“Keep up!” Raleigh says. “There’s an exit just ahead!”
My vision sharpens to the darkness and not far in front of us I can see a rusty ladder ascending to another manhole cover.
When we reach it, Raleigh lets Elliot climb first and then gestures for me to follow. When she reaches the top, she shoves the cover aside and hauls herself out. I’m right behind her.
Night air slams into my lungs.
Cool. Clean. Crisp.
The rest of what’s left of the Rogues spills out onto the street, soaked, stinking, a bit charred but alive. Raleigh is barking orders to them, but I’m too focused on Elliot. Her dress is ruined, the beautiful silver fabric torn and seared along the hem and caked with God knows what. Her blonde curls are plastered against her face, and she’s breathing hard. Staring at me with both fear and relief on her face.
Fuck. We almost died.
I step closer to her. “Elliot… I?—”
“Lucian?”
I turn to see Andrew standing there, looking grim.
“I saw the explosion, the fire… I know you told me to stay close and not intervene, but I couldn’t.” He swallows, the scent of blood heavy in the air. When Andrew glances behind him, I see why. There’s a man lying on the sidewalk, throat ripped out, his blood pooling in a dark stain on the concrete. “I saw him running, chased him down. I’m sorry I didn’t wait for orders, but?—”
“No, Andrew, you did the right thing,” I say and walk over to the body. I use the toe of my shoe to nudge him onto his back and I see the fancy scriptSembellished into his shirt collar.
He’s one of Santiago’s.
“Andrew…fuck.” I’m going to fucking rip Santiago to pieces after this. Fury whips through me like a storm. I brush glass off my suit, ignoring the small wounds and burns that start to heal. The burn in my lungs is already starting to ease, too. “Call Vittoria. Tell her what happened. Santiago has just declared war.”
He nods and pulls out his phone.
Elliot walks over and stares down at the dead vampire. “Santiago’s?’
“Yes.”
“What does this mean?” she asks.
“It means I’m going to finish what I should have at the engagement party.”
“You mean we,” she says, peering up at me. “I’m sure Vittoria will want in too.”
“I’d rather you didn’t get involved in this,” I say.
She touches my arm. “After everything that just happened, I think I deserve a piece of him.”
I smile. “I suppose you’re right.”
Raleigh comes up beside us, gaze cutting back toward the building we barely escaped. Smoke still crawls into the night sky, thick and oily, carrying the scent of burned flesh.
“I lost a lot of good vampires in there,” he says quietly.
I nod. “Thank you for getting us out.”
“It was a close call,” he says. “And as much as I’d love to rip Santiago apart for this,” he continues, jaw tightening, “my people come first. What’s left of them.”
“As they should,” I say. I may have thought Raleigh and the Rogues as harmless before, a weaker coven of vampires, but it’s clear to me now that he deserves respect. And VMR’s support.
“We’ll have to regroup, so I won’t be able to help you take him out tonight.” His eyes flick to mine. He finds no argument there.
“I’ll make sure Santiago pays for this,” I tell him.
