Roxanne walked into the main courtyard of the villa as the sun slowly lowered casting the sky a dusky pink. Weeds grew up over the central fountain and ivy had ravaged the peeling walls. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and swallowed nervously.
"Ryder doesn't want your magic being tracked back to him," Liam spoke in a frustrated tone entering the courtyard with Peter hot on his heels. He pulled up to an abrupt stop, "Roxanne," he greeted in surprise.
"Hi," she mumbled awkwardly.
"What are you doing here?" Peter demanded rudely. Liam smacked his arm.
"I...I...err..."
"Did Ryder send you?" Liam asked kindly. Roxanne shook her head.
"I need to talk with you..." her voice lacked volume.
Peter frowned, "you shouldn't be here."
"I know." She looked miserably down at her feet.
"There's plenty of spare rooms. Stay here and one of us can escort you back home."
"I don't have time to babysit." Peter complained petulantly.
"We need to get moving," Lewis' voice came from inside.
"I'm bringing the car round now," Liam called over his shoulder.
"Wouldn't want the leech to catch sunburn," Peter muttered under his breath. Lewis hissed threateningly making Peter flinch back. Liam chuckled.
"We'll be back." He went to move passed Roxanne but she reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him.
"I'M PREGNANT!" Roxanne's eyes widened in alarm when she realised she'd just screamed at him. Liam froze. Her lip quivered as she looked up at his unreadable face. "It's yours."
Ryder sat rigidly upright his stormy glare fixed on the countryside whizzing passed them. Naethro sat beside him – his wings pressed up against the cars roof. The demon bellowed deep laughter – slapping his rough thigh with a clawed hand. Ryder's jaw twitched. To protect Chloe he was bowing to all of Wabyt's demands – including handing over the vampire Russell. The car bounced over a pot hole and the talons on Naethro's leathery wings scrapped against the windows – setting Ryder's teeth on edge.
Liam and Lewis crouched in the shadows. Moonlight gleamed off the slavers' helmet heads as they stood guard around the base.
"So she was your girlfriend?" Lewis whispered his peculiar eyes scanning ahead of them. Liam shook his head, his expression troubled and unfocused. "No?"
"We hooked up once." Liam's voice had a rough edge, "her parents had died she was all drunk..."
"And you?"
"I never say no." Lewis' eyebrow raised in judgement. "It was her first time. Fuck it could have been her only time."
Two slavers walked passed them and the men held very still – blending with the shadows.
"I get that you're in a strange place" Lewis hissed quickly, "but we are literally in very dangerous one right now. I need you focused." Liam nodded. Lewis groaned as his fangs extended – so achingly sensitive that even his saliva felt uncomfortable to them – they craved the warmth of blood. He looked across at Liam and stiffened. Liam's skin had hardened something akin to stone and his face morphed – stretching out with a fierce brow ridge, hooked nose and a stretched snake like jaw. Liam hissed teasingly – flashing his forked tongue. "Fuck you're ugly."
It was a moonless night. The cars headlights lit up the dirt track ahead of them. They gained a view of the valley below them and Ryder sucked in a breath at the sight of the base – a welcoming beacon in the darkness. They turned – taking the winding path down the mountain. Naethro spat on the carpeted car floor. Ryder didn't react – his mind full of two men on a very important mission.
Liam watched the first slaver stagger and fall against the fencing blood spurting from its slashed torso. A slave gasped in surprise – running up to the wire.
"You've come to save us," he whispered – his eyes bright with excitement. "They have a watch tower over there," he pointed, "the guard drop down to three at-" Liam slashed at the already definitely dead slaver – the sharp blade of his axe shrieking against the fencing. He was suddenly bathed in fierce floodlight and he opened his arms wide in invitation.
"Come on you sons of a rabbit bitch!" He shouted over in the direction of the watch tower. "BRING IT!"
The slave stared at him in horror, "subtle." The pounding feet of slavers and demons approached them like a building drum beat. Liam rested his axe against his shoulder.
"Subtle's not really my thing." Attracted by the commotion a crowd of slaves was starting to grow around the fence.
"What are you?" One asked fearfully.
"I'm the heir of Stheno."
"Fran get over here!" Fran ducked through the crowd to reach her sisters side. Together the girls watched Liam fight – their bodies pressed up against the wire fencing of their enclosure.
"Is it the resistance?"
"It must be," her sisters large hollow eyes were shining, "the rumours said there are supernaturals on our side now too." Liam staggered, the lash of a whip biting the skin on his back and the girls clutched hands - fingers entwining as with all their might they willed him to win.
