“Stop being cheeky,” Thaddeus groaned.
“It’s going to get messy tonight, Poppy.” Blaise nudged my arm. “We didn’t kill all of the abandoned from last night’s hunt.”
A warning bell rang in the back of my head, but I pushed it back. “Is there anything specific I need to know about them? What is it they do and how can I protect myself?”
“Their eyes,” Thaddeus said.
Haunting yellow eyes flashed in my mind from the night of the accident. I shivered at the cold sensation they’d given me. “Yellow’s lower level, right? What are the levels and colors?”
“Yellow’s the most common,” Kai said, resting his chin on his fist. “They were damned to Hell for lesser evils, and while they aren’t as powerful as the rest, they shouldn’t be underestimated.”
“Good point, mate,” Blaise said. “The ones with yellow eyes, sometimes the green eyes too, cause a disruption by screeching rather than attacking head on. They usually roam in packs of four or five because they couldn’t escape Hell alone.”
I swallowed the saliva that gathered in my mouth. “So are they fresh out of Hell? How do they escape?”
“They usually are, yes,” Thaddeus said. “The abandoned don’t roam far after they escape, and we’re right by the bloody gate of Hell.”
“They escape by taking on the guardians of the gate,” Blaise said. “Hellhounds.”
My mouth dropped.I have a feeling hellhounds aren’t as cute as regular dogs.
Kai’s hand found my thigh. “We’ll be with you every step of the way.”
I bit my lip and glanced up at him. My core clenched painfully. I had to get laid sooner rather than later, because all my thoughts were of these fucking vampires and how awesome they could make sex with their vampric powers. “Promise?”
“Of course.”
Thaddeus and Blaise exchanged a glance and scoffed at Kai.
I forced a cough to clear my throat. “What other colors are there?”
“Three more levels,” Thaddeus said. “Next up is the green-eyed abandoned. They’re a step above the yellow but not by much. They don’t screech. They let out more of a bellow to distract and they roam in pairs.”
I don’t want to hear the bellow.The screech was ear-drum-bursting awful, and somehow, I had a feeling the bellow would be worse.
“Next up’s purple. They give me the fucking willies,” Blaise said with a shiver. “They attack head on with their claws, brute strength, and speed. They don’t need mind games or distractions to take down anything in their path, and they always travel alone because they don’t tolerate company.”
“What’s the last level?”
“Red,” Blaise growled. “Fucking evil.”
“Red eyes meant they were overpowered and did enough immoralities when they were alive to earn a spot in the heart of Hell,” Thaddeus explained, drenching the information with a warning tone. “They’re strong enough to escape Hell solo, but may or may not travel in pairs. They attack with manifested mind games that kill. They fuck with reality and use your fears against you. If we deal with them, hide. And above all—”
“Don’t let them touch you,” they said in unison.
“I don’t plan to be touched by any of them.” Goosebumps shot down my arms and I rubbed them out in quick motions.
“If youeversee red eyes, leg it home. We have a ward of protection from the abandoned around it.” Kai squeezed my upper thigh, and I put my hand over his.
Each one of them went silent, shifting in their seats as they spoke about the red-eyed abandoned. To be fucking honest, I was petrified. Whatever caused them to act like that made me afraid as well. I was new to the supernatural world, and I only knew what they taught me.
“What can I do to help if things get out of control?”
“You fucking run,” Blaise growled.
“But—”
“Run,” Thaddeus interrupted with a deadly expression, and my stomach dropped like a rock.
