IM02 - Hunters & Prey (24 page)

“You’ll need to hunt tonight,” he said as dug through a duffle bag at his feet. “I need everyone at full strength, especially you. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

I nodded and slid from the bed, grabbing my clothes off the floor. “I’ll hurry.” I walked to the table to give him a good-evening kiss.

He looked up, meeting my eyes, and I caught a feeling of dread vibrating off of him. “I mean it. I don’t want you to get hurt,” he said. “Hunt fast, but pick clean blood.”

I was momentarily taken aback by his serious tone. Through our bond I sensed his worry. I guessed that if it weren’t for my friend being a part of this, he wouldn’t allow me to join them in this fight.

“Yes, sir,” I said and mock saluted him. I meant it to be playful, to lighten his tense mood, but the effort was lost on him. His frown deepened. With that, the smile on my face faded too. “I’ll be back shortly, okay?”

I walked toward the bathroom to splash some cool water on my face and toss on something to wear while I hunted.

Santino expected us around midnight. That didn’t leave much time to be picky, but then again we were on the Strip, a place known for having a wealth of unsavory characters. With minimal effort, it should be easy to locate a quick meal. After dressing, I took the elevator to the hotel lobby.

I wanted someone strong, yet untainted by drugs or alcohol. Lysander was right, I didn’t need any negative effects in my system when we went into battle. The occasional lingering high that comes with inebriated blood might be too much of a distraction.

The casino, as usual, was filled with hookers, pickpockets, and cheats; all slightly evil in their own right, but not enough for me to take as my victim. Vampire or not, I still had some humanity left and didn’t want to kill petty thieves. I needed someone who had more dangerous intentions. A real criminal. Someone worthy of the death my bite would bring.

As I wandered between the gaming tables, blackjack, baccarat, and pai-gow poker, the flood of human smells permeating the air tempted me. Each fragrant note played at my senses, calling out the beast within. I found myself stopping at the various tables, watching the players instead of the cards, savoring their scents. Occasionally the dealer would shoot me a curious glance. I wondered if I appeared strange; perhaps he saw me for the creature I was, or maybe he was just waiting for me to buy in to a game. Deciding it would be better to go someplace less conspicuous, I ventured outside, hoping to find quick prey.

After the fiasco with being trapped and bled out by Quentin, I hadn’t had a chance to hunt on my own. I’d sustained myself on the blood Lysander shared with me. As a very young vampire, I needed to hunt at least every other day. The elders could go weeks and sometimes even months without needing to feed if they wanted. I wasn’t sure how they managed it, though. Just the thought of hunting had the monster in my head screaming for fresh blood. My mouth watered in instinctual anticipation.

Once outside the casino, I headed to the rear of the building. These large mega-hotels were easily accessible from the Strip, but behind them was a different story. A maze of quiet streets, meant only for employees, linked the various hotels. Mostly deserted and seldom traveled during the night, these roads usually attracted the types of criminals I was looking for.

Just as I rounded the corner, a loud yell caught my attention. It sounded like a frightened woman. I closed my eyes, reaching out with my senses, and listened closely. I could hear a distraught conversation, spoken in whispering growls, between a man and the panicking woman.

Perhaps my hunting will be quick tonight
. I smiled widely, hearing a muffled whimper, and licked the tips of my fangs in anticipation.

I stalked toward them, keeping to the shadows. The sound of whimpering grew louder. I sniffed at the air—a thick, sweet scent wafted from a row of bushes. I inched closer and spotted two figures struggling on the ground.

The man looked strong. A thick, bulky head and neck sat atop a mountain of muscles. He bent over the helpless woman, who was no more than squirming skin and fabric beneath him.

With a silent snarl I pounced, driving my fist across the back of the man’s head as I swept past. His body slumped and lay still, like the sack of shit that he was. I hoped I hadn’t hit him too hard. I needed him knocked out, not dead.

Thankfully, the woman was too concerned with her sudden freedom to question what had just happened. As soon as she realized her attacker was unconscious, she squirmed to get up, heaving his limp body off her. She swiped the back of her hand across her face, wiping away the streaming tears, and scrambled to her feet. She spat on his limp form and delivered a swift kick to his stomach before tearing off toward the Strip—running as fast as her legs could carry her.

When the woman was out of sight, I walked over to my victim, who was now nothing more than a lump of flesh on the ground. I had hit him just a little too hard. He was still alive, though probably brain-damaged—not that it mattered anyway. He was unresponsive, unconscious, and drooling. Shaking my head at my own overzealousness, I grabbed his hair, yanked his head and thick neck sideways, and sank my teeth in deep.

Sweet, hot blood flooded my mouth. Like a thirsty person in the desert, I gulped it down. His heart beat strong, pumping the blood into my mouth as quickly as I could gulp it.

The unconscious man slipped further away from life. Weakness settled into his heart. It faltered. The tell-tale erratic thumping signaled the end. The human body can only withstand a certain amount of blood loss before the pressure bottoms out and the heart stops. I had drunk him well past that point, but I needed every drop.

I released him, bit my tongue, and then swirled my blood and saliva over the fang marks on his neck. That would remove any evidence of my attack.

Renewed by his blood, I left him to rest behind a heavy row of shrubs before returning to Lysander and the clan, ready to take on Quentin and the zombies.

CHAPTER 18

*****

W
hen I arrived back at the hotel room, I found Lysander sitting on the bed, polishing a large dagger. I stopped for a moment, watching the motion of his hands as he stroked the blade with a soft cloth. The light reflected off of the highly polished metal, casting a glow all around it. The dagger was large, and seemed to be one solid piece of steel from tip to end. The handle was grooved and rounded, with the head of a dragon transitioning into the polished, slightly curved blade. Two tiny sapphire jewels were set as eyes in the dragon’s head. The blade itself had the design of a flame carved in it, as if the dragon hilt was breathing fire.

