Page 54 of The Vampire and the Case of the Malevolent Mermaid

He’d stopped and was aiming his shotgun into the brush where Shadow had been staring moments ago. Boom! He fired a shot and pumped in the next shell. His stance was tense but his face was calm; he was a man who faced his fears head on.

Shadow yowled – an entreating call or a warning? I didn’t know because he spoke in his own language.

An answering scream came from the brush and my hair stood on end. I still couldn’t see anything. No smoke, no glowing eyes, no form. Where the fuck was the beast? I couldn’t flame-grill air.

‘Get to the barrier,’ Anissa gasped between chants. ‘I can’t hold it!’

I wasn’t sure whatitwas, but I believed she was holding us in some sort of protective bubble, which was why the beast wasn’t rushing us. That was its usual MO – it wasn’t a coy monster but a very much in-your-face one.

We didn’t need any more encouragement. ‘Run, girls!’ I barked and they sprinted away. Despite her fear, Kate was smart: she didn’t use vampire speed and pull away from Anissa because she also realised that Anissa was holding something protective over us.

I pulled my service weapon as I ran, ready to offer Gunnar and Stan more cover. The men were still fixed. ‘MOVE!’ I roared at them. ‘Anissa has a shield over us and you need to stay inside it!’ I had no idea what would happen if we stepped out of it. ‘I’ll cover you!’ I hollered. ‘RUN!’

The men turned their backs on the brush that was shaking and moving even though there wasn’t a breath of wind. I shot into the bushes and heard an enraged snarl. Had I found my mark? That feeling of pressure had disappeared completely so we had to be outside Anissa’s protective bubble – and that was all kinds of not good.

The bush ran towards me and I saw the moment it transformed from green leaves to swirls of deadly smoke. The leaves blackened and fell, and malevolent red eyes met my own.

Fuck. My cowardly heart quivered but I kept my feet rooted as I shot again. The men were nearly level with me. ‘Get to the girls!’ I ordered. ‘Get them home.’

‘Bunny—’ Gunnar started, as if he were going to argue.

‘I’ll be on your heels,’ I barked. ‘Your duty is to those kids!’

He swore,blistering the air black and blue, but he and Stan ran past me.

I summoned the heat within me. The beast wanted to dance? Then I’d introduce him to a great tune: ‘Great Balls of Fire’.I let my fear rise and channelled it, spooling the heat, then I holstered my gun and extended my hands, jetting flames from my fingertips like some sort of vampire flamethrower.

‘What the fuck?’ I heard Stan shout behind me.

Oops. Hopefully the girls were far enough away not to have seen my fiery act, but I’d have some explaining to do to Stan.

Ahead of me, Anissa screamed. I risked taking my eyes off the beast long enough to see her drop like a stone. ‘Anissa!’ Stan shouted, putting on an extra burst of speed. He pounded towards her, picked her up and the object she’d been holding, and tossed her over his shoulder with zero effort. ‘Move!’ he cajoled the girls, and they started running again with Fluffy at their heels.

Shadow, however, had about-turned. He was growing in size and leaping towards me. ‘No!’ I shouted at him. ‘Get back!’ Being a cat, he blithely ignored me and continued moving forward, putting himself between me and the beast.

Whatever protection Anissa had given us was long gone and the beast was free to come after us with all that it had. Fear swamped me. All that stood between it and us was my cantankerous cat. ‘Shadow!’ I shouted again.

And that was when something burst from the trees and headed right for me.

Chapter 33

Parker exploded from the trees in a blur of motion and I gaped as he tore towards me. He tackled me and hoisted me into a fireman’s hold before my brain caught up. I was too shocked to do more than dangle.

It was full sunlight. Connor must have given Parker a daylight charm – but what the fuck was Parker doing herebeyondthe barrier.

My brain fired again and I screamed for my lynx. ‘Shadow! Come on!’ I begged. Shadow was fierce and strong and he had some crazy skills, but he was nowhere near full grown. There was no way he could match the beast in size. It would kill him if he didn’t escape.

Parker’s speed took us to the others in no time. We were so close to the barrier now. Stan was ushering the girls up to it and whispering the words that would take them safely through it. He looked up and saw Parker. ‘Who the hell is this?’

‘It doesn’t matter now!’ Gunnar barked. ‘Go through!’ He picked up Fluffy by his Nomo’s vest and flung him bodily through the barrier.

Stan looked at me for a beat, worry in his eyes. ‘I’m fine!’ I yelled. ‘Go through!’

He went, carrying an unconscious Annisa slung over his shoulder like I was slung over Parker’s. I was feeling distinctly grumpy about being treated like a sack of potatoes but there wasn’t time to fuss. Shadow had listened and was heading our way – but he wasn’t alone. A terrifying, writhing mass of shadow and smoke was chasing him, howling and yowling its outrage.

‘Turn me around!’ I shouted at Parker. ‘Point me at the beast!’

He obeyed – he didn’t have a choice – and positioned me like I was a rocket launcher on his shoulder. If I’d been thinking straight, I’d have told him to put me the fuck down but no; I gathered my flames instead and summoned the fire that was roaring in my blood. I blasted it again at the monster, aiming high so Shadow would be unscathed.

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