Daniel blasted door after door aside with his shield, as he stalked through the long, narrow hallways. Rachel followed, one hand on her forehead, trying to drive the images back. But with each step they took, the visions of their death became gorier. It wasn't just darts anymore.
Execution involved a lot of blood now. She threw a glance over her shoulder. Behind them, Vlad and Justin jogged to keep up.
"If I have to live as a renegade for the rest of my life, fine," Daniel mumbled. "I hoped we'd open their eyes, change their ways. But no! They have to be a bunch of idiots. I'm sorry we ruined Vlad. I'd have paid him good money to shove their protocol up their asses."
"Why did we bring Vlad along?" Rachel asked. Not that she had a problem with it. He was harmless to them now, apparently bound by some need to protect them, and could be useful in battle. But he and Daniel had been on the verge of ripping each other's guts out.
Vlad sneered in her ear. "You still hope you'll be cleared once I tell them about Angus, don't you?"
"Honestly, I don't give a fuck right now." Daniel waved his hand, and a door and pair of incoming Hunters, guns pointing, flew backward. "All I want is to get Rachel out of here."
"Danny, we should go back and face them." Rachel tried to keep her voice in check, but it came out trembling. "We shouldn't run away. I see us dead."
"Oh, man," Justin moaned, floating faster and bypassing the rest of them.
"You're going to be okay. Trust me," Daniel said through gritted teeth.
Rachel felt his annoyance and clamped her mouth shut. He really wanted to change the future she saw, and it frustrated him that he had no idea how. She didn't either, and her blood felt like chips of ice. But she wouldn't give up. They weren't going down without a fight.
The last door flew off its hinges and the four stepped into a small, square, inner courtyard. Tall, crumbling brick walls obstructed their vision of what lay beyond, but above, the first stars were already visible in the rapidly darkening sky.
Vlad shielded his eyes from the light. "Goddamn it!"
"What are you moaning about?" Justin clasped his shoulder. "You're not a vampire anymore. Light doesn't burn you, or whatever it did to you before."
"You idiot wisp! Try living in the dark for five hundred years, then talk."
"Shut up, both of you!" Daniel called over his shoulder, pulling Rachel toward the wall.
She sunk her heels in the ground. Running away showed them dead. She wanted to stay. As soon as she made up her mind, the only verses she hadn't understood chimed inside her head as though stuck on replay. Only one must take the blame... "Angus," she whispered. This was all his damn fault. They should be prosecuting him, not fleeing. "Wait, we have to stay."
"Are you out of your mind?" Daniel wheeled to face her. "They want to kill us! My shield can't hold all of them off. "
Rachel turned her back to him and nodded at Vlad. "What will happen to the vampires, now that you're gone?"
Vlad scowled at her, but seemed to give up on protecting his former secrets. "The batty woman got it right. My minions are probably fighting over my throne as we speak. None of them can keep the others in check. Stroe and Iancu were the only ones competent enough, but they're most likely dead."
"So we did bring your empire down."
"Yes, yes you did." Vlad looked like he had lockjaw. "And why the hell am I so happy about it?"
The Hunters reached the entrance into the courtyard. Daniel launched a shockwave through the door and sent them stumbling back. "What are you planning, Rachel?"
"We just seriously crippled their enemies. They can't kill us." Rachel folded her arms across her chest and stared at the door. She'd make them listen and see sense if it was the last thing she did.
Shadows moved on the roof of the house, rushing to the edge. Bricks crumbled behind them. Rachel looked up. Hunters loomed above them, on top of the wall, weapons already pointed. They were surrounded. Daniel placed the shield over Rachel, Vlad and Justin a fraction of a second before arrows, bullets and darts swished through the air, toward them. They bounced off the barrier and fell to the ground like discarded toys.
"Attack!" Angus made his way between the remainder of his soldiers. "He can't hold it up forever."
Rachel shut her eyes, bracing for impact, as the entire army of Hunters rushed toward them. They bounced off with a sound like roaring thunder. Daniel elbows bent. His energy was depleting at an alarming rate. Even if there weren't many Hunters left, they were still more than she and Daniel could handle.
