“I can hear everything,” she marveled. “Which can be kinda creepy. I’ve never paid much attention to wildlife, so I don’t know what animals are making the sounds I keep hearing and I’m hearing a lot of sounds. And the smells . . . So many! Good and bad.”
“It’s heady, isn’t it?” he asked.
“It really is.” She leaned into him and sent him a flirtatious look. “You smell very good, by the way.”
“As do you.”
“Those vampires,” she said, “on the other hand, do not smell good. They smell like . . . old blood or rancid meat or something.”
“Excellent.” He had caught their scent only seconds before she had. “How many are there?”
Her nostrils flared as she drew in a deep breath. “Four.”
“How far away?”
“That one’s harder.” She bit her lip. “A mile?”
“Almost two.”
She swore. “I’m still having a hard time judging distance.”
“It will become easier as you grow more accustomed to your heightened senses. The vamps are also traveling quickly, so that can throw you off.”
“Oh.”
“Sounds like they’re headed for Keenan Stadium. Let’s see if we can’t keep them from tearing it up for shits and giggles. That’s a saying, right?”
She laughed. “You can ease up on the slang now. We’re together.”
He grimaced. “I just don’t want you to think I’m too old for you.”
“I don’t. And, if I ever had—which I didn’t—one night in bed with you would have convinced me otherwise.”
“Minx. Don’t arouse me before a fight.”
“Why not? It might distract the vampires.”
He laughed. “I guess it would. Let’s go.”
Holding her hand, he sped toward UNC’s football stadium.
Halfway there, he stopped short, jerking Krysta to a halt, too.
“Ow,” she complained, rubbing her shoulder. “Maybe we shouldn’t hold hands when we run at preternatural speeds.”
“Forgive me,” he said absently, senses on high alert. He raised her hand to his lips. Do you smell that? Answer me with a thought.
She sniffed the air. Her brow furrowed. Is that . . . gun oil?
Yes. Let’s head up to the roof. He motioned to the building beside them. Since she hadn’t had much experience with jumping yet, he lifted her into his arms and nimbly leapt up onto the roof.
I really want to learn how to do that, she said as he lowered her feet to the asphalt.
Étienne pulled the infrared scope from his pocket and raised it to his right eye.
Is it mercenaries? she asked, scanning the darkened campus with her sharp brown eyes.
It took him a moment to confirm it. Yes. Even with the scope they’re hard as hell to locate. There are two in the bushes there. He pointed. Two more on that roof nearly hidden by the air-conditioning unit. Another on that one. More on the ground. They must be wearing that camouflage netting I’ve seen hunters wear. Without the scope, I can’t differentiate them from the foliage.
Wow. These guys are determined. How many are there?
I don’t know if I’m seeing them all. There don’t seem to be nearly as many as the last time. Maybe a dozen.
He drew her over into the shadows beside the air-conditioning unit and handed her the scope. I don’t think they’ve spotted us yet.
So, what’s the plan? she asked as she peered through it. What are we supposed to do with them? Wait. What’s that clicking noise?
Shh. He listened. Counted the clicks until they stopped. What time is it?
She consulted her watch. 3:00 AM.
They must have been ordered to check in at the top of every hour. They were clicking their walkies to give a head count and let their leader know they’re still in position and that all is well.
How many clicks were there?
A dozen.
Why do you think there are so few?
I don’t know, and we’ve run out of time to speculate. The vamps are almost here and we can’t let the mercenaries get them.
What do you want to do?
He needed to read the minds of the soldiers before he killed them to ensure none possessed any information. The current assumption was that they wouldn’t. But he wasn’t comfortable with letting the opportunity go by. And then there were the tracking devices he and Krysta both carried. You take care of the vampires.
Her eyebrows flew up. Really? You trust me to do it by myself?
You could handle those boys with your hands tied behind your back, he said proudly.
Don’t you want to read their minds first to see if any are worth recruiting?
They aren’t. They’re broadcasting as loudly as a bloody boom mobile and I’m getting nothing but depravity. Go get ’em, Tiger.
Are you trying to use slang again or is that a new pet name for me?
Both? I thought, as a warrior, you might want something more fierce than sweetheart.
Rising up onto her toes, she brushed his lips with hers. I like sweetheart.
And I love you. Go do your thing.
She drew her swords and grinned. Will do.
There’s just one more thing . . .
Chapter 17
Krysta confronted the vampires in the shadows where trees and buildings blocked the view of the mercenaries on the rooftops. Only one mercenary lurked nearby, tucked in the bushes several yards away.
Étienne wasn’t kidding about the camouflage. If he hadn’t told her the mercenary was there, then shown her with the scope, she wouldn’t have known it. Even his scent had been dampened so much that it was nearly undetectable.
The vampires stopped short when she halted in front of them.
Yeah. These guys weren’t right. Their eyes were glowing and she hadn’t even confronted them. Their longish hair was unkempt and greasy. Their clothing looked and smelled as though it hadn’t been changed in days and carried the odors of multiple blood types. Their breath alone could kill a person.
Gross. She did not want to know what—or whom—they had been eating.
Breathing through her mouth, she watched them take in her presence, her weapons. They presented an interesting contrast. Two of them constantly fidgeted and twitched. The other two stood deathly still, like twisted mannequins.
The last was a little creepy.
Don’t underestimate the still ones. They’ll be as fast as the others, Étienne spoke in her head.
You just do what you have to do and leave these clowns to me, she ordered.
They didn’t ask if she was an Immortal Guardian. They just attacked.
Krysta began to swing her swords. Her new speed, coupled with her ability to see their auras and anticipate their actions, made it seem as though they moved in slow motion. She struck with such unerring accuracy that they didn’t have a chance.
Don’t get cocky, Étienne warned.