Darkness Rises (Immortal Guardians #4)
Page 54“That depends,” he whispered against her lips, leaning into her. “How do you feel about making love in front of an audience?”
“That’s not my thing either,” she admitted. She had never been an exhibitionist.
A throat cleared. “Then you might want to step away from my brother,” Richart drawled behind them, “so I won’t get an eyeful.”
Krysta yanked her hand away so fast you’d think Etienne’s crotch had caught fire.
Spinning around, she found Richart standing there with one eyebrow raised.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, face heating.
“Etienne summoned me while he was dealing with the mercenaries.”
Krysta glanced back at Etienne. “My, aren’t you the multitasker.”
“Forgive me. I forgot I called him as soon as you hit me.” And turned me on. You managed to scatter my thoughts quite efficiently.
She could understand that. The desire he had sparked in her had made her forget about the mercenaries he had left strewn who-knew-where. She smiled. “Okay. You’re forgiven.” Particularly since Richart’s sudden presence had doused her lust as efficiently as a fire hose.
Etienne raised the scope and looked around. “Krysta, would you keep an eye out for more mercenaries while Richart and I gather together the dead and unconscious soldiers?”
“Sure.” She took the scope.
He brushed a kiss across her lips, then motioned for his brother to follow him over the edge of the building.
Krysta raised the scope to her right eye and turned in a slow circle, searching the campus in all directions.
If you get bored, Etienne suddenly spoke in her head, feel free to talk dirty to me. Richart can’t hear you.
She smiled and did just that.
Sitting on his haunches, Zach took in the melee below. UNC Greensboro’s campus was quiet and deserted save the immortal warrior who battled five vampires down on the ground.
A rare smile lifted his lips.
She was magnificent, remaining in constant motion, swinging her blades with merciless intent.
The vampires Lisette fought had long since lost their grasp on sanity. Zach searched their thoughts easily, and the things they wanted to do to her sickened him.
A vamp got in a lucky strike.
Blood formed a glistening streak across the back of her long coat.
Zach rose and curled his hands into fists, an unfamiliar feeling sweeping over him.
The lucky striker went down and began to shrivel up. His friends trod upon him in slavering urgency.
Again she struck a killing blow. Another vampire fell.
A noise distracted Zach. Then a scent.
He searched the darkened campus with eyes that needed no infrared scope to pierce the deepest shadows.
Human males with automatic weapons closed in on Lisette’s location.
He hadn’t expected this. He had merely wanted, for reasons he couldn’t discern, to see her in action. He hadn’t wanted to see her captured.
The hours he had spent watching Seth and his little superheroes, coupled with the hours he had spent eavesdropping at David’s house, had revealed what these men would likely do to her if they caught her.
The last vampire fell. Breathing hard, she cleaned her blade on the shirt of one of the fallen vamps and sheathed her weapons.
The humans took their positions.
A dart struck her in her pale, vulnerable neck.
Wincing, she reached up to identify the source of the sharp pain. Alarm crossed her pretty face as she staggered. She pulled something that looked like a fat, white pen from her pocket and stabbed herself in the thigh with it.
The mercenaries closed in, forming a circle around her.
Lisette dropped the pen and straightened.
A tense moment passed. Then another.
Zach took a step forward.
Moving so fast she blurred, Lisette drew her Glock 18s and raced toward the building on her left.
Muffled gunfire erupted as she leapt up a couple of stories, pushed off the side of the building and landed on the roof of the building across from it.
The soldiers scattered as she sprayed them with bullets from above. Four went down as holes opened on their torsos.
She jerked, bullets tearing through her slender body as the mercenaries scored hits of their own, but didn’t cease firing or run away.
Zach clenched his teeth.
She couldn’t win. She wouldn’t win.
And she lacked the time to call her brothers for aid.
She backed up and crouched down. Ejecting the long clips from her weapons, she drew two more from a pocket of her coat and shoved them into place.
Zach had never handled a gun before and admired her smooth, sure movements.
Staying out of sight of the men below, she headed for the opposite side of the building and leapt to the ground.
The mercenary group divided into thirds. One third remained in place. The rest divided in half and began to circle the building on both sides.
Shit!
Lisette sped into the open, crossing to the next building, and sprayed the soldiers with bullets.
