Raised in Fire (Fire and Ice Trilogy 2)

“Nope.” I sprinted as the man with the bat caught sight of the newcomer. He turned as the kid skidded to a stop. The bat lifted.

“Nope,” I said again, and launched through the air.

My shoulder hit the center of Bat Guy’s back. We crashed to the ground. He writhed under me like a wild thing.

“Get that kid out of here!” I screamed, trying not to show extreme violence in front of the kid. “Get him out!”

The woman sprang into action as another female frantically came around the corner. Bat Guy tried to bite me.

“You don’t have fangs, idiot. Your teeth won’t do much to me.” I punched him in the side, trying to do it all subtle-like as the ladies dragged the stunned kid away. I did it again.

The man growled, a demonic sound.

“Are you actually possessed, or how does this work?” I muttered, letting loose with the punches. I landed one on his head, then a second, slowing him. Using that to my advantage, I yanked him over and shifted him onto his stomach.

He still writhed, but more weakly.

“The foundation of you is still human, at least,” I said, out of breath. I pinned his arms behind his back and sat on him. “Be still, or I’ll knock you out entirely. You’re going to hurt when you come to, believe me.”

He bucked, trying to get me off. Clearly he didn’t believe me.

“Get some rope to tie him up,” I shouted at the employee, punching the man again. This guy just would not settle down. “C’mon, let’s go. I need to get on the move again.”

Twenty minutes later, time spent tying the guy up and herding the employees like cats to calm everyone down, I finally walked out of the store. The sound of sirens crowded the air, reinforcements called in to deal with all the crazy that had recently gone down. Night had fallen, punctuated by a message from Darius asking my current location.

I glanced around for any other signs of violence. When I didn’t see anything new, I walked to a corner so I could see the street signs. After sending Darius the info, I kept going, wanting to see if anything drifted my way. I had to assume the demon and/or his fan club were keeping tabs on me. You don’t just lure someone to a location and then let them wander away randomly. They were probably coming up with another plan to attack. Or at least annoy, since the last attack had been paltry, at best.

Deep shadow fell over me as I passed under the cover of bushy trees, blocking the glow of streetlights. The rustling of fabric caught my ears. Shoes scuffing against the cement.

I spun, my hand reaching for my sword. Too late.

Two shapes, moving entirely too fast, zoomed at me. My hand closed around my sword hilt, but they were already there, grabbing my arms and yanking me with them.

Two middle-level vamps. Fast and strong, but not fast and strong enough. Boy, had they picked on the wrong girl.

I twisted, jerking an arm free, and crashed my elbow down on a shoulder. The vamp staggered, clutching at me. I hooked two fingers in his mouth and ripped, employing the fish hook. That was a nasty one.

He thought so, too.

He howled and clutched at his face, still keeping pace but flinching away from me. I used the few seconds of his shock to whip my legs around, throwing the other vamp off balance. I tore my arm out of her grasp but didn’t drop away. Oh no. They had gotten themselves into this mess, and I was going to make sure they regretted it.

Sword forgotten for now, I wrapped an arm around her neck and swung my legs a second time, throwing myself onto her back. My feet thudded as they hit the ground, forcing her to bend over backward. She struggled to stay upright, clutching at my neck.

I swept her legs out from under her again as the guy vampire got his wits about him and his face started to stitch back together. I kicked out, clipping his chin with my boot. Bone cracked and he went whirling, back to clutching at his face.

The girl vamp writhed, but I had a swift punch with her name on it, breaking her nose. “Who sent you?” I demanded, punching again.

“I did.”

That voice. I knew that musical, pleasantly pitched voice.

I kicked the guy vampire again, sending him wheeling out of the way, before turning.

My stomach curdled.

Vlad, elder of elders, stood five feet away with a pleasant smile on his face.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The vampire was so handsome that it went beyond lust inducing and straight into just plain annoying. A small smile curled his lips, and he held his hands behind his back.

I wasn’t fooled. He was older, even, than Darius, and could move so fast that his fist would hit my face before I’d registered his intent to fight. The gesture was meaningless.

“Why?” I asked, monitoring the middle-level vampires as they slowly rose to their feet. They made no move to capture me again. “And where were they trying to take me?”

“You impress me, Miss Somerset. May I call you Reagan?”

“Sure, but you didn’t answer my question.”

“Two middle-level vampires and you were completely undaunted. That takes great skill and prowess.”

“It wasn’t my first rodeo. Where were they trying to take me?”

Vlad half turned, and pointed at a cafe just down the street. “I wanted to speak with you, but first, I wanted to test your reaction speed. I have heard great things, but seeing is believing, as they say.”

“You thought kidnapping me, then dumping me at a cafe, would be a good start to a pleasant dialogue, did you?”

His laugh was silky and delightful. Still annoying, though. That level of perfection so often was. “I confess, I thought I could mollify you merely with my presence. But my first impression, when I met you in our lair, holds true. You aren’t afraid of much.”

“I’m afraid of things, but no, you aren’t one of them.” It was a small lie.

“Please, will you do me the honor of having a coffee or tea?”

I blew out a breath and looked at my empty hands. I patted my pouch. “I’d really love to, but your clowns made me drop my phone somewhere along the way, and I need to find it.”

“I will have it collected.” Vlad barely nodded, and one of the vampires took off.

If Darius wouldn’t take no for an answer, how could I assume his creator would?

“Right, okay.” I glanced around, just making sure nothing else was liable to pop out at me. “It has to be quick, though. I have things to do.”

“Yes. You are trying to track down a mage who is murdering people.”

“A couple of mages, yes. I think I’ve got two in my sights. Now I just need to introduce myself.”

“I won’t take much of your time. Please.” Vlad held out his arm to escort me.

I didn’t want to touch him. “I’m good, thanks. I don’t need help.”

He clasped his hands behind his back again and started walking. I fell in beside him.

“I think our interests are converging,” Vlad said, ever so pleasantly.

“Our interests? I suppose this has something to do with the really powerful demon that was in Northern California—and now here?” Pure guesswork based on the dimensional demons and his presence, but it fit. Horribly so.

“The very same. I’ve been tracking its movements, starting with a small town in—”

“Forgive my interruption.” The man kicked my politeness up a notch, what can I say? “But I heard about the demon’s origins in the Brink.”

“Of course. And you’ve no doubt heard of my confusion regarding its sudden appearance?”

“I did, yes, as well as your extracurricular activities in the underworld.”

“And here I thought I was keeping a low profile.” His voice was colored with humor, and he followed up the statement with a chuckle. “At first, the demon seemed to be joyriding, in a way.” He opened the cafe door for me. “But murmurings in the Dark Kingdom hinted that it was sent up for a purpose. That it stood to gain an elevation in power if it found what it was seeking. What would you like?”

Vlad gestured toward the counter as fear washed through me. What did he know?

“Coffee is fine,” I muttered. The remaining vampire, the girl, had trailed us into the shop, and she went to the counter to get it.