Chapter 2
Will
He chose to materialize in the penthouse’s lavish kitchen, which he found empty, but Lori’s tinkling laugh echoed through from the next room. The sound calmed his nerves, enabling him to stroll into the vast living area in a much more dignified manner.
All four females sat cross-legged on large cushions at a round coffee table in the center of the huge room.
Lori’s tangerine curls were tamed into a ponytail, Lyla’s hip-length pale blonde locks were woven into a braid, and Vixen’s brown hair had been drawn into a messy bun.
Even Kitty’s sleek black bob was partly pinned back.
Sensible hairstyles meant business, even if they were dressed in pajama bottoms and oversized t-shirts.
Will’s eyes wandered to the tabletop itself, where round plastic chips were scattered strategically, amongst cocktail glasses and a charcuterie board. Lyla glanced up briefly as she dealt out a round of cards.
“You’re playing poker?” He asked in disbelief.
“What, you think you men are the only ones who can have fun?” Kitty sipped her cocktail, but kept her attention on the cards accumulating in front of her.
“No, I was just surprised.” He grinned and pulled up a cushion to sit beside Vixen.
“Hey, no cheating,” Lori’s jewel-like nephilim eyes glittered with bemusement.
“Will wouldn’t cheat.” Vixen protested.
Kitty snorted. “Clearly you haven’t been to one of their games.”
“He definitely cheats,” Lori nodded and reached for her cocktail glass. “They all do.”
“How can you enjoy it if everyone is cheating?” Vixen seemed horrified.
Her indignant tone unraveled Will a little, especially since Kitty and Lori weren’t wrong. “Uh…”
“Perhaps that is the real game,” Lyla’s Scandinavian accent bore no accusation. Her expression suggested she found the entire exchange fascinating. As a reformed demon, mortal etiquette often stirred her curiosity.
“Well, it’s definitely entertaining…” Lori examined her cards.
“None of us are cheating, right?” Vixen looked to each of the other females.
Kitty gave a hearty laugh. “Of course not. We don’t need to cheat to enjoy ourselves.”
“It’s good to see you ladies letting your hair down.” Will kissed Vixen’s temple and draped an arm loosely about her shoulders.
Lyla watched him. “Unless you intend to disadvantage your female by distracting her, I recommend you allow us all some space, Angel.”
“Are you banishing me from girls’ poker night?” Will’s brows shot skyward.
“Don’t you have your own game to attend?” Lori’s lips curved upward. “Unless that’s what you’re really hiding from?”
Unable to conceal the sheepish grin forming, Will cleared his throat. “I just wanted to check in on you all.”
“As you already know from the bazillion texts you’ve sent,” Kitty intercepted, “we’re fine. With the web of immortal connections between us all, you shouldn’t need a text to confirm that anyway.”
“Fine, I can see when I’m not wanted.” Will feigned offense.
“Just go, you’re ruining the vibe,” Kitty threw at him, though she smirked just a little.
“We love you and we’ll see you later.” Lori started counting out a stack of chips without glancing his way.
Vixen gazed up at him with a mixture of amusement and affection. “What she said.”
Will leaned down to kiss the large curve of her belly, then cupped a cheek to plant a second kiss on her lips. “All right. I’ll be back later.” With a wink, he flashed out.
When he got back to Chameleon’s VIP room, Rion was kicking Tobias’ ass in the card game. Christo sat propped up on one elbow, watching with great satisfaction.
“Shut up,” Tobias muttered.
“I didn’t say a word,” Christo grinned.
“Stop enjoying it so much.”
“Martelli, if I did not know better, I might suspect you to be a sore loser,” Rion said smoothly as he gathered his winnings.
“I’m not a sore loser! I’m fucking pissed off about Zafoni.”
“So, let’s do something about it.” Will strode over. The sound of his dark leather trench coat slapping about his denim covered legs and knee-high punk-rock boots cut through the unnatural silence.
“Thank you for returning,” Rion said.
“What exactly are you proposing?” Tobias asked before Rion had completely finished speaking.
A holy sword materialized in Will’s hand. “Dunno, but I’m ready for whatever the fuck is waiting for us out there.”
