Jocelynn Drake - Nightwalker

“You should have taken her with you. She could have saved Thorne.”

“Maybe, but I doubt it,” I said with a shake of my head. “I couldn’t have properly protected them both. But none of this matters. The triad has been reformed.”

“What? How?” Sadira demanded, springing from her chair. I could feel the hope blossoming in her chest. I clung to that light emotion against Jabari’s drowning anger.

“Me. I will be the third,” I said, my eyes darting from Sadira back to Jabari. I didn’t want to be, and if we could find someone else, I would happily hand over the position, but that didn’t seem to be an option.

Jabari laughed, the dark sound crawling across my flesh like a hundred tiny spider legs. “Where would you get such an idea?”

I glanced over at Danaus, who was standing near the door. He was returning his sword to the sheath strapped across his back. I hadn’t even seen him draw it. He paused in the middle of the act for half a breath, his eyes narrowing on me. “I spoke with a warlock,” I continued, returning my attention to Jabari.

“And what does he know about the triad?”

“Apparently a lot. At the very least, he knows more about what is going on than I do. He said that the triad has already been reformed.”

“He said you would take Tabor’s place?”

“Not exactly, but it’s not like there’s a lot of other vampires hanging around. He could have meant Tristan, but I didn’t think so since he’s still cutting his fangs.”

Jabari’s gaze never wavered from me as his smile widened and I saw his beautiful white fangs. It reminded me of Nerian’s smile, with all the grim, painful promises it held. “You fool,” he said, the words encased in a chuckle. “You believe the word of a human over your own kind.”

“I’m just trying to survive, and you’ve done nothing to help that cause recently.”

“Mira, my child, you can’t be the third,” Sadira whispered, as if trying to soften the blow. “It’s impossible.”

“Why? Because we’re of the same bloodline?”

“You’ve turned on your own kind,” Jabari snarled.

“Not yet, but I see little reason to defend them at the moment. Why can’t I be the third?”

“You’re not strong enough.”

“Bullshit. I’m stronger than Sadira, and I’m stronger than Thorne was. Why can’t I?”

“Mira!”

I turned on my heel, startled by Danaus’s voice. His presence had been pushed from my mind by Jabari’s attack, and now I stood so I could look at both him and Jabari, not wanting to put my back to the Ancient I no longer trusted.

“They’re coming,” the hunter said.

I read it in Danaus’s face before he could speak. Tension had crept in around the corners of his mouth and pulled his lips into a worried frown. A thick, heavy silence pushed into the room, and it was all I could do to keep from drowning in it.

“How many?”

“Enough.”

My throat suddenly constricted and I’m not sure what kept my knees from buckling. Either it was too many to bother to count or it was better I didn’t know.

“Do we have time to leave?” I asked, wondering how long it would take to get everyone out of the compound.

“No, they’re too close.”

“Who?” Jabari interrupted.

“We’ll have to make a stand here,” I said, desperate to get hold of a situation that continued to spiral out of my control. “Your people safe?”

“Safe as can be expected.” Danaus reached up and withdrew one of the swords strapped to his back. His deep blues flicked before he tossed it to me.

“Who’s coming?” Jabari demanded again, his shout filling the room.

I slashed the air a couple of times with the sword, testing its weight and balance, purposefully ignoring Jabari for a moment. It wasn’t the same one I had borrowed in the Aswan cemetery. It seemed of a higher quality. Maybe something from his private collection, kept for only special occasions? Lucky me.

At last I looked up at Jabari and smiled. “The naturi.”

The naturi were coming. My fingers tightened around the sword and I closed my eyes for a moment, drawing the anger and tension into a single ball that resided in the pit of my stomach. I was done running.

Turning to look at Jabari, I resisted the urge to point the sword at his chest. No reason to antagonize him any more. We had enough problems. “Are you with us or against us?”

“And who exactly is this ‘us’?” he sneered, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Humans? The hunters?”

“Anyone who wishes to stand against the naturi. I welcome both hunter and nightwalker. We can settle the question of my allegiance some other time.”

The nightwalker drew up to his full height and straightened his shoulders. “I harbor no love for the naturi.”

“Great. Stay here,” I said, trying not to think about the fact that I was giving orders to an Elder. I had no doubt I’d pay for it later, assuming there was a later for me. Desperate to keep the situation in hand, my attention flashed to the other two vampires in the room. Tristan stood with his arm around Sadira’s delicate shoulders, as if trying to comfort her, but the fear in his wide blue eyes told another tale. He had faced a small group of naturi with me last night and I barely survived. He was in no hurry to push his luck any further.

“You are expendable. Jabari and Sadira are not,” I said, pointing the sword at him. “Protect them no matter what.”

“Where are you going?” he asked, his grip tightening on Sadira.

“To see if I can find more help,” I called over my shoulder as I marched out of the room with Danaus following on my heels.

I paused in the hall, trying to assess the battlefield, as Danaus closed the door. There were too many rooms, too many doors and windows. “How many entrances are there on the ground floor?” I asked.

Danaus stood beside me now, his eyes also scanning the terrain. “Three; front door, back door off the kitchen, and a garden entrance.”

“Not to mention windows in every room,” I murmured, talking mostly to myself.

“We can move to the basement,” he suggested. “There are no windows down there and only one entrance.”

“We would be trapped.” I shook my head, my hair falling around my face. “They could wait us out until dawn, then come down and slaughter everyone. Besides, they are only after us. I’d rather keep the naturi away from your librarian convention downstairs.” I continued down the hall to the front doors, which were shut again, my heels hitting the hardwood floor the only sound in the silent manor. “Where’s Ryan?”

“I’m here.” A weary voice drifted down the stairs toward us. I looked up to see the warlock seated at the top of the stairs on the second floor. He’d shed his jacket, his shirt-sleeves were rolled up past his elbows, and sweat slicked back the hair at his temples. His powers filled the air like an electric current looking for an outlet. I hadn’t noticed the power crackling around me until I saw him, my focus having been centered on the coming horde.

“How long have you been holding them off?” I asked, unable to keep the note of awe out of my voice. The air sizzled with whatever spell he was working, but even now I could feel it weakening.

“You don’t think I called them?” he asked in surprise.

“You’re not that stupid.”

“Thanks.” His mouth quirked in a half smile. “I’ll do what I can to hold them off, but I won’t last much longer.”

“Save it,” I said, waving him off. The spell he’d worked had left him nearly exhausted and he would need his strength. “Go to the basement with your people. The naturi are after my kind, but I can’t promise they won’t slaughter humans just for the fun of it.”