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MALACHI KNEW IT WASN’T healthy to avoid Sorcha and brood alone in his apartment. He’d become mired in depression after losing his half-sister. He felt like he was neck deep in darkness and he feared he would soon sink in over his head.
A letter wormed its way beneath his front door. He didn’t bother to watch it flutter over to him where he sat on an armchair. He ignored it as it hovered in front of his face and chugged down a glass of soda. The magical letter moved closer until it was barely two inches from his nose. The incubus scowled at it, then snatched it out of the air and tore it open. Maybe going out on a mission would help break him from his morose mood. None of the assassinations he’d completed this past week had altered his state of mind, but he had to do something to break free from his dour mood.
“They’re sending me after vampires now?” he said with his upper lip curled in derision when he read his latest kill order. His target was a female master, which meant she would have a kiss to protect her. His incubus magic didn’t work on the undead, but the Immortal Triumvirate didn’t seem to care anymore.
Ever since Eden’s death, he’d been sent out on more jobs than usual. He and Sorcha had to pick up the slack now that there were only two of them left. Sorcha usually handled the vampires. Malachi was always sent after females in the Fae and Shifter Districts. This was a first for him. He was going to have to rely on the combat skills Wort had taught him to complete his mission.
Just thinking about the satyr who had trained him was enough to sour his mood further. Malachi hauled himself to his feet and tossed the letter to the floor. The order and the envelope he’d left on the coffee table disappeared now that the message had been imparted. The spell had become lodged in his head. It would stay there until his target was dead.
The incubus swept his gaze around his apartment as he headed for his bedroom to change. The wallpaper was light red, with intricate patterns inlaid into it. His sofa and armchairs were a darker red and the drapes were the exact same shade of scarlet. Even his bedspread was red. He didn’t mind the color scheme, but it had always seemed a bit odd to him. It wasn’t like he was a leech who was obsessed with blood.
His closet was full of nothing but black clothes. He didn’t have any other colors to choose from, which made it easy to pick an outfit. The assassin’s gut clenched when he thought of his sister’s penchant for wearing all matching clothing. All of Eden’s belongings had been gone when he and Sorcha had searched her apartment. It had almost broken him when he’d seen that the collage of colorful umbrellas had been missing from Eden’s wall.
Malachi pulled on a long black cloak with a hood, then headed downstairs. He kept his collection of weapons in the training room. He strode over to the wall where the swords, knives and daggers were on display. Choosing a sword with a silver blade and a small silver dagger, he slid the dagger into a sheath on his belt. The sword went into a scabbard at his waist beneath his cloak. He practiced unsheathing the sword a few times, then left the building through the back door.
He walked a few blocks away from the mansion, then waited at the curb for a carriage to appear. It was snowing lightly as twin lanterns preceded the arrival of one of the vehicles. Malachi told the skeleton where he wanted to go, then climbed inside. The walking corpse swiveled its bony skull around to stare at him through the window. It seemed to be silently checking that he really wanted to go to the Vampire District. Malachi waved his hand to set the Night Cursed being into motion. His chauffeur turned back to face the front and the vehicle lurched forward.
The incubus wasn’t very familiar with the Vampire District. He’d only been there a couple of times when he’d worked missions with Sorcha. The carriage cut through the Night Cursed District. He grimaced at the dark, dingy brick apartment buildings that loomed above him. Sucked dry of their magic and energy, the cursed beings were doomed to a horrible existence. Malachi’s spirits didn’t lift when he realized they had it even worse than he did. They were too mindless to realize their lives were miserable, while he knew full well how much his life sucked.
Another bridge took him to the District where the bloodsuckers lived. The streets were narrower in this area. They were sparsely lit and were a confusing labyrinth that would be easy to become lost in. His chauffeur drove him to the address he’d given it and came to a stop. Malachi climbed out, glad he’d chosen a mansion only half a block away from his real destination. He wanted to get this job done fast. It would be wise to get the hell out of there before the leeches realized a free meal had brazenly sauntered into their neighborhood.
The assassin kept to the shadows and walked as quietly as he could towards the address he’d been given. As he neared the large stone mansion, he knew his quarry wasn’t home. The spell in his head indicated the target was somewhere to the east. Malachi debated about whether he should wait for the master vampire to return home, or to follow the link and search for her. His choice was made for him when he sensed her drawing closer.
It wasn’t going to be easy to assassinate a vampire who could move with incredible speed. The incubus knew he needed an edge. He looked around and spied a likely hiding spot and dashed over to it. Far faster than a human could move, he climbed up a tree that had a few branches overhanging the sidewalk. He nimbly crouched on the branch and held a dagger in his hand as he waited for his prey to arrive.
The master vampire arrogantly strode ahead of her kiss. Her expression was cold and haughty. Malachi disliked her on sight. He waited for his target to reach the spot he wanted her to be, then he threw his dagger. It hit one of the lesser leeches in the throat, making him cry out in shock and pain.
Just as Malachi had hoped, the master whirled around to see what the problem was. The assassin dropped from the branch he was crouched on and drew his sword as he fell. His cloak fluttered wildly as he descended. The target didn’t even get a chance to spin around to face him before he struck. He swung the silver sword to decapitate her as he landed and her kiss went mad with grief. The assassin darted forward to retrieve his dagger from the wounded fledgling, then sprinted away from the scene of the crime as fast as he could. The wails of the grieving leeches followed in his wake, but none of them attempted to follow him.
Malachi slowed to a stop and found himself standing near a small, empty park. He checked his blades to see the vamps’ black blood had already been cleaned away by magic. When he looked up, a small, beautiful vampire was standing in the park. She was watching him through fathomless dark gray eyes that held a hint of shock. Her hair was long and black. She wore a black dress beneath a cloak that looked a lot like the one he was wearing. His eyes dropped to her hands to see she was holding a pair of steel daggers.
His apathy and depression evaporated in an instant. This bloodsucker was far more dangerous than the arrogant master he’d just dispatched had been. He’d despaired that he would never see Eden again. Maybe he would be seeing her a lot sooner than he’d expected. They could very well be reunited in the afterlife if this creature decided to kill him.
