Blinding Light (The Bloodmarked Trilogy Book 2) (25 page)

“I’m not staying. Just came to say I’m leaving.”

“What?” she huffed. “Where are you going? We need to discuss a strategy.”

“I have a strategy. Kill the bad guy. It’s a proven method that’s worked for me many times in the past.” The smartass reared its ugly head again, provoked by condescension and authority. Every time. I never could put a leash on it. Not that I ever tried.

Her lips thinned, but she nodded her head in agreement. “Very well. Be careful out there, Lucille.”

Every once in awhile, I noticed her edges soften ever so slightly. I wondered if it was the part of her that loved my mother. She must harbor some grudge against vampires for taking her best friend away. Against me.

When I glanced around the sprawling table that stretched the vast length of the dining room, I saw only somber faces. The commotion had settled enough for the gravity of the situation to sink in. Peering into several sets of eyes, I noted admiration and respect in few but doubt and fear in most.

Before my confidence wavered, I spun on my heel, stopped by the weapons room and set off into the cold onyx night.

I slipped toward the tree line but turned before I was within reach of canopy cover. I heard a faint whisper carried on the wind.

“I’m here for you.”

A dark silhouette crouched low along the roof’s edge. I inhaled deeply, letting the frosty air work its mystifying powers on my frayed nerves.

The trip to the lake took forever this time around. Every small noise and movement had me pausing to prepare for ambush. The sword sheathed at my hip dangled heavily and flopped with each step I took. The wind rolled through the branches, playing tricks on my senses.

Each creeping and crawling shadow gave me whiplash. My head snapped back and forth so fast in panic, I probably gave myself multiple concussions without knowing.

The cloudy sky camouflaged my phantom tormentors. They melded with the scenery, making their movements subtle and more dangerous. A twinge of fear snuck through my barriers. The farther I moved away from the mansion, away from Gavin, my borrowed strength dwindled.

When I approached the edge of the lake, I stayed hidden among the pines and huddled on the outskirts of a small clearing.

What the hell was I doing? Nick was in trouble, and I sat cowering behind a tree. It seemed pointless to prolong the inevitable.

I mentally steeled myself and walked to the center of the undisturbed powder, where the faint moonlight sparkled back at me from below. The spotlight was on me.

I knew he was close. I sensed him nearby as soon as I saw the lake. Completely at his mercy, I grew restless and wanted this finished.

“I’m here!” I shouted into the night. “Let’s do this already. I’m tired and I hate waiting.” My voice sounded steadier than I felt.

Something shifted to my right, and I caught a flash of movement when I scanned the trees. I whipped my head around at the sound of snow crunching. My heart raced with adrenaline, my own movements becoming frenzied. Fear fully engulfed me now, and I despised this recent role reversal of hunter verses the hunted.

Get a grip, Lucy! You’re better than this.

Tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Behind me, a light breeze whirled through my ponytail, indicating his arrival. No sooner had I turned toward him than he had me lying on my back, staring at the dim sky, dazed and disoriented.

When I bounced to my feet to attack, my advance was sluggish compared to his sharp maneuvers. He bowled me over like a linebacker again before retreating to the shadows, his light laughter following him.

His words insulted me from behind. “You are more pathetic as a vampire than you were as that thing I encountered in St. Louis.”

“Where’s Nick?” I growled, righting myself before facing him across the clearing.

He stood well over six feet, larger than I remembered. He wore mostly black leather, and his long hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. The same eerily flawless, alien-like face and black eyes shared by all ancient vampires observed me like a cat playing with a mouse. He may have been created in Biblical times, but the evil lurking in his soulless depths dated back to a time long before mankind inhabited Earth.

“You mean your
human
?” he spat. “He is close by. Listen for yourself.”

I opened my hearing, expanding its range, and found a weak heartbeat not far from where we stood. I pinpointed the sound and adjusted my sight. Peering through the massive pines, I made out a crumpled, unmoving lump in the middle of the frozen lake.

For just an instant, an image of Holly appeared in his place, cold and lifeless.