Tobias used a hand to shield himself from the blinding light emanating from the weapon. “Do you fucking mind? I’d like to be able to see out of both eyes.”
“I doubt we shall have to fight in the streets of Manhattan,” Rion said.
“Probably not. However, the vampires hiding in the alley might have different ideas.”
Tobias’ brows pressed down over both eyes as he met Will’s gaze. “You scouted.”
Rion drank the last of his cognac and arose. “I trust you were not seen?”
Will narrowed his eyes. “Of course not. I’m not a novice.”
“Put that sword away,” Tobias suggested. “Let’s just see what happens first.”
Christo’s jovial mood evaporated in the blink of an eye. “Wow that sounds spectacular… We might as well attach targets to ourselves.”
“We will expect violence, but we will not instigate it.” Rion stared at Christo with scrutiny. “You usually exhibit better common sense. What has gotten into you tonight?”
“He thought we had time to breathe,” Tobias said quietly.
It was the first sign of compassion Tobias had shown all evening. Will looked back toward Christo, who appeared shell shocked. His nasty accusation before Will had gone back to the penthouse suddenly seemed more forgivable.
“We all did,” Will said. “We’ve been to Hell and back, literally. Impending war in the In-Between wasn’t on our radar. In saying that, we didn’t fight for our freedom to cower in fear at the first hurdle.”
“Indeed.” Rion smirked at him. “Well said, Angel.” He put his coat on and started walking toward the door. Tobias, who was already there, waited with one hand on the doorknob.
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Will strode after them, giving Christo no choice but to follow.
Adrenaline coursed through the angel’s veins.
Now he knew the females were safe, Will was unafraid.
In fact, if he had to end a few vamps, big deal.
Individually, Will, Tobias, and Rion were formidable opponents.
Together, with the blood oath they’d taken to form the Immortal Trinity, they were a force to be reckoned with. Those vamps must have a death wish.
With that, they left the bar and walked down the street until they came to the alley Will had spoken of. The Immortals rounded the corner three abreast, with Christo close behind.
Zafoni stood, shoulders resting against the bricks of the building, arms folded and one ankle crossed over the other. His expression reflected disinterest, and not a shred of fear was present in his energy signature.
Further into the alley, more than twenty vampires waited, poised to attack. It appeared all they required was Zafoni’s say-so.
“Are you really this stupid?” Tobias asked.
Zafoni laughed. “You and your entourage are sorely outnumbered. Good luck with that.”
“Oh little vampire, you have it backward. You are the one who requires luck.” The guttural laugh that came from Rion’s throat was filled with menace.
He’s right. They have no idea what they’re up against. Fools.
By the time he’d finished speaking Rion had already removed his coat and suit jacket, and had begun folding them into a tidy pile. Will wondered why he’d even bothered to put the coat on before leaving the VIP room, but the care he’d taken with the garments came as no surprise.
Unencumbered by excess clothing, Rion called an unholy sword to each hand, and tossed one to Tobias. Will called his own holy weapon and set it aflame a second time with pure holy light. Behind them, Christo mumbled something about being a sitting duck.
“Shut your damned mouth, we’ve got you covered,” Tobias muttered. To Zafoni, he enunciated far more clearly. “Are we really going to do this?”
Zafoni smirked. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were afraid, Martelli.”
Unswayed, Tobias swung Rion’s sword back and forth as if testing its weight. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’d already signed the death warrant for your people back there.”
“Your lack of back up is embarrassing.” Zafoni pushed off the wall and pulled two blades from his wrist sheaths. “I don’t know what you hope to achieve.”
“Why don’t you find out?” Will wiggled his eyebrows.
“Your servant is unarmed. Do you really think the three of you can take out eight apiece?” Zafoni sneered, moving to stand with his vampire army.
Rion’s expression darkened even further. “We are the Immortal Trinity; we have no need for reinforcements. Cease stalling and commence this unnecessary pissing contest before my patience dissipates.”
“You won’t like him when he’s angry…” Will said, still grinning.
Strong and silent, Tobias stood between his two friends, blade at the ready.
A vampire blurred forward, short sword extended ready to strike. Will cut him down in seconds, the body stalling mid-maneuver, the moment the angel’s weapon slid between his upper ribs.
