Page 12 of Never Run from an Immortal

“Three,” was all Aidan told her as he turned back, heading in the direction he’d heard footsteps approaching. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed Rae had her back to him, the gun aimed and ready, covering them from behind.

Stepping into the line of fire wasn’t ideal. It would take more than a few bullets to take him out. A well-aimed shot could see him out of action for several hours, but everything about this operation so far had been sloppy, and he highly doubted the approaching guards were well-trained.

The first of them came closer, and Aidan slammed the Fae’s hand against the wall. His weapon fell to the floor as Aidan’sfist connected with his face. The guard went down, and Aidan snatched up the gun, rounded the corner, and pulled the trigger, releasing a bullet into each of the two guards before they could get any rounds out.

Shots fired behind him, but Aidan didn’t have time to check on Rae. Three more guards rushed into the corridor, and he picked them off one by one. He dropped his weapon to replace it with another as more footsteps sounded up ahead. More humans, and Aidan pulled back to the bend in the corridor as he fired at them, some retreating the moment they set eyes on him. A wise decision, but they wouldn’t get far.

A bullet grazed his arm; the guard who’d been about to fire at him slumped to the floor. Aidan turned to see Rae, two hands on her weapon, the case still tucked under her arm, head cocked to one side like she was bored. Aidan pushed past her, taking in the bodies spread out before him.

Headshots, every single one.

He glanced at the wound on his arm and back to her. The human hadn’t so much as broken a sweat.

Rae shrugged, the corner of her mouth twitching. “The case slipped.” She grabbed a gun from the nearest corpse, checking the safety and the magazine before sliding it into the back of her waistband.

Aidan shook his head and gestured for her to lead the way. “Ladies first.”

She swiped a wayward strand of hair from her face. “Age before beauty.”

“How old are you, Farren?”

“For asking, Vale, you can guess.”

He glanced down at her as they stood on either side of the door the guards had entered through. Her pale cheeks were flushed pink, but for the most part, the human almost seemed like she was enjoying herself. She held herself like a dancer, and thoughshe’d spelled her eyes, there was something in them that told him Rae had seen more than most had in Demesia. “Twenty-seven.” There was no sound from the next room, but he waited for her answer.

“Damn,” Rae said under her breath. “Is that some weird Vampire trick I don’t know about? Twenty-eight.” She toed her boot against a metal grate on the floor. “You? Humans like to make up stories. The oldest I heard was eight hundred.” The human grinned at him, her face lighting up, a blue curl falling over one of her eyes.

Aidan opened the door, glancing left and right. Metal gurneys, medical equipment, cabinets, the same filthy walls, no windows. Two doors on the opposite side of the room. “One hundred and eighty-seven. Which door?”

“A baby Vamp.” Rae blew out a breath. “Did not expect that. Left. He was in the next room if they haven’t moved him.”

“Friend of yours?”

“No one’s a friend in Demesia.”

Wasn’t that the truth. But that was good. It would make what came next a whole lot faster if she wasn’t begging for someone else’s life, a life he had no intention of sparing.

Aidan paused by the door Rae had indicated, one hand resting on the metal as he listened. Only one heartbeat sounded within and the door was locked. He jerked his chin at the door, waiting for Rae to unlock it with her spell.

“Not even a please?” Her lip was bleeding again, the harsh lights above them reflecting on the bead forming on her full bottom lip. As if she’d tracked his attention, she licked it away. For a second, he wondered what she looked like under all the eye makeup, what her true eye colour was, her hair, but he disregarded the thoughts just as quickly as they came.

“Let’s just get this over with,” he told her in a tone he usually reserved for his council members.

“I hope you’ll at least have the decency to thank me five minutes from now.” Rae shook her head, her hand over the lock, muttering the spell under her breath.

Aidan wondered if she knew how fragile the human mind was. How easily it could break. She’d led him to the Witch; he didn’t need her anymore, but then the door clicked open, and she stood aside to let him in first.

The single occupant shot to his feet the moment Aidan entered. “Please, don’t hurt me.”

“Calder?” Rae asked, slipping past Aidan into the prisoner’s room. He’d been afforded more comforts than most: a bed with blankets, a partitioned area for a toilet, a sink, and a narrow shelf of books above the bed. But the door had been locked, the room had no windows, and the air was stale. A prison was a prison.

Calder nodded, his lips pressed tightly together. The Witch ran a shaky hand through his blond curls, his eyes darting back and forth between them. Witches were the most secretive of the Orders; an imprisoned Witch had Torrin’s name all over it. Any opportunity to imitate the Vampires’ reign. Witches had abilities of their own that Vampires had been abusing for years; it was only a matter of time before the Fae did too.

“How does this work?” Aidan asked, circling Calder, his eyes on Rae.

“As far as I know, either he breaks the syphon willingly, or it breaks upon death.” Her attention was on Calder, eyes roving over the mess the Witch was in. His clothes were dishevelled and dirty, his face was gaunt, hair greasy. Something seemed to wash over Rae’s expression for a moment—sympathy, Aidan thought—but then she shut it down.

He stopped circling. “Will you give it freely?” he asked the Witch.

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