Chapter 52
Chapter Fifty-Two
“Marcus!” Sebastian growls, pulling me off the floor along with himself.
“On it!” Marcus disappears with Andrei right on his heels.
“What the fuck was that?” I hate the fearful sound of my voice, but my ears are ringing, and I can’t stop my hands from shaking. Even my teeth are chattering, the extended fangs piercing the skin of my lower lip.
“I will check as soon as I get you out of here.” Swiping his thumb over my lips to clear out the blood, Sebastian looks troubled.
Anxiety makes me shift on my feet like a frightened rabbit. Sebastian never looks troubled. I mean, the guy glared at the Council while wrapped in chains and locked inside a crystal coffin for fuck’s sake. If he is edgy, then the rest of us should run around screaming in fear.
“Like hell you are leaving me behind, buddy.” Yanking my arm out of his grip, I wipe my sweaty and gore-covered hands over the equally disgusting jeans. “Eww, I have that guy’s guts all over me.”
My comment did what it was intended to do.
His lips quirk at the corners for a second, and I blow out a breath.
I can do this. You are a monster, April.
A badass one. Reminding myself that I’m no longer a human hiding from the creatures in the world helps.
Not much, but at least I stop shaking and my teeth are not making a clinking sound.
“I don’t know why I expected anything else from you.” His eyes soften for a split moment before he squares his shoulders.
I snap to attention like a good little trooper, as well.
“Where are we going?” Practically jogging to keep up with his longer strides, my head swings around, looking at all the distractions in the hallways. “And couldn’t they do this while it was still nighttime? They had to wait until my bitchy self was sleeping to try and attack.”
“It does seem rather peculiar, yes.” Not looking at me, he keeps moving purposely towards the lobby, dragging me along with him.
“Maybe that was the plan?” Gripping his hand tighter when it almost slips through my slick fingers, I flare my nostrils in anger. “They want to kill me while I’m not strong enough to fight them all.”
Men and women, all dressed in a black uniform, run around us, giving us wide-eyed stares and jerky nods before disappearing through the hallways, doing who knows what.
Occasionally, I jump up, tugging hard on Sebastian’s hand so I can see over their heads and shoulders, looking for Marcus and Andrei.
The hotel is in chaos. Shouts and commands are yelled from one end to the other, answering hollers followed by the thumping sounds of footsteps.
Everyone is running.
“Don’t fret, my redemption. If it’s daylight, it’s only humans they sent.” Tightening his fingers on mine, he gives me a reassuring squeeze. I’m not the least bit reassured, I’ll tell you that much. “We can deal with humans easily.”
By this point, we reached the front lobby, frustration making me grind my teeth when I see the beautiful glass from the entrance shattered all over the crème tiles and oriental rugs.
First, the assholes go and walk around the tunnels of my sewer, using it like it belongs to them.
Now they come to my hotel—yes, I claimed the hotel as well since I’m stuck here—and they destroy this, too, like it belongs to them.
Anger surges through me, and I see everything around me through a red haze.
The thick drapes are pulled tightly closed to keep the sunlight away from all the vampires positioned next to the windows, gripping all sorts of weapons in their clawed hands.
Sebastian glides smoothly over debris and patches on the floor covered with bright yellow light from the holes in the front of the hotel.
That betrays his declaration that he can deal quickly with the humans until the sun goes down.
He can’t, but you can. The stupid voice in my head jolts me to a stop.
Do I really want to attack humans? No, no I don’t.
Sebastian leads us to a window on the far right of the lobby where the shadows are darkest. I notice he can see through the gaps outside without being directly in the daylight.
I don’t know why I’m surprised that he always finds a loophole to know everything and turn things his way, but I am.
To my shock, I understand that I actually admire that about him.
If I were more like Sebastian, I wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in right now.
While the internal debates and stupid random thoughts eat me alive, silence spreads around the hotel, not even a shifting of clothing or a deep breath breaking it.
Another blast rocks the ground, and the walls of the hotel groan, raining dust and plaster on all of us. Wrapping an arm around me, Sebastian holds me upright when I would’ve ended up on my ass.
No one moves.
When the dust and quaking stops, everyone is in the same position as before, their bodies and faces covered in gray powder, turning them into statues with live gazes focused at something outside.
“Are we waiting on them to come inside?” Unable to stay quiet any longer, I jab my elbow in Sebastian’s side.
I can feel all eyes snap in my direction, Sebastian glancing down to look at my face.
Pressing my lips in a firm line, I glare at him.
It’s not like I yelled the question. Whatever his problem is, he can deal with it.
This is my first official fight as a monster, not counting my rescue mission when I dragged him out of the coffin like the stupid little fool that I am.
I was only half a monster at the time, even though I wasn’t aware of that fact since I didn’t have fangs or claws. I have questions, damn it.
“Well?” Undeterred by his stern look, I lift my chin defiantly.
“No.” Amusement twinkles in his dark eyes and one side of his lips lifts slightly up. “We do not wait for them to come inside, my redemption. We go after them.” Cupping my face in his hand, he glides his fingers to my jaw, turning my head to the side. “Look.”
As if waiting on his words, dozens of Guardians start pouring out of the stairway entrance, moving stealthily through the lobby and heading straight for the front doors.
Stiffening, I brace myself, watching them go up in smoke, but to my disbelief, they walk through the rays of daylight unflinching.
Humans.
Dressed in black just like the Guardians plastered to the walls, they spread out, going in different directions as soon as they exit the doors.
They all look buffed and like they know what they’re doing.
I knew we had humans here with us, but I’ve never seen these people before.
Have they been hiding? If so, then where?
Glinting at their chests as they pass like a river pouring out through the front entrance gets my attention.
Flicking my eyes from one to the other, I see they all wear something that the vampire Guardians do not.
A thick cord is tight around their necks with a fist-size medallion hanging on it, swaying with each step they take.
Tiny crystals from it are blinking when they catch the light.
“What do they have around their necks?” Curiosity makes me blurt things out.
“Protection,” Sebastian says proudly, and I snap my gaze to him.
“Protection from what exactly?”
“Magic.”