Declan and head over to the tower.” Faelan looked at Ronan, who seemed preoccupied. “Everyone keep an eye out for the virus…” He pressed his lips together, only slightly swollen now. “And for Bree. I think you’re right and Druan’s playing a twisted game.”
There were nods and relieved smiles.
Ronan hung his bow over his shoulder. “About time you got your head out of your ass. Let’s find your woman,” he said, sounding a tad more like himself.
He was the only one Faelan had told about the mate mark on his neck, although Faelan was sure Sorcha had seen it earlier. Odd that she hadn’t mentioned it.
“Hold up, Faelan. There’s something you’ll want to see.” Niall led Faelan to a glass case inside the massive library. A broadsword lay inside. His sword.
Faelan handed Ronan the blade he’d borrowed and shattered the glass with his boot. He lifted out the sword, closing his fingers around the hilt, relishing the familiar weight. He held it out and gave it a swing. It felt good. Looked good, too. Faelan’s heart felt lighter. A sword was like a woman. There was only one for him, and he would find her if he had to tear this castle down stone by stone.
Niall joined Conall by the fireplace. They opened the secret passageway and disappeared inside. Faelan followed Ronan and Declan down the empty corridor, testing his sword. Near the stairs to the second floor, they surprised two men. “It’s him,” one of them said, staring at Faelan, and they turned to run.
“After them,” Faelan yelled. “Take their heads!” Too late, Ronan’s arrow zinged past Faelan, lodging in the chest of the tallest one, pinning him to the wall. The man opened his mouth and hissed, exposing inch-long sharp fangs as he tried to pull free. Declan roared past the vampire, cutting his head clean from his body without pausing as he chased the second man to the top of the stairs. Another vampire. Ronan stared at his arrow lying in the pile of dust. He muttered a name Faelan didn’t catch, but he knew the look on Ronan’s face. Guilt.
“Where did these things come from?” Declan asked. “And what are they doing in a demon’s castle? Demons and vampires are like oil and water.”
Faelan rubbed at the headache building behind his temples. Was Druan forming some kind of alliance? If demons and vampires were unleashed on the world at the same time, humans wouldn’t stand a chance. Vampires were nasty creatures, as bad as demons. They lived for their thirst. The legend was that they’d appeared a few thousand years earlier. From the stories he’d heard, humans had been as oblivious to vampires’ existence as they were to the demons. It’d taken a special force of Michael’s army to wipe them out. Faelan wished they had one of the warriors now.
A hiss sounded from the top of the stairs. A short, squat demon started toward them, followed by several more. The lead demon stopped when he saw the pile of dust. His face convulsed, his body vibrating.
The warriors leapt up the stairs and struck hard. Faelan drove his sword into the squat demon, piercing another standing behind him. The first one disappeared into nothing before Faelan could even withdraw his sword. The second was wounded, but not dead. Faelan swung his sword without remorse. The head vanished before it hit the floor. He went for the next one, but a dirk lodged in the demon’s chest before Faelan could swing. Cody ran past him and grabbed his weapon off the floor.
“There’s something over here worth protecting,” Faelan said into his microphone when the demons were dead, and for a moment he forgot about the virus, hoping it was Bree. When his sense of duty returned, he reminded himself that Bree’s life depended on his stopping the virus, too.
When the group reached the final set of steps leading to the tower, more guards appeared. Some looked human, but most of them were huge, their faces and bodies hideous. These would be Druan’s best. The virus must be up there. The demons positioned themselves along the stairs, dwarfing the space, swords drawn, ready to die for their master.
Ronan drew his bow and Declan readied his sword. “There are too many,” Faelan said, pulling out his talisman. “Stand back and close your eyes.”
Ronan grabbed Faelan’s arm. “No. Save your strength for Druan.”
Ronan was right. If Faelan wasn’t strong enough, the talisman wouldn’t work, and they’d all die, and if his suspicion was correct, his talisman was already weakened. With Cody’s strength and experience added to Faelan’s, it might be enough, but Faelan wasn’t sure he wanted Cody to take that risk. They turned away as Ronan began to chant. The air grew thick; the vibration resonated through Faelan’s legs. He saw the faint flash, even though he protected his eyes. When the screams were silenced, the stairs were empty except for two men looking for escape.
Declan leapt the steps three at a time, catching the closest one off guard, taking the vampire’s head. The second one, a pale blond with icy-blue eyes, whirled and ran. Ronan nocked an arrow and let it fly. It hit the vampire’s shoulder, and he vanished into the wall, arrow and all. Ronan bounded up the steps with Cody and Faelan on his heels and stared at the spot where the vampire had disappeared. “God forgive me,” he whispered.
Faelan didn’t have time to ponder why Ronan needed forgiveness. “We think the virus is in the south tower,” Faelan said into his microphone. “It’s heavily guarded. We’ve destroyed two dozen. Clear your areas and move over here.”
Declan inspected the wall where the vampire had vanished, while Cody and Faelan tried to open the iron door. It was locked. Faelan could hear sounds within. “Let’s kick it in,” Faelan said. He and Cody got into position, and Ronan stood behind them with his bow raised, guarding their backs. With a quick nod, Faelan and Cody kicked the door.
“Damnation.”
“What’s that thing made of?” Cody rubbed his thigh.
“Niall, we need more muscle in the south tower,” Declan said behind them.
“Almost there,” came Niall’s reply. “Bloody passages. Made for bairns.”
They tried again, with Declan’s help, but the door wouldn’t budge. Faelan listened again to the scrambling sounds inside the locked room. “Bree,” he called, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice. There was no answer. “We can’t wait. Ronan, can you open it?”
“I’ll try, but this one looks tricky. I think we’re gonna need Niall.” Ronan slung his bow behind his back, pulled the metal piece from his pocket, and knelt in front of the door. Faelan felt his sweat beading as he ticked off the seconds, imagining the horrors that could be taking place inside the room.
