“It’s only a matter of time before Calloway tracks me to Paris. Head back to the apartment and I’ll take a train back when I’m done here.”
“Fine,” she mumbled. “I’ll wait out here in case you need backup. Just be back by sunrise; I don’t care to cook in the trunk of this thing until you decide you’re done having fun.”
Leaning across, he smacked a teasing kiss on her cheek and opened the door. “If I’m not out in time, head back and I’ll meet you at the apartment.”
Rolling his shoulders, Bennett hopped up the steps and rang the doorbell. Murmuring on the other side of the door, his hosts debated who might be visiting at this hour.Didn’t smell like a human or a vampire, they argued,but it’s windy out.
Finally, the door eased open and two big guys formed a wall between him and the house, their beefy arms folded over their barrel chests. “Oui?” the bigger one asked. Solid muscle, these guys were like Schwarzenegger and Stallone had gone vampire, but seemed much less friendly than the pair appeared in interviews.
“Bonne nuit. Je cherche pour Cambria?” He could practically hear Adair’s disgusted sigh at his ill-conceived plan from where she waited, parked out of sight around the corner.
Knuckles grinding as the bigger of the two popped each in sequence, he stepped closer and clutched his fingers into Bennett’s shirt and hauled him inside.
Feet dangling in the air as he was lifted off the ground, Bennett went with the flow and listened. Nope, at least twenty in the building. Including five humans who may or may not have bled out yet.
With a growl, the big guy tossed him across the foyer.
The dense parlor door shattered as his back crashed into it. Bennett grimaced at the impact. A sharp pain in his back, he reached around and pulled out a massive sliver, tossing it onto the billiard-green carpet. This asshole wasn’t messing around.
Behind him, Bennett heard more knuckles cracking… the trio that had been chatting it up in the parlor before he busted in. Grin spread from ear to ear, he raised his eyebrows playfully at the Italian Stallion that had thrown him and popped up to his feet.
Slamming a backward fist into the vampire that thundered from behind him, he crunched her nose. Turning, he looped his arm around her neck and snapped. The vampire dropped at his feet and lay lifeless.
Damn, he should have brought his sword and shield. But this speed was pretty fantastic. He could feel their movements, and could respond with twice his former speed.
The next pair dove at him together. Jamming his elbow backward at one, Bennett knocked it out before it could get close enough to bite, then spun around and plowed a blunt fist into the other.
One of the doormen snarled and ran into the parlor, the other close on his heels.
In a full-out spring, Bennett leaped and parkoured off the first, encircling his arm around the other and spun to pull them both to the ground.
He sat atop the greeter, pinning him down. The other leapt back to his feet and ran at him. Bennett caught him by the throat and squeezed until the vampire weakened, then dropped him.
He glared down at the big guy underneath him. “I said, I’m looking for Cambria.”
“Fuck you,” the moron growled.
Rolling his eyes, Bennett finished him off.
Bennett popped to his feet and dusted off his jeans, scowling down at yet another ruined shirt.
On the move, he crossed the black and white checked entry. Not a peep from the darkened hall, so he aimed for the billiard-green carpet that blanketed the path up the worn steps. Above, he could hear rustling from a group of vampires coming to see what the commotion was. He halted, waiting.
Six pairs of boots came tearing down the stairs. One was wiping human blood from her chin, another pulling his shirt on. Clearly, he was interrupting something.
Bennett barreled up the stairs. As he snapped the neck of the last of them, he achingly felt the lack of sword and shield. Speed and strength were one thing, but it was like a part of him was… missing. And this would be a lot less messy with his gear. And efficient.
At the landing, he turned into the first room and found the humans. Abandoned in the urgency, they sat stunned, three bleeding from the neck, the other two on the far side of the room seeming to realize this wasn’t the party they thought it would be. “Allez-vous,” he urged them to hurry out.
Room by room, he cleared the upper floors. Fuck. Where was this ancient?
Feet silent on the steps, he moved on, taking out two more vampires that dined on a midnight snack of ice cream and cookies in the kitchen.
But no ancient. He checked his watch. Nearly two. If he wasn’t out of there by sunrise, Adair was going to flip. He already didn’t stand a chance at convincing her to give them a try, and losing her trust sure as hell wasn’t going to help.
Basement. Opening the narrow door, he stepped into the pitch dark, keeping his footfalls silent despite the wood threatening to creak under his weight. Like the start of a damn horror movie, he moved into the darkness, chuckling under his breath as he realized he was a legendary villain now. Predator, not prey. Hopefully.
His eyes swiftly adjusted to the darkness, only to be blinded as an overhead bulb flashed on. Releasing the light switch, a petite woman in snug jeans and a chunky sweater smirked at him, her blood red lips twisted in a delighted smile as she clapped her hands in a taunting rhythm. “Well done, hunter. Calloway implied you would be tough to take down… but he’s often wrong.”
