Betrayed in Blood (Of Blood & Dreams #6)

Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Simone made the decision to hide in the pantry. She knew vampires. They didn’t need to eat often, but when they were stationed at a particular place over an extended period of time, they got bored and lazy. Over the centuries, she’d come to the conclusion that having the same vampire with the exact same job for more than two days was problematic.

It wasn’t their fault. It was vampire nature. The fact a vampire was at the bottom rung of a security hierarchy didn’t mean they lacked intelligence. Someone had to be at the bottom, and they held that position for one of several factors. They could be new to the security detail, they lacked experience or skill for that particular job, or there were just more senior vampires on that particular detail.

And it was the vampire’s superior intellect that created the boredom. Yes, vampires could remain in a single position for hours without moving. That didn’t mean their mind stopped working. At some point, vampires required stimulation. From what Devon told her, humans had similar traits, the only problem was that their attention span was much shorter, and she thanked her maker that she only had to deal with Cressa and Ginger on security details.

The problem in this particular instance was that the vampires had returned from a vampire party. They would be overstimulated and ready for action of any kind. That included wandering the house, and, just like humans, they would either gravitate toward the bar or the kitchen. If it were one of her details, they would have immediately searched the house upon their return. Team Four reported that someone was coming down the hall on the other side of the house, most likely searching for the vampire currently hidden in a closet.

That had been a minute ago.

“Hey, get me one of those seltzer waters.”

She’d counted two vamps based on their footsteps and heard the refrigerator door open.

“There aren’t any in here. What about a soda?”

“Check the pantry. I like them warm.”

And just like that, Simone’s expectations came to fruition. Bored and uncaring about their missing vampire. If she radioed that she had to move, they would hear her, and that wasn’t the protocol for tonight’s mission.

The minute the pantry door began to swing open, she waited until it was almost fully open before slamming it shut. It hit the vampire in the face, then, just as swiftly, she pulled the door open and yanked the vampire inside. She slit his throat, stabbed him in the kidneys, and pushed him back so she could get out of the pantry before the other vampire noticed.

The vampire slammed against the shelving harder than she’d intended, and the entire wall of shelves crashed down. The noise rang in her ears. She ignored it and ran, rolling as she exited out the door and into the kitchen. She heard two things simultaneously—Devon’s voice yelling go and a gun being fired.

Lucas, Ginger, and the other six vampires spread out along the back of the property. Lucas remained halfway between the back gate and the back of the house. Ginger was to his right, standing behind a fir tree where he could see her. Two of the vampires were positioned at the back gate in case anyone slipped by Lucas and Ginger. The other four had split, with two moving to the right of the house while the other two disappeared toward the pool house. Though he couldn’t see them from his position, he didn’t question they were where they were supposed to be.

Their job wasn’t to move in unless Sergi countermanded their mission. They were to hold the perimeter and would only make radio contact if they engaged the enemy.

As much as he hated his father, he appreciated the military tactics he’d been taught that had come in handy through the decades. In this type of scenario, where a perimeter had to be maintained, some leaders considered it a position for their weakest fighters. The ones who wouldn’t have to face the enemy head-on.

They were so wrong.

It didn’t matter the type of battle or how well-trained a vampire was, everyone had an instinct for survival. Most would keep fighting, even when all seemed lost. That was a critical moment for an army. When it appeared the battle couldn’t be won, the last thing a leader wanted was for soldiers to give up hope. It was the moment each warrior discovered how much faith they’d placed in their leader to persevere. If there was the slightest doubt, fear for one’s life over the mission could shatter an army.

If only one or two ran, it didn’t mean the end of the battle. But if more followed, then doom was only a matter of time. Lucas knew someone would run. If these were Venizi’s vampires, he guessed that two might run. If these vampires were from a lower House aligned with Lorenzo, they could all scatter.

It was imperative their team held the line.

When the gunshot, muffled as it was, came from within the house, it was unexpected. Although everyone wore armored vests, vampires didn’t typically rely on firearms, and they rarely stopped another vampire. It might have been April who fired it. Either way, he immediately knew who would respond poorly to the sound.

He glanced over at Ginger as Devon’s command came through. Lucas followed it with a stern, “Team Six, hold your position.”

Ginger had taken two steps from her hiding spot and turned to look at Lucas. He shook his head, and she turned hers toward the house.

Come on, Ginger, don’t do it. Don’t make me come after you.

He was ready to give the command to hold again, but she stepped back to her position. He blew out a breath just before two vamps raced out the back of the house, both heading for the alley exit.

Decker had a bad feeling no matter how well this plan looked on paper. It was difficult to judge someone’s actions until they were put in a tough position. He might be a shifter, but he’d been around vampires his whole life. Devon and the cadre aside, his dealings with vampires came mostly from The Den, a fight club he owned in the Hollows.

