Eternal (24 page)

“It was nothing.”

Della felt Chase's shoulder brush against hers and she looked at him. “Shawn was one of the agents who helped bury Chan.”

“I see.” Chase tilted his head slightly to the side. “They're following now.”

Della focused and could hear the slightest sound of footsteps, but they were still some distance back. No doubt, they thought they were out of hearing range. But along with the additional strength, a Reborn also had extra-sensitive hearing.

“Should we turn around and face them?” she asked.

“No,” Shawn said, lowering his voice. “Let's get to the park. There's a spot in the back where hardly anyone hangs out. We'll have more privacy to ask them some questions.”

They continued down the sidewalk, their footsteps echoing in the night. Shawn made it sound so simple—find a quiet spot and ask the guys a few questions.

Call her a pessimist, but she didn't see it being that easy. Some feeling, a premonition of sorts, told Della this night wasn't going to end without trouble.

That was okay, she told herself. She could handle three vampires. It was matters of the heart that were her downfall, and her thoughts went back to Chan.

*   *   *

They arrived at the park and continued down a path that led behind one of the ponds. Only the stars and the moon gave them light. Della listened to the distant footsteps blending with the night sounds, and even caught the shuffling sound of some unhappy wildlife going for cover.

After a few minutes, the footsteps following them changed course. Della got the feeling the three vamps thought they knew where they were going and wanted to take a different path to try to ambush them.

She cut her eyes to Chase, and he nodded at her as if he was aware of it as well. Della reached out and touched Shawn on his arm and sent a warning look. He nodded as if he understood exactly what she meant.

They arrived at the pond, the moon and stars reflected off the too-still water. They kept walking around to an area toward the back.

A few steps later, she caught the strong smell of skunk. Both Chase and Shawn groaned from the stench. Not that she minded. She was one of those weird people who actually liked the smell. She took a deep noseful. Mixed in the musky scent, she picked up another odor. Oh, hell, she smelled a rat. Three of them. No, a lot more than three.

She cut her gaze, already brightening from the sense of a threat, to Chase. He had a hand covering his nose, and didn't seem to notice. Which was exactly what the rogue vamps had hoped. They'd obviously gotten skunked on purpose in hopes of going undetected. Not even a bad idea. “We've got company.”

She barely got the sentence out when eight vamps landed in a circle around them.

With the threat now visible, her fangs lowered.

“You don't want to do this,” Shawn said.

“Looks like they do,” Chase seethed, his eyes now glowing and his own fangs clearly extended.

“Hey … that guy's pretty smart,” said one smartass vamp pointing to Chase.

“Slow and easy,” Della whispered, warning Chase, hoping he understood that he should let Shawn, the agent Burnett put in charge, do his thing before attacking.

“But I like fast and hard,” said one of the dirty vamps, grinding his hips in a vulgar motion.

Chase growled.

“Calm down,” Della whispered.

“Hand over the backpack, Witchboy,” said the dark-haired vamp to Della's right.

“I think we can work this out. I've got a plan,” Shawn said, sounding cool and collected. Della admired his calm approach. Not that she thought it was going to work, but she had to give him credit for trying.

“Here's what we'll do,” Shawn continued. “I'll give it to you and tell you where another few pints are buried close by. All you guys have to do is answer a few questions.”

“You got more O?” asked the vamp who liked it fast and hard.

“That's right. And all you need to do is answer a few questions.”

The dark-haired vamp, obviously the leader, and even more obviously a rogue, pulled a knife from a holder strapped to his calf. It was an impressive knife—four- or five-inch blade. Big enough to do some damage.

She remembered the knife she'd taken in the chest on her first mission, which was about that same size. Not that it could happen again. Being a Reborn, this guy didn't stand a chance. Or at least, she hoped that to be true.

“Yeah,” the rogue said, “but you see, I don't like questions. But I do like O blood. So why don't you just tell me where the blood is, and that might convince me not to kill you. Or at least to kill you fast.”

