Darkness Rises(83)

Krysta nodded. “I’ve seen the darts in action. He isn’t bullshitting you. These guys could take out every one of you without even getting near you.”
“They’re just fucking with us!” a bloody vamp snapped.
“No, we’re not,” Étienne said, never raising his voice. “We’re proposing an alliance.”
“Vampires working with immortals?” another scoffed. “My ass!”
Étienne raised an eyebrow. “Your ass will be tortured if you’re caught. I suggest you work with us and—”
“Fuck this shit! Fuck him up!” the vamp with the saturated shirt shouted.
His orange aura shot toward Étienne a second before the vamp did. Half a dozen more did the same. The others darted toward Krysta.
She swung her swords, striking flesh as they closed in on her. Two fell back with howls of rage and pain. Then a third.
A blade cut across her hamstring.
Hissing in pain, she spun and sliced.
The vamp behind her bent forward, clutching his middle.
Yelps and hisses and gurgles of pain filled the night as Étienne tore into his opponents and Krysta continued to hold her own.
The tip of a blade pierced her side.
Gritting her teeth, Krysta swiveled and stabbed the vamp attacking on her left.
Pain exploded in her head.
She staggered. Shit! A vamp must have punched her. Her knees weakened as little sparkly bits of glitter flirted with her vision.
Brilliant purple and white swept in a circle around her, laying out all of the vampires swarming around her as he had once before.
Étienne paused in front of her, his face close to hers. “Are you all right?”
A vamp came at his back.
“Behind you!”
He spun around, swinging his sword, and swept the vampire’s head from his body.
The vampire beside him gaped and lowered his weapon, wide eyes latching onto Étienne. “Oh, shit!” He took a step back, then jerked and danced as holes opened in his chest and blood sprayed.
Two more vampires fell, their torsos peppered with bullets.
Krysta jerked as a bullet pierced her shoulder. Another filled her arm with fire.
Her hand went numb. Her sword fell to the ground.
Swearing, Étienne dropped a katana and swept Krysta behind him, holding her there with one arm as he backed up against the nearest wall.
A dart pierced a vampire’s neck. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Another vamp fell to a dart.
The remaining vampires froze, then raced for the opposite building, flattening themselves against the wall. There were only . . . five vampires left, those not killed by mercenaries having been taken out by Étienne or Krysta.
A vampire directly across from them stared at Étienne with wide eyes. “That shit was true?” he cried, voice high with fear. “What do we do?”
The others all waited in fearful silence.
Krysta, call Cam. Don’t use names. The mercenaries may be listening.
She sheathed her other shoto sword and yanked out her cell phone. As soon as he answered, she whispered, “Mercenaries are attacking us!”
While she gave their location, Étienne ordered two vamps to cross the alley and join them.
They must have been too afraid to do anything but obey, because they only hesitated a second before they streaked across and hit the wall beside them.
A flurry of bullets whizzed past, missing them and ricocheting off the pavement with little sprays of asphalt and dirt.
“Protect the woman,” Étienne commanded.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Krysta demanded shrilly, stuffing the phone back in her pocket.
I’m going to sweep around and come up behind the soldiers , he said.
You can’t take them out alone!
I don’t intend to.
Before Krysta could ask him what he meant, he continued. The mercenaries are on foot.
The vamps all gasped and gaped at Étienne.
Was he talking to them telepathically, too?
“Dude,” the vampire beside her said, “how’d you do that?” A former Tar Heel hunting his old stomping grounds, according to his T-shirt.
It doesn’t matter. As I said, the mercenaries are on foot and are closing in on us. The bulk of the group will strike from the east. The rest plan to circle around and attack us from the west, essentially boxing us in here.
“Let’s just run,” the second vamp hissed.
Let them live now and they will find you another night.
All of them swore.
Decide quickly, gentlemen, and don’t say anything that will indicate your impending actions. They’re listening.
The Tar Heel looked at his fellows and nodded.
One by one they all nodded back.
He turned to Étienne and gave him a thumbs-up.
Smart man. You stay here with André the Giant, he said, indicating the huge, hulking vamp on the Tar Heel’s other side, and guard the woman.