Just as quickly as I went through the window and accepted my fate of dying in the middle of the street everything changes again.
“Open your eyes, mortal.”
I jerk in surprise and open my eyes. I’m suspended in the air a few feet off the ground. The idiot that stepped in front of me has his hand out towards me. I look from him to the other four hooded people with him. When they push back their hoods I realize they’re not people.
“You’re a vampire,” I whisper.
The man drops his hand and I fall. I hit the ground with a groan. The injuries I have are minimal from going through the windshield. Somehow, I’m not that hurt. The fall hurt more. I roll onto my back and look up at the sky. The five vampires move in a blur and surround me.
“How do you know what we are?”
A scream rings out through the air and we hear the sound of shattering glass. “A lucky guess,” I mutter and slowly push myself up into a sitting position. “A little air? I know you don’t need that but some of us are still alive. Back up and give me some space.”
They move back a step instantly. I didn’t think they would listen to me. Apparently, neither did they.
“She’s a witch, Ethan. You should have let her die,” one of them sneers.
“I’m not a witch.” I get to my feet unsteadily and look them over. They’ve arranged into a half circle around me.
The man that dropped me gives me a once over. “She’s telling the truth, Delilah. I would know a witch, but sheissomething.”
A woman pushes her hood back and rubs her temples. “Ethan, please…”
“I say we kill her. I’m hungry and this town is beyond saving. We’ll have to wipe it clean,” a man sighs. When he steps towards me I hold up my hands to stop him.
“Don’t come any closer.”
The man goes still. What the fuck is going on?
He tries to step forward and growls at me. “You did this. What are you?”
I hold up my hands. “I don’t have time for this. I know who you are.” It doesn’t take a genius to know exactly who I almost ran over.
“The Varcolacus will no doubt give her the Final Death for her last antic.”
“What the hell is that?”
“Vampire Council. They run our world, run the human world too as a shadow council, but that’s more of a need to know thing. Rosanna made the mistake of being too greedy and attracted the wrong attention. She’s their problem now.”
“And who do you think we are, mortal?”
“The Varcolacus,” I answer. My chest hurts using Julian’s words. The memory of us together is too tender to linger on. I push it away and focus on them. “I know who you’re looking for.”
“And how could a human know that?”
“She’s not a human. A human would be injured more severely than she is from going through a windshield at the speed she was driving. They might have even died,” one of them says and leans forward to look at me. He’s blonde and tired looking. For a vampire, he looks exhausted. “She’s a siren, you dimwits. You’ll do well to watch yourselves with her. The next words she says could be your end.”
I hadn’t thought of ending the vampire council after Rosanna but now that I know it’s an option, I might. My fingers itch for my gun but it’s long gone.
One of the vampires shakes his head and moves towards me. “This is foolishness. She’s human. You can smell it on her. I’ll not fear a human.”
“I’m siren enough to fuck you up. You heard him. Half human or not, I have enough siren blood in me to make you do anything. I could make you rip your own fucking head off,” I point at my car, “and after that, you’re lucky I don’t.”
They fall back and I look at them all. “I’m Maris and I’m exactly what he says I am.” I cross my arms and wait a beat to see if any of them will try to take me out. I’m hurt. Not as badly as they think I should be but I’m not great. If they tried, I wouldn’t last long.
Thankfully the Varcolacus are a bunch of hesitant fucks. When no one moves, I put my hand in play.
“I have a deal for you.”
