Cal dove for the wooden stake. He rolled onto his back and jammed the butt of the stake into the ground as a vampire lunged at him. The attacker's eyes widened and he tried to stop his fall, but it was too late. “Damn you,” he said as the stake hit him in the heart.
The other vampire cried out and threw himself at Cal, baring his fangs as he landed on Cal's chest, knocking the stake to the side.
He sank his teeth into Cal's neck.
He fought with all his strength as he felt the blood being drawn from his body.
Demi screamed beside him and the vampire jerked up in the air, ripping the flesh at the base of Cal's throat.
Cal pressed a hand to his neck, warm blood oozing around his fingers. He couldn't stop. Blaise was under attack by six vampires and Katya was fending off three. Demi's vines flung the vampire away from them. He was caught by a broken tree branch, the jagged end piercing the vampire's heart.
Demi threw herself to the ground where Cal lay. “By the goddess, he got you.”
“Move!” Cal pushed her aside and jammed his splintered stake into yet another vampire about to land on Demi's back.
Close by, Ursula screamed. The man beside her fell to his knees, the tree branch protruding from his chest.
Demi ran to her and tried to get her to move. She wouldn't budge, refusing to leave her dying boyfriend.
Four vampires broke free of Blaise and turned toward Demi and the witness.
Cal staggered to his feet and ran toward the women, leaping in front of the vampires, blood streaming down his neck. “You're vampires, right? You like blood, don't you?” He ran his hands through the blood mixed with rain dripping down his neck and slung it at them. “Take mine.”
Their eyes flared, glowing red in the darkness. All the remaining vampires focused on Cal.
“Cal, don't!” Demi left Ursula to join him.
“Get Ursula out of here!” he yelled.
Demi hesitated, then grabbed the witness's hand, yanking her to her feet. She struggled until Demi slapped her face and screamed at her. “Others are dying because of you! Come with me now or I'll kill you myself, damn it.”
Cal would have laughed if he thought he'd live to see Demi again. The first vampire hit him hard, knocking him onto his back. He struggled to get the stake between him and the vampire before he could sink his teeth into his bleeding throat.
The other attackers helped him out by wrenching the first one off him and diving in for themselves. It was a free-for-all, like vultures fighting over the carcass. Only Cal was the carcass, and he wasn't dead yet.
Blaise grabbed one vampire from behind, ripped his head off and reached for another.
It helped, but there were too many. One was sure to get to him before Blaise killed them all.
A huge crack sounded behind Cal.
As one, all the vampires glanced up in time to see an ancient tree split down the middle by lightning. One of the halves crashed down on them.
With his last ounce of strength, Cal rolled to the side, avoiding being smashed by the gigantic tree trunk. One large limb landed over him, trapping him beneath, smaller limbs slashing his face, arms, legs and torso. When the ground stopped shaking, he stared at the monstrous branch crossing his chest, pressing him into the softened soil. It was heavy on him, but not like it held all the weight of the tree. He could breathe, but he was still losing blood and he couldn't see any of the others from the canopy of leaves around him flailing in the wind.
Had Demi gotten away? Was she trapped beneath the tree as well? What about Blaise and Katya?
Rain dripped off the leaves into his eyes as he struggled to see what was going on.
For a long while, he lay helpless, the roar of the wind and leaves beating around him drowning out all other sounds. Flashes of lightning pushed through his darkness, but not enough so he could see out of his prison. Then the branches parted and the heavy one barely resting on his chest moved, rising up enough so that he could push his way free.
“Cal!” Demi called out over the thrashing of the storm.
“Cal!” Blaise and Katya joined her cries.
“I'm here!” he yelled back, shoving his way through, over and around the branches, following their voices in the darkness, until he found his way out of the tree and collapsed on the ground in front of them.
A flash of lightning illuminated Ursula, hunched between Katya and Blaise, her face pale, her eyes red-rimmed.
“Vampires?” Cal asked, trying to stand.
Blaise hurried forward and draped Cal's arm over his shoulder. “Done. The tree took care of the rest of them, thanks to the lightning and a little help from Demi.”
