Reign of Blood (The Vampires of Vegas Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-five

I approached her cautiously, knowing her killing spree rage was turned up too high. I was right to hold back a moment, for the feral just in front of me fell before I could even get close to her. She was in front of me in a flash, hatchet poised to strike, when she paused, our blades lightly grazing one another. I gulped, glad she had seen me in time, telling her with my eyes that I was not there to harm her, but pleading instead.

"Where are they?" I inquired, hoping she could hear me over the snarls and screams that echoed across the casino floor. She straightened and nodded, motioning me to follow her. She took off in a blur of speed. I took chase after her, keeping my eyes wide open for any side attacks. We had not gone by unnoticed; Seraphin had to hack into at least two hybrids before we made it to the elevator shaft. It was rigged with electricity and I groaned as she punched in the key code, making the metal doors slide smoothly open. Of all the places in this building, I did not want to go up into the citadel of the Stratosphere tower.

Of course, they would hold prisoners up there, it was almost unreachable.

I jumped into the elevator with her as the doors slid shut behind us. I was relieved to see Rye pass in front of the doors and smile as he nodded toward me. He was okay; we would be okay.

The lights inside were faint but seemed brighter after the engulfing darkness of the battle below. I shifted my eyes to Seraphin, who was standing perfectly still beside me, hatchet still in hand. Scattered drops of blood and ichor were splattered her clothes. She looked like a killer–deadly, dark and cold. I could almost feel her iciness pierce into me as the elevator moved, quickly gaining momentum until the lights of the floors flashed rapidly by. I'd forgotten how fast it moved, how it made my stomach shift to my feet.

I was determined to not lose my breakfast yet. Not when the end was so near.

"Why did you choose our hive? Your husband err...whatever that guy I saw down there is to you, he is not one of us. Did you lie about your husband's death? Why did you switch sides?" I asked her, my voice rough and guarded. Seraphin turned to me, her black irises flashing under the sickly artificial illumination above us. Her face was still like stone but her eyes told me many things. She wasn't trusting of me yet either, she eyed me curiously with a mixture of contempt and respect. I wasn't sure if this was good or not but she made me shift in my boots from the intensity of her glare.

"Who says I switched sides?" She sneered at me before turning back to stare at the doors before us. I watched her for a moment, hoping she meant what I thought she did. I wasn't sure of anything. Her words were cold comfort.

Our reflections stared back at us, looking gruesome and hard at the same time. I wouldn't want to face the two women that watched me right now. They looked like something out of a horror movie. I would've wanted to run for the hills before I'd ever face one of them. Blood and grime streaked my face, concrete dust from the explosions clung to my hair and the blood, making me look somewhat like I had been caught in a blood-streaked snowfall. I didn't look the same; my haunted but hard eyes made me want to do a double-take at the mirrored doors, almost sure that I was not really looking at myself but a stranger, one I would not want to ever confront. My hair was falling out of its tight restraint and wisps of night hung down in straight lines like wires. If I made it out alive, another shower was definitely in order.

The elevator's speed seemed to slow down and my stomach eventually crawled back into my abdomen. I watched Seraphin ready herself, pulling out a short sword to use instead of the hatchet. She was ready to run out into action. I wondered if I should too or hide in the elevator, waiting for the ambush. I wasn't sure but I readied my machete, the only one I had left, bending my knees to make a run for it but leaning against the side of the elevator to have a bit of cover in case these vampires used guns. I didn't use guns much. Rye had some with him but he had yet to use them by the time I'd lost sight of him.