Page 45 of My Master
Because Caesareon was planning on killing them all.
They exited their vehicles, every supernatural that Caesareon had at his disposal. There were lots of vehicles, each filled with dozens of supernaturals, all clad in red and brown boots. She wondered how they looked to passersby’s? Kids on field trips wearing matching shirts; she wondered if that’s how they saw them.
Caesareon stood in between Isis and Demetria, his hand gripping Isis’s forearm tightly. It was no comparison to the pain on the side of her face, she felt it swelling up, and imagined it to be ugly and purple. Yes, vampires healed fast, but Caesareon had hit her with extra force, that and the fact that she was hungry… It would probably go down soon, though, she hoped.
“Stay by my side at all times you two,” he told both women. Demetria was surprisingly silent, probably too afraid to speak because of the slap she had received earlier. But her eyes shone with excitement of the battle that was about to take place. Isis only scowled.
Caesareon had told her his plan on the ride there. He would command his werewolves, half-demons and vampires to attack and, without a doubt, a certain few would fight back. Demetria and Isis and a couple of werewolves were going to flank him, leading him, protecting him if anything went wrong, if someone tried to attack him.
They’d take him to the Rotten Banana, a large clothing store that, despite the horrid name, had killer clothes. They’d empty the store and then supernatural after supernatural would bring humans in to be changed. Caesareon would be the one to do the changing, and there would be another store where they would take potential food. Caesareon assured her that a vampire would be there, watching over them and she had no reason to fret.
It had made her wonder who Caesareon had trusted with that task. She wasn’t sure he trusted anyone more than Demetria. It didn’t matter, the point was that a lot of people were going to die and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do because his hold on her was still strong.
A simple flick of the hand and Caesareon’s warriors advanced without preamble and started attacking the humans. Isis watched in fascinated grotesque horror as a man jumped through the air, his body rippling as he flew across, and the moment he landed he was on all fours, a giant black wolf. He attacked the nearest man, biting down on his leg.
Pretty soon screams filled the night and people scrambled around in a pathetic attempt to get away.
“Look at them all,” Caesareon marveled, an amused glint in his eye. “Scurrying around like mice cornered by felines.”
If the humans were the mice, and Caesareon and his warriors were the cats, then Isis hated to see who the dog was.
“Let us advance,” Caesareon commanded.
So they did.
* * *
The scene was macabre.Antonio had battled Rogue vampires before, he had torn their heads clean from their bodies, driven swords and knives and daggers into their hearts to stop them from beating. But this was worse.
Werewolves were throwing themselves against teenage boys and girls, dragging them away by their feet, their hollow screams piercing the night only so Antonio could inhale it and feel helpless.
But he wasn’t helpless. He was strapped in protective gear, a gun containing silver bullets in hand. Most of the FBSI agents held them, and he knew they would be used to take down the werewolves. Victoria kept eyeing his cautiously, as if he would shoot her with it at any given moment. He didn’t blame her for being scared of it, though. Her kind was extremely allergic to silver. He hoped no one would shoot at her.
“We’ve got to get out there, now!” Victoria barked orders. “Try not to attack civilians, understood?”
They all murmured their agreements and were off into the havoc, guns firing, fangs bared, red eyes flaring. Victoria turned to Terrance before taking off, pressing a hand to his chest. He nodded and dove into the battle, Victoria following after him, jumping into the air, her skin and clothes exploding from her body, and she became a wolf.
Antonio swallowed the lump in his throat.Esmeralda,his mind called out to her. He wasn’t even sure she’d be able to hear him from such a distance, but he had to try, he had to tell her he loved her.Esmeralda, you are the best thing to ever happen to me. I love you.And then he dove into battle.
* * *
You arethe best thing to ever happen to me. I love you.
Esmeralda woke with a feeling of dread knotted in her chest. She was so sure that she had heard Antonio’s voice in her mind. She looked around groggily, Mr. Santiago was next to her, a cup of steaming blood in his hand. His eyes looked vacant and worried.
She looked around the station. Very few officers were there, most of them doing paperwork at their desk. Savvy was behind his computer, playing a game that could have been World of Warcraft, she wasn’t exactly sure.
Antonio was nowhere to be seen.
“Mr. Santiago,” she stared quietly. He snapped his attention to her. “Where is Antonio?” He sputtered a string of syllables at her, none of which she could make out. She frowned. “Come again?”
He only stared at her, and the look in his eyes was all she needed to know. Antonio was gone; he had left, even after she told him about the baby. He had left her unprotected; he had left to get himself killed. Uncontrollable rage gripped her insides and she stood up abruptly, kicking her chair down to the floor, disturbing the silence.
“Esmeralda,” Mr. Santiago warned, but it was too late. She was already running to the doors, screaming at Antonio in her mind.
Antonio Santiago you lying traitorous— she broke off that thought with a low growl.How dare you lie to me?She burst out the doors and into the night. A violent cold wind assaulted her face, numbing the feeling on her cheeks.
He didn’t answer her, no matter how hard she focused on reaching Antonio’s mind, all that came back to her was white noise.