A sharp pang of guilt pierced my heart before I shoved it out. It wasn’t Holly. She was gone. He was still alive. That was all that mattered. I hadn’t lost him yet, and I refused to fail tonight. Fear was a poison, but it was one I was slowly becoming immune to. Drawing on Gavin’s faith in me, I focused on his encouraging words. Then, I remembered I had my strength.

Be in the moment, Lucy
.

This asshole was responsible for turning me into a blood-craving monster, and I have yet to pay him back for that. The smile stretched across my face as thoughts of all the ways I wanted to kill him danced through my head.

I targeted his heartbeat, his footsteps, even his fowl musk. All of my senses sharpened and became completely in tune with my surroundings. Events of this past month stretched me so thin that my anxiety wore me down.

But suddenly, everything snapped back into place. Free from the chains of fear, my power thrived.

“After all the trouble you’ve caused, I’m really going to enjoy killing you,” he taunted.

Nonononono. I was not the taunt
ed
. I was never the taunt
ed
. I was the taunt
er
.

I inhaled deeply, making a show of it. “Is that blood I smell on your breath? I didn’t think assassins were allowed to feed until their mission was complete. Unless… oh no, have you finally flown the coop? No longer under mommy and daddy’s roof?”

His eyes narrowed and his lips pursed, confirming he had, in fact, gone rogue. He operated alone.

“Do not assume you are safe from the rest. They are already coming. And the others who seek you will soon have more power than Heaven itself. They will usher in a new era of rule. If I don’t succeed, you will perish at the tip of a sword, along with the rest of your precious humans.”

“The Sword of Michael?” I asked.

“Some believe it was Lucifer’s. Either way, it was created for the destruction of an entire race. Once
he
gets his hands on it, it will be the end of the human race.”

He must have been referring to Shane, or rather, Shane’s puppet master. I would worry about that later. My animosity left no room for it now.

“You are so weak. Look at you. I will get little joy out of killing you.”

“That’s funny. I’m about to get a lot of joy out of lighting you up, big boy.”

He emitted a low growl. “You will die a slow death for your heinous crimes against our kind.”

Was he for real? “Get with the times, dude. No one talks like that anymore. And quit wasting my time. Let’s play already.”

I reached for the hilt of my sword, and I think he actually cracked a smile. By the time I drew on him, he was already striking with his own weapon, which made my sword look like a three-year-old’s toy. The thing had to be four feet long and a hundred pounds of solid iron. No exaggeration. Okay, maybe a little, but it was huge. After a blur of motion and a few quick maneuvers, my Little Tikes blade somehow ended up ten feet away from me.

Well, crap. Maybe it was a tad premature going toe to toe with a master level swordsman.

He made my swordplay look elementary. Clearly, he was leagues ahead of me in experience. I thought I could master a few rote moves and hold my own, but, obviously, none of that mattered in an uncontrolled environment.

He recovered much quicker and struck using advanced techniques I was unaccustomed to. It was laughable how quickly he disarmed me.  I had absolutely no business going up against anyone holding a sword. Abandoning my weapon that lay in a snow heap yards away, I bolted, not giving him another chance to strike. I needed to regroup and rethink my strategy.

He was hot on my heels, and in his typical back-stabbing fashion, he attacked from behind. I lost my footing, and we both tumbled in a tangle of flailing limbs. He poised for assault while I braced for it.

When he charged, I feinted left but caught him with a classic clothesline. The sound of my snickering only incensed him further, because he came at me again with double the force.

We tossed each other around, leaving a trail of falling trunks and debris in our wake. He was gearing up for another blow when I brought my arm up, barely blocking his fist from breaking my face. But as I reared back to punch him, he took advantage of the opening and drove his foot into my midsection. I was sure it knocked something out of place.

I soared several feet through the air and spotted headlights in my peripheral vision a split second too late. A windshield broke my fall. It spider webbed under the impact, but on the bright side, I scored a free hip realignment in the process. Silver linings.

Blaring horns and screeching tires from both directions bombarded me. I rolled off the car, locking eyes with the terrified driver. He stared at me, slack-jawed and frozen in shock, while the woman in the passenger seat cried hysterically, her ear-splitting screams piercing through the still night air.

