Blood Sport (The American Arcane Book 2) Page 20

  The daemon wouldn't have it, though, and its unnatural speed swatted the blade away, sending it down. His fist this time connected, hitting her into the ground.

  I wasn't going to let him hurt her. I reached across my body, and I grabbed the pistol off the ground. It wasn't my good hand, but I wasn't asking for great aim. I emptied the magazine into Ishmael's body, the reports of my gun filling the club.

  Camelai's shouts of pain were tinged with Ishmael's own tones. It hurt to hear that. But right now I needed to keep him away from Amy. I loaded the last magazine from my belt, hit the slide release.

  The daemon turned back to me. Steam was rising from its body as the silver ate at his insides. He lifted a hand, and I shot at it. This time, the bullets were hit away with the same kind of wall that Breanna had made.

  “I'm going to eat you, witch.” Camelai growled. Ishmael's body was still a few feet away. I wondered if I emptied the magazine into him could he block them all? “And then I'm going to kill the bright one. Her kind doesn't come around the Other Side any more. I'll have fun with that.”

  Camelai paused several feet away from me. His jaw opened, and I suddenly felt very very sick. His mouth stretched like a snake's, wide enough that I'm absolutely sure he could have bit off my head in one bite. The large vampire's fangs seemed twisted now, and I am sure I made a noise of pure fear.

  I lifted the gun, and I fired. Again and again. I didn't stop for any reason. I just emptied the magazine until the Colt's slide locked back.

  The daemon wasn't even scratched. It raised a hand, and I felt pressure slam down on my body. It was like an entire football team was holding me down, invisible but still very present. I gasped, croaking, as I started to feel the same pressure on my throat.

  “Any last words?” The daemon growled, its voice distorted by the misshapen jaw. It grinned a fanged smile at me.

  “No,” I whispered, coughing just to breathe. “She does.”

  Amy, bloodied and battered, jumped onto Ishmael's back. Her compact frame clung to him as she wrapped an arm and her legs around him. Her free hand, however, had the last of the stun grenades in them, which she shoved in Camelai's distortion of Ishmael's mouth. “Daylight, bastard.”

  The utter shock of it must have disrupted Camelai's concentration. The force lifted off me, which I was utterly relieved for.

  I rolled onto my stomach, landed on my wounded wrist. I cried out, but I was grateful I had done it. The detonation of the flash bang had my head ringing. It was a combination of every injury I had had in my life, topped off with the world's worst hangover.

  It took me several seconds before I could even try to open my eyes. I pushed myself over, and what I saw actually had me shouting.

  “How is this bastard still here?”

  Ishmael's body certainly looked worse for wear. Half of his jaw was missing, blown away to reveal bloody, torn flesh. Only half his jaw bone remained, and there was a distinct lack of teeth. I fought the urge to heave at the sight.

  “Amy?” I asked. “How the hell do we kill it?”

  “There has not been a daemon on earth in over a century!” She said. “I...” She paused a moment.

  “If you have a suggestion, I would be glad to hear it!” I started to push myself away from Camelai, using my good hand to push myself along the wooden stage.

  “Hit him, hard!” Amy urged.

  I watched as Camelai stalked towards me. I had to do something.

  The daemon stalked towards me, and it reached out a hand. I could feel the air tighten around me. I searched my mind. I picked the only thing I could think of.

  I had tried fire once before. I had failed, and just used raw force to save Amy then. I knew what I was dealing with now. I had a freaking daemon right in front of me. I wasn't going to fail this time.

  Forcing my hand forward, I gathered energy from the air around me. It was thick with magic, and it sang through my body.

  Anger, pure rage and fury, focused my magic. I shoved a hand forward, and yelled the first thing that came to my mind. “FIRE!”

  A stream of blue flame, the color of a summer sky, spouted from my hand. It streaked across the stage, racing at Camelai. I realized almost immediately that I didn't feel the heat pouring from my palm, but it certainly was not cold. Fire was the one thing all living things were weak to.

  Even daemons inhabiting thousand year-old vampires. The flames buffeted his body, and burns immediately started to appear. It started first on his face, with his torn away jaw and broken mouth. Flames consumed him, capturing his face in blue tongues of fire.

