She continued raking the hairpin through the lock before having to stop, pull it out of her hair, bend it correctly, and start again. I noticed each time she would roll her shoulders before hunching over again. “I need you to do the tension part. This is taking too long.”
I pressed my head against the bars to see what she was doing. Blue guided my fingers to show me.
“Keep the tension on. When the hairpin disappears, grab another. This sometimes takes a while, and it’s harder to do blind.”
We worked like a team. I would keep tension on my pin and then pluck another hairpin to continue working after it disappeared. The bars pressed painfully against my forearm as I curved my wrist. Blue worked from the other side.
After she raked another time, I felt the lock turn.
The door swung open.
Blue stepped out and groaned. “Why did it have to be a modern lock? Never again.”
I gripped the arrow in my hand and stepped into freedom. “Do you want to come with me or fly out and give Viktor an update?”
Blue strode over to the key on the wall, returned to the cage, and broke the key inside the lock to jam it. “I can’t leave you alone.”
“Viktor might need you.”
Blue joined my side near the door. “I only returned to scout the area. I didn’t get a chance to circle the property since I wanted to find you first. The archer was new, but Viktor knows they have access to our weapons. That isn’t something I need to tell him. I can’t fight these guys on the front line, and he knows it. I’m not fast enough to stake them and get away. He’d want me here with you. Besides, I have an idea.”
I gripped the knob. “Are you sure?”
“We had to leave you the first time because we didn’t have a choice. I’m not leaving you now.”
I mulled over our situation. “Sparrow’s goons can’t hear us moving around, so that works in our favor. We shouldn’t have any trouble as long as they don’t see us. I don’t know how many are in the house, but I’m guessing they’re all in position and not wandering about. The woman who keeps checking on me is probably outside the door. I’ll be straight with you—I can’t fight these guys without Vampire blood. Fuck, I don’t want to do it. But I have to.”
“I’ll distract her. This timeonthree.”
We did a silent count, and then I jerked the door open. Blue immediately shifted and flew out. The female Vampire gaped at Blue’s falcon, who flapped chaotically above her. I flashed at the blonde and staked her in the throat with the arrow before she knew what hit her, and then I caught her in my arms.
Blue shifted and grabbed the woman’s feet. We quietly carried her into the room and gently set her down. While blood trickled from the wound, I had to drink from the other side. I swept her curly hair out of the way and sank my fangs into her flesh. Drinking from a woman was different. With no whiskers or stubble, her skin was soft and supple.
But her blood wasn’t as sweet as her looks. It tasted as vile as everyone else’s.
Blue leaned against the closed door, warily observing me like a person watching a wild animal tear apart its prey.
I finally sat back and wiped my mouth.
“Was that enough?” she asked.
I belched and shuddered at the same time. “Yep.”
“Thank the fates. Is there anything else I should know besides Lenore being here?”
I snapped the tip of the arrow with two fingers to test my strength. “Be careful if you run into Sparrow. He can make a weapon out of energy, and he won’t hesitate to use it. He gave me a demonstration last night of his abilities.”
“Do you think we can take him down with a stunner?”
I stood and wiped my hands on my dress. “I don’t know. He’s got Blocker abilities against Vampires, but I’m not sure about stunners. I’m the only Mage I’ve ever met who wasn’t affected by them. Gem can block Mage powers, but that doesn’t include stunners.”
Blue reached up and touched her collarbone. “I usually carry a stunner spike around my neck or in my pocket.”
“Wouldn’t help anyhow since it would reappear around your neck.”
She snapped her fingers. “That’s right. So we’re on the east side, third floor? My room’s one floor down on the opposite side.”
“Yeah, but mine’s just down the hall. I’ve got plenty of weapons in there, but we’ll have to carry them.”
