I Accidentally Hooked Up with a Vampire (Accidents Happen #2)

24. Brother’s Play

24

Brother’s Play

R eddick walked down the steps like a man strutting the runway. He wasn’t in the middle of a bloody battle between vampires and hunters—he was showing off his full suit and tie. When he reached the bottom, he gingerly stepped over the dead one I’d left there, refusing to get anything on his shoes.

We stood a good fifteen feet away from him, but he didn’t approach any further. Instead, he waved his hand, and two other vampires appeared at his side. I only recognized one of them as the man who usually accompanied the woman with the purple afro and currently melting face.

Vance.

Vance looked at me like he wanted to rip my head from my shoulders. I assumed he knew about what I did to his partner. It wasn’t as if the woman tried to bite me for the second time!

“Brother.” Reddick kept his eyes locked on Domino.

“Reddick,” Domino responded.

“What are you doing here?” Reddick asked as if he had no clue.

“You know what we’re doing here.” Domino stiffened beside me. “You can’t have the girl.”

“Are you planning to stop me?” he chuckled. “This pathetic group you’ve pulled together. You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I am. And you’re seriously underestimating us right now.”

“Teaming up with hunters?” His face was painted with disgust as he turned his nose up at Jackie and then looked at Lena. “And a witch? Brother, you have lost your way.” He looked down at the man with the hole in his chest. “Though, whoever did that, I applaud. That’s impressive.”

“I know how you operate, Reddick. You’re stalling. You don’t care who I spend my time with,” Domino said. “And I sure as hell don’t care if you’re impressed. Cut the shit.”

“Dammit.” Reddick rolled his eyes. “I was really hoping we could drag this out a little more. You know how much I’ve missed playing with you!”

“This isn’t a game,” Jackie said.

“Oh, the hunter who keeps score of her vampire kills is telling me this isn’t a game? Really?” He laughed. “It doesn’t matter. We’re done here. I have the girl, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.”

As the smile spread across Reddick’s face, another vampire appeared: a woman built like she spent hours lifting weights. She cradled Jai’s limp body in her arms. She looked me dead in the eye and smiled, as if challenging me to try to take my sister from her. If I wasn’t afraid of blasting through my little sister, I would have sent light through her ugly face.

“So, brother,” Reddick pointed at Domino, “how do you plan to stop me?”

“I don’t know about your brother, but I’m going to put my foot so far up your ass, you’re going to regret hitting me!” Jackie threatened.

“Bring it on, little hunter!”

“Condescending piece of shit!” Jackie raged as she ran for Reddick. I expected him to defend himself, but he didn’t have to. The vampire behind him stepped into Jackie’s path, and the two collided. While Jackie fought his helper, Vance took the opportunity to make me his target.

The second he made his move, Domino pushed me behind him. He was my protector, but unfortunately, his brother took offense to his position and attacked before Vance could reach us. He flashed across the field and punched Domino so hard, my vampire guard flew away from me.

“Domino!” I called out, Reddick on top of him. The brothers fought against each other, throwing blows.

“Whitney, watch out!” Lena pushed me to the side and tossed a handful of glittering powder into the vampire’s face.

Vance screamed and jumped back from us.

I moved closer to Lena, grabbing her arm. “What was that?”

“A special mix I made up.” She handed me a pouch. “It won’t kill them, but it will slow them down.”

The sounds of Reddick and Domino’s battle called every vampire and hunter to the area where we stood. Lena and I tossed the powder at the enemy vampires as we tried to push toward my sister. The woman holding her had retreated up the steps of the plane, now looking down on the battle below.

“I have to get Jai,” I told Lena as another vampire dropped in front of us.

“I’ll cover you.” She blew the powder into the vampire’s face, and he ran right into a hunter’s stake.

Lena had my back, but even with her help, I made it no closer to my sister. It was like every step I took, I got pushed back three.

“How many of these damn things are there?” I called out in frustration.

“I don’t know, but I’m running out of powder!” Lena called back.

I stopped to scan the scene. Jackie and Miguel fought back-to-back, taking out vampires. The other hunters worked through the battle. They were holding their own, but I could tell some of them were tiring.

How long could they keep it up? Even the vampires on our side looked like they were running out of steam. Every time we ended a wave, another would come. How many vampires had Reddick called?

“That’s it,” I muttered and then pulled the light into my hand. It was time for target practice. I shot a blast at a vampire’s back, and it hit him perfectly.

He screamed and fell to his knees, clawing at his back, but nothing he did would put out the flame.

“Oh, so you’re the one!” Reddick called out, and, as if Domino was no threat to him, he charged me.

His brother, however, wasn’t allowing that. He was back on him, punching and fighting.

I continued blasting the vampires around me and leveling the playing field, but with each shot, I felt myself weaken. It helped, but I wasn’t sure how long I could keep it up.

Suddenly, a strong hand gripped my throat and threw me down to the hard ground.

I turned over to see Nyesha standing above me. Her face was still partially melted, and her top lip looked like it might just fall off completely. She would not forgive me for that. I lifted my hand, hoping to blast her, but she kicked my hand to the side, and I felt the bone snap in my wrist.

“Ah!” I screamed as the pain shot up my arm.

“Whit!” Lena reached into her bag, but her face dropped when she realized she was out of her special powder.

“Enough of that!” Nyesha sneered and swatted Lena away. I watched my friend slide across the ground, her back knocked against the front tire of the plane. “I’m done playing games!”

Nyesha lifted me from the ground.

“Let me go!”