Other cars slowed to inspect the scene, but I didn’t stick around. I darted into the dark forest, not sparing the survivors and their growing audience a backwards glance.

The salvage yard on the side of the highway came into view, and I limped forward, hoping to hide out there long enough to recover.

No such luck.

He caught up with me halfway and fisted the excess fabric of my coat, flinging me into a pile of rusted car parts. Keeping my eyes locked on his black ones, I rummaged through the cold metal underneath me to find my weapon of choice. His eyes zeroed in on the movement, and he launched himself at me. Not caring what I picked up, I began wildly chucking pieces of scrap to fend him off, giving my body time to mend.

While he was distracted, I spotted an old pick up truck a few yards away and rushed toward it. Clutching the cool sheet of metal, I ripped the hood free and spun on my heel. His boots crunched rapidly through the snow, and I tossed the hood like a Frisbee.

He ducked to the side, plucking the thin metal out of the air with ease. A menacing smile transformed his features. Damn.

“Pathetic excuse for a vampire,” he spat. “You can’t even save one human being. How will you save the rest of the cattle?”

His eyes flicked to the road and then back to me. The look he sent me chilled me more than the Canadian winter ever could. I listened for what I knew he was waiting for and heard the loud road noise of a semi tractor-trailer, as well as three other cars approaching from the opposite direction.

He wound up for the throw, and I knew I wouldn’t have much time to intercept the path of the hood before it made contact. Without another thought, I took off in super speed, chasing behind it.

I clasped my fingers around the edge just before it broke through the tree line. The semi barreled past me, blowing up my loose hair and the snow that dusted the road.

I turned to face my assailant, but it was too late to stop what came next. A decrepit motorcycle came hurtling past me and into the line of traffic. It smashed directly into the third car like a wrecking ball, sending it straight into the ditch on the other side of the road. The other two cars ahead of it began slowing to help the victim.

Shit. This asshole wanted me dead bad enough to go against all the rules of his kind. His mission went from homicidal to suicidal, making him twice the threat. I needed to get this maniac away from civilization.

I faced him and positioned myself into a fighting stance. Circling, I taunted him, drawing his attention to only me.

“Don’t toy with me. Fight me. Unless you’ve been out of the game too long. You got in a lucky shot back in St. Louis, but that actually worked out in my favor, didn’t it? The same spike meant for killing me ended up killing your… partner? Lover? I don’t really know the correct term you evil bitches use.”

A rage I’m intimately familiar with lit his eyes. But I had just as much right to be pissed. Game on.

The dance continued across the forest, no one able to gain the upper hand, until I got in a lucky shot of my own that knocked him to his ass.

This time, when he charged, I was ready. I feinted left to force a change in his trajectory, but he recovered swiftly and adjusted his path. Reaching full speed, I jumped high to catch him from behind, but he dove into my attack, grabbing my legs. We both landed together in a thunderous touchdown.

Switching tactics, I put him in a wrist lock, guiding his movements. He was helpless, and I took full advantage, laying into him with blow after blow. He grunted from the effort to break free but managed to strike my ribs with his knee. It sent me airborne, and I landed several feet away.

He bore down on me. I reacted rapidly, sweeping my leg across his ankle. It was enough to trip him but not bring him down. When he ducked into the shadows, I straightened and scanned the perimeter.

The sound of a branch snapping broke the silence. I spun and readied myself for his advancement. He swung the splintered wood toward my heart. I sidestepped it just in time, but it grazed my arm. It stung like a bitch, and when I flinched, it cost me.

He kicked me in the stomach, sending me flying into a snowdrift. He approached, fury evident in those dark pits. Something about that look sparked awareness inside me. I had seen that look on all who came before him. All who wanted me dead. All who tried but failed to kill me. They all became ashes under my boots. My grin returned.

A fire spread through my veins, returning after being dormant for far too long. Keeping the vampire in my sights, I reached beneath the rim of my boot and launched myself off the ground. I bit down on the cool metal of the blade as I clenched it between my teeth.