18. Callie

Fury sizzled with excited energy in my palm as I sprinted further into the storm, rain water flooding over me in an icy torrent.

The biters filled the huge square before the town hall but their attention was fixed away from me on the opposite side of the open space where the Belvederes fought wildly. Clarice leapt above the battle for a moment, her snarling face lit by the fire which continued to blaze behind me before she dove back into the mayhem.

They didn’t need my help to fight these monsters, but Montana had been alone with Wolfe and I wasn’t going to let her face him without me.

I ran to the right of the building, hunting the darkened streets for any sign of them to no avail. Alleyways lined the square but I wasn’t sure where to start my search.

Watch out, Sun Child, Fury whispered and I ducked down just as a biter leapt at me from the shadows. He sailed over my head and I swung my boot into his chest the moment he landed, throwing him into the wall of the building behind him.

More of them raced towards me, the whites of their eyes shining with a desperate thirst as I set my feet and let my gifts flood through my limbs.

Three of them reached me at once and I danced between their attacks, slashing Fury across arms, faces, stomachs, burning their skin with my righteous blade as they shrieked in pain. A female clutched at a gaping wound on her arm and I lunged towards her, piercing her heart and using the space her fizzling remains left open to avoid the next attack.

More of them closed in and they surrounded me quickly, using their numbers to overwhelm me. They called out for my blood with desperate cries as I stumbled back, working hard just to keep them away from me.

Grasping hands clutched at my arms, my hair, anything they could reach but I kept fighting, killing and wounding them so they couldn’t restrain me.

I roared a battle cry at them, refusing to bow to their bloodlust as I killed again and again, but they were like a never ending tide. Each monster I destroyed was swiftly replaced by another.

One of them caught my left arm in an iron grip, yanking me towards his teeth before I could fight my way loose. I screamed in anger and pain as his fangs sliced into my elbow and I rammed Fury straight through his eye.

I swung away from him as he released me but the biters had me pinned down and more grasping hands caught me, their fingernails digging into my flesh as a second set of fangs found their mark and pain flared in my shoulder.

A bellow of rage filled my ears as someone else joined our battle. I continued to drive them off of me, kicking and punching whilst swinging Fury in a vicious fight for survival.

The biters’ attention slipped from me as they were attacked from behind and I managed to twist my arm and drive Fury through the heart of the female who was drinking my blood.

A small measure of space opened up before me as the biters shrieked warnings to each other and the battle turned against them beneath the wrath of their new opponent.

I growled in anger, kicking out at a female who stood before me and taking her head from her shoulders with a deadly swipe of my blade.

A heavy weight slammed into me from behind and I was knocked from my feet, colliding with the concrete. I rolled, bringing Fury up and piercing the heart of the biter before he could follow me to the ground.

I grunted as a boot landed in my side, pain flowing through me as the vampire swung her foot back to kick me again. I caught her boot in my hand on her second strike, gritting my teeth as I twisted her ankle as hard as I could with my gifted muscles until the bone snapped and she fell back.

I started to push myself up but an Elite leapt on me, shoving me down onto the concrete as he drove his fangs towards my throat.

“Callie!” Fabian roared from somewhere close by, but I couldn’t respond as I fought for my life beneath the huge vampire who had me pinned.

His hand snared my throat and I scrambled beneath him as his impossible strength trapped me. The Elite grinned at me a moment before his teeth pierced my neck and I spat curses at him as his venom flooded into me.

I stabbed Fury into his side again and again, but he only flinched at the pain as my blood flowed from my body and into his mouth. I couldn’t find his heart and his bulk immobilised me as he continued to feed.

His weight disappeared so suddenly that I barely managed to close my eyes as his ashes cascaded over me.

A female Elite with long blonde hair stood over me, offering her hand as I snarled at her.

“I’m here to help,” she said quickly, taking a step back as I raised Fury between us.

I scrambled to my feet, glaring at her in confusion as I realised she’d saved my life. But before I could work out how I felt about a vampire helping me, the biters closed in on us again.

The Elite leapt into the fight at my side, swinging a silver sword in a deadly arc which carved straight through two of our enemies at once.

I wasn’t sure what to make of fighting shoulder to shoulder with this stranger, but I didn’t have much choice as the flood of biters came for my blood once more.

Before they could reach us, Fabian collided with them, tossing them away with his immeasurable strength and tearing into their bodies with his bare hands.

Some of the biters turned and fled from his rage, and he snarled like a feral beast as he placed himself between the rest of them and me.

He fought like a wild animal, biting and breaking limbs, tearing the rebel vampires apart and ripping their hearts from their bodies as he turned them to dust.

The Elite who had helped me rushed into battle at his left, and I moved to intercept the enemies on his right.

I swung Fury over my head, bringing it down with all of my strength as I cleaved a biter in two before hefting it towards the next demon.

Lightning slammed into the ground in front us, striking again and again as Valentina wielded her power and we were forced back as the incredible force of nature divided us from our enemies.

Fabian turned to me, his eyes wild as he took in the bites which marred my skin.

“Are you alright?” he asked desperately, taking a step closer to me.

I stared at him, unsure what to say. He’d been fighting to save me as I was overwhelmed and a surge of gratitude flooded through my chest.

“I’m fine,” I replied lamely.

The rain was already washing the venom from my wounds and I had more pressing issues to deal with.

I almost asked if he was alright; he was coated from head to toe in blood and gore and ash, but I could tell that none of it was his.

The biters raced towards us again as Valentina’s lightning strikes stopped and panic speared through me.

“I need to find my sister and Wolfe,” I said urgently.

“Go,” Fabian said. “I’ll hold them back.”

“I’ll help you, sire,” the female Elite said fiercely.

He eyed her like he’d only just noticed she was there. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“Danielle,” she replied. “I was guarding the bridge; I came to help as soon as I was told what was happening here.”

“Well, Danielle, let’s find out what you’ve got,” Fabian said darkly.

She grinned in reply as she lifted her sword high and waited for the biters to reach them again.

I eyed them with guilt stirring in my chest; they’d both just saved me and I was going to leave them here, but Montana needed my help and Wolfe had to die. I took a hesitant step back and Fabian nodded at me.

“Go,” he urged again, rolling his shoulders back as he prepared to dive into battle once more.

“Thank you,” I breathed then I turned and fled.