“Fuck you, Caval i,” the elf spat. When he turned his head, Merek could see that the flesh on half his face had been melted. The victim of some kind of flame spel ? Had Chloe done it? He knew he hadn’t. The clawing need to get to Chloe, to know where she was, tore through him, but he gave the scene before him an impassive stare. He wouldn’t fail again by giving this terrorist even the slightest advantage.
“Ah, good.” Luca’s purr could rival Ophelia’s at her best. Talons extended from his fingertips, and he used one to bring the elf’s head around to face him. “You know who I am. I’m not going to bother making threats because if you were someone who cowed to them you wouldn’t be working for Smith. The only thing I wil say before I drain you dry is that you’ve taken my woman, and I cannot abide that. I want her back.”
“Smith is probably going to toy with your bitch a bit before he kil s her.” The elf winced when Luca’s deadly talon slid along his scorched flesh. “Too bad I’l miss it. And don’t even think you can mesmerize me, bloodsucker. I’m stronger than that.”
“I’m sure you are. For the moment.” The vampire sank his fingers into the melted clumps of the elf’s hair, pul ing back the man’s head to expose his neck. “The more blood I take, the weaker you become, and the easier it is to mesmerize you. I wish I could say I’d try to make it painless for you, but we both know I won’t.”
“Fuck y—” The elf’s voice whistled to a high-pitched scream as Luca drove his fangs deep into the other man’s throat.
Long moments passed while the elf gurgled and struggled helplessly in the vampire’s grasp. His hands scrabbled and clawed at the carpet, his squeals growing fainter and fainter.
“Much more, and there’l be nothing left to mesmerize, Caval i.” Merek kept his voice nonchalant as he looked around at the carnage strewn through the house. Or at least, the parts of the house he could see.
Congealed blood sprayed across every wal and added to the reek of death. Broken bodies littered the floors, and it was obvious many of them had seen Luca’s fangs before they went. Merek flexed his arm and saw the distinct twin puncture marks on the inside of his elbow. Luca was right—he didn’t want to know how the transfusion had happened. He just wanted Chloe and Alex back, safe. He didn’t give a damn how many people Luca and he had to kil to make that happen. Ruthless desperation burned everything else away. If there was even a possibility of saving his people, he’d do whatever it took.
Luca ripped his fangs away and threw his head back, blood pouring from his mouth to coat his chin and mat his soul patch. He gasped for breath, shaking his head like a dog until the crimson liquid went flying to add another layer of spatter to the wal s. His eyes shone in the way only a predatory animal’s could.
He used his hand fisted in the elf’s hair to jerk him up until their gazes were level. Luca’s voice dropped to a low, chil ing hiss. “Tel me what I want to know. Where is Smith? Where has he taken the women and the boy?”
A groan rattled from the elf’s chest. He stared blindly into the vampire’s eyes, his pupils expanding until they nearly eclipsed the blue irises. His fingers twitched against the floor, some last token of resistance.
“Mercer Tower.”
Merek leaned forward, his fists bal ing on his thighs. Impatience thrummed through him, but he shoved it aside. “Mercer Tower downtown?”
But the man was dead, as drained as Luca had promised.
The vampire dropped the lifeless body, swiping a hand down his face. “How’s your invisibility spel ?”
Merek blinked at the non sequitur, but answered anyway. Whatever the vampire had in mind, he was game. Anything. Anything to save them. Anything not to fail them again. “Not great. Normals can’t see through it, but any Magickal worth his salt can sense it, if not look right through it.”
“Blocking Normals is good enough for me. It’s nightfal , and that wil help us as wel .” Ruddiness flushed Luca’s cheeks, and he looked healthier than Merek had ever seen him. The big vampire rose to his ful height, flexing his arms into curves the way a bodybuilder would. His eyes burned to red, his fangs and talons exploding to their ful , terrifying lengths. Muscles corded in his neck and face, veins bulging as he strained. A sound similar to that of a werewolf’s Change rent the air, bones snapping, cloth tearing as massive wings exploded from the vampire’s back. They flexed out, black tissue stretched taut between each hinge of bone. “I think I can get us there faster than a boat or cal ing in a helicopter would.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Merek shook his head, climbing to his feet. His leg ached like a son of a bitch, but he ignored it. Pain didn’t matter. Exhaustion was nothing. Only getting to his family. “Remind me never to piss you off.”
Luca flicked dismissive fingers, his talons clicking together. “You’re too intel igent for that anyway.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence . . . and the healing.”
“I needed your skil s.” The vampire shrugged as he made the cold-blooded statement, but gave him an intense look, his eyes narrowing. “You realize your superiors at the police department may not be wil ing to look the other way if they get wind of everything we do tonight.”
Shrugging in return, Merek met the other man’s stare. What was a job compared to Chloe and Alex?
Nothing. It was that simple.
The considering expression didn’t change. “For whatever it’s worth, I’d look the other way . . . if I were your superior.”
“Let’s just focus on everyone surviving.” Dredging up as much magic as he could, Merek threw a cloaking invisibility spel over them both.
The vampire gave a hum of approval as they disappeared from sight. “Shal we go?”
15
She was out of time.
Smith entered the room, and Chloe just stared at him, so mental y, physical y, and emotional y drained, she couldn’t even think beyond the dread that had become a living force inside her.
A smile graced his face, and she’d already learned to hate that look on his face. He left the door open behind him, and she got the feeling he did it just to taunt her. Probably to taunt the wolves he had trapped in here as wel . They’d begun to writhe and snap as dusk drew closer, salivating at the scent of a Normal in the room. Tess had huddled in her cage since she’d regained consciousness, silent, eyes glassy and vacant.
Chloe had wanted to comfort her friend, but she didn’t have the time or energy to spare, not for grief or kindness or even human decency.
Alex had worked with her in desperate tandem, telepathical y stuffing information he’d pul ed off his father’s computer into her overloaded mind. The awesome speed with which the boy could process data overwhelmed her, left her staggering, but she’d pushed through because she had no other choice.
Combined with her own theories, she’d refined Ivan’s version of the formula until she had something that might work. Might. Possibly.
Helpless anger wrenched inside her. It should be tested and retested before it was ever administered to a human subject, but that obviously had no bearing on a terrorist’s agenda.
Tremors shook her body as she drew a syringe of the potion from the large beaker she was working with.
She set it on the table and stepped back while Smith prowled forward. Revulsion crawled over her skin when his arm brushed hers. His glance told her he knew how he affected her. She gritted her teeth, but said nothing.
“I think the honor of giving the first dose should be yours, don’t you, Doctor? You should see the fruits of your labor.” Smith’s gesture went from the syringe to Alex.