Page 176 of Dukes Are Forever
"I can't," Ingrid growled. "I can't move my legs. I landed on my back—"
There was no time to examine her.
Lark drove to the side as Dido lunged for her, steel flashing in the night. A hot line of fire rose along her arm as she lashed back with her own knife, feeling it bite into flesh.
She was no match for thedhampirby herself. All she could do was lure her away and hope Ingrid could get to her feet.
Dido slowly stood, blood streaming down her leg from where Lark had cut her. "Irina Grigoriev. We meet again."
"This time, you don't have any vampires on a leash."
"Yes." Dido smiled. "But there's only one of you."
A boot drove into her sternum, and Lark flew backwards, crashing to the marble and sliding several feet. The air was driven from her lungs, but she'd been hit before. Many a time.
Muscle memory forced her to roll back over her shoulder, and Dido's sword spit sparks off the marble as it cut down exactly where Lark had been mere seconds ago. She ducked the next swing. And the next. Every inch of her was focused on Dido's movements, but she was simply too damnedslow.
Lark's knife flew to the tiles as Dido smashed it from her hand. And then she was throwing herself back beneath the sweep of the blade and fetching up against the broken windows of the ballroom.
Nowhere to go.
No weapon to protect herself with.
For the first time in her life, Lark froze, wondering where Charlie was and hoping against hope that he got out of this mess safely.
"You put up a good fight," Dido said. "I respect that. A shame it had to end this way. I could have made something of you."
She took a step forward, lifting her sword.
Lark threw her arms up in front of her face.
BANG.
Lark froze, lowering her arms as Dido looked down in shock at the enormous gaping wound in her chest.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Dido staggered back against the balcony. Blood sprayed across the floor as Byrnes came out of nowhere, drilling holes in thedhampirassassin. Or tearing chunks of flesh from her torso, to be more precise.
He had to be packing firebolt bullets.
"You hurt my wife," he snarled, his eyes pure black with the craving.
And then he pulled the trigger one last time.
Dido catapulted back over the railing, and Lark slammed her hand over her mouth to swallow her gorge, the after-image of Dido's ruined face remaining with her. Too close. That had been far too close.
Byrnes looked over the edge, then put up his pistol and slid to his knees beside Ingrid. "Are you all right?"
"You came," Ingrid whispered.
"Always." His hand shook a little as he cupped her head. "I swear my heart stopped in its chest when I heard you through the communicator. What the hell happened? What did you do?"
"Had to stop her. Somehow." Ingrid winced as she tried to drag herself into a sitting position.
"She threw the pair of them through a window," Lark said.
"Good thing you knew the balcony was below," Byrnes growled, and then paused. "You did know the balcony was below?"
