End Game (Vampire Hunter Book 6) (9 page)

Immediately, I knew that Senara wasn’t alone. “I’ve just moved in here,”
she was saying, “so I don’t have much furniture yet.”

“As long as you’ve got the most important thing – a bed,” a gruff
voice responded. “You know, we could have gone to my place.”

“Now what kind of girl would I be going to a complete stranger’s house?”
Senara asked in a flirty voice.

What the fuck is Senara doing? She can’t seriously be about to hook up
with some guy.

“Kiss me, baby,” the guy slurred.

“No, no, no,” Senara responded in a playful tone. “Not yet. Follow me.”

They’re coming into the bedroom!
The closet was on the wall next
to me. I dove into it, pulling the door partially closed so I could still see
into the room. Although I was pretty sure I didn’t want to witness what was
about to happen.

And then Senara and the guy were in view. He was old, balding and had a
beer gut. Senara pushed him down onto the bed.

“You’re a strong one!” he said, with a big leering grin.

“So I’ve been told,” Senara responded.

The gross old man reached out, trying to grab Senara’s breast. “Not yet,”
she repeated mysteriously, backing up away from him.

“Come on,” he whined. “You promised you were going to fuck me.”

I cringed.

“Well, honey, as romantic as that sounds, I’m afraid I’ve got other plans
for you,” Senara replied.

“What the?” The man tried to sit up, but Senara pushed him back down.

“You think I’d ever give someone like
you
the time of day,” she
sneered. Before he could answer, she slapped him across the face with the back
of her hand.

“Don’t move,” she said harshly. “It will be less painful that way.”

I watched in horror as Senara placed her hand over the middle of his
chest. At first, nothing happened, but then his eyes started to roll back in
his head as he gasped for breath.

She’s killing him!
I knew I should try to intervene, to stop
whatever was going on, but I was paralyzed.

The man sputtered and flailed but Senara remained steady. And then I saw
it – a glowing light, dim at first, but getting brighter and brighter the
longer Senara held her hand over the man’s chest. And then it disappeared, as
though it had been
absorbed
into her body through her hand.

The man had stopped struggling. He was dead. And based on what Lucas and
Nicholas had told me about Senara, I was fairly certain I’d just seen her take
his soul.

Senara turned and trained her eyes on the closet. I ducked down lower,
hoping I was hidden in the dark space. Her eyes were wild.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” she called in a singsong voice.

She had
sensed
I was in the closet. I cowered down more.

“Little dead girl?” she called. “Is that you?”

I wasn’t going to be able to hide. I stood up and stepped out of the
closet, clasping my hands in front of me, trying to stop them from shaking.

Senara laughed when I came into view. “Now what, pray tell, are
you
doing
here?”

I didn’t answer. I was too busy trying to decide the best escape route. There
was a window on the wall, but I didn’t particularly like the thought of
hurtling down eight stories to the ground – even if it wouldn’t kill me.
The only real option was back out the door I’d come through.

I made a move towards the door, and I was fast, but Senara was faster.
She reached out one hand and stopped me, pinning me against the wall.

“Why are you here?” she asked again, her eyes blazing.

Instead of answering, I kicked my leg into her knee, trying to knock her
off balance. Senara lost her grip on me and stumbled backwards a few feet. I
darted into the main room, my eyes trained on the door, on freedom.

But Senara was right on my heels. She tackled me and we both went flying
to the ground. I struggled to get up, but Senara held both of my arms down,
straddling me, her legs squeezing my midsection, stopping me from being able to
move.

“Why are you here?” she asked for a third time.

Instead of answering, I leaned up and head butted her. She winced but
didn’t lose her hold on me. “It’s going to take a little more than that to hurt
me,” she seethed. “I can’t kill you…yet, but mark my words, I’ll find Tobias
and make that little weasel show his hand. He knows how to send you back to
your grave.”

