Page 90 of Slayer

Of all the people in the world to steady my nerves before I was going into a fight to the death, I never thought it would be Asher Voss.

The rest of the students and professors came outside, and we began our walk to the portal train, but all I could think about were Asher’s warm hands cupping my face and his promise not to let anything happen to me.

We took the train portal to Spokane, which spit us out in several SkyRide cars, the familiar hum of machinery echoing through the station. When Celia got out of one, she walked over to the electrical box and flipped a switch to pull the other four down from where the students and professors were waiting to be unloaded.

I grinned a little to myself. I’d lived in Spokane my entire life and never knew the SkyRide was a secret portal for vampire hunters.

“You look like you’re feeling better,” Asher commented as the other students, hunters, and professors from our group congregated.

“It feels good to be home,” I told him.

He nodded. “That’s how I feel every time we get back to Veil Haven.”

Would I feel that too eventually? I didn’t know. Spokane would always feel like home too.

Celia and a half dozen hunters flanked our group as Derek, Professor Silex, Professor Quinn, and Professor Hawthorne stepped forward. The four professors were our examiners. They would be keeping a tally of how many kills each of us had. They each had a clipboard with our names on it, and Celia and her hunters were providing protection in the event things got out of hand and an extra eye on kill counts.

“There is a restaurant nearby with a known vampire coven that constantly infiltrates it for feeding,” Derek announced. “We will head there and then split up once inside. As you know, things can get out of hand when hunting the undead. But unless your life or the life of an innocent is in danger, do not leave the restaurant under any circumstances.” He peered at Asher, and my heart skipped a beat. He’d truly gone against the rules to help me.

Celia nodded. “And do not miss the midnight portal home. That gives us two hours. More than enough time.” She checked her watch and then scanned the park for threats.

“Remember, no wafers allowed, though we have brought some in case of an emergency, and your smell has not been masked, so head on a swivel,” Professor Silex barked, and I slipped the brass knuckles onto my fingers.

Everyone fanned out and we began to walk toward Main Avenue. Asher was beside me, hand on his sword as he scanned the parked cars and laughing passersby, his posture loose but alert.

“So, getting déjà vu?” I joked. It couldn’t be easy doing the same test twice, especially for someone as advanced at vampire killing as he was.

He gave me a sly side grin. “Unfortunately, yes.”

Unfortunately. Ouch. I didn’t blame him though. Had he not had to run after me last time, he’d totally have hunter runes like everyone else.

I stepped closer to him and lowered my voice. “Thanks for leaving the last test and coming after me,” I said. “Sorry it messed up your life a bit.”

He gave me a long side look, his eyes practically peering into my soul. “Worth it.”

Those two words took my breath away.

Worth it. I was worth it?

It was a ten-minute walk in relative silence as we broke into two small groups and stayed about a hundred feet apart. I noticed that Asher stuck close to my side. If I popped up on the sidewalk, then he followed. If I moved onto the asphalt to cross the road, then he was right beside me. Was he worried I’d be hurt or couldn’t do this?

When we reached the restaurant, I peered up at it.

“The Steam Plant?” I looked up at the cool restaurant and bar that spanned several stories, its massive brick exterior rising out of the night like something industrial and permanent. The old steam heat factory dated back to the early 1900s, all towering smokestacks and arched windows, before being converted into offices and a restaurant in the 1990s. Warm light spilled from the windows, laughter and music faintly leaking out into the street. I’d been here once before, just to look inside, drawn by curiosity and the smell of food, but back then I couldn’t afford the prices on the menu. It had felt like a place meant for other people, not someone like me.

Celia glanced over at me, her gaze sharp as she took in the building and the surrounding street. “Some of our allies own it and tipped us off to the recent clientele.”

Whoa, that was cool. “The Steam Plant is owned by hunters?”

She shook her head. “No. Just good humans who know too much because the vampires’ memory spells don’t affect them.”

Fascinating. We closed in on the building, our footsteps blending in with the hum of the city, the glow of streetlamps reflecting off the brick and glass.

“So that’s how the humans at my birthday that night forgot what happened?”

Celia nodded. “Every vampire, whether drainer, drinker, or sire, has the ability to obscure memories. The human just sort of feels confused about what happened, and since it usually involves a dead body or an attack, they think they trauma blocked it. Then we go in and make up a believable story. Gang violence or a robbery.”

Whoa.