“Just ahead,” Julian said. A black SUV screeched to a halt just down the block, and they pushed faster. Suddenly, Julian went down, bones cracking as he bit out, “Keep running!”
Ahead of them, a vampire male jumped out of the SUV, beckoning wildly. Then his head lifted, and he snarled. “Scarlett, get in!” he barked. It was one of the men who’d been with Julian at Underground Atlanta.
But she hesitated, looking back just as Shea pounced on Julian. Tendrils of magic slithered across his back, tethering him down to the ground like a net. He was fighting, but he was helpless to the magic. Shea chuckled and raised his foot like he meant to stomp on his fallen prey.
She drew her gun andfired three shots in rapid succession. Shea recoiled, staring in disbelief at the craters in his chest. Three wounds, neatly clustered. While he was still reeling, she raised the gun and aimed for his face.
Boom.
He reeled, one hand clapped over his ear as blood streamed. The bastard moved as she fired again, barely dodging a shot that would have blown out the back of his head. She shifted to aim at Lux, who was kneeling down the block, eyes closed. Her shot went wide, but it kicked up shards of concrete and prompted a shriek from the witch.
While they were distracted, Scarlett lunged for Julian, stepping into that tangled mess of magic.A cold rush ran through her, ice water down her back and through her veins. When she reached down for him, the roiling threads snapped as if she’d sliced each of them. His head snapped up, eyes full of confusion.
“Brigitte?” he said in awe.
“Come on,” she said.
Three more shots rang out, and she instinctively ducked. Shea went down, one hand clapped to his leg. She looked back to see the other vampire aiming down the sights, eyes glinting red.“Let’s go!” he shouted. “Allons-y, assholes!”
“Shea, to me,” Lux barked.
The markings on the older vampire’s arms flared bright as neon lights as he glared at Scarlett. Even with the bloody ruin of his chest, one ear pouring blood down his neck, he was leaning toward her like a barely restrained attack dog.
The other vampire fired again, and Shea suddenly snapped back, leaping to propel himself off the closest building, then landing near the witch. He grabbed herand disappeared around the block.
Julian put his arm around her and hustled her to the vehicle. She didn’t have a chance to protest as he climbed in, pulling her with him. The other vampire got in, sandwiching her between them as he slammed the door. “For fuck’s sake, drive,” the blue-eyed vampire said.
A pretty red-haired woman sat in the driver’s seat. Her red eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, and then she stomped the gas, lurching around the block. “I never get to do getaways,” she said amiably. Without breaking her gaze from the road, she raised a hand. “Hey, sweetheart. You look good.”
“Not now,” Paris said irritably. He scrubbed at his messy hair and said,“Please tell me that was just another very old vampire that happens to look like Carrigan Shea and not the bastard himself.”
“It’s him,” Scarlett said. “He works for Armina now.”
“Lovely,” the man said. He nudged her and put out his hand. “Paris Rossignol. We’ve met. You probably don’t remember.”
“Are you referring to when I gassed you two days ago or in a past life I don’t remember?”
“Both,” he said cheerfully. “I also shot you several months ago.”
“You missed.”
“I never miss. I aimed for the right side of your back so I wouldn’t hit your heart,” he said. “Didn’t I?”
She scowled at him, brushing her fingers over the small scar. Months ago, she’d been about to kill one of the Auberon vampires when the searing pain exploded through her.
Parisreached across to Julian. “Are you injured?”
“I think he cracked my ribs, but I’m fine,” Julian said. The black lines of Lux’s magic were fading, leaving burn-like wounds across his exposed skin. But his cheeks were flushed,and he was smiling.
“Tell me you weren’t having fun wrestling with that sociopathic ape,” Paris complained.
“Do you want me to lie? This is what you get for declaring I have to stay inside all the time,” Julian said with a laugh.
“I am not getting paid enough for this,” Paris muttered. He fixed his incisive blue gaze on Scarlett. “How did Armina track you here? Is it magic or tech?”
“Neither. I had my phone turned off,” she said. “Nothing in my bags that I know of. I packed them myself and she didn’t know I was going.”
“How did you get here?”
