Page 44 of A Shade Too Far
“I’d like to know that myself.”
Someone screamed and I flinched, but she laughed. It was just a woman jokingly berating a friend about sneaking up on her and almost giving her a heart attack.
“Was Torquemada an actual demon?” I asked hesitantly.
Zev opened a black door. “He was a monster like many fanatics. With that level of evil, does it matter if someone was human or not?”
Perhaps it didn’t. I wanted to ask more questions, but I fell silent at the sight before me.
The room was empty save for five bare-chested vampires who stood with their legs planted hip width apart and their arms clasped behind their back, like soldiers “at ease.” These dudes were huge, like The Mountain from Game of Thrones.
“I will ward your house up tomorrow night,” BatKian said. “Have something to report by then. You may go.” He dropped into a crouch and made a “bring it” motion at the other bloodsuckers.
As his minions rushed him, I said, “Tatiana has been cursed by a Pulsa diNura. She’ll die unless you give up the gloves.”
Zev gave no indication that he’d heard me. He slammed his elbow into the first minion’s windpipe using momentum to lever himself around and break the kneecap of another one with a hard kick. Sorry, smash it into kindling, tiny shards of bones protruding from the pale, waxy skin.
I smothered a yelp, but I wasn’t leaving without the gloves.
A third vampire choked Zev out from behind, but BatKian flipped him to the ground, stomping on his gut so hard that the other vampire spurted blood from his mouth.
Zev’s bland expression didn’t change during any of this.
Hunching into myself, I tried to stay out of the splatter zone, but I had a front row seat to the fight and I couldn’t stop watching.
Every movement of Zev’s was methodically and coldly carried out, with none of the manic bloodlust that Laurent would have displayed. Which was kind of ironic, given which one of them was the vampire.
Underlings one, four, and five regrouped, pressing in on Zev. He feinted right, then ducked in close to the vamp on his left with an uppercut to the jaw that shot the bloodsucker into the ceiling headfirst, his legs dangling down uselessly.
I was so busy being in awe, that I’d forgotten to be absolutely terrified that this monster had access to my house. I swallowed around the lump in my throat and backed up until I hit the wall, trying to make my brain work in actionable steps. Step one, breathe.
I’d been useful to Zev, that was a point in my favor, but what happened when his goodwill dissipated? And with his mercurial temperament, it would. Would my death at least be merciful, or would I get special torture treatment as his personal acquaintance?
Still stuck on breathing properly, I briefly considered moving homes so he wasn’t invited into my new place, but then I wouldn’t have a ward, and he’d just get me another way.
He’d sworn not to harm anyone I cared about, but I wasn’t included in that promise. I rubbed away some blood on my cheek from the dybbuk, my hiss as much for my possible fate as the pain that bolted through my cheekbone.
The largest and ugliest of the vamps grabbed Zev like a rag doll and slammed him over his knee with a crunch that bounced off the walls.
Zev went limp and I gasped. Was he down for good? Had all this been a challenge for dominance? Why would Zev have allowed me to see it?
Ugly stared at me coldly, smirking when only the barest flicker of a shadow swirled around my feet. Please don’t let him be the new boss. Then he dropped Zev to the ground, forgetting the first rule of bad guy warfare—always take the headshot.
Zev’s hand shot up and grabbed Ugly’s calf. Yanking him forward, Zev bit his Achilles’ tendon, ripping it out and spitting it onto the ground.
The vampire toppled over with a scream. I would have felt sorrier for Ugly but a) he was a dick, and b) he’d bounce back soon enough.
Zev rose to his feet, swaying like a cobra, blood coating his mouth.
Had I pressed back any harder against the wall, I’d have mated with it.
His final opponent roared and blurred forward. The attack happened too fast for me to catch, but the lackey hitting the wall face-first hard enough to shatter the concrete was clearly visible.
Zev faced me, barely breathing hard, though rivulets of sweat rolled down his pecs.
I remembered enough of my manners to close my mouth.
His lips still bloodstained, he frowned faintly at the ear he now held, then threw it to the floor with a grimace of distaste where it bounced off the vampire whose kneecap he’d broken.