They jerked and fell to the ground, only getting off a few shots of their own.
Maybe he had been too hasty. Maybe she would actually come out the victor.
No sooner had the thought struck than a dozen more mercenaries entered the fray.
Lisette raced directly into their midst, wreaking havoc, breaking necks, cutting throats, and taking more bullets and tranquilizer darts.
The darts didn’t worry him. He had heard the immortals say the antidote prevented further exposure to the sedative from affecting them. But the bullet wounds . . .
His heart pounded. His breath shortened.
She was slowing down. Still fighting. Still slaying. But slowing down. Suffering more wounds.
The soldiers tightened ranks, again boldly encircling her.
He sensed no fear in her, only a determination to take out as many as she could before she breathed her last breath.
Well, fuck that.
Knowing the step he was about to take would forever alter his future, Zach released his wings and took to the air.
Panting, gritting her teeth against the pain, Lisette swung her shoto sword at the soldier in front of her and sliced open his chest.
How many were there? It seemed as though every time she slew one, two more took his place.
And she was weakening, moving almost as slowly as a human, losing the edge immortal speed and strength had given her.
A breeze coaxed some of her hair from its braid.
She felt a presence behind her.
The mercenaries all gasped and stumbled backward, looking over her shoulder.
Lisette spun around . . . and gaped.
It was him. The elder immortal she, Roland, and Sarah had interrogated.
Zach.
Facing away from her, he wore only low-riding dark leather pants similar to the ones he had sported when she had abducted him. His wings were stretched wide, their tips brushing the walls of nearby buildings.
More than one of the mercenaries crossed themselves.
Zach waved a hand.
The mercenaries dropped their weapons to the ground with a clatter.
Lisette glanced behind her.
Yes. Those had dropped their weapons, too.
Dizziness assailed her.
She staggered, barely managing to remain on her feet. She had lost count of the number of times she had been shot.
Darkness threatened.
She couldn’t think, didn’t know what was happening.
Was Zach working with the mercenaries?
She stared at the back of his head, at his windblown, longish, raven hair.
“You,” he said, pointing at a soldier.
The elder immortal made a motion with his hand and closed it into a fist. The other mercenaries all collapsed to the ground, sightless eyes wide as they drew their last breaths.
Those beautiful wings folded in against Zach’s back.
He turned to face her.
Lisette tilted her head way back to look up at him. He was well over a foot taller than she was and she stood at five foot six.
“The tracking device,” he said, his glowing golden eyes locking on hers.
“W-what?” she rasped.
He held out a large hand, palm up. “The tracking device you’re supposed to plant on him. Give it to me.”
She dropped one of her beloved shoto swords and fumbled with the outer pocket that contained the tiny tracking device Chris had given her. Her fingers wouldn’t cooperate. She couldn’t even get the pocket open and it wasn’t buttoned.
Zach gently brushed her hand aside and tucked his own hand in the pocket. When he withdrew it, the tracking device was carefully pinched between his thumb and forefinger.
He waved the mercenary over.
The soldier approached robotically and waited patiently while the immortal picked up one of the discarded M16s, then attached the device to it.
Lisette wanted to protest when he handed the man the weapon, but couldn’t find enough breath for it.
“You saw neither of us tonight. Vampires attacked your squad and only you survived,” Zach said.
The mercenary nodded, then turned and jogged away.
Zach swiveled to face her.
“M-mind control?” she managed to ask.
He nodded.
She tried to ask about the others, but could only motion to them.
“Ruptured aneurysms. I’ve never altered the health of a human before and am actually surprised it worked.”
She nodded. Her knees buckled.
Zach caught her before she could hit the ground. “Easy,” he said, his voice soft and deep. Kneeling, he laid her on the ground with her upper body cradled in his lap.
Moonlight formed a halo around his head as she stared up at him, struggling for breath.
The bullets had done a lot of damage. She knew that, rather than kill her, excessive damage would send her into a sort of stasis not unlike the hibernation of a water bear. But she had never done that before and couldn’t help but fear the prospect as she felt her heart rate slow. And slow some more.
He rested a hand on her chest.
At first she thought he was feeling her up and forgot everything else in a few seconds’ shock. Then she realized his thumb rested upon her collarbone and his fingers weren’t splayed enough to reach her breasts.