19. NINETEEN

nineteenThe mansion looked like a beehive that had been disturbed as we took our leave. I followed Liam to the underground garage where Thomas’s fleet of vehicles were waiting. There were several empty spots already. Those that remained looked mostly identical. Black Escalades as far as the eye could see.

“Wow.” I stopped to stare. “When I accused you of all driving clones of the same vehicle, I didn’t realize how close to the truth I was.”

We found Daniel and Eric waiting for us beside one of the Escalades.

“Nice motorcycle,” I said, admiring one of the few vehicles that was different from the rest. “Whose is it?”

The bike wasn’t the only exception in the sea of monotony. Beside it was a parked Jeep. There was also the odd SUV that was not an Escalade. A mustang and a corvette were also present.

“Mine,” Eric said, opening the driver’s door of an Escalade and getting inside.

Impressive. And not something I would have expected from this enforcer.

“Any chance of me taking it for a spin one of these days?” I asked.

“About as good a chance as you letting me drive Gwyneth.”

That was a hard bargain.

Daniel ignored us as he focused on Liam. “Is it wise to divert our attention with a challenge issued?”

“These are the master’s orders.” Liam’s response was enough to silence the other man. “Besides, wasn’t it you who thought Ahrun needed to be dealt with?”

“Is this a suicide mission then? Because the three of us won’t be enough to take out Ahrun.”

“Excuse me,” I objected, feeling a little insulted. “It’s four.”

Had he forgotten about me?

Daniel’s hmm managed to be both dismissive and insulting as he climbed into the front passenger seat.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered, finding my way into the back seat.

Liam joined me as Eric started the car. The garage door opened and Eric drove up the landing and onto the street.

“Where to?” he asked.

“Head south.”

Daniel shifted in his seat. “Are we sure about her intel?”

“Unless you think an ancient has learned to use a cellphone in the short time he’s likely to have been awake, I’d say yes,” I answered for Liam. “You know I always considered you the strong silent type, but now I’m thinking you’re more the grumpy, nagging sort.” To Eric, “Is this usual behavior for him?”

“Yes,” Eric said as Daniel rumbled a, “No.”

I stared at Daniel’s ear, wishing I could take a look in the enforcer’s brain to see what made him tick.

“What?” he snapped.

I shook my head. “What was that between you and Thomas earlier?”

He tugged at his ear as he looked out the passenger side window. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I snaked my hand forward, grabbing a chunk of his waist while simultaneously pinching and twisting.

“Ow!” Daniel slapped my hand away. “Stop that. Liam, control your woman.”

Liam’s smile was faint. “That’s an impossibility. Aileen’s her own person.”

“I seem to remember being my own person when we met and that didn’t stop you from being an autocratic dictator.”

“If I recall, you tried to cut off my arm. Failing that, you then attempted to stab me through the heart. The comparison doesn’t hold up.”

Daniel’s expression twisted. “Didn’t she shoot you in the chest?”

I waved a hand. “Let’s not dig up the past. I’m still waiting on an answer to my question.”

“What’s the matter? Did your BFF Nathan not tell you all about it?”

“You’re jealous,” I gasped with delight.

“I’m not jealous.”

“Is it because I have a BFF or is it because you think I stole your BFF?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Daniel scoffed. “If anybody is Nathan’s BFF, it’s Eric.”

We looked at the quiet enforcer.

Eric was calm as he changed lanes. “I consider everyone my BFF so no one ever feels left out.”

I collapsed in a fit of laughter as Daniel gave him a disgusted look.

“Anyway, I still want an answer,” I said when I composed myself again.

“No one was saying it so I did,” Daniel rumbled. “Giving up on Ahrun would allow Thomas to get into the good graces of the council. No one actually wants Vitus to rule. They just need a reason to side against him. If Thomas compromised, he’d be able to continue building his base of power.”

I glanced at Liam, wanting to see how he was receiving this information.

“Thomas has never been able to be objective where Ahrun is concerned,” Daniel added. “He was this way in Europe and he’s like this now.”

Most children weren’t, when it came to their parents. I wasn’t certain Daniel understood that, since his enmity with his own sire was well known.

“What you’ve failed to take into consideration is that Ahrun’s reputation protects us far better than his death ever could,” Liam finally spoke.

“Even if he goes on a rampage and kills thousands?” Daniel asked with a sharpness that made me think this was the true reason behind his objection.

“He went into deep sleep rather than allow that to happen.”

