Page 61 of Medium
I brought my axe up in case they ran at me, but they were focused on Simon. I tried to be stealthy, moving closer in case I could figure out a way to help. Shane skirted around me, heading for the van with his axe also held high. Ms. Jackson slunk up in their panther form on the other side of the fight.
The female vampire was only using her claws, but the male had a long knife. Still, Simon held his own due to the longer reach of his sword.
I moved to keep myself between Shane and the combatants. He climbed into the van, and Ms. Jackson jumped in behind him. A moment later Shane stepped down to the ground, then turned back to pick up an unconscious Ellis.
“Rory,” Grandfather called. “Simon’s hurt. He’s limping!”
Shit. I’d taken my eyes off the fight. I spun around and ran forward, trying to get behind one of the other vampires. The male rushed Simon with his knife held high, and Simon caught it on his blade. The female vampire circled, trying to get at Simon’s back.
I didn’t think I could flank her, but the male vampire was occupied grappling with Simon. I ran forward and swung my axe, burying the head into the back of the vampire’s knee. He screamed, and I yanked the axe out as he fell to the ground.
Simon darted away, intercepting the female vampire. He wasn’t limping now, so I let him handle her. It was up to me to finish off this guy. The male vamp flipped over to face me and sat up, waving his knife to keep me back.
I shifted my grip on the axe. The thing was, I didn’t know how to use an axe to chop things, not really. It wasn’t anything my parents had taught me, and I’d certainly never even laid eyes on an axe once I’d moved in with my grandparents. But what Grandfatherhadtaught me—or rather had made me take lessons for—was golf. Golf was a rich man’s sport, and he’d told me I needed to be able to play with the movers and shakers in my future career. I’d dropped the sport after he’d cut me off, but I still remembered how to put my hip and shoulder into the swing, to get under the ball and send it flying.
I waited until the vampire on the ground flicked a quick glance at his companion, who was being soundly trounced by Simon. Then I swung with a form my grandfather would’ve been proud of, and the flat of the axe head hit his hand with a revoltingthwack, sending the knife flying into the darkness toward the trees. The vampire cried out, clutching his hand to his chest. His eyes turned red, and he bared his fangs.
He pulled his good leg in, preparing to launch himself at me, but Simon walked up behind him and casually sliced off his head with the sword. The vampire’s head and body separated, both dropping to the ground, blood pouring out. I spun away, swallowing against the nausea.
Shane trotted up with the other axe resting on his shoulder. He winced and grimaced when he saw the decapitated body. Make thatbodies, because Simon had also beheaded the female vampire.
“Ms. Jackson is putting Ellis in the SUV. I got the zip ties off him.”
Simon leaned over to stick his sword in the ground and pull it out again. Was that his way of cleaning it? “Why don’t you two go see if you can get some water in him? I imagine the other vampires mesmerized him into unconsciousness, so hecould be out for a few more hours. I want to look through the van, but then I’ll need your help moving it over here so the blood gets burned up in the fire.”
“Would they have anything with their home address on it? Driver’s license?”
He shook his head. “They use fake addresses for everything. But there might be other clues.” He winced as he lifted the strap for the sword’s carrying case over his head.
I examined him. He was bracing his left leg oddly. “Grandfather said you were injured. Your leg?”
He shrugged. “It’ll heal on its own.”
I gave him a flat stare. “Fine, but you’re feeding again before you leave the dyrads’ place tomorrow.” I looked at the van, suddenly aware of the cars whizzing by on the highway. “Wait, what did you mean a fire? We’re burning it? And the bodies?”
He shrugged. “A little gas tank explosion. The skeletons will appear their actual age, which is well over a century old, during a postmortem, so they won’t seem to have died recently. It’ll be all over the news for a day or two, then no one will care.”
He went off to search the van. I tested hacking the axe blade into the dirt to clean it off, but it just seemed messier. I ended up finding a towel in the back of the vampires’ van to wrap the head in. Hopefully Levi had some bleach to get rid of the blood when we got back to the dryad’s compound.
CAL’S CAMPAIGN COMPENDIUM
NESTING
The magic gives most Wonders and magic carriers a kind of advance signal when they are about to meet or recognize their mate(s). This signal takes the form of what is called nesting.
During a nesting period, the individual will feel an unexpected compulsion to improve or change their home or surroundings. They might spruce up their house with new paint, new furniture, etc. Or they might feel compelled to get a different job or move to a larger apartment.
Usually, once the mate(s) reveal themself or themselves, the changes are identified as being beneficial to the relationship(s) or to the new mate(s).
CHAPTER 15
SHANE
Ellis looked like shit.
I know, I know, he looked pretty good for someone who’d been kidnapped and had his blood sucked. Before we’d gotten in the car, Simon had spit into his palm and rubbed his saliva all over Ellis’ neck wounds. Which was gross, but he said it would promote healing.
My emotions were seesawing back and forth between relief that we’d found him, rage at what had been done to him, and worry about how he would react to the trauma when he woke up.
