It was all a matter of perspective.
Bad humans built the bomb that almost destroyed the world, but give the fae enough time and they would eventually find a way to use mana to do the same. They already were. Humans and fae weren’t so different from each other. There were good ones. There were bad ones. And then there were ones like Silver, who existed somewhere in between.
A sound caught between a grunt and a gasp made her lift her pistol and aim into the thick of the forest. She strained through the shadow to count her men. Sid. Martin. But where was Roger? Heart thumping, she trained her weapon in a three-sixty, searching through the darker recesses between tree trunks and vines.
Silver caught Sid’s eyes. His unreadable expression gave nothing back. She checked Martin—also calm and watchful.
“Where’s Roger?” she mouthed silently.
Thud. Something landed behind her. Jimmy whimpered. She whirled to find Roger writhing on the ground, spluttering and clutching his throat as blood dribbled between his fingers. Not a gush. He’ll live. Silver aimed her pistol into the branches.
“Vampire,” she hissed and pulled out her windup torch to blind the fucker. Thankfully, she’d cranked it before leaving. She clicked it on and directed the beam into the branches.
“Oh God oh God.” Jimmy crouched and checked on Roger.
“Bastard bit me,” Roger grumbled.
He’s talking. He’s fine.
Roger stumbled to his feet and pulled out his pistol before cocking it and taking aim into the darkness.
Jimmy mimicked, but pulled the trigger, firing on air. The bullet cracked and echoed loudly through the forest.
“Stop!” Silver put her hand on his, lowering his firearm. It was bad enough she’d shone the torch, but the sound would carry and make them targets for anything else looking for a quick meal. There was a chance the winged creature hunting in these woods had nothing to do with the vampire.
Jimmy’s hand trembled, shaking the pistol at his side. “We’re gonna die.”
“We’re not going to die.” She mentally kicked herself for letting him come and shoved him against a tree trunk. “Get down and wait.”
She joined her team and quickly combed the area. Each Reaper stalked along, finger on the trigger. One bullet in the vampire was all they needed.
She could almost feel its eyes watching, studying.
“Did you see it?” Martin whispered to Roger.
Roger’s jaw clenched. “Male. Winged. It took me up, bit me, then—” He frowned and stumbled, eyes drooping from the histamines in the vampire’s bite. “Fucker spat out my blood and disappeared. Poof. Just like that. I dropped.”
“Disappeared. Like, he teleported?” Silver asked, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling.
“Maybe. It happened too fast.”
“If it can move like that, then it won’t be an ordinary vampire.” The threat level just scaled up. The vamp also didn’t drink from Roger which was odd. If it wanted a full feed, it would have kept him longer. But it had spat Roger’s blood and discarded him like an afterthought. Maybe it was playing with them.
A grunt to her right. Silver whirled, her heart leaping into her throat. Now Martin was missing. Fuck. Completely missing. Not in the trees. Not in the branches. Gone. Jimmy whimpered.
“Shh,” she hissed, needing to hear better.
“We’re gonna die. We’re gonna die.”
She would smack him if he didn’t shut up soon. A vine rustled in the wind. She crept closer to the tree, silently thankful Jimmy had stopped talking.
Wait.
He’d stopped talking.
Dread dropped in her stomach. She turned back to Jimmy.
Gone.
What the fuck? Silver faced Sid just as black shadow exploded behind him. Ribbons of thick darkness enveloped him. Silver glimpsed a handsome man smirking from the heart of the shadow. Dark, styled hair. Pointed vampire ears. Arrogant amusement plastered on his face as he kissed the air in her direction. She fired her pistol. Too late. The bullet sailed straight through shadows he left behind and splintered bark.
Smoke curled from the barrel of her gun as her ears adjusted to silence again.
Sid was gone. Martin was gone. Jimmy was gone. The vampire had taken them into his shadow like a black hole vortex. Where was Roger? Silver located the man slumped against a tree trunk. Dead?
She put fingers on his neck, searching for a pulse. It beat strongly. Not dead, asleep. An overwhelming rush of panic welled inside her. The living darkness that scratched beneath her metal corset swelled against its cage. Gasping and suddenly breathless, she forced her vision to clear. To focus. To take control of the situation.
Think about the tightness holding me together. I’m not afraid. I’m in control.
Steeling her resolve, clenching her jaw, she hastily undid the buttons on her jacket to gain access to the laces at her front. But she wasn’t near death yet. She gritted her teeth and squeezed until the laces cut through her palm. Contain it.
Gun fire in the distance had her running toward the sound, heedless of her lungs struggling against the constraints. She dodged low lying branches, pushed vines and hanging roots away. Leaves whipped her face. Her pulse roared in her ears as she kept her path straight and true toward the direction of the gunfire. Any minute.
Her crew sat on logs around a discarded campfire another Reaper party had left months ago. Even Roger, slumped and half asleep but still somehow chatting to Sid at his side. How did he get there so fast? Martin and Jimmy were on another log, and the vampire sat on a third log in the middle. He must have teleported back to collect Roger.
The vampire held his palms over the dead fire pit as though warming himself, as though this was an enjoyable game of charades she had stumbled into.
A perfectly trimmed dark beard accentuated a strong jaw. Soulful eyes surrounded by thick lashes pulled her in. Leather clad broad shoulders, tapered waist, and long legs. It was as though an artist had reached into Silver’s deepest, darkest fantasies and crafted him especially for her. Must be a glamor. No one was that good looking.
The thought broke the spell he had on her, and she continued to assess the threat. Her finger tightened on the trigger. He wore a battle uniform with spiked pauldrons and straps holding knives. The hilt of a broadsword peeked out from over his shoulder. She must be hallucinating because the sword looked metal.
She gasped as the pieces came together. Metal. Black leather uniform. Shadow manipulation. She searched the handsome face and found the confirmation she needed. A small shimmering blue teardrop beneath his left eye. He was a Guardian. One of the rare, ruthless fae protectors who could use metal and access magic at the same time.
The deadliest to humans.
Sensuous lips curved on one side as he noticed her realization dawn.
Her aim had dropped, so she targeted between his eyes and checked her team. They smiled and chatted as though they cared nothing for the risk to their lives. What was wrong with them?
“Say hello to Silver,” the vampire drawled to her team.
As though a puppeteer pulled their strings, they faced Silver, smiled, and waved.
“Hello to Silver!” they said in unison.
Silver fired. Her bullet carved a hole through the shadow the vampire left behind. He was there, and then he wasn’t. Holding her breath, she pushed all her awareness into her senses and searched the darkness for long moments. Left, right, up, down. Her finger tightened on the trigger.
Sudden heat scorched her back. Something tugged her long braid.
“Now, now, darling,” the deep, smooth voice said at her ear. “Save some excitement for later.”
