Night Seeker

Chapter 16

“Holy crap.” Rex’s voice echoed from somewhere to the side as the horde of Shadow Hunters pushed through the doors. There must have been twenty or more-it was hard to count in the milling throng. I heard a scream but couldn’t see who had cried out in the sudden flurry of chaos.

The vampires were flying into battle-everywhere I heard their snarls, as they fell upon Myst’s brigade. They were a vision in black, snapshots of carnage, and there in the front, Lannan and Regina led the way. At least the pair didn’t lack for bravery. And then I saw them take on one of the Vampiric Fae; they closed in on the cerulean-skinned man, fangs down, hissing as they approached from both front and back.

They toyed with him, like cats with a mouse, Regina shoving him into Lannan’s arms even as he shoved the man back into her embrace. She dipped her head and struck, fangs sinking deep into the flesh, as the creature screamed and flailed. He didn’t have time to defend himself. They had taken the offense. Then Lannan fell on him. He sank his fangs deep into flesh at the base of the throat, ripping down through the skin, leaving two long gashes in his wake. The blood flowed freely and Lannan pulled away, laughing hoarsely before licking his way up the man’s chest.

The Shadow Hunter was screaming, still alive, as Regina held him fast, sucking deeply. I could hear the gurgle of blood in her mouth as she drank him down, and the smell of copper filled the air. As the Shadow Hunter quit struggling, dropping limply in her arms, Lannan grabbed him and thrust him up, bench pressing him over his head.

“We do not take prisoners!” He turned and, with a mighty throw, sent the Shadow Hunter hurtling into the crowd at the door. The look on his face was triumphant, and he grabbed Regina, kissing her deeply as the turmoil raged on.

In the chaos, I stumbled back, turning to find myself facing one of Myst’s guards. His eyes glittered and he began to unhinge his jaw. I screamed, first out of fear, then out of outrage. I brought the knife up, staring at it, feeling the tingle race through my hand. It would be so easy to give in…to let the rage overtake me.

The Shadow Hunter saw the blade and a streak of fear fled across his face. He started to back away, and I followed, arm still upraised, the blade urging me on. Kill them, kill them, take their blood, take their bodies, feast on their souls, drink their spirits…

And why not? They are intent on feasting on us. The thought sprang to mind, and I laughed, slow and easy, as I leaped on him. He rolled to the side, though, before I could reach him, and my blade shrieked, cheated out of its offering. I turned, altering my position to match his. As he once again dodged to the side, I anticipated his move and was there waiting.

“Surprise! I’m not so unobservant, after all.” I swiped the knife at him, stabbing for his shoulder, and the tip of the dagger kissed cloth, ripping through his shirt. He howled, and once again his jaw stretched as he tried to transform. But I struck again, this time with the edge of the blade, and sliced a thin weal across his face. Blood began to drip down from the gash, and my blade sang to me.

Thirsty, thirsty, thirsty, take him now, take him for me.

I wanted to obey, but reason caught the little part of me that was actually listening, and whispered, No, you must control the blade-you cannot let it to continue to control you.

Fighting to retain mastery, I forced away the drive to wantonly strike back.

Clear thought, I must have clear thought. Winds of the world, clear my head. I hadn’t expected an answer, but a clear light breeze rushed through my mind and the desire to indiscriminately kill and feast backpedaled. My glance darted quickly around us-there were people fighting on all sides, and I could hear the groans and sighs of those going down for the last count, on both sides.

A nearby section of the massive fight opened up and I caught sight of Grieve in wolf form, a bloody arm in his mouth. It looked like one of the Shadow Hunters’. At that moment, the gap closed and I couldn’t see him anymore, but I had my own worries.

The Shadow Hunter had taken advantage of my momentary lapse of attention to scuttle closer. He was on me now, and I could feel his breath and see the needle-sharp teeth poised over my shoulder. His eyes-the same black with sparkling stars as Grieve’s-glimmered with bloodlust.

