“Hey, you okay, Lily?”Mason asked.“You seem a bit pale.”
“Huh?”
Mason laid a warm hand on mine.“You look sick.”
“No, I’m fine,” I said, and forced a fake laugh to prove it.I only hoped Mason was mistaken.“Well, if there’s really a hellspawn in the city, then we all need to be careful.Keep an eye out.That sort of thing.Just in case.”
“Yeah,” he said.“Does anyone even know how to kill one?I mean, we definitely can’t have something like that just wandering around town.Imagine the chaos.”
“Decapitation is always the best way,” I replied instinctively.
Mason blinked at me.“Wow, you answered that awfully quick.Got some experience killing these things, do you?”
I forced a laugh.“No.Just a, uh, hobby of mine.”
“Killing hellspawn is your hobby?”Mason asked, clearly puzzled.
“More like researching them,” I corrected quickly.“I’ve read a lot about them.”
“Ah, an enthusiast,” he said, his expression relaxing.He opened his mouth to add to our conversation, but a table of shifters started waving their hands at us, signaling for service.
I waved back, then pointed Mason in their direction.“Get going.Duty calls.”
He nodded, picked up his tray, and got back to work.We didn’t have time to speak again until closing time.But for the rest of the night, my thoughts kept racing.By the time we’d locked the bar doors, I had a headache.There wasn’t any time to dwell on it, though, because Eliza was waiting, and we had a vampire to hunt.
After closing up, I hurried into the staff room, pulled on my winter gear, and grabbed my things—including my duffel bag full of weapons.Then I bolted out the back door, waving a quick goodbye to Mason.The wintry night air blasted over me, and I breathed it in, hoping it would clear my head.But it didn’t.
I found Eliza parked in front of the bar, her car running to keep it warm.I hurried to the passenger side and tossed my gear into the back seat.Then I climbed inside before the cold seeped through my layers.
Once belted in, I turned and faced Eliza, who flashed me an eager grin.“Ready for this?”
“Sure,” I replied, trying to match her excitement.I certainly wasn’tasexcited as I’d been yesterday, and I could thank Mason for that.The thought of a hellspawn walking around Edmonton had soured my mood.
But Eliza seemed unwilling to let me stew in my misery.She nudged my shoulder, her energy practically buzzing in the car.
“C’mon, this is going to be fun!”she said.“Aren’t you pumped?We’ve got a vampire to hunt.”
I grinned, her contagious enthusiasm reigniting that spark within until I practically vibrated with anticipation.
“That’s better!”Eliza chuckled, eyes gleaming, as she pulled away from the bar.“Trust me, you’re gonna love this.There’s no better feeling.”
Yes,thatI knew.
ChapterFour
Eliza pulledinto an empty parking lot and killed the engine.The heat dissipated, and almost instantly, the chill started to creep back in.I leaned forward and studied our surroundings.We’d ventured into the north-eastern part of Edmonton, a place I’d never visited before, considering I lived in the south-eastern area of Mill Woods.
“Where are we?”I asked.
“This is Beverly,” Eliza said.“It’s an older part of the city, with a lot of history.Used to be a coal-mining district way back when.Tunnels run all throughout the area.”
I considered the location.Every earthbound vampire I knew lived their best lives in apartments, homes—whatever suited their lifestyle.The only vamps I knew to haunt tunnels or caves were hellspawn vampires.Then again, Hell wasn’t exactly known for its booming housing market.The crème de la crème of real estate down there consisted of a lava pit with a view, maybe a stalagmite or two for ambiance.
Still, if someone wanted to avoid attention—especially after breaking the cardinal rule of feeding in the open—hiding off the grid made sense.And these tunnels were about as “off the grid” as it got.
“Most of the mines are sealed,” Eliza continued, “but this isn’t the first time I’ve tracked a vampire here.Shall we?”
I nodded and exited the car.The cold hit us, sharp and biting.I pulled my coat tighter around me and ignored the chill.Eliza hurried around her car and popped the trunk, dragging her own gear bag out as I pulled mine from the backseat.
