Page 12 of Shadows of Fate

Iblinked my eyes a few times, slowly letting the sleep dissipate from my mind.

It had been so long since I’d dreamed of them, that I almost didn’t wish to wake from the memory. Normally when I’d see Ophelia in my dreams, it would be her body—broken and bloody; not so much her smiling face. It would be my mother’s bloody and tear-stricken face crumbled on the kitchen floor, and my father… I forced myself to end that train of thought. It didn’t do well to dwell on the past.

Stretching out my still tired limbs, I rose from my bed. I didn’t have time to take a stroll down memory lane right now. More bodies had been reported and my court had to take precedence over my dead past.

Chapter8

Laughing All The Way

Silvana

I’d been running around the Court of Shadows for the last three weeks leaving bodies in my tracks, laughing all the way. The only time I’d stopped laughing was when the inane males didn’t give me the answers I desired. That just left me in a rage.

I’d been able to find Dryden’s daughter within the first week I’d been hunting. Rogan had been kind enough to hand over that information, thinking it would save his pathetic life. It didn’t. He ended up burnt to a crisp just like the others. Exactly where he belonged—dust in the wind.

Thankfully I’d been able to return her and two more girls back to their families. They were being kept as personal walking blood bags for the vampires there. They hadn’t eaten in days, were on the cusp of death, and would have severe trauma—but they were alive and home. Who’s to say what was worse? The vampires who were feeding on them were killed then and there. Quicker than I would’ve liked, but I had more pressing matters at the time. Plus, it felt healing for them to watch the males who hurt them die—slowly.

Tonight, though, I would be gracing The Midnight Run with my presence. Although it wasn’t the distillery downstairs that interested me or their on-tap blood bar they so happily advertised to my kind. No, I was more interested in the upstairs section. The part they think most people don’t know about—they may be correct in their assumption. I only knew about it because Cedar and I had rescued a few women and girls from here in the past.

The building itself was all dark brick on the outside with boarded-over windows that spoke to the number of bar altercations it had seen. The inside was dingy and dark but still maintained enough light with a few well-placed candles and comfortable furniture you could lounge on for hours.

I was angry with myself for taking almost a full moon cycle to make it here when it should’ve been one of my first stops.

Walking through the worn-down entrance, I headed straight to the male behind the bar. His face was just as worn down as the door. He was human, of course. His skin said he spent too much time in the sun in his youth. Not that I was judging him for that, but part of me wished to have that problem as well. No, my problem came from what he allowed to happen above his establishment for a bit of extra coin on the side.

The only reason he was still standing, blood flowing through his lousy veins, was because he gave me information quickly when I needed it. Such as now. Maybe tonight would be the night I drained him dry on my way out, though. I was feeling a bit spicy.

I didn’t speak as I stared him down from across the bartop. I didn’t feel as if I needed to, my eyes did the talking for me.

He fidgeted for a moment with the rag in his hands before looking down at the bar. “There are three upstairs,” he whispered for only my ears. Fucking coward.

“Three what exactly, Ed?” I said through my clenched teeth. Fuck, my fangs ached to drain him.

He quickly glanced up at me before averting his gaze. “Three of your kind. I don’t know how many gals they have with them. They just paid me enough for a couple of days and went off. Okay? No harm done.” His words tumbled out of his mouth so quickly that some of them were joined together.

“Don’t lump me in with that filth, Ed. You know better. Don’t send anyone else up, are we clear?” I stated plainly.

He nodded shakily, and I headed up the stairs behind the bar.

The upstairs was made of old wood and was just as dingy and unsanitary as the downstairs. I couldn’t stand it there and it reeked of sweat, unwilling sex, and despair. Maybe I’d kill Ed on the way out and finally burn the entire building to the ground. That could be a fun outlet for my pent-up rage.

Smiling at the thought, I let my senses roam the second level of the building. I could easily sense the three vampires Ed mentioned. Their heartbeats were slower than a human’s, and it was clear they only had one woman here with them. At least one woman with a pulse. Fates help them if I found any without.

Walking along the dark hallway, I passed two doors before coming to the one I knew they were behind. Listening for a moment, I paused.

“Maybe we should just change her now. You know that’s what they’ll want to do to her anyway. I want the honors,” one male stated.

“He’ll kill you and you know it. Just close your mouth already and tie her up. We need to head out soon,” another replied.

I shook my head in disbelief. If they had even the most basic of survival skills, they would’ve heard me come up the stairs, but that clearly wasn’t happening tonight. Deciding I’d heard more than enough, I pushed the door to the room open and took a moment to look them all over.

The woman was sitting in the far corner of the room, her wrists tied tightly in front of her. Her dark brown hair was the color of coffee grounds, and it lay matted and hanging in her eyes. She was completely naked, except for a dirty strip of fabric tied between her teeth to keep her from talking or screaming.

My gaze ran over the males quickly. They were all taller than me. Two were pale, one with dark brown hair like the woman, and the other with light red hair. The third was a bit darker in complexion with almost black hair.

Pulling a dagger out of my boot, I threw it into the heart of the one closest to me. The third male dropped like a rock to the floor while the other two immediately tried to rush me. Kicking the male with the red hair in the stomach, he crumbled while gasping for breath. I assumed he hadn’t learned how not to breathe yet. Oops.

I turned my attention to the brunette male. Pulling out my second dagger from my opposite boot, I smiled at him. I only had moments before the redhead recovered, so I knew I didn’t have time to fuck with him too much—as much as I’d love to.

---