“Oh no, I don’t think I will,” she snapped. “I’m going to let you watch your lover die. And then, I’m going to rip your head from your shoulders.”

Nyesha grabbed me by the throat again and held me back to her chest as she positioned me to watch what played out. Vance had recovered from Lena’s attack, now fighting alongside Reddick. Though the rest of the vampires on their side had either died or fled in fear of my attack, they were still strong, and they were taking it out on Domino.

“No!” I cried out as they double-teamed him.

Reddick held him by the arms as Vance punched him repeatedly in the chest.

Blood spilled from Domino’s lips, and I was sure it was his own.

“Oh, no,” Nyesha teased me. “It looks like your lover is going to die. So sad. He was a great vampire but clearly flawed if he fell for you!”

“Fuck you,” I said as I tried to look away from Domino’s beating, but she grabbed my jaw and forced me to look back. “Domino!”

I called out his name, and he looked over at me. Something dark flashed in his eyes, and Domino kicked Vance in the chest, pushing him back into his brother. The brothers fell to the ground, and Domino prepared to defend himself against Vance, knowing the vampire would never relent. He didn’t need to defend himself, though, because Jackie was on top of Vance in a flash.

My hunter bestie jumped through the air and planted her knee on the back of Vance’s neck. She then raised the stake over her head, ready to plunge it into him, but Vance was quick. He knocked her away, but before he could attack, Miguel joined Jackie. The two of them took it to Vance, leaving Domino to deal with Reddick.

“Dammit,” Nyesha complained just as Domino’s back crashed into the side of the plane.

I looked back over to see Reddick standing triumphantly across from us. Domino’s body lay limp on the ground.

“No!” I cried out, and Reddick turned his attention to me.

“Perfect.” He smiled and ran for me. “You’re mine.”

In an instant, Reddick appeared, towering over me with a look like he wanted to bite me. But we both knew he wouldn’t try it. How would it look to the other vampires if he couldn’t do it?

“Get away from me,” I warned him.

“Or what?” He frowned and then slapped me. My face stung from the contact with his palm, but I refused to cry. “You’re mine now. I can have you both, and no one is going to stop me.”

“Fuck you!” I cursed.

Reddick pulled his hand back, poised to slap me again, but his hand stopped mid-swing. Reddick’s eyes bulged, and he gurgled the blood in his mouth as he tried to speak words I would never understand. I looked down to see the hand poking out of his chest.

The face staring back at me over Reddick’s shoulder wasn’t the one I expected. Instead of meeting the torn expression of his brother, the man I saw inspired a new fear in my gut. Vance, face covered in blood, peered back at me.

“Funny thing about that. I want her for myself,” he said as he pulled his hand out of Reddick’s chest and the vampire king fell to the ground, dead.

I gasped at the sight of Reddick’s body.

“And now, it’s your turn.” Vance smiled at me.

“No!”

“Vance!” Domino crashed into Vance.

“Oh, now this is good,” Nyesha said. I expected the bitch to be concerned about the dead king in front of us, but clearly, she knew Vance was going to turn on him. “He’s been waiting years to do this. Vance and Dom. The battle of the ages! Everyone thought it was going to be Reddick, but no. Vance. It’s always been Vance.”

“Let me guess: you’re his fan girl?”

She grabbed my wrist and squeezed it. I felt the bones crack under the pressure and cried out in pain.

“Show some damn respect!” she cursed.

“Whit!” Lena called out to me. I could see her out of the corner of my eye, still on the ground but pointing to where I knew the vampire had my sister.

That was it. I had to do something.

“Nothing said the power had to come out of my hand.” I frowned.

“What?” Nyesha asked.

I pulled the energy into my core, just as always, but this time, instead of pushing it out of my hands, I pushed it to the top of my body. When it reached my head, I slammed it back into Nyesha. There was a bright flash of light, and then Nyesha let me go. I turned around, clutching my broken wrist to my chest as she fell to the ground, her entire face smashed in.

“Oh shit!” I gasped.

Nyesha wasn’t done, though. The woman jumped back to her feet, face completely disfigured, and pulled out a knife. She charged at me. I tried to pull the power to my other hand; if I could pushed it through my damn brain, what was another hand? Only, I wasn’t fast enough. Nyesha ran at me, and though I tried to sidestep her, her blade still cut into me. It tore through my arm.

I looked down at the flow of my blood and back up at the vampire who sneered through melted flesh.

“Whit!” Lena was by my side, pulling me further away from the vampire. “This isn’t good.”

That was when I noticed: every vampire, including the ones who were supposed to be on our side, stopped. Their eyes snapped toward me and my open wound.

“Shit.” I tried to stop the flow of blood, but it was too much.

“She’s mine!” Nyesha cried out and reached for me, hissing.

“No!” Domino ran and smashed into Nyesha, sending her flying into the trees.

The other vampires zeroed in on us.

That was when Maverick reemerged. My big ass cat ran out of the shadows, roaring like a lion. He leaped across the tarmac and landed in front of me. I saw his body shift and where once stood a massive cat, a dragon, exploded. He was far larger than any form that could wrap around me like he had before. He roared, and every vampire fled.

“Yes!” Lena jumped from the ground, cheering, but her celebration came too soon.

Vance hadn’t run away like the others. He attacked. And as Vance made his move, Domino defended me once again. The two collided, and there was nothing I could do. The next thing I knew, Maverick used his mouth to snatch me up by the braids before he dropped me onto his back and took off running. I looked back to see my sister in the arms of the vampire. The muscled bitch smiled deviously and took off running in the opposite direction.

“No!” I cried out. “Jai!”