H Mallory - To Kill A Warlock

Another loud grunt sliced the tranquility of the evening air, pulling my attention to the fact that Knight might be in trouble. I took a deep breath and cocking Quillan’s Op 7, started in the direction of the muffled sounds.

More grunts and swearing, then the definite sound of fists pounding flesh led me to the grisly scene. Blood splattered the ground, the moonlight reflecting on it like spilled oil. Knight was caught between the vamp and the Kragengen shifter, doing his best to keep them both at arm’s length.

The vamp lashed his dagger-like fingernails out, but Knight ducked, the blades just missing his throat. The rise and fall of Knight's chest bore witness to the fact that they'd been at this for a while-this pattern of thrust and parry.

Using the girth of a nearby pepper tree, I managed to hide my body and regroup, wiping my still bleeding palm on my jeans. I needed a plan-I couldn't just charge in or I'd be done…that or Knight would be. Okay, second idea: maybe I could get off a good shot and nail the creature. The dragon blood bullets would kill it. And the vampire? Before jumping to extremes, I examined the bullets in the chamber. They weren't dragon blood bullets, but just standard lead ones. And those wouldn't kill a vampire or a shape-shifter-they’d just piss them off. Goddamit!

But, bullets would stun them and buy me some precious seconds; maybe enough to give Knight the upper hand? I really hoped so.

Knight pushed against the vamp, barreling him into a tree. The vamp hissed out and sliced his cheek with a rake of his claws. Blood immediately began coursing down the harsh planes of Knight's face. The creature just paced along the sidelines and watched.

Much though I wanted to take out the vamp, I couldn’t get a clear shot at him without the possibility of hitting Knight and those were odds I wasn’t about to take. Double goddamit.

So, instead, I watched idly-waiting for an opportunity to strike. The Kragengen, apparently unsatisfied with just being a spectator, lurched at Knight. It raised a clawed paw as if to strike. But, he deflected the attack and with a push, catapulted the creature toward my pepper tree.

It hit the trunk with a resounding thud then plopped onto the ground, shaking its head. It got up on all fours almost immediately. I sprang from behind the tree, my gun aimed at its temple. I squeezed the trigger and the Kragengen ’ s body shook as it landed on the ground. It was still. Well, dragon blood bullets or not, a bullet to the head should’ve been enough to seriously incapacitate it. Eyeing it, I unloaded another two bullets into its head. Hey, I wasn’t taking any chances.

“That’s enough!” I yelled at the vamp. “Step away from my partner.”

The vamp smirked and spat a bloody clot, revealing a tooth. Ew.

“Dulcie, get the hell away from the…” Knight started before the vamp took advantage of Knight's shift in attention and sucker-punched the side of his head, sending him flying three feet into the air. Knight hit the ground with a grunt but rolled back onto his feet.

I aimed the Op 7 at the vampire’s head and was about to squeeze off a shot when something smashed into me, sending me flying. I dropped the gun. When I hit the ground, I had to force myself upright. But, I was too late. The Kragengen straddled me. I pushed against its chest, trying to keep its mouth from my throat. The tear in my palm burned as the gold of my blood stained the creature’s coat.

Without my magic, this was hopeless. I didn’t have the strength to keep it from tearing me apart. Feeling my arms weaken, I heaved against the beast and using the quickness inherent in my species, rolled out of the Kragengen’s grasp.

I stood up and faced the creature, panting as drops of blood coursed down my open palm.

“Face me as a woman,” I screamed, thinking any chance I had of taking it would require it to be in human form. “Woman to woman.”

The creature seemed to smile-its teeth reflecting the moonlight. It stood before me on all fours and like a great, rumbling bear, stood up on its hind legs until it towered over me.

“Dulcie!” It was Knight but I couldn’t spare him a glance.

“Fight me like a woman,” I repeated, this time softer.

The Kragengen just stood there, staring at me. It took me a second to realize it was shifting-the crude hair on its body began to recede back into its skin, leaving nothing but a smooth palate of porcelain. Its rib cage seemed to fold in on itself until it had a definite waist flanked by large breasts on one side and generous hips on the other.

As the creature shifted into its human counterpart, it dropped in height. Its shark-like teeth recessed into the cavity of its mouth until only a set of human teeth smiled out at me. When it was finished metamorphosing, the beautiful red-head beamed at me…naked. Okay, so I’d never had to fight a naked person before. I guess there’s always a first. The creature’s attention fell to my dripping palm. “You don’t have your magic.” I didn’t feel the need to agree and instead, turned to the fact that human form or not, her strength easily out powered mine. I was done.

As if to prove my point, she lurched for me and with a push, sent me careening into the tree behind me. I hit my head against the bark and had to shake my vision free of stars. That’s when I was able to glance at Knight who was on his back, the vampire sucking at his throat.

“Knight!” I screamed.

There wasn’t an answer.

Tears threatened my eyes but I blinked them away. I couldn’t focus on the loss of someone I now considered a friend. I had to face the fact that I was next and I had to do something about it.

I pulled my attention back to the Kragengen just as it pounced. It threw its full weight into me and smashed my head against the bark. Holding my neck against the tree with its forearm, I could smell flesh on its breath. Its eyes found the pulse in my neck and it stood transfixed. That’s when I realized that in its human form or not, there was nothing even remotely human about this creature. It was wild.

Its eyes found mine as its mouth opened and its teeth elongated. Without any warning, it buried its face into my lower neck. The feel of its teeth perforating my skin was nothing compared to the agony as it bit through my collarbone. I screamed and it released me. I sunk down the line of the tree and collapsed against the ground. This was it. I was going to die.

I glanced up at Knight and found him still lying prostrate against the ground, his throat open and gaping. The vamp was no longer feeding from him though. Instead, it was making its way toward me.

I didn’t flinch as the vamp grasped my head and pulled it back, revealing my neck. He was on me instantly, tearing through my flesh like a kid ripping through wrapping paper on Christmas morning. The creature joined the feast with renewed energy and buried its face into my side, its teeth gnashing my flesh.

This was not the way I’d planned to go.

I fisted my hand and prayed my magic would work even with a ripped palm. I shook it and focused hard, focused on those little specks of fairy magic that would see me through this. I reopened my palm and noted nothing but the gold of my blood.

Dulcie.

It was Knight’s voice in my head. I glanced over at the heap of inanimate pile that was Knight.

So, now I was losing so much blood, I was losing my mind.

I’m going to heal you. You have to let me into your mind like you did in your dreams.

But, you’re dead, I thought.

No, I’m not. Let me inside your head, Dulcie. Once your palm is healed, I want you to envision a stake and aim it over the vamp’s heart. Can you do that?

Yeah.

I closed my eyes, thinking it might help.

And then I felt him. It was like liquid heat rising up through my body. Every appendage stung with what felt like electricity. I opened my eyes, thinking the vamp and the creature must have felt it too but they were both too busy feeding on me to notice. I glanced at my palm and the wound was gone.