From the Shadows (Hunters #1)

Chapter 17

Diego cursed as he lost signal. Now Shay would be freaking out, and that irritated him greatly. He misted, appearing near two vampires, and broke their necks. They crumpled without a sound. The fact that he was able to get so close without alerting them spoke of their recent rebirth.

Martin was near his limit. He’d gone flame as soon as the vampires pulled them into the building, and the floor, dotted with an ever-increasing layer of ash which was choking him. He’d taken down dozens, maybe more, and his powers were nearly gone. Diego was doing his best to keep up, but even he was falling beneath the swarming tide of the enemy. In his desperation, he called Shay, but then lost signal.

The vampires had chosen their spot well. Diego had no clue what the building was originally used for, but the walls were several feet of thick concrete, which was effectively killing his reception.

How had Cristobal amassed this many thralls? Why had no one noticed them disappearing? The answer, as much as Diego hated to admit it, was the army he created was the unhoused and indigent. People no one would even notice were missing. Bad enough they’d lost everything in life and had been forced to live on the streets, but now they were being sent to their deaths. Diego would say a prayer for their souls later. If they got out of this place.

When the portal appeared, Diego breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t happy when Ranna stepped out and quickly shifted to her wendigo form, but right now, beggars couldn’t be choosers. She was slower, not nearly as graceful a killing machine as normal, but she still tore into them with a fervor. Borne was crackling with dark energy as he decimated scores of them, their bodies piling up ever higher. The last person with them was someone Diego vaguely recognized. He knew the man was a wendigo, but he didn’t shift when he fought. Instead, he harnessed the powers of nature, striking with lightning, wind, ice, fire. It wasn’t nearly as effective as Martin or Borne’s, but it was still holding them back enough to give Diego a chance to check on Martin.

“You okay?” he asked, gripping Martin’s shoulder and squeezing gently.

“No, not really. These bastards are pissing me off,” he growled, his skin glowing red.

“Stand down. Rest a bit.”

He smirked. “Don’t need it.” He stood, wobbly on his feet, before he burst into flames and waded back into the fray. Despite the claim he didn’t need the rest, he wasn’t moving as quickly as normal, and the things he touched didn’t disintegrate into ash as fast. Still, no matter how many they took down, the vampires continued to show up. There had to be hundreds of them, and they kept coming. The team was already weakened with Ranna’s injuries and Martin’s loss of energy, but they still fought tooth and nail.

Diego misted, killing anyone he came across. Guilt swamped him at the knowledge these people had probably been like him. Forced by Cristobal to become vampires, then sent out to fight and die for him. Hard to believe such a beautiful face held such evil behind it.

And then he saw the devil himself. Standing high on the upper beams, smiling down at the carnage. Diego misted, landing beside Cristobal, who turned and smirked at him.

“I knew you’d come,” he said .

Diego didn’t speak, he merely lashed out. As fast as he was, though, Cristobal was far faster. He dodged every attack Diego made. He was like an awkward teenager, all limbs and not an ounce of grace. When Cristobal thrust an arm out and grabbed Diego by the throat, he realized he couldn’t fight back.

“You’re mine,” Cristobal snarled. “As your sire, you do as I bid. Show your love for me and kill your friends.”

Then he threw Diego off the beam, leaving him to plummet five stories. As much as he wanted to, he hadn’t been given permission, so Diego couldn’t mist. When he hit the bottom, it rattled him, sending a jolt of pain through his body.

“Diego!” Ranna screamed.

He stood, Cristobal’s voice echoing in his head, demanding the blood of his team. He spun around and stalked toward the closest person. The other wendigo. He would make a fine tribute to Master. The man didn’t even turn around when Diego reached him. That was his mistake. He grabbed the man’s long, dark hair and yanked it back. True, Diego couldn’t drink from a paranormal, but there were other ways to kill him.

“ You’re a good person, Diego. A little bit of an asshole, but who isn’t? Keep in mind, though. You’re our asshole. ”

Shay’s voice? That was the day Shay offered to let Diego drink from him. The day he began the blood-tie to Shay, who instead of being horrified, helped to make him better. Then provided what he needed to become whole. To become….

“I am Diego Ramirez!” he screamed, his voice echoing through the warehouse. “I serve no one!”

He turned the man he was holding loose, then moved to help him finish off the vampires he’d been fighting.

“Help Ranna,” the man said, his voice dark. “The princess cannot be allowed to die.”

