“But if we get our head cut off—”
“That would be terrible! But one can only assume if a blow to the head by a Vampire can’t kill Wyatt, nothing can. Gravewalkers can live up to a thousand years, but their natural healing abilities don’t mean they’re invincible. That blow should have killed him. By that reasoning, we should be able to survive a beheading or immolation. That means death by fire.”
“Perish the thought. I’m not about to find out.”
“Alas, I’m not brave enough to test our limitations either. Though I am curious if the head would reattach itself or if you would grow a new one.”
I tapped the two wood stakes together. “We need to find Sparrow before that little weasel escapes. The wolves will take care of the Vamps. The traitors are somewhere in the house, and we need to keep them restrained so they don’t make a run for it.”
Her eyes brightened, and she disappeared underneath her desk. “I bet Sparrow’s in the gathering room. It’s the heart of Keystone, and everyone feels important in there.”
“He could also be hiding in the gym. I don’t know enough about this guy to predict his hiding spots or if he’s even hiding. Maybe he’s got a ringside seat somewhere.” I stood up. “Did Viktor have any specific instructions?”
“To kill everyone but Sparrow and the traitors. Ooh, here they are!” Gem bounced up with a sack and swung it. “Handcuffs. We can use these on the prisoners.”
“I’m scared to ask what else you have under there.”
Gem wrapped her arms around me for a quick hug. “I’m so glad you’re alive. Well, sort of alive. But it sounds better than saying I’m glad you’re half-dead. What next?”
“We find Sparrow.”
CHAPTER27
Christian grew weary of lopping off heads with the sword Raven had given him, so he went for their legs instead. It was easier, unexpected, and a Vampire couldn’t run with a missing limb. That gave enough time for the wolves to move in for the kill.
They hadn’t anticipated this many Vampires, and he wondered if there were enough wolves to take them on. Sparrow’s men weren’t letting anyone through the doors. With guards inside and out, it wasn’t the desirable way in. And without knowing how many were inside, they were better off eliminating the outside threat first.
Christian charged through the snow, which was now a thin sheet of muddy footprints and blood. He’d never felt more alive, more invigorated by a purpose.
Another wolf lunged at him, and he knocked it away. “Jaysus! I’m onyourside, you fleabag.”
Wolves couldn’t scent a Vampire. The cologne helped, but when they got up close, they didn’t smell body sweat and the musty undercurrent of a man. So while fighting Sparrow’s men, he was also knocking away wolves that got close enough to attack him. He couldn’t kill or hurt them since they were vital to this operation. Ren’s plan was to flank the property line and take out the threat from the sides. Keystone had agreed to handle the front. Now that the plan was in motion, Christian went to the back of the property. When he reached the corner, his heart sank.
There must have been fifty Vampires lined up, every other one facing the corners of the house. They obviously heard the wolves chewing up their friends.
“Are we having a barbecue, fellas?” He swaggered toward the closest one, bloody sword in hand. “Aren’t you ready to go home by now? The wolves are hungry, and you look like a tasty morsel.”
He could take on two at a time—maybe three. But not all. He cringed when that infernal trumpet blared again. It hardly seemed necessary with Vampires. You could blow a dog whistle and they’d hear it. Sparrow was showing off, trying to make a spectacle out of standing his ground. Something for people to talk about for centuries to come. He was probably hiding in the basement, writing songs about himself.
Christian bent over and swung his sword, taking a man’s leg below the knee. He howled in pain and collapsed. Christian skewered the leg and flung it at the other Vampires. It thumped one in the head, leaving a bloody streak on his face.
When the trumpet blared again, Christian realized what it was summoning. In the distance, down the slope and past the meadow, at least a hundred men emerged from the tree line that bordered the farthest reaches of their property. They must have been hiding, waiting for Sparrow’s command. Now his forces were doubled. Not one of them broke stride as they ran like a pack of berserkers toward the mansion.
Christian covered his ears when the trumpet blared one last time. “Jaysus, Mary, and Joseph,” he said under his breath.
With a renewed sense of determination, Christian knocked over three men like a stack of dominos with one punch. He swung the sword so quickly around him that he felt like a helicopter in motion. It kept the men at bay for only a moment before one ran at him like a missile and they hit the ground. Christian’s fangs punched out, and his Vampire nature took over. They fought like demons.
The man astride him choked him with one hand and drew back his other arm—the fist aimed for Christian’s heart. Vampires relied on moves that would incapacitate their enemy indefinitely. Christian had no desire to have his heart torn from his chest. In a few brief moves, he snapped the man’s arm, releasing the choke hold, and then punched him so hard in the throat that it crushed his trachea. When two other Vampires moved in, he grabbed them by the hair and knocked their skulls together like two coconuts. Christian shoved the choking Vampire off him and retrieved his sword. As another attacker rushed at him, he swung the blade from a kneeling position and disemboweled him.
Just as quickly as it started, the fighting came to a standstill. Everyone’s attention was fixed on the meadow. Christian dropped his sword. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end when he beheld something incomprehensible.
It hurt to look skyward because of the bright sky, but he endured the pain long enough to see a large bird descending upon the Vampires like the wrath of God. It was closer in size to an ostrich than an eagle, but it looked unlike any bird he had ever seen. Its red-and-golden wings stretched wide with feathers trailing like burning flames. The long tail fanned behind it. He might have mistaken it for a dragon had it not been so beautiful. His blood ran cold when it screeched and fire poured from its mouth. The fire speared all the way to the ground, melting the snow and scorching the earth. Vampires caught in its path didn’t just burn alive—they turned to ash.
The creature swooped, and everyone watched in terror as it circled back around. This time it came at the men in the clearing from the side, so it only had to fly in a straight line to burn them all up.
They panicked, running in different directions, but the flames took out more men than could escape. Christian shuddered as he forced his way into the mansion through the side door. Two guards flanked him, and he groaned when a dagger sank into his chest. He quickly took it out and sliced the man’s jugular. After knocking away the knife from the other Vampire’s hand, Christian rushed into one of the vacant rooms and desperately searched for impalement wood. Instead, he found a battle-axe.
“This’ll do,” he said, strutting out of the room and giving the weapon a spin. At the sight of his medieval weapon, the man hesitated. It was obvious he wanted to run but had been given orders not to. Christian gave the mighty axe a deadly swing. The man tried to duck, but he wasn’t fast enough. So instead of a clean kill, the axe buried itself in his skull.
