Freak Show (21 page)

“You got it, kid. I’m one of the good guys.”

I knelt beside Shaz, setting the dagger aside. His breath came too fast and shallow. His eyes rolled back in his head. I couldn’t get him to look at me.

Healing had proved difficult for me. It came from a place of life and nature, taking precise concentration and intent. I had done it before, with Arys’s guidance. Sloane’s revelation encouraged me. It meant that the ability to heal had been meant for Arys and me, somehow. It was a gift.

I can do this.

I placed my hands on Shaz, clenching his bloodstained fur between my fingers. Taking several deep breaths, I counted backwards from ten and prayed nobody would come through that door.

It was easy to feel and touch his broken energy. Aligning it to mine, I pushed a gentle, warm flow of light into his battered body. The constant chatter of voices in my head beat at my focus. I fought to shut it out. The wolf within demanded my attention. She heard nothing, saw nothing, only Shaz. The connection between us grew stronger. Power flowed out from me, seeking and finding its target, breathing health and vitality into this wolf that I loved with every part of me left that was wolf and human. The sound of other people’s thoughts faded. Shaz was all I knew. My being was devoted to keeping him alive. Nothing else proved stronger than that devotion. I steadied the flow between us, giving all I had until his energy hummed happily once again.

I collapsed beside him, my head in my hands, and blood running steadily from my nose. My ragged breaths became gasps, and I coughed.

Thanks to the angel blood crashing through my veins, the exhaustion was short lived. I recovered quickly. The burn out that followed the inevitable crash from so much power was going to be brutal. So I’d better make it worth it.

Chapter Fifteen

“Trust Shaz,” I said. “He’ll get you out of here. And take care of each other. Nobody gets left behind.”

I stood near the door, speaking to the group of frightened captives. The Dragon Claw was ready in my hand for when the door opened again. At my side was Shaz, as wolf, strong and alert.

I didn’t have much of a plan. I would take on Linden and his guys, keep them busy while Shaz led the humans out of the warehouse. It was growing harder to restrain the force within me. If I never took blood from an angel again, it would be too soon.

For the better part of an hour, I’d listened to stories. The men and women told tales of being kidnapped and abused at the hands of Linden and his crew. They’d been lined up against the wall while vampires ogled them. Harsh punishments were handed out to those that dared to fight back.

Linden was a crime lord in his own right. He took human trafficking to another level. Taking him out wouldn’t be enough to abolish an organization like this. Still, I couldn’t go home and pretend it didn’t exist while they treated innocents like cattle.

Innocent blood was on my hands too. I would not make the error of having a holier than thou attitude toward Linden. My mistakes were just that though. Mistakes. When I hunted with the intent to lure and kill, I chose ones with blood on their own hands.

Touching base with Arys, I assured him I was fine. He and Jenner had found Roscoe who had yet to give them anything on Linden. Arys was still of the mind that he needed to come for me. Having to stay away and wait it out was driving him mad. I refused to put the kids at greater risk. There was no way to predict what Linden may do if Arys arrived on the scene.

My palm grew sweaty on the dagger handle. I was nervous but eager. I didn’t have to wait much longer for a vampire to return with the rest of the children. Standing behind the door, I waited for it to close and expose me.

I was on the guy before he could react to seeing me out of the cell. Shoving the dagger into its sheath, I grabbed his head and snapped his neck, letting him fall. Then I swiped his phone, keys and gun so they wouldn’t be lost in the destruction of his body when I dusted him.

“Who knows how to use this?” I offered the gun to the first guy who held up a hand with a semblance of confidence. “You take the rear. Cover everyone else on the way out. Especially the kids and that lady there.” I motioned to the pregnant lady who wore a hard, stern expression. She was braver than I ever would have been in her place. “A gun isn’t the best weapon against vampires, but a good face shot or two can buy you some time.”

A broken neck also wouldn’t keep a vampire down long. A quick swipe of the Dragon Claw’s blade ensured he wouldn’t be a future problem. His dusty remains had both the kids and adults fascinated. They would never look at the world the same again after this night.

“Stay here until Shaz comes back for you,” I reminded them one last time. “We’ll clear a path out of the warehouse.”