Princess? Ranna was fucking royalty? Sure, why the hell not? He’d have to talk to her about that at some point. Right now, he had other things on his mind. He jerked his head up and found Cristobal, his lips twisted in apparent anger. Before he could go after him, he misted and vanished into the murky depths of the warehouse .

As soon as he was gone, the remaining vampires were easily dealt with. Apparently, having Cristobal near fueled their strength and determination. It made sense, they were extensions of his will, after all. Which also meant that at each of the attacks, Cristobal had to be nearby, watching what was happening.

When the fight was over, the hunters gathered around. “I thought for sure you were going to kill me,” the guy said.

“I would have,” Diego admitted. “But words from a friend reminded me who I am.”

“Then I’m thankful to that friend.”

He turned to Ranna. “Thank you for saving our asses, Princess .”

She snarled. “You fucking told him?”

The man bared his teeth. Not nearly as impressive as a wendigo’s, but they weren’t bad. “You should not be fighting at all!” he bellowed. “Your parents forbade it after sending me to heal you.”

“My parents don’t control my destiny. Only I do that. I stand with my friends—my family—first, last, and always. I don’t know why they can’t see the good we’re doing here, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop doing it.”

“They’ll send someone for you, to bring you home where you are meant to be. Especially after you came so close to dying just days ago.”

She grabbed him by the shoulder and propelled him forward, forcing him to see the carnage. “Look! These were people who had lives, hopes, dreams. And it was stolen from them, just like they stole it from my friend. I don’t know how my parents could turn a blind eye to it, but I sure as hell won’t! Humans aren’t perfect, the Spirits know, but neither are we, especially if we’re willing to ignore the suffering of others.”

“That wasn’t what I meant, Princess.”

“Then tell me, Jakar, whatever did you mean?”

“As I said, your parents will send someone for you. If you’ll have me, I will stand by your side and keep you safe from them.”

Ranna held up a hand, showing off her wendigo claws. “I don’t need to be ‘kept safe.’ I’ve been fine on my own for years.” Her eyes darted toward Diego. “Ever since I was saved by my friend. ”

Shit. He’d almost forgotten that night. He’d fled from the house, needing to be away from Jeremy for a bit, because as much as he hated to admit it, he was becoming fond of the kid. He was out for a run, trying hard to outdistance his own mind, when he saw her. She looked to be twelve or so, and she was rummaging in the McDonald’s garbage can, wolfing down burgers that had been thrown away after they closed. He could hear the snarl, see her ripping into the food. He knew she wasn’t human, but at the time, he couldn’t tell what she was. As he got closer, she sniffed and lifted her head, her gaze snapping toward him, her teeth bared.

“Easy, kid. It’s all right,” he soothed. “My name is Diego Ramirez.” He let his fangs drop and showed them to her. “I’m not your enemy.” He crouched down, doing his best to seem nonthreatening. “Having a tough go of it, huh? If you’re looking for a place, you can come with me. I work with some people who’ll help out. We can find you somewhere to stay, so you won’t have to dig in the garbage for food. We can get you clothes to wear. And, no offense, you can take a shower. Or maybe a bath. Trust me, you kinda need it. What do you say?”

It wasn’t but a few moments later he found his arms filled with a sobbing girl, who babbled incoherently. He contacted Empatia and told her he was bringing the kid home with him. Ranna came to the house and was enfolded in the dysfunctional family they’d built. She’d told them she ran away because her parents refused to let her leave the home, demanding she have no friends. From what Empatia said, the story was mostly true, so they gave the kid refuge. Supernatural communities weren’t like humans. They didn’t have all the laws and regulations about helping. If someone was in trouble, you helped because you could.

And thus, Ranna became part of the group. She trained with them, becoming a killing machine in her own right. She could hold her own against anyone on the team by the time she was eighteen, when she told Diego she was ready to go out with them. Since that day, he’d never seen her as anything other than a warrior. To find out she was a princess? That surprised him, but not as much as it should .

“Ranna? Or would you prefer we call you Princess?”

She snarled. “Depends. Do I need to kick your ass to answer you?”

Diego chuckled. “Look, you are whoever you say you are. No one can make that decision for you, okay? Whether you choose to be a hunter or royalty, you will always be one of us.”

Her face scrunched up, and just like she had all those years ago, she hurled herself at him, hugging him tight. Only now she was big enough to pop his spine. “I don’t want to go home,” she admitted. “I have siblings, so it’s not like the line of succession will end. I do good work here. Helping people, busting heads. It’s what I was born to do. Not be pampered and told that I need to remember I was above the common people. I never once in my life thought of anyone at the house as ‘common.’ My parents have their noses so far up in the fucking air, they can’t see that.”

