Page 66 of Fangs and Family
‘Will you look after her? I heard what you said on the phone. You love Nina, don’t you? When I’m gone, she’ll have no one. Promise me you’ll look after her,’ he babbled.
I turned to look at Pawel, measuring the dirty and starved human in front of me.
‘A little late for brotherly love, don’t you think? Besides, Nina has a family, and they’re better than the people who share her blood,’ I retorted, and he shrugged.
‘Better late than never. Still, she needs a man in her life, someone who can protect her. We both know this arsehole won’t let me live, and you know what? Fuck it. I’m tired. I’ve never made a good choice in my life, and living like this? I’m just tired. If my death can buy Nina’s life, then at least I’ll have done something worthwhile. So promise me because I know your word means something, not like that useless wanker of an ex-husband.’
I should have told him that Nina didn’t need anyone to protect her. That she was the one who protected others, a strong, battle-scarred, but triumphant warrior. I could have rubbed it in, pointing out she’d shielded him his whole life and that he was no better than her ex, scrounging money for drugs and gambling. In the end, I said nothing because even this small amount of love he had for Nina could help her if he lived or be a consolation after he was gone.
‘I promise. Now shift your arse, because the longer she’s in his company, the more likely she is to get hurt.’ I said, stopping the car in front of the hospital. Even in a deepening dusk, I noticed the welcoming committee.
The entrance to the hospital stood open. Aluminium framed tinted glass marked with traces of blood. I could smell its metallic scent even at this distance, and the vampires in front of me looked like they’d recently fed, their skin flushed with a soft pink hue.
As I suspected, our shifter security hadn’t stood a chance against a psychic vampire and his enforcers. I hoped the two men hadn’t been aware when their throats were ripped out. Their healing ability would have made their suffering endless, but I had no delusion about Sapieha’s views on mercy. The former Prince was from a time where might meant right, and he’d always been right.
The locket felt heavier in my hand, the silver so cold that it burned me as I wrapped the chain tighter around my fingers. Would it be enough?
‘Follow me and remember to stay quiet,’ I said, exhaling slowly before opening the car door.
The smell of damp and burned paper, with the sight of a pile of wet supplies, confused me as I stepped out of the car. The quiet hum of fans coming from the basement helped me figure out what had happened. They’d used a problem with the clinic to draw Nina out, and she rushed here without a care for her own safety.
My wonderful, selfless woman, and she was surprised I was so protective of her.
Whatever they’d done, the clinic was now as quiet as a tomb. Here, with night falling, the sun was out of sight but still painting the sky with the bright shade of blood, a dark omen for those who believed in such.
It felt as if the magic of the Nether had seeped through into the human realm, eddies of dust stirred by the breeze from the Baltic, giving the emptiness a life of its own.
However, the feeling of emptiness was an illusion broken by the five vampires standing guard at the building entrance.
‘Remember to stay out of the way,’ I told Pawel, who wrapped his arms around himself, his breathing fast and shallow. I hoped he’d stay calm, as he had to live long enough to be useful. I had enough on my plate without defending him if he did something stupid.
‘Did you bring us a snack, Lisowczyk? Such a good boy, especially as the Master refused to share the delicious morsel he has inside.’
The group’s spokesperson knew my surname, but I didn’t know his, except for the knowledge that he was an Elder Vampire who’d stayed bound to Sapieha despite his own strength. That made him second only to the Prince in the Seethe’s hierarchy.
Still, nothing and no one would keep me from Nina. I tensed my shoulders, and in a show of strength and control, I slowly manifested my wings. My features remained expressionless as the razor-sharp feathers tore through my flesh, growing and expanding until they stood out at full stretch, shining with my blood.
‘I have no time for your games, old man. Get out of my way or die. I don’t care which.’ I said, without a hint of emotion.
I was alone, and there were five of them. I’d bet my wings Sapieha hadn’t used newly turned novices. At least two of them had the presence and bearing of Elder Vampires, likely with their own powers. As if to confirm my suspicions, I felt a mental touch skimming over the surface of my consciousness while the eyes of Sapieha’s second changed to the cloudiness of death.
‘You are outnumbered and outmatched, Adam Lisowczyk. My Master ordered me to keep you alive, but not necessarily the human you are hiding. So please, go ahead and entertain me with your pointless resistance,’ he taunted, stepping toward me before mockingly gesturing to the doors as if daring me to enter.
I briefly considered the possibilities. I could let the vampire lead me inside, but leaving four enemies at my back was not an option. I smirked while looking into the leader’s eyes.
‘Are you willing to die for your Prince?’ I asked, and he laughed, not that I was surprised by this.
He was still laughing when I leapt into the air, twisting my body to give myself forward momentum and thrusting the leading edge of one wing toward his neck, the faint whistle of its razor-sharp feathers slicing through the air with the precision of an obsidian knife. Only my opponent wasn’t there. His body was a blur as it disappeared into the shadows, only to emerge closer to the hospital doors.
Instead, my attack ripped through the torso of his companion, opening his chest with ease. I saw the vampire’s diseased heart before my claws sank into his chest, crushing the vital organ and tearing out its remains. I used the force of my attack to intercept the two vampires rushing toward me, my feet kicking out to force them back and give myself some space.
One down, four to go, I thought, wincing as someone attacked using his psychic powers.
The psychic grip of an Elder Vampire intensified in my mind, agonising spikes piercing my brain and forcing me to stumble back. I recognised this power. Sapieha had used a similar technique to immobilise me, but this bastard wasn’t my maker, and my will was stronger than his. Still, I nearly fell as I fought him off, hearing Pawel’s muffled shout when I regained control.
‘Behind you!’
I turned, sweeping my wings out as half shield, half bludgeon, and felt them collide with the vampire who’d been sneaking up from behind. I pulled back my wings and snapped my head forward, fangs sinking into the flesh of the flailing attacker. This time, I had no thought of strategy, inflicting as much damage as I could before he regained his footing. When my victim seemed unable to recover, I pressed my attack, grasping his jaw while my other hand pressed down on his collarbone, and with a scream of triumph, I ripped his head from his body.