I met Shaz’s calm green eyes. He inclined his head in a wolfish nod, and I slowly eased the door open. I could see half of the lengthy table from the tiny crack in the door. Just one vampire sat there. He was engrossed in whatever was on his smartphone screen. A few others lingered near the door. It creaked as I opened it, and they turned to catch me sneaking up on them.

So much for a sneak attack. I flung the door wide, hands crackling with power. Shaz raced past me, lunging at the closest vampire. Hitting him full in the chest, Shaz took him down with a snarl, tearing the guy’s throat out with a vicious snap of jaws.

I hit the others with a fiery blast that engulfed them all. An exhilarating rush of power flowed from me, seeking and finding its target. It was a relief to rid myself of the angelic force. It didn’t belong to me, and I needed it out of my head.

A shout rang out from the one at the table. I threw a flaming psi ball at his head, and it hit with an uncanny precision and strength. His head burst into flames, the rest of him was quick to follow. The smartphone clattered to the floor.

My last experience with angel blood hadn’t gone quite this smooth. Either this was dumb luck or my control was improving. Considering how bad it had once been, this was nice. I could get used to the power.

With the Dragon Claw, I finished off the one with his throat splayed open. Shaz and I turned to find half a dozen or so blocking the main exit. We could handle those odds.

With every shot of Falon’s power that I used, the pressure in my head subsided. I hit the entire group of them with a blast that almost winded me. They all went down in a flaming pile. I didn’t doubt for a moment that Falon could throw fire. However, I’d never witnessed it myself. I was a little bummed that it wasn’t one of my abilities. It was damn handy.

“Go, get them out of here,” I told Shaz, turning to find a few more vamps heading in from the back of the building. “I’ve got these guys.”

The newcomers got hit with a face full of fire. One of them fell against the couch, and the flames began to spread. I expected more and found the brief reprieve to be unsettling. Was that all Linden had for manpower here?

I wiped my bleeding nose with the back of my hand. When I became a vampire, I would never miss that side effect of a mortal using immortal power.

Shaz led the captives in a steady line to the front exit. They ran for their lives, following the white wolf that promised them freedom.

Smoke was beginning to fill the warehouse. I coughed and tried to limit my breaths. My eyes burned and began to water. The fire consumed the couch and jumped to the next flammable thing in its path.

I ran back to the prison room to confirm that everyone was out. It was empty. I ran back to the dirty little bathroom to double check. Empty. Relief crushed me.

I turned and fled the room, intent on the exit. Linden stepped out in front of me, and I had to jerk to a halt to avoid colliding with him. On his face was a giant, shit-eating grin, and in his arms was a struggling child.

“Well done, Alexa.” The flames cast Linden in a macabre light. “I don’t know how you did it, but you certainly are adept at playing the heroine. But you’ve forgotten one thing. You can’t save them all.”

The young boy wailed, tears streaming down his chubby cheeks. It was the same kid who had asked me if I was one of the good guys. I didn’t give Linden a chance to follow through with his intent or his bad-guy dialogue. I threw myself at him, taking him and the child down to the ground. Landing between us, the kid was fine, just terribly frightened.

Wrapping my hands around Linden’s throat, I slammed his skull against the hard floor repeatedly until he released his hold on the boy. Shaz appeared and dragged the kid away by the back of his shirt.

The smoke thickened, making it difficult to see. Every breath made my chest ache. My wolf recoiled, instinctively demanding that we flee the burning building. Letting Linden go to save myself would be a favor to nobody. He would only be free to start anew, in a new building with a new batch of victims. Perhaps he was just one of many involved in this sick business. All it took to send a message to the rest was the right hit. I had to hope Linden was it.

“You should never have let me know you exist,” I snarled, slamming his head one more time. Blood stained the floor beneath him.

I set my sights on his heart and reached with my power to destroy it. The flow of energy was smooth and on target, yet it fell flat. Like hitting a psychic wall, my power hit an impenetrable block.

Linden stared up into my confused face and nodded. His voice was strained from my grip on his throat when he croaked, “You’re not the only rare breed walking around out there, you know.”

Before I could draw the dagger, he slammed a heavy fist into the side of my head. It dazed me, allowing him to roll me to his side. He hit me with a smattering of blows that caused a bright light to flash behind my eyes. I kicked out in his general direction, connecting with his knee. A crack followed by a shriek was always good news.

