Page 63 of The Shade of Things
15
Almost everyone else had scattered,racing for the van, but I blocked Felix, my attacker.
He looked down at the knife on the floor then up at me in puzzlement.
Kicking his weapon out of reach, I lifted my shirt to reveal my high-waisted pants. I’d felt the jab to my kidney, but the blade hadn’t penetrated the denim. “Mom jeans for the win, asshole.”
Unsexy? Yes. The only clean jeans I’d had? Also yes. Plus, I was kind of hoping these ones would die so I could justify buying a different pair of pants.
Felix bolted.
Emmett thumped the cane that Teresa had returned, a mean smile on his face. “Want me to go after him?”
“No. There was a buddy system and he disregarded it in favor of attempted homicide.” I rubbed my bruised kidney and winced. “He’s on his own,” I said in a harsh voice.
Delilah sprang up from the ground, shadow scythe in hand, and cleaved a vamp’s skull in half.
The bloodsucker disintegrated into a pile of ash right outside the elevator, but there was another one coming in fast.
That gave me an excellent idea.
A single gunshot blast echoed through the garage, and Laurent howled.
Trusting my other team members to take care of themselves, I held still like I was scared.
Closer, that’s it. I dug my nails into the side of my thigh, my wide eyes and rapid breathing not entirely an act.
There was a ping of awareness when the bloodsucker broke through into my personal space, her face blurring into focus.
She bared her fangs—
Delilah let loose with the scythe and took out her legs.
The vamp tumbled sideways, still alive.
High on a hot rush of satisfaction, I dragged her into the elevator car, the stumps of her legs trailing smears of blood. “Emmett, close the doors.”
He punched the button to the sound of Isla’s Snapz exploding in a succession of high, crisp pops.
Meanwhile, Delilah stood next to me holding the scythe over a panting, swearing vampire, who bared her teeth. “Killing me won’t change the fact that you’re going to die,” she hissed in a Boston accent.
“I just want to talk.” I said the last word the New England way, squawking out the vowel.
The brunette did not appreciate my superb mimicry and spat a glob of red-tinged saliva at my shoes.
“Guess I’ll have a chat with Dagmar about how uncooperative someone from her territory was. Hope she doesn’t take out her displeasure on anyone you care about.” I widened my eyes theatrically. “Oh, did I not mention I know your boss? Well, wait until you hear that I’m tight with Zev BatKian too.”
Define “tight” as caught up in the vamp’s spiderweb and it was absolutely true.
“You’re lying. No way you know them.” The injured bloodsucker sounded unconvinced.
Emmett jerked the silver dragon cane head at me. “She’s drinking buddies with Mr. BatKian. He likes sake.”
I’d never told Emmett that. Zev must have mentioned it to Tatiana.
I leaned in and brushed a lock of hair off the vamp’s forehead. “You want to take the chance that I’m lying? Now, I can kill you right now and we both lose, or you give me answers and I’ll not only allow you to regenerate, I’ll sing your praises to the master vamps.”
More gunfire exploded outside the elevator. Someone was in trouble, maybe Eli. I coiled my fear into a single icy core and reflected that hardness back at the bloodsucker.
