Sweet Karma [boyxboy]

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Well, they're in for a surprise," Newell drawled, "Vladimir left Kristophe and Claude there as well as Tyrin, Lysander, and Hunter. They would need someone very powerful to get through them."

"Like who? A mermaid?" I asked. Newell shook his head.

"There are other creatures aside from mermaids that are powerful. Think of it as a food pyramid. Several species per category. And while most humans think vampires are the ultimate power, we really aren't. We're the second to last layer. There's two layers above us. Admittedly, Xed's species is part of the top layer, but he's also joined by several other species." He explained matter-of-factly. I frowned at that.

"And those species would be...?" I asked. Newell raised an eyebrow, then averted his eyes, frowning.

"Well, mermaids for one. Reapers. Werewolves. Shapeshifters. And undead sorcerers called liches. There's probably more species, but not all of them have been uncovered. Each culture has its own unique take on different beings, its own list of supposedly mythological creatures." He answered, then hopped off the counter top and went to the fridge for another bag of blood as I let the information sink in.

So werewolves were real too, huh? Talk about creepy. It made me wonder how many would be in Michigan. Then again, since they legalized the killing of gray wolves, I had a feeling any in the state would be taking off to avoid being mistaken for an actual wolf.

Reapers? What, did he mean like the grim reaper? No, it was plural. More than one. Well, that was comforting to know.

Wait.

"Did you say shapeshifter?" I demanded, setting my coffee down and turning to face him. Newell blinked, then looked at me for a second, like he couldn't figure out what I meant at first before his eyes widened. He didn't have a chance to say anything because someone started pounding on the front door.

Newell and I shared quick looks before heading to the door. Newell held his hand out for me to wait once we reached the foyer. I stood in the opening of the hallway, waiting on pins and needles as Newell carefully approached the door. He pressed his ear to the door for a moment, then carefully opened it up just in time to let Lysander stumble in.

My eyes widened at the sight of him. Blood poured from his mouth down his chin. His shirt and pants were soaked in it and he looked incredibly pale. There were bullet holes in his torso and a slash wound right down the center of it. Behind him came Claude carrying Kristophe, both of them bloodied and wounded.

My stomach hit the floor.

"What happened?" Newell demanded angrily, shutting the door behind him. Claude threw him a nasty look as he leaned against a wall to help support his weight and Kristophe's.

"The fucking Jap happened. Him and his stupid little lap dog." He snarled, then paused to cough harshly, blood oozing down his chin. Newell's face paled and I felt the blood drain from mine as I stared at them.

"Julian. Where's Julian?" I demanded. Claude said nothing, just stared at me for the longest time before looking away with a grimace. Lysander looked down at his feet, his hand covering his mouth to stop the blood flow. Fear made a straight shot up my spine, making me suck in a shuddering breath.

They had Julian.

Ikuto had Julian. And I was willing to bet that Ikuto wasn't on our side in this battle if he had to kidnap Julian from the hospital.

"I was right," I blurted angrily, whirling on Newell, who stiffened, "I knew they did it for a reason! They did it to land Julian in the hospital where there was more space to fight and less people to worry about. And Ikuto used Declan Calhoun to bring them all down."