Page 4

From my perch in the treetops, I observe the movement inside the house that my father claimed was filled with human-turned. The home was a small, dilapidated mansion not far from the outskirts of father’s territory.

My phone vibrates, letting me know I have a call. I tap the earpiece in my ear to answer.

“What do you have for me, Tech?” Tech is a nineteen-year-old half-human, half-vampire computer genius I met eighteen years ago. When I met him, he was a malnourished orphaned toddler. I took him under my wing, found him a loving home and kept him fed. No one knows about him or our connection.

“I can’t find confirmation about the marriage thing, but your father is correct. In the last week or so, something has been running through humans at a rapid rate in his territory.”

There was no way I was going to take my father’s word for any of this. Even though I saw that decree, I still wanted proof. It goes without saying I don’t trust my family. However, when it comes to Marley, I’ll do anything.

“How soon can you verify the marriage thing?”

He sighs. “I don’t know, Zani. But honestly, I’d rather you wait until I did.”

I understood Tech’s stance. Moving without confirmation is not a smart move. However, I had the jump on this colony right now. And if I miss this opportunity before the kings’ come for my sister, all will be lost. No matter how good I am, I don’t have the stamina to go against every royal family.

“I respect your opinion, but I can’t wait. I won’t risk Marley.”

Tech sighs. “I figured you would say that. Just in case things go wrong, I’ll be on standby. But you know, I could be much more useful if you allowed me to tag along.”

Shaking my head, I say, “Never going to happen. Goodbye, Tech.” Pulling out the earpiece, I disconnect the phone call and press the button to turn the bud into a walkie talkie device. This way, Tech can hear me and my surroundings without having to call first.

I place the bud back in my ear. “Are you there?” I ask to make sure he’s with me.

“I’m here,” he confirms. “Be careful.”

I don’t reply. Just then, a car pulls into the driveway and two men hop out. It’s time. I check the gold cuffs on my wrists. Four fingers in width and two inches thick, I never go anywhere without the magical accessories. Mostly because they can’t come off. They are a reminder of my old life as a member of the legion. A life that I’ve tried hard to put behind me.

I pull the black balaclava face mask up, covering my nose and mouth. I then pulled the hood over my head. As soon as I have my face covered, I jump down from the tree, landing easily and silently on my feet.

I slip up behind the two vampires. Even though I am moving silently, they are so distracted by their conversation, they wouldn’t have noticed me.

“I spent the entire night with her,” the shorter man says. “She was all over me.”

“Yeah, right,” the taller guy replies.

The taller guy twists the doorknob, and it opens easily. Before he can walk into the house, I drop my hands out at my side, activating the cuffs. Two sharp Katana blades spring out. I use them to spear the two vampires in the back. After removing my blades from their spine, I chop off their heads, dropping them to the ground.

From my surveillance, I know that there are thirty vampires here scattered throughout the place. Stepping over the bodies of the two I killed; I enter the house.

Quickly, I scan my area, taking in the abandoned mansion. Years of neglect have turned the place into a dusty time capsule. I don’t have long to admire the decor.

Heavy footfalls coming from the room behind me have me spinning in that direction. Five vampires stop in their tracks when they see me. Yes, five full-blood vampires. I noticed it from the two outside as well. These aren’t human-turned. They aren’t royals either, but still not what I was expecting.

The meet and greet only lasts a second before they attack. I make quick work running through the first set of vampires. Not long after chopping off the last vamp’s head does another wave of those full-blood vampires rush in. One runs toward me as another tries to rush me from behind. I run up the side of the wall and do a back flip off, coming up behind the one behind me. The two vampires were going too fast to stop in their tracks. They nearly run into each other. I used my sword to ram it into the back of the guy in front of me and into the vampire in front of him. I yank the blade out and then sever their heads at the same time.

Before long, I’m again surrounded by headless corpses. I pull my blade out of the last guy and take off his head when suddenly an arrow pierces my thigh. I growl, but don’t go down. The metal tip of the arrow then opens up like a star. If I tried to pull the arrow out it would shred my flesh.

I attempt to turn to retreat when another arrow shoots me in the palm of my hand. “Fuck,” I roar.

Immediately, more arrows come from all over. One hits me in the shoulder while another goes into my foot.

I take a deep breath, fighting the pain. Gritting my teeth, I try to yank the one in my hand out, but my arm gets snatched back. It’s then I notice that some of the arrows are attached to chains.

Just then, the room fills with about fifty more full-blood vampires, all armed with bows and arrows. These vampires were not in this house when I did my initial surveillance. Which leads me to believe this was a setup. They knew I was coming and was prepared. I should have known the moment I realized they weren’t human-turned. But why?

I scan the faces of the vampires around me and a few familiar ones start to stick out. Davorin, Kozani, Kavita, Talon, and Venette are here. My heart races. If they are here, it can only mean one thing.

It starts off low. A burning sensation hits my chest. I gasp at the pain and knowledge of why it’s happening.