The Hunters who'd fallen over got back to their feet and pushed against the shield again.
"I'm not going to hold out much longer." Daniel dropped on one knee, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his arms flexing as he tried to keep the massive forces from overwhelming them.
The Hunters found a steady rhythm in which to attack the shield, like trying to tear down a gate using their bodies as a ram. Daniel's hands trembled and he shut his eyes, trying to keep them covered. Rachel felt that his entire body ached with the strain. He wouldn't be able to hold it up much longer.
Rachel reached out to touch him, but searing pain shot through her head. She fell to the rough ground, hitting her head against a fallen brick. She tried to move, to get back on her feet, but it was like someone had placed a huge weight on her back. Her vision blurred and the verses of the song played inside her head over and over. One must take the blame, but it will be too late, too late...
Rachel snapped her hands over her ears. The sounds of the fight didn't dim, they merged with the verses. "Stop!" she yelled as loudly as she could. She wasn't sure the sounds came out.
As fast as it had come, the pain disappeared. Rachel opened her eyes. Everything was in sharper focus. Daniel had fallen to his knees completely, his shield closing around them. There had to be a way to put an end to...
Roz! She could stop this madness, if only Rachel could leave the shield bubble and reach her. She looked left and right for a whole in the Hunter's defenses. They were packed tight. She'd only have a chance if she could pass through them... Of course!
"Justin!" She grabbed the wraith's shoulder. "Get out there. Tell Roz about the deal between Vlad and Angus."
Justin's blue eyes widened. "G-go out? I'd never reach her. The pain from their attacks would knock me out."
Behind Rachel, Daniel groaned. She whipped around in time to see him falling on his back. Sweat dripped down the sides of his face, his eyes were shut, and his muscles strained. There wasn't much energy left in him.
"Try. Turn as transparent as possible and go," Rachel pleaded. "Daniel can't hold the shield up any longer." She could feel he was completely depleted. Like a blinking battery, begging to recharge.
"I-I..." Justin stared from her to Daniel.
"You imbecile," Vlad hissed. "Give up your body. They won't be able to touch you then."
Rachel's head snapped in Vlad's direction. "He can do that?"
Justin's face was a mask of disgust, but he nodded and shut his eyes. For the fraction of a second, nothing happened, then he shot back into himself as though his body had imploded. All that remained was a ball of black smoke. From its mist rose a pair of long, sharp claws and a skull.
"Now go!" Vlad yelled, throwing a glance over his shoulder at Daniel.
The skull stared at them, expressionless, green flames burning behind the empty eye sockets, then turned and left the protective bubble.
Rachel dropped to her knees and put her hands on Daniel's shoulders. Her energy might help him for the time it took Justin to find Roz.
No! Protect yourself. You could be pregnant. He winced. He could barely think anymore.
"If the shield falls, we're dead," she yelled. "There's nothing I could do. And I'm not pregnant" As much as she wished she were, there was no point in pretending. She reached her hand out again.
"Vlad, keep her off me!"
Rachel stared. She didn't think he could still talk. What surprised her even more was when Vlad obeyed and pulled her away.
"We're nearly through!" someone yelled.
Rachel wheeled around, spinning Vlad along. The Hunters were almost nose to nose with them.
"Aim for his sides. He's weak there," another shouted.
A crossbow arrow shot through the shield and stuck in Daniel's side. He groaned, but struggled to fill the shield out properly. Rachel placed herself in front of him for protection. Vlad growled, baring his fangs, and crouched next to her.
"Almost there," the closest Hunter called victoriously. He suddenly stopped and pulled back. "Whoa!"
Rachel frowned and glanced over her shoulder. Her heart jumped into her throat. Blood flooded out of Daniel's every pore – like he was sweating it.
"Stop!" Roz's voice swept the yard. Most of the Hunters turned their heads. "I order you all to stop!"
