Fire in the Blood (9 page)

Vampires. Had to be. Kris didn’t use knives, and the Promethean hunters used bullets and tranquilizer darts. Good things vampires burned as easy as anyone else. I pulled the knife out—it hurt like hell, but I’d live. I lit my hands up just in time for the vamp to land atop the island like a giant undead vulture and make a grab for me. I thrust the flames at him as I scrambled out of the way, but nothing caught.

The vamp was a pale bastard in dark clothes—which pretty much summed up the lot of them—with a terrible Steven Segal ponytail. He bared fangs at me, but his eyes widened in surprise as he suddenly sailed back into the main room. Harvey stood on the other side of the island, his spindly ears twitching furiously.

“Good work,” I said, and he nodded.

Faust—now fully dressed again—attacked a second vampire in the living room, slashing at him with a flaming sword. That left the vamp Harvey had just thrown to deal with.

“Hold him,” I ordered.

Harvey darted forward and grappled the vampire, who seemed very surprised to be attacked by the Invisible Man. My aim was much better with a stationary target to hit, and the vamp went up in flames. It wouldn’t hurt Harvey, because he was fireproof. The vampire screeched and struggled, and I kept the blaze going.

Something grabbed me from behind—three vamps, seriously? My suspicion was confirmed as fangs sank into my neck.
Hold him until he’s dead,
I ordered Harvey. The vamp pushed his touchy-feely magic at me, and I shrugged it off, reached up and lit his hair on fire. He dropped me, tearing a meaty chunk out of my neck in the process, and I clamped a hand on the wound to hold it together. Between the gash in my neck and the slice in my chest I was losing a lot of blood. Never a good thing in a roomful of vampires—they might start a feeding frenzy like hungry sharks.

I whirled to face my attacker and spotted Zachary Harrison standing behind me, slapping his hair out. Motherfucker. Guess the spoiled shit decided to get his hands dirty for once. I’d make him regret it.

The flames spread and engulfed my entire body to discourage anyone else from grabbing me. Heat licked at my skin and singed off the little bit of clothing I had on, but naked and alive was better than dead and modest. Harrison eyed me, looking for weaknesses, and I flipped him off with my free hand.

“You hardly seem worth fighting over,” he said.

“Go fuck yourself, asshole.”

Harrison scowled. “Very eloquent.”

“Yeah? Well your temper tantrum is real fucking mature. The Titania doesn’t love you. Get over it.”

My hand was slick and sticky where I held it against my neck. Not good.
Harvey…

This one is still alive, Mistress,
he replied.

Break his neck. That’ll slow him down for a while.
Wouldn’t kill the bastard, but I needed my minion between me and the playboy in case I passed out. I wobbled, and Harrison darted forward. A dark blur collided with him and shoved him back. Faust, my avenging angel.

“Call off your dogs, Zachary. This has gone too far,” Faust snapped.

“No.”

Faust stepped forward and raised his blazing sword. “I won’t allow this. You are making a mistake, and it ends here.”

“You’re right. Step aside, and I’ll end it.”

“Bring it, pretty boy,” I snapped. I jumped as someone touched my shoulder, but relaxed when I saw Harvey standing behind me.

“Zachary, I don’t want to hurt you, but I will,” Faust warned. “Stand down.”

“Why are you protecting her? I’m your family,” Harrison whined. Well, it sounded whiny to me. He probably thought he was being dramatic.

“Because you’re behaving like a spoiled child. Patience has done nothing wrong. I love her. If you continue to pursue this, I will kill you.”

The vampire growled as he tensed to attack, and Faust leapt forward and punched him with the pommel of his sword and laid him out flat. Good for him. The victory was short-lived, because my legs crumpled and I fell. Too much blood loss.

“Potions. Bag,” I stammered. Harvey rushed off to find it, and Faust appeared at my side.

“Douse yourself, my dear, before you set fire to the carpet,” he warned. I nodded, and the flames vanished.

“Mistress, the vampires destroyed your potions,” Harvey said, my bag slung over his skinless shoulder. Wonderful. No healing potions. Just what I needed.