“Mine,” he whispered. “The heart, give me your heart.”

Only he wasn’t asking for my love. He lunged at me and I brought up the knife. The blade sang as I slashed forward, ripping into his throat, severing his jugular. The dagger gave me good aim, it guided my hand, seeking out the flow and pulse of blood, and now as the liquid spurted from the severed artery, the blade shrieked with delight. I knew better than to pull back-the dagger would be furious, and so I bathed it in the blood, and the sensuous feel of the slick, viscous liquid pouring down the blade and over my hand sent me reeling. I came right there, the orgasm ripping a shriek out of my throat.

“Cicely!” Chatter’s voice echoed through the brawling mob, over the sound of groans and thuds and the whistling of blades landing in flesh. He broke through a fight between two of the Fae and a Shadow Hunter, but he took one look at my face, then at the blade and the Shadow Hunter who was writhing on the floor, and stopped.

“Finish him off and get on to the next one,” was the only thing he said.

I caught his gaze, and whether it was repulsion or worry, I couldn’t discern, but the look on his face sent an icicle through my heart. Snorting, I turned back to the Shadow Hunter. Let Chatter fight his battles his own way. He didn’t understand the glory of the blood. I fell on the Vampiric Fae and finished him off, leaning down to lick up a long swath of the crimson life-force. As I did, two boots landed in front of me, and I looked up to see Lannan staring down. He gave me a slow, sensuous smile, full lipped, and then blew me a kiss and was off again.

I dragged myself up in a haze brought on by the energy of the fight, the taste of the blood, the urging of the blade. In fact, blood was flying everywhere, and it was a wonder the vampires were keeping themselves in check.

The fight was thick, and I pushed my way through a group of Fae engaging a couple of the Shadow Hunters. As I came out the other side, I saw Ysandra and the five Consortium members wearing robes. They were facing a group of five Shadow Hunters. Ysandra was gritting her teeth, her hands palms forward, as if she were pushing a great weight.

The ripple from her hands told me she was keeping back the Shadow Hunters while the five robed witches prepared a spell. Another moment and they joined hands, forming a human pentagram with Ysandra in the center. The energy began to flow, surging through their arms as the elements entwined. Earth to air, air to fire, fire to water, water to spirit, and finally, spirit combined them and focused them through Ysandra. She opened her eyes abruptly, as if she’d woken from a deep sleep, and then her palms quivered and a blast of energy ricocheted from her palms, sending the Shadow Hunters sprawling, howling as they tried to cover their eyes.

The force, strong and brilliant, rippled through the room, and every Shadow Hunter there screamed. The next moment, four of the Fae warriors moved in and, before they could protect themselves, the five Vampiric Fae on the floor were lying dead, their throats slit neatly through.

Ysandra folded, caught up by the arms of her comrades, then within seconds, she stood again, looking ragged. I pushed my way up to her. “Can you do that again?”

“Not for a while, the force of the power racing through me tears me up inside. But I have other tricks up my sleeve.” With that, she turned and vanished into the crowd, looking for the next enemy.

Another flash, though not nearly as intense, told me that more magic was being cast, and then I saw Rhiannon and Peyton. They were fending off one of the Shadow Hunters. Luna was singing something that seemed to be giving them extra strength, but the Vampiric Fae was a strong one, and he looked hungry. He was pressing in on them.

I rushed up behind him and plunged the dagger between his shoulders, again shuddering as the blade tasted blood. I was really beginning to take a dislike to the dagger as much as I welcomed the help it gave me.

The Shadow Hunter stumbled forward, tripping over one of the Cambyra Fae who looked very dead. I ripped the blade out of his back and struck again, but this time he turned to block me with his arm, and the dagger slipped from my fingers, they were so slick with blood.

He grinned and came at me. I turned to run, but he caught me by the legs and took me down, crawling up me as he turned me on my back. Looming over me, he tilted his head and licked his lips. “You are the one the Mother wants. I will reap a great reward because I have you.” And he pulled my hands together and began to bind them.

