New Spark (Dark Magic Enforcer Book 3) (16 page)

"That's exactly what we will find out. Right after we get Kate we're going to see Rikka and then we will kill every single person who attacked your people."

"Good."

We made the rest of the trip in silence.

That Feeling

As we pulled up at my house, sky dark, the only light coming from the living room windows, spilling out in a weak illumination of the patio area outside the front door, I got that feeling of being watched again, of something not being quite right.

The darkness didn't help. Heavy gray cloud hid the weak moon, only the faintest trace of light pollution reflected down from the sleeping streets of the city. I left the SUV's headlights on, casting long shadows behind every tree, every plant or bush, that could have been a crouching figure ready to pounce on us before we knew it. But then I remembered who, or what, Plum was, and as we stood by the car I watched her as she turned this way and that, nostrils flaring as she checked for alien scents. I knew she would go ballistic on anyone that may be hiding.

I heard the chickens clucking from their nesting area, snug in their warm, safe little house, all tucked up and huddling close for comfort.

"Looks like a nice place, Spark. Very cozy."

"You should come by in the daytime, I'll show you around."

"I didn't think Kate would be too keen on that. Plus, I never got an invitation." She smiled at me weakly, the small talk a real struggle.

"Of course Kate likes you. Um, I mean, I think she does." Now that Plum mentioned it, I wasn't so sure. Not that it was her fault. Kate was well aware of the animal magnetism Plum exuded, of her curves, and probably of my wandering eyes. She had sounded jealous the few times I'd mentioned her, or said I had been with her for whatever reason.

What was wrong with me? Now wasn't the time for such ridiculous thoughts, but it's strange what the human mind will latch on to rather than face the realities of a situation. I guess we always look for an easy way out, sometimes even pray for one.

Shrugging my shoulders, my muscles burned, the tension causing stiffness and hard lumps of bunched nerves. I focused on that, got my head together and smiled a useless smile at my friend. Plum was in need. Her people were dead, and all hell was breaking loose in the city.

Now that I thought about it, everything was fitting into place. For the life of me I couldn't recall the last time I'd had an enforcer job, or any kind of job, where I hadn't encountered a vampire somewhere along the way, usually because Taavi had sent a goon or three to keep an eye on things. They had been distinctly absent from the events of the day so far, and not once had there been a vamp on the scene. That should have been enough to tell me what was going down.

They hadn't been around any of the suspicious troll activity, they had been absent from any conversations I'd had with anyone, none had turned up to ask about zombies roaming the city center, or at the zombie safe-zone, and although I hadn't thought about it at the time it was definitely weird. After all, if the zombies went crazy killing people, that meant less food for the vampires. They needed humans to survive, yet were conspicuous by their absence.

Could that explain why the trolls had killed the zombies? To ensure they didn't spoil the food supply? I wouldn't put it past Taavi, but maybe I was letting my imagination run riot.

"Spark? There are people here. Not people. Vampires."

"Can't say I'm surprised. Come on. Let's get inside. The lights are on so hopefully Kate is home." I took Plum's hand. She was shaking, palm cold and clammy. Plum doesn't do nervous, she does kick-ass enforcer. I think shock had finally set in, as even her skin had a gray pallor, but it may have just been the light from the car. I didn't think so.

I wanted to crawl into bed and hide under the covers. There had been too much killing, too much pointless barbarism. It was inhuman, cold and done in a way that brought home the truth about the vampires—they did not care. It meant nothing to them, this genocide. They were out for extinction and thought nothing of it, no remorse for those left grieving. Anyone not vampire was a sub-species to them, not worth their consideration, certainly not pity, which they no longer had anyway.

Without my consciously drawing it, magic came. I felt the familiar tingle, then the burn as my tattoos channeled it around my body to the centers of power.

I knew we would have to fight at some point, but now wasn't the time, so rather than go ballistic and burn the damn vampires out, I did the sensible thing and, clutching Plum tight, her hand slick and getting cooler by the second, I pictured us in a bubble of warmth, a blue glow of comfort and protection made real by the power of my focus and the thoughts I channeled through my navel where the main chakra lies.