By the time Will’s sword was free to strike again, he had two vamps upon him.
Moving with precision and speed he stabbed one through the heart, dematerialized, and reappeared behind the second.
Stabbing him from behind, Will watched as both vampires perished simultaneously and crumpled to the ground.
It became clear the vampires were used to having the upper hand with their ability to blur. They’d never had to contend with something more than their Undead speed, such as beings who could dematerialize.
The width of the alley worked to their advantage, as did the fact Will and Rion could both flash in and out of the scene any time they felt so inclined.
Tobias plowed straight through the middle, terminating three vampires before focusing on Zafoni, the only being present who even came close to being his equal.
Without breaking a sweat, Rion ended seven vampires one after the other. He glanced up at Will, a dark and satisfied grin quirking his lips up on one side. Rion looked surprisingly comfortable with his current predicament.
Will observed this with interest as he took out another undead male without so much as looking in that direction. When he’d first met Rion, the male had been a creature of darkness, feeding on the energy and emotion to satisfy his inner demon. He’d hated who he was, resisting at every turn.
Meeting Lori unlocked the angel inside of Rion that he hadn’t known existed.
Will watched the light within the demon grow stronger and stronger.
Being held prisoner by his father, Leviathan, the eighth lord of Hell, had changed Rion in ways nobody could have predicted.
He’d grown significantly in power, and developed the pyrokinetic abilities his father was famous for.
He’d also acquired an army of Hellhounds.
On the surface, Rion possessed the most humanity and light he’d ever had in his two millennia of existence.
Delving deeper, tonight, Will could see the darkness was still very much present.
The difference was, for the first time, Rion had total control.
Tonight, when it mattered, he had welcomed his demon.
Will flashed out and reappeared behind a couple of vampires whose attention was directed at Rion. Swinging his sword with practiced precision, Will decapitated them both with one strike.
“Impressive.” Rion grinned at him.
Before long, Rion and Will had eliminated all threats except Zafoni. The enforcer remained engaged in battle with Tobias. Since they were using their vampiric speed to blur back and forth, it was difficult to follow the progress.
“Tobias, seriously,” Will called out. “End his sorry ass and let’s get on with our evening.”
It didn’t make sense that this was taking so long. Like Rion, Tobias had grown in power exponentially. Zafoni might have been his equal once, but right now? Tobias should have been able terminate him in a heartbeat.
“He does not seek a True-Death,” Rion mused, coming to stand beside Will. “He seeks torture and pain. They are both enforcers; it is what they do.”
“Were,” Christo corrected, joining the pair. “Tobias will never be downgraded to such a role again.”
“True enough,” Rion said, still watching the vampire battle and absently brushing dust from his coat.
“You guys kicked ass,” Christo continued, sounding like a child whose comic book hero had just come to life. “I mean, you didn’t even break a sweat. You made it look easy.”
“It was easy,” Will said.
Head cocked to one side Christo studied him for a moment. “I’m never going to fully understand what you guys went through in the lower realms, but man, you guys are unstoppable, now.”
“Yeah, makes you feel like an idiot for freaking out, right?” Will grinned and wiggled his brows.
Christo muttered something and turned away to watch Tobias and Zafoni fighting.
“I do hope Martelli does not intend to draw this out until dawn,” Rion said with a glance at his Rolex.
The sound of an annoying ringtone pierced the night. Tobias blurred to a stop, pinning Zafoni to the asphalt, face up.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Tobias prompted.
Zafoni’s face, bruised and bloody, held no expression. “I’d rather not.”
Tobias reached into the male’s jacket pocket and extracted the device. “Zafoni is currently indisposed.”
“Stregone!” A deep voice hissed.
“You are mistaken. I am Tobias Martelli, Vampire King of New York. If you’ll excuse me, I’m currently exterminating an infestation.”
Without bothering to end the call, Tobias staked Zafoni with his unholy sword and arose.
“We need to check in with the Kiss. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Rion clamped a hand on Tobias’ shoulder, and Will did the same to Christo.
Collectively, they all disappeared, ready to regroup at Diabolus Loco, the club Tobias owned.
The underground palace would be teaming with vampires, all bonded to their king.
Will prayed that Marquez hadn’t sent another attack there.