Page 109 of Warrior Unraveled

36

Zoltan cursed. “Vampires!”

He slammed the door to his private chamber, furious at this latest failure. How had the Stealth Guardians been able to enlist the help of vampires? Those bloodsuckers didn’t ally themselves with anybody. They kept to themselves, didn’t even look out for each other as a species. And now suddenly they were coming to the guardians’ aid?

“What the fuck!”

Still dressed in the uniform of the police officer he’d first fed off, then killed to take his car, Zoltan began to undress. He tossed the blood-and-mud-stained clothes in a corner. So much for his foolproof plan! Everything had worked perfectly at first. The human woman had followed the text message without questioning it, her concern for the sender evident in her reply. He’d expected a few Stealth Guardians to show up and had prepared for it, bringing an abundance of demons with him to crush any attempt at foiling his well-planned operation.

But his demons had been no match for the unexpected appearance of the vampires. Vampires who, despite their lack of weapons forged in the Dark Days, had been able to inflict mortal wounds using their speed, their fangs, and their claws.

He’d had to watch as several of his subjects’ heads were ripped from their bodies. One vampire had even gone so far as to tear their hearts out, tossing the demon to the side like a ragdoll. Although the demons had fought valiantly, they had been unable to inflict any lethal wounds. The only metal that could kill a vampire was silver, and none of the weapons from the Dark Days were forged of it. Even Zoltan had been unable to kill a single bloodsucker. It appeared he would need to procure new weapons for his men, now that they had to fight two very different enemies.

And then that witch! He’d had the gall to jump into the vortex with him. But Zoltan had shown him and unleashed a barrage of mind blasts at his enemy. It should have turned his brain to mush immediately, but the witch had been strong, too strong, and somebody had helped him. Pulled him out just before Zoltan had been able to conjure up more of his power to destroy the witch once and for all.

But this wouldn’t be their last encounter. Now that he knew what kinds of allies the Stealth Guardians had managed to enlist, he would be better prepared for the next fight. Brute force wasn’t going to cut it any longer. He needed to find another way to get at the Stealth Guardians. Get at them from the inside.

~ ~ ~

A dull pain made Wesley groan and sit up suddenly. Sterile lights gleamed around him, hurting his eyes. It took a second or two for his eyes to adjust and for him to realize where he was: in Scanguards’ onsite medical center, a small wing at HQ with exam rooms, an operating theater, a lab, an x-ray room, and a large refrigerated vault with blood and medication for a variety of illnesses, most of which were meant for human staff members.

Wesley lay on a gurney in one of the large exam rooms. “Virginia?” It was the first thought that came to his mind.

“Well there’s our patient.”

The voice belonged to Maya, who now came around the curtain that separated the treatment areas in the room. She pulled the curtain back.

“Where is she? Is she alright?”

Maya smiled. “She’s perfectly fine. But we were a bit worried about you.” She reached for his wrist and felt for his pulse.

“I’m fine. Where is she?”

Maya sighed. “She’s with Samson and Gabriel.” She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and typed a quick message. “I just let them know you’re awake. Now let me look at you. I want to make sure you don’t have a concussion.”

“I’m a witch, Maya.”

She rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t make you invincible.”

She pointed to his head, reminding him of the dull pain he could still feel on one side of his skull.

“You can thank John for closing the wound and giving you vampire blood. You could have lost a lot more blood than you did, if he hadn’t acted so quickly.”

“I’ll make sure to thank him.”

He was grateful, but right now his need to see Virginia was greater than his concern for his injuries. He had to reassure himself that she was well. After the experience he’d had in the vortex, fighting the demon, he needed to see with his own eyes that Virginia hadn’t been hurt. And he refused to have her see him lying on a gurney like some loser.

He swung his legs off the hospital bed and stood. Instantly he swayed.

“Whoa!” Maya caught him and pressed him back down to the bed. “Head wounds are no joke.”

Wes pressed his hand to the spot where the pain was the worst, but he couldn’t feel any actual wound or scar. Vampire blood had ensured that he healed perfectly. So why was his head still hurting?

“That demon must have gotten me with his dagger,” he murmured.

Maya shook her head. “Not according to John. He said the wound on your head wasn’t caused by a blade. He said it looked more like something had burst from the inside.”

“What?”