“He’s awake now which means he’s a threat. To everyone.”

“The fact the news hasn’t reported a swath of murders across the country supports Thomas’s theory that Ahrun has more control of himself than others believe,” Liam said coolly.

“For now. But you’re going to have to make the hard decision one of these days.”

Liam didn’t flinch from Daniel’s stare. “And when that day comes, I will do what is necessary. As will Thomas.”

Daniel faced front. “I hope you’re right.”

The silence lasted for about two seconds before the next turn had to be announced.

“Left here.” I sat back, glancing between the three vampires as I silently cursed the fact that I’d had to bring any of them with me. If this was how it was going to be the whole time, I would have preferred a solo rescue mission. Ancient, terrifying vampire or not.

A quarter of an hour dragged by as we headed further south of the downtown, keeping to the main streets of the city. By the time we neared our destination, I was more than ready to be ejected from the car.

Daniel scrutinized the area outside his window. “Ahrun had a taste for the finer things. I can’t imagine him in a place like this.”

“Did you expect him to check in to a five-star hotel?” I asked.

I could see it now. Our mummified skeletor walking into a hotel and politely inquiring about their best room, right before draining the concierge and guests.

“Am I wrong?” Daniel asked Liam.

The other man didn’t immediately answer as he stared out the window at the rundown neighborhoods we passed. More than one house looked abandoned, their windows boarded up. Chain link fences protected deserted lots overgrown with weeds. Squat buildings that looked as attractive as cement covered trolls sat on every corner.

“It’s a far cry from his former self,” Liam agreed in a soft voice.

“This could be a trap,” Daniel said.

“Unless you think Ahrun magically learned all the intricacies of modern technology in a few days, I think it’s safe to say he’s not using Connor’s phone to lure us into his den.”

“Maybe not him,” Eric said pensively.

We all looked at him.

“It’s in keeping with something Dominick would do. Use the thing we most desire to lead us to our deaths.”

See, this was why it was so important to pay attention when Eric spoke.

“And are we even certain Ahrun has Connor?” Daniel asked.

I watched the dot on the map that was Connor’s phone. “Yes.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do.”

The grumbly sound Daniel made in the back of his throat showed his disapproval.

“It doesn’t matter if Ahrun is on the other end of this or Dominick. We have to check out this lead regardless,” Liam said.

“I find the timing highly suspicious. At the same time as the challenge?” Daniel was like a dog with a bone. “It’s like they’re trying to divide and conquer.”

I patted Eric’s shoulder, pointing at a red and white diner on the left side of the street that looked like it had been in business for decades. The paint on the sign was slightly faded but in good enough shape that the diner must have been a popular place in the neighborhood. The lights inside said it was still open.

“That’s where we’re going,” I said.

“You think Ahrun is in a diner?” Daniel asked with skepticism.

“What do you think?”

“You’re the one who pointed and said ‘there.’”

I took a deep breath. Do not try to harm the enforcer no matter how stupid he is being. He will not like it and you will probably die.

“Look behind it, genius.”

I swear he was doing this on purpose.

He squinted. “I see nothing but trees.”

“It’s an abandoned building,” Eric said.

“I checked on the map earlier and did a little research. There’s an abandoned cement factory directly behind the diner.”

“Park in the diner’s lot. We’ll go on foot from there,” Liam instructed.

Eric didn’t bother with his blinker as he made the turn. There was a slight bump as he drove over the low curb before finding a spot on the side of the diner. A place where the lights from the windows didn’t reach.

“What about the humans?” Daniel asked as we climbed out of the SUV.

Through the window, we could see the diner was empty except for a waitress and a single patron seated at a booth. Neither showed interest in our presence, barely glancing in our direction before returning to their quiet evening.

“I doubt they’re going to be a problem,” Liam said, dismissing them.

The night swallowed Liam as he rounded the corner of the building and started for the street behind it. I said “street” but it was little more than a threadbare road that hadn’t been maintained in a long time. Narrow, its edges eaten away through the years, the asphalt was pocked marked and full of holes.

I followed the others toward the faded remnants of a gravel driveway and the sad attempt at a gate that was supposed to be guarding the entrance. One end had listed to the side to lean almost entirely on the ground. The only thing that prevented it from fully falling was the chain binding it to its mate. Trees and vines choked the perimeter, hiding the old cement factory I knew waited beyond.

Alches stepped out of the shadows from those trees, his eyes reflecting the night before he blinked.

