the house was almost impossible — every nerve ending in Lucy’s body screamed to turn and run. The kitchen area leading from the back garden was still clear of the violence beyond — this detritus was of the party, before it moved deeper inside. The doors through to the main atrium were still closed, but whatever magics had bolted them closed were long gone. She pushed them open, revealing the carnage beyond. Bodies lay everywhere — dozens of them. Behind her, Pawel and Adrian stood in open-mouthed horror while she scanned the area. No vampires, not even Marcus’s carcass. She bet if she checked the rear exit where she’d killed Boris, she’d find his body gone. Lidia and the others hadn’t skulked away in defeat; they’d gone into clean up mode. If that was the case, they’d have to tread carefully.
Adrian and Pawel went straight into work mode, moving slowly and methodically through the room, checking pulses. Lucy had her own task — she looked around desperately for a sign of the man who’d saved her life.
‘Lucy,’ Adrian called, as she turned over a man of a similar build to Adam, but not the same face. ‘Over here.’
She picked her way over to him and found her friend kneeling over Adam. His face was badly broken, his skull fractured, at least. Blood covered his top, and next to him was a slick pool of dark blood, presumably from whichever other vampire was on the other side of this fight.
‘I’m sorry,’ Adam said, the world foaming out of his mouth in a bubble of blood. ‘Lucy, I’m so sorry.’
‘Shhh,’ Lucy said, leaning over him. Twin impulses fired inside her. She wanted to drive a stake through his heart, watch the light die from his eyes, to burn the body after, to be sure. But she also wanted to carry him out to the ambulance, take him home, curl up in bed with him and nurse him back to health.
He held a shard of wood in his hand, a broken-off chair leg stained red in whatever previous attack he’d used it in. She prised it out, staring at it in her hand.
‘Do it,’ he said. The words were a struggle.
She held the stake in front of her and closed her eyes. He’d wronged her — more than wronged her.
She let the stake fall from her hands. Her eyes locked with Adam’s. ‘Adrian, bring me your bag,’ she said.
‘What are you…’ Adam started, but the pain overwhelmed him, and he lay grimacing.
Adrian handed the jump-bag over, and she fished out a scalpel. ‘Hold still,’ Lucy said, and sliced into the flesh of her palm.
‘Lucy,’ Adrian protested, but she ignored him.
She held the dripping palm over Adam’s mouth, the droplets spilling into his mouth. He gargled as he tried to swallow, but the blood hit his system and he reached up, pulling down her wrist and taking the flesh of her palm in his mouth.
The pain was excruciating, but she had to marvel at how quick the effect was. The cracked skull so visible under his skin filled out, reforming before her eyes.
He took more and more blood, enough to set her heart pounding. His teeth sunk deeper into the flesh above her wrist, and panic filled her as she realised could hit a major artery, that he could drain her completely.
‘Stop,’ she said, ready to raise up the stake again.
He pulled away immediately, gasping, teeth out. Her palm looked wrecked, flesh and tendons ripped and torn. Adam sat up, collected a drop of his own blood from his cheek, and smeared it on the wound like a balm. The flesh healed almost immediately.
‘The balance of vampire blood within you is already too high,’ he said, his voice calm. ‘You should get a blood transfusion. I can assist with that.’
‘Thanks,’ she said, awkwardly.
‘Thank you,’ Adam said, staring deep into her eyes. ‘I did not deserve it, but I’ll do my best to earn it.’
‘Doesn’t mean I forgive you,’ Lucy said, getting back to her feet. ‘But it’s a start.’
‘There’s nobody left alive,’ Adrian said. ‘What do we do now?’
‘We phone the police,’ Lucy said.
‘But…’ Adrian said.
‘No,’ Lucy countered. She wasn’t in the mood to discuss it. ‘This has always ended up with me trying to explain this to a room full of detectives. Might as well get it over and done. Otherwise, this will never be over and done. You came here looking for me, and that’s all you have to say. Call it in.’
Pawel took a deep breath. ‘Unit fifteen calling in, we have a code two…’
‘Let’s go wait outside,’ Lucy said, helping Adam to his feet. They walked out of the house, into the chilly night air. Neither of them said a word, nor looked at each other. A numbness crept over her. She knew saving Adam was the right decision, somehow, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever want to see him again.
Outside, they stepped out into the street. All was calm and normal, save for the huge green ambulance in the street, blocking the road. She doubted anyone would much care at this time in the morning. Especially when most of the neighbours were probably piled up amongst the dead in the house behind her.
She peered underneath — as she suspected, the mass of ex-vampire under the wheels was gone, too.
‘I have to go,’ Adam said, making no move to do so. ‘Thank you,’ he said once more, but there was a sadness there, too.
She sat down on the kerb. When she looked to her left, he’d gone, leaving her alone in the street, the approaching blue lights in the distance heralding the last obstacle to being done with this.