"No!" Angus yelled. "Kill them now!" He made his way forward and rammed his bulk against the shield.
Daniel moaned and his hands dropped. His eyes rolled into his head. Rachel knelt and took his hand. He was cold, clammy, unconscious and still sweating blood. The shield was gone. The Hunters who'd been leaning against it, staggered, but their weapons still pointed in Daniel's direction.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on them!" Roz marched through the crowd, the creepy Justin floating in her wake. "Don't listen to a word this traitor says!"
Angus turned to her, baring his teeth. "Have you gone senile, woman? The traitors are the ones before you."
Roz reached Angus and slammed him across the face with her walking stick, hard enough to propel him over Daniel, Rachel and Vlad, and into the wall. "You beast! This was nothing but an act for you. Coward! Striking a deal with vampires? Never in my existence have I seen such disgusting behavior from a Hunter."
The Hunters around Rachel, Daniel and Vlad stepped back, looking from Roz to Angus as if following a tennis match. They still didn't lower their weapons.
"What are you on about, woman?" Angus looked ready to tear her to pieces. "You can't believe anything they say!"
"How about what I say?" Vlad straightened out of his crouch. "I'm the one with no reason to lie. These two brought me down. Why would I want to protect them? Still, I agree that I struck a deal with Angus."
A collective gasp filled the courtyard. Surprised murmurs passed between the Hunters and some of them put their guns away.
"That's not true." Angus' eyes shifted from Vlad to Roz.
"Oh, come on! You had Gabriel killed. It was my idea to blame these two for it." Vlad waved his hand. "You're not smart enough to think this up yourself. And you know what? I would've gradually replaced the tranquilizers with poison and let you kill each other."
Angry mutters replaced the initial surprise. Angus tugged at his collar, but then seemed to regain his composure.
"You're digging your own grave, vampire."
"You know what Angus?" Vlad crossed his arms over his chest. "Right now, I'm more of a Hunter than you. I didn't betray anyone. All I've done can be justified by the fact that I was a vampire. You were all my natural enemies. What's your excuse?"
"Angus Ginnis, in the name of the High Council of the Hunters, I declare you a traitor." Roz's voice thundered over the noises of the crowd. "You know the sentence for that crime."
Angus stuck his back against the wall, his eyes darting from face to face, sweat dripping down his brow. His jaw locked, his eyebrows joined and he grabbed the hilt of his knife.
Rachel's sight turned blurry before disappearing completely. Reality was replaced by a black and white movie of Angus. He cried with rage, took out his knife and plunged it through Daniel's chest. Ruby red blood sprinkled out of the wound as Daniel's body jerked. Her image of the grassy hilltop and happiness shattered, leaving behind only pain. More than she could survive.
Her eyes focused on reality again just as Daniel twitched. Angus let out his cry, knife held high in his hand. Rachel shot forward and placed herself in front of him like a shield, her arms spread out. Pain seared her entire body as the knife tore though flesh and tendons, sinking deep into her chest. Her sternum cracked under the pressure. Everything became hazy.
No! Daniel cried and she couldn't tell if he'd said it out loud or inside his head.
She fell to the ground with a dull thud and, for a second, her sight returned. Daniel was on his feet, blood snaking down his arms, the shield back on. It exploded into a million particles, tossing all the bodies out of the way, cracking the walls. She felt his pain and it was deeper and more scarring than anything she'd ever experienced. She was grateful when the dark veil fell over her eyes. The agony on Daniel's face threatened to kill her faster than the wound.
Don't die, Rach. Hold on.
She smiled, but it disappeared as soon as she wanted to answer back. She couldn't. For the first time, she couldn't contact him. Bitter cold swept through her veins and her very thoughts seemed to freeze. This couldn't be it. She'd never thought she'd truly die. She was too lucid for death.
Rachel! Answer me, sweetheart!
Oh, how she wished she could. But she barely had enough energy left to exist. Why? Had Angus stabbed her heart? If he did, she'd never find out. She sank into nothingness.
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"No, I don't care. I'm not doing it." Daniel sounded really pissed off. "And now's not the time."