Diego barely remembered his parents. Vague, fleeting snatches of memories of a beautiful woman, her laughter bold and vibrant, being spun around by a man, tall and dark, and loving her with everything in him. Those were the memories he held in his heart.

“We see you, Ran. You’re our family too, and we will always see you.” He looked over at the other wendigo. “And if you care at all for her, you’ll understand that too.”

“Oh, Diego, this is Jakar, our shaman.” She smiled. “And the fact that you’re the shaman for the tribe is exactly why you can’t stay here. They need you.”

“They can find another,” he promised. “I need….” He turned, his cheeks red.

“You need Hal,” Ranna said quietly.

Hal? What the hell.

Jakar nodded. “He drives me nuts, but I’ve come to care for him a great deal.”

“It’s called love, idiot,” Ranna chastised him.

He frowned. “Fine, I love him.”

“Wait. Where have I been?”

“Hiding out from people,” Ranna reminded him. “You’ve missed out on a lot of our personal lives. Our loves. Our… losses. ”

The words were said so softly, but they hit Diego like a hammer. He’d been a shitty leader. “I’m sorry, Ran.”

“No, don’t. You had your own things to work through. We had Empatia, and she helped us to deal with stuff. The thing is? We’re all working through it, plugging along as best we can. But thanks to Em and Shay and Jeremy, we’ve become more… I dunno. A real family.”

And Diego knew it was true. Thoughts of Shay helped him break free of Cristobal’s sway, allowing him to remember who he was. He was the leader of this group, and it was damned time he stepped up and did his job.

“Look, Jakar. If one of our people wants to be with you, our door is always open. Stay or not, if Hal has feelings for you, you’re welcome. Now, tell me something. Is Ranna right? Will losing you hurt your tribe?”

He chewed his lip. “Maybe? But?—”

“No buts. You can’t leave others high and dry for your own needs. What you can do is go home, find someone to take your place, then come back to see if Hal still feels the same.” He flicked his gaze to Ranna. “And you need to get in touch with your parents and let them know you’re okay and what you’ve chosen to do. When we contacted the tribe to come help you, they sent Jakar, even though you ran from them years ago. If they didn’t care, they wouldn’t have bothered. You’re not a kid anymore, so deal with your issues like an adult. Got me?”

She gave him a smile. “Yes, sir.”

“Okay, good. Borne? You good to make a portal?”

He knew it wasn’t something the demon enjoyed, because shunting between dimensions led him through his own home world, where he was sure to be executed if they captured him.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied, his voice trembling.

Diego knew the truth, though. “Okay, you’re not. Good to know. Don’t lie to me, because I will always figure it out. Everyone help the others outside. I’ll call Shay and have him get us a ride home. Martin? You good to torch the bodies?”

“Feeling a lot better now, so yes. ”

“I can help,” Jakar said.

“No need. I got this,” Martin said a moment before he ignited, the flames intense enough to force Diego back a few steps. Arcs of fire flew from his hands, immolating the bodies of the vampires and reducing them to chalky ash. Jakar called on the winds and scattered the dust that had been humans once. It hurt to see them like this, but they’d been left with no options.

Diego sighed. “There’s been enough death here today. Let’s go home and get a bit of life.”

They all agreed and made their way out of the warehouse and into the sun.

“So how’d they get you?” Ranna asked.

“Grabbed a girl right in front of us. We took off after them, only finding out as soon as we entered, she was also a vampire and we were trapped.” He called Shay.

“Are you okay?” he demanded.

“Right as rain,” Diego answered. “We need a ride home. Think you can coordinate one?”

“Yeah, no problem.” He was quiet a second. “You’re really okay?”

“Yeah, I really am. Can’t wait to see you and Jeremy. After he goes to bed, I’ll tell you all about it, if you want to know.”

“I do. While you tuck him in, I’ll run a bath and you can soak and tell me all about your day, dear. I’ll text you to let you know the ride is coming.”

“Shay, I?—”

But he was already gone. Probably for the best. He’d tell him tonight what had happened, and then take him to bed and ask him for help in regaining his energy, then fall asleep with Shay in his arms, his heart beating against Diego’s chest, reminding him that life was good.

As long as he had his family.

And Cristobal lay dead at their feet.