She doesn’t know Tobias is dead!
That was a good thing, really.
She was going to be even more furious when she realized not only had I killed
him, but the trick to re-kill the living dead wouldn’t exactly work on me.

Senara was still talking, threatening me, taunting me. “Before I get rid
of you, I’ll torture and kill every single creature that means anything to you.
Your parents, you sweet little sister, Kayla. Lucas, Nicholas, and even that
psychic you’re working with.” She laughed. “Oh, and let’s not forget Henry.”

She knows everything about me!
Lucas was right. It wouldn’t have
mattered if we’d gone into hiding. None of us would be safe until she was dead.
Even Jet’s protective order wouldn’t stop her.

As she ranted on about chopping up my family while they were still alive,
a raging fury started to burn in my belly.
Who the hell does she think she
is?
Senara needed to be knocked down a peg or two.

The heat took over and I ripped my arms out of her grasp, pushing her off
of me. Surprise registered on her face, but Senara was quick to react. She was
back on her feet before I could get in a hit.

“Oh, this is how you want to play?” she asked snidely. She struck out
with her right arm, knocking it against the side of my head with a force that
caused my vision to momentarily blur. I struggled to stay upright as she went
in for another blow, pushing me against the wall.

I could still feel the heat coursing through my body, but Senara was
stronger than anything I had ever fought before. It was a terrifying
realization. But I wasn’t done yet.

I punched Senara in the gut, sending her tumbling to the floor. And then
I kicked, over and over as hard as possible, driving my foot repeatedly into
her head. I don’t know how many blows I managed to get in before Senara grabbed
my ankle and pulled me to floor.

She was breathing heavily, sweat showing on her hairline.
Good. She’s
met her match.

The trouble was, I still didn’t know
how
to kill her. There was
nothing I could use in the apartment to even try and stake her, and Lucas had
seemed skeptical that it would work, anyway. And as powerful as I felt, she was
still able to retaliate, blow for blow. We were at a stalemate, and I needed to
get out of that apartment before my strength returned to normal.

I climbed back onto my feet and looked at Senara warily. Neither of us
made a move.
She must be thinking the same thing.
Senara didn’t want to
get beaten up any more, either. Slowly, wordlessly, I backed up towards the
door. She didn’t speak as I opened it and rushed out into the hall.

I fled down the emergency stairwell to the ground and ran to the bus stop,
hopping on the bus just as it was leaving. My body was starting to feel normal
again, the intense heat and strength subsiding. I rested my head against the
windowpane, deep in thought.

Had my powers fully developed? As easy as it had been to overtake Thomas,
Bartholomew and Tobias, I hadn’t expected for Senara to be such a challenge. I
thought once the heat coursed through my body, I’d be able to restrain her,
just like the others.

But I had met my match. And I was going to have to figure out how to kill
her, because if I didn’t, she’d follow through on her threats to off everyone I
cared about. And what was the point of being immortal if everyone who mattered
was dead?

No one else could stop her. It was down to me.

Instead of going home, I went to Lucas’ apartment. “Aurora, what are you
doing here?” he asked in surprise, ushering me inside. “Your lip!” he said,
reaching out to touch it. I put my hand to my face, realizing for the first
time that my lip was swollen.

“No wonder I got some funny stares on the bus,” I said morosely. “I
probably looked even worse before.”

“Yes, but don’t worry; you’ll heal quickly, but what the hell happened?”
Lucas pulled me into his arms and I melted into his embrace, feeling safe
again.

“I saw Senara,” I said, my voice muffled against his chest.

Lucas pulled back to look at me. “What?” he asked incredulously.

I told him what had happened, leaving out the stupid kiss with Mark.

“I should have gone with you!” Lucas exclaimed. “She’s dangerous; you had
no business going to see her alone!”

“She’d have killed you,” I said quietly. “Lucas, I could barely hold my
own against her. Her power – it’s unbelievable.”

Lucas didn’t immediately respond. “Okay,” he said finally. “She’s still
collecting souls, getting stronger by the day, I imagine. But next time you
meet her,
we
devise a plan. We’re in this together.”

