Had it only been the three vampires, I would have started blasting and not thought about the ramifications for even a moment. Sure, Evan might have inadvertently been hit, but I was good at what I did, and I had faith in my abilities. However, there were too many of them. There had to be at least ten, including the one I blew into the next room.
“I see you were lying to us after all,” a gravelly voice noted, drawing my attention to the corner. This vampire was male, as dark as the other was light, and his annoyed eyes were fixed on Evan. “I told you what would happen if you lied to us.”
Evan didn’t respond. He looked whipped, making me think they’d done something else to him while I’d been fruitlessly searching the basement. His eyes were glassy when they locked with mine but there was a vacant expression reflected back, as if he’d already given up and was no longer dwelling in his own soul.
That wasn’t like him.
“I’m sorry I’m late.” I offered up a bright smile I didn’t feel. As with anything else, I figured trying to talk my way out of this situation, or at least buying time, was the best option. “Traffic was murder on the Lodge.”
The dark vampire slid his gaze to me. There was no amusement there. “I don’t believe you were invited to the party.”
“Is this a party? Wow. You could’ve fooled me. Next time let me handle your guest list.”
The vampire didn’t as much as crack a smile. Usually, when locked in a situation where they vastly outnumbered us, I’d found the fanged ego unable to stop from boasting. Apparently, this particular blood sucker didn’t suffer from that personality defect.
Drat.
“Okay, I can see you don’t want to have a proper conversation,” I said, shifting tactics. “How about we come to a compromise? I’m willing to magnanimously walk away with my friend and you guys can keep squatting here like freaky mole people, or whatever it is you’re doing. We’ll call it a draw and go our separate ways. How does that sound?”
The vampire merely blinked. Because I was me, I felt the need to fill the silence. “Or I could kick your ass and we could just end it that way.”
“Scout.” Evan made a disgusted sound in the base of his throat. “Why did you even bother coming up here? Why didn’t you just run?”
He had to be kidding. “I wasn’t going to leave you behind.”
“I’m already gone.” His voice cracked, the blood from his cheek wound running thicker and causing my heart to shudder. “Now you will be too. You should’ve run the second you realized there was trouble.”
I was nowhere near close to admitting defeat. “Now you listen here …” I took a menacing step forward. Those who knew me often said my ego was the thing parents told their children to fear in the darkness, but I always felt it was warranted. I refused to accept defeat, and because of that, I’d never been defeated. I didn’t expect that to change, and yet, in a split second, it did.
Strong hands gripped me from behind, tugging me backward. There had to be at least three more vampires behind me, ones I hadn’t registered or sensed, and they had my arms pinned at my sides before I even realized what was happening.
“Scout!” Evan sounded anguished as the blonde grabbed him by the hair and jerked back his head, exposing his neck.
It was as if I was caught in quicksand and couldn’t move. She was on him like a rabid dog before I could even suck in a breath, my mind refusing to process or accept what was playing out in front of me.
He struggled, his arms flailing, but he could do nothing against the vampires’ strength. I needed a plan, yet with no time, I did the only thing I could do. I stopped struggling.
The vampires holding me must have been surprised because they loosened their grips, which was what I was hoping for. I took advantage of the momentary reprieve and jerked my arms free.
I only had one shot, so I blasted the hottest magic in my arsenal at the nearest vampires. They caught fire immediately, screaming and waving their arms as they made horrific noises, and once they released me, I focused on Evan. The plan was to fry the Nordic vampire, somehow carry my partner to the window, and then jump. Even in this neighborhood the vampires wouldn’t be able to fly under the radar and attack. Once out in the open, we would be safe.
“Evan!” I moved toward him, prepared to take on the vampire, but he was no longer moving. In fact, his face was chalk white, his eyes open in terror, and he was no longer breathing.
Evan was as still as death, because that’s what had claimed him.
I was frozen, disbelief holding me hostage, and then a voice screamed at me from inside my own head.
Move!
Everything inside hurt, and yet in the back of my mind, I knew I couldn’t dawdle. I raised my hands again, unleashing a torrent of fire, and aimed for the window.
I went through headfirst, rolling so I would have a softer landing. That didn’t stop the wind from being knocked out of me when I hit the ground, or the unimaginable pain coursing through my shoulder. All of that was nothing compared to the loss of Evan.
I had no hope that somehow there would be a miracle, that when backup arrived, they would find him on the second floor and manage to save him. Rather, the spot my partner occupied in my heart had become a black hole.
It was over. I knew, even as my body trembled with cold and pain, it was something I would never be able to put behind me.
Not ever.
One
Present Day
“Fire in the hole!”
I bellowed the words as I let loose a torrent of