“See something?” Daniel asked, perceptive as he scanned the area.

Eric stopped, his gaze lingering on the spot where Alches had been. His forehead furrowed briefly before his expression smoothed out.

“Just an animal. Nothing to worry about,” I answered.

This didn’t seem like the best time to explain Alches and how he’d come to be with me.

Daniel and Eric didn’t press, and we stopped in front of the gate to stare at the labyrinth of buildings that stood like a forgotten monument to days gone by. Nature had already reclaimed a portion of the abandoned factory and surrounding land.

The cement factory possessed the forlorn atmosphere of a building whose purpose had been forgotten. The cement of the parking lot had become cracked from time and exposure to the elements, weeds growing through the gaps with a tenacity that was slightly amazing in this urban environment.

It was difficult to describe the factory itself, the many buildings creating a maze of walls that were perfect hiding spots for someone who wanted to go unnoticed.

And despite its air of neglect and decay, the graffiti covered walls made it clear that it still had its share of visitors.

“How long has this place been abandoned?” Daniel asked, taking in the state of decay with a frown.

I shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

I hadn’t dug too deep into the history of the place once I’d confirmed it as the location of Connor’s phone.

“I’m guessing decades,” Eric said softly, his expression almost sad.

Liam moved toward the flattened path of weeds that bypassed the gate and signified repeated human incursion. More and more, this was looking like the place we wanted. It was exactly the sort of hideout I would have chosen in Ahrun’s place. A consistent human presence that meant a plentiful food source, yet isolated enough that other supernaturals weren’t likely to venture close.

“All that rust. I can practically feel the tetanus.” Daniel’s unhappiness was like a wet blanket, leaving him grumpy and irritable.

“Can vampires get tetanus?” I asked.

“We cannot,” Liam answered for him.

He slid through the parking lot without a sound, easing through the debris that was everywhere, the moonlight illuminating his path.

“Why do you care then?” I asked Daniel, trying not to cringe when my foot knocked a piece of debris into another. Hope Ahrun didn’t hear that and realize we were coming. “I didn’t expect you to be this fastidious.”

Daniel’s frown was just short of a glower. “Why? Because I was born in a time your generation considers backwards?”

“No, it’s because I’ve seen the way you fight.”

Which usually ended with Daniel covered in blood and enjoying every moment of it.

Daniel bared his teeth, his expression a little psychotic. “That’s different. Blood is life.”

“You have an interesting outlook.” I followed the others toward the building. “Blood carries way more pathogens than a piece of rusty metal.”

And at least with tetanus you could get a shot to prevent it. You couldn’t say the same with the diseases caught from somebody else’s bodily fluids.

“We’re vampires. Blood doesn’t affect us.”

“Neither does tetanus, apparently.”

Daniel bared his teeth at me again and quickened his place as Liam looked back with a tiny smirk that said he knew what I was doing.

“I’m just trying to understand,” I protested.

“Have you stayed in an abandoned building like this before?” Eric asked, taking an interest in the conversation.

I nodded. “Several times.”

I didn’t mention the safe houses I’d set up in abandoned buildings similar to this one throughout the city and surrounding areas. If I ever had to go on the run, it was better less people knew my habits.

At Daniel’s surprise, I shrugged. “Sometimes I get caught out and need a place to rest.”

I’d also bedded down in the occasional drainage pipe to escape the sun’s rays.

Eric and Daniel stared at me in a way that made me suspect they felt sorry for me. They shouldn’t. I was quite proud of the way I’d survived.

“We should split up from here,” Liam instructed, glancing upwards. “Eric and Daniel, start on the roof and work your way down.”

Daniel’s nod was serious as he lumbered toward the wall. He broke into a run, reaching the wall and jumping up before catching a hand hold. After that, he scaled it with little effort.

Eric paused beside me. “Daniel dislikes the idea of tetanus because many of his comrades perished from it before humans realized the cause.”

Eric raced after his fellow enforcer, scaling the wall as gracefully and silently as Daniel had.

“Silence from here on out,” Liam cautioned before disappearing into the dark maw of the building. Shadows swirled as Alches padded after him, leaving me behind.

“Yes, who wouldn’t want to investigate a creepy, abandoned building where a possibly insane, ultra-powerful vampire might be hiding out?” I mocked silently. “How do you get yourself into these sorts of predicaments, Aileen?”

I shook my head and followed Liam into the building, careful to make as little noise as possible.