“I’ll take you to a healer.” Faust picked me up, and we blinked out of the room. It was cold and dark for a moment, and then we were in an unfamiliar library. “Catherine, I need your help.”

I worried for a moment about being bare-ass naked, but when I glanced down I was wearing the same suit Faust had conjured for me that morning. Hot damn, I loved him. I wanted to tell him, but it was hard to form the words—any words, for that matter. My brain warned,
oh shit, poisoned blade,
a second before the convulsions started and I made a sound like a strangled bird.

“Put her down,” the Titania ordered. She loomed over me, and I was never so happy to see a witch. They’re all healers. Well, she had gotten me into this mess, the least the woman could do was put me back together.

Faust laid me on the floor, and as my limbs flailed I managed to grab his hand and cling to it for dear life, refusing to let go. Catherine knelt on the other side of me and began chanting something. It rhymed, so I assumed it was witch magic.

“What happened?” Lex asked. He stood near my feet, a tower of disapproving authority.

“Zachary bit her,” Faust replied. His voice caught, as though he wanted to say more but couldn’t. It couldn’t be easy for him. He had so little family left, and here he was siding with me instead of his nephew. I squeezed his hand, and he gave me a reassuring smile. “There were two masters with him. I’ve never seen them before. Patience took a blade to the shoulder, here,” he motioned at the wound, “and I think it may have been poisoned.”

I agreed, judging by the
omgwtf
pain I was in. A fresh wave of agony coursed through me, and I choked down a scream and turned it into a string of expletives instead.

“Got it,” Catherine said. “Give me a little space, please.”

“No,” I blurted. I wasn’t letting him go.

The Titania looked down at me with an expression I couldn’t quite peg—surprise maybe, but with a side of sadness. “Okay. You’re good. No worries.”

I nodded, and my eyes slipped shut as she worked. The shaking subsided, leaving a burn in its wake. Normally I’m not bothered by heat, but this was the sickly warmth of fever and not the familiar comfort of fire. Faust murmured to me as Catherine worked, and he stroked my hair as he held my hand. I faintly heard the Oberon speaking to someone else, but I was too out of it to hear what was going on. All I knew was that it wasn’t Harvey. Wherever we were probably had demon wards. Not uncommon in a magician household, but never fun for my minion, who had to wait outside in the cold.

When the fever fog lifted I was lightheaded, but the pain had faded. They helped me sit up, and I opened my eyes to spot Lex standing across the room with Michael and Emily Black. I turned to Faust and blinked at him.

“You have lost your mind,” I said.

“Very likely. You needed a healer. Catherine is the only healer I know who isn’t on Zachary’s payroll,” he replied.

“Right. Thanks for the patch job. We’ll get out of your hair now,” I said to the Titania.

She shook her head. “Wait. We have questions.”

“Don’t we all. I need to get to my place and pick up some things. Now’s a good time, because we know the vamps are at his place.”

“But Kris could be at yours,” she countered.

“So could the Prometheans. It’s a big fucking party. Look, I have wards…that totally won’t work against Kris. Damn it all. This fucking sucks,” I muttered. Then I squared my shoulders and put on my best don’t-give-a-fuck. “If he’s there, you can put me back together again after he kicks my ass. Let’s go.”

Faust helped me to my feet, but the Oberon stormed over and stopped us before we could pop out. “You’re staying and answering questions. That’s an order.”

I snarled “Eat me, Duquesne” before my brain could remind me that I wasn’t supposed to sass him. Not that it’d ever stopped me before. Much. Faust snickered before scolding me. I cleared my throat. “Sorry. Look, Harrison never had a problem with me before you dragged me into your drama, and now he’s all ripping my damn throat out. So what do you want from me, Duquesne? What?”

“I want to help you,” he replied.

I burst into fit of hysterical laughter—not because it was funny, but at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. As a guardian, Alexander Duquesne busted my chops every time I bent a minor summoner law, like he had the stick of justice stuck up his ass. Guardians…then again maybe he’d mellowed now that he was Oberon.

“Yeah. Right. Pull the other one,” I said.

