Elliott pulled the SUV to a halt at the far end of a lengthy parking lot. “Okay, kids. Welcome to Walley World. Looks closed. If only there was a forest creature out front who could’ve given us a heads up.”
“Dad, you’re the lamest person I’ve ever met,” Brandon groaned as he unbuckled his seat belt.
“Why are we so far away?” Cassidy asked, and Elliott immediately regretted bringing the two kids.
Two other SUVs, each carrying six Guardians from Roatan, pulled into spots nearby. Meagan and Smith, an essentially useless Guardian, sat in the back and Elliott looked at them for confirmation about how ridiculous “kids these days” were but only found a concerned look on Meagan’s pretty face and an absent one on Smith’s. He should’ve looked to Jamie for support, but then he was probably watching Ashley’s hunt and wouldn’t have noticed Elliott’s plea for support either.<
Vampire fangs directly above her face, Cadence twisted her body as her hands came up to grab at Drew’s familiar face, though she was certain whoever this was, it wasn’t her friend. Drew had dated Kash--not Jon. She didn’t have time to ponder whether or not this was a Vampire she was acquainted with trying to hoax her or just one of Holland’s tricks. Since her Glock was across the room, and she had chosen not to bring a Beretta this time, without fishing around for another weapon, she only had her hands to fight with.And her knees.She raised them into the Vampire’s gut, hard, and as the woman gasped, she took advantage of the situation and pushed her across the room. The monster careened into the wall, but it only took a moment for the Vampire to launch herself back at her. Cadence’s fingertips grazed the butt of her Glock, but she couldn’t get it in time, so she pulled her knife. It was Van’s blade—she was certain
Aaron tried to relax but his shoulder still hurt like a son of a bitch, despite Martin’s ability to stop the bleeding and begin the healing process. The kid was good, but he was no Jamie.“So… she just shot you?”“I think she thought I was someone else. A Vampire. Apparently, Holland is concentrating all of her efforts to screw up Cadence’s IAC. I can get flickers of her from time to time, but I don’t think she can use it much at all, and she can’t hear or see anything.”Martin nodded. “About a half an inch lower, she would’ve hit you right in the heart,” Martin said, repositioning his hands.“I’m lucky she was still rattled from whoever she was battling then. She usually doesn’t miss.”Martin snickered, as if he was trying to be polite, and repositioned his hands. Aaron got a quick flicker of Cadence’s IAC in the parking lot, but something didn&r
Cadence reached for her Glock at the same time he moved, rushing her and dragging his claws across her face as he wrapped his hands around her neck. She should’ve been faster, should’ve realized this was another trick. But she’d let her emotions interfere with her judgment, and now, she found herself in a compromising position as this Vampire twisted her around to face the building, blood dripping from both cheeks.She wondered why he didn’t attempt to kill her right then, not that she wouldn’t fight him to the bitter end. He was strong, and she imagined Holland was doing everything within her power at the moment to strengthen this one beast. But as he spun her around, she could see his dilemma. Aaron came bursting out the hole that used to be the warehouse door, and though she could see he was struggling, blood stains all down his left side, he had his Glock pointed at the monster behind her.“Go ahead! Pull the trigger. I’m s
“Well, if it isn’t Dr. Sanderson. Is this a case of physician heal thyself or what?” Sam croaked in his gravelly voice. Meagan was bleeding badly from both arms and legs, and she looked like Sam had been using her as some sort of pin cushion without the pins.His strength continued to return so that now his eyes were open and things were beginning to come into focus. “You think this is some sort of a sadistic game, Sam? Pretty sure I owe you a bullet to the head.”Sam chuckled. “I know I can’t kill you, but it’s a shame you managed to get up. Maybe I can kill her.”Before Elliott could react, Sam turned the gun on Cassidy and fired a single bullet in her direction. How Elliott had managed to let her walk out there with no cover, without even a weapon drawn, was beyond him, but he couldn’t move fast enough to react, and Brandon was across the room. Sam’s laughter mixed with the sound of his own scr
Sicilia hurried back to the SUV as soon as Aurora gave the all clear that the museum was vacated from all Vampires, other than the ash variety. She’d done everything she could to help Paul out before her hunt started, but when she’d had to let him go to concentrate on the attack, he was still struggling.“Talk to me, Paul. How’s it going?” she asked as she climbed into the passenger’s seat, hoping to get a little bit of peace before the rest of the team got back to the vehicle.“Everyone seems to have reacted well to the aspirin and the transfusions, except for Stanley. He’s pulse is barely detectable, and he’s pale.”Requesting visuals from Paul, she assessed the five victims. He was right; four of them looked like they were resting peacefully, as if they might wake up at any moment and be fine, but Stanley, a larger man with a buzzcut, didn’t look good at all. “Okay.
Cadence supposed Aaron was right. She sould be proud of her team. She could only imagine how those teams who had lost someone might feel, though. At least she knew her sister was safe. “Thanks. Did Elliott get Sam? Did he show up?” She had a feeling once she’d killed Laura that Holland must’ve somehow figured out where she and Aaron would be and that Sam was likely headed for Elliott’s location.“No, he didn’t,” Aaron replied, and Cadence’s forehead crinkled, wondering if there was more. “Meagan did.”A smile spread across her face as she thought of her friend getting revenge on the bastard who’d haunted her dreams for far too long.“Are we ready to load up?” Alex asked. “I believe the other Guardians are finished speaking with the authorities.”Cadence hadn’t even considered who was running interference in Elliott’s absence but was glad Aaron had f
The pounding of her heavy boots rang off of the marble barricade as Cadence Findley sprinted down the promenade, leaping between ornate columns every few feet, careful with each jump to situate herself so that the landing hit on the narrow top of the only barrier between her and a nice fall to concrete several stories below. The Vampires in front of her were not being quite as cautious, but they were being smart; by sprinting away from her up here and not on the walkway itself, they were preventing her from firing her Glock. After a missed shot had splintered the ferro of a gondola in the canal, she was leery of taking out any more Vegas landmarks.“Just because they’re running up there doesn’t mean you have to,” Elliott Sanderson said in her head. He was serving as lookout, perched in the clocktower at the end of this passage. Cadence was hopeful the trio of bloodsuckers in front of her would run right past him, and maybe he could get the sho
“You shot Oprah?” Aaron asked through his IAC as he saw the Hunter he was working with, Aurora Howe, standing next to what used to be a wax figure in the form of the famous talk-show host.“Not on purpose!” Aurora replied. “She... got in the way.”They’d already taken out four of the five Vampires who’d decided a wax museum was the perfect place to hide, and Aaron was on the trail of the last one who seemed to think the famous villains special display area of the attraction was the best place to hide. He had to agree. He kept his footsteps light as he crossed in front of a replica of Jack the Ripper, noting it looked nothing like the man he’d thrown from the Brooklyn Bridge over a hundred years ago.Up ahead of him, the Vampire sensed him coming and took off again, tossing over the form of another serial killer just as Aaron leapt up in the air, clearing it and landing a few feet aw