Immortal Revenge (45 page)

They made it out of the kitchen and headed toward the front door.

“And you’re going to stop them?”

“Yes, now hurry the fuck up, Ben.”

Holding Charles’s legs above the ground, she pushed forward. Ben glanced behind him and quickened his pace. Ahead, Jules held the door open.

“Is Riker coming?” Jules asked as Ben passed by her.

“Andy said he would bring him.”

Ben slowed as he twisted and took each step down the front porch. Jules ran past them and headed for Charles’s car.

“I take it this Riker fellow is a friend?”

“A friend of Kyle’s.”

Ben shot his gaze to Katie. “A vampire?”

“Friendly. Well…” She paused, thinking of the right description. “An ally.”

They hurried over the lawn to get to the police cruiser.

“And you expect me to leave you here alone?”

“Ben, shut up and move.”

Energy bubbled within her. Too much to do and little time left. She needed to see them off, run back inside and grab her weapons. Then, she’d have to figure out a plan to hold off the two vampires. If both came at her with all their strength and speed, she wouldn’t last long against them.

Jules waited by the open back door of the police car. She stepped aside as Ben twisted and heaved Charles’s upper body into the backseat. Katie took a deep breath, then shoved the unconscious officer further into the vehicle. His long legs stuck out, preventing the door from closing. Katie bent his legs and turned him. The position looked awkward and uncomfortable, but thankfully, he didn’t feel anything.

“Get in the car and go,” Katie said to Jules as she stepped back.

Jules rushed at her with her arms up. She gave Katie a quick hug. “Kill the fuckers.” She released her hold, then hurried to the driver’s side door.

Katie back stepped while she faced Ben. “You need to go too.”

The frown and tight lips were clear signs he didn’t want to leave. Katie looked up at the darkening sky. She didn’t have time to argue with him again. While facing Ben, she continued on a path to the farmhouse and pointed at the car. “Go now!”

The defiant cop slammed the door to the cruiser, then strode in front of the vehicle. Jules revved the engine. Her wide eyes met Katie’s and she gave a nod.

Katie didn’t wait to see Ben get in the car. She dashed up the steps of the front porch, then ran inside the farmhouse. The screen door clapped against the doorframe as she rounded the corner to the kitchen. Finding her sword and dagger on the table, she snatched them. As she hurried out of the room, the reality of her situation hit her. One of two things would happen before midnight. Either she’d claim vengeance for Kyle, or she’d meet up with him. She deeply loved and missed her immortal lover, but she’d fight like devil to spend more time on earth.

28

Hatred and anger intertwined with anxiety, giving Katie a hell of an adrenaline rush. She stopped in the entryway of the farmhouse. Her heart pounded. The sun would set in a few minutes, maybe less, and she didn’t have a clue where to go or what to do so she wouldn’t have to face both vampires at the same time. She spun around, hoping to get an idea. Upon seeing the stairs, she decided she could find a room and barricade herself inside. Since no other ideas came to mind, she dashed up the steps.

At the top of the staircase, she came to a halt. To her left, she counted three doors–one on the left and two across. Down the hall on her right, she saw more closed doors. Upon hearing a noise downstairs, she darted for the last room on the left, which she guessed would bring her closer to the front of the house.

Katie hurried inside the room and closed the door quietly. The soft pink walls made her suspect she’d chosen a girl’s room. A tidy bed sat between two windows with rose sheers. Other furniture in the room included an antique dresser and desk. If she moved the desk to block the door, they’d come straight for her. Since moving the furniture would take no effort or time for them, she quickly gave up the idea of a barricade.

Katie strode to one of the windows. Outside, a roof covered the front porch of the house. She could easily walk along the overhang, then jump down to the main level if she needed to. Better yet, she might be able to lure one of the vamps out the window and cut off a limb or two. Hell, maybe she’d get lucky and claim a head. They probably weren’t stupid enough to take such risks, but it was worth a shot.

She set her weapons on the bed, then lifted the window. A light breeze blew inside, cooling her flesh. Soft thumps from the stairs jolted her heart. She grabbed her dagger and sword and quickly snuck out the window.

Carefully, she sidestepped away from the open window. The slanted roof along with the weaponry in her hands made it difficult for her to balance. To keep from falling, she leaned against the home for support.

The squeal of a door opening made her stop.

“I heard something,” a man said. “I think it came from in here.”

The voice sounded different, not as deep as the one she’d heard on the phone. Katie reached behind her and pushed the sheathed dagger underneath the waistband of her jeans, having no other place to stick it without making a sound. Then slowly and quietly, she stripped the sword from its casing.

“Look, the window is open.”

“No one is here. I heard the car drive away.”

Katie held her breath as she recognized the second voice. She’d spoken to him the night before.

“There’s one car still outside. Someone is here.” The other vampire she couldn’t identify sounded irritated.

“Something isn’t right. I can feel it. We should look around outside.”

Katie twisted slightly and braced her feet on the roof. She slid the case between her thighs to keep it from falling and making noise. Gripping the handle of the sword tight in her hands, she lifted it slowly. She was a few feet from the window, but close enough to make a clean swipe. Even if she only severed hands, it would greatly slow the vampire down. No hands meant he couldn’t hold weapons to use against her.

“You look outside,” the unknown vampire said, his voice moving closer. “I’ll check out the rooms.”

Fingers came into Katie’s view. She held her breath. The vampire stood on the other side of the window with his hands on the edge of the frame. But he wasn’t venturing out any further.

