Chapter 49
FORTY-NINE
We arrived at the warehouse, nestled between the train tracks and the river.
A sense of foreboding washed over me. From the outside, it appeared abandoned.
The second-floor windows were broken, and our car sat alone in the empty lot.
A knot tightened in my stomach as I scanned the surroundings. Where was everyone?
I listened, searching for anything that my eyes couldn’t see, but I was only met with the sound of our footsteps on the gravel and the distant rush of the river.
I knew we were going to rescue Vail, but I couldn’t shake the longing for her presence beside us.
Her magic would be helpful in this situation.
Connor swung open the door to the back of his van and clicked open the music cases, revealing an array of weapons neatly organized within. He retrieved a bag and slung it across his body and withdrew a compact crossbow, loading a wooden stake into its chamber.
Watching Connor add more wooden stakes to his bag, I couldn’t help but squint, wondering if he possessed any weapons beyond those made from wood. “These could seriously hurt or kill anyone,” Connor remarked. “I saw your look,” he added.
Next, he strapped long knives to each thigh; their metal flashed in the moonlight. My chest tightened thinking about my father’s old dagger that I used to carry for protection.
Opening a smaller case, Connor retrieved a handgun and passed it to me. I accepted it, feeling the weight of the weapon in my hand as I inspected it carefully.
“Do you know how to use this?” Connor asked.
“Yes.”
“Good.” Connor nodded, a flicker of relief crossing his features. “Hopefully, it won't come down to us having to use any of these. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. But I’d rather we have something than go in empty-handed.”
I nodded as Connor knelt in front of me, and he fastened a holster to my thigh. His hands worked swiftly as he secured the holster in place before placing the gun within it. He kissed my thigh and gave me a reassuring squeeze.
He rose to his feet, and his hazel gaze locked into me. He leaned in, his lips meeting mine in a kiss born of urgency, as though he feared it might be our last.
“Don’t worry,” he murmured against my lips. “We will get Vail. She will be safe.” He kissed me once more, this time with tenderness. “Rose,” he whispered and took my hand, placing it on his heart. I could feel the rapid beating beneath my palm. “This is what you do to me.”
We approached the warehouse, and the open bay door revealed the dimly lit interior, where only a few flickering lights lit up the shadows.
Our footsteps echoed in the vast space as we ventured inside.
Then I saw her beyond the stack of crates.
Vail, suspended upside down from a chain dangling from the ceiling, her long blond hair tangled and stained with blood.
Thick ropes bound her arms tightly around her waist, while a tube snaked from her neck, leading to a bottle on a nearby table.
“Oh my god,” I gasped, my hands flying to cover my mouth in shock as I beheld the sight of my best friend teetering on the brink of death. Without a second thought, I rushed to her side, tearing the tube from her neck, relief flooding through me as I watched the wound slowly begin to heal.
Connor pressed a button on the wall, and the chain holding her started to lower. He took his knife and cut the ropes from around Vail’s body, and she flopped down into my arms.
“Vail, wake up,” I pleaded, holding her close. “We’re here to take you home. Please, wake up.” I shook her gently.
Slowly, Vail blinked her eyes open, her gaze meeting mine. “Hi, Rosie,” she whispered, and in that moment, tears threatened to spill from my eyes as I looked into her blue ones, overwhelmed with relief.
“Is she okay?” Connor asked as he knelt beside me.
“I don’t think okay is the word I’d use,” Vail replied, her voice strained with pain.
I planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. “We need to get out of here,” I said.
“Leave without me,” Vail pleaded from between my arms.
“Are you crazy?” I asked her.
“It’s a trap—” she started.
Suddenly, the hairs on my neck stood on end as I sensed the presence of others entering the warehouse. Vail tensed in my arms, evidently sensing it too.
Turning, I saw Sam, Ivy, Diana, Donovan, and four unfamiliar faces entering the warehouse, all armed with stakes and crossbows.
“Pretty dramatic, don’t you think?” Connor called out to them, positioning himself protectively in front of me.
“You must think I’m an idiot, don’t you?” Sam retorted. “I know you’ve been sneaking around here; I have security cameras.” He held up his phone, displaying photos of us in the basement and tunnels.
“We wouldn’t have to sneak around if you were honest with me. Why didn’t you tell me about all of this?” Connor gestured around to the warehouse, at all the pallets of drugs. “I can help you if you’re struggling,” He pleaded, his voice filled with genuine concern.
