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Chapter Four

Eliza pulled into an empty parking lot and killed the engine. The heat dissipated, and almost instantly, the chill started to creep back in. I leaned forward and studied our surroundings. We’d ventured into the north-eastern part of Edmonton, a place I’d never visited before, considering I lived in the south-eastern area of Mill Woods.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“This is Beverly,” Eliza said. “It’s an older part of the city, with a lot of history. Used to be a coal-mining district way back when. Tunnels run all throughout the area.”

I considered the location. Every earthbound vampire I knew lived their best lives in apartments, homes—whatever suited their lifestyle. The only vamps I knew to haunt tunnels or caves were hellspawn vampires. Then again, Hell wasn’t exactly known for its booming housing market. The crème de la crème of real estate down there consisted of a lava pit with a view, maybe a stalagmite or two for ambiance.

Still, if someone wanted to avoid attention—especially after breaking the cardinal rule of feeding in the open—hiding off the grid made sense. And these tunnels were about as “off the grid” as it got.

“Most of the mines are sealed,” Eliza continued, “but this isn’t the first time I’ve tracked a vampire here. Shall we?”

I nodded and exited the car. The cold hit us, sharp and biting. I pulled my coat tighter around me and ignored the chill. Eliza hurried around her car and popped the trunk, dragging her own gear bag out as I pulled mine from the backseat.

I dropped it on the ground and unzipped it, revealing my modest collection of weapons. Inside were two swords and a handful of daggers, all of which had arrived with me on Earth.

“Whoa,” Eliza whispered. “Where did you get those?”

I shrugged, trying to play it cool. “Family heirlooms.”

It wasn’t a lie, per se. The swords were unlike any of Earth’s weapons. The first was a slender, double-edged blade, forged from infernium, a rare and indestructible metal found only in the deepest pits of Hell. Runes etched the hilt, which glowed with a hellish crimson light. I’d named this sword Inferno’s Kiss, because it could channel my hellfire, allowing it to sear through flesh and bone with nary a thought.

My second sword, Shadow’s Embrace, was shorter but no less deadly. The tenebrium metal was so dark, the blade seemed to drink in the surrounding shadows. Dark hellspawn hide wrapped around the hilt, and the blade had a slight curve, perfect for slashing.

As for daggers, I had three: Whisper, Hell’s Fang, and Oblivion’s Edge. They didn’t possess any special enhancements, but they were wicked sharp and lethal in the right hands. Sometimes, all a girl needed was a sharp stabby knife.

“Family heirlooms?” Eliza echoed. “I’ve never seen anything like them.”

I frowned, reconsidering my decision to bring these weapons along. As much as I missed using my blades, maybe bringing them on this hunt hadn’t been such a great idea. They certainly attracted attention—the kind I could do without.

“I don’t mean to question your competence, but do you know how to use them?” she asked.

A small smile came to my lips. “Definitely. My father wasn’t exactly the nurturing type. He had incredibly high expectations of me and raised me as a warrior.” I stood and held Inferno’s Kiss up to the moonlight. “Admittedly, I’m a bit rusty. I haven’t held a sword in a decade. But I’m sure the muscle memory will kick right in.”

Eliza watched me with a mix of curiosity and amusement as I began to gear up. I secured Inferno’s Kiss over my right shoulder and Shadow’s Embrace over my left, each hilt positioned for quick access. Then I distributed each of my daggers across my belt: Whisper on my left, Hell’s Fang on my right, and Oblivion’s Edge at the small of my back.

“Impressive setup,” Eliza remarked as she reached into her own bag and pulled out her weapons. She armed herself with a sleek crossbow and a pair of silver-tipped stakes, the tools of a seasoned hunter. She slung the crossbow over her shoulder and secured the stakes in holsters on her thighs.

I admired her efficiency. Eliza was a professional through and through, and it was clear she knew exactly what she was doing. “Alright,” I said, discarding my coat for easy access to my weapons. It was cold as a witch’s teat out here, but it wouldn’t kill me. “So, what’s the plan?”

Eliza glanced around, her eyes scanning the darkened streetscape. “We wait. The vampire usually returns to her lair just before sunrise. We’ll stay out of sight and ambush her when she gets close.”

I nodded. “What does she look like? Not that I’m expecting others, but it might be handy to have a description of the target.”

“Pale, dark hair, and apparently has a penchant for leather,” Eliza replied. “She’s got a bit of a gothic vibe going on.”

Didn’t all vampires? From what I’d seen, they all had the same look.

Eliza led us a good couple kilometers away from the car to what appeared to be a boarded-up mine entrance. We found a spot with a good vantage point, but out of sight from the entrance the vampire was using. Settling in for a long stakeout, we made ourselves as comfortable as possible on the cold ground.

“So,” Eliza said, breaking the silence. “How does someone raised as a warrior become a bartender?”

I quietly snickered. “I guess that isn’t the typical career trajectory, is it?”

Eliza joined in with a chuckle, her breath visible in the frigid air. “I’m not sure. I don’t know many bartenders.”

“Fair enough.” I repositioned myself to keep my daggers from digging into my hips. “I guess I just wasn’t keen on the expectations my father placed on me.” Truth. “And he had no intention of letting me lead my own life. So, when I got the chance, I carved out a new path.” That part, admittedly, wasn’t true. But I couldn’t admit that someone—most likely my father—had ripped off my wings and exiled me to Earth. That might have revealed just a smidgen too much about me.