“No!” My scream echoed through the hall and I felt something well up within me. The winds were pressing me. Ulean shrieked at me, and the next moment I tilted my head back and caught hold of the gusts.

“Gale force.” My words came out in a whisper, but they echoed around me as a great force pushed me to my feet, ravaging my mind, chilling me through as it carried me forward. I cast aside the rope, arms opening wide. As I began to turn, my feet left the floor, and I felt myself rising up, caught aloft on the wind that began to rattle through the room.

As I whirled, hanging in midair, I began to catch up chairs and vases and lighter objects in my vortex. Slowly at first, I spun, head hanging back, arms spread wide, and from my fingertips the winds began to come, first lightly and then-as the spinning increased in speed-harder. A chair went crashing across the room, then another. A tapestry flew off the wall to cover a group of combatants. The fireplace tools sailed though the air, becoming lethal weapons as the poker sank itself deep into the chest of one of the Shadow Hunters.

Swept into the dance, I was unable to control what was happening. And then, as the fighting came to a halt, all eyes on me, I began to laugh, terrified, as the vortex began to spin in earnest.

Lainule pushed through the crowd, somehow withstanding the winds. I could hear Ulean at her side, though I could not hear what they were saying. The slipstream was as useful to me now as a piece of gum.

But as I tore the room to shreds with the fury of the wind, they joined forces and the rocketing gusts shot out from under me just as quickly as they’d come. I went crashing to the floor, along with everything else caught in my maelstrom. Landing hard, I felt something in my side strain, but I ignored it as I tried to scramble to my feet, only managing to send myself into a dizzying stagger. Lainule grabbed me by the shoulders and gazed deep into my eyes.

“Clear.” She whispered so low only I could hear her, but within seconds my mind cleared and I found myself blinking, trying to make sense of what was happening. The sounds of shrieking, the sounds of dying, crowded in on me and my head began to pound. I whimpered, collapsing into her arms.

She pushed me back. “You have no time for this. We have work to do.”

I forced back my tears and looked in the direction in which she pointed me. The remaining Shadow Hunters were fighting tooth and nail. The dead-from both their side and ours-lay scattered on the ground, blood painting the floor red.

Lainule forced a dagger into my hands. I glanced at it-not the obsidian blade, but a fine silver dagger with inlaid sapphires on the hilt. She pushed me forward and turned to join two of her knights who were battling it out with a particularly tough Shadow Hunter.

I stumbled over one of the dead Cambyra, but managed to catch myself before I fell. I looked up to see Luna screaming as one of the Shadow Hunters fastened on her shoulder with his teeth. Zoey was beating on the creature’s back, and Peyton was racing over to her side. Kaylin was off somewhere else, embroiled in another battle.

I shook my thoughts clear and leaped over the body in front of me, racing in to plant the silver dagger deep in the Shadow Hunter’s shoulder. This time no bloodlust overwhelmed me, but my own desire to see these freaks dead took over. I stabbed him several times, twisting the knife as I plunged it in up to the hilt.

The Shadow Hunter stumbled, falling to his knees, and without a single hesitation, Luna brought out a short dirk and planted it in his forehead. She yanked the blade out again and the Shadow Hunter gurgled and fell forward, hitting the floor with a slick thud. I shoved him out of the way with my foot and turned to find the next one.

And on we went, driving through. There had been at least twenty of them coming through the door, and who knew how many more behind them, and so we fought through the mob, one after another, losing count. Peyton, Luna, Zoey, and I formed a quartet, moving in from all sides, our daggers on overtime.

At one point, we dropped a Shadow Hunter just in time to see another attacking Rex. He was doing his best to fend off the creature and looked about to shift, except I knew that even in his cougar form he wouldn’t be able to fight the Shadow Hunter. It transformed into the true monster it was and bit down on his leg, ripping a chunk of flesh from the bone. Rex screamed and toppled, and the four of us moved in. Peyton jumped in front of her father, trying to protect him, as I attacked from the side.