The sound of the Dragon Claw sliding from its sheath sent a surge of panic through me. I rolled away from Linden and pushed to my feet, but not before my own dagger tasted my blood. It pierced my side, a flesh wound, thanks to quick reflexes. Warm, wet blood seeped through my shirt. Ignoring it, I danced back out of reach as Linden swung the dagger again.

The fire had crawled along the walls to the ceiling, which didn’t appear to be made of the sturdiest material. As pieces began to fall and smash against the floor, my need to flee the building grew. Linden had the advantage here; he didn’t need to breathe. I coughed harder as my body rejected the smoky air.

“You had help getting this in here. Based on the mark on your arm, I’m thinking demon.” Linden cut the air in a figure eight with the Dragon Claw. “So where is this demon now? It doesn’t seem that he’s coming to save you.”

“I don’t need a fucking demon to save me.” My lungs burned, and I could barely get the words out.

I glanced at the roof above us. It was still holding for now. Maybe I could do something about that. Focusing the last of Falon’s power on the roof, I willed it to come down in a burning heap on top of Linden. I planned to go for the door as soon as I felt it give. It might not work—I could be digging my own grave—but keeping him inside was the best way to give the others a chance to flee to safety.

“I change my mind,” Linden announced. “I’m going to keep you for myself. It’s become very apparent why Harley wanted you so badly. I am going to love breaking you.” For a species that was good at secret keeping, they were also very adept gossipers. I should just start assuming anyone that knew Arys or Harley knew way too much about me.

Linden rushed me, breaking my concentration. I threw an arm up to block the Dragon Claw. The blade bit into my forearm, and I yelped. Mother fucker that hurt.

In a desperate move, I swept his legs out from under him with a kick. He lost his balance but recovered quickly. With preternatural speed, he was at my back with the dagger blade pressed to my throat.

“Don’t make me kill you,” he said, the picture of health compared to my choking, injured self. “We could have fun together. I’ll even forget about how many of my men you killed tonight.”

I couldn’t see his face, but that didn’t make him any less threatening. Another series of coughs racked me, and the blade cut into my skin. In response to his offer, I held up a middle finger. The heat was unbearable. Lack of oxygen was making me dizzy. I felt the blade slide across my throat and thought it was all over.

A loud crack from above was accompanied by falling debris. It hit us with more force than I’d anticipated. It knocked the Dragon Claw from Linden’s hand, and I scrambled to pick it up. As my fingers closed around the hilt, a large piece of metal crashed into my skull.

Wiping tears from my burning eyes, I whirled to find Linden holding a piece of debris ready for another smack. Unable to breathe, I lurched toward the exit, or at least where I thought it should be. Linden followed, determined to keep me from escaping him. I swung the dagger and just barely missed him.
Shit!

I fell to my knees, fighting to see my way out and avoid the next blow headed my way. The outline of a wolf loomed in the distance. The exit must have been farther than I thought. Shaz dodged fallen debris and flames as he came to my aid. With fangs bared and a growl rumbling in his throat, he leaped at Linden, knocking him away from me. The two of them struggled. There was a crack of bone.

The roar of flames was loud in my ears. Every snap and crackle promised a horrible fate. I heaved myself toward the door, the dagger dragging on the floor behind me. A hand wrapped around my ankle, jerking me back. Linden fought hard. With Shaz on his back, attacking furiously, he pulled me close. I swung wildly with the dagger, connecting with rubble.

The warehouse groaned. The screech of twisting metal pierced my ears. I looked up in time to see the roof bow dangerously.

If I was going down, I was taking Linden with me. I thrust the dagger forward in a last ditch attempt. Whether it struck home or not, I didn’t know. The ceiling came down, and I had only seconds to cover my head with my arms and hope for the best.

* * * *

“I bet you have a bitch of a headache.”

The disembodied voice floated above me. I opened my eyes to find Jez’s face, upside down as she leaned over to scrutinize me. My vision tilted to one side, and my stomach rolled in a nauseous wave. Contrary to her assumption, my head didn’t feel all that bad. In fact, my entire body felt numb. My throat was dry, my mouth like cotton. It took great effort to do more than lay there and groan.