It extended out and around us, enveloping us with a shield that would stop just about anything as long as I kept focus. We walked at a comfortable pace to the house, not rushing, not acting scared, two enforcers that would never be made to cower or act like frightened children no matter who was watching from the woods.

At the house, I called out so Kate would know we were there, then I opened the door. Kate stood the other side, wide-eyed and in a panic, face flushed, her curly blond-brown hair stuck to her head with terror sweat, ready to cave in our heads with a poker from the fire we loved to get roaring and cuddle up in front of on the sofa watching TV like I'd heard Regular people did all the time.

"It's okay. It's just me, and Plum."

"I thought it was them. There are vampires out there, Faz, and they want me. They want everything."

"I'm here now. Take Plum into the living room, please. She's had a bad night. Her people, Kate, the vampires killed them."

"That's inhuman! What happened?" Kate lowered the poker and looked from me to Plum, but Plum just stood there, like a statue. I wasn't even sure she could hear what we were saying.

"They wiped out the shifters. All of them. Later, I'll tell you later. Just get her into the living room, you too, and stay there, okay? You all right?"

"Fine. A bit shaken up. They wanted me to stay, Faz. I went to them, to Taavi, earlier, but things were crazy. The twins, they were there, nearly everyone else was gone, and they told me things. Terrible things, Faz. Where have you been? I couldn't get hold of you. I needed you."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I've been trying to get this mess sorted but it keeps getting worse. We'll talk in a while, just get into the room and do not come out until I tell you to, okay?"

Kate nodded and took Plum by the arm—she didn't resist.

"Kate? Have they been inside? Who's out there?"

"No, they haven't tried. They're just waiting, Faz. It's freaking me out."

"I know what they are waiting for."

"What?"

"Me, of course. They are cleaning house, Kate, removing everything in their way. This is it, what I've always dreaded happening. They want it all. It's time."

Kate shook her head. "Time? I don't understand."

"It's time to end this once and for all. Is your phone working?"

"Yes, why?"

"I need to make a call. Where is it?" Kate fished in her jeans pocket and handed me her phone. I stared at it blankly, used to my flip up.

"Seriously?" Kate squinted at me as if I was making a joke at the worst possible moment.

I shrugged, looking at all the tiny icons blankly. Hey, technology isn't my strong suit. I'm more a hands-on guy. I'm Black Spark, not Smart Phone User.

Kate took the phone, tapped away a few times then handed it back. "Just punch in the number using the screen, don't worry about the rest."

I tapped the numbers on the screen carefully. It felt like it took a lifetime, my fingers seemingly deciding now would be a good time to show how stressed I was. I made a call, praying Dancer would answer.

"What?" Why is no one polite anymore?

"Dancer, how many necromancers do you know?"

Unwanted Guests

After a quick conversation with Dancer, him filling me in on what was happening and me the same, I checked on Plum and Kate. Kate was sat forward on the sofa with Plum beside her, staring blankly at the glow from the fire.

Kate was talking to her quietly, like you would to a frightened child, but Plum said nothing, lost to us, mind elsewhere. She was deep into shock now, unable to cope with the true horror of what she'd seen and participated in. I knew Plum, and knew she would feel responsible, as if it was all on her to protect an entire community. It wasn't, but that wouldn't make things all right.

I nodded to Kate, said, "You gonna be all right?" She nodded back, then pulled a blanket from the back of the sofa and draped it over Plum's bare shoulders.

Knowing things would escalate, I went back into the hallway and opened the front door.

"Come on then, you fuckers." Yes, sorry about that, but in case you haven't noticed I was rather annoyed with what was happening to my friends, my people, my world.

Even before I'd finished my sentence, two vampires did that weird shimmer-shudder appearing thing that is totally unsettling. They were there, right in front of my face, bodies still vibrating with the speed of the movement.