Some of the vampires, especially the fighters, were rogues with loyalties to no one but themselves, but most of his vampire customers belonged to a House. What most of the vampire and shifter communities didn’t understand was that the two species weren’t that different from each other. And one of those truths came down to the strength of the House or the pack.

When it came down to a struggle between life and death, loyalty or survival, a vampire or shifter would give up their life for their leader. But only if they were strong leaders, fair leaders, leaders who wouldn’t put their Family or pack into unnecessarily dangerous positions.

This particular mission might be considered unnecessary by some. The likelihood of it impacting the fight against Venizi and a corrupt Council was minuscule at best. But Cressa was Family and a strong ally to Remus. She was a burgeoning dreamwalker who could solidify a strong alliance between vampires and shifters. And that meant that saving her human family from what appeared to be another ploy by Venizi to lure Cressa out in the open made this a critical mission. One that everyone here, whether from Devon’s House or Remus’s pack, was willing to lay down their life for if needed.

Decker glanced at the manor and then scanned the landscape, searching for anything out of place. All was quiet since the vampires had returned with Cressa’s half-sister. There were still an estimated six vampires in the garage unless they entered the house through the utility door. He couldn’t tell from his current position, but he hadn’t seen anyone head out for perimeter duty. That meant that without knowing where these six were, they had to be considered a high risk. It was also the reason he put two vampires outside the garage, in case someone tried to use an SUV to run.

Team Five’s mission was to monitor the front of the property, including the front gate and this side of the pool area, to ensure no one escaped. The three wolves on the team were assigned the closest to the house. They’d come armed, but they were at their best once they shifted to their wolves.

Some inner instinct scratched at him to shift. He never ignored his gut.

He pulled his shirt over his head and unzipped his pants, stripping down in less than a minute. They were supposed to remain radio silent, but this was too important. He whispered into his headset, “Going wolf.”

He could see Rachel from his position but not Elijah. When he saw Rachel had already begun stripping before his words were out of his mouth, he knew Elijah had probably already turned. The instincts of an Alpha were too strong for anyone close to ignore the call.

The transition typically took ten minutes, but Elijah, as a powerful Alpha, could force a faster change. And that had to be what was happening because the shift was intensely painful, and Decker sucked in a deep breath to stop from howling.

The timing couldn’t have been better. When the first vampire ran from the house, Decker thought one of Devon’s vampires would have to take care of him. The vampire was a good distance down the driveway, racing for the gate, before the solid gray wolf known as Rachel dragged him down.

Decker howled into the night, pleased when another vampire, who’d been in the garage, raced past his reddish-brown wolf. The hunt was on.

Devon threw the door open and leaped out. April was standing in the middle of the hall, staring at Jasper’s back as he raced toward the stairs.

“Stay with your mother and lock the door,” Jasper yelled as he ran.

Devon grabbed April and shoved her back toward her room. Confident that Cressa would deal with it, he raced after Jasper.

“Jasper!” April called out.

If Jasper heard, he didn’t turn around, and he had a good head start on Devon. There were more crashes from the first floor, and when he reached the stairs, Jasper was taking the last few steps to where two vampires were fighting.

Jasper reached into his jacket and pulled out a dagger, the lights of the chandelier flashing off the silver as he raised it toward one of Devon’s vampires. He wouldn’t make it down the stairs in time. Devon was still at the top of the stairs, but he didn’t take more than a second to change his trajectory. He grabbed the railing and leaped over it, pulling out his own dagger as he hit the floor.

If nothing else, it surprised Jasper before he could take a swing at one of Devon’s team members. But Devon shouldn’t have worried. His security details never fought without keeping an eye on their surroundings, but that didn’t always protect them from someone coming up from behind. In this case, the team member caught Devon’s leap, and he kicked out at his opponent while dropping and rolling.

Jasper wasn’t anticipating the move, and though his swing only hit air, he didn’t stop. Instead, he changed tactics, but he had a problem. It was two on two, and it appeared the first vampire, while only taking a glancing blow from Devon’s team member, hadn’t been faring well in the fight.

Devon ignored the team member and his opponent, his entire focus on Jasper.

When Jasper turned and caught Devon racing for him, his eyes widened with recognition, and then he grinned before he ran. He took a right at the hallway, which would take him toward the back of the house.

Devon took a moment to glance to his left, where several vampires were fully engaged. He spotted one of the opposing forces heading for the front door and let him go, directing his energy to follow Jasper. The moment to survey his team cost him a few seconds, and when he turned down the hall, Jasper was gone.

He slowed and blasted open doors with a forceful kick as he passed them, peering in for a quick scan of each one. Most of the rooms didn’t provide any place to hide, but two of them required him to check closets.

While he continued down the hallway, he performed a mental review of the floor plan. All the rooms at this end of the house only had one door, with the exception of two that were more like salons exiting into another hallway.

He put his trust in his outdoor teams, allowing him to continue his methodical search. A crash from upstairs didn’t alarm him at first, as he assumed Cressa would be dealing with April.

