“This conversation isn’t over,” she said and grasped the arms of two of the men, ready to drag them to the alley. “You can’t hide power like that. The coven needs to know.”
“The coven knows enough,” Leigh snapped, taking Sadie by surprise once again, and grabbed the arm of the last man. She followed Sadie into the darkness without another word, her lips pressed together. They rested the Shepherds on top of each other, piling them next to the building in an area that was so dark they wouldn’t be seen.
Three down. How many more to go?
“What now?” Leigh shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. There was no more anger, no more fight—no more excitement.
Sadie studied her comrade, taking in her posture. There was no defiance either. Perhaps Leigh wasn’t fully aware of the power she had. It would make sense. She’d endured so much in the last year, and she made it clear that learning about her gifts wasn’t a priority. While she could dip into Leigh’s head if she wanted, the coven had a strict rule against it. Privacy was something they all valued and respected.
“If you want, you can leave,” Sadie said slowly, reading Leigh’s body language, watching for clues. The girl had already done enough. She’d found Trey, which was more than Sadie could possibly ask for.
“I’m fine.” Leigh dropped her arms and shook her shoulders, as though she was washing away her involvement in killing a man. “Tell me what to do.”
“We’re going to phase to the fire escape on the top floor and work our way down. Keep your veil in place when we get inside. I’m not sure how many of them we’ll be dealing with.”
“Okay.”
It only took a second for them to teleport to the fire escape Sadie motioned to. Sadie looked inside the window, saw the coast was clear and phased inside the building. Once there she listened, homing her hearing and listening for sounds that might guide her to Trey. Leigh appeared beside her.
“He’s below us,” Leigh whispered. “If this place has a basement, I’d wager he’s there.”
“Then stay close.” Sadie drew her sword, making sure her veil was rock solid. “Remember what I told you. If things go wrong, don’t stick around. Your responsibility is to the coven.”
“Okay.” Leigh’s hushed response came from behind her and Sadie knew the vampire had veiled herself. They were as ready as they were going to be.
There were a couple of guards along the way, posted at windows. Sadie took them out before they saw what was coming, grateful that Leigh had the foresight to catch each one and lower them to the ground. Down they went, floor by floor. The structure was one that had to have been used as a business once, perhaps a clothing manufacturer of some sort. Basements weren’t always typical in older buildings but this one definitely had one.
When they came to the ground level, Sadie heard voices. “It’s time.” She communicated to Leigh telepathically. “Remember what I told you.”
When they rounded the corner, Sadie hesitated. There were five of them, all carrying weapons. Her veil wouldn’t hold for long after she engaged them. Perhaps she could take down three before they could see her.
“We should seek help from the coven,” Leigh whispered in her mind. “There are so many of them.”
“We can’t.” Sadie wanted to scream at that fact. Her sisters-in-magic wouldn’t come to the aid of a shifter. They’d likely laugh in her face. “If something happens, get out of here, Leigh. That’s not a request.”
Left with no other choice, Sadie advanced and clenched her fingers around the hilt of her sword. The first two Shepherds went down fast, her blade sliding easily through the flesh and bone of their necks, separating their heads from their bodies. However, when the Shepherds pulled out their guns and one of them accidentally bumped into her, her veil vanished. Three to one? Not odds she liked but she’d faced worse. The question was how many of them would come from the basement? Was there a miniature army down there?
Braced for what was to come, Sadie took a fighting stance facing her opponents.
It was time to find out.
As they fired she moved, trusting her instincts and allowing them to guide her. Despite a swift thrust into the closest man, straight into his heart, she heard the barrage of bullets coming in her direction. The she felt the harsh bite as they thrust past her skin, lodging in her torso. She forced aside the pain, going for the next in line. Another clean strike removed the head of the man but during her attack she was shot again, then again.
Goddess help me.
Pivoting on her heel, she spun around. Heavy stomping came from the stairwell behind the door the men were protecting.
Trey was down there. Waiting for her.
Mustering up as much strength as she could, she went for her last target. He was equally adept at combat, crashing into her body and sending them to the ground as her sword slipped from her fingers. She balled her fist and punched him in the nose. Blood gushed, pouring to his mouth. The bloodlust rose, the darker side of her coming to life. In normal situations she’d never rely on the vampire, trusting her sword far more, but beggars couldn’t be choosers and she was losing a lot of blood.
“Bastard,” she grated and yanked on his shirt, pulling him forward. Without preamble, she sank her fangs into his throat. She drank deep until she heard the door open.
Company has arrived.
Knocking the unconscious man aside, she made it to her feet. She retrieved her sword, fingers shaking. These Shepherds were in their normal attire, dressed to impress in Stetsons, flaring dusters and boots. She stared down the barrels of the guns the men aimed at her. The throbbing in her chest worsened, the bullets buried deep inside like solid weights that shifted with each breath. A spasm in her heart was the last thing she wanted to feel, but she felt it just the same. Being shot wasn’t necessarily a death sentence. She had the healing pools her coven had created to speed up the process. But a wound in or around the heart, like the one she could feel now, could destroy her.
“Phase out,” Leigh thought frantically. “We have to go. You can’t do this alone.”
Maybe Leigh was right, maybe not. “I have no other choice.”
Another bullet struck her, lodging in her thigh. Sadie staggered, trying to remain standing. The sword felt so heavy—too fucking heavy. She knew it was the blood loss. With each agonized pump of her heart she was losing what was essential to her kind, the very thing they needed to live.
She wanted to spin around when she heard Leigh whispering. The foolish girl had to get out while she still could. A well-placed shot to Sadie’s injury-free leg took her down. The floor was unforgiving as she collapsed against it, knocking the breath from her body.
“As I will it, so it shall be,” Leigh said softly. Sadie gasped when magic flowed from Leigh and slammed into her a second time, answering Leigh’s call as a member of the coven, aiding Leigh in weaving the spell she’d created. “You will not breathe. You can’t breathe.”
Sadie watched, dumbfounded, as the men dropped their guns and clawed at their throats. Their eyes bulged in fear, their mouths opening and closing. But there was no sound, there couldn’t be.
Not if they couldn’t take the breath necessary to formulate words.
Blessed be, Leigh was more powerful than she had ever imagined. If she’d known how strong she was before, things could have been a lot easier.
Why didn’t she tell me? Why did she keep something like this from the coven?