Wind blew through the broken windows, creating a moaning sound.

There was a hushed somberness that almost felt like the world had been placed on pause. I would understand if visitors considered this place haunted. It would be easy to let your imagination run away with you. To hear and see things that weren’t there. I wondered if a ghost hunting show had ever done an episode on this place.

The first few rooms we passed were empty of human or vampire presence. They contained piles of debris and trash that I wasn’t certain belonged to the former occupants.

Certainly, the broken beer bottles were more recent. The pile of rubble was a product of decay from portions of the ceiling collapsing.

Like the exterior, the walls inside were covered in more graffiti, the magnitude and complexity of some of the designs were stunning.

We passed into what might have been the main area at the front of the building, before time had brought down its roof, exposing the cement blocks of the walls to the elements. I took a peek through some of the doors leading off the area, finding rooms a little less trashed than the ones we’d passed. Some still contained metal cabinets and machinery. All of which were also covered in graffiti.

Liam tapped me on the shoulder and nodded to a doorway ahead. I followed him into another section of the building, neither of us speaking. While we weren’t making undue noise, we also weren’t trying to be silent.

If the ancient was here, he would know of our presence no matter how carefully we moved. Better to act naturally than try to sneak up on him.

We entered another room with raised rectangles that looked uncomfortably like cement coffins marching down either side.

Liam came to an abrupt stop, his body unnaturally still.

I stepped around him, searching for the source of his alarm.

Moonlight streamed through a row of broken windows and the collapsed ceiling on one side to illuminate the room. Magic glinted in my other sight as I dropped into it. A spell that masked the wearer from all senses except sight sparked into view ahead.

“I’m going to owe Daniel the biggest apology later,” I grumbled as Dominick stepped out of the shadows.

It turned out the big guy was right to be paranoid.

“Searching for this?” Dominick held up a phone I recognized as Connor’s.

Liam didn’t betray his surprise, not even by a flicker of an eyelash. “How did you get that?”

Dominick tucked the phone away. “You could call it luck. My people had instructions to grab Connor or Ahrun if given the opportunity. They almost succeeded in the first when your sire intervened. The phone being left behind was a happy accident.”

I used my peripheral vision to see who else Dominick had brought to this party. My other sight picking up six power signatures waiting just out of view.

I moved closer to Liam, putting my hand on his back and drawing a six on it. With his skills, he probably didn’t need the warning. However, since all of them were wearing the same masking spell as Dominick, I thought it better to be safe than sorry.

“Thomas will be disappointed you stood him up,” Liam murmured.

“Does this mean Dominick loses by default?” I asked, stalling for time.

Dominick’s eyes were like chips of black ice. Freezing cold with no emotion behind them. “Don’t worry. I ensured Thomas would get plenty of entertainment from the little surprise I arranged for him.”

“Don’t tell me. Let me guess.” I tapped my mouth in thought then pointed. “Hunters, right?”

“It’s amazing you’ve lived this long.” Dominick’s lip curled as he glanced at Liam. “Though I suppose that was more your doing than hers.”

How insulting. As if I was incapable of saving my own skin.

“How long have we been rivals? Four centuries? Five? It’s quite amazing to think that comes to an end after tonight. I think I’ll miss you.”

Liam’s expression was flat. “We were rivals?”

I choked on a nervous laugh.

Rage flashed across Dominick’s face before it vanished like a pebble tossed into the ocean, sinking out of sight without a trace. “Say what you want, but this is checkmate. You lose.”

“Oh.” There was a lack of fear in Liam as he examined our surroundings with boredom.

I nudged him. “Do you maybe want to pretend to be interested in the conversation? I’d really like to not die tonight.”

The least he could do was buy time until Daniel and Eric could get here to reinforce us.

Dominick’s gaze moved over my shoulder. “Look who joined us. Our guest of honor.”

I turned as Deborah walked through the door we’d entered, her face pale but resolute.

“You’re supposed to be at home,” I said.

“And miss all the fun?” Deborah’s bravado couldn’t quite cover the shake in her voice.

I sighed, shaking my head as disappointment moved through me. “I thought I was a better judge of character than this.”

Deborah was our mole after all. The only thing I didn’t know was if she’d betrayed me because Chadwick used her sister’s life against her or if her sister even existed. It didn’t matter now. None of the vampires would let her off after this. She was doomed.

It was too bad. I’d really liked her.

“Don’t be too hard on the little human, Aileen. She really wasn’t given a choice in the matter,” Kat purred, shoving Deborah forward.

