“What happened with Viktor?” Christian fired up the engine.
“Something went wrong.”
“Did they get Hunter?”
Niko put on his seat belt. “Yes, the little one is safe.”
“Then what’s the trouble?”
“Raven never came back. They had to leave her behind. Viktor stressed that she’s not expendable; he simply had no choice given the circumstances. They waited for a minute but couldn’t stay.”
Christian had nerves of steel, and hearing that Raven was in trouble made his heart slow down instead of speed up. He knew what needed to be done. “And where are we going?”
“The hotel.”
Christian threw the car into reverse and sped down the driveway before jerking the wheel and spinning the car. “I’m afraid that’s not gonna happen.”
CHAPTER17
“We’re running out of time.” I leaned against the garage wall, no longer concerned about the “no speaking” rule. The fireworks were loud, and we were alone. “Should we go get her?”
Claude shook his head, his attention split between the tunnel and the open garage door across the room.
I peered into the darkness. “I see something.”
In the distance, a beautiful blur of lights came into view. When Gem drew closer, I saw the boy and sighed with relief.
Hunter jumped into Claude’s arms and squeezed him tight. Claude mussed his black hair, and I thought I heard him purring. Claude was especially good with kids, and he and Hunter had bonded while doing small repairs around the house. Hunter liked to feel needed and useful, and Claude nurtured that. When Hunter leaned back, Claude covered his mouth to remind him to stay silent.
Gem emerged with a frazzled look, and to my surprise, Kira followed behind her. When the fireworks exploded in rapid succession, Gem tapped her wrist in a panic. We only had a minute left. Maybe seconds.
After closing the secret passageway door, we dashed to the ramp.
My heart ricocheted in my chest when a pair of legs came into view. The Vampire descended the ramp, and his eyes twinkled when he saw us at the bottom. This one didn’t have on a suit from the party but a black shirt and jeans. He looked like a Latin soap opera star.
“Thought I saw some tracks,” he said, one finger plugged in his ear. “Well, well. What do we have here?”
Claude backed up, still clutching Hunter in his arms.
“Run to the other garage door!” I pointed in the direction we’d come from, which was a dead end. Did the Vampire know that? It was a fifty-fifty shot. We needed to lure him away from the exit so he couldn’t signal the others. As I hoped, he chased after us. Gem and Kira ducked behind the van. Claude fell out of sight.
Halfway across the garage, I turned to face him. High-pitched whistles pierced my ears, followed by popping that sounded like rapid gunfire. When the Vampire cringed and covered his ears, I flashed at him with my impalement stick. He struck me before I made contact, but instead of crumpling to the ground like a felled tree, I smashed into Wyatt’s 1971 red Mini Cooper.
Oops.
I grimaced at the dented hood. “He’s gonna kill me,” I murmured, and I didn’t mean the Vampire. That vintage car was Wyatt’s pride and joy. Aside from the blue door, he’d kept all the original parts on the ridiculously tiny car, which had the steering wheel on the opposite side.
“Whatareyou?” the Vampire asked in disbelief.
I flashed toward him. Only this time I pivoted and drove the stake through his back. In dramatic soap opera fashion, he dropped to his knees, spread his arms, and fell flat onto his stomach.
I blinked in surprise. That was a classic Mage maneuver. I’d had a plan for when he avoided it, but it was like he had no fighting experience. “Where the hell did he find these guys? The Vampire academy for the ungifted?”
Gem zipped over from behind the van. “That was breathtaking!”
I looked between them as the fireworks reached a noisy crescendo. “That’s the finale. You guys need to get the hell out of here.”
“What are you going to do about him?” Claude asked.
