I start banging on the door again before Cipher is even finished. “Stryker! Open up! We’re going to die!”
“You won’t die,” he laughs. “You might hurt?—”
“Please,” I grit out of my teeth, desperate to get off the street as the mass of pigeons blacks out the sunshine and the street grows dark. The NPCs don’t move as it draws closer.
Locke starts to hit the door, too, his strength making it shake, but it’s made of steel. It doesn’t budge. “Open the fucking door, Leech!”
“How about, no?” Stryker laughs on the other side of the door, safe.
Havoc doesn’t bother hitting the door. He just prepares himself, his sword in his hand, his fingers white knuckling the pommel.
“We are in trouble,” Svetlana says, shrinking against my neck. “I do not like birds.”
“They’re not real birds,” I tell her.
“Even worse,” she says. “They are being controlled by monsters.”
“Stryker!” I shout, hitting the door. “Please.”
Stevie looms around me, his light blaring bright. “I won’t be able to stop these creatures from harming you, Girl,” he warns. “You should totally do something.”
I can feel Stryker press against the door on the other side as I pull my mask down over my face to protect it. My senses awaken now that I’m a Tier Two and I can literally feel his form on the other side.
“What will you give me, Beastie?” he purrs, pressing his hand against the steel door.
I grit my teeth. “What do you want?”
“I need to feed?—”
“Absolutely not,” I growl.
“Not from your life force,” he says. “Not like before. I require . . . blood.”
I blink and glance at Locke. “Are you asking for one of us to bleed for you.”
“No,” he coos. “I’m asking you to let me bite you, Beastie. Don’t worry. It won’t hurt. You’ll like it.”
“No,” Locke growls. “It’s too risky.”
“If we don’t get off this street, we’re going to die,” I point out. “Even Havoc isn’t saying anything.”
“Because he never says anything,” Locke argues.
“It’s because he knows some of us could die,” I growl back. “He’s mentally preparing himself!”
Locke glances at Havoc who doesn’t argue. He doesn’t even look at us, his jaw clenched tight as the pigeon swarm grows closer. “Fuck,” Locke snarls and then he kicks the door. “You can drink from me.”
“I don’t want the blood of a Bone Breaker,” Stryker hisses.
“Tough shit,” Locke growls. “Take it or leave it.”
“Then I require a kiss from Vesper.”
“Now you’re adding things?” I snarl. “Stryker open the damn door!”
“You give me one kiss and the Bone Breaker feeds me,” he says. “Swear it, and I’ll open the door.”
I grit my teeth and glance at Locke. He tips his chin down once and I scowl. “Fine. Now open the door!”
