The one that is open.
Shit.
Kayn’s door opens slowly, and I glance back to find his face twisted with anger. He smells it, just like I do. A sharp, briny odor permeates the space, mingling with faint notes of rose and disinfectant. Two individuals. They’re inside the house.
I strain my ears, but all I can hear is Mister’s tail thumping softly against the ground, his chirping filling the silence. His heartbeat is steady, and I’m shocked at how calm he seems, almosttoocalm.
Then, I hear a shuffle coming from the cellar. I try not to assume it’s just Desiray moving—nightmares have kept her from sleeping fully. But this particularly sounds like she’s being dragged.
“Cellar.” I shoot my head around to Kayn and he moves quickly, but quietly. Moving beyond the couch to the open door, I slip through without touching it. I can hear the feline behind me. I’m curious as to what he thinks he’ll do with these two, no… there are more, so many more.
As soon as I step fully outside, the rustling of a dozen feet reaches my ears.
Oh,fuck.
Mister seems to grasp the gravity of our situation, because he hisses,“We need to get Sydni and leave.”
We could run, but I can smell Vampires amongst the ambush. They would catch us, and a fight would happen regardless of if it is here, or yards away.
Just as I am taking a step back, something catches at the edge of my vision—bright red is approaching quickly. I pivot, but as I’m reaching up to grab the fist flying right at my face, a sharp pain pierces right through my stomach.
“Kairhyse!”Mister shouts.
I don’t allow the inconvenience to hinder me. My elbow flies up, smacking the man and sending him stumbling back. The drag of metal back through my body makes me shiver, the scratching it does against my bones has me dropping to my knees.
Whatever blade that is, was sharp enough to pierce through my spinal cord. The sensation of my muscles and tendons beginning to repair themselves makes me groan. Just as quickly as feeling in my legs had disappeared, it’s back.
When my gaze meets my attacker, I know exactlywhatI’m looking at.
No,whoI am looking at. This is Archer, the Incubus, it has to be.
Xera described him as having red skin, curved horns that were three times her size, and small, sharp crimson eyes. She said he smelled like a cleaning closet drenched in roses.
He raises a damn sword, as if we’re still living in the age before guns were modernized. He draws his tongue along the spark point, feasting on my blood like hetoois a Vampire.
“You taste like her.” He sounds bored, but that isn’t what has my insides boiling.
One step forward, and I’m right in front of him. His eyes widen in surprise, the smile on his face immediately wiped away as my fist hits his face, causing him to go flying across the patio and slam into a tree.The loud crack of him crashing through one makes me chuckle.
“Are you okay?”Mister circles in front of me.
“Yes, go get Sydni and leave with her. Take Niyla, and bring me Brice?—”
“I’m here.”My head turns to see the Werewolf himself, in his natural form, with blood spilling from his mouth.
“You won’t cast me aside. I’m not running.” Sydni is right beside him, her nightgown all telling she had just crawled out of bed. Yet, that isn’t what has me navigating her body from head to toe.
It’s all the blood.
“Are you okay?” I ask, concerned about who she has all over her.
“I’ve got to be honest,”Brice says as he steps up beside me.“You shouldn’t be asking her that. It’s the ones she killed you should.”
My eyes widen.
She stares at me, and for the first time, there is no gentle reassurance she’s alright. A look I’ve seen all too well in my little demon comes over her. This is a look of fiery resilience, and fucking fury.
“Okay…” I look back where I had hit Archer. “Brice, Sydni… take care of the assholes surrounding us.” The Incubus emerges, seemingly unphased, as if I hadn’t just sent him yards away with a single punch. “Please… watch your head,” I say, pointing at my little butterfly.
