A purple streak jumped through the broken window, landing in an elegant crouch inside the circle of vampires. The woman was dressed in a leather bodysuit that dripped darkness. Her long purple hair whirled around as she spun to attack the vampires. She moved with the grace of a ballerina; and her sword slashed with the certainty of a seasoned killer. But fast as she was, the vampires were faster. One of them backhanded her so hard that she flew across the room and tumbled over Sera’s table. She lost a grip on her sword. It went flying through the air, nearly decapitating a waiter.
“Naomi?” Sera asked, staring down into the face of her friend.
“Oh, hi, Sera,” Naomi replied, jumping to her feet. She plucked a breadstick out of her hair.
“What’s going on?”
Naomi reached for her knives. “These vampires have kidnapped a child.”
“Child,” Kai repeated in a harsh whisper, his voice simmering with barely-controlled violence.
“Yes,” Naomi said darkly.
She launched two knives at the vampire making his way toward the exit. He screeched out in pain, then whipped around to glare at her with red eyes, his mouth open, his fangs extended. Naomi shot a burst of pink and silver Fairy Dust into his mouth. He let out a single dry gurgle, then collapsed unconscious to the floor. Naomi grabbed the sword she’d dropped when the vampires had knocked her across the room, then dashed toward her next opponent.
“I should help her,” Sera said, reaching for her sword too.
Kai stood with her. He wasn’t wearing any weapons, but he didn’t need to. Kai was the weapon. He grabbed a vampire and twisted his neck hard. Sera heard the sickening crunch of bone, and the vampire’s head popped off like a soda bottle lid. Kai tossed the broken vampire aside and grabbed the next, fury burning in his eyes, magic sizzling on his fingertips.
A vampire slunk around behind Kai, trying to get the jump on him. Sera swung out her sword and chopped off the fiend’s head. Decapitation was the only surefire way to instantly end a demonic vampire; they were too resilient to succumb to anything else. Even fire took far too long.
Fairy Dust did a decent job of putting them to sleep, though. Naomi had blasted another three vampires into dreamland. They lay at her feet, drooling blood. But there were just so many of them, and they were closing in on her. Sera ran for the ring of vampires around her friend. She hacked a sizable hole in their perimeter and broke through to join Naomi.
“Need some help?” Sera asked, turning so she and Naomi were back to back.
Naomi grinned at her. “Always.”
The vampires didn’t last long. In a blaze of magic and steel, Sera and Naomi cut through the ring of red-eyed fiends surrounding them.
As Sera tore her sword from their final opponent, Naomi gasped, “You have to stop him. I need that one alive.”
Sera spun to look at Kai. A graveyard of demonic limbs lay around him, victims of the dragon’s rage. His hands were clamped around the final vampire’s neck. As he lifted her into the air, dark scales slid down his arms. Ancient magic hung heavy in the air around him, crackling and rumbling like a thunderstorm about to be unleashed.
Sera stepped up to him and set her hand on his arm. “Kai.”
He looked down at her, menace snapping in his electric-blue eyes.
“Naomi wants that one alive.” She returned his stare calmly, though truth be told she was anything but calm. Kai without his brakes on pretty much scared her shitless. Hopefully, he was too incensed right now to register the fear in her magic.
He continued to stare at her, his magic scorching the air. Sera rose slowly to her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. His nostrils flared, inhaling her scent—and then his tense muscles relaxed. He didn’t let go of the vampire, though.
“Welcome back,” she said, clearing the dryness from her throat. “Where did you go?”
“Somewhere dark.”
She looked at him, at the torment burning in his eyes. “You lost control.”
“Yes.”
She didn’t ask why. He didn’t look like he wanted to discuss it. But he surprised her by speaking again.
“You once asked if I had any siblings,” he said, his voice hoarse and low, so that only she could hear him. “I don’t, at least not anymore. But long ago, back when I was a child, I had a little sister. She was kidnapped by people like these.” He indicated the dead and sleeping vampires. “They killed her before we could rescue her.”
The pure pain in his voice made Sera want to hug him, but she wasn’t sure if he’d appreciate that right now, not in front of all these people. Like Kai, the diners here were all part of the elite magic dynasties. He couldn’t afford to show weakness in front of them. So Sera released her hand from his arm and stepped back.
“Naomi, what do you want with that one?” she asked, pointing at the vampire struggling futilely against Kai’s hold.
“She’s the leader of this band,” Naomi said. “The only one who knows where the boy I’ve been hired to find is being held.”
“This is a job for Mayhem?” Sera asked.
“Yes.” Naomi glared at the struggling vampire. “But I’d have taken down these monsters for free.”