  Screams of agony filled the air as Camelai sunk to his knees. It roared, and on all fours, it kept crawling to me. I raised my hand, and gathered more energy.

  “Fire!” The next blast was a more fine gout of flame, striking his shoulder. Ishmael's suit caught fire, and the flames started to spread over his body. The screams grew louder, like a constant wailing as he crawled towards me.

  “Amy!” I shouted.

  “Hit him again!” She encouraged. “Do it, Eric!”

  I gathered all the energy I could. I focused hard, aiming right at Ishmael's face. I had to stop him. I couldn't let Breanna and Yukiko succeed, and I could not let a daemon inhabit Ishmael's body.

  I didn't need a magic word this time. I just thrust my hand forward, and this time, the flames utterly consumed him. I watched as blue fire ate up his body, the torrents of fire singing it. The daemon howled, monstrous as it finally gave up. It slumped down to the ground, defeated, finally.

  Exhaustion came over me. As the flames trickled down, I took stock of the situation. Amy was sitting on the stage, nursing her wounds. Serena and Teresa were still below the stage, holding down a struggling Breanna Harper. Yukiko's body was on the floor, the vampire's throat slit and blood pouring onto the floor.

  I grunted as I realized I had to make sure Ishmael, or Camelai, or whatever wasn't getting back up. Tired, and with one good hand, I dragged myself over to the body.

  I drew my knife, and slid the silvered blade into the vampire's heart. Ex-vampire. Whatever it had been.

  “We did it. We saved the day.” I murmured.

  Amy looked at me with her big eyes, and nodded. “Yes, I suppose we did.”

  A lot of dead people, we didn't save Ishmael, and a daemon had nearly gotten to wreak havoc on our world.

  What heroes we were.

  Chapter 26

  Two hospital trips in a week was a new record for me. The doctors patched up my wrist, and told me that I shouldn't do anything high-energy with my arm for at least a week. They didn't want the stitches popping. With my metabolism and witch's healing, I was sure I'd be back much earlier than then.

  Amy had taken some serious blows. The grenade had given her some moderate burns, and the daemon's shots had left her body with a boat load of bruises and broken bones

  We got beds next to each other in the hospital. I may have proved to be a pain in the ass to the doctors enough that they relented to my requests.

  Either Teresa or Serena was in the hospital with us during visiting hours. We were never alone. I don't know how she did it, but Serena had concealed that submachine gun she had stolen from one of the hit men and snick it into the hospital.

  It was Hernandez who came the morning after the battle to formally interview us.

  Hernandez was dressed in a dark gray suit, marginally better than what I had seen most civilian-wearing cops wear. Detective-Inspectors must have better taste.

  The doctors had told him to take it easy on us. He glared between the two of us. “Trouble likes following you two.”

  I raised the cast, looked at Amy, then shrugged. “It's what happens when the Arcanes in the Bay ask me to help their affairs.”

  He looked over to Serena. “Miss Laurent, if you could wait outside, I'd like to speak privately with Amy and Mister Carpenter.”

  Serena shrugged and stood. She looked between Amy and I. “I'll be right outside.”


  “We'll be fine,” I insisted.

  When Serena had left, Hernandez turned to us. “So, what happened at Ruby, And who was that toasted vampire we found?”

  “It was Ishmael.” Amy said softly. “Detective-Inspector, Ishmael was dead before this happened. He was killed by Breanna Harper.”

  “Yes, her. You said in the initial report that she's a sorceress.”

  “I did.” I confirmed. “She is a human with magical ability. Not blood-born, but given to her by a daemon.”

  “A daemon? Like, Satan or something like that?”

  I shrugged again. It was the most complete gesture I could make at the moment. I was exhausted, plain and simple. “No. Daemon. Spirit. It's old Greek. Basically, a spirit not of this world. Its name was Camelai. It offered Harper power and knowledge in exchange for ritual murders to fuel it.”

  “Huh.” Hernandez looked between the two of us. “So. A daemon. How does this work into Ishmael?”

