“I’ll watch your back,” she whispered, opening the door. “Let’s go.”
As soon as we entered the hall, we sped into motion. So long as we didn’t make any verbal sounds, Vampires couldn’t hear us. We slowed down before each side hall, searching for guards.
Once inside my room, I got chills. It was like stepping into the past—into my memories. But it wasn’t the same. My bed was still made, my sweatpants and oversized shirt still in a heap by the armoire. The familiar smell of home made me want to protect it even more. It was a life promised but no longer mine.
I quietly opened the armoire and reviewed my weaponry. Blue reached for a dagger, and I shook my head since it wasn’t a stunner. If we ran into Sparrow or one of the traitors, we needed a suitable blade. I handed her a small stunner from the bottom shelf since it was easy to carry. I owned a dozen impalement stakes that weren’t big around, but there was no way we could carry all of them and still fight, so I devised another plan.
After returning to the hall, I placed a stake against the wall at each main intersection. They weren’t noticeable, and if we had to circle back, we’d have quick access to a weapon. We passed two more hallways before encountering a tall Vampire. He’d pressed his forehead against the window overlooking the courtyard, his eyes fixed on the grounds below. Stake in hand, I crept up behind him, raised it high, and drove it into his back. Blue caught him before his heavy body hit the floor. Afraid someone would find him, I located an unlocked room, and we carried him inside. I hurried back into the hall and looked down at the courtyard to see what had held his attention, but there was nothing to see. He must have been tired. I stepped out of view and wondered if there might be other Vampires on the opposite end, policing the courtyard from a different angle.
Blue emerged from the room with blood on her dagger and hands. She was one hell of a warrior. The lofty hallways had arched ceilings, everything made of stone. That made it difficult for anyone who wasn’t barefoot to sneak up on us. When we heard footfalls nearing, we dove into a vacant room and waited for them to walk past.
While in there, Blue found a blade that was similar in length to Niko’s katanas but wider. She looked between that and her stunner, and I knew she wanted a more substantial weapon to finish the job. Since our priority right now was eliminating the immediate threats, which were Vampires, she set down the stunner and hefted the large blade.
When we reached the other side of the mansion that overlooked the courtyard, I spied a Vampire shirking his duties. It wouldn’t be easy sneaking up on a guy sitting in a chair, talking on his phone. He might glance up and see me, so I had to be quick and efficient.
Now or never.
I flashed over, shoved his head back, and impaled him in the chest before he could stand. To my horror, his phone tumbled out of his grip and clacked against the floor. Blue was already at my side. We moved fast and efficiently. Once I located a soundproof room, Blue collected the phone, grabbed his feet, and we hauled him out of sight.
I closed the door and heaved a sigh. “When’s the team coming?”
She swiped a finger over the cracked screen on his phone and scrolled. “Noon.”
As a Mage, I sensed time without needing a clock. “We only have an hour, and we haven’t even finished sweeping this floor.”
The phone lit up her face as she stared intently at it. “Some of them are talking to each other.”
I stepped over the body and looked at the screen. “What are they saying?”
“Nothing really. It looks like they’re rotating who’s keeping an eye on the new recruits. I guess those are the traitors.” She kept scrolling. “It doesn’t say where they are… but I’m guessing they have them all together. We have to be careful not to accidentally kill one of them.”
“Why should they get special treatment?”
She set the phone on the Vampire’s stomach. “Because their punishment will be an example for all. It’ll be severe enough to scare anyone from turning against the higher authority in the future. Trust me, they won’t get off easy. If we find them, we need to keep them here even if it takes stunners and stakes. Chitahs will be the hardest to subdue, but I don’t recall that many at the party. Do you?”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I’m fast, strong, and Chitah venom doesn’t work on me.”
“Someone on those phone messages asked if the others were here yet. Do you think they’re talking about more Vampires or traitors?” Blue rubbed her forehead. “Fates, I hope they’re not talking about more guards.”
I returned to the door just as the light on the phone dimmed.
Blue stepped behind the man and knelt. “If something happens and we get separated, keep doing what you’re doing. We need to kill as many of them as we can.”
“After we clear this floor, we’ll go down to the second level. Sparrow and the others are probably on the ground floor or in the basement, so we’ll save that for last.”
“My plan is to go up to the roof,” she said with conviction. “There’s a flat area where an archer’s hiding. There’s also another on the open balcony. After I take out the guy on the roof, I can shoot their own when the battle begins. I’ll have the perfect spot.”
I had enough Vampire energy for this, but I needed to dig deep for the mental fortitude.
She lifted the man’s head by his hair and held up the blade. “It’s about to get ugly.”
“How do you do that without flinching?”
“Easy. Just imagine they’re the person you hate most.”
CHAPTER26
The body count was up to seven, excluding the woman we left alive. It surprised us how few Vampires there were—far fewer than what we remembered from Lenore’s party. After prowling the halls, we checked every unlocked room. It took forever, and in the back of my mind I just knew I’d open a door and find a hundred Vampires standing shoulder to shoulder in the dark. Once we worked our back around to the female guard, we headed to the external balcony, which was near the grand staircase at the front of the house.