When they were in their natural form, the Shadow Hunters were far more deadly, albeit with less choice in weaponry. I landed the dagger in its shoulder, plunging deep into the muscle. Zoey swiped it down the hindquarters, leaving a nasty trail, and Luna began to sing a charm that made the blood flow much more quickly. The Shadow Hunter, bleeding out, turned on us, mouth gaping wide, wicked teeth razor sharp and serrated.

I glanced at Rex. He was near the sideboard, and there was room beneath it for him to hide. I motioned to the heavy furniture. “Get beneath it, bind up your wounds. I know it hurts, but get under there.” He’d be safer out of the way, and his leg was bleeding like a stuck pig.

Peyton pushed him under, shoving her bandanna in his hand. “Use this. Please don’t faint on us. You have to take care of yourself until we’re done. Keep yourself alive.”

She turned back and we whaled on the Shadow Hunter, stabbing the beast over and over until it broke away, looking for someplace to hide. But at that moment, a couple of shurikens came singing through the air, striking it in the forehead between the eyes. The creature collapsed before it could make it another foot. Kaylin dashed over, grabbed up the shurikens, stopped to give an astonished Luna a quick kiss, then raced off again.

Peyton made certain that Rex had bound up his wound and then the four of us pressed on. We swung back into the fray. I caught sight of Rhiannon and Chatter, working in tandem, creating fireballs to scorch and disrupt the Shadow Hunters. Grieve was still in wolf form, attacking as he could. Wrath and Lainule were working with the Fae. Lannan and Regina were yucking it up over another dead body, and the vampires were still scuffling. And Ysandra and her witches surrounded three of the Shadow Hunters, finishing them off with a well-placed lightning bolt.

The dizzying scent of blood was too much. I staggered over to an urn and, using it to lean on, upchucked everything I’d eaten that day. The sour smell filled my nose, and my mouth felt like I’d eaten rotten eggs, but my stomach felt better. I wiped my lips on my sleeve and turned around. One last shriek echoed through the room, and then, without warning, we were standing alone, no one left to fight.

The sound of heavy breathing and an occasional moan filled the room as I stared over the carnage. It was hard to tell how many were dead.

I quickly scanned for my friends-everyone had made it, though Rex looked worse for the wear. It was hard to tell where our enemies’ blood left off and our own took up. The vampires gathered around Lannan, and Lainule called for the Fae to line up. Ysandra snapped her fingers and the Consortium members still alive joined her. We added up our losses.

Twenty vampires were missing. No doubt they’d been staked. And five of the twelve Fae warriors were dead. Two more were severely wounded and I doubted they’d make it. Five members of the Consortium team were dead.

Grieve counted the bodies of the Shadow Hunters. He looked up, his face grim. “Thirty-five. We lost thirty…possibly thirty-two,” he added, glancing at the wounded men. “It’s bad but not as bad as it could have been.”

Lannan motioned for his remaining men to begin separating the bodies. “Make certain the Shadow Hunters are truly dead. Then take the remaining Fae warriors and scour the grounds. Nobody goes unattended. Make certain our defenses are back in order.”

As they began the gruesome work of cleaning up the dead, we wearily filed back into our planning room. We were all covered with blood and I noticed more than one vampire’s nose twitching as we walked by. But to give them credit, they didn’t make a move.

I was at the back of the line heading into the room when Lannan stopped me. I turned to him, still caught up in the adrenaline surge of the battle. He stared at me for a long moment, then pushed me against the wall, his tongue slamming into my mouth as he spread my legs with his knees.

My blood ran hot at his touch. I pushed against him, not wanting to feel aroused, but the adrenaline surging through my body was desperate for a release. “Lannan, stop. Grieve will kill you. Especially with emotions running so high. And frankly, though I wouldn’t weep over your death, we need you right now.”

