Page 21

Chapter

Twenty-One

A ngelo

I crouched next to St. Christopher’s Church, the predator in me relishing the familiar thrill of the hunt. Moonlight spilled across the cemetery grounds, casting long shadows between the headstones. The Nightshade Crypt was about five hundred yards away from us, its marble facade gleaming silver in the light. To my right, Dimitri lounged against a stone pillar, looking deceptively casual. Rose Dragan was next to him. She was a Nightshade witch and a vampire. Her presence here wasn’t voluntary—I’d made it clear that Valentin’s life hung by a thread and only Serenity’s power could save him. The threat hadn’t been subtle. Rose knew I’d let him die without hesitation if she refused to help. Enzo kept to the shadows on my left, his dark eyes fixed on the crypt ahead. Between us, Steve stood rigid, his eyes darting from point to point in the darkness, tracking something the rest of us couldn’t see.

Angelo, hurry.

I winced as Serenity’s desperation slammed into me, her terror so raw it made my hands shake. She was panicked, her essence flickering like a candle in a storm, and I could feel something happening to her, something bad like a rose succumbing to the frost. The connection between us was fraying, growing weaker with each passing second.

Enzo glanced over at me, real fear flickering across his usually composed features. “What’s wrong?”

“Serenity.” My voice came out rough, choked with rage and fear. “She sent me another message. She’s in trouble.” My fingers twitched with the need to tear something apart, to make Balthazar bleed. “If fucking Balthazar has hurt her?—”

Enzo clasped my arm, his grip tight enough to ground me. “Stay cool,” he said, but I could hear the tension in his voice. “Losing your head is just what that bastard wants.”

Stark moonlight bathed the Nightshade Crypt in silvered light, casting angular shadows that seemed to writhe and dance. The structure appeared empty, but Steve’s rigid posture told me otherwise.

“Now this is more my speed. Invisible demons, rescue mission, and a king vampire about to go nuclear?” Dimitri adjusted his grip on the Unseelie blade, eyes scanning the shadows Steve was tracking. “Though I have to say, fighting things I can’t see? Not exactly sporting. At least when I’m ripping hearts out, I can look them in the eyes first.”

His smirk faded slightly as he watched me struggle with my rage. “But seriously, that whole ‘don’t lose your head’ advice? Sometimes rage is exactly what you need in a fight. Just ask me. My best moves always come after someone threatens Gianna.”

He’d shifted into a combat stance, blade at the ready. “So what do you say we stop with the dramatic monologuing and go crash this party? Steve can point, I’ll stab, and you can work out your feelings by tearing Balthazar apart. Win-win.”

Steve glanced at me then back at the crypt. “Balthazar isn’t here.”

The bastard must be overly confident he could take us down—a deadly mistake. My fangs lengthened at the thought, anticipation of the coming fight humming through my veins.

“If you’re all done with your posturing,” Rose cut in, her voice sharp with barely contained hostility, “those demons aren’t the only thing standing between us and that crypt. And every minute we waste here is another minute Valentin—” She stopped herself, jaw clenching as she glared across the moonlit cemetery. “Five hundred yards might as well be five miles if we can’t even see what we’re fighting.”

“We need to wait for the signal,” Enzo reminded us. “Or we’re going be running again with our tails between our legs like we did last time.”

“Not this time.” I promised, but then I glanced at Steve.

He kept flexing his fingers, still unused to their preternatural strength. His face twisted in fear, or was it recognition? If he betrayed me tonight, he would learn why even the eldest of our kind spoke my name in whispers. There were far worse fates than sunlight or starvation—I had spent centuries perfecting them. The thought stretched my mouth into a predator’s grin.

The witch-magic of the Nightshades crackled in the air, a taste like ozone and grave dirt on my tongue. Steve’s gaze snapped upward, following invisible movements that made him shudder. His time as a demon’s puppet had left him with an unwanted gift—the ability to see their kind. It made him valuable…and vulnerable. Balthazar wouldn’t want to leave any loose ends.

“What are we looking at?”

“At least twenty.” His eyes tracked invisible movements in the darkness. “They’re not alone. There are hellhounds.”

“Fantastic,” Dimitri drawled. “Invisible demons weren’t enough, they had to add Satan’s favorite pets to the mix. Anyone bring treats? Maybe we can convince them to sit and stay.”

