Bleeding Demons: The Dark Bloods - Book III ✓

Chapter 11 - Kiss and Trauma

"No, what I mean is that it will only be-"

The door slammed open and all of Reyna's fury subdued.

"Really, Reyna? You send me to get your medicine that ran out because...?" Dante held up an empty, curled tube.

"I forgot," Reyna said, her voice as weak as her lie.

"Sure."

"Dante," Ram said.

The Berserker's surprised look on his face was also testimony to how calm Ram now appeared. "Yes, um, Aleric?"

A half smile pulled on the young, dead man's lips, but even that radiated of melancholy. "Keep her safe."

Reyna was sure the same befuddled expression on Dante's face was on her own, but before either of them could say anything, Ram spoke up again.

"Where is this Guerrero's meeting taking place? Do you know?" he asked.

"I think Verden said it was going to be at his house," Reyna said.

"Yeah, but it's kinda far from here, and we don't know exactly which one it is. Even if we did, it's sure to be guarded." Dante's face darkened. "They have guns."

"And like I said, I can handle all of that," Ram said with a smirk.

Reyna saw Ram's shadow pull away from him, sentient, and swallow its limbs until it was a large oval. It grew, pooling under her and Dante's feet. Ram turned away from them, his eyes scanning something. It was strange seeing him so calm, but even in his appeared serenity, Reyna felt like she was only seeing the eye of the storm.

"Verden. He's not alone," Ram said with a smiled directed at Reyna. "Made him easier to find."

The ground beneath Reyna shifted, and the scenery around her blurred. It was like someone had pulled a rug out from under her, but she stayed rooted and the world around her shifted instead. She reached out towards Dante to make sure he was still standing by her side. He squeezed her wrist, his touch accompanied by a quick smile.

"That was weird, huh?" he said.

They were on top of a high hill where a single house stood, a lone watcher over the town below. Its white bricks were water stained, most of them covered by the half dead vines and leaves that crawled around the walls and framed the windows. Despite the overgrown vegetation on the house, the lawn itself was manicured, a path of concrete leading up to a beige door.
Reyna took a step forward only to be stopped by Ram's outstretched arm. "You two make sure to stay behind me," he said, walking ahead of them.

She hadn't noticed the half dozen men and women that littered around the house. They seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. They all wore some sort of uniform. Their pants were camouflaged with hues of brown matching the caps on their heads. The only distinction among them was the shirts. Some sported plain white tees while others held familiar logos or casual designs. One woman even sported a faded shirt showing off her favorite football team.

Some of the soldiers-Reyna guessed they were-had holstered handguns hanging from their belts or legs, the others automatic guns slinging across their chests. Though Reyna wasn't familiar with guns, she based her assumption that they were M16s on the movies she had seen. She noted all of the men and women were armed, but none of them held the actual weapons in their hands.

"Better yet, just stay here and stay out of sight," Ram said. "It'll be quick."

He went up to the front lawn, taking only three steps before he was spotted. Ram waited until they all finished fumbling for their guns and pointed them at him.