He sighed, his hands on his hips while he studied me, all rugged and annoyed. Still a little wobbly, I clung to my sweetie for comfort and balance. I wasn’t sure what Duquesne thought he could do for me. His track record against Harrison wasn’t so good lately. The soft sound of a gasp pulled my attention away from the Oberon, and I spotted Mrs. Emily Black eyeing us warily.

“Hey, I don’t care about who did what to who on some other continent in some other century. We’re going to stay in our separate corners and everyone’s keeping their hands and magic to themselves, got it?” I warned.

“You love him,” she said. I wasn’t sure if that was a statement or accusation.

“Yes…and?” I replied.

She frowned, her brow knitting in confusion. For a vampire she was a modest, prim and proper little thing. She looked more like a schoolmarm than a bloodsucker. Of course I looked more like a biker than a businesswoman, so what did I know?

“Wait, what?” Catherine said.

“Yup. Hearts and flowers, the whole nine yards. We’re buying a house in Wheaton and a Labradoodle named George.” I hugged Faust in a proper embrace to punctuate my point, and he chuckled, rubbing my back comfortingly.

“I’ll hold you to that,” he murmured.

I winced. “Maybe not Wheaton. Somewhere less conservative. Forest Park, it’s near my office.” I drew away enough to look from the Titania to Mrs. Black. “Can we get on with whatever it is you want, so my honey and I can move on to our next thrilling fight against the forces of evil?”

“Never figured I’d hear you say that,” Lex said.

For a moment I gritted my teeth before any insults could slip out, and then I took a deep, calming breath. “Since October I’ve banished two, sometimes three demons a day, every day. It’s tough, and I’m exhausted, and I haven’t been paid a single dime for my work. Instead I’ve been battered, bruised, mauled, stabbed, a few cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder—”

Lex held his hands up. “I get the idea.”

“And it’s not going to let up. It’s going to get worse. And worse. Until there’s more of them than there are of us, and powers help us all on that day, because it’ll be ugly. So exactly how are you going to help me, O Lord Oberon? I take checks.”

“We’ll figure something out. Can you tell us anything about what Harrison has planned?” he asked.

“Not that we haven’t already told you,” Faust replied.

“And Kristoff?”

“He’s out there. Other than revenge, I don’t know what his agenda is,” I said. “Mayhem, probably. You’re not safe here. Or anywhere, really. Nobody’s got a house-sized ward strong enough to keep out an ancient demon. But killing him is on my to-do list, so don’t get your panties in a knot. Anything else?”

“Your auras are linked,” Mrs. Black said.

I glanced down, expecting to see some sort of magical ooze going on between Faust and I, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Well, I was covered in blood and without shoes—I suspected Faust liked the concept of heels but not the reality that they made me much taller than him—but nothing strange aside from that.

“What does that mean?” he asked.

“It means that you are soul mates,” she explained.

My first reaction was shock, then a momentary giddiness, followed by a great sadness that settled on me like a weight. “Oh no. I’m so sorry.”

“Why?” he asked, clearly startled.

I swallowed hard and managed a weak smile. “Tick tock.” I tapped my watch for emphasis, and he nodded slowly. Clearing my throat, I blinked behind the shield of my specs. “Okay then… We’ll keep you posted. Anything else before we go?”

“Is it true that you are a member of the Infernus clan?” Michael Black asked.

Faust tensed, but he nodded. “I am.”

I could see the chronicler winding up with righteous indignation, so I stepped in front of Faust. “Hey, I said separate corners, no fighting. Cut him some slack, there’s only the two of them left anyway.”

“Two?” Mrs. Black repeated.

“Myself and my sister are the only ones left of my clan,” Faust explained.

Her eyes widened, and I swear she paled, which I wouldn’t have thought possible for a vampire. “But…there were hundreds of you.”

“Five hundred and forty-three.”

The number echoed in my ears. Lord and Lady. That was a small town, and they’d all been exiled. He said half of them had committed suicide that first year, and the sheer magnitude of that many deaths sucked the wind right out of me. I hugged him, because I’m sure he needed it, and I whispered, “Let’s go.”