Dark Obsession (Vampire Royals of New York #3) - Sarah Piper Page 0,82
and a surge of adrenaline flooded his limbs. “Aiden, will you go upstairs and wake Charlotte? And phone Cole and Isabelle?”
“Already on my way.”
Turning back to Gabriel, Dorian said, “Where is she?”
“They’ve got her stashed in the apartment above Bloodbath. Rudy and Travis are there with her now.”
Dorian was already heading for the door, but Gabriel grabbed his arm, stopping him.
“My guy says the place is crawling with enemies, Dorian. Duchanes vampires, Chernikov demons, witches, grays. It seems they’ve turned the club into their own personal hideout.”
“I don’t care if they’ve turned it into a full-on army barracks. We need to get her back, Gabriel.”
“Dorian…” Gabriel sighed and shook his head, and Dorian waited for him to try to talk him out of it. To remind him that no human was worth risking so much for. That he never should’ve gotten involved with Charlotte and Sasha in the first place.
He was already gearing up for another argument when Gabriel finally met his gaze again, and the briefest flicker of warmth shone in his steely eyes.
“I need to change into my demon-stomping boots first,” Gabriel said. “And you, brother, need to make a phone call to our new Russian friends.” He smacked Dorian on the cheek and grinned, then headed out.
Dorian pulled out his cell phone and thumbed through the contacts. He’d known he’d have to make this call eventually, but he hadn’t expected it to come so soon.
“All right, comrade,” he muttered, then hit the call button. “Let’s see how badly you want this bloody blade.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Looks like they got her in the front room there,” Cole said, passing the binoculars to Charley.
After Cole had called in a favor to his cop buddies to get the neighboring buildings evacuated on account of a so-called gas leak, they were all crowded inside the top floor apartment on St. Mark’s Place, right across from Bloodbath—Dorian, Gabriel, Colin, Cole, a half-dozen of Cole’s wolf shifters, Isabelle, and Charley herself—trying to piece together some semblance of a plan.
Peering through the binoculars, Charley got her first glimpse of Sasha—sitting on the couch in a sweatshirt and yoga pants, watching television and shoveling popcorn into her mouth.
“She’s okay!” Charley nearly wept with relief. “Definitely compelled, but she looks unharmed.”
“My guess is all the demons are on the main level with the witches and the Duchanes vamps,” Cole said. They really had no idea, as all the lower windows were heavily tinted, some of them bonded up after the cops raided the place and shut it down. “Grays are probably in the mix too. Gonna be one hell of a fight, Red.”
Dorian nodded.
“Where’s Rogozin?” Charley asked.
“He said he’d be here,” Dorian said. “We have to hope he comes through for us, but either way, we don’t have a choice. We need to get Sasha out of there tonight.”
“And take down Rudy and those other assholes,” Charley said, passing the binoculars to Gabriel.
Wordlessly, Dorian squeezed her shoulder.
“We’ve got some movement in the apartment,” Gabriel said. “Looks like the gang’s all here—Silas, Dominic, Rudy, and Travis.”
“What are they doing?” Charley said. “Those fuckers better not be messing with my sister.”
“They’re all in the kitchen,” Gabriel said. “Looks like they’re arguing.”
“All right,” Dorian said. “We can’t reach the apartment from the bottom—they’ll know we’re coming. We need to get onto that roof, then head down through the rooftop entrance.”
“The roof is unguarded,” Gabriel confirmed. “Bloody idiots.”
“Vampires go in from the top,” Cole said. “The wolves and the witch will take the ground floor. Charley, you and Aiden get Sasha the fuck out of there, back onto the roof and down to safety. The rest of you vampires—you work your way down to us after Sasha’s out, and together we’ll light these motherfuckers up.”
“I can help subdue the witches with a muting spell,” Isabelle said, “and keep some of the demons from possessing new vessels. But Cole, you and your team will need to guard me. I don’t know how many we’re facing in there, but I’m not powerful enough on my own to take out more than a demon or two at one time.”
“We’ve got your back, Isabelle,” Cole said.
“Whoever’s using the Blade of Azerius?” Isabelle said. “Remember—do not let it cut you. We don’t know what it will do to vampires, but since you still have souls, we have to assume the worst. One slice—one pinprick—and you’re toast.”
Dorian nodded, patting his side where he’d sheathed and holstered the blade before they’d left Ravenswood. “Noted. Now, is everyone ready?”