Kai’s hand clamped down harder on the vampire’s neck. “Agreed.”
“How do you want to get the information from her?” Sera asked Naomi. She had a pretty good idea of how Kai wanted to do it, but that would result in more pain than information.
“Naomi?” Sera asked, staring down into the face of her friend.
“Oh, hi, Sera,” Naomi replied, jumping to her feet. She plucked a breadstick out of her hair.
“What’s going on?”
Naomi reached for her knives. “These vampires have kidnapped a child.”
“Child,” Kai repeated in a harsh whisper, his voice simmering with barely-controlled violence.
“Yes,” Naomi said darkly.
She launched two knives at the vampire making his way toward the exit. He screeched out in pain, then whipped around to glare at her with red eyes, his mouth open, his fangs extended. Naomi shot a burst of pink and silver Fairy Dust into his mouth. He let out a single dry gurgle, then collapsed unconscious to the floor. Naomi grabbed the sword she’d dropped when the vampires had knocked her across the room, then dashed toward her next opponent.
“I should help her,” Sera said, reaching for her sword too.
Kai stood with her. He wasn’t wearing any weapons, but he didn’t need to. Kai was the weapon. He grabbed a vampire and twisted his neck hard. Sera heard the sickening crunch of bone, and the vampire’s head popped off like a soda bottle lid. Kai tossed the broken vampire aside and grabbed the next, fury burning in his eyes, magic sizzling on his fingertips.
A vampire slunk around behind Kai, trying to get the jump on him. Sera swung out her sword and chopped off the fiend’s head. Decapitation was the only surefire way to instantly end a demonic vampire; they were too resilient to succumb to anything else. Even fire took far too long.
Fairy Dust did a decent job of putting them to sleep, though. Naomi had blasted another three vampires into dreamland. They lay at her feet, drooling blood. But there were just so many of them, and they were closing in on her. Sera ran for the ring of vampires around her friend. She hacked a sizable hole in their perimeter and broke through to join Naomi.
“Need some help?” Sera asked, turning so she and Naomi were back to back.
Naomi grinned at her. “Always.”
The vampires didn’t last long. In a blaze of magic and steel, Sera and Naomi cut through the ring of red-eyed fiends surrounding them.
As Sera tore her sword from their final opponent, Naomi gasped, “You have to stop him. I need that one alive.”
Sera spun to look at Kai. A graveyard of demonic limbs lay around him, victims of the dragon’s rage. His hands were clamped around the final vampire’s neck. As he lifted her into the air, dark scales slid down his arms. Ancient magic hung heavy in the air around him, crackling and rumbling like a thunderstorm about to be unleashed.
Sera stepped up to him and set her hand on his arm. “Kai.”
He looked down at her, menace snapping in his electric-blue eyes.
“Naomi wants that one alive.” She returned his stare calmly, though truth be told she was anything but calm. Kai without his brakes on pretty much scared her shitless. Hopefully, he was too incensed right now to register the fear in her magic.
He continued to stare at her, his magic scorching the air. Sera rose slowly to her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. His nostrils flared, inhaling her scent—and then his tense muscles relaxed. He didn’t let go of the vampire, though.
“Welcome back,” she said, clearing the dryness from her throat. “Where did you go?”
“Somewhere dark.”
She looked at him, at the torment burning in his eyes. “You lost control.”
“Yes.”
She didn’t ask why. He didn’t look like he wanted to discuss it. But he surprised her by speaking again.
“You once asked if I had any siblings,” he said, his voice hoarse and low, so that only she could hear him. “I don’t, at least not anymore. But long ago, back when I was a child, I had a little sister. She was kidnapped by people like these.” He indicated the dead and sleeping vampires. “They killed her before we could rescue her.”
The pure pain in his voice made Sera want to hug him, but she wasn’t sure if he’d appreciate that right now, not in front of all these people. Like Kai, the diners here were all part of the elite magic dynasties. He couldn’t afford to show weakness in front of them. So Sera released her hand from his arm and stepped back.
“Naomi, what do you want with that one?” she asked, pointing at the vampire struggling futilely against Kai’s hold.
“She’s the leader of this band,” Naomi said. “The only one who knows where the boy I’ve been hired to find is being held.”
“This is a job for Mayhem?” Sera asked.
“Yes.” Naomi glared at the struggling vampire. “But I’d have taken down these monsters for free.”
Kai’s hand clamped down harder on the vampire’s neck. “Agreed.”
“How do you want to get the information from her?” Sera asked Naomi. She had a pretty good idea of how Kai wanted to do it, but that would result in more pain than information.
