26
Six months later…
“Ace, look out!”
I turn just in time to duck, narrowly avoiding getting hit in the shoulder with a knife. Oh, hell no. I tried being nice. I tried talking and reasoning, but there’s no getting through to a vampire. Especially one that hasn’t fed in days.
“That’s it,” I say, and conjure a fireball.
“Wait,” Thomas yells, jumping down from a broken second-story window, brandishing a dangerously sharp wooden stake. “We need to follow him into the nest!”
“Then you can blow shit up,” Gilbert says, coming up behind me. “And you know I like to watch you blow shit up.”
“That I do,” I say, tossing the fireball up into the air. I catch it as it comes back down and put it out. “So let’s go.”
We’re on the outskirts of town not too far from the house, which is no coincidence, I’m sure. Ever since I quit my job as a detective to go full time into this witch business, demons and dark magic have been coming out of the woodwork. Which is fine, though we’ve been busy.
“There’s a root cellar on the north side of the barn. I’m sure the vamp went in there,” Thomas says as we silently move through the barn. It’s dark in here, and while I’m squinting and trying to see what’s in front of me, Thomas rushes forward, still able to see in the dark.
Gilbert takes my hand, guiding me through the dark barn. Along with the ability to see in the dark, they’ve retained their strength. Hasan still has his wings, and he doesn’t mind using the concealment charm to hide them in public.
Jacques dug deep into the magic, trying to figure out why things ended the way they did, and he thinks the magic is still there in everyone, even himself.
For Hasan, it was battle power, and he retained his ability to fly and fight. Tom and Gil like being human but are still stronger than ordinary men and have what I call “super senses.” And Jacques…he never wanted power, not in any sense. His senses are higher than most humans, though.
Including me.
But I have the fire power, and right now I’m more than ready to use it, kill these vamps, and head to the office before we can finally go home, change, and hit the town. It’s Friday night and we’re going out to dinner.
Cold winter wind hits me as soon as I step out of the barn, making me want to summon up a fire just to keep warm. Snow crunches under our feet and our breath clouds around me.
“Where’s this root cellar?” I ask, sticking my hands into my coat pockets. Gloves and throwing fire don’t mix.
“This way,” Thomas says, pointing. Suddenly he stops, holding out his hand. “I see him.”
I narrow my eyes, unable to see more than a few feet in front of me. “Is he going in?”
“Yeah.”
Gil raises his arm, tightening his grip on the wooden stake. “And he’s getting his friends.”
I raise both hands, conjuring the fire. “Ready, boys?”
Tom and Gil stand by my side, holding up their stakes. “Hell, yes.”
* * *
“Hey, babe.”I cross the office, stopping behind the desk. “Busy today?” I slide my hands down Hasan’s broad shoulders. He closes his laptop and spins the chair around, grabbing my ass and pulling me to him.
“Is this blood?” Hasan asks, pushing my hair back.
“Ugh.” I wrinkle my nose. “Yeah, but it’s not mine.”
He chuckles. “So you got the vamps?”
“Five of them.”
“Wow,” he says, sounding a little disappointed.
