Cormack’s head shot up, confused. It gave Sorley a split second. He leapt, twisting as he fell. Cormack’s minute hesitation meant that as Sorley headed towards the mall floor, his outstretched foot clipped Cormack across the jaw, knocking him backwards. He flailed and landed heavily, his eyes flying wide with shock.
It was so tempting to finish him there and then, but his sire would lose his everloving shit if Sorley broke such a cardinal rule and offed another vampireon film.Reluctantly he went with his original plan. Drawing back his leg like a premier league footballer about to take an important penalty, he slammed his foot into the prone vampire’s exposed crotch.
Cormack made an anguished noise that sounded like it was torn from his soul. He jackknifed into a hunch, whimpering in pain. Sorley had the briefest flitter of empathy, but it was gone as quickly as it arrived. While Cormack was down, he had to move quickly. Aiming another perfect kick at Cormack’s jaw, he heard as well as felt it connect with a satisfyingcrunch.
“Thatis a tiny taste of the world of pain coming for you, you heinous piece of shit,” he snarled, white hot anger fuelling his words. “How fuckingdareyou abuse James that way!” He no longer cared about what the fucker had done to him, but for the pain he’d caused his dear friend Alec, the death of the human clubber, and the horrific violations he’d forced on the others, especially young James, Cormack would pay.
He retraced his steps a short way and sprinted right this time, following the route he’d told Baxter he would take, out into the rainy night. He knew Cormack would catch up with him again, but this time it would be on Sorley’s terms.
The rain was coming down purposefully as he exited the shopping centre at a steady clip and headed towards the river. Drawing Cormack away from the city centre was imperative.
He’d intended to cut through the railway station to muddle his scent, but as he rounded the corner there were police cars and a van parked along the approach, with a number of uniformed officers milling about, their walkie-talkies crackling ominously in the night air.Bugger.
He couldn’t afford to slow down. Cormack would be furious and sore, but his injuries wouldn’t delay him by much. He spared a quick glance behind him, then left and right. Nothing for it but to act decisively. He jumped onto the low wall, then flung himself over the iron fencing with its twisty spokes designed to keep folk out. As his toes connected with the ground on the other side, he heard a shout, but didn’t stop to check where it came from. He had to get clear of the station yard by any means possible, and right now the best option was straight across. Thankfully these ends of the platforms were deserted. He criss-crossed the tracks at speed, eyes swivelling to avoid crashing into anyone, but his luck held and he reached the far side unimpeded.
As he climbed the last barrier he heard a low hiss from behind him, carrying to his ears like a shout would to a human.
“You’re in so much trouble now, Saul. I will make you pay before you are forgiven.”
Sorley turned to face Cormack across the expanse of the tracks. “Gotta catch me first,” he said lightly, and stepped into thin air.
It was approximately a thirty foot drop off the top of the arches on this side of the station, but he landed like a cat. There were two nearby bridges that spanned the river, but heading left would take him back towards the centre so he took the longer route, haring down almost deserted streets in his haste to reach the bridge and from there the relative quiet of the industrial estate.
48
GETHIN
Unease woundthrough Gethin’s chest as he made his way towards the nightclub from the riverside. He was totally confident he could pick Sorley’s scent out of thousands in a football stadium and only moderately less certain he could identify Edwin and Alec in the same kind of substantial crowd, so why was his undead heart stuttering over the possibility he would somehow overlook the smell of Connor Cormack? His scent had been imprinted on Gethin’s senses as soon as he’d recognised it as a threat outside the flat. The leech was currently the biggest threat to the safety of the vampire he loved, and the ones he was beginning to think of as family.
And that’s why, you idiot,he chastised himself as he increased his pace to a light jog, reining in his impulse to move at vampire speed.You’re worried about them, so you’re doubting yourself. Stupid boy, you’re a wolfanda vamp; nothing’s going to get away from you now.
His phone alerted him to a text from Edwin. To the point, it simply said,Widening the search. Will keep in touch.Gethin acknowledged it with a thumbs up emoji.
The pavements outside the club were devoid of any aromas he could identify apart from a fresh scent of Edwin, which confirmed his suspicion that Sorley had never got this far. So where had Cormack gone, and more to the point, had he lured Sorley with him or had Sorley stalked him?
