Exiled - 01 (18 page)

“I guess that answers your questions,” Rayna said.

“What questions?” I asked.

Her warm cat eyes met mine. “First, your power is strong. I mean, insanely so for someone who just received it. Second, it wasn’t just the magic in the sanctuary; you really are a fire and water elemental.”

“Well what about you? What you did back there with the rocks was amazing.”

She smiled and inclined her head slightly. “I’ve done things like that before, mostly by accident, but it’s never been quite that impressive. Marcus thinks the mixture of the demon and hunter powers within me must complement each other somehow. It’s hard to say what’s what when it comes to my magic.”

We stared at each other a moment and for the first time I could see Rayna
 
not as a demon, but as a person. I didn’t know exactly what I felt, but it was good, and that scared me.

“We should get Willy,” I said, shaking the feeling away.

Rayna stared at me a moment longer before she nodded. “What’s the plan?”

“What do you mean? We give Vincent the scroll and get Willy back.”

“You can’t be serious. We’re not giving Vincent the scroll.”

“That was the deal. We get the scroll so we can get Willy back safely.”

“You can’t honestly give the scroll to an evil demon after what just happened down there. We don’t want it in the hands of someone like him.”

I sighed. “We made a deal.”

“So what? You were intended to have it, not him.”

“I gave my word and I intend to keep it. The magic of the scroll is gone. The worst that could happen is it leads him to another soul piece, and they’re all in other dimensions. The portals to them have been sealed for thousands of years. I don’t care how powerful he is, he’s not strong enough to break the seals. Besides, the two of us can’t take on an entire nest of vampires. You said so yourself.”

“I know what I said, but…”

“Look, if all Vincent can get from the scroll is a clue to another soul piece, if he’s even smart enough to figure that out, then so be it. The power of the scroll is inside me now, whatever that means.”

“You’re right. We’ll get Willy back and worry about the scroll later.”

I think Rayna realized I wasn’t willing to negotiate, but I also knew she was right. Vincent shouldn’t get the scroll, but I couldn’t think about that now. First, I needed to save Willy.

Three vampires stood outside the gate as we approached and one stepped forward. He had bleached blond wavy hair and light purple eyes set in his pale skin. His body was skinny and he looked like a teenager. The poor kid hadn’t had time for his body to fill out before he was turned.

“You have the scroll?” he said. His voice was still a kid’s too, not given time to deepen.

“Where’s Willy?” I demanded.

The vampire smiled, letting his fangs drop from his gums. His skin became a transparent film, his veins ran black against his flesh and talons extended over his nails. I knew he wasn’t very old as a vampire, as the younger ones always thought that was impressive. All it did for me was give away that he was, at best, a few decades old.

“I’m Max and I’ll be handling the exchange. Give me the scroll and you can have your friend,” he said. His fangs gave him a lisp.

Rayna laughed and it surprised me. “No, that’s not going to work for us. We’ll deal with Vincent directly.”

Max returned the laugh. “You’re not in a position to be bargaining, little girl.”

I couldn’t resist cringing at those words. I didn’t think being called a little girl would go over well with Rayna.

Her fist flew towards him and her knuckles cracked against his face. The crunch of his nose breaking made me grimace. He hunched over and brought his hands to his face as blood poured from his nose.

“Dammit,” he swore loudly.

I patted his back as he hunched over. “I know, I’ve been there.”

“Get ’em!” he yelled. His voice was muffled through his hands and fangs as blood seeped through his fingers.

The other two vampires shifted in response, fangs dropping and razor talons extending. In a flash, they rushed towards us.

Rayna and I both fell into fight mode. Rayna unlatched the whip from her hip and pulled it back. It cracked as the silver tip snapped against one vampire’s skin, splitting it open. A fierce roar escaped his transparent lips as he touched the gash across his face.

The other vampire stopped and looked at his buddy. I took that moment to slide a dagger from its sheath. When he turned back to face me, the blade was already screaming through the air. It finished its last rotation and slid deep into his chest. His skin crackled with a faint orange glow and his body lit up as though a star exploded inside him before it shattered into ash. The dagger made a soft
tink
as it hit the pavement.

I did a dive roll to pick up the blade and the other vampire attacked. I had the dagger in hand, ready to push through his chest, but before he got close enough, the silver-tipped whip coiled around his neck. Rayna pulled back on the whip and he went flying. His back hit the pavement and Rayna was already plunging her blade deep into his heart. His ash swirled in the air before settling over the ground.

We turned to Max, the fury of battle painted on our faces. He watched us from between his fingertips, hands still cupping his face. “I’ll get Vincent,” he said in a defeated voice. His face changed back to its more mortal appearance and he ran back to the warehouse, a puddle of blood pooling on the ground where he had stood.

Rayna still had her battle-ready look on her face. She nodded to me and I nodded back gravely, as a sign between soldiers to acknowledge we had each other’s backs. If a warrior could have one thing that was irreplaceable, it was a good partner. I’d never had one before and Rayna had proved to be not only capable of covering my ass, but willing to. Somewhere along the way I had begun to trust her, and I think I had even started to need her, which was probably a mixed blessing.

Max returned with a dirty rag covering his nose. He beckoned to us and we followed him into another part of the warehouse.

