19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

A fter hours on horseback, the Dusk Quarter appeared. The yawning mouth of the cave, guarded by the worn statues, greeted them through the gloom. Elaine shifted restlessly on her saddle, tightening her grip on the reins. They'd ridden as hard as they could, but she could tell Aya wanted nothing more than to just to take off on her own. Perhaps fly the whole way herself, if she had any confidence in flying.

But Elaine reminded her that Tobias did the same thing, and that she needed to trust them. Besides, it gave Alexios time to meet them at the quarter. The vampire in question emerged from the shadows as she dismounted, and he approached them with a grim smile.

"I wasn't sure if we should warn Nora that we're probably going to cause a mess in here," said Alexios, glancing toward Aya.

Aya shook her head. "I'm not taking any chance of letting anyone know we're coming. They're going to regret the day they took Sabra."

The quiet threat hung in the air.

Elaine closed the distance to Aya, grabbing hold of her hand until their fingers wove together. "Then we make them pay with screams and blood."

Aya slanted her a lingering look, softening to a small smile. "Who knew you were such a vicious little creature?"

"I am for my family."

The smile slipped for a second. Aya kissed her, hard and quick, and pulled away before setting off toward the entrance of the quarter.

Elaine hurried after her, followed quickly by the others. Chaos crashed over her; wide streets, teeming with life; men and women of the night lounged in front of brothels, winking and whispering to those who wandered past; sellers plying their trinkets and bottled goods from carts and little stalls. Wafting aromas from bakeries and inns thickened the air with the scent of freshly baked pies, roasted meats, candied fruits, and spiced breads.

Her stomach grumbled, making her curse the decision not to devour some of the cold pies they had preserved in the cellar. She tried not to think about the last meal she ate. Once they got Sabra back, she'd devour a whole bunch of pies and drink a bottle of honeyed wine. Then, when she was full and sated, she'd curl up beside Aya and sleep for an entire week. Well, perhaps not as long as that, given the whole risk to their existence. Maybe a full night of sleep.

Now that sounded heavenly.

Whispers abounded in their wake, curious and wary stares latching onto Aya. No one made any move to stop them, none daring to even look her way. Either in respect or fear, Elaine supposed it didn't matter.

No one dared to stand in Aya's way.

"We're close," said Aya, her voice gravelly, thrumming with magic.

A shiver rippled over Elaine's shoulders, stealing right down her spine.

As they turned down a street with only a handful of folks spilling out from an inn, a prickle of demonic magic brushed against her mind. It tainted the air in acrid notes, souring in her stomach like poison. Light instinctively flared around her hands. She quickly stifled it for the moment.

"What's the plan?"

"I saw Sabra chained up in a room on the second floor. Around fifteen guards, a mix of wolves and vampires. Some I couldn't get a read on, so I'm assuming human. We move fast, no mercy, and keep close. I don't want to lose anyone today."

"Vampires?" Alexios cut in with a stunned expression.

"Two males. Don't remember them from the mansion, so I'm assuming they're quarter locals."

Alexios tilted his head, one brow lifted. "You know the face of every vampire under my control?"

Aya merely offered a predatory smile.

The smile slipped away as they reached a narrow street shooting off the one that they were on. Aya held up her hand.

"Third building on the right. There are two vampires out the front."

Alexios cracked his knuckles. "Might I do the honors?"

"Keen for a little murderous violence, are we?" Aya crooned.

"For Sabra? Yes."

A ghost of a smile pulled at Aya's mouth as she stepped aside, Elaine quickly taking up beside her. Alexios exploded forward. One minute by their side, the next in front of the guards. Elaine never even saw his hands move but heard the sickening crunch of bone all the same. The vampires crumpled to the ground. Alexios turned back to them with a beckoning hand, no regret evident in his steely amber eyes.

"He's…efficient," she murmured.

"And I wondered how he might fit in with our family," Aya replied with a wry smile. "Tobias picked well."

They broke into a jog, with Aya surging ahead. She moved straight past Alexios and drove her fist into the door.

Oh.

Wood exploded inwards, shards flying. Someone screamed out in alarm. Aya surged inside, hauling with her a wave of darkness. Elaine lost sight of her as she sprinted inside, her own arms ablaze in ribbons of light.

Someone launched at her, snarling viciously. She ducked out of the way, firing off a blast into his back. He hit the ground; a hole blown right through his chest. She spun away, chasing after Aya as she raced up the stairs. Alexios and Tobias followed close behind, cutting down those who tried to attack them from behind. Bodies fell, the stench of death choking the air. More warning cries sounded off within the warehouse.

If anyone hadn't heard their arrival, they certainly did now.

Elaine kept close to Aya, firing off blasts at anyone who got too close. Twice she stepped back as Aya fired her own bolts, cutting down a woman who raced out of the room. Her eyes blazed with light, lips parting—

A syren?

There was no time to think about it as Aya plowed through another door. Her lover stopped dead in the middle of the room. Wings in the way, Elaine moved to her side. Her jaw dropped at the woman standing by the desk where Sabra and Zari were talking. Their friend, unharmed, was lounging in the chair. The pair's eyes widened, locking on them, as if surprised that they had come after Sabra.

Elaine couldn't look away from the third woman. Her own palm burned, a reminder of the very deal she struck with the one before her. The debt owed. She couldn't find the words to speak, nor could Tobias or Alexios by their own pale, stunned faces.

Aya wasn't so silent. Her wings tucked in behind her back, but the room darkened with shadows, and she spoke with a voice cold as death. A name, sounding more like a curse meant to punish a whole city, bearing the power only uttered about in legends. Terrifying, full of wicked promise and death. A name that roared through Elaine's own mind, unable to make it past the lump in her throat.

"Nora."