Almost Human (17 page)

When I could glance back, a man in a black
suit knelt in the shallow smoking hole that used to be the
floor.

“There goes the expensive, floating hardwood
floor,” Nyx muttered under his breath.

Solid black eyes locked on the man standing
next to me. “Dagger, you bastard, that hurt like hell.”

Dagger’s grip tightened on my fingers. “It’s
going to hurt a hell of a lot more when I’m done with you.” His
voice was deep. Too deep. The rush of his power crept over my skin,
leaving me gasping on the ground. I yanked on my arm while trying
to pry his fingers loose. In my gut I knew I had to get away from
him.

Gideon’s eyes narrowed. “Let her go and
break the circle then. You can’t harm me while I’m in it, just like
I can’t harm you. Face me.”

Dagger’s gaze flick to me. “She’s mine. And
you know I won’t let you out of the circle before I bind you. Or
you’ll cart us both back. But when you’re bound to me, I can make
this world mine. I’ll bathe in their blood.”

Gideon glared at him, and then looked at me.
“He’s losing control. Dagger doesn’t want to take over the world. I
need you to break the circle, Kori. He’s lost his hold on the
darkness. Someone needs to control him.”

Dagger yanked me to my feet, wrapped his
free arm around my back, and roared right next to my ear. “Don’t
talk to her!”

Alaric came toward us and Dagger flicked his
hand in Alaric’s direction. A wound opened on his cheek and poured
blood and he cursed. His teeth were visible through it.

“Dagger, you’re cutting up people that are
on our side.”

He met my gaze. “They’re against me unless
they bow down to me. He loves you. Wants you as his own. He’ll
never be loyal. I’ll make an example of him.”

I tried to take a step away from him, but he
had me clenched against his body. “Let go of me. You don’t love me,
Dagger.”

He ran his palm down my cheek. “No, but
you’ll make a powerful queen. Without mercy.”

I glanced at Gideon. “How do I break the
circle?”

“Smear your blood through any part of
it.”

Dagger growled at me and shook me. “Don’t do
it. He’ll try to take us both back with him. You don’t want to go
to a hell dimension, do you? Don’t anger me, Kori.”

No, I didn’t want to go to a hell dimension,
but Dagger had lost it. I could see it in his eyes. He was going to
kill anyone who didn’t agree with him, and one day that would be
me. Or today. But part of me wanted what he was offering. The world
was ours. Together we were powerful enough, and we could make
vampires that would follow us to their deaths.

I was choking on evil. Dagger was going to
pull me under with him. “Alaric, get him off me.”

Alaric was there in a flash. He wrapped his
thick forearm around Dagger’s throat and yanked.

Dagger slammed his head into Alaric’s face.
His grip loosened, but he didn’t release Dagger’s throat. However,
Dagger didn’t release me either.

I brought my knee up between his legs, he
grunted, and his eyes flashed red.

Nyx grabbed his arm and tried to pry it from
around my waist. I rammed my fist into Daggers nose, but I didn’t
have enough distance to make it a blow that would injure him. I
slammed my foot down on his as Nyx managed to get me free. I
stumbled away from Dagger, landed on my ass, and realized Nyx
hadn’t gotten me loose, but Dagger had back handed him. He lay in a
heap next to us.

He dug his nails into the back of my hand
trying to keep me in his grasp, but he had more than one vampire on
him now, trying to take him to the ground.

I focused on a cut on his throat. It was a
bad idea to do magic when he had me in his grasp. It was too easy
for him to put it back on me. But I was out of options. “Bleed.
Bleed.” His wounds immediately started to gush thick, dark blood
and he laughed.

“You can’t kill me like that, Kori.”

“I don’t want to kill you, bastard. I want
loose.”

“A mistake, my queen. Or did you not notice
that I have you, too? And I’ve been practicing much longer than you
have. I could kill you with the blood I have access to now. And
I’ve been so nice. I could have broken your hand by accident if I
wasn’t focusing.”

I glanced at where his nails dug into my
hand. Blood was seeping down my forearm. Shit. He bent my wrist
farther back to prove his point and I yelped.

A drop of blood ran off my elbow and touched
one of the markings on the floor. The power of the spells sizzled
up my spine. I was close to the circle. I could open it, but I
needed more blood. This time I focused on both of us and called for
blood, directing the flow down my arm.