“Hell…hellhounds? God, this is just like the last battle.” Rose drew out the Unseelie sword that glowed a dark midnight blue, meaning demons were present.

“Don’t worry, little witch,” Dimitri drawled, moving closer to her side. “Your boyfriend would turn me into a daylight-challenged pin cushion if I let anything happen to you. And trust me—” his smirk turned predatory as he scanned the darkness where Steve was looking, “—hellhounds aren’t nearly as scary as a pissed-off Valentin.”

Enzo narrowed his eyes. “How many?”

“Three. They’re guarding the door to the crypt.” Steve’s voice dropped to barely a whisper, as if afraid the beasts might hear him.

I swore underneath my breath as I gripped my sword tighter. Hellhounds were bigger and more vicious than wolves—I still bore scars from our last encounter with them. That night had been a bloodbath. Maybe Keir should have brought his harpies after all, but he’d warned that demons would sense their presence.

Trystan was leading his wolves closer to the crypt, his massive shifted form dwarfing the others in his pack. At least we had one advantage on our side.

Snarls and growls filled the air as Trystan and his wolves burst from the shadows, their massive forms charging the crypt.

“That’s the signal.” Finally, we were done waiting. I could feel my predatory nature rising, ready to tear through anything between me and Serenity. “Let’s move.”

Dimitri grabbed Rose’s wrist, his usual smirk replaced by deadly focus. “Stay close to me. I’ll get you to the crypt.” Valentin’s mate wasn’t going to get so much as a scratch on his watch.

The sound of claws scraping stone echoed through the night as they collided with invisible forces—the demons Steve had warned us about. Trystan’s enormous white form launched through the air, his pale fur gleaming like frost in the moonlight as his jaws snapped at what looked like empty space.

My skin tingled and the hair on the back of my neck stood straight up, a primal warning honed over centuries. The Unseelie blade in my grip transformed, its steel darkening to deep midnight blue then blazing with silver runes that spiraled along its length. The ancient metal sang with bloodlust as it sensed demonic presence. I pivoted and swung in one fluid motion, more instinct than sight. Golden sparks exploded through the air like shattered stars, the sword’s magic tearing through dimensional barriers.

To my left, Enzo moved with lethal grace, his centuries of combat training evident in every calculated strike. His silver daggers flashed in deadly arcs, finding invisible targets with uncanny accuracy.

Dimitri, true to form, fought with savage enthusiasm, launching himself at unseen enemies with reckless precision. He kept Rose behind him like a shadow, his movements a deadly dance ensuring no demon could get near her. “Come on, you invisible bastards,” he taunted, his hands tearing through the air as golden sparks erupted where he struck. His grin was all fangs. “Let’s make this interesting. Though I have to say, killing things I can’t see?” He spun, catching another demon. “Really ruins my reputation for looking good while I fight.”

Sulfurous black blood sprayed in an arc, sizzling where it hit the ground. Something massive crashed down with a bone-shaking thud, the impact sending tremors through the earth. An unearthly shriek cut off mid-howl—one less demon, though I couldn’t see the corpse. The sword pulsed in my hand, its blue glow intensifying with each kill, the elder magic burning away demonic corruption that tried to seep into our realm.

Wolves launched through the air, their massive bodies colliding with invisible forces. Savage growls and bone-chilling snarls echoed off the walls as claws ripped through flesh we couldn’t see. Blood sprayed in crimson arcs, splattering against the ground like rain. The metallic scent of it filled my nostrils, mixing with the sulfuric stench of hell. A wolf’s yelp of pain pierced the chaos, followed by another’s desperate whimper as something unseen tore into them.

I fought my way toward Trystan, who thrashed his massive head back and forth, his jaws snapping at something I couldn’t see. Strings of bloody saliva flew from his muzzle. The hellhounds were there—I could sense their presence by the way the air seemed to ripple and burn, could hear their otherworldly growls beneath the wolves’ snarls. That’s where I needed to get to.

I inched closer and closer toward the front door of the crypt. I heard footsteps running up next to me. I swung my sword, but not fast enough. Something sharp penetrated my shoulder, and white-hot agony exploded through me. The pain burned through my veins with savage intensity, radiating from the wound in pulses of agony—yet somehow, it was almost welcome compared to the insidious crawl of parasites that had tormented me before. This was honest pain, a clean suffering that didn’t corrupt from within. My strength deserted me, and I sank to the ground.