"Daniel, it's your heritage." This time, a woman's voice, vaguely familiar.
"Roz, get off my back. See her? She's all I care about right now. All I'll ever care about. I'll always put her before anyone else. I'm no good as a leader."
"He has a point." Justin's voice. "He's waaay too hotheaded."
"Yeah, what Smokey said. You be leader. You're the oldest. You know all the bullshit protocol."
"Oh, no. The protocol will go. We're changing our laws, our way of life. But I retired a long time ago."
Why can't this woman see that I don't give a shit? The Hunters can go fuck themselves for all I care. I'm done here.
Maybe you should tell her that.
"Rachel?"
Quick footsteps indicated someone approaching. Rachel tried to open her eyes, but her lids felt like lead. She'd never felt so weak in her life. She couldn't feel anything around her. It was as if she were floating in a void. Something warm broke through and her whole body relaxed. She hadn't even realized she was tense.
"It's okay, sweetheart. You're going to be fine."
Rachel tried to force words out, but all she could manage was a pathetic grunt. So much for intelligent conversation.
Daniel let out a shaky laugh. "Let's stick with staying alive for now, okay?"
She wished she could sit up, hug him and tell him everything would be all right. But even she wasn't so sure about that.
What happened? Why did I pass out like that? Why did it hurt so much? She'd been hurt before. Hell, she'd even half-gone through vampire transformation. But nothing had been as scary as this.
"The blade of Angus' knife was soaked in Vlad's poison." Daniel's voice was so full of hatred, it was almost scary. "We had to resort to a massive blood transfusion to provide you with enough antibodies to fight the poison. At least until Vlad gave us the antidote."
Rachel's breath caught in her throat. Fear made its way through the comforting oblivion and she was suddenly aware of her aching body. "He really...wanted...to kill...you." Her voice was weak and raspy, but she'd managed to talk. She realized that the warmth dulling her pain was Daniel holding her hand.
"He almost did," Roz said. "Daniel was crazy enough to go for Vlad's transfusion idea."
Rachel flinched. Daniel squeezed her hand. She tried to read his thoughts, see what had happened while she'd been under, but nothing came through.
"Don't worry about me, Rach. I'm fine. I heal fast. And Vlad's idea wasn't crazy. It made perfect sense."
"What exactly was this transfusion?" She squinted at Daniel as she tried harder to get inside his head. Images flashed. She saw herself lying on a bed, pale and frail, IV needles sticking out of her arms. Then she felt the pain, the image twitched and everything became hazy. Voices rang inside her head.
You're killing him! Roz sounded scared, desperate.
Will you trust me, woman? Vlad's voice. He's strong enough to take it. And this is the fastest way.
More pain.
Daniel squeezed her shoulders and she pulled back from his thoughts. "Stay out of there, Rachel." His voice was soft.
I can't believe you trusted Vlad.
"Eh, he's not so bad. And it's funny to see him struggling between his hatred for us and needing to keep us close. Plus, he love-hates his vampire minions as well. Though he's more on the hate side of the fence right now."
"Maybe he should be leader," Rachel whispered. "He is a Hunter, and the best leader the vampires ever had." He knew all their strength and weaknesses.
True, it was risky, but it wasn't as if Vlad could go anywhere. If he truly was a Hunter, he was bound by the need for company just like the rest of them. And giving them the antidote to save her was a step in the right direction.
"You should rest, girl." Roz said. "You've had a close call."
"No. I think she's right," said Daniel. "But we'll discuss this later."
Rachel struggled and finally managed to raise her lids. The first thing she saw was the dark, inky blue of Daniel's eyes. "I so hope our baby looks like you."
His mouth fell open. "What baby?"
"The one we're going to have. No, don't look at me like that. I'm not pregnant." She gave a weak chuckle.
He grinned. "Damn. Though, looking on the bright side, that means we have to keep trying." He wrapped his arms around her and helped her sit up.