“Okay,” I whispered. Lucas hugged me to him again. “I’d better call
Emmett, let him know I’m still alive,” I said reluctantly. I walked over and
sat down on Lucas’ couch.

Emmett answered immediately. “You were wrong about it being a house,” I
told him. “Senara’s in an apartment.”

“No, that can’t be right,” Emmett insisted.

“I was
just
there,” I said irritably. “I would know.”

“Then there’s something wrong with the vision I had,” Emmett replied.
“Tell me what happened.”

I recounted the story again for Emmett. When I had finished, he said, “It
sounds like the address on Elm Street wasn’t the same one from my dream.”

“Which means?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe the fight I saw, the premonition, maybe it’s
someplace else,” Emmett said helplessly. “But I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

“Me, too,” I replied.

I got off the phone and turned to Lucas, who had come over to sit beside
me. “What now?” I asked him.

 “I think,” he said slowly, “that we put Senara on the back burner.
Focus on finding Leon, killing him.”

Instead of answering, I leaned forward and rested my head against Lucas’
shoulder. He reached out and intertwined his fingers with mine.

“I know you keep saying we should talk about the future after all of this
is over,” I said, “but I’m terrified that if it doesn’t end well…you won’t ever
really know how I feel.” I turned my head to face Lucas.

“I just want you to know, it we make it through this alive, I – I
want to be with you,” I stuttered.

Lucas’ face registered surprise. “Come on, Rory. How can you be so
certain? You know how I feel, but I’ve seen the way you look at
him
.”
Him
being Henry, no doubt.

“I think I’ve known deep down what I wanted for awhile now,” I said
honestly. “But I’ve only just been able to admit it to myself. I want to be
with you, Lucas, now and forever. If you’ll still have me, that is.” I looked
at him shyly.

“You’re all I’ve ever wanted,” Lucas said huskily. He leaned forward,
pulling me towards him. I pressed myself into his chest as our lips touched,
gentle, sweet, and totally intoxicating. I ran my fingers through his hair, not
wanting to let go, wishing I could press him closer against me.

After a few minutes, Lucas pulled back. “This is getting out of hand,” he
said, laughing nervously. “I don’t want you to do anything you’re not
comfortable with. I don’t want you to have any regrets.”

“My only regret is not doing this sooner,” I replied, leaning forward to
kiss him again. I slid my hands, which were wrapped around Lucas’ neck,
underneath his shirt, running them over his muscular back. Lucas moaned and
kissed me deeper. Impulsively, I pulled his shirt up, momentarily stopping our
kiss, to take it off. Lucas started kissing my neck, his warm breath touching
my skin, making me crazy with desire.

When Lucas made a move to take my shirt off, I didn’t stop him. And
suddenly, there I was, in my bra, my chest pressed up against him, kissing
Lucas with a wild, out of control passion. Feeling bolder, I slid my hands down
to his waist. He inhaled sharply, his lips moving more urgently against mine,
kissing me deeply. After a moment, I felt his sexy hands slide over my back,
deftly unhooking my bra.

It fell to the floor as Lucas reached out to touch me, his hand gently
cupping my breast, his fingers running across my nipple, making me think I was
going to explode. “I’m ready, Lucas,” I whispered, my body yearning to feel him
for the first time.

We both froze when there was a knock at the door. Lucas raked his hands
through his hair. He looked flustered, torn.

I reached down and picked up my bra, hurriedly clasping it back on. With
a sigh, Lucas got up to answer the door. I pulled my shirt back on just as he
opened the door.

“Hey!” Nicholas said, stepping inside. He paused when he saw me. I tried
to smile, tried to look
normal
.

“Am I interrupting something?” Nicholas joked, his crooked grin spreading
across his face as he came into the room and plopped down next to me on the
couch.

