Still within the dreamglide, but feeling weaker as each second passed, Brannick watched two Revel Border Patrol SUVs pull up. The doors flew open and four officers emerged. He knew a couple of the men, good men. One of the neighbors must have called in the sound of gunfire.
Brannick checked Roche’s position. But he and his one surviving warrior were already in the air. Roche no doubt didn’t want a confrontation with the border patrol, especially with men who opposed the drug trade as these officers did. Within a few seconds, they rose high into the night sky then disappeared from view.
Juliet knelt beside Brannick’s body. He watched as blood seeped onto her light green dress. She leaned over and pressed both hands against the wound in his back, trying to staunch the flow.
One
of the men he knew, Officer Keelen, knelt beside Brannick’s body. Keelen was one of his main contacts in Revel, who worked his off hours to get human women out of the dangerous sex trade.
On the side opposite to Juliet, Keelen pressed two fingers to Brannick’s neck. He called over his shoulder to his fellow officer. “He’s gone.”
Juliet spoke to him. “No, he’s not.”
But Keelen didn’t respond to her in any way.
Brannick quickly realized the man couldn’t see or hear her. Juliet, you’ll have to release the vampire shield. Keelen doesn’t know you’re here.
Right. How do I do that?
Brannick thought for a minute, recalling his early days as a vampire when he’d had to practice building the shield then letting it go. But he didn’t know how to communicate that to her.
The same odd, powerful instinct that had told him Roche was after Juliet now told him what Juliet needed to do, at least in this situation. You have to let go of me.
What? But Brann, I can’t do that. I don’t want to. I’m afraid if I do, you’ll die.
He stared down at his body, at the severity of the wound, at the blood he could see pooled on the grass off to the side. His skin was very pale, unusual for him. Was he looking at his own death?
He also knew that the moment Juliet released him, the shield would peel away, he would leave the dreamglide, and she’d be visible to all four officers who had responded to the scene.
Juliet?
Yes?
It’s okay to let me go, and I’ll do everything in my power to stay alive. But I want you to know that I’ve loved my time with you. If I survive, please keep fighting for us. I have a lot of baggage, mostly I think because of losing my family and watching my sister die. But you mean everything to me. Will you do that?
He watched tears roll down her face. She still kept pressure on the wound. I will. Stay alive. Please, Brann.
I’ll battle as hard as I can, I promise.
He felt her release him and at the same time, it was as though he fell backward into a dark empty void.
~ ~ ~
The moment Juliet felt the shield slide away from her, Keelen saw her and his hand went to his gun. Recognizing her instantly, he eased back. “Juliet, where the hell did you come from?”
Juliet didn’t try to explain. “I’ve called for help, a witch with tremendous healing powers. Will you stay with me?” Keelen was a good man and had served as part of Brannick’s rescue operation for a long time.
“Of course I will. We’ve called for more backup as well, but what the hell happened out here?” He glanced at the two dead fae warriors on the ground near Brannick, then toward the canal where no doubt the other bodies floated.
“Roche and his men attacked.”
“Roche? Why? He rarely takes a battle to the streets. It doesn’t make sense.”
Juliet kept the pressure on the wound, but she had no idea if she was doing any good at all. As for Roche, she wasn’t sure how to answer Keelen’s question, but he might as well know the truth. “Roche has been after me for a long time, for my dreamglide abilities.”
Keelen ground his teeth, then let loose with a long string of profanity. He apologized afterward, but Juliet had no problem with the words he’d chosen. Each fit the situation exactly.
He then tilted his head, trying to get a better look at Brannick. “And who’s this? I sense that he’s a vampire, but he’s barely breathing.” With Brannick’s face turned away from Keelen, he couldn’t possibly know who the injured man was.