Justin and Roz stood on the other side of the room, both of them smiling, Justin looking like a pop star again. IV needles came out of both insides of her elbows.
"How long have I been under?" she asked, her throat tight, her voice croaky. She felt like she'd just swallowed a truck-load of sand.
"About three and a half days." Justin swept closer to the bed. "We were really worried about you. Especially this guy." He nodded toward Daniel.
"What are you still doing here, Justin?" she asked. She'd expected he'd moved on by now.
"I couldn't leave without knowing you're safe, gorgeous."
Rachel smiled. It felt as if her face was breaking into pieces, but the effort was worth it. "What happened to Angus?"
"Oh, oh, it was so cool!" Justin bounced on the spot. "Daniel got really pissed and beat the shit out of him. It took a whole bunch of Hunters to tear them apart."
Rachel stared at Daniel. "You did what? You barely had enough energy left to breathe."
He shrugged. "I guess all I needed was more motivation. I collapsed right after they pulled me off him. I was ready to kill him with my bare hands."
"I'm glad you didn't." Rachel snuggled against the pillows. "He wasn't worth you becoming a murderer. Where is he now?"
"He has been subjected to trial and will be executed in a couple of hours," Roz said. "We are, for now, just as unorganized as the vampires. I'm already working on a new set of laws. I was just saying to Daniel that it is his heritage to be our new leader. Max was the rightful ruler of the Hunters, and as his son, Daniel should—"
"Daniel doesn't really care," Rachel said calmly. "And, honestly, neither do I. No offence, Roz. You and the Doc were decent to us, but except for the two of you, the other Hunters believed Angus and followed his lead. They almost had us killed."
Roz stared at her as though she'd been slapped. "Our laws will change—"
"And until they do, we want as far away from here as possible." Daniel wrapped his arms around Rachel. She felt much better in his embrace, and her strength gradually returned. "We need a break. Maybe after everyone gets used to the new system, we'll come back and join it."
"Though, we don't promise anything." Rachel looked up at Daniel, a grin on her face. "It's too much fun being renegade."
Daniel gazed down at her and bent lower. I know you're hurt, but I can't help it. He planted a quick kiss on her lips. It made her feel much better.
"You two are heroes now," Roz said sternly. "Everyone will be glad to have you help with the new set of rules. No one would ever prosecute you again."
"No, thanks. We don't make the rules. We break them." Daniel winked at Rachel, and she leaned against his chest and closed her eyes. It was finally over.
"You have a duty toward your race." Roz bristled, seeming determined to get her way. "You're the first Hunter couple in centuries and—"
"Why don't Hunters reproduce normally and have to turn humans?" Rachel asked.
Roz froze with her mouth open. She sighed. "Honestly, it's been so long since there were any Hunter women. We were rare to begin with. And when I was the only one left, they kept me well protected. Useless measures. It's not as if I can still bear children.
"Our men don't usually take wives and build families. They fear the death of their loved ones. The chance of a Hunter being born from a human-Hunter marriage is next to zero. No one wanted to see wives and children dying." She looked at Daniel, tears shining in her eyes. "You, my dear, are a great exception. How brave Max was and how much he must have suffered after your dear mother died."
Daniel squeezed Rachel tighter and she could feel his pain. He hadn't gotten used to the idea of losing a father yet.
"I saw Max at one point," Rachel said. "Inside Daniel's head. If he was the original Hunter, how come he looked so young?"
Roz smiled. "We Hunters tend to look as old as we feel. Max was always a free, young spirit. He would've never aged. I, on the other hand, feel outdated and it shows." She shook her head. "Your birth has changed everything. Hunters might take the chance with human women now, and our numbers will grow."
"I hope they do, Roz. But we're still not sticking around." He squeezed Rachel. "We have our own future to build right now."
Rachel smiled. It was time for their next, great adventure.
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Aaaand, we're done. This is the final chapter! There will be short epilogue to wrap this all up, but this is the story for you. Hope you had fun with it, flawed as it was! I want to thank you so much for getting here, and all thoughts on the story are appreciated.