She stumbled further into the room. Anger showed on her face before she composed herself, blanking her expression so that no emotion showed.

The brief lapse in her mask gave me hope. That maybe she was telling the truth and I’d misunderstood somehow.

I curled a lip at Kat. “What are you wearing?”

She’d dressed up like she was going to a club. Not like she was attending an ambush. Bright red heels, several inches high, decorated her feet. Their height had to make it difficult to walk. Every step Kat took flashed the long line of her legs. Her dress was the same shade as her shoes, bright, look at me, red.

Deborah curled in on herself as if bracing for a blow as Kat stopped beside her. The action drew my attention to signs of trauma along Deborah’s jaw and cheekbone. A gash, crusted over with dried blood, ran into her hairline.

“They hit you,” I said flatly.

No. That was too mild a word. They’d beaten her.

Now that I’d noticed the signs, I could see the ginger way she was holding herself. One arm wrapped around her ribs as if it could control the pain.

I’d cracked my ribs a time or two in my life. It was an unpleasant experience. You never realized how important those suckers were until they were broken. And then you were reminded every second of the day, with every breath you took.

There was an apology in her eyes when she looked at me. As if it was her fault that they’d hurt her.

And not mine for dragging her into the middle of this.

Liam’s hand landed on my arm, keeping me from moving.

Fine. We’d do this his way. For now.

But Kat wasn’t living through this night. I promised myself that.

Kat drew a sharp nail down the side of Deborah’s neck, opening a razor thin, red line. The sharp tang of blood spilled into the air.

The tiny whimper Deborah made threatened to crack my control. I grabbed Liam’s hand, squeezing it as hard as I could. If I didn’t, I was going to throw myself at Kat and probably get us killed.

“It’s amazing how predictable you are,” Kat crooned.

Breathe, Aileen. Just breathe.

Deborah wasn’t in any true danger right this second. Kat was too invested in toying with me and getting a reaction to kill her. The moment I gave her what she wanted Deborah would be dead.

Liam’s answering squeeze helped clear my head.

At least until Kat grabbed a handful of Deborah’s hair and yanked the human’s head back at an awkward angle that allowed Kat to run her nose down the side of Deborah’s neck. All the while smirking playfully at me.

Chadwick’s arrival barely registered.

“All I had to do was put a damsel in distress in your path and you threw yourself into my trap,” Kat gloated as Chadwick came up behind her to set his hands on her hips. The pair’s eyes were hungry as they stared at me over Deborah’s neck.

“Thomas made the right decision exiling you from the city,” Liam said.

Chadwick hissed, flashing his fangs. “He’s a fool who doesn’t know how to run his territory. I had the longest tenure and the most experience and yet he threw me out like garbage.”

“You were also the most corrupt. You’re lucky he didn’t end your miserable existence.”

“His oversight will be the reason you die tonight,” Chadwick retorted.

“Why is Deborah here?” I asked, abruptly.

Was it to cause me mental distress? Throw me off my game? Or were they just sadistic?

I was betting on the last one.

“After all the trouble you’ve caused me, I want you to suffer while I torture your companion, the human you tried to save,” Kat snarled.

I hated being right.

“You really should have been taught the dangers of taking another vampire’s former companion for yourself,” Kat continued, her earlier anger disappearing. “Chadwick has a fun little gift. He can scan the thoughts of any human he’s shared blood with. The best part is that since it’s not technically a compulsion, it’s almost impossible to detect. Even for someone as skilled as Thomas’s pet healer. It wasn’t particularly useful, but it was fun watching you turn in circles in search of a traitor when all it took was placing a tracker on your car at the Gargoyle. Add in the bug we put on your phone during the meet and greet when you left it unattended and this was far easier than I thought it would be.”

Kat smirked at Liam. “Makoto tends to be overconfident in his abilities. He never once considered there are ways to circumvent his security. I doubt he even looked through Aileen’s phone.”

“I’ll be sure to inform him of his oversight later,” Liam murmured.

“I’m sorry, Aileen. I didn’t know he could scan my thoughts. I swear.” Deborah’s voice cracked.

“I believe you.”

Kat’s grip on Deborah’s hair tightened. “Isn’t that sweet? She forgives you.”

“Fuck you, bitch,” Deborah snarled.

“What is it with the people in my life having a death wish tonight?” I said, hoping to distract Kat from retaliating against the human. “At least wait until she doesn’t have your neck in her hands to tell her to fuck off.”