  “Camelai was possessing Ishmael.” I said.

  Amy continued for me. “Harper had killed Ishmael in a ritual, allowing the daemon to cross over into his body.”

  “Right.” Hernandez paused for a moment, considering. “So, a daemon.”

  “There's a lot of stuff out there the common Arcanes don't talk about.” I said. “But daemons, they're spirits from the Other Side. Very powerful.”

  Hernandez nodded. “Miss Crespo stated much the same.” He shrugged. “There is, however, the matter of the dozen werewolves and the dead Yukiko.”

  I frowned. “Yeah.”

  “Detective-Inspector,” Amy said. “Does Eric's Arcane Consultant status not grant him certain leverage in response to Arcane threats?”

  “It does.” He said. “You're going to have a fun time explaining this to the Bureau of Arcane Affairs, though.”

  I shook my head. “Compared to the mess that I get to deal with in the Ruling Council, the California BAA is nothing.”

  Hernandez smiled just a little. “With Ishmael gone, who takes the vampire spot?”

  “Teresa or Baron Vela. Vela's a minor player.” I explained. “I think Teresa gets it. She's got two centuries of undeath under her belt, and she was Ishmael's right-hand vamp.”

  Hernandez nodded. “She'd be better than Ishmael was with cooperating with us, at least. Teresa has been amazingly open.”

  “She's pretty good like that.” I said. “Is there anything else you might need?”

  Hernandez shook his head. “The statements you two gave should be fine.” He said, and he shook his head. “It's a mess, but it should be sorted out. You two get better.”

  “We will do our best.”

  I lifted my good arm, and waved. “Keep in touch, Hernandez.”

  He nodded. “You too, Carpenter.” He walked to the door, then paused for a moment. “Li's still sniffing after you.” He said.

  “I know. If you ever have the time, ask her why she's got a mad-on for me.”

  Hernandez smiled. “I might just do that if I feel like an early grave.”

  I got released from the hospital the next day. Amy took some more time. A full week passed before Amy got released.

  When I asked her why she had taken longer than I had, she only gave the reply that she didn't have her “full arsenal.” Camelai had hit Amy with something that she didn't want to share with me. I let her keep that to herself. Pushing Amy for her secrets wasn't healthy.

  “You're absolutely sure you're ready?” I asked Serena as we sat in the Jeep. We were parked in a cul-de-sac in Rancho Cordova, staring at a house with a big red truck parked in the driveway.

  Serena frowned, then nodded. “Yeah, I'm ready. Now, let's run through it one more time.”

  We did, and I concluded with, “I let you take the lead. This is yours. If you need my help, just say so.”

  She reached over and squeezed my hand. “I've known you a week, and my life has gone from being some unemployed gal in SoCal to...well, being a vampire who just helped stop a daemon. I think I can handle my own kin.” She quickly added. “I appreciate the backup, though.”

  We got out of the car, and crossed to the house with the red truck. Serena strode with all the confidence in the world.

  The house itself was a single story house, painted a rustic brown color. The front yard was well kept, without even a hint of unkept lawn. “It's James and Krista, right?” She nodded. “Take the lead?” I asked Serena.

  She nodded. “Yeah, thanks.” She absently adjusted her jacket, pulling on it a little before she walked up to the porch. She knocked on the door, and put her hands in her pockets. She slouched, and she looked all a bit more like a teenager who was coming home than a vampire badass.

  I didn't have any family left. Anyone I shared blood with was dead and buried. I had Matt, who I considered a brother, but I would have given anything to have my grandparents.

  The door opened to a tall black man wearing an oversized plaid shirt and jeans. He smiled down at Serena. “Hey, Rocket.” He stepped out onto the porch. James Laurent had a big smile on his features, an honest one. He hugged her, an I immediately recognized it. She may not have his been biological kid, but she was his.

  “Hey, Uncle James.” She pulled back slowly. “I know I left you a message, but you deserve a better explanation of this.”

  James looked over at me. “This the guy who saved you?”

  “She's done her fair share of saving me recently.” I extended my hand. “Eric Carpenter, Mister Laurent.”

