Shadows of Fate (Shadow Born) (23 page)

Brenna shrugged. “Should be back by now.”

Gray disappeared into the bathroom and turned on the water. Her eyelids were impossible to keep open. Letting out a deep breath, she surrendered to sleep.

Gray lifted his face, letting the water hit his bruised skin. Orien had stirred up the demons. For what, Gray couldn’t imagine. Maybe they were the only allies he could rally. His actions against the Vires Clan had left him marked, and there was no doubt he lay the blame at Brenna’s feet. Even so, there was nothing he could accomplish by riling up a bunch of simple-minded demons for wanton destruction. Orien had never minded doing his own dirty work, regardless of the esteem Brenna’s people held him in.

Sighing, Gray let his glamour fade so it was his own skin beneath the water. He scrubbed the blood from his forearm, tracing the symbol that had been carved there when he was a child. It had once marked him as royalty. Now it was just one scar among many.

Soon his glamour would fail. He had no choice but to leave behind his stash of potions. There was little time left to tell Brenna the truth, before she found out on her own. He doubted she would understand his subterfuge, but hiding his identity had been the only way to learn the truth. Before they had been reunited, deceiving her wouldn’t have been an issue. He had believed in her betrayal, and had planned only for revenge. Knowing the truth had unmanned him. But last time he had believed in her it had almost killed him. He wasn’t sure he was ready to go down that road again.

He stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. Brenna was asleep when he slipped on his boxers and joined her.

Chapter Fourteen

The next morning, Claudius arrived at their doorstep covered in blood, but not his own. His clothing was in tatters. He smelled of brimstone and ash as he stepped inside nearly unrecognizable.

He stumbled through the hall and collapsed on the sofa, exhausted. Brenna gasped and had Sam grab a bottle of synthetic blood from the kitchen.

“I was beginning to think you didn’t make it out.” Brenna waited as Claudius sucked down the blood Sam provided.

“We were ambushed. I lost most of my people. The rest are in hiding.” He paused as he stretched his arms. “I waited until I was sure I wasn’t being followed.” Handing the empty container back to Sam, he rose to his feet. “Seraph told me where to find you before we parted ways, but I had to meet with the Vampire Assembly first. We are going to need more fire power and the Sedona Master is willing to send his warriors. I tried to tell him to wait, but he would only send them to the compound where our kin are held prisoner. They’ll be there in two days.”

Seraph appeared at the far end of the room along with Mira. “A few hundred vampires will be hard to hide. We need the element of surprise.”

“You think they haven’t anticipated an attack?” Claudius laughed. It was a low, almost desperate sound. “There are a hundred of your soldiers camped out around them already.”

“They’re under a stealth spell.” Seraph moved closer. “Surveillance.”

“Which would work if they were going against humans or deviants, but not necessarily demons. We need more bodies.” Claudius rose from the couch as Mira entered the room. “I need a place to sleep off my injuries. And more blood.”

Mira hid a smile. “Looks like you’ve spilled enough all over yourself.” She held out a hand. “Come on. There is a supply in the basement. It is the safest place for you to rest.”

Brenna stared at her outstretched arm, stunned, but not altogether surprised. Claudius took her hand in his and followed her out of the room.

“A truce?” Seraph asked.

Brenna shrugged. “Their relationship is complicated.”

“That’s an understatement.” Sam shook his head, returning to the kitchen with Claudius’ empty bottle.

“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” Gray asked.

She paused. “What does he have to gain by lying?” Still, Gray had a point. Claudius lived to manipulate others. “He should have talked to us before he went to the Assembly. It will be impossible to hide that many people. The demons will attack and our men will be compromised.” Gray looked to Seraph. “We need to get there first and mobilize them.”

“Claudius isn’t in any condition to fight and neither are we. If we go in now, we might as well put targets on their chests,” Brenna said.

“Claudius got us help, but he can’t control what the other Masters do.” Seraph turned toward them. “Aside from that, he is right. For all we know, the demons can see through our stealth spell. Two hundred vampires may skew the odds in our favor. It is what it is. We’ll move out tomorrow evening. The compound is only a few hours from here. This cabin will be our safe house, so return here if we’re separated. Follow me.”

He led them into the kitchen, sinking into one of the rickety wooden chairs beside Sam. A file lay on the table and from it he pulled a stack of freehand drawings. “This is a sketch of the compound layout, based on Brenna’s reconnaissance years ago and our current team’s observations. Study it so you know your way around. We need to get in and out before they know what is happening. Even with the vampire backup, we are heavily outnumbered.”

“How many are being held there?” Gray took the map from Seraph, laying it in front of him on the table.

“Best guess, over three hundred prisoners and just as many demons. I doubt they’re all guards. This is a staging ground for something big.”

Brenna shoved the other map into her jeans pocket. “We’ll be lucky if we survive, much less save the day.”

“Ye of little faith,” Gray said with a slow grin. “What are a few hundred demons? At full strength we would wipe them out.”

“But we aren’t at full strength. Not even a quarter.” Brenna shook her head and sighed. “We are going to have to depend on brute force, not spellwork.”

“My power should help. Even at a distance, I can inflame their emotions, create chaos.” Sam grinned. “That’s my specialty.”

“Every bit helps,” said Gray. “But you’re just one person.”

“We need everyone to do their part.” Seraph stood. “Get some rest. I need you all on your game tomorrow.”

The hunters Seraph had assigned to watch St. Elizabeth General had made their camp in the ridges above the valley where it lay. Brenna could feel the tension as she stepped from the vehicle into the snow filled path that ran between the camouflage tents. The energy that filled the site was unnerving.