“No.”

He tried to yank me away from the circle,
but he was also trying to cart four other vampires with him. He hit
the ground on his knees and I scrambled back, getting a foot closer
to the circle. I rubbed my hand in the blood on my left forearm and
flung myself back, stretching toward the circle.

“Don’t.”

I raked my blood through the sand and it was
like air spilled into the room. Dagger shrieked and released me as
Gideon’s power beat him down. He collapsed under a stack of
vampires.

Gideon grasped my injured hand and pulled me
to my feet. He ran his tongue over the little bleeding crescent
marks and they sealed immediately. He smirked. “Hmm. I see the
appeal.”

He released me and strode to Dagger. “Are
you done throwing a tantrum now?”

Dagger nodded. He was breathing way too
fast, and clutched his chest. “Shit. Hurts.”

Gideon shrugged. “That’s why you shouldn’t
be here. You shouldn’t have to put the demon back in its cage. You
should be where others of your kind could take you down if you had
an episode like this.”

Dagger shoved Jairdan off his chest and sat
up. “I won’t go back. She won’t go with you either.”

“It’s not a horrible place.”

“It’s a fucking hell dimension. Only the
strongest of demons survive there. And we’re vampires, what exactly
are we supposed to feed on there? Half of the demons have acid for
blood. And let’s not get started on the fact that the king of your
world wants me dead.”

Gideon shrugged. “I could put you in a
different demon world then. There are others. As for the king, you
did steal his powers.” He glanced at me. “And you’re giving them
away. Even your fledglings take a little with them. Did you know
you were weakening yourself with each vampire you made? Though,
your vampiric powers increase with age, so I’m not surprised that
you didn’t notice the demonic powers you attempt to lock away
diminishing.”

Dagger’s jaw clenched. “My fledglings
exhibit no symptoms of being demons.”

Alaric cleared his throat. “Don’t they,
though? It’s not the same as it is for you, but Nyx and Fallon are
a little more lethal and bloodthirsty. Fallon was turned about two
decades after I was, and he can take me in a fight. Nyx is one of
the most powerful vampires alive, but not the oldest.”

Dagger sat heavily on the floor. “And shit
gets worse after that.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

He closed his eyes and shook his head.
“Never mind. One horrible problem at a time.” He glared at Gideon.
“You know I wouldn’t summon you unless I needed your help.”

“Yes, I realize this summoning has come at a
particularly high cost for you.” He ran the back of his hand down
my cheek and I jerked away. “And this pretty thing.”

Alaric growled at him, long and feral.
Gideon rolled his eyes, but stepped away from me.

“How can I help you, Dagger?”

“Has a demon slipped past you recently by
any chance?”

The large man cracked his knuckles. “The
essence of one was summoned by a powerful witch. I couldn’t prevent
his crossing, but he’ll be back when the task is complete.”

“And if I told you this demon was trying to
find a host?”

He snorted. “I’d tell you I wasn’t
surprised. They all try.”

“And if I told you it piggybacked in to
inhabit a witch?”

Gideon groaned and squeezed the bridge of
his nose. “Damn it.”

“Do I have your attention then?”

“Completely.” He glanced at me. “You know
the quickest way to kill it is to assassinate the person that
raised it? Assuming it hasn’t grown too strong.”

“I didn’t raise it, if that’s what you’re
wondering. My mother did. And I would prefer if we didn’t kill
her.”

Casey nodded. “Yes, let’s avoid that.”

Jairdan grunted. “Are we going to have mercy
on a woman who’s tried to kill us all and very nearly succeeded?
She still might. Misha, Alaric, talk to them.”

Misha and Alaric exchanged a glance and
Gideon chuckled. “Poor Jairdan, they can’t agree with you. They
have to be more diplomatic, at the risk of upsetting their lady
loves.”

Jairdan groaned. “Really, guys? Really?”

Misha took a deep breath and Casey glared at
him and crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t say it. She’s still
our mother. We aren’t heartless enough to forget that.”

Gideon rolled his eyes. “You should be.
She’s taken in more darkness than Dagger. She can’t handle it, and
will be coming with me if we manage not to kill her. Even if the
slate was wiped clean and she was normal again, she’d still want
you lot dead.”

