?”

“He’s convinced God doesn’t hear his prayers. That’s why he comes here almost every night. He could go on living a sinful life, believing he is dammed anyway, but he doesn’t. It's vital he has some reinforcement of his faith in God. I know he feels me here.”

Damion shook his head. “We'd better get to the meeting. I'll see you there."

Damion left. Danielle didn't want to leave the church. She looked up at the large cross on the wall above the baptismal. “Come on, Big Guy. His time to shine is finally here, so let’s show him how much you really have in store for him.”

She reluctantly stood, walked back down the aisle, and moved transparently through the tightly locked doors.

 

 

 

Other Books by Jennifer Malone Wright

Keeper vs. Reaper (Graveyard Guardians #1)

Savior (A Higher Collective Novel)

Once Upon a Zombie Apocalypse – Jade (Always free)

Once Upon a Zombie Apocalypse: Episode 2

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Part 1 (Always free)

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 2

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Part 3

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 4

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 5

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 6

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: The Complete Collection

(All six parts a total of 72,000 words)

The Arcadia Falls Chronicles is The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter story continued

Love & War (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 1)

Taking Talon (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 2)

Vampire Apocalypse (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 3)

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Jennifer Malone Wright is best known for her short story series, The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter. Other works include the follow up to The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter series called The Arcadia Falls Chronicles and her vampire novel called Savior. Jennifer also co-authors a series called Once Upon a Zombie Apocalypse.

She resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children where she practices preparing for the zombie apocalypse. Just kidding!

But seriously, between the craziness of taking care of her children, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working on her beloved fiction or chatting with her equally crazy friends.

Jennifer also loves coffee, has a passionate affair with red bull, wishes the sushi were better where she lives and dances while she cleans.

 

Please visit Jennifer’s website at

www.jenniferwrightauthor.com

Follow Jennifer on Twitter

Follow Jennifer on Facebook

Follow The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter on Facebook

Find Jennifer on Goodreads