Page 89 of Peacemaker

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Army of Blood

And then, as though they’d chased him into the city, I saw them.

Running like clouds of blackness through the city came the rifters. Many, many rifters.

In a few short minutes, the streets were running with blood.

Angus jerked away from me and shifted, but even before his shift was complete, Amias buried his fingers at the base of my skull, forced my head to the side, and plunged his fangs into my neck.

“Wait,”I thought I whispered.

But he could not wait. In seconds, he was done.

He bit open a vein on his wrist and shoved it against my mouth, urging me to “drink, drink,” and maybe I did pass out then, if only for a second.

I called Silverlight, only realizing when she came that she hadn’t come until I called her to come. By then, Amias was gone.

But his words echoed through my mind.

Get to Willow-Wisp.

I had to feed the earth. I had to bring the army of vampires.

Because if I didn’t, we were dead.

I ran screaming into the fight, and even as I cut and slashed and screamed, I couldn’t shut down my fear.

“Shane,” I screamed.

Shane didn’t even have a fucking sword. He had blades, sure, and he had his Betty, but those things would not be enough, not even for a hunter. Not against the rifters. There were simply too many of them.

The city had already prepared as best as it could—there were safe places set up for the humans who couldn’t—or wouldn’t—leave their homes; safe rooms, tornado shelters, windowless buildings with reinforced doors, storm cellars…

It didn’t matter. The rifters found the humans. They dragged them out of hiding and ate them.

And the streets ran with their blood.

Their new freedom overwhelmed the rifters. They screamed with frenzied, starving joy, some of them sobbing bloody tears as they embraced a world they’d been denied for so very long.

A world they could see but not touch.

Now they could touch.

Now they could touch everything.

They were free.

And I was supposed to run, to leave my men, to fight my way to Willow-Wisp. I was supposed to bring back an army.

I would, of course I would.

But I would see Shane protected first.

Amias appeared once again, covered in gore and blood that glittered wet and black upon his body.

“Come. I will get you there.”