Danny threw a punch at one of the guys, but he didn’t get away from the guy holding him before he paused.
“Brant? Krew?” Danny asked in a bright tone. “What the hell are the chances?”
“What the fuck?” I snarled at Danny. “You know these pricks?”
“We have a history,” Danny admitted. “Not a great one, obviously.”
Chancey hesitated, then backed down. Eddie took a stance beside me, awaiting my instruction.
“Well, well, well.” One of the vampires laughed. “Never expected to see you again,Daniel.”
“I don’t want to have to hit you again, Brant,” Danny warned. “We’re friends, remember? You don’t want to make an enemy out of me.”
“If you’re friends, you can let them go,” I said. I really didn’t want to leave a string of bodies behind if we could help it. It’d tip off Salvatore just as quickly as these two fuckers running back to him. The best option was to use Danny’s friendship to our advantage, so these vamps didn’t go reporting back to the boss.
“Friends?” the other vampire scoffed— Krew, I guessed. “We’d sooner kill these two than let them go. Salvatore will be veryinterestedin speaking with you, Danny. And look, they brought the boss’s little whelp. This day keeps getting better and better. Daddy’s been looking for you, Junior.”
“Fuck you, Krew,” Ivy spat. “I’m not my father’s tool.”
“But you always have been,” Krew replied. “Come with us now, or your friends are dead. Don’t even think of casting any spells in here. Any rogue magic could hit one of these machines. An explosion like that would take all of us with it.”
He was right about that, and I didn’t want to risk hitting Marcus, either. I had to make a split-second decision, and the best thing to do was siphon the vamps of their powers. But when I tried, I couldn’t sense their magic.
“Why can’t I feel you?” I demanded. “You don’t have any magic.”
Krew gave a mischievous laugh. “We havegoodwarding potions that make us undetectable to everyone, including our own cameras.”
So that’s why I hadn’t felt them in the room with us, and why they hadn’t been spotted by the Associates on the security cameras. An oversight I wasn’t making again.
Ivy stepped forward. “You don’treallywant to keep working for my dad, do you? Come on, Brant. You looked the other way countless times when I was getting into mischief right here in this building. I know you hate it here.”
Brant hesitated, like he couldn’t argue with that. “Turning you in would guarantee one hell of a promotion.”
“Oryou could come with me and be free of my father,” Ivy offered. “I made it out of this place; so can you. You told me the last time we talked you were sick of working for him, so come work for me instead.”
“He’d have my head,” Brant insisted.
“Not if he can’t find you,” Ivy said. “My father thinks he can beat us, but we’ve already escaped him once. We’ll escape him every time after. So tell me, Brant… do you want to be on the winning side, or the losing? Because if you stay with my father, one way or another, youwilllose yourself.”
Brant’s voice was small as he said, “I already have, Junior. If you really mean it, then take me with you.”
“Screw you! You can’t mean that!” Krew shouted.
“I do!” Brantley insisted. “Junior’s right. Salvatore isn’t what he used to be, and I ain’t sticking around if I’ve got better options.”
“Good choice, Brant,” Ivy said approvingly. “What do you say, Krew? You going to join us, too?”
“Over my dead body,” Krew sneered. “You’re a fucking traitor, Brant!”
Krew let go of Marcus and leapt on Brant. Before Danny could get between them, I heard the snap of breaking bones, then the tearing of flesh as Krew yanked Brant’s head off his shoulders. The vampire’s body slumped to the ground.
So much for not leaving any dead bodies behind. We couldn’t let Krew walk now, because he was sure to run off to Salvatore immediately.
I lunged forward and clamped my hands around Krew’s head, then twisted. I didn’t know where I’d found the strength, because I certainly hadn’t siphoned it from Krew. But I’d pulled a supernatural power boost from somewhere. Krew’s bones snapped, and his neck crackled like broken stone against my touch. He was gone in an instant.
Ivy stumbled to the side. “Whoa, Charlie. You’ve taken a hit on my strength.”
I realized I’d siphoned the super strength from Ivy. I had to be careful, because they needed their powers for themselves.
