Chapter Twenty-Six
ROUX
The nearest vampire brushed the snow from his shoulders and started toward us, following his nose.
Head that way,I told Gen.Over by those boulders.
She nodded and led the way slowly forward.
I stuck with her for a few steps, then split off to creep along a hollow. When I was twenty paces away, I called into Gen’s mind.
Now!
She threw a snowball at a tree, drawing their attention.
“Over there!” one of the vampires yelled, falling for our ruse.
I doubled back through the hollow, then tackled the nearest vampire. The acrid taste of blood filled my mouth as I tore at his throat. He slashed at my side with needle-sharp fingernails, then gradually went limp. I hated for Gen to witness that gory a spectacle, but she, like I, had Claudette at the forefront of her mind.
Killing a vampire was no easy feat, but I was powered by twice my usual strength, and it was over in an instant. I raced away before the other two could reach me, zigzagging to throw them off. Then I rushed to my rendezvous point with Gen.
Four or five more steps uphill and a little farther left,Gen called urgently.
The vampires dropped back, mired in a snowdrift.
I crept onward, following the tingle of magic to slip into Gen’s shadow more gracefully than last time. Still, it was jarring, the way she and Danielle appeared directly in front of my nose.
I flashed Gen a wicked grin.
We make a good team, you and me.
Her eyes lit up, she hummed into my mind.We do.
Shouts broke out on the far side of the house, and I pictured Grepper arguing with Celeste and a group of angry vampires.
Move. Quickly!I urged Gen.
The remaining vampires hesitated, torn between us and helping their comrades with Grepper. But they plowed on a moment later, intent on tracking us down.
I’ll drop back here.Next rendezvous is that tree stump,I noted, coiling my muscles.
We kept up the guerrilla tactics, covering another hundred-plus meters of ground while looking for opportunities to kill our foes. Still, it was slow going, and I worried that “our” vampires might be joined by more from the main force at Grepper’s door.
Gen scowled.I hate to root for Grepper, but better him than the vampires.
She continued plucking shadows out of our surroundings and weaving them around us. An eternity later, we reached a steep, rocky area. Gen glanced back, then yelled, pushing Danielle to the ground.
“Get down!”
A massive shadow swept overhead. Flames crackled, illuminating the falling snow, and dragon roars exploded into my ears.
Where the hell are you?Marius thundered into my mind.
I caught a glimpse of his dark form sweeping over the trees before disappearing into the blizzard.
We’re just north of you, moving northeast,I reported, nudging Gen along.
Another burst of fire lit the sky as Mina followed him. Mental chaos ensued as her voice joined Marius’s and Gen’s in my mind.
