“And a sword?” I asked hopefully.
She chuckled. “I think we’ll start you out with a practice one. But I can already tell you’re going to be a fine warrior, Jordan.”
I beamed at her. “I’m going to be the best warrior ever.”
Chapter 1
“What do you say we hit up Suave tonight?”
Mason grunted. “Can we discuss this later? Little busy here.”
“Pfft.” I swung my sword, the blade slicing cleanly through the throat of one of the two vampires I was facing off against. Her eyes took on that shocked, angry look vampires always got when they realized their worthless life was over, and she crumpled to the floor.
Behind me, a vampire shrieked in pain, and I knew Mason was holding his own.
“Don’t think you’re getting out of it again,” I said, turning my attention to my remaining opponent. “You promised to hit the club with me.”
Mason groaned, and I smiled at the male vampire whose gaze was darting between me and the nearest doorway. He was calculating whether or not he was faster than I was.
“Go for it.” I waved my free hand at the door. “I’ll even give you a head start.”
He didn’t think twice. He bolted for the door, and true to my word, I didn’t run after him.
“What are you doing?” Mason asked incredulously. “You’re letting him go?”
“Please.” I scoffed and drew the knife strapped to my thigh. A flick of my wrist sent the weapon into the back of the fleeing vampire. He screamed as the silver blade burned him from the inside out, but he kept staggering forward.
I sighed as I went after him. I really had to work on my throwing skills. I’d been at least an inch off his heart.
The vampire stumbled past the concession stand, where the smell of stale popcorn and butter still hung in the air even though the movie theater had been closed for over a year. I caught up to him near the entrance to one of the theaters and plunged my sword into his back, making sure to hit his heart this time. He gasped and collapsed, his body sliding off my blade.
“Heads-up, Jordan and Mason,” Raoul called over the comm. “Two coming your way.”
I straightened and spun to see two vampires sprinting toward Mason from the opposite direction. I ran to intercept. “On it.”
Mason was still fighting his opponent, so I engaged the newcomers alone. Their speed told me they were young, like most vampires we encountered, though still a little faster than I was. It annoyed the hell out of me that I’d have to wait years to build up the speed of the older warriors like Raoul. Whose brilliant idea was it to create a race of vampire hunters that took a century to reach their full strength?
The vampires snarled and came straight at me. I gripped my sword, ready for them. What I lacked in speed, I made up for in combat. I had better be good after sparring regularly for months with Nikolas Danshov. I’d also trained briefly with Desmund Ashworth. They were two of the best swordsmen alive, and I was going to join their ranks one day.
The first vampire took a swipe at me, and I relieved him of one of his hands. He screamed and clutched his bloody stump.
“What?” I quirked an eyebrow at him. “It’s not like you’re going to need it.”
If there was one thing I knew about vampires, it was how badly they reacted to taunts. He bellowed and lunged at me. I removed his head. A little messy but effective.
Running feet drew my attention to the second vampire, who was making an escape. I shot a look at Mason and saw he didn’t need my help finishing off his kill. Then I set off in pursuit.
The vampire disappeared through a door, and I yanked it open to see him racing up a flight of stairs. The building had three floors, and we were on the bottom. My gut told me he was headed for the roof. We were close enough to the neighboring buildings for him to make his escape that way.
I sped up the stairs, my eyes on the figure two flights above, frantically trying to kick down a door.
“Jordan, where are you?” Mason asked over the comm.
“Stairs,” I replied. “Have one going for the roof.”
Raoul cut in. “Wait for your partner, Jordan.”
The door above me crashed open, and a rush of cool night air hit me.
“My partner better get his ass in gear because I’m not letting this bastard get away.”
I could hear swearing on the other end as I ran through the roof access door that now hung on its hinges. I caught sight of my quarry as he leaped to the roof of the next building.
“He’s jumped to the bakery roof,” I informed the team as I went after him.
I landed on the other roof as the vampire sped to the opposite edge to jump again. Obviously, no one had told him he could survive a three-story fall, or he wouldn’t be making it so easy for me to follow him. I’d survive three stories, too, but not without some bruises, and he’d most likely get away.
The next roof was a story lower. This time, the vampire jumped down to the alley between the buildings.
I followed suit, wincing as the shock of the landing traveled up my legs. Maybe it was time to invest in more practical boots for work. Heels were hot, but combat boots were a lot better for jumping off buildings.
The vampire sped away, and I put on a burst of speed to close the distance between us. He ducked through a door into another building. I went in after him.
I came up short when I found myself in what looked like a storage area of some kind. The room didn’t hold my interest as much as the three vampires I was suddenly facing.
The one I’d been chasing smiled, showing off his snakelike fangs. “Looks like you’re outnumbered. Your friends won’t save you now.”
I shrugged. “That whole damsel in distress bit is not really my thing anyway. So, who wants to go first?”
“Me.” The biggest one, who looked like he’d been a thirtysomething biker when he was changed, licked his lips. “I’m going to rip your guts out and eat them while you watch.”
I made a face. “Someone’s been watching The Walking Dead too much.”
“You won’t be cracking jokes when I’m done with you,” he said as the three of them spread out, trying to surround me.
I kept my back to the door so the most they could do was form a semicircle. Holding my sword in a relaxed grip, I waited for them to make the first move.
My friend from the theater and the third vampire, who looked like he’d been a computer nerd in his former life, rushed me from either side. Twisting, I ran my blade through the stomach of Nerd Guy and sent a high kick to the throat of the other. It was a move I’d been practicing for weeks, and I was kind of bummed no one was there to see it.
Both vampires went down, and I turned my attention to the ex-biker as he charged. He swung a clawed hand at me, and I ducked, coming up behind him. Before he could turn around, I drove my sword into his heart.
The vampire with the gut wound writhed on the floor, so I went after the other one. He’d recovered from the blow I’d given him, but instead of helping his friends, he was running for the door. Bending, I whipped a blade from my boot and threw it. He let out a choked cry, and I did a fist pump because my aim had been perfect this time.
A whimpering sound behind me reminded me my job wasn’t done. The last vampire seemed almost happy to be put out of his misery when I went to kill him.