We knelt on a roof overlooking the spot where we had picked up Vincent a few days ago. The sky was beginning to show its nightly shades- its dying breath before turning into the cold, deeper colors it held. I was starting to get frustrated and I was also chilled to the bone by the rain. I hated the rain.
"They obviously moved again," I growled.
Alistor hushed me, bringing his fingers to my lips, and I gave him a look that could kill until he pointed to the street below us. There was Vincent looking worriedly around. I drew my sword, but he pushed it back in the sheath. I looked over at him, confused. Why weren't we already down there tailing the leech? He shook his head.
"Let's go," I mouthed.
He shook his head again and mouthed, "No."
What was he worried about? He rose once Vincent was almost out of sight and jumped to the next rooftop. I followed suit and we kept this up until he stopped. What was he thinking? When he stopped on the next rooftop and I was planning on him not being there, I plowed into him making us crash on the roof together. When I tried to rise, Alistor reached back and pulled me back down.
"What?" I growled.
I always got grouchy when I was rain drenched.
"Too perfect," he said. "It's like they know."
I rolled my eyes and rose faster than he could register and watched as Vincent entered an old, rundown pub.
"There," I said. "Let's go."
He grabbed my arm firmly and I met his gaze with a glare. Why was he being so jumpy? We had been careful to make sure no one knew we were in town.
"Alistor," I growled. "He's in there- Cal is in there. Why are you keeping me from my duty?"
"It's too perfect," he said quietly. "It's possible that Vincent alerted them we were on Cal's trail."
I shook him off. "I used charm speak to make him forget."
"Your compulsion didn't work on him that well," he mumbled.
He had a point, but I wasn't leaving here without Cal in custody or proof of his death. I wanted the reward and also to be able to return to Reytor and get our next assignment - to see Rianna, Sasha, and Twill as well.
"It's also possible that they sensed your angel blood, Eve," he said, looking down at me, silently pleading with me to turn back. "I can't let you get hurt again... not like what happened-"
"I can sense them as well," I growled. "And I know Cal is in there. We are going in, Alistor, even if I have to go in on my own."
He sighed. "Eveline…"
"Alistor, it is our duty to the king! If he is in there…"
He flung his arms up in defeat. "Fine."
I bit my lower lip. I knew I had frustrated him, but what other choice did we have? Our duty was the king first then ourselves. If he was in there…
"Alistor…"
"No, we'll go," he said icily.
I had never seen him like this before- cold towards me. He looked down over the roof edge and then jumped. I followed suit seeing that there was a pile of wet hay below us. I looked over at him, but his gaze was directly forward, his jaw clenched. His cold quiet fury was a side of him I had never seen. I got up dusting myself off and took the lead barging into the pub. It was dimly lit and once my eyes adjusted I saw the whole coven's eyes on me. Alistor was on my left looking straight ahead.
"Nice of you to drop in, Guardians," said the leech sitting in a large, oak chair in the front of the room.
"It's nice to meet the mysterious Cal," I said evenly.
He smirked, showing few of his teeth. He was flawless and as pale as a porcelain doll; his hair was white and slicked back. He was a scrawny teenager, but he was centuries old. He had to be- he had the feeling of an old one.
"It's nice when food walks so willing to us."
I looked at Alistor and his gaze was locked on Cal.
"There will be no feast tonight," said Alistor collectedly.
Cal's smile grew.
"Oh, we will. You see, Guardians, I have charm speak as well. I use to be an angel like you, Guardian Eveline."
He had to be bluffing- if you fell to a Dark Blood status, you couldn't keep your beautiful blood powers it was nature's way.
"You lie. Once you fall from grace, you cannot keep your angelic powers."
He laughed. "You'll find out, my dearest Eveline. You will find out."
With that Cal's coven launched the attack and we fought back fiercely. They surrounded us from all directions as we drew our weapons- our wooden pikes and stakes, in haste and stood back to back moving in a fluid motion together as if we were one person, but I could feel his fury and his worry. I bashed one with my shield,but one of his sharp nails sliced through the leather jarring it from my hands leaving me with only my pike. I could feel Cal from across the room still sitting like a king as the rest of his coven desperately tried to kill us.
I drew one of the stakes off my side and began fighting two handed. The fighting became a blur of claws, weapons and the will to fight on. We were winning, but barely. I heard a grunt and a clatter of a wood across cobblestone making me turn to look behind me to see Alistor crumpled on the ground with a female vampire looming over him.
"Keep your attention on me, Nephilium," sneered a male as he punched me directly in the cheek making my head snap to one side at blazing speed.
I skid slamming against a table with enough force i felt it splinter some. The room was spinning for moment and I tasted blood on my lip, but I saw my shield. Nothing else mattered but getting to Alistor. Nothing. The male advanced thinking I was still dazed so his guard was down.
"It has been a long time since I got to taste angel blood," he said dreamily.
His red eyes were locked on the bit of blood on my lip. It was sending him into a frenzy. Maybe it would draw the female away from Alistor too. My blood was like a calling card to vampires- the finest wine. There was lore in their culture that spoke of mythical properties they could gain from drinking my blood. These two besides Cal were the only ones left. Was he really going to allow me to finish wiping out his coven?
"She's mine," growled Cal ferally.
All at one the three began fighting each other until Cal had dispatched the other two on his own leaving him and I alone. A smart person would have hightailed it out of there and lived to tell the tale. No one ever boasted of my smarts. I needed this money and I wanted to end this mission. If we couldn't end this coven as the highest ranking graduates, who could? He looked me up at down as if I were a piece of cattle which only enraged me.
"What a shame when you must kill your own mate, but now matter," he said off offhandedly. "Angel blood is always worth it."
He smiled devilishly.
"Such a timid, kitten," he said as he slowly walked towards me.
Each step was precise. I was exhausted from fighting off almost a whole coven of vampires. Why hadn't I left with Alistor when I had the chance?
I watched each of his movements trying to predict how he would attack. My head still hurt from that punch, but I tried to stay focused. I had survived being branded a blood traitor by my own kind by demon poison- I could survive a fast punch. I had to. I had to for Alistor.
He all at once launched himself at me and attacked at an alarmingly quick rate. If I had been using a long sword, I would have lost.
"Now to show you my real power," he said.
Before I could react, I found myself on the floor. As I tried to recover, he titlted my head up; his long slim fingers under my chin making me gaze into his blood red eyes. My heart pounded with fear and adrenaline? Was this how I would meet my end?
"Relax," he said.
I felt a tingling in the back of my skull. Was this what it felt like when I used charm speak on someone else? Did he really have his angelic powers still?
"What do you plan to do?" I asked.
"Why, feast kitten," he said in a deep trans like voice. "Now- relax."
I felt my whole body start to involuntarily relax. I tried to break my will. To look away from his deep blood red eyes, but I felt paralized.
I felt his breath on my neck and before I could process anything, he was sprawled on the floor with a stake penatrating his heart. I shook my head to try to clear the fog that was clouding my mind. What was that? That's when I saw Alistor glaring at me.
"I told you," he said before his knees buckled and he crumbled to the cobblestone in a heap.