“I don’t see anything,” the unknown vamp said.

Irritation flushed through Katie. She wanted to chop off his hands at least, but how could she if they weren’t out far enough for her. All she needed for him to do was move further outside the window. If only she could get him to inch out more.

In a sudden revelation, she figured out how to get his attention. She loosened her thighs and let the casing fall. It skidded down the roof with a slight scraping sound.

“Did you hear that?” the unknown vamp said excitedly.

“Brandon, don’t!”

A head protruded from the window. Green eyes met her and she swiftly brought the sword down with all her strength. The blade sliced through flesh and bone with ease and jammed into the shingles. The vamp’s head hit the roof, rolled down, then leaped off.

Katie lost her balance with her sword stuck in the roof. Her foot slid and she fell on her rear. “Fuck!” She continued sliding down. Reaching the gutter, she shoved her feet in it to stop her from falling off the roof.

“Brandon.”

She heard the other vampire yell and glanced over her shoulder. The headless vamp hanging from the windowsill suddenly disappeared inside the house. Blood oozed down the white siding.

“Son of a fucking bitch!”

While the other vamp continued to curse, Katie felt overjoyed. The vampire, who she now knew was Brandon, was stupid enough to look out the window because he heard a noise. And his partner couldn’t stop him. One vampire gone meant she could face the other head on without waiting for Riker. Game on.

The cursing vamp stood in front of the window. Compared to Kyle and Riker, he had a bulkier build and short, dark hair. The description matched the one Ben had given her.

Green eyes glowed brightly, identifying his true nature and anger. “I hope you’re ready to die.”

Katie grinned. “Come and get me.”

He turned and disappeared from her sight.

She took the dagger from the back of her pants and removed the sheath. Without wasting another second, she scooted to the edge of the roof, then dropped from it. She hit the ground hard and bent her knees to keep from injuring one. Still, they tingled slightly from the force of the landing.

A few feet from her, the head of the vampire lay on the ground. Void eyes stared at her. Even though Brandon no longer existed, she continued to have the urge to mutilate him–jab at his face and gouge his eyes. Hatred toward evil vampires was now deep rooted within her, like a thick and strong weed that would never die. With a deep breath, she realized revenge wouldn’t satisfy her enough.

Footsteps raced toward her. She took one of the smaller knives strapped on one of her calves and straightened, gripping both sharp blades. The minute she turned, she saw a small, shiny object in the air flying toward her. She crouched and it flew over her. Though she was curious to learn what Mr. Vampire threw at her, she didn’t have time to look since he was running toward her.

Katie rose and lifted her weapon as the vampire thrust his own knife at her. Metal clanked together as his blade clashed with hers. Like her, he held one knife in each hand. He attacked with full strength, forcing Katie to step back. One swing came from his left, then another from the right, again and again. She blocked each attempt he made to slice her. He was strong, but his moves were predictable. Amateurish, she thought as she stepped back and let him think he was wearing her down.

Growing tired of their repetitive knife-to-knife combat, she decided to spice up the fight. She brought her leg up and gave a healthy kick at one of his knees. Following a loud crunch, the vampire groaned and bent in pain. She took advantage of his pause, swung her right blade at downward angle along his face and swiped her left one across his upper torso. Both sliced his flesh and drew blood. He also needed a new shirt. She lifted a hand to quickly attack again, but he regained his balance and snarled at her with bright green eyes and long, pointy fangs. She took a step back and chuckled at the scare tactic.

He wiped the blood from the side of his face, smearing it over his cheek. “You can’t win.”

“I’m willing to bet I can.” She gripped the daggers and stretched out her arms, welcoming him to make a move toward her. “Care to test me?”

He rushed at her, as she had expected. Their blades clanked against each other again as he tried to strike her down. She held her ground this time and added a few swipes at him, which he successfully blocked. After several clashes, he thrust the knife low, aiming for her gut. The move took her by surprise and she jumped back. Then she swung at him and hit his wrist. A tingle crawled up her arm while their fight continued as normal. He attempted another jab at her stomach. Again, she shoved his hand out of the way.

“You have to do better than that, vampire.” She teased.

In a move that took her by surprise, he kicked her in the gut. She flew back and hit the ground hard. Although the blow caught her off guard, it wasn’t the first time. Kyle had snuck in many snap attacks at her. The trick was in the response. If she took the slightest hesitation, even a fraction of a second to gather air or acknowledge pain, the attacker would best her. Wanting revenge instead of death, she leaped to her feet.

Mr. Vampire stood in front of her, growling and holding the sharp blades tight in his hand. He swiped one at her. She sidestepped out of the way. He quickly attacked with another furious swing. She blocked it. The strikes came fast and her arms trembled slightly each time she stopped him. While his strength gave him the advantage, she had a few of her own too–flexibility and she knew how to dance.

Fighting with sharp daggers resembled dancing in a waltz without the hand-to-hand contact. Katie stepped to the side and backward, letting the vampire lead the way most of the time. He exerted more energy and she effectively blocked every move he threw at her. When he thought he had the upper hand, she’d push forward and take a jab at him. The move worked every time, drawing blood and growl from Mr. Vampire. And similar to a ballerina, Katie flexed her body in ways to avoid his blades and get a swipe at him. She slashed and poked at his lower extremities such as his gut, groin and legs. In little time, his clothes became soaked with blood while she only had a few nicks on her forearms. Kyle had taught her to move with grace and let the opponent believe he has the upper hand. Then, strike back viciously. He never gave her bad advice.