Chapter 31 EVAN
EVAN
The club is a madhouse.
Maybe we should have strategized a little more before waltzing through the portal like we knew what we were doing—because clearly, we don’t. We had no clue what was really going on in The Iris. It’s worse than we ever could have imagined.
There are nearly thirty vampires around the building, all dressed in blue and purple uniforms. And with so many shifters and humans here, it’s hard to know who’s on what side. Are all the vamps with Foxx? Or are some of them truly innocent?
Following Willow through the crowd, my attention drifts to a platform hanging above us to the left. It’s raised about fifteen feet above the main stage, and is surrounded with thick steel bars. A cage?
Two women crouch low behind the bars, their eyes wide as they cling to each other. Both of them are dressed in beaded sparkly tops that barely cover their breasts.
Another cage hangs on the opposite side of the stage with two more women inside. Overhead lights are aimed right on them, ensuring they’re on full display.
I snag Willow’s wrist. “What is that?” I say, pointing up.
Willow’s expression falls. “Exactly what it looks like. His prisoners.”
I grind my teeth. “How long have they been there?”
“I don’t know.”
“Are the vamps feeding from them?”
She nods. “And the humans upstairs.. I’m trying to help, but there’s no way out. The most I can do is take them food and water.”
For fuck’s sake. Foxx is herding the humans to be the coven’s personal buffet and using Orem’s memory charms to get away with it.
A wall of people separates us, pushing me apart from Willow. Her brightly colored hair disappears quickly into the crowd. I try to weasel my way through, but it’s like trying to cross a fast-moving river. I’m swept away by the current.
Shit, this is bad. I need to get to Orem. Without breaking the spell, we’re all sitting ducks.
The crowd pushes me toward the front of the room, along the service bar on the right-hand side. Intense white lights hover above it, reflecting through hundreds of various liquor bottles lined up on shelves.
Employees stand frozen, confused and horrified by what is taking place in their club. Clearly, not everyone is aware of Foxx’s illegal activities, or maybe they’re just all under Orem’s spell.
“FOXX!” A deep, familiar voice cuts through the air like a knife, making my heart leap into my throat.
I whip around in search of Jericho, but it takes several seconds to find him. His gorgeous face is lit up under the lights on the main stage, his hands ablaze like the devil himself.
Damn. He’s beautiful.
He doesn’t see me, though. His attention is on someone across the room—someone near me. I turn around and go up on my toes, but it’s hard to see through the bustle of people.
“You!” a man shouts from behind the bar, his cheeks colored with rage. “You’re behind this?”
My world freezes. This man looks exactly like the picture Grant showed us a few days ago—the only picture they were able to find of Foxx taken before he was turned into a vampire.
His thin frame and narrow waist make him appear weaker than he is, but it’s his blond hair and golden skin that are a dead giveaway.
It’s him. It’s Foxx! And he’s standing less than twenty feet away.
“You won’t get out of this, Foxx!” Jericho calls, his voice almost unrecognizable due to the hate pouring out of him. “The place is surrounded. It’s time you stop hurting people!”
Foxx snarls at Jericho, ducking behind a bartender in the direction of the door.
Two fireballs crash into the wall behind him, sending broken pieces of bottles falling to the ground.
We all duck for cover and several people scream.
When I look up again, the cedar shelves are alight with green and blue flames, reminding me of an iridescent waterfall.
The beauty is short-lived. We have mere minutes before those shelves give way and more liquor bottles fall. Soon, the entire building is going to burn, and we’re still trapped inside.
Screeching alarms deafen me from a side door that is used as an emergency exit. Cheers erupt as people start filing out. The fire must have broken whatever protective spell Orem used.
Good. At least the people can get out!
But so can Foxx.
Fury fills me when I see him slinking his way toward the exit.
Oh, no you don’t!
Gripping my gun, I take aim and fire, but the crowd jostles me just as I pull the trigger. The bullet lands in the wall, inches from a bartender’s head.
Cursing, I push my way forward, determined to catch up to him. I cannot let Foxx get away. Not after everything he’s done!
Reaching the end of the bar, I leap over it, shouting, “Foxx!”
He keeps running, slipping between two women before exiting the building.
Fuck.
I shove harder, kneeing a young man in the back on accident. When I reach the door, I force my way through, tumbling onto the street.
The outside of the club is just as chaotic as inside. People are running everywhere, cars honk, and somewhere in the distance, sirens blare. Someone must have called the cops.
“FOXX!” I shout, looking around.
I rush out into the street, leaping onto the top of an unmoving truck to gain some height. The driver honks at me, but I ignore him, scanning the crowd.
He has to be here.
Then again, Foxx is a vampire. He probably took off at sonic speed as soon as he was out of the building.
“FOXX!”
To my surprise, someone turns to look over their shoulder, their face illuminated under the light of the street. Anger burns hot with recognition, and I tighten my hold on the gun.
Jumping down, I take off after Foxx, using the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. Foxx watches me, confused, then disappears around a corner.