I smoothed back my frazzled hair, hoping it didn’t look as out of place as
it felt. Lucas’ face turned a deep red. It was the only time I’d ever seen him
embarrassed. Nicholas picked up on it, too, and now he looked embarrassed. He
jumped up from the couch. “Sorry, bro, I was just kidding around,” he said
hastily, already making his way to the door.

“Don’t be silly,” Lucas said, a little too forcefully. His face was no
longer red, but he still looked rattled. “What brings you by here? In the
daylight, no less,” he added.

“Honestly, it can wait,” Nicholas replied.

“I’d rather know now,” I interjected. “And I need to tell you about where
I’ve been this morning, anyway,” I added.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Nicholas started. “Felt like I was crawling the
walls. So I thought I might as well try and do something to help the, uh,
situation, for lack of a better word. I’m not too keen on trusting Matthews,
even though I think his intentions have changed now that he knows Henry is
involved.”

“I agree,” I echoed. “He’s shady.”

“Right, so I have this friend who I knew would be able to find Leon. He
wanted me to meet up with him, which I did before sunrise. This guy, he’s kind
of undercover. He runs with a bad crowd, even though he’s not really like
them,” Nicholas explained. “He feeds the Intel he collects back to the hunting
agencies, then hunters like Lucas and me take care of the problem.”

“Are you talking about Raphael?” Lucas asked.

“Yes, none other,” Nicholas replied.

“He’s trustworthy,” Lucas confirmed, giving me a reassuring smile.

“It took him awhile, but Raphael made some calls and finally tracked down
Leon’s whereabouts. By that time, the sun was up and there was no point in
rushing home, so I figured I might as well head over here and fill you in,”
Nicholas said.

“So where is Leon hiding out?” I asked.

“He’s squatting in an abandoned house,” Nicholas replied. “I guess,
unlike Magnus, he’s not as concerned with the finer things in life. Although,
I’m sure now that the Gates are closed, he’s going to be making more permanent
plans. When Matthews warned him, Leon probably figured he’d only have to stay
on the surface for one night.” Nicholas paused. “Which is why we need to act
fast, before Leon makes a bigger effort to disappear.”

“Okay,” I said. “What’s the plan?”

“I hate having to do this in the sunlight,” Nicholas said, throwing an
apologetic look to Lucas, “but I’m afraid if we wait until dusk we risk losing
track of Leon. And then we really
would
have to rely on David Matthews
– and who knows if Leon will continue to trust him at this point?”

“And just so I’m clear, you’re suggesting I
kill
Leon, right?” I
asked nervously.

Nicholas nodded. “It’s as good a time as any to practice your demon
killing skills.” He turned to Lucas. “I can go with Aurora, protect her. Once I
restrain Leon, there’s no real danger. If worse comes to worst, I’ll use the
demon extractor. I think it will still work. The spell transports them to Hell;
the Gates don’t need to be open.”

If worse comes to worst.
Meaning if I wasn’t able to kill Leon. It
would be ironic, really, if after Leon went through so much effort to get rid
of me, it turned out I couldn’t kill a demon after all.

“No,” Lucas was saying, “I’ll go, too. It’s not that I don’t trust you to
protect Aurora, but I’d just be sitting here worrying the whole time. Let me
take one of those pills.”

“I figured you’d say that,” Nicholas said with a grin. “So I’ve got you
covered.” He handed Lucas a small white pill, which he swallowed dry. I
wondered if he always did that, or just didn’t want me to see him drinking the
synthetic blood.

I told Nicholas what had happened with Senara while he drove us to see
Leon. When I had finished, he let out a low whistle. “Man, she’s one crazy
bitch. But first things first, let’s get rid of Leon, then we can focus
all
of
our brainpower on Senara. I’m sure a group of semi-intelligent creatures can
come up with some plan of attack,” he joked, but I could hear the worry in
Nic’s voice.

Nicholas parked the car at the end of the road. He pointed to a
dilapidated house. “That’s it. That’s where Leon is staying.” I was actually
glad for once that we weren’t going out at night; the neighborhood was sketchy,
with row after row of unsavory, rundown houses.