A mix of vamplings and vampires stood in a circle and parted as we came towards them. Hissing followed us as we walked through the opening, but neither of us acknowledged it.

A large area rug covered a piece of the concrete floor in the middle of the room and was covered in standard, if old, living room furniture. Considering that Vincent’s family was the most powerful in the city, I wasn’t sure why he stayed in such a slummy building.

Willy sat on the smaller of two couches with Vincent in a single chair opposite him. We took our seat on the unoccupied sofa and Willy sighed in relief.

A smile pulled at Vincent’s dark red lips. “I must say, I’m surprised to see you,” he said. “You’ve been gone but a few hours.”

His flawless skin seemed to glow as the moonlight flooded the room. I could feel more vampires staring down at us hungrily from the second level. I felt like I was sitting in a bucket of fried chicken in the middle of a dinner table.

“We hurried,” I said.

His eyes fell on me and I could feel the press of his power against my shields, faint but present. He was trying to be inconspicuous this time, but my shields were up. I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

“Hmm, you look different, hunter. You feel different.”

I tried not to let my surprise show. Was it that obvious? “I’m the same as when I left.”

He watched me for a moment before turning his golden gaze on Rayna. “And you look tired, my sweet.”

“Thanks for pointing that out.”

He shook his head. “My dear Rayna, I must apologize for my outburst earlier. I have since regained my composure and I offer you an honest apology for my words and actions. I was brash.” His words and eyes displayed every ounce of sincerity he intended us to see, but I wasn’t buying it.

“Of course,” Rayna said, smiling.

“I am thankful for your warm, forgiving heart, my sweet Rayna. You have an understanding of me like no other. That is what I find so irresistible about you. You have the compassion that so many have lost during their long years.”

Rayna kept the smile on her face. “Does this change of heart mean we can have Willy and the information for the usual price?” Rayna said with a flirtatious stare.

Vincent’s reply began with warm laughter, but he shook his head. “I’m afraid a deal is a deal, my sweet. Your dear friend returned to you, unharmed, and you will have the information you requested in exchange for the scroll. Now, I have held up my end of the bargain, and as much as I’d love to give you everything you ask for, this is one thing I cannot compromise. I assume since you’re here that you’ve fulfilled your end of the bargain.”

Rayna’s smile faded and she looked at me, her eyes begging me not to give the scroll to him.

“We have,” I said, and disappointment washed over Rayna’s face.

Vincent’s yellow eyes flickered with excitement and his attention turned to me.

“But…” I added with a smile. “…you have not completed your end of the bargain.”

Vincent’s eyes went cold again. “Whatever do you mean? I have your little friend right here. Ask him yourself if he’s been harmed.”

I looked at Willy and he shook his head. A portion of my tension escaped me.

“I can see he hasn’t been harmed, however, our deal was for us to be allowed to leave unharmed as well.”

Vincent smiled with only his lips. “I have a level of appreciation for your thoroughness, hunter, but you have killed two members of my family and injured several others in your two short visits here. Surely you do not expect this offense to go unanswered.”

“It will go unanswered, that is, if you ever want to see what’s on this.” I pulled the scroll out of my pocket and his eyes glowed with excitement.

“Is that it? Let me see it!” he said in a rush.

I shook my head. “We’ll need to arrange another way to make the exchange that ensures safety for me and my friends.”

Vincent stroked his chin and watched me. “As you can see, you are quite outnumbered. I could simply take it.” His straight tone implied that he didn’t offer this idea only to tease us, but had considered it seriously.

I tried to think of another way out and I did the only thing I could think of, something I knew I shouldn’t have. I gripped the scroll tightly in one hand and opened my free hand below it. I focused as quickly as I could and opened the fiery part of my soul. I pushed that warm magic through my body and into my hand. I felt the heat pour out and a ball of bright blue fire ignited in my palm.

Rayna’s eyes opened wide with panic and the circle of vampires stepped back. They knew it didn’t take more than a spark to make them to go up in flames. It was one of the more painful ways for them to die.

Vincent’s expression had changed from arrogant glee to panic.

“Or I could burn the scroll as well as any of you who come closer,” I said.

“W-wait, wait, wait!” Vincent stuttered, losing his verbal grace. “Don’t do anything out of haste, n-now. Surely we can come to an…agreement.” The fear was plain on his face and it wasn’t fear for his life, but for the destruction of the scroll.

It brought me satisfaction to see Vincent fumbling over his words. All his confidence flew out the window at a spark of magic. I was in the driver’s seat and now, all I had to do was figure out which way I was going.

Rayna knew I wouldn’t light the scroll on fire. Her fear was that I would lose control and burn myself, not an unreasonable one. If the vampires saw I couldn’t control my own element, things would get bad really fast, but I didn’t see any other options.

I put my focus back into the fire and thought of the cool rush of water moving over it. The flame snuffed itself out and smoke billowed from my hand, leaving no damage this time.

“Now, let’s talk about this in a civil manner,” I said.

Vincent relaxed in his seat and nodded. “Yes of course. But do tell, hunter. Were you not exiled from your little hunter club for having no powers, no element?” The coolness had returned to Vincent’s voice, as he presented himself as in control of the situation once more.

“That’s the story,” I said. I locked my gaze with his, not giving any hint of deception.

Vincent watched me with careful eyes before responding. “So, what will you have of me?”