I thought that was commonsense.

“Is that what you would have done?” Deborah asked, still channeling that bravado.

“Definitely not,” Liam said.

I looked at him. “I might have.”

“You would have enraged your captor, mo chuisle. We both know that.”

Okay, probably.

“You’re being awfully quiet,” Liam said to Dominick.

I agreed. It was like he was waiting for something.

“Not that we don’t appreciate your villain speech and everything, but what happened to all the killing?” I asked as the side of Deborah’s cross-body messenger bag bulged. A second later, tiny hands hooked on the top of the bag and Inara poked her head out.

Oh no.

She waved at me, way more excited by this hostage situation than I was.

Lowen joined her.

Great we were all here.

“He’s timing our deaths for when the challenge starts,” Liam answered for Dominick. “He’s hoping the shock will distract Thomas and make him careless.”

Dominick’s faint smile remained plastered on his face. “To answer your question, Aileen—the human is here because anyone with ties to Ahrun’s line will be stamped out by dawn. My master learned something very important the last time he went up against Ahrun and lost. That the bonds Ahrun has with his progeny and any who belong to their lines give him power. He uses them for fuel and to increase his strength. It’s why we had Thomas’s witch lover curse him. To ensure Ahrun had no other connections to stabilize him as we slowly weeded the rest of his line from this world.”

Dominick’s gaze moved to Liam. “We’d planned to curse you too, but you never gave us an opening.”

“That’s why you went after Lilith,” Liam said softly, not showing any surprise at this news. “You knew her death would tear Ahrun apart.”

Dominick’s smile was hard. “His devolution started after that, didn’t it?”

I was starting to understand why Ahrun had made me drink dream-blood to establish a link. Maybe Dominick and his master’s plan wasn’t as crazy as it seemed.

“And as for Thomas, you’re right,” Dominick drawled. “Your deaths will advance our cause very nicely.”

Helen and Arturas glided out of the shadows behind Dominick. Helen bounced on her toes like a boxer about to step into the ring. Arturas was more neutral, lumbering behind her with a blank face.

“We both know that no matter how strong a vampire is they will react to the death of their progeny. Isn’t that why Ahrun has spiraled the way he has? Because of Lilith’s death at Vitus’s hands?”

Arturas and Helen stopped in front of Dominick.

“Thomas will fall. You will fall. Ahrun will fall,” Dominick promised. “Before dawn comes. Ahrun’s reign will end.”

Helen had a mad grin on her face. There was something really wrong with her. “Is it time?”

Dominick inclined his chin. “Go.”

For the first time since meeting Arturas, something other than nothingness showed on his face. Savage anticipation as he opened his mouth to roar.

Before either could move, several objects fell from the sky. They hit the ground with a thump and rolled until their vacant eyes stared at me.

I gaped at the heads for a second before looking up to find Daniel standing next to the hole where the ceiling had caved in.

“We’re not late, are we?” Daniel rumbled.

The enforcer was covered in blood. It coated his face and hands, all the way up his arms to his elbows. He lifted a hand and licked some of that blood off his skin like a cat.

“This is why your fastidiousness surprised me,” I told him.

He grinned as three more heads joined the first couple and Eric appeared on the other side of the hole.

“I apologize for our tardiness,” Eric told Liam. “Daniel refused to walk through any rooms that had rust in them. It forced us to find an alternative path.”

“It’s fine,” Liam drawled. “If you’d arrived earlier, Dominick wouldn’t have had the chance to finish telling us his master plan. We wouldn’t want to be rude.”

“No, we wouldn’t,” Eric agreed.

“Aileen was right,” Liam said, looking back at Dominick. “You should have killed us immediately. Now you’ll never get the chance.”

Dominick snarled at his subordinates. “Deal with them.”

Helen’s cackle followed her as she dashed forward. Eric dove off the floor above, tackling her. They crashed into a wall, punching through it into the next room.

Arturas crouched to lift a chunk of debris as big as his body before hurling it at the ceiling beneath where Daniel stood. A boom shook the room, collapsing the ceiling under Daniel.

He fell, chunks of cement, metal and plaster raining down on him to bury him beneath.

“Uh oh,” I whispered as magic signatures lit up my other sight.

“What’s wrong?”

I felt nauseous as I met Liam’s gaze. “There’s a lot more than the six vampires I sensed earlier out there.”

He’d brought a whole army.