“Wait in the car,” Lucas instructed, “and keep an eye on your phone. I’ll
call you when we have Leon restrained.”

“Are you kidding me?” I asked incredulously, getting out of the car
anyway. “Hell no. I’m coming with you.”

“But it’s too dangerous,” Lucas argued.

I crossed my arms in front of my chest defiantly.

“Come on, guys,” Nicholas said. “We can’t stand here all day. And I don’t
know about you, Lucas, but I’m not exactly enjoying the feel of the sun baking
my back.”

“If I’m going to be a hunter, then I have to start somewhere,” I said
quietly. I started walking before Lucas could answer. He followed, not saying
anything else until we had reached the house. I noticed a cardboard sign on the
front with the words CONDEMNED – DO NOT ENTER written in black marker.

I shuddered. “That’s ominous. What now? We just walk in?”

“I’ll go around the back,” Nicholas said. “You two go through the front.
Whoever finds Leon first restrains him, and then Aurora can do her magic.”

“Okay,” I said, trying to hide the nervousness in my voice.

Nicholas jogged around the side of the house.

“Ready?” Lucas asked me, his hand poised on the doorknob. I nodded. He
turned the knob, looking surprised when the door creaked open. It was pitch
black inside, but I tried not to panic; Lucas and Nicholas could see in the
dark much better than me.

Lucas stepped inside and I followed, close against his back. As my eyes
adjusted to the light, I realized we were in the remains of a living room. A
stained, worn couch was pushed up against a wall, half the cushions missing
from it. There was a bookshelf knocked on its side and stacks of wood leaning
against the already boarded-up windows. For once, I was glad I couldn’t
breathe; the layers of dust and dirt on everything must have been at least two
inches thick.

We kept walking slowly, going farther and farther into the house, all the
while Lucas looking around for any signs of Leon. We hadn’t heard a peep from
Nicholas, so I assumed he hadn’t run into the King of Hell yet, either.

Off of the living room was a small bathroom. Lucas went in while I waited
outside. He returned a moment later with a slight shake of his head, signaling
he still hadn’t found Leon.
What if he’s already left town?

Next we checked the kitchen. Nada. By the time we got to the bedrooms in
the back of the house, we met up with Nicholas. He shrugged and shook his head
helplessly. We were all thinking the same thing:
Where the fuck was Leon
hiding?

Just as we were backtracking to check the house again, I saw a flash of
movement out of the corner of my eye. “Watch out!” I screamed as a blurry
figure leapt out at us, hitting Nicholas over the head with one of the wooden
boards I’d seen stacked in the living room.

It splintered and broke into pieces as Nicholas cried out in pain,
hitting the ground – hard. I watched in horror as his attacker raised one
of the wooden shards, ready to drive it into Nicholas’ heart.

“No!” I screamed as Lucas slammed his body against the man and they both
fell to the ground.

Nicholas, still looking dazed, had managed to sit up now. He sprung into
action to help Lucas. They picked the man up, still flailing, and forced him
into a chair. Lucas pulled out rope from his coat pocket and bound his feet and
legs.

Lucas’ teeth were out; he was furious. “I’d punch your face in, if I
didn’t think there might still be a human inside there. But don’t worry, you’re
not long for this world.”

But the man wasn’t looking at Lucas. His eyes were trained on me. “You!”
he spat out.

“Leon?” I asked, my jaw hard.

“I already had you killed once,” he hissed. “And mark my words, I will
find a way to do it again.”

“Good luck with that,” I said sarcastically. I studied his face. Leon’s
meat suit was about my age, with reddish curly hair and a muscular build.
An
innocent life ruined,
I thought sadly. What were the chances that Leon had
killed his human host, just like Magnus did? It was almost a certainty.

“The Gates,” Leon said, looking between Lucas, Nicholas and me. “Are you
responsible for that, too? I can’t get back into Hell; they won’t open!”