“You need me right now,” he said, his hand pressing against my breasts. “Admit it. You need me. You need to fuck and you need to fuck hard. You don’t want love right now, you want pure carnality. Pure lust, to work off the strain of battle.” His hand slid down to unzip my jeans.

“No, stop it-stop.” My body responded, but my anger was just as real. “Don’t touch me.”

Lannan slid me along the wall, around the corner. His men went about their work, never once looking up at us. But I could see the Fae staring at me, and I motioned to them. They began to head our way.

“Keep it up and Grieve won’t need to put a stop to this.” I bit his lip, drawing blood, and without thinking, licked the drop that welled up off his mouth.

He snarled, jamming his hands down my pants. I could feel his fingers oh so near me, and my body wanted to squirm, to assist him, but before I could battle it out in my mind, one of the warriors shoved him away from me. I dropped to the floor, tears of desire and of humiliation spilling over.

The warrior helped me up and turned to Lannan, who was staring at him with pure fury. But he simply shook that gorgeous mane of golden hair back into place and, giving me a long look, whispered, “We aren’t finished with this, Cicely. We aren’t done by a long shot.” And then, adjusting his bloody clothing, he turned and walked around the corner.

“Thank you.” I looked up at the Fae guard who was staring at me with what looked like pity. “Thank you. I…I…”

“Go now. Your friends await, Mistress of the Owls. Go and be safe.”

His niceness eating a hole in my heart, I smiled faintly and grabbed his hand, pressing it to my cheek. “You too. He will seek any way he can to punish you for helping me. And Lannan…as much as he can help, he can hurt.”

“Remember, I came through the routing of the Summer barrow. I have fought darker demons than Altos, and I am still alive. Go now.” And with that, he turned, and I walked into the boardroom. Everyone was milling around, and a servant had brought food, hot coffee, and a first-aid kit.

Rex was lying on the table, Peyton by his side, holding his hand. The chunk the Shadow Hunter had bitten out of his leg was long gone, and there would be a nasty scar, but hopefully it would heal without getting infected. A member of the Consortium was examining the wound and whispering healing charms over it while dousing it with antiseptic and preparing a bandage.

I looked over at Lannan. He caught my gaze and those dark eyes of his drew me in. Shivering, I turned away to see who all had been hurt.

We all were covered with bruises and scratches, and I had a nasty bite in my shoulder, but my enemy hadn’t managed to rip flesh out of me. As I stripped off my shirt, sitting there in my bra, waiting for the healer to attend me, somebody pressed a cup of coffee in my hand, along with a couple of cookies. My mouth felt dry and fuzzy, and I wanted to go rinse it, but before I could, weariness hit me like a sledgehammer and I hung my head, staring at my feet.

We were managing to stay alive, and we’d taken out a sizable number of Myst’s guards-but at a great cost. We’d lost almost as many of our own. I looked up, staring at the others with a bleak heart. It was time to pick up the pieces and decide our next move.

“What next? What the fuck do we do next?”

“We go down to the station and I make my announcement. We have to do it tonight or we’ll never get another chance. Not after this fiasco.” Lannan’s voice was clear, showing none of the antagonism he’d aimed at me only a few minutes ago. I was beginning to think he was bipolar.

I let out a long sigh. “And then?” But I knew what came after that. We would sleep, and tomorrow we would perform the ritual on Grieve. And maybe, with a little luck, the tide would turn and something would go our way for once.

Lainule moved to my side. She rested her hand on my good shoulder and leaned down to whisper in my ear. “You must see that Grieve maintains control. I can only hope this ritual works. Much depends on it.”

Startled, I turned. “You know what we’re planning?”

She nodded. “Wrath told me. Cicely, so much more depends on you and Grieve than you realize. And on Chatter and Rhiannon, too. The four of you must stay alive, no matter the cost. Before, there were other options, but now…those are gone. You four are the hope for the future. Remember that. Be safe. Do what you need to in order to stay alive. Anything you need to.” With that pointed bit of advice, she moved away again, leaving me to wonder how much worse things could get.