The overhead drone moved lower and hard to the leftuntil we could see the prison on its cameras. Vamps on the lowlight screen disappeared inside the null prison. Enemy humans turned their weapons away from the null prison and our people, firing at the houses around them.
“They’re shooting at the neighbors’ homes,” I said.
“Full retreat,” Eli said. “Pull back. Pull back. Deliberate attacks on civilians. Pull back. Pull back.”
Everything we had done and... this. Attacks on civilians. And my enemies get the Heart of Darkness after all because I’d brought it back to the prison. For freaking safekeeping.
If heart had been at Jane and Beast den, attack would have been there,Beast thought.Would have been worse. Much deaths.
I blew out a breath. She was right.
On the screen our people raced back to the SUVs and tossed staked vamps into the vehicles. They pulled back several blocks. Alex informed me that, from his hospital bed, Bruiser called the cops, the governor, and the mayor. SWAT was called out. Sirens split the air. Blue lights came from everywhere, passing us, heading to the blacked-out neighborhoods and death magics.
From a neighbor’s house, return fire could be heard. Cop cars pulled up and the cops fired at Ursula, Fiona, and Endora in the street. The enemy attackers drew back from the null prison.
Over comms, Alex said, “EMS and police are on site. The new PsyLED guy, Special Agent Roberto Jimenez, is on site, taking reports, pissing off the local cops, and ignoring our people. He’s a real piece of work. Meanwhile, there are injured humans in the neighborhood.”
Bitterly, I said, “They knew we would keep fighting unless civilians were threatened or harmed. So they shot into homes in my city. Hoping to hit humans. On purpose.”
The RVAC was maneuvered closer to the prison. On screen a vamp popped into sight. A woman with dark and gray hair was draped over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, limp. Lachish.
A vamp appeared beside him, a box under his arm. The heartbox.
They got what they came for.
And if the heartbox had been at the freebie house, we’d possibly be dead. Angie had seen... something horrible. Bad enough to make her tell me to give the box back. Something worse than what was happening here. I had to believe that. But the decision had been mine to make. I hadn’t expected them to return here. I had expected the Everhart wards to hold and they hadn’t. The results and the deaths were also on my shoulders.
Jane cannot stop enemies from taking heart. No matter what Jane does. When kit Angie Baby came to this place, all futures changed.
And how do you know that?I asked. She didn’t answer.
The ward around the witch circle fell. The vamp carrying Lachish stepped in and disappeared. Then the vamp with the heartbox.
The cops were still firing. Endora threw a ball of scarlet energies at the cops and one dropped into the street. Out cold or dead. It wasn’t death magics but...
The cops stopped firing. Dragging the injured cop, the others withdrew into better cover.
In rapid succession the enemy vamps and humans walked through the circle and disappeared. In seconds the witches vanished through the circle.
“Human members of Team Koppa, disarm,” Eli said, battlefield-cold voice, “fast. Assist emergency services to triage the neighborhood. Team Delta, see if you can unstake the fangheads without getting your throats ripped out. Alex, we’ll need blood donors.”
“Copy that. On the way from Yellowrock Clan Home and Arceneau Clan Home.”
Molly and Evan discussed something that was half whispered comments and half pointed looks.
“Jane,” Alex said over the speakers. “We got action at Soledad and Malita’s. And problems. Switching comms frequency and adding video.”
The RVAC views of the prison disappeared. On the screen, I saw the estate house, the windows shattered, the front door hanging open, bright light spilling out in rectangles, forming obtuse angles on the lawn.
Over comms I heard, “Mithran team leader, Jaymie here. First on scene was a two-person team, Howard Cornith, vamp, and Emilie Showell, human. They had orders to not engage the enemy, but it appears that they did not follow orders. They did not activate their vest cams and we have no idea what happened. Both were discovered lying on the lawn, incapacitated, the human unconscious but unbloodied. The Mithran does not appear to be true dead. From inside, and from the lawn, I smell a buttload of blood, both human and Mithran. There’s also a rank stench of burned things, like the smell of burned flesh.”
Jaymie was likely a female vamp, young enough to have a modern American accent, so no older than a hundred. Not someone I knew by voice alone.
“There are dead in the house,” another vamp said. “I smell the dead. Our kind. Bloodied and burned. I have smelled this before, long ago.”
“Jaymie, this is your queen. Do not approach,” I said. “Maintain positions.”
“Yes, ma’am, My Queen.”