The threat made the blood in Della's veins fizz. The knife-wielding vamp smiled and it came off so evil, Della shivered. Not from fear, but from anticipation. Wiping that smile off his face was gonna be fun!

She glanced at Chase. “Okay, so maybe slow and easy wasn't a good idea.”

“Not yet,” Shawn said, holding a hand toward them, then he spoke to the leader of the pack. “You don't want to mess with us.” He raised his shirt and exposed his badge and a flash of his tight abdomen.

Yup, Della could see why Miranda had a thing for the guy.

Things went dead silent. Even the leaves didn't move. No doubt, the rogue leader was weighing his options: cooperate, run like hell, or go forward with his threat.

“We ain't scared of you,” said the mouthy, fast-and-hard vamp. “Are we, Marco?” he asked the leader.

Marco didn't say anything at first. Apparently, he wasn't quite as stupid as his friend.

“There's just three of them,” said another of the vamps.

Marco, the caller of the shots, shifted his stance. His shoulders tensed in a defensive posture. Maybe she'd overestimated his intelligence.

His eyes glowed a bit brighter, telling her he wasn't planning on backing down. She almost wanted to clap her hands.

Marco held out his knife. “I think we get extra points for taking out an FRU agent, don't we, boys?”

Della saw all the vamps reach down for their own knives, and in a flash, they charged. All eight.

 

Chapter Twenty-six

Della went after Marco first. She snagged his knife and tossed the weapon at a tree trunk, where it sank all the way in, handle and all. Swinging up and around, she gave him a good kick in the stomach. That didn't take him out. So she went for his balls. He landed on the ground moaning.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the fast-and-hard vamp lying facedown on the ground. Chase was now taking on one of the other vamps and looking good while doing it. She twisted her head to check on Shawn. He had two swords in his hands, and the friggin' things glowed. They reminded Della of Kylie's magical sword. He had some moves down, but with three of them swiping blades at him, he probably could use some help.

Della calmly walked up, tapped one on the shoulder. When he turned around, knife held out, she kicked him in the crotch. Hey … if it worked the first time, why not go for it a second?

He fell to the ground and curled up in a fetal position, moaning like his leader. She started to step in and assist Shawn with the other two, but spotted one of the other vamps making a run for it with the backpack and O-negative blood.

And that just wasn't acceptable.

“Come back here, you coward!” Della bolted after him.

The escapee had a good stride. Probably would do well in the Olympics if he wasn't racing with Reborns. She caught him by the scuff of his neck in less than thirty seconds.

He turned, his knife aimed forward. She dodged it. Catching his wrist, she turned it, almost to the point of breaking it, before he dropped the weapon.

He also dropped the backpack and took a swing at her with his left hand. She hadn't expected it and he clipped her chin. It hurt like hell, but pissed her off even more.

“You're going down!” she heard Chase scream from behind them, and the bushes rustled with his fast approach.

“No. He's mine!” And wanting to change her tactics a bit, she fisted her hand and coldcocked the vamp. He fell to the ground in an unconscious lump.

She hadn't finished shaking off the pain in her knuckles when Shawn's yelp filled the darkness. From pain or anger, Della didn't know. Didn't take the time to consider. Both she and Chase flew back to the warlock.

The blond agent had blood oozing from his shoulder and he'd lost one of his swords. But his determined look said he hadn't thrown in the towel yet. He moved in even, liquid steps, holding off the tallest and the last of the vamps.

Della caught Shawn's eye. “Can I help you?”

“No,” he seethed as he came down hard and blocked the vamp from moving in to use his knife again. “I got it!” he muttered. And he did. As the vamp cut his eyes to Della and Chase, Shawn knocked the weapon from the vamp's hand. He started to turn and run, but suddenly he froze. Not froze as in just stood extra still. But literally
froze.

A few tiny icicles hung from his nose.

Della looked back at the warlock and he still had his pinkie out.

“Why didn't you just do that to start with?” Della rubbed her chin where she'd taken the blow. It wasn't broken, but felt swollen.

“It takes a second of calm to do it. They came on fast. I can pull up swords faster than I can curses.”