It wasn’t like a normal blade wound—this was something darker, something that seemed to burn at my very essence.

My vampire hearing caught the demon’s footsteps through the haze of pain. I swung again, hard and desperate. Black blood sprayed across my face, burning like acid where it touched my skin.

“Death to demons!” Steven’s battle cry pierced the air as he charged forward, his sword slicing through demonic flesh. More black blood erupted, drenching my face and chest in its corrupted essence. The foul liquid seared my skin, choking me with its sulfuric stench.

A wet gurgle echoed through the crypt, followed by the thunderous impact of the demon’s body hitting stone.

Steve grabbed my arm, hauling me to my feet as my legs threatened to give out. “You’ve been stabbed with a hellish blade.” His face went pale as he examined the wound. “It’s powerful enough to kill a vampire—possibly even you.”

“Get me to the crypt,” I panted. “There’s probably something in there that can cure me. Head toward Trystan.”

Someone screamed in agony—a sound that made my blood freeze. I whirled toward it just in time to see Dimitri fall to his knees, his hands clutching his gut where dark blood poured between his fingers. His face was a mask of shock and pain, skin already turning ashen gray. Then he toppled over, his body hitting the ground with a sickening thud that seemed to echo in my skull.

“Dimitri! No.” Rose’s voice cracked as she dropped to her knees beside him, magic crackling uselessly at her fingertips.

“No.” Blood bubbled from his lips as his hand shot out to grab Enzo’s ankle. “Save Rose.” His eyes, already glazing over, locked onto Enzo’s with desperate intensity. “Get her…to the crypt.”

His head slumped to the side.

Fuck. Dimitri was either dead or dying. As a born vampire, he wouldn’t heal from a wound like this—wouldn’t miraculously spring back to life like the rest of us. My chest tightened as Gianna’s face flashed through my mind—her smile, her absolute faith in me to keep him safe. Damn, what would I tell her? How could I face her and say I’d watched her mate die?

Rose cried out but Enzo scooped her into his arms and drawing on vampire speed as he headed straight toward us.

Wolves surrounded Dimitri’s body as if to guard him.

The crypt. It was our only chance—there had to be something inside that could save him before he was fucking gone forever. Gianna’s face flashed through my mind again, twisted with grief and hatred. She would never forgive me for letting him die.

I gritted my teeth against the searing pain, forcing the words out. “Steve... get me... to the crypt.” Each word was a battle as the hellish blade’s poison burned through my veins.

Steve grabbed my arm, his grip iron-tight, and hauled me toward the crypt. The night air filled with the wet sounds of tearing flesh as his sword found invisible targets, dark demon blood spattering across the moonlit ground in abstract patterns. The metallic stench of blood mixed with the sulfuric reek of demon essence.

Enzo materialized at the crypt entrance with Rose, her face ghost-white but determined. She pressed her trembling hands against the ancient stone. Symbols blazed to life beneath her touch, spreading like silver fire across the surface until the entire wall thrummed with power. Stone groaned against stone as a section moved aside.

Steve shoved me through the opening, his body twisting in the same motion to meet an unseen attack. His sword sang through the air, more black blood joining the carnage. Trystan lunged to Steve’s side, massive jaws snapping and tearing at the invisible demons. The alpha’s pristine white fur was now a grotesque canvas of black demon ichor and crimson blood, but still he fought with savage grace.

My head was swimming, reality tilting at odd angles. The poison from that blade was different from the shadowweavers, but I could feel it draining me just as it had Dimitri, like ice spreading through my veins. I staggered, my hand sliding against the cold stone wall for support. “Tell me that there’s something in here to heal...” The floor rushed toward me as my legs failed, but Enzo’s grip kept me from hitting it. “To heal Dracula...and Dimitri.”

Rose’s form blurred and doubled as she moved through the crypt, her figure fading in and out like a ghost.

“Angelo,” Enzo’s voice seemed to come from far away. “Stay awake.”

“If something happens to me, promise me you’ll save Serenity.” The words slurred as the crypt tilted and spun around me, stone walls bleeding into darkness. My head fell back and sounds became distant echoes, warped and meaningless. Pain blazed through every nerve until sweet oblivion claimed me...

My last thought drifted like a prayer into the darkness: Serenity, I love you.