“And this new path of yours led to bartending?” Eliza asked.

“It led me here,” was all I said. “But I had to make a living somehow, didn’t I?”

“Bounty hunting pays a lot more, you know,” she said. “I haven’t seen you in serious action yet, but you claim you know how to use those swords of yours. So why not take that path?”

“At the time, I just wanted something peaceful. Something that didn’t involve fighting.”

“Says the woman who swatted down a werewolf in a single strike.”

I laughed. She wasn’t wrong. I had my skills—thanks to my father’s upbringing. He’d insisted his minions mold me into a weapon, and they’d done exactly that. My life in Hell had been anything but pleasant. The days had been an endless blur of training sessions, fighting hellspawn, demons, my father. Earth was a cakewalk compared to that. And when I arrived here, the last thing I’d wanted was more fighting.

But I couldn’t share any of that with Eliza.

“I wanted something different,” I told her. “Something that gave me freedom from the life my father raised me in.”

“Ah. A rebel,” she teased.

I snorted a laugh. Yeah, a rebel. An apt description considering my bloodline. I was Lucifer’s daughter, after all.

“Then what made you agree to help me here tonight?” Eliza asked.

“The money,” I admitted almost instantly. “I, uh, have a date on Friday night. And a friend of mine is insisting on taking me shopping beforehand. My bank account rests perpetually in the three digits range.” I grinned and shook my head. “Gotta admit, it’s easier to knock a guy’s socks off if you have the cash flow to buy a sexy black dress.”

Eliza lowered her head, her shoulders shaking with laughter. “All this, for a guy?”

“Oh, there are other things I need, and money is required to, you know, buy stuff. But he’s a good guy,” I told her. “At least, I think he is. He rescued me from a rude customer yesterday. Not many people would have done that these days.”

“Oh, got a savior kink, do you?”

My eyes popped wide, and I stared at her. “A savior kink?”

“Sure! Every girl dreams of being rescued by Prince Charming.”

I rolled my eyes. “If that’s a kink, I must’ve missed the memo.”

Eliza grinned, then pulled her hat lower, ensuring it covered her ears. “So, what’s his story? This Prince Charming of yours.”

“I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “But for once, I want to find out.”

“Well, I hope it goes well,” she said, her voice soft. She glanced at her watch and sighed. “When is this vampire going to show up?”

A good question. The ground was bone-chillingly cold and making me yearn for a hot shower or maybe a mug of hot chocolate.

“Are you sure this is her lair?” I asked, forcing myself to ignore the discomfort.

“Positive,” Eliza said. “I’ve been tracking her for a few nights. She’s usually back by now.”

I frowned. “Think we scared her off?”

“Anything’s possible,” Eliza said with a shrug. “But we’ll keep waiting. We don’t have anywhere else to be, right?”

Nodding, I forced my attention back onto the surrounding area, straining my ears for any hint of movement. Hopefully, our target made an appearance before sunrise. I would hate for a human to catch us mid-hunt.

Time stretched endlessly. Every now and then, Eliza shifted her weight beside me, her breath visible in the frosty air. I caught her wincing a few times, and it made me wonder what the cold was doing to her. I knew very little about siren physiology.

Just when I was beginning to think the vampire might have given us the slip, I heard it—a faint rustling in the distance.

I tapped Eliza on the arm and pointed toward the sound. She nodded, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the source of the noise.

Moments later, someone appeared. I couldn’t see her face, but from the back, I noticed a long, swinging black ponytail. She moved with an almost feline grace as she glided through the shadows, slinking toward the mine entrance.

Definitely a vampire. And hopefully ours.

I reached for Inferno’s Kiss, my fingers curling around the hilt. But Eliza shook her head and signaled for me to wait.

I raised a questioning brow, but she just shook her head again and pointed up the road. There, someone stood on their porch, dressed for what looked like a run.

My jaw dropped. A run in the middle of winter, this early in the morning? I shook my head—humans constantly astounded me. Usually, at this time of day, I’d already tucked myself into bed, and no amount of anything could get me out. Especially not exercise .

I turned my attention back to the vampire, watching as she pulled the boards away from the entrance, then ducked inside and closed the entrance, disappearing from view.

“That’s our mark,” Eliza confirmed. “We’ll wait for the human to leave, then we’ll follow the vampire inside. Fewer witnesses, and less risk of her escaping.”

I nodded, though the anticipation was nearly killing me. It didn’t take long for the runner to pass by, completely oblivious to the two of us crouched on the ground nearby. Once we couldn’t hear their footfalls anymore, we rose from our position and crept toward the mine entrance.

Eliza reached for the boards and eased them back with nary a sound. Impressive.

She led me inside, where darkness enveloped us. I shot Eliza a glance. She nodded, silently answering my unspoken question—we could both see in the pitch black.

Together, we moved forward. The mine entrance was narrow, and the wooden supports were still standing, but the workers had long since cleared out the equipment.

We inched onward, careful of the uneven floor, and followed the path deeper into the main area. Eventually, we reached a larger chamber, dimly lit by flickering candles placed haphazardly around the room. The vampire stood at the far end, her back still to us. She was rummaging through a bag, muttering to herself. Eliza and I exchanged a glance, silently communicating our plan. I tightened my grip on Inferno’s Kiss, ready for the confrontation.

Eliza raised her crossbow, aiming it at the vampire’s back. I stepped forward, my blade poised for a strike. But then, our target turned.

And my heart stopped dead in my chest.

I knew this vampire.