I swore as the vamp tossed him a crumpled twenty-dollar bill.
“What happened?” Edith Anne whispered.
“He just demanded money in exchange for the sale of his daughter.”
“Well, that sucks.”
I raised my eyebrows at her. “You think?”
“Oh, calm down, Celia,” Liz complained. “If you’d like, I’ll eat him for you after we’re done.”
The girl trembled with fear as the vampire scrutinized her. He laughed when her cries turned into choked sobs as he dragged her screaming into the camp. Her father picked up the bill from the worn path and dashed off in a mad run. “I don’t think you could catch him if you tried,” I added bitterly.
The closer we drew to the compound, the cooler the air. A horrible sense of death and wrongness shadowed the nest like a cloak fashioned from iniquity and suffering. I nodded toward the demon children in the nearby trees. There were fifteen, sleeping upside down like bats. Fangs protruded out of their reptilian mouths and their long leathery wings encased their scaled legs and arms. Taran once described them as “the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz.” I disagreed; the flying monkeys were way cuddlier.
The demons varied in size; some were only about two feet tall, others a hell of a lot bigger than my five-foot, three-inch frame. The leftover bones and skulls from their dinner had been licked clean and cluttered the ground beneath them. The bones were human. I was sure the Tribesmen had also paid about twenty dollars for them. Bastards.
“They’re sleeping off their dinner. Let’s keep this quiet.”
The Catholic schoolgirls and I worked fast. The little buggers didn’t know what hit them. Tearing into demon children released their innards, which resembled pulsating worms that slithered away until the air dried them into shriveled clumps. The hardest part about the whole thing was trying not to hurl. We almost lost it a couple of times and I really didn’t want to see the schoolgirls vomit. Unlike Misha, they didn’t eat food.
“Hold your positions and stay together. We’re moving now.” We disappeared into the shadows, embracing our predator instincts. We stalked in silence. My goal was to sweep in and obliterate the biggest threat before my sisters’ teams advanced.
I think it would have worked if Taran hadn’t lit up the vamp at the gate like a Fourth of July Roman candle.
The vamp shrieked and swatted the blue and white flames burrowing through his back and engulfing his face. He exploded in a mountain of ash, coating the wood fencing surrounding the compound. If Taran had taken the offensive without us present, there must’ve been a reason for it.
“Attack!”
We ran full out. Werebears belonging to the Tribe leapt over the high wooden walls, easily clearing the barbed-wire fencing that wound along on top. They landed with a hard pound, indenting the moist forest floor and blocking our paths to the gate. I kicked my opponent in his temple and severed his head with my claws as he spun. I grabbed the one on top of Liz and yanked him into a headlock. She leapt to her feet and broke through his chest, ripping out his heart in one pull.
The heart finished beating in her hand. “Do you want a bite?” she offered.
Was she trying to make me sick? I ripped the arms off the bear that was trying to decapitate Maria. “Er, no, thanks.”
“Are you sure? He’s a sun bear. They’re considered a delicacy in—”
Rather than listening to what vamps considered yummy morsels, I raced to find my sisters. I ran into Emme first. She’d quickly freed a bunch of villagers from a large cage using her power. They huddled against one another, too terrified to move.
“Corran, corran. Escapen de aquí.” Emme’s small stature and soft features made her appear more friend than foe. The shaking villagers exchanged brief panicked glances before jetting out of the cell at her urging.
Anger fueled my onslaught and Emme’s. Once the villagers cleared the gate, she flung shards of firewood stacked in a corner and impaled the Tribesmen sprinting toward us. Those whose hearts she missed were quickly beheaded by me or by Misha’s vampires.
Taran was literally rolling in the mud with another witch. They screamed, slapped, and tore each other’s hair. They may have lacked a true fighter’s grace, yet the sparks from their clashing magic collided hard enough to charge the air. It was the ultimate catfight, one Bren would have paid to see, and one I couldn’t tolerate. I grabbed the witch by her neck and flung her away from Taran. Edith finished her off, but not before tasting the merchandise.
“Come on, Edith. We don’t have time for this.”
“Celia, it’s hotter than blazes out here. I’m thirsty.”