Their pale faces shone with bloodlust, lips full and red, emanating that unsettling vibe that always makes you want to look over your shoulder like someone is behind you, ready to tap you on the shoulder and say, "Boo!" Well, nothing could be worse than having two thirsty vamps in front of you, unless that thing was more than two.

I watched, mesmerized for a moment, as their lips parted in unison, revealing canines dripping with vampire venom, a pale milky liquid that can entrance you and glamor you more than their eyes if you focus on the sparkle and the shine, the promise of what it can deliver if they bite you and allow you to live to make the choice—immortality or death.

A mental shield slammed down hard and fast as tendrils of insanity crept into my mind, their attempt to control me and send me screaming into the night as their true nature was revealed. I brushed it off, snarling at their pathetic attempts to control me. They flinched slightly, unused to such a rebuff, but recovered from the surprise quickly enough.

The male, tall and angular, long hair like dark moss on an old oak, licked his lips. It was weird. I could taste the poison, taste the promise it offered, the pain it guaranteed.

"Time to say goodnight," said the woman, voice of an old vampire, echoing around my skull like she had a forty a day habit and didn't plan on quitting any time soon.

I sneered at them. My best one, a real lip-curler. "You got that right." Pain engulfed me as my right arm turned as crimson as my shirt, the darkness of my tattoos overflowing with magic, exploding red as it almost doubled in size, jabbing out as fast as they could move, going right through the male and out the other side.

Empty of emotion, I looked into his eyes. I saw the realization, that he didn't know who the hell he was messing with. The confidence vanished in a wave of agony that contorted his features, as his blood washed over me and bubbled as my magic intensified.

His flesh smoked, and blood dripped from his eyes down his cheeks while I found myself focused on a pure drop of vampire poison that fell from a canine as his mouth stretched taut, the skin splitting as the magic permeated every cell of his body, roasting him alive from the inside out and never stopping.

I sucked down his magic, deep and fast, my body expanding as his wilted.

It ate him up, obliterated his blood magic, consumed him faster than he could repair his body through the magic he had stolen from the innocent over the centuries.

With a wet sucking sound, I pulled my arm free and shook off the goop, the limb still horribly swollen. The magic was unstable, unable to keep up with my anger. I was losing the plot and well past caring.

This was my home! These were the people I loved that were under attack, and nothing, absolutely nothing, would get past me. I'm not normally somebody who kills, though. Yes, I have, but disagreements hardly ever get this out of control in our world.

We blast magic, we hurt and maim, I take magic from those that need to be punished, keeping order and ensuring they never push the limits again, but it seldom comes to this.

It was liberating, and scary as hell. I made myself sick because of the wildness I let loose. There is no worse feeling in the world than killing and knowing you feel happy and satisfied with what you have done, no matter that they deserved it.

This is their ultimate victory. They ruin you, destroy your humanity because you enjoyed taking away the essence of a person. You feel vindicated because they are bad, but the fact you gloat and are glad they are dead, that's the worst thing cruel human beings can do to you when you get your revenge.

You think they have taken it all away from you, but trust me, it is as nothing compared to the realization you are more like them than you would ever care to admit.

Not that it stopped me. I shouldered the dead, but still standing vampire, and was running past his body before his partner had the chance to grab me. Vampires are beyond merely strong, they are superhuman, and when their anger is up they can tear you limb from limb like you are an insect. I know, I've seen it done, and it isn't pretty.

The woman was beside me in a heartbeat. I knew her, or knew of her, same as the dead guy, and they were both bad news. Proper hardcore vamps, totally immersed in the culture, centuries old, unable to come out in daylight. True creatures of the night and utterly vampire. Not like some of the others, where they still play a part in the life that goes on all around them, but entirely removed from the Regular world. This pair dealt only with their own kind, killed often, thought nothing at all of humans. And that meant me.

Well, one down, one to go. What I couldn't figure out was why there were only two. Surely Taavi knew me well enough to know it would be unlikely that I would be defeated by them? A terrible feeling came over me moments before I heard the screams from the house. The woman smiled at me as I turned at the sound. It was Kate. She needed me.