Flashing a glance at the map on his phone, he wheeled around and started back in a southerly direction, determined to criss-cross every street and alleyway until he located Sorley, or maybe this Connor bloke.
He didn’t have to go far. His wolf grumbled menacingly as the telltale odour of Cormack assailed his nostrils. Gethin glanced around the street, then edged down the passageway with caution, although all his senses, wolf and vampire, assured him it was currently empty. The much more welcome scent of his lover was prevalent here too, but there were no signs of a scuffle or anything that clued him in as to what had happened. He followed the combined trail through the alley and out the other side, frowning as he began heading back towards the centre. This didn’t feel right.
He took out his phone to check in with Edwin or Alec but it vibrated in his hand with a notification. From Baxter, he saw it was a voice message, sent to them all.
“Sorley’s heading south from Albion Street towards Victoria bridge slash Neville Street. Cormack is pursuing. Cormack’s been injured but he’s strong and it’s not slowing him down much. Sorley’s still intending to lead him to open ground. One of you fuckers had better get there quick and lend a hand. Cormack is off his trolley and by the look of it pretty damn lethal, not the best combination. No pressure, lads, but step on it. Keep me posted. We’re cleaning up the security feeds as fast as you make the messes.”
Her tone, while aiming for light, missed its mark by a mile. Gethin felt his throat constrict with worry. The Council’s scant information hadn’t known how old Cormack was, but if he wasn’t much slowed down by a three hundred year old vampire, he was likely the same age or even older. And now they were sure he was a mage too. He checked Baxter’s references on his map app and turned around once more, adjusting his pace to a human run, albeit at a faster pace than most.
He sped south-westerly, arriving at a T junction within moments. He could see the bridge to his left, traffic moving in both directions. This area of town seemed to be mostly office buildings. Good, fewer witnesses if anything turned nasty.
Footsteps approaching at speed had him swinging his head around. Sorley! He could see someone behind him keeping pace, his crazed and furious expression clear even at a distance. This had to be Cormack. As Sorley got closer he mouthed something that looked like, “Get out of the way,” but that couldn’t be right, surely?
Mindful that Sorley was more experienced than him with vampires of all kinds, Gethin decided to keep to the side of the pavement, poised to run, or to intercept Cormack if he could. He raced across the bridge so he was ahead of the pair, waiting just on the south side. There were all sorts of little ring roads in the vicinity, but at this time of night none of them would present any major obstacle to a vampire. From there he knew there were a lot of industrial developments leading ultimately to a large sports ground on the other side of a motorway. Although it could well have security cameras — didn’t everywhere these days? — it was at least almost guaranteed to be empty of people.
Sorley raised his eyebrows in a salute as he approached, but shook his head slightly, which Gethin took to mean not to get involved and to allow him to run past. That wasn’t a bad plan — the sooner Cormack was dispatched, the quicker they could all breathe. Although, he allowed himself, a breathing analogy wasn’t the best he could have come up with. It seemed it would take time to properly adjust to his new undead life.
He assumed Cormack would also sprint straight past him, so was shocked into taking a step backwards when the vampire slammed to a halt and wheeled around to face him. Sorley, presumably hearing the footsteps following him stop, stalled and sprinted back to stand close, but not quite in touching range of either Gethin or Cormack. His eyes were wide with apprehension and unease. Gethin tensed as he did a lightning sweep of the bridge for pedestrians. Right now they were the only three folk not in moving vehicles. That, at least, was a relief.
Cormack regarded Gethin like a nasty schoolboy with an insect trapped under a glass, his body language hostile. Not that Gethin needed sight to feel the animosity and confusion rolling off the man, as well as — yikes — that weird twisted double scent. He forced himself not to drop his gaze but not to appear too ready to fight either. A standoff this near to the city centre wasn’t part of the plan. They just needed a little time and a lot of luck if they were to persuade Cormack to head south. The vampire was, he supposed, handsome. Tall, blond, and elegant, he could have been a model. Shame he was rotten to the core which rather ruined his outward beauty. Gethin focused on the crimes he’d committed and willed himself to stay calm and alert.
Finally, although it had probably only been a few seconds, Cormack sneered. “You’re a vampire. I did not expect that.”
