Page 29 of Help Wanted, Vampires Inquire Within
Jack opened his mouth and breathed a flash of fire over McConnell’s head. Skyler was too close for Jack to risk breathing fire right on the vampire.
“Fire even, how unique,” McConnell drawled. Jack stepped back and lowered his head and slapped his tail down. It was a clear challenge.
McConnell bared his fangs and jumped at Jack. The older vampire grabbed Jack by the neck, trying to rip through it. Jack reared up and swung his neck around, trying to dislodge McConnell.
Mason watched, helpless to assist Jack or keep Sampson from harassing Skyler once he recovered from her shot to his balls.
“I bet McConnell will let the two of us have some fun,” Sampson said, leaning close to Skyler.
Skyler managed to pull a hand away from one of the durmin holding her and reached for the pendant hanging around Sampson’s neck. He reared back with a laugh.
“That’s mine,” he taunted, standing up and kicking Mason in the side. “Without it, I can’t keep stone-brain out of the way.”
Mason barely felt the impact, but he was desperate to get at this human. Then he heard Jack cry out in pain. He looked over to see both McConnell and the dragon bleeding. He couldn’t tell who was more hurt, but thought it was probably Jack.
Skyler collapsed, her free hand slapping down on the dirty ground to support her weight. Her eyes were closed, and her shoulders hunched.
Despair swamped Mason. He was supposed to be their protector, and he was failing both his mates!
Skyler
Desperate to help Jack and Mason, Skyler ignored the taunting human and slapped her free hand to the concrete sidewalk. Talking to the gophers earlier gave her an idea. She couldn’t call to the earth here, but there was one animal she could depend on to live nearby in great quantities.
The hard part was going to be influencing them through concrete, plaster, paint, and insulation. Dirt was easier, but she was feeling both desperate and powerful right now.
“Come to me,” she whispered, forcing her magic through the ground and buildings around her. “Come to me.”
Little black furry bodies flowed from hiding places. Trash moved as they emerged from nearby dumpsters. The sound of little paws scrambling against stone and concrete filled the air as thousands of rats flooded the area.
“What the fuck!” Sampson screamed.
She opened her eyes and focused on him. “Attack!”
The wave of rats flowed to him. The man tried to run, but he was quickly overtaken by a few of the fastest rodents. He tripped over a curb while trying to bat them away, making him have to step wildly to keep from falling. They flowed up his legs, under and over his pants. Little spots of blood started to appear on his pants and shirt as they bit and ripped at his skin.
“More!” she demanded and the ones who hesitated when he stumbled jumped on him.
In the background, she could hear Jack and McConnell fighting. She needed to get Mason free so he could help Jack fight.
“Get them off me!” Sampson demanded. The durmin holding Skyler's arm let go and moved to Sampson. All the other durmin did the same.
Skyler could flee to the safety of Joy, and she knew that was what both Jack and Mason would want, but that wasn’t an option. She was done running!
Ignoring the way her arms hurt from where the durmin had grabbed her, she got to her feet. All the durmin were gathered around Sampson. They were trying to pull rats off while the human rolled around squealing in panic.
Her legs felt shaky, but she still walked up to where Sampson was thrashing on the ground. She stared at the chaotic movements until she could see the pendent among the rats and durmin hands.
She focused on the trinket, sending out a need for it to the rodents. It took several tries before one of them was able to break the chain and jump away from the fray.
Skyler crouched down and held her hand out. The rat ran to her and jumped onto her open palm, the chain trailing behind.
“You’re such a good girl,” Skyler murmured. The rat wriggled with pleasure at the compliment and the accompanying magic Skyler sent with it. Taking the charm from the rat, Skyler set her on the ground.
“Go back to your nest. I’ll find you again and bring you food tomorrow,” she promised. The rat paused, then scurried away. The rest of them were still harassing Sampson and distracting the durmin.
She stared down at the talisman, unsure how to break the magic. Holding it in both hands, she closed her eyes. This was powerful magic made by a skilled druid, witch, or bruja. Shedidn’t have the skills to unravel the spell, but maybe she could destroy the base it was wrapped around.
The wood pendant the spell was attached to was soft pine. She focused on the wood, willing it to degrade. It was a skill most nymphs learned to help composting piles decompose faster. The wood was a little harder than potato peelings, but she was able to push her magic into it.