Lysander turned and smiled up at me. “It is part of a set,” he said as he ran the cloth across the blade one last time. “We will be fighting with old-fashioned weapons this evening. If these creations are as hardy as vampires, removing their heads will be the only way to ensure they are truly dead. ”

“May I?” I reached out and gingerly picked up the dagger, expecting it to feel heavy in my hands. It certainly
looked
that way. Surprisingly, it felt light as air. No doubt my vampire strength had something to do with this; the thickness of the hilt alone should have felt like a barbell in my hands. Waving it around in front of my face, I enjoyed how fluidly it moved, slicing through the air like an extension of my hand.

“It’s beautiful, Lysander.”

“You may use that one. I shall use its match.” He pulled out another dagger from the black duffle bag on the bed.

“Thank you,” I said with a smile. I cut the air again with the blade, admiring the sapphire eyes sparkling as they reflected the light.

“Let us practice with it. You’ll need to be accustomed to it for tonight. Be ready to remove the head of those beasts.”

I shuddered, remembering the screaming beast that had attacked me before. It was strong and fast. Santino had been there and pulled the thing off of me. A small worry had me wondering if I would truly be able to handle one on my own.

Lysander stood in front of me. “Come, let me see you in action.” He held his dagger poised and ready in his hand. “Take a swing at me.”

“Really? Right here … in the room?” I suddenly felt awkward and clumsy. I brought the blade down to my side and tapped my knee with the point.

“Yes. Right here. Right now.” His face became stern and all emotion disappeared from his eyes. “And don’t play with it. That dagger is not a toy. Hold it like you plan to use it.”

I gulped. Bringing the dagger to waist-level, I held it, point upwards, with the blade facing Lysander. “Is this right?”

He scoffed. “You look ridiculous. Don’t grip it so hard. Keep your wrist loose. Put your weight on the balls of your feet. And bend your knees a little. Be ready to defend without warning.” He took a swing at me, his arm moving in a fast, blurry downward motion.

Instincts kicked in and I brought the blade up just in time.

“Good. Again.” He took another swing, this time, stepping in close to me.

Unprepared for the second attack, I wobbled where I stood, taking a step back to avoid falling over. I tried to block; our two blades
clanked
. Mine broke free, flying from my grasp to the floor with a dull
thud
.

“You are going to have to do better than that,” Lysander cautioned. “If you keep up your current level of competence, you are as good as dead.” He crouched low, at the ready. His blade held firmly in his right hand. With his left, he pointed to my fallen dagger.

I know I can do better than this.

Not breaking eye contact with Lysander, I bent down to retrieve my fallen blade. “Let’s go again,” I said, matching Lysander’s serious face with my own resolve.

His eyes narrowed and his mouth formed a cruel slash across his face. “Okay, take a swing now. Attack me.”

I brought the blade up with me as I stood. Holding it firmly in my hand, I swiped at Lysander’s chest.

He blocked easily with a smooth, fluid motion, pushing my dagger and arm to the side as he rotated around me. I stumbled, then caught my balance.

Arching his arm as he spun Lysander brought his blade back down.

This time, though, I was not caught off guard. I watched the angle of the blade and was ready to defend. I twisted toward him and brought the dagger up, just in time. The
clang
of metal on metal echoed in the room as our daggers collided.

“Very good, Alyssa.” Lysander bowed his head briefly in recognition of my achievement.

That little gesture sent a flutter through me and made me feel a bit better about taking on the zombies. If I could defend against Lysander, that had to count for something, right? Feeling a little cocky, I took advantage of his momentarily relaxed stance and swiped at him again.

He leaned back just out of my reach. “Good instinct. Never give up an opportunity to attack.”

I blushed at his approval and turned away to hide my reddening cheeks and the smile stretching my lips.

I realized a fraction of a second too late that he was probably going easy on me. Without warning, his foot swept my legs, sending me crashing to the ground.

I groaned as I hit the floor, but didn’t drop my weapon. Rolling over, I scrambled to my knees.

“That’s another thing you should know. Never turn your back on an enemy,” he said as his arm snaked around my middle and his blade pressed against my neck.

“Point taken.” I gulped. The blade bit into my skin. My heart skipped a beat.

Lysander lifted me to standing and dropped his dagger on the bed. “Always be aware of where your enemy is. You must be alert. Never give an enemy a way to surprise you.”

I turned around to face him, our eyes met, and I saw again a hint of the worry he’d been trying to hide all evening.

“I wish there was more time to practice.”

“You could stay behind,” he said softly.

“No,” I said a little louder than I wanted to. I was worried too, but I couldn’t walk away from this fight. “I’ve got to make sure Fallon is okay. I have to help you and the clan. I’m not staying behind. Just because I’m the youngest member of the clan doesn’t mean I’m incapable of fighting.”

“That’s not what I was trying to say. I just want to ensure your protection. That’s all I’m concerned with.”

“This isn’t my first fight, Lysander.” I shot him an angry glare. “I was there at Kallisto’s, if you remember.”

“Yes, I do,” he said with a sigh. “All the more reason for me to worry. I cannot have you charging in after Fallon, like you did for me.”

“You’re mad that I went back for you?”

“No. But you need to think before you act. It doesn’t always end well when you do things on impulse.”

I groaned and buried my head into his chest.

He stroked my back. “Just stay close to me, love.” His voice was no more than a whisper. “I will do my best to protect you.”

I looked up, meeting his gaze. He caressed my face with his hand.

I dropped my dagger on the bed, wrapped my arms around him, and leaned into his chest. “I’ll try not to get into too much trouble tonight.”