I couldn’t bring myself to admit that he was
right. We’d already lost our father, and Casey’s twin. How could we
kill our own mother? No matter what she’d become.
She was
willing to kill you for the same reason.
I flinched.

“I set out to kill Casey. It doesn’t mean I
could have actually done it.”

Alaric sighed and massaged his temples.
“Sorry, but I don’t think your mother has the same connection to
family that you do. She was cold and heartless, and so you relied
on each other for love. I suspect if she’d known how much you loved
one another, she would have separated you. I’m surprised she
didn’t. Most children of hunters are passed around to whomever can
teach them a skill, so they don’t bond with anyone. To hunters,
familial loyalty is only supposed to extend to the point of
vampirism. If you’re determined to stick together after that it
gets you killed, or…”

“We still want it to be a last resort.”

Gideon shrugged. “Well, that will make shit
interesting. Let’s get on with it then.”

Alaric arched an eyebrow. “Now? Some of our
people are still down and can’t fight.”

“Look, I have no patience. I’d like to get
this shit show on the road. We don’t need to wait for your people
to recover. I can even take a shot at this myself if you want.
Though, I’d like back up. Let’s pack whoever is healed and get
after it.”

I glanced at Alaric. “Every second we’re
here she could sneak up on us and put everyone at risk again. I
imagine every vampire she’s spotted is a target. Why stop at you,
your brothers, and us?”

Nyx snorted. “If they let themselves be
killed, they don’t deserve to exist. The king demands we protect
our own asses from everything but the Scourge.”

I rolled my eyes. “This is different. This
should be considered as dangerous as the Scourge.”

Gideon shook his head. “More dangerous. I
promise you.”

Alaric nodded. “Well, everyone grab weapons
and let’s go.”

I chewed my bottom lip. “I’ll call Astra and
see if she’s willing to help us.”

Jairdan snarled. “She won’t help us. She’ll
try to kill us instead. All you hunters are alike.”

I glared at him. “When I explain the
situation she’ll help us. She’s loyal to me and wasn’t born into
this life. She’ll still trust me. Unless you’ve done something we
should know about? Something to make her distrust vampires even
more.”

His face went blank. “Maybe I have.”

My eyes narrowed and I tried to keep the
alarm blossoming in my stomach from showing on my face. That
bastard. “I told you to leave her alone.”

“She tried to kill me, and I couldn’t allow
her to continue to murder vampires. She’s dangerous and needs to be
taught a lesson.”

“Well, you’d better hope she’ll forgive you
long enough to battle a bigger evil, assuming you didn’t kill
her.”

“I didn’t, but she’s likely to make an
attempt on my life.”

I smirked. “Well, that will be your problem.
Astra is very skilled, so you’d better watch your ass.”

Alaric stepped between us and frowned at me.
“Make the call, Kori. I’ll talk to my brother. Convince her not to
attack him if you can.”

I shrugged. “We’ll see.”

I spun on my heel and strode down the
hallway, pulling my phone from my pocket as I went. I ducked into
one of the rooms, not sure why I’d bothered to walk away from them.
They would probably hear my conversation even from here, but
concern for Astra made me want to at least have the illusion of
privacy.

I dialed her number and prayed she would
answer. I couldn’t lose another friend. When she answered on the
fifth ring, I was close to pulling my hair out.

“What’s up, Kori?”

She only sounded a little tired. I sighed in
relief. “Yeah, I need your help.” I explained the situation.

“Can you do it without wanting to kill all
the vampires? It’s more important that we kill this demon. Uh”—I
massaged the back of my neck—“Jairdan will be there, and I want to
make sure you can resist killing him. I can barely manage, so I
know why you might say no.” I laughed awkwardly and cursed myself
for the difficulty I was having expressing my worry. I hadn’t been
raised to project concern. “Are you okay?” I whispered into the
long silence.

She sighed. “I can resist killing him this
once, to help out a friend. As long as he doesn’t threaten me, I’ll
manage. Make sure he keeps his distance.”

I snorted. “I’ll tell him. You have my
permission to kill him if you feel threatened. I’ll handle his
brothers if you have to make that call.”