“You don’t get it, Connor. You’ve always been lucky; had everything you’ve ever wanted. How would you know?” Sam responded, frustration and bitterness seeping into his words.
“This isn’t you, Sam. I know it’s not,” Connor interjected, attempting to reason with him.
“Quiet!” Sam snapped, waving his hand dismissively. A sudden gust of wind knocked Connor backward, and I rose to my feet, stepping away from Vail as I turned to face Sam. Vail was right. Sam was a witch.
Sam sniffed the air, a look of disgust crossing his face.
“Connor, you dirty dog, you stink like Vampire pussy. You Vampire-loving freak.” I looked over at Connor, his face suddenly pale and frozen in shock.
Sam’s expression twisted into a triumphant grin.
“Oh, you didn’t know? You’ve always been a bad Slayer.
You can’t even tell your own girlfriend is a Vampire? ”
“Connor, I can explain—” I began, but he wouldn’t look at me.
His gaze was fixed solely on Sam. “I was going to tell you earlier.” My heart ached with the need for his understanding, for him to look at me.
I reached out to him, but he recoiled from my touch as if it burned him.
His eyes, once warm with affection, now blazed with betrayal.
“I knew your girlfriend was a Vampire the second I saw her at the bar; her glass smelled like blood,” Sam said. “But I thought maybe it wasn’t hers, so I kept my eyes on her anyway. I just figured you were smart enough to figure it out, too Connor. I guess I was wrong.”
Connor didn’t speak. His face was pale.
“No wonder your dad wanted to train me at slaying. He probably knew his son was a coward.”
“That’s enough, Sam,” Diana said from beside him, but he ignored her,
Sam, reveling, took a step closer. “Looks like you’ve been living a lie,” he taunted. “But don’t worry, we will take care of your little Vampire problem.”
I felt a surge of panic rising within me as Sam’s words echoed through the warehouse.
My vision tunnelled, and I didn’t bother looking at Connor again to see his reaction because I already knew.
Flashbacks of the day I discovered Draven’s true nature flooded my mind, igniting a firestorm of anger and betrayal within me, fueling my mind as I focused on my one prerogative.
To tear out Sam’s fucking throat.
I sprinted toward him, feeling the sharp points of my teeth tearing through my gums, elongating into deadly fangs. Sam stumbled back in alarm, but before he could fully react, Donovan intercepted my path, stepping into my trajectory.
Donovan evaded my initial attack, moving effortlessly to the left as he raised his crossbow and launched a rapid series of strikes. Fueled by centuries of predatory instincts, I moved with a dancer’s agility, dodging each stake as if effortlessly gliding through a choreographed dance.
I paused for a moment to assess my surroundings; I heard a warning cry pierce through the chaos. “Rose, Watch out!” Without hesitation, my body reacted, moving with a speed and grace that was nearly impossible for human eyes to follow. I rolled away from Ivy’s incoming attack.
I glanced up. It was Connor’s voice that rang out in concern.
In doing so, he was now getting attacked by a pair of Slayers whose assault was relentless.
He was mesmerizing to watch as he moved dodging blows and taking out his knife.
Connor stabbed one of them in the neck, blood oozing out of the wound, before he swiftly grabbed his head and twisted.
“Shit, sorry man,” Connor said as the Slayer dropped dead and the other started attacking.
Watching him was a mistake as I felt a burning graze of a stake shoot past my arm, ripping out a chunk of my flesh.
Now I was mad.
I looked up and bared my teeth at a Slayer who shot the stake, and before she could even react, I jumped on her and tore out her neck with my teeth.
I spat out her flesh, careful not to drink her blood, knowing that the Retch was most likely in her system.
But that didn’t stop me from using my teeth to tear into her until she was lifeless in my arms.
“Good god,” Connor reacted, his voice breathless with adrenaline, as I rose from the ground.
I went over to him. He was in front of Vail, protecting her by shooting off stake after stake from his crossbow.
Both Slayers from earlier were lying dead on the ground near him.
Standing by his side, I braced myself for the next onslaught, knowing that we were in this together.
Donovan approached us, his gaze locked onto mine with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine.
Suddenly, Donovan hurled a stake, but his target wasn’t me—it was Vail. Time seemed to slow as it flew through the air, then stopped, inches from Vail’s face. She was standing up now, her hands in front, making the stake stop in mid air. She grabbed it, her knees wobbling from the lack of blood.