He would take his chance.
They ducked under a low-hanging pipe, vaulted over a conveyor belt that was still churning out processed mushrooms, and burst through a rusted door into a narrow service corridor. The sounds of battle faded behind them—not gone, but muffled, separated by layers of metal and concrete.
“This way.” He was moving on instinct now, following the faint current of fresh air that meant an exit. His wounded arm left a trail of blood on the walls as they passed, dark droplets that would be all too easy to follow. Nothing to be done about it. Racking his brain for anything he remembered from the intelligence package he read from Kassa, he scrambled. “There should be a loading dock on the east side of the building?—”
A shape stepped out of the shadows ahead of them.
Nabrisi Rosov stood in the corridor, her gun leveled at Raziel’s chest. Behind her, Asha emerged from a side passage, cutting off any hope of retreat.
“Did you really think it would be that easy?” Nabrisi’s voice was thick with contempt.
“Running wasn’t really the plan.” His voice was smooth, controlled, giving nothing away. “More of a tactical repositioning.”
“Silly boy.” Asha moved closer, her delicate features twisted with something that looked almost like anticipation. “Lana wants you alive. She has questions. But she didn’t say anything about keeping your little fae in one piece.”
Nadi shifted at his side, gripping her remaining blade. It wouldn’t be enough—and she likely knew that.
Two elder vampires against one wounded vampire and a fae assassin? The odds were impossible. But neither of them would go down without a fight.
“Touch her,” he said with his own smile, “and I will make what I did to Cassius look like a hug at the family reunion.”
Nabrisi laughed. “Big words from someone who is in the process of bleeding out. That arm of yours looks bad, Serpent. Silver rounds do such interesting things to vampire flesh.”
“I’ve had worse.”
“Mmhm.” She cocked her head, studying him with cold assessment. “You know, Braen used to talk about you. Before you killed him.” Her jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “He respected you. Said you were the only Nostrom worth a damn. Isn’t that funny? He actuallyadmiredyou.”
“And look where it got him.” Raziel shrugged indifferently. Dismissively.
The words were cruel. Deliberate. Raziel was pushing her buttons, trying to make her angry, trying to make her sloppy. But Nabrisi wasn’t Cassius.
“Nice try.” She smiled, showing her fangs. “But I’m not going to make it that easy for you. Asha?”
The younger Rosov moved with terrifying speed, crossing the distance between them in a blur of motion. Raziel could do little but watch as Nadi barely had time to raise her blade before Asha was there, grabbing her wrist and twisting with enough force to make her cry out. The dagger clattered to the floor.
With a growl, Raziel started forward, but Nabrisi’s gun tracked to follow him.
“One more step,” she warned, “and I put the next round through your skull. Silver to the brain tends to be permanent, even for our kind.”
Asha leaned in to talk to Nadi in a way that made Raziel’s stomach churn. “You know what’s funny?” Asha’s voice was soft. Gentle. “Lana told us what you are. A shapeshifter. A fae playing dress-up in the vampires’ world. And I keep thinking…what would happen if I broke every bone in your body? Would you still be able to change your shape then? Would you still be able to hide?”
“Why don’t you find out?” Nadi ground out back at her. “I’m sure your brother would love to know how you died.”
He couldn’t help but be proud of his fae assassin, though he was hardly surprised she held strong.
Something flickered in Asha’s orange eyes. Not fear—something else. Something darker.
“Zabriel doesn’t care what happens to me.” The words were flat. Matter-of-fact. “None of them do. That’s the thing about vampire families. Love is just another word for leverage.”
Before anyone could respond, an explosion rocked the facility.
The floor shook beneath their feet, sending Nabrisi stumbling against the wall. Dust rained from the ceiling. Emergency lights flickered and died, plunging the corridor into near-darkness.
Asha’s grip must have loosened. Nadi made her move, driving her elbow back into Asha's ribs. The vampire gasped, releasing Nadi’s wrist.
He had a split second to react. He wouldn’t be able to get to her in the second she needed. But her blade?
He kicked her the fallen weapon where it lay on the ground near him.