  He slapped his big hand in mine and we shook hands. “Call me James. Let's get both of you inside. Krista's here.”

  We walked inside and turned the corner into the living room. The woman I assumed was Krista Laurent got up and hurriedly embraced Serena. “Oh, love, it's so good to see you. We were worried about you when we got the phone call.”

  Krista Laurent was a much shorter woman, with graying hair pulled back. She held onto Serena until she made a gagging noise. “Auntie. Auntie. Jeez...” Krista retreated just a little, and reached up a hand to ruffle Serena's hair.

  “It's good to see you.” Krista said. “The police haven't been telling us much. Just that you were involved in a kidnapping.”

  “I know, I know. And I really should have called, but I wanted to talk in person.” Serena backed away towards the entry to the living room. “Can you two sit down?”

  “Sure,” James nodded as he walked over to Krista. “Let's let Serena explain things.” He said, and he led her back to the couch.

  Serena stood there, and I just waited off to her side. She took a minute to compose herself. “That guy, who attacked me down in Bakersfield,” She paused for a moment, keeping her lips tight. “He was a vampire.”

  “Oh, God.” James made as if to stand, but Krista's hand on her husband stilled him. “Did he...”

  She shook her head. “He didn't force himself on me.” She said quickly. “He killed me.”

  There was a long moment of Krista and James staring at their niece. “He...” Krista murmured.

  “Killed me, and I got brought back.” She balled her hands into fists, and took a breath. “I'm a vampire now.” Serena looked away, her head down. I placed a hand on her arm. She looked up to me after a moment, tears in her eyes.

  “Can they get up and hug you now?” I whispered to Serena.

  She nodded. “If they want to.”

  I gestured to the two of them on the couch. Both got up and embraced her. “Oh, sweetie.” Krista whispered. “It's okay.”

  “It...” Serena sobbed as she tried to speak. “You guys are okay with it?”

  “Why wouldn't we be, Rocket?” James whispered. “Just means you need some more sunscreen at ball games.”

  We spent the next hour or so talking to James and Krista, explaining to her the dos and don'ts of vampirism. Vampires got a lot of bad press, and the Laurents didn't need any convincing to know that their niece was still her, just with some different dietary requirements.

  We
left the house as the sun came down. As we walked back to the car, I had to ask. “Rocket? Really?”

  “Track and field. I was a hyper-competitive maniac when I was a kid.” She shrugged. “You mention it to anyone, and I'll kick your butt.”

  “Sure thing, Rocket.” Okay, I guess I earned that dead arm.

  Chapter 27

  It was a Thursday morning when the Council called us all down. The Ruling Council of the County of Iron and Gold consisted of Queen Catherine, Finnegan, the now-deceased Ishmael, and Gawyn, a Faerie Lord who hadn't shown up to a meeting in decades.

  I had expected the meeting to take place in Pax, the Arcane bar was where the meetings had been previously kept. However, Teresa's message on my phone told me that we were meeting at Catherine's business.

  Catherine Salvai ran Nimbus. Nimbus had started back before the reveal of the Arcanes to the general public. I remembered those days, back when we thought that monsters were just in Buffy and horror flicks.

  A vampire had been caught on camera and the video had gone viral. Vampires were quickly thrust into the spotlight of the nation. Weres came quickly after. Nimbus, a fledgling news channel on YouTube, had done a series of interviews with vampires, most notably Hannah Bridgemont. The daughter of famed Senator Terry Bridgemont had given a face to Arcanes. They just wanted to be people like us.

  Congress had passed Hannah's Law, which extended the protections of citizenship to Arcanes. Overnight, a lot of Arcanes went public. The Supreme Court had a backlog of cases they had to deal with regarding every possible facet of Arcane rights.

  Nimbus had been pulling the strings all along. Catherine was a Red Angel, a succubus, along with most of the staff at Nimbus. Red Angels were one of the lesser publicized Arcane species, and the ones I had met were pretty decent folk.

  Nimbus's studios were situated high in the San Francisco skyline. They had bought out their entire floor in recent years, expanding to be a news station, website, and even an educational provider.