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Something heavy thuds against the deck.
Hannah turns around as though to investigate. I’m tempted to look too, but I don’t. Instead, I pull her toward the drinks table. “Let’s leave the boys to fight.”
10
Kov
Ikeep my gaze on the vampires. Three of them have shown up to hunt Andrea. They snarl, baring their fangs, and I pull my ax free. My weapon is heavy in my hand as I give it a swing. Who wants to lose their head first?
The man at the bottom of the stairs bounds up them and launches himself at me. My ax swings up and catches him in the chest. Hot blood sprays over the wood and over me, but the wound doesn’t slow him down.
“She’s mine, trow.”
“We’re going to rip you up and drain you dry, fairy,” the tall blond one with yellow eyes says.
Their threats don’t bother me. They are starving, and unable to go home. It’s no wonder they are bitter creatures. I should lead the vampires away from the humans, but the best I can do is keep them outside and away from the revelers. As long as the bodies are left for the sun it will be all right.
This time all three rush me, like they are determined to get through me and the glass door and back into the party. I smash the butt of the ax into the face of one and swing the blade at another. He ducks and I drop the ax onto the back of his neck. His head hits the wood and rolls.
I growl and ready myself for their next attack. My blood pumps hot in my veins. This is what I came for—to fight and kill some vampires.
The other two vampires are both wounded but that doesn’t stop them. They want fairy blood. For how long have they been searching for a halfling? Existing on human blood, while slowly wasting?
I don’t try to talk them out of attacking me, but they will have to kill me to reach Andrea. The first one lobs a burning pumpkin at me. I twist and take the hit to the shoulder, and the burning pumpkin lands on the dead vampire. The pumpkin was enough of a distraction that they both take the opportunity to attack. They shove me against the glass door. It flexes at my back, and I expect it to break. It holds, until the two vampires charge me again.
The glass cracks and shatters and I fall into the middle of the party in the lounge room with both vampires on top of me. Teeth sink into my arm. My ax is trapped beneath their bodies, so I release it and throw myself over, dragging the vampire with me like we are lovers rolling around in bed.
He releases me as the glass cuts his back.
People scream.
I do the only thing I can. I cast a glamour. There’s a flash of light, and then, to human eyes, we are gone. However if a human tries to go out the door, they will step on us and the illusion will fall, so I don’t have long. I pull the knife out of its sheath and slice the vampire’s throat.
Two dead. One left.
I stand, the glamour around me casting the room in gold. I’m bleeding, and I’ve been bitten. The rot of a vampire bite is within me. If I don’t re-join the hunt tonight and get treatment, I will die. I can’t give Andrea the time she needs to accept her fate.
Then I see him—the last vampire. And he has Andrea.
His hand is around her throat.
Her eyes are wide with fear.
I don’t see anything but him. If he thinks I won’t cause a scene because I am surrounded by humans, he is wrong. The vampires have all but killed me. What do I have left to lose?
I scoop up my ax and drop the glamour concealing me. I’m dripping blood and there are two dead vampires.
Andrea lifts her hand and a breeze twirls around the room. The candles brighten and lengthen. The curtains flutter in the breeze and a flame jumps to the fabric. Then the curtains are burning. The body of the vampire catches alight and burns a brilliant green. Three seconds late he is nothing but dust.
People scream and swarm toward the front of the house, away from the man with the ax, and away from the fire consuming the room.
Then it’s just me, the vampire, and Andrea.
The scent of smoke fills my lungs. Somewhere in the house an alarm sounds, screeching a warning.
I take a step toward them.
The vampire drags Andrea back a step.
