Jocelynn Drake - Nightwalker

Danaus walked up the stairs past me and helped Ryan get to his feet. The warlock descended to the first floor with his hand on the hunter’s shoulder. Ryan still looked a bit shaky, but appeared to be catching his second wind.

Seeing the two men standing side by side for the first time, I realized that I liked Danaus’s eyes better. There was something more human in those cobalt depths than Ryan’s glittering gold; something that still whispered of hope. It was missing from Ryan’s eyes, creating a strange juxtaposition. Danaus was a man who said he was doomed to hell, and yet hope still flickered faintly in his precious blue orbs.

On the other hand, Ryan was a fraction of Danaus’s age, with a smile perpetually haunting his lips, but he’d lost that flicker of hope that seemed to haunt all creatures. I don’t know what a human had to endure to become a warlock, but was it truly worse than what Danaus could have seen in his centuries of life?

“Do you have any more magic users lurking about?” I asked, snapping back to the problem at hand.

“A few, but they’re no match for what is coming,” Ryan said as he reached the bottom step.

“Have them charm the door and any weapons you can dig up,” I instructed. “Iron hurts the naturi. A bullet to the head or heart will work. Otherwise, you generally have to cut off their head or remove the heart to kill them.”

“A lot like killing vampires,” Danaus interjected.

“Or humans,” I said, glaring at him. “Get Ryan downstairs and lock the door behind you.”

“I stay up here,” Danaus stated, earning a startled look from me.

“Apparently I’m not the only one with loyalty issues.” The smile slipped from my lips before it could fully form. “You need to protect your people.”

“I can do that best up here. Ryan will be in the basement should we fail.” He paused, smiling when I could not. “Besides, we have unfinished business.”

Yes, our great showdown. Misfit versus misfit. I had forgotten somehow. Couldn’t let something else kill me before he had his shot.

“Very well,” I said with an indifferent shrug. Looking over at Ryan, I bit back a sigh of frustration. “I’m sorry. I had no desire to endanger your people.”

“I knew the risk when I agreed. All I ask is that you win.” He turned and started down the hall toward the basement, the fingers of his right hand trailing along the wall as if to steady himself should he suddenly falter.

“You were wrong earlier,” I called after him. “The triad hasn’t been reformed. It can’t be me.”

Ryan looked over his shoulder, his palm pressed flat against the wood-panel wall. He stared at Danaus for a couple of seconds, then at me. I didn’t feel any stir of power. He was just thinking, as if reassessing his earlier conclusion. “No, you have everything you need,” he said at last.

I nodded, though I’m not sure I actually believed him. If it wasn’t me, then it meant Tristan was seriously holding out on me. It had been a long time since I’d last underestimated the power of another vampire. It was a mistake one generally didn’t have a chance to make twice.

As Ryan disappeared down the stairs, he was quickly replaced by both of my guardian angels. I shut my eyes and clenched my teeth as I bit back a curse in rough Italian. Somehow I’d managed to forget they were here. I should have sent them home as soon as we hit London.

“Where do you want us?” Gabriel inquired, a gun clenched in each hand.

“Back down in the basement,” I said, waving my sword toward the hall they had just come down.

“Our job is to protect you, not these people,” Gabriel replied, not moving from where he stood.

“Your job is to follow my orders, and I’m ordering you to get back downstairs!”

“No,” Michael said, standing stubbornly beside Gabriel.

“I can handle things up here. I haven’t survived six hundred years depending on the protection of humans. Now get back downstairs before I drain you both.”

“We—” But the sound of cracking wood and shattering glass halted Gabriel’s rebellious words. I was beginning to see serious drawbacks to this whole loyalty thing. Unfortunately, now was not the time to discuss some of its finer aspects. Our guests were knocking.

“Danaus!” I shouted, turning my attention back to the entrance to the manor. Facing the front doors, I gripped the sword he’d given me in my right hand, my legs spread apart as I awaited the attack.

“They’re surrounding us,” he said, standing beside me with a weapon in each hand. “Six at the front door, another dozen coming in through the windows.”

“They’re already in the room with Jabari,” I told him. I couldn’t sense the naturi, but I could see them through Sadira’s eyes. Fear had ramped up her powers and in turn strengthened our natural connection. There was a strong link between us after I had taken in so much of her blood last night. We could share thoughts and emotions with no effort. We could also see and feel things each other felt, introducing a potentially dangerous distraction into the mix.

“Gabriel, you’re in with Jabari and Sadira. Keep them alive no matter what,” I shouted. “Michael, you’ve got my back.” I didn’t look at them, but kept my eyes trained on the door. Their footsteps echoed down the hall as each took up their new positions. Their fear filled the air, teasing me with its thick, heady scent. There was nothing that could excite the senses of a vampire faster. Except maybe the scent of fresh blood and a woman’s silence-shattering scream, but that was on the hunt.

Twisting my right wrist once, I impatiently slashed the air with Danaus’s sword. I was eager to start this dance at last. It was my turn to lead.

As if in an attempt to be courteous of my wishes, the doors exploded open. I have to give them their due. Where Jabari had thrown them open, the naturi blew them completely off their hinges. Both large oak doors flew through the air, spinning like an out-of-control windmill. I dove sideways, knocking Danaus to the floor. As I fell, I grabbed the front of Michael’s shirt with my free hand, pulling him down with us in a large heap. I rolled off Danaus, careful that the dagger and sword he held didn’t accidentally relieve me of my head.

Behind me, arrows whizzed through the open doorway and thunked heavily into the wooden staircase. They were trying to clear the entrance. I was on my feet when I felt a shift in the wind.

A loud cacophony of noise filled the air, a grating mix of wings, claws, and calls. Raptors of all shapes and sizes filled the large entryway, making it suddenly seem small. We remained trapped on our knees against the wall as ravens, owls, hawks, and falcons flew through the halls, heading up the staircase and then back down again. Few bothered to attack us, but that wasn’t their goal. The naturi had sent the birds in as a distraction to buy them some time.

Michael lifted his gun and squeezed off a couple of rounds, picking off a couple of the larger birds when they got too close. I covered his wrist with my hand and forced him to lower the gun.

“Don’t waste your ammunition,” I shouted over the noise. I jerked my head to the side as a brown owl dove close enough to drag its long talons across my cheek. Pain slashed through me and I fought the urge to press my hand to my cheek. If I lifted my arm, I’d only end up with a series of scratches.

“Mira, we can’t stay like this!” Danaus snapped.

With a growl, I grabbed a vase off a nearby pedestal and threw it across the room toward the largest clump of birds as they fought for space in the air. The porcelain shattered on impact with the chandelier, sending it wildly swinging overhead. Shadows lunged and stretched in a gruesome dance around the room. Several birds were knocked from the air, hitting the hardwood floor with a heavy thud.