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But it also made my mouth water. And the line wasn’t long—rare for the shop. We were inching along the street, passing two open parking spots.
“Hold on, Damien. Would you kill me if I ask you to stop? I’ve always wanted to try one of those donuts.”
Damien cocked his head, lips quirking to the side. He looked at the time on the dash.
“We’re only fifteen minutes away,” I said. “We’ll run in, grab a couple donuts, and then we’ll have treats for later when we’re celebrating.”
He still didn’t seem convinced. I batted my eyelashes at him. What could possibly go wrong with a tiny detour?
The puppy dog look seemed to have worked. He pulled into the open parking spot, the one behind us being snatched up instantly. Outside the shop was a floating display of glazed donuts appearing to have been dipped into a rainbow. On the other side of the entrance was another display, showing each kind of donut they had. One that looked like a skull, another that looked like an actual chunk of gold, another that was simple with a chocolate drizzle.
I got out of the car, leading the way toward the bright pink doors.
“Normally, the line wraps around the block,” I explained to Damien as I went to open the door for him.
“We came at a good time, then.”
“Sure did,” I said, pulling the door open and glancing over my shoulder.
Freezing.
Oh no… no.
I tried to open my mouth to warn Damien, but no words were forming. He still understood something was wrong, whipping around on his heels. A few confused patrons ignored their donuts and stared through the glass windows as shadowy figures began to spill from the car that parked behind us, their poreless skin making them seem like moving marble.
“Stay behind me,” Damien growled, his eyes narrowing, scanning the urban landscape filled with a jumble of billboards, bars, and towering palm trees. The bustling city seemed to freeze for an instant as the energy of the vampires charged the air.
“Shit,” I replied, a shiver of anticipation running down my spine. They must have been following us since we left the castle.
Fuuuuuck. I’m so stupid. We never should have stopped.
I had no more time for regrets. Only to react. They were on us in moments. Vampires, their perfect skin gleaming under the neon streetlights, moved with a grace and speed that was inhuman. There were four of them, three women and one man, all of them baring their fangs at me with sinister smiles.
People bolted down the street, shouting. An employee inside the donut shop ran straight for the door and locked it.
“Stand back,” Damien said as he launched himself at the four vamps. He was a whirlwind, his dragon strength evident as he punched with flaming fists, connecting a hit against one of the vamp’s skulls. I heard a sickening crack and watched her crumble to the ground, her silky black hair singed with flames.
The other three didn’t relent. Two vampires lunged, lethally sharp teeth aiming for Damien’s throat.
The third vampire swerved around him. I could no longer focus on Damien. It was time for me to—
Shit, shit, he was coming at me fast. I wasn’t sure whether to duck or dodge. I could feel myself freezing. I could see those hands closing around my throat. I could see it all ending.
I reached into my pocket and snatched out the can of mace, then aimed it directly at the vamp’s face and pressed down on the trigger. A stream of burning mace landed a direct hit on the vampire. He shouted a shrill shriek and dropped to his knees, clawing at his face. His accelerated healing would take care of it in a minute or so, but at least that bought me time. I bolted straight to the car, but not to hide.
I threw open the back door and grabbed the sword lying down on the floor.
The maced vampire was back on his feet. I glanced at Damien, who was keeping the two others occupied.
My pulse hammered in my ears. I was sure my heart would explode in my chest before this was all over. But I somehow managed to keep my hands from shaking as I took the offensive stance Xavier had hammered into me. The vampire moved cautiously toward me. He smiled, his eyes still red and wet with tears.
“You want to play with our swords? Give me a chance to pull mine out.” He reached for the zipper of his black pants.
“Pull that out and watch it get cut off,” I threatened, surprised at the aggression in my voice. I was sure my words would come out as if squeaked by a mouse.
That’s when he reached behind him and pulled out a gun, its dark metal gleaming ominously. Guns were extremely rare, difficult to make, and not at all reliable. Most of the time, they backfired more than anything, and when they did work, they were useless against beings who could freeze time, create invisible barriers, have impenetrable scales, or could heal in a flash.