“Good.” Cal smiled at Demi, pulling her into his arm. “You're amazing.”
“No, you're amazing. But if you ever sacrifice yourself to a bunch of hungry vampires again⦔ she sniffed, tears mixing with raindrops on her cheeks, lightning illuminating those still swimming in her eyes. “Just don't.”
“Let's get out of the park before the trees turn on us,” Katya shouted. She led Ursula toward the street.
Cal limped along, leaning heavily on Blaise and Demi. When they emerged onto the street, he breathed a sigh. The tow truck still stood where they'd left it.
Katya shoved Ursula up the step into the cab.
Demi nodded toward the cab. “You're riding up front.”
“Only if you're sitting in my lap.”
“You're injured.”
“I'm not having you blown away.”
“Katya is the smallest,” Demi argued.
“I'm riding out on the step.” Katya glanced up at Blaise, her hand slipping into his.
Blaise grinned. “I'll keep her safe on the side.”
Between Blaise, Demi and Katya, they all helped Cal into the truck.
Blaise lifted Katya up onto the side and wrapped his arms around the pint-sized cop. “Let's go!”
“Where to?” the driver asked.
All eyes turned to Blaise.
“You know where the Paranormal Council is holed up?” Demi asked.
He nodded and spoke loud enough the driver could hear over the drumming rain on the roof of the cab. “New York City Central Library.”
His hand on the gearshift, the driver hesitated. “Uh, I'm pretty sure they're closed for the night.”
“Trust me. They'll let us in,” Blaise said through the open window.
Cal leaned back against the seat, Demi firmly planted in his lap, the pain of his injuries only slightly annoying. After his fight in the park, he wanted to hold Demi until the storm passed and longer still.
She pressed her hand to his neck. “You're still bleeding. Maybe we should get you to the hospital first.”
“No!” Cal, Katya, Blaise and Ursula all said at once.
“We get Ursula to the council first.” Cal's arms tightened around Demi. “I'm on vacation once we're done here.”
Demi pushed a strand of his hair out of his face. “And you'll be spending it in the hospital.”
“Like hell I will.” He buried his face in her cool, wet shirt.
Demi clutched his head to her breast, inhaling the scent of Cal and rainwater. Nothing else smelled that good. When the tree had fallen on him and all those vampires, she'd almost come apart, sure no one could survive beneath the weight.
Her fervent prayer to the goddess to protect him must have helped. When he'd come out of the branches and limbs, it was like a gift.
Ursula sat in the middle, her face pale, her eyes filled with tears. “I'm sorry for running out on you. None of this would have happened if I'd stayedâ¦but I had to see Sergei.” Her voice hitched and the tears fell. “And now he's gone.” Burying her face in her hands, she sobbed quietly.
The ride to the library was slow. The driver avoided typically low-lying streets, opting for those he knew he wouldn't drown his engine in.
Half the lights in the city were out. But the ones still shining lit their way. The library seemed to rise above the darkness, all the lights shining from within, welcoming them as if they knew they were coming.
The driver stopped the truck out front. “This is where I leave you.”
“Thanksâ” Demi shook her head. “I'm sorry. I don't even know your name.”
“Joe.” He shifted into Park.
“Thanks, Joe.” Demi held out her hand over Ursula and shook the driver's hand. “You did a great service to the city tonight.”
“Yeah, and you all look like you had a tough time of it.” He nodded. “Speaking as one of this city's resident paranorms, I want to thank you all for what you did.”
“You knew?” Demi asked.
He smiled. “I was sent by the council to make sure you brought their witness in.”
Ursula's eyes widened. “You're with the council?”
“I support them when they come to town.” Joe shrugged. “I don't always agree with them, but we need some kind of governing body to keep vampires like Alexei Zhurov off the streets.” He glanced down at Ursula. “Your testimony will help make that happen.”
“He's killed so many.” She stared down at her hands.
Demi could feel Ursula's pain as if it were her own. The witness had lost the man she'd loved. When the tree crashed onto Cal, Demi thought she'd lost him, too. The pain inside her had been physical, ripping a hole through her heart.