Ethan, a hunter Brenna had worked with a handful of times, approached them from the main cluster of tents. Although the top of his head only brushed the top of Gray’s shoulder, he was all muscle. He saluted Seraph then motioned them to follow.

“We set up a tent for you. I filled it with everything you’ll need.” He led them to a large military tent a little bit past the others. Dirty brown like the stone hillside it stood next to, it blended into the scenery so well Brenna could barely make it out until Ethan pulled open the flap.

Brenna relaxed a little as they stepped inside. They may be short on manpower, but not on firepower. The sides of the tent were stacked with box upon box of weapons. The lids had been thrown open and silver blades shone in the lamplight. On the far corner of the tent were several crates marked perishable. Inside was their blood supply.

“Are you preparing us for a battle or Armageddon?” she asked, already inside.

Ethan smiled. “You can never be too prepared.”

“Who did the spell work?” she asked, running a finger across a sword blade.

“The witches in the Arcana Demonica department spelled or charmed every weapon we have. This is all we managed to get out of the IRT Headquarters before it fell. It should help even the odds,” Ethan replied.

“Let’s hope,” she said. The spark of relief she felt began to grow.

Ethan waited until the rest of them were inside. Then, with a quick bow, he exited. The flap slid closed behind him leaving their team in silence.

“Always a man of few words,” Brenna observed. She had never particularly liked Ethan. He was hard to work with. Of course, he had said the same about her.

Seraph shook his head. “Aside from Xavier, you’ve never liked any of the other male hunters. Ethan is all right. He just takes some getting used to.” He ran his hand across a stack of wooden crates. “We might as well suit up before the others arrive. I want to be ready to move when the vampires get here.”

“Agreed.” Gray slid off his leather coat and fastened two sheaths to his forearms. “I want to know what spells they used before I commit to using any of these blades.” He freed two of the daggers strapped to his low back and placed them in the sheaths. “I brought my own weapons.”

“They are standard issue spells,” Brenna explained. “To strengthen the blade and imbue them with elemental power such as fire, ice and wind. We mix it up so the demons have a harder time adapting. The spells automatically activate when you handle the blade. It’s not fancy hocus pocus.”

She searched through the weapons until she found a thin curved sword. Etched with ancient runes, it felt alive in her hands. She strapped the sheath so it fit securely on her back then slipped on her duster, making sure the back sheath hung loose enough not to impede movement. She lunged, pulling the sword free noting the quickness of release.

Unfortunately, Sam chose that moment to enter the tent. The tip of blade stopped an inch from his nose.

“Okay, okay, I had the last chocolate bar back at the cabin. I’m sorry.” He stepped back, hands in front of him. “Sheesh. Remind me never to piss you off.” Brenna smiled and pulled the blade back.

“You’re getting excited,” Gray said to her as he finished checking the last of his own weapons. “I’m surprised.”

Brenna laughed. “Don’t be.” She slipped another blade into the strap on her thigh. “I was raised a warrior.”

“Yeah, you’re a regular warrior princess.” Sam rolled his eyes as she sheathed the sword and stretched her stiff muscles. Their last battle combined with the lack of oxygen from this altitude had left her sore and taut. Satisfied she had warmed up, she stepped outside the tent.

The cold mountain air caressed her face. Hunters stood in clusters around the tents, whispers moved through the air as their gazes rose one by one towards something behind her. On the ridge, their red eyes unmistakable, stood the vampire footmen. Murmurs of unease spread through the camp but they were smart enough to realize the vampires may be the only thing standing between them and death. No doubt word of their movements would reach the demons soon. Seraph wouldn’t wait long to move now.

She moved through the men to the edge of the hillside. The compound where the demons had taken refuge lay below them in the valley. From the outside, the old hospital was in a state of disrepair. Moss covered the right side of the front wing and twined around the front entrance, nearly covering the door. Broken windows had been patched with plywood, but the door had remained intact.

A steady stream of people moved around inside, some clearly possessed, but others seemed to be there of their own volition. There were several faces she recognized or, more accurately, their robes. It seemed the Brotherhood had joined forces with the demons after all. She could only hope Adare had extracted himself and wasn’t inside. Assuming he hadn’t switched sides.

Seraph stopped beside her and laid a hand on her shoulder. “This is going to be messy.”

“It’s always messy,” she replied. “Let’s get it over with.”

Seraph grimaced. “Patience. It was never one of your virtues.”

“You don’t pay me to be patient. You pay me to banish demons.”

“You’ll be able to do that soon enough.” He motioned to the others. “We’ll go in three waves. The first will take out the guards. Gray’s team will overwhelm the entrances. Once the guards are gone, find and free the prisoners. The third will run interference and catch those trying to escape. At that point we will climb in through the roof and plant a set of incendiary devices.” He stretched out his hand. On his palm lay a set of three small metal devices. They each emitted an arcanic pulse that resonated with her. Conventional explosives merged with elemental magic—a devastating combination.

“So we’re going to blow them up?”

“Portals are too power draining. We can’t send that many back through the Veil. Even if we could they would come back.” He shoved the gadgets into the pocket of his jeans. “We can’t use the kid gloves anymore. Taking out this group might turn the tide for us.”

He was right. They had to kill the demons or more people would die. But there was no way to avoid collateral damage. Some of the prisoners might be caught in the explosion, not to mention all the hosts. The compound was too large to free them in such a short amount of time.

“We will activate the devices remotely once they’ve been placed.” He paused to meet her gaze. “We’ll try to make sure everyone is out, but I can’t make promises.”

She placed the two devices he handed her into a satchel. “I know. There’s no other way.” Turning, she motioned to the compound. “Shouldn’t you be leading the attack?”

He shook his head. “Ethan will do the honors. You and I will need the extra time to set things up.” He looked to where Ethan stood, having already added half the vampires to his unit.