When he came to the first room that had a second exit, he took a different approach. If Jasper had been paying attention, and if he was in there, he’d expect Devon to kick the door down. Devon hadn’t forgotten the sound of the gun and suspected Jasper was carrying a firearm as well. He reached for the door handle and slowly opened the door. Once it was clear of the doorjamb, he shoved it open, but before he could jump aside, Jasper fired.

The bullet hit his left shoulder, and the burn of silver registered as the pain gripped him. His beast instantly flared to life, his gaze reflecting its icy blue glow. All he saw was the flap of Jasper’s jacket as he raced out the other door. He ignored the bullet as he felt his body forcing it out while his blood mended the damage.

All the vampires had taken blood donations before the mission. No exceptions. It wouldn’t stop them from losing their heads, but any other injury would heal faster. He didn’t know why Jasper didn’t just empty his gun, but he’d have to reload, and Jasper had no idea how many intruders were in the house. Or maybe Jasper was still regrouping and trying to figure out what the hell was happening.

When he reached the other door, he glanced left then right. There was an exit to the backyard to his left, but the door was closed. Why hadn’t Jasper gone that way? More crashing came from above, and now his fear grew.

He started toward the right, his gut telling him Jasper was returning to the second floor, but after a few steps, he stopped to listen. There was fighting somewhere toward the living room and maybe the kitchen or dining room.

He turned back and raced for the back stairs. The only ones on the second floor should be Cressa and April. Would Cressa anticipate Jasper returning? He was halfway up the stairs when a gunshot from above filled his veins with terror.

Simone heard the shot as she rolled out of the pantry. She was halfway to standing when she was knocked backward. Her feet went out from under her, and she dropped like a stone weight. She glanced up. A vampire was rising to his feet while two others struggled behind him.

He had a gun in his hand, and he looked down at it, then back at her.

She tried to stand, but her legs wouldn’t move. Her vision was blurred, and she wiped at her eyes, surprised when she noticed her hands. They were covered with blood. She glanced back up at the vampire.

The asshole had shot her.

She still couldn’t move her legs, and it was fairly obvious she was in trouble. The vampires struggling behind this tableau were using varied martial arts and appeared evenly matched. Her team member had his hands full.

She grabbed her side as if she might have another injury. At least her arms moved, but the odds weren’t in her favor.

The vampire set the gun on the counter and pulled out a short blade.

Her body froze, but not from her injury. She didn’t want to give away her only move. Without her legs, she was at a severe disadvantage.

She’d taken donor blood before the mission; however, her legs weren’t healing. They were numb. The bullet must have done more than graze her head. She didn’t feel any pain, but the blood continued to drip down her face and into her eyes, making it almost impossible to make out the vampire who crept toward her.

This was not the way she planned on dying. Not on a simple mission to grab a couple humans. Venizi must consider them important because these vampires were more skilled than what he’d thrown at them before.

Had they somehow known an enemy would be waiting? She didn’t see how, but her thoughts weren’t coming as fast as normal. A sharp pain slammed into her, making her double over. She pushed past it, not wanting to give the approaching vampire easy access to her neck.

She didn’t understand why her injury suddenly hurt, but then she felt the burn of silver. The asshole shot her with silver bullets. Her body would automatically purge the silver. The pain must be coming from the bullet being expelled from her body. Her legs were still numb. If her body was doing any healing, it wasn’t helping her legs.

When she straightened, she tightened her grip on her short blade and immediately swung upward. The steel edge glided off the other vampire’s blade. He brought the blade around again, and she managed to block it.

In a standing position, he had all his weight to bear as he swung, but she was strong. And though her arm shook from the exertion, she didn’t give an inch.

“Well, aren’t you a strong one?” The vampire pulled back and paced in front of her, keeping his eye on her. “I normally don’t play with my prey, but I don’t get the opportunities like I used to. You know. Back when we weren’t so civilized.”

His swing came fast, but she was ready for it and blocked it easily. Then he spun around, and when the blade came again, he held it with both hands as he brought it down with a sickly grin.

Her blade fell from her hand before the swing came, and when it struck, she held up her arm in defense.

The slice came fast, and she felt it to the bone. The only reason it didn’t go all the way through was that the vampire hadn’t kept his blade sharp. It didn’t matter. The intense pain surpassed the growing one in her head.

Her vision went dark, and she didn’t think it was from the loss of blood. She was defenseless, and before she hit the floor, she heard the unmistakable thud of a head hitting the floor.

Then the voices came.

“Simone is down. We need a healer and donor. Now.”

She would have laughed if she could. A healer couldn’t put her head back on her neck.

“We have to clear the scene first.”

“There’s no time.”

She sighed. There was never enough time. She’d been so close to having her own House. An image of a dark-haired man came to her. Gaius. No time to make amends. Maybe he was dead, too.

“Simone. Simone. Oh god, Simone.”