Page 21 of Revelations

Kael let go of her arms but did not back away. Tension radiated off his body in waves, like a predator waiting patiently to pounce.

They were being called out on their bluff. Greylyn fingered the ring dangling from her necklace with sweaty hands while racking her brain for a way out. She had come here to save lives—including the worthless Brian—from the vampires, not become one.

Claude, the only vamp left in the room, stood directly between them and the closed door. Despite his pretty-boy appearance, she had no doubts that he had massive strength and speed hidden underneath his designer threads. She guessed that there were at least two guards outside the door, not to mention that she had no idea how many were wandering around the vampire’s lair. A lot of unknowns, but a brute force battle loomed as the only viable option to escape.

Kael turned her to face him. “Love”—the endearment sent a warmth shiver through her soul—"you know what we have to do.” His tone was cajoling; his expression, too. Only the danger dancing behind his eyes belied his intent. No more pretense of playing nice. To her surprise, he winked wickedly. “Let’s give this bloodsucker our answer, shall we?”

Without waiting for her reply, he swung back around and punched Claude directly in the face, sending the vampire reeling backward against the steel door. Stunned for less than a second, he jumped back up to practically fly at Kael.

While the two traded jabs and kicks, Greylyn sought a weapon; something that could be used to slice the head off the vampire. With her beloved dagger missing, she needed something incredibly sharp to cut through skin, muscle, and bone. She pulled the letter opener out of the drawer, but it was too flimsy to even pierce the skin.

Dammit!

A large obsidian vase, with an image of a nude intertwined couple embossed in iridescent mother-of-pearl, teetered vicariously close to the edge of the dresser, as Kael and Claude slammed each other around the room. While the men wrestled behind her for control, Greylyn seized the vase. Even with all her brute force, the material stayed strong when she smashed it against the wall, only chipping off a few fragments at the top, but it made enough of a crack down the side with the next blow. Sifting through the fragments, she sliced her own hand on the very piece she needed. The largest chunk was just enough to make a decent weapon. Wrapping blood-slicked fingers around it, she sprang towardthe two men, but could not find a way in to deal her own deadly blow.

Both were dripping with blood; Claude’s perfect skin now showed a purplish hue, as Kael continued to pummel the vampire’s face. He gave as good as he got. There were already deep scratches down Kael’s face. Greylyn watched in horror as a long, manicured nail flashed out and sliced Kael’s neck. Blood gushed from the wound in haphazard rivulets.

“Kael, over here,” she screamed. “Kael!”

He glanced her way, giving Claude an advantage to twist out of his hold. Kael was either stronger or more determined—or both—because he snatched the vampire back with a sharp yank of his wrist, accompanied by the sickening sound of bones snapping. He turned Claude around with his back against his chest and held him in a headlock. While the vampire thrashed, Greylyn approached cautiously to avoid his razor-like nails.

Claude’s eyes gleamed in surprise, mixed with a smidge of fear. He spit out, “What exactly are you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she seethed. “Let’s just say slaying vampires is a hobby of mine.”

One final thrashing freed him enough to execute a vicious kick to her stomach that sent her falling backward, crashing painfully into the floor-length mirror that splintered into a million fragments.

Kael shoved Claude onto the ground, pinning him with his knees. A head-butt to the vampire stunned him enough for Greylyn to move in again; the shards of mirror sliced her in a thousand places. This time, she kneeled over him, sandwiching his head between her knees in a vice-like grip.

As the vampire glared up at her with his amethyst eyes, she drove the makeshift dagger into the hollow spot of his neck, all the way through so it poked out of the back of his spine. His shriek turned to a loud, nauseating gurgle as she twisted the weapon until it sawed through the skin, muscle, tendons, and bone of his neck. Only when Claude’s head rolled free from his body, did she fall back in exhaustion.

The head vampire was dead, but there were still untold followers waiting for them outside of the door. That must be some serious soundproofing if no one on the outside had heard the commotion going on in there.

Blowing her hair out of her eyes, Greylyn surveyed the damage that had been done to the room. Furniture was smashed. Huge holes were in the drywall. Bits and pieces of every fragile item in the room were scattered across the floor.

She jerked her head toward the shattered mirror. “Damn, so how many years of bad luck is that going to be?”

Chapter 5 – The Great Escape

Kael raised his eyebrows and winked. “Great job there, love. Remind me not to piss you off again…ever.”

“Oh, I’m sure you will, anyway.”

She leaped over the decapitated corpse to check Kael’s wounds. The gash on his neck had stopped bleeding, but his mangled face would take a while longer. Greylyn ran her hands over his face, neck, arms, and torso checking for more injuries, and stopped just shy of where his pants hung low on his hips.

“You’re okay,” she breathed, rocking backward as relief washed over her. “Bad guy’s dead. Now, how do we get out of here?”

He flashed his pearly white teeth. “What’s the hurry? We have a nice, comfy bed over there and that door should hold for a little while longer.”

There was the sarcastic bastard she knew. Her eyes threw venomous darts at him as she scrambled to her feet.

Kael sighed melodramatically. “Okay. So, later, then?”

“How many do you think are out there?” Pacing the room, she ran her fingers through her hair, tugging it back into a ponytail. With nothing to hold her hair in place, it cascaded back down her back and forward into her eyes.

A tingling sensation tugged at the back of her mind. This time, it was not Kael’s presence. It wasn’tthatkind of tingle. Something else urgently called to her. Words, as if spoken across space and time, whispered,As it was in the beginning, so shall it be again.

Suddenly, the ground beneath her rocked violently. After wobbling for a second or two, she fell right on top of Kael. His arms encircled her and held fast while large bits of the ceiling crashed down on them.

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