Most of the windows were broken out here, like someone had done it on purpose. Nothing save a broken and toppled desk remained, it along with a few chairs. The destruction was from more than just time. I found it odd they would choose the third floor and not the others. By the looks of the walls, all spray painted with colorful words, meanings, and actual hues, it appeared some gang had used this floor as a meeting place at one point.
I guessed all the broken glass accounted for why the homeless chose not to sleep up here. A slight wind howled through the few pieces of jagged edged glass left in the windows, creating more of a ghostly moan than anything. My shivering got worse. Nira turned and motioned her hand in a wave toward herself, for us to get into a huddle. She put her arm around me, drawing me in close to her again. All the others stepped aside to let Alex move in against my other side. Good thing I wasn’t claustrophobic, too.
Actually, their consistent proximity, born of concern, touched me, brought me whatever slivers of comfort I had keeping me sane, the closer we got to Lex and whatever danger was protecting him. I looked to Nira, returning the tight, forced smile she offered. There was barely a mark left on her face from her battle with the wolf.
“So, three floors and only one wolf so far,” Nira whispered. “That means probably the rest of their dozen are somewhere on the top floor, standing between Lex and us. I’m sure the one that wears the black suits, that rarely changes form, is up there, as well. We are going to need to move in fast and just take them out. I don’t see any other option at this point. They’ve heard us. They’ve chosen to wait and ambush us there. We have to walk into the trap and just take them on. It gives them a bit of an upper hand, but at least we go in knowing what to be prepared for.”
“Dare I mention that there are no humans with guns here?” the vampire guy beside Nira added. “I fear that means they’ve gotten cocky, feeling they need no one other than their pack to win. I’m sure their sorcerer has something to do with their newfound confidence. We don’t really know what we are walking into this time, actually. The magic they have at their disposal creates a huge amount of unknowns. All bets of what we once knew are off. Hate to be a downer, but it is true.”
“It is true. And, truth can save. We just barrel in and fight. What else do we have? Maybe they will be too cocky to use magic in the actual fights, too. Regardless, protection of Christina comes first,” Nira said with a nod, acknowledging all the other vamp had said as she moved on. “We promised to get her to the Royals, and we will. We can’t let her fall into their hands, whatever the cost. If there is only one of us left standing, you better hightail your ass out of the building with her and flee to safety. Got it?”
Fear skittered down my back at her words as vampires agreed and wolfs snorted to acknowledge the same. The grim reality of horrible possibilities played out in my mind. As I tried to calm, and empty my mind of needless worry, as soon enough we’d be in the thick of it, I sensed Lex. This time was different, though. Rather than just seeing him in my mind, I swore I could feel him under my skin. His energy, what there was of it as weak as he was, mixed with my own, fluttered like a tickle under my skin. My nerve endings on full alert, his pain raced through me, scratching over that tickle, making it hard to catch my breath as I looked down, expecting to see blood somehow.
I quaked, from head to toe, like a small seizure, making everyone in our circle look my way. My hand to my chest, I attempted to hold it together as my heart thumped. Feeling him that way, I so desperately needed to see him. I knew I needed to follow this group of warriors into this battle to do whatever they said, as my best chance of ever seeing him again. My own desperate brain could not be trusted. He was too important.
“I’m going to fall back, stay with Christina,” Nira announced, getting her nods of agreement from the other two vampires before she looked me up and down, gave me another squeeze, and turned me in the direction of those hellish stairs again.
Chapter Six
Just as I’d taken a few steps onto the fourth floor, moving forward just enough to allow the wolf posse behind me enough room, we found ourselves blinded by a flood of lights. I saw stars, blinking as if I’d just looked up at the sun. Only, I couldn’t look away. The light surrounded us, wiping out our vision completely, seemingly coming from all directions at once. Night went to day in an instant, and it took a few moments to adjust, until the dots floating before my eyes began to clear.