A crack formed on his granite skin where the fanged whip had struck but no blood fell from the wound. Slavers swarmed out of their quarters charging down upon the lone fighter. It was difficult to tell but Liam was grinning. The slavers opened fire. Fran and her sister screamed – shielding their eyes but the bullets rebounded off Liam's body and thundered uselessly to the ground.
The slavers closed in on him in a swarm. Liam let out a mighty roar and swung his axe. The blade was drenched in blood spewed up to the hilt. A torso smacked against the fence and Fran watched its undignified slump with a wildly beating heart. One strike had been enough to split the creature in too. The crowd pushed against them but the sisters stood firm – focused eyes on their hero.
Lewis watched the slavers hurrying passed in Liam's direction. Once the way was clear he darted out of his hiding place and sped with vampire speed down the steps of the prison. The steel door at the steps base had no lock or handle. "This will give you entry," Ryder had told him, taking his hand in his and lowering his head over it. "Just press your palm against the door." Ryder's lips had been soft against his skin. Frowning Lewis put his hand flat against the cold steel. Blue light shimmered over the surface and the door swung open.
The hairs on the back of his neck prickled. Gritting his teeth he entered the long corridor. Cells lined his way but only the final one was occupied. His hissed at the sight. A vampire chained to the wall. He'd wondered what happened to a vampire that didn't feed. The creature before him was like a dry husk – skin hard and wrinkled as a raison.
Blood, guts and entrails rained down from the heavens as Liam swung his mighty axe. Fran didn't flinch as a wave washed over her face, soaking into her rags. She breathed in deeply – as if the air was freshened by the shower. The slavers pulled back but Liam was merciless in his pursuit slashing through their retreating backs – smashing spines to pieces.
Lewis stared at the motionless face – scanning for a sign of life. Suddenly the blood red eyes snapped open.
A phone rang. Ryder's eyes snapped to the demon sitting shotgun as he answered. The creature twisted in his seat to face Naethro and shouting something to him in their harsh tongue. Ryder's jaw clicked as the driver slammed his foot on the breaks. Naethro flung open the door and clambered out of the car.
"What are you doing?" Ryder asked as he made to follow – a clawed grip on his shoulder kept him firmly in place. He watched Naethro unfurl his mighty wings and rise into the sky like a monstrous angel. The driver restarted the car and they accelerated. "What's going on? Tell me."
"You must be Russell," Lewis stated by way of greeting. The vampire said nothing but his eyes fixed on Lewis. The hybrid curled his fingers around the smooth bars. Memories battered around his head of a similar prison break. "Please don't let him control you!" She'd cried – so lost and so heartbroken at the sight of the damaged thing she was trying to save. "I love you." Growling Lewis ripped the bars apart – the metal screaming beneath his fists. The links of Russell's chains crumbled to powder beneath Lewis' pulverising force.
He caught Russell before he hit the floor. The vampire slumped lifelessly against him and Lewis realised that he'd have to carry the starving elder. Hauling him over his shoulder like an empty sack Lewis sped out of the prison and up the concrete steps. A breeze ruffled Russell's straw like hair – some weak strands fluttering away with it. Lewis paused for a moment upon the top step. He'd escaped the last prison he was in – this time he'd left no one behind. His fangs retracted, the bloodlust melting from his face.
A severed head whirled through the air and smacked down upon the steps behind them. Lewis hissed returning to his senses to find the stench of slaughter thick and heavy in the air. Carrying Russell, Lewis sped to the slave's quarters. The dismembered remains of slavers littered the ground in a formation around the gorgon's grandson. Lewis watched Liam smash a slavers face repeatedly against the ground. Blood sprayed up over him – drenching his hideous face.
"I'd say it's dead now," Lewis commented pointedly. Liam laughed and kicked the slaver earning a satisfying crunch before admiring his handiwork. Where once had been face was only an obliterated hole of caved in bone and tissue.
The demon Naethro turned on Ryder as he got out of the car – pressing his muzzle up against him, his foul breath bathing Ryder in a rancid sauna and pinning him in place with his wings.
"I am the first prince – release me at once! Obeausan!" (One of the few demon words he knew – meaning obey.) Naethro was slow to pull back. Blue fire crackled in Ryder's hands. "Where are my slaves?" He glared at the carnage of dead and dying, "WHERE ARE MY FUCKING SLAVES!?"