I push myself harder, running until my side aches. When I reach the corner, I come to an abrupt stop. The sidewalk opens to a large park, lit only by a dozen lamp posts along a path.
Is he here? Or did he turn in another direction? The only thing here is a large parking lot. Beyond that, more buildings.
No. My gut is telling me Foxx is here. But where? There aren’t many places for him to hide. A few trees, a couple of barren lilac bushes, and a children’s playground a little further away.
Had he crossed through the park then? I don’t know what’s there, since it’s too dark to see.
Dammit. I wish I had taken the time to study a map. Maybe if I was familiar with Prodigy, I could have predicted which way he was heading.
I pause and scan the darkness carefully, finger poised over the trigger. Any movement and I’ll shoot…
Pain pierces my neck as a sudden force knocks me to the ground. My gun fires before flying out of my hands. Rocks and dirt scrape against my back as we slide, yet I am unable to move due to the sudden weight on top of me.
When I feel the familiar pull at my throat, fear seizes in my chest. Foxx is drinking my blood!
No!
I kick against him, using every ounce of strength to push and flail under his weight, but it’s useless. I’m a mere human against a powerful vampire.
Reaching for his face, I claw at his eyes with my nails. Foxx rips away from me, spitting blood as he screams. Taking my chance, I knee him in the groin and push at his chest, attempting to throw him off.
His weight disappears in an instant.
Sucking in a deep breath, I scramble to my feet and begin to search for my gun. My neck feels like a thousand tiny needles have been jabbed into it, shredding my muscle. My head pounds and my body aches, making every movement feel as though it’s underwater.
As a car passes, I see the glint of metal in the grass and quickly reach for it. The world spins as I bend over, nearly taking me to my knees. Fuck. How much blood did he take?
“It’s you,” a chilling voice says from my right.
Swaying on my feet, I slowly turn, clutching my gun at my side. If I can get one good shot, it’ll slow him down enough that I can at least get away.
Assuming he doesn’t drink from me again.
“You’re the friend he left Comstead with,” Foxx says, his head slanted with interest.
My sluggish brain is struggling to make sense of things. Something is wrong. “And you’re the asshole who ruined his life.”
He sneers, curling his lip in distaste. Warnings go off in the back of my head. Something is really wrong. Foxx’s face... it’s different somehow. More oval, and his hair is a little darker.
In the blink of an eye, Foxx appears before me, his eyes narrowed. He tugs down the collar of my shirt.
“What’s this?” he says, slanting his head again. I can still feel my blood oozing from where he’d bitten me. But he isn’t looking at that. He’s looking on the other side.
Anger and confusion swim in the vampire’s eyes as he stares at Jericho’s mate mark.
And that’s when it hits me.
I’ve stared at that photograph too many times to have any doubts about who Jericho’s sire is. And this man isn’t him. He’d looked like him in the club, but here… It’s not Foxx.
The subtle differences become apparent before my very eyes. His nose grows longer, his lips thinner, and his brows become bushier. He’s changing his appearance.
Who is this then? And where is Foxx? Did I lose him around the corner? Or had I followed the wrong guy? Fuck, what if Foxx is still in the club with Jericho?
“Ohh, my sire is going to love hearing about this,” the man says, confirming my suspicions. “Jericho has marked you.”
“Jericho is mine!” I say. “Foxx never had him!”
He laughs, flashing his long white fangs. “That’s where you’re wrong, human. Foxx claimed Jericho months ago. He belongs to the coven.”
“Bullshit! Foxx doesn’t own Jericho. He doesn’t own anyone! He rapes and turns people against their will, then kills them if they don’t fit his needs!”
The vampire snarls and lunges for me, his fangs sinking into my throat again. I fire the gun into his side. He jerks away, roaring with anger.
I fire again, hitting him in the leg. It’s the best I can do since my arms are too weak to lift it any higher. I fire it again and again, praying it will sound an alarm. Maybe someone—anyone—will come and help.
Overcome with exhaustion, I collapse to the ground, my head lolling.
Through blurry vision, I see the vamp inspect his wound.
The bullets aren’t meant to kill a vampire, they only slow them down.
But either way, I’m screwed. This guy could be as slow as a turtle and still overpower me. I’m fading fast.
Am I going to die?
My heart breaks into a million pieces. All I can think about is Jericho and how unfair it is that I’m never going to see his beautiful face again.
I want to kiss him one more time, look into his eyes as I tell him I love him.
I’ve always loved Jericho Whilde, even when I was too blind to see it. He’s my person, my everything.
And I couldn’t even save him.
Fuck. I’m so sorry, Jericho. I fucked up.
Tears slip from my eyes.
Foxx is still out there. He could still hurt Jericho.
I so royally fucked up.
The vampire crouches over me, eyes dark as midnight. “You’re going to pay for that, you pathetic human.”
The last thing I see before blacking out is a cord of water snaking around the vampire’s throat.