Joe covered Ursula's hand with his. “Then make it stop here.”
Her gaze met his. “I will.”
The pale light of dawn barely pushed through the heavy clouds as Demi climbed out of the truck. Cal followedl, and they gathered around Ursula as she walked to the doors of the library.
Her heart beating stronger, Demi squared her shoulders and marched inside. She finally understood the sacrifices an individual made to protect strangers. If they hadn't been assigned to get Ursula to the council meeting, would anyone else have gotten her here? Alexei Zhurov would still be murdering innocent humans and paranorms if not for her testimony.
The doors opened before they reached them.
Inside, the lights chased away the darkness and horror of the preceding hours.
Had it only been hours since they had begun their journey? Demi shook her head in disbelief. They were ushered into an elevator that whisked them to an upper level of the library. When they exited, they were led to a large room with arched, painted ceilings and ornate wood molding.
What Demi assumed were members of the Paranormal Council were seated around a large, U-shaped table, each wearing ornate black robes trimmed in bright gold piping.
When the council's equivalent of a bailiff attempted to separate Ursula from the team, they closed around her.
Demi hid a grin at the bailiff's look of consternation, then spoke loud and clear as she declared, “We brought her this far, we'll take her the rest of the way.”
Ursula smiled her thanks and held out her hand to Demi and Katya. The men flanked them and they moved into the center of the tables.
A man with white hair and a long white beard stood. “We thank you for bringing Ms. Rusu to the meeting of the Supreme Paranormal Council. Now you may leave.”
“Grand Master Chastain, if I might be so bold as to speak.” Blaise stepped forward and gave a little bow. “We will not leave until your witness has her day in court and Alexei Zhurov is sentenced.”
An older woman with blue-white hair and wire-framed glasses harrumphed. “This is highly irregular.”
A tall, lanky council member leaned forward. “And you've brought a human among us.”
Council members gasped.
Cal laughed. “Look, I'm just doing my job. And that is to protect this woman.”
“Demon,”
the lanky council member corrected.
Squaring his shoulders, Cal shot back,
“Person.
Now, bring Alexei out here so we can get this over with. My team and I aren't going anywhere until it's done.”
Each council member leaned toward the person next to him or her and whispered. The old man with the long white beard stood and clapped his hands. “Bring Alexei Zhurov.”
Bailiffs left the room and returned with a dark-haired, dark-eyed man shackled in chains on both his ankles and wrists. He shuffled into the room, his head thrown back, his eyes blazing red. “Ah, Ursula, so good to see you again.”
Ursula's hand tightened in Demi's and her body trembled. “Alexei,” she whispered.
“Have you come to give away all my secrets to this abomination of a council?”
She nodded.
Demi squeezed her hand. “We're with you.”
“Don't look into his eyes,” Blaise warned them. “He'll manipulate your minds.”
Alexei laughed. “You give me far more credit than I deserve. I am the one in chains, what could I possibly do to hurt the council?” His gaze moved around the room, seeming to stop on each member individually.
Most of the council members looked away. One did not.
The tall lanky man who'd looked down his nose at the Cal. The man shifted uncomfortably under Alexei's stare.
“You're all here to help protect the paranormal community, are you not?” Alexei asked.
“Yes, yes. We are.” The lanky one tugged at his collar and squirmed in his seat.
“Enough!” Grand Master Chastain roared. “Let the witness reveal Zhurov's memories to the council.”
Alexei's lips curled upward. “Yes, please do.”
“Ms. Rusu.” The Grand Master waved a hand toward Alexei.
The bailiffs on either side of him gripped his arms and held tightly.
Ursula shrank back, her body trembling so hard Demi thought she might shake apart.
“It's okay. We won't let him hurt you,” Katya whispered.
“I know.” Ursula took Katya's hand and squeezed it. “Your heart is true, and I didn't deserve your protection. Thank you.”
Demi shrugged. “It's my job.” She darted a glance at Cal her heart swelling with her love for the man. He seemed to be holding his own with his hand pressed to the wound on his neck.