Page 68 of Sleeping With the Vampire

“No,” I said.

“I can barely see where I’m going!” he complained.

“I don’t trust you,” I said, sourly, even though it wasn’t really true. I had come to like Ragnar and keeping up the pretense of dislike was a bit of a game for me as well as him. I had a feeling we could become friends one day.

We regrouped at the helipad behind the main hotel building and moved down towards the lights. Lucca and Ragnar were in front with Jock and the strongest fighters. I hung back with some of the younger men. As soon as we were inside, we slowly spread through the building. I could hear fighting in the main lobby, but I avoided that area.

I could feel the vampire energy emanate from a lower floor, where I suspected there would be a lounge area and bar. I made my way there, followed by two others. My senses were heightened and I felt the vampires approach before I could see them. There was a flapping sound and I crouched down, rolling away as a body hit the floor. I threw daggers at it, stunning a woman who looked at me in shock. I pulled my knives out, wiped them quickly and snapped the cables around her wrists and ankles and checked that the rest of my group were ready to proceed.

My abdomen was still tender and I didn’t want to risk opening the wound again. We moved down the corridor as weheard running feet coming towards us. We took up position on each side of the corridor and as the men came running past us, we took them down. Other men had reinforced short swords, designed to inflict the maximum damage. We struggled to force the wounded vampires into submission. They were angry, and one of them clawed at a young guy in our group, managing to pull him in. Before I knew it, he had his fangs in him and it was over.

He grinned at me, blood dripping from his mouth and I plunged a knife into his heart, slipping it up under the sternum, ending that life quickly once and for all.

My surviving team-mate pulled me away, “Come,” he said, “There are more coming.” He was right, they were flying towards us and I closed my eyes, to better hear them approaching. I was ready with my daggers, but one of them managed to grab hold of me in passing, throwing me across the hotel lobby. I landed with a thud against the wall, feeling the impact reverberate throughout my body. Instinctively, my hand flew to my middle. I turned my head and saw a group of vampires approaching. I had enough time to pull out a few grenades, remove a pin and throw them at the group, causing a huge explosion that was on target.

We made our way back to the hotel lobby, stepping over bodies.

I found Ragnar and Jock, who told me that Layrr was not there, they suspected him of being in one of the hotel rooms.

A woman, tied up and sitting in a chair looked at me and said, “Ah, you must be the infamous Izzy.”

Ragnar told me this was Dawn Eagan, one of the leaders of the rebels. “I’m taking her in,” he said to me, pointedly. “Is there a bounty on her?” I asked with a smile, competitive to the end, and he grinned, “I’m sure it will be a good one.”

“I’m going to look for Lucca,” I said.

“Be careful,” Ragnar said.

I got a hotel master key to gain access to the bedrooms, which were located upstairs. I went up the stairs. It was quiet in the empty corridors. I opened the door and listened for sounds of movement, but there were none. I opened the rooms and scanned for movement, but they were empty, ready for guests who might never come. From one of the room balconies, I saw a pool area below, with a patio, where I saw someone who looked like Layrr.

I ran out, down the stairs and to the pool area.

When I opened the door, there was no one there but I sensed I was not alone. Lucca came towards me from the door. He was limping slightly.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

He nodded impatiently, “Fine, fine.”

He told me he had followed Layrr here, but he’d escaped.

“He’s very fast, faster than before. I think he’s high.”

Lucca stepped outside to look for Layrr but I stayed in the pool area, walking to the other side. I wanted to look in the cloakrooms and before I knew what was happening, Layrr slammed into me from the bathroom. He attacked me with such force that I flew back, into the pool, which was steaming hot. The impact of the blow hit me full frontal and I went under the water, holding my breath. I was aware of the fact that he’d hit me in the stomach, but the main thrust of his blow had been slightly off target to the left. Still, I was bleeding, and I could see the blood spread through the water.

When I looked up, I could see him standing at the edge of the pool, looking in. I held my breath a little longer, feeling for the spear gun that I had taken from the gym in passing. I had lost my last dagger in the last attack but the spear gun had seemed like a good idea. It was probably used for ice fishing or some other sport. I was glad I had it now.

I pulled it out, armed it and shot an arrow from under the water and saw Layrr fall back. I surfaced and pulled myself out of the water. Layrr was lying on the ground, stunned, the arrow piercing his shoulder and pinning him to the ground.

“You got him!” Lucca came running towards us as Layrr raised a gun, aimed it at me.

“Stop right there” Layrr commanded him. “Or she gets it.”

Both of us stopped moving, I lifted my hands in the air.

Behind Layrr, Sunil emerged from the bathroom, rushing towards his injured brother.

“Sunil! You’re here too?!” Lucca sounded shocked.

“I’m sorry, Father,” he whimpered.

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