"Here vampy, vampy," I called in a singsong voice, tapping my blade against the metal fire door. The metallic sound rang off the brick walls, echoing in the narrow alley.
The vamp lifted her head from her prey and snarled at me. Bright red blood dripped from her fangs and coated her mouth in a grotesque lipstick. It really wasn't her color.
"Oh, I'm scared." Sarcasm dripped from my voice as I launched the childish taunt.
She let the boy go. He fell against the dumpster with a thud and slumped to the ground. In the glow of a nearby streetlight he looked paler than he should. Not a good sign. I needed to get him help, but first things first. Vamp girl hissed at me like an angry cat, her eyes glowing red in the dim light. Interesting. She was clearly under the control of someone who wasn't a vampire. Was she, perhaps, a soul vamp? One of Alister's making maybe?
"Please," I snapped. "Is that all you've got? Pathetic. Kaldan would have been so ashamed." Kaldan had once ruled all the vamps in Portland. Until I'd separated his head from his body. I was betting he'd held her reins once upon a time.
With a howl of rage, the vampire flew at me. She moved so fast, I barely had time to slice her with my machete. She hit me hard, and I fell with a thump, flat on my back. The wind whooshed out of my lungs. For a moment I lay there, stunned, unable to move. She reared back, fangs bared, going for my throat. I managed to roll my head to the side enough that she hit my shoulder instead. The pain of her fangs sinking into my flesh was like fire ripping through my body. That was definitely going to leave a mark.
My machete was pinned under her left knee. Only thing I could do was haul off and punch her in the temple with my fist. She pulled back, surprised by my move. Her scream of rage nearly deafened me as blood and spit sprayed across my face. Gross.
I bucked my hips, dislodging her just enough to free my machete. It was too close quarters for the weapon, so I gave her another good bash against the head with the handle, throwing her off me. Something crunched, and her scream of rage turned to one of pain as I opened up a good six-inch gash along her temple. The blow probably would've killed a human.
I staggered to my feet as the vamp pressed her hand against the gash, trying to stem the flow of blood, but I could see the sticky dark liquid still pouring between her fingers. Since she'd eaten recently, the blood was flowing faster than normal, but it was still darker and more viscous than human blood. She scrambled away from me, glancing back toward the inert body of the young man. I knew what she was thinking. If she could only get to the boy, she could feed and her body would heal that much faster. No way would I let that happen. It was time to practice what Tommy had been training me to do. See if I could wield my new power without succumbing to it.
I needed to find out how she'd gotten through the wards. Could I use my powers to restrain rather than kill? Time to find out.
Without hesitation I pulled on the Water within me. It came quickly, eagerly. No surprise there. All of my powers liked to get out and play from time to time.
As I called it, the Water began to pool in the center of my hand. Sending my mental energy into the cupped water, I hurled it at the vampire. As it left my hand, the water turned to ice. The vamp's eyes widened, and she tried to move out of the way, but it was too late. The dagger-shaped shard of ice lodged in her breast, a fraction from her heart. She stared down at it in horror, then up at me. I breathed a sigh of relief. Talk about a close call. If she so much as moved, the shard would hit her heart, and she'd be a goner. I really needed to practice my aim.
I half expected the icicle in her chest to start melting, but it didn't. It glittered beneath the streetlight, cold and deadly.
I strode toward her with a smile. Fear was written all over her face. Definitely a soul vamp. Regular vamps didn't feel fear.
"What are you?" she whispered, her voice wobbling a bit.
I cocked my head to the side. Water was still riding me. I could feel it swirling, cold and dark, in my soul. "I am Hunter," I said.
"No." Her voice was so faint I had to strain to hear it. "You are more. There is ice in your eyes."
I wasn't sure what that meant, but I wasn't here for a personal appraisal. "How did you get past the wards?" I demanded.
"It doesn't matter."
"Do you want to be free?"
She stared at me, eyes wide. "Yes."
"Then tell me."
She swallowed. "I can't."
Shit. Whoever her master was had given her an order she wouldn't be able to break. "Who is your master?"
She shook her head. "I can't tell you that, either."
"Give me something."
"There is nothing I can tell you. Except that none of this, none of it is by chance. I'm sorry."