“Ahh,” Della said, not getting the whole magic thing.

“Nasty,” Chase said, moving close to see the guy's face.

“You okay?” Della said, motioning to Shawn's arm.

“Just a flesh wound.” He held himself proud, but having been stabbed once, she knew it had to sting like hell.

“I have some electric cuffs in the backpack if you want to start containing those guys.” He looked around for the backpack.

“Oh, one of the guys took off with it. I'll get it,” Della said, but when she turned, Chase was already returning with the backpack in one hand, and dragging the rogue she'd coldcocked with the other.

“That was easy,” Shawn said a few minutes later as he watched her and Chase cuff all but the frozen vamp. “You two are good.”

Shawn nodded at Della and then his gaze shifted to Chase. “Burnett's right. We need to steal you away from the Vampire Council.”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” Chase said.

“You do know we pay twice as much as them?”

“Not happening,” Chase said with sureness.

Why not? Della wondered, but then pushed it away to consider at a later time.

Exhaling, feeling the adrenaline lessening, she fisted her hand that felt slightly swollen from the knock-out punch, and right then her jaw started to throb. A slight noise came from the frozen guy, who must have been defrosting because saliva dripped from his mouth. She glanced at Shawn.

She tossed him the last pair of cuffs. He caught them and locked up the frosty vamp. “You didn't do too bad, yourself,” Della told him.

“Actually…” Shawn forced the cuffed vamp onto the ground next to the others, and then stepped back and pulled out his phone. “My orders were to get info without trouble. Burnett's not going to be happy.”

“Is he ever?” Chase mouthed off, then moved next to Della and took her chin in his hand.

“That idiot left a bruise.” He looked back at the unconscious culprit.

“It's nothing.” Della stepped away from his touch.

“It's over.” Shawn's voice echoed behind them. “Yeah, she's fine.”

Della rolled her eyes knowing Burnett asked about her first as if she couldn't handle herself. How embarrassing!

“Told you he's overprotective,” Chase whispered as he lifted her chin again.

“And what are you?” She slapped his hand.

“We're all fine,” Shawn said, a little louder as if to caution them that Burnett could hear.

She and Chase faced him and Della tilted her head to the side to hear the voice on the line.

“Is everyone else okay?” Burnett's voice came from the phone.

“Yeah.” Shawn looked down at his bleeding shoulder.

“What's wrong?” Burnett asked, hearing his lie.

“I got cut, but it's not bad.”

Burnett moaned. “Did we get anything?”

“Well, it didn't go down like we wanted. We're going to need a paddy wagon.”

Burnett moaned again. “How many?”

“Eight.” Shawn walked off and Della couldn't hear Burnett anymore.

“You really okay?” Chase asked her and reached for her hand that she'd used to knock out the rogue.

“Stop,” Della snapped.

“Hey?” Shawn looked back over his shoulder. “They are all alive, right?”

Chase glanced at the eight vamps lined up like downed dominos. “Yeah, but I could fix that.” He glared daggers at the vamp who'd hit her.

*   *   *

Della and Chase followed the car with the rogues to the FRU offices. Burnett met them in the entrance. He walked right up to her and lifted her chin.

“It's just a bruise!” she fumed.

“Which one did it?” he asked in quiet fury.

“What does it matter?”

“The one in the brown T-shirt,” Chase volunteered.

Della scowled at Chase and then back to Burnett. “Why is it that Shawn, who took a knife to his shoulder, just walked past and you never went mother hen on his ass?”

Burnett frowned. “Because my daughter isn't named after him. Besides, I have a doctor meeting him right now. Now, were you hurt anywhere else?”

“No, I'm fine.”

“The fist,” Chase answered. “She knocked one out. Did a good job of it.”

“I am fine!” Della growled.

Only then did Burnett glance toward Chase. “You okay?”

“Not a bruise.”

“Bragger!” Della mouthed off.

Burnett looked at the door. “Can you see that Della gets back to Shadow Falls? We'll take over from here.”

“No!” Della and Chase said at the same time.